#the struggle of sharing a charger with other people

[remlionheart]

you're the thoughts that can't be tamed

and i'm trying to be sane

⋆˙⟡♡ MDNI. whewww. the people demanded more high / toxic!megumi and the people got more high / toxic!megumi. tw for angst, daddy issues, drug use, smut. 4.3k words. all characters aged up 21+. ๋࣭ ⭑ life held no promises - it was a fact that you and megumi were made well aware from a very early age. from sleeping under blanket forts as kids to sneaking through windows as teenagers, he'd always been your one constant in a sea of variables. but what happens when the tides become strong enough to pull him away too? ๋࣭ ⭑ this was fucking emotional to write, not gonna lie. lemme know whatcha think, luv u ⋆˙⟡♡

‎𓆩🖤𓆪

“No one else has what we have.”

Those were Megumi's favorite words to say to you.

On the nights where both of your dads would take off together, deciding that they were done being responsible for the two of you for a few days, you would hide under blankets in his room and laugh at the things that only 9-year-old you would understand.

You'd keep yourselves occupied with video games and books and dive so far into each other’s imaginations that you'd completely forget about the world around you.

It was all late-night summer air, swinging in your backyard for hours, and the way that you two were somehow able to turn something as damning as parental abandonment into adventure.

As teenagers, reality became harder to sugarcoat but there was still that same unfettered energy between both of you that made it doable.

At 14, you'd sit on the edge of his bed during the wintertime, drinking beer that you'd stolen from Toji's stash and exchange secrets in-between drunken kisses that neither one of you would be brave enough to acknowledge the next day.

You'd walk to school together with matching tired eyes and unkempt hair and he would tell people to fuck off when they’d ask you why you'd been wearing the same hoodie for a week straight.

He'd sneak through your bedroom window on the nights that your house didn’t feel safe just to lay with you, running light fingers through your hair while sharing a set of tangled headphones to drown out the sound of your parents arguing.

The things that he couldn’t tell his other friends, the things that he couldn’t tell his family, the things that he could barely tell himself – he'd tell you.

You were two halves of two very broken homes. Rigid and unstable when apart but perfectly balanced when together. From spending practically every weekend together to essentially raising one another since none of the adults in either of your lives had any interest in doing so – he was right:

No one else had what you had.

‎𓆩🖤𓆪

Nobara's ceiling fan creaked steadily above you as you stared back at it, trying but failing to swallow down your emotions.

You rolled over, careful not to wake her as you reached for your phone to see the time "3:33" displayed across the screen. With a heavy sigh, you unplugged it from the charger and crept out of bed, keeping your movements light as you made your way into the living room.

You wrapped one of her knit blankets around your shoulders, sinking down onto the couch like you'd done so many times over the last few weeks you'd been staying here. There were bags under your eyes that you were convinced would never go away. Tear stains on your cheeks that felt like they'd been permanently adopted by your skin.

Thinking about Megumi was nothing new, it was the unfamiliar pain that came along with it that you couldn't quite adjust to. The way your chest tightened and your insides burned with each memory that surfaced. What used to be the most comfortable part of your brain was now the one place you were desperate to stay away from.

"So you're leaving then?"

You'd replayed the last conversation you'd had with him so many times, it still felt like you were in his room most days. A ghost that wandered the halls, hopelessly waiting for him to come back no matter how much time passed.

You had struggled to look back at him that night, his pupils dilated from the Oxy he had taken. There was something so unnerving about being so close to him and so far away from him at the same time. How physically, he was within arm's reach, but mentally, there might as well have been galaxies separating you.

Your voice betrayed you, shaking as you fought to keep your resolve. "That's what you want, right? For me to leave?"

He was silent, his worn-down demeanor saying more than his voice was capable of at the time. You watched his hand twitch at his side as if his own body was attempting to fight against his sentiment. "Just go."

You stared at him, forcing yourself to take in his pale face and hollowed out blue eyes. You'd seen the whole thing. The entire progression of the boy who used to build blanket forts with you to protect you from the outside world to the boy who'd taken your virginity on a rainy September night when you were 15 because "you both deserved to know what it felt like to be loved" to the vacant 22-year-old who was standing in front of you with nothing left to offer to you or himself.

You'd been there for every day and every moment that had led the two of you down that one pivotal breaking point, but you still couldn't fathom it. You didn't have it in you to fight with him. Didn't have it in you to push back or yell or fall apart in front of him like you both thought you would.

Instead, you did something much more damning: you mirrored him. Leaving him with an empty, "Okay." as you closed the door to his apartment and disappeared back to your car, realizing that his words still reigned true, only they held a new meaning - no one else had what you had, not even you.

You nestled into the couch, using your phone to put the same song on repeat as you tried to close your eyes again. Out of all the grievances you'd experienced throughout your life, you had never considered until recently how much harder it was to mourn the living than it was to mourn the dead.

𓆩🖤𓆪

Megumi had barely slept in the last three days. His thoughts were blurred by hazy white pills and scattered flashbacks of the things he should've never said to you and worst of all...

The way your face used to light up when you'd wake up next to him and what a jarring contrast it was to have his eyes flutter open to an empty bottle of whiskey on his nightstand instead.

"I feel awake when I'm with you."

He'd said it to you one morning when you'd both just woken up, his fingers running lazy circles over the top of your shoulder, his arms still wrapped protectively around you from the previous night's sleep.

"I'm listening." You hummed, propping your head up to meet his blue eyes in quiet encouragement.

He wasn't always the best with his words - you both knew that, but he still tried as he kept his fingertips featherlight against your skin. "I'm always so tired, but... not when I'm with you."

He remembered the way your pupils bloomed while he tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, letting himself say the things he'd usually be too afraid to admit. "I... feel like the only time life really makes sense is when we're like this, you know...? When we're both half asleep tangled up in each other."

You cried, your hands finding the back of his neck as your lips met his in a gentle mid-morning daze.

It was the first time you'd said it - it poured out in between breaths and tears, opening up like a floodgate once it began: "I love you." you whispered against his lips. "I love you." You repeated while you pulled him on top of you. "I love you." as he slid your shirt above your shoulders. "I love you." only, it was his voice this time fanning across the nape of your neck. "I love you." he exhaled again, carefully sliding into you. "I love you." you moaned, your eyes completely fixated on him as he thrusted harder.

"I love you, I love you, I love you..."

The nostalgia was so intense it rang through his ears, his stomach churning violently. No matter how much he tried to bury you, you were still everywhere. Stuck to the walls. Stitched in his blankets. Embedded into his skin.

Panic swelled in his chest, his hand shaking as he dug the cellophane baggy out of his hoodie pocket and promptly shoved two oval-shaped pills into his mouth. 

"That's what you want, right? For me to leave?"

The answer wasn't yes because he didn't love you, the answer was yes because he did love you. Because after all that you'd been forced to deal with between your dad and his, the last thing you needed was for another man you trusted to let you down the way he was.

"Just go."

It wasn't that he wanted you to, it was that you needed to.

𓆩🖤𓆪

"You're not responsible for him." Nobara said as she handed you a cup of coffee, taking a seat next to you on the couch. "You realize that, don't you?"

Despite her rough edges when it came to men, she was truly the gentlest friend you had. She was patient. Kind. Non-judgmental. She listened to your feelings no matter how repetitive or morbid they may have been. There really weren't enough 'thank you's when it came to how much she'd been there for you over the last few weeks.

You dropped the blanket from your shoulders and took a sip, struggling to look back at her. "I know, I just -" you faltered, your eyes still locked onto the steam rolling off of your mug. "I just hope he's okay..."

It was the longest you'd gone without seeing him and no matter how many times she'd tried to remind you that you couldn't hold yourself accountable for his well being, you still felt an odd sense of responsibility for him. It was a feeling that you'd held onto for so long, you weren't sure how you were supposed to even separate yourself from it now.

Nobara let out a stifled breath, shooting you a pointed look as she took her own sip. "Has he ever been okay?"

The question was damning enough to bring your attention to hers, your breath hitching in your throat as you looked back at her.

"Look, I know you love him." Her hand was on your shoulder, her eyes softening a bit. "But you can't save him."

Flashbacks of an 11-year-old, chubby-cheeked version of him smashed through your mind. The way the warmth of his hand contrasted the coldness of your feet as he helped sneak you in through the sliding back door. You apologized to him for having to risk getting him in trouble just to let you in, but you couldn't be at your house for another minute. Even at his young age, he looked so perplexed by your guilt, shaking his head as his eyebrows furrowed. "If you're ever in trouble, I'll always come get you."

There was such an indescribable amount of safety laced into that one sentence alone.

"You promise?"

"Promise."

Nobara's grip tightened on your shoulder, gently trying to pull you back to reality, but his words were suddenly everywhere. His promise echoing on an unwanted loop as you sat your mug down on her coffee table and grabbed your phone.

Even with the falling out you'd had, he never stopped sharing his location with you. It wasn't an invitation back into his life by any means, but it was proof that his sentiment from all those years ago still held merit. That no matter what happened, he'd always know where to find you and you'd always know where to find him too.

Her expression was serious as she watched you, trying to find a tactful way to say what she needed. "I can't stop you." She finally exhaled, "And you know that I'll never tell you what to do, but..." It was that same sense of comfort you'd felt as a child, only this time it came in the form of protective brown eyes. "Remember that you're important too, okay? You matter just as much as he does."

Your body stilled, your stare lingering as you nodded back at her. A wave of the same fear you'd felt that night on his back porch swept over you again. "I know." You said softly. "We both matter. That's why I have to at least try."

𓆩🖤𓆪

Megumi stood under the warmth of his shower, letting steam fill the room as water beaded off of his pale skin. His eyes were heavy, his stomach struggling to keep up with the deficient mix of painkillers and nothingness he'd been offering it the last few days.

He was tired - physically, mentally, spiritually.

Absolutely drained in every sense of the word.

He let the water pour over him until it began to run cold, his hand finally reaching for the dial when he was certain there wasn't a drop of heat left for him. He reached for a towel, haphazardly running it through his hair before wrapping it around his waist. The bloodshot stare of his reflection was haunting, a painful familiarity laced into the tidal wave irises looking back at him.

"One day you'll understand." It was something that he had heard more times than he could count growing up. "One day you'll fuckin' get it." Megumi had always written it off as a jaded excuse from the man who'd raised him. A despondent explanation for his father's shitty behavior in place of an apology. But as he stood in front of the medicine cabinet in his empty apartment, he realized that for the first time maybe it wasn't an excuse for his father's neglect. Maybe it had been something much worse: a warning.

His fist slammed into the mirror without a second thought, an impulsive blur of blood and shattered glass flying past his face as he watched his hollowed-out reflection fracture and drop to the ground in tiny, severed pieces.

"Megumi...?"

Any fleeting amount of relief that he'd gained from the impact was instantly stolen by the softness of your voice.

His head snapped up, the bathroom door cracked open just enough for your eyes to lock with his.

He'd heard as a kid that the only time angels were visible to human beings is when they were needed the most. He didn't believe it back then, but it was the only explanation he could find to explain seeing you in his hallway.

He blinked back at you slowly, his gaze drifting from his battered knuckles to the blood staining the wall in front of him, to the floor that was covered in glass shards.

You didn't hesitate. Didn't pause to ask for an explanation. Didn't flinch at the scene you'd walked into. You just stood there, observing him in quiet understanding.

Time felt like it had come to a grinding halt as he watched you extend a hand out to him with all of the patience in the world. You were goodness incarnated and he was so undeserving.

"Let me help you."

𓆩🖤𓆪

His grasp was warm, his cut up fingers tangling cautiously into yours as you helped pull him away from the wreckage.

He followed behind you, letting you guide him back to his room where you promptly began cleaning and bandaging his injuries. It was almost nostalgic to be sitting with him like this again. Memories of middle school and the way he'd plop himself down on the edge of your bed after his most recent fight surfaced through your mind as you tended to his wounds.

You were almost done, lifting his wrist up to double-check your work when his hand broke free from yours. His thumb suddenly finding the underside of your chin to tilt your face up to his. It was the first time all night that you'd been able to look into him rather than just at him.

"You have a pretty big gash on your middle finger, but -" your voice was barely audible, completely overruled by the way he was staring at you. "It should be okay..." you swallowed, struggling to hold onto the calmness that you'd fought so hard to maintain thus far. "Where's your vacuum? I'll grab it real quick and –"

"Why're you here?"

Your mouth opened and then closed again, the wheels in your head viciously turning as your eyes searched his. There was an extensive list of reasons as to why you were here. A never-ending list, really. And he knew that just as well as you did.

You looked over him carefully, drawing in a shallow breath before pulling away from his hand. "A promise is a promise, right?"

His pupils widened, a glint of what almost resembled anger flickering across his face. "You've gotta let that go, you're smarter than that."

It was enough to snap your attention back to him, resentment settling heavily into the pit of your stomach. "Yeah well, unlike you, when I said 'always', I meant always - not 'always' until it got too hard. Or 'always' until I'm done. I meant fucking always, Megumi."

He leaned in closer to you, his tone every bit as sharp as his expression. The heat from his body was suddenly noticeable as it filled the small space between you. "God, you're dense sometimes. You really don't get it, do you? I didn't tell you to leave because things 'got too hard' or because I was 'done'." His stare was piercing, his face only centimeters away from yours. "I told you to leave because no one deserves to treat you like this. No one deserves to hurt you. No one, not even me. I don't get some pass just because of a promise we made as kids."

The scorned rebuttal you had lined up abruptly died on your tongue by his last sentence. The air felt stagnant and far too thick to breathe. Tears were pricking at the corners of your eyes, threatening to spill the longer you looked at him, but you fought with everything you had to keep them at bay.

"I guess we're both facing the same problem then." Your tone was light despite the crippling weight your words held. "Because no one deserves to hurt you like this either, not even you."

It felt like every late-night conversation, every right and wrong decision, every major life lesson that had played out between the two of you had only been practice for this one grave moment.

You watched the first small crack form in his concrete demeanor as you rested your hand on the back of his neck. Could almost hear the second one splinter down when his fingers traced along your jawline, catching tears you didn't even realize had fallen. Could practically feel the reverb of how shattering the third fracture was as he leaned in and attentively parted your lips with his tongue.

"I think the only time life makes sense is when we're like this."

You pulled him in closer, letting the past and present blur together through gentle, desperate touches. His grasp tightened around your waist, neither one of you able to stop what you'd started. You'd kissed him so many times before, groveled for him in so many different ways, but you weren't sure that you'd ever known this type of fervency for anyone or anything else in your life.

His hands were calloused, damaged but still tender as they ran through your hair, pulling your head back slightly. His mouth drifted to the side of your neck, the warmth of his breath dancing across your skin. "I love you." It was so faint that you weren't sure if he had actually said it or if it was just another part of your past coming back to haunt the both of you.

He hovered over you, gradually leaning you back into the mattress as the towel wrapped around his waist fell to the floor. You followed his lead, letting him delicately slip your t-shirt up over your head. Your heart stuttered in your chest, watching his eyes roam over you as he unbuttoned your shorts.

There was something so intimidating and overwhelmingly comforting about how well he knew you. Every freckle. Every scar. Every blemish. There wasn't a single part of your body that he hadn't familiarized himself with over the years.

His fingertips traced easily over the inside of your thigh, his eyes locked intently with yours. "You're sure this is what you want?"

His movements were calculated as he drew up towards your center, keeping his touch featherlight and his voice low. "You could have anyone else you wanted, you know that? Probably even have a pretty normal life without me.”

You shook your head at him, trying not to squirm as he slid a slender finger into you. "Just you." you whispered.

His thumb brushed against your clit with just the right amount of pressure while he added another finger. "I'm hard to love." He reminded you, his eyes glazing over as he watched your hips thrust up towards him.

"D - don't care." you moaned, trying to keep your focus despite the way he was picking up the pace, plunging innn and outttt of you, only going deeper with each time you tried to speak. "I... don't - oh, f...fuck."

"You don't what, baby?" Your walls were wrapped around him so tight, swallowing him hopelessly as you writhed beneath him. You opened your mouth again, but your thoughts were all but stolen from you as he slammed into you, rendering you a whimpering mess. "Words." he demanded.

You were trying so hard to keep it together, trying so hard not to soak him, but your release and emotions were all threatening to flood out at once the harder he went. You were grabbing onto him, clenching around his fingers as they continued their relentless assault on you.

"I don't want easy," it was almost one word with how breathlessly it came out. "I don't want easy –" you repeated, your body needily bucking up towards him again. "I want you. I'll always want you." you were finally at your breaking point, drenching him as he looked down at you with feral adoration. "Fuck Megumi, please."

He withdrew from you, his composure a bit more feverish as he leaned in to kiss you. It was hard, urgent.

"Bend over for me." He said against your lips.

He helped you roll over, grabbing your thighs to lift you into position while you arched your back for him and buried your face into the softness of his comforter. The absence of his fingers was short-lived, his tip suddenly prodding at your entrance.

He went in slow, watching you carefully as he held onto your hips for support and pulled you onto him. His pace was determined by your breathing. You were taking him so well, your body practically melting under his touch as he entered you, but he wanted every confirmation he could get that you really were in this as much as he was.

"I love you." you panted, tilting your head to look up at him over your shoulder. "I love you." you said again, feeling the hesitation from him finally start to dissipate.

His grip dug into your sides, each thrust rougher than the last. "Say it again." He nodded.

But you could barely get the first word out before he buried himself into you, taking away every last bit of resolve you had left. He leaned over so that his body was locking yours in place, his breath trailing across your shoulder as you shook underneath him, heady little whines filling the space between you.

His hand wrapped delicately around your throat while his voice picked up where yours had left off. "I love you." he exhaled.

Your eyes widened when they caught his. There was something so irrevocably binding about the way he was looking at you, it almost felt like an agreement. A soul tie. A meeting between angels and mortals. A promise where "always" really meant always.

"I love you." You whispered, not breaking away from his stare as his pace quickened. His thrusts were unyielding, his body becoming just as needy as yours while your nails dug desperately into his sheets. "I love you." you let out again, your walls nearly smothering him. "I love you." you whined, feeling yourself clench and spasm around him. "I love you." He groaned, holding you in place as he filled you - his cum mixing with yours, sealing the unspoken contract you’d both created.

"I love you. I love you. I love you..."

𓆩🖤𓆪

Megumi was careful not to wake you the next morning. He slipped out from under your grasp with all the caution he possessed as he got to his feet, throwing a pair of boxers on and sliding a black hoodie over his head.

He grabbed the empty bottles that were littering his nightstand before closing the door to his bedroom and heading to the kitchen. It was the first time he'd woken up sober in roughly 3 weeks. The clarity that came along with it was almost too much to handle as he looked over the state of his apartment. The piles of dishes. The destroyed bathroom mirror. The blood stains on the floor of the hallway.

It all told a story, painted an entirely too vivid picture of his own self destruction. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, finding a cellophane baggy filled with the last 4 Oxys he had.

He took a breath, looking over them. Knowing that they were the one thing that could make everything feel so much more bearable and all it would take was one quick swallow. "God damnit..." He sighed.

Your footsteps were too light for him to hear as you crept around the corner, watching him dump the contents of the baggy into the kitchen sink.

He hastily turned on the water, fighting the urge to fish them out as he let them disappear down the drain. Today might hurt. Tomorrow might hurt. But as he turned around and caught your eye, he quickly realized that they weren't the only thing that could make everything better, they were far from it…

"Need some help?"

No matter how out of control life got, he would always have one advantage: No one else had what he had.

𓆩🖤𓆪

[wonwoosthetic]

series masterlist

word count – 13.8k

a/n – you guys are really loving this omg😭😭😭 I’m so grateful, thank you thank you thank you🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Go Together NANA TOUR EP2 🌷Minnie

parts written in italics were out of camera shot ˙ᵕ˙

EP2-1. Good Morning

Gathered around the table, the idols passed each T-shirt to the designated member until everyone was in possession of their personalised top for the show. Minnie had gotten her own as well, holding it up to look at her name in big black letters printed across it. Before her eyes even found the little icon that was different for each singer, Joshua had looked over her right shoulder and caught a glimpse first.

"Aww!" He pointed at the shirt, making her look down, finding a small drawn mouse holding onto a much bigger flower, what appeared to be a tulip.

"Oh my God, that's so cute," she smiled at the clothing item, before turning her head to the producers, "Thank you!" Beaming at them with a bright smile.

After they all got to admire their T-shirts and got a hold of a charger for their own, the group split up again to their designated rooms. Next on the list was getting bedtime ready. After not having lived together as a group all together, the idols had almost forgotten about the struggle of sharing a bathroom. The apartment they were staying at had two, thankfully, but still... 13 people and only two showers... it was about to get stressful.

Thankfully, sleeping in a room right next to one of the bathrooms, Minnie got the privilege of being one of the first members to wash up. She had washed her hair and went through some steps of her skincare routine with the products in the pouch she had taken with her from the plane. While the rest of the members were looking for time slots to jump into the shower, she was on her bed, now in the shorts and shirt provided by the producers as she put on a clean pair of socks, not wanting to walk around in shoes anymore or barefooted.

She had her hair wrapped up in a towel, trying to dry it as much as possible as she had yet to find a hairdryer. After a few minutes of looking around the flat, she had given up the search and retreated back to her room, using the towel to squeeze out the last drops of moisture that were left in her long hair. That's when Mingyu suddenly walked in, making her turn around to look at him.

"What are you doing?" Minnie asked him.

The rapper passed her, and crouched down right behind her, "Your room is the only one with a socket close to a mirror." As he stood back up, the girl's eyes dropped to the device his hands were clinging on. So that's where the hairdryer had suddenly gone. Mingyu turned it on and started drying his hair with the hot air, brushing through it with his fingers.

Minnie got up from the bed and walked over to him. With her hand on his upper arm, she looked up to meet his gaze through the mirror.

"Can you leave the hairdryer here after you're done?" 

He must've not understood her probably, the blasting air being way too loud, as he turned to the side, subconsciously crouching down slightly as he had done so many other times before.

"Huh?" He raised his eyebrows in wonder.

"Leave the hairdryer here when you're done. I need it too," Minnie raised her voice to speak clearer before moving away to walk out of the room.

A sudden soft grab of her arm made her stumble back slightly. Looking back, she glimpsed up at her fellow '97 Liner, who motioned for her to turn around. With a gentle push on her back, she turned, now facing the door. Only a second later, Mingyu had moved the hairdryer from blow-drying his own hair to hers, using his fingers as a brush to detangle some of her strands. Carefully, he moved some of her hair to the side, splitting it up into sections, to make sure he was drying it correctly. Minnie moved her head along, leaning it to one side, so the hair would stay in the position Mingyu had put it in.

Once she noticed, it was getting harder for his fingers to glide through her strands, she turned around to stop his movements. Pointing over to her bedside table, he found the brush the girl was trying to tell him about. He handed her the blowdryer for a second as he walked over to get the brush, only to hold it in his own hands a few seconds later, getting back to help her with her hair.

The two members moved in complete silence the entire time. No talking, only grinning at each other through the mirror at most or Mingyu mouthing a 'sorry' whenever he'd get stuck on a knot in her dark mane. The only time either one of them had opened their mouth to speak was when Wonwoo appeared in the doorway, smiling over at the duo before knocking on the bathroom door. He asked who was inside, but had only gotten an incoherent answer back, so Minnie had to help him.

"Jeonghannie-hyung!" She called out to the '96 Liner, who turned to glance at her with awaiting eyes, asking her what she had said.

"Jeonghannie-hyung is in the bathroom," she repeated louder, getting a nod back in return.

-

After most of the members had each finished their shower, they moved on to brushing their teeth, which turned out to be another hurdle as there was only one tube of toothpaste. They had somehow managed to get a little bit for each one of them, brushing their teeth while walking around the apartment or sitting in their rooms.

Finished with everything, and even almost completely dry hair, Minnie had found herself in the kitchen, sitting between Wonwoo and Jeonghan, while Hoshi had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table, his toothbrush still dangling in his mouth. In the middle of their conversation, Dokyeom walked out of his room, joining the small group of four. He stopped by the table to look at his fellow members.

"It would be too greedy to ask for hair essence, right?" He asked everyone.

Right away, a nod and a hum came from the rapper, followed by an agreeing, "Yeah," from the Vice-Leader.

Minnie chuckled softly, "What? No, it's not. I asked for some too," turning towards the '96 Liner to her right before glancing over at Dokyeom again. "I put it in the little pouch on my bed. You can use it."

"Really?"

The girl nodded, "Of course."

[sharing is caring with SEVENTEEN]

As soon as the main vocalist left the room, Hoshi spoke up, "Wishing for too much is not what a vacation is." His voice still muffled by the toothpaste foaming at his lips. "You need to give up on things you can."

The girl leaned back with a deep breath in, stretching her shoulders. "Some of us just want to still look presentable. Even if we're on vacation."

"You shouldn't worry about that," the performance leader commented back.

"If I didn't use any hair essence, I'd look like a lion," the girl stated, referring to the long mane on her head, that would quickly turn into puffy dried weed if not being taken care of properly.

With scrunched eyebrows, Hoshi took the toothbrush out of his mouth, looking at her in confusion. "What's wrong with looking like a lion?" To which Minnie could only shake her head with a chuckle, the other two members following her, laughing along at the sound of pure offence coming from the '96 Liner.

-

Most of the group was already snuggled up in their individual beds. Only a few were still walking around, cleaning up after themselves or laying out their clothes and wet towels to dry somewhere in the apartment. Wonwoo and Dino had found comfort in sitting in the kitchen, with the only source of light coming from the hallway and music from the maknae's phone.

Before she would let herself get a good night's sleep, Minnie decided to keep up her habit of having either a glass or bottle of water next to her bed. She made her way into the kitchen, not expecting anyone in there anymore as it was dark, explaining her wide eyes when she entered and found the duo by the table.

"Oh," her hand came up to her chest in surprise, "What are you guys still doing?"

"Drinking," Dino answered her, nudging his head to the beer bottles on the table. 

Followed by Wonwoo, who just got done with his next bite of the Ramen he had made, "And eating."

With a nod, the girl chuckled, walking over to the sink without another word. The room had fallen quiet as the rapper was focused on his food and the maknae had turned his full attention to the '97 Liner moving around the kitchen, looking for a glass or anything remotely close to a cup.

The sound of Wonwoo slurping his noodles got a chuckle from the youngest in the room.

"Noona, did you know Wonwoo-hyung doesn't chew his Ramen?" He asked her.

From her place by the counter, up on her tippy toes, she turned around, "Yeah," she smiled, "He inhales them." Getting a laugh from the maknae in return.

"Exactly! That's what I said."

"Why are you two making fun of me?" The oldest of the three joined the conversation, glancing over at the girl to see her struggle of not being able to see to the far back of the overhead cabinet. He got up from his chair in an instant.

"We're not making fun of you," Dino argued.

Wonwoo got next to Minnie, easily reaching to the back of the cabinet, where a few glasses were, reaching for one before handing it over to her.

"But I told you it's bad for you," she smiled up at him, taking the cup from his grip. "Thank you."

Without another word, the '96 Liner sat back down and his focus was back on the food in front of him.

Minnie turned on the Fausset before she let her backside rest against the counter, taking a sip of the glass she had just filled up.

Dino's eyes were locked on her form. "You're drinking straight from the sink?"

The female member nodded, "You can do that here. The water is clean." Making the maknae nod, clearly impressed by the info he had gotten.

"Do you want to drink with us?" He asked her, sitting up a slight bit straighter, ready to get another beer out of the fridge. But Minnie shook her head,

"No, thank you. I'm tired, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Ah, ok." Defeated, with his arms crossed, the youngest sank back into his seat.

Before she made her way back to the room she shared with Jun and Dino, Minnie took a few steps forward until she was right behind Wonwoo's seat, placing a hand on his shoulder, to make him look up. 

"Good night," she whispered. As soon as their gazes met, she leaned down. The rapper straightened his back to meet her halfway where their lips touched for a soft kiss. She could feel the palm of his hand resting on her left hip.

Dino's hand immediately came up to cover his eyes, even turning his head slightly away. Once they separated and their eyes fell on the maknae, the two chuckled in unison. The teasing would never find an end. Even in a group like Seventeen, where open displays of affection in any way, romantic or platonic, weren't a rarity.

Minnie shook her head, smiling at the maknae, while Wonwoo went back to eating the last bites of his cup noodles. Checking for clear waters, the '99 Liner dropped his hand, smiling at the couple before the girl turned her back to them to leave the room.

-

Early in the morning, every member was still deep in their slumber. Well, everyone, but two - Minghao and Vernon. The roommates had gotten up earlier than the rest, with a specific plan in mind. A plan that required money from the 'manager'.

Thanks to the girl's light sleep, she was woken up by the sound of footsteps around the room. Opening one eye at first, the sun that had just started rising, hit her view, making her squint, wanting to close them immediately again. But another footstep made her whip her head around. Her eyes landed on the intruder.

"Hao?" Her voice was still raspy and laced with sleep. To get a clearer view, she rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust them to the brightness of the room.

Minghao raised a finger to his lips, begging her to stay quiet to let the other members rest.

"What are you doing?" Minnie whispered.

"Vernonnie and I want to go out for breakfast, but we need money," he explained, tapping the shoulder of the maknae as he whispered out his name to wake him up. Right after he had given his 'okay' to take the money they'd need, Dino closed his eyes again to fall back asleep.

Minnie stayed sat up on the mattress, her hand running through her hair as her eyes were focused on the sunrise outside of their window.

"Minnie-ya," Minghao's voice drifted her attention back to him, "Do you want to come too?"

For a quick second, the girl stayed quiet, trying to gather her thoughts before nodding her head.

"Sure."

Hao copied her action, his light footsteps carrying him to the other side of the room where he had seen her personalised shirt hung up on the handle of the closet. Minnie had decided to only sleep in the Calvin Klein sports bra the producers had provided her with. That way, she could feel comfortable wearing the T-shirt around the city that day.

He pulled it off the hanger, "Here," he threw it over to her on the bed.

"Thank you," she whispered back to him before he disappeared through the doorway again.

-

Out in the warm morning air, the three members started looking for a breakfast place in the area. While the temperature was slowly rising, getting up to the normal summer heat Rome was faced with each year, there was still a fresh breeze blowing past the old buildings. Minnie pulled the black zip-up hoodie she had thrown over her shirt closer around her body. The sleeves were long enough to cover her entire hands as well.

Minghao found a restaurant around seven minutes away from their current location that was already open, even at the early morning hour they had decided to get up. The close distance let the trio walk through the ancient streets of the city, taking in the old-stone structures that were so iconic for Italian architecture. 

Each building they passed was more fascinating than the one before. From normal apartments to churches, or even just stores and supermarkets. The vintage design of downtown Rome was too different from their home in Seoul to not let them be amazed by everything they saw.

Arrived at their destination, the group found the restaurant to be relatively empty, making finding a table much easier. Minnie and Vernon took the booth seating up against the wall, while Minghao sat across the table from them. The waiter arrived only shortly after they had settled down and greeted them with a kind smile. Ordering was easy, thanks to the older man understanding English, and done by the youngest of the three. They opted for three orange juices, pasta, a chicken meal, and a serving of ravioli.

It was then, that the girl noticed the clothing choices of each of them, giggling to herself before commenting. "Why am I the only one wearing the shirt we got?"

All eyes fell on her, eyeing her outfit.

"I thought we had to wear them all the time," she whined out loud, getting a round of quiet laughter from everyone around her. Minnie glanced over at the cameraman, who just shook his head. "You're telling me I could've looked cuter than this."

Vernon, next to her, hit her shoulder with a chuckle as Minghao smiled at her. "It's okay, you wear it very well," he reassured her.

Their food arrived a short while later. The waiter gave each plate to each member, letting them finally admire what they had ordered.

"It really looks so good," Hao commented, taking a quick picture of his plate before putting the phone to the side again.

Minnie, who was focused on her own device, typing away on the screen, looked up, "Yeah," she nodded, "You can tell how fresh everything here is."

The three started to eat, splitting their meals up between them, giving each other a small portion of everything on the table.

Lost in the smooth taste of their food, taking in each small flavour their tongues picked up, the group enjoyed their moment of silence together. For a few seconds, they were too focused on the lunch meals turned breakfast, to even engage in a simple conversation.

Vernon was the first to break the quietness when a thought hit him like a brick, whipping his head to the girl, who was pouring herself a glass of water.

"You can speak Italian, right?" He wondered, gaining the attention of the entire table.

She nodded. "A little bit. The basics I learned in school. Why?"

The younger member chuckled with a scoff, "Why did you let me order then?"

The sip she was taking from the glass was interrupted when she came to stop, her mouth closed as she giggled, trying to swallow before she could speak up again. 

"You didn't ask me to," Minnie smiled. "Also, I think I would be too shy to speak with an actual person from Italy. My Italian isn't that good."

Vernon was just about to say something when Minghao shook his head. "But you should. You should get more confident in speaking foreign languages."

"Yeah, you're good at learning them anyway," the youngest added, referring to the only academic 'gift' the female member had. But she just shrugged.

-

A bigger group of members that had split up from the rest, found themselves in a shop recommended by Na PD himself. They had ordered sandwiches for each one of them, along with a few bottles of Coke Zero and some wine - not caring about how early in the morning it was.

Amid their meal, Mingyu suddenly found the urge to contact the leader, who was in Korea, where it was now sometime in the afternoon. He picked up the Facetime call after only a few rings but kept his face hidden as he was sitting in a salon chair, getting his hair re-done.

"Show us. Let me see your face," the '97 Liner repeatedly kept on nagging the oldest member, showing the screen of his phone to the camera to reveal his face once he'd shown it.

"But I'm getting my hair dyed!" Seungcheol argued back.

"So let us see it!" The younger rapper argued again.

"You guys keep on contacting me!" The leader whined out. "Minnie has been texting me already. I sent her a picture."

"But she's not here with us. She went out with Vernon and Myungho, so show us your face now," Mingyu told him, continuously demanding a face reveal. Cheol finally gave in, turning his camera around to film himself in the chair, while two hairstylists were working on bleaching his hair.

-

EP2-2. Roman Holiday

"Everyone's here!" Na PD called out after counting the members on the bus. Everyone had found a seat for themselves and was enjoying the passing view outside of the windows. "We're going to see the Arch of Constantine and take pictures today," he explained further.

Due to the large number of members, the producer split them up into smaller groups, depending on where they were currently sitting. Jeonghan's group on the left side of the bus consisted of four, as well as Seungkwan's group on the right.

"And Group 3, the line in the back," Yeongseok pointed at them with the little flag he was carrying around with him. "The members who don't listen."

"Let's gooo!" Mingyu and Dokyeom shouted out together.

"Huh?!" Minnie wondered loudly, glancing over to the loud duo on the other side of the row, who seemed to be proud of the reputation they had gained.

Dino, who was sitting in the middle caught the shocked face of the female member, "Ah, noona!" Making him laugh out loud. "She doesn't like that title, hyung!"

"Who? Minnie-ya?" The producer looked at the very back of the bus, seeing the head of the girl peeking over the row in front of her.

"We listen well!" She argued back, getting a chuckle out of the older man and the rest of the group on the bus. Everyone knew, there was only a small amount of truth to her claim.

He shook his head, "I don't think so," getting another round of laughter from the members, while the girl had to fight a smile as she sunk back into the chair.

-

Each group had made their way off the bus, now walking around the ancient ruins toward the arch they were supposed to take pictures at. The hot weather had let the members only walk around in their individual shirts, with some of them also wearing the different kinds of hats they had bought in souvenir shops around the city. 

Minnie had put up her hair in a ponytail, and a pair of sunglasses high on her nosebridge as she looked around the open area. She decided to just enjoy the view while letting her fellow '97 Liner run around and take pictures. Na PD was close by her. A chuckle from the older man made her turn around, only to find out why. Mingyu was a few steps behind her, crouching down on the floor while his phone was directed at her.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, but he just shook her off with his hand,

"Keep on walking."

With a confused look on her face, she did as asked, continuing her casual walk, while the older man next to her kept on laughing at what was happening.

"Wait!" The rapper suddenly called out, running up to the girl. Dokyeom was still behind all of them, taking pictures of the scenery with his own phone. "Turn around and look over there," he tried to usher her to stand in the right position, moving her around with two strong hands on her shoulder. "Oh-", he turned her around for a split second, fixing a strand of hair that stuck out from the top of her head.

"You're really passionate about this, Mingyu-ya," Yeongseok commented with a chuckle, standing back with his arms crossed, watching the duo closely.

He nodded with a proud smile, "We need to get good pictures." Taking a few steps back, he crouched down slightly once again, tapping on his screen a few times while Minnie continued to pose on the opposite side of the makeshift dirt road they were walking on.

"Look here!" He called out. "And over your left shoulder!" His directions made the girl roll her eyes, a chuckle tumbling from her lips quickly after.

"Mingyu, you're being too much," she smiled at the man, who still had his knees bent, not stopping taking one pic after the other, even as she continued to get him to stop.

"You'll thank me for the pictures later," the rapper nudged his head provocatively at the '97 Liner, who took a deep breath in before fixing her hair and going after his demands of posing in front of the camera.

"Hyung!" She called out to the producer, motioning with her hand for him to come closer. "Take a picture with me! Please!"

With a shake of his head, he quickly gave in to the girl's request, jogging up to stand beside her before he slung his arm over her shoulder, posing together with her for another few pictures taken by Mingyu.

They resumed their journey through the open field with Na PD, Minnie, Mingyu, and Dokyeom walking all together.

"Ah...," the rapper sighed out in relief, "Isn't this so nice, guys?" Throwing his arms over the other two '97 Liners.

"It's really nice," DK agreed. "It kinda really feels just like youth. Like it's the last in my late 20s before ending our lives."

"What?" Minnie and Yeongseok glanced over at the singer in surprise, "What did you just say?" The girl wondered.

"Why are you ending your life? Hey!" The producer questioned the sudden statement.

Dokyeom quickly excused himself, trying to get the meaning he had originally wanted to express right, getting a round of laughter from the people next to him. Minnie shook her head with a smile, mumbling something under her breath.

"You mean, ending your late 20s well," Na PD explained for him, to which the members agreed.

The girl had kept her head down, following a stone she was kicking along with her feet as they were walking. "Yeongseok-hyung is so wise."

Her comment got a whole-hearted laugh from the older man, his hand petting her back, making her look up at him with a big grin. "Ah... that's very sweet of you Minnie-ya." Her right arm slung across his back to lean into him, pulling him in for a side hug and joining the chain the four had created.

-

The Arch of Constantine was even more magnificent than any of the members could've imagined. They had split up, each to be on their own or in smaller groups, taking pictures or just taking in the structure right in front of them and next to the Colosseum. Their eyes raked over each detail engraved into the old stone, pondering how it was even possible to create masterpieces like this such a long time ago.

The producers asked them to gather for the group photo, having to recall their position in the line they had decided on the day before. 

A picture, a video clip, and a few more personal pictures later, they went on their way further around the city, when some of the members found a cute little ice cream stand. The members who were craving the famous Gelato were quick to get in line, their orders already in their heads. Manager Dino was right next to them, using the pocket money they were gifted to pay for each treat.

With the refreshments in their hands, they continued their way through the streets of Italy. Passing blooming gardens, trees on the side of the roads, smiling people, and more ancient buildings that made Rome oh so special.

"I think I can really go on a world trip with just a camera," Wonwoo suddenly spoke up. Minnie, only a few steps in front of him, chuckled on slowed down her walk as the rapper reached out, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder to walk right beside her.

"How many pictures have you taken yet?" She asked, to which he looked down at the apparatus.

"I don't know, to be honest. A few."

In the next moment, the female member was standing in front of a colourful they had found along their way. Decorated with graffiti and drawings by multiple different artists, it seemed. Wonwoo, in his usual fashion, was holding up the camera, looking through the lens with one eye, taking a few steps back and forward again, trying to find an angle he'd like. Minnie smiled brightly, her sunglasses still high on the bridge of her nose. While she turned away to continue their walk, the '96 Liner kept his hold on the device tightly, taking a few more shots of the girl before putting the camera down to glance around the area, trying to look for the next beautiful thing to photograph.

-

The group had finally made their way back into the much cooler bus. Some of the members sighed out loud in exhaustion, complaining about the heat they were enduring. Everyone took the same seats as before, letting their backs rest against the cushions.

Next on the list: Lunch.

Na PD revealed the restaurant they were heading to to be a celebrity 'hot spot'. Multiple stars, including singers, actors, football players, etc. had dined there, making it become a very popular destination for others. As an example, he mentioned Leonardo Di Caprio. The members hollered out in excitement.

"Vernonnie,"

"Vernonnie!" Dokyeom and Mingyu commented, getting a round of chuckles from the other members. Minnie, grinned at the younger member next to her, watching his lips curl up as he shook his head slightly. With a giggle, she patted his shoulder.

-

"Let's go eat!" Jun called out as soon as the bus came to a halt. They had arrived at their lunch spot for the day. Waiters ushered them in and brought them to the table reserved for the big group in a slightly more private area of the restaurant. The female member to her seat opposite Na PD, next to Wonwoo, at the other end of the table.

The members were more than excited. Hours of walking around the hot city had brought hunger to their stomachs, ready to get a taste of even more traditional Italian cuisine - some had already gotten a taste early in the morning.

One of the waiters came back into the room, greeting them in true Italian fashion. He rounded the table, handing out a few of the menu cards so that at least two or three members could look at one together. That's when they found a catch. Everything was written in Italian.

"Oh... I really have no idea. There's no English at all," Vernon noticed. Minnie reached for the card Wonwoo had just put down, her eyes scanning the words.

"Ah...," she repeated with a nervous chuckle, "there really isn't."

Different possible solutions for their situation were thrown around. While some members were trying to make some sense of the words they were seeing, Mingyu suggested just ordering the most expensive items of each category. What part of them forgot though was that they had two people who could converse in a basic conversation with their language knowledge.

"The one that says 'fritti' is kind of fried," Joshua explained to his half of the table. "I think it means fried." He continued to go over the menu, explaining what he thought each meal would translate to.

"Funghi Porcini," Minnie read out, just to herself and whoever would catch her voice, "is with mushrooms." 

"What is Pomodoro?" Woozi wondered out loud. As Shua was still busy talking to the maknae on his right, the female member decided to answer.

"Tomato. So it's like... probably like pasta with just tomato sauce and basil."

With scrunched eyebrows, the '96 Liner glanced at her. "You understand this too?"

She shrugged, "A little bit."

Back in her own world with Wonwoo right next to her, they went through the meals together, him asking her what some of the things meant and her translating everything for him. Lost in their little convo, she didn't react when her name was first called out, only when the man next to her nudged her before pointing at Joshua, who was trying to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"Can you order for that side of the table, and I'll order for this?" He pointed to each side, as he asked her. "Is that okay?" Joshua apparently didn't forget about the mere two years she had to study the language in school.

Slightly lost in his question, the girl nodded before she could even say what she actually wanted. Because doing what he had asked of her was definitely not a thing she was ready to do. She didn't have the confidence some other members, *cough* Mingyu *cough*, were blessed with. She had never been one to just talk to random people, ESPECIALLY when those people spoke a language she wasn't fluent in. Just thinking back to her first days at Pledis. Seungcheol was the one who had to come up to her. Back then, he was surprised to find out that her Korean skills weren't half as good as he had thought. It hit her like a kick back into the past - now having to converse in a language she had spoken the last time when she was in school.

Vernon chuckled when a heavy sigh fell from her lips as she sunk into her chair. "Now you have to talk in Italian." Referring back to the morning they had spent together back at that breakfast place.

"This is gonna be so embarrassing." With a pained facial expression, she leaned over to put her forehead against Wonwoo's shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"They're not going to make fun of you," he tried to assure her, his hand patting her thigh in comfort. "They're nice. Just try it."

Minnie straightened her back again, almost quivering as her eyes fixed on the waiter walking into the room again. "They might not make fun of me openly, but they'll talk about it later. I have the worst accent when I talk Italian!" She shout-whispered, her fingers fidgeting in her lap.

Wonwoo tried his best not to chuckle at her reaction. He knew the situation was only half as bad as she interpreted it - always an overthinker. With a soft smile, he placed his hand on top of hers, trying to get her to calm down with his thumb running across her knuckles. 

"We all have accents when we speak English. But has that ever stopped like Seungkwan or Mingyu from speaking it?"

"Dino sometimes doesn't want to."

"But you're not Dino," he argued softly, just wanting to lean forward and gently kiss her pouty lips, but there couldn't have been a worse time or place for it than then.

"And I'm no Seungkwan or Mingyu either," she threw back, making him take a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Minnie shook her head. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Stop," he squeezed her hand. "Just don't overthink it, it's all good."

Their moment had to be cut short as the waiter had made his way over to their side of the table.

With a big smile, he greeted the group in his native tongue, forcing everyone to do the same. Minnie was handed the menu by Wonwoo, now at least able to point at the meals she possibly wouldn't pronounce correctly. She started off easily, talking slowly and trying to speak as clearly as she possibly could. Showing him the words on the card most definitely helped her. Every now and then, the man would ask questions as well, taking her back at first, but as he was just trying to get the order perfectly right, she warmed up to the situation. 

"Jeonghannie-hyung, what do you want?" She leaned forward to get a look at the oldest member. He had not given her his order yet.

He shook his head, "I'll eat anything you order for me, Minnie-ya." A quick glance at Woozi, he told her the same thing.

"And you, hyung?" She directed her attention to the man sitting across from her.

"Oh- this one please," he pointed at the menu he was holding onto, showing her the pasta meal he would want.

As scared as the female member was of messing up, she had only stuttered twice, and that was purely because she was unsure of the correct grammatical ending she would have to use in the sentence. The waiter nodded along with her order, writing down everything she mentioned on the menu before thanking her with another kind smile and disappearing again.

With a deep breath, the girl hunched over the table dramatically. Wonwoo chuckled at her antics, his hand coming up to rub her back.

"Damn," Vernon grinned, nodding his head at her.

The oldest man at the table couldn't take his eyes off the female member. His eyes were wide and a proud smile lit up his face.

"Woah... Minnie-ya," his voice made her look up. "How- I didn't know you spoke Italian so well."

She shook her head, "No... it's no- I only learned it in school for a bit."

"But that was really good!" He complimented her.

Minnie chuckled shyly, her shoulders lifting as she subconsciously leaned to the side.

Wonwoo patted her back one more time. "Good job," sending her a warm smile that she couldn't help but reciprocate.

-

Even though they had already gone through multiple jugs of the homemade house wine the restaurant had to offer, Na PD had ordered another few different types. The members only noticed it when there were new bottles put down on the table, along with more glasses as well. A green bottle and the same in red again were right in front of Minnie and Wonwoo, letting them try to read what the calligraphy around the logo said. As their side of the table was the first to receive the ordered wine, the other members got curious.

Mingyu got up from his seat, making his way over to stop in between his dormmates.

"Try and see which one is the expensive one," Yeongseok challenged them.

"Oh," Minnie chuckled, her hand placed on the arm of the '97 Liner as he leaned forward to get a better look at the bottles. "Mingyu will be good at this, I think."

Minghao joined them only shortly after.

"These two are different?" He wondered while Mingyu was already taking the first sip of what he had poured.

Minnie glanced up to her left, expecting her dormmate, only to be met with Dokyeom, who had also come along to the taste test. A pat on her shoulder made her look to the right. Mingyu handed her his glass of wine without a word, which she graciously took, taking a sip of the little bit he had left for her.

"Mm," she hummed, "I like this one."

He nodded, leaning against the wall as he looked down at her. "Me too, but I think it's the slightly cheaper one."

"I want to try the other as well. You too?" The girl wondered, getting a nod in return. She reached out to get a new glass and went to pour in some of it from the other bottle when it was suddenly snatched from her grip. Wonwoo got a hold of it, placing the glass closer to him before he let the liquid fill it up with a good amount.

"Don't pour yourself alcohol," he remarked before putting the glass back down in front of her. 

She nodded. "Thank you." Just as she was about to hand it over to Mingyu, he brushed her off with a motion of his hand.

"You take a sip first." Not fighting him back on it, she brought the rim up to her lips, tilting it back until the slight bitter taste hit her tongue. She took a small sip, her face scrunching up a bit as she put the glass down again.

The '97 Liner reached out to get it. "Not good?" He chuckled at her expression.

"That tastes like the red wine I usually don't like," she stated, taking a big gulp from the glass of Coke Zero by her plate.

"Oh," Mingyu commented, "I like it." After having tasted it and going back to take another sip.

"Then you can keep it," she told him, face still scrunched up by the bitterness, getting another chuckle out of him and a brush over the top of her hair.

-

Meal after meal was brought to their table, even more plates now filling even the smallest empty gaps. The members shared each pasta between them, handing over spoons full of each food they had ordered. 

They all were very well surprised by the tastes their tongue got to explore, but one member seemed particularly happy. Vernon.

"It's so good."

"Wow, it's really nice."

"This is really good." 

He kept on repeating, making the female member chuckle as she watched him closely.

She wasn't the only one to notice though. "He really likes spaghetti," Na PD pointed out, making the '98 Liner nod.

"I really like it."

"I haven't seen Vernon eat that well in a long time," Minnie commented, the corners of her lips still curled up.

-

EP2-3. On the Bus

The members had found themselves back on the bus after their well-enjoyed lunch break. Now, all full and happy, they were making their way up to the North, to their next destination: Tuscany.

Knowing, the drive would take a good 3 hours, some had already leaned back, ready to enjoy the long drive. They were wondering what the house they'd stay at next would look like. Knowing the production team, they probably went all out. Minnie had engaged in a comfortable conversation with Yeongseok during their lunch in the episode before, making them get closer than they were before. The girl had started to realise that this trip truly wouldn't be like the 'Youth Over Flowers' she had watched before. They had talked about the other members, life in general, and just getting to know each other member. She was definitely starting to warm up to him quite a lot. Minnie had been a fan of the man and the shows he had done in the past for quite a while, so getting to know him personally was quite intimidating. But just like the idol group as well, Na PD was too kind-hearted to not like him. The whole production crew in general. In some aspects, Minnie could see the members in some of the producers. How they could turn out in a few years, personality-wise. With shared humour and traits, it was easy to get close to them. They were enjoying a holiday together after all.

"Iced Americano...," Yeongseok suddenly spoke up. 

"I love it so much."

"Is so nice."

"Thank you so much." Came from different members as answers. They didn't know yet, that the drink wasn't being offered to them. 

At this point, Na PD was just showing off, as they had found out. "I really like it, that's just what I said," he commented with a devilish smile already teasing his lips. Some of the members were getting quite desperate, and he noticed it, but it only amused the older man even more.

"But... there might be some members who like it, right?" He wondered teasingly.

"Like it?" Minnie wonders out loud, her head popping out from behind the seats of Wonwoo and Woozi. "Seungkwan breathes Iced Americano!" Getting a round of chuckles from the members, including Yeongseok.

"Oh, is that so?" He asked the younger member who just so happened to sit right behind him. "Well... if there are other members that like it... we brought 13 cups just in case."

The bus was immediately filled with groans of desperation and shock, everyone surprised by the kind gesture. Especially from the members who had been living life on the limit with the caffeine deficit they had been enduring over the past few days as the espresso they'd get in the city was not pleasing their tastebuds.

So, Na PD was holding onto 13 cups of coffee, but he wasn't just going to give them to each of the members, they had found out. The production crew came up with an 'S.Coups quiz' where the prize of each rightly-answered question would be one of the cups. At this point, you could feel the heated personalities of the members rise up and physically watch as the more competitive members sat up straighter in their seats. Minnie smirked.

"As a reference, we don't know the answers either," Yeongseok explained. "We need to do a video call and find out."

"Ooooh," Minnie whispered to herself.

After going through the rules one more time, the first question was thrown at them right away.

"'Coups' quiz!" Na PD called out, "Right now, what is S.Coups doing? In detail."

A few hands shot up immediately, but Mingyu was the first to also call out his name, therefore getting picked first.

"After dying his hair, he's at home," he simply answered.

The producer repeated his answer, making sure he got each detail correctly.

"After he finished dying his hair, he went home," the '97 Liner explained one more time.

"But I'm curious about what he's doing at home right now," Yeongseong told him, making a few more hands come up.

"Minnie!" The female member shouted out, getting picked next. "He's playing video games."

"And what kind of video games?" He nagged further.

The girl sighed out with a smile, "How am I supposed to know that? He plays a lot..."

"I need to know everything in detail," the man clarified one more time.

The next member to try and get the right answer was Vernon, who repeated Minnie's answer with a little addition.

"Computer game," he stated.

"Ah, computer game? And what game?"

With a groan, the '98 Liner leaned forward, tilting his head into the narrow walkway of the bus, holding onto the handles by the seat in front of him, where Wonwoo was sitting. The older member turned to the side with a smirk on his lips,

"LoL, LoL, LoL," he kept on repeating, trying to help the younger rapper. This didn't go unnoticed by the girl, who gasped once Vernon repeated what he had just been told.

"You cheater," she whispered at him as soon as his back hit the cushion of his seat again.

"Blame Wonwoo-hyung. He helped me," he defended himself, only getting a shake of her head from Minnie in return, her lips pressed together tightly.

Hoshi, Jun, Woozi, and Joshua gave their own ideas as well, desperately hoping their answer would be the right one. Before anyone else could even be picked, Mingyu shouted out to grab everyone's attention. He had caught Minghao texting Seungcheol and filmed him to have evidence in his hands. The dancer was thrown out of this round by Na PD, making the other members celebrate in glee.

Wonwoo, Dokyeom, Seungkwan, Dino, and Jeonghan were the last ones to drop their answer - Minghao was still too sulky to give his.

Seungkwan was the one who would get to call the leader via video call. He fixed his hair while waiting for the oldest member to pick up. Dokyeom was hoping he'd be on the toilet pooping. After a good minute of silence from the other end of the line, they were close to giving up on the call when Wonwoo chuckled out loud. He had found S.Coups' 'online' status on the Discord app. They decided to call him that way, but only to tell him to pick up the video call from the '98 Liner, so they'd be able to see him. After another try, they were finally met with his face on the phone screen in the younger member's hands. They briefly went over the quiz they were currently doing before getting to the question they all had been desperately waiting to ask him.

"What are you doing?"

"Right now? Playing games," he told them, getting a loud shout of glee from Vernon in the very back.

"I said that!" Minnie argued with the member next to her, hitting his shoulder as he was celebrating his not-yet-fixed win a little too much.

"What game?" Dokyeom raised his voice so the leader would be able to hear him.

Seungkwan repeated it. "What game exactly?"

"LoL."

That's when the girl scoffed out with an annoyed smirk, letting the boy to her right shout out in glee. 

"I said LoL!" He proudly announced. The girl just shook her head. He was handed over his cup of Iced Americano and took a sip, followed by a happy sigh as he leaned back.

"I hate you so much right now," the girl joked, glancing over at the younger member.

Vernon chuckled, "You should've listened to Wonwoo when he said it."

"But he said it to you! He didn't even try to help me," she whined, the feeling of betrayal hitting her. "Unbelievable," she mumbled under her breath. The '98 Liner couldn't help but laugh at her. 

Thankfully, they were quick to move on to the next question.

"It's 11pm in Korea right now," Na PD started again. "Coups is currently playing a lot of LoL. BUT... before he played LoL... what did Coups eat for dinner?"

Everyone immediately agreed that the answer to this would be too hard for them to guess. After all, there were at least a thousand different things he could've ordered or made. But still, Mingyu was, once again, the first one to guess, giving his answer with, "Chicken breasts!" The leader was on a diet after all. The maknae decided on him probably not eating anything at all since the '95 Liner would be filming his part of the 'God of Music' music video the following day.

Dokyeom, Jun, and Joshua followed right after, each giving a different answer. Hoshi went against Dino's idea and threw out that the oldest of the group enjoyed a heavy meal before starting to play his game. And Vernon was the last one to give his answer.

"Did everyone guess?" The producer wondered out loud, losing count of each of the members once again.

The idols started looking around the bus. The ones who didn't want to give an answer shook their head.

"Minnie hasn't said anything yet!" Vernon called out, earning himself a nudge to his ribs.

"Oh- noona! What's your answer?" The youngest leaned forward as he glimpsed to his left to get a look at the female member.

Yeongseok pushed himself up to glance at the very back of the bus. "Minnie-ya!" He shouted out for her, "What do you think?"

"I don't want to say anything!" She whined back, still sulky from the moment between Vernon and Wonwoo.

"Ah- don't be like that," Na PD sighed. "You know S.Coups well, right?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Naengmyeon."

"Naengmyeon?!" The producer raised his voice in confusion, followed by the other members who did the same.

"Never mind," Dino shook his head, "She takes that back." His remark got a few chuckles from the others.

Seungkwan turned around, "But he has a shoot tomorrow."

"Well, maybe he wanted to treat himself before work. He likes naengmyeon," she argued back, looking over the seats in front of her.

"No... I don't think so," Mingyu muttered, daring to take a quick peek over to the side, where she was already glaring at him.

"Not everyone can enjoy a boring diet like yours," she threw at him, making Vernon laugh and push her back by her shoulders.

"No fighting, kids!" Na PD demanded with a smile and a shake of his head, mumbling something inaudible under his breath. "Let's find out."

That time, Jeonghan was handed the phone to call the leader. Within only a few rings, he picked up the second video call.

"Oh, Jeonghan-ah," S.Coups greeted the second oldest of the group, his eyes switching between looking at the phone screen and his computer.

"Hey, Coups. What did you eat for dinner?" He got straight to the point.

"For dinner?" Cheol wondered out loud. "Ehm... I had... Naengmyeon."

"Naengmyeon!" Jeonghan repeated it louder to let everyone hear. Loud gasps filled the bus in an instant.

Minnie shot up from her seat, "REALLY?!"

"You really ate naengmyeon?" Dokyeom couldn't believe the answer the leader had given them. "Why did you eat naengmyeon when you have the music video filming tomorrow?"

Vernon, still surprised by the actual answer, scooted forward in his seat. "Why are you eating naengmyeon?" All while Minnie was looking at the phone Jeonghan was still holding up with a big smile on her face.

A few more exclaims fell from the members, clearly stunned by the meal choice of the oldest member before Jeonghan tried to hang up the phone.

"Wait-," the leader called out, "Jeonghan. What do you think of my dyed hair?" 

The '95 Liner grinned, "Pretty, pretty!" He lifted the hand that was clutching onto the phone, "Guys, Coups' hair is pretty, right?" Of course, he got each member to agree with hums, nods, and words directed to the leader.

"Oppa, your hair looks so pretty!" Minnie shouted out happily, "Thank you for eating naengmyeon!"

"What did she say?" The oldest chuckled, moving closer to the screen with scrunched eyebrows.

Jeonghan chuckled, "She says your hair is pretty and thanked you for eating naengmyeon."

"Did she get it right?" To which the other member nodded. "You're welcome, Minnie-ya!"

"He says 'you're welcome'!" The singer turned around in his seat, his eyes immediately on the grinning girl, who sent a dramatic flying kiss in his direction. Vernon pulled her down with an amused shake of his head.

A few 'goodbyes' back and forth later, the video call ended.

"So, Minnie-ya!" Na PD called out for the female member, "You really got it right!"

"I know!" Grinning from ear to ear, Minnie's smile could've lit up a dark room instantly.

"Well done," Woozi nodded to himself, "I would've never thought he'd eat that while dieting."

Wonwoo glanced at his fellow '96 Liner, "Me neither."

"Noona apparently really knows Coups-hyung the best," Dino commented, watching the grin not leaving her lips.

"Seems like it," Dokyeom agreed.

"You deserved it. Enjoy the Iced Americano!" The producer congratulated her, handing over the cold plastic cup to the back, each member passing it further until it reached Vernon, who tried to take a sip.

A smack to his arm stopped him, "What are you doing?" The girl smiled at him, getting a chuckle in return as he finally handed her her prize.

"Thank youuuu!" She shouted one more time before bringing the coffee up to her lips, a smile still plastered on her face.

In true Seventeen fashion, they came up with a deal next. Agreeing, that the S.Coups quiz might be too hard, for some, they asked for an Italy trivia quiz instead. As Na PD was very knowledgeable in the culture and history, having been here before, he let himself get dragged into the agreement. Minnie already knew she'd prefer to stay in the background, happily sipping on her coffee while she watched the chaos unfold right in front of her.

-

Only when it suddenly turned into a quiz just for Dino, Minnie's ears perked up.

"Listen to the question first. Just think about it," Yeongseok told the maknae, who had moved slightly forward, now sitting at the edge of his seat. "What word refers to the world-famous first division of professional Italian soccer?" The members were quick to agree that the question was easy to answer, but the youngest just nodded along mindlessly.

Na PD tried to encourage him, promising that he'd be able to get to answer while looking for others to do the same. He called out Dokyeom, who was smiling at him, expecting him to support the '99 Liner, when instead, he suddenly shouted out the correct answer.

"Serie A!"

"W-Why are you saying it?" The producer laughed out loud, the rest of the group joining him, glancing back at the '97 Liner who started to apologise, not having realised he wasn't supposed to actually answer the given question.

"Oh..." Dino sat up straighter, "Is that the answer?"

Na PD couldn't help but laugh warmly at the maknae. "This-... He doesn't even know what it is!"

"No, I thought it was Paris Saint-Germain," he explained. The entire bus filled with laughter.

The girl whipped her head to the right, getting a chuckle from Vernon, who was already clutching his stomach from the antics of the other members. 

"That's the of a team!"

"That's a team from Paris!" Vernon and Minnie laughed out loud together, the younger member finding more humour in the situation while the girl looked genuinely concerned, her eyebrows scrunched together and her lips slightly agape. 

Mingyu patted Dino's shoulder, "That's in Paris!"

"It's Paris!" Vernon hit his thigh, raising his voice slightly.

"Dino-ya-" Minnie started, but was interrupted.

"Wait, wait-" the youngest stopped everyone around him, "Isn't Italy part of Europe?"

The '98 Liner could barely hold himself together anymore, nudging his elbow into the maknae's side, laughing out loud as if he was gasping for air. In shock, Minnie leaned back into her chair. The rapper looked over, finding her covering her mouth with a hand and closing her eyes to take a deep breath. It only made him laugh harder.

"Is he serious?" She asked him, chuckling at how he was barely holding on. "Is this real?" She shook her head, leaning over to pat the '99 Liner's thigh. "Dino-ya," he turned his head to meet her eye, "Paris Saint-Germain is a team from Paris. Paris is a city in France. Both Italy and France are in Europe, but one thing doesn't have to do anything with the other."

"Aaaah, really?" He nodded his head. At least somebody was educating this man.

With a defeated look, Minnie let herself fall back against the cushion. A quick peek to the side made her chuckle as Vernon was already looking at her with a grin plastered on his face.

-

EP2-4. Today's chefs, SEVENTEEN!

The bus went on for another hour or two that was spent quietly as each member focused on themselves. Most eyes were focused on the passing landside, and others were trained on their phones. Minnie managed to catch a quick nap of only a few minutes but it definitely helped to let the time pass.

"We're arriving at the supermarket in 20 minutes," Na PD announced. "Think about what we're going to eat today."

"Who wants to go to the supermarket?" Seungkwan questioned the room.

Mingyu was quick to react, "I want to go!"

"Me too," the '98 Liner added.

As Dino was the manager who was holding onto all of the pocket money the group had received, he wondered, "Should I go?" The members agreed.

The eyes of the biggest member drifted to the other side of the bus, "Minnie-ya," catching the attention of the girl. "Do you want to go too?" Knowing she'd actually be of big help in the grocery store as the designated members would only be able to converse in English in emergencies.

She nodded with a smile, "Yeah, sure."

"Minnie, Mingyu, Seungkwan, Dino," Wonwoo counted out loud, making the rest of the group nod. It was a good choice of members that would buy fun stuff, good stuff, but still responsibly.

Now that they had the chosen buyers that would hit the supermarket, the next decision would be what they'd even want to buy. What would be on the menu for the evening? It didn't take long to agree on the cuisine: Korean. None of them had the energy or confidence at that point to recreate any of the meals they were gifted during their lunch break. They knew they could cook something Korean, they just hoped they'd find the right ingredients.

-

The four got off the bus, heading over to get a cart first.

"Woah... it looks like an American Supermarket," the girl commented, following the '98 Liner who had already spotted the carts.

Inside, they immediately started looking for the meat section. They found the counter, with a woman and a man behind it, who was already looking at them as they got closer. Their eyes drifted over each meat they offered, trying to find something them and the others would enjoy. Minnie didn't get to say anything before Mingyu started talking to the employee, pointing at the raw meat he had found.

"Is that pork belly?" The girl wondered, stopping by his right, glancing at the butcher who was cutting it into thick pieces.

The rapper shrugged, "I think. It looks like it." They also found some pork neck, asking the man to cut some for them as well.

Next: Chicken. Just further down, they found more meat in individual coolers. Seungkwan reached out for one plastic-wrapped carton.

"Doesn't this look like chicken breast?" The maknae wondered.

Mingyu reached out to grab it, taking a closer look. "Isn't it intestines?" At the mention, Minnie's face scrunched up in disgust. She wasn't vegetarian, but she had her limits. "Do you know?" He looked down at her.

Taking a small step closer to his side, he held up the package for her. "Petto Pollo Coop? Pollo means chicken ...," she told the group. "And I'm pretty sure Petto means chest. But I don't know about Coop"

"Are you sure?" Seungkwan asked her, but her nod was hesitant.

"Like... 90%, yeah."

"That's good enough," Mingyu tossed it into the cart without another word, before leaning down into the cooler to get more. "Let's buy a lot of this."

At their stop in the seafood section, the girl stood back, letting the guys decide as she was the last person to ask when it came to a meal including anything from the ocean. The other members locked their eyes on some salmon and just decided to take a few more packages of it, not caring about anything else from that side of the supermarket.

They hit the vegetables and frozen foods section next, making a quick stop at a small stall that held freshly made warm chicken they could buy.

"The members would like this," they commented.

During their time in the drinks department, they noticed just how quickly the cart was filling up.

"The members drink a lot of Pepsi, right?" Seungkwan chuckled at the sight of multiple bottles and cans they had thrown in.

Minnie laughed, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "They need their caffeine." Knowing she was one of said members.

"Underwear," the '98 Liner suddenly remembered. "Underwear for the members.

"Oh, right," Mingyu nodded, "We have slippers, but we need to buy underwear." In the aisle, the girl split from the other guys as female underwear was on the other end of the line, having to look for it herself. Her fellow '97 Liner noticed her sudden absence, walking over to where she was standing.

"Did you find something?" He wondered.

Minnie nodded, holding up her hand that was clinging onto two hangers, each with a bra, while in her other she was holding a few three-sets of underwear. Without asking, Mingyu reached out, getting everything out of her grip as he noticed her eyes were still searching for something. She let go of it easily, knowing better than to fight his stubborn head when it came to carrying things for her.

"What are you looking for?" He asked her, walking along with her as she took slow steps down the aisle.

"A bikini."

"You mean a swimsuit?"

Minnie chuckled with a roll of her eyes, glancing up at him, a knowing grin on her lips. "Whatever I can find. But preferably a bikini." 

A few steps to the right, he stopped right in front of something he had found. "What about this?" He nudged his head towards the shelves. With raised eyebrows, the girl walked over, wondering what he had seen that she could want. As soon as her eyes fixed on it, she stopped in her tracks. A wetsuit. Of course.

"Funny," she jokingly glared at him, getting a chuckle out of him in return.

"I'm serious," he shrugged, knowing damn well that girl wasn't about to buy a wetsuit to wear to the pool they would have at the next place.

Minnie shook her head, her lips still curled to a smile. "No, I think I'll go with this one." Walking back to take what she had located earlier off the rack. "But thank you for your opinion." 

She held it up, watching Mingyu just turn around, ready to join the others again. The female member jogged a bit to catch up with him, giggling at his antics.

-

On their way to the register, they passed a snack aisle, stopping there for a bit to roam around, throwing anything that looked somewhat good into their cart. Crisps, gummies, literally anything. Minnie was the only one, who pushed them towards the fruits that were lined up against the wall of the grocery store. She got a few bananas and apples, still thinking about somehow evening out their intake of unhealthy snacks - it was a bad habit of hers that was hard to get rid of.

They had texted the other members early, once they got in line, so they'd come to help them with the almost insane amount of bags filled with food, clothes, and ingredients. Only 40 minutes later, they were outside and back on the bus again.

-

Minnie fell into another quick nap on the bus as the darkness illuminated by the warm street lights made her even sleepier than she already was. She only realised they had arrived when groans and hollers of happiness filled the confined space.

The group got off the bus and made their way forward towards the house, some had offered to carry the boxes and bags from the grocery store along with them. Minnie was one of the last ones in line as they finally got to the old-fashioned farmhouse.

Entering it felt like almost jumping into a new universe. Old stones and ancient furniture with an Italian touch surrounded them.

"Wow...," the girl gasped as soon as she walked it, trying to take in every corner she passed. "This is so beautiful... oh my God..." The members who were in front of her agreed, each one of them not able to grasp the beauty of the building they'd be staying in for the next few days. Every detail was so simple yet so pretty, the stones on the wall adding to the vintage feeling of the house. It was old, yet cosy and warm. It felt inviting.

The house had enough bedrooms for the members to share, some holding two beds, some having three. But who would get to sleep in which one, they'd decide through a game of 'Rock-Paper-Scissors'.

"It doesn't really matter here because all of them are nice," Woozi commented, making Minnie, who was standing next to him nod in agreement.

Once it was her turn to choose a room, she started roaming around again, taking a peek into each one to see what members had already occupied which ones. The two rooms right by the front door were the last ones she'd get to look at. She walked to the one on her left first.

"Oh, noona!" Dino greeted her with a big smile. Mingyu came back out from the attached bathroom, glancing at the girl.

"You guys are here?" She wondered, to which the two members nodded. "Alright." Without another word, she exited it again, walking across the floor to the other one.

"Hello?" She called out into the, what seemed to be an empty, room. When she didn't get an answer back, she shrugged and threw the tote bag, which Jeonghan had bought for each member back in Rome, on the double bed. Only a second later, she let her body fall onto the mattress, a pleasant groan tumbling from her lips. She let her eyes close for a split second before some of the other guys suddenly appeared in her doorway.

"Do you guys already have a bed?" 

Dokyeom nodded, "I'm sharing a room with Jeonghannie-hyung," he told her.

"And I'm with Vernon and Woozi," Hoshi told her, making her nod.

They were quick to walk back into their individual rooms again and Minnie decided to take a look at the bathroom, whose door was against the same wall as the bed.

"Where's a bed that's left?" The last member of the game, Wonwoo, shouted through the house. He walked into the room that was closest to him on his right. The room that Minghao and Jun shared.

"I think Minnie's alone in her room," the '97 Liner stated as soon as he saw the older member enter.

"Where's her room?" He asked them, turning around without waiting for an answer. "Minnie-ya?" His loud voice bounced off the old walls as he continued walking through the living room, towards the entrance door.

"What?" She called back, walking out of the bathroom again, towards the door to her room, stepping out to see what was going on. Her eyes met Wonwoo's, who was taking quick steps up to her

"Minghao said you have a bed left," he explained. Minnie nodded, a yawn suddenly coming up, making her cover her mouth. She walked back inside.

"You can share it with me," she spoke through the sign of sleepiness, making the rapper chuckle. The female member sat down on the bed, watching the '96 Liner put his stuff onto the chair in the corner. She leaned back to get a hold of her bag.

"Can you put my stuff there too? Please." She asked, handing him the tote bag to collect all of their clothes and personal items in one place. 

The two decided to walk back outside, finding some of the boxes the members had left in the living room that were filled with ingredients that would be more suitable in the kitchen. Just as they went to pick them up and make their way downstairs, Hoshi joined the duo.

"Are you going to the kitchen?" He wondered, looking at Wonwoo who nodded at him before his eyes fell on the girl, who was carrying one of the boxes that was clearly way too heavy. "Oh- wait, give that to me."

"No, no, it's okay," she brushed him off.

"No, let me help you," he argued back, winning the fight as she let go of the carton, choosing to follow him in silence down the stairs, where their maknae greeted them. As soon as they reached the ground floor, Dino walked over to the performance leader, taking over in carrying the heavy box.

"Hyung!" Minnie chuckled at the scene in front of her, "You said you wanted to help me."

"But our maknae is so strong, how could I say no," he defended himself with a grin, making the girl shake her head.

"I worked out," Dino proudly announced with a big smile on his lips, getting all three of the members to chuckle sweetly.

They put everything on the kitchen island before going through each item individually. Minnie took a second to look around the room.

"This... this really looks like a dream house. And a dream kitchen."

"I know," Mingyu agreed, "I said to Dino this is the perfect height for a counter," before turning around, "And the stove is really good too."

The female member looked down at the surface, her hands brushing over the wood, "Really pretty."

"This is egg," her fellow '97 Liner announced, handing the item over to the youngest who was standing by an open fridge door.

"Eggs. Multiple," Minnie chuckled. She didn't correct the other members' English very often, but every now and then, she would decide that a remark was more important. Just like now.

"Eggs," Mingyu repeated, continuing to go through their groceries. "This is- OH, ice cream. Ice cream, ice cream," his tone suddenly became rushed. "Come on yo, come on yo!" The girl couldn't help but laugh at her members.

"Emergency, emergency!" Dino played into it, repeating the words over and over again while finding a place for the item in the freezer.

"You guys are weird," she mumbled under her breath with a smile, collecting the bags of salad Wonwoo and Hoshi were placing on the counter.

-

The rest of the group had started to come together in the kitchen, circling the island. Everyone but Jun and Vernon as they had found comfort on the couch and their bed, motion sickness from the drive slowly catching up with them.

"Then, I will start," Mingyu, the main cook of the group announced. "We just need to grill the meat, chop the ingredients and set it up." He pointed at Dokyeom, "You need to make the stew, right?" 

His fellow '97 Liner nodded, "Yeah, I'll make the stew."

Hoshi, who already had his mouth full of snacks, spoke up. "There can't be too many chefs. You two be the main chefs," he decided. "Tell us if you need anything." The others agreed, knowing that too many members would just cause chaos they didn't need.

"Okay!" Mingyu exclaimed, rolling up his already short sleeves, "Let's move quickly." 

Dokyeom and Minnie had gathered at the corner of the kitchen island, eyeing the meat they had bought.

"I will do about four strips of pork," the singer clarified, "Four stripes." Glancing over at the rapper of the '97 Line, hoping to get his opinion.

He nodded, "Four strips would be good."

"What can I help you guys with? Anything I can cut up?" The girl wondered, but before DK could say anything, Mingyu shook his head.

"No, it's okay."

"But I want to help," she argued, walking over to the man by the stove. "Tell me what I can do."

He turned around, pointing straight forward. At the table. "Sit there."

The female member rolled her eyes and smacked his arm, "Stop, I'm serious." Watching him move around to gather everything he'd need. "I can hand you pots or something. A cooking spoon?"

"No," Mingyu shook his head with a chuckle, "I really don't need help."

"I could-" Not even letting her finish, the rapper grabbed her by the shoulders and moved her forward, stopping by the kitchen island.

"Just stay right here." He told her before going back to the fried rice he would be preparing on the stove.

Minnie sighed in defeat, taking her place next to Wonwoo and Minghao, who were focused on DK and Dino on the other side of the island. 

"Dokyeom-ah, can I help you with something?" She moved on to the next member, but he had already caught up on the conversation that happened behind him merely a few seconds ago.

"No, Minnie-ya. But thank you for offering."

Bored out of her mind, the female member waltzed through the room, looking around the walls and vintage display case in one of the corners. After that didn't seem to fill her boredom anymore, she stopped by the table. Wonwoo was already sitting on a chair on the left side of it.

"You need to leave the cooking to the ones who cook well," he stated, noticing the silence from the girl after she was practically thrown out of the kitchen.

"But I can cook as well," Minnie whined, "Or at least help." She took a deep breath in, "But I agree, you really shouldn't cook." Making both of them chuckle in unison.

"If I put my hands on it... not delicious," he stated, making the female member laugh with a nod.

-

She spent most of the rest of the time by the dining table, taking a few glances back at the kitchen, internally hoping, she'd get something to do. That's when her gaze fell on Mingyu, who just stood by the kitchen island... when he was supposed to be the one to cook. With scrunched eyebrows, she got up from the chair, making her way over to where more members had gathered together. That's when she saw it. Minghao had replaced the rapper's position by the stove.

She gasped quietly, "You let Hao help, but not me?" Minnie glared up at the man in front of her, who shook his head.

"Minnie-ya...," he sighed, meeting her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Maybe you should live with him," she mumbled, a pout evident on her lips.

"Stop being like that," He reached out to get a hold of her arm, but she moved away swiftly. Only that she had forgotten about his much longer legs and arms. With a big step forward, he was able to grab her gently by her upper arm, pulling her to turn back around, facing him now.

"Do you really think I cook bad?" She asked him immediately, gazing up at him with her lips almost quivering. Mingyu could tell her sleepiness was catching up with her as this wouldn't be her usual behaviour. His eyes softened. He chuckled and shook his head,

"No, I don't think you cook bad. But can you please just sit back and relax. You fell asleep on the bus twice. Just rest for now." Pointing at the table, where Jeonghan was sitting now. She had already sighed too many times to count anymore.

-

At some point during their food preparations, Minnie had gotten up and rushed up the stairs to get her own zip-up hoodie, the same one Seungkwan had surprised them with. Once she was back downstairs again, the table was fully set, and the members were getting ready to sit down. The seat by the corner, next to of the dining table, right next to the main vocalist was kept free, suggesting that she could claim it for herself.

"It's comfortable, right?" Seugnkwan asked her as soon as she sat down, seeing the black hoodie engulfing her body.

The female member nodded with a smile, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, "It's really warm."

Each of them was able to put on their plate whatever their heart desired, they had enough options. Dokyeom's stew, Mingyu's meat and fried rice, the salad Dino made, along with the already cooked chicken they bought in the supermarket, as well as other small things they heated up during their cooking.

Once a spoon of the stew hit her tongue, the girl groaned in pleasure, "Woah...," she sighed, "Even on the other side of the world, Korean food still tastes so good." Getting a nod from the members next to her. "Well done, Dokyeom."

The singer grinned, "Thank you, Minnie, I'm glad you like it."

The members ate well, even if they didn't think they would, recalling their big lunch only a few hours ago. But with the variety they had, none of them could say no. Minnie filled her plate with some rice, along with the Salad the others didn't touch, due to the yellow mustard Dino had used instead of honey mustard, but the girl didn't mind.

"At least someone likes the salad," the maknae commented, noticing the girl eating it. With a piece of it in her mouth, she giggled, covering the lower half of her face.

"It's still good, Dino," nodding at him reassuringly, "You did very well."

The maknae smiled proudly, going back to finishing his own plate of food.

-

After the last member decided they couldn't put another piece of anything on the table into their mouths, the time for cleaning up arrived. Usually, the group would play a quick game to decide on the roles, but for that evening they just agreed to do it all together. Woozi and Hoshi would be in charge of washing the dishes, while the others would be cleaning up the table and collecting trash.

"What are you going to do with the leftover nuggets?" Wonwoo wondered while most of them were gathered around the table, cleaning the plates and throwing away the remains of what they had just eaten.

"We can wrap them up and put them in the fridge," Minnie suggested, holding onto two plates, on her way to get them to the sink.

"Wrap them in plastic?" He asked further.

The girl nodded, "Yeah, I'll do it here," nodding at the now almost empty counter.

"Wrap them in plastic. Wrap them in your rap," Dokyeom just spat out.

Wonwoo chuckled at the comment, "Should I?" Not even waiting for an answer, he already started, on his way into the kitchen. "YO!" 

Minnie, who came back to gather the nuggets from his hold, stopped to laugh, pushing him away from her with a slight shove.

"Oooh, nice, nice!" Joshua complimented him.

"What was that?" She chuckled along with the others. The rapper only shook his head, moving her to walk back towards the kitchen island with a hand on her back.

"What's with Wonwoo's form?" The '95 Liner wondered, still laughing along with Dokyeom.

"He really is a Hip-Hop-Unit member," Minnie commented, earning her a nudge to her side, but a round of chuckles from the guys by the table. She had found the cling foil and was about to cut a piece off it, the box of nuggets already in front of her.

"Ah..." Wonwoo sighed, "This is too big to wrap it up in my rap."

The female member shook her head again, "Stop," she couldn't hold back a giggle.

"I think we need to use Coups' rap," he explained to Dokyeom, who exclaimed his disappointment, continuing the joke.

A grin tickled Minnie's lips at the comment that came to her head. "Because he's a better rapper than you?" She teased, looking up once she heard a gasp from her fellow '97 Liner, but silence from her dormmate.

"Wow..." he met her eyes as she bit down on her lips, trying not to break into a fit of laughter. "Wow..." Wonwoo just repeated while Dokyeom was already crouching over from laughing right behind them.

Minghao, who was just on his way over to them had stopped in his tracks, "Did she say he's a better rapper than you?" With wide eyes, he glanced at the two. "Did you really?"

"I'm sorry," Minnie shyly admitted, reaching out to place her hands on the rapper's arm. Was she, though? Not really.

The reaction it got out of the members made it definitely worth it. Sometimes, they'd forget the sharp tongue the female member was born with.

"I just wanted to say because he's louder," the '96 Liner looked down at the '97 Liners who were chortling together. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry!" She laughed, wrapping her arms around his frame, her face squished up against his chest. "You're right, he's only a louder rapper than you."

Taglist: @waosobii @chaebb @lunarxsun @hoe4wonwoo @kimhyejin3108 @soobzao @billboard-singer @cosmicwintr @zwiehe @alixnsuperstxr @angie-x3 @smooore @allthings-fandoms @lllucere

[itsnathateasy]

Hi!!! I love your aot works and I'm so happy you still write for them since not many people do these days. Anyway, I saw requests open so I'm here for an Eren request. Completely okay if you don't write this though, up to you💖

Basically maybe a best friend Eren who's been in love with reader since forever? Reader is the same, but neither confesses for fear of rejection and stuff. But then reader keeps trying to date random guys, none of them know how to be a good boyfriend. And one day after another terrible date, Eren finally cracks and just gets angry and is like, "Don't you see me standing here?"

hey anon!💖 loved this idea! thanks for sharing it with me, i honestly had a blast writing it! hope you enjoy!🫶

word count: 1,4k || ao3 link! warnings: eren gets aggressive at some point, angst mostly!

꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦꒷꒦

“Dw, I’ll give you a ride home” afterwards read the text you’d just received from your best friend, Eren. It’s funny how you keep being like this with each other. You and Eren had been friends since high school and as time went by, your bond only grew deeper, your relationship became more solid, more affable. But it was at moments like this when Eren showed you extra care that you were reminded of the crush you’ve had on him ever since you’d stared hanging out as high school kids. It’s been years since then, of course, but your feelings remained and, frankly, Eren caring for you more as you became closer, didn’t really help with your situation.

You threw your charger and cable in your handbag, almost ready for your night out with your friends. You felt your phone buzzing from inside your pocket. It was Eren calling, he’d probably pulled up at your street. “I’ll be there in fine!” “I’d wait even if you took all day, y/n” he responded in a melodramatic voice. “Please be this sweet when I introduce you to Marshall next week?” “Don’t make me drive away, y/n” his huffing audible through the phone. After checking the lights and locking your front door, you were finally out and walking toward Eren’s car, tapping on his window slightly and giving him a mocking grimace. You heard the clicking of the car doors unlocking before letting yourself in, handing him your bag as you struggled to pull the safety belt over our body.

"How come you’re being this negative about Marshall? He’s been nothing but lovely to me so far” you explained, fastening the safety belt after a few failed attempts, as Eren started the car. “You’re gonna walk into my car and not even say hello now, y/n? Really? Has your brain turned into Marshal mash or something?” he scoffed again, a bitter laughter escaping his lips. “I’m sorry, hello Eren, we’ve been on the phone like thirty times today, we’ve exchanged a bunch of texts AND I just hang up on you a few minutes ago. I thought saying hello again was redundant. Alas, how are you?” you said, raising your eyebrow to his direction. He looked back at you, his own eyebrow raised, obviously disappointed by your disregard towards him, whether fake or not. “I’m terribly offended, y/n” he protested, touching his hand to his heart. “I thought I was your best friend, your special companion, through thick and thin. Yet, you prefer that Shmarshall over me! The decadence!” he mocked, earning a fit of giggles from you. “What a show Eren!” you took your bag that was still on his lap and cupped his face with your hands. “You’re my best friend. But it’s different with Marshall. And he’s really nice, I’m sure you’ll love him!” you said as you sat up and made yourself comfortable in the car seat. Eren huffed again. “Y/n… I’m not going to love him”. You were taken aback by his comment. Sure, Eren had a tendency of not taking a particular liking to your various boyfriends, but this was usually understandable. You, somehow, always ended up with some… Let’s say questionable guys. You’ve had the occasional people who ended up ghosting you, but one thing you couldn’t deny is how you’ve ended up dating shitty guys more often than not. Eren saw right through them, long before you could. Marshall seemed to be different, but you’ve said this about a bunch of other guys. What if Eren was right again? “Listen, meet him first, and then I’ll do whatever you say. If you think he’s rubbish, I’ll dump him. Deal?” You stared at him, an expectant look on your face, but Eren’s face was completely blank. He turned the key in the engine, turning off the car. “Whoa… Big answer incoming” you joked, but the look on Eren’s face remained. “Text Armin. Tell him we’re running late” his voice grim. You questioned his demand, yet you complied, judging by his serious tone.

“You’re being too weird tonight, Eren. Did you have any special cigarettes before coming here?” you said and examined his face, touching him here and there, looking for any trace that he might be drunk or high. “Quit it, y/n!” he snapped, grabbing your hands and moving them away from his face. “Hey, hey!” you yelled back. “What’s up with you? Are you trying to scare me or something?” you pulled your hand out of his grip, crossing them both over your chest. “I’m trying to get you to listen, y/n! But you’re being impossible!” What was he even on about? The more he behaved like this, the more you wanted to leave. “I’m not up for your tantrums tonight Eren. See you around” you reached for the door handle just as you heard the distinct “click” of the doors locking. “Eren! What the actual fuck?? I’ll call the cops!” “Just shut up and listen, will you?” he banged his hands on the steering wheel, turning his gaze away from you. Crossing your arms again, you motioned to him with your head that he should go on.

“It’s just… Ugh...” he began. Great. This was going to be long. “I can’t like any of your stupid boyfriends, y/n. You’re wasting yourself and your time on a series of useless guys, who keep on fucking you, then fucking you over. You always say you’re gonna do better next time and you keep doing worse and worse and I’m right here and you act like I’m your little brother or something, you don’t even see me and I’m doing my fucking best over here only to remain unseen.” He paused, not meeting your eyes, strong hands gripping on the steering wheel. “So you’re only being nice to me because you expect me to reward you somehow?”. He looked back at you eyes filled with anger at your response. “No, y/n, this is what you gathered? I’m being nice to you because I fucking love you and because I actually give two shits about you. But you’re so fucking blind, you’d literally date anyone BUT me! You’ve even hooked up with Floch for fuck’s sake! Out of all people! What the fuck is up with that?”

You were utterly dumbfounded by his speech, not quite knowing how to react. In your experience with Eren, this was probably the closest thing you’d ever get to him conveying emotion. You felt your muscles untensing at his unexpected confession, your arms uncrossing themselves from upon your chest in an almost automatic reaction. You turned your back to the car door, fully facing Eren now as he did the same. “What is this now, y/n?” he said, still upset. “Do you really love me, Eren?” he only scoffed and rolled his eyes at you. “I’d chop my leg off if it meant you’d be happy, y/n. How can you not know this? It’s been like this since I can remember...” he admitted with an awkward smile on his face. “Eren I… I love you too but… What took you so long? Why’d you let me go out with all of these guys?” you questioned, still not quite believing you and Eren were having this conversation. “I can’t make you want me, y/n. I can only profess my intentions about you and I promise they’re good.” You contemplated his words for a while. This was so good, almost too good to be true. "Aren't you scared we might not work out? What if we break up and aren't on speaking terms afterwards? I can't not be your friend, Eren, I don't know how to..." you explained, yet Eren response was prompt, certain. "I am extremely afraid of this. It's why I've never tried to tell you this before. But I'm exhausted, y/n. I'm in love with you. Have been for ages. I can't conceal my feelings anymore. Let's give it a shot, y/n..."

Looking away from him, you spoke again. “Can I kiss you now, Eren?” he sighed, leaning his body towards yours, reaching for your lips. “I’ve been waiting for this since we were sixteen, y/n” he whispered before locking lips with yours. Everything else faded as you savoured the closeness of the kiss. Eren’s short exhales brushing over your nose, hands extending to snake around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

tiny sneak peak into the future tehe... “You stood lucky with “profess”. I’m sure you don’t know what it means.” “Judging by how you’re straddling me, I assume I used it correctly.”

[girlishwhimsies]

unfortunately i HAVEEEEE to yap about my modern qpr pbj college au cause im thinking about it all the time and have to share

first of all it includes wheelchair user johnny my beloved 🫶 but basically the gang is all the same but johnny wasn’t ever part of it, im not sure where he lived but not in tulsa (i have a whole backstory about him and his parents in this au don’t play, i WILL drop it) he also got emancipated from his parents at 16/17 and was able to get an okay enough job to afford

pony gets assigned as johnnys roommate and they meet on move in day, soda and darry meet him then too. and they all IMMEDIATELY get attached to this poor kid, dawg for sure looks worse for wear he is smalllll and owns like 4 shirts. also doesn’t have many possessions!! so ofc they all love him so bad and soda and darry pretty much force him to get dinner with them and pay for it (they are broke but damn it they will be making sure this kid eats something)

pony doesn’t know anyone at school so he is like okay i need johnny to be my best friend and they just click instantly, attached at the hip! them slowly trusting each other more tho cause even if they click they both have built up Walls and finally feeling safe around each other, telling each other about their parents. pushing their beds together cause pony has nightmares and being closer to someone helps him. them having the biggest fattest most pathetically down bad queer platonic crushes on each other but not knowing exactly what they are feeling and just ough

pony finding out johnny doesn’t have any thanksgiving plans and forcing him to come back to tulsa with him and meet the gang :( johnny just fitting right in and watching from the corner just soaking up all the excitement from the people around him and being so shocked and happy when they include him in on things! he also clicks so well with two bit who clocks his ass so bad so quick within like 10 minutes (soda clocks pony within this time period as well) and corners him! johnny is lowkey scared shitless but two-bit is just excited for him and tells him it’ll turn out fine etc etc (and also makes a bet with steve that they’ll be together before christmas) also they go to stores and steal together i fear it’s so important to me

after thanksgiving pbj getting even closer, spending so much of their free time together!!! but all good things must crash down at some point (at least for a little bit)

pony catching johnny on his computer snooping and copying his work onto his own page…. pony just loses it he’s already been so stressed this week and he’d scared of failing and he just doesn’t get why johnny would be doing this and he trusts johnny so bad so what if he is just using him!! meanwhile johnny is freaking the FUCK out cause his learning disability ass has been struggling and he can barely even read (audio books and voice to text is this man’s best friend!!) and he just couldn’t handle going through all these hoops this time so he tried this but he messed up so he just panics as pony is yelling and blurts out that he can’t read real well and BOLTS

pony after that really be standing there like 🧍‍♂️panicking and calling his brothers cause he doesn’t know what the fuck just happened or how to process it!! meanwhile johnny is outside FREEZING cause it’s right before winter break and doesn’t know where to go for the night and plans to drop out in the morning cause he doesn’t know what the fuck he was thinking trying to go to school and his phone is at 1% so he uses the last bit of his battery to send the gc with all the gang a text with “thank you so much for all your kindness, i ain’t ever gonna forget all y’all did for me” before his phone dies and he can’t get another charger

so now EVERYONES freaking out and as soon as morning hits the gang all drive up to the college and pony with their help HUNTS through campus!! ofc johnny sees them from afar a few times and BOLTS away cause he doesn’t wanna get caught since he thinks they all hate him (he has thousands of missed messages and calls since the night before) til they finally corner his ass and finally get him to properly communicate

pony teaching johnny how to write and read slightly better and he gets a job at the thrift store :( he goes home with the curtis’s for christmas and new years and spring and summer break!!!

anyway this isn’t even like half the lore man and i hope you all love my insane little au that’s far too important to me!!!

[findlilac]

Get to know Sri

Stage Name: Sri

Birth Name: Srihari Venkat

Nationality: Australian

Ethnicity: Indian

Position: Rapper, Dancer, Producer

Birthday: July 9 1988

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Height: 170 cm (5'7")

Blood type: O+

MBTI: INTP

Representative animal: 🐱(I don't really remember if it is used to represent Lee Know as well, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong)

Unit: DanceRacha, 3Racha(Don't really think it'd be 3 anymore tho-)

Facts about Sri

He was born in Brisbane, Australia

Has a younger sister who's 5 years younger than him

Came to Korea to train when he was 18

He had very little training in dance (the training being the dance classes he had joined when he was 7/8 years old for a few months) before he was recruited

Although He had been learning Carnatic music ever since he was 3, he stopped learning at the age of 14 (so about 11 years of experience)

He auditioned to be an idol out of spite for his dad

He had been doing his bachelor's degree and masters in architecture while being an idol as he 'wanted to have a back-up plan just in case'

He has a mole on his right cheekbone

He was a trainee for about 2 years

Nicknames given by STAY: Chan's wife, Nicknames given by the members: Eomma, Venki

He treats English as his first language. He can speak Japanese fluently, Tamil (his mother tongue), and Hindi to a decent extent. He can also speak French and Mandarin but no one really knows that he can speak those two languages

He can draw and paint quite well when given a reference but he says he lacks the creative skills to just visualise something and draw it

As per the members, he has quite a laid-back personality and is a comfort figure to all of them. They also say that he's quite good at giving advice even if he hadn't been in the situation himself

As per Chan, Sri struggles to express his emotions as he fears that he'd be burdening others by telling them about his struggles. And even if Sri does express his emotions, he struggles to frame and tell others about how exactly he feels about something

He has double-jointed thumbs and elbows

He has a driver's license and enjoys going on long drives with his members

When he isn't driving, you can always spot him wearing his headphones and gazing out the window

His favourite season is Spring and he loves rainy and stormy weather

He actually is a vegetarian and does not eat any type of meat

He is extremely introverted when it comes to social interactions with people he doesn't know quite well but is also one of the most upbeat when around the members, kinda like another member Han

He has very strong opinions and will not hesitate to express them. This trait of his has gotten him into quite a few scandals

His favourite colour is purple

He doesn't really have a favourite food, he will enjoy anything that is mentioned to be spicy but he actively avoids most fruit, his least favourite being strawberries and any kind of melon except watermelon

He prefers producing songs rather than songwriting

He has a pet dog named Cosmo back in Australia and also owns two cats in Korea, named Blossom and Buttercup, Blossom is a ginger cat and Buttercup is a black cat

As per the members and STAY, Sri is a caring person, prepared for almost any situation that comes his way. He seems to always put the members before his own needs. In the first one Kid's Room, he said that if given a choice to protect either himself or his loved ones, he'd always pick to protect his loved ones as he'd rather not live than imagine living a life without his loved ones

He is the typical 'mom friend', always having something or the other in his bag for any situation, earning his nickname 'Eomma'. You're hungry? Sri has a snack bar in his backpack. You got hurt? He's got a first-aid kit somewhere in his bag, You need anything ranging from a charger to a makeup product? Sri's always got something in his bag

He loves dad jokes and puns

He lives true to his MBTI, trying to see logic even when it isn't required.

He shares his dorm with Chan and I.N

He is SKZ's handyman being able to fix most things that the others break. That being said, he is the one who ends up breaking most things due to his clumsy ass

He tends to seem quite calm under pressure although he most probably is panicking internally

He is a major perfectionist and will redo his autograph multiple times during fan meetings and signings, just so that it's 'perfect'

Although Sri would much rather cook and bake alone as doing it alone gets him in his 'zone', he enjoys baking and cooking with Felix and Minho as well

He often tricks the other members into eating vegetarian food and then just lets them guess the 'meat' that was in the dish when in reality it's either cauliflower or some form of soy. He does this just to prove a point to them as most of them have this general notion that vegetarian food is bland

He often goes to the gym alongside Chan and Changbin

He usually helps Chan with leading the members on days when Chan is too exhausted to do it himself

He is friends with Hongjoong, San, and Mingi from ATEEZ

He is often seen hanging out with Yeji and Ryujin from ITZY

[kiwiraccoon]

Numb, Emptiness III

Ateez OT8 x OC

Summary: after witnessing the death of her family, her uncle sends her back to South Korea to live with the eight guys he had saved over the years. They seem to be almost, if not just, as mentally messed up as she is, and the goal is for her to help them and them to help her. Time heals, but it’s already been 11 years of suffering for her, can they really help?

overall notes: MDNI mental health: depression, anxiety, ocd, antisocial, agoraphobia, personality disorders, mental breakdowns. mentions and descriptions of gruesome deaths, gore. polygamy, shared female, suggestive, fluff, smut?, building relationships. THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR THE WEAK HEARTED OR UNDERAGE!! this not meant to depict real Ateez but an au, not about their real selves or real struggles, I took ideas from their real selves but again not meant to be negative towards them or anything against their image… THIS IS JUST MY MORBID MIND RUNNING WILD!

Word count: 2340

“What do you want for lunch?” Mingi asks, still sitting beside me in our same spots in the living room. I had been so lost in the book that I didn’t notice most of the others in the room until I looked around. Seonghwa stands in the threshold waiting for the lunch order, Wooyoung is back in the room now sitting in a further position but watching me intently, San sits next to Wooyoung leaning on him slightly as his legs rest in another’s lap. This guy refuses to look up at me, keeping his attention on his own book and I can’t for the life of me remember his name. He is one of the ones that keeps to himself, either wary of me or completely unfazed by a newcomer. Finally, someone who seems tall, just like Mingi, sits the closest but keeps his eye on Mingi watching carefully. I can see he cares for Mingi deeply, he knows the signs for his friend, he knows when to step in, and he knows that Mingi is comfortable with me. Though, no matter how comfortable Mingi may look, he needs more proof, I can see that.

“Kai?” Mingi asks again, pulling my attention back to him, I nod in his direction to acknowledge him.

“Pizza.” I respond simply, my one word being enough to send Seonghwa heading back into the kitchen and Mingi smiling softly at my expressing what I want. It wasn’t any emotion or anything, but the fact I spoke directly to his question with people around made him feel proud. I know he is determined to bring my emotions out, but he is more than willing to wait. I wish I could express my gratitude towards him for that in more ways than just saying it with a monotone voice that speaks nothing but the word.

My eyes move back to Wooyoung, meeting his eyes for the first time since he left earlier. I send him a nod to let him know I see him and am not upset at him in any way. He smiles to himself and turns his attention to what San was showing him on his phone. My own attention goes back to my book that sits lonely in my lap, I try to get back into the words and distract myself from the room around me. It’s as if the world is against me when the music completely cuts out with no warning, I know my earbuds haven’t died because I wasn’t given a warning. Immediately I shove the book onto the ground and grab my earbud from Mingi, not even taking a moment to glance at anyone else as I walk to my room.

I can feel the anxiety bubbling within me, I know what happens when I don’t have music to ground me. I can’t let them hear me. The second I enter my room I lock the door the same way I had these past two days, my chair being the reassurance that no one can get in. My body moves on its own, throwing my phone and headphones on their chargers before walking into my bathroom and stripping myself bare. The shower turns on quickly and I waste no time in standing underneath the stream not caring that the water hasn’t warmed up yet. I stand there trying to ground myself into the feel of the water and the sounds that come with it. But nothing stops my thoughts from breaking out.

You wish you could express it don’t you? You wish you could be weak? You want people to know your weaknesses again? You want someone to get into your heart so they can rip it apart? You really want that?

They won’t.

Yes, yes they will you idiot. They will get in there and they will wreck havoc on your entire being like they did.

They aren’t them.

How do you know that? Huh? You don’t know them. You know nothing. You are as ignorant as the child you were. What did I tell you? Don’t let anyone in! Don’t! No one cares about you like I do! No one! I am protecting you! I am making sure that never happens again!

You can’t do that! You are just a voice!

A voice who made you nothing but a shell. A voice who made sure no one could see your tears again. A voice who made sure no one could feed off your fear again! I am your protector!

“NO!” I yell out falling to the ground, I scream to block out its voice, I bang against the walls and floor to ground myself. 

Pathetic!

“NO! SHUT UP!” I yell out again feeling my throat burn from the volume, straining my vocal cords. I do everything to shut the damn voice up. I won’t let it control me anymore. I won’t let it stop me anymore. 

Leave me alone! You haven’t helped me! You made me nothing! You made me feel like I was nothing but a shell for people to abuse! You made it worse! You didn’t protect me! You hurt me more, let me go!

If that’s what you want. Good luck. Don’t come crawling back when it gets to be too much. I hope you realize how much I helped you.

“GO AWAY! LEAVE!” I continue telling even as I hear the banging against my bedroom door, I can feel the power within the bangs vibrating the room. But I sit there yelling, screaming, punching, and finally crying. The tears mix with the water running down my body heating up my skin, burning away the pain my void has caused. If I had never been locked in my own mind I would have never been abused. My void caused that. I let my void cause that. I did that myself.

I sob. I finally let out all my pain with screams and tears, letting it fully consume my body. I shouldn’t have ever let my void win, but I did, and now I will make it go away. “Just go away.” I sob softly, fully curling into a ball on my shower floor. 

Minutes go by and I finally stand, my sadness turns into anger as I look at myself in the foggy mirror. The water no longer runs and the silence consumes me, letting the anger at my past self take over. Before I know it my fist makes contact with the mirror, shattering it into a million pieces like the glass that had tried to conceal myself. I finally break free. My eyes lock onto the blood that drips down my fist and onto my wrist before gravity takes it to the vanity. 

The broken reflection meets my eyes when I look up and I finally see emotion on my face, I see the pain, the anger, the satisfaction. I can fully feel it all. I know the second I leave this room I will be nothing but a shell again as I try to work through my mind, to navigate the new landscape that is my full thought process being my own again. With a final sigh to ground myself I pull away and allow my sense to come back to the moment. The banging is still loud and clear against my bedroom door. I enter my room and calmly put clothes on, ignoring the stinging in the ripped skin on my right hand. My phone remains in its place hastily thrown on the charger and laying face down on my bed. 

On autopilot I put both headphones in and blast my music not allowing any sound to break through and I take my now fully charged phone and walk to unlock my door. The second my chair is moved from the door it is thrown open, and there stands my uncle. I see his lips move but I hear nothing, I try to walk around him but he grabs the wrist on my right hand noticing the blood before dragging me out of my room and down to the kitchen. He quickly grabs a first aid kit and works to clean my wounds, my eyes remain closed to block out every little thing around me. I don’t notice every occupant in the room watching my uncle tend to my needs, I don’t notice the worry Mingi barely holds down as Yunho holds him back from running over to me. I definitely don’t notice how every single person is silent and on high alert. They all heard me. I know that, but I refuse to acknowledge it. Not until I know the layout of my own mind.

~Seonghwa’s POV~

I watch with an attentive eye as her uncle works on cleaning her hand, it’s then I notice there must be left over carnage to clean from her room. I refuse to let her relive her breakdown by seeing it all again. Slipping away silently I move to my closet to grab my cleaning supplies and make my way to her room. Usually I wouldn’t invade someone’s personal space, especially their room, but the need to protect her from herself overweights that moral compass. 

The second I step into her room I can feel the tension that remains in the air, wrapping itself around me like a poorly secured straightjacket. I can smell the iron wafting in the air reminding me of the cuts in her hands and her uncle mentions pieces of glass left in her skin that he was delicately removing when I left. The windows remain intact so I turn to her bathroom and gasp at the sight I see. Mirror shards litter the vanity countertop with some finding comfort on the cold floor below. I see the blood sticking to the pieces that remain on the wall along with the drops that haphazardly dot the ground, some even making their way into her bedroom.

I feel the emotions swarming the air, filtering into my lungs and allowing me insight into her breakdown that left her silent and in her own mind. I’m not even sure she noticed all of us in the kitchen watching with worry as her uncle tended to her. She definitely didn’t hear us speak about what had happened and what we had heard. Her screams still echo in my ears and I fear they will torment my dreams, I never want to hear someone that broken again. We could hear her mental battle take over her entire being, the way she yelled at it, like it was a person standing right in front of her threatening her life. I have never seen Mingi run so fast.

The clumsiness that usually took over his large form didn’t show as he ran up the stairs effortlessly and began banging against her door. It feared he would break down the door, but even his body slamming against the wood didn’t budge the solid obstacle. She made sure no one could get in. She knew what was going to happen and I think she didn’t even want us to know. But we all heard. I watched over everyone, saw every single reaction. Hongjoong quickly called her uncle to get him home, he was the only one that knew her better than herself, even if Mingi was getting there he was in no state to be calm. Yunho watched Mingi like a hawk, noticing the fear that took over his features. None of us have ever seen him like that, and I think Yunho finally realized how much she meant to him.

Wooyoung stood behind everyone, his curiosity took in every moment. He pulled San back into his arms as San broke down, letting the older cry in his arms at the realization someone was fighting their battles alone and he couldn’t do anything about it. Wooyoung soothed him with words reminding him that she was strong, she was going to be okay, and that he was there for him. But I could tell San kept thinking about how she was alone. He hated seeing people alone. When she locked herself away these last two days San helped me make the meals for her, and brought them up to her room for me.

Jongho stood with his arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed as he listened to every word she said, he was listening to her battle. Yeosang stood beside him with his arms in the pocket of his hoodie, I could see the way he anxiously fiddled with his fingers. Neither of them were close to her but they felt her pain, they understood the rage she felt at her own thoughts. They understood why she was breaking down.

I stood next to Mingi facing everyone to look at all of them with Hongjoong behind me down the hall calling her uncle. I leaned against the wall next to her door and help a solemn look on my face, she had been a silent helping hand to me when I didn’t need it and yet I couldn’t help her. I felt so helpless. My need to care for her grew stronger in that moment and I think it did for many of us. 

Now I kneel on the floor of her bedroom, scraping the blood out of her carpet, the last task I need to complete before her room is reminder free. I have never cleaned so hard in my life but if I could help her by removing the reminder of her pain I would do it to the best of my ability and more. She has helped me by cleaning the dishes and putting them away exactly how I like them. Somehow she noticed my ways of cleaning and didn’t try to change them, I will forever appreciate that and I will show that in caring for her the way she deserves. 

She will never be alone again. She will never be abused again. She will never be nothing again. I will make sure of it.

[imaginationofomi]

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter One

☪︎

Aubrie often woke before the sun rose. The time she went to bed never mattered. After effects from years of nightmares. Even when she slept dreamlessly, she would jolt awake. Her partners were used to it.

Summer rubbed her hip when she twitched, eyes still shut and breathing evenly. Aubrie leaned forward and kissed her lover's smooth, oak brown forehead, stroking a beauty mark near her temple with the tip of her finger. Behind her, Bryce started to stir. She felt him reaching for her and scooted back, allowing him to hold her for a few minutes before she was climbing out of the bed and dancing into the bathroom.

She relieved herself and brushed her teeth, trying to cause as little noise as possible while she got ready for her morning run. She was the only early bird in the apartment, and she had the most demanding job.

It was physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. She loved being a person that made a difference in the world, serving justice to those who tried to avoid it. And many did.

The downsides were the countless images of dead bodies in multiple positions that never vacated her mind. The broken limbs, ripped and mangled flesh, gaping wounds from various weapons, the tormented looks on some of the victims' faces. People were sick, and the things she'd seen were no help when she laid down to sleep at night.

Running helped. Music helped. Sex helped a lot. Though, none if it was enough.

Aubrie secured a headband around the hairline of her two strand mini twists and pulled them into a low bun, zipping up her jacket and staring in her bathroom mirror. It needed to be sprayed and wiped down, dried water from after shower condensation streaking parts of the glass. She fingered a coil that popped out at the nape of her neck and wound the strands around her knuckle.

Her dark eyes looked haunted, the whites slightly red from exhaustion that hadn't completely vacated her body. Deep brown skin dull from lack of effort in her skincare routine, she was due for a good facial and maybe a chemical peel. She blew air out between her lips and cracked her neck before she tapped the button to turn off the light. Removing her phone from the charger, she grabbed her wireless headphones off of the nightstand along with her work badge and put on the watch the tracked her heart rate, steps taken, distance ran, and calories burned.

Bryce's eyes were open when she glanced at the bed. Lips upturned, he reached for her hand. She wrapped her fingers around his and squeezed.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours," Aubrie whispered, heavily anticipating their few days of alone time coming up since Summer had arrangements to leave the city for work. Bryce was more than excited to have her to himself.

He didn't mind sharing. Being with Aubrie gave him freedom he never experienced in previous relationships, and that small fact made him appreciate her more. There was no hiding with them. It was why he loved her and why she loved him.

Things became complicated when Summer entered the picture. Where Bryce stood secure in their partnership, Summer struggled with feeling like she was less important. She picked fights when she was jealous, complained about Bryce when he wasn't around, sometimes when he was. It made the relationship tense, even more so when Aubrie suggested Bryce and Summer spend time together on their own.

If they all loved each other, there would be less problems, but Summer rarely gave men the time of day, and Bryce wasn't fond of her personality. They came together for Aubrie and Aubrie alone. Each preferred their set schedule of days for quality time, but on occasion, the three of them would have a night completely catered to the woman that drove them both crazy in all of the right ways.

Aubrie crouched down and kissed Bryce's cheek, stroking his thin beard and whispering promises of a nasty morning romp when she returned in his ear. His large hand smacked her butt as she walked away from him, and she winked over her shoulder, sparing a glance at Summer who hadn't budged. She would once she realized Aubrie was no longer in the bed. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if Summer vacated the apartment before she made it back.

It surprised and confused people how comfortable Aubrie was being in committed relationships with both a man and a woman. They didn't understand her, how she made it work. Because they didn't understand the way her heart worked or the way she communicated. She had all the love in the world to give, too much for one person. And one person couldn't fulfill all of her needs.

She loved the hearts and souls of good people. Attraction found her in different ways, most beyond what was there physically.

Bryce made her laugh until her sides hurt, and he loved bad 80s horror films as much as she did. They loved concerts, dive bars, cheap beer and cold pizza. She could let loose with him. Summer stimulated her mind and provided her with gentleness that she often forgot to give herself.....when she wasn't raging about playing second fiddle to a man.

Aubrie had friends and acquaintances that served different purposes. Everyone in her life filled her up in one way or another. They all kept her sane when she felt herself slipping into madness, which happened more than she ever cared to admit.

The early morning air was clammy and cold, a familiar, unwavering odor of saltwater filling her nostrils the moment she stepped out of her front door and locked it behind her. Thankful that she had the good sense to put on long tights, she zipped her jacket a little higher and started to jog in place while she waited for the elevator to warm up her muscles. When she was outside of the gate to her apartment complex, she stretched her legs and arms, starting her playlist and taking off into a slow trot on her normal route.

She picked up her pace after two blocks, shifting to the right to make space on the sidewalk for another runner. He nodded at her as he passed, and she returned the gesture.

While she waited to cross the street to the beach trail, she kept her body moving and checked her watch. She was making good time. The light turned green, and she jogged across the asphalt, glancing up at the clouds over her head. They were dark gray and thick, concealing the sun and threatening to open the flood gates on her, the palm trees and other pedestrians. A gust of icy wind made her move faster, but when she got close to the spot that led her up a hill, she stopped running all together.

A few feet away, a large disturbance halted the morning rush and daily activities. The police were closing off a crime scene, and a faint audience was gathering to look at the graying limbs of a deceased body being dug out of the sand. Aubrie pulled her badge from her pocket and flashed the laminated card to an officer that was trying to stop her from approaching. He let her past the caution tape, and she beelined it for the detective she had a rapport with.

Joel Hughes was a white man in his mid 40's. Tall and wide, a former Marine with harsh blue eyes and a thin nose, he wasn't someone to mess with. He was good at his job, and even better at making everyone else feel like they were shit at theirs. When he wanted things done, he wanted them done right the first time.

He trusted very few people. Aubrie happened to be one of them.

"What are we looking at?" she asked, stuffing her badge back into her pocket. Joel looked up from his phone, obviously shocked to see her.

"You got here fast. I just told Edison to call you."

"Out for a run." She hadn't checked her phone since she left her apartment, but it was good that she was in the area, "Do we know anything?"

"A woman that lives in the neighborhood a block away saw an arm sticking out of the sand while she was walking her dog and called it in. There are track marks on the wrists and in between the fingers. We won't know more until they dig the rest of the body up. You can take a look, tell me if you see something." Nodding, Aubrie walked to the body parts that could very well be severed.

There were several forensic analysts already onsite, brushing away dirt and collecting bits of evidence. She bent her knees and stared at the skin that could've once been a warm brown but was now ashen from ocean air and lack of blood circulation. It was a woman's hand.

Someone handed Aubrie a pair of bright blue gloves, and she quickly slipped them on, examining the marks Detective Hughes mentioned to her. The first thing she noticed was the pattern. Every mark made on the wrist was uniform, deliberate, identical in each spot on opposite sides of the palmaris longus. Unlikely for an addict.

She also saw what looked like a fading bruise from some kind of restraint. Standing, she walked to the foot and ankle that had been dug up. Through the sand dust, another fading bruise circled the ankle. Exhaling roughly, she pulled her gloves off.

Until they were finished digging, there wasn't much for her to do. The body would be on her table soon enough, and she would have answers but even more questions. Nothing was certain. At some point, the woman could've been held against her will, tortured. Those bruises were only one piece of the puzzle. Who knew what was lying in what appeared to be a shallow grave?

Instead of her mind being clear at the end of her run, it raced. Her heart began to pound in her chest. Different scenarios flew through her brain, and her eyes darted back and forth as one of the analysts bent down in front of her to take pictures.

Focus.

Heartbeat in her ears, she zeroed in on the face being dusted off and fought to hold in the scream that wanted to claw its way out of her throat. She thought her eyes might be playing tricks on her, but the clearer the woman's features became, the more Aubrie's stomach sank.

Tears filled her eyes before she could stop them, and she lifted her sleeve to her mouth to muffle her sob.

"Parrish, do you need a minute?" Detective Hughes asked. She shook her head and sniffed, forcing herself to appear strong even though she felt like setting the world on fire.

"I know her," she said quietly, "Her name's Bianca Cross. She works at Sticky Fingers. Worked."

"How familiar are you with her?"

"She's a popular bartender. Very friendly, always remembered my order. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill her. She got along with everybody that walked into that place."

"We don't know that she was killed. People lead all kind of lives. You look pretty shaken up. Can you handle this or do you want me to give it to Tate?"

"I can handle it."

Aubrie officially had a personal vendetta. Her gut said murder, and she was going to listen to it. The person responsible would pay. She'd see to that.

[pbandjesse]

I feel a lot better today. I am still very burned out but it wasn't as intense. Some of the improvement was I slept in an extra hour.

I actually got really stress out first thing. Like I slept and then woke up and realized that we didn't move the car for street cleaning. And I absolutely rushed through getting washed and threw on an outfit I didn't like and ran out the door. I sat in the car with the AC on and put on my makeup and things would feel a little better but man. That was not fun.

Then the phone corn is still not working. I actually think that the connection in the car is what isn't working. But we'll figure it out. James was supposed to get us new charger cords today. So I'll see if it fixes the issue tomorrow.

I got to camp around 9. And thing were fine. It was to hot today, way to humid. I hated my outfit. I would eventually change into the dress I stayed in. Katerina told me she liked it a lot and that made me feel good. Because while I wasn't feeling as sick I was still uncomfy.

Ty would come and sit with me and tell me some drama that's going down. I want to help but I think he's just done with camp. Like he's said as much but he was sticking it out. I offered my help with packing things away. He told me he has dropped things off this evening so I'll deal with that in the morning.

I was struggling though. Just being so overheated. My group would come and be great though. I honestly just had good groups today and that was really nice. Jorge would bring me a stuffie to add weighted beans too. And I did it to my pink puppy, Poochy, as well. Later Brayden would bring me one too and I'm excited that I was able to help.

The kids made some really nice pieces today. Some that were hilarious. Some that were super effective and nice. I worked on sorting the cardboard so it is more accessible. The kids would still struggle to cut things but honestly we had better luck today and while we were still helping them it wasnt as much as I expected.

Lunch was a disappointment. I walked down there and found out it was quinoa and was like. Nevermind. I invited Celia to come sit in the art building with me when she was done and I went to lay in the dark.

I left the doors open though and just enjoyed laying in front of the fan. Watched tiktoks. A few people came in to chat. I also shared some materials with people who needed it. And eventually Celia did come up and we sat in the dark and worked on things sepertly. Parallel play if you will.

My afternoon groups were nice. It was just very hot and I was struggling with that. I brought my battery fan outside and that helped. And I would work on my knitting while the kids made their work and it was fun seeing them creating some really nice pieces. The counselors were helpful. It was a good time.

I had my mini afternoon break. And helped a few more camp awards. I went to talk to the office and get some stuff handled for the rest of the week. Especially packing things away from the other specialties. Hopefully they get me their materials soon. Because I have the space ready!!

Bontkirchen was great. They did beading and bracelets. And I worked on my painting. Which is complete!! The roof took me forever. I had to redo it so many times. But I love it. The color is exactly right but that's fine. I also added the beaded people on the banding and I am just thrilled. The girls really hyped me up too and that felt great.

I also got a lot of hugs today from councilors when they realized it's their last art class with me for the year!! That's so cute. Love getting hugs.

My last group of the day was very good. The oldest day campers. And they barely needed help, and the ones that did were good listeners and I enjoyed their company. They did a great job helping me clean up. I even got to work with a little boy I've seen over the years who loves loves loves sculpture, and is always good for me but struggles everywhere else. So it was just really cool to see him doing so well.

Once we were done I walked to the office to give them my painting. They made a big fuss about it and Elizabeth hung it up on the wall. I am very proud.

Me and CJ walked back to the art building and she told me some very sweet stories about her date this past weekend. And I'm so pleased that she has found someone that she feels like they will take care of her. She deserves to be taken care of!! Love CJ so much.

I drove home. No gps because the cord wasn't working. But I got the Bluetooth to play my podcast at least. It wasn't a bad drive home but I really wanted to just lay down.

When I got home James was making us home made mac and cheese. The apartment smelled so nice.

I had a present for them. Me and Jess ordered them a cheap smart watch! So they can track activities and see messages. It may not exactly work the way I hoped though so I may exchange it. But so far so good! I think it is a cool gift and I hope they enjoy it.

I took a shower and once I was dressed I would work on my lesson plans. I finished the second of the 5 and started the 3rd. But I got pretty bored. I wanted to be done and I didn't want to be on the computer.

The dinner James made was good though. I like the broccoli. And the Mac and cheese was great but was very hot and burned my tongue. Which just got better form my allergic reaction on Sunday. At least it tasted good.

I've been in the AC since then. Just resting. James came and laid with me because I was distressed about my neck hurting so much. But I am a little better now.

I hope tomorrow is a good day. I hope you are all safe and feeling good. Goodnight everyone.

[thekinkyleopard]

New Guy

Pt. 3 of a mini series

A Remi x Levi Non-canon Fiction

⚠️Content Warning⚠️

🍊

Fluff, Alcohol, Cheating & DV mention

Wow, part 3 already? I’ve decided to actually put some drama and juicy context in this part, seeing as the last two parts were lots of sexual tension. 🥴 Get ready for some fluffy cute shit. @aller-geez Owns Remi and did the preview art!

“Okay I’ve packed my bags, got my shit, chargers…smokes…” Alistar patted himself up and down with flat palms. He looked around as he stood in the doorway with two bloated suitcases. “You swear you’ll be okay with just Remi here? I hate to leave you guys behind but Connie is my emotional support person, and I need her with me when I attend these seminars…” the dragon was solemn in his tone, he raised a hand to brush his fingers tenderly across Levi’s cheek. The leopard nudged back with low effort and reassurance on his face.

“It’s okay, you guys can FaceTime me whenever you’re free, and I’ll actually, MAYBE, have Remi to talk to, instead of being alone when you guys go on these trips,” this wasn’t the first time Al and Connie left to attend NA Seminars, and help various struggling people on the streets. Usually gone months at a time. It was their life’s work and Levi never wanted to dim or step on that shared passion, so, often he would just do his own thing, craft and nest. In the last year he had started an OF for sexual creativity and profit, but mostly for creativity and it was doing alright. His sub price was $25 and he had about 80 subscribers currently? Which was really decent income for him, however, it still wasn’t quite enough when you live in New York.

Connie came quietly walking in with her bags in tow, quickly throwing her arms over her big brother now, Levi returning the affections. They squeezed each other tightly before eventually letting go. “You be good to yourself okay? And take care of yourself,” Levi scolded his little sister, knowing she had a tendency to self neglect when she got overworked. Connie nodded knowingly, but smiling still.

“Alright, Puss, don’t miss us too much,” reaching over to ruffle the white hairs on his boyfriend’s head. Levi huffed and rolled his eyes. Remi, who happened to be walking by in that moment, to grab a glass of water from the kitchen nearby, audibly scoffed. Alistar looked over at Remi before shaking it off and leaning in to kiss Levi, but immediately feeling insecure, due to the leopard turning quickly so that the dragon’s lips would land upon his cheek.

“No kisses for men that don’t listen,” he frowned at Al, who looked at him sadly, like a kicked puppy.

“Why is every other man in the world allowed to give their partner a cute pet name but me?” Standing up straight now, accepting that his partner was going to remain stubborn on this stance.

“I’m not going to do this with you right now, just please have safe travels, take care of yourself and have fun okay?” The leopard swallowed the argument and Alistar seemed to light up at the sincerity in the second half of that sentence, and also at seemingly winning this time. For now. They exchanged a short peck and I love yous, before Connie and Alistar both grabbed up all their things and headed out the front door. The second the door was closed and the coast was clear, Levi sighed loudly with irritation. “UGGGGHHHH!!!” Stomping his feet audibly as he charged into the living room. “WHY?! Why is he so STUBBORN!? And SELFISH?!” He picked up one of the couch pillows and stuffed his face into it, screaming loudly. Remi stood in the threshold between kitchen and living room, slowly drinking his cup of water as he watched his roommate have a break down.

“wHy cAnT i jUsT cAlL yOu….CAUSE I SAID NO!? Cause I’d rather you DIDNT??” He argued with the window, unaware of the wolf’s presence. Remi let out a subtle snort as he couldn’t help but laugh at how the other mocked his own partner.

“Yeah?” He finally said out loud with an amused smirk spread across his face. Levi nearly jumped out of his skin and turned swiftly around to see his roommate standing there, smug as usual.

“Yeah!” Furrowing his eyebrows feeling reassured it was just them now, standing with feet shoulder width apart, hands firmly on his hips. “Who does he think he is???” Clearly still blinded with rage he now thought Remi was apart of this conversation. Might as well be right?

“I couldn’t tell you that, but he certainly thinks he can do whatever he wants to you..which I mean, I guess, to each their own,” trying hard to stay mutual during this awkward conversation he was thrusted into. He knew he should have just gone to his room.

“No, he does fer sure…and I let him, and I don’t know why I do..I think I do it for Connie because that’s her best friend…it would break her heart for her to know how poorly he treats her brother…” he sighed feeling out of angry steam now, he plopped himself down onto the couch. “He preaches a big game about being sober and being a better person but he has this anger….this horrible anger to him..” he muttered gently as he rubbed his own bicep, almost like he was trying to clear away a memory.

“Well, like, I mean yeah I hear him yelling at you sometimes, I don’t know how you really hide that from her…she’s mute not deaf,” the wolf chuckled nervously, trying to cope through this situation with humor.

“No, there’s…there’s this silent rage, it only comes out very rarely when we are alone but…” shaking his head he looked up and made eye contact with Remi now, expression quickly shifting. “No it’s fine, I’m just overwhelmed…he’s a good boyfriend, I’m not sure what I was saying,” Levi then proceeded to muster up the fakest laugh he could to cover up the mess he just made.

“You know, you could just say you changed your mind and don’t wanna talk about it…you don’t have to defend him to protect your privacy,” shrugging his wide shoulders before taking another sip of water. The leopard took that in, and let it register before he spoke again.

“Thanks for listening, Remi….since we got the house to ourselves you wanna play a game or watch a movie?” Trying to cheer himself up a bit by spending time with someone that didn’t make his blood regularly boil.

“I mean….if you’re asking then sure, I could get into either but I’m going to go grab a beer you want a claw?” He asked before already walking back towards the kitchen.

“Yeah sure I’ll take one, surprise me,” Levi replied leaning back to flip through the movies on Netflix. It had been about two weeks since the 3am incident happened and they’ve both done their due diligence to make sure things didn’t become weird in the house. Remi had tried to initiate conversations with Connie, though finding it difficult, and even sometimes finding small ways to communicate with Al. He figured he might as well make it seem a bit more authentic than fixating on one specific taken housemate.

Not long after Levi chose to put on Mean Girls, did Remi return with their cold beverages, handing the leopard a Lime flavored white claw. “Thanks!” Responding cheerfully to his roomie, Remi throwing himself down next to the younger, observing what was being displayed on the screen now.

“No problem, what are we doing?“ asking curiously as he cracked open the IPA, taking a long sip from the bottle. By the time he pulled it from his lips, half of it was already gone. Levi pulled the tab open on his seltzer and took a generous chug.

“Watching Mean Girls..It’s my favorite movie,” wiggling excitedly as he sipped on his beverage. The wolf sighed deeply and shook his head, forcing the rest of his beer down the hatch to prepare himself, placing the empty bottle down on the side table close to him.

“You’re lucky you’re cute enough to get away with that sad little fact,” Levi blushed brightly looking over at his roommate with genuine surprise. Remi raised a thin brow and smirked again “What? It’s just us here, no need to hide it,” opening his arm up to hang along the back of the couch. He wasn’t wrong, there was no point playing coy when just a few weeks ago they were doing rather unspeakable things in this very space, his boyfriend actually in the house too. Feeling confident, Levi slowly slid into the empty spot inside of Remi’s open arm, the wolf smirking at this small action of affection and wrapped the loose arm around the smaller’s shoulders, pulling him in. “You know I don’t see you and Alistar cuddled up on the couch ever,” he noted with a slight tease to the tone of his voice. Levi sighed deeply, pushing closer into the man.

“Yeah, cause he’s a jerk and I don’t want to cuddle with a jerk,” furrowing his brows once again as he huffed trying to focus on the movie ahead, still sipping slowly on his seltzer.

“I’m a jerk, but you’ll cuddle me,” Levi looked up at Remi with those pretty blue eyes and the wolf could feel himself melt internally as his heart skipped a beat.

“You’re actually not a jerk, you’re a fake jerk,” the leopard said with assured confidence.

“Fake jerk?” Remi questioned unsure of what his roommate could mean by that.

“You leave the light on in the hall and on the porch for Connie when you know she’s going to be home late, only I do that but the few times I’ve fallen asleep, you did it for me….Alistar being her best friend has never even considered it…” The raven haired man scoffed and waved his hand dismissively, Levi sat up a bit more, setting his drink on the coffee table to the side.

“What? It’s important to me that my roommate can properly see when she gets home so she doesn’t make a bunch of noise and wake me up, that’s all,” trying to play it cool, but it didn’t seem to convince the other any.

“I have left my food out on the counter so many times since you’ve moved in, something I did regularly and I’d get sad because I’d have to throw it out….but you seemingly noticed this small issue of mine and now every morning after I’ve had left overs, I’ll find them in the fridge ….Alistar has known this fact about me since we started dating, not once has he bothered to save my leftovers from my adhd…” now the younger’s face blushed again, his eyes averting to look at the ground. Remi, blushing himself, as he didn’t think the leopard would have caught onto something so small like that. “And the last 4 times I’ve fallen asleep on the couch? I wake up to a blanket…now my sister is a loving person, but as she’s a snow leopard like myself, she knows we don’t really get cold, Alistar has never in his life bothered me while sleeping…and I’ve fallen asleep on the couch before waking up to no blanket, but then you move in and suddenly, blanket…why?” Looking up at him now. The wolf looked away sharply to avoid the smaller male’s gaze, his cheeks were bright red and he felt like he was under observation.

“Well….you look so cute there sleeping…I just want to make sure you’re comfortable…” his words came out in a low mutter, almost incomprehensible if Levi didn’t have immaculate hearing.

“Point being, fake jerk,” nodding with victorious success before the wolf quickly grabbed a pillow from his side of the couch, whipping it around with force to smush his roommate in the face. “He—mmmppff!” The man was cute off by the force. Remi laughed and retracted the pillow only to start aggressively slapping the leopard around with it. “Hey! Knock it off!” The white haired one giggled playfully as he put his hands up in defense.

“I’m not a fake Jerk! Say it! Say I’m a jerk!” His mouth pulled open in a full toothy grin, Remi beating the pillow over the other’s slim body without reserve.

“Never!!” The cat challenged him holding his arms out to protect his face, the wolf squinted his eyes letting go of the pillow and pulling his hands up in an open grab. Levi’s bright blue eyes opened wide in terror. “No…NO REMI,” started to scramble himself backward on the opposite end of the couch to escape the inevitable.

“Say it…” inching closer with his grabby hands.

“….bite me…” sticking out his tongue now that was quickly followed by a girlish screech the second the wolf lunged toward him and started an assault of tickles. Levi squirmed and laughed, snorting every 4th, internally he felt miserable, he was in so much pain as the laughter boiled over in the base of his stomach. “No!! R-hah! Hahah!! REMI! ST-ahHAHAP” begging mercifully, their bodies tangled as Remi’s fingers danced across the leopard’s sensitive flesh. “PLEASE!” He gasped for air in between assaults. The wolf continued to laugh boisterously, expertly moving from thighs, to pits, to sides, to thighs again. Desperately trying to kick himself free, Levi wrapped his leg once around Remi’s hip and with a sharp twist, Levi pushed them both onto the ground, landing himself on top of the wolf who hit the ground with a thud. The wind almost knocked out of him, Remi gave a breathless chuckle.

“Hey! Cheater!” Teasing the other that currently had the upper hand. Levi wiggled himself back and forth sticking his tongue out again while straddling Remi’s lap. The elder sat up now, eye level with the cheeky leopard. “God…you’re just…” sucking his lower lip in once to swallow the word ‘cute’. Levi raised a brow looking at the man quizzically before suddenly taken by surprise. Remi had pushed every thought aside and without hesitation pressed their lips together, tenderly. The younger was shocked, eyes widened before lidding, and closing. His stomach turned, fluttered and flipped, he felt like there were fireworks going off inside his brain as he leaned in, deepening the kiss.

Desperate to feel, chasing the high that he got from being around Levi, Remi pulled a hand up just enough to gingerly hold the side of the leopard’s head. He felt like the whole room was spinning around him, but he and the smaller stayed still in this moment as their lips clashed and pushed up against each other. Their hearts beating in rhythmic unison as they could taste each other’s breath. The atmosphere around them filled with sounds of soft grunts, whimpers and the slopping of wet mouths. He didn’t want to, but he knew he had to, with light force, Remi pushed them apart, both of them working to catch their breath again. “Whoa..whoa…okay we gotta stop…” the wolf uttered softly, breathlessly against Levi’s plush and swelling lips. The messy haired cat pushed their foreheads together and gently shook his head.

“No…I want more..” his tone almost sad.

“Levi…you have a boyfriend, we can’t…” though trying to be realistic with the situation, it didn’t stop the wolf from rubbing the pad of his thumb just below the leopard saddened left eye.

“He’s a terrible boyfriend, Remi…I don’t want to be with him anymore and I only do it for Connie…you being here has solidified what I’ve always known to be true…he’s not the one for me,” eyes connecting as the leopard spilled his truth.

“Levi…” trying desperately to talk him off a ledge, this was only supposed to be a fun, silly little fling..suddenly the leopard was having a life crisis on him? Though, if he had to be honest with himself, he was like a puppy in a toy store…this man wanted, him? ‘No…he didn’t say that Remi, chill, dude…’ he thought inwardly to himself.

“No, Remi please…at least let me finally get it off my chest…” the wolf could tell he was being serious, not just impulsive and thinking with his dick. There was something Levi clearly has been holding back from the people he lives closely with. The raven haired man nodded gently, never moving as they stayed intimately entangled. “When we first started dating it was….magical…really, we went places, our sex life was consistent and …I mean it was good but…” blushing brightly as he could see Remi’s eyebrows shift to that of slight jealousy mentioning intimacy with Al. Giggling, Levi found jealousy adorable on ‘scary’ men. “I’m sorry, okay, I’ll be brief…it was vanilla. He just doesn’t listen…which is the main issue, we have been together almost two years officially and he has not once retained a single thing I’ve ever said…my favorite movie, my favorite craft, my favorite food….he doesn’t care, Remi, and I thought I could over look that but…then the fighting started…” sighing deeply with utter pain in his heart. “He does this thing, after a really bad argument, he says things like ‘I don’t know why you insist on fighting with me, Levi, you’ll have nothing if I finally can’t deal with your shit,’ “ The way Levi described it, Remi could feel the blood boiling in his skin…’settle down…’

“He gets like post argument anger even after we talk it out…the second he’s alone with his thoughts he comes back and starts passive aggressively berating me, and I have to take it because the few times I’ve tried to defend myself he…..” suddenly he felt like his throat was about to close up. Levi had built this resentment towards his partner for so long without telling a single soul, and now that he was finally getting it out in the open he just felt so vulnerable and exposed. Remi looked at the man with concern in his eyes. The leopard burst into tears, trying to cover his face now, embarrassed to be seen like this by the other. “He chokes me…he tries to suffocate me with his hands, clothes or pillows, he does whatever he can to silence me if I speak up, and I’m too terrified to do ANYTHING about it as he tells me I’m worthless, because….BECAUSE!!” Pausing before the sadness simply gushed out of his soul “I got to have a childhood…and Connie had nothing!! She was taken away from us… and I can’t destroy her version of the one person she calls family…I can’t do it….” He sobbed gently into his hands, trying to desperately clog the water works with the sleeves of his sweater.

Remi furrowed his brows, ‘What?? So that’s what’s been going on?’ He thought deeply to himself as he listened to Levi’s words. “Connie has never seen this behavior??” The wolf questioned with a sudden possessive rage to the tone of his voice. Levi simply shook his head.

“We both try to hide it…he apologizes within a few days because he knows…he knows it’s wrong…that’s why we both don’t let Connie see it…we just pretend, and I just continue to swallow my own happiness…” Remi was no longer able to take hearing the heartbreak and sheer sadness in the cat’s voice. He enveloped Levi in a full hug, arms squeezed tightly around him as the younger buried his face into his strong, forest scented chest.

“Levi…you deserve to be loved properly…” he whispered gently into the other’s ear. “You’re so kind…and funny, and amazingly attractive I mean my god….you shouldn’t stifle everything wonderful about yourself for the sake of your sister…she would be devastated to know you’re being abused like this,” lifting the other’s chin by his index and thumb so they could look at each other again. “Tell me how I can help you….please…” the wolf desperate to take away this man’s pain. Levi was feeling a slew of emotions; sadness, regret, comfort, admiration, defeat…free…his eyes scanned the other’s back and forth while his brain worked to find a solution.

“Just…kiss me again…just like you did, like you mean it..” the leopard’s voice gentle, blue orbs filled with sincerity, and the larger male was of no use against the look in his eyes. With one smooth motion, Remi leaned in again and reunited their soft lips together as one with full passion. Levi pressed himself closer, chest to chest, arms now wrapping loosely around the man’s neck and shoulders in a criss cross position. The wolf snaking his arms tightly around the leopard’s thin waist. Their mouths glided against each other, a clash of tongues and fervor as everything washed away from them. For the first time, and probably the only time, Levi felt safe inside someone’s grasp. Waves of dopamine pulsating through both parties as they carelessly made out on the living room floor, the faint sound of Mean Girls still playing in the background. None of it mattered anymore, as long as this moment in time was permanent. From this moment forward, Levi was going to soak up every minute of these next three months with Remington. It was finally time he allowed himself happiness. After sharing a long, amorous kiss, Remi pulled away gradually, catching his breath again. “You wanna restart the movie?” His voice but a meer whisper.

“Why? We can watching something else…” Levi’s eyes still half lidded as he breathed haggardly.

“I want to watch this movie though,” Remi cocked a half grin as he nuzzled the other’s flushed freckled face.

“Why? You were just clowning on it?” Giggling breathlessly, the leopard nuzzled back.

“Because…it’s your favorite,” the other stated simply, before placing a sweet peck upon the tip of the cat’s nose. Levi’s freckled face turned up into a large, joyful grin at the black haired man’s response.

To be continued…

[acwolyf]

The Origin of ACwO Fire: Redefining Shared Audio Experiences

The Birth of ACwO Fire: A Revolution in Shared Audio

It all started on a typical day at our R&D lab, where the team was brainstorming the next game-changing innovation to elevate how India experiences audio. Among the group were two visionary thinkers—let’s call them Ramesh and Suresh—both known for their out-of-the-box ideas. Outside, the warm breeze gently stirred the windows, blending with the distant hum of traffic. Ramesh, a master multitasker, sipped his favorite coffee while testing a new pair of earbuds that had just arrived on their desk. Immersed in the music, he looked calm and focused, completely absorbed in the sound.

Across from him sat Suresh, feeling frustrated. He had forgotten his own earbuds at home and had earlier asked Ramesh to share one. However, caught up in his music, Ramesh had quickly declined. As Ramesh continued enjoying his tunes, Suresh was left to contend with the random sounds of traffic, clinking cups, and hallway footsteps. Annoyed and distracted, he struggled to focus, wondering why sharing audio had to be such a hassle. Then, inspiration struck. What if there was a solution where no one had to compromise? What if two people could enjoy the same audio experience independently, without sharing a single earbud?

With newfound energy, Suresh grabbed a pencil and furiously began sketching his idea. The concept was simple yet revolutionary: Dual Sharing earbuds—two pairs housed in one case, allowing each person to enjoy their own audio experience without feeling left out. He excitedly called over Ramesh, who paused his music long enough to glance at the sketch. Realizing the brilliance of the idea, Ramesh’s eyes lit up. They both knew they had just stumbled upon something revolutionary. That idea became what we now know as ACwO Fire.

What began as a moment of frustration sparked the creation of a product that has since transformed how we share and experience audio. Two pairs of earbuds, one case—perfect for friends, couples, or anyone who values uninterrupted, independent sound. ACwO Fire wasn’t just born from innovation, but from solving a real-world problem. And so, on an otherwise ordinary day, the future of audio in India was ignited, just like Fire.

Enhancing Shared Experiences

We’ve all been there—wanting to share a favorite song or podcast with a friend, only to deal with the awkwardness of passing around a single earbud. ACwO Fire changes that completely. Picture you and a friend on a road trip, each immersed in your own pair of earbuds, yet vibing to the same playlist without compromising sound quality. With two pairs of earbuds in one compact case, you can both dive into your own audio worlds while staying connected. Whether it’s discovering new music together or sharing a laugh over a podcast, ACwO Fire enhances those moments, turning everyday experiences into something special.

A Solution for Every Lifestyle

In today’s fast-paced world, multitasking is second nature, and ACwO Fire offers the perfect solution for balancing life’s demands. Whether you’re a professional, a gamer, or a music lover, these earbuds cater to your diverse needs. Imagine using one pair of earbuds for important work calls, ensuring clarity and focus, while the second pair is reserved for your favorite playlist or podcast. Seamlessly transition from work to play without missing a beat. It’s not just about convenience; it’s about empowering you to enjoy the best of both worlds.

No More Dead Battery Drama

Now, picture yourself on a road trip with friends, cruising down the highway as laughter fills the car. Suddenly, one of your earbuds dies. Panic sets in as you search for a charger or backup. But with ACwO Fire, that frustration is a thing of the past. The clever design lets you switch between pairs effortlessly. If one set runs low on battery, simply grab the other and keep the good vibes rolling. It’s like having a built-in backup plan, ensuring your audio experience remains uninterrupted. Plus, with wireless charging, powering up on the go is easy and hassle-free.

Perfect for Couples

For couples, ACwO Fire is a game-changer. Imagine a cozy evening at home, snuggled up on the couch, ready to watch your favorite movie. With ACwO Fire, both of you can connect to the same device and enjoy the soundtrack through your own earbuds. No more passing a single earbud back and forth or struggling to hear over one another. It enhances your shared moments, making entertainment more enjoyable and intimate.

Next-Gen Sound: From Noise Control to Gaming Modes

ACwO Fire doesn’t just offer convenience; it’s packed with advanced features that elevate your listening experience. With Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) up to 32dB and AI-ENC for crystal-clear calls, even in noisy environments, you can block out distractions and focus on what matters. For gamers, the ultra-low latency ensures precise sound synchronization, immersing you fully in the game. And with multi-device connectivity, switching between work and play has never been smoother. Whether you're a music lover, gamer, or someone who needs crystal-clear calls, ACwO Fire delivers top-tier performance, making it one of the best wireless earbuds under 2500.

The creation of ACwO Fire is a testament to how everyday frustrations can inspire brilliant innovations. What began as Suresh’s annoyance evolved into a product that has redefined how we experience shared audio. With its sleek design and powerful features, ACwO Fire is more than just a pair of earbuds—it’s an essential companion for anyone who values connectivity, style, and functionality. So next time you’re looking for the best earbuds for travelling, watching movies, or staying connected, remember the story of ACwO Fire—a product born from a simple idea, now enhancing how we listen, share, and connect.

[guste-disgusted]

who is your audience?

Whenever we work on a design project, my design tutors welcome us in an auditorium and give us some direction, always emphasizing "think about your audience", and I do this through bitten teeth. And now, when I am writing something and do it without anyone looking through my shoulder I dismiss the good old tip about audience, and I am sure that my tutors would like to choke me with a Macbook charger for doing it. But to keep them from committing a crime against a 21-year-old I would like to say that even though I don’t think about people who will read me potentially, I am considering how to communicate with them. My choice is to talk to them as if they were my little sisters. And as the oldest of the three I got into a role of delivering the bitter truth when needed, and wiping their tears when no one is there to do it and biting them slightly - not out of maliciousness, but out of love, because according to three of us, the sisterhood is all about teasing, stealing lipsticks and hugging right the second you see each other. Therefore, it seems fitting to say something I said to my sister some time ago.

The bitter truth that I have shared with my sister who tends to idealise others time and time again is that “no one is as flawless as you think”. But she still believes that everyone gets things done easily while she has to grind for each task. She looks at me with some slight jealousy every time I had to do something related to art, as everything gets done “perfectly” (if such thing even exists” without the smallest hindrance. And she didn’t see the hours I spent by an easel or hoovering above some old table in art school, how many times I spent £20 on a boring exhibition and the amount of books I had to read just to finish a sentence in an essay. She doesn’t see how miserable I am in the kitchen from time to time, or how bad I am with sports, can’t tell which side is left or right, and that I am so pathetic with everything related to driving that I have decided not to even try to get a licence. In spite of the fact that she seems to focus on my better side (owning 6 fur coats and looking amazing in them), I have faith that one day, she will internalise what I say and understand that everyone struggles.

I actually believe that before we draw the first breath upon arrival into this world, we get a set of tools. And each day we use that set to overcome unavoidable obstacles.

Imagine a competition between two people: one has a teaspoon, the other has a shovel, and the first task is to dig a hole. Sure, the shovel is better suited to that, but what happens when the next day comes and you both compete in dessert eating? Do you think the person owning a shovel doesn’t envy your elegant, engraved silver spoon?

And my little sister doesn’t hear me when I praise her for her ability to understand chemistry and her skills to keep every single plant on this planet alive. But she likes my self-cut little fringe even though she has fabulous hair herself. Of course, the grass is always greener on the other side, but I hope that one day she realises the beauty and potential of the grass on her own side, especially considering her immaculate talent to keep every small plant flourishing.

[wolfliving]

The road to rent-a-scooter hell

...Bird became the largest micromobility company in North America this fall after purchasing competitor Spin. It was once valued at more than $2 billion and seemed to epitomize a shiny future of clean urban transport. But ridership slumped during the pandemic—and so did Bird’s shares after its 2021 stock market debut. In late 2022, after a series of business setbacks, the company warned investors that it could go bankrupt. It was booted from the New York Stock Exchange in September of this year for failing to consistently maintain a market cap of $15 million. As the company scrambled to survive, it has squeezed its fleet managers harder. On December 20, their situation became more uncertain when Bird announced it was filing for bankruptcy.

The years leading up to that moment have been tough for many Bird fleet managers. More than a dozen current or former fleet managers in the US, who like John asked for anonymity, fearing retaliation from Bird, described their unstable and sometimes punishing relationships with the company. They made personal and monetary sacrifices for Bird while, as contractors, having little power over their working conditions. And as Bird’s business struggled, fleet managers were presented with updated contracts that John and others say have cut their income by about half. The situation for some fleet managers has become desperate. One in the Pacific Northwest said he had only slept eight hours on a recent weekend and that he and his two employees have all been in separate car accidents on the job. Three other fleet managers say they have sometimes carried guns when on the street with Bird scooters, because brandishing a weapon can feel useful when facing off scooter thieves or vandals. Several former West Coast fleet managers carried Tasers while on the job.

WIRED sent a list of questions to Bird based on interviews with fleet managers, but company spokesperson Adam Davis declined to address most of them. He said that Bird was ending the fleet manager program in some cities—apparently cutting the contractors loose and replacing them with staff or new contractors who handle more scooters and are paid less. In a statement sent to WIRED before the bankruptcy announcement, Michael Washinushi, Bird’s interim CEO, said the company got new management and ownership this year that was trying to “reset” how the company does business. “Through the course of the year, management has improved operations while being laser focused on providing a safe and enjoyable experience for our riders and an improved relationship with our partners, including our fleet managers,” Washinushi said.

“Stupid Money”

Bird grew fast. The company was founded in September 2017 with just 10 scooters in Santa Monica, California. Nine months later it had raised more than $300 million in funding at a valuation of about $2 billion. As city dwellers flirted with the fun and novelty of being able to hop on an electric ride, investors embraced the idea that scooters could upend urban transport by replacing cars.

Part of Bird’s model was to outsource the challenging logistics of leaving scooters propped up in public places for anyone to rent, steal, or abuse. In the company’s early days, it invited people to become freelance “chargers” who got paid for finding and recharging scooters low on battery, and it used freelance mechanics for repairs, paying out on a per-scooter basis. The company started hiring salaried mechanics in some cities to repair scooters in early 2019...

[hummingbird-games]

Fuck it, I drank matcha earlier and my laptop's gonna die because I'm too lazy to get the charger, so let's do this

April x Corey relationship and why it could work:

Black and Bi (know the struggle tooooo well of how weird people get about them liking the same sex)

Mom Probs™️ (though April might be able to work thru hers sooner)

People pleaser vs DGAF (Corey is working on it, and April has a resting bitch face, and even though they each think the other could handle situations differently, neither of them would keep this thought to themselves

both are introverted in their own ways!!! (bookworm boy meets artsy girl, comfortable in the silence with each other

Corey has chronic anxiety and April's can be a lil grouch, but she's buckets more patient than I could ever see Ariel being?? Though April's tough love aligns a lot with Keegan, so millage will vary

My thoughts on a Corey x Lydia relationship

Don't laugh too hard, but as the writer I have full authority to say that Corey and Lydia are in relationships they have no business staying in 😭😭😭 Ariel and Morgan??? Not so bad when the relationships started out, ya know??

But Ariel is a biphobe and she knew she was uncomfortable with Corey's sexuality early on in the relationship but decided not to address those feelings.

Morgan eventually (rightfully) put together that his girlfriend had feelings for someone else, but unfortunately the blame rests on both Lyd and him because they're pushing to stay together when one of them is still silently hoping for a different ending.

Annnnnd with Corey working for Bombshell for a bit, and Lydia also being there due to her mom, I can imagine the two struck up a friendship of sorts, and I can totally see them eventually sharing things with each other they'd have trouble talking about with their other friends. (sexuality, their parents, relationships, video games that Lydia loves that Corey only knows about thanks to Oke zklshfJShdfj)

So. Walk with me. When MC turns down Lydia (as she will since um, Florence and MC are a thing in the Crushed-verse), that gives Lydia the means to finally put those feelings to bed. Obviously she'll still have a soft spot for her childhood crush, but that window is shut. And maybe she'll finally break up with Morgan too and set herself free.

And Corey will be broken up officially with Ariel, but he's nursing his hurts too. And some time will go by--because in order for Corey and Lydia to work as a couple, time HAS to go by--. And I could see Corey making a move first, to see how Lydia reacts, and I could see Lydia realizing that maybe Corey is more than a friend to her...

tbh, I see them more as a 'got together the summer before college' type couple.

And STILL together before Keeg and Oke, helppp

[atmymercy]

Hii tea, hope youre doing well!

sorrry for didnt reply you on your dms, idk why im like this but i struggle to answear others and there are about 3 people that I talk to like that for a while in my messages

i would like to participate in your giveaway!

the music i choose is: gorillaz - new gold.

Its a song that talk about a mysterious woman and i like to think that is about a fortune teller, kinda the high priestess vibe so it reminds about you!

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

But in the magic cove, there's a pretty one I asked her where it goes 'cause I really want I wonder if she knows that we're underwater That's the way it goes in the city wonder

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

My question is: how will my next boo will spoil me? I'm needy 😭

P

xoxo

hello princess p! i am! thank you for hoping so! i hope you are as well!

and omg honey you are so silly! i don't mind at all! i just hope you know with me, nothing is ever late! it's fate! lol

oooh i love the sireny high priestess vibe going on right here! which is funny because i was thinking a mermaid tarot deck would be fun to get! lol so i think you did pretty great on this!

for you, i got the 5 of swords, 7 of wands & 4 of coins.

so your next boo will spoil you in the way of not really wanting to argue with you or letting you down kind of thing. aka if you two do have a disagreement, they are most likely going to give in to you and let you feel like you "won" when really they're just being very kind. you should watch out for this because obviously, you don't want to take advantage of them or make them feel neglected if they want to let you win out a lot! aka they spoil you, honey! they also spoil you by defending you against others and not letting other people tear you down! they do not stand for that at all! for gifts, i see a lot of small things that are helpful or useful for around the house or for you. like if you lose your charger, suddenly they've gotten you a new one! or a new bathmat when yours gets old and raggedy.

hope you enjoyed it! please give feedback or buy me a coffee when you can! if you want to explore this further, please consider a private read as well. also thank you for sharing with me!♡

love & light!

-tea

as always, my rules & info are in my pinned post if you're interested in a reading of your own!

[insomni-beam]

it is my sacred duty as an eastern eurpoean to add onto this

the last stall of every single bathroom being the desgnated consuming-substances space

ps, the space behind the second door of the Big bathroom being the designated Big Group substance-consuming space

pps, the teachers and students chatting in the smokers corner behind the school

teachers assigning the last 5 minutes of their classes as study time before big tests

speedrunning your assignment before your teachers arrives by your desk to pick it up and them waiting for you while you sign your name at the top

piercings being done in the bathroom but only on tuesdays

the one teacher having a blog where he shit talks the school and the other teachers

the green dragon plushie my desk group is raising together. additionally, the penguin plush perched on top of the smartboard (classroom mascot)

the security lady ushering smoking students off to class while on school grounds, but smoking and chatting with you outside by the gate

writing poems in your journal the entirety of the lecture time, still replying correctly when called on by the professor

half of the class reading books under their desk while a student is taking a particularly long time solving an equation on the board

dividing 100-problem assignments between the whole class so we get them done faster

the entire class speaking the last, not-major-related class every other week without any conversations about it ever

dividing class-resource duties between us (two classmates always bringing chargers and portable batteries, the few people always having tissues and wet wipes on them, the one who always brings enough snacks to feed everyone who didnt have time to pack a launch that day etc.)

the p.e. teacher cleaning up the smoking spot behind the gym with the students because "you're here every single break, you might as well be comfortable"

the students encouraging and spreading the homophobic and 'promiscuous' rummors about the school so homophobes and close-minded people dont step foot in here

the school-wide groupchat that gets remade every start of the year to share news, find lost objects, help freshmen and track important events and olympiads that gets filled with ticket-offers for local shows and film festivals

the one student in most classes that uses normal pens and paper one class, inkwells and caligraphy pens the next and writes on their computer for the one after

playing cards with the teachers at their desks during not-major-related classes

everyone making their project presentations as long as they can get away with to cut some class time for the rest of the class to get a bit of rest

the textbooks we get from the school and have to give back each year with all the right awnsers circled or written down by previous students to help the next class who gets them

that one atheist student always putting a religious icon on their desk during tests to make the others ease up and laugh a little

class-wide collaboration during harder tests so we can all get through the year even when we're struggling

inter-class colaboration and result/subject-sharing for tests when we have the same teachers

chaotic academia things i witnessed with my own eyes👁️👁️

a dude working on an assignment in the middle of another class

"what else is going to keep me awake if not cocaine?"

red eyes from all nighters

taking so many voluntary courses you forget about your major

the introduction of meme Thursday™

"ever noticed how the prof has like super muscular calves?"

skipping class to work on several overdue presentations

conversations involving three languages

the hysterical laughter that occurred after the prof chose to abbreviate 'maximum prepositional phrase' to 'maximum pp'

[pbandjesse]

Today was a pretty good day. I am very worried about James. They are struggling tonight. But I hope they can sleep easier.

I slept alright last night. I woke up a few times but mostly I was alright. James left early and took an Uber to work because while we now know that the light rail doesn't run that early on Sundays, we now also know that the bus doesn't either??? It's crazy to me. Like people work on Sundays! People who need public transportation work on Sunday?? I'm glad James made it to work okay. And I appreciated the extra couple hours of sleep.

When I woke up I felt kind of bleh. My body feels weird. I feel a little weird. But I was alright.

I got washed and dressed. I had to change my shirt because the seams were bothering me. But I got a different one on and was much more comfortable and cozy. I would change again to add a layering tank top before I left. But I'm the end I was very comfortable.

I brought some snacks and headed to the museum. It was chilly today. But it was nice. A windy but beautiful day.

James was a little low. I didn't want to bother them much. They were just chilling at the front desk and watching the world cup. We rooted for Argentina. Who would end up winning so that was exciting.

The church was in Decker. I would go post up in the garment loft. I brought my quilting project and my sewing machine and honestly just had the best time.

I would spend the entire day working on this. I would make a few trips around the musuem to talk to guests. I even had someone from the church come back to the garment loft to talk about art and religion. He for sure was trying to convert me but no one is going to tell me something I don't already know. I think religion is incredibly human. Wanting meaning, purpose, to feel like everything matters, that they matter. And I think that's great that people find comfort in community.

But mostly I worked on my quilt. This is 300 squares. And I would the last 4 rows completed. The way I made this I did 30 sets of 10 and then sewed 3 10s together to have 10 30s. I trimmed those down so the panels would be more even. And then sewed that all together.

I worked from 10 until around 1at that point in the project. I had spoken to 10 or so people. Everyone was really nice.

And after a snack and giving James a lunch break (where they went across the street to check on the bike shop which has apparently been broken into and the police called James for some unknown reason???) I would start figuring out how to turn my quilted panel into a bag.

I think I'm going to try to make a bunch of bags. I used to love making bags and I know how to do a lot of things better now. And while it took a while to make the panel I love how the bag came together. It is such a good size and I can't wait to try to make more with the other quilt panels I've made.

Once the bag was made I started working on straps with some scrap fabric. My first strap came out so good. The second one has some flaws. But I'm still really excited about the whole thing.

Right at the end of the day as I'm attaching the second strap my needle broke. And I didn't have any extras. I was very bummed but at least it happened closer to 3.

We closed the museum. And once James was done counting their drawer we went to have dinner.

We were going to go to iron rooster but they closed at 3 so instead we went to Little Havana and it was so good!

We didn't talk a ton. I think we were both just beat. I did asl James football questions. They ordered a steak sandwich and I got a fancy avacado wanton roll that I loved. I told the waiter how I was excited to eat something interesting. I feel like I never get to eat something unusual but also really pretty. So that was really cool.

We finished our meal with a shared piece of cake. And headed out.

We had to stop at theater project to get James's laptop charger. My belly hurt and I really wanted to get home. And so James took me home as quick as they could.

When we got back here my new clogs came and they are perfect. I can't wait to wear them. I felt better being home. James would get in bed to finish editing their podcast. And I finished the strap on my bag.

We would hang out in bed for a while. And then go and go all of our advents we haven't checked for a few days. We have so much jam now. I'm excited to make cookies tomorrow hopefully.

I took a bath and watched a documentary. I pulled out my quilt fabrics to see how many bags I think I could make with what I have sitting around. I am excited to try that this week. It's a good project to focus on.

Now I am going to go put some more water in the fish tank so it'll be quieter. I just moved some pillows around to make James hopefully more comfy. And I'll start winding down for sleep soon.

I hope tomorrow is beautiful. And we can all feel good. Until next time everyone. Sleep well!!