#realized 10 min later that i used the word “wish” and am once again getting hit by the celestic-lake guardian trio naming themes so hard

[dittydipity]

going INSANE. what is he thinking. why did he say this. why does he do all of this. i am thinking so hard.

we know he's seeking arceus to recreate the world bc in his eyes the world is cruel and unjust and it needs to be destroyed and remade. he's set himself on a mission to create the better reality he's envisioned for his whole life.

but everything else he does. the way he spends his time on pasio making people smile with togepi. even if he justifies it as something purely transactional to get more customers, we know he doesn't really take his merchant job seriously. the way he loves his pokemon so much that they will pop out of their pokeball to excitedly tell whoever will listen how much they love volo back. him trying to capture these moments of happiness tangibly because they never last long and can be wiped away any second.

he still hangs onto hope so much despite what's implied to have happened to him. in spite of all the anger and bitterness that's festered in him, he doesn't really want to destroy everything as he says.

it all started with a wish for the world to be a better place, for the good in the world to outweigh all the cruelty. he's still trying to spread what happiness he can.

but at the same time his past drags behind him and reminds him that he can't afford to trust in the goodness of the world.

that self-assigned mission to usurp arceus's power and rewrite everything.. to him, it's his duty now. he has to do it for himself and, as he rationalizes to himself, for the world.

so he ignores the flaws and holes he finds in his own reasoning. he can't help but seek out the brightness and happiness and goodness that does exist in the world, yet he has to dismiss it to justify his goals.

... all this to try and explain to myself why volo's asking all these questions and making all these comments that seem to go against what we'd expect given his ulterior motive and plans. and it's like he's asking the few friends he has to remember him as the one who seeks joy, even when he does the worst to fulfill his dreams

[yehet-me-up]

Content Tag Game

Tagged by EXO sister-wife Kat @yeoldontknow​ <3 1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

3. how long have you been writing? on this blog?

uhhh I definitely wrote half of several harry potter and lotr fanfics in HS but that was ‘the dark times’ many moons ago. so as an adult this is my only fandom! just stumbled into kpop and stumbled onto fanfics in the most backwards way possible (was sent a meme of a 1D ‘imagine’ and was like hey I wonder if they have these for kpop and then I found them and they were not a meme, but were fucking incredible AND NOW 4 YEARS LATER (started August-ish 2017???) here we are hahaha)

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

oh dear god i just remembered I have an AO3 account..... WHOOPS, shit 😅 might need to, y’know, update that at some point. jfc adhd object permanence is something else.

5. what is your favorite genre to write?

Personally it’s sci fi/fantasy, but here in the fanfic space I’d say..... uhh slice of life, romance, angst but make it a happy ending?? fanfic is a way for me to share all the sort romantic hopeful feelings I have about love and life and friendship and purpose 💕

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

Used to be a pantser when I started this (and when fics used to be like ?? 3k-5k) now that fics in general are longer for one-shots and series my good lord I need an outline. Especially for exo mall which is *insert meme of crazy guy with the bulletin board* a lot for my brain haha

7. one shot or multi-chapter?

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

I’d say mine are usually 5k or so?? some series were shorter per chapter, depending on subject matter. I tend to write like... interconnected long as frick oneshots, so i don’t count those as chapters ☠️

9. what is your longest published story? is it complete?

uhhhhh good question haha. my book was 95k and I think exo mall is like *dammit math* 140k or something that has significantly gotten out of hand. I have two more fics so it will probably be like 180ish when it’s done?? not including the drabbles to come haha 

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

I loved No Quarter and torturing Kat with her husband, also staying up all night to finish Chanyeol’s exo mall knowing kat had NO idea it was coming was a BLAST. Kyungsoo’s exo mall was one of the most ‘in the flow’ writing experiences i’ve ever had. I wrote this Baek oneshot at like 3am when i couldn’t sleep once and tbh it felt like I wrote it in a dream. ja;slkfjasd I love so many of these this is like a trip down memory lane, so I’m going to be a wh*re and say two more haha.  This is the most honest and close to ‘real life’ thing I think I’ve written on here (and also one of the only sex scenes I didn’t lose my goddamned mind trying to write a;sldkfja;sdf). And lastly Ablaze, which was the longest thing I’d written (I think) and let me know that hey? maybe I could write a book someday <3

11. favorite request you’ve have written and why (if any?)

This request for Exo Mall Baek was such a joy to write! And for some reason this Taeyong drabble makes me wish I had the time/energy to write it into a full story, it gripped me so much when I wrote it, like a movie had fully downloaded into my brain out of nowhere.

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

For sure! I’d say found family is a big one. Trusting that you’ll find your place even if things don’t make sense or you feel unsure. Believing that love is worth the risk and fear of trusting someone ;laksjdfal;sd. That love can be big gestures and super intense, but that after that fades away it’s the small daily moments that matter most - the people who stay and listen when you’re sad, holding hands and forehead kisses, taking care of people when they’re sick or scared or just need company, showing up to try again or to communicate even when things are hard. 

Someone commented on a fic of mine ages ago that I helped them see that real love (of that small, daily, consistent kind) is possible and MAYHAPS I cried because underneath it all, that’s what I’d want people to take away - that love of all kinds is scary, but it’s always worth it in the end <3

13. current number of wips?

Surprisingly just ... 3? wow how time has changed hahaha. I have Jun + Baek for exo mall (plus some drabbles but that will be something people write in about, so I wouldn’t consider them wips) and then I maaaaay continute on here with the Jun + Min regency baes series. We shall see :)

14. three things you have noticed about your own writing?

1. I can’t NOT write Baekhyun as the biggest cheesy dork in the entire world 2. That I’ll always have endless fantasy world to live in. I have to try actively to not start new WIPs because it’s so damn easy to be inspired. If I’m ever bored I know that I can jump into some story and let myself be carried away for a while 3. that who and how i am in real life is not usually the same person that i am when it comes to the vibe of my writing, and that that’s totally okay <3

15. a quote you like from a published story.

“I wish it had been with someone like you, though,” you say, squeezing his hand.

“Someone like me?” he says, raising his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

You look down at the floor, trying to figure out how to put how he makes you feel into words. “Yeah, someone strong, and steady. And safe.”

He lets out a laugh. “Safe? That sounds awfully similar to boring.”

“No, no. You don’t understand,” you say emphatically, coming to stand fully in front of him, grabbing his other hand as well. “You never ask me to be anything but who I am. You’re patient, kind, caring. For the longest time I thought that falling in love would be stifling. That it would… I don’t know, take my independence. Take my spirit. Make me into someone I don’t recognize.”

You step closer, holding his face in your hands. “But I can’t think of anything I want more than to be with you. You make me the best version of who I am. I don’t know how it is for you, being with me. But when I’m with you, it just feels like… home,” you finish gently.

- from Kyungsoo’s exo mall because THIS is how I feel about falling in love now, and this story was me working out what I believed about the process (like a goddamned emo bish haha)

16. a quote from an unpublished story.

For a moment you allow yourself this weakness. It won't destroy you to admire the strong lines of his body, the intensity and focus in the set of his brows, the deep, warm color brown of his eyes as they - oh lord, he's looking directly at you. As he notices you watching him his lips press into a small smile, inclining his head towards you.

'Oh no,' you say, mortified. In a breath you've blinked and drawn your arm through Maggie's, weaving your way through the crowd and dragging her with you.

'What's wrong?' she hisses in your ear, slightly off-kilter from the drink and revelry. 'You're going to tear my arm off.’.

'Sorry, he -' With a hand you push through the front doors, gulping in the cool night air and breathing deeply to steady the erratic pace of your heartbeat. 'Maggie, what's happening to me? He looked at me and I felt so... naked. I can't explain it.'

She realizes you aren't in actual distress and laughs. 'Good. About time you fell in love. I'm delighted.'

- From perhaps a future chapter of Jun and Min regency baes series....

17. space for you to say something to your readers.

Thank you so much. Truly, from the bottom of my heart. This fandom brought writing back into my life after such a long time away and I had no idea I would love it so much. The friends it’s brought me and the kind words that made me cry or cheered me up on a shitty day or made me laugh out loud and the watching other writers grow on their journeys. Getting to hear how something I made could help you feel less alone or less sad on a shitty day is all I’ve ever wanted from sharing all this. Thank you for being here and thank you for sharing parts of yourself with me <3

Tagging anyone who sees this who would like to do it, even if you don’t consider yourself a “real writer” yet (yes you are, stop doubting yourself!!!!) 😘

[armywriter2605]

Theirs- Chapter 7 - OT7 x Reader

Genre: Mafia AU! BTS; Yandere AU! BTS; Angst; Fluff; Smut; OT7 x Reader

Rating: 18+

Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Warnings: Cursing; Mature Content ; Mentions of abuse and bullying; Yandere BTS; Gore; Stalking; Gore scenes; more to be added throughout the series

Words: 4.9k +

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Masterlist

Tag List :

@themisses777 @snowythellama @i-am-canada-13​ @honeycutelove @im-a-space-child @minhyunie-lovely @kawaiimusiccollection @perfectlyfangirling @technicolor-blues @karissassirak @decafe-jeonseagull @cherryicy123 @blackpanther4550 @ahslde @bangtanlove16 @joyful-jimin @beach-bitch-bitch-beach @sjt-kpoplover @letmebefreeblr@kaykay-loves @someslightobsessions @ttimeawayy @taerifficocean @bts-edits-bitch @saywheaaat @namjoonsslutakakoreanmanswhore @aretha170 @moxxie84 @hypophrenium @ruth619 @teenykoo @risefallrise-blog @lustremyg @3dmegamorea @alphajevie @theclosetedkpopper @livingbubbles-blog @kpopgirlbtssvt @kaoelle @dankcuddles @beetea-s @jinxxminxx @miinoongi @lizzy-min-bish @vi-hoshi @xcharlottemikaelsonx @m0chilattae @nomimits7 @amazedforjjk@tearsqueen @multifandomgirl29 @namjooniewifeu99 @jianing2603 

GIF NOT MINE

Credits to the GIF

As soon as Hoseok’s voice filled the apartment, the three of you stopped breathing. You could see the panic filled eyes of Jungkook staring at Taehyung as both of them contemplated on what to do. They were dead meat; they knew that much.

“Munchkin, why’re you so quiet? We’re he-” You looked up to the door once you saw it open, Jimin standing at the doorway his eyes on you. It wasn’t long until all the others stood next to him at the doorway of your own bedroom. It was so quiet that if a drop of your sweat fell on the floor, it would be heard.

“Jungkook, Taehyung. Tell me, what is going on here? Why is Y/N, my innocent princess, looking like this? What in all worlds did you two do?” Jin’s voice was low and if looks could kill, the two male standing next to you would be dead by now. It was the first time you actually saw Jin as upset as he was now. He usually kept calm during every situation. This was a new one for you.

“I…Hyung, Taehyung started it!! I only went along with it, but it was all his own doing!” You heard Jungkook say hurriedly as he kneeled down on the floor. He was throwing his own hyung under the bus. You giggled at the situation going on. Who knew this could happen?

“WHAT? No! Not true! It wasn’t me, hyung!”

“Really? We were gone for 3 hours, Taehyungie. And I do remember you saying that you wanted Y/N’s affection as well.” Jimin said as he stepped forward, his eyes on Taehyung who was now kneeled down next to the maknae.

“Y/N seduced us!! We couldn’t say no to her. But it was her, right Jungkookie?” Taehyung said as he elbowed the younger who nodded his head. You gasped as now all eyes were on you. What was this? How could they be putting the blame on you? You stared at Taehyung and Jungkook who mouthed a sorry before they looked at the ground, small smiles on their faces.

You knew the others wouldn’t get angry at you, but it was still annoying to have to get out of this embarrassing situation.

“Is that cum dripping down her hand?” Namjoon’s voice filled the room, staring at the hand that was yet to be cleaned. Taehyung got up as fast as lighting and grabbed the towel from Jungkook, cleaning your hand as fast as he could. He quickly got down on his knees again, bowing his head. If this weren’t so embarrassing, you’d be laughing your ass off right now.

“Cum? No. I don’t see such sinful thing on the innocent body of our baby.”

“Get cleaned, Y/N. We know it wasn’t you. Taehyung and Jungkook will get punished for not being able to hold it in their pants.” Hoseok said before you heard Yoongi let out a loud sigh as he turned around and left the room, giving you a last glance. His face was emotionless, but you knew there was something going on in his mind. His eyes gave it all away.

“But hyung! It wasn’t just us! This is so not fai-” Jungkook’s voice was interrupted as Jimin his head with a stack of papers.

“You still want to complain? Huh? You have the fun all for yourselves and still complain?” He said as he hit the younger males on the head back and forth. You giggled as you got up, heading to the bathroom. So, they weren’t mad for what had happened, but because they hadn’t been a part of it. That was cute.

As you were about to close the door to the bathroom, a foot stopped you from doing so. You were now face to face with Namjoon. He held a smirk on his face, as he got closer to you. “Baby girl, you might’ve not started it but you’re no angel in this. You were clearly enjoying the scolding Jungkookie and Taehyungie were getting. Next time you decide to be so naughty, I’ll have to punish you myself. And let me tell you, I’m not as kind as Taehyung and Jungkook.” Namjoon said as he closed the space between you two, kissing your lips. All you could do was nod your head as the male left the bathroom after giving your ass-cheeks a firm squeeze.  

LATER THAT DAY

You and the boys were sitting around the dinner table, eating while you talked. It was a pleasant atmosphere and you were enjoying it very much until the thoughts of their job came to mind again. They left this morning, where did they go? What did they do?

“What’s troubling that mind of yours, angel?” Hoseok asked as he noticed how you were frowning over something.

“It’s just…If this is going to work, then no more secrets. I wish to know what you do. What you did today and what you are going to do tomorrow and in the future. I don’t want to be held in the dark anymore, please.” Your voice wasn’t loud or demanding, but calm. You wished for things to work out, but you needed to know more.

As you were lost in thoughts once again, the boys stared at you smiling widely. They didn’t wish and wouldn’t let you know everything. It was a dangerous world, but the fact that you wanted your relationship to work out pleased them.

Namjoon awkwardly fake coughed to get you out of your thoughts as Jin and Jimin who sat both next to you, held your hands and intertwined their fingers with yours.

“We went to take care of the guy who disrespected you in our club and some other… stuff. He needed to be dealt with, love. It wasn’t anything much honestly and before you ask, no he isn’t dead.” Yoongi said as he poured himself some wine and gave you a small smile before finishing his food.

“Unfortunately, he isn’t no.” Jungkook scuffed as he too finished his dinner.

You nodded your head at them and looked down at your plate before looking up at them again. They did so much for you that you were barely aware of any of it. How could you not have realized everything they did? Were you really that blind? Did they cross all lines and boundaries for your safety and happiness?

“I love you all so much.” You said before putting a piece of meat to your mouth. At your words, all the boys either chocked on their foods and drinks or stopped chewing all together. As you finished chewing and stared at the boys, they all smiled at you and were about to reply until your phone started ringing from the bathroom where you had left it earlier.

“I’ll get it!” Jungkook said as he stood up from his seat and jogged to the bathroom. He got your phone and looked at who was calling, making sure it wasn’t anyone who you couldn’t speak to. Upon seeing ‘Mother’ on the screen, he frowned. Didn’t they tell her to call earlier than this? Surely not when they were eating. Jungkook walked back to the dining table, hoping for the screen to turn dark.

As you noticed Jungkook’s frown, you immediately understood who was calling. Throughout the years, the relationship between you and your parents had diminished a great amount. They never approved of the boys and your friendship with them, yet that didn’t stop you from hanging out with them. When you told them, you were moving in with them, your parents disapproved of the idea entirely. You never understood what they had against the boys. They didn’t even know them.

“My parents are calling…” You mumbled out as you grabbed the phone from Jungkook and gave him a small smile before accepting the call.

“Y/N. So glad you could pick up. I was simply calling to make sure you were coming over on your father’s birthday. Hopefully, you didn’t forget about it.” Your mothers venomous voice said from the other side of the line. You could almost hear her smirk. You hadn’t forgotten about your father’s birthday; it was impossible for you to since you had been good with dates since little.  

“Of course not, mother. Me and the boys will be there tomorrow morning to congratulate father. That is, if you let them come over. If not, I’ll leave my present by the doorway.” You replied in the same tone she was giving you, not bothering to keep the façade up any longer. The woman you dared to call for mother scoffed on the other side.

“Just be here by 11am sharp.” She said before hanging up, leaving you to listen to the silence. With that, you let out a deep sigh and looked at the boys. You knew they didn’t like them either, yet you couldn’t go there without them.

“Please come with me tomorrow. I know I didn’t consult any of you on the matter, but I can’t go there without you. They’ll throw shady comments and say rude things and all I want is for things to go at least a bit okay. If I go alone, they’ll use me to disrespect you and I don’t want that because I care for you so much but I know it is also selfish of me to ask you to join me because I know you don’t like them either but it’s just this once and after that you won’t have to-”

“Princess calm down. Of course, we’ll go with you. We love you too much to just let you go there alone. Plus, we love birthday cake as well.” Jin said as he started collecting the plates from the other boys, giving you a kiss on the forehead before also taking your plate and leaving for the kitchen to grab desert.

“Jin-hyung is right, angel! We’d hate to let you go there alone.” Hoseok said, giving you a huge smile. “But what are you going to give your father? Do you have a present prepared?”

You shook your head and sighed. With everything that had happened, you hadn’t had time to go out and buy anything.

“How about a bottle of wine? We have some nice wine here, so you can just give him that, munchkin.” Jimin said as he sipped down his wine, thinking of other ideas of what the present could be. You on the other hand were pleased with the bottle. Your father loved wine and the boys had a great collection so giving him a bottle as a present wasn’t such a bad idea.

“That’s actually a really good idea, Chim! A bottle it is. I’m sure he’ll love it.” You said excited and happy with the thought of giving your father a fine bottle of red wine for his birthday. Better than socks or nothing.

THE NEXT MORNING

You woke up at the sound of ruffling coming from beside you. You didn’t want to open your eyes, knowing it would mean you’d have to get up and you were too comfortable right now.

“Hmm angel. You look so beautiful first thing in the morning.” You heard Hoseok say from behind you as he spooned you against him. His voice was raspy, indicating he had just woken up as well. So, the ruffling noise wasn’t made by him. You smiled as you opened your eyes and met face to face with Jimin. He was already staring at you, staring at your morning face as his legs intertwined with yours.

“Morning munchkin.” He said, stretching as you stared at the tattoo in his ribs. You traced it with your fingers, smiling at the reason why he got it in the first place.

“I still remember when you got it, Chim. ‘Nevermind’ was our promise.” You giggled and placed a kiss on the tattoo before you blushed and sunk deeper into Hoseok’s embrace. “But to think you’d actually get it tattooed. You’re crazy.”

Hoseok chuckled from behind you, placing kisses on the back of your neck. “Angel, we all are. We’re crazy for you. Having you here with us is what keeps us sane.” He mumbled into your ear, sending chills down your spine before the door flew open.

“Namjoon-hyung forced me to get up so all of you need to get up as well.” Jungkook let out an annoyed sigh, his eyes still closed. You knew both him and Taehyung had stayed up all night playing like they usually did which meant always made them the worst to wake up, not counting Yoongi of course. Plus you were sure this was part of the so called punishment Hoseok said they’d both be getting.

“It’s your own fault for staying up late, Jungkookie.” Jimin said as he ruffled your hair, getting up from your bed.

“Pfft. Just get up. It’s already 9am.” Jungkook said as he left the room. At the sound of those words, you jolted up.

“9am?! Oh my god. Hobi, get up!! I need to get ready. We’ll be late! We can’t be late! Geeeet up!” You said as you stood up and headed to your wall–in closet, starting to pick something to wear. You needed to look presentable or else your parents would assume you didn’t put any effort in looking good and they’d, of course, comment on it.

“Alright ma’am, I’m up! I’ll go get ready too, Angel. Don’t take too long.” Hoseok chuckled before leaving the room, closing the door after him.

After almost 15 minutes of choosing what to wear, you left the room in a white casual long sleeved dress. You let your hair down and put some earrings on, them going well with the high heels you decided to wear. Almost your entire outfit had been things the boys had gifted you along the years, yet you happily wore it. You rarely styled any of the things they gave you, but today you decided to simply rock it.

“Princess…damn. You look ravishing with that outfit on. You should dress up more often, so we get to see you rocking those dresses you have.” Jin said as you entered the kitchen, finding all the boys sitting and talking, all in suits.

“Thank you, Jinnie and all of you look very handsome as well. Hopefully today goes okay.” You sat down next to Taehyung and smiled before taking a pancake and eating.

It wasn’t long until all of you were done eating and getting into the respective cars, making your way to your old house. To say you were nervous was an understatement. You knew this would go bad; it always did but you weren’t at fault. You tried to make things work, but your parents were extremely stubborn and if things didn’t go their way, they simply didn’t approve of it or thought it was bad. Lost in thoughts as you looked out of the window, your parents’ home soon came into view. You let out a nervous sigh as Hoseok parked the car behind Jin’s. ‘They’re here with me so everything will be okay. No matter what happens, they’ll always be by my side.’ You thought to yourself as you grabbed the bottle and got out of the car, soon joined by the 7 boys who stood close to you.

“It’ll be okay, cutie. We’re here.” Jungkook said as he carefully knocked on the door, you nodding as you held the bottle close to you.

Only seconds later, the door opened, revealing your mother fully dolled up. She stared at you up and down before looking at the boys and giving the eight of you a fake smile. You assumed this would be a small gathering yet judging by the number of cars parked around and the sound of people talking from inside, this was anything but small. Of course not, your parents had always loved to shine for their friends. Buying things, they could barely afford so they kept their appearance up. It was all so fake and that was also a reason that when the boys offered you to stay at their house, you barely gave it two thoughts. It’d be better than to stay there with such fake people surrounded by fake friends, fake designer clothes and fake happiness.

“So glad all of you could come. Please come in and make yourself at home.” She said, giving room for all of you to come in. The boys walked ahead of you, making sure no unwanted surprises would come your way. “Using their money, I see. Wouldn’t expect any less from you.” Your mother mumbled into your ear as she pulled you into a hug, holding you tight in her embrace. Her arms felt like snakes crushing you, taking all your energy away. “I could almost say you’re exactly like me when I was younger.”

“I think that’s enough.” Taehyung said as he grabbed your mother’s hand, taking you away from her. Taehyung hadn’t exactly heard what the older woman had said to you, but he realized it couldn’t be any good when he turned around and saw the look on your face.

“Oh, I was simply giving my daughter a hug. Is that not allowed, Mr. Taehyung?” Despite not meeting them often, your parents knew all of the boys’ names well. After all, they had been around since you were only 13.

Taehyung snickered at the woman’s comment, yet his eyes were dark. He felt he could strangle her if he were given the opportunity. One thing that drove him mad was the way your parents had started treating you after meeting the boys officially once you turned 15. It drove him to the brink of madness.

“It certainly would be if you weren’t such a witch, Mrs. I don’t like my sweetheart to be tainted by such hands of yours, you see.” Taehyung said before he wrapped a hand around your waist and leaded you to the living room where the other boys found themselves. Your father sat on an armchair as the other guests congratulated him. He looked happy yet as soon as his eyes fell on Taehyung’s hand that still held you, his smile dropped.

“My daughter has arrived. Y/N, come here.” Your father called, giving you one of his smiles. To other people that smile would come of as genuine and honest, but you knew better. You had seen the damage that smile held, the words that could come out of that mouth. Yet you decided to play his game for now. They were still the people that raised you till a certain age, you owned them that.

“Father. Happy birthday. Since you love wine, then I couldn’t find a better gift to give you than a good bottle of red wine.” You said as you walked over to him, handing him the bottle

“My daughter, always so thoughtful. Thank you. I shall treasure it.” He said, looking at the bottle. To many, the relationship between your parents and you were a normal, healthy one. Many of these people were just as fake as them, not seeing pass their own need for material things and power.

That’s why they wouldn’t stay for lunch. That was too intimate and none of them wanted to be a part of such. But of course, their excuses went along like they needed to work, or had something planned. They all knew it was simple excuses and lies yet they still pretended as if it wasn’t. It only took an hour before everyone who called themselves friends and acquaintances of your parents left the house.

Now it was you, your 7 boys and your parents. All in one room, all having lunch. The silence was unbearable, and you hated it. It wasn’t a comfortable silence but a deadly one.  

“Are you done whoring around and ready to come back home?” Your mother asked as she eyed you from the other side of the table. With the question filling the room, the boys stopped eating and placed their forks and knives down. Your mother was bold to ask something like that in front of them.

“Excuse me what? I don’t think I caught what you said, mother.”

“You heard her, Y/N. I think it is time for you to stop with this act you’re pulling with these boys and come home. Stop this, understood? We can set up a date between you and the son of EL – electronics. Their company is doing quite well nowadays, and he is a lovely young man.”

“Your father is right. We’re getting older and you need to soon settle down with a capable man that is financially stable, of course.”

So, this was what it was all really about. They wanted to set you up with someone. You knew your mother’s invite was too good to seem true. You got up from your seat and stared at the man and woman you once adored. You weren’t going to give them the fight they so wanted and wished for. You were done with their little games and tricks.

“That’s not going to happen. You never liked any of them, I understand that. But because you don’t approve of the best friends, I brought home over 7 years ago, doesn’t mean I can’t be with them. From now on, do not call me or come near me. I wish to cut all ties I have with you.”

“You’re trying to take her from us? She’s fucking ours so you two better fucking lay low. We won’t have any problems getting rid of you.” Hoseok said as he grabbed the knife he used and stabbed it on the table.

“Hoseok-hyung, calm down.” Namjoon said as he got up. He took out his check book as he walked over to your father. While Namjoon made his way, Yoongi pulled you close to him, holding you against him. He placed kisses on your neck as his eyes were on your mother. If she wanted a show, he would give her one she wouldn’t forget.

“Y/N, you’re ours. And you won’t leave us. We won’t let you leave even if we have to tie you up to our bed. You’re ours to keep forever. Not even your lame excuse of parents can keep us from claiming you as ours.” He said loud and clear, making sure everyone in the room heard him.

“Mr. Our baby girl made it clear to wish to cut all ties with the likes of you so here.” Namjoon said as he wrote down something on the check and ripped it out, placing it in front of your father.

“Stay away from her from now on or God have mercy on you because we won’t. Upset her anymore and I’ll know. This money surely is enough to…buy your distance, no? Or are you greedy for more?” Namjoon said, a smirk curling his lips. By now, all the boys were either smiling or chuckling enjoying the show that was going on in front of them.

“YOU! You insolent boy. How dare you speak to me that way?!” Before you could even comprehend what was going on, your father had raised his hand at Namjoon, ready to hit him across the face.

You were fast to close your eyes, but the sound that you were so sure you were about to hear, never happened.

When you opened your eyes, Namjoon held your fathers’ arm in the air, as his other hand were around his neck. “Sir, I don’t believe I have given you any reason to hit me, have I?” Namjoon asked as he squeezed harder.

On the other side, your mother was making his way to you, yet was soon stopped by Jin, who towered over her, “I don’t think you want to do that. You touch our princess and we’ll show you where that money comes from. I’m sure you don’t want that. Please refrain from touching our princess.”

As your mother let out an annoyed sigh, you then looked at your father who was at the verge of passing out on Namjoon’s hand.

“Joonie, please. Let him go.” You said as you tried to walk over to them yet were stopped by Yoongi’s hold.

“This is all your fault! You unthankful whore! We raised you and this is how you repay us?! YOU WERE A COMPLETE MISTAKE!” Your mother yelled at the top of her lungs, but were words seemed meaningless as you felt water being splashed against your face and dress. A few drops had gotten on Yoongi and only when you turned around, did you notice that the liquid wasn’t water, but wine. The dress the boys had gifted you was now ruined together with your heels. Not only that but Yoongi’s suit was also most likely ruined as well.

“Yoongi-hyung, please take Y/N out of here and go get yourself cleaned up as well.” Hoseok said in-between gritted teeth as he grabbed the knife, he used to cut his meal earlier.

With that said, you were being pulled out of the living room and your old home, into one of the vans and being driven away.

3rd person POV ON

As soon as Namjoon heard the front door being closed once again, he let the older man go. “That was a good scene. Glad we could make a deal.”

“How could you make us do this…we may have never approved of any of you but she’s our daughter.” Your mother now sobbed as she sat down on one of the chairs. At her sobs, Jungkook laughed.

“Didn’t you hear Yoongi-hyung? She’s ours and not even you will keep her from us. You were a small obstacle in her life we needed to get rid of.” The maknae said as he made his way to the woman who sat in tears. “Plus, we didn’t do anything. It was a deal. You agreed to it, didn’t you? You wanted money so bad you’d do this to your daughter. That is why you aren’t worthy of being in her life. No one will ever be worthy of her attention and affection besides us.”

The older man who was coughing on the ground looked up to the leader, who still had a smirk on his face. “Once she finds out, she’ll leave all of you! You’re crazy! You made us do a deal with you just for Y/N to believe that we hate her, just for her to believe we are monsters when you’re the real monsters in the end!” He said as loud and clear as he could yet coughing tremendously afterwards.

“Hoseok, could you please?” Namjoon said as he took a seat on the chair in front Y/N’s mother and crossed his legs, grabbing his glass of wine and sipping it.

“Of course.” Hoseok replied as Jungkook now held the woman in place, both her palms on the table. Hoseok made his way to the woman and smiled at her before stabbing one of palms down to the table with the fork he held so tightly throughout this entire scene. As Y/N’s mother screamed in agony, her husband tried to get up from the floor only to be kicked back down by Jin. “Tae, Jimin, please take care of the man before we have to leave.”

“Of course, Hyung.” The younger males replied as both got on each side of him, now kicking him with full force wherever they felt like it.

“See, unlike you, we’d do anything for our girl. We’d never give her up the way you did.” Jimin said as his shoe connected to the stomach of the beaten man.

“Hoseok, the other one too.” Namjoon carefully said, looking at his watch, making sure they weren’t late for a movie night with Y/N later.

Hoseok smiled and repeated the same action he did earlier, now with a knife. The older woman had now both her palms stuck to the table, both utensils going straight through her hands.

“I hope you understood our message. Two doctors are on their way to help you and take of your…accidents. Stay away from Y/N or next time, it’ll be worse.” Namjoon said as he now got up and fixed his suit, finishing his glass of wine. He then grabbed the check he had written down and let it fall on the father of his lover. The man was bloody, laying on the floor as he grunted and sobbed in pain.

“It was a pleasure to make a deal with the both of you.” Jin said he grabbed a napkin and tossed it to Hoseok as all the others made their way out of the house.

“Oh, and don’t try to tell Y/N anything about this. The money’s exactly to keep you quiet and away.” Taehyung snickered before he left, being the last one to leave.

With that, they left the older couple bleeding and crying. The doctors were quick to arrive, giving their bosses a nod of head before rushing inside to make sure the older people inside the house didn’t die. After all, death is an escape for some people. And the boys weren’t kind enough to let the people who wronged you, find an escape from the hell they’d put them through.  

Preview of Chapter 8

“You’re ours, right? Tell me you’re ours and that you’ll never leave. Promise me, munchkin.”

“I’m all yours.”

“I want to go to the club, come with me.”

“Look at her, moving her body like that. God, it’s such a turn on.”

“Get down on your knees, baby girl. I think it’s time for you to find out what the hyung line can do to that body of yours.”

[bangtan-sonyeonddaeng]

Part 5

Summary: Soulmates have different ways of being connected to one another. Sometimes it’s through being able to write on their arms and having it show up on their soulmates. For others it was having their first words spoken to one another permanently tattooed into their skin. You had a unique connection with yours, one that you really hadn’t ever heard of happening before. Whatever song was stuck in your soulmate’s head was also stuck in yours and the same was for them. When Yoongi realizes one of his songs is playing on repeat in your head, he immediately takes to writing songs to communicate with you in hopes it will finally bring you two together.

Genre: Fluff. Just pure tooth rotting, sweet fluff.

Whew this was a long one. 4.5k words

Part 1     Part 2      Part 3     Part 4     Part 6

As you stepped off the plane you couldn’t believe it. You were finally in Seoul, the same city as your soul mate. That alone felt indescribable. It was a happiness you had never known. The past day was hectic. Trying to book last minute plane tickets and a hotel room. You didn’t even know how long you were going to be staying here depending on how well things went with Yoongi. You booked your hotel for a week just to be safe, knowing you could cancel if you absolutely had to. You considered coming alone, but your friend was very insistent that they go with you. You were traveling to a foreign country to meet your soulmate. Your friend wouldn’t miss this for the world, but also wanted to be there as a support and help in any way they could.

You arrived to the hotel and unpacked your belongings and immediately flopped down onto the bed.

“Jet lag sucks.”

“Indeed it does. I feel like I could sleep for the next 10 years.” Within moments your friend was snoring and clutching the pillow tightly. You giggled quietly to yourself and pulled your phone out to see if Yoongi had posted anything else. There were no new songs, but there was a new post from him. It was a selfie of him and oh gosh he looked so adorable it made your heart flutter. The caption underneath the photo just said “I can’t wait to see you.”

A bunch of army had commented underneath that they couldn’t wait to see him too. Their tour was starting in a little over a month. You knew what the real meaning was behind the photo. And you quickly typed a reply.

“I can’t wait to see you too. It’s such a short time away.”

You set your phone down and were about to try and sleep for a little bit when a notification went off. ‘I’m not Min Yoongi’ had sent you another reply.

Isn’t it late where you are at now? What are you still doing awake?

You glance at the clock and see that it is only 8:00 pm. You have a long way to go until morning.

Actually I am in Seoul right now. So it’s only 8:00 in the evening. Besides, how do you know where I live? You stalking me?

Ah no! no! You just um… always seemed to reply early in the morning here. So I figured it was late wherever you were.

Yoongi face palms. Smooth save, Min.

Ah okay. Makes sense I guess.

So what are you doing in Seoul?

Hopefully meeting my soulmate.

Oh! That’s exciting! I hope everything goes well for you two.

Me too. I hope everything goes the way I am thinking it will but.. we’ll see.

Well if you were traveling all day aren’t you tired? Shouldn’t you be in bed?

Yes I should be but I can’t sleep. I’m too anxious.

I’m sure your soulmate feels the same. But they would want you to get your rest and take care of yourself.

You’re right. I’ll try my best.

What usually helps you sleep?

Um.. well this might sound silly but I fall asleep easily to Yoongi’s songs and videos of him just talking? His voice is so soothing.

Huh.. I see. You like his voice then?

Yes. Very much. It almost feels like.. coming home after a long trip. Just that comfort of knowing you are home.

Yoongi blushes at this and the sweet compliments.

Maybe he’ll surprise you and do a vlive or something.

Hah, I can only wish.

After that you don’t get a reply. You do however, get a notification on your phone that Yoongi is doing a Vlive. You laugh to yourself as you realize that there is no way that account wasn’t him at this point. You pull out your phone.

You know for someone who isn’t Min Yoongi you sure called that one right.

It’s just a voice live, you hear his phone go off and then hear him quietly chuckling into the mic. You don’t receive a reply but don’t anticipate you will at this point. Yoongi says something in Korean to start that you don’t quite catch what he says, but then he repeats himself in English.

“I heard from some of you that you like my voice and it’s calming to you. Since it’s nearing the end of the night I figured this would be a good way for you all to relax and unwind after a long day.” You smile to yourself and put your headphones in, quickly drifting off to sleep. You wake up a few hours later. When you glance at the clock you see it’s after midnight. You groan and sit up, looking over to the other bed to see your friend completely passed out still. You’ve always envied how deeply they seem to sleep.

As you sit there, the anxiety begins to come back. How nervous you are is finally starting to settle in. What if he doesn’t like you? What if you don’t get along? What if he was hoping his soulmate was someone famous? Are you good enough for him? Your leg starts shaking back and forth before you can’t sit still any longer. You crawl out of bed and slip your shoes on, quietly heading out the door as you don’t want to wake up your friend. You walk outside into the fresh air and find that it is helping you calm down to be able to just walk.

You don’t know where you are heading, but you have your phone with you and can easily find your way back to the hotel with the GPS. You put your headphones back in and just walk. You are listening to the playlist you had made of the few songs Yoongi had wrote for you and continue wandering and humming along. After you listen to all of the songs at least once you come across a bench with a man sitting on it. You don’t pay him any attention and walk on by, lost in your own world. You don’t make it very far before you feel a gentle tug on the bottom of your shirt. You turn around and see the man looking up at you. His bottom half of his face is covered and he’s wearing a beanie and heavy coat. Clearly he doesn’t want to be seen. You panic for a second thinking maybe he was going to mug you before he says something to you.

“What?”

“Ah, foreigner?” You nod.

“I said it’s dangerous to be outside alone this late.” He repeats in English. Your heart nearly drops to your stomach. You know that voice. You’d recognize it anywhere.

“Yoongi?” His eyes widen at that and now he seems to be the one panicked.

“Shit.. Are you a fan? Please don’t tell anyone you saw me and don’t freak out and scream. I go out late to avoid people for a reason-”

“Yoongi stop. It’s me!”

“Am I supposed to know you? Please don’t tell you’re a sasaeng. Wow this is just my luck.”

“It’s y/n!” Yoongi freezes and drops his hand to his side and he looks a little angry if the way he furrows his brows at you is any indication.

“Funny joke. Haha okay what do you want? An autograph?”

“No I’m serious Yoongi it’s me! We’ve been talking on Twitter back and forth! Ah wait no I’m sorry that wasn’t Min Yoongi I forgot.” You say with a smirk on your face.

“I… There’s no way. Let me see your phone.” You pull it out and unlock it, then hand it over to him. He opens up your Twitter and goes to your notifications and sure enough, there’s your conversations. “Oh my god.. Y/n it’s really you.” He hands your phone back and just stares at you in shock.

“Um.. So… what-“

“No, no! Absolutely not! I did not spend all night writing that song about us meeting for the first time for you to just bump into me on the street. I refuse.”

“Yoongi! You can’t fight fate-“

“Like hell I can’t. Watch me.” He stands up and grabs you, turning your shoulders around to face away from him and gives you a gentle push. “Now you march your cute little butt back to your hotel and we can try this again tomorrow.”

“Yoongi, oh my god.” You burst out laughing and your shoulders begin to shake with you how much you are laughing. You can hear him chuckling behind you before his hands move down and wrap around your waist, pulling you into a back hug.

“You have no idea how happy I am to finally have you here. I have never felt so many emotions in my heart at once but they are all good and they are all because of you.” You let your hands move down and your fingers play with his where they are resting on your waist. “But I really want to do this right. So please. Let’s pretend this first encounter never happened. And I’ll see you tomorrow at the river.. okay?” You smile and nod your head.

“Okay, Yoongi. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Can we meet earlier in the afternoon though instead of the evening. I-“

“Ah! Nope! My song says a crisp autumn EVENING. Not day. You’re just going to have to be patient now go on then!” He lets go of you and you let out a giggle but continue walking down the sidewalk. You don’t miss the footsteps trailing behind you on the way.

“What are you doing? I thought you said you didn’t want to meet until tomorrow? Now you’re following me back to my hotel? Scandalous. We haven’t even had our first date and you’re already-”

“Yah! Shush. I just want to make sure you make it back safely. I wasn’t kidding when I said it’s not safe at night time. Pretend I’m not here.”

“Okay.” You smile the whole way back. When you reach the hotel lobby and turn around he’s already gone. Your cheeks hurt from smiling so much as you walk back to your hotel room. You open the door quietly and shuffle back in, kicking your shoes off and collapsing into bed. Your friend is awake now.

“Where did you go?”

“Just for a walk. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Ah, too anxious to meet him for the first time?” You laugh to yourself.

“Yeah, I was. But the walk really helped me. I think I am really ready to see him now.”

“Good! Now get some rest! We have a big day ahead. Well you do anyways. I’ll just be hanging around here anxiously waiting for you to get back and tell me every single detail of your first meeting.”

“Sure thing. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight y/n. I’m sure Yoongi is going to love you. You have nothing to worry about.” You roll over onto your side and before long you are about to drift off to sleep when a noise from your phone brings you out of your drowsy daze. You see it’s a notification for twitter. Yoongi, sent you a message.

By the way, you’re absolutely the most beautiful person I have ever seen.

You smile and your cheeks heat up, feeling a warmth in your chest as you finally drift off to sleep.

You don’t wake up until late afternoon. The jet lag, coupled with the anxiety you felt last night before meeting Yoongi and being up late had allowed you to sleep for a long time. You probably would have still been asleep if your friend wouldn’t have woken you up to go eat lunch. You don’t tell them that you already met Yoongi, having promised to pretend like it never happened and you intended to keep your word. You spend the day exploring the city, even going to the Line Friends store and picking up a few items to spoil yourself a little bit. You walk around and eat until it’s now starting to get dark outside.

“We should probably head over to the park now. I’ll ride in the taxi with you there but then after I drop you off I’ll head back to the hotel.”

“Wait why don’t you just wait for me? What if something goes wrong and-“ Your friend flicks your forehead.

“Y/n don’t start that nonsense. You two are probably going to be out together all night. Just text me and check in. Let me know how everything is going, alright?” You nod and hug your friend tightly.

“Thank you for coming with me, and pushing me out of my comfort zone. And annoying Yoongi with your horrible songs. If it weren’t for you I probably wouldn’t have met him.”

“Hmmm, yes you would. Fate would have made sure of it, but I will take the praise anyway.” Just then a taxi pulls up and you both get in. But when you arrive at the park only you get out. You wave to your friend as the car pulls away. The butterflies in your stomach feel like they are going to fly out of your mouth at any moment. You walk along the riverside, admiring the views and listening to the sounds of the crickets. You notice up ahead all of the flowers and your pace quickens when you notice Yoongi standing in the middle of all of them. He spots you and immediately starts waving. But you ignore it and keep walking. He stops waving and tilts his head in confusion.

“Y/n!” He yells your name but you still continue walking along the path towards him. “Are you going to say hi to me or not?!”

“Huh? Sorry do I know you?”

“Are you serious right now?”

“We’ve never met before. How do you know my name?” You are trying so hard not to laugh when it finally clicks with Yoongi.

“Ah yes you’re right. My mistake. Are you here to meet with someone?”

“Yes. My soulmate told me to meet him among the cosmos.” You say with a smile. Yoongi is absolutely beaming as he reaches down and takes your hand in his.

“Well then that would be me. I’m Yoongi. But you must have already known that if you heard my songs for you.” He brings your hand up to his lips and gently kisses the back of it. The shock it sends through you almost brings you to your knees.

“I’m y/n. It’s nice to meet you soul mate.” Yoongi’s gummy smile widens further before he pulls you tightly into his arms. His hug is bone crushing, making it slightly hard for you to breathe but there is no way you would ask him to let go. Your arms are around his neck pulling him impossibly closer to you. He nuzzles his face into your shoulder and you feel your sweater dampen. You pull away in shock.

“Yoongi why are you crying?”

“Why are YOU crying?”

“I am not!” But you know you are. You can feel the tears streaming down your face and your voice cracks when you talk. “Okay I definitely am.” You both laugh and reach up to wipe each other’s tears away. You spend a few moments with your hands gently ghosting over each other’s faces, wanting to commit the way it feels to memory and make sure that the other was actually there.

“I can’t believe you’re actually here. I never thought we would ever find each other. When I learned that our connections were through the songs we had stuck in our heads, I just lost all hope of ever finding my soulmate.”

“To be honest for a while there I did too. It wasn’t until I first heard your music that I knew. I just felt it immediately that you were my soul mate.”

“I felt that too. When I read your comments on my songs it was like every cell in my body was calling out to you. I just… God I still can’t believe it.” He grabs you and pulls you into another hug. You both stand there for a while, just enjoying the feeling of each other’s warmth. Yoongi is the first to pull away but he doesn’t let go of your hand as he leads you on a short walk over to one of the benches overlooking the river. You sit next to each other in a comfortable silence.

“I’m not dreaming am I?” He wonders out loud. You reach over and pinch his side and he jumps away from you with a startled yell. “What was that?!”

“Proving to you that you aren’t dreaming.” He begins to laugh at that and the sound still makes your heart race. “But I know what you mean. It still doesn’t feel real.” Yoongi sits back down on the bench and laces your fingers together again, resting his head on your shoulder.

“Okay I gotta know. What kind of music do you really listen to?” You let out a snort at this.

“All different genres. Definitely not most of the ones that were stuck in your head though.”

“And that was your friend’s idea?”

“Yes. They thought it would be funny to mess with you a little bit. At least show that I have a sense of humor so you at least had some idea of what kind of person I was.”

“Honestly I just thought you were a person with shitty taste in music.” You both laugh playfully at that.

“How did you get the idea? For the songs I mean?”

“Ah, Namjoon gave me the idea to talk to you through song writing. For the past.. hmm month or so? The guys have really been helping me try and think of ways to find my soulmate. I think they were tired of seeing me mope all the time. They all had found theirs so easily I was just.. stuck.” Your heart clenches, knowing that feeling all too well. You squeeze his hand as a comforting gesture.

“I know what you mean.” Yoongi returns your squeeze.

“But hey everything worked out okay in the end right? We’re finally here with each other. I want to know you better. I want to know everything. What you’re passionate about, what things you like and dislike. Where you’re from, about your family, what your childhood was like. What-“

“Whoa there. We have all night Yoongi there is no rush.”

“We um.. have more than a night though right? Like… I know we’re soulmates fated to be together and all that but you still have a choice. Do you want to keep seeing me?” Yoongi seems insecure and unsure of himself now as he plays with the rings on your fingers and refuses to meet your gaze.

“Of course I want to continue seeing you! Why would you think even for a moment I wouldn’t?” He sighs and tries to untangle his hands from yours but you just hold on tighter.

“Being in a relationship with an idol isn’t easy y/n… I don’t think you fully understand what all of this is going to entail. You’re never going to have a moment of privacy. Even when we go out together on dates someone is almost always going to figure out who I am.”

“Well no one has so far tonight right? I think you just need to wear a mask and hide who you are then it won’t be so bad. Especially if we go out at night or go to more secluded places. I know dating an idol isn’t going to be easy but I don’t care about that. I just want to be with you. I’ll take all the good and bad that comes with it.” Yoongi stops trying to hold himself back any longer. He moves his hand behind your head and tugs you in closer to him so he can finally connect his lips to yours.

The kiss is sweet, gentle but loving. It’s like he’s pouring the years of emotions he’s felt towards you into the kiss. There isn’t any sparks or crazy fireworks. Everything just goes quiet, and suddenly it’s like you two are the only ones in the world right now. Yoongi pulls away after a few short moments. Even for just a short kiss you both are a bit breathless.

“Wow. I didn’t know kissing your soulmate would feel like that.” He says in between breatths.

“Me either. That was… perfect.” Yoongi smirks.

“Perfect? Wow am I that good of a kisser?” You playfully smack his arm and he laughs. You two spend quite a while talking on that bench. Asking questions and getting to know each other better. The moon is hanging high in the sky and all the stars are shining on the two of you. The wind starts to pick up and you shiver. “Ah are you cold, sweetheart?” He takes his jacket off and drapes it around you, although you did feel your face heat up at the petname. You hope Yoongi doesn’t notice your blush and will just assume it’s because you’re cold. “We can go now if you want to.” You shake your head back and forth quickly.

“No! I mean.. I don’t want to leave you yet.” His expression softens at your confession.

“Well.. We can go back to my place? If you’re comfortable with that?” You wiggle your eyebrows suggestively at him and he moves away from you.  “Not like that!”

“I’m kidding, Yoongi! I’d love to go back with you. Even if we don’t talk at all. Even if we just sleep it doesn’t matter. I just want to be around you.”

“I’m glad you feel that way because I was thinking the same thing.” He stands off the bench and takes your hand to lead you over to the car that was waiting to take the two of you back to his house. You send your friend a quick update text, to let her know everything was okay and going well. They send you back a bunch of heart emojis and you slip the phone back in your pocket. On the way up to his door it doesn’t sneak past your notice that he hasn’t let go of your hand the entire time you two have been together.

“Do you like holding hands?” He blushes and looks away, busying himself with entering the code into the door so it unlocks.

“Um.. Yeah I do. Does it bother you?”

“Not at all. I love it actually.”

“Do you want any tea or anything to drink to help warm you up?”

“Mmm, no. I just need you.” With how much Yoongi has been smiling he’s beginning to wonder if his muscles are just going to be permanently stuck.

“Do you want to go lay down? Maybe watch a movie?”

“That sounds perfect.”

You are both laying down now, in his bed. You are actually laying with Yoongi, your soulmate. Your head resting on his chest while he was a tight grip around your waist. You are starting to fall asleep when you feel his grip suddenly tighten around you. You lift your head up to look at him.

“Everything okay?”

“Hmm? Oh yeah. Sorry did I squeeze you too hard?”

“No I just thought maybe something was wrong and you wanted my attention.” Yoongi shakes his head, but bites his lip as if he is thinking deeply about something.

“It’s not that I was upset or anything.. I just wanted to make sure that you were actually here. And that I’m not hallucinating, or just imagining all this. It still doesn’t feel real. I thought I had met my soulmate before. I was so sure but it turned out it was just someone using me for my fame.. And I was so desperate to just have that connection with someone that I ignored all the warning signs. And I know you aren’t like that. I know for 100% certain you’re my soulmate but…“

“But that nagging voice in the back of your head just keeps questioning things?” He nods in confirmation. You sit up and adjust yourself so you’re facing him. You take his face in your hands and make sure he is looking at you and can see the sincerity in your eyes. “I completely understand why you are worried. Believe me. But I would never do anything to hurt you. I would never use you like that. I promise that I am here, that I am real.” You grab his hand and place it on your heart. He closes his eyes and lets himself just feel. Your warmth, the gentle thrumming of your heart beat, the sounds of your breaths. It helps ground him.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. If you ever have doubts or are worried about anything you can always come to me. I want to be there for you.” Yoongi smiles that gummy smile that is going to quickly make you fall head over heels in love with him in no time if he keeps directing it at you.

“Thank you y/n.” He pecks your lips and then pats his chest for you to lay back down. Pretty soon your breaths even out and you’ve fallen asleep. Yoongi holds you just a little bit closer, and places a kiss to the top of your head. “I already like you so much and it kind of scares me. But I am going to give you my whole heart, angel. I hope you’ll keep it safe.”

“Don’t worry I will.” Yoongi jumps.

“I thought you were asleep!”

“I was but I am not that heavy of a sleeper remember? I woke up when I heard you talking.” Yoongi blushes but snuggles closer to you.

“Do you want to meet the other members tomorrow?”

“I’d love to! Can I bring my friend too?”

“Of course. You all are going to be a part of the family now we might as well all meet one another.” You smile at that and nuzzle into his chest. You both fall asleep quicker than you ever have before, finally feeling the comfort and safety of being in each other’s arms.

Tag list: @anoesjkaax​​​  @just-call-me-trash-can​ @thestral-balerion​ @xcastielbabyangelface​ @rukinamukami​ @r-e-d-i-s-h​ @heartblackerthancoffee​ @rosita7703​   @jacjacwashere​   @purpletigertaetae​  @woodstockisjustlikealittlekid​  @supernatural-bangtanboys​ @loveyoongles​ @barbikatherine​ @atulipandarose​ @bookluver01​ @cioccocalderoni​ @lyoongx​

@its-yagirl-raelynn it’s not letting me tag you :c 

[radbutsafe]

ALL FUCKIN 35 OF THEM SKLNWESDJFPXO

I SHOULDVE EXPECTED THIS FROM YOU

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

A three! I think I’m mid range cause I ain’t terrible but there is still shit I gotta improve and grow in my writing

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to manifest what canon won’t give me and to write more! (though yes it is mainly about the smooching and the— I’ll stop there LOL)

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hm! My weird research details? I’m that “fun fact, did you know...” in my fics sometimes LOL! I plan on giving a penthouse for erina in a fic and I went through penthouse listings in Japan for floor layouts and locations💀 my research gives me inspo and depth to stuff I think I lack in comparison to others sometimes.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of fellow fic writers, one of them I can’t name here but she’s an inspiration with her exceptional gift for prose period and her lovely skill at comedy! I want to be as funny as her when I write, I love her ironic situational humor. Other fic writers are @takoyakitenchou, @royaldragonsevgisi15 who I always love sharing ideas with and motivate me to create more! For non-fic writers it would be V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Oda, and Horikoshi! The last two may be mangaka, however they are writers as well to create their stories! The depth these creators have given their worlds and interesting characters theyve given life to are all what I aspire to be like!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

so far uh?? hm everything I’m currently writing are wips lol!! im proud of my wip that has been nicknamed ‘soma panics’ that is a multi-chapter fic that spans like probs 20 plus chapters maybe

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

dialogue! it’s so much fun! and character thoughts. I’ve said to people I may be better suited for script writing

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I think it’s description, of like setting and showing action. also an expansion of my vocabulary LOL

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

erina! I think it’s because canon has shown us many of her different faces and range of emotion.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

SOMA!! chill ass mofo whos more carefree compared to the common shonen protagonist! for other shokugeki characters I’m not sure just yet because I haven’t flexed my fingers enough for the rest of them.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

I guess I should say romance cause that’s what I mostly write LOL!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

sorina and I try to get them to smooch eventually KEK and yeah it’s..usually romantic fluff lmao

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

HONESTLY ALL OF THEM but “soma panics” is my brain child

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

pretty sure it’s digimon....

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

currently shokugeki no soma!!!!

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

uhhhh I guess SNS? LMAO fandoms...all have their quirks to them.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

characters cuddling!!!! or getting the urge to smooch!!!!

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

unrequited love GOOD FUCKIN BYEEEEEE

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

I have plot ideas thst can be wild potentially but so far nothing fits this criteria so far that I actually have written.

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

depends on the fandom, but if written well, all of it!

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

shippy 100% like I said I like smoochin

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

romantic is...*drumroll* SORINA! platonic, soutaku and erina and alice!

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Sometimes! There are times songs will be on loop and times I just shuffle a playlist. and if I’m writing in random bursts it’ll be with no music but it really does depend lmao I think music is when I’m forcing myself to write?

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

completely independent ideas, I’ve realized in the past prompts shoot me in the foot often unless I luckily figure something out. but I’m often driven by my own sporadic self interest with shitty ping ponging attention

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

multi-chap I guess cause I can post without being finished LOLLL but tbh can I really answer? I haven’t finished anything.....

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

I can’t answer this question imo because I haven’t finished a fic yet so technically stuff could all fit in the one fic?

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

MYSTERY AND CRIME! I love the genre and I have plot ideas once a blue moon but I can’t dive in because I want to make details that work and reduce plot holes where suspension of disbelief isn’t as needed. I need to study it more (I need to study all the details for any of my fics imo to be confident sometimes LOL)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I can say one comment was the nicest because I’ve gotten comments that have given me quite the smiles to my face many times! I know this is a cop out but it’s true!

IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY UNTIL REINA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING ON DISCORD LIKE TWENTY MINS AGO:

and also rad. i am never this vocal about my emotions like EVER but this needs to be said your fics are obviously far from perfect, as are mine and everyone else's. but the thing about your works is that they're so well-sanded that it's impossible to find any rough edges or faults in them in terms of cohesion to a plot. your cast is never OOC and the amount of effort you devote to developing your takes on the characters as accurately as possible is unimaginably awe-inspiring.

BITCH I WANNA CRY 😭

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I’d like to believe I take it often well to try and improve because that’s always my goal. if someone is rude lol that’s not constructive snd is unhelpful. If I disagree with criticism I’ll explain why !

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Not yet, but I have some plot ideas I think will let me test this.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

F L U F F.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

elliott fuji, a japanese-american award winning photographer who is erina’s boyfriend in ‘soma panics’ which..causes soma’s panic LOL he’s 30 with slightly wavy black hair. I still haven’t pinpointed his personality just yet...he kind of humble brags for sure an artsy fucker and flirts maybe I’ll make him a lil shy though. he teaches sometimes, and becomes an adjunct photography professor in Tokyo so he can be with erina.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

a cook is unfashionably late in realizing his feelings.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I am a slow. so slow. motivation who is she? I also write out of order, unfortunately a bit too often.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

this should be for the fic ‘soma panics’ it’s either megumi or satoshi talkin to him rn, I’m leaning towards satoshi

“You thought she would always wait for you, didn’t you Soma-kun? To always welcome you home.”

Soma drags his palms down his face and groans. He doesn’t like this at all. He doesn’t shy from confrontation but this is a whole different ballgame. Soma doesn’t play any ball.

“I guess..?” Is his reply, because he thinks he isn’t sure how to answer that.

“You guess?”

Just being questioned again is enough to crack Soma’s pathetic facade as if it was dropped chinaware and he lets out the longest sigh.

“No.”

Coming home means coming home to Nakiri Erina too.

Nakiri Erina is his forever.

this is @takoyakitenchou’s excerpt she’s most proud of that I’ve written, which is also from you guessed it, the long fic soma panics

SOMA: I am, I mean I will be, I swear I will always come home to you, not spend as much time abroad, once I’m done with work I’ll come right back. I’ll make sure to message you. Nakiri, I’m in love you with you. Maybe for a really long time. You know how I say I dedicate my food to you? My dad—my dad said that the key to become a good chef is to find someone to dedicate your cooking to. A special someone. For my dad it was my mom, you know? For me it’s...

(this is a good piece of dialogue tbh so I am also proud of this)

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I’ve mentioned it throughout this but the WIP I’ve nicknamed ‘soma panics’ is something I’m super excited to write, but it’s going on slowly...and almost completely out of order. out of all of my writing it showed off that particular habit of mine, along with “what is this, a shoujo manga?!” though the latter is currently being written chronologically now that I’ve posted chapter one and is pretty solid in direction. it was originally supposed to be a one shot but I got impatient and wanted to post at least something for the sorina / soueri fandom.

however, because ‘soma panics’ (I won’t call it that LOL) is my baby I want to keep true to my rule of refusing to post it until I have a draft of the entire fic finished and I’m satisfied with the main points pretty much. due to my writing out of order, I’m worried I’ll change my mind about scenes or want to reflect things in earlier chapters for later ones etc etc

I joined the SnS fandom extremely late, as season five was airing. I was a fan of the manga five years ago and dropped it because I forgot to check for updates when I caught up 😔 I really want to bang out the different fics and aus for sorina that I have before the fandom fizzles out entirely but tbh I’m writing for myself, I’m manifesting what I want to see and I’ll just share it with all my friends to read if no one else will. cause I’m slow broski I dunno what writing fast even is like LMAO I do really want to write faster though, so I can contribute more and let the words free from the discord dms....

[shadow-assassin-blix]

A Picture is a Poem Without Words

CHAPTER 4

A/N: Gif of Jessica Lowndes is from @lowndsiercs​. Usual canon type violence. I am not a medical expert, and I’ve never broken a bone before, so I legit have no idea how accurate the descriptions I used are. 

“Speak”

‘Thought’

“Spanish”

Blix woke up the next morning to her satellite phone going off. She blearily reached over to answer it, “Hello?”

“Boss. Another museum was hit. La Tertulia. The team is on their way there now. Shall I pick you up?” Came Theo’s voice rushed.

“Shit. No. I’ll make my way over there, need to be somewhat sneaky about it. My neighbors are too damn nosy. Already think I’m dating my CI, don’t need for them to see another man coming to pick me up,” She explained as she jumped out of bed, and started throwing clothes on. “I’ll see you in about 10 mins.”

She hung up and tossed her phone onto her bed so she could finish getting dressed. Two minutes later she was walking down the road to catch a cab. It did not take the cab very long to drop her off at the entrance of the museum. She made her way inside, and toward the crime scene in the archives.

She spotted Theo squatting down examining a piece of evidence with a pair of forceps.

“What do we got so far, Theo?” She asked as she stepped up to him.

“Not much. Just like the last couple of robberies. The cameras got a clear view of 5 men, but not of their faces. They kept their heads down almost the entire time,” Theo informed her as he set the piece of what appeared to be plastic.

“Almost?” She questioned with an eyebrow raised.

Theo smiled conspiratorially “We got a clear view of at least one them. We have already sent his photo off to figure out who he is.”

“Perfection. Now do we know what was stolen?” She inquired as she looked around.

Many of the crates were ripped opened with straw thrown about. However, as she looked into them, she couldn’t see anything actually missing.

There was one crate that looked awkwardly placed. As she inspected it, she noted that serial number painted on it, did not match the style of the crates around her.

She walked over to one of the evidence kits that held a power drill. She quietly undid the screws holding the top down. As it came loose, she knelt down, gently lifting the lid, inspecting it for any wires. Upon seeing nothing, she slid the top off.

As she stood back up, her breath caught in her throat. She could see something lighting up. She moved the straw packaging away, to reveal a bomb, that was at 45 seconds.

“Everyone! Get out! GET OUT NOW!” She yelled once it had fully registered. “It’s a bomb!”

She heard multiple pairs of feet scrambling to get out and she looked around. ‘I’m too far from the door. I’m not going to make it.’

She saw a gap amongst the crates and dived for it as the timer reached 10 seconds. She buried herself amongst them and wrapped her arms around her head to protect it.

*BOOM*

The blast sent crates crashing everywhere. Theo who had made it outside, and dove for the cement, shook off the glass that had fallen onto his body as he stood up.

“Blix? Anyone seen her? Blix? BLIX!” Theo called out looking around trying to find her.

Theo waved his hands in front of his face, trying to clear the smoke and debris around him. He turned his head left and right trying to find her.

Upon realization that she was not outside, he came to the horrifying conclusion that she had been inside. He coughs several times, trying to clear his lungs, as he made his way back to the entrance.

There were several crates on fire, and there were many that were collapsed on top of each other. Others were getting ready to crash to the ground, teeter this way and that. He made his way toward where the explosive crate was at. He tried squinting to see where she may have gone.

As he turned in circles, looking everywhere, he spied something. A hand. He rushed over to it, pushing fragments of wood off to unveil Blix, underneath it all.

“Blix! Boss! Can you hear me?” Theo exclaimed as he tried to survey the damage done to her.

She groaned loudly, “Have I… ever told you… how much I… hate this job?”

Theo chuckled and sighed in relief. “You’ve mentioned it once or twice.”

“My foot… its pinned,” she noted with pain as she tried to move.

He looked at where her feet would be and began digging it out from under the rubble. “you have a large bronze statue on your foot,” he said after a moment. “Hold on.”

Theo wrapped his arms around the statue and began to lift it with a grunt. He was able to lift it up to a point, but he couldn’t fully lift it off. He shoved it off to the side, so it was no longer pinning her down.

She sighed in relief at the pressure being removed, “Theo. I would… very much… like to get... out of…” She trailed off as she passed out.

Theo swore and quickly picked her up, so he could carry her out.

“Damn girl… do you ever eat? No. That’s a dumb question, I’ve seen you out eat half the guys on the team,” He muttered as he adjusted her in his arms.

He carried her out as swiftly as he could and once he had stepped outside he called for a medic. The situation outside was chaotic, as everyone tried to assess the damage that had been done.

Paramedics came up to him with a stretcher and he set her on it. They began checking her vitals and securing her to it. They rushed off with her to a nearby ambulance and as much as he wished he could follow, he had to deal with the crime scene before him.

Hours later, Blix was resting comfortably in a hospital room. She was still unconscious when Theo finally was able to check in on her. He had been dealing with multiple phone calls to the embassy, and members of the DEA and Search Bloc asking for details. He was exhausted by the time he collapsed in the chair next to her bed.

The doctor had explained to him that she had busted her head open, broke some things, and she had a piece of wood pierce her side that they had to surgically remove. Beyond that she had various bruises, scrapes, and sprains.

They had her on some pretty heavy pain meds which meant she probably was going to be sleeping the rest of the night, but he did not wish to leave her alone. So, he made himself as comfortable as he could in the small plastic chair that sat in her room and fell into a light sleep.

It was in the early hours of the morning when Blix finally stirred. She groaned in pain as she shifted, jostling her many injuries unintentionally.

She looked over to the side and spied Theo sitting there.

“Theo,” she croaked, before trying to clear her throat as irritants made themselves known.

He jerked awake and blinked rapidly, looking around. His eyes eventually landed on her and he sighed with relief.

“Hey. How you feeling?” He asked leaning forward.

“Like shit. Theo. Go home. You smell like you were in an explosion,” She responded after a moment, trying to adjust herself gently.

He snorted and replied jokingly, “Really? Strange.”

He looked at her for a long moment and said with concern, “I don’t want to leave you alone here. I’m fine with staying.”

She smiled tiredly, and assured, “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Go get yourself cleaned up. I’ll probably be passing back out here in a moment anyway. I’m sure Anita is worried about her husband.”

“She knows where I’m at. I’ll… I’ll get cleaned up and then check back on you around noon, yeah?” He conceded with a sigh.

She nodded her head once before slowly drifting off to sleep again. Theo made his way out and back home.

When Blix woke again, she could feel the sunlight on her face. She squinted her eyes and scrunched up her face as sleep left her. She could hear movement as she became aware of her surroundings.

She finally pried her eyes opened and looked around. Who she saw was not who she was expecting.

“Pacho?” She whispered as she rubbed her eyes to clear them.

“Hi sweetness. How are you feeling?” He softly asked as he took a seat on the bed.

“I’ve had better days, I will say,” She answered as she tried to push herself up into a sitting position.

He reached over and gently lifted her up, adjusting her pillow so she was comfortable.

She thanked him quietly and sighed heavily. Before she could say much else, the nurse walked in.

“Oh! You’re awake! Good. Let me go get your doctor,” She exclaimed before stepping back out for a moment.

She walked back in with a doctor, and as the doctor spoke with Blix, she checked the machines that were hooked up to her.

“Hello, Miss Lage. I am Doctor Garza. Tell me what is your current pain level?” He introduced before asking.

“Umm. About 5. Maybe a 6. So, what’s the damage report?” She asked wanting to know what had happened to her.

“Well. Miss Lage to begin with you have quite the bump to your head. We shall be checking on you throughout the day to make sure you do not have a concussion. We had to surgically remove a chunk of wood that had imbedded itself in your side. There are some broken bones in your left foot, and it has been placed into a cast. Beyond that, your ribs are bruised, and have various other bruises, scrapes on your body. Your right wrist also was sprained at some point. If I may say so, you are very lucky to be alive,” He explained gesturing to each wound as he spoke.

She hummed softly, “Just more scars to add to the list.”

Pacho took her hand in his and gently brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. She smiled at him weakly.

“Maria here will be taking your vitals, and checking you for any symptoms of a concussion,” Doctor Garza finished. “Please let me know if you need anything else.”

Maria then began to check her eyes and ask her questions about herself, and the date/time, etc. She wasn’t quite sure of the time since there wasn’t a clock, she just knew it was early.

The conversation took about 5 minutes, before the nurse than made sure she was comfortable, and not feeling pain. She then left after jotting down some notes.

Once they were alone again, Blix sighed, “I hate hospitals. Hate being stuck in them. I wouldn’t by chance be able to talk you into a jailbreak, would I?”

He chuckled at my question. “Very tempted lovely. I think you should stay here at least for a day.”

“Boo. You’re no fun,” she pouted.

He simply shook his head at me and simply said, “I took the liberty of paying for all of the expenses. You have nothing to worry about. I will also be picking you up when you are released, and I shall take care of you.”

“Oh. Pacho. No. You don’t have to do that honey. I can take care of myself just fine,” She denied his offer with a shake of her head

“Yes, I am well aware you can take care of yourself but... isn’t it about time someone took care of you?” He said with a smirk and a kiss to her cheek.

“Oh. Wow.” She breathed, not expecting that response. “That’s… that’s a good line. That might have even earned you a yes.”

“It’s not a line, darling, it’s purely for selfish reason. Need to keep my favorite agent alive. No use to me dead,” Pacho said dryly.

She stared at him for a moment, slightly surprised. She shook her head, looking away. ‘Unbelievable.’

“Right. Forgot. To you I’m nothing more than a pawn. You should go. My coworkers will probably be here soon,” She dismissed him not sparing him another glance.

He narrowed his eyes at her and reached up to grab her chin and turned her head back to him.

“If you were merely a pawn, I would’ve just sent flowers,” He informed her annoyed.

His eyes scanned her face for a second, before he pressed his lips to hers. She didn’t respond in kind and as he pulled away, he quietly muttered, “Don’t be like that.”

“I was serious. My coworkers will be coming to check on me soon. You should get back to work… or whatever it is you do during the day. Thank you for coming to see me, and for paying the bill. I’ll be sure to pay you back,” She said softly in response, wishing to avoid any conflict.

“I’m sure that I will see you soon. I believe you mentioned something about giving me more details on König? Plus, you owe me an explanation on your dealings with him,” She concluded with a faint smile.

“Okay. I will go. I was serious though. I wish to take care of you while you heal. Allow me that simple pleasure,” He gently pleaded stroking his knuckles over her jaw.

She nodded her head after a moment, and gives him a small, chaste kiss. He took his leave a moment later.

Not 10 minutes had passed before her coworkers walked in, carrying various flowers, balloons and bears.

“Good lord. Guys! What is this?” She laughed.

“Us, showing our appreciation over the best boss, who risked her life to save ours and wound up in a hospital bed,” Cynthia happily replied as she started to set things around her. “Ooh. It appears you’ve already had a visitor I see!”

Blix looked over to where she was looking at confused. Next to her bed was a bouquet of roses and lilies, in a beautiful shade of pink.

She gaped at the flowers, before reaching over to grab the note attached to them.

“Something to make you smile, darling. – P.”

She bit her lip, as a smile appeared on her face. “Bastard.” She whispered.

“Who are these from? Girl, you’ve been holding out on us!” Cynthia teased.

“Just a friend,” Blix said vaguely.

“A friend? A friend who paid probably $500 for these flowers, given where they are from? One of the most expensive flower shops in the city, and he’s ‘just a friend,’” Cynthia replied with a scoff.

“It’s… it’s complicated. That’s all I can really say,” Blix tried to explain.

They all took seats and began chitchatting. It had been awhile since she had felt so relax and laughed genuinely.

Throughout their visit, the nurse would come in and check on her, or bring her a meal.

As the day was ending, Blix couldn’t help the yawns that kept rising up. Theo noticed that it was getting late and announced that they should probably leave and let Blix rest. They all said their goodbyes one by one, until it was just Theo.

“By the way boss, the ambassador wants you to take 2 weeks off to heal. No exceptions,” He informed her wincing, expecting her to get upset.

She nodded and said “I expected that. It’s okay. I am not going to be able to do much with this foot anyway.”

Theo nodded back and waved goodbye. She sighed at the silence of the room, and gently wiggled her body to lie further down.

She was staring at the flowers that she was left, and she couldn’t help the smile that crept as she admired them.

“I take it you like them?” She heard a voice gently ask.

She jumped as she flicked her eyes back over to the door. Pacho stood there, his hands in his pockets as he sauntered over.

“Yes. I do like them. They are very beautiful,” She thanked him as scooted over to make room for him to sit.

“I… may have said something in poor taste earlier. And I wish to apologize for that,” he admitted as he sat down.

“Oh? Is that so?” Blix said loftily.

“Yes. I am sorry. I did not mean to sound uncaring. Nor did I mean it to sound like I thought you were a simple pawn,” He apologized quietly.

“Thank you. I uh.. I’m sorry for getting upset like I did. It’s not like we are dating or anything. Just because we slept together doesn’t mean that I’m suddenly someone of great importance to you,” She said with a wince as she thought back to that morning.

“Oh sweetness, when are you going to realize? I meant what I said earlier. If you were of no importance, I would have just sent flowers. Not bring them myself and check up on you personally,” He stated firmly with a kiss.

“Would… would it bother you if I asked you to stay a while? At least until I fell asleep?” Blix requested after a moment.

“No, it would not bother me at all,” He responded with a soft smile.

He laid down on the bed as best as he could, on his side, curling an arm around her, as his other tucked itself under her pillow. She wrapped her arms around him as best as she could and buried her face into his chest and neck. She fell asleep in minutes.

The next morning, she woke up alone, and spent the day making calls from the hospital phone to check in with Javier, Horacio, and her bosses.

Beyond that she spent the day, being checked on and having tests run to make sure everything was okay. By that evening she was cleared for release.

As she was rolled out to the front of the hospital with a bag full of meds and bandages, true to his word, Pacho stood there leaning against his Thunderbird.

He walked over to her and helped her up. “Hello dear.”

She smiled in response as she slowly stood and took the crutches that were being handed to her. She made her way over to his car and he followed behind her. He helped her inside and waited till she was situated before closing the door.

He got in and drove off. “I was thinking that we go by your place. You get whatever you need for work, and then you come home with me. Tomorrow, we will sit down and talk with Gilberto and Miguel about König and what we know about him,” He proposed as he reached over to hold her hand.

“Pacho. You’ve already done too much. Plus, I plan to give back the “tip” you three gave me. I am perfectly fine with taking care of myself,” Blix protested with a small sigh.

“I truly hate repeating myself, beautiful. I wish to take care of you, so accept it,” He said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

They pulled up to her house soon afterwards. He helped her grabbed the 5 files she still had sitting out and placed them in the trunk of his car. As she stepped into her office, to grab her notes, he leaned against the door frame and whistled at the sight he saw.

“A bit obsessed, I see?” He wondered with wide eyes.

She looked at him and then at her wall, and simply mouthed “A little bit” complete with hand motion.

He strode up to the wall, and examined it further, noting with a smirk that she had pinned the photos he sent her on the wall as well.

She had gathered what notes and pens she would need for her conversation tomorrow with the brothers.

“Is that everything?” Pacho inquired.

“I mean, I still need to get clothes and such. My sat phone,” She listed looking at him confused.

“Get your phone. I will provide you with clothes, unless of course you wish to wander around my home naked? Which… I wouldn’t protest,” He flirted pulling her closer to him.

She shook her head at him, and as she started to move past him, she realized, “My phone is upstairs…”

“Get back to the car, I’ll get it for you,” He offered with a chuckle.

She made her way back out, thankful that she only had 3 steps to go down as she hobbled outside. She held the notes close to her chest as she opened the door, and practically collapsed onto the seat.

She took a moment to breathe, the pain meds she had taken before she left the hospital were slowly wearing off, and an ache was building up in her chest and side.

Pacho had at this point left the house and made sure it was locked behind him. He made his way around to her side and helped her straighten up, moving the crutches out of her way. He gave her a quick kiss once she was settled.

He got into the car and took off, leaving the city behind them and steering toward the countryside. They drove for about an hour before finally turning onto a dirt path that led to a large mansion. He parked in the garage, next to several other sports cars and his motorcycles.

He escorted her out and into the house, depositing her into a kitchen chair. He left to go speak with some of his men, while his chef placed a plate of food before her. She thanked him before digging in. It wasn’t until the first bite, that she realized just how hungry she was, and she began to scarf the food down.

Pacho walked in and laughed at her, “The food isnt running away from you honey. You can enjoy it, ya know?”

She slowed back down, her cheeks warming with slight embarrassment.

“Sorry. The hospital didn’t exactly give the finest of meals, while I was there,” She admitted, after swallowing the food that was in her mouth.

“Don’t apologize. I like a woman with a healthy appetite,” He waved her apology off, as he took a seat next to her.

“So, when will Miguel and Gilberto arrive tomorrow?” She asked as she took smaller bites.

”About noon. Chepe will be with them as well. This weekend we are entertaining members of the Guadalajara Cartel,” He answered, his eyes rolling at the last part.

“Oh. Don’t like the Mexican cartel eh?” She guessed.

“Gallardo is a pain in the ass, who thinks he can outsmart us. His whole cartel is a sham. A powder-keg waiting to be lit,” He seethed, shaking his head.

She snickered at him, before noticing a man standing behind him. “Hi?”

Pacho looked behind him and motioned him forward.

“This is Diego, he’s my…” Pacho introduced before trailing off, awkwardly.

Blix looked at the dark-skinned man, who looked to be around her age as well, and noticed how he leaned into Pacho. She understood what he was trying to say.

“Boyfriend? Lover? Paramour? Pacho. Its fine. I’m well aware of your preference. This doesn’t change anything,” Blix supplied with a smile. “Hello. I’m Blix.”

She held out her hand to shake. Diego looked her up and down, before responding, “Hmm. Bit of a stepdown from your usual. Whatever happened to sleeping with the most beautiful women possible? A bit subpar don’t you think?”

She blinked in response, not expecting that at all.

“Diego,” Pacho admonished.

“No. It’s… it’s not the worst insult I’ve had thrown at me. He’s entitled to his opinion,” She mumbled looking away, her appetite gone.

“So. Where exactly am I staying?” She asked wanting to escape the awkwardness.

Pacho got up and whispered something to Diego angrily, before leading her through the large open living room, to the grand staircase.

The crutches were long forgotten and abandoned in the kitchen, and she limped after Pacho and took the stairs slowly. The cast she had on wasn’t a full plaster cast, it was meant to give some flexibility. So, while it was uncomfortable to walk on, it wasn’t painful.

He led her upstairs and to the left, leading her to a bedroom that was probably bigger than her entire first floor of her house.

“I’m sorry about Diego. I don’t… I don’t know why he would say that,” Pacho apologized as they stepped into the room.

“Its fine. Seriously. I don’t expect any of your men to be happy that I’m here. Least of all the man that you are in a relationship with,” She waved it off. “Like I said, he’s not the first to say something about my looks, he won’t be the last.”

“True. But I know it bothered you more than you let on,” Pacho observed pulling her close to him. “You’ve created quite the thick skin to deflect most of the comments people make about your scars. But it still gets you at times. I saw the look in your eyes. The way you closed in on yourself with that one comment.”

She doesn’t respond. Honestly, she didn’t know how to. It wasn’t very often when someone was able to point out her tells.

“I will talk to Diego. I don’t want my two favorite people to be at each other’s throats,” he assured, pressing kisses to the top of her head.

She nodded once before slowly wrapping her arms around his waist. She pressed a small kiss to the sliver of his chest that could be seen in the parting of his button-down shirt.

“I’m going to go shower… if you’d like to join?” She suggested as she pulled away from him.

He smirked at her and led her over to the en-suite bathroom. As they stepped inside, flicking the lights on blindly, Pacho captured her lips with his in a passionate kiss. Blix began to unbutton his shirt with fumbling fingers; softly tugging to untuck the shirt from his pants as well.

He gently lifted the tank top she wore off of her, her bra following swiftly after. A few minutes later they were both undressed and waiting for the shower to heat up.

Pacho examined the bandage on her waist and gently pulled it off of her.

“These are healing nicely,” He commented looking at her stitches. “Make sure you dry this area when we get out, but it should be safe to get wet so long as we don’t spend forever in there.”

Blix nodded, and as they stepped into the shower, they fooled around a bit. They cleaned and made out a lot but stepped out once they had finished cleaning. He made sure her stitches were dry before he helped put on a new bandage.

They made their way back into the room, and when Blix leaned up to continue the heated kisses they had started before, Pacho stopped her.

“We should probably stop, my dear. Wouldn’t want to pull those stitches,” Pacho gently reminded.

“Buzz kill. That’s what you are. You owe me,” She replied as she turned to get herself dressed, or mostly dressed.

“I promise. I’ll make it up as soon as those stitches are out,” Pacho swore, coming up behind her and pressing kisses to her shoulders.

She threw on a cami and a pair of underwear, that she found in the dresser before slipping under the covers. She patted the empty space next to her, beckoning him to join her, which he did.

Blix curled herself around him as he settled in, finding extreme comfort in the warmth of his skin.

As they laid there, she gently ran her fingers up and down his skin, drawing pictures on his chest.

He grabbed a cigarette out of the pack that had been placed on his bedside table and lit it. She fell asleep to smell of nicotine and the sensation of Pacho’s own hand running itself up and down her back.

The warmth of the rising sun woke her the next day, and as she opened her eyes, her gaze immediately fell upon Pacho, who was still asleep.

She admired him, for a moment. He looked far more relaxed as he slept, when he was awake, he was always on a constant high alert. She propped herself up on her elbow, and lightly ran a finger along his face. She regarded the slight scruff forming on his face, biting her lip at the tickling sensation she felt as she stroked it.

She stared at him in awe for a moment more, before sitting up. Or at least she tried to. A pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her back down.

“Where do you think you are going, lovely?” Came Pacho’s sleepy voice.

“I was going to go make breakfast for us. And go to the bathroom if you truly must know,” She answered honestly.

He hummed in response, “I suppose I can let you go for that. Need to go get dressed anyway.”

They both slowly sat up together, and Pacho got up from the bed and made his way to the door. She stared at his backside with a smirk, shamelessly checking him out.

He turned back to look at her and simply said, “No. Not until you’re healed.”

She stuck her tongue out in response, and he laughed loudly on his way out. She then got up and did her business in the bathroom, before strolling over to the closet.

She turned on the light and whistled at all of the clothes that hung there. All high-end fashion, all stuff one would see on a runway.

She pulled out a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a flannel shirt to go over it. She slipped on a black flat leaving its twin behind and brushed out her hair, before pulling it into a ponytail.

She walked out once she was dressed and ready, making her way down to the kitchen area. She opened the refrigerator and looked at what was available in there, spotting some eggs and sausage links as she perused the fridge. She noticed out of the corner of her eye a loaf of bread. After trying a couple of cabinets, she found the spice cabinet, and grabbed the cinnamon.

She began to make some French toast and sausage once she had gathered the ingredients and spending five minutes searching for utensils and such.

As she cooked, Pacho walked in with Diego close behind. She ignored him for the most part, especially when he gave her a distasteful look. Diego grabbed some plates and dining utensils, setting them out on the kitchen island, ignoring her as well.

The food was done soon enough, and Diego grabbed the powdered sugar and syrup. All of them made their own plates, before sitting down with Pacho in the middle. While they ate, Pacho and Diego spoke of work and Blix half listened, not particularly caring.

Once they finished eating, they moved to the living room, and Blix had her files moved to the coffee table so she could begin reviewing them. She opened the first file, and grabbed a legal pad, and began notating what was important. The style of König’s crimes, and what he often stole. Various other crimes and essentially his background plus anyone associated with him.

She was so focused she didn’t notice the various men (sicarios), walk through to talk to Pacho who sat opposite of her and watched her with curious eyes.

Several hours had passed by the time Gilberto, Miguel, and Chepe walked in and greeted Pacho.

They looked over at Blix inquisitively, who had at some point, moved to sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table. She had gone through at least two of the files and was on the third. She had gone through at least one legal pad and was nearing the end of a second one.

She blinked when she heard someone clear their throat and called her name. She looked up owlishly and said, “What?”

It took her a moment to fully realize who all was there. “Oh. Hi! Sorry? Have… have you been here long?” She asked hesitantly, as she stood back up.

“A few minutes. You are…very focused. It was quite adorable Miss Lage,” Chepe complimented as he stepped forward to take her hand and kiss it.

She shook her head, “A flirt. That’s all that you are, Chepe.”

“Only for you, beautiful,” Chepe flirted back with a wink.

She then stepped toward Gilberto and Miguel and greeted them with a handshake, both men pressing a kiss to her cheek in greeting.

They then took their seats Pacho and Chepe sitting on either side of her, Miguel & Gilberto sat across from them.

She grabbed a fresh notepad and looked at each man for a moment, before titling the blank page: CI’s Orange, Blue, Purple, And Silver.

Chepe leaned over and looked at her title with questioning eyes.

“Can’t exactly let my coworkers know that I am receiving this info from Cartel Members. So, to protect your identities, code. Shirt color in this instance,” Blix explained quickly.

“Alright. König. How did you meet him? What do you know?” She interrogated all four of them.

Gilberto replied, “He came to us looking to sell art he had… ‘acquired.’ He seemed alright but he felt the need to make comments that were…. Discourteous towards us. Particularly toward Pacho and his choices in romantic partners.”

She raised an eyebrow at that confession, “You broke ties with a well-known art thief, because he was homophobic? No offense, especially to you Pacho, but… don’t most of the people you work with… have some issues with his preferences?”

Pacho snorted at the question and as he lit a cigarette, answered, “Yes. But most of them know not to say it directly to my face or theirs.”

“Ah. Got it. Go on then,” She urged Gilberto to go on after nodding her head in understanding.

“We bought a couple of items, and we were planning to create a deal to slip cocaine using his routes and trucks, to have them brought into America via Mexico or on his planes. He had ties to Europe which we had planned to take advantage of. But. His lack of his respect toward all of us ruined those plans,” Gilberto further explained.

“Wouldn’t happen to know what those routes were, do you?” She asked after she noted everything he said.

He shook his head apologetically, “Never got to that point.”

“The painting to your left is one of the ones we bought,” Miguel noted.

She looked over at it and scrutinized it for a bit. “Caravaggio. Nice. Fake, but nice.”

“Excuse me? Fake? That’s not fake? What are you talking about?” Miguel sputtered in outrage.

She sighed before explaining without looking up from her notepad, “There’s a smudge of pink that’s not consistent with the era in the bottom right corner. It also looks like it was painted 4 months ago not 400 years ago. Good art forgers would know to age the paint, usually tossing it in the oven on very low heat does the trick. Or even painting over an old painting.”

After a few minutes of silence, she looked back up to see all 4 men starring at her, impressed.

“What?” She wondered, blinking slowly.

“Nothing. Just… impressed by your knowledge. Ever thought about being a criminal?” Chepe asked jokingly.

“What makes you think I haven’t committed any crimes?” She posed challengingly. “You think that just because I’m a federal agent that I’m squeaky clean?”

“Oh? Go on then. Don’t leave us in suspense darling,” Chepe cajoled leaning closer.

“Statute of limitations hasn’t passed yet, ask me again in a year or so,” She said with a smirk.

At that the others laughed, especially at Chepe’s responding pout.

“Anything else I should know about König?” She asked once everyone sobered up a bit.

“He’s an ass. Do not let your guard around him. He’s a bit similar to Gacha, he doesn’t care for partners, and he is not afraid to go after police or federal agents. Hence why he probably laid that trap for you at the museum,” Pacho answered as he finished his cigarette.

She nodded, stretching as the memory of the explosion made her suddenly ache. At that moment, lunch was served and laid out on the dining table. They moved over to it and began to talk more about art and previous cases she’s worked.

It was odd, but she found it enjoyable to sit and talk with all four of them. ‘Never thought my life would take this turn. Having lunch with the Gentlemen of Cali. I think… I’m going to enjoy this as much as I can.’

[livingouttheworsttimeline]

Why am I so tired all the time?

4:30 am: youngest child wakes up after wetting the bed. change child, change bedsheets, replace drinks, turn night time music back on, convince youngest child that it is in fact still night time. Climb back into bed a 4:55.

5:00 am: eldest child comes to tell me that youngest child wants to play. I am aware, because I have heard her loudly declaring such since I left their room. Tell oldest child to go back to bed. Pray that, somehow, for the very first time, they will put themselves back to sleep. 

5:05 am: give up on hopeless prayers. Get up and take both children to the living room. Change the youngest into underwear. Log into tablets and override the “do not turn on until 6 am” setting. Wait for coffee to finish brewing.

5:23 am: extract self from underneath 2 children and a dog to pour first cup of coffee. It’s half caff, because spouse has a heart condition. Remind self that I can have several cups with impunity.

5:45 am: Eldest child is unhappy with the pre-made breakfast provided for him the night before. When asked what he would like to eat, he responds, “bacon, chinese food, or pizza.” Explain, again, that we need a variety of foods for our bodies to grow strong. Spend 15 minutes convincing him to eat $5 worth of blackberries as a compromise.

6:12 am: Finish 2nd cup of coffee, realize that eldest child’s night time pull up is overflowing with poop. Usher him to the bathroom for a bath. Feel humbled when I realize that I spent 10 years in grad school, and yet I am still reduced to wiping shit off another person. Calmly remind eldest child that he is capable of using the potty, and that I have confidence in him. 

6:30 am: Spouse awakes, complains that he slept poorly. Roll eyes and go back to drinking 3rd cup of coffee, in between being elbowed in the stomach and explaining that no, I do not know how to work the video game you just downloaded 15 seconds ago. Remind self that I am their physical and mental safe place, which is worth the literal bruises and mental stress. 

6:45 am: extract self from pile of children and dog by physically lifting each dependent off my lap. Verify that spouse is up for supervision duties, collect running clothes, and start treadmill.

6:47 am: stop treadmill because youngest child has entered the room and decided that I will not run today because it’s not fair. Remind self that arguing fairness with a 3 year old is the definition of futility. Gently remind her that I love her, she is a big girl, and she can play independently while I run. 

6:49 am: start treadmill again. Nagging calf pain seems to be back. Scale back workout, remind self that value of the run is not the distance. Do extra core workout to compensate.

7:30 am: shower. Mediate 2 sibling fights from shower. Fortunately, children are camped out in the bathroom with me, so I don’t have to leave a trail of water through the house to interact.

7:35 am: Marvel at the thought that spouse takes a 45 min shower. EVERY DAY. Note gratitude that I am working from home, and no longer have to style hair and makeup. 

7:36 am: Refill kid drink cups for the 3rd time today. Spend 30 minutes convincing, cajoling, and bribing kids to put on clean underwear. We no longer try for clothes. 

8:06 am: turn on work computer. Respond to a weekend full of emails. Handle 5 pressing tasks for side hustle, reasoning that if I get them out of the way, I can push the rest of that to do list to after working hours.

8:45 am: Answer persistent pounding on locked office door. refill drinks and provide snack. Reassure youngest child that mommy is still here, but she needs to work. 

9:03 am: debate whether going to the bathroom is worth leaving the office and the begging that ensues. Make wrong choice either way. 

9:15 am: morning meetings get shuffled later, because childless coworkers “are running late this morning.” Marvel at the concept of 9:15 am being early.

9:30 am: solid wall of meetings until noon. Update team on status at end of last week, despite not remembering what you just ate for breakfast. Realize that you haven’t eaten breakfast. Run training and introduction for new team member. You are the only woman on the team,  so you get do the training because “you’re so good at explaining things.” 

12:00 pm: Call youngest child’s preschool, make sure you can bring by her supplies and still adhere to Covid protocols. Preschool is also side hustle, so cram a parent and employee meeting into a single hour. Explain that new registration system will, in fact, be more efficient than old paper system. Remind preschool staff that we committed to going paperless. Make small talk with preschool teachers until the hour is up. Hop in the car and speed home.

1:00 pm: children adhere to my side the second I walk in the door. Spouse is in the shower. Children have eaten approximately 3 bites of their pb&j sandwiches, and demand different lunch. Remember that you have not eaten lunch yet. Refill drinks for 4th time, provide reasonable lunch alternatives. 

1:25 pm: Remember that you scheduled a meeting for 1:30, and. you need to be present. Calculate that extraction from children is not possible in 5 minutes, and take meeting with youngest child on lap. Despite having weaned 1.5 years ago, youngest child decides that you’re still nursing, and pulls down top on video call. Spend most of call switching on and off mute. Catch every 3rd word. 

1:45 pm: apologize to team, promise to reschedule a follow up with more focus. Hang up, extract youngest child’s arm from shirt. Refill drinks for the 5th time. Bribe children to get in bed for a nap with the promise of a visit to nana and pop this afternoon. 

1:48 pm: children’s beds have been stripped, due to accidents last night, but spouse “doesn’t know where the clean sheets are”, and so hasn’t remade beds. Children petition to nap on the floor. Explain floor is not comfortable. Find clean sheets, make 2 beds, take everyone to the potty, tuck both children in. 

2:20 pm: Realize that you have 40 minutes of actual work time left today, outside of meetings. Try to prioritize, with the knowledge that whatever you get done will not be enough. Deny request for drink refill.

3:00 pm: kick off afternoon meeting block. Try frantically to make the 40 minutes that you did get to work sound like a whole lot more. Wake children up during bathroom break so that they’ll be able to sleep tonight. Refill drinks for 5th time. 

3:45 pm: Curse the fact that youngest child has inherited your distaste for waking up. Gently coax her awake in between meetings.

4:00 pm: Wrap up last task from meetings, make list of all new tasks. Realize that today you have checked off one task, and received 7 new ones. Promise self that you’ll get your work laptop back out after the kids are in bed. Ignore the sense of despair that threatens to overtake you.

4:20 pm: Bribe children into putting on clothes with promise of fruit snacks at grandparent’s house. Feel mildly guilty as you put on your second round of workout gear. Load children in double jogging stroller, jog to grandparent’s house. 

5:00 pm: collect children to head home for dinner. 

5:10 pm: threaten no more fruit snacks if children don’t put on their shoes. Grandparents go get them more fruit snacks. 

5:23 pm: explain that the sun is going down in 24 minutes, and that we have to leave now to get home before it gets dark. Remember that time is immaterial. Wish for that blissful sense of ignorance.

5:37 pm: push 100 lbs of toddler and stroller up giant, hilly driveway. Spouse greets us with “what’s for dinner?” Politely remind him that he promised to plan and make dinner while we were gone. Grit teeth at his “I didn’t know what to make” response. Quickly run through available, easy, acceptable options and make dinner.

6:15 pm: serve dinner. Eat own dinner in 2.5 minutes, then spend rest of meal refilling drinks and plates, heating up or cooling down, and cajoling children to eat anything at all.

6:45 pm: Announce that tonight we don’t need to take a bath. Youngest child immediately melts down, because she wanted to take a bath. Eldest child melts down because, even thought he didn’t want to take a bath, he wanted to taunt his sister while she was in the bath. 

6:53 pm: Loose temper for 1st time today, scream that children need to brush their teeth. Step away to calm down. Spouse gets upset because “You can’t handle the children without yelling.” Bite tongue all the way through to avoid snarky reply.

7:10 pm: read 2 story books. Read one more. Explain again, that mommy cannot read anymore, and daddy will come read for a little while. Extract self from pile of children, and tuck both in. Hugs, kisses, and fist bumps. Twice. Then once more, after you’ve left the room.

7:15 pm: contemplate second shower. Decide that you didn’t really get that sweaty on the walk, and it’s not like you’re going out. Collapse on sofa with phone and mindless tv.

7:25 pm: spouse comes into the living room after harrowing duty of reading for 10 minutes. Hand over the remote, pull out side hustle lap top and finalize tasks for the day.

8:30 pm: remember that you promised to do main job work. Bring out that laptop to run some code while you continue side hustle work.

9:15 pm: Finish side hustle work, give up on main job work for the evening. Mentally apologize to team for not making more progress, promise to self that you’ll be more focused tomorrow.

9:30 pm: tell spouse that you need to go to bed. Endure his eye roll and disappointed face. Apologize for needing to go to sleep so early, and reassure him that you’re doing the best you can.

10:15 pm: eldest child has night terror. Comfort eldest child until he’s calm. Comfort youngest child, who is upset at brother’s screams. Realize that spouse is still watching tv in the living room while you comfort children. 

11:00 pm: listen to youngest child cry for 10 minutes until spouse begrudgingly tends to her. Remind self that it is not solely my job to comfort our children. Try to go back to sleep. 

3 am: eldest child wakes up with question about mushrooms that is vitally important. Answer to best of middle-of-the-night ability, acknowledge that you appreciate his curiosity, but that there are times when questions are not appropriate. Get him back to sleep.

4:30 am: youngest child wakes up.

[what-a-messsss]

2x2 rewatch

Eeeeehehehehe, why the fuck am I laughing this hard when I realized it was the roadkill compost episode?  That is not in the least funny, it’s actually pretty gross, but I’m literally paused 3 seconds in chortling to myself so hard that I’m having to wipe away tears.  ...I think the stress is getting to me.  Anyway, back to fictional Wyoming!

It’s actually a pretty genius business model, to be honest.  Taking a sadly repeating resource and using it to enrich the soil?  Tough work, no doubt, physically and mentally, but a smart and very niche thing.  I hadn’t thought about the fact that cleaning up roadkill would have been part of Walt’s job as a deputy.  Lucian said in S6, in his fantastically circuitous way, that it had been 10 years since he and Walt had worked together (if I remember correctly).  Which... wait, is that right?  Had Walt really only been sheriff for 4 years when the show started?  Which is a single term, before Branch ran against him.  I think I’d had the impression that he’d been sheriff for longer than that.  Or is my math just super borked?  (A very real possibility.)  Who were Walt’s deputies before these three?  Branch has  probably been a deputy for a while, Vic was hired a few months before the show and it isn’t clear for Ferg but it’s implied at least a chunk longer.  So who were his deputies for the rest of those 4 years?  (Aaaaaand this is how I grow OCs.  Shit.)

She names the roadkill?  Eeeeeh...

Branch, you douchecanoe.  You are very clearly not welcome in her home anymore; the fact that she hasn’t moved the spare key isn’t a fucking invitation to break in and invade her privacy, oh my gods I hate you so much.  This is predatory behavior.  You need to either go through official channels with the department to do a wellness check or FUCK RIGHT OFF into the deepest reaches of hell.  Excellent plan, fucking off.

Henry,  I adore you beyond measure.  “Thanks-taking.”  Vic... Seriously?  “God, you people really hold a grudge.”  Somehow, I think they’re kind of entitled to, what with all of the wars, genocide, stolen land, racism, broken treaties, and the like.  Get bent.

Genuinely, Henry’s dry as anything sass is quite possibly the best thing about the whole show.  We didn’t get nearly enough of it during the later seasons.  And his little smiiiiile at having made Walt chuckle, oh my heart.

The “Hands up!”  O.o  “Hands down!” little comedy gag is totally sold by KS’s face, haaaa.  And Ferg’s bafflement, but collected response to those truckers thinking he was a rentboy was solid.

I kind of have to applaud that sex worker’s gumption to just try to take off in the truck.  Not the best thought out plan, to be sure, but gutsy.

Ok, Branch has just had a line establishing that they’re not in Absaroka, and then Vic and Ferg look annoyed/confused when Walt tells them to cut the sex workers and customers loose, but then Branch finishes with, “Absaroka County wishes you all a fine evening... at home.”  So are they in Absaroka, or not??

Kudos to Walt saying, “Which will allow you to get out of here.  If that’s what you want.”  Not falling completely into the savior complex bs is good, and acknowledging that she is an adult who can make her own decisions, even if they’re ones he would wish she wouldn’t is good.  ........If only he could extend that same courtesy to his own daughter.  

Branch, wtf.  It’s a felony to even have burglar’s tools.  Legit, it’s a felony punishable with up to 3 years in prison or up to $3k, or both.  Unlawful entry is 10 years and/or $10k, and I’m pretttttyyyyyy fucking sure you don’t have a warrant to be in Cady’s house.  FUCK OFF.  You giant douchecanoe.  (Min and I also have a headcanon that the random coloured empty frames are Branch’s fault, because they don’t really go with any of the rest of the decor, and we hate them.  So we decided that when he saw the Andy Warhol style print she had that he got those for her and she just never got around to taking them down after they broke up.)  And isn’t tampering with someone’s mail a federal offence?  You are the worst.

Aaaand then Walt calls the Collettes showing Ross Lanten’s wife video of him with prostitutes “interfering in his marriage.”  Okaaaay.  Because helping get a woman and kids out of what has several hallmarks of an abusive marriage is “interfering,” I guess.  Not the happiest about that word choice, I’m not gonna lie.

Aaaaaand then Whitish is super racist, and I hate her.  Henry handles it with grace, but fuck, I cannot imagine how wearying that must be.  And Branch makes obnoxious and offensive assumptions (playing to his strengths, natch), and Henry once again demonstrates how he is also the Actual Best.

Nobody has heard from Cady recently, but the tiny little hesitation Henry has before he confirms that he hasn’t heard from her either is so good.  LDP is so good.  Just from that, it reinforces how much that bothers him, and that he’s worried, but also that he really doesn’t want to talk to Branch about any of it.

“If you do, will you let me know?”  “I most certainly will not.”  Such a classy way to basically tell Branch to fuck off and get wrecked.  

A lady threatening Henry with a knife and I should not be focusing on how great he looks in a vest, but heeeeere we are.  (I do love that brown vest.)  And even after she is drunk and rude and racist and threatens him, Henry’s look when she says that she knew the dead man still has concern and compassion in it.  Waaaaaah.

Do I remember what Walt did to his hand?  Was that something from this episode that I’m not remembering right now, or are they actually having some intra-episode continuity and that bandage is him still recovering from the start of frostbite?  [Dang it, my Xbox controller just pooped out.  Now I have to go swap it out for the other one and stick this one in the charging dock.  But I’m so cozy in bed with my jar o’ tea and everythinggggg.  Boo.]  ...  [It has been long enough since I wrote that last bit that my Xbox has shut itself down twice in the interim.  Oops.  I’m super great at focusing.]

Fuck, that “I was some place I shouldn’ta been” hits hard.  This whole seen in rough.

Aaaahaha, why is the fact that Ferg is also standing there looking at Walt when he wakes up so much funnier than if it had just been Vic?  And his little grin.  And Ruby with a mug of his toothbrush and such for Walt!  Rubyyyyy!  (Holy shit, the fact that they have this little set up is alarmingly adorable, and I heckin’ adore Ruby.)  And then she sasses Branch, and I just want nice things for her.  

Walt’s “If you want,” to Ferg came off to me more like, ‘waste your time if you want to,’ (though that could well be my own issues projected” but I’m proud of Ferg for running with it.  And I do appreciate Walt calling the sex worker a lady.

Of course, he pulls Henry into his bs, getting him to solicit a sex worker.  Why does Henry put up with him?  I’m sorryyyy, but the pointing is so awkward and I cringe so hard, but what else is he going to do, I guess?  And how does he recognize her anyway?  Did Walt take a picture of her before letting her go, or something?  It doesn’t seem like he even got her name, to pull up a picture from a rap sheet, sooo...  Why am I even worrying about it?  And at least Walt doesn’t think that it’s not rape just if it’s a sex worker.

The flashback scene sure hits hard, too.  Damn.  I’m trying to remember the last time I saw anybody other than Vic actually pull on a glove in consideration of fingerprints.  I think there might have been one time or something, but nothing comes readily to mind.

For all that I rag on Walt for just collecting his assumptions and taking them to the bank, there is heavy irony with him now laying out the reasons he’s not arresting Whitish, because there is reasonable doubt in the form of the Collettes.  

Ooooooope, and then Branch brings up Cady.  I sure this can only go really well.  Aaaaaaaaand of course Walt has one of his Longmire Epiphanies and just walks off in the middle of the conversation, such as it was.

Does a college registrar’s really have your birth certificate on file?  I’m pretty sure I didn’t have to submit a copy to mine, but I also don’t really remember?  But that seems weird.

Ah, the bandage was about the frostbite.  I appreciate the continuity.  

Hmmmmmm, Cady leaving her phone at home when she drove to CO seems unlikely.  It seems unlikely as a generality for her generation, and on practical levels (directions to the precinct and such?), and just... That’s pretty hard to buy.  If I don’t want to talk to somebody, or even a bunch of people, I’d ignore calls or even block numbers, but her not taking her phone gives the impression that there is literally nobody that she would want to talk to, and that plays into this really weird bit of characterization void that the writers fell into of Cady just not knowing any single person other than her dad, Henry, Ruby, Branch, and Ferg, and I guess Vic.  As if she just doesn’t exist outside of her relation to one of them.  She doesn’t want to talk to any of the 6 of them, so there is not a single other person on the planet who she would want to be able to talk to/have them contact her?  There’s not a single other person on the planet that she knows who if they called and said, “I have an emergency, can you talk/help?” that she wouldn’t want to be available for?  Bullshit.  The entire rest of the series when she’s onscreen is showing how much she cares.  She’s a fucking Hufflepuff, and she’s not going to leave her damn phone at home while she drives 6 hours away into another damn state.  If you so desperately need to that she’s not even seeing his call, have her leave it in her car when she goes into the Denver station.  Like, unless she has a second phone that she did take, I’m not buying it.  Even as an attempt at “she’s so caught up in her mother’s murder now, oooo, Longmire tantrum and singular focus’ characterization.  Just, boo.

[dukereviewstv]

Duke Reviews TV: Batman: The Animated Series 1x10 And 1x11 Two-Face

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews TV, Where We Continue Our Look At Batman: The Animated Series By Talking About Episodes 10 And 11 Of Season 1, Two-Face...

This Episode Sees Harvey Dent Starting To Transform Into The Duality Obsessed Two-Face When He Expresses Anger Issues That Are Being Caused By Another Personality In Harvey's Subconscious Called "Big Bad Harv"...

Big Bad Harv...

Going To Get Psychiatric Help At Bruce's Behest, His Psych File Ends Up In The Hands Of Mobster Rupert Thorne (Played By Officer Mooney From Killer Klowns From Outer Space) Who Decides To Blackmail Him In Exchange For Favors In D.A'S Office...

Will Batman Be Able To Save Harvey From Thorne? Or Will Big Bad Harv Take Over Completely And Handle The Problem For The Bat?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Two-Face...

The Episode Starts With A Dream Sequence As Harvey Runs From A Disembodied Voice Saying "It's Time"...

Woken Up By His Secretary, Carlos, Who Tells Him That Gordon Called Saying That They Started A Raid On A Derelict Building Being Held By Rupert Thorne's Men...

With Batman's Help, The Men Are Captured As Harvey Congratulates Gordon And The Police But When One Of The Crooks Kicks Mud In Harvey's Face, Dent Goes Beserk On The Crook And Has To Be Pulled Off Him

Reverting Back To His Regular Self After That, Dent Has No Memory Of What Happened And Just Simply Says That Maybe The Criminal Hit The Right Button...

Back At His Headquarters, Rupert Thorne Tells His Hot Mole, Candice...

To Find Something Dirty About Dent's Past That Could Be Used In His Favor

Later At A Campaign Rally At Wayne Manor, Carlos Tells Harvey That The Judge Let Thorne's Men Go Because The Warrant Was "Incomplete" This Leads To Harvey Losing His Temper Again Because He Believes That The Judge Was Bought Off Like Everyone In Thorne's Employ...

Bruce Tries To Calm Harvey Down But All It Does Is Make Harvey Take His Anger Out On Him, It's Only When Harvey's Fiancee Grace Slaps Him...

With Bruce Advising Harvey To Get Psychiatric Help, Grace Tells Him That Harvey Already Is, Only For Harvey To Be Embarrassed, Despite Being Reluctant To Due To His Campaign...

Visiting His Doctor That Night, She Induces Hypno Therapy On Harvey, Where She Meets Harvey's Other Personality, Big Bad Harv...

And This Scene Frightens Me Every Time I See It....

(Start At 0:37, End At 2:26)

Asking If There's Any Other Way, The Doctor Suggests Increasing Their Sessions And Doing Less Campaigning Which Harvey Agrees To Do As Long As It's Kept Quiet, But Unfortunately, Thorne's Mole Candice Is Right Outside The Door And She Heard Everything...

Months Pass And Harvey Is About To Recieve A Landslide Victory In His Re-Election But When He Gets A Phone Call From Rupert Thorne Who Tells Harvey That He Knows About Big Bad Harv, And That If He Doesn't Get Into A Car Outside In The Alley, His Political Career Wont Be Intact For Much Longer...

Worried About His Friend, Bruce Suits Up And Follows Harvey To Thorne At A Chemical Plant Where He Tells Harvey That In Exchange For Keeping Quiet About Harvey's Psych Record, He'll Want A Few Favors From The D.A'S Office...

With Thorne Asking If They Have A Deal, Harvey Has A Psychotic Break And Attacks Thorne And His Men...

Harvey Smash!

Batman Tries To Stop Harvey Not Realizing That It's Not Harvey He's Dealing With But Big Bad Harv...

With Thorne's Men Fighting Both Harvey And Batman, Thorne Eventually Grabs The File And Bolts With Harvey Going After Him...

(Start At 2:26, End At 3:12)

I Usually Love Kevin Conroy But I Don't Like That No He Did There (Despite Knowing That Alot Of People Do) I'm Sorry But I Just Wish It Was Louder So I Could Feel His Anguish To The Situation Where Here I Just Don't Feel It...

Taking Harvey To The Hospital, Bruce Worries About The Mental Scars Than The Physical Scars While Candice Rejoices At Getting Rid Of Dent Despite Thorne Not Being So Convinced Harvey Is Gone..

Later At The Hospital, The Doctor Starts Removing The Bandages...

(Start At 1:29)

So, Yeah, That Ends Part 1, So, Now We Move On To Part 2...

A Few Months Have Passed And Harvey Is Now Full Two Face, Hitting Rupert Thorne's Joints, Humiliating Him Just As He Humiliated Harvey With The Help Of His Boys, Min And Max (Voiced By Micky Dolenz Of The Monkees)...

And He's Not Using James Cagney Impression Voice For The 2 Henchmen?...

(Start At 0:04, End At 0:10)

I Am So Over This Show!

I'm Kidding Of Course, That Would Make It Cartoony And God Knows We Can't Do That For 2 Seconds With This Show...

Infuriated That Harvey Took Him For $200,000, Candice Is Basically Like...

Because They Created Him While Rupert Places Out A Contract A Million A Face For Two Face...

Back In The Batcave, Bruce Has A Nightmare About Harvey...

(End At 1:09)

Finding A Picture Of Two Face, Bruce Vows To Save Harvey By Any Means Necessary...

Getting A Visit From A Detective Leopold Who Wants Her Help In Finding Harvey, Grace Is Given A Transmitter Which She's To Activate If Dent Contacts Her...

However It's Revealed To Us, That Leopold Is Really Candice In Disguise...

Going Over His Profits, Two Face Opens His Wallet Only To See A Picture Of Grace Which Causes Him To Freeze For A Second...

Min And Max Offer To Bring Grace To Him If He Misses Her So Much, But When He Gets His Coin Out And Flips It, It's Lands On The Bad Side So It'll Have To Wait While They Pull Off Their Big Plan Of Taking Down Thorne Once And For All..

Back In The Batcave, Batman Looks At Two Face's Previous Targets Realizes That Aside From The Fact That They All Have The Number 2 In Them, They're All Fronts For Thorne's Activities, This Leads Batman To Realize Where Harvey Is Headed Next...

(Start At 1:26)

Batman Is Woken Up By A Janitor Who Tells Him That Two Face Is Gone...

Driving By A Wedding Shop Where He Imagines Grace As The Bride On A Cake. Asking His Boys To Stop So He Can Flip His Coin...

And It Must Have Landed On Good Heads Because He Calls Grace And Says That He Wants To See Her...

Having Min And Max Outside Of The Apartment Waiting For Her, Grace Hangs Up Before Activating The Transmitter Giving Candice The Signal As Thorne Rages About The File Harvey Stole...

Arriving At The Abandoned Wild Deuce Club, Grace Sees Two Face Who Has A Cloth Over His Scared Side (Kind Of A la Phantom Of The Opera)...

As He Tells Her How He Is Now With Chance And She's Basically Unable To Accept It As It Wasn't Chance That Made Him D.A. Or Made Him Fall In Love With Her As He Removes The Cloth Telling Him That He Never Has To Be Afraid Of Her...

But It All Goes Down The Crapper When Thorne's Men Knock Out Min And Max And Thorne Enters With Candice, Who Tells Two Face What Grace Did Despite Thorne Saying That She Thought She Was Warning The Police...

Despite Thorne's Men Searching All Over, They Can't Find Thorne's File Which Forces Thorne To Go After Grace..,

(Start At 0:43, End At 3:32)

Alot Of People Have Said That Joel Schumacher Took The Last Couple Of Minutes Of This Part And Turned It Into This Part In Batman Forever...

(Start At 0:44, End At 0:59)

But Like The Part With Scarecrow In Nothing To Fear I See It As A Meer Coincidence...

With The Police Arresting Thorne And His Gang Along With Two Face Who Has Grace By His Side. Gordon Wonders If There's Hope For Harvey And Batman Replies Simply Where There's Love, There's Hope, Before He Tosses A Coin Into A Fountain For Harvey Ending Our Episode...

Now Before I Give My Opinion On The Episodes, I'd Like To Talk About Those Last Words Of The Episode...

"Where There's Love, There's Hope"

Those Lines Are Slightly Melancholy For Me...

Why?

Because After This Episode We Never See Grace With Harvey Again....

After This Episode And A Brief Cameo In Fear Of Victory, The Next Time We See Two Face Is In The Strange Secret Of Bruce Wayne Where He's Full On Two Face And Bidding On Bruce's Secret Alongside The Joker And The Penguin..

So, The Question Is What Happened To Grace? Did She Fall Off The Edge Of The DCAU Continuity?

Hi, Duke Here, The Following Was Going To Be A Long Winded Rant On Grace And What I Thought The Writers And Creators Did To Her, But After I Wrote That Rant, I Looked On DCAU Wiki And Discovered That They Moved Grace's Story With Harvey To The Comics...

Namely The Batman And Robin Adventures Comic, Where In Issues #1 And #2..

She Falls Victim To A Nefarious Plot By The Joker, Who Enrages Harvey By Suggesting That Grace And Bruce Wayne Are A Couple, This Leads Two Face To Kidnap Grace, Bruce And Dick, Threatening To Kill Them All...

But Realizing That He Has Succumbed To His Bad Side, Grace Stabs Two Face In The Face With His Coin Implicating That Their Relationship Is Over...

However, In Issue 22 Of Batman And Robin Adventures...

Two Face's Life Is Thrown Into Chaos When He Loses His Trademark Coin During A Breakout And Has Replaced It With A Quarter. Little Jonni Infantino, A Gangster Who Caused The Breakout..

And An Obvious Nod To Carmine Infantino, Comic Book Artist And Former Editor Of DC Comics...

Threatens To Kill Grace If Two Face Doesn't Provide Him Information On One Of Rupert Thorne's Thugs, Weird Tony Hendra, Who Was One Of Harvey's Last Cases As D.A....

Running To A Payphone, Two Face Calls Grace, Warning Her To Get Out Of Her Apartment Before Jonni Can Get To Her. Calling Bruce Afterwards To Tell Him That Harvey Saved Her Life, He Tells Her That He Will Send Alfred To Pick Her Up And Bring Her To The Mansion...

After That, That's The Last We See Of Grace, But It's Hinted That She Still Deeply Loves Harvey...

These Stories Are Good, But I Wish That #1 And #2 Were Portrayed On The Animated Series...

Mainly Because I Know There Are People Like Me Who Don't Go Out To Comic Book Stores And Get The Comics, So, In Turn People Like Me Are Confused About Where Characters Like Grace Are...

Not That There Are Anymore Characters That Leave The Show And Have Me Asking Where They Are, Like I Did With Grace But Still...

If Paul Dini Or Bruce Timm Are Looking At This I'd Like To Know Why They Went This Route With Grace And Didn't Explain Where She Was On The Animated Series For The People Who Didn't Read The Comic?

I Mean They Explained What Happened To Nora Fries After Sub Zero The Least They Can Do Is Explain What Happened To Grace After Two Face...

Anyway We Now Return You To Your Review Already In Progress....

God!

But Aside From My Problems With That These Two Episodes Are Very Good...

The Story And Characters Were Well Written And Their Take On The Character Of Two Face Is Brilliantly Written, Definite Props To Richard Moll For Amazingly Voicing Two Face In This And Many Episodes Of BTAS, All In All I Say See Them Both...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[xserpentlife]

Blind Part 4

Sweet Pea x Reader w/ Josie and Reggie also involved

This is a request from a reader @sparklevag

Warnings: Fluff, Angst, violence, verbal abuse a little?

A/N: So I did plan for this to be the last chapter, but then I was writing and it got way too long soooo... it isn’t I'm sorry. I did spend a lot of time on this chapter and I really hope that you like it. The final part is written and will be posted this week. ENJOY!! Thank you to @wayward-river for the help where I needed a second opinion!

Summary: “You think you know something when you realize something else has been in front of you all along” Sweet pea and Y/N have known each other forever never thinking anything more of the friendship they have until two people pull them closer together when they should be dragging them apart.

Word Count: 2134

Sweet Pea POV

I walked out of my room after throwing on a sweatshirt to see Y/N on my couch beer in hand. She just kinda looked at me so I started the conversation. “So what’s up?”

“Nothing much... I uh... I wanted to say thank you”

“Thank me for what?”

“For protecting me... from Reggie. I... I’ve never seen him like that. He has never touched me like that. I froze and I shouldn’t have just kicked him. I should’ve taken him down, I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there Pea. So... just... thank you” she didn’t have to thank me ever since her dad died I always said I would protect her like her dad protected all of us. 

“Y/N you don’t need to thank me. I told you that I would always protect you, that means forever.” she just looked down fidgeting with her hands. 

“I know it’s just... thank you”

“Hey, you wanna watch a movie?” she looked up, smiled, and nodded her head and then stopped abruptly.

“Wait, Pea. Now that you know I’m okay... I need to know that your okay”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard you and Josie...It wasn’t on purpose I was walking here and heard her yelling and then I was nosy how I always am and I stayed on the side of your trailer till she left. And she pissed me the Fuck off. Like she was an asshole to you. By the sounds of it, you gave her your everything and she just threw it away. She's lucky I didn’t punch her square in the face for hurting my best friend”

“Okayyyy Firecracker I think you need to calm down. I'm pretty sure your more angry and upset than I am. I mean yeah I did like her, but it really didn’t develop into anything more. It is what it is. We clearly weren’t the right fit for each other, it’s whatever”

“Pea I know your hurting worse than your showing. You know you can talk to me. I know how it is with you. I know how people get to you”

“Alright... alright. People always leave but it's whatever I'm used to it by now. Now can we drop this... please. What do you wanna watch” she smiled 

“Can we watch oculus?” Classic Y/N 

“you and your psychological horrors” I watched as she covered her face with the blanket that laid over the couch. 

“Peaaaa you know they are better than the comedies you put on all the time” I scoffed, comedies were way better. 

“yeah...okayyy”.

We sat there watching the movie for about 20 mins before I looked over and she had fallen asleep against the side of the couch. I kept watching the movie, but her phone kept ringing. Someone kept calling her over and over again, but she wasn't stirring at all, she had a long day and I know she must have been tired. I reached over her slightly so I could mute her phone but she woke up.

 “Pea.. what... what are you doing?” I smiled at her apologetically

 “sorry your... uh... your phone kept ringing, and you seemed really tired I was just gonna mute it and plug it into the charger for you” she smiled 

“thank you, but I'm just gonna see who it is in case it’s FP or someone important” she looked to read her messages and I just watched her face drop. She looked scared, sad, angry as if every emotion was running inside of her. 

“Y/N what’s wrong?” she started getting up to put her shoes on. 

“Y/N tell me what’s going on” she just shook her head 

“I can tell your not okay... you can tell me” She had one shoe on at this point 

“I can’t Pea I just... I need to go” she went to grab her jacket, but I grabbed it before she could 

“I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s happening”

“Pea I can’t”

“Yes you can” she kept shaking her head, here anxiety that was usually in check was coming out and I could tell, something what really wrong.

“No pea just give me my fucking jacket... please” She ended at a whisper and at that point she fell onto the couch with her knees circled close to her chest.

She was out of it I could tell. I’ve dealt with her long enough. The only way I knew to get through to her was to grab her hand, when she was like this she knew what she wanted and she would push whoever wanted to help out. 

“Y/N, stop. Look at me... I really don’t care what is going on... I mean I do but you get what I mean. Anyway, I need you to tell me where you need to go. I need to know that you are going to be safe, that’s all I care about. Your scared and I can tell. Let me help.” she looked up at me and handed me her phone it was messages from Reggie.

“Why would you go meet him? after everything that he put you through why would you do that to yourself” she looked down 

“Pea I have to. I know how Reggie is. He’s persistent. I may be done with him but he will keep trying to get back with me if I don’t find some way to end it.” She got up again but I grabbed her arm before she could leave 

“There is no way in hell that I am letting you go there alone”

“Pea I have to... I know Reggie he won’t do anything”

“If he won’t do anything why didn't you just let him come to the Wyrm? Y/N you have a ton of people there that could have protected you if need be. Why meet him in the middle of nowhere”

“I didn’t have him come to the Wyrm because I need to get through to him. If he went there he would literally get knocked out in less than 30 seconds. Which I mean now that I think about it I would enjoy, however, I need to do this alone. If I don’t he will just keep coming back. Pea please just let me go” 

“Fine, go. I know you need to end this, but  I can't have you getting hurt so you're taking these with you” I handed her my knuckles. 

“Pea I don’t need these”

“If I am letting you go meet him alone you are taking the damn knuckles. You don’t have a choice you are taking them”

“Fine... I’ll see you later”

“Y/N Wait...” I hugged her “be careful, please. Y/N it takes you what 10 mins to drive to the parking lot right” 

“Yeah, why?”

“Because if you don’t call me in a half hour to tell me your okay I’m going there. No buts. I don’t care. You have exactly half an hour before I will be there okay?”

“Fine Pea... but I promise I will be fine”

Y/N POV - Arriving to meet Reggie

You pulled up and saw Reggie standing against his car. You turned your car off and stepped out. 

“Did we really need to do this Reggie? I told you that this was over.” he stepped towards you, and you stepped back 

“Y/N... I’m sorry, I needed to see you” 

“I told you in school that whatever we had is over. What about that do you not understand?” he stayed back against his car after you stepped back which made you feel... safe in a way. Were you afraid of him? 

“I know you said we were over... but I'm not ashamed of you. I’m sorry I ever made it seem like I was but I'm not”

“UGH REGGIE THAT ISN’T THE POINT. YOU HID ME FROM EVERYONE. WE WERE TOGETHER FOR MONTHS NO ONE KNEW. YOU... YOU DIDN’T WANT ME TO TELL ANYONE. YOU ARE THE ONE THAT TOLD ME TO KEEP IT TO MYSELF... SO GO AHEAD AND TRY TO TELL ME YOU WEREN'T ASHAMED BECAUSE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID WHILE WE HAD THAT FLING SHOWED YOU WERE” You started to walk back towards your car

“Y/N wait. don’t leave me, please. I want to be with you. We... we can be who we want to be. We can be together and I will tell people I swear.”

“REGGIE GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD. LISTEN TO WHAT IM SAYING FOR ONCE PLEASE. I AM DONE WITH THIS. WHATEVER RELATIONSHIP WE HAD IS OVER. STOP PUSHING TO GET BACK TOGETHER BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO”.

“But...”

“No, but’s Reggie. I told you I was done 3 times now. I AM DONE. That is final. Now... look I need to go call sweet pea before he comes here and kicks your ass because I didn’t call him. Now for the final time, I’m don...” he interrupted you then basically screaming.

“WAIT!... SWEET PEA! HE’S WHY YOU WEREN'T ANSWERING”.

“THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. AND WHY DOES IT MATTER WE ARE OVER”

“ARE YOU LIKE WITH HIM WITH HIM”

“NO REGGIE I’M NOT AND IT WOULDN’T MATTER IF I WAS CAUSE WE ARE OVER. NOW IM LEAVING SO GOOD FUCKING BY” with that, you turned around to leave but, he grabbed your hand. You pushed him away as hard as you could. At that moment you wished that Sweet Pea would have followed you... but you were also glad he didn’t. You knew you needed to take care of Reggie on your own.

“Reggie do not fucking touch me”

“WELL, Y/N where are you going... let me guess; To be with Sweet Pea? Just come to my place with me, please. I know I can make it up to you” he grabbed you again this time harder. You knew you would have a bruise on your wrist from it. You tried to run not realizing at first how tight the grip he had was. He let go leading to you losing your balance and making you fall. You scraped your hand and knee on the gravel. Reggie went to grab your arm, but you weren’t having it. When he did you finally used the knuckles Sweets gave you. At that moment you were beyond thankful that Sweets insisted. You connected your fist to his cheek with a right hook making him stumble back. The way Reggie touched you a few minutes ago wasn’t okay and deep down you knew that. He was turning into someone you didn't know, and you had to protect yourself. You had no idea what he was going to do next. After he stumbled back you stood up and pushed him forward against his car screaming.

“REGGIE DO NOT FUCKING TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN” He went to grab your hand, and you kneed him in the gut. All you saw was red you watched him fall to the ground blood spilling from his nose his hand leaning on his head. You leaned down grabbing the collar of his shirt to bring him closer to you. 

“Reggie if you don’t leave me alone a lot worse will happen to you. I know for a fact that you know that. I’m not taking this lightly anymore. You touch me one more time or contact me again, and I will have FP call on every single serpent he knows to make sure that you stay away” 

Your anxiety bubbling up again, you needed to get out of there away from the scene that just unfolded. You got into your car and sped down the road. You had pulled over for a second not being able to focus and tears clouding your vision. You couldn’t believe what you did. You have fought people before, but this was different. You looked down when your knuckles started throbbing. They were busted open pretty bad, but you’d be okay. Then you looked there was something that would be a lasting memory... at least for a while; the yellow bruise that was forming on your wrist. You couldn't believe he had grabbed you like that, and then you nearly killed him. If he wouldn't have grabbed your wrist the second time you don’t know if you would have stopped. You couldn’t handle all the thoughts and visions racing through your mind, so you went drove to your place. The only place no one would go, or be able to find you... you needed to think.

[wilay14]

Adventures in Seoul

I think I have always made clear how much I like f(x), particularly Krystal (don’t get me wrong, I still do), but recently my feelings have started to shift. This happened ever since I got the chance to meet Luna, almost 3 weeks ago.

Coincidentally, she was performing in the reprise of the musical adaptation of Gone With the Wind, playing the role of Scarlett O’Hara. I remembered watching the movie a long time ago, and figured that even without knowing enough Korean, I’d still be able to follow the story... So after much pondering and pretty much almost giving up on going to watch Luna perform, I managed to book a ticket to see her last performance on July 25th.

A lot happened and I was about 10 min late tp the show, so I had to wait outside for a bit before they let me in. Spent the first half of the play on a seat located in the last row. Luckily, the theater was built in a way that even being in that spot, it was still possible to view the stage quite well, so it wasn’t too bad.

After the show, which was quite entertaining, considering I couldn’t understand much of what was being said, I was about to head back to where I’m staying (my “home” for the time being, I guess?) when I spotted a group of about 20 people from afar.

It was pretty late already, but I decided to stick around in hopes I could at least catch a glimpse of Luna and maybe even take a photo OF her (not WITH her cause I am unworthy lmao).

Anyway, we probably waited for about 20-30 min before she came out, and she just started taking selfies with the people who asked for one. I haven’t had the chance to meet that many celebrities, but I know there are people who won’t even acknowledge their fans, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Then, she just walked right into the center of the mini mob we had formed, and started talking with us almost as if we had known each other since forever; as well as saying hi to the fans she managed to recognize. Among the presents she got from some of them, there were several bouquets and expensive-looking cakes and desserts. She seemed pleased. She was also signing autographs for everyone.

The whole 30 minutes we were there, in the heat, surrounded by what sounded hundreds of cicadas being as noisy as ever, I couldn’t stop trembling. It felt like a dream, or maybe even a hallucination.

I hadn’t prepared anything for her to sign -hell, I wasn’t even planning to wait for her-, and I just so happened to have  marker with me. I originally wanted her to sign my passport, and after googling if it was okay to do that only to find out it could get me in trouble, I took the next best thing I had with me at the time; the envelope where my ticket was given to me the day before. A fan from either Taiwan or China told me to move forward if I wanted an autograph. She was carrying a big camera, so I figured she must be one of the few fansites left supporting only Luna. She was nice, but I didn’t even get to ask for her name.

I still kept my passport out to show her how to spell my name, and for her to see where I came from (Mexico). She seemed surprised, and spoke to me in English (basic stuff, cause I’ll later come to realized she’d always said it’s not something she’s good at).

I still wonder if she could notice my legs about to give in due to nervousness. I also wonder how many times she’s seen that before haha.

Anyway, I found my entry permit inside my passport and circled my name, to show it to her so she could sign my envelope -right after our less than memorable conversation-; I only managed to point at the circled word, while she doubtingly asked me in Korean “this one?” to which I just nervously nodded, almost embarrassed.

I was so close to her it honestly still doesn’t feel real. I managed to snap a few shots of her with my shitty phone, thoughn most of them look super LQ or blurry haha.

Anyway, she stayed with us for about 30 minutes, even though her manager had arrived a while ago and was waiting for her to wrap it up so they could leave. Her family was already in the car. She also talked about her upcoming SMTOWN performance, only I didn’t understand it at the time lol. I completely forgot her birthday was coming up soon.

Fast-forward to a couple weeks later, I see the announcement about the application period and guidelines for her birthday party. I apply to BOTH of them and, being the unlucky fuck I am, don’t get selected for either one. I was bummed, but had made up my mind to at least go to the SM building, cause they had mentioned there was a slight possibility of getting in if people canceled last minute.

I got there like 2 hours before it started and, sure enough, people were starting to arrived; waiting until after 5 was nerve-wracking, to say the least.

My Korean is barely starting to pick up, so I can’t have conversations with people. Then again, being one of the more evident foreigners present, they quickly identified me and knew I had no “invitation”. She arrived probably about 20 min before it started, I recognized the van from last time.

Anyway, by the time the selected people had entered, only a girl and I were left. She had been selected, but forgot to bring a copy of Free Somebody with her; without it she wasn’t allowed inside either. She noticed I had brought mine with me, and desperately tried to buy it off from me. I didn’t bulge cause she didn’t have any cash with her at that moment, but I was pretty close to telling her to just take it; I just felt bad because she was about to cry.

Then another girl arrived and a staff member came out and told us to wait a little after 5, and MAYBE they could let us in. Spoiler Alert: they did.

I was number 102/100 haha.

They rushed us inside and quickly sat us at the back, and gave us each a balloon with the Free Somebody logo on it. I was almost next to the camera with which they recorded the video uploaded on f(x)’s official FB page and instagram account. There was a smaller camera too, so I suspect Luna was also recording for her Youtube Channel.

It was a fun party, and I was able to confirm once again how charming Luna’s personality is. I guess this is why they used to call her Vitamin. She kept saying “sorry” with a perfect accent as a comedic relief whenever she did/say anything dumb.

We also got to see the birthday messages from Victoria, Amber and Krystal. Luna started tearing up and her manager had to bring her tissues. She suggested to him we should all record a message for the 3 of them, telling them we love them, and so we did. There wasn’t a lot of space for the manager to set the right angle, so there’s a chance I’m not even featured in it.

We sang happy birthday and she answered some questions. Then there was a lottery among the selected people where they got signed balloons and polaroids with her.

When it was over, roughly an hour or so later, she said she had a surprise for us; she had taken the time to handwrite and sign 100 cards for the attendees. I was given one even though I wasn’t supposed to get anything. I’m glad I did. This marks the second autograph I get from her.

She is a gift that keeps on giving. She’s also super talented and overall such a nice, awesome person; she does hands-on charity work whenever her schedule allows her to. She supports Animal Rights as well as Female Rights; she’s done campaigning for both in the past. 

I really wish more people could see that. I really wish more people could support her, especially her music, which as of lately, is all self-composed and just SO GOOD. 

She deserves the world, and she’s been working her ass off for it. She’s being criticized for an infinity of things. She’s been through a lot since debuting, and finally she’s able to do what she likes most, which is singing/performing. I’m just so glad I became a MeU, and I’ll keep supporting her as much as I’m able to, for as long as I can. 

Please give Luna -Park Sunyoung- a chance to captivate you the way she has done with me, all in the span of these past few weeks.

[lavidaatravezdeunavion]

Week 3

June 30 

We had to be up and ready to go at 7:40am because today we were going to be driving to the Jesuit Missionaries about 3 hours away. Before the missionaries, we went to an amethyst mine. It was cool to hear about it and they said that they don't export the gems so the only way to get it is by buying directly. The gems were breathtaking! 

After another two hour drive we finally arrived at the San Ignacio's missionaries and ate at the comedor right in front. I got a pollo milanesa and a salad. I crushed the salad but the pollo was average so I didn't finish it. 

After lunch we toured the missionary. Our tour guide explained to us that these missionaries were sent to spread the word of God to the Guarani People. They had built multiple communities in the surrounding area including brazil and paraguay. Later they were taken out and some of the guarani people went back to living in the jungle. San Ignacio was abandoned and destroyed, so the restoration is only partial. It was cool to be able to walk through their common spaces and know that a couple hundred years ago there were indigenous people walking on the same grounds. 

The tour finished and we loaded up on the bus for the three hour ride back home. We ate dinner at the hotel and I got a pumpkin soup as a starter and let me tell you I was a little on edge because I’ve never had pumpkin soup but it was sooooo delicious. Since it was a starter they only gave me a little but I would’ve been happy eating a whole bowl of it, 9/10. For my main course I got the fish of the day which was “pacu” with a side of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes didn’t disappoint but the fish could’ve been better. Not my cup of tea. And for dessert I got a flan. 

After dinner we all went to bed since we had to get up even earlier to head to the waterfalls.

July 1

We left the hotel at about 7:30am and headed to the waterfalls that was only 30min from our hotel. We were trying to get on the first train up to the waterfalls so that it wouldn’t be as crowded on the lookout. It was perfect timing because as we wrapped up taking all of our pictures a crowd of people were walking up. If you are able to get on the first or second train in Iguazú falls it honestly will make taking pictures a lot easier. 

After we saw “la garganta del diablo” we went to the little store they had and I got an empanadas de espinaca y queso (spinach and cheese). When I paid for it the guy told me to be careful with the animals. But I realized that the birds here are VERY vicious. I stayed inside to eat my empanada but my professor went out to drink her coffee and eat her empanada and got attacked by some birds! This is why they have cages specifically made for people to eat in LOL. 

We did another trail to see the falls from a different angle and it was just mind blowing. 

After the trails we had little time for lunch. I didn’t want to eat too much because we were going to be taking a boat tour right after. From one of the comedores I got some chicken and rice. While on this trip there are two things that I really miss: rice and beans. They have rice here but they usually eat potatoes and beans are not very popular here so my Salvadoran blood has been a little sad.

Anyway we got on the boat and I definitely recommend doing it if you are able. They give you a waterproof bag to put your stuff in and I also recommend taking your shoes off and putting them in the bag. I was also wearing a poncho which helped protect me, but regardless you will get wet. They take you really close to the falls and you can take some pictures in front but then they tell you to put your phones away because they take you sooooooo close to the falls and get soaked!! 

Once the ride was over we got back on our tour bus and headed back to the hotel.

For dinner, we ate at the hotel and I got the pumpkin soup, salad and the chicken milanesa with a side of mashed potatoes. Pretty good meal, favorite of course was the soup.

After dinner some friends and I went to the store to get something to drink. I got a white boxed wine that was only 55 pesos! (~$1.30). If you were wondering, no I did not finish it. 

July 2

We were able to sleep this morning till about 9am since we had to leave the hotel at 10am. We got on the plane and headed back to Buenos Aires.

 After we got off the plane and back to the resi (which I sort of missed) we dropped off laundry and got a little snack.

Later that night we went to “Caracas bar” to watch the Brazil vs Argentina game. I got this drunk called guarapanita which was rum and fruit juice. I also got some tostones de carne which really hit. The bar was a really cool and had a big screen to watch the game on but unfortunately the energy in the bar was really off. If you don’t know Argentina lost and it was really sad :(.

July 3

I was so excited to wake up today because my sister was going to be coming to Buenos Aires! I got up at around 10:30 and went to brunch with some girls at this cafe called adobo. We ended up walking but then couldn’t find it and then google maps said it was twenty min away so we got a taxi but what we didn’t realize that there were two locations #whoops. Anyway the food was bomb. The bagel sandwich just hit differently and Nutella and banana French toast was to die for! 

After breakfast I went back to the resi and picked my things for our trip to Uruguay later that evening. I picked up my laundry and waited for my sister to arrive. Once my sister got there we went to exchange some money. I thought that Uruguay was going to be cheaper than Argentina for some reason but I was wrong. The exchange rate right now is about .55 Uruguayan peso for 1 Argentine peso. 

We went to a cafe near Plaza Serrano called “La Panera Rosa” and I got a Chicken Rigatti Pasta. It was honestly one of the best meals ive had. It really had a lot of sauce and contrary to what Future says you can really never have too much sauce.

After lunch we got in a taxi and headed to the port and got on a Buquebus. Which is a ferry and then a charter bus to Montevideo,Uruguay. 

We checked into our hostel and then I messaged a friend I had met back in 2016 through Amigos de las Americas a nonprofit organization that I volunteered for. When my friend said he'd love to meet up I was ecstatic! We went to a random cafe near by and got a Chivito, which is a typical Uruguayan sandwhich and of course some wine.

 After my friend Miqueas gave us a little tour of the city and we headed to a bar to get a night cap. 

July 4

Happy fourth of July!!

This morning we got up and checked out of our hostel since we would be traveling to Colonia later. We walked to a restaurant to get some “breakfast” even though it was 11:30 am. My sister and I shared a milanesa that came with two fried eggs and some fries and potato salad. No need to mention the restaurants' name there are probably better ones out there. 

After lunch, we headed to Montevideo Shopping because my friend works around there so he said he would meet us up after he got out. Sooo in the meantime, we got to walk around and window shop. 

Once my friend got out of work my friend took us to the coast to get a good view and he knew I had a blog so he wanted to make sure I got good pictures! ( Gracias Miqueas!!! <3) 

After the photo session, we headed to the bus terminal and got our tickets for the bus ride to Colonia. We decided to get a quick bite to eat in the terminal to this restaurant called “La Mostaza”. My sister and I shared Ravioli, which was pretty bomb. The filling for the ravioli was like spinach and it was different but definitely tasty.

Once we finished we headed back to the hostel to pick up our luggage and then got a taxi back to the terminal and then got on the bus for Colonia. Once we arrived to Colonia I was a bit nervous because I did not see too many taxis but luckily once we walked outside there was a stand and then headed to our hostel and went to bed.

July 5

Today we got to sleep in again and then got ready to go get some breakfast. We went to this cute coffee shop called “Colonia Sandwich and coffee shop”. I got a roast beef sandwich and some tea. The place was really cute and since its winter time here they had blankets for everyone who sat outside which definitely helped. 

There were a bunch of birds surrounding us it was a little scary but more cute lol.

After lunch we just walked around the town which is really small so it wasn’t too long. We saw a lighthouse and some cool views on the coast. 

Later we did some more walking and found the drawbridge that we couldn’t find earlier. We also gained a new friend along the way lol. 

We decided to get a little snack to hold us over so we could try and eat dinner at a “normal” time. (Dinner in Argentina and Uruguay is usually eaten around 9 or 10pm so its been something difficult to adjust too) We walked into this restaurant that was right in the center, I wish I could tell you the name but the sign outside literally just said “Restaurant”. Anyway my sister and I shared a Rice with seafood dish and some wine. I loveeeee seafood so this was a perfect combination for me.

 After we decided to walk and get some ice cream at Freddo which is a pretty popular chain here. We got a Dulce de Leche cone.

Much later we went to go get some dinner at a pizza place called “Napo” it was really delicious. You could even see them making your pizza. My sister noticed that the guy making the pizza had a hat on and said that's probably a health code violation but im still here so I guess it's not that big of an issue. My sister and I got a salad and a pepperoni pizza and some red wine. (forgot to take a picture of the pizza sorry!)

After we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.

July 6

Today we woke up and checked out of our hostel and then headed to go get some breakfast. We went to this cute cafe called “Picnic”. I got an orange juice and a caprese empanada and then my sister and I shared a donut which was nothing like ive ever had before 10/10.

Since we had basically seen all the important landmarks we walked around and went window shopping. After we decided to go do a wine tasting at a place called “Buen Suspiro”. We had tried to go there the night before but it was closed. We got some charcuterie and tasted four different wines: Rose, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tempranillo. My favorite was the Tempranillo and a close second was the Sauvignon blanc. 

After the taste testing, we went back to collect our belongings and headed to the port to get on the ferry back to Buenos Aires.

Once we got back I helped my sister check into her hostel and then headed back to our resi to work on this blog because it was long overdue!

After I finally caught up we went to dinner at “La Robla”. I got myself a Milanesa with a salad and my sister got a Steak with some mashed potatoes and we shared half a liter of sangria. I didn’t know sangria is literally just wine and fruits lol, the more you know.

For dessert we got a banana split!

After dinner, we walked my sister home and then went to bed.

This week we’ve done a lot of traveling so im excited to be back in BA!

Hasta luego,

T.L.

[coffeeandmonbebe]

Dramarama (9/x)

Genre: angsty chapter

Characters: Kihyun x Mi-Cha (original character)

Synopsis: Kihyun and Joohoen are lifelong best friends, but there is one problem–Kihyun is in love with Mi-Cha, Joohen’s girlfriend.

Chapters: 1 ,  2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10

holy shit this chapter is going to be a long one so buckle up my precious readers

I woke up and stretched my arms, rubbing the sleep off my eyes. My arm landed on an empty side of the bed. But a sound came from the kitchen outside the door. Water running, the sound of something sizzling on a pan, and a high, girly voice humming a tune. I put on a sweater and shorts and stepped outside my bedroom.

Soo Min was cooking an omelette in the kitchen, her hair tied into a messy bun and wearing nothing but my polo shirt. She glanced in my direction.

“Good morning, oppa.” Soo Min said, concentrated on the pan. I walk behind her and caress her shoulders.

“Cooking is MY job, Soo M–” before I could finish, Soo Min swiftly spins to face me and shoves a fresh piece of omelette in my mouth. The delicious creaminess of the omelette was followed by white hot pain because it came straight from the hot pan.

“Jesus Soo Min… that hurt!” I laughed as I swallowed the omelette. Soo Min was unable to control her laughter.

“It tastes great though.” I said, grinning at her as I sipped cold milk.

We sat down and munched on Soo Min’s breakfast–mushroom and cheese omelette with French toast.

“It’s been a while since someone cooked something for me. Thank you.” I said.

A lively conversation followed, mostly of us just catching up, telling each other anything and everything relevant that happened within the 2 years we haven’t seen each other.

“When can I see you again?” I asked, slowly looking her in the eye.

Soo Min, a look of shock flashing by her face, didn’t say anything. Clearly she didn’t expect that. Quickly she changed her expression, again having a calm demeanor.

“I…” she started. My phone rang again. It was Mi-Cha.

“H-hello” I said, composing myself.

“Kihyun!” Mi-Cha’s excited voice rung through my ears. “Are you free later tonight?”

I glanced at Soo Min, watching me with a smirk on her face.

“Ah… yeah I actually am.” I said, flustered and heart beating like mad.

“I’m going to your apartment. 8PM. Make sure no one’s around.”

Without another word, she just hung up. It was unusual, Mi-Cha acting like this. Usually she was calm and composed. But now she was speaking a mile a minute and inviting herself into my apartment.

“Hot date?” Soo Min grinned at me, mocking and taunting.

“She’s just… going to tell me something.” Still looking for words to say, I continue to eat.

“Well what do you know… thinks might be looking up for you.” Soo Min said, taking on the last bite of her French toast.

“It can’t be anything like that.” I said.

We spent some time just sitting, looking down on our plates. I start to stand to wash the dishes. She stands beside me on the sink, rinsing everything I scrub.

“I need to get going.” Soo Min said as she wiped the last of the dishes.

“Let me take you home.” I said.

Most of the ride was silent. For some reason both she and I just couldn’t find anything to say. Like the day had our minds empty and on a lull.

“You live nearer now…” I said, realizing her place was more or less 30 minutes away.

“Yeah.” She started playing with the Gudetama keychain hanging from my rearview mirror.

“When can I see you? I’m worried about you, you know. If you need anything at all…” I start. Soo Min lifts a hand to motion for me to stop.

“It’s fine. You don’t owe me anything. I can manage.” She sounded firm and sincere. I nodded.

“But can I at least see you to catch up once in a while?”

Soo Min paused. She turned the gudetama keychain around and around in her palm. As if she was looking for answers that she was yet to say.

“I’m not sure about that…” her voice became softer, more hushed.

“Hm?” Confused, I glance at her.

She doesn’t expound and just sits there. Staring straight ahead. Maybe I could sense a hint of sadness. A hint of resolution. Her face was hard to read.

Before I could say anything more, I was already in front of her dorm.

“But Soo Min… I’ll see you again. Okay?” I said a bit loudly as she was halfway out of my car in a split second.

She dives back inside my car and kisses me. I look at her as she pulls away, confused as ever. She shrugs and smiles at me one last time.

“Maybe.”

Just like that, my car door slams closed.

The day couldn’t feel any longer as I took in orders in Starbucks, wondering what in the world Mi-Cha was up to. Did she want something from me? Did something happen to Jooheon? Did something happen that Jooheon shouldn’t know about?

Was she going to confess?

I gulped.

It couldn’t be it. This girl was a saint. Absolutely in love with Jooheon. My only relevance in her life is that I’m the second closest person to Jooheon.

“Excuse me. Sir?”

Snapping out of my existential crisis, a mildly annoyed customer folded her arms.

“S-sorry.” I said hastily, trying with all my energy to remain focused. But Mi-Cha, the girl I love, acting so out of character just derailed my uninterrupted, boring, uneventful daily life.

Finally, the time came. It was almost 8, but I had already prepped myself up an hour before. I knew I wouldn’t be ready for whatever would happen.

The doorbell rang. My heart beating faster and faster by the second, I pause behind the door. I took a deep breath and turned the knob. The last thing I expected to happen was Jooheon jumping in front of me and hugging me.

“What the f–” I toppled backwards taken aback by Jooheon’s weight being thrown onto me. His arms wrapped around me in a hug. Mi-Cha was behind him, her smile and red cheeks making me wish she was in Jooheon’s place. A sinking feeling of disappointment crept in, but I was distracted from it with Jooheon’s shouting.

“SURPRISE, HYUNG!”

I looked from him to Mi-Cha. Behind Mi-Cha she was holding a box of cake. They stepped in my apartment, excited though I was baffled as to why.

“What’s all this about” I asked.

“Hyung, I wanted to be the first person to tell you!” Jooheon said excitedly, jumping and sitting on the kitchen counter. I furrowed my brows and looked at Jooheon as if he was crazy.

“Uhh…”

“Kihyun oppa… you’re valedictorian for this year’s graduating batch.” Mi-Cha said, hugging me as she smiled.

“Aiishh Mi-Cha I was supposed to say that!” Jooheon turned on his aegyo voice, pouting and stomping his feet.

“Anyways, congratulations, man! It was quite a challenge to keep the news from you for a while but we really wanted to be the ones to tell you about it. We had to get the college letter out of your mail, too. Sorry about that.”

Jooheon gave me another hug, then he started to walk to walk to the balcony, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Better tell mom and dad about this, but the signal here sucks… ‘scuse me guys.”

I leaned against the counter and looked at Mi-Cha.

To be honest, becoming valedictorian wasn’t what I expected. At this point, school was at the back of my mind.

“What?” Mi-Cha tilted her head noticing I was looking at her.

“What do you mean ‘what’.” I smirked and walked closer to her. “Didn’t you have something to tell me?”

A smile crept across Mi-Cha’s face. I was taken aback by it, and I gulped. Slowly, she started to raise her left hand until the front of her hand was facing me. I started palpitating, and my throat went dry. I looked at her hand.

A beautiful diamond ring was wrapped around her ring finger.

“Mi-Cha!!! Aigooooo, you didn’t even wait for me to be in the room and you told him already!” Jooheon’s voice boomed across the room as I heard him shuffling back into the kitchen.

But I stood still. I couldn’t move.

Lowering her hand, Mi-Cha reaches for Jooheon and they hold hands. Jooheon’s smile was wide, his dimples deeper than ever.

“I asked her to marry me.” Jooheon said, his arm wrapping around Mi-Cha. She melted with his touch.

I was looking for words to speak, a will to speak. But nothing would come out of my mouth.

“Yes, yes. I know what you’re going to say. We’re just about to graduate, it’s too soon, our parents won’t agree, blah blah.” Jooheon’s hand held my shoulder as I tried to steady myself in shock. “I’m getting the papers ready. My parents know, and they approve. Mi-Cha’s parents took longer to be okay with it, but…”

Mi-Cha giggled and gave Jooheon a peck on the lips.

“But it’s happening. We’ll make it a small ceremony, nothing too extravagant. We’re planning for it to be a few months after…”

I didn’t hear anything else. Mi-Cha’s voice faded away. I felt I didn’t have the strength to keep standing, and my knees buckled. My vision faded to black as I felt myself crumple to the floor. The last thing I remember hearing are the muffled voices of Jooheon and Mi-Cha calling my name.

[allabouttaetae]

Kimchi Brought Us Together (1)

Chapter 1

Pairing: Taehyung x Dog Trainer!Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff

Warnings: Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Word Count: 4,016

A/N: OKAY Here we go!! My first BTS fic, here it is. I don’t know, this may end up turning into a soulmate AU, it might not. Let me know what you think! :) 

If there was one place you hated most, it was the airport. Flying wasn’t so bad, the flights might be cramped but at least you could catch up on some sleep. But the airports and, more specifically, the airport crowds, were absolutely hellish for you.

You were contemplating over this as you overheard the flight attendant, in her slightly too-cheerful voice, inform the passengers to buckle their seatbelts for landing. “We will be arriving in London within the next 20 minutes!” Her voice chirped over the PA system.

You sighed, and glanced down to your feet. Tucked between your legs and the wall in front of you sat your dearest service dog, a German Shepherd whom you affectionately and quite uncreatively named Kimchi, since you loved the food so much.

Kimchi looked back up at you, his black and yellow vest twisting a bit as he moved, a quiet whine escaping his lips as he sensed the pressure changing in the plane. You quickly bent down and gave him a reassuring pat on his head before making sure his harness was secure on him. You settled back into your seat and secured your own seatbelt, sighing aloud as you again felt the dread creep back up your spine. Landing the plane, and then the airport. Great.

The landing was smooth and relatively quick, and being seated at the front of the plane as well as having a fluffy, four legged companion by your side meant that you had to exit the plane first, to avoid causing a hold up for everyone else. You quickly grabbed your carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment and picked up Kimchi’s leash before heading for the exit. You hoped that if you walked fast then maybe you could miss the rush.

Weren’t you in for a shock.

Upon entering the building, the first thing you noticed was the plethora of security personnel lining the walkway to the luggage pick up. Behind them, you spotted a horde of reporters, all of them trying desperately to see around the security guards. You idly thought that some celebrity must have also been on the flight, although you didn’t know who it could have been. You couldn’t really be bothered to keep up with celebrities, honestly you didn’t have the time.

What really caught your attention, however, was the chanting. As you picked up your luggage and made your way closer and closer to the sound, Kimchi following along at your heel diligently, you couldn’t help but to wonder what kind of celebrity it was that would elicit this kind of welcome.

The closer you got to it, the clearer the chanting became. You heard, surprisingly enough, Korean names being shouted over and over, along with three distinct letters. BTS.

“Kim Namjoon! Kim Seokjin! Min Yoongi! Jung Hoseok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! BTS!!” You heard this chant being repeated again and again. You had never seen this kind of reaction to a celebrity. The energy that these people in this foreign land were showing was, truly, incredible.

It was also terrifying.

You could feel your anxiety getting the better of you and subconsciously reached out for Kimchi. He was there in an instant, his head gently pressing against your hip as you continued to walk. You focused on caressing his head and ears, trying to keep your breathing steady. You wished for nothing more than to just sit down and let Kimchi put his weight on you, to wash away all of the fear that was threatening to swallow you whole. But you knew that if you stopped now, you might not get back up. All you had to do was get out.

You passed by the final checkpoint and exited into the worst of the chaos. You saw all the fans, still chanting and screaming, holding signs with men making odd faces on them. You had to push your way through the crowd, the closeness of everything knocking the breath out of you. You felt like you were going to drown in this mass of bodies, and for a moment you couldn’t see, you couldn’t tell where you were, what was up and what was down, you sucked in a ragged breath-

You felt Kimchi tug on his leash, pulling you forward. You heard him bark twice, a loud, deep sound that had the fans around you jumping away in shock. You took a moment to breathe, resting your hand on Kimchi’s soft head for comfort.

As you made your way through the crowd, with Kimchi confidently in the lead, you idly thought that it was kind of amazing for a Korean group to be getting this much International attention, and wondered how it was you had remained under a rock and hadn’t heard of them yet. You tried to make a mental note to look them up later.

You made your way to where your carpool was waiting, pickup ‘F’. It was at the opposite end of the airport, so you tried to pick up the pace a bit to quickly make it past the insane crowd.

You tried to single out the sound of Kimchi’s paws padding along the ground, his breathing as he panted, the way his shoulder would brush against your leg as the two of you walked in sync. He was perfectly in tune with you, always attentive and always loyal, your perfect partner. You wouldn’t be able to function without him by your side and you were eternally grateful for his constant presence in your life. You focused on your Kimchi, putting all of your attention on him, and so ignoring the cheering crowd you sped past.

You could see the large white sign, with a large red ‘F’ on it, and you let out a breath you didn’t realize you had been holding. You nearly ran over to the doors, Kimchi picking up his pace to match yours. You made it outside and inhaled deeply, savouring the fresh outdoor air.

You looked around, searching for the English dog trainer, Laura, you were here to partner with. She had agreed to pick you up and take you to your hotel, where you would be staying for the next week. You were supposed to discuss with her the upcoming dog shows you were to be attending and planning out driving arrangements on your way there.

You frowned as you looked around, not spotting her anywhere. You hurriedly pulled put your phone and turned off your airplane mode, searching for the conversation in which she told you which pick up station she would be at. You flipped through the messages until you spotted her name. As you clicked on it, your phone buzzed three times as the person in question sent you three new messages.

Laura (10:26 am): Hey Y/N! I know I said I would pick you up in lot F but the roadway is blocked off for construction. so I’m gonna go to lot A instead

Laura (10:55 am) Alright, I’m here!

Laura (11:18 am) Y/N?? Where are you? I’m waiting…

You felt panic sink into your skin as you turned on your heel and rushed back into the building. Kimchi huffed as he sped after you, but you hardly noticed. You couldn’t hear his paws on the floor, or his steady panting. You barely felt his shoulder brushing against your leg. The only thing you could hear, see, feel was that Laura was waiting.

She’s waiting, she’s been waiting, she’s on the other side waiting.

She’s going to leave me here.

You felt your breathing becoming ragged, your palms becoming sweaty. Your head started spinning and before long you once again couldn’t tell up from down. But you still continued trying to speed onwards, as sweat dripped down your neck and shivers ran up your spine. You felt bile rising into your throat and tears stinging your eyes and you knew that you were going to collapse, you were through, you were going to vomit….

Kimchi suddenly stepped in front of you and, very gently, jumped up to put his paws on your hips. You stopped in your tracks and stared down at him, and you felt him gently pushing you backwards. You slowly released the unconscious death-grip you had on your suitcase and sank down to the floor, your breathing slowly evening out as Kimchi carefully crawled onto your lap. He leaned his body into yours and you wrapped your arms around his torso, allowing his warmth to sink into your skin. You tangled your fingers into his course fur as you held him close to you, inhaling his familiar scent. You revelled in the warmth of your best friend and just stayed like that for a moment, Kimchi sitting in your lap with your arms wrapped around him. Before long, his therapy began to take effect on your body. The shivers ceased, your tears dried, your clammy hands returned to their normal softness.

You whispered a gentle thank you to your best friend as you hugged him. Kimchi sighed in contentment as he rested his head on your shoulder, his tail thumping gently against your leg. You released him from your grasp and commanded him to get off your lap, which he did so immediately. You patted his head gently and kissed his nose, ignoring the confused looks you were getting from the people around you.

You grabbed your luggage and continued on your way towards pick up lot ‘A’. The area with the crowd, you remembered. You pushed the thought away as you pulled out your phone to send Laura a text, letting her know that you had headed to the original pick up lot ‘F’ but were now on your way to where she was. You hit send and stuffed the phone back into your purse.

As you walked, your hand rested gently on Kimchi’s head. You did your best to ignore the chanting, the frantic cheering, the high pitched screaming of the over-excited fans. You could still feel the threat of a panic attack boiling in the pit of your stomach, but you had Kimchi right there next to you, holding the pieces of you together. So you pushed on, staying close to the wall as you walked by the crowd of fans.

A bright flash startled you from the corner of your eye and you looked over to see the horde of reporters excitedly snapping pictures of the awe inspiring group. You paused for a moment to see them, nearly taken aback by the sheer beauty of them. There were seven of them, and all of them were breathtakingly handsome.

You noticed bright red hair on one of them, and a blonde with a sweet smile beside him, before you were shoved abruptly to the side by one of the manic fans. You gasped, turning to rush away from the commotion, only for you to be blocked in again by a wall of bodies.

You turned back around, again glimpsing over at the famous boys. One with dimples and ashy brown hair, one who looked nearly as shocked as you were, then a broad shouldered one with plump lips and a very handsome face, and a man who looked like he was perpetually tired…

You desperately tried to push your way through the crowd, inadvertently forcing your way ever closer to the handsome men who were currently causing your life to be completely hellish. You glanced up again, trying to figure out how you had ended up further away from your destination, the threat of a panic attack slowly rising up like a snake in your belly.

You glanced over the fans, stealing another look at the cause of the immense crowd.

Your attention was drawn to the last boy in the group, and you were stunned by his beauty. He had silver coloured hair which fell lightly into his dark eyes. His jawline was sleek and defined, his skin was slightly darker than the rest and he seemed to have been kissed by the sun. He wore expensive looking clothes and large, round glasses. He was making a ‘V’ shape with his fingers in front of one of his eyes as he gazed at the camera’s, and you thought that he certainly must have been a model. For a brief moment while you stared at him, admiring his beauty, your panic ceased.

You were so entranced by the group you hadn’t noticed yourself inching slightly closer. You were staring intently at the silver haired boy, forgetting completely about Laura in pick up lot ‘A’. You were so enraptured by his beauty you didn’t even register the screaming girls behind you. You didn’t hear their feet stomping towards you, or their high-pitched voices getting closer to you. You didn’t realize the three of them were headed straight for you.

You heard a loud, piercing yelp from beside you, just as the screaming girls ran past you. Your eyes darted away from the handsome man and over to the most important thing in your life, your partner, your Kimchi.

He was crying, yelping in pain as he lifted his left back paw off the ground. He tried to put it down and screamed out again, whining desperately as he looked up at you. You felt sick and dropped to your knees to examine him. You reached for his foot, only to be knocked over as another oblivious fan rushed past you. You heard Kimchi yelp out again, louder this time, and suddenly you were filled with rage and sickness and worry. You needed to get Kimchi to a vet, but these ridiculous fans were pushing you around and hurting your partner.

Before you had the chance to fly off your handle and rip into these fangirls, you heard a deep, booming voice shout out a single word in english.

“NO!”

The voice rang out close to where you were crouching next to Kimchi.

You looked up, only to see none other than the silver haired boy you had been admiring just a few moments earlier. He stood above you, his arm outstretched towards the fangirls, with a very pissed off look on his face. A girl near him took a tentative step forward and he shouted again, “NO!”. The girl froze, tears brimming in her eyes. He did not look sympathetic.

He looked down at you then and you thought he was going to shout at you as well. You braced yourself for a scolding, expecting to be chewed out for causing a disturbance. Kimchi whined behind you and you just hoped this guy would hurry up so you could get him to a vet.

“Do you speak Korean?” He asked gently, his deep voice rich and velvety. You nodded slowly, narrowing your eyes at him. He smiled and knelt beside you as the team of security guards shuffled to form a protective circle around him - and by extension, you. The boy looked down at Kimchi with warm eyes. “Is this your dog?” He asked, keeping his voice low.

You nodded again, reaching out and wrapping an arm around Kimchi protectively.

“I heard him cry out. Is he okay?” He asked, his eyes never leaving your distressed dog. You glanced over to him before turning Kimchi slightly to expose his injured foot.

“S-someone must have stomped on his foot...” You began, struggling to speak over your anxiety. “Some girls ran by, and then he-he screamed.” Your heart clenched in your chest as you described what had happened to your partner. You looked up at the silver-haired man in desperation. “Please... He needs to get to a vet.”

He nodded quickly before rising from his position on the floor. He turned to the other members of the group and called for one of them, walking over to talk with them and who you assumed to be their manager. You turned your attention back to Kimchi. You had managed to get him to lie down in an effort to make him more comfortable. He was looking up at you with wide eyes, lightly whining every so often. You gently stroked his head, whispering words of comfort to him as you caressed his ears.

You heard two sets of footsteps coming towards you. You turned around to see the young, shocked looking boy from the group had joined the silver-haired one. He crouched down next to you, his wide eyes staring at Kimchi.

“Do you have a car or a ride?” The silver-haired man asked, and that was when you remembered.

“Y-yes!” You nearly shouted in your sudden realisation. “I have a- uhm, friend, I guess, who was supposed to pick us up. We were on our way to pick up ‘A’ before this happened.” The two men nodded at you, then at each other.

“I will carry him to your friend’s car.” The younger boy spoke suddenly, in a very matter-of-fact manner. Your eyes widened and you were about to decline his offer out of habit. You were so used to doing things yourself, to always denying help. You never wanted to be a burden to anyone.

But when Kimchi let out a pained whine, and you looked down at him lying pathetically on the floor, you suddenly didn’t care who you had to beg for help.

You nodded at the two boys, the younger of the two immediately scooping Kimchi into his arms. You noticed that although he looked slim, he seemed to be very strong. Kimchi weighed in at 70 lbs, and he had a very stocky build. He was made of nothing but muscle, and you knew from experience that lifting him up was no easy task. But this boy lifted him with ease, cradling him close to his chest like a baby to keep him comfortable.

You noticed fans around you whispering to each other and pointing at you, and it took everything you had to just focus on getting to the exit. You just had to get to Laura’s car, then you would be on your way to getting Kimchi treated. You led the two boys and their entourage of bodyguards towards pick up lot ‘A’. You were getting closer, closer.

You walked out of the doors, looking around desperately for Laura’s familiar face. You looked around frantically, but no matter where you looked you couldn’t spot her white SUV anywhere.

“So which car?” The silver-haired boy asked from beside his younger companion. You could feel panic rising in your stomach for the umpteenth time that day as you looked around.

“I- I can’t see it...:” You whispered, and you could feel tears threatening to spill out of your eyes. You pulled out your phone to check if Laura had sent any more messages, and your heart dropped into your stomach as you stared at your phone, realization dawning in your mind.

You hadn’t actually pressed send on your last message.

Laura (11:29 am): Y/N I thought your plane was scheduled to get here at 10:45.

Laura (11:34 am): Seriously Y/N I really can’t be waiting here all day, where the hell are you?

Laura (11:43 am): Alright I’ve been here for almost an hour waiting. Call a taxi.

You couldn’t contain it anymore. Your tears spilled over and you collapsed to the ground, dropping your phone in the process. Kimchi whined loudly and squirmed in the arms of the boy holding him, trying desperately to get to you. You wrapped your arms around your torso as shivers ran up your spine and you began to violently shake. The world felt like it was spinning, and you felt bile rising in your throat as all of the anxiety Kimchi had suppressed came back to you with a vengeance. All you could think of was getting Kimchi to a vet, but you had no ride. You didn’t know what to do, and your mind was racing, looping your anxieties over and over again.

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

“Hey, hey! It’s okay! Please don’t cry…” That deep, velvety voice pierced through your frazzled mind. You looked up to see the silver-haired man crouching in front of you, his hands gently touching your arms as he stared worriedly at you. His face was slightly blurred as your tears continued to flow, but you could see his eyes well enough. You could see them enough to know that they were very warm, and unbelievably comforting. His touch was soothing in a way you had only ever experienced from Kimchi, and that shocked you. You felt him rubbing soothing circles along your arm with his thumb, and your heart skipped a beat as you looked up at him. “Your dog is going to be okay. I promise. We will get him to a vet.”

Your eyes widened at his last statement. “You- what? B-but, you-you’re…” You stuttered out, trying to formulate some kind of sentence. Your mind was still reeling from your panic attack and your heart was still frazzled from the soothing touch this man was providing you with. You Had wanted to say that he was a celebrity, that he was too busy. He laughed, and you found the sound to be so soft and warm, you felt as though your heart was being bathed in sunlight.

“Don’t worry about it. This is our fault anyway, the least I can do is make sure that he is okay.” You gaped at him, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to try to say no. You felt exhausted, and if this famous guy wanted to help your Kimchi you figured you should take advantage of that and let him.

The silver-haired boy got up, and as soon as his fingers left your skin you felt cold again. You watched him walk over to his manager and one of the other band members - the tall, dimpled one, you noted - and begin animatedly talking to them and pointing towards you and the younger boy holding Kimchi. You saw them both shaking their heads at first, however it seemed that this boy was very persistent. He waved his arms around and shouted something along the lines of “taking responsibility”. The dimpled man looked taken aback by the silver-haired boy’s outburst, his eyes darting back and forth between the boy in front of him and you. After a moment, he nodded slowly and said something to their manager.

The silver-haired boy turned on his heel and sped back towards you. He had a very smug grin on his face.

“We’re taking you to the closest emergency veterinarian. I’ll take you to the van.” He reached his hand out towards you and you graciously accepted it. He pulled you up and off the ground and you somehow felt just a little bit lighter than you did a few minutes ago. “Kookie, we’re taking them. Let’s go.” He said to the younger boy. You idly though that ‘Kookie’ was a pretty cute nickname, and you realized then that you didn’t even know these boys’ names.

“Thank you so much for all of your help. My name is Y/L/N Y/N, and my dog’s name is Kimchi.” You said as the three of you began walking. The two boys snickered, and you couldn’t stop yourself from allowing a small smirk to grace your features.

“Kimchi?” The younger boy laughed as he gently carried your partner. “That’s a, uhh, unique name.” You grinned at him, explaining that you really love Kimchi fried rice and it was the only thing you could think of when you were naming him.

“You must have been very hungry.” The silver-haired boy laughed and you giggled at his joke. The funnier part was that you actually were very hungry at that time.

 You looked between the two, both of them with warm smiles on their faces, and you knew that you wanted to know who they were.

“Can I ask your names…?” You said timidly, glancing between the two men as you walked towards the company van. The silver-haired man looked taken aback, his eyes widening at your inquiry.

“You mean,” He looked over at his friend, who’s eyes had widened in pure shock. “You don’t know who we are?” He asked, unable to hide the surprise from his own face. You giggled and shook your head.

“I don’t really keep up with celebrity stuff. I’m too busy for that.” You said honestly. The boys nodded, both of them wearing unreadable expressions.

“My friend carrying your Kimchi is Jeon Jungkook.” The handsome, silver-haired man started, a bright box-shaped smile that had your heart melting gracing his lips.

“And my name is Kim Taehyung.”

[go-redgirl]

Passed By for Decades, Clarence Thomas Is a New Symbol of the Trump Era May 18, 2020 in News, Politics, U.S.8 min read

Among certain conservatives, an idea has started to take hold: Could Justice Clarence Thomas ever be the kind of pop-culture icon to his followers that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become to hers?

Justice Ginsburg, 87, has a book to her name, a touring museum exhibition and a surprise box-office hit in a 2018 documentary about her life. She is tattooed on her fans. Her personal trainer has his own book out. She was appointed to the bench in 1993 but came to realize and embrace this level of celebrity in recent years when her dissents became liberal rallying calls, leading to the nickname homage — and then best-selling book on her life — “The Notorious R.B.G.”

Justice Thomas, the Supreme Court’s most conservative member, is catching up in his own way at age 71.

After 28 years of rarely speaking from the bench, Justice Thomas is newly in the public eye (or ear) as he regularly asks questions during oral arguments that are being conducted by conference call and broadcast live during the pandemic.

He was the subject of a recent book, “The Enigma of Clarence Thomas,” which led to a flurry of articles and book reviews on his life and legal thought. A new biographical documentary, made by the conservative filmmaker Michael Pack, airs Monday on PBS. For the project, the justice spoke to filmmakers for 30 hours — an astounding feat for a jurist who once went 10 years without asking a question from the bench.

“He would have never said, ‘Gee whiz, I should be an icon,’” said Helgi Walker, a lawyer at the firm Gibson Dunn who clerked for Justice Thomas in 1995 and 1996. “But life is long, and it’s amazing how things can turn out sometimes.”

Since his confirmation hearings in 1991, which included sexual harassment allegations, Justice Thomas has largely been out of the public eye. And for decades, his legal thinking was considered too extreme even for the court’s conservative members, who often declined to join his dissents and concurrences.

Justice Thomas hasn’t changed, nor has his bitterness about the way his confirmation hearings unfolded. But the political moment has. Renewed interest in his life, work and philosophy may be coming from the same place as that in Justice Ginsburg: the Trump era.

Justice Thomas, currently the longest-serving justice, is known as Mr. Trump’s favorite on the court, with many in the legal world citing the numerous former Thomas clerks who have been tapped for the federal bench.

As Justice Ginsburg has become the flag bearer of the Supreme Court’s diminished judicial left, Justice Thomas, who spent years dissenting on the fringes, is a potent symbol for an ascendant conservative wing.

“He’s the most right-wing member of the court, and we are in a right-wing moment,” said Randall Kennedy, a professor at Harvard Law School and critic of the justice. In a piece in The Nation last fall, he criticized those who he said had recently “been solicitous of Thomas” in terms of his biography and his legal thinking, writing that he’d once been the same himself.

Last November in Washington, when gathering in a group was festive and not contested, a largely libertarian crowd convened at the Cato Institute to watch the documentary about Justice Thomas, “Created Equal: Clarence in His Own Words,” in which Justice Thomas laid out again his side of the confirmation showdown. Archival footage showed a younger Mr. Thomas in a red-and-grey tie.

“As far as I am concerned, it is a high-tech lynching,” the younger Mr. Thomas said of the hearing as the film’s audience nodded approvingly.

The camera then flipped to another man who has re-emerged into the political debate lately: Joe Biden, who was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time. There were guffaws until the camera turned elsewhere. Justice Thomas then appeared on the screen years later, in a dark suit and with white hair.

“I mean, come on, we know what this is all about,” he says to the camera. “This is the wrong black guy. He has to be destroyed, just say it.”

The line had an impact on Carol M. Swain, a former law professor and conservative political commentator who recently watched the film and said she saw the 1991 hearings in the context of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s in 2018. “It’s not just an agenda to derail a nomination, it’s an effort to destroy a person,” she said.

Many conservatives also now see vindication in the way the court has recently begun to adopt Justice Thomas’s thinking. His legal views spent the 1990s and the early 2000s bottled up as dissents and concurrences that his colleagues often did not sign onto. Now, many are becoming the law of the land.

A little-noticed case in 2009 involving an Austin, Texas, utility district offers a telling example. The district sought to be exempted from the 1965 Voting Rights Act “preclearance” requirements, under which states with a history of discrimination must get federal approval to change the ways in which people can cast votes. The court ruled unanimously that the requirement, a response to Jim Crow efforts to stop African-Americans from electing representatives, shouldn’t apply to a utility district.

Justice Thomas, however, went further: In a concurrence, he agreed with an argument the district had made that the preclearance requirement was itself unconstitutional.

Four years later, a higher-profile case, Shelby County v. Holder, reached the Supreme Court. This time, a five-to-four conservative majority overturned the portion of the Voting Rights Act used to determine which states had a history of discrimination and required preclearance. The decision lifted much of its reasoning from Justice Thomas’s earlier concurrence.

“It was a testament to his influence,” said Jennifer Mascott, a former clerk for Justice Thomas who now teaches law at George Mason University. “It’s a testament to how his thinking is moving the ball forward.”

Justice Ginsburg saw it in different terms. Her dissent said the ruling would effectively gut the Voting Rights Act and was tantamount to “throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.” An estimated 1,700 polling places have been closed, mainly in the South, since the court ruling, and voter suppression is already shaping up to be a battleground in the 2020 election.

Those gathered at the Cato Institute last fall were talking less about Justice Thomas’s jurisprudence than they were about his biography. The story of his life and the intellectual home he found among American conservatives is one that, his supporters note, runs contrary to the notion that the Trumpist version of the Republican Party is sympathetic to white nationalist influences.

Justice Thomas grew up impoverished in a Gullah-speaking community in Georgia and spent his youth as a black nationalist radical in the mold of Malcolm X before reluctantly accepting a job with a Republican attorney general in Missouri, the only job offer he was given, he explains in the film. He voted for Ronald Reagan in 1980, in what he called “a giant step for a black man.”

“It really isn’t just about correcting the record about him: I think it’s an important story, a great American story, the classic American story that I think should be told,” Mr. Pack, the film’s director, said during a question-and-answer period.

Mr. Pack is engaged in publicity on two fronts at the moment: for the Thomas film, and for a new job of his own. He was nominated by Mr. Trump in 2018 to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the independent agency that oversees Voice of America and Senate Republicans have recently renewed efforts to confirm him. Last week, however, a vote on his nomination was postponed and news broke that the attorney general for the District of Columbia was investigating whether Mr. Pack unlawfully used funds from a nonprofit organization that he runs.

That came to light after Mr. Pack went on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” on Monday to promote his latest film and note, with some amazement, a different confluence of events: Joe Biden, presidential candidate, now facing a sexual-assault allegation that he has vehemently denied, is the man who presided over Justice Thomas’s confirmation hearings, which featured a harassment allegation that Justice Thomas vehemently denied.

“It’s amazing that Justice Thomas saw — and this was even before Kavanaugh that we interviewed him — that sooner or later you’ll be the next one in the Tower of London,” Mr. Pack said. “And now Joe Biden is in the Tower of London.”

Last week, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the question of whether Congress may subpoena Mr. Trump’s financial records, Justice Thomas ended one line of questioning by saying, “I think we all know it’s about the president.”

And in many ways, Justice Thomas’s higher public profile is about the president, too. Mr. Trump rose to power with help of Christian evangelicals, who have long sought to change the makeup of the court, and they have largely been supportive of the judges he has appointed.

“There is a sense that no president has given them as much as Trump has,” said Daniel K. Williams, a history professor at the University of West Georgia who focuses on religion.

Justice Thomas’s vote is crucial if conservatives wish to attain their longest-held ambitions, from rolling back abortion rights to ending affirmative action.

Yet black conservatives like Ken Blackwell realize that the rehabilitation of Justice Thomas’s legacy may have it its limits. Mr. Blackwell, a former mayor of Cincinnati, said that while the justice might be experiencing a renaissance among conservatives, making the sale to the black community, which votes overwhelmingly Democratic, would be more of a challenge.

Mr. Blackwell said he regretted that the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington did not have a permanent exhibition on Justice Thomas, even though he is the only black member of the court. African-American conservatives deserve their place in history as well, Mr. Blackwell said.

But he did not rule out the possibility, with the rekindled interest in Justice Thomas.

“If by some accident of history, he had passed away at 65, I’m not sure the full appreciation of Clarence Thomas would have happened,” Mr. Blackwell said. “But the fact that he has lived this long means he may well outlive the mischaracterizations, and maybe it’s just long enough that his story finally gets heard.”

The post Passed By for Decades, Clarence Thomas Is a New Symbol of the Trump Era appeared first on New York Times.

[heytheregreeneyes]

Something Just Like This

Chapter 1

Summary: Josh falls. Josh falls fast and Josh falls hard. But what happens when he loves something he can’t keep?

Just a super fluffy love story in which, Josh meets and quickly falls completely in love with you. You are pregnant (surrogate) and he gets attached to the pregnancy.

A/N:  Not your typical pregnancy fic! Another dream about Josh that is being turned into a reader insert. I thought, ‘hmm, out of all the pregnancy fics or reader insert fics, I bet exactly zero feature a surrogate pregnancy’. Well, here ya go. Something new/different. Enjoy!

Pairing: Josh Dun x Reader

Type: fluff

Chapters: 10/?

Word Count: 26,695/?

Warnings: none

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |

Chapter Preview: “Maddy, your 3 o’clock’s here.”

“Thanks, Jill,” you hear a voice call from somewhere in the back. You’re currently sitting on a large white, tufted victorian couch that has a few sequined silver and pink throw pillows placed upon.  The salon is decorated in black, white, and soft pink, everything being very feminine. There are lots of mirrored surfaces and accents of glass or silver scattered about, your favorite being the large, crystalline chandelier that hangs in the center of the waiting area. The overall decor reminds you of the glitz and glamour of the 1920’s, and just feels very elegant.

A brown-eyed girl with blond hair and darker roots walks up and stands next to the front desk before addressing you, “Kat? You can come on back.” You stand from you seat and follow her back to her booth.  

“Hi, I’m Maddy,” she says, holding out her hand for you to shake.

“Hi, Maddy. I’m Kat.” You shake her hand at take a seat at her table.

You set your purse down on the floor next to her table and let your eyes wander around the back of the salon. The salon has that distinct smell that takes you back to proms and spa days, which you find oddly relaxing.  Looking around you see that they have several luxurious pedicure chairs, all white leather with a black or pink throw pillow accenting each chair, set up against the far wall, and the entire wall on the opposite side is lined with nail polishes of all colors and types.  

“So, what brings you in today? Got a hot date this weekend?” she asks with a raised brow and a smirk, holding out her hand to get started on your nails.

Laughing, you answer, “I wish! No, my friend is getting married tomorrow so I’m in town this weekend for the wedding.”

Chapter 1

“Maddy, your 3 o’clock’s here.”

“Thanks, Jill,” you hear a voice call from somewhere in the back. You’re currently sitting on a large white, tufted victorian couch that has a few sequined silver and pink throw pillows placed upon.  The salon is decorated in black, white, and soft pink, everything being very feminine. There are lots of mirrored surfaces and accents of glass or silver scattered about, your favorite being the large, crystalline chandelier that hangs in the center of the waiting area. The overall decor reminds you of the glitz and glamour of the 1920’s, and just feels very elegant.

A brown-eyed girl with blond hair and darker roots walks up and stands next to the front desk before addressing you, “Kat? You can come on back.” You stand from you seat and follow her back to her booth.  

“Hi, I’m Maddy,” she says, holding out her hand for you to shake.

“Hi, Maddy. I’m Kat.” You shake her hand at take a seat at her table.

You set your purse down on the floor next to her table and let your eyes wander around the back of the salon. The salon has that distinct smell that takes you back to proms and spa days, which you find oddly relaxing.  Looking around you see that they have several luxurious pedicure chairs, all white leather with a black or pink throw pillow accenting each chair, set up against the far wall, and the entire wall on the opposite side is lined with nail polishes of all colors and types.  

“So, what brings you in today? Got a hot date this weekend?” she asks with a raised brow and a smirk, holding out her hand to get started on your nails.

Laughing, you answer, “I wish! No, my friend is getting married tomorrow so I’m in town this weekend for the wedding.”

“Oh yeah? Are you going to be in the wedding or just attending?” She questions as she starts buffing and prepping your nails.

“In it, I’m one of the bridesmaids. That’s why we gotta go with a cream or soft pink color for these nails,” you say with a sigh, wiggling your fingers and sighing.

“Not thrilled about the wedding colors?” she asks with a grin, glancing up at you before getting back to work.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that I am four months pregnant and she’s got me in a floor length dress.” Her eyes go wide. “Right?!”  you continue, “We ALL know pregnant girls don’t look good in long dresses.”

“Girl, tell me about it! I’m four months pregnant too, and a lot of my summer dresses from before I was pregnant are longer,” she states.

“Oh, you’re pregnant too? Awesome, congratulations! When’s your due date?”

“December 20th.”

“No way! I’m due December 24th!” you exclaim, voice volume going up for both of you as you get more and more excited.

“Get out! This is so cool! Do you know what you’re having yet? We just found out we’re having a girl.”

“Girl, stop it! I’m pregnant with a girl too!” You both squeal and giggle at your matching pregnancies.

“But,” you continue, “the thing is, this isn’t my baby.” You pause for a moment at her look of confusion as you always do when you tell someone you are pregnant, but then claim the baby isn’t yours. Once she realizes that you are, in fact, not making a joke, you continue, “I’m a surrogate.”

“You’re a surrogate?!” she says, eyes wide. “Oh my god, that’s so amazing! I’ve never met a surrogate before. What’s that like?”

You continue to talk and bond over the pregnancies and talk about the wedding while she finishes doing your nails. The two of you really hit it off, finding that you have much more in common than your pregnancies alone. Had you grown up in this area, you can see how the two of you would’ve very easily been very good friends, if not best friends.

You’re sitting with your nails under the UV nail dryer when she says, “So, since you’re from out of town and all, I wanna tell you about this really good pizza place not far from here called Hounddog’s. In fact, we’re probably gonna be eating there tonight. Lord knows I’m pregnant, tired, and don’t wanna cook.” You both laugh at that, knowing the feeling all too well. “I wouldn’t be disappointed if you happened to eat dinner there as well. You should definitely check it out,” she says with a wink, turning off the machine.

“That sounds so good. I don’t know much about around here and I’m always down for good pizza, so if you say it’s good, I’m game.”

You follow her up to the front counter and place your purse on the countertop to retrieve your wallet. Recognizing the Goner bird pattern, she points to your purse, “You a fan of Twenty One Pilots?”

“I guess you could say that,” you agree, shyly.

“You know they’re from here, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what I have heard,” you nod, handing over your debit card. “I think they just did a few hometown shows or something not too long ago.”

“Do you have a favorite between the two?” she asks, knowing full well she’s Tyler’s sister and that you are none the wiser.

“Umm, I don’t know.” You pause to think for a moment, furrowing your brow. “Wow, that’s actually really hard. Josh seems so caring and kind, and Tyler just seems like a big sweetheart.”

“Riiiiiiiiight,” she says with an eye roll.

“Why, have you got to meet them before?” you ask, curiously.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” she says smirking as she hands you back your card.

“That’s so cool,” you say, tucking your card back into your wallet before placing it into your purse and pulling out your sunglasses. “Well, thank you for doing my nails today, Maddy; they look gorgeous. Maybe I’ll see you tonight at Hounddog’s.”

You turn and wave as you’re leaving, smiling widely as she waves back and shouts, “See ya later, Kat!” as you’re walking out the door.

-----

It’s about 6:30 pm and you’re sitting on the bed trying to connect your laptop to the hotel’s wifi. You’ve already unpacked all your stuff, and the last thing you needed to do was connect to the internet. You’ve been at it a good 15 minutes already, and you’re starting to get frustrated, thinking about just giving up when you get a text from an unknown number.

Incoming from

UNKNOWN: Hey, this is Maddy. I hope you don’t mind, I got your number from your contact card at the salon. Anyhow, I just realized that being out of town you don’t exactly have a car. Want me to come pick you up for dinner? I get that pregnant girls need exercise and all, but no one wants to walk THAT far, lol.

Outgoing:

Hey Maddy!! Actually, that sounds great. I’m staying at the DoubleTree.

Incoming from

Maddy: Perfect. Pick you up in about 20 min?

Outgoing:

I’ll be ready. Just text when you’re here and I’ll come down.

You go back to trying to connect to the wifi, trying to figure out the guest passcode. ‘Guest passcode? I didn’t even get a passcode!’ you think to yourself, screaming inside your own head. You start to think back to when you checked in earlier that morning. Did they give me a passcode when I checked in?  You can’t remember.

It’s been several minutes and you’re about to give up and just say screw it, you’ll just use your phone for the duration of your stay when another text comes thru.

Incoming from

Maddy: Hey girl, I’m here!! But do you mind if I use your restroom really quick? I hate to even ask, but again… pregnant girls. You know how it is.

Outgoing:

lol, come on up, I’m in room number 613. I totally know how it is. I still gotta get my shoes on anyhow.

Incoming from

Maddy: Cool. thx. I’ve got a friend with me, is that okay?

Outgoing:

of course. Bring ‘em on up!

You move about the room gathering your things to go so you can leave when she’s finished. When there’s a soft, melodic knock on the door, you smile to yourself, excited to see your new friend as you cross the room. You open the door and see Maddy standing there and then a shock of bright yellow hair just behind her. It takes you a moment, but when it finally clicks, you realize that as you’re standing beside the door to let her in your room, in walks Maddy and… Josh freakin’ Dun!

Thankfully, you look more confused than shocked, but still manage to shake it off enough to greet them with, “Uhh, hey guys,” as you slowly close the door and turn around.

She just walks in towards the bathroom and chuckles, “I maaay have forgot to tell you that I’m Tyler’s sister,” before winking and shutting the bathroom door with a huge, mischievous grin on her face.  Suddenly you’re in this unbelievable situation and all you can do is swallow down all the butterflies threatening to escape and laugh to yourself.

“Well then,” you say, turning to Josh, “Hi, I’m Kat.”

Josh is standing near the foot of your bed, looking just like every picture you’ve ever seen him in on the internet. He has on a backwards black snapback with bright yellow hair poking through, black gauges, slight scruff, plain gray shirt with a couple necklaces hanging down, black skinny jeans, and dark boots. His eyes, tho, those deep chocolate eyes are so much more intense and beautiful in person. The internet could never do them justice, and when they look at you, all squinty and playfully, you find it hard to breathe.  

“Your name is Kat? That’s so awesome! I love cats,” he says with a wide, playful smile.

Josh is teasing and you know it, but you take a deep breath to ground yourself and explain anyway, “Actually, Kat’s just a nickname. Short for Katherine.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Kat. I’m Josh.”

You grab your shoes and cross the room to sit in one of the lounge chairs to put them on. He sits on the end of the bed and looks around the hotel room. You intended to use your time away as sort of a mini vacation, so you sprung for the more luxurious, bigger room. It’s spacious with one king bed, a tv stand with a flat-screen tv and built in drawers for clothes or other personal items, a work desk, and behind the sitting area are large, floor length windows that display just how pretty downtown Columbus is. You can’t wait to see the view at night.

He notices your dress bag hanging on the wall and points to it. “Maddy said you’re in town for a wedding.”

You look up from pulling at your shoelaces to answer him when she comes out of the bathroom holding her phone, still typing out a text. “Guys, I’ll be right back, I gotta run downstairs really quick; Will’s gonna switch me vehicles. He’s almost here, then we can go.”

“Alrighty. You wanna just text when he gets here and we’ll meet you down there so you’re not walking back and forth?” you ask, pulling on your other shoe and tightening the laces.

“Works for me. See you guys in a few,” she says as she exits the room.

You finish tying your shoe and stand up, walking towards the dress. “But yeah, my friend is getting married tomorrow. Wanna see the dress?” You walk over and unzip the dress bag, removing it from around the dress and hold it up, letting the dress hang to its full length.

“Ooooh, very fancy. And renaissance-y.”

You giggle a bit at his description. Once you got over your initial shock of ‘oh my gosh, Josh Dun is standing literally right in front of me’, you find that talking with him comes effortlessly. He has a very laid back and calm demeanor about him that makes it easy to just be yourself.

“Yeah, it’s pretty, and I’m excited for her and everything, but I just…” you pause and let out an exasperated sigh, “I don’t know exactly how flattering it’s gonna be on this,” you say as you gesture down to your belly. “And that’s not even me fishing for a compliment either. Super long dresses don’t generally look good on pregnant bodies,” you say, pulling a concerned face. “We end up looking like shapeless hippos.”

He’s openly laughing at your comment when another text alert comes thru stating that Maddy was ready to go. You hang the dress back up, not bothering to put it back in the bag, and together the two of you head downstairs.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |

x-posted on my Ao3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/EncOREO/works

Fun Fact: I actually am pregnant, I am a surrogate (on my 3rd surrobaby), I am having a girl, and I am due Christmas Eve. Weee!

If you have any questions or are curious about any part of being a surrogate, please ask! I love talking about surrogacy stuff!