#honestly she’s been one of my favorite artists since she came out with the dog days are over
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Florence and the machine lyrics that are (once again) living in my brain rent free
#honestly she’s been one of my favorite artists since she came out with the dog days are over#she was in Brazil last year and unfortunately I didn’t go but the next time she comes back I’ll find a way to go
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Class Favorites: Albums
It's makes sense. You already knew what was up. Let's talk about it.
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Why Would I Watch - Hot Mulligan
I'd been doing the dabbling work on Hot Mulligan for a good part of the year and was there and in love. Then this album came out and everyone was going off about how good it was, so I needed no convincing, just a CD copy. They even announced a tour shortly after the album release, but because I hadn't listened to the album yet I decided to wait and see. If you in the mix, you know how big of a mistake that was. It sold out SO quickly. Anyway I listened, went on a couple neighborhood walks with the album and the rest is history.
They may feature song titles that are sometimes nonsensical and cause you not to remember what their names are when you want to recommend them to your friends, but don't let that deter you, "This Song Is Called it's called What's It Called" needs no automatic memorizing of it's title, it's okay if you look it up or shorten them. I had already heard "Gans..." as a single in my Spotify release radar, so beyond that "No Shoes In The Coffee Shop" was the first song that I got attached to lyrically because of "for every crater on the moon, there's an empty beer around the room." I don't know I was just drawn to it.
If you haven't already listened and you're into Midwest Emo, Pop-Punk, Post-Punk, any of that, go listen to the album, have a moment and thank me later. Also tell me what your favorite song is cause I'd love to know.
Top 4 Tracks:
Gans Media Retro Games (Track 10)
No Shoes In The Coffee Shop "Or Socks" (Track 5)
Betty (Track 7)
It's A Family Movie She Hates Her Dad (Track 2)
King Of The New Age - State Champs
This album was listed as one that needed more attention during ACF22 and since I did my homework, in 2023 it made it to an top favorites category. I saw them in concert with Boys Like Girls, so that majorly increased their chances. Honestly though I think I was just starting to ease off the break that I was taking from some of my favorites and here were are. I thought they deserved to be a little cocky, just wasn't entirely here for it previously cause I always want to keep my favorites accessible. After sitting with the album a ton and seeing bits of it live, I can't be less of a State Champs fan. They're too good, so it is impossible for me. Like always give me time.
This is the album you make once you're a Senior in school and are now the top dogs. People are coming to your house to party now. This is stating a moment for the band and I think regardless of where they go from here, they were able to make a record reflecting the feelings of this time, most of which were high. At the end of the day I'm not gonna knock them for celebrating themselves and making sure we're aware who's winning here, I'm actually just gonna go right ahead and join in on the gang vocals.
My advice for anyone else this happens to, is to go ahead and take breaks from the artists that you love. I know that sounds sucky but trust me, you're most likely gonna come back to them and you're gonna appreciate the work so much more and if you don't, that's okay too. It worked for me, so that must count for nothing, but still something.
Click here to see what I said about the album last time.
Top 4 Tracks:
The proof that I did my homework is in what tracks are my favorite currently, cause they have definitely changed.
Fake It (Track 5)
Act Like That ft. Mitchell Tempenny (Track 8)
Sundress ft. Four Years Strong (Track 10)
Just Sound (Track 7)
#Class Favorites 2023#AKWARD CLASS FAVORITES#Why Would I Watch#Hot Mulligan#Kings Of The New Age#State Champs#Albums#Album Reviews
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Interview with Fan Artist loycos!
(Art by loycos)
So a few months ago, I was absent-mindedly scrolling on Tumblr (or was it Twitter?) when I came across something: an Adventure Time fan comic by an artist named loycos. As a person embedded in fan spaces, I find fanart like this all the time, but this time, there was something special about the art I was seeing. It was so... show-accurate!
I don’t mean that necessarily in regard to the art style (although it does feel right at home in the Land of Ooo, while still being its own thing with its own flourishes), but rather in relation to the characterization; the way loycos wrote the characters was spot on. She nailed PB and Marceline’s dynamic as former lovers who deep-down miss one another. She nailed Finn’s naive heroism and his one-sided crush on PB. She nailed Jake’s goofball energy. It was perfect.
In the past, I’ve only interviewed people affiliated with the show’s production, but I thought I’d mix things up a bit and reach out to some fan artists that I think are fantastic. As such, I’m delighted to share with you an interview I had with loycos, who answered my questions about her art, her history with Adventure Time, and where her work is headed!
What is your 'artistic origin' story?
[It’s] kind of a corny answer, but I've been drawing since I remember myself. My earliest drawing memories are drawing Clifford (the big red dog) fanart when I was around 5 y/o. I was always more of a "fangirl" artist, [and] I would draw characters from my favorite franchises to illustrate my headcanons and daydream scenarios I'd put them in. That hadn't changed one bit since. I had since gone on to study animation and illustration in official institutions which forced me to design characters and worlds of my own, but when I draw for myself it's always back to fanart (or studies). I don't have any OCs.
Are there particular artists or styles that you were inspired by and/or like to emulate or allude to?
I'd joke that my artstyle is just a mesh of all the franchises I've drawn fanart for over the years, but honestly, is it even a joke? I think you can easily recognize I had a Disney Phase like every other teenager (I didn't have an anime phase though! I know, I'm an anomaly) and [Steven Universe] definitely left it's fat mark on my style too. Out of [Steven Universe]'s storyboarding crew (which I followed very closely over the years) I especially love Raven Molisee and Jeff Liu for their wacky expressions and proportions, and of course Rebecca Sugar for their fluid and carefree lines. When it comes to art in general, I tend to prefer stylized, colorful and brushy styles over realistic or gothic ones, So people like Hue Teo and Patri Balanovsky pop to my mind (and my artstation feed, seriously look them up).
How do you approach your projects; what is your general art process?
It really depends on the type of project I'm doing, though, my [Adventure Time] comics were all pretty similar in their conception: I write down all of my ideas in my notes so I won't forget them. Then I either roughly sketch out the entire comic as fast as I can, or I write a script (if the concept is specifically very dialog heavy) and then sketch it roughly. Then I do the lineart and color, nothing too complicated. The one thing I think is worth noting in my long comic process is that I draw all of my panels on the same document- that way it's easier for me to make sure the characters stay on model and that my panel layout remains fresh. So basically, the way you read the comics on tumblr, as a long scroll, is the format I work on.
How did you come to find Adventure Time? What made you join the fandom?
Adventure Time is one of those shows you just know about, so I don't remember how I first found out about the show. However, I do remember when I started shipping Bubbline—after the episode “Broke His Crown” aired. I somehow ended up in their Tumblr tag and was blown away by the (by 2016's standards) blatant representation. Despite my obsession with them at the time, I never actually watched any episode that didn't feature the girls' relationship. I only started fully watching the show recently. But I did consume a lot of fan content, which I think helped me shape my own headcanons and such. After my initial interest in 2016 I put Bubbline back on the back burner and kept on my [Steven Universe] ramage, until last year's “Obsidian,” which brought me back fully on board the Bubbline decks around 2 weeks before it aired, so I was in maximum hype mode when I watched the special. It did not disappoint [and it] really reminded me of why I loved these characters and their relationship to begin with. I started drawing my own art for the ship shortly after, when I felt like the hype around the special died down and there wasn't much to keep me sustained anymore. I make what I want to see ;)
As for joining the fandom, I don't know if I can be considered a member, seeing how inactive I am most of the time and my very limited list of [Adventure Time] mutuals. I am extremely flattered that my stuff caught ATimers attention in a positive way.
You've done some amazing Bubblegum and Marceline stuff. What draws you to their dynamic?
I'm gay.
OK, seriously now. I have a soft spot for extremely feminine, dainty characters that are very reserved, so PB immediately marked herself as an obvious fav, and the road to shipping her with Marceline (who is such an obvious candidate and a multilayered, fascinating character herself) was a short one. I know calling PB dainty is far from a true statement, but that's what she appeared like on the surface and that's what caught my attention. Another thing is that I love relationships between immortal beings, I think it always adds another layer of complexity to any relationship, especially a romantic one. The whole "getting older without appearing like you've aged" and "watching everyone you love die around you while you stay the same" can surely make 2 beings bond, right? It always felt like PB and Marcy get each other in a way no one else can, they are very different on the surface but share fundamental internal similarities. Oh, and the fact that they're EXES? The romantic tension and the longing? The familiarity and banter they had in every scene they shared?This hit the jackpot on literally every relationship trope that I love. I'd much rather watch a "getting back together" than a "falling in love for the first time" story.
All of this and the fact that they [are] gay. It's really that simple sometimes.
In broad strokes, what is next for you as an artist and/or as a fan?
I have a few [Adventure Time] comics ideas\scripts on the back burner and one that is in the making. I think I'll dabble into some Nintendo fanart cause I've been playing a lot of Smash Bros and [Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild] lately.
I’m so excited to see what comes next! Either way, a huge thanks to loycos for chattin’ with me! If you’d like to check out more of her art, visit her Tumblr and her Twitter page!
#adventure time#atimers#adventuretime#bubbline#princess bubblegum#marceline#marceline the vampire queen#pb#marcy#loycos#fanart#fan art#interview#fandom
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Where You Belong
A little more Sy and Josie shenanigans.
Summary: During their difficult year, Josie goes to a house party and is reminded that not everyone has good intentions for pretty women. Sy rescues her from would be wrong doer.
Warnings: woman being drugged. Someone saying they want to sexually assault another person. Language, consenting romantic sex.
As the song came to an end, I couldn’t help but smile and think of my wife. She made me this playlist after I got the new truck that could play an SD card full of music. Leave it to her to drop in our wedding song. I can vaguely recall a drunken night in our earliest years, where I sang Garth Brooks songs to her to try and make her smile. Josie, my Pussycat, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t madly in love with that woman. She was like a tornado of sass, sarcasm, beauty, and passion. I know I haven’t been the best partner to her, I have been a terrible husband over the years. Yet, after everything we have been through, she still chose me. She chose to love me despite how badly I had hurt her. The best thing I can do now is prove every day that I am still worthy of her forgiveness and affections.
Being Jo’s husband has always been worth it though. I never knew a woman like her before. She is an incredibly strong willed woman, and I knew a man who once told me that I needed to learn how to “control my wife.”
You don’t control Josephine Syverson. You are lucky if you can even survive her. I had to tell him that more than once. She would have read him the riot act if she had heard him say it to me. Honestly, I wasn’t disappointed when he decided not to talk to us anymore.
When I pulled up to our little piece of heaven, our baby girl Stella whined happily. She loved our trips into town, especially when we go to the coffee house which gives out tiny cups of whipped cream. The German Shepard was the best addition to our family Jo could have found. The dog turned into a cuddle bug, and kept my girl safe when I have to be away for any given time.
When we walked into the travel trailer, I couldn’t see Jo right away. No matter how long its been, it always scares me a little when I can’t find her. Stella found her right away though, Jo was asleep on our bed, book still in her hand. I put the groceries away then joined her. She woke up just enough to smile at me then snuggled into my arms. The tank top she was wearing was barely keeping herself contained in the fabric, but damn did I love this view.
The ringing in my ears keeps me from hearing the subtle things, but I can see how her face softens again. She’s back to dreamland, so I kiss her forehead and relax with her. I take in the view of the little details she put up. Jo bought a little glass thingy that hangs by the window, when the sun hits it just right, the room is covered with bursts of rainbows all over. She found the quilt we are laying on in her favorite shade of teal at an artist boutique in New Mexico last fall. Unlike our homes before, this was an explosion of colors and soft textures. I am a black and gray kind of a man, but Josie… Josie is a jewelry box of colors.
Stella gives a long decompressing sigh at the foot of the bed, so I decided to close my eyes. I really enjoy these afternoons and not being physically close to her was the thing I hated the most about being away from her so many times. When we were going through our difficult period a few years ago, my arms would ache to hold her, it was torture to be so close. I had checked the calendar this morning, today marked three years since the incident in the kitchen. The biggest regret I have of my life is pushing her to the point of breaking. The following twelve months were brutal to both of us. Sometimes she wouldn’t even make eye contact with me for days at a time. There were days after therapy that I really had wanted to give up, and tell her that it was just too hard. I wanted to give her an out, so she could have a fresh start without all of… well… me. One night when she went out with her friends, however, changed whether or not I could leave her.
When we left her mother’s house that day, she made me promise that no matter what we decided to do, that I would keep her daughter as safe as I could. I think she was worried that Josie would self sabotage. I knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t. Other people have no problem sabotaging beautiful women though.
The night her friend took her to a house party that was being hosted by a different company. She was dressed pretty cute that night, in her tight jeans and a black t-shirt, letting her dark hair down. Josie even put on some lipstick. She’s gorgeous any way she puts herself together, but I have always enjoyed when she gets a little more polished. One year for an officer’s ball she wore a low cut back velvet dress and this same red lipstick of hers. Jo looked like a glamour movie star that night, I was the luckiest man because I got to take this vision home with me. We wrapped up the night at Waffle House. She used to love getting dressed up like that and having some kind of breakfast food during the small hours of the night. On her way out, she squeezed my shoulder and said that she didn’t plan on being out that late.
“Well, you have my number if you need me. I’m happy to come and get you.” I paused my game and looked over at her. It had been one of our more difficult weeks, she gave me a sad smile before thanking me and heading out the door. I knew there was going to be a mix of people, but I didn’t know anyone who was going to be there. I tried to not to worry too much about her while she’s out. So I open up a beer and put on my comfy sweatpants, think about ordering a pizza for dinner.
I had just enough time to watch one of the cheesy Sci-Fi made for TV horror movies when I had gotten a text from JoJo.
I need you to come get me. I don’t feel good. I got a cold pit in my stomach and rush of panic. Please hurry.
On my way
Without a second of hesitation, I jump into my truck and make my way to the party’s address. I thank her quietly for giving it to me before she left. I get to the house in about ten minutes, throw the truck into park and jump out. Within moments I hear one of the son’s of bitches outside the party say something along the lines of “I’m feeling kind of rapey tonight, I think I need to rape fuck one of these whores here.”
I need to find Jo. I need to find her now.
Her friend is in the kitchen and looks surprised to see me there. I snap at her in full Colonel voice, “Where is Josie?”
“I haven’t seen her in a few minutes. She had been playing flip cup in the other room a while ago with some of the other women. She went outside for some air but I don’t know where she is.” She’s never seen me like this before and she’s clearly a little freaked out. I’m here, where are you?
I find another man who looks like a grunt, and I pin him to the wall “Where is my wife?”
“Sir, I don’t know who is your wife is!” I think he about shit himself.
“Her name is Jo, she’s this tall, Black shirt and jeans, red lipstick.”
“I… I don’t know, sir, I’m sorry, sir.”
I look around the backyard, and the bottom floor. I can’t find her. Her friend finally found me, and points me up stairs. She managed to lock herself in the hall bathroom, but I think Jo might have passed out.
“Baby, JoJo, please open the door sweet girl.” I say as gently as possible.
“James?” She responds weakly.
“I’m here, baby.”
“I can’t move, James, I can’t get off the floor.” she said, her voice sounded strained.
I want to punch through the wall. I want to rip the drywall down like a wild animal and claw my way to her. I pat myself down and feel my key chain. On the chain I have one of the gifts she had given me last Christmas, a tiny multi-tool with a screw driver on it. I start trying to get the door nob off the door. I tell her friend to call the MP’s for the base, they are going to need to get here soon because I will dismember anyone who tries to stop me right now. I then ask Josie to talk to me while I work on rescuing her.
She whines to me that she’s exhausted, and that she just wants to sleep. “Stay awake for me, baby. I’m almost in there, sweetheart. Hang in there for me, honey.”
I get the door nob off. And almost rip the door off it’s hinges. Josephine was losing consciousness by the time I got in there. I scoop her up into my arms, carrying her down the stairs and make my way to the truck.
“Oh, looks like someone’s had too much. Party foul!” Some jackass says.
“I swear to fucking god, I will end you. Get the fuck out of my way.” I growl at him. “I will fucking end every single one of these bastards careers when I find out who did this.”
The younger men back away from me slowly. Josie’s eyes open up long enough for her to slur “fuck ‘em up, baby.” And then promptly goes limp in my arms. I get her into the truck and haul ass to the local emergency room. I have her lay on the bench, it took a little time to get her buckled in. I was not prepared for my wife to have to same physical properties of a cat. It was like trying to make
Driving to the hospital I was an absolute wreck. I’ve heard about how people who are drugged can die from complications. I kept on hand on the steering wheel and my other hand holding hers. When I get there, I leave the truck running and run inside to the triage nurse and blurt everything I’ve gathered out. She makes a phone call and two large men come out with a gurney I show them where she is and we carefully take her out of the truck. My poor Jo looked so rough. They wheel her into the back, so I sit down and wait to be brought back after they stabilize her. Twenty minutes of me sitting there waiting to go back to see Josie, I see two police officers coming my way. These two guys look like they must have had a terrible day as it was and they were just itching for someone to pick a fight with them.
I was not going to spend my night in a jail cell because some chuckle fuck decided to hurt my wife. They question me aggressively given our history. I was able to show them my text conversation with Josie and after 30 minutes of them being incredibly rude, they left. Hopefully to shut down the party. Fuckers.
I fumed for the better part of twenty minutes until a doctor came out and told me what was going on. She was stable and asking for me. So they walked me back into the room she was in.
My Jojo. She looked so small and fragile to me for the first time in our lives together. They couldn't get an IV in easily so she had bruises up and down her arms. Her skin didn't have its usual radiance. I called her name and she opened her eyes. She wiggled her fingers at me in a weak greeting and then patted the hospital bed next to her.
"Are you sure, sweetheart?"
"Please, Sy. I want to feel safe." I get into the bed with her and kiss her forehead. She's back asleep a few moments later. I stay there, awake all night watching her.
Around three in the morning, I heard her voice sounded extra small.
"James, do you remember that Bed and Breakfast we stayed in after we got married?"
"Yeah, the one in Texas?"
"Yeah, we should go back." And then she was asleep again. I would give anything to be able to take her there again.
After the sun rose, I went out to the lobby to get us both some decent coffee while the nurses did their rotation. She seemed lucid this morning but was really confused about what happened the previous night. I asked her if she remembered asking me to lay in bed with her. She didn't.
They discharged her a couple hours later with the instructions that she would need to rest for the next few days. When we head home, she thanks me quietly in the truck.
"I know that despite everything, deep down I know I can count on you when it matters the most."
"I'm glad to hear that. I would have torn down every single wall in that house with my bare hands to get you out of danger." She reached over and squeezed my hand.
"I know you would have. Thank you, James." She smiled at me and she meant it. When we get back to the house I go and lay down on the office couch I had been sleeping on and try to get some sleep. A few weeks later we were back in the same bed together.
Presently, I feel her hands running up and down my chest. So I decide to whisper in her ear that she shouldn't start anything she can't finish. Josie giggles at me and I watch as she slides her leggings down her legs and gets on top of me. Her tank top is still not keeping her inside of it but I don't complain. I then run my hands down her sides and stop at that beautiful growing belly of hers.
"I love how these pregnancy hormones got you all fired up all the time."
"Oh, I bet you do." She grins at me as she releases me from my shorts.
"Pussycat, you are so fucking sexy. I am the luckiest man in world..." I trail off as she slides herself down onto me. I would do things against the Geneva convention for this amazing woman.
All I can think about as she rides me, and touches herself, is how damn lucky I am. She makes love to me like the wild goddess she is. Before long, I have her on her back, looking into her eyes as I enter her deeply and passionately. We moan our I love yous to each other as I get closer to cumming. With a long, burning kiss, I empty myself into her.
We come down from our orgasms together. Her tank top has been discarded and I take in how beautiful she is hand resting on her baby bump, while she reclines luxuriously in our bed.
"Any thoughts about where we should head off to after she's her?"
"We should move closer to your Mama. Have you told her yet?"
"No, I just want to be cautious. I'm going to wait a few more weeks."
"I definitely understand. You are going to be such a good mama to our little bit."
"I hope so. Thank you, James."
"Anything for you."
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BTS Reaction To neglecting their family while away (Hyung Line)
JIN (Kim Seokjin)
When you started to date Jin you knew what you got yourself into. Jin is a busy man always preparing for the next comeback or going on tour. He was living his dream and you knew how much it meant to him so you didn’t complain. You felt quite proud of him actually since even with his busy schedule he usually never forgets to take care of his family and spends as much time with your three year old and you as possible.
Though on his current tour it was quite different. For a long time he didn’t call you two and barely ever answered your calls and you were getting quite tired of it. Yes, he was busy but you were just asking for 5 minutes, enough time to check on each other and for him to talk to his son.
It had already been 4 months since he left and your son was missing him terribly. He was starting to be uncontrollable, always throwing tantrums and never wanting to go to sleep demanding for his father to sing him to sleep.
Today was one of those nights again. Your usually smiley son was currently crying at the top of his lungs and kicking when you tried to come near him. At this point you were fed up with it and didn’t have any energy to deal with it anymore.
You left your son’s room and went to the living room were you left your phone. You snatched it from the table it was laying on and FaceTimed your husband over and over again determined to have him answer the phone, which he did after the fifth call.
“What is it?! You can’t just blow up my phone like this I’m about to go to the rehearsals and I’m already late, Y/N.” You could tell that he was pissed by the way he growled at you. But at this point you were probably more irritated than him so it didn’t faze you.
“I wouldn’t have to if you actually answered when I called… or maybe even called yourself.” You retorted with a fake smile.
“You know I’m busy, I don’t always have time. Like right now actually.”
“Seems like lately even when you do have time you prefer spending it with anything or anyone other than your family.” You didn’t even know were that came from and the words surprised even you but you weren’t going to show him how startled you were. “Whatever I just called because your son misses you very much and is making life very hard for me right now so talk to him.” You said while going back into your son’s room and handing the phone to your son who was still crying, though much calmer now.
As soon as he say his father on the screen you could see his eyes light up.
“Hi buddy!” you heard Jin say as you took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and heat up your food as you didn’t have any time to eat before since you were too busy taking care of the troublesome son. You also took the time to calm down from the fight with your husband.
After a few minutes you went back into your son’s room to check on him only to find him fast asleep with your phone on his lap. You smiled at how cute he looked before walking over to him. You payed him down in his bed, tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his temple before taking the phone and walking out of the room making sure to close the door carefully behind you.
“Y/N?” The voice coming from your phone startled you a bit, you didn’t realize that he was still on the call. When you pointed the camera at your face Jin started talking again: “He grew a lot since the last time I saw him. I didn’t realize how long it has been.” He said with a sad smile on his face problably trying to start small talk with you.
You chuckled bitterly at his words “Yeah, talk to you whenever.” You rolled your eyes.
“Wai-“ you didn’t let him finish before ending the call. You really didn’t feel like talking to him after your fight.
SUGA (Min Yoongi)
Yoongi has always been a distant person. He often missed calls or forgot to text back, or even canceled some dates. In the beginning of your relationship it made you doubt his feelings for you quite often but you soon came to realize that he wasn’t being distant on purpose. He is just naturally introverted and very serious and concentrated when it comes to his work.
What helped you realize that we’re many actions of his, like when he came to you when he needed inspiration, or when he sometimes came over to your apartment that was further away from his studio than the dorms fully knowing that you would be asleep when he came and that he had to leave even before you woke up and when you realized that and asked him about it he simply replied that he only felt completely relaxed when he was with you, or simply that he trusted you with his beloved dog Hollie when he was on tour.
Tour was the only time where you two were completely apart from each other and the only way for you to communicate was through the phone. This made tours the hardest times in your relationship, as your communication would be at its minimum. Of course you missed your boyfriend very much when he was away but you trusted Yoongi and knew that if he didn’t call he was just immersed in his work and stressed, you didn’t want to be a distraction from his work since you know how important it was to him.
Anyway you soon got used to his lifestyle and you two started to make changes in both of your lives so that you were both happy. You started hanging out at his studio more often - obviously not distracting him but doing your own thing -, soon you two even moved in together and later on he married you.
Now here you are 5 years later and not much has changed. Yoongi is still as focused on his career and you don‘t mind much, you miss him, but you were used to it by now… but your daughter was not.
Your daughter was only 4 years old so she didn’t understand why her daddy had to be away from her for so long. She is the biggest Daddy‘s Girl out there so she also didn’t like the idea of him going around the world to make other girls happy very much.
The 4-year-old has been feeling a little bit under the weather for a couple of days now and it broke your heart to see your usual bundle of happiness in that state. You thought long about how to make her feel better and came to the conclusion that talking to her beloved dad was the only medicine that would help.
You pondered for a very long time wether you should call him or not since you knew how grumpy he could get when he got interrupted while working but when your daughter even refused to eat you knew you had to.
You went into your room to start the call because you didn’t know how Yoongi would react after picking up the phone and you didn’t want him to snap at you in front of your 4-year-old.
Sure enough Yoongi seemed pissed after answering your second call. “Babe, I’m working, you know I don’t like getting interrupted.” Yes he was scolding you but you couldn’t help the butterflies that erupted in your belly upon hearing his voice after so long.
“Oh come on, you’re always working Yoongi and we haven’t talked in so long.” You pouted a little.
“I’m busy Y/N, I’m working on a new song right now and I really don’t want to forget what I had in mind.” He doesn’t budge, making you sigh.
“Yoongi, we talked about this. When you’re working you tend to get too immersed in it and you forget to call. The last time we talked was more than a month ago and the only reason I even know you’re alive and well is because I talk to your members. I just want one call once in a while even if it’s for a few minutes. Y/D/N misses you a lot… and I do too.” You add shyly.
That’s when you see a soft smile for on your Husband’s lips. “ You’re Right Y/N. I’m sorry. I guess I do get too immersed in my work. I didn’t even realize how I miss you two too.”
“You really need to take a break once in a while babe.” You tell him.
”I know. I will. How’s Y/D/N?” You can see his eyes light up just at the thought of her, making you chuckle.
“Not so good, she hasn’t been nearly as cheerful as she usually is. And I just tried to feed her but she keeps rejecting any kind of food. I think she just misses you a lot. You know I’m used to not talking to you that much but she isn’t.” You tell him honestly and his face falls remarkably.
“You should be used to me neglecting you either, Y/N.” He says sadness laced in his voice. “I’ll make it up to you I promise. For now let me talk to my Princess.”
You walk into the living room with your phone in your hand to find said princess lying on the sofa while watching her favorite show on the TV.
“Baby, Look who’s on the phone!” You say with a cheerful tone.
As sulky as she was before she still looked over to you and as soon as she saw her father on the phone the Y/D/N that you knew and loved cake back.
“Appa!!!”
You stayed on the phone for almost 2 hours during which your daughter happily told him about everything he had missed since his last phone call and he even got her to eat before she passed out on your lap. You were relieved that she was back to her old bubbly self.
Surprisingly, the call didn’t end after you put Y/D/N to bed like you would have thought. Instead Yoongi even insisted on staying on the phone to talk to you until you fell asleep too.
J-Hope (Jung Hoseok)
Your husband Hoseok was a superstar and his popularity was growing day by day. His fan base exceeded national boundaries so naturally he was gone a lot. Be it for a world tour, schedules in other countries or a collaboration with a western artist.
This time he had a 3 months tour all over America and had to stay there a little longer for the promotion of his new song with the newest big female artist in the USA right now.
Though you knew that you had to share your s/o with more than 30 Mio people, you didn’t mind because you knew that in the end you were the one he was married to and had two children with. Plus, you were an army too, so how could you be jealous knowing how important he was to them and vise versa.
Getting jealous because of his popularity would be stupid anyways because Hoseok was one of the most social and charismatic people you ever got to know, so you were sure that even if he wasn’t famous he’d still be gaining the attention of many people. But that wasn’t a bad thing, after all if he wasn’t that outgoing you doubt that you would have gotten to know each other.
So yeah, you were pretty proud of your husband for being so successful in the thing he loved to do. And when he was away you showed your support by watching every show and interview he did. It even became a family tradition for you and your son and daughter to gather in front of the TV every time you knew he was going to be on.
All three of you loved to see him goofing around on screen since lately that was the only way you got to see him.
His new collab song came out a week ago so he was in the middle of promotion and since the song was at the top of the charts a lot of shows demanded his appearance. So every day he was juggling between schedules, went back to the hotel very late and was too exhausted to call. During the preparation of the sind he also was drowning in work. J-Hope was a perfectionist so he stayed at the studio day and night in company of the singer he was making the song with, so every time you called he would tell you that he was busy working with her.
Now, as said before, you weren’t the jealous time at all but seeing how much time he spent with her and how much you were neglected in the process really didn’t sit right with you. And the fact that you saw how well (maybe even too well) they got along with each other on shows didn’t help. You knew fully well that Hoseok wouldn’t cheat on you and you couldn’t help the jealousy that was growing inside of you. You thought to yourself that you only felt that way because you hadn’t seen nor talked to him in so long.
Even so, you didn’t want to let it show in front of your kids since you didn’t want them to think that there was anything wrong with their parents, so you continued to watch the shows and interviews with them every day suppressing the feeling and casting a fake smile on your face.
You thought you were doing a great job at faking it but your son was old enough to notice that there was something wrong with you and he was clever enough to figure out the reason after seeing your smile fall a little every time you saw Hobi laugh with his new friend. He also noticed your general mood deteriorate more and more every time his father didn’t answer your calls.
As he watched you one day try to call your husband once more and sigh when he didn’t pick up your son had enough. He picked up his own phone and opted for messaging you seeing as he knew his father wasn’t going to answer anyways.
You’re an asshole. Hope you know that.
Even though he felt bad for cursing out his father his anger was bigger.
As expected, his father didn’t didn’t respond right away, in fact he didn’t see the message until 3 hours later but as soon as he saw it his heart sank and he immediately called his son racking his brain about what he could have done for his son to suddenly have such a bad image of him.
The 13 year old answered the phone with an eye roll. “Oh so your phone does work. Good to know.”
“Buddy? You alright?” Was all Hoseok said, making the young boy roll his eyes yet again.
“You would know if you called more often… or as all.” Hobi was sure he heard a hint of sadness hiding behind all the sass he definitely inherited from you.
“I’m sorry, bud. I just have so much to do that I barely ever have any time on my own and when I do it’s already the middle of the night over there.” Excuses, excuses is what your son thought.
“Yeah because you’re always with that other woman.” Your son replied now letting his guards down and letting his sadness show. On the other end of the line Hoseok was shocked by his son’s words. His son didn’t think he was cheating on you, did he?
“W-What do you mean?” Hobi asked carefully.
“Every time mom calls you you say that you’re busy with her. You’re making mom sad And I don’t like seeing her like that.”
Hobi sighed, “ Listen to me, okay? I love your mother very very much and I would never even think of doing something that would make me lose her and you and your sister in the process. I didn’t realize I made it seem as if I was hurting your mother on purpose. I wasn’t.”
“Tell that to her then. She acts like there’s nothing wrong but I can see that she’s just faking.” Although still worried for his mom he was actually very glad to hear his father say that.
He was just like you and preferred to hide his feelings so he would never let it show but he was actually very scared that his parents would split up.
“I will, kid. Thanks for making me aware of it.” He was very proud and happy to know that his son was turning into a real man protecting his mother.
“I’ll call her now. I’ll talk to you and your sister later, okay? Love and miss you lots.” He added
“I love you too, dad. Come home soon. Oh and dad?”
“Hm?”
“I’m sorry I called you an asshole.” Your son said bashfully, making his father laugh.
“It’s okay, but this better be the last time you talk to me like that.” Hobi answered semi-seriously.
“Yes, sir.” On that note they ended the call and Hobi didn’t miss a moment to call you.
RM (Kim Namjoon)
We all know that Namjoon is a very serious man when it comes to his work. I mean, he has to be, he is the leader of one of the most successful groups right now.
Off stage, Namjoon is also the best husband and father to your daughter. Always there for you two when you need it and when you don’t, the best support that you could ask for.
But with being the leader of BTS and of your family comes great responsibility, and as a result great stress. Between having to overview every schedule they have (and they have a lot), making sure everyone is Problem free and healthy both physically and mentally, making their songs, making sure everyone learns the songs and choreography and that the performances are perfect, playing the translator when they are overseas and having to take care or you and your 6 year old daughter there was not much time to work on his sanity. Don’t get me wrong, he loved doing all that, it was just… a bit much at times. Like now.
They had been on tour for 5 months now and they’re last break was too long ago to remember, meaning that Namjoon had been working non-stop for far too long. And he was already working on their next album that was supposed to come out soon after the tour, giving him extra work. He had no time to go visit the cities, no time to just hang out with the members and definitely no time to call you, and even though he was trying to not let it all get to him, it definitely was. And the fact that he had trouble with the song he was currently writing was not helping him very much.
In Korea, you were helping your daughter finalize the present she was making for her father for Father’s Day today.
She might be just 6 but she definitely had inherited Joon's incredible intelligence and creativity. That is why her present couldn’t be just a drawing of you three standing next to a house with a sun in the corner of the drawing.
She insisted on making an album full of pictures of her and her daddy with small notes and descriptions telling him why she loves him and her favorite memories of him.
She just started school so she couldn’t write very well but she still wanted to do it herself so right now you were just dictating her the words for the last note.
“All done mommy!” She exclaimed with a big toothless grin.
“Yay well done girlie! Shall we call daddy now and show him?”
Hearing your words, you saw her eyes light up. She didn’t waste a second before dashing to get your phone and coming back to where she left the album, making you giggle at her excitement.
You started the FaceTime call but went to stand outside of the frame right after. As mature as she wanted to act, your daughter was only 6 so you knew that Namjoon not making it to the ‘Bring you father to school day’ that her school was organizing for Father’s Day
As soon as she saw her father’s face she started beaming.
“Hi daddy!! Look what I ma-“ but her excitement was cut short by an annoyed voice.
“Y/D/N didn’t I tell you to stop taking people’s phones?” You were shocked by your husband's words and even more by his tone. Never has he ever spoken to her like that.
“But I-“ your daughter tried to explain herself but was cut off by her father once again.
“No buts young lady. You’re daddy’s busy, I can’t always talk when you want to. That’s why you should always wait for me to call or for your mother to call me. Now put the phone back where you found it.” And he ended the call.
You could see the tears forming in your daughter’s eyes as she kept on staring at the screen her usually loving father was just seconds ago.
Without a word you went over to where she was sitting and took her in your arms where she started sobbing.
You really didn’t know what was up with Namjoon. Usually even when he was majorly stressed he never talked like that. He was the most pacifist person you had ever seen and hated arguments. And seeing his little mini-me usually helped him destress.
It took you an hour to calm your daughter down and she finally fell asleep in your arms. You carried her into her room and put her in bed, careful not to wake her up.
With a heavy sigh you went back into the living room and retrieved your phone from the table. You took a picture of the album, sent it to your husband and wrote: Y/D/N made this for you. It’s a photo album with all the best memories she was with you. She was already upset enough that you can’t make it to “Bring Your Father To School Day” but you had to be pissy to her when she just wanted to show you her present? I know you probably are very stressed out because of everything and I understand it and I respect it. That’s why I refrain on calling you too often, but the one time I do, for Y/D/N sake btw, you react like that. That‘s really not cool, Namjoon.
Namjoon read the message you left him, and only then did it down on him how awful he was to your daughter and guilt started building in side of him at a rapid speed.
“Fuck.“
#bts#kpop#bangtan#bts reactions#bts angst#bts rm#bts jin#bts suga#bts jhope#bts jimin#bts v#bts jungkook#kim namjoon#kim namjun#kim seokjin#min yoongi#min yoonki#jung hoseok#park jimin#kim taehyung#jeon jungkook#jeon jeongguk#bangtan fics#bts fic#bts fics#bangtan fic
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Fall For You (Steve Rogers x Reader)
Summary: In which Steve is the emergency contact of his ex-wife.
Warnings: amnesia, mentioned accident, incorrect medical banter, sad Steve, bad writing, angst, language, divorce... for some reason I’m always writing about divorce.
Word Count: 1.9k
Inspired from: Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade
Feedback is appreciated!
The cabin used to be a home. It was filled with laughter, excited chatter, loving moans. Steve recalled when he carried you bridal-style over the threshold. You were all giggles and he was all smiles. Both of you excited for the next chapter in your lives. What happened?
Steve questioned that every day as he walked past your favorite wedding photo. It was hung over the fireplace. Albeit, it hung crookedly after you slammed the front door - the same door he carried you through - and never returned.
As easily as he could’ve straightened out the photo - or even taken it down - he couldn’t find the strength to do so. He found irony in that. He was a super soldier and he couldn’t bring himself to take down a picture frame.
You and Steve were different in many, many ways. However, you both managed to balance one another out. Where he was strict and followed orders to the tee, you were a go-with-the-flow type of agent, a master of adaptability. Where you always felt like you were floating away into nothingness, he was grounded. He kept you steady while you kept him on his toes.
You were a perfect couple. Were.
Steve wanted to retire. After saving the universe, defeating Thanos, losing Tony and Nat, he longed for normalcy. He wanted a home, a wife, kids. And for a time, you wanted the same thing.
However, you couldn’t find yourself settling into the life Steve wanted. You were itching for something else -- that excitement that came with missions. And after a year, you realized you didn’t want retirement, at least not yet. You felt as if you could still contribute to the world and felt selfish hiding away in your perfect cabin home.
Steve disagreed. He always disagreed. He told you that you both deserved to settle down. It was okay that you both walked away. It wasn’t selfish. In fact, he called you selfish for wanting your old life back. He tried to convince you for days and you tried to let yourself be convinced. But it just wasn’t enough.
On a stormy night, the once laughter filled home was full of screams. The once perfect couple yelled at one another at the top of their lungs. You had enough. You raced to your shared bedroom, packed a back, and left with the slamming of the door. And he let you go.
Give her an hour, or two. Steve told himself. But two hours turned into a day. And a day turned into a week. He grew anxious. He prepared to follow you out. He had connections. He knew he could find you. But just as he opened the door, Sam stood there with his head hung low and a somber look on his face. He handed Steve a file and said, “I’m sorry, man.”
You divorced your husband.
-=+=-
It’s been over a year. Through Sam and Bucky, Steve kept tabs on you. Eventually, that stopped. They advised Steve to move on which angered him. Had you moved on, too? (The answer was no. You still loved him very much).
With your absence, Steve preoccupied himself with home renovations. He adopted a dog, a golden retriever whose previous owners named “Captain”.
As he juggled cutting wood and playing fetch with Captain, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. He frowned as he put the phone to his ear, “hello?”
“Hi, is this Mr. Steven Rogers?” A woman’s voice rang through the phone.
“This is he. What’s this about?”
“Hi, Mr. Rogers. I - There’s no easy way for me to say this, but you’re the emergency contact of a Mrs. (Y/N) Rogers.” Color drained from his face. “Well... she’s been involved in an accident.”
It had been weeks since he received that phone call. He stayed by your bedside with Captain at his feet. Bucky had explained you were following a mafia boss. Apparently, you had followed a lead but the boss knew about you. He had his goons crash into your car as you were driving to the compound. Doctors explained Steve that you had severe trauma to the head. Steve thought the image of your puffy eyes and tear stained cheeks would haunt him for the rest of his life. He was wrong. You were bruised and bandaged, cuts ans scrapes littered all over your body. Your lifeless body hooked up to machines. That would haunt him for the rest of his life.
“Expect the worst,” the doctor advise.
-=+=-
When you awoke, Steve was happy. You, on the other hand, were confused. Who was this blonde man celebrating your eyes opening? His smile quickly faded as he saw your confusion. “Do you know who I am?” he asked you and he prayed for a yes. But you did your best to shake your head. No. You didn’t know this man.
The doctors explained that you had amnesia. The man at your bedside asked if your memories would be recovered, but the doctor didn’t give a definite answer.
All you knew about yourself was your name, so you relied on the handsome blonde man to fill in the gaps. You returned to your room at the Avengers Compound a week after waking up. From what you gathered, he had a cabin in the woods, but he refused to go back. He chose to stay by your side.
Throughout the weeks, he was your sense of comfort. Your sense of familiarity. Although you didn’t recognize him or had any memory of your past with him, something inside you told you to trust him.
He explained to you what you did as a living -- an Avenger. He explained that you were married to him, he had photographic proof. He explained that you left him to go back to being an Avenger. You chuckled when he finished. “I’m an idiot,” you thought aloud. Why would you leave this man?
Steve Rogers.
Throughout your months recuperating, you found yourself falling in love with Steve Rogers. He tended to you and cared for you. Why would you leave such a man? You scolded past self daily for her mistake.
“You good?” Steve asked as he finished drying your hair. You nodded. “You’re quiet today.”
“Just thinking,” you smiled. He hummed in response. “You don’t need to be my personal slave, Steve... I can dry my own hair.”
He chuckled but didn’t respond. In truth, many of the small deeds that Steve did for you, you could do on your own. He just used it as an excuse to be around you -- not that you minded.
He helped you get into your bed, tucking you in. He pressed a kiss to your forehead before turning to leave. You sat up on your bed and grabbed his arm. “Can you... uh... can you stay with me for the night?”
Steve gave you a warm smile as he nodded. “Scoot over,” he said and you did as told. You turned to your side as he draped his arm over your waist. “This okay?” he asked, not wanting to push you.
“Yeah.” Steve let out a sigh of relief. He was always careful. He knew with your situation, he shouldn’t expect you to still be in love with him. He fluttered around you like a moth to a light because he was afraid no one else would take care of you considering everyone in the compound was busy. And you were grateful for his company.
“Stevie?” you asked after a few moments of silence. He hummed. “Do you think tomorrow... you can take me to the cabin?” You turned in the bed to look at him.
He gave you a smile. “It’ll be my pleasure.”
-=+=-
The next morning, he drove you up to the cabin. The ride was full of laughs as he played music that he claimed was your favorite. You danced in the passenger seat as he sung. Honestly, you preferred his singing over the music.
He opened your passenger door and helped you get out the truck. You took in the sight of the cabin as he let Captain out the backseat. It felt familiar.
Your fingertips grazed the wooden banister of the front porch. You suddenly had a memory of laughing as you sat on the porch, painting it with Steve.
“Can I do something?” Steve asked, bringing you back to the present. You nodded. You let out a squeal as he suddenly picked you up bridal style.
“Steve!” You laughed as you squirmed in his arms. You wrapped your arms around his neck and held on tightly. “Don’t drop me!”
He chuckled. “I won’t, I won’t!”
He pushed the front door open as he maneuvered your bodies into the house. You were both a giggling mess as he finally let you down. He whistled for Captain who ran into the house and nuzzled his face into the back of your knee. You laughed as you bent down to scratch his ear.
“So this was our home,” Steve said, a sad smile on his face as he closed the door.
“Whoever decorated it had a great sense of style,” you complimented.
“Yeah, you definitely had a good eye.” Steve nodded.
“Oh c’mon, you helped too, right!” You argued. Steve just shook his head.
“I mean, I suggested a thing or two,” he shrugged. “Go ‘head. Look around.”
You smiled at him as you carefully walked around the house. You examined every little scratch in the paint, every trinket on display -- everything. There was a small desk pushed to the side of the living room. Its drawer was ajar. You opened it fully and saw sketches. Pages upon pages of sketches.
Some were of the New York City skyline. Others were the trees that surrounded your home. There was one of the cabin. But what caught your eye were the drawings of a woman. Some had her posing. Some were candid with her washing the dishes, eating, looking out a window. Every detail was drawn. You smiled. “You’re quite the artist,” you told Steve.
He smirked, “what made you think those were mine?”
“Well, considering I’m not much of an artist,” you laughed. “And I’m not so self-absorbed that I’d draw myself.” He chuckled. “No, you’re really talented.” He muttered a thank you as you put the drawings back, closing the drawer.
You turned and saw the fireplace. Steve stiffened when he realized what you were staring at -- the crooked picture frame. You frowned slightly as You carefully walked over and reached up to adjust it.
After straightening it out, you realized what it was. Steve had shown you pictures of your wedding, but you had never seen this one. You were in the same white wedding gown and he his tux. The photo was taken off guard. You were in each other’s arms as you swayed to the music.
You stared at the photo and it felt like it started moving. You remembered the ceremony. You remembered Steve tearing up as you walked down the aisle. You remembered Bucky and Sam sharing the honor of the best man and their bickering during the speeches. You remembered your speech and Steve’s. You remembered the honeymoon. The blissful getaway. You remembered him carrying you into the cabin. You remembered the fight. You remembered slamming the door shut and not looking back.
You gasped as you backed away from the photo. Steve rushed to your side, catching you as you stumbled. “You alright?” He asked you.
You blinked away tears as you nodded. You looked up at him and cupped his face in your hands, pulling him in for a kiss. He was surprised at first, but quickly melted into your touch. Oh, how he missed your touch.
You pulled away. “I remember...” you smiled, happy tears falling from your eyes. “I remember...”
#steve rogers x reader#steve rogers#steve rogers imagine#chris evans#chris evans x reader#chris evans imagine#captain america#captain america x reader#captain america imagine#imagine#marvel#marvel imagine#fluff#angst#was this bad idk
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Got7 Most to Least Likely to Get Married and Start a Family
This was requested by one of my favorite followers (and just human beings in general) on here, the amazing @safetypineapples thank you for the request love I hope you enjoy it ☺️
Disclaimer: This is strictly my personal opinion based on what I’ve observed in the last three years I’m sure they would all be such amazing husbands and fathers if they decide to get married and start having families I’m sorry if you disagree but I did have fun doing this so please don’t hesitate to send it more requests!!!
MOST
Mark: This one is a no brainer. After watching the Ask In A Box video when he was asked where he sees himself in ten years, he didn’t hesitate to say “married”. From what I’ve seen with how he is with the guys and towards the staff I can tell he’s such a kind-hearted, generous and well-mannered person. He always puts others before himself and makes sure everyone is taken cared of before tending to his own needs. Mark also gives off such boyfriend vibes and I know in my gut that there is 100% chance he is a very loving and doting boyfriend; the type to memorize his significant other’s coffee order, to buy them things that reminds him of them, to check up on them every now and then to make sure they’re eating their meals on time and getting well deserved rest I mean—just look at how he treats Milo that man is so in love with that cute little dog I’m not being biased because I love that man with my entire fucking soul but it’s the truth. I know the guys playfully bully him about being the most sensitive member, but unlike other guys who consider having feelings and being sensitive a feminine trait, Mark embraces that shit (big dick energy) like, he’s not afraid to cry it just shows that he cares a lot. I hope whoever he ends up marrying one day knows just how lucky she is to have him. Honestly, he’s such a family man—he spends every free moment with his family and you can tell that he really misses them. I’m sure he probably feels bad that he had to leave his family at such a young age, especially Joey because it must’ve been hard having to grow up without your main role model so now he gives to Joey whatever he possibly can to help him out he donated money to Joey’s charity, supports his gaming streams and buys him gifts almost every single time I’m not crying you are. Also, he never fails to go and support the other members in their solo activities (wearing their merch, attending their solo fan meets, promoting their music). He just seems like such a supportive and loyal person. The way he interacts with his nieces is extremely adorable, what more when he has his own kids? And when there are kids around, he always is so good with interacting with them and making them feel comfortable. I’m sure if he wasn’t an idol, he would’ve started a family a long time ago and I have a feeling that might be one of the things he dislikes about being an idol. The idea of father Mark is making me scream ugh I just know he’s going to be the best dad.
Jinyoung: Just like Mark, Jinyoung gives me family man vibes. He is quite the gentleman towards every single woman he comes in contact with; his co-stars, female idols, makeup artists and staff members. I know he is such an amazing actor, but sometimes acting can only go so far—the way he kisses, touches and talks with his co-stars makes me feel like he is like that in person also; very romantic, gentle and sensual. He is also very good with kids (he couldn’t stop hugging that little boy who interviewed him one time it still makes me cry to this day) and back in that one real got7 episode, he was doing THE MOST to make sure one of the little girls chose him. But even if it was a competition, he seemed to have fun entertaining the two girls and it’s not easy taking care of children. On the set of He Is Psychometric, he was so sweet towards all the children; holding them, making them laugh, playing around with them. Also, being the youngest, it seems as though his sisters are very protective over him and it’s obvious that they have a very tight bond. I mean, he used to refer to himself as the mother of Got7, so I feel like he has caretaking traits and knows how to provide for the ones that he loves. The way he interacts with the other guys also gives it away; he might be playful and mischievous when it comes to Yugyeom, BamBam and sometimes even Jaebeom, but he can also be very defensive when it comes to them. All in all, I feel that Jinyoung is focused on being an actor and an idol, but once he’s done with his military enlistment and when Got7 decide to start slowing down in order to live domestic lives (which won’t be for a while please don’t come for me I’m begging) then he will start focusing on his personal life.
Jackson: I had a hard time choosing between Jinyoung and Jackson on who should be in second place just because Jackson seems like he really wants to start a family as soon as he can like he talks about it all the time. When he attended his best friend’s wedding, he just seemed so happy and he made it known that he couldn’t wait until it was his turn to be at the altar. I just know this man is so amazing when it comes to women like he is a FEMINIST and he’s one of the only idols I know who isn’t afraid to talk highly about female idols or just women in general like in my opinion, he doesn’t seem like the type who would be upset if it came out that he was in a relationship. Just look at how he treats his mom—the way a man is with his mother just shows the kind of man he’ll be in a relationship. He is always so quick to give a girl his jacket, cover them up if they are uncomfortable with what they are wearing or to feed them (he fed a fan once I don’t know what war she fought in her past life for that to happen but shit why wasn’t it me). On Let Go Of My Baby, he did not let any child cry for less than a couple of seconds before running to their rescue like that show was honestly so cute it just gave us a glimpse of what an amazing father he will be one day. He also held them whenever they felt homesick and even when he scolded one of them for playing around, he picked her up and apologized. Even when it comes to his niece; especially since he only sees her a few times every year, he puts that little girl on a pedestal. I just feel like right now, his main priority is his career and he wants to wait for it to simmer down before he starts settling down.
Youngjae: I still have yet to witness Youngjae even talking to a woman (other than staff members and fans) and it’s probably just me, but he doesn’t seem like the type to really put himself out there as much as the other members do when it comes to talking with other girls but from what I’ve read, he is a really good friend (and was one of the only people who helped Mina from AOA with the whole Jimin situation) so it’s obvious he genuinely cares for those he is close to. And if it’s any consolation; just look at the way he loves Coco like I’ve never seen someone love anyone as much as Youngjae loves Coco. But he’s such a sweet and kindhearted person (his laugh could honestly cure cancer don’t @ me) and from the videos I’ve watched, he is also very sensitive and that just proves he has a heart of gold. He said that he wants a daughter like the little girl in miracle because she was so cute so it’s obvious he does want a family some day. He might not be the type to go all out when it comes to showing affection or interest in communicating with women (maybe he just doesn’t want unnecessary controversy) (poor idols have to worry about what people would say if they were to even just wave to someone of the other sex) but he might be the type to do it in private. I’m sure he’s a gentleman, but more of the kind of person to do it secretly in order to prevent wandering eyes or irrelevant rumors. I don’t see posts of his nieces and nephews on social media as much as I do with Jackson and Mark, but then again maybe his sister isn’t the type to show off her kids. However, he seems like such a doting uncle in that one video at their concert in Korea when his nephew yelled his name (it was so fucking cute).
Jaebeom: This man’s mind never fails to intrigue me. With a lot of his songs, he is either really romantic, angsty or really horny there is no in between. The guys say that he is the type to get really shy and act like a dork in front of the girl he likes and honestly, even if he tries his best to come off as “chic and sexy” this man is a literal ball of fluff. He seems like the biggest momma’s boy and I feel it’s because growing up, it was just him and his mom until she met his stepdad. If you watch the way he acts towards his mom, his personality is that of a little kid. From my personal experience of having a single mother, I’m sure it was hard for him watching his mom struggle as a single mother raising him all on her own, so he just wants to give back to her what she deserves and I know he is probably like that in relationships also. He claims that he writes songs based on what he reads in books and watches in movies, but with how the boys tease him about how romantic he can be, I know he writes songs based on personal experience. He has five cats and he literally talks to them like they’re children (and the fact that he doesn’t want to post about them because he wants to give them their privacy) makes my heart so warm I can’t even explain it like I know he says his fans are his friends, but there are some things he wants to keep to himself and I respect that. There was one Vlive where he did say he doesn’t plan on having kids but he does want to get married some day. As much as I think he would be a great dad, if he doesn’t see himself having kids then that’s totally up to him. Even if he is so soft whenever he is around children, it’s another thing when having your own kids. Who knows though, maybe one day he’ll come to the realization that he does want a big family. As a leader, he does such an amazing job with making sure all members are happy and healthy (he might present himself as this big, scary dude but he has the biggest weakness for his members you can tell he loves those 6 boys with his entire being)(Im Jaebeom is the best leader in Kpop I don’t make the rules). Also, when he talks, he comes off to be very insecure and he’s the type who isn’t afraid to speak his mind even if he knows it might be controversial so I get the vibe that he is very vulnerable. He might seem like a dominant person, but I think that he’s willing to be such a submissive ball of cheese to the lucky girl who owns his heart. Idk man, but he also seems like the type to get really hurt over a break up (I will fight anyone who breaks this man’s heart deadass).
Yugyeom: As the youngest of the group and just like BamBam, I don’t think he’s really think about getting married or settling down any time soon. Honestly, Yugyeom seems like the type who would start having a family in his late 30s/early 40s just because he wants to give his full attention to his career. When Got7 first started out, he always seemed so shy when it came to talking with other girls, and I feel as if at one point, he was insecure about approaching girls, but now he just oozes confidence and sex appeal. I’m not saying he hasn’t dated anyone before (I’m sure he’s had a couple of relationships or at least a few flings) but he doesn’t strike me as someone whose main priority is a relationship as of right now. He’s always making music, preparing choreographies and producing songs, so as much as he wants to date, his girlfriend might not be the top of his list. A lot of his songs are sexual, so maybe a lot of the relationships he’s pursued were sexual rather than romantic and domestic (but what do I know). I haven’t really heard him talk about what he plans on doing once Got7 no longer are performing and making music as much; but sometimes it’s the ones we’d least expect who have dreams of getting married and starting big families. In the few reactions I’ve watched with him and kids, he seems to have a lot of fun teasing them and playing games with him and I think it’s because he’s still somewhat of a kid himself. I think he’s willing to change his outlook on relationships when it comes to the right person and he’ll be willing to fit them in to his busy schedule if he really loves them. Maybe after he finishes his military enlistment and decides that it’s time to start setting his focus on something other than his career, he will take the leap and get in to a full-blown relationship.
BamBam: Okay, just because I put him as the last one doesn’t mean I don’t think he wouldn’t want to settle down or have a family. But I feel like both BamBam and Yugyeom are still so young that getting married and having kids is way in the back of their minds as of right now. When the time comes, I just know BamBam is going to be such an amazing father. Just watching The Return of Superman and the way he took such amazing care of that little girl proves that he has a weak spot for kids. He’s even an uncle now and I really want him to go back to Thailand so he can finally meet his nephew. Unlike the older members, I haven’t really seen BamBam interact with women other than the few clips of when they were younger (and he was always such a flirt). In the episode of Hello Counselor he told one of the other celebrities on the show that he didn’t have time to date and his job kind of prevents him from experiencing what it’s really like to be in a relationship (but I’m pretty sure he and all of the members have been in relationships) however, they’re always so busy and probably don’t have the time nor the privacy to really go outside and walk around freely with their significant others. The guys also make jokes about how he’s narcissistic and pretty in to himself (Jackson made the joke that if he were to date someone, he would focus more on himself than his partner) but I don’t think he would be the type to do so. Like I said, he’s still young to be thinking about what his future with a family looks like but who knows? He might just surprise us all and be the first one to get married then you can all disregard this post HAHAHAHA. Deep down, I know BamBam is a genuine person and he will be such a wonderful husband and father one day.
LEAST
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Dreams
After a dream about you, your co-star Chris has been avoiding you. When you confront him about why he’s avoiding you, he tells you something surprising.
-
Chris shot awake, gross and sweating, and he was so fast that the dog beside him barked, thinking there was an intruder of some kind. Chris sighed, his hand moving in the darkness to calm down the panting dog.
“Sorry, buddy,” Chris said to the dog. He rolled over to look at the time - 5:24 AM. He only had a few minutes before his alarm, but he was going to have to take an extra long, very cold shower. He’d had dreams like this before, but not over a co-star. Not over someone he wasn’t dating. Not over someone, well, you. He thought you were pretty, of course, he thought you were gorgeous. He thought you were one of the sweetest people he’s ever met. He thought there might be something there, but dear God, he’d never thought about something so intensely that he needed a cold shower at 5:30 in the morning. He had to see you in a couple of hours, too, and the scene you were shooting had you wearing clothes that made him feel… He wasn’t going to finish thinking about you.
He went on about his morning, trying to get the image of you doing those things to him and with him, but it was hard. It was especially hard when he got in his car and smelled your perfume from where you’d gone to lunch the day before. It was sweet, like you, and reminded him of your delicate hands and your smile and, oh, really, Chris? he thought. Get yourself together. You’re working together, not having sex, so stop thinking about it. He turned on his 80’s playlist as loud as his Bluetooth would go and tried to forget about it, at least until he got to set.
Your car was already there, probably because you spent way more time in hair and makeup than he did, and he mentally prepared himself to see you before he walked into the trailer. You were sitting there, getting your hair done, scrolling through your phone as your favorite Cranberries song filled the trailer. You were wearing a t-shirt that was far too big on you and a pair of athletic shorts that were just a little bit too short, and Chris could already feel himself going into shock.
“Hey!” You said to him, giving him a smile. “I got the coffee you suggested.” He smiled.
“Really? Do you like it?”
“Oh, it’s fantastic.” He laughed and his makeup artist came up to him, grumbling him about his hair. Usually the two of you carried conversations across the room, laughing so loudly that people had to tell you that it was too early to be like that, but today he was quiet. He stuck his AirPods in and said he was listening to an audiobook, and your heart sank a little bit. Lately he’d been giving you little hints that he liked you, which was fantastic because you liked him too. But the sudden silence made you a little sad. He was one of your best friends, and considering that you had almost every scene together, you figured that he would be a little more friendly. But you understood. He went through days where he just needed to focus on himself or on something else so he didn’t get burned out, so you just let him be.
You were the first one ready, and you gave him a little smile when you were getting ready to go to wardrobe. He only gave it back halfway, and it made you a little sad. You touched his shoulder on the way out, since the trailer was so narrow, and walked out into the sunlight.
“Was it just me or was he acting weird?” You asked your hair stylist, who was going to help you fix your hair after putting your costume on.
“Oh, he was acting weird,” she responded. “Definitely.”
“Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so. I wonder if I did something to piss him off. He was fine after lunch yesterday, and he responded to the Tik Tok I sent him. So I don’t know if I just pissed him off or what.”
“I’m sure you didn’t. He probably just likes you. Guys are mean when they like you.” You rolled your eyes.
“My mom says the same thing. It’s usually just ‘cause they’re assholes. I just don’t know what I did,” you sighed. You reached the wardrobe trailer and went to put your costume on, quite honestly forgetting all about Chris, at least for a few minutes. You dreaded seeing him on set again, just because you didn’t know what the hell was going on.
“Alright, we did this scene a few weeks ago, we have our fight choreographers on, we have doubles in the event that one of you gets hurt, just let us know if you need it,” the director said to you and Chris as you took your marks. The red electrical tape had you just a foot away from Chris, who wasn’t looking at you. At all.
“Chris?” You asked, elbowing him slightly to get his attention. “Marks.”
“Right,” he muttered. He wasn’t looking at you, still, and you were beginning to get frustrated.
“We’re going in three...” The director started counting down from three and you moved your hands to where they needed to be. Your character was punching and Chris’s was blocking, and even though it was a few days ago you still remembered everything. You did what you were supposed to do, at least you thought you were doing what you were supposed to, but evidently not because they called cut. You sighed, tightening the ponytail a little.
“Chris, you’re not on the mark, try and get a little closer, you can ignore the marks for now while we’re getting most of these!” Chris took the direction, and when he looked at you there was something weird about it. Like he was annoyed at your very presence. You huffed right as the cameras started rolling, doing a second take. They called cut because this time you weren’t on the mark. You must have done it five or six more times, just the one shot, which was way more than you usually had to do.
“Why are you acting so weird?” You asked Chris as they decided to set up another angle. You held your pose so that could see everything properly, but you were glaring at Chris like you wanted an answer. Because you did want an answer.
“No idea what you’re talkin’ about, sweetheart,” Chris grumbled back.
“That! That’s exactly what I mean!” You said, holding your arms out like it would make him realize how stupid he was being. “Why are you acting like an asshole?”
“Maybe I am an asshole, did you ever think of that?”
“We’ve been working together for six months and you haven’t even come off as one once, so unless you’re going through some severe personality changes, you’re acting like an ass. Did I say something?” He blocked your punch when the director called action, and as soon as they cut the shot you were moving on to the next step. This was where your characters were supposed to give up fighting and kiss each other, but you had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen, at least willingly.
“No,” he responded with a shrug. You did the next shot in only a couple of takes, and now it was time for the kiss. You had never had a problem doing them before, mostly because usually you weren’t in a position as weird as this one, and you weren’t fighting with your co-star. But, then again, up until that morning, everything between you and Chris had been fine.
“Just tell me what I fucking did!” You said loudly, pushing him away from you. His damn cologne didn’t allow you to breathe, no matter how much you wanted to breathe it and only it.
“Alright, what’s going on, you two?” The director asked. He left his chair and walked over to the two of you as the crew resumed setting the shot up again. “Really. Come on. You’ve never had a problem.”
“Ask him,” you responded, arms crossed, “because whatever it is it’s his problem. I’m just trying to get this scene done.”
“Oh, of course you’d fuckin’ say that,” Chris said as he rolled his eyes. His Boston accent came out loud and proud, like it did when he was drunk or angry.
“Okay, both of you! You’re fighting like kids!”
“He started it,” you explained. “I don’t even know what’s going on and I’m asking him.” Your director sighed, pinching his fingers at the bridge of his nose. He looked at you and then Chris, who was standing there, arms crossed, looking smug as hell.
“You two need to work this out for yourselves. Take an hour break and be back here after lunch. If the two of you aren’t worked out, I’ll call your doubles in. And you know what that means?”
“Re-shoots?” You asked. He nodded.
“Re-shoots. Now go, and don’t come back here if you’re going to act like kids. You’re like my twelve year-olds, God.” You started walking away and grabbed onto Chris’s arm. Some part of him wanted to come with you because he didn’t resist. If he didn’t want to come, he wouldn’t have moved, and you would have been knocked onto the floor. You brought him out to the parking lot, but he didn’t stop walking. He walked into his trailer, sighing, and shut the door behind him. You rolled your eyes, knocking, and he opened the door.
“You’re being such a diva,” you said. “Chris, why are you acting like such a fucking-”
“Just a bad day,” he sighed.
“That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s not.” His voice was so defensive that you could tell he was lying. “Fine. You’re pretty.”
“What? I mean, I’m flattered, but what?” He sighed.
“Not how that should’ve come out. I think you’re really pretty, and evidently, so does my body.”
“What?” You were even more confused and tugged at your hair, trying to make sense of what he was saying. “Stop being so cryptic!”
“I had a sex dream about you, okay?!” He exclaimed, so loudly that someone outside the trailer could probably have heard. Your first reaction shouldn’t have been to laugh, but it was. And then he was looking at you and he was actually blushing.
“Okay,” you said, “so are you going to explain further?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you brought it up.” You crossed your arms and sat down on the bench seat. He walked over to his coffee maker, probably to get another cup. “Chris, it’s fine. Just tell me.”
“We were doing, well, things, as us, not like in the movie, like, seriously, and you were calling me sir, and…”
“Chris.”
“It’s not as gross as it sounds. I mean, actually, it was, but it means that I like you because I do and I don’t know what to do about it, so I had a fucking sex dream instead of telling you I like you, so now we’re stuck in this mess and I feel like I’m going to get hard every time I look at you!” He was speaking so quickly that you could barely understand what he was saying. You sighed.
“You should’ve told me you liked me,” you responded.
“Well, I’m dumb.”
“Yeah, you are kind of a meathead. I like you too, and this could’ve been much easier if you’d just said it out loud. Because now I’m imagining things I’m not sure I want to imagine.”
“Ouch.” That was the first smile he’d given you all day.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Or did you?” You stood up and crossed the small trailer to him, making him turn to look at you. He had the coffee carafe in his hand and put it down to look at you.
“What I’m saying is that I’m not so sure I would hate doing those things you were describing. But I’d really like it if we could, like, go on a date first or something. Maybe lunch?” Chris nodded, swallowing, and looked into your eyes.
“I’m sorry for acting like that. I just didn’t know how to handle it. Lunch sounds good.”
“I’ll meet you back here in five?” He nodded. You started to walk out of the trailer, but you turned toward him. Your had your eyes on the place that you probably shouldn’t, and smirked. “By the way, I usually say Daddy, not sir.”
“Oh, come on!” You walked out of the trailer, grinning.
A/N: I LOVED writing this! It was borderline 18+, but I think I was crafty enough to avoid that!
Taglist (if you’d like to be added, send me a message!): @an-adventureland, @firstangeldragonranch, @ssebstann, @winterreader-nowwriter
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Survey #384
“watch your tongue or have it cut from your head”
Do you post to say happy birthday on other people’s walls? Sometimes. Depends on my mood and the person. When was the last time you saw a rainbow? Idr. What’s your favorite television commercial? I don't watch TV enough at all to have one. And who has a favorite commercial, anyway? Do you trip a lot? I don't really trip a lot, but kinda fumble over my footing and stray a bit. I'm horrible at walking straight, and it's gotten worse as my legs have. How old is your television? The one in the living room is god knows how old. My parents were still together when they bought it. When did you last talk on the phone with someone? A couple days ago for my appointment with my psychiatrist. Are you currently sleepy? I'm quite convinced I'm permanently tired. Are you hot or cold natured? I am ALWAYS fucking hot, ugh. Do you take any advanced classes? I took mostly Honors classes in school. Do you have weak upper body strength? My body is just weak as a whole. What is the worst insult someone can call you? Emotionally weak. Are you good at sketching? If we're talking meerkats, haha. They're the only complex thing that I can freehand no problem without needing a reference, honestly. Ever play Angry Birds? Nah. I thought the movie was cute, though. Have you ever been to the zoo before? Yeah. Has anyone ever been weirdly obsessed with you? No. Are you afraid someone might steal your identity someday? It's not something I actively worry about at all. Like, you don't want my identity, I promise. Do you have any talents that come naturally? Growing up, adults always told me I was a "gifted" artist and writer. Also that I seem to have an unnaturally strong connection with animals. I've always been that person where a pet's owner is like "omg ____ never lets people do that" and whatnot. Have you ever had plastic surgery before? I haven't. It's funny though, how opposed to it I used to be... Like goddamn, I was such a fucking stupid and honestly judgmental teenager, regarding many things. I look back on her and cringe. Like damn dude, if you have a safe surgical procedure to help you enjoy the body you're stuck with the rest of your life, you go for it, boo. Are you afraid of airplane rides? Not really. What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve gotten? There was this one year where Jason had to go to work on Valentine's Day and I was super bummed, yet he still surprised me with a heart-shaped box of chocolates, roses, and a game I really wanted, Heavy Rain. I thought it was the sweetest. What is something you lose often? My phone. ;-; Do you enter a lot of sweepstakes? I don't enter any. Do you consider yourself physically active? *chuckles nervously* Do you have Netflix? Yeah. Favorite salad dressing? That Olive Garden replica you can buy at the store. Do you enjoy dancing? Once upon a time I did. My body could never handle it now. Have you ever considered writing a novel? Many times. Snow or sand? Snow, by twenty thousand miles. It is VERY hard for me to walk through sand, and I also hate hate hate hate HATE the sensation. Do you like sour candy? Heeeeeell yeah man. Have you gotten any injuries lately? If so, what & how? Nothing notable. Are you a clumsy person? Like you would not fucking believe. Last male you talked to in person? I think my primary physician's nurse. Are you thinking about asking anyone out? No. Pink lemonade or regular lemonade? Pink lemonade, for sure. But I love both. Chocolate or strawberry milk? CHOCOLATE. Strawberry milk is disgusting. Have you ever won a contest on the radio?No. Is there a song that reminds you of your best friend? There's quite a few. Has a book ever made you cry? Yes. Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up? Yes, for the time. Do you know anyone who has a pet bunny? Not that I'm aware. What store or website would you most like a gift card for? Rebel's Market. How do you feel about wolves? I adore wolves. Beautiful, majestic creatures with very interesting social dynamics. Name your top 3 favorite musical instruments. Electric guitar, violin, piano. What was the last book(s) you bought at a bookstore? At an actual bookstore, I think it was The Fault In Our Stars, which I never actually read. Do you use Pinterest? Yes. Do you know any sign language? No. Do you have a favorite poem? No. Do you have a dog? No. The one we were pretty much stuck with has a home now. Have you ever read The Little House on the Prairie series? I haven't. Have you ever gone on a service trip to an underprivileged country? No. Have you ever performed in front of more than 100 people? Yes, for dance. When (if ever) was the last time you went to church? Forever ago, I don't even remember the last time. What's a quote you think is really powerful? There's a whole lot. The first one that came to mind was, "An eye for an eye will leave the world blind," which I do believe has great depth in it. Have you ever had to do your laundry at a laundromat? Yes. Are you the oldest person who lives in your household? No. My mom is turning 60 (... I think?) this year. If you have tattoos, how long have you had them? I got my first the day I turned 18. Do you and your dad have similar personalities? We're alike in some ways, imo most notably in that we have NO fucking common sense, embarrassing as that is to admit. We're both kinda slow at understanding things, too. What were the last three things you had to drink? Mountain Lightning, milk, and water. What did your family usually do for Easter when you were a kid? Us three kids all got Easter baskets full of stuff, and we'd go egg-hunting when we were all awake. My little sister Nicole would always wake our parents up in excitement, haha. My parents hid plenty throughout the house, and there was always this one "special" egg that was actually from Mom's childhood and was extremely intricate and beautiful. You basically "won" the hunt if you found it, and it was extremely well-hidden. When you have house guests over, where do they sleep? Historically since living here, my two half-sisters and their spouses (the only people who've stayed over) slept in what is *technically* Mom's room, but for whatever reason this woman still insists on sleeping on the couch in the living room, I guess because she's used to it after all the years she didn't have her own room and bed. Are you emotionally stable? LOLOOLOLOOLLOLOOLOOLOLLOOLOLLLLLLLLLLL Do you still talk to the very first person you had sex with? No. Are you an atheist? No. I don't quite know how to define what I am, but since I believe there's SOME higher power, I don't think it's fitting to call me an atheist. What’s the largest bug you’ve ever found in your house? Hm... I'm unsure. Probably a male mosquito, 'cuz them bitches are big'ins. Would it annoy you if a stranger called you "sweetie?" If it was a man, I'd be creeped out. Are you into fashion design? Not really. What’s the worst thing you’ve gone through in the past year? My leg muscles continuing to degrade, honestly. I have to do something about this shit. How did you get your last bruise? I fell when stepping over the stupid dog gate. Have your parents ever forgotten your birthday? Yikes, no. Would you rather have some bacon or beef jerky? Bacon. Do you like your orange juice with lots or no pulp? NONE. Do you wear skinny jeans? Back when I wore jeans, they were the only kind I wore. What projects are you doing now for school? I'm outta school. What’s the most number of comments you have on a Facebook picture? What is the picture of? I have no idea. Do you like coconut flavored things? No. Have you ever met a famous author before? No. Do you know anybody who has been raped before? No, thank god. I know someone who might've almost been, though. I don't know what the fucking pig was going to do to her if my sister and I weren't there. Have you ever wished for bigger boobs? No. Being overweight, I just want smaller ones now, haha. Have you ever gone a full day without interacting with another person? I've gone many days without it. How many relationships have you been in that lasted less than a year? Four, if you're counting everyone that had the "boyfriend" title. Where were you going the last time you were on a plane? Home from Illinois. Where were you going the last time you were on a train? I've never been on one. Have you ever been significantly more physically fit than you are now? Holy fuck, yes. You would never guess now that I was perfectly healthy in high school especially, yet I still thought I was kinda fat. It hurts so much to look back on. When growing up, did you parents keep the house very tidy? I mean not excessively, but Mom was pretty dedicated to keeping the house in decent condition. With three kids though, of course the house was somewhat messy with toys and all. When you shop at IKEA, do you always stop to eat a snack/meal in the cafeteria? ... There's a fucking cafeteria in a furniture store? o_o I've never been there before. How many watches do you own? None, save for one in my "treasure box" from when I was a kid. I was SO SO SO obsessed with Finding Nemo that I kept my broken one. I did the same with my horribly aged sneakers, like the soles were coming off and Mom finally made me stop wearing them, ha. Are there any ways in which you greatly differ from everyone else in your family? I do fucking nothing and am useless to society. Should teenagers be allowed to have their cell phones with them in class? Yes, because emergencies happen. I personally think it's best to maybe have your cell phone flipped over on the corner of your desk or something and on vibrate, that way the noise isn't too disruptive and the teacher can see you're not just using it for other purposes. Do you have any gay relatives? Yes. Have you ever had to have a pet put down? Sigh, multiple. Have you unfollowed, deleted, or blocked anyone on social media recently? If so, what was the reason? Not recently. How many cups of coffee do you typically drink per day? None. Do you know what your vocal range is? No, but it's not very broad. What’s the biggest financial mistake you’ve ever made? I haven't been in this position before. Have you ever been in a relationship where there was a large difference in maturity levels? No. What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed as a guest at someone’s house? I wanna say over a month while we were technically homeless. How bad was your acne when you were a teenager? Oh dear, it was rough. Like there were people who had it worse than me, but ya girl was lookin preeeetty rough lmao.
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Le Paon Part 8
(Hey, guys! Here’s another chapter of the Le Paon AU. I’m going to try to update this every two weeks now- since weekly updates were a mess for me. Please tell me what you think, and if you want to keep reading!)
Part 1 / Part 7 / Part 9
“‘Change tactics’? What do you mean?” Felix asked, sparing Nathalie a glance. She seemed to be in a bitter mood that evening, more so than usual.
“Just that.” Gabriel said, regaining his attention. “Ladybug is too cunning to challenge her head on. We must come up with another strategy. One that under-goes her suspicions and exploits her weaknesses.”
Felix frowned. Does Ladybug even have a weakness?
“What do you suggest?”
His Father smiled, and he resisted the urge to flinch.
“I’m glad you asked.” Gabriel all but purred. “Ladybug, should she activate her Lucky Charm, has a five minute time span before she detransforms. Normally she runs off to hide before that happens, but if you were to follow her long enough..”
“I could discover her identity.” Felix finished.
“Exactly. Knowing Ladybug’s identity would surely give us the advantage.”
Felix nodded. They could practically waltz into Ladybug’s house and take her miraculous if they knew who she was, and once Ladybug was defeated, Chat Noir wouldn’t be far behind.
Speaking of the Alley Cat..
“How do we get past Chat Noir? I imagine he won’t just let me run off after Ladybug.” He questioned.
Gabriel hummed. “You’ll just have to be subtle, then, won’t you?”
Felix held back a scoff. That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. Obviously, Father hadn’t thought through this plan completely.
Nevertheless, Chat Noir would merely act as a bump in the road. He was certain he could find a way around that furball.
“Yes, sir.” Felix said. “I’ll find out her identity as soon as I can.”
“The sooner the better.” Gabriel remarked, before gesturing for him to leave.
Felix moved to exit the room, but Gabriel spoke again as he opened the door. Something about his tone sent a chill through Felix’s bones, and whether the words were meant to be supportive or not, Felix found himself speed-walking to his room after the door closed.
“I know you won’t disappoint me.”
~~~~~~
Marinette held her breath, trying to keep steady. Still, the needle trembled between her fingers. She tisked in annoyance. One would think that keeping their hands steady during sowing would get easier after years of practice.
Easy.. She told herself, her tongue slowly slipping past her lips as she tried to concentrate. Just a bit more to the left and-
“Ugh!”
Marinette flinched, causing the needle to poke through the fabric and prick her finger. She hissed, pulling the needle away from her dress and sticking her injured finger into her mouth.
“Oh, sorry Marinette.” Allegra apologized, sparing her a guilty glance. “I just can’t believe I missed that epic ice fight yesterday! It would have put my blog’s ratings through the roof!”
“But your ratings are already booming.” Marinette pointed out, wiping her finger on a handkerchief. “Didn’t you get a picture of Ladybug saving Le Paon?”
“Yeah, through frosted glass.” Allegra sighed. “People could easily call it a hoax.. And you’re sure you didn’t get any pictures either?”
Marinette shook her head. “We got stuck in the ice rink when the frost hit.”
Allegra rose a brow. “‘We’?”
“Oh, yeah. Alya and I went together, and she invited the Agrestes.” Marinette replied, not thinking much of it.
She didn’t notice the coy smile that curled onto Allegra’s lips.
“Felix was there?”
Marinette nodded, feeling a bit of heat come to her cheeks at the thought of him. By the time they finished ice skating yesterday, Felix and Marinette had practically been hugging each other. It wasn’t until Alya started taking pictures that she actually let go. The fact that she didn’t want to step away from him only worried Marinette more. What if she really did have feelings for Felix? He seemed to enjoy spending time with her, but did she honestly have a chance when it came to love? Marinette was a baker girl, and Felix was the heir to an enormous fashion company. He probably had girls lining up for his affections just like Adrien did, girls who were far prettier than her and a much better fit for someone like him. No, she and Felix could never be together in a romantic sense. Despite what Alya thought, some people just worked better as friends than lovers. This was obviously one of those times.
“Mari, I’ve been thinking..” Allegra spoke again, pulling Marinette from her thoughts. “Why don’t we plan a study date together? I know this really good cafe that serves the best lattes-”
Marinette perked up at the mention of lattes. She loved those heavenly drinks.
“-and it’ll help me be a little more productive while we talk about ‘Birds of a Feather’.”
“I don’t see why not.” She shrugged, sticking her needle into her pin cushion. “Would Saturday work for you?”
Allegra smiled. “Perfect! We can meet at the Laduree cafe around noon for lunch?”
Marinette stood up. “Can you do four? I need to help out in the bakery first.”
“Four’s good.”
“Great! I need to get going now, if you don’t mind. The suns going down, and I was hoping I could get some sketching in today.”
“Oh, sure, but why do you need to go outside to sketch?” Allegra asked, slipping her purse over her shoulder.
“It helps keep my inspiration flowing.” Marinette shrugged. She then scooped her sketch pencils and erasure into her “art bag” and shook her bag around so she could fit her sketchbook inside as well.
“Huh.. that makes sense. I’ll see you tomorrow at school then!” Allegra said with a wave before flipping open the trap door.
Marinette returned her wave with a smile and took a few extra minutes getting the last of her things together before following her friend down the ladder.
“Maman, I’m going out to sketch!” She called over her shoulder as she passed the cash register.
“Alright, sweetie! Be back in time for supper!” Sabine called back from the kitchen.
Another wave to Allegra, and she was out the door, strolling down the sidewalk and thinking up a few designs to start when she got to her favorite sketching spot. Hopefully it would take her mind off of the whole Felix business.
~~~~~~
“Alright, a little to left!”
Adrien moved to the left as told, trying to hold his pose while doing so.
The cameraman frowned and shook his head. “No, no, show me a smile! A smile! Surely you can do better than that, Monsieur Agreste.”
Felix rolled his eyes as Adrien’s smile widened. He was trying too hard to look happy. Of course, Felix wouldn’t be happy either if he had to do multiple photo shoots two days in a row. Maybe he should look up some of the child labor laws in France. This much work on a fourteen year old couldn’t possibly be legal.
The photographer sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, something is still missing! Let’s change the scenery. Maybe that will get your sparkle back.”
As soon as the camera was off of him, Adrien’s shoulders sagged. He looked exhausted.
“You know, I could always have Father rearrange your schedule for rest.” Felix offered, extending his cup of coffee to him.
Adrien refused the drink, but gave a half smile at the thought of an easier schedule. “Thanks, but you know he’d never agree to that. If I start complaining, he might pull me out of school.”
“It’s not complaining. It’s called ‘Mental health’.” Felix replied, taking a sip of the coffee himself.
“He’ll still pull me out of school.”
“Come! Come!” The photographer interrupted, gesturing for the boys to follow him. “We must hurry if we are going to finish!”
Reluctantly, Felix and Adrien climbed into their car, where they were driven to another park across town.
-
The Trocadero Gardens. Felix had seen it before in passing, but he’d never visited the park for some reason. Maybe he’d just been too preoccupied with his books.
The car rolled to a stop, and the boys barely had time to unbuckle before being ushered out of the car.
“No time to waste!” The photographer stressed as he set up his camera again.
Felix sent the photographer a glare. This guy was literally getting paid by the hour. What was he rushing for?
Adrien- good little doormat that he was -walked over to stand in front of the fountain as the photographer instructed.
Felix opted to wander around the park instead. Why watch your little brother waste away in the model industry when you can enjoy a nice afternoon at a new park? It seemed like a waste to stay put, if you asked him.
The park wasn’t all that large, but he found it refreshing anyway. There was a mother taking her baby for a walk in a stroller, a man taking his dog for a walk, and another man who appeared to be feeding pigeons. Felix didn’t recall that being allowed there.
Oh, there’s even an artist here. He thought, seeing a young girl on the concrete steps across from the fountain. She held a pink notebook in her lap, and appeared to be very engrossed in what she was doing as she scribbled across the page. Her tongue was sticking out and everything. The only other person he knew that did that was..
Wait.
“..Marinette?” He said, a bit hesitant at first. When she looked up, though, Felix had no trouble walking over to her.
“Felix? What are you doing here?” She asked, eyes wide with surprise.
Felix smirked. This girl was too adorable.
“Adrien is having a photo shoot.” He answered, gesturing behind him to the cameraman. “You look busy. Should I leave you to your work?”
“Oh, no, no. It’s- um -I’m just working on some sketches, so..” Marinette stuttered, fiddling with the edges of her notebook.
Felix nodded and mouthed an “ah”.
“Do you mind if I..” He trailed off, motioning towards the spot on the stairs next to her.
Marinette straightened. “Oh! No, of course not. Please.”
“So what are you working on? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” Felix asked as he sat down.
A smile graced her lips. “Not at all. I wasn’t working on anything specific. Just a few things that popped into my head.”
She tilted the notebook, and Felix leaned closer so he could get a proper view. The first sketch on the left was what looked to be a thin, transparent dress clipped around a solid sheath dress. The picture was only half-way colored, but he could tell she was aiming for a colorful creation. The transparent fabric would be a brilliant rainbow color lined with silver, and the sheath dress would be a deep shade of red to compliment it. The second sketch on the right looked just as promising, though it wasn’t colored yet. It was a casual outfit: Jeans, high-heeled ankle boots, and a blouse with vertical stripes and bell sleeves.
“They look wonderful.” He commented, lightly touching the edge of the page. “I can’t wait to see them in a fashion show.”
Marinette pulled the notebook away. “Oh, I don’t know about a show. I mean, I love designing, but these are just doodles, really.”
Felix couldn’t help giving a soft smile. Sometimes it was hard to tell if Marinette was just too humble or too insecure. Maybe a little bit of both.
“You should come over again sometime.” He hadn’t meant to say out loud, in all honesty, but he certainly wasn’t going to take it back now that he had. Felix rather enjoyed her last visit, more so than he would ever admit out loud.
“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” He added, suddenly getting the urge to look at the ground instead of her. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to talk with him personally, but I’m sure Father would love to see more of your work.”
Marinette smiled bashfully. “That sounds great. Thank you.”
Felix let out a breath, relieved. “You don’t have to thank me. With talent like that, you were bound to be noticed eventually, whether I introduced you to Father or not.”
An adorable blush bloomed across her freckled cheeks as she turned back to her notebook. How can something so small make him feel so light?
“Woah, Marinette! You’re here too?”
The moment was interrupted by none other than Adrien, who either just finished his shoot or convinced the photographer to let him take a break. Judging by his outfit- the usual black shirt and white jacket with jeans -Felix was going to guess the former.
“Oh, hi, Adrien!” Marinette greeted brightly. “I just came here to get some sketching done. How was your shoot?”
“It was fine.” Adrien replied, leaning over her to get a glimpse of the pages. “Those drawings look awesome! I wish I was that talented.”
Marinette flushed again and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “T-Thanks, but it’s really just practice..”
Adrien chuckled. “Believe me, Mari, I could practice for years and not be able to come up with those designs.”
“I can’t say I disagree.” Felix spoke up.
He learned too late that that was a mistake.
Adrien turned his gaze to Felix, a predatory-like smile coming to his lips. “No, I’m sure you can’t. How did you two run into each other, again?”
Felix held back a glare. Barely. “If you must know, I stumbled upon her by chance while roaming the park”
Adrien hummed. “‘By chance while roaming the park’.. I guess that’s convincing enough.”
Felix scoffed, but Marinette giggled.
“Marinette, it was nice seeing you, but we should probably get going. If the shoot is over, Gorilla should be in the car waiting for us.” Felix said, getting to his feet. Better to leave now than let Adrien keep babbling nonsense.
“You’re not going to try to stall to see her longer?” Adrien asked, thankfully in a lower tone this time. Felix nudged him in the side in retaliation. That boy was just begging to be locked out of the mansion later.
The two waved goodbye to Marinette, and Felix made sure to hold Adrien with an iron grip as they made their way back to the car.
“Have you no shame? She’s going to think that we’re complete idiots. At the most, you’ll make her extremely uncomfortable.” Felix scolded.
Adrien laughed. “Relax, Fe. Marinette obviously doesn’t mind. She even laughed!”
Felix tisked, though he couldn’t deny it. Marinette did laugh.. But that didn’t necessarily mean she enjoyed his implications. He wasn’t sure what it meant. Did she like him back? Was this her way of hinting that Adrien was right? Or was she just being polite as usual?
He shook his head. What was he thinking! He didn’t even feel that way towards Marinette! Or.. he wasn’t supposed to. Argh! Adrien’s teasing is starting to get into his head.
“Hey, look on the bright side.” Adrien said, noticing his brother’s annoyance. “I’m sure she thinks you look cute when you’re angry.”
“Shut up.”
~~~~~~
Claude hummed a little tune as he walked into the classroom. It wasn’t everyday that he got to class early, but this was a special request via Allegra. And when Allegra asks you to do something, you do it.
He sat down at his assigned desk, paying no mind to the classmate or two that walked in after him, and took his tablet out of his bag. After turning it on, he pulled out another textbook, placing it neatly next to the tablet. A simple set-up, but it should do. Now all Claude had to do was play the part.
The bell rang through the halls, prompting more students to file into the classrooms. Felix came stalking in not a minute later, the exact time Allegra said he would.
Showtime.
Claude groaned as loud as he could and dramatically flopped onto the desk. “Oh, it’s hopeless! It’s all just hopeless!”
He heard Felix sigh.
“What’s your problem now?” The blonde asked tiredly, moving Claude’s arm to the side as he sat down. Not as much sympathy as he was hoping for, but- hey -it was Felix. What did he expect?
Claude rolled to the side, letting his head fall on Felix’s shoulder and throwing his arm over his face. “It’s Chemistry. I just can’t understand any of it! No matter how hard I try, or how much I study, the formulas make no sense! I’m going to fail this class.”
Felix tisked towards his wailing and moved over, causing Claude to fall back onto the bench. “Maybe you should try paying attention in class.”
Claude rubbed the back of his head with a pout. This guy really was heartless. How did Marinette get him to be so nice?
“I do pay attention. It doesn’t help. You’re a straight-A student. How do you do it?” He continued as he sat back up.
Felix rolled his eyes. “It’s not hard. Just listen, take notes, and do the reading. Simple.”
“Felix~.” Claude whined, falling back onto him again.
As Felix started pushing him off, Claude noticed Allegra and Allan walking in. Allegra caught his eye briefly and gave him a subtle yet satisfied smirk.
Claude gasped, abruptly straightening in his seat. He needed to finish this soon or class was going to start.
“Hey, I know! You can tutor me!” He exclaimed, as if he’d just been given an epiphany.
“Absolutely not.” Felix replied flatly.
“Aw, come on, Fe.” Claude pleaded, even batting his eyelashes. “It’ll just be one little study session! All you have to do is check my work and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”
Felix glared. “I said no. Why don’t you have Allegra help you?”
Allegra tilted her head back to look at them from her assigned seat. “Can’t. I’m busy tomorrow.”
“Who said anything about tomorrow? Study with him another day.” Felix said, pulling his tablet out of his bag.
“Oh, don’t be so cold.” Claude frowned. “What if I take you to your favorite coffee shop?”
Felix paused. “The Laduree cafe?”
Claude perked up. “Yep! You can get anything you want, and all you have to do is explain a few simple terms to me.”
“Or I could just go by myself.”
Claude scoffed. “Just take the deal, please.”
Felix gave him a skeptical look. That was a good sign, right?
“Fine.” He finally relented. “When do you want to study?”
Yes!
“Tomorrow’s good. Say around..” He trailed off, glancing at Allegra. “Noon?”
Allegra shook her head and held up four fingers.
“Er- four. I meant four. Let’s meet up at four tomorrow.”
“Mhm. Sure. Just don’t be late.” Felix replied, already going back to his books.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Claude assured as the last bell rang. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Felix didn’t respond, but if he would’ve bothered to look up, he would have caught Claude and Allegra giving each other a quiet high five.
Mission accomplished.
This was going to be fun.
~~~~~~
Marinette slid into the booth and set her backpack against the wall. She then brushed off the bits of flour sticking to her sleeve. Even after changing, the powdery substance still managed to infect her second outfit. At least it was one of the smaller bags that she dropped this time. How can she save an entire city as Ladybug, but not be able to make a simple batch of cookies without wrecking the kitchen as Marinette? Sometimes she wondered why her parents had her help in the bakery at all, if you can call that helping.
“Thanks for meeting with me today, Marinette.” Allegra said, putting one of her textbooks on the table.
Marinette smiled. “Of course. A study date is definitely something I need, and I always enjoy our time together.”
Allegra put a hand to her chest. “Aw, so do I! What do you want to do first? Study or talk about ‘Birds of a Feather’?”
Marinette glanced down at her backpack in thought. They had a test coming up next week, so they definitely needed to study at some point. If they did, though, she’d want it to be fresh in her mind.
“Mm, let’s talk about the blog first.” She decided.
“Perfect!” Allegra beamed, pulling the app up on her phone. “There hasn’t been an akuma for three days. That means that one is bound to show up soon, since Hawkmoth doesn’t normally wait a whole month for akumas.”
Marinette nodded, genuinely impressed. Allegra’s reports were always so detailed. It didn’t surprise her that Alya was threatened by the competition.
“Like I expected, people are claiming fraud on my pictures. I think the few pics Alya got for her blog are the only reason I’m not being swarmed by haters. We need to get a lot of good pictures during this next battle or I’m going to start losing followers.”
“How do you suppose we do that?”
Allegra pressed a few buttons on her phone, before flipping the device for Marinette to see the screen. Multiple videos were splayed across the screen, each showing a different area of the city.
“We’re always having trouble getting the footage because we have to run around the city, right? Well, the way I see it is: why bother racing around to get one, blurry photo when we have all the cameras we need already?”
Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. “Are those.. Security cameras? How did you get access to these?”
Allegra pulled the phone back, a smug expression making its way onto her features. “Let’s just say I borrowed the little tech genius from your class.”
“Max?” Why would he agree to help with something like that? Tampering with the camera systems was illegal!
“Allegra, I’m not sure about this.” Marinette said. Not only could they get in serious, legal trouble for this, giving Allegra access to the city’s security cameras could also jeopardize her identity. What if she landed in the wrong alleyway, and Allegra caught her detransforming on tape? What if she already had?
“But it’s such a good idea!” Allegra tried to persuade her. “With these, we’ll be able to catch tons of video footage for Le Paon without lifting a finger!”
Marinette sighed. “This isn’t right. What if the government found out? Mayor Bourgeois would be furious. How long have you been doing this?”
Disappointment flicked across Allegra’s expression, but she turned the cameras off. “Only since this morning. I thought it was a good idea, too.”
Marinette slumped back into her booth seat, feeling the rush of relief.
“So, no on the security cameras.” Allegra concluded, setting her phone on the table dejectedly. “I guess we’ll just have to keep getting as many pictures of him as we can.”
Marinette hummed. Security Cameras definitely weren't an option, but they couldn’t run around Paris like they had been, either. Something needed to change..
“What if we made a tag.” She suggested. “Like an akuma or Le Paon tag. That way, when someone saw Le Paon or an akuma, they would tag us.”
And Ladybug and Chat Noir will get more warnings before an attack.
Allegra brightened. “Oh yeah! That’s pretty close to security cameras. Maybe other people can get pictures for us too.”
Marinette nodded and started typing out the ideas on a memo from her phone. She didn’t want to forget what the tag names would be.
They started brainstorming what names to use, but the two only got a few names in when a gasp interrupted them.
“Woah! What are you guys doing here?”
It was Claude, and he seemed extremely enthusiastic about seeing them for some reason.
“Are you guys studying? What a coincidence! We are too!” He exclaimed as he reached behind him and pulled someone else forward.
Marinette’s eyes widened, recognizing them immediately.
Felix glowered at Claude, until his eyes landed on Marinette. She felt her heart rate pick up as they stared at each other. First, the park, and now, the cafe? Why was she suddenly seeing him everywhere? It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but..
“Wow! What are the odds?” Allegra said, bringing Marinette from her thoughts. “Since we’re all here, why don’t you guys study with us?”
“Wha-?”
“Oh no, we couldn’t.” Claude replied, though he was already sitting down next to her. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course we’re sure! Aren’t we, Marinette?”
Marinette faltered at the sudden question. They both looked so expectant and eager. It was a bit unnerving, to be honest. She glanced at Felix, who seemed equally astonished- and a little annoyed, but she was told that he always looked that way.
“Uh.. sure. You guys can sit with us.” She finally answered.
“Thanks, Mari, you’re the best.” Claude remarked as he reached for one of the menus.
Felix remained standing, apparently indecisive about what to do.
“Take a seat, Felix.” Allegra prompted, flashing him a sharp smile. “It’s rude to linger.”
His lips twitched in a scowl, but he sat down as he was told. Why was he so upset? It wasn’t because of her, was it?
“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to sit with us.” Marinette assured, trying to sound as understanding as possible.
Felix met her eyes again at the comment, and his expression softened.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll stay.”
“Great!” Claude grinned. “Now we can all study together.”
Marinette smiled for Claude’s sake, even though she still felt nervous on Felix’s behalf.
Everyone got out their respective books- Chemistry, History, and English -and started studying. Felix grumbled a few pointers to Claude, who wrote them down with an all-too-pleased expression. Allegra would occasionally ask Marinette to check her work, and, in turn, Marinette would ask Allegra to quiz her on a few terms. A waiter came by with their drinks not long after. Marinette made sure to set a sweet aside for Tikki.
“So how’d you guys end up here?” Marinette asked as she sipped on her latte, simply making polite conversation.
Claude, of course, was the first to answer. “I bribed Felix into tutoring me by bringing him to his favorite coffee shop.”
“Oh, this is your favorite coffee shop?”
Felix nodded. “It’s close to the library that I fancy. The Cappuccinos aren’t bad either.”
Marinette hummed. “I wouldn’t know. I prefer lattes, myself.”
“Would you like to try it?” He offered, gently pushing the cup towards her.
Marinette took the cup with a “thanks” and carefully brought the hot drink to her lips. The boldness of the coffee taste threw her at first, though she couldn’t say that she disliked it. A hint of sweetness caught her attention too, despite the liquid being mostly bitter. It’s not something she would usually order, but overall..
“Not bad.” She decided, pushing the cup back over to Felix.
Felix gave a small smile as he pulled it back. “Told you it wouldn’t be.”
Marinette giggled. “I’ll have to get one next time I come.”
“Well, maybe I’ll see you here. Then I can get your latte.” He replied lightheartedly.
Marinette smiled, fighting down another blush. At least she knew that she wasn’t the reason for his discomfort.
“I’d like that.”
~~~~~~
Felix slipped his books into his bag and tucked his pen and pencil into their respective pockets on the side. The fact that he stayed here for three whole hours with those hooligans should be considered an accomplishment. He swung his bag over his shoulder, looking out the window for his car as he did. With all of the street lights, it was almost hard to tell that the sun had already set. The slim line of dark blue above the building across the street was his only confirmation of the night’s presence.
He glanced down at Marinette, who was now curled up on her booth seat, head tucked in her arms on the table, fast asleep. She’d lulled off around ten minutes ago, which is why they decided it was time to leave in the first place.
“Don’t stare too hard.” Claude smirked.
“I can take a picture for you if you want.” Allegra teased.
Felix shot them a glare, his irritation from earlier resurfacing in his mind. “Don’t patronize me. What the heck was this, anyway?”
Allegra smiled innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t act like you two didn’t set this whole thing up!” Felix snapped.
“Now, now, let’s not get riled up. We wouldn’t want to wake sweet Marinette.” Claude said in a hushed tone.
As if on queue, the ravenette let out a yawn, before cuddling back into her crossed arms.
“I don’t see what the problem is.” Allegra commented as she picked up her book bag. “You two had a good time.”
“You even got an indirect kiss.” Claude remarked.
Felix flushed. “Wha-”
“And you got a second date.” Allegra added.
His blush deepened. “Date? Second? What are you two even talking about?”
The pair snickered.
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know.” Claude sang as he nudged Felix in the shoulder.
Felix scoffed and went to retort when Allegra spoke again.
“Welp! We’d better get going. Be a dear and make sure Marinette gets home safe, will you?”
How she wormed her way around him, he’ll never know, but Allegra and Claude were out the door before he could even refuse the request. It’s not that he minded taking Marinette home. It’s more of that he’d just about had enough of those two meddling in his personal affairs. Didn’t they have anything better to do with their lives?
Probably not. He thought, moving to Marinette’s side so he could wake her up. She heaved a sigh, blowing a bit of her bangs to the side as she did. She looked so peaceful. So delicate. It made him want to let her sleep forever.
Felix brushed a strand of her hair to the side, lightly tucking it behind her ear so it didn’t bother her. Round, black earrings gleamed under the cafe’s lights. They were a bit plain for a fashion designer. Maybe they were special to her somehow.
“Mari.” He said softly, giving her shoulder a small push. “It’s time to wake up. I need to take you home.”
Marinette hummed and shifted on the booth. “Mm.. yes, Le Paon, you should go home.. Come back tomorrow, though”
Felix reeled back, heat rushing to his cheeks. Did he hear that right? Was she.. was she dreaming about him? (Or, dreaming about Le Paon.) Either way, it sounded like she wanted his alter ego to come visit again.
He shook his head, and nudged her a second time. Now was not the time for bashfulness.
After a few tries, she finally woke up enough for him to walk her outside. By then, Gorilla was already out there and waiting for him in the car. He opened the car door for Marinette, then walked around to his side once she was settled in.
“Take us to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery, please.”
Gorilla nodded and pulled onto the street. Felix leaned back in his seat, still thinking about what Marinette had said. Granted, she’d said it in a dream-induced state, but that just meant she dreamt about him, right? To dream about something, you’d have to think about it often. How much does she think about Le Paon? About him?
A light weight sunk into his shoulder, effectively cutting off his thoughts and seizing his heart. He didn’t have to look down to know what it was. Marinette. She was sleeping. On his shoulder. She must have forgotten to fasten her seat belt. When did she move so close to him? Should he wake her up? That would be the polite thing to do..
Felix shook her shoulder slightly, but she only snuggled further into his arm. He was about to shake her again, when he paused. She looked so cute, and the way she leaned on him felt.. Nice. He didn’t want to wake her up. He.. he liked it.
Oh gosh, he liked it.
Felix sucked in a breath.
Calm down. It’s not like you haven’t been this close before. He told himself. They’d practically hugged each other at the ice rink the other day, though he didn’t feel the way that he did now.
His thoughts flicked back to that time when he first went to her house as Le Paon, when she held his hand and looked at him with a quiet understanding. He’d felt something then. It was..anxiety..and excitement. An odd eagerness that yearned to be explored. Moments like these- in the quiet of the night and the vulnerability of their hearts -were the ones that resonated within him the most. He couldn’t help wondering if he would feel it now. If he just moved his hand a little closer.. Would he be able to..?
Felix ripped his hand away and took another deep breath. Marinette was asleep right now. He couldn’t go around touching people like that while they were unconscious, even if it was a simple hold of the hand.
He pushed her back onto her side of the car- careful not to wake her up too much -and buckled her in so she wouldn’t fall again. They dropped her off a few minutes later. She was a bit disoriented, but thanked them nonetheless and got out like nothing had happened. Felix wondered if he would be able to act the same way when he saw her again.
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Stand Back
Wow! I’ve only been back for a few hours, and there’s already been so, so much support. I missed you all. This piece is one of my favorites, inspired by my R&RHoF excitement last winter. My dear friend, @for-fucks-sake-h beta’d this for me, and I loved her then and I love her now! Thank you all for believing in me! If you enjoy this story, shoot me some feedback :) 7.5k words
xoxo Tile
“Harry, c’mon!” Millie whined, tugging at his sleeve when he didn’t bother looking away from the TV. “This isn’t fair and you know it!”
“Millie, fuck’s sake, I already told you that it’s just not possible,” He rolled his eyes, reluctantly looking over at his puppy-dog-eyed best friend. She’d been pestering him for the better part of the afternoon, and he was beginning to get frustrated. She was definitely going to ruin his surprise.
“I just don’t understand,” she pouted, “I’m the one who got you into Stevie’s music in the first place, maybe I should be the one inducting her next week.”
“Yeah, you can do the performance bit, too,” he chuckled, “I’m sure the audience would love to hear your off-pitch, dying-cat screeches. Stevie would love it, too. Instant record deal- oof!”
The pillow hit his stomach with more force than he had expected, but it did nothing to wipe the shit-eating grin off of his face. Millie whacked him on the thigh, and then once more for good measure, before chucking his throw pillow – her makeshift weapon – across the room.
“I didn’t want to see your performance anyway,” she grumbled, “you’ll probably sing Edge of Seventeen, because you’re too basic to sing anything else, and I’ve already seen you perform that one.”
Harry smirked at the memory. They had been fifteen, almost sixteen, and Millie had managed to smuggle a few bottles of cider from her father’s ‘special fridge’ in the garage. Harry had climbed the tree outside her window for the umpteenth time, and the two of them had spent the entire night looking up youtube videos of their favorite rock singers, their virgin livers drunk off of just a few sips of alcohol.
“The 1983 performance was better,” Harry argued, throwing his hands up in outrage.
“You’re taking the piss,” Millie scoffed, swatting his hand away from her laptop, “The 1981 performance is clearly better. Her dance moves are absolutely insane, and the audio quality is better.”
“Her dance moves are mediocre at best in this one,” Harry stated, nodding his head to the guitar beat anyway, “anyone could replicate those.”
“I’d like to see you try!” Millie challenged. The duo regarded each other for a long moment, waiting for the other to back down, and completely oblivious to the hearts in their eyes, still too young to understand what they were feeling.
“Alright then,” Harry giggled, standing up on her bed, obnoxiously singing along to the music blaring from her laptop. He tried to imitate Stevie’s high kicks, the bounce in her step, and swung his arms around as if he were draped in the singer’s white shawl. Millie couldn’t fight the peals of laughter that bubbled up in her throat. He looked completely absurd.
“Just like the white-winged dove!” Millie sang, hopping up on her bed to join Harry.
The two of them bounced until the song was almost over, their voices riddled with gasps and coughs as they tried to catch their breath. The fun had ended abruptly, with Millie’s mother swinging the door open, asking the two red-faced teenagers if they knew that it was past midnight.
“First of all, that was a great performance,” Harry teased, appreciating the way Millie’s eyes softened as she too reminisced their teenage years. She’d always been a sucker for happy memories, and Harry had quickly learned that they were the best way to calm her down or change the subject. Most of her happy memories included him, anyway. “Second of all, this time around, you won’t be grounded for a week.”
“Yeah, because you won’t let me be there!”
“Millie, I told you, I promised Gemma I would bring her along and I only get to have one guest,” he lied, “she’s my sister, I couldn’t say no.”
“You say no to her all the time, in fact, you love saying no to her,” she pointed out, “plus, I’m kind of like your sister. We’ve known each other just as long.”
Harry felt his heart plummet into the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t the first time she had said something along those lines, brother and sister, but it still hurt. He was beginning to think that she would never feel the same way about him that he did about her.
It was a curse, really. He had the world falling at his feet, enough girls were interested in him, and he was successful. But it didn’t matter, did it? Not when the only person he wanted thought of him like a brother.
“Right, yeah,” he cleared his throat. He quickly stood up, mumbling something about getting them more tea, but really he just wanted to hide the burn of tears behind his eyelids. When he came back, Millie was squinting at the screen of her laptop, hunching over so her face was inches from the screen.
“I’m buying my own damn ticket,” she informed him.
Fuck, he thought.
“Okay, okay, stop,” he groaned, closing her laptop. Millie’s hands were still suspended in front of her, poised to type when he shut the computer in her lap. “It was supposed to be a surprise, but there’s a front row seat at the Hall of Fame with your name on it.”
“I KNEW IT!” She cried, shoving the laptop off of her legs and throwing her arms around his neck. “I knew you wouldn’t just leave me behind!”
Harry melted into the hug, winding his arms around her shoulders and back and subtly inhaling as he pressed his nose into her hair. She was practically vibrating with excitement, which made him grin with pride. It may not have been the surprise he had planned, but it was certainly the reaction he’d been expecting.
“You were making it really hard to lie to you,” he admitted, tugging her back when she tried to step out of their embrace. He wasn’t quite ready to let go of her yet. “I was going to tell you tomorrow at dinner, had a whole plan.”
“I’d say I’m sorry for forcing it out of you, but I’m not sorry in the slightest!” She wiggled out of his arms, successfully this time, and gave him a look of pure happiness that made his insides turn to putty. “Does this mean you’ll tell me what song you’re performing?”
Harry snickered, batting her hands away when she went to pinch his arm. He wasn’t about to reveal all of his surprises.
“Not a chance!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh my god, turn this up!” Millie squealed, already reaching over to twist the volume knob on the dashboard.
“Oi!” Harry snapped, swatting her hand away with a steely glare. “What did I just tell you about touching m’ new car?”
“You told me not to make fingerprints on the window,” Millie crossed her arms over her chest, “you never said I couldn’t touch the radio.”
“It was implied,” Harry said through gritted teeth. Normally, Millie’s stubbornness was oddly charming, but today she was truly getting on his last nerve.
Harry had finally saved up enough money for a new car. Grueling ten-hour bakery shifts, babysitting jobs, yardwork, any penny he could get his hands on, had all finally been worth it. He didn’t technically have his license yet, since he was only sixteen, but nobody really paid attention once you got out into the country. Most kids knew how to drive anyway, one of the benefits of growing up in small English farmtown.
The car, which he had bought off of a classmate’s older brother, was a complete piece of shit, but that didn’t stop Harry from polishing every last surface, inside and out. It was a Mustang, and even though the front bumper was dented and it had chips in the paint, it was his pride and joy. He’d overheard a group of girls talking about how sexy it was that Brad Hannagan, his lab partner, had gotten a car. Apparently, he’d taken Allison Fishman to the next town over for dinner, and then they made out in his front seat. Harry wanted his car to be sexy, too.
There was really only one girl he wanted to impress though, and she was currently spilling granola bar crumbs onto his leather seats.
“Millie!” He whined. “You’re getting everything all messy!”
“You’re being so anal, H,” she had just shoved the rest of her bar into her mouth, so her voice came out muffled and garbled, “this is supposed to be fun! Our first ride together in your new car.”
“It is rather special, huh,” Harry nodded thoughtfully, “how do I look in the driver’s seat?”
“Honestly?” She raised an eyebrow. “You look… kinda hot. But do not let that go to your head or else I’ll - ohmygod! Harry, seriously turn it up, it’s Stevie Nicks!”
This time, he didn’t complain when Millie reached over and pressed three different buttons on his dashboard, because the girl he liked thought he was attractive, his windows were rolled all the way down, and the chorus of Stand Back was blaring through his speakers.
This feeling was worth every window smudge, crumb on his seat, and unwelcome dashboard push, he thought. Especially if it meant seeing Millie like this: long hair blowing out the window, head thrown back with her eyes closed, and feet tapping along to her favorite song.
It was a miracle he could keep his eyes on the road.
Harry was going to sing Stand Back. He knew it, Stevie knew it, almost the entire crew backstage knew it, but Millie was still in the dark. It was her favorite song, and he had every intention of putting on a show for her.
He was already dressed in his suit. He’d chosen another custom-made Gucci, a deep matte black fabric with metallic bronze flowers twisting up his torso and down his legs. He’d even let the makeup artist apply some matching bronze eyeshadow to his face, something he’d always wanted to try out. His shoes were plain, black with a bit of a lifted heel, and his only other accessory was a bronze colored tambourine. This was a Stevie Nicks tribute, after all, it wouldn’t be complete without her signature instrument.
The moment he stepped on stage, he knew his outfit choice was a hit. He hadn’t even started his speech before the familiar screaming started, but he’d grown used to the high pitched noise.
He hadn’t been able to meet with Millie beforehand, but it was hard to look away from her now (not that keeping his eyes off of her had ever been easy for him). She was sitting in the front row with a proud smile on her face, and a sinfully tight silver dress on her body, and Jesus Christ she looked incredible. He gave her a lopsided smirk before squinting his eyes into the lights over the audience.
The moment the first notes of the song echoed from the speakers lining the walls, Millie’s jaw dropped lower than Harry had ever seen. He smirked at her, licking his lips cockily as he started bobbing his head. The cheers from the crowd only spurred him on. He took his bottom lip between his teeth, never looking away from his best friend.
“No one looks, I walk by, just an invitation would have been just fine,” he crooned, unable to stop himself from tapping his feet to the rhythm.
He’d opted out of playing the guitar during the performance, wanting to focus more on his vocals. He tore his eyes away from Millie, who was still watching him in awe. This song was for her, but there was still an entire venue crowded with thousands of people, and this was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’d rather fling himself from the Empire State Building than give a poor performance.
“Stand back, stand back,” he ripped the mic from its stand, prancing across the stage and flipping the hair out of his eyes with a dramatic snap of his neck, “in the middle of my room, I did not, hear from you….”
“La la la la la la la, la la,” he closed his eyes as he turned his back to the crowd, seeing the bright bronze and burnt orange visuals on the screen through his eyelids.
He knew he absolutely killed the performance, if the whoops and hollers were any indication. He could hear the cheers, see people dancing, see her dancing. She seemed to have befriended the woman next to her, as they were both shouting out the lyrics along with him with their hips bumping.
“Take me home….” Harry belted, his voice turning grainy the longer he held the note. When the music finally faded out, he let out a low chuckle into the microphone, relieved to have done the song justice.
It took several minutes for the applause to die down enough for him to speak, and by the time it did, he had no idea what to say.
“Ehm, hello New York!” He called into the microphone, clearing his throat. “It’s an honor to be here.”
Writing a speech about Stevie was the easiest thing he’d ever done. All he had to do was be honest, after all; she was an inspiration, a legend. The definition of a powerful woman. The kind of person who supports young struggling artists, can whip out a killer song in less than an hour, who dedicates her life to bringing melody and emotion to her fans. A poet. A magician.
Giving the speech was another story. The sweat on his back was making the fabric of his undershirt stick to his skin in the most suffocating manner, and Millie’s burning stare had all but caused his brain to short circuit. She’d looked at him like that just once before. He thought about it often, usually when he was alone with his hands shoved between his thighs.
Millie was four drinks in.
Harry knew this because he’d been counting. He had gone to enough parties with her to know that she got a bit… loose once she’d had a few, and he’d taken it upon himself to keep her away from every man who dared look in her direction.
“Stop shooting daggers at everyone, H,” she’d complained, “I wanna dance with someone, but you’re scaring them off. They probably think you’re my boyfriend.”
Good, he’d thought.
“Mills, the men here look sleazy as fuck,” he’d said sternly, “I’m not letting you rub yourself all over some chav.”
“Well, I need to rub myself all over someone, or I swear I’ll lose my mind,” she giggled, her eyelids more hooded than usual as she leaned up against the bar, “you know how I get when I drink.”
Maybe he wouldn’t have normally responded in the way that he did, but he’d had a few to drink himself. The words were pouring out of him before he could stop them, his filter broken down by the whisky double he’d choked down earlier.
“Y’could dance on me.”
Millie hummed, slowly raking her eyes over him from his shoes to the stray curl on his forehead. Instead of giving him an answer, she leaned over the bar to whisper something to the bartender.
He wanted to kick himself. She’d said it time and time again: he was like a brother to her. He started running excuses through his head, things he could say to break the tension and make her forget that he’d ever uttered the words.
“Now that’s an idea,” she finally said, carelessly dropping a bill onto the counter beside her. Harry raised his eyebrows, shocked. When the shots she ordered appeared by her elbow, she slid one over to Harry wordlessly. He took it without hesitation, the burn of tequila tickling his lips long after the bitter taste faded away.
“A good idea?” He asked, cocking his head to the side. “Or a bad one?”
She had never looked at him like this before. Harry had long ago memorized every facial expression she’d ever thrown at him, and prided himself in being able to read her like a book, but this was brand new territory. Her eyes, which were normally bright enough to blind him, had darkened. She was looking at him like she could see right through his clothes… like maybe she wanted to see right through his clothes.
“Why don’t we find out?”
It had taken him weeks to stop dreaming about the way Millie’s ass had felt pressed against him, or how dewy her skin had felt as he ran his hands over it, but now it was all rushing back. Not even the bright spotlight could disguise the fire in her eyes. She wanted him.
But he couldn’t think about that night at the club, not unless he wanted to pop a boner in front of thousands of attentive onlookers. He delivered his speech perfectly, but on the inside his stomach was twisting and tangling into knots, and he hadn’t been able to look at Millie throughout the entire thing.
The rest was a blur. The deafening roar of applause as Stevie came on. The brief hug he shared with her as he passed the microphone to her. The hand he placed on the older woman’s back while a video montage played on the giant screen. More applause. Millie’s eyes.
By the time he made it offstage, all he wanted to do was shove his hand down the front of his trousers, but he still had one more surprise he had to follow through with. With his back pressed against the wall and a twitching hand on his stomach, he took a few deep, heavy breaths. He needed to calm the fuck down, or he was going to blow his load the moment he saw her in that dress.
“Shit,” he exhaled, closing his eyes.
He wasn’t near as composed as he wanted to be, but one of his security guards would be leading Millie backstage any second. He’d arranged for her to meet Stevie, something he knew she’d been wanting since they were children.
“Harry!”
He looked over to see his best friend galloping towards him, his frazzled looking security guard trailing after her.
“Sorry we’re late,” the man apologized, adjusting the walkie-talkie that was clipped to his belt, “she ran ahead and went the wrong way, so we had to backtrack and ended up getting lost.”
“That sounds about right- oof!” Millie clearly hadn’t pumped the brakes, barreling straight into him. If he hadn’t been against the wall, the two of them would have ended up on the floor. “You can take the rest of the night off, Dave.”
His guard didn’t argue, quickly spinning on his heel and leaving the pair to themselves. She’d glued herself to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his waist as she swayed them back and forth.
“Missed you,” she mumbled.
“Just saw you last week, Mills.”
“Yeah, too long,” she nodded. Harry liked the way the tip of her nose rubbed against his dress shirt.
He chuckled fondly, gently easing her back with his hands on her shoulders. “How’d you like my song?”
“H, I can’t even describe how incredible it was. Like… I’ll be honest,” she blushed, “you looked… kind of hot. But do not let that go to your head, or else I’ll chop off your bollocks.”
Suddenly, he was fifteen again, bouncing all over her bed and getting her in trouble. He was sixteen, preening as Millie complimented him from the passenger’s seat. He was twenty-two, filled with euphoria as they moved on the dance floor. He was twenty-five, looking at her silver dress and feeling the overwhelming need to kiss her.
She was peering up at him like she might want him to, wide eyes and tiny smile, but one glance over her shoulder told him that there were more important things on the agenda. Stevie was walking towards them slowly, her ridiculously tall heels causing her to teeter with each step she took.
“Don’t kill me,” Harry said quickly, “I have one more surprise.”
“Harry, what- OHMYGOD!”
Millie had thrown her hands over her face, cupping them against her mouth and nose. The moment Stevie came into her view, tears burned at the corners of her eyes and a few fell down her cheeks.
“Oh my,” Stevie cooed, stepping close and placing her hands on the younger girl’s elbows, “I know Harry’s a handful, but there’s no need to cry!”
“Heeeey,” he whined, but it fell on deaf ears.
He stood to the side and watched his best friend tell her idol about all of the amazing memories she had with her music. She told Stevie about the first time she played Landslide at her fourth grade piano recital, how she’d listened Edge of Seventeen on repeat for hours on her last night of being sixteen, how she’d written an essay about Leather and Lace for her creative writing class at uni. Millie’s hands were flying all over the place, clutching at her chest, in the air above her head, wound around Stevie in a secure hug. He’d done this for her, and there was no better feeling.
“Harry talks about you constantly,” Stevie smiled. Harry widened his eyes at her.
“Oh he does, does he?” Millie pursed her lips teasingly. “Hopefully nothing too horrible.”
“On the contrary,” Stevie’s eyes twinkled mischievously. Harry shook his head subtly. He’d given her a long and detailed monologue of his feelings for Millie during a particularly vulnerable songwriting session, but they had never mentioned it again. “He’s said only good things. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
Harry’s chest deflated with relief. He was going to send a very long, scolding text to Stevie later on this week.
When it was time to part ways, Harry left the two women alone to say their goodbyes while he made sure there was a car for him and Millie. They’d arranged for her to stay in his guest room, and all of her bags were already there. By the time she was walking over to him, mascara streaking down her face and a sad little smile on her lips, he was ready to have her all to himself.
“How’d I do?” He grinned, scooping her into his arms as she let out a shaky sob.
“I’m,” she let out a hiccup, “so happy!”
“Oh, Mills,” he cooed, rubbing a hand over her shoulder blade, “let’s go home, yeah? I can make you some tea?”
“Mhm,” she whimpered.
The pair began walking towards the back exit, clinging to each other. It made it harder to walk, being pressed together so tightly, but the thought of letting go didn’t sit well them them .
“My emotional Millie,” he hummed, “always so teary.”
“Shut up, Harry!” She cried as she slid into the car. He quickly followed, watching her buckle herself in and kick off her heels. “I can’t help it!”
“Didn’t mean it as an insult, babe,” the term of endearment slipped out before he could stop it, “means you’ve got a big heart. It’s sweet.”
“If anyone in this car is sweet, it’s you,” she sighed, “first, you fly me here all the way from London. Then, you perform my favorite song, and then you introduce me to Stevie Nicks… my absolute, complete, legendary-“
“It was nothing,” he said quietly, knowing that she’d never stop unless he cut her off. Millie scoffed, but he was telling the truth. He’d do anything for her, and if it made her happy, it didn’t feel like a chore.
“Nothing my arse.”
Millie had felt like she was high from all of the excitement, but the way Harry was looking at her was sobering. Despite the sharpness of his cheekbones and the hard line of his jaw, he looked soft, the pine green of his eyes turning to velvet.
“Why are you looking at me… like that?” She asked softly.
“Like what?” He mimicked the tone of her voice.
“Like…” she paused, gulping against a dry throat, “like you’re thinking about kissing me?”
“I am thinking about it,” he admitted, “I’m constantly thinking about it.”
She didn’t say a word, turning her head away and staring out the window. With anyone else, he would have been offended, but Millie was a deep thinker. She always took a bit longer to process things, lost in her own head. He twiddled his thumbs as they sat in silence for the rest of the drive.
He knew he couldn’t take it back. He probably shouldn’t have said it in the first place, but it was as if everything he loved about Millie had been amplified tonight. Hell, he’d just inducted a rock legend into the Hall of Fame, and all he thought about all night was her. She was in his head, in his heart, running through his veins, completely ransacking any rational thought he might have.
When the car stopped in front of his building, Millie was swinging her door open and marching across the lawn before he’d even gotten himself unbuckled. He quickly thanked the driver, scurrying after her like a madman, making sure to grab her forgotten heels before the car rolled away.
She had already walked into his apartment building, using the little fob he’d given her when he started renting in New York. His two level loft had an entrance on the first level, which is where he found her standing when he finally caught up. She was tapping one foot impatiently at his locked door.
“Mills….” he cleared his throat as he dug the house keys from his pocket, “I didn’t mean-”
“You didn’t mean it?” She hissed.
“No, no,” he rushed, “I meant it. I just, I didn’t mean to make things weird.”
Once again, he was met with no response. Millie pushed the door open as soon as it was unlocked, and he could hear her stomping up the stairs. He sighed, fighting the pinprick of tears that threatened to form.
Harry didn’t know why she was reacting this way. Sure, she’d told him just last week that she was like a sister to him, but the way she’d undressed him with her eyes earlier had given him some hope. Maybe he’d just imagined it, conjured it up in his head to cope with his desperate need for her.
As much as he wanted to follow her up the stairs, he knew it was a bad idea. She was angry with him, and he couldn’t figure out why, but leaving her alone to simmer down had always been the best course of action.
“Harry, what the fuck!”
Harry’s eyes widened. This was his first day back to school after missing an entire week, and he realized with horror that he’d forgotten to text Millie about breaking his leg.
“You just vanish for an entire week, and then you show up to homeroom with… with bloody crutches?”
“‘M sorry,” he ducked his head, “I fell off my bike last weekend, and we had to stay in Manchester for a bit to get everything settled. I swear I didn’t mean to worry you-”
“Worry me,” his friend rolled her eyes. They were only thirteen years old, but Millie was more terrifying than most adults when she was well and truly angry. “Understatement of the century. I went by your house, and nearly organized a search party when nobody was home! Have you even checked your phone?”
He hadn’t.
“You know what? If not texting me is so easy, why don’t we just never speak again?”
“Mills,” he groaned, voice cracking slightly. They’d both noticed that his voice was starting to get a little bit deeper, and normally she’d tease the hell out of him for a voice crack like that, but she wasn’t in the mood. “I said I was sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t change how scared I was when you didn’t answer me!” She huffed, storming off. Just as he went to follow her, the bell rung, meaning he was already going to be late. With an irritated moan, he hobbled his way to his first class, hoping to god his teacher would let his tardiness slide when she saw his crutches.
She had, and later that night, Millie’s flailing pre-teen limbs fell through his bedroom window, eyes filling with tears and apologies leaking from her mouth.
“I thought about it all day, and once I calmed down… I just missed you.”
He chugged an entire glass of water before slamming it on his counter, taking a deep breath. His ears perked up at the sound of footsteps in his hallway, so he turned around to look at her. She was still in her dress, but had wiped off her makeup. He swears she’d never looked more beautiful.
“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” she said sheepishly.
“I’m sorry for-”
“No,” she gulped, “you don’t owe me any apologies. I was just… surprised.”
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say. He watched his feet, wiggling his toes awkwardly as an uncomfortable silence fell over them. Millie was shuffling around as well, debating whether or not she wanted to ask the question she’d been wanting to ask for years. Eventually, she couldn’t contain it anymore.
“How long have you been in love with me?”
Her voice was loud, but the volume isn’t what startled Harry. Sure, Millie had always been straightforward, fearless when it came to confrontation, but they’d never had a conversation like this. People had teased them as kids, telling them that boys and girls couldn’t be just friends, but they’d let the comments roll off of their backs.
“I… I-” he stuttered, his tongue suddenly feeling like an anvil in his mouth.
“You… don’t hide it well,” she divulged, looking at anything but him, “you’ve always been like an open book to me.”
“I’ve… yeah,” he choked out, “I, um, most of my life, I think.”
She started crying, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. He wanted to go over and hold her, like he usually did when she cried, but it was as if he was stepping into cement, absolutely rooted where he stood.
“Most of your life,” she echoed.
Harry rubbed a hand over his face, his skin feverish and beginning to bead with sweat. He needed to get out of his suit.
“I- you, yeah,” he croaked, robotically moving across the room to slip his blazer over one of the kitchen chairs. His legs felt like jelly, as if he’d completely forgotten how to walk.
“H,” she whimpered, “why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“Why didn’t you ever say that you knew?”
Millie sucked in a breath, fiddling with the sequins on her dress. “I wasn’t completely sure. I mean, I was pretty sure, but then you’d talk about going on dates with other people, or… just, I had my doubts. But then tonight….”
“I was pretty obvious tonight,” he chuckled humorlessly, clearing his throat and scratching at his jaw, “and I never told you because… well look at us. We’ve never been this uncomfortable around each other.”
“H-”
“There were a few times I almost told you,” he gulped, “but… the timing was never right. You’d be in a relationship, or I’d be out on tour. It never lined up.”
This time, when Millie let out a sob, Harry didn’t hesitate to tuck her under his arm.
“You’re such a wanker,” she bawled, pressing her forehead into the skin between his sparrow tattoos, “obviously I love you too.”
Harry couldn’t breath. Had his heart stopped beating? Was he alive? Maybe he was hallucinating. The girl he loved, his best friend, was currently pressing her entire body against him, and she apparently felt the same way he did.
“How long?” He asked.
“Most of my life,” Millie giggled.
“Fuck,” Harry wept, licking the tears away from his lips, “we’ve wasted so much time. Could have been together ages ago.”
She looked up at his face with a watery smile. “We’re here now. Still wanna kiss me?”
Harry leaned down and mashed his lips to hers in one fluid motion, loving the way it felt to have her like this. Millie was pushing herself closer, the pressure of the kiss making them both smile. She tasted like salty teardrops and toothpaste, and he probably smelled like a gym locker after loping around the stage, but neither of them minded, completely captivated by the feeling of finally moving their mouths together.
Once the floodgates had been opened, there was no way of stopping it. What had been a sweet, almost innocent embrace, was suddenly rough and desperate. Their soft touches were now strong and unyielding, calculated movements gave way to impulse and speed. They were like a river breaking free of its dam; calm waters growing higher and stronger until the tension became too much, cracking the barrier and releasing every single pent up drop. They were white-capped waves, beautiful and chaotic as they crashed against each other.
“I’ve thought about this so many times,” Millie heaved, clenching her fist around the fabric of his shirt while he nipped at her jaw.
“‘Bout kissing me?”
“No, I mean, yes- oh!” She yelped, hissing through gritted teeth as Harry licked over the spot he’d bitten into her neck. “Yeah, b-but, also about what it would feel like to have sex with you.”
He’d been ignoring his semi since he walked off stage earlier in the night, but the moment she spoke, he could feel his cock chub up in his trousers, the blood rushing below his belt making him a bit dizzy.
“Thought about that too,” he was hunched over as far as his back would allow, his craving to taste the skin below her collarbones much stronger than the strain on his spine.
“We should probably do it then, yeah?”
Harry moaned. He had been suppressing his inappropriate thoughts about the way she looked since the moment he saw her in the crowd, but now he could let them roam freely. He wanted to gather her hair into his fists, peel the dress off of her body, absolutely ruin her lipstick (he was a little bit disappointed that she’d wiped it off). He couldn’t wait to make his fantasy a reality.
“We probably should,” he agreed, pushing the strap of her dress down her arm, “only if you want.”
“Obviously I do, bloody bellend,” she said impatiently, undoing the buttons on his dress shirt, “god, this outfit was so sexy tonight. When you were singing, all I could think about was how bad I wanted you to fuck me.”
“I know,” Harry smirked, “saw the look on your face when I was done. Nearly got a boner during my speech.”
“The sex eyes can’t be tamed,” she shrugged, finally unfastening the last button under his navel. She tugged the material from the waistband of his trousers and pushed it off of his shoulders.
“Don’t want you to tame ‘em,” he growled, moving closer to her when the zipper of her dress snagged under his fingertips, “want you to keep the sex eyes on, and get this fucking dress off!”
When he finally got the zipper down, he practically ripped it away from her body, tugging it roughly over her hips and letting it fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Millie didn’t even have time to step out of it before Harry was lifting her bridal style.
“Don’t you fucking dare drop me!” She shrieked, lightly swatting his shoulder when he set her down on top of his kitchen table.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Mills.”
She opened her mouth to tell him off again, but her train of thought completely derailed when he got on his knees and sucked her clit through her underwear. She couldn’t suppress her moans, especially as he swept the flimsy fabric to the side and really dug in, tongue licking over every bit of her and calloused fingers plucking at her clit.
Millie sighed feverishly. The rough texture of his fingers and the smooth wetness of his mouth felt practically angelic, while the sounds filling his kitchen were sinful. Wet pops of his lips and hollow slurps when he suctioned his cheeks in wre driving her hellishly insane.
“I can’t come like this,” she panted, “I want to see your face.”
He pulled off of her, leaving one last kitten-lick to her folds before rising to his feet. His lips were swollen and shiny as he undid the zip on his trousers, quickly stripping the bronze and black fabric from his legs. He pressed his erection against Millie’s sopping core, letting her soak into the fabric of his boxers. Everything was warm and wet and smooth, just like he’d always imagined.
“Let me fuck you,” he pleaded.
“Condom?” She asked, feeling her walls twitch as if they were trying to guide Harry’s cock inside on its own. “‘M not on the pill….”
“Right,” he swallowed harshly, “Okay, yeah. I’ve got to run upstairs and get one.”
“I’ll stay right here,” Millie promised, peeling her undergarments off the moment he was out of sight.
Whenever she pictured having sex with Harry, it was romantic; white sheets and fluffy pillows, a warm summer breeze, maybe even some scented candles and music. She certainly hadn’t imagined it happening on the hard wood of his kitchen table, but in a way, it was even more perfect.
Their friendship, their relationship was unique. They were two people who had spent the better parts of their lives dancing around each other, orbiting like two planets, feeling the weight of the gravity but never touching. It was only fitting that their first time together was unconventional.
Harry practically sprinted back into the kitchen, wincing at how cold the tile felt against his bare feet. However, he didn’t focus on that long, too distracted by the skin Millie had revealed in his absence.
She was laying down still, and her exposed breasts fell slightly to the sides, their undersides resting on top of her ribcage. She’d splayed her legs open upon seeing him, giving him his first unobstructed view of her heat.
“Christ,” he wheezed, “let me just….”
He ripped the condom package open with his teeth, slipping the clear latex from its confines and pinching it his fingers while he ripped his briefs from his body. He rolled it on slowly, almost teasingly, when he noticed Millie watching with an attentive gaze.
“Ready?” He hummed.
“Please, H,” she nodded, wiggling her hips in anticipation.
He gave her a breathtaking smile before pushing inside. She was so slick that he managed to push all the way in with one single stroke, causing Millie’s back to arch off of the table. Harry’s knees nearly gave out when she clenched around him, so he gripped her thighs and locked them around his hips to keep himself steady.
This had to be his favorite position.
From where he was standing, he could see the entire expanse of her body, laid out so prettily against his table. He could watch himself push in and out of her, seeing how his cock glistened with her wetness all the way down to the base, admire the way the flesh of her hips creased as they bent to accommodate him, watch her breasts bounce and jiggle with every thrust. If he leaned forward just the slightest amount, maybe he could even reach up to roll her nipples between his fingers.
Millie loved it, too. She liked the way Harry’s stomach muscles concave with each flex, the rapid snap of his hips affecting every nerve in his body. She absolutely loved watching a red flush creep up his chest and neck, the black ink of his tattoos standing out even more against the rosiness. Most of all, she liked watching his face. It was almost as if he didn’t know where he wanted to look most, his blown-out pupils flickering over every inch of her body.
The smell of sex wafted over them, sweet, sensual, and uniquely theirs. Their bodies were sticky with sweat as they slapped together, filling the loft with wet claps and breathy moans. It was raw, carnal, a complete release of the tension they’d been holding in for years.
When Millie was close, Harry dropped one of her legs to play with her clit, knowing that he’d find his release the second she found hers. Her lips were mouthing his name, but no sound came out. He watched, utterly bewitched, as her fingers curled into her palms and a strangled moan fell from her throat.
She gushed her release onto him, and he felt it drip down the fronts of his thighs as she tightened around his cock. He’d never made a woman squirt this much before. Profanities poured from his lips as he felt his balls clench, cumming into the condom with so much force that he had to bend over and rest his torso over hers to keep from falling over. His face was nuzzled into Millie’s breasts.
It was Harry who broke the silence after several minutes of shallow breathing. “Well, fuck, Mills.”
“Holy cow,” she coughed, “okay, first of all, I need some water, second, we’re doing that again immediately.”
He chuckled into her skin, nipping at her breast playfully before standing upright and looking between them. They’d made quite a mess of themselves, not that he minded.
Millie slid off the table, walking her shaky legs over to the sink, where she stuck her entire head under the faucet. Harry smiled to himself; seemingly, nothing had changed about their dynamic. He was afraid that professing his love for her might change the way they acted around each other, but she was just as silly as she’d always been.
“Millie, no! That’s so unsanitary,” a twenty-year-old Harry complained. Millie had just stuck her entire head into the unisex bathroom sink, chugging at the stream of water, “this is a karaoke bar, probably germs everywhere.”
“I was thirsty,” she informed him, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth, “and there’s only one more person in front of me. How am I supposed to sing Stevie Nicks with a dry throat?”
“How are you supposed to sing Stevie Nicks when your voice sounds like a police siren?” He countered with a smirk. His best friend crossed her arms over her chest in offense.
“We can’t all be professional singers, you knob,” she bit out, swinging the door open with more force than necessary. She’d only had a drink or two, but Harry drank enough to make the room spin.
“‘M not a knob,” he muttered to himself as he followed after her.
“You sure are!” Millie called over her shoulder.
When it was time for her to take the stage, Harry made sure that his seat was all the way up front and his phone camera was at the ready. Millie had always been a horrible singer, but that had never stopped her. He couldn’t wait to post the video to his private instagram in the morning.
“Stand back, stand back!” She screeched, flipping Harry the bird when he started laughing, “in the middle of my room, I did not, hear from you!”
Her hair was flopping all over the place, hips moving back and forth while she hopped up and down. He wished he’d gone up there with her, wanting to wrap an arm over her shoulder or put his hands on her waist.
“I would cry… la la la la la la la, la la….”
He was in a perpetual state of wanting to be near her. It felt like it was part of his identity at this point. His name was Harry, he had curly hair, he wore tight jeans, and he wanted to be touching Millie.
Twenty-five year old Harry wished he could go back in time and tell his younger self that he’d get to touch her, whenever he wanted and for however long he wanted. He’d held her close while they showered together, placed a hand on the small of her back while she sifted through his dresser for pajamas to wear, and had her sprawled over his chest while she slept in his arms.
He closed his eyes, a smile never leaving his face as he imagined having her at twenty-six, twenty-seven, thirty. Maybe even fifty, sixty, and seventy. Trips down memory lane are much more enjoyable when there’s a future.
And yeah, he thought, revelling in the tickle of her soft snores as they puffed into his skin, there was definitely going to be a future.
~~~
Thank you for reading, if you’ve made it this far! Leave me a message, I’d love to know your thoughts <3
xoxo Tile
#harry styles#harry styles imagine#harry styles smut#harry styles fanfic#harry styles one shot#harry#styles#one direction#1dff#fanfiction#friends to lovers#stand back
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Have you ever felt a baby kick? Yeah, when my mom was pregnant with my brother.
What color pants/shorts are you wearing? I have red shorts on at the moment.
When is the last time you did something truly fun, and what was it? Last Friday, I’d say? Hahaha. Counted down the hours and minutes before the Butter MV drop, celebrating and freaking out with Army when it finally came out, watched the OT7 VLive that happened that afternoon, and streamed the video for nearly 24 hours straight so we could break some records, all of which we ended up achieving. It feels great to stan a group again after being out of the loop for so long lol.
What was the scariest moment of your life? A few men have lunged towards me - just to get attention, I guess? - in the past, while I was just peacefully walking. I always hear them snickering once I’ve flinched, and I always ended up crying once I’ve processed the situation.
Have you ever heard of Leonard Cohen? I know of the name, but I have no clue who he is or what he does (did?).
Pancakes or flapjacks? I don’t even know what flapjacks are, so let’s go with pancakes.
What kind of computer are you on? I’m using a Macbook Air.
Do you eat Chinese food? If so, what's your favorite dish? Yes. Minced pork with eggplant.
What are you usually doing at midnight? On weekdays, I spend it in bed, either watching videos or already reading fanfics to get ready to turn in. On Friday nights and weekends, I will usually be found on the rooftop taking a survey or two.
Have you ever developed feelings for a friend, but you were already with someone? No, I’ve never developed feelings for another person while in a relationship.
If so, how did it turn out?
Give me your brief definition of love. I will always stick by this quote, “Love never says, ‘I have done enough.’”
What is the most beautiful part of the human body, male or female? This is subjective, of course, but personally I find it to be thighs.
What kind of shoes do you wear? I’m not wearing any at the moment; but in general, I like to wear sneakers.
What is the worst thing you've ever done when you were really angry? Physical violence.
Are there any pills you take on a daily basis? If so, what? Nope.
Do you like the smell of coconuts? Not so much. I like coconut milk, though.
What is the heaviest you think you can lift? I think my personal best was like 60 or 70 lbs, back when I had weight training classes for PE in college. I remember being in so much pain once I gave the 80 lbs barbell a shot.
Do you take Tums? No.
Have you ever walked on a pier at the beach? ...Ugh. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken this survey very recently but I might as well just take it again because I don’t feel like searching for another. Anyway, I haven’t... at least not that I can remember.
How about under one? Definitely not.
At what age do you first remember feeling butterflies in your stomach around someone? I was around 12 when I was starting to feel confused about getting nervous around Andi.
Do you feel that way around anyone now? I don’t.
Do you ever talk to yourself or think deep thoughts while on the toilet? No haha but I usually bring my phone with me to keep me company.
Do you ever sing to yourself? Pretty often.
What is a sound that relaxes you? Ocean waves.
How hard has it been to reach your main goal in life? I don’t have a main goal set in life. I just live in the now and try to do things or make decisions that would keep me consistently happy.
Do you remember the song about hoes in different area codes? HAHAHAHAHA definitely took this recently; this is so embarassing. No, I still don’t know about this song.
What is your main heritage? Filipino.
What kind of pickles do you prefer, if you like pickles? I hate pickles and I find them absolutely nasty, but there are other pickled things I like, like radishes.
What kind of cheese do you prefer, if you like cheese? Mozzarella and feta.
If you could have a sea creature as a pet, what would you want? No thanks. I’m not capable of providing them proper care.
How about a farm animal? I would just stick to dogs.
So, do you have hoes in different area codes?
What is the most annoying song you can think of that came out recently? I’ve been in a BTS bubble for a solid month or so and I honestly can’t tell you my opinion about songs that have recently come out, because I literally don’t know any.
What is a song that you hate to admit you like? There isn’t any I’m guilty about.
What inspires you to get off your bum and do something productive? Knowing I’ll feel accomplished once I do it.
Do you ever use Urban Dictionary? Never anymore. I used to browse through it only when I was a lot younger.
Do you find the definitions on there to be generally funny or stupid? Both.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word 'transformation'? The Transformers series, lol.
What was something you regularly played with as a child? I always liked clay and I never really graduated from that interest, since I find the texture fascinating and fun to play with.
Have you ever given in to peer pressure? Sure.
If so, what did you do? I had my first sip of alcohol at Kaira’s 18th birthday and I was feeling left out since literally everyone else was drinking. For vaping, Gabie introduced it to me; and for smoking, it was another case of FOMO that made me want to try it out.
What part of your body have you had the most problems with in your life? My back.
Do a lot of people check you out when you're in public? Idk? I don’t take note of that kind of attention, anyway; I would find it creepy.
How many people do you know for sure to be interested in you right now? Zero.
What is a good name for a turtle? I think it would be the same process as the way I think it would be for any other pet; it would depend on their personality, their aura, etc.
Can you imitate any accents well? If so, which one(s)? Not really. I can read Hangul and am familiar with the different tonalities used in Korean but I wouldn’t say my imitation would be considered spot-on.
Do you like having your ear nibbled on? Yes.
What makes a good kisser a good kisser? When they know how to use their tongue in a teasing way, for one. Eugh it’s too early for this lol
How many times a year do you have a family thing? What even is a family thing?
What are the best things to put in a smoothie? I don’t like smoothies.
Do you ever eat with your eyes closed and just focus on the taste? Yup, especially when I’m either eating somewhere pricey or when I’m eating at one of my favorite restaurants.
What do you dislike most about where you live right now? It’s a pretty uneventful city, and if I want to have some fun I always have to go to Manila.
Has anyone ever given you a rose/roses? Yup.
Are you watching your weight? No.
Have you ever became really good friends with someone you found online? Yes. Aliyah and I are still friends and I’m glad we’ve been able to maintain our friendship even after mine and Gab’s falling out. It’s a shame the three of us didn’t get to meet in real life though, and it will 100% never happen now. I also used to have a group of Twitter friends back in my wrestling stan days but it’s been a very long time since we’ve gone our separate ways. I have yet to find friends on Army Twitter but I really doubt I would get to build established friendships any time soon because EVERYONE IS SO YOUNG OVER THERE
What makes your best friend your best friend? They understand me better than anyone else does.
Do you have a drunk uncle? I have a couple of them.
Do you hear weird noises in your house at night? Nope.
What is something you do that is generally more like something the opposite sex does? Ignoring this question.
What is the girliest thing you do, if you're a girl? Also ignoring this.
What is the coolest tattoo you've ever seen? I find line tattoos to be pretty cool and beautiful in general. The minimalist look it goes for works really well.
Have you ever created anything artistic that you're proud of? If so, what? That vase I molded during my Vigan trip :) It was the first (and so far) only thing I’ve made from scratch, and even though I didn’t get to take it home, I’m still glad I had the opportunity to try pottery.
Do you only eat the middle of the oreo, if you eat oreos? No? That’s pretty wasteful. I eat the whole cookie.
Do you know anyone with a huge ego? Hahahahaha. Yes.
If so, is there anything else about them you actually like? Not anymore, no.
Have you ever used a racial slur, even jokingly? Most likely as a stupid teenager when I didn’t know any better.
Do you have any friends who are more like siblings to you? Angela and Laurice.
If so, what about them do you like most? They’re very easy to talk to, and they’re both selfless and generous.
What is everyone else in your house doing right now? My mom is making dinner while I believe everyone else is just on their phones waiting for the dish to be made.
What is the most money you've ever had at one time? I don’t remember the exact amounts anymore but my mom used to hand me cheques and regularly assign me to pay for me and my sister’s tuition back in grade school and high school, since she had work during the day and didn’t have time to stop by the school herself.
How long do you think it would take you to run a mile? I don’t know but definitely longer than what would be considered a decent duration for a fit person.
Look down. What do you see? I can see my legs but just barely since it’s dark out.
What is a subject that makes you uncomfortable? Topics I don’t know too much about.
What is a subject you can talk on and on about and not get sick of it? BTS, my field, and history.
What kind of mood were you in most of today? Comfortable. We had the aircon on all day and I just watched BTS MVs and live performances, and I don’t really feel bad about being unproductive for once.
Has anyone ever walked in on you naked? Just once or twice.
Tell me an inside joke you have with someone. Togepi.
What is the worst thing someone could do to you emotionally? Tell me hurtful words.
What is the worst thing you've ever done to someone emotionally? Idk...maybe cut them off unexpectedly? I'll usually have no problem doing this with people who make me uncomfortable.
How do you feel now about the first person you ever dated? Nothing. She’s not in my life.
How about the last person (your last ex)? She’s the same person.
What is the best invention ever invented? The internet.
What is something that needs to be invented? Not a completely new invention but I wish programs that can identify songs for you, like Siri, can be more improved to be able to recognize songs just by humming the tone. So far they can only name songs if you play it clearly for a few seconds, but it can be a hassle if I wanna have access to a certain song but only remember the melody and otherwise have no idea what the lyrics are or who sang them.
Describe your eyes. I don’t think they’re anything special. I don’t count them as a striking feature of mine.
What always makes you burp? Eating quickly. And beer.
What is something you hate doing that most couples do? There isn’t anything.
What's your astrological sign? Taurus.
What are you doing tomorrow? I wanna finally watch the Friends reunion special since I didn’t feel like watching it today. I also have a press release to write for one of my clients – they requested for it Friday and want it by Monday :(
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1-6!
idol life and career meme : not accepting
what is your favorite single you’ve released?
“we’ve released one. might as well pick that one, right? in all seriousness though crown is a really good song and i really like it. i’m happy we got to debut with a song like that, because it’s not only the vibe of it that’s incredibly refreshing to listen to, the lyrics are also really great and i think they appeal to people who might be struggling to fit in usually. i really hope we can make more songs like that in the future. songs for the people that there isn’t usually songs for.”
what are your favorite b-sides/non-title tracks you’ve released?
“obviously we don’t have a whole lot of those either, so this is kind of easy too! i’ve always been a fan of ballads and songs with a bit more quiet and emotional demeanour to them! that’s why i’m going to pick nap of a star for this. the video came out really great too i think. it adds a lot to the vibe of the song and our general concept for this album so please enjoy both the song and the video at the same time!”
what is your least favorite song (title track or b-side) you’ve released?
“am i allowed to say this? i don’t really like cat & dog that much. i don’t even know where to start on that song... there’s the autotune for starters. i think all our members have really great voices already so i don’t think there was any need for that. i’ve never been a huge fan of autotune in the first place, so it made me kind of sad that they thought it was necessary to use it... i think it could have been a lot better without it... but even then, the lyrics. don’t even get me started on those. i know they thought it was cute. at least i think they thought so. and it might have been cute if we were like... 15 or something. but not when all of us are in our twenties or nearing them. although i have to admit that the fans barking along when we sing it is incredibly funny.”
if you could do a duet with anyone in the industry, who would you choose?
“for this one i want to pick lucid’s nam chunhwa sunbaenim ( @fmdchunhwa ). lucid’s concept has always been really interesting to me with their duality, and i think the way chunhwa sunbaenim shows her range through that is incredibly amazing. she is really endearing during their cute concepts, but so charismatic in their darker ones and i think i could learn a lot from her! beside, i think that duets featuring both male and female artists are interesting as there’s a natural difference between our voices and vocal ranges. it’s a good combination i think. i hope to one day be able to do a song with her or a stage or something!”
what do you think of your/your group’s concept?
“i’m not sure how well i can judge this yet. to be fair i’m not completely certain of our concept yet. we have some rather refreshing songs so far, but from the samples of our new album we’re going to be a bit darker with our comeback... i don’t mind that at all. i think it will be interesting to explore a bit. but since we’re a temporary group i also think it’s important to ascertain a clear concept right off the bat so people don’t get confused. if we get too experimental we could easily lose fans, that’s what i feel, and we can’t afford that when we only have two years before it’s over!”
what is one thing (a concept, a genre, an outfit, etc.) you would least like your company make you do?
“this is... well there’s a lot of things really. i know my scars can be hidden with makeup, but it’s a lot of hassle and it will feel sticky and gross if i sweat a lot, so i really hope i won’t have to show too much skin. so far it seems that won’t be a problem at least. and well... i know that using fire on stages has become quite popular to add extra effect but i really hope they won’t do that for us. i don’t really... like fire. i honestly don’t know what i’ll do if they end up shooting fire off during one of our stages.”
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My Top Songs [2020]
Hi all!
As 2020 comes to an end (thank whatever higher power there is), I wanted to share a list of my favorite songs! (the following are songs RELEASED this year) (I’ve included a list of songs that I heard this year, but weren’t released in 2020, after it). These are mostly korean/chinese.
Alright, this is in NO particular order, just my favorites. I’ve mostly included one song from a group/solo act and added their other great releases in description. It is mostly music that I listened to, so if your favs are not here, feel free to rec me good music! ENJOY!
(the list ended up becoming quite long, so read under the cut)
Black swan(orchestral version) by BTS
BTS had a great year musically. 2 korean albums, 1 japanese and lots of solo stuff. My most played songs are Dynamite (listen, she did what she had to do), Stay Gold (if gold had a sound, this would be it), Black Swan, Blue and Grey (i live for melancholy), Life Goes On (spring day’s successor), Filter(park jimin is a threat), Friends (my feels!), Louder than bombs (TROYE SIVAN), UGH (murder music), 00:00, Moon (jin solos are beautiful always) and Your Eyes Tell (honestly, show me one bad japanese single, i dare you).
Ghosting by TXT
I got into TXT a lot more this year, as opposed to being a casual listener that I was last year. Many people say they have a no-skip discography and I believe it’s true. My most played songs were Blue Hour (i ADORE this song), We Lost the summer, Wishlist, Can’t you see me (the song that made me a stan), Fairy of Shampoo (ethereal), PUMA (choi yeonjun is a threat), Eternally (an ATTACKK!) and their f2020 cover.
Answer by ATEEZ
Ateez is another group i really got into this year, mesmerized by their performance abilities. My most played : Star 1117 (i’m very soft for this song), To the Beat (a true bop), Inception (holy jongho vocals), One day at a time and Good Lil Boy (does hongjoong ever have a bad rap verse?). Their Black Cat Nero cover also blew me away!! (i’m lowkey obsessed).
God’s menu by Stray Kids
I’ve been keeping an eye on Stray Kids ever since hellevator came out and this is my favourite song by them, so far (yes, i had a heart attack when i first saw Hyunjin). Most Played : Back Door (the beat drop gives me life, the choreo is probably my fav), All in, Easy (do they ever have a bad chorus?), GO LIVE (the beat??!! killer), Another Day (i am a slow jam hoe) and My Universe.
Pacman by eaJ
I didn’t think it was possible to love him more after day6 but Jae’s solo music has proved me wrong. Yes, i love Pillows (with Keshi) to bits but pacman is my first love. Most Played : It just is (Seori and their golden vocals), LA TRAINS (vocals!!!), Pinocchio (the mv is adorable, the beat is so fun), 50 proof (the vibes man, it's the VIBES) and TRUMAN.
Left & Right by Seventeen
Another group with amazing releases this year, I’m slowly getting into Seventeen more these days. Most Played : Fallin’ Flower (so beautiful, the vocals), 24H (the beat change?!!???), 17 (Joshua, DK and Pink Sweats) and HOME;RUN (this is a brand of fun that is entirely their own).
Not by the moon by GOT7
I am no stranger to GOT7, i’ve liked their music for years now but this is one of their more lyrical releases this year and i adore when GOT7 does this type of music. Most Played : Poison (jackson opens it and the vibes are immaculate), Last Piece (the way the vocals flow into the rap) and Thank You, Sorry.
So Beautiful by DPR IAN
This is literally the first song i’ve heard from this artist, please rec me more. I also adore No Blueberries with DPR LIVE and CL.
Eight by IU, Prod. SUGA
IU is an indisputable vocal queen, and her music always comforts me greatly so when i heard she was having a song produced by Yoongi, i promptly lost my shit. It was everything I expected and more and embodies sorrow and pain with great grace. Give you My Heart from the ‘Crash Landing on you OST’ was also a loved song this year.
Cry for me by TWICE
How do i talk about the queens? TWICE is the group i go to when I want fun music with good vibes but this song has such bad b*tch vibes that i am in love. Most played : More & More (a bop), Don’t call me again, I can’t stop me (i love the way it flows), Handle It (the vocals??? How pretty this song is???) and Say Something (seriously, eyes wide open is an amazing album).
Criminal by Teamin
Where do i start with Lee Taemin? I love almost all his solo stuff. He grabbed me by the neck ever since ‘Move’ and hasn't let go. Criminal is SO taemin that i don't think anyone else could have delivered the concept with such grace and grit. Most Played : 2 Kids (the chorus is so good), Clockwork, Idea (i love the vibe) and Pansy (i'm a ballad hoe).
Maria by Hwasa
Listen, i loved Twit when it came out but i love Maria as her sound so much more. Most Played : I’m bad too (feat. DPR LIVE) (i love the beat, the vibe and the flavor), LMM and Orbit from ‘The King: Eternal Monarch OST’ (as soon as her voice comes in, i loved the song).
Breath by DEAN, Rad Museum, Mokyo
I’m not aware of many DEAN releases this year, please feel free to rec me if I missed any.
Dear my friend by Agust D ft. Kim Jong Wan (NELL)
D-2 was everything expected from the second mixtape off Agust D and yet it brought a fresh wave of singing and melodies, once again proving the man’s production genius. This song is so reminiscent in it’s lyrics and still so real, its my favorite off the record.Other songs I loved : People, Deachwita and What do you think? (i DID love the complete mixtape though).
Given - Taken by Enhypen
Yes, I watched I-LAND. Given-Taken was a better debut then I expected at first. 10 months (the chorus and beat) and Flicker off their debut album were also played a lot.
I just want to stay with you by Zion.T
The King: Eternal Monarch was a much awaited drama for a lot of people and it’s OST is one of the best ones this year. Zion.T’s amazing vocals really did an amazing job of expressing the love in the story. Other songs I really liked from this album were Gravity by Kim Jong Wan and the Hydrangea Instrumental by Lee Geon Yeong.
The purge by Jay Park, pH-1, Woodie Gochild, Sik-K, and others.
H1GHER: RED TAPE is my hype album of the year. All artists involved did an amazing job. Seriously, get yourself some bomb ass beats, as a treat. Other loved tracks : Telefono Remix (Woodie Gochild is great at his flavour of delivery), Closed Case and The Arrival.
Soul by Lay (zhang yixing)
Yixing’s album LIT was his best project till date, no arguments. He’s really evolved into such a refined musician, especially with how well he merges traditional chinese instruments into Hip Hop/RnB beats and I adore the vibe of this album. Although the album is great entirely, Soul is my favourite for how softly and prettily it flows. Other loved tracks: Eagle (the BEAT), Fly, Boom (bops on bops on BOPS) and Call My Name.
100 ways by Jackson Wang
It is astounding how well Jackson has formed his own style of music ever since starting off with Papillon. He’s also sort of come into himself as an artist and it has birthed some great music. Other loved tracks : Pretty Please (i love the vibe of the song!) and Should’ve Let Go (ft. JJ Lin).
SUGA’s interlude by Halsey
Idk how else to explain it but Halsey and Yoongi have great music synergy. There’s something about their song/lyric writing that matches very well and needless to say, I adore the song. Blueberry eyes by MAX is also another great Yoongi collab.
In Your Time by Lee Suhyun
It’s Okay to not be Okay had an OST that was dreamy, gritty and very fairytale-esque, much like the drama itself. Among a bunch of great songs, this one is my favourite. Other loved songs: You’re Cold by Heize (always delivers!), Breath by Sam Kim (OST angel), Hallelujah by Kim Feel (chills!), In Silence by Janet Suhh (literally how angelic is her tone??), I’m your Psycho by Janet Suhh (it’s creepy in a dreamy way) and Brother | Her World | Through the dark Tunnel of time | Butterfly - all amazing instrumentals by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee (seriously, go listen to the album).
By my side by Junny
Another great discovery towards the end of the Year, Junny has vocals for DAYS and admirable delivery. Other loved songs: AURA ft. pH-1, edge (this is so hypnotising in it’s beauty) and I will. Please feel welcome to educate me more about this artist!!
Make a Wish by NCT
NCT always provides bops and NCT U is my favourite sub-unit, for their unique style of music, so when they came out with this song I was ready and they delivered! Most Played : 90’s Love (the old boy band theme was so well done), From Home (i’m a sucker for slow songs), Nectar (yes, i adore WayV’s music), MAD DOG by NCT 127 and Kick It by NCT 127 (this is the flavour of NCT i LOVE).
Zombie by Day6
Day6 has always been in my daily otations and as always, they put out good music after good music. I loved both the original Korean and the English versions of this song (they do rock well, what else is there to say?). Other loved songs : Tick Tock (oh the vocals, the way the beat moves!), Love me or Leave me, Day and Night... actually the whole Album is great, go listen to ‘The Book of us: The Demon’.
Fearless by Ma Di [other chinese songs]
Chinese songs have been a surprisingly pleasant addition to my daily rotation. Fearless from the “Go Ahead” OST takes the top stop because of how well it embodies the struggles of stepping into adulthood, the melody and MaDi’s amazing vocals. Other Chinese songs I loved: Praise for Red Plum Blossoms by Xiao Zhan (the perfect welcoming of spring paired with such expressive vocals), Remaining Years by Xiao Zhan (Joy of Life OST) and his OST for the Oath of Love.
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The following is the list of songs I heard in 2020, but were not released in 2020. Please let me know if you like them, or if you know other similar music! (I know, I know, I’m late to the game) Enjoy!
DEAN - Sometimes I hear Howlin' in my head
Zhang Jie/Zhang Bichen - Simple Wish
Li Ronghao - If I were Young
JJ Lin - What I Miss
Ateez - Mist | Twilight | Wonderland | Say my name | Thank you
Stray Kids - voices
Seventeen - Trauma
Loona - Hi High
Day6 - Shoot me
GOT7 - You calling my Name
RADWIMPS - Is There Still Anything That Love Can Do?
Baekhyun - UN Village
Taemin - Goodbye | want
Aquillo - Silhouette
Talos - To Each His Own
Cigarettes after sex (literally everything)
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I know this was long, if you read it till the end, I hope you all enjoyed it still.
Have a smooth year in 2021,
-love, c.
#top songs#top songs 2020#BTS#TXT#ateez#stray kids#eaj#eajpark#jae park#seventeen#got7#dpr ian#dpr#dpr live#cl#iu#min suga#yoongi#min yoongi#agust d#twice#taemin#lee taemin#hwasa#DEAN#rad museum#mokyo#enhypen#jay park#ph-1
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Favorite Reads of 2020
I take back everything I said last year about how 2019 was a comparatively bad reading year for me. 2020 was even worse. I only read 48 books, I could barely focus on reading even when I did find a book I liked, and, just like last year, I ended up with fewer favorites than usual. Starting in August I’ve been having trouble reading any written media that isn’t TOG fic. And some of my eagerly awaited releases by favorite authors ended up being disappointments (Deeplight by Frances Hardinge and Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee).
2020—the year that keeps on giving.
I sincerely hope 2021 will be a better year in all respects, including my reading habits, but, as with everything else, who knows.
Regardless, here’s my list of favorite reads of 2020, in chronological order of when I read them:
Network Effect by Martha Wells
I’d read the first four Murderbot Diaries novellas when they first came out and enjoyed them, but I didn’t fall head-over-heels in love with them. Maybe because they were novellas, and too short to get fully invested? Possibly. As it turns out, Network Effect is the novel-length fifth entry in the Murderbot Diaries that turned me into full-on squeeing fan—SecUnit, aka Murderbot, continues to be its delightfully acerbic, antisocial self, SPOILER makes another appearance and oh how I’d missed this character, the supporting cast is fun and endearing, and the novel-length story means there’s time and space for the brand-new corporate espionage/colonization/alien civilization murder mystery to unfold and spread its wings. (Sounds like a Sanctuary Moon plot tbh). SecUnit is possibly my favorite non-human fictional character atm, and I am now fully on-board for every and any new story in the series.
This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
When I first heard about this book and read the words “time travel romance”, I immediately went, “Nope, not gonna read.” I don’t like reading time travel stories, and honestly, I was imagining it to be something like The Time Traveler’s Wife, which granted I haven’t read but also sounds like it’d be the opposite of my cup of tea.
And then I went to a reading where Amal and Max took turns reading chapters – letters written by Red and Blue, enemy agents who repeatedly taunt and thwart the other’s plans to ensure their side is the one to win the time war and who can’t resist smugly outlining just how they’re staying one step ahead of the other – and the prose was witty and gorgeous and clever and intricate, and Red and Blue were snarky and arrogant and talented and fun. I had to read it. And I ended up loving it, this enemies-to-lovers story that is a meld of fantasy and science fiction such that they’re indistinguishable from the other, where the past is as equally fantastical and alien and imaginary as the future, where Red and Blue’s power play transforms into something different and scarier and more intimate than either of them imagined.
To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
Becky Chambers has done it again, writing a gentle, hopeful story about humans working together out of a share a love and fascination for scientific exploration and wonder for all the possibilities the entirety of space can hold. With the advent of both space travel and technology that alters human physiology to allow them to survive otherwise inhospitable environments, a team of four astronauts and scientists have embarked on a mission to ecologically survey four distant planets and the life forms that inhabit them, from the microscopic to the multicellular—not to conquer, but to record and to learn and to share the gathered knowledge with the rest of Earth. In the meantime, lightyears away, Earth is going through decades without them, and the four of them must also contend with a planet that may have forgotten their existence—or that’s abandoned the entire space and scientific exploration program.
Reading Becky Chambers is the literary equivalent of sitting down with a warm mug of my favorite tea on a bad day – I always feel better at the end and like I can imagine a future where humanity does all the wonderful things we’re capable of doing.
A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
I started reading this book right as NYC was gearing up to go into lockdown, which should have made this a terrible choice to continue reading since part of the premise is that a combo of multiple stochastic terror attacks and a brand-new, deadly plague upend the world as everyone knows it by causing the U.S. to pass laws that keep people physically apart in public for their own safety and make concerts, theatre, and any other kind of artistic gathering obsolete.
But that’s largely just the set-up, and the real story is that of Luce Cannon, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who played the last major concert in the before times who twenty years later performs in illegal underground concerts, and Rosemary, a younger music-lover who’s only lived in the after-times, and who’s taken a new job scouting out talent to add to the premier virtual entertainment company’s roster of simulated concerts.
It’s a love letter to live music and what it feels like to connect and build community via music in unusual and strange and scary times, the energy involved in making music for yourself, for an audience, exploring the world around you, imagining and advocating for a better tomorrow, and embracing the fear, the possibility, and the power of change, both good and bad. This was the book I needed to read at the beginning of the pandemic, and I’m thankful I ended up doing so.
The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 edited by John Joseph Adams and Carmen Maria Machado
When I end up loving half of the stories in an anthology and greatly enjoying all but two of the rest, that’s the equivalent of a literary blue moon for me. My favorites included the following;
"Pitcher Plant" by Adam-Troy Castro
"Six Hangings in the Land of Unkillable Women" by Theodore McCombs
"Variations on a Theme from Turandot" by Ada Hoffmann
"Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Memphis Minnie Sing the Stumps Down Good" by LaShawn M. Wanak
"The Kite Maker" by Brenda Peynado
"The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" by P. Djèlí Clark
"Dead Air" by Nino Cipri
"Skinned" by Lesley Nneka Arimah
"Godmeat" by Martin Cahill
"On the Day You Spend Forever with Your Dog" by Adam R. Shannon
Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
No one is more surprised than me that Harrow is on this list, given that I am one of approximately three people in the universe who did not unequivocally love Gideon the Ninth.
And yet the sequel worked for me.
Maybe because this time I already knew and was used to the way the world and the Houses worked, and I knew to not take anything I read for granted because I could be guaranteed to have the rug pulled out from under me without even realizing. Maybe Harrow’s countdown/amnesia mystery worked better for me than Gideon’s locked room mystery. Maybe the cast of characters was more manageable and fewer of them were getting murdered left and right before I got a chance to get used to them (and some of them even came back!) Maybe it’s that Harrow blew open the potential and possibilities Gideon hinted at and capitalized on just how fucking weird and mind-blowing the whole premise is in a way that felt incredibly and viscerally satisfying.
Also SPOILER happens three-quarters of the way through. That was pretty fucking awesome.
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
P. Djélí Clark is a master of melding history and fantasy in ways that are in turn imaginative and clever (his fantastical alternate-history, early 20th-century Egyptian novel A Master of Djinn is one of the books I’m most looking forward to in 2021), while also using fantasy to be frank and incisive about the history of American antiblack racism (as in the above linked story in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019). Ring Shout combines the late-nineteenth and early 20th-century history of the rise and normalization of the KKK with Lovecraftian supernatural horror, in which the release of The Birth of a Nation summoned literal monsters (called Ku Kluxes) that became part of the KKK’s ranks. Maryse Boudreaux is a Black woman who’s part of a grassroots organization hunting both the monsters and the human members in order to keep the Klan at bay. However, there’s soon to be another summoning ritual atop Stone Mountain that will unleash even more Ku Kluxes into the world, and Maryse and her friends are running out of time to prevent it from happening.
Maryse is a fantastic character, as are her two friends—brash, unapologetic Sadie and WWI veteran, weapons expert Chef—her mentor and leader of the Ring Shout group Nana Jean, and all the other members of the group who work and fight together as a team and a family. Maryse’s past and the journey she goes on in the book to uncover the truth and stop the summoning is harrowing and heart-stopping, the supernatural elements are both horrific in and of themselves while also undergirding the real-life horror of the KKK and the hatred they engender. It’s smart, it’s fun, it’s eye-opening, and it’s also being turned into a TV show starring KiKi Layne. It’s really, really good.
The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley
“Stick to the brief.” This is the maxim given to Dietz and all the other soldiers who join the war against Mars, where soldiers are broken down into light to travel to and from their assigned battlefields instantaneously. Only Dietz isn’t experiencing the jumps like everyone else – Dietz, like Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five, has become unstuck in time and is experiencing all the battles in the mission briefs out of chronological order, to the point that Dietz starts to build a picture of a war and a reality that’s been sold to Dietz and everyone else on Earth as pure fiction.
I’ve always appreciated Kameron Hurley’s stories, but this is the first book where she fully succeeded at writing the book she set out to write—it’s fast-paced science fiction thriller in the form of a loaded gun that takes brutal aim at late-stage capitalism, modern military warfare and the dehumanization of everyone involved on all sides, the greed of ungovernable governing corporations, nationalistic and military propaganda, the mythology of citizenship and inalienable rights, and it’s viscerally bloody and violent without being grotesque in the way all of Kameron Hurley’s books are. Especially important for me, I loved that Dietz went through the entire book not being gendered in any way, shape, or form (those last five pages didn’t exist, what are you talking about), and I love in general that Kameron Hurley is committed to writing non-male characters who aren’t less violent or fucked-up or morally superior to men just because they’re not men.
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Middle grade is a hard sell for me these days, as are books in verse, and I wouldn’t have known this book existed if it weren’t for the Ignyte Award nomination list earlier this year. As it turns out, this book, the story of Jude, a pre-teen girl who wants to be an actress who leaves Syria and the encroaching civil war with her mom to go live in the U.S. with her uncle and his white wife and their daughter while her dad and older brother stay behind, is full of beauty, curiosity, humor, confusion, grief, pain, and joy, and the poetic prose is both lyrical, nuanced, and perfectly fitted to Jude’s voice. I devoured this book in one day, which is the quickest amount of time it took me to read any book this year, including novellas.
Darius the Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram
The first book Darius the Great Is Not Okay was one of my favorite books in 2018, and I’m ecstatic that the sequel is equally as amazing.
It’s been approximately half a year since Darius went to Iran, met his maternal grandparents in person for the first time, and found his best friend in Sohrab, and in that time he’s come out as gay, joined the soccer team, got an internship at his favorite tea shop, and started dating for the first time. Darius is also working through some things though—when and if he wants to have sex with his boyfriend, his grandfather’s worsening illness, his dad’s recent depressive episode, his emotionally distant paternal grandmothers on his coming for an extended stay, the fact that he’s getting to know and growing closer with one of his teammates who’s best friends with Darius’s years-long bully, and a bunch else.
Darius the Great Deserves Better has the same tender and vulnerable emotional intimacy as the first book, more conversations over tea, new instances involving the mortifying ordeal of being a cis guy with a penis, even more Star Trek metaphors, and so much growth for Darius as he works through a lot of hard situations and feelings, and strengthens his relationships with all of the people in his life he loves and cares about. I can’t think of any other book that’s like these two books, and I love and treasure them dearly.
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
I had zero awareness of this book until a bunch of SFF authors started praising it on Twitter a couple months before the release date, and I was intrigued enough to get a copy from the library. I loved this book. I happened to be reading it right at the time of the presidential election, and it phenomenally served the purpose of desperately-needed distraction from the agony of waiting out the ballot counts.
It’s book about the power behind borders, citizenship, exploitation, and imperialism, set in a late-late-stage capitalist future, in which a prodigy invented the means to access and travel to slightly divergent parallel universes to grab resources and data – but only if the other universe’s version of “you” isn’t there. It’s the story of a woman named Cara – poor, brown, born in the wastelands outside the shelter, security, and citizenship privileges of Wiley City – who’s comfortably employed to travel to all the parallel worlds no one else can visit, because all her counterparts in those worlds are dead from one of the myriad ways Cara herself could have died growing up. It’s the story of Cara traversing the muddied boundaries between her old life and her new one, the similarities and differences between her own life and that of her counterparts, as well as the figures of power who defined and shaped her and her counterparts’ existences, and solving a mystery involving the unexplained deaths of several of her counterparts and the man who invented multiverse technology.
It’s a story of the permeability of selfhood and self-determination, and complexity of power dynamics of all kinds – interpersonal, familial, collegial, intimate – and the interplay between violence and stability and identity, and how one can be both powerful and powerless in the same dynamic. It’s a story with literary sensibilities that is unequivocally science fiction, written with laser-precise prose that flays Cara open and puts her back together again.
I worry this description makes this book sound dry and removed when reading this book made me feel like I was coming alive every time I delved back into it. This is a book I cannot wait to reread again to experience the brilliance and skill and thoughtfulness and emotion of Micaiah Johnson’s writing. I have no clue what, if anything, she’s writing next, but I have a new favorite author.
Honorable Mentions
Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Stormsong by C. L. Polk
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
Sisters of the Vast Black by Lina Rather
Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (I feel bad putting it here and not in the first list – it is undeniably a modern classic and a brilliantly crafted book! But I had zero interest in any of the Italy chapters, and I found the way he finally figured out how to access fairy magic by essentially making himself mad to be both disappointing and narratively unsatisfying.)
War Girls by Tochi Onyebuchi
For my yearly stats on books written by POC authors, in 2020 I read a total of 24 books (one of which was co-authored by a white author), which is fewer than last year (30). However, because I also read fewer books this year overall, this is the first year ever that I achieved exactly 50-50 parity between books written by POC and white authors. I honestly wasn’t expecting this to happen, as I stopped paying deliberate attention somewhere around April or May. Looking over my Goodreads, the month of September ended up doing a lot of heavy lifting, since that’s when I read several books by POC authors in a row for the Ignyte Award nomination period. But also, it does look like the five or so years of purposefully aiming for 50-50 parity have materially affected my reading habits, by which I mean even when I’m not keeping my year’s count in mind, I’m still more likely to pick up a book by a POC author than I was five years ago when I had never kept track at all. My goal for next year is to once again achieve 50-50 parity and to not backslide.
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25.
Section 1 – Who were you?
Think back as far as you can. What is the first memory you have? I think meeting my (now) dad for the first time when he and my mom were dating. I was very upset because he was short and that’s not what dads were supposed to look like in my 3 year old eyes since my bio dad was super tall.
What is something you remember enjoying very much as a small child? Playing Barbies, watching Barney, Happy Meals, being with my grandma.
How old were you, when you made your very first friend? Probably preschool.
Are you still friends with this person today? Facebook friends, yeah. Real friends, no.
Was there a story somebody read or told you that has stuck with you? No one ever read to me after I learned to read for myself so one day I was sick and I came home and curled up with my mom on the couch and asked her to read me a Little Mermaid book I had and she did, even though I had to get up to go shit myself halfway through and it meant a lot to me at the time.
What is something you get an immense feeling of nostalgia from? Hannah Montana for some reason. It was my favorite show and we didn’t get the Disney channel so whenever we went to a hotel, nobody could tell me fuckin NOTHING because we were watching Hannah Montana whether they liked it or not.
As a child, were you a sore loser or a sore winner? I was the only child for 8 years and then the oldest after that so I never lost at anything and now when I do, I feel like I'm the biggest piece of shit loser there’s ever been. So that’s fun.
Did you go through the "naked phase"? I learned that you didn’t have to sleep in pajamas and you could just sleep naked so I did it for a while but then realized that I much preferred pajamas.
Which television shows do you watch the most as a child? I loved TV so basically all of the 90′s/early 2000′s shows there were.
Did you play with siblings, neighbourhood kids or by yourself? Either with neighborhood/school kids or by myself. I didn’t ever really have siblings who weren’t my kids, if that makes sense.
Is there something you really miss from your childhood today? I miss back when everything was simple.
Section 2 – Likes and interests
Would you ever like to try competitive pinball playing? Ummm, no.
Do you knit, crochet or cross stitch? I’m trying to teach myself to crochet.
Have you ever, or would you like to attend a gaming or comic convention? No thx.
What's your opinion on online multiplayer games? I really liked Among Us for a while there but I don’t really enjoy how rude everyone is on online games.
Do you like to go cycling? If so, where? Uh no.
Have you ever tried woodturning? If not, would you like to? Never tried it, don’t really have any desire to, but it can be relaxing to watch!
Do you enjoy drawing? If so, what do you usually draw? I do! I usually draw graphics for YouTube videos or doodle over Instagram photos, draw things to put on shirts with my Cricut, etc. I use my iPad for so many things.
Have you ever attended a painting class? If so, what did you create? I haven’t but I would like to!
How about a creative writing course? If so, did you get any feedback? I took Creative Writing literally every year it was offered in high school and I always got awards for having the top marks in the class.
What is your favourite form of exercise? No thank you.
Section 3 – People
Who is the most important person in your life (besides yourself)? My husband.
Do people generally approach you easily? I think so!
Do you get along with people well? If not, what's the problem? Yeah! I’m pretty friendly and easy going.
Do you enjoy being in crowds or do you prefer your own company? I would much prefer my own company than crowds.
Which one of your friends have you known the longest? I still talk to the girl I was best friends with in the 6th grade on occasion so like 17-18 years?
Do you find it easy to make friends now? If not, what makes it difficult? As an adult who works from home, making friends is hard as fuck.
What is something about people that annoys you? Something I've noticed in recent years is just how entitled and greedy everyone is. Everybody wants something from you or for your skills to benefit them without them putting in any work or paying you for your time. It’s just gross.
What is something about people that you really like? We have really, really harsh winters and if you ever find yourself in the ditch for whatever reason, there will be a lineup of cars stopped behind you to help you push it out or let you chill in their car while you wait for a tow truck. On the really bad blizzard days, there are groups of men in big trucks that literally L I V E to go around and help pull people’s cars out of the ditch. It’s the only time I feel like there’s actually a sense of community around here.
If you live alone, what would be your criteria for a roommate? I honestly would never have a roommate because they could either be your friend or a stranger and living with friends is a good way to ruin a friendship if your living styles aren’t similar and living with a stranger just sounds like a nightmare.
How about criteria for a spouse, if you're single? I am married but my criteria was honestly that I just wanted him to be kind and funny and I got that tenfold with my husband.
In general, what's your attitude towards people? I can’t stand to be around grumpy people. If all you do is gripe and complain about literally everything, I’m out. No thank you. Why is your hobby being angry? Take up knitting or something for christ’s sake.
Section 4 – Habits
What is something you do every day without fail? Baby talk the dog and snuggle with Beebs.
What is your typical breakfast? I’m a leftovers for breakfast kinda gal but lately I’ve been having a bagel and watermelon.
Which article of clothing do you like to wear the most? I loooove me a good baggy T-shirt and booty shorts.
Is there a TV show you watch habitually? We’re currently watching Unhhhh while we eat dinner every night, haha!
Where do you usually spend most of your day? I really only sit in 4 places--bed, the couch, my makeup/work desk, or my sewing desk. Depends on the day which one I’m at.
Is there a product that you do not want to run out of? Moisturizer. I’m a dry son of a bitch.
What is your preferred mode of transport? Car!
Do you usually have something playing in the background when you're home? Nah. I’m in silence a lot of the time.
Where do you usually get your groceries? Walmart for the bulk of it, a local grocery store for the specialty items, and Target if we ever run out of something midweek because I cannot handle Walmart more than once a week.
How often do you go to your local park? Like once or twice a month in the summer!
Which of your hobbies do you indulge in most often? Sewing and Sims currently!
Section 5 – Favourites and dislikes
What is your favourite fruit? Watermelon!
How about your favourite berry? Strawberries are the only berry I like.
Which food do you highly dislike? Fish. It’s all disgusting.
What is your favourite song, and why? I hate this question. Who can pick one definitive favorite song out of the bajillions of songs that have been written??
What is a movie you cannot stand? Anything with Seth Rogen in it, any movie that's got a 3+ after it (looking @ you, Fast & Furious), and all the fuckin’ superhero movies that have the same ‘ah yes, this undefeatable bad guy that we have absolutely no chance against and will undoubtedly kill us all--but we’re going to pull through at the last second with the power of friendship!’ plot line.
Which trait in a person do you find most appealing? I don’t know how to describe it--certain people just have that spark and you can always tell right away if they’ve got it or not and those are my favorite kind of people.
Which trait puts you instantly off? If they’re religious it’s an instant no from me, dog.
Who is an actor/actress who you dislike so much you can't watch them? I really, really dislike Tom Holland. I honestly think he’s a terrible actor.
What colour are your favourite shoes? White!
What is a smell that disgusts you to no end? B.O., on me or others. I just can’t deal with it.
Which door handle/door knob do you like the most in your home? They’re all the same.
Section 6 – Culture
What is something very typical to the culture of your home country? Apple pie and baseball are the only things coming to mind atm.
Do you enjoy art? If so, which form of art is the most enjoyable? I do! But I prefer art that you can look at and know the artist is incredibly gifted and/or has put in a ton of time and effort to master their skills. None of that million dollar paint smear on a canvas shit.
What is something about another country's culture you don't understand? I feel like other cultures take their family and their family’s approval way too seriously. That might be rich coming from someone who doesn’t have a very good relationship with their family but I just don’t understand what the point of making yourself miserable to make your family happy is.
Do you ever attend the theater? If so, which play did you see last? Last thing I saw in a theater was Shangela perform a drag show, haha!
How about the opera or the ballet? Nope.
Which dance troupe do you enjoy, if any? ...they still do that?
Do you attend concerts or gigs? If so, which band did you see last? Not as much as I’d like to as no one good really comes here very often. Last band we saw was X Ambassadors and Paramore!
Are you interested in foreign food? I’m not uninterested but I’m not super interested either.
If so, which country's cuisine do you enjoy the most? Chinese...albiet probably a very Americanized version of Chinese.
Do you enjoy stand-up comedy? If so, who is your favourite comic? I doooo! Bo Burnham and Drew Lynch are my favorites.
Do you contribute to culture in some way? If so, how? I try to? I’m an influencer so I definitely have a platform of a couple hundred thousand people. Not sure what exactly I contribute tho.
Section 7 – Charity
Do you volunteer your time to anything charitable? If so, what? Newp.
Do you donate money to any charities? If so, which ones? No. I don’t trust a lot of charities, to be quite honest. A lot of them are very shady and I’d rather donate money directly to someone who needed it rather than it getting tied up in a charity where it might never actually see the people they claim to be helping.
If you have pets, are any of them rescues from shelters? We adopted our dog from one of my husband’s coworkers but she probably would have gone to the shelter if we didn’t take her.
Do you donate your old clothes, linen etc. to charitable organizations? Yes! We almost always have a bag of donations in our trunk that we always forget to take to the thrift store when we go.
If someone you know is in need, is it in your nature to offer help? If I can, yes!
Have you ever donated Christmas presents to children of poor families? We used to do that when I was a kid.
Have you ever had to rely on other people's charity? One Christmas when I was really young I remember my parents signed up for a sponsorship through the Salvation Army where a family adopted us and bought us Christmas presents and Christmas dinner or whatever.
How do you feel about donating to charities endorsed by celebrities? I would never donate to a charity simply because it was sponsored by a celebrity but I guess its the easiest way for a charity to get the word out that they need donations.
Is there a charity you absolutely never ever will not trust? PETA, Salvation Army, Goodwill, and that breast cancer one with the horrible CEO.
Have you ever donated to a cause that had a person going door to door? No. I extra wouldn’t if someone came knocking on my door asking for money.
In general, what is your opinion on charity? I already did my rant about them, haha.
Section 8 – Entertainment
Which was the very first video game you remember playing? Ocarina of Time I believe!
Which was the very first film you remember watching? That I don’t remember. Maybe that Barney movie with the magic egg?
What is your go-to form of entertainment? TikTok usually.
Do you have a large collection of DVDs/Blu-Rays? Nah. We have a drawer but we usually stream everything.
How about music albums? Beebs collects vinyls!
Do you prefer to have your music on vinyls, tapes, CDs or digital? I prefer digital and Beebs likes vinyl.
When and where do you like to entertain yourself usually? Either the bed or the couch.
Do you ever binge watch shows? If so, what are you binging now? Usually! I’m sadly in between shows rn.
What kinds of books do you like to read, if any? I honestly don’t read anymore.
Is there a book series you're currently collecting? ..
Is entertainment something you prefer to enjoy alone or with someone else? I have my shows and then we have shows we watch together. So there’s a time and place for both!
Section 9 – Internet
Do you always have access to the Internet, wherever you go? If not, why? Yup!
Which website do you frequent the most? Website website? Google. App website? Instagram or TikTok.
Which search engine do you prefer and trust the most? Googs.
What do you use the Internet the most for? Social media or entertainment.
Do you judge people who have their phones out all the time? If so, why? Random people? None of my business. But if we’re spending time together and I’m trying to have a conversation with you and you're not paying attention to me because your nose is glued to your phone, I’m gonna be pissed.
If your connection goes down, what do you do? Go do something that’s not on the internet?
Is there something you wish you could do online that isn't possible yet? I still wish you could smell things through the internet.
Do you remember the first time you used the Internet? When was it? Yes! I believe the 2nd/3rd grade?
What was a website you used to frequent that doesn't exist anymore? I loved the Disney website with all the games.
Do/Did you ever have your own website? That was the thiiiing back in the day.
Isn't it great how much knowledge and info we have at our fingertips? It’s great but also overwhelming.
Section 10 – And finally...
What is something you consider to be highly controversial? Politics, apparently.
What kinds of jokes do you like the best? I love a good pun.
Is there a person who makes you laugh effortlessly? Oh definitely.
Which part of your body do you like the least? My eyes.
What's something random, out of context you remember from your past? I don’t do well with really vague questions.
Do you wear shoes indoors? No, I’m not a heathen.
What's the silliest thing you've worn on your body in public? I don’t think I usually wear silly things.
What's the most important thing in your life right now? Just spending time with my fam. Trying to get over this anxiety.
What is the most distant point on the planet that you've been from home? Florida.
Do you enjoy trivia games? If so, which one's your favourite? We love some Trivial Pursuit in this house!
Are you more logical or emotional? My emotions take over and then my logic brings it back in. Equal parts, baby.
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