#it’s just a phone interview and i’ll do it because it’s a good company and the pay is actually good well good for me anyway and it’s remote

[apathyfairy]

somehow i got an interview at a finance company can anyone explain the inner workings of the stock market to me like i’m 5 years old

[mymindisneverhere]

FAVORS (1)

warnings: 18+ MDNI!, sub!Terry, soft dom!black fem OC, explicit language, slight smut, a bit of a slow burn (forgive me if I missed any)

summary: Terry starts a new job at a warehouse after losing his life savings. He becomes acquainted with all of the workers except for one… the boss’ daughter.

Part One

Masterlist

“You alright over there Terry?”

“Yeah I’m good.” Terry responded.

He lifted the large boxes with ease, tossing them onto the back of the truck as they traveled down the conveyor belt. With each toss he’d let out a grunt, onlookers assumed it was from struggle but it was nothing other than frustration.

Terry had just secured a job at a local warehouse where he would load each delivery truck with boxes filled with parts for cars, motorcycles, trucks, etc. It was his only option after losing all of his life savings to a crooked police department.

Of course his experience in the Marines and his education made him a quick hire for the position. After a few weeks of orientation, training, and learning his new work schedule, he had fallen right in with the other workers who had been on the job for decades.

She watched him like hawk on the surveillance cameras, her freshly manicured tips tapping the sides of her coffee mug. She didn’t orchestrate any of the interviews or handle any of the paperwork that came with hiring people because she didn’t care to. She was solely there to do one thing and one thing only, find her next partner.

Terry had met all of the staff members on the job during his orientation. Supervisors, team leads, those with special assignments and floor workers, the same as he. There was only one person he had yet to meet, the CEOs daughter, Khloé MacArthur, the head bitch in charge.

MacArthur Motors and Parts Inc. was established in 1989 by a man named John MacArthur. There were a decent number of locations down south but his daughter only visited the ones closest to home. However Khloé visited very rarely, usually to spy on the workers and search for her new piece of meat.

She watched closely, observing his every move. Her eyes roamed from his face, admiring his naturally arched eyebrows, down to his full pink lips, his strong neck, and lastly to his chest that flexed every time he lifted a new box. The gray company shirt he wore wasn’t tight but it was no secret that when he wasn’t at work, he was in the gym religiously.

Jobs that require hard labor always had the perfect associates to fulfill her needs. Usually tall, muscular, a few tattoos and oozing masculinity. There was nothing she enjoyed more than making a big dog her bitch.

This new piece of meat she had her eyes on was nothing like she had in the past. He was pretty, no fuck that, he was beautiful. Everything about him fit perfectly in her sexual fantasy. She could see it clear as day in her mind, his big hands gripping her throat and that tight ass clenching every time he filled her up.

“Ms. MacArthur?” Olivia, the warehouse clerk and her personal assistant, called out to her, interrupting her thoughts.

“What?” Khloé snapped her head in Olivia’s direction, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“Y-your father’s on the line ma’am, h-he wants to know if you can make it in t-time for dinner tomorrow tonight?” Olivia notified.

“I’ll pick it up.” She rolled her eyes, walking over to the phone. “Knock next time or that’s a write up!”

“Yes ma’am, I’m sorry.” Olivia stammered out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

She picked up the phone and smiled.

“Yes Daddy?” She answered in her usual sweet voice. The voice she used only for her father… and her prey.

“How’s my princess doing?”

“Fine, just doing my check-ins as usual.” She responded.

“That’s my girl, always making sure the business is running smoothly.” He said. “Have you found a date for the annual banquet?”

There it was, the real reason he was calling.

“No daddy, I don’t need a date for a family banquet.” She responded in a fake tone, trying hard to mask her irritation.

“Your sisters got her husband, your brothers got his finance, all of your cousins have partners. Do you want to be the only one there without someone for the third year in a row?” He asked, hoping to hit a nerve.

Every year the MacArthur family would get together and celebrate their accomplishments and achievements for the year. Some families had family reunions, hers had family banquets. They’d dress up in gorgeous gowns and tailored tuxedos just to feast in a ballroom reserved just for them, a few business partners and close friends.

However Khloé hated them because every year they reminded her of how lonely she truly was. The dates she had brought in the past didn’t make her feel seen or loved, they just enjoyed status. Witnessing her siblings and other relatives truly love and admire their significant others had her questioning her ability to be cherished and loved by someone other than family.

A husband wasn’t necessarily the end all be all for an ambitious and independent woman like her but she wouldn’t mind having someone to come home to every night. Someone she could truly be herself with.

“I’ll have to call you later Daddy, I’m busy right now.” Khloé said, trying to end the conversation.

“Okay princess, but I will see you at dinner tomorrow… alone I’m assuming?” He was pushing her buttons again.

“Goodbye Daddy.”

She slammed the phone down onto its receiver, making the cord bounce violently. She stared down at the brand new business phone, one she had begged her father to purchase. She wanted to upgrade the phones and computers in each warehouse. Just because the buildings were old didn’t mean the technology had to be.

After a few minutes of collecting her thoughts and attempting to bring her emotions back down to zero she went back to lurking from the small office window. She was beginning to come up with the perfect plan that would involve the perfect man.

“How long were you in?” Earl, a man in his late 50s, asked Terry.

“Four years.” Terry responded, continuing to toss the boxes like they weighed nothing. “You?”

“Man I went in in ‘85, saw all that shit they wanted us to do, told ‘em they could kiss my ass.” Earl stated unapologetically.

Terry couldn’t help but to laugh at the older gentleman. His thick southern accent made what he was saying ten times funnier than it actually was.

“I understand that.” Terry said.

“But you young bucks got the heart for that type of training,” Earl said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Me, I been a old nigga all my life.”

“Oh yeah?” Terry continued his laughter.

He genuinely enjoyed Earl's company, he was one of the first few people to introduce himself to Terry. It didn’t take long for him to warm up to the older guy, seeing as though his extroverted personality made him so many friends.

The long conveyor belt had stopped, letting them know that it was time for lunch. They tossed the final boxes onto the truck and slammed the back closed before walking away from their stations.

“How long you been here?” Terry asked, placing his hands on hips.

“20 years.” Earl responded.

“That’s a long time man.”

“Who you tellin’?” Earl joked. “I remember when this company first started. I didn’t think it would last long. A business like this ran by a black man in the south? I just knew them white boys would tear this place to shreds.”

“What you think stopped them from doing that?” Terry asked.

“The same thing that’ll make anybody do something they don’t necessarily agree with-,” Earl looked over at Terry with a surprised expression “-money.”

“Olivia!” Khloé called, approaching the large desk that sat right at the front of the building. The words “MacArthur Motors and Parts Inc” plastered on the wall in big red letters.

“Ma’am?” Olivia answered, tearing her eyes from the computer screen.

“Who is the new guy?” Khloé leaned onto the desk trying to keep her voice low so the employees passing by wouldn’t hear her.

Olivia turned to the file cabinet on her right, stuffed with folders designated for each employee in alphabetical order. She scanned her slim fingers covered across the tabs before landing on his name.

“Richmond.” She said proudly. “Terry Richmond is his name.”

Khloé took the folder from her hands, flipping through each page carefully. She immediately began heading back to the office to figure out how she was gonna go about getting him.

“Ms. MacArthur, I actually need that to finish his new hire forms.”

“I’ll handle it!” Khloé yelled from down the long hallway.

“Thanks?” Olivia said in a confused tone.

The break room was becoming empty as workers began to head back to their stations. Terry kneeled down to get the water that had gotten stuck in the vending machine, putting up a bit of a fight to retrieve the beverage.

She stepped into the break room slowly, not wanting him to hear the loud click of her expensive pumps. The muscles in his back flexed as he tugged on the water. Finally getting it from the bottom of the machine, he still hadn’t noticed her standing there. She planted her feet together, standing just a few feet away from him.

“Terry, right?” Khloé asked.

He turned his head to see her feet first, his eyes trailing up her body and landing on her face. She stood there, hands behind her back, a small smile on her red colored lips. The black suit dress she wore fit her petite frame perfectly and her thick black hair pulled into a sleek ponytail topped her business attire.

“Yeah and you are?” He said looking up at her with a raised brow.

“I’m Khloé,” She answered, holding out her hand for him to shake.

He stood, his movement seemingly in slow motion as he grew taller and taller, eventually towering over her. He took her hand and shook it suspiciously. He couldn’t think of one reason why a woman like her, dressed the way she was dressed, would be in a warehouse wandering around.

“Khloé MacArthur, I’m the owner's daughter.” She said, hoping to rid him of the obvious skepticism she saw in his expression.

“Oh, Ms. MacArthur.” He said in surprise, immediately changing his expression. “My apologies, you scared me for a moment there.”

“No need to apologize. I’m usually traveling, I’m hardly ever here so I understand.” She assured him, staring into his eyes.

She held onto his hand longer than she planned to, not noticing until his eyes darted down and back to her face.

“I’m sorry-“ She said, finally letting go of his hand. “-it’s just, your eyes are so beautiful.”

Terry looked down, blushing a bit.

“Thank you.” He said, returning his eyes to hers.

“You hear that a lot, I’m sure.”

“I do.”

“When did you start? I know I haven't been here in a while but I’d definitely remember seeing your face.” Khloé asked, shifting her weight onto her left leg.

“A few weeks ago actually.” He answered.

The eye contact was almost intimidating but Khloé wasn’t a woman who folded easily, even standing in the presence of this Earthly God.

“How you liking it so far?”

“It’s good. I’m still getting used to the scheduling, a lot of coffee in my diet lately but it’s pretty cool.”

“Not an early bird, huh?”

“No ma’am.” He turned to look back at the clock on the wall and she took this quick moment to get a close up of his chest, flexing as he turned. She bit down on her bottom lip before he could notice.

“I hate to be rude Ms. MacArthur-“

“Khloé” She interrupted.

His lip folded into a slight grin. “Khloe, I have to get back on the floor, my lunch is over. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” She smiled up at him as she watched him walk away, her eyes scanning the back of his body.

“That is an ass on that man.” She whispered to herself before heading back to her side of the warehouse.

4 hours later

“Another day, another couple hundred dollars, young blood.” Earl announced, swinging his bag over his shoulder. “You got plans for tonight, you know it’s “Free shot Friday’s” down at Frankie’s?”

“Nah I’m good man, I don’t drink much.” Terry said, placing both of his arms into the straps of his backpack.

“You know Terry’s a good guy-“ John, another man shouted from behind the two of them. “-he ain’t no drinker or smoker.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that, that’s why he built like a gladiator and we walkin’ around with beer bellies.” Earl joked, receiving laughs from the other men in the locker room.

Terry chuckled, placing the last of his work items into his locker before leaving the locker room. The only thing left for him to do was clock out for the evening and head home.

“I see y’all boys on Monday, y’all be safe.” And with that Terry left the locker room, heading to his truck.

He reached into his pants pocket to grab his badge and swiped it across the small box designated for clock-ins/clock-outs.

He exited the building walking to his truck, relieved to be at the end of another workday. He searched his pockets for his keys unaware of the pair of eyes that had been on him the entire time he spent in the parking lot.

She watched the TV screen closely, each quadrant displaying different areas in the building and parking lot. It had been two years since she had been with anybody but this was the first time she had this type of craving for someone.

Sure she had flings here and there but this longing was so strong, she could practically feel him inside of her already. Like his energy was pulling on hers, begging her for connection.

Khloé could still smell his scent, the mixture of cologne and sweat as if he were standing right behind her. She could still see the thick veins in his arms, permanently in her memory. She couldn’t wait to find out if he had those same veins on his dick, licking her lips at the thought of feeling him along her tongue.

*Knock Knock*

She was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts and grateful for it.

“Come in.”

“The night shift are all clocked in and at their stations, are you ready to go Ms. MacArthur?” Olivia asked, her large purse hanging off of her shoulder.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Khloé grabbed her purse, her keys and Terry’s employee work file and headed out of the office.

She paced back and forth in her living room, biting the insides of her cheeks. Her feet sank into the white plush rug as she read over the pages for the 10th time, trying to piece this man together.

She had been looking over Terry’s file for the past hour now. She studied every page, every background check, every piece of information they had on him but unfortunately it wasn’t much.

Walking over to her computer, she wiggled the mouse and slammed herself into her large desk chair that sat against her window. The heavily lit view of downtown shined lights through her windows along with the full moon up in the sky as she began her research.

“Terrance Richmond, former Marine, Born June 7, 1994.” She whispered to herself, typing each word as she spoke.

‘He’s 30, perfect.’ She thought.

She searched his name to see if she could find him on social media.

No Twitter.

No Facebook.

No Instagram.

“Who the fuck is this man?”

She continued searching, scrolling for what seemed like hours until she stumbled across an article for a small town called “Shelby Springs”. The article titled “Ex-Marine Exposes SSPD” caused her invisible antennas to perk up.

‘Former Marine, Terrance Richmond, helps stop corruption invading Shelby Springs. After officers unlawfully seized $36,000 from Richmond, the last of his savings intended for posting bail for his late cousin, Richmond took matters into his own hands. One man gets justice for himself, his cousin and others who were wrongfully convicted.’

“So he’s some sort of hero?” She licked her lips, smirking to herself. The fact that this one man had gone to war with a police department full of cops and won made her nipples hard.

She could feel the gears in her head begin to turn as she finished reading the article. Learning about his time in the Marines and him being trained in martial arts, he was the perfect candidate for her future escapades.

Images flashed in her mind. Images of her hands against his bare chest as she rode him, the view of him looking down on her while she went down on him, him sitting back and watching while she played with herself. Each scene sent a shiver down her spine. She crossed her legs tightly rubbing her thighs together to create a pleasureful friction.

Khloé didn’t want to fully pleasure herself just yet. She knew the build up would be so worth it, she could feel it. She needed to contain her desire for an orgasm. She wanted to be sure that he was the one to give it to her.

Shutting down her computer, she closed his file and placed it on the counter next to her purse. She went into her bathroom and started the shower turning the knob to the far right to make the water cold.

After about 15 minutes of washing up and bringing her arousal back down she prepared for bed. She got into her large queen sized bed, topped with a thick white comforter and smiled to herself…

so her mission begins.

to be continued…

[muniimyg]

𐙚₊˚⊹ ceo!hoseok ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

series m.list // taglist

🏷️ permanent taglist: @joonsjuice @pamzn @defzcl @whoa-jo @taetaecatboy @jksusawife @un06 @firesighgirl @rrosiitas @butterymin @parkinglot-nights @musicjournalsjdb @kissyfacekoo @jkslvsnella @vampcharxter @bloopkook @somehowukook @bbystarcandykoo @ddanasjk @luvismenu @remgeolli @parapiop7 @lil0u0 @crazyovayou @mggv97 @thvgukk @rpwprpwprpwprw

//

it never occurred to you that your boss is terrifying.

sure, you’re well aware of his mood swings and the endless gossip that circulates around the company, but it never feels personal to you. to be fair... you’re never the target of his outbursts.

in truth, you don’t work closely enough with him to get caught in the crossfire. but if you ever do slip, you know it’ll be brutal.

you aren’t unnoticeable to him either.

jung hoseok, your cold-hearted, demon-like boss, hasn’t given you a reason to be scared yet. you learned quickly how to navigate him after only a few months at the company. to avoid him on tuesdays because, for some reason, he’s especially grumpy. no clue why, but he just is. maybe it’s because it’s too early for dinner and too late for lunch, or maybe he just hates feeling stuck. either way, you know his habits and manage to stay in his good graces.

as the head designer of his father’s company, hoseok’s creativity has to flow constantly. his father never steps foot in the office, but his presence is still felt through the intense pressure hoseok places on himself. despite his infamous temperament, no one can say jung hoseok doesn’t meet expectations. in fact, he exceeds them every time, thanks to his relentless work ethic.

the devil works hard, but jung hoseok works harder.

“that will be all for today. you’re all dismissed.”

everyone starts gathering their belongings. just as you and your team head for the door, hoseok calls out, “oh... except for ___ and kim taehyung. please stay behind for a moment.”

taehyung, your assistant, shoots you a look.

you furrow your brows in confusion. once everyone else leaves, you both stand in front of hoseok’s desk.

“i’m thinking of opening up an internship program here. what do you think?” hoseok asks.

you nod. “it sounds like a great opportunity for those who aspire to be part of the fashion industry. especially with jung co., i’m sure we’ll have a lot of applicants.”

“exactly my thoughts, ___,” hoseok replies, smiling slightly. “which is why i like you.”

taehyung huffs, and you roll your eyes before saying, “thank you, mr. jung.”

“here’s the thing,” hoseok continues, “i trust you, ___. as head of hr, you’ll be in charge of filtering the applicants—portfolio reviews, phone interviews, and in-person interviews. taehyung can assist you, but i’m requiring you to take the lead on this.”

“no problem at all,” you assure him. “when do you want us to start?”

hoseok chuckles. “now. i’ve already had my secretary draft some advertisements and an application page. finalize them and get them live by nine tonight.”

“tonight?” taehyung blurts out, “but it’s my girlfriend’s birthday, and ___ was supposed to come—”

“no invite?” hoseok teases.

taehyung almost chokes.

hoseok holds his stare before finally blinking. “tonight. before nine,” he repeats. “regards to the celebrant.” and with that, he excuses himself, leaving you and taehyung stunned.

“tonight?” taehyung panics. “is he serious? his secretaries are always unprepared! whatever draft we get is probably just a blank page. i’m doomed. jennie's going to kill me.”

“she won't,” you tell him, sighing. “i’ll take care of it. go to her birthday. consider it my birthday gift to her.”

“really?” taehyung looks at you with wide eyes. “you sure?”

“yes. boyfriends should be there for their girlfriends birthday.”

taehyung doesn’t need to be told twice. “you’re the best, ___. i owe you big time.”

at 4 pm, taehyung bolts out the door.

by 8:49 pm, the office is mostly empty. only a few colleagues remain in a meeting room, and the custodian walks down the hall, pushing a cart. outside, the sky is dark and cloudy. rain looks like it’s about to fall any minute now.

“taehyung really left you?” hoseok’s voice suddenly cuts through the quiet as he steps into your small glass office.

you shrug, giving him a tight-lipped smile. “birthdays are special, mr. jung.”

“you know what else is special?” he asks, leaning against the doorframe.

“what?”

“hiring interns.”

you roll your eyes, and hoseok chuckles at your reaction.

“i’m almost done,” you tell him, finishing up the last few details on the application page. “i’ll send it to you in a minute.”

“how are you getting home, ___?” hoseok asks after a brief pause.

“i’ll take the bus,” you reply, still focused on your screen. “i was supposed to go to the birthday party, but i’m tired now.”

“it’s raining,” he points out. “do you have an umbrella?”

“the bus stop has a cover,” you say casually, not looking up.

“i could drive you home,” hoseok offers. “i feel bad that you’re here all alone. i thought you knew i was kidding earlier.”

“jokes usually start with ‘knock knock,’” you tease, finally glancing at him. “and they don’t usually come from scary bosses.”

“you think i’m scary?”

“see,” you smile, “now you’re funny.”

he gives a soft laugh, shaking his head. “you’re something else.”

just then, his phone buzzes. hoseok glances at it before pushing himself off the doorframe. “i have to go. i have dinner plans with my girlfriend.”

you raise an eyebrow, trying to hide the surprise in your voice. “girlfriend?”

he smirks, walking over to your desk and leaning down slightly. “yeah, she’s been waiting on me all day. good thing she’s too busy saving my ass at work to notice.”

it takes you a second, but when it hits, you roll your eyes.

“oh, shut up.”

he laughs, his smirk growing wider. “come on, i’ll drive you home. wouldn’t want my girlfriend to be mad at me twice today.”

as he reaches for your bag, he leans in and kisses you softly. the surprise catches you off guard. with a playful grin, he takes your bag and wraps his arm around your waist as you both walk out of the office.

“you know,” you start, half-jokingly scolding him, “you really should have thought twice about all the work you dumped on me tonight.”

“what can i say?” he replies, chuckling. “i’m a mean boss but a great boyfriend.”

"dump more work on me and i'll dump you."

hoseok tightens his lips and sighs. "no, don't do that... i'm sorry, babe. i'll be nicer the next time i ask you to do your job."

with that, you hit his chest. he laughs and pulls you close. together, you two make your way to his car where he opens the door and drives you home.

hoseok stays the night, over the moon to wake up and spend a lazy saturday with you.

come monday, he surprises you with a team of interns you have to interview.

hoseok [12:09pm]: i'm sorry babe hoseok [12:09pm]: my dad approved them all for an int,, i couldn't do shit abt it hoseok [12:11pm]: pls don't dump me hoseok [12:15pm]: i'm ordering ur fave lunch yn [12:17pm]: i'm dumping u after i clock out tn hoseok [12:19pm]: pls babe. no thank u :(

[restlessmaknae]

crush into you // myung jaehyun

When you literally crush into Jaehyun on your way to an interview, the boy manages to spill iced coffee on your blouse. That's how you end up wearing his own blazer to the interview to cover up the spot, and the rest is history.

➳ Characters: uni student!Jaehyun x uni student!female reader/you

➳ Genre: meet cute, slice of life, uni au, fluff

➳ Words: 3k

➳ Warning: mentions of foods

➳ A/N: This story had the second most votes in my recent poll, so here it is. I'm really enjoying their comeback, so it was very easy to write a story about Jaehyun. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! ❤️

➳ Taglist: @s00buwu, @dat-town

Your days were carefully planned out with written to-do lists, calendar apps filling up your phone, and multiple scenarios made up with every plan that you might have. Just like today when you were about to go to an assessment centre as part of a job interview: a 3-hour selection process with an hour of group work, an hour of one-on-one interview with the hiring manager alongside an HR specialist and an hour for individual tests. You planned out when to leave the flat, when to get on the bus, which bus to take in case you didn’t manage to get on the exact bus you wanted and when you could possibly leave your neighbourhood the latest in order to still get to the company in time.

Myung Jaehyun’s days, on the other hand, were a hot mess. He was frequently running late from classes, group work meet-ups and dance practices, high on adrenaline and energy drinks. No one blamed him because the moment he flashed a smile, it was game over for them. Taesan might have given him a bombastic side eye for such a comment, but it was rare that anyone really reprimanded Jaehyun for being a bit too hyper, a bit too all over the place and a bit of a kid at times.

So when you literally crushed into him as you turned a corner towards the company and he was running around with his iced coffee in hand, trying not to be late from a class, on his part, the collision wasn’t that unexpected.

On your part though, it totally was.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so so sorry,” the boy exclaimed first things first just at the same time as you started apologising to him, but when you felt an odd cold sensation around your abdominal area, you immediately looked down at your white blouse, your lips parting in disbelief.

“Oh nooo,” you pouted, looking at the brownish spot on your white blouse caused by his coffee, multiple scenarios crossing your head as to how to fix this. You didn’t have enough time to go back to your flat to change, you weren’t familiar with the area, so you didn’t know whether they had a clothes shop around, and you didn’t know whether trying to get the stain out would only make it worse and the spot more noticeable or not.

“Oh. My. Gosh. I’m so… very… sorry,” the stranger reacted more dramatically than you would have thought so, all wide eyes and exasperated expression tinting his otherwise boyish features, messy jet-black locks falling into his eyes. As opposed to your business casual style - white blouse with black cotton pants and high-heeled sandals -, he looked more like a sophisticated yet fashionable guy around campus with his burgundy sports shoes, leather pants, a simple white tee, a black blazer and multiple accessories crowning the look from rings on his fingers to necklaces gracing his skin. You couldn’t have looked any different at that moment.

“I’ll make it up, I promise. Are you in a hurry, are you heading somewhere?” He asked nevertheless, his puppy eyes also in contrast to his whole appearance.

“Well, yeah, I’m going for a job interview. I’ll have to be there in 15 minutes, and it’s still like a 5-minute walk from here.”

“Oh no, that’s not good,” he shook his head, and with the hand that didn’t hold the half-empty cup of the rest of his coffee, he scratched the back of his neck. He bit down on his lower lip, clearly in deep contemplation, and you were about to end this whole conversation when his actions made you freeze on the spot. In a whirlwind moment of events, he threw his cup into a nearby trash can, got a tissue out of his pocket to clean his hand that the coffee also spilled onto and slid the blazer off himself to reach it out to you. “Here, take this. It might be a bit big on you, but it will cover up the spot nicely, and I think it will go well with your outfit.”

“But…”

“Please, take it. I don’t really know what else to do right now, and you have a job interview in 15 minutes, and I’m terribly sorry, and I don’t want you to mess it up because of me. So it might be worth a try? I don’t know, I just…” The boy kept talking on and on, his voice cheery yet also filled with guilt, and seeing his puppy eyes shining with genuine care, you didn’t have the heart to say no. What could possibly go wrong about trying it on either way?

“I was about to say that it’s actually a pretty smart idea,” you pointed out as you reached out for the blazer, and the boy’s face lit up fully when you complimented him. He flashed you a wide, toothy grin, his smile pushing his lips closer to his eyes, so much that his eyes almost disappeared while he was smiling at you.

The boy even offered to hold your bag while you put the blazer on, and since it had two buttons on the bottom, it allowed you to fully cover up the spot as if it had never been there. He was right though, it was big on you, but oversized was in fashion these days, right?

“Oh my gosh, it really does fit you,” he pointed it out in a similarly excited manner as before, and you smiled back at him, forgetting for a moment why you had even been wearing his clothes. Just for a moment though, you were back to your planning self within a second.

“Thanks for your help, but I really need to go now. Would you give me your number, so I can give it back to you later on?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” he said as he fished his phone out of his pocket to exchange contacts with you. As you locked your screen after saving his number, you looked up at him, into his shining jet-black orbs, and for a moment, you didn’t know what to say. Gosh, your days were always so planned out, plan Bs and Cs tucked into your mind with every scenario that you could imagine, yet this, this was exactly the kind of thing you could not prepare yourself for. No wonder you were awfully unprepared for what to say.

Luckily, he was the one who woke up from his stupor first as he announced:

“Let me know how the interview goes. Good luck! You’ve got this!” He cheered you on as he threw his balled fists into the air, and off he went, the picture of his wide, toothy smile and his shining eyes difficult to forget even if you had more important things to concentrate on.

You agreed on meeting at a café a few days later. Those few days were enough for you to wash and dry clean the blazer, and to get a gift bag, so you could give it back to the boy (Jaehyun based on his KKT ID) in a presentable manner. You were supposed to be early for your agreed meet-up as you made your way to the café 10 minutes earlier, but you already found Jaehyun sitting at a corner table, scrolling through his phone and occasionally laughing out loud at whatever he was watching.

Jaehyun was not supposed to be early for your agreed meet-up, but given your well-prepared state the last time you had met, he started wondering where you could be at 15:15 when he had thrown himself into the café, totally panicked that you must have already been sitting there. Only to realise upon checking your messages with you that you had actually agreed on meeting at 15:30, meaning that he was actually 15 minutes early, not 15 minutes late. Not too bad for someone like him though.

So when you walked up to him and your voice dragged him out of his mindless scrolling, he flashed a wide smile at you, the one that had been engraved into your memories since your first encounter.

“Hey! Have you been waiting for a long time?” You inquired curiously as you hopped down on the chair on the opposite side of the table. Jaehyun let out a semi-embarrassed chuckle, one that made you furrow your eyebrows in question, although the smile was still playing on your lips.

“Well, that’s a funny story,” he started with a scratch on his neck before he continued with the story. “I thought… no, I was convinced that we were supposed to meet at 15:00, and so, I was fashionably late as usual. You know how I said that I’m usually late, but I’ll try my best to come on time. When I didn’t see you here at 15:15 when I got here, I checked our conversation on KKT, and it turns out we were supposed to meet at 15:30, so I was 15 minutes early.”

“Oh my gosh,” you couldn’t hold back your laughter as you were listening to his explanation, and the way he told the story made everything ten times funnier. He used wide hand gestures while speaking, and he played with his tone to deliver the parts of the story even more clearly. The boy laughed at himself too, so it didn’t feel weird laughing at his antics, something so unlike yours.

After pulling yourself together, you gave him the bag with the clean blazer, yet, he insisted that you shouldn’t have cleaned it yourself and bought a gift bag for him in which you delivered it. Hearing that, you insisted that crushing into him was partly your fault, and he did save you from having to sit though the 3-hour selection process with a visible coffee-stain on your blouse, so this was the least you could do. Plus, even though you didn’t say it out loud, you found it cute how he had asked about your interview afterwards on KKT (what position it was for, what company it was and how it went), and how delighted he had been when you had told him that you think you had done well. He had sent some encouraging memes in return (like the kid with his balled fists and a determined face), and just the thought that pretty much a stranger like him could be so happy and cheer you on eased your frazzled nerves post-interview.

You ordered your drinks while he was asking about your days and how you had been since you had last met. That’s when your phone buzzed, and seeing the company’s name on the screen that you had interviewed for, you immediately reached for it. Swiftly, you unlocked your screen and opened the message, only to let out a little bit of a squeal when you saw that you had gotten in.

“Oh my god, what is it?” Jaehyun asked, and his confusion was written all over his features when you looked up from your phone.

“I’ve got the internship! I’ve got in!”

Immediately, the boy’s features softened, and his lips pulled into a genuine, wide smile that could outdo the sun, his jet-black orbs twinkling with joy.

“Wow, congrats! That’s so cool!” He beamed, practically as excited as you, and clapped his hands enthusiastically. You could see from the corner of your eyes that you got some stares from the people nearby, but you couldn’t care less in your state. Finally, you landed an internship offer! “It’s totally the blazer’s doing though,” Jaehyun added cheekily, his smile turning into a crooked, almost cocky one.

“Yeah, totally, me and your emotional support blazer against the world,” you replied in a similarly teasing tone, and let out a laugh at the same time as the boy did. Gosh, who would have thought that you would meet him for the first time on the day you interviewed for the company, and you would meet him again when you were notified of your result?

Maybe he was really your lucky charm.

“You gotta celebrate though. Let’s order cake! I think I saw some cakes on the menu, and before you object, it’s on me,” the boy announced matter-of-factly, and grabbed a menu from a nearby empty table. You shook your head, seeing his pumped up state, since you couldn’t believe that he was so supportive of you. After all, you had barely met a week ago, and still, he acted as if you had always known each other, and it warmed your heart.

In the end, you did order some cakes (and you let Jaehyun pay for them), and while you were munching on them, you talked… and talked… and talked some more since it seemed that you could never run out of things to share. First and foremost, Jaehyun always had a story to share - mostly chaotic, yet partly cute ones -, and even if he didn’t, he always asked about your side, and it was just so easy to talk to him. Usually, you needed some time to open up to people, but he made talking to him feel so easy, so light, so comfortable.

Your favourite was when he insisted that he looked like a wolf, and pouted when you agreed with all his friends who said that he looked more like a puppy. When you added that if not a puppy, you saw him as a bunny, he perked up because that was the first time he heard about it. Never have you ever thought that a boy like him could get so specific about the animal he resembled, but you let him talk about it all he wanted to see those eyes shining so bright, to see that smile stretching so wide.

You packed up only when the waitress came by to tell you that you were nearing closing hours, and if that wasn’t a sign that you did lose track of time beside him, you had no idea what could indicate it more that beside him, you wanted to stop time, not wait for it to go by faster.

You had one crush in your whole life, and that had been when you had been 12, and the new kid had entered your class, and he had sat beside you. Said kid had turned out to be a total nutcase when he had opened his mouth, and you had officially dropped your crush 3 weeks into the new school year, and ever since then, you had never felt butterflies in your stomach, let alone declare your love for someone.

Until him.

Jaehyun had too many crushes in his life to count. His heart was just as erratic as his life, and it’s not that he was playing with others’ feelings, it’s more like he had too much love and joy to give others, but they didn’t always appreciate it. He fell in love easily, only to have his heart broken even more easily because his crushes had never liked him back.

Until you.

At first, you didn’t know if he felt the same way because he seemed so casual, you found it hard to believe that he could see you as more than a friend.

At first, he didn’t know if you felt the same way because you seemed so cool, so put together, he found it hard to believe that you could see him as more than a friend with his very different (and very chaotic) self.

Then, you started picking up on the signs: the way he showed you his dance practice routines to ask for your opinion when it was just the two of you at the dance studio he attended; the way he was ever so oblivious to the barista girl at a café because he only had eyes for you; the way he always asked about your day on KKT and sent memes to match your mood; the way he remembered every little thing - the date of your first 1-on-1 with your manager during your internship or when you would go to the dentist - despite telling you that his memory was terrible, and when he sent you photos of clothes that he thought you would like when he was shopping.

Then, he started picking up on the signs: the way you always gave him a detailed feedback on his choreographies when he asked you to even though you said you didn’t know anything about dance; the way you totally didn’t want to acknowledge that a guy was trying to flirt with you when you went to the cinema together and said that you were with Jaehyun as if to signal that there was no room for anyone else (his heart did a thing there, he couldn’t lie); the way you always knew what to say when he doubted himself or he was under the weather and sent him songs to make him feel better; the way you remembered every little thing - his favourite colour, the brand of his favourite snack and the plushies he wanted to win in the arcade game -, and how you kept bringing up his emotional support blazer because this was your little joke, this was your little thing.

No wonder this was how he confessed: buying you the exact same blazer in your size, and saying that you could think of it as your own emotional support blazer from now on or a couple item, you could choose.

And you would be foolish not to choose the latter.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this story of mine! Let me know what you think!

If you want to read more stories of mine, let it be for BOYNEXTDOOR or for other artists, consider signing up for my taglist here.

Hope you have a lovely day/night! Take care! ❤️

[tavolgisvist]

The trial for the dissolution of The Beatles’ contractual partnership 

"And I've changed. The funny thing about it is that I think alot of my change has been helped by John Lennon. I sort of picked up on his lead. John had said, 'Look, I don't want to be that anymore. I'm going to be this.' And I thought, 'That's great.' I liked the fact he'd done it, and so I'll do it with my thing. He's given the okay. In England, if a partnership isn't rolling along and working -- like a marriage that isn't working-- then you have reasonable grounds to break it off. It's great! Good old British justice!

(Paul McCartney, Life Magazine, April 16, 1971)

‘I don’t mind being bound to them as a friend. I like that idea. I don’t mind being bound to them musically, because I like the others as musical partners. I like being in their band. But for my own sanity, we must change the business arrangements we have…’

(Paul McCartney, interview, Evening Standard, April 21-22, 1970)

From my point of view, I was getting done in. All the decisions were now three against one. And that’s not the easiest position if you’re the one: anything I wanted to do they could just say, ‘No.’ And it was just to be awkward, I thought. … I got so fed up with all this I said, ‘OK, I want to get off the label.’ Apple Records was a lovely dream, but I thought, ‘Now this is really trashy and I want to get off.’ I remember George on the phone saying to me, ‘You’ll stay on this fucking label! Hare Krishna!’ and he hung up – and I went, ‘Oh, dear me. This is really getting hairy.’

(Paul McCartney, The Beatles Anthology, 2000)

'Eventually,' McCartney recalled, 'I went and said, "I want to leave. You can all get on with Klein and everything, just let me out." Having not spoken to Lennon for several weeks, he sent him a letter that summer, pleading that the former partners 'let each other out of the trap'. As McCartney testified, Lennon 'replied with a photograph of himself and Yoko, with a balloon coming out of his mouth in which was written, "How and Why?" I replied by letter saying, "How by signing a paper which says we hereby dissolve our partnership. Why because there is no partnership." John replied on a card which said, "Get well soon. Get the other signatures and I will think about it.” Communication was at an end.’

(Peter Doggett, You Never Give Me Your Money, 2009 - P.88)

I thought, “This is crazy, no one likes me enough to just let me go, give me my little bit of the proceeds and let me split off.”

(Paul McCartney, 31 January 1974, interview with Paul Gambaccini for Rolling Stone)

A draft of an undated letter in John Lennon‘s hand that essentially bars Paul McCartney and his new manager, Lee Eastman, from accessing The Beatles’ recordings without authorization. 

THE HEAD OF Media Sound.

Please do not release hand over any Apple Record Tapes to anybody other person except either John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, or someone bearing a letter with one or more of their signituer [sic].

John Lennon, President, Apple Records George Harrison, Director

(from thebeatleaesthetic)

…Not that I didn’t see the others. I did, and kept asking them to let me out and they said, “No, Allen says there would be tax complications.” I said, “I don’t give a damn about tax considerations, let me go and I’ll worry about the tax considerations. I didn’t want to be an ABKCO-Managed Industry.” It was weird. My albums would come out saying “An ABKCO Company,” and he wasn’t even my manager. … [Growing more emotional] My back was against the wall. I’m not proud of it. But it had to be done. To him [Klein], artists are money. To me, they’re more than that.

(Paul McCartney, Jan 1974, interview with Paul Gambaccini for RollingStone)

I do think if it were just up to the four of us, if we were totally unencumbered, we would have had a dissolution - I hate these heavy terms - the day after John said he was leaving. We would have picked up our bags - these are my shoes, that's my ball, that's your ball - and gone. And I still maintain that's the only way, to actually go and do that, no matter what things are involved on a business level. But of course we aren't four fellows. We are part of a big business machine. Even though the Beatles have really stopped, the Beatle thing goes on - repackaging the albums, putting tracks together in different forms, and the video coming in. So that's why I've had to sue in the courts to dissolve the Beatles, to do on a business level what we should have done on a four-fellows level. I feel it just has to come. We used to get asked at press conferences, 'What are you going to do when the bubble bursts?' When I talked to John just the other day, he said something about, 'Well, the bubble's going to burst.' And I said, 'It has burst. That's the point. That's why I've had to do this, why l had to apply to the court. You don't think I really enjoy doing that kind of stuff. I had to do it because the bubble has burst - everywhere but on paper.' That's the only place we're tied now. <…> You see, there was a partnership contract put together years ago to hold us together as a group for 10 years. Anything anybody wanted to do - put out a record, anything - he had to get the others' permission. Because of what we were then, none of us ever looked at it when we signed it. We signed it in '67 and discovered it last year. We discovered this contract that bound us for 10 years. So it's 'Oh gosh, Oh golly, Oh heck,' you know. 'Now, boys, can we tear it up, please?' But the trouble is, the other three have been advised not to tear it up. They've been advised that if they tear it up, there will be serious, bad consequences for them. The point, though, to me was that it began to look like a three-to-one vote, which is what in fact happened at a couple of business meetings. It was three to one. That's how Allen Klein got to be the manager of Apple, which I didn't want. But they didn't need my approval." <…> I first said, 'No, we can't do that. We'll live with it.' <…> The build-up is the thing - All these things continuously happening making me feel like I'm a junior with the record company, like Klein is the boss and I'm nothing. Well, I'm a senior. I figure my opinion is as good as anyone's, especially when it's my thing. And it's emotional. You feel like you don't have any freedom. I figured I'd have to stand up for myself eventually or get pushed under. <…> So then we began to talk again about the suit, over and over. I just saw that I was not going to get out of it. From my last phone conversation with John, I think he sees it like that. He said, 'Well, how do you get out?' <…> My lawyer, John Eastman, he's a nice guy and he saw the position we were in, and he sympathized. We'd have these meetings on top of hills in Scotland, we'd go for long walks. I remember when we actually decided we had to go and file suit. We were standing on this big hill which overlooked a loch - it was quite a nice day, a bit chilly - and we'd been searching our souls. Was there any other way? And we eventually said, 'Oh, we've got to do it.' The only alternative was seven years with the partnership - going through those same channels for seven years.

(Paul McCartney, April 16th 1971, interview with Richard Merryman for Life Magazine)

John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr have accepted Paul McCartney’s decision to leave the group and will not appeal against the recent court decision to appoint a receiver to look into their affairs. Mr Morris Finer, QC, representing Apple Corps Ltd, Lennon, Harrison and Starr, reported to the Apple Court on Monday that his clients considered in the circumstances that it was in the best interests to consider means whereby McCartney could disengage himself from the partnership. His clients felt that prosecution of the Appeal would be hostile to the atmosphere best suited for negotiations – and accordingly asked for their appeal to be dismissed. McCartney’s QC, Mr Jeffrey Hirst, welcomed the suggestion to drop their appeal. The decision of the other three to allow McCartney to go his own way strengthens the likelihood that Lennon, Harrison and Starr may record together again – possibly with Klaus Voorman playing bass.

(Melody Maker – May 1, 1971)

…on “Wild Life” there’s a line that refers to “a lot of political nonsense in the air.” Later, he was talking about political nonsense, all the trouble between him and the others, between the McCartney’s and Linda’s father, John Eastman, and Allan Klein. Politics, Paul called it, and he didn’t like it. All he wanted was to be out of the whole thing, to own the copyright to his own songs, forget the Beatles, sign a piece of paper saying we’ve split up, everything’s going to be shared by four. “And John said, “Yeah, but that’s like asking us to stop the bombing in Vietnam.” We eventually decided that we were all Vietnamese, so that’s all right… “But I keep wanting to send him postcards saying ‘The war’s over if you want it’ – tell him what he’s saying. It’s just crazy, I’m sure the truth’s a whole lot more simple than it’s made out.”

(Paul McCartney, Nov 1971, interview with Steve Peacock for Sounds)

Maybe there's an answer there somewhere, but for the millionth time in these past few years I repeat, 'What about the TAX?' It's all very well, playing 'simple honest ole Paul' in Melody Maker but you know damn well we can't just sign a bit of paper. You say, 'John won't do it.' I will if you indemnify us against the tax man! Anyway, you know that after we have OUR meeting, the fucking lawyers will have to implement whatever we agree on, right? If they have some form of agreement between THEM before WE meet, it might make it even easier. It's up to you, as we've said many times, we'll meet whenever you like. Just make up your mind! <...> If you're not the aggressor (as you claim), who the hell took us to court and shit all over us in public?

(John Lennon, Dec 1971, a letter of reply to Melody Maker)

Some context:

9th September 1971 (US) and 8th October 1971 (UK) - release Imagine (with How Do You Sleep?) 13 September 1971 Stella McCartney was born (by emergency caesarean section, Paul prayed for her (and Linda) and got his daughter, wife and the name for new group). 10 (11) November - interview with Chris Charlesworth for Melody Maker, published 20th November. 4th December - Melody Maker publishes John's furious letter to Paul and Linda. In November 1971 Lennon Remembers (the interview with Jann Wenner) releases as a book.

In early 1973 Lennon, Harrison and Starr served notice that they would not be renewing Klein's management contract when it expired in March, Klein sue The Beatles, Apple, Lennon, Harrison… they sue Klein.

In 1974, Wenner received a mysterious cream-colored envelope in the mail, care of “Johann Weiner” and postmarked Los Angeles, California. Inside was a single Polaroid picture of John Lennon and Paul McCartney hanging out on a garden patio with friends: Linda McCartney, hoisting a pool stick; Keith Moon, in shorts and Roman sandals; and May Pang, Lennon’s then lover, holding McCartney’s daughter Mary on her lap. On the white strip below the image, dated “Palm Sunday 1974,” was the message “How do you sleep???!!!”

<...>

What Wenner didn’t know was that the Polaroid captured a pivotal moment in the history of the Beatles—the period when John and Paul managed a degree of détente after the acrimony of the breakup.

(Joe Hagan for Vanity Fair, September 29th, 2017)

I’m going to be an ex-Beatle for the rest of my life so I might as well enjoy it, and I’m just getting around to being able to stand back and see what happened. A couple of years ago I might have given everybody the impression I hate it all, but that was then. I was talking when I was straight out of therapy and I’d been mentally stripped bare and I just wanted to shoot my mouth off to clear it all away. Now it’s different. When I slagged off the Beatle thing in the papers, it was like divorce pangs, and me being me it was blast this and fuck that, and it was just like the old days in the Melody Maker, you know, ‘Lennon Blasts Hollies’ on the back page. You know, I’ve always had a bit of a mouth and I’ve got to live up to it. Daily Mirror: ‘Lennon beats up local DJ at Paul’s 21st birthday party’. Then we had that fight Paul and me had through the Melody Maker, but it was a period I had to go through. Now, we’ve all got it out and it’s cool. I can see The Beatles from a new point of view. Can’t remember much of what happened, little bits here and there, but I’ve started taking on interest in what went on while I was in that fish tank. It must have been incredible! I’m into collecting memorabilia as well. Elton [John] came in with these gifts, like stills from the Yellow Submarine drawings and they’re great. He gave me these four dolls. I thought, ‘Christ, what’s this, an ex-Beatle collecting Beatle dolls?’ But why not? It’s history, man, history!’ I went through a phase of hating all those years and having to smile when I didn’t want to smile, but that was the life I chose and, now I’m out of it, it’s great to look back on it, man. Great! I was thinking only recently – why haven’t I ever considered the good times instead of moaning about what we had to go through? And Paul was here and we spent two or three nights together talking about the old days and it was cool, seeing what each other remembered from Hamburg and Liverpool. So y’see, all that happened when I blew my mouth off was that it was an abscess bursting, except that mine as usual burst in public. When we did a tour as The Beatles, we hated it and loved it. There were great nights and lousy nights. One of the things about therapy I went through a few years ago is that it cleans you by forcing you to get rid of the negatives in your head. It wasn’t all that pie and cookies being a Beatle, there were highs and lows, but the trouble is people just wanted bigmouth Lennon to shout about the lows. So I made a quick trip to uncover the hidden stones of my mind, and a lot of the bats flew and some of them are going to have to stay. I’ve got perspective now, that’s a fact.

(John Lennon, interview with Ray Coleman for Melody Maker: Lennon – a night in the life, September 14th, 1974)

HOUGHTON: You seem to attack McCartney in your first couple solo albums. How do you feel about Paul McCartney now? JOHN: Uh, we’re – haha. [laughs] This is like a joke: “We’re just good friends.” We’re – we’re pretty close now, like I was telling you before. Whenever he comes to America, he comes with Linda to see me, and we go eat, and we reminisce about old times, and we really have both – evolved out of whatever feelings we had when we first split. I think we were – I think it’s a case of, we were more scared than we thought. All of us. The fact – however the split happened, being suddenly on your own after ten years was a pretty scary thing for all of us.

(John Lennon, October, 1974, interview with DJ John Houghton)

Thanksgiving 1974, November 28, John joins Elton John on a Madison Square Garden stage: Whatever Gets You Thru The Night, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - and I Saw Her Standing There, which John announces, 'We thought we'd do one last number so I can get out of here and be sick. This is a number of an old estranged fiancé of mine called Paul.'

December 20th 1974: the signing final Beatles dissolution papers and George's concert at Madison Square Garden.

We had a business meeting to break up The Beatles, one of the famous ones that we’d been having — we’re still having them 17 years later, actually. We all flew in to New York specially. George came off his disastrous tour, Ring of flew in and we were at the Plaza for the big final settlement meeting. John was half a mile away at the Dakota and he sent a balloon over with a note that said ‘Listen to this balloon.’ I mean, you’ve got to be pretty cool to handle that kind of stuff. George blew his cool and rang him up: ’You fucking maniac!! You take your fucking dark glasses off and come and look at us, man!!’ and gave him a whole load of that shit. Around the same time at another meeting we had it all settled, and John asked for an extra million pounds at the last minute. So of course that meeting blew up in disarray. Later, when we got a bit friendlier — and from time to time there would be these little stepping-stones of friendship in the Apple sea — I asked him why he’d actually wanted that million and he said, I just wanted cards to play with. It’s absolutely standard business practice. He wanted a couple of jacks to up your pair of nines. He was one great guy, but part of his greatness was that he wasn’t a saint.

(Paul McCartney, 1986, interview with Chris Salewicz for Q Magazine)

gifs by nikidontsurf

May Pang: Originally when they were supposed to sign it in December (of ’74), before Christmas, it was that time period of George’s Dark Horse tour; at the last minute John didn’t want to sign it because there was one clause he felt uncomfortable with and he wouldn’t come to the meeting. SG: Which clause? May Pang: Since he was the only one of the group living in America that he would be the one responsible for the taxes. It would be over a million dollars. He did not want to shoulder that burden. So he wouldn’t come out to sign it. Paul and Linda had already set up cameras to take photos of everyone signing it, and George was there because of the show, and Ringo had signed it previously in England but was on the telephone to confirm his signature. All the legal counsels for the individuals as well as legal counsels for Apple both in the US and the UK were there waiting. As time went on, poor Harold Seider bore the brunt of everyone at the hotel asking “Where’s John?” He called John and me at home and I said, “He’s not coming.” And Harold said, “What?” and I said, “He doesn’t want to shoulder this tax burden.” Harold knew that they were gonna come down on him. And John was going, “Tell them the stars aren’t right, tell them anything, I’m not doing this.” So… when Harold hung up the phone, he had to face the crowd, and you had to know there was a big crowd in there, over thirty people. He said to them, “The stars aren’t right, John’s not coming to sign the agreement.” George called us immediately, and I said “Do you want to speak to John?” and he said “No, but you can give him a message from me. I started this tour on my own and I’ll end it on my own.” If I could tell you that we could hear George screaming through the rooftops… The next day Paul and Linda came over and they said, “What’s wrong? Let’s see if we can work this out.” SG: and..? May Pang: Paul and Linda dropped by and John explained the situation to them. Then we went off to see Paul’s father-in-law Lee Eastman to sort it out, and in the end we came out with satisfaction. At the meeting Lee kept saying to John, “George will never forgive you,” and Julian called at exactly the same moment and said to me, “George just told me to tell dad and to say ‘all is forgiven, and please come to the party after the show'” and I said ok, and walked back into the room. Lee was telling John off the whole time I was on the phone, as well as Neil Aspinall who accompanied us, going on about how George was never going to forgive him. So I repeated Julian’s message out loud, that all was forgiven, and it couldn’t have been a better set up. So then John said, “Well! Looks like we have a change in plans then. We’re outta here.” And if you could see the look on Lee’s face, that I had just upstaged him.

(May Pang, 2008, interview with Shelley Germeaux for Dayrippin’)

gifs by pennielane

George and I are still good pals and we always will be, but I was supposed to sign this thing on the day of his concert. He was pretty weird because he was in the middle of that tour, and we hadn’t communicated for a while because he doesn’t live here. I’ve seen Paul a bit because he comes to New York a lot, and I’m always seeing Ringo in Los Angeles. <…> George was furious at the time because I hadn’t signed it when I was supposed to, and somehow or other I was informed that I needn’t bother to go to George’s show. I was quite relieved in the end because there wasn’t any time for rehearsal, and I didn’t want it to be a case of just John jumping up and playing a few chords. I went to see him at Nassau and it was a good show. The band was great but Ravi wasn’t there, so I didn’t see the bit where the crowd was supposed to get restless. I just saw a good tight show. George’s voice was shot but the atmosphere was good and the crowd was great. I saw George after the Garden show and we were friends again. But he was surrounded by the madhouse that’s called ‘touring’.” <…> When I did that charity at Madison Square Garden, I was still riding high on ‘Imagine’ so I was OK for material. But when I did ‘Come Together’, the house came down, which gave me an indication of what people wanted to hear. At the time I was thinking that I didn’t want to do all that Beatles—but now I feel differently. I’ve lost all that negativity about the past and I’d be happy as Larry to do ‘Help’. I’ve just changed completely in two years. I’d do ‘Hey Jude’ and the whole damn show, and I think George will eventually see that. If he doesn’t, that’s cool. That’s the way he wants to be.”

(John Lennon, interview with Chris Charlesworth for Melody Maker: Rock on! (March 8th, 1975)

Paul and Linda on George's Dark Horse Tour show at at Madison Square Garden 20th Dec 1974

George called just before his concert. 'Do you want to speak to John?' I asked. 'No.' George had heard about John's decision and he was livid. 'Just tell him I started this tour on my own and I'll end it on my own,' he snarled. Then he slammed down the phone. Later that night Paul calld, too. Unlike George, he was exceptionally even-tempered. John explained to Paul his feelings about the unfairness of the tax provision, and they both agreed that they would try to find a solution.

(May Pang, Loving John, 1983)

December 21st, 1974: John joins in on an radio interview George is recording in his hotel room and provides a suspicious explanation for the lack of meetings amongst the four former Beatles. John and George had actually just come from George's end-of-tour afterparty, where John, Paul, and George all hung out together and hugged.

In December 1974 John, May and Julian went to Orlando, Florida and went to Walt Disney World.

I met John Lennon at Disney World while working as a monorail operator. He, Julian and May Pang rode in the front of the monorail on two different occasions with me. I allowed him and Julian to operate the train. The second day John came out to the station and actually ask if I was working. He and Julian waited until I arrived in the train and again rode with me and drove the train. May Pang took a lot of pictures that day. As they left the train that day John ask if I would like to take some pictures and waited while I retrieved a camera. I have a great 8×10 of John Lennon and I together. (Cast Member Hal East)

May Pang:

Riding the Disney World monorail back to our hotel, I overheard a father tell his son he had heard a Beatle was visiting. “Which Beatle?” The father said, “George Harrison." I burst out laughing. John asked why. We then all started laughing so hard that the Dad turned around. It then registered which Beatle was at the park that day - and why we were laughing. “It’s O.K.," John jokingly said, "we all look alike.”

Photo and info from meetthebeatlesforreal

SG: So did they work out the tax thing? May Pang: Of course… It was worked out within the week. It was signed at the Polynesian Hotel at Disneyworld in Florida if you can believe that. <…> May Pang: … John putting his signature on one of the documents that he had to sign, for the dissolution of the Beatles. So I had the last photo, because the other guys had already signed it. SG: Actually signing the dissolution of the Beatles?! May Pang: Pen in hand as he’s signing his signature. Prior to that you’ll see pictures of him reviewing the contract. SG: And you thought to take a picture…? May Pang: John wanted me to take the picture. In fact he joked about it, saying “C’mon Linda, take the picture!”

(May Pang, 2008, interview with Shelley Germeaux for Dayrippin’)

Photo by May Pang, from her 'Instamatic Karma: Photographs of John Lennon'

May Pang: ...And then we came back (from Disneyworld) and we spent time with Mick (Jagger), and went out to the Hamptons, and Montauk where we picked out that house, and we saw the McCartneys, and David Bowie…

(May Pang, 2008, interview with Shelley Germeaux for Dayrippin’)

add to this

[jbaileyfansite]

The Wall Street Journal Interview (2024)

The 36-year-old English actor Jonathan Bailey is one of Hollywood’s newest heartthrobs. From Shonda Rhimes's Regency-era courtship dramas of “Bridgerton” to the decades-long romantic-political saga of “Fellow Travelers” to the Met Gala red carpet, he has earned admirers with his goofy charm and deep looks of longing.“

Being acknowledged as a heartthrob is incredibly flattering,” Bailey said. “It’s a big compliment, not just to you as an actor but everything around you.”

It has been a life-changing few years for Bailey, a stage actor turned screen darling. After “Bridgerton” launched him to global fame, he wrote up a document with tips to help prepare his younger castmates for the attention their on-screen romances would earn. “I think it’s about how to approach the work in a way that allows you to feel yourself and grounded,” he said.

Bailey, who’s been acting since he was a child in the Royal Shakespeare Company, reprises the role of Anthony in the third season of “Bridgerton” this month. Later this year, he’ll appear as Fiyero in the film adaptation of “Wicked” with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. He lives outside of London. Here, he talks about his favorite tea, doing gymnastics and the advice he got from Sir Ian McKellen.

What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?

I try to get up between 7 and 8. Then I try to not look at my phone, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. If it’s a good day, I drink loads of water, have a bath and then just get out because I need to get outside. I’ll go for a walk, always with my headphones. If I feel a bit excited or my brain’s sort of alive, I’ll listen to a podcast because that keeps me quite calm. If not, I’ll listen to some drums and bass. 

How do you like your coffee? 

I love tea. Earl Grey tea for me. I love coffee as well.

What do you do for exercise?

I’m currently training for a half marathon. Then I do gymnastics at a local gym with loads of lovely, brilliant people. I’m part of that community, which I’m very proud of. I do handstands.

How long can you hold a handstand for?

I’ve gotten up to a minute. 

Do you meditate or journal or otherwise practice mindfulness?

Walking outside is meditation to me. There was a Buddhist center I loved when I was living in London, and I’d go there regularly to learn the practice of meditation. I believe in taking bits and bobs that work for you. I do write stuff down in a book that I carry with me, lessen the load in the brain when I can. 

Do you have any hobbies or habits that might surprise your fans? 

Probably playing loud music and dancing around naked. 

“Fellow Travelers” follows your character, Tim, as he falls for Matt Bomer’s Hawk over the course of several decades, from 1950s McCarthyism to the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. How did you get into character? 

With Tim, I felt like there was so much understanding that was in my bones already just from being me. Understanding the character who you’re playing opposite is also really good. Me and Matt, we didn’t really talk about it but we had that understanding of the experience of what these queer, gay people were experiencing.

Beyond that, I think about my forefathers and what an incredible opportunity it was to an academic, hands-on research of gay life in America. As a Brit, there was so much to learn, so the preparation was kind of nerdy in that respect. In another, it was incredibly emotional and spiritual. 

You’ve become very famous for the looks of longing that you’ve perfected. Do you practice them in the mirror?

No, unfortunately, I probably practiced them in real life all the way through my childhood. It’s funny, isn’t it? I can totally understand why people say that, but I think maybe what fascinates me most about humans is there’s always a distance between what you want and what you have and who you are and who you want to be. I mean, if I’m still longing and 92 years old, then I’m going to be very happy. 

How did you prepare to model swimwear for Orlebar Brown? Was there any part of you that was nervous? 

I had been doing gymnastics, so the swimsuit-model aspect of it required a couple of weeks of doing more handstandy stuff. But no, I was excited. 

There were some cute photos of you and Ariana Grande released from the set of “Wicked.” Do you have any favorite memories from filming? 

I went to CinemaCon and it was the launch of all of us together. I watched the trailer for the first time, I’m so glad I waited to see it in the big cinema. I just watched Cynthia [Erivo] and I was, like, God, Cynthia’s just going to blow everyone’s mind. You care so much about her in it. And Ari redefines Glinda in a really fun way, it just expands. 

There’s so much love for the original material. It was really fun and silly and great. Jon M. Chu [the director] just mines the emotion and is quite sincere about the truth of what’s going on with the characters.

What’s your most prized possession?

My headphones. If I lose them, I feel crazy. But also in 2017—I saved up and it felt incredibly frivolous—I started collecting the Yves Saint Laurent love prints, the original prints of the years that my sisters were born because there are four of us. Annoying actually, one of my sisters was born in 1982, and I don’t think there is a print for that year, so I might have to do a stickman or something. 

What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s guided you? 

Always do theater. That was actually from Ian McKellen. It’s in my bones anyway.

Source

[venus-haze]

Kick It Out (Queen Maeve x Reader)

Summary: Maeve doesn’t date, for her own good and that of anyone she might be interested in. Teaching you how to kickbox definitely isn’t dating, even if the two of you do flirt every time you’re alone.

Note: Female reader with some references to being plus size, but not enough for me to designate the fic as such. No other descriptors are used. This takes place slightly before Homelander outed Maeve, but she still does a lot of internal shittalking about him. Hopefully I did well with her characterization because I’m already planning a follow-up. Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 3k

Warnings: Some references to homophobia Maeve’s experienced. Homelander vaguely threatens the reader to Maeve. Semi-public fingering, Maeve's kinda rough. Do not interact if you’re under 18.

It was a coincidence, really, when Maeve walked by Vought’s employee gym during one of the yoga sessions that was part of HR’s company wellness initiative. She’d forgotten Vought even had that, not interacting much with the corporation's rank and file on a regular basis and using The Seven’s exclusive gym to train. The employee gym was spacious, clean, and at that moment filled with dozens of Vought employees in a rainbow of athleticwear. Maeve could remember the old Jane Fonda workout tapes her mom used to put on in the mornings, how pleased she was with little Maggie’s rapt attention at the videos. You always need to keep your body moving, Maggie. It’s so important. 

Her eyes scanned the group lazily until they landed on you in the middle of a stretch that made Maeve feel like that little girl staring at Jane Fonda in spandex all over again. She licked her lips, giving you a quick once over before anyone could notice. You would become target number one the moment Homelander got a whiff she was remotely interested in you. Her fists clenched at the thought of how he–and her own complacency–ruined her relationship with Elena. She couldn’t do that to you, not that she even knew your name, and she wouldn’t learn it if she could help it. She wasn’t that selfish.

At least, that’s what she thought, until somehow she kept running into you. An interview here, a briefing there, she wasn’t even sure what you did at Vought exactly. It didn’t matter. You clearly hadn’t drunk the Kool-Aid, viewing your job as a way to pay the bills instead of the feverish devotion so many of its employees had. She started looking forward to seeing you, taking the opportunity to stand next to you when she could and exchange quips back and forth about how corny a promotion seemed or how weird the marketing team was. 

Like clockwork, though, you’d be in the employee gym whenever the yoga classes were being held. She casually brought it up one day, asking if you were really that into yoga, or just taking advantage of the free classes.

You nodded. “Yoga’s nice, but I’d love to get into kickboxing or something. I’m kind of nervous to sign up for a class. I’ve never done anything like that before, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up.”

“I can teach you,” Maeve said, the words coming out of her mouth before she could even think.

“Are you sure? That’d be great, but only if you have the time and everything.”

“Yeah, let me give you my number. It’ll be easier to plan that way.”

You handed your phone to her, and she quickly entered her personal number into your messages, texting a simple ‘Hey’ to herself. She hesitated a moment before giving you back your phone. Okay, this was for real. She was committing to it. 

“I’ll text you later. I’m free most weeknights, so just let me know,” you said cheerfully.

A sour mix of excitement and regret clouded her mind until you left, and as she walked down the hall to the elevator, she thought she’d at least have a chance to at least convince herself that it wouldn’t be that bad. She was never that lucky.

“Uncharacteristically nice of you to offer to help out Y/N,” Homelander said, almost as if materializing out of nowhere.

Maeve balled her hands into fists at her side. Why did he always have to be lurking? Recently, he had been fucking off to god only knows where, sometimes for days at a time. Of course he had to be around when she finally made a move. “I’m just full of surprises.”

“Your heart’s beating like a racehorse, Maeve. You’re not that excited about just practicing some kickboxing moves, are you? I’d be a better partner than her, in that case. You and I are practically indestructible. Her on the other hand—it’s amazing how fragile humans are.”

Maeve remained silent, letting out a shaky breath as she refused to acknowledge his taunting.

“You think she knows her sports bra is a size too small? I mean, one downward dog and her tits are practically spilling out of—“

“Get a grip,” Maeve snapped.

“Hey, don’t be like that. It’s just locker room talk,” Homelander said, a menacing smile plastered across his face. “Speaking of surprises, I wonder what Y/N would think if she knew this was all a ploy for you to get into those tight yoga pants of hers. I guess I can’t blame you. Not exactly my type, but with the way you can see her panty line through them, she’s practically asking for it.”

“Asking for what?” she asked, standing taller as she looked him in the eye, daring him to make his threat. 

“Hit a nerve there, huh, Maeve?”

“Mind your business, and I’ll mind mine.”

“Well, you sure know how to pick ‘em,” he said abruptly.

She knew him well enough that it meant someone was coming down the hall, and he didn’t want them hearing a word he said. Scoffing, she shook her head as she walked away, trying to keep a brave face as she made her way to the elevator. 

Storming into her suite, she slammed the door behind her and threw the nearest breakable object at the wall before collapsing onto the couch, her head in her hands. Fuck. She’d been too obvious, too careless, and now you were going to be on the receiving end of it. Keeping her distance wouldn’t be fair to you, and it’d only put you in more danger when it came to Homelander. As much of a Girl Scout as Starlight could be sometimes, at least she was willing to risk it all for Hughie, even when he was lying through his teeth to her about Butcher and Compound V. At the very least, Maeve could do the same for you moving forward.

Still, she decided she was way too sober for her liking, and dug through her cabinets to find a half-drunk bottle of vodka, wanting to escape the gravity of the situation she found herself in for just a little while. 

The next day, she woke up a few minutes past eleven, her head pounding as she checked her phone. A few missed calls and texts, including one from you: ‘Hey! Homelander said you were sick. Hope you feel better soon💐’

Between the thought of Homelander being near you and her raging hangover, Maeve leaned over the side of the bed, throwing up into the nearby trash can. She got another text from Ashley, asking if she’d still be able to do her designated crime fighting schedule that night since she was supposed to team up with A-Train. Staring at the text, she grinned, getting out of bed to choke down a few aspirin and make her way to crime analytics.

The department’s office was depressingly dark, and the girl who nervously pulled up the schedule for the next few weeks looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Opening the notes on her phone, she quickly typed what days and times Homelander would be away from the tower. It wasn’t perfect, but it’d do while she figured out how to take control of the situation. 

Your kickboxing lessons with her began a little after seven on a Thursday evening. Maeve had asked you to keep everything under wraps, claiming she didn’t want everyone pestering her to train them. This was a one-off thing because you were friends. She was relieved at how your face lit up when she put it that way.

The whole arrangement made her realize how rusty she was at flirting with someone she was actually interested in, as opposed to the sleazy guys she’d bring up to the tower for one-night stands only to kick them out afterward. Training with you was great, you were eager to learn despite struggling to pick up some of the moves. She took the opportunity to stand close to you, putting her arms over yours and guiding your movements, her body framing yours. Sometimes her hands would linger over your skin, feeling how soft you were against her until she felt you shiver or heard your breath hitch. The physical, intimate closeness drove her crazy. In those moments, she wondered what your whole body felt like, your stomach and thighs surely plush beneath her fingertips.

Things came to a head during your fourth training session. Homelander hadn’t been at the tower for a day or so, and you were acting bolder. There was no way you didn’t catch her staring at the way you bounced around while Heart’s ‘Kick It Out’ blasted from the speakers you’d connected your phone to. She was sure you were doing it on purpose at that point.

“I think I’m almost as good as you,” you joked, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead.

She laughed. “Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Bring it on!”

Wiping the sweat from your brow, you stood across from her on the training mat. Your stance wasn’t the best, but you were trying despite her dodging your blows with ease. Just because she liked you, it didn’t mean she was going to hand you a win. You were having fun, a smile on your face as she caught your lifted leg before you could really kick.

In any other scenario, she figured you could hold your own pretty well in a fight with a non-supe. You threw a punch which Maeve blocked without so much as blinking. One more time, you went for another kick, only for her to send you flat on your back with a thud.

She pinned you to the mat, the two of you silent except for your breathing. Maeve didn’t do anything but stare at your face, just mere inches from hers for a few moments. God, you were fucking pretty. Your eyes seemed to sparkle despite the harsh gym lighting, and your parted lips were almost calling to her.

“You win,” you said softly from beneath her.

“Do I get a prize?”

“Wanna get drinks after this? On me?”

She smiled, reluctantly getting up from on top of you. “Hope you have your credit card ready.”

You took her outstretched hand, almost surprised at how fluidly she pulled you up onto your feet, until you remembered she was the strongest woman in the world, after all. The fact that she was getting drinks with you was a plus.

“I know a few places in my neighborhood, if you don’t mind going out to Brooklyn,” you said. “They’re kind of dives, but they’re fun.”

“That honestly sounds perfect.”

“Okay. I’m gonna shower and change really quick.”

She nodded. “Take your time.”

As soon as you disappeared into the locker room, Maeve looked down at her costume, internally groaning. It was the furthest thing from inconspicuous. In all honesty, she missed having a secret identity, the small thing that separated her from the persona that Vought manufactured for her. Whether for sentimentality or foolish hope of a situation like this one, she’d kept some of her street clothes. 

Glancing at the locker room again, she decided to rush up to her suite and throw on something that would afford the two of you some privacy. Tapping her foot impatiently, she waited for the elevator doors to open before slipping inside and pressing the button for her floor.

When she reached her suite, she frowned at the selection of clothing in her dresser. Touching one shirt, she felt a lump form in her throat. The somewhat coarse fabric sent memories rushing back, she’d worn it on one of her last dates with Elena, before she handed her whole life over to Vought and Homelander sunk his hooks into her. There was a slight stain on the sleeve, evidence of Elena’s wine glass that had tipped over when some asshole decided to make it clear that he didn’t approve of their date, so he had to make it the whole restaurant’s problem. When he started becoming aggressive, Maeve grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him over, knocking him into at least three other tables with the sheer force she used. That was the catalyst for her initially fake relationship with Homelander, as Vought’s marketing team decided it would improve her image after the incident. 

She exhaled, shaking her head as she tried grounding herself. Things could be different with you. She’d take back control of her life—from Vought, from Homelander, from her own self-sabotage. Her outfit choice for the kind-of-but-not-really date was simple. She ran her fingers through her signature styled waves, messing her hair up a bit to make her less recognizable. Seeing herself in the mirror, she smiled. For the first time in months, she looked and felt like herself.

Her phone buzzed, and to her relief, it was a text from you.

‘Hey! Ready to go when you are🍻’ 

Biting her lip, she retyped her response to you three times before sending, ‘Great be down in a min😄’ 

She instantly regretted her choice of emoji, but it didn’t matter, something that simple wasn’t going to ruin her night. After all, she couldn’t remember the last time she was asked out by someone she actually liked. You hadn’t explicitly said it was a date, but the tension was there, and Maeve hoped to god she wasn’t reading too much into things.

You were waiting in the gym for her, now changed back into your work clothes of a blouse and skirt. In the meantime, you had pulled up the info for some of the bars that you and your friends frequented in your neighborhood. She looked over them quickly, settling on a 70s-themed one you recommended based on the decor and cheap burgers. Her mind raced while the two of you walked down the hall and to the elevator, deciding to leave through a service corridor rather than the building’s main floor.

As the elevator made its descent to the lower levels of the building, Maeve figured she at least owed it to you to let you know what you were getting yourself into. She’d already put you at risk with the amount of time she was spending with you. You looked at her in confusion when she pressed the emergency stop. 

“You know this isn’t just drinks, right?”

You smiled a bit, “What is it then?”

“Y/N, I’m serious,” she said. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Maeve, can you just be real with me instead of the cryptic shit?”

“Fuck," she groaned. "Okay, look. I’m into you, but Homelander’s a jealous son of a bitch who won’t let me have a life, so the fact that we’ve been spending time together and going out for drinks means you’re in serious danger.”

You were quiet for a few moments. She took your silence as an understandable rejection, moving to press the emergency stop button to bring you back up until you spoke. 

“I’ll take the risk.”

“Are you sure? Y/N, Homelander won’t hold back. I’ll do what I can to protect you, but–”

You looked at her, really looked at her, as she laid out the risks for you clear as day. It didn’t matter. You’d come to the conclusion pretty quickly that she was worth it. She was Queen fucking Maeve for Christ’s sake. Most importantly, though, you were into her too, and you’d never forgive yourself for passing up the opportunity to go out with her and see where things led.

As she was in the middle of listing ways Homelander could kill you, you interrupted her with a quick peck on the lips, enough to startle her out of her rant for a moment. That seemed to get the message through, because she kissed you, backing you into the elevator wall across from the closed doors. 

You parted your lips for her, happy to let her take the lead as she cupped your cheek in her hand, her fingers pulling your face closer to her. Even though she’d just pinned you to the floor less than an hour earlier, you were taken aback by how strong she was. She bit gently on your bottom lip, her teeth tugging at it before kissing you again. 

Groping one of your breasts through your blouse, she moved her hand further down your body until she reached your thighs, her fingers gently tracing undistinguishable patterns into your skin. You could feel her start to play with the hem of your skirt before sliding her hand beneath it.

You whispered a soft “yes” against her lips when her fingers brushed against the damp spot on your panties. Pressing her fingers against your core, she watched your face contort in pleasure as you whimpered for more. 

It felt like eternity before she finally pushed her hand past the cotton material and began teasing your clit, ignoring your aching pussy. She pressed hot, open kisses against your skin before settling on the crook of your neck, biting into the tender skin so hard you almost thought it would break. 

“Maeve, fuck,” you moaned.

“Too hard?”

You bit your lip, shaking your head. “Harder.”

Maeve grinned, slipping her index and middle fingers into your pussy, and you were almost embarrassed at how wet you were. She didn’t care, curling her fingers inside you, pumping them in and out until your breath caught in your throat. You gasped as you gripped her shoulders, trying to keep your legs from giving out from under you. Using her other hand, she held you up by your thigh, her fingers squeezing your soft flesh. 

You leaned your head back against the wall, eyes fluttering shut as she began rubbing her thumb against your clit, bringing her attention back to it as your pussy clenched around her fingers. She brought her lips to your ear, her teeth grazing your earlobe before she whispered, “You gonna cum for me, baby?”

“I’m close,” you barely managed to say.

“Don’t hold back. I wanna feel you,” she said, her voice raspy as she squeezed your thigh for emphasis. 

“Fuck–fuck, I’m–”

You came on her hand, fully relying on her strength to keep you up as she kept fingering you through your orgasm. Pressing her lips to yours, you were hardly able to kiss her back as you moaned into her mouth, your fingers clawing at the wall behind you as you tried getting a grip on something.

Finally, she pulled her hand from your pussy, and the one that had been holding you by your thigh wrapped around your waist to support you. She brought her hand to her mouth, licking your juices off of them so casually you wouldn’t have thought anything of it. You kissed her again, feeling lightheaded at the taste of yourself on her lips. Still, you figured someone must have noticed by then that the elevator wasn’t working. You didn’t even want to think about anyone finding you and Maeve like that, especially if Homelander ended up hearing about it through the grapevine.

“My roommate’s working the night shift,” you whispered, your voice noticeably hoarser than before. “I’ve got beer at my place.”

“Fuck the bar,” Maeve said, kissing you again.

You let out a yelp that dissolved into a fit of giggles as she literally swept you off your feet. She smiled, pressing the emergency stop button, sending the two of you back down to the service corridor you’d be slipping out into the night from.

[ggukkiedae]

When an introverted puppy meets an extroverted cat | NCT JENO & TOMORROWXTOGETHER SERI [SELF-ON KODE]

Click Below to See the Video

(pink chats for for jeno, blue for seri, based on which color of the wall they’re sat on. fair warning, this is unedited aksjdj)

*insert teaser clips here*

jeno sits on the pink wall side this time and sighs, putting on the airpods “i really hope this isn’t a prank again”

interview jeno: zhong chenle if you come out again… i think i may develop trust issues

seri walks in, hopping slightly into her seat, airpods already on and a grin on her face

interview seri: i’m excited. i really want to grow as a person through experiences with and experiencing more people

they scan the codes to enter the chat

moeongmeong: hi

nyangi: hi! how are you today?

m: i’m okay, just a little skeptical because my friend pranked me last time i was here

n: really? what happened?

m: he pretended to be on the show with me, but he knew who i was and wasn’t wearing airpods

seri laughs

interview jeno: i’m still upset

seri: this person seems to be innocent if they fell for that

n: how old are you? you seem young

jeno snickered “should i say how old i am? should i be nice or not?… i’ll be nice”

seri stared at her phone "this person isn't answering... oh, wait"

m: i’m a millenium kid

seri’s eyes widened “this person’s older than me?”

n: you’re older than me!

n: only by one year though

jeno straightened in his seat “oh? oh no, now i feel like i have to lead the conversation… unless this is chenle again”

seri is thinking “i know a few people born in 2000… soobin oppa? did he follow me here?”

m: yah

n: what?

m: i swear if this is you from last time again

seri laughed out loud at that. “they must let their younger friends pull pranks on them, huh?”

jeno gave his phone a skeptical look "zhong chenle... this is ridiculous, am i actually being pranked by chenle again?”

n: you seem like a nice person to let someone younger than you mess with you

n: your younger friends must find it funny

n: my younger friends become babies when they’re with me

"it isn't chenle," jeno tilted his head with a curious smile, "it feels almost like this person is in an idol group, too"

m: are you perhaps an idol?

m: is that why you’re nyangi? your fans say you look like a cat?

seri looked to her right curiously “how did he figure that out so fast? or was that a lucky guess?”

jeno laughed at the momentary lack of answer, "i must be right"

interview seri: i deducted they must be an idol too. by that logic, they’re an idol who’s known to look like a puppy, right?

n: ooooh, you’re right

n: you must be an idol too, meongmeong

jeno laughed

m: right!

m: good

m: so you like music?

n: i do!

n: i’ve been doing music even before my i entered my company

jeno looked up for a while “they’re an idol…”

interview jeno: they must be someone who debuted after me, right? the only person i can think if younger than me who debuted before me is bts miya”

seri looked at naver for idols who look like puppies born in 2000, then a familiar face popped up

she snorts and shakes her head

interview seri: if this is kim seungmin, i'm walking out. he's gonna start nagging me again. that was my first thought

n: *one image attachment* (a picture of seungmin)

n: it’s you, isn’t it?

m: ???

jeno had to put his phone down for a bit while laughing

m: did you search naver?

n: i did!

m: no

m: wait

m: we shouldn’t play like that

seri was just laughing “cute! there’s no way this is seungmin! they do seem a little bit familiar though”

n: okay okay

n: i got it

n: HAHAHAHA

n: but are you a girl or a boy?

m: do you want to guess?

m: i can put my hand over the corner

seri looked at the staff “are we allowed to do that? yeah? okay”

n: go, i won’t look

jeno got up, putting his hand over the edge of the corner

seri got up as well, looking away and reaching her hand out, jumping slightly when she found jeno’s hand

jeno’s jaw dropped in shock while he let go, “it’s really not chenle, it’s a girl”

“boy hands,” seri nodded to herself, laughing

n: so you’re a millenium boy?

n: you’re an oppa, then

m: you’re a girl

m: your nails felt long, by the way

m: i have a friend that likes doing nails, i can recommend you to her

interview jeno: her nails did poke me, and they felt long and textured

interview seri: i did my nails last night! it's like a hobby, but i didn't think he'd notice them

n: *one image attached* (a picture of her nails)

n: pretty, right?

m: woah

m: they’re my favorite color

n: oh?

n: blue is my favorite color too!

jeno smiled at his phone “good, there’s common ground”

seri tilted her head, "i wonder what else we have in common"

m: do you want to exchange song recommendations?

n: sure!

seri looks at the screen, tilting her head with a smile “what is this? he sent me one of the somgs on my play list”

the song jeno sent is my favorite part by mac miller and ariana grande

jeno laughed “yah, i have this song in my playlist!”

the song seri sent is ... smile by juice wrld and the weeknd

m: lol we must have similar taste

n: i think so…

m: the song i sent…

m: was it already in your playlist, too?

n: yeah!

n: i think we’ll get along well

n: want to go out to eat after this?

jeno’s eyes widened as he read this, and he burst out laughing “what is this?”

meanwhile seri tilted her head a little “is that too straight forward? i hope not”

jeno was looking off camera towards the staff “yes? you’re telling me to say yes?”

m: will you treat?

n: since you’re the oppa…

n: shouldn’t you treat?

jeno gave an incredulous look

seri was laughing her ass off while typing

n: kidding! i offered, so i’ll pay

m: we’ll see after the reveal

m: let’s send our home screens!

seri takes one look at jeno’s black home screen and laughs

jeno pulls a face at seri’s homescreen. it’s pure white

n: we match well

m: your home screen is so bright

m: kinda like your personality

jeno cringed as soon as he sent that

seri straightened “oh?”

n: was that flirting?

n: because i can up my flirting game

m: no!

m: i wasn’t flirting!

jeno drapes himself over his chair “oh no, this person must think i’m weird!”

n: it’s okay! my friends have a habit of flirting all the time, so i’m used to it

n: let’s send baby pictures!

seri sends hers first, and jeno looks at it closely “i don’t think i can guess who this is… she looks familiar”

before jeno could send his, the chat disconnected

the two now stood on opposite ends as the staff counted down

they both looked around the corner

seri burst into laughter, turning and heading back to her chair while jeno stood there with an amused shock expression

“yah!” he called to her, “what are you doing? you’re so straightforward!”

seri was still laughing on her chair, “oppa it was you! then whoever pranked you must have been either chenle or another 00 liner!”

jeno looked down “you’re right, it was chenle”

interview jeno: i guess i shouldn’t be surprised. the way of messaging felt familiar… yah, you shouldn’t search for people in stuff like this”

jeno looked at her weirdly while pulling her to stand from the chair, “you don’t listen to juice wrld?”

“you introduced him to me,” she shrugged, “and i kinda just started”

jeno smiled at that

interview seri: i’m happy it was jeno oppa! now i guess why he just let his member prank him like that without holding a grudge or getting angry

int jeno: we found out we had a lot in common in chat, but these are things we already knew in real life

she leaned against the wall while jeno looked at her, arms crossed

“so we’re eating out today?” “yeah, i’ll pay” “oppa, i said i’ll pay!” “how can i let you pay when you paid last time?”

interview seri: it was a good conversation, honestly. it didn’t feel forced, and it wasn’t too deep or too shallow, but this oppa held my hand…”

jeno in the background of int seri: to my defence, chenle did it to me first

interview seri: oh, oppa you’ve gotten bolder because you would have never done that when we first met

jeno got up from the chair and stood next to int seri, placing an arm around her shoulders “okay, thank you for this opportunity, even if i already knew the person, it was a fun experience, bye!”

seri just looked at him and laughed while he was waving. he looked at her and gestured to the camera “say bye, seri-yah”

“bye” she’s laughing while the screen fades to blank screen

you hear them talking with their icons popping up to show who was speaking

“you know, i was going to call you after to recommend this person to you for nails” “really?” “hannah says you do her nails really well” “that’s sweet of you to think of me, oppa… can i do your nails?” “with the extensions?” “if you want? i can do plain ones or nail art on your natural nails, too!” “okay”

you can hear the sound of seri clapping while jeno chuckles

-end-

taglist: @choisoobiniscute @strwberrydinosaur @1-800-enhypennabi @caratinylyfe @sunflower-0180 @1-800-minji @one16core @kimhyejin3108 @chansols @akshverse @jkebabayy97 @stopeatread @allthings-fandoms @jammingjaem

drop an ask or a dm if you wanna be added or taken out of the taglist 🥰 requests are also open!

[pommpuriinn]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪. 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉’𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝑒𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑜 2

｡𖦹°‧ pairing ｡𖦹°‧ - idol!yeonjun x superstar!oc x idol!jungkook

｡𖦹°‧ synopsis ｡𖦹°‧ - a love triangle between Hollywood’s sweetheart, Korea’s golden maknae, and Gen Z’s IT boy. Estrella is a very busy woman never had time dating with all her photoshoots, movie offers, recording sessions, dance practices, and public appearances. As she’s doing a little world tour promotions for her latest mini album ‘You & Me’, and let’s just say that stop last a little longer and it becomes a little too interesting.

Italics = korean

Interview outfit | makeup | hair | nails

As Megan, Sana, and Daya watch their little star do her interview with the very popular Yoo Jaesuk. “She’s doing so good.” Sana whisper yelled into Daya’s ear. Sana just wants to squeeze Estrella’s cheeks and tell her she’s doing a ‘good job!’. “Shh, she’s about to start talking.” Daya shrugs Sana off of her.

“Yeah, um during 2022 I only release a mini album because I was really busy acting in movies and walking down the runways for all the brands I worked with.” Estrella answers one of the female mc question. “You were so busying how did you have time to record your songs.” Jaesuk was amazed at Estrella’s schedule. “Let me try and answer in Korean.” Everyone was excited hearing Estrella speak their native language. “Right after filming I would go to the company and spent like 4 hours r-recording and producing. Or I would record on…” Estrella looks at Megan asking for help through her eyes. Megan got the memo and mouthed the words to her.

“How cute~” the female mc cooed. “Ah, ah ok! I recorded some on my phone during the filming breaks too and yeah.” Estrella laughs at herself. “I sound like baby.” She covers her face with her hands feeling embarrassed. “No, no you speak good!” Jaesuk attempting speaking English to make Estrella feel better.

They moved on and talked about how Estrella trained like a kpop trainee and how it amazes them that a western artist trained like that. Along with asking if she could sing a bit of ‘Eleven’ because her voice sounds so heavenly. “Of course I’ll sing for you.” Estrella lightly cleared her throat before starting.

🎵but then he showed up unexpected out of blue, saying all these things that I already thought I knew,

yeah, he got the physical I want it all for real, but honestly, what I love the must is how he makes me feel🎵

The room cheered for Estrella, “thank you.” She instantly feels embarrassed again. “Woah, her voice sounds like a siren.” the female mc gasps. “I got goosebumps!” Jaesuk shows his arm. “Once again thank you for coming to Korea and you need to try my recommendations because Korean food is really the best.” The female mc plead making Estrella giggle. “I-I will.”

“We will cheer you on during your promotions and please come back Estrella-ssi.” Jaesuk smile towards Estrella making her ‘awe’ and place her hand over heart. “Thank you for making me feel welcome, and I will make sure the next we see each other my Korean will be better.” The room laugh, as the three hugged each other before signing out. Before fully heading out the two mcs and Estrella took pictures and properly said their ‘goodbyes’.

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

Fans were waiting outside the studio with their phones and huge cameras ready. The second Estrella stepped foot the fans got even closer. “Woah, woah back up everyone!” Estrella’s security place their hands outward making the fans step back. “Unnie! You’re so pretty!”

“Unnie you did well today!”

“Make sure to eat and rest a lot!”

“Pose unnie!”

Estrella tried her best to thank and listen to everyone, completing hearts, and posing her their cameras. She knew that the people with hugs canon cameras were fansites, she didn’t know if they were specifically dedicated to her. But who cares because she definitely gave them all the right poses and even more, since back at home her fansites were the paparazzis and they LOVE Estrella. Estrella is known to eat up the camera and the people live for it, especially the paparazzis.

Once getting into the car fans still tried talking to her in front of her window which she rolled down. “Um…make sure to e-eat well and…oh! Get home sa-" Estrella was trying to think what was ‘safely’ in Korean. “Ah! Safely, get home safely. Bye bye~” Estrella rolls up her window still waving ‘bye’. “I really need to study more.” Estrella huffs, as she slouches in her seat. “When we get to the hotel I’ll pull out the books.” Megan teases Estrella while petting her head. “Before we do let’s stop at a convenience store to get snacks!” Sana chimes in from the back.

The team may have went a little overboard with the snacks, but who can blame them. They don’t have any of this back at home so they must try as much as they can. “Oh! Is this the alcohol?” Estrella hit the Soju section. “Yeah, want to try some?” Megan asks, while scanning through the flavors. “We should get the fruity flavors.” Sana points. “Let’s gets these four then.” Estrella and Sana each got two bottles. “Ok let’s go before you guys empty out the store.”

As they placed everything on the cashier’s table they notice how the cashier couldn’t hold in her excitement when she saw Estrella. “Oh I’m a big fan!” The cashier spoke in English. “Really? Thank you.” Estrella smiles and gave a little bow to the cashier. “Can you sign this receipt for me please.” The cashier placed an old receipt with a pen. “Sure, what’s the name?” Estrella was making the cashier girl blush with her eye contact. “Heemin.” Heemin was now hiding her smile with her hand covering. “I also plan on going to your music bank promotions.” Heemin adds. “Oh really? I’ll make sure to look for you then.” Estrella hands back the now signed receipt. It didn’t really take long for Heemin to scan their items and bag them, and once she handed over the last bag she gave everyone a quick bow, “thank you again for the autograph!”

“No problem, I’ll see you Heemin~” Once the coast was clear Heemin did what any other fangirl would do and do their little freak out moment because they got to meet their favorite artist.

⭒˚‧ ︵‿⭒ཐིཋྀ ཐིཋྀ⭒‿︵ ‧˚⭒

Back at the hotel all the girls did their night time routine and all gathered to Estrella’s room to gossip and eat their snacks. “I almost forgot! Estrella look, I’m going to tell you this now before anything happens ok?” Megan fully turned to face a confused Estrella. “There will be pretty good looking guys aka idols, and they most likely will try to talk to you but not in front of their fans. Because they will literally be crucified by their female Korean fans, not all but a good bunch. I’m not saying don’t talk to them, but just keep an eye out.”

“So don’t date any?” Daya asks. “It’s just there’s some eyes that we don’t see watching those particular idols and they mostly likely make false claims, and always make the women the bad guy.” Megan explains. “Ah, the double standards.” Sana nods. “Exactly and I just don’t want you to get hurt.” Megan holds Estrella’s hands. “Don’t worry. I understand Megan.” Estrella knows that Megan only means good by this. “Would you get love letters from idols Meg?” Sana gasps. “I mean,” Megan cockily flips her hair back and shrugs. “I got a few.” The whole group squeals at Megan’s attitude. “Shut up!” Daya jokingly pushes Megan’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t blame them though, Megan is a pretty girl and who doesn’t love pretty girls like us.” Estrella makes a point, causing the group to giggle. “Ok, ok we have to go to sleep. It may be a Saturday, but precious star over here has her first music program tomorrow in the morning.” Megan starts picking up the rappers off the floor. “Oh right. What’s it call again? Inki-inkigayo?” Sana asks while helping holding up the plastic bag for Megan to throw the trash in. Megan hums ‘yes’, “we have to run some rehearsals before the actual performances then perform about two or three times to get all the camera angles. Then do it again for ‘You & Me’ stage.”

Estrella groans and falls back on her bed, “it’s going to be so hard waking up!”

taglist»-♡→ @iveivory @jjkluver7 @lively-potter

[kittykat-25]

Not Alone: An S.Coups story

Chapter 2

Pairing: Seungcheol x F. Reader

Genre: strangers x friends x lovers, Hurt x Comfort, found family, seventeen being the best friends and brothers.

Synopsis: After begging the famous K-pop sensation S.Coups for help in the Seoul street market your life completely flips upside down, bringing you true friendship and a chance at true love.

A/N:This story is purely fiction. It talks about harsh things such as domestic violence, suicide and anxiety. This in no way represents the artist or their families. It is all made up🫶🏻

Chapter 3

*one month later*

You walked through the shopping district feeling lighter than you had in years, though a new type of stress was gnawing at you. Trying to find clothes for a job interview, because in your fleeing you left all your nice clothes at your now exes and you didn’t have enough of an attachment to them to risk going near that apartment. As you turn into a shop you spot Yoon Jeonghan flipping through a rack. What was with you and these idols. Never in all your years have you ran into them. And now it was wherever you went. He looks over to find you frozen to the spot, not sure to speak or just walk by. He gives you a smile, “y/n right? How are you?” You smile back, “I’m good, trying to rush and find an outfit.” You saying skimming through the clothes in front of you. “Looking for something specific?” He asked coming around to your side. “I have a job interview tomorrow and have nothing to wear.” You huffed, pulling out a silky top. “Where at?” He asked casually handing you a beautiful green top. “Lavien, it’s a skincare company, to do marketing research.” You said, voice full of hope. “Where’s the boyfriend of yours?” He asked innocently, remembering the man who dragged you out of the cafe. Your heart sank, and you knew he heard your sharp inhale as his face turned to you. “We broke up.” You stated with a shrug trying to act like your heart wasn’t in your stomach. Jeonghan nodded and quickly changed the topic handing you more clothes and leading you to the dressing rooms.

You and Jeonghan walked out of the store, him paying for your new outfit much to your dismay. “Do you want to grab a coffee?” He asked, gesturing to the small cafe inside the shopping district. “Sure!” You ordered your coffee and a small snack, buying Jeonghans as a thank you. “Can I ask about the boyfriend?” He said, his eyes piercing into yours. You looked down, “y/n, you don’t have to tell me, I just-I saw how he grabbed you and the bruise on your face that day and there’s bruises on the backs of your arms.” He stated quietly. “I got out.” You whispered, more like a self reminder than an answer to the idol, one tear sliding down your cheek. Jeonghan reached towards your hand, the quick movement had you flinching. Jeonghan heart shattered at the sight, before setting his hand on the table in between you, “I am so sorry that you were in that situation.” You chuckled but it was dry and humorless, “I’m out and free and just trying to get ready for my interview tomorrow.” Jeonghan face lit up, “We’re all getting dinner tonight, why don’t you join us? I’m sure the boys won’t mind.” You shook your head, “I couldn’t, wouldn’t want to impose and I can’t imagine that would be good for your idol image.” Jeonghan laughed, “you’ve clearly heard of seventeen, when do we ever care about our idol image?” You debated it, “is it okay with everyone if I join?” You asked cautiously. “I’ll let Scoups-ssi know but it shouldn’t be a problem.” You nod, your face heating at the mention of seventeens leader; Jeonghan typing away on his phone, smirked. “Alright I told them a friend would be joining, Scoups will be happy to see you. He’s gone back to the coffee shop any chance he can get to see you.” He said nonchalantly. “W-why?” You stammered, shock taking over your face. Jeonghan patted your hand, “neither of us were fond of you walking out that door that day. Not with a bruise and not with how he grabbed you. He wanted to make sure you were alright.” You shook your head, “but you barely know me.” You couldn’t wrap your head around the fact that these men would care so much over something so little. “You don’t have to know someone well to not want them in danger. Cheol is protective as it is, but seeing you in danger twice in a week shook him.” He said running a hand through his hair, “and you? What’s your reason.” You asked. His face paled, “you remind me a lot of my sister.” was his only explanation.

Chuckling at his phone, Jeonghan shoots back a reply to his members as he walks towards the company car. They were happy to see you again, Scoups and Joshua most of all. He sent a warning reminder that you didn’t like to be touched and to limit sudden movements towards you if possible just as a precaution. Pulling up your contact now in his phone, he sent you the address of the restaurant in case you got separated while following them there. Sitting back in the car he pulls up his text with the 95ers, the hoard of questions from them about your wellbeing. He had noticed healing bruises on your arms, he was sure there were more he couldn’t see but your eyes looked more lively than they had in the coffee shop so that was a relief. He clenched his fist, the anger from that day rising back up as the memories of you flinching as your ex grabbed you. Your face shifting into his little sisters. He let out a deep sigh, looking back and seeing your car behind his. He wouldn’t fail you the way he had his sister.

Pulling up to the restaurant you took a shaky breath as Jeonghan walked towards your car, he opened the door “I’m sorry in advance for any and all questions you’re going to get.” He opened the door and followed you inside gesturing to a private room, where loud voices were streaming out. Chaotic laughter greeted him as Jeonghan opened the door, Scoups stood up and everyone fell silent. The three men who were at the coffee shop gave little waves of acknowledgment as their leader made his way to you. You froze on the spot, eyes scanning the room, turning on a heel you walked back out the door. Jeonghan and Scoups shared a puzzled look then were close behind you. Leaning on the wall across from the door you took a few deep breaths, not meeting the two men’s eyes. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want too.” Jeonghan said quietly.”I didn’t mean to push if you aren’t ready.” “No it’s not that, it’s just overwhelming to walk into a room full of seventeen members.” You mumbled. Scoups laugh eased some tension, “a fan?” He asked, eyebrow cocked as he waiting for your answer. Jeonghan smirk grew as you blushed, “I mean I’ve heard your music and have seen enough Going to recognize you.” You ran a hand through your hair, pushing off the wall. “If you get uncomfortable or want to leave at any point please tell me.” Scoups said gently as he opened the door, you nodded before walking back in the room.

The two men lead you to a chair in the center of the table, Scoups and Jeonghan on each side of you. The memebers glanced at him all smiles and he refrained from groaning. They were not helping this situation. “This is y/n, y/n these are my brothers. But I’m sure you know their names.” You glared at the leader and he winked before turning his attention back to the other members who had turned their grins at you. They went around the table and introduced themselves more for formalities before it got back to you. “Scoups-ssi told us he helped someone and went on for days about you so I’m glad we got to meet the famous y/n.” Dino chimed from the other side of his leader, the grunt of him being smacked making you laugh. Conversation flowed nicely after that, each of them telling you about themselves and giving you a chance to open up. They seemed calmer to you than what you were expecting and quieter. You looked to Scoups who immediately put all his focus on you, “are you alright?” You nodded, “are they? This seems too calm for all I’ve heard about this group.” You responded. He glanced around, “I think they’re trying not to scare you.” He whispered making you laugh. In which drew attention to you and the older mans private conversation. “What happened to your arm?” Hoshi asked, immediately getting a glare from the two men on both sides of you. In talking with Scoups you had turned and all the old bruises along the back of your arms were on display to those on your right. You looked down at the now yellowing bruises, “you don’t have to talk about it.” Joshua said from across you. You sighed and straightened your back before answering. “My ex boyfriend happened.” You stated, the silence after was unsettling, you saw a few pair of eyes shift to Jeonghan, Scoups grip on his fork getting tighter. “Was that because of us at the coffee shop?” Joshua asked, his eyes full of guilt. “He would’ve done it if he hadn’t seen me talking to you. So no it’s not your fault.” You said looking at Scoups whose eyes were a mix of rage and sadness. Jeonghans voice came from the other side, “you know it’s not your fault either right? You didn’t do anything to deserve that.” You nodded, “I know, it took a while for me to realize I needed out. But after that I packed up everything I could and left. I changed my number and got a new phone. I quit my job and disappeared from him.” DK looked like he was about to jump over the table and tackle you with a hug but Joshua spoke, “why quit your job?” You poked a piece of spinach around the plate, “we worked at the same company. I didn’t feel safe there either.” “Where are you staying now?” Someone asked. “My car currently, my friend offered her couch but she just had a baby and I don’t want impose.” You responded not making eye contact with anyone. You looked over at Scoups, he saw the pleas in your eyes. “That’s enough questions, let’s enjoy the meal and give y/n a break.” You mouthed a thank you and excused yourself, heading toward the doors for the bathroom.

The second the door shut behind you all the members turned their attention to the two oldest. “What are we going to do?” DK asked looking between the two for answers. “We have to help her, she can’t live in her car!!” He exclaimed. Joshua put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, “she might not want the help.” “I’m with Dokyeom, we have to do something.” Mingyu said looking towards the door, “she’s all alone.” Scoups shook his head, “what do you expect me to do?” He asked, looking towards Jeonghan for support. His best friend’s face was pale, a distant look in his eyes. “What the point of having all that money if you can’t use it to help?” Seungkwan asked. Joshua went to cut in when the door opened back up for you to walk back in, pausing as all the members turned to you. “What?” You said walking towards your seat. “Move in with me.” Scoups said, all the members head snap towards him, yours included. “I’m sorry what?” Scoups pulled his shoulders back and turned to you, “move in with me, well it’s me and my brother but he’s rarely home. We have more space than we know what to do with. You’d have your own room and bathroom. Please.” The last word was no more than a whispered plea. “You have such busy schedules, I don’t want to impose or get you in trouble.” You said quietly, fiddling with the napkin in your hands. “Let us help you, we won’t get in trouble and we have a somewhat calm schedule currently.” Jeonghan countered, the rest of the members agreeing. You looked up at their leader and the hope in his eyes, “I promise I’ll start looking for a place as soon as I find a job.” He broken into a smile that sealed your fate.

Walking towards your car, Jeonghan and Scoups at your heels. “Can I help you?” You asked turning around to face them. “I figured I’d drive you to my house.” Scoups replied. Your body tensed up, “I’m going tonight?” You asked, trying to hide the panic in your voice. “Did you want to keep sleeping in your car?” Jeonghan asked. “I just thought I’d have time to process.” You mumbled. Scoups leaned against the car, giving Jeonghan a look. They seemed to have a whole conversation before Jeonghan said his goodbye and walked towards the company cars. “Y/n do you actually want to come stay with me?” You looked down, not meeting his eyes. “It’s hard to say no when 13 people are staring at you.” You said, voice shaky. “You can tell me no, and I will respect any decision you make.” He countered, you saw his hand reach for you. Stumbling back a step, you squeezed your eyes shut. “If you don’t want to stay with me it’s okay, I completely get it. It’s a lot and I’m sorry I put you under pressure. But let me get you a hotel room so you are somewhere safe.” His voice so gently it almost broke your heart. “I can’t afford to pay you back for that.” You replied, “you said I’d have my own room?” Scoups nodded, “and bathroom attached. The door locks, and we will never come into your room without your permission or you being there.” He finished.

You let out a deep sigh, looking up at this beautiful man, “I just don’t understand why, why are you so hell bent on helping me?” He looked back at you, “I don’t know y/n, but that day in the market you looked so scared and it was awful watching you walk away not knowing if you’d stay safe. And then the coffee shop, you had this detached look like you were breathing but not alive. And it hurt seeing that and the way he grabbed you…” his voice trailed off, watching the tears fall from your eyes. “I just want you to be safe and if that’s at my house or at a hotel it doesn’t matter. As long as you are safe.” You nodded, “to your house then.” You said moving to the passenger side of your car. Scoups smiled as he got in, “kkuma is going to love you.” You laughed, “I’m hoping so.” You rode in silence, taking in the night views before you stopped in front of a nice looking house. You glanced in the back and grabbed the duffle bag of clothes and your pillow. Scoups came around and opened your door, “need anything else?” He asked. You handed him the suit bag of clothes Jeonghan had bought you as you got out. “Nope everything else I’ll go through later. I shoved a lot in here and I’m not sure what all is here.” He nodded and lead you up the path to the front door. “Kkumaaaa, I brought a friend!” He called as he opened the door, a little white fireball came sprinting towards the man bouncing at his feet. You laughed and she turned towards you, crouching down you held your hand out for her to sniff, she ran right past it into your arms. “It’s nice to meet you Kkuma!” You said, your voice shaking as you laughed. Scoups looked down at you and his pup, your face lit up in more joy than he has seen. “Your bedroom is up here” he motioned towards the steps and you fell in line behind him. He stopped in front of a closed door, “my room is across the hall, my brothers is downstairs.” He said as he opened it, the spacious bedroom had a bed and a dresser with a small desk in front of the window. The bathrooms through that door, pointing to another closed door on the other side, the closet is in there as well.

He walked back towards the door and grabbed a small key off the top of the doorframe. “This is the only key that unlocks your bedroom door.” He said handing it to you, “you’re more than welcome to hide it somewhere that only you know. You can keep it on you and lock your door when you leave. Whatever you need to feel comfortable. I’ll get you a house key made tomorrow.” You nodded along, the cold key pressed tightly in your hand. “Thank you Scoups.” You said quietly, feeling an extra load was taken off your shoulders. He smiled and turned towards the door, “you can call me Cheol.” You smiled, as you followed him to the bedroom door, “thank you Cheol, have a good night.” He gave you an over dramatic wink before turning into his own bedroom. Your door shut and he heard the lock click into place. He smiled regardless knowing you were finally somewhere safe.

A/N: I hope you enjoy it!! This chapter is LOONNG but I just love Scoups and Jeonghan🥰

Let me know if you want to be added to the Taglist🤍

@hi-cherry @hwasddeongbyeoli @btskzfav @ateez-atiny380 @butterfliesinthenightsky @nooniena

[1-imaginary-girl]

Hello! This is my first time requesting so i don't know how to do this, but can you do a Five Hargreeves HC where he has feelings for reader but don't know if she feels the same so he asked Diego or Luther for advice. Sorry if it's a bit confusing. But here's the prompt (i saw this at Pinterest)

"she doesn't love me, she's not that stupid". " What are you talking about?! Ofc she loves you! Everyone could see it!"

Uncertain Feelings with Five Hargreeves (Headcanon)

Warnings: None.

A/N: Thank you so much for submitting a request! Sorry it took longer than usual to get back to you. I've never done a headcanon before but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Also, keep an eye out for a new Five one shot on the way ;)

You would have been friends with the Hargreeves children since you were five

You moved in across the street and introduced yourself

The kids immediately loved you, from your positive attitude to the fun you brought them

You made them feel like normal children

Despite Reginald’s strict protests, the children would refuse to stop seeing you

After he saw the positive affect your presence started to have on them, the old man finally relented

You were the only outsider allowed inside the Hargreeves home

It seemed all of the Umbrella kids loved you, but none more than Five

He knew there was something different about you from the moment he saw you

His little heart would beat out of his chest and his cheeks would turn a shade darker

Unlike his siblings, you didn’t mind his off-putting personality. In fact, it would have made him more interesting to you

He became a little possessive over you, not wanting to share your time with his siblings

It wasn’t hard for them to notice the change in him, but they all thought it was funny and instantly took to teasing him about it

Luckily, you liked him just as much and the two of you became the best of friends

Cut to present day and the two of you still enjoyed one another’s company

You often hung out in Five’s room. He would be working on some boring equation which he tried to explain to you but it went in one ear out the other, while you would read on his bed

One day, an alarm goes off on your phone and you curse

“Shit, I have to go,” you say

Five pauses his work and turns to watch you pack up

“Why?” he asks

“Ugh, my mom set me up for some job interview with her company. Apparently, she's had enough with my unemployment period.”

You would stand to leave and, as always, Five would walk you to the door

“Let me know how it goes,” he says as you both reach the bottom of the stairs

“Oh I’ll be calling to complain the second it’s over,” you say

You would open the door and say “Bye Five” with a smile

“Bye,” he replies as the door closes

All this time and his heart still speeds up when you smile

“Is this still going on?”

Five would hear a voice coming from the living room and scowls when he sees Luther sitting at the bar

“What are you talking about?” the boy hisses

“Oh come on Five, we all know about your feelings for Y/N. Why can’t you just admit it?”

Apparently the man was feeling rather brave to talk to him like this

Five would go to snap back when he pauses

His damned brother is right. It’s been years and he’s never even said the words out loud

He doesn’t know why, but at that moment Five’s decided he’s had enough and relents

He teleports to the stool next to Luther, giving the big guy a scare

“Jesus Five—”

“You’re right”

“…come again?”

“I…fuck it, yes, I’m in love with her. Happy?”

Five would steal whatever alcohol Luther is nursing and down it before releasing a hiss

“There you go! Good for you” Luther would say, annoyingly without sarcasm, as he pats his brother on the back

“This is pointless. I’ve said it, now what am I supposed to do?”

“You tell her”

Five hesitates. “I can’t”

“Why not?”

He hesitates again before looking down into the now empty glass. “Because she doesn’t feel the same way”

Five’s jaw would tighten as the words he fears spill from his lips

“You’re joking, right?”

Five scowls. “Why would I be joking?”

“Five, Y/N loves you too”

Five would only shake his head at his brother’s naïve optimism. “She doesn’t love me, Luther. She’s not that stupid”

“What are you talking about?! Of course she loves you! Everyone could see it!”

But Five wouldn’t hear any of it. “Stop trying to cheer me up.”

Luther would be determined to change his mind. “Five, trust me, Y/N—”

“What about me?” 

The two of them were so distracted by their conversation that they failed to hear you re-entering the house. When both sets of eyes turn to face you, you panic

“Sorry, I forgot my phone upstairs,” you would quickly say with an apologetic look

Luther would try to cover. “Oh, uh, we were just talking about—”

But Five has a different idea

He isn’t sure if it was the “pep talk” with Luther or the realization of how long he has been harbouring his feelings, but he teleports in front of you

Unlike Luther, you don’t flinch

“Y/N I have to tell you something” Five would say

You would blink, caught off guard, but nod, preparing yourself to listen

Five would figure he should just rip it off like a bandaid. And when he looks into your eyes, it unlocks something in him and his feelings pour out

“I love you,” he would say. “I’ve loved you my whole life, and I know you probably don’t feel the same, but I had to—”

You would lunge at him and pull his face until your lips collide

Five would freeze at the sudden contact but quickly melt into you, wrapping his arms around to pull you in lighter

Your arms would curl around his neck

Luther’s cheering would cause both of your faces to light up red but neither of you wanted to pull away

Eventually, you would lean back and whisper, “Took you long enough.”

Five’s eyes widen. “You knew?”

And you would shrug, and say, “I had hoped.”

Then with a beaming smile, the smile that started it all, you say, “And I love you too dummy.”

He would smile back, his heart threatening to burst with the sudden abundance of happiness, and shake his head

“Come here” he would say before bringing you into another kiss, eliciting a squeal of delight from your lips

At this point, Luther would feel uncomfortable lingering around and would leave to immediately inform the other siblings of the big news

[lilchibi-chan]

Heyy! Love ur character x idol! Reader, I was wondering if u could do Dabi x idol! Reader. And it’s a secret relationship obvi. Tyy

Hiiii!! Thank you so much for the kind words and I can definitely do this for you!

𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

dabi x idol! reader secret relationship

As an idol, you have a very busy schedule. From recording to dance practice to interviews to traveling and sometimes the overall pressure from fans and even yourself, it can be stressful.

You and your group finally have some time to yourselves when you get a text.

“Hey, let’s meet at our spot.”

You get up from your bed, grab you jacket, bag and phone and head out of your room. You see a couple of your band mates in the kitchen at the table.

“I’m heading out, do you guys need or want anything,” you ask them

“Can you bring back some chicken for dinner? I’ve been craving it,” Yongji, your band mate and best friend says

“Sure! Amelie, would you like anything,” you ask

“I’m cool with chicken too,” she says

“Okay! I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back,” you say

“Have fun!,” they say in unison

You and Dabi started dating a five months ago and your group, Flora, debuted 3 months ago. Company policy is that you’re not allowed to date for the first 3 years of group activity and if you get caught, you’ll be put on probation.

You decided to keep it a secret because you JUST started dating and you didn’t want to let him go. Yes, he is rougher around the edges than other guys, but he could be very sweet when he wanted to be. He also had a certain charisma that you just couldn’t ignore. An aura that you just couldn’t get passed.

Any time you have a moment with him, you cherish it always since they can be few and far in between. You both try to call or text as much as possible since you don’t see each other much.

You made it to the meeting place first and took in the view of Seoul. Everything seemed so small from where you were. There was no stress of school, no worrying about your vocals or dance moves. It felt like you were separate from everything.

A pair of hands cover your eyes.

“Guess who,” the husky, low voice says

“Hmmm let me think…Felix from Stray Kids,” you say teasing

“Haha very funny,” he says

“I was only kidding Touya,” you say, playfully pushing him

You’re the only person he lets call him that.

He cups your face in his hands and kisses you deeply. You wrap you arms around his neck and he pulls you in closer.

He pulls away and both of your breaths are heavy.

“I missed you…so much,” he says

You both catch your breath and he lays a blanket out for both of you to sit/lay on. He brought some of your favorite snacks and some drinks and organized them on the blanket.

“I figured we could have a little picnic before you need to get back. I know they’re pretty strict with curfew,” he says

“Touya,” you say feeling touched

“We don’t get to see each other much and as proud of you as I am, I just want to make every time I see you special. You deserve that much at least,” he says looking out into the distance instead of really looking at you

“Baby, look at me,” you say

He turns his head and you pull him in by his chin and place a soft kiss on his lips.

“What was that for,” he says with a smirk on his lips

“Just to say thank you for always making me feel special,” you say and kiss him again

“It’s so weird no to see you as much after school as I used to. How’s Yongji by the way,” he says

“She’s good, still her bubbly and outgoing self. She helps me get through the struggles of this whole lifestyle. It’s nice to have someone I grew up with go through this with me,” you say

“That’s good. What about the other members,” he asks

“They’re good too. I’m surprise you care so much,” you say jokingly

“Hey, I care because it’s you. I care about you and how you’re doing and how you’re being treated. You’re…the most precious thing to me,” he says honestly

You rest your head on his shoulder and just look out over the city. He places a hand to your cheek and caresses it.

You put your hand on his and caress the back of his hand with your thumb.

He places a kiss on your forehead.

“Do you wanna eat some of the snacks now,” he asks

“Sure,” you say smiling

You spent the next couple of hours talking about classes and the shows you’ve been on and anything else that may come to mind.

“What do you wanna do next? I was thinking we could go to the park,” he says

“I would love to, but I don’t know if that’ll be safe,” you say

“C’mon, isn’t that the best part of being in a secret relationship, the risk of getting caught,” he says intriguingly

“Dabi…I don’t know,” you say honestly

“Y/N, I promise you’ll be safe. We’re gonna be in a spot that no one goes to, it’ll be fine,” he says reassuring you

“O-okay,” you say finally giving in

The whole time you’re on the way to the park, you can feel your nerves taking over. You worry about if someone’s watching you or if someone could be watching, but you’re also thinking about the thrill of sneaking around with the boy you love.

It reminds of Romeo and Juliet, of course without the problematic age difference and the unaliving. Two people from now different worlds, with different lives, trying to do what they can to make their love work.

Dabi holds out his hand as you both come to a brick wall with shrubbery covering it.

“C’mon my little bundle of nerves,” he says

“How did you-”

“Anyone could feel them radiating off of you from miles away,” he says

“Let’s go,” he says, hand still outstretched for you

You pensively grab hold, as he guides you through the shrubbery that was hiding a hole in the wall.

“This leads to the farthest part of the park, where no one ever comes and no one can see us,” he starts,“it has a giant field and the flowers are in bloom right now, so I figured it would be the perfect place for a date with you.”

When you finally make it, you’re blown away by how beautiful it is.

“Dabi…this is incredible,” you say with an awe filled voice

“I’m glad you like it,” he says with a proud smile

“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you find this place,” you say curiously

He pauses for a second

“I wanted to get away from home,” he says honestly

“The sun was setting, but I just couldn’t take being there, so I left and I came to the park, but there were so many people. None of them were who I wanted to be with, so I walked until I made it here. I don’t really know if no one’s ever come up here, but I’ve come at all times and no one is ever here when I am so, now this can be our place,” he says

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much,” you say sadly

“You don’t have to feel guilty or sad nor should you blame yourself. You’re following your dream and I couldn’t be more proud of you,” he says

“Yeah,but..I wish I could be there for you more,” you say honestly

“Y/N, you have a talent and it needs to be shared. You have one of the most amazing voices I’ve ever heard and you shouldn’t be caged like a bird. You need to be free to share that voice. Don’t let my problems stop you from experiencing this chance to the fullest,” he says, leaving you speechless

“Didn’t expect me to say that much, did ya,” he says, causing small giggles to escape both of you

“No I didn’t,” you say through laughs,“but thank you. I’ll continue to make you and our fans proud. I’ll work hard, but I also promise to be there for you whenever I have even a millisecond of free time.”

“I’ll be cheering you on every step of the way,” he says

You look at your phone and it reads 6:30 pm.

“Oh my gosh, I didn’t even realize the time. Ugh I should head back now. Yongji and Amelie are waiting for me,” you say

“I guess this is see you later then,” he says and you notice a sting of sadness in his voice

You kiss his right cheek, then his nose, move to his left cheek and lastly his lips. You place on them a deep and lingering kiss.

“I-I love you, Touya,” you confess honestly

“I’m not good at this kind of stuff, but I l-love y-you too,” he says nervously

“Text me when you get back in. I’ll leave after you,” he says and places a peck on your lips before you go.

As you keep walking, you look back to make sure he’s watching. To make sure he sees you and feels the love you feel for him. To see if he knows just how hard you’re going to work. To let him know that no matter how big you get, you won’t let him go. You will be there for him always.

I hope you enjoyed and as I said in my previous text post, I am so sorry for lack of writing as I have been going through so many changes irl, but I will try to set aside time when I can to write and post. Thank you so much for your request. All requests are appreciated and I do enjoy taking my time to give y’all a story that you and I are both proud of.

[jeremiah-fisher]

you and me,

—a the summer i turned pretty fic starring my first and favourite book boyfriend, jeremiah fisher ♡

「moments: post-college, reader insert」

Turns out, as soon as you graduate from college, reality hits you like a truck. There is so much to do and so much ground to cover and so many damn things to pay for. I didn’t realize that with college ending, I would be thrust into this awful world where milk costs more than it probably should. 

It’s summertime and I’m working as a receptionist. It’s a desk job, which I’m grateful for because the last thing I want to do is be on my feet all day working retail, and it pays decently enough. The physical therapist I work for is also a nice man who lets me take time off whenever I need it and his holiday gifts don’t suck. For the Fourth of July, he gave everyone in the office individual fruit and candy baskets – with the good kind of candy. None of that off-brand stuff.

With my pay, I take care of a quarter of the rent and put the rest aside for graduate school in the fall. Jeremiah takes care of pretty much everything else: most of the rent, the bills, and the extra expenses. I don’t know how he does it, considering the fact that he does work retail on a part-time basis. The other half of his time is spent interning at a security analysis company. We’re lucky they pay him for his time because the other ten companies he interviewed with said they don’t pay interns. 

A few weeks ago, Belly, Taylor, and I went out to a bar downtown. They both came to visit me and Jeremiah in Boston for the weekend. We shopped and Taylor told us all about her and Davis and how they were going to be married next summer, after graduation, in a vineyard. Belly was finishing up her last year at Finch and looking into jobs. Her and Conrad weren’t really speaking apart from the letters they wrote to each other, but from everything she told me, she said she was hopeful that when she sees him again, things will be different. 

When I told them about my life, neither of them could believe that Jeremiah had stepped up the way he had. Honestly, I was a little offended. Why did they automatically assume that my boyfriend couldn’t support us? He wasn’t a kid anymore. Both of us are twenty-three this year. We’re not children. We know what responsibilities are. 

Taylor said she was “just surprised since it’s Jeremy” whilst Belly quietly said that, “Jere is so unreliable. I didn’t know he could do all that.” I had left the bar that night feeling awkward amongst my closest friends, wondering if they would always view Jeremiah through a negative lens. 

My phone rings as I’m gathering up all the trash in the kitchen. I had spent the last hour or so cooking dinner so my boyfriend and I wouldn’t end up ordering in yet again on a Friday night. We have been doing that a lot lately. I was always too tired to cook and so was he. It just made sense to have someone else do it and fork over a few bills for the pleasure.

“Hello?” 

The person on the other end of the line asks, “Is this YN YLN?”

“Uh, yes.” I hold the phone away from my ear to check the caller ID. It’s from Wells Fargo. “I’m YN.” 

“Good. I’ll transfer you to Mr. Fisher.”

“Wait, I–” I put the garbage bag down and fumble with my phone until finally, I can sit down on the floor and hold it properly. Mr. Fisher is calling me? Why? The line runs solid for a few seconds until a distinct and familiar voice falls through. 

“YN? This is Adam Fisher.”

I swallow and sit up a bit straighter against the wall. “Hi, Mr. Fisher. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you. I’m calling to ask about your schedule. Are you available for brunch on Sunday?”

“Um…” He wants to go to brunch? Why? And with just me? “Sure…” 

“Great. Please let Jeremiah know as well. I have a number of items to discuss with you both so please arrive on time. My secretary will text you the details. Have a good night, YN.”

After he hangs up, I simply stare at my phone for a long minute. A very long minute. I have no idea what to make of what she just said or what it means or if Jeremiah is even cool with us meeting his father for brunch this weekend. The two of them have been patching up their relationship for a while but just like with his older brother, there are still issues there. I guess there always is between family. 

I start to get up up off the floor and return to my trash disposal when the door knob jiggles. Jeremiah walks in a moment later, chucking off his shoes and swinging his car keys around his index finger. He grins at me as he walks in. 

He slides his arm around my waist and smacks his lips against my cheek, giving me a wet kiss. “How’s my future wife this evening?”

“Confused,” I chuckle, letting him hold me as I show him my caller list. “I just got a call from your dad’s office. He wants to meet us for brunch on Sunday. Do you know what that’s about?”

A look of guilt passes over his features. He starts to let me go, but I hold onto his arm. “Jere, what’s going on? Your dad always makes plans through you. Why did he call me today?”

“I told him I’d talk to him next month. I don’t know why he’s…” Jeremiah shakes his head and steps away from me, running his fingers through his hair. He smells like the office he works at where everyone insists on wearing too much perfume. The scents all stick to him and although he looks great in an office suit, I don’t have it in me to dwell on that right now. Something’s going on and I want to know what that is. He looks at me. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to him.”

“What are you going to talk to him about exactly?”

He shakes his head again. “It’s nothing. Just Dad being Dad.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

I grab his arm again. There is so much distance between us now. I may not understand what is going on between him and his father but I know he knows something and that something is what he is keeping hidden from me. We always promise each other that we don’t hide stuff. Not the big stuff or the small ones. Clear cut communication is what we always promised. So why is he backing out now?

“What are you hiding? We promised we’d talk about everything. Even family.” 

Jeremiah licks his lips, and then those same lips tighten into a line. He stares off at a wall, the one with a picture of us summer kids hanging on it. Next to it is a photograph of Susannah in her favourite white summer dress that she wore all the time. We even buried her in it. 

“Jere–”

He makes a frustrated sound in the back of his throat then rounds on me. His blue eyes are wrought with pain. “He’s gonna give me an ultimatum.”

“An ultimatum?”

“Yeah. Either I work for him at the bank or he cuts me off.”

My heart stops. “Cuts you off? What does that–” The truth, the realization of what has been our life for months, maybe even since we started college, dawns on me. His father has been paying for everything. “Jeremiah, has your dad been paying our bills?”

He doesn’t say anything and only nods. 

I reach down to pinch my thigh. Everything around me starts to blur. Everything I thought I knew. Everything I thought was the truth because that is what he told me it was. 

“Then what about all the money you’ve been making at your jobs?” 

He licks his lips, and then he turns away from me. I don’t let him get away with not looking at me. I need to see his eyes. I need to be able to see him to make sense of all of this. “American Eagle let me go last month and my internship doesn’t pay me enough.” 

“What…?”

He sighs. “I was gonna tell you, I swear. But you’ve been working so hard and grad school starts in September for you so I just thought…” He sighs again, louder this time, like he’s so disappointed in himself and he wants me to appreciate that. “I can’t believe my dad.”

“I can’t believe you,” I argue, feeling my face heat up. I feel so betrayed. “All this time, I thought you were being responsible when you were just piggy-backing off of your dad just like always.”

His eyes narrow on me. “What do you mean, ‘just like always?’”

I startle myself with what I just said and I know it won’t lead to any good to argue about it, so I go, “Just forget it.”

“No. Tell me what you meant. I can take it.”

I roll my eyes, exasperated. “Can you, Jere? Can you really? I told you I’d get a better job and pay my half of the bills but you pushed me to take the clinic job instead because the hours were good and you were taking care of everything. But all this time, it was just your dad! We’re not kids anymore, Jeremiah! We’re adults! With adult responsibilities! If I can’t trust you to be a man and handle just the two of us, how will we ever manage a home and kids?”

His gaze drops down to my stomach. “Are you pregnant?”

I guffaw. I can’t believe him. “No, I’m not pregnant! I’m pissed off! I’m so embarrassed. Your dad probably thinks I’m some kind of freeloader, living off his dime.”

“That’s not true–”

“Isn’t it? What part of this apartment or the food in our fridge actually belongs to us, Jeremiah?”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re being dramatic.”

“No, I’m being honest. Because I’m not a freaking liar! My dad asked me several times if I wanted money and I was so proud to tell him you had everything covered. What will he think when he finds out I was just defending your laziness yet again?”

“My laziness?” His eyes are ablaze. He looks just as ticked as me. And he has zero right to be. “I was just trying to make shit easier for you, you know, so you could go off to grad school without being stressed out of your mind. Sue me for being a good boyfriend.” 

“A good boyfriend wouldn’t lie to his girlfriend’s face for months on end!”

“I didn’t lie to you!” He yells, and this time, his voice booms and jumps off the walls. I wince, and take a step back. I have no reason to be afraid of him but I don’t appreciate him raising his voice at me either. He seems to figure it out fast and softens his voice. And when he gets that look on his face, he almost looks like a kid again as he says, “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about where the money was coming from, okay? I have plans to pay my dad back. He just wants to force me into working for him now that Con’s off being a surgeon.”

I walk out of the kitchen and into the living room, dropping down on the couch we bought using his credit card. A couch his father paid for.

I put my head in my hands and stare down at the floor. Less than a minute later, Jeremiah sits down at my feet. He places his hand on my knee and I look up. His eyes are so soft now and he’s looking at me with so much pleading and remorse that I know one word from him and I’ll be giving in.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, rubbing my knee in circles. “I should have told you from the start.”

“Yeah. You should have.”

He sets his cheek on my knee and looks up at me, like a little puppy. “I don’t mind working for him. Lately, I was thinking it might be a good thing. I’d get paid better and my dad would be my boss so I’d have leg room to do what I want sometimes.” He presses a kiss to the same knee. “Don’t be mad.”

“Well, I am.”

He kisses me on the knee again. “What can I do to make it better?”

“You can start by actually keeping your promises and not lying to me.”

“YN…” 

“I’m serious.” And because I can never stay mad at him for long, I find myself touching his hair, running my fingers through his gentle curls. He shuts his eyes for a moment. “Your hair’s so long now, you could join a boyband.” 

He grins, and says, “I’d have so many fans.” 

“Cocky.”

He winks. “Just honest.” And then he sits up next to me on the couch, hugging himself to me. “My biggest fan would get a private show.”

Humming, I ask, “And who would your biggest fan be?”

“The girl beside me right now, who I don’t deserve sometimes.” 

I laugh and he keeps holding me and for now, it’s enough. 

. . . 

The both of us ended up meeting Mr. Fisher for brunch on Sunday. Jeremiah said he would go alone but I said no. There was no point in not going. His father had invited us both out and I would look like an awful person for bailing. Especially without cause. And truthfully, some part of me wanted to be there to hear what he had to say. 

We had brunch at a Turkish restaurant where Mr. Fisher ordered menemen and Turkish tea. Everything was delicious and Jeremiah had twice what his father and I ate. I thought he was so cute, just like he was when we were kids. Jeremiah always ate the most out of everyone. 

After we finished eating, Mr. Fisher paid the bill and we sat around for a few minutes longer enjoying our tea. Then he looked at Jeremiah and asked him what he thought about working for him. Jeremiah glanced at me and I squeezed his hand under the table. I wasn’t sure if the decision was a good one, whether or not it would come back to haunt us in the future, but for now, he thought it was a good idea and I did, too. 

Mr. Fisher told his son that he expected him to start working there from September, when I would be in grad school at Boston University. After I complete my two-year Master’s program, he said Jeremiah can decide if he still wants to work with him or venture out on his own. We left brunch agreeing to his terms and feeling lighter than when we walked in.

Now, it’s Sunday night and I’m coming out of the shower after I napped for two hours, only to be hit with the scent of my mother’s famous rice dish – the one I looked forward to eating every week when my mother would make it. I used to eat it a lot, plates and plates of the stuff, and then I stopped eating it as much around middle school when my mother grew obsessed with my eating habits. My mother had made it for me a few times since the summer I turned seventeen, but now that I lived away from home, I hadn’t had it in a long while. 

Jeremiah has a white kitchen cloth strewn over his left shoulder as he sets two plates and cups on the breakfast table. He even brought out the nice coasters, the ones I designed for an art class in college. When I was making them, I told myself that I really will have made it in life if someday, I could be using them inside an apartment I shared with Jeremiah. It’s funny how the thoughts which we once dreamed about become a reality we hardly notice.

I keep my eyes on him as I take a seat at the breakfast table, wondering if loving him will always be this way – crazy, wonderful, stupid, sad, and for forever. I really hope it will be. 

“What’s all this?”

Jeremiah grins as he looks at me. “An apology for putting my girl through hell today.”

I pick up my cup of water and take a sip. “It wasn’t hell.”

“Well, whatever it was,” he answers, reaching out to grab my chin. He kisses me once, soft and perfect. “I’m sorry about it, and I hope I did justice to Wendy's recipe.” 

I laugh, watching as he fills my plate with rice. The steam flies up for my nose and I nearly moan from the glorious scent. “You made this while I was asleep?”

“Yeah. Slaved over it just for you.” He takes a seat beside me and picks up a spoonful of rice. “Open up, babe.” I do as he says and munch down. He looks at me with hope in his eyes. “How does it taste?”

I lean out and kiss him. “Delicious.” He grins and feeds me again. “Even more delicious.” 

He holds my chin as I chew. His eyes seem to water, just a little bit, and I know he’s really sorry. Really, really sorry about everything. There’s so much of us that’s still growing up and changing and learning, and it was wrong of me to expect him to be perfect and not make mistakes when we’re still so young. 

“I’m gonna do right by you, Daisy,” he promises, and I know he means this one. Probably more than all the other promises he’s ever made me. “I know I let you down sometimes but you’re the most important person in the world to me. I want you to be happy with me, not stressed.” 

“I’m not stressed.”

“You are sometimes, and you shouldn’t be. I told you you could depend on me and I let you down. I’m sorry I messed up, but I’ll do better. I’m gonna work hard for my dad so that when I ask you to marry me someday, no one’s gonna have any doubt that you’ll be alright.”

I place my hand over his and smile at him. “I’m always alright when I’m with you.”

He smiles, too. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I pick up that same hand and kiss the inside of his palm. “Even if we mess up a little along the way, I only want to be with you.”

He sighs, and then he gets this misty look in his eyes, like he is really mulling over what I said. “I thought I messed up enough for you to really leave me this time.”

His words make my heart ache. I wonder how much time he spends thinking this way, thinking that I would leave him just because he makes a few mistakes. I guess I have a right to be mad but I would never leave him. He’s a person and so am I. If we don’t fuck up from time to time, can we even call ourselves human?

“Come here,” I whisper, putting a hand on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. Our knees touch and I breathe him in, enjoying the feeling of being in his atmosphere. I could take on the whole world with him by my side. I stare into his ocean eyes, my favourite eyes on any person I have ever met. I used to find it hard looking at him after his mother died because his eyes remind me so much of her, of Susannah, the mother I always wished I’d had. But it’s easier now because looking at him, looking into his eyes, I know what true love is. “Every part of me belongs to you, Jeremiah. All of it. And every part of you is mine, too. The good and the bad and the ugly and the beautiful.” I search his eyes for understanding and see his ocean waves flowing towards me. “Whenever I think about the future, it’s not a house or kids or a job I see first. It’s you, smiling at me like you did the first time we met.” A few tears escape my eyes and I don’t move to wipe them away because he does it for me. His soft, familiar fingers drawing love on my skin. “You’re always going to be the most amazing person in the world to me. And I’m always going to love you exactly as I did when we were ten, and exactly as I love you now.”

He smiles and then he reaches out to kiss me hard, standing up from his chair so we can be pressed up against each other. And then he’s whispering, “I love you, too. Forever and ever,” and I’m climbing into his arms and he’s carrying me to our bed where he proves it over and over again.

[chaotic-super]

For Her Sake - Chapter 6

Read For Her Sake on AO3 here!

Alex climbs out of the cab and stares up at the L-Corp building, impressed by the sheer size and elegance of it and extraordinarily anxious about the interview she’s about to be attending with Lena Luthor, the CEO.

Kara has spent the last two days trying to convince her that the job is already hers and that she doesn’t need to panic because Lena has already offered her the position but after what Lena saw of her during their impromptu meeting, there’s no way she can believe she’s capable of anything.

She literally saw Kara carrying her because she was in that much pain and couldn’t walk but then again, she did seem pretty sincere when she was telling her about the accessibility of the buildings and it is a desk job so maybe she is just one of the less ableist people in the city. Well, that or she needs to make it look like she isn’t an ableist.

Kara hasn’t really said much other than that the job is doing paperwork at some downtown branch of L-Corp so she’s not really sure what to expect but she’s not complaining. She’s here to convince Lena that she’s more than capable of doing whatever job Lena wants her to do because she’s been out of action for too long and she needs to start making some money to support her family.

Alex still can’t believe she was so stupid to not have good insurance to cover her medical bills properly in the first place, she was a damn paramedic for god’s sake and she was always hearing and seeing the horror stories of people that couldn’t afford their medical bills, she just never thought that she’d be one of them.

She takes a deep breath as she strolls through the doors, tension sitting heavy on her shoulders as she clutches at her resume that she’s holding to her chest.

The woman at the front desk smiles politely at her when she stumbles over. “Um, hi. I have a meeting with Ms Luthor.”

The polite smile drops quickly. “Ms Luthor doesn’t do meetings on Thursdays, she never has.”

“I arranged it, could you maybe check? My name is Alexandra Danvers, I have a meeting about a job.” Alex stutters her way through the explanation, her heart pounding and her legs aching from the stress and the way she’s nervously rocking on her heels. “Please.”

The woman looks even less amused the more she speaks, her face deadly as her voice becomes much sterner. “We have a recruitment team for a reason, Ms Luthor doesn’t handle job applications, she’s a very busy woman this is a very large company. If you’re after a job you can always look at the vacancies on the L-Corp website. Please leave and have a great day.”

Alex’s jaw drops. What’s she meant to do now? She literally met Lena Luthor and Kara’s been texting her to confirm that she’s meant to be here but somehow she’s getting turned away before she even makes it past the lobby. Maybe this was all some sick joke, the woman Kara was with must have been some con artist.

Her eyes flit across the desk as she tries to find something to say, something that can convince this woman that she really does have a reason to be here but she comes up short.

The woman grows impatient with her. “You can leave the way you came in.”

“Please, can you just check for my name? If it’s not in your systems then I’ll leave with no trouble. I need this, please.” She begs, her resume crumpled around the edges and her watch ticking annoyingly on her wrist, reminding her that she is going to be late.

She’d planned it perfectly so she’d be a couple of minutes early but she hadn’t accounted for this so now she’s going to be late and she’s not going to get the job and Kara is going to have to keep breaking her back to provide for her.

The woman shakes her head, picks up her phone and presses a button, “security to the front desk please.”

Alex steps back, her eyes wide and frightened. “No, no. I’m going, I’m going. You can explain to Ms Luthor why I didn’t show up for our meeting, so have fun with that.”

She starts to storm away, insulted and embarrassed and angry.

“Alex!” Lena’s suave voice calls out as she’s halfway to the door. “Wait!”

Alex freezes where she stands, turning quickly to the voice she recognises from the other day. “Ms Luthor?”

“That’s me. Did you change your mind about the job? You look like you’re leaving.” Her eyebrows are drawn together, her confused expression looking out of place against her maroon three-piece suit and her slick ponytail.

Alex’s fingers pinch at the paper in her hands so tightly that her nails start to shred the paper. “Um, no. I kind of got kicked out. They said you don’t have meetings on Thursdays.”

Lena’s face goes through a few emotions before settling on annoyance. “Who?”

“The woman at the front desk.”

“New hire, it’s her first job and she’s already letting the power get to her head. Unfortunately, you’re not the first person she’s turned away that I have meant to be meeting with, I had to spend three hours on the phone last week apologizing to an investor and let her off with a warning because she’s new but for some reason, she’s got it in her head that I don’t work on Thursdays or something. I don’t know.”

Alex isn’t sure what she’s meant to say to that but it doesn’t matter anyway because Lena is striding her way over to the front desk.

“Hannah, I told you last week that you can’t just turn away people without checking the system, it’s lucky I came down here to wait for Ms Danvers that I caught her as she was leaving or else this would have been the second important meeting I missed because of your inability to do the job you’ve been trained to do. I’ll be speaking to your direct supervisor about this.” Lena keeps her voice steady but the words drip with the harsh sting of disappointment that even makes Alex cringe as she listens in on the conversation.

“Yes, Ms Luthor, I’m sorry. I’ll check the system from now on.”

“Good.” Lena snaps before turning her attention back to Alex. “I’m sorry about that, shall we head up to my office?”

Alex nods and Lena begins to lead them down a hallway and for a second Alex internally groans as she sees how packed the elevators are but then sighs in relief when Lena inserts a key that springs a private elevator to life. “Nifty.”

“Quite.” Lena smiles. “I haven’t heard anyone say that in years.

“It’s Kara’s fault. I used to be cool before I started living with her again, her weird speech rubs off on me and makes me look like a nerd like her. I blame the thousands of musicals and superhero movies she watches.” Alex shrugs.

Turning the conversation to Kara is a safe choice, a topic that can lead them into the more serious stuff later and is working in place of the boring small talk people stick to when they don’t really know someone.

Lena chuckles a little, standing casually with her hands in her pockets. “I can imagine, from what I know about her, she’s certainly a character.”

The elevator doors ding as they reach their floor and Lena takes her into her office, offering her a seat right away. Alex is glad for it because her legs are killing her and somehow she gets the feeling that Lena could sense it.

“Alright then, Alex.” Lena takes a seat in her office chair opposite her. “So, I’ll go over all of the details about the job and then you can decide whether or not you want to take it.”

Alex tilts her head in confusion. “Aren’t you meant to be interviewing me?”

“No, I know what you’ve done, I know your work history and qualifications.”

“Um, how?”

Lena panics as she tries to find a reasonable excuse for why she would know because she can’t tell her that she ran a background check on everyone Kara is close to. “Kara. She told me.”

“Right.” Alex nods, still a little puzzled. “I’m sorry, Ms Luthor—”

“Lena.”

“Lena. How do you and Kara know each other exactly? She’s never really mentioned you and suddenly you’re with her when I called her to get me and you’re offering me a job and I don’t really understand.”

Lena’s gaze rests on her open laptop screen for a moment, buying her a little bit of time to think despite the screen being blank, but Alex doesn’t know that. She hates lying, she always has but for some unexplainable reason, she’s protecting a woman that played a part in an attempted kidnapping.

“We uh, we met at CatCo. I was going to meet with Cat Grant about an upcoming project launch I need press for and while I was waiting for my meeting I got talking to an old friend of mine, one of Kara’s co-workers. She overheard me saying that I need someone for this job and I haven’t had much luck with finding anyone and she offered you up as a possible candidate. We didn’t have time to talk because of my meeting with Cat so I got her number and arranged for a follow-up.

“I picked her up during her lunch break, we were going to grab a bite to eat and talk it over, she’s quite protective of you want wanted to make sure it would be something suitable and she told me about your work history.”

Alex sighs a little, facepalming. “I can’t believe she grilled you about the job, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Lena sighs, glad that Alex is taking her words at face value. “It’s a nice thing to see, sisters, looking out for each other.”

“Well, thank you for the opportunity and thank you for driving my sister to me when I called her from the bar.” Alex feels the need to bring it up, to explain or maybe just to address it because it’s an elephant in the room.

Lena leans back into her chair, her shoulders dropping slightly from where she’s used to keeping them tight and strong when she’s in the office. “You don’t have to apologize for that. Honestly, if I was in your position, I probably would have done what you did to help my family. It just makes me want to offer you a job more and no, not out of pity. I can see that you’ve got fire and I need that.”

“You need someone with fire to do…paperwork?”

“Not exactly.” Lena starts. “You would be working at L-Corp’s secondary location in National City and I have found that there have been some not-so-savoury things happening there. I believe that the work and technology there might be being smuggled out and sold by someone there, possibly multiple people. I don’t know anyone there and there’s pretty much no oversight so I need someone who can do their job, resist temptation and report back to me to tell me what’s happening so I can shut it down as safely and as efficiently as possible.”

Alex raises an eyebrow, her lips pursed as she takes in the new information that has just been flung at her. “Oh.”

“This is why I haven’t been able to fill the position, I don’t know what’s going on in there and nobody wants to be on the front lines, which is understandable really.” Lena stands, heading over to her drinks cart and pouring herself a glass of water before pouring a second for Alex, not bothering at all to ask her if she actually wants one. “It’s why I also won’t blame you if you say no. I might be able to find another job somewhere in L-Corp but it could take me some time.”

Alex sucks her cheeks into her mouth, accepting the water Lena offers her without thinking. “I’ll take the job, I kind of hate how much more interested in it I am now that I know I get to be a spy. What is the actual job though? The paperwork part?”

“Oh, that’s mostly just logging the time spent on specific projects and comparing records to check for discrepancies. There’s a lot of undone paperwork there from the microbiology department and for some of it I need someone with a background in biology so they know when the documents have been filled out correctly or when the scientists have just written nonsense to get it done.” Lena feels kind of dumb that she forgot to tell Alex what the actual job is.

“Oh, that sounds kind of interesting,” Alex says, sounding fairly sincere although Lena is aware that it sounds mind-numbingly boring.

Lena doesn’t call her out though. “There’s another catch though.”

“What’s that?”

“I’ll need you to gain more qualifications if you want to progress in the company over time. We can set you up with classes at a local college, tuition handled but it has to be out of office time, is that all right?”

“You’re offering me a job and further education? And you want to pay me? I’m in, no more information needed.” Alex can’t believe her luck. More education will give her so many new opportunities that even if the job is terrible she can stay just so she can get the free college course.

Lena smiles for the first time since she got here and it puts Alex at ease slightly, Lena’s toothy grin is a little bit goofy in a way that it doesn’t match her businesswoman persona at all.

“I am and like I told you the other day, though I’m not sure you’ll remember, we also provide childcare for all of our employees so if you ever need childcare for your niece, that will be covered since you live with your sister and share the address with Lori and Kara.” Lena goes on to explain. “The work days will be mainly Monday to Friday but depending on the scheduling for your college courses, we might have to rejig that so you can fit it all in.”

“Lena, you’re literally my favourite person on this planet right now and if it wouldn’t cost me the job, I would kiss you for how perfect you are.” Alex’s hands have come up to rest atop of her head, her fingers raking through her short hair as she shakes her head in disbelief at the opportunity that has just landed in her lap.

Lena shakes her head and holds her hands out in mock fear. “No, please, anything but that.”

“Well, I suppose I could settle for a handshake.” Alex sticks her hand out to Lena, happy when she takes it in her firm grip and shakes it once.

Alex can barely believe everything that’s happening and just sits there nodding her way through the onboarding process with Lena filling in a couple of forms and taking Alex’s ID to be added into the system.

Alex reads her way through the contract slowly and doesn’t comment on the obscenely high salary for the position, just takes it as a good thing so she doesn’t talk her way out of being paid that much. She does suppose that that kind of money is for the spying too though.

Kara is going to be so happy when she gets home and tells her that she got the job and that she’ll have the information about her new classes in due course. She’s so excited to see her little sister realize that their lives are back on the up and up again.

-

“Kara Danvers,” Alex says as Kara enters the apartment.

“Alex Danvers.” Kara returns, not looking at her because she’s searching for her little mini-me. “And Lori!”

Lori comes running up to her mom from the couch, leaping into her arms as usual. “Hi, Mommy.”

“Hi, baby.” Kara kisses the side of her head and makes her way over to where Alex is leaning against the kitchen counter, her body blocking something from her view. “What are you up to?”

Alex leans out of the way. “I made celebratory cookies because I got the job.”

“You did?” Kara grins, so happy that she starts jumping, Lori giggling as she gets swung around in the process. “Alex, congratulations! I’m so happy for you.”

Alex stops her jumping by wrapping her arms around both Lori and Kara. “Oh, we’re going to alright now. I can feel it in my bones. We can get back on track.”

Kara leans back a moment later, putting Lori down and sending her off with one of the cookies, taking one for herself too. “Alex, I think we’ve finally gotten some of our luck back.”

“Me too. Did you know about the whole spying job thing though that Lena wants me to do?”

“Yeah,” Kara says around the bite of her cookie. “I wanted her to be the one to tell you though since she’s the one who knows all about it. I figured you’d be into the idea of it.”

“I very much am.” Alex chuckles. “The pay for it is bomb too, almost 100 grand to sit in an office, do paperwork and be nosy, what’s not to love?”

Kara’s neck cranes forward. “I’m sorry, did you just say 100 grand?”

“Hell yeah, baby. Just you wait until that first paycheque, I’m going to get us out of this dump and into somewhere really nice, somewhere we can have our own rooms and Lori will be able to get back into her dance lessons and I can get her a keyboard so you can start teaching her piano and we can buy good snacks again. We can breathe again, Kara.”

“We can.” Kara smiles. She might not have succeeded with her original plan to kidnap Lena but she’s never been so grateful to have ailed in her life. It’s got them here. “Shall we invite Lena over for dinner one night as a thank you?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”

To read more chapters of For Her Sake, click here for my Patreon!

[aeoki]

Tri-Lights - Wheel of Fortune: Chapter 1

Location: NEW DIMENSION Office Characters: Natsume & Tsumugi

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The next morning. >

Natsume: …………

Tsumugi: Oh, good morning, Natsume-kun. You’ve arrived quite early today.

You’re looking at sports articles on your phone? I think interviews with athletes will certainly be very helpful.

Natsume: HeY, Senpai? Could you not look at other people’s phonES?

Tsumugi: Sorry. It’s right in my field of vision at this angle.

But it’s nice that everyone is so focused. It seems Sora-kun was reading a fashion magazine in the common room yesterday too.

Natsume: OhH, Sora went to the common room after thAT?

Tsumugi: Yes. Many people who are in sports clubs come and go there, so he mentioned he wanted to use that opportunity to ask them some questions.

He returned to his room all exhausted, though. As expected of Sora-kun – it seems he had some energy left over.

Natsume: YeAH? What are you doing here, anywAY? Office woRK?

Tsumugi: I don’t always have office work, you know~ I figured I’d might as well get the ball rolling for “Switch”.

I thought I could contact the company using the office computer and ask them to send the documents for past collaborations over.

Getting information on projects involving athletes and talents apart from idols should also help with what we’re looking for.

Natsume: HmM. I guess it’s good that you seem motivated at leaST.

WeLL, we wouldn’t be in this predicament if you didn’t come up with that “proposal” after running around in circlES. You really are cursed, huH.

You’re rubbish at sports so why did you even come up with thIS?

I couldn’t say this because Sora was so positive about iT, but it’s obvious that this proposal doesn’t suit either of uS.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. It’s embarrassing to say but it was something I came up with because I was young and immature.

Natsume: Don’t tell me you were aiming to be a conventional idol who’s athletic and super liveLY?

That would never be possible even if the sky were to faLL. I’d fall into despair if there’s a world out there where you become a conventional idOL.

Tsumugi: That’s not really what I want, either, you know~ I was painfully aware that I wasn’t suited for that path when I was in “fine”.

And “Switch” being a unit that doesn’t follow those conventional trends is proof of that ♪

Natsume: Excuse mE? Are you trying to say that “fine” has what it takes but “Switch” doesN’T? Are you making fun of uS?

Tsumugi: Ehh!? That’s a false accusation! How could I have answered?

That’s a misunderstanding… What I wanted to say was that I want to be an idol who can be with our fans. That’s how I feel.

Natsume: You can say whatever you waNT.

Tsumugi: Ehh~...? Then, if that’s the case, what should I believe in?

…Oh, looks like I’ve got a reply.

It seems they have a collection of the files from previous collaborations. It may take a bit of time, but I’ll head over and fetch those copies.

Natsume: Aren’t you always busy with somethiNG? Do you even have the time to go all the way over theRE?

Tsumugi: Oh, don’t worry. I kept my schedule free for “Switch’s” activities today and I can get the office work finished while I head out as well ♪

Natsume: HmM… weLL, if that’s what you want to dO.

But don’t take too loNG. If you dO, then there would’ve been no meaning to keeping your schedule free fOR “Switch”.

Tsumugi: Yes, of course ♪

Oh, right. Natsume-kun, would you like to do a tarot reading for my little trip?

Natsume: Why woulD I?

Tsumugi: Well, you mentioned yesterday that Sora-kun asked you to do one for “Switch’s” future, right?

When I heard that, I thought I’d like one too... Just kidding~♪

Natsume: Five quadrillion yEN.

Tsumugi: There’s no way I have that much! You didn’t ask Sora-kun to pay you, right?

Natsume: Shut uP. You don’t have the right attitude for someone who’s asking for somethiNG.

The company is waiting for yOU – Why don’t you run along noW?

Tsumugi: I see. I had wanted a lucky start… but it’s because you didn’t want me to be faced with a bad outcome, right?

Alright, I’ll be back with a bunch of materials then!

Natsume: YeAH, yeAH. Off you gO.

…*Sigh* I wasted my time because of hIM.

He even said something weird like wanting to rely on a tarot readiNG. GeEZ…

…………

“The Wheel of Fortune”...

WħȺŧ Ⱥn ȺnnøɏȺnȼɇ.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ← Previous Chapter ᠂ ⚘ ˚⊹˚ ⚘ ᠂  Next Chapter →

[saerins]

PREV: #001 SUDDENLY, COLORS 𖧧 #002 PLAYING DOMINO 𖧧 NEXT: #003 THE FIRST RIPPLE ꒰ series masterlist ꒱

꒰ঌꨄ︎໒꒱ — there’s a moment when you and sae both realise that you’re too curious about one another to ignore the feeling. so maybe for now, the two of you can learn to trust your instincts.

content: itoshi sae x female reader. fluff/angst, unrequited love, alcohol, kissing/making out, slow moving (for now), profanity, switching povs. word count: 4.5k

༝༚༝༚ i’m early with this update !! we are still in the early stages but i promise it picks up soon heh :) ty to those of you who’ve read this so far, ily all !! <3 reblogs & feedback always appreciated mwah ^_^

it’s 8.15am and you’re rushing to get your makeup done because you’re due at work in fifteen minutes. despite yesterday’s larger-than-life experience of frolicking in the midst of big names, you’re still a normal girl with normal work and normal problems.

your phone vibrates on your vanity, sumi’s name lighting up the screen.

you pick it up, letting it go on speaker.

“hello?”

“oh my god, y/n, you can’t be serious?” she exclaims excitedly over the phone.

grinning to yourself as you do your brows, you giggle. you know exactly what she’s referring to. “consider it a thank you gift for taking such good care of me my first year with you guys,” you tell her, laughing in between as she squeals in excitement. you’re sure the other people beside her on the train are throwing death glares her way. not that sumi cares, not when you’ve just given her the recording of your conversation with sae last night.

“you have no idea how fucking happy i am right now!”

but you do, considering how loud she’s being. still, it’s understandable. she’d been complaining all along for a few months now about how hard it was to get sae’s team to commit to an interview, now here you are coming in clutch with the materials she needs to get the big boss off her back for not being able to reel it in.

“hey, just don’t forget to reach out to his publicist or manager, okay? get them to email their approval over in black and white,” you remind her.

over the phone, you can sense her triumphant smile. “i guess i taught you well,” she praises herself, humming as she undoubtedly skips off the train, the week going off to a great start. “anyway, tea later. you and me. you have a lot to tell me.”

right, that’s the part that you aren’t really looking forward to. as of today, sumi has no idea that you’re close to eita. she doesn’t even know you’re friends with him, for that matter. it’s not like you want to keep it a secret, but between being close to eita and working at a sports magazine, you’re not sure your friendships are something you want to take advantage of (or get pressured into).

but you guess you can explain it to her. she’s been understanding ever since you’d joined the company, maybe she’ll just respect your decision and move on. besides, it’s not like they ever actually asked for anyone except sae, oliver and sendou. they’d surely want eita if they know you’re well connected, but you’d rather they didn’t know anything.

“fine, as long as mr. tatsuji doesn’t dump a truckload of manual work on us,” you grumble, finally done prepping and hurriedly rushing out the door.

“y/n, are you gonna be late today?” sumi asks, already able to tell just by the background noises.

“shit- yeah,” you sigh, just seconds shy of catching the bus. “fuck, he’s going to lecture the shit out of me later.”

sumi snorts, and you can hear from the chime of the bell that she just entered the office lobby. “don’t worry, i’ll try to cover for you,” she assures you, and you’re already thanking her for being your saviour. “don’t worry about it! is this… because of the same problems?”

she keeps her voice down for the last part, though you wish she would just not mention it at all. still, you don’t want to chide her for just being concerned. you could be worse off.

“yeah, but it’s fine, really,” you tell her, not wanting to speak about it. “i’ll see you at work soon, okay?” you don’t even wait for her to respond before you hang up, staring at the date on your phone.

nearly the end of the month. nearly that time again.

just like clockwork, you see eita’s text coming in.

by the time you stumble into the office, it’s nearly 9am. you rush over to your cubicle, keeping your head down trying to look out for your boss.

“hey! y/n,” you hear the familiar voice of your colleague call out to you. sumi rushes over from her own desk, barely able to contain her glee. “oh my god i just got off the phone with itoshi sae’s publicist, she gave me the okay and she’s about to give the formal agreement right now!”

sumi’s squealing away in delight as you laugh sheepishly, actually quite surprised that sae followed through on your request after all. maybe you should find a way to thank him somehow. after all, he had no reason to honour your little bet of heads or tails.

“anyway, i can’t believe you sneaked a recording of you talking to him like that.” sumi nudges you on the elbow, wiggling her brows. she’s shorter than you, her hair done in a short bob, dyed an ash blonde, her eyes a shade of light brown—she looks like a demure angel most of the time, but you of all people know it’s a different story when she’s trying to get an interview. that’s why you were shocked when she hadn’t managed to secure one with sae—though, judging by how sae seemed like the type to not bother with promoting himself (not that he needs it), you’re not so surprised.

“hopefully it gets mr tatsuji off your back for the week,” you tell her, opening up your laptop and setting up your desk for the day.

sumi looks around cautiously before taking the seat in front of your desk. she keeps her voice down, “so? are you gonna tell me what the hell happened that you managed to talk to itoshi sae of all people?”

there’s a certain way in which she says his name that makes him sound like some god, some unattainable being far from reach, a creature that should be deemed a myth.

if you had a choice, you’d prefer not to divulge your connections to eita and hence sae (even if it’s two completely different things), but considering how sumi practically saved you multiple times from getting fired and taking the blow for you, you concede. she’s been a good friend, maybe you should just trust her not to ask you to use your connections if you don’t want to.

so, you tell her. not everything, but hopefully just enough to satiate her curiosity for now.

you tell her how you’d known otoya eita since he was sixteen and despicable and prior to the fame, about how you grew to be friends despite not having a good first impression of him at all. you tell her that you went to the same university and drifted apart when you got a (now ex-) boyfriend, and how the both of you reconnected just a year ago and that it felt as if you’d spent no time apart.

of course, you conveniently leave out exactly just how close you and eita had once been—that’s an entire territory that you’re not sure you want to revisit. it’s all too complicated and too unnecessary.

judging by the way she’s beside herself with excitement, desperately trying not to let out a squeal, you decide that’s enough information for her.

a series of questions come at you, from what otoya eita is like behind all that fame, to why there was never any indication of him knowing you.

“don’t tell anyone, okay? but eita just follows my private on his private,” you explain, making sure to be extra quiet, not that anyone would bother. they’re all too busy rushing monday reports, it seems. “that way, we avoid any… rumours.”

the news that her close work friend apparently knows some celebrities gets sumi in a frenzy, her hands immediately flying to her phone and finding your profile, mouth moving as fast as her fingers, asking you what other celebrities you possibly know.

“just eita!” you tell her, trying to get her to hush down, feeling bad that she’s now making a big deal out of it.

sumi gasps, enough to get your desk neighbour to shush at her. she apologises briefly before flipping her phone to show you what she sees—and then you freeze.

surely you’re not seeing this wrong?

what sumi’s showing you is your follower list—just over four hundred people since they’re just the amount of people you’ve bothered to follow up until your university days (excluding sumi). 

why the heck has the number increased by two hundred already? you don’t remember doing anything remotely eye-catching. 

but then you spot a foreign username there—foreign, but familiar all the same.

why the hell is itoshi sae following you?

this is where you wish you didn’t mute all your instagram notifications.

“and you’re not even following him back!” sumi exclaims, her eyes glued onto the screen as she frantically clicks, clicks, clicks. you’re not even sure what she’s looking for at this point.

grabbing your phone, you rush to your follower list, ready to press on the remove button when sumi’s hand shoots across the table to stop you.

“what are you doing?” she asks, as if you’re about to do something diabolical that holds her fate.

you blink profusely, confused at what exactly is the problem. “i have to remove him from my followers, what if some of his fans go apeshit on me?”

sumi opens her mouth to refute, but then promptly closes it, pouting. “yeah, that’s true. you know, there were rumours once that he once got a fan so crazy that she stalked him into his hotel room one night,” sumi recounts from an article she once saw, shuddering at the thought. “but! this is a good chance to network, you know? just imagine how nice it would be to have the itoshi sae at your beck and call. i bet you’d crawl right up to one of mr. tatsuji’s favourites.”

you didn’t even want to make use of eita, much less sae—and besides, you aren’t comfortable at the idea of using active friendships solely for work, especially when you can offer absolutely nothing in return.

sensing your hesitation, sumi sighs, “at the very least, make sure you thank him for me before removing him? for getting his publicist to approve the interview material,” she giggles, giving you a thumbs up before scooting back to her desk.

once she’s out of sight, you hurry to make your account private, more than happy to stop random strangers from just following you because they’re sae’s fans. besides, you already see some dm requests and you’re too afraid to open them. you know all too well that they could contain less than kind messages and you’re not sure you have the mental capacity for that right now.

the moment that’s out of the way, you immediately look for eita’s message thread.

eita is shit over the phone, so you’re going to have to find him in person. besides, he’s the only one at the entire event last night that would have your socials—you’re going to find out what happened.

“that’s it? a dare? what are you guys, ten?”

listening to the rundown from eita turns out to be much more mediocre than you thought. a follow from itoshi sae turned out to be just because oliver dared him to.

you didn’t think that sae was the obedient type, if you’re honest. but then again, he already exceeded expectations in that area.

“what? you gonna remove him?” eita asks, looking over your shoulder.

it’s 8.14pm and the both of you are in eita’s apartment, the anime playing in the background while the both of you lounge on his sofa, not listening, takeout boxes littering the coffee table after dinner is finished. there’s barely any space between the two of you, just like always.

it’s a comfortable routine. you barely notice it anymore.

“why not? it’s not like he wanted to,” you shrug, and eita knows you’re just keeping your hopes down. you’ve never liked it when people weren’t genuine with their actions.

eita mirrors your movements and pulls away, leaning back. “suit yourself,” he coos, his bangs falling clumsily over his eyes. while you lazily transition to scrolling through your feed, eita’s watchful eyes scan your face. you don’t notice the way his gaze drop slowly from your eyes, to the tip of your nose, and then lingers on your lips. “you gonna stay over tonight?”

you don’t even tear your eyes away from the screen. “i don’t know,” you sigh—and eita knows better than to ask about your personal situation at this timing.

as the flashing lights of the video you’re watching bounce off your face—pink, blue hues—eita adjusts himself, making himself comfortable and settling his head on your lap, earning himself a flick on the forehead.

“what’re you doing?”

lately he’s been like this; shameless in the way he approaches you, smirking whenever you question him about it because he knows for a fact that you don’t mind. it’s like how you were back in your university days after all, before you drifted apart.

“it’s my house, i get to relax, right?” he gives you a shit-eating grin that you can only roll your eyes to. and you don’t move away either, so he takes that as his cue to stay.

weird as it is, it feels just right like this right now—like a sort of familiarity you need because home just isn’t cutting it for you. even if you’d only reconnected for the last year, it feels like nothing changed. eita is still eita; always doing what he likes and asks you so shamelessly for anything and everything. (you’re the same way.)

“fine, as long as that’s all you do,” you tell him, staring at him suspiciously because you know eita likes to push his boundaries. though, that’s nothing new to you. the two of you have always been on a push-and-pull.

the way his fingers pull gently on your chin feels purposeful, even the way he gives you a knowing look. “why? afraid we’ll fall into old habits?”

you feel a heat rush to your cheeks, immediately swatting his hand away before you shoot out of your seat, forcing eita to sit up. there’s a slight hint of affection in his gaze that you barely notice, gone by the time you decide to give a second look.

eita’s always been good at burying feelings.

“i’m gonna go shower,” you excuse yourself, only now noticing that maybe you’re a bit too familiar with his place.

“ignoring the question, y/n?” eita’s grinning, smug because he can see the way your guard falters ever so slightly. maybe that’s the perks of having known you for such a long time—he gets a glimpse of what you’re like under all that deflecting and unseriousness that you like to show people. 

“eita,” you groan, and he snorts, your admittance of defeat always sounding so unwilling, just like a spoiled child that doesn’t get their way.

he gestures for you to go, unbothered. “you know where everything is,” because even eita knows you can walk around blindfolded and find anything you want in there. “oh by the way,” he manages to stop you halfway to his bathroom. “i got a date in a few days, but you can continue staying here for as long as you want.”

you narrow your gaze, dubious. “no thanks, don’t wanna be here when you guys fuck in the next room,” you say, sticking your tongue out. “besides, i don’t wanna get too used to avoiding… her.”

the last part is barely audible, your voice not over thirty decibels, but eita hears you loud and clear. he walks towards you, an arm extending around you as he pulls you into him. he smells like a hint of his cologne—aquatic and citrus. he’s always worn this scent, and you just barely avoid making a joke about how he keeps wearing the same cologne since he was eighteen, the same one you gifted him way back then.

things between you and eita are always either too serious or not at all; you’re both good at being avoidant like that.

neither of you speak after that, because by the time you get out of the shower, eita’s already passed out on the couch, and you could just honestly use some alone time.

you shamelessly take his bedroom for yourself, making yourself comfortable, settling under the covers with the air conditioning on full blast. it’s been a while since you’d had a comfortable sleep. when was the last time you slept over here anyway? a few weeks ago?

your barely-open eyes sleepily scroll through the feed, liking pictures of your friends out on holidays or posting about their abundant love life. it’s all normal until you see another notification on the top of your screen—something you didn’t expect seeing again. 

why is itoshi sae requesting to follow you?

around the same timing, about a half hour from otoya’s apartment, oliver’s place is being visited by the group, except for one.

“hey, where the fuck’s otoya?” shidou sneers, only realising halfway through the night that a certain white-haired man is missing.

oliver scoffs, passing him the beer as he takes a seat around the wooden table on the balcony, fridge stocked full. “read the chat, guy ditched us last minute,” oliver explains, before nodding towards the front door as two more people arrive. “but don’t worry, i got us reinforcements.”

shidou whips his head around, eyes squinting trying to figure out who it is from the silhouettes. he groans in discontempt when he realises who it is. “really? did we have to invite her?”

acting coy, oliver grins, “why not? she’s cool.”

karasu laughs, keeping his voice down, dipping his chips in some salsa, watching as they stumble in together. “yeah right, you just like to see sae in distress when she clings onto him.”

a finger to his lips, oliver hushes them, careful not to let the two guests overhear, watching as bianca strolls in with a happy grin, wearing what oliver recognises as sae’s hat and pullover. but not that he’s making it very discreet with his intentions, with him making them join in a game, getting them to kiss more than a couple of times.

it’s all harmless fun; the turn falling onto bianca and some of them just tell her to kiss who she thinks is the hottest guy here (because they all know who she’ll choose anyway) and just waiting for sae to call it quits.

at least, for bianca, it’s a win; this isn’t the first time she’s kissed him, no. they kissed before, when she was upset that one time over the stress she got from her career, and she’ll remember it always, even if she had recoiled from her earlier courage and told him she did that because she was just stressed out. at least, he didn’t seem to mind. he didn’t say anything or tried to drift from her either.

and she’ll remember tonight’s kisses too, because it’s been a long time since then. and sae’s lips is always so soft and gentle and if she had it her way she would ask for him to kiss her back properly because he’s always been so lacklustre about it. this is a game, but still.

she likes how he won’t deny her or be a spoilsport, and she likes how his hand rubs her back when she looks like she’s been drinking too much too fast. usually she hates it when people tells her to do anything but when he tells her to “slow down” and “don’t get too drunk” she finds herself filled with affection.

until today, oliver has had absolutely no interest in the fact that sae and bianca seem to be tight. but after sae’s blatantly obvious interest in you last night, it’s small fun just to see him be so reluctant after getting called to be the receiving end of a simple kiss. not that bianca likes to make it simple, slipping her tongue into it and catching sae off guard. it’s almost pitiful how he can tell that sae can’t wait to pull away each time, not an ounce of the same feeling that bianca is seemingly giving him.

the silver lining in all this is that oliver thinks that bianca is at least oblivious to sae’s lack of interest. maybe it’s because oliver’s known him for way longer that he can tell.

leaning back against his seat, sae looks around, realising that otoya isn’t there either. one look at the group chat and he can tell why.

there’s a tinge of perplex he feels when he realises how close the two of you are. 

speaking of you, sae opens his instagram just to see that you’re now private. private and he’s not following you. maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s the way he’s still so curious about you that he clicks on that follow button again, for the second time in two days. you seemed to have fun milking some answers out of him last night—this is a quick one-eighty from that.

and it’s not like he has any entertainment currently. he only came here because bianca dragged him over, saying it might be fun to play with his friends. he isn’t even fully sure she likes them, to be honest. but judging by the way she’s already had to kiss half of them maybe he was wrong. as long as sae doesn’t have to do anymore of those, he’s fine.

bianca’s arm snakes around his, her head coming to lean against his shoulder. “i’m tired,” she sighs, yawning and nuzzling into the crook of his neck. “take me back?”

that’s actually the best news he’s heard all night. “sure, i’ll get a cab,” he tells her, oblivious to the objection of the other guys, keying in the name of her hotel into the ride-hailing app.

“we could just stay at yours, it’s nearer, right?” bianca asks.

oliver is beside himself, grinning as he overhears her question, knowing full well that sae is completely immune to her less-than-subtle hints.

“it’s fine, i’ll send you back before i go home,” sae tells her, already trying to find a ride.

bianca’s disappointment is evident on her face, only oliver paying attention enough to actually realise it. it’s nearly comical how sae doesn’t even seem to notice at all.

“you could stay over, it’s getting pretty late,” bianca offers, the second time she’s been so obvious about it. oliver’s eyes flick from the poor girl to his friend, sipping on his beer as he leans back and watches the show.

it’s almost funny how all sae does is ruffle her head before gesturing for them to go, saying that the cab’s there. oliver nearly gives his condolences for her failed attempts. maybe if he liked her better then he would actually feel sorry for her. but he tried his best—he gave her multiple chances to kiss him already, what else more could he have done?

in the cab, bianca passes out, her entire body pressed against him. it’s more of a hassle to move her, so sae lets her stay there, letting her have his shoulder so she doesn’t wake up. she’s been like that most of the time, just being too close and touchy, but he supposes it’s normal with her so he doesn’t think too much of it.

what he is thinking about as he looks at his phone now is why you haven’t let him in yet. it’s stupid and silly and he doesn’t know what to do with the fact that he’s still curious about you even now and so maybe you’re going to have to deal with it a little.

he scrolls to his contacts, eyes lingering over the contact he had saved last night. you’re the one who gave him your number anyway. maybe it isn’t so out of line.

by the time the cab arrives at the hotel, bianca’s just barely able to support herself, arm tightly looped around sae’s, and he thanks the gods that it’s late and barely anyone is up and about right now. the last thing he wants is another rumour mill with bianca, especially if the setting is in a hotel, of all places.

still, he supposes he shouldn’t leave her here helpless, so he walks her to her room, her feet stumbling over themselves, and he decides that it’s just faster to carry her from the lift to her room at least—then he can get home and get to sleep because it’s so late and he’s more than exhausted.

he carries her through the door, cautiously setting her down on the bed, pulling the blanket over her, making sure he makes minimal noise. luckily, it’s quiet tonight and no one’s out in the halls making a ruckus.

as he’s about to leave, he feels a tug on his jacket sleeve, a weak pull as bianca stirs awake. “you won’t stay with me?” she asks, voice meek and eyes half open.

sae stops in his tracks, making sure she gets comfortable before he even thinks about going. “it’s fine, i’m heading back. there’s water by the nightstand, drink it if you need. do you want a bucket?”

she pouts, averting her gaze. “i want you to stay.”

bianca’s always been the same. sae’s used to all these requests by now, but he’s also unchanging.

“it’s late, go to sleep,” he tells her, not offering anything else before he’s out the door, ready to hurry back and rest. the next few days will be a hectic schedule for him and he needs all he can get.

there’s been absolutely nothing groundbreaking the past few days, and life is mundane as usual. all he can really look forward to is the season starting up again. but as he gets into a cab, his hat safely back on his own head, he catches a gradually familiar name appearing on his screen.

he’s tired as hell, and his eyes might as well close by now, but somehow, the ghost of a smile graces his face. there’s something about the insinuation of you not being able to sleep and then thinking about him that makes him just a little excited.

summoning the last of his energy, he types an okay into the text box, falling asleep immediately after. 

sae’s really not sure what the fuck he’s feeling, and what the hell it even means. but maybe, just maybe, there’s some effort worth there.

extras !

sae typed his reply but forgot to send it…

this is the first time sae’s ever been the one to initiate; usually he doesn’t care enough to want anyone’s socials or to try to keep in touch.

sae never brought up the time bianca kissed him because he doesn’t really want to make anything of it. (he is very oblivious to all her subsequent attempts.)

otoya lied when he told yn he didn’t have anything on; he’d choose her over drunken nights almost always. (and has done so quite a few times, which is why oliver immediately caught on this time.)

yn has stayed over at otoya’s quite a few times, so she has enough of her stuff there to last at least a few days!

taglist! @yuzurins @saeskiss @raphsimp @lust4rin @mxplesyrvp @chieeeeeee @yumekolovesyukimiya @kunirayuna39 @auranny @sereniteav @gskill @saesgrl @riseena @rikijbol