#this concept could be awful but wow that pilot was really well done!

[pigglepiephi]

Never, ever would have thought that a penguin/ panther shapeshifter BL would have been high on my watch list…but here we are! Hats off to the person who crafted that excellent pilot trailer!

Also welcome back JaonineNokia!

[littlepadika]

Calling Home (1) | Frankie Morales x Reader

Summary: You are a receptionist at the VA. Frankie Morales keeps calling. Yearning ensues...

Rating: M -> E in later chapters

Warnings: fem!reader, age gap (legal), praise kink, voice kink, discussion of addiction/PTSD/trauma, no use of y/n, no beta reader, reader is bad at Spanish, Frankie has a sexy voice 😩

Masterlist here

AN: My first fic. Pedro writers have inspired me to finally start writing again 🥺. Concept inspired by the movie RED. I hope you like it ❤️Set after triple frontier.

Chapter One

~~~~~~~~~~~

The first time he called was an ordinary Thursday.

“Veterans Affairs, how can I help you?”

You had been working at the VA office for about two weeks. Fresh out of college you felt lucky to have a job in the first place. You went to school to be a writer but your big idea for 'The Next Great American Novel' had yet to present itself. At least here you had access to the most inspiring stories and interesting people. Men and women who had seen more and done more than you probably would in your entire life. You loved talking to clients on the phone. It was weird but something about only being able to hear people’s voices excited you. You would sometimes write little stories in your head about the people you'd talk to, filling in the details that were unknown.

Your desk accessories reflected your love of books and writing. You had your growing collection of books sitting on your desk sandwiched between baby pink bookends. Next to them was a matching desk organizer filled with your favorite sparkly pens and sticky notes. You had decorated the plain cubicle walls with posters of quotes from your favorite books. You also brought your favorite candle from home. Even though you couldn’t light it you still liked to lift it to your nose once and a while and smell it between chapters. When you weren’t on the phone or scanning documents you would read. You finished To Kill A Mockingbird in your first week on the job and were now halfway through Murder on the Orient Express.

You were starting a new chapter when Frankie Morales called the first time.

You picked up the phone on the second ring already mustering your chipper 'customer service' voice. “Veterans affairs.” You stated your name. “How may I help you?”

“H-Hi. My name is Frankie- uh-Francisco Morales." A deep voice answered you. "I’m calling because I have gotten my benefits check yet. It’s been a month. I was hoping you could tell me if it got sent?”

“Okay Mr. Morales." You flipped on the computer. "Let me check. Can you spell your last name for me?”

“M-o-r-a-l-e-s”

“Okay... let's see.” You clicked on his account. You were momentarily distracted by his picture likely taken when he graduated basic if you had to guess based off the uniform. He looked sweet. Sharp nose and strong jaw balanced by kind eyes and a shy smile. You could imagine how age would continue to soften his expression making him even more handsome. The image was a strange juxtaposition to the voice you were hearing on the phone which was much deeper and rougher. His profile said he was special forces. A pilot. The rest of the information was blacked out. Something you were used to seeing on many people's accounts but even his years of service were redacted. He must have been involved in some dangerous stuff, you thought to yourself. The dates that were not redacted were mostly in Latin America. You clicked over to processing requests. “Looks like the check got sent one week ago.” You informed him.

"I'll look again but I haven't seen anything-" It sounded like he was apologizing when clearly it was not his fault.

"No no. It's probably a mistake on our end." You interrupted. With how shitty and outdated the payroll interface was you wouldn't be surprised if there was a mix up. "I’ll go ahead and let payroll know to send another."

"Great. Thanks." He replied sounding relieved. The roughness in his voice gave way to a smooth baritone.

“No problem. I'm sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused. We'll get it sent right away." You hoped he was not relying on this benefit check for anything important. While you could promise you'd fix the problem, the administration was notoriously slow. When he didn't respond you asked, "Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mr. Morales?”

“Uh-no" The roughness back in place. "Thank you." He paused before adding your name onto his thank you which made you smile. People usually never remembered your name.

“Alright. Have a nice day and thank you for your service.” You chirped before hanging up. The smile he put on your face lingered for a few minutes as you returned to your book.

The next time he called was exactly twelve days later.

“Veterans affairs” you answered, your routine greeting cut short as your eyes were still on your book.

“Hi- I’m calling because uh I still haven’t gotten my benefits check. This is Frankie Morales.”

“Oh Mr. Morales.” You recognized his voice even before he even said his name. You quickly shut your book, pushing your hair out of your face. Had you been thinking about him? No! Okay maybe you stared at his picture for a few minutes longer after he hung up. Yes, it was probably very unprofessional but you couldn't fight the curiosity. You were trying to rationalize the contrasting sharpness and softness of his features with his voice. How it all worked together. How one person's voice could change textures and colors so easily. You wondered what kind of things this man might have seen on the job. Most of the veterans you would help day to day did not have so many redacted missions and deployments. You were in the middle of Narcos season one so you immediately thought of drugs or something equally dangerous. After much pondering, you had come to the conclusion that Frankie Morales was both insanely attractive and insanely courageous. “Still no check, huh?”

“Nope.” He sighed the sound making the phone's shitty speaker crackle as you held it to your ear.

“Let me just check that it was approved...“ you found his profile again and scrolled to the status page. “Hmm... it says it was sent out last Friday after we spoke. That’s so weird...”

“Yeah. Really weird.” He echoed your frustration on the other end.

Typical payroll, you thought to yourself as you rolled your eyes. “I'll get another one sent to you right away. I'll see to it myself.” You tucked the phone under your chin and typed out a short email to Mary in payroll letting her know you'd be stopping by her office to explain the situation. You realized he hadn't hung up yet.

“Sorry for the back and forth.” You said, trying to fill the silence.

“It’s not your fault." The earlier irritation gone. "You’ve been really helpful.” His voice sounded warm and reassuring. Less gruff than it was last you spoke. Instead it was that rich baritone that you caught of glimpse of last time.

You feel your face warm at his compliment. It was this annoying reflex you had. Praise always made you blush no matter what context but it was worse when it came from a (you assume) gorgeous stranger.

“And just to verify that your address is correct- you’re on Maple Lane in Miami, Florida?”

“That’s right.” He confirmed.

“Okay. Sent!” You clicked send on the email, which caused the window to close and reveal Frankie’s profile page again. “I was curious-" You spoke before you really made the decision to speak. You didn’t want to overstep but once again your curiosity got the better of you. Honestly, you were just searching for a way to keep him on the phone. The day had been so boring.

“Your profile says you were stationed in Costa Rica.”

“For a bit.” He replied after a moment. He didn’t sound too defensive but there was definitely some tightness in his answer that made you feel bad for asking. Like you were scratching a wound.

“Did you like it? The country I mean.”

“Are you planning a trip?” He sounds a little amused.

“Yeah- well- kind of. It's more a trip in my head right now. I’d like to go there one day. It looks so beautiful.” You sighed closing your eyes trying to imagine the heat on your skin.

“It is." He agrees. "Really humid though.”

“Mm that sounds nice.” You would kill for some warm weather after such a long winter in DC.

“It was too muggy for me at times." He grumbled. "If you do go, stick to the costal areas where it’s more breezy or else you’ll just be sweating the whole time.”

“I don’t mind a little sweat” you shrugged, still thinking of the awful east coast winter you were currently suffering through. The sexual connotation of what you said hit you hard as soon as you heard the statement in its entirety. You felt your face flush again, though the man on the other end would never know.

“I’m learning Spanish!" You announced loudly trying to move the conversation past your awkwardness.

“Wow. Muy impressivo.”

“Si” you replied but after a moment you admit “I don’t really know what you said.”

Frankie laughed loudly on the other end and you couldn’t help but join in, drawing dirty looks from the elderly lady, Donna, working in the cubicle across from you. You ducked your head behind a stack of papers to avoid her glare.

“Fake it till you make it.” He chuckled.

“Maybe you should help me out.” You took on an indigent but still playful tone. “You sound better than duolingo” Your smile widened when he laughed again. His laugh was what you hoped it would be, by all your assumptions from his picture. It was an unencumbered, unburdened, rich sound with only a hit of roughness from the air behind it.

“Tell me you’re not using that dumb app to learn.” he scoffed, saying your name in an almost scolding tone.

“I’m got my thirty day streak today.” You boasted.

“You’ll be a total tourist if you go by duolingo.”

“But the owl is so cute every time I get something right!” You argued your voice taking on a more childish cadence.

“That’s how they trap you, silly girl.” He teased right back. Usually such a condescending nickname would piss you off but something about the affection behind him using it made you feel very differently. You felt warm like you were proud to be silly as long as it made him laugh.

“Then you saved me just in time, Mr. Morales.” You bit your lip. His scoffing and laughter died down on the other end.

“Frankie” He corrects you.

“Frankie…” You repeated it, smiling at how well the nick name suited the voice over the phone. Honest, sincere, and not pretentious at all. Way better than the pompous guys you know with equally stuffy names like “Edward” and “Christopher.”

“So what do you want to know?” Frankie interrupted your thoughts. “Dime”

You started asking him questions in Spanish to the best of your ability. Granted they weren't particularly probing questions. What is your name? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite animal? What's your favorite book? I am reading Gone Girl. He answered them all with patience and amusement, occasionally interrupting you to correct your pronunciation or explain what a word meant. Every time you’d repeat the word back correctly he would say something like “good” or “there you go” or “you got it”. You hated to admit that his kind words and his praise was doing something to you. You didn't even realize you were clenching your legs together unconsciously, almost in anticipation of his next correction or next answer. His low voice so sweet and encouraging against your ear, more tangible when he was speaking Spanish. You just wanted to hear more of it. Would it be this sweet in other situations? Would it get huskier or rougher? If you closed your eyes it was like he was sitting right next to you. It would be all too easy to slip into that daydream and escape the dull office.

Suddenly out of the corner of your drooping eyes you saw a flashing red light on the phone console meaning another caller was waiting.

“Shoot- i’m sorry, Frankie- I have to take this call.” You shot forward in your chair, legs uncrossing.

“Of-Of course. I should let you get back to work.” He sounded a little sad or so you hoped. You felt bad for interrupting him after you both were having so much fun. You wanted to say he could wait on hold but he killed that idea when he said, "I have work too. Technically I'm five minutes past my lunch break."

Your pout turned to a smile. He was spending his precious lunch break with you? Get a grip! you snapped at yourself.

“You’re welcome to call again if you want.” You threw out the offer in a small voice, scared you would be rejected. You peered over the cubicle wall to see if you were still being glared at. Thankfully Donna was away from her desk. Probably out for a smoke. “It’s really boring here and usually no one calls.”

“Maybe I will.” He replied and you could hear the smile behind those words. You felt your heart clench weirdly in your chest like it didn't know how to process the sudden spike in emotions.

“Bye, Frankie.” You beamed.

“Bye”

This time the smile on your face lasted for hours. Frankie’s laugh echoed around in your head, taunting you, sending your mind to the gutter. His voice went from grit to molasses on a dime. You wanted to be the one to bring out those sounds. You wanted to hear his voice bend and stretch and strain as you fucked him. What the hell is wrong with me? you screamed internally. You had never been so depraved and with a stranger no less! You clearly needed to get laid fast because this much yearning would not end well.

Frankie got the second VA check a few days later and this time he didn’t even feel bad about ripping it in half. He was already reaching for the phone to call you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Tags: Message to be added 💕 no minors please!

[sunnyartsstudio]

The Langoliers review: SPOILERS

So, I finally just finished reading The Langoliers by Stephen King and, wow. I actually have a lot more to say about it than I expected to, so lets get to it. 

I’ll start by saying that literally the only reason that I read another King novel is that I discovered we had a copy of it in the downstairs bathroom and I really wanted to know if all the stupid stuff from the mini series is in the book as well. Spoilers: Yes. Yes, they are. 

But I’ll start with what I thought was good about the book before I tear into what’s bad. First, despite its ridiculously silly payoff, the book has a great concept. Waking up on an airplane to find that almost all the other passengers are gone including the pilots is genuinely unsettling. It’s truly Twilight Zone-esque - in fact, the book does reference The Twilight Zone - and it does make you want to know where everything is going - even though where it’s going is disappointing. Second, most of the characters were thoroughly enjoyable. Most of them actually felt developed and I genuinely cared about what they were going through. Toomy especially is so delightfully over the top in both the book and the film that you can’t help but be invested in everything he does, and why he is this way is surprisingly well written. Usually, characters are King’s weak point for me, since he tends to write them flat. But here, they were definitely more interesting and realized. Third, between the concept and the characters - and reasons that King didn’t intend that I’ll get to in a moment - I found this book to be far more entertaining than I did The Shining. The Shining was so long and drawn out, despite focusing on only three main characters and one setting, that I found it incredibly tedious and I have no reservations saying I flat out hated it. Here, the book is shorter and has a broader cast with more than one setting, so things actually happen and the plot moves along. It isn’t without its flaws though, so - 

The bad. This book has so much stupid stuff in it I don’t know where to start. I guess I’ll start with the mini series’ famously laughable dialogue - which is almost all verbatim from the book. Yes, SCARING THE LITTLE GIRL! is not only word for word, but it is literally written the way Balky delivers it. Dinah does describe what we’re supposed to find frightening as sounding “a little like Rice Krispies after you pour in the milk” and does call it a terrible cereal noise. Oh, and who can forget the glorious “Are we the new people?”? The book even throws in - in the middle of a tense scene of trying to refuel before the langoliers show up - the stellar line “Don’t fart”. But the stupidity doesn’t end there. Albert not only knocks Toomy out with a violin case - he knocks him out with a toaster. Why? I don’t know. It’s just sort of there. Albert is given a knife and he literally rejects it in favor of wielding a toaster in a tablecloth. I can’t.....*laughing*....it’s so stupid.... Absent from the mini series are the ridiculous similes King uses that made this book read like a Mike Hammer novel from time to time. This REALLY doesn’t help when the titular langoliers show up. Yeah, I know the CGI from the mini series gets a lot of flack - and deservedly - but having now read the book, even the most amazing CGI wouldn’t have made it any better. The Langoliers just sound - silly. They’re constantly described as balls, a word that does not strike terror in one’s heart on its own, and it isn’t helped by Brian visualizing them as the bouncing ball over the lyrics of a movie singalong. How am I supposed to find that scary or even intimidating or threatening or mildly unsettling?? Yeah, it’s just as goofy as it is in the mini series. On top of that, nothing really makes any sense. It’s constantly emphasized that “stuff” from the people that disappeared was left behind, but their clothes weren’t and it’s never explained. But nothing makes less sense than Dinah. Yep, the return of the King trope PSYCHIC CHILD. This one is so weird though because with the exception of one tiny moment on the plane, Dinah does nothing remotely psychic until towards the end. Even then, this girl has apparently been so powerful the whole time that she can astral project herself to Toomy, see through his eyes and conjure a massive hallucination that includes showing him bankers he would recognize that she’s never seen, yet, not only did she somehow not use this amazing power to save herself and Gaffney from getting stabbed, but - she could have solved everyone’s Toomy problem and saved hers and Gaffney’s and even Toomy’s lives if she had just done this to begin with! But hey, at least she does something (after spending most of her time screaming and crying). That’s more than I can say for the rest of the female cast. Yeah, King strikes again with his spectacular writing of women. So, besides Dinah, we get Bethany and Laurel. At least Bethany is a decent character, but she does absolutely nothing but cry, scream and serve as Albert’s prize at the end. Then there’s Laurel. I hate Laurel. I hate her so much. Laurel also does basically nothing but cry and scream. The strongest thing she does is bite her tongue to keep herself from fainting so she can help Nick apply first aid to Dinah after she’s been stabbed. You know what else she does during that scene? She thinks about touching Nick’s hair. It’s okay, though, she mentally yells at herself for it. Not that that stops her from still doing it. Hell, the only reason she’s interested in Nick is that she wants a romantic adventure - which is the only reason she was flying to Boston in the first place. Relatable, m’right? The book treats this like it’s incredible build up so that when Nick sacrifices himself we feel all heartbroken over them - but Laurel doesn’t even think about Nick until well towards the end of the book and I feel nothing for their romance. I also love how when Nick volunteers to sacrifice himself and Laurel is upset, she volunteers Bob and Rudy first, THEN volunteers herself. God, she’s awful. But overall, she does nothing. Bethany does nothing. Brian flies and fuels the plane. Nick is constantly helping and provides first aid for Dinah and takes charge when the others can’t. Bob keeps figuring out what’s going on (though on some really flimsy reasoning that you can just add to this book’s list of stupid that it expects you to accept). Even Albert - a 17 year old kid - comes up with solutions to serious problems and fights Toomy and knocks him out - twice. Yeah, Gaffney and Rudy don’t really do anything either, but we still have four men doing everything to two women doing nothing but screaming and crying. It’s pretty pitiful. 

Overall, I would suggest this book for being entertainingly bad. It’s certainly more entertaining than The Shining and a lot less tedious. But I wouldn’t call this a good book. A fun book, but not a good one. That’s still praise coming from me, considering this is King we’re talking about. 

[zalrb]

Hey Zal, I went thru the archives but haven’t seen whatI was looking for. Could you do a post on how Goblin & Buffy did a good job showing immortality vs. humanity whereas TVD failed ?

It’s interesting to answer this kind of ask in the midst of the debate that’s sort of happening with me and followers about TVD and daylight rings because with BTVS, I mean, the show isn’t flawless but one of the ways Joss and the writing room encapsulated immortality well through the lens of vampirism is that they created a culture. It’s not as consistent or prevalent or detailed as True Blood but there’s still a culture.

Like if daylight jewellery in TVD is non-transferable and can be only linked to a single person then that should be played up more instead of it just being a piece of jewellery that keeps them from being burned, it should have a lot of importance for a vampire, it should be like a part of the vampire, it should be something very personal and the only time it’s ever sort of shown that it’s personal is when Kai melts Elena’s but the sentimental value is related to Stefan not the fact that it’s a part of her.

In BTVS they don’t have that but they have a world, they have a culture that is rooted in how long they’ve been alive

Like from this entire exchange, the viewer understands that every vampire says that they were at the crucifixion in order to seem venerable, in order to seem ancient, in order to seem powerful.

Even Mr. Trick, one of the most underrated BTVS characters I think, when he thinks the Mayor is going to tell him to leave Sunnydale he brings up how he’s always been unwelcome in the community and that the speech got old long before he became a vampire thereby bringing up a legacy on anti-blackness that he had to live through as a black vampire.

On a more comedic note, when we’re introduced to BTVS in the pilot, Buffy can automatically tell who the vampire in The Bronze is because their clothing is out of date.

On the flipside of that, Giles shades both Angel and Spike for only being a couple centuries old, their age isn’t actually what makes them unique within the context of demons and vampires and monsters, it’s the fact that they’re both supposed to be unusually cruel.

And the concept of immortality and vampirism is brought up quite consistently and how it actually isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be

because vampires aren’t people

With Angel, his age is constantly brought up

One of the Halloween episodes is dedicated to Buffy having a romanticized idea of what women were like when he was human and being transformed into one

The age never goes away, the fact that they’re from a different time, that they’re not human and that they’re old never goes away, you never forget that.

With TVD, it’s mentioned once or twice and it feels like a checklist, like Caroline brings up the fact that Stefan is still going to be hot when Elena is old and that happens once in 2x04, in 2x20 Stefan talks about how sadness can turn into despair and it’s hard keeping your switch on when you feel everything so deeply. And yet Jeremy and Ben and other emo, angsty humans wanted to become vampires to shut everything out but then we find out that you can never really shut out your emotions as a vampire so is that the big secret about vampirism then, is that the big weight of immortality, that you feel?  OK but so what? What does the show do with that? Humans feel and vampires feel and ... ... ... ....

With Goblin, I find that it’s more in the physicality and the reactions that Kim Shin and Reaper have as well as the reactions to the both of them. You can feel the weight of their conditions and their immortality through how they navigate the world.

One of my favourite examples of this is when Reaper finds out that he’s actually Wang Yeo because his response is chaotic, he’s crying hysterically, he throws things off the table, his pain is fresh because his memories are fresh:

And then it cuts to Kim Shin who is just sitting there quietly in despair because he has been living with the memory of what Wang Yeo did to him and his family for 939 years and it’s not fresh and it’s not new, it’s an anchor that’s been dragging behind him for his entire existence so he’s just like

but that’s not always how he deals with being alive for so long, his reactions to things are erratic and shift

And he consistently visits the people in his life who have died and on one of the tombstones his own picture is there

and when Sunny figures out that in her past life she was his sister she wonders aloud how come it doesn’t feel like a memory for him, how come he’s acting like his life continued since the tragedy

and it’s because it has so he has nearly 1000 years of rage and sorrow so when he hugs Sunny, it’s like he’s holding his sister from a millennium ago and he reacts that way

to the point that Sunny has to remind him that she is not Kim Sun (his  sister), she is still a different person with her own personality.

There are even small details such as the fact that Eun Tak asks him what his actual name is and he has to change identity every so often

or sometimes Eun Tak or Deok Hwa will listen to him speak and ask why he’s talking like he’s in a historical drama (and this never happens with TVD. Once in 1x04, Stefan speaks more formally and Elena kind of gushes over it but their speech is never confused, there is no wonder or awe about watching the world change around them)

Modernity is often mentioned

historical figures are often mentioned

time and age are mentioned

When he comes back from the in-between world, it’s in the clothes he died in from the Goryeo era

and when someone he loves dies, which always inevitably happens, Eun Tak empathizes with the amount of death he would have to endure in a lifetime of immortality

With TVD, we could’ve done this because season 1 had the beginnings of everything I’m mentioning and then they never followed through on it.

Like Stefan goes back to high school for Elena, I get that premise and they have Damon say a couple of words about him joining the football team but if we actually saw how bored Stefan was interacting with vapid teens when he’s been around for so long, it would not only endear the SE narrative even more to its shippers because he’s suffering through mundane ongoings of high school for her being over 100 years old but it would also reiterate the fact that while he is 17 he also isn’t 17.

Even during the double date, it would’ve been cool if Caroline and Matt remarked at how calm Stefan is being throughout the entire night because it’s all pretty high school. Caroline is putting Matt through a test to see how over Elena he is, he mentions making out with Elena in a sports car so Caroline gets irritated, Elena is doing the friend duty (poorly) by seeing if she’s OK, Matt’s like oh shit my bad, and Stefan is being incredibly mature for a 17 year old in the situation being like, you guys have a history it does no one any favours to ignore that. I’m not saying teens can’t be mature for their age but THAT mature in this situation, that should’ve had Matt be like … …. wow, you sound like a grown up?

I remember a while ago we were were discussing on this blog that Klaus is legit 1000 years old and he doesn’t come across as 1000 years old, he’s way too well-adjusted, there is nothing to suggest that he’s been around that long, like Shin is tired and spends time just drinking because he is SO exhausted

and yet when the possibility of him dying comes up his reaction is strong

and TVD vampires aren’t provided with this kind of nuance when it comes to immortality and the amount of time they’ve been alive, they’re just OK and if they’re not OK, if it’s Damon yelling about how he misses being human so much he can’t stand it,

the show hasn’t done anything to substantiate Damon’s claim.

I understand why Stefan would miss being human because Stefan is the only vampire where vampirism is actually seen, where hunger and blood and despair and darkness actually manifests

so I can see why he would want to be human but why would Damon in that moment? With Goblin, we see the sadness and depression that comes from the fact that everyone around Shin dies and that Wang Yeo is a Grim Reaper so his job is death, which is depressing, with Shin he’s still in the state of sorrow and rage because the person he served and loved massacred his entire family and he just wants the rage and pain to end, death is meant to be peace and life is meant to be a punishment

but with Damon everything is wrapped up in Katherine and Elena which doesn’t explain wanting to be human, it’s more about Damon’s choices in women, so it comes out of nowhere.

And of course that’s if we’re going the emotional route. Because I enjoy the way vampirism is portrayed in True Blood I usually draw comparison between the two of them because with True Blood it’s about losing their capacity for emotion through immortality

and it depends on the age of the vampire.

Godric is 2000 years old and just done with the world, he’s over it, it’s just time to die

Eric is 1000 years old and is super uninterested and bored, nothing really excites him anymore (except Sookie and getting a rise out of Bill) but he’s not over living yet

Bill is over 200 years old and he’s doing his best to remain as human as possible

Jessica JUST turned and she’s in this everything is new, I’m going to live forever, this is awesome phase

Then you have characters like Russell, I’m not sure how old he is, who just want to eat humans and subjugate the world to vampires

And then you have TVD where they legit just act like humans who sometimes have super neat tricks.

[btsbloodtearssquees]

History: Part One

~ Requested 1 2 3 A ten year high school reunion brings back more than just memories...

The music buzzed around you as you shifted your fork aimlessly from side to side. You had sat here low in your seat for the past hour, having spent about half of that checking the time and the other half being entertained by your fake date Sam, or smiling nonchalantly at old classmates. The days leading up to the ten year high school reunion had been slow and painful; emphasising the dread that it produced. Now that you were here your expectations had been met. 

“You can’t have hated high school that much,” Sam mused, watching you with some amusement. “I didn’t. It was probably the best time of my life which is what makes this so humiliating. You see Sarah over there? Happily married with two beautiful kids. And Jared? Own music production company. Me? Local supermarket and flatting with parents.” “That’s nothing to be embarrassed by,” your date answered you softly. “You went travelling - I doubt many others here have been as far or exotic.” You snorted. “I bet they have. One of them’s a pilot, for a start…” There was a moment of silence as Sam attempted to think of a response, but you certainly didn’t expect to hear the chuckling that you did. “What?” He put on a voice. “‘Spain is absolutely stunning and the food is delicious!’” He put on a different voice. “‘Oh where did you go??’... ‘Barcelona El-Prat Airport.’” You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help but to laugh at that. For all having a fake date to make your life seem a little more relevant was the craziest idea you had ever concocted - or more accurately, your friend who had been trying to set you up with her brother for a few years now - he was actually pretty interesting to talk to. You could get used to his company.  “Y/N!!” Your were knocked breathless by Jasmine from your old English class as she gave you a hug, and then helped herself to the neighbouring chair. “Wow it’s been literal decades since we last spoke!” “Just one,” you corrected, possessing a fraction of her enthusiasm.  “You look great! What have you been up to all these years?” “I went travelling for about seven of them and now I’m back here, with my boyfriend,” you briefly touched Sam’s shoulder, “and am deciding what career to get into. What about you?” You asked to hopefully dodge the questions. It didn’t work. “Seven years?! That’s an awful long time… why seven years? Where did you go?” “Ugh… where didn’t I go?” You joked half-heartedly. “I just - got the travel bug.” She seemed dissatisfied by your answers, but you weren’t about to help her with that. Eventually she shrugged and focused on Sam. “It's nice to meet you…?” “Sam,” he responded elegantly with a firm handshake. She seemed to be picking up interest by the second. “And what do you do, Sam?” It was official. Jasmine was already eyeing off your boyfriend. Well, your fake boyfriend. It was typical of her. “I’m an engineer.” “Oh, really?” Her eyes widened exaggeratedly and she leant forward a little more. You could just see her brain ticking; strong, smart, and well-paid. And handsome. “Do you live in the area?” “Uhh, yes, actually…” Sam looked over at you as if to confirm that he was still treading safe water, at the same time as revealing his sudden uncomfortable position.  “Ohh that’s cute. So you two have been dating for a while, then?” The question startled you, having anticipated her to have just pretended like you two weren’t a couple. You inwardly groaned at the complications. Fake dating.  “I guess,” you broke in to save him the pain. “A few months.” She eyed you off. “It’s cute,” Jasmine replied in a voice that foretold otherwise. “Anyway, I better scoodle back to my own table. Hit me up for a coffee sometime.” You breathed out in relief as she Barbie-walked away and made a mental note to stay the hell away from her. Your thoughts shattered around you as Sam nudged your arm. “What’s up with her?” You began with a sarcastic laugh. “To cut the story short, she’s a pampered princess who used to be my friend until I got sick of her trying to steal everything - and everyone - away from me.” He furrowed his eyebrows in consideration. “You dated in high school?” You sighed loudly and looked away from him. “Yeah, a little,” you mumbled.  His curious look was lost on you as the speeches began and you officially zoned out.

-------------------- “The night hasn’t been so bad,” Sam noted; lights flashing over him as you danced together. “No, not horrendous,” you agreed. But it was beginning to get old. You wanted to get home. “Y/N…” he glanced down and cleared his throat, before looking back up with a vulnerable expression. You tilted your head at him in question. “Being your fake date has been an honour,” he stated simply. You chuckled and disinterestedly glanced around at the other dance couples. “It’s been exhausting, don’t you mean?” “No.” Even with the seriousness in his eyes, you were blind to what he felt. “We should continue pretending to date. Until - maybe one day you might… go on a real one with me.” Your heart spluttered over the shock his words produced. He was asking you out?! Was he just obeying his scheming sister or did he actually, genuinely… “Sam…” “Please consider it, Y/N. I really like you. I don’t know why I didn’t listen to my sister sooner.” “Yeah well any pushing from her and everyone just turns off.” He smiled, but still seemed impatient for an answer. You honestly didn’t have one for him yet. It had been so long since you had dated - ten years, in fact… “I’ll go get us some drinks,” he said, eventually relenting over your indecisiveness. “Don’t go where I can’t find you.” You smiled briefly and limply moved yourself off of the dance floor; a bit numb to the movements around you. His proposition had stirred other memories inside of you, memories you had been battling away all night. The memories which had determined a lot of where your life had ended up. “Y/N.” Your entire body froze. You couldn’t have let it get this far, surely… Now you were even hearing his voice? Slowly you turned around, only to freeze in shock again. “Jungkook?” Your ex-boyfriend. The one you had let go all those years ago in hope of helping him to achieve his dreams. Well he had, and it was for that exact reason you had never in a million expected him to be here tonight. “What are you doing here?!” His eyes softened as he looked at you in a way you wish he wouldn’t - only stirring up those memories further. “I wasn’t going to miss it for anything.” “But - surely your bandmates in Korea couldn’t spare you for so long. Your schedules, your practising…” “And yet I’m here,” he stated simply. “Yes,” you replied eventually. “You are.” He chuckled in amusement over your stunned expression before holding out his hand. “Would you like to dance?” You felt like you were in a ridiculous dream, and in dreams you always took the romantic option. So that is what you did. You took his hand and stumbled your way onto the dancefloor where you had just stood with Sam. You danced together silently for a while; the music was so loud that it didn’t feel awkward - although everything else did. Eventually he smiled down at you. “And how are you? What experiences have you to shock me with?” Being back in the company of your once best friend made lying about your life seem crazy and shallow. At least you knew he wouldn’t laugh at you like the others, although he may be disappointed. “Me? I’m okay. I’ve had so many experiences that I could never tell them to you all in one night - but to put it simply I’ve been to a good portion of the world and can speak several languages, and am now here with Laura’s brother posing as my boyfriend.” “Travel? Posing?” He raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, I know. It’s ridiculous.” Jungkook looked thoughtful. “You didn’t feel like keeping up the act with me?” A moment of panic rose up in your chest as you realised where he was going with this. You fumbled for an answer. “Yeah, well - I knew you would have seen through it.” He chuckled again. “How were your travels? They must have been intriguing if you’ve been to so many places.” “I learnt about and saw more than I would have previously cared to. Honestly it was the best thing I could have done… it helped me… to…” You trailed off as you realised the ground you were stumbling onto. Jungkook narrowed his eyes in concern. “Y/N?” “And what about you? How has your life as a K-Pop star gone?” He relaxed visibly. “Beyond all expectation. It’s so satisfying seeing how far we’ve come as a group; we’re topping the charts internationally and are starting to warm on the Koreans themselves.” He smiled. “Everyone’s great. The boys… they’re all my brothers.” “How much say do you get?” “A lot,” he responded without hesitation. “They want us to be involved in music writing and production.” “That’s really good,” you responded in surprise. “I really like our new concept,” he chattered away excitedly. “ARMYs are going to be impressed.” “ARMYs?” He looked at you in slight embarrassment and confusion. “It’s the name of our fanbase.” “Oh…” Jungkook cleared his throat, putting his hand up on your shoulder and the other taking hold of your other hand. You moved along awkwardly to his swaying. “Remember when we used to mock dances like this?” “No,” you replied warningly, knowing what he was thinking of doing. “Surely you do,” he deliberately stepped into you and then fell back two steps in feigned lost balance. “And then we would just…” he stepped back again except this time to break into a weird sloped idiotic dance you couldn’t even describe, topped off with his ridiculous facial expressions. “Jungkook!! These people are civilised!” You scolded in humiliation, trying not to laugh but failing. “Do your part!” He urged. “And bring attention to the fact that I’m back dancing with you again?” “No one will mind. It’ll just be like old days again! Come on…” He stopped long enough to give you a look that closely resembled that of a pouting puppy dog. When you shifted from his gaze in defeat, he immediately scooped your arms back up and began the exaggerated moves. People’s eyes were quickly on you two, and you felt the comments riding around the room about you two idiots being back together again. And suddenly you saw Sam. “Uh it’s getting late,” you broke into Jungkook’s fun and felt horrible when he released you with a look of disappointment. “My date,” you nudged your head toward Sam in the corner subtly and watched the realisation dawn on Jungkook’s face. “Oh. He doesn’t look too happy.” “Would you if the only person you knew was off dancing with someone he will by now know as the only person I’ve ever dated?” Jungkook stared at you. A blush crept up on your cheeks as you realised just what you had said. “You haven’t dated anyone else?” “I -” “Come on,” he led you through the crowds which parted for you like Moses and the Red Sea. Apparently you were the talk of the night. You relaxed once he had led you outside and stopped on the front steps. “You should look out for my new music video,” he said softly. “It comes out on the 16th, but shh!” He quickly held a finger to your lips. “That’s top secret and you didn’t hear it from me.” You smiled gently. “Did you see the music video where I had to punch Yoongi Hyung?? It was awesome!! I -” He broke off as he saw your face. “What?” “Jungkook… I haven’t seen any of them, I haven’t heard any of your music, I haven’t followed you.” He swallowed in stunned silence and hurt. “I couldn’t bring myself to. You have to understand - following your success would be a daily reminder of what I gave up and why.” He looked as if he would have stepped forward right then and there and took you in his arms. But technically you were strangers of ten years. “I’m here for five days,” he announced quietly, ignoring your confession for now. “I wonder - what are you doing tomorrow?” You looked away. “I’ll be busy.” “Y/N, please. I won’t get this opportunity again.” “Exactly! Exactly,” you repeated more softly. “I don’t want to relive the old times for it to end the same way.” “It doesn’t have to end that way.” He watched you for several heavy heartbeats. “You never went to Korea, did you?” Slowly you shook your head. He dug his hands into his pant pockets. “Well…?” You shrugged under his careful gaze. “So what are you doing tomorrow?” A small sprout of happiness grew back inside of you, beginning to tug at your lips. “You know where to find me,” you told him, walking away back inside and feeling his grin beaming on you until he was out of sight. ------------------------------------------- It took me almost three weeks to write this horrendous excuse of a story :P. I’m really sorry about that... I found it incredibly off-putting having to write the entire thing from my phone so I kept putting it off until I finally got onto a computer!! I understand if you request more to the story because I didn’t quite hit on the feels yet, but I felt like you deserved to at least read what I had! As I said, feel free to request another part. I’ll be working on the other Jin request in the meantime :). - Dolceice

[othll]

every odd question because I too am extra

yikes yikes yikes this is going under a readmore because this is a lot also rip mobile users i’m sorry

1. Put your iTunes on shuffle. Give me the first 6 songs that pop up.

I mean i already did this one but it changes with each shuffle so it’s whatever

Miami by Ariane Moffatt— i downloaded it over the summer when i was in Quebec and it makes me think of then it was such a good time i miss it aw

Car Radio by Twenty One Pilots— i am an unapologetic fan of my ukulele scream boys ok

Cliff’s Edge by Hayley Kiyoko— HA GAYYYY

Dead Girl Walking (Reprise)— again by a bunch of fuckin people because it’s from Heathers: The Musical WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING

Fools by Troye Sivan— honestly??? Bless him i love troye

Life Lesson by dodie— my fave what a gal i love her w all my heart she is so???? I could go on for hours about dodie clark

3. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

But i don't wanna moooove the closest book to me is Tipping the Velvet which is that gay one that I’ve been reading if that tells you anything so it’s probably something to do with the main character being Gay™

5. Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Not that i know of!!

7. What's your religion?

Don’t have one my dude

9. Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

I associate stuff that i’m into with points in time in my life and like… this is such a stereotypically emo response but probably fob and 21p because i was really into them when i was like 13/14 and that was like… when i really and genuinely wanted to die and i’d like to think that their music among other things (my own cowardice potentially, not necessarily a bad thing) is part of why i’m still here.

11. Do you believe in karma?

Yeah but not like “if you do bad things then the almighty god(s) will make you pay” more like, if you’re shitty to someone they’re gonna be shitty back cause that’s just how people work.

13. What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Weakness would be like… anxiety probably, cause it’s stopped me from doing a lot of things and talking to a lot of people and it’s getting better over time i think (generally speaking, it’s very fluctuate-y so honestly idk) but there are days when it’s really bad and just!! Stops me from doing stuff and that causes me regretStrength would be, hm.. I’ve learned to force myself to do things pretty well, i think. A lot of the time it’s like.. Forcing myself to talk to people that intimidate me (a lot of people intimidate me yikes) and forcing myself to do homework that i don’t want to do/don’t have the motivation to do because Depression™ but as with anxiety it seems to be (maybe) getting (sort of) better???

15. How do you vent your anger?

Oh boy, i don’t. If i even get so much as frustrated— i.e. pre-anger— my brain throws me into a pit of self-loathing so deep that all i can do is cry because i’m! Really! Bad! At! Processing! Emotion!!!That was really sad i’m sorry a lot of these are sad questions rip

17. Are you happy with the person you've become?

In some aspects, definitely. I’ve pushed myself enough to become an involved student leader and i FINALLY figured out what university i want to go to— past emma started having panic attacks about that when she was 12 so finally getting that shit sorted is BIG for her ok— and i can speak two languages which is super cool and i’ve finally figured my sexuality out which is neat and like…. I have friends and that was quite the foreign concept to my younger self because i was pretty alienated as a little kid for a while there cause i was a little weirdo and now to have MULTIPLE GROUPS of friends is like.. Wow.. beyond my past self’s  wildest dreams. While i know i still have a lot of growing to do, i’m happy with the progress i’ve made so far, definitely.

19. What's your biggest "what if"?

Already answered!!

21. Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Right: my cat, he’s asleep right beside me— well, not asleep anymore because i just booped his head with my handLeft: nothing tbh

23. What's the worst place you have ever been to?

Anywhere that my dad was at the same time as me lmao

25. To you, what is the meaning of life?

Enjoying yourself and finding success— whatever success means to you personally.

27. What was the last movie you saw?

In general i don’t remember because it was probably some random movie on TV, but seeing-in-theatres-wise it was Fantastic Beasts!!

29. Do you have any obsessions right now?

Hayden…. My dude….. My guy….. U know EXACTLY what i’m gonna say…… i’m not even gonna write it because you KNOW….. EVERYONE knows…….

31. Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Yeah lmao i’m lowkey a petty-ass bitch

33. What's the last thing you purchased?

The last thing that i got was a new bullet journal for second semester but my mom bought that technically— the last thing i actually bought was my rugby jacket!!

35. In a relationship?

Nah relationships are weird, I just got out of one fairly recently and— while it was on good terms and went fairly smoothly— i still don’t feel like i’m in the position to get into another one quite yet.

37. What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

I don’t have one tbh if someone doesn't like me as me then it isn't worth it— my cat maybe???

39. What were you doing last night at 12 AM?

Honestly??? I was asleep, yesterday was a lot with school and D&D and it was lit but i ended up pretty tuckered out!!

41. You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

I would like…. Draw attention to the fact that there was a drowning dog and try my best to get someone to save it but like…….. I don’t wanna get fired my dude

43. What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Anything from Quebec because that was such a good time ahhhhAlso anything with ukuleles i love ukuleles

45. How can I win your heart?

Be cute and into cats and also girls that too cause like… yeah…. And just have similar interests!!Also i love people that are patient, not just with me but with people generally. It’s a really admirable trait, and it’s something that someone would need with me because i’m TERRIBLE at articulating myself vocally and it takes me a while to sort out how i want to convey things, especially when the conversation is emotional/serious.

47. What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Going to Quebec for that thing that i did over the summer. It was just— words cannot describe how amazing it was, the people were amazing, the stuff i got to do was amazing, I fell in love with Quebec all over again and got to practice my second language in an immersive— but supportive!!— setting, what’s not to love?

49. Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "heart."

Can you hear,,,,,, my HEART BEAT

51. What is your current desktop picture?

Already answered!!

53. What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?

Probably something along the lines of “Are you happy/doing well/etc.” not because the answer is ALWAYS negative but it’s just… very unpredictable the answer changes very frequently and while sometimes the answer is a genuine “yes,” some other potential answers could raise a bit of concern….

55. You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

Nothing, i would totally fuck something up and cause a butterfly effect so i’m not even gonna choose anything. I choose to not do that no thanks

57. You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

No one!! That would be weird!!!! I wouldn't want to sleep with someone that i barely know and am infatuated with!!!!! That’s weird!!!!!!!! ew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

59. Ever been on a plane?

Yep!! I went to Cuba back in 2011, and then I flew to Quebec and back this past summer. They were like, six and two hour flights, respectively.

this took eight years honestly kms bye