#the secrets are what she had to hold back from her songwriting

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[writersblockiskillingme]

I Know Places | Taylor Swift

Pairing: Taylor Swift x fem!reader (actress!reader)

Summary: Taylor and you try everything in your power to hide your relationship from paparazzi during your date.

Warning/s: a bit of angst and a bit of fluff, allusions to homophobia, paparazzi, secret relationship, kissing, fear of getting hate, some parts of the song are removed (I'm sorry), a few curse words, grammar and spelling mistakes

Author's note: Was listening to I know places Taylor's Version while doing homework and got ✨️inspired✨️ so here you go.

You stand with your hand on my waistline

It's a scene, and we're out here in plain sight

I can hear them whisper as we pass by

It's a bad sign, bad sign

You could feel excitement fill every inch of your body as you walked alongside your adoring girlfriend, Taylor, along the surprisingly, but intentionally, quiet narrow street while your hand was securely locked onto her waist as she had her arm placed around your shoulders.

It was a very hot summer day in New York, the sun was at it's highest peek and surprisingly, even thought it's New York, not a lot of people were out. Instead of enjoying the heat and the light, almost nonexistent cool breeze, like Taylor and you, a lot of people stayed at home in desperate need of cooling down.

But the heat didn't bother you as you both walked along the street with your sundresses on. Taylor's blue sundress was matching her eyes perfectly, she almost looked too good to be real. The sunglasses were shielding your eyes from the sun as you two went to your date.

And even though you were so excited to spend the day on a date with your gorgeous girlfriend, you couldn't help but to feel nervousness flowing through your veins, consuming you entirely.

Taylor and you met at the premiere of your new film one and a half years ago and you instantly felt something at that moment on the red carpet as you locked your eyes with the pair of the bluest eyes you ever saw. You're heart skipped a few beats and you felt like you were drowning every time you looked at them.

From that point on you started dating. In secret. Nobody but your close friends and families knew. You knew that you could trust them, that they would have your back.

Every day with her felt like a dream. A dream that could easily be taken away forever.

You were always sneaking off, away from the public eye to be together. When you were under the everlasting watchful eyes of the press and in front of cameras you always played it of as friends. Yeah, friends. Best friends for sure. What a load of crap. But you had no choice, you had to keep your relationship to yourself because you were both scared. She was a successful singer and songwriter, you were the fresh new face of the Hollywood. You could only imagine what would happen if two golden stars like you were exposed in public because of your relationship. You both loved each other so much, but the hate comments would get too much, you both knew it.

So, for each other safety, you kept your relationship away from the praying eyes of the world.

But even though there is this bad side in the secret relationship, there were always moments like this. The two of you walking along with each other, the thrill of sneaking of and having a little secret and moments like those are one of the reasons for your happiness. Although, the only thing you wanted was to hold her whenever, kiss her whenever, make the whole world know that she's yours. You both wanted it.

Finally the two of you arrived at the little coffee shop at the corner of the narrow street. You looked through the gigantic mirrors of the shop and realized that the shop was empty enough, only the bartender and other two costumers were here. It couldn't be that bad, you figured, but you couldn't help the strange feeling creeping up on you as Taylor and you entered the shop.

The two of you sat down at one of the tables in the corner of the shop before the bartender arrived. With the nervous look you two ordered some coffee for yourselves before you watched the guy who took your order walk away.

You couldn't help but to look at Taylor after he left and to confess, "I don't like how he looked at us."

"To be completely honest," Taylor said as she took off her sunglasses and placed it on the hard wood of the table. "Me neither."

Pretty soon you got your order and you started to chat, but you couldn't help but to steal a glance at the bartender. And sure enough there he was. On the other side of the coffee shop, whispering into his phone as he kept stealing small glances at the two of you.

"Love, I'm sorry to interrupt you," You told Taylor who stopped talking once you said that and looked at you in concern, her hand that was placed in yours and looked like something more than just friends, tightened it's hold on your hand. "But that guy is giving me such ick."

Taylor turned her head a bit and looked at the bartender seeing him whispering in his phone, too. She slowly turned her head back to you as she lowered her voice that was drowning in worry.

"This isn't good."

Somethin' happens when everybody finds out

See the vultures circling, dark clouds

Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out

It could burn out

'Cause they got the cages, they got the boxes

And guns

They are the hunters, we are the foxes

And we run

With the shift of the atmosphere in the air you continued to quietly whisper to each other trying to continue enjoying you date as much as you possibly could. But then in the corner of your eye you noticed a flash of light. You turned your head towards the glass window, feeling yourself instantly regret your decision.

"Taylor," You whispered quitly, your lips quivering a bit as you spoke trying to warn her. "The paparazzi are here and they're taking photos."

She momentarily froze at your words, her eyes widening a little as she looked at you slightly terrified. "Where?"

"They're outside," You continued to whisper. "Across the street. At least 10."

She slightly turned her gaze to look outside and once she did she quickly reached her sunglasses that were comfortably placed on the table. "It's TMZ. We gotta go."

You both threw some money on the table to pay for the drinks, you grabbed your own pair of sunglasses off of the table, quickly using them to shield your eyes.

She grabbed your hand in process and started to lead you out of the front door. Of course, the bartender who called TMZ on you most certainly wouldn't let you use the back entrance so you had no choice. You had to face the paparazzi outside.

Taylor looked at you and even behind the sunglasses you noticed something in her gorgeous blue eyes. There was worry, but also something that you see very often but didn't quite expect it now. Mischief and, most of all, determination.

The moment you walked outside there was yelling and questioning. You felt panic raising in your chest as Taylor tugged your hand. And just like that you started to run away as the flashes of the cameras and the yelling of the paparazzi followed.

Baby, I know places we won't be found, and

They'll be chasing their tails trying to track us down

'Cause I, I know places we can hide

I know places

I know places

The next day wasn't any different from the moment that you woke up.

Taylor and you were still lying in bed, sun barely graced the morning sky yet. And as you slept, wrapped up in the sheets and Taylor's arms you were awoken by the sound of your phone constantly ringing.

You're friends and families was constantly messaging and calling you. Even Taylor's manager called you and texted you multiple times. There was a new article on the internet. It displayed the photos of Taylor and you from yesterday.

On the top of the article, in dramatically big capital letters, was written the headline that said: "BEST FRIENDS OR MORE?!?! SINGER AND SONGWRITER TAYLOR SWIFT AND ACTRESS Y/N Y/L/N CAUGHT KISSING!"

Below the headline, there were multiple photos of the two of you. One photo displayed Taylor and you stealing a kiss on the street, your hand around her waist and her arm around your shoulders. It was before you even entered that coffee shop. Then there was a photo of you holding hands and looking at each other with so much love as you two whispered to each other. And, finally, there were multiple photos of Taylor and you running away from the paparazzi.

That's how you ended up here, leaned against the kitchen counter as your eyes followed every move that Taylor made.

You were going to announce your relationship so that you could possibly prevent, or at least lower the number of rumors that were putting the whole internet on a spiral already.

Just as Taylor looked up at you, you got a notification on your phone that said that Taylor made an Instagram post.

You clicked on the notification and you were met, face to face, with the photo that you took a few days ago. On the photo Taylor and you were sitting by the window, holding each other as she leaned down to press a kiss against your lips. The caption of the post said "Loose lips sink ships all the damn time, not this time! ♡"

"It's perfect." You told her, smiling.

"I love you." She smiled back as you replied. Taylor then walked over to you, bringing you in for a kiss that made you melt against her.

At that moment you knew that you would miss the thrill of sneaking off, stolen kisses and touching, and longing glances across the rooms. But you knew that you would finally be able to show her of as yours and that was everything that you ever wanted.

Lights flash and we'll run for the fences

Let them say what they want, we won't hear it

Loose lips sink ships all the damn time

Not this time

->

->

->

TAGLIST:

@thecrowdedstreetin1944

[whydotheycallitanoven]

little wip i’ve been working on since gem’s hardcore ep dropped! basically wl angst lol

Gem wasn’t sure why she ended up back on her hardcore world. maybe it was something about the quiet. there was a calming nature to the solitude, no screaming, no need to look out for traps. only the quiet gossip of her villagers as they went about their days. 

she’d missed her villagers, she realized. back on Hermitcraft and other SMPs she’d lived on, the player consensus was that they were too much trouble - their pathing and career choice were too much for all but the most dedicated players to work with. she’d had several conversations with Impulse about his woes whilst working with them over the past two seasons.

she hated to think about what he was doing now.

but if there’s anything Gem had learned from her travels, it was that there was something comforting in predictability. with her villagers, the conversations were easy - “you’d never believe what x said while you were gone” - and their trust was similarly easily won. she would do anything to make sure she kept it.

above all though, she decided, it was the privacy that she valued the most. the villagers didn’t come up to her out of the blue, and when she was in the mines she could pretend there was nothing more important than the deepslate she was collecting.

she tried not to think about what happened after secret life. the way she remembered it all, recurring nightmares of a chase waking her every night. the way she wanted so bad to just move on like everyone else — moving to the new season, basing at magic mountain. she couldn’t help the way she tried to distance herself from a certain pair of blue eyes, asking her what was wrong. the way she could see them turn red whenever the light glinted just the right way. the confused glances sent her way whenever she brought up songwriting or the mounders or god forbid the camel. she couldn’t help but confront Scar one night, hoping someone remembered. the tears that formed in her eyes before she could even get the words out. the silence was definitely better.

the wind bit through her clothes as she climbed back up the long staircase. It was the kind of wind that took your breath away, and Gem welcomed the numbing effect. the scars of six deaths had made their home on her body in the past few days, but the cold had helped take the edge off. it dulled the burn of lava, the aching left by explosions. only the wounds left by the vex’s knives continued to bother her — she should’ve expected it, last deaths always stuck around longer — but she suspected it had something to do with how their icy blades were the last to break in her torso. 

“kill the vex or you’ll be down a teammate”. she’d yelled a few moments before the hit that would take her out. she’d forgiven Joel for overlooking the little furies almost instantly - it hadn’t suited her to hold grudges after all. she was almost glad she hadn’t made it to the final moments this time. she heard he’d won a few days after she’d left the arena. she couldn’t bear staying to watch the final battle. she just hoped that Joel’s memories wouldn’t treat him like they had Scar. 

she’d head back eventually. she always did. she’d say her congratulations and go on with collaborations and build her base up once more. eventually. for now though, she’d lose herself in the biggest project of this world yet and listen to her villagers heap praise on her walls and dog for keeping them safe while she was gone.

she wasn’t quite sure why she couldn’t look them in the eyes.

Pearl wasn’t sure why she ended up back on Hermitcraft. maybe it was something to do with the fact she couldn’t stand being left alone.

[whitemancumslut]

since you’re obvi a swiftie can u write something inspired by the clip from miss americana of her playing call it what you want on the guitar and joe’s filming her where like y/n is a singer/songwriter and Harry’s filming her plssss 🙏🏼🙏🏼

SUMMARY: Y/n plays her new song to Harry and it brings him back in time.

WORD COUNT: 1.2k+

a/n: hopefully this is something compared to what you requested:)) this is so ugh!!!

It was no secret; Harry wrote songs about her consistently. She was continually present in his thoughts. Every little thing she did was meticulously noted, retained in his memory and jotted down. She was his muse.

As was he for her. Y/n writing songs about Harry definitely wasn’t rare. But she never released them. She always felt like she was unable to fully express how much he had done for her. But, this song did just that. This song was something she was confident about. It definitely broke down some of the most vulnerable parts of her, but it also put together the pieces of how much she loved Harry.

“Ready when you are, m’love,” Harry announced from behind the camera. Harry sat across from her on the couch of their living room as she sits on the floor, holding her guitar in her arms.

Y/n takes a deep breath as she rubs her hands around the guitars set and replays the song in her head before she starts. She looks up at Harry who’s giving her a reassuring smile with a tight nod giving another go-ahead.

When she began to sing, Harry was so captivated that he felt as if his whole mind had been transported to the realm of folklore. Her voice was like a real life Heaven. He couldn’t describe it.

“I wonder if you know,

if you can tell I’m losin’

I’m going down without a fight,

I don’t know how you do it.”

For a moment, his focus was taken away from her elegant voice and was brought the tone and lyrics. The last line stirred up a vivid memory of the first time he ever saw her cry. It was a night he wish he could forget.

He held her tenderly, as she crumbled in his arms in a way he'd never seen before. His heart ached for her in that moment, and he fervently wished he'd never have to witness her in such a vulnerable state again.

“Wish I could be more like you. You handle everything so well.” She cried as she looked up at him. His heart broke more as he saw her lip quiver as she spoke.

Harry’s face softens as he began to realize exactly what she meant. Harry always seemed to put on a strong front for Y/n, as if it would be too much for her to bear if he were to show any vulnerability. He knew, deep down, that Y/n would have done the same for him, and would have been by his side in his darkest of times. But a part of him was scared to open up and he couldn't understand why.

“I don’t know how you do it,” She whispered.

When she spoke, a deep sense of guilt surged through him. He had shed a few tears in the shower and when he was alone, so that she would never know. Harry couldn't bring himself to be honest with her, even though she was crying about his courage and strength. In truth, he felt embarrassed and ashamed for not being able to demonstrate any vulnerability to his lover.

Constantly being a source of strength and solace from the start of their relationship, he was well aware of all the hardships that had been presented to him. Despite the lack of sleep due to his selfless efforts in supporting her through anything she was going through, he still perseveringly stood by her side.

The only time Harry’s ever heard of the song is when he overheard her singing it and and practically begged for her to play it for him. But he never knew about this verse. The man before her was in complete awe.

“You say we share a brain,

Apologizing for it.

But take it as a compliment, you make me really nervous.

This line refers to some of Harry's words at the start of their relationship that have left a lasting impression on her. She can't help but recall them even now. No one had ever loved Y/n like Harry does. From the way he looks at her to his unwavering devotion, his love for her overwhelms her. She can't help but feel slightly anxious, scared of accidentally damaging the bond they've built together. His love is one-of-a-kind, and no one has ever been able to compare.

“Ugh! Harry stop!” She giggled. “I did not!” She expressed loudly as she turned her way in the bed so she’s laying directly across from him.

“You did so!” He said back, “You were so thinking it! And you know how I know?”

She smiled, “How?”

“‘Cause we practically share a brain m’love.”

Her voice was so soft. The gentle shake her voice held as she sang those exactly lines had Harry mesmerized. His heart was beyond full as she sang to him about him.

“What are you doing to me now?”

“You came out of the blue like that.

You came out of the blue like that.

I never could've seen you coming

I think you're everything I've wanted…”

Y/n never thought she would find someone like him. He’s everything she didn’t know she needed or wanted.

“Send me every song

That keeps you up from sleeping.

I bet I could recite ‘em all”

“I won’t forget the feeling

Of staying up with you.

Despite the space between us, I’ve never felt this close to someone

What if you’re my weakness?”

Didn’t take long into the relationship for Y/n to realize being with Harry was all she needed to feel okay. He was her person and she was his. It was simple.

Both of them being on tour did happen to take a toll on their relationship. Although they made an effort to call each other every night, it could not replace her lack of having the only person who brings her comfort close by.

Obviously, phone calls weren't quite the same as when they were actually together. Still, it was a source of comfort for her, hearing from him every night. They would stay on FaceTime until one of them, usually Y/n, would eventually succumb to sleep. It was these little moments that kept her going.

When Y/n's tour ended, she planned to get up right away and stay with Harry more regularly and travel across seas with him. But Harry encouraged her to take some time for herself, to rest and recuperate after her arduous year-long tour. Eventually, when she felt ready and both of them were content, she joined him on his journey. It definitely made them ten times more happier being with each other after being so apart.

She gazes up at Harry, whose mouth hangs open in awe as he looks back at her.

He’s speechless. Harry was deeply touched by how she used intimate and pressurized moments between them in her song. He absolutely adored it.

“So?” She asked, “What do you think?” She placed the guitar against the couch, and made her way over to Harry. Smiling like a school boy with his crush, he stopped the video and placed the device down.

He hung out his arms so she can enter his embrace as he repeats how amazing she sounded and how great the song was.

“It was beautiful, love.”

a/n i’m a huge gracie fan as well so this was so fun to make:))

[rose-of-oz]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐍𝐆… 𝐌𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐏𝐈𝐄𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑, 𝐇𝐀𝐘𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐊

❝ In what she considered to be the ultimate, terrible tribute to her name, Lark had been living most of her life like a bird in a cage. First, her cage had been the mansion in Albatross Town in which she had lived as a child, alongside her parents, the town’s governors, who upon realizing their daughter’s natural talent for singing had trotted her out to perform in front of their fellow government officials from the time she was as young as seven. Then, after her parents had passed away from illness when she was still young, her cage had transformed into the embrace of World Government officials, who, remembering her from those parties in her childhood home, had thrust a guitar into her hands and forced her to travel around all four Blues, singing hollow songs about how good and just the World Government and the Marines were for crowds of the Marines themselves.

And even more than she hated being trotted around the world like a show pony at the Government’s whim, Lark hated the music she was forced to perform - and how she was kept from even learning about the music that truly interested her. From the time she was very young, just starting out in her role as the World Government’s little songstress, Lark had been fascinated with the songs pirates sang, the odes to the horizon and life on the high Blues that they would sing on their ships and in taverns when the moon was high in the sky. She ached to hear all of the pirate songs that had ever existed, to fill the songwriting notebooks she kept in secret with their notes and lyrics and perhaps even write one of her own. But since her Government handlers had always kept such a close watch on her, steering her away from any music that was not her approved setlist for performances, she was forced to constantly escape for a few hours whenever she could and fill her notebooks with whatever scraps of songs she could overhear spilling from pubs or could persuade a sailor to sing for her and kept those scribbled words close to her heart, longing for the day when she could burst out of her cage and finally submerge herself in the music she truly wanted to sing.

Finally, after so many years of waiting and wanting and playing the part of the World Government’s little songbird no matter how much she hated it, Lark was given her opportunity for freedom in the form of Monkey D. Luffy and his newfound, ragtag little crew of pirate hopefuls. After seeing one of Lark’s shows and somehow seeing through her public persona to the desperate trapped bird she was underneath, Luffy had approached her with an offer to run away and join his little crew, an offer which Lark could not do anything but accept. Snatching her chance to escape and holding on tight, Lark had sailed away with the Straw Hat crew carrying nothing but her guitar, a few of her favorite dresses, and her beloved notebooks, more than ready to sail the open water and be exposed to the songs she had been longing to hear for so long.

But, of course, the World Government is not willing to let their prized bird fly free for too long, and in addition to evading angry fishmen, keeping their swordsman from dying after he picks a fight he has no chance of winning, and trying to keep a terrifying clown from sending them to their deaths, the Straw Hats must also deal with the threat of a determined Marine Admiral who wants to arrest their captain and has received orders to bring Lark back to his employers. But what everyone who has ever kept Lark captive has failed to realize is that she is much stronger and more determined than she seems - and if she, her newfound friends, and the charming chef who lost his heart to her the first time he heard her sing have anything to say about it, this songbird will be dead before she will be forced into a cage again. ❞

One Piece Taglist: @auxiliarydetective, @starcrossedjedis, @xoteajays, @oneirataxia-girl, @supermarine-silvally.

General Taglist: @hiddenqveendom, @foxesandmagic, @artemisocs, @reyofluke-ocs, @endless-oc-creations, @stanshollaand, @ginevrastilinski-ocs, @luucypevensie, @ginger-grimm, @arrthurpendragon, @fakedatings, @impales, @claryxjackson, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, @eddysocs, @lucys-chen, @ocappreciationtag.

[synthient]

Straight from my notes app to you: Devil's Chord rewatch commentary

• Door behind Maestro looks like the tardis

• That's my daddy -> mother father and other of us all

• Is the tardis a he/she/they/any?

• Maestro as the tardis's harbinger + H Arbinger disappearing when his song is sung?

• Is the tardis also an absent/abandoning parent to her children? Or are they just manifestations of her?

• Maestro plays the theme song. Cut to the intro, which the tardis is the active "host" of: her light is the first thing we see, she brings the actors' names on screen, she's the star of the action shots. Cut to the tardis playing the theme song on her jukebox

• Is the embittered musician who never got his break and had to go into teaching a mirror for someone? What about art as an expression of Beethoven's rage at impending deafness? "All the songs you never sung, wrapped around your heart"?

• Ruby's a musician and composer, but doesn't (yet) fit the bill. The Doctor is a musician and a teacher. That's all I've got so far

• The Doctor treating Ruby like an equal, not making fun of her Beatles idea like she thought he would, allowing himself girlish boyband whimsy over the masculine seriousness of the titantic etc - "why haven't I ever done that before???"

• Music/art as a comforting reminder of her mom's girlfriend who's presumably not in her life anymore

• Giggling and squealing and holding hands as they run to the makeover room

• The obvious "I've got a dog, he's not dead" foreshadowing. But also - the tardis isn't actually all that great at songwriting (or storytelling)? Their faces falling as they expected something good but got a lackluster song (finale)?

• Going back a bit - H Arbinger moving around on the page + the Chris Waites billboard near the end + Sue Tech + Bad Wolf + her penchant for writing words and wordplay across time and space

• The Doctor's suit in this is also a lil bit of a tardis disneybound, if that means anything

• "I love you, you love me, we are two, we are not three, we're happy, I think, perhaps" - commentary on the Doctor-tardis relationship?

• "Music is the highest form of thought" + "sonic" + all her psychic stuff

• Music is her domain, even if she doesn't totally "get" the human aesthetic expectations?

• Their first direct Susan interaction (since Isaac Newton) - "that's daylight robbery!" "that's me. Maragaret Lockwood in The Wicked Lady. Now there was a woman. Statuesque."

• The tardis faceclaiming? Tardis lesbian moment? What's the plot anyway

• "In 17th-century England, Barbara Worth (Margaret Lockwood) lives a privileged yet humdrum life as the wife of well-heeled landowner Sir Ralph Skelton (Griffith Jones). To stave off boredom, Barbara begins impersonating famed highway robber Capt. Jerry Jackson, stealing precious jewels and valuables from coach passengers. A chance encounter with the actual Jackson (James Mason) propels Barbara into a dangerous double life with potentially lethal consequences."

• The tardis starts living a double life as a villain to stave off boredom?

• People have been giving up music (art, fiction) because they think it's childish and embarrassing. "But Paul, when it's just you on your own, don't you think there must be better songs? Songs that lift you, and devastate you, and make you soar. Songs that are tucked away, somewhere, in secret at the back of your mind."

• "That's all I want. Leave this life, and go home to a woman of my own. Then why do I wake up crying?"

• (Both life without art + heteronormativity?)

• Putting notes (words) together "feels like the most holy thing on this earth"

• Paul starts to sing "words straight from my heart." "I love you, so much" (the thing the Doctor couldn't say to Ruby). Everyone's heads whip around. The Doctor drops a spoon (spoon lady?) Maestro appearing in all the mirrored surfaces and laughing

• The Doctor needs to embrace the embarrassing childishness of both fiction & direct expressions of love?

• Something in all this about Clara's Song, as the closest he was able to get to a love declaration in that relationship

• "You know what you are with your ideas, pal? Disgusting. You are disgusting!" Definitely something here about music and homophobia. Hashtag beatles yaoi

• The midsentence jump of "the world is darkening - I live over there."

• The Doctor suddenly bringing up Susan. This all playing out in the time period where he lived with Susan. His failure to tell Susan he loved her, to take part in her whimsical girlish interests without making fun of her, to stop repressing himself enough to find their common ground?

• "You have children?" "I did have. I will have." Starts to say what I think is the truth, then corrects

• The Doctor casually saying that she might be dead, then laughing through Ruby's attempt to hug and comfort him

• Thought the Doctor was holding a spoon at the piano, but it was actually his screwdriver. Which looks a little like a spoon this season?

• The Doctor revealing that he was watching Ruby perform before she knew him + the tardis possibly shaping her into a companion

• "I wrote this for my friend Trudy when a girl broke her heart." More music/art as love, gay love, and a memory of the people we loved who are no longer in our lives

• Ruby playing her own theme, like the Doctor played Clara's theme and Maestro and the tardis played the theme song

• The songs "locked up in your heart. So tight" for the opening musician also have some homophobic repression vibes

• Ruby playing her song (for the loved no longer in our lives) while the Doctor looks out at the city (where Susan is)

• And doing his Nine Slaying Off In The Corner pose

• The Doctor is instinctively scared of Maestro/the pantheon in a similar way to the boogeyman. "Why was I so scared? I love an ugly bug. I am an ugly bug."

• Fear of the pantheon/boogeymen as internalized loathing/shame? Maestro being a They specifically?

• The Doctor uses his screwdriver as a tv remote to turn off the sound

• Maestro undoes it by putting their tuning fork in a puddle (Bill's puddle ghost gf callback?)

• "Sound and vision" [looks right at the audience]

• The Toymaker "tore my soul in half. I can't survive that again." The Doctor being "torn in half" by confrontations with the pantheon (his self loathing?). Play and music as Doctor attributes

• "I'm sorry. But the power of these creatures [the things I fear about myself] is so vast that the whole world could slide into the pit"

• "Doctor. I know you're clever, and all that. But the world did not end in 1963" (when you abandoned Susan)

• So the Doctor has to prove her wrong by showing her that her life & loved ones are in ruins/irrecoverable too. Like he did for Rose when he took her to the end of earth, and like he tries to do by discouraging Ruby from speaking to her birth mom

• He lets her walk outside by himself, while he waits clutching the console with his eyes closed

• Snow Spotted (natural?)

• "Where's my mum?" (are you my mummy?)

• "I think without music, the human race goes sour. Without any way of expressing a broken heart, they'll go to war without even knowing why."

• Did the Doctor go to war because he didn't have any way of expressing a broken heart?

• "Then why am I still alive? Why don't I fade away?" "Because of me." Harry Arbinger, fading away. The tardis, looming behind them

• Ashes + snow + the dust of death

• Maestro says boo, the spotlights come on, the world fades away. Like the Rogue dance?

• The "daddy was so mean" thing seems relevant somehow

• So much Tardis Looming this season. Is there always this much tardis looming? Lot of her in dark colors & big & at the center of the frame

• "Every song that goes unsung feeds me. I get stronger and stronger." Self loathing and the unexpressed

• "Aeolian tones across the whole of creation. And that lament [bows] will be my symphony supreme." The tardis and her grand finale

• How did Maestro get into this world? "A genius. A single silly man..." 👉 the Doctor

• I've heard people say Maestro plays the "Saxon theme" here (I think more for the 4 beat rhythm than the melody?). It also actively freaks the tardis out and makes her start flickering. tbt her growling at Rogue

• The Doctor assumes Maestro is controlling the tardis, like he'll assume Sutehk is controlling the tardis

• The tardis will only let him go back to 1963 (where Susan is)

• He kisses the tardis while whispering "I'm sorry I'm sorry" and (odder?) "don't hate me"

• She growls at them as they leave

• They keep doing dutch angles for some reason

• In a crisis, he falls back on old habits and underestimates Ruby (assumes he must be the genius who can bring back music and not her)

• The guitar as throwback to 12

• The infamous "I thought that was nondiagetic"

• And the infamous "hidden song deep inside her soul," which I still think is the tardis trying to make Ruby a mystery. But how much does Maestro (consciously) know about that? To what exent are they their own person? Do they know who the "mother and father and other of us all" is?

• "This creature is very wrong" + the songs for lovesick lesbians. Music homophobia strikes again

• Something about pianos in this ep as tardis analog? The Doctor assuming the beatles' piano, a machine used for great things (and by his friend Mrs. Mills), has some ambient energy that makes it the key to saving the world. Ruby's "How could they be inside the piano? It wouldn't work!" and the illogic of Sutehk and the tardis. Maestro's piano suit (and blue suit in this scene, matching the Doctor's disneybound)

• Ruby pushes in for a piano duet (collaborative art instead of lone genius)

• "Are you enough of a genius?" "Oh, I would never call myself that Maestro [yeah he would lol]. But I have lived. And I have loved. And I can only smile like this because I have lost so much. And if that's where music comes from...I can find the chord to banish you."

• But he can't (because he hasn't expressed his love and faced his loss?)

• Ruby has a small reaction where she looks like she wants to add a note, but restrains herself. Failed because it wasn't collaborative? The beatles yaoi succeeds because they were?

• Doctor gets trapped in a drum (the Master instrument). idk if there's any significance to Ruby getting trapped in a cello and/or bass

• The door between them and the beatles also kind of has the tardis windows/silhouette. But I might just be having door pareidolia now

• Beatle has a flashback to "I just wanna go home." "But we need you!" "Why? I'm no good at anything." Doctor mirroring/twice upon a time vibes

• And then Maestro gets sucked into the piano (our possible tardis instrument) while warning them about the one who waits (the tardis)

• There's Always A Twist At The End (and have we like. meaningfully gotten one yet)

• (Don't think I can blame this song being mid on the tardis though)

• Tardis prominently in the shot as the crosswalk lets them play giant piano

• Final shot: piano notes as we zoom in on the tardis and her door shuts. And then opens and shuts a second time, by itself, for emphasis

[bengiyo]

My School President Ep 10 Stray Thoughts

Last week, we went to the beach! Sound learned about Gun's relationship with Tinn while they worked on songwriting, and revealed his feelings for Win to Gunn. Yak was there seeking redemption vicariously through his juniors, and managed to help them in spite of his overbearing nature. Tiwson was also there, and as far as I'm concerned was there for Por. Sound managed to confess his feelings through music, and Win acknowledged them. Tinn and Gun want to kiss so badly, but they are still holding to the rule. The unattached characters performed a cover dance.

Tinn had such hopes for dates with Gun during this break. I hope he managed to prepare for the entrance exams at least and didn't just regress to expressing his feelings through Scrabble.

Tinn's family home seems way too big for just three people. Glad they're doing well?

I can't believe Gun mushed Tinn in the face as a hug denial. Still, it's probably the right call begun Gun is falling hard for Tinn too.

I'm sorry, but the wireless earbuds just don't feel as intimate as crowding close together to share wired ones.

Tinn's mom woke up, sensed Tinn not focused on schoolwork, and had to come check.

These two are just so endearing.

New intro hype!!

Of course Kajorn is the reason she confirmed Tinn lied.

That's right, Sound. It's time for Gun to ask the big questions: Who are you? And What do you want?

I agree with @kyr-kun-chan that Gun playing along with Tinn about the holy Chinzilla, and then teasing about having many boyfriends is fun, because we don't often get playful pairs.

Gosh, I really love these two. The Wave 3 BL boys are doing a great job.

I'm glad we were warned in the preview about Gim falling at work.

Meningioma? A tumor??

I wonder how the secrets he's been keeping will blow up for Tinn.

Por knew he had to look cute to ask a favor of Tiwson.

Aof cameo? 1000Scores??? A Tale of Thousand Scores?? What is happening?!?

Can't even enjoy the boyfriend meal because Tinn is being eaten up by this secret.

Lot of head slapping and shoving this episode.

Tiwson remains the greatest supporter. Just the absolute best boy.

The Tiwson/Por crumbs continue to confuse.

Aw, and now Gun is thinking that he's not a priority, before even worse learning Tinn knew something about his mom.

Fourth is good.

I'm glad Gun knows all that Tinn has been doing for him, because I doubt Tinn would have ever told him.

Please drink the product placement water to feel better, not the nondescript water from the meal scene earlier.

Sometimes it's especially interesting watching stories like this when you're older. You know what the answers are for the characters, but they're young and it won't matter until they believe it themselves. Where is Natasha Bedingfield?

Not me crying over how much I love Chinzhilla.

Why is Tinn's phone unlocked??? Maybe it's just because he's at home. I will applaud the mom for not digging through the phone, but still she knows it's Gunn now.

Now Tiwson is making them scramble for shirts in 4 days? Look at the hustle on these boys.

Of course Gun's at the hospital. He might lose his mom.

Oh, gay boys and their moms. I love Gim and Gun so much.

I like Gun's song for Tinn.

Okay, I cried at Gim watching the performance before her surgery.

I'm so relieved they didn't leave us in limbo about Gun's mom.

I think I get the cliffhanger. It's the primary emotional hold of the show.

Back to the beach next week I see.

[jongnorp]

WELCOME HOME, FUJIKAWA HIKARI!

You've got the keys, unlock your new world!

NAME. FUJIKAWA HIKARI. DATE OF BIRTH. 20020706. OCCUPATION. SONGWRITER @ CANVAS LABS. NATIONALITY. JAPANESE.

FREE FORM.

from a young age hikari always knew she wanted to be in the music industry. being an only child to two upper middle class parents they absolutely doted on her, enrolling her in all of the music and dance classes her heart desired as long as it didn’t interfere with her studies (which it obviously never did.) when middle school came around hikari dropped all her dance classes and focused on honing her music skills (mostly piano and guitar) while beginning to dabble in writing her own songs. she quickly realized that is where her real passion lay and threw herself into it, having twenty five songs completed by the time she entered her last year of middle school. during school one day word got around that a very coveted entertainment company in south korea was holding open auditions for trainees and hikari knew what she wanted to do.

fast forward a year and hikari was in seoul after officially being accepted into the company, her life officially consisting of training all day every day. was it her dream? not exactly but being in an entertainment company meant she was just one step closer to her actual dream, songwriting. But with every day the passed she came closer and closer to realizing maybe this wasn’t worth it. not only was the company lowkey abusive to the trainees and even some non trainees but she was a thousand miles away from home and everyone who loved her. unfortunately for her though… she was stuck. her contract had an iron grip around her and unless they fired her, hikari wasn’t going anywhere. the thought of debuting gave her debilitating panic attacks almost every night, to the point where she thought about just running away in the middle of the night and disappearing back to japan. but that meant not getting to pursue her actual dream and that thought crushed her… so she stayed. she stayed for four year – keeping her head down while also trying her best to convince the higher ups to let her dabble in songwriting. spoiler alert – it didn’t work. after a lengthy conversation about how she didn’t have the talent for it and they haven’t been training her all these years to become a songwriter, hikari knew she had to leave.

eventually, at the ripe ol’ age of nineteen, she was able to get out of her contract – packing up her room and moving home as quick as she could. did she force their hand a bit, telling them she refused to debut in a group? … maybe? but all that mattered was that she was home. the next year was spent with her uploading all her songs onto soundcloud, under the pseudonym moonbunny and hoping no one would put two and two together, figuring out she was the ex-trainee who basically disappeared into thin air who the company refuses to even acknowledge ever existed. it only took six months for her to get “discovered” again, getting a call from a higher up at canvas labs who wanted her to come work for them in seoul. after almost two full weeks of deliberation she agreed, under the condition that she could work for them in secret, her real name and appearance not getting out to the general public. and they agreed. so moonbunny works for canvas labs and the only people in her life that know? her parents.

- personality; for the most part hikari is sweet, shy and quiet, preferring to fly under the radar and not be in the spotlight whatsoever. a good part of that has to do with her old company and the way they treated her during her four years there but even now that she has escaped them, it’s not something that is changing anytime soon. it takes a bit for her to open up and fully trust someone but once she gets to that point with you, she will be your biggest champion. she is a very talented songwriter and spends most of her time in the studio, fiddling around on the piano trying to make sure whatever project she is working on comes out perfect.

[mrsbsmooth]

Scripts - S6 - Episode 29 (1 of 2)

Flo chat, investigating the villa

NARRATOR: Welcome back to Love Island! I hope you’re in the mood for uncovering secrets.

NARRATOR: New girl Flo has pulled {0} for a tell-all-chat revealing what happened while she was away in Casa Amor.

NARRATOR: And something tells me those main villa boys weren’t making daisy chains and discussing the weather...

NARRATOR: Unless the weather forecast was four hot singles entering from a Westerly direction, with high pressure building in weaker relationships.

NARRATOR: Areas of unfaithfulness blowing in from the south and a high chance of drama later on in the week.

NARRATOR: Let’s get back to it to see <i>weather</i> or not the boys got up to mischief!

FLO_SERIOUS: More happened while you were away in Casa than you know about.

FLO_SERIOUS: The boys are keeping secrets from you.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What secrets?

FLO_SERIOUS: I don’t even know some of them. And I was here the whole time.

FLO_SERIOUS: I bet you got a postcard in Casa?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Of course we did.

FLO_SERIOUS: I bet I can give you the full deets about what it showed.

FLO_SERIOUS: There’ll be an interesting story behind each of those pics.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

FLO_FLIRTY: Oh, really! I’m the only girl still standing who would know about it.

FLO_SERIOUS: And I doubt the boys will be in a hurry to tell you themselves.

FLO_SERIOUS: Would you like me to give you the full story behind one of the boy’s postcard pics?

*Tell me about {0} and the bikini

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Tell me about the postcard pic of {0} holding up that bikini top.

FLO_SERIOUS: Well, that was really early on. Our first afternoon here.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Didn’t take him long.

FLO_SERIOUS: But withhold judgement. It looked worse than it was.

FLO_SERIOUS: We were having a game of hide and seek in the villa. An ice breaker.

FLO_SERIOUS: One of the girls had this idea of leading a trail of her clothes to her hiding spot.

FLO_FLIRTY: She was really pretty. Quite naughty, too.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And did {0} follow her line of clothes?

FLO_EMBARRASSED: He did.

FLO_SERIOUS: When he found the bikini top all the boys were egging him on.

FLO_SERIOUS: He waved it above his head and looked pretty chuffed.

FLO_SERIOUS: But honestly, he was pretty respectful after that.

FLO_SERIOUS: Bit of a gent about the whole thing.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So nothing happened between them then?

FLO_IDLE: No, not at all.

FLO_FLIRTY: She was into him though. Grafted him pretty hard.

FLO_FLIRTY: But I think {0} only really had eyes for you.

PLAYER_IDLE: Did he say that?

FLO_HAPPY: He didn’t have to. It was obvious to everyone.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh was it now?

FLO_HAPPY: Yeah, he was pretty cute when he talked about you.

FLO_FLIRTY: It was clear his head wasn’t going to turn from you.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Good to know.

FLO_SERIOUS: I get why he might not have told you about the bikini.

FLO_IDLE: It wasn’t a huge thing. He’s probably forgotten all about it.

FLO_HAPPY: But, I felt like you needed to know this.

FLO_FLIRTY: I didn’t want you getting the wrong end of the stick.

*Explain {0}’s bedtime cuddle

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Explain {0}’s bedtime cuddle with a blonde.

Flo bats her eyelids at you playfully.

FLO_HAPPY: Guilty.

PLAYER_HAPPY: So it <i>was</i> you? What’s the story there?

FLO_SERIOUS: Honestly, it was a pretty instant connection.

FLO_HAPPY: I do a bit of surfing and Jamal is obviously a skater.

FLO_FLIRTY: We were joking that we’d have to meet up and shoot a vid back home.

FLO_HAPPY: Always had a bit of a thing for footballers.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking that I could cheer him on from the touchline.

FLO_HAPPY: I’ve always been a sucker for curly haired songwriters.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking that he could write a song about me.

FLO_HAPPY: As soon as I pictured him in his white pilot outfit, I knew I was in trouble.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking he could fly me home when we both leave together.

FLO_FLIRTY: And I guess the joking turned a bit more serious.

PLAYER_IDLE: Did he tell you his situation with Amelia?

FLO_FLIRTY: He said it was a friendship couple and nothing more.

FLO_SERIOUS: And on the second night, he invited me into his bed.

FLO_FLIRTY: Things went from there.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I get it.

FLO_SERIOUS: We both wanted to wait until Amelia was back before we did anything.

FLO_FLIRTY: But we couldn’t resist a little spoon.

FLO_IDLE: He seemed pretty genuine about where his head was at.

FLO_IDLE: And from Amelia’s reaction, they <i>were</i> just friends.

FLO_IDLE: I don’t know how far we’ll go together, if I’m being honest.

FLO_HAPPY: But I’m happy to be in the villa and see what happens.

*Reveal Elliot’s steamy shower shenanigans

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Help me understand the picture of Elliot having a steamy shower with a girl.

FLO_SERIOUS: I thought you’d be interested in Elliot’s picture.

PLAYER_IDLE: I know he got dumped but I want to get to the bottom of it.

FLO_SERIOUS: I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: It’s bad?

FLO_SERIOUS: Well, I guess it’s good. You made the right move twisting.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What happened?

FLO_IDLE: Elliot was making breakfast for the girls on the second day.

FLO_IDLE: He wasn’t super flirty but he wasn’t completely closed off.

FLO_SERIOUS: He ended up accidentally dropping some sauce on one of the girl’s legs.

FLO_FLIRTY: Happened to be the girl who liked him the most.

PLAYER_IDLE: Of course.

FLO_SERIOUS: He offered to help clean it off and they went off together.

FLO_SERIOUS: Apparently, she jumped in the shower to clean up but forgot her soap.

FLO_SERIOUS: He just passed it to her and that was that.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

FLO_SERIOUS: She said nothing happened and I believe her.

FLO_SERIOUS: There wasn’t really any romance between them.

FLO_SERIOUS: She jumped in the shower and invited him to join her.

FLO_SERIOUS: The rest is hazy… and steamy.

FLO_SERIOUS: She claimed they were getting frisky. He claimed they just hugged.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Who do you believe?

FLO_SERIOUS: I don’t think he was who he said he was.

FLO_SERIOUS: Gave me low-key player vibes.

FLO_SERIOUS: But, I can’t say for sure.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s good to know at least.

*I want the goss on <i>all</i> of them

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I wanna know the story behind all the postcard pics.

FLO_FLIRTY: You’re hungry for the goss. A girl after my own heart.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: What’s the story behind Elliot’s postcard pic, then?

FLO_SERIOUS: I thought you’d be interested in Elliot’s picture.

PLAYER_IDLE: I know he got dumped but I want to get to the bottom of it.

FLO_SERIOUS: I hate to be the bearer of bad news.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: It’s bad?

FLO_SERIOUS: Well, I guess it’s good. You made the right move twisting.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What happened?

FLO_IDLE: Elliot was making breakfast for the girls on the second day.

FLO_IDLE: He wasn’t super flirty but he wasn’t completely closed off.

FLO_SERIOUS: He ended up accidentally dropping some sauce on one of the girl’s legs.

FLO_FLIRTY: Happened to be the girl who liked him the most.

PLAYER_IDLE: Of course.

FLO_SERIOUS: He offered to help clean it off and they went off together.

FLO_SERIOUS: Apparently, she jumped in the shower to clean up but forgot her soap.

FLO_SERIOUS: He just passed it to her and that was that.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

FLO_SERIOUS: She said nothing happened and I believe her.

FLO_SERIOUS: There wasn’t really any romance between them.

FLO_SERIOUS: She jumped in the shower and invited him to join her.

FLO_SERIOUS: The rest is hazy… and steamy.

FLO_SERIOUS: She claimed they were getting frisky. He claimed they just hugged.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Who do you believe?

FLO_SERIOUS: I don’t think he was who he said he was.

FLO_SERIOUS: Gave me low-key player vibes.

FLO_SERIOUS: But, I can’t say for sure.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Well, that’s interesting.

FLO_SERIOUS: Then there was {0}’s postcard pic.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Spill!

FLO_SERIOUS: Well, that was really early on. Our first afternoon here.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Didn’t take him long.

FLO_SERIOUS: But withhold judgement. It looked worse than it was.

FLO_SERIOUS: We were having a game of hide and seek in the villa. An ice breaker.

FLO_SERIOUS: One of the girls had this idea of leading a trail of her clothes to her hiding spot.

FLO_FLIRTY: She was really pretty. Quite naughty, too.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And did {0} follow her line of clothes?

FLO_EMBARRASSED: He did.

FLO_SERIOUS: When he found the bikini top all the boys were egging him on.

FLO_SERIOUS: He waved it above his head and looked pretty chuffed.

FLO_SERIOUS: But honestly, he was pretty respectful after that.

FLO_SERIOUS: Bit of a gent about the whole thing.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So nothing happened between them then?

FLO_IDLE: No, not at all.

FLO_FLIRTY: She was into him though. Grafted him pretty hard.

FLO_FLIRTY: But I think {0} only really had eyes for you.

PLAYER_IDLE: Did he say that?

FLO_HAPPY: He didn’t have to. It was obvious to everyone.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Oh was it now?

FLO_HAPPY: Yeah, he was pretty cute when he talked about you.

FLO_FLIRTY: It was clear his head wasn’t going to turn from you.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Good to know.

FLO_SERIOUS: I get why he might not have told you about the bikini.

FLO_IDLE: It wasn’t a huge thing. He’s probably forgotten all about it.

FLO_HAPPY: But, I felt like you needed to know this.

FLO_FLIRTY: I didn’t want you getting the wrong end of the stick.

PLAYER_IDLE: That leaves {0}.

PLAYER_IDLE: We saw a picture of him in bed with a blonde!

Flo bats her eyelids at you playfully.

FLO_HAPPY: Guilty.

PLAYER_HAPPY: So it <i>was</i> you? What’s the story there?

FLO_SERIOUS: Honestly, it was a pretty instant connection.

FLO_HAPPY: I do a bit of surfing and Jamal is obviously a skater.

FLO_FLIRTY: We were joking that we’d have to meet up and shoot a vid back home.

FLO_HAPPY: Always had a bit of a thing for footballers.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking that I could cheer him on from the touchline.

FLO_HAPPY: I’ve always been a sucker for curly haired songwriters.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking that he could write a song about me.

FLO_HAPPY: As soon as I pictured him in his white pilot outfit, I knew I was in trouble.

FLO_HAPPY: We were joking he could fly me home when we both leave together.

FLO_FLIRTY: And I guess the joking turned a bit more serious.

PLAYER_IDLE: Did he tell you his situation with Amelia?

FLO_FLIRTY: He said it was a friendship couple and nothing more.

FLO_SERIOUS: And on the second night, he invited me into his bed.

FLO_FLIRTY: Things went from there.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I get it.

FLO_SERIOUS: We both wanted to wait until Amelia was back before we did anything.

FLO_FLIRTY: But we couldn’t resist a little spoon.

FLO_IDLE: He seemed pretty genuine about where his head was at.

FLO_IDLE: And from Amelia’s reaction, they <i>were</i> just friends.

FLO_IDLE: I don’t know how far we’ll go together, if I’m being honest.

FLO_HAPPY: But I’m happy to be in the villa and see what happens.

FLO_IDLE: Well, thank goodness he did twist with me. Otherwise you wouldn’t know all this.

PLAYER_IDLE: Thanks for letting me know.

I don’t want to know

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t want to know the story behind the postcard pics.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: The less I know the better.

FLO_SERIOUS: I understand. Maybe it’s stirring up old news.

FLO_SERIOUS: But the true drama happened the night the postcards arrived.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Explain.

FLO_SERIOUS: Well, that’s the thing. I can’t.

FLO_SERIOUS: I don’t know what happened and none of them will tell me.

FLO_SERIOUS: But, on the second morning they were all huddled around the kitchen.

FLO_SERIOUS: Whispering and discussing something.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: And you don’t know what it was?

FLO_SERIOUS: All I know is, one of the boys was sneaking around with a girl at night.

FLO_SERIOUS: And I’m pretty sure they got up to some stuff and are trying to keep it hushed.

FLO_SERIOUS: I’ve asked them all a million times what went on.

FLO_SURPRISED: But their lips are sealed. Even {0}.

FLO_SERIOUS: If you want to get to the bottom of it, you should do some investigating.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s on.

You turn to face the rest of the villa and decide where to begin your investigation.

&Beanbags: {0}

&Gym: {0}

&Pool: {0}

You strut over to {0}, who’s making himself comfortable on the bean bags.

{0}_FLIRTY: Hey, {1}. Great to see you. You look stunning.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Thanks.

{0}_FLIRTY: Wasn’t the same here without you.

PLAYER_IDLE: You missed me, then?

{0}_HAPPY: Of course. Couldn’t wait for you to get back.

{0}_HAPPY: My <i>unofficial</i> partner in crime.

{0}_IDLE: Oh hey there, {1}. Nice to see ya.

{0}_IDLE: Didn’t think you’d be pulling me for chats after earlier.

{0}_HAPPY: But, I’m not complaining.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I saw Flo talking to you. What was that chat about?

PLAYER_IDLE: The story behind the postcards, amongst other things.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Oh, right. And am I in the doghouse now you know the full story?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Guess it doesn’t matter what I got up to since you're into {1}.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: But, am I in your bad books now you know the full story?

Yup. I’m fuming at you

PLAYER_ANGRY: She did tell me, yep.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And...

PLAYER_ANGRY: And, I’m really not happy about it {0}!

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I know we weren’t an official couple at the time.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: But I thought you cared more than that.

PLAYER_ANGRY: Playing saucy hide and seek with the girls.

PLAYER_ANGRY: Bikini's being waved in your face!

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s disrespectful towards me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I came back here with you still in my mind.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And that’s how you’ve been behaving?

{0}_SERIOUS: It wasn’t that saucy.

PLAYER_ANGRY: Playing hide and seek with a girl who took her clothes off.

PLAYER_ANGRY: Bikini's being waved in your face!

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It’s just disrespectful.

{0}_SERIOUS: It was just a bit of fun to break the ice.

{0}_SERIOUS: But you’re right. I’m not gonna make excuses or anything.

{0}_SERIOUS: I was honestly shocked.

{0}_SERIOUS: It happened so quickly. I didn't have the chance to think about how it would make you feel.

{0}_SERIOUS: I’m really sorry.

{0}_SERIOUS: I should have been a bit more mature.

Nah. You’re all good

PLAYER_IDLE: She told me about it, but it’s all good.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Worse things have happened during Casa.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m glad you see it that way.

{0}_SERIOUS: The picture would have been out of context, to be honest.

{0}_IDLE: She was literally just picking her clothes up after the game.

You have to earn my forgiveness

PLAYER_IDLE: I could find it in my heart to forgive you.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: But it won’t be easy for you.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re gonna have to grovel a little before you’re in the clear.

{0}_HAPPY: For you, {1}. I’ll grovel like I’ve never groveled before.

{0}_HAPPY: Morning coffees, coming up hot.

{0}_HAPPY: Unless you want them cold.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Good to hear.

{0}_SERIOUS: But honestly, it was just taken out of context.

{0}_IDLE: She was literally just picking up her clothes after the game.

{0}_SERIOUS: It defo wasn’t the worst thing a guy got up to while you were away.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What do you mean?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Err… Nothing. I don’t know what I meant.

He sits up and studies your face a little more.

{0}_HAPPY: You look like you’re on a mission.

PLAYER_IDLE: What do you mean?

{0}_HAPPY: A look in your eye. Are you after something?

Be direct and ask what happened with the boys

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ll cut to the chase, {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Flo told me something big happened while I was away.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: All the boys know about it, but have been hiding it from us.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I knew this would come up.

Butter him up with some flirt

You move closer to {0}.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I missed you when I was over in Casa.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: None of those boys were as good to look at as you.

{0} shoots you a flirty smile back.

{0}_HAPPY: None of the new girls were on your level, either.

{0}_HAPPY: You’ve changed your tune.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I just had a wave of longing for you wash over me.

{0}_HAPPY: Keep the waves rolling, {1}.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I bet you boys got up to all kinds of naughtiness while we were away.

{0}_FLIRTY: Wouldn’t you like to know?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I would yeah. I wanna know how bad you all were…

{0}_HAPPY: Well, something big did happen one night.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Something pretty naughty.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Tell me <i>all</i> the juicy bits.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I wish I could tell you the whole story.

{0}_SERIOUS: But I only know a fragment. What I saw with my own eyes.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: And what was that?

{0}_SERIOUS: It was the night the postcard arrived.

{0}_SERIOUS: Ozzy was downbeat. Convinced Grace’s head had been spun 180 in Casa.

{0}_SERIOUS: Although I think his mind was on you too.

{0}_SERIOUS: I was on my own on the terrace, getting some alone time.

{0}_SURPRISED: And I saw Ozzy and {1} down in the kitchen.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: What were they saying?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was basically {1} giving Ozzy a pep talk.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Make the most of this summer and Forget about Grace. Go wild.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Stuff like that.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: He was telling Ozzy to turn it up and crack on with the newbies.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: So, did Ozzy follow {0}’s advice?

{0} shrugs.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: That’s all I know. I was a bit chewed up from the postcard pics.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Went to sleep early and woke up to whispers from all the boys.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Something went on, for sure. But your guess is as good as mine.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Interesting.

You stand to leave.

{0}_SAD: I know you said you didn’t miss me at all in Casa.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ve not forgotten.

{0}_SAD: Well, I want you to know that...

{0}_SAD: It doesn’t matter. You should do what your heart desires.

{0}_IDLE: Anyway, I’ll see you round.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: See you later, {0}.

The sound of groans echo as you approach the gym.

You immediately see {0} curling a huge dumbbell.

{0}_ANGRY: Nine. Ten.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Hope I’m not disturbing.

He drops the dumbbell and stretches out, panting as he does.

{0}_HAPPY: Nah all good. Just getting a pump on.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Why’s that?

{0}_FLIRTY: Have you seen Flo?

PLAYER_HAPPY: Of course.

{0}_HAPPY: You don’t win over lifeguards like her by sitting on the daybeds.

{0}_HAPPY: She’s way out of my league. Gotta get a pump on.

{0}_SERIOUS: Hang on, she’s looking.

{0} strikes a bodybuilder pose as Flo struts past the gym on her way to the kitchen.

FLO_FLIRTY: Looking good, {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You can breathe now, {0}.

He lets out a huge sigh and relaxes again.

{0}_FLIRTY: Yeah. She’s worth every rep that one.

{0}_FLIRTY: Spun my head instantly during Casa.

{0}_SERIOUS: The first time I looked into her eyes…

RYAN_SERIOUS: Reminded me of the first time I heard a blues song.

JAMAL_SERIOUS: Reminded me of the first time I landed a tre flip.

LEWIE_SERIOUS: Reminded me of the first hat-trick I ever scored.

ROBERTO_SERIOUS: Reminded me of the first time I ever flew above the clouds.

{0}_FLIRTY: Pure beauty. No other way to describe her.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: I didn’t realise you’d fallen this hard for Flo?

{0}_FLIRTY: Decided to lay it all on the line and be completely open to her.

{0}_HAPPY: And I’m really happy I did.

{0}_SERIOUS: I'll tell you one thing. I’ll leave here with Flo or I’ll leave on my own.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Big words.

{0}_IDLE: I think she’s taken a bit of a shine to you as well, actually.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Oh yeah? What makes you say that?

{0}_IDLE: Well, while you were away in Casa Amor, she said she was buzzing to meet you.

{0}_HAPPY: Mentioned she wanted to see if you were as gorgeous in person.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: And does she think I am?

{0}_HAPPY: When we were all at the Firepit for Stick or Twist and you walked out.

{0}_FLIRTY: She turned to me and just nodded.

{0}_HAPPY: So, I guess so.

{0}_HAPPY: Defo thinks you’re a sort.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Good to know.

{0}_SERIOUS: I know why you’re here, by the way.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: You wanna know what happened on the night of the postcard.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: And do you know?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I know that I always honour Bro Code.

{0}_SERIOUS: I can’t double cross the dudes like that.

Flo would love it if you told me

PLAYER_SAD: Aww that’s such a shame.

{0}_SURPRISED: Why?

PLAYER_SAD: I was just chatting to Flo and she said you’d 100 percent tell me.

PLAYER_SAD: She said, he’s the most honest guy I’ve ever met, he’ll defo help.

PLAYER_IDLE: But don’t worry, I’m sure she won’t be turned off that you didn’t.

You turn to leave.

{0}_SURPRISED: Woah, woah. Hold up.

{0}_SURPRISED: Postcard night? Yeah, I remember that. I’ll tell you.

{0}_SERIOUS: But tell Flo I helped you, yeah?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Go on.

Tell me now, {0}

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Tell me right now, {0}. Don’t test me.

{0}_SERIOUS: I don’t want to get involved with other people’s drama.

{0}_SERIOUS: The pool should be used for swimming not…

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Not what?

{0}_SAD: Big mouth {1} strikes again.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Stop dancing around the truth and tell me the full story.

{0}_SERIOUS: Fine. But don’t tell Flo. Don’t want her to think I’m a gossip.

{0}_SERIOUS: I only know what I saw.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And I don’t wanna tell you the rumours I’ve heard because they might not be true.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Just tell me what you know, then.

{0}_SERIOUS: I hate breaking Bro Code. But fine.

{0}_SERIOUS: I saw {1} chatting to the new girls on the night of the postcard.

{0}_SERIOUS: Now, don’t worry. He wasn’t being really flirty or anything like that.

{0}_SERIOUS: He’s been rock solid about you the whole time. Legit.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Good to hear.

{0}_SERIOUS: The new girls were actually asking him for advice.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Advice on what?

{0}_SERIOUS: Getting with one of the other guys.

{0}_SERIOUS: I don’t know which guy, I couldn’t hear.

{0}_SERIOUS: You have to remember I was in the gym lifting weights to impress Flo.

{0}_SERIOUS: So I only heard every other word in between my grunts. These are big weights.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: What advice was {0} giving the new girls?

{0}_SERIOUS: Well, he was hyping them up. Telling them to go for it.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Really?

{0}_SURPRISED: I heard him say His head could be turned.

{0}_SERIOUS: But yeah, I don’t know what guy’s head he was referring to.

{0}_SERIOUS: So that was that. Didn’t think much of it.

{0}_SERIOUS: But I woke up in the middle of night to put an iced coffee in the fridge.

{0}_SERIOUS: Flo wanted one in the morning and I’d forgotten to do it before bed.

{0}_SERIOUS: And as I was walking out I heard giggling in the pool.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Who was it?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Ok, so... Basically.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: It was one guy and two girls.

{0}_FLIRTY: Sounded pretty naughty if you ask me.

{0}_SERIOUS: It was dark and I just wanted to get back in bed.

{0}_SERIOUS: So I didn’t stick around to see who it was.

{0}_SERIOUS: But whoever it was, sounded like {1}’s advice worked.

{0}_SERIOUS: But that is genuinely all I know.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Thanks for telling me.

{0}_SERIOUS: I hope some of the other guys are as honest as me.

{0}_SERIOUS: Bro Code means nothing when you’ve found the one.

{0}_SERIOUS: Anyway, I better get back to it.

You turn to leave.

{0}_SERIOUS: Oh! Don’t forget to tell Flo that I was <i>super honest</i> with you.

{0}_SERIOUS: See ya, {1}.

You approach {0} who’s sitting by the pool with his feet in the water.

{0}_HAPPY: Hey! Here she is, come sit down.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You seem happy to see me.

{0}_HAPPY: Of course. I’ve been wondering where you were.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: This is our first full day together since you came back.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: We have so much to catch up on.

PLAYER_IDLE: I missed a lot of shenanigans while I was away by the sounds of it.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Some of the guys were busier than others.

ELLIOT_IDLE: I was sunbathing most of the time, to be honest.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: Spend a lot of time inside with work so I’m loving this sun.

PLAYER_IDLE: You spent a bit of time in the shower too according to the postcard…

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: I’ll be real with you.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: The picture probably looked bad.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: But I promise it would have been completely out of context.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: Nothing happened. At all.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Nothing happened with you and a girl in the shower?

ELLIOT_IDLE: Oh, it was that. I literally just handed her some soap.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: That was it.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: That’s what Flo just told me.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: Honestly, nothing happened.

{0}_HAPPY: This is our first full day together in the main villa.

{0}_HAPPY: You have to tell me all about my new home.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What do you want to know?

{0}_HAPPY: Err... Well. I already know where everything is to be honest.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s kind of like Casa Amor but there’s a bit less factor 50 in the air.

{0}_HAPPY: And less pink neon writing on the walls. And no Hamish.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’ll get used to the main villa vibes soon.

{0}_HAPPY: I’m looking forward to being here with you.

{0}_HAPPY: Tell me about you though.

{0}_HAPPY: I feel like we haven’t had a proper catch up in a hot min.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What do you want to know?

{0}_FLIRTY: I guess I should start with...

{0}_FLIRTY: Where’s your head at now you’re back in the main villa?

My head’s with you

PLAYER_FLIRTY: My head is completely and utterly with you, {0}.

{0}’s face instantly lights up.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: I knew Casa would be a big test for us.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: We’ve only spent a little bit of time together as a couple.

ELLIOT_HAPPY: But if we can get through that and come out of it together.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: The sky’s the limit for us.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’m just happy we’re back on track.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: I was never gonna twist. Wasn’t even an option.

Elliot smiles sincerely.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Why else would I have twisted for you?

{0}_HAPPY: Phew. I’m relieved to hear that.

{0}_SERIOUS: Walking in here with you yesterday, it really sunk in how lucky I am.

{0}_FLIRTY: Lucky to have this experience.

{0}_FLIRTY: And even luckier to have found you.

{0}_FLIRTY: It’s a genuine connection. I never feel like I’m forcing anything with you.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Good to hear.

{0}_FLIRTY: So, are there any main villa rules I should know about?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Keep your eyes on me.

{0}_FLIRTY: Got it.

{0} stares at you jokingly without blinking for a few moments.

{0}_SERIOUS: There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about.

I’m still deciding

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m still deciding where my head is at, {0}.

PLAYER_IDLE: There’s a lot going on and us girls just got back to main villa.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Right.

{0}_IDLE: I’ll just stick my feet in the pool and continue flirting with you.

{0}_IDLE: Until you’ve decided.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re flirting with me now?

{0}_HAPPY: Well, not right now.

{0}_HAPPY: Right now I’m focusing on not looking too heartbroken.

{0}_FLIRTY: But when I’m all healed up, I’ll get back to flirting with you.

PLAYER_HAPPY: You’re heartbroken that I’m not sure where my head is at?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: I’m joking. I wish your head was with me, but we can’t force it.

{0}_IDLE: Just glad you’re not shutting the door on me completely.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s all good.

{0}_SERIOUS: There was something I wanted to talk to you about, actually.

I wanna know what happened while I was away

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ll be up front with you, {0}.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Before I decide where my head is at, I need to know something.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: The night the postcard arrived, something went down in the main villa.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: All the boys know but won't tell the girls what it was.

{0} nods to himself.

{0}_SERIOUS: I can help with that.

{0}_SERIOUS: After Elliot got dumped the boys pulled me for a chat.

{0}_SERIOUS: I thought it was gonna be a ‘welcome to the villa’ type thing.

{0}_SERIOUS: But, turns out it was about what happened.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: On the night of the postcards.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: What was it?

{0}_SERIOUS: I was sworn to Bro Code by the boys.

{0}_HAPPY: But luckily I don’t believe in any of that.

{0}_IDLE: According to the lads, Elliot woke up early to make himself a coffee.

{0}_IDLE: And decided to go and sit by the pool on his own.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: And...

{0}_SURPRISED: And floating in the pool he saw a pair of trunks.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: And not one, but <i>two</i> bikinis.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: Honestly, I wanted to tell you this earlier.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: I know you asked last night but it was too late and people were sleeping.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: It didn’t feel like the right time.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: It never felt like the right time.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: I was technically sworn to secrecy by Bro Code.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: Not that anyone over the age of 14 cares about Bro Code.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: So, what is it?

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: The morning after our postcard arrived, I was on my own by the pool.

ELLIOT_SURPRISED: And I noticed there was something floating in the pool.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: I went closer to investigate.

ELLIOT_SERIOUS: It was a pair of trunks...

ELLIOT_EMBARRASSED: And not one, but <i>two</i> bikinis.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: Two bikinis?

{0}_SERIOUS: No one seems to know who they belong to.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: The trunks or the bikinis?

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Both!

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Thanks for telling me.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Sorry I didn’t say this earlier.

{0}_IDLE: It’s been a whirlwind since Casa.

{0}_FLIRTY: I don’t feel like we’ve had much time together.

PLAYER_IDLE: There’s been a lot going on, for sure.

{0}_FLIRTY: I was wondering if you wanted to have a proper catch up?

{0}_FLIRTY: Just me and you. Away from prying eyes.

{0}_FLIRTY: Maybe help you decide where your head is at.

{0}_FLIRTY: Now I’ve told you all I know about the postcard night.

{0}_FLIRTY: Now I know your head is still with me.

{0}_FLIRTY: What do you say, {1}? Wanna have a catch up just me and you?

*Let’s do it

PLAYER_HAPPY: I think we’re well overdue some alone time. Let’s do it.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Where shall we go?

{0} looks around the villa before quietly sliding into the pool.

{0}_HAPPY: Why don’t you get in the water with me?

{0}_FLIRTY: Might be a bit more intimate.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Have a chat while we float?

{0}_FLIRTY: Exactly. Let the good times come to the surface.

{0}_FLIRTY: Wanna have our catch up in the water?

I’m getting in

PLAYER_HAPPY: I like that idea.

You lower yourself into the pool as you and {0} float next to each other on your backs.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: Floating on water is a form of meditation you know.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: It’s supposed to empty all the weight from your body and mind.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: The perfect remedy after Casa.

He slicks back his hair and looks up to the sky.

Let’s stay dry up here

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’d rather just dip my toes in.

{0}_HAPPY: Afraid of taking the plunge?

{0} climbs out of the pool and sits next to you.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s surprisingly quite cold in there.

{0}_HAPPY: Better off up here.

{0}_HAPPY: What an interesting few days.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What have you learnt during the whole Casa Amor experience, then?

{0}_HAPPY: Good question.

{0}_IDLE: I learnt that Ozzy practises dance moves while he’s brushing his teeth.

{0}_HAPPY: Saw him doing a little cha cha cha one morning.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that {1}’s type is officially blonde lifeguards.

{0}_HAPPY: He’s been sleeping with dumbbells by his bed to keep a pump on.

{0}_HAPPY: I don’t think she even cares about muscles from what she said.

{0}_IDLE: And more importantly…

{0}_IDLE: I learnt this place isn’t the same without you.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that Marshall and Ozzy have some making up to do.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that Hamish can sell 12 houses at above 8% market value in a month.

{0}_FLIRTY: And most importantly…

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that you’re the only girl I’m committed to in here.

{0}_FLIRTY: So I’m gonna spend the next few days working hard.

{0}_FLIRTY: To prove why your head should be with me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sounds like you’ve learnt some important lessons.

{0}_FLIRTY: What about you?

{0}_FLIRTY: What has the Casa experience taught you?

That you mean a lot to me

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I learnt that you mean a lot to me.

{0}_HAPPY: That’s nice to hear.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: So I guess we both learnt similar things.

{0}_FLIRTY: Looks that way. Great minds.

That no couple is safe

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I learnt that no couple is safe. That’s for sure.

{0}_SERIOUS: I feel it. No one has truly committed yet.

{0}_SERIOUS: Everyone's a little bit available in some way.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Maybe there’s something in the water.

{0} looks down at the water suspiciously before chuckling to himself.

{0}_HAPPY: Or maybe it’s just still fairly early days.

That you still haven’t proven yourself to me

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ve learnt that you still haven’t proven yourself to me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You’ve got a way to go.

{0}_SERIOUS: I do feel like I’ve been a bit absent since we got back from Casa.

{0}_SERIOUS: I do feel like I’ve been a bit absent since you got back from Casa.

{0}_FLIRTY: But I am absolutely going to prove myself to you.

{0}_FLIRTY: I know when something is worth fighting for.

I didn’t learn anything

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m just trying to have a good time in here.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I can’t say I’ve learnt much from the Casa escapades.

{0}_HAPPY: I like your approach. You are the opposite of an overthinker.

PLAYER_HAPPY: An underthinker?

{0}_HAPPY: No, that sounds bad.

{0}_HAPPY: You just take it as it is and focus on having a good time.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s a good way to be.

{0} paddles himself towards you so he’s right by your side.

{0} lies back and soaks up the sun with his feet in the pool.

{0}_HAPPY: {1}, pool, sun.

{0}_HAPPY: Not a bad afternoon.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I wanted to catch up after everything.

{0}_IDLE: I’m glad we did. Nice to reconnect.

Suddenly, {0} stands up and walks behind you, sitting down on your other side.

He looks at you with a glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, {0} drops down under the surface and swims underneath you, finally emerging right behind you.

He shakes the water off his face and looks at you with a glint in his eye.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What was that?

{0}_FLIRTY: The sun was in my eyes. I wanted to get a proper look at you.

{0}_FLIRTY: At how beautiful you are.

{0}_FLIRTY: Nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you...

Give him a hug

You lean toward {0} and embrace him under the warm orange sun.

Water swirls around your body as you float out into the middle of the pool.

The water gently curls and flows around your entwined bodies. You feel safe and at ease in his arms.

You feel safe and at ease in his muscular arms. Completely alone together.

When you finally part, {0} looks at you with an endearing smile.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: That was worth waiting for.

{0}_FLIRTY: That was worth coming back for.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Nowhere you’d rather be. Right?

{0}_FLIRTY: Nowhere in the world.

Flirt back

PLAYER_FLIRTY: What are you thinking of right now?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’ve got a cheeky look in your eyes.

{0}_FLIRTY: I don’t know if I can say it out loud.

You look at him and bite your lip with a cheeky grin.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Maybe I’ll find out later.

{0}_FLIRTY: I don’t know if I can wait that long.

You teasingly lean closer towards him, feeling him yearning for a kiss, but at the last second lean back.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Guess you’ll have to.

Play hard to get

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I can think of a few places I’d rather be.

{0}_FLIRTY: Oh yeah?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Like having a nap on the daybeds.

{0}_SURPRISED: What does that mean?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It means you’re gonna need to try a lot harder to win me over.

You splash some water into his face.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Just letting you know.

{0} looks at you with his mouth wide open.

{0}_SURPRISED: Work harder. Got it.

I’d rather just dip my toes in

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I don’t know if we need a proper catch up to be honest.

{0}_SAD: Oh, really?

{0}_IDLE: Just feels as though we haven’t had loads of time together.

{0}_SERIOUS: I mean we are a couple after all.

{0}_IDLE: Are you sure you don’t want to have a bit of alone time with me?

*I do want some alone time!

PLAYER_HAPPY: I think we’re well overdue some alone time. Let’s do it.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Where shall we go?

{0} looks around the villa before quietly sliding into the pool.

{0}_HAPPY: Why don’t you get in the water with me?

{0}_FLIRTY: Might be a bit more intimate.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Have a chat while we float?

{0}_FLIRTY: Exactly. Let the good times come to the surface.

{0}_FLIRTY: Wanna have our catch up in the water?

I’m getting in

PLAYER_HAPPY: I like that idea.

You lower yourself into the pool as you and {0} float next to each other on your backs.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: Floating on water is a form of meditation you know.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: It’s supposed to empty all the weight from your body and mind.

FRANCIS_HAPPY: The perfect remedy after Casa.

He slicks back his hair and looks up to the sky.

Let’s stay dry up here

PLAYER_HAPPY: I’d rather just dip my toes in.

{0}_HAPPY: Afraid of taking the plunge?

{0} climbs out of the pool and sits next to you.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s surprisingly quite cold in there.

{0}_HAPPY: Better off up here.

{0}_HAPPY: What an interesting few days.

PLAYER_HAPPY: What have you learnt during the whole Casa Amor experience, then?

{0}_HAPPY: Good question.

{0}_IDLE: I learnt that Ozzy practises dance moves while he’s brushing his teeth.

{0}_HAPPY: Saw him doing a little cha cha cha one morning.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that {1}’s type is officially blonde lifeguards.

{0}_HAPPY: He’s been sleeping with dumbbells by his bed to keep a pump on.

{0}_HAPPY: I don’t think she even cares about muscles from what she said.

{0}_IDLE: And more importantly…

{0}_IDLE: I learnt this place isn’t the same without you.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that Marshall and Ozzy have some making up to do.

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that Hamish can sell 12 houses at above 8% market value in a month.

{0}_FLIRTY: And most importantly…

{0}_HAPPY: I learnt that you’re the only girl I’m committed to in here.

{0}_FLIRTY: So I’m gonna spend the next few days working hard.

{0}_FLIRTY: To prove why your head should be with me.

PLAYER_HAPPY: Sounds like you’ve learnt some important lessons.

{0}_FLIRTY: What about you?

{0}_FLIRTY: What has the Casa experience taught you?

That you mean a lot to me

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I learnt that you mean a lot to me.

{0}_HAPPY: That’s nice to hear.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: So I guess we both learnt similar things.

{0}_FLIRTY: Looks that way. Great minds.

That no couple is safe

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I learnt that no couple is safe. That’s for sure.

{0}_SERIOUS: I feel it. No one has truly committed yet.

{0}_SERIOUS: Everyone's a little bit available in some way.

{0}_EMBARRASSED: Maybe there’s something in the water.

{0} looks down at the water suspiciously before chuckling to himself.

{0}_HAPPY: Or maybe it’s just still fairly early days.

That you still haven’t proven yourself to me

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’ve learnt that you still haven’t proven yourself to me.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: You’ve got a way to go.

{0}_SERIOUS: I do feel like I’ve been a bit absent since we got back from Casa.

{0}_SERIOUS: I do feel like I’ve been a bit absent since you got back from Casa.

{0}_FLIRTY: But I am absolutely going to prove myself to you.

{0}_FLIRTY: I know when something is worth fighting for.

I didn’t learn anything

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I’m just trying to have a good time in here.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I can’t say I’ve learnt much from the Casa escapades.

{0}_HAPPY: I like your approach. You are the opposite of an overthinker.

PLAYER_HAPPY: An underthinker?

{0}_HAPPY: No, that sounds bad.

{0}_HAPPY: You just take it as it is and focus on having a good time.

{0}_HAPPY: It’s a good way to be.

{0} paddles himself towards you so he’s right by your side.

{0} lies back and soaks up the sun with his feet in the pool.

{0}_HAPPY: {1}, pool, sun.

{0}_HAPPY: Not a bad afternoon.

PLAYER_HAPPY: I wanted to catch up after everything.

{0}_IDLE: I’m glad we did. Nice to reconnect.

Suddenly, {0} stands up and walks behind you, sitting down on your other side.

He looks at you with a glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, {0} drops down under the surface and swims underneath you, finally emerging right behind you.

He shakes the water off his face and looks at you with a glint in his eye.

PLAYER_SURPRISED: What was that?

{0}_FLIRTY: The sun was in my eyes. I wanted to get a proper look at you.

{0}_FLIRTY: At how beautiful you are.

{0}_FLIRTY: Nowhere I’d rather be than right here with you...

Give him a hug

You lean toward {0} and embrace him under the warm orange sun.

Water swirls around your body as you float out into the middle of the pool.

The water gently curls and flows around your entwined bodies. You feel safe and at ease in his arms.

You feel safe and at ease in his muscular arms. Completely alone together.

When you finally part, {0} looks at you with an endearing smile.

ELLIOT_FLIRTY: That was worth waiting for.

{0}_FLIRTY: That was worth coming back for.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Nowhere you’d rather be. Right?

{0}_FLIRTY: Nowhere in the world.

Flirt back

PLAYER_FLIRTY: What are you thinking of right now?

PLAYER_FLIRTY: You’ve got a cheeky look in your eyes.

{0}_FLIRTY: I don’t know if I can say it out loud.

You look at him and bite your lip with a cheeky grin.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Maybe I’ll find out later.

{0}_FLIRTY: I don’t know if I can wait that long.

You teasingly lean closer towards him, feeling him yearning for a kiss, but at the last second lean back.

PLAYER_FLIRTY: Guess you’ll have to.

Play hard to get

PLAYER_FLIRTY: I can think of a few places I’d rather be.

{0}_FLIRTY: Oh yeah?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Like having a nap on the daybeds.

{0}_SURPRISED: What does that mean?

PLAYER_SERIOUS: It means you’re gonna need to try a lot harder to win me over.

You splash some water into his face.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Just letting you know.

{0} looks at you with his mouth wide open.

{0}_SURPRISED: Work harder. Got it.

I’m alright

PLAYER_SERIOUS: I think I’m fine, {0}.

{0}_IDLE: That’s alright. Whatever you want.

{0}_SERIOUS: I imagine you’re pretty busy with everything that’s going on.

PLAYER_SERIOUS: Yeah, that reminds me actually.

PLAYER_IDLE: I better get going.

PLAYER_IDLE: Need to catch up with everyone after Casa.

{0}_HAPPY: Go for it! I’ll be here if you want to chat some more.

You climb out of the pool and dry yourself off. Leaving {0} blissfully floating in the pool.

You jump up and dry your legs off. Leaving {0} sat by the pool.

[lalekaplanbrody]

THE MYSTIC - Lale Kaplan-Brody

pinterest. playlist (tbd).

CHARACTER INSPO: Amy Dunne (gone girl), Bonnie Bennet (the vampire diaries), Love Quinn (you), Nina Sayers (the black swan), Sophia Beckett (bridgerton series) & Grace De Lomas (ready or not)

TRIGGER WARNINGS: parental death, parental abandonment, infidelity, teen pregnancy, toxic relationships (familial)

FULL NAME: Lale Alara Kaplan-Brody

Name pronunciation: La-lay,

NICKNAMES: La, Lala

AGE: 31

BIRTHDATE: April 28th, 1991 @ 10am 

ZODIAC: Taurus sun, Scorpio moon, Cancer rising

HOMETOWN: Half Moon Bay, California

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Half Moon Bay, California 

NEIGHBORHOOD: TBD

OCCUPATION: Songwriter/writer

MBTI: INFJ-T

ENNEAGRAM: 6w7 the confidant

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral

TEMPERAMENT:  Melancholic

+ passionate, dependable, insightful, persistent, intuitive, magnetic, sensual, altruistic

- obstinate, secretive, jealous, unable to let go, compulsive, obsessive, forgives/doesn't forget

ABOUT

Lale Kaplan's parents were a young couple who had a ton of early issues but seemed to figure it out. However, there was always the undercurrent that something wasn't quite alright.

The Kaplan's did their best despite their issues and filled their children's lives with wonder and love. Despite their issues, Lale and her older sister never wanted for anything where their parents were concerned.

Lale grew up very determined and with a strong desire to be everything her parents claimed she was. She did tumbling, cheerleading, and ballet and pushed herself in everything she did. Lale was adaptable. She could seamlessly fit into any group taking on traits of those around her. This meant it was often difficult to get to know Lale on a deep level, and sometimes she thought she preferred it this way.

The closest person in Lale's life outside of her sister was her mother. She admired her spirit and every whimsical bit of Azra. However, when Lale was a child, her mother left one day and never returned. She knew by then Azra was unhappy in her life but to actually leave was a terrible shock.

None was more shocked than her father, whose health declined, and eventually, the man passed, leaving the Kaplan siblings without a parent. This opened the door for Miray, her aunt, to move in and step in as a legal guardian.

Miray was only a guardian in the legal term. In reality life never recovered and was a uniquely terrible experience where through her grief and anger, Miray was never able to be what the kids deserved. Miray was irresponsible, and the relationship between her and the children was strained and untrusting.

After getting pregnant at 16, her boyfriend and Lale stole a ton of money (money that was technically left by her father) and got it to her sistet, who was struggling more and had been talking about running away. Lale believed the money would get him a head start and some safety net.

Life quickly spiraled after having her son. From her sister's constant woes ( a fact Lale always blamed herself for), a wedding to the father of her child, and the following affairs, injuries, and more, Lale has felt like she's been swept through life the last several years.

In between it all, Lale has obtained her doctorate in music and carved out private passions for herself. She never imagined she'd return to Half Moon Bay but the opportunity for Bennet's career and to take over her childhood home felt too good to pass up. For better or worse, she and her family are back.

QUICK FACTS

Lale was raised Muslim and still holds a lot of traditions of her faith but is largely non-practicing

TIMELINE -

April 28th, 1991 @ 10 am - Birth

1993 - Begins cheer/tumbling at 2

August 1996 - Starts school at five years old

1996 - Starts figure skating

1998 - Competetive cheer begins at 7 

2003 - They begin homeschooling due to marital issues and family issues

2003 - 2005 - Stops cheering and focuses on figure skating as an escape from her home life.

2006 - Her mom abandons them followed by her father's death shortly after due to a decline in health/Takutsubo.

2006 - Begins cheering in high school to attempt to distract from her home life.

2007 late summer/fall - 16 years old start tutoring with Ben (future husband/baby daddy) to help her catch up on school. Prior to this, they had a very quippy back-and-forth without her thinking too highly of him. This changes quickly.

2007 late fall/early winter - She steals money from their guardian to give to her sister so she can run away and start a new life

March 2008 - Finds out she's pregnant at 16

Dec 2008 - Gives birth at 17 to her and Bennet's son

2009 - Graduated high school

2009 - June/July has a low-key ceremony and marries Bennet at 17 

2009 - 2014 - Supports Ben's education/football career (even thru the affair in 2012)

2010 - Starts her college degree studying Music with a minor in Classics

2011 - now - Her sister is in and out of trouble. She's often bailing her out whenever she can, but her life is often full of trouble, and she blames herself

2014 - Graduates with her bachelor's. Her son is now five.

2016 - 2019 - Is a teaching assistant at Stanford in the music department

2018 - Finishes her DMA in Music and starts to write professionally and compose

2020 - Gets her first big check for an original musical score for a multi-million-dollar movie

2020 - Starts to write books of poetry/short stories for their son when he is older. It turns into a love letter to all the people she loves - the list is short

2021 - Publishes some of the love letters/poems under a fake name and tells no one 

2022 - Her mother resurfaces after all those years, and it's quite ugly 

2023 - Is over the moon, eager to move back to Half Moon Bay after the run-in with her mom, finds her childhood home is close to repossession due to their guardians mishandling of the home

FAMILY

Azra Kaplan - Estranged mother

Berkan Kaplan - deceased father

TBD Kaplan - older sister

Miray Kaplan - aunt/guardian (complicated terrible relationship)

Berkan James Jordan Brody - 14-year-old son Born 12/14/2008

Bennet Brody - husband -married June 2009

[datbeaniskillah]

Meet my OCs which is Jigoku no Udon Original Storyline made by Me (⁠っ⁠.⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)⁠っ

(Ex-Creepypasta OCs [Part 1])

Note: I don't want my OCs to be involved to the toxic fandom of #Creepypasta due to a lot of unnecessary issues and scummy weird drippy dipping shits going on there. So I made my Original Storyline of Horror Stories same goes to Beechi-Ween & Project Creep Hood. My Other OCs will be part of the Fandom of SCP Foundation & Slenderverse. that's the only Horror OCs that are part of some specific Fandoms.

Mi Featured Original Character UwU

Death Music AKA Bernice Villamayor

The Story remains Original as it is. Where Slenderman took her as his "Apple of the Eye" (Favorite) Filipina Proxy.

Take Note: Slenderman is not just a Creepypasta but also Universal. So I can make him involved without considering my OC a "Creepypasta" like Even Masky & Hoodie are NOT Creepypasta Fandom Related stated by the Original People said. Even Observer from Tribe Twelve is NOT Creepypasta Related.

Origin Story: The Story goes where Bernice's Bloodline is related to the Ancient Atlantian (People of Atlantis) dated back through Ancient Times. Especially, which hold her a special gift to tame different kinds of Entities. (Just like her cousin El Lala from Mexico, Since Aztecs & Atlantians are in the same race before the Spanish Empire came to both Countries which is Philippines & Mexico). Bernice Villamayor is supposed to be the heir to the throne of the Ancient Filipino Tribe somewhere in Mt. Province located in North Luzon. Yet Bernice's Mother Lauren Villamayor refused to follow her Husband's traditions which is Bernice's Father Marlon Villamayor. So Bernice never had the chance to know her past history of her ancestors and completely oblivious about it.

Mid-Origin Story: When Bernice was a young tween to teen. She does encountered a lot of paranoia & she solemnly swear to God that what she saw was real yet Lauren avoided her questions & neglected her since she was growing up in resulting of Bernice's Perfectionistic Before that she wanted to impress her family with her skills & talents yet nobody cares nor appreciated her except her father Marlon who is always acknowledging her about her unique behavior and antics.

Pre-Proxy Era of Bernice's Origin: Bernice became 16 when she became the most famous Singer-Songwriter & Band Leader known in the Entire Philippines in the Supernova Gang with her fellow Colleagues, Loren Cainta, Ariel Abadines, Candy Florentino, Denise Buena Fuentes, & Tiana Tela with their manager Mr. Jay Marasigan-Gonzales. Due to Bernice's incredible talent of singing & knowing the beat of her Electric Guitar that draws a lot of attention to Millions of Filipino Fans out there. Behind that successful group lies within a dark secret & truth. Mr. Jay Marasigan-Gonzales is a very wealthy Cebuano Businessman who funded most of his legal & illegal trades & goods. Yet he made a terrible mistake when Negotiating with Mr. Slim (Slenderman). Slenderman is been watching Bernice ever since she grew up and he always wanted her for his future agendas and propagandas for the Proxy Community. He gave Mr. Jay a lot of specific Instructions & Orders to make this request.

1st Order: The Creation of the Death Guitar for Bernice Villamayor. Mr. Jay created such powerful Guitar that is Mystical and Deadly. Which is made with Old Narra Planks & Personal Forged Blades came from Japan. It's no Ordinary since it has a lot or rituals & ceremonies to complete such weapon.

2nd Order: The Initiation Process for Bernice to give in to Mr. Slim. (Which Mr. Jay didn't want to) It's not easy for Mr. Jay to give Bernice to Mr. Slim even though he is a professional Human Trafficking Illegal Businessman. When Mr. Jay found out that Mr. Slim was no human, He immediately hid the Death Guitar for a while and told Bernice to ignore messages that she received from her phone with multiple numbers. Little Miss Bernice didn't know anything about everything on what's going on as she encountered a lot of Paranoia, Headaches & Dizziness to the Point sometimes they cancelled the shows cuz of Bernice's sudden illness or Fever. It took a lot of Death Threats & Scandals for Mr. Jay to give up and give Bernice to Mr. Slim so he did write an apology letter that is attached to the Death Guitar when he gave it to Bernice before he was murdered by Bernice herself due to the unsettling Demon Possessions that she didn't even know nor recalled.

During the Proxy Days of Bernice Villamayor: After the Murder Scene, Bernice was in the Lake side somewhere in Lips, Batangas, Philippines. Where she needs to gather her thoughts on what just happened. She was too Naive, Innocent, & Confused. She refused to acknowledge that she murdered her own Manager and was completely unaware about the Demonic Possessions when she used the Death Guitar. This is one of the reasons why Mr. Slim put the blindfold onto her so that she was completely unaware on what she's been doing and let the demons possessed her body for a long time. That simple blindfold puts the "Real" Bernice's soul in sleep mode, making her still Pure & Innocent unaware of her doings when she was possess.

The Issues & Scandals she needed to face during her Proxy Years: When Allysa & Khea aka Sweet Eater & Soldier 999 met Bernice for the last time after her disappearance in Philippines. When they met in Dark Woods in Germany. This is where they were attacked by Bernice when she was completely possessed unaware she's almost killed her childhood friends. Until Khea accidentally removed Bernice's blindfold. This is where Bernice's "Alter Ego" as Death Music is turned off and the Real Bernice wakes up and looked at them cluelessly and innocently not knowing what happened before nor what. Allysa & Khea were worried as they Investigated further about Bernice's disappearance and how she couldn't recall everything from her past. Bernice was stunned as she calculated her age and she was completely not aware that she's already 26 years old. In results of this manner, Bernice's Personality & behavioral traits stayed at the age of 16 while her physical age is 26. Which leads to Bernice a lot of questions & worries on what's gone into her. Until Mr. Slim noticed from the headquarters that Bernice aka Death Music gone missing as he ordered Observer aka Bernice's Baby Sitter to find her immediately. This is where the issue arises when Mr. Slim knew that Bernice's blindfold was removed.

After the issues: After the fight between Mr. Slim & Bernice Villamayor who is trying to protect Khea & Allysa and others as well. Bernice broke her Death Guitar which in result of releasing 10 Thousand Souls & Demons inside of the Guitar and Possessed on her Body permanently all at Once. It took time for Bernice to go neutralize when 3rd Eye aka Caldwell Foyston & Allysa Gonzales who is Sweet Eater worked together to perform a temporary sealed ritual for the Demons not to harm Bernice's Soul inside of her body. Which made her temporarily Blind for a while due to extreme pressure from her body & intensity of the Paranoia situation is.

Detained Years of Bernice Villamayor: Bernice was detained after the incident as Mr. Slim was now overly overprotective towards her, not wanting her to escape since Bernice already knew everything what's going on. She was treated a Prisoner of Mr. Slim's Obsession of Bernice's Supernatural Powers. Knowing that Bernice can really defeat Mr. Slim. At the same time, Observer is been always with Bernice through thick and thin. Now Observer knew who the the real Bernice was as he gets to know her. They secretly fell in love and had a child together name Benson Klein Haas aka Sinister Smiley.

Another Scandal inside of the Headquarters: This is where it gets intense where Mr. Slim was furious that Observer & Death Music were dating and rumors having a first born child. Mr. Slim was too much darker and more sinister as he needs to kill Sinister Smiley when he was a baby. Mr. Slim has a huge plan for Bernice, he wanted to have Bernice as his trophy wife. A wife that he needs to use for sucking the energy out of her in a long run while managing everything in order yet it failed due to Observer. Observer was furious as he took his son away and gave it to Glow Fire & Firebrand Somewhere in the Boundaries of North Korea & Russia.

The Birth of Mr. Creep Face: Bernice's 2nd Son which is the First Born of Mr. Slim. Bernice's died due to Pregnancy Birth due to the intensity & the pressure of the situation is, Bernice couldn't make it as the Demons inside of her she couldn't control any longer. Mr. Slim was devastated about her death because he knew Bernice will die when she has a 2nd child, he blamed Observer for everything until the Proxy Community created a lot of Divisions which made things more chaotic. This is where Project Creep Hood was born which is the Next Generational Gore Core Elites continues striving for the war against Mr. Slim. Which Sinister Smiley is the leading role of the Association. The goal is to kill the impossible & face his half brother Mr. Creep Face for the greater good.

This is why this is related to Time Lapse aka the only son of Sinister Smiley. Time Lapse was completely Oblivious on what's going on in the past especially his father's past since he doesn't know everything about him since he lived ever since in the orphanage. This is where Mr. Slim return and gain revenge to end the Family Bloodline of Observer-Bernice's. Mr. Slim is responsible killing Time Lapse's Adopted Daughter name Samantha Nicole. But the thing is, When Time Lapse travelled back in time just to change things over. Mr. Slim realize that he killed the wrong child because Samantha wasn't the Biological daughter of Time Lapse.

Note: The Story goes on & on & on. The reason why Mr. Slim's Obsession grows stronger about killing the first born child who is in the lineage of Observer-Bernice's is because these people are "Powerful" and they are the only ones whoever since destined & knew everything what's up. She has the power to end Mr. Slim's Regimen. Who is Skull Sully aka Erika Kryza (The Eldest Daughter of Armless Ellie & Time Lapse). Skull Sully is part of the Beechi-Ween Original Storyline who is enemies with Mr. Creep Face aka her Grand Uncle.

Reminder: More Upcoming Storylines coming up in this OC Category! Stay tuned OwO

[cosmic-kiwi]

“I see now that the glow is only the sun, filtering through this cloud, which is only a temporary arrangement of water. But speaking as a temporary arrangement of water myself, I grieve.“

“My favorite song of all time is a blank cassette tape, still in its plastic wrapper. It was owned by a man named Gary Choi. He was a real estate lawyer, reasonably successful, but he always dreamed of being a singer songwriter. He dreamed all the time of quitting his job and writing songs, but he had never even written one song. Then one day, in a fit of optimism and energy, he bought this cassette, intending to make his first demo. But the day got away from him, and then the week, and then the rest of his life, and he never quit being a lawyer, and he never wrote even one song. This blank cassette tape, still in its wrapper, contains the potential of all the songs he could have written, but never did, which is better and more powerful than any actual song anyone’s managed to actually write. The potential of a thing is always more perfect than the reality of the thing. However, and this is the crucial drawback, the potential is absolutely useless and the reality, however imperfect, can be quite useful. Anyway, I like to hold Gary Choi’s unwritten demo, and imagine what it would be like.“ (Episode 175)

“If you can hear my voice speaking live, then you know: we are not history yet. We are happening now. How miraculous is that?”

“Be proud of your place in the Cosmos. It is small and yet it is.” 

“We will never be the same again. But here’s a little secret for you: no one is ever the same thing again after anything. You are never the same twice, and much of your unhappiness comes from trying to pretend that you are. Accept that you are different each day, and do so joyfully, recognizing it for the gift it is. Work within the desires and goals of the person you are currently, until you aren’t that person anymore, and everything changes once again.”  

“She understood the world and her place in it. She understood nothing. The world and her place in it were nothing and she understood that.”

“Nothing can be fully understood to be ‘real’. Any description of the world we give is simply the world we experience – which is to say, a narrative we force onto whatever horror or void lies behind the scrim of our perception.”

“And yes, you will die – but probably not until everyone you know is already dead, too. Your parents, your friends, your pets... each death leaving a small but irreparable scar on your not-yet-still, still-beating heart. The living tell the dying not to leave, and the dying do not listen. The dying tell us not to be sad for them, and we do not listen. The dialogue between the living and the dead is full of misunderstanding and silence.”

“This all happens somewhere else. But here, Carlos and I sat on the trunk of that car – his car – looking together at the lights up in the sky above the Arby’s…they were beautiful in the hushed twilight, shimmering in a night sky already coming alive with bits of the universe. One year later. One year since he arrived. He put his hand on my knee and said nothing. And I knew what he meant. I felt the same. I leaned my head on his shoulder. We understand the lights. We understand the lights above the Arby’s. We understand so much. But the sky behind those lights – mostly void, partially stars? That sky reminds us we don’t understand even more.” (Episode 25)

“So look at the fleeting stars with fleeting eyes, and feel how the earth beneath you gives. It is all a temporary manifestation of particles, and it is all unraveling back to particulate silence. The bustle of the human day will come and will go. And then there will be night. But how beautiful these moments within the dissolve! What a temporary perfection we can find within this passing world! Everything good ever done! Everything good that was done today, and all the good people doing it, and back and back and forward and forward, all of that beauty within a universe unraveling. Be proud of your place in the cosmos. It is small, and yet it is. How unlikely! How fantastic! And stupid. And excellent.”

Night Vale had some of the BEST one off quotes that would just suckerpunch you in the chest leave you breathless

Like the one that stuck with me was this one:

"when a person dies and no one will miss them, the mourning is assigned to a random human. This is why sometimes you just feel sad."

It's been almost 11 years... It haunts me in a good way

[dannydehek]

The Unveiling: Exposing the Cryptic Schemes of LunaOne and the Battle Against the World's Biggest Scammer

Once upon a time, in the virtual realm of the Unreal Metaverse, where fantastical creatures roamed and digital dreams came to life, there was a curious book titled "The Unreal Metaverse and the Trustless Bank" by Cindy Piper. Order on Amazon at https://a.co/d/d3cQLaI

It was a book that promised to reveal the secrets of a notorious crypto scam known as "LunaOne," which was allegedly masterminded by the world's biggest scammer, Stephen McCullah of Hyper Technologies Inc.

The book, released on June 3rd, 2023, caused quite a stir. Cindy Piper, the daring author, fearlessly exposed the inner workings of LunaOne and shared her personal experiences. Little did she know that her revelations would put her in the crosshairs of Stephen McCullah himself. Threats of legal action rained down upon Cindy just ten minutes after the book became available for download. It seemed Stephen McCullah was not pleased with his secrets being laid bare.

But Cindy had her supporters, led by the enigmatic DANNY : DE HEK, also known as The Crypto Ponzi Scheme Avenger. DANNY rallied a group of unlikely allies, including the talented singer-songwriter Robert Lewis, the ever-watchful Tracey Jones, and the latecomer Carolanne, who was desperately trying to catch up with the unfolding drama.

As the story unraveled, DANNY revealed some true historical points and facts about Stephen McCullah. It turned out that McCullah owned or was associated with various crypto ventures like Apollo Currency, Apollo Fintech, Gold Secured Currency, Luna One, Hyper Technologies, Stratus, and Gold Inc. It seemed like McCullah's reach extended far and wide within the digital landscape.

DANNY went further to expose LunaOne's fraudulent activities. He highlighted how McCullah orchestrated a presale offering, enticing people to buy LunaOne tokens/coins before they were listed on an exchange.

However, when the listing day arrived, the tokens were not released as promised. The presale price of $0.25 per token turned out to be a mirage, as LunaOne tokens were launched on the exchange at a mere $0.05 each. McCullah even had the audacity to apologize for the mishap, admitting liability and exposing his fraudulent intentions.

To make matters worse, it was discovered that McCullah may have had purchased tokens from the exchange at the lower price and distributed them to early buyers who had paid a higher price. This act of manipulation and deception solidified the claims of fraud against him.

Amidst the chaos, Cindy Piper found solace in her newfound supporters. Together, they formed a formidable alliance against McCullah and his cohorts aka THE AVENGERS.

THE AVENGERS even uncovered the villains who had been aiding McCullah's schemes, including Sultan Kassam, a video game-loving double agent, and Natalie Zaher, an alleged lawyer from Israel with no qualifications or proof. Suspicious Telegram accounts, controlled by Natalie Zaher or McCullah, with handles like Teacher @Teach26, T R @TSR2021, and Patrick v H @PatjeH, added to the intrigue.

But the most mysterious figure in the entire saga was a person known as Phantom. Phantom seemed to possess a wealth of information about McCullah and his scams, dating back over four and a half years.

Who was Phantom? What secrets did they hold? The answers remained elusive, adding an extra layer of fascination to the unfolding drama.

As the tension escalated, the publication of Cindy Piper's book became a significant turning point. It was a godsend for DANNY: DE HEK and THE AVENGERS, as it exposed Stephen McCullah's fraudulent activities even further. The book stood as a testament to the truth and the collective effort to bring down a scammer.

With the evidence mounting against McCullah, the Unreal Metaverse braced itself for the legal battle that awaited DANNY: DE HEK. Stephen McCullah's lawyers pursued him relentlessly, filing a defamation case amounting to $3,850,000. But DANNY remained undeterred. His team of lawyers fought back, requesting security for costs from the New Zealand High Court.

Negotiations and attempts to settle the case out of court followed, but DANNY and his legal team were resolute. They relished the opportunity to have a judge and jury watch ten hours of video evidence, exposing Stephen McCullah's fraudulent schemes for all to see.

In this fantastical and comical tale, Cindy Piper's book emerged as a symbol of truth and justice. It became a beacon of hope in the fight against scammers like Stephen McCullah, inspiring countless others to expose their devious machinations. The Unreal Metaverse would never be the same again, thanks to Cindy's courageous decision to publish the truth and the unwavering support of her newfound allies THE AVENGERS.

Disclaimer: The fictional story provided above is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be interpreted as a factual account of real events or individuals. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or deceased, or to real entities is purely coincidental. The story does not aim to defame or harm any person or organization mentioned within it. The characters, events, and situations depicted are entirely fictional and should not be taken as representative of reality. The author and publisher of this story shall not be held responsible or liable for any misinterpretation or misuse of the information presented. Readers are advised to seek professional legal advice for any real-world legal matters.

Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story!!

[mycurrent-hyperfixation]

Take A Chance On Me - Chapter Four (Eddie Munson x Reader Series)

Series Summary: Corroded Coffin is lacking only one thing that could help them win the upcoming Battle of the Bands; original songs. So when a new band comes to town with a lead singer that looks all too familiar and a repertoire of original songs up their sleeves, Dustin concocts a plan that will get you to spill all of your songwriting secrets to Eddie. It’s just a few dates, right?

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Masterlist

Word Count: 7.0K

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader, Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Tags: fluff, 10 Things I Hate About You AU

A/N: I have finally returned from the land of the shadow banned accounts so I am so so sorry for the unexpected hiatus in this fic! Firstly, my sincere apologises for the word count I literally just couldn’t bring myself to chop this chapter in half cause it would have felt way too disjointed. Do you guys mind big word counts or do you prefer smaller ones? Secondly, I just want to say a big thank you to all the constant people who comment on my works each week. I don’t respond to them since Tumblr won’t let me comment from my secondary account and I don’t want it to seem like I’m just some random person replying to all your comments, but I need you all to know that I literally combust with happiness whenever I get a single comment notification. Lastly, just so everyone knows I will be using more modern songs as the 'original' songs for this series but I'll always have the original artists at the bottom of the chapter. As always, I love and appreciate you all so much!

“Is there fuel in it?”

“Of course there’s fuel in it, Robin.”

“Just checking.”

You turned your attention back to the open bonnet of your car, hoping that even though you were quite useless when it came to the mechanics of motor vehicles, you would somehow be able to identify the problem. The sun was beating down harshly upon the back of your neck as Robin continued to stare over your shoulder, her presence both oddly calming and slightly agitating. Letting out a sigh, you turned your gaze away from the engine, bringing your hands up to rub at your weary eyes.  

Everything had been fine only moments before. Everything had been working just as it was supposed to as you had leisurely made the turn out of Hawkins, Blondie blasting from the radio as Robin insisted on turning the volume up even further. It had begun as a sputtering, something that had mildly concerned you at first but which had mostly been drowned out by the music. But then the sputtering had turned into a quite visible cloud of steam emerging from your engine, the volume of the radio doing little to fix the problem this time.

“We’ll have to find a phone and call a tow truck,” you finally announced.

“But we’ll never make it to the competition in time!” Vicki protested from where her and Meg were lazing in the shade of the car’s shadow.  

“Well, me staring at the engine isn’t making it any more fixed so we don’t really have any other options.”  

“Maybe we can call a taxi and just leave the car here for now,” Meg offered, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up at you.  

“You want to take a taxi all the way to Fort Wayne? I can’t afford that,” Robin said, and by the way her breathing had begun to quicken as her figure stalked back and forth in front of you, it was made abundantly clear that she was panicking. “And we’re in the middle of nowhere! It’s going to take us ages to even find a phone and by then we’ll have probably died of heat stroke and nobody will even find our bodies because we’re in the middle of nowhere and-”

“Robin,” you said gently, grabbing onto her shoulders to hold her in place. “Nobody is dying of heat stroke, okay?” Robin nodded. “Now I’m pretty sure I saw an emergency phone a couple of miles back so I’m going to start walking and you guys stay with the car, okay?”

“Okay,” Robin said placidly, and it was only after several seconds that she finally seemed to register what you had actually said. “Wait, I’m not letting you go for a stroll down some deserted road by yourself!”

“I’ll be fine,” you laughed, beginning your walk in the direction you had just come from. You didn’t get very far before Robin appeared dutifully at your side, upkeeping her pace with yours as she rambled.  

“But there’s probably creeps hiding in the bushes by the side of the road just waiting for people to walk past so they can kidnap them and take them back to their evil lairs and-”

The beginnings of a smile had begun to make their way up your features at the apparently untameable imagination of Robin Buckley. Her wild theories and preposterous scenarios could all feasibly come true, but it was the sheer theatrics and animation and Robin-ness in which her sentiments were delivered that had you stifling a laugh, altogether quite thankful that it was her that you had found yourself stuck next to on a deserted road.

But then your attention wavered away from Robin, captured instead by a black dot cresting the hill in the distance. It was faint at first, barely there at all so that for just a moment you wondered whether the Indiana sun was starting to get the better of you. But as it grew closer it also grew bigger until the unmistakable shape of a car came into view.

You watched as it meandered closer, it’s exterior black and its frame slightly larger than what you had expected; a van most likely, you thought to yourself, a van that looked oddly familiar. The sound blasting from the open windows reached you far before the van did; some concoction of drums, an electric guitar and what you assumed to be a man screaming into a microphone.  

Faintly you realised that Robin had stopped rambling, her gaze now following yours. The both of you watched on as the van neared you, passed completely by, came to a screeching halt so that distinct tire marks were left on the road in its wake, and then swiftly reversed.

Eddie Munson smiled widely at you from the driver’s seat, an unlit cigarette perched between his lips.

“You ladies come here often?” he said with a grin.  

You rolled your eyes and turned away in an attempt to hide your smile.  

“Our car’s broken down, dingus,” Robin replied for you.

Dustin and Mike peered around Eddie from where they were sat in the driver’s seat. It was clear that they too were equally surprised at this sudden reunion. Dustin’s eyes went wide as his gaze connected with yours before he turned to look at Mike with a devilish grin.  

“Oh, look at that, so it has,” Eddie said sarcastically. “I didn’t notice, what with all the beautiful ladies standing in front of it.”

“Are you going to help us, Munson, or are you going to let us stand out in the sun all day?” you asked.

“Well, since you asked so kindly, how can I refuse?” he said with a grin, pulling off to the side of the road. When he hopped from the driver’s seat the cigarette had migrated to sit behind his ear as he sauntered his way over towards you. “A gentleman like me could never refuse a couple of damsels in distress, anyway.”

“Who’s he calling a damsel?” Meg growled. Eddie flicked his gaze towards her with something close to fear behind his eyes.

“Let’s take a look then,” Eddie said, making his way over to the opened bonnet.  

He peered inside, one of his arms coming to rest upon the frame of the car, the other reaching upwards to the opened bonnet as he leaned forwards. Parts of his hair dangled in front of his face as he studied the car’s interior, the pick that hung from a string around his neck swaying before him.  

The image of Eddie Munson like this, standing so confidently whilst peering into your car’s engine, caught you wholeheartedly off guard. The shirt he was wearing had clearly been personally modified, the sleeves ripped clean off so that you were met with the unencumbered view of Eddie’s arms. There was the sight of the muscles in his forearms going taut as he leaned even further forwards. There were the tattoos that covered them, the dark ink a stark contrast to his pale skin. There were his hands—because of course there were always his stupidly attractive hands—gripping onto the lip of the car frame, his usual stack of silver rings still prominent upon each finger. You watched them as they worked, periodically leaving the rim of the car to tinker at something inside. They moved fluently, just as they had across the strings of his guitar that day at the Hideout so that you found yourself fixated upon them.

Suddenly your heart was racing and your stomach was fluttering and your breath was leaving you all at once. Your hands were shaking slightly and your mouth had gone completely dry and you began to wonder if maybe Robin had been right, maybe you did have heatstroke. Maybe you were seconds away from passing out and there was nobody but Eddie Munson there to catch you. But then the image of falling into Eddie’s firm chest, his bare arms catching you, flooded your mind and you found your symptoms only worsening.

“How do you know Eddie Munson?” Robin whispered to you, pulling you out of your reverie.  

“Oh, um,” you began, hastily trying to compose yourself as a vibrant blush crept upwards to your cheeks. “I don’t really know. We went to school together and we just seem to keep running into each other, I suppose.”

“Uh-huh,” Robin replied, eyebrow quirked upwards.

“What-” you began, but before you could finish Eddie was turning around once more, wiping his hands on the bandana that was seemingly always hanging from his back pocket.  

“I think it’s your cooling system. When was the last time you filled up your coolant?”

You continued to stare at Eddie, suddenly quite incapable of intelligent thought. Eddie chuckled slightly.

“When was the last time you serviced your car?” he asked instead, the small smirk that rested comfortably across his lips only making it harder for you to focus.

“Um,” you managed to say, wracking your brain for the answer to Eddie’s very simple question. “Not too long ago. Maybe a couple of months.”

“Hmm, they would have topped it up for you then and you shouldn’t have gone through that much by now. My guess is you’ve got a leak in the cooling system and the car’s overheated.”

“Is there anything you can do to fix it?” you questioned.

“Nope, I left my spare bottle of coolant at home, unfortunately.” There was that damned smirk again. “The car will probably start up again once it’s cooled down a bit but you’ll have to see a mechanic about the leak.”

“How long will that take?”

“Could be hours in this heat.”

“Hours?!” Robin burst out. “We’ll never make it to the competition in time!”

Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could utter any words Dustin was calling from the car, his head poking out of the opened window.  

“Why don’t you ride with us?!”

“I was just about to suggest that, thank you, Henderson!” Eddie called back through gritted teeth.  

“No problem!” Dustin called back, completely missing Eddie’s sarcasm.  

“Are you sure?” you questioned. “There was an emergency phone a few miles back. I can just call us a taxi.”

“No, no, please, I insist,” Eddie continued, completely unsure as to how it was he had gotten so close to you. He didn’t pull away however, completely transfixed by the soft smile that you were directing up towards him. “It’ll be a bit cramped in the back with all of our equipment and all the boys, but I think we can all fit,” he said, flicking his gaze towards the ground as he brought one hand up to rub at the back of his head sheepishly.  

A sigh of relief escaped from your lips.

“You’re my hero, Eddie Munson.” Eddie’s breath hitched in his throat. “For a second there I really didn’t think we were going to make it to the competition.”

“Well I couldn’t let that happen now, could I? Not when I have to beat you.”

You tilted your head back slightly as a laugh erupted from your throat. Eddie marvelled at the sight of it.

“Alright, ladies,” Eddie called to the rest of the girls. “Your chariot awaits.”  

You rounded the side of your car, opening the boot before extracting the guitars that laid within, distributing them to their owners as you slung the case of your own around your shoulder. Eddie bowed lowly as you all passed by him, gesturing towards his van dramatically, catching for just a second the small smile that upturned your lips.  

“Henderson! Wheeler!” Eddie yelled as he trailed behind the four of you. “Get in the back!”

“Aw, come on, man!” Mike whined before he was quite unceremoniously thrown from the van by Dustin who seemed all too eager to give up his seat. He winked at Eddie as he passed him, the gesture causing your eyebrows to furrow slightly in confusion.

Eddie flung the back doors open and, without a word, outstretched his hands towards you as you unslung your guitar from your shoulder and passed it to him. Your hands brushed for just a second as the instrument was transferred between you, and although the touch was fleeting it had your breath quickening nonetheless. Once all of the guitars were situated safely within the van, Eddie hopped back out and surveyed the vehicle with his hands placed upon his hips.

“Alright so we can fit two other people up front with me. And then if everyone else squishes we should be able to fit everyone else back here.”

“This doesn’t look very safe,” Robin said, her eyes scanning the back of the van and noticing it’s distinct lack of seatbelts.  

“I’ll take the back,” Meg instantly volunteered. “I don’t trust these dweebs with my guitar,” she whispered to you as she hopped inside, causing a slight snicker to escape your throat.  

“I’ll keep Meg company,” Vicki added, looking up towards Robin beside her. “You should feel safer in the front.”

A violent blush invaded Robin’s cheeks as Vicki entered the van. The sight of it had your snicker returning, Robin so completely love-struck that you had to drag her away to the passenger door.  

“You hear that, Robin?” you began, opening the door before hopping inside. “Vicki wants to keep you safe,” you finished in a whisper.

“Oh, shut up, she was just being nice,” Robin responded, finally gaining control of her body once more as she squeezed in beside you.

The van was tightly compact, not just in the back where Dustin, Mike and Gareth were continuously fighting about the crowded conditions, but in the front as well as you had so quickly come to realise. You had shifted as far as you could against Robin who was currently cramped against the side door, but still it didn’t seem to make a difference; your other side was still firmly pressed up against Eddie’s.

He seemed unfazed by the contact as he drove, although in truth his heart was pounding violently within his chest as he tried against all hope to get his breathing under control. The wind rushed through his hair from the open window, the breeze slightly cooler than it had been before so that he could not quite understand why he seemed to be sweating so much. The music from the radio wafted lazily between you, the volume having been turned down to a far more respectable level.

“I’ve got some more cassettes in the glove box if you guys wanted to change the music,” Eddie said.

Robin leaned forwards, opening the glovebox before rifling through it, her face contorting into a look of disgust.

“Music, Munson. We need music,” Robin said.

“That is music, thank you very much, Buckley.”

“Just leave it, Robin,” you said with a laugh.

The rest of the ride was quiet, partly because Robin had found an ACDC cassette that she deemed tolerable but mostly because the boys had fallen asleep in the back at some point throughout the drive. You looked back to where Dustin’s head rested upon Mike’s shoulder, a sliver of drool falling from the taller boy’s mouth, a gentle smile finding its way onto your features at the sight. When you turned back around you could have sworn you saw Eddie’s gaze flick away from you, but then his eyes were seemingly fixated upon the road and you dispelled the thought from your mind.  

But now with the silence lingering quite prominently around you as you only continued to grow closer and closer to the venue, you could feel the nerves that had wracked your body for the entire week slowly start to return. Your hands grew sweaty, your breaths coming out just a little shallower the further that you drove.  

In the end, you only noticed the incessant bouncing of your leg when Eddie took one hand off of the steering wheel to place upon your knee. The touch surprised you, but you did not pull away. It was nice and it was warm and it was so very comforting as the skin of his palm connected with your own so that your nerves were soon forgotten as you slowly turned your gaze upwards towards Eddie. He was already looking at you, a soft smile placed across his lips.  

“Are you alright?” he asked quietly, his gaze periodically flicking back to the road, his hand remaining upon your knee.

“Don’t worry, I always get like this,” you responded, offering him a small smile in return. “I’ll be fine once we get on stage.”

Eddie nodded, a short and yet comfortable silence lingering between you.

“Well if you need to get your mind off of it, I’m great at chatting,” Eddie added.

A soft chuckle left your lips.

“Thanks, Eddie,” you responded, your voice coming out as barely more than a whisper. Without realising it, you pulled yourself slightly further away from Robin.

And instead of focusing on what was to come—the crowds and the people and the judges—you instead pulled your focus to Eddie; so warm and so solid beside you. You focused on the way that his hand had still not left your knee, quite sure that he had forgotten that it was there, the skin of his palm warm against you, the cool metal of his rings a stark contrast. You focused on the way his hair lifted slightly in the breeze, on the way his finger tapped lightly upon the steering wheel to the beat of the music, on the soft smile that upturned his lips whenever he glanced back down towards you.

And it was nice.

It was so very nice that it terrified you.

---

In the span of a single second as the van rounded the corner and the venue finally came into view, your nerves returned all at once, hitting you with such force that you were quite certain that if Robin and Eddie did not have you squished between them you would have likely passed out. There was the venue with the sign above its door advertising the competition. There was the car park sprawled in front of it, filled to the brim. There was the line of people waiting to get inside; a line that was so long it had begun to wrap around the building.

“Oh my god, look at all those people!” Gareth exclaimed excitedly as he scrambled forwards to see out the windscreen better, earning him disgruntled groans from everyone else as he trampled over them.  

“Oh my god, look at all those people,” you whispered, quite sure that you were mildly in shock. You could feel Eddie’s gaze as he turned to look down at you, his hand which had been fused to your knee the entire drive squeezing slightly in reassurance. Turning your head upwards, some of the pressure in your chest alleviated as the image of his smile came into focus.  

Eddie pulled swiftly into the carpark, rounding the building until the stage door came into view. A few people, most with guitars strapped to their backs and cigarettes dangling from their lips, lingered by the door. As Eddie parked, his hand finally departed from your knee, leaving behind the cold absence of his touch that you found yourself missing more than you would have liked to admit.  

As soon as the car was stationary the back doors flung open, Meg and Vicki eagerly putting as much distance as they could between themselves and the boys, Meg hugging her guitar protectively to her chest. You couldn’t help but laugh as you and Robin hopped down from your seats and rounded the van.

“I swear I was going to die of gas inhalation in there,” Meg began, taking large lungfuls of air.

“One of them would not stop farting,” Vicki elaborated. “And I’m positive it was Gareth.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” you said, reaching inside the van to extract yours and Robin’s guitars only to begin hastily retreating as soon as they were in your grasp. “Nope, never mind, that’s fowl.”

“Told you,” Meg said.

“You and Vicki can have the front seat on the way back then,” you responded.

“Oh, well I wouldn’t want to interrupt your alone time with Munson,” Meg teased.

“What?”  

“You two were practically cuddling like the whole way there,” Vicki added.  

A small blush began to creep up your neck as you turned away to hide it.

“Yeah, well that front seat isn’t as big as it looks. Robin and I were also practically cuddling the whole way there as well if you didn’t notice.”

“And I enjoyed every second of it,” Robin said with a smile.

Meg shrugged her shoulders, her features nonchalant. “Whatever you say.”

“I think the bassist is into me,” Gareth said in a hushed tone as the boys began unloading their things from the back of the van. Each of them looked up at Gareth, looked back towards Meg, and then burst out laughing.  

“Sure buddy,” Jeff said with a look of pity evident upon his features.

“No, seriously,” Gareth tried again. “I was getting a real vibe from her in the van.”

The boys laughed again as Eddie locked up, slinging the case of his guitar gently across his shoulders as they each set off towards the venue. He looked back towards where you were enamoured in a conversation with your bandmates, wanting to linger until you caught up. But after catching Dustin’s eye at his hesitation and after the boy offered him a completely unsubtle wiggle of his eyebrows, Eddie turned on his heel and walked away with a roll of his eyes.

“So none of the boys struck your fancy then, Meg?” Robin questioned. You each watched as the boys began the walk over to the venue, following behind them.  

Vicki let out a violent laugh that had Eddie looking back towards you. He flashed a smile when his eyes caught your own before returning back to his conversation.

“Gareth’s leg brushed up against hers once and she told him to move it or he’d lose it,” Vicki elaborated.  

As the venue drew closer your nerves began to increase, so much so that you could barely register what the girls were saying anymore. The worker stationed outside of the stage door was tall and awfully intimidating so that you stuttered slightly when you told him the name of your band. Eddie had already disappeared inside, and you suddenly wished that he was still there, standing beside you, maybe with an arm around your waist to ground you.

The man took his time scanning his list, looking up periodically to glance over you and the other girls before shaking his head slightly. He didn’t try to hide his disdain, yet you so wished for him to at least just hurry up lest Meg—who was quite obviously seething beside you—say anything she shouldn’t.

In the end, he grunted in what you assumed was a begrudging admittance. You walked forwards, the darkness of the hallway disorientating at first, walking only a few steps before Meg’s voice filled your ears.

“Are you not going to tell us where to go?” Her voice was antagonistic and everyone, including the doorman, was well aware of that.  

His voice came out as something close to a growl. “Green room’s down the hall.”

“Descriptive,” Meg said with a scoff before she followed you inside.  

“Save the enemy making for the other bands, Meggy,” Robin said, slinging an arm around the girl.  

The hallway was long, numerous doors branching off from it in a way that made you fear that one wrong turn might get you lost forever. You swallowed nervously, the dryness in your throat worsening as your hands gripped tightly to the strap of your guitar case.

But when you turned the corner, there Eddie Munson was, and everything for just a moment felt like it was going to be okay. The door to the green room was opened as you walked through, the room slightly smaller than you had been expecting considering how many other bands were squeezed inside. Most kept to themselves, talking to their bandmates or tuning their instruments. Eddie looked up from where he was unlocking his guitar case, a wide smile growing upon his lips.

“I was just about to come find you. Thought you might have gotten lost.”

You smiled back up at him, the racing of your heart easing slightly. But before you could respond, somebody else was talking over the low hum that filled the room.

“Sorry, ladies. Groupies aren’t allowed backstage.”

The smirk was the first thing you saw, so arrogant and pretentious and condescending that you instantly wished to wipe it from his face. The boy was tall as he sauntered towards you, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn’t try to hide as his eyes raked over you, taking their time lingering across certain areas of your body so that your skin instantly began to crawl.  

“We’re here to play, asshole,” you managed to respond, your voice coming out far more venomous than you had intended.  

“Hmmm, that’s funny,” the boy continued, earning a few snickers from the boys that stood behind him: his bandmates, presumably. “I thought the standards for this comp were a lot higher. I guess they do have to fill some sort of diversity quota though.”

The group of boys behind him burst out laughing, one of them leaning forward to slap their ringleader on the shoulder encouragingly.

Two growls sounded from behind you. One you had heard only moments before and which undoubtedly belonged to Meg. The other was unfamiliar. Turning your head slightly, you found Eddie standing right behind you, his gaze murderous as he stared at the boy. Now that you had noticed him you couldn’t quite understand how you had failed to recognise his brooding presence, heat seeming to emanate from his skin that was now only separated from yours by a few inches.  

The low hum of conversation that had filled the room had now ceased as every other band turned their attention towards you. And whilst you had been expecting to be one of the only girl bands within the competition, you were wholeheartedly surprised to find the room completely void of any other women.

“You talk a very big game for someone who’s going to get beat by a diversity quota then,” you said back.

And then you were walking away partly because the situation was in no way helping your nerves but mostly because you were quite scared of what would happen if you stayed. The looks in Meg’s and Eddie’s eyes when you turned around were so venomous and so hostile that you didn’t want to stick around to see what would happen should they become unleashed. So you grabbed Meg’s hand and linked your arm with Eddie’s and practically dragged them away to the corner of the room.  

“Where’s a good place around here to hide a body?” Meg mumbled, her gaze still turned towards the boy as she allowed herself to be dragged.  

“If we just get him to the van we can drive to the middle of nowhere and dump it,” Eddie responded.

The seriousness behind their tone had you slightly concerned.  

“Just ignore him,” you said, physically grabbing Meg’s head and turning it away from where she was still staring. “He’s just trying to intimidate us. Plus his public display of assholery will just make it more embarrassing for him when he loses.”

“I agree,” Vicki spoke up.

“I have to say though,” Robin began. “’Diversity quota’ is kind of a cool name for a band, right?”

---

You were to be the last ones to perform because of course the world was so hellbent on prolonging your battle with your nerves. Your palms had begun sweating again and now your hands had begun to shake slightly so that the simple task of tuning your guitar had taken far longer than it should have.  

Eddie and the rest of the boys had continued to stay by your side for the remainder of your wait within the green room, his dark eyes periodically glancing up towards you and offering a reassuring smile. Once or twice, when your breathing began to grow ragged or your sweating became worse, his hand would find the skin of your knee once more, the small squeeze that he would give somehow always managing to elicit a smile from you.  

One by one the different bands shuffled out for their sets, and although you were yet to see the crowd, the deafening screams that would trickle down the hallway after every song never failed to knot your stomach. The rest of your band had left some time ago, opting instead to join the crowd and scope out the competition, most of the boys trickling out behind them. Eddie had stayed, although why you weren’t quite sure as he continued to turn the tuning pegs of his guitar even though you were certain it had been in tune for some time.

“Come and watch my set,” Eddie said into the silence that hung between you as you strummed half-heartedly at the guitar in your lap.  

“Of course I will,” you responded with a small smile. “I’ll try distracting you from the crowd so you mess up.”

Eddie pulled his head back and barked out a laugh.  

“And how will you do that exactly?”

“Well I’m hoping the sheer presence of my beauty is just going to do the trick. So like you’ll see me in the crowd and you’ll be so stunned that you’ll just drop your guitar or something.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” Eddie said, chuckling.  

“If it doesn’t work I’ll be very disappointed. But then I can always resort to a cheeky flash, you know?”

Eddie barked out another laugh.

“I’m afraid if you do that Gareth and Jeff might just explode.”

“And you wouldn’t? I’m offended.”

Eddie was quite certain that in such a situation he would simply keel over and die, but he refrained from saying so, too busy admiring the smile upon your lips. It was wide, encompassing a large portion of your features so that he hoped it was a sign he was succeeding in distracting you if only briefly. Flashing his own smile, he jumped up from where he had been sitting and grabbed your hand in his as he pulled you upwards, guitar and all. You groaned slightly, helping him lift you in no way so that the ascent was slower than it needed to be. But when you finally stood up, for just a moment, you were held tightly to Eddie’s chest and the feel of him against you instantly had a raging heat rising from your neck as the two of you pulled away.

“Come on,” Eddie whined. “We’re on soon and I need my groupie in the crowd.”

“If you call me that again, Munson, I will shove your guitar so far up your-”

“Okay-okay,” Eddie hastily interjected, a large smile spreading across his lips.  

---

The crowd was packed as you weaved your way through it, keeping your eyes fixated on the fiery redness of Vicki’s hair as you made your way towards her. Meg and Robin were by her side, each of them talking as Eddie’s band came on stage and began setting up their instruments.

“Look who finally joined us!” Robin screamed excitedly upon seeing you, one arm extending into a sideways hug as she pulled you in towards her.  

“What kind of bands are we up against?” you questioned, your gaze wondering over to where Eddie was plugging his guitar into an amplifier.  

“Some are such a snooze-fest,” Robin responded.  

“They’ve mostly just been covers so far,” Vicki elaborated.  

“Any originals?” you questioned.

Robin, Meg and Vicki shared a look, something you couldn’t quite decipher passing between them.

“What?” you questioned.

“Mr Welcoming from the green room did an original,” Robin said.

You couldn’t quite help the groan that left your lips as you begrudgingly asked, “Any good?”

“It was absolutely horrendous,” Robin immediately responded.

“It was alright,” Meg spoke up, earning another groan from you.

“But we’re still better!” Robin added.  

You opened your mouth to respond but before you could Eddie was tapping the microphone, grasping the attention of everybody in the room. You could tell he was slightly nervous from the small falter in the smile he offered the crowd, but he still held himself tall and confident, something you instantly envied about him.  

“Hello everyone. We are Corroded Coffin and this is Master of Puppets by Metallica.”

Your brows furrowed slightly, utterly shocked by their choice of song. That album had been out for little more than a month, and if you remembered correctly from when you had briefly played it during a shift, the title song of the album consisted of insanely fast and practically impossible chord progressions. You had been there when Eddie had purchased the album merely a few weeks ago; the memory of the interaction causing both a smile and an eruption of embarrassment to course through you. You couldn’t quite help but begin to worry.

When the song began, your breath seemed to leave you all at once as the room erupted with the sound of Eddie’s guitar. His hands were a blur as they danced across the strings, the sheer electricity behind his playing causing your heart to beat rapidly within your chest.

In the end you realised that your worry had been unwarranted, for they played the song masterfully. It was a good song choice, you had to admit, for its fast tempo and exhilarating combination of guitar and drums caused the crowd to erupt around you.  

Your gaze was seemingly transfixed upon Eddie for the entirety of the set, your eyes flicking over Eddie’s form until they came to rest upon his arms; the curving of his muscles so oddly transfixing. And even though the crowd was quite dense and even though it was hard to see him all that clearly upon the stage, you still found your gaze hovering across each black mark that littered his skin, lingering slightly at each flex of his muscles.  

And then of course your gaze flicked lower as Eddie’s fingers raced across each string, once again becoming mesmerised by their mastery of movement. When Eddie’s eyes finally found yours amongst the crowd, the smile that he flashed you made something constrict in your chest. And just as you were about to smile back, Eddie’s wide grin instantly dropped from his face just as you felt something touch at your waist. There was a breath now, so close to your ear that it sent shivers up your spine as you froze in place.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

It was the same guy from the green room. You could instantly tell from the condescension that seemed to drip from his every word. Without thinking, you instantly recoiled from him, whipping around and pushing him away from you, garnering the attention of the other girls.  

“Don’t touch me,” you spat.  

“Hey, I was just trying to be friendly,” he responded.  

“Let’s just go,” Vicki whispered into your ear.

You so hated the idea of running, especially with that wide, toothy grin that you hated so much still fixed across his features. But then you heard it; the missed note. Whipping your head around you found Eddie’s gaze still glued to you, his face void of emotion yet his hands still moving across the strings. You could see the looks of panic within the eyes of Jeff, Gareth and Mike as they all looked towards Eddie, and you knew in that moment that you couldn’t continue to stand there within the crowd with this boy so close to you.  

So you lifted one hand, upturned your middle finger and grabbed Vicki’s hand in your own partly because you didn’t want to lose the other’s in the crowd and partly because you needed it to stop shaking so badly. Your breathing seemed to ease the further away from the boy you got until finally the crowd dispersed and you were making your way backstage. Somewhere in the distance you registered the last few notes of the song being played, but then Eddie was before you as he rushed offstage, his eyes blown wide as he bent down slightly to inspect you.

“Are you okay?” he said, practically breathless.  

“I’m fine,” you said, your smile becoming more genuine the longer you looked upon him.  

“I’m gonna kill-”

“I’m fine,” you repeated. “Now I’ll just have someone to sing to.”

Eddie furrowed his brows, severely confused as Robin let out a loud laugh.

“He’s going to think you wrote it about him,” she said.  

---

The stage lights were blinding as you stepped out of the shadows; the beating of your heart instantly increasing, your breathing becoming more ragged. You tried to smile, you really did, but you could feel it falter somewhat as your gaze came to focus on the crowd; all those eyes staring straight back at you. It had looked big when you had been among them, far bigger than the cramped space of the Hideout. But now, standing above them, the sea of eyes staring back at you seemed almost never-ending.

Gripping tightly to your guitar, the coolness of the metal soothing against your hands, you tried to turn your focus to the ground, instead concentrating on the multitude of wires that ran across the floor, careful to avoid them as you made your way across the stage. You refused to look up, focusing your attentions instead on setting up your amplifier and readjusting the microphone.  

When everything was ready, you glanced back one last time to each girl. Robin and Vicki offered you wide smiles that eased your breathing somewhat and Meg gave a curt yet reassuring nod. With one last breath you turned your head back around, a wide smile plastered across your lips as you stared out at the crowd.

“Hello everyone,” you called, and the room responded with a round of cheers. You opened your mouth to continue, but before you could a loud wolf whistle erupted throughout the hall. The crowd laughed.  

“This one is dedicated to all the boys out there who can’t take a hint,” you continued on trying to act unperturbed. Another round of cheers came from the crowd, this time sounder slightly more feminine. You smiled. “And let’s also dedicate it to whoever it was that whistled, although I’m guessing you don’t know how to take a hint either.”

The crowd erupted in more laughs this time and you couldn’t help your smile from growing.  

“This one’s called You and Your Hand.”

You pressed your lips up against the microphone as Vicki begun the song. As soon as your fingers touched the strings of your guitar, it was almost as if the room disappeared. For just a moment it was simply you and your friends playing in the comfort of your garage; no crowd, no judges, no expectations.

“Check it out, going out on the late night

Looking tight, feeling nice, it’s a cockfight.”

As your eyes scanned the crowd, they found Eddie’s somewhere near the front. He was smiling widely at you, banging his head slightly along with the beat. You offered him a smile in return. But then your eyes were leaving his, instead coming to linger upon that same condescending grin that was still fixed in place.

“That’s when dickhead put his hands on me

But you see

I’m not here for your entertainment

You don’t really want to mess with me tonight.”

You revelled in the sight of the boy’s eyes going wide, one of his friends leaning in to whisper something in his ear that had him furrowing his brows. In that moment all of your nerves left you, a surge of confidence running through you that had your smile growing and your body dancing to the music. His grin, slowly but surely, dropped from his features, instead morphing into a scowl. The sight of it only had you smiling wider.

“Keep your drink just gimme the money

It’s just you and your hand tonight.”

In the crowd, Eddie had entered the room with the sole intent of connecting his fist with a smirking grin. But now, as he looked up at you dancing across the stage, he found himself altogether quite breathless and his mind altogether quite blank. You were staring at the boy as you sang—as you practically spat each word at him—and he knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he would be able to follow your gaze to find the boy if he so wished. But then you were smiling and laughing and clearly having so much fun that Eddie found himself unable to move forwards.  

“In the corner with your boys you bet up five bucks

To get the girl that just walked in, but she thinks you suck

We didn’t get all dressed up just for you to see

So quit spilling your drinks on me.”

Eddie couldn’t quite help the laugh that escaped from his throat. And because it was so abundantly clear to everybody in the room that you were singing to a particular person—not that you were trying to hide the fact whatsoever—slowly, every gaze in the room turned towards the boy. His smirk was wiped from his face now, a venomous glare in his eyes that he directed up towards you and as you simply continued to smile back.  

“You know who you are,

High-fivin, talkin shit but you’re going home alone, aren’t ya?”

When the cheer erupted from the crowd the boy finally begun to make his escape, an embarrassed scowl covering his features as he tried to push his way through the throngs of people that surrounded him. And you only continued to smile and dance as he left, completely consumed in the song now.  

When the boy had left and the song was coming to a close, your eyes scanned the crowd once more before coming to rest upon Eddie. And for just a moment, as you smiled so widely down at him, Eddie could have sworn that his heart skipped a beat.

---

Songs Used:

- Master of Puppets by Metallica

- U + Ur Hand by Pink

---

Taglist:

@alicetweven @theh3aven @manamitoyota @mimiluvsualot @cherrypieyourface @kaqua @c0untryclub @goldencherriess @emotionaldreamer @givemethesleep @milkiane @miscreantsnopossoms @legendaryfestsoul-blog

Series Taglist:

@grungegrrrl @thirddeadlysin @boomitsallie1 @renaroo123 @wordsthatwaterflowersinyoursoul @annnnn91 @bakugouswh0r3 @aivilovio @wannabewiedzma​

[cupofteaguk]

switching my positions

summary: Fresh out of college, Min Yoongi makes a name for himself amongst his online fanbase as an artist who writes about the ins and outs of falling in love. But when he is signed to a record label, his producer insists that he reveal a public romantic relationship to weed off any potential scandals or dangerous assumptions about the source of his love songs. So who else should Yoongi turn to, but you: his manager—but more than that, his best friend and secret crush. 

pairing: yoongi x fem!reader

genre: solo artist!yoongi, manager!y/n, fake dating au, friends to lovers au | fluff/angst 

warnings: yoongi starts off as a musician on youtube but it’s not really highlighted for most of the story, kim seokjin is a Hot Music Executive who’ll take good care of his favorite boy, jungkook gets promoted from a cameraman to a bodyguard and i love to see it <3, nayeon + hoseok cameo as radio show hosts BECAUSE THIS STORY HAS SO MANY CHARACTERS I’M SORRY, IU shows up as a ~superstar~ because i love her so much, it’s a slow burn fic what can i say, mutual pining, actually an idiots to lovers plot tbh ????,  recreational alcohol consumption, POV switches occasionally but i try to make it as obvious as possible as to what is going on, mentions of insecurity, there’s angst BUT IT’S A HAPPY ENDING !!! 

word count: 40.1k 

a/n: big big thank you to @gukyi​ for being my fic consultant for this story! she encouraged me and believed in this story more than I ever could (and contributed like 50% of the foundation that made this fic into what it is), and also reminded me that yes this is a fic so no it doesn’t require one hundred percent accuracy to the music industry despite every discord message i sent her falling somewhere along the lines of “how realistic is this scenario…” she was a very big support for this fic, and this story wouldn’t have existed without her!! 

and regarding the word count… my hand slipped. I’ve clowned this fic a lot over the past month but I am really happy that this is done and so so excited for you all to read it. Pls enjoy!!!!!!! Xx 

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CHAPTER 1: THE DISCOVERY 

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You’re late. 

Yoongi lets you know that much as you have to shove your way through a rather large crowd of people to reach him. When he turns away from his keyboard to glance down at you, your chest is heaving and your knees are bent in order for your hands to rest upon your thighs. There’s a plastic bag curled on your arm, the hard plastic of CD cases reflecting off the street lamps. 

“Sorry, sorry!” You breathe out, giving yourself a few more seconds to catch your breath. Nothing more, nothing less, because there is a crowd of people around you, currently staring you down, counting down the seconds until the clock struck 8:00—but many people wondering just who were you to shove your way towards the front. “The printer wasn’t working, and do you realize how difficult it is to get your stupid picture into these cases?” 

Yoongi scoffs, walking towards you and holding both his hands out. “Don’t call them stupid, you took the picture,” He hisses, taking the plastic bag from you and rummaging through the many CDs you had to make for him last minute. After ensuring that everything he had asked for is in this very bag, he softens up. “But thanks for getting these done for me.” 

You finally are able to straighten up into a full standing position. “Not my fault you underestimated how many of your wonderful fans were going to show up.” 

Yoongi reaches over and presses his index finger straight into your forehead for that comment. The force knocks you back a few steps, and Yoongi takes your few seconds of distractions to pull a phone out of his pocket. “Just go off to the side, dummy, my show starts soon.” 

“Fine, fine,” You tease back, easy smile, but your hand goes up to take the phone from him. “Break a leg, Min Yoongi.” 

Yoongi gives you a playful glare but he turns away from you to line up his CDs along the now-table next to his set. As soon as he starts placing CDs atop the surface, a small line of people step from the crowd—pointing to the CDs and holding out a stack of cash. Yoongi nods, takes the money, and hands over the CD. This happens a few more times before the line of people have died down. Yoongi looks over at the significantly less amount of cases at his table, and looks over at you, where he flashes a thumbs up. 

As Yoongi steps up to his keyboard and microphone, the crowd around him starts to cheer. The claps echo through the gathering of people, enough to draw the attention of passersby who crane their heads to see who has attracted so many listeners. 

Yoongi’s fingers curl around the microphone. “Hey guys, thank you all for coming out today.” 

The crowd claps back in acknowledgement, a few of them giving their own shy nods and waves towards Yoongi—gestures that the boy responds with his own nods and gummy smiles. 

His attention returns back to the next set of words he’ll speak into the microphone. “I got a couple covers and original songs for tonight, all requested by you guys—so let’s have some fun today.” His voice is deep, raspy and gentle, croaks slightly along the edges, but a perfect reflection of the soothing nature he brings to his audience. 

And you are attune to every single second of it. Of course you are. You blend into the crowd but really your responsibilities for Yoongi lie far beyond just packaging CDs for him and dashing through hoards of people at the last fucking second to make your delivery. You further prove this further by logging into his phone and clicking into the first background music he’s produced for today’s show. Using the music as a guide, Yoongi starts to sing. His fingers dance across the keyboard to bring an extra sound to his performance—to give it that extra live element that his fans love. 

You know that Yoongi has added these additional things over the months because he adores his fanbase and would likely do anything and everything he could to give them the best experience he could offer. After all, they’ve propelled him to this very spot—his own little corner of the bustling city streets amongst all the bars, shops, universities, street food stalls, and cafes. 

As the music continues from one song to the next, and Yoongi shifts his focus from singing to rapping to the in betweens, you see his passion. You hear it in his voice, in the way his lines string together where it seems like the boy doesn’t require oxygen anymore. Months of these live shows, even longer years to get here—and the people around him only continue to watch him in awe. Just like he’s done since the beginning. 

Min Yoongi started off his music career on Youtube, where he uploaded music covers with his own special beat thrown into the mix. Yoongi enjoyed music arrangement (still does), and used his videos as an opportunity to explore that hobby and share it with people who could also enjoy it. And enjoy it people did, as viewers started pouring in and his fanbase grew in the form of positive comments and increasing subscribers. From some videos, Yoongi had always teased the idea of original songs he had written in various notebooks that expressed the wide range of his emotions—overall all the trials and tribulations of growing up: the notion of love in all its forms. Normally, there was always a fear of an audience losing interest at the prospect of original songs, especially coming from someone who previously arranged already popular #1 hits. 

But that never happened with Min Yoongi. His songwriting abilities became part of his brand—became his entire brand. Yoongi always wrote out love to be more than sappy pop songs or tragic heartbreak. He established himself as someone who seemed to speak from the mind of every single person he came into contact with. At least, that’s what his comment section claims. 

In the beginning of his Youtube career, you found Yoongi’s online persona unusual and amusing to say the least, but it was always clouded with an air of sweetness and sensibility. After all, you had known him about a year before Youtube was even an option for him to pursue. The pair of you met in a general ed college class—big lecture halls and voices getting lost in the background as the professors’ voice boomed through speaker systems. Yoongi had asked to borrow a pencil, and the pair of you spent the rest of the class making side-handed comments about the lecture material. You sat next to each other for the rest of the semester and have been friends ever since.

So it’s not like Yoongi’s core characteristics have ever been anything other than caring, thoughtful, or loyal—he’s just never been outwardly expressive about those emotions. But Youtube changed everything: it’s made him a more vocal person, more open about his feelings as well as his need to share those feelings with the world. 

The world responded positively—wrote in the comments that they would love to hear some of his original songs, that he had already provided just a small taste of his talent and left them an insatiable desire for more. 

As soon as you and Yoongi graduated, his commitment to Youtube increased tenfold. With the previous obligations of assignments, papers, and research internships out of the way, it left more time for writing, for filming, for editing, for sharing. As his work levels increased, so did his subscribers. And so did the attention. 

You’ll never forget the day his followers suggested live street performances in one of Yoongi’s neighboring cities—a city street more specifically that was famous for taking in street performances of all origins and talents, a place for him to show off his freestyling on a keyboard and finally meet his fans firsthand. The idea caught on so quickly and vividly that Yoongi was immediately attracted to the idea. He held his first performance just a few months ago, as a thank you present for reaching one million subscribers. If you had trouble materializing Yoongi’s musical success before, the first live performance and meet and greet Yoongi hosted did well to eradicate all those thoughts. 

Hundreds of people showed up—standing alongside the shops, restaurants, food vendors, and cafes that already lined the streets, everyone intersecting to meet the artist who made them feel heard. 

You still remember that day very vividly. Yoongi had been so nervous that day, had worked so hard to put together the perfect set for his fans. Obviously, though, he had nothing to worry about. Soon, one show turned into two, and just like the request for live performances and meet and greets, the question of monetary compensation became a topic of discussion amongst Yoongi’s fans. That’s where the question of albums came into play: a singular place for Yoongi to put his covers and original place—and charge money for it as well! 

As per the request, eventually you and Yoongi decided that exclusive covers and original songs would be part of his album as a way to open up different modes of access rather than take away an individual’s general (free of charge) chance to view Yoongi’s content and just simply support without having to spend money. The introduction of his albums has been a very recent development, something added into Yoongi’s live performances after the tenth show and usually always sold out by the end of any aforementioned show. From what you’ve been able to see as of now, the albums have been a good addition. 

In terms of Yoongi’s current career, you acknowledge that it has always been you and Yoongi—him staying up late for last minute song-writing sessions or recording or arranging a specific set of chords he had been holding off for weeks, or you arranging the time and date of his live shows and fulfilling requests to put songs on CDs and figure out how to market those in an era of streaming services. And if there’s anyone who knows that he has what it takes to get big—it’s you. After all, you would do anything for him. As you would have done from the moment you met him. 

An hour later—after twenty songs and a swaying crowd around him singing along—the last song fades out and Yoongi pulls back from the microphone to catch his breath. Everyone else around him seems to hold onto their own, before Yoongi pulls himself back towards the mic to utter his last words for the night: “Thanks for coming out you guys. I really, really appreciate it.” 

In the midst of the claps and cheers, Yoongi smiles towards the audience, turns around to address the circle of crowd that has formed around him. 

As some of the crowd begins to disperse and some begin to linger for a potential meet and greet, Yoongi hastily remembers to return back to his mic for one last word to his audience. “And thank you guys so much for one million subs!” 

You smile to yourself as members of the crowd acknowledge his thanks with thanks of their own. As you watch Yoongi start disassembling his equipment for the night, you simply stand where you’ve stood for the past hour, allowing the crowd to simmer past you towards their next destination for the time. You pocket Yoongi’s phone into your coat, waiting for a few minutes, before you slip around towards the front of the crowd. There, a boy stands in front of a tripod, and his fingers dance around to unclip his camera from the standee. 

“You get the whole thing, Jungkook?” You ask with the tilt of your head. 

Jungkook whirls towards you, bright eyes full of excitement as he holds the camera with both his hands now. He utters your name. “Oh shit, yeah I did. We’ll get to see how Yoongi’s mic set up works.” He taps to the cord that connects the mic on Yoongi’s clothes and on his piano into the camera. 

You perk up at the sight of new technology. “Oooh, going fancy with us, I see JK. Very future.” 

Jungkook’s grin widens, as it always does when talking about cameras and filmography. “Yes. Future…” He stretches out the word with the exact dips, curls, and croaks the way Squidward does in that one Spongebob episode, which makes you laugh. Jungkook clicks through the video of Yoongi’s set that he’s just recorded, before he clicks the screen off and lowers the camera. “It’ll probably be better if I wait until we get back to look through the footage. I’m sure Yoongi is anxious to get back too…” He looks up towards where Yoongi is supposed to be standing a few feet away, but the younger boy trails off. “Hey, look over there.” He jerks his chin towards Yoongi. “Some guy is talking to him. Do you know him?” 

Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion—none of your college friends had texted saying they were going to come by and listen in on Yoongi’s set—you crane your own neck towards the direction Jungkook is gesturing to. Up ahead, Yoongi is indeed talking to some guy that you don’t recognize so of course it would peak your curiosity. 

It’s a feeling that increases tenfold when Yoongi looks up, seems to find you from his search, and points across the space right at you. There’s even something in his eyes that beg you to walk over to him. This makes your frown deepen, because what the hell is this about? 

. 

Min Yoongi doesn’t allow for too much vocal expression that doesn’t involve the assistance of a keyboard or a music arrangement, but he speaks into the microphone without thinking. “And thank you guys so much for one million subs!” His smile widens as the crowd responds with the claps and cheers of their own—all responding to him and communicating with him. This is it, this is what makes coming out to do these shows all worth it. Obviously there’s a thrill he gets from being in front of a camera and another thrill from uploading a video that people can access from all over the world. But to see the faces of the people who have left positive comments underneath those aforementioned videos… now that’s a completely different kind of feeling he didn’t think he would enjoy so much. 

So Yoongi steps away from the mic to put away his equipment for the day. He only gets so far as to open the case for his microphone and mic holder before he’s hearing his name behind him. Turning around, he is faced with a few unfamiliar and a few familiar fans that are asking him for pictures and a short conversation. He indulges them, of course he does, and he signs a few albums while he’s at it. 

It’s like you always teased him about: he really is a softie for his fans. 

The fan interactions only last for a few minutes, before another voice comes in—it’s a deeper voice and radiates so much confidence and presence that it actually halts the next fan from trying to finish a conversation with Yoongi. All gazes turn towards the source of the voice: it’s a tall man with broad shoulders, pointy boots and a long coat that drapes down, hands stuffed into the pocket of that very coat. He looks like a model. 

The man gives an apologetic smile. “Sorry for interrupting, but I need to request a chat with Mr. Min and am in a bit of a hurry. Do you mind if I cut in for a moment?” 

The fan gives a weak smile. “N-No problem.” 

Yoongi gives his own small smile. “Sorry about that. Oh, here.” He quickly makes a grab for the CD in her hesitant hands, signing his name across the sleek surface. “Thanks for coming by. Have a good rest of the night.” 

Her smile brightens. “Thank you so much!” With a quick little bow, she runs off towards her friends. 

This leaves Yoongi alone with the stranger. “What can I help you with?” 

The stranger extends his arm. “Mr. Min, I’m Kim Seokjin. I’m a music executive. Nice to meet you.” 

Music executive. These two words pique Yoongi’s interest. Just enough. “Wow, uh, nice to meet you sir.” Yoongi can’t help but lower his head slightly in a small bow as he returns Kim Seokjin’s handshake. 

Seokjin waves him off. “Oh, no need to be so formal Mr. Min. I just thought that I should finally come by to introduce myself. I’ve been following your Youtube channel for awhile and think that you’re extremely talented, very capable to be a recording artist, in fact.” 

Yoongi blinks in surprise, completely taken aback by the direction of this conversation. When he came out for his show today, having a conversation with a whole ass music executive hadn’t been on the list of things he was expecting. Of course, it was always a dream of his to be a recording artist. But he thought something like that would always just remain a dream.  “T-Thank you.” 

Seokjin continues. “Honestly, this is the third live performance of yours that I attended. Artists like you who radiate lots of passion and dedication both through the screen and on a stage are pretty rare. But your confidence and presence is quite admirable.” 

At that, Yoongi can’t help but laugh a little. He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, I wouldn’t call this a stage, Mr. Kim, it’s just a small street corner.” 

Seokjin laughs. “Fair enough—but you treat this little street corner like a stage and I find that cool. It appears that that’s what a lot of your fans think as well.” He pauses. “Mr. Min,” He starts up again after a moment. “Have you ever considered becoming a recording artist? Signing with a music label, releasing music and being able to reach millions of people? Having concerts in venues all over the world?” 

At the question, Yoongi utters a scoff of disbelief. “I have,” He acknowledges after a few minutes. “Having this youtube channel and these street performances is amazing…” 

“Of course,” Seokjin replies with a nod. 

“But sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to do more than that. So, to answer your question, I have thought about it before. Many times, in fact.” 

Seokjin nods again. “What if I told you that I was interested in signing you, Mr. Min?” 

Yoongi stares at that, stares and stares with unblinking eyes, one hundred percent of his attention on the man standing in front of him—waiting for the signs, waiting to see the laugh or the glint that gives away his prankster tendencies. But none of those things come. Seokjin just stares right back, challenging him to question him and agree to his claim. 

But Yoongi is younger, more naive, so of course he falls for it. “Why would you want to sign me?” 

Seokjin grins. “Mr. Min, I like to think I’m pretty good at spotting talented people who have a fully fledged career ahead of them—which is something my gut is telling me that you can do. And don’t worry, it’s not just the gut feeling I have. Like I mentioned, I’ve been keeping tabs on you for a few months and I’ve seen the numbers and the turn out. You clearly have what it takes to bring fans in, keep them, and create events that’ll drive their attention—and I want to help you make an opportunity out of that.” 

Yoongi hears the words of the older man, he really does, but he still cannot help the feeling of his head spinning at all the positive things Kim Seokjin says to him. Not only that he believes Yoongi has what it takes to make it, but that Yoongi has the concrete numbers to back that up. He is offering Yoongi an opportunity—an opportunity that seemed much too big for his youtube channel to birth, an opportunity that he had always just written off as nothing more than a dream. Yet for Seokjin to say that it could be more than that? And for all of this to happen on a normal performance night? 

Was Yoongi about to faint right now or what. 

Seokjin takes in Yoongi’s stunned silence and smiles. “I understand that this could be a lot to take in. No worries. I have a card for you to take—so call me when you make up your mind, alright?” He rummages into the pocket of his coat before producing a business card. The name KSJ RECORDS is printed on the surface, shiny lettering in sleek font. 

Yoongi takes it wordlessly. 

“By the way, do you have a manager?” Seokjin asks. “You can have them reach out to me if that’ll make it easier.” 

Yoongi stays quiet for a moment. He doesn’t have a manager; he never really saw the need for one if his schedule was as simple as it was. After all, it was more than enough for him to handle with you—! 

His mind explodes, as if someone had just plugged it into an outlet. His gaze flickers to you, where he sees you now standing just a few feet away next to Jungkook. You’re already staring back at him, but your head tilts slightly as if you could read his internal struggle. Before Yoongi can even figure why he’s looking at you, his body seems to act on its own. His arm raises, finger pointing straight at you. “She’s over there.” 

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, seeming to read something in his gaze that even Yoongi couldn’t figure out. Still, you walk over to them. “What’s going on?” 

Seokjin acts first, turning towards you and giving you a nod in greeting. “Hi there, I’m Kim Seokjin. Yoongi says you’re his manager, is that correct?” 

You blink, caught off guard by the question because you definitely were not Yoongi’s manager. He knows that you know this. You give Yoongi another look, and his eyes widen at you, poorly attempting to transmit a singular message: please. 

You understand immediately, of course you do (you’re his best friend), as you turn back to look at Seokjin. “I am, it’s nice to meet you.” 

The pair of you shake hands. “I was just telling Mr. Min over there that I was interested in signing him to my company. I’m a music executive for KSJ records, and think that he would make a great addition to the team.” 

It takes you a second to process the news, but you do so quicker and much more graceful than Yoongi could ever hope to do. “Oh my gosh, are you serious?” You turn to look at him, bright-eyed. “Yoongi, that’s amazing!” 

“He hasn’t made a decision yet,” Seokjin continues to explain. “I don’t blame him, it’s a lot to process. I just told him that he could have you call me once he made up his mind. Then, contracts could be drawn up.” He pauses for a moment, then seems to scramble on something when you don’t say anything immediately. “Of course, you would remain his manager. I’m sure that he’s gotten as far as he has with your help. I would want you part of Mr. Min’s team regardless.” Seokjin composes himself quickly afterwards. “Like I said, take some time to come to a decision and let me know. Let me give you my card as well.” He mirrors his previous movement at Yoongi towards you now until you have his business card between your fingers. 

“W-Well,” You start, lowering the card and offering up your hand. “Thank you so much for coming by, Mr. Kim. We’ll be sure to send you a response soon.” 

Seokjin takes your hand carefully, giving it a firm shake. “I look forward to hearing from you.” He turns to Yoongi. “And I hope we’ll be able to work together, Mr. Min.” 

Yoongi blinks, but he snaps himself out long enough to return Seokjin’s handshake. “Y-Yes…” He replies, still feeling completely starstruck by what the fuck this encounter had just been. “T-Thank you for stopping by…” He trails off. He stays quiet as he watches Seokjin give one last departing word before he’s turning around and making his way down the street of the city. 

When he regains some of his attention back, he turns to find that you’re already staring at him with an unreadable expression across your face. “Let’s head back,” You say at least, holding up the business card. “We have a lot to talk about.” 

. 

“No way,” Jungkook utters, completely shocked as he practically throws himself onto the couch in the living room. His camera equipment has been set down near the door, too much exhaustion present in its owner for the trudge back into his room. “You got casted today? That’s incredible, hyung!” 

“I-I didn’t even realize what was going on,” Yoongi grumbles back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I still wonder if that moment even happened or if I conjured it up in a strange fever dream.” 

You raise your hand slightly. “I was there. Can confirm that it was real.” You dig the business card out of your pocket and stare down at it. 

Jungkook hikes himself deeper into the couch as he turns on his phone to start scrolling. “I gotta know who this guy is. Kim Seokjin you said? Of KSJ records?” 

“Yeah, KSJ records,” Yoongi replies, looking down at his own business card. “He seemed pretty legit.” 

A whistle from Jungkook confirms that. “Yeah, he’s definitely real. And look at that!” Jungkook turns the phone over to expose the photographs of Seokjin. “Used to be a singer as well. I bet he knows a lot about the industry.” 

Yoongi nods. “He did seem nice.” 

“So, does that mean you’re planning to meet up with him? Get signed and all that jazz?” 

“All that jazz?” Yoongi echoes, but he shakes his head before he could go off on that tangent. “But honestly? Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I really do love youtube and do want to continue that, but I just feel like there’s more for me to explore with the right connections.” 

Jungkook grins. “Wow, I can’t believe my roommate is gonna be famous.” He says the last word with a bite of curl in his tone, flashing a teasing smile when Yoongi merely glares in embarrassment. Jungkook’s eyes flicker further back towards where you are standing in the apartment, calling your name to get your attention. “What do you think of the idea, Miss. Manager?” 

You perk up at that. “Before I get into my answer—when did I suddenly become your manager? I don’t remember us ever having that conversation.” You’re situated in the kitchen, drumming one hand on the counter and using the other hand to stir some last night boxed mac and cheese. 

Yoongi coughs at your observation, sinking himself further down into the couch. “I didn’t want Seokjin to think I was an idiot or something for not having a manager. But when I do officially make up my mind…” He angles his head to stare over at you. “You’ll do it for me, right? You’ll actually be my manager?” 

You frown, hesitant. “You’re serious about asking me? I don’t know anything about being a manager though.” 

Yoongi almost pouts at that, sitting up so he can whirl around completely on the couch to face you. “But you know me and my music career almost better than anyone! And you graduated with a business degree, what do you mean you don’t know anything about being a manager?” 

You flush hotly at that. “It was just a general business degree, Yoongi, it seems like what you need to make it big is a legit artist manager! Someone who will actually know how to schedule your tour dates or keep up with your public image and know exactly how to market you to the general public. You really want me doing that for you?” 

Yoongi gaps at that. “Okay, but who’s the one who literally schedules my street performances and helps me with editing my videos?” 

“Jungkook does some of the editing too,” You grumble underneath your breath. 

“Yah! Stop selling yourself short!” Yoongi interjects, pointing at you accusingly. He does, however, lower his finger long enough to turn and address his roommate. “Not that you don’t help out with any of the editing, Jungkook…” 

Jungkook waves him off. “I know where my talents lie.” 

Yoongi turns back to you. “Besides, Seokjin acknowledged that you and I basically come as a packaged deal. He saw that you were working just as hard to get me my gigs.” 

You give him a one-shouldered shrug, the hesitation still laced in your tone. “I don’t know Yoongi. I just don’t want to fuck up and jeopardize your shot.” 

Yoongi’s attention is one hundred percent focused on you now, so much so that he has made his way into the kitchen and has come so close that he can switch off the stove that held the macaroni and cheese. “Hey, listen, the only reason I’ve even been given a shot was thanks to you. You work just as hard as me to keep my channel up and running—and you already have another job on the side, so you don’t have to do anything for me. But you do.” He plants both his hands on your shoulders and twists you around. “Would you be my manager? Please? I seriously don’t trust anyone else enough to do this for me.” 

You sigh, staring down Yoongi as tensely as he’s staring you down. He sees the flicker of continuing hesitation in your eyes, and responds with just tightening his grip on your shoulders—trying to convey as much pleading as he could to you. Honestly, if you rejected his request, he knows that he wouldn’t be able to do this without you. 

So when you seem to realize that he won’t give up, you sigh and look down for a moment. “Damn that I can never say no to you, Min Yoongi.” 

Hearing those words of confirmation, Yoongi’s gaze hyper focuses on you. Even when you look back over at him, you don’t look away and that merely confirms the unspoken question of your participation. 

When he realizes that you aren’t going to outright reject him, and that you’re actually on board for him, Yoongi’s face lights up as he immediately envelops you into a hug. “Thank you! Thank you—wow, that means a lot to me.” 

You suck in a breath at his words, tensing slightly at his words, but you eventually learn to relax long enough to pat him slowly on the back to return his hug. “Don’t thank me yet,” You grumble into his shoulder. “We haven’t even had a meeting. I may not be able to negotiate as well as you think I can.” 

Yoongi shakes his head at that, tightening his hold on you. From his close proximity to you, he doesn’t notice the way your breath seems to shake and your heart seems to quicken. “It doesn’t matter,” He reassures, finally backing off. “I don’t care if you don’t know how to do all those fancy manager things. Like I said, you’re the only one I could trust to do this.” 

You stare at Yoongi for a few more seconds before you sigh in defeat, knowing that you’ve just put all your thoughts and feelings on the table for him to react to. “Alright then,” You say, placing one of your hands across your chest and onto your shoulder—atop his hand still lingering. “I’ll make the call tomorrow then.” 

Yoongi nods. “Thank you.” 

There’s a brief silence that covers the pair of you, before a voice rings from the living room. “Do you mind bringing the mac and cheese over here?” 

.

.

CHAPTER 2: THE REQUEST 

.

One year later, and you learn that the crowds from Yoongi’s street performances are nothing in comparison to this. This—overwhelming and unmatched in all degrees, the screams and the cries and the shoves, all of it echoes around you just as it has for the past few months. Surprisingly, you’ve always been okay with being a little more firm if the situation called for such and today is absolutely no exception. 

“Off,” You say gently, tapping an outstretched hand trying to get past you and grab at the person behind you. 

The girl you’ve intercepted jerks her hand back as if you’ve burned her, her eyes wide and vaguely hurt as if you’ve singled her out specifically from this crowd. Rather, it’s more along the lines of keeping your client safe and trying to avoid the incident from last week. You block the memory out for the time being. 

You feel a hot breath at your ear. “If you make my fans cry, I swear—!” 

“Try to be less desirable then,” You bite back over your shoulder, holding up your hand when another fan tries to shove a sharpie past you. “Sorry, but we’re in a bit of a rush,” You say to the boy. “Come to the next concert—we’ll have a meet and greet then too.” 

The boy deflates, but that expression only lasts for a second before he seems to brighten slightly at whatever has just occurred behind you. Stealing a glance, you realize it’s because Min Yoongi has just thrown him an apologetic wink. 

The car appears in view a lot quicker than you had been anticipating, which is good as you muster all your energy to pull the handle that opens the car door. You step off to the side, further cutting off the fans who are trying to keep Yoongi from entering the vehicle. Soon enough, a taller and more dominating figure appears next to you as Yoongi manages to slide his way into the back seat. You and Jungkook exchange a nod—you had been in the front of Yoongi’s protection squad and he had been in the back, and the arrangement continues to work wonders. As long as Yoongi doesn’t lose a whole sleeve (like last time) then you would consider this departure a success. 

Jungkook tilts his head towards the still opened car door, allowing you to enter the car yourself. As soon as you’re settled, Jungkook leans forward to join you. He slides his way into the seat all the way in the back of the car. Closing the door behind him, you signal Taehyung to take off with a nod into the rearview mirror. 

The screams and calls of Yoongi’s name are loud, and pass through the metal structure of the car as if it is nothing. But you know that the boy doesn’t mind, and that he lives and breathes moments like these as he has for the past few months. 

It’s crazy to think how much a year could change, after you and Yoongi decided to meet up with Seokjin to discuss how Yoongi was going to be signed under KSJ records. Seokjin had talked about the big plans he had in pushing Yoongi towards the spotlight—and goals like an album, a concert, and meet-and-greets around the country had been promised for Yoongi’s first year. 

And of course, Yoongi was completely enchanted by the promises. Just one final ‘of course’ confirmation to have you as his manager, and Yoongi was signing on the dotted line. Truth be told, you didn’t know what KSJ records would have in store for Yoongi—how long that glimmer of passion would remain in the boy’s eyes. 

A year later, and you acknowledge that you might have underestimated Kim Seokjin. As a former performer, he knew all the ins and outs of the music industry and his well established connections as well as his good ear for good music meant that Yoongi was allowing his music to get the treatment it deserved. Pair that with Yoongi’s growing popularity on Youtube, and it all equates to an EP that debuts with tens of thousands of copies sold within the first week. The EP itself hadn’t been much—just six songs that contained a mix of old songs and new songs, but all written by Yoongi. His previous (although small) experience with producing and arrangement allowed him constant access into the various studios at KSJ records, where he learned from all the other producers on how to make good music.

The hands-on, personal touch Seokjin allowed Yoongi to deliver in his music had been a good call and a large contributor to the success of the EP. You recall fans praising the album and talking about how it matched Yoongi’s youtube aesthetic perfectly, but just with the higher quality element that top notch equipment could bring to music. 

In a way, the current atmosphere of concerts and meet-and-greets is just a way to celebrate the success of Yoongi’s music career launching off into the stratosphere. 

“Hey.” There’s a gentle tap against your head, and you jump before turning to face Yoongi in the seat next to you. “You good?” 

You blink, bringing your finger up to brush the hair out of your face. “Yeah, just spaced out.” 

“Cool. I thought you might have fallen asleep.” 

“If anyone should have fallen asleep by now, it’s you,” You point out. “I think that today’s meet-and-greet was the largest one you’ve had so far.” 

“Don’t worry,” Yoongi says. “I have every intention of following asleep as soon as I fall into bed. Plus, don’t let me hold a pen for the next week—I think my wrist almost fell off.” 

You laugh, angling yourself so you can face him. “But you love it, don’t you?” 

Yoongi’s gaze softens as he lets your question sink in. “Course I do. I never realized how cool it would be to have an audience sing my lyrics back to you. More than that, it was all lyrics I used to write in the apartment, or in between lectures back at college, or late into the night on my phone… back when the idea of all this was just a dream.” He pivots his body towards you, eyes bright as the passion for his current place in life seems to have gotten him hyped up again. “You know, during the meet and greet, this girl came up to me all confidently and told me that my album got her through a tough time. I think that’s when it really hit me that this was all happening.” 

The corner of your lips quirk up into a smile. “Oh yeah, I actually do remember you writing those songs and you showing me the lyrics. You speak from the heart, and your fans understand that. Helps that you’re pretty cute too. Anyone with eyes could see that.” As soon as those words escape your lips, you almost want to chide yourself and immediately throw yourself out of the car. Why would you say something like that—why would you openly admit to Yoongi’s cuteness? Your face grows warm at the realization, leaving you to hope that Yoongi won’t notice your flustered state. 

Yoongi doesn’t notice. He’s too busy gawking at your observation, too busy tearing his gaze away from you to stare firmly out of the car window. 

Jungkook simply shifts his gaze between the two of you. 

In the midst of the silence, you fish out your phone and start scrolling through your social media pages. Due to the third party cookie ads that follow you around, you immediately notice news of Yoongi’s concert of the day has started hitting various news sites—most articles praising Yoongi on his song selections and live adaptations of his music to suit the concert style more. Reading these articles leave you unable to stop the grin, because Yoongi deserves this so fucking much that you could have sworn your heart sings a little as you continue reading. 

It’s a moment that lasts for only a couple of seconds, as recommended articles start coming up that do well in setting up the gray cloud. With the increased amount of attention that comes from being a newly top rated best selling album artist, so does the intrusion into personal life that follows—the dark side of the media, the side that just loves to stick its nose in places it does not belong. It’s something that you had been seeing since Yoongi’s youtube account hit five hundred thousand, but at the time these kinds of questions were more dark shadows or curious inquiries taken in the form of casual comments. 

Now, those questions have become much more normalized, as a common curiosity seems to have taken form from all these drama articles: was Min Yoongi dating anyone? And even better: who is Min Yoongi writing all his love songs for? 

As if love was limited to romantic relationships, and wasn’t a feeling one could recreate from other love songs or romantic comedies. Or just the feelings of growing up. 

“We’re here!” Taehyung calls from the front seat, as you jump up from your train of thought. Refocusing on your surroundings, you realize that you’ve made it into the parking lot of the hotel. 

You sigh, regathering your belongings that have moved around during the drive. “Thanks, Taehyung.” 

“Hey.” Taehyung utters for you to come closer to him as soon as the pair of you step out of the car. He jerks toward Yoongi, who is exiting from his side of the car before quickly side-stepping to let Jungkook come out as well. “Was that flirting back there?” 

You protest hotly at once, your hand raising up and wave side-to-side frantically in complete denial. “N-No, it wasn’t—!” 

“Okay, good,” Taehyung interrupts, leaning back to stuff his hands into his pants pockets. “Because if that was the case I think we would have had to re-evaluate your definition of flirting—!” 

“Will you stop?” You squeak. 

“Is everything okay?” Yoongi asks, having rounded around the car to stare over at you and Taehyung. 

You whirl around quickly, tightening up your expression once more to make sure that any remnants of your conversation with Taehyung would be undetected. “Yep!” You say immediately. “Everything is fine. Let’s get going, yeah?” You allow Jungkook to lead the four of you out of the parking lot and into the elevator that’ll take you to the main floor of the hotel room. Yoongi has to slip on a pair of glasses and a baseball cap, just on the off chance that a fan might be staying in the same room—it happened a few stops ago—before the four of you are making your way through the lobby. The four of you have reserved four separate rooms for your overnight stay in the city, rooms that you have already checked into earlier that day, so it feels nice to just make your way to the elevator and select the correct floor. 

Taehyung decides to check in first for the night, waving you all off and congratulating Yoongi on another well done performance. Jungkook lingers around as you make your way to Yoongi’s room next. 

“Thanks for walking me,” Yoongi says, sliding the key card into the slot and pulling out when he hears the beep of confirmation on his door. 

Jungkook flashes him a thumbs up. “Good show today. Now get some rest.” 

Yoongi nods, just about to close the door when you make a sudden noise from the back of your throat. “OH!” You call out suddenly, startling both boys as you reach your arm out suddenly to prevent Yoongi from closing the door. He had been so close too. “Sorry, I just realized. Seokjin sent me an email of some deadlines he wanted me to go over with you. Your sleep is gonna have to be put on hold.” 

Yoongi grumbles something under his breath. 

You turn to look at Jungkook. “We’ll be fine, Jungkook, go rest up—you deserve it.” 

Jungkook nods, grinning at Yoongi. “See you guys around.” 

“No fair…” Yoongi pouts as he watches Jungkook stroll down the hall to reach his hotel room. “Why do they get to rest and I don’t? I’m so tired…” 

“Well, this is the price of fame,” You retort with the shrug of your shoulders. “You have your face the paparazzi want to see, and the name that sells the albums. Naturally, it means you just have to put in more work than everyone else.” 

Yoongi runs a hand through his hair, still pouting but less so as he opens the door once more for the both of you to enter. “When you put it that way…” 

You giggle behind him. “For the fans, Min Yoongi.” 

You immediately task yourself with throwing yourself atop his bed, surprisingly put together despite the fact that you had checked everyone in earlier that day. You would have assumed he would have taken a nap. But the bed doesn’t look slept in at all. 

Yoongi notices your observation immediately. “I was too nervous to fall asleep earlier today,” He provides, taking a seat on the couch on the other side of the room. “So what was it that Seokjin needed you to go over with me?” 

“It’s short, I promise,” You reassure, pulling out the iPhone from your pocket. As soon as you unlock the device, you’re faced with the articles you had previously been looking up—the ones about Yoongi’s dating life. Without meaning to, you sigh heavily at the sight. 

Yoongi quirks an eyebrow. “What’s up?” 

You jerk up. “Oh, no, nothing sorry. I just…” You hold the phone up for Yoongi to see. “These articles about you and your dating life—it’s getting worse.” 

“Oh.” Yoongi’s fingers fiddle with each other. “Yeah, I’ve seen a few of those floating around too. Honestly, for someone who writes a lot of songs about love, these curiosities don’t really surprise me. I wish that they wouldn’t be so intrusive.” 

“Unfortunately, people always think it’s their right to know who these love songs are for.” You spare him a quick glance, only to realize that he’s already staring at you. Hastily, you look back down. “If the songs are even for anyone, that is.” 

Yoongi is quiet for a moment. “Right.” 

“Anyways…” You exit your internet app, tapping through until Seokjin’s email comes up. “Seokjin just wants to know your progress on the new songs. He’s trying to gauge your progress so he can see whether or not to arrange studio time for you to start recording.” 

The new songs—it’s a reference to Seokjin’s next plan for Yoongi’s career. With the launch of the EP and the current success that it has been harboring, it makes sense that the next step would be to launch a full-length album. Technically it could be called a repackage, since the album would most likely feature a few songs from the EP and cover the rest of the spots with new music. 

But aforementioned new music takes time to write, not that Yoongi ever had a problem with writing music. That has always been second nature for him—and was something he could do anywhere so long as he had a functioning, conscious mind. It was all just a matter of whether or not he could create the required number of actual songs within the scheduled deadline. With those higher expectations, time definitely plays the biggest issue and it makes sense if Yoongi couldn’t write proper songs given the current circumstances. 

Nonetheless, Yoongi nods at the question. “I actually have rough drafts of most of the songs, if that was okay with Seokjin. We could probably schedule some meetings to polish up the writing, since a lot of them are still in the beginning stage.” 

You blink at his answer, surprised by his response. You had been expecting one, or maybe two songs to be written out but to have all eight songs written out? “W-Wow…” You utter. “You wrote so many songs so quickly.” 

Yoongi shrugs, but he does look a little prideful at your words. You don’t notice his lingering gaze. “I have a lot to reflect on, what can I say.” 

“I-I mean,” You stammer, not really hearing his response. “I could schedule the meeting with Seokjin, but if he knows that you have everything basically done, he’ll probably be okay with giving you a little more time to polish up your work yourself.” 

Yoongi ponders this, but he shakes his head. “No, go ahead and schedule the meeting. It’s actually nice having extra hands in the music.” 

You nod. “Alright then, I’ll go and do that. I think I should also just go over tomorrow’s schedule with you.” Quickly, you relay the time details of what tomorrow’s day will look like since you’re flying out for another show the next morning. You give him some details about the stage, how many people are going, and how many people he will be meeting afterwards. It’s a standard review conversation, one of the many that you’ve had with Yoongi over the year. “And… that should be it,” You wrap up as soon as you’ve reviewed the day. Looking over the schedule once more, you cannot help but sigh once more. 

“What is it this time?” Yoongi asks from the side. 

“Oh, no nothing!” You reassure with a promising smile. “Just another busy day.” 

Yoongi gives you a grin, but you can see the exhaustion clinging to the corner of his eyes. “There’s only a few more stops left of the concert—what happened to you being positive rock?” 

At that, you laugh nervously. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right.” You clench a fist in front of him and pump it up to showcase a display of energy. “Another day of excitement and one more day towards fulfilling your dreams!” You lower your fist and give him a slightly dryer look. “How was that?” 

“I could have done without the look at the end, but it’ll do, I guess.” Yoongi stands up from his place on the couch and throws himself atop his bed. His head ends up near you, his back on the mattress, and his feet dangling off the side. “There’s only a few stops left of the tour, and for some people this is their first time seeing me live. And for other people, maybe they saw me back when I would perform on the streets, so in that case it’s their first time seeing me perform on a stage and everything!” He lifts one of his hands up into his field of view. “Either way, I just want to do the best I can for the people that take time out to come see me and support me. Because I owe them everything—I owe them more than what I can give them.” 

You don’t say anything to that. What could you say, anyways? Instead, you reach over and run your fingers through his hair. After a second, you retract your hand. You shouldn’t let yourself linger for too long anyways. “It’s late,” You say, a tone of finality in your voice. “I should head to my room. I’ll make sure to let Seokjin know your update.” You slide off the bed into a standing position. “You should get some rest.” You turn to him. “You may not think you can pay back your fans, but you probably help them out every single day. The same way they help you out too.” 

Yoongi tilts his head back to see you. Upside down, but still look at you nonetheless. He grins. “There’s that positive energy I was looking for. Thanks.” 

You laugh, already making your way towards his hotel room door. “Thank me by giving me another kickass performance tomorrow. Makes my job a whole lot easier.” 

. 

The following weeks of concert tours pass by without a hitch. To Yoongi, any event now that doesn’t end up with a torn sleeve and nail scratches up and down his arm is a success. And you haven’t freaked out for the remaining dates as you had when security had been at its worst—so he’d consider that the icing on top of the cake. Although he’s glad to finally be be home and be anchored to his own bed and be in his own space for the first time in months, he knows that his first concert experience to celebrate his first EP had truly been a memorable undertaking. 

And it had been more successful than anyone at KSJ records could have predicted. At least, that’s what Seokjin tells him when Yoongi arrives at the studio the following day to start going through the process of polishing up his song lyrics. 

“It seems that you really enjoyed yourself throughout the tour,” Seokjin remarks as Yoongi steps into the former’s office. Seokjin is scrolling through some articles on his laptop. He closes it as Yoongi takes a seat and regards the younger boy with a look of curiosity and wonder. “How was it?” 

Yoongi brightens. “So much fun. I didn’t realize how cool it would feel to have audience members sing song lyrics right back at me, but that was probably my favorite moment.” 

“Ah, of course, first time for everything as they always say.” Seokjin folds his fingers atop one another. “And how was your team?” He says your name, given that you are Yoongi’s manager. “Along with Jungkook and Taehyung? I wish I could have given you more people, but we didn’t know how crazy moving you around was going to be.” 

Yoongi nods. “I mean… it was fine. Jungkook was really good.” He can’t help but think that Jungkook should have been good—after all, Yoongi is the reason why Jungkook has been getting safe with job security recently. “And Taehyung too. I think having the small team was good because we ended up all getting really connected and had this whole system in place after a few stops.” 

“I heard a fan tore your sleeve,” Seokjin points out, looking mildly concerned. “How did that go?” 

“Oh, it was just a one time thing,” Yoongi tries to brush off with the wave of his hand. He thinks of you, because of course he does. He mentions you. “She would tap the fans who were getting too close. It was reassuring, honestly.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Seokjin says. “And I’ve heard that you’ve been making a lot of headway with the upcoming album. So we’re definitely gonna set some time for us to go through the lyrics and structure what you’ve come up with already. But I did want to go over something with you first—the main reason I called you in, actually.” 

Yoongi tilts his head. “Okay, what’s up?” 

Seokjin re-opens his laptop, and clicks through a few links before he’s pivoting the laptop in a 180 degree motion so Yoongi can see the screen. At once, he’s faced with several articles, all centering around the topic that has been haunting him since the beginning of his concert journey. He gets a flashback to one of the nights you came into his hotel room to discuss scheduling, and how you had mentioned this particular topic showing up more and more.

Yoongi had known it was becoming a problem. He just didn’t think it was something that required urgent discussion. 

“As I’m sure you’re aware, your growing popularity means that people are developing a growing interest in your relationship. Since you are labeled specifically as a song-writer who writes songs about growing up, struggles, and love, this only heightens people’s curiosity.” 

Yoongi allows Seokjin to continue talking, as he moves forward in his chair to actually scroll through one of the articles Seokjin has pulled up. It’s entitled: UP AND COMING SINGER SONGWRITER MIN YOONGI IS DEFINITELY IN A RELATIONSHIP, BUT WITH WHO? As he scrolls down, there’s several people that are listed as potential girlfriends to Yoongi’s partnership—some people he does not know at all, some people he has only seen once. 

You’re on the list too, and Yoongi’s eyes widen when he identifies your picture amongst the lot. He zeroes in on the description underneath the simple title: Yoongi’s manager? Although most manager and artist relationships are platonic, we can’t leave this one out! Fans have tracked down Min Yoongi’s current manager as an old assistant from Min Yoongi’s youtube days, so there’s definitely some history between them! 

“This article has been blowing up. You may or may not know, but people making assumptions about your relationship status could be dangerous. Since you write songs about relationships, it leaves a lot of room for error and scandals, especially if news sites decide to publish something or someone else with bad intentions try to claim you wrote a song about them. Or something else of the sort.” 

Yoongi nods slowly at that, not entirely understanding what direction Seokjin is going with his build up. It makes sense though. Leaving Yoongi out in the open like this could be dangerous for his career. “S-So, what ideas do you have to combat that?” 

“I’ve been thinking about this in the recent weeks you’ve been on tour,” Seokjin says quietly, pressing his hands together. “I think that we should push your relationship status into the public—get you a girlfriend to maintain your ‘pure romantic heart’ reputation so it looks like you’re writing love songs solely for your girlfriend.” 

It takes a second for the words to sink in. “Aaaaah,” Yoongi finally says, but his voice sounds far away all of a sudden, the further time seems to creep on. Sure, he’s seen this concept of surface relationships between in film and television—and the idea of it makes some sense. For someone whose best songs were related to moments of being in love, surely most people would suspect that the inspiration for those songs had to come from somewhere. If Yoongi came out to admit his lack of relationship experience, would people approve of that? Or would they think he was lying? 

In that regard then, it makes sense that Seokjin would come up with the idea. But faking a relationship for the sake of faking a relationship has never been something Yoongi thought he would ever have to go through. 

Mainly because first of all—who would play Yoongi’s girlfriend? 

Now, Yoongi isn’t the worst actor in the world. But he can be stiff at times, and if Seokjin wants to push a relationship status into the public eye then Yoongi imagines that this girlfriend would be someone Yoongi felt the most natural around. Someone he wouldn’t mind pretending to be in a relationship with. 

Would Yoongi even get a say in the matter? Or would Yoongi’s approval be the only requirement before Seokjin went off to find a girlfriend for Yoongi himself?

“D-Did you have someone in mind?” Yoongi finds himself asking instead. 

Seokjin hums, tapping his chin with his finger. “Not at the moment. I just wanted to bring it up with you in case you had an idea for someone.” Mindlessly, he reaches to take back the laptop and flip it back towards him. This exposes him to the article Yoongi had been previously scrolling through—one where pictures of you are plastered over the current screen. 

At the sight, Seokjin wavers slightly, staring down your pictures and furrowing his eyebrows. Yoongi looks over, noticing immediately that the laptop (and the pictures of you from that article) is no longer right in front of him but rather in front of Seokjin instead. When he glances over at Seokjin, he finds the older man lost in thought, running the side of his finger across his lip. Back and forth, clearly pondering something. 

“Yes…” Seokjin says after a moment. “That could work, actually.” He looks across the desk at Yoongi. “Good idea, Yoongi. I think originally, I would have said no, but these pictures and this description actually makes a valid point.” 

Yoongi blinks, not really connecting the dots right away. “Uh, sorry, Seokjin, but I’m not really following…” 

Seokjin makes a noise, gesturing to his laptop screen that he has just gotten back from Yoongi. “You were suggesting Y/N as your fake girlfriend, weren’t you? I’m assuming that’s why you stopped on these pictures. My initial thought was that it probably wouldn’t work, but actually considering your history with each other it seems like this could be the most likely case scenario.” 

It takes another second for the information to fully process. You. His fake girlfriend. Seokjin misunderstanding that unintentionally stopping on your pictures meant that Yoongi was trying to convey some sort of message. 

You—playing the role of his fake girlfriend, the ‘supposed’ inspiration for all his music. It would be funny if it wasn’t so ironic. 

It would be funny if you didn’t inspire all of his music—but you do. And Yoongi isn’t laughing.  

He should say something. He knows that it would make sense, as Seokjin is claiming, but it would also potentially inch him towards a can of worms he has been so sure would never see the sunlight. More than that, having you as his fake girlfriend would bring him the closest he has ever been to feeling hopeful. 

He really should say something. 

But for some reason, the words don’t come out. He just lets Seokjin believe his ingenious plan. “Yes, yes!” Seokjin continues after the many moments of silence that lapse between the two of you. “This could work actually. You guys have known each other for years, and older fans of yours from the youtube days would definitely recognize Y/N. That way, the announcement of your relationship wouldn’t seem entirely out of line, especially if we say that you guys have been dating for years. It also makes sense that we could say you becoming Yoongi’s ‘manager’ was always part of a cover up—after all, that’s what they did in that movie That Thing You Do…” 

The more Seokjin drones on and on about his plan, and how exactly he intends to work up to it, the more nervous Yoongi gets. Was Seokjin actually planning on doing this—enlist you as Yoongi’s fake girlfriend and drag you along to participate in this facade? Yoongi is mildly shocked. He should have known Seokjin would follow through on the question, but he had just assumed that today was just the idea phase and that plans to arrange this fake relationship would take weeks. 

But if there’s anything Yoongi knows about Seokjin, it’s that the man knows how to get something done. Quickly, too. In Seokjin’s word, it’s a natural occurrence for a simple idea phase to morph into actual concrete plans within the time span of a day. Yoongi should have planned this out better—but then again, he didn’t think that him accidentally stopping on a picture of you from a fucking drama article would serve as the catalyst for Seokjin’s ideas. 

Yoongi straightens up onto his feet. “Why don’t I talk to Y/N first about this?” He asks. “The idea may seem good on paper, but if she’s uncomfortable then it’s a no go.” 

Seokjin studies Yoongi carefully, before the former relents. “Okay, fair enough. Let me know what happens.” 

As soon as the pair of them exchange the last nods, Yoongi is dashing out of Seokjin’s office with one clear objective in mind: to talk to you. 

Luckily, you aren’t too far away. You’re in your office, typing up something on your laptop and your eyes scanning through what he can only assume are emails. It’s eyes that widen when Yoongi practically storms into your space, shutting the door behind him. 

You straighten up. “Yoongi, you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon.” 

Yoongi doesn’t even realize that his chest is heaving until you point that out. He coughs. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Didn’t run a marathon though.” 

Your eyebrows furrow, but the corner of your lips turn up in mild curiosity. “Okay. What’s up?” 

Yoongi presses his lips together. Even with the many feet of space between the two of you—he can make out the glimmer in your eyes from the sunlight pouring through the window, he can see the shadow of your eyelashes and the line where your collarbone dips below your blouse. Fuck, he’s in deep. There’s no way he could ask you something so monumental to the downfall of his sanity. But he knows that it’s too late to just walk away. Partly because he’s already in your office and partly because the idea has already been planted into Seokjin’s head. And if Yoongi didn’t speak up, then Seokjin was going to. 

So Yoongi opens his mouth. “I may or may not have gotten you into a situation,” He starts up. 

You snort, of course not taking him seriously. “That might just be the summary of our relationship.” 

“No, I don’t think you understand…” Yoongi pleads, stepping deeper into the office. 

You frown at his behavior, closing your laptop this time to address him completely. “Okay, what’s up, really? You’re kind of scaring me…” 

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not… scary or anything…” He trails off. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Let me be the judge of that.” 

So Yoongi shoves his hands deep into his coat pocket, and slides next to your desk, leaning against the surface as he starts his story. He covers everything: from Seokjin bringing up the drama articles about his relationship status, how he had scrolled through and saw your name, how Seokjin had misinterpreted that as a sign, and worse of all, how Seokjin thought it would be a good idea for you to play as Yoongi’s fake girlfriend. 

To say you’re appalled would be an understatement. You’re staring up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. “Are you serious?” You ask. “B-But I’m your manager!” You scoff at yourself. “No, more than that—I’m your friend, Yoongi. Seokjin must be on something. He has to be. What did you guys decide on? Please tell me that you said no.” 

“W-Well, there was no agreement or disagreement,” Yoongi argues weakly. “I walked out before Seokjin could make up his mind.” He pauses for a moment, something sinking in. “Wait a minute,” He brings up, a slightly teasing smile across his face. “Do you really find the idea of dating me that gross?” 

You make a noise in the back of your throat at his accusation, and you immediately begin to scramble. “I-I mean,” You start, the flush present in your throat as you start speaking very quickly at once. Both your hands go up in a defensive position. “It’s not that I don’t find you gross… because I don’t! You’re a very attractive person—it’s just that—we’re friends and—stop looking at me like that!” You stand up, slamming your palms onto the table when you realize that he’s just flashing you a shit-eating grin. 

He has half the mind to be mildly disheartened that you are so against the idea of dating him. But then again, he’d probably say no to fake dating you if he was being forced into a situation like this. He’d definitely say no. 

Okay, he’d probably say no. 

“Well, I told Seokjin that if you were uncomfortable with the idea, then it’d be a no go and he seemed to respect the idea.” 

Still standing, you sigh and press your face into the palm of your hand. Your fingers brush through your hair. “Okay, let’s step back for a moment.” You remove your hands from your face. “If I were to say yes, what exactly would that entail?” 

Yoongi manages a weak one-shouldered shrug. “I’m not sure exactly. Seokjin would probably have a better idea of that. I imagine KSJ records would release a statement about our relationship, and we would be scheduled to go to variety shows or press interviews together. We’d probably have to go out to restaurants together too. Hold hands…” The thought of holding your hand dries up his throat a little, but he passes it off well by faking a cough. “That sort of stuff.” 

You glare at him. “And what about your fans? You’re trying to preserve this ‘pure romantic heart’ image, but I’m sure there’s a lot of fans that like to believe the songs could be about them.” 

He shrugs. “That—I’m not too sure about. I imagine Seokjin prefers the idea of my fans believing that my heart only belongs to one person rather than them believing that I’ll just write a love song for anyone.” 

You nod. “That’s valid, I guess.” 

Yoongi stares at you from the smaller space of distance between the two of you. “Again, you don’t have to say yes. Frankly, I think it’s a batshit crazy idea.” 

“It’s not… completely out of line.” After a moment, you sigh. “I can actually understand why Seokjin would get the idea of trying to set you up like this. The news articles will probably get worse. And since your songs market themselves on being personal, people want to know who the songs are about. If Seokjin gave the public a face, then there’d be no room for assumptions and even less room for scandals to come about.” You give him a look. “Sadly, if you were to stay single, there’s only so much I could do as your manager to control that bad press.” 

Yoongi raises both his eyebrows up. “Does that mean you’re saying yes—?” 

“I’m not… saying anything yet.” You plop yourself back down into your seat. “I’m not saying yes. But I’m not saying no either.” You sink further into your seat. “Hopefully Seokjin will change his mind before I have to make up mine?” 

That’s an unlikely case. But Yoongi doesn’t argue with you, and you don’t wait for him to. He simply nods one more time before leaving your office. 

.

You would be lying if you said you never thought about dating Yoongi. Of course you have. You’re sure that you’ve had a crush on the boy within the first week of your introductions. This crush explains so many of your past actions—your support for his Youtube channel, your fulfillment as his manager, and now this pull towards agreeing to become his fake girlfriend. And you hate yourself for the every second you consider it a good idea. 

Because it’s not a good idea. It’s a terrible idea. More than that, it’s an unfair idea. Agreeing to fake date someone you actually want to date seems like too cruel a hand to be dealt. Considering your more-often-than-not fragile state, setting yourself up with Yoongi in this way already seems doomed to fail. It would be unfair to Yoongi, because agreeing to this would deprive him of an actual relationship he could be happy in. But it would be more unfair to you, because losing control would mean losing your best friend. 

So you don’t give Yoongi a positive confirmation. But you don’t give him a negative one either. See, you don’t have the heart to just outwardly reject him, because you know that he needs you to help him with this. You know that he understands the situation he’s been put in, and that getting a fake girlfriend seems to be the best case scenario. You know that it wouldn’t make sense with any other girl—it had to be you. Saying no straight to face is something that you don’t have the heart to do. 

Rather than give a yes or no answer, you opt for the second best option: hold off and avoid indulging too deeply. 

It’s a strategy that works for a grand total of one day. 

The following day post Yoongi’s conversation, you show up to work with information that Yoongi is going to start recording songs for his new album. His first full-length album, at that—something he has been working hard for since the beginning. Every second of free time available to him during the tour, during off-days had been dedicated to writing the music necessary to fill the album. You know how hard he’s been working—you’ve watched throughout the duration of his tour, and spoke to him for many nights about the progression of this album. 

You just didn’t think that the recording part would be coming around so soon. 

This is a thought you reflect to Seokjin when you enter the recording studio. Yoongi is already behind the glass, and his voice is amplified in the studio, where they appear to be discussing the arrangement for how a song is going to go. This leaves you vaguely surprised—if Yoongi is in the booth already, it means that there must have been some ground covered on how the arrangement was supposed to go. Just how long has Yoongi been in the studio before you showed up? 

“Ah, good morning,” Seokjin greets from the back of the studio, seated on the couch and his arms resting along the back. “Don’t get mad, but Yoongi worked through the night again.” 

Your lips part into a gape as your eyes widen in disbelief. “Please tell me you’re joking,” You return. 

Seokjin merely laughs in return. “I wish I was! When I left, he was going at it with Namjoon and when I came back this morning they were still going at it. But, you know, who am I to rain in on a breakthrough moment?” 

You relent your control of the situation slightly (only slightly) at Seokjin’s rhetorical question. Namjoon is one of Seokjin’s top producers and arrangers—very gifted in songwriting and how to make a good song. From the year that you and Yoongi have been a part of KSJ records, Yoongi and Namjoon have gotten along great and their close relationship has been the reason for many late nights. The pair of them were always caught in the drift of making sleepless but record-selling hits. 

Like Seokjin said, who are you to interrupt art in progress? 

Although you have a sudden flurry of desires and objectives (mainly to reprimand Yoongi for being so careless with a slap or a hit where you could put him to sleep yourself), you bite it down long enough to shed your jacket and rest it on the armrest of the couch. “Fine, fine, I’ll let it go this time.” 

Seokjin chuckles at that, removing his gaze from you and sliding it across the studio back into the booth where Yoongi is still in the midst of discussing something with Namjoon. Something about how the arrangement isn’t as smooth or on beat as they had originally intended. “You’re a good manager,” He says at last. “I can tell that you really do care about him and will definitely give him a peace of your mind once he’s done with today’s session. And what’s more…” He laughs. “He’ll actually let you walk all over him. You’d be surprised how often I see managers in it just for the money, where they don’t have their artist’s best interest in mind. You’re definitely not like that.” 

You slide into the vacant seat next to Seokjin. “If I don’t keep an eye on him, I know that no one else will. It’s nothing against other people, but no one else in his life is as involved in his career as I am. But I’m his friend first, and his manager second.” 

The pair of you are quiet for a moment, as you watch Namjoon fiddle with some of the switches on the music panel. They seem to come to an agreement on the newly modified beat, because it starts playing through the speakers in the booth. Yoongi presses his hands against the headphones he’s wearing, and starts to relay the lyrics into the microphone. It starts off slow—Yoongi has his phone in his hands to read the lyrics, to double check the flow and the tempo. After a few lines, he stops. “Ah—let’s reword this line. I do like the change we made to the music, so let’s change the lyrics to match.” His voice is amplified through the studio. 

Namjoon presses a button on the music panel, allowing him to communicate with Yoongi. “Sure. Want to head in and make the changes?” 

Yoongi ponders this for a moment, but shakes his head. “Give me a second. Maybe if I listen to the song again, I can feel what I vibe with.” 

“Sounds good.” Namjoon releases his hold on the button, and turns around in his chair to face you and Seokjin. The sight of you makes his eyes widen, as Namjoon coughs back a choke. “O-Oh, Y/N, you’re here—!” 

His words make you narrow your eyes as you point a finger at him. “YAH! Which one of you was it that contributed to your all-nighter?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t know!” Namjoon protests, raising both of his hands up in defense. “We were both in the groove!” 

You lower your finger with a sigh. “You’re lucky that you’re in the middle of helping Yoongi achieve his dreams. Otherwise I’d kick both of your asses.” 

Namjoon seems to realize that you’re not messing around, because he emits a nervous laugh. “I promise we’ll be a little more careful next time…” 

“Oh, Namjoon, I rewrote some of the lines!” Yoongi calls from inside the booth. 

Namjoon whirls around in his chair again to press the button. “Sounds good, let’s do it.” 

As the music starts up again, Seokjin decides to speak up once more. “Yoongi told me that he talked to you about the little fake dating plan I had.” 

The mention of it, as well as your previous internal insistence of not talking or thinking about that, makes you stiffen. “He might have mentioned something like that.” 

When you turn to look at Seokjin, he has an unreadable look glinting in his eyes. “Since you were talking about achieving Yoongi’s dreams and all…” He trails off. “I wanted to apologize for bringing that idea onto you so quickly. I didn’t really consider how you’d feel about the arrangement. I just wanted to try and do what I thought was best for Yoongi.” 

You sigh. “I know why you thought of the idea. And I totally agree with you—I think that if he wants to carry on, this is the least costly next step that should be taken. I just… I don’t know if I’m the best fit for it.” 

Seokjin nods. “I respect your decision. After all, Yoongi told me that if you were uncomfortable with it, then it’d be an immediate no go.” 

The corner of your lips turns up upon hearing Yoongi’s thought process. Even though you’ve already heard the words from the man himself—it’s nice to hear that assurance from his boss. Knowing that Yoongi puts your thoughts and feelings on the forefront of his mind is a nice feeling. A misleading feeling if you let yourself think too deeply into it. But a nice feeling, nonetheless. 

You decide not to comment immediately on Seokjin’s apology; rather, you tune into what exactly Yoongi is singing about in the song. It’s got a softer beat to it—an opening song to the album, perhaps? It’s much more whimsy compared to his hard-hitting personal rants that touch on the frustration of miscommunication, of not saying something when he should have said something. 

Instead, this is a song about distance—about missing someone due to distance and the longing of returning home because of the normality it brought. About how even closeness sometimes isn’t enough to fill the gap of desire in his heart. It takes on a beat you’ve never heard before, and a feeling of missing something that isn’t even tangible for you as a listener. Nevertheless, his words, his raspiness, and the hard lines hidden within the otherwise soft tone of the song work hard to poke at your edges and your weak spots. The parts of you that have always been willing to cave for Yoongi, the part of you that has never hesitated to do what needed to be done if it benefited Yoongi. 

You were his manager, so you always want what’s best for him. But you’re also a friend who has been in love with him for years, so you will do whatever it takes to get him there. 

You hope you don’t regret this.

“Actually,” You admit quietly, but it’s loud enough to perk Seokjin’s attention. “I’ll do it.” 

Seokjin blinks, clearly trying to process your words right off the bat. “You’ll…” He trails off.

You look away. You have a feeling that if Seokjin looks at you for too long, he’ll see your emotions spill out across the entire fucking studio. “Do the fake dating idea.” 

Seokjin fumbles a little. “H-Hold on a second—are you sure? Seriously, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. Since you’re the one least adjusted to being in the spotlight, a lot of this pressure is going to fall onto you. I don’t want you to say yes and then regret it later on… so maybe you should think a little more about this…” 

You steel yourself. It feels a little bit like holding your breath. Finally, you spare Seokjin a look. “I won’t regret it,” You say. “You and I both said that Yoongi needs me to keep going at this pace—I was going to get roped in eventually, so I think it’ll just be easier if I agree now rather than drag this thing around for a couple of months. Besides…” You try to relax a little in your seat, but it’s hard to tell if you’re being convincing or not. “It’s nothing too serious right? You just want us to go out together, hold hands occasionally, speak highly of each other… We already do half of those things but it’ll just be emphasized now. No big deal.” 

Seokjin is wearing that unreadable look in his eyes again, like he knows something that you don’t even know yourself. “You’re right,” He settles with after a long pause. “It’s nothing too serious. You’ll probably have people also digging into your space though, but we’ll make all the necessary arrangements before any sort of announcement.” 

“If that’s the case,” You reply. “Then I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Besides.” You try for a smile. “It’s all just fake anyways, right? As long as the ones who really matter know that, then I don’t really see the harm in it.” 

Seokjin only continues to stare at you, before he relents. You know just as well as he does that your decision is one of an adult, and that if you really had a problem with something you would vote your opinion without hesitation. No matter if he can somehow read the thoughts in your head. 

At last, he nods. “We might need you to sign another NDA but…” He extends an arm out towards you. “Welcome abroad, Min Yoongi’s girlfriend.” 

You laugh a little, hollow but still present, as you reach over to take his head. “We’ll start having problems if that nickname becomes a regular thing.” 

Seokjin laughs a little louder, a complete opposite of his more quiet and observant side displayed just a few seconds ago. “Don’t worry—just for formalities. HEY, Namjoon, let me talk to Yoongi for a second.” He practically throws himself off of the couch and towards the music panel where Namjoon and Yoongi are still mid-discussion about another aspect of music you do not understand. Namjoon relents, pushing himself and his chair off to the side as Seokjin comes up to press the button on the panel that allows for discussion between the booth and the studio. “Hey, Min Yoongi, there’s been some discussions behind the scenes. Say hello to your new girlfriend!” 

There’s a brief silence in the studio, and Yoongi’s eyes immediately bug out of his head like this is the last thing he expected to hear on this very casual Wednesday morning. Knowing the agenda for the day, it probably has been. “What?” Yoongi says after a long moment, his voice amplified by the speakers in the studio. 

Seokjin turns towards you, jerking his head at the booth, and you get up with a sigh. You approach the music panel where Seokjin and Namjoon are currently situated—and aren’t sure how to feel when you see the way Yoongi’s eyes widen at the sight of you through the window. 

Still, you cannot help your own weak smile as you lean in towards the microphone. “Hi honey,” You say. 

Yoongi continues to stare at you, before his lips part and his face takes on a very unusual shade of red. “HUH?” 

. 

. 

CHAPTER  3: THE ANNOUNCEMENT 

. 

KSJ records releases a statement within the next following days, and it gains momentum like nothing you’ve ever seen before. 

HELLO, WE ARE KSJ RECORDS. 

Recently, we acknowledge that many fans have developed a curiosity about the relationship status of our newest artist Min Yoongi. The release of his latest EP and the undertaking of his concert has left many questions regarding who he writes his songs for—and many of the different assumptions made by people around the world could leave very dangerous and lasting impressions on people that our artist sees as platonic. We want to respond properly and say the truth. 

Min Yoongi has been in a relationship with his current manager, Y/N, for the past three years. When Min Yoongi was first signed to KSJ Records, they were already in a relationship and Y/N was assigned the task as Yoongi’s manager given her experience working alongside him during his Youtube career. They have good feelings about each other, and have agreed to make this information public to avoid future misunderstandings. KSJ Records and Yoongi hope that you all will support their relationship as they continue to navigate through Yoongi’s growing career together. 

You cannot help but laugh a little at the statement, which is flying so close to the truth that it might as well have been your reality. And in a way, it is. You’ve already prepared, molded your online presence just barely to meet these new expectations to the new facade you have to put up. 

And it’s not like the announcement actually changes anything in your daily life. In the days leading up to the post, you had decided to delete your Twitter account (you weren’t making much use of that platform anyways—what, with all the thirst accounts for Yoongi that you were stumbling upon due to internet cookies and the algorithm), and archive a fair number of your Instagram photos on an account that was already set to private. For someone who didn’t live and breathe social media, it wasn’t too hard to rid of that element in your life. 

One thing you hadn’t really accounted for, however, were the news stories that wrote about you in the hours following the press release. Several of them were base-level lists about your childhood and how your relationship with Yoongi could have festered—most of which were correct given that older fans of Yoongi knew what university he attended and how you were also a student there. But that information is generally public, and it’s not like you attend the university anymore.

Other than that, there are a few comments on your looks, a few assumptions on your personality. But surprising, there’s nothing too severe. At least, from the surface-level information you can collect from just doing a basic google search. Social media would probably be a more difficult battle, one that you would need nerves of steel and a hardened heart in order to navigate, but like mentioned: professionally managing your own personal social media isn’t exactly your forte. 

Over the next week, you follow Seokjin’s advice to lay low and let the news of your relationship with Yoongi continue to spread through the ranks. You spend that time in your apartment, answering a few messages from friends and family but doing what you could to keep the information as limited as possible. You assume that too many people knowing, regardless of how close or trustworthy they were, sort of went against the NDA you had to sign. And you’re not sure how your friends would react if they found out you were only dating Yoongi for a cover-up. Especially since some of them actually are fully aware of your feelings for him. 

Regardless, you carry on. Yoongi sends you some screenshots he takes of supportive messages from his fans wishing the both of you the best in your relationship, and he also sends you some memes about your relationship that make you laugh. His fans have a good sense of humor, what could you say. 

However, a week is the most you allow yourself to hide away within the comfort (and boring nature) of your apartment before you’re already texting Seokjin with news that you were showing up to the studio. 

Surprisingly, Seokjin doesn’t question this. He calls you. “I was just about to ask if you were going to come over anyways!” He says in a rather upbeat nature. “So it’s good to hear that we’re both on the same page.” 

So you step out of your apartment, dressed up in your usual work uniform and feeling much more put-together than you had been for the week you were ordered to remain quiet and lowkey. There’s something exciting about stepping out after being unable to do so for an extended period of time—and it shows in the little bounce that occurs with every step that you take down the sidewalk. Since you usually take the subway to work, you decide to dawn a bucket hat with a face mask tucked over your nose and mouth to blend in just enough but not so much so that your strange fashion choices could draw attention. 

It doesn’t, and you enjoy the rocking of the subway racing down the tracks as you peer out of the window quietly. KSJ Records is just a few stops away from your apartment, so you waste no time standing out and stepping out as soon as the doors of the subway open at the right stop. You bound up the stairs, through the familiar pathways you’ve always taken to get to work, and after a few blocks, you arrive at the building of KSJ Records. 

As you shoulder open the door, you greet the secretary behind the table, who smiles back at you. “Oh, good morning!” She greets cheerfully. “Seokjin is waiting for you in his office. I believe Yoongi is already with him.” 

You nod. “Sounds good, thank you so much!” You bound deeper in, navigating through the different hallways until you arrive at Seokjin’s office. True to the word from the front desk, Yoongi is already there. He looks surprisingly meek for someone who has been trending on Twitter for a few days, but you suppose that he’s still trying to adjust to the fact that Seokjin’s plan is already in motion. After all, he didn’t even get the final say before Seokjin started taking the situation into his own hands. The last he had heard of it was your apparent agreement before Seokjin drew up a company statement for him to approve. 

A part of you feels guilty—but Yoongi had been the one to ask you first! Perhaps he’s still in that normal state of uncertainty. After all, you feel like that as well. 

“Good morning guys,” You greet as soon as you register who exactly is in Seokjin’s office. You close the door behind you as both boys turn to acknowledge you. 

Seokjin grins. “Hi, thanks for coming in.” 

You wave him off. “You gave me the week off. I was starting to get a little restless.” You take a seat in the other vacant chair, in front of Seokjin and besides Yoongi. “What’s up, Yoongi?” 

Yoongi is already looking at you when you turn to greet him, but as soon as you ask your question, the corner of his lips quirk up into a vaguely uneasy and nervous smile. “H-Hi honey.” 

You freeze at that, immediately furrowing your eyebrows as you produce your own nervous smile. “Hi?” You return. “What the fuck are you on?” 

Seokjin interrupts before Yoongi can get an answer in. “Stop, stop, you’re way too stiff, Yoongi!” 

“Well, I’m trying!” Yoongi spits, before looking back at you with an utterance of your name. “Sorry, Seokjin wanted me to try treating you the same way I would treat a girlfriend. Apparently I didn’t do too hot.” 

“Not apparently, you just didn’t do hot at all,” Seokjin retorts back, flashing you an apologetic smile. “We were trying out a few moves easier to see how well you guys can adjust from having your normal manager slash artist relationship to displaying a long term, healthy and happy romantic relationship. It’s one thing to say that you guys are dating, but you guys do need to have something of an act ready.” 

You fold your fingers over each other, your mind on a dissociation for the briefest of seconds as the realization sinks its teeth just a little deeper. Holding hands and saying cute shit to each other had been easy to talk about in passing dialogue to Seokjin—but actually having to do it is a hurdle you hadn’t considered to the fullest. 

“I mean…” You speak up after a moment. “What if we’re just one of those couples that aren’t handsey with each other? Or don’t need that lovey dovey look in each other’s eyes to prove that we’re in a relationship?” 

Seokjin ponders this for a second. “True. But if we’re starting this, there needs to be a full level commitment on the act. If people start questioning the legitimacy of your relationship, that would be an even worse scandal than just letting people make assumptions about Yoongi’s relationship status in general! We definitely, at least, need to develop a basic level of your relationship, and then you guys can work around your own varying levels of comfort. This is something that we need to get rolling as soon as possible, because you.” He points at Yoongi. “Are booked in the next few days to do some radio interviews. And you.” He points at you. “Are going to go with him, as his girlfriend.” 

Even though you had known the label was coming, you can’t stop from feeling hot all over at how you were now technically Yoongi’s girlfriend. 

“So,” Seokjin continues. “How about I give you a base level of what I’m looking for. And we can do a few practice runs to make sure you guys are comfortable enough with these expectations?” 

Yoongi nods, leaving you little option but to do the same. But the thought from the recording booth bubbles up again: you hope you won’t regret this. 

. 

A few days later and you don’t think you’ll regret the outcome of this situation. But you’ll definitely get a little sick on the way. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” You say in the car. You’re sitting in the back, next to Yoongi, staring straight ahead at the passenger seat before you. “And stay all in one piece,” You add as an afterthought. 

Yoongi glances over at you, looking nervous enough to admit a pout. “At least you don’t have to say anything—I’m the one doing all the talking…” 

You huff out a breath. This is true. You’re just here to play the supportive girlfriend, the agreeable partner who’ll publicly accompany Yoongi to a public event since a public announcement. Seokjin says that doing this with the lense of a romantic relationship makes you seem friendly, open, and supportive of the relationship. You’re not too sure how public perception is shaped, but you understand where Seokjin is coming from. Tagging along to an event as a girlfriend instead of a manager makes you and Yoongi seem free. Like you have nothing to hide. 

Only in reality, it’s the complete opposite. With everything coming out to the surface, you have everything to hide. 

It only takes a few more minutes of driving before you arrive at the radio station. The instructions for today’s assignment have been easy: get out of the car, and walk the many steps needed to reach the entrance of the station. The empty step ahead is surrounded by paparazzi and fans, all screaming and shouting—trying to get their fill of Yoongi. 

You sigh. You could do this. You and Yoongi have been practicing for the past few days. Albeit, ‘practicing’ just mainly consisted of the pair of you walking down a hallway close together. It was more lackluster than anything else, and you don’t think it was entirely productive use of time. Seokjin seemed to think that the pair of you needed to work on a closer level of proximity. But you know the truth about your feelings, and know that the complications will come from just being too close to him. 

Yoongi unbuckles his seatbelt and is already moving to tug at the handle that’ll open his side of the car door, immediately exposing him to the walkway along with the flashing cameras and loud screams. Before he can pull all the way, however, he stops short. You’re about to ask what the problem is, before he angles towards you and flashes you that grin he has when he’s thinking of ideas you wouldn’t approve of. “I have an idea,” He breathes out, quickly reaching over to grab your hand. 

You stiffen at the contact, trying to ignore the flash of your heart speeding up in your chest. You and Yoongi hadn’t agreed on this—if you had, maybe you would have been a little more prepared for the situation! Oh god. 

On instinct, you try to wiggle out of his grasp. “What are you doing?” You hiss. 

Yoongi gives you a dry look, reaching over to grab your hand again. “Calm down,” He argues back, lacing your fingers together for extra measure, like that’s gonna be the thing to help you calm the fuck down. “This’ll help sell it, okay? Just trust me.” 

Leaving little room for arguments, he squeezes your hand briefly before loosening it enough. He pulls the car door handle, pushing it outwards, and stepping out into the wild. People notice his appearance immediately, because the screams grow louder as Yoongi uses his unoccupied hand to wave and bow towards those who have come out to see him. 

You trail behind rather helplessly; the hand connected to Yoongi pulling you out of the car. Yoongi stays near the door, staring down at you with a rather watchful gaze that only leaves you feeling hotter than before. Still, you don’t speak of it as Yoongi steps back just enough for you to step out of the car. “You okay?” He asks. 

You nod, readjusting yourself with one hand before Yoongi starts to pull you alongside him to walk the distance towards the radio station entrance. Although you want to engage slightly with the crowd, your nerves keep you mainly at bay, forcing you to angle your head downwards just enough to avoid any serious eye contact. Yoongi keeps his gaze ahead, walking a rather brisk pace towards the radio studio—where security leads the way in opening the door for the pair of you. Whether he’s walking fast because he doesn’t want to keep up the charade of holding your hand for so long… or because he can feel how sweaty your palm is getting. You don’t know. 

It’s only a few more steps before you and Yoongi are entering the building for the radio show, where Jungkook is lingering near the entrance. He’s on his phone, probably having just made a call with Seokjin about your arrival, before he spots the two of you entering. “Hey guys, how was it?” 

Yoongi nods. “A little loud, but I think it went alright.” 

Jungkook’s eyes flicker down to your intertwined hands. “Wow, you guys are committed,” He comments. 

You seem to remember that your soul has returned to the body that is still currently holding hands with Min Yoongi. Alarmingly, you take your hand back. “Y-Yeah, Yoongi thought it would be a good show for the people outside! No biggie—just a simple hand holding technique, people do that all the time!” You realize that you’re rambling. 

Yoongi, oblivious as always, raises an eyebrow. “You okay?” 

“Y-Yeah,” You manage. “Why do you ask?” 

Yoongi is about to answer, before an intern shyly approaches the three of you with an iPad in hand. 

“Are you all under Mr. Min’s team?” She asks, fishing out some badges when you nod in confirmation. “Okay, so make sure to take these so everyone knows who you are. Mr. Min? I can lead you to the studio you’ll be interviewing in, if you’ll follow me—did you need me to grab a soda for you?” She begins listing a series of questions about his well-being, leaving you and Jungkook behind in the hallway with your newly acquired badges in hand.

Jungkook, observant as always, gives you a look. “What was that all about?” 

“Huh? I-It was nothing…” You trail off looping the badge around your neck, meeting Jungkook’s eyes and realizing that he’s wearing a shit-eating grin. The same kind of grin that Taehyung gives you when you’re standing too close to Yoongi. Your eyes flare. “WHAT DO YOU KNOW?”  

Jungkook laughs. “Calm down, calm down, Taehyung and I gossip a lot on the side—hey, what the fuck, don’t hit me—we’re in a public place!” 

You relent your aggression, but only slightly. You lower your arms as well. “Just—don’t tell Yoongi.” 

Jungkook levels with you a dry look. “Do you think I have a death wish? C’mon, let’s head over.” 

With a hesitant sigh, you relent and let Jungkook lead you down the halls of this studio, until the pair of you find a door with Yoongi’s name written on the white board. There’s a darkened LIVE light panel above the frame, indicating that Yoongi’s radio interview hasn’t started yet. There’s some people lingering about, who nod and open the door for you when you present your TALENT badge at them. The inside of a radio booth is similar to the recording booths Yoongi has found a home in as of late. There’s people in this current room, headphones on and monitoring what’s happening before them while being surrounded with sound panels and laptop screens. On the other side of the glass is Yoongi, and the main hosts of the radio station, Jung Hoseok and Im Nayeon. 

From your side, you can hear their conversation amplified through speakers in the studio. They’re all currently joking around about external matters—it makes sense too. Yoongi has been on this particular radio show a handful of times. 

“Okay, okay, you guys,” Hoseok speaks after a few more minutes of playful banter. “Today, we have a very special guest with us today. He’s fresh off the tour of his first and most recent EP, we have Min Yoongi in the studio! Yay!” He claps. Nayeon follows suit. 

Yoongi stops his clapping sooner to speak into the microphone in front of him. “Thanks for having me back.” 

“Thank you for deciding to hang out with us for the afternoon,” Nayeon says. “Especially since you’re a big hot shot now.” 

Yoongi laughs. “I wouldn’t say that… I just finished my first tour, Nayeon, no big deal.” 

“‘No big deal’,” Nayeon quotes him. “As if your EP didn’t chart into a top 50 list or anything like that.” 

The conversation trails like this for a little bit. Yoongi is scheduled to spend thirty minutes doing a segment, which is meant to be uploaded onto Youtube later, so it gives the three of them a lot of legroom to play around and play off of each other. The purpose of the interview is to discuss the tour, the progress of the album, and (if anyone dared venture there) the status of his relationship—! 

“Well, moving on from the album—which I’m sure is going to be a huge success, by the way,” Nayeon continues on, bringing you back from the daydream that you’ve slipped into. “Seriously, it’s a very highly anticipated release.” 

Yoongi manages a nervous smile. “I’ll make sure not to let anyone down.” 

Nayeon nods. “I think it’s a good time to ask about a recent development that has occurred with you as of late.” 

“And, that is the announcement of your relationship,” Nayeon carries on. She glances at Yoongi from across the table. “We’re allowed to ask you questions about it, right?” 

Yoongi nods, choosing his words very carefully. “I’m all ears for your questions, Nayeon.” 

Nayeon brightens at that. “I just think that a lot of people want to know: how are you guys doing since the announcement?” 

He takes in a breath. To the general public, it’ll probably look as if he’s steeling himself to finally come clean about a relationship he’s been hiding for three years. But to you, you know it’s because he’s just trying to figure out what exactly to say. 

“We’ve been doing well,” He says with a nod of assurance. “It was a little stressful at first, and it still is because of how recent the news is, but I am glad we decided to make this call. Y/N has been with me since the beginning and has supported me and has been the inspiration for a lot of my music—and I’m at a point in my life where I want my fans to know that rather than drag them along and just make them assume these parts of my life.” 

“That’s so sweet,” Nayeon gushes. “So Y/N wasn’t always just your manager, even back in your Youtube days?” 

Yoongi shakes his head. “Actually, she was my girlfriend before I decided to upload song covers.” 

Nayeon swoons a little. “Can you tell us the story of how we met? You can be brief, of course.” 

Yoongi laughs. “We shared a class together in college, and she was probably the funniest person I had ever met—of course, we were friends for about a year before we started dating. But Y/N was always very supportive about me pursuing music, even when it was just a hobby. When I did start my Youtube channel, she stayed up to help with editing and just letting me know how some lyrics I had written would sound. She was a business major in college, so it felt right to let her have the reins on scheduling my appearances—and now she’s my manager. Besides just being my girlfriend, we work together really well.” 

You huff out a breath, something you hadn’t even realized that you were holding. You didn’t think Yoongi lying straight through his teeth could cause you so much anxiety. As if there are people around this radio station to fact check everything leaving Yoongi’s mouth. 

Nayeon hesitates for a moment. “Alright, I want to ask one more question.” 

Yoongi gestures for her to continue. 

“You write a lot about being in love and all these little moments of stability and that feeling of contentment—but what is your experience with love? How did you know that you were in love?” 

Your lips part in shock at the question, having not expected it. After all, Seokjin didn’t quiz Yoongi on this answer. And to talk about love in such a personal manner—would Yoongi even have an answer for everyone? 

Your gaze is trained on Yoongi, watching them through the glass separating you from him. It seems as if the entire room is silenced in anticipation. You can feel Jungkook’s gaze hot on your back, clearly trying to gauge your response—but you try not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. 

“It’s actually funny,” Yoongi speaks up after a moment. Your heart lurches, thinking that he’s going to divert from the question. But you should know him better. “I always thought love, when it came to romance, was supposed to be this big explosion of fireworks and what not—like in the movies. You see someone and there’s this feeling in your gut right away, you know, this whole concept of love at first sight. I used to think that was how I was going to fall in love. It was going to be dramatic, but everything I wanted right away, and I was going to be whisked off and everything would be sunshine and rainbows. I thought that I’d meet someone, and they’d be everything I wanted them to be right off the bat, and that I’d know right away they’d be the one. 

But the truth is, through my relationship, I realized that it’s not like that. I didn’t know Y/N would be the one right away. It took a long time—because we liked each other, but that’s not the big explosion of fireworks I was promised. We liked each other, but it was never love at first sight. And truthfully, she wasn’t even everything I wanted right off the bat. I’ve realized that love is more about these adjustments you as people have to make to fit, and it happened so subtly with me that then I didn’t realize it was happening until I just woke up one day and knew. 

I knew because one morning, I woke up in a fit—I had fallen asleep at my desk again trying to get through some of the music arrangement of this one video I was working on, or something like that. I was always working on music and editing—so I actually don’t remember. Anyways, I woke up and my head was resting on a pillow, and there was a blanket over my shoulder, which I didn’t remember fixing up the night before. I got out of the little makeshift studio I had in my apartment, and there was breakfast food from this cafe I really like around the corner at my table. It was a little cold, but Y/N had taped a little note on the bag with heating instructions and what not, just telling me to do my best—really nice and supportive things. I had assumed that she had gone back home, because she knew I was pulling another all-nighter for work. That’s what I thought, until I look into the living room and find her sleeping on my couch. More than that, her hands were still on her laptop, where she had been in the process of still editing one of my videos. She still had her headphones on and everything. We had been dating for a little less than a year at that point, so it wasn’t like this was a rare thing. It was a pretty normal thing for her to do—wrap me up in blankets and buy me breakfast food the following morning, even falling asleep on the couch was a weekly occurrence. But I just saw her sleeping on my couch and I felt this wave of warmth and contentment. Like I always knew that she’d be on my team. I think that was the moment I really knew what love was.” 

It’s a long story, one that ends with a stunned silence—like no one had expected him to give out such a detailed answer and make it sound poetic at the same time. That’s the songwriter Min Yoongi for you, you supposed. 

Quickly, both the studio and the booth give out a chorus of aw’s and ooh’s, gushing amongst one another over the charming nature of Yoongi’s story. But you are still trapped into submission, staring straight through the glass with millions of questions still going through your mind. The spike in your heart rate also points to the rush of adrenaline flowing through you. Because you know this story that he is telling. He’s not lying through his teeth. You remember this night. Or, one of the nights, at least. Like Yoongi had said, you giving out blankets and food like air was second nature in your friendship. So was you falling asleep on the couch. 

Did those situations hold as much weight for him as they did for you? Or, was he just making up his feelings? After all, the key to lying was skirting as close to the truth as possible. That kind of situation may work for Yoongi, as the liar, but it wasn’t as comforting for you. 

You watch the way Yoongi laughs at the gushing Nayeon does, the way he smiles brightly and continues to reinforce how important you are—and you recognize his facade better than anyone else. Of course he’s lying, and you reach their realization with a bit of downfall in your stomach. There’s no way he would be telling the truth, especially considering the situation the pair of you are now in where Yoongi’s career is dependent on his ability to tell a proper lie. 

You allow yourself to sink a little deeper into the studio, near the back where the producers of the radio station can discuss amongst each other. This puts you with Jungkook, who has been watching the situation closely the entire time. 

“Yoongi can be quite the actor,” Jungkook mumbles. He has this unreadable expression in his eyes, but you know that Jungkook knows that situation Yoongi is describing. It had been Jungkook’s apartment as well. He glances at you, but says nothing. 

You continue to stare ahead. That pensive silence continues as Yoongi is released from the radio interview, and thanks Nayeon and Hoseok eagerly for their time and energy. Nayeon returns the gesture, waving to you through the glass when Yoongi points you out. You weakly return the action. 

It isn’t until you get into the car, where the pair of you are safe from the wandering eyes and careful ears of the entire world, that one of you elects to speak up. “So, what did you think?” Yoongi asks. 

By this point, you’ve recovered swiftly from your disappointment. You smile like it’s your only shield. “As your manager, I’m glad that you were able to make love so poetic—just on brand for you. As your fake girlfriend, I also really have to congratulate you for your storytelling. I even remember those nights too, so it was definitely a good memory to lie about.” 

Yoongi flushes a little at your comment, looking pleased with himself for a moment. You smile at his expression, before turning to train your gaze out of the window. The gesture makes you miss the way the smile slips off his face, the way he glances over at you. A good memory to lie about—right. 

.

Yoongi’s radio interview goes viral, and so does any hope you have in trying to forget the tale he had spun during it. Granted, you are happy that people bought his story. You just wish that it wouldn’t have muddled up all your thoughts and feelings along the way. 

Naturally, Seokjin is excited about the good press and the fact that the pair of you completed your first assignment well enough. At least, that’s the display he’s presenting when you walk into his office two days after the radio interview. Yesterday was spent looking over social media to see the public’s reaction to Yoongi’s speech about love, and if you as his manager would need to do any damage control. Luckily, you do not. As his manager, it leaves you in good spirits. 

But as someone who actually has a crush on Yoongi, it’s less so. 

That dejection only furthers itself when you see how excited Seokjin looks, like he’s already plotting the next steps to his little project. 

“Ah, Y/N!” Seokjin greets carefully. “Hi, hi, congratulations on your first successful outing with Yoongi! Per the reports I’ve been seeing over social media, you guys did a very good job.” 

You sigh, placing four coffee orders onto the table and sliding into the seat in front of Seokjin’s desk. “I didn’t really do that much,” You admit with a half-hearted shrug. “Yoongi did all the talking. I just waved at Nayeon through the glass window.” 

“Aaahh,” Seokjin hums, opening up his laptop and turning it around in order for you to see what is on his screen. “Seems like you did a little more than that.” 

Your gaze flints down to the big, bold words across the screen: THE INSIDER REPORT ON MIN YOONGI’S RADIO INTERVIEW: Employees at the K-IM Radio Station detail their experience meeting Yoongi and his girlfriend following the announcement of their relationship. 

That piques your interest, and you scoot forward in your chair slightly in order to reach out and see what Seokjin is talking about. It’s not a very lengthy article—there is a summary detailing Yoongi’s interview, of course referencing his grand speech about love—but that’s not what takes up the most space. 

Your eyes continue to skim over, almost not even believing what you were reading. The intern that first greeted you and Yoongi is in here, talking about how the pair of you were holding hands “in such a loving way, and the way they looked at each other before I led him to the radio booth was so romantic!” (The intern’s words, not yours). There’s even some excerpts from the employees and producers inside the radio booth, the same room you had spent the interview in. Surprisingly, a lot of the accounts are not talking about what Yoongi said. It’s all about how you looked when Yoongi was telling his story. 

“It was such a powerful speech, I couldn’t help but look over to Y/N to see her reaction, and she was staring back at Yoongi in such a way that I knew immediately that the genuine nature of their love was a two-way street.” 

“... a definite softness in her gaze, like she was reliving that memory with him.” 

And so on, and so on. 

Your face feels a little warmer when your eyes as you push the laptop away, glancing up to see Seokjin’s staring at you. “See? You did good. The small gestures you do can go a long way—especially when you don’t notice you’re doing them.” 

You close the laptop, as if that can physically distance yourself from the assurances of those who had been around you. “Right…” You manage weakly. 

“Well,” Seokjin hums, already moving onto the next point of the conversation. If he senses something fishy in your response, he doesn’t comment on it. “Anyways, Yoongi is in the studio right now with Namjoon, so I just want a little update report on your relationship with Yoongi. As in, how is it going between the two of you?” 

You ponder this for a moment, thinking about how he took your hand in the car, how he recounted such a personal story to explain the details of his love, the look he gave you when you congratulated his storytelling abilities—like he knew something that you did not. 

At the same time, it was such a minor appearance that you didn’t get much of a feel about the romantic aspect of this fake relationship. This is why you sigh. “I’m not too sure. We had such a minor acting role together that it’s hard to say. I will say that right now it feels pretty much the same.” 

“Alright, fair enough,” Seokjin approves with a nod. “So you don’t have a problem if I want to plan some informal hang-outs for you and Yoongi? Just as a way to keep your guys in the public eye enough times that fans don’t start doubting your relationship.” 

You smile weakly. “Of course. That’s what I signed the NDA for.” 

Seokjin laughs, finally waving you off. “Okay, sure. I’ll look into where I think your relationship will make the biggest impact and will update you and Yoongi when I’ve made my decisions.” Finally, he looks over the multiple cups of coffee you had brought over on your cardboard tray, and fishes out the one with his name on it. “This one for me?” 

You lean over, flickering your gaze from the cup to his face. “Well, at the very least, I know you can read now.” 

His relaxed expression morphs into a playful scowl. “Get out of here brat.” 

Your laughter echoes through his office as you take your cardboard tray of three coffee cups and reemerge back into the hallway of the record studio. You walk the familiar path until you reach the door to the recording room—pulling open the door and letting yourself in. Inside the booth, Yoongi is rapping away into his microphone, as his low voice fills the tiny space of this studio. You place the tray down onto one of the tables, picking up your own before sliding over to take a seat on the couch. 

As you continue listening to Yoongi wistfully hum about a desire to cross an emotional distance, about how he tells the truth because “it’s you, it’s always been you”—you cannot help your mind wandering into what Seokjin has in store for you over the course of the next few months. 

.

. 

CHAPTER 4: TURNING POINT 

. 

Yoongi’s first full length album is set to release in two months. 

At least, that’s what KSJ records claims after uploading a quarterly report of Yoongi’s schedule. At first, you don’t think it’s a big deal for Yoongi’s label to post a tentative update about his music progress, but his fans are extremely observant and catch on immediately. It’s good to draw up the hype, you suppose. 

Anyways, at the rate that Yoongi is working on the songs for the album, you won’t be surprised if he manages to follow the schedule down to a T. The boy lives and breathes music, and last time you checked the album would consist partly of songs from his EP and new songs—meaning that it cuts down Yoongi’s usual workload into half. Not that he minds, at any rate. 

“Okay, Min Yoongi,” Seokjin starts up, standing at the head of the meeting room which only consists of three people. Normally, with meetings with the head of KSJ records himself, there’s a lot more people around to discuss schedule, promotions, and the likes. The fact that it’s just you and Yoongi tells you exactly what you’re doing here. “It’s been a few weeks since your radio interview, and I know that you’re doing well in your progress of the album—but I think it’ll do you well to take a break.” 

Yoongi huffs. “It’s nice that you’re reminding me about this, but I’ll rest when the album is released.” 

Seokjin snorts. “When did I say rest? I just meant take a break from your album work. Plus you need to get some vitamin C, or whatever shit you get from the sun.”  

“It’s vitamin D,” You interject gently. 

“Pish posh,” Seokjin waves away your interruption. “Anyways, like I was saying, there is a way for us to kill two birds with one stone. So that you.” He points to Yoongi. “Can get out of the studio for a few hours and you.” He points to you. “Can play into a relationship that’ll help us kill two birds with one stone.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “What exactly are you proposing?” 

“Well,” Seokjin continues, leaning over his side of the table to get a few good at his laptop, where it appears that he has a few notes written down regarding the direction of this meeting. “In order to continue generating curiosity about Yoongi’s upcoming album and maintain the public’s constant queries about your relationship, I want you two to go on public outings. I have a few specific places I think would be good cornerstones to touch on, but I’m also willing to let the two of you figure out where you want to spend your time.” He glances up at the two of you. “That should be okay, right?” 

You and Yoongi glance at each other. Come to think of it, the pair of you haven’t talked about nor reviewed the events at the radio station since it happened and the underlying questions you still have about his side of the story feels vaguely like a weight hanging over you both. But Yoongi smiles at you, and you think that you can continue to do what you’ve done for years: hide away your feelings. 

“Yeah, that should be fine,” You speak up first, smiling back at Yoongi. You turn to Seokjin. “What did you have in mind?” 

The question is how you find yourself in a car with Yoongi a few days later, your hands in your lap and your mind spinning with nerves. The radio interview had been one case, but a limited one at that—your role had been very minor and your interaction with Yoongi had only been seconds long. They had definitely been a lot smaller than this new role that Seokjin has assigned to you. 

For today, Seokjin has directed the pair of you to the streets of Yoongi’s old stomping ground—the same shopping district with the same corner Yoongi spent all his nights performing in from a time period that seems so long enough. Not long enough, apparently, as Seokjin thinks it would be a nice nod to be ‘accidentally’ discovered walking along a place that holds so much memory. 

“I just want you guys to walk around—be happy, but be close,” Seokjin had noted just a few hours prior to you and Yoongi’s departure. “Just look like the pair of you are on a date. Hold hands, smile at each other, all that jazz. Nothing too serious.” 

Too bad it actually was kind of serious for you. 

You and Yoongi make minor conversation, making some jokes here and there that do well in helping to ease your nerves. You don’t think Yoongi would take notice, but he can be strangely observant. Perhaps the way you keep bouncing one of your legs helps let him know that something is up. 

“Are you okay?” He asks. 

You stop bouncing your leg. “It kind of feels like I’m about to perform, or something—it’s that same kind of rush.” 

Yoongi stares at you for a moment, before he looks out his side of the window. “Well, technically speaking, you are about to perform. You know, with this whole relationship being an act and all.” 

“Very true,” You say, nodding your head. “Do we need a game plan?” 

Yoongi shrugs. “I thought that we’d just wing it. We held hands back at the radio station so, uh, I’m assuming that you’re still comfortable with doing that?” 

“O-Oh yeah, of course!” 

“Then, we can do that. And walk around. Improvise while we do so—just see how the day goes.” 

You nod. “Okay, true, true. That sounds good.” You can’t help but give him a sneaky smile. “Look at you, Min Yoongi, you’ve become quite the performer. Improvisation used to be something you were never too good at.” 

Yoongi flushes a little, smiling back at you. “Give me a little credit. You gotta have backups for your backups, especially in situations when your sound gives up on you in the middle of one of your sets.” 

You laugh, because this reminds you about one of Yoongi’s first live sets along the very street the pair of you will be approaching shortly. His speakers had just given up, forcing Yoongi to go entirely acapella. In a way, that mistake ended up garnering him more fans who grew to respect his craft and talent for music and singing. But as they say, hindsight is 20 20. 

You and Yoongi continue to laugh about that memory for a few minutes before Taehyung arrives along the outskirts of the shopping district, pulling up along the curb. The car is on the other side of this bustling area, just a few feet away from the pedestrian walkway that is littering with people going to and fro. 

Taehyung turns around in his seat to give the pair of you a look. “Now kids, I want you to call me whenever you’re ready to get picked up.” He’s grinning around the words though 

You glare at him. “Sure thing dad,” You bite back, already opening the car door to take your leave. Your feet land onto the concrete of the sidewalk as you pull yourself into a standing position. Yoongi joins you shortly after, standing close to you. “Bye,” You say, slamming the door into Taehyung’s face before he can get in one last snarky reply. 

Yoongi looks like he’s trying hard not to laugh for Taehyung’s benefit. But it’s an act he can only hold together for so long, because he does start to laugh as soon as Taehyung and the company car turn the corner and disappear out of sight.

After a second, Yoongi turns to you and gestures towards the pedestrian walkway just a few feet ahead. “Shall we?” 

You nod, taking the hand that he extends out to you. Just an act, you tell yourself, you allow him to lace your fingers together. Nevermind the fact that the weight on your hand feels entirely too reassuring and comforting for the current context. 

Ignoring that feeling, you squeeze his hand and let him lead you towards the walkway, where you cross the street with no problem. Since Yoongi nor Seokjin had announced Yoongi’s presence at this plaza for the day, you can only hope that too much attention won’t be drawn to you. 

It’s a thought that you are able to entertain for a few minutes. Yoongi may not have the star quality status of mainstream celebrities (yet), but he’s still someone who has been on the radio, has done a country-wide tour, and has a youtube following of a couple million people (four now, the last time you checked—subscriber counts tend to zip by after a person hits a million). That small list of accomplishments is more than enough to drag in a few wandering eyes. Okay, maybe a little more than a few. 

You think that you’ve kind of developed a seventh sense to knowing when Yoongi was being recognized. It’s shown in the double-glances some people start shooting at him, at quick whispers behind closed hands, and craning necks over shoulders. 

You’re okay with people knowing about Yoongi’s current location, but the memory of his tours and even the crowd problem that came up during his street performances flashback in your mind. You don’t think you want to deal with that situation right now—secretly preferring if people just observed from a distance. 

Without thinking twice, you tighten your hold on Yoongi’s hand long enough to lead him into one of the stores along the sidewalk—an accessories booth with fake glasses, rings, earrings, the likes. 

Yoongi watches you, a touch of amusement in his eyes like he knows what you’re thinking. Still, he asks. “What are you doing?” 

You rummage through the wide selection of glasses, fully aware that one or two people have spotted the pair of you and are lingering near the entrance to catch a glance at what you two are doing. From the looks of it, no one is going to stir up a commotion. You still want to make sure. 

“You stand out,” You explain vaguely, finding a pair of circle glasses in black-rims from the pile before turning around and more or less smashing the glasses against his face. It’s difficult to try and put glasses on another person, you miss his ears a few times and almost get him in the eye, but Yoongi strangely enough lets you manhandle him. 

In the midst of your last few attempts you step forward and scoot even closer to him to try and get the glasses more properly situated on his face. Due to the proximity, Yoongi’s hands fly up from his side to avoid being pressed uncomfortably against his chest, choosing to rest at your waist. At first, you don’t feel the weight of his hands, you’re too focused on making sure the fake glasses you’ve selected can fit in place. 

As soon as you’ve properly aligned the glasses to his face, you lower your hands from his face. The action makes you suddenly hyper aware of the current position you’ve put yourself in. It’s not very often that you get handsy with Yoongi, it’s a side of you that comes out when the pair of you are in a hurry, but hardly during candid moments like this. 

Immediately, Yoongi’s hands feel like warm flames tickling your skin, and you suddenly feel hyper aware of his position, of his closeness. Your eyes flicker up, seeing his face with those glasses you’ve just shoved onto him sitting nicely at the bridge of his nose, highlighting the intensity of his gaze. The stare he’s giving you only heightens the gravitational pull you feel towards him. 

You don’t know how long the pair of you are just standing in the middle of the store, staring at each other, until you feel the weight of a third party approaching the pair of you. 

You practically shove yourself away from Yoongi, trying to make it seem as if you’re just stepping back to get an overall look at his face (Yoongi featuring glasses). Yoongi lets you go. 

The third party is an employee of the accessories booth, smiling widely. “Sorry to interrupt,” She says, looking over at Yoongi. “Sir, I just want to say that those glasses look great on you. And just to let you know we’re having a sale on that collection so it’s a buy one get the other one half off so maybe you two can match if you’re up to it…” 

You tune her out after a second, realizing that you can’t really keep up with what she’s saying considering the current firestorm that’s going on inside your head. Why couldn’t you have just asked Yoongi to put the glasses on himself? You curse yourself for letting your guard down—sometimes you try to do things of your own accord, and today you were paying the price.

When you don’t speak after a few seconds, Yoongi smiles at the employee. “Got it, thanks a lot.” He waits until the employee returns back to rearranging some earrings on a nearby shelf before turning back to you. “How does it look?” 

He does look good, but you play it down by tilting your head and settling with a shrug. “Well, you’ve looked better—but this’ll have to do.” 

Yoongi laughs, before he does something that catches you off guard. He steps closer to you. “So you think there are times when I do look good?” 

You try not to look too bewildered at his gesture. You can tell that he does feel a little nervous about the fact he’s testing the waters so boldly without any practice, but it’s all part of the act. Just as Seokjin said: be happy, be close. 

So you place a hand on his chest, pushing him slightly with your own little teasing smile. “I said better—that doesn’t always mean you were ever good to begin with.” 

Yoongi makes a noise of protest, and without warning just swings his arm around your shoulder and pulls you close to his side. “You’re breaking my heart everyday!” 

“You must like the abuse, you’re still with me,” You bite back playfully without thought. For a split second, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a store with people who vaguely recognize Yoongi’s appearance—for a split second, it feels like just you and him, and everything you’ve ever wanted. 

Upon Yoongi’s lips hover over the shell of your ear. “Good job, I think the group of girls outside caught our picture.” 

That dreamy fantasy where it was just you and Yoongi and nothing else mattered came crashing down, squaring you right back into reality. It’s not a disappointing feeling per say—just a vague extra hammering of your heartbeat, a vague guilt that you let your mind let its guard down like that. “Right,” You say. “Uh…” You try to think, which proves to be a difficult thing to do with Yoongi’s weight pressed up against you and everything. You clap your hands together. “Okay, let’s grab a hat and then we’ll be on our way.” 

You make sure to be a little less handsy when it comes to hat selections, but you knew there was only so far you could escape given the current context of the situation. Yoongi seems to know that, because he stays close to you as you’re both shifting through hats, and even when he pays for his hat and glasses combination before exiting the booth. The pair of you pass through the two girls that were lingering outside of the booth, where Yoongi gives them the smallest wave and hello before carrying on with the rest of the trip. 

With the hat and glasses combination, it definitely draws less attention to Yoongi’s classic fluffy black hair and gummy smile—especially if you’re using what was going on in the beginning of your trip as a baseline. This means that you and Yoongi can carry on with the rest of your outing with feeling the obvious heavy weight of gazes on your shoulder. 

With intertwined hands the pair of you first stop by one of the local cafes and sit right alongside the window to enjoy some pasta and soda combinations. You roll up the noodles onto your fork and clink utensils with Yoongi before slipping the noodles in your mouth—tomato sauce with flavor slipped into every side piece of noodle. It’s amazing, and you cannot help but gush so as you smile brightly around your fork. 

You’re too busy stirring your fork around yet another string of pasta that you fail to see the softening look of the boy across the table from you. It’s a look that disappears by the time your gaze glints back up to resume the conversation. The pasta is considered a snack above all else, so it doesn’t take long for the pair of you to finish up your meal. Leaving a tip behind on the table, Yoongi walks over to you just as you’re straightening up from your chair. Silently, he offers his hand to you. 

Knowing the routine by now, you take his hand, silently lacing your fingers together and letting him lead the way out of the cafe and back onto the sidewalk. The later afternoon shows itself in the steady increase of people, which is good because it makes you feel as if you can blend into the crowd either. There are still the occasional phones out, trailing after you and Yoongi as you walk along the sidewalk, but nothing that ever makes you feel as if you need to call Taehyung. 

“Actually, this isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be,” You grumble to Yoongi quietly, a comment that he laughs at. 

“I’m not that famous,” Yoongi jokingly teases you. “And my fans are just being respectful—give them a little credit.” His voice dies down shortly after, however, but it only takes you a few seconds to realize why. 

The pair of you, in the midst of your simple ‘walk along the sidewalk’ plan, have arrived at a very familiar street corner. The sunset means that arriving performers who work best once the sun leaves are just beginning to set up their stage—laying out equipment, testing out sound systems, saying hello to some passersby who recognize the artists getting ready. You can read the signs of these interactions very easily. After all, it’s what Yoongi used to do a year ago, at this very spot too. 

In front of you, a new performer, a singer, is setting up her own equipment—guitar in hand as she practices her strumming. You inch closer to Yoongi, your arms molded against each other. “Hey, hey,” You whisper at Yoongi. The boy leans over to better hear you. “She reminds me of you.” 

Yoongi laughs. “What do you mean? How?” 

You glance over at the girl again, not noticing the way Yoongi is still staring at you, quietly awaiting your answer. “You guys have the same drive,” You eventually note. “And the same determination. It’s easy to see in her, just as it’s always been like that for you…” You trail off, looking over to realize that he’s still looking at you. 

“You noticed those things, huh?” Yoongi asks quietly. 

His gaze is too enticing to look away from, pulling you in through a situation not unlike what had happened at the accessories shop earlier that afternoon. “I-I mean, of course I do…” Yoongi’s gaze feels like hot magnets that are just pulling the next words out of you. “I always notice with you.” 

The world seems to quiet down at that, everything slowing down as you feel yourself mentally curse yourself out for those words. Why would you say it like that? 

A million thoughts go through your head at once. You weren’t really lying or trying to play a part. You were being honest. You do always notice with Yoongi. And since he clearly only sees you as a friend that could participate in whatever scheme he can get himself into, then he would obviously hear your statement and think of it as nothing more than a friendly complement. Right? RIGHT? 

Except, Yoongi is still just standing next to you, staring at you, not making any sort of comment whatsoever. He has that unreadable expression in his gaze, a look he always gives you when you let the cracks slip in your facade, but it’s something he never talks about, never explains to you—just like right now. 

The silence grows tense, so tense that it begins to feel like weights on your shoulders, like a coil wrapping itself around your heart, because why isn’t he saying anything? 

Yoongi hums, low and throaty and that coil around your heart drops into your stomach. “Is that so?” He inquires softly, continuing to gaze at you. 

His gaze drops down to your lips, and that coil is replaced with butterflies all around you. It starts are a flutter in your stomach, in your heart, and your mind starts to race because what the fuck is happening?

Around you, the growing number of people means that someone accidentally bumps into you, driving you forward right into Yoongi’s chest. The pair of you stumble, effectively dissipating that cloud of tension that had threatened to curl through you. You cough, taking a small step away from Yoongi so that while the pair of you were still holding hands, that was the only thing connecting the pair of you. 

You and Yoongi don’t have another run in like that for the remainder of the date, as that late afternoon sunset fades away into nighttime and you and Yoongi spend that time trying to enjoy each other’s presence whilst also not engaging in too much physical contact. Your fingers remain loosely intertwined but it never tightens as if the small air of space between your hands can hide away the nerves and tension you feel yourself trying to contain. 

Even when Taehyung comes to pick the two of you up, and you no longer are under the obligation to hold hands, that air of space still feels heavy between the two of you. 

.

The overwhelming positive response of your first official public date sends Seokjin through the moon, as well as provides him with a drive to arrange and send you and Yoongi out on more dates. All of which, fortunately for you, don’t come nearly as close to the level of tension experienced from the first date. Partly because you know your limits, and go into each planned date with a level of expectation for yourself as well as rules that you’ve internally programmed yourself to follow every time you and Yoongi step out of the car. 

At the museum date, you make sure to keep your distance, using your intertwined hands with Yoongi as the only signal of your relationship. The pair of you joke around about the art pieces, whispering between each other about how many fans have taken pictures of the pair of you lingering about the museum, as well as relay information to each other about various rooms that you are interested in. But in a way, it definitely feels more like a typical friendly hang-out rather than a date. 

The same idea can be applied to the next date Seokjin sends you on—a casual date at one of the local botanical gardens, each garden filled with a different culture to serve as the theme for its layout and plant growth. Some gardens have little cafe booths and grassy fields to buy some snacks before sitting down to enjoy the sunlight, which is an idea that Yoongi suggests that the two of you do. He points to one of the ice cream shops along the outskirts of a garden, and claims a seat on one of the benches so the two of you can enjoy your treat. The current summertime weather emits a warmer heat and breeze that curls lightly through the air throughout the day, making for a perfectly comfortable season to wear a sundress. It’s also the kind of undetectable weather for ice cream to melt down the cone, onto unsuspecting fingers curled into the dry waffle texture. Yoongi makes that well aware by poking your cheek with his sticky finger, garnering several pictures of the encounter. 

Seokjin has even tried to implement studio life into his constant narrative to keep up the facade of your relationship with Yoongi. While the pair of you go on these occasional dates, Yoongi also has a deadline to fulfill with his album release. On the days where dates are not planned out, he’ll be in the studio—rearranging songs to fit in with the music beats that have more or less been tapered down to perfection. As his manager, sometimes you find yourself staying past your allotted time slot of being at the studio, before sneaking into the recording booth way past midnight to see what Yoongi and Namjoon are up to. 

Just as it follows: you straighten up, craning your neck backwards a little to allow for slight muscle extensions after sitting at a desk for an extra hour too long. With Yoongi’s album steadily approaching, there are interviews that need to be arranged, magazines and newspapers and radio shows alike all reaching out to you for the opportunity to cover Yoongi’s growth as an artist. Albums also equate to tours to help promote the album, and with the close call from Yoongi’s last experience with such, it means that you need to book more locations—or the same location across multiple dates. 

Overall, the growing pile of work means that you and everyone else at KSJ Studios are just as anticipated for Yoongi’s album release as the general public. It seems as if his collective fanbase are hoping and waiting under the same parameters: was the album going to be as good as they were expecting? 

You shoulder your purse, stepping out of your office and shutting it behind you. You navigate through the hallways, glancing sideways to peek out the long glassway of windows, all overlooking the city skyline, the multicolor lights flickering ahead in the distance. You quirk a lip. 

Your usual brisk pace dies down when you pass the studio you know Yoongi and Namjoon are recording in. The soundproof walls inside mean that hardly any music ever seeps out from between the cracks, only heightening your curiosity. Your busy schedule recently has made it so you have hardly been able to hear what Yoongi and Namjoon have come up with. 

You glance down at your watch. It was nearing midnight. Well, you think to yourself, a little peek wouldn’t hurt. You reach over to grip the door handle, pushing it down and pushing it open. Inside is the usual scene: Yoongi behind the glass, his fingers curled around the headphones as he speaks into the microphone. His voice filters through the main studio area, where Namjoon sits behind computers and music panels, capturing every single second of what is going on. 

Further driven by curiosity, you find yourself pulling harder at the door to let yourself in. Namjoon turns at the sound, but softens a little when he sees that it’s you. 

“Burning the midnight oil?” You tease, standing next to Namjoon at the table, watching Yoongi’s closed eyes as he loses himself in the song. 

Namjoon grins back. “You’re not gonna tell us to stop, are you?” 

“Hey.” You bring both arms up in a sign of surrender. “I’m off the clock on this one. Just wanted to see what you two were up to.” 

Suddenly, Yoongi calls your name from behind the glass, as the noise is amplified through the studio. You jump slightly, having not expected to be noticed so soon. Yoongi waves. “It’s late!” He calls. “What are you still doing here?” 

You lean forward to press the button that opens the two-way communication. “I’m not sure you heard, but there’s an artist in this studio that’s working on an upcoming album—it’s causing a lot of pain for the rest of us.” 

Yoongi laughs at that. “Touche, touche.” He brightens up slightly. “Hey, we’re wrapping up on this song, so if you stick around I’ll drive you home.” 

This is a natural offer for Yoongi to make, considering the extent to which you’ve spent long nights here. Brushing it off as nothing more than Yoongi just being a good pal, you nod and flash him a thumbs up. “Sounds good, sounds good. But take your time. Don’t let me get in the way.” 

You turn around, allowing the music of Yoongi’s song to refilter back through the studio. You park yourself atop the couch at the back, settling into the soft cushions. Come to think of it, falling asleep definitely isn’t the worst thing in the world to do—especially on this couch. And you’re exhausted, what with scheduling events all day and having to burn through your social battery by making one too many phone calls with various people within the industry. 

The last thing you remember is Yoongi’s soft humming that fades away into a quiet static. 

You jerk awake after what feels like a few minutes—but judging from your new position on the couch (horizontal this time, instead of vertical) and the blanket that has been tucked under your chin, you realize quickly that this few minutes has actually been a few hours. It might be hard to believe that, because the world around you still seems very similar to what it had been when you fell asleep. The lack of windows in the studio make it very difficult to distinguish time—although Yoongi’s voice sounds much closer than it had when you first fell asleep. 

You sit up. 

Namjoon and Yoongi jolt at your sudden movement. “Woah! She’s awake now,” Yoongi teases. 

Blinking for a few seconds, you turn your head to find Yoongi out of the recording booth and instead sitting at one of the tables in the actual studio setting. Surrounding Namjoon and Yoongi looks like an entire McDonalds family meal: chicken nuggets, $1 menu burgers, lots of french fries… 

You let out a breath to help further situate you to your new surroundings. “Min Yoongi…” You start, voice hoarse. “You said you were just finishing up.” 

“I was,” Yoongi explains, looking vaguely guilty. Only vaguely though. “But I had this sudden epiphany, like holy shit you really had to be here—it was crazy.” 

“I was here,” You choke out. 

Yoongi waves you off. “You know what I mean—here here. Anyways, yeah, we realized that we couldn’t leave, especially when I got Namjoon on the same page. He was just as excited as I was!” 

Namjoon slaps his hand. “Don’t drag me into this!” 

Yoongi ignores him. “Anyways, it’s like two in the morning and we got hungry. McDonalds is the food of champions, after all. You hungry? Here, have some water first.” He grabs a bottle of water from the table and unscrews the cap. Suddenly, he’s standing up and making his way towards the couch. He sits down next to you, offering the water to you. “Here. You must be thirsty.” 

You are. Still heavy-lidded too, but you try your best to blink away the exhaustion as you blindly reach for the water and manage to grab it after Yoongi adjusts his own angled arm. He watches you as you tilt your head back to down some of the water, accidentally drinking a little more than your mouth can handle. Some of it slides down the corner of your lip, making you angle your head back properly and remove your lips from the bottle head. 

Yoongi softens a little at your clumsy nature, tugging the sleeve of his long-sleeved forward in order to pat the corner of your mouth. “Aw, look at my tiny little baby, can’t even drink water properly,” He coos. 

You flinch slightly away from him, trying for a glare that comes out more like a pout. Yoongi laughs softly at the sight. “There are no cameras around us, Min Yoongi,” You grumble out. “You don’t need to be so attentive.” 

“Nevermind that, I’m just trying to be a friend. You want a french fry?” He reaches across the space separating the couch from the table, and grabs the box of salty french fries. His voice carries that usual positive disposition from previously, but the light in his eyes has died down a little. You don’t notice it, too busy looking at the french fries and realizing that you are actually a little hungry. 

The remainder of Yoongi and Namjoon’s break is dedicated to finishing up the family meal, before Yoongi looks at the clock and claps his hands together. “Hey Namjoon, I think I should take my girl home before we get back to working. Is that okay?” 

Namjoon’s eyes flicker between the two of you, but he relents. “Of course.” He utters your name. “Have a good night.” 

“I should be saying that to you,” You return teasingly, more of your senses have returned since putting food into your stomach. “See you tomorrow, Namjoon.” 

So Yoongi takes you home, driving through the darkened streets, making light conversation with you, completely ignoring the fact that he has just addressed you as his girl, before your phone starts to buzz in your lap. It’s a notification from Instagram, saying that Namjoon has tagged you in a picture. Raising an eyebrow, you tap the alert, which takes you to a picture from just a few minutes ago—you and Yoongi at the studio, Yoongi tapping gently at your face with his sweater paw. The caption burns into your mind: three am company, ft my favorite artist and his favorite girl. 

His favorite girl. 

His girl. 

.

.

CHAPTER 5: HIS GIRL 

. 

Yoongi’s album is entitled Y2, and it releases in the autumn, when the leaves are colored orange and the breeze has called for cozy jackets and big sweaters. It’s the perfect attire to wear as the earphones get plugged in and slipped into ears—curled up by soft cashmere and Yoongi’s luring voice. He’s got about sixteen songs on the album, a sweet mixture of loose beats and soft vocal voices that seem to simultaneously battle the drawn out harsh tone of stories extended across various three minute arrangements. The stories cover the low point—passive aggressive fights, of late nights, of “holding your hand, being so close, yet feeling so lonely”. But the songs also touch on the high points—coming back together, of soft morning light, of “being with you, wiping the traces of exhaustion from the corner of your lips, so close yet so far away, and still knowing you’re all I [he] could ever want”. 

At least, it is what one article touches upon in a Y2 review, where the journalist gives high remarks to Yoongi’s album. She calls it a refreshing interpretation of music, continuing in the era of singers actually singing about their feelings. More than that, an era of storytelling in music. Of anything, of life, of the highs and the lows—the sadness, the happiness, the softness. 

Safe to say that Yoongi is very excited to read this review on his phone, along with the surplus of positive things people have to say—from highly regarded journalists who belong to highly regarded newspaper companies, from social media, from his friends and family. Most especially, from you. You: whose hand he holds underneath the table as the numbers of listens start pouring in from various streaming websites. 

He’s been nervous about this. He’s put his blood, sweat, and tears into the creation of this album, every song has been nailed down to perfection. His name, and his heart, is back out into the world. 

The night of the album release is the launch party. 

“Dude, it’s supposed to be a chill night,” Jungkook calls from the hallway, and you can’t help but laugh at how exasperated the boy sounds. “Would you just calm down?” Jungkook emerges from the aforementioned hallway. Despite his mention of this ‘chill night’, he’s still wearing something vaguely casual chic. “You’re his manager. Manage his overthinking tendencies.” 

You laugh, watching as Jungkook plops down into the empty spot next to you on the couch, immediately leaning back into the cushion. “You know as well as I do that I don’t have that much control over him.” 

Jungkook shrugs his shoulders. “You probably have more control than you think.” 

Before you can ask more questions, think more deeply into what the fuck Jungkook means by that, his eyes land on the hallway entrance before straightening up in the cusion. Your eyes follow Jungkook’s movement, where Yoongi is now standing in the once vacant space of his apartment. But his stance isn’t what gets you to stare, what makes your breath feel like it has just caught in your chest. Although he’s following the ‘casual chic’ dress code that Seokjin has ordered, there’s something about a white t-shirt that hits differently when it’s paired with a coat and dark jeans that highlight his long legs. 

Yoongi gestures down at what he’s wearing meekly. “What do you think?” Although it appears that he’s addressing both you and Jungkook, his gaze is almost entirely fixed on you. 

Trying hard to ignore the racing of your heart, you straighten up and somehow manage to make your way over to him without snapping your ankle on your chunky platform boots. Doing your best to pay attention to his outfit over his face, you reach over to straighten out the silver necklace he’s got dangling at his chest. “You look good,” You settle calmly. “And Jungkook is right—it’s supposed to be a chill night. Seokjin just invited people from the label. And some of your friends as well. Relax a bit, will you?” 

Finally, you force yourself to level your gaze with Yoongi’s, fully confident that he’s just staring at you and probably wondering why you aren’t making eye contact with him. But when you do manage to glance at Yoongi’s face, you realize quickly that he’s not even staring at you. Instead, he’s staring down, at the curve of your throat. 

Without warning, your cardiac system seems to pump itself too hard, because your breath of surprise comes out through your nose, effectively bringing up and lowering your lungs so fast that anyone would be able to read your vital sounds now. This proves to be true, because Yoongi’s gaze darts up from your neck to your eyes so quickly, that you probably wouldn’t have noticed had you stuck around without looking at his eyes. Doing that, however, might have saved you from this now tricky situation. “Sorry,” Yoongi manages, eyes flickering between yours. “I, uh, didn’t hear what you said.” 

You realize the gravity of your position—your fingers now curled around the lapels of Yoongi’s jacket and one of his hands curled around your waist. That gravitational pull from every single one of your dates with Yoongi comes back again, curling around your neck and seeming to push you closer, closer—! 

Jungkook coughs loudly from behind you. 

You and Yoongi tear your gazes away from each other, as you uncurl both of your fingers from around Yoongi’s coat. “I-uh,” You start. “Was just saying that you should relax a little. You don’t have to try and impress anyone tonight.” 

Yoongi sneaks one last glance at you. “We’ll see,” He says, before stepping away from you and brushing past Jungkook to make his way towards the door. Jungkook turns to look at you, wide-eyed and mouthing the words ‘what the fuck was that?’ 

To which you shake your head, very sure that you don’t want to get into this tonight of all nights. This was supposed to be a celebration for Yoongi. Just as you’ve done for the past few months, you can continue to keep your emotions in check. Easy-peasy. 

Except it’s not easy-peasy because you see Seokjin at the club that he’s reserved for Yoongi’s album release party, and you realize that this is not a chill event for you—you still have to keep up the facade of your relationship in front of everyone. 

Yoongi seems to realize this at the same time you do, because he inches closer to you and laces your fingers together. From afar, Seokjin nods in an unspoken confirmation regarding your behavior. 

The beginning of the party starts with the trickle in of the various guests Seokjin has invited—from the friends he has made in the business, to others signed under the KSJ records label, to you, Jungkook, and Yoongi’s personal friends from college. The onslaught of new people fills you with the usual sense of excitement after not having attended a party in what feels like years. Working as a manager for a budding new artist is a lot less about the parties and more about the hustle. 

The first hour of the event is dedicated to the mingling of people—of free food and conversations around the bottomless cocktails that every guest rushes to the bar to take full advantage of. It’s nice to be able to catch up with the friends that you and Yoongi haven’t spoken to since graduation—which is the group you and Yoongi first approach, as Yoongi is slinging his arm around one Park Jimin. The latter whose eyes widen and lips curl up into a grin at the sight of the two of you. It’s nice to see an old friend again, it almost brings you back to a time where you and Yoongi were both in-tune and surface-level friends.

“Hey, congratulations on the new album release!” Jimin exclaims brightly after the three of you have acquired some drinks from the bartender. Jimin raises his drink first, to which you and Yoongi follow suit. 

As the glasses clink into the air, Jimin adds in another thing that reminds you of the fact that you and Yoongi are not back in college. You are here, in the present, with a fake relationship on the line. 

“And congratulations to your relationship announcement,” Jimin continues. 

You cough on your drink at that, lowering the glass immediately, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “Jimin, I know what all those reports have been saying…” 

“Don’t worry,” Jimin brushes off. “I read through some of them. You guys have been dating for three years, right? I’m honestly surprised I never saw it. In hindsight, it makes sense.” Jimin takes a longer sip, gesturing towards Yoongi with a noise of acknowledgement coming from his throat. “Hm—I guess because you guys are dating now, I can let the cat out of the bag—but, Yoongi liked you from the first moment he met you.” 

Now it’s Yoongi’s turn to choke on his drink, his chest heaving as he coughs into his sleeve. “Jimin, ah, you don’t need to talk about that—!” 

Jimin laughs, naturally assuming that Yoongi’s choke was done out of shyness and not something deeper than that. “What, you think just because this happened when we were at college, I wouldn’t have said something all these years later?” 

You can’t help but smile at their exchange. Although Jimin’s comment about Yoongi’s crush definitely piques your interest. You turn to Yoongi. “You had a crush on me back then?” 

Yoongi opens his mouth, but Jimin beats him to it. “Oh yeah, he wouldn’t shut up about you—said that you had this smile like starlight and were super easy to talk to.” 

“You have a great memory for someone who almost flunked college algebra,” Yoongi bites out hotly. 

Jimin, clearly oblivious to the situation, laughs out loud. “I agree. Normally I would have forgotten all about that. But.” With Jimin’s fingers still curled around the wine glass, he is only able to point an index finger out at Yoongi. “I’ll never forget that look in your eyes. Like you saw something you were never going to let go of.” 

You know Jimin is the one talking, but you cannot help but look at Yoongi as you feel your world spinning slightly around you. You blame it on the alcohol—as small of a sip as you have taken so far. Jimin, unlike a lot of the other parties you’ve been spending your time with, is not in on the joke of your relationship with Yoongi being a PR cover story. So there has to be some merit to it. Right? 

Right? 

Before you can even think how to phrase the billions of questions flying through your mind, the soft beat of a hand against a microphone sounds through the bar, as the original music that has been pounding through the club gets lowered to show that someone is trying to command everyone’s attention. 

It’s Kim Seokjin, situated at the stage, with the microphone in hand. “Hey everyone! Before we actually start unveiling the numbers that Y2 has hit so far, I just want to say a few words. First of all, thank you everyone so much for joining us tonight as we celebrate the anticipated release of Min Yoongi’s album.” 

Lots of claps sound from the guests, several cheers, one of you and Jimin join in just for the sake of embarrassing Yoongi. If he’s flustered with the attention, he’s gotten a lot better at hiding it. 

“Actually,” Seokjin continues. “Why don’t we have the man of the hour join us? After all, my words don’t mean shit up here—I wasn’t the one who just released new music. Yoongi, come on up!” 

Lots more claps and cheers, and the music volume increases dramatically just to give Yoongi some sort of platform to enter on. It makes you laugh. Seokjin is clearly having fun with his role. So you watch, sticking by Jimin, as Yoongi emerges from the crowd to step onto the stage. Seokjin pulls the microphone away from the pair of them as he leans over to whisper something into Yoongi’s ear, where the latter nods a few times before accepting the microphone that is now being extended out to him. 

Yoongi clears his throat, speaking over the lowering music. “Hi guys, thanks so much for coming out,” He starts, laughing a little when there is another round of cheers. “As I’m sure a lot of you know, this is my first full length album that’s being released out into the world and it’s basically everything I ever could have dreamed of. One lesson that I’ve learned is that making albums of both the cover songs I did and the original songs I would produce in my shitty college apartment is a completely different experience than getting professional equipment to do a lot of the work for me.” 

You laugh at that, the memories floating through your mind. 

Yoongi smiles a little at the feedback he gets. But he continues. “And of course a lot of that professional equipment was able to work in my favor because I had helped. Seokjin of course, deserves a thank you for letting me learn and experiment with new sounds, and for letting me take a risk by trying out beats and stories that a lot of people might have turned down. And Namjoon.” He seems to spot Namjoon from the crowd, because he delivers a nod. “For being more than my favorite producer, but also my mentor and my guide. We had a lot of lightbulb late nights together. And finally…” His eyes land on you, and you feel yourself self-consciously straighten up. “Y/N—my Y/N. For those of you who don’t know, my girlfriend is my manager and we recently made our relationship public. I thought the transition from private to public would have been the hardest thing of my life, but she made it so easy. Just as she’s always made it so easy to inspire my music, to be my best friend—and to love her.” 

Love. 

You suddenly feel like you’re seeing the world through a small lens, unable to believe the words you are hearing and the sights you are seeing. Yoongi is staring right back at you, with all this love and adoration in his eyes, lips quirking up as a result of the coos from the audience. 

It’s a vague kind of spotlight anxiety from seeing so many people looking at you considering the circumstances. It’s a feeling that only heightens when Yoongi opens his mouth again to continue speaking. “Actually, honey, why don’t you come up here, so I can thank you properly.” 

The whoops and cheers sound again, and Jimin has to nudge you in the ribs to get you to move. Your initial thoughts are one of panic, suspicion, and curiosity. One glance at Seokjin’s direction conveys the high influx of questions that are flowing through your mind—what exactly are those two boys planning? 

Yoongi’s hand extends out to you, helping you up onto the stage, as you turn around to face the crowd of people Yoongi has just been addressing. Of course, you have less experience hiding your general shyness around crowds, so the most you can muster is a smile and a wave. 

Yoongi laughs into the microphone. “Don’t worry baby, I didn’t call you up to embarrass you. I just wanted to show you that all of this…” He gestures to the whole club, the crowds of people who have taken time out of their schedule to show support, the sounds of his album now filtering through the speakers. “All of this was possible because you believed in me, you supported me, and agreed to help me work toward my dream. This is all as much yours as it is mine.” 

Then, he surprises you by leaning forward to brush his lips across your cheek—a gesture that further incites a bigger reaction of positive cheers and hoots from the audience. You turn your head immediately towards him as soon as he pulls away, your eyes wide with surprise. After all, you and Yoongi have never discussed the rule on kissing before, have never brought up any sort of lip contact to any degree. His boldness is something that takes you completely off guard. 

And judging from the uncertain look that dances behind his eyes, a flicker that only you can see and decipher, you can tell that he hadn’t been expecting that from himself either. 

You’re about to pull away, maybe walk off the stage and take another drink to whatever the fuck that was all about, before Jimin’s familiar voice sounds off from within the crowd. 

“You call that a kiss, Min Yoongi?” Jimin calls, close enough now that it’s easier to see him. “C’mon, kiss your girlfriend like you mean it!” 

The rest of the crowd immediately catches onto what Jimin is doing, and they play into it immediately. Suddenly, shouts of “KISS HER, KISS HER!” sound throughout the guests. 

The new direction that this has taken over the span of just a few seconds seconds you into another wild onslaught of differing emotions. Nevermind the fact that you’ve never agreed to actually kiss Min Yoongi. Obviously, the internal choice has been made for a handful of reasons, none of which you can explain to Yoongi or Seokjin without digging yourself further into this hole where you would truly have no way of escaping.

Which is why you clearly can’t say anything of protest right now. Everyone thinks the pair of you have been dating for years, and that kissing has become a natural action for you both to do. Of course they would play into Jimin’s game, thinking nothing harmful of it. 

Your heart pounds loudly in your ears as you shift your gaze from the crowd of people before you to Yoongi, who looks equally as stunned by the request as you. He plays it off a little bit, however, smiling as he brings the microphone close to his mouth again. “I’m not sure you all would want to be subjected by some PDA, especially you over there, Park.” 

Jimin makes a noise of disapproval. “It’ll just be this one time! I’m sure people don’t mind! Spread the love, Min.” 

Other people from the guest list add on that they don’t mind in between their laughter and giggles, probably writing off you and Yoongi’s shy disposition as just that: a shy, private couple who is still getting used to the watchful eye of the general public. Nevermind the fact that you and Yoongi have just never kissed each other before. 

Yoongi then turns to look at you, microphone down to his legs so that it can’t pick up the small whispers the pair of you start exchanging. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you up here…” 

“No, no, it’s fine, I understand why you did it…” You trail off. “Kissing my cheek, on the other hand…” 

Yoongi groans. “Yeah, that’s my bad. Seokjin said I could consider doing it but I wasn’t thinking when I leaned over. I completely forgot that Jimin is a menace to society. I’m gonna kick his ass after this.” 

You want to continue this private, side-lined conversation, but it is overrun by the louder voices that keep repeating the same two lines over and over again: “KISS HER, KISS HER!” until the echoes of it start ringing in your ear drums. 

Yoongi switches topics to the more pressing one at hand. “So, uh, I guess we should…” 

You exhale quickly, nodding. “It seems so…” 

Yoongi inches closer to you, his breath fanning your lips as your eyes instinctively close. “I’m sorry,” He whispers, the final thing he says to you before he kisses you. 

Now, let’s backtrack a little. You’ve liked Yoongi for years, so to say that you’ve never thought of this moment would just be a lie to yourself. Of course you’ve thought about kissing Yoongi. Or, at the very least, you’ve caught yourself staring at his lips when he would go off on another spiral about his passions. That type of talking is very hot, so what? 

But you never thought you would be able to experience it, to kiss the lips you’ve flickered your eyes to more times than you’re willing to admit. So as soon as you feel the weight of his mouth against your own, your brain goes haywire. Suddenly, all your senses are hyper focused on Yoongi—from his lips, to the warmth of his body wrapping itself around you, to his fingers curled around your wrist. 

You hardly hear the cheers from the audience, too busy allowing your heart to melt into butterflies as he presses harder into you, moving his lips against yours. You part your lips as well, curling your wrist to gather the material of his shirt into your hands. 

It feels like time has stretched out before Seokjin claps both of you on the back, forcing you to jolt away from Yoongi. He actually looks flustered this time—pink cheeks and reddened lips, his eyes are fixated on you, chest heaving. You feel like you’re in a similar state of shock, especially because kissing Yoongi makes something dawn on you. A realization of ice cold water. 

This isn’t just a crush you’ve harbored on Yoongi for the past few years. This isn’t just some small schoolgirl crush living out a fantasy, or something you can easily brush off, or simple butterflies you can squash everytime he reaches out to hold your hand. This is love. You’re in love with your best friend. And you have absolutely no fucking clue what to do about it. 

If the audience is taken aback by this long-term couple in front of them looking zero point two seconds away from devouring each other in a frenzied passion, no one settles long enough to comment or stare upon it for too long. Seokjin does well to grab the microphone from Yoongi and bring the attention back to the actual party on hand. He mentions another round of free alcohol, which are two words that can take anyone’s attention away. 

“And Yoongi, uh, I actually need to borrow for you a moment,” Seokjin murmurs in a low voice. “So I hope I’m not taking away from…” He trails off, gesturing awkwardly between the two of you. “Whatever this is…” 

“Oh no!” You interject quickly, taking a step away from Yoongi. “Not taking away at all.” 

Yoongi gives you a concerned look. “Maybe we should, uh, talk about that…” 

You shake your head. “No, it’s okay, seriously.” You shrug a shoulder. “Just part of the act, right?” 

Yoongi’s concern melts away into something that might be hurt, but it’s gone just as quickly as it had come. “I’ll try not to be long then.” 

You nod. “Yeah, no problem—no need to rush or anything… I’ll just be hanging out with Jimin…” 

Yoongi gazes at you for a few seconds longer, before he lets himself get dragged off the stage by Seokjin. Rather than immediately go out to seek your old friend, you find your gaze following after the two of them, trying to see where exactly Yoongi is getting roped into. 

You continue to trail after them in the club, until the two of them are pulled into a booth—the person opposite of them makes your lips part in utter shock. 

. 

“Yoongi, I want you to meet an old friend of mine,” Seokjin starts as he and Yoongi dive deeper into the thrones of people. Yoongi feels himself being directed towards a corner booth, currently occupied by two people. “She wanted me to introduce you.” Finally, the pair of them stop at the head of the table. “This is Lee Jieun.” 

Right off the bat, Yoongi is vaguely insulted that Seokjin thought that someone like Lee Jieun needed an introduction—because who wouldn’t know who Lee Jieun? 

Lee Jieun, like Yoongi, is a singer-songwriter with a sweetheart reputation, who weaves stories and experiences through her music. But unlike Yoongi, who got his start through Youtube and built himself from the ground up, Lee Jieun signed into a record label at the age of 15. As one could tell, she was that talented. Still is, as a matter of fact. Her albums are continuously winning awards, establishing herself in the charts, connecting with people all over the world. He would know—when Yoongi finally discovered Jieun in the midst of his Youtuber days, it was the catalyst that served as the biggest influence towards the release of his original songs. The fact that they’re both the same age only makes Yoongi even more in awe of her. 

Yoongi being able to see Lee Jieun, in the flesh, is a powerful enough sight to leave him speechless. 

Lee Jieun sits at the booth, looking all prettied up with her big eyes and red lips. Everything about her seems regal, from the smile she flashes Yoongi to the hand she extends out towards him. 

It takes a second for Yoongi to register what he needs to do. Hastily, he steps forward and takes her hand in his. Despite her delicate nature, her handshake is firm as the pair of them move their joined hands up and down once. Honestly, considering their status difference, he feels like a handshake is too casual for them, but he doesn’t speak of it. He just basks in the moment, until he lets go of her hand. 

Afterwards, he joins Seokjin in the booth, sliding into his seat. 

Jieun smiles brightly at the two of them. “Thank you for going out of your way to come talk to me. I hope I wasn’t disrupting your night.” 

Yoongi shakes his head immediately. “Oh, god no. Of course not. I’m just—I’m really honored to see you here. I-I had no idea that you were friends with Seokjin.” 

Jieun laughs. “Oh yeah, we go way back—we were actually signed under the same label. Seokjin left to pursue management a few years ago, but we’ve always kept in touch.” She reaches over to take her glass of soda from the table. “He told me when he signed you, you know. He said that you were doing street performances a few cities down?” 

Yoongi flushes at that. “Oh yeah—my origin story.” 

“I mean, everyone starts from somewhere,” Jieun brushes off, laying down her cup again. “So I’ve honestly been looking out for your name since Seokjin signed you. I heard about your tour, but knew that I wanted to wait until your first full length album just to make sure your reputation was a little more fleshed out before bringing up my idea with Seokjin.” 

Yoongi blinks, switching his gaze from Jieun to Seokjin. The latter nods, as if to let him know that Jieun would be the one providing information. So Yoongi turns back to Jieun. 

Jieun continues. “Since it seems that we’ve both developed a songwriting, storytelling reputation amongst the music industry, I was hoping that you’d agree to do a collaboration with me. Just one single, both of our names attached to it. It’s been awhile since I worked with another artist, and I’m sure that doing this will only further put your name out there. It could also be a really good learning experience.” 

Yoongi almost cannot believe his ears. Lee Jieun wanted to do a collaboration? With him and his inexperienced ass? 

Yoongi coughs out in wonder. “Wow.” 

Jieun smirks. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No, no, not at all!” Yoongi reassures, but then he backpedals a little. “I mean, it’s not that I was expecting you to ask for a collaboration—I just—!” He cuts himself off, exhaling heavily to calm his nerves. “It’s just, you were a very big reason I even wanted to sing my original songs back when I was street performing. So the fact that you’re asking me to do a song together is honestly so crazy to me.” 

Jieun grins. “I’m honored—so are you agreeing to my request?” 

Almost on instinct, Yoongi turns to Seokjin. It’s not that Yoongi doesn’t want to do the collab, it’ll probably be the single most greatest thing to happen in his career, but Seokjin was technically his boss and their contract had it so Seokjin usually had to final say in what he believed would be best for him. 

And for the briefest flicker of a second, Yoongi’s mind switches to you. More than Seokjin’s approval, he finds himself seeking your praise the most. After all, you know how much he admires Lee Jieun. He wants to share this moment with you. 

Instead of jumping up to go find you, he forces himself to stay rooted to his seat. “I-I think I would be the one who feels honored. T-That is, if Seokjin says it’s okay.” 

Seokjin holds his arms out. “Of course it’s okay! The collaboration was also partly my idea. Anywho.” He turns back to Jieun. “We’ll have to run through Yoongi’s schedule with his manager just to see when he’s available. But after that, we can get started.” 

At the mention of you, Yoongi’s manager, Jieun’s eyes brighten with her smile. “Oh yes, your girlfriend.” She sits a little straighter, trying to seek you out. “She’s here at the event right? I’d really love to meet her, if that’s okay?” 

Yoongi nods immediately. “O-Of course!” He also sits up a little straighter, moving about in his seat to try and locate you. He finds you near the bar, seeming to have ditched your hang-out with Jimin, as you take an occasional sip of your drink. “She’s over there.” 

With a nod, the three of them move out of the booth and towards the bar, where you’re still slouched over, scrolling through Instagram on your phone. You seem to notice their approaching presence, because you take a quick glance over to acknowledge them, before doing a double take when you realize who else is in Yoongi’s company. 

“Oh my gosh!” You exclaim, immediately sliding out of your bar stool, your gaze fixated on Jieun. 

Seokjin laughs at your starstruck reaction. “Y/N, this is Lee Jieun—but I’m guessing you already knew that?” 

You seem to realize your behavior, because your shyness comes back. “I do. Um, hi! It’s really nice to meet you.” You reach over to offer your hand. 

Jieun takes it, shaking for a second. “The pleasure is all mine.” 

Your gaze immediately flints to Yoongi. “Yoongi, you didn’t tell me that you were acquainted with Lee Jieun herself!” 

Yoongi waves you off. “Actually, Seokjin is the mutual party.” 

Your lips part in shock, as you nod once, twice, in understanding. “Well, uh, in that case, I hope you’re having a good time tonight, Jieun.” 

“It’s really a wonderful launch party,” Jieun praises. “But I do admit to having ulterior motives. I actually came by to ask Yoongi if he wanted to work on a collab song with me.” 

Your lips part, and Yoongi feels a vague sense of pride swell up in his chest when you turn to look at him, eyes brighter than they have been all night. “Yoongi! That’s so amazing! I hope you agreed.” 

“I did, actually,” Yoongi says with the nod of his head. If you notice that he’s puffing his chest out a little as your words go straight to his head, you don’t comment on it. “We’ll definitely have to go over my schedule with you, pick some dates where Jieun and I can have some writing sessions, and then the recording sessions, just to name the big picture stuff that’ll have to get done. But we should all be good to go.” 

As Yoongi continues to list everything that’ll need to be done in order to create music together, your gaze shifts between Yoongi and Jieun occasionally, taking in their equal excitement and passion for the long project ahead. It isn’t until the end, when you and Yoongi leave the launch party, after having collected praise and much more from the many friends and connections that have been gained throughout the night, you enter the car wearing an unreadable expression—like you’re pondering something that threatens to break you. 

. 

To be frank, you aren’t surprised that Lee Jieun asks Yoongi to collaborate together. Sure, maybe she came a little earlier than you had expected, but you always knew it was a matter of time before the pair of them met. Their reputations are too similar, their personalities too good together; you’re sure that fate would have lined them up at some point. 

It just feels like maybe the universe made them a little too perfect for each other—and it’s something that becomes glaringly obvious as a month of songwriting goes by without a hitch. Every few days, Jieun would turn up to KSJ Records, bright-eyed and always looking so, so pretty. Every few days, Jieun and Yoongi would sit next to each other, conversing about the story of their song, both bright-eyed with unbridled affection for what they were writing. And sure, Namjoon would be a part of these songwriting sessions. But that’s not the point. 

The point is that as Yoongi gets bigger and success becomes a more natural occurrence in his life, the more people he’s going to meet with whom he shares a common interest and dedication for. People he would probably (most definitely) get along with a lot better than he could get along with you. Friendship is nice and all, but it can’t substitute for the powerful combination of passion, intimacy, and commitment that comes out of romantic companionship. 

And you see it in his eyes: the excitement he gets when he’s surrounded with like-minded people. You’re Yoongi’s manager, sure, and one of his best friends, obviously, but there’s only so much you can contribute to conversations about the actual music. Truth be told, when it comes to editing, you just do whatever Yoongi tells you to. And don’t even get you started on the music arrangements—you can’t even lift a candle to what Yoongi himself can do. Or Namjoon. Or especially Lee Jieun. 

And although you know that Yoongi means no ill-intention, it feels as if he takes every opportunity to remind you of that fact. 

“I mean, she’s amazing.” He’s sighing dreamily over his bulgogi. The pair of you are at a corner booth in a Korean barbeque restaurant, on another fake date Seokjin has prearranged for you. It’s not the first date you’ve been on since Jieun entered the picture, and it’s definitely not the first time Yoongi is bringing her up. And although this isn’t even a real date, and although this isn’t a real relationship, there’s only so much you can take—both as a friend and as someone who is starting to feel the curl of jealousy in your stomach. 

Still, you refuse to let the cat out of the bag. So you sigh, picking up your chopsticks and digging into your meat. The only thing you can manage is: “I bet she is.” 

But Yoongi doesn’t stop there. “You should have seen her today, she was on fire. Songwriting abilities, obviously. We were stuck on this one part of the song, but then she just swooped in with this perfect one-liner that made my heart drop. Seriously, it was so cool. I don’t know how her mind works, but I want to keep hanging out with her to learn more.” 

You almost drop your meat completely into your salt dish, but you recover quickly with a cough. The noise helps cover up the fact that your heart feels the white-hot burn of frustration and confusion. “W-Well, you guys do make a good team. You know, being on the same level talent-wise.” 

Yoongi laughs at that, completely oblivious to your state of mind. “Talent-wise? I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near the level Jieun is at…” 

As he trails off, you dare yourself to flicker your gaze up to him, seeing the pink flush that dusts along his cheeks. Interpreting this as shyness for the internal praise and fondness he has for Jieun, you look away and pick up the plate of raw beef brisket to dump into the grill. 

Yoongi notices what you’re doing, and immediately reaches over to take the plate from you. “Here, let me do it.” 

A part of you wants to fight about it, but you know doing so will just lead you down the path of no man’s land. So you let go, offering the tongs to Yoongi as he takes it to scrap the meat into the grill between the two of you. He takes the silence as an opportunity to further gush about Jieun, and how he can’t wait to work on music arrangements with her, how he’s excited to record the song with her, so on and so forth. 

How could you even contribute to a conversation like this? He’s talking to you about a girl in a way that reminds you of your college days—back when the pair of you were strictly friends and nothing more, and he would talk to you about girls he thought were cute. It feels a little bit like right now. Yoongi and Jieun do make a good team, they get along together, and have formed a closeness within such a short period of time that anyone passing by the studio would assume they’ve been friends for years. Or, even further, that they were dating. At the very least, Yoongi speaks highly enough of Jieun that one could assume that she was the one he liked, and not you. 

It feels a little bit like being left behind—it’s a thought that only continues to fester. 

.

It takes a few more weeks, but you eventually draft up Yoongi’s tour schedule. It’s a few sheets of paper that detail the duration of the tour, the cities, the locations, the dates of each location, the size of the venue, how ticket distribution will work, on, and on, and on—all information that Yoongi has insisted on knowing about ever since he was signed into KSJ Records. The man just likes to know what his fans have to go through in order to see him, and you respect that. 

However, before you can officially create the tour post that’ll be up on the KSJ Records social media account, it needs to go through a final approval: from Yoongi himself. And because he likes to take notes with paper and pen, like the old-fashioned songwriter he is, he’s asked you to print everything out for him. 

This is what leads you to stand near the printer in your office, waiting for the last page to print and slide into your awaiting hands. Once all the pages come out, you flip through them to make sure that every city on the tour is accounted for. You turn back to your desk, collecting some magazines that have been stacked on top of your table. 

Along with getting the setlist for the tour, Yoongi had also asked you to get a hold of some magazines and articles that provided reviews from his first tour. Something about wanting to read any critiques people might have had for his show.

You gather the small stack as well before sliding it into your bag and stepping out into the hall. It’s surprisingly early for you to be leaving your office, the late afternoon, but there’s a part of you that just wants to give the document stack to Yoongi and dip out for the rest of the night. By now, the doubts of Yoongi’s affection for Jieun has dug itself deeper into your mind and letting yourself be around Yoongi for too long brings up too many questions that cannot be good for your mentality. 

Questions like: If he could, would Yoongi prefer to date Jieun for real? 

Was Jieun better than you? 

And the best one of them all: Were you just holding Yoongi back from better relationships? 

You continue to walk down the hallway of the building, your pace a little slower than normal because of the cloudy thoughts that threaten to overtake your mind. Finally, you stop outside of the studio you know Yoongi and Jieun are recording in. You take in a deep breath, forcing your usual cheery personality to shine through as you pull down on the handle and let yourself into the studio. 

As soon as you step inside, you almost wish that you had just slid the documents under the door. The sight of that would probably have been easier to process than the one in front of your eyes right now. 

Namjoon, as usual at the desk surrounded by music panels and laptops, playing the recently finished music through the recording booth situated on the other side of the glass. Behind this aforementioned sheet of glass are Jieun and Yoongi. With headphones on, they’re standing next to each other behind the microphone. Their shoulders practically touching, you don’t miss the way they both keep sneaking glances at each other, the corner of their lips turning up, looking like they’re having the best time together. 

You try not to slam down the door behind you, but your grip on the knob is a little too harsh to call for a softer click. Fortunately (or unfortunately, given how much fun Yoongi and Jieun look like they’re having—wait, did Jieun just touch Yoongi’s arm), neither of them notice your arrival. 

Namjoon, however, notices. 

He turns around to look at you. “Hey, what’s up?” 

You try for a smile, your hand brushing against the door. “Sorry, I slipped a little,” You lie cleanly. You hold up the documents in your other hand. “Yoongi wanted me to prepare a few things for him, stuff for the upcoming tour.” 

Namjoon gestures for you to sit next to him, something that you follow. As soon as you sit down, Namjoon asks to see these aforementioned documents, which you pull out of your bag and hand over to him. It’s quiet between the two of you, the only sounds being the laughs and giggles between Yoongi and Jieun—as if one has them as just told a secret only understood between them. It’s a feeling that doesn’t settle well in your stomach. 

“Wow, this is very efficient,” Namjoon observes, seeming completely oblivious to your internal seething. 

You shrug, eyes still locked in on the inside of the recording booth. “Yoongi asked for the best, so I gave him the best. Hey, so—!” You change topics. “Is there a reason they’re in the booth together? Don’t a lot of collabs nowadays just exchange everything virtually?” 

Namjoon hums. “I didn’t know the jealous girlfriend was a full time act of yours now.” He’s clearly just trying to have fun. After all, only Taehyung and Jungkook know about your crush on Yoongi. “But honestly? I’m not too sure. They just wanted to go in together—said that they could be more personal when working in a face-to-face setting. And they’re actually making a lot of changes as they keep going through the song and hearing how the music is turning out. They’re a good team.” 

Namjoon’s usage of the very same phrase that has been haunting you for the past few weeks doesn’t sit well in your stomach. 

Namjoon returns the documents to you. “Did you want to talk to him now? See if he’s cool with you just dropping it off?” 

You nod. “If that’s okay?” 

Namjoon smiles. “We’ll just wait until they take a breath.” 

Waiting doesn’t turn out to take a long time, because Jieun stops the song to make another statement about what line should replace the one they just sung. And Yoongi looks at her like she’s just hung up all the stars in the galaxy. 

“Namjoon, do you mind starting the song over? We got a new idea for this part,” Jieun calls from inside the booth. 

Namjoon leans forward to press the button. “Actually, you guys have some company.” 

You lean forward as well. “Hey guys.” 

Jieun grins, waving at you through the window. Yoongi acknowledges you as well, but there’s something suddenly stiff about his movements. You notice that he’s also stepping away from Jieun, as if to hide what has been going on between him and Jieun. As if that makes you feel any fucking better. 

“Hey, uh, Yoongi?” You continue. “I have the documents you asked me to prepare for you. I can just leave it here for you to go over if that’s cool. Maybe take a little bit of time today to go over everything.” 

Yoongi thinks about this for a moment. “Actually… honey,” He adds the pet name as an afterthought. “Do you mind dropping it off at my apartment? We’re probably just gonna be focusing on the song until pretty late tonight.” 

The acknowledgement Yoongi has that he and Jieun are in for another late night only grows the seeds of doubt in your mind, as you clench your teeth. You can’t let your insecurities get the best of you. Not now. “Sure,” You manage, trying for a small. 

Yoongi grins. “Thanks baby. I’ll make it up to you this weekend, okay?” 

At this point, it just feels like he’s teasing you and it’s something you find you aren’t really in the mood for. So you manage a curt reply, giving a positive response that you’ll drop by his apartment to deliver the documents regarding his upcoming tour, before you’re up and out of the studio before Jieun, Yoongi, or Namjoon can say one last thing. But you don’t care. The sooner you’re out of there, looking at the heart-eye festival between Jieun and Yoongi, the better you feel. 

So you take the train to Yoongi’s apartment, a now much bigger space in a slightly nicer area of the city. At least, nicer than the college apartment he shared with Jungkook that was no stranger to bed bugs and constant maintenance issues. The newer apartment Yoongi has recently acquired is nicer, has more modern finishes, and is now a space he fills in all by himself. 

As you unlock the door to his apartment, you immediately make your way down the small hallway entrance, where a mirror and his shoes occupy a small corner of the area. The hallway opens up into the living room, and you turn on the light and take in the vaguely familiar sight of his new furniture—home pieces that you helped arrange with him a few months ago. Come to think of it, that was probably the first and last time you had come by Yoongi’s apartment. Before certain life elements got involved. 

Tonguing the inside of your cheek, you plop yourself down on the couch and place the document stack at the corner of the coffee table. It looks rather strange just stacked like that, no context provided, so your eyes shift over for a pen and a post-it note. 

You find a stack of post-it notes, and find a pen sticking out from inside a notebook. Paying little attention to the notebook, you just make a grab for the pen and rip it out of the notebook with the aggression of a gorilla. The notebook flies open, the contents inside barring itself right at you. 

Your immediate reaction is to close the notebook. After all, it just takes one glance at Yoongi’s scrambled handwriting to know that this is one of his writing journals. His most recent one, in fact, judging from how flat the pages after the one currently open appear—like it hasn’t been stained with a pen yet. 

You want to close it—you really do. You and Yoongi have built a friendship on trust. That’s what kept you both together throughout the long years, and you know better than to risk everything just for the chance to scope through what is essentially a songwriter’s diary. 

Your fingers inch towards the edge of the book, about to close it shut, before the title at the top header makes you freeze. 

MY SECRET 

Without meaning to, your eyes read over the lines. And you feel sick to your stomach. 

The song is so raw, so personal, brimming with desire in every verse. It covers lingering stares, secret smiles. A barrier. How Yoongi “wants you more and more with each day, but I know I can’t have you, that I shouldn’t have you”. And you know Yoongi—you know him better than anyone. You know that for all the love songs he sings and the topics he sings about that he feigns ignorance for, he draws on personal experience to write his music. How else could he make everything so personable? 

How could this song not be about Jieun? 

The lingering stares, secret smiles: it clearly points to the events in the recording booth you saw earlier that day, and if he’s writing a song about it, it’s obvious that today hadn’t been the first time for those stares and smiles. 

The barrier: obviously you. The relationship facade he’s forced to put up with you, when he’s clearly so much happier with someone else. 

With those factors, it’s so clear that Yoongi would want Jieun, but would be unable to have her. 

And you’re just the girl in the background with the starry eyes for a guy who would never even look at you the way you want him to. 

That realization brings the hot tears to your eyes, as you slam the notebook shut and bring your hand to your mouth, biting your finger to muffle your sobs. What comes out is the build-up of months of insecurities, of having to keep the biggest secret of your life to yourself, and the additional jealousy brought in by a third party. 

This despair and sadness isn’t good for you, and you know that only continuing to hide it away in light of Yoongi and Jieun’s partnership, in light of your feelings, and Yoongi’s exploding career—you should only be able to handle so much. You’re a human being, and you have your limits. 

And you think this might be it. 

.

.

CHAPTER 6: TRUTHS 

. 

“Y-Yeah, I think it’s food poisoning or something,” You speak quietly into the phone, playing with the edges of your blanket. “I’m really sorry, Seokjin, I’ll try to send out some emails to respond to news outlets today…” 

“Hey, no, you’re totally fine,” Seokjin replies hastily. “I don’t blame you for that. Just try and get some rest today, and update me on how you feel tomorrow.” A pause. “What was it?”

“Uh, it must have been in the takeout I got last night.” That’s a lie. You cooked your own dinner last night, and are lying straight through your teeth regarding your condition, but you can’t find it in yourself to go to work today. Not since the discovery of Yoongi’s crush on Jieun made you want to dig yourself into a hole and never crawl out. 

It’s not like you ever thought you had a chance with Yoongi—but you had just thought maybe something would be different after the hand holding, after his radio interview, after your kiss together. 

But Jieun serves as that nice splash of reality that Yoongi wants someone better than you. Someone more like him—someone passionate about music, who gets along with him better, who can write music with and write music about. 

At this point, it just feels like you’re a weight, dragging Yoongi down in the waves of his past. 

On the other side of the phone, Seokjin sighs. “Damn, that’s always the worst. Those are the ones you suspect the least. Anyways, I’ll let you go. Get some rest. Maybe I’ll let Yoongi know so he can bring some soup.” 

The mention of Yoongi makes you feel like you could actually get food poisoning. “You can let him know, but he’ll probably be too hung up on Jieun to give a shit.” 

Seokjin, of course, knows nothing, so he laughs at what he thinks is your joke. “That’s true. They’re actually at it again today, which is surprising considering Jieun only comes by a few times a week. But no, she was here bright and early and so was Yoongi. Basically, they showed up to the studio at the same time. They called it fate, or some shit like that.” 

“You don’t say,” You return dryly. 

Namjoon’s confirmation that they make a good team, paired with Seokjin’s admittance that Yoongi is hung up on Jieun, puts you in a delicate mood for the rest of the day. You try to watch some TV shows, some movies, play some video games, but you are constantly distracted by thoughts of Yoongi and Jieun. 

You’re all curled up on the couch, about to click into another movie, when there’s a knock on your door. Your heart leaps in your throat as you stand up. You hate the brief flicker of hope in your chest, the curiosity that perhaps Yoongi is the one knocking. 

All those hopes are dashed when you see it is Jungkook on the other side of the door. 

“Oh,” You remark, the smile dropping from your face. “It’s just you.” 

Jungkook looks at you like you pissed in his cereal. “Uh, I don’t see other amazing friends over here bringing you store-bought chicken soup because they heard you got food poisoning last night.” He holds up the bag for extra emphasis. 

You roll your eyes, grabbing the bag from him. “I don’t actually have food poisoning, I just didn’t want to go to work today.” 

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows at your statement. There’s a lot you’ve given him that he can work with, lots of things he can ask about. Maybe ask why you would lie about your food poisoning, maybe ask why you didn’t want to go to work today, maybe ask why you still looked like shit. 

But the first thing he says: “You owe me twenty dollars.” 

You roll your eyes, beckoning him inside with the jerk of your head. “Sure.” 

Jungkook laughs a little. “Wait, okay, I was actually kidding.” But he still steps into your apartment. “I’ll be serious now. Why lie about food poisoning? And since when do you not want to go to work? If anything, you love to go so you can stare at Yoongi’s ass through the recording booth—!” He cuts himself off when you give him a glare of such pure hatred that it actually shocks him. “Wait, are you mad at Yoongi?” 

You tear your gaze away from him, placing the bag of groceries on your countertop. Sorting through what Jungkook has bought serves to be a good distraction. 

Jungkook continues to look at you. He’s quiet, but he always has a lot to say, and since you’ve been his friend for so long that only heightens his need to talk. “I knew it!” He finally says. “I knew you were mad at him. Taehyung and I were placing bets down.” 

You slam the can of chicken soup on the counter. “HEY. What did I say about gossiping?” 

“Not in front of your face?” 

Your hand flinches, as if to stop yourself from grabbing the can and throwing it at his stupid face. Jungkook doesn’t even move in fear, the bastard. “I’m just gonna pretend I don’t know about the bets. You want a can of chicken soup?” 

Jungkook confirmation finds you at the stove, heating up two of the many cans Jungkook had bought for you. Included in his twenty-dollar purchase had been a few containers of tums, and some orange juice. 

Jungkook lingers in the back. “You wanna tell me why you’re mad at Yoongi?” 

You whirl around to face him. “How did you even know I was upset?” 

Jungkook snorts, but quiets down when you glare at him. He coughs. “You’re pretty easy to read, you know. You’ve been acting weird ever since Jieun started coming by the studio.” 

“Weird how?” 

He shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re just a little quieter. And you haven’t been spending as much time in the studio as you used to. That was the biggest giveaway.” 

You’re quiet for a moment. You rub at your cheek. “Does Yoongi know?” 

Jungkook shakes his head. “Doubtful. But I think he knows something is up. I was on the phone with him last night.” 

It’s your turn to snort. “Okay, that’s really fucking funny.” At Jungkook’s raised eyebrow, you explain. “I thought he’d be too busy comparing Jieun to sunlight, or something, to notice me.” 

“Oh, so you’re jealous.” 

You and Jungkook have a staring contest, before you sigh. “I accidentally saw Yoongi’s writing notebook yesterday. It had all these love confessions in it, and I’m pretty sure he was talking about Jieun.” 

Jungkook’s eyes widen. “No way? Are you sure?” 

You cough. “Well, I’m not a hundred percent. But it was all about this forbidden crush he couldn’t act on because of a barrier. Who else could be the barrier? He obviously thinks I’m holding him back from pursuing a relationship with Jieun.” You think about your words for a second, trying to decide if Jungkook is trustworthy enough to disclose this information to. “I think I’m gonna break it off with him. Maybe quit too, while I’m at it.” 

Jungkook’s lips part. “But why?” 

“What else am I supposed to do?” You cry. “I can’t keep up this fake dating with Yoongi anymore, it’s too complicated, and I’m actually in love with him so that opens up this whole other series of complications. And it’s not fair to Yoongi—he shouldn’t have to deal with feelings he obviously doesn’t return. The whole charade thing just isn’t doing me any good. And even if I break off the relationship, I would still have to see him all the time because of the whole manager situation. Quitting just seems like the best option for me.” 

Jungkook is quiet for a second. “How do you even know he wrote that song about Jieun?” He finally asks, speaking carefully. 

You shrug. “I don’t know. I just have this feeling. Who else has he been spending all this time with? Who else could that song possibly be about?” 

Jungkook gives you a long, hard look, like he almost can’t believe your brain can be thinking those thoughts. But he relents. “I think you should talk to Yoongi before quitting. He’s one of your best friends. He deserves to know why, at least.” He looks over your shoulder. “The chicken soup is done.” 

You whirl back around to turn off the stove. But also so Jungkook can’t see the tears glassing over your eyes. 

. 

It turns out, telling Yoongi you want to quit is a much more difficult task than you could have thought. For starters, Seokjin sets the pair of you up on more dates than before. Apparently, there are some rumors going around regarding Jieun’s more and more frequent turn-ups at KSJ Records, and people have started connecting the dots that her appearances are tied to either one of two reasons. Either Yoongi and Jieun are collaborating on music. Or they’re dating. 

The second reason is a lot juicier, much more exciting, so naturally a lot of people have gravitated towards supporting that reason. To try and expel those thoughts, Seokjin sends you out on more dates with Yoongi. It’s all fine, but your thoughts about breaking off this relationship and quitting just makes you more quiet and closed off as you wallow deeper into your thoughts. 

You suddenly don’t know how to contribute to the conversations Yoongi tries to bring up to you. The words seem to fail you every time, and you feel yourself constantly resorting to silence or one-worded answers. And it constantly always feels like Yoongi is standing too close to you. Every step towards you is a step away from him. When he tries to hold your hand on the sixth date in two weeks, you wiggle out of his grasp and pretend that you need to fix your jacket. 

Your own journey to self-destruction means that you are completely oblivious to the hurt in Yoongi’s eyes with every step you take to distance yourself from him. But what could you even say to him?

How could you tell him you want to quit your job in public? That would obviously lead to a fight, and it would reflect badly on Yoongi’s public image. Just because you want to quit doesn’t mean you still care about him, because you do. And you still want him to succeed. With Seokjin’s constant scheduling of dates, it leaves little room for you to share in an actual private discussion. The only off times Yoongi has are the days Jieun comes by the studio, and you try to stay a mile away from that place now. 

But it turns out, you don’t have a choice today, because Seokjin calls you into his office and tells you to drop off the samples of cover art that has just been dropped off at the studio. The cover art is something that Jieun and Yoongi have designed together for the album, to be displayed when the single is released. 

With heavy feet, you make your way through the hallways and towards Yoongi’s studio space. Every fiber in your being hopes that Yoongi and Jieun will be in the recording booth, working on their song (or even better, just not in the studio at all), so that you don’t have to face them enjoying each other’s company right in front of your face. There’s no music coming through the door, so your heart soars that latter prospect. 

As you open the door, however, you realize that there’s no way for you to be so lucky. 

Inside, Yoongi and Jieun are eating lunch, takeout noodles split between the two of them, and they’re in the middle of laughing. The laughter, however, stops when you open the door, effectively interrupting their fucking date. Which is a thought that does nothing to make you feel better. The silence that echoes on only further makes you feel like shit. 

You and Yoongi sharing a room privately nowadays is a rarity, since you’ve been doing a good job at avoiding him at all costs. His unanswered text messages and shortened calls echo through your mind at the sight of him. With the look he’s giving you, you wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. 

Jieun, however, remains completely oblivious to the situation as she gives you her normally bright cheery greeting. You stare at you, momentarily stunned. You would have thought Yoongi shared the troubles of your relationship with her, for some reason. You try to remain nice about it, though, giving Jieun a small smile as you return her greeting. 

“I, uh,” You start, bringing the package up for both of them to see. “Your cover art came in today. Seokjin just asked if I could drop it off here.” 

Jieun brightens at the sight. “Oh my gosh, it came! Do you mind if I…?” She trails off, hands reaching out to take the package from you. You give it to her. “Yoongi, isn’t that so exciting?” 

“Yeah…” Yoongi trails off. A quick glance at him tells you that he’s staring at you. You look away. “Did you see it yet?” He asks you. 

You shrug. “I, uh, haven’t. But, anyways, I have to get going.” 

“Hey,” Jieun calls, freezing you slightly in your path. “Thanks for bringing this over. We really appreciate it.” 

We?

The use of that specific noun, while supposedly harmless in the current context, makes your stomach flare with that white hot curl of jealousy. Your teeth clench, as you swallow down the spiteful words that almost manage to escape into the air around you. You smile, no teeth. “You’re welcome.” That’s the only thing you can manage before you’re turning around to open the door and practically bolt yourself out of the studio. 

You only make it a few feet before the door to the studio opens and you hear footsteps trailing after you. He calls your name, and your heart drops. You are so not ready for any type of one-on-one conversation with Yoongi right now. 

But your entire soul still gravitates toward him, so you stop and turn around to face him. 

Yoongi is by himself this time, and looking like a mixture of confused and defeated as he approaches you. “Listen,” He starts. “I know that we haven’t had a lot of time to really talk…” 

“It’s okay,” You brush off. 

Yoongi says your name again. “You know, you don’t need to lie to me. You’re my best friend—I can tell when you’re hiding something from me.” 

You sigh, shaking your head as every nerve in your body is telling you to walk away. “Yoongi, I’m not sure I can do this right now.” 

“Do what?” He presses. “I know that I’ve been super busy, but if you want to talk you can just let me know. Tell me what’s bothering you, okay? Because I…” He trails off, sighing, and you feel that vague sense of guilt wash over you. “I can tell that you’re avoiding me and it’s really shitty. I can’t even focus that much on my song with Jieun.” 

The mention of Jieun stiffens you up again. “Well, sorry for being an inconvenience,” You spit. “Why don’t you go back to your new fucking girlfriend if you’re gonna bring her up to my face again.” You couldn’t stop yourself this time—the words were too ready at your lips. Your chest is heaving from it too, but it is things that you know that you will regret saying. 

Yoongi’s eyebrows furrow deeper together as your words. 

You stare right back at him, the shadow of a thought passing over you. If you’re going to tell Yoongi your biggest secret, it might as well be right now. You don’t know the next time you will be this brave, this reactive, this bold. 

Both of you open your mouths at the same time. 

“Did you just call Jieun my girlfriend?”

“I’m quitting.” 

You clamp your mouth shut. You hadn’t meant to speak at the same time as him. A small wave of regret passes through you, as you hope that Yoongi wouldn’t have heard your statement over his question. But of course he does. 

Yoongi’s frowns at you. “Did you just say you were quitting?” 

You take a step back, running a hand through your hair as your exhale comes out shaky. More shaky than you intended it to. Oh no. “Yeah,” You manage, already feeling your emotions bottling up. “I was gonna try and talk to Seokjin about quitting before I left.” 

If Yoongi thinks you were joking before, he definitely doesn’t now because he takes a step towards you and catches your wrist before you can go that far. “B-But why?” His eyes have gotten a little wider, and he’s staring at you like his world is being pulled apart. 

You try to tug your wrist away to no avail. Your mind tries to flash through several different excuses, but you realize that you need to tell him the truth. Yoongi deserves that much, at least.

As you try to collect your thoughts, Yoongi starts scrambling. “W-Was it something I did?” He asks quickly. “Because normally you’d always try to call me out and I’d fix myself immediately. A-Are you unhappy with your position? Because I can try to get Seokjin to give you less workload or something. I-I’m really sorry if it was something that I did to hurt you. I-I just really need you here so talk to me… please…” 

You shake your head. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” You whisper. “I know your secret, Yoongi, and that’s why I can’t do this anymore.” 

“W-What secret?” His eyes are still on you. 

You take in another breath. “I went over to your apartment that night,” You start. “And I saw what you were writing in your journal. I know that you’re in love with Jieun, and that you only see me as a barrier to pursuing a relationship with her. And that sucks because normally, I’d encourage you to go after her. But we’re doing this whole dating thing, and I feel like I’m neck-deep because…” Your words come out a little more shaky. “Because I’m in love with you,” You whisper. “I’ve been in love with you for years. B-But I know now that I’ll never measure up to Jieun, or any of the other girls in this industry who deserve you more than I do. I thought that I could keep being professional for you and your career. But it’s too hard for me.” 

“W-Wait,” Yoongi says, tightening his grip on you. “Can you just let me explain, please? It’s not like that, I promise you.” 

You rip your wrist from his hand. “I read it!” You retort loudly. “Who else could be the person you want more than anything, but can’t have because of a physical barrier? When else have you used a real person to inspire your music? It’s too hard for me, Yoongi! I can’t keep doing this!” 

Yoongi seems to be struggling with his next words. “So, what?” Yoongi asks, circling around his next question carefully. “You’re just going to leave? Is this… the end of our friendship?” 

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I don’t know! I haven’t thought this out that far. But I know that we shouldn’t be doing this fake dating charade anymore, because I know there’s no way these past few months have meant the same to you as it did to me. I also know that I can’t really be in the same room with you right now.” 

Yoongi hopelessly gazes over at you, his own chest heaving as he himself struggles with what to say. “Please don’t do this,” He returns softly. 

Your gaze lingers on Yoongi’s for just a while longer, trying to burn the image of him in your mind, before you shake your head. “I’m sorry.” 

. 

As it turns out, Seokjin is out of the office for the rest of the evening. Which is fine, right? Whatever. You can just call him tomorrow morning and schedule a meeting with him, tell him the urgency of it and will definitely be able to muster your strength for another conversation about your secret feelings for Yoongi. 

You return to your apartment and immediately burst into tears as the weight of today’s confrontation sinks its teeth right into your neck. You just shared your feelings with Yoongi, you threatened your employment, and almost cut off your friendship with Yoongi as a result of that. 

Your many years of friendship, of late nights, of laughter together. It seems silly to want to cut off an important friendship just like that—but it just seems unfair of you to carry on with a friendship where you’re always going to crave more. And if Yoongi is smart, he’ll know that as well, and he won’t come back. 

Still, a part of you just hopes a little. Even though, of course, it’s a stupid thing to hope for. Yoongi has already established his taste, and it’s definitely for people leagues above you. The thought only makes you cry a little harder, so much so that you try to drink some water in order to calm down. 

You’re in the beginning stages of patting down your face, of grabbing some spoons to put into the freezer, when there’s a series of frantic knocking at your door. You turn your head towards the source of the noise, trying to figure out who could be visiting at a time like this. It’s been a few hours since your confrontation with Yoongi at the studio, but you assume that he’s probably blowing smoke up Jieun’s ass. There’s no way that it could be him. 

So you open the door, and freeze when you realize that it is Yoongi. 

More than that, it’s Yoongi with his chest heaving. Almost like he has just run around the entire city to reach you. 

The only thing you can manage right now is a wide-eyed stare.

Yoongi stares right back at you. Just a few hours ago, he had looked so helpless and lost for words. A first, actually. But this time, he’s staring at you with so much intensity that you cannot look away. 

Yoongi finally seems to catch his breath. “You’re an idiot,” He states. 

You’re so caught off guard by that statement that you forget you’re supposed to be upset with him. “I’m sorry?” You ask. 

Yoongi huffs, practically barreling past you to step into your house. You try to tell him to stop, but he’s distracted by rummaging through his backpack for something. With a sigh, you decide to close the door. As soon as he’s standing in your kitchen, he finds an old, beaten up notebook that you vaguely remember from his college days. He points at you with his notebook. “You’re an idiot,” He repeats. “If you think that the lyrics on my coffee table are the first time I’ve written lyrics about a specific person.” 

At your shocked expression, he immediately starts flipping through the notebook. You notice that certain pages are marked with sticky tabs. 

Yoongi settles on a page and clears his throat. “Hidden within the walls of our lecture hall, your laughter curls through the cracks like liquid fire. You light up my day amongst borrowed pencils and shared jokes. I knew that you were going to change my life,” he reads. He looks up at you. “The first day I met you, when I asked you to borrow a pencil.” You remember those lyrics. It was from a song he had written called ‘starlight’—the opening song on his first EP. 

He flips through a few more pages. “I never learned about love, but I watch her believe in my dreams, take the same steps to join my team, and I feel like I could figure it out.” He looks at you. “When you agreed to help me with my Youtube channel.”

He continues through his notebooks of lyrics, of stories, of secrets. Every single lyric he reads to you connects back to some memory he holds of the two of you. All the memories together in college: from the panic attack he had in the bathroom of the first party the pair of you attended, to exploring the nearby cities via subway until early mornings, to corner ramen shops. 

Soon enough, he moves on to the lyrics he had written during his first tour. The distance he felt, and how that related to the emotional distance he felt with you—that desire he constantly felt for more, and how the manager and artist relationship the pair of you had couldn’t hold a candle to the friendship you once held. The distance was never a physical challenge, and that was something you could never connect the dots on. 

Every stone of his hidden affection is turned over, every lyric he has marked read over and explained with such a passion. It’s like he has waited years to finally have his turn, to finally speak the way he’s always wanted to—directly, with no tricks of music and whimsical arrangements to make you doubt everything he could say. 

He had written whole songs about the fake dating experience, of how he wasn’t sure he could only pretend to love you when it was the only thing he ever knew how to do. 

Finally, he flips to his most recent song. The very song that you had stumbled upon the other day in his apartment. “I want you more and more with each day, but I know I can’t have you, that I shouldn’t have you,” He reads. He looks up at you. “The barrier was the blanket of our fake relationship. You were never stopping me from doing anything, because you were the only thing I have ever wanted. So…” He gestures to all the notebooks that he has laid out across your kitchen counter. “Do you now see how many song lyrics are actually about you? All about you. Because you’re all I’ve always known.” 

Your gaze carefully studies each notebook, layered over each other, overflowing with dedication and passion. The privacy of someone who has surprisingly spent his entire singing career sharing nothing but his darkest secrets. Your arms are overlapped with each other, tightening against your form. “I-I had no idea.” 

Yoongi shakes his head, but when he looks at you, his eyes are soft. “I figured that.” He’s leaning across the counter to keep his gaze leveled with you, but he pushes himself even closer to tap a finger on the spot between your eyes. “I thought I made it so obvious. You were never listening.” 

“I-I never thought to,” You admit softly. But Yoongi has a point. Ever since he started writing and sharing his original songs, he has done nothing but sing them to you in any and all forms. From the private sessions the pair of you shared in his college apartment, to the performances he would deliver on the street, in the recording booth at all hours of the day, to the tours and the audiences that sing those love declarations right back at you. For years, Yoongi has done nothing but give, and give, and give. And you had no idea. 

Your breath hitches, and Yoongi rounds the counter and gathers your face in his hands. “Shh,” He coos softly. “It’s not your fault.” 

You sniff. “It is my fault! I’m such a stupid bitch. And I treated you and Jieun like shit because I thought you were in love with her. I thought I was holding you back from being able to date who you really wanted to be with.” 

Yoongi shrugs. “I mean, technically, you were.” At your look, he hastily goes to explain himself. “The person I really wanted to date was you. But since we were, uh, fake dating, that prevented me from being able to date you for real…”  

You groan at his teasing grin. “You idiot, that was so bad.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Yoongi is still grinning though, tracing his thumb over your cheekbone. His eyes follow the movement, mentally outlining you into his mind. “I just wanted to see you smile.” His smile slips a little. “Since you had been ignoring me for so long.” 

You pout. “I told you, I thought you were in love with Jieun. And honestly, that would make a lot of sense… she’s really pretty and talented and you guys could talk about music for hours, especially compared to me—!” 

“Stop,” Yoongi cuts in, closing his eyes briefly. “I’m gonna stop you there before you say something I don’t like.” He angles his head to level his gaze with you. “Jieun is really cool, I’ll probably be the first one to admit that. But she’s not you. Hey, c’mon, look at me.” He forces you to look at him again. “You are also so, so pretty and smart and talented. You may not know a lot about music and songwriting, but you were always the one who pulled all-nighters with me to edit my videos, or learn music with me, or point out if something in my music didn’t sound right. Your passion to help is something I really love about you.” 

You pursue your lips to hide your smile. “Love, huh?” 

Yoongi doesn’t even hesitant. “Well, yeah, because I’m in love with you. I thought that was obvious.” 

You exhale. “Yeah, well, it’s different hearing you say it outloud.” 

Yoongi grins. “Well, hopefully you’ll get used to it. I have many years to make it up to you.” His smile dies down a little. “I’m sorry,” He finally settles with. “I should have been more straightforward and honest with you about my feelings. You must have been suffering for so long, having to keep it all in and everything.” 

You shake your head. “I’m also sorry,” You whisper. “For jumping to conclusions so fast. And also not really listening to your lyrics. That was kind of stupid of me, considering I’m your manager and everything.” 

Yoongi laughs. “It seems like you’re good now, seeing as you’ve just gotten an exclusive behind-the-scenes artist cut and commentary about his songs.” He pauses for a second. “So, I hope this means that you won’t quit being my manager. And that, maybe, we can promote our relationship from fake dates to real ones.” 

You smile. “I’d like that.” 

His smile turns softer. “And I was hoping that maybe I can kiss you again. For real, this time. No cameras, no Seokjin breathing down our necks.” 

You giggle. “Just so you know, if the kiss at your album release party had been a real one and we were actually dating at the time, I probably would have wanted you to fuck me in the bathroom or something.” 

Yoongi groans. “Don’t say that with that cute smile on your face. Makes me want to do things to you.” 

“I don’t see you pulling away though.” 

“Of course not.” Yoongi’s figure loams over you now, his lips brushing against yours. “I have three years to make up to you.” 

With that, he kisses you, silencing whatever next words you were going to say. That is, if you even had any to begin with. Now that he’s kissing you, stealing the breath from your lungs, you’re not even too sure any thoughts have been floating around at all. Unlike the kiss at the album release party, which had been softer and dainty, held back to hide a secret, this kiss is rougher. Yoongi is already moving his lips against yours, already parting his lips to brush his tongue against your lower lips. His hands are already sliding across the counter, trying to cover you more and more. 

His hand slips on the counter though, almost sending his sprawling on top of you. You catch him with your hand on his chest, as the sudden action makes both of you pull away from each other. The sight you both face is very much like the sight from the launch party: flushed cheeks and redden lips, a desire for more flickering behind eyes. 

But this time, there is no expectation to carry on in a party like a long-term couple. That is what allows Yoongi to wrap his arms around you, pulling you to his chest this time. He kisses you again, slower, softer, but you deepen the kiss with the part of your own lips this time. There is an unspoken agreement between the two of you as he lifts you into his arms and blindly navigates through your apartment, into your bedroom, where you both fall atop the mattress. 

“And just for the record,” You whisper, right when Yoongi pulls away to let both of you catch your breath. “I love you too.” You’ve already admitted your feelings earlier in the day, but it’s worth it to see Yoongi deliver that heart pounding gummy smile. 

[skyland2703]

Hallooo!😂

Mini fic about Javelia in Paris please??

“I’m not a good guy, Amelia.” He sighed, as he looked into her eyes; something about their atmosphere, the way they were walking hand in hand on the rained over streets of Paris, the sound their feet made against the wet cobbled stone, it made him feel vulnerable.

“I was so mad at you that day… I—“ she knew what day he was talking about, but she also knew she didn’t want any mention of it— they were together now and that was what mattered, to her. Not the trauma thwy had gone through to be together, “no Javi. No I don’t want to know what you did”

“I felt like I could hurt you. You and him. I wanted you to be unhappy and I—“

“Its water under the bridge now” she leaned up and kissed him on his lips, his grip tightening around her fingers even more now, “whatever you did. Whatever you felt, I wont say that it was… good…? Of you to feel that way. But it was only human. And I know you would never want to genuinely hurt me, you’re not that kind of a guy” she quietly told him, “I’ve also done so many things I regret, Javi. But you don’t hold it over me, do you?”

Javi found a chuckle escaping his lips, “I’d never… you’re incredible the way you are. Your past doesn’t define you, water under the bridge…” he repeated her words.

Javi had had a big idea for their first date, after all the drama it had taken for him and Amelia to get together, he had wanted it to be perfect. And he’d picked her up in his Zord, and asked hers to come along, and they’d ridden in their zords to Paris. The zords had returned to their hibernation after dropping them, and Javi and Amelia had found each other, without any international travel documents, in another country, in the city of love, and they had celebrated their first date in a Parisian café. Sharing their first kiss on top of the Eiffel Tower, they were currently walking from the Louvre to the Cathedral de Notre Dame. And the walk was much longer than the map showed, but they were rangers, and had a good stamina, and were enjoying their walk in the rain.

Paris’s title as the city of love was well deserved.

Amelia looked at him, his fingers wrapped around hers, and his eyes almost overflowing with tears, and with the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a street side vendor selling locks, right next to the famous Paris’s lovers bridge, and she yanked his hand in that direction, and bought a solitary lock from the old man speaking in french.

Javi stared at her in awe as she led him to ghat bridge and held the lock in front of him, “two sweethearts on a bridge over the Seine. They write their names on a padlock.0 her eyes were dreamy, far away from everything that could hurt them, and at the same time, right there, in the moment, with him, narrating what felt like a Buzzblast article to him, “they hook it to an available spot in the bridge’s wire-mesh parapet, the railing that runs along its edges, and fasten the lock, securing it— and, they hope, their love—forever. They throw the key in the river.”

Javi stared at the lock in front of her. He knew she believed in superstitions like this, and he wasn’t too sure that he himself didn’t. City of love. This bridge was called the lover’s bridge for a reason.

Javi found Amelia scrambling for a pen, and Javi, who always carried it because of his songwriting along with a small pocket notepad, handed her one, and she wrote their names in a beautiful handwriting, and tied it to the lock.

“You know all my secrets Javi, from my obsessions to the graveyard runs… things I’m proud of, and those I’m not. But I wouldn’t share it with anyone else but you.” She smiled, “I don’t trust anyone more than you”

“Me neither, Amelia. You’ve seen me at my best, you’ve loved me at my worst. I know this is only our first date, but we go so much further back, we’re so much more than this” he held her hand, getting down on his knees, and she followed too, as the two of them found some space to fasten their lock onto the bridge’s net mesh, locking it, securing it, and holding the key together, in their hands.

“This is our box of sad memories.” She smiled, eyeing the lock, “lets never open it again.”

“A new beginning”

“A beautiful one”

They tossed they key into the raging waters on cue, watching as the roaring river swallowed it without as much as a ripple.

Leaning on the bridge now, they stared at the clear waters, the pink skies, the wet stone, the passing people in raincoats, and the silhouette of the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Javi smiled at Amelia, his fingers messing around with his thumb ring, while she locked her fingers together, and looked lovingly at Javi.

“So Amelia, whatcha doin for the rest of your life?” Javi asked, half jokingly, abd Amelia caught on, “I don’t even know what I’m doing tonight”

How that conversation ended with his lips on hers, she didn’t know, but she knew that there was no way she was ever going to regret calling him hers.