#reaching peak haterism soon | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

yerion · 3 years ago

Text

kim taehyung is a photographer and your star-crossed lover, except he’s been unreachable for six years. the only thing to trust is fate and every birthday of his.

to commit to the life of a celebrity, you had to sever your contact with kim taehyung—a photography prodigy and your blind date partner who made you believe in forever. six years have passed since then, and you desperately wish to see him, especially because it’s his 26th birthday.

pairing : kim taehyung x you.

genres : long lost lovers au, fluff, sexual tension, a sprinkle of angst.

content : photographer!taehyung, soft!taehyung, mushy and sad flashbacks, soft bickering that turns into sappy confessions, kissing.

a / n : though i’m a tad late, this is for taehyung’s 26th birthday! i wrote this so abruptly and finished it within a few hours, so please excuse the simple plot and grammatical errors! anyway, happy birthday to the most gorgeous man in the world. <3

finale.

word count : 3,6k.

six years have passed since the day you let go of the red thread tied between you and kim taehyung—a photography prodigy, and your one and only blind date partner you were tremendously smitten with.

blind dates?

you feel yourself drifting from that concept as days go by. it’s something that’s beyond reach now, merely because you’re no longer a simple girl enjoying her twenties under the watch of a normal world.

you’re under surveillance of your own fans now—or really, your haters, other famous figures that are anticipating both your success and failure, cosmetic brands that want to plaster your face on cardboard to effectively sell their products, production teams that want you to be their damsel in distress in their upcoming drama, news reporters that desperately want to dig into every centimetre of your skin to discover whether you’re a girl under disguise; a girl under a mask; just someone the public wouldn’t recognise.

luckily, you’re none of those fake, spoilt celebrities they’re secretly on a hunt for.

you’ve got no secrets or surprises for them.

you’re true to yourself and to the people who adore you.

because of that, you believe you were born to be blanketed by fame. immense attention and fame found you so suddenly, you didn’t even have the moment to think if you were fit for it or not, but when the people who are rather against you tail everything you do, you think you were sculpted for the life of a celebrity.

except for the fact you were obliged to leave taehyung behind as soon as your video on youtube blew up with millions of views overnight.

something about the guidelines of entering a company and the astonishing fact that public figures who are at their peak are banned from meeting any significant others, including friends that are the opposite sex to you.

back then, you would leave everything behind in a heartbeat—even yourself.

and you did.

the results were fancy at first, but these days, you wish you could crawl back to the past and fix up every decision you made within a second, because now, you certainly need more than a second to give answers to the questions in the past.

“are you sure about this?” taehyung asked quietly.

“of course,” you answered immediately.

you exhale deeply as you stroke the photograph trapped between your fingers with the pad of your thumb. your head relaxes against the velvet wine-coloured sofa you purchased last winter as you bring the photograph close to your eyes, letting the picture hover in front of your house’s golden chandelier.

because you’ve seen this same photo in the dark for the past six years, you can discern taehyung’s smile with the lights completely dimmed. the moonlight suffices.

in the photo, taehyung is smiling too widely. it’s the smile you’re familiar with, but this was the widest smile you’ve ever seen on taehyung. his eyes are more curved than usual, his cheeks are puffed, and his smile naturally flourished into a rectangle, revealing all of his straight teeth. it’s no thin curve in his lips, it’s a full smile made out of sheer happiness.

on the day this photo was captured, his forehead made its first photographic debut because he decided to grow his hair out before this day came to you. his brown hair parted prettily and perfectly to show a slice of his forehead as strands would sit on top of his thick brows. he looked like the main character of any film in here, you remember because you teased him by saying he looks like the goblin from that drama because of the dashing coat he was wearing for the winter.

“are you doing well?” you mutter under your breath, gazing at his beaming face.

you and taehyung—the two of you met randomly during a blind date your best friend forced you to attend in her stead. as much as you detested the idea, you stepped out for her because you were sick of her exaggerated nagging. when taehyung was waiting for you at a café in seoul, he wasn’t the face you expected. funnily enough, the blind date partner your friend was avoiding didn’t make it either, so taehyung took his place—involuntarily, as well.

it was as if you two were star-crossed lovers, because that day was the first time you ever lost your voice talking to someone.

“i’m not much of a coffee person,” taehyung laughed at his cup filled with cocoa. “it’s too bitter, i can never get used to it.”

“same with me,” you confess shyly. “all my friends bully me for it.”

“same with me.” he replies deeply.

with your other hand, you pick up the pile of photos beside your thigh before straightening your back to inspect each photo again—for the nth time.

it’s the least interesting, because all the other photos are of you.

sighing, you slap down the photos of you against the table in front of you, facing downwards. you don’t even look great in any of those photos, taehyung lied.

“what are these?” you pursed your lips as you flipped through each photo of you smiling stupidly at the camera. you didn’t know this is how you looked whenever you saw taehyung ahead of you. “how is this a gift?” you smile faintly, pouting.

“it’s a gift to your family from me.” taehyung says. “i’m sure they’ll appreciate it, seeing you smile like that.”

“they already have a bunch of photos of me in the family album, taehyung.” you shake your head. “i want more photos of us, or you.”

“sorry, my muse.” he chuckles. “no can do.”

suddenly, the sound of your phone ringing snaps you back into the harsh reality. as much as you wanted to stick right next to the memories of your past, your ringtone wouldn’t come to a stop.

lifting yourself up from the carpet, you reach over to the counter to grasp your phone.

“hello?” you respond to the phone absentmindedly knowing it’s your manager on the other line. “isn’t it a bit too late to be calling, seokjin?”

“have you seen the news?” seokjin says in a hurry.

“i haven’t,” you say. “what’s the matter?”

“kim taehyung—” he hesitates. “you said you know him.”

“how could i forget him, seokjin?” you say lightly. “i tell you about him every day.”

“you do—you really do, but i’m just surprised.” seokjin breathes out.

“what do you mean by that?” you furrow your brows as you press your palm against the counter. the strap of your silk nightgown brushes past your collarbone and shoulder, falling down from the abrupt angling of your position. “what’s there to be surprised about—”

“he’s vante,” he replies.

“vante?” you repeat in confusion.

“he’s the first korean photographer who’s been officially approved for his skills by tons of famous photographers overseas.” seokjin explains. “they’ve all contacted him about his works, and now, the media has a scoop of it. korea is going crazy over it because he’s finally back in seoul.”

“wait—” you blurt out. “he’s back in seoul?”

“he was living in italy for six years.”

“six years?” you reiterate shakily. “seokjin, i should go, i have to find him.”

“you shouldn’t,” he deflects calmly. “news reporters are tracing his whereabouts as of now, if they see him with you, all your upcoming schedules could be at risk because of the noise.”

“seokjin, nobody would actually care—” you inadvertently clench your fist with the photo in your hand. “i’m just a youtuber that miraculously happened to land modelling jobs.”

“you don’t mean that.” seokjin sighs out in frustration. “i promise, i’ll let you meet him, so can we sit still for now?”

“it’s his birthday today.”

“i understand,” seokjin says softly.

“he’s turning twenty six, i was twenty the last time i saw the person i believed in forever with.” you deflect instantaneously, as if it’s an automatic response. “call me dumb for it, but—”

you’re true to yourself and to the people who adore you.

“—i sincerely admire him, seokjin.” you bite back on the tears welling up in your eyes. “i lived as if he was a dream, i went on without contacting him like i was asked to.” your voice cracks, so you clear your throat. “today is his birthday. if there’s an exception, it’d be today.”

seokjin stays speechless, you only pick up on the subtle sound of his slow breathing.

“he didn’t call the company, did he?” you ask cautiously.

“he hasn’t,” seokjin replies. “i just know he arrived two days ago.”

“that’s all i need to know.” you say. “thank you, seokjin.”

“cover yourself when you go outside.” seokjin warns. “please call me if you need any help, don’t try to handle things on your own.”

“i will,” you murmur.

the line disconnects, and you slowly lower the phone that was tightly against your ear. your arm hangs down like a loose cord and your head drops in defeat. the fire in you hasn’t extinguished, but you have no idea where to start—you literally have no clue where he could be.

daegu?

daegu is three hours away from seoul.

and the time is—ten forty in the evening.

there’s less than two hours until the day passes onto the last day of the year.

before you could lift your hand with the photo upward again, someone or something knocks at your door a couple of times. your heart jolts in surprise, you even end up clenching your chest with your other hand from the unexpected noise.

your chest unexplainably tightens when you approach your door, because there’s no way anyone would find you at this time. seokjin wouldn’t cut it either.

restraining your breath from slipping out, you peek out the door viewer to steal a glance of the visitor. you see a man in glasses with a camera strapped around his neck, waiting expectantly for you to open up and respond to his bizarre questions he has in stock today. by squinting, you feel like you can recognise the lifeless paparazzi. you’ve seen him rotate shifts with another woman who camps by your house for prospective scoops.

you take one step back in slow motion, only for you to lose footing and stumble on a pair of your heels you forgot to put back into the cabinet after schedules today. you manage to not make a whimper when you fall, but you ultimately make an inevitable thud, which eventually gets transferred to the ear of the paparazzi outside.

“i know you’re inside, ma’am!” the man exclaims outside your door. “i have a few questions to ask!”

“kindly back away, mr. park.” you retaliate casually, rubbing your pulsating knee as you rise back onto your feet. “this is an invasion of privacy and you’re also trespassing on my property.” you say loudly.

“we heard there’s park jimin inside,” he pries. “is that true?”

“why would he—”

“i’m a big fan!” mr. park randomly cuts in. “may i get an autograph then? i’ll back away for the night—” out of nowhere, he yelps, “hey! don’t touch me!”

bewildered at the switch up of mr. park’s demeanour, you run up to your door again to peer into the lenses of the door viewer. definitely nothing like before, you see another person—his broad back clothed in black is turned against the door and you can see glimpses of mr. park’s face above the guy’s shoulder, glowering at the guy interrupting him.

“you’re not park jimin!” mr. park narrows his eyes. “you’re another man!”

“who’s park jimin?” a gruff voice asserts.

“he’s inside!” mr. park backtracks shamelessly. “let me go, you bastard! i have a job to do!”

though you can barely catch what exactly is going on outside through the lenses of a fisheye, you watch the man snatch mr. park’s camera around his neck with the help of his taller height and fluidity.

“i will report you for stealing,” mr. park pathetically juts his chin upward, feigning confidence as he watches his camera’s memory card get removed. “do you have any idea how much this all costs?”

“six hundred.” he replies coolly. “i’ll take this,” he snaps the memory card in half before tossing it behind mr. park. “and you can go before i send my recording of you harassing this resident to the police.” he smacks a hand down against mr. park’s shoulder.

“shit,” mr. park spits out. “i—i’m going!” he stammers before flicking his shoulder away from the man’s grip and running away.

eliciting a breath of relief, you squint your eyes to the fullest, eager to identify the man who might’ve saved your night. as much as you want to express your gratitude towards this guy, you stay loyal to silence, in case you get caught yourself. you get no benefit from exposing where you live. if you remember his face at least, you can thank him later.

but thanks to him, you still have time to sprint outside as soon as he leaves to find taehyung. still, there isn’t much time until his birthday ends.

when the man turns around, you cover your mouth with your palms to mute your shocked gasp. the photograph in your hand falls like a feather, alighting in front of your feet. the shallow gust of wind from underneath encourages half of the photo to creep through the crevice below the door, but you’re too stunned to grab it. you feel numb, almost electrocuted.

slowly, you reach out to swing open your door. breathing becomes harder as you watch more and more of the man you dreamt of get divulged. from his leather shoes, to his slacks, black coat and his face—he’s wearing a black mask, but it merely takes you one second to notice the prominent changes in his appearance.

as your eyes widen, you take in all of his new yet foreign look. his hair is jet-black now, and most of his hair is brushed away from his forehead and features. the twenty-year-old taehyung would be too shy to fiercely uncover his forehead like that, but now, he seems more poised.

in one word, he’s mature now.

taehyung bends his knees to collect the dropped photo before gazing at it, and you carefully observe his same old eyes transition into crescents. “why is this with you?” he peels off his mask to show off his grin. “i thought i asked you to give this to your family.”

you feel a familiar force hit your throat, and you could feel the tears in your eyes arising faster than ever. your vision grows blurry, every breath you exhale hitches. you feel like you’re going to choke on your own tears and perhaps suffocate from it. you begin to notice the heat in your cheeks rapidly climbing temperatures, and you see apparitions of taehyung six years ago flit past your mind like a panorama.

taehyung bobs his head, grinning willingly. “i’ll find you again,” he says. “when i think i’m ready and capable to meet the new you.”

none of this feels real to you.

in fact, you’re convinced this isn’t real.

you quickly dart into taehyung’s chest with your arms spread open, squeezing your eyes shut as you bury your face into the material of his coat. scarily, he smells exactly like before, as if time stopped six years ago. lavender and chamomile.

“happy birthday, kim taehyung.” you whisper.

at that, you feel a tight warmth shut you in. taehyung closes his arms around your waist, almost lifting you up onto your feet because of the dissimilarity in height. “at last, i get to hear that from you.” he whispers back. “i missed it like crazy.”

“i missed you like crazy.” you confess between sniffles. “you almost made me think you were an unachievable dream, taehyung.”

taehyung gently tears you away from his embrace by grabbing ahold of your bare shoulders to look at you fixedly into the eyes. “you shouldn’t be saying that to me,” he mutters. “aren’t you the famous one?”

“don’t even start,” you tug your lips into a frown.

“i’ve been watching all of your videos.” he tilts his head, smiling contentedly. “who allowed you to become prettier every day?”

you chuckle bashfully. “come on,” you mewl. “how many people asked for your number on your way here?”

taehyung clicks his tongue teasingly. “you wouldn’t want to know.”

“enough,” you press your lips into a thin line. “can you come in for a bit?” you ask innocently, tugging on his sleeve. if you could ask him to stay with you forever to prove that he can genuinely exist in the mornings too, you would. you still feel anxious, there’s a sensation stabbing into your gut to remind you that this might all disappear into thin air later.

taehyung nods once, and you wordlessly lead the way through your corridor covered in other photographs taehyung left behind. you somewhat suppressed your childish desire to print out the photos in the biggest size. you cough a few times as you go past all of taehyung’s masterpieces, stopping at the same couch you were leaning up against earlier.

taehyung eyes the pile of photos you planted facing downwards, but you quickly hide them behind your back before his curiosity could intensify.

“what is it?” he asks inquisitively.

“photos of my last shoot.” you lie.

“liar,” he shakes his head. “i recognise my photos, my muse.”

“i recognise my photos too.” you react brazenly. “i swear, these are from my last shoot.”

taehyung raises his brow. “show me then.”

“not a chance.”

with a playful smile on his face, taehyung extends his arm to reach out for the photos in your hands. you back away, shifting your shoulders side to side to dodge his arms. you eventually swivel across your living room, finding your defence behind your kitchen counter. taehyung stays on the opposite, however, he doesn’t spare you a chance to escape. he strolls towards you, and you corner him by hopping up onto the kitchen counter to sit on the thin stack of photos.

taehyung takes his coat off, hanging it up onto the chair amidst his way to you. “you win,” he sets both his palms against the counter, beside both your thighs.

“you’re being too easy with me.” you peer down at him as he looks up at you.

“always.” he mutters.

“did you miss me at all, taehyung?” you ask breathlessly.

“more than you can imagine.” he responds huskily. “do you know how hard it is to watch you from afar?”

“do you know how hard it is to not even see you?” you add defensively, “i was worried in case my feelings for you are one-sided, i was anxious thinking if you found another person within all these years, if you forgot about me, if i’m not that important to you.”

“that can’t be true.” taehyung leans in to whisper into your ear, “a day doesn’t go by if i don’t think about you.” you tense when his voice reaches the tip of your ears, a shiver rushes down your spine.

“you were never this honest,” you murmur.

“the six years was worth it, i suppose.” he moves over to your face to smirk at you and your flushed cheeks. you can only pray he can’t distinguish any colour on your face.

“don’t say that ever again,” you plant both your hands on top of taehyung’s shoulders. “i’m not living my life for another six years without you again.”

“neither am i,” taehyung says. “whether you like it or not.”

“i like it very much, actually.”

“and i like you very much.”

before you can burst into embarrassment and cough out rambles made out of pure joy, your chest contracts before your mind gets thrown aback the moment taehyung inches closer to land his lips against yours.

your entire mind turns pale, you forget how to act or how to respond. you feel like you’re falling—like gravity, nothing is stopping you or controlling you.

you simply let your eyes fall shut at the tender movement of his lips, and your arms naturally find their way around taehyung’s neck. when you do that, he pushes himself into your boundary further by slanting forward, causing you to slump back slightly. of necessity, you find yourself clinging onto taehyung for your dear life, and he seizes that advantage to deepen the kiss. his nose rubs against your cheek as he leisurely adjusts himself, his long strands titillate your forehead, and at his own pace, taehyung slides his arms behind your waist to hold you still.

you feel yourself growing hot, from the bottom of your stomach to your cheeks, knowing that you’re fully under taehyung’s control. the thought cuts your breath short, making you want to pull away from him ever so gently. you put your forehead against his, and taehyung breathlessly continues to stare at your lips while you chase some air.

seconds later, you see taehyung’s gaze lowering. the scorching heat inside of you elevates by double when you just realise you were in your pink nightgown this whole time. with a fingertip, he traces the curves of your bare arm, and you shiver for the second time, gulping as butterflies form in the pit of your stomach. his finger reaches the strap of your nightgown that remains unsecured, only to sling it back onto your shoulder.

“i like you very much more,” you admit under your breath.

“and if i ask you to be my girlfriend, can i anticipate another positive answer?”

“of course,” you say. “but before that, happy birthday.”

“again?” taehyung chuckles. “thank you.”

“i want you to be happy and i want you to do everything you want to do, taehyung.”

#taehyung #kim taehyung #v #taehyung x reader #v x reader #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fanfics #bts #bts x reader #bts fanfic #bts fanfics #taehyung x you #v x you #bts x you #happy taehyung day #taehyung imagines #bts imagines

128 notes · View notes

aus-wnt · 3 years ago

Note

there are some hard truths in this article by sam lewis but i think she's absolutely spot on (unfortunately)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-01/matildas-asian-cup-exit-provides-overdue-reckoning/100795662

Oof. Yeah that's some brutal honesty that I think we all needed to hear, fans and haters alike.

Last November, Football Australia organised an end-of-year media round table at its Sydney headquarters.

It was the first time Gustavsson had been on Australian soil since beginning his tenure in January and media were invited to meet him face-to-face.

FA chief executive James Johnson was there, too. The purpose of the round table was two-fold: to wrap up the past 12 months for the Matildas and to provide an opportunity to ask questions of both Johnson and Gustavsson in a behind-closed-doors setting.

On the surface, it all looked so easy and bright. But then the mood changed.

The camera crew was asked to leave the room, closing the door behind them. Recordings were off-limits, phones and laptops put away.

Gustavsson leaned forward and put his hands on the table; his voice became clearer, his expression open and honest.

The conversation that occurred over the next hour was as difficult as it was overdue: while we may want the Matildas to be world-beaters, the reality is that right now, they simply are not.

And if you look at their own history, they never really have been.

What we forget, though, is it has always been poor – especially at major tournaments.

Between 2011 and 2020, Australia played a total of 123 games under the tenure of five different head coaches. 42 of those matches or (34 per cent) came against opponents who were ranked inside the top 10 at the time. Just over half of those (22) were friendlies, while the other half (20) were tournament games.

...

Digging even further down, results against top-five-ranked nations are even more glaring. Of the 21 games played against the world's best five teams across this decade, Australia won just twice (Japan in 2016 and the USA in 2017).

However, this 2016/17 period was anomalous for the Matildas. Their peak was inversely mirrored by the troughs of the teams they defeated, primarily in friendlies and against nations in various stages of rebuild.

Australia recorded seven of their 16 top-10 wins in this period, against teams like Brazil, Japan, and the USA – all of whom were dipping in form as they transitioned from one generation of players to the next, seen at that pivotal Tournament of Nations competition in 2017.

It was unfortunate timing that Australia began to pay attention to the Matildas at this exact moment, when the team was on top of the world, reaching their highest ever ranking of fourth soon afterwards.

...

This is the hidden weight that Gustavsson, his players and the entire national team staff are having to carry: the burden of the expectations we — including in the media — have been piling upon them for the past decade.

Heightened by the self-consciousness of hosting a World Cup, the meteoric rise of some of its star players like Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter, and the realisation that the rest of the world is getting better faster than we are, the past year — culminating in this Asian Cup exit — has delivered a reckoning that has been long overdue.

...

Sometimes – the 2010 Asian Cup final win, the defeat of Brazil at the 2015 World Cup, the first victory over the USA in 2017 – those two parallel identities align, particularly when they feed into Australia's "never say die" spirit.

But most of the time, they haven't, despite how badly we might want them to.

This is Gustavsson's other balancing act. He is not just managing a group of players, or a team of coaches, or the sometimes-contradictory FA demands of short-term results with long-term rebuilds.

He is also finding a way to balance the reality of the Matildas with our idea of them; to navigate the volcanic emotions we have projected, consciously or otherwise, onto this team; to try and plot the course from where they are to where we want them to be.

Maybe that's why this Asian Cup defeat – where the distance between those two things seems wider than ever – feels different, and why Gustavsson is the one being blamed.

It is easy to point the finger at a single person, particularly one who has signed up for moments like this. But it is increasingly difficult to justify when you see that all Gustavsson has done is show us what was already there.

...

While it's tempting to write emotionally about what's happened, to lament and to scold and to bay for blood, it is precisely these things – the feelings, the stories, the hypotheticals, the imagined possibilities – that have led us here: to this chasm between expectation and reality.

It's one that is bending the players to breaking point and one which is turning the community away from instead of toward them.

...

Because while the Matildas may be statistically average, they are not ordinary. The stories we have been telling about them are not unfounded or useless; they are still filled with spirit and talent and potential.

The Matildas' performances may not have matched the idea we have of them yet, but that doesn't mean they never will.

And as painful as it has been, the past year has helped Australia reckon with the first part. Only time will tell whether the man sitting alone at that table in Pune is given enough time to help us achieve the second.

#Matildas #AUSWNT #Asian Cup 2022 #I didn't post the full article but I highly recommend reading it all

45 notes · View notes

rigginsstreet · 4 years ago

Note

gladys/alice + 53

53. Take off your shirt. (apologies in advance to any hal fans reading this lmfao i feel like i did him kinda dirty my bad. but hal haters are not allowed to clown on this post. also this did not turn out sexy just sad lmfao sorry)

read on ao3

She knew tonight would be a shit show. Didn’t matter that she had spent two weeks saving up money to actually buy a respectable enough outfit for dinner with the Coopers when she could have just stolen one. Because she wanted to fit in. Wanted them to like her. Didn’t want to feel like even more of an outcast in clothes she swiped from the local department store.

Turns out, you can take the girl out of the South Side, but you can’t take the South Side out of the girl. Not according to Prudence Cooper and the giant stick he has lodged up her ass, anyway.

Alice had been on her best behavior from the second she stepped foot on Elm Street. Had smiled and said all the right things. Had gone so far as to make Hal teach her proper dinner etiquette because she wanted to get everything perfectly right. And none of it mattered. Because all Prudence Cooper had done the whole night was look down her nose at her. Did that shit that all those bored, stuffy, suburban housewives do where they make these cryptic little jabs at you with a smile on their face so you have to think twice about if you’ve just been insulted. Because God forbid they say what they really feel. That’s too tacky, apparently. But playing mind games with a teenager is acceptable.

By the time dinner was over Alice’s palms were bleeding from her nails digging into them so hard. Because, for as much as she wanted to jump over the table and deck Prudence Cooper in her little Puritan face, she knew better. Because, in spite of his nutjob mother, Alice still loved Hal. Even though she was questioning that allegiance now.

Not once during that dinner from hell did he pipe his big mouth up to say anything in her defense. He’s her boyfriend. That’s supposed to mean something. All the shit she gets from everyone for dating a North Sider, a Cooper, no less, and she always defends him. And he can’t say one thing to his mother.

So now here she was, at some house party drowning her sorrows, her anger. She’d come here with Hal, she remembers that much. But the minute she stepped inside she made it her mission to stay away from him the rest of the night. She wanted to wipe all memory of Hal and the Coopers from her mind, and she was doing a pretty damn good job of it, if she said so herself.

There was some blue concoction in a giant bowl in the kitchen that kind of tasted like ass, if she was honest. But, fortunately, it had lost all flavor by her third cup, so she kept going back for more.

She’s lost count by now of how many times she’s sent some freshman to fetch her a refill while she hides out in any other corner of the house that isn’t the kitchen because Hal gave up trying to chase her only for her to dodge him. Thought he was being smart parking it in the kitchen to wait for her to come back for another drink. Like she wouldn’t figure out a way around that one.

But apparently Hal’s wizened up to that plan, too. She can see him moving through the crowd of partygoers, obviously looking for her. She’s got the advantage, though, crouched down on the floor out of view. Time to move, though. Can’t risk Hal finding her and turning this night into an even worse fiasco.

Getting up proves to be a little more difficult than anticipated. The room immediately starts spinning, and she has to reach her hand out to the nearest wall to steady herself. Stands still, takes a couple of deep breaths, then she’s good to go.

Except she’s not. Barely a step forward and she’s falling sideways into the wall.

“Fuck,” she says on impact before falling into a fit of giggles. The wall suddenly feels like exactly where she needs to be. It’s nice. Soft. Safe...

“Jesus, Al, how much have you had tonight?”

There’s arms around her suddenly. Strong, but skinny. Not Hal’s. And that voice... definitely not Hal’s. Too feminine, even with the grit it possesses. Something oddly familiar she can’t quite place.

“‘m fine,” she says, trying to push out of whoever’s hold she’s in. The room’s so dark around her. Can’t see shit in front her, but that doesn’t matter. She’s just gotta move forward.

“Like hell you are. C’mon, where’s that boytoy of yours?”

Alice’s eyes flutter open at that. Suddenly the room’s not so dark anymore. Gladys Cohen is the one holding her up, she sees now. Because this night just had to get worse for her.

“Don’t wanna see him.” The words slur coming out of her mouth.

Gladys huffs beside her. “Fine. Whatever. But I’m cutting you off.”

She reaches for the cup just as Alice is bringing it to her lips. The reaction is slow, but once Alice is keyed in to what Gladys is doing, she jerks her hand away out of reach. “Fuck off.”

“Don’t be a brat.”

Gladys reaches over again for the cup, this time successfully getting ahold of it. Only serves to make Alice pull back, an anger flaring up inside her.

“Get off me!”

“I’m not letting you get alcohol poisoning over a fight with your boyfriend, that’s so fucking cliche, Al!”

“It’s none of your business!”

Alice swings her arm back towards her in full force, and she feels it instantly. The warm liquid spilling down her shirt, pressing it to her skin. She looks down and sees nothing but a big purple splotch, the blue drink mixing in with the soft pink of her satin blouse.

The blouse she spent weeks saving for. The blouse that was supposed to solve all her problems. The blouse that couldn’t save her from making a bad impression on Hal’s mother.

A dam breaks. Tears free flow down her face and there’s a whine coming from the back of her throat, high and shrill and she doesn’t even care.

“Aw, shit. Al-”

“Everything’s ruined!” She yells with everything she has in her. Pounds both her fists into Gladys’ chest, hard enough that she stumbles back a step, before running off to the nearest bathroom.

She slams the door shut as soon as she gets inside. Grabs the nearest hand towel and places under the water and furiously starts scrubbing away at the stain. Some color rubs off onto the towel but it’s doing nothing to remove it from her shirt.

Vision blurry with tears, Alice gives up, throwing the towel down with a growl before gripping the countertop in front of her. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears, but it does nothing. She should’ve known better. Playing dress-up for one night doesn’t change anything. She’ll always be South Side trash, and the universe won’t let her forget it.

There’s a soft tapping at the door. Alice rubs her sleeve under nose before answering. “Go away.” But it’s half-hearted.

The door slowly opens. Gladys peaks her head through, like she’s making sure it won’t get bitten off. When she deems it safe enough she lets herself fully in, closing the door behind her. “You okay?”

Alice sniffles. “Do I look okay?”

“Maybe not your finest hour, but I’ve got no complaints.”

Alice rolls her eyes.

“Take off your shirt,” Gladys commands, jutting her chin out at her.

“I’m not in the mood, G-”

Gladys laughs. “And I’m not trying to fuck the drunk girl. Take off your shirt.” She sets a jug of detergent she must’ve gotten from the laundry room down onto the counter before sliding her jacket off.

Alice gets the hint, then, and starts unbuttoning her blouse. Gladys is removing her own shirt - some old and hand-me-down Runaways tee - and handing it over. Stands there in nothing but her bra and ripped jeans.

With a tentative hand, Alice takes it, tries her best to avoid looking. Their fingers brushing for the briefest second before Gladys is reaching for the stained blouse. Gets to work on making it look new again.

Alice slips the old shirt on. Can smell the brand of cigarettes Gladys smokes on it. The ones they used to share under the bleachers between periods and behind the Wyrm before Alice decided to quite. There’s an undercurrent of something pleasant there, too. Cinnamon and cloves. A mix that is so distantly Gladys. It makes her head spin, but she’ll blame that on her drunken state.

It makes the tears start falling again.

“Woah, hey.” Gladys abandons the shirt in the sink and turns to pull Alice into her arms. “What’s got you all worked up, blondie?”

Sometimes Alice feels like she made a mistake. That she chose wrong. And she hates to admit because, because she loves Hal. But. She misses her old life, too. And right now... everything feels too familiar. In Gladys’ shirt, in Gladys’ arms. The way Gladys is petting her hair and making her feel okay when everything’s not okay.

She pulls back enough to look Gladys in the eyes. Gladys traces a fingertip softly at her temple, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and in that split second Alice makes the decision to lean forward, press their lips together.

It’s wrong. She knows. Hal’s outside looking for her, worried about her. And here she is hiding away, kissing her ex girlfriend.

Gladys’ mouth opens in a gasp, and Alice takes it as an invitation. Except.

Gladys presses the palm of her hand to Alice’s chest, pushing her back gently. “I’m not doing this, Al,” she says. There’s no anger in her voice. No hostility, surprisingly. Just... a rational calm that Alice feels so far away from.

“Why not?” Alice pouts.

Gladys smiles, but it seems sad. “Because your boyfriend’s outside.”

“You don’t even like Hal.” She goes in for another kiss, but is stopped short with Gladys’ hand to her chest again.

“But you do. You’re drunk, and upset, and I’m not interested in taking advantage.”

“Gladys-”

Gladys slips her leather back on. Zips it up to just her navel before turning to open the door. She pauses, turns to nod at the shirt in the sink. “Be gentle with that but keep scrubbing. Should come out just fine. Then go make up with your boyfriend.”

She turns to leave for good this time, but the moment doesn’t feel finished. Things never really feel finished when it comes to them.

“Gladys?”

She’s chewing on her bottom lip when she turns to face Alice again. Eyebrows raised in expectancy.

But there’s no words coming to Alice. Nothing feels significant enough to encapsulate the moment, everything she’s feeling. Hell if she even knows what she’s feeling. Longing? Regret? Apologetic? All of it all at once.

The silence hangs heavy between them, but Gladys must feel it, too. She gives Alice a final nod before leaving, shutting the door behind her. And Alice is left alone, wiping a tear from her eye.

#Anonymous #this is the second time ive written alice being under the influence of something and fighting with gladys who is just trying to take care of #her... what does it mean #riverdale fanfiction #alice cooper #gladys jones #femslash february #my writing #riverparents #briana answers things

25 notes · View notes

seeds-and-sins · 4 years ago

Text

F**kin' Diabolical (Chapter One)

Master List

Pairing: Homelander / Original Female Character, Billy Butcher / Original Female Character

Rating: M (Strong language, sexual themes)

Decription: Carly Danvers is a reporter/radio show host/annoying little piece of- For reasons unknown to Vought, she decided to start a one man investigation on Vought's operation. Her efforts had been quite successful so far, so much so that Stillwell would have done anything to see the young girl dead. Turns out Stillwell didn't have to do anything at all, while one piece of evidence against Vought causes Danvers to fly too close to the sun. And Homelander flies after her.

Notes: Carly Danvers is basically a play on Kara Danvers, A.K.A. Supergirl. Except my own take on it.

The hard part wasn't getting in, any idiot would know that, the hard part was getting out. For as fortified as the building was, she didn't really need much to bypass the security. They were used to pretty girls strutting themselves into the building, either for the Deep, or for an expo. Which these reasons often explained such an occurrence, and in this case, an expo was scheduled for the next three hours, a gala afterwards, pretty girls were in high demand for these events.

Her taking a walk through the main lobby of the building didn't go unnoticed, but it was long ignored after she 'accidentally' stumbled into the nearest security guard, mumbling something about the bathroom. With her head down she entered a small crowd of businessmen and women, making their way into the elevator. She would soon get off on a different floor, nobody would ask questions as they moved higher up the building's ladder. Corporate on top, Heroes on top, lobby on the bottom, events and offices all in between; marketing, studios, etc.

Of course, she was the last to exit. Stillwell's office was on the top floor, along with the board room, the helipad and the apartment style living quarters for the Seven. Carly wasn't by any means nervous, she had infiltrated Vought before and her failures didn't deter her from doing so. Her one drive, that Vought was a bunch of liars, that the Seven were as corrupt as anybody could be. She despised that they were lauded, hated that they got away with crimes normal individuals would otherwise not get away with. Supes had issues. She, as a reporter, wanted everyone to know. For years she had been slithering her way around Vought, capturing evidence, posting it online, getting eye witness testimonies, publishing it. She had grown a small base around the facts, that Vought wasn't all that great, but it wasn't enough. It was never enough. Her biggest accomplishment was just around the corner, a surprise interview with Madelyn Stillwell herself, a chance to finally get the answers she wanted.

She snuck her way out of the elevator as proud of herself as ever for making it this far, usually she was ransacked on her way through the double doors of the tower. She smugly made her way down the hall, taking glances at the obnoxious photo shots of the Seven hung up on the wall. She was so close too, if only she had been more vigilant. Even being vigilant though wouldn't have aided her mission.

Within seconds she was being slammed harshly up against the wall, a hand at her throat was all it really took. She kept herself calm, and unafraid, knowing that if she moved wrong the man before her could crack her neck with his pinky alone. His grin pierced her soul, and she soon returned it with her own grin, which only suited to make the Homelander more intrigued. His hands fell flat against the wall, on either side of her, barring her in with those thick sheets of muscle and superhuman power.

"Oh Carly, Carly," He taunted, one of his fingers brushing away the blonde strands that fell out before her face. She peered confidently into his steely gaze with her own brilliantly blue eyes. "Don't we have a restraining order on you?"

"Actually..." She piped in, with a tone as condescending as his own. She reached down into her jean pocket and retrieved a security card, from the guard she bumped into earlier. "I am not Carly today."

"Oh, of course," He chuckled, reaching down and inspecting the photo on the id. "Indeed, so you are Gary, is that correct?" He returned his hands to either side of her head, grinning at her, hoping to make her all the more inferior. But Carly's blood pressure never even so much as peaked and her heart rate was always the same as it had been before his presence was known. He never understood how she, compared to so many, remained so kempt under his sterling supervision. "A middle aged white man, that weighs over three hundred pounds?" She nodded her head, giggled a bit and he licked his lips.

"Exactly." Homelander rolled his eyes, haphazardly tossing the card over his shoulder.

"Seriously though, you shouldn't be here, its against the rules." His expression dropped into a stoic glare, but his eyes continued to intensely run up and down her body, almost hungry, hungry for something he could never have.

"When have you ever known me as someone who follows the rules?"

"That's a fair point." He nodded his head, "but seriously," He deadpanned. "I could kill you right now for trespassing, couldn't I? And it would be reasonable as you were the one breaking the law, wouldn't it?" She didn't react, which at times annoyed him, but he wouldn't give her the benefit of knowing that. He much rather preferred the playful banter to be honest, it made things so much more interesting for him.

"You aren't going to kill me, Homelander. It would look bad on Vought's part, wouldn't you agree?" She leaned in closer to his body, knowing she was playing with fire, hands pressing against the somewhat unrealistic pectoral muscles of his suit. "One of Vought's greatest enemies on the opposition, disappears after finding themselves in Vought's tower." Homelander glanced back and forth, up and down the hallway, as if he himself wouldn't hear the footsteps of an oncoming bystander from a mile away. "Oh, Homelander, does your dick cup need adjusting, or are you just happy to see me?"

"That's enough, citizen." He snarled between clenched teeth, shoving her back against the wall and she sighed her irritation with the whole situstion. She got so close to getting that interview, only a few steps away.

For a moment, she wondered why he was always so gentle with her. Obviously he was never slamming her up against the wall, or pushing her around at his fullest capacity, she was grateful for that. At the same time, it did hurt, he had left bruises on her arm before, he had nearly broken her wrist once. None of this was anything new, she had been between Homelander and a wall many times before. It seemed to be his favorite way of addressing her, but she could never tell. Homelander's intimidation tactics had stopped working months ago, so Stillwell had resorted to just discrediting Carly, ignoring her, but Carly was still determined.

"Urgh, I just wanted an interview with Stillwell."

"How did you even get in the building, huh?" He gave her some space, surprisingly, taking a step back and interlocking his hands behind his back. She crossed her arms and leaned on her hips, staring him down.

"How else do people enter this building? I walked in."

"Hmm, those fucking idiots." Homelander mumbled under his breath, making his way back towards the elevator. He expected her to follow close behind and she did. If she didn't it would be pointless, he would catch her and most likely carry her to the elevator as if she were a piece of paper.

"To be fair, they did suspect me at first but I'm just so pretty, ya'know?" He snorted at her remark and stopped at the elevator door, pressing the button and then tilting his head down over at her tiny self.

"Next time, it won't be so easy." The elevator dinged and the doors opened, Homelander smiled at her.

"I still will find a way, Homelander." She backpeddled into the elevator and he winked at her.

"I'm sure you will, Ms. Danvers, you always do."

"And you waiting for me on the other side, always makes it better, doesn't it?" He ignored that question as the doors closed shut, his smile falling into a grimace.

"Its not like that." He explained, turning to face an authoritative Ms.Stillwell, who had been patiently waiting for him to finish his conversation with Carly.

"Sure its not, no matter how many times I ask you to get rid of her, you let her go every goddamned time." Stillwell stomped past him, her perfume wafting into his super senses and he sighed.

"Fuck." The human had made him soft, that was a fact, and Stillwell knew it as well as he did.

"Hello! My lovely diabolical hero haters, my name is Carly Danvers and we are here for my favorite segment on the show, 'Not so Super Superheroes'." An applaud from a fake audience, a foghorn blasted out loud and she exploded with laughter. She adjusted the mic towards her, along the headseat on her head. "So anyways, I have this guy that's been trying to get on my radio show for legit months now. I was advised not to allow it, but he brings some interesting superhero fallacies to the table. Without further a due, I introduce Doctor Miles Porter. Miles, how are you doing today?"

"I'm doing good, Carly. Fantastic actually."

"That's good to hear, so are you an actual doctor, or what?"

"Yes, actually, I have a PhD in Chemistry."

"Wow, very interesting, and you are a hero hater just like us?"

"Actually no, but I had a recent falling out with my job under Vought so I decided nows a good time as any to become one."

"Oh, alrighty then, this is perfect timing by the way. I heard you know a little about this conspiracy with the blue dope, would you like to elaborate?"

"Well, its not 'blue dope', its a compound..."

"JESSICA! Get your ass in here, right now." Stillwell shouted, hands clenched into fists at her sides as the one named Miles Porter further explained the elements of Compound V over a Live radio station.

"Uh sure, doc, but with all due respect I don't believe in that mumbo jumbo. Do you Allen?"

Stillwell exhaled a breath of relief for a moment, taking the file on Miles Porter from Jessica's trembling hands.

"Nope, not one bit, Carly." Allen was Carly's partner in crime so to speak, they had been friends since childhood.

"I mean, there are notable studies on evolution that completely debunk the blue dope conspriacy."

"Those studies are falsified by Vought, they just want us to think that heroes are natural so they can continue to profit off of them. Do you really think that you are just gonna spout powers out right now?"

"No, that's a bunch of bs, doc, and you know it. Evolution doesn't work like that. I'm just saying, a few generations from now all of us might have super powers. Who knows?"

"You're supposed to be a hero hater!" The doctor exclaimed.

"Now you listen, and you listen well. I never said I hate heroes because they were birthed from some stupid conspiracy juice. I said I hate them because of the shit they do, they don't apply themselves to the law. We don't need heroes like that."

"Well, at least she isn't feeding into the Compound V, scandal." A voice sounded out from behind Stillwell, she physically flinched and then turned to face Homelander. She flattened her pencil skirt as she did so, then waltzed over to her desk, the radio still playing in the background.

"Her following is quite strong, not enough but strong, and just the fact that its being talked about is despicable."

"Homelander is cool though." Carly said, Stillwell rolled her eyes and Homelander grinned.

"Yeah, I knew she'd say something along those lines." Homelander chuckled, Carly was an amusing blood bag that's for sure. He knew one day he'd probably have to kill her, but for now he will let her live. Stillwell can't control every aspect of Homelander's decisions.

"Oh hell yeah, Homelander is cool." Allen agreed, Stillwell nodded to Jessica, who was standing idly off to the side, to turn the radio off.

"Let's ask some of our listeners what they think, we've got father of two, Joe here. Hey Joe, what do you think about the blue-"

"And that's a wrap for us today on, The Not So Super Superheroes segment, thanks to everyone for tuning in. Don't forget to say sassy and hate heroes." Carly harshly threw her headseat off her head as soon as the 'On Air' light flashed off.

"Geez, man, you got so angry." She snapped at Doctor Miles, sitting comfortably in the seat across from her.

"Look, I thought this show would have been a good platform to release such information."

"I'm a girl about facts, ask Allen." Allen scratched his matted beard and nodded his head, "You embarrassed me, doc, and I don't take that lightly." She stood up, grabbing her papers and then moved to leave the room. Allen followed, only for them both to be stopped at the door.

"Wait!" The Doctor scrambled to his feet with a sigh, "I will show you! I can show you!" No one could hear them on the other side, the room was fairly sound proof when nobody was on air. The other employees tidied up, went over takes and funny sounds to use in tomorrow's segment on the Deep and his fish friends.

"I thought you were fired." Allen's dull voice reminded, the Doctor nodded his head.

"I was, but I am sure they haven't changed my card access, yet. I can take you to one of their labs-"

"No, thanks dude, you're crazy," Allen answered, turning into Carly, who was still standing solid at the door. He narrowed his eyes at Carly's face, thoughtful, curious. "No, Carly."

"It wouldn't hurt, Allen. Besides, whether he's telling the truth or not, getting into one of Voughts labs, what a story that is."

"Yes, exactly," The doctor snorted nervously, "I can show you everything you want to see."

#homelander #billy butcher #the seven #the boys #madelyn stillwell #carly danvers #kara danvers #billy butcher x ofc #homelander x ofc

77 notes · View notes

jeonchristineimnida · 5 years ago

Text

Jungkook - Forbidden Love pt. 2

Previous | Next

Masterlist

Genre: angst, sfw, au university students

Rating: PG13

Warning: N/A for this chapter iz a fluffly chapter :”)

Word count: 2657

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Chapter Summary: Jungkook lost the resolve to act on his feelings. He tried to avoid Y/N as he tries to keep his emotions in check but Y/N wasn’t having it. She gave him a piece of her mind.

Y/N POV

9PM in Y/N's room

The books are scattered on my desk, lampshade on and laptop's screen showing an empty word document, but I failed to start anything as my mind keeps going back to what happened awhile ago. I look at my hands, still feeling the warmth of how Jungkook held my fingertips as his eyes beg to be understood.

What is it, idiot? Why did you look at me like that?

I feel heat creep up to my cheeks. I shook my head and slapped myself, reaching out to my phone to text him.

Hey idiot, you up?

I placed down my phone, fooling myself to get on with writing my reports as I anxiously wait for his reply.

However, it never came.

He'd always reply to me 10 minutes the latest, but as it's now 4 AM and I finally managed to finish the 3 papers due for this morning. I try to shrug it off, getting 2 hours of sleep before I get ready for my first class at 7:30. I'll probably be running again later, but I need to sleep.

Stupid Jungkook.

What the heck was that look yesterday huh?

You holding my hand can be something we have always done in the past as kids, but pairing it with that look in your eyes just made my heart skip a ---- WAIT NO.

Idiot. You've been friends for this long.

Don't ruin it now, Y/N.

Forcing my eyes shut, I tried to drift into my needed-sleep.

1 week later

I wasn't having it anymore.

If he has a problem with me, why not just face me head on?

He's lucky I don't know where he lives, nor do I know his father personally because if I did, I would have showed up in his house announced and hit the crap out of him.

"Oh! It's Ms. Childhood Girlfriend!" A guy with a boxed smile points at me as he exits the business building. I tried to look away, minding my own business as I sat on the bench near their building. I didn’t want to assume that he was talking about me because as far as I'm concerned, I'm single.

"You're Y/N, right?" Another guy with the biggest eye smile said now in front of me with the boxed-smile guy beside him.

"Yeah? You are?" Confusion cannot be wiped from my face.

"I'm Taehyung. This is Jimin. We're Jungkook's friends." The boxed-smile guy introduced himself and the friend beside him before the two sat on either of my side.

"He isn't telling us about how it went so maybe you can fill us in?" The guy called Jimin leaned towards me, his smile radiating a loud 5-year-old innocence. Even before I could answer, the Taehyung guy had already started blabbing.

"I can't believe that Jungkook would call to ask me how to ask you out. I mean, with that face of his, shouldn't he be so used to girls now? Or perhaps, he really doesn't have any experience with girls. Are you his first girlfriend, Y/N?" He looked excited but my face was blank.

What.

He wanted to ask me out? Me? Y/N? He wanted me to be his girlfriend?

"Hey!" As soon as Jungkook spotted the three of us sitting in one bench, he quickly sprinted to where we were as he grabbed me by the hand, pulling me away from the two. "What the hell guys?"

"Wow, calm down dude. We ain't here to steal your girl. We just wanted some details cause you wouldn't spill." Jimin answered as they both had their hands up as if they got caught doing something wrong.

"Why are you mad?" Taehyung asks with one eyebrow raised.

If I didn't know any better, I'd ask the same question as Taehyung did.

But I know better. He wasn't mad. He worried -- no, panicked. What was he panicking about?

"We need to talk." I tugged on his hand, making him face me. "If you boys could excuse us for today, I'll need to have a serious talk with this idiot. Don't worry, I'll knock some sense into him. It was a pleasure meeting you though, Taehyung and Jimin. Let's hang some time soon." I smiled at them and they took their leave, waving at me and clapping Jungkook's shoulders.

I was now looking at Jungkook and as much as I want to get mad, seeing him made me want to apologize. He looked so worn out, like he's been having sleepless nights.

"Has it been rough? Classes and all?" I asked, pulling him down to sit beside me on the bench where Jimin and Taehyung once were.

"Kind of" He shrugged as he kept his eyes down.

I sighed, getting the file case he was holding and placing it inside my backpack. He simply looked at me as I continue to fix my stuff before I stood up, slinging my bag on my shoulder and pulling onto his hand.

"Follow me." I smiled, pulling onto his hand. As he reluctantly stood up, I started dragging him out of the campus into our favorite arcade in the district.

It only took a little resistance from him before he caved into his own competitiveness. A little provocation got him fired up to beat me in almost all of the games -- except the virtual shooting game.

"I'm winning!" Jungkook perked up when I got hit, loosing 1 of the 2 remaining lives while he still has all three. For the record though, this is the 3rd rematch and I'm letting him win. "Ah, no! Don't hit my y/n!" He shoots the villain aiming at me as we fight in co-op mode.

In an instant, I felt my cheeks warm up as I remember what Taehyung and Jimin told me before Jungkook popped out of no where.

"Feeling better?" I asked after I won the third game since he died within 30 seconds after facing off with the boss.

"Yeah" Jungkook smiled, showing off his dimples that I've always loved seeing. I poked the dent on his cheek, smiling along with him. "But I need to let off more steam." He says, catching my finger as he held it 'til he took both of our bags and led me out of the arcade.

Even without him saying, I already knew where we were going as he practically skipped going there.

"Do you see my bags, do you see my bags, it's hella trophies and it's hella thick!" Jungkook sang as I hyped him in the background.

"Yeah yeah yeah! Whatcha think bout that watcha think bout that" I sang along, jumping with him.

"I bet it made my haters hella sick!" We sang together, banging our heads to the air like metalheads in a concert.

We barely heard the knock from the staff that was delivering the food that we ordered. I was quick to abandon singing(?) as I charged straight for the mozzarella sticks, dipping it in some marina sauce before taking one to Jungkook. He took a second to bite but resumed singing afterwards as he jumped along with the beat.

I went back to the food, took my seat and just sat through Jungkook letting out whatever that was bothering him through singing these tiring songs. I mean, they're dope to dance to, and they're dope to sing to, but doing them both is hella tiring. You have to be legends to do that. (A/N *wink*)

After the song, Jungkook sat beside me, eating the last mozzarella stick that I was holding and then shooting me a look.

"We ordered 10 pcs. I only got 2 bites." He complained but I just shrugged and smiled. He chose a random song to have it as a background music, letting it play as we take some rest. He stuffed what else was left, claiming that he paid too so he needs to eat before I finish everything. I laughed and let him.

"I missed you, idiot. Why were you avoiding me?" I now say, catching his attention. His eyes shows that he understands it was a serious question, but his stuffed mouth just made me chuckle as I took a napkin and wiped the excess sauce at the side of his mouth.

"I wasn't avoiding you." He now says after swallowing the lump of food he placed in his mouth. "I was just… occupied." He trailed off, breaking eye contact.

"Hmm, was it because of a confession?" I asked, his head snapping right back to look at me with eyes wide. "I think Taehyung and Jimin mistook me for someone else." It was now my turn to look away as it suddenly felt hot.

When I wasn't hearing any teasing on his side, I took a peak and saw how he bit his lower lip deep in thought. His fist was clasped tight as he make a conflicted expression.

"Jungkook? Is everything alright?" I softly ask, gently guiding his chin to look at me. "You're hiding something."

"If I'm going to be honest, I'm really just holding back. I've been wanting to confess since high school, but I realized a boyfriend was not what she needed back then. Til now, I'd like to prioritize her happiness over anything else." He answers now, taking my hand and he held it in his.

I can't believe that Jungkook would call to ask me how to ask you out

Taehyung's word resounded as Jungkook spoke. I remember the conversation we had in the roof top 2 years ago. The person he wanted to confess to… was me?

"So I decided---" I cut Jungkook off with my own words surprising me.

"I like you, Jungkook." My heart pounded hard as if it wants to jump out of my chest. I've closed my eyes, trying to steady myself. I've always been scared to tell him the truth, not wanting to jeopardize the friendship we had. However, Taehyung's words gave me a little confidence.

I hope I didn't make a mistake.

I slowly opened my eyes to see his reaction, but his face showed an expression I wasn't expecting.

There was a hint of surprise, however it's easily overtaken by pain. His hand tightly holds mine as a tear escapes his eyes.

"Fuck" Jungkook mutters, eyes closed as a few more tears fall.

"You d.don't have to be bothered by what I just said. I'll cheer for you--" I was stuttering, thinking maybe Taehyung had it wrong and I really wasn't the one he had liked. Thoughts such as making a big mistake was suddenly wiped away when Jungkook pulled me into his embrace, burying his face on the crook of my neck.

"I've always loved you y/n." He softly whispers. "But this... this love of mine just wants you to be happy, and I don’t think you'll be happy with me." he slowly backs up, holding my shoulder at his arms length. His voice was dejected, his face tear-stained. "I'm sorry."

Without much thought, I cupped his cheeks and lifted his face before closing the gap as our lips collided with each other. It wasn't long until Jungkook kissed me back, his hands holding onto my waist as he pulled me closer to him.

"Whoever makes me happy is my choice. Don't go deciding on it all by yourself, idiot." I tell him as our lips part. I catch my breath, not sure if it was because of the kissing or is it my heart rate can't keep up. My eyes can't seem to face him as I did something I never thought I could, but he chuckles and presses me close to him, my face firmly pressed against his chest.

My eyes grow wide at the erratic heartbeat that I thought was mine, but as I look up, Jungkook was looking away with his ears red and cheeks flushed.

"Never imagined you’d be this bold, dumbass." He says with a smirk before looking down as he meets me eyes. I covered my face, not knowing what to do next. "Gah, you're killing me." He laughs as his nose scrunch up before kissing my forehead.

And at that moment, I've never felt more at ease.

As we walk towards my home, our hands were connected together. It wasn't the first time we held hands, but this was the first time our finger were intertwined together. As I look at our hands, I felt him tugging. As I look up, he tilted his head to the side, wordlessly asking me what's wrong.

"It just feels surreal." I answered, biting my lower lip.

"I know what you mean" His voice was shy. Looking at him, he looked the other way with his free hand over his nape.

"Taehyung told me you asked him about how to ask me out," I started teasing, his head snapping towards my direction as his face flush deep pink. "I guess he'll be disappointed to know I had to be the one to ask you out because you chickened out." I was quick to let go and started running ahead.

"You--" Jungkook quickly ran after me. My squeal echoed the empty park as we run, laughter soon filling it. As he caught me, he lifted me up and spun me around. "How dare you make fun of a maiden's heart."

"Such muscular maiden," I commented, holding onto his firm arms. He playfully flexed his biceps, making me laugh as I shake my head.

"Do you know why I built up my muscles in the first place?" He asks, gently placing me down as he guides me to the bench.

"To keep up with your karate, right? Which you're already a black belter if I'm not mistaken." I say with pride even if I didn't do anything. However, knowing the Jungkook from before, I couldn't help but be happy at how much this little boy grew up to be such a fine young man.

"The only reason why I took up karate was for the instance that some dumbass decides to step into a guy's fight again." Jungkook starts, pinching my nose as his scrunches up while his dimple shows. "I can't have that dumbass get hurt for my sake the second time."

My heart swells in happiness as I hear those words.

"You idiot, I could protect myself." I say, wiping my tears of happiness.

"Says the dumbass who trips and hurts herself on a flat surface. In fact, I feel like you're more likely to hurt yourself than other people. Hmm how do I use my karate skills to protect you from yourself?" He says, playfully putting on a 'thinking-hard' façade.

"Such a bully." I muttered but he just firmly takes my hand, intertwining his fingers with mine as his eyes turn into thin lines, his bunny smile prevailing.

"I'll take you home. You're getting cold." He says, standing up.

I didn't want to leave yet. I wanted to spend more time together.

"Y/N?" he called my attention, snapping me back to reality. I looked up to him, getting lost in those eyes. He chuckles shyly, taking my hand. "You can look at me all you want, but let's get you warm first okay?" He teased, his smirk not leaving his face. I rolled my eyes and scoffed but it was a façade. No matter how cold it was getting, my face was the warmest it has ever been.

And at that moment, I've never felt more at ease, not knowing it was a the calm before the storm.

Part 1 | Part 3

Masterlist

#bangtanhq #btswritersnet #goldenclosetnet #ficswithluv #jungkook x reader #jungkook imagine #jungkook ff #jungkook angst #jungkook fanfic

36 notes · View notes

brokenjardaantech · 4 years ago

Text

captain allen appreciation week 2020 day 3: coffee

summary: three times allen, coffee hater, is offered coffee, one time he drinks coffee, and one time he offers coffee.

notes:

mass effect: andromeda au. connor is the human pathfinder. hank is his second. 60 is called clement here and is a member of the team. allen is an exile they recruited.

----

‘Coffee, Lou?’

No one has called him that for so long that it takes Allen a few seconds to realize that Clement is talking to him. Looking up from the pistol he is cleaning - a nice Carnifex that Hank and Connor, for some reason, bought but never used - he sees that the younger Ryder is holding a steaming cup in his hands carefully.

‘There’s only one cup,’ Allen says, dumbfounded. The lack of resources allows the Pathfinder team a lot of liberties and neither the Pathfinder nor his second are picky about the people on their team, but someone who is supposedly working for the Nexus being friendly to him… he’s still getting used to it.

‘I realized that you have not had the pleasure to have my mother’s coffee,’ Clement explains, ‘so I made one for you. It’s made from real beans.’

‘You went all the way back to the Hyperion,’ Allen stares. Hard. Should it make sense? ‘To make me coffee. While there’s a coffee maker right next door.’ He gestures at the door.

A shrug. ‘Why not? Connor and Hank won’t be back for a few more hours at least. I have time and...’ he averts his gaze and...is that a blush? ‘I want to share this with you. It has always been a great source of comfort for me.’

‘Comfort, huh?’ Allen wonders, pondering how to reject the man politely. He never likes coffee that much, the drink too bitter for his taste and the caffeine making his heart race and making him feel like he’s going to have a heart attack for hours, but what - or who - he does like is Clement. Dreamy, easily-distracted Clement who probably just wants to share his deceased mother’s coffee with his new friend (are they even friends?) when his brother and not-quite brother-in-law are out there being the heroes of the cluster by dealing with bureaucrats. ‘Why don’t you make one for yourself?’

‘I… I don’t want to waste good coffee.’

Clement looks so unsure now that Allen wants to stand up to hug him. ‘You drink it,’ the former exile tells him. ‘I don’t like coffee anyways.’

Clement visibly relaxes. Taking a sip of Actual Milky Way Bean Juice, he asks, ‘Can I watch you?’

The question comes so suddenly that Allen’s brain fails to deliver anything. ‘Uh…’ he indicates the disassembled pistol and the assorted mods scattered around the triangular table. ‘If you want to see me piece all this back together, sure. Go ahead.’

The other man slides smoothly onto the couch and sits close to Allen, the smell of coffee assaulting him and nearly making him sneeze. At this proximity, he can feel the heat radiating off Clement, and when he reaches for the parts he placed far away, he discovers that he can’t do so without pressing against the younger Ryder twin.

Clement doesn’t move away. Neither does Allen ask him to.

----

‘Coffee, Lou?’

‘They have coffee?’

Allen is exhausted from the fight against - what’s that called again? Ah - the Architect. Sure, he grew up in the middle of nowhere in Alaska, but fighting a robot as tall as a building in a -50ºC cold is not fun at all. My scientists went missing his ass. That damned thing was a nightmare and caught them unaware, and he hopes that he’ll never have to deal with one again. It took four of them - Connor, Hank, Clement, and Allen himself - half an hour to take down that thing.

And of course the Initiative wants a fucking report.

‘Yes,’ says Clement from his seat next to Allen. ‘Coffee is considered an essential substance for every Initiative outpost. Taerve Uni possesses an abundant supply.’

No matter how much Allan blinks, the blur of the words doesn’t fade away. ‘Don’t like coffee.’

‘But it looks like you need some.’

‘I don’t -’ His jaw cracks open in another yawn. OK. Maybe he isn’t as awake as he thinks he is. ‘Stil no fucking coffee for me, though.’

‘Understood.’

Allen puts the datapad aside and takes a good look at Clement, noting his drooping eyelids and the way his eyes are unfocused. Someone is as tired as him.

‘Where’s your brother?’ Allen asks when he notices the absence of the Pathfinder and his second-in-command.

‘On the Tempest.’

The former exile very nearly cracks his head open on the table. ‘Did you just watch me work my ass off and decided not to tell me that our bosses are fucking resting?’

Clement looks taken aback. ‘I thought - I don’t wish to interrupt you.’

Allen sighs. ‘Listen, I - I appreciate that,’ he says as he digs a knuckle into his eye, ‘but you don’t have to follow me around. You can go back first. I see you’re tired.’

‘But I want to spend more time with you!’

The silence ensured is thick enough to be cut through with an omni-blade. Clement, as if just realizing what he said, blushes a very lovely shade of pink before putting his face in his hands.

It is adorable.

Allen chuckles. ‘Look at me, Clement.’

The twin peers at him through the gaps between his fingers. Chuckling, the older man removes Clement’s hands from his face, and he laces their fingers together instead of letting go. Clement goes impossibly redder.

‘I want to spend more time with you too,’ Allen says. Stumbling for words, he adds, ‘I like you. A lot.’ Fuck. He’s so out of practice. ‘I think,’ he leans closer so that they’re breathing the same air, ‘getting together will be a great idea.’

A small, whispered ‘Yes!’ from Clement, and the next moment they are kissing; just a gentle press of their lips, Allen’s hands flying to the back of Clement’s head while Clement traces Allen’s cheekbone, and they’re grinning at each other like idiots when they part for air.

‘Should we go back?’ Allen suggests, his voice low. Clement shivers. ‘Crew’s quarters should be empty at this time. We can watch a vid. Hoard all the blankets and cuddle underneath them.’

Clement kisses him again.

‘I’ll take that as a yes.’

----

‘Coffee, Lou?’

‘Don’t like coffee.’

‘I know. However, seeing that you’re not planning to go to sleep, you’ll need something to keep you up.’

‘As if this is not enough?’ Allen waves his datapad. ‘A space station as large as a metropolis? The angara - created? The Scourge - a weapon of mass destruction? How -’ realizing that his voice is raising, he takes a deep breath to calm down - ‘How can you be so calm about this?’

Clement blinks, his face devoid of any expression. ‘Calm, or numb?’

Allen feels like an idiot. ‘Clement, I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s alright,’ says the other man gently. Sliding into Allen’s lap, Clement wraps his arms around the older man’s waist and hooks his chin on his shoulder. ‘You’re not the only one who’s shocked.’

‘I keep telling myself that if I know more about the network, I’ll be less terrified of it.’ A sigh. ‘Evidently, it only makes things worse. Now I’m not even sure if I want to stay in Heleus.’

‘There’s no me outside of Heleus.’

Allen hums. ‘You’re right,’ he kisses Clement’s temple. ‘Stay with me?’

‘Go sleep with me. Connor will want you at peak condition.’

Ah yes. The classic ‘blame everything on my brother’ excuse. ‘Of course.’

He switches off the datapad and promptly picks Clement up with his arms supporting his thighs. Clement shrieks in surprise and wraps his legs around Allen’s waist, cheeks turning pink and giggling uncontrollably even after Allen carefully deposits him onto the lower bunk farther away from the bathroom, the one they have been sharing for the past couple of months as they sail around the cluster and fix everyone’s mess. It is small and low, made for one average-sized person, but they make do by having Clement sleep with half his body on top of Allen. Or having Allen crush Clement underneath him with his bulk, which has become their preferred position to sleep in. They get to stay close to each other, so although cramped, they won’t have it any other way.

Allen presses a kiss onto the nape of Clement’s neck. ‘Night.’

‘Night, Lou.’

----

Allen loses track of how long he’s been sitting there simply looking at Clement.

They have Meridian. They have the coordinates. They have a fleet of Remnant ships. They’re supposed to make for a final push towards the heart of the network. They’re supposed to, at fucking last, make Heleus their new home.

Not the Archon taking the Hyperion. Not SAM being disconnected from the Ryder twins. Not Connor scrambling his brains to try to summon even more Remnant to help fight the kett.

Not Clement nearly dying because he apparently needs SAM to survive.

The med bay door opens and Hank steps in, looking like he’s just aged ten years, his eyes cold and harsh like Alaskan winters.

But his tone is warm when he asks Allen, ‘How’s he?’

Allen holds Clement’s hand to ground himself. ‘Bad. If we don’t retake SAM soon… Heleus will have a lot less kett by the time I’m done. How’s Connor?’

‘He’s gotten used to SAM boosting his physiology, so the crash is a bitch. But he’ll live. He’s just sleeping it away. And, uh,’ a shrug, ‘don’t suppose you have contacts with some of the exiles?’

‘Not much,’ Allen says. ‘I didn’t exactly play with the folks from Kadara or Elaaden.’

‘“Not much”? So you do have contacts?’

‘Believe it or not, quite a number of people left for Eos and started their own governments there.’ At Hank’s skeptical eyebrow, he continues, ‘Most of them owe me their lives. I can try to contact them, but seeing that they live in caves, I doubt many of them are space-worthy.’

‘There’s no harm in trying,’ says the N7. ‘If they can’t go to Meridian, they can at least defend Prodromos while most of their personnel are gone.’

Allen nods in understanding, and Hank leaves to presumably return to Connor’s side. As the door to Pathfinder’s Quarters closes, he lets go very reluctantly and goes to the crew quarters to make himself a cup of coffee. Sure, stim packs might have worked better than caffeine, but he doesn’t know how long it will be until everyone’s ready to launch an assault against the Archon, and he cannot afford the crash after the effects of the stim pack is worn off; coffee, no matter how bad it tastes, is the best option he has.

If only Clement can see this.

----

‘Coffee, Clement?’

Clement looks into the most beautiful green eyes he’s ever seen when he wakes up. The smell of coffee - not the shitty ones on the Tempest but the ones from his mother’s coffee maker - fills the air, and when he receives the sweetest of kisses from his boyfriend, he knows that they’ve won.

#allen art week #allen appreciation #dbh hank anderson #dbh connor #dbh connor 60 #allen60 #hankcon #dbh allen #detroit: become human #allenartweek #allenappreciation

5 notes · View notes

menswearmusings · 5 years ago

Text

Support Your Small, Independent Retailers

What everybody is doing to help flatten the curve is the right thing, annoying though it may be. This National Geographic article shows how different cities responded to the 1918 flu pandemic (referenced by this interesting Twitter thread), and it’s fairly clear from the charts: those cities that responded quickly reached the peak more quickly; and if they maintained their closures long enough, the number of new infections continued to decline; some, like Denver, saw resurgences, though. It’s tricky to know when the right time to end these measures is, and I don’t envy anybody in these decision-making positions, since the data is still coming in and making decisions on still-developing information means you’ll get haters no matter what you do.

I bring all this up because another few weeks of “non-essential business” closures is going to wreck a lot of small, independent retailers. Even the seemingly larger, more successful ones—I posted last week about Sid Mashburn’s forthright post about their 20% off sale—stand to lose a lot. The truly small ones, like the ones in your local community, could lose everything.

Everybody is talking about all the different businesses and individuals that will suffer and posting various ways to help them out—bars and bartenders, local restaurants, grocery store workers, you name it. So just add this to your list: If you’re secure in your position and ability to provide for your family, think about your favorite small, independent menswear retailer and make a purchase to help give them that cash.

This new Ring Jacket was tempting me a few weeks ago at my local retailer Haymakers & Co., but given that I already had a winter gun club check jacket and we were very soon heading into warmer weather, it wasn’t a priority. Instead I bought a glorious linen jacket from Spier & Mackay, which I was super amped about. But when Nashville’s non-essential businesses were asked to close two weeks ago, I sent the linen back and bought the Ring Jacket. Spier & Mackay is itself an independent retailer, so I wish I could afford both but right now I cannot! In fact Spier has been running some sales on various product categories (currently shirts and trousers 25% off with code DRESS25), no doubt for the same reason everybody else is. (By the way Haymakers has no e-commerce but if there’s something from a brand you want that they carry—100 Hands, Ring Jacket, Drake’s, for instance—they’ll price match and ship it free; details on this page).

No Man Walks Alone in NYC has been giving a percentage of profits to Meals on Wheels the last two weeks in order to contribute to the needs of those with food insecurity—Greg posted Sunday they’d sent over $7,000 in donations so far over those two weeks, and he intends to keep that program going.

There are lots more, no doubt, so tell me what other independent retailers are you supporting right now? Who else is doing charity work like NMWA? In what ways are you helping individuals, small businesses and others during this unique time? Comment below!

Read more at Menswear Musings

#Coronavirus #covid-19 #independent retail #shop small #small business #small businesses #support local business

8 notes · View notes

daydreamindollie · 5 years ago

Text

p.jm | power couple

pairing: p.jimin x f.reader

summary: Your performance at MAMA catches Jimin by surprise.

length: 1.5k

A/N: This is completely unedited, I'm sorry! Please excuse any grammatical mistakes or anything that doesn't sound right. I'll be sure to come back and edit this in the future, however, I promise you that! Anyway, this was a request of @joyful-jimin I hope you enjoy the read, any feedback (as long as it's constructive) is welcome! Thank you for taking the time to read this!

masterlist

Your favorite sound, other than the voice of your beloved, is the audience's cheers and cries for you. Even before you have fully risen to the stage, their exhilarated incantation of your name shook the structures surrounding you and had you biting back a grin.

From within your chest, your heart pumps exuberantly, driving adrenaline to rush through your veins with a force that almost has your capillaries bursting. It's the best feeling. All ounces of fear and doubt have expelled from your mind; you no longer anticipated failure or disappointment as you leave the responsibility of your routine to muscle memory. For hours, you have worked yourself to exhaustion for this solo performance and you wouldn't even dream of bringing dismay to the fans and people that believed in you.

Most importantly of all, you want to make Jimin proud. He was right beside you, every step of the way, as you choreographed this dance. He was there when you glowed in excitement for the opportunity to prove your worth and was there when you were about to be reduced into sore muscles and brittle bones. When the whole world felt as though it was weighing down on you instead of Atlas, he was there, he was always there and you want to make him proud.

You also have something to prove to those watching you too closely. Now that your relationship with the Park Jimin has been made public, people have associated everything you do with Jimin as if he was the one that made you who you were today when that was not the case. Deep in your heart, all of your love was for Jimin only but it was your own hard work that has led to your success and led to Jimin's fondness of you.

All of the trophies you've won tonight wasn't because of Jimin, it was because of your hard work. Jimin was there to support you and you never undermined that but this stage is yours and everything was choreographed by you. If you let yourself believe that the people who said that Jimin was the only reason for your success, then your relationship would turn toxic very very quickly and you shiver at the thought of that.

Tonight, you were going to prove yourself worthy of your own success and rub it in their face that this was all because of you and nobody else.

In silence and styled in a white ruffled mesh gown, you rose to the stage, your make up peachy but natural-toned to accentuate your already natural beauty. Gasps of the audience were followed by a loud cheer as the music began. You were to dance to your third solo album's title song. The song narrated a love story like that of Romeo and Juliet where the protagonist was born into a status that forbade she ever interact or dare to love the man she couldn't help but fall for.

In the beginning, you focused on elegance and grace, mimicking a ballerina floating on stage. Utilising your elegant but ruffled gown, you further illustrated the ardent sentiment of your protagonist. Every step spoke of your character's unconditional, forbidden love. Your delicate hands made grand demure gestures as your countenance held the glow of love, however, with as the song built up to the climax, an undertone of bitterness and sadness in your expressions grew into a determination to break free of the chains that kept her from the love of her life. Your diffident gesticulations grew bold and exaggerated, reaching a powerful peak and, just as the song reached its crescendo, back up dancers materialised from the shadows, bringing about more lights to add to your spotlight. They tried to hold you back by the ruffles of your dress but you sprang forward, which ripped away your dress to reveal a short black dress that's partially lacy. It clung to your curvy figure as the lace left enough for the imagination to get creative on how the rest of your body looked.

On the screen, people were able to have an eyeful of your outfit before the screen flashed to Jimin's reaction of awe. You hadn't told him anything about a costume change so he was just as surprised as the audience. Jungkook and Taehyung, who sat beside him, started smirking and nudging their elbows into his sides.

"Isn't that your girl, Jimin-ah?~" Jungkook teased as Taehyung chuckled.

"Do you like her in the white dress or the black one, hyung?" Taehyung wriggles his brows suggestively.

"I bet he likes the black one better!"

"AISH! Stop that! I'm gonna miss my Jagi's performance!" he smacks away at them as a blush colours his cheeks a soft pink despite his efforts in not letting their satirising affect him. However, he's sure it was your outfit change that affected him the most.

He wants to cover his face in embarrassment as he didn't want everyone to know how much he liked the costume change. He'll get you for this later. You could've, at least, warned him about it so that he was mentally prepared but no. Jimin didn't turn away or cover his eyes, however, as he knew how hard you worked on this; he knew you'd kill this stage and he doesn't want to miss a single second of it. The crowd's cheers grew even louder after seeing his reaction of you. He's sure that many of them were supporters of your relationship and that made him so happy. It left a good feeling to know that the supporters inundated the negativity of the haters.

He's so proud of you.

Encouraged by the audience's sudden increase of shouts and cheers, you found more energy inside you to finish the song powerfully. Striking a pose as you smiled brightly, sweat dripping from your brow at the heat of the spotlight, waiting for it to fade as you were brought down and the audience's cheering became a soft buzz around you. The adrenaline was still fresh in your veins as you made your way back to your dressing room, ready to gulp down liters of water.

As soon as you closed the door behind you, you were suddenly pulled into an embrace with arms and a warmth that you instantly recognised.

"Jimin!" you squealed with a giggle as he peppers multiple kisses up and down the column of your neck, "Stop that!" you turned your face further away from him, which only gave him more access to your neck for more kisses, eliciting another squeal from you "-'m ticklish!"

"That's what you get for not telling me about that costume change," he huffed with a grin despite the teasing pout you imagined in his voice.

"I'm sorry, okay? Please forgive me," you turned in his arms to wrap your own around his neck and nuzzle into his collar bone, "I just wanted to surprise you...did you like it?" you looked up at him with your big eyes, weakening his knees.

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that..." he hums with a soft smile as he leans in to give you a kiss that you smile happily into.

The day after yet another one of the greatest nights of your life, you go onto social media and find pictures of your costume change and Jimin's reaction beside each other, everywhere. Biting back a smile, you read the title and itch to call your boyfriend.

'OUR FAVOURITE DANCING POWER COUPLE SHARE A MOMENT ON SCREEN IN MAMA'

'DANCING STAR, (Y/N), LEAVES JIMIN FLUSTERED WITH STUNNING ON STAGE COSTUME CHANGE'

Many fans were enthusiastically praising the interaction, creating fanart, fanfiction and conspiring if you had planned the surprise for Jimin or what, video compilations were also being made of different fancams catching Jimin's reactions of your costume change at different angles.

Everyone was so positive about the interaction but there were also many people commending your growth in dancing abilities and drawing further attention to your latest solo album release. It wasn't just the public either, many of your close friends and your old members were messaging you, congratulating you on such a good night and fangirling over the interaction that you and Jimin had that night.

Just as you think your heart is about to burst with happiness, Jimin starts calling you, "Hey baby," he coos, "I hope you don't mind me calling you so early in the morning but...can you please open the door?"

"Why are you here?" you grin as soon as you open the door, dressed in one of his oversized shirts and just your panties, "not that I'm complaining," you giggle as he scoops you up into his arms and nuzzles his nose into your neck affectionately before kicking the door closed behind him and walking to your bedroom.

"I want to personally congratulate you on last night's performance," his voice was still sweet but had an undertone of something that you couldn't quite place. It wasn't until you looked up and stared into his dark eyes that you realised the true meaning behind his words.

#jimin x reader #jimin x idol reader #BTS request #bts one shot #bts x reader

12 notes · View notes

jonathantaylorthomas · 5 years ago

Text

18. London Boy

There are plenty of heavy moments on Lover, but "London Boy" bursts with cheeky joy, an homage to a transatlantic romance with a Idris Elba/James Corden snippet at the top and lines like “You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby” to prove Swift’s U.K. bona fides. “London Boy” is knowingly silly, and while it never quite pulls off its premise, it’s also entertaining enough as an indulgence on the track list.

17. ME!, feat. Brendon Urie

With or without the “Spelling is fun!” line, the lead single of Lover now sounds fairly removed from the album’s general tone, especially considering how prominently Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie is featured as a duet partner. Toss on “ME!” when you need a blast of kid-friendly euphoria.

16. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

With cheerleader chants punctuating her despair, Swift grasps at straws and a fractured U.S. reality: “American glory, faded before me, now I’m feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress,” she sings as the percussion lurches forward ominously. “Miss Americana” and its political subtext makes for the album’s most ambitious moment, and while the result isn’t quite pristine, it’s a fascinating pose for Swift to try and hit.

15. I Think He Knows

“I Think He Knows” finds Swift reaching into her bag of tricks and grabbing everything that will result in giddy fun, from pre-chorus rapping to sexual overtones to a falsetto-driven chorus to whiffs of funkiness. “Hand on my thigh/ We could follow the sparks, I’ll drive,” she declares with an alluring wink, pulling off the song’s primary objective.

14. I Forgot That You Existed

Feeling “in my feelings more than Drake” on the album opener, Swift spends the intro track shrugging off -- and literally giggling at -- her haters. The minimal, elastic production reinforces the playful mood and allows Swift’s personality to shine through.

13. Afterglow

“Why’d I have to break what I love so much,” Swift laments, as the drums widen and “Afterglow” barrels toward an epic chorus that echoes the most shimmering moments of 1989. Swift’s vocal take conveys an urgency that juxtaposes the sumptuous production, on a song that doesn’t bloom at first but arrests the listener after a few listens.

12. The Man

This biting look at gender dynamics within both the pop industry and celebrity-driven culture scores points for its wry humor and honest perspective; it’s also just a complete jam, with Joel Little co-writing another song with a rumbling beat and crackling synths. “The Man” will draw attention for its searing subject matter, but it’s also one of Lover’s most complete productions.

11. Paper Rings

Antonoff’s fingerprints are all over tambourine-shaker, which kicks off with the line “The moon is high, like your friends were the night that we first met” and races through a happy-go-lucky bubblegum vibe from there. With an electric guitar snaking through and a showy hook, “Paper Rings” is going to be an absolute blast on Swift’s next tour.

10. The Archer

“I’ve been the archer, I’ve been the prey,” Swift sings, referencing romantic ordeals but also nodding to the times in her public life that she’s been the target of derision, and other times where she’s had to strike back. Distant and melancholy, “The Archer” sounds even more effective in the context of the full-length.

9. Death by a Thousand Cuts

Swift sounds defeated as voices echo, bits of production whir around her and she shrugs during this aching breakup song “I get drunk, but it’s not enough.” Standard post-relationship fare for Swift, although there is a notable level of maturity -- even jadedness -- injected into lines like, “My heart, my hips, my body, my love/ Trying to find a part of me that you didn’t touch.”

8. Cornelia Street

Projecting a tiny moment of compassion onto a wide screen, Swift creates a classic story-song and allows her vulnerabilities to breathe. “Cornelia Street” peaks when the production drops out and the song morphs into a momentary piano ballad, creating one of the album’s most powerful moments.

7. You Need to Calm Down

Can we collectively admit that “You Need To Calm Down” is a knockout Taylor Swift single? Although some of the pro-LGBTQ lyrics feel like overreaching, the intent is pure and the words are meaningful; meanwhile, the hook packs a wallop, and the song title has already entered the cultural lexicon.

6. Soon You’ll Get Better, feat. Dixie Chicks

Intimate and blindingly sorrowful, “Soon You’ll Get Better” meditates on sickness by describing the shards of reality around it, from the harsh light of a doctor’s office to the feelings of selfishness that inevitably come with prolonged grief. The Dixie Chicks help with harmonies in a nifty bit of country-pop synergy, but this song is so personal it almost feels like eavesdropping to listen to it.

5. Lover

The title track is true to its name, all wide-eyed romance in a bewitching waltz buoyed by guitar strums. As a pre-release track, “Lover” is significantly different than singles like “ME!” and “You Need to Calm Down,” but its attention to detail and confidently expressed emotion recalls some of the early highlights of Swift’s career.

4. It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Distant harmonies, steel drums, vocals from the Regent Park School of Music and a story of the way simple gestures and schoolyard infatuations can morph into everlasting bonds mark one of the most original songs in Swift’s entire catalog. Short and sweet, “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” could potentially unlock new avenues for Swift as a songwriter moving forward; for now, it’s a poignant reminder of what she can accomplish as a writer.

3. False God

A Taylor Swift slow jam? Yes, please. This sultry faux-R&B track features saxophone blasts, pinpoint lyrical passages and an absolutely killer beat drop near the midway point. “False God” feels like both new territory for Swift and a major mood; keep this on repeat, because it’ll go down smooth every time.

2. Cruel Summer

With Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, providing a co-write and some guitar work, this standout is constructed around a massive, dreamy chorus that Swift handles expertly. “I’m drunk in the back of the car, and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar,” she declares on a provocative bridge that recalls “Out of the Woods,” another Jack Antonoff co-production.

1. Daylight

A grand finale that encapsulates much of what precedes it, “Daylight” is overpowering as a self-referential coda (“I once believed love would be burning red/ But it’s golden, like daylight,” she sings) and an exaltation to the healing power of love. Although there are strands of “Daylight” throughout Lover, this is one of the most successful instances of Swift’s maximalist pop sound to date.

30 notes · View notes

makistar2018 · 5 years ago

Link

Every Song Ranked on Taylor Swift's 'Lover': Critic's Picks

8/23/2019 by Jason Lipshutz

First thing’s first: Taylor Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover, is 18 tracks long, and none of the tracks are bad. It’s a testament not only to Swift’s skill as a songwriter and curator of different sonic approaches, but of the album’s ability to avoid huge missteps, or even slow stretches.

Upon its release, Swift fans have been exploring the long-awaited new full-length and deciding on which songs are their favorites. We offer our own humble opinion in this practice.

18. London Boy

17. ME!, feat. Brendon Urie

16. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

15. I Think He Knows

14. I Forgot That You Existed

13. Afterglow

12. The Man

11. Paper Rings

10. The Archer

9. Death by a Thousand Cuts

8. Cornelia Street

7. You Need to Calm Down

6. Soon You’ll Get Better, feat. Dixie Chicks

5. Lover

4. It’s Nice to Have a Friend

3. False God

2. Cruel Summer

1. Daylight

Billboard

#taylor swift #lover #ts7 #billboard #review #2019.08.23

2 notes · View notes

filmaficionerdo · 6 years ago

Text

Best Films of 2018

2018 was not the year for prestige pictures by a long shot. Film this year was at its best when it came to superhero movies, and as much as I prefer those over most any other entertainment, that shouldn’t be the case, and that’s not what got me into film in the first place. As happy as I am to see my favorite comic book characters come to life, I got into film because of daring, bold, and outspoken artists who didn’t need a franchise to speak their minds. Too many mid-range films went to Netflix or other streaming services and they’re mostly of poor quality with a few exceptions. I miss the days when film studios took risks, but now they only look for the largest IP with the largest net-profits. It’s sad. I love Marvel movies more than anyone I know but they shouldn’t be the only reason I look forward to going to the theater. But this year also sparked a personal change for me because I moved away from the movie mecca of Hollywood to mid-Michigan, where there aren’t any arthouse theaters nearby during peak awards season so I missed more films than I would’ve liked (even though it’s been the most emotionally rewarding experience I’ve ever had) so I hope that helps explain why this list is so late. I’ve been catching up on independent films via online rentals as soon as I can and still have many left unseen. So maybe I missed something during 2018, but I can’t help but be letdown by the lack of inspiration I look to when I try to experience the medium I’m most passionate about. With that being said, I was still able to conjure a list of my favorite 25 films of the year. So, here goes:

25. Halloween

This was way better than I would’ve expected, especially coming from the guys who brought us Your Highness. Director David Gordon Green and writer Danny (Eastbound & Down) McBride delivered the first worthy Halloween sequel that’s ever existed. Their updated and timely subversion elevated this homage-y sequel while adding more fun than this franchise has ever seen. John Carpenter’s contribution and the opening credits sequence hit hard with me.

24. Ready Player One

Haters be damned, I really enjoyed this movie. Of course, I never read the book so that discredits me somewhat but what I got was a rousing Spielbergian experience that we haven’t witnessed since Minority Report. If you hate this movie, but you loved Hook, there’s something fundamentally wrong with what you think a Spielberg movie is supposed to be about. Ready Player One was a toybox of fun ideas and intellectual properties sewn together for a generation hung up on video games and nostalgia. It’s definitely not his best but I love seeing a veteran director who still has the ability to dust off his old toys and make pretend. The Shining sequence was an absolute standout of appreciation and love for another director’s craft.

23. Sorry to Bother You

Boots Riley’s debut was strong and weird as hell. This felt like Spike Lee meets David Cronenberg. It’s funny, nuanced, and insightful. Riley’s new voice was energetic and angry in the best way. I saw this later in the year than I wanted to, but I have a feeling that repeat viewings will enhance this films relevance and my appreciation.

22. You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay is one of the best and most unpredictable working directors today. I always look forward to her work, but this semi-Taxi Driver remake was remarkably accessible for her and more powerful than it had any right to be. If you haven’t seen it, seek it out. It’s a crisp 88 minutes long and it’s riveting as well as heartbreaking. There was a uniqueness to the short runtime, violence, and poignant urgency that she handled with deftness. Joauquin Phoenix was remarkable, brute, and subtle all at once.

21. Ant-Man & The Wasp

Go ahead and agree that this wasn’t the strongest Marvel output in a while, but just like the previous Ant-Man, it’s a palette cleanser from a previous Avengers film. Ant-Man & The Wasp is maybe the most child friendly film they’ve ever released and it was still enjoyable as hell. It’s not important. It’s simple fun. And I love that Marvel still knows how to craft something that doesn’t want or need to reach for the fences. Sometimes an inside the field hit is just what we need. Ant-Man & The Wasp is a damn good bunt.

20. The Incredibles 2

Now that I hang out with a toddler on the reg, watching this movie never gets boring. I’d know, because she’s watched it with me five times. Incredibles 2 was long overdue and it’s maybe not quite so worthy of such a long wait considering the original was my favorite film of 2004, but its sequel was still full of exceptional animation. That sequence with Jack Jack and the raccoon still fills me with joy.

19. A Star is Born

Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut was surprisingly strong. Filming everything in close-ups was an intimate and innovative way to express a rising star’s personal journey to stardom. Even though we can all agree that the first half of the film is vastly superior to the tear-turkey-jerky second half, it’s still an important film and a worthy update of a timeless classic. The music, performances, cinematography, and sound are all exceptional.

18. BlacKkKlansman

Spike Lee felt reborn with BlacKkKlansman. Do The Right Thing will always be one of the all time greatest films; no question. BlacKkKlansman might be his best since. John David Washington just established himself as a commanding lead, and Adam Driver further cemented himself as a phenomenal actor. The poetic-ness combined with the satirical edginess made this one significantly heartbreaking watch while being entertaining and iconic all at the same time.

17. The Death of Stalin

I saw The Death of Stalin early in 2018 and it never left me. Writer/Director Armando Iannucci is a certifiable genius and the controversial nature of a film like this was one of the most refreshing voices of the year. This is one of the darkest political satires I’ve ever seen but it’s so goddamn funny. Laughing at something so atrocious and maddening is one of the only ways we, as a society, can heal from dark times in history. I fully believe it takes the power away from the people who committed such heinous crimes. It takes time and a brilliant voice, but it holds a mirror to the ridiculousness we’re currently subjected to, and hopefully with time, we can make fun of our situation too.

16. Leave No Trace

Debra Granik finally followed up her outstanding Winter’s Bone debut and she did not suffer from the sophomore slump that so many other filmmakers have. Leave No Trace is the saddest love letter to veterans that I’ve ever seen even though it’s beautiful and full of hope. Granik definitely should’ve gotten a Best Director nomination this year for her delicate and heartfelt look at a father struggling with PTSD while living with his daughter in the woods, away from society. Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie are stunning. This film stayed with me for weeks after I watched it. It’s a small but hugely important film.

15. Annihilation

Alex Garland previously made his directorial debut with Ex Machina after an incredible script writing filmography. He’s established himself as one of the smartest and most important voices in science fiction cinema after Annihilation. This is a heady sci fi film that scared the shit out of me. I felt uneasy the second the group of women walked into The Shimmer. Garland adapted the book it’s based on after only reading the book once, but he created something so frighteningly ethereal that it’ll be talked about for years. The score for this was off the charts good. Going from an acoustic instrumental to something electronic was what struck me the most as a stroke of genius.

14. Shoplifters

For a film I saw so recently, very few films this year have had such an emotional impact on me. Shoplifters is a small “family” film from Korean director Hirokazu Kore-eda, but it packs a punch that I wasn’t expecting. All I knew was that critics loved it and it was up for a Best Foreign Language Oscar. It’s a powerhouse of social status and what it means to be a family that defies language and cultural relevance.

13. First Man

First Man hit me hard on a personal level. I’d sort of written off Damien Chazelle as a director after La La Land underwhelmed me so much, but this film reinvigorated my appreciation in him because the filmmaking here was profoundly beautiful. The acting is impeccable. The cinematography was breathtaking. Seeing this in IMAX (as my last film in LA) was a jaw-dropping cry-fest. I left the theater shook. I doubt this film will shake as many as it did me, especially if you missed it in IMAX, but this was the theater experience of the year. At least recognize that Justin Hurwitz’s musical score was the most overlooked snub at this years Academy Awards.

12. Suspiria

This was another film I’d sorely missed in theaters, but when I finally got a chance to witness it I was blown away. Luca Guadaninio’s follow-up to my favorite film of last year, Call Me By Your Name, was a worthy successor. This was less a horror film, and more of an art-house homage to Dario Argento’s original 70s classic. It’s still a haunting film, but in a beautifully macabre way. Thom Yorke’s score is absolutely outstanding, as well as the subversively drab look, completely deviating from the originals color saturated visual palette. It’s a film that has to be watched more than once. Even though it’s 2.5 hours long, I was completely transfixed the entire time. It’ll depend on your mood or taste, but if you enjoy artistic, visual, and auditory enhanced horror, Suspiria is among the best.

11. Mandy

Throw up the horns. Mandy is here. Pasmos Cosmatos cerebral horror film is full of the best revenge porn I’ve ever seen. Nicolas Cage is unhinged (as he should be) in his best performance in ages. He’s the Cage we’ve been dreaming of since the 90s. The first half of this film belongs to Andrea Riseborough and underrated character actor Linus Roache, but the second half is all Rage Cage in full gory glory. Mandy is a film unlike anything you’ve ever seen, but yet somehow it’s still completely accessible. The title cards for each chapter are something straight out of a Heavy Metal comic book, and the hauntingly beautiful score by the late-genius Jóhann Jóhannsson is simply gorgeous. Mandy is a film meant to be laughed at and with. It’s a fever-dream of ideas that work brilliantly as a whole. It’s a hard one to recommend but if you know, you know.

10. Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham just burst onto the directorial scene with this film about the awkwardness of being a thirteen year old girl. Not something you’d expect from a male standup comedian in times like these, especially when it’s handled so delicately and with so much heart, but it feels so important to young kids who’ve been thrown into subjectivity amongst their peers within the digital age. Eighth Grade can, at times, make you so uncomfortable, and at other times it’ll completely tear your heart out and make you want to hug your dad. I know, because I saw it in the theater with my dad. He was like, you’re still the eighth grade girl you’ve always been. Thanks, dad.

9. Aquaman

I know there isn’t a ton of hate for this film, but there isn’t a ton of high praise for it either. Aquaman was exactly the film James Wan set out to make. It’s one of the most comic book-y films since Age of Ultron except it’s dumb as hell, and for that, I absolutely LOVED it. This was a throwback comic book film ripped from the pages that was corny as hell and never took itself too seriously. Aquaman is a damn hard character to adapt so it’s unbelievable that he got this big of a budget that included over-the-top actors like Willem Dafoe and Dolph Lundgren. Patrick Wilson chews the scenery as Ocean Master and I don’t give a damn what people think of Black Manta; he’s completely awesome. You could’ve easily cut this film down, but I was happy to live in its oceanic cheesball world for hours. Aquaman was the comic book movie of the year that was as ridiculous as it was awesome. I laughed so hard at how stupid it could be, but I couldn’t help but be entertained by how insane it was.

8. Mission: Impossible Fallout

I don’t know how these films keep getting better, but they do. This was THE action film of 2018. As much as I love Fast & Furious 5-7, Mission: Impossible 4-6 has been the best run of a long running action franchise ever. Fallout brought one of the best villains yet in a story that barely makes sense, but I couldn’t care less. This film was big in that edge-of-your-seat way that rarely comes along. Thrilling doesn’t begin to describe it. The IMAX presentation was fantastic. I live for movies like this. It harkens back to 80s and 90s action films but presents itself for a whole new era of practical effects extravaganza. It’s the best action film since Mad Max: Fury Road.

7. Black Panther

There are a lot of people questioning this film’s entry as a Best Picture Nominee, but it absolutely deserves all of the recognition it’s getting. Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther is both culturally and politically significant as it is cinematically. This film is a culmination of what Marvel has been growing to. The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t simply about story progression, it’s about cultural progression. These films represent societal beacons of the times we live in through decades old comic book prisms. The lore and spirit of the comics are still present, as well as relevant, and the socio-political themes have been injected into them effortlessly.

A character like Black Panther can be a leader of change within his own cinematic universe. Marvel’s created something that transcends blockbuster cinema. Black Panther is now an icon of cultural appreciation that can inspire real change in the real world. He’s an optimistic embodiment of what we should strive to achieve as a society. We should share with the world our hope for change. Comic Book’s have never been so relevant. Black Panther has never been so important.

6. Roma

Director Alfonso Cuarón’s intimate portrayal of life as a housemaid was one of the most vibrantly affecting films I’ve ever seen. Every single shot wasn’t just a landscape; it was a mural. I’ve never seen direction take this angle and provide so much while saying so little. Some people might’ve felt emotionally disconnected from his style but Cuarón’s masterful direction captivated me like very few films this year had. There are multiple layers to his visual representation that effect more of what’s seen than what’s said. It’s not an easy watch and perhaps that’s part of why it was released by Netflix. Unfortunately, I had to watch this at home instead of in theaters, but I still felt the impact of the themes and presentation. It’s one of the few Best Picture nominees that truly belong in the category that’ll stand the test of time.

5. Paddington 2

This was one of the earliest releases of 2018 and it never escaped my mind throughout the year. Paddington 2 advances upon the original’s tone to encapsulate something that is pure joy. Paul King directed the bejeezus out of this movie. I felt like I was watching Wes Anderson meets Harry Potter. I saw Paddington 2 in theaters with just one mother and daughter couple and it never felt weird. The only thing that’s weird is that more people haven’t seen this film. I had a smile from ear to ear the entire time. This movie is magic. Like the Harry Potter films, all of the best British actors are present, and Hugh Grand and Brendon Gleeson give their best performances in years, if not ever. Hugh Grant should’ve been nominated for Best Supporting Actor. If you haven’t seen this hidden gem yet, do your soul a favor and seek it out immediately.

4. The Favourite

Yorgos Lanthimos is on a roll. This nutty Greek director began his career with the insane film, Dogtooth, and hasn’t let up since. But he’s also learned and built from his previous work. What started as something of a cultish followed career has expanded into prestigious and innovative filmmaking. I’d nearly missed this film in theaters until I drove across the state to see this with my parents in Ann Arbor, and although it might be one of the worst movies to see with your parental units, we all could agree that this was a uniquely hilarious and thought-provoking experience. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think because I was too busy trying to avoid talking to my mom and dad about Emma Stone jerking somebody off, but The Favourite stayed with me for weeks and I loved dissecting all of its themes and nuances. The Favourite is both entertaining and timely. It’s another one of the films this year that absolutely belong with (and should’ve won) the Best Picture nominations.

3. Widows

Steve McQueen’s Widows was vastly underseen and underrated. Here’s a director who usually only does vague, cerebral drama, but working with Gillian Flynn as a screenwriter adapting Lynda LaPlante’s 1983 novel about wives finishing the heist their husbands failed to complete before their untimely deaths, is about as pulpy and as timely as you can get. There are a lot of stories woven into Widows epic crime saga and some critics have faulted the film’s narrative for it, but look at Heat; one of the most prolific crime sagas of all time, which has more subplots than you could imagine, yet it’s still widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. Widows is the best film of its kind since Heat in 1995. It still carries the acting heavyweights and still compelled me more than nearly any other film in 2018.

2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Into the Spider-Verse is one of the few films in 2018 that has the power to influence cinema for the future. Not only is it extraordinarily entertaining, but it’s also innovative in terms of style and theme. No other film in 2018 was this inventive and groundbreaking. I was definitely excited to see this as a lifelong Spider-Man fan, but based on Sony’s mishandling of the character for years, it had me extremely cautious. Thanks to Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s impeccable screenplay, I got more than the Spider-Man I’ve always wanted to see. This is a Spider-Man for a new generation. He’s not my Spider-Man, he never was. This film is for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. The cell-shaded animation and soundtrack elevated this film into bonafide classic territory. I couldn’t even comprehend it after I first saw it, because I wasn’t ready for something so new. Months after I watched this film, I could not stop thinking about it. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is so nerdy for the fans and so accessible to the newcomers. It feels like I’m living in an alternate universe where good movies in 2018 DO exist.

1. Avengers: Infinity War

The *Snap* heard ‘round the World...

Marvel has a good history of taking formulas from other genres and using them as a framing device for their superhero films; political thrillers, space operas, video games, heist films are all borrowed ideas that helped them keep the superhero genre from feeling stale. Avengers: Infinity War is Marvel’s fantasy epic. This is the Lord of the Rings of the MCU. The result is legendary. The Russo Bros. looked at their massive roster of heroes, who audiences have come to deeply care for over ten years, and came up with a way to tell one cohesive world-ending story centered around one villain; the mad titan, Thanos. They looked at Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, and they saw how well those were balanced, and they applied it to a superhero film. It’s unbelievably well executed. The big reason Infinity War works so cosmically well is Josh Brolin’s portrayal of Thanos. We couldn’t get behind another world-ending event in these movies unless we believed and understood the villain that was behind it all. Brolin gave Thanos both menace and pathos. From the moment the movie starts, the stakes feel real. None of the characters are safe because we believe Thanos is capable of anything from the very beginning. There aren’t many epics where we spend this much time with the villain. Thankfully, Marvel knows we already care about the heroes, so after building up a ten year rapport between audiences and protagonists it was finally time to focus on the Big Cheese who’s behind all the conflict. This movie is so comic book/fantasy it’s ridiculous. I loved every second of it and could not wipe the smile off my face nor the tears from my eyes. I felt like my ten year old self, alone and engrossed in the most epic comic book I’ve ever read. I was shaken when I left the theater. I turned around and watched it again just 30 minutes after my first viewing, and I couldn’t believe how captivated I was the second time, third time, forth viewing, fifth, sixth, and so on... Nothing could’ve prepared me for this film and I’m so thankful it exists.

6 notes · View notes

music-my-angel · 6 years ago

Text

Worse than bullying

Prompt - Can you do one where the boys are still in school (Luke and Jai around 14-15 years old) and Jai’s getting bullied really badly? One night he gets a text from one of the bullies that’s saying he’s worthless or something like that. Jai leaves to clear his head but he gets cornered by someone (bullies or just random thugs) and they rape him. Then he gets home and tries to kill himself but Luke saves him and holds him and promises to protect him? My birthday is May 29th btw xx

Prompt - My birthday is April 20th. Can you write a Janoskians fic where Jai runs into haters on the street and they beat him up or rape him or try to kill him, anything bad, and Luke finds him and is really really protective over him. Beau’s mad and wants to kill whoever did it but is also extremely protective of Jai. Lots of cute brotherly love. And Daniel gets protective too cause he’s like their brother too lol sorry for such a long prompt!

——

Warning: Non-consensual rape

——

Jai knew that he should probably tell his siblings about getting bullied at school but he didn’t want to trouble his siblings. Jai knew that if Luke knew about his younger twin knew about this bullying issue, he would have helped but he was always scared that the bullies might pick on Luke so he never told Luke anything. If Beau knew about this then he certainly would have helped Jai out but Jai didn’t want to trouble his big brother since he was busy with the Janoskians’ stuffs. He didn’t even tell Daniel about it. And it all played against him.

------

Jai was getting bullied for long now but ever since the Janoskians got popular, he found himself being a very easy target for the bullies. He often thought about dropping out of school because of the constant bullying but Beau was adamant that Luke and Jai finish their education no matter what. It gave his bullies loads of opportunities to pick on him while Jai tried his best to just ignore them.

His bullies didn’t need a reason to bully him. Sometimes they’d call him an attention seeker as he was part of a band, sometimes they’d call him worthless and tell him that he wasn’t worthy of being famous or having fans. Sometimes it felt that they were just jealous while they were times where Jai was a bit wary of their real intentions.

But whatever their reasons were, the bullies didn’t allow Jai even a moment of peace.

------

As he didn’t rely on his brothers or friends, Jai often had to deal with the bullies by himself. Like on one Sunday evening, he found his phone buzzing with a message from his bullies.

Preston – ‘You worthless piece of shit!’

Ivan – ‘Are you coming to school tomorrow pretty boy? Feel like bruising that pretty face of yours’

Jai sighed at the messages and looked up to see Daniel frowning.

“Put away your phone and concentrate here” Daniel scolded the boy.

“Sorry” Jai mumbled, sheepishly.

Jai got back to filming the video before asking if he could go for a walk to clear his head.

“Don’t go too far” Beau said, leaning over to ruffle Jai’s hair.

Luke raised an eyebrow at Jai, feeling a bit anxious for no reason as he watched the boy leave.

------

Jai didn’t mean to go too far. He was just wandering around when suddenly he felt a hand over his mouth and somebody else pushing him to an alley.

“Let me go! Preston?” Jai shouted as soon as the hand was removed and then he recognized one of his bullies.

“Aww, he recognizes us! How sweet? But after we’re done with you nobody will recognize you” Preston laughed.

Jai could barely say a word before the punches and the kicks started. Preston was mainly the one who was hitting him. When he was done with Jai, he took a step back, patting Ivan’s back and laughing loudly.

Jai thought there couldn’t be worse than what Preston had did to him but Ivan was going to do worse than even that.

------

“No! No” Jai shouted once he saw Ivan open his fly before pulling Jai’s jeans down.

He could hardly fight the much stronger Ivan and could only cry his heart out as he felt Ivan roughly shove himself in him.

Jai thought that this nightmare was never going to be over when suddenly he heard a familiar shout of his name.

Then Preston was shouting at Ivan, “Shit! His twin is coming. Let’s go Ivan.”

Preston and Ivan ran away when Luke approached.

Taking in the scene in front of him, Luke gasped in horror but Jai mistook his horror for disgust.

Who wouldn’t be disgusted, Jai thought!

------

Luke didn’t really know what to do. He had told Beau that he was going out to see Jai and after walking for quite long, he found one of his schoolmates in alley and when he looked closer, he saw another one of his schoolmates sprawled onto another one. And the other one happened to be his own brother.

Taking a good look over the boy, Luke could guess what had happened. He helped Jai up, got a cab and got the boy back home.

As soon as they reached home, Jai ran up, rather painfully to his room, leaving a confused Daniel and a worried Beau behind.

“What happened to him?” Daniel asked.

Luke took a deep breath before recounting the horror that his younger twin had just lived.

Daniel and Beau’s expression went from confused and worried to pure horror and anger.

------

Beau ran up to Jai’s room in anger and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Jai sitting in the bathroom with a knife to his wrist.

“Jai, what the hell are you doing?” Beau shouted.

“Don’t touch me… I feel dirty!” Jai sobbed.

“Jai, can you put the knife down and then we talk.” Daniel suggested.

“Jai, you’re not dirty. The ones who did this to you are the dirty ones, buddy.” Luke tried to explain to Jai.

“No, it’s my fault. They were bullying me for long. They were right. I’m worthless” Jai cried.

“No, you’re not buddy.” Beau said, crouching down in front of the boy, “Did you ask them to bully you? Did you ask that guy to rape you? Did you consent for it?”

As he kept the boy engaged in a conversation, Luke inched forward and tugged the knife out of Jai’s hands.

Sighing, they tackled the boy in a hug.

“I’m going to take care of this, Jai. You don’t worry about a thing buddy. I’m going to talk to the school and right now you’re coming with me to the hospital” Beau mumbled.

Jai simply nodded, burying his face in Beau’s shoulder.

He could count on the boys to help him out.

------

They got Jai to the hospital before lodging a formal complaint against those bullies. Jai refused to even peak out of Beau’s shoulder and maybe it was a good thing as he drew comfort from his big brother and his big brother managed to keep his calm though he felt like murdering those two guys. Luke clung to Jai throughout the process, trying to provide some calm to his younger twin while Daniel acted as a protector, watching over his best friends. They promised to protect the younger one from any further trouble.

------

A/N

Hope you all like it.

#janoskians #oneshot #jai centric #luke #beau #daniel #warning: non-consensual rape

16 notes · View notes