#where they judged idols based on how good they eat their food

[allherfaeriesmeetinjuly]

today was an absolute horrible day i don’t know what to say. first off which is the worst of all, i got my period. yayy !! NOOO. i’m going to cry. and … this is just stupid i added like an extra scoop of chilli THAI CHILLI which is worse than korean and chinese chillier combined, to my khao soi gai. and usually i would’ve love it but today was not a rainy day; it was sunny and the winds weren’t blowing. and so my makeup literally started melting? my hair started growing sticky, etc. i reapplied some concealer to fix that and that was the end of it. but then!! this intense wave of stomach pain came over me. and after lunch i went to check and there it was. ughhh. and during our psych formative i literally fell asleep 😨😨 and didn’t at all finish the things i was supposed to. i’ll work on it at home. speaking of, i have to take bio notes the japanese tok question and the psych thing for tmr. shit is crazy. tok was kinda interesting and made me rethink my whole existence though (talking abt size and scale) also my keyboard broke!! i think i have to get it “fixed” (clean it) this weekend. which means actually going outside. ahhhh. i want to eat some oysters. i’ll stop eating spicy food tonight 👍🏻 who am i even kidding.

[seacottons]

[ idol!au ] — ateez x 7/11 employee reader

notes: this is so fucking stupid i'm cackling. some are based on their vlogs : minkiway, achallenz, ateezlog, and 1day vlog.

— hongjoong

"Let's get the strawberry yogurt smoothie."

"But we already got too many custard and pudding cups?"

"Do you want San to mope for the next two days?"

"No?"

"Alright then. So, get the yogurt smoothie."

You hear the commotion and bickering before even spotting the two, a faint smile finding itself onto your features. You most definitely weren't eavesdropping. Their bickering was audible throughout the entire expanse of the small store, and you finally peered up from organizing the display of flavored gum to spot the smaller of the two give the taller an exasperated expression.

"You know I don't like spicy! Why would you even suggest that, you bum?"

"You asked for my opinion, Joong," Seonghwa rolls his eyes, gaze locking with yours in the process. A knowing smile crawls its way onto his visage for a brief second, before it's replaced with a faux look of concern, "Oh! Y/n! Why don't you suggest something new for Hongjoong to try out?"

At the sound of your name being called, the smaller male stiffens considerably, hand nearly loosening around the packet of kimbap in his hands. With a suspicious glare, his head instantly snaps to his friend, who in return sent a friendly smile towards you. Seonghwa nearly laughed at the flustered male in his peripheral vision, before nodding in acknowledgment towards you once you made yourself towards the aisle. Hongjoong helplessly watched as you conversed with Seonghwa, your laughter ringing in his ears like soft, melodious chimes.

The tips of Hongjoong's ears burned red, his hand subconsciously reaching up several times to tussle his tresses and hide the obvious signs of his infatuation and nervousness. Seonghwa's eyes glimmered with mischief as they briefly darted to eye his sweating comrade.

"I really like this one," you picked up a warm pack of the spicy cheese kimbap to offer them a look, your eyes flickering to Hongjoong immediately, "But you don't like anything spicy, right Hong-"

"I'll take it!"

Seonghwa merely casts him a look of surprise, and Hongjoong almost stutters as the taller scrutinizes him. Was he that obvious?

"I've actually been enjoying spicy food for the past few weeks," he claims defensively, shoulders straightening and frame subconsciously leaning towards your own as he quickly picks up a conversation with you, cheeks red and lips tugged up into a jaw-breaking smile.

When the two step out of the small convenience store, plastic bags in hand, Seonghwa waste no millisecond to address the elephant in the room, tone complacent and all.

"You're whipped."

— seonghwa

You stare at the blue cart filled to the brim with yogurt cups, and you give the tall male a puzzled look. You were accustomed to having the eight men from upstairs purchase an abundance of food, from dried goods to ready-to-eat meals, but this was new.

"Seonghwa, is this really for all eight of you? Just.. yogurt," you mused curiously, hesitant hands reaching towards the yogurt cups to begin scanning and bagging them.

"Yes and no," he offers a soft smile, hands reaching towards the number candle display, rolling it to the side in search of the desired numbers. He places a number 2 and 3 onto the counter, and you're even more confused than before, "It's for Hongjoong's cake. His birthday is today."

"Then why do you need the yogurt?"

"The yogurt is the cake."

Your lips form a silent 'oh' as you nodded absentmindedly. The two of you share a moment of silence, before your shared laughter erupts throughout the convenience store.

"How thoughtful of you, Hwa," you drawl out teasingly, gaze unwavering from his chiseled face, "That's cute. I bet he'll love it."

Seonghwa nods silently, a polite smile brightening his features as he helps you with the items and bags, insisting he'll pack up the yogurt while you scan. He had a habit of always needing to help and making sure he wasn't being too much of a bother. His head snaps up once you call his name for nth time, and a faint dusting of pink blooms on his facial features as he meets your gaze, "Oh. Sorry, did you call me?"

You giggle lightheartedly as you finalize the amount of his purchase, eyes curiously meeting his, "If you were to pick a non-traditional birthday cake, what would it be?"

"Ah, tteokbokki," he states without a second to lose, eyes sparkling underneath the fluorescent lights of the store, "it will definitely be tteokbokki."

"When the time comes, I'll gladly make you a tteokbokki birthday cake," you accept the cash from his hands, before closing the cash register with a bump of your hip, hands working on tying the two plastic bags filled with yogurt cups, "I mean- of course, if you don't mind that is?"

A bashful smile nearly breaks his face into two as he accepts the bags, hands purposefully brushing against your knuckles a second too long as he nearly laughs in amusement at your nervous smile, "I'd love that, Y/n."

— yunho

You wrap the damp rag around your lithe finger to wipe around the buttons and crevices of the dusty cash register. Once it was practically sparkling, you decided to wipe away at the glass fridge displays, roughly rubbing the stubborn fingerprints that remained on the surface.

The doorbell chimed, and from where you stood, you were unable to see the customer that had just walked in. The sound of a group of males pierced the silence of the store, along with the rumbling of the vending machines in the corner. Nevertheless, you called out with a warm welcome and hastily wiped the last of the few glass doors. Your co-worker was supposed to be here minutes ago, while you were slaving around cleaning the place all on your own and dealing with customers simultaneously.

Removing your gloves, you internally grumbled at the fact your co-worker was late from lunch for the third time this same week. Stomping your way towards the cash register you failed to remember to add a wet-floor sign onto the area you had just mopped, utterly forgetting about the whole ordeal as you made yourself to the front of the store. As you turned the corner, your sneakers skidded loudly against the slippery tiles, your frame instantly thrown off balance as a clipped yelp left your mouth, hands bracing in front of your face to shield it from any damage.

It took a few seconds for you to realize a pair of arms were secured around your waist, and you silently gaped at the male above you with a stupefied expression.

Of course, it had to be him.

The very same man you've been crushing on for a few months now. The very same man who worked three stories above you.

Yunho was so graceful for someone so tall.

"Oh, thanks," he laughed in amusement at your shocked expression, your hands reaching up to clamp around your mouth in horror, "Are you okay though? You... uh, you should put a wet-floor sign. Wouldn't want anyone suing you for falling, now would you?"

Heaven knows you were never more thankful for your co-worker being late again than ever before. You were so close to him, you can practically smell the cologne sprayed on his neck.

"No! No, of course not! I'll get it right away!"

When you scurry from his arms and to the back to rummage in the closet, Wooyoung's voice and laughter ring out loudly behind you.

"But you fall harder every time we come here! Just sue Y/n alread—" a muffled sound of a punch and a loud squeal of pain followed suit, "Ow! Hulk hands! What was that for!?"

— yeosang

In the late hours of the evening, you found yourself guiding Yeosang through the aisles of the convenience store for a mission he had to complete for a series they were filming. When you spotted no cameras around, you sighed in relief.

"You know you're cheating, right?" You ask as the male crouches down to examine the array of rice balls and other food on display.

"There are no cameras here. No one will know."

You pause momentarily to glance at the security camera nestled in the corner, before rolling your eyes and crouching next to him to aid him in his task. This isn't an uncommon occurrence. Yeosang has come down to the store numerous times to grab items for the vlogs he filmed. One time it was utensils and a bowl, and the other time was an abundance of gummy bears.

"I can't believe you're making me do this for you," you laugh in disbelief as he stands to watch you look around for a particular item.

"You know what my members like more than I do," he muses with a soft smile, "they practically live here."

"Yeosang," you called out with a quirk of your brow, "you live with them. If anyone's capable, it's you."

"I know. I still need your help though."

You internally sigh and get to work, not that you minded in the slightest. Your heart was practically hammering out of your chest the moment he stepped foot inside the store.

"The guys usually get this pack of ramyun almost every visit, along with this rice ball," you arrange the food in his cart, before dragging him into another aisle, "We also got this new shipment of honey rice cakes- I'm sure Seonghwa will like them. He usually prefers the older types of snacks. Wait. Do you need Mingi's diarrhea medicine too?" You joke with a lighthearted laugh.

Yeosang gives you a grimace, and his judging eyes study you for a second too long that has your neck and ears heating up rapidly, "No, Y/n. Mingi's digestive system is doing just fine now.."

Yeosang nods absentmindedly as he's dragged to and fro from one aisle to the next, unable to focus on the words that come flying rapidly from your mouth "..And Hongjoong always tries new potato chips every time he visits, but these are his favorite, I can tell. San likes anything sweet. If there's no more yogurt smoothies left, just get a chocolate bar."

You peer at Yeosang who remained silent the entire time, his unfocused gaze trained on you. With a snap of your fingers in front of his face, he startles at the sudden sound, eyes wide and darting rapidly in confusion, "Oh! Sorry, Y/n. I got distracted there. Did you say something?"

"Cute," you laugh airily at his flustered expression, thumb jutting behind you towards the drink display, "I almost forgot the most important item- coke! You guys are the reason it's always out of stock here."

Taking a look at the clock above the door, you gawp in disbelief as you wait for the male to fish out his wallet, "Yeo, you've been here for the past half hour. They're going to think you got lost."

"No, that's alright," Yeosang mumbles as he hands you a sufficient amount of cash for the items, eyes looking anywhere but your face, "We should do this again sometime."

"Hm," you glance back up at him questioningly, "Sure. Whenever your next challenge is, I suppose. I don't mind helping."

He reaches up to awkwardly scratch his neck, lips pressing together into a firm line before he has the courage to meet your eyes and reply, "Oh- no. I meant.. on our own free time. No challenge. Just us two. Hanging out? Buying snacks?"

You almost stumble over yourself at his words, hands clammy and face burning. Nodding subtly, you fail to realize the goofy, flirtatious smile settling on your face as you hand him the receipt.

"Challenge accepted."

— san

"And they said it tastes like toothpaste! Can you believe them?"

You reached out to pat a hand onto the taller male's back in a caring manner, nodding when he asked you how ridiculous the other members' statements were.

"Yes, of course," you console him as you carefully organized the new shipment of chocolate bars on display, allowing the male to vent to you in the aisles of the convenience store he frequently visited from upstairs. He's also been trying to persuade you to join his mint chocolate cult for the past two weeks now.

"Mint chocolate doesn't taste like toothpaste! Toothpaste tastes like mint chocolate," San brushes a hand through his pink locks, eyeing you for a reply in agreement. You think he only came down here not only to vent, but to also fuel his ego by finding another person to agree with his statements and judge his friends' taste in food- other than Mingi, of course, "don't you agree?"

You nearly laugh at the awaiting gaze that overtakes his features. He was very serious about this topic, so it was safe to assume his older friends bashed the flavor to the point San took it almost personally, "Yes, San. For the hundredth time, mint and chocolate are the perfect pair. They're like.. peanut butter and jelly. Cheese and corn. Strawberries and bananas. And-"

"Me and you."

You think you hear wrong as he quickly dashes towards the ice cream freezer to grab a handful of mint chocolate ice cream pints.

"What?"

"Hm?" he has the audacity to tilt his head in amusement, eyes practically twinkling with mischief, "What's the matter, Y/n?"

How dare he fluster you like this. Your jaw is slack as he walks back over to you with the same, bright smile and dimple on display. The words nearly die in your throat as he looms over you with a look of mock curiosity and innocence, "N-nothing, uh- do you want me to check you out?"

"You're more than welcome to anytime, Y/n. No need to ask."

His smile stretches in amusement as your eyes widen in shock. He knew what he was doing to you. You choked out a response, nodding your head as you made yourself over to the register counter.

Once placing the ice cream pints and eight plastic spoons in the bag, you handed it to the bubblegum haired male, whose eyes crinkled happily, "No need to be shy, Y/n. Sometimes, all you need is," he reached over to press the tip of your nose back with the pad of his finger, "encourage-mint."

His laughter rung like the bell chime that signaled his departure, and before he turned the corner to go back to the entertainment building upstairs, he sent you a quick and mischievous wink.

— mingi

The steam from your ramyun cup swirled up to meet the cold air as you sat alone in front of the convenience store for your lunch break. You watched as people scuttled through the streets in an attempt to avoid the light misting of rain. The cup of steaming noodles helped warm your hands though, and the store awning provided enough shelter from the rain.

Taking a generous amount of noodles in your mouth, you slightly wince at the searing temperature on your lips.

"Y/n? What're you doing out here?"

A voice caught your attention, and your head snaps up to meet the eyes of the well-dressed male standing nearby with a to-go bag in hand. You stare with stuffed cheeks and wide eyes, quickly ducking your head to drop the remaining noodles hanging from your lips back into the steaming cup. You don't know why he's asking a question like that. He, along with the others, have numerously visited the store or were nearby when you were on your lunch break. Even Yunho memorized your lunch schedule throughout the week.

"Mingi! Hi-" you cough out suddenly, hand quickly reaching up to wipe the sauce from your lips. He makes his way over to where you're sitting, before plopping beside you and proceeding to open the bag in his hands. You give him a questioning look, and when he feels his eyes on you, he turns to you with a smile.

"You don't mind if I eat lunch with you, yeah?" He snaps his chopsticks apart and gives you a hopeful look, "You just seem all bored and lonely by yourself."

You stare flabbergasted at his words, before shaking your head almost too quickly after a moment of silence. You didn't mind the lack of company actually, but Mingi was too sweet for you to deny, "No, of course not. But it's okay, you don't have to-"

"One doesn't let their friend eat all alone," he simpers, before eyeing his styrofoam box and thrusting it in front of you, "Here! You should try some barbecue eel. It's perfect for this kind of weather."

The two of you spent the next half hour conversing and stuffing your mouths full of food he had gotten from his mother's restaurant. His eyes sparkled once you complimented his mother's cooking skills, and a contagious smile found itself on his visage as you asked for the name of the place. He slurped another strand of noodle into his mouth before boisterously replying with a raised brows and a bright smile.

"I'll see if I'll have time this weekend to visit it," you accepted the napkin he offered you to wipe your mouth, before crumbling it and tidying up the area. He stands to discard the empty boxes of food and bags before checking the time on his phone.

"I'd love to spend more time with you, but Hongjoong will have my ass if I don't go back in time," he laughs loudly while dusting his clothes to rid himself of any fallen crumb, "Oh! Here's a card for my mother's restaurant! I always carry some with me wherever I go."

You accepted it with a grateful smile, brows knitting in confusion at the numbers scribbled on the corner of the small business card, "Oh, there's a number here? Is it their new number?"

"It's mine," he says while patting your head with a cheeky smile, "Next time, we should eat together there— where it's warm and not out here in the freezing cold."

You gape in awe at him, face flushing almost immediately. Mingi smiles, internally reminding himself to thank Yunho for the idea later.

— wooyoung

"Y/n! I can't believe you betrayed me like this!?"

Peeking your head up curiously, you quirked a brow in the direction of the heaving male, "What are you talking about?"

You place the last stack of cash into the register before closing it shut. The display of candy near the register needed organizing, and you sigh to yourself before you begin working on it. His friends stand outside, in front of the store, conversing amongst each other as they waited for him to finish grabbing 'something extremely important'.

Your friend nearly reached over the counter to shake you by your shoulders with an exasperated cry of anguish, "You told me you'll save me at least one of the BTS cold brew bottles! They're all sold out! Again!"

Oh. Of course that was the problem.

You roll your eyes at his dramatic rant, elbows resting onto the counter as you leaned forward teasingly. You were grateful no one else was in the store while Wooyoung had his meltdown. He would've probably frightened them anyway.

"I told you when the new shipment comes in to save me each version of them!"

"Wooyoung- it's just canned americano. We have plenty more brands to tr-"

"No! It has BTS on the packaging!" He explains quickly, "Don't you realize it's a godsend to have packaged food and drinks with their faces on it!?"

"You're going to throw the packaging away anyway! What's the point?" Your unimpressed face studies his in confusion. Internally, you smile to yourself at his frustrated tone. You love to rile him up.

When you were met with silence, you scrunched your nose in distaste, arms crossing in front of your chest defensively. He looks a bit flustered at your gaze, shoulders shrugging silently.

"Gross! Wooyoung, were you seriously planning on keeping and collecting them? Aren't you overdoing it?"

He lets out an indignant squawk and pins you with a pointed stare, which you returned with a blank blinking of your eyes.

"I don't tell you how to live."

Rolling your eyes, you turn to rummage through your bag tucked beneath the counter, before fishing out two cans of the americano. Wooyoung's eyes open wide in astonishment.

"You're lucky I remembered. My manager only let me buy two."

"Y/n?" He scrambles to the counter to take a good look at the cans, before he finds himself tugging you forward by your head with a loud cry of excitement, to which you groaned in protest, "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"

Your face flushes at the close proximity and when the bell chimes signaling a new customer, your heart drops to your stomach in fright. You did not need anyone witnessing this. Wooyoung's grip was relentless as he squeezed your cheeks together and continued to praise you for being the most trustworthy person he knows.

"Wooyoung, how many times have I told you harassing someone isn't the way to express your feelings," Hongjoong's annoyed voice calls out from the front.

— jongho

You attempted to remain inconspicuous as you huddled over your phone over the counter, eyes glued onto the screen displaying the current live video. You swore you could hear their rackety footsteps and shouts from three stories below. You wouldn't be surprised if one of them came crashing down from the ceiling one day. An infatuated sigh and droopy smile tugged at your lips as you leaned your cheek against your palm.

A few minutes later, you had to mute your phone to attend a customer ( because heaven knows how loud and rowdy they get when they're all together. And you didn't need their argument about butts to blast out throughout the store ). To your displeasure, another few came strolling in. You wanted to groan in frustration at their impeccable timing. Of course, Ateez would start a live during your shift, and of course customers came flocking in as if the convenience store was suddenly a magnet.

By now, you've missed a good portion of the live, and some of the customers gave you wary looks as you trembled to hastily bag every item they purchased. You nearly ripped the register out in the process of your haste.

You thought it was finally the last of the burdensome customers, when a handful of bags of chips, ice cream pints, and ramyun cups were placed onto the counter. Sighing subtly, you glance up to give the customer a fake smile, only to gape as the male across from you has his eyes set onto your phone screen.

You feel the force of heat rush to your face like a volcano spitting out molten magma, and with a noise between a strangled gasp and cry, your hand quickly slams on top of your phone to shield the screen and hopefully save the last bit of dignity left in your system. You gripped it against your chest with a panicked grin, and his eyes flickered down and then back up to meet your own.

The last thing you wanted was for the boys to know you keep tab of their activities and projects. You were just supposed to be the friendly clerk downstairs. You muster up the energy to not feel too affected by the questioning stare the other is giving you.

"Well," the male chuckles at your perplexed and flustered expression, "I've caught you red handed, Y/n."

Your smile falters at the accusation.

"It's not what it looks like. It just popped up from my notifications- I wasn't even-"

"Hey, hey!" He suddenly quips playfully, arms out in front of him in defense, "No need to be so defensive. So, I take it you were lying when you said you weren't an Atiny?"

Your silence was a dead giveaway, and his smile only grew wider as you attempted to shrink into yourself.

"Who's your bias?" He tried again, and you laughed it off, quickly changing the topic by asking him how many napkins and spoons he needed for the ice cream. He reached a hand up to brush the red bangs from his eyes, before looming over the register a bit suspiciously. When your head snaps up to give him a look of confusion, his attention is suddenly drawn to the gas medicine displayed on the counter. You sigh in relief as you hand him the bags before wishing him a good rest of the day.

"Y/n?"

Before he bid you farewell from the door, he waved a hand up, mischievous smile plying at his lips, "Nice photocard you have there on your phone."

Your eyes glance down immediately to your device resting on the counter, breath leaving your lungs in embarrassment as the same red-head smiles back at you from your phone. Jongho's laughter can still be heard from outside even with the door shut, and you suddenly wish the floor will swallow you up to save the remaining crumb of dignity you had left.

[youarejesting]

Sea [1/2]

Beta: @lillielil @aroseforyoongi​ @seokjinssymphony​ @kpooplifeforever​ @explosiveranga​​ & my good friend Z (let me know if I left anyone out.) Rating: 17+ Pairing: Idol!Yoongi x Reader Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst, Fluff, Comedy, slow burn, slice of life. Words: 6.8k

Summary: After your plane to Korea takes an unexpected detour, you are stranded with someone you aren’t even sure speaks English. As the race begins to stay alive, emotions run high and tempers short. The unlikely contender in the survival race is love which snuck up on you both.

The thought of a thirteen-hour flight didn't bring you much joy. Why would it? Being trapped in a small box with wings, not to mention being stuck in said box with multiple people breathing recycled farts and eating some sort of wet styrofoam they called food that would most definitely give you food poisoning. Oh yes, what a joy it would be to be in a seat for hours on end, letting your skin slowly dry up. 

Arriving at the terminal, you stood waiting for them to start boarding. You would have been sitting if there was a single seat free. Seriously, some asshole had even dared to lay across no less than five and a half seats, his bag resting on the empty chair at the end. 

He was wearing all black and looked comfortable in his jeans and hoodie. His black cap pulled down over his eyes and you could see the bleached blonde hair sticking out from underneath. Big chunky headphones on his ears made it possible for this man to drown out the world around him.

You glared at his legs, growing tired, knowing that within a few hours you would be begging for the chance to stand up. If you were to take a mental count, there hadn’t been any nice experiences you could recall in regards to traveling on a plane.

Did that reflect the quality of service or your standard of air travel? No. Obviously, your standards were realistic, not expecting the flight time any shorter or the staff to give a foot massage or anything outrageous. 

You really didn't want any extra luxuries other than what was offered in the pamphlet — and yes, that meant you chose first-class — because if you were to suffer, you would do so in the best environment.

Unfortunately, the reality of it was that there was no better or more comfortable way to travel. Checking in, you would be boarding first before the other passengers, not really a privilege. However you got in line anyway behind the young man who had previously been lounging across the airport seats. He was holding up the line having lost his passport and you were getting more and more pissed. 

You were simply just having a bad day. 

A woman behind you started openly arguing, exclaiming that this man was not allowed to ride first class as he clearly wasn’t fit for it. Bringing up his style of dress and the headphones around his neck. You turned, glaring daggers at the woman until she became silent. 

Society taught people to judge based on appearance, that everyone fit into a category, never mind the old adage to ‘never judge a book based on it’s cover’. Stil, you were always respectful and treated others equally, maybe even getting to know a person that you wouldn’t in other circumstances. It always surprised you how much you enjoyed taking a risk and getting to know them.

Once you showed your ticket and passport, you traveled down the long hall towards the plane. You saw the man in front of you talking with another man. He seemed to respect him and was reading him a schedule from his phone. You raised your eyebrows and smiled at the young stewardess who welcomed you on board. Her hair was pristine in a tight bun and her crisp, dark blue outfit was paired with a red scarf.

Stepping over the small gap, you felt the cold of the air conditioning, yet the air still felt thick. There were three places you could go to feel this type of cold: the dentist, an airplane, or the movies. First class was spacious with only a single cubicle on either side of the aisle. You took your seat. It was like personal rooms where you could close a sliding screen for more privacy, even though you were sitting next to someone, you wouldn't be able to see them at all.

The seats were more like arm chairs that one could lay back completely in, made with a brilliant blue leather. The cubicle room was complemented in a similar shade but with red features. You had a tv and a tiny minibar that had a small selection of drinks and snacks.

The flight attendants took all the passengers through the safety instructions. You could practically write them at this point. However they added a few things you had never heard. You had never heard such in-depth instructions going beyond the general life jackets, floatation devices, and first aid kits. 

Never before had they told you about the airbags that would be deployed if you crash in the ocean. Apparently the emergency escape slides doubled as floatation devices and could hold up to one hundred and thirty people comfortably. They even explained how they detach these rafts from the fuselage and that they have ropes that allow them to be tied off to each other or the airframe. 

Distracted by a tired male sighing beside you, you wondered who would fall asleep during the safety messages. Sure they were boring, but even you pretended to care. When you turned to see the culprit, he was disappearing behind the plastic divider of his cubicle dragged by his long pale fingers.

Well, at least you had some privacy. It was something you were thankful for, you wanted to get comfortable, or as comfortable as you could.

Perhaps these new instructions and information were deemed irrelevant to domestic flights. Or perhaps it was for the very enthusiastic kid they led through the first class discussing more of the plane's anatomy. “What if a wing falls off?”

“The plane is really sturdy, the wing wouldn’t just fall off” She grinned, “Let’s see what the pilot is doing and we can get your mum a picture wearing the captain's hat!” 

After the flight attendants thanked everyone for listening, the plane took to the sky. You closed up all sides of your cubicle and requested to be only woken for meals. The stewardess was very diligent and for that you were grateful. 

The journey was nearing the six hour mark and all that one could see was clouds and the ocean. The collection of empty water bottles were a poignant reminder to relieve your bladder. 

You stood up and waddled determined to go to the bathroom. It was inconvenient to drink so much water but you didn't want to get dehydrated. 

Feeling much better, you took a few minutes to look in the mirror and moisturise as your skin was feeling particularly dry already. Startled from your self care routine by a light rapping on the door, you packed up your things and pulled open the door. Unfortunately, at that moment, the plane shook.

It was like something from a romance novel, the way you fell against him and yet, there was nothing elegant or poetic in the way you fell against him.

Your face slammed into his chest and his head hit the wall with a heavy thud. "Sorry, I'm sorry"

"Shibal" he said, his language was something unlike you have ever heard, it was rhythmic and sounded like a song. His voice was so low and rumbly it almost sounded like he was purring. 

You weren’t well versed in other languages or cultures, so you didn’t know what he was saying. This was your first time leaving your country. If it wasn’t for the damn holiday raffle at work, you wouldn’t have even left your house. Every other flight you had ever been on was domestic and therefore your suffering was short lived, but this flight was long and you were getting rather bored. It seemed your mind was reeling trying to absorb all that it could and currently that meant the poor man you had body slammed into the wall was under your perusal.

His body was thin unlike yours which was curvaceous. His hair was dark and shaggy making his pale skin almost ghostly. He had sharp cat-like eyes that were quite intimidating as they glared at you and his small downturned lips were yet to speak. He seemed like a man of few words. All this coldness was juxtaposed by his cute round nose. You could tell from his features that he was from Asia, but you couldn't pinpoint where.

Grabbing your shoulders, he started to push you off of him, when the plane shook again and you both fell back into the small bathroom. Your back hit the toilet, and a searing pain bloomed from the impact causing your body to lock up as it radiated through you.

The seat belt light came on. You both scrambled to your feet bumping into the walls, sink and each other from the unstable winds shaking the plane. Struggling back to your seats when the cabin pressure changed. There was a creaking sound and the plane started shaking. You immediately felt a sick sense of dread. The pilot spoke calmly about turbulence and requested everyone return to their seats. But the pair of you couldn't move down the aisle to your seats.

There was a sound like a car backfiring and someone from economy class shouted about the wing being on fire. Your grip on the young man's coat tightened and a terrifying sound like metal groaning filled the cabin. That didn’t sound like regular turbulence, you were sure of that.

Sharing a horrified look with the young man, you got up the courage to try to push off from the wall. Unsuccessful, you were once more pressed against the wall. The plane was plummeting. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted the emergency box. What was this emergency and what in that box could fix this situation?

"You need to return to your seats,” the stewardess said. The smell of smoke was strong and it filled the inside of the plane quickly. You hadn’t even seen the stewardess trying to climb through the plane. Her grip strained on the walls and seats as she fought against the force pushing her back. “We are making an emergency landing." 

The metal sound was louder. Shrieking like nails on a chalkboard, it pierced through the cabin. You watched as the side of the plane ripped completely off with the ease of someone removing the plastic off a new fridge. There was a feeling of being weightless before a drop on a roller coaster, and then it was like your stomach was left behind. The stewardess was sucked out from the cabin behind you. 

You and the young Asian man were sliding backwards down the aisle trying to find something to grab onto. The floor in first class was some sort of linoleum and gave you a nasty burn as you slid. It was like fire against your skin. As the pilot fought with the plane, you practically bounced off every seat. 

It felt like you were weightless for a brief moment as you were lifted off the ground, your back hit the roof before you smacked the floor again. All the wind had been knocked out of you. 

The pilots were fighting against the drop, so in the moment of calm before the plummet, you grabbed the leg of an economy class seat as it was bolted to the ground. You looked at the young man, watching the panic as he realized he was too far away to hold on and dangerously close to the large opening. He began slipping out of the plane, his hands flailing before clamping around your ankle. The two of you were almost hanging outside the plane. 

Everyone in economy class was panicking and wearing oxygen masks. No wonder you couldn’t breathe. Gasping for breath, you cursed yourself for liking all those action movies that made this look easy. 

“Hold on!” You all but screamed more to yourself than the poor guy holding your leg. He was being completely battered by the wind. You felt his hands slipping and you reached down with one hand to grab his wrist and he grabbed yours. He looked thankful.

“Shibal,” he groaned, his voice straining. Your body was being stretched. The cold metal was unforgiving, and it tore apart the skin on your palm. Your eyes were watering in protest to the wind and smoke that was drying them out.

The drink trolley that the stewardesses had been moving through the aisles had gotten loose and went flying down the plane. It hit an old man in the back of the head. You knew he wouldn’t make it, and speaking of, it was headed straight for you. You watched in fear, like some horrifying game of chicken as the trolley came for you. Thankfully, it bounced on the floor inches from your hand and flew out of the plane. 

It was a mix of flinching and the force of the wind that made your hand on the chair slip. You slid further out of the plane, grabbing the exposed shell of the plane with your free hand. Your other hand desperately clutching the young man's hand watching in horror as he smacked into the side of the plane unconscious. “Shit!” 

His body was limp and you had to do something. With all the strength you had, you tried to pull his flailing form closer to protect him. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw the ocean quickly advancing. You were going to hit the water.

The breeze pressing against you was fierce. Your eyes were dry, making you think of your eyedrops in your carry-on luggage. You could see the water coming up quicker now; you tried to gauge what would be a survivable height. Knowing you had a higher chance of surviving freediving as opposed to hanging halfway from the plane, where you would both slam head first into the plane. You decided to take the leap.

Screaming in absolute terror as you watched the fast approaching water, you let go just in time. It was equivalent to a few stories on a building from the ground. Wrapping him in your arms, you pointed yourselves down deciding to break the fall. Lifting your free hand above your head like you were doing a high dive, you hit the water. It was such a shock, the liquid was so cold it caused your muscles to lock up.

Your adrenaline was pumping, and one of your arms felt numb and unresponsive. You swam oddly to the surface, gasping when you felt the air on your skin. He was unconscious, and you held his face out of the water.

The plane wasn't too far away and for now was on the surface of the water. The emergency exit inflatable slide, which doubled as a raft, had been deployed but no survivors seemed to climb out.

You swam in a side stroke to keep your damaged arm and the young man's unconscious form out of the water. You hoped he was going to be okay. The only thought in your head was making it to the raft and you were doing everything in your power to get there, even contemplating leaving him behind. But you weren't going to give up, a part of you wanted to prove you could do it.

Reaching the raft felt euphoric. Taking a deep breath you pushed him into the raft. Doing a quick check of his head and body, you noticed he was breathing oddly. You turned him on his side and tried to clear his airway. A little bit of water trickled out before you performed CPR.  Your saving grace came when he coughed and spluttered, placing him in the recovery position and hoping he would be okay on his own for a moment. You looked around for any more survivors. There was luggage floating around, and you picked up all you could from the water. 

Walking along the inflatable back into the plane, the water was not as high in first class. This was probably due to the hole in the plane in the economy. The right side being the only one of the inflatables that had inflated beside the plane. Keeping the plane precariously afloat balancing on two inflatables which had malfunctioned and inflated under the plane.

Moving quickly and wading through the icy water, you grabbed the emergency kits on the wall. You had passed by deceased passengers and tried not to look. It was eerie and unbelievable even though it had only just happened.

Bags littered the water and you guided them towards the exit and put them on the raft. You could save these people's possessions for their family, or there could be items inside that could be of use and save your life. 

You also noticed the flight attendant area and raided the cupboards as quickly as you could. You grabbed the medical kit, some slippers, a range of very thin blankets that were wet and even some snacks carrying everything back to the floatation rafts. As an afterthought you braved a second trip back into the plane to grab your and the other man’s overhead luggage as you knew he would likely appreciate it.

Finding a bunch of cell phones floating around the cabin. You grabbed them all hoping one would be waterproof. You found a few that were still turned on, but only one seemed to have some sort of signal. The plane creaked as you started making the emergency call. 

“Come on” you begged the phone to connect. The whole plane creaked again and tilted; it wouldn’t last long. You had desperately searched for survivors but there was no one obviously alive. You tried your best to check their vitals, but time was running out. Hopefully, you wouldn’t be cursed for pronouncing everyone dead.

"Hello, this is an emergency service hotline?" A voice cut through the silence, you looked at the phone about to cry in relief "fire, ambulance or police"

"Hello, we were in a plane crash, my name is y/n, we were on a flight from Los Angeles to Seoul"

"What is your location?" the woman said, confused by your description.

"The ocean" you hissed "we are on a life raft"

"How many people are with you, what are their names?"

"Just one. I don't know his name. He is asian. Um really thin, um, has dark hair and—”

"You seem to be breaking up" the emergency operator said with the voice cutting out. You looked down at the phone in your hand and sighed. Of course, if everything was going wrong, a phone in the middle of the ocean apparently won’t save you. You thought to yourself, ‘it is 2021 so why isn’t service available everywhere?’ Pocketing the phone you began making your way out the plane.

You headed back to the inflatable and made the decision to cut the plane free. Scared that it would bring the raft down with it. Grabbing more luggage from the water, you thought it best not to watch the plane sink. It would only make you feel worse.

The time went by slowly. It took hours for the plane to disappear. Even though you had promised yourself not to look, you had. Taking glances as the plane slowly sank and you drifted further away. 

The moment the plane was no longer in sight, you curled up and let the tears fall. The sun began setting and the heat turned into a bitter cold. Your wrist was still quite swollen, and you decided to wrap it as you drifted along. You had been so sure that there would be something or someone to see you drifting, and you would be saved. 

However one cold night became two, and then three, only breaking for the scorching heat of the day. 

You thanked yourself for watching all those ‘lost on an island’ movies and television shows; you had learned some things along the way. You also had your father to thank for always dragging you along to the volunteer emergency services programs, ones where you learned how to survive in a forest. At the time you thought it was super lame for your friends to go to nice hotels by the beach for their holidays and you were making some sort of mealworm dish while making stick shelters.

Going over the information you had in your head, you knew water was the priority. The instructor had said humans can go three weeks without food, three days without water, three hours without shelter and three minutes without air. 

The sun would dehydrate you quickly. You had made a small shelter with luggage and blankets to protect you from the sun. 

If you didn’t find land, you were going to have to make some sort of man-made evaporation device to create water. As it was, you were slowly getting the unconscious young man to drink little amounts of bottled water, for he too needed to stay hydrated. 

The man you were with had awoken the third day. He seemed a little freaked out about being alone at sea. You explained calmly, not wanting him to do anything drastic and he sat there processing things. 

You gave him a bottle of water and something to eat. The two of you continued drifting, not speaking a word to one another. You spent most of the time trying to craft something to float on the ocean and create clean drinking water. 

(This evaporation device floats on the ocean and mimics rain by the water droplets sticking to the plastic cover over the whole device when weighted in the middle it then drips back down into a bottle. I can find a reference picture if you need. [Here] [Here] [This one is like what I made in 7th grade camp])

But you couldn’t get the water to land in the bottle and the bottle to stay upright. He was no help, just laying in the shelter out of the sun. The raft was big enough for about one hundred and thirty people. And yet, the two of you sat close by and didn’t say a word.

You were covered in sweat and felt absolutely disgusting. It was time for you to get changed. What a stupid way to die, not from dehydration, or malnourishment, or even sun exposure, but from lack of hygiene. It was decided. 

“I am getting changed, don’t look,” you breathed, opening your carry-on bag.

“I don’t want look,” he muttered back in English and turned away. You quickly put on something that covered your shoulders and tried getting some rest. You didn't want to alarm him, but you both had consumed the last of the water and food rations.

It was late that night when you heard a different sound. The raft was moving a lot more. These were big waves and a part of you hoped it was not a tsunami or whale activity.

When the sound got louder, you were reminded of the beach when waves crashed on the sand. Looking up, you saw something big approaching. It was a body of land. Suddenly, your chances of survival greatly increased, now that you had a way to get out of the water. Nervous about putting your hands in the pitch black water, you looked at your companion peacefully sleeping and made the decision to paddle slowly. Anything to increase your chances of getting to safety. You eventually washed up on the beach, arms aching and stepped out to drag the raft onto the sand.

It was late and still dark, but you had to do something. Thinking that perhaps if you found someone, you would both be saved straight away. You waited on the raft until the sky lightened, and then you got to work collecting sticks and starting a small fire. You took the empty water bottles, hoping to find a clean water source or some fresh water that you could boil.

You walked to the highest point in sight, not seeing any signs of large predatory animals was a good sign. When you reached the top, you felt a sense of satisfaction as you had overcome the many trials and tribulations. You made it through a plane crash, survived on the water, and made it to land. 

Looking around, you saw something bone-chilling. This was an island and judging by the lack of people, houses or establishments, it was uninhabited. There was no civilization to be seen. You saw the tufts of smoke from your fire and tried not to cry. You were stuck here until someone could rescue you. 

Pushing the minor breakdown aside, you thought about water, it was important. Scanning the island, there seemed to be a small waterfall and tiny lagoon at the bottom. Since the rain, the waterfall was running pretty fiercely. You mapped out a path back to the beach which would detour past the waterfall.

By the time you reached the beach, your arms were exhausted with the weight of the now filled water bottles. He was awake and briskly brushing his reddened cheeks with his sleeves, turning his back to you. Sympathising with the man who probably thought you died, fell overboard or abandoned him.

You pulled out the metal pot from the plane and began boiling the water, in an attempt to kill any bacteria in it. The tide was going out. you knew you should be thinking about food as the next priority, but you wanted to sleep. Being primarily awake for a few days was taking its toll.

It took everything in you to get yourself to move and get to work. Taking large rocks, you carried them into the water until you were knee-deep. You were building a V- shaped wall, so when the tide came in, it brought with it fish and when the tide went out, they would be trapped. 

Pouring the now cooled water into the bottles, you started thinking about your plan. First, you thought about short-term needs, in case you were rescued soon, and then long-term needs, in the event you weren’t rescued for months or perhaps years. You paused, forcing yourself to think and accept the fact that there was a chance you would never be rescued.

The Asian man had gotten up and looked around hopefully. Handing him a now clean and sterile bottle of water, you frowned looking around with him. "There is no one here." He didn't say a word, staring at you while drinking slowly.

You huffed, trying to figure out how you two could survive on an island. He watched you fuss around trying to make a shelter out of sticks but it collapsed everytime. 

“Just no,” he muttered. You tried not to openly sneer at him. Grabbing the raft, you dragged it across the sand. As the raft was built for a large group, it seemed all you were doing was digging your feet into the sand. But little by little it was dragged up the beach thanks to the tide. It took some convincing but you had gotten help from the young man. The two of you madly struggling to lift the inflatable slide to a tilt against a tree. It was still inflated so you hoped you could use it for something else if needed.

Before the tide came in that evening, you ran out to the water. Your hopes were crushed when you found no fish and saw that the wall had broken. Carrying more large rocks into the water and making the V bigger and stronger, things weren't looking great, but you were trying to do your best. Cold from splashing around in the water, you went back to the shelter, but the fire had gone out by this point. 

Looking at the young man, you let out an exasperated sigh. Did he not care for his life or yours? Contemplating while gathering more wood, you realized that you had been doing all the work, while he was just lazing around. “We need more wood, come help,” you gestured for the young man to follow, but he sneered at the thought and leaned away from you.

“I just lay uh here and wait to…” he thought over his words, slowly forming an English sentence “die or be rescue,” he mumbled. You were too exhausted to argue. It could wait until tomorrow, and you would both freeze tonight. Maybe then he would understand the importance of working together towards a goal.

You felt absolutely disgusting. hearing the loud patter of rain, you walked down the length of the shelter. On one side was the raft, and on the other was the luggage, built into a wall. You took out some clean clothes and stepped into the rain. Peeling off your seawater and sweat drenched clothes, you stood in the dark and tried washing your body with a tiny travel soap you had found in a bag. 

You scrubbed your body of sweat and turned back to the shelter. Grabbing your towel, and wrapping it around your body, you stepped inside. He was laying on the makeshift bed you had prepared. He looked over, and when he saw you just in a towel, he rolled away. It was embarrassing, you who loved privacy and comfort were showering all exposed in the rain and getting changed in the same vicinity as a stranger. That night, he took the only dry blanket, so you laid there with wet hair and damp skin, shivering. 

You were thankful for the sun rising, and it took a few minutes for you to thaw enough to move, but when you did, you deemed it time for him to do some work. The two of you gathered sticks and leaves. He barely helped, and when he got back, he laid back down and fell asleep in the shelter.

Building a fire, with the wood, took some time as it had rained the night before. The leaves helped fuel the flames. The fire didn't have to be amazing, you just needed it for warmth. You also hoped some rescue teams might even see the faint smoke.

At the sound of your stomach calling for sustenance you got up and went to check the rock wall you made and found a fish swimming in the shallow water. You grinned, carrying it back making sure to stoke the fire. You were doing your absolute best with the emergency kit knife.

You must have looked pitiful, as your companion took over, filleting the fish with ease, and he even cooked it. The two of you had fish for breakfast and you felt satiated. You took some of the supplies and got ready to set out for food and fresh water. He was dressed and trying to follow you, so you let him carry some of the empty bottles.

Except he wasn't cut out for endurance, he got winded quickly. It reminded you of the time you passed out during a school marathon. Yet you made the best of the situation that you could, walking slowly until you came across some sort of fruit that the birds were eating.

You took a couple of pieces of rotten fruit and then carefully dug up the small plant and began carrying it back. He followed you back. You placed the plant down. Using your hands you tried to shift the dirt until you had a decent hole where you could plant the little fruit tree. Watering it with some of the water you had collected from the lagoon, internally wishing the plant would flourish. It was hard pouring the fresh water on the plant but you had to if you wanted food.

You mapped out an area and put sticks in the ground in a box-shape, in hopes of starting a garden of any edible plants found throughout the island.

You took the old fruit you collected off the ground, put it around the bottom of the tree, and gave a small hopeful sigh. “Hopefully it will break down in the soil and feed the plant. Our fate is in your hands little plant”

You spent another night sleeping in the makeshift shelter and had to decide on what to do, so you sat up and turned to the young man.

"Hey, are you awake?" He sat up, his eyes narrow, "what do we build? Shelter? or a garden for food?"

He blinked before choosing "Shelter?” you giggled at his confusion, not trying to be rude. He knew more English than you knew Korean and that was definitely a feat.

“A home”

“Home, food later" he shrugged

It rained heavier, bringing with it a sense of sadness. There was no one waiting for you, no one looking for you. The tears began falling and you tried to stifle the sounds. He was still and you hoped he didn’t hear the breakdown. You hoped he was sound asleep as this seemed to be his skill. You were sadly mistaken; he wasn’t asleep. He moved and draped a blanket over you. He only drifted off when you exhausted yourself from crying.

Waking up with your back pressed to his back, the two of you had shared a few airplane blankets. Your body was aching, from sleeping on the ground. It was time to build the shelter both of you had been discussing. You needed someplace safe from the elements and a place with some sort of makeshift bed. Sand felt so soft, but was uncomfortable to sleep on.

Standing in the morning breeze, you began thinking: “How does one even build a house?” If people can make houses with only the land, then so could you. You had no excuse.if it didn’t work, you could try again until you figured it out. You knew there should be some sort of foundation. You could build between two trees, or with a big pillar in the middle, or four walls like a traditional home. Whatever you were going to do, you needed the materials, namely wood, but it’s not like you could just rip a tree out of the ground with your bare hands. You needed tools. Unfortunately, this island didn’t have a hardware store. This wasn’t like minecraft; you couldn’t just create perfect tools from nothing. Or, could you?

You got to work trying to make some sort of mock Stone Age axe. It gave you blisters, but you had successfully chopped a single tree down. Getting the hang of chopping the trees with your primitive tool, you had four trees ready on the seventh day. You dug holes in the sand, but it wasn’t holding the trunks at all. They kept toppling over. He told you it wouldn’t work, and you only huffed in response. 

You would have to dig, until you found harder ground. This took another week, but you had four tree trunks in the ground in a modest square. You had started feeling dizzy while working, and your head felt clouded. It had been raining ever since you arrived, every night and lightly throughout the day, you didn’t think you had felt warm in a few days.

While making a wall frame out of trees, you started to feel dizzy again. You tied together the thin logs with multiple vines, and you hoped they would stay. The more you worked, the more your hands got torn up. 

You were tying the last of the frame, when you felt your body grow heavy. You were so tired. You thought you would die by the hands of the lazy man. With that, all other thoughts left you as the darkness crept in. 

The shelter was warm. There was a fire, and the blankets were wrapped around you, keeping you warm. Beside you was a bottle of water and a packet of painkillers. “Fever,” he sighed, “all work makes you uh… quick death?”

“Well, at least I am doing something. I have kept you alive, in the plane, in the water and now. I have done everything and what have you done other than act arrogant and lazy?” You said, “You haven’t even told me your name. We are stranded on an island. Maybe we will be rescued tomorrow, and it will be all in vain but what if it’s not tomorrow? What if it's months or a year from now?”

“What if never safe?” He argued, not looking at you.

“The point is, I don’t want to die in my twenties. I don’t want to die in general. I had dreams, to get married, have a family and be a loving wife. I was working a stupid office job, and I loved it. I won’t give up that dream. I will live with the hope that one day we will be rescued, and I will keep us alive goddamn it.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” He gave a dry laugh, “I have no care. I was not… supposed be on the plane.”

“I need you alive. I can’t do this on my own. If-” You took a deep breath, “If you die, I might do something stupid. I can’t live an undetermined number of days on my own”

He went quiet. 

“Think about someone else for a change, it’s not all about you, Mister Asshole.”

“Yoongi,” he mumbled

“What?” You asked, too tired to be mad.

“My name is Yoongi.” He left the shelter, and you were left sobbing in the dark.

You woke up to Yoongi cooking fish on the fire; you were not expecting it. He hadn’t really done anything to help you. He mostly sat around, but the two of you ate together before you got to work. It was after a few hours you noticed Yoongi was gone again. It disheartened you that he was off doing whatever again, while you were working. You were completely exasperated by the young man, he maddened you, always on your mind. He was hot and mysterious and you hate that you couldn’t stop thinking about him because he acted nice once.

You began opening the suitcases hoping you wouldn’t offend anyone by going through personal belongings of the deceased. Clothes in all different sizes mens and womens, all different styles and one suitcase broke you, filled with tiny onesies and cloth diapers, dummies and ointments and medicines for a tiny baby. A pretty purple rattle with a cute butterfly on the handle.

You slammed the suitcase shut and pushed it across the sand to look at another day but for now you needed to step aside, the wound was too fresh. These were real people who died and yet why did you two survive, the most unlikely pairing with the worst odds and yet you survived when countless innocent lives were lost. It wasn’t fair.

A few days had passed, and you were trying to create something sturdy enough to withstand wind and rain with a roof and walls. You had plenty of resources, but you had to pick the right ones that would last. 

You thought about it and decided to use the raft to line the inside of the house in the tarp-like material. It was super long, so you could do the roof and the four walls and still have the whole underside left over. You would weave leaves and sticks together to make them sturdier and layer them on the outside. 

Putting your plan to action seemed easy yet tedious. You collected long palm leaves, removed the spines, and weaved the leaves tightly together, and laid them on the floor. The more you weaved, the faster you got. Painstakingly working every day, you rejoiced when all four walls, roof, and floor were finished and stable.

While you were doing all this, Yoongi was nowhere to be seen. He returned at night, as he always did. He looked unbothered by all the work you had accomplished that day. You finished up, and the two of you ate and went to bed, which was just a collection of woven leaf mats covered in some of the leftover tarp from the raft.

You had moved the items from the shelter into the new house area. The two of you sat on the remaining raft fabric. “I made a bed out of leaf mats and covered it in the leftover material.” 

Yoongi seemed impressed looking around, “잘 했어.”

“Jal haess-eo?” you repeated the sounds “What does that mean?”

“Uh… good work” He took your hands and pulled out a small succulent leave from his pocket snapping it and squeezing out the liquid inside. Applying it to the cuts and scratches on your hands gently. You noticed his hands were rough too, for he had cuts and blisters littering the his palms as well. 

“Where did you find aloe vera?” you asked curiously. What had he been doing?

“Near the…” he made an action with his hand “폭포”

“The what?” You laughed, and he cracked a slight smile.

“Water shaaaa!” he made the sound and gesture of water falling. You laughed hysterically. He was so cute, when you got to know him.

“Waterfall?” you prompted, checking that was what he had meant.

“Ah waterfall!” he nodded, “Near the waterfall”

“What did you call it?” you said. You were genuinely interested. He had been trying his best to communicate with you in your language, so maybe you could learn some of his to ease the burden “Pog-o”

“폭포” he corrected. 

“Pogpo” You smiled at him. he seemed a little happy that you were giving his language a try. “How do you say good night?”

“안녕히 주무세요” he said and you blinked shocked, so he grinned,speaking slower in syllables “Ann-yeong-hi ju-mu-se-yo.”

“Annyeonghi,” you repeated. He seemed eager to teach you more, so you stayed up as long as you could, learning Korean phrases until you both fell asleep.

[Part 2/2] coming soon...

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[januaryisnotanartist]

So day 5 of KanSang week is Wang Clan! Liu Sang.

Which got me thinking about how would Liu Sang fit in with the Wang Clan (and Wang Can) and still be Liu Sang (and not secretly Wang Can), and how could I get KanSang from such a universe?

I derailed directly into Liu Sang & Li Cu are bros.

(warning, this (d)evolved into a kinda fic as I was rambling.)

-

We begin with “Wang Can is the younger half brother of Liu Sang”, top it off with a bit of “evil step mother who was willing to burn her step son alive in an attempt to frame him for attempted murder gone wrong clearly belongs to a crazy death cult and was secretly a Wang operative the whole time, so when she and her husband died the Wang Clan swooped in to pick up the free orphans freshly traumatised kids ripe for brainwashing indoctrination into their cult clan.”

So now we have Liu Wang Can, who was raised by a woman who was already preparing him to join the Wang Clan, and Liu Sang who, because I need him to have a reason to firmly resist the Wang's Anti-Zhang propaganda, is from the Worship False Idols universe. (Which is to say: Liu Sang was rescued from human traffickers by Zhang Qiling before he moved in with his estranged father and wicked stepmother.)

Wang Can dives headfirst into the clan and evil assassin training, while Liu Sang keeps his head down because: where else can he go? His brother is here, he has no one left to turn to, and this clan is out for his ouxiang. Liu Sang chooses to stay so he can learn everything about the man who saved him, and more? importantly: about the clan who plan to hurt the man who'd saved him.

Everyone assumes Wang Can is the more terrifying “twin”. They're wrong.

Liu Sang has to watch as his brother strips away his own humanity despite Liu Sang's best efforts.

And then comes Li Cu.

Liu Sang would laugh if his brother's poor reaction to having a crush wasn't so... horrifying. He's not even sure Wang Can has realised his increased brutality and douchebaggery are attempts to show off for Li Cu.

As a big brother, Liu Sang thinks it might be his responsibility to explain some things before Li Cu kills Wang Can in self-defense, so he tracks down the new comer at one of the out door firing ranges while Li Cu's taking a break.

(Liu Sang hates the firing ranges, they always give him sensory overload, then Wang Can has to go out on extra dangerous missions just to prove they're useful and Wang Liu Sang isn't a burden, because like hell is he ever going to tell them just how much he can hear. They, because they're always considered as a unit, because both of them cling a little too much to one another. There's a reason they can't shake the foul rumours about their relationship, they're both too possessive.)

He remembers to make noise loud enough for a normal person to hear before he gets within striking distance, finds a nice crunchy leaf and crushes it under foot to get Li Cu's attention. Li Cu's first reaction almost makes Liu Sang laugh out loud.

“The hell did you do to your hair?!”

Because Liu Sang's hair has always had more red than Wang Can's, and they wear it differently. He doesn't stop the smirk though, tosses Li Cu a candy bar (technically contraband while off mission) and waits to see how long it takes Li Cu to realise he's not Wang Can.

It takes a few less sentences than Liu Sang hoped for Li Cu to cotton on, but still long enough for it to be funny.

They don't become friends, but they certainly aren't enemies, and they aren't nothing to each other.

Almost something like friends maybe.

Liu Sang reminds Li Cu not to lose himself to the Wang Clan, because they're very good at acting nice, at choosing just the right person to send to get under your skin. Every person you trusted in the Wang Clan was another way they had to get you to do what they wanted.

Liu Sang getting close to Li Cu ends up riling Wang Can, who can't figure out which of them he's more jealous about, so the higher ups send Liu Sang off on a mission.

“Only a week or two.”

Liu Sang says goodbye to Li Cu on his way out.

“Do ever think about leaving the Wangs?” Li Cu wants to know. “Just, go missing in the middle of a mission on not look back?”

“My brother's here,” Liu Sang tells him. Because the Wangs know how to use connections, and if they'd ever sent both brothers out together, Liu Sang would have given in to the temptation to run away years ago. To drag his brother back to some semblance of humanity and not the murder puppet the Wangs had turned him into.

-

Liu Sang returns to a compound devoid of life, the secret regrouping call had gone out, he knows where he's supposed to go but there's a terrible weight sitting in his chest as he walks through the building. The poisonous gas no longer a threat, he can see where the infiltrators' bodies would have been.

They'd taken their own dead and left the Wangs to rot.

He'd have found it funny if his brother hadn't been one of the corpses.

Liu Sang can't hear himself screaming over the ringing in his ears, his world falling apart at the seams. He'd kept himself together through the hell of the Wangs by focusing on trying to take care of his brother.

Who is he if he's not Wang Can's gege?

His brother is dead, and he knows exactly whose fault it is.

There's a grenade pin by his brother's corpse, and explosive damage by on of the vents, and the Wangs had made his brother such a good little soldier.

Liu Sang thinks of the man with the tattoo who'd saved him from one hell only to leave him to another. The man the Wangs hated more than any other.

He has no path forward but one. Liu Sang takes the information he'd gathered painstakingly through the years in secret, always too afraid to use it, and heads to the meeting location.

When his is the only heartbeat left there, he goes to find every safe house and backup location left.

He tracks down every member of the Wangs he can find and ensures no one loyal lives.

And then he's left back where he was. Alone. No idea what to do next.

-

Li Cu thinks he's hallucinating the first time he sees Liu Sang across the street.

To be fair, he hadn't even been sure it was him, Liu Sang had vanished almost as Li Cu was noticing him.

He'd never mentioned Liu Sang to Wu Xie and the others, it hadn't felt right. Liu Sang wasn't a Wang, not really. He'd taken the name, the tattoo, but unlike his brother, Liu Sang had still hung on to his old name, a secret Liu Sang had only shared once when he'd been tired enough to be tipsy.

Now Liu Sang was here, and obviously wanted to talk to Li Cu judging by how often Li Cu caught him watching. Liu Sang had apologised more than once for Wang Can's poor social skills, but Liu Sang's weren't exactly up to par either, unless they were being directly compared to his brother's.

So Li Cu makes himself available, waits in the cold, dark night for Liu Sang to appear from nowhere. And by cold, dark night, Li Cu means he takes to haunting a quiet table at a street food vendor while he tries to study.

Liu Sang sits down across from him with food, and they just share the table for a while, eating, studying, waiting.

From up close Liu Sang looks terrible, and not for the first time since Wu Xie had raided the Wang base, Li Cu wonders what happened to Liu Sang.

“Sorry about your brother,” Li Cu doesn't realise he's going to say it out loud until it's already out of his mouth. It seems like the kind of thing he should be saying though.

Liu Sang freezes, chopsticks halfway to his mouth, a clump of rice drops back onto his plate.

“You don't have to lie about it,” Liu Sang says at last, “I think part of me always knew we weren't both leaving.” He puts his chopsticks down and looks a little lost. “Sometimes, I wonder I there was ever anything in him that I could have saved.”

“Not by the end,” Li Cu says, and there's a look of realisation on Liu Sang's face, and Li Cu gets the feeling Liu Sang knows now that Li Cu had been there when Wang Can had pulled the pin from the grenade.

They sit in silence so long, Li Cu wonders if he should go back to his food or his textbook, but then Liu Sang finally starts talking again.

“I actually, tracked you down to ask...” Liu Sang looks like he'd rather swallow razors, “for a favour. From you. I want to ask you to do me a favour.”

Of all the things Li Cu expects to follow, learning tattoo artistry is not one of them. It takes months before Liu Sang is happy with Li Cu's skills, by which time Li Cu has long stopped asking why Liu Sang doesn't just go to a proper tattoo artist.

He doesn't ask where Liu Sang got the equipment, or how he'd managed to get the studio for an entire day, he doesn't know if he wants an answer or not.

Li Cu knows that Liu Sang already has a tattoo, all the Wang Clan members had had one, a phoenix on the back of their right shoulders that only showed in the heat. Li Cu had been not far off having to get one as well, something that had repulsed him so deeply he'd been shaken by the depth of it.

His back had already been mutilated, like hell he'd let anyone else mark him against his will again.

(He hates that he suddenly understands why Liu Sang had gotten him to learn to tattoo.)

To his surprise, there's also an unfinished tattoo across Liu Sang's chest, and it looks vaguely familiar to Li Cu.

“Qilin?” He thinks he knows why.

Liu Sang nods, and turns his back so Li Cu can press a hot cloth against his shoulder. Once the phoenix is visible, Li Cu places the stencil carefully so it aligns just right then readies the tools while they wait for the phoenix to vanish from sight.

Li Cu has only been practicing for a few months, so he's not very fast, but he makes sure the lines are steady, that the shading is right.

It takes all day, and they won't be able to check the cover up has worked for another few days, but in the end Li Cu is confident no amount of heat will let the phoenix show through the multi-tailed fox he's inked onto Liu Sang's shoulder.

-

Before they part ways again, Li Cu pulls Liu Sang into what is probably the world's most awkward hug, and makes sure he has Li Cu's contact information.

“At least let me know you're alive every once in a while, yeah?” Because Li Cu already knows Liu Sang's leaving.

Liu Sang nods, but Li Cu isn't really expecting much.

Three days later he gets a picture of a town sign from an unfamiliar number, accompanied by the words: Not Dead Yet.

-

Liu Sang keeps in contact, more than Li Cu thought he would, not that he minds. Except that Liu Sang has a strange penchant for meerkat memes and keeps being weirdly funny at the worst possible times.

Like a few years later when Li Cu learned Liu Sang was on a job with Erbai's crew after Liu Sang sent him a text, which caused Li Cu to snort his drink through his nose and all over his freshly complete collage homework.

Help! He's a Himbo! My One True Weakness!

[joheun-saram]

To Make A Power Couple (knj) | 8

Chapter 8: Housewarming

previous | masterlist | next

Summary- Finally moved in together, Namjoon and Y/N relish their time together despite their schedules and stupid misunderstandings

word count- 8.8k

pairing- idol!namjoon x ceo!reader

rating- R

genre- series, fluff, smut, slight angst

warnings- extreme domestic fluff, mention of parental death, alcohol consumption, kink shaming (kinda? idk man), dom!joon, sub!reader, smut (unprotected sex, fingering, rough sex, marking, somewhat daddy kink, orgasm denial), safeword use (yellow), Namjoon being whipped but also being a dumbass, Y/N just trying to chill, Namjoon’s obsessed with her ass ig

a.n- apologies for this chapter taking literally forever! but i give you fluff for your patience. so much fluff omg. can i move in with joon already? but also we cant have this much fluff without a sprinkle of angst. 

special s/o to @himbojk​,  @pars-ley​, and @s0seo​ for beta reading parts for me  and easing my worries 💕

As always feedback appreciated. Send me an ask! 💌

taglist - @beach-bitch-bitch-beach, @sscheherazadee, @rjsmochii , @jinjccns​ , @joyful-jimin @sideblogger @agustdpeach @diamonddia-mond, @asdfghjklqwertyv, @cheesecakes-randomshitz​, @goldenjongho

-

“Are you sure about this? It’s only been six months honey.” Your mother looked at you through the screen and you felt your heart tighten. She had that worried look on her face, the one that tells you that she will respect your decision but isn’t too happy about it. She looked different too, the wrinkles around her eyes more pronounced as she frowned and you wish you could convince her of your decision.

“Seven, actually. I love him, mom. I thought you liked him?” She had been nothing but supportive of your relationship, trusting you to make the right decisions. It had been the two of you for so long when you were younger that it always felt weird that you were on your own now. When your father had passed away when you were starting high school, she had done everything in her power to ensure you never felt like you were down a parent. As a senior partner at a management consultancy, she had long hours and business trips but she always picked you up from school and often took you with her on her business trips. Her trips are the reason that by the time you finished high school, you had been to pretty much every major city in North America. Not to mention that watching her working is the reason you were so good at what you did now. 

You remember when the first year after your father’s death you had to go to a father-daughter school dance and she donned one of his old suits to take you. You danced with her that night, surrounded by your peers and their fathers, but smiling at her as you nuzzled into her neck, her scent mingling with your dad’s on the clothes. You felt safe and you decided you never wanted to disappoint her. Maybe that’s where your drive to succeed came from - from ensuring that your mom, who worked long hours but still had a homemade dinner on the table when you came back from school, was proud of you.

“I do like him, honey. Namjoon is probably the best boyfriend you’ve had. I’m just worried you both are moving too fast.” She sighed as she sipped her tea. “He’s a rockstar, I just want you to be happy but what if things changed?”

“A rockstar?” You giggled. Sometimes you forgot that your mom was kind of old school, not beyond judging a book by its cover. “He’d probably die of embarrassment to hear you say that.”

“Y/N I’m just saying. Be careful with your heart.” Her voice was stern as she looked at you through the screen, her eyes narrowed with her warning.

“I know mom. I’m sorry. I trust him, you know. I don’t think I knew what love was till I met him. Having him around makes me feel safe, less lonely.”

“He’s still responsible for my daughter being in a cast.” After the incident, your mother had grown a bit wary of your relationship. She knew he was famous but she never realised just how many sacrifices the two of you had made to be together. You knew she was aware that Namjoon would never hurt you but you still felt bad that she was worrying over what was an anomaly. Speaking to Namjoon, you knew that something of the sort had never happened to him and his members, even to his other idol friends. The thought of it being such a rare occurrence had given you assurance and you hoped it would translate to your worried mother an ocean away.

“Mom! It’s not his fault. We’ve been over this!”

“I know, I know. I’m your mom. I’m just worried.” She sighed as she resigned from the conversation. You knew your mom had your best interests at heart but she didn’t know Namjoon like you did. She had met him twice over the screen and then had spent countless hours googling him and sending you clips of him breaking things with texts calling him out (“he better not be this clumsy with your heart”). You love her but you never know how to convince her that she had nothing to worry about. “Anyways, how’s my favourite son Harry?”

And so the conversation moved on from her qualms about your soon-to-be live-in boyfriend to your business as you told her about the plans you had for your company and talked about your friends. As you went to bed after hanging up, you looked at the empty side. It was the first time in weeks you were sleeping without your boyfriend but you were giddy as you thought about the morning when he would finally move in and you would never see that empty side again.

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

“Baby why are all your shelves empty? Why have I never noticed this before?” Namjoon stood frowning in the kitchen with a box of his dishes and cutlery, something you made fun of him about since he notoriously lives on take out, as he placed his plates in the shelves above your kitchen counters.  

“Really Joon? Do you know who you’re dating?” You giggled as you hopped off the counter you were sitting at and stood next to him. Reaching up to extend your uninjured hand as far as it could, you looked at him as you just about reached the bottom shelf. You were not that short but whoever designed this apartment thought the shelves looked extra elegant if they were extra high. 

“Aw! You’re so cute!” He cooed as he patted your head condescendingly, causing you to scowl and narrow your eyes at him. Before you could retort, he put his arms around your waist lifting you so you were eye level with the shelves. “See? Now you can reach! Teamwork!”

You laughed as he put you down, turning around to wrap your arm around him. “Can’t believe we live together now,” you whispered into his chest as you felt him kiss the top of your head. Placing your chin against him you looked up, speaking in a hushed tone. “Promise me you won’t start hating me and my little quirks.”

“I could never hate you, as long as you promise not to get annoyed by me practicing in our living room.” Namjoon looked at you with a wide smile, as he cupped your face, capturing your lips in a sweet kiss. You hugged him as you looked across the kitchen island towards your large living room. The large shelf in the corner that once only housed only your books and vinyls was now filled with pieces of your boyfriend. The top shelves had his books with his own organization system (apparently organizing books based on colours was too chaotic for him) as his little collectible figurines stood at random places. Not to mention the tiny baby shoes he had added on one of the shelves (“They’re just cute! I’m totally not picturing a cute fat baby with your doe eyes!”). 

You both had added another shelf near the balcony that now housed his extensive plant collection, in fact you had never seen this apartment more green, little plants scattered in the corners. In addition to your framed posters, there were now paintings from his collection, eclectic pieces that lit the blank white walls in color. You both had even moved the couch to the corner and added a mirror on the nearby wall that not only made the room look larger but would help Namjoon if he ever needed to practice his dances. 

You sighed contentedly as what was once your home now became the both of yours, your hobbies and tastes intermingling in a perfect union. The den was now a studio, soundproofed and full of midi boards and amps - it seemed like a piece of Namjoon had a place in your home. The two of you had gone back and forth over where to live, whether to move into his house or buy a new place completely, but in the end you had decided your apartment would be best since it was close to both of your work places and because it housed the most memories you shared.

“Oh! Or we can buy a new place?” You looked up at Namjoon’s profile from where you laid next to him, you head in the crook of his arm, his fingers tracing circles on your skin, right above where your cast ended. You were both in bed, a few days after he asked you to move in together, eager to figure out where you would embark on your latest relationship milestone.

“What about here? I like it here. This is our spot.”

“Really you wanna move in here?”

“Yeah this is where we had our first official date. This is where we found out that Ken Burns documentaries make you fall asleep-” He grunted as you smacked his chest at his comment, laughing before continuing. “This is where I first found out how much I love your food. Heck, that living room was where I knew I was in love with you!”

“Oh? You haven’t told me that before.” The two of you turn on your sides to look at each other as you grinned at him in anticipation.

“Yeah it was like a few weeks after we became official. I came over and you were at the gym and when you came back we ordered like a massive pizza and you were so giddy while eating it, I don’t know if you noticed but I’m sure I had literal heart eyes.”

“You know you really like me and pizza together,” you joked as you played with the necklace he had given you, his hand coming to fiddle with the chain as well.

“What can I say? I like you covered in sauce.” He laughed as he held your chin and brought you in for a kiss, humming gently when you separate.

“Be honest though, you totally fell in love with me when I agreed to recreate that porn you like, didn’t you?”

“Ah fuck! You’re right, that’s like the number one reason we should move in here. This is where we found out calling me daddy makes you gag.”

“Yes I’m sure it was just calling you that and not your stupidly big dick.” You both broke into fits of laughter holding on to each other, falling back into the comforting silence, before Namjoon broke it looking at you with a smirk.

“So how about we break out that riding crop again? Hmm? Get you in some of that sexy lingerie?” He moved his arm lower from where it sat on your waist to your hips, his fingers playing with the waistband of your pajamas.

“But baby you said you loved my batman underwear,” you whined jokingly, giggling with your arm around his neck as you looked at him coyly.

“Honestly? I love you in anything.” He said earnestly as he captured your lips in a searing kiss, moving his body to lay on top of yours carefully avoiding your injured arm. “Or nothing…”

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

The first week of living together was odd. The two of you had spent the month after deciding to move in together planning so much, even buying new furniture, but now that you were living together it was weird. It wasn’t a bad weird, in fact it was a very, very good weird. You and Namjoon had never lived with a partner before and much like when you first got together, it felt easy. Maybe it was practice from when Namjoon was over all the time, but it just felt so effortless being with each other.

You would be lying if you said your mother’s words hadn’t opened up an insecurity within you. You were messy, sure it was an organized mess, but you were messy. You tend to forget where you put things, and when you’re stressed even the smallest of inconveniences make you snap. However, somehow Namjoon just slotted himself into your life so seamlessly, you were finding it hard to believe how lucky you were. 

On Monday, you came home and as usual threw whatever jacket you were wearing on the floor, he followed, silently picking it up and hanging it. Namjoon was organized and that made you remember where you left your keys on Tuesday, because now they were always in the cute little crab shaped plate near the foyer. On Wednesday you were infuriated with work and when you went to pee when you reached home, the toilet seat was up causing you to nearly topple in. But unlike usual when you would’ve torn whoever did that to pieces, you broke into a laugh, dialing Namjoon at practice and telling him you missed him. On Thursday, you had your doctor’s appointment to finally get the cast off, and when you returned home to excitedly show off your new arm, Namjoon frowned at the large scar before kissing it repeatedly and spending the night worshipping you. On Friday, the two of you saw the smog warning and donned some masks going to Yeouido Hangang Park, melding in with the mask-wearing strangers enjoying convenience store kimbap and beers as you read your book aloud to him, lounging on the sloping greens. That was also when he learned you didn’t know how to ride a bike, making it his responsibility to teach you.

“I still can’t believe you don’t know how to ride a bike!” Namjoon laughed as he held onto the handlebars. You struggled to keep the balance, your feet resting lightly on the pedals of the rented bike as he slowly pushed you. 

“I skateboarded instead! You tell me that once you land an ollie!” you huffed, now pushing on the pedals, albeit gently. Namjoon found your hesitation adorable. He loved discovering these different sides of you. The fact that his always confident girlfriend seemed scared of something as simple as a bike when she was apparently doing tricks on a skateboard, made his heart swell. It was like you kept all your embarrassing secrets for him, you told him things that no one knew about you, and he couldn’t wait to discover more. 

For Namjoon, moving in had been as easy as breathing, even though it had barely been a week. On Monday, he took a homemade lunch to work for the first time in a year. When he opened the box, the smell of your stew lingered in his studio and every time he returned from a meeting that day, the scent made him smile. On Tuesday, you came by his building to pick him up, waving excitedly as he wrapped up a livestream and tried not to giggle like a fool in love, which he very much was. Wednesday, he was having a tough time getting the new dance routine down, but then you called him out of the blue and it made his heart flutter, reenergizing him to finally nail the steps. When your cast came off on Thursday, he was again filled with guilt about his part in your attack, but your assurances helped him ease his mind. However, not as much as you screaming his name when he made you cum for the third time on his tongue. Namjoon had never felt so connected to someone before. Usually he would be scared to share so much of his life with another person, but with you he couldn’t wait. He felt extremely lucky just to be in your presence, soaking in the determined look on your face as he taught you how to ride a bike.

“Okay shit. Nevermind that’s really hot. Let’s go skateboarding next time,” he smiled at you mischievously, knowing that he was going to let go of the bike any second.

“I haven’t done that in ten - Oh my god! Don’t let go! Why are you letting go?” You looked behind you to see Namjoon put a thumb in the air in encouragement.

“You’re a big girl, you can do it. I believe in you!”

“I hate you! I’m gonna fall! How do I stop?!” You could feel the wind blowing through your hair as you steadily picked up speed, and you were terrified. How did you let your tree of a boyfriend talk you into this? There was a reason you had legs, why did you need these stupid wheels?!

“Just push the brakes and put your leg out.”

“Joon! Namjoon! I’m gonna fall!” You watched your life flash before your eyes as you cursed, falling on to the grass, your bike between your legs. Namjoon jogged up the few meters to stand above you, almost doubling over in laughter, causing you to cross your arms where you laid pouting at him. “Stop laughing at me!”

“Sorry! I just - you were going so slow! You literally fell in slow motion!” He continued laughing, even having the audacity to wipe a tear off his eye as you glared at him, before moving the bike and helping you up. “Come on up. There we go!” He beamed at you making it much harder to be mad at him when his eyes squinted in that adorable way they do when he’s extra pleased.

“If I break my arm again it’s your fault.” You leaned into him as he put an arm around you, the other walking the bike back to its station. 

“Sorry, sorry! Okay I think that was enough practice. Let’s go home.” He pulled you closer, the bike now firmly locked and no longer charging him through the app. With your arms around his waist, you kind of felt bad giving up on learning so easily. He had seemed so excited when he suggested biking around the river.

“Sorry I can’t bike with you. I wanna share your hobbies!” You pouted, making Namjoon swoon.

“Baby we literally share like seven million hobbies. It’s okay if you don’t like biking. I hate all the Shark Tank episodes you make me sit through.” He laughed as you looked up at him, even with the mask covering half his face you could tell how his dimples would be poking through his cheeks at your comment.

“You said you liked them!”

“It was a month into dating you. I lied.” You rolled your eyes at his nonchalance as he smiled smugly. You knew he hated that show, he would always be getting up to go to the bathroom or get snacks during the pivotal moments. Well at least he was committed enough to not be on his phone when you watched together. Now that you think about it, he must really love you to sit through the marathon you had of it last month.

“So what else do you hate?”

“Arthur C Clarke. I don’t get why you love 2001 so much. It’s so pseudo philosophical and the sequels suck.”

“But the monolith Joon! The spark of curiosity and ambition! And like the combined consciousness! Come on!”

“Eh. Pretentious. Douglas Adams did it better.” He shrugged.

“I can’t believe you! Those are like two different concepts!” You laughed as he dissed one of your favourite books, enjoying his warmth against you as the two of you waited for the car to pick you up in the parking lot.

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

Saturday would mark the first weekend of you both living together, and so it was time to celebrate. The two of you had taken the day off in preparation for the first party you would host together, in the apartment you lived together. Just the thought made you giddy. You walked around the grocery store, stocking up on snacks and alcohol as Hayoon, Namjoon’s favourite security personnel, helped you carry the basket that kept getting heavier. You still found it weird walking around with the 195cm, extremely buff older man, but with the attack still fresh in your head, it was comforting having the looming presence. You had noticed that people didn’t even look twice at you, when in the past your foreigner status would have had at least a few staring at you.

Thanking Hayoon for carrying your supplies and bidding him a goodbye, you walked into your living room to find your boyfriend dancing to music playing from his earphones. Somehow in the midst of cleaning and moving furniture to make room for the twenty something people you both had invited, he had started working. You couldn’t blame him when you yourself had taken the time in the car to answer a few emails. It gave you the perfect opportunity to share your present with him.

“I’ve got a surprise for you!” You walked over to block his view of himself in the mirror as he rolled his body to some unknown tune. It was quite funny watching his concentrated scowl turn into confusion, barely hearing you.

“Hmm?”

“Stop dancing! I’ve got a surprise!”

“Can’t stop babe I have to get this down before Monday.” Namjoon looked over your head into the mirror as he continued practicing his choreography, making you roll his eyes.

“Hmm maybe Kook would wanna go instead,” you said nonchalantly as you turned around and started to slowly back away, before Namjoon’s arm came around your waist, stopping you.

“Ah baby don’t do that. See, airpod out, I’m listening!” You grinned as Namjoon pulled his earphone out, stopping the music but continuing to dance.

“You know you look like one of the sims just dancing there without music,” you joked, giggling.

“Babbbbbe! Where are we going?” he whined.

“So you know how your favourite rapper is Nas?”

“Yes I’m aware.”

“I got backstage passes!”

“What? For me?” Namjoon stilled, a dopey grin on his face as you walked closer to him to show him the tickets on your phone. It wasn’t a huge present but when one of your clients had asked if you wanted to attend, you couldn’t refuse the tickets. It helped that your client owned the stadium the performance was at and had accommodated your special requests for privacy.

“And you get to watch from this barricade so you don’t have to worry about paparazzi or fans and you can just enjoy the show!” Namjoon’s heart swelled as he heard your words. You never failed to surprise him with how much you went out of your way to make him comfortable. Lately, you’d been making him want to declare your relationship to the world. It was a dumb fantasy and the two of you had talked (argued) about going public, but between the two of you it seemed that you were more against it.

“You’re coming with me right?” He put his arms around your waist, pulling you close to him.

“I don’t know, I know I just said you’ll have privacy but what if someone sees us together? Maybe you can take Yoongi.” You look up at him with a frown, your hands on his chest, as you assessed the different ways the concert could affect your privacy. He hated how you had to overthink such a simple outing, mirroring your frown as he reached to relax the crease between your brows before placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

“Shut up. I’m only taking you. The whole world can watch!” He grinned making you roll your eyes. 

“You scare me with how easily you just said that.” You swatted at his chest. It really did scare you with how easily he’d been saying that lately. He wasn’t really an impulsive person, he usually thought everything through to the utmost detail and so his recent exclamations were worrying you. It’s not that you wouldn’t like to post one of the thousands of couple photos on your social media, it’s just you were worried about how toxic some netizens could be.

“Would it be so bad if everyone knew?” He pulled you closer, arms circling your waist as he pressed his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes with a little smile, wanting to play out his fantasy.

“Joon I’m not risking your career so we can go on a few dates.” You sighed, picking at his shirt at his chest where your hands laid.

“My fans will be happy to see me happy, baby.”

“Ugh let’s not argue about this right now. Do you like your surprise?” You put your arms around his neck as you peck his lips.

“Only if I get to enjoy it with you.”

“Yes yes I guess I’ll go see one of my favourite rappers with you.”

“I love you,” he whispered, bringing his lips to yours to kiss you gently. You returned it equally gently, getting lost in the warmth as he molded his lips to yours, tilting his head to get a better angle and squeezing your ass as he brought you even closer in his embrace. Before things could get heated, you pulled away, smiling as he followed your lips, eyes still closed. You pecked his lips a few times before moving away completely.

“Hey don’t let me distract you. Practice!” 

“You’re such a tease. Meanie.” He pouted as you walked away with a wave in his direction, smirking at his petulance. 

“Love you too Joonie!”

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

Namjoon was drunk. He promised himself at the beginning of the party that he would stay sober to ensure his first party with you went seamlessly, but then the Ilsan boys showed up. The Ilsan boys were his high school friends, dubbed so by you. To say you liked them would be a stretch, since he always got too drunk when they were around, but he couldn’t help it. They made him forget all about being an idol and let loose. They were some of the few people beside you and his family that had that effect. Sitting on the couch that was pulled up to the window, he felt the alcohol race through his veins, and he was in his feelings. Beside him, Harry talked to Sehun, one third of the Ilsan boys as they talked about some tv show. He was happy, so happy he was smiling to himself as he rocked his feet on the ground, a beer in hand. He was happy and as he watched you across the room, he was also a little annoyed.

You were talking to Kang, another one of the Ilsan boys, as Jungkook stood with his arms on top of your head for support and Hoseok laughed at some joke you made. Before the party the two of you had decided not to be the couple that only hung out with each other, and since this party was literally just your closest friends, it was not that hard to do. But right now all Namjoon wanted to do was be petty and shove Jungkook off of you, wrap his arms around you instead and tell you how horny your skinny jeans were making him. Alright, correction. Namjoon was drunk, happy, and horny. 

He bit his lip as he followed your curves with his eyes, watching the way your chest rose as you laughed, and the way your throat moved with each sip of your whiskey. Okay, that’s it. Screw the decision, he was walking over. Plus, he had stayed away for the past three hours, even had to watch you belt out his favourite My Chemical Romance song as you wiggled your butt, that had to count for something. He made his way to your little group, swaying a little as he shoved Jungkook a little too aggressively off you, making him protest over his spilled beer, before putting an arm possessively over your shoulder. He grinned as you leaned in, continuing your conversation.

“As I was saying there is no way Y/N is a sub. No fucking way!” Kang bellowed from where he stood. Namjoon’s brows furrowed at his comment. Why was he talking about his girlfriend this way? He felt an irrational surge of anger through him. He knew Kang was crass, his talks often devolving to his sex capades a few shots in, but did he really not respect Namjoon enough to be talking this shit in his own home about his girlfriend during their housewarming party?

Namjoon’s grip tightened around you protectively as Kang kept talking about your sex life. You only hummed, seemingly bored as you drank. Turns out you were playing a game, instigated by Kang of course, where you had to guess the other person’s kink, and if someone guesses correctly, you drink if not then the guesser drinks. Apparently you were in the spotlight for the moment.

Namjoon tilted his head, eyes narrowed at his childhood friend and raised an eyebrow. Kang, luckily for him, got the hint, shutting up with an apologetic glance at Namjoon. However, everyone else in the little group seemed to have missed this little interaction.

“I don’t know… I’ve seen hyung’s porn collection. He definitely has a daddy kink.” Jungkook scratched his chin as he slurred out the words, like he was trying to decipher a difficult math problem. 

“Dude Y/N would rather puke than call Namjoonie daddy.” Hoseok laughed, wiggling his eyebrows at you with a knowing smirk. You laughed, a little too hard in your tipsy state, and Namjoon felt his blood run cold. You had definitely said those words to him, even pretended to jokingly gag when he brought it up the first, and only, time. He stood straighter at Hoseok’s comment. Had you told him about this? Why would you tell Hoseok of all people? You weren’t even close! 

His jaw ticked as the group laughed, oblivious to the sudden hurt he felt. He felt exposed, naked and vulnerable, all because of you. He didn’t know if his feelings were elevated with the alcohol in his body, but he suddenly felt like he was losing all trust in you. You didn’t even seem phased, not noticing that his arm was no longer around you as you giggled at their antics.

“Okay. Time to reveal the winner!” You started, your arms wide and voice low as Jungkook used Hoseok’s chest as a makeshift drum, tapping at it lightly in a drumroll.

“Nope.” Namjoon couldn’t help but cut you off. There was no way you were sharing intimate details of your sex life with these idiots. He didn’t know how things worked in Canada, but here in his house he sure as hell was not hearing his friends talk about your kinks. He grabbed your wrist, taking the glass from your hand and placing it on the table before dragging you into the guest bathroom by the kitchen.

“Aww Joonie! Now I have to do three shots!” You pouted at him, oblivious to the storm brewing in his head.

“No.”

It was all he said before he crashed his lips to yours, taking your surprised yelp as an opportunity to roughly press his tongue to yours. He didn’t know what overcame him, he initially wanted to talk to you but something about the utter lack of remorse on your face snapped something in him. Oh those guys didn’t think you were a sub? He was going to prove them all wrong and make you beg for him while no one outside had a clue. It was his biggest turn on after all, to see you confidently striding through every room demanding respect and attention, only to turn into an obedient little girl for him.

He had been horny all night, rocking a semi every time he looked at you, and your little moans as you wrapped your arms around him now only made him harder. He kissed you with more force, removing your hands from around him and pinning them to the door behind you as his lips ventured down your neck to where your blouse started.

He let go of your hands, pleased to see them remain immobile against the door, and reached for your jeans, the same jeans that had been taunting him all evening. Kissing down your body, he pulled the jeans off your legs, turning you around roughly once you stepped out of them. With your ass in front of his face, he couldn’t help himself, biting at the flesh, smirking at your surprised yelp.

He stood up behind you, bending you over the sink. Pulling your shirt up and gripping your jaw, he placed the hem in your mouth. He kissed your neck, keeping his eyes on yours through the mirror as his hands pulled the cups of your bra down to grope you firmly. You didn’t know what had gotten into him suddenly, but you were not complaining, your shirt getting wet as did your panties. Wordlessly, he continued, his hands roaming your body to reach your heat where he didn’t hesitate to slide your panties to the side and thrust two fingers in, making you moan loudly at the sudden stretch. 

At your moan, his lustful eyes met yours as he increased his speed, the sound of your squelching pussy filling the air. Namjoon couldn’t help himself anymore, he needed to be inside you, teach you a lesson for being so oblivious to him. Unbuttoning his jeans, he released his dick, already dripping with precum at how turned on he was at the prospect of one of your friends knowing what was happening behind doors. Without a second thought, he lined himself up at your entrance to plunge himself right to the hilt. 

You moaned at the sudden aggressive move, your skin tingling with excitement to see your boyfriend this needy for you. Namjoon didn’t usually get this aggressive right off the bat, and his rare sexual desire made you heat up, mewling at the stretch. You braced yourself against the counter as you watched Namjoon’s face contorted in pleasure, his jaw tight as he rammed himself into you again and again, leaving your breathless and with your legs shaking.

“Fuck… I can’t believe we’re fucking in the bathroom… at our own party!” you moaned at a particularly hard thrust.

“That’s what you get for being such a fucking tease all night.” Namjoon leaned closer to speak in your ear, his chest molded to your back as one of his hands pulled your nipple while the other turned your head towards him, leaving sloppy wet kisses on your neck. You need more, needed to kiss him, needed his fingers on your clit, anything.

“Joonie…” you mewled, looking at him pleadingly.

“Ah don’t try to get all soft on me now baby.” He smacked your ass, aiming right where his bite mark was visible, making you preen. “Did you think you were funny telling Hobi how you gagged on my cock when I called myself daddy, hmm?” His hips moved hard, pushing you further into the sink, your walls clenching around him and you were sure your hips were going to bruise from where they slammed against the counter. Your skin was pebbling with goosebumps and you felt like you could feel every vein on his cock as he continued to move in you. With his hand on your jaw, he moved your face towards the mirror, enjoying the way your mouth was held open and eyes wide with want.

“Answer me baby. Did you like embarrassing me in front of our friends?” Namjoon knew he really shouldn’t bring his issues into the bedroom, especially when you allowed and trusted him with how you gave up control, but the concoction of hurt, anger and beer in his veins overrode his rationality. 

You felt a wave of guilt wash over you at his words, finally realizing what had gotten him so riled up. Making eye contact in the mirror, you couldn’t tell if this was all part of a scene he’d come up with or if he was serious. Before you could say anything, he spanked you again, his thrusts slowing, but somehow getting harder. Although you were concerned, you couldn’t deny how you could feel your orgasm rising, your walls tightening around him.

“Do you like seeing me get hurt in front of my friends?” He gritted out, his gaze darkened.

“H-hurt?” you stuttered, alarmed.

“Yeah baby, hurt. You think I like you sharing our secrets?” He was back at your neck, nipping the flesh and soothing it with his tongue. “You think I liked you and Hobi laughing at me, pretty girl?” he sneered, but you could see past it. Behind the lust in his eyes, he was actually hurt, his eyes glistening, and although you were enjoying this sudden, surprise sex, your needs could wait.

“Joon… fuck… yellow. Yellow.” You grunted, despite your body begging you to let him continue so you could cum. Suddenly Namjoon froze, pulling out. His eyes softened immediately with concern as he ran his hands up and down your arms to comfort you.

“Shitshitshit sorry! Was that too much? Too rough? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He spoke fast, trying to gauge your expression in the mirror.

“Are you okay? Are you actually mad about Hobi?” You turned around, cupping his face as you looked up at him. He sighed, biting his lip a couple of times and contemplating if he should talk about it now.

“Yeah. I’m sorry I just - it kinda fucked me up.” He averted your gaze, opting to look at the wall next to the two of you, and you felt your heart ache at his words. “Like I was pretty vulnerable when I shared that kink with you and I get it - it’s cliched and basic and you weren’t into it but I feel like you guys were laughing at me. I don’t like getting laughed at by my girlfriend behind my back with one of my best friends.” He looked at you towards the end of his statement, the fiery look back in his eyes. You knew he was mad, but truly he had no reason to be. In fact, thinking more about it made you sad that he would think that you would purposely kink shame him or laugh at him for any reason.

“I’m so sorry Joonie. It’s not even like that. I’m so sorry baby. Do you wanna talk about -” But before you could finish your sentence, he spun you around again.

“No.” He spoke firmly, lining himself once again, fully back into his dominant persona. “Much. Rather. Fuck. My. Frustrations. Out. Colour?” He punctuated each word with a snap of his hips, making you mewl, your earlier lost orgasm revving back up slowly.

“Green. Fuck Joon!” He bent you over further at your words, holding tightly to your hips as he fucked you.

“Tell me when you’re close, baby. You don’t get to cum tonight.” He spoke, his voice strained from his harsh movements. Oh, he must be really mad. Namjoon took pride in making you cum, often overstimulating you, but this was new. He’d never flat out denied you an orgasm before, and the thought made you want to cum even more.

“Joonie. I’m sorry. Please... fuck! You feel so good.” You mewled, looking at him with puppy eyes. You didn’t know how long you could hold your orgasm if he continued, the coil in your stomach tightening at his every move.

“No can do pretty girl you gotta learn your lesson.” He smirked, spanking your ass for good measure, the slap ricocheting through the walls of the small bathroom. You really hoped nobody needed to pee, glad that the music was pretty loud, you could almost sing along to the SHINEE track in the background.

“Please daddy?” You knew he was mad at you for this, but in your lust-addled, desperate mind you just wanted to do anything to please him.

“Fuck off! Don’t make me ban you from cumming all week.” He gritted out, almost panting with how fast he was going, chasing his own release as he spanked your ass twice. 

“God. Oh my god, Joon!” You felt him get sloppy, almost on the brink of your orgasm. Namjoon could feel you tighten impossibly hard, and with one last thrust he pulled out, stroking himself before cumming on your ass with a loud groan. You whined, your head on your arms as you felt your orgasm ebb away, your clit throbbing in need.

Namjoon leaned next to you, catching his breath, as he looked at your wrecked state, legs shaking, hair a mess, your tits hanging out of your bra.

“Did you cum?” he asked, stroking your hair as you looked up at him.

“No…” He kissed you at that, gently and quickly.

“Good girl. Now let���s clean you up, we have a party to host.” He buckled his pants, as he handed you some toilet paper, fixing your shirt, and once you cleaned up, helping you put your pants back on. He was still hurt, but weirdly sated. He knew it would take time for him to get over this, but he still felt lucky knowing that you’d understand as he watched you fix your makeup in the mirror.

“Joon, are you still mad?” You spoke after a few minutes, voice uncharacteristically meek, making Namjoon wish he waited till after the party was over, so he could tend to you properly after being so rough.

“A little. It’s just kind of stings right now.” He spoke after a few beats of contemplation leaning against the sink. When in other relationships, he got used to just saying he was fine, with you he felt that he could be honest even if it hurt, and although he still felt somewhat betrayed, he couldn’t help himself.

“I’m sorry, truly. I swear it’s not what you think. We weren’t laughing at you, promise! I love you.” You looked at him with such sorrow that he almost felt stupid for having such feelings, wanting to pacify you, but he knew you’d hate it if he did so.

“Ah don’t make that face.” He pouted at you slightly, cupping your face in his hands.

“What face?” You ask, eyes wide, cheeks a little squished by his hands and he felt his heartbeat accelerate.

“That face! Makes me want to kiss you.” He whispered, before capturing your lips in a tender kiss, his thumbs stroking your cheekbones.

“Joonie… baby, talk to me.” You pleaded, you hands on his, but he just leaned down to peck your forehead instead.

“Shh, yellow on this convo for now. Let’s just go back to the party. I love you too, pretty girl.” He smoothed your hair once again, before moving to the door. He paused at your lack of movement, turning around to see you frowning as you looked at him. He knew you wanted to talk it out, it was in your nature to solve problems immediately, but Namjoon needed time. If he talked about it now, he would probably get angry, or worse start crying. He needed to think things through. 

“Even when you’re mad?” you said quietly.

“Even when I’m mad. Now let’s go before anyone figures we’re missing.” He took your hand and walked you out, the party none the wiser of your little indiscretion. However, if anyone was paying attention, they would have noticed how off the mood was between the two of you, your smiles not reaching your eyes, and your cups always empty.

---------- 

You stared at the screen, the cursor blinking as you tried to put your thoughts together. This expansion into Japan was going to be the death of you. You had been working on the strategy for months now but nothing appealed to the board who never lost the opportunity to remind you of your age or lack thereof. With your combined shares Harry and you could technically override any of their decisions, but antagonizing the board further would only lead to more problems in the future so you just grinned and bore it. 

You had spent all day at the office trying to figure out the new strategy to beat out the competing company that already existed in Tokyo to get sufficient market share to make the expansion viable. Siwon had been kind enough to be your scribe while you word vomited at him but as you looked at the page now it made little sense. You were kind of embarrassed that he had to type out this bullshit.

Frustrated at your lack of progress, you looked at the clock, and reading the 11:34 pm displayed there with a grimace as you stood up to walk to the kitchenette on your floor. Starting a pot of coffee you talked to yourself as you fidgeted with the cups, stacking them this way and that. You kind of wished Harry would’ve stayed late tonight to talk through the strategy with you but apparently Jen had been pretty annoyed with all his late nights so you had no choice but to do it alone. You didn’t mind it as much usually, you enjoyed the silence of the empty building, enjoyed filling it with your favourite songs as you worked through your thoughts.

Tonight however you were pretty annoyed to be working late. After the party, Namjoon had spent Sunday sulking about, still refusing to talk out what you thought was a minor issue of miscommunication. If you were being honest, part of your frustrations tonight might be due to the fact that a part of your brain kept pestering you with the same thoughts. Mom was right, you moved in and look, already not talking to each other. If you can’t resolve this tiny fight, how will you have a future? He’s probably sick of you already.

Trying to practice your coping mechanisms, you let the thoughts pass through your head. They were just negative thoughts, they did not define you as a person, do not react to them. You took a deep breath, focusing instead on the task ahead.

As you walked to your desk with your third cup of coffee of the evening and thought about your business plans, you started resenting your board more and more. It was one thing to want a flawless strategy but they failed to understand that there was literally no strategy in the world that would be as risk averse as they wanted. They thought you too impulsive, too bull-headed to do something that was low risk. They had the audacity to think that you were building all the riskiest strategies on purpose when in reality to get the outcome you wanted there had to be an equal amount of risk to go with it. Sighing, you started typing your thoughts, bulleted, on the doc as your phone rang.

“Namjoon?” you asked as soon as you picked up the phone, a bit surprised that this is how he was choosing to break his pseudo silent treatment.

“Just called so you’re not startled.” You heard Namjoon twice, once in your speaker and once from right in front of you. Regardless of his efforts, you jumped in your seat to see him standing in front of you. Holding your hand on your heart, you looked up at your boyfriend standing over your desk in a matching pair of grey sweats and sweater, a black mask under his chin as he looked at you with amusement at your reaction. It never failed to endear him how you were easily startled at the smallest things. 

“Did you eat yet?” He asked as he leaned over the desk, his lips puckered. Sighing a yes, you kissed him, feeling your stress reduce at the touch, relieved that he seemed to be more open to communicating now.

“What brings you here?” You asked, reclining back in your seat as Namjoon pulled up a chair next to you.

“I just got done. Thought I’d pick you up.”

“How did you even know I was still here?”

“Boyfriend senses.” He winked, his arm resting on the back of his chair. You raised an eyebrow, skeptical, and really wishing he didn’t go all the way home to come back. “Fine. Siwon texted me. You know it’s bad form to worry your assistant so much he has to call your boyfriend for back up.”

“I’m sorry he texted you.” You leaned forward in your chair with a sheepish smile. Inside however, you were glad Siwon had given Namjoon a push to talk to you. Knowing Siwon you were sure it wasn’t a random concern but probably born out of your talk with him this morning.

He made a noise stating his displeasure at your apology and shaking his head, before reaching out to hold your hand where it lay on your lap. “So when’s this due?”

“Can we talk about Saturday night?” You answered his question with your own, dreading a mood swing, but impatient to explain your side and ease his worries. You really wanted things to go back to normal. Even though it had only been one day, you missed him. He had barely cuddled you in his sleep the last two nights, and you missed the intimacy, and as needy as it sounded in your head, you just wanted him to hold you.

He sighed deeply, leaving your hand to run his hands over his face. With his elbows on his knees, he hunched down, covering his face. He really should let you explain, but he was tired from practice and he didn’t know if he had the mental capacity to deal with an argument. “It’s okay. I’ll get over it.” 

“Please. Let me explain.” You stood from your chair squatting in front of him and pulling his hands away to make him look at you. With another sigh of resignation, Namjoon nodded for you to continue.

“Hoseok doesn’t know anything. He said that as a joke randomly.” You spoke carefully, watching Namjoon’s eyes widen as he frowned. “Honestly he’s been your friend for so long I just assumed you told him that’s why he was looking at me like that. You know I didn’t agree or disagree. I just laughed because of the memory.”

Namjoon felt like an idiot. It was such a simple explanation. He was kicking himself for not thinking about this earlier, for spending a whole day avoiding you. As he looked at the earnesty in your eyes, he wanted to go back in time and smack himself on the head for making you feel guilty over this non-issue.

“I’m a fucking asshole,” he groaned, covering his face as he rolled his chair away from you in shame. You stood, walking over to him before pulling his hands away yet again, sitting in his lap sideways. His hands instinctively went around your waist, making sure you didn’t slip off. 

“No I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed,” you whispered, frowning as you put your arms around his neck, playing with the hair on his nape.

“I’m such an idiot,” he sighed, rubbing his hand on your thigh, his touch sending a comforting warmth through you. “Also, I’m sorry for earlier.”

“For what?”

“Not letting you cum.” He looked so devastated, his lips pulled down by his guilt as he stared at you, that all you could do was giggle. It was silly that he thought some of the best sex you’d had was bad just because you didn’t cum.

“It’s fine you were in your dom persona.” You smoothed his hair as you kissed his cheek, making him shyly turn away from you, before he looked at you with a determination in his eyes.

“No it’s not fine. In all the research I’ve done one thing they always warned against was domming angry or like using it to resolve issues or punish your partner in a way they didn’t know what started the punishment, and I don’t know what came over me. I was mad and it was unfair of me to use our kinks against you.” He ranted, his frown getting deeper as his grip around you got tighter. With all his goofy antics around you usually, you forgot how serious Namjoon could get, and although the two of you had promised each other to be honest, it was still jarring to hear his rant. It meant he had been thinking about his actions and it bothered you that he was feeling guilty. When he stopped to take a breath, you brought his lips to yours, kissing him with all the affection you could muster. It wasn’t hard - showing him you loved him. In fact, it was the easiest thing to do, as you let your lips assure him and ease the storm in his head.

“I’m perfectly okay Joonie. It was hot.” You chuckled as you broke away and met his gaze filled with adoration. You felt lucky to have him in your life, and although this fight didn’t seem to have lasted that long, you missed him. Kissing him at midnight in your office, you felt content, your stress from the day melting away at his touch.

“Still. I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you?” He said as he kissed you again. “Let’s go home, baby.” 

You stood and as you packed your stuff, he clung on to you, nuzzling your neck, equally missing your touch. Although you were headed home, you felt it in his arms already.

-

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[flooffybits]

Dependent

Idol: Loona

Anon: 13th member of Loona is struggling to eat and sleep due to stress so when she gets lightheaded during a fansign/concert. -❄️ if not taken

Loona’s 13th member who is the maknae getting really overwhelmed with juggling school and idol life. She starts taking some drugs that are supposed to help her stay up, while simultaneously hiding it from the other members cause she knows that they would kill her if they knew. They slowly start getting more and more suspicious until something happens and they finally catch her taking the pills. She still tries to brush it off but they won’t let her. Thank you so much

loona reaction to 13th member not eating and almost fainting and getting hurt. I love your writings🤍

Warning: improper use of antidepressants

Author’s note: I decided to combine these requests because they are pretty similar and I don’t want to have to write separate fics and have them both look nearly the same as each other. Also, i tried to research more on the medication for this sort of situation just to make it a little more accurate but if there is anything I did wrong, please feel free to tell me

☕buy me a coffee☕

Slamming your head on the table, you let out a groan after finally finishing your homework. But once you checked the little sticky note you placed just by the lamp, you whined when you saw that you had three more things to finish.

After this, you had to head to the company for practice.

Lifting your head, you did your best to finish up the rest of your homework before finally packing up and grabbing your phone. You went to hurry out of your room when Jungeun’s voice called out, indicating that you had to leave soon. But as you reached the door, you paused, hand on the doorknob as you glance at your desk.

Reaching for one of the drawers, you pulled out a pill bottle before quickly taking one out and popping it into your mouth. Screwing the cap back, you placed the bottle back inside, making sure it was hidden under the various papers and other items you had before shutting the drawer and heading out.

As soon as Jiwoo caught sight of you, her face lit up like usual before clinging to your arm and leading you outside. You plaster on a smile, perfectly practiced, while Hyunjin eyes you from a few feet away when she was talking to Yeojin, brows furrowed slightly before shrugging her shoulders and then getting in the other car so you could all get going.

“Hey, did you eat breakfast?” The older girl questioned after situating herself on her seat and you blinked in surprise before checking your phone for the time, mentally cursing yourself for forgetting. “Oh! Uh, I had a few snacks in the room.” You lie, plastering the same forced smile and leaning back.

With all the things that was happening to you, you would absolutely forget all sense of time and missed meals. Though with your tired and drained self, you found it difficult to even have the appetite to eat much except for a few bites, which, Jinsoul and Kahei have reprimanded you whenever they noticed.

Your members aren’t aware of the pills, however, but you preferred it that way because you know that as soon as they find out, you were screwed. You were doing this behind their backs, so that made it much worse, because there was always going to be some sort of way to prevent resorting to such mechanisms, you thought it was the easiest in helping you since things have just been too much.

Luckily, no one was able to pick up on it since you were able to mask it well, playing around and laughing when everyone was around. But that was just you.

Unaware of the few eyes that often lingered on you, you would go on with your day without the worry of anyone finding out.

..

Staring at the bottle in your hand, you grimaced while continuously glancing at the time. Your manager was coming to pick you all up for a concert and you had only an hour of sleep and just a snack bar after finishing the group project you had to submit a few days after.

It would have been easier to finish, but you had gotten stuck with possibly the worst kinds of group members with two of them being nothing but leeches and another constantly butting heads with everyone. You had no choice but to do everything yourself and it was wearing you out with how you had to juggle all of that, your homeworks, and practices.

“Y/n-ah, com-”

Yerim pauses at the door when you hurry to stuff the bottle inside the drawer and throwing it shut, head snapping up to meet the purple haired girl’s gaze when you slapped on another forced grin. “What are you doing?” She asked you, alarm laced in her voice but you quickly waved your hand and then grabbed your things before leading her out of the room.

“I was just double checking some stuff for school! But we should go, unnie.” She doesn’t quite believe you with the way you avoid her gaze. Based on the few years you’ve been together, the girls could easily tell whenever you were lying or hiding something from them.

But with how you were all in a hurry, the bright haired girl wasn’t able to protest as she went along with you, making a mental note to notify one of the older girls due to your weird actions. She was sure what she saw had nothing to do with any school works, but she would let you be for a while until the performance ended.

“You seem troubled.” Jinsoul observed from beside the usually cheerful girl and patted her shoulder. “Nervous?” She questioned, but Yerim bit her lip before shaking her head. “It’s not that, just a little confused I guess.” She muttered as her eyes went back to where you were having your makeup done.

Yeojin and Hyejoo were messing around behind you and laughing because of how you were falling asleep with the makeup artist constantly waking you up.

The older girl followed her gaze and sighed softly before she smiled. “Don’t worry. After this, she can catch up on some sleep.” She assures, but Yerim shook her head before finally turning so that she’s facing the blonde.

“Y/n’s been acting weird.” She suddenly says and her brows pinch together, shoulders tense when she crosses her arms. “I mean, she’s been doing a good job but she doesn’t talk as much lately and she’s always stuck in her room when we’re at home.” She recounts the various times she’s caught you busying yourself in your shared room but refusing to spend more time with any of the members.

“Am I being clingy?” Jinsoul was surprised by the question, but before she could compose herself and answer, Heejin was already there to cut in. “You’ve noticed, too?” When both girls look at her, they see that Kahei is also there, watching worriedly as you sleep next to Hyejoo while Yeojin was finishing her makeup.

“You’re talking about Y/n?” The pair nod and Heejin lets out a breath while shaking her head. “Hyunjin’s told me that she’s seen her taking something lately. At first, she thought they were just vitamins, but Y/n has been super secretive about it.”

“I asked her about it and she was acting really clueless. When we asked Vivi unnie to talk to her since they’re the closest, all she said was that she was fine and just stressed with school.” She added, the eldest nodding in confirmation. “Haseul and I went to check, before, but Chuu told us she went to the bathroom at the time.” Kahei began to tell them, her concern clear on her face. “While we were waiting, you know how we have trashcans in our rooms?” She asked.

“I noticed a bottle in there, so I checked it out since I remembered what Hyunjin said. There were so many blank papers, almost as if she was trying to hide it there.” She reached into her purse and held out the bottle, letting them see the label.

“These are…” Their eyes widened and Kahei grimaced while nodding her head, putting the bottle away. “How long has she been taking them? And why?”

“We don’t know yet. She’s been so busy with school and we’ve been working on the comeback on top of that. We didn’t have the time to talk to her. We didn’t want to do this in front of all the members, but it looks like more than half of us are already aware.” Heejin explains with a frown when she glanced over to see you had already been woken up.

Judging from the look of things, you and the other two, along with Sooyoung, decided to practice the choreography before getting on stage.

With a heavy atmosphere, the girls decided to take the matter in the dorm where there wouldn’t be any unwanted attention and possibly cause a scandal within the group.

When you were all performing, you all were able to maintain a professional air around all of you, but when it wasn’t any of their parts, the girls would watch you with careful eyes, and Hyunjin did notice the slight change in your expression, as well as the falter in your step when no one seemed to notice.

At the end chorus of the song, you could feel the nausea hitting you harder compared to earlier. The lights were making you dizzy and lightheaded due to your lack of sleep and food intake. Your breathing had grown ragged and before you even knew it, you were on your knees, one hand on the floor to keep yourself up and the other used to clutch your head.

Fans gasped at the sight and your members were thrown off by your sudden collapse. And instead of continuing the performance, Kahei had broken formation and ran to your side to check if you were alright. She helped you sit up and let you lean against her instead while the rest of the group circled around you, all looking worried as you struggled to keep your eyes open.

“Y/n, what’s wrong? What happened?” She asked, but the ringing in your ears made it difficult to comprehend what exactly she was saying. You only screwed your eyes shut tight before feeling hands reach for you and then you were being carried off stage by the staff.

“Girls, we need you to move so we can check on her.” The staff explained when the medic arrived. Your members had followed quickly, forgetting about ending the performance. When you were placed on the couch to lay down, Chaewon grabbed one of the hand fans and handed it over to the eldest because she thought you needed something to cool down.

They all quickly did as told and watched as the staff began to run a quick check up, checking your pulse, temperature and everything else that was necessary. When he asked you to try and follow the light shone to your eyes, you had a bit of struggle in doing so before he finally finished.

“Is she going to be alright?” Hyunjin asked worriedly and the man nodded his head. “I didn’t find anything too alarming. She’s exhausted. Despite the makeup, she’s paler than she’s supposed to so I think it’s best to give her something to eat and probably rest for a few hours.” He sighed while checking his notes. “If anything else occurs that you think could be a problem, I’d recommend taking her to the hospital for a more thorough examination.”

After thanking him, everyone got ready to leave since there wasn’t really anything left for you to do there.

Jungeun kept you beside her, holding your head against her shoulder, letting your legs rest on her lap as you curled into her when you had dozed off again. The van was unusually quiet, but due to your state and Haseul’s orders, it was understandable why that was the case.

Most of your members would keep stealing glances at you throughout the ride home while the others tried to catch a few minutes of sleep as well.

“Y/n, we need to talk.”

As soon as you were seated on the couch and Sooyoung prepared some food for you, Hyunjin had spoken up. And judging by how Jiwoo, Jinsoul, Kahei, Haseul, Heejin, and Yerim were looking just as serious, you had an inkling feeling as to what this was going to be about due to how both Kahei and Heejin have approached you before.

“We aren’t mad.” Heejin assured you when she saw the way you refused to look at any of them in the eye. “We just want to know why.” Haseul murmured when she sat on your other side, placing her hand over your own to let you know that they truly weren’t angry at you.

“We notice how you rarely eat. Snacks don’t count as meals though and they won’t give you enough energy for when you need them.” Jinsoul scolded. “And sometimes I’m not sure if you get some sleep.” Jiwoo states, being your roommate, she would know. “I understand staying up on some nights, but not sleeping at all?” She adds while Yerim frowned. “Y/n, when was the last time you had at least six hours of sleep?” The question makes you go quiet and it was clear to them what the answer was.

Sooyoung arrived with your food a little after they all sat down to talk to you and she crosses her arms when she sees the way you stare at the bowl. “You either eat it on your own or I’m going to feed you, myself.” With the tone of her voice, you know she isn’t joking this time and nod your head before reaching for the bowl and slowly eating what she prepared for you.

“We want you to be honest, okay?” Jinsoul purses her lips when Kahei hands you the empty pill bottle, all of them watching as you stiffened in your place. “Where did you…”

“I found it in your room when you tried to throw it away.” She explains softly. “Why do you have them?” Sooyoung questions immediately, her lips pressed to a thin line as you let out a shaky breath. “I-I don’t-”

“Y/n, please. We just want to know the truth. What’s going on?” You feel Haseul squeezing your hand. You stare at your lap for a while, chewing on your bottom lip as you tried to gather your thoughts with everyone patiently waiting for you to speak.

Finally relenting, you shut your eyes and shake your head. “I was scared, I guess.” You muttered and Jinsoul sits down on one of the couches. “Scared of what?”

You had to pull your hand away from Haseul’s as you rubbed your arm, shrinking into yourself as you let out a  heavy sigh. “That people start realizing that maybe I’m not good enough.” You finally admitted. “I’m still a child and I can barely work through both my school requirements and our schedules. If I start lagging behind, everyone’s going to think that I’m not fit to be an idol because I don’t have what it takes.”

Suddenly, you felt someone hit the top of your head with a rolled up magazine. “You are such an idiot, I swear.” Sooyoung started. “Just because you’re struggling with school and being an idol doesn’t mean you aren’t qualified.” Heejin tells you when she managed to pry the magazine away from Sooyoung’s hands.

“Majority of us debuted while we were still studying. You have Yeojin, Choerry, and Olivie Hye with you when you go to school, right?” Yerim nodded at Kahei’s query, but it only made you frown more, stubbornly wiping away tears when they began to trail down your cheeks. “But I’m not as good as them.

“That’s not true!” Yerim quickly interjected as she moved from where she was standing and was soon kneeling in front of you. “You’ve been working just as much as the three of us, and sometimes even more. We admire you so much because, even though you’re a year younger than Yeojin, you’re still able to keep up with us and even try to help on some of the things we’re studying despite being unfamiliar with them.”

“You’re also one of the few who are quick when it comes to practices and recording.” Jiwoo added, Hyunjin and Sooyoung nodding in agreement. “You keep looking at things that you can’t do but fail to notice the things that you can do.” She tells you with a soft smile. “Maybe you start realizing that you are enough.”

“And with all of that, there are a number of kids your age who try to do the same. But look at you - already debuted and working on our comeback.” Heejin said with a supportive smile and you realize that what they were saying was true.

You’ve been so stuck and stressing out on things and allowed them to pile up. In the end, it only harmed you rather than help you.

“If there was ever anything you needed help with, you have twelve pairs of hands who are willing to lend a hand.” Kahei nudged your shoulder with her own. “Thirteen heads are better than one, after all.” Jinsoul grinned and you couldn’t help but crack a smile when Haseul wiped the rest of your tears away.

“Now that we’ve settled this, can you please stop with the pills and talk to us instead?” She asked and, though you hesitated, you ended up nodding and agreeing to their request.

You didn’t want to depend on something that could potentially ruin both your health and career. Instead, you’ll learn to be a bit more dependent on your members instead.

[smilingleoo]

JJK Imagine-You being overwhelmed by luxury life

Request: Hello ❤️ may I request an imagine with Jungkook where the reader is younger than him and is very overwhelmed with his luxury life and she feels like she is not good enough for him and gets distant but he proves her that she is the only thing he needs ❤️❤️❤️

Author´s note: Hello! Hope you´re doing alright, please enjoy...

------

When you met Jungkook, you knew what you were getting yourself into. He was an idol-an incredibly famous one- and you were his girlfriend. At first, you had thought that maybe your relationship would not be approved by his manager yet when he had the chance to properly meet you and judge you based on his own criteria, he knew you would handle everything just fine. Besides, you were a beautiful young lady who seemed ambitious and determined enough to protect their Jungkook´s heart.

However, you doubted yourself.

You loved Jungkook, of course, you did. He was everything you ever dreamt off. Not because he was a celebrity but for him; for his determined and perseverant self to his willingness to help others. You had fallen for him hard and you were glad about it. But his fast-moving world was difficult to keep up with. He was barely at home and returned from work late at night. You understood, obviously, and opted to visit him with food or just your happiness and love. However, you felt like everything was out of control. You were too cautious, too paranoid or too worried to even take care of yourself. You desperately wanted to show Jungkook how strong you were because, if he noticed your uncertainty, he would think it would be best to end your relationship.

Even though you had thought about it, leaving Jungkook was something you could not fathom. You would miss him too much.

“Okay, babe”-Jungkook clapped entering the room he had been placed in. You had been sprawled on the leather couch besides his make-up chair waiting for him to finish his various interviews, playing with your phone to kill time. As soon as he entered, you dropped everything you had been doing and launched yourself forward, peppering your boyfriend’s face with smooches. Fortunately, he had caught you in his arms wrapping the around your waist before twirling you side to side-“I’m all sweaty from the lights!”

“I don’t care”-you giggled as he placed you on the floor. He stared at you lovingly for some seconds, just adoring how beautiful and cute you were. With a final kiss on the lips, Jungkook pooped himself on the whirling chair and motioned for you to sit on his lap. You, without hesitation, did so cling your limbs behind his neck-“So, what’s up?”

“Oh, yeah”-he said-“In about twenty minutes we should head to the van since we need to be in another interview in an hour or so. Afterwards, we need to return to the company to arrange some papers and film a quick video for YouTube. Then we have a little meeting and, I promise you, after that I’ll take you to dinner”

Your mind felt dizzy for a moment. They had so much to do in so scarce time that you wondered if it was even possible. But yet again your boyfriend made it seem like it was nothing but normal and that encouraged you to keep going, even though your body begged you for some alone time with Jungkook. You inhaled his scent slightly as you snuggled further into the crook of his warm neck and, in just mere seconds, his manager knocked on the door reminding him that we should be going to the vehicle.

The ride was mostly silent since everyone was asleep, the only audible sound being the faint hum of the van’s engine. It snaked through Seoul’s busy streets until it reached a mirror-like building. The boys obviously sped off as fast as they could, saying their quick goodbyes your way. Jungkook sweetly placed a tender peck on your cheek before disappearing. A guard waited for you outside, offering to take your bag as soon as you stepped out into the sidewalk. Startled, you denied claiming that it was not heavy.

You were not used to having so much attention or people around you. Cameras flashed as you walked through the crowd, various question being bombarded from different interviewers. The bodyguard made his best to usher them away but he could not prevent the sudden tugs or thrust from desperate cameras. A certain rough punch had you swirling on your toes, a scowl of disbelief drawn on your face-“Some people say that you are way too young to confróntate the downfalls of being with an idol like Jungkook, what do you have to say about it?”

What do you have to say about it?

“I’d like to keep my personal issues that way”-you kindly answered-“Personal”

()

Too much.

Everything was too much.

The attention, the hate, even the love and affection you received was too much. By now, your legs were sore and your eyelids heavy, threatening to give up as soon as your body fell on something comfortable enough to calm your nerves out. Jungkook´s last interview was about to finsish and you could not be more happy to have a peaceful dinner with him-”Baby, are you ready?”

No response.

“Y/N, where are you?”-he asked again but found himself in front of your sleeping body. You were not even on the couch, opting for the hard desk and a make-up chair against to slump yourself on-“What’s going on, love?”

“I don’t get it!”-you groaned. Jungkook’s eyes widened slightly, trying to comprehend you sudden outburst. You were outraged and exhausted. Your hair was dancing around your greasy skin, blocking your already blurry view and the dark circles under your fallen eyes. Your whole body ached but the expensive chair, which you would never be used to, supported your back with grace. And that angered you even more because, why were you receiving all these things for? You were not doing anything!

And Jungkook. Oh, your gorgeous ever-so-talented boyfriend stared at the disaster he fell in love in. He was immaculate as ever, perfectly clean, polished skin glowing under the dim light of the room. His eyes held a spark of exhaustion but it was easily dismissed with his well-practiced captivating smile. His beauty made your stomach flip out of a mixture of emotion that you could not put into words. You loved him but you hated him at the same time. Or maybe you hated yourself even more. Because he was there, convincing his one hundred percent in everything he did but still looked flawless. And then you were, well, you; following him around with everything you asked for in just seconds but still looked like trash.

“You work your ass off and still look like the most stunning man in the world”-you incorporated yourself on the chair-“While I’m being pampered by everyone doing absolutely nothing but still being extremely tired! I’m the worst girlfriend ever...”

“Oh, baby”-he chuckled-“Being worried about it makes you the most thoughtful and extraordinary girlfriend on the entire world. Besides, you’re the only thing that cheers me up when I’m down too. So don’t go comparing yourself with something as simple as an expensive necklace or a delicious meal”

Seeing your puzzled expression he sighed-“Many girls would kill to be in your position. However, half of them wouldn’t even care if they were spoiled or not. They would just enjoy! But here you’re, all pouty about something that isn’t your entire choice”

He kissed your lips and incorporated you on your feet.

“Now, please”-he whispered-“Let’s grab something to eat and go watch Iron Man”

“Again?”

“I know you love it!”

[woodstockbtswriter]

Surprise

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Taehyung x Reader (Female)

Word Count: 2.14K

Summary: When your best friend Taehyung invites you to celebrate your birthday with him, you’re not sure what to expect.

Author’s Note: This story is based on a dream I had, and once again, I couldn’t keep things under 1K words. 😄 Please enjoy! 💕

Requested by @yvemoon

Surprise

When your best friend Taehyung invited you to celebrate your birthday with him, you didn’t know what to expect. It’s a surprise, he said, when you asked him what he had in mind.

Then when he told you to dress up in your fanciest clothes and that he’d send a private car to pick you up, you were even less sure.

You were no stranger to Taehyung making grandiose gestures. It was not unusual for him to pull out all the stops to spoil you, but whatever he had planned for this night seemed particularly… romantic. Almost like he had planned an actual date, not just a friendly outing.

To your surprise, you took no objection to the idea. In fact, you were intrigued. You’d recently started wondering if there was something more than friendship between you and Taehyung, and as the luxury town car wove through the congested streets of downtown Seoul, your excitement grew as you considered the possibility that you might find some answers tonight.

The driver finally stopped in front of one of the tallest buildings in the city, and you found Taehyung waiting for you there. He too was dressed to impress, looking devastatingly handsome in a suit that matched his unique style, and just the sight of him made your pulse quicken. He greeted you with his signature boxy smile, gushing over how beautiful you looked, and your suspicions - and hopes - about the evening increased exponentially.

Taehyung offered you his arm, escorting you inside, and you rode the elevator together to the very top floor, your anticipation rising the higher you were lifted. After stepping off the elevator, Taehyung led you up a set of stairs and out onto the roof… where you were met by a scene you did not expect.

You had thought it was just going to be the two of you tonight. You had expected a private evening, one where you could explore your feelings. But when you saw his six other members - along with all your closest friends and family - waiting for you… You were surprised, to say the least.

“Happy birthday!” Everyone yelled, catching sight of you, and you felt your cheeks flush.

You were happy to see everyone, and amazed how many people had come out to celebrate with you, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little bummed. Still, not wanting to seem ungrateful, you put on your best smile, and allowed Taehyung to pull you into the fray.

The party lasted late into the night, and by the time it was just you and the seven Bangtan boys left on the roof, you were exhausted. You had mingled like a pro, chatting, laughing, and dancing with everyone. The guys had even given an intimate performance of your favorite song, and despite your initial disappointment, you had a great time. But now you were glad it was just the eight of you, and you collapsed on a chair, kicking off your shoes. The guys did the same, moving their seats to form a circle.

“Let’s play a game!” Jungkook suggested eagerly, and the boys looked to you for permission.

“Sure,” You sighed, “Sounds good. As long as I don’t have to get out of this chair, I’ll play.”

Jungkook‘s nose scrunched as he smiled, his wheels already turning.

“We could play Mafia, or Telephone, or the game where we guess each other’s drawings,” He thought out loud, “Or I have this trivia game on my phone-”

“What about ‘Never Have I Ever’?” Namjoon offered, and Jungkook’s face lit up.

“Okay!” He agreed, and several of the other boys shrugged, but Taehyung shook his head.

“That’s a drinking game.” He spoke up, nodding in your direction. “The birthday girl doesn’t drink, remember?”

You sent him an appreciative look, and he gave you a soft smile in return.

“We don’t have to drink, we could just play…” Jungkook pouted.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Yoongi quipped, smirking.

“I could just drink soda, or water.” You tried, but Jin jumped up as you spoke.

“Oh! I know!” He said, hurrying to the food table and grabbing two trays of leftover hors d’oeuvres. “How about instead of drinking, we eat instead?”

Hoseok moaned.

“I’ve already had so much to eat, I’ll be sick if I have even one more bite!”

“Then this should be a pretty interesting game, yeah?” Jin teased, returning to the circle and sitting the food in the middle.

“Alright, alright,” Namjoon took charge, “If someone says something you’ve done, you have to take a bite, got it?”

Everyone nodded - though some more reluctantly than others.

“Then let’s play.” Namjoon continued, turning his gaze to you. “Birthday Girl, since it’s your party, how about you start us off?”

You smiled to yourself, and tried to decide if you wanted to take it easy on the guys… or not.

“Okay,” You grinned wider, “I’ve got one. Never have I ever… been an idol.”

All the boys groaned.

“That’s not fair!” Jimin argued.

“That’s how you want to play?” Yoongi scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

You picked up one of the platters, holding it out to them.

“Eat up, boys,” You chuckled, “I play to win.”

Several of them laughed, but Jungkook looked confused.

“But there are no winners in ‘Never Have I Ever’, it’s just for fun...”

“It’s her birthday,” Taehyung reminded Jungkook, taking a bite-size appetizer from the tray, “Let her think whatever she wants.”

Jungkook grumbled, but grabbed his penalty bite along with the others and they all popped the food into their mouths.

“Mmmkay,” Jungkook chewed, “Who’s next?”

You waved a hand at Taehyung seated to your left.

“We’ll just go around in a circle.”

Taehyung thought for a moment before speaking.

“Never have I ever… taken something from a store.” He grinned devilishly, looking directly at you.

“It was one time!” You cried, shoving his shoulder. “And it doesn’t count! I didn’t mean to and I took it back as soon as I realized I walked out with it.”

Taehyung smirked, and turned to his brothers.

“Judges?” He asked.

“Fair is fair.” Jimin beamed, holding a tray out to you.

“Fine.” You sulked, choosing an hors d’oeuvre and eating it in one bite. “Your turn, Jimin. But no more personal attacks, okay?”

Jimin nodded, giggling, and the game continued.

Play went around the circle a few times, and though the boys occasionally called each other out for things like falling on stage, wearing embarrassing outfits, mispronouncing English words, and losing things in foreign countries, they respectfully refrained from singling any one person out. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, but stuffing yourselves with appetizers quickly started catching up with you.

“Seriously, you guys,” Hoseok clutched his stomach, “I am going to be sick if I eat anything else.”

“Same.” You whimpered, taking a sip of water to rinse out your mouth. “How about one more turn and we call it quits?”

“No arguments here.” Jin sighed, slumping in his seat.

“Okay then, Namjoon,” You turned to him, “You’re up. Make it a good one.” 

Namjoon frowned thoughtfully, giving it careful consideration. His gaze flickered between you and Taehyung as he chewed his bottom lip. After a moment, a sly smile lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Never have I ever had romantic feelings for someone in this circle.”

Yoongi and Jin exchanged glances, their mouths falling open, and Jungkook, Jimin, and Hoseok giggled uncomfortably. Your eyes widened.

Did Namjoon know you’d been feeling things for Taehyung? Did all the boys know? Had you been that obvious?

You dared to look at Taehyung. His expression was unreadable, but there was a fire in his gaze as he stared back at you. Not breaking eye contact, he slowly reached for the food tray, and your heart leapt.

You reached out too, and your fingers brushed as you each grabbed an appetizer. The momentary contact sent a shockwave through you. Without looking at what you picked up, you placed it in your mouth and started chewing. Taehyung did the same.

“Alright, good game, everybody.” Hoseok cleared his throat, and you reluctantly tore your gaze away from Taehyung. “But we should probably call it a night.”

You agreed, blushing as you swallowed hard. As you all stood, you thanked the boys for a memorable birthday and began saying your goodbyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.” Namjoon whispered in your ear when you hugged him. Leaning out of the embrace, he tapped a finger under your chin. “I just thought it was about time you both admitted the truth.” He gave you a dimpled smile and you sighed, knowing you could never be mad at him.

Then six of the seven members headed towards the stairs, waving and calling out their last “good night”s and “happy birthday”s as they finally left, and you and Taehyung found yourselves alone on the now deafeningly quiet rooftop.

Looking anywhere but at Taehyung, you took a moment to appreciate the beauty and magic of the scene. Hundreds of little white lights were strung back and forth across the patio, and beyond them, the city skyline was breathtaking, a black canvas dotted with pinks, oranges, blues, and greens. The din of traffic from the streets stories below was almost inaudible, lost in the night breeze. Perched atop a highrise in the heart of Seoul, you felt like you were standing on a tranquil island amidst a sea of chaos. It was as though this place - this rooftop terrace - was its own world, far removed from the hectic metropolis that surrounded it.

In your own world. That was exactly where you had imagined you and Taehyung would be spending this evening when he invited you to celebrate your birthday with him.

And now, at last, here you were.

“Thank you, again.” You said, your eyes still downcast. “For everything, Tae. Tonight was perfect.”

“You’re very welcome.” He breathed, his baritone voice as low as you’d ever heard it. “I wanted everything to be perfect for you.”

You lifted your face, and though you’d been looking at Taehyung all night, you were unprepared for how unbelievably handsome he appeared in that moment. The soft party lights behind him gave him a faint golden glow, and the way his dark curls fell into his eyes made you feel some kind of way.

Taehyung slung his hands in his pockets, relaxing his stance.

“I’m glad you had a good time.” He said, inclining his chin. “But can I ask you something?”

You nodded, and he took a few steps in your direction.

“You meant me, right?” Taehyung asked, hovering before you, peering at you through his thick eyelashes.

“Meant you what?” You pulled in a breath. He was standing so close you could smell his cologne. It made your head swim.

“In the game,” Taehyung clarified, “I’m the one in the circle you have romantic feelings for, yeah?”

You searched his face. While he was exuding sultry confidence, there was an unmistakable vulnerability in his eyes. It always amazed you how he could be so precious and yet seem so dangerous at the same time.

“Yes.” You nodded again, and an exultant smile threatened to break across Taehyung’s face. “I hope you meant me, too.” You added, as an afterthought. “I mean, I know Jimin’s your soulmate…”

Taehyung broke into a laugh, his hands finding your waist. He pulled you to him, and your heart pounded against his chest.

“Come here, Birthday Girl.” He grinned, leaning in to capture your lips and steal your breath.

He kissed you slowly, passionately, his hands sliding up your neck to gently cup your face. You could feel your blood rushing through your veins as your fingers found their way to his hair, and you tangled them into his curls to pull him closer. Your mouths moved together as though it was second nature, as though this wasn’t the first time they’d met, and you allowed yourself to get lost in the sensation. When Taehyung deepened the kiss, you eagerly yielded yourself up to him, and your tongues danced with perfect rhythm. The effect was dizzying.

But all too soon, Taehyung pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath. Panting, he pressed his lips to your forehead, then rested his against the same spot.

“What a nice surprise.” You exhaled, your breath mixing with his.

Taehyung smirked.

“The party or the kiss?” He inquired, his voice husky.

“Both.” You replied, nuzzling your nose against his. “Thanks to you, this night has been full of surprises. I can’t imagine how you’ll ever top it.”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows, lowering his head again, and your heart swelled as he placed another kiss on your smiling lips.

[multmilk]

Strawberries and Cigarettes | l.t

Pairing: idol!Taeyong x idol!reader

Genre: angst

Warnings: Use of cigars/smoking, character death, a bit of smut

Word count: 2.6k

He was from SM and you were from JYP. He was a member of 3 boy groups and you were a solo artist. His genre was more of pop while you make rnb. The two of you were working on opposite sides of the world so when you received the news that the two of you were collaborating, you were bewildered.

Now you were sitting alone inside a coffee shop waiting for Taeyong. You knew he was a talented man—a rapper, a composer and a hell of a good dancer. You’ve watched a lot of fancams out of pure curiosity and you were surprised that you had the pleasure of getting to work with him.

“Y/N?” a rich and foreign voice said, looking up at him you felt your heart skip a beat at his appearance. His hair was brown and it had some streaks of gray to it, it was a little disheveled but it still looked good. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt that made the veins in his hands more prominent, a dangling earing on his ear that added more charisma to him.

“I’m Lee Taeyong,” he smiled. Ooooh fuck he looks good, his voice sent shivers down your spine. You gestured for him to sit down across of you. This is going to be interesting, you thought.

----

It’s been a month since the two of you worked together. You mostly worked in his apartment, though his members lived there with him, they respected you and treated you like their family. They leave when the two of you work so that you could focus and they wouldn’t create ruckus.

You weren’t fully comfortable with him yet and you know he felt the same way too. You always sat on the edge of his bed while he sat on his chair across you. It was hard to work with someone so new, someone who’s a stranger. You had to be careful with every step you take—and although that being cautious is good, it’s difficult to not voice out your ideas to him because you’re afraid of him judging of what you thought.

You two were working on an album that focuses on the issues of society today. You had two solo songs, he had two solo songs and then there were two songs that features the both of you.

Your first song tackles about the beauty standards of men and women of our generation. How men aren’t allowed to wear make-up because it makes them look more feminine and how women should have this petite figure and if they don’t look what society expects them to look like, they do not belong in this place.

Your next song focuses on gender roles. Women can have a job that is expected to supposedly be for men and vice versa. Also, how people should be respected no matter their chose of job. Whether they are sex workers, drag queens or a waitress—each should be treated equally.

Taeyong’s first song is about corruption in politics and the politicians that don’t uphold the values and  morals of a good leader and how in turn, makes a country incompetent and their people ignorant.  

His next song is about the challenges faced by the mass. Poverty, treated unequally, high medicine fee and all things in between. What the two of you have worked on alone is a masterpiece.

Right now you were stuck inside his room, diverting your attention towards anything but making the music together. You’ve asked him for help and he did that but working on two whole songs together just seems a bit out of your comfort zone.

“What about pizza?” he asks “I don’t think pizza is a good top-“ you got cut off with his laugh. It was a hearty one too, not the chuckles you hear he lets go once you accidentally do or say something funny.

“I meant maybe you want me to get a pizza delivered? Maybe it’ll help remove this,” he gestured to the space between us, “Tension?” you just laughed, probably because you felt stupid and embarrassed for not catching his drift but you agreed to get pizza.

You and Taeyong are now seated on each side of his bed sharing a box of pizza. For the past hour, you two have been sharing stories and jokes like childhood friends catching up. You’ve learned that he has a passion for understanding arts, he’s really good at playing video games and he likes listening to Drake.

Neither of you initiated to start working on your songs but you liked the time you were using to get to know him. He was kind, gentle and warm.

There were numerous spotlights surrounding Taeyong. The photographer asked him to try different poses and to relax but for some reason, his shoulders were too tense and his hands were shaking a bit. You and Taeyong started hanging around a lot when you two decided to write your music. You two hung out in his apartment where his members stay and spend time with the two of you, you hung out in the convenience store eating ice cream and telling jokes. You didn’t have many friends in the music industry and now you consider Taeyong as your best friend.

He looked good, you thought. He was sporting a gold glittered blazer with a black top beneath it, 3 layered chokers and he was wearing the dangling earrings you loved so much on him.

You walked towards Taeyong and said, “Yong, look at me,” he let out a breathy laugh but kept his head down. Putting your fingers under his chin and tilting his head upwards you ask, “What’s wrong?” he closes his eyes and exhales “I smell strawberries,” your eyes widened at his statement. “S-strawberries?” “Yes, strawberries,” he then looks at your eyes and continues “Before my best friend died, she asked me to fetch her strawberries. So, I went to the hospital and see her having a seizure. Doctors were all around her, her boyfriend was frantic and I dropped the jar of strawberry jam. It was the last time I ever associated myself with the fruit,” then he laughs. You apologize and say that it probably was your perfume but he tucks your hair behind your ear and says that it was fine.

This whole time you were talking the photographer took candid photos of you and Taeyong and claimed that it was good for the album cover already. Taeyong kisses your cheek and feel blush creep in on your face.

You were going to sleep well today.

---

The both of you were in Amsterdam to film your music video. You were dressed in a black laced bustier top paired with black flared pants and Taeyong is wearing a white button up top.

It’s been an hour of filming and Taeyong has been showering you with compliments. Your relationship has gotten to the point where you two flirt shamelessly and honestly, you didn’t have any complaints.

As the crew and directors all were huddled to talk about the next scene, you were out smoking looking at the museums and buildings surrounding you.

“You didn’t tell me you smoked,” Taeyong stalks toward you and keeps his hands inside of his pockets. “You never asked. Want to join me?” “No thanks. I quit after she died,” you nod.

“Do you believe in heaven and in hell?” you ask and then he stands beside you, “Move away from me Yong, you’re going to get cancer from second-hand smoking you know,” “I believe that if we die, we’re just going to live a life with eternal darkness and quietness and loneliness,” he answers your question and ignores your previous statement. “I do believe in God, yes, but if we die and then that’s it. Do you believe in it?” he asks, “I believe that we do go to heaven or hell based on the actions and choices we’ve made in our borrowed time living here,” you say.

“What separates the people who will enter heaven to those who will enter hell? I mean, humans make pretty bad and wrong decisions. If hurting a person, unintentionally and intentionally, is just the basis for us to live a life in paradise or in damnation then I guess we’re all fucked huh?” you both laugh. You throw your cigarette to the trash can near you and stick your hand out for Taeyong to hold.

---

The first time you and him kissed was after your comeback stage.

It was hot, it was messy and you felt like flying. He told you you tasted like strawberries mixed with the after-taste of cigars. You just laugh and continue kissing down his neck.

He tugged at your hair and removed the strap off of your dress. You got on your knees and unbuckled his belt.

As the night went further and your relationship progressed, he had told you that he loves you and that you indeed smell like strawberries. And as much as he dislikes the fruit and what comes with it, if loving you means he has to smell and taste like strawberries for the rest of his life then so be it.

You slept with a smile on your face, head on Taeyong’s chest and his arms caging you for protection.

---

You were hysterical.

You had rushed Taeyong into the ER as soon as your comeback stage had ended. You were supposed to go out and celebrate with him, announce the tour you were having but all your plans had ended once you saw the he had coughed up blood and was having a hard time breathing.

Machines and tubes were stuck in his body, his unconscious body. You held his hand for the longest time that day and you weren’t planning on letting go.

You woke up with Taeyong speaking to the doctor and you saw that they were having a serious conversation. “Taeyong?” he looks at you, a little startled. He ushers the doctor to leave and says to you, “Hey, you should go back to sleep,” you ask what the doctor said and he just simply says that it was a bad bad bad case of food poisoning. You were apprehensive but you didn’t want to push it any further, he needed his rest after all.

That was the first mistake you made.

---

The second mistake was smoking around him. You wanted to stop but it had helped you through the sleepless nights and when you were overthinking.

The third mistake was pushing through with the tour. It was his idea, saying it was the least you two could do for your fans but it was your fault for supporting it.

The last straw was watching him being taken away by the paramedics and staying kneeled and glued to the stage as they rushed him into the hospital.

You arrived seeing doctors moving everywhere and getting paddles and shouting ‘clear’. You couldn’t stand to watch him as they revived his body. So, you took your pack of cigarettes and went outside.

By the time you finished three sticks, you decided to see how Taeyong was doing. Every step you took felt like it weighed tons, like your world was crashing but seeing and hearing the doctors call the time of his death? You felt that the world has ended.

You were screaming and crying and questioning everything and anything. You screamed and screamed until your cries had taken over and seeing Taeyong lying on his bed cold and lifeless, it shattered you.

---

Months after his death, you continued on with the tour.

Today, you were in Amsterdam and was about to finish the last song.

Right before you sung though, Taeyong’s voice rung around the concert hall. Everyone was quiet.

“Hey Y/N. If you’re hearing this it means that I’ve died. I have a few things to say so please listen.

From the first day I met you, I knew that I was going to fall in love with you but the minute I smelt your strawberry scent? I knew I had to distance myself,” he laughs.

“It was hard to though. It was the boys who pushed me to hang out with you more. It would benefit our work after all. Hence, the pizza mistaken as a song topic incident. From that moment on, I found myself liking you much more than I intended to.

Fast forward to all of our shared jokes and stories. Late night ice-cream stops at the convenience store. Breakfast dates. Coffee-stained sweaters and deep conversations while you smoked.

I knew that I fell in love with you the moment that your lips brushed mine. It was special, magical, felt like I was floating on cloud nine. I just let myself fall deeper until the moment you rushed me into the ER when I coughed up blood.

I needed you to stay away from me because I knew that it would happen. I am sorry, I am very sorry, that I didn’t tell you the truth.  Maybe if I had told you the truth you would’ve really stayed away from me but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell you and hurt you.

I am a smoker. I quit because my best friend died of second-hand smoking. It was my fault she died, it was my fault I hated strawberries and it’s my fault now that I left you without ever explaining the truth about me.

I don’t want you blaming yourself for not noticing the signs or for keeping on smoking. None of this is your fault Y/N.

I just didn’t want to lose the time knowing that you’d be so cautious around me. No, I wanted us to be as normal as we could ever be. I wanted more time with you but I guess this is for the best.

You deserve so much more this world could ever offer. You are a great person with a great personality, great talents, great body and a great heart.

I want- I need you to keep on using that talent and heart to inspire people all over the world to fight. We have achieved so much together and I want you to use this pain into art.

I loved you and I will love you even if my soul ends up in a cold and dark place. I will love you even if you choose to love another guy. I know, I know that I will be in your heart and that I will always have that one piece saved specifically for me.

I love you and your cigarettes. Your strawberry-flavored perfume scent, your strawberry-flavored shampoo and your taste when I kiss you after you smoke.

Your strawberries clung on to my shirts and sweaters, and it did hurt me at first because it brought back the memories of her but you gave me a new reason to love strawberries.

I love you, Y/N,” as he sings, the whole crowd were in tears and you were sat on the stage clutching your microphone near your heart.

You smile and look up at the ‘heavens’ as he sings,

“Strawberries and cigarettes always taste like you,”

(A/N: This is my first taeyong one-shot and i hope you liked it. i tried to be very angst-y haha. please send in requests aaand feeback is always appreciated!)

[laceymorganwrites]

The messenger

Word Count: 4,532

Pairing: Kidd x fem!reader

Warnings: swearing, akwardness

Annotations: (W/O/C)=Weapon of choice, Freya is my friend´s OC

A/N: this used to be a self insert, so this is based in my headcanon verse, meaning it´s packed with world Building, OCs and noncanon ships (like Mihawk x Shanks)

Summary: You´re the vice captain of the Whitebeard Crew (a title you hate since you´re really just a messenger), Ace is your best friend and you like that one band with the lead singer Ace seems to hate. What happens when you run into each other?

It was sunrise when you arrived on Sabaody and you were beyond excited.

You see, it wasn´t often that you had a free day, let alone one where it was possible to go the amusement park and see your favorite band.

Everything was just going so well, it was almost too good to be true.

Ace and you were sent to make sure your relations with Fishmen Island were still good and nobody was attacking the island.

You were sort of the messenger of Whitebeard´s crew, being the vice captain and all.

Though you didn´t like that title, it was too great for someone like you, yet Pops had faith in you.

He was the only father you had ever known and he was the best too.

You grew up on his ship after he found you on an island, abandoned by your mother right after birth.

The crew quickly became your family and you loved being there, being on the crew was the greatest thing that ever happened to you.

Especially since you met Ace, he was like a brother to you.

Though you had to admit it wasn´t always as nice as it is now, you didn´t trust him at first.

In fact you tried killing him when he came to murder pops.

But then you learned all about his background, his ambitions and dreams, his little mannerisms and the way he could make you laugh and ever since then you´d do everything to keep him next to you and safe.

Nobody fucks with you or your family, that´s your credo so to speak.

And you had a pretty big family, also outside of the crew.

You met many great people on your journey and you were grateful to every single of them.

You would never forget meeting Shanks on Hell´s Bells for the first time, it was your first time on his island as well.

You were so uneasy, you have never been to another Yonko´s territory before and honestly it scared the shit out of you.

Not being allowed to bring your (W/O/C) it was even worse, you actually thought you were going to die.

And then you met him and his crew alongside the best swordsman in the world and the woman who you accidentally called mom every now and then.

They were drinking in a bar, having fun as you walked in with wobbly legs, staring at the ground.

“Excuse me for disturbing, Whitebeard sent me” you said with shivering voice.

Shanks and the others looked at you dumbfounded before the redhead burst out into laughter.

Mihawk just shook his head, rolling his eyes while Freya gave you the warmest smile you ever received.

“Shanks, you´re scaring the girl” Mihawk warned him, shooting him a glare, making Shanks be quiet.

This was the most intimidating man you have ever met, his sister was even worse as you found out later.

“But I´m not doing anything, babe” he whined, giving his lover puppy dog eyes, the swordsman just sighed.

“What brings you here, little girl?” Freya was the first to speak up about the reason you were here.

“M-my captain sent me to discuss some matters...” you mumbled, not meeting their eyes, you were too scared.

“Sit down, lass” the woman gestured you to sit down next to her and you did.

Talking business wasn´t as bad as you thought it would be, in fact from then on you found yourself in this odd group of friends quite often.

You grew close to them and added them to your family.

They all told you about their story and you looked up to them.

You didn´t meet Ayumi up to two years from then and fuck was she scary, she seemed even more cold and numb than her brother, you never saw her smile.

Well, that was until you witnessed her with her girlfriend, but that´s a story for another time.

You met Luffy, Ace´s brother, too, you accompanied him in Alabasta for a bit, but you had to leave early since you had some other business to attend to.

The great thing was that you kept in contact with all of your friends and family, you were always scared of meeting great people and then never seeing each other again.

But it wasn´t like that at all.

You met up regularly and exchanged stories and alcohol.

But today was a day you and Ace were alone, just the two of you.

It wasn´t bad, you liked those days, you were on the same crew but had so many different missions, you barely saw each other.

Of course you called each other and sent letters, but that wasn´t the same as actually having a day off to yourselves.

“I´m never gonna get tired of this island” you sighed dreamily, walking through the lawless area was scary the first time, but you were well known enough for people to fuck off.

“I´m hungry, let´s grab some food” Ace suggested, making you chuckle.

“You´re always hungry” you teased him.

“Well yeah, but that´s not the point” he pouted, crossing his arms, you always had to laugh when he pouted.

“Alright you big baby, let´s get you some food” you grabbed onto Ace´s arm and dragged him to the next bar.

He ordered food for the both of you and when he fell asleep you checked the newspaper for new information on the concert tonight.

Aside from the usual bullshit that he pulled as a pirate you also found the location and time of the concert.

Okay, he was an asshole as a pirate, yes, you has to admit that.

The thing was this: he was hot and could sing like a god, you never heard such powerful words.

But then again, to you he wasn´t the super rookie, he was just an attractive lead singer from a nice band.

You highly doubted you would ever run into him professionally, though if you would and he did indeed spell trouble, you wouldn´t hesitate to fight him.

In all honesty you didn´t think he was as stupid as the newspaper depicted him, yeah maybe you did want to meet him, maybe you did have a slight crush on him, but you were rational enough to know it would never go anywhere.

He probably didn´t even know you existed.

And it was good this way, if you were ever to run into him privately, you wouldn´t even know what to say, you were the most awkward person to exist, you overthought the hell out of everything, how the fuck should meeting the hottest bastard on earth work without you embarrassing yourself in front of him? So you might as well leave it be.

The article in the newspaper was about their arrival on Sabaody. You never would´ve thought you´d be on the same island as Stale Rose.

Of course you were excited, they were your favorite band goddammit.

“What´re you smiling at?” Ace yawned, he finally woke up.

“They´re here!” you squealed and Ace just sighed.

“You know Kidd´s an asshole, right? I´d rather we avoid them” Ace grumbled and you just shot him a glare.

“You don´t know that, Ace! You know I hate it when you talk about him like that” you defended him, of course you knew Ace was right, but a girl can dream, eh?

“I can read, (Y/N). I know what they say about him in the newspaper, all the awful things he´s done” Ace added, highly annoyed by the redhead.

“Do you know all the shitty things they write about you? About me? Pops? Shanks? All of us? And you know as well as me that those things aren´t true, so why are you so quick to judge him?” you didn´t know why you even bothered defending someone you didn´t know, it was weird but you guessed it was normal since he was in your favorite band.

“I just don´t want you hanging around with him” Ace said, the thought made him beyond uncomfortable.

“I´m just going to his concert, for fuck´s sake!” you raised your voice, you got why Ace was worried, but still, to this extent?

You two spent a bit of time in the amusement park, attending the rides and eating way too much candy.

“Ah! That was fun!” you sighed dreamily, stretching your arms, smiling.

“Yeah it was, I wish we would get more days off” Ace said and you nodded.

It really wasn´t easy getting any free days nowadays, especially with such a big crew.

You walked a while longer until you coincidentally came by Shakky´s bar.

You grabbed Ace´s hand and walked faster until you arrived.

Rayleigh was the one who taught you Haki, he was family and so was his wife.

She was always there for you, you could always call her and come to her if you needed anything.

Shakky was like a cool grandma.

Little did you know Kidd was in the bar you were about to enter.

He was pissed off at the newest article about him and how his crew was proud of it, he just really needed a drink now, how the fuck was he supposed to know the owner of the bar was the wife of the dark king?

“Holy shit! You´re Rayleigh!” he had this habit of talking without thinking which to be honest could be blessing and curse.

You´d find it cute if only nobody would talk shit about Kidd.

Rayleigh just laughed, Shakky chuckled as well, resting her face on her hand.

This wasn´t uncommon, Rogers fans always came here, but most of them were arrogant idiots who thought they could surpass him.

Kidd wasn´t.

He knew his place all too well.

Of course Roger was his idol, but so was his whole crew, he loved the old generation, they had real guts.

He wanted to be just like them, there were only few people he´d wanted to meet, but pirates from the old generation were totally one of them.

“What do you want to drink, boy?” Shakky asked, readying two glasses behind the counter.

“Oh fuck, right! I´m sorry, I just didn´t think I´d meet any famous people today, I´ll just have some whiskey, please.” Kidd tried to sort his mind, which always ended in him rambling.

Sure he was a loud mouth, but that was only when someone insulted him, the old generation or his friends. It was only in few moments he couldn´t control his rage and thoughts, in the other moments he preferred not to talk so much.

Ironic for a singer who yells his emotions out onstage, isn´t it?

“Coming right up” Shakky smiled and prepared the drinks.

“I know you get this a lot, but you´re seriously amazing. You and Roger and all the others from your generation, you just did all the awesome stuff without sprouting too many words about it. I mean you defined what being a pirate really means, you defined freedom and the real meaning of wealth and values, all those virtues. I admire you so much… I know to you I´m just another stupid rookie who doesn´t know shit and is obnoxious but I want to thank you. I´m grateful for everything you did, because if you didn´t and if Roger never told us about the One Piece, it would mean that the government would´ve won. It would mean a world full of despair, a caged life really. You fought for us so we could have freedom and I think what we´re all trying to do, at least in my case, is to impress you. To live up to you, make you proud” Kidd stated, leaving Rayleigh and Shakky quiet for a moment.

Nobody ever thanked them. Nobody ever acknowledged the hardships they went through and yet this rookie did.

He really was smarter than the newspaper made him out to be.

“We´re not so different than you might think. You guys fight for the same thing we did back then, I´m just glad there are good guys like you out there, most pirates who come here are disrespectful and don´t know anything about this world we live in, they think they can do everything on their own, take people on who are obviously out of their league. You know, kind of like you are depicted in the newspaper. But then again, I never was someone who believed in them. If you would know what they wrote about us back then” Rayleigh took a drink with Kidd and laughed at the memory.

Shakky rested her hand on his shoulder, sentiment could be a good thing if it stayed like now. Remembering happy days with Roger and the others could turn into sadness quickly though.

“Remember when we celebrated Rogers birthday and in the next day we apparently competed with Whitebeard who could kill more civilians?” Shakky chimed in, giggling, those were times…

Kidd couldn´t believe it and made big eyes, almost choking on his drink.

Rayleigh laughed even louder now.

“What?! That sounds like a great story… that´s why you´re my heroes, no matter what you did, it was awesome, everything´s such a great story” Kidd told them, smiling sadly.

The government really had nothing better to do than frame pirates for killing innocents.

To be fair though, most pirates were like that.

“If you want to hear good stories, you really should ask that brat Shanks, he´s always in some sort of trouble. I wonder what he´s up to these days, I haven´t heard from him since that battle against Hawkeyes.” Rayleigh thought out loud, he really needed to meet up with him more often.

“Yeah, Redhair really is amazing… he hasn´t been a Yonko for so long, but he´s so powerful. I really want to fight alongside him someday….” Kidd let his thoughts run wild and Rayleigh gave Shakky a soft look before smiling at Kidd.

So much for him wanting to start a fight with Shanks and taking him down.

“I can also recommend a good source for great stories” Shakky smirked at Rayleigh who could barely hold his laughter in.

He sensed Ace and you coming from a mile away.

“Her and Ace were in the local newspaper today actually, have you read it, Rayleigh?” Shakky got a hold of it, the local newspaper was just gossip really, gossip for pirates to bad mouth each other.

“What´s it say this time? Ace and her break up?” he laughed and Kidd frowned.

Of course he knew you, how could he not? But the things they say about you in the newspaper weren´t all lies, sometimes you wished they were.

The things they said about you in the local newspaper though, it was all bullshit, except for the wanted posters.

“Says she burned down a ship of Big Mom´s. And she´s got a new mugshot, her bounty also rose up...” she sighed, she wondered what you were up to.

“Whitebeard and Big Mom fighting? I don´t think so, especially not at this time. Show me the poster, dear” he faced it so that Kidd could see it too.

It took everything from him not to blush like a mad man, fuck you were so beautiful.

“700,000,000 beri?!” Kidd exclaimed, that was 500,000,000 more than him. Impressive.

“Like I said, bunch of good stories” Shakky giggled.

Kidd was in awe.

“I bet she has… I always wanted to meet her but for someone like me that´s just impossible. Besides, if I ever did I´d only end up embarrassing myself. I suck at talking to people I admire” he was brutally honest, something Rayleigh treasured more than anything and he knew you did too.

“Not to brace myself but did you think you´d meet me today? And I don´t think you´re embarrassing yourself at all, I think you´re presenting yourself in a good way, you´re honest and even if the truth is ugly, you still say it as it is. Not many people do that. An honest person deserves my respect. And you don´t have to worry about (Y/N), she´s a sweet kid, not like the mugshots depict her. Really, how is it that those marines always get the worst angles?” Rayleigh chuckled.

He knew how much you hated your mugshots.

“Thank you, that means a lot, coming from you” Kidd smiled as the door opened and you entered.

“Could you maybe not dash every time you see someone you know?!” Ace groaned out of breath and you just shook my head.

“Could you maybe stop being an antisocial baby about it?!” you yelled back, crossing your arms and glaring at him.

“Don´t give me the mom look” Ace pouted.

“I don´t have a fucking mom look!” you whined, finally looking ahead to the bar.

You choked on your own breath as you started punching Ace´s arm and trying to keep your inhumane screech down.

“Ouch, ouch! Stop that, what the hell? Oh, him.” Ace followed your view and looked Kidd dead in the eye.

Kidd felt like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, why was this guy so intimidating?

“Hey you two, what do I owe the honor? Did Ace finally change his mind about the haki situation?” Rayleigh joked and you just had to laugh too, never minding Eustass fucking Kidd sitting in front of you looking like a goddamn snack.

“I didn´t, sorry Rayleigh, but I think I´m good with just my devil fruit” Ace smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head.

“You know that´s what´s gonna get you killed someday?!” you groaned and shook my head.

“How´s the old man?” Rayleigh asked and you felt glum all of a sudden.

“Holding up. He´s not gonna kick the bucket so easily” how you wished those words were true.

You knew his health wasn´t good, but he never let it show, you didn´t know what you´d do when the time came.

“Have you seen Shanks lately? I´ve been wondering how he´s doing” Rayleigh asked further.

“Actually yeah, Ace and me visited him a few weeks ago. He´s good, real good actually. Is that today´s paper?” you gestured to the newspaper in Shakky´s hand and she handed it to you.

“What the hell? Why did they raise my bounty again? I didn´t even do anything...” you pouted but then you faced Ace.

“Ace! Luffy just declared war on the world government!”you exclaimed, what an absolute mad man.

“For fuck´s sake, Luffy!” Ace was always worried about his brother.

“It´s good that you´re here, (Y/N). This lovely man is a fan of good stories, I´m sure you don´t mind sharing.” Shakky knew all about your little crush on him.

You were sure your face was very red right now, thanks Shakky.

“Um...I don´t know if they´re good actually….I can retell the ones pops told me...uh...” you looked to Ace and Rayleigh for help, but Ace was too busy worrying over Luffy and Rayleigh was laughing.

“I´m sure you´re aware of this lovely man, as my wife worded it” Rayleigh teased.

“Yes, yes I am aware of this lovely man and yes he´s very lovely indeed! But I can´t think of any stories right now” you rambled and Kidd thought he just misheard something.

“(Y/N). You just called him lovely. In front of his face. Without even talking to him” Ace pointed out and you blushed even more.

This was too much for you.

“I know what I said Ace!” you yelled at him.

“Just make sure Luffy´s not getting into too much trouble, we don´t have time for that right now” you warned him.

“I know I know, you just get back to your lovely man” Ace snickered, he was so gonna get it later.

“Shut up, Ace!” you yelled again.

“We´re gonna leave you two alone, it was nice meeting you, Kidd” Shakky dragged Rayleigh and Ace with her to the back.

Amazing.

Kidd and you stared at each other way too long, you were getting dizzy.

“Hi, you know this is really awkward right now. I thought I was seeing you only tonight. Wait, that came out wrong. Tonight´s your concert, you know and I wanted to go. I´m a really big fan of you, your band´s my favorite. I love your music” you rambled again but at least it was the truth, no matter how embarrassing it was.

“Whoa, hold on a sec… you, vice captain of Whitebeard´s crew, know who I am? I´m a lucky bastard today….” Kidd mumbled, smiling to himself, making your heart beat faster.

“Not to be rude, but I think everyone knows you. Well, at least the bullshit they say about you in the newspaper” it felt so unreal, talking to him, but you never wanted this moment to end.

“How do you know it´s bullshit? You don´t even know me, what´s against it being real?” Kidd asked.

“Because the stuff you allegedly did is stupid. So stupid that only no names would do it. It´s stupid and without a plan, you have a crew so why would you ignore their well being and go up against strong people alone? It doesn´t make sense. But the lowlifes who attempt those stupid things don´t end up in newspapers. The government makes it so that only big names appear, scaring the people. They need their antagonists, we´re just perfect for that apparently” you explained.

Kidd smirked.

“You know, I never thought anybody cared about my music, about what I had to say, about me as a person. But today the person I admire told me I was a good man. The dark king himself, that´s the biggest compliment for me. And now you. The vice captain of the fucking Whitebeard pirates, the strongest and biggest crew there is right now, tells me she likes my music. And not only that, you tell me you believe in me. This is way too much for my small brain” Kidd laughed off his nervousness, but his heart was beating fast.

“I don´t think it´s small. You´re a tall man. Besides, I agree with your opinion on the world government. And someone who writes powerful songs like that can´t be an idiot. And that´s coming from a real idiot. And sorry for embarrassing myself, I never thought I´d ever meet you.” you told him honestly.

“Don´t worry about it, besides the only one embarrassing himself is me” Kidd chuckled.

Meanwhile Ace finally agreed to Rayleigh teaching him Haki and Shakky listened in on your conversation with Kidd, she thought it was cute how awkward you were.

Well, you didn´t think it was cute at all, you couldn´t even utter a single word without stuttering.

You went over thousands of things you could say right now in your mind and then thought if you really should say them or not and that resulted in the silence you two found yourselves in now.

Shakky sighed and sent Ace back to you to refrain things from getting more awkward, she really was your savior.

“We need to go, otherwise we won´t make it in time” Ace told you and grabbed your arm in urgency. He was right, if you talked more with Kidd, you´d miss his concert.

And you didn´t want that.

You sighed and stood up with a heavy heart.

“I know, I know… you´re right.” you answered, whining.

“It was nice talking to you, see you later” you cast a bright smile at Kidd who only responded in stutters and blushes.

Your trip to Fishman Island was the quickest you have ever done, everything seemed fine, the royal family was doing great too, so you could come back to the surface.

It was already sunset when you got back, so you ran all the way to the location, dragging Ace behind you, who didn´t have time to protest.

“I´m gonna wait at Shakky´s bar for you” he mumbled bitterly, he didn´t like the influence Kidd had on you.

“Alright, I´ll be back in a few hours!” you smiled brightly, hugging him shortly before running all the way to the location.

As soon as you arrived you could already hear the groupies and the band hasn´t even started yet.

You couldn´t shake off the huge smile that has plastered onto your face ever since you met Kidd earlier, and you also couldn´t stop your heart from racing, well you told yourself that it was because you ran so much.

The bar was damp from the fog coming out of the machines, the crowd started gathering in front of the stage, the screaming groupies making it impossible for everyone else to get a good place.

You settled for a place at the bar, it wasn´t the front row, but you preferred a good view without the groupies. You felt as if you were the only one who really cared about the music.

Not to be entitled, but you doubted the intentions of the front row.

When the show started, the front row threw their bras on stage and showed their tits, you just stayed to yourself and danced and sung your heart out.

You were really proud of yourself for knowing all the words, you didn´t think you would.

Not that you could blame the front row, Kidd was looking absolutely ravishing.

He was wearing a black tank top and had his hair down, you swore you could get pregnant by just looking at him.

Okay maybe that was a bit exaggerated, but you didn´t have time for dating or even one night stands with the amount of times you were gone.

And damn, did he look good with his hair down and did his arms look big, so muscular  and the way he sung so deep, low and gruff.

It just made emotions and horniness in you arise.

Fuck´s sake were you glad that nobody could see the mess you were right now.

To be fair, it was really hot inside the bar right now. And not only because of the handsome lead singer.

You were out of breath after they finished. The groupies were waiting intently for the band to come out so that they might get lucky.

You didn´t know what to do, the immediate time after a concert always left you feeling empty and not knowing what to do.

It was weird, so you just stayed where you were, at the bar, looking and smiling like an idiot.

You didn´t know why you stayed, but soon enough the band did come out to meet the fans.

Usually this should have been your cue to leave as they just chose who to fuck this night, but not this time. Tonight Kidd smiled and waved when he saw you, coming over to you with the rest of the band.

You spent the rest of the night drinking with them and exchanging stories, you complimented their way of playing their instruments, listened to them talk about the craziest tour stories.

It was so much fun and all the while you questioned why they even stuck around with you instead of fucking some groupies, but maybe you would find that out sooner than you´d like.

[ddaenghoney]

chapter twelve

masterlist link in blog description.

As a successful songwriter, you want nothing more than the acknowledgment that the chart-topping musical pieces are your own creations. But contracts, relationships, and the difficulty of facing the stakes involved head on, keep your mouth shut until pressure builds too much.

Pairing(s): Park Jimin x Y/N, Min Yoongi x Y/N

disclaimer: any characters depicted do not represent the actual personality of the respected idol in real life.

Series warning(s)/genre(s): Chapter-based written fic, Slow-burn relationship(s), Fake-dating, Unrequited love, Songwriter/producer!oc, idol!Jimin, idol/songwriter/producer!Yoongi, friends with benefits, drama, romance, smut, angst, fluff (updated as needed)

Chapter warning(s): mentions of anxiety and themes of anxiety from slight claustrophobic environment.

Word count: 5463

if you enjoy please, please let me know!

You click the volume button on your phone to raise the playlist’s sound to comfortable blur of the world around. More particularly, to avoid any verbiage from entering your eardrums when you are already too aware of how much attention you bring to yourself. Rationalizing that your presence at the airport makes sense given your public relationship with Yoongi, you simply scroll through a feed of posts on Instagram to bide time, waiting for an arrival text.

Yoongi told you not to come when you told him as he boarded his flight home that you’d be there to greet him. Explaining that it’s dangerous to your safety considering the amount of crowds sure to welcome him as well with the flight back being public, Yoongi said he’d go see you from the airport instead. You would’ve agreed had the whole ordeal not been requested hours earlier in a direct email from Yerin.

“Ms.,” The sound muffles in your ears, more aware of the bodyguard’s request for your attention by means of a gentle pat on your shoulder. You remove an earbud, spine tingling at choice words that seemed amplified by the tall ceilings and shiny tile floor of the terminal. “He should be landing soon, when he enters, please make sure you follow our guidance to the vehicle instead of loitering. For your safety.”

You nod, feeling exceptionally feeble in this alien situation. Never in your life would you picture yourself waiting for someone of such high recognition in the middle of the airport at the top of a wall of fans held behind you by use of a flimsy metal barrier. Furthermore, you would not ever think the person would be a falsified boyfriend where your position in the crowd only drives irritated spikes constantly in your direction.

Granted, the majority of people waiting to spot Yoongi seem polite, and even yell back in your defense. Still, you didn’t necessarily want to be at the center of this type of attention. The guard next to you probably finds you being there just as annoying as you thought you’d be when you read the email’s demand-

“Look, he’s here!”

Like the shot to start a race, the one discernable exclamation causes a frenzy of calls. The barrier budges only slightly, impact stopping as sensibility takes over and the hundred or so people try to act as civil as possible given the circumstances.

You clutch your phone tighter in your grasp, glancing back at them all as they scream different things to gain attention, but your eyes go back to the opening doors. Along with other passengers getting as far away from the mayhem as possible, Yoongi walks out with the inherent entourage of staff and guards.

Your smile is incredibly forced because of the nerves rumbling in your throat from the amount of people and volume, but then altogether the expression fades away as Yoongi just nods in a direction for you to follow them down the premade path to the awaiting SUV. Gathering he’s irritated by the added hysteria of you being there, you move towards him quickly, grabbing hold of the hand he extends out for you, but it becomes abandons as well. Instead replaced by Yoongi’s arm worming around your waist to pull you closer to his stature as the crowds get more vivid on account of paparazzi waiting towards the doors.

Your newly free hands find purchase quickly gripping onto the fabric hanging off of Yoongi’s torso, nervously following his pace as the bright flashes stun your senses. Biting roughly on your lip, you feel the bumps from security, hear the constant shouts of attention for both of you, and try your best to ignore it all, repeating that it’ll end soon.

The car doors are open long before the two of you reach them. Yoongi nudges you ahead at last moment to let you inside first, following in quickly afterward with the door shutting just as swiftly. You exhale air held in your lungs as your hands fiddle with one another in your lap, trying to ease as the car departs.

“Are you okay?” Yoongi raises the armrest of his seat to turn, knee nearly bumping your own seat while his eyes scan over your person. “I wish you would’ve told Yerin no-- that-” He points to the back of the car where road trails behind you both, head shaking, “is scary enough for anyone, but making you wait there for me for hours?” He scoffs, rubbing his bangs back from his face, “Bullshit. You shouldn’t have had to go through that, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

Quiet lingers in the air, Yoongi’s chest rising and emptying a bit more visibly from the angered rant. He waits for you to respond, still eyeing your figure for outward signs of distress from the crowds. You eventually nod your head,

“Not a fan of that all.” Your voice feels grated, must sound so too as Yoongi frowns at you in response. He glances to your hands balled in your lap, still fidgety for relief with one another. Wordlessly he reaches for them both, taking them within his larger appendages. Rubbing gently, Yoongi also nods his head to your conclusion. “I’m sorry if it made you upset I was there though.”

“I’m not mad about that.” Yoongi mumbles easily in response, keeping contact for himself because of how your hands feel between his. Naturally, he hates that invasive part of fame, finding it anxiety inducing for multiple reasons. “It just bothers me you had to be around all of the crowds and deal with that.”

“I’m okay.” You convince him with a small voice, that also helps your own psyche to hear aloud. A faint smile curls on Yoongi’s lips as he lifts his gaze back to yours, silently telling you that you didn’t need to pretend. Your shoulder shrugs because it’s not a complete lie. “You’re here. I’m okay.”

Yoongi’s lips pursed at your tiny admission, appearing to grow satisfied with the words, but his head ducks shyly. The balling connection of your hands feel only a little tighter because of a flustered squeeze by Yoongi, “If you say so then...”

“Oh,” You interrupt the moment to shift on your seat, facing Yoongi when he looks back to you in a focused surprise. “Can we go to my apartment? I have the cake.” You grin as you watch Yoongi’s eyes light up in remembrance of the jovial promise you made to him before leaving. His lips curl, visibly peeking teeth as he chuckles at the excitement and pride you emit from the endeavor,

“Who am I to say no to cake?” ---

“Ignore all the papers on the-- what’s supposed to be-- dining table. I’m the worst at keeping it clean.” You mutter as you type in the code for your front door, ignoring Yoongi’s light laughter because in reality you’re internally thinking about how much of a mess you left the rest of the place. Pushing the door open, you scan the room as Yoongi follows you inside. Incidentally, it’s not that awful, but the table is as much of a disorganized array of papers, notebooks, and other stationary that you knew it would be.

“You can put your backpack on the armchair, or anywhere.” You gesture to your living area, before walking along to the kitchen space on the side opposite the table.

“I’m going to end up falling asleep on the couch if I get too close to it.” Yoongi admits in a joking murmur as he places his bag beside the entrance to your door instead, stretching out his arms when they’re free of the weight.

“Wait, yeah, you’re probably really tired, huh?” You frown as you pull out the cake from the refrigerator, turning to place it on the small island. “I’m sorry, I should’ve let you go home and sleep-” “I’m okay,” He says with a smile, though your frown remains because of sleepiness in his eyes as Yoongi meets you in the kitchen. “Besides I’m just going to make my sleep schedule worse if I let myself go to sleep at two in the afternoon.” He tilts his head, smile tugging on his lips as you continue to frown up at him dissatisfied with the situation. “Quit pouting, I’m okay.”

“I’m not pouting.” You mumble, averting your gaze to the cake, fingers lazily playing with the container’s lid. The movement halts as Yoongi’s chuckling rings in your ears followed by his thumb prodding the plush of your cheek, calling your eyes back to his.

“You’re literally pouting.” Yoongi’s voice is quieter than it needs to be, despite its playful intonation as he studies your expression with gleaming fondness seemingly in his irises. You tighten your lips into a line, listening to the silence while the imaginary sound of your heart tries to pretend it’s accelerating audibly. “I can sleep later; I wanted to see you, Y/N, it’s not a big deal.” His arm falls back to his side as Yoongi looks to the container, catching the pink frosting’s pigment visible through the blur of the container’s texture. “Don’t judge me if I eat this entire thing, by the way.”

“Are you hungry?” Your soft tone is contrastingly teasing paired with a smile as Yoongi makes a tiny unintelligible noise followed by a mumble of falling asleep when they served food on the plane. You poke your finger into his side, giggling instantly as he jerks from you and grabs your hand. His eyes are wide, startled when he looks back at you, appearing utterly and dramatically offended that you tickled him beneath his ribcage. “Grilled cheese sound good?”

A grilled cheese layered with deli meat and quickly sauteed veggies and a full slice of cake make Yoongi sigh with contentment as he relaxes back into your couch. You watch with amusement as the amount of carbohydrates weigh down his eyes more than before. Chewing on the final bite of cake he insisted you had to eat as well or else it wouldn’t be a real celebration, you set your empty plate to the coffee table clattering its edge barely against Yoongi’s. “You and Namjoon are great at cooking.”

“It was just a sandwich.” You play off the compliment, thinking back to the first year of Namjoon’s cafe opening where you helped him out a lot more than nowadays that it is settled.

“The best one ever.” Yoongi goes on, eyes closed while he lounges back on the cushion, smiling when he hears you scoff in disbelief, yet with gratitude. The show’s sound lingers in the background of your perception, as you ponder calling him a cab so Yoongi could go properly rest. “You know you still haven’t told me about how the meeting with Yerin went.”

In the moment Yoongi brings up the topic you’ve done entirely well to avoid so far, you bite onto your bottom lip, shifting your stare aimlessly back to the television. Telling Yoongi that you’ve practically quit your job with no plan on how to get back on your feet afterward sounds like a way to get him to think you’re a little bit crazy, or at least very careless. When Namjoon found out he spent about ten minutes going back and forth from congratulating you without fervent emotion and staring at you like he was just as confused about what you would do as well.

You didn’t really want to go through that again, even if it is warranted due to their worry.

A hum vibrates your lips, thinking of a way to get him to altogether forget about this subject. Maybe if you put on a rain asmr playlist he’d fall asleep and you could abandon the country for a week to figure out an excuse of why you’re irrationally spoken decision in the meeting won out over something more civil. And resembling a continued livelihood.

“Was it bad after all?” Yoongi shifts on the couch beside you, legs coming up to sit criss cross as he faces you to better gauge your emotions. “You said you’d tell me about it when I got back since it wasn’t a big deal, but,” A tiny laugh leaks out with a contrasting mixture of nervous and attempt to keep the conversation’s ambience light-hearted. “Maybe not?”

“There’s just not much to say,” You begin vaguely, fingers in your lap fidgeting with one another as you figure out how to go about speaking, “They weren’t interested in changing my contract anymore than giving me a larger percentage of royalties so,” You shrug as the words trail away, thinking that you have no actual reason to find this difficult to admit. Yoongi wouldn’t be angry or judge you, but it felt embarrassing to say. Considering how financially secure your career at SoundWave keeps you, how could you just pull away from that to practically start over from the ground up?

“Ah,” Yoongi head nods in understanding. You glance towards him, watching him tossle around his locks and appear so groggy and without energy from the ten hour flight home. Yet he still seems intent to pay attention and hear what your situation is like now, to be beside you as you adapt to changes. “So you signed with them again.”

“I didn’t renew the contract.”

Without flinching, your eyes follow Yoongi’s head as it shoots up. No particular shock invades his appearance for a moment, just eyebrows creasing and a mutter, “You didn’t?” It’s as you nod slowly that his eyes begin to widen, lips parting in a shocked circle, then a repeat, “You didn’t.”

You swallow thickly, before cracked, small, practically soundless laughter leaves your lips as you just nod again. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Your words are hollow, different from how you casually spoke the facts to Namjoon a week ago. More caught up with the severity. Worried.

“Wait,” Yoongi frowns, rubbing his neck as he connects everything verbally, “They weren’t going to change the contract like you wanted, so you decided not to renew. You’re just going to be there until your contract ends?” Rambling continues along while you just nod in response. Eventually your own hands come up to hold your jaw as you mutter,

“Oh, I fucked up. I messed up, didn’t I?”

“No,” Unconvinced you look at Yoongi whose head shakes instantly, though there’s nothing about how his eyes stare at you that help you believe the response. “No, no-- you deserve credit, Y/N. You really do.”

“I’m not getting credit for anything at SoundWave.” You mutter, letting yourself fall on your side into the couch, straying from Yoongi just so he wouldn’t catch the consistent nervousness invading your expression. “I have to find a company-- work in general for songwriting or production with a blank resume.” You inhale, counting the seconds as the air sits in your lungs.

In the short gap of response you recall how much Yoongi has had to do for you so far. Always comforting your screw ups and dealing with the remnant dissatisfaction in your previous relationship. Now you lie on your couch, ranting your problems again, and hoping for something in response. You don’t do enough for him at all, yet you still lean on him like it’s his job to help you out.

You didn’t want to tell him about the meeting because Yoongi’s nice and he’d give you advice, spend his energy worrying for you as well. You shouldn’t misuse his kindness, especially when he has plenty of other responsibilities for his own job. You exhale the air, scooting further from him to rest your head on the plush of the armrest, “Yoon, just forget it. I’ll figure it out on my own somehow, you don’t need to listen to all of this crap.”

Yoongi blinks, frowning in dissatisfaction of the apparent worry, and your misplaced desire to push him out of your affairs for fear of it being annoying. “I’m not obligated, Y/N.” He waits a second to hear a response but receives nothing more than your legs curling slightly towards your chest. His hand presses into the couch, torso arching as Yoongi scoots to lean over, “What’s wrong with telling me?”

“I always rant about things to you.” Your eyes evade his own, though you’re very aware of the closer proximity due to the shadow he casts over you. “And you’re always, like, I guess accommodating to all the problems I have, and I bet it’s so old by now. You’re tired from your plane ride and I’m just stressing you out more.”

“You have to get this out of your head that you’re troubling me because of any of this, angel.” Yoongi’s voice resembles starlight, and the sentiment exuding shines in little spurts across your senses. Your mouth tightens into a line, just returning the slightest glance because you���re unsure why he’s this sweet to you. “I can’t imagine how nerve-wracking this is for you, but it’s okay to let people help you.”

“Do-” You cut yourself off, sighing as you head shakes a little. It’s past the time when you should be asking what you want to ask, but it feels acceptable to go on as Yoongi simply stays silent. To help encourage you further, his free hand rest overtop of yours, working to cast warmth. “Do you think I messed up, Yoon?”

Despite the uncertainty, despite this being the biggest decision you could have made for your career, the line of questioning doesn’t cause Yoongi a lot of thought. One could blame the blind optimism or inherent positivity of his closeness to you that makes him assume your success from here on is sure, but he doesn’t think that deeply about it. After all that you’ve created and produced musically, he simply believes everything will be okay for you, so he shakes his head. Smiling gently as his hand squeezes yours,  he says all you could want to hear in that moment,

“Not at all. You stood up for yourself. That’s never wrong.”

It takes only a moment for a smile to begin flowering on your face, more on account of Yoongi’s convicted gaze that maintains a softness that you’re starting to believe is an unconscious talent of his. Nodding slightly, you sigh letting yourself heed his perspective, if only as a means to make yourself try and think as optimistically. In the very least, if you were able to make a career out of music, albeit not under the best circumstances, then you have as much of a chance to do it again.

“Maybe I always tell you everything because you always say something to make me happier.” The audible ponder causes a tiny prickling of heat to crawl along the back of Yoongi’s neck then flourish more so as you shift beneath him, properly looking up at him with a sincere smile. The situation between your bodies travels closer to the forefront of his mind, but Yoongi’s cheeks speckle with pink only because of your words’ effect.

“I’m glad you think that.” Yoongi speaks quietly, rich timbre touched with a fluster. You nearly giggle at the fact, but the candylike tone of his proceeding admission causes your chest to swell, “I’ll always try to make you feel better, whenever you need me to.”

His words are sweet like honey, inciting summer to crawl along your complexion. You swallow nothing, just finding the gaze he returns to your eyes completely entrapping, but more so like that of a hug. Your heart could gush from just the pleasantness of his voice.

“Yoongi,” You find nothing to say following calling his name, so instead your hands escape his singular grip so that you can cover your face, hiding away the erupting blush. “You’re-” You groan without irritation, prompting Yoongi’s eyes to widen in confusion. His lips curl into an inquisitive frown, altogether taken aback back by your flustered state. “You’re dangerous-- you’re too sweet. I can’t even believe you.”

“What?” He chuckles at your senseless mumbles where you lie beneath him. “Dangerous and sweet, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Right?” You peek from beneath your hands, nodding. “You’re a contradiction.” Masked away from his view is your smile as Yoongi continues in chuckles. You feel his body growing limp, likely tired from holding himself up on one arm for the duration of the conversation, and then sleepy on account of his earlier plane ride. “You should take a little nap, at least. I’ll wake you up, promise.”

“You think so?” He questions your ability to wake him up though not actually intending to challenge you. Yoongi’s body inevitably sinks atop of your own, and he intends to shift away until your hand lies on his bicep comfortably. He bites his lip, suddenly undesiring of moving, especially as you hum an affirmative to his rhetorical ask. “Aren’t I heavy?” A testing whisper. Gauging if you’re as settled with the position as he finds himself to be.

“No, I don’t think you are.” You brush away his nerves unknowingly, finally finding your own courage to let your free hand mesh very gently into his bleached locks. Trying to soothe him into a quick slumber you guide your fingertips play around rhythmically, only ceasing for a moment as Yoongi’s waist shifts just so that he can rest more comfortably. Also ensuring that the majority of his body weight doesn’t press onto you, but that’s about all he can manage until the ministrations of your fingers in his hair lull him out completely.

---

“What are you so worried about?” Yoongi stares blankly at the computer screen while Hoseok’s question on speaker phone rings through his ears. Analyzing the final touches on the side project of potential songs he’s made with you over the past couple of months, he finds himself unsettled looking at them. Your name brightly pixelated in parenthesis beside each title, and it only serves to irritate Yoongi to continue seeing it.

Not that he ever planned to release these songs, but now that they’re done and he’s well into consideration for what could come for you at the end of the month when your contract is officially finished, Yoongi can’t avoid the negative association of their presence in his computer’s library.

“She doesn’t know what she’s going to do, and even if she’s as talented as she is, it’s fucking hard to get any noteworthy company to give her chance, Hoseok.” Yoongi sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his index finger. “I’m worried about her; she already shouldn’t be having to start over, but I can’t do anything to help her, and I couldn’t do anything to help you either.”

There’s a falter of replies, both parties finding themselves surprised at the final piece of the outburst.

“Yoongi-”

“I should’ve helped you.” The conversation shifts back into stagnation. Yoongi sighs again, rubbing his face as the expected reply comes after a long pause.

“I told you me getting fired is my own fault. You know the CEO already had crap against me. The situation with Seulgi just sealed the deal for him.” Hoseok’s voice reasons factually, as if those two simple reasons are enough to say being laid off from their old company makes any type of sense. “I don’t blame you for anything.”

“I do.” Yoongi doesn’t know if his voice is loud enough for Hoseok to hear, but he doesn’t repeat the admission. Recalling how simple it would’ve been to defend his friend, Yoongi taps his finger on his desk, then glances back up at his screen where your presence remains like a reminder of a year ago. Yet different from that time.

Yoongi feels no worry about his own career while he stares in thought of what to do about your own. Where he had to consider his actions in light of his stoic reputation in the public, he doesn’t think about that in the present. His manager would if Yoongi brought the issue up, likely be ready to shut down anything related to helping you in the eyes of the media and fans. Risking the long-running persona of SUGA for some unfortunate songwriter who made a misguided choice is impossible. Reasonably speaking, SUGA can’t help you without sticking the name in the middle of a potential scandal.

“It’s kind of funny hearing you so worried about her considering you only became friends from having to pretend to date.” Hoseok disrupts the stream of thought, bringing Yoongi back to reality. “She went and met you at the airport a couple of days ago, right? Saw it all over twitter.”

“Yeah,” Yoongi nods, then furrows his eyebrows at the memory of loud people and camera lenses in every direction around you as he walked into the lobby. “They made her go. Isn’t that fucked up? What if something happened?” He rubs his jaw, feet pushing him languidly side to side in his seat. “She’s not used to crowds like that-- it makes me mad-” Hoseok’s laughter stiffens Yoongi’s shoulders. Wondering what he said, Yoongi whines to cut into the laughter, “What?”

“You’re just really fond of her, huh?” Hoseok’s light voice makes Yoongi go quiet. Lips tighten into a line as he goes on. “I thought from the pictures that you became an actor overnight, but I guess that was really you being protective.”

Confused, Yoongi tilts his head in thought, trying to recall if he seemed particularly overbearing in the airport, but can only come to the conclusion that he had been trying to ensure you felt secure in the intense environment. He crosses his arms over his chest, humming when Hoseok questions aloud if the line went dead.

“What do you mean fond of her?”

“What?” Hoseok laughs again, but more so from amusement, spinning around in his desk chair on his side of the line, barely missing a collision with his knee on the corner of the table. “Bro, you know what I mean-”

“Wait,” Yoongi takes hold of his phone as loud thumping hits against his door followed by the ring of the doorbell. “I’ll talk to you later, I need to go.” Rolling his eyes at the dramatic, high-pitched whine Hoseok sends through the line, Yoongi ends the call, abandoning his phone on the desk as he gets up. Dotting through a quick list of potential visitors, he doesn’t recall anyone supposed to come, and knows it isn’t you because of your knowledge of the passcode.

“Hey,” One of the other producers greets Yoongi with a smile as he opens the door. A large, orange envelope  in his hand waves into the air, “I was just bringing you some mail from the lobby while I was on the way to my desk.” He explains casually, prompting a nod from Yoongi albeit with smothered confusion on why the random producer is doing him a favor when they’ve barely ever worked together.

“Oh, thanks for that.” Yoongi sets aside the speculation, instead voicing appreciation as he takes the delivery.

“Yeah,” The guy’s reply falters, but Yoongi shakes it off to step back into his studio until the exchange continues further, “Actually, you’re close with Y/N now, right? Is it true she got fired?”

Inquisitive to the ear, but something deeper about the tone makes Yoongi’s eyebrows crease. He looks back towards the producer who meets his eyes with a now forced smile. Deciphering the intention as something negative, Yoongi’s head tilts in consideration of what he could be trying to get at. “Where’d you here that from?” “What? Oh,” He stutters, glancing towards the door frame as he shrugs, “You know, just gossip and all… I was just curious since she gets the most work, you know?”

Yoongi inhales remaining silent as he comes to understand this producer to be similar of a vulture. Likely others too are interested in receiving more work following your inevitable departure, but the insinuation of you being let go instead of quitting unsettles him. Irritating to hear. “I mean, it’s not just me curious,” He glances again away from Yoongi this time down the hallway where his eyes grow wide for a split second upon recognition, “Oh, like Jimin here-- hey, you’re wondering if Y/N got fired too, aren’t you?”

Yoongi steps a small step forward so he can lean his head and view down. Jimin appears confused at the question, hands in his pockets like he’d simply been walking to wherever.

“You heard she got fired, didn’t you-”

“Stop saying that.” Yoongi cuts into the producers loud voice, slicing them with an annoyed grit clinging to his words. “She didn’t get fired.” His arms cross over one another, envelope hitting against his side as he does so. Jimin’s movement causes Yoongi’s gaze to shift back towards him, expression etched with his upset temperment from the rude gossiping.

Jimin doesn’t say anything, slow steps like that of someone on a stroll, intending to walk past them both. The producer shifts a little distance away from Yoongi’s calm and heavy glare, watching with a stupor at the disposition that originally he hadn’t expected as a reaction to his questioning.

“It was just a question,” He mutters then nearly bites his tongue when Yoongi snaps his eyes back, “I just think it’d be pretty good for the company to vary more, that’s all-- she just works in the background anyways, it’s not like anyone would notice.”

“Hey,” Jimin interrupts the trail of irritated rebuttals about to leave Yoongi’s lips, eyes fixating into a glare towards the fidgeting producer, “She does more for the company than any of us do, so why don’t you stop talking shit and go actually work on something?”

“I,” The producer bites his lip, glancing nervously between Jimin and Yoongi, before nodding his head, “Yeah,” He turns on his heel, then startles backwards a few paces towards Jimin, eyes widening. “Oh, Y/N-”

The tension in Yoongi’s expression releases, stepping forward to let his studio door shut, revealing you barely more than a few feet from the three of them with two members of a girl group looking increasingly shocked and curious at the conversation at hand. He stays quiet, wondering how much of the guy’s stupidity you heard, but as he takes in your narrowed eyes he can freely assume enough.

“I didn’t get fired, I quit.” You say simply, voice devoid of civility. Glancing from the completely embarrassed producer to Yoongi then Jimin, you just sigh. Though you were aware this questioning would come eventually, you expected something more decent than gossip about people wanting to shift into your spot the second you leave the company. The two girls around you voice shocked questioning, but you pay no mind to them, “Next time you want to try gossiping about me, just ask me yourself; this is so ridiculous going behind my back for your own selfish gain.”

Jimin steps to the side as the producer nearly collides with him as he paces back another step, “You’re right, I’m sorry-- really.” You just scoff, watching him quickly scamper down the hallway so nothing more could be said.

“Wait, Y/N, you’re really leaving?” The youngest of the girl group members asks you with surprise, frown covering up her face. You just rub your face, nodding,

“Yeah, sorry; I have stuff to do.” You mumble in reply feeling a headache ready to come on from this whole stupid situation that is no doubt going to become increasingly invasive as this situation gets talked about around the company. You step towards Yoongi, turning to smile apologetically to the two girls, “It’s not a big deal, sorry.”

You hear the familiar sound of a clicking keypad and find the door opening as Yoongi takes the hint to let you inside. He steps inside first, holding the door open with his hand, as you go to follow and find yourself looking towards Jimin. Devoid of much expression his head just nods in a silent greeting to you and your find yourself doing the same without really noticing, going on to murmur quietly, “Thanks for speaking up for me, Jimin.”

Then you enter into Yoongi’s studio, realizing as the door clicks shut that Jimin finally did what you thought he never wanted to. Where in the past he’s only ever stood by silently while the company uses you to its own benefit, he today defended you without any need. Though you have no way of reasoning why he suddenly found it necessary to speak on your behalf, you find the fact that it occured a startling mixture of thankfulness and comfort.

Only it came too late.

if you enjoy please, please let me know via ask, comment, rb with tags– however ! i’d just really appreciate feedback 🥺 i hope you enjoy the series, i’m working really hard on it! : )

tag list (send an ask to be added): @jaiuneamesolitaiire​ @tsvkino-usagi​ @xionysus​​ @baebyjoonie​ @honeyoongles​

[thesunnyshow]

Name: Alison O’Brien

Writing Blog URL(s): @httpangelicjimin

What fandom(s) do you write for?: BTS, although I wouldn’t mind writing for other groups. Often, I have other idols that make cameos in my stories.

Age: 21

Nationality: Portuguese + French

Languages: Portuguese + French + English + Spanish

Star Sign: Leo

MBTI: ENFJ

Favorite color: pastel blue

Favorite food: pizza no doubt 

Favorite movie: I’m gonna have to be a sucker and say monster’s inc. bc who doesn’t love Pixar

Favorite ice cream flavor: I’d say coffee, tho I love a good ol’ chocolate ice cream

Favorite animal: wolf, it’s my spirit animal 

Coffee or tea? What are you ordering?: Coffee, for sure. Iced coffee or mocha

Dream job (whether you have a job or not): Ever since I was little I always wanted to be a singer but I guess I’m too shy for that ahah so I’d either say writing or advertising.

Go-to karaoke song: Break My Heart by Dua Lipa

If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?: The ability to change shape at will.

If you could visit a historical era, which would you choose?: The Victorian Era sounds brilliant to me. I would be a sucker for the dresses. Although, I also would’ve loved to be able to live in the ’20s. Great Gatsby made me dream countless times of all the amazing parties, with jazz playing in the background. The fashion was impeccable, and of course, to be alive at the same time as F. Scott Fitzgerald. I could even run into him at one of those glamorous parties. 

If you could restart your life, knowing what you do now, would you?: I don’t think I would. Life has taught me some valuable lessons along the way but I was happy. Even when surrounded by those who didn’t have the best intentions in mind. If I had known all that I know now, I wouldn’t have lived as freely and carelessly as I did. I cherish those memories, even if they weren’t the best for me.

Would you rather fight 100 chicken-sized horses or one horse-sized chicken?: Alright so… that’s a weird one. And what makes it weirder is that people have made that same question with me; it was either one horse-sized me, or 100 me-sized horses. Huh… I do have some background with chickens chasing after me, so I’d go with the 100 chicken-sized horses.

If you were a trope in a teen high school movie, what would you have been?: I would 100% be the sucker that falls for the bad boy… ah… how I miss the high school bad boys.

Do you believe in aliens/supernatural creatures?: I don’t. Although I have no problem getting lost in those amazing universes where such creatures exist. 

Fun fact about yourself that not everyone would know?: I absolutely love mango-flavored things but I cannot eat mango. Just the texture of the fruit…. Yuck. 

Do you write fluff/angst/crack/general/smut, combo, etc? Why?: I write everything. So far, in the 2 years, I’ve been writing, I have experienced a little bit of everything. I think writing all those genres are important to complement the story. 

Do you write OCs, X Readers, Ships...etc?: I never wrote anything that was mxm but I am ok with that. Besides, I have two stories out with an OC and the others are mostly with female readers, mostly because I write thinking about me with a member or one of my friends.

Why did you decide to write for Tumblr?: I was already using Tumblr to read other people’s work. When the thought of starting my own writing blog came to mind, it seemed the most logical option to use. I have only recently learned about AO3 so… yeah, Tumblr seemed the most “at reach” app.

When did you post your first piece?: The first thing I wrote was called Wonder and was posted on a private blog. I started writing it a couple of days after Euphoria by Jungkook BTS came out.

What inspires you to write?: Everyday situations are always a good base for me. I like to write moments that I have gone through. Besides that, I find inspiration on movies and tv shows and some Pinterest albums. Sometimes it’s just a random thought that comes to mind ehe

What genres/AUs do you enjoy writing the most?: I’d say college/high school aus. I did a collab with another writer from a college au and it was a lot of fun. Additionally, I have some wips I am meaning to work on and will soon be presented on my blog! 

What do you hope your readers take away from your work?: I think that I wanted them to feel okay. Life can get pretty hard and reading, for me, has always been like a getaway. So, whenever I write, I hope that I can distract my readers from whatever is happening in the real world. 

What do you do when you hit a rough spot creatively?: Whenever I’m struggling in life, it’s almost as if I lose my ability to write. I get really stressed, especially when I set deadlines. I try my hardest to push through. I believe that writing, even if it’s not to our liking, is better than doing nothing. I try to read more, to sleep better, and to seek inspiration. 

What is your favorite work and why? Your most successful?: I don’t think I have a “most successful” work. I am pretty recent to Tumblr and am still growing bit by bit. As for my favorite, I’d probably say Dr. Love. It started out as a fun Valentine’s Day fanfic and I have some good stuff outlined.

Who is your favorite person to write about?: As I said, I love to find inspiration in my friends. Getting the feedback and how much they enjoyed reading what I wrote really is a heartwarming feeling. 

Do you think there’s a difference between writing fanfiction vs. completely original prose?: I don’t think they are so different. Because when writing fanfiction, you’re not obliged to go 100% with the idol’s personality you’re writing. You have the freedom to marvel around in the worlds you create and make them do whatever you feel like would work best. So sometimes, it can be just like creating a whole new character from scratch. 

What do you think makes a good story?: There’s a lot of things that are needed to make a good story. I mostly value the storyline. I don’t like it when things are rushed and prefer to read something others may find unnecessary but get more context. I love the small little details about characters that make me relate and emphasize with them. Also, a plot twist. I love to read stories that completely blow my mind and catch me off guard. Creativity is everything.

Would you ever repurpose a fic into a completely original story?: Why not? I don’t have a problem with giving different names to my characters as long as the story stays the same.

What is your writing process like?: I prefer to write at night. But, as I said before, sometimes there’s just an urge to write and I have to grab my laptop, or even the pull out the notes on my phone and type out some words for the story I’m currently working on. I try to create a coherent storyline as well. Plus, I have an amazing beta reader that always helps me with the plot and hears my ideas and complements them. 

What tropes do you love, and what tropes can’t you stand?: I love the typical “good girl falls for bad guy” trope. I don’t care if it’s cliché, I just love it. Although, I hate those where the girl is portraited as weak and as if she would ever be completely happy and fulfilled if the guy is by her side; as if she’s helpless without him. Girl power you know? Aha

How much would you say audience feedback/engagement means to you?: It means A LOT. I think there’s no better feeling than receiving a piece of feedback, despite how small it might be. There’s always room for improvement and just the simple fact to know that someone took the time to read my work and found it interesting enough to send me their thoughts, I really cherish it.

What has been one of the biggest factors of your success (of any size)?: I believe that my growth for the past months I’ve been on Tumblr could be due to how active I am. I always try to engage with the people I follow and even when I’m not posting my works, I try to be around. I have big dreams for my blog and hope to one day have a large audience to read my stories, but for now, I am happy with the ones by my side already.

Do you think fanfic writers get unfairly judged?: Yes. A lot of people think that fanfic writers are mostly horny/crazy teens that are obsessed with some famous wannabe that couldn’t even care less for their existence. I think that’s one of the biggest issues with how society sees us. But I consider those to be amongst older people (perhaps 40+yo). 

Do you think art can be a medium for change?: Of course. Art is one of the most personal ways of showing emotions, I believe. Being brave enough to show with the world your creations takes courage and I admire those who do it proudly. Art can be interpreted in so many ways; it overcomes all the barriers that there might be. 

Do you ever feel there are times when you’re writing for others, rather than yourself?: The feeling can get to me sometimes but I immediately shut that down. There was a time when I was forcing myself to write things I didn’t appreciate or that didn’t follow my storyline just to make others happy and I had to give up on those projects quickly because it was driving me insane. I strongly believe that if we don’t write what we are passionate about, it will either come out sloppy or we will hate it. Writing what we like, even if some might consider it bad, is what we should do.

Do you ever feel like people have misunderstood you or your writing at times?: I don’t think so. Although, I don’t receive as much feedback as I’d like to, so I’m not certain. 

Do your offline friends/loved ones know you write for Tumblr?: Only my boyfriend does and he’s totally cool with it ehe

What is one thing you wish you could tell your followers?: A big big thank you! I am so happy to have you here and I hope you can take some time to read over my works ehe I am always open to talk if anyone needs~ 

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might be too scared to put themselves out there?: Just do it!!! I know there are so many great writers out there and you might feel like you would bring nothing to the game but that’s not true. You don’t need to be scared ok? It will be alright. Just give it a chance. There was a time where I was scared too and now I have made so many great friends and meet so many great people through my writing. You can make it too! 

Are there any times when you regret joining Tumblr?: No. 

Do you have any mutuals who have been particularly formative/supportive in your Tumblr journey?: Yess!! I have made so many friends thanks to Tumblr! I mostly have to thank the amazing people of @bangtan-headquarters for accepting me into their network and making me part of their discord server. I’m not going to be @/ing everyone but I know I have made friends whom I will forever keep in my heart uwu 

Pick a quote to end your interview with: “Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.” - Les Brown 

[dfangurlinme]

WHY MAMAMOO: Representation

I noticed that when people get into shows, movies, music or celebrity we tend to follow because of our personal preferences and relatability to the subject matter. MAMAMOO is a group that I feel is some ways represent me. With all the available content out there, we like to consume something that is in line with our preferences and values.

 MAMAMOO themselves describe the history of their band name to make a feeling of something warm and approachable. In a world where people see celebrity as something glamorous, MAMAMOO wanted to represent a group that will walk with the people. Given that they have some struggles because of the route they have choose and people did took them lightly; they also create a space for people to be themselves.

 I love watching fan signs or meets and see how much they are able to openly communicate with their fans. In a recent article they are name as some of the artist with good relationship with their own fandom. The fans can claim their experience and encounter and how much each members are able to connect with them.

 They say that artist and their fans are a type of relationship; I would agree on this one. First, a celebrity needs a strong following that will create demand for them. They are the ones who consume the things they deliver. Fans are what helps a celebrity to stardom but doesn’t necessarily mean that because of it, fans has their right to control someone’s life.

 MAMAMOO is an inspiration for their fans and because of the warm approach these 4 women did to the strangers who believed on their skills they are able to create a bond that they hope to keep. As a fan, besides their skills I have been drawn to their personalities which for me represent a fragment of what I wanted to be.

 Among the members I feel that Moonbyul represent a side of me that I wanted to strengthen and being able to see that in a flesh is a breath of fresh air in my eyes. MAMAMOO have represented so much more than I could think of and if I could only claim it, they are more than the concept of girl crush.

 The concept of bubble gum and girl crush in KPOP is something I will never understand; again it may be for a reason that it a label to easily identify something among the available resources. I started getting into MAMAMOO’s variety show appearance when I started thinking if girl crush is even the best description for MAMAMOO as a group.

 Then I started watching MAMAMOO’s idol room episode where a previous statement of Moonbyul was brought up with regards to the reason that MAMAMOO is not bound to just one thing. They started proving this claim by actually trying different concepts which are judged by the staffs and hosts. On that moment from the show they deliver what their idea of different concepts.

 What I love about the episode was when they said that they express those concept differently, they showed an example when they did the sexy concept which was delivered different among members. Their claims, in my eyes are correct. One of MAMAMOO’s charm in my opinion is their individuality, hence when they were showing their take on the concept sexy and presented it differently among each other tell a very different and honest story of uniqueness.

 Each and every people on each present themselves different hence they may not seems to excel on one concept, for me, they didn’t really make something bad either. They say that innocent or cute concept is not for them but who does judge a person’s innocence when a child can commit wrong given that they are already the epitome of “innocence���.

 MAMAMOO shows what they want to convey based on what they understand and believed in; that rawness is humanity and the face of a person in a crowd. We label them based on the actions they convey and even the concept girl crush would never fit each side of these women.

 One of the biggest representation that people label MAMAMOO are feminist. I’m not going to defend them on their action and provide facts either but on my take on, on the group’s action I would say that they are.  The thing about MAMAMOO being feminist is that they just wanted to encourage women to be believe in themselves without stepping on someone else. They don’t need to degrade men or show that they are capable without men; no, MAMAMOO are independent people who knows that the world needs each other to make it work. They have successfully prove that with collaboration they are able to create something amazing whether you are a man or a woman.

 Moonbyul doesn’t style herself because she wants girls to prefer her, she does it because that’s her. Hwasa is confident not because she put people down or make men her slaves, she confident because she’s knows that she is true. Solar is independent not because she needs to prove that she can do everything, she’s independent because she knows her capabilities and she understands when to seek assistances. Wheein is strong not because she can put people down, she is strong because she thrives every day and fight for tomorrow.

 MAMAMOO represents humanity, not just women or men. They represent what being human is. They eat the food they like, meet people they like, do the work they like and still show that it’s going to be hard and that trials will go their way; that there would be days that make up would not be able to cover reality.

 One of the main reason I like MAMAMOO is because they are human just like me. Humans who need to consume food, who needs to socialize, who needs to have their personal time and space. MAMAMOO represent that beyond the make-up, the lights, the flashes and the attention they are just 4 women doing what they are passionate about and that’s music.

[purplesurveys]

718

If you lived in Bikini Bottom, would you befriend Spongebob or Plankton? Obviously Spongebob. I’m there to have a good time and catch jellyfish, not eat holographic meatloaf and make it my life’s goal to steal a secret formula. Do you have any bananas in your house right now? I think we still have some left. My dad bought a pack? a group? a bunch? of them so he can make banana cue and turon for my mom and sister while we’re all stuck at home for the meantime. Which overrated tattoo are you sick of seeing? Eh I don’t judge this easily since I assume tattoos mean a lot to people but where I’m from, line tattoos are pretty overused. They DO look nice and I get why they’ve been trending for a while, but yeah they’re evvvvvverywhere. Is it easy to distract you? Yes haha I have a rather quick attention span. Do you prefer to drink from glasses or mugs? Depends on the drink. I drink my water from a glass but I prefer my coffee in a mug, that sort of thing.

What was the last thing you taught a younger kid? I don’t feel confident teaching kids just yet, huhu. It usually works the other way around: when I’m with kids, they teach me how to play their toys or whatever game they’re playing on their parents’ phone/iPad. Are the clocks in your house mostly digital or analog? We only have one analog clock. We mostly tell the time from our phones. How long have you had your television(s)? Answered this before but we have two TVs that are 12 years old and two others that were bought within the last decade. Do you like watching movies made with CGI or do you prefer hand-drawn ones? I don’t care. As long as the end product is done well I can enjoy the movie. Where did your parents buy their car(s)? I know for sure the two family cars were bought directly from the official dealers. I think mine was a secondhand one. Do you know why your grandparents chose your mother's name? No. I think they just liked the name. That makes me want to ask my grandma though. What is your favourite kind of soup? Miso is the only one I really like. Have you ever made your own musical instrument? Nope. What do you think of Leighton Meester's singing voice? I only know one song of hers and I reeeeeally loved that when it came out, but I don’t think it’s enough for me to have an opinion for her music altogether. I definitely don’t hate her voice though. Do you think you'd do well at teaching the English language to a foreigner? Yeah, it’s my other everyday language and I’m a little bit more fluent in it than I am in Filipino. How long have your neighbours lived there? About the same time as us, I think. We all moved in at sort of the same time when the village was newly developed. Is it weird to hear your name in movies or TV shows? It’s not a very common name so it does feel a bit weird to hear, yes. It’s weirder if I have to refer to the character in third person cause I never liked saying my own name :/ Why do so many people seem to hate the Jonas Brothers? Am assuming this refers to the Jonas Brothers pre-reunion because I’m sure no one hates them and their new music now lmao. I think, simply put, it was because they were teenagers then, and pre-teen and teenage girls was their main fanbase? Most people liked to shit on that category of celebrities, even today – case in point, Justin Bieber, 5SOS, One Direction haha. What is a store you like that is exclusive to your country? Fully Booked! It’s the most complete, up-to-date, and chic bookstore brand we have. The Fully Booked branch in BGC in particular is a partnership with Starbucks, so you can immediately walk over there to get a coffee and read after buying a book heh. If you attend school, what time do you usually get home after? I always have extracurriculars like org stuff, meetings, or fieldwork after my academic schedule so more often than not I’ll get home by 9 or 10 PM, which leaves me feeling exhausted as fuck at the end of the day. When was the last time you really needed to just let loose? Like two weeks ago? I was bored out of my mind being stuck at home so I chugged a lot of soju that I asked my dad to buy so I can at least be drunk while being bored lol. Have you ever been blackmailed? Kinda. There was a time when I didn’t talk to my sister and didn’t really feel well enough to reconcile with her yet, but my mom threatened to go to our class guidance counselor and expose me and ‘the kind of older sister I am’ if I didn’t make amends with my sister immediately.

This might sound sarcastic but thanks, survey, for reminding me what kind of mom my mother actually was during the years that were the most critical to my development lmao. I always need reminders like this because despite how our relationship has ‘improved’ now that I’m older, I shouldn’t forget the trauma she caused me and the fact that I had always planned to detach myself from her as much as possible once I’m fully independent. I can’t disappoint my younger self by keeping her in my life as if nothing happened.

Do you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome? No. I keep forgetting what that means. Would you rather have novels based on your life or a series of comic books? Novels, so I’d be more interested to read it. Have you written a resume before, either for yourself or someone else? I did a resumé when I applied for my internship. Did you know that they plan on releasing a movie based on The Smurfs? This survey is sooooooo old hah they’ve made a bunch of films on it already. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live underwater? Not really. Mostly I’ve just wondered what it would be like to be a creature from the deep sea, where it’s totally dark and most of the animals there look prehistoric as fuck lol. Have you ever worked in a bakery? If not, would you like to? No but this question reminded me of Harry Styles, aw :’) ANYWAY if I did I’d probably take up a job in the office, since I can neither bake nor deal with people on a regular basis even if one argues that bakeries aren’t really particular spots for angry Karens or Barbaras. What is your favourite thing about snow? I like that we don’t get them because it’s bound to make my first encounter with snow in the future magical as fuck. Is there a big personality difference between you and your sibling(s)? Yeah. I tend to adapt to new environments way better than they do and I’m definitely the most extroverted of the three in all aspects.  Do you enjoy decorating things with stickers? Hahahah yes, it’s an uncontrollable urge. I keep my stickers to just my laptop case these days, but back then I used to put stickers on my phone case, my ID case, clipboard, wallet, etc. Did you lose anything recently? Did you end up finding it? I lose my hair tie every now and then; my hair’s a bit short for a ponytail now so my hair tie gradually slips out my hair with me barely noticing it, so it always ends up in random places around the house. I do end up finding it after a while but it gets frustrating whenever I realize it had fallen off again. What colour oven mitts do you have? We don’t really use the oven so we barely use the ones we have. I don’t even know the color of it.

Why do you/don't you watch award shows? Because there are sooo many commercials in the middle of it, some presenters are awkward as fuck and I’d rather save myself from the secondhand cringe, and most of the time the choices for the winners are undeserving and end up pissing everyone off. It’s always easier to just wait a few hours and check the results on Google; and besides, the only fun parts are seeing what everyone is wearing and who attends to begin with hah. What do you think of Ellen DeGeneres as the new judge on American Idol? God this was a lifetime ago. I think I mostly didn’t mind it but I never did get over the replacement of the OGs Randy, Simon, and Paula. Do you ever do the exercises featured in some magazines? No. Have you ever watched What The Buck? What do you think of it? I don’t think I’ve heard of that. How long ago did you switch from cable to satellite, if you did? We didn’t make a ‘switch,’ per se. We had cable in our old home but when we moved to our current house in 2008, having extra channels wasn’t really the priority as moving already entailed a whole lot of expenses to begin with. That meant we only had free TV for a while which was extremely fucking boring, but eventually my dad got us satellite in like 2011 or 2012. When was the last time you partnered up with someone to complete something? I decided to partner up with Andrew for my undergraduate thesis in like August last year. Do you consider Lady GaGa's appearance artistic, or just plain weird? Artistic. What do you usually do when you have trouble sleeping? I put a lengthy YouTube video on so I can fall asleep to the background noise. At least that’s what I do these days - I always thought I needed complete silence to fall asleep, but apparently that’s not the absolute case. What was the last thing you used scissors for? I opened a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee.

Have you ever used some kind of food as a facial mask? Nah I always just use Korean sheet masks. How many USB cords do you have lying around? I personally don’t have any but I do have a hard drive. Are you satisfied with your social life (or lack thereof)? I’m very satisfied with it and I’m glad I got to open up in college. Do you know anybody whose initials spell something? Sure. What is your favourite flavour of Kool-Aid? I’ve never had Kool-Aid. Is there a specific food you think NEEDS to be at Christmas dinner? My grandma’s steak. Would you be able to re-string a guitar? I wouldn’t even know where to buy guitar strings. What TV show do you just assume you wouldn't like? How I Met Your Mother, just because their fans love to make fun of and compare their oh-so-great show to Friends so much when I’ve never seen a single Friends fan make fun of HIMYM like ????? Why the one-sided, unsolicited hate??? I was always planning to watch the show and appreciate Friends and HIMYM at the same time but because the fans are so pathetic I just stopped wanting to watch it altogether. Do your friends have more money than you? Seems unfair to pit ourselves against one another when we’re all still depending on our parents’ money lmao. Who always has the power to make you feel intimidated? Ate Frances has always had a very strong personality. Do you have more bread or cheese in your house? Bread. What was the last movie trailer you saw? Not sure. I don’t really like trailers since most of them give away too much of the plots already. Did you purchase any meat product when you were at the store last? My dad did. Have you ever been told that you have chubby cheeks? Well I don’t, so no I’m not usually told this lol. Do you know how to properly use a saw? Nope. Isn't it a shame that what Kanye West did at the VMA's overshadowed what was supposed to be a night dedicated to Michael Jackson? Hahahaha not really, I found it hilarious and so so stupid. There were a billion other tributes to MJ that year that went smoothly so it doesn’t really matter to me if the 2009 VMAs will always be known as the Imma-let-you-finish VMAs.

[yangholic]

Peephole | Two

word count: 2,016

warnings: emetophobia

You woke up with a pounding headache, feeling extremely disoriented. Your forehead was haphazardly rested on the porcelain rim of the toilet. Your throat and lips were dry, and an acrid taste lingered in your mouth. Despite the temporary pain your body was in, your mind still remembered. It remembered your next-door neighbor brutally slicing a man’s throat with a box cutter. All the blood. The callous smile. His eyes. Another wave of nausea rushed over you, but the only thing left for your stomach to upheave was bile. After spitting the sour contents into the toilet, you came to the sobering realization that you were living next to a murderer.

You scoured the cramped bathroom for any signs of your phone, before spotting the device on the floor where you usually sat by the peephole. Crawling over to your cell phone, you clicked the slumber button and noted the time: 9:01. Only a little bit over an hour had passed, so your neighbor was most likely still trying to clean up his mess which meant that you could make a run for it. Grabbing your cell phone and some shoes, you threw the door to your apartment open. If you sprinted to the nearby police station quick enough, maybe they could catch your neighbor in the act and no one else would have to die.

As you stumbled out of the doorway, legs still dizzyingly weak from losing the contents of your stomach, you collided with a wall of flesh. “Whoa, careful there,” the gentle voice chuckled as a hand clasped on your shoulder. “You don’t look so good, are you alright?” You found your footing and prepared to apologize for bumping into the stranger until you looked up.

It was him, the Boy Next Door. His chocolate eyes swelled with concern, while his lips were pursed in a slight pout. His blonde hair and honeyed skin, which you expected to be stained pink, looked the same as it always did. If you hadn’t been witness to his ice-cold demeanor earlier, you would have sworn your neighbor looked concerned. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine,” you mumbled, eyes quickly averting to the floor. It hurt to look at him— it hurt to recall the sense of comfort he brought you on your loneliest of days. “You look like you could use a good meal,” he paused momentarily to study your slightly emaciated frame before adding, “Or maybe two.” Laughter rolled off his tongue so easily, and God was it the cutest thing you’d ever heard. His giggle was like a stone bouncing across a glassy lake, creating ripples of mirth where there had been none. Before you could put some distance between the two of you, your neighbor nudged you towards the apartment labeled ‘Lee 301’.

“C’mon, let me get you something to eat.” Your feet remained planted on the spot, refusing to follow him into his murder den. Despite the loud rumbling of your stomach, you meekly rejected his offer, “I said I’m fine.” Your neighbor let out another chuckle, albeit this one more awkward and understanding. “I know it probably sounds sketchy for the neighbor you’ve never met to offer you dinner,” he playfully raised his hands in a defensive manner, “but I swear I’m a gentleman. No funny business here.” You almost cracked a smiled at his ironic comment— the words that would once have made your heart do a backflip now seemed so empty. Your neighbor would probably hack you to bits the second you walked through the doorway, thus negating his gentlemanly spiel. “I uh,” you began, trying to formulate an excuse as to why you didn’t want to go over. “Lee Jimin,” your Angel— no, Jimin— said with his hand outstretched. Your eyes darted between his delicate hand, the one you’ve seen cook, masturbate and even kill, and the abyss in his eyes. At that moment, two thoughts crossed your mind.

One: you could run away screaming towards the police station, but based on Jimin’s size, as well as your weakened state, he would easily capture you. Two: you could participate in his charade by acting polite, but sneak away at the first opportunity. You chose the latter, for once putting some value into your meaningless life. If you were to die, you wouldn’t want it to be in the hands of some killer.

“L/N F/N,” you replied just a beat later, your hand settling in his. Jimin’s smooth, uncalloused skin was just as soft as you had imagined. His fingers tightened around the flesh of your palm as he tugged you towards his apartment. “Now that we’re acquainted, I don’t think it’ll be weird to have you over for dinner!” Jimin sounded so chipper, so god damn normal. But you knew what he was, you had seen what he was, and there was no way in hell he could fool you.

As Jimin unlocked his door, you steeled yourself for the impending smell of iron, the sight of a mutilated corpse in his room. Would you be his second victim of the evening? Instead, you were greeted by a pristine apartment, no trace of a body or blood anywhere. “Here, you can wear my slippers,” Jimin said as he handed you a pair of blue house shoes. You shucked your ratty sneakers off and put his slippers on, still in awe at the current condition of his apartment. Roughly an hour and a half had passed when you blacked out so it would be almost impossible for someone to clean up a mess of that size. Plus, Jimin lived in a small one bed one bath, there was no way he could hide a body without it being noticed.

You settled in at his coffee table, knees tucked in under yourself as you patiently waited for Jimin. He was shuffling about in the kitchen, taking out various Tupperware containers. “I hope you don’t mind tteokbokki,” he said as he began to boil the broth. “I love to cook, but I only do so for myself, but it feels nice to do this for someone else.” You made a noncommittal grunt that was barely audible. Jimin began to quietly sing to himself as he brought the broth to a boil. His voice was angelic— in all honesty, Jimin could probably be an idol with his looks and talent. You glanced around his room and noticed a bookcase full of novels and collectible figures. Nestled between the bookcase and the small closet was a crack in the wall. Thankfully, it looked more like a blemish instead of a hole, which must have been the reason why he never noticed your spying.

“You know, I’ve been living here for 4 months and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around,” Jimin leaned on the kitchen counter, his elbow resting in the marble surface while his chin was cushioned in his palm. There was a flicker of interest in his eyes as he bore into you, “Tell me about yourself, Y/N.” You smiled nervously, although it looked like much more like a grimace. “Uhh… I don’t um, really,” words fumbled out of your mouth, partially due to the fear of him stabbing you if you didn’t respond, “I don’t really leave my place that often.” At that admission, Jimin’s eyebrow quirked curiously. “So you’re a shut-in?” You nodded at his brutally honest comment, feeling a bit embarrassed under his scrutiny. Jimin must have noticed your discomfort and did his best to rectify the situation, “I didn’t mean that in a bad way in the slightest. In fact, I’m proud that you came over today, that proves you’re slowly becoming more social.” Jimin smiled proudly, his pearly white teeth peeking out from behind his lips.

The dazzling grin contradicted the sadistic one you saw just a few hours earlier through the hole in the wall. There was no way Jimin was a killer. His apartment was clean, he wasn’t acting obvious, and when he smiled, it was as it his whole soul smiled. You had read somewhere that psychopaths were unable to imitate true smiles because their eyes never displayed the same happiness their mouths did. But when Lee Jimin smiled, he smiled.

The kitchen timer went off, and Jimin plated up your meal and set it on the table before settling down in front of you. You stared at the stir-fried rice cakes, the reddish hue reminding you of freshly spilled blood. After a painful moment of awkward silence, Jimin gasped slightly and scrambled back to the kitchen to procure a pair of chopsticks. “Sorry about that, I forgot I only had one set!” He handed you the eating utensils and watched you carefully, almost as if he were judging your reaction. Not wanting to blow your cover, you thanked him quietly, which garnered a wide grin on his behalf.

After one bite of the tteokbokki and you instantly felt yourself melt. The rice cake was tender, but not mushy, and the spices created a tangy flavor that wasn’t unbearably spicy. Since your meals consisted of nothing but cup ramen and convenience store food, you knew nothing was better than a home-cooked meal. Well, except for Lee Jimin’s home cooked meals. “Wow! This is so good!” The blonde man perked up, “Really?” After unashamedly shoveling two more bites into your mouth, you continued to praise his culinary skills. “I haven’t had home cooked meal in a long time, but seriously, it’s really tasty!” Jimin’s brilliant smile returned, his eyes cresting into little half-moons. “It makes me happy to hear you say that. I really do love making people happy, even if it’s with simple things like cooking,” he began, a nostalgic look sweeping across his fine features. “Living alone… Cooking for one… It’s always so lonely, you know?”

You related with Jimin’s loneliness, but the fact of the matter is that watching him made you feel less alone. He was the anchor in your life, the one thing that kept you from stepping into another hangman’s noose. But despite how kind and friendly Lee Jimin was, you shouldn’t shake the undeniable fact that he was a cold-blooded killer. You were almost convinced that what you had seen earlier was just a hallucination, but there was only space left that had not been explored: the bathroom. You looked at the blonde man across from you, “Jimin, can I use your restroom?”

Jimin’s facade never faltered, “Sure, our apartment layouts are the same so you should know where it is! While you’re in there, I’ll box up the leftovers for you to take home.” You nodded and made your way to the door on the right, expecting to see blood from floor to ceiling. But much to your surprise, it was just a regular bathroom. Appearances could be deceiving, though.

You cautiously approached the bathtub, unaware of the mutilated corpse that lay obscured by the shower curtain. Both fear and anticipation had you stunned— what if you did find a body? Then what? Was it possible for you act like you hadn’t seen anything? After standing in front of the porcelain tub for what felt like years, your hand dropped from the shower curtain and returned to your side. A light knock on the door startled you, and Jimin’s sugary voice wafted through the wooden barrier.

“Y/N? Are you okay in there?” Although he had no reason to preemptively attack you, Jimin’s right hand clutched a box cutter hidden in the waistband of his jeans. The young man knew you were probably too polite to snoop around, but still, he could never risk a liability. “Y-Yeah,” you responded, and he instantly relaxed his grip on the weapon. “Almost done!”

You convinced yourself what you had seen was just a hallucination induced by improper sleep and lack of nutrition. Or maybe the delusion was caused by low blood sugar or an undiagnosed mental illness. Yes, it was definitely those things. Lee Jimin was innocent. He was kind, considerate, and the only ray of Hope in your life.

This was Love.

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[dailyaudiobible]

08/16/2019 DAB Transcript

Nehemiah 11:1-12:26, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33, Psalms 34:11-22, Proverbs 21:14-16

Today is August 16th. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It's great to be here with you today. It's great to be here with you every day and I say that most every day because it's true. It's great to be here with you taking this next step forward moving our way into the back half and toward the weekend. What an honor, you guys. I mean, have you ever stopped to think like that we live in a time that we can actually do this and actually even take it for granted that we’re doing this. What you and I are participating in as we come around the global camp fire every day is the kind of stuff that people would write science fiction about just a century ago. And here we are connected all over the world taking steps forward as we go through the entire Bible in a year all over the world. It's a great day to be here with you. I’m glad that we can take this next step. So, let's do that. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week and we’re working her way through the book of Nehemiah. All the people have come together and repented before the Lord. The walls of Jerusalem are rebuilt. So, restoration is afoot. Like, things are moving in a very positive direction and we'll see how that goes. Nehemiah chapter 11 verse 1 through 12 verse 26 today.

Commentary:

Alright. So, as we’re continuing through Paul's letter to the Corinthians that we call first Corinthians, Paul was answering questions. And, so, one of the questions was essentially, if you passively participate in something that could be sinful, if you actively participated in it, is it still sin, like if it's a passive thing? So, specifically what he was being asked was whether a person can eat meat sacrificed to a false idol. So, like on the face of it, we could be like, “well, no we shouldn’t do that”, but it’s kind of complicated. Corinth’s a big-city, people worshiped Greek gods, people worshiped the Roman gods. And, so, the meat from these sacrifices finds their way into the market, like just going grocery shopping making it basically impossible for a Christian, a believer in Jesus, to know whether or not they’re eating sacrificed meat. So, they’re trying to figure out, like, “how do…how do we navigate this? Like are we sinning if we just eat meat not knowing where it came from?” And, so, Paul was essentially making clear the meat isn't the issue, they could eat in good conscience, but if they're trying basically to walk the line here, like if they're asking this question to say, “hey can we worship Jesus, but then can we also go worship at this…at this temple and eat there?” So, the meat, the food wasn't the issue, it was the posture of heart was the issue, which basically just brought up follow-up questions. “What if…what if somebody who worships another God invites me over to have dinner? That me could have been sacrificed to an idol because I know they worship this false God and this meal that I've been invited to could be eating in the idols honor. Wouldn’t this be participating in idolatry?” And, so, Paul answered like this, “If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you without asking any questions because of your conscience. But if somebody tells you this food was offered to idols than don't eat that food for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience sake. That is, not your own conscience, but the other person's conscience.” So, basically Paul's saying like, “look, if you’ve got a friend who worships another God and you're invited over to eat then go eat with your friend, but if your friend actually honors you by telling you that what your about to eat has been sacrificed to this other God and warns you about the food, well then, the right thing to do is not go like, “I don't care”. The right thing to do is honor them by not eating.” Ok, like we’re zooming this into today, like I…you probably never go to the grocery store and wonder what…wonder if what you're picking up’s been part of a cultic ritual, but there's a principle here that does apply, and that is that we must be very much aware of the effect our lives and our convictions have on other people and treat other people with respect and honor, especially if there respecting us and giving honor to our convictions. And this just ties in with what we were reading yesterday because it's the same letter where Paul’s saying he tries to look at everybody with dignity, like he tries to lower himself to the point that he's serving everyone, he’s looking at everyone with that posture. So, Paul kind of sums the whole thing up. We just kind of spent a few minutes talking this through, but Paul really sums the point up very well. And the truth of the matter is if we would remember this posture, if we would remember what Paul said, if it were something that would come to mind continually it would very much help us. Paul says, “whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory. Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or the Church of God. Just do as I do. I try to please everyone in all that I do. I'm not thinking of my own good, but it’s of the good of all so that they might be saved.” So that's first Corinthians 10:31-33. Very comprehensive, very simple instructions for life and no less practical right this minute than when this was written.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into that. We get all caught up on what people do and do not do and what we do and what we do not do. And when somebody's doing something that we would not do we usually condemn them and judge them and then really we’re just trying to gain an identity by what we’re not or trying to gain an identity by comparing ourselves to what someone else is or isn't and it's a waste of energy. We are who we are because of You. There is no identity outside of You. You have fashioned us in Your image and given us the breath of life. It's not about what somebody else does and it's not about what somebody else doesn't do, and for that matter it's not really about what we do or do not do. What we do or do not do, our behavior, should be shaped by our intimate love affair with You and there is nothing that You have withheld from us, but there has plenty we have withheld from You and this kind of stuff seeps out in the things that we do, the way that we judge people, the way that we condemn others, and the ways that we try to be slave drivers on our own selves, trying to perfect ourselves before You when it can't be done. It's a gift. So, Holy Spirit come. Help us to receive the gift of Your mercy and grace today that we might walk in freedom and as we walk in freedom that we might not put anyone around us in bondage for anything. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hi family this is last Michelle from Central Florida. I have a big prayer request. So, my husband and I have a very effective prison ministry. We minister to men that are coming out of jail and we have pantries that we support in eight different persons and we also have a pantry, a large pantry, with our church and it’s like exploded in growth and we each have a small business that we operate on top of everything else. The small business that I operate we took over a year ago and it was a loser, but we got a great deal on it and got into it. So, I’m asking that you guys pray with me. I’ve had a lot of difficulty with one of our vendors. I’ve gone back and forth with them for months and spent many, many hours proving to them, you know, that we’ve paid payment on different invoices. And when I say hours, multiple hours multiple calls, multiple emails. So, please be in agreement with me and I would like to take a moment to pray for all the small business owners in the DAB family. Father I just thank You Father for my brothers and sisters and for the DAB family members that own small businesses. I pray Lord God, Moed moments, Moed divine appointments, that You’ll put the right person in front of them at the right time, that You’ll give them favor and that You’re going to just work circumstances and situations out, that You’re gonna bring forth the answer from the North and South East and the West, that You’re gonna increase the fruits of their labor Father, that You’ll show them where to sow seed. And God, that in a time of famine or what seems like famine that You are gonna give them increase on every side and I thank You for…

Hi family it’s Terry from southern California. I’m calling on behalf of the prayer request from Laura who was calling in from California as well on behalf of her friend Barbara who introduced her to the DAB family a few years ago. And Barbara has lost her daughter Marcy and has passed away. And, so, Laura just thank you for calling on behalf of your friend. And I just want to lift up Barbara right now in the name of Jesus. Father God I pray Lord that You would just draw close to Barbara’s family God, to her mother and her teenage boys as well, the teenage boys of Marcy who had passed away late July this year. And I pray God that You would comfort them, that we would give them that peace that surpasses all understanding in those things which are just hurtful and full of heartache. And I pray God that Your presence will be felt in their lives and they will know that You will be with them and You will help them through this situation and that You will just bestow Your love and kindness upon them and that they will be able to rejoice in knowing that they serve a risen Savior and that one day Marcy will rise and be with the Lord Jesus Christ. And just comfort them right now, comfort her teenage boys Father God. Let them know they have __ her family and allow them to draw close to You during this __ time dear God. And so, __ thank You so much for calling on behalf of Barbara to allow the DAB family to lift her up in prayer during this very difficult time in their lives Father. So, thank you so much family…

Find family, hi Brian, this is Sally from North Dakota I am calling to give an update and a praise report on Maddie our friends daughter who ran away from a youth home. This past week she reached out to a family member and she was returned safely. It is such good news and our prayers were answered. Her family says thank you to all of you. I wanted to say hi to Jane Root from Nebraska. You said it had been a while since you called in. I’m so glad that you did. You expressed how much the DAB means to you and I feel the exact same way. how I, too, am becoming attached to each one that I hear and love. Isaiah from Delaware, I hope I got your name right. On August 1st you were the last caller that played that day. Thank you for your encouragement and prayer on thanksgiving. I love what you said, “so may we choose this day to be faithful to glorify God and be grateful for what He has done for us and all that He has in store for our lives.”

Hello Daily Audio Bible this is David from Clinton Massachusetts and I’m just calling because I heard some people calling talking about people with migraines. And I suffered with migraine for about 15 years. I had cluster migraine. I had to go into a dark room three times a week with absolutely no light. Any light would feel like a dart piercing through my eye. And I just…my heart goes out to anyone suffering from these migraines because I remember the intense agony that I suffered through so often and my wife was very loving and patient through all of that and very good. It’s always good to have somebody who is very patient with you, but if you don’t, guess what, you have a God and I’m here to tell you that the way I really got through those migraines and have not suffered one in years now was I praised the Lord through the storms. Okay? Anytime I had one I would…I’d just start praising God. Okay? And, so, I know I only have two minutes and…but I just wanted to try to encourage you to praise God through those migraines and get in the word more. Okay? Those are two things, those are the two ways that you get through it. Alright? So, I just want a quick prayer. Father God, anybody suffering with these migraines Lord I ask that You be with them and comfort them Lord, that You would relieve them, that You hold their hand Lord so that they are able to praise You Lord. Comfort them and show them the way out of that dark tunnel and let them know that there is a way out. In Jesus precious name I pray. Amen.