#i guess it's a quality issue with the company who printed it

[helmscurse]

I made a bunch of Helm's Curse bookmarks to give away so people will read my book. I think they turned out pretty.

[glorioustidalwavedefendor]

That kind a sounds like it was written by a cranky old rich dude who is really offended that peasants now can have a cheap print of the Mona Lisa to adorn their moldy walls XD

“REAL ART has to be eXpIrie-HenCed! … just go to Paris … go in to the Louvre … and eXpIrie-HenCe the Mona Lisa as it was meant to be eXpIrie-HenCed … you have not eXpIrie-HenCed art until you saw the original and studied it’s texture“

“Or have an artist draw a museum quality replica in oil … “

(Like seriously ever time you think about using a digital picture of an old master I want you to go and instead buy that picture here: https://www.handmadepiece.com/)

Oh … you can‘t … cause money … well no one has the right to have nice things (or use a digital version of Jean-Honoré Fragonards „The Swing” to make a point about dirty paintings) … just put in the work I guess (Go on! Repaint van Gogh's “Starry Night” for the point you want to make about Doctor Who and historical episodes) … while people with money never have to put in the work and never have to make due with sup par quality …

...

But hey, let‘s just say I went to the money store and got me a big juicy bag of money …

Not all artists have a style that everyone likes …

Not all artists that do have a style you like, take commissions

And of course every artist is free to deny a commission for any reason …

Also you might be embarrassed to say what you want …

→ “Well if you want weird torture porn that is on you you pervert!” I hear you scream …

O.K. What if the artist whose style I like is a christian purity freak and refuses to draw a same sex couple?

Guess I still don‘t get what I want

→ “Just put in the work! Others had to as well!” I hear you whine

Well, some people had to invade foreign countries and murder civilians to pay for their college degree … doesn't mean that works for everyone … or is a good system we should keep …

Sorry but if your opinion is, "I had to endure and I am fine, so other can suffer as well" … you are not fine … you are just not …

→ “Just practice! I happen to be disabled and work as a full time artist!”

Cool! Mad respect, my friend. There are also people that have no legs, who climb Mt. Everest.

I have two legs.

I will never be able to do that.

People are different.

Hope hat helps

Look, can we please talk about the real issues with AI art? Meaning:

1) Companies who do HAVE the money, replacing their human artists with bots, or at least using that threat, to make working conditions even worse then they already are

2) Bots being trained on artists work without the artists consent or even knowledge

Because your enemy ain't the 12 year old that trained a bot on stolen art to get some smutty pictures for their fanfic O.K.?

Hope that helps even more <3

"I want," the man said to the art robot, and then described an image in some detail. "Certainly," said the art robot. A printout came out of its chest. "Thank y- Hey! What's this?" "A list of artists who make images of the kind you describe, and who are accepting commissions."

[missgeniality]

A Date With Destiny (m)

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves, alone - we find it with another.” - Thomas Merton

➺ Pairing: Jungkook x Female Reader

➺ Trope: Strangers to Lovers, Idol!AU

➺ Genre: Fluff, Smut, one comedian in the mix

➺ Rating: 18+

➺ Word Count: 11k

➺ Summary: You are a boss lady in the tech industry travelling to world for work. He is a chart-topping artist touring the globe to perform in front of millions of fans. In the cosmos of life, you are not likely to cross paths. Luckily, fate has a different plan for you two.

➺ Warnings: dom!jk, unprotected sex (sex is cleaner when you pack your weiner!), hickeys galore, lot of spit, oral (male and female receiving), balls receive attention, throat fucking, cum eating, edging, masturbation kinda?, cum play, pussy slapping, pussy sniffing, fingering, squirting, spanking, pain kink?, tit slapping, reader teases a bit but this man is a tease maestro, cum stuffing (is that a thing even?), Jungkook’s THIGHS need their own warning

➺ Author’s Note: @ppersonna​​ is an angel among us peasants. Thank you so much for all your help with this!   This is my first attempt at writing, and the tiniest feedback goes a long way! Hope you enjoy! 

When you die, the first pit stop you make is to the coffee gods. 

Without coffee, this whole month would have been a disaster. Back-to-back meetings, daily flights, countless documents being read, it’s a miracle your eyes are open and fully functioning. 

Being the Chief Technical Officer of a well-established company at your age had been anything but a cakewalk. You had strived hard and crossed many boulders to come to where you are. But if reaching that point required huge amounts of effort, now your work is tenfold. 

“Why can’t I just get longer flights so I can nap in them?” You mumble into your nth cup of coffee - not keeping count is for your own sanity. 

“Because longer flights apparently have crying children. You, our resident baby-magnet hypothesized that shorter flights equal more time in hotel rooms ‘sleeping’. Guess who sleeps in said hotel rooms? Everyone but you.” Your personal assistant and part-time truth-spouter Jake offers helpfully. 

“Past me was such an idiot.” You shoot back, wondering if you could inject the espresso right through your veins.

Jake pouts. “Woman, you take on jobs that an intern could do. If you weren’t such an unnecessary perfectionist I would be on the beaches of Thailand, getting sensual massages and eating some pretty pussy. But here we are, on our way to Seoul. So quit your whining because clearly, I have lost more.” 

“What if I wanted to do that too?”

“Can I watch?” 

“Right.” And that was the end of the conversation. 

Passengers on flight KE654 from Bangkok to Seoul are requested to report for boarding at Gate 45A. First Class passengers will be boarded first, followed by Business class and lastly Economy. Please keep your boarding pass ready for checking.

Jake stands up, groaning. “This is where we say goodbye. Do you wanna pretend like we’re strangers and have a hot one-night stand when we land?” 

“Sometimes I think it’s your natural response to flirt with a breathing being. Do you ever accidentally just, you know, flirt with a tree?” You try to sound sarcastic, but you’re genuinely curious. 

“If a day comes when a hot specimen like me has to flirt with a tree, humanity is doomed. Catch ya later!” He blows you a kiss before leaving for the restroom. You shake your head in awe, a small smile finding your lips. He knew how to get your mind off things.

For all his flirting, Jake’s interest in you is perfunctory. He looks after you, keeps you from starving or gouging your eyeballs out, and calms you when things are too hard. He’s seen your worst. You’ve seen him drunk out of his mind, bailed him out when he “accidentally” smoked up, and heard every new pick-up line his ingenious brain churned out. Basically, you’ve seen his worst as well. 

You take a look at your boarding pass. 3C. Jake would be in business class, and you in first. Not your choice, the company makes the rules. It's for the better, he says. Apparently, he can ‘prowl for his hunt better’, without your judgmental glare. You nearly vomit on him just for his choice of words.

Entering the flight, you stash away your hand baggage the first place you find the room and head to your seat and-

Holy. Shit.

Jeon Jungkook is sitting on your seat.

Jeon Jungkook is on your flight? 

BTS is on your flight? 

What are the odds?

Granted, you’re not a 16-year old obsessive fan, collecting photocards and waving light sticks through the screen, but even in your adulthood you’ve admired their music and shows, routinely keeping up with their discography. 

Hell, you even learned Korean years ago to better understand their songs. Maybe you are an obsessive fan.

But you can’t approach them like that. They no doubt want some privacy and not be recognized. God forbid you approach Jungkook with crazy eyes, just to be escorted off the plane for stalking. While you liked their work, you had your own, and getting thrown off this flight does not help you there.

So, you’re just gonna have to speak to him like just another passenger. 

BTS who? 

Biggest boyband who? 

You only listen to Frank Sinatra. 

“Excuse me?” You call out, a shiver of a whisper leaving your lips. You immediately chastise yourself for being so star-struck.

Big, round eyes glitter under the bucket hat. The softest ‘huh’ throws a lasso over your heart, and holds it captive. He adjusts his hat, inked fingers making a brief yet lasting appearance. The epitome of tenderness, you muse as his eyes flit here and there to figure out the situation. After finding no one to help him out, he gently offers “Yes?”

You feel extremely guilty for marring his serene face with creases of trouble. “I think this is my seat. See, 3C.” you say, pointing to the seat and then to your ticket for good measure. Did he suspect you recognize them? No. Do you look like you’re over-gesticulating? Totally. 

“Oh.” His brow distresses further, the sight has you ready to give the man your seat and hide in the bathroom for the rest of the flight. “But even I am 3C.”

His ticket shows the same characters as yours. 

Huh?

With both your faces contorted in confusion, an air hostess comes forward to help. 

“We both are booked on the same seat. How does that happen? Do I need to catch another flight?” You suddenly pour out, remembering the countless commitments you have in Seoul that would go down the drain if you don’t make it by tonight.

She's quick to reassure you. “Do not worry ma’am, I’m sure there must have been an error in the printing. I’ll be right back.” At the same time, Jungkook is approached by someone, probably one of their staff, to discuss the issue.

The air hostess returns smiling. “Ma’am, you both were booked on the same seat but this adjacent seat was left empty. We are extremely sorry for the error. You may take 3B.” She reiterates the same message to Jungkook in Korean, who then looks mighty relieved. 

Goddamn, his eyes got bigger. How much bigger can they get?

“All okay then?” He glances sideways, smile irradiating your senses and waking you up better than all the coffee could. 

“All good. Sorry for the trouble.” You add, even though it isn’t your mistake in any way.

“No no. No trouble” He beams back. 

Aw, you are in trouble. 

As the flight is about to take off, you can see the rest of BTS in the rows ahead of you, with some other staff members taking up other seats. There’s one old man with a scowl on his face, whom you can’t place with the BigHit group. Great, no crying kids. Unless the frowning grandpa snores to the heavens, you can actually catch a good four-hour snooze. Take that, Jake. Hope a kid blows snot in his face. 

Looking at your neighbor, you find him busy searching for a good video game on the screen. The other members seem to be using this flight to catch a nap, except him. You always wondered whether their on-screen persona was real or not. Now you could say at least one of his characteristics is true. 

Turning away, you bring your focus back to the document at hand. The schematics for a new product your company was launching. You had spearheaded its conception and looked over every single detail in its manufacturing. The Seoul branch is one of the main players in its production, and your last stop before heading back home. You must have every word in this file burnt in the back of your eyelids to make this deal smooth. 

Reclining your seat, and putting your legs up, you got down to business.

An Angel was calling you. 

You want to wake up, but you couldn’t, fearing the Angel would stop singing to you. Something is poking you, but the voice just drowns it all out.

Wait...

Fluttering your eyes open, you see Jeon Jungkook staring right at you. 

“Hi... They, umm--Food? Want to eat?” the Angel utters. Jungkook utters. Tomato, to-mah-to. 

“Oh!” you exclaim, wiping non-existent drool on your face. His palm on your shoulder quickly retracts at your exaggerated attempt to hide your embarrassment. “Thank you so much.”

Then, he does that thing. He smiles. Eye scrunch and all. 

Fuck the coffee gods. When you die, you want to meet the Grand Master and ask him what crack he was on to hand over so much power to one man’s smile. 

The food is placed on your table, and you thank the hostess graciously. 

“Do you need anything to drink?” She asks, to which you only shake your head. There was enough caffeine in your system to shoot a horse to the moon and you were still drowsy. There was no need to catalyze this process with booze.  

“Your Korean accent is pretty good.” Your next-seat resident comments. Ah, you had conversed with the hostess in Korean. 

“Thank you very much.” You giggle, roleplaying an acne-prone teenager talking to her hunk of a crush.

“Have you been speaking for a long time?” He pops a huge morsel of food after asking. Well, that’s another on-screen quality found to be accurate.

“Six years now. Comes in handy for my work.” 

“Oh! Did you have to learn it for work? That’s fascinating.” Another mouthful went in. You didn’t even know it was physically possible to hold that much rice using chopsticks.

“Uhh.. no..” You tussle your hair, trying to stop your cheeks from turning beet red, “I just listened to some music and consuming more content.. and subtitles are a bore, plus I needed a hobby at the time so..” 

Your unnecessarily long explanation was cut short by Jungkook’s child-like laugh, enjoying the pickle you were putting yourself in. 

“Hey! I just didn’t want to put you in an uncomfortable situation, that’s all.” you try to be cross, knowing it’s inconceivable since God himself seems to have given him whatever he wanted. If big ol’ Almighty can’t stand against his charms, you are but a mere pleb. 

He looks at you kindly. “Thank you, that was very thoughtful. I’ve been speaking to so many foreigners trying to get across to them I got surprised when you spoke so fluently.” 

He went back to chomping on his food like it was his last meal, completely unaware of your staring.  

You both speak for a long time. He explains their latest shoot and fan meeting, and you listen to him pour out his love for his job and fans as much as he could articulate. The rest of the emotion is portrayed by his now widest eyeballs (they cannot get any wider, you confirm by asking him - a request he apparently gets a lot) and intense gesticulation. It is very gratifying to listen to his past schedules, and you slip in a quick prayer for not having a job where you had to maintain public appearances while having a schedule as persevering as theirs. Sure, you had a ton of commitments. But can you throw your hair in a bun and aggressively scowl at a monitor and still meet your target? Fuck yeah.

You went on to tell him about yourself - your job, your travels, the reason you were in Seoul. He listens to them with rapt attention throwing in appropriate questions without interrupting your flow. He gives the right amount of sympathy; just enough to show that he understands why you have three sets of nightwear and a futon in your office, but not too much where it seems like you should “take a break” and “think about the joys of motherhood” - as you are often told. 

During the conversation, you digress a little to take in his slight features. The apple of his cheeks, in full display, when he tells you about how he pranked his members. The light pout of his lips when he talks about the times their path seemed too far-fetched, when every single obstacle felt like the end of their career. The stars in his eyes when he speaks of how he feels during tours, meeting the endless number of fans, the drive that keeps him going. They all make an endearing package. Eager to please, you kept the conversation going with gusto. The meal is followed by a snack break, after which you had effectively exhausted all conversation topics that could be brought up with near-strangers.

A quick alcohol break later, (yes, you caved, the catalyst was welcome) you both doze off, seemingly exhausted from recollecting respective timetables. He wakes up soon after to play video games and talk to the other members. But you fall into a deep slumber, with an Angel’s chuckles in the background guiding you through the sleep. 

Jungkook wakes up to see his character dead. The video game was forgotten after his conversation with you began. 

He spent an inordinate amount of time talking to you. And now that you’re asleep, he is only thinking about how much he enjoyed the conversation. Jungkook is not a speaker. His introversion leaves much to be desired in that department. Most of the time, his members cover for him, play the role of dutiful wingmen, and introduce him to their friends. And still, it took him a long time to talk freely.

But something about you made him open up.

Maybe it was the way you listened to him, lips slightly parted when you were absorbing every single word he let out. Maybe it was the questions you asked, treading lightly and skirting any personal questions. Maybe it was the fact that you pretended to not know him at first, mindful of his privacy. The butterflies in him could be explained by this.

But.

It could also be how graceful you looked, even though you’re dressed in sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. It could be how you carried yourself, with great elegance and poise, even though your work was taxing. It could also be your toe socks, and your glee when he showed you his.

Your personality is infectious. He already misses you, despite you being inches away, desperately wants to exhaust every second of this journey engrossed in you. 

He wonders if you feel that way too.

Speaking of whom-

A snicker escapes his lips when he turns to face you. 

In your sleepy haze, Jungkook sees that a) your mouth is wide open, b) your hands mindlessly fiddle with the reams of pages on your lap, and c) your eyes scrunch as sunlight pierces through the flight to bounce off your face. Cute, he muses, trying to locate the source of the criminal rays irking you. 

The window letting the sunbeam in is beside an old man sitting on the other end. He is eyeing the magazine in his hands with abject disapproval, like the booklet had sullied him and his family. 

Gathering up the courage, Jungkook calls out for the man.

“Excuse me, sir. Do you mind pulling the window shade?” He asks, in the sweetest voice that his hyungs would melt at first listen. 

Puppy eyes are met with the geezer’s piercing glare, making Jungkook wonder if he accidentally said something strikingly offensive instead of what he thought he said. About to backtrack his words and try again, he gets interrupted by the man letting out a big grunt, after which he continues in his endeavor to telepathically set fire to the magazine. He does not forget to give a nasty side-eye but completely refuses to comply with Jungkook’s request. 

“And my team thinks my glares are spooky.” You pique, having witnessed the whole interaction, “I ought to have him on board”. Jungkook snorts, and you take that to be his agreement. 

Pausing, you throw caution in the wind and add, “Thank you though, that was very sweet of you.”

He eyes you demurely. “No problem, you looked like you needed the rest.” 

“Listen, I-”

“So I was think-”

Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the Incheon International airport. Please ensure your backpacks and suitcases are stowed away in the overhead compartments or underneath the seats ahead of you. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you.

High-quality curses almost make it to heaven (speakers). The announcement dissipates all the courage you had mustered, feeling a rush exit your body. You had almost asked for his contact - and by the looks of it, he had wanted it too. Or maybe your hair is a rat's nest and he was just going to point that out. Guess you will never know.

You shyly smile at each other before going about following the instructions. Your half-read document gets stuffed back into its bag, to be read once you have no distractions in the form of eye candy armed with saccharine speech. Well, you have Jake to distract you plenty, but you can shoo him away by threatening his paycheck. 

As the flight descends, you look over to your neighbor - one last time, you guess - and surprisingly lock eyes with him. Anything that had exited you comes rushing back, veins in full alertness. A moment’s awkwardness later you both burst out laughing, each doing their best to hide their crimson cheeks. You find one more online fact to be true - Jungkook’s peak happiness laughter, eye crinkle and nose scrunch, can melt your whole entire heart. 

“Hey mami, come here often?”

“For the last time Jake, I will not hesitate to donate your bones for science.”

“Well, I heard bone, it's already a win for me.”

You let out a sigh of exasperation. There is no reforming him. 

“How was the flight?” Jake questions as you approach the baggage belt. Looking out for your somber black suitcase, you try to play it off like you did not spend the whole time in the company of a stranger who is on the fast track to your heart.

“The usual. Sleep, eat, read needlessly printed out documents that could have been shoved into on email, repeat. What about you?”

As Jake starts an account of his flight experience in exorbitant detail, you took the opportunity to try and find your ride. Once you locate it and get in, you catch the end of his sermon. 

“-and the name of the book will be ‘How to manage a farm - ‘cause chicks gon’ be crazy!’. What do you think?”

“I think it was a good idea I chose to zone out.”

“Y/N come on! It’s a self-help book for poor souls born without my raw charisma. Men and women out there want me, but I can’t satisfy them all. I will just resort to making more of me! It will have pointers, DIY’s and pick-up lines crafted by yours truly - wanna hear one?”

You throw your bag in front and turn to him. “Do I have a choice? Go ahead.”

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he starts. “Am I cute? Squish my cheeks. Am I hot? Clap my cheeks.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Points for creativity. You’ll still get wine splashed at you.”

Jake was not one to give up. “‘It’s good we don’t need eye condoms, or you’d be on your way to delivery.’”

“Just… don’t have kids, okay? This gene must be stopped, right here.”

“Okay, this one is my all-time favorite. ‘Rack so big, I don’t motorboat, I motorship.’”

That’s it. The guffaw itching you since the start of this conversation is out of its cages, populating the air in the car. Wiping stray tears from your face, you face Jake, seeming very pleased with himself. Undoubtedly, he is coming up with absurd scenarios to ease your nerves. No book is in the works (one could only hope).

“Thank you, I feel much better now. You can stop coming up with these.”

The goof has the gall to look appalled. “I was going to cut you ten percent of my book commission but I guess that’s out. Hmph.”

“I’m at the receiving end of all these pick-up lines. I should make twenty at least for all the nuisance I’ve put up with.” 

“All right mami, we’ll shelve this for later. Here’s the schedule for today. You have a 10 a.m. breakfast meeting with Dr. Park Shin Young, Lead Research Scientist of the project. Then you have a bunch of seminars to attend, which will go on all afternoon. There’s a bar right beside this venue.”

“How is that pertinent?”

“So you know where to find me.” He continues, unperturbed. “After which there’s an evening meeting with the whole team to demonstrate the product and a marketing meeting right after.”

“Am I required for the marketing meeting?” Your expertise is limited to the technical field. PR work isn’t your cup of tea, but they stubbornly demand your presence. 

Jake exhales. “We’ve been through this. You CAN doze off during the meeting, but you have to be there. Just pretend you’re a college student, sitting in one class, completing assignments for another.”

“But if I’m there I feel the need to pay attention.” you whine.

“Clearly you weren’t one of those college students,” Jake says, perusing through his diary, “Stop being a pedant and do one of those things people do. Loving their jobs and whatnot.”

Before you can retort a reply, the driver pulls up to your destination and you exit the car. 

Eleven at night is when you finally check in to the hotel. The tedious day warrants your heels coming off before you even reach your floor. There’s an irritant drumming, from the balls of your feet right up to your temples, that beg for your attention. Setting your footwear on your bags, you massage your feet for temporary relief as the lift took you closer to a more permanent one.

Once your suitcase gets parked in the closet, you head to the bathroom to soak your day away with the bath bomb kit you were gifted in one of the seminars. The ball fizzles as soon as it hits the water, dispersing in tiny bubbles and a heady aroma of vanilla and lavender. The soft amber tones of the walls, the lambent gold lighting, and the ambrosial air put all your senses at ease. You sink in; the bathwater permeating warmth through your skin. Crackling bubbles with every move; the water teases your neck, soothing the laceration with every lick. Every pulse point on you is enhanced - you let yourself float wherever your mind takes you. 

A familiar face makes its presence known. You allow yourself to think about him, after pushing his visage away all day. Something about him… felt like home. Soothing, comforting, always speaking in dulcet tones unless something humorous pulled out a loud laugh. Even that wasn’t jarring; it was the exact opposite. Felt like sunshine filled your lungs every time he cracked up. Made you want to keep talking to him, keep him amused and entertained. You can’t imagine he converses with every stranger like that. 

But maybe he did; maybe this is some unspoken celebrity culture you were unaware of. 

All you know is that this was a once in a lifetime experience. There’s no way you are encountering another personage ever again. There’s no way you’re encountering him again. Luck can only thrive so far. 

So when you exit the bathroom, clad in a towel, remnant bathwater dripping from every end, the last thing you expect is Jungkook, spread out on the bed, casually flipping through his phone like it’s his own abode. 

“J-Jungkook?”

Y/N. In his room. In a towel. Dripping wet hair. Emanating a delectable aroma. 

Y/N. In person.

He is dreaming. He has to be. He's been thinking of you ever since the flight, so now he is delusional. Nothing else. There’s absolutely no chance that you’re in his room, let alone… like this. 

Right?

“What are you… what are you doing in my room?”

Wrong. 

Jungkook knows he should say something. He should not be gawking at you like he is doing now. But God. You look so pretty, eyebrows arched up in confusion, jaw about to be unhinged, hands fluttering around not knowing what to do. 

He forces his body to action.

"Y/N!" He exclaims, finally averting his eyes to face the wall. 

Pause.

"Wait, what do you mean MY room? This is my room!"

You’re baffled. "Huh? How is that possible? This was given to me!" 

“I really don’t know, Y/N, there must have been some confusion! Please, you have to believe me!” 

Jungkook wants to turn around and face you. He desperately wants to clear the air. He can see that this looks bad. He obviously looks like an enamored creep, waltzing into your space. You probably think he does this all the time. Many a time people have misunderstood him, his celebrity status not earning him many points. You must think the same.

And now you’re going to tell him to get out and never see you again, he hypothesizes. His brain is working overtime trying to remedy the situation, without noticing your now relaxing demeanor. 

“Oh, okay.”

“I’ll fix this, I’ll go to the reception and fix this. You don’t worry, I didn’t see anything, you can trust me, I’ll go an-”

“Hey, hey,” your tone gentle, “it’s okay, trust me. Just, let me get dressed and I’ll come down with you.”

Your soothing response almost has Jungkook on his knees. Whoever orchestrated this meet, he is just thankful for this good turn. Anyone else would go berserk, and rightfully so. 

But you’re not anyone else. 

He isn’t just anyone.  

Technically, he isn’t a stranger, you try to justify. You should have been more shocked, enraged, or at least doubtful of his intentions. But you weren’t. You had accepted his explanation, let him stay in your room while you changed in the bathroom, and now are en-route to the main desk to rectify this error.

The air around you two is strained; he won’t even look you in the eye. Any question you have is replied to concisely, leaving no room for a chat. Nothing to disperse the tension between you two. 

Like now, in the elevator, Jungkook has done the math and maintains the maximum distance between you. Opposite ends of the diagonal of this lift, his peripheral vision probably barely picks you up. However, his evasion helps in a way--you are able to study his full form.

He is dressed casually, and any lesser man would have seemed casual enough. On him, it is a whole new game. Ripped jeans hugging his sturdy legs, the slashed fabric allowing you a peek of his dangerous thighs. A plain white t-shirt tucked in to show off his lean waistline. The only thing holding you back from having a full-blown wet dream, wide awake, is his chestnut overcoat, saving his modesty and yours. 

Jake was right, eye condoms are the need of the century. 

To be fair, Jungkook had the worse end. He saw you scantily clad, post-bath glow and everything. You wonder what is going through his mind. 

Definitely nothing like the debauchery unfolding in yours. 

He has probably seen his fair share of women, and one hot to trot lady isn’t anything new. If anything, him dodging you is a sign of his civility, something you are lacking apparently--ready to jump his bones.

Stop thinking about his thighs, you whore. Get back home and trusty old Vlad the Impaler will take care of you.

The employee’s jaw almost hits the desk as Jungkook explains the situation. 

“Ma’am, Sir, we are extremely sorry about this confusion. We usually keep another key for family members, but somehow you got them both. We are deeply apologetic.”

“Yes, it’s okay, I’d just like my room key now and-”

“We will give you the best of our service to make up for this disorder. Not that we didn’t plan on giving you the best anyway, but now it will be top-notch! Please allow us to have your room cleaned again ma’am. Kyuyoung-ah! Get the people to prep 5338 and set 5337 again, and add more flowers!”

“Hey, that really won’t be necessary, we can just go back and forget about all thi-”

“And!” She continues, relentless, fully intent on doing her job, “Here are coupons for our round the clock pub! The ambiance is phenomenal, and our bartender makes a mean drink! You can use the facility for free during your stay. Hope this compensates for our gaffe. Once again, we are extremely sorry!”

She extends two passport-sized coupons that you hurriedly grab, wanting this quandary to end. 

The walk back to the elevator is less tight-lipped, only because Jungkook starts his deluge of apologies. Even though you had felt the same way on the flight, he was going overboard. You quickly assuage him and deflect his concerns.

“It’s okay, Jungkook. It really is. I know it was a mistake.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t have just walked in like that. I should have checked.”

Your expression is the visual form of a question mark. 

“Do you go around making sure your hotel room doesn’t have a surprise occupant?”

You’re taking this too lightly; it's obvious you are doing it for him. He can only laugh, broad delicious shoulders loosening in relief.

After a delay, you add, “You can’t help it if fate wants us crossing paths like this.” 

The quip makes Jungkook lose a beat. He cocks a brow in surprise - at that juncture, his features lose all boyish charm and turn unquestionably irresistible. 

Then, in a flash, the expression is replaced by his usual grin, back to his boy-next-door spirit. Are there world records for this speed? Jungkook needs to sign up to one.

Collecting the stars floating around your head, you return the favor, thankful that the barrier is now broken. 

After a quick break of courage gathering, you turn to him. “How come you’re staying in this hotel? Thought you’d be home.”

A thought is building in your mind; that this is too personal a question. But before you can take it back, you hear a chime. Jungkook moves. And somehow, you are moving with him. 

The elevator door opens, and people walk out. 

But that’s not where your attention is. 

You are focused on the sole patch of your body in contact with Jungkook’s arm. 

The palm of his hand sitting at the small of your waist is what had guided you away from the elevator. Even through the fabric of your t-shirt, his hand is sending goosebumps all over your body. The air feels twenty degrees too hot for you.

Jungkook is simply being his chivalrous self, while you are ready to get arrested for public nudity.

Woman, you are a disgrace. Get laid.

Jungkook will high five himself once he gets to his pad. 

Is it right to get so euphoric about the smallest act of intimacy? That too with a near stranger? He has no answer. You are special to him; that much he knows. And someone up there agrees with him as well, letting him run into you again (albeit under crude circumstances; he’ll take what he gets). In this proximity, he can hear the slight gasp that escapes you once you recognize his hold, feel your muscles tense, smell the flowery fragrance you still carry. The fragrance that takes his mind on a rewind routine; one he forces to a halt. He feels lewd for taking pleasure in that misfortune, but he can take pleasure in the present. 

Entering the elevator, Jungkook has taken note of one thing: the roles have been reversed. On the downward voyage, it had been him avoiding you. Now, even with the closeness, you refuse to meet his eye. Something on the carpeted floor has your unrelenting attention. Letting his gaze dip to you, he bit back a smirk. Good to know you are as affected by him as he is by you.

“It’s a shoot.” 

You relent, looking up to him. “Huh?”

“You asked me why I’m here, it’s a shoot. The site is close by, so we don’t waste time traveling. Once the shoot is done, we will get back home.”

“Ah, that makes sense.” 

You beg your grey matter to find some topic of conversation to halt the blood rushing to your cheeks. The atmosphere is frozen again, but not like last time. Any unease earlier present has drifted. The tension that once kept you from closeness now keeps you from moving apart. His hand sits unmoved, continuing to rest on your hip. Jungkook can hear the loud thudding of a heartbeat, but he cannot discern whether they are from his heart or from yours.

Continuing after a pause, “I will be here for a few days now.” he adds, the suggestive hint of the words masked by his innocuous smile. 

“Ah.” You lamely add. You ought to kick yourself - but at this closeness, you might hit him too. 

The span of your separation is contracting, even though none of you move. Like the land underneath you is shifting, because even Mother Earth can’t handle the sexual tension in this confined space. 

“Ma’am, Sir, you’re here!” 

The booming voice of an employee disrupts the scene. You jump, wondering how you didn’t hear the door open, while Jungkook takes a graceful step back unscathed. 

“Your rooms are ready, please follow me.”

The walk back is quiet, except for bashfully exchanged glances and racing pulses. When you finally reach your respective rooms, he speaks again. 

“Want to accidentally cross paths with me at the bar?”

The heat reaches your ears. A moment of silence prompts you to look up, and you are held hostage by his eyes. His gaze flickers, intense and probing. Then, as if it never happened, his eyes narrow and his smile softens, harmless and easy. Again, this has to be witchcraft.

“Maybe we’ll let destiny decide. Hasn’t failed us so far.” 

Now, alone in bed with nothing but your thoughts, you wonder when it will ever happen again.

Three days. Three days before it happens again.

Three days filled with conferences, a ton of files, and a lot of battery acid disguised as coffee. Apart from the success of your work, the highlight of your time is when Jake tried to fix his shoe heel at a meeting and ended up gluing his fingers together. In a quiet room filled with immersed employees, he had yelled, “Superglue, my ass!”. 

The punctuation was not vocalized. 

Tonight was your last night in Seoul. It was supposed to be a night to yourself, but an office party pulled you out of your cavern to get dressed. You put on an elegant dress, a black and silver number, only to find the ‘party’ was the most monotonous excuse of networking. High-end businessmen exchanging cards over non-alcoholic fizz was not your idea of a party, so you quickly excused yourself. 

The coupon still weighed heavy in your purse, carrying memoirs of the last time you saw him. You had wanted to go earlier, but always held yourself back. What if he wasn’t there? What if you missed your chance? Why did you have to sashay away with a cool statement that night instead of clawing your way through the lust-filled air and settling things then and there? 

You supposed a drink at the hotel bar on your last night couldn’t be a bad thing, even if Jungkook didn’t show up.

So here you are, sipping on your wine and trying to appear nonchalant as you look out the window overseeing the city’s skyline. One ear is trained to the door of the pub, the slightest peep from that corner alerting your antenna. 

So far, no sign of him. 

This won’t work, you tell yourself. Second time’s a charm, third time’s pushing it too far. 

But as you wave the bartender to top up your drink, the corner of your eye catches movement; one, two, three heads appear through the door. Signature multichromatic mops of hair make their way in, forcing your pulse to marathon mode. 

And then you hear it. 

You hear his trademark cachinnate echoing through the structure. Multitudes of contrasting sentiments fill your gut. Are you sensing relief, that fate served its purpose without fail? Or is it the anticipation of how events will unfold? A sense of titillation, that a three-day old bond makes you feel more than year-old relationships you’ve had? You pry your eyes from that direction, trying to appear aloof when you are anything but. 

When you think you’ve gathered your composure, you look up. Like a hare falling for its bait, you are trapped, because he is looking right back at you.

Jin and Jimin are laughing about something that happened on set today, but Jungkook only has eyes for you. He can’t believe his luck. 

The past few days, his schedule had no give. After every shoot, the only thing he remembered was taking off his shoes and falling into a deep slumber.

So today when the shoot wrapped up earlier, Jungkook grabbed his trusty wingmen and open bar enthusiasts to utilize his coupon, and possibly test his kismet.

“Wasn’t she on our flight?” Jin observes, tracking Jungkook’s sight. 

“Oh yeah! Dude, is she the one?” Jimin keenly notes. “How do you keep bumping into each other like this?”

Jungkook downs his whisky, the burn felt from the throat to his diaphragm. “I don’t know, hyung. I don’t know what to do.” Beckoning the bartender for a refill, he tears away from your sight. 

 “Okay, liquid fortification is all good but how about,” Jin stops briefly to pluck the coupon out of Jungkook’s hands, “we handle the drinks department while you attend to her?”

Jimin nods in assent. “The worst thing you could do is spend time with her slurring and garbling while she ditches your sorry ass.”

“Hey! I won’t do that. Just, ” Jungkook gulps, “I don’t know... We’ve met like, hardly a few times. It really doesn’t make sense. What if we’re not on the same page?”

Jimin frowns, and even Jin seems unhappy with his reasoning.

“Things don’t have to make sense. You’re two consenting adults. You like her. By the way she’s eyeing you right now, I’m sure the feeling is mutual. You said it’s easy to talk to her right?”

Jungkook pouts, but sees his point.

“Then go with that. Don’t chart out a plan, just go with your heart.” Jin adopts a soft smile of encouragement. 

“Meanwhile we will grab the others and exploit this coupon to the full extent!” Jimin gleefully appends.

Jungkook’s eyes crinkle as he laughs with the other two. They are right. Carpe diem, right?

Finding you again, his breath hitches. You look beautiful. The sleek black dress with silver embellishments over the torso. It hugs you in the right places, accentuating your already alluring frame. Your shoulders bare, elegant collarbones waiting to be tasted. Hair tied up, exposing the delicious curve of your neck, a stretch Jungkook wants to pepper kisses onto, without missing a spot. You look exquisite against the backdrop of the night.

Carpe noctem it is. 

“Did you really dress up to use the coupon?” The tongue-in-cheek query breaking your line of thought.

A breathy chuckle leaves your lips, hopefully masking the frenzy in your heart. 

“I had a party. A very dull party. Figured I preferred my own company over that.” 

“Do you prefer your own company over mine?”

He’s still standing, tall frame waiting for your permission to occupy the next seat. God, he looks amazing.

“Not at all.” The words leave huskier than you intend, but they convey the message.

He takes the seat, a mere step away, his cologne wafting over to your side. The alcohol buzz makes the scent feel stronger, every bone in you wanting to dive in nose-first. 

Apparently you have been staring, because he nervously chuckles “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Should you go the modest route or fuck it?

Fuck it.

“You look... great today,” is all you get out. Stupid brain spewing half-baked goods.

Understatement of the year. He looks like sin incarnate. All black attire highlighting his golden skin, the dichotomy of his whole look has you understandably tongue-tied. Black jeans - no rips, sadly- with a dark grey high-neck t-shirt, tucked in of course, because pain is the only constant for you. A black trench coat is thrown on top to seal the look. The obsidian outfit sends desperate need through your body, an intense desire to rip it all off surging through you. Somehow, through all these layers you can sense his fit body, his rippled muscles, his sturdy pecs, like they have an aura of their own. 

“Ah, thank you. You look amazing as well.” Halting a moment to sip his drink, he resumes.  “Sucks that you dressed up for nothing.”

“Well, you liked it. So it's not for nothing.”

If looks were potent, Jungkook’s own could set you on fire. Gaze coolly raking over your figure, the tick in his jaw betrays his reaction. A chill passes through every part of your body under his intense scrutiny.

“Are there other things you would wear… if I liked it?” He carefully treads.

“There are certain things I’m wearing right now that I’m sure you would appreciate.” 

If not for the shrinking distance between you two, you couldn’t have caught the low hiss. His animalistic need, usually kept well under control, is raging against its bonds, screaming to let go. Your exquisite gown, flowing down your curves, accentuating the swell of your ass - God save this dress from his feral hands. Against his will, he restrains himself. He would make this a lasting encounter. 

“How many drinks have you had?” He needs you to remember every single moment.

“Two glasses of wine, don’t worry. You?” 

“A shot of whisky, that’s all. Haven’t even finished my second drink.”

Gone were his cherubic appearance and dimpled smiles; the man in front of you is oozing pure sex appeal. His clenched jawline, furrowed brow, and perfectly placed tresses add to his raw masculinity. The cusp of your thighs is damp; if this is his effect here, what will it be behind locked doors? You wonder whether this is the same man that gushed about old-era video games in the flight. 

“Well, if you are wearing them for me, I’d be a fool to miss them.” he brings you back to the present. Twinkling eyes match your eager ones as you give a small nod.

Every step you take shoots a thrilling tingle through your spine. Every inch of distance closed forces you to close the next with doubled speed. Every foot forward adds to the thick air, laced with hunger, desire, and an inordinate amount of trust placed in the hands of a stranger. 

The first time you two walked back to the elevator, his move had caught you unaware. 

Now, the arm wraps around your entire waist, body flush against his, yet you yearn to get closer. 

Last time, you couldn’t match his gaze, skin burnt a crimson hue. 

Now, your eyes are locked together, any movement in your surroundings be damned.

Michael Jackson rising from the dead and performing Thriller wouldn’t tear you away from your current view (sorry MJ, maybe next time).

When the doors close, he places a palm on your bare back, bringing you to his chest.

“I’ve wanted this so bad, ever since I met you. It’s insane.”

The hand caressing your back makes you sigh. “Not if I wanted the same.”

His grip tightens. “The things I want to do to you...” eyes searching yours, ”tell me you can handle it.”

“Oh baby,” you drawl, “I’ll do whatever you want. Whatever it is,” your lips hover on his, “I can take it.”

The elevator doors opened too soon for your liking, and Jungkook drags you through the corridor. You’re practically hanging on to him, feet barely responsive, the faint buzz of wine making you giddy. His hawkish gaze soaks in everything you do, memorizing every response to his touch. 

You lean over to lay wet kisses on his neck. Pleasure searing through his veins, Jungkook’s knees almost buckle. He pushes you against a wall and locks you in with his form.

“Uh-uh-uh, honey,” he tsks, “you’re not making this easy on me?”

You pretend to ponder. “Well, I didn’t plan on making it easy.”

He smirks, all sex, and the wetness between your legs is making its presence known. Leaning into your ear, he whispers, “Unless you want me to have my way with you right here…” and all your brattiness dissipates. 

Satisfied, he grins. “Your place or mine?” 

“Hmmn, depends.”

He cocks a brow. “On?”

“Am I gonna be able to walk tomorrow?”

That damned smirk. “Your place it is.”

Jungkook’s lips are on yours the moment your door is locked. He cages you against its frame, teeth clashing and biting anything they find. You let your hands roam all over, searching for something to hold on to. A throaty sound leaves Jungkook when your digits card through his hair and tug on it, a sound you gladly swallow.

Time seems to have taken a break. Your thoughts are blank. You chase the kiss like it's the only thing you know, the only thing you’re born to do, your sole mission in life before you die. The bruising pace Jungkook set is eagerly matched by you. Gravity is slowly losing its meaning, and you’re nothing but a stray entity floating in space. And this kiss is your only source of air. 

Jungkook pulls you towards him, closing the nonexistent distance between you. Heat rises from his chest, the feeling is hypnotic beyond reason. A taste of you has ruined every other flavor. He kept his eyes half-open, sneaking peeks at your flushed face whenever you come for air. His fingers explored your body, grabbing your ass and pulling you into him. Your clothed crevice jolts at the friction, hips hounding for more.

The moan that leaves you gets muted, because Jungkook takes this opportunity to take control. Tongue forcing its way in to explore every corner of your mouth, it melds with your own muscle. If this were a dance, it would be a fierce tango, oozing with sexual tension. Breathing is now trivial, this kiss is imperative. 

Jungkook’s hands grab your hips and twirl you, both of you now facing a full-length mirror. You can witness your neckline being abused, mulberry blossoms left in place. The sight has your sex clenching, and lips liberated, you couldn’t stop yourself from mewling.

“Fuck, Y/N. I’m going to make you scream so loud, the hotel reception will hear you.”

With your head spinning in lust, you try to form your words right. “An- And what? Discuss how a second room for you was - oh god - was useless?” 

Jungkook pauses to admire his craft; your neck, shoulders, and collar are now littered with bruises, like a garden of hyacinth at his disposal. The view is maddening, your lusty gaze locked on to him in the mirror. His mane is tousled, no doubt your handiwork, and his hand is tracing the outline of your dress. 

“That cursed day,” He chokes out, “You were so fucking hard to resist you know?”

You turn back to face him, hand reaching back to undo your halter neck, “You have me now.” Stepping back, you let your gown fall.

He froze. You are standing in front of him, robed in only your black lace-embroidered strapless bra, and matching panties, each adorned with a white bow. The swell of your breasts barely caged in the cups, making Jungkook drool at sight. All the wind was knocked out of his lungs; you look like a prisoner’s last meal, waiting to be devoured. 

“On your knees.” he commands.  

Not a second is put to waste. You begin undressing him, unbuckling the pants and aggressively pulling them down. Next come the boxers, and you are faced with-

Wow.

You mean this in the nicest way, but, what a dick.

He is already hard, the mushroomed tip angry and red, leaking a drop of precum begging to be tasted. The girth exceeds your expectation, already visualizing the delicious visual of your cunt stretched thin. He is going to reach places even Vlad the Impaler couldn’t; you are already brimming with anticipation for the final act.

And his thighs. Nothing angelic about them. Taut. Muscular. Sinewy. Something uncivilized in you wants them to trap your frame between them, caging you, pinning you down. You press kisses on his inner thigh, letting your tongue poke out when you hear him exhale. A sharp bite shocks Jungkook, but you only smirk.

“Wanted to do that since I saw you.” 

The stare that meets you is practically challenging you to try that again, and perhaps reap some delicious consequences.

You bring yourself back, giving his cock the full attention that it deserves. Looking up, you see his half-lidded eyes, assertive and arresting, compelling you to go on. 

You bring your palm up to him. He raised a brow in question.

“Spit for me.”

Jungkook almost busts his load when he hears you. “Fuck, so dirty.” he garbles out. Rolling his neck in an attempt to divert his blood, he takes your hand and drops a thick glob at the center of your palm. 

A throaty moan arises from you, and his dick is harder than ever.

“Go on baby, show me you can suck dick like a champ.”

You give him a confident look; you’re about to rock his world. Starting with small licks, you tease the slit and taste the pre-cum lodged in it. Meanwhile, you work the spit along the shaft; you spit on it again, the original amount insufficient to cover the length. You can feel his dick twitching against your attention, eager to be sheathed. Interspersing with some long drags on the underside, you zero in on the pinched skin under the head. 

Jungkook is staring at your jerking him off. The sight of you, clad in lingerie is blowing his mind. If that was not enough, the mirror in front is providing a sumptuous secondary perspective. The smooth stretch of your back, the swell of your ass, the panty fabric barely able to cover the expanse, everything on you is making him short circuit. Seeing you on your knees, your deferential nature stirs something in him. If he doesn’t control himself, he will bend you in half and ride you to sunrise. He doesn’t want to scare you, but fuck, his depraved early man instincts are telling him otherwise. 

“What are you- ohhh, holy shi-”

Instead of slipping his cock fully into your mouth, you hold it up, and pay careful attention to his balls. Jungkook’s hands come to rest on your head, a telltale sign of his unraveling. With a smile, you let your tongue swipe through every nook and corner till they are coated in saliva.

“You think you’re such a fucking tease, ” He grabs you by your now unraveled tresses and pulls you back, “Ease up baby, your throat is in for a treat.”

In one quick swoop, he lodges himself at the base of your throat, provoking your gag reflex, but you restrain the urge to pull back. Breathing through your nose, you suck and swallow whatever you can; his girth isn't giving you much to work with.

Jungkook growls. “Such a tight fit. Like you’re meant to be like this. Forever.”

The last word slips out unwittingly. 

Alarmed, his eyes flit down to gauge your response, but all you are doing is looking back at him. 

Fuck, your dovelike eyes are captivating. They look so angelic, a complete contrast to the perverse posture you are in. Not an ounce of displeasure in response to his words. Pure, unadulterated affection for him. Only for him. 

“God, you’re going to be the death of me.” Jungkook husks. “You’ll do anything for me, you said?”

Muffled whimpers impart your compliance, and you bob your head up and down for good measure. The tip of his cock hits every ridge of your throat, the vibration releasing more fluid down.

“Pleasure yourself, baby. Touch yourself, but don’t you cum.”

Your brow distresses further, a disgruntled whine leaving you and reverberating around him. Already so turned on, the lightest friction would make you combust.

Jungkook’s teeth clench. “Edge yourself for me, sweetie.” 

It's like your body is tuned to his command. Slipping two fingers under the band, you part and slide them on either side of your throbbing nub. Despite you avoiding any pressure point that might push you over the edge, the pleasure threatens to tip you over. 

You look over for his approval. Swallowing, he nods. Your self-stimulation is making him dizzy. It's time to get serious.

“Such a good girl. Don’t stop, okay? I’m going to fuck your throat raw.” Starting with mellow jerks, “Hope you don’t have to speak anytime tomorrow.” he rasps.

The carpeted floor grazing your knees only adds to the revelry. You’re not in control of yourself anymore. The back of your gullet is aching as Jungkook shoves into you again and again. An amalgamation of his salty juices and your dribble lewdly coats your chin and neck; you must look ravished. Everything with Jungkook feels augmented; every single motion of his making your sex clench. 

He is close - you can feel his grip on your hair tightening. 

“Can I cum on you?” words slither through his clamped teeth. You frantically nod. 

With a loud grunt, he pulls you off and releases all over your chest, a stray pump landing on your chin. Thick liquid, dripping from your jaw onto your collarbones and breasts, the whole scene is filthy good. Your unfilled cunt is aching to be replete with the cum. 

Post-orgasmic glow is dazzling on him--hair drenched in sweat, tufts sticking to his forehead. His breathing is heavy and resonant as dilated pupils take in your soaked state. Bending down, he crooks a finger under your chin, anchoring his attention on your dewy stare. The onyx embers in his eyes bore into yours, studying for any hesitation in them. A microscopic moment of tenderness, unspoken words exchange between you. 

Satisfied to find only searing hunger, his digits collect the beads of cum on your jaw, pushing them back into your mouth. Your eyes roll skyward, relishing the briny taste, nearly asking him to do it again. Leaning further, he grabs the wrist of your hand that is thoughtlessly rubbing your sex - you didn’t even realize you were still doing it. You feel drained, like you orgasmed vicariously through him. 

“My turn.” He wears a devilish expression on his archangel eyes.

Lips connect once again as he pulls you up. If he tastes himself, he is relishing it, with his tongue exploring the deep cavern. With wobbly ankles, you let him guide you to your bed, dropping on your back. He follows you, pouncing on you, plunging into your mouth again like a beast hungered. Bodies melting together like an icicle under the summer blaze, your hands hunt to frisk his skin. Realizing he is yet to undress, you yank at this t-shirt, attempting to liberate him from the offending fabric.

“Tsk, greedy.” he bit your ear, soothing the sting with a kiss. 

“Cruel is what it is.” You huff, like everything he’s doing is not a blissful affair. 

How do men do that? Violently ripping their shirt off and leaving a messy mop of hair in its wake, nevertheless looking like they could walk a runway the next instant. Jungkook was no exception. The moment he pulls his shirt off, you are rendered speechless.

Chiseled chest like the work of an artisan. Droplets of sweat race down the paths traced by the sculpted abs, an intense desire to taste them forming in you. He is a mesomorphic dream who puts Greek gods to shame. Swallowing, you let your hand trace the outline of his pecks, feeling him shudder against your touch.

“Jungkook, please.”

Who was he to deny you?

Leaning up to you with a wicked smirk, Jungkook drops a thick line of spit right on your hardened nipple. The concoction of his cum and spit soaks through the lacy material. A lone finger circles, avoiding the spot that requires the most attention. You arch your back, begging him for more, just more of anything. The wet fabric amplifies the emptiness in your cunt. 

“Aww,” he coos, clearly amused by your neediness, “undo this for me, sweetness. Let me see you.”

Moving at lightning speed, you unhook the bra, swinging it away to a corner of the room. 

“Oh no.” He mock-frowns, veins bulging on his arm as he controls himself. “Look at these tits, fuck.” Mind reeling with ideas, filthy ideas, of all the things he wants to do to you. “You’ve ruined everything else for me.”

You tremble. “Good, so have you. Want you for myself. Want you,” pulling him close, “to do your worst.” you end with a whisper.

Jungkook’s jaw tightens. “Careful what you ask for,” he grits before diving headfirst into your bosom. 

He licks and laves and bites and laps--your breasts are on fire. Continuing his marking spree, new blemishes make an appearance on your torso. Nibbling on one nipple, he pinches the other; pulling moan after moan from you. 

Your hips barely touch the bed, bucking up in response to Jungkook’s sinking teeth into your ample bust. He has decided to not leave an inch without his saliva, and like a man on a mission, covers every part with rapt attention. 

“Yo- You don’t have to--oh holy fuck--you don’t have to, cover me in marks you kno--ohh my go-” The sentence is spastic, piercing mewls breaking your flow of speech and thought. 

“These fucking tits,” roughly clasping your pert breast in his large palm, “they look so much better like this.” The proud smile he shows has not the slightest hint of regret. 

Catching a break, he twiddles your nipples, letting his other hand sit on your covered sex. He is teasing you; you recognize that. Just giving you opportunities to disobey, to take all the pain he has to offer.

It’s a good thing you like the pain.

You slowly roll your hips, trying to grind against his palm, taking whatever help you can get.

A sharp smack lands on your clit, shooting your eyes open - you don’t even know when they closed. Jungkook’s hand is soothing the site of the blow, the pain converting to pleasure under his touch. 

“Patience, sweetness,” the gravely whisper sending tingles down your spine, “such a good girl for me.”

You give him a slight nod - he smacks you again, once, twice, thrice, without a break. Your entrance is smarting, but you want to give him everything. Biting your lips to stop the labored moans escaping, you clench your eyes and savor the burn.

Your show of obedience has Jungkook’s heart thronging. Fuck, he was enjoying toying with you. Playing you like a fiddle. You produce every tone he desires in the form of wanton melodies, he wants to play them over and over again like his favorite song.

“How are we doing?” he asks, a shit-eating grin plastered on him. Before you could answer, his fingers shallowly enter your soaked pussy, still hampered by the cloth. 

“You- fuck, you said I was the tease here?” Your hands are at his wrist, begging to pull the scrap of cloth aside and have his way. 

He comes to face your sopping mound, pausing only to speak “Never said I wasn’t,” and starts pressing soft, feathery kisses. “That day, seeing you dripping in that towel, I dreamt of having these legs around me.”

“I swear, at least take it off - oh Jungkoo-”

Without warning, he kneads your ass and pushes you into his face. 

You feel like you’ve been on the edge for hours. The suckle on your engorged clit along with the abrasion of the lace gets you so close. So damn close. So, so clo-

The tightness in your belly finally snaps and you howl, gushing your vat of arousal onto his face. The high was more intense than you had imagined, so high that you wonder if you will ever find your way back to reality. You feel like a rock in space, aimlessly floating in the vast nothingness.

You dimly notice Jungkook toying with the lacy hem of your panties, pulling it back to snap it against your hip. The sting is soon forgotten, along with your panties flung across the bed, as he parks himself back between your legs.

“You smell incredible.” He approves, taking a long whiff of your honeyed center. “Look at you, so messy.” He licks a long stripe along your crease. “Messy girl, I should clean you up.”

“Wait Jungkook-” you oppose, lids heaving in pleasure. “I need you inside me, please. I can’t take -oof”

Gnawing at your sodden folds, he let his nose press against your clit. “You’re so fucking tight, you think you can take me?” He shakes his head. “Gotta stretch you out, gotta make me fit.” He presses his tongue against your nub, feeling it throb in anticipation. “And I think you can give me one more.” He ends, before invading your drenched channel with two fingers. You are putting up with his torments the best you can; walls fluttering against his lips, legs entwined behind Jungkook’s back trapping him between your thighs. 

“Ah! God - I, I can’t-” Your eyes are screwed shut, hands bunching the sheets in your grasp.

His fingers fluctuate between scissoring motions, their lengths opening you up for him and curling inside, fingertips finding the rough patch inside. He adds a third finger, pussy straining to accommodate them all. Your thighs clench in the burn, and he groans into your pussy at the pressure. Increasing the pace, he pumps into you harder and faster, sucking your puffy lips in tandem. 

“Please, please, harder - let me cum - please oh go-” 

“Fuck yeah baby, your pussy is just sucking me in. You like that? You like me shoving into your cunt?”

“Uungh yes yes I love it!”

“Doesn’t it hurt? Or are you such a slut for pain? Tell me, tell me you’re a pain slut.”

“Fuck, Jungkook, don’t you stop- I am! I am a pain slut! Your pain slut!”

“Goood girrrll,” he husks out. Even though he is taking charge, your words are what control him. “Only mine. My pain slut will come for me now.”

A spray of cum ejects out of you, coating Jungkook’s chest and inundating your legs. The coherent part in you recognizes that you just squirted, but the neanderthal side shuts all recognition of anything that is not Jungkook’s cock. Even after two climaxes, you are hungry to get more. More of him. 

If you don’t fuck him now, you will lose your capability to reason. 

Limbs still heavy and reeling from the ravaging, you pick your pieces and drag Jungkook to the headboard. 

“I’m going to ride you.” you declare and straddle him. 

Jungkook is staring fixedly at your still-leaking cunt. Running his tongue over his lower lip, and licking the remnant syrup of your release. You position yourself, letting the drippage fall directly on his erection. He twitches, eyes still feasting on the mess you are making. 

Finding purchase on his shoulders, you lower yourself. Jungkook’s breath staggers as you drag your inner lips along his hard shaft. You repeat this motion till your fluids drip to his balls. 

“Y/N, I swear to God, if you don’t stop with this-”

“You’ll do what?” you challenge, an eyebrow raised in response to his threat. 

He grabs you by your waist, jerking you up before bringing you down on his dick. Your cunt, creamy from his earlier ministrations, gives no resistance to his hardness. His cock twitches inside as you bottom out. Pulling you closer, he bites your lip and tugs at it. 

“I’ll do this.”

A sharp spank makes you clench around him, the supple flesh of your ass ricocheting in response. 

“Go on baby, ride me.” 

The low-grained command sets you in motion. Slowly gyrating your hips, you feel every ridge of this length inside. Jungkook’s grip on your waist tightens, and you’re sure you will see evidence of it tomorrow. Your grasp on his shoulders isn’t faring any better. 

“You’re so tight, fuck, and so wet. Who made you like this, huh?” A second spank punctuating his question.

“Oh God, you-”, you barely manage to recognize your own voice, “You, Jungkook! Only you!” 

“That’s fucking right, only me.” 

Hips snapping, he meets you halfway. Both of you are lost in each other, lewd sounds of your skin slapping and juices quelching barely muffled by your desperate whines and moans of passion. Eyes locked in like magnets, neither of you could look away. 

Jungkook pulls back a little, slapping your jiggling tit. Your sex clenches, and the following slap has you lodging yourself in the crook of his neck, searching for a reprieve. 

“Want some help?”

One swift move and you are on your stomach, face pushed into a pillow, and ass out. A final spank lands right in the middle, and you can feel it pulsate everywhere. He pushes back into your glistening core, taking control of your pleasure and pain. One hand carding through the nape of your neck, pushing you down, the other hand grabbing your waist and setting the pace. The new angle hits deeper, you feel so full. 

“Jungkoo--unghh I need to cum! Need to- umph- cum so bad!” You are wailing at this point, shame lying somewhere near your flung clothes.

“Fuck, babe, me too. Go ahead and play with yourself, nice and slow.”

It takes a few swipes for the tightness in you to detonate. Tears flood your face as you unravel, your orgasm crashing into you like waves of a tsunami. You clench tight, wetness flows out of your hole as Jungkook pumps in and out, chasing his high. 

He comes undone soon after, ropes of his ejaculate filling your insides. He stays in, plugging you as if to not allow any of it out. But as his member softens, he gives in, turning you on your back to meet his face. 

Butterfly-soft kisses are exchanged after the blazing encounter. He asks you if you’re okay between breaths, a tender murmur you almost miss, as if you weren’t screaming your lungs out moments ago. Nuzzling into his neck, you confirm.

A snort disrupts the silence. Looking up, you see Jungkook chuckling.

In response to your cocked eyebrow, he says “Want to talk about what a freak you are?”

“Want to talk about what a hypocrite you are?”

“Hey, you asked me to spit on you!”

You mock-gasp, hand on chest for the extra effect. “My breasts need medical attention after your attention! Freak!” 

Laughter echoes in the room as you two tumble in the blankets, and you feel his release seeping out of you. Turning to him, you pout, “Your mess is leaking out of me.” 

Jungkook gets up to leave the bed, and you expect a wet towel coming your way. 

What you don’t expect is him parting your legs, gunmetal eyes following the rivulets escaping your abused hole. 

“Your cunt smells so good with my cum on it,” he purrs. 

He gathers the escaping thick liquid and pushes it back into your quivering core. 

Jolting with oversensitivity, you try to stall him but he is fingering you with a vengeance. The ache and soreness soon dispel, bringing forth a new wave of ecstasy. His unrelenting stare concentrates on the mix of fluids on his fingers. With a few strokes on your sensitive bundle of nerves and fingers stuffed inside, you come again, legs shivering and pussy overflowing, his juices intermingled with yours. 

You are dazed; you’ve lost track of everything. The room is spinning in front of you and your body feels like lead. All you can manage is to arch your neck, and plead, “No more, you freak.” 

Jungkook giggles, eyes crinkling in good humor. Ah, the duality of this man is a force to reckon with. You can’t believe this is the same man that fucked you into your bed like a primordial beast. There’s no way you can move anytime soon. 

After a clean-up interval, you are wrapped in each other's arms, melting into the embrace. His musky fragrance putting you at ease, you tuck your in the nook of his neck, basking in the aroma. Hands pressed against his broad chest, exuding warmth for you. His hand cradles your head, snuggling in closer till there is no space to cover. Sweet nothings whispered into each other’s lips, tender kisses exchanged in place of the scorching ones that had passed. You drift in and out of your slumber, fearing the sun would ascend too soon and break you apart. 

A dim glow from the other end of the bed wakes you up. On turning you find Jungkook, dressed in his now-wrinkled clothes, seated on the edge. His gaze, pensive. You lay a hand on his thigh.

“Oh, did the light wake you?”

The alarm on his face makes you smile. “No, your absence did.” 

The corners of his mouth turned up, eyeing you with softness. 

“I have an early schedule. I didn’t want to wake you, but, ” he lets his palm rest on yours, “I also didn’t want to leave without it.”

Neither of you know how to walk away from this. The silence is deafening, unuttered sentiments hanging in the still air. Jungkook’s chest is heavy. 

This is insane. He wants to lay you against a bed of flowers, treat you like the delicate petal you bear resemblance to, worship your body till the sun succumbs to your blazing passion. How is he to explain that his heart is beating through his chest for someone he knows for mere days? He rifles through his memories for a similar instance. 

He finds none. 

Maybe you don’t feel the same way. Maybe, you are blissfully unaware of the tumultuous emotions lurching in the pit of his belly. He can’t assume you will echo his lovesick needs, but he can’t let go. 

You inch closer. 

Fervid feelings die hard. He probes your eyes searching for an intensity matching his. 

You let your lips convey the answer.

Passionate as ever, you draw him into the kiss. His lashes flutter against your rosy cheeks. At the moment, there is no dominance in him. Almost like his tongue, dragging across your swollen lips, is healing the brutality of last night. If you pull back, he comes after you; an incessant tug of war no player wants to win. 

“Please Jungkook,” you choke between kisses, “Please tell me this isn’t the last of us.”

He is hovering on top of you, the galaxy in his eyes twinkling at your words. 

“Please, I don’t want this to end.” You continue against his lips. Head versus heart, you fought a losing battle; how were you to stall the inevitable? Fueled, you plunge your tongue into him, determined to make your ardor known. The void of ferocity is filled with slow sensuality; like he is the sole reservoir to quench your thirst. 

“Y/N”, he breathes out, “I feel like I know everything about you and nothing about you at the same time.” Resting your foreheads against one another, he continues. “I’m not about to let fate decide when we cross paths again.”

A grin finds your lips. “Destiny really pulled its weight here, didn’t it?”

He wordlessly nods, not wanting to break the tranquility in place. However, it is short-lived; his phone’s ringer makes sure of it. 

“Yeah, I’ll be right down.” Something the speaker says turns Jungkook scarlet red. “I said I’ll be right there!” he yells before ending the call.

“The members are asking why I wasn’t in my room.” he clarifies, waggling his brows.  You join his laughter, happy to have just the simple moment with him. 

After exchanging numbers (and a photo for keepsake), Jungkook presses one last kiss, lips promising to find each other again. Somehow, you don’t say goodbye. You just stare at his disappearing body, confident that the next encounter is not far. 

Jake is babbling about his night, how he managed to ditch the god-awful party and hang out with some overenthusiastic college-goers who paid for his drinks with their trust fund dough. This is usually the time you ask him if he’s proud of mooching off of children, but today his exaggerated narrative is cracking you up. 

His forehead creases. “What’s up with you today? You haven’t vowed to skin me alive even once.”

“You like it when I threaten bodily harm?”

“I’m kinky like that.”

You just shrug. Erotic images make a fleeting appearance in your mind, but they are interrupted by your flight announcement. 

“Aren’t you glad this is over? You can go back to overworking yourself in your office instead of a hotel!” Jake remarks, throwing his bag over his shoulder. “At least your back won’t break in the travel.”

Thinking over your experience in the city, you confess “Actually, I look forward to returning here.”

A thought slips in, curving your mouth into a smile. You quietly add,

“And yeah, my back was broken all right.”

Thank you for making it to the end! Please do let me know what you think!

[kittycuntcellphone-kus]

Excerpt from a fringe internet website:

Every fan of mystery knows of the strange tale of the thirty-second issue of Katopugo, a highly sought after collector's item among enthusiasts of the magazine and mystery fanatics alike; this status being due to a variety of unique qualities. For one, the issue been largely written in Anglican, and for all intents and purposes was borderline an prepared for foreign release as opposed to Katopugo's typical domestic release. To add onto this, this magazine was also the least printed of all previous releases, including its first prints in the 70's. It's suspected that the issues were largely due to a mixture of a massive print error, confusion regarding the contents of the issue among operators that mainly spoke Arulanto, and various issues with print companies. Katopugo's publishing side of operations managed to only close a deal with the small print firm RTB, the limited facilities resulting in only around 9,000 to 10,000 copies being produced, with many containing print errors due to rushed work made to make the deadline for the quarterly Katopugo release schedule. This amount was barely enough to send to all of their subscribers, and due to the age of the issue, and the period's lack of consideration for the history of such a publication, many copies since fell into disrepair, were tossed away, or were otherwise damaged. This leaves us with very few original print releases of this issue, with most under private collection and very few digitized, and any scans having errors, issues, and low quality problems. The strangest part of the whole story, and the main reason the issue is so sought after and eye catching, is the mystery of one model, Catstopher Colombus, who - as far as records are concerned - does not exist and has never existed. There are no records of a Catstopher Colombus having ever been born, there are no banks with accounts under this name, and indeed there is no property owned or rented by a Catstopher Colombus. In interviews from curious fans it was found that even the photographers and directors didn't know much of him. In a 2009 interview Johano Molenko, the lead photographer, stated, "None of us really knew the cat, we just knew he was proper fit and that he could be worked nicely into our lineup of models for the issue. He gave no problems to staff during the shoot and seemed to leave just as soon as he came, completing his work and departing. Strange thing was, I heard this story from payroll that when they began working out his check, they got into this huge fiasco with the banks, and well that's when they - and I guess we - found out that in name he didn't exist. The whole issue was such a mess that we never stopped and thought about it in the moment, but it's something I go back to in my mind from time to time, It's funny to think and talk about but really, it's generally bizarre. What happened to the guy?" Nobody knew about the whereabouts of Catstopher Colombus...

... Until now, of course. You are reading the right page for information on the Katopugo issue 32 mystery at SMUT (The Sanctum for Multi-Universe Teachings), for we've studied the facts, we've read between the lines, and we know we have the simple truth. Some theories believe it may have been that he was a spy of Dubrovnik, or that he was catnapped by the government, or that he perhaps was even secretly a member of the S.R.Ŝ.A, but the truth is MUCH stranger - that Catstopher was not the same as all of us, but that he had knowledge of ASS. Astral Spirit Shipping is a catch-all term we use for a method of inter-dimensional travel that first brings the mind, and then the body between realms. Science has already proven the existence of dimensions time and time again (See Hadley "The True World of our Fractured Universe"), Catstopher (Nicknamed Catty by fans of the Katopugo mistery) held knowledge hitherto forbidden, and he used them to cross the threshold into the beyond after his work was finished in our world. In the next link we explain how he did it, how ASS works, and how you could use ASS with knowledge given to you by us.

Well well well! Once again we find ourselves at that annual closing point, the end of the last year and the beginning of the next -- at least with regards to my physical body, I'm not some kind of walking New Year's day. Once again I've found that any anxiety during previous months about the upcoming birthday was silly, as nothing really feels different. Honestly speaking, I just feel well. I certainly can't complain about my current situation, and am grateful for everything I have in life. From a nice stable home, to my family and my friends, and of course grateful for you all, for without you I wouldn't have been able to basically succeed in a childhood dream; to do commission work. I find it insane to think that I can shut up shop for a time to focus on other things and personal work, and then when I open up find myself with people popping in, asking for work. I wouldn't have expected even one person years ago. I suppose what I'm saying is thank you all, you have been incredibly kind to my work, and have brought me great joy to be able to do the work I love. Other than that, I have plans for the future I'm still working at, some near, some potentially far. I have much commission work to do, I have been very diligently working at the queue and I am extremely grateful for the patience of everyone waiting, especially since I've taken much longer to get person to person than I used to, though I choc this up to higher personal standards and artistic growth. As for things I'm putting into motion, I have an art piece in the works right now, though inbetween wrapping up commission work and other things I don't know when it should be out. I've also had another project collecting dust on my hard drive, so one of these days I may pick it up and resume it. I've been holding back on going too deeply into it on mentioning it because I want it to be surprising when it comes out, but it'll be something more audio than visual. This year has been confusing, coming to grips with new places, meeting new people and keeping up with people. Things certainly don't get too much more simple with only time, or whatever would read as philosophically profound. The core of it all is that I'm well, and I'm very glad to be doing well and feeling well. Thank you for all of your amazing support, I'm sure next year will be just as awesome!

Here's something fun and pretty. ^^

Cheers!

[doctorguilty]

Oh this specific discourse is HILARIOUS to me especially because I've seen people in the ao3 stan crowd insist they have SEEN ai generated text plagiarize from THEIR work specifically, which, obviously you and I know that's not how it works, but the notion in and of itself is absurd because... we're talking about fanfiction. Characters and settings that hundreds or even thousands of other people are writing about and posting, and from there, commonalities in specific romantic pairings and tropes, like, if a machine is learning from, fuck idk, 10,000 bodies of texts containing batman and joker fucking, you're going to inevitably generate stuff very similar to yours because.. you're all writing about the same exact thing.

And that's one of my bullet points of why the notion of ai generated books replacing authors completely is a stupid concept unless, I guess, you're a person who's appreciation of a story begins and ends with all the right Tropes (tm) in the right order in the right pattern... while also having no major concern for coherency or quality, so long as the aforementioned formula is there.

the biggest legitimate headache I've seen about ai generated stories and books, really, is the amount of what I'd consider "spam" created and published online or in like print-to-order services (I believe that's what they're called but you know what I mean probably?) offered by companies like Amazon. As in, say, someone generating hundreds of bodies of work with no editing or refining and just uploading them like that. The problem I see there certainly isn't consumers being more interested in reading that stuff, but just that it's clutter, spam, like I said, and moderation and quality control of this happening is sort of a novel issue in the process of being tackled.

But anyway! Sorry about the tangent!! This was something I have a lot of thoughts on

One of the things that gets me with AI scaremongering is like

Please tell me how it's gonna wholesale plagiarize your fanfic when it's straight up can't pull together correct facts from one source to answer a question?

[wizkiddx]

in your own way

so someone sent me this idea and I thought it was really cute and wanted to do it as a blurb but then I got all confused so it’s very shite and I can only apologise. also I am not no genius so pretending to be one was literally just putting words together they make no sense ahaha

Summary: tom gets self conscious of his intelligence compared to you

        (bit of angst but mainly fluff ;))

tomhollandxreader

The doorbell ringing through the couch grabbed the attention of all five of you, your heads all whipping towards the door the round to each other. You’d already got the pizza (had demolished it too) and nobody had ordered any desserts - at least that you knew of. It had been a rather tame evening, your four uni mates all stuffed into you cosy but homely studio flat. Lix had just moved to London and had wanted some help with a new project that she couldn’t afford to cock up at her new job. So, assembling the ‘dream team’ back from simpler days, you were all crouched down over many print outs - trying to puzzle your way through how the plans could be redesigned to make the invention much more ergonomic. 

“Don’t stop working!” The four around you all just groaned in return, Josh lightheartedly slapping your leg as you skipped over him.  Laughing at their exhausted and almost beaten brains , you jumped up and hopped toward the door frame, picking a discarded pizza box off up the floor and onto the countertop on your way.  As you reached the door you tightened your hair in the scrunch before painting a welcoming smile on your face and opening the door. Whatever you had been expecting, it was definitely not what you saw. 

Warm brown ochre eyes, a mischievous grin and a bunch of beautifully arrange yellow and white flowers.

“TOM!”

Squealing his names, your body apparently decided to ignore the flowers he was grasping to his front, still choosing to throw your arms around his neck and pull him close - the precious petals squashed between your two bodies. 

“God I’ve missed you!” He grinned into the side of your head, only stopping to press multiple kisses to the side of your face till you arched back and met him with your own lips. 

“Thought we were meeting tomorrow? You asked against his lips, with a little smirk - you could have a pretty good guess as to why. He had just returned from a long shoot abroad and had planned on spending the evening with his parents and brothers, then in the morning the idea was for you to go get breakfast together. You would never dream of competing for his affection against his family, so had been more than happy to give them a day with their eldest back before you saw Tom. It was still early days in your relationship anyway, you actually only been a couple and in the same country for a matter of weeks, but of course the time he was away you made time for the long distance phone calls and FaceTimes. 

“Mhmm well I just kept imagining you in a cold lonely bed and it’s not like I’m gonna let them all hop into my bed for quality time is it?”

“Well you are close!” Giggling back, Tom playfully gasped before releasing his one arm from round your waist - both of you chuckling at the crumpled flowers. You stepped aside to let him in, in all the excitement forgetting you weren’t alone until you turned around and were met with four pairs of beady eyes staring at you. Because yes perhaps it had slipped your mind to mention to them you had a boyfriend of six months, especially forgetting to tell Josh - who you had a complicated history with to say the least.

Cursing under your breath, you watched Tom freeze up, clearly shocked by the fact you had company too. He hadn’t met many of your friends, purely because you and him were still on the downlown. Not that that particularly mattered with these 4, you were more than certain they would have no idea who he was - as Lix had said before ‘superhero movies are just stupid peoples version of research papers. Innovative and exciting, except papers don’t require the variables to beat each other up to keep their audience entertained.” 

So tom’s reputation wasn’t the issue in this situation…. Instead your ex boyfriend meeting his replacement. Josh could be cruel too when he was jealous, even if it had been a year and a half since you’d called your brief relationship quits, it was evident he still wasn’t completely over you either. The amount of drunken calls asking for a hookup was evidence of that. 

You’d been almost transparent with Tom, he knew this name ‘josh’ was your ex, he was aware you were still friends and hang out. He didn’t know about the 3am booty calls but that was just to protect everyone, no other hidden agenda. He’d always regret it in the morning and beg for your forgiveness so it appeared very much to be a subconscious thought only copious amounts of alcohol could release.

“Sorry I didn’t know you had-“

“No no” You interrupted Tom, grabbing the flowers and placing them on the counter, ontop of the pizza boxes, before reaching out and squeezing his hand reassuringly. “It’s okay, let me introduce you guys.”

Following that preceded an awkward taking turns of hand shakes and small talk, though you were acutely aware of Tom’s tightening grip round your waist when the blue eyes boy introduced himself as ‘Josh’ - and in fact every time he spoke thereafter. 

The small talk was nice enough, the group of you all resumed your positions on the floor with Tom now squiggled between you and you painfully awkward ex flatmate Will. In fact it was all going oh so well till Lix opened her big bloody mouth. 

“So Tom, what do you do?” 

He immediately tensed against your side, you saw his eyes widening with shock. Instantly reading him, you realised Tom was shocked by the fact they didnt know. 

And he was! He assumed they hadn’t mentioned it purely out of respect, not wanting to make the situation awkward. They were, as you’d summarised to Tom before, nerds. As you were - no nerd shaming here. But this type of people were normally primed marvel superfans, or at least had some sort of awareness- so he was surprised to say the least. 

“Oh uh I…. I’m an actor”

“Oh really?” Josh’s eyes widened and he smirked. You knew , you knew what was coming. “So you convinced Y/n that drama’s a good thing? She used to absolutely hate everything when we had to do it at college.”

“I hated drama classes, that doesn’t mean I hate the whole entertainment industry dickhead!” You tried to joke, tried to lighten the mood. 

“Uh well she’s supportive of my stuff and I’m supportive of hers it doesn’t mean I have to like neuroscience either.”

“Neurobiologist. You’re a neurobiologist right Y/n?” For fuck sake. Will had no intention behind it at all. He was just oblivious to people and was so upfront at times it was painful, even if underneath it all he was the sweetest person you’d ever met. Watching Tom out the corner of your eye swallow thickly as he tried to compose himself you quickly worked to diffuse the situation. 

“Yeh but it’s kind of the same thing isn’t it? I say either or a lot!” Josh took a swig of his half drunk beer before nodding at Tom.

“Acting though… it’s impressive. I definitely wouldn’t be able to persevere through all the rejection though, seems cut throat to try and make it in.” There Josh goes. Tom shifted, his hand dropping from you side and his eyes fixed on the beer bottle you’d given to him as he smirked. 

“Yeh well the rejections hard when I was younger but I get that less now. Now I get to reject the parts I don’t like which makes it all so worth it.”

Josh’s face morphed just slightly in pain, as the penny somewhat dropped. Apparently Tom wasn’t the aspiring actor working 3 jobs between failed audition as he had assumed. Just as you were getting bloody desperate, a literal light went off in your head, shooting your back straight as you rifled through the haphazardly spread papers in front of you -  the groups focus now away from the obvious tension between Tom and Josh. 

“Y/n what do you need?” Lix asked slowly realising you might’ve just found the answer and not wanting to disturb the thought process. After asking for a pen and triumphantly ‘ah’-ing when you found the right plan you looked up with glee evident in your eyes first to Lix, then Will, then Sophie, then Josh. 

“We’ve been missing the whole point the whole bloody time. Look!” You jabbed your pen at an intricate diagram “It’s so bulky because we’ve been going on this assumption we need a battery and recharging ports but if we take that component out-“

“Then you just need a transformer for there” Will joined in with a sparkle in his eyes, him being the first to click where you were going with this.

“Exactly! And then size is no longer an issue and by placing an external detachable unit-“

“Y/N YOU GENIUS” “fuck that’s good” Lix exclaimed an dsimultaneously Josh much more inwardly praised your ingenious. 

“We got it!” Laughing back, you encouraged all of them to join in with, noting down all the necessary inputs and outputs and components necessary to form a vague redesign. 

Though it felt no time at all, the 5 of you consumed in mumbling through thought processes and logic of trying to actualise your theory, in reality it was almost 45 minutes before Lix leaned back with a relieved sigh. Announcing that you’d saved the day, she called time on the night, relieved that she could sleep worry free that night. You made light work between all of you of clearing her stuff up and saying goodbye to all of them with brief hugs. In all honesty, you were so in the zone you’d completely forgotten about Tom, who you were only alerted to when Lix went over to the kitchen to say bye as well. He’d obviously been there for sometime, clearing up all the greasy plates and pizza boxes, the flowers now sat in a vase in their full glory - or at least what was left of them after the crush injury. 

This wave of insurmountable guilt washed over you, realising he’d come here after only spending a couple of hours with his family after a long haul flight home to fall asleep with you in his arms. Instead, he’d faced your rude ex, been ignored for the majority of the time he was here and he’d done the washing up. You fucked up. 

Choosing till you’d finally ushered Will and Josh out, promising Will you would go and see their new shared flat soon, you closed the door slowly - knowing this wasn’t going to be simple. 

You walked up and leant against the kitchen counter, watching him place the last two mugs in the top drawer of the dishwasher before pushing it closed and then closing the appliance door too. 

“Thankyou for doing all this. You really didn’t have to.” He didn’t make eye contact, moving about the kitchen to wash his hands in the sink opposite. “And I’m really sorry I-I was gonna usher them out but the I worked it out and kind of got overexcited.”

“Mhmm … for an hour?” It was a rhetorical question and although he said it very quietly you knew he was demanding an answer. 

“I know I know I’m a shitty girlfriend, I should’ve sent them away as soon as you got here. I am so so so sorry.” That statement was left in silence for a few, painful moments.

“I was the one who showed up here. Don’t worry about it.” It was muttered and god only know you were still very worried about it. 

“No Tom I was a dickhead you have a right to be ang-“

“It doesn’t matter!” If it didnt matter, why the hell was was he answering so grumpily.Turning back around to you with a sigh, he spoke with shoulders slumped. “Look… lets just go to sleep yeh? I’ve had a long ass day.

He wasn’t in the mood to talk, you weren’t about the force him too - so with a small nod you half heartedly agreed. You knew you would have to address it at some point, but apparently now wasn’t the right time. 

So without much more conversation the two of you got ready for bed, even if the atmosphere felt jilted and cold. It was rehearsed, this wasn’t not the first time he’d stayed over so like a rehearsed scene the two of you got ready and then wormed your way underneath the sheets. You waited for him to make the first move, which of course he did. Pulling you into his bare chest which you happily obliged to, your leg wrapping round his as you nuzzled into his chest. Both softly whispering ‘goodnight’ your eyes closed as you tried to sleep.

Except it didnt work and wasn’t going to. Mainly because Tom’s heartbeat was thundering right under your ear. So you were hardly surprised when he whispered in the quiet. 

“Do we work?”

“What?” You arched up, a hand on his chest as your head hovered over his - your eyes burning into his in the dim light of the street lights. He sighed heavily, shaking his head and trying to avoid your gaze.

“I just- we have so little in common” 

“That’s not true.”

“It is. I have no idea about even what you do! Seeing you with all of them tonight… you were enjoying talking about stuff I could never ever understand!”

“I don’t have a clue about scene direction or physical acting does that make you dislike me?”

“No course not!” He argued huffily, making you sit up in frustration and reach over to turn the bedside light on.

“Then will you please explain what is going on?”

“Just… just look I know intelligence is attractive and-and well you are and I’m not.” 

That physically hurt you hearing him be so self conscious in front of. Clearly, you had made him feel like pure shit this evening and that guilt would surely eat you up later - but right now the focus was purely on making him feel assured of his own mind-blowing talents. 

“Tom…it’s not intelligence that’s attractive! You know…” You sighed, how the hell were you going to explain to him how much you LOVED HIM.liked him, you hadn’t said that yet. “You know when you’re reading a script that’s good your mouth move along as if your living and breathing every single word. And you completely are oblivious to anything around Tom, I always thought if someone crashed into the house you wouldn’t notice cos your so into it. And then when your finally finished with it, no matter what time of the day or night, you’lll be like this excited puppy running in to tell me all about it. Or-or when you’ve visited a children’s hospital and you phone me bouncing off the walls, full of stories of how these kids inspire you….” Trailing off, you looked intently between both of his two brown eyes. “Thats passion right? And ambition?” He nodded minutely. “Thats what’s so bloody attractive. For all I care, you could be a supermarket shelf restocker if that’s what your passionate about and you would still be the most incredible person to me. I love your passion you idiot, I don’t care if you don’t know stupid facts about astrophysics or where in the brain control movement of your big toe! In your own way your so bloody clever and I love you because of you and your passion you idiot.” 

“Seriously?” You nodded profusely at his whisper, now cupping both hands round his cheeks. “You seriously think…. I’m like a puppy?”

There was your boyfriend again, grinning from ear to ear as you giggled at him.

“Yes you most definitely are.” He gasped in fake shock, before pulling you closer and pressing his lips against yours. Now straddled over his body with the duvet weighing down on your back as you tasted the minty toothpaste still fresh on his lips. After a short while you once again settled back down on his chest, feeling much more warm than mere moments ago, and confident that Tom was reassured and happy once again. 

The silence lasted long enough for you to be slowly drifting off before a deep rumble had you blinking your eyes open, eyelashes dragging against his shoulder as you tried to focus on his voice.

“By the way…” Tom dragged it out, making you hum in encouragement as you listened to his slightly hoarse and sleepy sounding voice “in your big soliloquy just then… you said you love me?” You froze, desperately trying to claw a good answer or cover up. Completely failing, you went for the next best and oddly relevant statement. 

“I don’t know what solliquarity means because its an actory word so I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Solliliquy darling… but for the record, and I hope you understand this… I love you too.”

[imperiuswrecked]

Diamond Distribution is Dying

And why that’s a good thing. 

I’m sure by now most comic fans have heard of Marvel breaking their ties to Diamond Distribution. A  lot of fans are happy about this and other fans probably aren’t aware of just what this means in the comic world. So a short comic history lesson to help everyone, this is generalization by me from my time in comic fandom because I love reading up about comic history, so if anyone else has more specific sources or wants to add on then go ahead.

Back in the 1980′s there was different smaller distributors for comic companies however they all started getting bought up by one distributor, Diamond. 

What is a comic distributor? They are the company that gets comics into the shelves of stores. Think of it like this: 

Creative Team gets paid for their work and complete comic > Comic Company prints comics with their preferred printer company based on orders from Diamond > Diamond gets their order information from Comic Shops who get their pre-order information from customers interest >  Comic Company ships comics to Diamond warehouse > Diamond ships comics to shop > Shop places comics on shelves or in pull list boxes and wait for costumer to come in and pay for comics > Comic Shops pay their Diamond invoice bills > Diamond is paid and also pays Comic Company for comics > if comic is a hit then it goes to second printing > if comic flops then Comic Shop still owes Diamond their money because Diamond does not accept returns on comics and Diamond needs to get paid and to pay Comic Company. This is all done in bulk orders.

This is the direct to market approach that was great for comic companies but not so great for comic stores. This is why pre-ordering comics is so important, because realtors (comic shops) and Diamond would then try to guess what the customers demand was and would buy more of that comic to sell. This is why IP’s like Spider-Man, Batman, Super Man, X-Men, always get more comics made rather than less mainstream characters. The more popular the character the less the risk of comic shops losing money.

Diamond had a near monopoly on this whole operation, which means everyone is stuck using their outdated and old model of sales which hasn’t been updated since the 90s, (the 90s comic crash had many contributing factors that also aided in Diamond becoming a monopoly*). Everyone was stuck only looking at what Diamond reported in sales, which means online comics being bought were never really disclosed (this is still unsure of bc no one ever says what online digital comics sales are). Physical comics took longer to get overseas in international markets. And this meant that when in the early 2000′s, Diamond raised the pre-order minimum price from around $1,000 to over $2,000 then smaller independent comic creators were screwed. This is also why independent or smaller creators/comic companies have to fight like hell to get their comics even MENTIONED in Diamond Distributor’s preview order catalog so stores can pre-order.

In the past Diamond has faced accusations of censorship, and bullying smaller companies. 

Due to the 2020 Pandemic, Diamond stopped distribution last year for three months, DC cut out early and left to another company but Marvel stuck it out until 2021 where they just announced that they were joining with Penguin Random House to distribute comics. This is a huge deal, without their two biggest buyers then Diamond will die, maybe they can struggle along but there are no guarantees. Unlike DC completely cutting and running, Marvel is giving realtors the option to stay and order through Diamond or to order through Penguin. 

What does this mean for comic fans? Penguin will probably be able to get marvel comics into an international marker better than Diamond. Penguin might be able to distribute comics in places other than comic shops which could bring in new fans, they might be able to get comics into places that could go before because in order for Diamond to ship the buyers had to have an account through that one company, which is why most book stores only have a limited comic section, if one at all.

Do you recall all those old pictures of comics being on racks in general stores and pharmacies and stuff? I’m not saying that would come back but there is a possibility that you could see comics in more places like that. The comic model of sales of today has changed a lot since the 90s and Diamond never got that. I’m personally glad comics are not going to be held by only one huge distributor any more.

* If you don’t know what the comic crash of the 90s was then its pretty simple: In that era there was a huge boom of people suddenly buying up comics because of their perceived value, when stuff like Batman’s first comic selling for so much money was a hot topic and more people were suddenly getting rich off their old comic collections, as well as hard core comic collectors looking to increase their collections, spectators jumped in and began buying up like 10 or more issues, and keeping them for a later nest egg sale. 

Creators were becoming celebrities overnight thanks to new characters, stories that shifted from the classic ongoing tales to ‘YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS ISSUE. THIS IS THE COMIC THAT CHANGES IT ALL.” shake up stories and less restrictions on comics. Things like the Death of Superman was flying off the shelves because people thought it would be worth money, it was not. In addition to this huge boom of sales, people who knew nothing about comics or selling were opening up shops left and right, over ordering and not selling, and very shortly places became bankrupt and closed down. Comic companies were literally raking in the cash and thinking that things were going to stay as they were but then the quality of comics had deteriorated, older fans were turned off by this, the bubble burst, people lost interest, and things went downhill.

Marvel bought Heroes World, to distribute their own comics on the idea that their X-Men Reprints were going to make them mad money but uhhh it did not and their terrible distribution pissed people off so they all went to Diamond and thus the reason for Marvel’s bankruptcy in the late 90s where they sold off movie rights to their biggest characters for literal pennies to stay afloat.

[cloveroctobers]

• ROHAN WASTI•

IG info/bio: @/niceguyroasti | 175k followers | Just here for a bit of fun 🤹🏽‍♂️! They don’t call me the brown handstand king for nuthin, mate 🎪🤸🏽‍♂️

(23) 25 (26) years old

From Wolverhampton, England

Before you ask...no he’s never met Liam Payne but Rohan’s sure he’s a great lad. (He was asked this question in one of his lives, he secretly thinks it was talia from one of her secret burner stan accounts lol) He’s got a nice tune with a boogie w da hoodie that he likes??

Anyways...he’s of Pakistani heritage

His mother used to work for a printing press company until she along with 15 other employees were laid off back in Sargodha

She was out of work for months becoming a stay at home mom (which his father initially wanted) 

While his father continued in ironwork

They uprooted their family to the uk two years later after Rohan’s father also got laid off

Rohan was about 7 years old when they moved to Wolverhampton

he picked up on the English language faster than his parents

Always a quick learner

He has two younger brothers

Who are really his cousins/friends of the family that his parents brought home from Pakistan after their parents passed in a tragic accident

he was eleven years old when he met them at the airport and was super excited to have sibs! & even encouraged his mom to let him buy them something they would like sort of like a ice breaker which they seemed to appreciate 😭

His parents wanted him to major in software engineering or any form of engineering really but that quickly became a “hell no” vs “hell yeah” after those courses started to rot his brain?

So what does he do? He decides he’s gonna major in psychology instead!

That seems more of his speed? Kinda? As long as he’s not dealing with that hardware shit then that’s cool with him tbh

Psych held more of his interest since he doesn’t have a issue with the whole science aspect tied into it but it’s deff lengthy and can be draining sometimes too

He doesn’t psychoanalyze everything like our girl marisol does

marisol will be like “hmm...you’re distributing narcissistic behavior based on your superego more than your ego ya know?”

but Rohan will either think it or think nothing of it and just continue to go with the flow lol. He’s that kinda guy

Why was he majoring in this in the first place? Just to say he had the degree in something maybe?

He’s 50/50 thinking he’ll just get the degree he’s halfway there but he really wants to be part of the circus

And now has circus themed tatts that he’s proud of thank u

Always had the obsession with all that comes with the circus, he had his paternal grandfather to thank for that

His grandfather used to juggle along with other forms of entertainment but mostly juggling on the street back in Pakistan to earn $ since there were a lack of jobs

The atmosphere there also was what got him into doing handstands cause why tf not

You can absolutely guess that the acrobats, trapeze acts, and tightrope entertainers are his favorites to watch

His parents just assumed it was a hobby of his and never took him serious even tho he openly said growing up that’s something he would like to do in life

He now understands the purpose of “freak shows” even tho he can honestly say those parts of the circus used to terrify him until he learned that not everyone is the same and there should be no shame in that

He will train on the side until he finishes his degree to make his parents happy but he knows he truly belongs in the circus and that’s where he will be someday whether his parents approve or not— after all this is his life

Lives on campus and is currently looking for a flat off campus to share with a roommate or two (he thought about asking jake & Tim but decided against it FOR NOW)

Mostly had temporary and odd jobs to get by each semester, has not had a steady job due to fully being a full-time student

He’s tried to be a full time student and full time employee (working as a package delivery man) just to burn himself out and never attempted to be a part time employee. It was not something he could handle sorry

His mother spoils him...he’s a bit of a mama’s boy

When it comes to relationships, it never seems to be what he thinks it is? One moment things are going great then the next he’s in the friend zone so he’s never quite sure where he stands with his significant others?

Which is why he thinks it’s safe to always start off in the friend zone or unintentionally puts those who have interest in him in the friend zone because that’s what’s comfortable to him

however if he’s really into you & you’re showing that you’re into him but it’s causal dating or whatever u want to call it? & you up and decide to pick the other over him catching him off guard he’s gonna be in his feelings about it 100% ex.) how he picked erikah over mc the 2nd time around and felt some type of way when erikah hopped on reeses dck

he wants communication even if it’s hard

and he wants someone to love unconditionally and for them to love him back

Definitely likes to sweep his loves off their feet

Especially when he’s kissing! The whole dipping you while you kiss, hand on the small of your back, or hands gripping your waist while he’s pressed up against you. Probably likes to bend you over things or have you pressed up against objects as well—Sign me tf up

I feel like he’s always warm and his hands are surprisingly soft with how many handstands he does in a damn day

He purchases hand moisturizing gloves

can always hold his own weight

enjoys core exercises

Will carry you on his back or his shoulders if you need to see better at festivals/concerts

He’s sexually fluid

It’s canon/hinted that something went on between him & jake when mc walked in that we missed by a few seconds or even a minute but I do think he’s attracted/was to jake and it’s canon that jake is bi bby

Plus he got excited when mc suggested that he’d date jake if jake doesn’t find someone in the villa so BOOM 🤗

Always active as a kid trying to do flips and shit likes he’s doing parkour much like Bobby ending up with bruises, scrapes, and surprisingly no broken bones? Well maybe scratch that last bit out...He did crack his head open a little bit once giving his mother a heart attack but his mother doesn’t dare speak of it — haram!

Loves his sleeveless shirts and silver thick chains

Keeps a five o’clock shadow + might grow a little stubble here and there, feels like it’s part of his signature look

Won’t grow a full beard due to the racism/prejudice he witnessed his father, grandfather, uncles, and cousins go thru!

Will spend coin on some aftershave, none of that cheap shit when it comes to that! Sorry he takes pride in his facial area

probably went thru a mild case of cystic acne when puberty hit & had some insecure moments when it comes to his appearance & still has moments where it’ll hit even tho he beat it thanks to some remedies but tries his best not to let it get to him

He knows how to manage his $ but can splurge every now and then but will never showcase what he has — that’s v corny to him to be overly flashy. He’s looking at y’all @/leggy @/jasper/@/miles

Doesn’t take high quality photos of himself, it’s always zoomed in or extra zoomed in photos—yup he’s got that type of feed

Regrets putting mc in the friend zone & wishes he put more effort in making things work with erikah

But slowly learned to be happy that she’s with Reese even if he wasn’t at first. He really thought there could have been something for him & erikah

he secretly thinks their “relationship” is superficial & based off of shallowness and lust. What else do they have? Nothing that he could have given her but what’s the point in being bitter over this?

Reese is a shit stirrer that thinks he can get anything he wants because of the way he looks & if he knows outside info that he can use again you, he WILL

& erikah? He doesn’t know where her head is at majority of the time. She likes to throw rocks then acts like she didn’t mean to do it but why do it in the first place if you didn’t mean to? + she seems to lose interest fast if they don’t fit her standards besides their physical appearance...yeah Rohan caught all of that

So did she even genuinely like him or want to besides what he brought to the table physically? Who knows

He just thinks people deserve their chance at happiness and he possibly could have had it if he wasn’t standing in his own way...and he absolutely won’t stand in anyone else’s way if they don’t see potential happiness with him

He’s cool with cherry but deep down he knew there wouldn’t be anything long term between him & her after some time. She’s a beautiful/hot girl but she wasn’t his type + he didn’t like how she portrayed herself in the villa even tho she claims there was more than what meets the eye when it comes to her

she proved that to him which she didn’t HAVE to!!! outside of the house and they actually remained friends unlike the now growing distance he has with erikah

I cannoned that him and Hannah give it a go. I think they’d be cute together? She told him from the moment they met at a festival that they were now dating after they ended up holding hands but he didn’t take her seriously since she was a little drunk?

She messaged him two days later asking him when they were going on their date and that was enough for him to give it a go

They only lasted for a couple of months since they outgrew each other slowly but surely. ‘Not all things are temporary,’ he had to remind himself

It was no bad blood thankfully and they continued to be friends with him wishing her well on her new relationship with Carl. He was genuinely happy for her as he always was for his friends

Cannot cook for shit but makes the best coffee with cinnamon & cardamom

once tried to make Aloo Chaat but with a twist! With the use of Potato Skins instead! for a family dinner party and his mum almost sent him home due to the insults his father spewed at rohan trying to fool them all that it was his wife who prepared such a thing

It is evident that his father only enjoys his wife’s cooking

he still makes it for himself when he’s starving despite what his father thinks

Is fluent in Urdu, English came second

Never ashamed of his culture although his father thinks he is...

His fav shows are misfits + the IT crowd and he is currently watching & enjoying truth seekers + mr. selfridge since Tim recommended it to him ofc

his fav American show is the challenge

when asked what his fav American movie is, he got dragged since ppl assumed it would be the greatest showman but he can’t take all the singing...musicals aren’t his thing sorry

But he’ll bust out a rap only if Tim & jake are around, he rarely does it alone

Even looked into producing music for fun but never took THAT seriously

closest with jake & Tim, doesn’t have much of a relationship with the other lads 🤷🏽‍♀️ but there’s no real beef with anyone he knows how to let shit go

But you’ll never catch him having a chat with Reese or following him back on ig. What they had to say to each other was already said and done so?

If erikah agrees to get engaged to Reese, he’s happy for her but cordial to him

if she doesn’t end up with Reese, he’ll be her shoulder to lean on if she needs it

his love language is physical touch with a splash of acts of service

Commonly sleeps curled up, his mum says he was like that in the womb as well—(same dude)

He’s probably a good 5’9 - 5’7 on bad days

Is he a Pisces? Idk

His signature cologne is probably Antaeus by Chanel which is described to have notes of: lemon, lime, coriander and sage w. A blend of thyme, basil and rose

Loves black pepper, specifically garlic, onion, black pepper, and sea salt all mixed together

has a vitiligo spot on the right side of his lower spine that is commonly covered with the waistband of whatever bottoms he has on

has a pogo stick

Wants to go skydiving next, has gone bungee jumping—which was such a adrenaline rush!!!

probably knows a few tips on how to survive in the wild or if the apocalypse hits...you can never be too sure

If he ever gets a pet he might get something like: Satanic Leaf tailed Gecko, Kinkajou, or a Pac-Man frog. He likes being different okay

he actually enjoyed season 3 despite the negative remarks made about it. It was “different” basically drama free which was a shocker knowing how production likes to take things take a shot every time ro explains his decisions/opinions as such lol

BUT he won’t go as far to say he liked it better than his season yet he did enjoy keeping up with it. He def has a crush on iona, aj, vieve, Camilo & tai

Yasmin actually joined one of his lives, which he doesn’t do too often but he couldn’t sleep one night and thought he’d give it a go. She’s quite nice & quiet but he ultimately felt calm around her + they bonded over bohemian lifestyle & his love for the circus + a little about their cultures

Long term goals? He doesn’t have a set timeline of when he wants everything to happen because pressure is not fun

but he wants to be in love and loved back, wants to be married, wants to have kids, wants to try out the circus for awhile and if that doesn’t work out he can always fall back on his psych degree—he just wants to be happy and share that with someone, that’s one of the biggest adventures he can possibly have

His anthem = Blxst, “No Love Lost”

[kae-karo]

Hi can you write 13 and 21 please sry if I ask for too much :)

for context (x - make me write things!)

oh my gosh first of all please do not feel like u have to apologize i love any opportunity to write my fave ships and this was no different also i just need to say ur icon and header are amajiki and kiri two of the best Best Boyes on the entire show i literally love them and would die for them

anyway! thank u so much and i hope u enjoy and don’t mind that i put these as two separate lil prompts

13. “Look, I know you’re a hardass, but can you play with my hair? It would really help.” - hawks - [read on ao3] - this is loosely based on the idea of hawks having bird-like qualities, specifically raptor stress grip (x) but also the idea that he likes being preened 

21. “This might sound selfish, but I don’t care about the world - I only care about you!” - villain!denki - [read on ao3] - go read this (x) first cause i feel like this suits a part 2

–

13 - [read on ao3]

Hawks’ grip on his arm is something unusual - not quite strong enough to be classed as painful, but strong nonetheless. Any harder and it might border on the feeling of his father dragging him around as a child, his hand so tight it threatened to snap his arm. But this falls short of that, and Dabi’s grateful.

He’d rather that anything associated with Hawks be positive, or at least not remind him of his past.

“You’re sure it’s fine?” Hawks asks for the twelfth time in the past ten minutes. Dabi huffs out a breath of laughter.

“Yes, it’s totally fine,” he reassures Hawks yet again. He’s only ever done this to Dabi once before, but it already feels strangely comforting to know that, in some way, he chose to seek out Dabi when he’d become overwhelmed.

It’s a stress thing - something to do with his quirk, Hawks told him - and Dabi wonders if he should really be appreciative of something that’s a source of unease for Hawks. Not that he knows what exactly happened, but he assumes if it were important, Hawks would’ve told him by now.

Maybe it’s selfish, but he kind of hopes Hawks continues to stay stressed out. Dabi’s not used to having him this close for however long it takes him to calm down, but he’s starting to enjoy the company.

Dabi watches patiently as Hawks’ gaze flicks around the empty room - Dabi’s room, where he’d been going through some profiles for other potential recruits before Hawks had burst in. The last time this had happened, it’d only lasted for maybe fifteen minutes, which means his time with Hawks is likely running out.

Although Hawks doesn’t look any less stressed than when he’d rushed in, not that Dabi’s complaining.

“You should, uh…” Hawks nods at Dabi’s papers. “I didn’t mean to take you away from whatever you were doing.” Dabi shakes his head.

“You didn’t interrupt, it can wait.” Dabi can wait, he could wait an eternity with Hawks clinging to him like this. Hawks’ fingers tighten on Dabi’s arm just slightly.

“No, that’s-” He shakes his head. “It’s really not helping, worrying that I’m keeping you from doing stuff.” Hawks’ voice is relatively even, but his eyes never stop wandering the room, and Dabi’s starting to wonder if this is going to last a bit longer than the first time. He crushes down the little spark in his chest that says he hopes it does.

Hawks is clearly still stressed, and Dabi shouldn’t be taking advantage of that. No matter how it makes him feel to have Hawks so close.

So he picks up a paper, the one he’d been looking at before Hawks barrelled in and plopped down beside him on his bed, and scans it superficially.

At first, it’s truly just with the intent of appeasing Hawks’ nerves and pretending he’s focused on his work instead of the warm grip of Hawks’ hands on his arm, but it soon becomes a genuine effort. He’s pretty sure he’s the only one in the League actively searching for potential new recruits, and he’ll be damned if this whole thing falls apart while Shigaraki is away. Not that he had officially dubbed Dabi his replacement, but Dabi’s pretty sure it was implied.

Besides, nobody else is really fit to take up the mantle.

So he loses himself in the various pages he’d printed - his eyes started hurting from staring too long at a computer screen - and searches with intent for the right qualities that might make another useful member of the team. Or pawn, depending on what they bring to the table.

With his eyes buried in endless pages, it takes him nearly an hour to realize Hawks’ head has slowly drifted to rest on his shoulder. In fact, it takes Hawks huffing out a breath that might be laughter for Dabi to notice this new position, and he has to reign in the sudden racing of his heart to prevent it from scaring Hawks away.

But his hands haven’t moved from their spot on Dabi’s arm, and Dabi lets his gaze drift to the tufts of hair tickling his neck.

“You really think that kid’s going to be of any use?” Hawks says, his tone light and humorous but more than obviously forced. Whatever’s going on in his head, his it’s clear that his concerns haven’t subsided. Dabi’s starting to wonder if he should be asking about what happened, why he’s so stressed all of a sudden.

“I think he has potential.” Dabi rearranges the pile of papers he’d just set this profile down on top of. “Why, you don’t?” He hadn’t said a word about what he was doing, but Hawks must live up to his name - he must have incredible observation skills to notice how Dabi has been organizing these people, to recognize which pile was for the ones he deemed useful.

“Your criteria are too superficial.” Hawks’ head shifts on Dabi’s shoulder, but he doesn’t lift it. “Powerful quirks, high-up connections, anger management issues? It’s too broad, they won’t hold together in the long run.” Now it’s Dabi’s turn to blow out a breath.

“For someone who got recruited by me, I feel like you’re not really in any position to judge,” Dabi says. He’s pretty sure his tone contained enough sarcasm to warrant a laugh, but Hawks’ hands just tighten on his arm. 

As much as he’s enjoying Hawks’ company, he’s not sure it’s healthy for him to be on edge for this long. He shifts and picks up another paper, but he’s not really reading it.

“What do you normally do?” Dabi asks, trying to keep his voice soft. He was always terrified of his father’s yelling, to the point that even hearing him talk too loudly would kick his panic up a notch. 

“What- what, for recruiting? I don’t really do that, I mean I guess I do for the agency, but not-”

“No, no,” Dabi interrupts Hawks’ rambling. He does his best not to smile at the reaction - Hawks is stressed, it’s not something he should be considering cute.

“When this happens,” Dabi gestures to his arm and Hawks’ hands clinging there, “what do you do?” Hawks exhales a breath and a soft ‘oh’.

“I don’t, um…” he trails off, and Dabi waits patiently, his silly hopes fluttering in his chest. He’s not usually one for hugs, but if Hawks is gearing up to ask for one, he might be willing to make an exception. 

“I’m not usually around anyone I can trust.” 

Now it’s Dabi’s turn to let out an equally soft ‘oh’. Hawks trusts him? Trusts him, of all people? A villain, someone who could set him on fire with a single touch? He trusts Dabi in spite of that?

“Okay…” Dabi fumbles for words in the silence, not daring to look over at where Hawks is still resting on his shoulder. He can’t tell if the air has suddenly become thicker, coating his tongue and throat and lungs and making it impossible to breathe, or if he’s just overreacting.

“Is it…normal for it to last this long?” Hawks trusts him, and he should trust that Hawks would say something if this was unusual, but it doesn’t stop his concerns from bubbling over and falling from his lips. 

Hawks stiffens and clears his throat.

“Sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t think it would, I’d stop if I could, I just-”

“No, that’s not-” Dabi sighs. “Is…is there anything I can do to help?” He’s not trying to get Hawks to leave, but it’s clear this whole thing is only continuing to stress him out. Not that Dabi has any clue what got him to this state in the first place, but if he can help him calm down, maybe he can find out.

Hawks shifts beside him, and he sucks in a breath. Dabi expects he’ll release it along with a suggestion for how Dabi can help, but he just exhales. So Dabi waits a few more seconds, then a few more after that, until it’s most definitely been too long.

“Well?” Dabi tries again. Hawks sighs, and his hands tighten on Dabi’s arm. Dabi can’t imagine how on earth trying to calm him down would somehow stress him out more, but-

“Look, I know you’re a hardass…” Dabi freezes - is that what Hawks thinks of him? Hawks takes a deep breath, and his voice barely comes out above a whisper. “But can you play with my hair? It would…really help.” 

Hawks goes still, totally and completely still, as if his own words have startled him, and Dabi stares hard at the paper in his hand. It’s all a blur of black and white, letters that don’t turn into words but mix around on the page and blend together into all shades of gray. Hawks wants…he wants Dabi to touch him? 

Just his hair, just to help him calm down, Dabi reminds himself. This isn’t anything, it doesn’t mean anything. He tamps down on the voice in the back of his head that says Hawks trusts him. That doesn’t mean anything either.

With as much care as he can manage in spite of his sudden nerves, Dabi lifts his hand to the mess of hair on his shoulder. Hawks doesn’t move, doesn’t shout out a last minute ‘wait, stop!’, doesn’t pull himself away, and Dabi lets his fingers comb gently through the wild locks. 

Hawks’ breath slows almost immediately, and Dabi wishes desperately that he could see Hawks’ face right now. Not that he needs much reassurance that this is truly helping Hawks - the grip on his arm loosens, and Hawks leans into his shoulder. A rustling sounds behind Dabi’s head, but it’s not til the expanse of a wing flops into view that he realizes Hawks must’ve let them droop to the bed. 

Dabi holds his tongue, afraid to ruin whatever’s happening, afraid to set Hawks on edge again when he clearly needs to relax, but questions buzz inside his head and demand to make an appearance.

“That’s helping?” he asks first, and his lip curls up in an admittedly self-satisfied smile when Hawks nods into the crook of Dabi’s neck. 

It’s soothing, both the repetitiveness of his hand in Hawks’ hair and the comforting warmth of Hawks leaning further and further into him, and the warmth spreads through his body and up to his brain, encasing it in a pleasant fog. He’s vaguely aware he’d wanted to ask something else, or maybe several somethings, but they’re lost behind a veil of comfort.

Before he can stop himself, Dabi leans back toward his pillow, gently pulling Hawks with him. His brain isn’t exactly capable of coherent thought right now, but he’d like to imagine it’d tell him what a great thing he’s doing, how this is definitely helping Hawks.

And he’s pretty sure he’d be right.

Hawks’s grip doesn’t release from his arm, but it’s loose enough now that he manages to comfortably curl himself against Dabi’s side, and his head lands on Dabi’s chest. 

Dabi’s eyes drift shut of their own accord, and he doesn’t even bother with the excuse to himself that he’s just resting them. He’s warm and Hawks is here and everything else is drifting into the background so what else even matters? 

“Thank you,” Hawks mumbles into his shirt, and Dabi’s chest feels like it’s exploding. But the pretty kind of explosion, like art. He feels like artwork, with Hawks pressed against him, like something far more than himself.

“Anything for you, little bird.”

———————————————

21 - [read on ao3]

“You asshole!” Denki screams, and the wooden chair creaks as he struggles against the bindings. Hitoshi dips his head.

“We need to know what you know,” Aizawa says again. Denki coughs out a bitter laugh.

“I don’t know anything, I’ve never known anything, and there’s nothing you could do to me that would matter anyway.” His words cut like ice - he’d said that once before, before all this had happened.

“I swear I don’t know anything, can you tutor me, Shinsou?” And god, Hitoshi had fallen for it. Fallen for everything Denki said.

Fallen for Denki.

“I thought we were saving Kirishima!” Denki shouts again, and Hitoshi is grateful for the soundproofed room they’re in. Aizawa has some weird resources, but he supposes they’re useful.

“We did,” Hitoshi argues.

“And then you brainwashed me.” He’s never heard Denki like this, his tone so acidic it rivals Mina’s quirk. Hitoshi’s head hurts as it tries to reconcile everything - Denki’s betrayal with his prior kindness, Hitoshi’s own promises to never do something like that to a friend with the question of whether Denki ever was a friend.

Friends don’t betray friends.

“We need information,” Aizawa butts in, straightforward as ever. “There are lives on the line.”

“There are always lives on the line, why does it suddenly matter so damn much?” Hitoshi turns away - the Denki he knows would care, at least a little. He wanted to be a hero, what the hell happened?

“Man, I swear I have to get way better with my quirk or I’ll never be a real hero!” Hitoshi had laughed at that, at the idea that Denki would be anything other than exactly who he wanted to be. Hitoshi always found himself laughing around Denki.

“Why- why does it matter?” Aizawa’s clearly losing his patience. Hitoshi inhales a few deep breaths, trying to keep himself calm. But how the hell is he supposed to be calm when his best friend turned on him? On the entire school?

How was he so easily fooled?

“Shinsou, please, keep an eye on him,” Aizawa grumbles, brushing past Hitoshi and out the door. “I need a minute.”

Hitoshi doesn’t want to turn around. He doesn’t want to see those bright yellow eyes turned hard and brutal against him. He would rather remember the way his mouth opened a little too wide when he laughed, the way he hung around Hitoshi even when he didn’t think he wanted the company, the way he could quote Shakespeare word for word then turn around and ask Hitoshi if birds could see the same colors as people.

“You’re no better than I am,” Denki hisses at Hitoshi’s back, and the words creep up Hitoshi’s spine and worm their way into his ears. He wishes he could pull them out, throw them to the ground and squish them under his feet.

“You betrayed me, and I betrayed you, so we’re even now,” Hitoshi says to the wall. Denki coughs out a laugh.

“Perfect, you can let me out of here, then.”

“Not until you tell us who you’re working for, who your contacts are.” Maybe Hitoshi’s been spending too much time with Aizawa, but his mentor is right, there are lives at stake, and Denki might have the intel that could help save them.

“I don’t know,” Denki says again, “what the hell do I have to say to get you to believe me?” 

“I did believe you,” Hitoshi says, though he wishes he hadn’t. His tongue refuses to stop now that it’s started, though, and all the damn emotions he’s been holding back come spilling from his lips.

“I believed you wanted to be a hero, I believed you wanted to help. I believed you were my friend.” He does turn around now, and he almost regrets it - Denki’s staring back, eyes wide and lips parted like he might be about to argue that point. Hitoshi wishes he would, wishes he would say something and make Hitoshi believe it.

But nothing comes out, only an aching silence that makes Hitoshi want to scream, but he doesn’t. He won’t lose himself in front of Denki, not when he’s taken everything else. No, Hitoshi can hold onto his anger. That’d been a gift from Denki, after all.

“I believed you loved classic literature and didn’t understand geometry and liked pranking the other students and wanted to control your quirk and I believed you cared.” Hitoshi’s out of breath now, but the lack of oxygen only fuels him. He lifts his voice modulator.

“I like you, Shinsou,” he says in Denki’s voice, and Denki’s eyes drop to the ground. Hitoshi lowers the modulator. “I believed it when you said that, too. And look where that got me.” His hand clenches in a fist at his side and tears prick at the back of his eyes.

“I could kill you right now,” Denki says, his voice so low that Hitoshi almost doesn’t hear him. As soon as he does, though, he wishes he hadn’t. “Electrocute you and Aizawa and find a way to get free once you’re dead.”

“Do it, then. What’s stopping you?” Hitoshi grits his teeth to keep his lip from trembling. Denki would kill them. Kill him.

“I don’t…want to.” He sounds so resigned, and Hitoshi blows out a shaky breath.

“That’s reassuring,” he says, hoping the dark humor will help dispel some of the ache in his chest. It doesn’t, but Denki laughs, a real laugh, and Hitoshi’s breath comes in a little easier this time. 

Maybe, somewhere in the depths of his imagination, he can pretend Denki’s going to break down and tell them it was all a ruse, just a clever manipulation and he’s really one of the good guys, he really is a hero. And maybe there’s absolutely no reason Hitoshi could even begin to justify that hope inside his head, but it refuses to leave him alone.

“This was never…it was never about UA, or class 1A or Aizawa or any of them,” Denki says, and Hitoshi looks up to find him staring at his shoes. “It wasn’t even about you, not at first.” Hitoshi stops himself from interrupting - information, that’s what they need. That’s what he did this for, to save people. He can still be a hero, even if he couldn’t save-

No, he won’t give up on Denki yet. He can’t, it would break something inside him to do that.

“Why, then? Why all of this?” He waves a hand in Denki’s direction. Were we not enough to change you? Was I not enough? He can’t ask that, though. He can’t even begin to consider hearing Denki say that he wasn’t.

“I had to keep myself safe, keep my family safe,” Denki says to the floor. The chair creaks as he leans forward, his hair falling to block his face. “I thought…I thought I wouldn’t care.”

Hitoshi stills at the words. Did he care, then? 

“I thought…it’d be easy to do whatever was asked of me - and no, I don’t know who it was, the whole thing was anonymous.” Denki’s staring hard at him now, but Hitoshi can’t come up with any words. “I didn’t think-” he pauses, then his gaze softens. “I wasn’t there to make friends.”

Hitoshi blows out a breath - the same thing he’d said to Denki from day one.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have.” He means it as a joke, almost. Almost, except for the gaping hole left in his chest after Denki’s betrayal. Almost, except for the memory of raucous laughter turning soft as Denki leaned closer to Hitoshi. Almost, except that Hitoshi had been willing to hand his heart over. Almost, except Denki had run away and left it broken.

“I thought I could protect you too,” Denki says, and he sounds almost as shattered as Hitoshi feels. “They said they’d keep you safe, and I believed them.” Hitoshi squeezes his eyes shut, desperately fighting back the wave of tears that threaten to overwhelm him.

It takes several moments too long, but he manages to shove them back down, and he takes a deep breath as he opens his eyes. Denki’s still staring at his feet, and Hitoshi wants nothing more than to lift his chin, to tell him things will turn out okay in the end. That he doesn’t need to worry, Hitoshi is a hero and he’ll keep Denki safe now.

But it’s Denki’s fault they’re in this mess. A real hero would see that, wouldn’t they?

“You put the entire world at risk to keep me safe?” He hopes his tone comes off angry - hell, he should’ve just switched on his modulator and flipped to Bakugou’s voice. That’d have done better than letting his own words betray how hurt he is right now.

Denki just blows out a breath of bitter laughter.

“I know this might sound selfish,” he shakes his head and lifts it just enough to catch Hitoshi’s eye, “unheroic, even, but I don’t care about the world.” Hitoshi clenches his jaw. “I only care about you, Hitoshi, I just wanted to keep you safe.” He shakes his head, leaning back in the chair. “You have no idea what’s coming.”

Hitoshi does his best to ignore everything Denki’s saying, everything that isn’t useful. Emotions aren’t useful, not right now.

“What’s coming, then? What do we need to protect ourselves from?” He takes a few steps closer, hoping it comes across as intimidating.

“I don’t know, they won’t tell me, but it’s big, Hitoshi…” He exhales a slow breath, and Hitoshi watches the line of his throat as he swallows. “I don’t know if we’ll make it.”

Hitoshi startles at the tears pooling in Denki’s eyes - he’s never been one to cry, as far as Hitoshi’s ever known, but that alone is enough to set his heart racing. Something big, something Denki’s not sure they’ll survive…

“We just gotta stick together and we’ll be fine!” Hitoshi says into his modulator, and it comes out as Denki’s voice - sure, they had just been training, it was just practice, there wasn’t a real threat like there is now, but those words had helped him then and maybe they can help Denki now.

Maybe he can still figure this out, maybe he can still bring Denki back to the right side. Maybe it’s not that Denki doesn’t care, but that he cared far too much. And maybe Hitoshi cares far too much, too.

[saraprity]

The Difference Between AKC and ACA Dogs.

American dog registries are known around the world for their services. These are the American Canine Association (ACA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). The American Kennel Club is the oldest dog registry of the United States, having a history of many years. And the American Canine Association founded over thirty years ago. But when we have a look at the quality and number of services, the American Canine Association seems to be far more beneficial than its other competitor. Although in the past, there was a very high competition between the two registries, with the gradual advancement and improvements in the services of dog breeding, ACA has left other registries far behind in popularity among the dog breeders.

 AKC and ACA both have competition dog shows, but AKC does have a higher number of the dog show. After deep research of the services provided by both companies, it is observed that the ACA is geared more towards the veterinary health tracking side of the dog. ACA hosts the world’s largest genetic health tracking database on dogs. ACA was founded in 1984 by breeders and veterinarians who desired a much higher and comprehensive level of tracking the genetic health of the puppies the show breeders were breeding. ACA tracks the genetic health through the lifetime of the dogs and reports both positive and negative genetic health-related issues back to the breeder fo the dogs.

 Prior to the early 1990s, professional breeders were registering their dogs with AKC for the showing their dogs in conformation dog shows and also with ACA for the veterinary health tracking. Then in 1991, professional dog breeders lobbied ACA to begin sanctioning dog shows. ACA then stepped ahead of AKC by recognizing the legitimately earning conformation and working titles of dogs imported into the United States by professional and hobby breeders.

 The registration fee for a dog in the ACA registry is only $19, and a certificate of height 11 inches and 8.5 inches printed on a certificate paper of standard quality with a gold seal is given to each customer. AKC’s dog registration fee is $37.99, and the registration certificated is i/3 the size of the ACA registration certificate. ACA does not charge any penalty fees for late registrations. AKC charges up to $65.00 in late penalty fees. To see all of AKC’s fees and penalty fees go to https://www.akc.org/register/information/fee-schedule/

 ACA will register an AKC registered dog with ACA with proof of AKC Certificate Registration. AKC will register an ACA registered dog with AKC with proof of ACA Certificate Registration and pedigree leading back to AKC linage. The international dog registry Fédération CynologiqueInternationale FCI accepts both ACA and AKC with proof of registration and an officially certified pedigree for ACA or AKC.

 There is also a unique feature of the ACA registry that makes it distinct from others, and that is the free lost and found tags. These tags are characterized by having a seal on one side of the tag. And on the other side of the tag, ‘I am lost. Please call’ is printed. For this purpose, a toll-free 1-800 number and a unique ID number is allocated for each dog after registration. The toll-free number is active 24/7 to make the reunion of a lost dog and ACA owner possible. The interesting fact is that there are no extra charges for this lost and found tags service.

 American Canine Association is among a few of the largest dog registries in the USA. American Canine Association was founded in 1984. Since its formation, the ACA has made so much development in the field of dogs breeding that it has now become the United States’ most popular dog registry. The level of its quality services can be guessed with the fact that it is the world’s only registry offering health tracking for dogs. AKC was founded by a number of different dog breeding clubs belonging to different nationalities. That was the reason that it could not succeed in providing the Americans with the best level services because of their founders belonging to different nationalities. Although the American Canine Association has crossed the AKC in providing quality services in reasonable fees, the only prominent distinction of the AKC is that it holds many dog competitions and events. But looking at the actual facts, it can be seen that holding more competition and events has nothing to do with providing better and good-level services to the customers and breeders.

 Although the AKC is the oldest dog registry in the USA, its influence has been lessened by the ACA, which has become the most influential dog registry during the past few decades. ACA offers breeders the tools they need to be the very best breeders at https://www.starbreeder.org and https://www.mykennel.org free of charge.

 ACA acquired MARRS Microchip Corp. and lifetime lostand found service microchip registration is included free of charge with all ACA and ICA registered dogs. The AKC’s microchip division for lost and found protection is known as AKC Reunite. The total charges for the registration of a purebred dog with a lifetime AKC Reunite lost and found coverage is $54.95.

 Looking at the above comparison and discussion, it can be stated that ACA, although set up far later than the AKC has more benefits and offer quality services to the customers. Also, the ACA offers services at lesser costs than AKC. Although the AKC was once a top-level dog registry in the USA, it has failed in providing the services according to the modern needs and demands. ACA, on the other hand, is continuously providing customers and breeders with high-quality services that are being improved day by day.

[ginkln-blog]

The Difference Between AKC and ACA Dogs.

American dog registries are known around the world for their services. These are the American Canine Association (ACA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). The American Kennel Club is the oldest dog registry of the United States, having a history of many years. And the American Canine Association founded over thirty years ago. But when we have a look at the quality and number of services, the American Canine Association seems to be far more beneficial than its other competitor. Although in the past, there was a very high competition between the two registries, with the gradual advancement and improvements in the services of dog breeding, ACA has left other registries far behind in popularity among the dog breeders.

AKC and ACA both have competition dog shows, but AKC does have a higher number of the dog show.  After deep research of the services provided by both companies, it is observed that the ACA is geared more towards the veterinary health tracking side of the dog.  ACA hosts the world’s largest genetic health tracking database on dogs. ACA was founded in 1984 by breeders and veterinarians who desired a much higher and comprehensive level of tracking the genetic health of the puppies the show breeders were breeding.  ACA tracks the genetic health through the lifetime of the dogs and reports both positive and negative genetic health-related issues back to the breeder fo the dogs.

Prior to the early 1990s, professional breeders were registering their dogs with AKC for the showing their dogs in conformation dog shows and also with ACA for the veterinary health tracking.  Then in 1991, professional dog breeders lobbied ACA to begin sanctioning dog shows. ACA then stepped ahead of AKC by recognizing the legitimately earning conformation and working titles of dogs imported into the United States by professional and hobby breeders.

The registration fee for a dog in the ACA registry is only $19, and a certificate of height 11 inches and 8.5 inches printed on a certificate paper of standard quality with a gold seal is given to each customer. AKC’s dog registration fee is $37.99, and the registration certificated is i/3 the size of the ACA registration certificate.  ACA does not charge any penalty fees for late registrations.  AKC charges up to $65.00 in late penalty fees.  To see all of AKC’s fees and penalty fees go to https://www.akc.org/register/information/fee-schedule/

ACA will register an AKC registered dog with ACA with proof of AKC Certificate Registration.  AKC will register an ACA registered dog with AKC with proof of ACA Certificate Registration and pedigree leading back to AKC linage.  The international dog registry Fédération Cynologique Internationale FCI accepts both ACA and AKC with proof of registration and an officially certified pedigree for ACA or AKC.

There is also a unique feature of the ACA registry that makes it distinct from others, and that is the free lost and found tags. These tags are characterized by having a seal on one side of the tag. And on the other side of the tag, ‘I am lost. Please call’ is printed. For this purpose, a toll-free 1-800 number and a unique ID number is allocated for each dog after registration.  The toll-free number is active 24/7 to make the reunion of a lost dog and ACA owner possible. The interesting fact is that there are no extra charges for this lost and found tags service. 

American Canine Association is among a few of the largest dog registries in the USA. American Canine Association was founded in 1984. Since its formation, the ACA has made so much development in the field of dogs breeding that it has now become the United States’ most popular dog registry. The level of its quality services can be guessed with the fact that it is the world’s only registry offering health tracking for dogs.  AKC was founded by a number of different dog breeding clubs belonging to different nationalities. That was the reason that it could not succeed in providing the Americans with the best level services because of their founders belonging to different nationalities. Although the American Canine Association has crossed the AKC in providing quality services in reasonable fees, the only prominent distinction of the AKC is that it holds many dog competitions and events. But looking at the actual facts, it can be seen that holding more competition and events has nothing to do with providing better and good-level services to the customers and breeders.

Although the AKC is the oldest dog registry in the USA, its influence has been lessened by the ACA, which has become the most influential dog registry during the past few decades. ACA offers breeders the tools they need to be the very best breeders at https://www.starbreeder.org and https://www.mykennel.org free of charge.

ACA acquired MARRS Microchip Corp. and lifetime lost, and found service microchip registration is included free of charge with all ACA and ICA registered dogs. The AKC’s microchip division for lost and found protection is known as AKC Reunite.  The total charges for the registration of a purebred dog with a lifetime AKC Reunite lost and found coverage is $54.95.

Looking at the above comparison and discussion, it can be stated that ACA, although set up far later than the AKC has more benefits and offer quality services to the customers. Also, the ACA offers services at lesser costs than AKC. Although the AKC was once a top-level dog registry in the USA, it has failed in providing the services according to the modern needs and demands. ACA, on the other hand, is continuously providing customers and breeders with high-quality services that are being improved day by day.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: DokiDoki Oct 19

Fluffy loves TokyoTreat apparently; he couldn’t wait for me to put the box aside!

I always get really excited whenever we come to an October DokiDoki box x3 they’re usually really fun, include cute accessories and Halloween items, and I love the cover artists work.

This months theme: Happy Halloween

“This month’s crate is all about the spooky side of kawaii. Come celebrate Halloween with us, using these items to make your October 31st a spooky special night!“

You know, as I read this and began to look more closely into this box and the Yume Twins, I almost felt like these 2 boxes were competing with each other this month. That, or its purely coincidental that they had vaguely similar themes and items. It could be, but I thought it was kind of funny.

Suteki Crate & Photo Prize

This month’s prize feature a pair of Pokemon plush ready to go trick-or-treating.

Meanwhile, the Suteki Crate is based on Sanrio goods, namely Kuromi and Sentimental Circus. Along with My Melody and Sirotan.

I love the Kuromi plushie, as well as the pouch set next to it, and the pen stand above it! The umbrella and hand bag are also very cute too.

Halloween Cat Tape

I think this may have been by the same company that made the “Christmas Cat“ tape we got from a Christmas box last year. The packaging and style of it looks exactly the same, but with different pictures of course. The length of this tape is 15mm x 2m.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I think for cat lovers, washi lovers, or decorators for Halloween would really like this. It’s easy to tear and stick, it sticks really well as far as I can tell, and the design is a really cute and fun way to touch up whatever you might be using it for.

Pumpkin Shiba

It looks like we get to have a fun little guest join us for Halloween- the very same Shiba who showed up during Christmas, and peach season. I’m not complaining, but I’m guessing by this its popularity is still going strong huh?

Anyway, for this month, this sweet little shiba comes donning a jack-o-lantern costume! It’s super-round and thick, filled to the brim with cotton for a soft and squishy companion you can squeeze nonstop~

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I think its adorable, if I had remembered I had it I would have set it out somewhere in the house for some more decoration. It’s very cuddly as far as plushies go, but I noticed in the picture that its ear seems stuffed, while mine has a slight wrinkle to it. I’m not sure if that was just how random the distribution for the stuffing is, or if I’m just over-analyzing. The body itself feels like... I want to say cheap carnival plush, while the head portion feels like good quality plush.

But the plush is really cute, and the quality of the stitching and detail is really good. A lot of times I always find some minuscule error or issue with mine, and besides its ear, nothing stood out to me.

Kuromi Spoon

Our next item is essential for Halloween, because before you can do anything you need to eat :D and this month, we received a Kuromi themed spoon. Just be careful so she mischievously doesn’t make you spill anything ;3 Its worth or costs 5 Sanrio points.

These types of spoons are those curvy, deep ones you will find in a lot of Asian places or served with soup. Because its shape makes it the perfect spoon for collecting the liquids or small items. I assume this could also be really useful for things like cereal, or certain desserts.

The spoon’s long handle and shape on the tip make it handy for storage and easier use. The top is white and black, while the underside is colored lavender. The spoon features an image of Kuromi, and her name is written on the handle, along with a print of grey skulls and pale pink hearts. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

It’s so cute! It’s perfect for a cutesy Halloween image, or Kuromi fans like me ♥ I admit that I didn’t use it yet (nor the Sumikko Gurashi one I got a few years back; I KEEP forgetting and we just had soup yesterday DX), but I intend to at some point. Or just keep it for my slowly building Kuromi collection.

My Melody & Kuromi Bowl

Any fellow Cutie will probably remember seeing this exact design in my YumeTwins review; now do you see why I was starting to compare the two boxes a little earlier?

To be fair, they are already very similar though... I should do a comparison review at some point, but I’m not sure how I would go about it. I’ll need to sit down and give it some thought later, I think it could be kind of fun to do.

Oh, anyway, this is an adorable heart-shaped bow. Besides Kuromi and My Melody though, it also features some other friends preparing for a Halloween Party with them! This is worth/costs 10 Sanrio points.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Besides just looking really cute, the bowl is very deep. It’s perfect for any sort of food item you could want to put in it, or you can even store other little items, like essentially you would leave home with (keys, cards, sanitizer, coupons, reusable bags, etc), trinkets or small collectables, toiletries, etc.

I can’t wait to use it~

Ghost Sponge

Our last item, which will help you clean up after a fun Halloween; or if you’re like me help with spring cleaning...

You get 9 melamine ghost-shaped sponges. They’re very soft and squishy, and because there are so many you could do a lot of things with them! Besides cleaning, you could use some to make pictures by dipping them in paint, perform squishy makeovers, decorate in various other ways (they would be cute put on the wall and painted with glowing paint :D), or just use them as a cheap and premade squishy.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Honestly, I’m not sure what I want to do with them yet, if anything. I know we get this stuff to use it, but sometimes I can’t bring myself to ruin it by using it you know? I hate the idea of ruining it and throwing it away, because it feels like a waste of money to me. But when we get copies like this, then it’s not as hard for me, so I will probably spare so many, and use the rest.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 4 out of 5. I’m happy with the items and the quality is really good. No real problems or issues- BUT, usually when we get a Halloween box, they would always include some really cute accessories; one year we got kitty ear clips and paws, one year we got a nurses needle pen and wing hair clips. They usually don’t go mainstream with them like they did this time. 

Theme: 4.5 out of 5. All but 1 item is pretty much definite Halloween material. But the 1 item that isn’t has that sort of spooky-cute vibe, which is what they were going for, so it still works. I feel like the Happy Halloween theme itself was also a little generic/basic.

Total Rank: 8 out of 10 Cuties. I would recommend the items or this box, but I didn’t think it was up to part with their previous Halloween boxes.

♥ Cutie Scale ♥

1. Bowl - On one hand, I like how the design goes with the other items in the YumeTwins box- but on the other, I’m a little bored with the design by now. I love its heart shape though, I’m excited to begin using it!  

2. Ghost Sponge - They’re simple looking, but adorable.

3. Kuromi Spoon - I love the design on the handle, it’s so sweetly dark. I really need to get it and my Neko spoon in the silverware drawer... 

4. Pumpkin Shiba - It’s so cute and round x3

5. Cat Tape - I tend not to use my washi tape (the few times I did, they tend not to stick very well?) but I really like to collect and just look back on them from time to time.

[parachutingkitten]

Here We GO! IT’S MASX TIME!

Heck yeah! I’m ready! I have just conquered the first day of school, so this is my attempt to be positive! To be perfectly honest, I did not plan for this fic to start out this way. It was supposed to be much more depressing, but as I wrote, it just kinda turned into Pixal being salty... and I love it! It actually works out better in the long run (you know, that way the story can transition into being depressing ;) Anyway, I’m really excited for this fic! It’s a parallel piece to If I Were Here, dealing with the same period of time, and complementary issues as Zane in that fic. I guess you could consider this... a sequel? Prequel? Midquel? Idk what you would call this. But they’re in the same universe cuz I think it’s kinda poetic for them to be going through these things at the same time. Idk if that even really means that much to anyone else, but it does for me for some reason. Anyway, I won’t hold you any longer!

Happy Reading!

Dust everywhere. It seemed like no one had been there in years. That couldn’t be right, could it? It certainly hadn’t had much upkeep. I placed a small box of my belongings on a table as a walked the room.

The Samurai X cave had been out of active use for quite some time. Mainly because Samurai X herself had long retired. She had discovered a greater way to contribute to the team. She had found power within her, and yet forgotten the power that she had built with her own two hands. In a way I took slight offense, knowing that she clearly preferred organic solutions rather than technological ones, but maybe it was best not to overanalyze.

Light shined into the cave only artificially, which I suppose made sense, and was the logical way to stay hidden, but it was a surprising design choice for Nya. For someone who built her own freedom, I doubt she would have felt comfortable locking herself up in a cave. It didn’t bother me of course, I was used to it by now. I had lived in enclosed spaces my whole life. I had no need for sunlight or air of any quality.

It felt natural for me to be there. This was the next logical step to take. I was tired of my potential being pushed aside by the team. They ignored my analysis and refused to take me seriously. They neglected to build me a body, so I did it myself. If I had to leave them to get stronger, that was their own fault. They had their chance to benefit directly from my potential. Now, it was my turn to be center stage. My turn to be respected. My turn to save them. That was why Nya built Samurai X in the first place, to prove her potential. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me continuing on her legacy. The ninja needed help after all. The time twins had control of the situation on a level they had never encountered before.

I approached the largest of the storage units scattered along the rim of the central entryway. The opening mechanism was fingerprint locked, but I was capable of mimicking prints and had acquired Nya’s easily by that point. As the door opened, the suit was slowly lifted from the shadows. There it sat, glimmering in all its beauty. A piece of technology made before I was even born, sourced from another era of the ninja. One where Garmadon had been evil, and Lloyd a child. I knew it all to be true, but they seemed more like legends to me. Nya had already passed her Samurai X golden age by the time I had met her, and I didn’t even get to see much of the work she had done afterward.

I envied her in a way. For the longest time, I wished to be like her. Out on the field, strong and capable, making decisions, affecting outcomes, keeping the team in check. For her voice to be heard by everyone. I envied that most of all. I could only ever speak with Zane, and though his company pleased me greatly, it had made me feel… restricted. I was programmed to have a body, and a voice, and a presence. Most of that was stripped from me when I was with Zane. It didn’t feel natural. But Nya never seemed to give me a second thought once I was gone. I thought maybe she would have cared for one of the only other females on her team, but apparently not. That was fine though.

It was fine.

I was fine.

I didn’t need her support. I didn’t need anyone’s support. She’s the one that taught me that. She should have known better than to forget all her hard work. She should have known better than to leave her cave unguarded. She should have known better than to ignore one of the essential members of her own team, and patronize them as they sit inside a dormant mind helpless to say anything all while in an intense moment of crisis!

...But that was neither here nor there. Right? It didn’t even really bother me all that much, to be honest.

“But now, I’m hacking into your systems, taking over your home, and stealing your identity…

Hope you don’t mind.”

[thecomicsnexus]

Monster, My Sweet!

BATMAN #344 FEBRUARY 1982 BY GERRY CONWAY, GENE COLAN AND KLAUS JANSON

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC WIKIA)

After having spend most part of the night helping the Gotham City Police Department capturing The Mad Hatter and his associates, Batman returns home weary and exhausted. To make matters worse, Bruce knows that this would be the day the future of Wayne Enterprises could be defined.

At that moment, Poison Ivy makes arrangements for her uprising and contacts several members of the underworld, including mob Boss "Big Jack" Johnson. She tries to get them under her control, but they wouldn't listen. Using her plants, Ivy takes them out and gets ready to claim her most prized "booty". It is then that his assistant, Ivor notices a very special headline in the Gotham Gazette, indicating that Mayoral Candidate Arthur Reeves has summoned a press conference to reveal Batman's real identity. Meanwhile, Reeves' pretends to get the support from Commissioner Gordon, but he finds that such support is nowhere to be found.

Close to midnight, Bruce Wayne is summoned to the Gotham Bank, to complete the transaction of the entire of Wayne Enterprises assets. Unkown to him, he is closely watched by a redhead woman, who has been taking pictures of him. During the meeting inside the Bank, the board of Wayne Enterprises is unable to prevent Ivy from claiming all the money of the company for herself. Remorseful and filled with rage, Bruce Wayne leaves before the transaction is complete, but soon the authorities give Ivy all her money in a check.

As Ivy and his henchman leave the bank, they are confronted by the silent but awe inspiring figure of the Batman. Ivy is startled and scared at first, but then she goes into her car, with a smile on her face. Unknown to her, Batman has also a smile on his lips. The next day, Ivy tries to spend the best day of her life making use of her newfound fortune, but everywhere she goes, she is hunted by the dark and ominous presence of the Batman. After a whole day of the same event repeating everywhere she goes, Ivy returns to her lair, frustrated and angry at the Dark Knight.

Having accomplished his mission, Bruce returns to the Wayne Foundation building to discuss the possibilities with Lucius Fox, but on his way to his office he is greeted by none other than Vicki Vale. After years of absence, Vicki has returned permanently to Gotham and she is willing to discuss her relationship with Bruce, but the whole affair will have to wait until Bruce solves the current problems. Although Vicki seems friendly towards Bruce, she is obviously hiding something from the man he claims to care about.

After dark, Bruce leaves the office and goes to the press conference held by Arthur Reeves to see what the man has to say. On his way there, Bruce tests his new prototype vehicle, which looks like a Rolls Royce from the outside, but it can be transformed into the Batmobile.

At the press conference, Batman and Commissioner Gordon listen to Reeves as he "exposes" Batman as the big time criminal "Big Jack" Johnson. The media goes crazy with the revelations, but Batman keeps silent as Reeves' opponent, Hamilton Hill shows his support for Batman. After such confession, Gordon doesn't know what to think, except that he doesn't trust Hill.

Finally, it has come the time for Batman to confront Ivy and at the same moment, the prodigal son returns home. Batman goes to Ivy's greenhouse above a rooftop in the middle of the city and he tries to get a confession out of her. Ivy does seem troubled after spending a whole day haunted by Batman's presence, but she has an ace under her sleeve. With a small command, Ivy turns her assistant, Ivor into a monstrous tree-like creature. Unleashing the beast against Batman, Ivy is satisfied to see the Dark Knight struggle to save himself. The fight continues outside the greenhouse, where the Ivor-creature threatens to kill Batman by tossing him off the edge of the building. Using the environment as his weapon, Batman gets a short break and stuns the creature. Ivy takes the chance to attack Batman, but her attack is stopped by the sudden appearance of Robin. Together again, the Dynamic Duo take care of the situation and capture Ivy and her monstrous minion. After the police arrive, Batman shows mercy to the Ivor-creature and in return, the creature who was once a man gives all the details about Ivy's manipulative scheme to steal Wayne Enterprises' assets. With this information, the police is able to revert all the wrongs caused by Ivy.

After the whole case is solved, Batman and Robin return home. The Teen Wonder tells Batman that after his solo adventures, he realized he still needs to work with him and that is why he returned to become a team once again. He also tells Batman that he learned about his current situation thanks to Alfred and Lucius and that's how he managed to track him to Ivy's lair. Once in the Batcave, Batman, Robin and Alfred watch the TV as reporter Olivia Ortega reveals that the information and pictures provided by Reeves to support his claim that Batman is a criminal, are all fake and purposefully altered to discredit Batman and win the election. With this sudden revelation, calm returns to the Batman Family and things seems to be going well for a change.

REVIEW

There is one confusing detail in this issue about the return of Vicky Vale. For some reason I thought she was around  before the eighties (I guess my mind confused her with Silver St. Cloud). In any case, Vicky Vale is back.

I found Ivy’s first impulse a bit frivolous for her character, she made herself a millionaire and all of a sudden she is buying jewels?

But the resolution to the plot around the Wayne Foundation is fine. I think it would have been better if Robin was the key to unlocking everything, but a confession from the accomplice is much better.

The art looks amazing, but in this case, it’s a digital version instead of printed. And I realize now that the grainy and low-fi quality of the printed version may be one of the things that enhanced the art more. That would explain why re-colored versions of old comics are never convincing.

I give the issue a score of 7

[sandstonesunspear]

Best Friends

Supercorp, Lena-centric

Found a prompt chart for Pride Month and figured I’d try my hand at it. I’m a day behind because life. Parings are random.

Based off this headcanon from @unnecessary-database. Thanks for letting me run with it today.

AO3

When Kara had first asked her to do a TedTalk, Lena had immediately said no. She was, after all, a Luthor. Who in their right mind would want to listen to a speech given by a woman who was the sister to a psychopathic mass murderer and the daughter of a woman championing genocide and terrorism in the name of humanity?

You’re not Lex, Lena, and you’re not your mother, Kara had protested almost immediately before pulling out her trump cards: a pout and a set of puppy dog eyes.

Between Kara’s words and the puppy dog eyes, Lena never stood a chance. She had just sighed and agreed to exactly one talk, ignoring the way her stomach fluttered at the wide smile on Kara’s lips.

Three days later, she spoke on the need for more women in STEM while highlighting the achievements of those currently in the field.

Women in STEM is not some idealistic or politically correct idea, she had told the audience. It is a must, because you cannot be what you cannot see, and there are little girls out there who have ideas that could save the world, but unless they see themselves represented here, in a room exactly like this, those ideas will just stay ideas.

It had been well received. She had received a standing ovation from the crowd once her speech was over and journalists in attendance had written glowing pieces about it. To her surprise, one successful TedTalk led to the request for another one, which was just as well received as the last one. Before she knew it, she was being asked to give more talks at science and education conventions.

I can’t believe they want more, she had told Kara over dinner.

Kara had just laughed. Why wouldn’t they? You’re an amazing woman, Lena.

Lena had felt her stomach flip at Kara’s words and settled for ducking her head instead of stammering out a response.

It was no surprise that when she bought out CatCo, Lena made sure that there a TedTalk channel was quickly set up. Unlike many of the other TedTalks she had given in the past, the videos featured on the CatCo channel were more comical, but still incredible informative. The features videos covered a wide variety of topics, from self-defence, which featured Agent Danvers throwing around a hapless Agent Demos,

Sandra Bullock was pretty spot on for the SING method. Agent Demos here is going to help me demonstrate it for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. Agent Demos grabbed her. So, SING: Solar plexus. A pained grunt from Demos. Instep. A yelp from him. Nose. A sickening crunch followed by swearing. And groin.

Whoa whoa whoa wait, Danvers--- A swift jab backwards that was followed by a squealing noise and then a thump as he collapsed.

To mental health, which saw Lena speaking about what it was like to be the sister of a mass murder,

You come home and find out from the news that your brother is a psychopathic mass murder. What do you do? she had started. Well, first thing’s first, you take a deep breath, close your eyes, count to three, and tell yourself that you are not to blame.

She had locked eyes with Kara. Because you aren’t your brother and holding yourself responsible for his crimes isn’t doing him or you any favours.

And more. There were few things that Lena wasn’t willing to cover, especially as she grew more comfortable with the compliments and praise the videos received. Having Kara as a rehearsal buddy certainly helped as well.

That was great! They’re going to love it! Kara would always say.

I think you’re a bit biased, Kara, Lena was say, blushing and rolling her eyes as her stomach flipped.

Maybe, Kara would shrug while her smile would turn shy for just a second.

It was about nine videos before Lena realised she had a crush on Kara. Every time she would see Kara’s proud smile in the audience, she felt her stomach flip. It took a conversation with a very exasperated Sam to make Lena actually do something about it.

-

“She’s my best friend, Sam,” she said for the umpteenth time.

Sam just rolled her eyes. “People don’t buy media companies for their best friends,” she said. “CEO’s with no idea of scope and have a major crush on someone who works for that company do.”

“It was a business decision!” Lena protested. “What better way to counter negative press than by buying a press company!”

“Aside from how unethical that is, you and I both know that’s not the reason you bought CatCo, and besides, CatCo hadn’t printed anything negative about you,” Sam said. “If you wanted to counter negative press, you would’ve bought the Daily Planet because they dragged you through the mud after Lex was arrested and to be honest, the tone they take whenever L-Corp comes up isn’t the greatest.”

Lena scowled at her friend.

Sam tried a different tactic. “You wear her NCU sweatshirt when you’re at home, Lena,” she pointed out.

“Kara left it and I get cold sometimes,” was Lena’s immediate response. .

“Uh huh.” Sam sighed. “Why don’t you just tell her?” Lena gave her a flat look. “Maybe drop some hints?”

“Hints?”

“That there’s something more there.”

Lena bit her lip.

“Look, I’m not saying outright tell her, just, do something, please?” Sam asked. “Before you buy out Netflix or something for her.”

Lena leaned back. “I’ll think about it.”

-

It was several days before Lena came up with the idea to do a TedTalk on how to make a best friend. It was her way of channelling her feelings into something productive while. That it would be a rehearsal of sorts for the day when she actually confessed said feelings to Kara just happened to be a convenient bonus.

Unlike previous TedTalks, Lena chose not to rehearse this one in front of Kara. Instead, she had dragged Winn into her office and used him to practice. To her dismay, he had started tearing up the first time he heard her speech. Winn was quick to reassure her that it wasn’t a bad speech, there was just a lot of emotion and subtext underneath.

It makes you sound human, he had said. More than the other TedTalks you gave, which is good.

Lena ran through it a few more times just to make sure. Winn nodded approvingly at each one before giving her a thumbs up.

You’ve got it, he had said and smiled. Lena’s stomach had remained still at the sight as she returned it.

That had been just two days ago. Now that she was on stage, Lena could feel her stomach getting ready to fly up her throat.

“Miss Luthor?” one of the stagehands asked.

Lena glanced at her.

“You’re up.”

-

Lena walked out onto the stage. She was met by cheers and applause and smiled. She waited for it to settled down, scanning the crowd while she waited. Almost immediately, she found Kara sitting in the front row next to Winn.

Lena felt her heart stutter in her chest. She took a breath. Then, Kara gave her an encouraging smile. She felt herself relax.

It’s just like any other TedTalk.

“So, you’re trying to make a best friend,” she started. “Where do you start? What do you look for? Well, in my experience, a best friend is someone who will stand by you despite your name and accept you for you.”

She saw Kara’s eyes widened.

“They’re someone who thinks that you’re a hero even though you feel like you’re not.”

Even with the distance between them, Lena could see tears starting to gather in Kara’s eyes.

“They’re someone who inspires you to be better and holds you up even when things look rather bleak.”

She locked eyes with Kara.

“And they’re someone that you could love.”

She could see Kara starting to cry silently. She bit her lip and focused back on the crowd.

“If you find someone with some or most of those qualities, then congratulations, you’ve found your best friend.”

Laughter broke out. Lena smiled right alongside with them before clapping her hands. “Now for the hard part: becoming friends with them…”

-

Lena was in her office going over the latest reports from R&D when Kara walked into her office. She looked up to see the Girl of Steel looking rather nervous. She raised an eyebrow.

“You look like someone just told you that they’re closing down Noonan’s,” Lena remarked.

“What? Oh, no, I’m fine,” Kara stammered out. “Wait, are they really?”

Lena laughed. “No, they’re not,” she said. “Although, if you’re concerned, I could always buy them for you.”

“That’s not necessary!” Kara rushed out. She let out a short breath. “I’m actually here to talk about your TedTalk.”

Lena bit her lip. “What about it?”

“What you said, were you talking about me?” Kara asked.

Lena sat back. “Yes,” she said without hesitation. “You, Kara Danvers, are most definitely my best friend.”

“So, that part about a best friend being someone you could love, does that mean…?” Kara trailed off.

“That I love you?” Kara nodded. “Yes.” The moment the words were out, Lena felt panic flare in her gut but she quickly pushed it back.

There’s only two outcomes, nothing to be afraid of, she told herself.

“Oh.”

Lena looked away, feeling a flush creeping up the back of her neck. “You don’t return the sentiment,” she guessed and tried to hide the embarrassment and grief that was starting to settle in.

“I do!” Kara blurted out.

Lena blinked. She stood and walked around her desk to stand in front of Kara. “You do?” she asked.

Kara nodded. “I do,” she said quietly, giving Lena a small, shy smile. “I just, you know, didn’t want to say anything because you’re Lena Luthor, CEO of L-Corp and to the rest of the world, I’m just Kara Danvers, journali--”

Lena interrupted Kara by pressing her to hers. It was an impulsive move, but it was one she didn’t regret. She placed her hands on Kara’s hips and let her eyes slip shut as Kara kissed her back. She felt Kara place her arms around her shoulders.

They broke apart when air became an issue.

“Sorry,” Lena apologised. “I couldn’t let you put yourself down like that. You’re not just a journalist, you’re my hero, Kara.”

Kara’s cheeks turned pink. “You really have a way with words, Miss Luthor,” she teased.

Lena grinned. “I would certainly hope so,” she said.

Kara pressed her forehead to Lena’s. “So, how what?” she asked.

Lena pretended to think. “How about dinner?” she suggested. “I was thinking about that place on 32nd street, the one with the potstickers that you like.”

Kara smiled widely. “Sounds perfect--” She cut herself off when the sound of alarms from downtown filtered in from the balcony. She winced. She looked back at Lena. “I’m sorry, I have to--”

Lena placed a hand on Kara’s chest, right on top of where she knew Kara hid the crest of House El.

“Go,” she told Kara. “It’s okay, we’ll talk more tonight. Now, go be a hero, Supergirl.”

Kara nodded. “I’ll be back,” she said as she stepped towards the balcony. She glanced to Lena, then she was gone.

Lena watched with a fond smile as Kara flew off.

“A Super and a Luthor, who would’ve thought?”