#so seeing all the dating drama where people expect men to pay is weird to me

[wheeloffortune-design]

i've been watching too many reddit dating drama stories and i'm weirded out by the gendered expectations. so i need to know

Note: I know this is extremely reductive and doesn't take into account other genders or queer dating. But this is not about specific cases, this is about social expectations.

You can add in the comments where you live.

[sadceline]

THE ENHYPEN HOST || 20

|| Reverse harem || ft. TXT, Mingyu (Seventeen) & BTS

WARNINGS: foul language, explicit content, group sex, humiliation, sex in public, threesome, foursoome, rough sex, red flags, immoral acts, unprotected sex, morbid jealousy, comedy, parody, possessiveness, violent quarrels, arguments, betrayals, lies, femdom sometimes.

GENRE: +18, reverse harem, comedy, enemy to lovers, friends to lovers

TRAILER 3

PREVIOUS CHAPTER:

FIRST CHAPTER:

“Like a drama, huh?” I exclaim, after several minutes in silence.

Sunghoon took me to an ice skating rink, actually I should have expected that. More like I didn't expect him to take me there.

“Korean men are pretty mundane, but it still works.” Sighs Hoon.

Since we walked in, his expression has become more serene, which shouldn't surprise me, after all I know well that this is his past, that before he became an idol he was a promising artist skater, yet I find myself looking for his expression so peaceful watching the rink.

“Why did you bring me here? I don't even know how to skate.” “I suspected as much, so I can teach you.” I turn all red, inevitably. “T-Then it's really like in dramas…. What is this, a date?” I laugh nervously. Sunghoon stares at me, turned sad again. “It would be nice if it was, wouldn't it?”

Park Sunghoon rented the entire rink, as in kdramas, brought me here with the intention of spending time together, as in dramas dates, yet I still don't understand what he's getting at - really.

“Why are we here, Sunghoon?” I ask again.

He walks up to me, grabs me by the wrist gently and leads me to benches where two pairs of skates are already resting. I am curious and surprised, also because he did not ask me what my shoe size was, yet the size is right. Does that mean he checked for himself while I was getting ready? This is a nice thing….

“I wanted to let you know that I'm not completely a shit. I tend to be less of a shit when I'm in places I like, doing things I like, with people I like.”

I am a human being, lord in heaven, how am I supposed to react while Park Sunghoon says such nice things, kneeling in front of me to help me put on my skates? I can't look away from him, my heart beats as if fireworks are exploding inside my chest.

“Do you like me? As a person?” “I'm not sure. - He snorts, proudly, clutching the straps of his skates. - I'd like to understand that.” “And do you have an idea... what you want?” “Currently - he answers quickly - I just want to teach you how to skate.”

That's not an answer, but it's okay, I guess.

“You're acting weird.” I smile amusedly as he laces up his skates. He seems to smile back, then turns serious. “Treasure these memories, you'll probably never see me so kind again.”

This looks like the usual Sunghoon, and for some reason this reassures me.

When he gets up, he takes me by the hand and leads me to the rink. He tells me to pay attention as he shows me how to move my legs so I don't fall. As I watch him behind the little wall that separates the floor from the frozen floor, Sunghoon begins to skate with more confidence, moving away from me to make a full circle of the rink.

I look at him and can't help smiling. He looks happy as a child, a gruff child who barely hints at smiling, but to see such an expression on Hoon's face is fantastic.

I feel like catching up with him, but I'm not sure if I can.

I start walking, holding on to the dividers, actually managing to keep my balance well. He is too far away, too distracted, surely he hasn't skated in a long time and will want to catch up a bit.

“Look what I can do!” He calls to me, excited.

I turn to be speechless when Sunghoon leaps up doing three piruettes on himself, before balancing perfectly on the rink again.

“Fuck! I'm too good!” He says it to himself. I burst out laughing. “You're also modest!” I yell at him. Sunghoon flashes a smirk as he approaches me. “I'm just being realistic. Do you know how long it's been since I did that? Years!” I can't stop smiling, I like this expression he gives me, I like his genuine tone. “Don't do it anymore though, if you get hurt it's a problem.” “I might get some rest.” He sighs amusedly, taking me by both hands and forcing me to let go of the dividers. “I'm not ready to skate without holding on yet!” I point out to him. “Then hold on to me.”

Needless to say, my chest implodes, my brain smoking, as I stare at him bewildered. He pulls me toward the center of the rink, not noticing that I am staring at him so intently.

“You really like skating, huh?” “More than being an idol.” He admits, sounding sincere. “Do you really think so? “ Hoon watches me then sighs. “I don't. It wasn't my decision to be an idol, though.”

Revealing something of this caliber, Sunghoon continues to hold me by one hand, but the other moves it to my side and then stands behind me.

“Didn't you say it was your choice?” I ask him, since that is what he has said on several public occasions. I can feel his breath on my neck as he gently nudges me to skate. “I never opposed it, but it was my parents who wanted it. Now I haven't seen them in a very long time, but they are still happy that I am here.” “They think it was the best thing for you, don't they?” “What parent who loves his child leads him to become an idol? - He asks sarcastically. - Everyone in Korea knows how we live, they knew it too. Just being a champion wasn't enough.”

I turn away, it will be gruesome but I want to see Sunghoon's expression, I want to see if he shows signs of pain, of sorrow, and honestly, I wish I could console him.

But Sunghoon is cold, his face is calm and relaxed, perhaps because he is no longer suffering from this now. Yet I can perfectly see his saddened eyes, no matter how hard he tries to hide it.

"You're not happy, are you?" "There is no such thing as happiness, Amanda."

It is not that he is sad when he says this, which is really sad, so I stand there staring at him confused and bitter.

After a while, when I have started to move my feet on the icy rink on my own, Sunghoon tries a few more laps and shows me that he hasn't lost his skating skills at all; in fact, he has maintained them perfectly.

I thought I'd do worse, but my brain probably still remembers how to skate on rollerblades, even though it's been at least ten years since I've used them, and maybe I only used them a few times as a kid.

He comes over, moves gracefully and confidently, watches me, and approaches me again. "You haven't fallen yet." He notes. I smile embarrassed. "You should be happy. Then I won't bother you and you can enjoy yourself." Sunghoon looks at me with a really puzzled expression, I get the impression that he thinks I'm a fool, but I don't understand why. "Do you think I can't come by myself if I feel like it?" I blink, curious. "So?" "So I'll wait for you to fall."

I am completely stunned by these words, why on earth would he want me to fall? I don't know, maybe it's some strange perversion of his, but I'm not so much frightened as amused. I back away with difficulty as he begins to reach out and grab me with a grin on his face.

"Stop!" I burst out laughing and move awkwardly. On the contrary, the icy rink is his realm; he reaches me without difficulty. "You just have to fall a little! Why do you have to be so good?" "By nature I am good at many things." I answer, although a second later I realize that this sentence could very well have many other meanings. In fact, he seems to take a few of them and gets a little annoyed in his face as he closes the distance between us by grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward him. "Oh yeah? - he asks me in a whisper. - And what else are you good at?"

I swallow, he is so close that I don't know whether to look at his eyes or his beautiful lips, but luckily I don't have time to decide, because Sunghoon grabs me by the hips and pushes me to the ground, using his own arms to break my fall. The result is that even though I'm not hurt, I land on the floor and he straddles me.

"W-What are you doing? You'll freeze your knees." I say. Sunghoon watches me in silence for a few seconds, then sighs tiredly. "Do you feel cold?"

Not really. This situation has certainly warmed my poor confused body, which biologically cannot avoid burning for him. His wistful, cold eyes, his beautiful lips, and those elegant, beautiful little moles on his face, he's someone you can't get tired of looking at.

"No…" I answer under my breath. "I don't know how things are going to be from now on. - He says in a stern tone, looking at me. - But it's not bad being here with you." "Did you ever go skating with Wonyoung?" He seems surprised by my question, but quickly composes himself and clears his voice. "Yes, I suggested it to her. She can't skate and was afraid of getting hurt, so we didn't go."

Basically, what do I care? Why did I ask him? And why should I feel sad when he obviously asked his incredible, beautiful, gorgeous girlfriend to go skating? It was the obvious thing to do.

Should I have just been happy to know that being here was "not bad"?

"Why did you bring me here?"

Sunghoon seems to have had enough of my questions, so he silences me by kissing. He cups my face with both palms as he pushes himself toward me, stealing kiss after kiss from me, even though I seem well disposed to give them. Sunghoon kisses like I would expect from a prince, as they call him, he is elegant even when he puts his tongue in my mouth.

He sucks on my lips and I, who shouldn't be doing this, stretch my hands over his arms covered by the denim jacket he wears, clinging to him as I try to breathe, but still not wanting to interrupt this moment. I long for it so much that I don't realize how serious such a thing is.

It would be enough to think of Heeseung to wake me up from this spell, but Sunghoon's presence in this moment is so heavy that I can't think.

I just feel that I want him.

The crotch of his jeans has swelled, I noticed in passing, and his hands have also become more impatient, but I hope he won't do it on the ice….

"I think bringing you here is the worst of my mistakes." He admits after pulling away.

It shouldn't, but it hurts. I notice he's started to stare at me, but even though I look back, I can't say anything.

"Don't you care?"

He is always so sad, I realize now.

"I wish I could say what I want." I admit, this time I am the sad one. "Here, you and I can be whoever we want to be."

My eyes are probably speaking, but I don't know what they're saying, although I can see that his reaction is to kiss me again. I am cold, but my heart is warm.

I put a hand on his chest and push him away.

"But then we'll get out of here."

Sunghoon gets angry and kisses me again, harder. I can't resist him right away, I'm so stunned by his touch, then I try to wriggle out, meekly at first, but he doesn't seem to want to let go, instead he lunges at me.

"So what?" He asks in a whisper as he starts to bite my earlobe.

A shiver runs through my body and I feel a sting, first in my stomach, then between my legs, and it is intense, impetuous, like the kisses he gives me.

I try to push him, I don't know with what force either, however, this irritates him to the point that he grabs both my wrists, pinning them at my face level. He watches me, but I can only glimpse his eyes behind the thick bangs.

“Don't refuse me.” “D-Don't..” I look away. He lets go of my wrist to grab my face, cupping my cheeks and forcing me to look at him. “Don't refuse me, Amanda.” “Why shouldn't I?” I ask through clenched teeth. “Reject me for anyone, for Jake, for fucking Jay, but not for Heeseung.” He raises his voice, but I'm not afraid.

He... his eyes glaze over.

"You're not really interested in me, are you? - I ask again and he lets go. - You just want to take away who you think he wants". Sunghoon's face gets even darker. "No, you're an idiot."

I honestly stand there stunned (again), my body growing colder while my chest is warmed by these new faces I discover from Sunghoon.

"It's just that he has everything! For once I'm the one who wants something?"

Is he admitting that he wants me or is he calling me "thing"? Either way, why don't I react appropriately, as I should, by pushing him away? He hides his eyes and his mouth is turned down, looking so sad at me.

"It is not his fault that he was born with many talents. - I say, and I can barely see Sunghoon's offended look. - But it's not your fault either. You're not angry with him." "Yes, I damn well am - he replies, getting up from the floor and pulling me up by my wrists - I'm mad at him. Only he would pay the debt?" "Only he said he would... in front of all of you." I remind him, sighing and turning away. I do not want to hear his words, or I am sure I will give up. He comes closer and squeezes my wrist, forcing me to look at him more closely. "Maybe he just said it in front of you."

I stare at him, at a loss for words for the umpteenth time. He has to stop saying the right things, he has to stop saying them with this face, with this level of perfection, elegance.

He really looks like a prince, I can't stop staring at him. Even the wound that I will ignore, the wound that Heeseung caused him and which is essential not to show too much concern… seems to be drawn, part of the make-up, even the imperfections become perfect on him.

Fortunately, he is the first to seek my lips, and that is the only thing I can use to defend myself, because I want his mouth so badly that I cling to his shoulders, to his stupid leather jacket, for the umpteenth time.

He does not release his grip, on the contrary, he continues and pushes me to the bench, where I fall, sitting down. He takes off his jacket and stares at me seriously.

"Today is my turn, don't refuse me." He repeats this to me again, then bends down to take off his skates, and while kneeling in front of me, he starts to take off mine as well. "Sunghoon… you…" I don't get to finish the sentence, because still kneeling at my feet, he decides to rest his face between my thighs, and it's strange, because it awakens a maternal instinct in me. "If you don't want him to know, I won't tell him. I mean it." He suddenly whispers softly.

My hands move freely to his head, I sink them into his hair, caress him. This is such an intimate thing.... even more than sex.

"No….except for the fact that you're blatantly lying, if we do this…. I have to tell him." Hoon lifts his eyes to me, he is offended, irritated, outraged by my last statement. "You… do you like him? Do you really want to be loyal to him?" Now I'm the one looking at him, so close I can see myself in his dark eyes. "Yes. But I feel the same way about you." He is silent for a long time. "What?" He just asks. "I.... want be loyal to you, too."

Sunghoon stands up and backs away nervously. He stands with his back to me for several seconds, which turn into dozens, then a whole minute. I have no idea what he is thinking, but I question his conclusions to avoid coming to my own.

"What do you want to do now?" "What do you mean?" I ask him confused. Hoon turns around, I can barely see his gaze, but it still manages to penetrate me. "What am I supposed to do now that I can't even get angry?" He asks, but it seems more to himself than to me.

He approached me impetuously, taking off his shirt and standing shirtless in front of me. He doesn't kiss me right away, I can see his pupils lingering on my lips, then he takes my face again and rests his own on top of mine.

"F-Forget it..." I try to stop him, but he moves to my neck, caressing my palm with his broad fingertips, while with his other hand he pushes me to him, from behind. "Don't refuse me, it's not what you want." He says softly before sucking on my earlobe.

I moan, not only at that. Meanwhile, he has moved his hand to slip it into my fucking panties.... his hands are much faster than his tongue, he only needs to brush against me for me to lose all the strength in my body.

Sunghoon pushes me against the wall and crushes me against it. "Will you tell him too? That you want to be loyal to me too…" He whispers again as his crotch presses against my thigh, my hip. I try to push him away, even though my mouth is open from the moans he makes me emit. "S-Stop…" "Were you trying to make me jealous with that Heeseung thing?" He asks, this shameless man, thrusting a finger inside me. I pant and cling to his shoulders. "S-Sunghoon…" "You succeeded." He whispers again.

Hell, it's hard enough to resist him when he doesn't talk…. When he starts doing that, I won't be able even think.. Maybe I've already give up, at least when he slides his second finger into my pussy and applies more pressure with his wrist. Groaning, I try to bite my lip so as not to give him the pleasure of hearing me moan because of him, but it's really hard.

"It must have been hard today... wasn't it?" He asks me amused.

Then he takes mine with his free hand and moves it to his obviously swollen, almost vibrating cock under the high-waisted jeans he wears. These emphasize his narrow hips, his slim pelvis, he looks seriously drawn.

Sunghoon is still kissing me, our touches getting wetter and wetter, wetting each other with our mixed saliva. Sunghoon likes to suck my lips, especially the lower ones. He also likes to lick my neck and use his lips to bite me in a purely erotic way.

"You wanted it so much that you even touched yourself. - He says, and I'm surprised to hear him say that, but I don't have time to retort because he's slipping a third finger inside me, preparing me thoroughly for his coming…. - When you heard me make another girl scream, you couldn't help fingering yourself, imagining she was you…"

How shameful! No! How does he know, by the way? But at the moment I am so nervous and embarrassed that I try to push him harder, but this unnerves him and he pushes me against the wall to tighten his grip on me.

"Where are you going? You must be punished... for making me jealous."

Well, I just lost. I don't argue, his hand moves too fast, I make ridiculous noises in front of him, who seems to sneer as he sees me defeated and vulnerable in his fingers.

"Y…you didn't…punish me enough?" I slurp like a drunk, saliva dripping down the sides of my mouth from my panting but also from his wet kisses. "I haven't even started." He replies, finally pulling his fingers out as I come up for air.

Not that he gives me time to reply. He forces me to turn away, my back to him. He pulls up my sweater, then I hear him unbutton his jeans as he presses his hand against my head to keep me from moving.

"I'm really mad, Amanda." He reminds me as he slides his cock between my thighs.

Man, it's so thick that I can wrap it between my legs, even pretty tight. He must like that, because he starts to move his pelvis, stimulating my clit, but not yet entering my pussy, which is trembling because of him.

"I'm not sure this kind of punishment is okay - he whispers in my ear, now panting - for a slut like you."

No... I... really, he must not use this card against me. If he says it normally, it's seriously a problem, but if he says it while forcing me to the wall, using my whole body to literally jerking off, I'm on my knees before him in any kind of sense.

“I bet Heeseung also calls you that when he fucked you, right? Because you guys fucked before his turn, didn't you?” He asks, before pushing his long cock hard into me without even asking permission.

I scream, seriously. It's so big I feel like I'm struggling to keep it all in in this position, I can feel it in my belly, in my sternum, even though he's not moving it yet I'm already moaning. My pussy is drooling over him.

“You like it if they call you that, don't you? - He asks again. You can tell…” “St...Stop-!” I can't finish the sentence, because Sunghoon has moved his hand from my head to grab my shoulder, while with the other he holds my hip. “How can you… be so tight?” He almost seems to be complaining, but I really feel humiliated.

And yet I like it.

"You have to suffer a little now, you have to do it for me." He whispers, forcing me to arch my back to get him in better.

It feels great and terrible. He begins to move inside me without much care for manners, grabbing my shoulder while he suddenly squeezes my left breast with one hand, I can only try to open my legs more to make it easier. My moans soon turn into primal groans.

"You like it so much… It's disgusting." He laughs, although there is a hint of instability in his voice. "Stop…" "Do you want me to stop? - He asks me, thrusting harder with his hips until I scream with each stroke. - Beg me, beg me to stop."

I try, a few times. Really, just two. Finally, his blows are so violent, but lustful, that I can't say anything anymore.

Sunghoon speaks less and less; as he speeds up, his words diminish, but his sighs increase, and his voice is simply exquisite.

His full breaths, those moments when he seems to be uttering verses of effort, of difficulty, fill my eardrums. I want to hear him over and over again. But he doesn't experience it as poetry, quite the opposite.

Sunghoon hits harder and harder between my legs, clinging to my skin, and I can feel his sharp nails sinking into my hips or around my neck, which he continues to cling to as he literally smashes into me without circling too much.

Suddenly he stops, begins to giggle as he reaches for the back of my neck, his length seeming to tear into me.

"Maybe … there's something I'm better at than Heeseung hyung, Amanda?"

Then he starts again, louder than before, and I can only try to breathe between the primal screams that escape my lungs.

I don't know how long this has been going on, I know I can't control my knees anymore, I feel weak, confused, dizzy, and I feel only pleasure. A lustful pleasure, a pleasure that runs down all my limbs like blood, I am unable to speak, unable to move, but I can continue to hold on to the wall so that he can continue to enjoy me as long as he wants.

"Don't you want to talk to me?" He asks me, also exhausted, I can feel it. "W-What … ah … aha … what do you want me to … say?" Sunghoon bends his back, I don't know how it's possible, but I feel his cock even deeper, I feel completely split open. "That you go crazy for me. That you want me. That you love how I fuck you and that yes, I fuck you better than Heeseung hyung." "I don't… - I pant, it's not easy for me to talk - I'll never be… the way you want me to be… …. And… n-no… you don't fuck me better than…"

He doesn't want me to finish the sentence, which can be deduced from the fact that he pulled me away from the wall by grabbing my neck, pulling out his dick and doing it suddenly, it was like I was suddenly emptying.

Sunghoon laughed with a blank face as he watched my shattered expression, completely distraught by his actions. He must feel very satisfied, the asshole.

He lies down on the floor, and I didn't expect this from a little prince like him, leans back on his elbows and then smilingly points to his big, swollen cock, reddened with use, veiny and so wet.

"Go ahead, sit down." "N-No." I mumble, even though I can't get a clear head and keep looking at the shape of his cock, it's so beautiful, and then his stomach, his pubic hair, those thighs, my God. "I said sit down." He repeats, more seriously.

I swallow, unable to look him in the face. There's no point in stopping now, and I really want to sit on his legs, on his full balls. I take off the jeans that have been around my ankles, and the sound of him giggling humiliates me even more.

"Good girl - he says under his breath as I bend over to sit with my back to him. - No, no. I need to see your face. Turn around."

These... these are orders.

I have no dignity left, except to cover my face as much as possible with my hair down, which I cannot do. I sit down slowly, letting his cock in more gently than he did, letting the muscle with its veins run tight between my pussy lips.

He has this satisfied grin on his face and it unnerves me to know that I was the one who offered it to him. Whatever he understood from the conversation earlier, it must have cheered him up, and not just for that.

Damn.

"Oh yeah, put it all. Like this." He urges me, whispering, watching me closely as his dick sinks into my pussy.

I feel full again, I am full again, of him. I want to move my hips as fast as possible, I want to continue enjoying, but it's really hard, she was already so sore from him.

"Good... all of it." He reminds me as he goes every last inch back into my belly. "Ah… it's… so big." "You like it because it's big, right? - He laughs again, I'm definitely going too slow for him. - Let me see how much you like it."

Oh no…I have obviously lost.

My hips begin to move, awkwardly, but faster and faster, he is surprised by this sudden change of pace, and I can hear him breathing, louder and louder. It's almost as if his dick has gotten even bigger, or maybe I've been going so long that my pussy has swollen up.

"Do you see that? Ah…your body is reacting like a bitch's."

Oh god, I'm going crazy. I hold on to his broad, hard pecs, they are hot and throbbing, he grabs me by the hips and eases my strokes to go even deeper. I feel like my soul is about to leave my body, but his is pounding into me until it feels like it's filling my belly, I can feel him pressing down on my throat, he's big, he's so hard.

"Fuck, I'd love to impregnate you. You would just become mine."

He says, and at the same time as my unbelievable, psychedelic orgasm, Sunghoon empties himself completely inside me for a few dozen seconds, his sperm flooding me, warming me up, at one point so much that it comes out of my pussy while his cock is still inside me. My whole belly heats up, I feel each spurt splashing into my soul.

I collapse, I am tired, exhausted, he holds me in his arms, like during Heeseung's shift. His cock is still inside me, throbbing, I don't think he's going to cum anymore... but it's still very hard.

"Get ready. - He whispers, folding his legs and pushing me against his stomach as if he wants me closer. - We're just getting started."

Shit.

I hate this.

It's so… so damn wrong - that I like it.

NEXT CHAPTER:

[hargrovefilms]

Too soon to lose my baby •B.H•

Eddie was alway quick to start drama between you and Billy in hopes that one day you'd be his.

You were in bed with your lovely boyfriend. You looked at the time and saw that it was seven thirty. You were a little confused on why you were up early but you decided to take advantage of it. You threw on one of Billy’s t-shirts and shorts, the sorts being covered by the t-shirtThere were things that you wanted to get done before Billy woke up. You cleaned the living room and the kitchen. You even organized all of yours and Billy’s vinyls, putting them in alphabetical order in the cases you had for them. 

You were just starting on breakfast when you heard the doorbell ring. You walked over to the door and answered it. 

“Hello wh-.. Oh it's you, Munson.” You grumbled. This man wouldn’t leave you alone. He was convinced that Billy was a terrible person for you and the only way you'd ever be happy in life was to be with him. 

Eddie looked you over and whistled at your outfit. “Is this how you greet everyone that knocks on your door? No wonder why Billy called you that.” 

You rolled your eyes. “What are you talking about?” You opened the door a little more and crossed your arms over your chest. 

“Oh you mean you didn't hear?” Eddie said sarcastically, “Your little boyfriend has been going around telling everyone that you're a little slut.” He smirked at your expression. Your heart rate started to pick up. You didn’t know why but part of you believed Eddie.

“Where did you hear this from?" You asked softly. You were never good at hiding your emotions and everyone knew it. 

“Stevie told me. He heard him say it in the locker room after basketball practice. I’m surprised that you didn’t know or even notice the way people stare at you when you walk down that hall. The whispers of people when you pass them.” He said, stepping closer. It was all making sense now.  You semi noticed people staring at you but you just thought it was because you were dating Billy. But, now that you think of it, that doesn’t make sense. You and Billy have been dating for 6 months already. A single tear fell from your eyes.

“Aww don’t cry angel, You should have expected this from him. I mean, he is Billy Hargrove after all.” Eddie was rubbing your shoulder. You felt stupid for believing him but he just sounded so convincing. You were too busy thinking that you didn’t hear Billy walk up behind you. 

“What the fuck is going on?” He said in a stern voice. Eddie placed his hand that was rubbing our shoulder back into his pocket. “Why are you here Munson? Don’t you have some nerd club to attend to?” Billy stepped closer to Eddie. 

“I was just in the neighborhood and I decided to pay y/n a visit.” Eddie said nervously. He was scared that Billy was going to see you crying and beat the shit of him. 

“It’s 8:30. Kind of a weird time to visit someone, no?” Billy questioned him. Eddie was speechless. He nervously laughed and tried to think of an excuse. You let a sob out on accident, catching the attention of both men. Billy looked at Eddie and tightened his jaw. 

“Munson.. What did you-” Before Billy could finish, Eddie ran down the street. Billy didn’t have a shirt or shoes on, so there was no way he was going to run after him. Besides, he had something more important to attend to. Billy closed the front door and hugged you. 

“What happened baby? Did he hurt you?” Billy has genuine concern in his voice. He hated to see his girl upset, especially when he didn’t know why. 

“H-He told m-me Billy.” You choked out between sobs.

“Told you what?” Billy has a hint of annoyance in his voice. You couldn’t tell if it was you or the situation. 

“Wh-what yo-you told ev-eryone.” You were uncontrollably crying. The idea that Billy, the man that you loved the most, the one that knew all your secrets, was going around your small town school telling people that you were a slut, hurt you so bad you couldn’t even put it into words. “Why di-did you t-tell people that?” You looked him in his eyes. Billy’s heart sank at the sight of you. 

“Baby, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I need more context.” Billy spoke so softly. 

“Y-you t-told ev-everyone th-that I was a s-slut! How c-could y-you!” You yelled at him. You were so upset with him. It felt like your whole world was falling apart. Billy was your safe place. He always made you feel safe and at home, and now that was being taken away. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He started off quiet but got louder towards the end of his sentence. He walked away from you, throwing his hand in the air. He went over to the kitchen counter and slammed his fist down and screamed. This makes you flinch and you start to shake. You’ve seen Billy angry but never this angry. 

“Why the fuck is he telling you this?” He asked no one. “I swear if I find out that he is going around school telling people this..” Billy was starting to get pissed. He walked back over to your trembling body and hugged you tightly. 

“You know me better than this y/n. I would never say anything like that about you at all. Let alone tell Munson.” He said plainly, with anger still in his voice. You were hyperventilating at this point. You were trying to calm yourself down the best you could. 

“Hey, princess, you're okay. Breathe with me, oaky’ Billy said as he bent down so you guys were face to face. “1..2..3..” Billy breathed in and you tried your hardest to copy him. He breathed out and onto your face. You both did this a few more times until you were calm. 

“I’m sorry” You whisper as Billy hugged you. 

“Why are you sorry?” Billy pulled away from the hug and looked at you.

“ For believing him.. He just sounded so .. convincing.” You said even quieter. Billy whipped your tears that were still falling. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong. He’s an asshole. He’s in the wrong.” Billy gave your forehead a kiss. “Why don’t we just watch a movie? Let’s try and forget about this for a little bit.” Billy said as he took your hand into his and walked , practically dragging you, into the living room. You sat down on the couch as Billy looked through the movies. “What about this one?” Billy asked, holding up Nightmare on Elm Street. You nodded and he put it in the vhs player. He grabbed the remote and placed it on the table, walking into the bedroom to retrieve the tie- blanket you and him made a few months back. You smiled as you saw him come into the room with it. He plopped down on the couch next to you and you cuddled into his side. Billy smiled and kissed the top of your head. He pressed play and the movie started. 

This is how you spent the rest of the day. Relaxing on the couch with Billy, watching stupid movies while Billy thought of a plan on how he was going to get back at Munson.

[mamacesawrites]

Prince in the Storm: Chapter Sixteen

Summary: Contrary to popular belief, Virgil was sensitive. Most people saw him as some “spooky, broody dude”, when in reality he was just a private person. Teachers tried to open his mind up with a figurative crowbar. Everyone tried to get him to open up. Well, everyone except his best friend Talyn. They were the only one who understood his personality and inner workings just enough to be his friend. However, they haven’t seen his Marking. No one other than his parents have. Contrary to popular belief, Roman was sensitive. Most people saw him as a fanciful, dreamy, somewhat egotistical thespian who wanted nothing but to be the best of the best. Everyone cheered him on in his performances. Everyone praised his original works. Anything he made others enjoyed. People would whisper about his Marking, wondering where it was and when he would reveal it. He had a whole circle of friends, yet no one except his best friend Joan understood him. Joan was the only one who saw Roman’s insecurities. As students of Kingston High School, with zany principals and try-hard superintendents, it is up to Virgil and Roman to stay alive enough to fulfill their destiny. Ao3

Word Count:  6129

Chapter Warnings: none

Prologue, Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten, Chapter Eleven, Chapter Twelve, Chapter Thirteen, Chapter Fourteen, Chapter Fifteen, Chapter Sixteen

Bonuses: Immune to Change

Roman woke up with his head at the foot of his bed, hugging his pillow, and his notebook open on the floor. He didn't remember falling asleep. He didn't remember dreaming. He definitely didn’t remember why he had drool stuck to his cheek. He rolled over to shut off his alarm on his nightstand. That's when it dawned on him. 

He didn't remember dreaming. 

He shot upwards. His heart was pounding. Was this a sign? Were he and Virgil on the right path? He hadn't believed that mumbo jumbo about Soulmate Magic and dreams when Joan told him in the beginning of the school year. When Roman talked about his weird nightmare that Virgil had started to play a small role in. Was that only 6 weeks ago? 

But why would they stop when he finally felt comfortable around Virgil? What did it all mean? He really needed to ask Joan for those articles again. Maybe they weren’t mystical mumbo jumbo after all. He should have been paying more attention to them when he was obsessing over the nightmares in the beginning of the school year. After all, internet articles weren’t always unreliable sources, right? 

Roman sat at his vanity mirror. His reflection had changed from what he’d been seeing for the past two weeks. He looked brighter. It was like the depressive haze since their first kiss was thinning. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel. His eyes looked crinkled from the wide smile on his face as he gazed into his reflection’s eyes. 

Humming a tune from Tangled, Roman combed through his hair. Linda didn't seem up to her usual antics. That rebellious strand of hair was actually laying down with the rest of his hairdo. 

He looked...good. Not quite like his old self. This confidence was  more...genuine. Happiness looked good on him. Is this what other people saw in him when he walked through the halls? A young man who just radiated the energy of sunny attraction? Or was this a new sight in general? Was he seeing himself clearly, or for the first time? 

His hair was caught in a beam of early morning sunlight, bringing out the strands of gold and red that only appeared in the purest of lighting. He resisted the urge to blink as he inspected his eyes. Had the golden brown always been so rich? Was the sun just in a good spot in the sky shining through his window, or was he finally seeing himself the way he’s wanted to since he was a child? 

Closing his eyes, Roman took in a deep inhale through his nose. He tried to  remember that stormy night when Patton spoke with an anxious Virgil. Smell the rose? 

He opened his eyes on the exhale. The morning so far tasted sweet to him. A beginning. A fresh start. 

With bold proclamation, he recited his affirmations to his reflection. He sang 

them to the tune he’d been using since he first came up with them in the eighth grade.

“ I am pretty

I am a star

I am an artist

I am perfect

I am a prince ”

When he had first written those affirmations down, Joan teased him because he used ‘Prince’ instead of ‘King’, like his last name. Roman explained it to them as best as he could. Princes were at the beginning of their journeys. Princes got to perform, they got to explore. He told Joan all those years ago that he’d change it to King when he was older and had enough life experiences under his belt. Or when he was ready to settle down with his true love.

Roman sighed as he remembered that day while getting dressed. He wondered if Joan actually did understand, or if they had just nodded to get him to shut up. 

No, that wasn’t true. Joan was the only person who understood him. Even though by now Joan had probably forgotten about the affirmations. They didn't know he still did them five years later. It wasn’t something that really had a place in everyday conversation. 

Half an hour later, Roman was pulling up to the student parking lot earlier than usual. That’s what happens when one gets decent sleep , he supposed. There were a few students milling about. The air was getting crisper. The summer humidity had changed to a fall humidity (the difference only noticeable to a long time resident of Parkwill, of course). Roman was glad he had decided to leave his jacket at home. Any rain that came wouldn’t be too bad. It would probably be more misty than anything. 

He made his way to his first class on the second floor, English with an old man named Mr. Richardson. He needed to ask for an extension on his essay. He had been ignoring most of his homework in his depression since Virgil kissed him. He wondered how he’d be feeling after their date. Would he be in such a joyous high that he’d continue to ignore his studies? It was a worry for him. His deal with his parents was good grades as a trade for continuing theater. Briefly he considered even telling his mom that he had a date tonight. 

Roman paused in the doorway of the classroom as the realization hit him. He was going on a date. A date! He was going to be taking Virgil on a date. That Virgil initiated! Virgil, distant Virgil, handsome Virgil, with a mouth that tasted like the heat of a summer bonfire and lips that felt like plug outlets. 

Roman felt tears prick at his vision. Happy ones. Virgil had asked him on a date. Did this mean they were ready to move forward? No more nightmares?

No, he wouldn’t get his hopes up yet. He needed to go slowly. He had always planned from the beginning that his soulmate would be the one to reveal himself, or Roman would after he was done with his travels. When he was ready to settle down. Also, just because Virgil wanted to go on a date, it didn't mean they were ready to jump into the thick of it. Roman needed to be patient. 

Patience is a virtue, but I’m not a freaking nun or anything, Roman thought  as he walked down the hallway.

Roman walked into the room with a strange feeling of electricity dancing over his arms. He looked at the desk his English teacher usually sat in during the morning. Instead of Mr. Richardson, though, there was his favorite teacher and a man he had only seen twice before, but had never been introduced to. 

“Oh, Roman, you’re a bit early, aren’t you?” Mr. D asked. What was that look on his face? He was...smiling. He only did that when he was looking forward to something special. 

“Uh, yeah, I got decent sleep.” Roman was eyeing the two men. He couldn’t help but feel off-kilter as the sparks continued shooting up his arms. 

“Good, good.” The drama teacher patted Roman’s shoulder absently. “By the way, no rehearsal tonight. We all need a night to relax and regroup, right?” 

Roman nodded. He knew that the teacher was implying something, but he didn’t know what it was exactly until he spoke up. 

“Wow, Princey, you always look this good?” a gruff voice called from the back of the classroom. 

That explained the weird feeling in his arms. “Oh, hi, Virgil!” He ran his hand on the back of his head, which most likely would wake Linda from her slumber. “Sorry I didn’t see you there...in the shadows.” 

Virgil rolled his eyes as he walked forward. “Whatever, I’ll see you later.” 

Then he did something Roman didn’t expect. Virgil embraced him, not even minding the awkwardness of the backpacks they both wore, and then kissed his cheek. 

“See you at lunch, Roman.” Virgil winked at him before he left. 

Roman was frozen from the weird pain/not pain feeling in his abdomen. He jumped at the sound of Mr. D chuckling. 

“That’s the action I want to see from you when we get back to rehearsals. Pull on that feeling okay?” The theater teacher pat Roman on the shoulder again as he walked out. 

Roman stared at the superintendent, who was grinning like he had just won a goldfish- or a freaking puppy-at the fairgrounds. What was that all about? Virgil must be scheming something, and the superintendent looks like he’s expecting something from me. 

Roman did what he did best, he played it off cool before he died of stage fright. 

“How rude of him not to introduce me to you, I’m Roman. Roman King.” Roman stuck his hand out politely. He hid his relief that the buzzing had stopped vibrating on his skin. 

“Yes, of course, my nephew hasn’t always had the best manners.” The man shook Roman’s hand. “But that’s why you like him, isn’t it?” 

Roman let out one of his ‘Noble Noises’, a name that Joan gave to the sounds he couldn’t help but let out when he was at a loss for words. 

“Wh- I- ha-”

“Relax, Roman.” Thomas chuckled. “Mr. Richardson is going to be out for the week. Due to the lack of-” he clenched his jaw- “stability in this school, Principal Duke hasn’t set up any substitute teachers to be on our call list. I could have had other teachers work on their off periods to cover the class, but I have free time.” 

“Isn’t being a substitute a bit below your paygrade?” Roman asked without thinking. 

“I was a sub before I was anything else.” Thomas held his arm out to direct Roman to take his seat. 

 A group of students wandered in as the bell rang. Mr. Sanders smiled warmly at Roman. A bit too nice, as if he knew a big secret. 

Jeesh, was Roman getting too paranoid for his own good? Or was he getting his hopes up? 

Roman made his way to his desk, excited to see how the Superintendent of the entire district would teach. He knew that Mr. Sanders was taking the fall semester to exclusively monitor how Kingston High was improving, but he didn’t know that he’d be this involved. His reputation for caring about education seemed to hold more truth to it than Roman thought. Hopefully it meant that he'd leave the drama department alone. 

The second bell rang. Mr. Sanders walked up in front of the whiteboard to write down his name. Not that he needed to, he did just introduce himself to the entire school just a short time ago. 

Roman pulled out his English notebook. He was sure that Mr. Sanders would make them continue their assignments. Mr. Richardson had them working on learning about the various types of essay formats. The unit was difficult, especially since he wanted them to do three different essays in different formats as a way to show how well they understood. 

Mr. Sanders’ demeanor had changed now that he was in front of the classroom. Roman recognized that shift. It was the type of body stance that actors took right before getting into character. The tension in his stance to fend off the stage fright. 

“Hello class,” Mr.  Sanders greeted. He sounded like a car salesman rather than a substitute teacher. “Mr. Richardson will be out for a week. I will be your teacher while he is gone.” 

He turned on his heel to the whiteboard. He wrote out a phrase on the whiteboard: 

“Soulmate Magic: Myth or Fact?”

Roman felt himself about to choke on his own spit. He hated the Universe sometimes. He had just been wondering about that this morning. 

“Who here believes in Soulmate Magic?” Mr. Sanders asked the class while he drew out a chart of some sort on the whiteboard. 

Roman felt his arm lift up without his permission. He hurriedly looked around the rest of the classroom. There were a few students also looking around with their hands in the air too. One guy in the back of the class was chuckling to himself. 

“Mr. Flannigan, what’s so funny?” Mr. Sanders asked as he turned around. 

The boy shrugged, causing his bulky headphones to shift on his leather jacket. “This is English class in high school ,” he emphasized with a sneer. “You can’t expect us to believe that fairytale bullshit.” 

Roman and the others had put their arms down by then. If he had been asked this before meeting Virgil, he would have been on the fence. However, since the first day of school there were just too many coincidences and feelings and experiences he had noticed. After all, he did start believing the Dream Theory enough to go with Virgil to his house when they had barely known each other...and also kiss him that next morning. 

Mr. Sanders didn’t even acknowledge the cuss word from the bold student. He looked amused. “I take it the rest of you feel this way too?” 

The class all seemed to  shift uncomfortably. Gabrielle, the girl who sat behind Roman, spoke up first. “It’s not that I think it’s bull, it just feels like something we say to kids.” 

“Oh? Then do you know why Markings exist?” The Superintendent looked like he was holding information no one else had. Roman had a heavy feeling in his stomach at that look. His smirk was an older version of Virgil’s. 

Gabrielle frowned. “No one does. They’ve been around forever. They’re just...something that’s natural.” 

“Would you be willing to argue that point as passionately as Mr. Flannigan in the back?” Mr. Sanders asked. 

Gabrielle blushed and looked down at her desk as a few kids snickered. “Well, maybe, I don’t know.” 

Mr. Sanders went back to the whiteboard and labeled the columns he had drawn out. On the left he had written “Myth”. On the other side he had written “Fact”. Underneath “Fact” he started writing the names of some of the students who had their hands raised earlier. Roman felt sweat start to form on his forehead as his name was written in the “Fact” section. 

As he wrote, Mr. Sanders spoke. “Your teacher was doing a unit on the different types of essays in academia. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the traditional thesis statement. For the first half next week you’ll be spending class time working in groups on finding research online supporting your side of the argument. We’ll spend one day in the school library looking for books as sources too. Then the second half of the week you’ll each write your own essay about why you think Soulmate Magic is or isn’t real.” 

Roman sighed. Could he use personal experience as his only source? 

Mr. Sanders had finished writing their names on the board. He uncapped a pink marker. He looked behind him at the class and asked. “Who here has met their soulmate yet?” 

Roman gulped. He didn’t want to jump the gun. There was still a chance he was being set up for disappointment despite the other ‘signs’. Maybe this project would help him find the truth-or as close as he can get-about what the hell was going on with Virgil without actually talking about it. Obviously he'd need better sources than Buzzfeed's 'Six Signs You've Found Your Soulmate' article he had seen floating around. 

Mr. Sanders put a pink asterisk next to the names of the students who had found their soulmates. There were a few on each side of the chart. Roman felt a lump in his throat. There were more people who found their soulmates while young than he had thought. That didn't help with the whole "not getting his hopes up about his career" thing. 

They spent the rest of the class being assigned to their study groups. They were sorted into groups of four. Roman was assigned to work with Marissa Falcon, Andrew Harrison, and Mercy Fenton. They had changed their seating to make sure they were all sitting together. They had moved their desks to face each other close to the door. 

Marissa was definitely excited about this project. Her tight red curls bounced around her face even when she was still. She was one of the students with a pink asterisk next to her name on the board. The only one in their group, actually. Meaning that she had already found her soulmate. 

“So, putting aside the weirdness of the superintendent of the entire school district being here, can we just talk about how cool it is to learn about this?! Much better than what the old man was doing.” Her voice reminded Roman of bubblegum and the color pink. She was excitable, bright, and definitely had the glow of someone who considered herself an expert. 

Roman was just glad he wouldn’t have to take the lead on the project. Maybe working with someone his age who had already found their soulmate would help him out with his personal life as well as give him an edge on his essay. The other two in the group barely participated in the rest of the conversation. He got the feeling that Marissa and he were the ones who were going to take the assignment seriously. 

It was too soon that the bell rang for his next class. Disappointed, Roman packed his backpack. He waved goodbye to the substitute. Mr. Sanders gave him a smile in return as he pulled aside Gary Flannigan. Probably to talk to him about the cussing earlier in class.

Roman went to his next class. Thinking to himself, I hope this is a sign I’m on the right path with Virgil .

-------

“Jeez, Talyn, don’t tug my hair so hard!” Virgil griped. He was trying not to flinch as Talyn precariously combed the dye through his hair. 

“Well, do you want me to be thorough or no?” They responded tersely. They were trying - unsuccessfully - to hide their smile at Virgil’s pain and suffering.

“Remind me to never let you dye my hair in a bad mood, Talyn” Joan snarked as they read a book at Virgil’s desk. The Chrome Borne was the title that Virgil caught. 

It was weird, Virgil admitted to himself, to have his maybe-boyfriend’s best friend hanging out with him without Roman being there. Not bad, just weird. It made Virgil a little annoyed that he couldn’t have one on one time with Talyn as much anymore. Still, Joan was fun to have around. They were able to keep Talyn from smacking Virgil upside the head quite a few times. 

“Don’t make me flick some of this on your stupid face,” Talyn muttered so only Virgil could hear. 

“Why are you being so rough with my precious head? I don’t need a concussion on my first real date, Tal.” Virgil winced as Talyn purposefully tugged on his bangs. 

“You can’t get a concussion from hair pulling, smartass.” Talyn responded sweetly. “Besides, maybe next time you’ll give me more time to prepare to do this. I know I’m magic but I’m no miracle worker.” 

“Not my fault I’ve been busy!” he whined. “You don’t want me to fail classes do you?”

Talyn huffed as they clipped up the section they had finished. Their movements were more gentle now. “No. You need all the help you can get.” 

“What does hair dye have to do with failing classes?” Joan asked. They set down their book and spun in the desk chair to face Virgil. 

“Virgie has finally decided to take school seriously. So he’s gotta learn how to do homework for the first time.” Talyn was starting to trail off as they poured their focus where it should have been - making sure Virgil’s hair dye wasn’t fucked up. 

He rolled his eyes. “What they mean to say is that Mr. Charles has been helping me after school twice a week to get my homework done. I’m in a stupid deal for the first half of the semester to actually try to be a good student.” 

Joan’s eyebrows raised. “Never took you for a hard worker, no offense.” 

“None taken, neither did I.” Virgil grinned. “Hey, can I ask you something?” 

Joan made a show of rolling their eyes and groaning. “How dare you burden me with trying to find answers to the universe?” They put their wrist against their forehead and leaned over the side of the spinning chair. “It’s so hard being an oracle. Haven’t you heard of google?” 

Virgil and Talyn snickered. “I see where Princey gets his theatrics,” he remarked. 

Joan immediately shot up, leaning their elbows on their knees and looking at Virgil with mighty curiosity. “Why do you call him Princey? His name is King.” 

Virgil shrugged impulsively, causing Talyn to flick him for moving. “I dunno. It slipped out one day and kinda stuck.” There was more to it than that, but there was no way he was going to give that information to Roman’s right hand. 

“It’s just kinda funny to me,” Joan’s eyes looked lost in thought, “That you’d choose a nickname for him based off of his affirmations.” 

“Roman does affirmations?” Virgil asked, surprised. “Isn’t that for people who don’t like themselves or something?” 

Joan frowned at Virgil, and in a reprimanding tone said, “Not necessarily. Sometimes people do it to control how they view themselves. Sometimes it’s to remind them of their goals.” Joan sounded sad when they added softly, “Besides...Roman doesn’t exactly have a very high view of himself. He probably doesn't even know that I remember he made affirmations all those years ago."

Virgil snorted. “The guy’s got an ego the size of the Chrysler Building.” 

Talyn paused their work and shared a look with Joan. Joan shifted in the seat, looking down. Their voice a near whisper, “Not really. He’s just a good actor, ya know?” 

Oh. 

“I get it now,” Virgil looked down as Talyn pushed his head forward. “He did seem really...hollow...after something-” 

“I know what happened, Virge, you don’t need to go into it.” Joan didn’t sound like they had fake disinterest. They truly weren’t digging for information and wanted to respect Virgil’s privacy.  

Remembering that fuck-up was hard for Virgil. It was still so fresh in his mind. “No, it’s okay, I want you to know my side.” 

He didn’t wait for an acknowledgement. He told Joan about Roman meeting him on the bus, their walk home, the panic attack, the family dinner, Roman spending the night, the morning, the kiss, him running away, and the talk with Uncle Thomas. 

Joan helped fill in some blanks for him, too. He heard about how Roman had been so distraught when he visited their house right after. Joan mentioned something about a song, which led into the trio getting sidetracked into Joan’s history of creating with Roman. It was nice hearing stories about Theater Camp. Hearing about Roman’s softer side was way better than hearing constant praise from people who barely knew him. 

“So, what was your original question?” Talyn nudged while they put the shower cap on Virgil’s head. 

Virgil thought for a moment. What was the question he had? 

“Oh! Right! Hey Joan,” Virgil reached for his phone in the pocket from his jeans. “Could you tell me if Roman would like this surprise idea that I have?” 

Joan took the phone that they were handed. Their face slowly grew more mischievous and they were laughing a creepy, sinister laugh by the time they were done with it. “Yes, yes he will love this.” 

“Really?” Virgil asked as he stood up to stretch his legs. “I hope he’ll understand what I’m trying to say.” 

Joan bit their lip in thought. Talyn sat on their lap in the small rolling chair, which creaked under the weight of them. Virgil just sat on his bed while waiting for their response. 

“I think,” Joan started in a more serious tone, “that it’s a sweet idea. He’s always said that he didn’t want to know his soulmate before he was ready with an established career.

“But I don’t know, he’s changed a lot in the past two months. He may not be willing to commit to it no matter what you say. He’s been down pretty bad, Virge.” Joan started rubbing their finger up and down Talyn’s forearm while swaying back and forth. “I say, go for it. You’ve got most of it all planned out. I will say that if you go through with this, maybe prepare yourself for him to not be understanding of what you’re asking for. Because it is a lot.” 

Virgil nodded slowly. “I’ll see how the date goes tonight. I don’t really wanna jump the gun, you know?” 

Talyn got up to sit next to Virgil and rub his shoulder. “Your date is going to go fine. You already know he’s in love with you. You’ve just gotta clear the air on some things. This is a time for honesty.” 

“And really, this surprise you’ve planned out, Virgil?” Joan giggled. “I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure this happens.” 

“Yeah, watching you two dance around each other is better than any soap opera.” Talyn agreed. 

The trio talked for a bit more before the timer on Talyn’s phone went off for Virgil to rinse out his hair. He rushed to the shower so he could be ready on time for his date.

Virgil was in the shower rinsing his hair when it hit him. Roman would be going on a date with him. It wouldn’t be just a normal date, though, but a chance for Virgil to be vulnerable about everything. He needed to come clean about his side of what happened. Especially hearing about how Roman was so empty after that first kiss. 

The water was cold, which normally didn’t bother Virgil, but he found himself shivering at the thought of hurting Roman again. Was he ready to try? What if he was just doing this to make himself feel better? What if, when he explained himself, Roman thought he was toxic? What if Roman just couldn’t be with someone who won’t reveal their Marking? What if he fucked up again ? What if he can't open up after all? 

Once the water was running clear in the tub, Virgil stepped out to dry his hair off with his “Trash Towel”. It’s the towel he used when his hair was freshly dyed. He didn’t want to ruin a bunch of different ones with leaky hair. This was a white towel with stains of all the different hair colors he had done over time. He probably should have replaced it long ago, but that meant ruining another towel again.

The sound of the hair dryer wasn’t enough to drown out his thoughts. His fingers felt numb as he worked on his hair. Once that was done he returned to his room to get dressed. Talyn and Joan were downstairs. It sounded like his dad was home and talking to them. That was good. He needed some time to gather himself for what he was about to do. 

He didn’t want to look like he was trying too hard, but he didn’t want to look like he didn’t care either. He wondered if Roman would be dressed up all fancy for their first date. No doubt the boy was at his house fretting over what he’d wear. That image of Roman freaking out over what he’d be wearing comforted Virgil a bit. 

Virgil was glad that Mr. D had agreed to cancel the club meeting for that night. He was a weird teacher. He kept his distance but it was obvious he cared deeply about his students, especially Roman. The few times Virgil talked to the mysterious teacher, he always held a fond sparkle in his eye when Roman came up in conversation. It was really cool of him to give special treatment, and as Virgil changed he figured that Roman must be really special to his teacher. Which was good, considering that he needed Mr. D’s help with his surprise later on if his date went well.

After Virgil was mostly satisfied with his appearance, he went downstairs to see that it wasn’t just his dad who was home. 

Logan was sitting on his couch, with his arm over Patton’s shoulders. Patton leaned into Logan like he was relaxing after a long day. They were talking to Joan and Talyn. The four of them were laughing at something his dad must have said. Virgil felt his chest start to warm. It was such a natural sight, except for the empty loveseat in the corner. It was easy to see himself laughing along with them, with Roman’s head on his lap as they talked. 

Hope swelled within him. Could it be that he could make this work? Maybe he wasn’t going to fuck up after all. 

He walked into the room. His dad saw him and stood up to meet him. “You look so handsome, kiddo!" he squealed. The pride was so evident on his face. “My baby’s first date! So exciting.” 

Virgil pretended to frown. “C’moooon dad. Don’t embarrass me in front of my friends.” He tried to not laugh. 

Talyn stood up, playing along by stomping their feet. “Young man, I worked way too hard to make your hair perfect. The least you could do is let your dad take pictures of my masterpiece.” 

Virgil lost his composure by then. Talyn calling him ‘young man’ was just the cherry on top. “Sure, go ahead!” he called out through his hysterical laughter.

Logan spoke up, nervously grinning. “I have my camera in my car. It would produce a better quality for pictures than our phones.” 

“Need some help?” Joan asked excitedly. They didn’t wait for an answer as they made their way to the door. Logan just chuckled to himself as he left after the excited teenager. 

“Talyn, don’t tell me your soulmate is a photography nerd! You hate taking pictures of yourself.” Virgil teased. 

“Shut up,” Talyn grumbled, though their grin was noticeable. “Joan’s only got a passing interest in it. They haven’t asked me to be their muse or anything.” 

Patton chuckled. “Trust me, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Artists are very serious about their work.” 

“Dad, have you been modeling on the side?” Virgil asked. He wasn't teasing, but genuinely curious. That hadn't talked bunch about Logan or the galaxy tattoo since that fight. 

Logan had walked back in by then and made his way to Patton. “Your father has a very symmetrical face, and when he smiles I want to keep it with me forever.” He kissed Patton’s suddenly red cheek. 

Virgil noticed the way his dad stiffened as he waited for Virgil to react. It was weird to see another man lovingly touch his dad. He faked a reassuring smile to the pair. He didn’t want to think about the prickling in the back of his head. He needed to get used to Logan being around in a more casual manner. He'd have to get used to the fact that Logan was here to stay. 

He made sure to put all of his focus into watching Talyn and Joan from there on out. He tried not to blink when the camera flashed in his eyes. He fought within himself to keep that earlier hopeful feeling from flying away from him. He wouldn’t let his pessimism win. 

This night was about coming clean. It was about asking for forgiveness, giving context, and taking his next step to be a better man. It was about searching for compromise in good faith. It was for finding faith in the opportunity for fresh starts. After tonight, he’d be able to see a brighter future for himself. 

It was when they were still taking pictures that there was a knock at the front door. Talyn let out a squeal that seemed out of character. Virgil raised his eyebrow at them, which welcomed another click, flash! from the camera. He walked away from the staircase to open the door. 

His forearms felt like he was being pricked by static shocks all over when he saw Roman standing there, the beginning sunset behind him looking like something out of a movie. Virgil was speechless. He couldn’t think of anything flirty or sarcastic to say. Had it only been at lunch period that day he last saw Roman? He looked like royalty. 

Roman had his hair combed back. It was a bit longer since he hadn’t gotten it cut, so his hair had some flow to it. He had worn a long sleeve button up with black slacks. The shirt was a deep red color, bringing out the hazel eyes and white teeth. He was wearing a small bit of brown eyeliner and mascara, nothing obvious, but enough to bring out the features of his face. The rosey blush that Virgil loved so much was starting to form the longer he stared. 

“Um, I didn’t know where we were going, so I figured I’d make myself look nice.” Roman looked Virgil up and down. “I’m glad to know we had the same idea.” 

Virgil looked down at what he was wearing. He had chosen his only pair of slacks -a gray pair that his grandmother got him for his birthday - and a deep wine-purple button up. He had chosen a dark gray necktie with black stitching to look like spiderwebs. Just to keep a little bit of his dark personality obvious so he wouldn’t feel completely out of his depth. 

“Oh, right, yeah.” He responded lamely. His voice cracked and he felt like he wanted to shrivel up in embarrassment. 

“I got you this. I hope it’s not too cliché or tacky for you.” Roman handed Virgil a single black rose. It was plastic, and the stem was dark purple with glitter. It was definitely something cheesy, but Virgil smiled anyway.

“Thank you, Roman, I love it.” Virgil heard his dad clear his throat loudly. He rolled his eyes. Feeling more normal now that his bubble with Roman had burst, he swept his arm behind him. “Come in. We’re just taking pictures as if it’s fucking prom or something.” 

Roman laughed at that. “I’ll never say no to a photo op!” 

Joan and Talyn gave hugs to Roman when he was in the room. “Looking as royal as ever, your highness.” Joan remarked. 

"Wait, isn't Highness for a prince?" Virgil asked. "I always call him Majesty."

Roman chuckled. "Majesty and Highness can be either, depending on the situation. Majesty is more formal, and Highness is a sort of catch-all." 

Virgil didn't have a good response to that. He didn't know anything about royalty and all that fancy shit. He was itching to go, but automatically he pulled Roman by his waist. "Let's get our pictures done quickly, I'm starving."

Roman and Virgil took a few pictures at the bottom of the staircase. Roman didn’t seem bothered by the blinding flashes. Virgil kept his arm tight against his date’s waist. After he felt he was thoroughly blinded, he ended the photo session. “Alright, if I want to be able to see Roman’s sexy face I need the flashes to stop.” 

Roman whined behind him as he made his way to his jacket by the door. “But I wanna make sure all of my sides have been captured…” 

Virgil just ignored him. In a rush to leave, he gave hugs to everyone except Logan, and walked out the door while Roman gushed his thanks to Logan for taking pictures. 

The pair settled into their seats in Roman’s car. The silence was nice as Virgil adjusted to it after the noise of the living room. He looked at Roman nervously. He seemed relaxed. His handsomeness seemed never-ending. “Alright, Captain Cranky, you ready to go get some fancy food?” he quipped, too giddy for Virgil's own good. 

Virgil rolled his eyes and huffed. “Only the best for you, your Majesty .” 

Roman chuckled. They pulled out of the driveway as Virgil plugged in the aux cord to his phone as if he had done it every day. 

By the time they arrived at Marina's, Virgil had educated Roman with every song on the Welcome to the Black Parade album. They got out of the car laughing as Roman gave the keys to the valet. 

With a warm blanket of joy between the two, they entered the restaurant to start the first part of their date. Virgil tried not to think about the nerves bundling up in his abdomen, or even consider the coincidence that his Marking was warmer than usual. 

-

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Fluff and worldbuilding? Fluff and worldbuilding.Thank you for reading and supporting this story. I didn't mean to drop off the face of the earth everywhere, but for about a year now a family member of mine was getting sicker and sicker until he passed a few weeks ago. It's been a hard time, but he's at peace now & I feel like I can refocus my life.So, we're looking at an update every other month here. I don't want to promise more or less than that. I can say that I think about this fic ALL THE TIME and I want to just publish my rough drafts of the chapters and speed through it, but I know these boys love to take their time, so I will too.I hope you have been doing well, readers, and let me know what you thought of this chapter! And maybe comment your guesses on how you think the date will go ;)also, I have a discord server join for updates, bonuses, and talk with other readers!

-

@404-morality-not-found​, @k1ngtok1​, @lovelivingmydreams​

let me know if you wanna be on the taglist for my stories

[risukadarlin]

[happy sugar idol] vol. 6: masato - track two

2; while watching the starry sky

listen along・masterpost

                                                                                         ✿

She’s having the seasonal cake.

The berry one is mine.

You can put the tea in the middle.

That’s okay with you, right?

Thank you.

Right, let’s eat.

Why are you taking your phone out?

Ah, now you mention it, we took loads of photos of the café and the cakes to use as inspiration during our first date, didn’t we?

Is this because I told you to take photos before cutting the cake?

You don’t have to take photos today.

We’re not here for work at all.

Or is it because you want a physical reminder of our dates?

Well that reaction makes me think I was right.

You always say such cute things.

You looked so serious while you were taking photos.

It was really charming.

We can go on as many dates as we want after this, you know?

This is the first time we’ve been to this café but if you like it we can always come again.

But that was our first date, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t even that long ago but it feels like so much time has passed.

I’ve been too busy to visit our café recently but there haven’t been any weird guys bothering you, right?

I’m assuming that face means there haven’t.

But before we started dating, one of the customers asked you out, right? I keep telling you to be careful so I’m sure you’re okay, but…

If something happens, let me know right away.

Just so you know, I’m so worried because you’ve been confessed to before.

And he didn’t give up after just one attempt either.

Do you know how worried I get about weirdo men being around you?

Hey now.

I’m not worrying too much.

You’re my girlfriend, of course I care.

I’m sorry, it’s from work.

I’ll be right back. Just wait a minute.

If any men try to talk to you, just ignore them, okay?

                                                                                          ✿

I look away for a second and this is what happens…

I told you to ignore people.

This girl isn’t someone you can just make light conversation with.

She’s mine.

Did she do something to you?

Or are you hitting on her?

We’re leaving, hurry up.

It’s fine.

I’ll go pay quickly, so wait for me outside.

No, that’s no good either.

Stay by my side.

I can’t just stand by and watch you get hit on in silence.

I’m sorry for taking so long.

But I told you to just ignore anyone who spoke to you.

You should have just blown him off.

You could have said that you were waiting for your boyfriend or that you weren’t interested or something.

Here, come closer.

No other men will talk to you if I wrap my arm around your shoulder like this.

I won’t let go.

We’re on a date. This much is nothing.

Or what? Are you embarrassed?

If you say so~

But if you’re not embarrassed, then I’ll just stay like this for a while.

Don’t worry about people looking.

No one will care about a couple engaging in a bit of PDA.

Right?

If anything, being this obvious will make it harder for fans to recognise me.

Even if they notice, they’ll just think:

“Oh, he looked like √HAPPY+SUGAR’s Masato Fujie! But he’d never be in a place like this~ And that guy was with his girlfriend.”

And that’ll be it.

I’m happy you’re thinking about me.

But I want to stay like this.

You’ll let me, right?

I’m glad.

                                                                                          ✿

Here, this way.

Sit here.

The stars look really pretty from here, right?

I wanted to watch them with you.

Look! Right above our heads!

It’s even better quality than a planetarium.

Right?

You can’t really see them from the dorm.

Not that we even think about looking at them if we were there.

Ah but since we started dating I’ve been paying more attention to things I didn’t before.

Like researching places where you can see the stars well.

Places I want to go with you.

Things I want to see with you.

There’s so much, I always struggle to decide.

A lot happened today but I’m glad we could spend time together like this after so long.

You know…

I’m sorry for getting angry earlier.

I’m sorry.

I can never hold back when it comes to you.

I’m so uncool.

You’re too kind.

Thank you.

I have to film for my drama tomorrow.

I need to wake up early and I think it’ll be a long day.

But I think if I think about today I’ll be able to get through it no problem.

You’ve really helped me recharge.

Hey, seeing as we’re here, shall we think of a name for that star?

Yes, yes, that one.

The one right above that building.

That star.

I wonder what we should go for…

Hiragana, katakana… English, French...

Ah!

What about your name?

We won’t forget that, right?

Ah but…

Then everyone will say your name.

It’ll be like I’m exposing you.

No, not your name then.

Why did that make you laugh?

I’m thinking about it seriously, you know?

Goodness…

Hey. Look at me.

The stars really are pretty and I’m glad you like you.

But I’m a bit jealous.

If you want a star, I’ll get you one.

Okay?

Look carefully.

Here!

There you go.

A star necklace.

I brought you here because I wanted to give you this.

The second I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you.

And I thought it would be super cool to give you stars under a starry sky.

I didn’t expect you to nod so eagerly…

Now I’m embarrassed.

Here, I’ll put it on for you.

Stay still.

This length should be okay.

Is it too tight?

It suits you.

Make sure you wear it.

And when you’re lonely, look at it and think of me.

Looking at it makes me feel like I’m keeping you to myself.

I’m sorry I couldn’t spend much time with you recently.

I’m glad I have work to be busy with but I don’t get much free time.

I know it must be hard to be patient with me.

You really are kind. It’s admirable.

But the fact you’re always cheering me on means I always want to keep working harder, no matter how busy I am.

Thank you always...

[animeniacss]

A Palette of Emotions - Artist!Taehyung x Teacher!Reader - Chapter 31 - Forever My Muse - FINALE

Synopsis: Taehyung dreams of being a professional and famous artist one day, but finds that the sea of creativity can be lurking with blood hungry sharks, as well as bland, motionless starfish. Swimming through the sea of opportunities somehow washed him up onto the shore of Bright Star Preschool, as an art teacher. This wasn’t where he expected to be 4 years into his career, but anything to get his big break though, right?

Feat. BTS, TXT, ITZY, Jisoo (BlackPink), Taeyong (NCT)

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Love Triangle, Drama, School Setting, Working!AU

Length: approx. 6k words

Chapter 31 - Forever My Muse -FINALE

-------18 months later------

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be there soon.” You said into the phone. “Mom, I just got off the train. Have Bong-Cha send me your location and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Fine. Just hurry, we ordered appetizers to hold us over but we’re starving.” Rolling your eyes, you closed your phone and stuck it back into your purse. As you exited the train, you made your way up the steps and onto the streets of Itaewon. It was a bustling city you seldom got to visit due to your hectic work schedule, which had only grown in the past year or so. Checking the time, you sighed. Bong-Cha and your mother whisked you out here for a weekend getaway in Itaewon, your mother promising family bonding time, while your sister promised to get you drunk and meet a guy in a club. Honestly, you weren’t sure what you wanted to do, but the new scenery alone was enough to make you already feel at peace.

Making your way down the street, you checked the map on your phone that your sister sent, showing their location.

I’m five minutes away, now. Order me a drink or something, I’ll be there soon. You had texted her. As you stuck your phone in your purse, scanning the last few steps of the map, you noticed a large crowd of individuals at the end of the block. “Hm…” you tilted your head, picking up the pace slightly as you hurried down there to see the commotion. Upon closer inspection, you saw several different stands on individuals spread out for several blocks. All of them looked as if to be selling something, such as previously made jewelry, or drawing created of a person right there by the artist. You watched one of the men, tall with a blue stripe in his hair, doodled a picture of a little brother and sister duo who were sitting in a chair, legs kicking as they grew impatient with every passing minute. Cute. You thought. Maybe Bong-Cha and Mom will want to get one when we finish lunch. With that thought in your mind, you continued heading through the crowds of people in hopes to make it to your destination in under 5 minutes. As you were walking, however, you noticed another table at the corner.

A young girl held a painting up on a table. Her black hair was blowing in the wind as she spoke to a young couple, causing her to pull it into a ponytail, though she continued to speak. “I made the original of this during a final project, and I love it so much, I began making it into a series.” You heard her say. Walking past, you caught a glimpse of the picture, an array of rainbow colors mixed with black to create an abstract rainbow. You could only imagine what the remainder of this “series” looked like. Just as you were about to turn your head away, another voice entered your ears.

“Chaeyoung, don’t sell them lies!” You turned around just as the sound of playful laughter filled the table and trickle into the crowd. When you did, you saw a mess of brown hair underneath a beret, only some poking out near his ears and above his eyes. Despite the hair throwing you off, a familiar boxy grin kept your attention. You watched Chaeyoung playfully slap him, sticking her tongue out as the male returned to his own set of work. You watched as he pulled out what seemed to be a piece of paper and a pencil, looking down at the two met and he began to work. It took less than ten seconds for you to see this man to recognize exactly who it was: Kim Taehyung.

For a moment, your breath caught in your throat and you had to wonder if this was a sick joke being played on you by the world. Never in a lifetime did you expect to see Taehyung again, much less out in Itaewon seemingly selling artwork again. After a moment of silent viewing, you tried to turn and continue walking. However, when a deep, familiar voice called your name, you got chills. A round of chills flooded your body, and you rubbed your arm. Turning your head, you saw Taehyung had circled the table and was standing on the street, people now having to walk around him. “…Hey.” He called.

“…Hey!” You said, forcing an immediate smile. You stepped a bit closer. “I thought that was you. What are you doing here of all places?”

“I should be asking you the same thing.” Taehyung smiled. “Have you become a late-night clubber?” You couldn’t help but laugh a bit, biting your lip.

“No, my mother and sister are here. We can for a family trip, and my sister got to pick this time around. You know her.” Taehyung nodded as he remembered the feisty younger girl. “I’m meeting them for lunch now. In fact, I think I’m late.” Taehyung watched you flip open your phone to check the time, and he nodded.

“Oh right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy when I thought I saw you.”

“He’s definitely going crazy.” You heard a girl, who you saw to be Chaeyoung, shout. She was putting some money in her pocket, and when she looked up at you, she smirked a bit. Giggling, you looked back at Taehyung, who rolled his eyes.

“I’ll let you go. But it was nice to see you.” You looked at his table, which was filled with artwork you had never seen before, new inspirational pieces backed up by new memories. Your mind led you back to when his painted resembled you, and a piece of your heart hurt at the idea that a year had gone by.

“You too.” You said softly. “If you’re still around later, I’d love to come to check out your work.” Taehyung nodded, smiling. “Okay. I’ll see you around…bye.” Taehyung waved his hand, setting it into his pocket as he watched you turn on your heel and headed into the crowd again. Taehyung watched you for a moment, a smile forming on his lips. When he looked over to Chaeyoung, he saw a sly smirk on her face.

“…What?”

--------------------------------------------------

An hour had passed when you arrived at lunch, and you had no intention of bringing up your reunion with Taehyung on the way here. Bong-Cha was chatting about her new boyfriend, and mom was asking questions about school. All the while you ate, nodded quietly and finished your meal without so much as “Taehyung” crossing your mind.

However, when silence filled the table, you felt your chest tighten. With nothing else to distract your thoughts, all you could think about was Taehyung. His new hairstyle, the beret, his adorable smile, the way he looked at you with those gentle, beautiful eyes.

“…I saw Taehyung on the way over here.” You finally blurted out. All eyes were on you, and you glanced up at Bong-Cha from across the table. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape.

“What, you saw him?” Bong-Cha gasped, popping some rice into her mouth. “Did you say hi?”

“Only for a second. He looked so different it took me a while to even recognize him at first.” Bong-Cha giggled.

“Well, it had been like a year since you last spoke to him.” She stated simply.

“18 months…” your mother pointed out simply. You and Bong-Cha looked at her as she returned to silently eating her rice. That had been the only thing she said since you brought the whole event up.

Bong-Cha simply turned back to you and smiled. You immediately noticed the twinkle in her eye; she was invested in this whole situation. “Are you going to go see him again?”

“I was going to go back, but I don’t think it’ll be what you think it is.” You stated simply. “It’s been a whole year-.”

“18-.”

“Yes, Mother, 18 months.” You said quickly. “But despite that, his Instagram was down and his cellphone got disconnected. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, and I’m sure he’s moved on. He was selling art with another girl, after all.” Bong-Cha shrugged.

“I’m not saying anything is going to happen. But I’m saving after screaming your feelings in the walls of a train station and crying yourself to sleep for a month afterward, you deserve to talk to him and get some closure. I’m sure he wants that too.”

“Yeah, maybe…” you said softly.

“No, not maybe; definitely. You guys were like one more kiss away from dating one another, that’s not something people just brush under the rug.” You felt your cheeks go pink as you quickly put your final bite of rice in your mouth. “Mom and I just wanted to go to the hotel and swim, anyway. Go do what you have to do and meet us when you’re done.”

As the waiter came and your mother prepared to pay, you nodded. “Alright, alright. Fine.” You said simply. Bong-Cha nodded, satisfied as she finished her drink and leaned back in her chair. The three of you got up and exited the restaurant, but you parted ways at the door, your sister and mother returning to the hotel, while your feet carried you back towards the main street where Taehyung was. You were nervous at the idea of seeing him again. What would a long conversation lead to? You wondered about what had happened in his life these past 18 months. As you saw the crowds of people swarm the area, you knew that whatever happened, it would lead to answers that you realized you had so desperately wanted.

Chaeyoung was the first one to notice you return to the table. “She’s back.” She pointed out, motioning to you shuffling through the crowds. Taehyung looked up, rising from his seat as he walked back around the table, meeting you as you arrived.

“Hey.” He said again, bounce in his voice. You smiled.

“Hey.” You responded. “You’re pulling out the stops, hm? Getting up and greeting me both times.” Taehyung laughed a bit, running a hand through his hair.

“Is it weird?” he asked curiously. You smiled, shaking your head as you fixed your bag on your shoulder. Chaeyoung watched as you both stood there for a moment, watching each other. When the silence became seemingly unbearable, even for Chaeyoung, you turned to the table.

“These are new paintings?” you asked curiously. Taehyung nodded, walking up beside you and crossing his arms. “As lovely as usual. You never stop amazing me, Taehyung.”

A shy chuckle formed on his face, and he scratched the back of his neck. “Thank you…” he said softly. He glanced at Chaeyoung, who immediately leaned forward. When you looked at her, she was grinning. As you examined her beyond her stunning black hair, you noticed a few small and colorful tattoos on her arms; specifically a set of strawberries on her upper arm.

“Nice to meet you, Unnie. I’m Son Chaeyoung.” You smiled sweetly.

“Nice to meet you, Chaeyoung.” You greeted.

“You know, if you want to go somewhere and catch up, I can watch your stuff for you.” Her eyes immediately flickered to Taehyung, who glanced down at you. You had looked back down at some of his paintings, a hand gently gliding over one of them. “Go on. I’ll be sure to take 10% of any commissions you make on behalf of my selling skill.” Taehyung smiled.

“I knew you’d say that.” He spoke. As you stood up, you felt Taehyung put his hand on the small of your back. It sent shivers up your spine; nostalgic shivers that made your throat close in on itself. Glancing up at Taehyung, he offered you a warm smile. “Want to go get some coffee?”

“Okay…” you said. You waved to Chaeyoung, who nodded her head cheerfully as she watched the two of you walk off into the crowd. When you were gone, she plopped down in her seat and smiled, glancing over to the rest of Taehyung’s paintings beside his chair. She snickered to herself.

-------------------------------------

The two of you found a small coffee shop nearby and made your way inside. Taehyung offered to buy the coffee while you found a seat. As you waited, you watched him. He was talking to the barista as he placed his order, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. You couldn’t help but smile too. This conversation had you excited, you must admit. “Here you go,” Taehyung said, setting the coffee mug down in front of you. He plopped himself down across from you. “So…” you quickly took a sip of your coffee. “How are things at the preschool?”

“Alright.” You smiled sweetly. “We ended up expanding everything so now there are two classrooms. I have one and so does Hoseok. We even started hiring more staff like a permanent gym teacher and…” you shrugged. “And art teacher.”

“That’s awesome.” Taehyung smiled.

“Yeah. And they’re looking for someone to overtake my job in the next year. I decided to go back to school to teach in an actual elementary school. I wanted to expand my horizons a bit, so…” Taehyung nodded. “I finish in one more year.”

“Good luck.” He cheered.

“Thanks. What about you? I figured once you started school, you’d stop selling artwork on the streets and at venues and stuff?” Taehyung shrugged.

“Nah. I still put my work up at school events but going out like this and doing it is just a ton more fun.” He chuckled. “Plus, Chaeyoung really likes it, so we normally make it a weekend trip.” Nodding your head, you looked down at your coffee. You watched the steam rise from it, warming your face as if it were a furnace right under your chin.

“She seems like a sweet girl. You’re lucky.” You said simply. Taehyung laughed a bit, and you glanced up.

“Not really. She and I ended up starting the same year, even though she’s a bit younger than me. We worked on a few projects together and got close. She’s crazy talented, she’s even designed her tattoos.” A small smile crawled on your lips as you heard him speak.

“She seems very kind, like I said, you’re lucky.” Taehyung’s smile faded when he saw you lift your coffee to your lips, taking a long sip of the hot drink. Taehyung quickly leaned forward a bit, staring directly into your eyes. “Don’t get the wrong idea.” He said. “We’re not a thing, she’s just a friend.”

You looked at him. Taehyung glanced down at took your hand into his. “It’s not any of my business, either way.” You said simply.

“You looked bothered. The last thing I want is any more miscommunication between us.” You couldn’t help but laugh a bit. “So yeah, she’s just a friend.”

“Okay.” You said simply.

Silence fell over you for a moment.

“How is Mr. Kim?” Taehyung asked.

“Still running the school. Same as always.” you smiled. Silence again.

“Hoseok-Hyung?” he asked curiously.

“Great now that he has that whole class to himself. He’s doing great.” Taehyung nodded, smiling. Once again, silence.

“Namjoon?” he asked curiously. That was the one he was most interested in.

“Well.” You began. “We lost contact when Kai finished with the preschool. I still talk to him once and a while, but not as often…” Taehyung nodded. Knowing what he knows now, he wondered if Namjoon purposely made that choice to limit contact with you, especially after what he remembered seeing of Namjoon pulling you back from the moving train as you cried. “I know Jungkook is still in school, and I think is still a part-time babysitter.”

“That’s good,” Taehyung said. Silence filled the table once again, this time longer, as neither of you knew what to say anymore. You continued to sip your coffee, and watch as Taehyung did so as well. After what felt like an entire school year, you set your coffee down, you looked at him.

“You never returned my calls, you know.” You spoke. Taehyung looked up as you began to speak. “Then, I looked you up on Instagram and it was deleted, I couldn’t find you.” Taehyung sighed.

“I know. A lot happened after I left, and it happened so fast.” You watched Taehyung push his half-empty cup to the side and lean forward onto his elbows, looking up at you. “First, my phone broke. So, I got a whole new phone, and I had to get a whole new number. It was this whole mess, but whatever.” You chuckled as Taehyung forced a shrug. “I had to cut and redo my hair for school, hence the brown short hair.” You nodded.

“Which looks really good.” You wanted to make sure you pointed them out. Taehyung chuckled, smiling.

“Thanks,” said Taehyung. “Anyway, I settled in with my aunt and we started looking for apartments, which was a nightmare until I got that new phone. So, I found this small apartment right by campus and it was perfect, in walking distance, I started job hunting to save money. Everything was going well for just over a month, right?” you nodded, leaning forward to listen even more closely. “A month passes, I started school and get acquainted, everything is great. I have my new phone, and I noticed I had a weird message on Instagram. Once I got accepted to the school, my account started to blow up a bit more and I was getting these cool brand offers. I took a few, mainly art-based stuff, I felt like an Instagram influencer. It was wild.” Taehyung let out a frustrated sigh, and you knew it was coming to the good part soon. “One of those brands turned out to be a huge scam.”

“Oh god.” You gasped.

“I know. Some crazy girl posed as a brand representative for a new set of paintbrushes and asked me to promote them. Somehow, she hacked into my Instagram and took the whole thing over. She was posting some crazy, sasaeng shit.” Your eyes widened as Taehyung took out his phone, skimming through some of the pictures and holding them up. All posts, which were candid photos of Taehyung all over campus, were paired with a caption about this girl’s love for Taehyung. You scrolled through a few, reading the captions in shock. When you handed back the phone to him, he set it into his pocket. “I saved them in case I found out who it was and sued them.”

“What happened?” you asked.

“I found out it was some girl on campus. We traced everything to her apartment, which was right across the street from mine. She got expelled and I told her if it happened again, I would press charges. She moved out of the apartment and I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Oh my God, Taehyung, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. So, I haven’t remade an Instagram since. I don’t want to be on it anymore.” He sighed. “I deleted a lot of my social media after that, and if I didn’t, I put it all on private.” You nodded. “I’m sorry I never tried to get in contact with you. By the time everything got settled with that, it had been months and I was just mentally exhausted and-.”

“That’s okay.” You said quickly. “It sounds like you went through a lot, I’m sorry I just assumed you didn’t want to speak to me anymore.”

“What? No, no. I wanted to talk to you again, but I lost almost everyone’s contact with my new phone. Jimin had said he hadn’t spoken to you in months when he and I met up…” Taehyung sighed. “Maybe I should have made more of an effort. I couldn’t stop thinking on the train what had happened that had you screaming and crying on the platform. Did you miss me that much?” A smile broke out on your face once again. “Or did you just realize for good that your art teacher was gone?”

“…Both.” You said simply, your thumb gliding along the rim of your cup. You could hear Taehyung chuckle. “But, I’m glad to have that all cleared up a bit more.”

“Me too. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder to call you. By the time I had some idea how, I figured it was too late, and it would just be unnecessary.”

“Yeah, I thought you had moved on after Jimin told me you had started school and were doing well. It didn’t feel right to pop up out of nowhere like that, so I figured everything happened for a reason, you know?” Taehyung nodded.

“With that same reasoning, maybe that’s why we ran into each other today,” Taehyung said simply.

“I agree.” You said happily. “I’m happy we did.” Taehyung nodded.

“Just so you know…” Taehyung began adding. “Jimin told me what happened the night I left.” You were silent when he told you that, a smile still on your lips, but a hint of sadness behind it. “About the miscommunication and the train and everything with me and Namjoon.” Taehyung let out a frustrated sigh. “I felt like such an idiot when he told me.”

“You’re not an idiot.” You tried to assure quickly.

“No, I am. If I had just shut up and listened to you for more than just ten seconds, you could have cleared everything up right then and there. Then, you would not have had to make such a fool of yourself on the train platform.” You felt a tinge of shame in that last comment and had to force a shy chuckle.

“Thanks for boosting my confidence, Taehyung…” you said playfully. Taehyung said nothing, as he continued to look at you. You glanced up at those intense, dark eyes, and couldn’t help but gulp. His gaze was piercing right through you, and you weren’t sure what to say. Before you could make a decision, Taehyung spoke up once again.

“I wanted to hear you say it…” he said softly. Your cheeks heated up.

“W-what do you mean?” you asked curiously, flustered as you gripped your mug tightly, grounding you to reality while your body, mind, and soul went on in three different directions.

“Jimin told me the truth of how you felt, and what you were trying to say to me…I wanted to hear you say it more than anything once I knew.”

“…Tae-.”

“You don’t have to.” He added quickly. “Not now. Not ever, if that’s what you’ve decided. It’s been a year-.”

“18 months…” you said, practically a whisper. Taehyung nodded.

“Right.” He said softly. “I just wish I had heard it when I was supposed to.”

“…I know.” That was all you could manage to say.

A part of him really wanted to stay here with you, despite everything.

No, there was so much more you wanted to say to him, so many more questions that needed answers. Taehyung finished his cup of coffee and looked at you, smiling sweetly.

“Are you done? Do you want to head back?” He asked. You glanced down at your cup, seeing it was practically empty, done if you took one more sip. You must have taken too long to answer, because Taehyung reached out and took your hand, making you look back up at him. “Are you okay?”

“Would it have made a difference?” you asked curiously, gripping his hand. “Not that I wanted to hold you back but…if you knew how I really felt, would it have made any kind of a difference?” Taehyung was silent for a moment, chewing the inside of his cheek as if he had a piece of gum. You looked down at your hands, still interlocked.

“If I knew then that you had intentions of choosing me rather than rejecting me, I would have tried to set my classes up so I could come back down on weekends and see you.” He squeezed your hands. “It would have made a world of difference.”

Those words hit you like a ton of bricks. You felt something tough bubbling in your throat, and you had to swallow it down with the last sip of your coffee. When you set the empty cup down, your eyes must have been red or watering. “Jimin said something like that…” you said softly.

“Hey, wait, don’t cry,” Taehyung said, lifting a hand to wipe your eyes. His hand lingered on your cheek for a moment, and you were quick to rub your eyes frantically with the palm of your hands. “As I said, I’m sorry you thought otherwise because I have an IQ lower than what your students can count to.” Once again, you had to laugh, this time a more cheerful and hearty laugh as any tears that began to form was dried up and wiped away. Taehyung pulled back from you, smiling softly as he rose from the table. “Let’s go. I don’t want your mother or sister to think you’ve abandoned them on your vacation.”

“I told them I was coming back to see you. Bong-Cha probably thinks I’ll be away all night.” Taehyung laughed a bit as the both of you walked out. Taehyung held the door open for you, as he did, and you happily slipped back out onto the street. “Thank you for the coffee, Taehyung. I’m glad we had this time to catch up on everything.”

“Me too…” he said simply. As the crowds began to increase and people were walking from both directions, you felt Taehyung’s hand on the small of your back. This time, however, you felt no sense of goosebumps or chills. Instead, you felt safe and calm. “Hey.” He said. “I forgot to tip the guy who made our drinks. Head back to the stand, I’ll meet you there, okay? I need to run to the bathroom anyway, I’m sure I’ll have to cover for Chaeyoung when I get back.”

“Oh…okay.” You said softly. Watching Taehyung spin on his heel, he hurried back inside, the door closing behind him. Scanning the area, you tried to remember exactly how far the stands were. Looking through a few people passing by, you saw a familiar head of black hair. Chaeyoung was in view, leaning back in her seat as she taped away on her phone. She looked like whatever she was doing, she was having the time of her life. You hurried over. Chaeyoung noticed you approaching, and smiled.

“Ahh, Unnie. How was the coffee?”

“It was nice.” You smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry if we took too long.”

“Psh, to catch up a whole year? No worries, it’s okay.” You saw Chaeyoung look at where Taehyung’s paintings lied. You noticed a few new ones were put up to fill space, most likely from Chaeyoung selling some of her works. “So, it’s been a whole year since you two saw one another?”

“Even more than that.” You said simply. “So yeah, we had a lot to catch up on.”

“I’m sure. Taehyung-Oppa never stops talking about you.” You glanced back up at her as she smiled. She motioned to some of his works. “He said how much you inspired him to paint while the two of you worked together. He showed me the stuff he made. The commission he did for the CEO of the school and his wife? I had no idea it was inspired by you until he showed me the original.” You felt a sense of pride wash over you, smiling softly as you nodded. “He still keeps painting you. I thought you two were dating until today.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “N-no, no. We’re not.”

“He told me a lot about you,” Chaeyoung repeated. “I feel like I already know you in some ways. You’re a teacher, right?” You nodded.

“Yeah.”

“That’s so fun. If I got to teach, it’d be high school art.” She said simply. “But what I really want to do is be a tattoo artist. A famous one, like one of those people on social media that get tons of clients, even celebrities. That would be cool.” Chaeyoung motioned to the paintings she had set out of Taehyung’s. Upon closer inspection, you got a sense of nostalgia looking them over. Pastel colors around a picture of a woman from the shoulders down, wearing a familiar apron and high heel shoes. Another picture showed a serene lake, with what looked like a small woman sitting in the distance, knees pulled up, and an empty canvas by her side. You continued to scan all of the paintings, smiling. “You really are his muse, Unnie…”

“Heh…That makes me happy.” You admitted. As you held one of the pictures, you heard a voice in the distance that made you turned your head.

“Chaeyoung!” Taehyung called, making the younger girl look over with you. “Did you sell anything?”

“Nah.” She sighed. “None of your stuff, anyway.”

“A shame, because I was going to bump your commission percent to 20 because I took too long. Nevermiiiind.” Chaeyoung gasped as Taehyung laughed a bit at the girl’s wide eyes. You couldn’t help but snicker a bit. “Do you need to take some kind of a water break or anything, Chae? I’ll switch with you.”

Chaeyoung watched as you continued looking back down at the paintings, and grinned. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be back.” Taehyung watched as Chaeyoung scooped her bag up, walking away from the table and back into the crowd. Taehyung turned to you once again, walking over.

“I guess you never really changed your style, hm?” you asked curiously, glancing up at Taehyung as he stood beside you. The man only shrugged.

“Nah. Once a good artist gets his inspiration, his muse, he can keep it forever, even if there’s far apart.”

“…Is that a quote or something?” you asked curiously. Taehyung laughed a bit.

“No, not at all. Probably read some of it off of a bad fortune cookie or something.” He grinned, as you rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. Taehyung, who could have sat down in his chair at any moment to continue this conversation, remaining right at your side as he explained each painting, when he made it, and what exactly inspired it. You listened intensely, eyes sparkling at every new painting he showed you.

“I missed so much.” You said in awe. Taehyung nodded. “But you have improved at this school. And that’s saying something, you were already really good.”

“Flattery is not needed, I already paid for the coffee.” He teased.

“I’m serious.” You turned to him as he snickered a bit. As you stared at him, you thought back to what he said in the coffee shop.

I wanted to hear you say it.

It would have made a world of difference.

“…You really would have made so many sacrifices just to be with me?” you asked curiously, so softly that Taehyung might not have even heard you.

“I wouldn’t have considered it a sacrifice,” Taehyung said simply, looking down at you. “Not at all. Just to hear you tell me how you feel would have made me happy.” You bit your lip, nodding your head as you listened to him. You had no intention of pulling away, no intention of stopping this intense feeling in your chest. “Felt.”

“Feel.” You quickly corrected. Taehyung blinked. “How I feel.”

“…Ah….” He hummed. “And…how exactly do you feel?” You glanced over at his paintings, staring at them for a moment before turning your gaze back over to him. He waited with bated breath, silent yet hopeful.

“Taehyung, I love you…” you said softly. “I have, and I will and I wish I said it then because-.” Before you could finish, Taehyung quickly leaned down, planting a kiss on your lips. His hands found their way up to your cheeks, clasping them lovingly. You wasted no time for once, kissing him back as your hands found themselves holding onto his arms, moving up to wrap around the palms of his hands not covered by your cheeks and chin. The kiss was short, but it was full of passion, and as Taehyung pulled away from the kiss, he made sure to keep a close distance from you. Your cheeks were red, ears hot as you looked down at your feet. Taehyung couldn’t help but snicker, as he leaned in to plant a gentle and loving kiss on your forehead.

“Yeah, that was exactly what I wanted. Even better, I think.” You giggled a bit. “I love you too…” Hearing him say that made your entire stomach do a flip in the air, and you smiled, finally pulling back enough to give you some space to breathe. Just in time, too, because the sound of Chaeyoung approaching the table caused Taehyung to stand straight up, hands in his pockets.

“Anything happen while I was gone?” Chaeyoung asked, sitting back down. “Did anything sell?”

“Oh no,” Taehyung said simply. “Nobody came by.” Chaeyoung nodded, leaning back in her seat. You could see a mischievous gleam in her eye as he pulled her phone out.

Taehyung returned to his seat as well, watching as you looked at your phone for the time. Immediately, you took Taehyung’s hand, making him turn to you.

“Will you be in Itaewon for a while?” you asked.

“I’m here until Monday morning.” He smiled. You nodded.

“I need to go so my family doesn’t worry or anything but…you should finally give me your new number.” Taehyung laughed a bit. “I want to see you again…”

“Of course.” Taehyung pulled out his phone, the both of you quickly exchanging numbers. You slipped your phone back into your purse and hummed in satisfaction. “I’m glad that’s settled.”

“Right.” You cooed. “I’ll…call you, okay?” Taehyung nodded. Before you turned away, you stepped closer to him, standing on your tiptoes and making sure to give Taehyung a kiss right on the corner of his mouth. You could see his cheeks starting to grow hot, and all he could do was laugh shyly. A small smile crept onto your face. “I’ll call you later.” You repeated.

“Right. Bye.” Taehyung waved. You turned to Chaeyoung, both of you exchanging goodbyes before you headed down the path. Taehyung watched as you walked, staring at you until you eventually disappeared into a crowd of people.

“Something fun definitely happened while I was away.” Chaeyoung teased, a grin on her face. Taehyung nodded, plopping himself down on his chair. He skimmed through old photos, leading back to a year ago. A picture of you, Hoseok, and Taehyung was seen on Taehyung’s last day, the day of his party. Taehyung was opening gifts from the students that you were bombarding him with, Hoseok cracking up as he sat covered in wrapping paper. He could see the beaming smile on your face, even though it was only a side profile, and it made his heart flutter. His eyes wandered back to where he had just seen you walk off.

Taehyung never thought he would be able to get a scholarship through opportunities provided by that school and his friends. He never thought he would watch as his inspiration blossomed from his mind under the roof of a small building with colorful walls and a few small classrooms inside of it. He never thought in life he would dedicate some of his happiest and meaningful memories to his time spent as an art teacher at Bright Star Preschool. However, inspiration comes from anywhere, no matter how big or how small the moments may seem. Taehyung has spent his life crafting the most perfect artwork in his mind, each memory a new splash of paint on his blank canvas.

As he watched you walk away, he couldn’t help but think how much more beautiful that painting was going to become with you, now adding your own colorful flare onto the canvas as well, your own palette of emotions mixing with his in order to create something truly beautiful.

The End 🖼

Return to Masterlist

Next / Previous / Beginning

[morrigan24601]

More Family Context

So my last post about my oldest stepson and daughter-in-law expecting made me realize that I have never really talked about my stepsons on here before, even though my boyfriend/partner and I have been together for almost 7 years? So I figured I’d do a post about that. Sorry in advance for this - there’s a lot of drama involved, unfortunately.

CW: divorce, custody issues, homophobia/biphobia, manipulation, abuse, parental alienation

Also, obligatory disclaimer that I do not give permission to ANYONE to share this story without my express consent. (I’m doing this because I’ve seen personal stories get shared from Reddit onto YouTube and whatnot and I really do not want that to happen here.)

Looooooooooong, looooooooong post.

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Years ago, long before I even met my dude, he went through a supremely nasty divorce. His sons with his ex-wife were very small at the time (youngest son was still just a baby/toddler). There was a lot of emotional and verbal abuse on her end. He didn’t talk about it much because he didn’t think anyone would believe him. 

Things gradually got worse instead of better after the divorce, unfortunately. As soon as she found out that he had started dating men after the divorce, she began spreading rumors among their mutual friends/acquaintances that he had always been gay (he’s bi), that he had never loved her (he had), and that she had just been a beard for him and this was why they had gotten divorced (it was actually because he had stuck it out for as long as possible and couldn’t handle her abuse any longer). She got very weird about him dating men - like, ultra-homophobic, ridiculous, “I don’t want my sons being molested by your gay boyfriends because I think all/most gay men are secretly pedophiles” weird. She began refusing to let the boys come over to his place as long as he was in a relationship with a man. “If you date women instead, I’ll consider it.” 

In hindsight, he absolutely could have fought this in court because they had joint custody and there was no way she should have been able to do this and get away with it. Unfortunately, the state we live in has always been extraordinarily conservative and this was the early-to-mid 2000s, and he worried that he would face additional homophobia/biphobia in court. He also worried that fighting her over anything in court would make everything exponentially worse for both him and the kids. So he just let it go and saw the boys at her place or a neutral location whenever he could.

Eventually he moved out of state to try to make more money. His ex-wife remarried and, almost immediately, she and her new husband began harassing him about giving up his parental rights so that her new husband could adopt the boys and they could “have a real dad”. He was obviously not okay with this, but the manipulation went on for two years. At one point he ran into some temporary difficulty paying child support, and she jumped on this as “proof” that he was a terrible deadbeat dad who didn’t deserve his children.

So finally, after years of his anxiety and depression being exploited by his ex-wife, he finally began thinking that maybe his boys would actually be better off without him, that they’d be better off with a “real family” with a dad who was married to their mom. He drove back to home state and signed away his rights, and it was, he’s told me, the absolute worst day of his life. 

She didn’t bother to show up to the hearing where he signed the papers. He found out shortly afterward (and this almost sounds like a bad movie plot, but it’s true) that she had recently divorced the man who was supposed to adopt the boys and hadn’t bothered to inform him of this fact. 

She refused to let him see or contact the boys in any way after he signed the papers, and legally, there was no longer anything he could possibly do about it. He attempted to contact them through her quite a few times, but always in vain and he eventually stopped trying because it was too painful. She eventually remarried again and this time her new husband actually did adopt the boys. 

Years went by. He and I met and started dating. He told me about the boys on our first date, when I told him I had kids and asked if he had any. “Yes...and also no,” was his somber response. He was...remarkably restrained while talking about his ex-wife that first time. “She’s a strong woman,” he said, “and I hope she’s been a good mom.” I only learned later how abusive she had actually been to him. He sort of...handwaved a lot of it, even when he did tell me. I actually had to tell him “that was abuse. She abused you. Like...hardcore.” 

I asked if he ever thought about contacting the kids after they turned 18. He said he definitely wanted to, but he was sort of scared about it. 

Fast forward to about 2 1/2 years ago. His oldest son was over 18 now. He was contacted by his oldest son’s girlfriend on Facebook. The message was something along the lines of “Hi, are you [son’s] biological dad? [Son’s mom] and [son] told me some stuff about you, and I thought I’d find you and talk to you about it, because a lot of it seemed really...off. [Son’s mom] said that you were gay and that this was why you divorced [son’s mom] and that after you signed the papers you didn’t want anything to do with the kids, that you never wanted to call or talk to them or anything, and [son] totally believes this because that’s what she’s been telling him his whole life. That seemed weird to me though and I wanted to find out the truth.”

He told her the truth. She was sort of floored, but not overly surprised, because she’d had her own emotionally abusive run-ins with her eventual mother-in-law. There were a lot of conversations over the course of the next year, a lot of her trying to convince oldest son to talk to his bio dad and a lot of resistance from oldest son because of everything he had been raised to believe by his mother. My partner wrote his oldest son a long message at one point explaining some things and telling him how much he loved him while trying to stay as neutral as possible about his ex-wife/son’s mom in order not to stir too much up. Total radio silence from oldest son. We kind of accepted at this point that we might not hear from him for a long time (if ever). Still, partner was still in contact with oldest son’s gf (who at that point had become oldest son’s fiancee), and she and oldest son got married last year. She apologized that they didn’t invite us to the wedding; there was still a lot of hostile awkwardness on oldest son’s part. We understood, and didn’t fault them for it at all.

Finally, a few months after they’d been married, DIL (daughter-in-law) said she wanted to come over, and we agreed. Unexpectedly, she brought oldest son with her, having finally convinced him to come at the last minute. Oldest son was super polite to both of us, and to my kids, but we found out much later he actually felt super awkward and angry and was just hiding it really well. Fortunately after repeated visits he realized his bio dad was a pretty cool guy and that his mom was, to get right to the point, full of shit. There’s been a lot that we’ve found out from oldest son about his mom’s behavior over the years, which is really unfortunate and honestly backs up everything my partner told me. We thankfully have a great relationship with oldest son and DIL now. 

Youngest son is now 18 as well (almost 19) but, unfortunately, has much the same outlook as oldest son once did and currently wants nothing to do with his bio dad. However, oldest son and youngest son recently went on a roadtrip together and had a very long talk about the whole thing, and youngest son apparently got sort of thoughtful. We’re hopeful that he will eventually come around too. 

Hopefully none of this has sounded like some kind of weird misogyny on my part while talking about my partner’s ex-wife. I just...have zero tolerance for bullies and abusers and she honestly blows my mind. I wanted to believe for a long time that a) there are two sides to every story and the truth of this particular situation possibly lay somewhere in the middle, and b) that maybe she had mellowed over the years and maybe felt at least a twinge remorseful and cooperative about things, but according to oldest son, that is absolutely not the case. She is still holding on to a lot of anger and bitterness and insecurities from her own abusive childhood and she constantly projects those insecurities onto people she’s supposed to love and care for, including her children. She was apparently livid when she found out that oldest son had cultivated a relationship with his bio-dad, because her carefully-constructed narrative of “the father of my oldest children was a terrible person who never wanted his kids” was suddenly in serious jeopardy. DIL has overheard her shit-talking the situation to friends, and oldest son has gotten more than one earful of “how could you do this to meeeeee, I raised you and protected you” which is just...ARGH. (On the flip side, she apparently got this shocked Pikachu face when oldest son told her about me - a woman, in a loving, long-term relationship with the man that for years has been the subject of her “he divorced me because he isn’t into women” narrative. That gave me a really good laugh!) 

Anyway, that is the saga of my bonus sons and their unfortunate alienation from my partner/their bio dad, and the reason I wasn’t able to help raise them in their teens (I so wish I could have). I love them and my DIL so much, more than I honestly ever thought possible to love kids who aren’t “mine”, but like...they are. They’re my kids as much as my bio kids are. I felt that way long before I met them. My bonus sons are part of my partner, part of his heart, so they became my kids in my head immediately, and DIL became my kid immediately too. So I love them. It’s automatic for me. And I love my grandbaby-on-the-way with all my heart too and I can’t wait to meet that sweet little bean. 

[enchanted-seokjin]

exile; kim namjoon

DISCLAIMER: None of these pictures are mine. Please, visit this link for the rightful credits. If your picture has been posted on weheartit without your permission or without crediting, please let me know so I can credit you here.

↬ summary: Y/N and Namjoon meet again after ending their seven year-long relationship.

↬ genre: short au; sad

↬ word count: 2.8k

↬ warnings: -

It took you three hours to finally make up your mind and dress up for the event; you did your make up with shaky hands and it wasn’t until your boyfriend showed up that you calmed down. He didn’t know what had upset you and he asked you if you wanted to stay at home.

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” he’d said.

But you knew she would. Your best friend would hold such resentment inside of her that she would never be able to forgive you. You had to go.

Now that you’re at your best friend and her fiancée house, you wonder why you didn’t accept your boyfriend’s suggestion to stay at home. Thankfully, he still feels a bit unease so he stays by your side as your best friend’s fiancée and your boyfriend talk about silly things that you don’t really care about.

It’s not the food that’s being served that’s bothering you, even though it’s tasteless. It’s not the women talking loudly about their own lives as mothers while your best friend takes in every advice she can, which are still pretty lame conversations. It’s not the men talking about how hard parenthood is for them since their babies arrived. However, you know they’re being drama queens. No. Your blood doesn’t run cold because of this baby shower, but because of the man standing on the other side of the room, holding a glass of champagne in his right hand while listening carefully to what the ladies are talking about. Your best friend amongst them.

Namjoon has a smile on his face, the dimples are showing and you know the kind of effect that sweet face has on people because you'd experienced it first hand for almost seven years. The ladies surrounded Namjoon must feel heard, cared about. But he isn’t really paying attention. Yes, he cares about your best friend as much as you do and he must’ve been listening cautiously to what she had to say but he doesn’t care anymore. You’ve noticed his eyes lingering on you a few times since he’d arrived.

At first, you wondered if he was going to approach you but you should’ve known better. Your relationship’s known by most people in here but not by your current boyfriend. He doesn’t know the history that unfolds between you and Namjoon. No one really does, those who know have only discovered the surface. They wouldn’t know about the scars that still lay invisible yet burning under your skin.

Your boyfriend laughs as he presses your waist with tenderness. You smile, though you haven’t heard a single word of what he’d just said. It must’ve been something funny since your best friend’s fiancée is laughing as well. However, their sense of humor is… questionable.

“Am I right, Y/N?” your boyfriend asks. You look over at him, hoping that he isn’t waiting for an answer but both men’s eyes lay on you.

“Of course you are,” you assure with a smile on your face and, just like that, your boyfriend carries on with his conversation.

You catch Namjoon’s eyes on you, but he looks away just as fast.

Namjoon’s ears have become numb to the empty conversation that’s been going on for almost an hour. It’s not that he doesn’t care about a baby’s weird sleep time or that the clothes store downtown’s having a big sale at the moment, he just doesn’t want to listen to this kind of conversation at the moment. If he had you next to him, it’d be a different story.

He pushes the thought of you resting your head on his shoulder while listening to this talk away. He doesn’t need this kind of pain. Plus, he needs to concentrate on putting a smile on his face while he pretends to be paying attention so that you believe that he was looking over at you by accident.

You did look miserable laughing at your new boyfriend’s joke, though. Namjoon’s too far away to be able to listen to the conversation flowing between your boyfriend and his friend’s fiancée, but he knows you like the back of his hand. He’s discovered every expression, every detail, every corner of your soul and he knows for sure that you aren’t happy with him.

So why are you dating that guy instead of being with him?

“Namjoon,” one of the ladies call. The attention turns towards him and he begs that she doesn’t ask anything related to the conversation’s been going on for the last five minutes. “When are you going to settle down?”

It was too loud.

Well, not loud enough to stop the conversation between the men next to you, but loud enough for you to hear. Maybe if you hadn’t been eavesdropping for the last couple of minutes, you wouldn’t have heard a single thing, but who knows?

Your heart stops for a second the moment the words reach your ears. You don’t expect Namjoon to answer right away and he doesn’t. You don’t want to feel sorry for him, but you do. The lady, who must be around your age, must find Namjoon handsome and she might be interested in him, that could be the reason behind that uncomfortable question, but she should’ve thought better than triggering awful memories in him--- And you.

“Babe,” you hear your boyfriend call and you look over at him disconnected. You’d forgotten he was standing beside you with his arms around your waist. He doesn’t notice. “We’re going to the wine cellar, do you want to come?” You shake your head automatically. It had taken him long enough to visit his favorite place with your best friend’s fiancée. “Okay. We won’t be long,” he promises with a kiss on your forehead before leaving.

You’re left standing in the room alone. Awkwardness is written all over your body, unable to put your hands in the right position. Everyone around you is having their own conversations, so is Namjoon, who isn’t looking at you now. You missed his response, and maybe it's for the best.

After considering it for five seconds, your legs move to the only place in this big house that you’ve memorized.

The library is still as beautiful as you remember it. You haven’t been here for a long time; seeing the sun lay on all the books covering the walls creates such a magical scene that it brings you back a bit of calmness. You used to come here often until you and Namjoon broke up. The split-up took place days before your best friend told you she was pregnant; you still hadn’t told her about what had happened between you and Namjoon. You tried to wear a smile on your face for her but it didn’t work. She knew something was wrong right off the bat so you had to come clean before she tried to invite Namjoon over and you had to face him.

You wish you had been a better friend, but you were emotionally drained and there was no way you could put yourself back together without falling apart seconds later.

Then, you met your boyfriend. Well, you didn’t actually meet him. He’d been your coworker for six months, and after failing every attempt you made to get the strength that you once had back, you decided to give him a chance. It happened two months after your break up. Some said you’d moved too fast. And you felt it was true, but you didn’t see any other way out.

“Figured I’d find you here,” his voice feels like someone has just thrown you freezing water. You lose the ability to talk as Namjoon stands next to you, facing the books just like you. He has two glasses of champagne and hands you one. “Where’s your boyfriend?”

That’s the last question you’ve ever imagined you’d hear from Namjoon. It sounds so bitter that you take a sip of champagne to gather the strength to answer.

It’s the first time you find yourself alone with Namjoon after you two broke up. Though you did meet briefly a few times before, it was way different from today. You would barely see him coming and leaving the apartment to pick up his stuff because you figured it’d best for your emotional state to stay as far away from that place as possible, at least as long as Namjoon’s things were still there. Your best friend and your mom covered for you the last time he called because he’d forgotten something.

Though the apartment is now empty from his belongings, as much as it hurts to admit it, his presence lingers like a ghost.

“At the wine cellar,” you reply. You clear your throat since your voice sounded unnatural--- Hurt.

“Guess he found a friend, huh?” he inquires lightly, referring to your best friend’s fiancée. He was never able to get Namjoon into enjoying the same things he did, with your new boyfriend everything was different from the moment they met. However, you aren’t sure that he likes your boyfriend more than he likes Namjoon. “Hopefully your boyfriend can put up with him.”

You gaze at Namjoon. Something fires up inside you. It’s not what he said, but the way he said it. How can he stand next to you, with a glass of champagne in his hand, his dimples about to show and talk about your boyfriend as if nothing had happened between you two? As if you hadn’t broken up months ago after trying so long to keep your relationship alive? As if you hadn’t just cried hours ago and had to re-do your make up?

You drink the rest of the champagne and turn around.

“Hey, hey,” Namjoon steps in front of you. His eyes filled with worry as you look away, too afraid you may break down again. “I’m sorry if I said something that bothered you.”

You fight against the urge to put your hands over your ears like a little kid.

“It’s fine, Namjoon,” you say instead, not even trying to sound convincing. “I’m just tired,” you continue, facing his gaze. Every trail of lightness has worn off.

Namjoon sighs, his expression changes. He knows you’re lying.

“Can we just talk?” 

“Talk about what?” you ask. You’re surprised by the fact that your voice isn’t shaking, though your hands are, which you’ve hidden behind your back.

Namjoon stays silent for a few seconds, analyzing your face. Maybe he’s trying to find out if you’re being serious.

“About us,” he murmurs carefully. “Don’t you think we deserve to talk?”

You look at the window on your right. The sun’s still up, the sky’s blue and you wish you were somewhere else enjoying this uncommon winter weather.

“You didn’t even give me a chance to tell you how I felt,” Namjoon goes on and you can tell he’s been holding on to this resentment for way too long. You shouldn't have come to this place alone, you should’ve gone with your boyfriend to hear boring talks about wine. “Every time I showed up at the apartment, you either locked yourself in the bathroom or your mom was there instead of you.”

It was true. You’d rather be locked up in the bathroom than seeing him carrying away all the things you two have built up over the past seven years.

“So, can we have that conversation now?” he shrugs. You look back at him. “What happened?” he whispers, shaking his head as if he can’t believe that he’s standing in front of you without being your partner. “I thought we were fine.”

You let out a laugh, which confuses Namjoon.

“Are you serious?” you ask. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to come here and ask me why we drifted apart after I’d told you so many times that what he had wasn’t enough,” your voice starts to shake but you can’t let yourself stop. If you do, the tears will come down and you can’t allow it. “I’ve spent so many nights, awake, waiting for you to come home to have a little conversation, and every time you arrived you went straight to bed. I tried so hard to make our relationship as fun as it used to be but every time you turned me down because you were too tired---“

“You do know that I have work to do, right?” he interrupts and you hate him for it because next time you open your mouth, you’ll break down crying. “You knew the kind of job that I have---“

“Of course I did,” you say. No sign of tears, yet. “And I tried to keep up with your work line but I couldn’t.”

“You didn’t even try,” he reproaches. You’ve never heard him say something similar. “You just left without saying a word,” you shake your head, not believing what he’s saying. “And now you’re dating someone else and you come here with that person, how do you think that makes me feel?”

His words cause such intense pain in your chest that tears come down. You wipe them as fast as you can, but it’s obvious that Namjoon sees them because regret is now written all over his face.

“I tried to tell you how I felt,” you whisper with your eyes fixed on his white shirt, it hurts less than looking into his eyes. “I wanted a life with you, Namjoon,” you take a shaky breath and you blink fast as you remember how sure you were that Namjoon was it. He was going to be the one to wait for you at the end of the altar, he’d be the one you’d read your vows to--- You even had a slight idea of what you wanted to tell him, “I wanted a family with you,” you confess and face his stare. You can see how your words shock him. His mouth slightly open and his eyes seem bigger. 

“You never told me this,” he says in a low voice.

That’s true.

You smile with sadness, looking away for a second.

“I knew I had to let go of that idea when I saw how busy you've become,” your voice doesn’t sound shaky and though your cheeks are wet, your body’s calm. It’s as if your mind’s at peace. “I knew there was no way I could bring that up because you spent too much time away from home. I don’t blame you, though,” you add before he gets the chance to interrupt you. “I know it’s your job and you love what you do but---“ You shrugged. “I was not made for that life, Namjoon. I ceased messaging you late at night because I'd fall asleep before you arrived. I quit looking for art exhibitions every weekend. I stopped trying because you’d stopped trying with us, too.”

Silence fills the room. Namjoon’s taking in all the information, maybe diving into his memories and realizing all the signs he’d missed. You know how hurt he must be after finding out what your hopes were, you knew Namjoon’s biggest dream was to become a father, and, giving the type of relationship you two had, he had the same expectations.

You shake your head. There’s too much pain.

“I never knew---“ Namjoon murmurs, “I’m so sorry, Y/N--- I--- I don’t even know what to say,” You nod. You’re ready to go home, but Namjoon still has something more to say. “Y/N---“ he calls and waits for you to meet his eyes, whatever he’s going to say, you know it’ll hit you like an arrow to your heart. “We can try--- We can try again.”

You close your eyes, looking down for a second, shaking your head before you’re able to speak.

“No, we can’t,” you reply, surprised at the confidence in your voice even though everything inside you is falling apart.

“But---“

“Namjoon, stop,” you beg. “I’m not made for that life,” you repeat. “You’ll find someone who is,” you add. “I’m sorry,” these last words come out so weak that you aren’t sure Namjoon heard you as you pass him.

He doesn’t stop you this time and you don’t expect him to. After all, he respects your decision even if it breaks him in pieces. Deep down, he knows that you’re right and he shouldn’t expect anything from you, not after missing so many signs.

You don’t look for your boyfriend, he might be still at the wine cellar. You don’t look for your best friend either, you’re too emotional to see her now so you pick your coat and leave the house through the kitchen door where no one sees you. 

[adonis-koo]

Three’s a crowd

| 2 |

↳ Plot: (CEO AU) When your mom’s fairytale life begins to bleed over into your world you’re suddenly caught between two men and one big secret, what was suppose to be a relaxing trip soon begins to spiral out of control. All you wanted was a free vacation...

↳ Pairing: Jungkook/Reader/Jimin, Hoseok/Reader, Taehyung/Reader,

↳ Genre: Smut, angst, drama, angst with a happy ending

Word Count: 4K

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Warning ⚠️ This fic touches on drug use, alcoholism and abuse. Please read with caution if any of these things are triggers for you 🖤

The week had progressed rapidly as it always did. You often found yourself surviving the week more then you ever did live it, it always felt monotonous with the rare exception of something slightly different to your routine. Today however rather then finding yourself on your way to the bakery you were rushing home to get packed at four in the morning. 

Your boss at the ward had let you go early to pack as you had received a text from your mother- who was thrilled to hear you could make it- let you know they were arriving at the airport at six. You had been able to wash small sets of laundry throughout the week thankfully as you packed you figured this would be enough. Right? 

You frowned scratching your head as you looked at the suitcase you didn’t even know your mother owned. You had never actually been on vacation before, outside of a two day trip your mother and you had took to Busan when you were younger. And you weren’t even sure if a weekend trip can count for much. You had been pulling your suitcase to the living room when your mother caught sight of you, smiling brightly as she watched you, “You don’t have to take it out just yet Y/n, Seung will be here soon.”

Finally you set the suitcase down as you turned around, eyebrows rose and lips parted, “Oh, he’s picking us up?”

Your mother turned away slightly pink cheeked before giving another girlish smile you had never seen her wear before, “He insisted, he didn’t want the car out at the airport for that long. He should be here in a few minutes- that’s okay right?” She suddenly rushed as if realizing she hadn’t cleared it with you.

Relaxing slightly you forced a small laugh as you shrugged, it wasn’t that she needed to clear it with you, you just weren’t sure of how to reply at seeing her so giddy, “No it’s fine, we’re just riding together, don’t worry about it mom.”

And you were being honest, it wasn’t a huge deal and it wasn’t her job to ask for your permission for every aspect of her relationship. Not to mention Mr Park was the one paying for this trip, you weren’t gonna fault him wanting to ensure the car didn’t get damaged. It was such a gentlemanly thing to do though you’d be honest you weren’t sure what to think. 

And maybe it was better if you didn’t, it wasn’t your relationship regardless. Just as your mother said Mr Park did show up but you had temporarily forgotten he was a CEO and automatically assumed the sleek matte black car must’ve been the FBI finally finding out you were involved in the drugs your dad was constantly dealing and buying. So you can say you definitely had a sigh of relief when you realized it was just Mr Park.

While you were relieved you were also awkward as you opened the door to be greeted by a minx smile that made you frown instantly. Jimin waved you in, his arm resting on the rest above your seat looking like a predator delighted to see his prey. Swallowing thickly you ignored his suggestive glance as you went to sit down beside him, your parents sitting together across from you as they engaged in conversation obviously excited to be on a trip together.

“So Y/n...” Jimin drew your name out, as if testing it as he glanced directly at you, body turned in your direction with his arm still over your seat, “I take it you haven’t been to Dubai before?”

Well not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth obviously, more people then less couldn’t even afford to go to Dubai much less for a week, pushing the snarkiness that tempted to rise in your voice you gave a tense smile, “No, I’ve never really been on vacation before so I’m looking forward to it. I’m guessing you have?”

Jimin gave a seemingly innocent smile, his black Versace sunglasses covering whatever darker gleam his eyes held as he ran a hand through his silky black locks, “Oh yeah, the Jeon’s always hold an annual party there. I’ve been going since I was a kid, I’ve been for business as well but that’s never as fun.”

“Though this years party will be even bigger since it’s their company’s 30th anniversary, you’ll have fun.” Jimin seemed to be able to talk with ease much better then you, and briefly you wondered if he was an extrovert or if he was just really that invested in trying to get into your pants, “What did you bring to wear?”

You jumped slightly at the feeling of his lips brushing against your ear, your eyes flickering to your mom and his dad, both laughing at something he said. Your face began to feel hot as you shot your gaze to him, “Pardon?”

“For the party.” Jimin laughed angelically as he specified, “What else would I be referring too?”

Pressing your lips into a line you could feel your face becoming hotter as you store him down. Jimin still smiling devilish knowing damn well exactly what else he could be referring too. Looking away you frowned in an unknowning pout as you sighed, “Well I brought a few different dresses but I’m not sure what the dress code will be like...”

“I’ll take a look if you’d like, we can always go out shopping later if needed. I know plenty of boutiques in the area.” Jimin offered casually, arm still wrapped above your seat though he relaxed into his chair, crossing a leg over the other as he glanced back your way.

You frowned before shrugging as you answered, “Well I’d like to, but just the word boutique makes me feel poor.”

Boutique essentially, was just a fancy term for rich people Walmart where they’d throw thousands of dollars away in one whack. You lived on three hours of sleep, cup noodles and energy drinks, not exactly expensive living. Jimin laughed as he dropped his arm around you, ruffling your hair causing you to squirm, swatting his hand away as he placed it back above your seat, “I wouldn’t make you pay. It wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me now would it? Besides spoiling girls is my favorite activity, you just leave it to me sweetheart.”

Frowning again at his pet name you said no more as you looked out the window, confused and cautious of whatever Jimin was playing at. Maybe he was just being nice? But more then less guys always had a motive, it was just your gut instinct and you’d listen to it above anything else, and right now it was telling you this was most definitely a setup.

Getting to the airport you...You really weren’t sure what you were expecting but getting to ride in a private jet? A little much, not gonna lie. It was luxurious on amounts you hadn’t even thought was possible, boarding was quick and the plane took less then ten minutes to take off. Your suitcase had been put away and now you sat in a plush white cushioned chair seat. 

The plane even had free WiFi and couches towards the middle of the aisle, a lengthy coffee table decorating between both couches. Jimin was sitting on the chair on the other side of he plane, his table though was built more like a desk with a computer and two monitors, he appeared absorbed into whatever he was doing, something work related by the looks of it. Your mother had commented on how she had gotten little rest the night before from excitement, only for Mr Park- who had insisted you call him Seung, suggest lying down. They actually had bedrooms on a plane...

You were still rather overwhelmed as you looked out the large square window, the moment still feeling surreal as you glanced down at your phone, “You look like a lost puppy over there,” Jimin chuckled speaking up, not looking away from his computer as he continued, “It’s cute. There’s another bedroom if you’d like to retire.”

Looking towards him you curved an eyebrow, unsure if you should take it as a compliment or not. It sounded more condescending then anything, “No I’m fine, I’m use to lack of sleepy anyways.”

Jimin finally glanced over at you, giving you a once over before tsking, “That can’t be good for your health. It’s a good thing you got time off. You’ll definitely need this week to rest. Come here.” He signaled you over with a finger pulling towards you.

Furrowing your brows before raising one as you stayed planted in your seat, glancing down at your phone before unlocking it, complaining in your group chat while you replied, “Why?”

“Why not?” Jimin replied, smirking. His legs had spread opened in a relaxed posture and his back had sunk into the seat as he glanced at you, perhaps hoping you’d see it as an invitation. You however grimaced as you looked up from your phone, “Because our parents are dating, isn’t that kind of weird? I don’t know what you’ve been getting at but I’m not sleeping with you.”

It was best to just be honest about this and trouble shoot the problem before anything severe transpired that you might regret. Jimin only chuckled at your response, “Careful princess, I’m like this with all women. Whether our parents date or not you’re not an exception, they’re relationship isn’t any of my business. I’m sure they’d feel the same about about us.”

Pressing your lips together you looked back out the window, “Yeah I guess I could agree to that but I’m still not interested regardless.”

“And you don’t have to be,” Jimin raised his hands in false surrender as he smirked, “I just want some company. It’s a little drafty in here. Even you said so when we first got in.”

Swallowing you sighed, finally getting up from your seat as you walked over, begrudgingly sitting in the love seat beside him as he pulled a blanket over the armrest, opening it and letting lay on top of your laps, “See? That wasn’t so bad.”

Sighing you shrugged loosely, not particularly interested as you glanced back down at your chat, responding to Taehyung who had been wanting to hit the plane up for cash, “Anyways what are you doing?”

“Dabbling in stocks, nothing incredibly fun. But the company sure does make it better.” Jimin replied, sliding closer to you noting you were still looking down at your phone, “You know what would be even better?”

“Hm?” You asked casually, your lips pulling into a brief smile at whatever you were doing on your phone.

You were getting ready to type again when you felt a strong squeeze against your inner thigh making you jump, “Excuse me!? Did we not just set up basic rules!?”

Flustered you felt a pang between your legs regardless as Jimin caged you between his arms, “We didn’t set up anything sweetheart. Are you really sure you don’t want a taste? You won’t be able to stop when you do.”

Red faced you looked away from him as you replied, squeezing your thighs tightly together in hopes of escaping hand was already grabbing the inside, you could barely scrape the answer out with a strain, “Positive...”

Jimin leaned in closer, his smirk widening as he began to stroke the soft skin of your inner thigh with his thumb making you squirm as he watched your face darken in color, drinking up your embarrassment as he replied, “Oh doll keep saying that, I’ll break you eventually.”

You let out a breath of relief when he release your thigh from his grip, sitting back down in his seat as he grinned mischievously at your red face and angry pout, “No, no you won’t. I am not sleeping with someone who could potentially become my step brother.”

Hearing your words seem to jostle is memory as he parted his plump lips, pressing a finger against the side of his cheek as he replied, “Right actually, you haven’t heard have you?”

“What...?” You furrowed your brows cautiously, what was is it you hadn’t heard? Seeing his expression made anxiety gnaw at your stomach, but he only cheekily grinned.

Resting his hand against his chin as he replied, “Get on your knee’s and I’ll tell you angel.”

Groaning you felt your face become hot as you stood up, Jimin however found it hilarious as he slapped his knee, belting out a laugh, “Awh don’t be like that Y/n I was only being half serious. If you really want to know my dad’s planning of purposing to your mom at the end of the week.”

Your back was turned to him but you froze for a second before whipping around, lips parted with eyebrows shot up, “He what!?”

“Yeah it’s why he wanted you to come.” Jimin shrugged loosely, not expecting such a volatile reaction from you, “They’ve been dating a little over, what? Eight months now? Why do you look so shocked?” You could tell it was a genuine question as he knitted his brows together in confusion.

Biting your lip you looked away before frowning, how could he not be shocked? This was all so sudden for you, you weren’t sure how to feel. Just last week you were kicked out of the house by your dad, how were you suppose to cope with a new one, “...Have you known since they met?”

“Yeah? Sort of,” Jimin shrugged as he relaxed into his seat, still not getting what the big deal was, “He didn’t say at first but I could tell. After the first month he finally cracked and told me. Did you just find out?” He rose his eyebrows.

Unable to meet his gaze as your frown deepened, “Yeah...It’s fine, I guess.” Rubbing the back of your neck you eventually sighed as Jimin patiently waited for you to continue, “It’s just a lot to take in. My real dad isn’t exactly grade A material so I wasn’t really interested having a new family...” pressing your lips together you almost felt a wash of guilt wave over you as you sighed, “But you’re right, it is there relationship and my mom deserves to be happy. Anyways I’m going to lay down.”

Jimin only glanced at you curiously as he set his chin back on his hand, finally resigning to smile mischievously, “Sleep well, Y/n.” Sending a wink that made you scowl as you turned around. Making your way towards the back of the luxury jet.

It never occurred to you to ask just where the beds were but it didn’t take you terribly long to find it, collapsing on the surface as you sighed, he was going to purpose to her...Grabbing the pillow you groaned as you flipped over. It had barely been a week and your life was already flipped upside down.

Stretching your arms you took a deep breath breath in before sighing the heat was extremely humid, making your clothes stick uncomfortably to your skin but the sky was an azure blue with big billow clouds making you smile. excitement bubbled in your chest at being in a new place. Just as you anticipated you were escorted to a car as Jimin filled the silence talking, you had finally interrupted as you asked, “Where are we staying?”

“The Fifteenth Dark Ace, it’s the chain of casino hotels the Jeon’s run, its their biggest business. That’s where the party will be hosted,” Jimin explained casually, and for a second despite his predatory remarks and advances you were glad he was here and more then willing to show you the ropes of the upper class world, “We’re on the exclusive list so we’ll be staying on the upper floors of the hotel.”

“While it is a party,” Jimin ran a hand through his hair, as though gathering his thoughts before continuing, “A lot of company’s and businesses are invited to build connections and grow different parts of the industry. It’s all glamour on the outside but you’d be surprised about the dealings that go on inside.”

His words were cryptic enough to make you tilt your head, finally looking up towards him. He said no more though only resigning to look away. Sighing you relaxed back into your seat, listening to your parents conversation and occasionally chiming in, in hopes of not looking too icy with them. It was difficult though due to the fact that they had been dating not for six months. No it was eight months and she took this long to tell you? Furthermore why did she lie to you and say it was six? If they were dating this long why did she say they only made it official the week before she told you?

Unintentionally you clenched your jaw at the thought, finally deciding to just stay out of the conversation as the drive continued. Eventually you did get in and despite everything you had seen, seeing Fifteenth Dark Ace Hotel was beyond breath taking. It towered overhead with glistening lights showing a fashionable but still classy style of welcoming anyone who dared step into the hotel. And honestly it was like stepping into a whole new world. The floors were a peachy water marble tone, coated in gloss and cut into diamond shapes.

Large crystal chandeliers hung over head lighting the massive lobby as people crowded in, nobody but you seemed to even notice the interior as you felt Jimin wrap an arm around you waist. You were still absorbed in the fine interior decorating you didn’t even have time to scowled him as he guided you to the check in behind your parents, chuckling at your reaction as he brushed his lips against your ear, “If you’re amazed by this you’ll have fun when we get up to the ballroom. It’s nothing in comparison to this.”

You didn’t even respond as your lips parted, not even paying attention to his words as you glanced around, the ceiling took on an inspiration of the Sistine chapel with classical art covering the ceiling. Jimin was thankfully there to guide you out of anyone’s possible path as you journeyed up to the front desk.

“Y/n dear, me and Seung are headed for dinner once we check in, would you like to join us?” Your mother had turned around, bubbly and excited, but even she didn’t seem as shell shocked as you at the grand hotel, “We’re always happy to have you as well Jimin!”

You couldn’t even open your mouth, unable to fully register her words as Jimin replied coolly, “It’s okay Ms L/n, you should have the evening to enjoy with my father. Don’t worry I’ll take care of dinner for us.”

Your mother smiled brightly, “Thank you Jimin! Just as much of gentleman as your father.” It was so obvious she couldn’t see the ulterior motives in Jimin’s words. Which ultimately made you come back to reality as you frowned. You didn’t want to go to dinner with them regardless but you never agreed to anything with Jimin.

Jimin only have an angelic smile that could even make the devil fall at his feet, giving a soft laugh as he replied, “Well I can only hope to live up to his chivalry. We’ll see you tomorrow morning Ms L/n! Enjoy yourselves.” Jimin gave one last charismatic smile her way before strolling up to the desk after his father. His father frowning at him briefly as if he caught sight of something, Jimin only curved an eyebrow saying nothing in return before checking in with the receptionist. 

After checking in he lead you to the elevator, punching in the 72 floor, also noticing it was the last. The elevator was glass, out looking the city lights as the machine sped you up floors. Finally taking a moment to notice his hand still curled around your waist you looked up at him huffing, “Is there ever a day when you can keep your hands to yourself?” You pried his fingers off of you as he chuckled, “You were gonna run into everyone if I just let you wander about in the main hall. I was being responsible really.”

Furrowing your eyebrows you crossed your arms as you looked away from him not at all impressed at his cheeky smile. The door finally dinged, sliding open as Jimin took the lead, guiding you down the hallway. There was a little over forty rooms and finally he stopped at 28th, sliding the card into the slot before opening the door, “Here’s your room, I’m at the 22nd if you need anything. Where do you want to go for dinner?”

“I like how you just assume I’m going to dinner with you.” You crossed your arms finally confronting him as you curved an eyebrow slightly annoyed. He was one of those guys huh. His smile just as mischievous as the last as he shrugged, “Most girls usually offer first but I’m a patient man. You aren’t really going to deny me, are you?”

“Afraid I am Park, given how massive the hotel is I’m sure ordering off the room service menu will be just fine.” You smiled raising your brows again, amused at the frustrated pout on his face. Stepping inside the large room as you turned back to face him, “Outside of that rejection. I would like your help for picking something out for the party, if you don’t mind.”

Jimin groaned, running a hand through his hair as he whined obviously frustrated at your lack of cooperation, “Doll you’re killing me... Alright, I’ll see what we’re working with first thing in the morning, alright?”

Nodding you finally bid him goodnight as you closed the door relieved. The day of traveling had admittedly made you sluggish and it was already nearing ten at night. The room was naturally behind huge, in hues of warm dark reds and sleek blacks. Your favorite thing though was the large window wall besides your bed. The business of Dubai’s lights below never ceasing as you walked up to the glass, gently pressing a hand against it in awe.

Noticing your bags beside your bed you eventually got changed into sleepwear before sitting against the wall with a pillow between your arms. Snuggling it as you enjoyed watching the lights below. Everything had been such a whirlwind in experience, but even now it was nice to take a moment to breath and enjoy the moment.

After all, if you’re mother was going to get married again, you might as well enjoy the luxury it was going to come with.

The bed below you sunk nicely against your body as you rolled onto your stomach, nuzzling into the soft, but firm feather filled pillow. Finally with light streaming in from the window wall you cracked open your eyes. You sighed contently, rolling onto your back again as you closed your eyes. When was the last time you got a full eight hours of sleep? 

You had forgotten what it actually felt like to genuinely sleep again as you took a deep breath in. God you could get use to this. Briefly the thought passed your mind of how unfortunate it was you weren’t the one marrying into upperclass. Finally you sat up, stretching your arms over head as you yawned, it was nearing eight o’clock. Checking your phone naturally your groups chat had been active throughout the night as it always had been. 

Smiling you shook your head as you took a minute to talk to them, explaining just how loaded this place was before realizing it was nearing 8:30. Wasn’t Jimin suppose to be here by now? He didn’t specify what first thing in the morning meant though. Finally you sighed after a moment of contemplating you swung your legs off of the bed. Despite the cool air it was still room temperature. You had definitely made a good decision in bringing sleep shorts, the white T-shirt hung loosely to your body as you shrugged it around, grabbing your card key as you went to the door.

Closing the door behind you, you bit your lip, which room was he in again? 32 right? Walking up the hallway a bit further you sighed, rolling your shoulders that had been stiff from sleeping so long. You hadn’t even thought of knocking when you grabbed the handle, noticing it already unlocked. 

You casually strolled in closing the door behind you as you yawned, “What’s taking you so long?” Your morning voice still sleepy and whiney, turning away from the door you continued, “Didn’t we agree- Oh my god!” You weren’t entirely awake before but seeing the shirtless figure turn around, looking absolutely confused made you jump out of your skin.

Water droplets fell from the black fluffy hair of the stranger, a towel still in one hand from drying his hair presumably, “Wrong room?” He didn’t even look the faintest embarrassed as you instantly turned around, running a hand through your knotted hair as you flusteredly stammered out an apology, “I-I am so sorry!”

You just fucking walked in on someone getting dressed! Unable to see his lips that started to curl into an amused smirk sizing you up, you were new. New and someone who wasn’t from around here, or this class, a commoner always stuck out here, “It’s fine, who were you looking for? I know all the guests on this floor so I can redirect you.” Why was he being so polite!? You literally just walked in on him fresh out of the shower!

Awkwardly you turned around with stiff shoulders to face him again, his tongue pressing against his cheek as he gave you a once over, still very much as shirtless as you remembered.

His sweatpants clung loosely to him showing off the underwear band that in opposition hugged tightly against his skin. Oh wow, way to fucking go Y/n, not only did you walk in on someone changing, you walked in on someone really fucking attractive too, “Uh, no it’s okay! Honest mistake- I’m really sorry...!” you began to back away from the extremely attractive person. He was most definitely Korean, thank god since he spoke the language flawlessly, you supposed it was better then running into a foreigner who couldn’t understand you at all and would just ultimately assume you were some pervert.

Taking a step towards you the handsome stranger curved an eyebrow, enough to make you weak in the knee’s before giving a grin, his teeth making it look like that of a bunny as he chuckled, “I should be the one apologizing, I’m making you nervous, aren’t I?” He grabbed the black shirt from the dresser, pulling it over his toned upper body, concealing himself which definitely did make you feel a little more calm, “Better?” His grin turned into a smirk as he walked up to you, a confident air about him that made you want to run right back to your room, holding out a large hand he introduced himself, “Jeon Jungkook, I help run the hotel, I don’t believe we’ve met yet.”

Jungkook, wasn’t sure what he said wrong, but suddenly your pink cheeks turned a deep red as if you realized something, backing away timidly from him as you ran a hand through your hair murmuring something under your breath, “Of course he’s...” giving a nervous smile you sheepishly clasped your hands. Unable to say anything as the door behind you opened, a relievingly familiar voice whined out, “Jungkook you dick why did you say Sejin was still in- Y/n?”

You instantly cowered behind Jimin, who on any other occasion you would’ve scowled at if you weren’t so mortified at what had just happened, you mustered a sheepish smiled as you fumbled, “I- uh may have forgot your room number...”

Jungkook observed you both, licking his lips as his eyes lit up in realization looking at you, but they suddenly fell in an odd manner of pity, “So this is Y/n?”

Noticing that familiar look in Jungkook’s eyes Jimin stop in front of you has he nodded, “Yeah, don’t know why she ended up here but here she is,” He glanced back at you briefly before introducing, “This Jungkook, Jeon’s son and one of my good friends.”

You gave another awkward smile, one Jungkook found rather endearing as he nodded towards you,smirking, that confidence not faltering evening under his friends melting glare, “Yeah we already met, guess I’ll be seeing you around Y/n.” He licked his lips, those dark brown eyes drinking up that embarrassment on your face as you rubbed the back of your neck.

Stammering once more as you felt Jimin’s hands slip around your waist, gripping harsher then normal as you answered, “Y-yeah, I’ll see you around. Sorry again!” You hurriedly said as Jimin dragged you out the door. Taking one last look at the smoldering gaze Jungkook gave you before the door shut. What a way to start up the morning...

Note: Hey babes! So how’s everyone liking it so far? Shits gonna start getting filfthy next chapter 👀 Question: would you guys be interested in a tag list? Hit me up if you’d like to be tagged for when the next part comes out!

[bleachedjam]

Rambling on sexuality. Apparently you can't do a cut on mobile? Sorry then. Pretend there is one here and scroll past this.

I've always tried to find a label that fit me. I had never felt liked I liked anyone in the traditional sense. Girls and boys were on an even playing field for me. No one set me a flutter. There was no lust at first sight. But the way my peers discussed it made me feel...odd. Displaced? Like I was missing a joke everyone else got. So I faked it.

In elementary school, 5th grade, all the other girls picked a celebrity boy they had a crush on. I remember being confused how they decided. So I picked Aaron Carter, I think because I liked his song, "I want Candy". I mimicked what they said about their crushes, "he's so hot!" Another girl also liked Aaron Carter, but as I was a bit of an outcast we never discussed it. (His picture was on her binder.)

In middle school I tried to take up drawing. I had a sketch book I filled with drawings of both men and women. I gave the women large breasts and revealing shirts. My mother looked through my sketch book, and one night I heard her telling her friend, "all the breasts are so large, what if shes a lesbian?". And I considered it. What if I was? I had no idea. I felt the same way about men and women still. My friends were branching out and dating and talking about crushes on boys in school. I picked a boy I was friends with and pretended to like him. I even faked a journal entry and left it out so a friend would see.

In Jr. High I briefly dated a boy who was friends with a boy my friend was dating. He was crass and kind of a jerk. Someone asked me why I was dating him, because he, "looked and dressed weird". I tried to figure out which features were desirable, but all the guys my friends liked were so varied.

High school hit me hard. Something was wrong with me I was sure. I decided to just date whoever liked me. Less choices on my part. In October we held a Octoberfest carnival thing. My anime club, yes I was in anime club, had a booth were we sold churros. I met a guy a year older than me who ended up liking me. So I "liked" him. We dated until February. He rarely showered and never brushed his teeth. I always felt gross when we hung out. In February a friend admitted to liking me. I broke up with the other guy for obvious reasons and accepted when the new one asked me out.

Things seemed fine at the start but this guy would go on to mentally and verbally abuse me for 5 more years and torment me for a year after that. I confided in him how I never liked anyone and never had crushes the same way others did. This was the first of many things he would use against me. He convinced me to have sex with him, because once I did I'd like him and be attracted to him. And when that didn't work, well I'd already done it, so I had to keep doing it. Then when I doubted things and didn't like being with him, he'd play on my various insecurities. "You'll never really like someone, it will always be fake. Might as well stay with me." "No one will like you if you can't feel the same way back, your lucky to have me." "I'm the only guy you can ever get." And beyond that to, "No one else would want a depressed sack of fat like you. I'm doing you a favor." "There's so much wrong with you, how can you ever expect to do better?" "Your so ugly and fat I can't believe I stoop to your level." And worse and worse yet. It was a slow descent over almost 2 years, but when he had me where he wanted me, he started to cheat on me. I couldn't leave, I wanted to die. The years with him were the worst of my life. And I trace it all back to not understanding how to tell if I wanted to be with someone.

We graduated and he moved into my house. The abuse only got worse. I developed fibromyalgia and other chronic illness, believed to be from "trauma". His abuse escalated after that. I couldn't escape him. And why would I want to? No one would ever take a broken piece of shit like me. He was doing me a favor.

He ended up leaving me. I never had the strength to leave him. He left me for, in his words, "a healthy girl with no problems". For the next year or so he'd get drunk and contact me. Eventually I stopped all communication. I ended up getting a tattoo he had forbade me from getting. It was freeing.

I tried the online dating scene for awhile. I desperately didn't want to be alone. But I couldn't connect with anyone. People would send me messages and I'd see pictures but I never met up with anyone. No one ever stood out. I didn't know what or how to pick someone.

My sister had a friend from Canada she played games with online. I played with them a few times and he invited his work friend to play to. I won't say we hit it off. My sister and her friend logged off and then me and the other guy were left alone. We talked, he seemed nice. After a few months the two of them got invited down to our house for a gaming convention in the area. The friend and I had grown close and he decided he liked me. I knew this time, I did not like him.

But as it goes, that didn't matter. He came down, stayed at our house and asked me out. I said no. He pushed and guilt tripped me until I said yes. He stayed a week. Everything was a guilt trip. He bought me something so I owed him. He came all this way, so I owed him. I said yes, so I owed him. When he went back home I broke up with him. He staged and gave me a play by play of a suicide attempt. His tactics relied on guilt. I wasn't used to that, so it was hard for me to let go. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Eventually I finally got away from him.

During that time my other sister asked if she could invite a guy she worked with to play league of legends with us, as he was very good and we wanted to win an event or achievement or something. He played with us and we did it.

Him and I talked. I told him about the guy from Canada. The suicide attempt. Most recently he had gotten the bill from the ambulance I sent to his house and said I needed to pay it since it was my fault. I refused and tried to quit talking to him. The new guy and I got close. He was someone I would call my best friend. When the Canada guy started more drama, he asked if we could hang out in real life, because up until then we had only talked online.

We did. I went to his house. We got teriyaki and played Mario cart. Something about this guy was different. He was a best friend but something else. Like our hearts were talking. We connected on a different level, something I had never felt with another person before. On the way home I made a stupid joke about not believing he never had a girlfriend. He asked if I wanted to be his. I said yes.

I gave him a hug goodbye. I kissed him on the cheek. He tried to kiss me on the cheek too but I moved and he missed and we had our first kiss. Everything was right in ways I never felt before.

Today we're set to be married, living together and have an amazing daughter. I couldn't imagine life with anyone else. I can confidently say, he is the first person I've actually liked. Romantically for sure. Sexually? I still don't know how that works.

I throughly enjoy sex with him. I desire the intimacy and connection and obviously it feels good. But honestly, what the hell is sexually attraction? Because I enjoy it does that mean I'm attracted? I don't know. I've never looked at anyone and gotten any...sexual feelings from looking at them.

I enjoy drawn porn and porn comics from an aesthetic point. The art is beautiful. The human body is wonderful. But it doesn't do anything for me. I like the art, the shapes, the aesthetic of porn. But it doesn't make me feel anything or make me want to do anything.

To masturbate or have sex I have to focus on the sensations alone, or how my partner feels. I've never found porn that works for me. I don't get horny from visuals at all. Half the time I forget he does. I'll be changing and he makes a move and I'll just be confused as to what got him in the mood. I feel a disconnect between it all.

There was a while where I called myself asexual. Seemed close. But the more I tried to fit in with the community the more I felt odd. Not outcast, because the asexual community is amazing, but more like I was fitting an oval peg into a circle hole. Close, but not quite.

When I consider it, men and women are almost equal to me. I think I may be more drawn to women at least visually. If I hadn't met my fiance I would have loved to date a woman. I enjoy the female form more from a aesthetic stand point.

So lately I've been wondering if maybe I was pansexual. A friend of mine is pan and she posted a quote about being attracted to the person, not the body. It felt more right and more like me than anything I had seen from the asexual community. But at the same time, my sample size of people I've liked it only at one. So I have no idea.

I also wonder, does it matter? I'm going to be with the person I am with forever now. I don't need to find anyone else, so it doesn't matter which gender preference I have or don't have.

I guess with Pride month I've been thinking about it a lot. There is a lot of talk of, "fly your flag high and have pride!" But what if you don't have a flag?

I feel queer. That's about as far as I've gotten. I don't know if I'll ever find something past that or not. Right now queer feels fine, just unsure. I guess I'm somewhere between sexuality is fluid and still figuring myself out. Who even knows what attraction is.

So happy Pride month everyone.

[sweetasssuga]

Taegi Fic Recs

personal favorites = ♡

new additions = ϟ

Little Lion Man by mucha [3k] [teen]

Deep down, Yoongi always knew that making rash decisions would one day send him early to his grave.

(Or; Yoongi confesses to Taehyung via text and immediately regrets it)

in all dishonesty by fruitily [3k] [teen] ♡

while taehyung is trying to figure out whether or not min yoongi wants to stab him with a fountain pen, they find out they make an excellent team when it comes to board games.

feelings you provide by sugarlizard [3k] [teen] 

Feeling a little daring, Taehyung slips the ring on his finger. He’s not expecting it to fit, he knows that part of the victorious appeal of this jewelry is it was designed to fit only Yoongi, but instead it slips over the knuckle of his ring finger like a glove.

*

taehyung borrows one of the SUGA diamond rings when he needs a comfort object

help me out by clumsy_taegi [4.6k] [teen] ϟ

Taehyung talks Yoongi into helping him rehearse for a play.

Of Handlebars and Heartbreak by bananamilks [5.5k] [teen] 

Totally unprepared are you, to face a world of men.

[or, the mutual pining fic in which: one of them is in denial, one is oblivious, and both of them are idiots]

caught in a lie by booksinaballroom [5.6k] [teen] 

Ten years, one acting degree, and a frankly embarrassing amount of student debt later, his plans have...changed, a bit. Turns out waiting for callbacks from Colgate toothpaste commercials and roles as extras in dramas isn’t exactly lucrative. Certainly not lucrative enough to pay off his mountainous student debt.

Which is why he has turned to a spinoff of the acting industry. The underground of the acting industry, if you will. A place to hone his skills while raking in plenty of cash. A high-stakes challenge, something that tests and proves his ability to perform under pressure.

In other words, Taehyung is what might be better known as a con artist.

(soulmate au: you can't lie to your soulmate)

A Different Kind of Magic by tryst [5.8k] [teen] ♡ 

Wherein, Taehyung doesn't really need extra Potions help, but could definitely use a hug and Yoongi is pretty indifferent about being a tutor, but is down to hold hands.

my heart flutters from the sugar high by hoars [5.9k] [mature]

Yoongi and Taehyung sneak around together, cheating on their diets. The group? They’ve drawn different conclusions.

Birds in Your Heart by m_aur_a [6k] [not rated] 

Origami cranes with cute, if kitschy, words of advice are popping up on campus. Yoongi is struggling with a lot right now, but they help. So does the pretty boy that leaves them.

Ring the Hogwarts Bell by mucha [6k] [general audiences] 

“No, it’s fine,” Taehyung interrupted him, circling his fingers around Jimin’s wrist and squeezing reassuringly. “It’s just a few days, I’ll be okay.”

It was the furthest thing from truth, though. Christmas was always his favorite holiday and in his mind, it was irreversibly connected to home and family and watching silly Christmas movies with a mug of hot chocolate in his hand and his puppy, Yeontan, in his lap. He was hoping that maybe at least one of his friends would be staying in school too, but that hope quickly vanished when he checked the list in the common room and saw no familiar names. Well, he saw one familiar name but it belonged to someone Taehyung had never spoken to, so it didn’t matter anyway.

As if he could read Taehyung’s mind, Jimin spoke up again:

“I noticed that Yoongi is staying at Hogwarts too.”

(Taehyung spends his Christmas at Hogwarts and makes a new friend)

human by awsuga [7.7k] [mature]

Taehyung almost kills the most beautiful mortal he has ever seen.

yesterday’s tomorrow by locks [8k] [mature] ♡

Yoongi just wants to get through the night with his pride intact.

Enter Kim Taehyung.

Or, the one where they used to date and meet again at their ten year high school reunion.

but not for me by raviolijouster [8k] [teen] ♡ 

Taehyung’s straightforward, he thinks. A 2 + 2 = 4 kind of guy. He’s just not always sure that his 2’s are other people’s 2’s. Sometimes it seems like they might be 3’s. Or 7’s. But Yoongi’s 2’s are the same 2’s, they’re just in italics, size 8 font, while Taehyung’s are in bold and size 72.

or,

People think Yoongi and Taehyung are dating. Taehyung wishes they were.

ring ding dong by chlexcer [8k] [explicit]

the one where taehyung loses his precious gucci ring the very first time he meets yoongi, but he doesn't lose it just anywhere, oh no— he loses it inside of yoongi.

By Tomorrow by Oh_Hey_Tae [10.6k] [teen]

“Why are you freaking out now?” Seokjin asks, and the seconds tick by and suddenly the atmosphere shifts. “Ahh, I get it.”

Yoongi perks up, swivels, spots Taehyung stepping from the hall into the room and he’s in fitted slacks and the baby blue button-up from earlier and he looks divine.

Yoongi’s heart just stopped and he’s not sure how to get it beating again. Namjoon’s a doctor. A doctor in training, but some form of medical professional regardless. Namjoon knows CPR and cardiac arrest symptoms and all that shit. He’ll know Yoongi’s dying.

“Perfect timing. Let’s eat.”

Or he’s going to wink at Yoongi and send suggestive eyebrow raises the whole night. Great. Fabulous.

(Or: Yoongi loves Taehyung and Taehyung loves Yoongi and somewhere along the way they figure that out.)

neons and watercolors by aimandignite [12.6k] [explicit] 

“Do you stare at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” he asks.

Yoongi shrugs. “Do you join random people staring at the sky in the middle of roads at night often?” He glances at the guy and his heart slams in his chest at the wide smile he sees.

“I’m Taehyung. Everyone calls me Tae though.”

Yoongi nods slowly, “Yoongi.”

Tae seems to repeat the name to himself, carefully remembering how it feels in his mouth. Yoongi can’t look away. “Yoongi? Do you want to get out of the middle of the road and get hot cocoa?”

812 (rock my world) by aileron [13k] [explicit] ϟ

Jimin sniffs in a way that lets Taehyung know he’s an ungrateful brat. “Look, some people would pay good money to get a free pass that allows them right in front of the stage and hence right under the nose of Min Yoongi.”

“Min who?”

Jimin waves his hand dismissively. “The rock star you couldn’t care less about but whose face you have to stare at through your camera lens tonight.”

Taehyung slings his camera bag on his shoulder and shoves the press pass into his back pocket. “Sure, whatever. Just point me in his direction when we get there.”

- or: the fic where Taehyung thinks Yoongi is an arrogant piece of shit (albeit a hot one), but as Jimin puts it, “Which memory is going to be more awesome to look back to when you’re eighty: the time when you went and fucked a rock star or the time when you didn’t and went home instead?”

Chasing the Sun by almostsophie1 [17.6k] [mature] ϟ

Yoongi calls it a phenomena.

Whatever it is, it brings Taehyung to Yoongi again and again, twining their lives together. If it's a kind of magic, it's not one that Yoongi understands. But it pulls Taehyung to him and him to Taehyung, and somehow that's all that matters.

Out to Lunch by roebling [19k] [teen]

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Taehyung is not above taking a soul-killing office job solely for the benefits. The drab cubicle he now calls home is bad enough, but his new boss Yoongi is possibly a robot and definitely an asshole. Vision and dental coverage are enticing, but Taehyung’s not sure how long he can stick this out.

Siren of the Interstate by fringecity (indiachick) [23k] [mature] ϟ ♡ 

Yoongi is a traveling salesman circling the same set of weird towns and highways. Taehyung is a gas-station clerk in the middle of nowhere.

"Won’t space be lonely?” Yoongi asks. Taehyung shrugs—Yoongi can feel him move beside him, just a finger-breadth away. “It’s lonely down here too.”

Heart of the Matter by fringecity (indiachick) [33k] [teen] ♡ 

Disaster witch Kim Taehyung meets perfect senior Min Yoongi in the poison greenhouses of witch school. Years later, Taehyung owns a clinic that fixes hearts, Yoongi has a celebrated apothecary, and they (don't) get along.

Harry Potter-ish, but not in that universe.

A Breeze Blows, and My Heart Swells by roebling [36.6k] [teen] ϟ

Former Idol Min Yoongi is struggling to write his next album. He knows he'll never live up to the success of his first solo outing, and the pressure is getting to him. After a series of minor scandals, his manager and best friend Jimin ships him off to Harmony Retreat, an ecotourism resort deep in the Daegu countryside. With electronics strictly forbidden and no company but a rooster, a dog, and his eccentric host Kim Taehyung, Yoongi's not sure how he's going to get through this -- let alone write a hit song.

a spoonful of suga by ellievolia [38.6k] [explicit] ϟ ♡ 

“Good evening, ladies and gents. You’re listening to First, the premium digital station, and this is Spoonful of Suga, hosted by your very own Suga. Relax, let the music do its job. We’ll be taking requests later, but first, please enjoy the next uninterrupted half hour of music.”

Min Yoongi, a late night radio show host, has a regular caller. He also has busybody best friends, too much music on his playlists, dreams that feel too big for his heart, and a genius dog.

Kim Taehyung works nights as a mortuary cosmetologist, likes to listen to the radio, and he also has a genius dog.

Say My Name (And I'll Lie in the Sound) by fadetomorrow [51k] [explicit] ♡ 

Taehyung wakes up 500 years in the past and catches feelings for a Joseon prince.

The Romance of Old Clothes by fringecity (indiachick) [59.6k] [explicit] ♡ 

Min Yoongi is an art director with zero tolerance for bullshit, looking for ultimate perfection in everything he creates. Kim Taehyung is the co-owner of a vintage fashion boutique who talks to clothes and learns magic from Tumblr.

It’s a match made in the depths of hell.

[“Taehyung-ah,” Seokjin says, wily and soft, “You’re not scared of meeting Yoongi, are you?” Taehyung knows this is bait. Seokjin knows this is bait. Even Yeontan, running circles around Taehyung now, knows this is bait. His angry brows are very expressive, and right now they’re saying 'don’t take the bait, don’t be a stupid fish.' Taehyung's a stupid fish.]

[it-refused]

so i like weird ships so i was thinking about sans/asgore because it hit me in the “let’s see if i can work something out” place.  

they must have known each other, considering both their characters, sans’ location in the judgement hall, the fact that both of them are just generally well known.  it isn’t a crack ship where you have to figure out a plausible reason they even know each other.  anyway i don’t really care about canon plausibility i’m not writing this fic i’m just here to have fun.  here’s how it would go if i was going to write something:

ok so asgore isn’t king anymore.  he does some gardening, his ex wife doesn’t hate him as much, and the agonizing weight of his past decision is no longer quite so overbearing.  maybe he isn’t living every day in absolute joy, but he isn’t creepily writing the same note in his diary every day in an unchanging home with chairs set for people who will never be there again.  

i imagine he still invites people over for tea all the time, and that’s the setup.  sans comes over for tea.  maybe he isn’t that into the tea itself, but he can mooch some free cookies and have some okay company while he’s doing that, and that’s about all a guy needs in life, right?  asgore tells him about his gardening projects and sans probably brags about papyrus and then asgore talks about how impressed he is by what papyrus is up to.  good times.

sans goes to his regular booze + bad anime night with alphys and after a few hours, one of those characters who hits on everyone shows up and alphys is like “That’s me!” and Sans is like “it took you like a year to tell your wife you liked her.”  She explains that it’s her, in her head, and starts just listing all her crushes.  Like, the ones she used to have, and the ones she has then. It’s all innocent, but she didn’t stop seeing hot people just because she’s married.  She mentions the ex-king, and Sans (who is also drunk) says something like “well you’d have to be blind not to have a thing for that guy.”  Alphys is like “Ohhh reallly???”  

She doesn’t plan on telling anyone, but it’s not a huge deal and it’s pretty funny  so at some point she jokes about it with Undyne.  Undyne mentions it to Asgore when they are having some kind of tea/father-daughter training session.  He is very concerned when he hears this.  Oh dear.  Has he been leading the weird little skeleton on, inviting him over all the time?  

He doesn’t stop having him over, and Sans continues to just obliviously shovel snacks into his face and tell Asgore that his plants look nice as like the toll he pays for his food.  After three tea times, Asgore can’t take the guilt any longer and he admits that he knows about Sans’ feelings.  Sans is like “what” and they have a whole conversation and Sans makes a few jokes like “can’t believe i don’t even have any lips and i’m getting the kiss off.”  He’s embarrassed, and annoyed with Alphys, but he just shrugs it off and tries to lighten the mood.  

He pretty quickly finds it funny how he got formally turned down by a guy whose like beard he thought was nice and that was the extent of his feelings.  He wants to joke around about it some more, but he can’t tell Toriel because she and Asgore get along ok but Sans doesn’t like to bring him up around her.  He can’t tell Alphys because he’s still mildly annoyed with her for putting him in that situation without any warning.  He ends up making it into a huge joke and telling Papyrus, since he knows Papyrus is interested in drama.

Papyrus’ reaction is “YOU ARE HAVING TEA WITH THE KING EVERY SINGLE WEEK?  AND YOU DID NOT INVITE YOUR INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BROTHER ALONG?”

and sans is like “you have tea with him all the time” “BUT NOT AS A REGULARLY SCHEDULED EVENT!”  sans tells him that asgore wants him to visit more often but he knows papyrus is busy and doesn’t want him to feel guilty about saying no.  Papyrus is like “BUT JUST BEING INVITED IS SUCH AN HONOR!”  “he isn’t even king anymore”  “THEN THE HONOR IS FOR HIM, TO HAVE REGULAR TEA WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”  

so papyrus starts hanging out with asgore more often (a couple weeks later sans comes home and papyrus is distraught and sans is like ‘woah what’s up bro’ “I AM TOO BUSY TO HAVE TEA WITH THE KING THIS WEEK!!” ‘well yeah that was going to happen you were prepared for this’  “HOW COULD ANYONE BE PREPARED FOR SO MUCH GUILT??”).  eventually papyrus thanks asgore for not bringing up sans’ crush again because he can tell it sort of embarrasses his brother.  he should let his heart heal, after such a blow.  

asgore kind of leans in and admits that he wishes he hadn’t been quite so hasty.  sans is actually very charming, once you get to know him.

papyrus short circuits trying to associate Comic “Fart Jokes” Sans w/ the word charming but asgore is like “maybe that’s not the right word”  “...FRIENDLY??” (There is desperation in Papyrus’ voice)  “Yes!  Something like that!”  

So this goes on for a while, with everyone talking to the wrong person about everything, until Asgore decides to give it a shot, and Sans is like “eh, why not.”  They go out sometimes, on the sorts of dates middle aged men go on when they’ve both been off the market for various reasons for a long time.  Asgore is usually overdressed and brings flowers.  Sans is a fashion plate, as you would expect.

Neither of them think it’s really...a long term thing, until it is.  

Sansgore is just a pairing bundled with interesting conflicts like...how does Sans bring it up with Toriel?  He probably tells her early on.  She doesn’t hate Asgore by this point, but she probably tells him it’s not a great idea.  She does think that Asgore should date, though, and she thinks Sans needs more people he has better than surface level friendships with.  And she does have her whole own life going on, and they can manage their own business, so she doesn’t really have too much trouble with it.

The conflict would come from maybe Asgore, at first, not liking how little she is bothered by it.  Sans, later on, wondering if the king likes him because he has the same sense of humor as his ex wife, so Sans is kind of a bargain bin toriel.  Sans does not bring up or mention this until it’s years down the line and he and asgore are having their first real argument.  It kind of messes Asgore up, because...maybe that slight similarity was what made him first interested?  whoops.

beyond asgore’s trouble letting go of his ex wife, and the obvious conflicts that would cause in new relationships, there would be a lot of other interesting story-generating differences.  I mean, there’s the obvious enormous size difference, which even in a G rated fic can be a source of a lot of entertainment.  both of them have a lot of bad shit in their pasts that they are responsible for, to whatever degree.  does sans ever bring up any of that?  he seems like he’d mostly be like “the past’s the past whatever” UNTIL the exact moment when bringing it up would be the most painful.  like, because asgore had said something that hurt him, but instead of telling him to lay off, he just nails him where it hurts.  

but, still, it seems like a very gentle pairing.  asgore isn’t brilliant, but he is very kind (uh, mostly) and he sincerely wants people to be happy and have hope.  is it strange to want sans to kind of...decide to protect that?  he can’t do that entirely.  asgore is entirely aware of the way the world is.  asgore was planning on murdering all of humanity, after all.  he didn’t want the monsters to go back to the surface at all, at first, because he thought there would just be another horrible war.  asgore’s seen and done shit.  sans can protect him, though, when people really want asgore to get back into politics, he can be like “eh, you did your time, you made your mistakes.  let’s just grab a burg at grillby’s and let the kids deal with it”  

like he thinks asgore makes a great mall santa.  the kids love him, they sit on his lap, he makes everyone happy. if he tries to do everything else that’s a part of the santa job, though, he’s not equipped.  everyone can buy presents for their own kids, and asgore can fill out the suit.  

anyway they eventually figure out the kid thing (maybe they make an arrangement with toriel or another boss monster, if it has to be a boss monster.  she’d probably have primary custody if she was involved.  or maybe there just has to be one boss monster, and asgore and sans or a surrogate have a kid and sans still goes first but asgore gets old and dies not too many years after him.  asgore always makes sure he has plenty of the kinds of flowers sans liked (asters?  water sausages?) around the house in the years he’s alone

the end

[cynthiajayusa]

Movie Schedule: The 2019 OUTshine Film Festival – Miami

Outshine Film Festival Miami Edition takes place from Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 28. During the first week (through Wednesday, April 24) the festival is showing 31 films plus 2 Men’s Shorts compilations. Here are some of the highlights, but to see a complete list of films and parties go to: OutshineFilm.com.

Thursday April 18th

Opening Night Film – Tell it to the Bees – 7pm

The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex  

Gripped by a failing marriage and the responsibilities of having a young son, Lydia (Critic’s Choice Nominee Holliday Grainger) finds solace in her growing bond with the town’s recently returned female doctor Jean (Academy & Golden Globe Award Winner Anna Paquin). But this is the 1950s in post-WWII rural Scotland, and the women’s relationship prompts raised eyebrows in their provincial circles. Based on the novel by Fiona Shaw, Tell It To The Bees is a story of courage in the face of terrifying intolerance and a heart-wrenching portrait of a love against all odds.

From here down all films are at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.

Friday April 19th 2019

(Work-In-Progress) – Sell By – 6:45 pm

Does every relationship have an expiration date? Adam and Marklin are about to find out. Their 5-year relationship has gone from a passionate flame to a medium burn, forcing them to reconcile with each other’s shortcomings all while watching their support network crumble around them. But in this mess, hope springs eternal as they all muddle their way through to try and make life work. Featuring Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, and Academy Award Nominee Patricia Clarkson; Sell By asks the timeless questions…how do you know who’s right for you and how do you know when to let go? In attendance will be writer/director Mike Doyle.

José – 9pm

José lives with his single mom in cramped quarters in Guatemala, a tough life in one of the world’s most dangerous, religious, and impoverished countries. His mother sells sandwiches, and he delivers food at the drive-by diner. Resigned and aloof, the one bright spot in his life is the face of his mobile phone – it literally lights up his evenings and helps him find men to hook up with in pay-by-the-hour hotels. That is, until construction worker Luis enters his life and José is thrust into a dimension of passion, pain and self-reflection previously unimaginable.

Saturday April 20th

The Ice King – 2:30pm

John Curry transformed ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. Coming out on the night of his Olympic win in 1976, he became the first openly gay Olympian in a time when homosexuality was not even fully legal. Toxic yet charming; rebellious yet elitist; emotionally aloof yet spectacularly needy; ferociously ambitious yet bent on self-destruction, this is a man forever on the run from his father’s ghost, his country, and even his own self. John Curry was no activist, but an artist expressing his authentic self – yet in a world where his existence was taboo, his life was unavoidably political.

Rainbow’s Sunset – 4:45pm

Elderly Senator Ramon, the pride of his small, provincial hometown, moves in with his terminally-ill best friend Fredo in his final days. It turns out that their connection goes beyond mere friendship, and the revelation of their relationship brings scandal to the town and conflict among his three adult children. It’s up to his saintly wife to restore harmony. Like the most polished of family melodrama, Rainbow’s Sunset bursts with generosity and heart, and yet veteran hit-maker Joel Lamagan subverts the genre, touching on old age, a subject that LGBTQ cinema has yet to explore.) In attendance will be executive producer Harlene Bautista.

Erik & Erika – 5:15pm

The true story of Erik/Erika Schinegger – the ski sensation that became a media sensation. Declared female at birth, Erika is raised as a girl until a gene test proves that she is genetically male. Athletic success turns to heartbreak as he is disqualified and accused of fraud. The National Ski Federation insists that he undergo a medical procedure to make him fully female. Erik finds himself alone, facing the most important and agonizing decision of his life. Erik & Erika follows his life as a woman, his ultimate transition to manhood and his fight for recognition in 1970’s Austria where there was no place in the social dictionary for a word like transgender.

An Almost Ordinary Summer (Croce e Delizia) – 7pm

Two very different families spend their holidays in the same seaside house: the aristocratic Castelvecchio’s – open-minded, eccentric, but quite selfish – and the working-class Petagna’s – very tight-knit and united around solid conservative values. What brought such distant worlds together? Only Tony and Carlo, the two middle-aged heads of the families, know! The unexpected announcement of their engagement will disrupt an apparently ordinary summer and turn the lives of everyone around them upside down. With the wedding already set for three weeks, even more chaos will ensue.

Ppapi Chulo – 9:15pm

Cast adrift in Los Angeles, lonely TV weatherman Sean (Golden Globe Winner Matt Bomer) drives past a middle-aged Latino migrant worker standing outside a hardware store looking for work. He decides to hire this kind-looking man – to be his friend. Sean is young, gay and white; Ernesto is portly, straight and married. Despite the language barrier and having nothing in common, they build a sort of friendship – until Sean becomes consumed with a deeper obsessive need. Papi Chulo is a black comedy about loneliness and the desire to find connection across clear racial and socio-economic lines.

Euphoria (Euforia) – 9:45pm

Matteo is a young successful entrepreneur who is open-minded, charming and dynamic. His brother Ettore, who still lives in the small provincial town where they were born, is a cautious and honest man who has always stayed out of the spotlight out of fear of making mistakes. They are two apparently very distant people. However, a difficult situation results in the two brothers being given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they soon discover that they have a surprisingly close bond in a vortex of fragility and tenderness, fear and euphoria.

Sunday April 21st

Tackling Life – 12:15pm

Adam, Nico and Su are members of Germany’s first gay rugby team. Tackling Life portrays their everyday lives and follows them into the world of the sport, showing their struggle for recognition – in competition with the hetero regional league teams – as well as their community involvement: gathering money at colorful fundraisers and visiting schools to give anti-bullying workshops. Looking beyond the surface of self-presentation and cliché, we focus on how our trio copes with the challenges of everyday life and their search for belonging. Alternating aggressive, vibrant athletics with quiet observation, the film is fragile and profound, but also spectacular and loud.   

Birds of the Borderlands – 4:45pm

Genderqueer Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon’s intense and compelling piece of guerrilla filmmaking powerfully illuminates four queer Arab stories: Jordanian teenager Hiba is transitioning in secret, fearful of being killed by her Bedouin tribe; Gay Iraqi refugee Youssef fled Baghdad and is living in limbo in Bryon’s safe house in Amman; Lesbian feminist Rasha hides her sexuality and her relationship with Bryon from her family while striving for LGBTIQ visibility; and Khalaf, a gay Imam turned activist, lives a lonely life in Beirut. As Bryon becomes more entangled in their struggles blurring the lines between lover, friend, filmmaker, and activist, tensions explode and a dangerous crisis emerges.     

The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh) – 5:15pm

Egor is a fearless state forest guard in the Siberian Taiga. He is a good family man, respected by his fellow villagers. He and his wife Natalia are expecting a second child. But one day Egor finds out that he has cancer and only two months left to live. No traditional medicine or shamanic magic can save him. As a last resort, he chooses to take the identity of a woman so death can’t find him. He finds that his new identity is his true self and his family and the local society now have to accept the new Egor.   

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – 7:30pm

Sixteen-year-old Jamie New lives on a council estate in Sheffield and doesn’t quite fit in. He is terrified about the future, but little does he know – he is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness into the drag queen spotlight. Filmed live from London’s West End, with songs that have the wow factor, this funny, fabulous, feel-good, musical sensation will sweep you away on a tide of mischief, warmth and exuberance.      

Monday April 22nd

The Harvesters (Die Stropers) – 6:45pm

A raw, atmospheric drama about masculinity in South Africa’s “Bible Belt”. The central province of Free State is a stronghold of the white Afrikaner minority. In this conservative farming territory obsessed with strength and masculinity, Janno is different – a delicate and sensitive boy. When his religious mother takes in a Pieter – a hardened street orphan – to save, she asks Janno for help. Janno is supposed to accept Pieter as a brother, but the two boys struggle for power, tradition, and parental love.     

Memories Of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) – 9:15pm

Juno is just a child when his father abandons him in their village of Center Java. Alone now, he joins a Lengger dance center where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. But the sensuality and sexuality that come from dance and bodies, mixed with the violent social and political Indonesian environment, force Juno to move from village to village. If on his journey Juno gets attention and love from his dance teachers, his weird aunty, his old uncle, a handsome boxer, and a Warok, he still has to face by himself the battlefield that his body is becoming.      

Tuesday April 23rd

Third Wedding (Troisièmes Noces) –  6:45pm

US PREMIERE – Recently widowed Martin is overcome with grief after his beloved husband dies in a car accident. When a friend asks him to marry Tamara, a 20-year-old young Congolese woman who doesn’t have any papers, the gay 50-year-old refuses at first, then agrees when he’s offered a sum of money that will allow him to keep the house he shared with his husband. Different on every level, they’ll need to make their love believable to the authorities – but if they pretend long enough, they might learn to love each other… in their own way!        

Neverland (Nevrland) – 9:15pm

17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive, yet uncontrollable anxiety attacks force him to escape into fictional and virtual worlds. A chance encounter in a sex-cam-chat marks the beginning of an online relationship with the gorgeous and seemingly perfect 26-year-old Kristjan. It’s not until the death of Jakob’s only true emotional attachment, his grandfather, that he is willing to meet up with Kristjan in real life. Over the course of one night, they embark on a transpersonal journey to the wounds of their soul where Jakob must face his biggest fear.

Wednesday April 24th

Centerpiece Film – Retablo – 7:00 PM

14-year-old Segundo is following in his father’s footsteps in the traditional folk art of crafting intricate, artisan story-boxes. Segundo reveres his father, and when he stumbles across a heartbreaking secret his father is harboring, Segundo will come to face the raw reality of his deeply religious and conservative landscape, as well as a more profound connection with his father than he’d ever imagined. Retablo masterfully explores the weight of heritage, the boundaries of love, and the burdens of family expectations, as well as the complexity of accepting our parents for who they really are.    

Mr. Leather – 9pm

In 2018, the second edition of the Mr. Leather Brazil competition was held. Five individuals vie to wear the sash, each with their own backstory. The winner will be crowned by Brazil’s first Mr. Leather, Dom Barbudo, the person most admired within the country’s leather community. Along with the title comes a year-long commitment to promote the culture of the leather community throughout the country. Whether part of the leather and/or fetish lifestyle or simply intrigued by it, Mr. Leather will raise the spirits and the understanding of an often-misunderstood community.

source https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/movie-schedule-the-2019-outshine-film-festival-miami/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazin.blogspot.com/2019/04/movie-schedule-2019-outshine-film.html

[demitgibbs]

Movie Schedule: The 2019 OUTshine Film Festival – Miami

Outshine Film Festival Miami Edition takes place from Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 28. During the first week (through Wednesday, April 24) the festival is showing 31 films plus 2 Men’s Shorts compilations. Here are some of the highlights, but to see a complete list of films and parties go to: OutshineFilm.com.

Thursday April 18th

Opening Night Film – Tell it to the Bees – 7pm

The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex  

Gripped by a failing marriage and the responsibilities of having a young son, Lydia (Critic’s Choice Nominee Holliday Grainger) finds solace in her growing bond with the town’s recently returned female doctor Jean (Academy & Golden Globe Award Winner Anna Paquin). But this is the 1950s in post-WWII rural Scotland, and the women’s relationship prompts raised eyebrows in their provincial circles. Based on the novel by Fiona Shaw, Tell It To The Bees is a story of courage in the face of terrifying intolerance and a heart-wrenching portrait of a love against all odds.

From here down all films are at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.

Friday April 19th 2019

(Work-In-Progress) – Sell By – 6:45 pm

Does every relationship have an expiration date? Adam and Marklin are about to find out. Their 5-year relationship has gone from a passionate flame to a medium burn, forcing them to reconcile with each other’s shortcomings all while watching their support network crumble around them. But in this mess, hope springs eternal as they all muddle their way through to try and make life work. Featuring Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, and Academy Award Nominee Patricia Clarkson; Sell By asks the timeless questions…how do you know who’s right for you and how do you know when to let go? In attendance will be writer/director Mike Doyle.

José – 9pm

José lives with his single mom in cramped quarters in Guatemala, a tough life in one of the world’s most dangerous, religious, and impoverished countries. His mother sells sandwiches, and he delivers food at the drive-by diner. Resigned and aloof, the one bright spot in his life is the face of his mobile phone – it literally lights up his evenings and helps him find men to hook up with in pay-by-the-hour hotels. That is, until construction worker Luis enters his life and José is thrust into a dimension of passion, pain and self-reflection previously unimaginable.

Saturday April 20th

The Ice King – 2:30pm

John Curry transformed ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. Coming out on the night of his Olympic win in 1976, he became the first openly gay Olympian in a time when homosexuality was not even fully legal. Toxic yet charming; rebellious yet elitist; emotionally aloof yet spectacularly needy; ferociously ambitious yet bent on self-destruction, this is a man forever on the run from his father’s ghost, his country, and even his own self. John Curry was no activist, but an artist expressing his authentic self – yet in a world where his existence was taboo, his life was unavoidably political.

Rainbow’s Sunset – 4:45pm

Elderly Senator Ramon, the pride of his small, provincial hometown, moves in with his terminally-ill best friend Fredo in his final days. It turns out that their connection goes beyond mere friendship, and the revelation of their relationship brings scandal to the town and conflict among his three adult children. It’s up to his saintly wife to restore harmony. Like the most polished of family melodrama, Rainbow’s Sunset bursts with generosity and heart, and yet veteran hit-maker Joel Lamagan subverts the genre, touching on old age, a subject that LGBTQ cinema has yet to explore.) In attendance will be executive producer Harlene Bautista.

Erik & Erika – 5:15pm

The true story of Erik/Erika Schinegger – the ski sensation that became a media sensation. Declared female at birth, Erika is raised as a girl until a gene test proves that she is genetically male. Athletic success turns to heartbreak as he is disqualified and accused of fraud. The National Ski Federation insists that he undergo a medical procedure to make him fully female. Erik finds himself alone, facing the most important and agonizing decision of his life. Erik & Erika follows his life as a woman, his ultimate transition to manhood and his fight for recognition in 1970’s Austria where there was no place in the social dictionary for a word like transgender.

An Almost Ordinary Summer (Croce e Delizia) – 7pm

Two very different families spend their holidays in the same seaside house: the aristocratic Castelvecchio’s – open-minded, eccentric, but quite selfish – and the working-class Petagna’s – very tight-knit and united around solid conservative values. What brought such distant worlds together? Only Tony and Carlo, the two middle-aged heads of the families, know! The unexpected announcement of their engagement will disrupt an apparently ordinary summer and turn the lives of everyone around them upside down. With the wedding already set for three weeks, even more chaos will ensue.

Ppapi Chulo – 9:15pm

Cast adrift in Los Angeles, lonely TV weatherman Sean (Golden Globe Winner Matt Bomer) drives past a middle-aged Latino migrant worker standing outside a hardware store looking for work. He decides to hire this kind-looking man – to be his friend. Sean is young, gay and white; Ernesto is portly, straight and married. Despite the language barrier and having nothing in common, they build a sort of friendship – until Sean becomes consumed with a deeper obsessive need. Papi Chulo is a black comedy about loneliness and the desire to find connection across clear racial and socio-economic lines.

Euphoria (Euforia) – 9:45pm

Matteo is a young successful entrepreneur who is open-minded, charming and dynamic. His brother Ettore, who still lives in the small provincial town where they were born, is a cautious and honest man who has always stayed out of the spotlight out of fear of making mistakes. They are two apparently very distant people. However, a difficult situation results in the two brothers being given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they soon discover that they have a surprisingly close bond in a vortex of fragility and tenderness, fear and euphoria.

Sunday April 21st

Tackling Life – 12:15pm

Adam, Nico and Su are members of Germany’s first gay rugby team. Tackling Life portrays their everyday lives and follows them into the world of the sport, showing their struggle for recognition – in competition with the hetero regional league teams – as well as their community involvement: gathering money at colorful fundraisers and visiting schools to give anti-bullying workshops. Looking beyond the surface of self-presentation and cliché, we focus on how our trio copes with the challenges of everyday life and their search for belonging. Alternating aggressive, vibrant athletics with quiet observation, the film is fragile and profound, but also spectacular and loud.   

Birds of the Borderlands – 4:45pm

Genderqueer Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon’s intense and compelling piece of guerrilla filmmaking powerfully illuminates four queer Arab stories: Jordanian teenager Hiba is transitioning in secret, fearful of being killed by her Bedouin tribe; Gay Iraqi refugee Youssef fled Baghdad and is living in limbo in Bryon’s safe house in Amman; Lesbian feminist Rasha hides her sexuality and her relationship with Bryon from her family while striving for LGBTIQ visibility; and Khalaf, a gay Imam turned activist, lives a lonely life in Beirut. As Bryon becomes more entangled in their struggles blurring the lines between lover, friend, filmmaker, and activist, tensions explode and a dangerous crisis emerges.     

The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh) – 5:15pm

Egor is a fearless state forest guard in the Siberian Taiga. He is a good family man, respected by his fellow villagers. He and his wife Natalia are expecting a second child. But one day Egor finds out that he has cancer and only two months left to live. No traditional medicine or shamanic magic can save him. As a last resort, he chooses to take the identity of a woman so death can’t find him. He finds that his new identity is his true self and his family and the local society now have to accept the new Egor.   

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – 7:30pm

Sixteen-year-old Jamie New lives on a council estate in Sheffield and doesn’t quite fit in. He is terrified about the future, but little does he know – he is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness into the drag queen spotlight. Filmed live from London’s West End, with songs that have the wow factor, this funny, fabulous, feel-good, musical sensation will sweep you away on a tide of mischief, warmth and exuberance.      

Monday April 22nd

The Harvesters (Die Stropers) – 6:45pm

A raw, atmospheric drama about masculinity in South Africa’s “Bible Belt”. The central province of Free State is a stronghold of the white Afrikaner minority. In this conservative farming territory obsessed with strength and masculinity, Janno is different – a delicate and sensitive boy. When his religious mother takes in a Pieter – a hardened street orphan – to save, she asks Janno for help. Janno is supposed to accept Pieter as a brother, but the two boys struggle for power, tradition, and parental love.     

Memories Of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) – 9:15pm

Juno is just a child when his father abandons him in their village of Center Java. Alone now, he joins a Lengger dance center where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. But the sensuality and sexuality that come from dance and bodies, mixed with the violent social and political Indonesian environment, force Juno to move from village to village. If on his journey Juno gets attention and love from his dance teachers, his weird aunty, his old uncle, a handsome boxer, and a Warok, he still has to face by himself the battlefield that his body is becoming.      

Tuesday April 23rd

Third Wedding (Troisièmes Noces) –  6:45pm

US PREMIERE – Recently widowed Martin is overcome with grief after his beloved husband dies in a car accident. When a friend asks him to marry Tamara, a 20-year-old young Congolese woman who doesn’t have any papers, the gay 50-year-old refuses at first, then agrees when he’s offered a sum of money that will allow him to keep the house he shared with his husband. Different on every level, they’ll need to make their love believable to the authorities – but if they pretend long enough, they might learn to love each other… in their own way!        

Neverland (Nevrland) – 9:15pm

17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive, yet uncontrollable anxiety attacks force him to escape into fictional and virtual worlds. A chance encounter in a sex-cam-chat marks the beginning of an online relationship with the gorgeous and seemingly perfect 26-year-old Kristjan. It’s not until the death of Jakob’s only true emotional attachment, his grandfather, that he is willing to meet up with Kristjan in real life. Over the course of one night, they embark on a transpersonal journey to the wounds of their soul where Jakob must face his biggest fear.

Wednesday April 24th

Centerpiece Film – Retablo – 7:00 PM

14-year-old Segundo is following in his father’s footsteps in the traditional folk art of crafting intricate, artisan story-boxes. Segundo reveres his father, and when he stumbles across a heartbreaking secret his father is harboring, Segundo will come to face the raw reality of his deeply religious and conservative landscape, as well as a more profound connection with his father than he’d ever imagined. Retablo masterfully explores the weight of heritage, the boundaries of love, and the burdens of family expectations, as well as the complexity of accepting our parents for who they really are.    

Mr. Leather – 9pm

In 2018, the second edition of the Mr. Leather Brazil competition was held. Five individuals vie to wear the sash, each with their own backstory. The winner will be crowned by Brazil’s first Mr. Leather, Dom Barbudo, the person most admired within the country’s leather community. Along with the title comes a year-long commitment to promote the culture of the leather community throughout the country. Whether part of the leather and/or fetish lifestyle or simply intrigued by it, Mr. Leather will raise the spirits and the understanding of an often-misunderstood community.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/movie-schedule-the-2019-outshine-film-festival-miami/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/184272242865

[hotspotsmagazine]

Movie Schedule: The 2019 OUTshine Film Festival – Miami

Outshine Film Festival Miami Edition takes place from Thursday, April 18 through Sunday, April 28. During the first week (through Wednesday, April 24) the festival is showing 31 films plus 2 Men’s Shorts compilations. Here are some of the highlights, but to see a complete list of films and parties go to: OutshineFilm.com.

Thursday April 18th

Opening Night Film – Tell it to the Bees – 7pm

The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex  

Gripped by a failing marriage and the responsibilities of having a young son, Lydia (Critic’s Choice Nominee Holliday Grainger) finds solace in her growing bond with the town’s recently returned female doctor Jean (Academy & Golden Globe Award Winner Anna Paquin). But this is the 1950s in post-WWII rural Scotland, and the women’s relationship prompts raised eyebrows in their provincial circles. Based on the novel by Fiona Shaw, Tell It To The Bees is a story of courage in the face of terrifying intolerance and a heart-wrenching portrait of a love against all odds.

From here down all films are at the Regal Cinemas South Beach.

Friday April 19th 2019

(Work-In-Progress) – Sell By – 6:45 pm

Does every relationship have an expiration date? Adam and Marklin are about to find out. Their 5-year relationship has gone from a passionate flame to a medium burn, forcing them to reconcile with each other’s shortcomings all while watching their support network crumble around them. But in this mess, hope springs eternal as they all muddle their way through to try and make life work. Featuring Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Kate Walsh, and Academy Award Nominee Patricia Clarkson; Sell By asks the timeless questions…how do you know who’s right for you and how do you know when to let go? In attendance will be writer/director Mike Doyle.

José – 9pm

José lives with his single mom in cramped quarters in Guatemala, a tough life in one of the world’s most dangerous, religious, and impoverished countries. His mother sells sandwiches, and he delivers food at the drive-by diner. Resigned and aloof, the one bright spot in his life is the face of his mobile phone – it literally lights up his evenings and helps him find men to hook up with in pay-by-the-hour hotels. That is, until construction worker Luis enters his life and José is thrust into a dimension of passion, pain and self-reflection previously unimaginable.

Saturday April 20th

The Ice King – 2:30pm

John Curry transformed ice-skating from a dated sport into an exalted art form. Coming out on the night of his Olympic win in 1976, he became the first openly gay Olympian in a time when homosexuality was not even fully legal. Toxic yet charming; rebellious yet elitist; emotionally aloof yet spectacularly needy; ferociously ambitious yet bent on self-destruction, this is a man forever on the run from his father’s ghost, his country, and even his own self. John Curry was no activist, but an artist expressing his authentic self – yet in a world where his existence was taboo, his life was unavoidably political.

Rainbow’s Sunset – 4:45pm

Elderly Senator Ramon, the pride of his small, provincial hometown, moves in with his terminally-ill best friend Fredo in his final days. It turns out that their connection goes beyond mere friendship, and the revelation of their relationship brings scandal to the town and conflict among his three adult children. It’s up to his saintly wife to restore harmony. Like the most polished of family melodrama, Rainbow’s Sunset bursts with generosity and heart, and yet veteran hit-maker Joel Lamagan subverts the genre, touching on old age, a subject that LGBTQ cinema has yet to explore.) In attendance will be executive producer Harlene Bautista.

Erik & Erika – 5:15pm

The true story of Erik/Erika Schinegger – the ski sensation that became a media sensation. Declared female at birth, Erika is raised as a girl until a gene test proves that she is genetically male. Athletic success turns to heartbreak as he is disqualified and accused of fraud. The National Ski Federation insists that he undergo a medical procedure to make him fully female. Erik finds himself alone, facing the most important and agonizing decision of his life. Erik & Erika follows his life as a woman, his ultimate transition to manhood and his fight for recognition in 1970’s Austria where there was no place in the social dictionary for a word like transgender.

An Almost Ordinary Summer (Croce e Delizia) – 7pm

Two very different families spend their holidays in the same seaside house: the aristocratic Castelvecchio’s – open-minded, eccentric, but quite selfish – and the working-class Petagna’s – very tight-knit and united around solid conservative values. What brought such distant worlds together? Only Tony and Carlo, the two middle-aged heads of the families, know! The unexpected announcement of their engagement will disrupt an apparently ordinary summer and turn the lives of everyone around them upside down. With the wedding already set for three weeks, even more chaos will ensue.

Ppapi Chulo – 9:15pm

Cast adrift in Los Angeles, lonely TV weatherman Sean (Golden Globe Winner Matt Bomer) drives past a middle-aged Latino migrant worker standing outside a hardware store looking for work. He decides to hire this kind-looking man – to be his friend. Sean is young, gay and white; Ernesto is portly, straight and married. Despite the language barrier and having nothing in common, they build a sort of friendship – until Sean becomes consumed with a deeper obsessive need. Papi Chulo is a black comedy about loneliness and the desire to find connection across clear racial and socio-economic lines.

Euphoria (Euforia) – 9:45pm

Matteo is a young successful entrepreneur who is open-minded, charming and dynamic. His brother Ettore, who still lives in the small provincial town where they were born, is a cautious and honest man who has always stayed out of the spotlight out of fear of making mistakes. They are two apparently very distant people. However, a difficult situation results in the two brothers being given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they soon discover that they have a surprisingly close bond in a vortex of fragility and tenderness, fear and euphoria.

Sunday April 21st

Tackling Life – 12:15pm

Adam, Nico and Su are members of Germany’s first gay rugby team. Tackling Life portrays their everyday lives and follows them into the world of the sport, showing their struggle for recognition – in competition with the hetero regional league teams – as well as their community involvement: gathering money at colorful fundraisers and visiting schools to give anti-bullying workshops. Looking beyond the surface of self-presentation and cliché, we focus on how our trio copes with the challenges of everyday life and their search for belonging. Alternating aggressive, vibrant athletics with quiet observation, the film is fragile and profound, but also spectacular and loud.   

Birds of the Borderlands – 4:45pm

Genderqueer Australian filmmaker Jordan Bryon’s intense and compelling piece of guerrilla filmmaking powerfully illuminates four queer Arab stories: Jordanian teenager Hiba is transitioning in secret, fearful of being killed by her Bedouin tribe; Gay Iraqi refugee Youssef fled Baghdad and is living in limbo in Bryon’s safe house in Amman; Lesbian feminist Rasha hides her sexuality and her relationship with Bryon from her family while striving for LGBTIQ visibility; and Khalaf, a gay Imam turned activist, lives a lonely life in Beirut. As Bryon becomes more entangled in their struggles blurring the lines between lover, friend, filmmaker, and activist, tensions explode and a dangerous crisis emerges.     

The Man Who Surprised Everyone (Tchelovek Kotorij Udivil Vseh) – 5:15pm

Egor is a fearless state forest guard in the Siberian Taiga. He is a good family man, respected by his fellow villagers. He and his wife Natalia are expecting a second child. But one day Egor finds out that he has cancer and only two months left to live. No traditional medicine or shamanic magic can save him. As a last resort, he chooses to take the identity of a woman so death can’t find him. He finds that his new identity is his true self and his family and the local society now have to accept the new Egor.   

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – 7:30pm

Sixteen-year-old Jamie New lives on a council estate in Sheffield and doesn’t quite fit in. He is terrified about the future, but little does he know – he is going to be a sensation. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies and steps out of the darkness into the drag queen spotlight. Filmed live from London’s West End, with songs that have the wow factor, this funny, fabulous, feel-good, musical sensation will sweep you away on a tide of mischief, warmth and exuberance.      

Monday April 22nd

The Harvesters (Die Stropers) – 6:45pm

A raw, atmospheric drama about masculinity in South Africa’s “Bible Belt”. The central province of Free State is a stronghold of the white Afrikaner minority. In this conservative farming territory obsessed with strength and masculinity, Janno is different – a delicate and sensitive boy. When his religious mother takes in a Pieter – a hardened street orphan – to save, she asks Janno for help. Janno is supposed to accept Pieter as a brother, but the two boys struggle for power, tradition, and parental love.     

Memories Of My Body (Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku) – 9:15pm

Juno is just a child when his father abandons him in their village of Center Java. Alone now, he joins a Lengger dance center where men shape their feminine appearance and movement. But the sensuality and sexuality that come from dance and bodies, mixed with the violent social and political Indonesian environment, force Juno to move from village to village. If on his journey Juno gets attention and love from his dance teachers, his weird aunty, his old uncle, a handsome boxer, and a Warok, he still has to face by himself the battlefield that his body is becoming.      

Tuesday April 23rd

Third Wedding (Troisièmes Noces) –  6:45pm

US PREMIERE – Recently widowed Martin is overcome with grief after his beloved husband dies in a car accident. When a friend asks him to marry Tamara, a 20-year-old young Congolese woman who doesn’t have any papers, the gay 50-year-old refuses at first, then agrees when he’s offered a sum of money that will allow him to keep the house he shared with his husband. Different on every level, they’ll need to make their love believable to the authorities – but if they pretend long enough, they might learn to love each other… in their own way!        

Neverland (Nevrland) – 9:15pm

17-year-old Jakob wants nothing more than to feel alive, yet uncontrollable anxiety attacks force him to escape into fictional and virtual worlds. A chance encounter in a sex-cam-chat marks the beginning of an online relationship with the gorgeous and seemingly perfect 26-year-old Kristjan. It’s not until the death of Jakob’s only true emotional attachment, his grandfather, that he is willing to meet up with Kristjan in real life. Over the course of one night, they embark on a transpersonal journey to the wounds of their soul where Jakob must face his biggest fear.

Wednesday April 24th

Centerpiece Film – Retablo – 7:00 PM

14-year-old Segundo is following in his father’s footsteps in the traditional folk art of crafting intricate, artisan story-boxes. Segundo reveres his father, and when he stumbles across a heartbreaking secret his father is harboring, Segundo will come to face the raw reality of his deeply religious and conservative landscape, as well as a more profound connection with his father than he’d ever imagined. Retablo masterfully explores the weight of heritage, the boundaries of love, and the burdens of family expectations, as well as the complexity of accepting our parents for who they really are.    

Mr. Leather – 9pm

In 2018, the second edition of the Mr. Leather Brazil competition was held. Five individuals vie to wear the sash, each with their own backstory. The winner will be crowned by Brazil’s first Mr. Leather, Dom Barbudo, the person most admired within the country’s leather community. Along with the title comes a year-long commitment to promote the culture of the leather community throughout the country. Whether part of the leather and/or fetish lifestyle or simply intrigued by it, Mr. Leather will raise the spirits and the understanding of an often-misunderstood community.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2019/04/18/movie-schedule-the-2019-outshine-film-festival-miami/

[theconservativebrief]

Every week, we pick a new episode of the week. It could be good. It could be bad. It will always be interesting. You can read the archives here. The episode of the week for July 29 through August 4 is “Ship Happens,” the 17th episode of the 10th season of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City.

Like photos on online dating apps, Bravo’s Real Housewives betrays the reality of the situation. There’s nothing “real” about the stars of the network’s long-running franchise other than that the women Bravo and executive producer Andy Cohen have assembled are living, breathing humans.

They aren’t so much a circle of friends as they are cast members bound by contracts: Every time a new housewife is absorbed into the rolling snowball of a franchise, she’s introduced as some friend that we’ve never seen before, even though we’ve seen most of the people the cast has hung out with over the last few seasons. They also aren’t housewives: Many of women on Real Housewives series like Orange County and Atlanta are divorced, and on the current season of New York City, none of the housewives is currently married.

But after years of watching the franchise’s various series, I’ve come to realize that I don’t mind being lied to.

When our days are brimming with news about threats of nuclear war, election-rigging, Paul Manafort’s weird clothes and various alleged crimes, alt-right smear campaigns, conspiracy theorists, cryptozoological erotica, fire consuming the planet, and miles of sea trash, the only thing that I want to watch at night is something that will massage my brain to mush. And this season of Real Housewives of New York City has risen to the occasion spectacularly.

Led by Bethenny Frankel, a business owner who made her fortune tempting women (and men) with the promise of low-calorie beverages that will still get you drunk, the women this year have given the decade-old series what might just be its best single season yet.

Luann de Lesseps was arrested, slipped her hands out of cuffs, then proceeded to tell a police officer she was going to kill him. Tinsley Mortimer lives in a luxury building that offers room service. Carole Radziwill runs marathons and thinks feathers are clothes. Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan have become the series’ Statler and Waldorf, except horny and drunk instead of old and grumpy. And Dorinda Medley, much like a gremlin, apparently cannot be given a drink after midnight or she turns into a vengeful, malevolent spirit.

It takes a special kind of person to be okay with appearing on a show that’s designed to bring out the ugliest in you. All these women, despite their surface differences, share this trait, and that’s part of the appeal: watching irrationally rich women drop their facades of elegance and sophistication to reveal their ugliest selves in an attempt to — and this is the fantastic twist — remain relevant enough to stay on for another season.

That appeal has grown ever-stronger during a season that also featured a night when two fights broke out at the same dinner on opposite sides of the table, and, like a tennis match, the cameras had to swivel to keep up with the beauty of what was happening. But the zenith of this season was this week’s “Ship It,” a glorious pocket of 40-something minutes in which a housewife literally shitting herself is the third subplot of the episode.

RHONY cast members Sonja and Ramona on their cruise from hell Bravo

The reason this season of RHONY was so anticipated among Housewives fans has to do with the real-life stuff that happened to the cast between seasons. Usually, the big events that happen on reality shows (especially competitive reality shows) remain under wraps, thanks in large part to NDAs. But the Real Housewives is an exception, since the messiness of their own lives — divorces, bankruptcies, foreclosures, lawsuits et. al. — tends to be public knowledge, thanks to ongoing tabloid coverage of them between seasons. These incidents often become plotlines on the following season, turning reality into a teaser of what to expect on the show.

And by Real Housewives standards, reality this year was the equivalent of a trailer for Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War.

In February, Page Six reported that the RHONY cast was stuck on a “cruise from hell” in Cartagena, Colombia. “They all thought they were going to die and they were hysterical,” a source told Page Six. “Bethenny [Frankel], Ramona [Singer] and Dorinda [Medley] were soaked and screaming hysterically, Carole [Radziwill] and Tinsley [Mortimer] were literally throwing up from seasickness. They were far out to sea and they thought they were going down like the Titanic.”

When this report published, Housewives fans immediately began calculating just how many days until it would be until the premiere on April 4, and the additional calculus needed to determine at what point in the season the cast would be taking their ill-fated boat trip. And this week, on the steamy first day of August, the cruise from hell appeared like an off-season Christmas present.

As is the case with so many reality-based series, the unsung heroes of Real Housewives are the editors. Knowing that everyone was tuning in to see their housewives in an infernal situation, they made sure to include moments where some of the women had second thoughts about going on the boat ride.

“Get off the island is what you’re going to be saying,” Sonja tells Luann in jest.

“Can we cancel the boat trip?” Carole asks the women shortly after a fight erupts at breakfast.

“I think I’m just gonna stay and go into town,” Dorina says, after playing her part in said breakfast fight.

Foreshadowing the cruise with lines like this gave “Ship It” the feeling of a horror movie, full of dread-soaked portent. More than the event itself, the lead-up to the cruise provided the episode’s main tension, taking advantage of viewers’ knowledge that everyone we’re watching go against their guts will soon be puking them up.

Bravo

To be quite clear, I don’t think anyone tuning into “Ship It” was hoping for anything bad to happen to the housewives that goes beyond a fall into a bush or some consensual buggery by a man dressed as a pirate. No one looking forward to the cursed cruise was wishing for real harm to come to these housewives; no one really wanted any housewife to die on that boat.

What we do want to watch is these women reacting to mildly preposterous situations. After all, they are masters of turning the most first world of problems into storylines. For example, this season Bethenny and Carole are fighting over Bethenny saying that Carole’s boyfriend asked to be comped during a relief trip to Puerto Rico and that Carole is being “too cool” on Instagram.

Watching these rich women puking and sobbing on a fiery luxury liner in the choppy waters off of Cartagena, Colombia was supposed to be a bonanza of such first-world freakouts. But while there was some footage of various members puking and getting rocked by waves, Bravo put up a title card in the middle of the show (above) that said they had to stop filming when the situation became too dangerous (though there was some audio of the housewives’ screams that survived the storm). The boat ride from hell had gone from main attraction to bonus feature.

But that inconsequentiality is part of the sly beauty of the Housewives franchise, where the draw is precisely that nothing too serious ever happens. You never feel like any episode needs to be watched right here and now — the plot will never leave you behind. And you don’t need to watch every episode, or even pay close attention to what’s happening on screen, to know that someone is fighting with someone else over something impossibly superficial. That never changes.

With the exception of a few women like Bethenny and Atlanta’s NeNe Leakes, who broke into mainstream success and then retreated back into the cushy world of Real Housewives, the housewives are in a holding pattern of petty dramas and jagged cross-talk, perpetually auditioning for the next season, when they will reset and sharpen themselves up for another round robin of bickering and alliance-building.

And when reality — or the cameras that fail to capture it amid choppy waters — doesn’t provide enough drama to keep the Real Housewives engines purring, the series and its cast know precisely how and when to goose the situation.

At the end of “Ship It,” we’re told that the women, allegedly the upper crust of Manhattan, are stricken with diarrhea, inciting a rash of toilet paper thievery and sweaty rushes to the bathroom. Luann, the tallest housewife, shamelessly reveals to the women as they file into the cab to go to the airport that she defecated in her own bed, as the camera wistfully pans to the poor woman scrubbing away the last of the housewives’ brief reign of terror. Luann chuckles as she tells the story, clearly happy to get back New York City and bid goodbye to Cartagena. She isn’t the least bit sad or regretful about a vacation that brought her fights and left her almost-shipwrecked and diarrhea-stricken. Why would she be? It made for memorable TV.

Original Source -> The Real Housewives of New York City boat ride from hell was peak Real Housewives

via The Conservative Brief