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wulfies-kpop-fanfics · 3 years

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One Photo → Mark Lee [8]

↳ Pairing: Mark Lee/Reader

↳ AU: Soulmate!AU - The first touch of two soulmates permanently scars their bodies.

↳ Warning: angst if you squint, I guess

↳ Word count: 2,294

↳ Chapters: Prelude | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | You Are Here! | 9

⁙ Summary: For an end of the year photography project, you’re tasked with taking a photograph for your favourite group, NCT127, and coincidentally, discover your soulmate.

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WEDNESDAY - 8 TWO YEARS LATER

The heart of Toronto would never compare to the magnificence of Times Square in New York, but the mass amount of billboards by the Eaton Center always managed to send you into awe during your nightly trek home from work.

You looked up toward the billboards with a sigh as you waited for your streetcar, barely managing to squeeze out a smile as you saw Mark’s visage splayed along one of the electronic spaces. The night sky was too polluted with the city’s light to display any real stars, but Mark’s face was more than enough for you. For the past week, you had seen NCT127’s faces sprawled across that billboard, part of promotions for their latest global comeback. It was a brief respite as you waited for your streetcar home every night, to finally know that the day was over and that you could relax.

It had been such a long time since you’ve seen Mark in person. Even though you texted him every day when the two of you were awake at the same time and video chatted whenever he had five minutes to himself, it always felt depressing to be without him. To not kiss or touch or hug at all was torture.

Everyone knew that it was deadly for soulmates to be apart for so long, that depression would set in and even worse physical illnesses were a real risk. It was hard to be so far away and over the past year you had been let go from multiple jobs because you were constantly sick, and therein lies the problem. You simply couldn’t afford the solution to your problem. So, depression and illness it was. It took everything you had to keep your head above water, to keep your dream alive and know that one day your heart wouldn’t ache as much as it does at the present moment.

After a 20 minute ride on the streetcar, you entered your building and took the stairs up to your little hole-in-the-wall apartment, the bare minimum that you could afford after Rhiannon paid her last half of the old place’s rent. A single bed, bath and a tiny kitchen that housed a little chair and round table. Thankfully, there was enough counter space that you could place a tiny TV to watch Netflix on while you ate. You were lucky that the house had a large living room, which doubled as your studio.

The coffee table was one of the only things left from your old apartment, along with the tote of Marvel films you kept hidden below it. Atop the table now rested all of your cameras, a drawing tablet and cards that you got in the mail from Mark from time-to-time, instead of notes, binders and textbooks. Sitting against the wall across from the table was a small bookshelf and an easel with a large frame sitting on it, housing the last portrait you finished the night before, ready to be shipped to the buyer.

After… somewhat enjoying a quick pot of white cheddar mac & cheese and watching a rerun of Supernatural on your little TV, you head into your room and sit at the desk next to your bed. After starting your computer, you opened up discord and sat back in your wheely chair, waiting for Rhiannon’s status to change to green. Wednesday was the day that she had to be up early for her job, so that meant time for a 10-minute call before you went to bed and she went to work.

Next to your computer was a copy of the photo you took two years ago, of your soulmate and all his friends beneath the shedding cherry trees in High Park. You smiled at it, the memory was fond but now faint in your mind. You reached forward to pick it up, but you stopped yourself. You knew that if you inspected the photo more, you’d only miss Mark and all your friends more.

There were times where your apartment became so quiet that it reminded you how alone you really were. You had lived with Rhiannon most of your life, and that meant there was at least some noise going on at all times. Whether she had her headset unplugged when she was listening to music or watching youtube videos, she was clattering about when helping you wash and dry the dishes, or if she was walking around and tripped on nothing. She was always talking, laughing, or doing something that always let you know that she was there. Now, you had nothing.

The silence is broken and you’re startled by the calling sound from discord, Rhiannon’s icon popping up on the top of your screen. You place your hand on your mouse and click the join call button, adjusting the webcam perched on the top of your desktop monitor.

"Hey," Rhiannon was the first to speak, yawning and reaching back to pull her hair into a perfect, tight ponytail.

"Hey," you respond, watching her closely and leaning your chin on your right palm. "How are you holding up?"

"I should be asking you that, Jesus, you look like the Hulk if he got the swine flu," she retorts, and even through the grainy quality you can tell she has sympathy written all over her face. "I'm doing great, we've got two cleanings today and a wisdom teeth removal, so that'll be fun."

You scoff and attempt to smile, "I'm fiiiiine, other than the fact that I'm here and you're there, 13 hours in the future and at least one ocean in between us and an entire continent and a half. I'd say that constitutes abandonment."

"I got the getting while it was good and you know that," she stuck her tongue out at you. "You need to keep saving so that you can fly your ass out here." She squinted at the screen. "You really need to drink like… an entire bottle of nyquil, dude."

"If only it were that easy," you groan. "I don't even have a photographer's position yet. All I get is sitting at a desk and responding to emails… even with my head start, I can't find a good job and I barely make enough to keep living in Toronto." You stick out your tongue back at her for the nyquil comment. "As if I haven't been hiding a bottle of dayquil in my desk for the past week."

Rhiannon stopped what she was doing and leaned toward her camera. "You know why you can't get the jobs you want," her voice is soft, empathetic. "Mark is having trouble, too. He's been doing a lot of half days, so I don't know how they plan to do their tour with him being constantly sick."

You looked away. "I can't afford to take any more time off… I don't want to lose this job. If I do, I'm not sure that I'll be able to make my rent."

"You're going to need to take time eventually,” Rhiannon stated firmly. "If you don't get at least some of your strength back you're going to end up in the hospital like I did. Remember?"

You glanced back at your screen, watching Donghyuck wander around in the backdrop. You were beyond jealous that they got to live together.

"Maybe. I just miss you. More than I miss having a clear passageway in my nose."

Rhiannon smiled sadly at you. "I miss you too, everyone does. You'll be here soon, I promise. I gotta go, sleep well and drink plenty of water, okay?"

"Okay."

Rhiannon waved at you before her screen went dark, ending the call. The call was shorter than usual, so you presumed that she had woken up late. You zoned out a little, acutely aware that the apartment had gone silent again. You didn't want to cry, to give up after surviving for so long. You had made it this far without letting everything get to you.

You knew that your deteriorating health was because of your separation from Mark and companies saw that as a liability, even though laws had come into place last year to protect separated soulmates from workplace discrimination. You felt a tiny ping of hope when Rhiannon said you would be able to move soon, but you knew she was lying to make you feel better.

Feeling lethargic, you stand and make your way to the dresser in the corner of your room, stripping and throwing your clothes about the room. You open up a drawer and pull out a pair of sweatpants and the softest t-shirt you could find and slipped them on, wandering to your bed and slowly climbing in. You slipped off your glasses, placing them on your desk and reached forward to turn off your lamp.

You hugged your polar bear and tried to get comfortable, hoping to fall asleep quickly. You supposed you could call into work when you woke up; at least your manager was nice enough to understand when you needed a day off. You rolled over, tossed and turned, but sleep wouldn't come. Not while your phone was constantly buzzing.

"What the hell," you mumble to yourself, untangling yourself from the knot of blankets you had tied yourself in to reach for your phone. Your lock screen lit up with a photo of Mark, one you had taken two years ago of him standing in Union Station.

[Rhiannon (5)]

She sure knew how to type quickly.

Rhiannon: I'm on my way to work, I'll let you know when I'm there

Rhiannon: sorry our call was so short, I was running a little late

Rhiannon: I talked to Mark last night, did he say anything?

Rhiannon: are you asleep already? It's been like 5 minutes

Rhiannon: ok you're basically just ignoring me at this point

You: calm down bro I was getting in my pyjamas

Rhiannon: I forgot how slow you get when you're sick, I could die of boredom waiting for you to respond

You: hardy har

Rhiannon: so have you talked to mark today?

You: around lunchtime he woke up from a nightmare but I assume hes busy right now

Rhiannon: Things have been pretty bad around now, I think you might have guessed that

You: Yeah, things aren’t really that great here either, but I’m more worried about Mark… have they given him time off?

Rhiannon: Not much besides half days. He’s really been missing you. Maybe you should message him and see if he’s not busy

You: Yeah, maybe. I feel really guilty

Rhiannon: I know. I still could help you buy your plane ticket, you know. You: You know I can’t do that, I can’t take more from you than I have already. I owe you too much.

No response.

You: Rhiannon I’m sorry

You: Come on, you can’t have scrubbed in that fast!

You sighed, staring at your screen and still seeing no response from your best friend. You took a deep breath in and immediately regretted it when you began coughing up a lung, but at least you weren't upchucking your dinner. Instead, you decided to send a text to Mark.

You: mark, you there?

You close your mind for a moment, thinking that maybe going to bed even later than usual would just make you more sick in the end, but you really needed to know what was going on.

Mark: yeah I'm here babe, what's wrong, can't sleep?

You: no not really… do you have time to talk for a bit?

Mark: yeah, my legs gave out during our first practice so I'm taking a break

You: I'm sorry

Mark: it's not your fault (Y/N)

You: it kind of is, we're both dying because I can't afford to move

Mark: (Y/N), we're not dying, and it's okay, you'll be able to move soon

You: face it you know that we are… I haven't felt this horrible in a long time and I've thrown up three times today

Mark didn't respond right away.

Mark: why are you putting yourself down so much

You: I just… have a lot of regrets right now

Mark: what do you mean

You licked your lips and rolled over in bed, wondering if you should tell him.

Mark: are you okay?

You: no, I feel like this would make you hate me

Mark: I could never hate you and you know that. Tell me what's been bothering you.

You: For the past while… Rhiannon’s been offering me money. It’s honestly not much because everyone’s struggling nowadays, but it would be enough for me to fly to Korea, and I’ve felt so guilty about it that I kept saying no and she stopped offering

Mark: You mean that you could have been here faster? You: and now I feel that saying no was a really bad idea… and I.. I can’t afford anything, barely even food and now I hear that you’re even more sick than I am and I feel terrible

You: I don’t know what to do

Mark: It’s okay, (Y/N), really. I know how hard it is to take money from someone else, I’m not mad at you

You: Really?

Mark: I’m just disappointed that I have to keep waiting. You’ll be able to move soon, I promise, I promise, I promise

You: Are you going to be okay

Mark: As long as you are. Take care of yourself, okay? I’ll be there for you the second you land. Okay?

You: Okay. I… I should probably get some sleep now. Mark: Rest well, I love you

You: I love you too

You sighed, placing your phone on your desk and turning over in your bed. It was time.

#mark lee #mark lee x reader #mark x reader #nct127 #nct #nctu #nct scenarios #nct imagines #reader insert #fanfiction #kpop fanfictions #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines

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soobiniebaby · 4 years

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Angels & Devils Part IV: Can You Tell Me

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

B’s first week at MO Academy had been going smoothly so far.

She rarely found herself lost around the campus since she always had Kai or at least 1 member of the student council by her side, she was able to get to know a few other people in her classes, she was able to keep track of lessons and deadlines so far, she had grown to enjoy her walks to and from school with Taehyun every day, and she was able to adjust well to living alone without her parents to watch over her or without anyone else to help around with household chores.

She actually really liked living away from her parents for the first time. The one downside was that she was starting to feel a bit lonely, especially since the apartment had 2 bedrooms, which was obviously meant to be occupied by at least 2 people. The spare room was also set up like a bedroom with a bed and a wardrobe and a desk, but she didn’t have any use for it so she never really went in it since she moved in. She mostly used it to store extra clothes.

Today, Wednesday, the boys had their first student council meeting of the year to finalize things for club recruitment day, so B walked home alone, which she didn’t really mind.

Her week was going smoothly until she received an unusual message that night, while she was lying in her bed after finishing some household chores.

B smiled as each boy sent a selfie, and laughed when she realized that all of them were holding up peace signs in their photos. She quickly saved the pictures and set each boy’s contact photo until she saw Beomgyu send more photos to the group chat.

B locked her phone and turned over in bed, her head full of thoughts of what they could do for Kai’s birthday. If it were up to her, she would take Kai to someplace special and out of the way, like the beach so that they could reminisce about their childhood memories spent along the beaches in Hawaii. But considering that there would at least be 4 other people celebrating Kai’s birthday with them, she knew it was out of the question. She was also curious about what the other boys had in mind, and she was wondering what gift she could get for her best friend.

She checked her phone one last time before shutting her lights off and drifting off to sleep.

•°•

Soobin put his phone away once the other boys sorted out their plan to keep Hyuka busy while he, B and Yeonjun stayed behind. Their last period had already ended, and they were preparing for their meeting.

“So, where do you guys wanna talk?” B asks, grabbing her bag and getting up from her seat. “I’m guessing the 3 will be hanging out at the café, so that’s not an option.” she says, referring to the café that Taehyun’s family owns and runs, which they’ve hung out at everyday after school so far, except for yesterday when the boys had their student council meeting.

“There other cafes nearby, but they’re really not as good as Kang’s.” Yeonjun says, leaning back in his seat.

“You know, there’s one place we could hold our little meeting, and we won’t even have to leave school.” Soobin says.

Yeonjun and B look at him then, curious and interested.

“Well come on then, let’s go. You can lead the way, Mr. President.” B says teasingly. Soobin visibly cringed as she did so. It wasn’t a nickname, but it was something she seemed to enjoy calling him by.

“Alright, follow me.” Soobin says, and the three make their way across the campus.

Walking across campus with Soobin and Yeonjun by her side made B remember the times in the past when she would be escorted by bodyguards hired by her parents. The dark days. She had yet to fill Kai in on the specific details, and a part of her was secretly afraid of spending one on one time with her childhood friend, dreading the moment when she would have to recount the memories that she would rather just forget.

The 2 boys had been chatting about their term project for their creative writing class, Yeonjun whining about getting paired with someone other than Soobin and Soobin in turn comforting him, and B had been so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice where they were.

“Ah, I see. Nice thinking, Soobin.” Yeonjun says, as they walk down a familiar hallway.

“What, why? Where are we going?” B asks, the hallway wasn’t familiar to her at all. It was at a part of the school near where the faculty rooms and offices were, so it wasn’t really part of the tour.

“Actually, I just remembered that I had to stop by to sign some forms that I left after the meeting yesterday, but I figured we might as well have our meeting here.” Soobin says, as they reach a set of double doors at the end of the hall. He takes a bunch of keys out of his pocket and takes a moment to sort through them before taking one and unlocking the doors.

The sign above the door read “Student Council Office.”

“Oh wow, I haven’t seen your office.” B says, realizing where they were.

“Well then, welcome to our lair.” Yeonjun says, before Soobin pushes both doors open in a dramatic fashion.

The three step inside, and B takes a moment to scan the room. There were 5 desks situated along the walls of the room, 2 desks each on 2 opposite sides of the room and 1 desk at the very end of the room, which was bigger than the other 4. Each desk had an assortment of files, papers, trinkets, and frames on them. In the center of the room was a long conference table lined with office chairs. There were 2 whiteboards on the walls filled with scribbles from past meetings with a bulletin board full of reminders and notes, and a projector screen at the end of the conference table hanging from the ceiling. The only windows in the room were behind the 1 desk at the end of the room.

Soobin goes straight to that desk and shuffles through some papers, opening the drawers as well and sorting through documents.

Yeonjun sits at the edge of the conference table and beckons B over. “Come on, Baby. Take a seat.”

“Where, though? This place is huge. And I know we’re sort of having a meeting, but isn’t a conference table for 12 a bit too much?” she says, her eyes still scanning the room. “This place is…pretty cool.”

Soobin makes his way over to the 2 with a stack of papers in his arms. “I think it’s my favorite place in the campus. We come here all the time, and we’re free to use it as much as we want, so please, just take any seat. Make yourself at home.” he says, smiling sheepishly.

“Alright, I guess.” B says, taking a seat close to the end of the table. Soobin takes the seat at the end and Yeonjun sits between the 2.

B notices that the boys seem a bit different as they take their seats. When they were seated in class, Yeonjun was usually slouched in his seat while Soobin had an elbow on his desk and his head resting on his hand. Now, seated at the student council office, they were both sitting upright. Yeonjun had both elbows resting on the table and was leaning forward, while Soobin was sitting up straight with one hand on the table and the other on his lap.

“So, B, we just wanted to talk about Hyuka’s birthday. It’s tomorrow, and we were wondering if you could help us plan something as a surprise.” Soobin says, beginning their meeting.

B felt a bit intimidated, so she found herself sitting up straight as well. “I’ll help you as much as I can, but I haven’t celebrated his birthday with him since we were kids, so I’m not sure what we can do.”

“I’m sure anything you suggest will be a big help, really.” Soobin says, smiling warmly at her.

“Okay, well honestly, I already had an idea but it’s nothing grand, I just thought it would be nice.” she admits. When she sees that Soobin and Yeonjun are focused on her intently, she continues. “I was thinking I, or we, could greet him right at midnight? Maybe drop by his place and surprise him with a cake and stuff so that as soon as his birthday begins, we’ll be there to celebrate it with him. But if it seems too hard to pull off, we don’t have to do it. Or I can do it myself, since I grew up with his sisters too so I could ask them for help.”

“That’s actually a brilliant idea.” Yeonjun says. “I’m up for it.”

Soobin nods. “So am I. We can let the guys know about it in the group chat to see if they can come with us, and B you can coordinate with his older sister Lea to see if we can come over to surprise Hyuka.”

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with her and if she gives us the go signal, I’ll let you guys know right away. I’ll buy a cake tonight, maybe you guys could bring those pop out streamers or something so it’ll be a mini celebration.”

Yeonjun nods. “Great idea, Baby. I’ll deal with food and snacks, maybe a pizza?”

“Or 4?” Soobin says, grinning sheepishly at him.

Yeonjun’s face softens as he says “You know I can’t say no to you.”

Soobin laughs and says “Thanks, Yeonjunie. I’ll try to see if I can get my hands on streamers and stuff too.”

B nods. “Okay, that’s good. Is that all you guys wanna do? I’m sure you have something in mind.”

“A party. Let’s throw him a party.” Yeonjun says. “Tomorrow’s Friday, and we don’t have school or anything the next day, so it’ll be perfect.”

Soobin nods. “I was thinking of a party as well, but where? And how will we set it up?”

“Friday’s club day, but we won’t have club meetings yet since recruitment day will be on Monday, so we’ll just have homeroom in the morning then we’ll be free for most of the day. Plus we can come in school in casual wear, since Fridays are our washday.” Yeonjun says, stating facts.

“Wait, what’s wash day?” B asks.

“It’s the one day of the week where we’re allowed to wear casual wear to school. It’s on Friday cause the school thought it would be more convenient for club day.” Soobin explains. “If we throw a party on Friday, I think we could do it at my place. It’s always available.” he offers.

“Won’t your sister be home?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin shakes his head. “She started at University this year and moved into a dorm, and you know my parents only come home a couple of times every year, so I practically live alone now. Except for the household staff, of course.” he explains.

So he lives alone too. Like me. B thinks to herself. “At least you have household staff to keep you company. It’s actually a bit lonely, living alone.” she says wistfully.

“It really is, especially since I’ve always been close with my family. It’s a big adjustment, having everyone move away now.” Soobin admits. “You guys are always welcome to come over, though, so I’m hoping I won’t be too lonely often.” he says hopefully.

“You guys are always welcome to come visit me too, though I doubt my apartment is as big or as grand as your house.” B says teasingly. “What about you, Yeonjun? Do you live with anyone?” she asks suddenly.

“Nah, my house always feels crowded, even though it’s just me and my parents, plus the household staff. I don’t like being at home though, and I think I’d actually prefer living alone, or at least away from them.” Yeonjun responds candidly.

B was surprised by how straightforward his answer was, and by how easy it was to ask him about it. “I’m an only child too, but as much as I love my parents, I wanted nothing more than a bit of freedom, so I think I understand.” she says, sympathizing with him.

Yeonjun gives a small smile. “At least you got your freedom, Baby. And at least you can say that you love your parents. I mean, my mom’s not bad I guess but my dad is just…” he says, shaking his head. “Anyway, yeah alright, I guess we’re having Hyuka’s party at Soobin’s place.”

Soobin nods. “Yep, that’s settled. Uh, we have to think about setting up now and stuff. Decorations, food, drinks, guest list, that sort of stuff. Gifts will be handled individually, of course.” he rambles, a bit flustered from the sudden change of mood in the conversation.

“I think the main problem is keeping Kai distracted while we’re setting up the party?” B says, offering her opinion. “It’s nice that we’ll be out of school early so we’ll have more time to prepare, but that also means that we’ll have to keep him distracted for longer too.”

“Well, we could do what we did today? Split up the group, 2 of us can distract him while the rest help with party prep.” Yeonjun suggests.

“No, we’re gonna need as much hands on deck as possible with the preparations, plus I don’t think splitting up the group will be necessary. One person is all we need, and I think I know the perfect one.” Soobin says.

B raises a brow at him when she notices him staring at her with a pointed look, until it clicks in her head.

“Oh… you mean me.” she says. Looks like she’d be having her one on one time with Kai a bit sooner than she thought.

•°•

“I can’t see anything.” Beomgyu says.

“SHUSH! Hyuka might hear us.” Taehyun shushes him.

“Wait, I’ll light up the candles so we won’t be in complete darkness.” B whispers. “Hold this for a sec, please.” she whispers, passing the cake to Yeonjun as she shuffles through her bag for the lighter. She lights the candles and pokes them into the top of the cake one by one then takes the cake back into her hands. “Thanks, Yeonjun.”

“Sure thing, Baby.” he whispers, and with the candles lit she could now see that he was smiling at her. She smiles back.

“Okay, are we all ready to go? Hyuka’s room is down this hall, the 2nd door on the right.” Soobin whispers.

“We know where Hyuka’s room is, Soobin.” Beomgyu scoffs.

“I, uh, was talking to B? Are we all re—oh wait! Everyone, put these on!” Soobin whisper-shouts, opening a pack of party hats and passing them around.

“We should’ve done all this before we snuck upstairs. The lights were on in the foyer.” Taehyun whispers while securing the party hat on his head.

“Too late now.” Beomgyu mutters. “Ouch!” he then whisper-shouts, as Taehyun grabs the elastic of Beomgyu’s party hat and releases it so it slaps against his chin

“That’s enough bickering, now let’s go!” Soobin whisper-shouts, holding up his huge pop out streamer like a bazooka.

“Ah, wait, shouldn’t Baby be in front since she’s holding the cake?” Yeonjun whispers.

There’s a moment of silence as everyone thinks it through.

“Okay, cake then pizzas then egg tarts then pop out streamer then camera. So that’s me then Yeonjun then Taehyun then Soobin then Gyu at the back so he can capture everything.” B whispers, getting everyone into formation.

“Why do I have to be at the back.” Beomgyu whispers, pouting as he takes his phone out to start taking the video. “Uh, guys, it’s 12:01 already. We missed midnight.”

And with that everyone runs down the hall and barges into Kai’s room.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” they shout as they burst through Kai’s bedroom door.

“What the—?” Kai exclaims groggily, sitting up in bed and pulling the sheets up to his shoulders.

“Hyuka, were you, um, sleeping naked?” Soobin asks awkwardly.

Kai’s face flushes red as he says “No, of course not! I’m wearing underwear!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Beomgyu smirks behind the camera.

“I can’t show you my underwear.” Kai says, flustered. “Wait, are you filming this?”

“Everyone sing!” B exclaims, which the boys happily oblige to.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!” they sing as they walk further into Kai’s room and surround his bed.

B leans forward, putting the cake as close to Kai as she could, and says “Make a wish, Ningning.”

As flustered and red as he was, Kai squeezed his eyes shut before whispering something under his breath and blowing the candles out.

Soobin lets the pop out streamer rip as Kai blows the candles out, which causes everyone to jump and someone to scream in surprise.

“Uh, that wasn’t me.” B says, as they all look each other, trying to identify who screamed.

Soobin sighs. “Okay fine, it was me.” he admits.

“But you’re the one who popped the streamer.” Kai says.

“Yeah but I wasn’t expecting a loud sound to come out so I was surprised as well.” Soobin says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, happy birthday Hyuka!”

“Thanks, everyone.” Kai says as they all start to greet him. “How’d you get in here, by the way? And what time is it?”

“I asked Lea if we could come over to surprise you, so she told one of the maids to let us in beforehand.” B explains.

“And it’s 12:13 now.” Beomgyu says.

“Oh wow, you really came over here just to greet me at midnight? Thanks, you guys.” Kai says, smiling warmly at all of them. “It means a lot to me.”

“It was B’s idea.” Taehyun says, setting the box of egg tarts on the bed and wrapping an arm around B’s shoulders. “You’re lucky to have a best friend like this one.”

B blushed, surprised by the sudden show of affection from Taehyun. “Thanks, Taehyun. I couldn’t have done this without you guys.”

“Quick, group selfie before we devour the pizza?” Beomgyu says, holding his phone up.

As everyone moves closer together around the bed to fit into frame, Kai asks “Can I at least put a shirt on first so it won’t look weird?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Everyone say Kimchi!” Beomgyu exclaims.

Kai wraps the blanket tighter up to his neck as everyone says “Kimchi!” and Beomgyu takes pictures.

“Okay, now let me put a shirt on so we can do this properly.” Kai says. “Baba, please look away.”

B scoffs. “Oh please, it’s not like I haven’t seen you shirtless before. We lived in Hawaii, remember? Beach days? Sunburns?”

Kai’s face starts to burn red as he explains, “Yeah, but things are a bit different now, Baba. We’re not kids anymore.”

“Aw, is Ningning shy?” Beomgyu says teasingly.

“Just look away for a sec, please, Baba?” Kai pleads, giving the girl puppy dog eyes.

B sighs. “Fine, because I believe in consent and respect your adolescent boy body.” she says before burying her face in his sheets. “Just let me know when it’s safe to look.”

The mini celebration went on until 1:30 in the morning, with the boys exchanging funny stories about Kai and B in turn telling the boys embarrassing childhood stories about him. The 4 pizzas were easily devoured, the egg tarts were saved by Kai for later, more pictures and videos were taken, and they had to remind themselves that they had to be at school at 8 AM, and that’s when they decided to put the birthday celebrations on pause.

Yeonjun offers to drive Beomgyu home since the two of them live in the same area, while Soobin offers to drive B and Taehyun home since he lived closer to the 2, which they happily accept.

Before B falls asleep, she remembers to put together a quick birthday greeting in the form of a tweet.

And as she wakes up the next morning, she smiles when she sees Kai’s reply, but her smile drops a bit when she remembers what she and the boys had planned for the day, and what her role in the plan was.

•°•

“No offense to MOA, like this school is great and all, but are Friday mornings always this boring?” B asks Kai and Taehyun.

They were sitting in their homeroom, which was scheduled every Friday from 8AM to 10AM. Since it was the first homeroom of the school year their teacher didn’t have much to discuss, and on a normal Friday, homeroom period was used to prepare for afternoon club activities, but since club days haven’t started yet, so they were basically just sitting and waiting to be dismissed now.

“Kinda? Don’t worry, it’ll be less boring next week since we’ll be having club day by then.” Taehyun says, trying to reassure her.

“Hang in there, Baba. There’s only 15 minutes until the bell rings anyway. After that, we can do whatever we want.” Kai says cheerfully, trying to fight the boredom.

“You mean we can do whatever you want, birthday boy.” B says, nudging his arm playfully. “Seriously, anything you wanna do? I’ve got you for the whole afternoon, right?” she asks him. She was able to guilt him into spending the whole afternoon with her by playing the ‘I’m your best friend and I’ve missed you so much and I haven’t had quality time with you since we were kids and we need to catch up’ card. It was the perfect opportunity to keep Kai distracted from the 4 other boys.

“We could hang out at my place, maybe watch a movie or nap for a bit? We kept you up pretty late earlier so I wouldn’t mind a quick nap.” B suggests. She was feeling pretty sleepy, and she wanted to feel energized for whatever the boys had planned for tonight.

“That actually sounds really really nice. I wouldn’t mind taking a quick nap, plus we can finally catch up one on one, just me and you.” Kai says, grinning at B.

“You and I.” Taehyun says, correcting Kai’s grammar. “Honestly, I’ll probably spend the whole day sleeping as well, then I’ve got to work a night shift at the café.”

Kai pouts suddenly. “Aw, what? I was hoping you guys would be free tonight, we could all have dinner together or something. My treat.” he offers.

Taehyun fights the urge to smile at how adorably clueless his friend was. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad we were able to celebrate earlier today though. But still, you can ask the other guys if you want to but I think they might be busy too.” he says.

Kai pouts, nods, and takes his phone out to text the other boys. While he’s distracted, B takes the opportunity to communicate to Taehyun.

“Night shift? Really?” she asks, mouthing the words to him behind Kai’s back.

Taehyun shakes his head at her, mouthing back “No. Made it up.” Then he holds up his hand, showing her his fingers crossed which meant he was lying when he told Kai about it.

She nods, understanding him and then gives him a thumbs up.

Just then, the bell rings. B groans and says “Finally!” as she stretches her arms above her head. “This period was a long moment of nothingness.”

Kai nods his head in agreement. “You got that right. Let’s get out of here. Tyun, you gonna walk with us?” he asks, turning to Taehyun. “You guys walk together all the time, right?”

“Yup, let’s get going. I can’t wait to spend the afternoon in bed.” Taehyun says, gathering his things. And with that, the 3 of them leave school together.

•°•

B sent a quick update to the boys as she and Kai step into her apartment. All she had to do now was make sure that he stayed within her sight for the rest of the afternoon, plus she wanted to make sure she was appropriately dressed when they left for the surprise party later. How she could get all dressed up without Kai suspecting anything might be a bit of a challenge, but she was sure she’d come up with an excuse.

“Welcome to my humble abode! When I moved in, I decorated and organized everything by myself, so sorry if it’s a bit of a mess.” B says as Kai’s eyes scan the surroundings. Upon entering the front door, the living room was the first thing that greeted everyone who stepped in. There are 3 doors on the left side, the kitchen to the right separated from the living room by a counter with bar stools set up, and there was a round table with 5 seats set up in front of a pair of sliding glass doors that led into a small balcony at the back.

“Baba, this place looks great. Not bad at all, considering it’s your first time living alone. It’s pretty spacious, too.” Kai says, stepping further into the apartment. “Quick question, how have you survived living alone? I don’t think I could do it, I’m not a very good cook.” he says as he surveys the place, trailing a hand on the kitchen counters.

“It hasn’t been very easy, and honestly I don’t really know how to cook either, so I end up having food delivered a lot or getting takeout instead.” she admits. “I swear, I tried to cook here once on the day I moved in, and I almost burned the kitchen down, so I’m probably never gonna do that again.” she says, laughing sheepishly.

Kai’s eyes widen at her revelation. “Baba! What happened? What did you do?” he asks, almost screaming at her in surprise.

“I tried to cook and then the next thing I know, my smoke detector starts beeping nonstop, then I got so distracted by trying to shut it up, I didn’t notice that the food I was cooking was burning, then the sprinklers came on and my superintendent called to ask what was going on and I had to beg him not to tell my parents about it. It was pretty funny, but yeah, I’m probably never gonna try to cook on my own ever again.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

“Hey, if you want, we could try cooking a quick meal now? For lunch? I’m no seasoned chef, but I know a thing or two. You deserve to eat a homecooked meal at least once in your own home, after all.” he offers, as he starts rummaging through the fridge. “You got any rice?”

As Kai starts to scrap together ingredients from B’s almost-bare kitchen drawers and shelves, he goes into full focus and even puts on an apron. Whenever B asks him if there was anything she could do to help him, he just waves her off.

She takes a seat on one of the stools at the counter and snaps a quick picture of her bestfriend and she composes a tweet.

“Hey, remember that one time when we were still kids and we tried to cook eggs?” B asks as she puts her phone down. “I think we were at your place, we snuck into the kitchen while the maids weren’t looking, and we had to stand on stools just so we could reach the stove.”

Kai nods, though he still had his eyes focused on his cooking. “I remember you ended up with a burn on your arm cause it accidentally brushed against the pan, and when the maids caught us, you were trying so hard not to cry so they wouldn’t see your burn.”

“Oh yeah, I did get burned that day.” B says, then she lifts the sleeve of her sweater until she spots the barely-there mark just above her wrist. “Ah, memories.”

“You know, I still regret doing that.” Kai admits.

“What? Why? That was such a fun day, I miss being able to come over to each other’s houses and just playing around.” B says.

“Yeah, but the cooking was my idea, and you got hurt because of it.” Kai says, looking at her then with regret. “I know I said it a million times that day, but I’m sorry Baba.”

B scoffs, dismissing his apology. “Come on, it’s fine. I barely felt it anyway, and that was ages ago. Look, it’s your idea to cook today too, and I don’t think anything could go wrong since you’re not letting me do anything to help around the kitchen.”

“That’s cause I wanna make sure that nothing like that happens again.” Kai admits. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Just keep talking to me so I won’t feel too bored.” he requests.

“Alright then, anything you wanna talk about?” B asks, resting her elbows on the counter and leaning forward.

“What exactly happened to you last year?” Kai asks suddenly. B’s heart drops and she feels the knots in her stomach start to form, even though she knew he’d want to hear about it soon. “All you said was something about your family and your dad’s job and stuff, but I could tell you were having a really tough time so I didn’t want to push you into telling me all about it back then. And I guess I understand if it’s still something you’d rather not talk about, but as your best friend I’m just worried about you.”

B takes a deep breath, preparing herself to recount the bad experience. “Okay, I’ll tell you now, but to be completely honest with you, the whole thing was a bit of a blur for me too.”

Kai looks at her with his brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Like, you don’t remember what happened?”

B shakes her head. “No, it’s not like that. I remember what happened, I guess I just don’t understand why or the reason behind it? Or what exactly was going on?”

“Okay, I am very confused right now. If this is your way of saying that you’re not comfortable with talking about it, then it’s fine with me, you really don’t have to tell me.” Kai says, trying to sound comforting.

“No, Ninging, I promise I’m gonna tell you everything I know. The thing is, I don’t know much. How do I begin to explain this…” B wonders aloud, sighing before saying “Okay, do you remember what my dad’s job is?”

Kai nods, his eyes focused on his work in the kitchen. “He’s a lawyer, right?”

“Yup, he’s one of the most high-powered lawyers in the country, he works at CNK, which is a globally recognized law firm. He deals with a lot of high profile clients and is one of the most sought-after attorneys for classified cases, usually for big companies with dirty little secrets.” B explains.

Kai nods again, keeping his eyes focused on his work. “Okay, so what does your dad’s work have to do with you?”

“Everything, I think. At the time, my dad was working on a big classified case. I could tell it was big cause he only went home to sleep, shower, and then he was off to work again. I’ve never shown interest in the cases he works on because it’s his business, and it’s not like he’s allowed to talk about them anyway cause they’re usually classified.” B sighs as she realizes that she was starting to ramble, subconsciously stalling.

“Anyway, he was working on this one case, and I didn’t think it was a big deal, but one night he came home looking really shaken, like he was terrified. We usually have dinner together, me and my parents, but when he got home that night he and my mom immediately went up to his office. I tried my best to listen from outside the door, but at first I could barely hear anything, as if they were whispering. Then suddenly, I can hear my mom start to shout things like ‘drop this case right now,’ ‘what am I supposed to do’ and the one that sent chills down my spine was when she said ‘what about our Baby, what if they come for her?’” she says, trying her best to keep her voice stable.

“‘What if they come for her?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Kai asks, his brows pulled together as he was trying to process everything she was telling him.

“I think there was a death threat.” B forces herself to say out loud.

There’s a moment of silence as Kai’s hands freeze, and B swore she could hear her heart pounding. She started counting her breaths, trying to slow them down as Kai looks up at her, his eyes meeting hers.

“You think there was a death threat?” he asks, repeating her words.

She nods slowly. Taking a shaky breath before continuing. “Yeah, that’s the only explanation I can think of for what happened, because since that night I’ve had bodyguards with me everyone I went. Outside my bedroom, at the dining table, they’d even be waiting for me outside my classroom and walking with me around school. Not only that, my parents put me on complete lockdown. I was only allowed to go out to school, then I’d be taken straight home. I mean, my parents were always a bit strict, but this was insane.”

“That sounds really rough, Baba. And it sounds scary.” Kai says, looking at her full of concern.

“It really was. I felt like I was suffocating, cause I never got a moment to myself. The bodyguards wouldn’t leave me alone, and of course everyone at my school started to act like total dicks because of it. Stories started going around, my friends started avoiding me because of the rumors, everyone probably thought I was a criminal or something because they all started treating me like an outcast. And I really felt like I was.” B says, remembering the stares she got at her old school.

“The kids at your old school are all idiots for judging you like that.” Kai says.

B sighs. “I don’t blame them, if a student at school suddenly showed up flanked by 2 bodyguards everywhere, I’d probably be weirded out too. But the worst part is, I don’t know why it all happened. My parents were very adamant about not telling me anything. All they said was ‘it’s for your own good.’”

“Oh wow, so they never explained anything to you? They put you through that shit without even telling you why?” Kai asks in disbelief. “I always knew uncle and aunty were a bit strict, but that’s just cruel.”

“Well if it was really a death threat, I guess they just didn’t wanna scare me. It got better once my dad’s firm won the case though. Again, I don’t know what exactly happened, but at the end of the school year my dad won the case, my parents eased up on my bodyguards, but the damage was done. I lost my friends, I was seen as a weirdo at school, and I felt so frustrated and suffocated that I just wanted to get away.” B continues. It was the first time she had said all of this out loud, and as shaken as she was, she felt a lot better to finally let it out.

“So that’s why you begged your parents to let you transfer schools? And move out of the house?” Kai says, finally understanding.

B nods. “Wow, I feel much better letting it all out now.” she says, taking a deep breath. “I’m just glad my parents let me do it. I think they only agreed because they felt bad about the whole thing, but ever since you mentioned when you walked me home the other day, I really do think that they might have secretly hired security to look after me.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation sounded.

“You know what? Come here.” Kai says, motioning her over to his side of the kitchen. She stands and walks over to him and is surprised when he suddenly pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her.

“Ningning? Wha—?” she starts, but then he hugs her tighter and shushes her.

“Shut up and let me hug you for a moment, alright?” he says, and she feels his body rumble as he laughs. “Listen here, Baba. While I’m around, I promise I won’t let anything hurt you. You got that?”

B tries to relax into the hug, but he was so tall and he was holding her so tight that her face was buried in his chest and she was starting to have a hard time breathing so she lifts her head up and takes a deep breath before saying “Got it. Thank you, Ningning. That means a lot to me.” she says, smiling up at him.

They stay that way for a while longer before she says “Um, I think your food is burning.”

Kai jumps and screams then, panicking as he tries to save his cooking.

The two of them spend the rest of the afternoon picking out the unburnt parts of Kai’s cooking to eat, lying around the couch and chatting with some cheesy Netflix series playing in the background before they fall asleep.

B wakes up when she hears her phone ringing. She notices that the sky was much darker, and she panics when she sees the time and the notifications from Soobin.

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matkomakto · 4 years

Text

How was it to be a volunteer in Italy?

In this post I want to describe my experience as an AIESEC volunteer in Bologna (I posted a lot during this period on my Instagram). My project was related to SDG4, or in other words Quality Education. The name of my NGO is EduChange. What I did in practice was teaching English and giving presentations about Poland and Polish culture to Italian children at the age of 9-10 (and once 14, but that’s a different story). I will put a line now, so that if you’re not interested you won’t have to scroll like crazy.

ARRIVAL

I don’t want to describe the whole procedure of applying, it’s very easy and nothing really happens. Before you leave you have two meetings - one in your local AIESEC and the other via Internet with the one you’re going to. My journey starts on January, 17th. In the morning I entered a bus to Kraków, from where I departed at 4pm to Venice, and then to Bologna. Venice welcomed me with rain (I got a little cold because of that, but Gripex saved my life once again) and so did Bologna. The whole journey took 26 hours (yes, I went by bus and you can’t judge me). Somewhere on my way my first host-mum, Mary, messaged me wishing me a good journey and asking if I was safe (and in this sentence you have everything about this woman - always kind and caring <3). A few hours later, my other host-mum, Chiara, who was supposed to take me from the station messaged me too. At the station I was welcomed by Chiara and Matilde, one of my new sisters (in general, now I have 3 sisters and 1 brother). In the car I met Davide, dad, and Carlotta, my other sister (or daughter, as some people would say). After a short conversation, I realised we were in the house of Mary, where I was about to spend next 3 weeks of my life. I was tired af, but it’s understandable, I think. I messaged my buddy, Marie Claire (oh, haven’t told you about her — a buddy is a person from bolognese AIESEC, who takes care of you, a kind of nanny I’d say) and my manager, Sofia. And then I had dinner and went to sleep. I was sleeping from 14.00 till 11.00 on Sunday. I had no idea what would happen next.

FERRARA

I woke up when nobody was at home. It was a bit creepy tbh. On the table I found a note “We’ll be home at 12, eat anything you want” (I didn’t, my stomach was still acting as if I were in the bus). When the whole family, it means — Mary, Andrea, Athina and Achille, came back, they told me “We’re going to Ferrara”. I thought “What is Ferrara?”. It’s a beautiful town near Bologna, where we spent an amazing afternoon. I didn’t know anything about this town, and even if Mary and Andrea tried their best as guides, I spent a whole evening using Google Maps to identify objects I had seen. Among them were the Cathedral, Palazzo Muncipale, Castello Estense, Palazzo dei Diamanti and Via delle Volte. I ate a delicious cake, which name I don’t remember, filled with Nutella. Achille kept complaining “Maddalena’s cake is the best!” (they all ok, almost all called me Maddalena, which is Italian version of Magdalena). In the evening we played all three in the living room and I was texted by Serena, an English teacher from one schools I was going to teach in, also one of my best bolognese friends. With her message I became both excited and anxious about the next day.

FIRST DAY(S)

All the anxiety disappeared when I entered the first school. The children were so lovely and cheerful that I fell in love with them (in a good meaning ofc) instantly. On the first lesson I was just sitting and doing nothing. Then, Serena came, and I was helping her to answer children’s questions during a final test. Believe me, there were hundreds of them. I came home tired, but happy. And finally I became hungry and ate everything I was offered (I always have a problem with eating far from home). The next day meant another school. It was less pleasant as a building, as Mary described it - it looked more like a hospital. Nevertheless, both the teachers and the students again were pure love. In the canteen I sat with 5 boys, who were supposed to make an interview with me. I felt as if I had been watching Familiada live. Then, one of the teachers came to our table hugging one boy saying “Ask him as often as you can. He’s my son”. Lovely, isn’t it? XD In the next class two girls came to me, giving me a drawing (I have it still in my diary). When I asked in Italian if it was for me, I heard a loud, full of shock “LEI CAPISCEEEEEEEEE”. One of the funniest things during these first days is that nobody knew I spoke Italian, and seeing their faces as they discovered it was a very entertaining activity. Wednesday was my day out, I’ll describe it later. On Thursday and on Friday I went to the third school. I ended up in Athina’s class and believe me, it’s really hard to be in one class with your sibling. Fun fact, both English teachers in that school are Rosannas, which confused me a bit these days.

DISCOVERING BOLOGNA

Finally, on my free Wednesday I got an opportunity to go to the centre. I remember my heartbeat when the bus no.13 entered the centre, it was fulfilling of a dream I made as a 13-year-old girl. I walked through Via d’Azeglio and found myself in Piazza Maggiore. Do you remember that scene from Home Alone, where Kevin realises he’s home alone and walks along screaming as crazy? It was me at the moment (but I screamed internally, don’t be scared). I entered Basilica (which I loved and I came back there several times, even twice on the same day). When I went out, I met Marie Claire. She was my guide that day, we had a great time as she showed me Bologna and its 6 secrets (google it). Later I was supposed to go on an AIESEC meeting (there were 2 meetings and Global Village). I continued my trip around city centre from Saturday till Monday, even if the weather wasn’t as great as on Wednesday. Also, on Saturday we spent a few hours “occupando Italia in un Irish pub” with other volunteers. On that day I discovered KIKO Milano, which is now my #1 makeup brand, I’m addicted to it, sorry if I’m a disappointment.

WEEK #2

I was about to write “Nothing interesting really happened”. But damn, I survived a power shortcut in one of the schools, I ate a true Italian pizza and gelato for the first time, I prepared 120 minutes of lesson in 5 minutes because the teacher was absent, I got engaged into “International Mother Tongue Day” organised by one of my schools, I bought a pair of beautiful shoes, I started to enjoy my new social life (volunteers, ily’all and miss y’all <3) and I managed to organise my first trip completely on my own. If that’s nothing then I don’t know what it is. Oh yes, my famous trips, or as I heard from some people “you have too much money”. Let’s remember the first one.

ROME

No matter how hard I try to overcome it, the very first thing I remember about Rome is the pain in my feet. If you’re ever in Rome, please children, don’t go there in brand-new shoes and try not to walk 21,5 km in a single day. As a true Polish, I will start with complaining. I waited 1,5h for a bus and it didn’t have a machine to buy tickets, as they have in Bologna (Bologna-Rome 1:0). On Saturday, despite not the best weather, I made a beautiful trip from Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, through Colloseum, Forum Romanum, Altare della Patria, Palazzo Colonna, Fontanna di Trevi, Piazza Navona, Castel Sant’Angelo to the Vatican City and its museum (I have an illegal photo from Sistine Chapel, but shh). My friends volunteers, who also were in Rome, wanted me to go with them to Trastevere, but believe me, I was dying. The next day I did the check out before 8am and I enjoyed empty Rome on Sunday morning, it was amazing. I visited Trinità dei Monti. It was almost empty, @turbinis told me I was very lucky, so I will make you see how my luck looks like:

INDEED.IT.WAS.EMPTY.AND.ONE.HOUR.LATER.I.CAME.BACK.THERE.AND.IT.WAS.FULL.OF.PEOPLE.

WEEK #3

In one class there was a Polish boy. Whenever I saw him, he was yelling “CZEEEŚĆ” and whenever I told something about Poland all the children looked at him in the way “Do you confirm what she’s saying?” This week also brought me two great memories with my bro, Achille. He was sick and out of school and this week he was supposed to be back. He was a bit depressed and thought he would have to study all night. Oh, I forgot about the deep existential question he asked me two weeks before: “Have you ever loved someone on this Earth?”. Deep, you must admit. Another time, he was watching cartoons. When his cartoon ended, they started a cartoon for younger kids. He got offended, switched off the tv and took off the battery from the remote control, because “he won’t watch things for babies”. I remember that one day I became extremely hungry and the next day I went to Café Zamboni (coming back from Pinacoteca, which was amazing btw) and ate so much, that I could barely walk XD. I started realising that I want to go to Erasmus here. It was also a week of Sanremo, I remember with laugh how Athina tried to show her dad the performance of Achille Lauro and poor babbo was running away from her and her phone (I was team Gabbani, although now, when I’m writing this, I hear a loud “FAAAAAI RUMOOORE QUIIIII”). On Friday I got compliments from Rosanna and Rosanna for being a good teacher. They really liked how I had substituted Rosanna#1 the week before. Having my wings grown, I started my next trip, using Frecciarossa for the first time.

NAPLES

Although you may not believe it, it was the first time I had seen the sea. Moreover, I saw it for the first time in the same place as did Elena Greco in “L’amica geniale”, but I realised it a few weeks later. Getting out of the hostel, I went down Via Toledo, Galleria Umberto I, Castel Nuovo to Piazza del Plebiscito. I swear, I will fight anyone who says that Naples is dirty/ugly/both. Also, everyone was telling me about thieves, but somehow I didn’t get stolen. After I finished a gelato on Piazza, I went to the sea. It was one of the most beautiful feelings I’ve ever experienced. I thought “Screw all the sightseeing, you will do it tomorrow. Enjoy the sea today”, and so I did. I followed Lungomare all the time, passing along Castel dell’Ovo to the Mappatella beach. As it was the first time I saw the sea, the beach was also a whole new experience. Kids, never ever go to the beach in winter shoes, did you know? Because I didn’t. Probably I would watch a sunset there, but I got a bit scared with all those theft-stories and I was in the hostel before it got dark (I watched the sunset on Piazza del Plebiscito though). On Sunday I went from Santa Maria del Carmine, via Via San Biagio dei Librai and Via dei Tribunali to the Cathedral, Piazza Nazionale and train station. I arrived in Bologna at 11pm tired, but happy.

WEEK #4

In the middle of my stay, I moved to my second host family. At the beginning it was a bit weird (just like every time you change your life 180°). Everything changed the next evening, when I stayed home alone with my sisters and their nanny. We had a great time playing games and joking. Although I’m still ashamed that I lose in Mario, which was the game of MY childhood :C. That week another AIESEC meeting took place. Even two meetings, because on February, 14th there was a Global Village. It was a great event, even if I couldn’t enjoy it till the end, because the next day I had to wake up early. For the train. Btw, it was a Valentine’s Day, wasn’t it? I received some sweet cards from my students and it made my heart melt. After school we met with Marie Claire, who showed me something that now I miss a lot - tigelle.

FLORENCE

I woke up with a strong “oh shit” feeling. But as I realised I’m going to Florence, I got up and got ready in 20 minutes. Everyone was still sleeping, though I woke up Chiara when I tried to open the door. It was a cursed day for trains, I think. The train to Florence had too few wagons (I was assigned #9, but there were only 7, though they let me in) and the train from Florence was 40min delayed (I got into precisely on time I should get off in Bologna). I spent a wonderful day, mostly contemplating Il Duomo. Seriously, I took 42 photos of it, which makes almost a half of all photos taken in Florence. I can’t resist to put here at least one:

When I arrived to Ponte Vecchio, I saw a beautiful exhibition of jewelry. Really, it was so beautiful, that I couldn’t stop watching it. I even took a photo of it. As I started to continue my trip I said to myself “Magdalena, you will regret it till the end of your life!” So I came back and bought one bracelet. For 130€. Do I regret it? No. Would I regret if I hadn’t bought it? Yes. I will even show it to you.

One of the most important highlights is the visit to Capelle Medicee - if you ever go to Florence, go there, it costs only 2€ if you’re below 25 (or 26 idk). I enjoyed an amazing view from Giardini Boboli, saw another Neptun Fountain (like, Italians, aren’t you done with them yet???) and took a rest in front of Santa Croce. As a nice finish, I watched the sunset by the Cathedral.

WEEK #5

That Sunday (yes, now I start with Sunday, why not) Chiara woke me up early in the morning and we went to Matilde’s training (she plays rugby and btw Athina plays tennis and Carlotta does skating, I’m really proud of them). After the match (Matilde’s team won ofc) we went to Chiara’s parents. Oh my, I had never thought that people who had never seen me before would treat me as if I were their granddaughter, because that’s what I felt. I don’t remember if I ever had such a dinner, in such an atmosphere. I miss nonna’s tortellini, no one will ever prepare me better ones. In the evening, we played Dixit (a bit of Katowice flashback), the best game ever and don’t even try to say something different. Monday and Tuesday were the days of saying goodbye, since next week these days were supposed to be free. On Wednesday I spent a nice afternoon/evening with Heloísa, my Brasilian friend. We both didn’t know then that we will miss going out so much. On Thursday and on Friday I was a bit sick, I don’t know whether it was just a cold, a beginning of flu or covid-19, which everyone believes me to have had. Nevermind, on Saturday I was completely well.

SAN LUCA

San Luca is a sanctuary located on a hill near Bologna. You can go there on foot, through 666 “portici”. So did I with my host-mom Chiara and Carlotta. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I remember Carlotta running fast up the stairs and being tired when we went down. My sister has a big, pure heart. She gave her chocolate to a homeless man. Also, on that day she became my daughter. At least for the woman in the souvenir shop. (If you ask about Matilde, she was on a soccer game with her dad)

WEEK #6 HOW IT ALL COLLAPSED

Here, I should describe my last week in Italy. But I won’t.

It all started on Sunday morning. I had bought train tickets to Venice and Rimini a few days before. Chiara said “Do you know, there are more and more cases of coronavirus in Venice, in the evening there will be an official communicate. Consider not going there tomorrow”. All I said was “Okay.”. But really, I had no fear of this virus, I even thought I would take advantage of it, because panic means it will be less crowded, no? In the afternoon I went to the centre. In Piazza Maggiore, Via dell’Indipendenza and near the Two Towers people were celebrating the end of the carnival. As I don’t like crowded spaces, I went for a walk near Via San Vitale and Strada Maggiore. As the sun started to set, I decided to go back home. I received a message from AIESEC members that all schools in Emilia Romagna are closed. “A whole free week, cool” I thought. But as the new messages appeared I realised, that there would be no Venice tomorrow. They wrote “Please, don’t travel”. But then it was not my problem. I wanted to get into a bus, but somehow all the bus stops were empty. I had to go back on foot. Have I mentioned that I lived about 5 km from the centre? So, it was a long walk. As I walked, I tried to think what I would do for a whole week as probably the girls will go to grandparents’ and Chiara and Davide have their works. With Chiara we made a decision, I have to go back to Poland. We contacted a few members, about an hour later I had new bus tickets on my phone. We went to a supermarket, it was as if a war was coming. 5 minutes before closing the shop was full of people. And empty on shelves a few minutes later. At 10pm we drove to grandparents to leave the girls there. It was one of the hardest farewells in my life. You can ask why, they are not even your family. Maybe because I remember Carlotta’s words, when they both occupied the whole sofa and I asked “Oh, there’s no longer place for me, is there?” she answered “There will always be a place for you here”. Maybe because I remember Matilde’s head on my shoulder when we were on the way. Maybe because I remember how grandma treated me as her real granddaughter giving me some food and her confitures to Poland. Maybe because all these people showed me more familiar love and affection in these 5 weeks than I received from my real family. Maybe because they still text me asking how I’m doing. Maybe.

I stayed awake till 3am, making my suitcase and handbags. On Monday I went to school, which was closed, to make a closing meeting and to say goodbye to my first host-family. I went for a last coffee and pizza to my favourite restaurant nearby and came back home. I watched tv all the afternoon and had a farewell-pizza as a supper (2 pizzas in a day, very healthy, Magdalena). On Tuesday at 6am I was in a bus heading to Prague and then to Kraków. Instead of watching the sea in Rimini, I was watching some fields somewhere between Kraków and my town.

To make a happy end, it was the time of my life, I’d write something better here but it’s almost 1:30am when I write this, so sorry :C

#it's 1.30 i don't care about tags

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kitkatwinchester · 4 years

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Okay! So! SOMEHOW, I have had yet to share the links to my favorite fics that I bookmarked from the Irondad Big Bang, and that is a CRIME, because the work that these authors and artists put in and the way they came out is BEAUTIFUL!!! Plus, it breaks my rule of “share any story you bookmark”. So! I’m gonna fix that.

That said, I want all of them to get credit, so I’m going to put all of them on one post so that stories don’t get overshadowed by the most recent post or anything, because they ALL deserve ALL of the credit, because these stories are AMAZING!!!

To avoid this post being too long, I’m not gonna put warnings or anything, just the summaries and number of chapters, so make sure you read any and all tags before you actually start the stories, just in case! :)

These aren’t ranked or anything. I’m just putting them in alphabetical order. :)

P.S. All artists are credited in the stories--they deserve recognition too, because their art work is beautiful, so make sure you check them out with the links provided!! :D <3

Come, My Darling, Homeward Bound by @i-am-irondad Chapters Posted: 7/9 Updates: Sunday and Thursday

Peter and Morgan have been imprisoned in an eleven-by-eleven foot shed, for almost five years. Morgan celebrates her sixth birthday, still under the naive impression that the shed, is the only place that exists. Peter is weighed down by his guilt of allowing her to live a lie.Set after Homecoming (Not an Infinity War or Endgame Compliant)

Friendly Fire by @jolinarjackson Chapters Posted: 9/12

Finding a careful truce with the government, the “rogue Avengers” are allowed to return to the Compound where they are put under house arrest. Peter coming to spend one week at the Compound during his summer break couldn’t have come at a more inconvenient time as the opportunity to bond a little more with his mentor is overshadowed by a conflict he doesn’t quite understand. When he starts to develop a mysterious medical condition, however, the former team is forced to work together – not just to protect Peter’s identity from the DODC, but also to find the cause for his illness before it’s too late.

“He’s my kid,” Tony said, his voice hoarse. “He’s my kid and I failed him.” He covered his eyes and took a few deep, shuddering breaths. “All I ever do is fail him.” Natasha knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in her hands, waiting for him to meet her eyes before she said, “Right now, he doesn’t need you to fix this. He doesn’t need you down here. He needs you over there, in the medbay, by his side.” She thumbed tears from the corners of his eyes and ignored the ones running down her own face. “You haven’t failed him yet.”

Great Power, Greater Responsibility by @starjargon Chapters Posted: 15/16

King Anthony Stark isn’t a proponent of the debt-slave laws, but he’s not exactly opposed either. However, when he acquires a boy who needs his protection, he suddenly finds a reason to take a stand. And for the first time in his life, to care about someone else.

Ohana by @jen27ny Chapters Posted: 7/8 Updates: Sundays and Wednesdays

“HYDRA?” (The hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a chill runs down his back. He dismisses it, thinking it’s because of the cold metal bedframe.) “Yes, HYDRA. Our home.”

~~~~~~~~~~

When Tony recruited Spider-Man during the debacle of the Sokovia Accords, he never thought it would lead to anything else but a mentorship; giving the boy a suit and a few pointers here and there. He never dreamt that Peter would charm his way into Tony’s life, claiming a spot right next to Morgan. For a while, it looked like the universe finally gave Tony a break.

Until Spider-Man suddenly disappears.

For two years, Tony doesn’t stop looking for him, doing everything in his power to bring the boy back. But to no avail. It’s like the earth opened up and swallowed him, leaving behind nothing but a Peter-shaped hole in Tony’s heart.

Then, during one mission, they meet a HYDRA agent who can stick to walls and has a very familiar face.

once upon a Reality by @the-reverse-mermaid Chapters Posted: 4/4

A supernatural stranger appears in Tony’s house to make him a deal: Peter has been taken, but if Tony can locate him in each of a series of fiction-based alternate universes, they can have each other back.

Along the way, they work a couple things out.

(Crack taken seriously, pretty much; based around the children’s story, “The Runaway Bunny”, featuring 6 different AUs)

no matter what (you keep finding something to fight for) by @rejectedmarvel Chapters Posted: 3/24 Updates: Wednesdays and Fridays

Since the apocalypse graced the world, Tony Stark was no stranger to pain it unleashed. It was a second skin at this point, a looming presence weighing him down as he tries to make his way through a world gone mad. Tony likes being alone, not being too close to anyone. He can’t lose anyone else, never again.

But in this new world, the universe seems to keep sending people his way. Now, stumbling into the care of a wise-ass kid with Bambi eyes and a messy mop of brown curls, Tony is thrust into a new side of the apocalypse. Now on the race to a possible cure and the bubbling friendship with this kid, Tony may just have to face his many demons to make it out this journey alive.

~ The Last of Us AU ~

North Star by @unfathomable-universe Chapters Posted: 5/13 Updates: Mondays and Thursdays

They came in the middle of the night.

The signs were all there. His mother sewing their valuables into the lining of their coats. Photos and papers being burned in the fireplace. His father not returning from work that evening. Later, Peter would realize that the signs were there. Later, Peter realized his parents intended they escape.

They did not escape. They were arrested.

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

An Irondad au of the book Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepeteys

The Lightning Strike by @booksxtvxsupernatural Chapters Posted: 1/1

The day Thanos snapped his fingers, Peter was far, far away, surrounded by strangers, and with no hope of getting home. He could do nothing as the last infinity stone slid into place on a gauntlet covered hand, and could do nothing as Thanos disappeared from the face of the Earth.

He could do nothing as one by one, the heroes fell around him. He could do nothing as Tony Stark fell to his knees and crumbled before his eyes, cradling Peter's head in his hands.

No, Peter could not do anything then. But he could do something now. And maybe that would be enough. To bring everyone back, to save his aunt and friends and hero, he would stop at nothing. Time and space be damned.

This time, he would be right here, and he would fight to the bloody end before he let the universe take anything else from him.

That would have to be enough.

Let me just say: my comments on these people’s stories are...LONG as ALL HECK, because there are MANY EMOTIONS that come with these stories. I have to warn you of that now. For most of them, you’ll definitely want a box of tissues.

Thank you to these amazing writers and artists for contributing to the Big Bang! I’m really lucky to have been able to read your stories, and for those that are unfinished, I’m so excited to see how your stories continue and eventually finish off!! You’re all amazing and I love you all!! <3 <3

#writing #fan fiction #tony stark #peter parker #and then some #ironman #spiderman #irondad #spiderson #irondad and spiderson fanfic #irondad big bang 2020 #these people are seriously so talented #i'm honestly jealous lol #go give them love and support!! <3 <3

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fireproofkings · 4 years

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The making of a sweater series

Part 1 || Part 2

Two things before we start: First, this is a long one and it has a few photos so buckle up if you’re reading. And second, I apologize in advance for the state of my nails in any of the pics, I know they are incredibly awful, but I promise I’ll do them tomorrow.

If you know me, you know I am the worst at keeping up with things, and if not, the fact that I have 7k drafts can give you a pretty good idea.

Last Saturday (July 11th) I went out and bought everything just as I expected, but while I was out shopping, Louis decided to attack us.

That’s one of those things you will always remember what you were doing the moment the news hit. I was buying all the supplies to make Harry’s sweater when Louis announced he was finally free.

My phone was blowing up, and when I went to check why, all of my group chats were screaming, and the lovely Ed (@literlarryreal) was sending me long voice notes telling me all the thoughts she has and let me tell you, it was a ride.

Yes, I cried in public and no, I am not ashamed to say it was not the first time I have done so with something Louis related.

Anyways, getting back on track, I spent way more than I was expecting to, but it’s alright lol. I am confident it’s all going to be worth it.

Under the cut you can find a summary on everything that happened this week with the process, and more pictures of Jack, my dog.

Here’s everything I bought that day. The quantities are exactly what is in the pattern in JW Anderson’s website (plus an extra colour I bought but then found a better match for, which I might use if I run out of any colour). I did end up finding everything, but I had to go to a few different stores to do it. There’s kind of a shortage due to the current situation and the fact that these aren’t essential goods.

I wanted to start that same Saturday, but I decided to finish that scarf I was making before, just so I wouldn’t have to go through all the trouble of changing needles and storing it away where it would probably get messed up, so I finished it and here’s a photo of it:

I ended up doing an infinity scarf, and have some yarn leftover, maybe I’ll do a hat or something like that in the future. Yes, those are my PJ’s don’t judge me.

Then I procrastinated starting the actual sweater for all of Sunday and Monday (12th and 13th). That’s something I tend to do, if you haven’t noticed.

One thing I hadn’t thought of as particularly hard, ended up being something out of my nightmares (I also tend to over exaggerate, if you’re reading this, you’re really getting to know me lol).

That green square is incredibly awful.

The pattern itself isn’t that difficult, but if you have to undo some lines it completely falls apart and you have to start over. This happened to me like three times the first time I attempted it.

Usually it takes me half an hour to 45 minutes to do one square, this one took literally two hours and a half. But it was so much easier and quicker the second time around. Putting in a lifeline and doing tallies in a notepad every time I finished a line helped a lot.

Jack did end up making it better. Even if him laying directly on top of it made it difficult to work.

On the other hand, the black and red jacquard squares were something that had me slightly worried. The technique is kinda confusing and is very easy to mess up if you are not paying attention.

The first few lines I did wrong, but then I learned how to do it properly and while the handling of the multiple strands of yarn is difficult, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

But then, horror struck.

I realised that for some reason I was doing the squares 12cm long and not 14cm like they are supposed to be. So that panel was going to end up being 6cm shorter than the others in total, which doesn’t seem like much but was definitely going to show.

Here you can see the mess. I had to undo basically two whole squares, since the first one was 14cm (I really don’t know what was going on in my brain) and the second one, which was a jacquard pattern one, could be continued, but those two squares cost me about a whole day of work.

I was so frustrated I decided to stop for the day and take a long hot shower.

I came back to it the next day and Jack made it all better (can you sense a pattern -no pun intended- here?).

So, to wrap it up:

They are lined up in the way they go in the completed sweater. The little notes on top help me keep track of which one is each of them. The numbers in blue show the order in which they were done.

The first one was pretty easy except for the green square I talked about before, I started that one on Tuesday (14th) and finished on Wednesday (15th). That same day I started the second one which I finished early on Thursday (16th), it was really uneventful which I appreciated a lot, apart from my pointer finger hurting from pushing the needle, so I decided to invent some kind of protection with tape and silicone, which failed extremely, because it rides up and falls off.

Here you can see my failed attempt at some kind of protection for my pointer finger. I basically need a thimble, but I can’t find one online.

Maybe the uneventfulness of panel number two was to make up for the absolute nightmare that was the third panel that I had started that same day, the one I talked about being 6cm too short. It threw me off the loop for the rest of the day, which meant I only finished it late on Friday (17th) and by then I was too tired to do anything else.

Yesterday, on Saturday (18th) I started the fourth one, but I didn’t have the energy to work that much, and today, Sunday (19th), I haven’t done much more than a couple of rows.

By this point I have 3 completed back centre panels and another one 3/4 of the way done. I just have that 1/4 and the two side panels (that include shoulder shaping) left to finish the back, and then I have the front, sleeves, cuffs, collar, ribs, and button band to finish the knitting. Then it’s all ready to sew together.

Just as I did with last post, I want to close this off with some pointers for what is coming, just to keep myself on track and look back to later:

This week I want to finish the back and leave it all ready for sewing when I’m done with the rest of the knitting.

I have to write for a fic exchange I wish I had started earlier but I’m still confident on the time I have left, so that will be my priority, and not knitting.

I start classes again on August 3rd and I hope to be finished by then (with both the sweater and the fic lol), I am kinda confident I will be able to do it since I’m kind of 1/3 of the way through, so if I keep the same pace, or an even better one, I’ll be able to make it.

Something I’m not looking forward to is doing the shoulder shaping, I have no idea how to.

I have been worried the yarn I bought isn’t going to be enough (it might be just my anxiety talking), but I think it’s going to be okay since I am nearly 1/3 of the way through on the squares with one of the colours, but I haven’t gone through that amount of yarn yet.

I have made the executive decision to not do the tassels with the left over yarn and to sew the panels and ribbing together right sides together (so the seams will be on the inside) to give it a more polished look, but this might change in the future.

I’m starting to see it take shape, even if only the back, and I’m really excited!!!

If you want to see the other posts in these series go to the top where the other parts are linked or go to the tag here.

#the making of a sweater #mine #jack #harry's patchwork sweater #louis is free #sorry for all the dates #it's just so i can keep track of the time it's taking #thank you if you read this lol

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purplesurveys · 4 years

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803

Do you have a fan/air conditioning on right now? I have a fan turned up at the highest level right beside me. It’s been so humid all day but the air outside is getting colder and it’s obviously going to rain soon, so at least it’s not as hot as it’s been. When was the last time you sang along with a song? Which one was it? Earlier today while watching Descendants of the Sun – I FINALLY FINISHED IT AAAAHHH. Thank fuck it was a happy ending, I was giddy enough with the final scenes that I sang along to the background music, heh. I remember an anon recommending Who Are You: School 2015 to me, so I might watch that next :) Are you currently wearing any hair accessories? Which ones? Yes. I have a simple black hair tie that I’m using for a ponytail now. Have you ever wished you had a different name? Which name would you choose? I definitely wished this as a kid, but I’ve warmed up to my name now especially after hearing more people tell me that they like it. Back when I disliked my name I insisted on being called my second name, which is Isabelle. Do you often press the wrong keys on the keyboard? Only when I’m typing in a hurry. Otherwise I’ve got a good hold of the keyboard.

Have you ever customised an item of clothing? What did you do to it? Other than the time we had a customized dress made for my prom, no. I don’t do DIY, so I wouldn’t be able to pull that off. When was the last time you got a splinter stuck in you? D: Probably in high school. Do you prefer drawing or painting? Any particular reason why? I like painting, but only with those paint-by-number kits that already come with a guide and an outline. I find those kits therapeutic. I have absolutely no hand control when it comes to pencils and I’ve never been able to follow drawing guides, even the simplest and most basic ones, so I’ve never enjoyed drawing. Are you saving up for anything right now? What? Not at the moment. I’m just savoring the time I have left at home before I have to get my ass up and start looking for a job. Are you any good at playing pinball? I guess, but I’m no expert. Close to a decade ago there’d be long stretches of time where we’d have no internet at home – because Philippines – and I’d have no choice but to play hours of either solitaire or pinball on my old laptop. Eventually I got skilled enough on both. Do you own any figurines? Of what? I have action figures, if they mean the same thing. I have a couple figures of AJ Lee that have stayed inside their packaging the entire time I’ve had them. If you have any siblings, how much rivalry is between you all? Zero. All three of us have different skills and interests, so it’s pointless to pin us against each other. When did you last have itchy eyes? Last night my left eye was starting to act up, so out of annoyance I rubbed it really hard. If forced to go camping, would you rather sleep in a tent or a caravan? If I was forced and I didn’t want to go through it at all, I’d take the caravan. But if it’s a camping trip that I had planned for in advance and was something I was looking forward to, I prefer the full experience and would go with the tent. Is it dark outside right now? Yes, it’s nearly nine in the evening. How often do you get jealous of other people? What is it usually about? Not very often. As someone who’s a little materialistic, I get envious more than jealous. Do you prefer framed photos or just sticking photos straight onto walls? Framing them. I don’t think sticking photos is the smartest thing to do with a painted wall. What's your favourite type of cake? Cheeeeeeeeeesecake. Have you ever woken up from a dream and believed it to have been real? Only for a few moments after waking up, but it’s easy for me to go back to real life and realize what’s a dream and what isn’t. When was the last time you brushed your teeth? This morning. How tired are you right now? I’m a little drowsy and it sucks that I can’t drink coffee until Tuesday because of my antibiotics prescription, because I don’t feel like sleeping yet. I’ll take a shower after this survey and I hope that’ll wake me up for a bit. When was the last time you had an argument with someone? What was it about? Not strictly an argument but more of a civil debate - Gab and I were discussing whether it’s okay to be furious with celebrities to the point of harassing them if they’re found to be silent in matters such as Black Lives Matter, and whether normal people hold the responsibility to educate these celebrities whenever they act like they’re unaware. If there's a bug in your room, can you sleep or do you need to get it out? Get it out. How long have you gone without sleep? Today? It’s been 13 hours. Can you drive yet? How good are you at it? Yes, I’ve been driving since I started college. I’d say I’ve gotten very skilled in the last few years. I’m not always the safest (I tend to weave in and out of lanes especially once I get bored in traffic, OR if everyone around me seems to be a dumbass with crazy slow reaction times) but I’ve never put anyone I’ve ever driven in harm; so as crazy as I get sometimes, my friends still always choose to ride with me and that’s the biggest compliment ever lol. Do you prefer travelling alone or with people? WITH PEOPLE. Traveling is one of the things I can never imagine doing alone. Did you listen to the radio today? Technically. My favorite station does livestreams on Facebook, and I caught several of them throughout today. What was the last baby animal you saw? I saw a pup roaming around the street this afternoon. Generally speaking, is it warmer or colder in your house than outside? A little warmer at the moment. When was the last time you threw up? The last time I felt like throwing up was last Wednesday, though nothing came up. The last time I actually threw up was sometime in like April or May last year. Do you give people high fives or hugs more often? Hugs. I barely go for high fives. Have you ever tie-dyed something? We had to do it with a shirt in a Grade 7 class, but that was the one time I ever did it. It’s not really something that interests me. Name something you thought was cool when you were younger but don't now: Lisa Frank. How long does it usually take you to get to sleep? Depends on the temperature and/or how tired I am. I have to tire myself out; I can’t just close my eyes whenever I want and expect to doze off. When did you last get a papercut? It’s been a WHILE, thank goodness. I can’t even tell you when. High school, probably? Which do you prefer: Blackboards or whiteboards? Just for nostalgia’s sake, blackboards. I haven’t seen one or written on one since high school since we have whiteboards or just straight-up projectors in university. What sort of things do you have bookmarked in your internet browser? Surveys to take, links for various classes in college that I should really be un-bookmarking now to save on space because I don’t need them anymore, movies I want to watch, recipes I want to try...it’s really mostly for-future-reference stuff. Are / were you spoilt? Would others agree or disagree with you? I’m spoiled in the context of our family in that I often got what I asked for, and if I was told no, I could typically pull out a pout to get what I wanted lol. But I was never spoiled rotten in that I’d lie on the floor and kicked around if things didn’t go my way and I never disrespected my parents or yelled at them, or threw a fit if the phone they bought wasn’t in the color I liked, etc. I just had one trick up my sleeve, but I never abused it. Still, compared to my siblings, I’m probably the most ~spoiled. What are you wearing right now? I’m wearing a tank top and shorts, but I really should be showering after posting this. What was the last book you read? I reread some chapters from Crazy is my Superpower last week.

#survey #surveys

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fantasiesandbooks · 4 years

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Tenerife Sea ix

I don’t own any of the photos.

Prologue Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

Soundtrack

It was Friday and you were excited for it. Finally you could have some rest from all the tiring week you have had due to some projects you had to finished at work. Your plan for the rest of the day was staying at home and eat a lot of junk food while watching Netflix. You were waiting for the clock to announce the end of the day at work when your phone lighted up and the screen showed Chanyeol’s name.

“Hi Yeol! What’s up?” You said, scribbling at your notebook just to entertain yourself.

“Hi y/n! Are you busy?” He asked.

“Nope. I’m just waiting to get out of work which is in about 3 minutes” you chuckled.

“Oh! And do you have any plans after that?” He said quizzically.

“Not really. I was planning to head home and stay the rest of the night watching movies. Why?” you said nonchalantly.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something. I’m planning on giving little presents to the fans that are attending my birthday party on Tuesday but I don’t know yet what would be good.” He explained.

“Well it has to be something that both men and women can have, right?” You asked thoughtfully.

“Yes. Usually most of them are girls but I want something more “neutral” in case there would be boys too” Chanyeol said.

“Mmm... you could give them scarfs or gloves. They could be useful as the winter is approaching” you suggested although you were not 100% sure about it but that was the first idea that came up to your mind.

“Yeah! That could be an option” he said hesitantly.

“You didn’t like the idea. I can tell by the way you said it” you sneered and he laughed.

“To be honest not much” he admitted shyly. “The thing is I was thinking on giving something handmade. You know like a bracelet or something like that”.

“Oh! That could be good too.” You agreed. “But how many do you have to make?”.

“Around 100” he said, concern clearly on his voice. “And I need to have them done by Monday so that’s why I’m desperate and calling you. To see if your kind soul could help me with that”.

“Yeol! Why did you wait until now to make them?” You scolded him.

“I know but I was so busy getting the venue for the event and other stuff and now the group has practice everyday” he explained miserably.

You released a heavy sigh. You really were hoping to get cozy and take a good nap once you have gotten home but after hearing him in despair you knew Chanyeol was having a really hard time thinking about this situation. Meanwhile you gathered your things and walked out of the office. The noice from the streets were starting to get louder as you approached the avenue.

“Fine! I’ll help you. When are we going to make them?” You asked defeated.

“Thank you thank you thank you” he said relieved. “I’m free today so I can pick you up right now. We will go and get the material for the bracelets and we can go to your place to make them there” he suggested.

“Ok. I’ll wait for you at the bus stop near my workplace. I’m sending you my location” you said as you were typing fast and sending the information to Chanyeol’s phone.

“Got it. See you in 15 minutes” he said.

“Ok, bye.” You said and hung up.

While sitting on the bus stop you were looking at your surroundings. A lot of people walking around as most of them were getting out from work and others were already packing the bars and restaurants near. A van parked in front of you and you recognized it it immediately. It was Chanyeol’s. You took your belongings, walked to the vehicle and opened the door.

“Hey!” He said when you entered and closed the door.

You turned to look at him and greeted him back. “Hi!” You said as your were putting your stuff on the back seat.

“So where are we going?” You asked.

“I found a store where we can find the material. It’s at the new mall.” He said, his eyes focused on the road.

“Very well then” you said and turned to look at the window.

“How was your day?” He asked.

“Tiring. I had to finish several projects and I have some unfinished too. You know as the holiday season is around the corner everyone is getting frantic about it” you explained.

“How about yours?” You asked and turned to look at him.

“Same but for other reasons. You know our comeback is on Wednesday and we have to prepare for the live shows so we are practicing like crazy” he said with tiredness on his voice.

“Oh yeah! I can’t wait for it. I’ve seen the teasers and it looks good” you said. “So who am I talking to now. Is it the real Chanyeol or the fake one?” You joked and he snorted.

“You are going to come at us with it too?” He asked rhetorically.

“Sorry. It just that it’s very funny all the things your fans do regarding that topic. Like memes and such” you said amusingly.

“I haven’t seen much but I can imagine.” He said and shook his head slightly.

“Hey! Didn’t you take a class every Friday at this hour?” Chanyeol asked curiously and turned to look at you briefly. “Not every Friday, only when Jackson and I can go but he’s overseas now because he has to attend to a fashion show on Sunday and I feel so tired for it” you said.

“I see....” Chanyeol said. With Jackson being away Chanyeol saw that as his window to get to spend more time with you. Maybe if he takes too long in coming back I could speak with y/n about my feelings for her. He thought to himself.

“When does he come back?” He asked and you gave him a quizzical look.

“On Monday” you simply said and just as fast as his hope had risen it fell. He didn’t feel today was a good day for talking about it and the next days he would be busy with rehearsals, his fan event and the comeback promotion.

“Oh...” was all he said.

“So what about you and Sojin, did you two make up already?” You asked. It wasn’t something you wanted to talked about but you thought you needed to show a little bit of interest in that part of Chanyeol’s life as he was doing it with yours and Jackson.

“Yeah. I saw her yesterday at the studio and she apologized” he said calmly. It was true what he said. The two of them talked briefly yesterday and Sojin had told him she was out of line at the dinner. Chanyeol on the other hand, not feeling the rage he was feeling the night before, forgave her. Nevertheless that couldn’t make up the fact that he wasn’t happy with her so he decided that after the comeback promotion he would talked to her and end things up.

“Cool” you said trying to sound as if that didn’t affect you. You yawned and closed your eyes for a moment.

“Don’t tell me you’re sleepy already. It’s 7:00 pm” Chanyeol whined.

“Don’t bother me. I could use a nap right now” you said tiredly.

“You can’t sleep now grandma, we have things to do.” He complained jokingly.

“Hey!” You smacked his arm playfully. “I’m not the one who’s turning 27 next week” you

pointed out.

“There’s no much left for your birthday either.” He huffed.

“There’s still a month left for that” you said smugly.

“By the way, the boys and I are throwing a party for the album’s releasing and my birthday next Friday. You should come.” He said nonchalantly hoping you would say yes.

“Sure! I’ll be there after work” you said cheerfully “Can Jackson come with me?”.

Chanyeol kept quiet for a moment. Hell no! He thought annoyed.

“Yeah...” he said hesitantly and cleared his throat “I don’t see a problem with that” he said trying to sound more secure.

“Cool, thanks Yeol.” You said and smiled at him.

“We are here” he announced as the van was entering the parking lot.

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You two got out of the car and started heading towards the stores. You were looking excitedly at the Christmas decorations. This was your favorite time of the year and you were always looking forward to decorating your house and the Christmas tree. Chanyeol, next to you, was looking at you amused. He had always said you were like an excited kid during that time. Wanting to buy everything related to Christmas that you could find and finding joy in the simplest thing as wrapping presents. He hadn’t gone to your home in the last week but he’d supposed that it was already in the process of becoming winterland. Although he liked the holidays too he wasn’t as jolly as you, maybe it was because during the last years he and boys had to work during that time and they couldn’t quite feel the holiday spirit. You would tell him every year how badly you missed spending the holidays with your family at home and he and boys would always visit you on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve depending on their schedule. You couldn’t believe most of the people here have to work all the day during that time as in your country in most of the jobs they would go only half time or skip the day. You felt joyous yeah but at the same time a little bit sad and nostalgic.

“Y/n” Chanyeol called you and distracted you from your train of thoughts. You turned to look at him.

“There’s the store” he said and grabbed your arm to guide you to it. Once on the store you two grabbed all the things that you needed to make the bracelets. It was kind of easy since you picked all the beads and charms for the girls and he did the same for the boys. After that you two were walking between the stores and something caught your attention.

“Yeol, I want to see something here. You want to come with me or you wait outside?. It’s only going to take me a minute.” You said, pointing at the jewelry shop.

“I’ll go” he said and walked behind you.

The inside of the store was pretty and in it there were a couple of people looking around and the store sellers. Chanyeol stood next to the counter, also looking around in case he could see something for his sister and mom.

“Good evening miss. Can I help you?” A cheerful lady told you.

“Good night. I was wondering if you have the new Disney charms.” You said politely. “Ah yes! They’re this way” the lady said and motioned you to follow her.

“I’ll be right back.” You said at Chanyeol and he nodded at you. He was so focused on looking at the bracelets and rings that he got startled when an old lady on the other side of the counter appeared in front him.

“Good evening young man! How can I help you?” The old lady said friendly.

“Good evening” Chanyeol said kindly. “I’m looking for a present”.

“Oh! Is it for your girlfriend?”. She asked and gestured at you.

“Oh no, she’s not my… girlfriend. She is my friend” he said a little bit uncomfortable.

“I apologized.” The woman said quickly.

“It’s ok.” Chanyeol said nonchalantly.

“She’s very beautiful and she seems lovely too” the old lady pointed out. Chanyeol turned to look at you. You were so focus at what the other lady was telling you when a side smile crept up in Chanyeol’s lips “Yes... she is” he trailed off and she gave him a knowing smile at him. Chanyeol blushed at the look the lady had given him as if he had been caught.

“So who’s the present for?” The lady asked.

“It’s for my mom and sister” he said. Turning to look at the counter again.

“I see, Do you have anything in mind? Would you like to give them bracelets, necklaces, earrings maybe?” She asked curiously.

“Can you show me the earrings and bracelets please?” He asked.

“Of course! Be right back...” she said and walked to the other side of the counter. You approached Chanyeol excitedly and opened the little box with your bracelet in it.

“Yeol look. It’s so pretty” you said excitedly as you were waving the little box. He laughed at how child-like you could be sometimes.

“I couldn’t buy all of the charms that I wanted because the ran out of them” you pouted.

“But the lady told me they would arrived sometime between the next week or the one after that so I’m totally coming back for them”.

“What are the charms that you want?” Chanyeol asked you.

“The ones from the Harry Potter’s and Frozen’s collections” you said.

He shook his head at you “ You’re like a kid sometimes”.

You glared at him “says the man who has a Zootopia blanket on his bed”.

He raised up his hands as a way of surrender “ok ok. We are both like kids” You nodded. “What were you doing? Are you going to buy something?”

“Yes, a present for mom and Yoora” he said. In that moment the old lady came back with the jewelry and smiled at you.

“Good evening!” You said and smiled at the woman.

“Good evening, young lady” she said politely.

“Here they are boy. Take your time looking at them and I’ll come back after” she said and left you two alone to speak to other customers. Chanyeol and you leaned over the counter to get a better look at them.

“Uh they’re all so pretty” you said quietly.

“Oh! this would be perfect for Yoora” you said pointing at a gold bracelet that had a charm

with a boy and girl together engraved on it. He nodded enthusiastically since it represented the unity he had with his sister.

“Now for your mom I’ll say you should go with the earrings that have yellow stones” you suggested.

“I liked those but I also liked these 2 for her” he said pointing at them “I’m doubtful about which ones I should choose”.

Out of a sudden your eyes got wide open as you remembered something. “Oh god! I totally had forgotten about this other thing I need to buy” you facepalmed yourself. “What is it?” He said quizzically.

“A... set of pajamas” you answered. “Can you catch up with me at the lingerie department?. Otherwise it would be closed by the time we got out of here.”

“Sure, I’ll see you there.” He said and you turned to headed out of the store. After 10 minutes he choosed the jewelry and the seller came back.

“So that are the ones you are buying?” The old lady said.

“Yes” he said pleased with his choice.

“A very good choice boy. Let we wrapped them up for you” she said happily.

“Thank you!” He said and smiled at her.

While she was doing so Chanyeol noticed the old lady was wearing a beautiful ring with a deep blue diamond in it- It already looked old but still in good conditions. It had a beautiful engraved around it and in the middle of it was the big blue stone- and his mind went straight to you. He thought maybe he could give you a bracelet or earrings with the same stone for your birthday.

“That’s a beautiful ring Mrs. May I ask where did you buy it?” He said politely and the lady smiled.

“Thank you. It was a wedding gift from my husband” she admitted.

“Oh...” Chanyeol said. “But do you happen to have something with the same diamond here? You see my friend really loves blue color and her birthday is coming. I thought about it now and It would be a nice present, wouldn’t it?“

“Of course but you see blue diamonds are very rare and hard to find. At the moment we don’t have any piece of jewelry with this kind of stone but I’ll tell you what, we have a design class in which you can make any piece of jewelry. I could order the beads and you could make the bracelet. What do you think about it?”. She asked. Chanyeol thought about it for a moment. He thought it could be a wonderful idea as the bracelet and its design would be one of a kind. “That would be awesome, thank you” Chanyeol said cheerfully.

“Just leave me your phone number and I’ll call you back when they arrived”. The old lady said and gave him a notebook for him to write his contact info. She also gave him a business card with her name on it. Chanyeol looked at it and smiled.

“Ok then. I guess I’ll see you next time Mrs. Minerva” he said kindly.

“See you Mr. Park. Have a good night” Minerva said and smiled at him.

Chanyeol turned around to exit the store. As he was walking to meet you he was feeling excited at the thought of his new project. Your bracelet. He thought that in his free time he will have to look for designs since he wanted for it to be perfect.

You were at the lingerie department choosing a pajama and a pair of underwear and bras that you would needed for a couple of garments as their colors were lighter and you could noticed your dark color underwear beneath it. At your job they had the great idea of going dressed as something related to Christmas starting from the first week on December. The problem was that you would be packed with work all the next week and you would have the boys party also so that would left you with no time for going shopping and you’ll have to improvise with your clothes at home.

I could be a Snowman that week you thought while trying on the pieces of underwear.

Once you finished you looked yourself at the mirror and sighed. To be honest you weren’t keen of this activity since you tend to criticized your body. There were days in which you would feel better about it and sexy and saying to yourself yaaaaas girl! for how good you saw yourself, and others, which were most of them, in which you were so concerned about the way your thighs looked, the stretch marks that although they were already white and fading, you could see them so clearly that you felt insecure about them. You also hated the little bra bulge that it has always appeared and that no matter how hard you were trying to make it gone it seemed impossible. Yes you had body issues and you knew you had to work on them but right now it was hard to do so due to your schedule. You have decided that after all your deadlines at work you will look for some help. It was kind of ironic how could you felt love for other people such as your friends or family and not feeling it for yourself first. I hope it comes the day where I don’t care about this anymore and love myself you thought and started to put your clothes back on.

Chanyeol arrived at the department store. He was looking for you, walking around through all the underwear and felt uncomfortable about it. That’s why I’ve never came here when my exes asked me to come with them He thought. Although he was feeling that way he saw some things that caught his eyes.

“Hey! Can I help you with something?” A young woman approached him.

“Hey! Mmm... no thank you. I’m waiting for someone” he said nervously.

“Your girlfriend?” The lady asked. Clearly, she was eyeing Chanyeol from head to toe to which he felt even more uncomfortable. Y/n where are you?! He thought. Scanning the store frantically until he saw you at the register.

“Ah, she’s over there” he pointed at you. “Good night.” He said and walked hurriedly to where you were.

You turned to look at the person who had arrived next to you. It was Chanyeol. He let out a relief sigh and you frowned at him.

“Are you ok?” You asked him.

“No. Don’t look but the other lady over there was trying to flirt with me” he said quietly. You turned slightly to look at said lady. Clearly she was still looking at him. You try to suppressed a laugh. Chanyeol looked at you annoyed.

“It’s not funny” he said.

“Do you want me to punch her or should I let Sojin know about it so she can do it?” You asked him sarcastically.

“I... ahg never mind” he rolled his eyes “can we go now?”.

“In a minute. The cashier went to get my change” you explained.

Chanyeol was looking around that part of the store until a set of lingerie caught his attention more than the rest of the other underwear. It was a dark green lace bra and matching panties. The thought of how would you look like wearing it appeared in his mind but he cleared it away rapidly.

I can’t think about that he mentally scolded himself.

You were looking at your phone and gave him a quick glance when you noticed a piece on lingerie caught Chanyeol’s attention. Would he liked that for Sojin? You thought sadly. Luckily for both of you, the cashier came back with your stuff and change in that moment and you could leave the store.

“So do you want to get dinner here or we have takeout food?” Chanyeol asked you in order to leave the awkward situation behind.

“We can buy something at the fast food and take it it home. Do you agree?” you suggested.

“Yeah. Also, I could use a coffee” he said. Tiredness evident on his face. “Make them two” you said and both headed towards the fast food.

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Once in your house you and Chanyeol were sitting on your living room floor. Food and coffee were scattered around you since your table was occupied with beads and threads and all the other stuff you two were using to make the bracelets. At first you have thought this would be easy but after seeing that you two could only have made 30 bracelets in 3 hours you rethought that. It was almost 12 am and you were beginning to felt sleepy.

“I can’t believe we barely have 30 bracelets and that there’s 70 to be done” you said tiredly. “Neither can I. I have thought it would be easier” Chanyeol sighed. You got up to get more coffee from the kitchen.

“ Do you want another cup of coffee?” You asked him.

“Yes please.” He said and handled you his mug. Chanyeol was feeling sleepy too. He thought about taking a nap but knowing himself he knew once his eyes closed he would sleep until next morning. “Here you go” you said and gave him his mug. After thanking you both took a sip and you looked around all the mess.

“Do you have practice tomorrow?” You asked him.

“Yep. But is at night” he answered without looking at you.

“You can stay over if you want” you said nonchalantly. At hearing that Chanyeol missed inserting the bead in the thread. Although he had stayed over before, now that he had acknowledged his feelings for some reason he felt anxious at the thought of it. “Thanks but are you sure?. I don’t want to be a nuisance” He said hesitantly. “Not at all. Tomorrow is my Cinderella day remember?” You joked. -That was what you have said every time people asked you when was your cleaning and doing the chores day.- “Ah yeah! That reminds me I need to throw away some stuff too.” He said resigned.

“Some?! You need to throw away half of your room. Seriously Chan, there are even empty boxes there” you said while frowning at him.

“They’re not empty” he retorted. “I keep all my action figures there. The ones that didn’t have a place on my shelf” “I’m gonna get you and organizer” you said determined and thought about what kind of furniture would be perfect to match his room.

“Come on. Let’s finish this first and then you can think in redecorate my room” he urged you and brought your attention back to the bracelets.

Two hours later you already had 50 bracelets completed. Despite all the cups of coffee you and Chanyeol were yawning more frecuently, the energy leaving your bodies at a rapid pace. There came a point in which the room went quiet as the two of you were totally focused on finishing them. You didn’t noticed when Chanyeol fell asleep on the carpet until you heard him snoring. You suppressed a laugh and rubbed your eyes to take a look at him. He was in a fetus position trying to warm himself up. You stood up and went to your room for a couple of blankets and a pillow for you and him. When you returned you shook his arm slightly and whispered “Yeol” but the boy didn’t move not a bit. Chanyeol was a heavy sleeper which you envied as you were a light one an even a small sound could wake you up. You decided to let him slept there since he was too heavy for you to move him. You put the blanket over him and tried to moved his head gently to put a pillow under it. “Gosh! You have a heavy head dude” you murmured. You placed his head on it and removed a strand of hair from his forehead. He must be really tired you thought as you kept contemplating him. The frown on his forehead softened when you caress it with your finger. Is he having a bad dream? You thought to yourself. He moved a little and you knew that was you cue for leaving him alone and get back to work. It was 3 am when you have decided to take a nap after the bracelet 75 so you set up your alarm to wake you up at 7 am, grabbed a couple of blankets and went to your couch to lay on it. It didn’t took more than 30 seconds for you to get lost in dreamland.

Chanyeol woke up after feeling uncomfortable with the position in which had been sleeping. He sat on the floor and turned to looked at his phone.

06:55 am could be read on the screen. He didn’t know the exact moment in which he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was lying on the floor and closing his eyes because he wanted to rest for a minute. He noticed the blankets over him and the pillow. She care for me he thought and looked around the room searching for you. He noticed you were sleeping on the couch and a little smile showed on his lips. He got up from the floor and walked towards you. You looked so peaceful; your features soft, you chest rising and falling so slowly that sometimes he wondered if you were breathing at all. You hands above your chest. You two always mocked each other about your sleeping habits. On one side, Chanyeol always moved and sprawled all across the bed as in most of them his feet would always ended up loose and hanging at the edges. You on the other side, kept your body on one side of the bed and slept with the same position you were having at the moment most of times, occasionally twisting from one side to another. He would have always tell you you looked either as a princess like Sleeping Beauty or Snowhite or like a dead person. However, you being the first thing he sees in the morning, would be a sight with which he would like to wake up forever. He was fighting the urge to kiss your forehead as he knew you could wake up so easily due to your light sleep and after thinking about it for a minute he decided to do it. Maybe if I do it softly she wouldn’t wake up he thought. He was bending over to reach your forehead when your alarm set off. In that moment you lifted your head from the pillow and it collided with Chanyeol’s.

“Auch!” You exclaimed while rubbing your forehead, still disoriented from sleeping.

“What were you doing?”. Chanyeol also rubbing this mouth and nose answered “You had something stuck in your forehead. I wanted to see if it was a mosquito but It was just a blanket’s fluff”.

“Oh, Sorry for hitting you” You said.

“I think you loosen up my tooth” He said and you laughed out loud.

“I’m serious. I feel it weird” he said. You stood up from the couch and went over to him.

“Let me see” you said. He opened his mouth and you stood on your tiptoes to take a better look at it.

“I don’t see blood or something out of place” you pointed out.

“Your teeth are as perfect as always. Stop whining” you said and Chanyeol pouted at you. You smiled at him and he laughed. You averted your gaze from his face and said “So there are still 25 bracelets left. I’m gonna go and prepare more coffee and breakfast.”

“Ok. I’m going to try and finished the rest of them” Chanyeol said and went to sit over near the table.

You started walking towards the kitchen “I’ll let you know when everything if ready” you yelled from the other room. A fluff?! Who gets so near to a person to see if they have a fluff stick to their forehead? You thought weirded out.

“Yeah” he yelled back.

Man that was so embarrassing he covered his face with both hands. Although not as much as if she would have caught me kissing her forehead he comforted himself. He shook his thoughts away and returned his focus on the bracelets.

30 minutes passed and you called for him to have breakfast at the kitchen island with you. You had prepared scrambled eggs, cut some fruits into slices and made a couple of french toasts. There was coffee, milk and fresh orange juice on the table too.

“It’s a lot of food” Chanyeol said surprised, looking at all the food that was in there.

“I thought you guys always have the table full with food” you said.

“Yeah but usually by the time I wake up on weekends most of it is gone and I’m stuck with the leftovers” Chanyeol said and you shook your head at his answer.

“Well most of these is for you so go ahead” you gestured him to grab anything he wanted and sat next to him.

After breakfast both of you went to finished the rest of the bracelets. It was 11:30 am when you put the last one of them in the box Chanyeol had brought with him.

“That was the last one” you sighed relieved and leaned on your couch. Chanyeol, next to you, also gave a sigh “I can’t believe we made them in one night”.

“I know. Next time you come up with this kind of ideas please start it them a month earlier”.

He laughed at your request “Definitely”.

“Thank you so so so much” he said turning to look at you.

“It’s nothing. Although you could repay me with helping me to decorate the place” you suggested and he smiled. “Deal” he stretched his hand for you to shake and sealed the deal. “But after that you will have to help me with decorating mine”.

“See I don’t think you understand how this works” you said sarcastically. He laughed at your comment “Of course I understand but if you do it... I don’t know, Santa might be a little bit more generous with you this year”. He shrugged and you sneered.

“Fine, just let me know when can I go to leave my letter inside the stoking” you smiled mischievously at him.

Chanyeol’s phone rang indicating a text message had arrived.

He released your hand and grabbed the phone to look at it. “I have to go now. Sehun texted me that our choreographer changed the hour of our practice and he have to be there in 3 hours”.

“Oh... don’t worry about it” you said calmly.

He stood up and gathered all his stuff. You walked him to the door and Chanyeol said “Seriously thank you so much y/n. I don’t know what would I do without you”. You smiled fondly at him “It’s nothing Chan. I’ll see you next time”. He smiled at you “Yeah, see you” he turned and headed to the elevator. You stood there in the door threshold until we was gone. When you closed the door you let your back slide on it. Little by little you have been learning how to control your emotions and also allowing yourself to feel them. Been occupied with things you actually loved had made you not to think too much on Chanyeol and your feelings for him but still most of the time you spent with him your heart ached. Should I just tell him how I feel without giving a damn about his relationship with Sojin? It was a question that although it wasn’t in your mind constantly as before it still lingered in it, specially after spending time with him.

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Chanyeol was at his room putting some clothes on. -When he arrived at the dorms everything was quiet so he assumed most of the boys were sleeping or some of them weren’t there. He went to his room and took a shower so he could feel recharged- He was carrying still the tiredness from the week but mostly he felt happy because he got to spend the night with you. He smiled at the thought of that when Baekhyun entered yelling.

“Hellooooooo” his friend sang like an opera singer.

“Morning Baek” Chanyeol said while putting a hoodie on. The pinkish haired boy threw himself on the bed and asked “Where were you last night? Were you with Sojin?”.

Chanyeol was putting on his rings when he answered “No. I was with y/n”. At the sound of your name Baekhyun opened his eyes widely.

“What?! Did you spend the night with her?” He asked shocked.

“Yes” Chanyeol said nonchalantly.

“Really?!” Baekhyun got up from the bed and was looking at Chanyeol with an excited face.

“Yes, I slept at her house. Now, if you’re asking if we had sex then it’s a no” Chanyeol explained. “Oh” his friend said a little bit disappointed. Chanyeol grabbed a ball he had from Toben’s toys and threw it at Baekhyun. The pinkish haired boy grimaced and faked to be hurt.

“Ouch! What was that for?” He said and threw the ball at Chanyeol. The tall boy barely dodged it and said “You’re such a pervert”.

“I’m not” Baekhyun huffed. “I’m disappointed because I thought you finally had broken up with Sojin”.

“Woah! You really must hated her” Chanyeol snorted.

“Mmm...I dislike her not hate her.” Baekhyun pointed out. “But yeah I do prefer y/n over her a million times” he added. “Well maybe you won’t have to dislike Sojin more” Chanyeol said and turned around to look for his watch.

“Yeah, why’s that?” Baekhyun asked curiously.

“Because I’m going to break up with her” The tall boy answered.

“Woo...” Baekhyun cheered and Chanyeol gave him a pointed look. “Ooo... why?” He asked trying to contain his excitement.

“I’m glad you found all of this amusing” Chanyeol said sarcastically.

“Sorry, you know I’m not very good at hiding my feelings” Baekhyun said awkwardly. Chanyeol sat on his desk chair “Anyway. I want to break up with her because I’m not happy. I have thought It would be good giving it a chance. That me and her would work together as we had a lot of things in common, musically speaking, but as time passes by I realize we are so different” he explained. Baekhyun approached him and padded his back “I’m sorry your relationship didn’t work out mate but if I’m honest with you, I’m glad you finally see things clearly”. Chanyeol nooded and a side-smile appeared on his lips “yeah, I guess me too”. Outside in the hall Suho yelled for all the boys to gathered in the living room since it was time for them to leave for practice. Chanyeol stood up from his chair and grabbed his backpack. “I have to get mine. See you outside” Baekhyun said and walked to opened the door. Chanyeol nodded in agreement and was checking if he had everything he needed in the bag.

Ok, so finally we have Chanyeol free to get him together with y/n Baekhyun thought excitedly.

“I need to tell Sehun about this” he murmured for himself. We are back on the game he thought and a mischievous face -like the one the Grinch had when he was planning to stole Christmas- appeared on his face.

Thank you for the support and the love. I hope you like the series and enjoy this chapter. I’ll try to come up with the next one during the weekend. Are you starting to feel the holiday spirit? If so let me know. Also I wanted to ask you for some feedback regarding the series. I think it would help me a lot.^^

#chanyeol #exo au #park chanyeol #exo #chanyeol au #pcy #chanyeol fanfic #chanyeol series #exo fanfic #fic #exo scenario #chanyeol scenario

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

Text

804.

1. When was the last time you swam in a pool? >> The last time I was in a pool was probably over 5 years ago, at Easton Mountain. I’m not fond of the way pool water smells. 2. Do you like to party? >> I like gatherings, and get-togethers, and barbecues, and casual social events at someone’s house with food and booze and games. I don’t really care for anything more hectic than that. 3. If your ex suddenly kissed you right now, what would you do? >> --- 4. Are you a virgin? >> No. 5. What are your parents views on your relationships? >> There could never be a relationship that my father would have approved of.

6. If you ran into your current boyfriend/crush in 10 years, would you marry them? >> --- 7. Is your best friend dating anyone? >> --- 8. Describe the shirt you’re wearing? >> It’s black and has the design from the Endless Night Vampire Ball of 2019 on it. 9. Do people who wear Hollister and Abrerbrombie every day bother you? >> Why would that bother me? 10. Could you go out in public without wearing make-up? >> Of course, I do it all the time. 11. What is one feature that you don’t like? >> --- 12. Would people describe you as happy? >> I don’t know how people would describe me. It’s not like I make a habit of asking, and most people don’t make a habit of volunteering that information out of the blue. 13. Are you single? >> No. 14. Does it bother you that pretty much every survey you take asks if you’re single? >> Eh, whatever. For some reason, romantic relationships are of the most pressing importance to a lot of people, and I’ve gotten used to it. 15. Do you have Tumblr? >> Heh. Wouldn’t you like to know.

16. What about Xanga? >> Damn.... RIP. 17. Have you ever babysat before? >> Nope. 18. Is there a teacher who you absolutely hate? >> Well, no, I’m not even in school. 19. Ever shopped at Sephora? >> Yeah, many times. 20. If your current boyfriend/crush suddenly moved away, what would you do? >> The thing about having a spouse whomst you live with is that this kind of thing is way less likely to happen. 21. Do you have any university plans? >> No. 22. If your best friend revealed she was a homosexual, what would you do? >> --- 23. What are your views on sex? >> I don’t have “views” on sex. That’s such a broad question, lmao... 24. Do sexual questions bother you? >> Nah. 25. Would you rather have sex with your boyfriend or break up? >> Wh.................. 26. Have you ever dreamed about your wedding? >> Nah, I was never much into the idea of having a wedding. And then I had one, so you know. Life is like that. 27. Does it bother you when people TYpe 1yk dis’? >> I haven’t seen anyone type like that in almost a decade. The world has moved on. 28. Do you delete pictures of you and your exes off of Facebook? >> --- 29. Would you ever date a friends Ex? >> This is one of those situations that I just can’t at all imagine myself navigating. 30. What’s the last book you read? >> The last book I finished was The King in Yellow. That’s going to be my answer for a while, because the book I’m (re-)reading right now is fucking long. 31. Ready for 10 simple questions? >> Nope. 32. What is your last name? >> Hmm. 33. What grade are you in? >> I’m not in a grade. 34. What school do you go to? >> --- 35. Summer, Fall, Winter or Spring? >> Spring. 36. Favorite Color? >> Gold. 37. Are your parents together? >> No. 38. Any siblings? >> Not worth mention. 39. Favorite subject? >> I don’t have a favourite subject.

40. Least favorite subject? >> Or a least favourite subject. 41. Favorite song? >> People who can choose one favourite song are cryptids. 42. Okay. Simple questions are over. Happy? >> Hopefully I can stop giving such simple answers, too. 43. How many friends do you have on Facebook? >> Thirteen. 44. Ever been requested by some old guy from another country? >> Nope. 45. Have you ever googled yourself? >> Yeah. It’d be a lot harder to google myself now, because I have a fictional character’s name. 46. Have a Formspring? >> Well, no, considering that site is defunct. 47. You’re offered free tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. What do you do? >> Tell whoever it is to give the tickets to someone else? I’m completely uninterested in Justin Bieber. 48. Would you rather spend the day at an amusement park or a water park? >> Amusement park, if I must. 49. Been to Disney world? >> No. 50. If someone posts their status “9 Inches :(” do you know what they mean? >> No. 51. Ever had a boyfriend? >> Yes.

52. Ever had a huge crush on someone who still doesn’t know? >> I don’t know, maybe. 53. Have you done something in the last week that you regret? >> No. 54. Ever drank alcohol? >> Certainly. 55. Know anyone who’s currently doing drugs? >> Sure. 56. Ever watched The Hills? >> No. 57. What about Jersey Shore? >> No. 58. Ever called someone a slut? >> Not seriously. I’ve said it in a joking way to friends who appreciate that sort of banter. 59. What do you think of short shorts? >> I don’t want to wear them. 60. Does it bother you if people swear around you? >> Of course not. 61. Have you ever gotten an A in a subject? >> Yes. 62. What about a B? >> Argh..... yes to all. NEXT 63. And a C? 64. How about a D? 65. Ever skived? >> I don’t know what that is. 66. Would you consider yourself popular and outcast or somewhere in the middle? >> These dynamics don’t really apply to adult life... well, not in my experience. Maybe if I had a more structured social life? 67. Are most of your friends older or younger than you? >> --- 68. Ever been stabbed in the back by a close friend? >> Nah. 69. Do you think it’s immature when people laugh at the number 69? >> I don’t make any judgements about it. 70. Ever watched porn? >> Yep. 71. How many laws do you think you’ve broken in the past month? >> I don’t think I’ve broken any, considering I barely even go outside except to take walks. 72. Do you wake up with an alarm clock? >> No. 73. Do you prefer Wednesdays or Thursdays? >> All days of the week are pretty much interchangeable to me. 74. If your school had a Glee Club would you join? >> --- 75. Ever performed in a talent show? >> Probably. I don’t remember. 76. Have you ever cried in public? >> Yeah. I used to be homeless in a metropolis, privacy wasn’t something I had access to. Guess that might be part of why I’m so big on it now. 77. Do you have a favorite between your Mom and your Dad? >> --- 78. Would you audition for a reality talent competition? >> Fuck no. 79. How many celebrity crushes have you had? >> *shrug* 80. How many non-celebrity crushes have you had? >> *shrug* 81. Name 5 male celebrities who you think are attractive. >> Matthew McConaughey, Peter Mensah, Jeremy Irons, Denzel Washington, Oscar Isaac. 82. Name 5 female celebrities who you think are attractive. >> Sandra Oh, Aisha Hinds, Normani Kordei, Gillian Anderson, Helen Mirren. 83. Ever been compared to a celebrity? >> Yeah, a couple of times. 84. Have any embarrassing pictures on Facebook? >> I only have one photo of myself on facebook. 85. Do you think spending £20 on Lip Gloss is a waste of money? >> It’s not a waste of money for whoever buys it. That person just wouldn’t be me, I have no interest in lip gloss. 86. Are you opinionated? >> Not especially. 87. Do you have a favorite store? >> Nope. 88. Would you ever wear Flare Jeans? >> I did when I was younger, but I doubt I’d be into them now. 89. Do you own jeans that aren’t skinny? >> No. I can’t really fit into any jeans that aren’t stretchy (and the stretchy ones are usually skinny jeans). 90. Have you ever worn the same outfit twice in one week? >> Many times. 91. What’s the longest period of time you’ve been away from school? >> A couple of months, when I was in the psych ward. 92. Do you google abbreviations you don’t understand? >> Yeah. I google almost anything I don’t understand, unless I just have zero interest in understanding. 93. Does it bother you when people have cats as their profile picture? >> Why... would that bother me... 94. Own a pair of converse? >> Nope. I can’t wear any shoe without arch support. 95. Is there a teacher at your school who has obvious favorites? >> --- 96. If yes, are you one of them? >> --- 97. Do you text in class? >> --- 98. What brand of jeans do you wear the most? >> The only pairs of jeans I have are from Old Navy. 99. At what point do you think sizes are “Plus Sized?” >> I don’t know what sizes are plus-sized and I’m not interested in finding out right now. 100. Do you want to lose weight? >> Yes. 101. Ever seen a therapist? >> Yes. 102. Ever watched porn? >> This is a repeat question and I would delete it if the questions weren’t numbered. 103. Ever purposely ignored a text? >> Yeah. 104. A facebook message? >> Yeah. 105. A poke? >> God, when did they finally get rid of those? I haven’t heard about pokes in years. 106. A friend request? >> Yeah. 107. Would you say you read into things too much? >> I don’t know if I read into things too much or not. 108. Is your best friend more likely to be the one suggesting something stupid or refusing to do something stupid? >> --- 109. Do you have a “fun friend?” (A friend who you have tons of fun with but you never really have deep conversations?) >> No. 110. Ever been called a bully? >> No. 111. Ever purposely hurt yourself? >> Many times. 112. Ever gone to church? >> Many times. I think I’ve gotten the gist of it by now. 113. Would you call either of your parents screw ups? >> One of them was certainly a screw-up in caring for their child... 114. If you turned out exactly like your mom would you be pleased? >> Absolutely not, considering that’s the parent I was talking about in the previous question. 115. What do you want to do with your life? >> I don’t have any specific goals for my life. I’m pretty content just living it.

116. Let me guess… You have brown hair? >> Yeah. 117. Already know what you’re being for Halloween? >> I don’t know if I’m ever going to get to dress up for Halloween. We’ll see. 118. Do you still go Trick or Treating? >> I’ve never been and I am way too old for it now. 119. Ever liked someone WAY older than you? >> Like 80% of the celebrities I named in those two questions about attractive celebrities are way older than me. 120. Does it bother you when people have really loud conversations on the bus? >> Only when I don’t have my headphones with me, which is... just about never. I know I have sensory issues, so I come prepared. 121. When you have sunglasses on, do you stare at people? >> Fuck no. 122. Ever had a credit card denied? >> Yeah. 123. What’s the last movie you watched? >> The Lovebirds. 124. Last TV Show? >> Patriot Act. 125. You see your Ex making out with one of your friends. What do you do? >> I can’t imagine this being bothersome to me. Or even significant, honestly. 126. Ever been called a whore? >> No. 127. Are you american? >> Yeah. 128. Ever made yourself throw up? >> Yeah. 129. Have you ever kissed someone who wasn’t your boyfriend? >> Yeah. 130. Are you Cute or Gross? >> What...??? 131. Does it bother you when people say “LOOK HOW MUCH YOU’VE GROWN!”? >> It would bother me if that was a situation I’d ever find myself in. 132. Can you say intelligent things around the guy you like? >> --- 133. Ever had the lead in a play? >> Nope. 134. What about a solo in a concert? >> Nope. 135. What kind of a student are you? >> I’m not a student. 136. Worst subject? >> --- 137. Best subject? >> --- 138. Ever had a crush on a teacher? >> Something like that. 139. Would it bother you if you found out that your mother was pregnant? >> --- 140. How late do you sleep in? >> 9a seems to be my limit. 141. Do you edit your profile pictures before posting them? >> --- 142. Be 100% honest. Do you have any friends who are uglier than you? >> This is so fucking rude. 143. Do you believe in love? >> Yawn. 144. Would you consider yourself a good student? >> --- 145. Does it bother you when Surveys ask “Did you like this survey?” >> Not really, I usually just delete that question because, like... the survey-maker is definitely not going to see it, so what’s the point. 146. Salty, Sweet, Sour or Spicy? >> Salty + sweet, spicy + sweet, spicy + salty, or any of them alone except for sweet. 147. Are you going into High School this year? >> Fuck no lmao 148. What about Junior High? >> Double fuck no lmao 149. What is one thing someone could say to you right now that would make you cry? >> I don’t know, man. That’s usually contextual, anyway. 150. Where did you find this note? >> I got this survey from another survey-taker on tumblr. 151. Last question. How many unread messages are in your phone? >> Zero.

#surveys #survey #random survey #some surveys just don't need to be as long as they are #question quality is in the gutter

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thisweekingundamwing · 4 years

Text

This Week in Gundam Wing 24-30 November 2019

Here’s this week’s roundup!

Remember to give your content creators some love! And join in on the events at the bottom!

(Looking forward to all the Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang entries going up this next week!)

~Mod Hel

Fanfiction/Snippets/AU Ideas:

@bobo-is-tha-bomb

Encounters with Heero (Ch. 12 & 13) https://archiveofourown.org/works/21385951/chapters/51360610

F/M, Heero Yuy/Reader

Heero Yuy, Reader, Relena Peacecraft, Duo Maxwell, Hilde Schbeiker, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei

Romance, Drama, Fluff, Friendship

This man oozed danger. Nonetheless you are attracted to him and you grow closer to him than anyone has ever before. Being nice to a stranger was what got it all started.

Burn to a Cinder (Ch. 7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18781273/chapters/51374644

F/M, Zechs Merquise/Reader, Treize Khushrenada/Reader

Zechs Merquise, Treize Khushrenada, Lady Une, Mariemaia Khushrenada, Relena Peacecraft, Chang Wufei

Romance, Drama, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Reader-Insert

Your path had been laid out for you from an early age, allowing you to move into the higher circles of society and catch the attention of one of the most powerful men in the Earth Sphere. As Treize’s mistress, you watch his rise to power and the disastrous war breaking out on Earth and in Space, putting your loyalty to the test. You are torn between your duty to His Excellency, and your unquellable lust for one of the top soldiers under his command. And when he rises to power in Outer Space, there is nothing you can do but stand back and watch them tear each other apart. This is no game of hearts, but yours is at stake, and the consequences can be felt for years to come. Labeled as OZ’s whore, you struggle to find your way, only for things to fall apart around you again. But then there is still Zechs, and the undeniable way he makes you feel…

@doctormegalomania

Your Body’s Poetry (Ch. 7) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20438891/chapters/48490382

Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Trowa Barton/Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei/Original Female Character(s), Duo Maxwell/Hilde Schbeiker, Relena Peacecraft & Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell/Original Male Character(s)

Heero Yuy, Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Chang Wufei, Sally Po, Relena Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, Zechs Merquise, Hilde Schbeiker

Past Relationship(s), Slice of Life, Post-Break Up, Slow Burn, Developing Relationship, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence

Long after the wars, long after peace is established the Gundam Pilots discover one immovable fact: Relationships are hard work.

@duointherain

The Hidden Cherry (Ch. 1) https://duointherain.tumblr.com/post/189338568519/fic-the-hidden-cherry-1

Intersex Duo, disabled Heero

He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Duo wanted to think that the stress in his voice made him sound like an asshole and that would motivate the person on the other side of the phone. The space he was in was small, like 3 meters by maybe 5. His cigarette lighter had given him enough light to see the space, but it was back in his pocket now. “I need an analyst. It’s fucking Wednesday. There is an analyst in the office.”

@janaverse

Stickies from Heero (Ch. 26) https://archiveofourown.org/works/19796581/chapters/51374212

Chapter 26: ‘circumnavigating the simple truth’ is now on AO3. It was nice to actually get another story written for this odd universe!

Duo reads Heero latest note and fallout ensues.

Rough https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/189270598643/drabble-day-38-adult-themes-rough-heero-stood

drabble - day 38 - adult themes

Consider it done https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/187883433878/consider-it-done

So this is the follow up to my short fic ‘something to consider’ which I posted about a week or so ago. You can find it here: https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/187689757828/something-to-consider or here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20669474 in case you have not read it yet. this fic will make infinitely more sense if you have!

pairing: 1X2X1

warnings: unholy amounts of sap and lovey dovey stuff. please take this warning seriously! lol this is THE sappiest thing i have ever written!

Heero had entered the house first, taking off his soaked shoes and leaving them out on the front porch beside the door. Duo had followed suit, noticeably shivering once inside the house, and headed toward their bedroom to get changed. Heero had only removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack inside the front door; opting to start a fire before getting out of his wet clothes and into something dry.

@ransomedbard

Clipped Wings (Ch. 3) https://archiveofourown.org/works/21360976/chapters/51500641

Duo Maxwell, Hilde Schbeiker

Preventer!Duo, Criminal!Hilde, 2+H, Adventure, Kidnapping, mild violence, Crime doesn't actually pay

Time has a funny way of turning history on its head. Two years after the Eve Wars, former rebel Duo Maxwell is now a member of the secretive anti-terrorism unit Preventers, while Hilde has been living on the wrong side of the law on Earth. When he makes a visit to attempt to salvage their strained friendship, he’ll uncover just how much their paths have diverged, and end up getting caught up in her life on the run from a gang that wants revenge.

Fanart/Gunpla/Photo Manips:

@animethingsandstuff

https://animethingsandstuff.tumblr.com/post/189231234100/w-night-by-%E3%82%80%E3%81%86%E3%81%9F%E3%82%8D-posted-with-permission-please

The G-boys and posing... and flowers.

Photosets/Gifsets/Screenshots/Manga Pages:

@vegalume

https://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/189361489995/i-immediately-thought-of-heero-but-this-could-be

Before leaving the house, Heero does...

Fandom Discourse:

@amberlyinviolet

https://janaverse.tumblr.com/post/189290275628/i-am-here-for-the-giving-of-the-happily-ever-after

@noirangetrois, @janaverse

About the struggles of all GW characters.

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189326495789/unpopular-opinion-despite-the-horrible

Unpopular Opinion: FT had good points.

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189326409984/for-unpopular-opinion-not-on-the-series-itself

Unpopular Opinion: 1X2 is overrated.

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189326308699/i-dont-know-if-this-is-actually-an-unpopular

Unpopular Opinion: EW was not that great.

@lifeaftermeteor

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/189380639699/life-after-meteor

LAM has a website now!

@ransomedbard

https://ransomedbard.tumblr.com/post/189357520583/thank-you

Fandom loves you too!

@terrablaze514

https://terrablaze514.tumblr.com/post/189258275567/wing-zero-episodes

Wing Zero Episodes (Who flew it better?)

My opinions on Wing Zero and the impact it plays. Borderline meta I guess, and excuse the occurrence of Trowa and Zechs muses.

Quotes:

@incorrectgundamwingquotes

https://gwminorcharactersrpblog.tumblr.com/post/189313789527/quatre-why-is-your-back-all-scratched-up-trowa

Quatre & Trowa

With additions made by @gwminorcharactersrpblog

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189293229002/texting-duo-hello-duo-are-you

Duo & Trowa

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189298062910/quatre-you-should-be-nicer-to-people-heero

Quatre, Heero, Duo, Trowa, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189326315129/zechs-you-played-me-like-a-fiddle-duo-oh-no-i

Zechs & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189333739266/duo-whyre-you-ignoring-relena-heero-im

Duo, Heero, & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189338458478/trowa-handing-duo-some-pills-here-take-four-of

Trowa & Duo

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189342871815/heero-ill-worry-about-that-bridge-when-i-get-to

Heero & Quatre

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189358288319/heero-dont-correct-me-wufei-dont-be-wrong

Heero & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189397723234/duo-uh-its-salt-wufei-thats-what-i

Duo & WuFei

https://incorrectgundamwingquotes.tumblr.com/post/189377500808/une-about-mariemaia-you-cant-give-her-that

Une & WuFei

Calendar Events:

@gundamzine

Rhythm Generation: Shooting Stars, Celebrating 25 Years of Gundam Wing

Zine Content https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/186791784139/rhythm-generation-shooting-stars-is-an-unofficial

Pre-orders Open! https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/189370843928/gundamzine-pre-orders-are-open-rhythm Open until January 11th!

Q about Free Merch https://gundamzine.tumblr.com/post/189215831466/are-you-really-giving-free-merch-i-am-kinda

@gundam-wing-bingo

Gundam Wing Bingo is here!

Come and sign up for a card here: https://gundam-wing-bingo.tumblr.com/post/185466400076/gundam-wing-bingo

@gwcocktailfriday

Cocktail Fridays!

Post responses on Friday, during Happy Hour between 3 & 5 pm in your own timezone.

Here’s the prompt for Friday, December 6th! https://gwcocktailfriday.tumblr.com/post/189390586070/cocktail-friday-post-responses-on-friday-december

For those going to Pillowfort, find us here.

If anyone has ideas for prompts, PLEASE send them in! Our ask box is always open.

In need of Winter prompts!

@thisweekingundamevents

Gundam Wing Holiday Gift Exchange 2019/2020

https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/188113410410/holiday-gift-exchange

Schedule: 5-11 January: Post your Gifts!

Holiday Exchange Q & A: https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/188824081840/some-holiday-exchange-q-a

Criteria and Schedule Reminder! https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/188943007445/holiday-gift-exchange-reminder

Gundam Wing Unorthodox Undercover Work Mini Bang

Posting starts today!

Here’s everything you need to know to post! https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/189346329635/gw-uuw-mb-posting-again-lol

For those artists who haven’t a story, if you finished your piece, feel free to post it up on tumblr. Remember to tag us and I’ll get you in the End of Event Roundup anyway! ^_^

Posting Dates: https://thisweekingundamevents.tumblr.com/post/189405682420/posting-dates-gwuuwmb

Note! There is also a Gundam Wing Discord Meet-up going on right now! See @lifeaftermeteor for details and a discord invite if you aren’t in it already!

#Gundam Wing #This Week in Gundam Wing #Weekly Roundup #24-30 November 2019

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komorebirei · 5 years

Text

The Water Was Never Afraid - Chapter 13: Dare

(AO3)

“I have a confession,” Adrien blurted out.

Kagami lifted her head from his shoulder. They were sitting on her bed, and she had been watching him pet her calico cat, Goro. Befitting to his name, he was sitting on Adrien’s lap, rumbling up a storm.

“What?”

“I got fitted for a photoshoot today,” he stated casually.

“Oh? So you’re starting modeling again?”

“Yeah, unfortunately.”

The air was filled with only the sound of purring for a good chunk of time while Adrien pondered how much he should say.

“Why is that a confession?” Kagami asked.

“I haven’t gotten to the confession part yet,” Adrien hedged.

Kagami stared at his profile, and he focused on stroking the smooth fur on the sides of Goro’s face, scratching him under the chin.

Now that he had alluded to it, he had no choice but to say something.

“It’s for Marinette’s feature in the Style Queen.”

Kagami gave him a suspicious look. “That’s great for her. But I still don’t get why this is a confession.”

“I, um…” The way Adrien had felt while Marinette was fitting him made him feel guilty. He figured the one-sided knowledge of his moment of vulnerability with her as Chat Noir had just made things weird at that moment, but he feared that wasn’t all it was. Maybe what Chloé had said at the soirée had affected him more than he thought. Whatever the reason, the way he saw Marinette had shifted.

He wanted to admit it to Kagami and come clean. He’d tell her that he had no intention of doing anything and was going to steer clear of Marinette at work, once this photoshoot was over. That was a healthy and mature way of handling this, right? Full disclosure. If he could tell her, it didn’t have to mean anything, right?

But, did he dare? Telling Kagami might put a strain on their relationship. She might break up with him. Their friendship might never be the same again. She might develop a grudge against Marinette. He could think of a dozen possible consequences of telling Kagami, and none of them were good.

Except the glimmer of possibility that she would appreciate his honesty and they would grow stronger because of it.

Her scrutinizing eyes pierced him, and he felt like he could hide nothing from her. Better to tell her and apologize before she could figure out herself that he had some kind of feelings for Marinette and feel betrayed.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words he wanted to say wouldn’t come out.

“I know you don’t want me spending time with Marinette,” he said, as if that were the confession. “I just wanted you to know what I was doing, so you wouldn’t find out some other way and be hurt. The photoshoot is on Wednesday, and she’ll be directing.”

Coward. You are a coward, Adrien Agreste.

Kagami reached out and stroked back a lock of hair that had fallen out of place on his forehead. “Adrien, I never said I didn’t want you spending time with her. If it’s for work, why would I mind?” She smiled. “Thank you for telling me, though.”

Adrien gave her a crooked smile back while his stomach twisted in knots. He pulled her in with one arm and planted a kiss on her head. “Thanks for understanding, Tiger.”

“Just returning the favor.”

“Hm?”

“You always understood me better than other people.” Kagami settled her head back on Adrien’s upper arm and reached out to bury her fingers in Goro’s side. His purrs reverberated in Adrien’s lap.

Adrien looked at her quizzically.

“My life has always been straightforward—make it to the top, no compromises. Ever since I was young, my mother taught me that if I considered others too much, I would end up yielding and showing weakness, even losing my position. She taught me to develop a tough skin so I wouldn’t feel guilty pushing others down to come out on top.”

Adrien rested his cheek on the top of her head, hearing her out before making any comment.

“When we first met, I lost to you, but you gave me a second chance. You saw how devastating the loss would be for me, and you spared me from disgrace. I never told you how much that meant to me.”

“… Oh.”

“You showed me that having compassion for others doesn’t always make you the weaker person. It changed my perspective… so, even though I tease you for being so nice to people, it’s actually something I admire about you, and it makes me want to change.” She smiled up at him.

Adrien melted at her words. She had never admitted as much to him before. He had honestly thought that she hated that aspect of his personality. He kissed her nose affectionately and ran a thumb along her freckled cheek.

“So,” Kagami continued, “I’ll admit, you’re right. I’m a little jealous of Marinette, and I don’t entirely believe that you never had feelings for her…”

A needle of guilt pricked Adrien’s heart.

“… so naturally, I don’t want you to spend time with her. But, I know you’re friends, and she means something to you. I know you want to help her. So, I’m going to respect that. I trust you.”

“Thanks, Kagami,” Adrien breathed, and Goro protested with a mewl as he stopped petting him to pull her close in a tight embrace.

—

The next day, Adrien had another fitting with Marinette to check the modifications, but this time, he was prepared. He was strictly professional with her and didn’t touch on any unnecessary topics of conversation. The fitting passed quickly and without incident, and Adrien went on with his day.

“Maybe I’m getting worked up about nothing,” Adrien mused, sinking into his desk chair and switching on his computer.

Plagg phased out of Adrien’s shirt to land behind a succulent pot, visible to Adrien but hidden from prying eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“I mean, I’ve been seeing her a lot lately, more than usual. Isn’t it natural to be thinking about her?”

“You’re talking about Bakery Girl again?”

Plagg’s observation made Adrien feel self-conscious. Had he been talking about her a lot recently? “I was just worried…” Adrien trailed off. Plagg would tease, and he wasn’t in the mood.

“Worried about what?”

“Fine. I was worried that I might actually like her that way. But I’m probably just working myself up by worrying about it.” He opened his email and perused the inbox for urgent matters.

Plagg shrugged tiny shoulders. “You surely wouldn’t have to think about it so hard if you felt nothing for her.”

“I don’t feel nothing, Plagg. She’s my friend.” Adrien thought about the time he had dropped in on her while she was putting together her ‘Inspiration Book,’ and how comfortable it was to just chat with her and hang out. “Oh! That reminds me…”

On a whim, he pulled out his phone and opened Marinette’s instagram, @TheRealMDC.

“Oh~ho. You’re stalking her now?”

“No,” Adrien emphasized. “She said she had an account where she posts her designs, so I’m looking for it. Detective work, not stalking.”

Her personal account clearly wasn’t it. There were no drawings—only selfies of Marinette with her friends and some random artsy pictures—a few of her balcony plants during the daytime, outfits, macarons.

He tapped a picture of Marinette wearing an above-the-knee bright yellow circle skirt, paired with a half-sleeved cropped shirt with broad black and white stripes that showed off her trim waist, and tomato red shoes. The colors reminded him a little of Chloé, though the style was quintessentially Marinette. She was posing outdoors in the Jardin des Tuileries, so she must have had a friend take the photo. She would have made a cute model.

“Looks an awful lot like stalking to me,” Plagg said right next to Adrien’s ear, making him jump in surprise.

“I like her outfit!” he insisted. “I work in the fashion industry, I am allowed to appreciate stylish clothing! Plus, it’s not stalking if she challenged me to find her!”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Plagg quoted Hamlet, polishing his whiskers.

Adrien rolled his eyes, pressed ‘back,’ and opened Marinette’s list of followers. He typed in the word ‘design’ to see if anything would come up. The list of results was so long he had to scroll. Duh, of course Marinette would be following a bunch of design accounts.

“What about that daredevil reporter girl?” Plagg suggested.

Right, Alya. Adrien pulled up her account and searched her follower list for the keyword ‘design.” Only one account came up: @DottyDesigner. He snorted at the pun—especially appropriate if this was Marinette, since polka dot patterns featured prominently in her designs.

Adrien tapped to view the profile, to be rewarded with hundreds of illustrations of various outfits. When he clicked on one, a swipe revealed the finished outfit on a dress form. These were interspersed with random sketches not paired with finished pieces.

From what Adrien had seen of Marinette’s illustration style, this was it. His hunch was confirmed when he saw that the account was following @TheRealMDC. “Gotcha,” he muttered triumphantly under his breath. He didn’t think he’d be so lucky as for his first tactic to work.

“Is that Bakery Girl’s work?” Plagg zoomed up close to the screen and tapped one with a cream-colored romper. “I like that one, it reminds me of cheese.”

“Ha! I’ve gotta tell her I found it!” Adrien was still feeling victorious as he perused the designs.

“Does that mean you’re going to visit her again?”

Adrien froze. He hadn’t decided on a course of action as Chat Noir. Steering clear of her seemed to be the obvious answer, if he were being consistent. But Marinette seemed to like and trust Chat—maybe even more than Adrien, though he couldn’t fathom why. The idea of ceasing to visit her just when their friendship was starting to pick up seemed disheartening.

If he was going to start distancing himself as Adrien—which Kagami wanted him to do anyway—then his double life shouldn’t make things so awkward.

Things were different when he was Chat. His actions were more inconsequential.

“I mean… why not? What harm could it do?” Adrien decided, still half lost in thought. He slipped his phone into his pocket and got back to work.

—

Chat Noir tossed a chunk of bark from the tree branch at Marinette’s French doors. It was already dark out, and it felt like too much of an intrusion to invite himself onto her balcony.

Moments later, she opened the door with a little smirk on her face. “Back so soon, Chaton? I hope you’re feeling better today.”

“I am, Princess!” Chat replied in a chipper tone. The branch bounced as he leapt onto her balcony and gave her an exaggerated, princely bow. “How are you this evening?”

“Very well, and you?”

“Great—I found your design Instagram!” He leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, looking as proud as a cat who’d brought home a mouse. “Your drawings look amazing.”

“Oh, really?” Marinette put her hands on her hips. “How much did you have to stalk me to find it?”

Chat Noir made an offended look. “Stalk you, Princess? I’m a gentlecat, I would never do such a thing! It wasn’t hard, actually—I know you’re friends with that Ladyblog girl, so I searched her followers list for the word ‘design,’ and the only handle that came up was following your personal account, so I figured that was you.” He smirked. “Didn’t think it would be that easy, but you’re more predictable than I thought, Princess.”

“Hmm,” Marinette hummed, coming up to Chat Noir and looking him over in a calculating way that made him feel less confident. “So you do have a good head on those shoulders, Minou.”

“Are you patronizing me?”

She snorted. “Never! It’s just… there’s one detail bothering me about your story.”

Chat Noir gulped. “What’s that, Princess?”

“How do you know about my personal account?”

“—Uh!!” Chat Noir blanched. Marinette’s design account had over ten thousand followers, so he would have had to scroll through pages upon pages of usernames to notice the private account that only a leap of faith would lead him to believe belonged to her. Her name didn’t appear anywhere, and the profile picture was an artsy shot of a model wearing one of Marinette’s pieces on the runway—not that Chat Noir would know that. Instagram had only showed him @TheRealMDC followed @DottyDesigner because Adrien was already following her account. “Umm… I…” he tried to think of a plausible excuse.

“You’re a creepy stalker.” Marinette flicked his bell.

“No, I’m not!” Chat Noir objected. “I happened to find out in a legitimate, non-creepy way!”

“I don’t believe it,” Marinette laughed, “You’re totally a creepy stalker! You shouldn’t be allowed on my balcony anymore!” She pushed his nose with a fingertip, making him lean back over the balcony rail, far enough that it would have been dangerous if he hadn’t been equipped with a super suit as a safety net.

“Hey, Princess, have mercy!” He flailed, twisting away from her finger. Since she had leaned in to push him, when he got free and rebounded onto the balcony, he ended up practically in her arms.

He edged past her and stepped away from the rail, heart pounding and face flushed, temporarily robbed of words. If he wanted to lie to himself, he would say it was due to the adrenaline of almost being pushed off the balcony, but he wasn’t so naïve anymore. This feeling was familiar.

“Sorry, Minou, I went too far.” Marinette bit her lip and, taking his arm, pulled him in the direction of her flat. “I just made banana bread, do you want some? If you prove yourself worthy tonight, maybe I’ll even let you come back another day.” She shot him a playful look over her shoulder.

“Sure, I’d love some, Princess.” He followed her, just as he followed the last girl who made him feel this way.

For the rest of the night, his eyes were drawn to her, taking in the way her eyelids folded behind thick eyelashes when she blinked, the natural pink hue of her cheeks, the creases that appeared beside the corners of her mouth when she smiled and spoke, the way she tucked one leg under her when she sat. He got drunk on the sound of her voice, teasing her just a little more so he could hear her laugh again.

This feeling was familiar, because this was exactly how it had felt to fall for Ladybug in less than twenty-four hours.

Except, instead of a carefree student who could pursue his Lady to his heart’s content, now he was a businessman and highly public figure with a girlfriend, who was only stealing moments with a friend he wasn’t allowed to meet without the mask.

As he drank in her presence, his heart hurt.

Maybe it would be okay for him to just come and see her now and then. This didn’t have to turn into anything.

They could just be friends.

This should be fine, right?

Did he dare to keep coming back?

#MiraculousLadybug #Miraculous Ladybug #MiraculousLadybugFanfiction #Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction #Adrigami #Marichat #Adrienette #Adrinette

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hello-justawriterofthings · 6 years

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Father of the Year - Billy Hargrove

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Hey guys. This is my new angsty piece about single father Billy. It's different from other single father imagines, because It's takes place in your P.O.V. Takes places nowadays, not in the 80's. I Hope you Enjoy <3 Warnings. Language, some angst, lots of fluff later on. [ Y/N = Your Name ] Also, I do NOT own any photo's or gifs.

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I had enough friends in school to realize that everyone lies, don't believe everything someone tells you. You had been in some horrible relationships and had bad friendships, so it's hard to trust. Billy Hargrove was a regular in the small bakery I owned, he rarely bought anything, he just liked to annoy me and the staff. He flirted with any female that worked here, also any female customer that entered the shop. I don't remember how it happened, but things shifted one day. Instead of being a cocky ass and flirting with everyone, he just suddenly stopped. He wouldn't come into the bakery as much and when he did, he'd buy a few things and leave. No clowning around, no flirting. Destiny, one of the employees, was especially disappointed that Billy stopped giving her most of his attention. The bakery started to slow down, not as many customers, less money. I went through a hard time with money, but the bakery was my grandmothers and I was determined to make it work. My employees quit, leaving me alone to cook and run the place. My best friends though, Jason and Ally stepped up, helping with the few orders i did get. My apartment was connected to the bakery, it was upstairs, a studio apartment. That's why I was determined to make this work, not just for my grandmother, but for me as well. i didn't want to lose everything I had, I couldn't.

Monday morning, 6 am. I crawled out of bed, sighing deeply while walking towards the coffee machine, flipping it on. Then made my way towards the bathroom, quickly taking a shower. Once I finished getting ready. I poured coffee into a thermal cup and made my way downstairs to start a few batch’s of sweets. Cookies and Brownies were the easiest, so i started with those, then moved onto cupcakes and pastries. At 8 am, Ally walked in, carrying an McDonalds bag. " Brought you breakfast boss, since you never seem to find time to eat " she smiled, placing it on the counter. I smiled back " Thanks, can you switch on the open sign ", she nodded quickly unlocking the door and flipping the sign. " What do we have on the orders today? " she asked putting on an apron to assist me in baking, " Surprisingly, we got two loads for different birthdays " I sighed as I checked the cupcakes in the oven. " Should I start on the cakes? " she the questioned, I shook my head no " Started on them last night, couldn't sleep so.. ". She sighed deeply " Nightmares again? ", I only nodded. Before the conversation could continue, the bell for the on the door rang. I smiled at Ally as I wiped my hands and made my way out of the kitchen, ready to greet the customer. " Hey! Long time no see " I smiled at Billy, he returned the smile. " What can I get you? " I asked, " Dozen of Strawberry cupcakes " he stated still wearing that smile. " Ally's frosting the cupcakes in the back, can you wait 5 minutes? " I asked hopeful, he nodded " Where is the rest of your staff, it's quite in here ". I sighed deeply " I forgot you haven't been in here in over a month, things got hard. Less customers, which means less money and they all quit ", his eyes went wide " What bitch's ". I chuckled slightly " I understand why they left. They need to support themselves, thankfully my two best friends stepped up and joined the team " , he sighed deeply. Just before he was going to say something else, Jason walked in. " Hello Babe's! I have arrived and I am ready to bake " He shouted as he normally does, but then he saw Billy and I. " Oh.. You're cute! " he smirked at Billy causing me to roll my eyes and Billy to chuckle, " Jason, Ally is in the back, go help her! " I groaned. He sent me a wink while walking into the back, " Sorry about him, he's a little extra " I sighed. Billy Smiled " It's fine... Can I ask you something? ", I nodded. " Are you seeing someone? " he asked, I furrowed my brows " No. ". " Okay... Can I take you out? " he then asked, " Like on a date! " I questioned extra loudly. Ally walked into the front with two trays of cupcakes, she placed them on the counters and smirked at me, before returning to the kitchen. " Yes, like a date " he laughed, " Sure... " I sighed nervously as I packed the cakes into a box. " Cool, I'm going to leave my number with you... You send me a text if you wanna go out, because right now, you don't sound so sure " he smirked, I sighed once again " No I am sure, I just haven't been asked out in a few years so I'm a little taken back ". Once I packed the cupcakes, I wrote my own number on a napkin, " There, now you can call me " I smiled handing him the box and napkin. He smiled handing me a $20 bill, " I look forward to getting to know you better " he stated awkwardly as he left. Leaving me to sigh deeply. As I stood there trying to wrap my head around what just happened, i heard my phone ding in my back pocket. I pulled it out of my pocket, seeing a text - Are you free on Wednesday, this is Billy, by the way -. I smiled slightly sending him a quick text telling him Wednesday was fine, I usually closed the bakery around 4 pm on Wednesday. He sent me another text after, - Okay, I'll pick you up around 4:30 pm. See you then -. I smiled to myself sending back a quick. - Okay, see you -. I never thought that this was going to happen today, I never thought he was interested in me. " I can't believe you just got asked out, how long has it been? " Ally asked loudly while she walked out of the kitchen, " And he's cute! " Jason exclaimed from the kitchen. I sighed deeply as I rolled my eyes, great I was gonna be forced to listen to this all day.

[ Wednesday ]

I sighed deeply as I looked in the mirror, tonight was date night. I had been talking to Billy on and off the last few days, I informed him to pick me up at the bakery, since I lived in the apartment above it. This was the first date I'd be going on in years, so I was nervous. I walked downstairs, shutting off the lights and locking the doors. I stood outside, it was going to be a nice cool night. A blue camaro pulled up next to me moments later, " Hey, pretty lady " Billy stated with a smile. I sighed deeply, opening the passenger door and climbing into his car. " Hey " I smiled back, he gave me a quick hug, before putting the car in drive and taking off. He explained where he was taking me on the way there, it was a little restaurant he had stumbled upon, he thought I might like it and he was correct. It wasn't the biggest restaurant, it was hidden away in a woodsy area, the building reminded me of a castle almost, it was beautiful. I've lived in this town since I was 13 and I didn't know this was ever here, it's funny the hidden treasures you can find if you go looking. The inside was even more spectacular, looked like a ballroom. We sat at a booth, flipped through the menu and I couldn't stop looking around at everything. Billy chuckled softly, causing me to look at him. " Sorry " I smiled, " It's okay, I know it's magical " he smirked. I nodded "So, why did you decide to ask me out. I'm just curious ", " Wow, you're getting straight into it " he sighed. I nodded while smiling, " Well, the first time I entered your bakery, I thought you were beautiful! You probably don't remember, but you didn't even own it at the time. Your grandmother was the prime owner and you were just helping her out. I continued to go into the bakery to see you " he stated honestly. I raised my eyebrows " Okay, then why did you always come in and flirt with all the old staff... You know, destiny ", he chuckled softly " I was trying to make you jealous, trying to get your attention ". I sighed deeply " You should've just asked me out, I always had the hots for you ", he smirked " Oh really? ". " Yeah " I smirked right back, " Why did you stop coming in? You used to be a regular with your group of friends, but then you just disappeared ". He sighed deeply while running his hand through his hair " I had somethings I had to take care of, I had a bit of a hard time, but I'm working through it with help ", I nodded " I understand and I'm happy you finally got the courage to ask me out ". He smiled as Our food was delivered, this might be the start of a beautiful relationship.

[ Now ]

That was almost a year ago, Billy and I have been together ever since, but things were weird. Yes, we were happy, or at least I was. He never spoke about his home life, he never took me to his house, even though he lived on his own, we only ever stayed at my place. I never met his parents and sometimes he'd disappear for a day or two. Not calling me, only texting. I hated to be that suspicious girlfriend, but this was odd. The bakery was doing better, we have been able to get new customers, including the couple who owned the beautiful restaurant Billy took me to on our first date. They ordered hundred of cupcakes and cookies each week, which helped out my business a lot. The business was doing better, now it was time to figure out what Billy's deal was.

I let out an angry sigh as I dialed Billy's number, it was our 1 year anniversary and we were supposed to meet for dinner at a restaurant, 7 pm sharp. It was now 7:45 pm and Billy had not shown up, he wasn't answering his phone either. The waiter approached the table once more, to ask if I was ready to order yet. And because I felt like an idiot, I ordered a simple Caesar salad, even though I wasn't hungry anymore. I checked my phone, still nothing from Billy, just a text from Ally saying she wanted to adopt another cat. When the salad arrived, I picked at it, pushed it around with my fork. I was embarrassed sitting here alone, looking at the happy couples that were giving me pity looks. I dialed Billy's number once more, this time I received own answer. " What babe, I'm kinda busy? " he asked in an annoyed tone, but before I could respond, I heard another voice on his end. " Billy, get off the phone! I need your help " a higher pitched female voice whined, I sighed feeling even more idiotic now. Before Billy could say anything else, I hung up. asking the waiter for the bill, paying and then leaving. I sent Ally and Jason a text, telling them to meet me at the bar down the street from my bakery. I needed some friend time and alcohol.

" I can't believe this, I always knew Billy was no good! He looks like a damn fuckboy " Jason shouted taking another shot, I chuckled slightly while taking a large drink from the screwdriver sitting in front of me. " It's probably just a misunderstanding Y/N... Don't do anything drastic " Ally stated, she was the sober one, she didn't feel the need to get drunk. " Is ignoring drastic, because that's what I'm planning to do! " I stated with a sigh, " Look, he's already called 7 times ". " Delete his number girl! " Jason yelled, he was taking this harder than I was." Y/N, do't. Right now you're thinking the worst, give it a few days and then talk to him. If he keeps blowing you off, dump his ass. But, don't jump on something that you might be getting wrong " Ally stated sternly, I knew she was right. I nodded letting out a sigh, I would do as she said, but tonight I was getting drunk.

The next morning, i was jolted awake by the buzzer buzzing loudly on the apartment switchboard. I groaned deeply walking over to the intercom, clicking the button. " Hello? " I asked with a sigh, looking around to see if Jason or Ally had stayed over, but there was no sign of them. " Y/N, let me up " Billy stated with a huff, " No.. It's to early for this, come back in a few hours " I stated. " I can't come back later, so let me in now " he sighed. " No, don't tell me what to do. You can't come back later, then fine! Don't come back at all " I exclaimed. " I'm not fighting with you like this Y/N " he then stated, but I chose to ignore him. Flipping on the coffee machine and then making my way into the bathroom, taking a long shower. I had to open the bakery, because I had it closed yesterday for our anniversary and look how that ended up. It was going to opened later, but as long as it was opened I didn't care. So, after showering and getting ready, I made my way downstairs. " Hey Peach! " Ally exclaimed from the kitchen, I furrowed my brows before walking in. " When did you two get here? " I questioned both her and Jason, " We never left! Figured to get a start on some pastries, let you sleep in a little " Ally smiled widely. " How are you doing Jason? You drank so much last night " I chuckled flipping the open sign, " You know I can handle my liquor Y/N " he chuckled. I sighed deeply as I nodded, putting on my apron. Within the first hour of being open, we had a few customers, enough to keep me busy. Around 4pm, I was behind the counter, helping customers, when a familiar blonde walked up to the counter. " Hi, how can I help you? " I questioned, " Y/n... " Billy stated unamused. "What can I get you sir? " I asked again, " Are you really going to be like this? I know I forgot about our anniversary, but I was busy. Can we talk this out? " he asked with a deep sigh. " Are you going to continue keeping secrets from me, or are you going to tell me the truth? Because if not, I'm not interested in talking " I stated honestly, he furrowed his brows " I don't know what you're talking about ". I sighed deeply " Next! " I then yelled seeing that there were other customers waiting behind Billy. " Y/N Really! " he groaned as he rolled his eyes, " Fine! ". He then rushed out of the bakery and to his car, I rolled my eyes letting out a deep sigh ( How dramatic ). " What was that about? " Ally asked, I shrugged " I'm not ready to talk to him yet and clearly he can't accept that. I'm not going to rush to speak to him, especially when he's being an ass ". Hours later, when the crowd had lessened, it was almost 7 pm and I was planning to close up shop by 9pm. Jason had left for the day, but Ally was still in the kitchen, making cookies ( Mostly to take home for her son ). She had the music on high, singing along to Death of a Bachelor, by Panic! at the Disco. I chuckled as I flipped through a magazine, sitting on a stool behind the counter. It had been a long day and I couldn't stop thinking about Billy, but he was good at ignoring, so I had a feeling he was going to be the one ignoring me now, instead of the other way around. He could hold a grudge and was very stubborn, but I did love him. Just as I was thinking about it, my phone dinged with a text. - I'm sorry : Billy - It read, which made me wonder, but I didn't respond. I didn’t know what to say.

A few days later, I still hadn't spoken to Billy. Well I had, but not in person or by a phone call. He sent me a few more texts, which I read and responded to, but anytime I tried to call him, he never picked up. I was really getting tired of this, what kind of a relationship was this. Ally, Trey ( Ally's 5 year old ), Jason and I were walking around, let's just say Target. Grabbing a few supplies for the bakery and other bits for our lives. Trey kept chanting ' Toys ' from in the buggy, which made me smile. I was pushing the buggy while Ally and Jason tossed things in. Once we finished getting everything we needed, we made our way to the toys. Jason was walking ahead of us, turned into an isle, then quickly came back out, looking panicked. " I think it's time to leave " Jason stated seriously, Ally and I looked at each other, confused. " No Jay, Time for toys! " Trey stated just a serious, I chuckled lightly continuing to push the cart. This is until we entered the same isle and was shocked at what I saw, Billy was standing there, with a woman... A young child was balanced on his hip, a picture perfect family. My thoughts went wild at that moment, but everything made sense now. Ally and I both gasped, grabbing the attention of Billy, who looked just as shocked. I let out a deep sigh as I shook my head and Jason pulled me out of the isle, Ally followed closely behind. We made our way into a different toy isle, just to help with Trey's complaining. I was speechless, I didn't know what to say. No on knew what to say actually, that was the last thing we expected to see. " Did you know he had a kid ? " Jason asked, making me shake my head no. " How do we even know that is his kid, Y/N don't assume anything " Ally stated. " Stop defending him Al, first you tell her not to assume he's cheating, which he obviously is! Now you're telling her not to assume that that isn't his kid, news flash Ally, she looked exactly like him! " Jason spat, making me sigh deeply as I looked at Trey. He was puzzled, but in deep with the toy he was playing with. " Aunt Y/N, can you buy this for me? " Trey asked, I smiled as wide as I could muster. " Trey! " Ally sighed, " Yes, but only if we can leave " I stated. Trey nodded quickly, as we set off towards the check out. Once the three of us purchased everything, we were walking towards our vehicles, we drove separately, but parked next to each other. " Y/N! " I heard Billy shout, causing me to pack the car quicker. " Y/N Wait! " he yelled, I rolled my eyes. When he finally reached me, he tried to touch my hand, but I shook my head. This relationship was crumbling. " Let me explain " he sighed trying to catch his breath, " I don't need you to explain, it's pretty clear... All the sneaking and secrets, it's because your Married! What the fuck is that, you're an asshole... You have a daughter, that's not okay! " I exclaimed finally snapping. " What!? Married, Y/N No. Yes I have a child, but Y/N I'm not " he started, but I cut him off. " I don't really care anymore, I'm tired of this... Whether you're married or not, you've still been lying to me and I don't think I want to deal with it anymore... Sorry " I stated letting out another deep sigh, before getting in my car and heading home.

When I got home, I put everything for the bakery away and then walked up the stairs and into my room. I let out a deep sigh, collapsing on the sofa. I was trying to wrap my head around everything, I didn't care if Billy had a child, I just wish he would've told me about it. And who was the woman, Wife? Girlfriend? Family member? I let out a deep sigh, I needed a nap. Sometime while thinking about everything, I did in fact fall asleep. And was woken up a few hours later by the buzzer, meaning someone was here and wanted to be let up. In a half sleep state, I pushed the button, unlocking the door for the person. I knew who it was and I was tired of fighting. My door opened minutes later and Billy entered, looking irritated. I was warming up a take away, but didn't look at him again. " Now our going to listen to me Y/N, you keep jumping to conclusions and I'm Tired of it! " he stated roughly, I rolled my eyes but didn't respond. " I am not cheating on you, that woman you saw me with was my cousin. My daughter's ,other left as soon as she gave birth, never wanted to be a mom. We weren't even in a relationship, just a one night stand gone wrong. My cousin has been helping me out. I swear I love you " he stated seriously, " Why do I have a hard time believing you, I understand having a baby... I don't judge, what I don't like is that you kept it a secret for over a year " I sighed as I sat down on the couch. " I was afraid, I didn't want to scare you away with the fact that I have a daughter, but I also didn't want to bring a woman into Addison's life, if I wasn't serious about the relationship. Addison is so young and only knows me as a parent, I didn't want her to get attached and then everything fall apart " he stated honestly, " And I understand that too, I just wish you would've said halfway through our relationship ' Hey, by the way. I have a daughter '. I would've been shocked, but I would've gotten over it. I'm very understanding and I wouldn't have tried to push it " I stated. He nodded while taking a seat next to me, " I just can't believe you've kept it a secret for an entire year. How did you do it? " I sighed deeply, " It wasn't easy, I'm sorry for everything Y/N... I'm sorry I lied, Sorry I ignored you, just sorry for everything " he muttered. I sighed once more, but didn't know how to respond. " Where do we go from here? " he then asked, " I don't know, I need some time to process things. I don't have a problem with you having a daughter, I have a problem with the lying. Just... I need space for a few days " I stated. " So, you're not breaking up with me? " he questioned, " No, not yet " I sighed while sending me a small smile. He nodded returning the smile before standing up, " Well, I should get going " he then stated. I nodded standing up as well, then I pulled him into a hug. We stood there for what felt like hour, " I'll text you or call you " I sighed pulling away from him. He smiled " I promise I'll answer if you call, now that you know everything ", I nodded as he opened the door. He quickly placed a kiss on my cheek, " See you later " he smirked before leaving. I sighed deeply, Damn I was in deep for this boy.

A few days had gone by, Billy and I were still in contact with each other, through texts, I hadn't had enough courage to call him just yet. It was a Friday afternoon, I was working behind the counter, serving customers. Ally and Jason were in the back, working on some new recipes. I let out a sigh, closing the cash register, before facing the next customer.I was surprised when I saw the familiar blonde, but he wasn't alone this time. The little girl had her face pushed up against the glass, looking at all the treats. " Hey... " I smiled, he smiled back. " What can I get you? " I asked with a kind smile, " We need about 30 strawberry cupcakes and a dozen princess cookies " He sighed. I nodded putting in the order, " Today's her birthday, Addie how old are you today? " Billy stated picking the little girl. She smiled shyly at me while holding up 3 fingers, " That's right, you're 3 " he smiled. I smiled widely at the pair " Well, Happy Birthday Addie. Would you like a cookie? ", she quickly nodded before looking at Billy for permission. He chuckled " It's alright kid ", she smiled as he put her back on her feet. " Which one would you like? " I asked, she pointed straight towards the purple unicorn. I smiled once more, " Great choice " I stated while grabbing it and leaning over the counter, handing it to her. " Addie, what do you say? " Billy stated starring down at his daughter, " Thank you " she stated shyly. I smiled while nodding, as Jason brought out the cupcakes in two boxes. " How much do I owe you? " Billy questioned as I bagged everything, " It's on me " I stated with a smile. " Y/N.... " Billy stated seriously, " Billy, just take them, enjoy that little girls birthday " I smiled. He sighed deeply while nodding, " Do you want to come, to her party? she loves your cakes... " he asked nervously as he grabbed the bag. " Sure, when is it? " I asked still smiling, " It's at 5... " he sighed deeply. I nodded " I'll be there, just text me the address ", he smiled widely while nodding. " Okay, we'll see you later " he then stated grabbing Addie's hand and walking her towards the door, she turned back towards me before waving goodbye. I waved back, smiling widely. I didn't know this back then, but my life was about to change.

A few hours later, I had finished getting dressed, before walking downstairs. Ally and Jason were going to be keeping the bakery open for me, thankfully. " Hey thanks again guys... " I smiled, they both sent me smiles back. " It's not a problem. go have fun " Ally stated with a smirk, " Yeah, we promise not to burn the place down " Jason chuckled. I rolled my eyes " Just lock the doors at 9pm, let me know when you get home safe. I might be back before 9 though, depending on how things go ", they both nodded. " Go! " Ally exclaimed pushing me towards the door, " Good luck ". I sighed deeply while sending them a quick wave, before exiting the bakery and making my way towards my car. The address Billy sent me was about 20 minutes away, I knew exactly what house it was. Not only because of the purple birthday balloons on the mailbox, but Billy's camaro sitting in the driveway. I sat i the car for a few moments, trying to calm my nerves. I let out a deep sigh as I got out of the car, walking slowly towards the door, but noticed there was a note on the front door, instructing guests to go into the back yard. So, that's where I went. There wasn't many people there, a few adults, but mostly kids. As soon as I stepped into the backyard, eyes were on me and it was awkward for me. Billy was talking with an older male, while sipping on a beer. He noticed that I was slowly making my way towards him, carrying a bag of more pastries for the party. So, he said something to the male, before walking over to me. Pulling me into a tight hug, " This is weird " I whispered. Causing him to chuckle, " Oh, I brought more treats " I smiled as we pulled away. He sighed deeply " You didn't you have to do that Y/N ", I smirked while handing him the bag " It's not problem ". He smiled while nodding " I'm going to go put these in the kitchen, I'll be right back ", I nodded while letting out a deep sigh. He ran in quick and then came back out with the same woman he was in Target with, " Hi! I'm Lisa Hargrove, Billy's cousin. I've heard a lot about you, I know this is weird, but you'll get used to it, our family's odd " she stated with a smile. I nodded "Nice to meet you! ", " I also know about what happened in Target, you saw him and I together, thought he was cheating on you, Ew gross he's my cousin. But, I understand how it must've looked " she stated. I nodded " Also, Bill might've had a rough past, but he's grown up a lot since Addie's come along, he's so protective over the girl. You must mean a lot to him, because he's never brought a girl here. He's never fought so hard to get someone back, he loves you a lot " she smiled widely. Making me look over at Billy, who was now talking to Addie. " Well, I'll let you mingle. My lady's calling me. I'll see you later " Lisa stated while walking over to a group of people, placing a kiss on a beautiful woman's cheek. I sighed deeply, glancing back towards Billy, who was now walking over to Addie. Oh boy, here we go. " Addie, this is Daddy's friend Y//N, from the bakery. She's going to be around for a long time, at least I hope and I know you'll love her as much as I do " he stated in a bashful tone, I smiled sending him a wink, telling him everything was going to work out, Addie wrapped her little arms around my legs, I was ready for this.

[ 5 Years Later ]

Things had been pretty great, Billy and I's relationship was amazing. Addie had become very talkative and outgoing since I've come into her life, she was so much like her father. Three years into our relationship, we moved into a larger house together, I rented out the apartment over the bakery to Jason, since he just got out of a long time relationship and had no where else to go. A year after that, we ended up getting married. Addie was excited to be the flower girl and to have a mom, even if I was just a stepmom. The bakery was still flourishing, Addie loved going in with me when Billy had to work his own job, she loved baking even at the age of 8 years old. Our lives were nice, peaceful, sometimes stressful, but I wouldn't change it.

" Daddy... " I heard Addie sigh from Billy's side of the bed, " Yeah bug? " he muttered still half asleep. " I gotta talk to you, but I don't want to wake Y/N up " she sighed, Billy chuckled " Don't worry Bug, she can sleep through an earthquake ". I was clearly awake, but didn't want to disrupt Father, daughter time. " Do you think I could call Y/N Mom? " Emma from school asked why I didn't call her mom, she made fun of me for it " Addie sighed, " Well Emma's a right ol' Bitch " he muttered. Addie gasped quickly " Daddy, no bad words! ", he sighed deeply " Sorry Bug, I don't think Y/N would mind if you called her mom. She's been here for five years, she's not going anywhere ". She sighed slightly, " Right Y/N " Billy stated knowing that I was already awake. I turned towards over to face them, " I'd be honored to be your mom Add " I stated with a smile. Receiving a large grin in return ( This girl looked so much like her father ), " Yay! Can I sleep with you guys? " she then asked making Billy and I chuckle. " Yes, tonight. Tomorrow you're sleeping in your own bed, deal " Billy stated seriously, " Deal " Addie smiled climbing in between Billy and I. " Love you guys " Billy sighed, " Love you too Dad, Love you mommy " Addie whispered still on the hesitant side, " Love you too my little add " I smiled kissing her forehead. " Shh, go to sleep " Billy groaned quickly, causing Addie and I to laugh quietly. I loved being in this little family.

Months later. "So, Mommy ate the baby? " Addie asked Billy with a confused looked on her face, also looking at the small bump on my belly. " No bug, Mommy's just housing the baby for a few months " he chuckled, " How did they get in there " she then questioned. " You'll find out when your 40, just be excited to have a little brother or sister " Billy sighed, making me chuckle. " How long till they come out? " Addie asked, " At least 6 more months bug, Mommy's belly is going to get bigger and bigger, then pop comes the baby " Billy smiled. She groaned deeply " That's such a long time! ", " It'll go by quick and then you'll get to be a big sister " I smiled at her, which she returned. " Wow, a big sister, I can't wait! But, I'm not taking a bath today! " she exclaimed running upstairs and into her room, " 8 year olds " Billy stated with a deep sigh, " Just wait till she's a teenager... It's your turn to do bath time " I stated with a slight smirk because Addie hated bath time. " No babe.. You know how she gets... " he groaned deeply, I shrugged " I did it last night, so it's your turn. Sorry ". He groaned deeply once more, " Fine. But as soon as she's in bed, it's our special time " he stated with a smirk. I rolled my eyes, but chuckled.

[ 3 more years later ]

I sighed deeply sitting on a lawn chair, my large Belly in the way of everything. " Addie, Lucas. Finish your lunches! " I shouted at the now 11 year old Addie and 2 1/2 year old Lucas. They were playing on the newly assembled Playground, of course they weren't listening to me though. " Whatever, Starve " I muttered rubbing my belly, " you'll listen to me right little bean, won't be like your mean ol' brother and sister " I sighed. Billy walked through the backyard, carrying two glasses of lemonade. He handed me one before sitting next to me, " How are my babe's? " he asked placing a hand on my stomach. " He's fine, your other children won't listen to me though " I sighed, " Addison, Lucas, Lunch. Eat it! " Billy demanded, Addie groaned but did as she was told. Lucas on the other hand must've been taken back by Billy's loud voice and ran to me crying. " Dadda " Lucas whimpered as Billy picked him up, " I 'm sorry bud, you just gotta finish your lunch and listen to momma, Okay " Billy sighed. Lucas nodded, like Addie, he was a bright two year old. Addie carried both her and Luke’s lunch towards us, placing the plates on the table. " Sorry mom, we were having a good time " Addie sighed as she picked at her sandwich, I smiled at her " It's fine ". She smiled at us, helping Luke with his food. She loved being a big sister and couldn't wait for the little bean to arrive. I was still so in love with Billy and I couldn't image what my life would've become without my little family, that was growing larger now, I think about it everyday. I loved this life and I'm glad Billy finally made the move to ask me out all those years ago, things couldn't get better than this. - End ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey guys, thank you all so much for Reading! If you have any requests for any stories, please don't hesitate to let me know, and I'll write the for you the best I can. You're all so amazing and I couldn't thank you enough for supporting me writing <3<3

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militant-holy-knight · 5 years

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Archbishop of Erbil: Iraq's Christians need to thrive, not just survive

Bashar Warda, the archbishop of Erbil's Chaldean Catholic Church, speaks to Rudaw at the Cathedral of Mar Yousif, Ankawa, Erbil on March 13, 2019. Photo: Robert Edwards / Rudaw

Iraqi Christians were forced to flee their towns and villages across the Nineveh Plains and from the city of Mosul in the summer of 2014 when Islamic State (ISIS) militants launched a lightening campaign through the region.

The jihadists gave Christian residents of their newly conquered territories three options: convert to Islam, pay a heavy religious tax, or die. The majority chose to flee, taking refuge in the Kurdistan Region.

Thousands flocked to Ankawa – a predominantly Christian neighbourhood in the north of Erbil city. Here, churches like Mar Yousif opened their doors, becoming makeshift camps until the government and aid agencies stepped in to build facilities for the displaced.

Since the liberation of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains from ISIS control in 2017, Christian families have faced a new dilemma: should they go back and try to rebuild their homes destroyed in the fighting, emigrate abroad, or start over in the Kurdistan Region.

Bashar Warda, the archbishop of Erbil's Chaldean Catholic Church, believes Christianity can only survive in its diminished state in Iraq if displaced families are offered housing assistance.

Earlier in March, Rudaw reported on the case of dozens of Iraqi Christian families living above Neshtiman Bazaar, near Erbil's historic citadel. They have been living there rent-free for several years thanks to the charity of the building owner Nizar Hanah.

However, since the liberation of their towns and villages, Hanah has requested the families move on – raising fears they could be left homeless.

Speaking to Rudaw on Wednesday at the Cathedral of Mar Yousif, Ankawa, Bishop Warda explained how the church has supported families like those living above Neshtiman Bazaar and what donors can do to help rehouse them.

Rudaw: What will happen to the families living above Neshtiman Bazaar?

Bishop Warda: From day one of arriving here we really worked hard to take care of these cases on a large scale and in a smaller case. Neshtiman camp was one of the issues we were really grateful to Mr Nizar Hanah who offered the whole building to be used and for the first year and a half there was no charge at all for electricity, water, everything was for free.

When the liberation started last year, we approached him to give us more time, and he said yes, fine, no problem, I'm not considering [eviction] until the time will be right. Then he asked us to leave the building in January, and I told him no, that's not good, because most of these families have children and these children are in schools so it is better to finish, and he says fine, no problem.

To be fair to the man, he did all he can. To say that those families have no chances to return, it's not true, because there are empty houses in Bartella, we have empty houses also in Qaraqosh, we have also some empty houses in Karemlash, so there are empty houses.

But the other side of the story is most of those people have also already found a job here, and to find a job means they are settled. Travelling every day from Bartella or Qaraqosh would be a really costly one. Here it's much cheaper, in that it is in the heart of the city. There are other people who are from Mosul, which means it would be extremely difficult for them to go home. That's why we are offering alternative houses in Bartella. We spoke with Father Benham Benoka and he said "I have so many houses I could arrange."

Why are these homes empty? So these are people who have left and are not going back?

We have 6,000 families who have left the country from Nineveh Plain and their houses are empty. Six thousand families left to Australia, Canada, America, and there are still lots of them still waiting in Lebanon and Jordan and Turkey, not the mention those who made it to Germany. So yeah, we do have so many houses empty.

So it's not about people who are refusing to go back – no. Actually all the people who have houses in Nineveh Plain, they've made some arrangement. Having said that, we are approaching the NGOs, like Catholic NGOs who used to help us during the time of displacement. The problem is everyone is focusing on Nineveh Plain. Everyone is focusing on building and rebuilding, and reconstruction, and the renovation of the burned houses. And that's why we are unable until now to really do something about that.

The houses is one issue. The people we spoke to at Neshtiman, they were also saying it was a question of security, and a question of infrastructure, and a question of public services. And also in other areas that have been liberated.

We have 8,000 families already in Nineveh Plain. So when you have 8,000 families in Nineveh Plain with churches, sisters, priests and bishops there, it means you have to bear with the community that is there. I mean, if we are talking about an area where no one has made a decision to go, ok, I'll give them all the rights to say that. But when you have 8,000 families already in Teleskof, Bartella, Bashiqa, Karemlash, and Qaraqosh, well here we could say, ok, we live as a community there. We know public services are not good. That was even before 2014. Security, we haven't heard any incidents so far.

Yes, it's still a disputed area, which we are also working with the politicians, parliamentarians, to solve it peacefully, because we've said it quite clearly that any military clash that happens in this area, this would mean the end of the Christians in the area. We said it quite clearly. So we are fully aware of the situation of the Nineveh Plain.

We stopped the housing program, food program, medical program... because there's lack of funds on this.

The churches here in Ankawa were celebrated for the role they played [in the 2014 displacement] ... I'd like to know a little more about your role ... what the churches are still doing to support this community.

Well, here in Ankawa, little. Because since the time of the liberation and since the period of time when families have started to go back all the focus of the church and the NGOs, Catholic NGOs, is on rebuilding and reconstruction. We managed to get 2 million euros to rebuild Teleskof in which 1,100 families are settled now in Teleskof. Another $2 million from the Knights of Columbus to Karemlash, in which Karemlash is being rebuilt and over 360 families are there. Church in Need and Knights of Malta with the help of the German government are working on rebuilding Qaraqosh with L'Œuvre d'Orient from France. There are so many people.

So, the efforts of the church is to find enough subsidies really for this. Unfortunately, here in Ankawa, although we have around 2,000 families who are still in and out between here and Nineveh Plain, we stopped the housing program, food program, medical program, all of these which were provided for free for three years, has been stopped, because there's lack of funds on this. Everyone is focusing there. Nothing in Mosul, as a city, no.

I did see that the community is recovering somewhat, the Assyrian community. I was there with Francois Hollande the other day. We visited an Assyrian church that looked like it had been completely refitted. But the congregation did seem very small. Extremely early days.

We will not, as a church, we will not endanger our people for any principles. No. Because their life, their dignity is more important than having a piece of land there in Mosul. I mean, what for?

Some of the people we spoke to as well, the key things were the cost of living in Erbil. If they were to look for somewhere else to live here, who are thinking Ankawa seems the natural place to go, the rent here is extremely high. This touches on another point – that Ankawa is known in all of Iraq as being this Christian neighbourhood. But the likes of myself arriving here: expats, other immigrant workers from around the world, the price of rent going up, do you think that maybe the cultural makeup of Ankawa itself is beginning to change and to move away from Christianity?

No, and in a way you see these rents make an income for certain families. It's not a luxury style of living, it's just that life is expensive here in Erbil, it's not easy. When you go shopping... And don't forget the economic crisis hit also the Christians as well as everyone, but it feels on minorities more. Hopefully now when the salaries are back again, there will be more income, more jobs. You know, before 2014, 900 young people were every day travelling from Qaraqosh to here to work in Erbil, because there was a lot of work. Everything collapsed at the end of 2013, beginning of 2014, and that's what's really bad. But it's part of making income. Yes we know the fact that lots of hotels, lot of restaurants, all of these will change also the style of Ankawa, but on the other hand now we have around 7,000 Christian families in Ankawa. It's the largest Christian enclave in the Middle East. It's not easy when you are surrounded by crisis, inevitable crisis in the region around you, Turkey, Baghdad, everything. All of these political disputes surrounding Iraq will make its effect on Iraq and also it will be felt on us.

But, as I told you, we as a church keep the families of Neshtiman in our mind and hopefully we will be able one day to convince some of the donors to contribute at least paying partially some of the rent and stuff like that because if they come and rent here for $300 or $400 or probably more, at least find a way of really helping them in that. So really they face three options. They are supported to afford to live in Ankawa, they are encouraged and empowered to move into empty homes in Bartella, Qaraqosh, or they have to rely on the IDP camps. Yep. IDP camps are not a long term solution. We don't like it. Is the KRG doing enough to move this forward, and is Baghdad helping enough?

The KRG have said it from the beginning that the economic crisis has hit the economy badly. Over 1,400,000 IDPs already from Anbar and Saladin and all of Mosul, and don't forget these people from Syria. But, during the crisis, the government themselves were quite helpful, facilitating all of the logistics. Because we as a church for example built 14 schools, and with the help of the government of Erbil made it quite easy for us really to cross all of these bureaucratic [hurdles]. And when we had the head of the educational department Mr Fahim Babakar [it] was quite a help for us. Yes, so the government with its limited resources, I would say yes, they were a big help. Really, without their support and pushing of issues, many cases were difficult to be passed.

My final summing up question – it's a leading question, because you've given me a very optimistic picture I think overall, but answer as you wish. Is Christianity as a surviving, lasting minority in this region, is it doomed, long term? Well, I would say yes. And Ankawa would be the last place for the Christians in Iraq. I would say that. We will still have Christians here and there, but as a strong community I would say Ankawa. And that's why we have to think long term not just of a survival plan but a thrival plan. Thinking of a good infrastructure like schools, hospital, universities, some good business coming to encourage Christians really to stay and thrive and to contribute in that. And you have the support of the government for that case, which is needed.

#Christianity #news

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closetspngirl · 6 years

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Love Heals the Soul (Part 3) - Convention Weekend

Summary: Briana talks reader into going to the Vancouver Supernatural Convention...which could be interesting

Masterlist

Pairing: Jensen x reader

Word Count: 2100

Warnings: None, unless I missed something, if that’s the case, please let me know

A/N: This one got a little wordy in the middle, sorry. Also, I couldn’t help myself with this gif. lol Italicized are lyrics, POV thoughts or text conversations; you can tell by the context.

---

The following Tuesday Briana came into the café after wrapping for the day. She had texted, letting you know she was coming over, and you had her dirty chai ready and waiting for her when she got there. You were sitting over in the corner where it was quiet, two oversized chairs and a small table.

“How was work today?” You asked, sipping on your peppermint tea.

“Exhausting, more so emotionally. Donna is having quite the time in this episode” she sighed.

Knowing she couldn’t give you more than that, despite being your best friend, you ended the topic with a friendly “I’m sure it’ll be great. I can’t wait to see it. So, convention weekend, huh?” You asked her, taking a sip of your tea.

“Yeah! That’s why I wanted to stop by actually. You’ve been a fan of the show for some time now,” she started.

“Uh huh…”

“And we haven’t spent a lot of time together because of you being busy here at the café and me with work,” she continued.

“Uh huh…Bri, out with it!”

“So will you be my plus one to the convention this weekend?” she finally finished, waiting with bated breath for your response.

You sat there staring at her. “Um. Come again? You can do that? I’m not with the show, how can I be a plus one?” you questioned.

“Well, you couldn’t do the panels or anything, or be a part of the photo ops. But we could totally get pictures of us and the other cast members at the end of the con. There’s always Karaoke Friday night, the Saturday Night Special, and just a ton of fun in between. I promise you won’t be bored, or feel awkward and we’ll be able to hang out all weekend, unless I’m doing a panel and ops of course. But it’s still a lot of fun.”

“Bri. Take a breath.” You managed to get out, seeing as she wasn’t letting you get a word in edge wise, clearly trying to get you to go.

“So, you’ll go?” She asked, big smile on her face. “Did I mention you make a really good dirty chai?”

“Wow. Way to butter a girl up to get what you want there, Bri.” You said with a laugh. “But sure, since you practically made up my mind for me.”

“Yay!!” she squealed as she jumped up to hug you. “It starts with a pajama party Thursday night with Kim and I, then it actually gets going Friday and ending Sunday. Think you can go all weekend?”

Thinking about it, you didn’t have any cake orders, your product was really stocked up. You were suddenly thanking yourself for putting in those 12 and 13-hour days for the last couple of weeks. There wasn’t anything going on that your assistant couldn’t handle.

“Sure!” was all you had to give her.

“Great! I’ll text you tomorrow. We can share a room at the hotel if you want. I know we all live in the city, but it’s just easier being in the same place as everything going on. Pack comfy and cute clothes, and maybe a bottle of wine, no, definitely a bottle, or two. And some of your wonderful pastries! Can’t forget those.”

And just like that she was out the door, leaving you to think about the coming weekend, which was when you realized what you just said yes to. The convention…in Vancouver…where they film; Briana, Kim, Jared…and Jensen. An entire weekend being surrounded by the cast, including a certain green eyed man. Yeah, this was going to go well.

***

You left work Wednesday, feeling excited about the coming weekend. You went over everything with your assistant, with her reassuring you that everything would be fine while you were gone, practically pushing you out the door. You always did have a hard time taking vacations or time off of any sort, just because you worried about something happening while you were away.

When you got back to your apartment, you started making a packing list of everything you needed for the weekend. You tried to pack light, but that never happened with you, although you were trying to remind yourself that, on the chance you needed anything, you were just a quick drive from the hotel.

Looking through your closet, you pulled out a few different items. Keeping in mind that Briana told you to dress comfy, you decided to leave the heels at home, and opted for your converse. They were pretty versatile, and with a cute pair of sandals and black flats, you had options. You pulled out a pair of jeans, a couple of old band t-shirts and a short waisted black leather jacket. It was light enough that you wouldn’t over heat or get tired of wearing it.

You also pulled out a super cute maxi dress with a floral pattern that you paired with a denim jacket. Looking again at everything hanging up, your eyes fell on a blue flannel shirt, so cozy you could live in it, and you practically did; rolled sleeves, worn, but not worn out. You took it off the hanger, with a simple white tank top to go underneath, and put them in your bag. You knew the outfit of choice of the show was flannel, so you felt weird bringing it with you. You weren’t a super-fan, and honestly, felt a little silly having it be one of your choices. But it was the most comfortable thing you had, in every sense of the word. You moved on to the bathroom, grabbing the essentials, then on to the rest of the apartment tidying up since you would be gone all weekend.

After packing and cleaning, you changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and settled on the couch with your favorite mug, filled with peppermint tea of course, flipping through Netflix debating between a movie or watching any one of the series you had seen four times over. Each. Of course you picked a series, and of course it was Supernatural, because why not, when you were about to spend all weekend with the cast. You had seen all of the seasons, multiple times, but they never failed to bore you. And because you had seen them before, it allowed you to zone out if you wanted, or even fall asleep. Realizing that all of those late days at the café were starting to catch up with you, sleep was becoming very apparant. As you lay on the couch, curled up under a blanket, you could feel your eyelids getting heavy. Trying to stay focused on Dean and Sam saving people and hunting things, your eyes finally closed, those green eyes and beautiful smile, being the last thing you saw before you slipped away.

The next day, you felt the sun on your face, warm and bright. You slowly realized that you don’t get the morning sunlight in your bedroom, which made you wonder what happened. It was when you tried to move, feeling the pain shoot up your forearm, that you remembered that you had fallen asleep on the couch. Moaning while trying to get your body to move, you sat up, trying to clear your head. That was a mistake; I will definitely regret that later today. You looked at your phone, seeing that Briana had texted you just a little bit before you woke up.

B: Morning!!! You ready for tonight?!

Y/N: Ugh. Morning. I will be once I get my body sorted out. Passed out on the couch last night. Complete mistake.

B: Go for a run, do some yoga, work it out. I’ll be by at 5 to get you.

Y/N: Hmm. I haven’t been on my mat for a while, that does sound nice. See you at 5.

Changing into something more suitable for yoga, you lit a candle, put some relaxing music on and rolled out your mat. It felt good to center yourself and move your body.

---

After a shower you went out and got a bite to eat, not really feeling like cooking anything. You also had to get a couple bottles of wine, per Bri’s suggestion, as well as a box of pastries from the café. Not knowing what anyone liked, assuming they made it past the three of you, you picked out an assortment, making sure to grab something chocolate, you know, just in case. You may have been amped up on adrenaline at the open mic night, but you didn’t fail to notice that Jensen had been eating a piece of chocolate cake; and now that you thought about it, you weren’t even sure if he knew you were the one that made everything.

You were sitting on the couch reading a magazine when there was a knock on your door. Jumping up, you went to answer it.

“Bri! Finally!” You pulled her in for a hug.

“Relax, I’m five minutes late, you try getting out of the house with a four-year-old.” She said with a laugh. “You all ready to go?”

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.” Letting out a nervous laugh, remembering what this weekend was all about, again.

“Great! Let’s go!” Briana said as she grabbed your bag. Seeing your brace on the counter, she picked it up, gave you a knowing look, and stuck it in your purse. You knew you’d thank her at some point this weekend, you were sure.

***

Thursday night was a whirlwind of activity and people and photos. It was great seeing some of the fans that joined in on the pajama party interact with Briana and Kim. You were in awe of the two of them, such down to earth and beautiful souled women. You found yourself smiling, watching them laughing with a couple of fans, taking a few selfies. The rest of the night was a blur, laughing, talking, making friends and of course, singing was involved. Briana and Kim ended the night and you all made your way up to the room you were sharing. It really was like a sleepover all weekend; you weren’t upset at that, you missed the company.

“Ok ladies, here is the wine and the pastries.” You said as you pulled them out of your bag.

“Sweet! Uhh…No pun intended…?” said Kim. Pulling out a bottle of whiskey from her bag. “By the way Y/N, the pastries you sent back with Jensen the other day were amazing! I’m so glad you brought these!” She said taking a raspberry macaron out of the box and taking a bite.

“Yeah, Kim wasn’t the only one that enjoyed them. Someone barely even shared the box with the rest of us!” Briana said, making you blush. Knowing both of them saw.

Trying your best to play off the next question, and really hoping you could ask it without any further interrogation, you chanced it and asked with a light laugh, “Is he even aware that I’m the one making all of these?”

“Probably not, it is Jensen after all” Briana responded, giggling from the wine and eating a pistachio eclair.

Kim was all over the questioning of the evening. “So…speaking of Jensen, what’s going on with the two of you?”

Looking between the both of them, and quite confused, wine glass almost to your lips, all you could respond with was “Nothing” and a shrug of your shoulders. “He came to open mic night, then to pick up coffee, literally nothing has happened” you went on.

“But if it did…” she continued.

“I don’t know. I guess I’d see what would happen…?” You actually never had thought about that. Sure, he was handsome, seemed to be sweet, funny and charming. His smile was something you could look at all day. His slight Texan accent, well that was a whole other story. And his eyes. Those gorgeous emerald gems…

“Hello. Earth to Y/N. You still with us?” Briana said, waving her hands in front of your face.

“Hm? What? I was just trying to…yeah I got nothing. I was thinking about Jensen. Happy? But it was Kim’s fault, she brought him up” You said matter of factly with a groan and laugh, knowing how much trouble you were in.

“I knew it!!” Exclaimed Briana. The three of you now laughing, still drinking and eating the treats.

A couple hours later you all called it a night, so that you could get up early for breakfast, some much needed coffee, and the start of the convention.

You and Bri got into bed, sharing one of the two queen size beds in the room, while Kim took the other. “How are you feeling, you ok?” She asked, looking over. You knew what she meant. She was always looking out for you.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You said with a small smile, laying down gingerly, looking forward to sleep.

Tags: @maralisa124

#love heals the soul #jensen x reader #spn

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