#i also realise that a lot of people won't watch because of the age gap between the main actors

[pharawee]

Jinloe dropped the teaser for their Thai adaptation of Addicted Heroin... and as someone who's neither read the novel nor watched any of the other adaptations* I actually think it's surprisingly good? I'm keeping an open mind and I'll at least check it out.

*well ok, I watched the first adaptation but it didn't really leave much of an impression.

[iciousill]

Hayashi Yuu LINE Interview (2022)

I'm on a roll this week. I wanted to translate Hosoya's and Hatanaka's interviews but procrastinated for so long that I don't know which ones others have and haven't translated. I ended up translating Hayashi Yuu's interviews instead.

Original article: Line

―― The sequel to Tokyo Revengers has been confirmed, so it's getting pretty exciting, right?

Tokyo Revengers is such a fun topic, and by now I'm pretty certain that many people have come to like it. It makes me really happy that it has become so well-known.

―― On another subject, how has the reception been towards Mikey?

Mikey as a leader is charismatic, coldly calculating when angry, is boyishly cute and so on, and I think it's good that he's portrayed with a variety of expressions. And he's strong too. I think the gap between his boyishness when hanging out with Draken and his friends versus his strength when fighting is an appealing part of him.

When his friends get hurt, Mikey would pitch in the fight. With that having been said, there is also an unstable side to him with moments when his thoughts waver, but with Draken as his anchor Mikey's able to exist as Mikey, I think. I feel like Mikey imperfectly has a cuteness that you can't just let go of.

―― It seems like Mikey's line 「ひよってる奴いる？ いねえよな！」 (…anyone scared? See? There's no one!) became viral.

It's awesome, right? I think it got big because of TikTok. People were uploading homage videos of that line, that I guess it even led to little kids knowing Mikey just from his line.

―― Do you personally feel that the impact (of the series) on your surrounding has been huge?

Friends around me have been saying that. Many have been coming up to me too. All of my family have also become fans of Tokyo Revengers. I have twin older sisters, and because of our age gap and that we're of different genders we didn't really keep in touch. But when they came to know that I was in Tokyo Revengers, they watched it themselves and started to really like anime and seiyuu. We met on New Year's Day and talked up a storm about anime (laugh). Feels like it's something that's given us this chance of a family reunion.

―― Thank you for this lovely episode. By the way, are your twin sisters both Mikey fans? (Is Mikey their oshi?)

I think so! (laugh) My sister's daughter, my niece likes Mikey. But she's a fan of the live action Mikey's actor Yoshizawa Ryo, so sadly I don't think it's because of me (laugh).

―― This time, we have recorded 700 voice patterns for this project. Let us know, is there any part that you realise is different from the anime recording sessions?

For the anime ver., I had to match the spoken lines to the animation. It was much easier for this as I could go on my own timing. I did the popular lines from the manga and anime following the vibe faithfully. There are also 'levels of intimacy' in this project, so with that in mind I adjusted my acting for the differing levels of intimacy.

―― The changing 'levels of intimacy' is an interesting feature of LINE CLOVA. Have you personally used LINE CLOVA?

I use it a lot, and I think I've already maxed mine! My first impression was that chibi Mikey seemed so cute. Even though he looked so cute, he was so cold at the start because of the low level of intimacy. The 'he won't look at me!' feel got me addicted, it seemed so amusing so I talked to it a lot.

―― Out of the dialogue lines recorded for this project, is there any line that you think Tokyo Revengers fans and Mikey fans mustn't miss?

I think the ones where Tokyo Revengers character names are mentioned are interesting and definitely not to be missed. The ones when he says 'Draken', the ones where he mentions his impression of Draken and makes a promise to Draken are interesting too. Out of the roughly 700 lines recorded, many follow the events that occured in the original work and anime, and it makes me happy that there's a variety included. 'Omurice', 'the flag's not up!', and so on. There's also a playful exchange where 'Hayashi Yuu', 'people said that we sound similar' are mentioned. The small playful mentions make me really happy.

―― They're lines that would make fans spontaneously smile right!

Googling myself is kind of a hobby of mine (laugh). Seeing what people say when searching Hayashi Yuu on LINE CLOVA, and there are also those who tweet about me. I'm really thankful.

―― LINE CLOVA x Tokyo Revengers has a Valentine's special project where users can say lines to Mikey, and it seems like something that would be well-received by Mikey fans.

(Looking at the dialogue lines) this is great! Has the feel of Mikey as a boyfriend, kind of lover-like, very different from the usual atmosphere of the dialogues with Mikey and it seems fun. Everyone please try it too, I want to hear what you all feel about it.

―― Here's a question about Valentine's Day-- which Tokyo Manjikai member do you think would receive the most chocolate?

There's only one in my mind, Mitsuya! Though he's strong in fighting, he's also kind and takes care of others, and he's also able to sew as the head of the handicraft club. He seems to be someone who has it all. While he's in a biker gang, that he's also in the handicraft club would make him likeably popular, speaking without the bias of a female gaze. As a member of the handicraft club he'd probably get a lot of chocolates.

Even though Mikey has a sweet tooth, talking about whether he can win over a girl… he doesn't seem like someone who'd have a common ground with girls so he's probably not going to receive chocolates (laugh). I think Mikey's fine with just friends, fighting and his bike.

―― How about Takemichi and Draken?

Draken seems like someone who'd be hard to get close to because of his tough front, someone whom girls would keep a distance from. I'd also find it hard to talk to someone with a tattoo on his temple (laugh). Takemichi seems like someone who'd be seen like 'I guess I should give him some', so he'd receive a lot of giri-choco but not really honmei-choco.

―― I couldn't help but nod along with what you said. There is so much depth to the characters of Tokyo Revengers that it allows for such imaginative scenarios.

The characters' abundant qualities were so charmingly depicted it's interesting, really.

―― Out of the 2 sets of Tokyo Revengers anime LINE stamps that are currently being sold, do you have any favourites?

I have 2 faves! I used the Tokyo Revengers new year greeting stamp at the start of the year. As for the ones I usually use, Takemichi's 'Understood' stamp from the second set. I also used the 'Anyone scared?' stamp a lot (laugh).

―― Is there any stamp you frequently use other than the Tokyo Revengers ones?

From the LINE character stamps, I like the James stamps. I use stuff like the ones where he's surprised-crying a lot.

―― Which LINE feature do you often use, be it for work or personal use?

For personal use, the video calling feature. When I'm talking to friends one-on-one, there are many fun effects I can use. LINE is just so ubiquitous in my daily life, the other day when I lost my phone I was basically praying, 'Pleeease just my LINE details please don't disappeaaar!' (laugh).

―― The Valentine-limited talk room effect will be up, so keep a look out for it!

I often saw the Christmas one! I'll be using the Valentine effect too when it's out.

―― Lastly, any message to fans?

Last year, through Tokyo Revengers I was able to expand the range of my activities, and it gave me motivation to continue doing my best this year. The anime sequel has been confirmed, and until it's aired there's still a variety of Tokyo Revengers collaborations going on. There are the LINE stamps, you can also listen to Mikey's voice on LINE CLOVA… even on LINE I can feel the world view of Tokyo Revengers, so I'm really looking forward to the anime sequel. Thank you very much for always being supportive!

―― Thank you for the fun talk today!

[unprofessional-bard]

Don't Push It, Pt. 1

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Part 2 (1/2)

Based on this request.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader

Warnings: Age gap (the reader is 26 and Joel is 53), a lot of teasing/sexual tension, implied romantic feelings.

Summary: It's been going on for years. They both know better than to act on their feelings, but patience starts running thin when a few boundaries are crossed.

Word Count: 5.280

Author's Note: Okay y'all so I am a whore for Joel with long hair and I unintentionally made this into a fix-it au where Joel is alive. Also, the reader is going to have some OC characteristics to fit the scenario better. Finally, this fic changes POV's a lot, so I'm gonna clear that up:

• ----R and below: The reader's POV.

• ----J and below: Joel's POV.

• ----B and below: Both POV's.

The fic starts off with Joel's POV.

Enjoy!

gif credits: nikolai-stavrogin

"Hey, Joel," Dina called over to the man sipping coffee on his porch.

"Mornin' Dina," He replied as his daughter's girlfriend walked over to him. Her baby bump had grown a little more and it never failed to put a smile on Joel's face.

"There's a little trouble with the patrol today," She said. "Jesse won't be able to make it to patrol with (Y/N)."

Shit.

"And they're askin' me to fill in?" He sat up a little.

"Yup, Maria told me to ask you if-"

"No problem, sure, I'll do it." He spoke nonchalantly, then asked if Jesse was alright. Dina told him she wasn't sure, that it must be something important for him to miss patrol, which made Joel nod: "You told (Y/N) too, or...?"

"No, but she's gonna be there regardless. I doubt that she knows."

"Alright, thanks Dina," Joel got up and she smiled in return before walking over to Ellie's place.

It was wrong. By the lord it was wrong, but he couldn't help it. You were fierce, confident, determined and disciplined; qualities he came to appreciate in time, but a bit differently only when it came to you. He shouldn't want you, an unknown source in his mind kept telling himself, but he did. He didn't know why, he never found himself being attracted to a woman your age, yet you had him under your spell. Oh the things you did to him...

Worst part was, he couldn't have you, whether he liked it or not. Nevermind the fact that you were too young for him, you probably didn't want him anyways- despite the crystal clear signals he got from you. It was just how you were, though: A little physical and perhaps a little flirty, but he could just be confusing that with your confidence.

Or he could be overthinking everything.

Joel readied his backpack, but realised there was still a little more than an hour before the rendez-vous, so he decided to head over to your place to tell you about the news to kill some time. After he made it there and knocked on your door while calling your name a couple of times, which were left unanswered, your neighbour curiously looked over the fences and called over to Joel: "She left a while ago... For the gym, I think."

"Thank you," Joel smiled politely and earned a wave from the lady in return. He took his time as he walked over to the gym. After he arrived, he looked around for awhile to spot where you were, but when he found it, the sight almost made him choke.

There you were, ankles crossed as you pulled yourself up and chin over the barfix with closed eyes, a frown and a clenched jaw. Sweat laced the sides of your face and Joel's eyes wandered lower: You were wearing a sports bra and matching shorts which hugged your frame tightly and the sun was shining directly onto your muscles, which the lord himself carved out and were also sweaty, but Joel didn't care - it made you look more attractive, if anything. You let out a huff and lowered yourself down, while he tried to collect himself. He didn't want to disturb you so he decided to wait until you finished...

...but you didn't seem to be finishing any time soon. He didn't want to look like a creep as he stood there and waited, so after you did another pull up and let yourself down, he cleared his throat.

----R

"(Y/N), here you are."

Had you not been already hanging, you definitely would've fell when you heard Joel's voice reach your ears. You opened your eyes to see him slowly approach you, his stupid thumb stuck in behind his stupid belt.

You hated it: You hated finding this man attractive and you hated your guts for occasionally flirting with him - him, who probably would never look at you the way you looked at him. He liked you, of course, he enjoyed your company but not the way you wanted him to. You hated that you had a crush on this man, who became even more gorgeous as he let his hair grow over the last few years, you also hated how he neatly parted it to the left.

Patrol with him was both a treat and a curse at the same time. You got to spend time with him, which made it a treat, but when you watched him- saw him in action, how aggressive he was, heat started to pool between your thighs. He was so rough and precise as he was smart; he always knew what to do under any circumstance, so you almost never worried when you went out with him. He made you feel safe, praised you and played with your heart when he responded to your flirting and nothing came out of it.

You hated it because your little "crush" on him was pathetic, for someone as confident as you. Sure, you teased and flirted with him, but one praise as simple as you did well today and you'd be melting on spot. You even tried to get with other people to distract yourself, to no avail. They weren't Joel.

None of them could ever be Joel.

"Good morning!" You said with a high pitched voice, reflecting your struggle to keep yourself up.

"To you too," He chuckled at your state and watched as you pulled yourself up slowly. "Hey, listen. Jesse ain't gonna make it to patrol today so I'm fillin' in for him."

----B

The way you faltered a little didn't escape him: "Why? Is he okay?"

"I dunno, but I'm sure he is. Something important must've come up," Joel informed you, not wanting to worry you as you seemed to care about him. A lot. Ugh.

"Tsk," You breathed out and closed your eyes to focus on keeping your head above the metal bar.

Joel then spoke again: "Yeah, I was just here to let ya know."

"Okay, well-" You exhaled audibly and suddenly let yourself go. The force of the action sent you flying a little and it almost made you bump into him: "Woah, oh, sorry-"

"Woah there," You both chuckled at the same time. Joel held you by your elbows to help you balance yourself and your heart rate picked up pace when you realised how close your face was to his chest a moment ago - the chest you wanted to get your hands on: How muscular was he? How many scars did he have there? How would it feel to run your fingers through the hair as you ro-

"Uhm, yeah, as I was saying," You snapped yourself back to reality and took a small step back, disappointed by the way his fingers let go of your arms: "I'm done here, just need to do a couple of stretches, then head back and take shower."

"Right. Well, I'll see you at the gate, then?"

"Uh, sure, yeah."

You didn't know what else to say other than stay. You wanted him near you and around you, you wanted to show off to him and you wanted his attention, so you had to think quick.

Joel didn't want to leave either, even though you were going to spend the whole day together. He still nodded and turned around to leave. It was then, when a brilliant idea crossed your mind: "Actually, Joel?" He turned around, gave you a soft look that made you want to run up to him and kiss all over his face. "Could you help me with my stretches?"

If he'd been drinking or eating anything, he most definitely would've choked: "Help you?"

"Yeah," You flashed a smile at him. "It's simple, you just gotta press me down and keep me in place." The widening of his eyes, puzzled face and his tense posture made you shy. "Eh- Normally, Jesse helped me with them."

True. Some stretches required someone to push your body to its limits - when you worked out alone, you stuck to simpler stretches, but right now, you needed a reason to have him by your side.

Joel was torn between leaving, like a responsible person who knew when to walk away would. He was responsible, yes, but his moral compass was thrown out of the window whenever you joined the picture. So far, he wanted to think he was handling his emotions well- by not acting on them and not talking about them.

Now, however, it was as if he was facing the last straw. He had a few boundaries left to cross, and this was one of them.

"Plus, I'm a bit tired to do them. Will you help me?"

Lies. All lies.

You'd been doing these stretches for long enough, even though you'd worked hard, you weren't tired at all. Joel thought this to be the case, so he tried to go around it: "You sure? I mean, how're you tired?"

"I've been training like hell this morning," You settled on the mat. "I don't wanna do these stretches, but I have to. I'm not in the mood to pull a muscle today."

That was good enough for him really: "'Kay," He sighed. "What do you need me to do?"

Your eyes glowed in excitement before you faced forward and explained: "Im gonna lean forward, like this-" You extended your legs forward and lowered yourself down. "All you gotta do is press on my back and stop me from moving away for a few seconds."

A few seconds which felt like five minutes, truth be told.

As soon as he touched your bare back, you sighed, then forced it into a hiss. He immediately retreated his hands, thinking he hurt you, pushing the ludicrous idea that you might have moaned away immediately.

His hands were big and a little cold comparing to your skin which was on fire after the workout, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't do that on purpose. You straightened up and looked at him with an innocent smile: "Your hands are cold."

Not cold enough to make you react like that, obviously.

Joel offered an awkward chuckle from the back of his throat: "You're gonna have to deal with it, missy."

And deal with it you did- barely. Christ, that was a bad idea, your worst one yet. To have his hands on your bare skin, pressing you down made your cheeks burn and mouth hang open as he kept you in place. You almost didn't hear him when he spoke, too busy trying to comprehend the size of his hands and how they'd feel around your throa-

"How many of these do you gotta do?"

"Uh, dunno," You blurted out. "Not too many."

Joel was partly glad, it felt so wrong yet it was just a simple act of help you could've asked from anyone. After 20 seconds of staying like that, you straightened. You went into a head-to-knee position and gave him an okay to press you down again.

You switched to the other leg after half a minute, but you were running out of ideas. There weren't any positions left that you could use his help with, so you played one last card to ruin him: "More."

"W-What?"

Good riddance.

"Press a little harder," You pretended to focus and tried your best not to smirk, knowing you had him where you wanted.

"Oh- hm," He cleared his throat and pressed a little more down on your back. If your plan hadn't backfired and made you almost moan through your teeth, everything was going accordingly.

Joel went to pull back, but stopped when you added: "It's been a while since I did these..."

Christ.

"That enough?" He slowly retreated his hands and stood up, watching you lean up where you sat.

"Yup, that'll be it," You smiled and blinked a couple of times. If Joel had known better, he would've thought you were making him do that, then being all cute on purpose-

It was going to be a long day.

----R

Patrol with the older Miller went as normally as it always was. Part one usually went like this: Meet up at the gate, get your rifles and horses, ride out, reach checkpoint one and sign your names. The road to checkpoint one didn't have any trouble, it usually never did. It was more quiet between you two than usual though. Had you gone too far?

"So, uh," You said once the two of you mounted your horses again. "You coming to the dance tonight?"

"What?" He snapped his head in your direction, looking clueless. "What dance?"

"Well, not a dance exactly but- you know what I mean?" You started riding. "The adults only event?"

He looked really distracted, a bit tense even: "Oh, right. You know those ain't my thing."

"I know," You nodded with a soft smile. "But I haven't seen you in any event ever since you decked Seth."

"Decked?" Joel chuckled bitterly at the memory.

"He deserved it, and more, that prick," You rolled your eyes, making him chortle.

"And nobody managed to shut up about it for the whole month," He sighed with a gorgeous yet tired smile on his face which you managed to see just in time. "So, no thanks. I'll pass."

"Aw, come on," You whined. "You can't avoid coming to these events forever. Please?"

He gave you a confused look, his smile slowly disappearing but not in a bad way: "Why?"

A good question. Oh, no reason, just wanna try and make a move on you, quite possibly jump your bones if it all goes well.

"I wanna make sure you haven't lost your ability to socialise." You offered.

"Really? Why, you're my momma now?"

"Ew, no," You both laughed. "Can't I be sure my friend is alive and well occasionally?"

----J

Friend.

A word that made Joel stop and think.

You saw him as a friend, huh? Two people, with clear sexual tension and an obvious age gap between them- Friends was an awkward description for him, but it was better than nothing.

He opened his mouth to reply, to insist that he was indeed alive and well, but you stopped him: "You know what I mean."

The conversation was making him a little distracted, he noticed, so he decided to keep his mouth shut until you reached checkpoint two. You didn't press him on, which was also a delight. That's another thing he liked about you: You knew your bounds- in patrol anyways. Or maybe it was because you got to know him well over the time, knew what he liked or not.

Part two went quieter too- infected and conversation wise. Not even a single runner was on sight as you swept through the small cabins and houses. Except for the occasional clear's and nothing here's, you didn't say anything else. Joel itched to talk to you, about anything to break the silence, but he was too lost in thought.

When you finally made it back to Jackson, you finally spoke up: "So? You coming?" He chuckled, mostly out of relief, then you added: "I found a new outfit, I wanna know what you think."

That caught Joel's attention. With a curious smile, after handing over your horses, he asked: "What outfit?"

"You'll see... If you come." You smirked, your close proximity making Joel's heart race.

"Don't get your hopes up," He sighed with a small grin and tucked his thumb behind his belt, the other one gripping the strap of his rifle.

"You're the worst," You punched his shoulder with mock upset, making him chortle and stumble a little to the right. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Joel remained quiet, then you walked away with a soft smile gracing your lips. The words sunk deeper than he would've liked, a sudden wave of guilt soaking his guts with regret, even though you didn't sound disappointed or upset. Lips pursed, he watched you hand your rifle to Peter and sign off, then leave; his steps coming to a halt as you did.

He just might check out what was up at the dance tonight, if he could successfully move himself out of his comfort zone in the following few hours.

----R

"Well well, look who it is," Tommy grinned when you approached the doors of the pub. The night had settled across the sky by the time you stepped outside your place. The sound of music and chatter of the people from inside filled your ears.

"Yours truly," You smirked. "It's crowded in there huh?"

"It sure is," Tommy said as he turned around to lead you inside. "Adults only events tend to attract more people, as y'can guess. Don't you look pretty today."

"Why thank you." You smiled playfully: "For no one, but myself, at that."

You lied through your teeth. You had dressed up in the silly hope that Joel would actually show up. You had been planning on it ever since you came across the item wrapped around your hips in an abandoned clothes shop a few weeks ago, and this event was the perfect excuse for you to wear it. For him.

"I ain't sayin' nothing!" Tommy raised his hands up in defense. "Figured that much, haven't seen anyone catch your interest in a long time."

Ha. Nice.

The atmosphere was lively and the air was warm, full of energy. Chatter and dancing went about the packs of people scattered across the space, but you couldn't see Joel, much to your disappointment - you weren't surprised though. What surprised you was Jesse suddenly showing up.

"Where's Ellie and Dina?" You asked after a while of teasing him about missing patrol.

"They decided to stay behind, I guess." He shrugged.

"What can I get y'all?" Tommy smiled, suddenly appearing behind the counter. Without waiting for an answer, he filled two glasses and pushed them towards you. You and Jesse looked at each other for a brief moment, before knocking it back at one go. "Woah there..."

A round of laughter later, you felt someone's presence behind you, then they tapped you on the shoulder: "Hey, (Y/N)!"

Much to your disappointment, once more, it was a boy named Mark. He was a year older than you, had no features whatsoever matching Joel's prettier ones and he took an obvious liking to you, which in truth you didn't appreciate, even though he wasn't weird about it or anything. You faked a smile and turned to him a little: "Hi."

"Good to see you," Sure. "How, uh, how are you?"

"Busy, actually," You pointed at the glass Tommy was refilling for you.

"Mind if I join?" He made himself comfortable on the stool next to you.

"Yeah. I do." Your smile never faded but your words were laced with poison.

He looked between you, Tommy and Jesse, mortified at your answer: "W- Heh, well, would you wanna dance later, then-?"

"No, I don't." You spoke calmly and turned to face Jesse again, only for him to move to tap you on the shoulder, which Tommy stopped from happening.

"Why don't you go home, huh?" He grabbed his wrist firmly, but not hard enough to leave a bruise of course. "The lack of oxygen in your brain's clearly stoppin' you from understandin' a word as simple as no."

You looked over at the younger Miller, a stern look on his face which seemed to make Mark piss himself. Suddenly, an even deeper voice was heard behind the boy: "I advise you to listen to him, son."

You turned completely in your seat to see Joel grabbing Mark by the shoulders, making him jump, then remove him from the seat carefully. Mark's legs were quick to oblige, making him walk towards the exit, but Joel held him in place: "A-ah, what do you say to the lady?"

"I'm s-sorry, (Y/N)," He nodded quickly. "I'll never disturb you again, I promise."

"Good boy," Joel patted him on the back, which sent him running to the door. Your cheeks were suddenly burning and you couldn't help but smile shyly.

"Tsk, what a jackass," Tommy nodded disapprovingly as Joel took the now empty space next to you.

"You decided to show then, huh?" You smirked at Joel.

"Yeah, figured you'd break someone's wrists and make 'em eat it," He chuckled, tipping his head at his brother in a greeting -God he looked so handsome, was that a new shirt?- before he continued: "Decided it'd be a shame to miss it."

You giggled and lightly pushed at his arm, almost immediately feeling the muscles underneath the rolled up sleeve of his blue shirt: "I'll take that as a I came because you asked and I listened for once." The exchange, obviously, didn't go unnoticed by his brother and Jesse, which made you sit upright suddenly: "Tommy was the one who was gonna break his wrist anyways..."

"Nobody gets to disturb anyone here, especially right in front of me," He said and slid a glass to his brother.

Jesse joined in: "I doubt it, but should he ever-"

"Aw, you guys are spoiling me," You grinned and waved your hand down, pressing the other onto your chest.

----J

You looked beautiful. You were wearing a plain, dark green, mid-thigh, flare skirt; which could pass as a miniskirt, but Joel was no fashion expert. You always did come up with the rarest clothing items (like your sports set that morning), so he wasn't surprised that you happened across the skirt. You also had a simple, white, v-neck t-shirt on- which all in all was the reason you left Joel speechless: You could be wearing something as simple as these, but you'd still look so damn pretty.

A few minutes later, after Jesse and Tommy disappeared in different directions and you were finally left alone, Joel spoke up: "Is this the-"

"What made you-" You gave each other a brief look before chuckling: "You go first."

"Ah, I was gonna ask if this was the outfit you wanted me to see," He said, briefly looking down to point at your skirt.

He watched you run a hand through your hair and bite your bottom lip before answering: "Yeah..." You got up and stuffed your hands in your pockets, which made Joel's heart sizzle. "What do you think?"

He gave you a genuine smile: "I think you look beautiful."

The shock on your face made Joel panick a little, but when you offered a shy little smile, he relaxed: "You- Really?"

He gave you a single, slow nod in acknowledgement, his smile grew bigger when you beamed at him and offered him a quiet thank you, then sat back. You were staring hard at your glass, clearly avoiding his gaze and he found it rather cute, but didn't comment on it.

He was looking forward to chat with you, after all, you were the reason why he showed up, but you were unfortunately dragged away by a couple of friends, Jesse included...

To dance.

An upbeat song he didn't recognise started playing, putting you and another boy, Mick, to action. Everyone backed away to give you two space, then started off with what seemed to be something you'd been practicing for a while. You mirrored each other's moves, it was similar to some folk dance he'd watched way before the outbreak, but it most definitely wasn't a folk dance. Your arms linked occasionally, hands on your hips as you crossed each other's legs with fast movements and other types of moves Joel couldn't name if he tried, but it was organised and fun to watch. It wasn't intimate, too, just a silly little dance as you called it minutes later when you finished and walked to the bar for a drink. You didn't stay long, though, just downed your drink, winked at him and went back to the stage where you and Mick (but mostly you) stole the show.

It went on for two more rounds, to the point your t-shirts were absolutely soaked and your legs couldn't take it anymore. Joel had a particularly hard time in his seat, watching your skirt float around your thighs made him feel embarrassed with himself. Tommy even went as far as to tease him about his constant squirming, but a glare from his older brother was enough to shut him up.

The last dance finished off with you in Mick's arms, leaning back in his hold and closing your eyes with laughter. Everyone clapped you both, which earned you a kiss on the cheek from Mick- which you returned. Joel's jaw clenched unintentionally, even though you and him didn't appear to be more than friends.

Stop. Stop it, you idiot.

He couldn't care less about these types of things, drama about who's dating who and whatnot, but when it came to you he naturally grew curious.

He watched you, eyelids struggling to keep themselves open as Jesse led you and helped you onto the stool, next to Joel once more. You huffed and giggled, eyes closed with sweat droplets on your forehead. He couldn't help it when his smile grew wider at your tipsy state.

What he didn't see coming was the sudden hand on his thigh and your back against his arm, letting your head drop onto his shoulder as you let out a brief laugh: "Never let me dance and drink at the same time again."

Joel didn't know what to say, he quickly looked around for Jesse only to find him already gone and a couple of people staring at the both of you. With a rush of panic, he responded: "I don't think I'm the one you should say that to, darlin'."

Your hand and the rest of your body immediately retreated when you jumped at his voice: "Joel?!" You looked a little embarrassed and he couldn't help but smirk. "Uh, where's Jesse?"

The question almost made him scrunch up his face, but he patiently waited until the end of the conversation, which was after you've walked away to find the boy in question and he was alone with his own thoughts... Jealousies...

"He dropped you off and went over there, I think." Joel nodded to the direction he thought Jesse went off to - he didn't see though, he was too busy focusing on you when your fingertips had brushed somewhere dangerously near his crotch.

"Huh," You stared around to find him, but Joel figured you were too intoxicated to actually see that far. "You need to stop wearing the same clothes."

He raised a brow at that: "You tell him that."

"Oh I will," You grinned mischievously and suddenly grabbed Joel's glass of whiskey from his hand, then downed it at one go before he could intervene.

"Hey!" He tried to grab the glass from you but you leaned back. "I think you've had enough for the night."

"Says who-?" You pouted and at the very same time, lost your balance, realising that you leaned a little too back. However, Joel caught you; one hand on your arm, the other on your waist and he pulled you back - he didn't know if you did it purposefully, but you practically fell into his body: "Oh! I'm sorry-" You laughed, not looking sorry at all. "Thanks, Joel," You purred, extending the 's' and the 'l' at the end of each word as you grabbed onto his biceps. "You saved me."

"Pfft," Joel couldn't help but let his hand linger on your waist as he made sure you stood in place. Your eyes met when you lifted your head from his chest - the meaning behind his hazel gaze and your own was similar and it lasted for what felt like a whole minute, while in reality it was no longer than a few seconds.

You finally let his arms go and he took it as his cue to remove his hand from your waist (which, for a moment, felt like it had been glued there): "So... You enjoying yourself, old man?"

Joel sighed through his nose, amused at how the alcohol in your system was slowing your speech, then went back to how he had been sitting before you came. Just when you asked, the smooth, familiar tune of Ain't No Sunshine started playing. After all the excitement, a slower music felt nice: "Sure. You?"

"Oh I sure am," You nodded and leaned back against the counter with something of a triumphant smile.

"I can tell," Joel replied, then without turning his head, side eyed you. His stare later on moved down to your skirt. "Why'd you get all dressed up for, really?"

"Huh?" You blinked, not processing if he was asking what you thought he was.

"I, uh- just never took you for the skirt type."

"Is that so?" You asked, eyes widening. "Well, just trying on a new outfit..." You looked down and bit your lower lip, making Joel's heart skip a beat. He mentally kicked himself for not leaving right then and there and continuing to talk to you: "There's actually another reason."

"Hm?"

"There's this guy," You turned towards him, placed your arm paralleled across his on the counter and leaned forward a little, pretending to look around. His fingertips scratched against the wooden surface of the counter at the mention of this guy in question. "I don't know his name, but maybe you do?"

He just raised a brow when you looked at him innocently: "He's a bit old, around this tall," Your hand went back and forth in the air as you tried to size the man's height in your mind. "Has pretty, long, graying hair with an also graying beard... A little scar on his nose," You looked at him and leaned in a little more, invading his personal space but not touching him, then pointed at the exact spot on your nose and it was then, Joel realised, that you were indeed describing himself. "He's wearing this blue shirt and, honestly, it would look better on him if he opened another button or two."

I know, I know

Hey I oughta leave young thing alone

But ain't no sunshine when she's gone

He wanted to counter, tease you back, lean down and taste your lips, then place a kiss or two on your neck and bite it softly just to hear you moan quietly into his ear- he also needed to get his shit together, as much as he wanted to do all of that.

He couldn't quite believe his self control when he leaned away from you, especially since the tip of your noses almost touched and he felt your hot breath on his lips. He cleared his throat and quickly looked around to see if anyone was looking- no one had seen the rather intimate interaction so he spoke: "I don't know who that is."

The disappointment on your features was like a knife twisting up in his guts. You blinked a couple of times, but didn't lean back: "S- Sure you do..."

"I don't," Joel insisted, his voice stern. "Maybe you should look for someone else."

Your disappointment turned into embarrassment and anger, making you frown and lean back: "Excuse me."

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

And this house just ain't no home

Anytime she goes away

And with that, you got up and stormed away, leaving Joel wanting, aching and ashamed.

Anytime she goes away

Anytime she goes away

Anytime she goes away

[dojae-huh]

The song will grow on me after a few listens, but I agree with you on Doyoung. I really don’t know why he’s there. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate his vocals, but the vocals in this song are meh. I also feel this is more of fresh young concept. Doyoung isn’t old, but for some reason I think he’s more appealing in mature/sultry concepts like Favorite. I like the The dance it is very energetic. I like that Shotaro really shined in his dancing. I felt I didn’t see Jaemin a lot, or even hear him. To be fair I have only watched it twice though, so I can be wrong. I definitely agree this song is very gp friendly! Not something I was expecting for some reason. Overall it’s a decent song. I don’t dislike it and not in love with it.

I think the song will do very well, people in the comments are hyped. It's a smart business move. An easy catchy song with a memorable phrase that will stuck in people's heads thanks to Mark.

It is Mark's song. And I agree with you, Doyoung doesn't fit the youthfull crowd. I hoped they would play around the age gap, the seniority, in a way (give him very demanding attention parts), but he plays a supportive role of a second violin.

Doyoung is in the spotlight and has enough screentime, but because of the vocals he doesn't stand out. Like Hyuk or Woo do. There is a mismatch. I'd prefer him either be exchanged for Taeil or just stay on backvocals and adlibs as support. In such a case there won't be a dissonance for me.

Doyoung is a musical actor now, he shouldn't sing like a lead from an average group. I don't get the drop of his first high note at all. I realise they tried to imitate a ball flying far away and the sound dissapearing, but it didn't work.

I noticed Jaemin well, but he is my bias in Dream, so he catches my attention.

Doyoung Universe hashtag trended at 5th place in SK. Do is in the unit for his popularity, heh.

[crownin-thestars]

Same request by Wattpadder

This is the part 2

Part one

Also giving myself a small throwback to when I played Minecraft with my cousins

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This trio had started hanging out together a lot more, and yes Skeppy is allowed to hangout with them after school(cuz apparently they go to the same school), but he has to be back home before 5pm because again reasons.

Mega has started to speak broken sentences when he's with them and they're super proud of him considering he's pretty much unable to talk. Just because they're broken doesn't mean he can't roast them tho.~

It turned out that they weren't the same age, with Skeppy as the youngest and Mega the oldest. The age gap wasn't extremely huge, Zelk had a one year age difference from the both of them.

Isn't it amazing how they have the privelage of having elemtry to high school in the same location? All good things however, must come to an end. Mega being the oldest had to graduate from Grassblock High first, meaning leaving the two, then eventually one, on their own.

Very soon, Zelk had to graduate from high school as well, leaving Skeppy alone. Without an excuse to leave the house, he's been living through hell on Earth. Now, I won't be going too deep into what happened because I'm assuming you're not here for that.

~Timeskip brought to you by the iDots SMP~

Mega laid in bed. It was the middle of the afternoon and he hadn't planned to do anything that day. A noise emitted from his phone, gaining his attention. That noise was for when he got a text from one of his old friends. It had been forever since they last talked to each other, so it confused it.

He flipped over to grab his phone from the bedside table, checking the notification. It was indeed from an old friend. The mute smiled, remembering the memories he had with the both of them.

Yo guys, you wanna

hang today?

It's been way too

long

Lmao duh Zelk

Mega sat up from the bed, going over to his closet to change out. After changing, he went to check his messages again to see if Skeppy had replied. He didn't even read the message

Just us?

I guess yeah

He reached for his green scarf before leaving, telling his caretakers goodbye.

What happened to Skeppy you're asking? He went for a walk, and his mom took away his hand phone privileges because of grades.

Hate to hear that, yeah.

The moment the two saw each other, a wave of nostalgia came over them. They gave each other a tight hug.

"Dude I've missed you." Zelk told him. Mega nodded in agreement. They quickly broke up the hug before anyone around thought they were a thing. Because, y'know, homophobs are a thing for some reason.

Walking over to the pizza place they planned to go to, they bypassed a little wired fence. That is until something caught Mega's eye. He stopped to take a look, Zelk almost walking off without him. There was a blue piece of cloth sort of stuck on it. It seemed to be ripped of by it. He recognised it from somewhere, but where?

"Please no!! Someone help!!" Their attention was diverted to the direction of the cry. That's when the realisation hit him. The cloth was ripped off from him.

"That kinda sounds like Skeppy, doesn't it?" Zelk pointed out. Mega didn't even acknowledge the question, quickly running off in that direction. The cries were right outside the pizza place they were going to. He halted right at the alleyway next to it.

Another scream escaped from the child's throat as the man in there with him raised his arm. Mega's eyes widened. Zelk just managed to catch up to Mega, not even knowing why he ran off. "Get a staff." He said surprisingly clearly. Despite the shock, Zelk obliged.

Mega sprinted over to the man and gripped his arm just before it managed to swing down on the boy. He had a knife in hand, making it obvious of what his motives were.

"Skeppy, stay away!" He yelled, trying to snatch the weapon from him. Before he could reach it, the man swapped hands and slashed at Mega. Skeppy squealed in fear, tears streaming down. The knife cut his face, but it wasn't deep.

Right on cue, out came Zelk with a staff member. The man's eyes widened, dropping his knife and attempting to run away. Mega, being the little jackass he is inside, attempted to trip him. It didn't really work but it did slow him down. The employee quickly stopped the murderous man from leaving, dragging him out of the alleyway, possibly to keep an eye on him while he calls the cops.

As Mega was processing what had just happened, Skeppy tackled him into a hug.

"BRO I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER!!" He yelled, still sobbing from the traumatic event he had just been through. "ALSO YOU TALKED NORMALLY!!" He decided to add.

"Snapped, I guess." He chuckled slightly, returning the hug. Zelk smiled at the little scene as Skeppy and Mega's bond was never as close as he was with Mega(oh god that sounds confusing I really hope you understood that). "Still as giggly as last time?" He teased, giving the younger a small tickle. He squirmed away, giggling lighty.

"Yes! It still hurts though!" Skeppy wrapped his arms around his abdomen, as if it was going to protect him. "It's not like you're any different!" He clapped back.

"Shut up, Skep." He hid his face in the scarf he was wearing to hide his embarrassment. Both yelped in surprise when they were both pulled into another hug session initiated by Zelk.

"You guys were nearly murdered and this is what you talk about?" They all shared a small laugh at the statement.

"It's not illegal to lighten the mood a bit." Mega replied, pulling out of the hug. He walked over to the knife and used his scarf to pick it up.

"Dude why are you taking that with you people are gonna think you're the murderer here." Skeppy questioned, joking about the situation a bit at the same time. Ah it seems he knows nothing about evidence in court.

When they left the alleyway, police cars could be seen. The man that had just attempted to kill Skeppy was now in cuffs and was being led to one of the cars. Before they left, Mega quickly ran over to one of the cops, showing him the weapon of choice.

When he gave the object to the officer, he rejoined the two waiting up for him. "Still having pizza?" Zelk asked.

"YOU GUYS WERE GETTING PIZZA WITHOUT ME??" Skeppy yelled, causing the two to crack up.

Ever since this whole ordeal, the three have been keeping in close touch with each other, making sure to check on Skeppy's health from then on. It's safe to say that friendship really can last forever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Word count: 1179 words

Hope I did okay with this part! Been watching EnchantedMob's Disconnected movie a lot and then while writing this I just kinda wanted to implement it in here.

Also, if you're wondering, yes Mega is still a mute. It was just that in that very moment, he didn't remember anything from before because his main and only thought at that time was 'Save Skeppy'. After he processed everything he became himself again tho.

Edit: Jfc I also lost a fair bit of sleep from writing this lmao