#like if they don’t leave joon and the rest of em alone there will be casualties

[seokjinsonlyone]

me personally i believe it’s time to band together as a fandom and start shooting everyone who mess with the tannies LIKE HOW MANY TIMES RM GON GET PLAYED BEFORE WE SHOW THEM WHAT THIS ARMY DO DRAW YOUR WEAPONS SOLDIERS WE GOING ON THE OFFENSIVE NOW WE ARE NO LONGER THE ARMY STANDING BEHIND THE TANNIES WE GETTING IN FRONT AND HANDLING BUSINESS

[peaches-of-1]

Peachtober | Day 12: Haybale

Settlement | Reader x Ranch Hand!Namjoon

A/N: I did my best not to add pronouns/gender specifics refering to the reader, so lemme know if I did by accident or missed any.

"So, we'll split up new volunteers with the regulars." The chubby older man in a blue plaid shirt said and read the list on his clipboard through thick glasses.

You were bummed that your best friend Rosé had been put with a different leader than you, but at least the cowboy you had been assigned to was cute.

His thighs seemed to fight against the faded blue denim of his jeans which led to a well crafted torso. And his smile charmed you in a millisecond, a flash of canyon like dimples and dazzling teeth.

Namjoon was his name, and he gave you a firm handshake as a greeting, along with a kind, "Thanks for coming to help out, Y/N."

"No problem."

Because a lot of people hadn't shown up, and the work was too much for just 2 people, Yoongi's group joined as well making for a total of five. It was September 25, and so the local farm was starting to set up it's annual Autumn Festival. Rosé was the one who had suggested it, and you had nothing better to do.

"Our jobs are pretty easy. It'll take a while, though. We have to take all the hay bales from the barn and make it into a maze for kids. The maze is already planned, but it includes a lot of lifting. Not too hard, right, Namjoon?" The dark haired man asked the honey haired leader. "Namjoon-ah?"

As your head turned to face the usual volunteer, you caught a glimpse of dark brown eyes looking downwards...at you? No, but who else could he have been looking at?

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, it's enough cardio for a week." He smiled as you felt heat rush into your cheeks. "Let's all drive over to the barn, and go from there."

The two other newbie volunteers hopped into the back, and you were about to join them when Yoongi called your name.

"Ride in the front with Joon. I'll explain to my crew." He held the door open.

"Ah, ok." Came your quiet reply.

The idea seemed sudden and kind of startled  you, but you were glad not to be sat in the rough bed of the truck. As the engine growled to life, Namjoon reminded you to put on your seat belt. Then the wheels began to turn as you were driven forward.

"So, uh, how long have you been doing this?"

He smiled, grateful that you spoke first it seemed, "I actually work in the city, but one of my young friends, him and his family run the farm. They needed some extra help, so I started helping about 7 years now." Regret tinged his ears a red shade as he said, "Sorry. I tend to ramble."

"It's ok. I don't think you rambled too much." You gave him a genuine smile.

"Eyes on the road, Joon!" Yoongi called.

Once the first stack of hay bales were secured onto the truck, the darker haired man left with the other two. Namjoon and you were left alone to get the next stack ready for their return. His muscles rippled with every yank of heavy straw that you pushed towards him. No trace of the goofy and shy man you had rode with 15 minutes before.

"What made you join this year?" He drank a bottle of water he must've left here. "I recognized Rosé from last year. She looks good with pink hair."

You nodded and refused the bottle as you weren't thirsty...for water at least, "Yeah, I just wanted to do some work outside of my house and she signed me up for this."

"What's your usual job?"

"Oh, it's--OW" You pulled your leg back and saw a black spotted cat paw leading to your attacker.

"Wasabi! That's not how you treat guests!" He scolded the cat who now purred around his ankles. "She just had babies, so she's a bit protective. Sit."

You automatically dropped to sit on the block of hay you had let go. Namjoon went to a box on the wall with a red cross on it to get a small bag from it. He knelt in front of you.

"May I?"

You nodded and replied, "Mmhmm."

He lifted your foot to rest on his thigh and dabbed at the scratch with a wipe. You gave a sharp inhale, and he giggled.

"It's not even that deep."

"Still hurts." You pouted.

With a gentle rub, the too big bandaid covered the injury.

"I could sue you for this." You teased.

"If I kiss you, could we call it a proper settlement?" The question came out so smoothly you couldn't tell if he was serious.

Your eyes got wide. The sound of an approaching car pulled both of your attentions towards it. You quickly stepped back and Namjoon grinned at the ground.

"Sorry." He said before moving towards the door.

With a swift movement, he took up the straw you had dropped at Wasabi's scratch and you looked at the mama cat who meowed. It was if she was teasing you for not taking the chance. Yoongi came in to give her pets and asked where her babies were. She leapt down and took us to an old closet with a pile of discarded clothes inside on the floor.

"Awww, so cute! I want one~" The short red haired girl who was a part of Yoongi's group said, wanting to approach, but you put your arm in front of her as the mother hissed.

"We'll see." Yoongi replied and then spoke to Namjoon. "Just keep clear of them for now. We can make due with a few less bales."

"Gotcha. See you in a few."

The two quiet boys and the tiny red head left again.

"So, what do we do?"

"We'll kinda fence them in. Make sure no one else gets too close." He began to push a bale towards the area.

Following suit, a small barrier now separated Wasabi and crew from the rest of the barn. Looking around, most of the hay was on the second floor.

"You want me to go up there and toss 'em down?" You asked, spotting a ladder.

"Yeah. That's better than you catching 'em." He held the ladder sturdy, "Just be careful."

"If not, I'll just have to ask for more kisses." And up the ladder you went, not thinking too much of how cute his shocked expression was.

Several tons later, it was time for lunch. Namjoon helped you down off the ladder, letting his hands linger around your waist before blushing, "We should hurry before the corn gets cold."

Even though you had the option of leaving after the meal, you convinced your ride to stay until you were done with the maze. You went back to the barn, but volunteers had to leave at sunset. Namjoon didn't say much during the meal to you, but it was ok since you weren't a socialite anyways. Also, seeing how familiar he had been with the other regulars, the Farm family's son Tae, and his dog which now joined you, was nice.

"You really have been helping out for 7 years." The words left your lips before you could even think.

"Yeah. I know everyone pretty well. Enough to know that Tae's got a little crush on you." Namjoon wiped his forehead with the hem of his shirt, allowing you to see his glistening abs in the afternoon sun.

You couldn't help but bite your lip, "Is that so?"

"Yep." He met your gaze. "You interested?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you interested in being with the farmer's son?" The way he asked sounded like it was more than one question.

How many in total? You didn't know, but you did what you did best. Told the truth.

With a firm shake of your head, you sat on the edge of the loft, "No. I'm not interested in him. He's sweet and all, but I don't have eyes for him."

"...I see. Any hay left up there?"

You looked behind yourself, "None that's like all together. Hey, what's this?"

"What's what?" He looked up to see your ass filling out the overall shorts you had worn today.

"Come up here and take a look." You replied.

So Namjoon climbed up the ladder to come see what had caught your attention and was pulled forward to be on top of your own nervous but eager form.

"Now that we're here, are you gonna kiss me or not?"

"You're the one who got us here. Can't ya kiss me first?"

"I wanna make sure it's mutual. Anyways, I can only be so bold, Namjoon."

A cheeky chuckle left his lips as he settled on top of you, looking into your eyes as they closed and waited for the heat of his lips made contact with yours. There was no way either of you could stop now as you grabbed onto each other as if you'd disappear if you let go for even the slightest moment. His left hand was on your hip while his right snaked up to the latch of your overalls.

"Is it ok? Can I--"

"Go ahead." You replied breathlessly.

As shaking hands fumbled with each, you couldn't help but laugh and help him out. A grateful grin was given before making out ensued once more. Namjoon wanted this to last forever, but knew this time would have to be quick. Before Yoongi and the two volunteers came back. Still, he'd be remiss if he did not properly prepare you, so he slid two fingers inside of you. Without realizing, your hips rolled into his hand and a string of moans left your mouth. The grip you had on his forearm flexed.

He watched you through all of it, noticing your blushy reaction of looking away. However, Namjoon kissed your neck as the sweetest punishment. You squealed and bucked your hips as fingers spread your needy hole.

"Hurry." Came past your lips in a whine as the last thing you wanted was to be caught by the others in such a situation.

"Wait." Namjoon took his fingers out of you and reached into a spot in the corner.

There seemed to be a box that he looked through as you ground your hips onto nothing. Yet you needed to move just for any slight sensation. He mumbled to himself.

You pouted and called out his name, "Namjoooon~ Hurryyyyy~"

The large man turned around and revealed an unmistakable box of condoms and a small bottle of lube.

He smiled and then bit his lip at the sight of your disheveled form, "They're not expired."

"Then fuck me already!"

Namjoon's dick jumped at the desperate plea and quickly obliged, lubing you up and rolling the rubber on. You wanted it inside you so badly, but he waited.

"You look so pretty." Honest words reached your ears.

Your cheeks warmed even more at the compliment and you couldn't look at him, all the bravery from earlier all but gone.

Then he leaned over you, hands on either side of your head as he growled into your ear.

"You'd be prettier with my cock inside you, though." And thrust into you.

The scream of pleasure which came out of your throat surprised even you. And though you tried to cover your mouth, Namjoon pinned your hands down.

Between grunts, he uttered, "Don't. Don't hide from me. I wanna hear it all. Oh fuck. Please. Let me hear how badly you want this."

As his own moans trickled out, you looked at his furrowed brows and the new layer of sweat forming on both of you. You groaned and moaned out his name and loving words of support.

"You're so great, Namjoon. Oh, oh, oh my God. You're doing so well. Ahhhhh, more!"

"Yes! Yes! Oh Y/N. Oh fuck!" His curses were a whisper, contrasting how he screamed your name like a prayer.

"Namjoon, yes. Harder. Fuck, yes!" You felt him twitch inside of you and moved your hips upwards to meet his.

He whimpered and began to suck on your nipples, giving them tiny nibbles here and there. Namjoon's breathing became thick as he made love with you. He looked up at you, brown eyes dark and glittering in the golden hour of the world.

"Y/N, I can't--I'm gonna."

You held his face in your hands, "Cum for me."

He released as soon as the door opened, and you had to kiss him to muffle his scream of ecstasy.

"Namjoon? Y/N? Is this the last of it?" Yoongi asked.

Namjoon replied, "Yeah. If you can take it all on one go, that'd be great." in a voice that was clear for someone finishing up an orgasm and was still bucking inside of you.

You couldn't help but twitch, making him look down at you with your own hands muffling your own moans and eyes filled with tears. Right on the edge. You were right there, but you couldn't get there with the other man so close to catching on. The seconds passed by in the form of endless hours as Yoongi was quiet for no reason.

"So, you gonna go?" The thick chested man asked.

"Yeah. Alright, we'll start loading the truck. Wanna help out, Joonie?"

The man on top of you whispered, "Fuck." Before clearing his throat, "Nah. Kinda busy."

Yoongi's voice held a smile in it, "Oh, I see. I'll tell V you wanted to give the volunteer a tour." He then left.

You hid your face into Namjoon's shoulder. You wanted to cum so badly. The barn door closed and Namjoon began to pound into you after a sigh of relief. He was hard again. Did he like the idea of getting caught that much? It was a fleeting thought as the sound of a truck driving off allowed you to moan again. Your body convulsed as the ranch hand abused your g spot now that he found it. You gripped his arm, wrist, whatever you could hold onto as your orgasm finally reached its peak.

Heavy pants as Namjoon pulled out and lay next to you. He kissed your lips once more and you curled up into his side.

"That’s such a great settlement." You let an airy chuckle out.

Joon looked over at you, only able to laugh at your comment. The two of you decided to hurry and get dressed, and he walked you to the bus taking the last bit of city folk back. He called out your name before you went on, picking a piece of straw out of your hair and sticking it into his mouth.

“Come back soon.” He smiled so large that his dimples became a cavern.

[kpopxmalereader]

 Hug Me | Namjoon

kim namjoon x male!reader

(it’s meant for a male! reader, but it can also be read as gender neutral reader!)

word count - 2.0k+

genre - angst & fluff

warning(s): cursing, arguing, and crying.

summary: namjoon tries to reassure himself that he doesn’t need you and that he’s moved on, but that’s further from the truth. (inspired by sohyang - hug me)

I can’t overcome the sadness in my heart,

Another one of my sleepless nights, I endure it once more,

I really don’t mind the sadness,

It absentmindedly wakes me up again in the morning.

Namjoon groggily woke up at the sound of his alarm. He reached over to silence his phone and laid back down to rub his tired eyes. Recently he’s been unable to sleep, maybe it was the fact that the bed felt empty without you beside him. 

Namjoon let out a sigh and shook his head. 

"I don't need ‘em," Namjoon reassured himself getting up from the bed to get ready for practice.

The injury seems worse than I thought it’d be,

The pain seems to dig in deeper than I thought it would,

In the countless nights, I spent resenting you,

It feels like I’m in hell.

The members weren't dumb, they knew how much this breakup has been affecting Namjoon. Lately, he's been more strict, his rapping and dancing has been getting sloppy, and his motivation for producing is gone. They thought their leader could get through this on his own, but they were wrong and knew they had to step in before it's too late.

Currently, they were all on a break after many long hours of rehearsal and decided that now was a perfect time to talk to Namjoon.

"Joon-hyung?" A voice called out to him.

Namjoon looked up from his phone and saw everyone staring at him.

"What is it Tae?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"We need to talk," Tae said, Namjoon knowing where this conversation was headed.

Namjoon sighed, "There's nothing to talk abo-"

"That's bullshit." Yoongi interrupted."You haven't been the same since you and (Y/N) broke up. You've been nothing but miserable, and while I agree that it's okay to be sad every once in a while, you must be able to move on or get back with together 'cause not only is it affecting both of you, but also the people around you."

Please just stay by my side, please remain here,

Don’t let go of my hand as you’re holding it in yours,

If this takes you a step further away from me,

All I have to do is take a step closer, isn’t it?

The other members couldn't help but agree with what Yoongi said (though he could've been a little nicer).

Namjoon couldn't do anything besides hiding his face in his hands. The others looked at him worriedly wondering how he'll react. They didn't need much time to guess, as his shoulders started shaking slightly and he let out a couple of sniffs.

"B-But how am I s-supposed to face (Y/N) after wh-what I said?" Namjoon cried looking up at his members.

The others stared at their leader with looks of sympathy, some also shedding a few tears. Jungkook stood up and went over to comfort his hyung.

"I think you should try and apologize to (Y/N)," Jungkook said, wiping some tears off of Namjoon's eyes. "They may not forgive you, and if that's the case, you're just gonna have to move on. Remember how you taught me to learn from my mistakes? It's time you do the same."

Namjoon sniffed and let out a little smile, giving Jungkook a quick hug.

"I don't even know where to start," Namjoon whispered.

The members all let out little smiles, "Why don't you start by going to (Y/N)'s apartment and apologize for your stupidity?" Jimin giggled.

Hoseok laughed while slightly pushing Jimin, "Don't be mean Jiminie." He stood up and put a hand out for Namjoon. "Come on. Go and get the love of your life back Joon."

Namjoon smiled softly and grabbed his hand, Hoseok helping him off the floor. "Maybe it's worth a shot?" He thought to himself.

As he was headed towards the door Jin pulled him into a hug, the others joining in on it. " You got this Joon-ah. We believe in you."

A thousand times in a day,

Your face repeatedly appears in my thoughts,

The sharp words you said to me,

Those empty eyes, that cold expression.

As Namjoon exited the BigHit building he couldn't help but think back to the argument he had with you. The horrible memory somehow is still embedded in his head after all these months.

The argument was about not spending enough time together due to Namjoon's busy schedule. You calmly tried to tell him that you wish you could spend more time together and that he shouldn't overwork himself too much.

Due to the amount of stress he'd been dealing with Namjoon quickly got both defensive and aggressive.

"Are you being serious?! If anything we spend too much time together! You can't expect me to drop everything and make time for you! You know that I have more responsibilities as the leader!" He yelled.

He also remembered the voice in the back of his head yelling at him to stop, but he just kept going. He also remembered you trying to get a word in, but he'd cut you off immediately.

The last thing his mind brought up was the thing he regrets the absolute most.

"You know what?! I don't think I can handle being with someone who's so goddamn needy!" He yelled.

The house was silent. Nothing could be heard except Namjoon's angry huffs. The moment he took a look at you he realized how hurtful his words actually were.

Your face held nothing but sorrow.

You were heartbroken.

Namjoon tried to get closer to you to hold you in his arms and apologize, but you took a step back and immediately ran out the door.

" (Y/N) wait! Come back! I didn't mean it!"

You didn't come back though, he wanted someone who wasn't needy? Wish granted.

The following days he tried to contact you, but you had deleted his number and blocked him on all social media. You also had one of your friends go over to his place and collect your belongings.

He tried asking the members and even some of your friends where you were, but the members were clueless and your friends ignored him.

Fortunately, Tae kept close contact with you and eventually found out where you currently lived. After finding out where you lived, Namjoon never once tried to talk to you because he was too afraid that you'll reject him immediately. That is until today.

Before he even knew it, Namjoon had arrived at your apartment complex and was right in front of your door.

You’re quite a pretty person, aren’t you?

You’re quite a pretty person, aren’t you?

Please don’t do this to me.

You know me well enough, don’t you?

Namjoon took a deep breath as he raised his fist and knocked gently. The back of his head kept telling him to just turn around and run away, but he ignored it.

He hears your steps coming towards the door and he mentally prepares himself for the worst.

"Don't tell me you forgot your charger agai-.", you start, but immediately fall silent when you noticed it wasn't your friend.

"Uh, hi", he whispered, waving than putting his hand down.

"Namjoon what are you doing here? Wait, how did you even know where I live?" You asked uneasily.

"Uh, Tae told me where you lived." He answered fiddling with his hands " I was hoping if we could talk? Please?"

"Um...I don't think that's such a good idea. Bye." You replied about to close the door on him, but his foot stops you.

Namjoon looks at you with pleading eyes, "Please? Just gimme five minutes and then I'll leave."

You let out a sigh and slightly nodded, 'Fine, but only five minutes and you're out."

Please just stay by my side, please remain here,

Don’t let go of my hand as you’re holding it in yours,

If this takes you a step further away from me,

All I have to do is take a step closer, isn’t it?

Namjoon smiled slightly as you let him inside your apartment. You close the door and saw him looking around.

"We can talk in the living room.' You said walking further into your apartment.

Namjoon nodded as he took off his shoes and placed them beside the front door. He followed you into the living room where you both sat at opposite ends of the couch.

Both of you sat in silence for a couple of minutes before you spoke up, " You have five minutes starting now."

Namjoon licked his lips before starting, "I'm sorry for all the terrible things I said (Y/N). I regret everything that I've done and for not treating how you should've been treated. I want you back in my life. It might sound cliché, but I changed. I promise you I did."

"Liar!"

I’m not being myself, I don’t have the confidence,

I can’t endure it any longer, the days without you,

What now, what do I do now,

I really don’t know, I’m nothing without you.

Namjoon stared at you shocked not expecting your sudden outburst.

Meanwhile, you couldn't handle the knot in your throat anymore. You let out a painful sob and let tears fall out of your eyes.

"Please don't cry." Namjoon pleaded, getting closer to you trying to wipe your tears away.

"Why shouldn't I?!", You cried, slapping his hand away "I'm tired of all your lies Namjoon! I'm tired of feeling like I'm never good enough! I don't wanna deal with the pain of having to sleep alone in bed every night! I don't wanna deal with 'Sorry babe I fell asleep while trying to finish this track.' or 'Rehearsals running late (Y/N) so I won't be able to make it to dinner tonight.'!"

Please just hug me, hug me even for a while,

Without any words, please just run towards me,

With my lonely and uneasy heart,

I’m still here waiting for you.

Namjoon let your words sink in. He never realized the pain that he put you through and he doesn't know what to say to make you smile. His mind is empty. He's desperately trying to find words, but there are none.

So he wraps his arms around you and brings you to his chest, rubbing your back. You gasped at the sudden action, your sobs coming to a halt.

"L-Let go o-off me Namjoon." You growled but made no effort to push him away.

"But my five minutes aren't even finished yet," He whispered, resting his cheek on top of your head.

He continued rubbing your back as you continued sobbing into his chest.

"I don't wanna talk anymore," You whispered once your sobs had died down.

"We don't need to continue talking if you don't want. There are plenty of other ways to make up." He replied wiping away any remaining tears.

I love you, I love you

I shout it out after saying in this long silence,

It may seem weak and childish, but it’s my true feelings

You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss him. After all this time you still yearn for his touch, kisses, his comforting scent, and melodic voice.

You moved your head from his chest, but he still kept his arms wrapped around you.

"Don't do this to me Namjoon, not when I know you're gonna break my heart again." You sniffed looking down.

"I won't hurt you ever again, that's a promise. I love you." He replied sincerely.

You gasped and looked at him in the eyes.

They held that spark that many have said was reserved only for you. You both continued staring at each other in silence, both your hearts racing. You were hoping the universe would give you a sign that this wasn't meant to be, but it never came.

Lastly, you made a wish to the universe that Namjoon wasn't deceiving you, that he will keep his promise and not break your heart. After that was done, you finally gave in.

“Please just hug me...”

[seerofmike]

Sharing

pairing: cryptane / miroctane / cryptoxoctanexmirage word count: 2,835 rating: t  tags: polyamory, jealousy, birthday fluff, humor summary: Elliott and Taejoon are both dating Octavio, and won't stop competing with each other—especially today, on his birthday. 

@apex-rarepairweek

today’s prompt is jealousy! though its less jealousy and more ‘crypto and mirage trying to one-up each other’ LMAO. also this is not cryptage, crypto is dating octane and mirage is also dating octane but they are not dating each other. :3c enjoy!

reblogs>>>likes! i read all the tags in reblogs! <3

read on ao3

OR

read below

Octavio loved attention.

Loved the soft kisses his boyfriends pressed to the insides of his thighs or the highest points of his cheeks, loved the way their hands ran down his back or across his stomach, touches gentle. Loved it when they teased him or tended to him or hyped him up for his stunts, Elliott in that big dorky way of his and Taejoon in his much subtler, but still chaos-enabling, way.

All attention was good attention, to Octavio—he couldn’t bear to be ignored, so he often made a nuisance of himself whenever they were busy. Wrapped his arms around Taejoon’s neck whenever he was doing his Hackerman™ thing, drummed Elliott’s workbench with wrenches when he was working on something, constantly told them ‘watch this!’ in the Games whenever they were on a squad together because he wanted them to look at him.

It didn’t matter if their attention came in the form of Taejoon snapping at him, or Elliott swiping his wrenches back, clearly annoyed. It was attention, and he loved it.

And he especially loved this kind of attention—the jealous kind.

It was his birthday today, turning twenty-five, ‘a big age’, according to Elliott, and Taejoon had scoffed ‘you would know, wouldn’t you, old man?’ which had resulted in indignant sputtering from Elliott, mumbling something about ‘thirty-one’ and ‘bullying’.

The three of them rarely spent the night together; it was usually just Octavio and Elliott or Octavio and Taejoon, as the two men couldn’t really stand each other, and he usually didn’t mind. 

But you know what was better and more exciting than just one boyfriend? Two. So they had compromised for his sake and spent the night on either side of him, touching him in the way he liked and massaging the nubs of his thighs. It had been really fucking hot and sweaty, but hey! He got to wake up and see both their stupid sleepy faces, so he loved it.

Octavio could tell that today was going to be different, though. He had fallen back asleep in Elliott’s arms (at one point in the night, he had hogged Octavio all to himself), but when he woke up again three hours later, the bed was empty and cold.

Glaring up at the ceiling at the realization that he had been left alone on his birthday, Octavio was just picking up his phone to type an aggravated message when someone entered the room. He then let his phone drop onto his chest when he saw just who (and what) it was; Taejoon, holding a box of sweet-smelling donuts.

“Ay, cariño, you didn’t have to,” he cooed, but internally he was going FUCK YEAH this is what birthdays are ABOUT. “Glazed and-?”

“Maple,” Taejoon said, and fuck, he loved this man. He knew the other didn’t particularly care for donuts, but he’d gone out of his way to get this whole-ass box just for him. “Saengil chukahae.”

Octavio flipped it open, seeing six freshly-made donuts awaiting him. He could feel the heat beneath his fingers through the box, could see that the glaze was still melting on the dough, and was just about to pick one up and eat it right there in bed when Elliott burst through the door.

“Ha-ppy birth-day!” Elliott announced, punctuating each syllable with a wave of the spatula in his hand, though he quickly froze when he saw them both. “What’s going on here?”

“‘Joon got me breakfast!” Octavio said enthusiastically, lifting the box up. He watched Elliott’s eyes narrow, and noticed that the man was wearing a ‘Kiss the Cook’ apron that he definitely didn’t own. "What's up?"

“I made breakfast,” Elliott said, sounding miffed. “Omelettes with peppers in ‘em. Just the way you like.”

Octavio perked up somehow even more at this news. “You did?”

“I did,” Elliott said sweetly, before his tone jumped right back into accusing. “And this guy knew I was going to!”

“I already told you that I was getting breakfast,” Taejoon said coolly, putting his hands in his pockets. “So I assumed that you would have stopped in your preparations. Evidently, I was wrong.”

“A home-made breakfast is better than any of this junk!” Elliott said, putting his hand on his hip and pointing his spatula at Taejoon’s nose. The other man didn’t even flinch. “I was even nice enough to make you an omelette. Now c’mon, babe, let’s eat.”

Octavio stood up with the box of donuts, but Elliott added, “And leave that shit in here.”

“Why can’t I just eat both?” Octavio asked, raising an eyebrow, and Elliott’s face flushed red.

“B-because—all that sugar—it’s not gonna taste good with the omelettes, okay?”

“It is his birthday,” Taejoon said shortly, pushing out of the room. “Let him decide for himself.”

Elliott huffed, flipping his hair out of his face as he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room as well, probably to berate Taejoon some more. Octavio watched him leave with wide eyes, before a grin split his face. Oh, today was going to be fun.

Octavio solved the breakfast problem by tearing a maple donut into chunks and dipping it into the hot chocolate he’d been provided after every bite of his omelette. The sweet and savory flavor of the donut mixed with the salt and spice of the omelette, and it made for a pretty exciting breakfast experience—made even better by the fact that Taejoon and Elliott were glaring at each other on opposite ends of the table.

After breakfast Octavio sat back in his seat and asked, “What'd you guys plan for today?”

“I was thinking that—” Elliott began, at the same time Taejoon mumbled, “I brought—”

They both stopped speaking, and when neither said anything for a while, Elliott spoke loudly.

“Well, I wanted to take you out to dinner. Without Park.”

“And I,” Taejoon said, emphasizing each word with a slice of his knife through his omelette. “Brought a movie for us to watch. Without Witt.”

“You could watch a movie any old time,” Elliott said, and Octavio glanced between them both. “I got us a reservation at the Sky Plate. The Sky Plate! Do you know how expensive that place is?”

“Well, I did not feel the need to flaunt my wealth in order to do something with Octavio today,” Taejoon said, snide.

“But what’s so fun about watching a movie?”

“He doesn’t even like half the food they serve at that establishment.”

“Well, how do you know?!”

“Because he is allergic,” Taejoon stressed, and there was a triumphant sort of edge to his voice. “To shellfish.”

Elliott’s mouth dropped open, eyes wide, and Octavio was amused to see the deep red flush rising from his throat and into his cheeks. His boyfriend was then looking over at him, eyebrows drawn up as he kept gaping like a fish.

“I totally forgot,” he eventually said, and Octavio saw Taejoon smirk out of the corner of his eye. “I-I can cancel it, don’t worry! I can make a different resoir...rev...resser—”

“Chill, babe,” Octavio said, and Elliott’s mouth snapped shut. “People tell me they’ve got good desserts. I’ll find something to eat.”

“You sure?” Elliott asked, worried, and Octavio nodded eagerly, because while he wasn’t much of a fine-dining person, he knew that with Elliott it couldn’t be boring.

When they stood up from the table Taejoon seemed displeased for some reason, and walked away without saying much else. Curious, Octavio wandered after him as Elliott cleaned up, and found his boyfriend sitting on the couch and typing on his phone.

“Whatcha doin’?” Octavio asked, leaning over the back of it to rest his chin on Taejoon’s shoulder.

“Checking the train times,” he said stiffly.

“Awww, why?”

“I don’t want to intrude on your dinner with Witt.”

Octavio blinked, before slinging his arm over the couch as well and grabbing Taejoon’s chin, turning his head to face him. “Y’know dinner isn’t for a while, right?”

Taejoon didn’t say anything, so Octavio braced his arms against the back of the couch before flipping himself over it, managing to land his ass on the cushions without falling off.

“Don’t be like thattttt,” Octavio whined, because he didn’t want him to leave. Elliott was great and all, but why settle for great when you could go for fantastic? Taejoon being here, vying for his attention and pampering him was ten times better than just Elliott doing all that. He wanted them both here.

“I wanna watch that movie with you,” Octavio said, sliding his hand over Taejoon’s chest and taking delight in the way he bit on his lower lip. “Por favor?”

“...Fine,” his boyfriend eventually sighed, and he got up to go rifle through the overnight bag he’d brought. Octavio sat upside-down on the couch as he listened to the sounds of Elliott loading the dishwasher, and when the man himself eventually stepped into the living room he smiled at Octavio and said,

“You ready?”

“It’s not even dinner,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, but I thought we could—”

“Your reservation isn’t until six, Witt,” Taejoon said, stalking around him with a DVD in hand. “Let us watch this film.”

“How do you know when my reservation is?” Elliott yelped, scandalized. “What the hell?”

Taejoon didn’t answer, and Octavio cackled at the look on Elliott’s face. Both of his boyfriends eventually reached a silent agreement to tolerate each other as they all settled on the couch, Octavio sitting between them.

For once he was lucky that his couch wasn’t very big; both men were sitting on opposite ends of it, but thanks to its short length, he was able to lay himself across both of their laps. He took off his legs and rested his thighs in Elliott’s lap as he leaned against Taejoon, feeling the other man rub his fingers soothingly over the bare skin of his hip.

The movie was pretty cool; a thrilling zombie adventure taking place on a train, though the build-up was rather slow and Octavio found his mind drifting elsewhere multiple times.

Soon enough it got exciting, and he found himself invested in the story, trying to read the subtitles as quickly as they popped onto the screen, but about halfway through the movie, he felt something warm against the back of his neck, and shivered.

Turning his head to see what the deal was, Taejoon kissed him again before he could speak, this time on his jaw, right beneath his ear. Shivering again, Octavio tilted his head, allowing his boyfriend to suck kisses into the sensitive skin of his neck as the movie progressed.

By the time all the action was happening—a dude was punching zombies—Octavio was hardly paying attention, Taejoon’s fingers tracing themselves deliciously across the skin of abdomen, feather-light and stomach fluttering in response, ticklish.

He reached behind him to grab the collar of Taejoon’s v-neck and pulled him lower, grinning against his lips before kissing him, rough and biting, just how he liked it. Taejoon moaned into his mouth, quiet, but the other man sitting with them apparently heard it.

“Whoa,” he heard Elliott say, and then a calloused hand was placed on his thigh. “I thought we were watching a movie?”

“Mhm,” Octavio hummed, and made a little ‘come here’ motion with his hand, mouth too occupied with Taejoon to do much else. It was a clear invite to come and kiss him, touch him, stroke all the places he liked—and he was rewarded with Elliott scooting just a little bit further down the couch to do just that, leaning close to get his attention.

Octavio turned his head and let Elliott pull him in for a much sweeter kiss, his beard tickling him as he did so, and his body felt so warm everywhere as Taejoon held him in his arms. His legs were spread, Elliott's fingers digging into the skin of his thighs as he kissed him in that uniquely Elliott way of his his.

But then the spell was broken as he was suddenly shoved off of Taejoon, and he gave a squawk as he hit Elliott’s chest.

“What the fuck was that for?” Octavio said, turning his head to glare at the man, and he saw him fold his arms over his chest and stare sullenly at the TV.

Okay, scratch that. All of this jealousy shit was not going to fly on his motherfucking birthday. How was he to receive attention from both of them if they acted like this whenever the other was giving him some?

Octavio tore himself away from Elliott and let out a huff so that they were both looking at him, raising his voice as he said, “It’s my birthday. Can’t you two get along for once?”

“He’s not—”

“I’m just—”

“Silencio,” Octavio interrupted, and they both looked at him with wide eyes. “Look, normally the whole ‘fighting over me’ thing is hot, but today, I just want you both to share. Is that too much to ask? Eh?”

Neither of them answered. Pissed off now, Octavio stared at the TV screen, not even bothering trying to read the subtitles in the state of anger he was in. Ten minutes passed in silence, and as the characters got into arguments on-screen, Elliott finally said,

“I’m—we’re sorry, Tav.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” Taejoon mumbled quietly, hesitant, before he felt the other touch his shoulder lightly. “I’m just not used to...this. Whatever this is.”

“Sharing,” Elliott supplied.

“He is not an item.”

“Yeah but that’s—”

“Shut up,” Octavio advised, and Elliott frowned, but obliged. “It’s whatever. I know you two don’t like each other, I guess.”

“But we can try to get along," Taejoon said firmly, and then his tone got a little sharper. “We are both dating you. Right, Witt?”

“‘Right, Witt’,” Elliott mocked, before pinching himself on the thigh and saying, “Right...Taejoon.”

Octavio looked between the both of them before returning to his previous position, thighs in Elliott’s lap and Taejoon’s arms wrapped around his middle. By the time the movie had ended (his eyes were getting kind of wet, and Elliott was full-on sobbing) it felt like an eternity had passed, but it was only noon.

Octavio got up to use the bathroom, and when he came back the atmosphere in the room wasn’t as stiff as it had been before. Elliott glanced up from where he was checking his reflection in his selfie cam, and said,

“I can change that reservation for a party of three. If you w-want. I’m Mirage, what’re they gonna say? No?”

He expected Taejoon to make some snarky comment in return, but he was surprised when the man said, “That would be nice.”

“Yeah!” Elliott smiled, eyes bright, and Octavio felt his heart do something funny in his chest. Grinning now, he approached them both and asked,

“Sweeeet. Now what’d you guys get me for presents, huh?”

He’d half-meant it as a joke, but he was really curious to see if they’d bought him something or not. Elliott practically jumped from the couch in his haste to get his gift, and when he handed it over to Octavio he was chagrined to see that it was covered in Mirage wrapping paper. It was a very poor wrapping job as well.

Tearing it off (and hearing Elliott complain) Octavio grinned somehow even wider when he saw that it was the new video game he’d mentioned wanting. “Oh shit, gracias!”

“Knew you were lookin’ for something new to play,” Elliott said, obviously proud of himself. “Saw that at the store and went hey, it’s that thing Octavio wants, and—”

Octavio threw his arms around him, and his smooth-talking turned into stuttering as he returned the hug. “A-and then I was like...I have w-wrapping paper left over from Christmas! I can make it all exta...exe..fancy for ya!”

"I love it. Thanks, babe," Octavio said, and felt satisfied when he managed to get the trickster, of all people, to shut up.

Taejoon’s gift wasn’t all wrapped up like Elliott's had been—he simply pulled the thing from his bag, and Octavio gasped when he saw it. It was a stuffed bunny, and it was purple.

“I know you probably meant it as a joke,” Taejoon said sheepishly as he tore the thing from his hands. “But...”

“He’s beautiful,” Octavio whispered, and then kissed the man on his cheek. Much to his delight, Taejoon’s face turned pink and he ran his hand through his hair, flustered.

Octavio looked up at both of his boyfriends before pulling them both down at the same time into a hug. He was really lucky to have them both, even if they argued over him and were jealous and petty and...

Well, that was what made them fun. He wouldn’t really have it any other way.

But just for today, they could learn to share. 

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

BTS Reaction: Their crush is already in a relationship

Namjoon

Namjoon was up late talking to Jin. One of the things he loved to do most was stay up late and have deep conversations with the members. You had come up in conversation and they were discussing his feelings for you. “I don’t know Jin. There’s just something about y/n. I think I might be in love with them.” “Oh.. Namjoon you know y/n is in a relationship don’t you?” His face falls at Jin’s words. “… No I wasn’t aware of that. When did that happen?” “Y/n has been in a relationship with the same guy for 6 months now. How did you not know that?!” “Y/n never talks about him when we’re together..” “I’m sorry Joon. Maybe y/n isn’t happy with him and that’s why you were never told about the relationship.” Namjoon can’t help but feel upset that you never told him such a big part of your life. He spent the last month falling more for you every day. That night he vows to try his best to get rid of his feelings for you. The last thing he wants is to fall even more in love with you when your heart already belongs to someone else.

Jin

Jin is talking to Hoseok while they are getting ready for their interview. “So how are things going with you and y/n?” Hoseok asks. “Things are going great. I think I’m going to ask them out soon.” “Jin you know y/n is in a relationship, right?” “No… y/n never told me that. What the heck we’ve know each other for months why the hell wouldn’t they tell me something so important? Was y/n just leading me on this whole time?!” “Jin I’m sure that’s not the reason. The only reason I know is because I saw y/n out in public kissing a guy rather intimately.” “Did y/n look happy?” “That’s not for me to judge.. but no. Actually they looked miserable.” Jin decides at this moment that he is going to your home to tell you how he feels after their interview. If you aren’t happy, then he is going to do everything in his power to change that.

Yoongi

You were cuddled up with Yoongi on the couch watching a movie. You two spent every Saturday night like this together it was just an unspoken rule between you two. He had been harboring a crush on you for such a long time. He knew you had a boyfriend so he always tried to keep a respectful distance from you, but it was becoming harder for him to do so. Without realizing it his fingers laced with your own and you turned to look at him to find him staring at you with such intensity it knocked the breath out of you. “Yoongi?” He starts moving his face towards yours as his gaze flickers down to your lips. “Yoongi I have a boyfriend..” “I don’t care.” His lips are on yours in seconds and you completely lose yourself in his kiss. When you finally pull away he smiles at you and it makes you weak. Your boyfriend’s kisses never made you feel that way. You can’t focus on the movie the rest of the night, the only thing on your mind is Yoongi, his lips, his gentle touch, his smile. You decide you’re going to need to have a talk with your boyfriend, and soon.

Hoseok

You and Hoseok had always been best friends, but he had always had a crush on you. He loved your bright and funny personality so much. One day when the two of you were walking around the city a man approached you. “Hey y/n!” “Oh.. hey babe.” He pulls you in and kisses your cheek. “Y/n? Who’s this?” Hoseok asks, quite confused. “Oh. Hoseok I was going to introduce you guys soon I swear, this is my boyfriend.” His heart breaks at the word but he doesn’t show it. “Oh. Nice to meet you.” Hoseok holds out his hand and your boyfriend takes it firmly. “So you must be the Hobi I hear so much about. Y/n speaks very highly of you ya know?” “I’m sure. I’ll just leave you two be.” He starts to walk away but you reach out and grab his arm. “Hobi, where are you going? Stay we can all hang out today.” “I can’t y/n I’m sorry. I just remembered I promised to help Jin learn the new choreography for our comeback.” “Oh.. Okay Hobi. See you soon?” He tries to smile at you but he just can’t. “Yeah, see you.” That night Hoseok curls up in bed, staring at the ceiling and mentally kicking himself for not confessing to you sooner. Now he lost you and he doesn’t know if he’ll ever get the chance to be yours.

Jimin

It was no secret that Jimin had a strong dislike for your boyfriend. But you never understood why. I mean sure your boyfriend cancelled plans occasionally and forgot to call you but that was just normal guy things right? “Jimin, why do you hate my boyfriend so much?” “Because he doesn’t treat you right. You deserve to be treated like royalty and he does anything but. He constantly cancels plans with you, he never calls you. I don’t even know why you’re still with him.” “I mean.. he says he still loves me Jimin.” “But you can’t actually believe that right? He doesn’t show it at all.” Jimin is looking at you with an expression you can’t quite read, but you know there are some words he has left unsaid. “I can tell there’s something you’re not telling me Jimin.” “Just let it go y/n.” “Not until you tell me the truth.” Jimin runs his hand through his hair and sighs in frustration. “Because! Every time I see you upset because of something he did or said I can’t help but think how much better I would treat you okay?!” Your eyes widen and your mouth falls open as you stare at him in shock. “Do you like me Jimin?” “Yes.. so much y/n. Too much. It hurts to see you with him.” You walk closer to him and grab his hand in your own. “What would you say if I told you I liked you too? That I would want to give you that chance to treat me the way I deserve?” “I would say you wouldn’t regret your decision. I would spend everyday for the rest of our lives showing you just how much I love you.” You smile at him and kiss his cheek. “Okay Jimin. I’ll give you a chance.”

Taehyung

Taehyung had asked you to meet him at the park near his home. He said he wanted to talk to you about something important. He was planning to finally tell you he had a crush on you for the past year and was going to ask you to be his. However, when he approached the bench where he asked you to wait he saw you sitting with another guy. He assumed he just must have been a friend until he leaned in and kissed you, and you let him. He stops in his tracks and calls out your name so quietly you barely hear it. “Oh.. Hey Tae. This is my boyfriend.” “B-Boyfriend? Since when?” “Since yesterday. I met him at a coffee shop and we’ve been talking, went on a few dates. But he asked me out yesterday and I said yes.” Taehyung tries so hard not to cry but a tear slips out. He tries to wipe it away before you see it but you already had. You immediately stand up and walk towards him but he holds his hands up, gesturing for you to stay away as he starts walking away from you. “Tae! Wait! What’s wrong?” “Just leave me alone y/n please. I’m begging you just go back to him.” He feels your small hand wrap around his wrist and the tears won’t stop now. “Taetae please, what’s wrong?” “That should have been me.” “What?” He turns around and faces you and your heart aches at the sight of him crying. “That should have been me. Sitting on the bench, kissing you. I was going to confess to you today but I guess I waited too long.” “Tae.. No wait, please.” “Y/n, go be happy. It’ll take me a while but I’ll get over you eventually.” Lies, he thinks to himself. “I’ll see you around y/n.” He walks away and you let him. But there is a nagging voice in the back of your head making you question if your boyfriend really is the right one for you.

Jungkook

Jungkook is in love with you. He tries his best to keep it hidden from you but every time he sees you kiss your boyfriend, hold his hand, hug him, it gets even harder for him to be around you. Right now you two are at a party together and when your boyfriend arrives you immediately run over to him and kiss him. He’s been forced to watch you hang all over your boyfriend for half the night as he’s been throwing back shot after shot to try and numb how much it hurts him to see you two together. He’s practically passed out on the couch now when you approach him. “Jungkookie I think we should get you home. You really were knocking em back weren’t you?” Jungkook mumbles something you can’t quite hear so you lean closer to him. “What did you say Kookie?” “I said it’s your fault.” “What? How is it my fault?” “You couldn’t keep your hands off your boyfriend for 5 fucking seconds that’s how.” You narrow your eyes at him. “Why do you care so much Jungkook?” “Because. That should be me your hanging all over. Not him.” You help him off of the couch and half carry him out to your car. “You’re far too drunk for us to be having this conversation right now Jungkook. We’ll talk in the morning okay?” “Okay y/n. Love you.” You almost don’t hear him mumble out those last two words but they make your heart leap. You smile and press a kiss to his forehead. “Love you too Kookie.”

[kpoptart216]

Path That Lead to You (Namjoon x Reader oneshot)

Genre: fluff and angst (mostly fluff tho)

A/n: this is for my friend in Korea who inspired me to write this. This is for you, my childhood friend 💕 This is quite long and I do have the “keep reading” button added, but sorry if you’re on mobile~ Please let me know what you think! Should I do more oneshots????

Word Count: 8.8k IM SORRY ITS SO LONG

“Oppa! I can’t beliebe you’re going to be in (Y/C/N) for the tour!” Sooji yells across the phone to Namjoon.

“Calm down you brat, what’s got you so exited about that city?” Namjoon sighs as he prepares for his little sisters speech.

“It’s like you never remember anything I tell you! Remember I told you Y/n lives in that city!” She continues, slightly annoyed that her brother hadn’t paid attention before.

“Who’s Y/n..?” He asks, now genuinely confused. He can hear his sister gasp on the other end of the line.

“How can you forget you overgrown loaf of bread?!” Sooji all but yells. “Our friend from when we lived in the states you idiot! Y/n!!” She continues.

Oh. That Y/n.

Namjoon and his family had briefly lived in the states before moving back to Korea permanently. He was only there for about a year and he remembered his younger sister always with this one other girl from her class.

She was probably only 5 when they met, which made him 7 at the time. While his sister had claimed that she had found her “best friend for life” way back then, Namjoon swore he had found an enemy. He remembered always bickering with the girl, especially since she just always seemed to be around.

Namjoon usually kept to himself but Y/n found a way to crawl under his skin. But in a way, she became like a second sister he never wanted. Hell he didn’t even want the first one.

But sooner or later, Y/n had moved to a different neighborhood and his own family had made the decision to move back to Korea. He even remembers the tearful goodbye his sister had with Y/n on their last day. And well, that was the last time he really saw or heard from her.

Good riddance

“Ok and so what do you want me to do about it?” Namjoon sighs. It was late at night and he just wanted to sleep.

“Well, I may or may not have promised her VIP tickets...so cough em’ up” his sister demands.

“You did WHAT?” Namjoon asks angrily. “I told you to stop doing that! We’re not toys for you to showcase Sooji! I’m in no mood to meet your annoying friend let alone have her meet the boys” Namjoon continues.

“Can’t you do it just this once? It’s just one night? Please? She’s an important friend of mine oppa, pleaseeee?” Sooji pleads, knowing her brother can never really say no.

“Ugh why are you like this? I’m telling mom. Just this once, you understand me? No more. I’ll send you the details tomorrow I guess” Namjoon sighs, already regretting his decision. But what was he gonna say? No?

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Sooji squeals before hanging up.

“That brat...” Namjoon sighs as he finally heads to bed.

(4 months later)

You can’t believe the day is already here. 4 months ago, your best friend from Korea had told you that she had scored you tickets to see her brother and band mates perform in your city. Not just regular tickets either, VIP tickets too.

For some reason, you were really anxious. You felt really out of place at the venue when everyone else seemed right in place. All the fans were signing and dancing along to the BTA songs while you just shifted awkwardly in place.

It’s not that you didn’t listen to BTS, you actually really enjoyed their music. But that was about it. You never really followed what else they did apart from what Sooji had told you.

She told you all about her brothers accomplishments and you were pretty proud of them yourself. You remember always fighting with Namjoon as a kid but you both have matured since then...right? He always kept to himself and even at that young age, he would be messing around with various beats and tunes on his tiny keyboard his parents had bought him.

In all honesty, you weren’t surprised by all he had accomplished. You knew from a young age that he was smart, dedicated, and extremely talented. You always smiled when you saw new about BTS in the states.

So you were extremely nervous to see him again after 17 years. What were you even going to say?

By some miracle, you were let in an even managed to make to the barricade for the concert. You just simply stood there, watching in awe as fans filed in one by one and army bombs started the light up and fill the stadium.

And before you knew it, the show started.

Namjoon smiled as he could hear the fan chants from under the stage. In a few seconds, he’d be standing on stage with his brothers performing. And he never got tired of it.

The second they emerged on stage, the entire venue filled with cheers that it was almost deafening.

He felt so energized and he loved every second he stood on stage.

“Welcome to the love yourself tour!! Nice to meet you guys, I’m RM” he says, winking at the camera causing another eruption of cheers.

He just couldn’t wait to walk down the stage and see as many faces in the crowd as he could. So that’s exactly what he did. Namjoon took the lead as he walked down the stage and took his time as he looked at as many faces in the crowd he could.

As he scanned the crowd, his eyes met with a pair of doe eyes that almost resembled Junkook’s. The girl wasn’t exactly a screaming mess like the others. She simply smiled at Namjoon and a pang of familiarity struck Namjoon’s heart. Whoever she was, she was absolutely beautiful. Her long hair flowed down in soft curls and framed her face well. She had on simple makeup and rocked a simple outfit of skinny jeans, converse, and a simple long sleeve shirt.

Damn, she’s gorgeous

He makes a mental note to at least casually shake her hand sometime during the concert.

You couldn’t believe that you had made eye contact with him after all these years. You of course knew who he was, but he didn’t seem to recognize you. As he passed you, you suddenly got thrusted forward and your hand hit the metal barricade. You winced in pain, and decided that it was best to move to the back of the pit to avoid getting hurt further.

Namjoon was slightly disappointed when he couldn’t find the girl in the crowd again, but he forgot about it quickly when he interacted with other fans and had fun on stage with his members.

Before he knew it, the concert was over and he was already saying goodbye. He absolutely loved the energy tonight and he already couldn’t wait to perform the following night and night after!

As the boys took some pictures backstage and got a little cooled down, namjoons phone beeped.

Sooji: “did you see Y/n yet?? Did you did you??”

Oh, that’s right. He totally forgot he was supposed to meet you today. He knew that you were to meet him backstage after the concert ended, so it would be anytime soon.

“Guys, my little sisters best friend is supposed to come and meet us today. I think I told you guys before... anyways she should be here sometime soon. Hopefully she won’t take too much of our time ugh” Namjoon announces and as of right on cue, all the boys hear a knock on the door.

One of the staff enters “you guys have a visitor” the man announces. “You can come in, don’t be shy!” He says to whoever was out the door.

Namjoon eyes the door until a familiar figure walks through the door with her head down. It was that girl from before! Namjoon furrows his eyebrows in confusion till it finally hits him...

“Y/n...?” He asks slowly. Your head whips up at the name, looking directly at Namjoon again for the second time that night. There was that pang I’d familiarity again. Now it made sense...it was you. That’s why his heart was racing a million miles per second right now.. right?

“Uhm..hey there Joon” you say, using the name you called him as a kid.

Namjoon just smiles at you, not believing that you were actually standing here now. You had grown up to become a beautiful woman and honestly, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. You were just so...alluring.

So he really couldn’t help what he did next. He takes quick strides over to you and gives you a nice big bear hug, causing you to gasp with your eyes widened. “It’s nice to see you, kiddo” he says

KIDDO? REALLY IDIOT? You couldn’t have used a better word?! KIDDO? Namjoon berates himself internally for his poor word choice

“It’s nice to see you too...” you say slowly, finally hugging him back.

“Hey no fair I want hugs too!” Taehyung says as he practically rips Namjoon off of you and hugs your tiny frame. “I’m Taehyung! But you can call me Tae!” He says still hugging you. He begins jumping around, causing you to giggle.

God Namjoon loved the sound of that.

Soon enough, the rest of the boys introduce themselves and invite you to sit down and talk with them.

Namjoon watches as you talk with all his member as if you guys had known each other before and he smiles how easily you got along with them. But he also notices how you keep pulling at your sleeve and rubbing at your left wrist.

“Hey not to interrupt you guys but Y/n is your wrist ok?” Namjoon asks.

“Oh uh, it’s nothing big” you say, trying to change the subject. But Jin, who was sitting the closest to you, had pulled your arm out, causing you to wince. He slowly rolled up your sleeve, only to find that your wrist was quite swollen and red.

“What happened?!” He said loudly, reminding you of your mother.

“Uh, I just hit the barricade earlier, don’t worry about it. It’s nothing a little ice and Tylenol won’t fix” you say, pulling your hand back to your side, embarrass by how much attention was on you now.

Namjoon simply got up and got some things out of the medical kit before he made his way back to you.

“I think my sister would kill me if she found out I let you leave without doing anything about it. And I’m pretty sure you were pushed so I feel slightly responsible” he says as he sits on the table right in front of you. He grabs your wrist slowly and starts to bandage up your hand.

“Thank you..” you say, taken aback by how kind he was being.

“Don’t mention it. Actually no, mention it to my sister and tell her how great I’m treating you” He Jokes.

“Yeah I’ll be sure to tell her. I’ll also be sure to tell her about your cringey pun at the end of the concert” you joke back.

“Don’t remind me!” He says, more embarrassed now then when he had said it.

But it made you giggle again and Namjoon knew that the pun was in fact worth it.

The rest of the boys had sensed the atmosphere around you two and excused themselves so that you two could catch up.

And while Namjoon wanted to continue talking to you, he knew that it was getting late.

“Hey, since this is your city and all, how about you show me around tomorrow? Unless your busy tomorrow then don’t worry about it.. or we could just get some coffee or something if you have time..” Namjoon rambled.

“I’d love to!” You say excitedly. “We can definitely do both, I’m free tomorrow” you say smiling, causing Namjoon to smile back.

“Perfect! I’ll see you tomorrow, kiddo” he says, causing him to internally wince again.

“Good night, Joon” you say with a smile, making your exit.

The following morning, you and Namjoon made plans to hopefully explore the city with minimal to no attention if you were lucky. You weren’t really sure about all the logistics but you were excited for the adventure nonetheless. Fortunately for the both of you, you had a car. Namjoon had already done some research on what he wanted to see. “You’re honestly just going to be my driver for the day” he jokes.

Namjoon made sure to sleep early and wake up early in preparation for his day ahead. He was oddly excited about seeing you again, and when he told Sooji about their plans he could only hear squealing on the phone.

You had texted him once you were parked right in front of the hotel lobby and pretty soon, you saw a y’all figure walk out the hotel with mask covering his mouth his nose and a hay to cover up his warm eyes. You always admired his sense of fashion, and it was even nicer now that he was dressed casually.

As he finally saw your car, he walked as quickly as he could to your car and quickly got in. “Drive!” He says laughing. “Fast fast we gotta get out of here” He says. You quickly put the car in drive and sped on out, not really knowing why you were being rushed.

“Why?! What happened?!” You asked the second you turned out of the hotel.

“I may not have told management about leaving with you today” he said innocently, laughing a little.

“you WHAT?” You ask, almost having the urge to turn around and drop him off.

“They wouldn’t have approved! Plus we’ll be back in time for the concert. Dont worry about it!” He says, taking off his hat.

You couldn’t really do much at this point. So you kept driving.

You and Namjoon had ended up visiting a lot of your local favorite places, including a small park, farmers market, and bakery.

At the end, you ended up at your favorite coffee shop and you ordered coffee for the both of you while you and Namjoon situated himself in the sofa of the corner of the empty cafe. The cafe was quaint and one of your favorite places in the whole city.

Namjoon smiled as you placed a cup in front of him and sat next to him on the small couch.

“This coffee is amazing. And the this shop is quite my aesthetic, I love it” He says as he takes another sip of his coffee.

“So how’d you like my city?” You ask, turning to face Namjoon as he does the same. You rest your head on the side of the couch as you get comfortable.

Namjoon also does the same, following you. “I love it here. When did you end up moving?” He asks.

“I moved here about 8 years ago for my dads job” you say. “I ended up going to university here too” you say, smiling fondly at the memories.

“And well, what do you do now?” He asks.

“I work as an interpreter,” you say, proudly. Your love for languages had always played a big role in your life and you owed a lot of it to Sooji if you were being honest.

“Oh no way! For which languages?” He asks

“Well as of now, I can translate for French, Italian, and...Korean actually” you say, nervously.

“Korean?” Namjoon asks, shocked.

“Well Sooji always made such a great effort to learn English while she was here and even after she moved back to able to talk to me and I guess I started off by wanting to return the favor, but I ended up falling in love with the language and learning about it” you say. Namjoon doesn’t miss the way your eyes twinkle like the twinkle lights hung around the cafe.

“I had no idea. That’s great, really” he says.

And soon enough, you both caught up on everything you had missed over the last 17 years.

“I just find it hard to believe that we’re here, right now, in this moment” Namjoon admits.

“Shouldn’t I be the one to say that?” you ask. “You get to travel the world all the time, why are you so surprised” 

“No, I mean with you. I never imagined I’d get to see you again. Sooji pretty much forced me to give you tickets, but I’m really glad she did” he says shyly, causing your cheeks to burn slightly.

“I’m glad I got to see you perform too. But I guess I always knew you’d end up doing it one day or another” you say, smiling.

“why’s that?” he asks, confused. 

“Oh come on! You were always so interested in music when we were young. You were always with that keyboard your parents bought you and were already writing lyrics at that age, of course you were going to grow up and pursue music, I had no doubt” you say.

“You remember all of that?” he asks, surprised.

“Yeah.. I do” you say, smiling. 

Time seemed to fly by that day and so it was already time to go drop Namjoon back off. His phone was bombarded with calls and texts from his members and managers, but he chose to ignore them all. “I’ll be safe and back on time” was the only thing he said when Jin had called.

Namjoon felt reluctant to get out of your car though when they were finally back at the hotel. He honestly just wanted to spend more time with you. Would it be too much to ask you for your time tomorrow as well?

“I uh.. Thanks for showing me around, Y/n. I had a really good time” he says, turning to face you. 

“I did too, Joon. Thanks for catching up your sister’s annoying friend” you say, half joking. 

“You’re no longer annoying, congrats” he jokes, causing the both of you to laugh. 

“uhm, keep in touch yeah? We should definitely meet up again if we’re ever in the same city” he says again, more serious. 

“I’d love that. Good luck at the concert today, they’re going to love you” you say, not really wanting him to leave. 

“Bye, Y/n-yah” he says, ruffling your hair before getting out of the car. 

Really? First Kiddo and now ruffling her hair? This is sad Namjoon-ah Namjoon thinks as he enters the hotel, ready to face the wrath of his managers.

After the managers had all taken turns yelling at Namjoon, the concert started and ended in a flash. Namjoon didn’t really care though. He just stared at his phone, hoping you had texted him. But sadly you didn’t. 

“Guys, we have bad news. Earlier at the concert, one of the fans had accidently pushed our translator for the show and he ended up breaking his leg. He can’t travel with us. Where are we going to find someone by tomorrow for the rest of the tour?” one manager says out loud in the room backstage. 

Namjoon looks up and thanks the stars for this strange occurence. “I think I know someone” Namjoon smiles. He pulls up his phone and texts you. 

Namjoon: How do you feel about new job?

“Wait so you’re saying you need a translator? for the rest of the tour? and you want me??” you say over the phone, not able to believe Namjoon.

“Yup! you were telling me earlier you wanted to travel! Now is your opportunity! Plus, Sooji will never let me live if I didn’t tell you about this opportunity first. Pkus... I kinda want you here too” he admits. It was crazy how much he had taken to liking you over just a day.

“Y-yes” you say, before you could really think this through. “Yes!! I’d love to!” you squeal. 

“Perfect! Meet us at the hotel tomorrow then and we’ll give you an orientation of sorts” he says, excited already.

At first you thought namjoon was joking when he offered you a job. But here you were, two weeks later, working right alongside him. It was the most fun you have ever had and you got to live out your dreams of traveling. 

Not to mention the amazing friends you’ve made too. You became quick friends with all the boys, but your friendship with Namjoon blossomed more too. Something about the way he smiled made your heart race a little more than it should. You knew you were catching feelings fast, but honestly, who could help it?

You got to go wherever the boys went for their schedule, which meant you got to experience everything they did. You honestly weren’t even needed that much since Namjoon spoke English so well. That just meant you got to sit down and experience the boys live out their dreams. 

Namjoon was so glad he made the decision to reach out to you about the job because since then, you two have practically been inseperable. He silently thanked his little sister for the opportunity to meet you again because now he couldn’t even imagine the tour without you. 

You both got to explore each city and learn to your hearts content and much to his annoyance, some of the boys usually tagged along. You didn’t seem to mind though. He honestly just wanted to kind of keep you to himself. 

It was one fateful night after about 3 weeks till he finally got you alone. He had invited you to dinner at one of the restaurants he had searched up online. All the other boys opted for seafood and both of you had made a face at the suggestion, so you both agreed to get something else. 

Fortunately, the restaurant was small and cozy, which reminded you a lot of the cafe back home. It was even near the hotel so you both opted to walk despite the drizzling. You both ordered some food, matching your mood for the rainy weather outside. 

“Thanks for coming along with me, though I don’t know if i’m as fun as the rest of the guys” Namjoon says hesitantly. 

“Oh don’t be ridiculous. You’re great company and you know it” you admit. 

Maybe it was the lighting in the room but you swore you thought you saw him blush for a second. 

“This kind of reminds me of the cafe you took me to!” Namjoon says, trying to change the subject. 

“I was just thinking that too. It’s nice, I like it” you say as the waiter comes back with your food. 

You both converse as you eat to your hearts content. Namjoon pays up and suggests you head back to the hotel before the weather gets any worse. The weather felt nice though, even if you were getting slightly wet. You had the urge to skip all the way back to the hotel, but you decided against it.

Namjoon offered to walk you back to your room, even if it only a floor below yours. But he insisted, claiming the walk could be dangerous. You don’t argue it though, because that just meant more time with him. 

Once you got off the elevator, you made your way to your room which was at the end of the hallway. You fidgeted awkwardly as you tried to find your room card in your purse. 

“Thanks for dinner” you say, finally pulling out the card. “are you going to sleep soon?” you ask. 

“Nah, I think I might do a V-live for the fans. Then I’ll probably call my family” he says. 

“Oh! Tell your sister I said hi! Your parents too!” You say excitedly. 

“Will do” he says, smiling. 

“Uh, good night, Joon” you say, affectionately. 

“Good night, Y/n” he says, smiling. 

You hesitantly go into your room before closing the door. You weren’t really sure what you were expecting, but you were sad that the night ended so soon. 

You walk towards your bed, about to throw your jacket on the bed when you heard the frantic knock on the door. Thinking something bad happened, you rushed to the door and opened it before even checking who was outside. 

Much to your surprise, it was Namjoon again. 

“What happ-” you started only to be interrupted by his soft lips on top of your own. You gasped slightly in shock, but you grasped on to the slightly damp sweatshirt he had been wearing. You close your eyes and revel in the kiss, melting as each second went by. His hands held onto your waist as you wrapped your hand around his neck, deepening the kiss. 

You don’t really know who pulled away first, but you both needed to pull away for some oxygen. He rested his forhead on top of yours while you both took a moment to catch your breath. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I laid eyes on you at the concert, Y/n” he says, smiling. 

“Then what took so long” you ask, giggling. 

The kind of romance you were currently living was one you only read in books. You were dating one of the most sought after artists in the whole world, and yet no one knew other than the both of you. 

You stole glances in eachothers directions whenever no one was looking. Secret kisses when no one else was in the room. Dates literally all over the world. 

You were surprised that you never got caught, especially when the whole world had their eyes on the boys. 

It kind of stung during whenever Namjoon claimed he wasn’t dating anyone during interviews. It was worse when you actually had to translate that yourself. Namjoon didn’t miss the way your smile slowly faded when he says those words. 

But it doesn’t take much time before he’s assuring you that you’re the only one for him when he sneaks into your room later that night. 

Most days you were on cloud nine. In fact, there was dread in the pit of your stomach when you thought about how this would all end. It was one thing to be touring with the boys and getting to spend all your time with them but what happens when the tour ends? When you have to go back home and part ways with them?

It was something both you and Namjoon avoided talking about in fear of ruining what you both had. But as each day passed, you got more and more worried. There was only one more month of the tour left. 

So you mustered up all the courage you had and brought up the topic one night when you two were alone in your room. 

“I’ve thought a lot about it too Y/n” Namjoon admits. “I was wondering how to bring it up myself” he says shyly/ 

“Well, what are our options really?” you ask. 

“Well.. there’s two ways we can go about this I guess. One... we can part ways at the end of the tour. Keep our time together locked away in our memories. Or... you could move to Korea....” he says with a small voice. 

And in all honesty, those really were your only two options. There’s no way that Namjoon could move anywhere for you considering his career. 

“What about long distance?” you say half-heartedly knowing full well you were not strong enough for that kind of a relationship. 

“I don’t think I could do that. I mean dating me would already feel like a long distance relationship anyways considering how much time I spend for work. But spending all the time with you now like this and then having to resort to just seeing eachother on a screen would be unbearable for me..” he says. 

“I couldn’t agree more” you say as you play with his hair. 

“Just think about it ok? I know what I’m asking of you is a lot. And I’ll completely understand if you don’t want to move for me. But.. I really want to keep seeing you.” Namjoon says. 

“Give me some time. There’s a lot to consider” you say carefully. 

You had pretty much made up your mind when Joon had asked you. Over the course of the last couple of months traveling with him, you fell in love with him. Sure, you hadn’t said those words to each other yet, but you pretty much thought he felt the same way about you. Why else would he ask you to move to Korea for him?

The best part was that you would already have a job lined up if you ended up moving. Sooji had practically begged you to move to Korea when she first heart you were studying to be a translator and though you didn’t really have any plans to do so, you had found a few jobs right in Seoul. You had passed a few interviews over skype and when you reached out to a few of the companies after Namjoon had asked you to move, a few were still willing to hire you. 

It was honestly a pretty easy decision on your part, and you now you just wanted to find a special way to tell Namjoon. You were just too excited to start this new chapter of your life. 

Namjoon was anxious to hear your answer as soon as he had asked you. Though he knew it was a big decision and required time to think through all the logistics, he couldn’t help but want to hear your answer as soon as possible. 

The days following asking you was a real struggle for him. You hadn’t given him any sort of indication that you had made a decision and his nerves were starting to eat at him. Were you going to say no?

As if that wasn’t bad enough, his days were incredibly frustrating and tiring as well. Things just weren’t going his way. Interviewers were asking him the same questions during each and every interview. He messed up his choreography during one of the performances at the concert which earned him a scolding from Hoseok. He spilled food on some of his favorite clothes. Fans swarmed the boys when they were leaving an interview. Overall, it was just a really rough couple of days. 

What made it worse was that he didn’t really have much time to see you either. Due to some mishap, he ended up sharing a room with Jimin and that meant he couldn’t sneak out of his room without being asked questions. 

Thankfully, the boys got quite a big room, but that only meant all the other boys chose to hang out there that night to eat dinner together. But to Namjoon, there was still some silver lining since now was probably a good time to tell the boys that he was dating you and that there was a chance you might move to Korea to be with him as well. 

What he didn’t know however was that the boys already knew. They weren’t blind afterall. They chose not to say anything to their leader since they wanted to respect his privacy, but that didn’t stop them from congratulating you when they had caught you alone a few weeks ago. You were a blushing mess, but they made you promise not to tell Namjoon that they knew so that they could make fun of him when he finally decides to tell you guys. You felt bad, but you respected their wishes as well. In fact, you were quite glad they knew. Because tonight, you were going to tell Namjoon that you were going to move in with him and you kind of wanted the other members to record his reaction. 

As all the members filed into the room bringing their dinner as Namjoon shifted awkwardly in his seat. 

“So... I have something to tell you guys” Namjoon says as a few of the members placed a spoon full of food in their mouth. 

“What is it hyung?” asks Jimin, already knowing he’s probably going to talk about dating you. 

“I um.. I uh.. How do I say this. I uh, I’ve been dating Y/n for the last couple of months...” he says quickly. He wasn’t even sure if they understood him. He was almost scared to meet their eyes, which he felt on him, so he lifts his head slowly to find 6 pairs of eyes on him. 

“ok and?” asks Yoongi. Now everyone knew that Yoongi had a more laid back kind of vibe amongst the group, but he usually showed more emotions when it came to such bigs details like this. To say Namjoon was shocked was an understatement. 

“I uhm, just wanted to tell you guys now, so you don’t find out through someone else later...” Namjoon says almost sadly. He was genuinely shocked and saddened by the lack of a response from his members. 

“You know for someone so smart, you’re pretty dull. You must think we’re blind if you thought we didn’t know” says Jin, laughing. 

What? They knew?

“You guys knew already?” asks Namjoon. 

“Well obviously. You both had heart eyes for eachother since the night you met. And it was obvious you liked her if you snuck away from management the day after you met. Plus, your ‘secret’ glances towards each other isn’t so subtle hyung” says Jungkook as a matter of fact. 

“Plus, you’re almost never in your room at night anyways” says Hoseok. 

Namjoon was baffled. He thought he was playing it safe, but he probably really can’t hide anything from his members. They knew him too freaking well. 

You on the other hand had made your way to their hotel room which was thankfully located at the end of the hallway to a corner of the hotel. Jin had made sure to leave the door slightly open for you so that you could enter without Namjoon knowing and you had texted him letting him know that you were outside and ready to go. Now you just had to wait for the right time to go in. From the way the conversation was going, you could probably go in pretty soon. 

“I’m sorry for not telling you guys sooner. I know I always tell you all to keep me in the loop if you’re going to be seeing anyone but I just.. I just didn’t... I didn’t know what was really happening is all” he said in a blur. 

Didn’t know what was happening? What was that supposed to mean? You furrow your eyebrows in confusion as you listen in on the conversation.

“What do you mean hyung?” asks Taehyung. 

“As in, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. Hell I’m not sure what I’m doing now either. I- I have a lot to think about right? I mean, we’re idols guys. Look at our lifestyle” Namjoon says as he points around the extravagant room. 

Your smile slowly fades as the conversation continues. What exactly was he trying to say now. 

“So what? She’s a sweet girl and practically best friends with your sister” Jin tries to ease the conversation. 

“So? Before the tour started she was just my sister’s annoying friend” Namjoon said. And honestly, that stung a little, but you understood since you both never really got along when you were kids. 

“Ok, but now she’s someone you really like right?” tries Jimin, also knowing you were probably outside now. 

“I.. I guess?” Namjoon says, confused himself. Now that he was saying these things out loud, he realized he had disregarded a lot of things. His infatuation with you had seriously clouded his judgement. He forgot all about his career and millions of fans for a fraction of a second. 

Meanwhile, the first couple of tears started to pool in your eyes. You wanted to tell Namjoon you loved him today since you thought he felt the same way for you by now, but all he could say was “I guess”? 

“Can I be honest with you guys? I really need your input now” Namjoon says, and he misses the tension in the room as he says so. But he ignores it and continues anyways. “Guys... I had asked her to move to Korea after the tour ends... And now that I’m sitting here talking to you guys, I realized I didn’t think things through. 

The first tear slipped from your eye. 

“I mean, I wasn’t even thinking about my job! Our job. Our fans. What would the company say?” Namjoon asks worriedly. 

“Hyung.. the company trusts us. You know we’re allowed to date now. And as for the fans, once you tell them I’m sure if they’re true fans they will understand and be happy for you” says Taehyung. 

“Tell the fans? Are you kidding? Why would I ever make this go public?” Namjoon scoffs. 

The second, third, fourth, and following tears fall next. 

“I’m not even sure where this relationship is going. Sure, we’re having fun now, but what is it going to be like once we’re back home? Plus, she’s never been or lived in Korea, she wouldn’t understand” Namjoon continues. 

Namjoon couldn’t help but think that perhaps he rushed things. 

“Hyung...” Jungkook starts, not really knowing what to say. “But if you really like her, then wouldn’t it all be worth it?”

“But what if it isn’t Jungkook?” Namjoon asks slowly. At that point, no one was eating and the entire room was silent. 

“I didn’t think things through you guys. I need to think about it again and talk to Y/n when I have it all figured out” he says. 

And at that point, it seemed like you really only had one choice. It was obvious that had thought too much of your relationship with Namjoon. 

You had opened the door slowly and Jin turned to see you entering with your eyes puffy from crying and rubbing at them. You looked absolutely heartbroken and he gulped at what was about to come. 

“Sorry to bring you guys down, but let’s finish out din-” Namjoon starts before he finally see’s you entering the suite. 

“Y-Y/n? What are you uh.. doing here?” he asks slowly, standing up. It only takes one glance at you for him to know that you had been crying and that you were incredibly upset. He had never seen this side of you and it made his heart drop. He instantly hated how it made him feel. 

“what’s wrong? Are you ok? Did something happen?” asks Namjoon, walking towards you in an instant with worry written all over his face. It hadn’t registered in his head that you had just heard everything he said. 

You took a step back as Namjoon got closer to you, making Namjoon freeze in his place. Never once had you backed away from him.

“Y/n what happ-” he tried again. 

“I uhm, didn’t mean to, but I heard everything you just said now. I.. I didn’t know that’s what you had thought of this whole thing” you said, trying your hardest to not cry more. 

“Y/n let me explain hhm?” he says again. 

“No, I think I understood. I um, guess I’ll make this a little easier on you then. I won’t be moving to Korea with you. And uh, whatever we have going on is over too. Don’t want to risk getting caught with management or fans or anything” you say, with a small fake smile on your face. You couldn’t even muster the courage or energy to look at him in the face as you said all this. 

Namjoon on the other widened his eyes at your statement, his heart falling to the pits of his stomach. You heard everything he said. And now.. now you wanted to break up. But.. But he didn’t want that. Not in the slightest. 

“Y/n wait, don’t do this” he tries again to take a step towards you but you put your hands out in front of you as if put up a wall between you two. 

“Before this tour started, I was just your sister’s annoying friend. I think it’s best I stay that way. I’ll uh.. I’ll finish my job as a translator here, so don’t worry about that” you say, not wanting to create a bigger hassle for the team. 

You look up to see the six other boys in the room, only to find them all staring at you with sad eyes. “I’m really sorry for any trouble I caused you all. I’ll be out of your hair now” you say before quickly turning and running out of the room, not even giving time for Namjoon to process what just went down. Namjoon could only plop down on the closest chair to him and bury his face in his hands. 

“We uh, knew about you guys dating since the beginning almost. Y/n knew we knew too, but we told her not to tell you so that we could give you a hard time one day. She was actually going to tell you that she was going to move to Korea for you, Joon-ah. She wanted us here to film it for her...” Jin explains, patting Namjoon’s shoulders. 

Namjoon’s head snapped up. 

“She was going to say yes?” he asks, shocked. 

Jin only nods and the room is filled with silence once again. 

What had he done?

True to your word, you had stuck around to finish your job as a translator for the tour. But you also avoided the boys any time you didn’t have to work. Thankfully, you weren’t really needed much 

Namjoon felt terrible about what went down between you two but he honestly didn’t know what to tell you anymore. But he missed you, so incredibly much. But you were avoiding him like the plague and he hadn’t even been able to take a proper look at you since the night you broke up with him. 

On part of him told him that this was all working out for the better in the long run. You probably would have been lonely in Korea with him gone all the time. You two might not have even worked out. 

But the other part, the bigger voice inside of him, told him that he made a mistake. That though he didn’t think things through before asking you to move to Korea with him, it would have been great having you there. He would have been lying to himself if he said he never thought of a future with you. He did. It was strange but over the last couple of months, you had come into his life in full force and he loved every single fucking second of it. He loved you. 

He only didn’t want to make things public because he wanted to save you from that kind of attention that he knew you didn’t like, not because he didn’t want to be seen with you. He only wasn’t sure about his feelings for you because he didn’t know if he could make you happy in the long run. 

But in the end, it wouldn’t really matter because you didn’t even want to see him anymore. And soon enough, he was going to lose any opportunity to talk to you and make things right and that very thought scared him to the core. 

Not to mention he missed you. He missed your touch, your hugs, your kisses. He missed being able to talk to you late into the night. He missed sneaking away with you. He missed just everything about you. 

So one night when he called back home, he came clean about what had gone down these last couple of months to his sister. He was surprised by how calm she was when listening to him and when he was finally done, he simply said “ok Sooji, let me have it”

“I don’t know what to tell you oppa. I’m sad that neither of you told me that any of this happened. I mean, I expected this out of Y/n, but you? Why couldn’t you tell your own sister?” Sooji Asks.

“What do you mean you expected this out of Y/n” he asks. 

“I mean, she’s been like this since we were young. Remember you had a couple of bullies in your class back when we lived in the States. Did you ever think why they just suddenly stopped bothering you one day? Well, Y/n, though we were younger than you all, confronted your bullies one day in the playground and stood up for you. I still remember her telling those guys to leave you alone and threatened to kick them if they didn’t” Sooji said, giggling a little. 

Namjoon had almost forgot about that. It was true. There were two other boys in his class who had used to pick on him for always being alone in school, but one day, the bullying had just stopped. Little Namjoon was curious about why, but he knew not to question it. 

“You might have hated her as a kid, but she always wanted to be your friend. She always asked about you, you know. Growing up I mean. She always asked if you made good friends and ended up pursuing music, even before you were a trainee” Sooji continued. Namjoon hadn’t realized himself, but he felt tears form in his eyes. 

“She’s always admired you, and I have no clue why. But I do know that you don’t deserve her. I know thats rude of me to say, and i’m sorry, but it’s the truth. She’s too good for you, oppa. I’m disappointed in you” Sooji says calmly, which was a stark contrast to her usual hyper personality. That’s how Namjoon knew he had royally fucked up. 

“I know I don’t deserve her, but what do I do? I still want her” Namjoon says mostly to himself. 

“Do you love her?” asks Sooji. 

“Yes” Namjoon says confidently now. “I do. So, so much. And I don’t want to lose her. But she won’t even look at me anymore” Namjoon says. 

“Well then get her attention” Sooji says. 

“How? She’s never in the same room with me unless we’re on a schedule” Namjoon says. And as he said the words aloud, it was as if a light bulb turned on on top of his head. “Unless... I.. I tell her during an event” Namjoon says to himself. 

“I think you know what you have to do oppa” Sooji says, smiling to herself. 

“Thank you Sooji-ah! Thank you!” Namjoon says excitedly. 

You don’t know how, but you were already at the last concert. Which meant this was your last night on the job. Tomorrow, you had booked tickets  for back home and pretty soon you’d be back to your life without bangtan. 

You sat through the entirety of the concert and still watched in awe as if it was your first. Luckily, the boys didn’t need any translation today, so you were able to enjoy the concert in peace. This was how you started this whole experience anyways, might as well end it the same way. 

Finally, the boys had wrapped up most of the concert and the ending ments were starting. You realized this was probably the last time you were going to see them, and you cried silently as you watched them talk to fans. You were hoping to slip out of the venue before the concert ended so that you can get a headstart to the hotel to finish up packing before your early flight tomorrow. 

You had gotten up from your seat backstage about to make your exit when you hear Namjoon’s voice again. You knew it probably wasn’t the best idea to stay, but you just wanted to hear his voice one last time in person. The voice you loved so fucking much. 

“ARMY! I hope you all had a really fun time tonight! We are so excited that we got to share this evening here with you all! I can’t believe the tour has already come to an end and I’m so happy I got to see as many ARMY as possible in this time. I will truly treasure these memories in my heart forever. Thank you so much ARMY!

Since it’s the last concert tonight, I want to tell you all something important” Namjoon says, and the crowd is already yelling. You furrow your eyes in confusion, since Namjoon was pretty much going off from what he practiced 

“Early on in this tour, I met someone, ARMY” he says slowly. The fans are all screaming various things, some clearly not happy already. 

“I um, met someone really amazing. Someone really nice. And someone really pretty, inside and out” he continues bravely. “Some of you guys might have seen her actually. Her name is Y/n and she is our translator for our tour. Now, I want to be honest with everyone here tonight. The members, my company, all of the fans here and around the world. And most importantly Y/n herself. 

She’s probably backstage listening right now. At least, I hope she is. I uh, fell in love with this beautiful woman. A woman who I have actually known since I was a kid and from the time I lived in the States for a while. I fell in love with... well her everything. She makes me so incredibly happy and makes me want to be a better person” he says. Now most of the fans are just screaming “awww” at the top of their lungs. 

“But, I made a mistake a few weeks ago. I think.. no I know that I really hurt her. And I’m scared I won’t get the opportunity for her to hear my heart if not for tonight. So in front of the world today, in front of all the people that matter to me, I want to say loud and proud that I, Kim Namjoon, love Y/N L/N. I want to be with her for as long as she will have me and I want her to know that I’m so so so sorry” Namjoon says, letting a tear fall. 

For a second, the entire venue was quite at Namjoon’s declaration and the boys all stared at the crowd, not really sure what to expect. But within a matter of seconds, the fans were all yelling and cheering for Namjoon. 

Namjoon let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and smiled as his fans cheered for him. 

Somewhere from the back of the venue, a small chant could be heard. At first, the boys couldn’t really make out what they were saying but as more and more fans started to chant, it was clear. 

The fans were chanting your name. 

Pretty soon, every single fan in the venue was cheering your name and you stood backstage in shock at what just went down.

Namjoon had just publicly declared his love for you. This was something he could never take back. The whole world knew now. You stood frozen in your spot backstage, not really sure what to do. 

That was, until some of the stylists came behind you and quite literally pushed you onto the stage. 

You had stumbled onto the stage but before you could run back backstage, there was a spotlight on you and the fans erupted in cheers. 

The boys had turned to face you and Namjoon’s heart raced a million miles per hour after seeing you. He had to admit, you looked hella cute when you were shocked. 

He jogged up to you and the fans only cheered louder as he got closer. 

When he finally reached you, he held out his hand for you, waiting for you to take it. 

You looked around the fans were all telling you to take his hand and even the members were whooping and cheering for Namjoon behind him. With some hesitation, you slowly reached out for Namjoon’s hands. But the second you held onto him, all your nerves vanished. You had just missed him so incredibly much. 

You could only smile at Namjoon with astonishment. 

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Y/n, my love” he says, as he ushers to the front of the stage. 

There, you stood nervously amongst seven of the most famous men in the world, staring at thousands of fans and their ARMY bombs. 

“Thank you so much, for coming back to me” Namjoon whispers into your ears, causing the fans to cheer even more loud if that was even possible at this point. 

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” starts Hoseok and pretty soon, all the members and all the fans are chanting along with him. 

“Can I?’ Namjoon asks, turning to face you. 

you simply nod and within seconds, Namjoon’s lips meet yours as he pulls you into him. 

In that moment, you had forgot everything else. All the other members, all the fans, all the staff, and certainly all the news articles that would be coming out, if they weren’t out already.

In that moment, the only thing that mattered was Namjoon. 

He finally pulls away, only to have his forehead placed on top of yours. “I love you, Y/n. More than I can ever imagine” he says, smiling. 

“I love you, Joon-ah” you say, smiling back. 

[mahouproject-one]

"Too weird to live, too rare to die." | Farah | Trial 4-2 | [RE: Results, Joon-Young]

All things taken into the potluck of consideration, they had to admit they sort of saw this coming out on the endless stretch of the horizon.

The vote for Mitsuo-- it was a vengeance vote really, wasn't it? A vote of pragmatism more than of any real authentic confidence or balls. The flaws were all in the fixings, looking back on those seconds before in 20/20-- why would Mitsuo Ueno cut throats for this motive? Surely the composer would be doing well to be forgotten and go incognito, if anything. This was rooted in rue, all this. Joon-Young Myung made sense. Joon-Young Myung was  the answer. And now Joon-Young Myung would kill for the second time in short follow-through. (You just couldn't trust a nice boy these days, Aphrodite almighty. Them's the breaks, them's the breaks.)

Great googly moogly; once again, it had all gone to shit. Little surprises there, miniscule minutiae of 'em. But if there was one faint, rusted, buried-in-lint-and-aged-shimmer of a silver lining to any of this shitfest shebang, it was that Farah Fujibayashi-Beauregard had narrowly dodged the bloody bullet that would have been Catching One Whole Feeling. By gods above, it had been a close shave! But, thankfully, they believed they just might be able to damn well slip past it to freedom, far away from the ticking doom that was catching The Feelings. It was great! Everything Was Totally Fine! (It was not. Probably.)

Initially, they were inclined to hesitate before embarking back to where they had once been, but something-- perhaps just how irreparably, absurdly gonzo this whole thing really was, as it flung itself off the roadrails-- pushed them away from Joon-Young, the supermodel murderer, and back to the caustic cold comforts of their little black notebook. Oh, they could visibly react to this more, with a "fuck" or a "hm..." or a "goddamn it, what am I doing" or a simiple "crikes", but they needed some sense, some sensibility, some hushed observation-- and where, pray tell, could they contextualise things into such pristine shells and shapes the way they could with writing? That was their duty. They had little more left to spread; this was but another notch on their collective bedpost of surrealism and misery, surely. They were just here to record as they witnessed.

And, ah, wouldn't they have swayed down that merry way of the eagle eye, if only Joon-Young hadn't locked them in with that look and those words.

Dropping their journo's pen with a clack!, Farah immediately looks up to lock gaze with Joon-Young, and something flashes across their features-- quickly, swiftly, rapidly buried underneath that wry, witty, jovially doomsday manner of theirs, and yet...there's still a small, subtle sign of a knit to their eyebrows as they speak-- and their words cut in sharply, clean through the air. Has Joon-Young...perhaps touched a bit of a nerve? (Not that they'll let it show, of course-- they're not the angry type. Or the upset type. Or the rattled type. They are done with the feelings-catching for this particular day, thank you--)

"Ah, please don't let me be misunderstood, Myung-chi. You're off the markings on my musings entirely. Listen sharp, don't just lookit."

Their stare stayed steely, methodical yet merry, in a way that felt...off. Not in a drastic showing of such, just off. They just kept looking.

"Read my lips, Dash. I'll try an' be plain Jane about it. I cawed about death not matterin' much of a whit...here. The now-now, specifically. In this highly particular, reticular hellhole. The rhyme to my reasonings down this particular road? Hell, just look 'round the room, my friend-- at, say, Miyu Suzuki-chi, for an example! She killed, she suffered, she died. But...she hasn't left for any other plane but you and I's, has she? Sure, she's moved to a state of halfs-- semis-- almosts--" (Miyu has heard this before, and they wonder what it sounds to her ears in this modern context)-- "but she's still here, a voice among the haunted crowd, a vox most phantom! She's not alive-- but she is here. The state's the same with the girl you sent to th' spirit level. The sorry sucker you and our thorny Rose here are about to enable the unholy sacrifice of. Sure, you killed 'em. But you can apologise tomorrow, can'tcha? Now, if we talk in terms of what'll happen after the storm if we manage to break this establishment-- that's a tread into the murkier waters, I'll throw that to you. But 'tween all that jazz and a dash of the Labyrinths-- how y'can get eviscerated entirely and get away clean as they come!-- doesn't that render the mutual murderous aspect of Ouryuu and the sellout's game here...a mild range a'moot? In a world where you can greet your dearly departed 'fore their flesh and bones are even loosing their fresh, what are the consequences? It's death, but it's not Real Death, is it?"

It's 1:42 A.M. and Shiny regrets all of her life decisions, but unfortunately, Farah has opinions. They continue unflinchingly.

"Real Death, now-- that'd be something like my dear old gran! See, she's sailed down the river Styx-- been a good couple a'months since it being so, I'd say. But she doesn't get t'stick around. She didn't get the chance on her hands to come back, be here, stay. I'm never gonna get a note on the back of an embroidered napkin from some sleazy retro-riche old restaurant from her again. I'm never gonna watch her go on a passion-packed rant about a corp that's crooked down to its bones, or ride on the back of her motorcycle, or tell her about my history teach's hokey take on McCarthyism, or gag on a sip of that ghastly tonic she loved because it tasted like that on the tongue, or crawl int'her attic space t'look at all her old badges and posters, or-- or-- ooooor--" they were pausing, goddamnit, you're not talking about this, stop talking about it, they don't need to know, look sharp, Fan, for fuck's sake-- "...Y'get the snapshot, don'tcha? And I've known far younger cats-- younger than you an' I, even-- to croak the bucket, and they don't get those chances, either. That's Real Death, methinks. Maybe it's luckier t'be able to leave this level of existence! Or maybe it's as hot as hell wherever the rest of 'em are. But it's different. So are the cluster of consequences, too. That's what my mode is, Myung-chi. And, y'know..."

They didn't have to keep the chatter up, and they knew it. They could just stay vigilant. But there was something else, and they couldn't help but speak that truth loud, but God, couldn't they just...

"...If your personal path of ponderings ledja down the path that I think life's insignificant, I'll have t'throw in an objection on that measure, too. Life, insignificant? Not by any scale, my man! Life's a giantess, as gargantuan as the Reaper! Just 'cause my prerogatives don't add up to staying on this particular playing field for much time doesn't mean I don't place a price on it. It's a beautiful trauma! A euphoria apocalyptica! It's terrible, gorgeous, slimy, grimy, sleazy, seedy, twisted, absolutely fucked! And it's a riot! It's a privilege and pleasure t'be here, and t'have gotten the possibility to drift the continents and see all the wicked the rotten motherfuckers of this world have had t'offer up to me thus far! I wouldn't try spend it like I do if I didn't place as much fucking value on it as I do."

What were they doing? Why? Why couldn't they answer their own questions about it?

"Don'tcha think I have a life outside? Dreams? Plans? Don'tcha think I wanna write a few more pithy politicking exposés, have a few more rounds 'round the block, maybe wander a few more lands, maybe give my Julie the biggest hug I can and tell her I'd shoot a guy on-spot just t'see her crack a laugh, maybe find myself a beautiful wife with a mind like acid, maybe dismantle the capitalist machine, maybe throw a solid couple a'wrenches before letting the wax wings melt and going all Bolivian army and leaving the place a little more shook up when we plunge off Thelma & Louise style?" Their eyes got wider. "Don'tcha think I've seen the circus spectacle they saw and mused 'bout how to at least make it worth the gawk? Don'tcha wonder if I give it moxie just t'make sure it's seen? Don'tcha muse that I have that deep-down yearn to be as witnessed as much as I do my best to bear witness to this whole thing? Don'tcha think that motive might've got me by the balls just as much? Don'tcha think I would've cut throat for that motive they saddles us to if you hadn't gotten your lovely self to the game first? It's not that I 'spect you to-- I'm not looking for answers, I'm just trying t'give you this forsaken rat's idea on it. Think about it, brother. Just that alone."

And suddenly-- all the built up intensity that their face had gathered, their knitted eyebrows, their hunched shoulders, their blazing blue eyes gazing, gazing, gazing-- all dropped. And they were just...

"...Just a glimpse onto my side a'the shimmering pane, Joon-Young Myung. After that, it's yours t'make the deducions on. And frankly, comrade..."

They shrug-- and they return, to their inscrutable, intensive, ever-extending journals.

What else was there that was close to real?

[debraleedebra]

Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2018 (So Far), the Albums

It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is looking quite nice, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2018.

HOW TO BE OK ALONE by BRENT COWLES

Cowles shares a debut solo full-length that is emotionally raw and spiritually uplifting. How To Be OK Alone is a tremendous rock record that showcases the range of Cowles talent as a singer and a songwriter.

Key Tracks: The Fold, Tequila Train, Keep Moving, Gina Joon, Places, How to Be OK Alone

Featured Twangville coverage of Brent Cowles: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 1, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 1, Monday Morning Video – Brent Cowles “The Fold”, and Monday Morning Video – Brent Cowles.

CONCRETE AND MUD by SAM MORROW

Morrow serves up my favorite country album so far this year, chock full of no BS attitude and heavy southern grooves.

Key Tracks: Heartbreak Man, Paid By the Mile, Quick Fix, Good Ole Days, Weight of a Stone, Skinny Elvis

Featured Twangville coverage of Sam Morrow: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 2, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 3 and Monday Morning Video – A Premiere from Sam Morrow.

FALSE RIVER by ANDREW DUHON

Duhon takes his time between albums but they are well worth the wait. His latest, the follow-up to 2013’s outstanding The Moorings, is filled with sweet (if sometimes melancholy) stories, honeyed vocals and soothing arrangements. False River plays with a timeless charm.

Key Tracks: Comin’ Around, Heart of a Man, They Don’t Make ’em, Gotta Know, Still Holding On, Easy Ways

Featured Twangville coverage of Andrew Duhon: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 3 and Readers’ Pick: Andrew Duhon – False River.

WATCHING IT ALL FALL APART by FRUITION

It took me 10 years to discover Fruition but better late than never, right? Their latest hooked me immediately with its potent blend of folk, rock, soul and a touch of psychedelia.

Key Tracks: Northern Town, There She Was, I’ll Never Sing Your Name, Turn To Dust, Should Be (On Top of the World)

Featured Twangville coverage of Fruition: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 1.

WIDDERSHINS by GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS

Great music is inspired by the world in which we live, the best musicians are able to capture the resulting anxiety and emotion in song. Grant-Lee Phillips reacts to the social and political unrest around us with a collection of songs stirring and aggrieved.

Key Tracks: Walk In Circles, King of Catastrophes, Scared Stiff, The Wilderness, Another Another Then Boom, Totally You Gunslinger, History Has Their Number

Featured Twangville coverage of Grant-Lee Phillips: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 1, Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2016 and Monday Morning Video – Grant-Lee Phillips “Cry Cry”.

TENKILLER by MARIE/LEPANTO

Will Johnson and Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster team up for an album filled with restrained but bluesy rockers alongside ethereal folk songs.

Key Tracks: High Desert, Inverness, Famished Raven, Simple Scenes, Features/Fights, Rest Be Mine

Featured Twangville coverage of Marie/Lepanto: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 2.

OUT FROM UNDER by MICHAEL MCDERMOTT

Michael McDermott is one of contemporary music’s most remarkable storytellers. Out From Under, like his previous work, is filled with colorful characters – sometimes autobiographical, sometimes not – trying to make their way in a difficult world.

Key Tracks: Knocked Down, Sad Songs, This World Will Break Your Heart, Rubber Band Ring, Never Goin’ Down Again, Sideways

Featured Twangville coverage of Michael McDermott: Michael McDermott Comes Out From Under (Album Premiere), Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2016 and Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016.

ELI PAPERBOY REED MEETS THE HIGH & MIGHTY BRASS BAND by ELI PAPERBOY REED AND THE HIGH & MIGHTY BRASS BAND

New music from Eli Paperboy Reed is all too infrequent. But leave it to the R&B master to hit the bulls-eye with this collaboration with the High & Mighty Brass Band. The group revisits gems from the Paperboy catalog, pumping up the horns, of course, with monstrous results.

Key Tracks: As I Live and Breathe, Walkin’ and Talkin’, Take My Love With You, I’m Gonna Getcha Back, Come and Get It

Featured Twangville coverage of Eli Paperboy Reed: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 2, Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016 and Monday Morning Video – Eli Paperboy Reed Takes On Ray Charles.

DON’T TALK ABOUT IT by RUBY BOOTS

Ruby Boots is on the move. Set aside that she relocated from Australia to Nashville and then travelled to Dallas to record her Bloodshot Records debut. Said album radiates confidence and charm, driven by her determined rock songs and captivating voice.

Key Tracks: It’s So Cruel, Don’t Talk About It, Easy Way Out, Break My Heart Twice, I’ll Make It Through, Infatuation, Don’t Give a Damn

Featured Twangville coverage of Ruby Boots: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 2, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 2, Folk Alliance 2018 – Mayer’s Picks, Part 2 and Readers’ Pick: Don’t Talk About It by Ruby Boots.

LIVE AT THE HAYBARN THEATRE by SESSION AMERICANA

There’s nothing better than seeing Session Americana live. For those who can’t (or for those who have and want an on-demand reminder), this December 2016 recording is a glorious testament to their songwriting and performing prowess.

Key Tracks: Barefoot Soldiers, It’s Not Texas, Riding With the Ghost, Mighty Long Time, Brown Eyed Women, The Driving, Ain’t Living Long Like This

Featured Twangville coverage of Session Americana: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 2), Monday Morning Video – A Visit To Beer Town and Shakin’ with Session Americana.

QUIET AND PEACE by BUFFALO TOM

One of Boston’s finest prove that rock and rollers can mature with grace and do so on their own terms. The lyrics may reflect their lives as career and family men, but the power trio feistiness remains intact.

Key Tracks: All Be Gone, Overtime, Roman Cars, Freckles, Lonely Fast and Deep, In the Ice, The Only Living Boy in New York

Featured Twangville coverage of Buffalo Tom: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 1) and Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2011.

NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS by KINGSLEY FLOOD

Naseem Khuri has never been one to pull his punches and the current political climate only adds fuel to the fire. Rather than be subsumed by the world around him, he tempers his response with some deft exploration of social and personal relationships. All are set, of course, to some tremendous rock arrangements.

Key Tracks: Find Me Out, Fifth of July, Still So Still, Little Man, Bottom of the Barrel, Not Right Yet, Carry On Fine, Never Been Home

Featured Twangville coverage of Kingsley Flood: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 2), I Will Remember Massachusetts, Part 2 – A Special Boston Playlist and Hazy Shade of Winter — A Special Boston Playlist.

LAS CRUCES by BUCKLEY

Awash in electric guitars and heavy with raw melodies, Buckley channels Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Las Cruces explodes with energy and conjures up images of a Harley-Davidson rumbling down a rural highway. It is quite simply an album that bleeds ragged glory.

Key Tracks: Las Cruces, Three Chiefs, Old Glory, Consuela, Downtown, Bakersfield

About the author:  Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.

Groovy article from twangville

[debraleedebra]

Mayer’s Picks – the Best of 2018 (So Far), the Albums

It’s been a good year for music so far this year (and the rest of the year is looking quite nice, too). Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2018.

HOW TO BE OK ALONE by BRENT COWLES

Cowles shares a debut solo full-length that is emotionally raw and spiritually uplifting. How To Be OK Alone is a tremendous rock record that showcases the range of Cowles talent as a singer and a songwriter.

Key Tracks: The Fold, Tequila Train, Keep Moving, Gina Joon, Places, How to Be OK Alone

Featured Twangville coverage of Brent Cowles: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 1, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 1, Monday Morning Video – Brent Cowles “The Fold”, and Monday Morning Video – Brent Cowles.

CONCRETE AND MUD by SAM MORROW

Morrow serves up my favorite country album so far this year, chock full of no BS attitude and heavy southern grooves.

Key Tracks: Heartbreak Man, Paid By the Mile, Quick Fix, Good Ole Days, Weight of a Stone, Skinny Elvis

Featured Twangville coverage of Sam Morrow: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 2, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 3 and Monday Morning Video – A Premiere from Sam Morrow.

FALSE RIVER by ANDREW DUHON

Duhon takes his time between albums but they are well worth the wait. His latest, the follow-up to 2013’s outstanding The Moorings, is filled with sweet (if sometimes melancholy) stories, honeyed vocals and soothing arrangements. False River plays with a timeless charm.

Key Tracks: Comin’ Around, Heart of a Man, They Don’t Make ’em, Gotta Know, Still Holding On, Easy Ways

Featured Twangville coverage of Andrew Duhon: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 3 and Readers’ Pick: Andrew Duhon – False River.

WATCHING IT ALL FALL APART by FRUITION

It took me 10 years to discover Fruition but better late than never, right? Their latest hooked me immediately with its potent blend of folk, rock, soul and a touch of psychedelia.

Key Tracks: Northern Town, There She Was, I’ll Never Sing Your Name, Turn To Dust, Should Be (On Top of the World)

Featured Twangville coverage of Fruition: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 1.

WIDDERSHINS by GRANT-LEE PHILLIPS

Great music is inspired by the world in which we live, the best musicians are able to capture the resulting anxiety and emotion in song. Grant-Lee Phillips reacts to the social and political unrest around us with a collection of songs stirring and aggrieved.

Key Tracks: Walk In Circles, King of Catastrophes, Scared Stiff, The Wilderness, Another Another Then Boom, Totally You Gunslinger, History Has Their Number

Featured Twangville coverage of Grant-Lee Phillips: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 1, Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2016 and Monday Morning Video – Grant-Lee Phillips “Cry Cry”.

TENKILLER by MARIE/LEPANTO

Will Johnson and Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster team up for an album filled with restrained but bluesy rockers alongside ethereal folk songs.

Key Tracks: High Desert, Inverness, Famished Raven, Simple Scenes, Features/Fights, Rest Be Mine

Featured Twangville coverage of Marie/Lepanto: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 2.

OUT FROM UNDER by MICHAEL MCDERMOTT

Michael McDermott is one of contemporary music’s most remarkable storytellers. Out From Under, like his previous work, is filled with colorful characters – sometimes autobiographical, sometimes not – trying to make their way in a difficult world.

Key Tracks: Knocked Down, Sad Songs, This World Will Break Your Heart, Rubber Band Ring, Never Goin’ Down Again, Sideways

Featured Twangville coverage of Michael McDermott: Michael McDermott Comes Out From Under (Album Premiere), Mayer’s Picks – Best Albums of 2016 and Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016.

ELI PAPERBOY REED MEETS THE HIGH & MIGHTY BRASS BAND by ELI PAPERBOY REED AND THE HIGH & MIGHTY BRASS BAND

New music from Eli Paperboy Reed is all too infrequent. But leave it to the R&B master to hit the bulls-eye with this collaboration with the High & Mighty Brass Band. The group revisits gems from the Paperboy catalog, pumping up the horns, of course, with monstrous results.

Key Tracks: As I Live and Breathe, Walkin’ and Talkin’, Take My Love With You, I’m Gonna Getcha Back, Come and Get It

Featured Twangville coverage of Eli Paperboy Reed: Mayer’s Playlist for Spring 2018, Part 2, Mayer’s Playlist for June 2016 and Monday Morning Video – Eli Paperboy Reed Takes On Ray Charles.

DON’T TALK ABOUT IT by RUBY BOOTS

Ruby Boots is on the move. Set aside that she relocated from Australia to Nashville and then travelled to Dallas to record her Bloodshot Records debut. Said album radiates confidence and charm, driven by her determined rock songs and captivating voice.

Key Tracks: It’s So Cruel, Don’t Talk About It, Easy Way Out, Break My Heart Twice, I’ll Make It Through, Infatuation, Don’t Give a Damn

Featured Twangville coverage of Ruby Boots: Mayer’s Playlist for Winter 2018, Part 2, SXSW 2018 – The Sounds, Part 2, Folk Alliance 2018 – Mayer’s Picks, Part 2 and Readers’ Pick: Don’t Talk About It by Ruby Boots.

LIVE AT THE HAYBARN THEATRE by SESSION AMERICANA

There’s nothing better than seeing Session Americana live. For those who can’t (or for those who have and want an on-demand reminder), this December 2016 recording is a glorious testament to their songwriting and performing prowess.

Key Tracks: Barefoot Soldiers, It’s Not Texas, Riding With the Ghost, Mighty Long Time, Brown Eyed Women, The Driving, Ain’t Living Long Like This

Featured Twangville coverage of Session Americana: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 2), Monday Morning Video – A Visit To Beer Town and Shakin’ with Session Americana.

QUIET AND PEACE by BUFFALO TOM

One of Boston’s finest prove that rock and rollers can mature with grace and do so on their own terms. The lyrics may reflect their lives as career and family men, but the power trio feistiness remains intact.

Key Tracks: All Be Gone, Overtime, Roman Cars, Freckles, Lonely Fast and Deep, In the Ice, The Only Living Boy in New York

Featured Twangville coverage of Buffalo Tom: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 1) and Mayer’s Picks: Best Albums of 2011.

NEIGHBORS AND STRANGERS by KINGSLEY FLOOD

Naseem Khuri has never been one to pull his punches and the current political climate only adds fuel to the fire. Rather than be subsumed by the world around him, he tempers his response with some deft exploration of social and personal relationships. All are set, of course, to some tremendous rock arrangements.

Key Tracks: Find Me Out, Fifth of July, Still So Still, Little Man, Bottom of the Barrel, Not Right Yet, Carry On Fine, Never Been Home

Featured Twangville coverage of Kingsley Flood: The Berkshires Seemed Dreamlike – A Special Boston Playlist (Part 2), I Will Remember Massachusetts, Part 2 – A Special Boston Playlist and Hazy Shade of Winter — A Special Boston Playlist.

LAS CRUCES by BUCKLEY

Awash in electric guitars and heavy with raw melodies, Buckley channels Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Las Cruces explodes with energy and conjures up images of a Harley-Davidson rumbling down a rural highway. It is quite simply an album that bleeds ragged glory.

Key Tracks: Las Cruces, Three Chiefs, Old Glory, Consuela, Downtown, Bakersfield

About the author:  Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.

Groovy article from twangville