#2nd art tonight! we on a roll

[sungbeam]

OFF THE RECORD ▷ PART ONE (EP1-8)

nonidol!ji changmin x fem!reader

everyone thinks changmin is cute and harmless, but you know that's not who he really is.

▷ genre, part warnings. e2l, childhood friends gone bad, (extra) slow burn, fluff, angst, mentions of childhood trauma and parental manipulation, arguing, bittersweet galore, nct ten is there for the sole purpose of being nosy like the rest of us or for being a 2nd male lead who knows!, swearing, hurt/comfort, ji changmin dancing. (need i go on), symptoms of panic/anxiety, a lot of non-tbz moments sorry i meant it when i said extra slow burn, pining haha...ha (very subtle)

▷ PART ONE WC. 18.5k

this is the third installment of the love in unity series! this can be read as a standalone, but i encourage u to read jacob and eric's storylines too! all prev and future yns will be referred to as _!yn ;) / otr part two

a/n: this was going to be a very quirky author's note, but it's not anymore bc i'm really mad at tumblr. pls enjoy :')

EPISODE ONE (PILOT): OFF THE CLOCK

"NIGHT, Yn!"

"Good night, Yn-ie."

"Make sure you get some rest, Yn-ah! Good luck with the report."

The door out of the laboratory building shuttered closed after your last coworkers and peers swept out to leave you to the white noise of the lights above your head and the cooling units. You were probably the only person crazy enough to still be chained to your lab workbench on a Friday night, especially when it was already six o'clock. Your stomach growled its complaints as you tucked a pen behind your ear with a sigh. There was probably a bag of shrimp chips in the break room snack stash, and you pushed your stool beneath the workbench to head into the break room.

Now that the laboratory was practically barren except for you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take the reign of Kun's speaker…

The sound of your phone ringtone blared out loud from your pocket, and you scrambled to grab it with your other hand not occupied with shrimp chip crumb dust (after having washed your hands, of course). You put the call on speaker then deposited your phone onto the countertop so both hands could be used for eating. "Yo."

"You've been hanging around Mark too much," Yeri answered from the other end.

You snorted, covering your mouth for a moment, then replying, "Well good evening to you, too, my beloved. What's up?"

You could hear the muffled sounds of your friends from the other side of the phone. A car door slammed shut. "Hey-yo, is that Yn? Yn, what's up, my dude?"

"Mark, can you speak like a regular human?" That was Seungkwan. "Hi Yn-ie! We miss you, mwah!"

"Look, man. Me and Yn are homies, and this is literally just how I talk—"

The car door opened and Yeri must have taken initiative to get out of the car herself at this point. You laughed at her audible eye roll. "Okay, now that you've heard what I have to deal with, will you tell me that you're coming to the dance draft show tonight?"

Your mood soured.

It wasn't that you didn't want to go for Yeri's sanity's sake, you just didn't want to go, period. What the performing arts called a rehearsal, they referred to as a "draft" stage, where they planned rough runs of acts for the showcase. It just so happened that the dance department was holding their draft show for people to sit-in to watch tonight; their final showcase would be held on the Friday night of finals week, which was only in a few weeks now.

(Why did they call it a "draft" stage instead of simply a "rehearsal"? Well, you had no clue, and you didn't have any plans to ask anyone who would know the answer.)

When you didn't immediately answer, you heard Yeri's grumble. "Don't nerd out on me, Miss Yn Ln."

You gasped. "Nerd out on you? I'm being responsible—"

"You're being a workaholic!"

You pursed your lips together and quickly rinsed your fingers of shrimp chip crumbs. "Fair. But I'm sorry, I'm not going."

A brief pause. Then, the sigh. "Okay. That's okay," she said. "Wanna meet us for dinner afterwards at least?"

Your stomach grumbled, right on cue. It wasn't loud enough for Yeri to hear on the other end, but the timing made you laugh to yourself. "Definitely."

There was a smile in your friend's voice. "Cool! I'll text you details once we figure out what's happening. In the mean—" her voice was interrupted by the sound of muffled yelling on the other side, and Yeri pulled her mouth away from the phone so she could screech at Seungkwan, Mark, and now, Kim Jungwoo, to be quiet and put their seatbelts on. You heard vaguely about Jungwoo being late for his call time, and you were not at all surprised. She returned to the phone with a grumble. "You're really leaving me with the kids, Yn?"

You giggled. "Sorry, Yeri. I'll pay for your dinner."

"Deal. See you soon, babe."

"See ya, love!"

When the phone call ended, you realized just how thick the silence fell around you. It settled like a blanket over your senses, and it all became a bit overwhelming, especially after such a loud phone call.

You sighed, putting the shrimp chips back in the snack stash. You might as well go find where Kun hid his speaker to fill the silence then.

— ✶

People were yelling. And tripping. And crying.

In retrospect, this constituted as a normal backstage environment for something like a finals showcase draft rehearsal. It was hardly even a rehearsal, but more so a sneak peek showcase. There were people in the audience, after all.

Ji Changmin would know. This would be his third winter draft show out of his three years here in university. There were always showcases at the end of each quarter, but the winter show wielded the title of most anticipated. With the cold and rainy weather keeping most people indoors, it allowed for a larger crowd to come flocking toward said indoor modes of entertainment. Thus, the winter showcase and all of its hype.

Changmin lingered in his little corner of the backstage area, calmly stretching out his lanky limbs while chaos erupted all around him. He had two acts this time around—a duet with Lee Juyeon, as well as a solo performance. It had been enough to keep him busy for the quarter, among his other classes.

"—Jungwoo, you're late!"

He raised his head at the sound of Lee Minho’s voice from across the room, the dirty blond sending a deadpanned glare at the man in question. Kim Jungwoo’s eyes were wide with doe-like innocence as he made his way toward his friend, his posse following behind and taking in the chaos with amused awe. Changmin could easily recognize those present—Kim Yeri, Mark Lee, and Boo Seungkwan.

He turned his head away; it wasn’t his business, and he had much bigger things to worry about.

He raised his hands to his neck to put his headphones over his ears, but paused when he caught a few more echoes of their conversation.

“ — sorry Minho, but you know I can’t resist getting a free carpool ride,” Jungwoo said while setting his duffle bag in the corner and swiftly joining Minho in stretches. If Changmin was a hard ass when it came to dance and schedules, Minho was much worse. But Changmin respected him a lot, especially in a craft like dance and performance—he saw him as an equal.

A sigh from Minho. “Yeah, yeah. Poor Yeri.”

Yeri huffed, her hands shooting up into the air. “Thank you!”

Minho folded his arms over his chest as he stood up straight to stand next to Yeri as the two of them absentmindedly watched Jungwoo fold himself in two to stretch his long legs out. “Huh, no Yn tonight?”

Changmin didn’t know why he was still listening. He slowly lowered his headphones back to their position around his neck, then resumed stretching out his hamstrings. He could wait a couple more minutes before getting into his choreography…

“You know you’re not gonna see her anywhere near this place,” Yeri said with a pointed look. Changmin held back a retort, or even a snort. “Wanna get dinner with us tonight? She’s coming to meet us after the show.”

“Ah, I’d love to, but I promised Jisung I’d swing by the studio afterwards. Hey, have you met Ten yet? You should ask…”

Changmin decided that this was an appropriate moment to tune out. He swiftly donned his headphones and reached for his phone hidden in the pile of his duffle bag and jackets in the corner. He didn’t even know why he listened in when your friends brought you up. Why were you even still connected to the dance and performing arts department people anyway? He huffed, rolling his eyes with a small shake of his head. It wasn’t like you wanted to be connected to dance anyway. So why give him a constant reminder of your existence and the past you shared—

“Changminnie!” Juyeon appeared in front of him, waving to him with that goofy smile to get his attention.

Changmin broke into a smile as he shifted one side of his headphones from his ear. “Hey. Wanna go over some of the routine?”

Juyeon nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready. I was trying to get your attention, but I think you were just occupied.”

Whoops. Changmin flicked his wrist as he followed Juyeon down the hallway to a more private place to practice with his friend. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking of something.”

“Oh, okay,” Juyeon ducked his head into an empty dressing room in the back hallway, beckoning Changmin to follow him in. “Nothing to worry about though? You can talk to me; no judgment.”

Changmin chuckled and closed the door behind him. “Nah, nothing important. Let’s just focus on the performance.” Anything involving you? Definitely not important anymore.

— ✶

Late February brought the cold, bitter winds of night to the university, so the trek all the way across campus from the laboratory buildings to the performing arts hall was a hellish one. You kept your head tucked into the puffy collar of your puffer jacket, hands stuffed into your pockets, a happy tune blasting in your ears to keep you going all the way up the road. It was around nine o’clock by the time you made it to the front of the performing arts hall, and you could already see the sea of people meandering outside its doors post-draft show.

You shivered and pulled your phone out from your pocket to see where your friends were waiting for you.

“Yn-ie!”

Your head lifted and you grinned, waving your hand at Seungkwan who was making his way over to you. “Hi Kwannie,” you greeted and wrapped your arms around him in a warm embrace.

When you’d pulled away, Seungkwan made a face as he shuddered. “Jesus, it’s cold. I should have brought a scarf or something. Did you walk here?”

You began to nod, but he tsked. “Aish, Yn. You should’ve called! No one should have to walk in this torturous cold.”

You laughed. “It’s no big deal. We’re about to go get some hot food, so it’s cool.”

“We might have to wait for a little longer.” Both you and Seungkwan turned toward Yeri, Mark, and Jungwoo who were walking over. Jungwoo had a sweatband holding his bangs out of his face and his duffle slung over his shoulder. He had his jacket draped over his arm; he was probably warm from the showcase. “We’re waiting on Ten to finish up.”

“Hi Jungwoo,” you greeted him, and the man returned the expression with a side hug. You furrowed your brows. “Who’s Ten?’’

Mark replied with a sniffle from the cold, “Oh, he’s a new exchange student! Well, he was originally admitted here, but he went abroad for a year. He's with the NCT frat. Super cool, super funny. He’s great at dance though.”

“I think you’ll vibe with him, Yn,” Yeri chimed in. “He’s asking a couple people for their opinion on a few parts of his routine, so I think he’ll be out soon.”

You nodded in understanding. You didn’t mind waiting, but you hoped what Yeri said about him was true. Hopefully you did get along with him, because you were honestly far too tired to forcefully play nice. You were hoping for a chill night anyway. Then again, as long as you could avoid a certain someone tonight, this would turn out to be a chill night in general.

You and your friends chatted for a few minutes only before Jungwoo caught someone’s eyes from behind you, Yeri, and Mark. He brightened. “Ten! Ten, over here!”

You all swiveled.

Ten was just as lean and lithe as Jungwoo was, but with black bangs, a pair of round spectacles hanging from the collar of his white T-shirt, and a cute smile on his face. You and he made brief eye contact before Jungwoo was hopping on the balls of his feet to greet him.

Jungwoo slung an arm around Ten’s shoulders as he brought him over to the group. “Yn, this is Ten Lee. Ten, this is Yn-ie—the friend we mentioned earlier.”

Your eyes widened slightly. “Why was I mentioned?” You laughed nervously.

Ten flashed you a boyish kind of smile. “Oh, it was nothing; don’t worry. It’s nice to meet you though.”

Your heart didn't slow at his assurance. “Ah, okay then. Uh, nice to meet you, too!”

“Did you get your routine settled?” Seungkwan asked as the lot of you began to move in one, loose blob toward Yeri’s car. (How all of you would manage to fit, that was something you mentally were trying to figure out. In Yeri’s tiny sedan, you might have to squish four people into the back seat.)

Ten nodded enthusiastically. “Yup, it’s all sorted. Minho and Changmin were really helpful with their comments.”

You felt the people around you freeze at the mention of Changmin’s name. You stiffened as well, but tried to force the strange feeling to go away. Your friends knew the drill, too, but you saw the way they glanced at you from their periphery.

Ten was smart, you realized, when his head tilted at all of your reactions.

Time for damage control. “That’s—that’s good!” Mark’s voice cracked and coughed to clear it. “I mean, Minho’s always been really attentive to details and stuff. I think he was almost recruited to become an idol or something like that…”

Ten pursed his lips, as if silently saying, ‘I’m not buying this bull’. You decided to just… do it. “Changmin’s a great dancer, too,” you said, and everyone shot disbelieving glances your way, but you could already see how Ten was grasping onto everything you were saying. You forced a neutral tone into the way you spoke, forced yourself not to let the bitterness seep through. No one deserved to fall victim to the feelings that were only meant for one Ji Changmin. “I’m glad he helped you out. He’s really good at sharp movements and isolations.”

“Oh, do you dance, Yn?” Ten piped up with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Ruh roh,” you heard Seungkwan murmur, and he shuffled away from you to go to the other side of Yeri’s car.

Maybe you purposefully let him see right through you. “Not really. It was a long time ago.”

You and Ten held eye contact, the silent tension like communication passed between the two of you—this was personal, but Ten could figure out that there was more to the story. It was odd though; the way he didn’t fear prodding just a little bit. You didn’t know why you were letting yourself feed him more bait, but Yeri was hollering for the two of you to squeeze into the backseat, and you snapped out of it.

Weird…

Ten held the backseat door open for you. “Looking forward to getting to know you, Yn,” he said pleasantly.

Your eyes narrowed slightly as you slipped into the backseat. “Same to you…”

EPISODE TWO: OFF THE TABLE

YOUR curiosity won you out.

In fact, it won you over so much that you agreed to get coffee with Ten Saturday afternoon—with Mark and Yeri, of course. The four of you had coordinated stopping by one of the coffee shops in the shopping mall just down the hill from the university to hang out and destress a little from the incoming second wave of STEM midterms. Well, you needed to destress. Mark was in communications, Yeri in psychology, and Ten was… what was Ten’s major again?

“Foreign affairs,” he answered before lifting the straw of his iced americano to his lips. “Lots of foreign language classes and politics and history. Politics and capitalism classes are not my favorite, but all the cultural courses on campus are really great.”

You bobbed your head, propping your chin onto your palm. You sat across from him at one of high tables in the cafe; Mark and Yeri’s stools were barren, save for the belongings they left for you and Ten to watch, while they literally sprinted across the mall to the grocery store because they forgot they were supposed to bring booze to the NCT-RVE joint alumni homecoming tonight. You probably weren’t going to go just because social energy came in short supply these days, but you promised to send a card for your friends in RVE.

“I can imagine,” you commented. “I took a really neat course on African tribes and culture in freshman year, and I miss my professor a lot. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I joined his study abroad program in Ghana instead of staying here.”

Ten’s head did the tilt thing again, the one you recognized from last night as something he did when he was intrigued. “That does sound really cool. What made you stay?”

Where do I even begin? “My major,” you replied simply. It wasn’t really a lie—not entirely a lie. You sipped on your latte, a faraway look in your eyes. “I was so set on a plan that I guess I got nervous about the unknown should I have gone on that trip.”

“Mm, I understand.” He had taken on a softer look now, something more akin to empathy. “It is a little scary, but while I was in Indonesia, I realized I wouldn’t have traded such an experience for anything else."

You set your cup down. "Have you always wanted to dabble in global affairs?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," he said, head tilted upward with a scrunch in his nose. He nudged his glasses up the smooth slope of his sculpted nose. "I was kind of put in a situation where I had to learn a lot of new languages, and I luckily turned out to be pretty good at picking up on them."

"Wow, that's really cool," you chuckled. A talent you definitely envied. And it seemed like Ten had made the decision to pursue this future of his on his own. You wished you could say the same.

From the counter of the café, you heard one of the workers call out your order number for cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven.

You began to slip off your stool, and Ten spoke up, "Oh, I can totally go get those."

"It's no problem," you chirped, "I'm already down anyway." You were swift to scurry over to the counter and pick up your table's tray of cinnamon rolls with a smile at the worker in deep gratitude. The thick, warm sweetness wafted into your nose, and you inhaled the delights with a blissful grin.

However, as you turned to head back to the table, you halted abruptly, nearly knocking the plates on the tray into each other.

There, standing next to your table and chatting with Ten, were Ji Changmin and Choi Chanhee.

Great.

The sweet dessert smell soured and tasted like acid on your tongue. Bitter, like the taste of hot coffee straight from the pot. You schooled your face into neutrality, but there was no way all of the uncomfortableness could stay away.

You made your way over; the tray was getting heavy.

"—actually here with Yn, Mark, and Yeri—" Ten was pointing your way and you had to control your urge to hide.

Changmin and Chanhee's heads turned in sync, but only Changmin's eyes narrowed at the sight of you. You returned the expression wholeheartedly.

Chanhee held his breath, muttering a "Yikes" under his breath, while Ten observed the interaction with slightly parted lips. Huh.

"Ji."

"Ln."

You deposited the tray onto the table and your biceps sighed in relief. Those four cinnamon rolls truly were quite hefty on their own.

You could still feel Changmin’s eyes on you as you slid onto the stool across from Ten. “Something you’d like to say to me?” You addressed him with ill-suppressed snark.

Changmin’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing that you’ll take into importance anyway. Just didn’t think you would ever hang out with someone from the dance department.”

“Ten’s got a life outside of dance, Changmin,” you replied. You flashed him a thin-lipped smile. “He gets it.”

“And you’re so much better than me for having a so-called life,” he rolled his eyes. “You know, some people are just really passionate about dance—something you seem to still not understand.”

“I really don’t think you want me to bring up the trove of things you don’t understand—”

Chanhee subtly moved over to Ten’s side as the two of them observed the sparring match between you and Changmin. A sigh fell from his lips, and his eyebrows raised up all the way to his pink-dyed hairline.

Ten had taken one of the plates of cinnamon buns in front of him, silently offering Chanhee some. The latter refused, and Ten began to peel away one of the sultry, sweet dough layers. “Is this… normal?” He asked Chanhee under his breath, motioning to the still-bickering couple across from them.

Chanhee snorted. “It’s their mating call.”

It seemed he had said those four words loud enough to catch yours and Changmin’s attention. A miracle, indeed.

“Ew,” both you and Changmin immediately grimaced at Chanhee. Then you looked at one another with a greater degree of disgust. “Stop copying me!”

…Or, less so a miracle, but rather, a tragedy.

Chanhee let out a haggard sigh, eyes sullen to a deadpan. “One of the few things the two of you will ever agree on.”

“The last thing we’ll ever agree on,” Changmin grumbled as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “C’mon Chanhee. We should probably order before JC!Yn and Kei finish loading up the car.”

Changmin was already making his way over to the cashier when Ten managed to get in a final question, “Are you guys coming to the NCT-RVE homecoming tonight?”

“Sure—”

“No.”

Chanhee sent Ten an apologetic look for Changmin’s brusque answer. “Sorry about him. We were thinking of it, but he might be practicing with Juyeon tonight. See you later, Ten—and Yn!” He chased after Changmin, ambushing his friend by practically leaping onto his back and then smacking his shoulder.

Now that Changmin was away from you, the red in your vision had begun to clear away, and you finally remembered the set of delicious cinnamon rolls waiting for you.

Ten propped his cheek against his fist. “So… you and Changmin…”

You made a sour face as you cut off a slice of your cinnamon roll. “What about the gremlin?” You asked. As soon as the buttery, sweet delight hit your tongue, you felt your body lighten and you did a little happy dance in your seat.

Ten chuckled at your behavior. “Lovers gone wrong?”

You choked on the bite.

Your new friend’s eyes widened comically to the size of saucers as he literally pounced across the table to pat your back. “Shit—sorry, Yn. I probably should’ve waited for you to finish swallowing, huh?” He winced when you’d managed to breathe correctly and washed the bite of food down with a sip of coffee. He returned to his perch, letting you recover while he talked through his thoughts. “I don’t mean to pry—actually—” he paused, reconsidering, “—I do mean to pry. Sorry, I’m kind of a sucker for this kind of stuff.”

One of your eyes squinted at him as you massaged your throat. “Yeah, I kind of figured.”

He beamed at you boyishly, the kind of expression that almost had your defenses slipping. Almost. Ten was one slippery fellow. For some reason, you kind of respected him for being upfront about the nosiness, and if you were being honest, if this drama wasn’t yours, you would also be curious about the whole thing.

“Can’t help myself sometimes,” he confessed with a mere shrug. “You don’t owe an explanation or backstory, of course.”

You sucked in a breath, opting to hold back on eating your pastry until you and Ten were done with this topic. “I’m just going to say that Changmin and I were not ‘lovers gone wrong’,” you said, body shuddering.

“Mm,” he hummed. His eyes wandered behind you and over your head, swiftly followed by the action of waving to Changmin and Chanhee on their way out of the cafe. “It’s just interesting to me. Didn’t you just advocate for him the other night at the draft show?”

That rang a bell, unfortunately. “It’s complicated.”

Ten pressed his mouth into a saccharine smile. “I can imagine.”

EPISODE THREE: OFF THE PHONE

THERE was an avid knocking at the laboratory door, usually done by those who didn’t actually work at this specific lab. This lab area was usually reserved for upperclassmen and graduate students and their work.

“Yn-ie, could you get the door, please?” You heard Kun called out to you from his office. It wasn’t just the two of you tonight, but rather, just a few others you didn’t know as well as you did Kun. He often worked late hours like you did, always overworking himself even more as a fresh grad student. You, on the other hand, were trying to finish up this one research paper resulting from last quarter’s research project. If you were lucky, you would be able to send it off to be peer reviewed soon.

You slipped out from behind your workbench and maneuvered the maze of workbenches to head out into the corridor. Exhaustion wore at your bones from having such a long day, but you really did need to get some productive work done so you could focus specifically on your midterms approaching at the end of this week and the beginning of the following week.

However, as you turned the corner into the corridor, you nearly missed your footing. At the end of the hallway where the glass door to the outside was, you found yourself identifying one Ji Changmin and his friend, someone you didn’t recognize. The latter wore a gray hoodie beneath a black puffer vest, and he reacted the opposite to how Changmin did when they caught sight of you.

“Hey! Could you open the door, please?” Not-Changmin hollered through the glass, furiously shaking his sweater-pawed hand down at the door handle.

You didn’t want to. God, you really didn’t want to.

Changmin stared you down, as if daring you to come closer.

You opened the door, and let the cool gust of late February air and two outsiders into the safety and warmth of the laboratory building.

Hoodie Guy shuddered violently to get the cold out of his system. “Jesus, it’s cold outside. Thanks,” he said to you. Then he nudged Changmin with his elbow, as if jolting the man into reality.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, words directed toward Changmin in particular.

His dark bangs were tucked beneath a black beanie with his pair of black headphones hanging around his neck. “You think I want to be here?”

His friend sent him a look, his eyes flickering between you and Changmin furiously until the pieces clicked into his mind. “Well, uh oh…” he muttered while turning away slightly to scratch his head. He gathered his wits then. “Uh, Yn, right?”

You perked up. “Yes.”

“Uh,” he drawled. “We’re actually here for Jacob Bae. You see, we told him we’d come pick him up to take him over to—”

“Is he here?” Changmin asked.

Your eyebrow shot upward. At least they were here for a proper reason. You crossed your arms over your chest, glancing back toward the main laboratory floor way down the hall. Man, the safe zone felt so far away. “He actually just left like, ten minutes ago. Sorry.” The apology was said to Changmin’s friend, the one who seemed to have been able to figure out who exactly you were to Changmin. Not that you were anything to him. And did Changmin just talk about you to all his friends or something—?

“Oh.”

Changmin tapped his friend with the back of his hand. “C’mon Sunwoo. We’ll just meet him over there.”

Sunwoo wrinkled his nose. “I just think it’s weird that he didn’t text us to let us know before we came over here.”

There was a pause and you could practically see the gears in Changmin’s head turning. You would have left them to their own company, but you technically weren’t allowed to leave unauthorized students alone.

It was strange seeing Changmin break into something akin to sheepishness. You saw the dimples appear in the apples of his cheeks as he cupped the back of his neck. “I might not have told him we were coming…”

Sunwoo’s eyes and mouth widened and he whacked his friend with the length of his hoodie sleeve. Changmin let out one of those hyena laughs that set off triggers in your mind. It’d been awhile since you heard that… “Hyung! You’re so unreliable sometimes, oh my god. Even Eric would have remembered to tell him!”

Changmin made a noise of dismissal, slinging an arm around his friend. “Ah, it’s fine. We’ll just meet him there—as you said.”

“Worst texter award goes to,” Sunwoo rolled his eyes.

“I guess some things never change.” The words slipped out of your mouth before you could stop yourself, and both Sunwoo and Changmin suddenly remembered that you were in the hallway with them. Sunwoo had perked up as if he were surprised you would even comment on their situation, but Changmin cut an unreadable expression your way. You didn’t want to read into it.

“You literally forgot to answer a text I sent for three days,” Changmin quipped.

Well, if he was going to play the back and forth game. “That was once out of how many other times,” you scoffed. “You refused to answer anyone’s texts in the mornings anyway, so don't get on my case about that.”

“He did that to you, too?!” Sunwoo cut in with fire behind his words.

You could’ve sworn you saw the slightest bit of blush grace Changmin’s cheekbones as you hid a laugh behind your hand. “He did that to everyone—”

“Hey, I’m better over call; you know that!” Changmin argued. “Sunwoo, you can’t even talk about being a bad texter. I have to hunt for you on discord sometimes to get a straight answer.”

Sunwoo groaned, “Yah! Whatever. It’s still better than your average three-business-day reply speed.”

Changmin stammered, “It is not an average of three business days.” If your ears were not deceiving you, Ji Changmin was whining. “It’s a couple hours at least.”

“A couple hours means half a day,” you said to Sunwoo.

Changmin whipped his attention back to you, finger jabbed accusingly in your direction. “Hey, missy! You always fell asleep on-call, even when you promised that you would stay up to help me study.”

You shook your head. “Not my fault! You know that I always fell asleep around midnight back then.”

“Well, back then—”

“Is everything okay out here?”

Everything in the corridor came to a stand still, and Changmin closed his mouth, mid-sentence. Kun had his head poking out of the door to the main floor, a crease pressed between his brows and right above the rim of his thin spectacles. He eyed the two non-laboratory students with a slight grimace. Of course, Kun was aware of who Changmin was. He could recognize him because of his famed performer reputation on campus, but he knew his history with you because you had spent far too many late nights here at the lab with things plaguing your mind. You and Kun both had a problem with trouble sleeping and being workaholics.

You turned slightly to Kun. “Yeah, everything’s okay, Kun-ge.”

He sent you an unimpressed look.

“We,” Changmin piped up as he urged Sunwoo to the door, “were just leaving.” The mirth and fire from the bickering just a few seconds ago had faded, and you could feel him slipping away.

Kun drummed his fingers along the doorframe, eyebrows shooting up for a second. “Oh-kay… Yn-ie, Ten says he’s right around the corner and asks if you want some company walking home.”

The door to the laboratory behind you was held open, and the night breeze brushed through your hair. When you looked back, you saw that Changmin had stalled in the door for a second. But, it had only been that second before he and his friend were gone.

“Oh.” You made your way over to Kun. “That’s really cool of him. I’d love that.” Some company on a late-night walk back to your apartment did not sound bad at all. You’d done plenty of trips on your own, but sometimes having even one person with you would have been nice.

Kun nodded, pursing his lips, as the two of you walked into the main lab together and toward his office off to the side. “Okay, I’ll let him know. You’re for sure okay though? That must have been… not nice, seeing Changmin here.”

You gave a stiff shrug, your hip leaning against the door of his office while Kun settled back at his desk. “It’s fine,” you said. To be honest, you weren’t even sure if that was a lie or not. You’d heard Changmin laugh for the first time in years. You’d seen the dimples in his cheeks, the sheepishness in his expression—you swallowed.

Once upon a time, you associated all of those things with something like happiness. Your happiness.

Kun fixed you with a pointed look. “If you need to talk.”

You gave a firm nod. “I know where to find you.”

He clicked his tongue, shooting you a finger gun, then shooed you off to finish your work and pack your things. Ten was just around the corner, after all.

EPISODE FOUR: OFF THE RECORD

CHANGMIN liked to think that he became nosy, and that he wasn't born this way. But ever since he overheard that Kun guy asking about Ten wanting to walk you home, he couldn't help but wonder…

He shook his head, brushing his hair out of his eyes and off his forehead, before those same bangs flopped back into their place. He walked back onto the main stage of the performing arts hall to the soundtrack of a hype playlist blasting from the ears of his headphones. As he made his way past groups and individuals doing their own thing, he absentmindedly searched for one person in particular.

Conveniently, he found Ten setting himself up right by Changmin's things. He was shouldering off his black puffer jacket, rolling the material up into a manageable ball to shove into his duffle bag.

"Hey," Changmin greeted, bending down slightly to grab his water bottle.

Ten straightened and flashed him a smile. "Hey."

It wouldn't be awkward would it? Probably not. Just be cool about it, Changmin. He smiled slightly, the dimples in his cheeks disarming his acquaintance. "I didn't know you and Yn were close."

Your name felt so… foreign, yet familiar, on his tongue. It was like tasting déjà vu, like eating a treat from childhood that had been associated with good feelings, but he couldn't decide if it was still as good as he remembered or a trick of his mind.

The mention of your name brought a jolt of energy to Ten's body and Changmin saw the man lean into the conversation. Curious… "Oh? Well, I mean—" he gave a shrug, "—she's really cool. She just seems like a good person to get to know, y'know? Why do you ask?"

Changmin couldn't tell how much he trusted the slight narrowing of Ten's feline eyes. There was no way you hadn't mentioned him to Ten at some point or another. To be honest, he didn't like the feeling of you still lingering in his head if he didn't linger in yours. It meant a myriad of things that he loathed to admit.

He let the feeling slide away, let his mouth tilt upward like his eyes to the spotlights in the ceiling. "Just be…" He shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing." He flicked his wrist, as he spun his water bottle cap on tight. "You can forget about it."

Ten sent him a look that Changmin pointedly ignored.

Somewhere within the depths of the performing arts center, Changmin could hear the howling laughter of his friend Hyunjae as he most likely bugged his best friend out of her mind, both to her chagrin and her delight. That was another can of worms entirely.

Ten piped up as he settled onto the backstage floor while Changmin mentally went through some of the problem sets he had to review today. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you and Yn on such… uneven ground with each other?"

There it was. Changmin snorted. "Uneven ground? I don't even know if we're on the same ground."

"You're both really friendly people," Ten added, "so it just doesn't make sense to me."

Changmin pursed his lips. He never felt the need to divulge this stuff to anyone but his friends, but he didn't know what Ten already knew. He didn't know what you told him, but based on the fact that Ten wasn't looking at him the same way you did… Changmin scratched the back of his head and leaned his side against the wall to face him. "Something happened a long time ago. I guess we just both hold a grudge well."

Ten huffed a laugh in response. "Remind me never to get on your bad side then," he joked.

— ✶

There was a buzz about the university newspaper room. The Daily had only a handful of crew members onboard, mainly because it was so selective. Over the past few years that you had been apart of the staff, you and a few others had gradually loosened the reputation of the Daily's elitist interview process—there was still some level of intimidation that ensured the publication took on the hard workers and not those simply looking for an extracurricular to put on their resume though.

So when there was talk of a new staff member, everyone knew about it.

You let yourself in the door with a sigh, brushing the hair from your eyes held up with a random, blue claw clip you found on your bathroom sink. The bus had been late this morning because it broke down, but you luckily were able to make it to your lecture on time. You had run over here for a quick meeting that Kim Doyoung had summoned you for, no doubt about the new hire.

"Hey guys," you said as you passed by clusters of desks piled with copyedits and heads buried in monitor screens. The sounds of typing stopped briefly with each head you walked past:

"Yn!"

"Hi Yn!"

"Sup Yn—HEY! I just did my hair this morning!" Mark yelped, hands smoothing down the braids in his hair.

You giggled as you patted his head. "Your hair needs a break, Mark."

As you disappeared around the corner, you heard him shout back, "So do you, but you never hear me complaining!"

You rolled your eyes with an ill-concealed smile. The door to Doyoung's little editor in chief office was right down the hall next to the office for the sponsoring professor. As much as you and the others teased him about getting the "Boss man" office, he always complained to you about being on edge with the professor's office next door. You didn't quite understand since Professor Woo was almost never in his office anyway, but you supposed you could see.

Doyoung's door was open, and the fourth year's head perked up at the sound of your voice and nearing footsteps. He didn't even wait for you to knock or say hi, before beckoning you inside. "Yn, thank god you know how to hustle. Close the door on your way in. Thanks."

Your eyebrows shot up at the terseness in his tone, but didn't question him until you'd closed the door and settled into the chair opposite him. His desk, much like those outside, was covered in a sea of paper, with his laptop being the only land in sight. "What's up? You sound stressed."

He shot you a look over the rims of his thin glasses. "When am I not stressed?"

"Valid."

"Okay," he began with a sigh that made your concern rise just a bit more, "you know the situation with our performing arts review section, right?"

You nodded. "Of course."

The situation with the performing arts review section of the paper was inherently a mess. For a handful of years, the performing arts section was written under a pseudonym (lovingly dubbed Opera Glasses)—the identity of the reviewer was anonymous—which was a product of an incident a few years ago where a performer was unhappy with a review left by someone on the paper and came to ask, very unkindly, for a rewrite. Since then, the paper had been swallowed up by so much that finding a permanent writer or reviewer for the section became less and less of a priority.

When you joined the publishing team, it had been in the middle of freshman year when you were also putting your application out for research projects. Joining had felt like the right thing to do, as much as it was an act of rebellion against your mother and your childhood. They had asked if you knew anything about dance of all things.

And well, you did know.

You'd written one piece—one piece that was entirely you. It had been for one of the dancers just debuting at his first winter showcase. Since then, you couldn't stomach writing another one or watching another one.

You ghost wrote, you edited, you advised—but you stuck to putting your energy into covering the STEM-related sections of the paper now.

So Doyoung already knew your relationship with the performing arts review section. "Well," he cleared his throat, making a vague flourish with his hand, "I'm sure you already know that I just interviewed a new prospective recruit. I was wondering if you would be willing to take them under your wing and to show them the ropes."

Oh. That wasn't exactly what you expected him to say. Your heart kicked up for an entirely new reason, however. You'd always wanted to be someone's mentor. To be someone's older sister. "I mean, yeah. I'd love to," you stammered, a smile slowly curling onto your lips. "That would be really cool."

Doyoung sighed, his shoulders sinking in relief. "Thank you."

"But wait." You cocked your head to the side as you asked, "What does Opera Glasses have to do with this?"

"I want her to eventually take over for it," he explained. "She knows quite a bit about theater and music—little less about dance, though. I know that you have your issues with the dance department, but out of everyone here, you probably understand dance stuff the most. I just ask that you help her out a little with that, and maybe even introduce her to some of the people there so we can ease her in with interviews—"

You opened your mouth to interrupt him, but he sent you a pointed look. He continued, "Just hear me out, okay? If you're uncomfortable at all, you can back out. And you don't even have to back out right now or completely; maybe you could have Mark introduce her to Jungwoo for interviews, and you can just stick to the behind-the-scenes stuff."

Doyoung exhaled. "Okay, so what are your thoughts?"

You worried your bottom lip between your teeth. What did you think… What did you think?

Even the thought of stepping foot into a practice room made the yelling and screams echo in the caverns of your mind. But you'd missed them—missed the polished wood floors, the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the people. God, you couldn't even stay away from the people if you tried, no matter how much you tried convincing yourself you could.

You weren't fooling anyone.

You swallowed. You'd always wanted to be a big sister.

What was the harm in giving this a try?

(Changmin. You'd probably run into Changmin a lot more often than if you didn't accept. But you could see him from that one night: the sheepishness, the dimples, the laugh. Why couldn't you get over that interaction?)

You mustered up your courage and straightened in your seat. "I'll still do it. When do we start?"

EPISODE FIVE: OFF THE MARK

IT turned out that Doyoung intended for you and your new recruit, Bae Sumin, to get started right away. With the winter showcase only a couple weeks away, it was imperative that the two of you dived right in.

"—so what made you interested in joining the team?" You asked, shoving your hands into your jacket pockets to hide signs of nervousness from your underclassman peer. The two of you were walking from the Daily's newsroom and over to the performing arts center. It was about a ten minute walk, but you figured that it would give you two the opportunity to get to know one another.

Sumin was a multimedia major, as you had been told earlier when the two of you just met for the first time in the entryway of the Daily newsroom. She was cute and well-dressed—she wore a pleated skirt and sweater with a white collar peeking through. Her smile was dazzling, and reminded you of someone who would do well on stage. No wonder she had theater and performing experience.

"Oh!" She shot you one of those dazzling smiles, her hand shooting up to shift the white, fluffy earmuffs seated over her head. "I actually had a cousin who came here and shared with me some of the Daily's earlier issues. She always said it was kind of competitive to get in, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."

You bobbed your head. "That's really cool." A small laugh fell from your lips, "I'm glad you did try! Lots of people just assume they're gonna get turned away and they don't try at all, you know?"

Sumin hummed in understanding.

Something had settled nicely in your chest throughout this walk. Even if your past anxieties were beginning to bubble up to the surface at the sight of the nearing performing arts buildings, Sumin's easy conversation calmed you. It was one less thing to worry about.

Yesterday, when Doyoung had proposed this job for you, you had asked Mark to accompany you and Sumin to the arts buildings. He couldn't walk with you two, but he promised to meet you there. Now, you were kind of glad you got to have this bit of bonding time with her.

“I think Doyoung said that I should introduce you to a few people in particular,” you said offhandedly and pulled your phone out to check yours and Doyoung’s text thread.

Sumin did the same, most likely taking out any notes she had taken from Doyoung’s instructions. “Yeah, something like Lee Minho, Kim Jungwoo… the Hwang?—the Hwang siblings, uhm and Ji Changmin…?”

Your footing faltered for a second, and Sumin asked if you were all right, but you recovered quickly. You let out an embarrassed laugh, feeling heat crawl up your neck. Why in the world did his name catch you off guard like that? Maybe it was because you assumed Doyoung would just let you avoid Changmin, but realistically, if Sumin was going to do an interview with the dance department’s most prominent members, then there was no avoiding Changmin.

You just had to suck it up and be an adult about it.

It was three years ago… What was the big deal?

But as you moved to open the door to the backstage area for Sumin with your ID card, you felt your throat tighten in on itself. You forced a smile to your face as you let Sumin go in before you so you could turn your head out to inhale a large lungful of fresh air. Then, you ducked in after her.

The backstage corridors were as hustle n' bustle as you expected them to be. The lights were dim-looking from the black walls and floors marred with scuff marks from years upon years of use. It was an overwhelming tidal wave of sensory details—what, with the clashing sounds of chatter and music, the smell of some kind of polish (or maybe that was resin?), the warmth of energy in the air and all around you.

The hairs on the back of your neck stood like you could sense someone was coming this way.

You gestured down the opposite direction to Sumin. “Come on; I’m pretty sure they’re down this way.”

It was a curious thing, memory. You could recall late nights of catching the bus to these very practice rooms and backstage rooms from when you were in high school. Performing on the stage was a whole other experience in itself, and though part of you missed it, there were other feelings that dominated the hints of nostalgia now.

You could hear the chatter even clearer now, even if their words were muddled.

The door to one of the larger practice rooms were left ajar, and though you only peered in, you felt the warmth hit you like a wave. Your throat was closing up again—breathe—

“Hey,” you said into the room, catching quite a few eyes. From an initial scan, you determined that Changmin wasn’t amongst the crush of people socializing in here, and you couldn’t identify the feeling manifesting in the pit of your stomach.

Jungwoo was the first to bound over toward you, swiftly followed by Minho and Hyunjin, one of the Hwang siblings. “Yn-ie! I can’t believe you actually came. I thought Doyoung was joking.”

A smile made its way onto your lips and you accepted Jungwoo’s side hug. “Yeah, well Doyoung doesn’t joke around.”

“He really doesn’t,” Hyunjin said with a grimace. “He’s kind of scary, that one.”

“If you can survive Minho,” you said to him, “then you can survive Doyoung.”

Minho made a face at you. “What have I ever done to you, Yn?”

Nothing; this is just me trying to pretend I’m not seconds away from quivering like a leaf in the wind. You laughed. “Nothing yet. Guys, I'd like you to meet Sumin. She’s our new recruit at the Daily, and she’s gonna be the one conducting interviews for the winter showcase this year.”

Sumin didn’t need much prompting to smile and wave at your friends in that same charming way. “Hi, nice to meet you!”

The three dancers before you replied in kind. Jungwoo offered to introduce her to some of the others in the room, and before you knew it, she was swept away.

Hyunjin made a comment about needing to go check up on a friend of his, leaving you and Minho chatting to the side of the room.

“Wow,” Minho said offhandedly as the two of you watched Jungwoo and Sumin work their way around the room, “she’s a natural at this. Where’d Kim find this one?”

“She saw some of our older issues,” you replied. You watched as Sumin ignited a sort of brightness in every conversation she started. You struggled to swallow; now that you didn’t feel obligated to keep up appearances, especially in front of Sumin, your jitteriness was beginning to come on just a little stronger. You absentmindedly massaged your throat, willing it to loosen up.

Minho glanced over at you, his eyes catching your anxious actions. “Must have a lot of confidence in her if he’s throwing her straight into taking charge of interviews. How’re you holding up?” The latter was said lowly and under his breath in case someone just happened to be close enough to catch onto your conversation.

Minho didn’t know your history with the dance department as thoroughly as your close friends did, but it didn’t take a genius to see that you weren’t at your absolute best right now. You gave a stiff shrug. “I’m alright,” you managed to say.

He nodded, though it was probably more for your sake than him saying he believed you. “It’s funny,” he drawled, “one might think that by sending you here on behalf of the paper, that you were behind Opera Glasses.”

Now that, you could let out a genuine chuckle at.

Minho gauged your reaction but smiled to himself. He wasn’t one to really care for the drama and gossip side that came privy to the performing arts review section, but you couldn’t blame him if he was curious.

“That would be really stupid if that was the case,” you mused.

“It would be,” he agreed. “Is this a sign that this will be the end of Opera Glasses then? Finally a face to the name?”

You pursed your lips. “Actually, I’m not too sure what Doyoung will end up doing. I’m sure he’ll call for a board meeting to decide what the review’s fate will be, but it’s not exactly our top priority—”

Your voice and words trailed off as your eyes met a pair coming into the practice room. You and Changmin froze at the sight of one another, two deer caught in headlights, and you felt your heart palpitate violently in your chest. Your breath left your lungs—his expression was filled with surprise, until it morphed into something you couldn’t read.

“What are you doing here?” He deadpanned.

Minho’s eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t know Yn was stopping by? We all got the email from Director Lee, man.”

Changmin pressed his mouth together and it made the dimple in his cheek deepen. He looked you up and down, and he opened his mouth to say something else, but paused when you unconsciously brushed your thumb against the hollow of your throat. (Dear god, why couldn’t you breathe? Breathe, breathe, breathe—)

He seemed to lose whatever he was going to say. You swore the sharpness in his gaze softened.

But then his jaw tightened; you didn’t know why. “I didn’t think you’d actually show,” he muttered under his breath.

Ouch.

The words from his mouth pricked uncomfortably at the back of your mind. You found your voice again. “I’ll be gone before you know it,” you replied tersely.

Your response touched a nerve for him, too. He cut his attention to the rest of the practice room. “Where’s your new girl?”

“Over there,” you said, inclining your head across the room where Sumin and Hwang Yeji were currently swapping contact information. Something soared in your chest at the sight, but you couldn’t tell if it was pride or envy.

Without any additional prompting, you watched Changmin make his way toward Sumin and away from you. You didn’t realize you were holding in a breath until you finally exhaled—

“Yn! Sorry I’m late.” Mark bumbled into the practice room, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead as he quite literally crashed against the wall next to you and Minho. He was panting and gasping for breath, and you and Minho couldn’t help but express your amusement.

“It’s all cool, dude,” you assured while patting his head.

“I should probably get back to it,” Minho said as he began walking away from you and Mark. “Nice to see you, Mark. Feel free to take a water bottle from the green room.”

Mark thumped his head against the wall with his eyes closed. “Thanks, man,” he huffed.

With a snicker under his breath, Minho went his separate way.

You gave Mark a moment to catch a breath or two, and you slid down next to him against the practice room wall. Folding your knees up against your chest, you copied Mark’s position with his head tilted back as you both inhaled through your nostrils and breathed out through slightly parted lips. While Mark might have been trying to get a moment of rest from (no doubt) running here from the bus stop, you were trying to steady yourself.

The anxiety was starting to make your hands feel numb cold.

“You don’t have to stay, y’know,” came Mark’s voice, followed by the back of his hand gently nudging your arm. When your eyes fluttered open, you found him already looking at you. “You asked for my help; you can go take a breather outside and come back in—or maybe don’t—whatever you’re comfortable with. This can’t be easy.”

You were struggling to swallow again. One of your hands drummed messily against your kneecap. “It’s—” you shook your head, “—I’ll be okay. Thanks for coming though.”

“Yeah, dude. Of course.”

Something prodded at the side of your head, like someone was staring at you, but when you turned to see, it was just Changmin talking to Sumin. They were both smiling and making good conversation, it seemed.

You let out a sigh and closed your eyes again. Wishful thinking.

— ✶

Mark stayed behind to “vibe” with the remaining dancers still at the performing arts building while you and Sumin pushed out into the crisp, cool evening. Even after walking all the way to the bus station, your hands were still numb, and the cold definitely wasn’t helping.

“How do you feel about the dance interviews now?” You found yourself asking Sumin as the two of you sat on the bench at the station waiting for the bus to come pick the two of you up.

Sumin beamed. “I definitely feel a bit more secure about conducting them. I’ll definitely need some help with dance terminology and editing and stuff though.”

You nodded. “No problem at all.”

“The people are all really so chill and nice…” Your eyes definitely weren’t tricking you when you saw the bashfulness that her expression took on, and the little giggle you heard could not have been the wind. “Especially Changmin.”

Ha. What.

A weight fell to the pit of your stomach. Maybe you were hearing things… “Sorry?”

She blinked, and the blush on her cheekbones darkened. “Oh, haha, it’s nothing! I just… he was really sweet, and he has a really pretty smile and stuff—do you—uh, do you know if his previous dance showcase performances are online?”

(Something about that detail—he has a really pretty smile—rang a bell for you.)

It was really an innocent question, but you knew if Sumin went searching online for Changmin, and if she went deep enough, she’d find you there, too. You sucked in a breath. “I can—” you winced inwardly, “—send you some of his performances, if you want?”

You couldn’t deny the warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest when Sumin practically lit up at your suggestion. “Would you? I would really appreciate it, Yn! You’re the best.”

From your periphery, you saw the bus approach from down the street, and you gestured for the both of you to stand up and get your ID cards ready to board. You sent her a small smile—at least it felt good to help her out. You could pretend for a second that this was just a little crush or infatuation on some other colleague of yours that Sumin had. “Yeah, no worries.” No worries at all.

EPISODE SIX: OFF THE [TOP OF YOUR] HEAD

FRIDAY night brought you, Seungkwan, and Doyoung to the hotpot place located in the university district. The three of you were the unconventional combination of your friends, but Kun and Ten were supposedly on their way over as of five minutes ago. Thus, with the last of your party nearing, the three of you deigned to begin ordering almost everything off the menu—just to whet your appetites, of course.

Doyoung slumped down in his seat across from you and Seungkwan as soon as the waiter left to input your table's hefty order. "Ugggggggh."

Seungkwan snorted. "Ah, my favorite sound."

Doyoung passed him a dirty look over his lenses. "Is that sarcasm I hear, Boo Seungkwan?"

"I have no idea what you mean," he said with feigned innocence as he looked away and scratched the side of his head.

You chuckled to yourself, drawing your phone out from the inner pocket of your puffer jacket when you heard the series of buzzes. Your screen lit up with notifications from Sumin, all of them thanking you profusely for the spam of links you'd sent her way. These were on top of the videos you had dug up from your secret locked folder in your phone—and here you were, wondering why in the world you were doing this to yourself and for her?

"I can't decide if I dread Doyoung's noises of discontent or your expressions of pain more," Seungkwan commented, effectively pulling your focus away from your phone.

Both of your friends were now looking at you, patiently awaiting your answer to what ailed you tonight. Where should you begin?

"I'm not in pain," you scoffed. You set your phone facedown on the table next to you to avoid looking at the notifications. Huh. "Did I look like I was in pain?"

Doyoung's smile was wide like his eyes as he nodded. "Yup," he chirped in that sweet sarcasm of his. "Like you'd just watched a video of someone stubbing their toe against a doorframe."

Seungkwan blinked. "That's so—specific."

"You do not want to know what my For You Page looks like—"

You recreated the look of pain from earlier, holding your palm up. "Respectfully, Doie? I don't."

Seungkwan let out another snort of delight and had to hold a hand in front of his mouth.

Doyoung leveled a half-hearted scowl at you. "You're lucky I'm not your boss right now."

"As opposed to every other moment in time?"

"You have a mouth on you tonight."

"I do like to use it every so often," you quipped, the corner of your mouth lifting in an amused smirk.

Doyoung sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't get paid enough for this."

"You're literally not getting paid at all—" Your words were sliced off at their end when you gasped—it was all a blur: a mass of reddish-brown hair, your phone snatched from right in front of you— "SEUNGKWAN!"

Seungkwan held his breath with an impish grin as he turned his back to you and shielded your phone from your attempts to get it back. "I just wanna see!" He said with a cackle. "Every time you've looked at your phone today, you looked like you wanted to fall into an abyss."

You glared at him, pulling away to cross your arms firmly over your chest. "You can't just steal my phone, dude!"

"What's so important on your phone anyway, Yn-ie?" Doyoung asked good naturedly, reaching for his glass of ice water. "You're usually not so attached to that thing."

Your lips snapped shut and you wondered if the heat creeping up to your face was obvious.

"You've been sending Changmin videos to Sumin?!" Seungkwan bursted out, his eyes so wide that you could see your reflection in his pupils. As you'd feared, Seungkwan still had his fingerprint registered into your phone from before (long story; don't ask), and had cracked the device open, as well as your most recently opened application—yours and Sumin's text messages.

You did nothing but stare at the table like you were getting war flashbacks, while Doyoung had even gotten up out of his seat to take a peek at your phone, too.

"I haven't even seen this video before," Seungkwan hissed as if you weren't right there.

You fixed them both with a stink eye, but at the same time, maybe this was for your benefit. They could help you without you actually asking for help—

Doyoung's face contorted into a laughable expression of shock (eyes wide, mouth wider, eyebrows pinched, nose wrinkled) as he viewed what Seungkwan had selected. "Oh my god. He's a child in this!"

"Actually he was a senior in high school—" You slapped a hand over your mouth. Whoops.

Both of their heads whipped over toward you. "I thought you deleted all your high school shit!" They chorused together. If it had been any other situation or context, you might have laughed at the hilarity if it all.

Instead, you averted your gaze, making a show of looking for the waiter or maybe even Kun or Ten. What was taking them so long anyway?

"Yn," Seungkwan addressed with a tone akin to that of a parent on the verge of lecturing their child, "what in the name of god are you sending Sumin and why?"

Helpless, you held both your palms up in a sheepish shrug. "The kid has a crush on him, and being the best mentor figure ever, I… did some compiling for her." You paused, "Now that I say it out loud, it does sound pretty stupid."

Doyoung returned to his seat. "Ya think?"

You wrinkled your nose at him. "Hey! Sometimes, some of us have bad nights and we wanna feel something." Out of context, this was a really suspicious conversation.

"Isn't this just you torturing yourself?"

Seungkwan slapped his hand against the table, and both you and Doyoung startled. "That's it! I'm calling for an intervention."

Your mouth parted open. "Right now?"

He deadpanned at you. "No, when Kun and Ten get here—of course, right now!"

You returned his deadpan expression. The adrenaline from all this back and forth was slowly fading, and what you were left with was something that felt like emptiness. So… now they knew.

Doyoung and Seungkwan exchanged looks with another from across the table, but it was the former who spoke first. "Why do you still have videos from back then, Yn-ie? I thought you told us you deleted them all?"

"I mean, we're not trying to be judgmental or anything," Seungkwan added firmly, but not unkindly, "they're your videos and photos, your past and memories, but… based on everything you've already told us before, wouldn't it be best to delete them?"

You didn't like the emptiness. The adrenaline had stripped you of energy and confidence when it faded. "I," you stammered, "I just… I couldn't bring myself to delete them." Your voice was quiet, almost inaudible compared to the liveliness of the hotpot shop around you and your friends. "I mean, how could I? Sometimes, I want to watch them and try to find the courage to say that I'm sorry first."

Yeah, you wanted to feel something. That "something" was actually a lot of things—courage, happiness, nostalgia, anger, melancholy, love, passion, pride. A life and childhood you had lost; who's fault was it but your own? You felt nothing short of pathetic.

Seungkwan frowned deeply, his eyes softening. He leaned forward and drew you into his embrace, his hold warm and comforting. "Oh, Yn. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pried like that."

You wrapped your arms around him, eyes shuddering closed. "Yeah, you shouldn't have."

He grunted into your shoulder, a noise of defiance and attitude.

Doyoung had a similar expression of sympathy present on his face. You didn't often see something like that from him, but after years of friendship and working together, you'd begun to see a lot more of him. "I'm sorry too, Yn. It probably still hurts, and I know I was probably really insensitive when I asked you to introduce Sumin to the dance department—"

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late."

Everyone jolted at the sight of Kun and Ten arriving at your table. Kun sent Ten a sharp look along with a sharp jab with his elbow for interrupting. Kun shot you an apologetic look. "Sorry, we didn't interrupt anything, did we?"

You shook your head as Seungkwan pulled away. Doyoung and Seungkwan were both looking to you to make the decision of whether or not you would let Kun and Ten in on the prior conversation.

No, you didn't want to put a damper on dinner any longer. "Ah, no worries. We were just… discussing a couple work things. What took you guys so long?"

Luckily, no one (namely Ten) called you out and the two newcomers slid into their respective seats. Dinner would arrive soon, and you could fill your belly with something other than negative thoughts for once.

— ✶

boss bunny: hey, i didn't get a chance to say this earlier, but i'm so sorry for expecting u to introduce sumin to the dance dept

boss bunny: i didn't think at all abt how that might trigger u, and i still want u to know that u can back out whenever u feel uncomfortable. seriously.

your phone: it's okay, doyoung. i get it, i really do. and i promise that it didn't feel like u were forcing me or assuming that i would do it either

your phone: i knew it would probably trigger me like this too, but i kind of really wanted to be someone's mentor yk? it just… called to me ig

your phone: sounds kind of sad lol

boss bunny: nonono! not at all :( i understand that too

boss bunny: i admire ur strength, yn

your phone: DOIE 🥺

boss bunny: …okay love u and all, but let's not use that emoji yeah? T-T

your phone: okay wtv 🤧 now stop texting cuz ten is starting to realize ur not slick at this

boss bunny: AM TOO. >:(

— ✶

"He kept looking at his phone and then at you, like, every five seconds," Ten giggled, his shoulder absentmindedly brushing against yours as the two of you strolled side by side through the numbing cold night. Dinner had concluded just about half an hour ago, and while Kun ferried Doyoung and Seungkwan home, you and Ten decided to head down a few blocks to get milk tea and hang out.

You clapped your hands together in delight, your laughter lighting up the night. “That’s what I’m saying! He just wasn’t subtle about it and he kept arguing with me that he was.” You shook your head, tongue darting out to lick your lips, “It’s okay though. I think Dad Doyoung’s antics are charming.”

Ten grinned. “Dad Doyoung? I think he’s more of an uncle; ‘Dad’ is Kun’s title.”

“Fair enough.”

“Ayo, Ten!”

Both yours and Ten’s heads whipped upward at the sound of his name being called. You didn’t actually recognize the voice, but when you saw the lineup of four young men coming toward you from the opposite end of the street, you didn’t need to recognize it. Because, well, you recognized their faces.

Huh, you had been running into Changmin and his like a lot more often recently.

Heading straight for you was Changmin, Chanhee, Juyeon, and—you thought his name was Kevin. Kevin was the one who had called out to Ten, and he waved excitedly over to your friend. Based on Changmin’s not-so-subtle frown at Kevin, you could assume that this was not expected. Maybe he was going to advocate crossing the whole street to avoid you.

“Oh, hey Kev!” Ten greeted back cheerily, glancing at you beside him. “Do you know Kevin and Juyeon?”

You bobbed your head. “Briefly,” you replied. The two of your groups met in the middle, two blockades in the smack middle of the sidewalk. Impromptu meetups like this always seemed to end up clogging up the sidewalk for some reason.

After a swift greeting, Chanhee was already gesturing to the direction his group had already been headed in. “Hey, I’ll probably run up the street and get us a table. Haknyeonie says the tables fill up fast after eight o’clock.”

Juyeon perked up. “Oh, I’ll come with!”

Chanhee made eye contact with Changmin from across the group, and a silent form of communication passed between them. You watched this happen quietly, standing to the side with your hands tucked into your pockets while Ten and Kevin caught up from the last time they saw each other (apparently, it was a drawing and painting course from last quarter). However, instead of leaving with Chanhee and Juyeon, Changmin lingered with the three of you.

He naturally came to stand semi-close to you since he wasn’t exactly a part of the “drawing and painting” conversation. The frown from earlier had disappeared, though, and you didn’t know if you could call that a win or not.

Perhaps to you, the tension between the two of you was palpable. There were… far too many things up in the air at this moment, and it was nearly impossible for you to figure out just one thing to start with.

Plus, now was no time to get into all of that baggage. You needed to finish that intervention with Doyoung and Seungkwan before you could handle that kind of conversation—at least, that was what you would have preferred.

But for now, you found yourself clearing your throat and sparing him a glance. “Hey.”

Changmin’s eyes darted over to yours in ill-concealed surprise. “Hey.”

And that was that.

Luckily, Ten nor Kevin dragged on their conversation longer than it needed to be, and soon, you and Ten were passing by Kevin and Changmin as both parties went their separate ways. (You were going to pretend that you hadn’t looked back to watch Changmin walk away. Definitely not.)

“All good?” Ten asked, though, his voice was quieter than it had been before.

You could meet his eyes and nod. “Yeah.”

Ten followed up with an idle sort of humming noise, like he was one of those really loud computer fans (what in the world led you to think of that—?), “A few days ago, I kind of asked Changmin what the deal between the two of you was.”

“Oh?” Nervousness bubbled up the column of your throat. “What’d he say?”

He gave a shrug. “Something like a long-standing grudge.”

You let out a laugh that didn’t exactly sound like a laugh. “Well, I guess that’s one way to put it.” Was that how you would put it? In a way, that was what it was, but there was so much more to that, wasn’t there? Did Changmin think so little of what transpired between the two of you or was he just trying to deflect Ten’s interrogation?

The two of you had arrived at the tea shop by now, and Ten opened the door for you. The shop’s insides were warm and bright, and the tables were already filled up with fellow students who decided to hang out with friends on their Friday evening. You and Ten shifted over to the self-order kiosks to the side of the room and continued your conversation in low volumes.

“How would you put it then?” He asked. When you looked over at him, you realized that there was something scarily disarming about his eyes. “No pressure, of course. I mean, you can call me out on being nosy whenever; I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

You pursed your lips as you turned back to the screen to absentmindedly swipe down the page to find your preferred order. On the inside, you fought for the right words. “Changmin and I were best friends since we were kids,” you started, inputting your preferred level of sugar and ice like clockwork, “and we met through dance.”

Ten nodded to signal he was still listening, and the two of you swapped places so he could input his order.

You cracked your knuckles and rubbed your palms together to generate some kind of heat between them. “I didn’t really like dance at first. It was just one of those things my parents put me in to occupy my time after school and while they were working. But… well, you know how Changmin is with dance—it was and is his livelihood.”

“Even then?”

A nod. “Even then.”

When your orders were paid for, the two of you moved to a quiet corner of the shop to wait for your number to be called from the counter. You leaned your side against the wall next to Ten, your eyes staring blankly at a crack in the floor. “He was actually the reason I grew to love dancing,” you confessed. “As we got older and went into high school, sneaking out to practice together and performing together on stage became as easy as breathing air and as normal as…” You shook your head. “It was just a lot easier I think, back then.”

Ten tilted his chin toward you. “What happened between you two, Yn?”

You swallowed roughly. “In my first year of high school, my parents got divorced. I always suspected it would happen, but my mom kind of changed after that.” Your eyebrows crinkled as you recalled the memories of your early teenage years and tried to grapple with an adequate way to express them aloud. “And, to be fair, the more I danced, the more I didn’t want to focus on school work, but my mom became really hard on me about all that and I started to crack down on that stuff.

“Eventually, she got tired of taking me to dance practices and shows, and she blew up at me about how useless dance was going to be if I was going to become a doctor or something like that.”

Ten heard your number being called and nudged you to follow after him. He handed you your drink, and the two of you pushed back out into the chilly night. You didn’t really know where you were trying to go, but you didn’t really care. You both ended up in one of the small parking lots squeezed between two fast food restaurants, and you sat yourself down on the curb.

You continued, “And so, she would purposely forget to come home in time to take me to competitions and rehearsals. By the time I realized she wasn’t coming, I was already late every time. I would start walking myself there and taking the bus instead. Changmin started noticing that I was slacking, but I…”

“He didn’t know?”

“No.” You didn’t want him to know. Maybe it was your stupid pride that was preventing you from admitting that aloud. Maybe you were ashamed that your mom wasn't as accepting of dance as his parents were. You let out a shuddering breath and watched it come out in a visible puff in front of your face. “She made me grow spiteful toward dance,” you said stiffly. “I would be trying to stretch or practice movement in my bedroom while studying for exams, and she would come in and berate me.”

The yelling echoed in your mind, all too vividly. Your mother never physically hurt you, but there were still scars. “She’d discourage me from rehearsals or signing up for competitions by telling me I was nowhere near good enough, that dancing wasn’t going to put food on the table, and that I was—” A complete disappointment. You could pick those exact words out of a line up.

Ten’s eyes glistened with silver in the amber glow of the streetlight above you. “Jesus, Yn. I’m so sorry; that’s—that’s awful.”

You didn’t know how to accept the sympathy, even after having received so much from your other friends already. No matter how many times you retold your story, it was never quite right or in the way your brain wanted to portray it. You didn’t want to portray anyone as the villain; you figured that maybe you could have done something back then to prevent this. (You couldn’t have, actually, and that was the most difficult part to accept.)

“Yeah,” you murmured, setting your drink on the ground as you curled in on yourself slightly. “Anyway, by senior year, Changmin was obviously really into dance and was probably really stressed about auditions and end-of-the-year competitions. We basically… we basically took out our anger on each other. He said some things, I said some things. The rest is history.”

It was quiet for a moment as you let the words sink into the open air. Your chest loosened a bit after being able to tell another person about it, but for the most part, your hands still trembled. You reached for your drink again to take a sip and to force some kind of liquid down your throat.

After a while, Ten piped up, “Yn… I hope you know that you are not whoever your mother was trying to make you believe you were. You’ve probably realized that already—or maybe you’re still working on it—but please know that you’re probably one of the strongest people I know. It must have been really hard for you and I…” He exhaled, “Sorry, I’ve never been great at this.”

You sent him a small smile in return. “It’s okay; I still appreciate it.” After a beat, you added, “I know I act like I hate him, but I still want to see him succeed. I can’t think that ill of him, especially when he wasn’t the only one at fault.”

“Ah, that’s why ‘it’s complicated’, huh? I get that.”

“Yeah.” Your hands—god, if they could just stop shaking—

Ten reached over and covered your hands with one of his, and you let the heat of his palm warm yours. “You’re doing great, Yn. You know that, right?”

You couldn’t choke out an answer to that. You could only really say, “I just miss him sometimes.”

A sad smile. “I know. Maybe he does, too.”

You wanted to laugh, or maybe cry, at that. Anyone who got in the way of Changmin’s passions was no one to him. You would know exactly how that felt.

EPISODE SEVEN: [ROLLS RIGHT] OFF THE TONGUE

WHENEVER Changmin was feeling unsure of himself, he would retreat to his safe space: the practice rooms. Even if it was some time in the ungodly morning, like 2am as it was now, he would make the trek beneath molten gold streetlights and barren cobbled streets. It was the one place where he could focus his energy solely on dance, and forget about everything else.

Once upon a time, it had been your safe space just as much as it was his.

Changmin huffed a sigh as he hiked up the remaining flight of stone stairs that led up to the backdoor area of the performing arts building. It was a handful of hours since he and Chanhee parted ways with Kevin and Juyeon after enjoying dinner together. Chanhee was probably dead asleep by now—he was probably going to wake up and continue studying for his exams anyway.

As he turned to his right, his breath hitched as he caught sight of someone standing right outside the door. Usually, he had no trouble getting in and security wasn’t exactly strict in this area of campus. In fact, he almost never bumped into anyone, as strange as it sounded. Maybe he should have counted his blessings.

But then he recognized your jacket from earlier this evening, the very same one you were wearing while walking next to Ten—practically squished up against each other, two peas in a pod. He didn’t like how irked he was by that detail. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that you had said “hey” first.

You weren’t looking at him, rather, your body was completely turned toward the door as if you were trying to decide whether or not you should go in. You were as still as a statue, frozen in time.

The moment, however, faded as quickly as it had come. You must have sensed his presence, and your head whipped around to face him.

There.

His heart leapt into his throat—dear god, why did you look so afraid? And then he noticed that you weren’t frozen still, but rather, channeling all your energy into keeping your body from trembling. Were you cold? What were you doing here so late? Why weren’t you with Ten?

He watched your throat move as you gulped. And then you were walking toward him—no, past him—wait, come back— “So that’s it?”

The grip he had on his duffle bag strap tightened when you stopped next to him just as you were going to walk past him toward the stairs. Your gazes clashed like a pair of twin lightning bolts slicing through the night sky. There had always been a sort of energy between the two of you, and when you were young, he had been so very attracted to that kind of power, one so similar to his… he didn’t think he was mistaken back then.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You said, still there. Your voice was low, but he could detect the edge.

He didn’t know what it was supposed to mean; he just didn’t want you to leave without knowing why you were here. Were you looking for him? “You’re not gonna say anything to me? Why are you here?”

(He swore it wasn’t supposed to come out that brusque-sounding, but he also didn’t know what it was supposed to come out sounding like…? He felt like he didn’t know you anymore.)

There was a narrowing of your eyes, and you both angled your bodies to face one another like a standoff. “No one said I had anything to say to you. And I—” You tripped over your words, “—I don’t know why I’m here. That’s why I was leaving.”

Oh.

Why was he disappointed by that answer?

“So you’re not here with Ten or something?” He asked, unsure what else he could say to keep you here, even for just a couple seconds longer.

Your mouth curled. "Clearly not. Why are you so pressed about me and Ten?"

Changmin pressed his lips together. "I'm not." Okay. Very believable.

The face you made said the same thing. "Okay, yeah. I didn't expect you to care so much anyway."

For a reason he loathed to admit, anger spiked in his blood and he felt the distinct need to defend himself. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," you replied sarcastically, your volume rising, "maybe it's that you've never really cared that much about things that concerned me in the first place?"

"Now that's rich coming from you."

Your glare pierced his. "Oh, please. As soon as I started slacking—god, it took so little for you to just abandon me."

His jaw fell slack. Where the fuck did this conversation just turn to? "Abandon you? You abandoned me!" He exclaimed, finger flicking between the two of you as if he could impale both of your chests with the sharp edge of his accusations.

"How could I have possibly been the one to abandon you?" Your face contorted with so much more emotion than Changmin had ever seen from you over the past three years. Suddenly, he could see the underlying desperation and devastation hidden beneath the lines of bitterness and anger. His heart sank, but his blood still boiled and pumped. He couldn't get the distinctly awful hole in his chest to stop aching. He could remember exactly when you just stopped coming to practice with him. He could remember exactly the day he gave up hope.

"You—" you stammered, your hand flying to your throat. It was the same action he had seen from you just a few days ago while you were in the practice room. He recognized it as a habit of yours for when you were anxious or overwhelmed because your throat closed in on itself. If that wasn't enough to make him want to lay down his sword… "—you stopped caring. When did you stop caring? I just want to know."

Everything went silent for him, just for a split second. You thought… you thought he stopped caring? How could he ever stop caring about you? Wasn't that why he was so upset in the first place?

And when the world zapped back into play, he was sure his skin was ashen. His throat bobbed. "How could you think so little of me?"

Your forehead creased. "Little? Changmin, you were everything to me."

Dear heart—

You were shaking your head and taking a step away from him then. "You couldn't possibly understand."

Just like that, there was fire in his veins again. "That's because you never gave me a chance to understand!"

You threw a look back at him and again, he could read everything there like an open book, so much unlike the wall he had been met with all this time. "And I can say the exact same thing about you. If you think I kept things from you, Ji Changmin—" you said with the undertone of a snarl, so fierce that, as you turned on your foot to face him again, your breath came out like that of a dragon's smoke, "—then how much have you kept from me?"

His nostrils flared and his hands gestured wildly, vaguely—he pressed his palms to his eyes with a haggard sigh. "Why are you here, Yn?" He asked again, finally. He lowered his hands and took a step toward you. "Are you here just to pick a fight with me?"

You paused.

He watched you open your mouth, then close it.

You pursed your lips, finally murmuring, "No. I didn't come here for you."

For some reason, that hurt even more.

— ✶

The practice room was colder than it usually was.

Changmin kept the lights dim for the sake of his stinging eyes, and he dumped his duffle bag in the corner of the room before making a beeline for the aux cord for the speaker system. He hooked up his phone and opened up his music files, his forehead pressing against the cool mirror wall.

For a moment, he simply let his eyes flutter shut and his lungs to breathe.

You were long gone by now, and Changmin considered just going back to his apartment, but he knew he would just lie in bed awake for hours if he did.

When he opened his eyes, he swiped out of his music and instead went to a file kept deep down in the depths of his storage. He had purposely named it so it would remain at the absolute bottom of the list when alphabetized, and the pass code on it was supposed to dissuade him from accessing it.

Supposed to.

He punched in the four digits of your birthday and the lock clicked open to reveal a hefty file of video after video. There were photos of you, too, somewhere, but the videos were all at the top of the file because of their size. He didn't know what he was gonna do when his phone ran out of storage; he figured that when that day came, it would either be when you and he finally figured shit out, or he got closure and could delete them all.

He sighed.

His thumb hovered over one of the video files near the top, one where he could see your face in the thumbnail.

When he opened it, his younger face filled the screen. His tongue poked out from his lips as he carefully settled his phone against the wall next to yours as both of your phones recorded the run-through that was about to happen.

"Changminnie! Come on, I'm starting the song!" Your voice echoed against the practice room walls, and his laughter soon followed as he scurried into place next to you.

Changmin watched his younger self transform his expression into something more serious, while you had looked at him through the mirror and burst out laughing.

Younger Changmin broke his facade, the dimples in his cheeks deep, his smile bright. "What?"

You grinned back at him. "Sorry, sorry! Nothing; it's just interesting how you can just shift your facial expression like that."

"You have to practice like you perform though!"

"I know, I know. I just like your smile better, y'know?"

Changmin could see the hearts in his younger self's eyes. Jesus, had he really blushed that hard? Younger Changmin cupped the back of his neck bashfully. "Really?"

You punched his arm playfully. "Yeah. It's really pretty, Changmin. I thought I told you this before."

"Well yeah, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again—yah! Hey, I can bite back, you know—!"

Changmin's eyes shuddered as the familiar melody of the song flowed into his ears. He abruptly slammed his thumb down onto the pause button.

No, he couldn't stomach hearing it. Not when he could recall every move from memory and not when he had no partner to complement those moves. It just reminded him of the gaping hole in his chest and the emptiness of this room.

"Let's get to work, Changmin," he muttered to himself as he swiped out of the folder and back to his music files. He had an actual to-do list in mind, after all, and it did not include a dive into the forbidden folder. (No matter how much he needed to hear your voice again, for once, not arguing with him.)

EPISODE EIGHT: OFF THE HOOK

"HE'S been pissy all morning—"

Changmin suppressed a groan of frustration as he heard his friend's voices nearing the dressing room he was in. All morning, the performing arts building had been a madhouse, even worse than the night of the draft showcase. Everyone just decided to be here today, whether they were his fellow dancers trying to score a practice room, one of the prospective actors auditioning for a part in Hyunjae's best friend's thesis play, or one of the tech members trying to make sure everything worked behind the scenes.

Changmin had gone from room to room in an attempt to find an empty one where he could have some peace in working on his own. He would have just gone home at this point, but Chanhee was stressing over his own exams, so Changmin was stuck here.

So taking all of that into account, including the rough encounter he'd had with you a couple days ago, plus a lack of sleep and coffee—not the happiest squirrel on campus.

(How could you just drop a bomb like "You were everything to me, Changmin" in his lap and expect him not to think of anything else for days on end?)

The door to the dressing room he was hiding in cracked open, and all of the cacophony from the outside flooded in, as well as a crush of his friends.

"Don't you guys have class?" Changmin moaned, his hand coming up to rub his sleep-deprived eyes.

"Well, yeah, but this is much more fun," came Younghoon's teasing chuckle as he walked over to Changmin and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

Changmin made a face. "I just wanted some peace and quiet."

Sunwoo scoffed. "Peace and quiet? You've come to the wrong place, hyung."

"Yeah," Hyunjae added on, "might as well take a break for once and come watch auditions with us! HJ!Yn needs help judging people anyway."

Changmin cocked a brow at the blond. "You should call Chanhee for that then. Shouldn't you be out there, Younghoon?" He nodded toward the tall, lanky drama major present.

Younghoon shook his head, bouncing on the balls of his feet. How did he have so much energy? "Nope. I'm auditioning for a part, so she's gatekeeping me from watching."

Changmin turned from his friends slightly as he reached down for his phone that he had situated on top of the small bluetooth speaker he had the good sense to bring. Then again, maybe he should have just stuck to earbuds… whatever. He was too tired to care. Part of him wanted to add to the chaos anyway.

"What's her thesis play about again?" He asked no one in particular. Sunwoo waddled over to him and stole his phone right from his hands and began browsing through the music selection.

"It's a modern take of one of Shakespeare's plays: Much Ado About Nothing," answered Younghoon. "It was really funny actually, like the original play. Lots of matchmaking, lots of stupidity. I think they dump someone in a lake..."

Hyunjae perked up. "Oh yeah! That was probably my favorite part of the whole script."

Changmin chuckled. "I was expecting you to say something like 'the whole thing's my favorite because my best friend wrote it'."

"Oh, no, that still applies."

Changmin, Sunwoo, and Younghoon all exchanged knowing looks with one another. Mhm… so they thought. There were a few too many in their friend group who had interesting relationships with their other friends. Exhibit A: whatever the fuck was happening with Hyunjae and his.

Hyunjae caught their silent communication and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Sunwoo snorted, but Younghoon was the one to drawl, "It's absolutely nothing."

Changmin pressed his lips into a cheeky smile, brushing the bangs from out of his vision. Hyunjae's lips quirked to the side in a frown, but didn't make any comment on it. It wasn't a new reaction from the group, by any means, but… oh well. That would be a tale for another time.

With that being said, Changmin followed the three of them out of the relative privacy of the dressing room and out into the hustle-bustle of the main backstage corridor. As soon as that dressing room was vacated, however, somebody was swift to occupy it. Changmin cursed inwardly; guess he wouldn't be able to come back to that room later.

With the switching of theater leadership over the past year (a changing of the guard, if you would, but with professors and sponsors), the management of the entire performing arts department was a mess and a half. There were a few stand-out graduate students and undergraduates who were keeping everything in check for all of the events happening over this year—like Hyunjae’s best friend, Lee Jihoon (a graduate student specializing in sound and music production), and Moon Taeil (a graduate who was a soloist in the chamber choir).

As the four young men made their way closer to the immediate backstage, the sound miraculously dulled down. The lights were a lot dimmer here, as the spotlights were turned toward the main stage. Changmin spotted a few people scattered throughout the backstage area with phones or folded script packets in their hands as they recited their lines to themselves, with some even making exaggerated facial expressions and grand hand gestures.

Hyunjae’s best friend was one of the up and coming director-screenwriter “prodigies” that the drama department championed. She was a year older than Changmin was, and he didn’t need to be a genius to know that there were a crowd of people vying for a role in her graduating thesis play. It must have been stressful as fuck, but he knew that she had a good head on her shoulders—

“—I’m gonna stop you right there.”

HJ!Yn’s voice resounded from the other side of the hefty velvet curtains separating the backstage from the main stage. Hyunjae made a show of pressing his index finger to his lips to signal his friends to be quiet—Sunwoo thus made a show of rolling his eyes (“Duh, we’re gonna be quiet.”). They all huddled to the side of the curtain and poked their heads out to see what was going on.

The university performing arts hall was likely one of the most magnificent places on campus. It featured a vast array of floor seating, while also boasting three levels of balcony seats. Changmin remembered once briefly learning the anatomy of the theater seating: the floor or nosebleeds, the slightly lofted box seats, the grand circle, loge circle, and upper circle—the gods. It was all very antiquarian, but it was a place Changmin had become quite familiar with over the years.

The director herself sat in the dimmed nosebleeds section, in the smack middle. Someone had dragged out one of those plastic, foldable tables for her to set her paperwork and a small, battery-operated lamp on top of.

Curiously, sitting next to her was none other than Bae Sumin, your new recruit.

Changmin straightened, accidentally bumping into Younghoon’s shoulder as he did. “Sorry,” he whispered.

Younghoon shook his head to say that it was all good, his hand lifted in acknowledgement.

“Did you know Sumin was here?” He asked his friend.

Younghoon’s expression was thoughtful. “I think so? I left to go find you when I thought I heard someone say they saw her come in. Why? Did she not tell you when the dance department interviews were gonna be held?”

Changmin recalled receiving no notice. “No. I—I figured Yn would be here, too, then. Right?” Was he ready to face you again so soon? Would you even acknowledge him this time—?

Younghoon passed him an amused glance with a small smile fitted over his face. “That would make sense,” he murmured with his arms crossed over his chest. One of his hands reached up to idly massage his jaw. “I’d imagine she would be with her friends, somewhere around here. Though, it would also make sense that she would be sitting with Sumin, too. Then again—”

“You are… no help,” Changmin deadpanned.

His friend chuckled lowly, eyes upturned into slim crescents.

“Uh Jihoon-ah?”

Changmin and Younghoon’s attention flitted over towards the far side of the backstage and they watched as a girl chased after the resident sound producer graduate student. He was, perhaps, smaller than one might anticipate from the intimidating man, but he still harbored so much scary energy and talent within his body. Like all of the staff on the technical team, the pair were clad in all black.

Jihoon glanced up from his clipboard and at the girl. “Hm?”

The girl nodded toward the curtains. “Director is calling for a break and is asking if the house lights can be turned on.”

“Ah okay, come on then. Follow me.”

As the two of them strode across the length of the backstage, the girl’s eyes found Changmin and Younghoon, and… She was looking past him now at someone else. She lifted her hand in a small wave, paired with a smile, “Hi, Sunwoo.”

Changmin whipped his head around, only to realize that Hyunjae had disappeared, but Sunwoo was now standing on Changmin’s other side. He watched in utter delight as his younger friend flushed, even in the dim lighting, at the girl’s greeting. His eyes were wide as he squeaked out a quick, “Hey!” in return.

When Jihoon and his charge had gone out of view, Changmin turned on Sunwoo with a hyena cackle. “Oh my god! Who was that, Kim Sunwoo?”

Sunwoo seemed to shrink into the collar of his hoodie. “No one.”

Changmin’s laughter lit up the room just as the house lights thunk-thunk-thunk’d to life. Younghoon had slipped away, most likely to meet Hyunjae in the nosebleeds, which left only the two of them there alone. “Do you have a crush on her?”

“Yah! You’re such a menace,” Sunwoo groaned, whacking Changmin with the extra length of his sweater paw. “You can’t even talk, dude! You’re in love with a girl who can barely stand to be in the same room—” Sunwoo realized his slip up and slapped a palm over his mouth.

Ouch. The truth hurt, didn’t it? Changmin chuckled, though it was noticeably quieter now. “Well, you’re not wrong—” He shook his head, eyebrows creased together, “—wait, no. Wait, I’m not in love with her!”

Sunwoo rolled his eyes so hard he must have seen his brain up there. “Oh, please. The last time you were drunk and emotional, you showed us that secret little folder in your phone.” He jabbed his finger accusingly at the phone in Changmin’s hand.

Changmin scowled, pressing his phone to his chest as if to protect it in case Sunwoo decided to have wandering hands. “That was told to you in confidence!”

“No, it was told to me in a drunken stupor—” The two of them began to make their way back toward the edge of the curtain, ducking out from its shadow and onto the main stage. Hyunjae and Younghoon were indeed in the nosebleeds now, but Sumin was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had only been here to observe the audition process. “And you guys say I’m the lightweight.”

“That’s because you are the lightweight.”

Just as the two of them hopped down from the stage and onto the ground floor of seats, Juyeon came in from the doors located at the back of the seats. He raised a hand in greeting to all present, cheerfully waving with that golden retriever-esque grin. “Hey guys! Oh, Changminnie, I was just looking for you.”

Changmin’s eyebrows flew up. “Oh? What’s up, Juyeon?”

Sunwoo retreated into the rows up where Hyunjae and Younghoon were, while Changmin met up with Juyeon in the rightmost aisle.

Juyeon threw a thumb behind him toward the direction he had just come from. “Sumin was asking if you would be willing to do your interview right now.”

His eyes widened slightly. “Right now?”

“That’s what I just said, wasn’t it?”

Changmin pressed his lips together, before nodding. “Uh, for sure. Yeah, lead the way.”

The two dancers hiked their way back up to the back of the area and through the door Juyeon had originally entered through. The main lobby was much less crowded—it was practically barren, which made it the perfect environment to conduct an interview in. Sumin was setting herself up at one of the couches, setting her laptop, phone, and coffee cup on the coffee table opposite to her.

She raised her head when she heard the door open and close, and a bright smile graced her features. “Oh, you found him! Thanks, Juyeonie.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he chirped. “I’ve got a couple things to handle first, but just ask someone to come find me once you and Changmin are done.”

With Juyeon swiftly taking his leave, Changmin was left to take a seat on the other end of the couch that Sumin was sitting at. “Hey, nice to see you again, Sumin,” he said, crossing one ankle over the other and resting his arm along the back of the couch.

The corners of her smile widened. “Nice to see you, too, Changmin! Sorry this was so sudden; I figured that I could get started on some of the interviews while I was here.”

“Oh, yeah, no worries,” he chuckled.

She reached for her phone, fidgeting as she swiped to a simple recording application. “I hope you don’t mind me recording this…?” At his consent, she nodded. “Okay, cool. I did wanna say something before we started.”

He sat up just a bit. “What is it?”

There was a sort of twinkle in her eyes, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her manner became a lot more bashful all of a sudden. “I have to confess that I asked my mentor, Yn, if she could send me some of your dance performance videos and I’m literally in awe of your talent. Like, I wanted to tell you how starstruck I am just being able to tell you this right now, but I just wanted to say this before we started.”

He broke into a boyish grin at this, his dimples becoming craters of joy in the apples of his cheeks. “Ah, thank you—that really means a lot,” he smiled.

Sumin added on, one of her palms pressing against the couch cushion as she leaned toward him slightly, “I mean, I don’t even know how Yn was able to find videos of you from high school, but I’m so glad she did, because—”

Wait what. Changmin was watching Sumin’s mouth move as she talked but he wasn’t truly hearing what she said. His humble, albeit a bit dumbfounded, smile remained, but her words from just before resonated in his head. There were definitely a few of his dance performance videos online from his high school days, but did you keep links to them? Did you keep the recordings on your phone?

The fact that Sumin asked you meant that she probably had no clue about your past, only that you were the person Sumin could rely on if she had any questions.

What did it mean? What did it mean?

His heart pounded in his chest at the thought that maybe he could possibly have an excuse to get you to talk to him, even if it was one, truly dumbass excuse.

“—ready?”

Changmin snapped out of his dazed state. “Sorry?”

Sumin blushed slightly, clearing her throat. At some point, she had pulled her laptop onto her lap and prepped her phone by placing it in between the two of them to record the following conversation. “Are you ready to start?”

He coughed, straightening and adjusting his position. “Oh, yeah—uh, sorry. Yeah, whenever you’re ready.”

Sumin gauged his reaction carefully, but instead of pressing the record button, she hit the power button. “If I may, you seem a little distracted. I don’t really want this to feel like a burden if you’ve got a lot on your plate.”

Shit. “No, I mean,” he shook his head, “I’m sorry. I guess my mind just wanders really easily when…” He huffed a sigh, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m a little tired, that’s all.”

“I totally get that,” she sympathized. “You’ve probably been practicing non-stop lately for the winter showcase. We don’t have to do this today if you’re not in the right headspace.”

He sighed and couldn’t help but feel just a little relieved. He needed to talk to Chanhee about this, math exam or dance practice be damned. But there was a part of him that definitely felt awful about having to cut off her interview even before it began. He gestured to her phone. “How about we reschedule? We could meet up sometime else during the week to redo this and I promise I’ll be all yours.”

He didn’t know what he did, but the pink on her cheeks deepened to a cherry red. “Oh, uh, sure!” She giggled, taking her phone and passing it over to him. “You can just put your phone number in there and I’ll text you to ask when you wanna meet up.”

Changmin nodded his agreement and swiftly inputted his contact information into the given slots. “Definitely,” he said before handing her phone back to her. The phone fumbled between the two of them, but Changmin was already standing up with the goal to go retrieve his bag (wherever it was), and to go consult Chanhee and the man’s infinitesimal opinions. “Really sorry again, Sumin.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it!” She dismissed his worries with a flick of her wrist. “Would you mind finding Juyeon, though?”

Changmin sent her a thumb’s up over his shoulder on his way to the door. “Yeah, for sure.”

She returned the gesture, watching as he disappeared out of the main lobby. It was only when he was definitely gone, she covered her mouth with her hand and stared at his saved contact in her phone. Then, with a silent scream of happiness, she ran to her text chain with you to tell you all about it.

a/n: PLS STILL REBLOG THIS PART EVEN THO ITS NOT THE FULL THING PLS PLS PLS IM BEGGING

read part two here (also linked at top)

permanent taglist: @honeyhuii @crazywittysassy @seomisaho @stopeatread @enhacolor @rnjfy @jaehunnyy @kpopjackie @spiderrenjunfics @soobin-chois @ethereal-engene @mingiholic @ja4hyvn @vatterie @yogurteume @justalildumpling @hyunjaespresent-deobi @hongyangi @pxppxrminty @nerdypastacalzonespy @jcmdoll @kflixnet

taglist: @oi-miya @loveliestfelix @sickvision @jaerisdiction @stealanity @magnificentjudementmoneyhands @inthesunnn @igotkpoopsss @letsnotdoanything @starryjww @sodafy @rreneeeeee @dajanxekiwi @sseastar-main @jenowithjaem @moonyswolf @sleepymoon27 @floatingpluto @fictionlover100 @winterchimez @softie00 @sseuyeon @qkyuscult @hwanunjin @zlebooks @mcu-incorrect @nctzennikki09 @hrt4cheol @moontyuns @quill-ink

#kflixnet #the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #changmin x reader #q x reader #the boyz fanfic #the boyz drabble #the boyz fluff #the boyz oneshot #the boyz angst #the boyz imagines #the boyz scenarios #ji changmin oneshots #ji changmin drabbles #changmin imagines #changmin oneshot #changmin fluff #changmin angst #changmin scenarios

[bunnybeingbetter]

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　10/100 day of productivity 　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

2nd week of school > over

sort of

I've come to accept the fact that my chemistry teacher does not teach. He simply pushes assignments and assessments out and expects us to know what we're doing???

Anyway-

it was a pretty nice day overall, I had two tests which I'm rather content about, and a shit ton of work given to do...but I've been eating well, and feeling physically comfortable...so It's alright.

The weather has undergone a drastic change- it's dropped by 20 degrees {80 to 60 degrees fahrenheit!}- so it's been rather chilly...

I've gotten the all-clear on my art project drafts, so I start laying the base down on the final paper on Monday, and can hopefully start painting by Wednesday...

today's agenda:

drink that water!!

finish chem assignments due tonight

prepare notebook for english!

take note for all the club meetings that need to be attended...

update online calendar!

agenda that will be built upon over the weekend:

water. water. water!!!

chemistry notes!!!

eng assign. > take notes on chapters due

teach yourself what the chem teacher wont/set reading goals for textbook!!

we had a rough week- but we're still persevering.

so let's keep rolling, bun

<3

#studyblr #school #high school #study tips #schoolblog #reading #books #study blog #studymotivation #100 days of productivity

[alchemiccolored]

a transparent medic for your transparent medic needs

#hopefully its transparent #idrk how that works #tf2 #my art #tf2 medic #2nd art tonight! we on a roll

[patchwork-panda]

“I won’t do anything. Probably.” (BSD OdaSaku x Reader. Part 1/3)

Title: “I won’t do anything. Probably” Genre: Comedy/Romance/smut Rating: Part 1 is sfw BUT Part 3 will 18+ (aka nsfw) Reader-insert is written as afab/femme/shorter than OdaSaku and 20+ Plot: You are a member of the Port Mafia who has been sent on a “cleanup” job with Oda Sakunosuke, who you have a crush on but won’t admit it. You don’t finish the job until very late at night, at which point, you’re forced to check into a hotel. But there’s just one problem: There’s only one room left. And only one bed.

Mini Fic is written in 2nd person. AO3 link for fic: HERE

Inspired by the [OdaSaku] art of Tsumugi (@tumugi1 on Twitter). I saw this picture and my brain latched onto the whole, “I won’t do anything. Probably.” bit. And wrote a whole fic for it as I was falling asleep on the 24th and amazingly, KEPT writing it when I woke up on the 25th. So, here it is. Call it a belated Xmas gift bc it feels almost like Old Saint Nick dropped it into my head like a filthy piece of coal.

“You’re kidding me.”

The guy at the front desk shakes his head apologetically.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” he mumbles, clearly looking every bit as remorseful as he sounds.

He shoots another nervous look at the gun holstered on your hip before catching himself and quickly looking back into your eyes.

He gulps.

Audibly.

“But there really aren’t any more rooms.”

You sigh and take your arm off of the counter. You’d considered draping it over the receptionist’s monitor in an effort to look more intimidating, but when you’d realized your arms were a little too short for that, you’d settled for the counter instead. Luckily for you, though, that one simple motion had been enough to reveal your gun.

Even now, the receptionist looked like he was going to pee himself, but even though your intimidation attempt had been successful, it still hadn’t gotten you the results you wanted.

Oh, well.

At least Nakahara-senpai would be proud of the way you’d conducted yourself just now.

The man you were with, however...

“Well?” you call out, tilting your head back slightly to look at him. “You heard what he said. What do you think we should do?”

You frown.

“Oda-senpai?”

The tall redhead looks up from his phone at last.

“Well, that depends,” he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket.

His sapphire-blue eyes find yours.

“How tired are you?” he asks.

You stop stifling your yawn immediately.

Today was a weird day. Even by your standards. And you were a teenaged runaway who’d gotten picked up by the Port Mafia several years ago.

Ever since that fateful day when you’d made the stupid decision to steal from that convenience store (how were you supposed to know a dump like that was a front for the Port Mafia?), they’d taken you in, given you a place to stay and a purpose. And that purpose was “doing whatever the hell it was they wanted you to do.”

Today, that was one of their infamous “clean-up” jobs.

You’d been on these sorts of jobs before so you didn’t think of it as a big deal at the time. But then they’d handed you the list. Which was a lot longer than it usually was. And then, they’d given you the location.

You hadn’t been sent this far out of Yokohama since that one time Nakahara Chuuya himself had requested you for backup. And even then, it had been an exception. Unfortunately, unlike that time, today’s job wasn’t quick. In fact, it had taken far, far longer than you had expected and you’d ended up working until late into the night.

So late into the night that all the trains back to Yokohama had long since stopped running.

And then it started pouring.

You are now effectively stranded for the night.

You sigh.

There was one bright spot...

You eye the man standing across the lobby, who takes his phone back out one more time in hopes of locating a cell signal.

At least they’d sent Oda Sakunosuke along with you.

“I’m okay,” you say, ignoring the fact that you’d just been yawning not two seconds ago. “Really.”

“Uh-huh,” Oda responds, his bright blue eyes flicking away from his phone once more to scan your face. “So you’re not here to see if you can find a place to rest for the night? You just wanted to get out of the rain until the first train comes?”

It doesn’t quite come across as sarcastic but you’re really not sure what else to call his tone. Humorless, perhaps? It’s hard to tell. Oda is pretty stoic on a normal day and you’ve almost never seen him smile. For one wild moment, you begin to wonder if he’s actually teasing you.

But then you remember you are talking to Oda Sakunosuke.

This is nothing more than a simple, honest question.

He puts his phone away and approaches the counter.

“Either way, walking into this hotel wasn’t a bad idea,” he says, reaching into one of the many pockets in his pale, yellow coat. “I wasn’t exactly looking forward to camping under a bridge in this weather.”

You note the big, muddy footprints his shoes leave in his wake.

The receptionist behind the counter can clearly see them but he looks like he’s still too scared to say anything about it.

Oda leans onto the counter next to you.

“I think we should stay here,” he says. “There’s no way we’re getting back to Yokohama any time soon and besides...”

He lets out a massive yawn. You think you can see a tear glistening in the corner of his eye.

“I’m tired too.”

“But you heard what he said,” you press, as the receptionist jerks away from you (and your gun). “There’s only one room.”

“Yeah, so that means there is a place we can take a nap here,” he says, already pulling out his wallet. “And the fact that there’s only one room here means we can save some money. I know what it means for those of us who get sent out on jobs like this.”

He picks out a card.

“It means we can stand to save a few bucks. Anyway, don’t worry about it.”

He lays the slate-gray piece of plastic against the counter.

“I’ll pay for tonight, okay?”

For a moment, you’re struck speechless.

“Th-that’s not the problem,” you stutter.

Oda just looks at you.

“So, then what is?”

You wonder if one of the hits he’d taken on today’s job had actually done something to his brain.

How could he not see it?

Having a man pay for your hotel room was already bad enough. But the implications of a tall, broad-shouldered, sexy man like Oda Sakunosuke paying  for a shared a hotel room with you??

You swallow dryly, hoping against hope that your cell phone wasn’t bugged and that if it was, there was no signal here.

If word got out that you spent the night in a cheap hotel with Oda Sakunosuke, a man who had the kind of rugged charm that would put Clint Eastwood to shame, you would never hear the end of it. You could already see Ozaki Kouyou smirking at you from behind one long pink kimono sleeve the minute you got back to headquarters.

And “I’ll pay for it tonight” he says?!!

As if this whole thing couldn’t SEEM any more suspicious!

You shoot a menacing glare at the receptionist, as if to say “don’t you dare get any ideas.” But the message appears to go right over his head when he sinks just a little further below the counter in abject fear.

“The problem is,” you elaborate, stunned that you even have to say it out loud. “That we’d be sleeping. In the same room.”

Oda continues to just look at you.

“So?”

You make up your mind to ask the Boss to check Oda for brain damage when you get back tomorrow. Mori used to be a doctor, right?

Oda sighs.

“Listen,” he says, sliding his card towards the receptionist, nodding kindly to the young man as if he were a timid baby bird instead of a grown human being. “I know what you’re thinking. And I thought about it too.”

He what?!

Without meaning to, you flush but Oda doesn’t appear to take any notice.

“But it’ll be fine. No matter how you look at it, we’re clearly just a couple of colleagues--”

“Clearly??”

“--who got stranded away from home while out on a business trip,” he finishes, taking his card back from the trembling receptionist. “So, like I said. It’ll be fine. I mean, we’re just sleeping right? We’re both responsible adults. I think we can handle just sleeping next to each other in the same room.”

He looks at you.

“Don’t you?”

You stiffen. Your eyes dart to the key card on the counter that the receptionist is now inching further and further away from. You’d think it was radioactive from the way he was acting...

“I--”

Oda raises an eyebrow.

“Unless...”

Oda inclines his head back towards the windows, where you can now see the rain lashing against the thick glass in the gale.

“You want to camp out under a bridge? Because if you do, I can go with you--”

“No, I definitely don’t,” you tell him, sweeping the key card up in one hand.

Out of the corner of your eye, you watch the receptionist take another step away from you as you move. You roll your eyes.

“Let’s just go. It’s late, it’s raining, we’re both tired and you know what, you’re right. As long as you stay in your bed, on your side of the room, I don’t think we’re going to have a problem.”

And as you march down the hallway towards the elevators, you suddenly hear the receptionist calling after you.

“Ah, wait!”

The young man suddenly sounds alarmed.

“There’s only--”

“Hah?”

You turn and shoot him a look and he immediately clams up again, quailing behind the counter.

“N-never mind,” he mumbles, twiddling his fingers as he tries (unsuccessfully) not to look at your gun.

He shoots you a watery smile.

“H-Have a pleasant stay...”

#odasaku x reader #bsd odasaku #bsd odasaku x reader #bsd oda sakunosuke #odasaku x y/n #bsd x reader #odasaku #oda sakunosuke #only one bed #one bed #port mafia reader #port mafia #bungo stray dogs x reader

[leossmoonn]

Polar Opposites [Spencer Reid]

masterlist

pairing - spencer reid x fem!alt!reader

type - fluff

note - hey, guys! this was a request! hope you enjoy it!

summary - spencer takes you out to meet his friends and they learn how different you are from him.

————

*gif isnt mine*

I looked at myself in the mirror, trying to decide if I liked this outfit better, or the one I had just tried on. Tonight my boyfriend, Spencer, was taking me out clubbing to meet his friends. And right now, I was looking for an outfit.

The one I had on right now was a long t-shirt that I sewed together to be a romper. Fishnet tights, a belt that went along my waist with chains hanging from the sides, a necklace Spencer had given me, and Doc Martens. The other outfit I put together consisted of red and black plaid pants, a regular belt that I put a chain through, a black cami top that had a rose on it, and a black jean jacket.

My style was... different to say the least. A lot more alternative than what a usual adult wears. But, I loved it. I was able to express myself better this way.

I heard Spencer and I’s apartment door open. Spencer called my name and I told him I was in the bedroom. He walked in and his eyes widened.

“Woah, who told you you could look that good?” He smirked.

I smiled and walked over to him. “I did.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him in for a kiss. He put his hands on my back, pulling me closer. I pulled away after a few moments, wanting to catch my breath.

“Is that your final outfit decision?” He asked. I smiled as he knew that I probably picked a out bunch of outfits before this.

“Hm, I’m not sure. You like it?” I asked and twirled around.

“I love it!” He exclaimed and eyed my body and the curves that the belt accentuated. My cheeks burned slightly and I led him to the bedroom to see the other outfit.

“Well, if we are gonna dance you might get too hot in the jacket and pants. But other than that, it’s your choice,” he shrugged.

I thought for a moment. “You’re right. I’ll stick with this.”

“Sounds good! I’m gonna go get ready,” he said.

I nodded and he turned his head before he left to the bathroom.

“Have I told you you looked good yet?” He asked.

“Hm... not in those exact words, no,” I chuckled. He laughed, “Well, you look ravishing.”

“Thank you, lover boy,” I winked. He chuckled again and then left to go to the bathroom.

I sighed happily and sat down on our bed. I truly felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be dating Dr. Spencer Reid. Us two were so different and due to that, a lot of people wouldn’t picture us together. But we ran into each other on the street - five months ago - , me accidentally spilling my coffee on him. I apologized profusely, but he said it was his fault and offered to buy me a cup sometime. I, of course, said yes and the rest was history.

I think what made us work was, well, I found him incredibly attractive. His fluffy hair, soft eyes, inncocent nature, and intelligent mind. We also shared a similar childhood it seemed. I was bullied for being different and knowing every word to My Chemical Romance and Linkin Park songs. And Spencer was bullied for being a child prodigy. But in my eyes, I didn’t understand who would bully him. He was a true gentleman, best friend, and incredibly sexy fact-spitter.

While thinking, Spencer’s hands wrapped around me. I smiled and turned to kiss his cheek.

“Ready to go?” He asked.

“Mhm,” I hummed. We both got up and I took a look at him.

His hair fell around his eyes and his lips held his perfect smile. He was wearing a dark-purple dress shirt and black pants.

“You look handsome,” I smiled.

“Thanks, babe,” he said and entertwined his hand with mine. Butterflies flew around my stomach and my knees went weak. Even after being together for almost half a year, he still had the same affects on me as he did from the beginning.

He grabbed his car keys and we went to the car. As we drove to the bar, I sang along to my MCR CD. Even though Spencer didn’t like this type of music, I still found him mouthing the lyrics.

We arrived at the bar and my palms started to get sweaty. Spencer opened the door for me and I thanked him and slowly started walking to the door. A wave of anxiety washed over me as I saw his friends sitting and talking at the bar.

“Hey, they’ll love you,” Spencer said, reading my mind.

“I hope so,” I said and took a deep breath.

Spencer led me over, saying hi first.

“Hey, guys! This is my girlfriend, Y/n,” Spencer smiled.

They all looked at you with friendly smiles and wide eyes.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you!” I smiled. “You must be Emily, Derek, Penelope, and JJ?” I guessed.

“Spot on! I see Spencer has talked a lot about us,” Emily smiled.

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I wanted to be prepared.”

She nodded and then Penelope went to speak.

“I love your outfit and style!” She exclaimed.

I smiled and felt myself relax slightly. “Thank you! I’ve always been one for being different.”

“Oh, me too. Hence all the bright colors and green eyeshadow,” she giggled.

“Oh, awesome! And the eyeshadow looks great!”

“Why thank you. I think we are gonna be great friends.”

“Me, too,” I giggled.

“So, Y/n,” JJ started. “How did you two meet?”

“Oh, I spilled my coffee all over him and he offered to buy me another sometime,” I explained.

Derek smiled and clapped him on the back. “My man! You know, pretty boy here used to be all books, but now he has some game!”

Spencer blushed and muttered a ‘thanks’.

“Really? He’s always had game,” I chuckled.

“If you knew me a couple years ago, you wouldn’t have thought so,” Spencer chuckled.

“Well I would’ve loved you either way,” I smiled and kissed his cheek.

“Oh you guys are adorable!” Penelope gushed.

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“Do you want some drinks?” Emily asked.

“Yeah, sure!” I smiled.

“Great, what would you like?”

“Um, a Manhattan,” I answered.

“Sounds good. And an Old Fashioned for you, Spence?” Emily asked.

Spencer nodded. I got out my credit card but they stopped me.

“We invited you out. It’s on us,” JJ smiled.

“Oh, uh... you sure? We can split the bill,” I suggested.

“Yeah, we’re sure. Next time you can pay for all of us,” Emily winked.

I laughed, “Okay, deal.”

“Let’s go find a seat,” JJ said. We all nodded and followed Derek and JJ while Emily and Penelope ordered our drinks.

“So, what’re your interests?” JJ asked.

“Oh, I’m interested in art. I’m actually an Art Gallery Dealer, and I paint and draw, too. I love music, that’s also another big part of my life. I’m kind of in a band, too,” I answered.

“Oh, really? You any good?” Derek asked.

“Eh,” I shrugged. Spencer rolled his eyes and smiled. “She’s being modest. She’s the lead singer and guitarist. She’s amazing.”

I blushed and held Spencer’s hand under the table.

“Wow, mind if we see you sometime?” JJ asked.

“Not at all,” I shook my head.

“Great!”

Emily and Penleope came over with all of our drinks.

“So, what did we miss?” Emily asked.

“Y/n, here, is in a band!” JJ exclaimed.

“Oh, really? That’s fun,” Emily smiled and took a sip of her beer.

“What kind of music do you play?” Penelope asked.

“Alternative Rock,” I said. “Ah, I should’ve known,” Penelope laughed.

“So have you ever liked the alternative style?” Derek asked.

“Ever since middle school. I guess you could call it emo, too. But it’s a fun way to express myself. I was bullied, but I always knew that it’s good to be different,” I explained.

They all smiled.

“Wow, that really cool,” Emily said.

“Thanks,” I chuckled.

“Hey, there’s karaoke here! I know your band isn’t here, but we’d love to hear you,” JJ smiled, changing the subject.

I laughed nervously and Spencer squeezed my hand for support.

“Sure,” I said. I downed my drink and stood up.

“You’ll do great!” Spencer said and gave me thunbs up. I laughed and went up to the DJ.

“Hey, are you doing karaoke right now?” I asked.

“Yeah! Wanna be the first contestant?” She asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I smiled.

“What song, sweetie?”

“Helena by My Chemical Romance,” I said.

“You got it. Here’s the mic, good luck!”

I thanked her and grabbed the mic. I went on the stage and immediately looked for Spencer. My eyes locked with his and he gave me another thumbs up. I smiled at his support.

The intro started and I took a deep breath and put my hand on my stomach.

“Long ago, just like the Hearse you die to get in again. we are so far from you, burning on.” I sang.

As I went on, people came in front of the stage, crowding around. Spencer and his friends came up. Penelope and Emily were singing along even.

“Well I've been holding on tonight. What's the worst that I can say? Things are better if I stay. So long and goodnight. So long and goodnight,” I sang and loosened up. I moved my head and body with the music.

As I sang onto the next verse, almost the whole club was jumping around and singing the lyrics. I smiled and I felt my confidence build up.

“Can you hear me? Are you near me? Can we pretend to leave and then. We'll meet again. When both our cars collide,” I sang into the mic, getting louder with each word.

“What's the worst that I can say? Things are better if I stay. So long and goodnight. So long and goodnight!” I jumped around. “And if you carry on this way. Things are better if I stay. So long and goodnight. So long and goodnight!”

I finsihed the song and inhaled loudly, catching my breath. Everyone clapped. Derek, Emily, and Spencer whistled. I smiled and went off the stage. The group met me back at our table.

“Wow! You are talented!” Emiy laughed.

“Thank you. I took voice lessons for 12 years,” I chuckled.

“It payed off,” Derek smiled.

The rest of the night consisted of dancing and talking more. I felt myself grow tired and decided to go home with Spencer.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Y/n,” JJ smiled.

“You, too,” I said and returned the smile.

“See you at work, guys,” Spencer said.

————

The Next Day *2nd POV*

“So, you met Reid’s girlfriend?” Rossi asked.

Emily nodded and sat down. “They are like polar opposites, but she’s so sweet.”

“How so?” Hotch asked. “She’s more alternative,” JJ explained.

“Hm... wait, is that her over there?” Hotch asked and pointed to the conference room’s window.

The team saw you giving Spencer his lunch. You were dressed in a blue bad black plaid skirt, crop top, with tights and your boots.

“Wow, she is different,” Rossi said.

“But he looks happy,” Hotch grinned slightly.

“He deserves it,” JJ smiled.

They all looked at the two of you, smiling fondly.

“I’m glad he found her,” Emily said.

“Me, too, Em,” Derek smiled.

————

Like / Reblog !

message to be on taglist :)

#spencer reid imagines #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #matthew gray gubler #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #mgg #criminal minds #spencer reid oneshots #imagines #imagine #love #x reader #2020

[oceanivoxjoquainx]

Im up too late again so yall know what that meansssss

🌠🌈Samquin Headcanon Time!!🌈🌠

Tonight's Edition: College AU!

Sam's a 2nd year engineering major that transferred from a school in Louisiana to a school in Arizona because thats the school his sister was going to and he wanted to stay close to her

Sarah is in her 1st year and studying business with a math minor (going into finance and accounting)

Sharon's also in her 1st year and studying polisci with a psych minor (going into foreign relations)

Joaquin is ALSO in his 1st year and he's studying filmography

Sarah, Sharon and Joaquin meet in their first art and design class (we love electives) and after finding out they stay in the same dorm they become fast friends

Sarah and Sharon are in calc together but Joaquin is in a different calc class

Its here he meets Sam for the first time

Sam is sitting right behind Joaquin and always notices when he walks in because he usually comes in right as class starts

He wants to say hi but feels awkward as a 2nd year talking to who he's assuming is a first year

This goes on for a couple of weeks until one day Sam drops his pencil and it rolls off the desk and far far away into the crowds of feet

Joaquin hears it fall, sees it roll away, and then hears Sam subtle "fuck" about the whole situation so he turns around and rests his pencil on Sams desk

Joaquin's has a little clip so it has no choice but to stay put

Sam grumbles out a thanks and Joaquin looks over his shoulder smiling with a wink then nods and turns back around

Sam tries to give Joaquin his pencil back but as soon as class is done Joaquin is out the door

This was the last class before midterm break so for a whole week Joaquin's smile is on his mind, and the need to give him back his pencil of course

The next time they have class Joaquin's seat ends up getting taken so he has to sit all the way across the room

This happens for many more weeks until finally he comes early enough to get his seat back

All this time Sam his ranting to his current best friends Steve and Bucky (also in engineering but they're 3rd years) about how he can't give the pencil back to the kid

Steve and Bucky share a knowing look, already fully aware of what this is about

On the final day of class Sam finally decides to give the pencil back one and for all

He leaves a few seconds before class ends so he can catch Joaquin as he's leaving and his plan is successful

He stops Joaquin and finally hands him his pencil back where he also finally gets to see Joaquin's full face

And its simple to say he's speechless

Joaquin thanks him for holding onto it for him and invites him to the campus coffeeshop to meetup with his friends

Sam awkwardly agrees and the two talk about their programs and what they want to do after their done with school

They reach the shop and they see Sarah and Sharon waiting on Joaquin

When they see Sam, Sarah jumps up to greet him and they have a little hug

Sams a bit surprised that Sarah's known this mystery man all along and he didn't realize

Sarah of course knows how much Sam's been agonizing over this boy and this pencil but didn't think it'd be Joaquin

The 4 hv a bite to eat and then go their separate ways

Sam thinks he's not going to ever see Joaquin again as he pulls further and further along in his program and is down about it all winter break

The next semester Sam's in Calc 2 and is late on first day of class and doesn't take note of where he's sitting

He realizes in the rush of getting to class he doesn't have a pencil.... again

He once again curses about this until a familiar pencil is slid along the desk towards him

He looks up and sees no one else but Joaquin sitting right next to him with his bright smile

Sam reaches for the pencil and their fingers brush for a second before Sam pulls away with a sheepish apology

The two refocus on the lesson, ready for a new semester of possibilities

#sam wilson #joaquin torres #samquin #samquin au #sarah wilson #sharon carter #im sleeping over by a friends house but really couldnt sleep and felt like shit so here i am! #probably going to do more of these in the future #actually... definitely gonna do more #tfatws au #tfatws #fatws #the falcon and the winter soilder

[doubleattitude]

24/7 Dance Convention, Reno, NV: RESULTS

High Scores by Age:

Sidekick Solo

1st: Lauralee King-’Bigger Is Better’

2nd: Valentina Segrest-’All Is Found’

3rd: Nyla McCarthy-’Wind It Up’

4th: Nicole Soto-’Shake and Shimmy’

5th: Brecca Garcia-’Day-O’

5th: Kenlee Townsend-’Kill The Lights’

6th: Ayla Zink-’Stop’

7th: Wren Lavery-’Sweet, Sweet’

8th: Paisley Greendandl-’Worldwide Party’

9th: Marley Cliffe-’Dessert’

9th: Greta Jones-’Shake Rattle and Roll’

10th: Malia Tuaileva-’Stupid Cupid’

Mini Solo

1st: Roxie Onellion-’Drifting Down’

2nd: Isabella Kouznetsova-’Almost There’

2nd: Tiara Sherman-’And The Things Remain’

3rd: Harper Ducale-’Change Is Everything’

3rd: Winter Eberts-’Dreamlike’

3rd: Naiya Abalos-’Forces’

3rd: Cali Cassidy-’Weird People’

4th: Paizley Cogswell-’A Moment Apart’

4th: Fiona Wu-’Juliet’s Dream’

4th: Joah Moore-’Mad World’

4th: Regan Gerena-’My Boyfriend’s Back’

4th: Presley Nava-’Pure Imagination’

4th: Delilah Hewitt-’Shop Around’

5th: Peyton Nowacki-’Angels To Fly’

5th: Kylie Lawrence-’Breathe In’

5th: Tatum Brady-’Fall Creek’

5th: Everleigh Soutas-’Heartbeat’

5th: Olivia Armstrong-’Hit Me With A Hot Note’

5th: Kate Baker-’I’ll Stand By You’

5th: Aria Du-’Reddir’

5th: Elizabeth Hsu-Kwan-’Ruin’

6th: Diana Jouznetsova-’It’s In His Kiss’

6th: Hadlee Heriford-’Unbroken’

7th: Tabitha Nan-’Torn’

7th: June Newmarker-’What A Feeling’

8th: Zoey German-’On My Own’

8th: Elliana Anbardan-’Runway Walk’

8th: Joy Lin-’This Is Me’

9th: Rory Frye-’Amen’

9th: Aurora Brady-’Hit The Road Jack’

9th: Reagan Nordling-’Lemon of Pink’

10th: Khloe Kwon-’Black Pink!’

10th: Aubrey Tolentino-’Footwurkin’

10th: Holland Fraley-’Torn’

Junior Solo

1st: Gracyn French-’CoverGirl’

2nd: Laci Stoico-’Mibiso’

3rd: Makaia Roux-’Everything I Wanted’

4th: Mya Tuaileva-’Can’t Unhear’

4th: Kortlynn Rosenbaugh-’Unearthed’

5th: Hayden Olson-’Breathe’

5th: Lincoln Blakely-’What I Came to Do’

5th: Kendyl Fay-’You’ll Find A Way’

5th: Madison Ortega-’Island Song

6th: Campbell Clark-’I’ll Be Seeing You’

6th: Kylee Ngo-’Ex machina’

6th: Ciana Ciulla-’Sophrosyne’

6th: Madison Ronquillo-’White Ferrari’

6th: Rylee Young-’Lullaby’

7th: Bella Fernandez-’She Was Running’

7th: Kendall Jundt-’Awakening’

7th: Leighton Werner-’The Rose’

8th: Gigi Hipwell-’Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’

8th: Abbi Francis-’Feel It Still’

8th: Sienna Brown-’Ballroom Blitz’

8th: Natalie Kulba-’Ascending’

8th: Stella Eberts-’Valley’

8th: Campbell Bas-’Silhouette’

9th: Anabel Alexander-’Plans We Made’

9th: Lena Chiem-’Grand Piano’

9th: Anya Inger-’Quiet Thoughts’

10th: Sunnie Pelant-’No Place Like Home’

Teen Solo

1st: Dyllan Blackburn-’Haunted’

2nd: Kaitlyn Tom-’Charity Bound’

2nd: Luke Barrett-’Eden’

2nd: Carley Thinfen-’Self Destruction’

2nd: Elle O’Donnell-’Slowly’

2nd: Imogene Elias-’Timer’

3rd: Zoe Ridge-’A Thousand Eyes’

3rd: Katy McIlwaine-’Heavy’

3rd: Cydney Heard-’I’m Going In’

3rd: Ava DeCristofaro-’Letting In’

3rd: Isabella Warfield-’Nicest Thing’

3rd: Jenna Koblin-’Ultralight Beam’

4th: Kaitlyn Ortega-’All Human Beings’

4th: Sami Sonder-’Fever’

4th: Brooklyn Sandlin-’Hollow’

4th: Siena Riga-’Naked’

4th: Mason Walker-’Touch’

5th: Ali McKeown-’All I Ask’

5th: Lilly McCollum-’Control’

5th: Raina Wu-’Looking In’

5th: Kamryn Webb-’Take Me Out’

6th: Mikaella Lopez-’Mind In Flight’

6th: Dayanara Vega-’Skin’

6th: Amanda J. Lai-’The Journey, Not The Destination’

6th: Zuzu Duchon-’Twelfth of Never’

6th: Riley Cooke-’Yellow’

6th: Aiden Boquiren-’You Will Be Found’

7th: Olivia Magni-’Moonlight Sonata’

7th: Sebastian Hsu-Kwan-’My Identity’

7th: Julissa Ortiz-’Never Knock’

7th: Felix Fulton-’Rome’

8th: Tiffany Robinson-’Human Touch’

8th: Milana Zamora-’Hypnosis’

8th: Ellyana Lor-’Rise of the Phoenix’

8th: Zoey Garcia-’Slappers’

8th: Claire Kaplan-’Suspended’

8th: Avery Reyes-’The Garden’

9th: Bella Machado-’Everybody Got Their Something’

9th: Aaliyah Wiley-’If I Ain’t Got You’

10th: Tyler Chiyuto-’Glitch’

10th: Deanna Zarkova-’Love Song’

10th: Gabbie Carrozza-’Unbroken’

Senior Solo

1st: Zach Burk-’2/21/21′

1st: Selena Hamilton-’Keep an Eye Out’

2nd: Kendall Pangburn-’Secret’

2nd: Anna Miller-’50 Ways’

2nd: Perris Amento-’Addicted to Love’

3rd: Charlotte Foldes-’Shock To Us All’

3rd: Priscilla Tom-’The Blues’

3rd: Milan Furtado-’Peace of Mind’

4th: Gianna Van Den Bosch-’Feel’

4th: Shane Higa-’Superpower’

4th: Camille Fehr-’Till Now’

5th: Kadynce Ross-’Findings’

5th: Kaylee Feierfeil-’Lasting Lover’

5th: Amanda Taylor-’What Is Happening To Me’

5th: Kacie De La Rose-’What’s Poppin’

6th: Lauren Wallingford-’Entanglement’

6th: Izzy Burton-’For All We Know’

6th: Kolton Cross-’Get Your Head In The Game?’

6th: Reese Taylor-’Pink’

6th: Madeline Underwood-’Power of Love’

7th: Mia Hurtz-’Don’t Worry About Me’

7th: John Mays-’Kash’

7th: Amara Tedford-’Stand By Me’

7th: Bianca Capanna-’Unchained Melody’

8th: Grace Glass-’All My Friends’

8th: Stella von Borck-’Hater’

9th: Christina Laude-’Black Ships’

9th: Hanna Clark-’Close To You’

9th: Galilee Nelson-’Everything I Wanted’

9th: Kaitlyn Hong-’I Try’

9th: Cassie Brown-’Ransom’

9th: Delaney Davis-’Shades of Cool’

10th: Noelani Kreider-’Fade’

10th: Alivia Elliot-’My Mistake’

10th: Makenna Bilodeaux-’Oops’

10th: Mallory Davis-’Put It On Me’

Mini Duo/Trio

1st: HYPE Dance Studio-’American Boy’

2nd: Project 21-’I Am The Cute One’

3rd: Pave School of The Arts-’Blow’

3rd: Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Everybody Dance Now’

Junior Duo/Trio

1st: Dance Unlimited Boise-’Me and My Shadow’

2nd: Yoko’s Dance and Performing Arts Academy-’Bring You Home’

3rd: Creative Edge Dance Studio-’Chapstick’

Teen Duo/Trio

1st: DNA Dance Collective-’Tapout’

2nd: Pave School of The Arts-’Amen’

3rd: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Dive In The Water’

Senior Duo/Trio

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’Layers’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Woman’

3rd: Core Connection Dance Company-’Take Over’

Sidekick Group

1st: Echo School of Dance-’It’s My Party’

2nd: Echo School of Dance-’Tonight Belongs To You’

3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Hard Knock Life’

Mini Group

1st: Project 21-’Fan Tan Fannie’

2nd: Pave School of The Arts-’Swine’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’We Go To Work’

3rd: Echo School of Dance-’We Comin’

Junior Group

1st: Project 21-’Stuff Like That There’

2nd: Project 21-’No Fear But Anticipation’

3rd: Project 21-’Wegue’

Teen Group

1st: Project 21-’Girls, Girls, Girls’

2nd: Project 21-’Bring On The Men’

3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Stand Up’

Senior Group

1st: Project 21-’We Can, We Will’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’SR HH”

3rd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Silence’

Sidekick Line

1st: HYPE Dance Studio-’ABC’

2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’We Got The Beat’

Mini Line

1st: Project 21-’Dive In The Pool’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Drip or Down’

2nd: Pave School of The Arts-’The List’

3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Candy Man’

Junior Line

1st: Project 21-’Proud Mary’

2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Get Up Off That Thang’

3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Lost On You’

Teen Line

1st: Project 21-’Post That’

2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Can U Feel The Beat’

2nd: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Never Be Mine’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Nine One Six’

2nd: Project 21-’The Dictator’s Dream’

3rd: California Dance Company-’Back Alley’

Senior Line

1st: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Next To You’

2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Did Something Bad’

3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Fergalicious’

Teen Extended Line

1st: Project 21-’Desoleil’

2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Pressure’

High Scores by Performance Division:

Sidekick Jazz

1st: Echo School of Dance-’Tonight Belongs To You’ 2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’We Got The Beat’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Yankee Doodle Dandee’

Sidekick Hip-Hop

1st: Echo School of Dance-’It’s My Party’ 2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’ABC’

Sidekick Tap

Elite Studio of Dance-’Hard Knock Life’

Mini Jazz

1st: Project 21-’Dive In The Pool’ 2nd: Pave School of The Arts-’Swine’ 3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Candy Man’

Mini Hip-Hop

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’Drip or Down’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’We Go To Work’ 3rd: Echo School of Dance-’We Comin’

Mini Tap

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’Mr. Postman’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’What You Want’ 3rd: Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Pennies from Heaven’

Mini Contemporary

1st: Pave School of The Arts-’The List’ 2nd: Echo School of Dance-’Warrior’

Mini Lyrical

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’Wind Beneath My Wings’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Somewhere We Know’ 3rd: Core Connection Dance Company-’Somewhere Only We Know’

Mini Musical Theatre

Project 21-’Fan Tan Fannie’

Junior Jazz

1st: Project 21-’Proud Mary’ 2nd: Project 21-’Stuff Like That There’ 3rd: HYPE Dance Studio-’You Got The Look’

Junior Ballet

Denisa’s School of Dance-’Warrior’

Junior Hip-Hop

1st: Echo School of Dance-’Swagg Out’ 2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Diamond Block’

Junior Tap

1st: HYPE Dance Studio-’Get Up Off That Thang’ 2nd: Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Don’t Want To Dance Alone’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Dear Future Husband’

Junior Contemporary

1st: Project 21-’No Fear But Anticipation’ 2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’How Will I Know’ 3rd: Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’All I Know’

Junior Specialty

1st: Project 21-’Wegue’ 2nd: Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Night Fight’

Teen Jazz

1st: Project 21-’Bring On The Men’ 1st: Project 21-’Post That’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Diva’ 3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Show Me’

Teen Ballet

Elite Studio of Dance-’Counterpoise’

Teen Hip-Hop

1st: HYPE Dance Studio-’Pressure’ 2nd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Can U Feel The Beat’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Nine One Six’ 3rd: California Dance Company-’Back Alley’

Teen Tap

1st: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Sir Duke’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Just Fine’ 3rd: HYPE Dance Studio-’Beggin’

Teen Contemporary

1st: Project 21-’Girls, Girls, Girls’ 1st: Project 21-’Desoleil’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Stand Up’ 3rd: Project 21-’The Dictator’s Dream’ 3rd: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Never Be Mine’

Teen Lyrical

California Dance Company-’Amen’

Teen Musical Theatre

Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Shaking The Blues Away’

Teen Ballroom

Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Baila’

Senior Jazz

Elite Studio of Dance-’Lip Gloss’

Senior Hip-Hop

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’SR HH” 2nd: Core Connection Dance Company-’Bay Area’

Senior Tap

1st: Elite Studio of Dance-’Fergalicious’ 2nd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Bad Guy’

Senior Contemporary

1st: Project 21-’We Can, We Will’ 2nd: Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Next To You’ 3rd: Elite Studio of Dance-’Did Something Bad’

Senior Jazz

Elite Studio of Dance-’Lip Gloss’

11 O’Clock:

Sidekick

Echo School of Dance-’It’s My Party’

HYPE Dance Studio-’ABC’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Hard Knock Life’

Mini

Project 21-’Dive In The Pool’

Pave School of The Arts-’The List’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Drip or Down’

Junior

Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’All I Know’

HYPE Dance Studio-’Get Up Off That Thang’

Project 21-’Proud Mary’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Lost On You’

Teen

Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Never Be Mine’

Echo School of Dance-’Da Girl Gang’

California Dance Company-’Back Alley’

HYPE Dance Studio-’Pressure’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Stand Up’

Project 21-’Girls, Girls, Girls’

Senior

Dance Attack!-Los Gatos-’Next To You’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Did Something Bad’

HYPE Dance Studio-’Silence’

Echo School of Dance-’I Lost A Friend’

Core Connection Dance Company-’Heartless’

Project 21-’We Can, We Will’

Studio Showcase:

Sweaty Shelly Natomas Dance and Fitness-’Untouchable’

Project 21-’Girls, Girls, Girls’

HYPE Dance Studio-’Pressure’

Elite Studio of Dance-’Stand Up’

Echo School of Dance-’I Lost A Friend’

Core Connection Dance Company-’Heartless’

#reno #nevada #24/7 #dance #2021

[aaudace]

art of loving on

pairing: sam wilson x ava rhodes

word count: 2.5k

notes: the fact that im super late on posting this says a lot about me, so lets just pretend that its still thanksgiving. okay so i know that the title is cliche and this might flop big time, but i wanted to do something a little different besides simply posting gifs. im a sucker for reading sappy one shots so I decided to make my own. this is part one of my holiday one shot series. enjoy!

If you were to ask Ava Rhodes how she felt about the holidays, more than likely she would give you a whole monologue on her hatred for it. 

    Call her a Scrooge, but her love for the holidays had faltered a year ago after she lost the one thing that was considered a gift to her. Losing the one thing that brought her peace was the last straw that broke her to pieces. Her patience for the holidays had changed dramatically. No longer had she been longing for the joyous laughter and loving smiles that the goodwill season brought along. 

    Instead with every waking moment, she dreaded it. 

    However, for at least the next few hours, she had to throw away her personal thoughts about jolly holiday and put on a facade. Her face no longer carried a cold hearted look, but instead her cheeks were burning red with joy and laughter. Although she hated herself for it, the Rhodes girl would volunteer herself to help at the Veterans Affairs Office that was a couple blocks from her apartment.

   Even though it pained her dearly to sit through hours of hearing individuals explain their gratitude and compassion for the season, a part of her felt like the peace that she lost was there with her when she volunteered. Before he died, her boyfriend Marcus would spend hours in the exact building that basically became a formulated routine of the two of them each holiday season. The one thing that Ava missed the most about him was his passion for helping others. Her heart sung with joy as she watched him go above and beyond for each individual that walked through the doors. He had a way with words that made people feel good about themselves. Whether you were the poorest individual or the richest, Marcus was willing to do whatever it took to bring the best out of you. At least that’s what he did for Ava.

   God, she missed him. 

    But she managed to put on a brave face as she stood in the same position that he did before. Her mind and hands had been tied up in many things. For the first hour of her time, she served food to individuals that came by the office. Usually within the first few minutes, the small building was packed from the outskirts. So this kept her mind busy. The few next hours, she spent entertaining the elderly veterans with card and board games. The first hour was pretty easy for her, but soon afterwards, she came to the realization that card games and grown men didn’t really mix as well as she thought. Bernard Chapman and Arthur Wilfred, two regulars at the VA did not really understand the concept of a friendly competition. One minute, she was showing one group how to play Connect Four, the next she found herself in the middle of a brawl that involved childish name calling and sailor swearing. This also kept her mind busy. 

   And now, with time being the thief that it was, she found herself in the banquet hall that once housed thousands of individuals that came from different walks, cleaning up the remainder of the trash that was left behind. Although the help that she once had offered to stay behind and help, she ushered them out of the door. She didn’t mind doing the clean up part. Out of everything, that was the easiest to her. In other words, it kept her mind busy. 

   As she cleaned off the tables, a sigh escaped from her lips. The silence that had once inhabited the quiet space had come to halt at the creaking sound of the doors being pushed open.

    She figured it has been one of the volunteers, Marge coming back to help her out with the clean up. Marge had been one of Marcus’ favorite volunteers to work with. Her sass was nothing compared to what he put up with at home with Ava, however, it was her golden heart that made her stand out. She was different from other volunteers. Marge had been working for the VA office for years after her husband passed away. For her, this place had been a sanctuary of peace. Just like for Ava. Marge had become family for Ava. She was the only person that knew her the way that Marcus had come to know her. Maybe that was the reason why Ava was able to remain stable throughout her time of volunteering. 

   “Marge, how many times do I have to tell you,” Ava yelled, placing her rag onto her shoulder. She didn’t bother looking up at the entrance way because she knew looking into the eyes of the shameless woman would only make it hard for her to say no to her. “You know, one of these days you are just gonna accept the fact that no means no.”

    The sound of footsteps echoed across the room as they began to move closer and closer towards Ava directions. “I swear, sometimes I wonder how Marcus dealt with you. You are worse than me. And sometimes I can’t even stand me....” 

    At this point, Ava turned from her duty to look up at the shadowy figure. Her green eyes widened as she realized that the body figure didn’t quite match up to the petite figure that Marge had. Instead, it was made up of bicep muscles that hid under a dark leather jacket. Her mouth opened to protest, but she couldn’t find the words. In fact, the only thing she could say was, “Uh, um—”

  “Just so you know, Marge was on her way back, I just managed to convince her to go home,” the man said. He moved a little closer, covering the large gap that stood in between them. “I swear, she reminds of someone that I know. Someone that’s kind of feisty, blunt, and can be a little sarcastic at times. Sometimes a little too much, but we are working on that.” 

   Ava rolled her eyes, “I think the key of life is getting your point across. And there’s nothing wrong with my sarcasm. Some people just don’t have a sense of humor.”

   “Or sometimes you can be a little too harsh and you aren’t willing to admit that.”

“If it makes you happy,” she scoffed. “I managed to put away my sarcasm and trade it in for joy and cheer for the day.” 

   “Atcha girl,” he laughed. “Look at you turning over a new leaf.” 

Ava smirked at him. She loved the idea that he was proud of her. It had been a while since she had felt like that before. “But, now that the day is over. I’m putting it back on and I am now returning to my normal sarcastic, feisty, blunt self. Ah, it’s good to be me again.”

   All the man could do is sigh and return a small chuckle as a response. Ava smiled back a little. “But besides my issues, what are you doing here, Sam? It’s the holidays, you are supposed to be spending time with family.”

   As she said this, she moved past him, focusing on the last of the table that she had to clean. The smell of fresh lemons brushed against her nostrils as she squirted the bottle of cleaning supply that had been resting in her waist apron. One thing that she loved the most about cleaning the VA office was the vast amount of cleaning products they stored. She really couldn’t her finger on why exactly she enjoyed them so much. She just did. 

    Maybe it was the idea that each of them held a fragrance that held a sentimental memory in her mind. Like the one that smelt like an island breeze reminded her of the time Marcus cleaned up after a man who accidentally spilled his carton of milk on the floor. It had been a slow holiday at the VA office that day. Although the man was generous enough to help Marcus clean up the mess, it was Marcus that had been too caught up with everything that he forgot to place the warning sign for the place that he mopped and managed to slip. That holiday, Ava spent the majority of the night cracking jokes as they occupied the waiting room of the hospital for Marcus’ broken back. The one that smelt like flowers reminded her of her first time volunteering at the VA office. She and Marcus had only been dating for a couple of months. As part of getting to know him better, he invited her to see what he considered his safe haven. When he wasn’t dealing with police business, he would spend his Saturdays, encouraging other veterans who had been down on their luck. Ava would later find out that his dad was the reason why the place even existed. New York only had a few VA offices, but there was nothing like the one that stood on the corner of Baldwin Avenue and 2nd Street. 

   The one that she loved the most was the one that smelt like lemons. That one was his favorite. 

   “I could ask you the same question, Ava.” Sam said. She didn’t bother to stop cleaning. “Mariah called and said you didn’t want to come over for Thanksgiving dinner. She said something about you being sick. But knowing you like the back of hand, I knew that wasn’t true.”

  Ava laughed a little. She had totally forgotten about the little white lie she had mentioned to her friend earlier. Mariah Riggs, her best friend, was known for doing the most of the holidays. In fact, she’s so much into it that she basically starts all of her planning in the summer. The summer for Christ’s sake. “Well, I was sick, but after a little while I started feeling a bit better. It’s no big deal, I’ll call Mariah tonight and tell her the truth.”

   “Which one?” asked Sam. “The truth about you not being sick or the truth of the real reason why you continue to hate the holidays.” At this, Ava stopped her motion and turned to look at him. “Ava, I understand your reasoning, but you can’t keep—”

  “Sam, can we please not get into this? I really don’t have the energy.” 

He sighed. “Ava, avoiding the topic will only make it worse. You can’t keep burying yourself in this hole of hurt.”

   “I am fine, okay,” she spoke, her tone turning a bit harsh. “I just don’t understand why everyone is so concerned. Why is it a crime that I hate this time of year?”

  “Because when Marcus was alive you enjoyed it.” Her heart sank. Even though it was unspoken for the two of them, Ava didn’t like it when other people brought up the issue of her dead boyfriend. Usually, her reaction was cold and she was ready to fight the first person in sight. However, Sam never really brought it up before so she really did not how to react. She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued. “Marge told me that once upon a time, you were in love with the holidays. Now all you do is make any excuse to get out of anything festive just so you could stay locked up in your apartment. I can’t even get you say one good thing about the holidays.”

   Her green eyes begin to water. She cursed at herself for even allowing herself to feel any type of vulnerability. He continued, “You don’t think when I signed up to be your boyfriend that I wouldn’t be prepared for these moments. Babe, you and I are a team. You have to let me in. You can’t keep shutting me out.”

   He had a point, but Ava really didn’t want to admit that. However, the tears that streamed down her face said something else. The pair had been together for a little over a few months. And even though they seemed compatible, the thought of them getting closer scared Ava. If she was being honest, she was terrified when her heart started developing feelings for him. She was terrified when he asked out on a date. And she had been feeling this way for a hot second, but ironically, she was terrified of even bringing it up. 

   The silence stood in between for a moment. Sam stood in front her, his heart beating out of his chest. The longer she stood in silent, the more nerve wracking it became from him. The few months of dating Ava had its moments of challenges. But it also had its rewards. Even though she was tough, she had her moments to where she brought out the good in him believe it or not. And that was something that wasn’t easy. But she did it. And as someone who cared and loved her, he was willing to do whatever it took to do the same for her.

   “I-I am scared that one day, I’ll wake up and you won’t be there for me.” Ava spoke, finally popping the bubble of silence. “I am scared that if I let my guard down, life will take away from me. Just like it did for Marcus. Sam, I want to let you in — I really do, but I am just tired of—” 

      Her words were cut off by the touch of his soft lips on herself. He placed his hands onto her waist, pulling her a little closer to him. Ava didn’t remember exactly when it happened, but sudden her hands were wrapped around his neck. Even though he was a couple inches taller she didn't have to stand on her toes, the heels of her boots did that job for her. 

   When he pulled away from her, he looked into her eyes and spoke, “Ava, it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than just life to keep me away from you. I am not going anywhere.” 

“You say that, but what if—”

 “I am not going anywhere, Ava.”

“Okay, but —”

“I could do this all day, Ava. I am not going anywhere.”

    She rolled her eyes. As she pulled away from him, she wiped her face from her tears. Maybe life did have a way of giving back. And even though, life had gave her shit for her whole entire existence, maybe in some universal designed fate, life was giving her the gift of love again. And his name was Sam Wilson. 

  “Well, if that's the case then just know that since you are linking me to you forever, that doesn't mean I’ll go easy on you, Wilson.” she said. He shook his head and laughed. Maybe he was right? Letting him in couldn’t be such a bad idea. “I am known to be pretty grouchy in the mornings when I don’t have my coffee.”

  “Noted. That's why I stack up extra coffee beans back at my place.” he laughed. “I love you.” 

    She kissed his cheek. “I love you more.” He smiled at her. Before she could say anything, he walked over a table just across from them. She didn’t realize it earlier, but he had a big brown bag that he propped on the table.

    He placed the bag on the table that she finished cleaning. “So since you really didn’t get a chance to properly celebrate Thanksgivings, I figured I would bring a piece of it to you.” he said. He pulled out two plastic containers along with utensils. “Marge told me you like pumpkin pie, so I managed to get the last two pieces from that diner up the street.”

    She laughed. From that moment, she made a mental note to take the time out to thank Marge for the many facts that she managed to learn about her. “Marge knows me well.”

   “Happy Thanksgiving, Ava. Here’s to many more holidays together.”

    “Cheers to that.”

#a marvelous holiday #sam wilson x oc #ava rhodes #otp: love after war #damage control series #sam wilson fic #sam wilson au #marvel au #my edits #my writings

[paraclete0407]

1.

That my favorite JLC novel was ‘Call for the Dead’ - a reference for the Black Death

2.

Nora Roberts’ ‘Holding the Dream’ - ‘Project 521′

3.

‘[Japanese word for bouquet] super-cruise

4.

‘Afterburner’ - hands on shoulders

5.

‘Disbelief in math’ - you [stole presence of breast]

6.

‘Why am I so dumb’

7.

Drinking boiling tea on empty stomach till fly, leap weightlessly

8.

‘Mariposa 2016′ - why not be ‘wheeled out’ 

9.

‘Speak while breathing in’

10.

Oxygen from outside not needed; breathing is crutch

11.

Do backflip; test of will

12.

‘Germantown Lake’

13.

Instant respect University School of Milwaukee

14.

‘UW-Milwaukee (once) respected me’

15.

‘The infliction

16.

‘H3B’ - ‘Mutt Riley’ drug-dealer w/ heart of gold (fake stock character) ‘Malaysian Camille,’ fingers intercostal, ‘Liesl,’ point to books w/ furry boot-toes, ‘I want to kick that cat.’  Some kind of gov’t agency.  Girl w/ marmalade hair,

17.

‘Gangster Opera’ - ‘__-ya what _ _ _ _’ - ‘penalty life’ 

18.

‘Flamenco dance-hall poison gas massacre’ - ‘First Love’

19.

‘The Persian Girl’ - NYC container-ship nuclear terrorism

20.

‘Oxygen Girl and Lithium Boy’ - W. Allen ‘Jupiter Symphony’ - Green R-33  - ‘Yeppeo Harkke’ - ‘I’m not Allen; don’t want to know everything; I groom no one; I expect not to live forever; IDC abt ‘sexual awakening’  + doesn’t need to be taught.  Unoriginal sinner, un-special sophistication, ‘nubile’ - well f--- you and praise God f---face

21.

Distributing the apple-baskets to the poor

22.

‘Epipen’ hostess-bar; [fake name spoken by munch-crumple-idiot].  

23.

‘The Coalminer’s Wife.’  Rutgers is Pyongyang; Mason Gross School of the Arts is Pyongyang; spiral staircase, why am I so dumb.  ‘Poetry-writing is like _ _ but novel-writing is like coal-mining.’  The small room, loom / weave.  Sleep in uniform apron / visor.  Blindness.  Hairband.  ‘If you wear this shirt on college 1st day will meet fut. husband.’  

Sitting in subterranean culvert, bride, pink silver white, orange light.  Kneeling in matte white in coal-hill.  ‘The village headman’s daughter.’  Candle.  Roman Catholicism implied.  

24.

Legalistic, fat on health-foods.  Friend is skinny always burning self down, love of pizza.  ‘Sungjin.’  

25.

‘Minister of the Right’ - ‘Scholar Jin and Lady Periwinkle’

26.

‘Eternal Protector YSS his face was white to blacks black to whites spoke breathing in, racist in immutable divine capacity, picking up valuables from ground even if stolen property =/- smashing store-window to steal.  Terrible elephant-trumpet, sinking, PCH will burn me w/ cigarette-tip in Eternity.  

27.

‘Sospira’ - mandatory euthanasia for piano-teacher after ‘genius student’ graduates

28.

‘Man is woman and woman is b _ _.’  ‘Women are floors.’  

29.

The bird says ‘laoshi.’  The rabbit approaches me; my son.  Little kids w/ armored lower legs will crush me.  

30.

‘So tired from writing strip-club accounts by hand shoulder fatigue the RU Aryan Nation (inc. blonde Jewesses) easily bent her arm to make it look like suicide.’    

31.

‘I caused WW3 due to collective hallucination and/or CCP deepfake; casus belli

32.

‘We’ll give you a five-course meal then f--- you up + also plant bomb in stomach

33.

‘I f---ig TOLD YOU

34.

Mom trusted me with absolute trust-ness as we walked; Jew ‘Take your family _____!’  ‘Carlos Park,’ ‘I HATE Jews; they think they’re the only humans.’  ‘At least we can all agree about Obergefell(?!).’

35.

Why Episcopalians sing about Socrates?

36.

Tell parents, ‘Don’t you know how easy it is to generate deepfakes and say anyone did anything?’  They drove away leaving me outside Best Buy.

37.

‘He’s like the Palestinians.’  ‘I really like you.’  Black boy in pom-pom-hat, tooth-smile, tinfoil.’  My Tibetan bracelet, Diamond Gym Maplewood

38.

‘Meta-wolf.’  Painterly resolution of cinema.  Die at piano.  Stab self in right thigh.  

39.

Looking in to the PC screen 2003 I saw the future; at the very end of the _ _ vid the katana right through her mouth and head / brain / skull.  Dads to plan Covid ultra-vengeance.  YSS, ‘I killed my sons to _ _ _.’  

40.

St. Peter in sky

41.

‘Delight of bread; it befits Man’s dignity... Xi Jinping likes _... delight stomach nursing school, orange sherbert, all ight getting beaten

42.

The Black PhD woman wants me to apply lip-gloss(?!), will not expand on educational philosophy of institution - ‘I blah blah blah Harvard, middle class can’t live within means - Shanghai novel ‘What We Were Not Promised’ - ‘

43.

Guidance counselor you f----- it up - incompetent reprobate self-hypermasculinizing crop-hair Jewess man up Derek Chauvin

43.

‘The neural math Yuki Katakura, mirror neurons, decoupling, cannot ride the vestibule, Matt Chai, “Correspondence and Correlation’  Berkeley CA, ‘Catherine Chai’ emerald dress, McDonalds in the days when seats were fixed outside.  Michelle WAi funeral; she played guitar; commanded submarine, assassinated by RPG Arab terrorist.  G-36.  ‘Fantail.’

44.

‘What’s Myeong Hyeongeso up to?’ - I really love my friend Cunningham whose heartrate spikes probably b/c he knows there’s CCP Yakuza assassins somewhere al the time thinking of murdering him

45.

Daejin McDonald’s one night, I start singing ’Star Spangled Banner.’  Kim Jong Un launches missile arcing over cereal grain fields, I start singing ‘Star Spangled Banner.’

46.

Literally 2015, ‘Trinity of Happiness.’  Later ‘finally enter.’  Gold label lite cigarette, ‘I’m gonna have my day!’

47.

I gave the little kid money + he flipped out; he later tried to freeze himself to death as Texas Bill is manning up worried about magazine cliches, contributions to ROKA(?).  Kid quit due to voice but he’s still better than me!  Fire all these people, CDF, ‘Charles David Framingham,’ nuke Milwaukee, I don’t trust his data.  ‘I had so much sex before marriage’ - just die I read your magazine 3,0000 years ago.  I can’t believe anyone wants to be you; my grandfather was B-24 co-pilot, main pilot KIA, landed without landing-training, grapefruit morning, infinite wrist-strength.  I smashed up his house but he didn’t get mad, just stutter.  Dead-eyed f---face shooting every animal in Texas.  

48. 

Very much fear of P2 holiness but holiness-shyness even worse than love-shyness even more blasphemous, I sincerely hope he strangles me very soon

49.

The evillest thing I ever thought, the ‘death of deaths,’ Kim Jong Il, what was he thinking?  I used to toy with TW-1, say word ‘zombie’  ‘How could you do that?!’  I didn’t liquefy girls’ skeletons or sth; it’s like Schindler’s List soundtrack; I just don’t know words for it.  ‘Final Gesture’ - Jesus to Judas ‘friend?’

50.

Iraq War Day trail-running, later cognizance of Noam Chomsky Hiroshima Day.  Wanted to say Op. Olympic noble but in retrospect ‘Bells of Nagasaki’ + ‘swamp of Japan.’  My grandfather’s funeral, dad is, ‘We have all drunk from wells we did not dig.’  Chinese chicken eat, nap, I can run all the way up of the hill w/ African chat.  I like YooA ‘Bon Voyage,’ check CNS high reps, atrial fibrillation.

51.

SHINEE fangirl ‘Stella(?)’ - noli me tangerine I know that stuff is ‘little stars.’  Awed at my gait  ‘If only they had stayed in hot pursuit.’  I wanna believe in all that stuff as well; I am also a dead-ender or last-chancer or last-caller; I admire Mari Iijima, ‘’Uncompromising Innocence.’  ‘Little Heaven’ but that’s Kim Jongilism or I’m worse than Kim Jong Il for thinking about ‘Agents Running in the Field.’  Timothy Keller, ‘I don’t like broccoli.’  I felt it was an innuendo and it made me think of HJ that gave me her number but I didn’t call b/c I’m against prostitution and I felt it’s fake number b/c everything is the Shadowplay.  I made stupid lewd stuff for years despite ‘Anointment’ and ‘When To Care’ - ‘toucan, macaw, demi-bra.’  Everyone thinks I’m a rapist but I’m not pressing my case; I don’t mouth-breath; I don’t spit.  I read ‘Sentimental Education’ and pre-targeted; I gave up; I wish Gen. McChrystal could be President or GWB 3rd term, conscience of Moon Jaein, ‘Weary Head.’  Thought I was ‘all hard’ for reading Natsume Soseki’s ‘Meian’ with ex-girlfriend’s smile at the end but he as dying then I started seeing kisses + wife-smiles and stuff; what’s Francis Chan up to?, does Mike Pompeo know I am real?  I liked 2nd Inuyasha movie, that song was about Mochida Kaori’s unborn niece or nephew, Kinokuniya Edgewater Mitsuwa.  The ‘Many Pieces’ live version ended with bass-note - ‘cantus firmus’ - instead of fadeout and wail.  Stone Lake NK Mountain morning.  Fav. Bible book 2 Timothy - ‘grievous wolves.’  & I used to listen to ‘Arirang’ and hear the Latin, ‘Respondemus’ - my favorite person said that Latin’s ‘quaint’ but it’s the lingua franca of the Roman Empire and that’s the final empire of this world that never went away; but this is a specific era, the great wave Delta and it’s not even the last iteration If I know anything about biological war or Satan.  Unironically fall on your face; ten billion jewel-souls tonight and this terrible fire rolling over.  I just simply pray for mercy on Milwaukee + somebody suspend their infinity-war-dueling over all the ills of yesterday back to Original Sin nd the Fall of Lucifer.  I’m unhappy that I know all this pop-culture; ‘worlds are swaying / someone is praying / please let us come home to stay’ or Kahi’s ‘One Love’ where at the end it uses the word for ‘I’ in the subjective case which is ‘arm confirmed identity’ 

[ballistic-lipstick-dream-machine]

Masterlist

Music Video GIFS

Rock Brigade

Hello America

Wasted

Let It Go

High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)

Bringin’ On The Heartbreak (1982)

Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)

Photograph

Too Late For Love

Foolin’

Rock Of Ages

Bringin’ On The Heartbreak (1984)

Me And My Wine [Honorable Mentions]

Women

Rocket

Animal

Love Bites

PSSOM (UK)

PSSOM (US) [Honorable Mentions]

Armageddon It

Hysteria

Let’s Get Rocked

Heaven Is

Make Love Like A Man

Tonight

Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)

Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad

I Wanna Touch U

Action

Two Steps Behind

Miss You In A Heartbeat

When Love And Hate Collide

Slang

Work It Out

All I Want Is Everything

Promises

Goodbye

Now

Long Long Way to Go

Rock On

No Matter What

Nine Lives

C’mon C’mon

Let’s Go

Man Enough

Dangerous

We Belong

Personal Jesus

We All Need Christmas

Kick

Fire It Up

Album Collages

On Through The Night

High N Dry

Pyromania

Hysteria

Adrenalize

Retro Active

Slang

Euphoria

X (Ten)

Yeah!

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge

Def Leppard (Self Titled)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Rock of Ages @ The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Behind The Scenes of Rock Hall Ceremony

The Road To Rock Hall (Day 4)

The Road To Rock Hall (Day 3)

The Road To Rock Hall (Day 2)

The Road To Rock Hall (Day 1)

Birthday

Happy Birthday Philip Kenneth Collen (December 8th, 1957) ❤️

Happy Birthday Richard Savage (December 2nd, 1960) ❤️

Happy Birthday Richard John Cyril Allen (November 1st, 1963) ❤️

Happy Birthday Peter Andrew Willis (February 16th, 1960) ❤️

Happy Birthday Vivian Patrick Campbell (August 25th, 1962) ❤️

Happy Birthday Joseph Thomas Elliott (August 1st, 1959) ❤️

Happy Birthday Stephen Maynard Clark (April 23rd, 1960) ❤️

Miscellaneous

Def Leppard Playlist [1] [2]

Def Leppard - Adrenalize on Vinyl [1] [2]

Phil’s Solo from Live: In the Round, in Your Face

Def Leppard Hits Europe - Sweden Rock Festival

Def Leppard on Vinyl

Def Leppard on Vinyl - Color Edition

When Joe Went Bowling

“And he never left!”

MTV’s Friday Night Video Fights

Diamond Star Halos - Animated Album Art

Kick - Animated Single Art

Take What You Want - Animated Single Art

#def leppard #phil collen #rick savage #rick allen #vivian campbell #joe elliott #steve clark #pete willis

[bensakindofmagic]

Cafe Girl

Okay so I’ve been working in a cafe all summer and this is where my brain goes when I’m bored (which is constantly). I wrote it in my lunch breaks while silently wishing it would really happen 

Thursday, 1st August 

“I hope that fit guy comes in again,” Jenny called from the coffee machine. 

You teetered in from the kitchen with a tray full of clean cups and started restocking the shelves. “What fit guy?” 

“Of course, you weren’t in yesterday. This really cute guy came in for a coffee.” 

“Is that it?” you scoffed. “You made it sound like something happened.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Sophie interjected. “He was gorgeous.”

“Right up your street actually,” Jenny nodded to you. 

Sophie rolled her eyes, “So you’re going to get all courteous now, just ‘cause you were blatantly flirting at him and he didn’t bat an eye.” 

“What girl isn’t going to try their luck with him? He was beautiful.” 

“Yeah, you mentioned,” you laughed, shaking your head. 

You didn’t have to wait long to find out if they were exaggerating or not. You were merrily folding napkins to keep yourself occupied when Jenny nudged your arm and whispered, “It’s him.” 

You looked to the door that he had just walked through. They were right, he was something else. You’d never seen anyone pull off jeans and a t-shirt that well. His shirt was just a little too tight on his arms, making his biceps bulge out of it. You imagined that he’d bought the shirt before he’d started bulking, but liked the way it accentuated his muscles. He looked as though he had that subtle arrogance of a man with confidence and a path laid out before him; not that you minded, it was wildly sexy. His hair, bright blonde, fell in obnoxiously effortless waves over his forehead. A light tan made his skin glow. 

Jenny nudged you to the till, and you rolled your eyes at her. 

“Hi, what can I get you?” you said, putting on your customer voice. You were a little startled to see his eyes were bright, piercing green. Flecks of blue and grey and gold gave them such kaleidoscopic depth that you feared you could stare into them forever and never see them fully. 

“Uh, just a flat white please.” 

“Right,” you quickly hid your flustered moment, “to take away?” 

“Please.” 

You smiled — only to be polite, of course — but he smiled back and your heart fluttered. His cheeks popped into cherries and you saw his tongue hover behind slightly parted teeth, the most subtle indication of his urge to wet his lips. 

You made him his coffee. Much to your embarrassment you made a heart in the foam, quite without thinking. Thank god you covered it up with the lid. 

“Here you go,” you handed it over to him. 

He mumbled, “Cheers,” not quite meeting your eye as he took his drink and left. 

“I think he likes you,” Jenny smirked. 

“Oh piss off,” you laughed, shaking your head. 

Friday, 2nd August

“Remember that guy that came in on Wednesday? He was in again yesterday and Y/N flirted with him,” Jenny told James, another coworker, animatedly. 

“We did not flirt,” you asserted. 

“What was that smile then?” 

“I smile at every customer, it’s called being friendly.”

Despite your thinly veiled condescension and dismissal of Jenny’s excitement, you caught yourself thinking about him far too often. That blonde god that had come in filled your idle thoughts against your will. You found yourself torn between wishing he’d come back, wanting to see him again, and silently praying that he wouldn’t. 

But within the hour he was back. Again he ordered his flat white and while he waited you contemplated who he might be. He was in on a weekday, when most people were at work, but wasn’t in a suit. He wore comfortable clothes, usually dark colours, quite plain. So not in the offices or shops along the street. You wondered if he worked in the theatre down the road. You got a lot of actors and tech crew coming in on their way to rehearsals. They’d come in everyday, or every few days, for a couple of months and then they’d disappear again once the run of the show was over.  You imagined him on a dark stage, lit in a single spotlight, reciting some melodramatic monologue, pouring his heart out to an enraptured audience... 

“Cheers,” he said, taking his coffee. 

“Have a nice day,” you smiled. 

Monday, 5th August 

You had to wait until after the weekend to see the handsome stranger again, confirming to you that he was coming on his way to — or while at — work. 

“Flat white?” you smiled as he walked up to the till. 

“Am I so predictable?” he laughed. It was deep, a rich rumbling sound like churning of the ocean.

“You’ll be a regular soon if you’re not careful.” You almost winked, but stopped yourself. That would be a step too far. 

“Maybe we’ll start getting to know each other better then.”

With that he turned away, walking to a quiet corner to wait for his coffee. He leaned nonchalantly against the wall, his body rolling in languidity, and you tried to ignore his staring.

Tuesday, 6th August

When he came in again you smiled widely. This handsome stranger was a becoming part of your daily routine. You lit up when you saw him, and he made each day a little brighter. You looked forward to seeing him each day, even if you only exchanged a few words. Occasionally you caught yourself thinking about him, wondering what it would feel like to run your fingers through his hair or have his arms wrapped around you, and felt like an idiot. You’d known him for less than a week — hell, you didn’t even know him! While his comment about getting to know you better gave you some modicum of hope, you berated yourself and tried to keep your wondering thoughts to a minimum. But still your heart seemed to flutter whenever he walked in. 

“The usual please,” he grinned. 

“If you’ve got a usual then you’re definitely a regular,” you said, putting his order through and looking at him through your lashes. 

“You say that but I’m new to the area, I barely know my way around. I’m supposed to be taking someone for dinner tonight but I have no idea where to go.”

“Is it a date?” you asked, perhaps a little too fast and quickly backtracked, “‘Cause there’s this really romantic Italian place just round the corner.”

“Not a date, I suppose it’s a business meeting.” 

“Well, the Thai over the road is really good. A bit rough and ready but the food is incredible. Or there’s a curry house a few streets over — proper fancy.”

“Oh great, thanks.”

You latched on to the scraps of information he gave you about his life, and hungry for more, the question slipped from your lips before you had a chance to second guess yourself, “Do you work in the theatre down the road?”  

He cocked his head, “How did you know?”

“We get a few actors and such coming through here, you look like the type,” you shrugged.

He laughed, “Is that an insult or a compliment?” 

You bit your lip, “Whichever you like.” 

When he took is coffee from you your fingers met briefly. His skin felt rougher than yours but warm and electric. You seemed to burn where he had touched you. 

“That was definitely flirting,” Jenny whispered to you as you both watched him walk away. 

Thursday, 8th August

“A guy came in yesterday asking for you,” your manager said with faux nonchalance, but you saw the glistening of intrigue in her eyes. 

“Oh really?” you replied as indifferently as you could. Quite against your will your heartbeat started to speed up a little

“Mm, he didn’t know your name but he described you. Seemed disappointed that you weren’t here.” 

You made no reply, but busied yourself loading the dishwasher. 

“Y/N, can you grab the till please,” Sophie called into the kitchen.

You walked out to see him standing there, hand thrust deep into his pockets, but his face lifted when he spotted you. 

“You could have got the till,” you breathed to Sophie as you walked past. 

“I’m busy,” she lied, biting back a laugh. 

“How did your dinner go?” you asked your handsome stranger (who didn’t feel so much like a stranger now), putting his order through without having to ask. 

“Yeah really good. I think I might have the part,” he beamed. It was written all over his face how much it meant to him, how proud he was of himself. You couldn’t help but smile, and you certainly couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered like a juvenile butterfly. “Congratulations.”

He held the cup up to you in a silent cheers when Sophie gave him his coffee. Just as he turned to walk away you blurted out, “My name’s Y/N, for next time you come in asking for me.” 

He blushed, the pink blossoming up his neck and onto his cheeks, “I’m Ben.”

Friday, 9th August

“Y/N, are you wearing makeup?” Sophie goaded. 

“A little, so what?”

“You never wear makeup to work.” You shrugged without a word and she grinned, “It’s that guy, isn’t it? You like him.” 

“Shut up,” you grumbled. 

Tuesday, 13th August 

Ben had come in everyday you were there, the girls even calling you back from your break once to see him, and very slowly you had started to learn more about him. He talked a bit about the play he was in and the part in the big blockbuster movie he really wanted (but he couldn’t tell you the film). You told him how you were saving up for art college, how you found working in the cafe soul destroying. He saw a customer complain to you once, being very rude about things that weren’t your fault, and saw how you bit your tongue and smiled as sweetly as you could muster until they left in a huff. 

“Jesus, I don’t know how you didn’t blow up at her,” he had said. 

“It never helps, you learn to just let them rant and look apologetic,” you mumbled back, disinterested. 

“Does that happen a lot? People being rude.” 

You nodded, “Customers tend to forget you’re human as soon as you put the apron on. You’re a robot whose only function is to serve them coffee.” You laughed bitterly. 

He had shaken his head and promised to never complain to a server again. 

“You’re early,” you smiled as Ben walked in, looking perfectly dishevelled, his hair still a little wet from his shower. Your mind wandered, quite of it’s own accord, to the image of him standing under the hot water, naked, wet... 

“Got in trouble yesterday for being late. Chatting to you for too long, clearly,” he chuckled. 

“I won’t keep you then.” 

“What do you think I came in early for?”

He leaned against the counter as you made his coffee, looking casually out into the distance. He thrust his hands into his pockets. When he licked his lips your nearly burnt yourself on the coffee machine. 

“I’m thinking about getting a dog.” 

“Oh really?” you giggled. Of course he was a dog man. “What breed?” 

“Well that’s the problem, I wanted a foxhound but they’re not great for the city I don’t think. Don’t like apartment living.” 

“What about a beagle then?” you offered. “Similar breed, still a hunting dog but smaller. Don’t need quite so much exercise.” 

“A beagle, you say?” he said, ponderous. 

“Or border terriers have a good temperament, or a westie. Or a dachshund if you wanted a hound over a terrier.” 

“You know a lot about dogs, huh?” 

“God blessed us with dogs when he realised what arseholes cats were. They’re more than we deserve.” 

“No strong feelings then.” 

“None at all.” You handed him his coffee with a songful laugh. 

Thursday, 15th August 

Ben gave you the biggest smile when he walked in that morning. 

“Finally it’s Thursday. I hate Wednesdays.” 

“What’s wrong with Wednesdays? Hump day, it’s my day off,” you simpered. 

“Exactly, I don’t get to see you.” 

You blushed an impressive shade of fuchsia. 

Friday, 16th August 

You were rushed off your feet when Ben came in the next day. You were on the coffee machine, frantically making order after order. Latte after cappuccino after flat white after macchiato, dealing with every variant of syrup, number of shots, type of milk, wet or dry, iced or otherwise, that the world could throw at you. You were desperately trying to keep up when a familiar voice wafted over to you; your shoulders seemed to relax and your heartbeat seemed to slow, “I guess I won’t be getting my morning chat today, you look a little busy.” 

“Just a little,” you laughed through a grimace, sending someone off to run an order. Instead of starting on the next one in the queue you set about making a flat white. 

“Why’s it so full?” he queried. 

“Cafe down the road is closed for the day, we’ve got all their customers.” 

“Good for business.”

You scoffed, “Not good for my stress levels. Here,” you said, handing his drink over to him. 

“But I’m not in the queue yet.” 

“Wouldn’t want to make you late for work,” you smirked. 

“I haven’t paid.” 

“This one’s on me.” 

Saturday, 17th August 

You were wiping tables once it had gone quiet again in the afternoon, after the weekend lunchtime rush. The weekends had seemed to become a little more dull without Ben to put a smile on your face. You were quietly singing to yourself in a small effort to make the time go faster. You were vaguely aware of the door opening behind you but ignored it; someone else could get the till. 

“I don’t care if Monday’s blue, Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too” you hummed along to The Cure.

“So she can sing as well,” came a voice behind you. You whipped round, startled, to see Ben grinning at you. “Hey,” he said softly, barely more than a whisper, eyes glistening. 

“Hi,” you mumbled. It was the first time you’d seen him up close, without a counter between you. You inspected the lines that formed around his mouth when he smiled, you noticed the flecks of hazel in his eyes. 

“You have a beautiful voice.” 

You laughed through your nose, “You’re being generous, I can just about hold a tune.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, examining you, his head cocked just a little. There was such intensity in that innocent gaze that you felt yourself being drawn towards him. You so nearly leaned in. He licked his lips. 

There was a clatter as someone dropped a knife and you came to your senses. 

“So what can I get you? The usual?” 

“Actually, I’ll have it to drink in if you don’t mind.” 

“Breaking boundaries there Ben,” you joked. His name still felt alien on your tongue. 

“I could use some company too.” 

Your chest inflated, lungs full, “I’ll see what I can do.” 

Ben sat down at a quiet table in the corner while you went to put his order through. You pled with your boss for a break, even though you’d already had your full hour for the day. She smiled, glancing over at Ben, shook her head with a small laugh, and said you had 20 minutes. You had to stop yourself from skipping over to him, and placed two cups on the table before sitting down. 

“You should have let me get that, I owe you one from yesterday,” he said, motioning to your cup of tea. 

“No you don’t, anyway I get it for free,” you demurred with a closed-lip smile. 

Twenty minutes felt like seconds with Ben. Conversation was easy despite your nervous energy and all too soon you were lamenting that you had to get back to work. 

“I suppose I’ll see you on Monday,” you winked, but as you turned to walk away you felt a hand on yours, strong and warm. 

“I’d like to see you again, not here I mean. Maybe we could go out for coffee or something.”

“Absolutely not.” Ben’s face fell but you laughed, “I spend far too much time in coffee shops, you can take me out for lunch.” 

#ben hardy #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy fanfic #ben hardy imagine #bohemian rhapsody #borhap #queen

[renjunvinates]

From Me To You

Summary: At one point all of them liked you, but there’s someone who has  kept their strong feelings for you this entire time. Different liking timelines, but one same boy. Seven anonymous letters with Seven boys, but ONE secret confession letter leaked. Who wrote the letter?

word count: 2.6k

slty masterlist - prologue 1 - prologue 2

1 Mark Lee - The Childhood Best Friend 2 Huang Renjun - The Next Door Neighbor 7 Lee Jeno - The Basketball Captain 3 Lee Donghyuk - My Brother’s Roommate 5 Na Jaemin My Brother’s Best Friend 4 Zhong Chenle - My Astronomy Partner 6 Park Jisung My Dance Parter

Mark Lee The Childhood Best Friend

I’ve known Mark ever since we were kids, so I guess maybe it can rule out of the letters but still? My childhood best friend liking me? I mean it’s like a cliche typical but still.. What a shocker. So out of these eight letters, you’re telling me one of them is written by Mark, my childhood best friend. Mark and I have been through everything together, from our first time trying ice cream to our first time underestimating highschool. He’s seen me at my worst and at my best and that also applies to him too. We’ve seen each others weakness points and strongest perks. I mean we’re best friends, but the thought of him liking me never occurred… not to mention the fact that the thought of having romantic feelings for him never occurred, so now I essentially feel bad for never returning the feelings, if he’s the one who wrote the confession letter.

“So Mark Lee, isn’t he like you’re childhood best friend?” Areumi asked.

“You know, it’s no surprise if he liked you, I mean its a typical cliche,” Jaehyun said.

“Yeah, but the real question is, does he still like me?”

“I mean if he did, how would you feel about it?” Areumi asked.

“Well, I don’t know. I mean I never thought about him like that, and even thinking about him like that, it’s a bit weird,” I replied.

“Yeah, you don’t like him, if you think it’s weird and you never thought about it, there’s probs no feelings,” Areumi said.

“Okay, well let’s figure out which letter he wrote,” I said.

“And if we do, how will we confirm it’s him?”

“Only one way, and that’s asking him, or maybe trying to make moves on him and see,” Jaehyun said.

“Okay no, I’m not gonna make moves on my best friend,”

“It’s a suggestion, you didn’t need to take it personal,”

“Well okay, let’s look at the letter,” Areumi said.

“It could be May 2nd 2015, it mentions the word “kids” so maybe it could be Mark?”

“Well what about the other 2015 one? I feel like maybe the older the year, maybe it could be him?”

“I thought about it, but that letter said sidelines, so I’m wondering if maybe it could be Jeno? I mean like I’m always cheering Jeno on the sidelines when he’s playing basketball? So that could be it?” I wondered.

“But think about it though, this was written in 2015, did you meet Jeno in 2015?” Areumi asked.

“Shit you’re right. I met Jeno in 2016 along with Jaemin,” I replied.

“Unless, Jeno knew you before 2016?”

“Ugh, this is confusing,” I complained.

“It’s definitely not the 2018, that one seems a bit recent but it doesn’t seem to hint that it would be Mark,” Areumi said.

“I don’t think the older one’s like 2016-2018 could be Mark, except maybe the 2019, but I think it’s one of the 2015,”

“Okay, so then we’ll assume it’s one of the 2015 letters, now what?”

“Well one of them says they would rather stay friends, and then the other one is expecting me to feel the same way,”

“Wait, do you buy any chance like someone at the moment?” Jaehyun asked.

My face turned red when the thought of Jeno appeared in my mind, and then I immediately brushed it off.

“No one really,” I said.

“You’re lying, you’re just like me, your ears get red when you get embarrassed or shy,” Jaehyun said.

“Wait, you’re telling me this whole time you like someone and you didn’t even tell me?” Areumi frowned.

“It’s not that big of a deal, don’t worry about it,” I replied.

“Well then, if it’s not a big deal then tell me who it is,” Areumi said.

“J..jeno,” I stuttered.

“I knew it! You’re always going to his basketball games, I thought it was because of Jaemin or Mark, but no, it’s because of Jeno,” Areumi said.

“Shut up,” I blushed.

“Poor Junnie, you always dragged him to the games even though he dislike big crowds and would rather go home and paint,”

“What, he was always eager to come with me though,”

“Yeah and it’s probs because he gets to spend more time with you,” Jaehyun snickered.

“That’s not the point, we’re here to identify which is the letter Mark wrote!”

“Well we have a movie night hangout tonight at Mark’s. Maybe you should head over there early and talk to him privately,” Areumi suggested.

“Ugh, what am I suppose to say? Uhm hey which letter did you write?”

“You can, or you can snoop around his room and find the written letter. These are typed so obviously there’s probably a written letter or diary!”

“So invasion of privacy,”

“Or not, and be bold and ask him. Just don’t expect him to be honest with you,” Jaehyun said.

“NOT HELPING,”

“Well, I’m gonna head home now and get ready for the movie night, you should head over there early and talk to Mark about it thought,” Areumi said.

“I don’t even know what to do, but I guess,” I sighed.

Areumi got up from the couch and put her hand on my shoulder and then patted it. She gave me a warm smile and then waved off and left the house. I slumped back onto the couch in defeat, frowning at the situation, Jaehyun looked at me and then decided to plopped down next to me.

“So Jeno huh,” Jaehyun said.

“Don’t even, that's the least of my worries. I don’t care if Jeno likes me back, or use to like me. It’s not going to happen Jaehyun,” I sighed.

“Since when did you even start liking him,”

“Since we met, I mean have you looked at his eye smiles they’re like the cutest things ever, but then when he’s on the court he’s like the coolest guy ever,”

“So you’re telling me that you’ve only like Jeno out of the seven?” Jaehyun asked.

I sat there thinking about it and before liking Jeno there was Renjun, but I mean I just assumed he didn’t feel that way with me. He was always so quiet and reserved and focused on art, I just never assumed he would like me. I actually just assumed he didn’t care enough about love.

“Well… I mean Renjun, but I don’t anymore. I gave up years ago, it seems like he was never interested in love and such,” I replied.

“Oh so you liked artist boy,” Jaehyun said.

“I mean not anymore, he’s cute and adorable when he draws and he’s always been there for me, but there’s no way he feels the same way about me probably, one of the letters from him is probably the letter that applies he wishes to just be friends,”

“And what if it’s not? What will you do?”

“I don’t know, re-think about it?”

“So just Jeno and Renjun?”

“I mean liking Jaemin would be weird, that’s like your best friend that would just kinda be a sin in my book and maybe in your book, liking Donghyuk is no question asks because that's your roommate, and Chenle and Jisung are like my bro’s. I can’t look at them like that, and well Mark.. we’re just best friends and I like to keep it like that,”

“I mean I don’t mind Jaemin liking you, it’s his life. I shouldn’t stop him from liking someone and stop him from how he feels, like it or not, emotions are hard to deal with, and forcing someone not to like someone isn’t right,”

“Well, I think it’s weird and besides, he such a huge flirt, I can’t even. We’re like total opposites,”

“Hey, you never know, opposites attracts sometimes,”

I looked at him and then rolled my eyes, I proceeded to get up and I dragged myself off the couch and went into my room and plopped down onto my bed. I pulled out the letters again and then re-read them again, and after re-reading them multiple times, I threw the letters aside and screamed into my pillow with frustration. It’s not like I was expecting any of them to like me to be honest, because literally why would anyone like me? I’m a hot mess, but that’s just me. After screaming and laying in bed staring off into space looking at my ceiling, I looked at the time and it was almost time to head over to Mark’s house for movie night. I braced myself and got up and went to go get ready, as I slipped on a pair of sweats and a hoodie, I grabbed the 2015 letters and shoved them into my bag and left the house and head over to his.

It doesn’t take long to head over to Mark’s house, I knocked on the door and he opened it and smiled at me and gave me a hug, in the back of my head I felt super weirded out, but I hugged him back and smiled at him. He let me in the door and told me to go up in his room and wait. I nodded and proceeded to head over into his room, I sat on his bed looking around and then the small thoughts got me. Should I look around or is this an invasion of privacy, but at this point curiosity got the better of me and I snooped around his desk looking for papers or anything that could be letter related. I got distracted and forgot the sounds that Mark entered his room he saw me and I froze.

“What are you doing?” Mark asked.

“Nothing, just thought I clean your desk, jeez Mark. Keep your desk clean,” I panicked.

“My desk is clean, what were you doing snooping around?”

“I can explain?”

“I’m not mad, it just seems unlike you,”

I was stuck in between making up more lies or wondering if i should just blurt out and ask him, but my mind went blank and I panicked and I shut my eyes harder and spilled everything out.

“Mark did you ever like me? I got home today and Jaehyun handed me 8 confession letters and they’re all dated different timelines and I don’t know one of the letters seemed like it was written from you but then again I don’t know, because I only talk to you and the other boys, so then it makes sense, but then again who would like me I don’t know what I'm saying. I just I’m sorry I didn’t mean to snoop around it’s just I really needed to confirm and I didn’t know how and I wasn’t going to ask you because I was scared you were going to lie but now that my mind is blank I’m out here babbling like a complete mess, I feel like I just messed things up,” I ranted.

“Okay, first of all, breathe, and calm down, I’m not mad. Please one thing at a time, because you literally talked to fast I lost track of what you said,” Mark replied.

“Did you ever write a confession letter to me?”

“...What makes you say that?”

“Because of this” I replied as I pulled out the letters out of my bag.

Mark took the letters out of my hand and read the letters and his eyes went ride and his face turned red and then he looked at me.

“Where did you find this?” He asked.

“Jaehyun told me it was mailed to me?”

“.. Who on earth would mail this to you?”

“That’s not the point, did you or did you not like me, and did you write one of these letters,”

“Yes, okay at one point I did like you, but that was years ago. I don’t like you anymore, and yes I did write a confession letter, but this was suppose to be a secret. I never meant it to be leaked or anything. I don’t know who the hell leaked my letter, but I don’t like you like that anymore. I look at you as my best friend, and I hope you’re not weirded out or have feelings for me because I’m sorry..”

“Which one did you write…?”

“I wrote the October 10th 2015”

“... I’m sorry I never noticed your feelings Mark,”

“I mean don’t be, it was for the best anyways, like the letter said. I rather keep this friendship than lose you,” He smiled.

“I know but still, I still hurt you in some way,”

“Don’t worry, I wrote this letter years back, I mean after months after that letter I actually got over you,”

“It’s a relief you’re over me, because yes, I don’t look at you like that,”

“Well that’s a relief then? Glad we’re on the same page,”

“So then who wrote the other letter? Do you know by chance?”

“It is true that all of us liked you at one point, and we did keep it a secret but we never showed each other our confession letters, so I’m not sure who the other 2015 is,”

“And here I thought you could help me,” I frowned.

“It’s not my job to reveal the others about their feelings either, you should know this is your thing to solve. As much as I love to help you, I won’t intervene in this because it’s not my feelings. I mean you figured out mine, but you should give the others a chance to speak like you’re doing with me,”

“But I’m scared because there’s someone out there right now who likes me currently still, and I’m scared, what if I don’t like them back? What if it’s someone I hoped it would be, but isn’t?”

“I know, but whatever happens, it’s meant to happen. Just know that we all care about you,”

“Can I get a hint at least?”

“Fine, someone who has a J in their name is still in love with you,”

“MARK THAT’S LIKE 4 BOYS WHAT THE HELL,”

“Well you eliminated me, so that’s like six to go, minus Chenle and Donghyuk thats four more left. You asked for a hint, I gave you one,” He laughed.

“This is why I favor Areumi over you,”

“How dare you, and here I was being nice and gave you a hint,” He gasped.

“Yeah? A very shitty one,” I scoffed.

“The utter disrespect,”

“Quick question though.. Why did you like me? I mean it says in the letter but still?”

“I mean listen, I liked you because you were always so forward about things, I mean yes you were a bit strong headed and stubborn, sometimes annoying and shy but it’s cute and that’s what I liked about you. I think you’re different from the other girls in a way, you’re very unique,” He laughed.

“I kinda just gagged, hearing my best friend talk about me and admiring me, disgusting. Why did I even ask,”

“You’re absolutely such a dork,”

“Yeah well you liked this dork at one point,”

“Yeah, not anymore because you’re such a prick,” He laughed.

“Insults? Okay keep it coming, we’ll see who gets the last laugh,” I smiled.

With that conversation out of the way, I felt relieved that it wasn’t my childhood best friend Mark Lee, because it would pain me and kill me if he did feel the same way, but at last it wasn’t him. So it’s settled that also Chenle and Donghyuk are not in love with me, and its either Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, or even Jisung. But one thing is for sure, Mark Lee the Childhood best friend is October 10th 2015 and isn’t the one.

So which leads onto the next person in oldest to youngest, Huang Renjun, the next door neighbor.

-

slty masterlist - prologue 1 - prologue 2

1 Mark Lee - The Childhood Best Friend 2 Huang Renjun - The Next Door Neighbor 7 Lee Jeno - The Basketball Captain 3 Lee Donghyuk - My Brother’s Roommate 5 Na Jaemin My Brother’s Best Friend 4 Zhong Chenle - My Astronomy Partner 6 Park Jisung My Dance Parter

#nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream scenarios #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #nct #mark lee #jung jaehyun #huang renjun #lee jeno #na jaemin #zhong chenle #park jisung #lee donghyuk #haechan #From Me to You #Secret Letters To You #mark #renjun #jeno #jaemin #chenle #jisung #donghyuk #like #reblog #reader insert #follow #angst

[eve-evil-lair]

Catching a Drink, SFW, Audrey and Killian, Vampire (F) & Werewolf (M)

@monster-bait​ here’s a one new thing XD Art of Audrey: here and here (2nd one mine warning for terrible).

If you like the story consider reblogging as my things don’t seem to appear in the tag! Thank you!

Also thank you @followmetoyourdoom​ for Beta Reading

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

The Fox Burrow was an old tavern in the middle part of the Shadow Market. It had a decent reputation of fair prices, good ale and fairly tasty meals. Like all bars and taverns in the Market, it was a neutral place for citizens from all the imperial lands. The owner also made it very clear that any troublemaker would face the consequences of their actions. Busy during the day and half the night, The Fox Burrow would close up for a few hours so the staff could clean the floors, count the money and have shifts change before preparation for the morning rush would start. At that time only one of the bartenders and the owner of the establishment would be present.

 Matt was counting the money when he heard a loud thud upstairs. Someone, quite forcefully, opened the door. The noise was followed by the sound of heavy steps down the stairs. Soon a short, young-looking woman showed up. She had black, waist-long hair and bright brown eyes that immediately let him know she was  pissed off. She sat with a huff at the bar, slamming her hands down on the counter-top.

"Miss, we are closed," Matt replied. He was new at this bar but not new to bartending. This girl was one of the difficult customers.

"Shut up, is Killian here?" She rebuked him accordingly with his prediction.

Matt sighed heavily. It was too late to deal with this. They literally closed 5 minutes ago. Why couldn’t people just read the sign on the door? 

He opened his mouth to say something but his boss showed up behind him giving him a pat on the shoulder. "I got this," he said before standing in front of the girl. 

Killian was an impressive werewolf. Broad chested and muscular, he stood at 6’8” and had a copper coloured mane that went white in patches as his age caught up with him, as well as some more wolfish features - claws, and a more wolf-like face shape. Ageing for werewolves was quite problematic in that aspect. But Killian still got a lot of respect from his patrons and employees.  "You are being rude to my staff." He said, matter-of-factly.

"Pour my fucking drink, Killian, I am not in the mood," she grumbled crossing her arms on her chest. 

"Tsk, tsk, bossy," he snorted and reached under the counter.

"Oh, fuck you, Killian," she huffed raising her voice. "I don't deserve that! If a man was behaving as I do, he would be 'a strong leader' or 'a strict but respected boss',” she air-quoted, gesturing wildly, “but when I behave like that I'm a bitch! Or bossy! So fuck you, Killian," she repeated pointing at him. She nearly fell off her stool as she slammed her hands down again. "I am the god damned Empress of this fucking empire!" She yelled. "Do you know how long I have been ruling here? Since I was-"

"19," Killian deadpanned under his breath in sync with her ranting as he mixed the drink.

"Yeah! And do you know how long I've been ruling? For-"

"Ten fucking thousand years," Kilian mouthed again word for word with her, rolling his eyes while his back was turned to her.

"Exactly! So fuck that! I want my drink. Fucking bastards all of them!" She snatched the glass the second he was done pouring it up.

"Tough Council meeting?" he made his guess watching her amused.

"Mhm," she confirmed and downed the drink. "Another, please." It seemed the burn of alcohol had placated her a little. 

"Oh, look at you saying please and thank you!" He cooed and she glared at him.

"Boss?" Matt watched them from a safe distance, kind of confused with all the conversation happening in front of him. Was the tiny lady really their ruler? And was his boss now… what was that even, flirting? Friendly jabs? His head hurt trying to wrap his mind around it.

"Who's the elf?" The Empress asked before downing another shot. 

The young bartender flinched hearing her acknowledge him again. Oh, stars he had been rude to the Empress! Would there be assassins at his flat???

"It's alright Matt, just go home," Killian waved at him and that was all the young bartender needed to hear. He made himself scarce. 

The old werewolf snickered as he pulled himself a stool to sit on. “You made quite the impression on him.”

“It comes with the crown. Scaring people shitless,” she crossed her legs and swayed her shoe on her toes. “So, since it is just you and me now, what about some good ol' tension relief, Audrey and Killian style?" She smirked at him and raised one eyebrow. Shot number three hit the wood of the counter and she licked her lips in a way that, were he younger, she would have already been on the countertop moaning. 

Instead, Killian just laughed. "Darling, I am too old for that." He shook his head and filled her glass.

"What? Bullshit," she folded her forearms on the bar. That pout though was still cute. She was pulling all her cards tonight, huh?

"Girl, you are a vampire, you don't age," he propped his cheek on his hand. "Werewolves do," he ran a hand through his faded red hair. "I am simply too old for your fancy bed yoga. My back won’t take it."

Audrey laughed a little. "My fancy bed yoga, huh?"

"Yup." He reached for another bottle. After pouring himself another one he looked at her. It had been a while since he'd seen her last. Vampires don't age, don't really change but she looked--felt older. The first time they'd met he thought she was just a girl down in jail with him. She had turned out to be so much more. His ribs could still feel some of the shenanigans they used to get into.

"What's bothering you?" he asked, shaking off the nostalgia.

"Are your bartender senses tingling?" She joked, but there was barely any humour in her voice. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she tilted her head. The glass slowly resonated as she traced the rim.

"Maybe. No one told you it's rude to answer a question with a question?" He narrowed his eyes jokingly.

"Multiple times," she squinted back at him. "You could have taken my offer you know?" Her features softened, voice tinged with melancholy.

He shrugged and leaned back. "I am no soldier and I am fine with my already extended life span." It finally clicked what this was about. "Something tells me you aren't."

"I never said you had to be in the army." She wiggled the glass at him and he poured her some of his own drink.

"Royal consort didn't suit me either. We weren't that kind of a pair." He said, giving her a serious look.

"I know." She nurses the glass this time. "Well, at least I am glad you have this bar." She looked around admiring the interior. She had been a patron there multiple times across the ages and by this time it felt a bit like home.

"Of course you do, where else would you go drinking?" He scoffed.

Audrey snapped her head to him and glared. "Somewhere where the staff is nicer to me," she bit back but her lips were shaking from badly suppressed laughter and soon they both burst into a fit of giggles.

"Oooooh. I am scared," he grinned. "You would hate that."

“I would so much." She shook her head and bit her lip. Then she got quiet.

It was worrisome when she did that. Always looked like she was so far away from him. If one would look closer they’d notice the time catching up with her a little. It was weird seeing someone so youthful-looking, no more than 20 something, with the eyes and presence of a wise old man. 

"Audrey?" He tried to pry her attention back to him. 

"Yeah?" She looked up, returning to him from wherever she went in that time. Or whenever.

"When I’ll kick the bucket-" he started and she interrupted him.

"Oh, please stop." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No, no, listen. When I kick the bucket... I want you to, and it is very important, bawl your eyes out." He nodded sagely.

She stared at him, mouth agape. "You are awful!" She gasped finally.

"I want there to be fountains!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms wide open. "Lakes cried by the one and only Empress! Stone cold tears!" he laughed maniacally.

"I am going to throw my drink at you, you asshole." To confirm her threat, her arm was raised with the glass still half full. “I will set your casket on fire just to spite you.”

He winked at her. "To old friendships," he raised his glass.

"With benefits," she giggled. They clicked the glasses and downed their drinks. “I need to go back before they send a search party for me,” she sighed and stood up.

"Will you finally settle that tab by the way?" he asked but she was already heading to the stairs.

"One day!"

"Fucking rich bitch!" he shouted after her. “Buy me dinner then!”

"Fuck you!" she shouted back merrily. Her heels were already clicking over the stone stairs.

"You already did!" he snorted and he could hear her giggling as she closed the heavy door. Well, they never were ones for goodbyes. They weren't going to start now.

#exophilia #vampire #werewolf #my writing #sfw

[agentwallflower]

Supernova, Chapter 1

Hey, here we are again!

I have a headache and I got rejected from UFO, so... good thing I had a backlog because I had zero energy to write this week! Yay! Remember to stay inside, folks! Essential workers like me don’t wanna see you.

Next chapter goes up May 2nd. I’m gonna go work on my nano now and continue to drown my sorrows in coke zero.

Also if you enjoyed the chapter and want to contribute to my coke zero addiction, my Ko-Fi is here!  Thanks, and I’ll see you guys in two weeks. 

Nothing like waking up face first on the ground to make you appreciate not having your face shoved into the ground.

“Andy, you better be out of bed!”

Technically, Andromeda Noble was... half? Out of bed. It was hard to figure out fractions when her face was down and her ass was in the air like that. It took her a few moments to have enough consciousness to right herself, but once she did, half was a pretty decent estimate of how she had come to that morning.

What the hell she had been doing to wind up that way, however, was beyond her.

“I'm up, Mom!” Her deep voice boomed through the floor as she stood and glanced around the room she called her own. It had at one point been attic storage for her family. In some cases, it still was – only the thing it happened to be storing was her and what her mother considered a more than healthy dose of teenage angst. The joke was on her, of course – she was 20. No more teens years left there.

Her mother's annoyed tone also carried through the wood like tar bubbling through the cracks. “Less attitude, more getting dressed! If you make your sister late-”

Andy tuned the rest out in favor of scrounging around her bedroom floor for mostly clean clothes. Sure, she heard the increasingly annoyed comments coming from the floor below, but they were meaningless sounds to her. It was a talent she had honed over the years: the sacred art of in one ear and out the other when it came to the woman.

While sun streamed through the attic window, she held up a pair of suspicious jeans and gave them the once over. Neither of her sisters would have been OK with it, but they weren't the ones wearing them. Soon she was, and after finding a shirt to match it was a matter of grabbing her bag to head down the stairs.

“Hope you're doing alright today, old man.” She patted a bear on her desk as she reached for a necklace hanging from its outstretched palm. In places, it was tattered, and its soft fur was more than a little threadbare at this point where someone had torn it and made a clumsy repair. It still held its plush shield just fine, which was good enough for her. With that little ritual, down the stairs she went with heavy footsteps.

The bathroom mirror showed a blank expression and eyes that tried to stare straight through the glass. The few people Andy interacted with sometimes called her gaze intimidating. Of course, that was when they were being nice. Mostly, it was creepy. Of course, that was her face so there wasn't much she could do about it.

“Well, here goes.” Andy threw the necklace over her head and settled it into place. After a quick check of her teeth, everything looked to be as it should. “Alright. Looks like I'm good to go then.”

With that, she swung the door open and exited the bathroom. As she did, she caught faint, subtle strains of conversation coming down from the living room. From the sounds of things, her mother and older sister were having a conversation.

That hadn't taken long.

“I already told you, I have something to do! You take her!”

“We've been over this, I'm already late to work!”

Ah, the usual debate. Andy leaned on the handrail as she leaned over to listen. From where she was standing, she could see the rest of her family arguing at the front door over who got custody of her for the day. From the sound of things, her mother was winning.

Her mother always did – she could scream louder.

She could practically picture her sister rolling her eyes as she grabbed for her keys. “Whatever, next time you take her.”

“Watch the attitude, I let you live here for free.” Andy had to duck behind the wall as her mother turned on her heel. “Andy, you better be down in two minutes or else! Don't make me come up there!”

And do what, try to drag her down the stairs? Now that would be a sight to see. However, Andy wasn't in the mood to make her mother angrier than she was. After all, their youngest sister had the right to a decent day. So she started down the stairs after a delay. It was easier to act.

“I'm ready, Mom.”

“Next time get up when I call you.” Amanda Nobel, mother, lawyer, and major source of stress, was already out the door. “Sara, we'll talk about this when I get home tonight.”

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving the siblings alone. The room's temperature dropped five degrees as her older sister rounded on her. At least some of her annoyance was gone. Their mother leaving helped with that.

That probably wasn't a good sign, but what did she know?

“Took you long enough.” Sara was a med student, and kind of a pain in her nonexistent ass, but that was what family did. “Shouldn't it take you like two seconds to get ready?”

Andy rolled her eyes as she walked past her sister. “Wanted to look nice for you and the eggheads at the lab I guess. You don't have your study group today anyway.”

Her sister was soon on her heels, and Andy could almost feel the heat  radiating off her face as they headed towards the way out. “I have... something to do today.”

Judging from that tone of voice, that something was more of a someone. Well, she wasn't about to spill those beans, not to her mother. Still, it was good dirt that she was more than happy to save away for the moment. Later, she would share it with their youngest sibling. After all, both of them deserved to benefit  from the juicy details.

Sara stopped to grab her lunch and toss Andy hers with a practiced throw. “A thank you would be nice, you know..I don't have to take you to the lab every day. ”

Her younger sibling shrugged her shoulders – or at least tried to as she tucked her lunch in her bag. “You kind of do if mom can't take me. Not like I'm allowed to leave the house without someone watching me.”

It wasn't like she particularly liked being under constant watch, but it was just part of her life. Over the years, she had hoped for it to lessen, but it had only gotten worse the older she got. Now it was just an unpleasant reality she dealt with by employing a healthy dose of sarcasm whenever someone asked her about it.

Of course, since she really only talked to scientists and her family on the regular, most of them were immune to it by now. Oh well, the new techs were always fun to sass when they were getting their lab legs. It was her one pleasure in life.

“Ugh, whatever.” A clear sign she had won that one. “Come on, we need to leave so we can beat the traffic to the lab. Try not to put a dent in the roof of the car this time, will you?”

“I make no promises.”

Andy was soon out the door, into a bright day with clear blue skies and a warm breeze that blew as she walked. Her flight of freedom was just a short walk to her sister's car – before she knew it, she was sliding in. At least she hadn't dented the hood this time.

In her defense... she put it back the last time just fine?

Sara slid into the driver's seat in order to get things going. Both of them caught sight of their mother's car as she disappeared down the road, going slightly above the speed limit. If that wasn't a sign she was going to be a real delight when she got home that night, Andy didn't know what would be. Maybe she should stay up in the attic when she got home...

Andy shot her sister a look. ”She seems cheerful this morning.”

The ghost of a smile flitted across Sara's lips as she started the car. “'I'll tell you when I can't see her anymore, you know she can hear a mouse fart.”

Andy's body shook as they pulled away from the curb and started down the road that would take them to the city. If she had been anyone else, that would have been an all out doubled over laughing fit. However, she couldn't, so it wasn't. The shaking was good enough for her anyway.

Her sister cast a glance at her when they stopped at a red light a few minutes down the road. “You know Jen's recital is coming up, right?”

“Shit, really?” Andy glanced out the window, at the cars around them. Better than to see the frustration in her sister's eyes. “Are you going to be able to make it?”

Sara sighed and shook her head in response. “I don't think so, I have work and I can't get anyone to cover my shift.”

Andy's shoulders drooped as she leaned back in the seat. “And I'm not allowed to go out without someone keeping an eye on me. If Mom can't go, and Aunt Miri has temple...”

A cold sensation dropped to the pit of her stomach. Their youngest sister, the one she was probably the most fond of honestly, was one of the best dancers she had ever seen. Of course, she was probably the only dancer she had ever seen through a shaky phone screen, but that didn't matter. Jen was good, and she deserved to have someone there to watch her.

Damn it all... she wanted to go.

“Welcome to what  what me and mom had an argument over last night if you didn't hear us through the floor.” Sara adjusted the mirror as traffic picked up. There were more cars now as they were drawing closer to the exit for the city. “I mean, you're 20. You should be able to go places on your own.”

Her older sister was starting to pick at a wound that never got the chance to scab over at that point. Andy could hear their mother's arguments ringing through her head as she leaned her head against the glass. Something about the vibrations from the car helped settle the cold feeling, but it never really left her. By now she figured it was her version of being depressed.

“I know.”

This was probably where she would have sighed, but... it was complicated. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders once more. “But we all had the damn rules drilled into our heads about what I can and can't do.”

She could recite them by heart – no going out unless it was with someone on a very small approved list. No internet use unless it was monitored. And most of all, don't do anything stupid. That last one was a bit vague, but it was the one her mother harped on the most for some reason.

Like she even had the chance to be stupid...

“Hey, you OK? Feels like it dropped five degrees in here.”

Andy picked up her head to see Sara was looking over at her. Normally that would have been dangerous, but the car was stopped in the midst of a lovely traffic jam. Now while she didn't have her license – another point on the cannot do list – she was pretty sure that was safe.

Mostly. It was hard to tell some times with how her mother drove. The woman had never seen a speed limit she didn't break.

“Huh?” She shrugged. “I mean... not really. It's kind of annoying being taken everywhere like I'm 5. I know you guys hate doing it, and it's not like I enjoy having to stay home while kids half my age can go outside and do shit.”

Sara frowned at her reaction. “I don't mi-”

Andy's shoulders shook with her version of a bitter laugh. “Yes you do, everyone does. I'm not dumb like Mom thinks I am.”

Her older sister flinched, but she didn't pull away. “I mean...  well yeah, it's kind of weird you can't go out and all.”

Weird was putting it mildly.

At least Sara had the good grace to keep her eyes on the road ahead of them at that point. Andy was glad for that as she rested her head back against the glass. Traffic was going even slower now – close to a complete stop. On such a busy road it wasn't unusual, but something about it felt... off.

Maybe that was why the med student fished her phone out of her pocket and handed it over to Andy. “I'm watching what you do. Can you  check to see if there's an alert?”

Andy's fingers were a blur as she unlocked the phone.. Almost immediately, a warning sound echoed from the phone's speakers. Text flickered across the screen, scrolling in red and white. Until she turned the device upside-down, it meant nothing to her. Once it was properly aligned...

“Ah, shit.”

Sara winced as she placed a hand over her forehead. “Don't tell me...”

“Downtown's all tied up because Cryojolt turned the roads into a skating rink. Citizens are advised to stay in their houses and not cause trouble.” Andy held up the phone to where a live news broadcast was starting to play.

Some brave cameraman had gotten close enough to the action to show their loyal viewers that half the shopping district was covered in a thick layer of ice that wasn't even close to melting despite the heat. A few cars were frozen feet in the air, as if blown up by water that quickly turned to ice. It looked beautiful, but in reality it was a nightmare for everyone involved.

“Great.” Sara groaned and laid her head on the steering wheel. “We're going to be stuck here forever.”

Andy handed her phone back without prompting. “At least now you can tell me about that guy you're hiding from Mom.”

After all, they were about to be stuck in a car with each other for quite a long time. Might as well make things interesting.

#Supernova Collision Trilogy

[thatfanficstuff]

Shall We Dance? (Part 2) - Kol

Pairing: Kol Mikaelson x Witch!Reader

Warnings: not really

A/N: From this request from @libraryoffandomsuniverse for my 1K follower celebration:​

Could I please request a 2nd part to Shall We Dance? I really adored Reader's interactions with the Mikaelsons and I'm curious to see how she could help stop Esther (because something tells me that she's quite powerful). 

Thank you for the request, lovey! Hope you like it!

Part 1

***

The Mikaelson siblings had situated you in one of the guestrooms in their home. Which meant that you were on hand when their mother pitched an absolute fit in the middle of the night. She had burnt sage to keep her deeds from being overheard, but your spell to detect any danger in the home was far stronger than burning herbs.

You sat on the edge of the bed and listened to her tirade. “I don’t understand. How could we have possibly failed?”

“I do not know, mother. They all drank the champagne, I am certain of it.” You tilted your head in an attempt to place the voice. The oldest of them, Finn. You’d only spoken to him briefly but hadn’t cared for him much. At least you knew your intuition was still as sharp as ever. “Perhaps the girl’s blood did not make it into all of the glasses.”

What girl?

“Don’t be foolish, Finn. I wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake,” Esther insisted. 

You pursed your lips as you stood. It was time to get some answers for your friends and to put an end to whatever treachery the Original witch was concocting. You left your feet bare so you could move more quietly and eased the door open. After brief consideration you decided to wake the other brothers. Your attention would be taken by the witch, you didn’t need to worry about the vampire as well.

You tried the first door you came to, not remembering whose room it was. The knob turned easily and you stepped inside before shutting the door behind you. The less noise you made the better. You’d barely turned around when your back was pressed against the door and a hand clamped over your mouth. Your heart raced as a warm body pressed against you.

“Hello, Y/N,” Kol all but purred. “If you wished to accompany me to bed, all you had to do was ask.” His nose nuzzled against the side of your neck before his mouth found your ear. “Why are you here, witch?”

A tremor went through you at the feel of his lips brushing against your ear. You grasped the hand he still held over your mouth and pulled it away. After releasing it, you ran your hands up the bare chest of the vampire in front of you. You hooked one hand behind his neck to pull him toward you as you whispered a spell. Your lips found his in the dark and you sighed at the sensation.

Your mother plots against you. Blood in the cups I kept you from drinking tonight. A binding. The spell you’d cast allowed you to speak directly into his head as long as your lips remained in contact.

Kol jerked back in surprise, his dark eyes searching your face. “What—”

Two fingers against his lips cut him off. You gave him a cockeyed grin as you kissed him again.

He moaned and his hands settled on your hips. God, you’re good at that.

You giggled though you quickly stifled it. Why, thank you, Mr. Mikaelson. Finn is with her. Whatever she is plotting, he knows. We need Elijah and Klaus to help as well.

He stepped away from you and strode over to the table beside his bed. “Stupid bloody Finn,” he grumbled.

“Shhh,” you chastised.

You could see his scowl clearly when he turned as his face was illuminated from the light of his phone. “He can’t hear me in here, darling. State of the art soundproofing.”

You made a sound of agreement. “And if your mother is using magic to listen in?”

He shrugged as if it didn’t matter and you rolled your eyes. Vampires never took any threat seriously until it was shoving a stake through their heart.

“What are you doing?” you asked as you padded over to peer at his phone.

He grinned as he turned on his bedside lamp. “Texting my brothers. I’d prefer if you didn’t use the same trick to relay the information to them. This is just as quiet.”

Your lips twisted as you tried not to smirk. The door opened and you jumped in surprise. Elijah and Klaus had arrived together. The latter held up his phone in anger as he looked between you and Kol. “You are certain about this?”

You nodded once and that was enough for the hybrid. You’d never let him down before, there was no reason for you to start now.

Elijah’s gaze took all of you in. “What is the plan, Y/N?”

Still paranoid about being overheard despite Kol’s assurances, you motioned for all three men to come closer. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

***

They hated your plan. All three of them protested but since you could give them unending aneurysms if the didn’t cooperate, your plan it was. You paused outside Esther’s door and knocked lightly. “Come in,” her answer came immediately.

You opened the door and stepped inside, taking in her and Finn stashing something in the drawer of her desk.

Esther frowned. “Y/N, correct? Is there something you need?”

“I was hoping to talk to you for a moment.” You wrung your hands together as if you were anxious about what you had to say. Your eyes found Finn. “Alone.”

“Certainly. Finn, I’ll see you in the morning. We will finish our discussion then.”

He looked unsure but merely said “Yes, mother,” and left, shutting the door behind him. His brothers were waiting in his room, ready to dagger him the moment he came through the door.

“What is it you wished to discuss, child?”

You huffed a laugh as you shed the timid persona you’d donned for her sake. You rolled your shoulders back and straightened your spine. “I am hardly a child, Esther Mikaelson. And if you had full access to your power you would know that.”

She stood and narrowed her eyes. “I have come back from the dead. Is that not power enough for you?”

You hummed. This close to her, you could feel her power buzzing in the air. It was no match for yours. It felt new. Borrowed somehow. “It’s not your power though, is it? Not entirely.”

“I don’t know who you think you are trifling with but—”

You waved a hand through the air before clutching it in a fist, silencing the other witch. Another gesture and she found herself back in the seat she’d left. As you walked toward her you trailed your fingers along the lines of the furniture you passed.

“Now, why would you want to bind your children together? It could be for nothing good without their cooperation. So, not strength. They hardly need health or a spell for a long life…” You trailed off as you examined the woman. “Death. You mean to kill them. But why would Finn help you?”

You snapped your fingers to allow her use of her vocal cords again. “Because he understands the abominations they have become. He loathes this existence and he will help me set things right. Nature is out of balance and I have returned to fix it.”

You arched a brow. “Bullshit. Your presence here sends things out of balance far more than theirs. If nature wanted to be rid of the Mikaelsons, it’s had a thousand years to come up with a much better plan than you.”

The door burst open and you silenced Esther again before turning to the disturbance. The three men looked between you and their mother. “She means to be rid of us,” Klaus all but growled. “She was to bind us together then kill Finn so we would follow.”

“Thank you, Klaus. That is excellent information. Very helpful.”

Elijah pursed his lips. “You already knew, didn’t you?”

You placed a hand on your hips. “What kind of witch do you take me for, Elijah Mikaelson? Of course, I already knew. Did you get what I asked for?”

“What kind of vampire do you take me for, Y/N Y/L/N?” Klaus responded with a smirk. “Of course, I did.”

By the time another hour had passed, Esther and Finn were back in coffins. Finn daggered and Esther aware but silent. Klaus had ripped out her heart the last time and she still managed to come back so you didn’t see the point in killing her this time. Let her suffer a little. Maybe she’d learn her lesson.

No, you did something better. The spell you cast on the coffins was old magic and took a lot of your power. Once completed, no one would be able to open either coffin without your magic and the blood of three Mikaelsons. You would have made it four, but no one knew where Rebecca had gotten off to.

You rocked on your feet as you finished the spell and Kol swept you up in his arms before you collapsed. “Well done, witch. Now, it’s time to rest.”

You laid your head against his shoulder and nodded. “Okay, Kol.”

He chuckled at your sleepy voice and headed toward your room.

“Wait,” you said stopping him at the door.

His eyes were serious as he waited for you to speak.

“Your bed looked far more comfortable than mine.”

The corner of his mouth curled up. “Did it, now?”

You made a noise of agreement. “And in a few hours, maybe we can test out that soundproofing of yours.”

“As the lady wishes,” he said with a smile as he changed direction to his room. He slid you under the covers that were still flung back from earlier and pressed a kiss to your forehead. You were asleep before he even crawled into the bed beside you. 

***

TVD/TO:  @evyiione @violentmommabear42 @theroyalbrownbarbie @aomi-nabi @livinglion @zillahvathek

All the Things: @swanky-batman @rissyrapp20 @startrekkingaroundasgard @spooookyscary @taylordrunkonwhiskey @laneygthememequeen @collette04 @shatteredabby @thewolf-and-thesheep

#kol Mikaelson x reader #kol x reader #vampire diaries #the originals #vampire diaries imagine #kol Mikaelson x you #the originals imagine #kol Mikaelson imagine

[amyofasgard]

Filthy

So I finally got this finished its been roughly 2 weeks I think, @sphynx-nightmare im sorry my friend but I finally did it. I've just been really busy but I've been desperate to post also @cenobxter might be somewhere in the story. one more thing there may or may not be some NSFW. Enjoy!

Amy and the rest of the Avengers were at the compound in Upstate New York. They had gone away for the weekend to train. Unfortunately for Amy, Loki had chosen to remain at the Tower, but it was probably for the best as the rest of the Avengers didn't know about their romance and their secret meetings at Amy's LA apartment had been nice and private. The only people to know where the people who shared her apartment block with; Casey and her daughter Lily, who Loki loved to make smile with pretty flowers and gifts and just his charming personality. She didn’t want anything from Loki except him, but he insisted that Amy was to accept a gift he had made for her, it was a necklace she wore, a gift from Loki, a rare Asgardian silver that held a tree with royal Asgardian Emeralds. Loki explained that it was Yggdrasil the World Tree, It was there in the beginning and it is Yggdrasil that the connects the 9 Realms and using the Bifrost is to travel on its branches, without Yggdrasil the Bifrost would not be possible and neither would traveling between the realms, this meant that Amy’s and Loki’s love would not be possible if not for Yggdrasil. Things had been getting pretty heated lately during Loki’s visits, but nothing had gone further than an extreme make-out session. Steve frowned seeing Amy lost in thought. "Amy?" He said, sighing softly as she didn't react. "Amy?!" he said louder this time, making her snap out of it. "What? Yes, sorry, just tired." She said A few of the others chuckled as a bright blush covered her face. Tony on her left nudged her with a cheeky smirk. "What's keeping you up at night this time Sabrina? Art? New gadget? Spells and potions?" Amy laughed. "Na just couldn't sleep much," she shrugged dismissively. Sam frowned, reading between the lines. "Nightmares worse than usual?" Amy sighed - they all knew about the nightmares. More than once, when Amy stayed at the tower, she'd cry out loudly and someone would come in to find her rolling around on her bed, caught in a nightmare and drenched in sweat before they snapped her out of it. After the third time Steve had come in and found her like this, he recommended she speak to someone about it and Sam, having experience in counseling, was available to talk. She dismissed it initially, but after the fourth time Steve talked to Amy's mentor, Dr. Steven Strange, and between the two of them they all but staged an intervention to convince Amy to open up to someone about what she was dreaming about. Amy didn't react well and left the tower angry and hurt, but a few days later, talking to Casey (one of the only people who knew what the nightmares were about) calmed her down and rationalized everything after she vented the frustrations. She felt bad, she knew her friends were worried about her and agreed to meet them at Avengers tower with Dr. Strange. After apologizing for losing her cool before, she agreed to talk to Sam about the nightmares, but she still wouldn't reveal what they were about to which Sam agreed as well, saying that she would open up about them when she was ready. Steve frowned at hearing she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep. "Amy, maybe you should sit this one out, after all it's a hard course and it'll take about 3 hours to complete especially with the rock climbing." Amy shook her head instantly dismissing that idea. "No, I'll be okay, I'm not that tired, I just need to tire myself out and when we get back, I'll go get some sleep, deal?" Steve sighed and nodded. "Fine, but if you get too tired you head back and that's an order, okay?" Amy sighed but agreed, after all, she really didn't wanna get sent back. Steve talked them through the natural terrain obstacle course. "Okay, so first off today we'll be starting with the Mud mini obstacle course, in which you will be required to complete 4 different stages that you would usually find in your average assault course. Afterward, you move on to the 150-meter swim across the natural river." Steve smirked saying this next one "Then there's 'A Floor is Lava' in the forest exercise, where if you touch the floor then you restart that area." A few whooped in excited enthusiasm, Clint and Amy with Nat just smirking, they knew they could do that easily and some groaned in defeat like Tony and Bruce. "And lastly, a rock-climbing exercise, first to the top and hit the button on the Quinjet that's waiting there wins. Got it?" they all nodded. "Okay good, now you all have a wrist band to keep an eye on you meaning no tech, no magic, no helping each other either. This will also let everyone know if someone’s in trouble or in need of help at any point. Now positions…" They all lined up, ready to go, and a buzzer went. Most of them all sprinted off immediately to get across the mud obstacle course, but Amy wasn’t stupid, knowing she’d need all the energy she could get for later. She took her time going through the mud obstacles and it wasn’t long until she was overtaking Tony, Bruce, Wanda, Rhodey and Scott before she hit the first obstacle.  Thor, Steve, and Bucky were fighting for first place halfway to the 2nd Obstacle while Amy, Nat, Clint, and Sam were just starting the muddy slope climb - a 7ft slope of mud - and if you make it up the top, you slide down into the thick muddy water below. Amy managed to get over before Clint and wasn’t able to hide her laugh as she heard him yelp, tripping and going face-first into the water. Amy pushed through the thick muddy water, it was cold, wet and tough to get through, but soon they were through it and trying to keep pace with each other. Soon they got to the next obstacle: a rope swing, only you had to grab onto another rope mid-swing to make it the rest of the way across. Amy and Nat looked at each other and instantly they both picked up the pace, racing for the rope first. Amy managed to grab it a fraction of a second before Natasha could and kicked off but accidentally jerked it as Nat grabbed it, sending her into the mud pool below as Amy got over the flew through the air on the swing, knowing she was leading the pack of non-altered heroes. As she got to her next obstacle, she looked over her shoulder seeing Sam not far behind her, with Nat and Clint where right up her ass. She couldn’t help but smirk seeing Tony and Bruce pulling themselves over the mud slope and cry out as they fell into the mud before she kept going. She got onto her stomach and had to army crawl through more thick muddy water and by the time Amy pulled herself out to the other side, she was caked in mud from head to toe. She ran to the last obstacle - Monkey Bars. Amy sighed, she hated monkey bars, it killed her arms and she knew she’d need all the arm strength she had to do the swim and the climb, so she decided to go a different way. After all, Steve didn’t say they had to swing from the bars. She ran to them and kicked off one of the thick support beams and used that to propel herself to the top of the monkey bars and run over the top of them, being careful not to slip. Amy ran to the river happy she was finally out of the mud, hoping beyond hope that the river would wash away most of it, she was absolutely Filthy after all that. Amy spotted Bucky, Steve and Thor in the middle of the river, she knew the chance of her beating any of them were slim but the wrist bands they wore suppressed powers, so their strength was depleted a bit and she could only hope that it also took away their enhanced stamina. While they were rushing full speed ahead, she could tell even Steve had forgotten that their stamina might be affected so she kept her pace faster than average but steady. Amy had been swimming since she was a kid so she had no problems with keeping a good pace and she didn’t need to push her body as hard as the guys in front did, and before long, she had caught up with the guys as they were trying to do the ‘Floor is Lava’ challenge. Amy stood for a second, watching in amusement and taking in the course. This part was in the forest area at the other side of the river, there were lots of steppingstones and some were wonky, some were moving, and some were even wobbly. The highlight came from Steve falling off a wobbly one, making one of the sensors that were over the floor go off. “Shit,” he mumbled, and Amy smirked unable to help herself. “Language!” she smirked, hearing Sam, Nat and Clint laugh. They were almost across the river now, Scott, Wanda and Rhodey were about halfway across and an exhausted Tony and Bruce were just walking to the river, not even stressing themselves about the challenge as they talked. The best reaction to her comment was Thor who fell off his steppingstone and landed on his ass, his great booming laugh echoing off the trees whereas Bucky simply chuckled before turning and continuing on. Amy smirked and realized who her opponent would be for winning place, she could really feel the exhaustion in her but she was determined to win, no one had said it but they all knew whoever won would get to pick 3 things tonight: Where they got takeaway from, what movie they watched, and what the next training session would be. Amy smirked, running towards the steps but doing exactly what she had done with the monkey bars, run and lever herself up onto the trees. All the branches were pretty thick, so she quickly made her way across them, just managing to get to the other side seconds after Bucky did. “You ain’t gonna beat me Barnes!!” Bucky chuckled but shook his head choosing not to say anything, they both knew he’d have an instant advantage because of his Vibranium Arm but Amy was smaller and a little faster when he was weakened by his bracelet. She hesitated as she got to the cliffside, feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded, but she shook it off quickly, it wasn’t that bad. She could make it to the top first, press the button, and then sleep until Tony and Bruce arrived…in a few hours. Amy looked at Bucky putting on his safety harness and an exciting thought came into her head. She had climbed smoother surfaces than this with no problem, so she started to climb, ignoring the safety harness to gain first place. Bucky was close behind and not giving up the chase, but it looked like Amy was going to win. Just as Amy got past the halfway point though, another dizzy spell hit her and she stopped, tightening her grip on the rock and trying to ground herself. Bucky noticed Amy stopped and stopped himself, knowing something was wrong. Steve, Nat, Clint, Sam, and Thor, who were on their tails, noticed too but before they could say or do anything Amy’s body went slack and crumpled as her body gave out, exhausted. She started to fall, Bucky jumped, trying to catch her, as did Steve, but just as they were both about to get to reach her she vanished, leaving them to crash into each other with pain-filled groans. Loki appeared on the base of the cliff holding Amy in his arms and cradling her gently, his hand glowing as he scanned the length of her to make sure she was okay. Steve picked himself up and came running over along with the others, minus Tony and Bruce who had no clue what was going on and only just about to finish the river. The Avengers looked shocked to see Loki “Brother? What are you doing here?” Thor asked, Loki looked up after finishing his scan “What happened?” he demanded angrily. In his head, they were responsible for protecting her, she was meant to be safe but instead he had been alerted because she was in danger, and he found her falling from a cliff face. She could have been hurt or killed!! Thor frowned, “She fainted, I think.” Bucky piped up after recovering from smacking into Steve. “Yeah she did, I looked over and she stopped, I thought for a second she needed a break but it’s Amy, she wanted to win, so she wouldn’t stop when she was in the lead…her eyes rolled back and she fell.” Sam nodded. “She did say the nightmares had been keeping her awake.” Loki frowned. “What nightmares?” Sam sighed. “I don’t know what they’re about, but she struggles with them.” Loki gently brushed Amy’s hair gently to the side of her face. “Why did you not tell me my fire? I could have helped.” he said tenderly forgetting who was around, but when he did, he looked up with a very visible blush on his face. You could all but hear everything clicking together in the Avengers’ heads. Thor looked shocked “You are courting Amy?!?!” Steve groaned. “I knew this would happen.” Nat smirked at Clint. “You owe me $500.” Clint groaned. “How did you even know she was in danger?” Rhodey asked. Loki looked up. “The necklace she wears, it’s a gift, but it will always keep us connected and keep her safe.” Amy let out a soft whimper in her sleep, making everyone fall silent. Loki held her close. “Shh my love, it’s all right, I’m here…I’m going to return her home and stand watch over her…I don’t think Casey will be pleased about this…” Loki picked her up and teleported away, laying her gently in bed before texting Casey about what had happened before laying down to watch over Amy in her sleep.

A few hours later Amy groaned starting to wake up a little trying to open her eyes she finds herself nearly blinded by the morning sun. She rolled over, burying her head in the soft pillow and sighing softly, feeling much better than she had during Steve’s cross country assault course. She frowned - come to think of it, she couldn't remember how it ended. She remembered climbing up the rock face with Bucky and then...shit. She groaned, remembering the dizzy spell she took and knowing she must have fell. Surely, she was in a hospital bed with a broken something and a looong lecture from Cap and Dr Strange waiting for her as soon as she opened her eyes, but she frowned, confused, as someone kissed the top of her head. She boldly looked up, ready to look danger in the eye, only to see soft and loving green ones gazing back at her. Amy couldn’t help the smile that lit up her face seeing Loki before pulling him into a kiss. “Hello Handsome….” She smiled happily. Loki smiled but she could tell it was a sad smile. “Why did you hide your nightmares from me my love? I could have helped…”. Amy sighed. “I didn’t want you to know, it’s something I’ve had for years but I’m okay now, it just gets to be too much sometimes. You being with me helps, knowing you’re by my side, my nightmares fade and I dream about us and our future.” A happy smile spread onto Loki’s face. “I’m here if you ever want to confide in me Amy…you don’t have to hide when you are hurting or if you need anything from me.” Amy bit her lip. “Anything?” Loki smiled. “Anything.” Amy smirked in a way that can only be described as the definition of Mischief. “Then I want you… every piece of you to join with every piece of me.” Loki went wide-eyed for a second before a smile spread onto his lips as he stood. “You don’t get a prince in bed that easy Amy, beg…” he smirked they had talked about kinks before, so he knew exactly what she liked. Amy whimpered wantingly feeling much more invigorated after a good sleep. “Please my King, I want you to take me as your Queen.” She didn’t get another word out before Loki’s lips met hers in a kiss whose passion burned hotter than 1000 suns. Loki pushed her back onto the bed making quick work of removing her clothes and kissing down her body, leaving the occasional bite mark. Until he got to her other lips and kissed there with just as much skill, making Amy writhe under his strong hold. He wasn’t letting her escape his grasp that easy. He wrapped his arms around her thighs as he held her gently, but firmly, in place causing Amy to moan. It wasn’t long before she was a panting mess and she had finished. Loki smirked clearly proud of himself. “Kneel Before Your King” he ordered, and instantly Amy was on her knees in front of him waiting for his member excitedly. It was an impressive length, just like the rest of him, and Amy took him in her mouth and started to pleasure him. It wasn’t long before Loki had finished too and that was just their starter. After Loki kissed her again pinning her against a wall his cock already hard at attention. He smirked before throwing Amy on the bed and sexily crawled up her body before getting to her and pushing in, moaning loudly himself. It was like their bodies were meant to fit together like 2 pieces of the same jigsaw. All night they spent together and in many different positions, Amy’s favorite being the reverse Cowgirl and Loki’s was when she was bound and under his control. After a long night of Passion and Pure love Amy and Loki cuddled happily together. The next morning, Casey all but kicked the door down and before she noticed what Amy was sitting on. “Wit the fuck wur you thinkin Amy!? You couldae been killed! For fuck’s sake… ya Pair of Filthy Bastards get some fuckin clathes on!” walks out “Elliot! Get the Bleach…then get in that fuckin bedroom!”

#Loki Love #microstory #microstory my ass #sphynx-nightmare #Cenobexter Mention hehe #Scottish Lang #romantic f/o #Villain F/O #Kneel Before Your King!!