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nari-nim · 4 years

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forever anticipating

“hi i don't know if your requests are open but if they are can you write an scenario in which hyunsuk sets jihoon and y/n on a blind date? fluffy? btw do you think he would kiss on the first date?”

aww anonie this is the cutest request! time for some SOFT JIHOON HOURS! To answer your question, I think Jihoon is highly intuitive and can read body language well so he will use that to inform his decision whether or not to go for the kiss! If his date is down, he will not hesitate. I hope you enjoy the direction I took :) lmk what you think!! 💓

This is how Jihoon secretly looks at you when you aren’t looking during your date. gif credit goes to @khaly-no

Treasure Jihoon x Y/N

warnings: none, this FLUFFY

word count: 1.8k

— the dorms —

Video game night was in full swing and it has never been louder in the dorms. Jeongwoo screeched over the sound of six other members’ simultaneous bickering. Meanwhile, Asahi decided now was the perfect time hit whoever blinked with a couch pillow. Normally, Hyunsuk wouldn’t have tolerated this level of rowdiness under his roof. But he was busy. He sat quietly on the far end of the sofa tapping furiously into his phone, a sly smile plastered across his features.

“Hey, Jihoon—oh my god,” Hyunsuk said, his smile melting as soon as he looked up. The chaos activated his leader (mother) mode. “Jihoon-Jeongwoo get down. Jeongwoo, please. Haruto, wait--Junkyu-Junkyu- ASAHI”

Asahi stopped. The rest followed suit.

The room turned to normal levels of volume, and Hyunsuk was able to try again.

“Jihoon, come here.” Jihoon perked up from his Mashiho impersonation, and got up to join Hyunsuk.

“Bro, you should join us. Junghwan is killing it, you don’t want to miss his true maknae on top moment.” (He’s actually not, the beloved super king cow king baby is getting crushed by Haruto every round). Jihoon slid next to Hyunsuk, glancing at his phone screen. “What are you...”

Hyunsuk flashed him a cheeky smile and hid what he was working on for the past half hour.

“You’re going on a blind date tomorrow.”

“No way, this feels somewhat illegal. Tell me more.”

“Her name is y/n and I met her through a mutual friend. They go to uni together and we met at that hangout I went to last weekend. Park Jun, she is exactly your type. You gotta trust me on this one.”

Jihoon blinked at him, for once without a witty remark. Jihoon squinted at Hyunsuk, and chuckled in disbelief. Reality was hitting him and logic does not like that shit eating grin on Hyunsuk’s face.

“Hyunsuk, you’re setting me up? You, really? This is actually happening? Right before our flight to Japan?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow early morning at the Han River. You’ll have a few hours before we head over to Incheon.”

Jihoon ruffled his hair and sat back into the couch. He sucked in a breath. Hyunsuk frowned, “you don’t want to? Sorry man, I really thought your vibes would’ve matched and-“

“Oh no no, hyung, I’m just...worried since we’re going to promote in Japan for the next two weeks and our schedules are so busy. It might end up hurting us both,” Jihoon confessed. “And it’s been forever since I last been on a date.”

“Nah I think you’re worrying way too much in advance. The policy is chill now and, hey, who can say no to waiting a few weeks for those abs,” Hyunsuk reassured.

“Oh right, I’m going to flash my abs the fifth minute in,” Jihoon said sarcastically. He did make a mental note, though, because if you really are that cute? He’ll need that Plan G.

“Here, I’ll text you the address now. You better not flake and make me look bad.”

“HEY! What are you guys WHISPERING about!” Jeongwoo said, looking at them suspiciously. Simultaneously, the nonactive players of the game whipped their heads to stare at the pair.

“Nothing, the grownups are talking” Jihoon joked, dramatically nodding and shooting thumbs up at Hyunsuk. Jihoon left the resulting hysterics and sound of Hyunsuk cackling behind for the comforts of his room where he checked his buzzing phone. Turns out, Hyunsuk had attached the pictures of you, figuring he would give Jihoon that peace of mind (and a way to find you tomorrow) under the instructions.

Holy shit.

Jihoon eyes widened. You are exactly his type. Jihoon couldn’t stop staring at your smiling features. The soft smile that colored his features never left his face for the rest of the night.

He couldn’t wait.

— Han River —

Wow ok, this is slightly worse than evaluation days, Jihoon decided, nervously kicking a small pebble around on the dusty road.

“Hey, Jihoon?”

Jihoon froze for a millisecond and turned around to face you.

You looked ethereal in the early morning sun. The light reflected off your lovely features, illuminating the kind glow of your smile. Jihoon made another mental note to treat Hyunsuk to dinner once they land in Japan.

“The one and only. Y/n?”

“Yes,” you nodded shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, Jihoon.”

Jihoon loved hearing his name coming from your lips. Which were so pretty and pink and—

Jihoon cleared his throat. “Likewise.” After a small pause, “Is there anything you would like to do in particular while we get to know each other?”

You laughed, the sound music to Jihoon’s ears. He wants to hear that all the time now, he decided.

“I actually really like taking pictures of random beautiful things that pique my interest! Maybe we can just go for a walk and explore what we find beautiful about the Han River?”

“Perfect,” Jihoon smiled widely, which somehow grew when he noticed the blush in your cheeks.

And that’s how you two somehow went from exchanging detailed introductions to sharing hobbies to discussing life goals and values, all while snapping amazing scenery pics. This developed into a made up game of taking the best picture, judged entire on a subjective and nondemocratic point system. The winner gets uncontested glory and a copy of all the photos of the loser’s captured moments.

“HAHA, y/n I just got the spiciest photo of these golden bell flowers over this ledge!”

“What, how??” You whipped around from trying to make some daisies look aesthetic. The competitive side of you was taking over.

“I guess it’s one of the perks of being taller,” Jihoon said, hopping down the said six foot tall ledge he spent the last few minutes scaling. He dusted his pants off carefully and flashed you his eye smile. In a singsong voice, he said, “and one of those perks is winning this game~”

Yeah you were not about to risk a broken arm for that picture. “Okay, fine, but show it to me?”

“Nuh uh.” He flashed you the picture in one second bursts, having the best time teasing you.

Jihoon paused. He got so comfortable with you in the last hour that he just teased you like he does with the other Treasure members. His worries were interrupted at the adorable sight of you giggling. He internally sighed of relief.

“NuH uH,” you mimicked backed at him, reaching for his phone.

Jihoon quickly yanked his phone above his head, dramatically leaned his body so it was out of your reach. Surprised, you tried to change course. But in the spur of the moment, the momentum carried you just a tad too far. You bump slightly into his chest. Jihoon instinctively grabbed at you to prevent you from losing your balance further, his hands falling on your waist. His large hands felt so warm through the fabric, his breath brushing as the top of your forehead. You were so close.

His eyes widened, heat rushing to his cheeks. For a second, your eyes meet. You wonder if he can hear the thundering in your chest.

Jihoon quickly let go and took a step back, slightly bowing at you. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to grab you like that!”

You could tell your face was absolutely flushed at this point, but you made a show of brushing off your outfit and stuck your nose in the air, “as long as you don’t have cooties.”

“Ooh,” Jihoon winced. “I definitely do. Exclusive, premium, limited edition cooties.”

You laughed, thankful he didn’t press you on the obvious blush. Although it’s not like his face was any better.

“Hey, y/n,” Jihoon said, pulling you out of your internal monologue. “This might be about it for the date. My phone has actually been blowing up with reminders to get back.”

Oh, You tried to hide the sadness in your face. The few hours you spent together seemed to fly by so fast, and you definitely longed for more. Within the span of the date, he showed just how incredible he is—unyielding dedication to his dreams, selfless outlooks on life, and a kind, hilarious and loving personality that felt like sunshine on a rainy day.

Jihoon noticed the quiet pause, and softly asked, “May I walk you home?”

You let out an airy laugh. “Not unless you want to walk 45 minutes in one direction and an hour in the other, Park Jihoon. It’s okay, I’ll take the subway!”

“Right, right,” Jihoon chuckled. You guys reached an intersection leading pedestrians away from the river sidewalk. The signs pointed to your destinations in opposite directions, which felt too meta for your taste.

Jihoon turned to face you.

“You know, golden bell flowers means anticipation in flower language.” He looked the most serious he has ever been all morning.

You mustered yourself to look into his eyes.

“That’s suitable, Jihoon, because I anticipate for you to call me as soon as you safely land and are available.”

“Deal.”

Numbers and addresses (for postcards, he claims) were exchanged.

“Jihoon, I had an amazing time today.” You said, suddenly feeling shy again. A part of you wished you could walk him back, but that would attract unwanted attention.

“Me too, y/n. Thanks for waking up so early to spend all this time with me.” Jihoon said, the tone of his voice so soft and genuine.

He shifted a little closer, eyes flickering to your lips.

Your eyes widened.

He leaned in and gently rested his hand against the back of your head. His eyes searched yours, asking.

Oh my god, yes please. You drew even closer in answer, eyes fluttering shut.

Jihoon closed the distance. His lips gently pressed into yours, completing a perfect puzzle. The kiss was was warm, sweet and heartfelt. Your lips gently moved against each other, before you pulled slightly away for air. As your foreheads rested against each together, a warm wave unfurled in your chest.

Just a little more, you thought. Jihoon seemed to agree as you both lean in again, this time the kiss far less hesitant. Your hands rest against his chest while he cups your face with his. Jihoon pulled back, pushing a strand of hair behind your ears. His phone was aggressively ringing, you realize.

“I’ll see you, y/n.”

“I’ll anticipate you, Jihoon.”

He watched your retreating figure for a bit before he headed back to the dorm, giddy with joy.

— your home —

A few days later, a package arrived. It was from Jihoon. Your heart raced.

He never mentioned anything about this in his calls, you excitedly thought.

You slowly pulled out the contents, marveling at each one. A picture of the Han River reflecting the morning light. A dozen of printed photos he somehow took of you that day (you laughing at something you took, looking off into the river, and crouching over vegetation). A polaroid of him in the hotel room, “you better be missing me so damn hard” it captioned. You chuckled, touched by his gift.

You were about to close the envelope until you realized there’s still one item left. You reached in. And you gasped.

A golden bell flower, pressed by hand.

#treasure #jihoon #treasure jihoon #treasure jihoon fluff #requested #treasure jihoon scenarios #treasure fluff #treasure imagines #treasure scenarios #treasure park jihoon #park jihoon fluff #treasure x reader

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botanyshitposts · 5 years

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whats the deal with proven winners?

okay. so. this is actually how i got into botany in the first place; i got an unpaid internship at a greenhouse in high school and realized, very quickly, that we live in a jurassic park hellscape where big companies breed plants solely for their looks and performance, and i found that so fucking weird that i couldnt get enough of it and fell down the rabbit hole. i don’t find them bad per say; i find them weird and how they manage their product in terms of policing their retailers is very sketchy to me, but they’re not like, monstanto-level off the shits (yet). with mother’s day next weekend we’re coming up on one of the biggest greenhouse/ornamental plant industry sales days of the year, next to valentines’ day (which favors the rose industry especially), so this is an exceptionally convenient time to talk about this.

proven winners is one of the biggest ornamental plant companies in the united states, possibly the world. you might know them from their patented white flower pots. they’re centered in california (as, actually, a lot of these large flower producers are) and they manage a HUUUUUUGEEE network of giant industrial flower greenhouses.

like, you have to understand, all garden retailers have to buy their shit from somewhere, and although the centers and local greenhouses selling proven winners stuff are often small and independent (unless ur talking like...flowerama or something), a large portion of the plants themselves, like many things in capitalism, form an industry of their own dominated by a handful of oligarch corporations, of which proven winners is one. small retailers order bulk products from these companies, should it be through full-color paper catalogs (which exist, btw, and are wild in and of themselves to look at; i actually have a few back home that i keep around solely bc they’re incredibly fascinating in a slightly offputting jurassic park kind of way), online, or through a sales representative for their region.

it depends on what they’re ordering, but they can buy seeds, plugs (the black trays of like....tiny plants you buy at garden centers to put in planters? the ones that come in, like, six packs? those are called ‘plugs’), and in the case of perennials, woody plants of various ages, among other things. these plants are bred, marketed, and sold on a goddamn industrial scale. it’s wild.

now....this is where it gets absolutely fascinating to me. this isn’t just proven winners, but proven winners is one of the top contenders of this. some highlights of how plants are actually marketed on an industrial scale:

-plants come out in collections. like, you have horticulturalist designer people who put their names on some stuff and they all go out as like, The New Hot Thing(tm).

-they always promote their top selling stuff, and the plants that won awards, and like, the most popular flower arrangements and stuff. this in and of itself, again, isn’t like.....bad, it just feels weird how plants are marketed as objects rather than living things, you know?

-these plants are 100% bred and optimized for their commercial value and how they look. see the above point about how it feels like they’re treating them as objects.

-every year, there are new plants, which are put at the front of the catalogue and like, show them off as the Hit New Products. these are all part of the year’s collective collection, so like, proven winners has their 2019 collection all ready on their site in a special little tab:

FUN INDUSTRY SIDE STORY: looks like they have some new orange petunias this year, which reminds me fondly of the 2017 purge ordered by the USDA of a ton of illegally GMO orange petunias....

you see, orange petunias don’t exist naturally, so what companies do is either 1. systematically breed orange into them, which can take years, or 2. take red petunias and just put in some coding for yellow from the maize genome, which makes them orange. usually, you have to submit all this paperwork and go through a ton of government red tape to sell GMOs, including required trials conducted by the federal government, but what some of these large ornamental seed companies were doing was just....not telling the government and just kind of...pretending that they bred them. so in 2017, a netherlands team noticed that these were like....kind of Suspicious(tm), and started doing some tests....and accidentally uncovered like, this huge international orange petunia scandal across all these companies, over 30 varieties of illegal petunia being sold internationally. they had to alert the actual EU, which then alerted the USDA, who then gave an actual government order for these large companies to literally burn, bury, or otherwise destroy all their industrial stock of the proven illegal GMO orange petunias.

small retailers who had bought them assuming that they were legal were allowed to keep and continue selling what they bought, but the actual producers were ordered to just fucking. violently destroy everything. the USDA informed these companies that they could sell them again, but only if they were put through the proper government channels and received proper certification. i checked the old recall list and didn’t see these, so i’m assuming they’re like...Legit, but. im 👀 somebody test these lol

AAANNNNYYway that aside, if you would like to see the Proven Winners 2019 Flower Collection Showcase(tm), they have a bunch of......weird kind of ads on their youtube channel showing artsy pics of their new shit. to this day i can’t pin down exactly what about them makes me feel slightly uncomfortable, but you really do get a sense that they’re selling an object to preform, which i guess is the point, but...idk, it’s just a very different view of plants, i think, then i personally have. very sci-fi-y, if you will. all their ads are like this; these video are essentially very similar to what you get from their print sales booklets, but in video form.

youtube

see, last but not least, my biggest beef with proven winners is the weird way they handle their company.

you get inspected by the plant police.

im not kidding. for those not very familiar with plant reproduction, you can grow vegetative clones of plants through a process called taking cuttings, where you cut off a part of the plant and put it in a new pot under the right conditions, and it develops a root system and becomes a genetic clone to the parent. obviously, anyone can do this with a lot of the proven winners plants, especially because PW plants, as i’ve noticed, tend to be bred to be more vigorous.

proven winners wants to ensure that there’s no Illegal Plant Downloads taking place, so they literally like....send people out to these small retailers and ask to see their stock to make sure that all the plants are going in the Patented Proven Winners White Pots(tm) with the Patented Proven Winners Information Tags(tm). you MUST plant proven winners stuff in the pots they send you, with the instructions they send you, and they will check you for this. the first time my internship mentor ordered from them, they accidentally planted the plugs in generic brown pots instead of the white ones, and the weird proven winners police rolled in unannounced for an inspection and told them that the next time it happened they wouldn’t sell to them anymore. what they’re worried about happening is that the growers will order a small amount and then just make a bunch of cuttings without paying them, and it’s just......weird. like i get why they do it but that’s always struck me as really, really shady lmao

#this is....wild like idk like???? im just always very :eyes: at them #the ornamental plant industry is off the SHITS #long post #asks #plont asks #Anonymous

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onf-headcanons · 3 years

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Another OFFICE AU aka CEO AU

A/n : Alas its not draft clearing but a brand new work for 2021 (but i still have some drafts as well)XD Hello, did any of you remember an idea dump I dropped for last year Christmas? you could easily guess which was it by tallying the mood board with the idea lists (*winks)

Setting :

1. OFFICE AU 2 , it is a brand new one where ONF member is a young CEO while you are his secretary. So I will name this one as CEO AU

Of course it does not hurt should you wanna imagine it as the already exist office au, using the idea dump posted for 2020 Christmas.

2. ONF MEMBER that I will integrate would be Hyojin and Seungjun as mentioned during the Christmas post, but I wont stop you for imagining other members, thats why in headcanons I will use ONF MEMBER instead their names. (For member X reader scenario)

3. In this headcanon, reader is slightly older than ONF member, maybe 2 or 3 years older. Same age is plausible, then it would be ONF member continued their studies further so they started working late.

ok lets go, beware its long and sorry if it is messy I tried my best to control 2 way storyline, I had fun writing but I know I am lacking much much more than I could notice. total 6k word count (dies)

1-1

• You work as assistant/secretary for the head of department/CEO in company before the young successor joins and his predecessor retires. • Because you tend to separate work life and private life, you established personality to look like ice queen on the outside (reality) but actually passionate carer on the inside (virtually). None of your colleagues knew, only your close friends • You have been using a chat app (not tinder type) for since you started intern, • 1. That app's specialty was anonymous. • 2. Its like a hideout spot where you can share and post whatever you love. (Because there are some co-workers added your FB or Insta and you felt it is a hassle to create another fake account exclusively to add people) • 3. Even though you tried and failed at 1 or 2 virtual relationships with other users, you never despise the thought of online dating. But you do know it’s not realistic so you never take it too seriously (it is also self-protection) • You would post some photos but mostly are just lunch pics, occasionally an outdoor view from your office floor, also some cute stationaries or accessories found on the way back home. (Just adding this trivia for fun linking the universe, maybe you pass by Minkyun’s flower shop as well?) • (It will be funny if your contents was more on sharing random idol pics that you follow, passionately promoting it hence creating a more impact contrast later when revealing) • One day you came across a post asking about what kind of cologne to buy for a predecessor who will be retiring. Being a good Samaritan, you leave a few suggestions under the post and did not really take it to heart, you forgot about it once you see the original author replied "Thanks" • Not knowing that 1 interaction would change your life forever.

1-2 • The next day, your superior announced his retirement and mentioned a young successor will join the company next month. And ONF member being the young successor does make rumors flying around the company, making people questioning his ability as he is related to company board of directors. The department you are in is under top 5 sales/profit bringing, so with a young successor would be inexperienced which might lead to drop of department reputation of course people are going to worry and gossip. • First impression with ONF member is actually ok. Well dressed, good looking and nice manners. The moment he followed his predecessor walks into the office floor, girls starts to make all sorts of gasping noises (lol) • Your superior mentioned that he bought a retirement gift for your superior deep down you approved at the selection of the cologne brand. • You might goes, this guy got sense, not bad. • One night after several days ONF member joined the department/company, you received a PM from a user, thanking you for the cologne recommendation. It took you a while to remember who it was. You politely replied him “You are welcome.” • The user also nonchalantly asked about how you can make such suggestion that pinpoints because by the glance at your profile, first impression could be very much misleading. • You just replied that you happened to know someone at that age who likes that type of scent hence the list of suggestions, what you did was just you taking the liberty to do a lucky guess. • Out of curiosity, you tap at the stranger’s avatar to get a glimpse of his profile, but out of your disappointment, there were no picture of his to know what he looks like. But there are pictures of scenery from places he travelled. • You also noticed that their “joined the app” days are way lesser than you are, quite a new user. • You found a few pictures of places you went before/ places that you want to go. Delighted, you started the conversation asking if he likes travelling and his next travel plans. • The other party replied briefly his plans and his experience during travels, from his words you know that he won’t be travelling overseas for the next 2 years as he had a new job and responsibility to learn. Instead he will be focusing on doing domestic travels. • His words made you reminisce your rookie days and you responded him that you understand him with empathy. You did not pry further but you do give him some encouragement, telling him that things will get better and once he got the hang of it, he will have more time on his own. (Yup at the moment you are thinking he is a freshman or newbie joining new company) • You timidly ask your new chat friend why they decided to join and use the app. He replied, “I don’t really play social media apps and I don’t want anyone to find me online, the anonymous system this app provides mental security for me.” • The reply was so different from those who are playing the app just for flirting and finding a quick date, you replied him, “Same as you.” • The conversation ends by the other party mentions he will need to be early for work and politely wishes you good night. The next morning you found the stranger has added you as friend, without any thoughts you tap on your screen and now you have a new mutual.

1-3 • Back to office, as ONF member is still new towards his scope of work, you would sometimes giving him advise and guides by sharing “What would his predecessor does.” or “What he can do by not violating company policy”. He takes advises well and would always inquire for your suggestion before making any critical decision. • Once he started to get the hang of it, you passed the torch of freedom to him because you are only a secretary/assistant. But he will still come to you, which you felt he was being dependent. (I feel if it is Minkyun, he will be more dependent should the scope of work is totally unfamiliar to him. Tendency of dependent to independent would be Seungjun, Hyojin, Yuto same par as Jaeyoung, Changyoon then Minkyun.) • (Of course sometimes there are some doubt raised regarding to policies and because he sees things in another perspective, you know he meant no harm but sometimes you wish he would just shut up and just follow the policy just for convenience sake+lessen damage. That’s because should any dissatisfaction of decision happens, colleagues will firstly come to interrogate you, hoping you to twist his decision or questioning your ability to lessen the damage done towards merit they/the department holds. AND YOU HATE PLAYING THOSE POWER MIND GAMES, even though the image you impose looked like you are skilled player.) • So there is some sense that being strict is you are trying hard to protect him and protecting yourself. • BTW ONF member, your new superior has a bright personality unlike his predecessor (huge reason is due to the age factor), even though inexperienced in work, he has good be friending skills. So people in the department felt it was less stressful working under him because he would do small talk with his underlings. (This hc is not suitable for Changyoon and Yuto during the beginning, due to their personality they would try but not suddenly initiating small talks on the first week joining.) • IT WILL BE FUNNY IF SOME FEMALE COLLEAGUE TOOK PITY ON HIM BY MENTIONING/GOSSIPING THAT YOU ARE TOO STRICT AGAINST HIM • Its not that you hate him or he does not have the ability to do his work, it’s just when he is standing on the opposing side against company policy it troubles you. • Every time when things like this happens, you would low-key complains by posting status on the chat app, mentioning you don’t hope for an understanding but you would hope those who are not in your shoes would shut up. Your mutuals mostly are office workers as well so resonates with your words. • Your new friend leaves a comment underneath the post you asking if you are doing alright, and hope you do not stress yourself too much. You thanked him for the mental support. • He will even PM you asking if you are doing alright, most of the time you don’t want to lose your cool plus you don’t think it is wise to abruptly rant towards a stranger as if they are emotional sandbag, so you will politely thank him and say that you are alright now. • Since you and your new friend work on the day, you two chat during the night and weekend, getting to know each other in a very casual pace. A bit of child hood and you both also shared your majors in studies. He told you that he used to study at overseas and he picked up hobby of travelling around a bit during those days. • You never turn on the app during lunch (to avoid people finding out) but your new friend does send you some messages during lunchtime. • As you and the new friend get to know each other, there has a few things in common, you two like talking about travels and you two read works by the same author • By the way the new friend is a he. You two are using ID names the whole time during chatting, because you have told him that you are not comfortable giving and knowing each other’s real name. He understands and respects that. • And you confirmed that he is slightly younger than you. Which you replied to him, “Oh my superior is same age as you.” • This new friend gives you a calm and mature vibe even though he is same age as your new superior. You could not help yourself but comparing. • The other party goes: “Wow, he must be a very successfully accomplished youngster.” • You go: “Nah, other than his outgoing personality that brings freshness to the department, he still got lots to learn.” • Your new friend then continues, “Your new superior is a lucky one, I can confidently say that because I have an excellent senior who would always look out for me.” • You respond, “Then you better treat them well.” • And he goes “Of course.”

1-4

• Work is as usual, possible you unintentionally eavesdropping and caught ONF member saying towards you (even better backing you up when some junior colleagues are reverse gossiping about you) : You know, Y/N might look cold and stern sometimes but actually a kind and gentle person. Y/N would always give out advice for the sake of the department/ company. • Cues you would fluster a bit by those words. • A few days later you are done briefing your superior their schedule. And ONF member suddenly ask if you are free for dinner. It’s already his 4th month in the company and wanted to properly thank you for guiding him with patience and prudence. • At first you wanted to decline him because you don’t want to deal with work related stuff after office hours, ALSO you don’t want anyone to start weird gossips. • Another reason is you don’t want to talk about yourself too much in front of your superior. Heck you even avoid your colleague’s invitations for dinner because you value your “me time” very much. • But looking at his anticipating face, you got soft and agreed that a coffee would suffice. ONF member smiles at you suggest both of you to have coffee right now at Starbucks next to your company building. You are free to choose whatever drink you like. • Before both of you leave the room. And then you heard a familiar notification sound, you thought your heart is going to stop, that is the notification sound from the chat app you are using. You did not have your phone with you so it was obvious the sound comes from ONF member’s phone. • And that was a notification alert of the system has found someone nearby and presented to the user. It got you curious and worried at the same time. • At Starbucks, ONF member had to answer a call, so you ordered his drink as well. • Later you see him start replying messages while waiting for orders to be done. You wanted to have a peek at his user name but you are a few steps away and your instinct told you better don’t do that. What if it is already someone you already know? • “Curiosity killed the cat, remember?” You tell yourself. • Once you are at your desk, you took some deep breath to calm yourself and try to remember if you recalled wrongly but truth is you are accurate. You hurriedly checked you phone, there were no new messages and you are sure you have turned off location visibility. Lucky for you it was never turned on to begin with. • You also kind of worried if your superior actually has a “fun” lifestyle after office hours. But, it’s hard to relate him to a playboy image when he looked like a friendly good boy. You shake your head and deny yourself. • “If (ONF member name) uses that app then I will need to be more careful.” you thought while sipping the frappe. So back at home, you started to alter all posts’ visibility to “Visible for mutuals only”. Took you nearly a whole night but better safe than sorry.

1-5 • More weeks pass by peacefully but one day a conflict happened between you and ONF member and some colleagues/minor members of the board. He went ahead to announce that he decides (had a thought) to run a campaign/new rule (maybe a budget cut). The moment he finished his sentences, you know the seniors will not be happy with it. • Later after meeting, you politely confront with ONF member that he should discuss with you before announcing it on meeting. Plus, announcing without any advance preparation will put him and you in an awkward position as verbal announcement are not persuasive enough. Of course you are also worried that people might use this issue to tackle and exploit the cons of both of you being inexperience and young. • “With all due my respect, Mr.(ONF member name), it will be nice if you could discuss with me before dropping that bomb at the meeting.” you try not to sound fierce but your tone clearly does not sound you are cool with his actions at all. • “And later having you lecture me and stop me? You do know it was for the good of the company too right?” He retorts like usual • “Yes but no.” you try to fight back. “ It’s not that easy, there are people need to be dealt with and I don’t think you--” • Before you could finish, ONF member says with an eyebrow raised, “You don’t think I can handle it, because I am still unexperienced.” • You unconsciously frown and thinking, why is he suddenly trying to pick a fight deliberately today? Why is he suddenly trying to piss off seniors in the department/company? • ONF member then with firm tone, gives you suggestion, “Should you have anyone come to you and complain, tell them that you knew nothing at all and request them to talk to me directly instead.” • “I am the CEO, not you.” He adds. • You could not help but sigh, knowing there is not point arguing because he is not going to back down. And deep down you do know the new rule/budget cut will do more merit than harm. (Your focus is more on how deal with seniors employees not him for now because seniors are more pain in the ass compared to him) • But still there are people come to you and bug you while you are working and you can’t tell them to leave you alone hence it stresses you out. • You escape to the bathroom taking your phone with you and vents out at the app by posting a status mentioning you are just trying to do your job and wants a peaceful work days. • You also come across seeing your new friend posting a status prior your meeting time, it’s a photo of frappe you recommended him to try it out. He is thanking you for recommending it. • You could not help but feeling a bit jealous, should your title and work scopes are different/ should you are just normal employee rather than a CEO’s secretary, you might not need to face these kind of stress. • “Guess you have to bear what you signed up for huh?” you thought to yourself after 15 minutes cooling yourself down. • You switched your mind set and step out from bathroom. Returning to your place with your usual ice cold face. You are trying hard not to show that you are weak against stress. You are too immersed at people coming at you asking you questions, without knowing ONF member actually observing you with concerned gaze from his room. • That night, you receive a PM from your new friend asking if you are doing ok, as you never sound that upset before. He said he can lent an ear so you can tell him what happened. You spare him all the intricate details and tell him briefly that your superior made a mess and you need to clean it up also back his plan no matter you like it or not. • The whole progress he did not interrupt you nor tried to tell you what you should do, he let you type all the way until you finished. Once you are done, you asked, “I don’t know what might be up in his sleeves that it’s inconvenient for me to know beforehand but... Isn’t he a jerk, putting me into an awkward situation?” • Your friend backs you up and agrees with you that matters should be discussed, and critiques your superior actually could trust you more. • You thanked your friend for letting you to rant and mentioned you have accepted the fate because of the title and responsibility you hold in the company. That’s being professional and mature in office. • The other party replied that even if that is the case, he hope you don’t stresses yourself too much as it seems your new superior still needs your guidance and support. • You playfully replies, “Well I am not his babysitter XD, he will need to face a lot of issues by his own someday.” • “Why is that?” • “Well I can’t always be by his side though? I might get married and resign.” you reveal your future plans to your new friend, “Moreover, even I don’t resign, I might take pregnancy leave though?” • The other party comments, “I never thought you had that planned out.” • And he continues, “Your profile gives out the ‘I love my job so much.’ vibe” • You then back up your point by saying you do want that plan to work but too bad you are single now, so of course you are going to focus on your job more. Plus, you do not plan to find a partner in work place anyways. • The new friend leaves more supportive words and hoping it will cheer you up. By the end of the conversation, he also offers that you can come to him and rant should you need an ear. • You grin at his words and felt warm towards his actions. Rarely any of your mutual actually PM to check up on you. “Maybe he was just being nice.” you thought before you wish him good night.

1-6 • The next day, you are being summoned by your superior the first thing in the morning. He passes you a pile of documents and requests you to go through it. It a proposal regarding to the budget cut/new rule and he hope you can be his ally. His gaze is not as firm as yesterday, but it’s more of seeking approval and acknowledgement from you. • You let out a sigh and mutters, “You know, should you have hand this to me beforehand the situation won’t be that ugly.” And then you start to flip the pages. • “Sorry.” He apologizes. “But I really want to make it work. It’s also a handover work by my predecessor.” • “You look up upon him too much, ONF member, he is a sly fox just like the other seniors.” You do not mean to back stab but you are telling the truth. “Has it never come to your mind why he did not initiate the plan when he is here and requested you to initiate it when he is gone?” • “I know. But this move is going to benefit the company; I am willing to bear responsibility.” ONF member adds • You stop reading and look at your superior in the eye, “You better hope this work though, I don’t want my 5 months effort of guiding you goes to waste. And I hate the idea that I need to re- adjust my pace with a new superior.” • ONF member gets your intentions behind your words; he swiftly stands up from his chair and thanked you. “I owe you big one, Y/N. Another cup of coffee to thank you for reals?” • “No thanks, I will be busy. Next time.” You feel uncomfortable because the social distance between you two seems shortened, so you politely decline. • Luckily the whole budget cut/new rule policy worked out fine and by year end, benefits shows. You and ONF member can finally relax a bit knowing that you both have won the fight.

1-7 • Meanwhile, you did not stop interacting with your recent favourite friend. As you two got to know each other even more, both of you chat almost every day during the night. He never bores you and he can understand most of the topic you bring up. You are amazed that how can someone has so many things in common? • It spikes your curiosity and you ask him if a wonderful person like him has a partner in real life. He answers you that he is single, just like you are. • (You thought he is lying because he is such a nice guy, but of course you do tell yourself not to 100 percent trust everyone online) • Then he asks your opinion about online virtual dating. You honestly told him about your experience. But you added that even though you failed twice/thrice, you are not against it. • And that moment, you don’t know what has gotten into you, you playfully type, “You are asking my opinion on that as if you are preparing yourself” • “Prepare for what?” he asks • “To get yourself an online girlfriend.” You reply. • His respond reads, “Yes I am.” • “That’s wonderful. That girl you will be confessing is a lucky one.” • “Yea, indeed you are.” • You pause for a moment when you saw the message. • “Wait, you serious? ME??” you quickly send him the message because you thought should you hesitate longer, the mood will turn awkward. • He replies you by sending you a heart emoji. • You give a quick thought, well it is interesting chatting with him and he does seem nice. Plus, it’s online anyway, you could call it off should he becomes toxic and annoying like your previous experiences. • “I wasn’t sure if you are ok with someone like me. “He continues. “I am fine if you want to call it off should you found someone in real life later on.” • “Don’t be silly, that should be my line.” You retort him. • And then you have it, another secret. You have an online boyfriend now. You both even declared each other as a pair of soulmate publicly on the app. But you two did not exchange selfies, keeping the relationship virtual and anonymous. • However you two always share interesting stuffs happen on daily. New book, new cd, a random shot of a puppy or cat you met on the street. • Also before year end, you overheard girl colleagues gossiping about your superior has a girlfriend now; you are not interested at his private life so you just let it slide. • But you did briefly mention it to your boyfriend. Not in a gossip tone, more of a life update share. • Of course there are some girl colleagues that are ok with you comes to you, hoping you leak some information about ONF member’s rumoured girlfriend. But of course you know nothing at all, leaving them with disappointed answer. • Fast forward to the week before Valentine’s Day. It is also 10th month since ONF member joins the company. • Out of the sudden, your online boyfriend suggests you two to meet up. You are not against it, and it’s not like you never met anyone you know from the app. Thinking why not knowing a new friend in real life, you agreed his offer. (Also because you are curious what he looks like so that you can understand why he was single before dating you) • You even inquired his preference in chocolate and promise bringing him some on official first date. • Your boyfriend thanks you and suggests a place for dinner. You knew that place, it’s expensive and you could not help but wondering if he is trying hard to match you. (You still thinks he is just a normal employee in a company) • But, your boyfriend only replies: “Don’t worry, it is the perfect spot, I could not think of others that are suitable to our taste.” • You can only acknowledge it because you don’t want to have an argument to blow up but deep down you could not help yourself to start doubting again. • “It’s going to be Ok, right?” you question your decision, but it’s too late.

1-8 • On Valentine’s Day, younger female colleagues in your office give out chocolate treats to younger male colleagues as friendship presents, some of course using the occasion to confess. • You don’t have the habit of presenting chocolate treats as a token of friendship appreciation at the office. But you are giving your date chocolate treat later; you hid yours in your bag carefully scared of being teased should anyone saw it. • ONF member gets some too. One female colleague even teases him if he is going to get chocolate from his girlfriend. And ONF member replies that he might get it later that night. • Of course ONF member will asks you for chocolate treat with an innocent face, you just bluntly tell him that you don’t have the habit to give out chocolate treats, he only pouts after listening to your respond. • By the way today you unintentionally changed your makeup (lipstick or eyeshadow). No one dared to make any comments but not your superior, ONF member. • He goes: “Y/N ah? Did something good happen on you? Are you going to a date tonight?” • You are typing quick report and his words caught you off guard. You flinched at his words. Hoping ONF member did not notice, you quickly lied by telling him simply ran out of your usual makeup colour. • But your superior teases you a bit, “Aww, I was hoping I could attend your wedding in near future. “ • You have gotten used to his socializing pattern, so you counter him by asking if he is going to bring his girlfriend to have a nice dinner at a grand restaurant. • And to your surprise, he revealed the place he will be having dinner with his partner. It’s the same place where you are heading to later. He had a special room booked exclusively for tonight’s date. • “Oh, Oh… Have fun and enjoy your dinner.” You force yourself to break a smile. • ONF member only smirks at you and gives you a few pats on your shoulders and says he will have an unforgettable night before returning to his room. Leaving you questioning the meaning of his actions that are unpredictable but also definitely intentional. • Of course you had a quick thought asking your boyfriend if it is possible to change location, you could not bring yourself to ask as you are worried you might sound rude/arrogant trying to change plans on the last minute. You deduced that since ONF member will be having dinner in a room, you might not going to bump into him. You and your boyfriend can just finish dinner quickly. • You could not have that bother you too much time because you need to finish your report so that you can leave on time. Once it reaches the end of office hours, the others started to leave. You made up a plan to leave after ONF member leaves the office. You keep raising your gaze to have a slight peek towards your superior’s room. • Seeing him finally standing up from his chair and adjusting his suit. You can tell he is finally leaving. He passes through your desk and asks, “Y/N ah, please don’t tell me you are planning to work overtime during this special day?” • You only smiles and tell him you are going to finish soon, “Don’t you have a dinner to attend?” you remind him without looking at him, acting as if you are typing the remaining contents of your report. • “Yea I do. See ya.” ONF member waves you goodbye. • You leave the office after 10 minutes. (As for method of transport to the restaurant, I will leave it to your choice.)

1-9 • You reach the building of the restaurant. You let out a sigh, hesitating to step in nonchalantly knowing ONF member is inside there as well. The least thing you definitely do not want to happen is ONF member finding you having a dinner date tonight. It’s embarrassing and it will break the balance of your work and private life. • While you are pacing in front of the building with hesitation, you receive a chat notification from the app. You open it and it was your boyfriend, notifying you that he has arrived, and he reminds you the restaurant located at 38th floor. • You nervously bite your lower lip knowing it’s too late and it is rude of you to cancel the date on last minute. He was a decent person to chat with and you don’t want to lose a good friend. You are blaming yourself for agreeing to attend this date too casually. And you also find yourself way too wary of your virtual boyfriend’s thoughts towards you should you now called him to cancel the date. • Then you heard a familiar voice called out your name and you turn your head towards the voice unconsciously. It’s ONF member, walking out from the building. You flustered and panicked by just imagining scenarios of him asking why you are here and other many more questions. • “OMG…. Shit shit shit….!” You cursed in your head, regretting your life decisions. Recalling the entire chat context between you two, this might be the worst thing ever to happen in your life. • He is grinning while reaching out to grasp your hand. You unintentionally try to back away from him but he was faster. You tried to pull your hand away but he pulls you toward him instead. You nearly bumped towards his chest. • “Y/N ah, I told you its 38th floor; you did not get my message?” ONF member asks as his smirks widens. • As he finished his words, you only look at the young guy in front of you with disbelief, processing his words. Seeing you froze due to the big plot twist, ONF member taps you on your forehead hoping to unfreeze you. • “It can’t be…You are (ONF member’s ID in the app)?! “You exclaim. • “Yeap.” He responds. • “Impossible…How?” you ask. “How did you know it was me?” • “At first I had my doubt when I first saw an old post of yours. You shot a sunset pic from our office floor by the window near the lift right?” he returns with another question. And man he is good at remembering details. • “Then I confirmed that it was you by the time I announced budget cut/new rules for the company/department. ” he explains • “I…” You could not bring yourself to say anything, but you are not an idiot, “(ONF member name), did you risked your reputation in the company just to find out a stranger’s real identity?” • “No, I did not, I swear. I initiated the plan to suddenly announce the budget cut because I want to find out which board seniors will make a move to cover up themselves, as requested from my predecessor.” He knows you well to sense that you are angry, and he quickly denied. “I only know it was you when I checked up on you. Since then I have been dropping so many hints for you to realize, but it seems like you are the dense one here.” • You can tell he is telling the truth. • “This is absurd…” you mutter while placing your hand on your forehead. • ONF member let out a sigh and he shifts behind you, places his hands on your shoulders then pushes you forward. “Come on, I am starving we can talk about it later, you did not had a decent meal during lunch as well right?” • He is right, you only had a mini croissant during lunchtime.

• You follow him without a word to the entrance of the building and enter the lift to 38th floor. ONF member has booked a nice room that both of you can enjoy the city’s night view.

1-10 • It was a luxurious dinner but you are not in the mood enjoying it. In fact you are so stressed that you could not even taste your food. You did not touch your dessert at all. • You only quietly trace the shape of wine glass in front of you while looking at the night view, hoping the night to pass quickly. • “You are not happy with me being your date, Y/N?” he suddenly asks. • You jolted and you finally look at him in the eye for the first time tonight. • “You startled me, I am still trying to grasp the situation here.” You reply him with a low voice, trying to act calm by casually bring your drink closer to you and hydrates your throat. • “Hey Y/N-ah, I know you mentioned before that you don’t like the idea of dating someone from the office, but…” his eyes are fixed on you. “I like you. Not just the virtual you, but also the real you.” • “I called you a jerk.” You know you should not bring it up, but you still did. • “Which I did act like one so, no hard feelings.” He accepted. “I am truly sorry about that, I was trying to prove myself way too hard.” • Now it got awkward since he apologized without any complaints. You don’t know what to say and avert your gaze again. • “You know, Y/N ah, when you are stressed, you tend to avoid other people’s eye contact. “he breaks the silence. “And you are doing that ever since you reached here.” • Upon hearing his words, you flinched and exchange eye contact with the young man sitting in front of you. • “And oh, and you flinch as well.” He adds, “Which is very adorable in my opinion.” • “(ONF member’s name), I …” you try to explain yourself but he cuts you off. • “It alright, you don’t have to push yourself, I have made you stressed out way too much today.” ONF member smiles at you while saying based on what he observed. • He finally stands up and offers to send you home. You could not decline him because you felt terribly sorry for ruining such as nice date. • “I am sorry, should it is another girl, it will be a terrific night for you.” You apologized before leaving his car. • “Don’t worry; it is an unforgettable night for me.” He responds with his usual smile. • Back at your place, you are frustrated that the night ended up in an awkward and weird way. You only noticed that you did not get to hand him the chocolate treats as promised. • You cannot sleep that night, gazing at the chocolate treats as you holding the package in your hands. You cannot tell if you messed up or you are lucky that he happened to like you. • You wanted to consult a random mutual of yours but you hesitated. Because at this point you are not sure if you actually have the full grasp on the situation. And you don’t want a biased reply. • “It’s just this boyfriend of yours happened to be him, I guess?” you murmur to yourself. But that did not clear up your mind enough for you to make any decision towards the situation. • Several days passed, ONF member did not send any message to you in the chat app. He acted like usual back in office, but it does not look like he has any intention to talk about what happen between you two either. • (The problem is you cannot look at him in the eye) • You are troubled if you should initiate the first move. It’s not like you hate him, you never did in the first place, it’s just he annoys you sometimes. • Then you overheard ONF member having small talk with colleagues, and they ask about his Valentine’s Day. He only replies it was an unforgettable night and he is glad that he is able to meet his girlfriend, it was better than never meeting her at all.

1-11 • From his words, you gain a bit of courage and decided to make your first move. • The next day you arrived at the office earlier than usual, you take out something from you bag and places small gift box on ONF member’s desk. The small box has a memo attached to it. • You hurried back to your desk, acted as if nothing happened while the office starts have more and more colleagues coming in. ONF member arrives later on and he greets you before heading in his room. • You take some quick glances, making sure ONF member notices your belated Valentine’s day gift. • He did noticed and read the memo you attached, then he made a confused look but he adjusts his facial expression immediately as he sees you stood up from your place. • You head to his office room to brief his morning schedule. Like usual, you step into his room, closes the door and starts the briefing. ONF member stares at you with a puzzled expression while sitting on his chair. • Once you done your part and you ask him if he has any schedules to add into the list, he places the gift box into your view and pushes it towards you. • “What do you mean by this?” he inquires. • “I promised you chocolate for Valentine’s day, sorry I was late.” You purposely answer him the wrong information. “ Don’t worry I made a brand new ones.” • “You know I meant this.” He pulls out the memo has his eyes fixed on you. • The memo wrote, “(ONF member’s ID), Let’s call it off --- (Your ID)” • “That’s how it is.” You tried not to break into a smile, you are getting your revenge and this is fun. “You are the one who said you are fine to call it off if either one of us found someone in real life right?” • ONF member pauses for a moment, his eyes wandering then he admits he did say that. • “Well you found someone in real life, so there is not point for us to continue virtual dating on the app anymore right?” you slightly let out a victorious smirk as you ask him. • ONF member finally gets what you mean and he let out a smile. He puts down the memo and pushes himself up from his chair and walks towards you. • Thankfully the design of his room is made up of walls, once the wooden door is closed; no one knows what happens inside. • “So, you are fine with us dating in real life then?” You can feel his breath as he is only one step away from you. This time you are not going to back away and you look at him straight in the eyes. • “I will need to adjust a bit. You have a problem with me being your girlfriend?” you reply with him with another question. • ONF member unconsciously let out another smile, he quickly hides it with his hand, “No, not at all…” and those were the words you can hear coming out from him • “That settles it then.” You widen your grin towards him before turning around ready to leave his office. • But you are being pulled back by a pair of arms. Your back come contact to his chest area. He is hugging you from behind you. • “Seriously, I don’t get you.” He low key complains. “I thought you are going to hate me for real this time.” • “I was going to, you did not texted me and you acting like nothing happened after that night.” You pout as you explain to him. “I thought I have ended my career the moment you told me who you are. And who would have thought a decent CEO would date someone randomly they met in a online chatting app?” • “I am sorry; I thought leaving you unbothered for some time so that you don’t get stressed out.” You could tell from his tone he does feel apologetic. He never sounds like that before during work.

• "But I am dead serious on trying to start a proper relationship with you that’s why I suggested for us to meet up.” he continues. “Glad you felt the same.”

• You freed yourself from his hug and turn to him. • “Now listen, (ONF member’s name), as we are professionals, I do hope you understand that there is a clear line between work and private life.” You remind him. “Just because we are dating now, does not mean that I am going to let you off easily if you messed up during work, ok?.” • “Man, I don’t think I will ever win you huh?” ONF member only look at you affectionately and continues, “As you wish, my beloved assistant/secretary.”

A/N : the concludes for this oneshot headcanon fic should there are more ideas I might write a continuation about this pair for a part 2. Also thinking of linking the universe with MInkyun Florist AU, just a maybe.

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seedleaflesssapling · 3 years

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Ver 2.0? Turning Point?

I can't really identify to which point in my life that i started to doubt myself but im pretty sure that it was because of UP. Damn, that school, my uni. It do really have the ability to make you feel small; i was in a disadvantaged side when i entered it, you know. I was acquainted, no we did not really talked one-on-one, but i heard when we did introductions - Pisay, UP High, science comprehensive schools, Xavier University, who wouldn't be intimidated by that when you came from Col. Ruperto Abellon National School (who would know where that is? I was lucky enough for a teacher recognized it and my classmates be like 'ahhhhhh,' .....really?! I dont even know where xavier is, it just sounds cool). Another thing is that, i wasn't a stem shs graduate - a leverage(?) or excuse (?) that i always use for them to know that i am at disadvantaged side here, not their competitor, probably a NOBODY. They, being stem graduates, have capstone projects you never thought that they have at that age, but i would hear them saying that it was publish in this journal (whatever, idk the journals lmao, i dont even understand their studies 2nd lmao, but that was some smart shit you know, a shit that makes me feel pathetic for being too proud of my what? Correlational study from inconsistent surveys?!!! Wtf, wtf, wtf). But it was a very good peer pressure you know, i kinda turned it that way. Being left behind, being on the rock bottom, i have no other place to go but up. It wasn't the goal, like making or taking the top spot, i just need to survive.

Inevitably, the exams came. I had hard time adjusting chem but math was kind to me. Who would have thought that i would get two 1.0 at my math subjects for the first semester, the sem that i thought i would barely pass. I was even a CS for that sem. Who would have thought? Our first chemical engineering subject that involves computations was on the list the next semester and the first exam, out of 100 i got something like 20ish. WTF. THAT WAS MY FIRST FAILED EXAM. but no, never did cry but tears were flooding inside. So apparently, i have to focus more on this subject and i did. Some were still failing, but i raised my average up. We also had physics, my first ever physics. I really love physics that time or that sir rommel is just a very good professor. I got the highest score on our second LE, everybody else did fail. Small victories. Not that they lose, but i just won. But i heard one time they were talking about me re: passing the physics exam and even getting a high score. They were uhm.. a guy i really look up to cause his good, the other was a girl that idk but i think she didn't like me back then. They were friends but eventually the girl transferred uni because who cares why. i heard the guy saying something like sin.o gid na si franklin nga taas iya score man, maybe even worse than that, i still look up to the guy even until now. But wtf. I really took it in that time, like i wanted to cry but did not. With all that, i got a fair grade at physics. I still got 1.0 at maths that sem and even maintained being on the CS list. S M I L E. BECAUSE WE HAVE A MIDYEAR CLASS. VERY EXHAUSTING FOR SOMEONE WHO DONT WANT ANYTHING BUT JUST ADJUST, SURVIVE, AND FIND MEANING OF BEING A UP STUDENT. It was just one subject and it was math, but i got 2.0?!!! I have no excuse to that, i am very grateful for the family who accommodated me. After midyear class, i did got sick, it sucks, really sucks. I wanted to file an LOA for the next academic year, it is the only thing i can think of for me to go back on track (i haven't said that my parents pushed me to graduate with latin honor and i wanted to also for my resume to look good because everything else in me is effed up). I really wanted to pause and be free for a while but i also wanted to graduate on time (mostly because i want to give the bitches who dared to have expectations be put on my shoulders not the satisfaction, but the audacity to tell them 'i aint did it for ya') so i asked mama. THANK GOD, SHE DID SAY NA KUNG ANO LANG KAYA MO, AMO LANG DA IH 😭😭🤧🤧 so i enrolled, but went to school late, haven't attended the school opening but all is good. I did kind of reset, just enough for me to face school again.

Second year, it was fucked. I did really love coding on octave and doing sheets at ms excel though. On that year, we have formed the che 103 bagsak group. Together with two of my classmates on 103 and math 55, we became buddies after failing che 103 on the first LE, another 30 over 100 exam hahahahaha. We made bawi just enough for us to pass the subject hahahahahuhu. I have thermodynamics sub, i barely pass. Thank G na wala ko nag removal. If ever i did, i am so sure that i wont make it. My GWA for that sem was not enough for me to be a CS. Who cares? I still did, actually but mama was never been too pushy since then, even since after midyear, after getting that 2.0 grade from the only subject i am good at. Btw, my math 55 for first sem, second year, was 1.25. Not a 1.0 but still, it's good. Second semester that year was when pandemic hit so there's nothing much to tell. I was, sorry but i was really, glad to be away from school for a while, not until for a while became forever. Virtual university set-up was very hard. With too much from taking in whatever i see and hear on my surroundings, even just at home, everything is difficult. It is very hard to find motivation and discipline in studying when i was surrounded with people who do nothing. Even to this point i am writing, everyday is like a battle, but is mostly an internal one. Self vs self, a war no one knows who will win. So the confidence, the tower of knowledge i did build, exponentially went down. I did really well when i was in grade 10, i did my best that time and it can be seen at the achievements i had that year. Being consistently on top 1 the whole year, placing second on division MMC (even getting the highest score on the written elimination round for the whole cluster), doing well sa physics under maam andico, placings on cluster journalism competitions - it was like a record best, best record (?) Whatever. But it wasn't enough you know, i eventually came fourth like wtf. I had read from somewhere Newton saying like the two years when he did write the three laws of motion and the calculus stuff were the two best years of his life, and it kept me thinking that what if mine already passed? That it was when i was in high school?

But, back when i was in school, every time that i was belittling myself or even at random times that i would feel nervous for nothing, my classmates and close friends would say na:

Uno mo man ang Math, uno mo na na (it was a one or two time thing, what if chamba lang to???)

Ikaw man highest sa first le sa thermo (it was really an absolutely one time thing, i barely passed that sub)

Alam ka man sa physics (i was just invested on physics and maybe nachambahan lang na ang ginpractice ko solve kay parallel sa exam ni sir)

Alam ka, d ka lang confident (OKAY???!)

I was ignoring those shit cause who cares if i did really good that time. Yeah, it felt good but it wasn't fulfilling. Satisfied but not happy. But with recent events, i think i would be changing. This post will be a written contract that i will push to be better, to start trusting myself, and build that confidence glow behind me; to believe that i am bright and i can hack it, whatever it may be.

For coherence, i would itemize na lang all of the events that brought me to epiphany lol

It was Friday, 17 Sep, when Dean, in our plant design subject, gave an activity for us - to come up with solutions that would address problems he presented. 1 off grid island community (either you address the water, electricity, and phone reception/signal problem under a 100k budget) and 2 vinegar packaging with a 500 mL volume and should cost less than the cost of vinegar. The due's on Monday, 20 Sep. The challenge is that you should come up with an idea that is not the same with those who already turned in their proposed solutions. I haven't turned in mine until Sunday afternoon. We are 23 in class, hence there should be 23 proposed solutions for each problem. However, only 20 or 21 turned in their solutions and as a student who decided to do it three days after the sheet was given, i was at the second to the last of the entries hahaha. I have limited choice since a lot have been proposed. And ngl, i did entered my idea for the first problem at Sunday evening and for the second problem it was on the afternoon of the next day. Those were basic solutions cause who am I? Am just your basic guy.

Tuesday, 21 Sep (#NeverForget #NeverAgain), class again for plant design (PD). Dean discussed stuffs which im ngl, i did not listen because im bored (not until he said 'we'll have a 5-min break and we'll have a quiz after that' like wtf, how will we do our quiz???!). After the short break, I did study cause i panicked as hell, he presented the prospects of the course, that we will be divided in groups and that the leaders were chosen based on the solutions they turned in the activity previously given. So there's no quiz, i was calm the whole time after that until my name was called. Like wtf??! Your basic guy will be a leader???! Hello!!! So i chat people, asked them if it was a good thing (course it was!!!? So dumb right?!). And then, i asked another leader and she agreed to my argument that we should only be divided into six instead of seven as what dean has decided. So i chatted dean (pic below). I just accepted the role half-heartedly.

As leaders, we should be hiring people for our team and we should make pubs. I dont have a canva account to help me do pubs. I made mine at MS ppt HAHAHAHAHAHA but im good so its cute. We were assigned with projects and i get to have the 4-member team. The vacant roles were project maven and liaison officer for a 3-member team. In my pubs, i included scrummaster as position to be filled, cause who am i to lead?! So yeah, that's it. I did the pubs Wednesday and I submitted my resume Thursday (third to the last hahahaha but my resume's cute hahaha).

Thursday. So i had this invite by a classmate to join the Shell event long time ago. He was reaching out for someone to ask Dean for his approval because Dean did not replied to the email he sent. So, i volunteered. I really want this competition cause this will be my first and maybe last competition as a UP student. So i DMed dean and blah blah blah he asked for selection process. I relayed the message and apologize to them for being me because i was thinking that it was me who made him come up with the decision of having the team be selected. Like, wtf i was just asking for his approval. Getting kicked out of the team was not my intention. Those whom i chatted that night were telling me that it wasn't my fault blah blah blah. So i half-heartedly agreed to them.

Friday came, yesterday, the interview. I am very anxious for someone who will be the one asking the applicants lmao. I already have been interviewed before for college applications and somehow remember the feeling, nerve wracking, whatever. To calm my nerves, i listed questions which i never got to ask properly btw, but at least i have concrete ideas on what to ask. The first interviewee was my very closed friend and so we just laugh and laugh and laugh HAHAHAHAHA. IDK if dean saw it but who cares. And the next and next and next. 3:30 passed by fast and guess what??? YOUR BASIC GUY HAS THE MOST NUMBER OF APPLICANTS TO THE POINT THAT DEAN CUT MY LIST. IT WAS EXHAUSTING BUT VERY FLATTERING. I FEEL SO HONORED. i really thought and very scared at the thought that no one will apply to me but wtf, just wtf. Ranking my applicants was damn hard. 1 i have a dream team but one was cut by dean; 2 this could make my friends mad; 3 this will be the group for the whole year; 4 i am really exhausted. But still, i submitted the list. I was hoping for the people i chose to choose me back. Only two out of three did, i am forever grateful.

Still on Friday, the classmate who invited me to the Shell thing and Dean had a zoom call and discussed about the competition. That classmate told dean what i told him the other day that i might be the reason for the decision of having the selection process done. He told me this through a voice memo, katamad daw magtype. A voice message that i played over and over again. Dean actually find me interesting (?), Invested (?) Idk exactly but the classmate told me na 'may nakikita daw talaga sya sayo. Na grabe ka ka-practical as a person like yung ideas mo daw sa plant design napakasimple lang pero napaka practical to the point daw na madami nag apply sayo kanina. And then, you need more confidence lang daw talaga' so ig, you basic guy is a practical guy now. It's just flattering.

Now, whatever happens, i must meet those expectations right? This could be a lousy motivation but what is if there's none? I dont know why im writing this. I just thought i should get my thoughts out. Ver 2.0? Turning point? Let's just do good 😌

PS I put this on my bio on FB, guess im getting more public, and if you happened to read this because you saw the link on my bio, send me a message about you thoughts.

PPS if your initials are JTZC, these have been my week and i miss you even though you're not interested in me anymore, you are hard to forget

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sparrellow · 4 years

Text

oops

Rin realised with absolute terror, that by some cursed oddity, the quite-revealing, most definitely embarrassing selfie she had just taken had been sent to Len.

rating: T genre: humour, romance pairing: rinlen words: 2,477

It was a balmy Tuesday afternoon, and Rin was bored, so she went window shopping.

Her favourite thing to do was try on cute outfits, take selfies in them, and then not buy anything at all. It wasn’t like she could afford to buy any of the things she tried, anyway—she was a broke university student, barely scraping by weekly on nutritious meals of cup ramen.

This day, she felt particularly ambitious. A little sexy, even. So she went to her favourite lingerie store and tried on a bunch of cute, expensive underwear.

Alas, it did not go exactly as planned.

When she unlocked her phone to take a selfie, it did some weird glitch thing, but she simply shrugged it off and went to snap a photo of herself in the pastel, frilly, mermaid-themed underwear she’d picked out. Hmm. Cute. She clicked the confirm button, and went to take another picture, except—

Except the screen didn’t return to the camera option.

Oh, no.

It didn’t.

It had, in fact, opened up her message with Len. Her uni friend. The cute guy from her Psychology class.

But that wasn’t it.

Because, Rin realised with absolute terror, that by some cursed oddity, the quite-revealing , most definitely embarrassing selfie she had just taken had been sent to him.

The final hit was the little: Read at 2:36 .

“Fuck!”

It was a balmy Tuesday afternoon, and Len was struggling to stay awake during his Introduction to Molecular Chemistry lecture. He kept nodding off every few minutes, the lecturer’s voice oddly soothing—both a blessing and a curse in his case.

But then his phone buzzed, and his eyes popped open to read the notification.

(1) Message from Rin Kagamine.

Huh. Wonder why Rin was texting him. They didn’t really talk much outside of their class together, but she was pretty cool. Pretty and cool, that was. He didn’t really think they were on that level for casual conversations yet, so perhaps it was uni-related, or something.

He reached over to unlock his phone to read the message.

And promptly turned off his screen again.

What… what was that .

His eyes had almost fallen out of his sockets. Had he just seen correctly? Or was his mind playing tricks on him? He wasn’t even entirely sure.

Reluctantly, he opened the message back up.

And confirmed, it was, indeed, not a mistake of his eyes.

She had, in fact, just sent him a picture of her in underwear. (Very nice underwear, might he add! But also, what the fuck was going on here .)

Before he could even form some degree of coherent message in response to the picture, Rin had begun spamming him in a flurry of panic.

FUCK

I’M SO SORRY

I’M SO FUCKING EMBARRASSED OH MY FUCKING GOD

FUCK!!!!

I SWEAR THIS WAS AN ACCIDENT I

I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED MY PHONE GLITCHED I’M SO SORRY LEN FUCK

He raised an eyebrow at the messages, amused. So it was… an accident? How does one send a sexy selfie as an accident? How does one’s phone glitch to the degree of accidentally sending someone a sexy selfie? Had she been meaning to send it to someone else?

There were so many questions.

Well, the good thing was that Len was definitely awake now.

Rin was crouching on the floor of the dressing room, half-naked and freaking out because he still hadn’t replied. But he had read all the messages. Oh god. What happens if he, like, posted the picture to some Facebook group to shame her? What if he used it for blackmail?

Was Len that sort of person? Did he like blackmail?

But before she could jump to any more conclusions, he’d responded with:

Thanks. I needed something to make this lecture a little bit more bearable.

He was at school? Had he opened the message in front of everyone? Had everyone else seen her in the cute little frilly mermaid underwear with her unshaven legs and pot-belly from eating two servings of instant yakisoba for lunch????

Rin sunk further down onto the ground, clutching her head, texting back rapid-fire.

I swear it was an accident I don’t know why it was sent to you I was literally just taking pics of myself and AHHHHH

Did she really just admit that she had been taking photos of herself, half-naked, in the dressing room of an expensive lingerie store?

Yes. Yes she did.

And Len had the audacity to send back a crying-laughing face.

Well idk if you wanted an opinion, but it looks cute. You should buy it.

Rin buried her face into her knees, utterly humiliated . This wasn’t what she was expecting her boring Tuesday afternoon to be like. Maybe she should’ve just stayed home and studied like a good student.

Well. It was too late to go back now.

I wish I could but it’s way out of my price range

Thanks, tho

She closed her phone and stood up, taking a breath to calm herself. At that moment, the dressing room assistant knocked on her door and asked, “Do you need any help?”

“I’m fine!” she croaked, scrambling to change into her next outfit. God forbid she let anyone else look at her body today.

Len couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at the fact that she’d stop replying after that last message.

Of course, it was normal , given that this was all apparently an accident , but he was hoping she’d send another picture or two.

You know.

That sounded dirty of him. But she was cute. And that first picture was—although very much a surprise—somewhat eye candy for him. Plus he was super bored. He still had another hour left of his lecture and his soul was slowly being leached from his body.

So, like the little disgusting man he was, he sent another message.

Is that all?

About a minute passed, before Rin responded with, What?

He internally winced. Was he really going to make himself sound like a major creep?

Yes. Yes he was.

(This was going to make his Psychology class super awkward and he knew it.)

You’re not trying any others on?

Rin’s reply came almost immediately after that. Of COURSE I’m trying others on

What, do you want more pictures of an underdeveloped adult woman with hairy legs and a bloated stomach in your phone?

Len snorted. The picture she’d sent was fine. It was a body. A very nice body he liked to look at.

So he said, I can give you a second opinion?

It was radio static silent from Rin. She’d read his message, but no answer. He waited about five minutes, before he put down his phone with a sigh and tried to tune into his class.

She’d probably blocked his number. With good reason.

God. How was he going to meet her eyes in Psychology class on Thursday?

Providing she didn’t like, sock him in the jaw for being a pervert.

But he couldn’t help it! He needed the thrill! The entertainment! Also the pictures of a cute girl in cute underwear on his phone!

Len was going to hell but he didn’t even care.

Rin had stared at her phone for an incredibly long time, not sure how to respond to her classmate.

Look, she got it. It was her fault for being a dumbass and not checking before taking the picture. She technically asked for this roundabout method of torture.

And yet. He had the audacity to ask for more.

She didn’t know whether to be mad or impressed. Madpressed, maybe.

So she left it to stew on, finished taking selfies of all the cute underwear in her naked glory, and went home very pensive. She thought very hard about it all on the bus, and glared hard at his little, stupid face in his icon on the message app.

Len was a good-looking guy. And , from the few conversations they had in class, he had a good sense of humour. And judging by his messages, he was also a cheeky asshole.

But she could’ve done worse. A whole lot worse. She could’ve sent that picture to her grandfather, or better yet, one of her creepy great uncles. Perhaps it was a good thing she’d sent it to some random (hot) guy from university.

Yeah.

So Rin decided to send the rest of her photos to him, and die gracefully in a puddle of shame.

He’d already seen one, so he might as well see them all.

Len almost tripped and fell flat on his face when Rin suddenly bulk-sent five more pictures of her in various, adorable lingerie.

He wasn’t even in his lecture anymore. He was walking home, feeling sorry for his little perverted self, and the fact that he accidentally slept through the remainder of his class. How on earth was he even going to pass that class.

The blood rushing to his head (and to the south pole), he managed to type out a response that read a lot more underwhelmingly compared to what was really going on in his mind.

Very nice.

Was it something a girl wanted to read after sending multiple pictures of herself in a vulnerable state? No, probably not. But his brain had turned to mush and was starting to seep out of his ears.

Rin wasn’t impressed.

You could’ve at least said thank you

Len fumbled for his dorm key, hands sweaty. Look, he was inexperienced. No one had ever sent him sexy pictures—or the equivalent of them, at least, whatever these were. He didn’t know how to handle it! Besides, she wasn’t even, like, a girl he was dating. He couldn’t just go full-mcCreep and tell her that he had a boner.

Could he?

No. He couldn’t.

Thank you , he responded, upon letting himself into his dorm room. I like the lavender one btw. It goes well with your hair colour

Was that too… much? He didn’t know if what he was doing was right. What did she expect him to say? He had no idea what on earth this entire situation was meant to be.

Oh really? That was my favourite

Cost like half a kidney tho

Len sank down onto his bed, relieved at her response. Okay. Okay. He was doing better. But now … he had a very important question he wanted to ask.

What’s the name of the store?

Rin blinked at his message, wondering why he was asking.

But she decided it was better not to ask. Maybe he had a girlfriend, or something. (Which, if he did, she would be incredibly pissed, because wouldn’t this classify as cheating? If he did, she was going to make sure he couldn’t walk straight ever again.)

She sent him back the store name. And left it there.

Thanks!

I’ll see you on Thursday ;)

Rin stared at his messages. Why did he send that winky face. What did it mean. What did it mean.

She didn’t respond, just tossed her phone aside and flopped back against her couch. She’d find out soon enough if she’d regret her actions.

Come Thursday, Rin had all but mentally prepared for her encounter with Len.

He pulled out the chair beside her in their lecture hall, and she stiffened, reluctantly dragging her eyes up to meet his gaze.

“Morning,” he said, acting way too casual given the circumstances. He plopped a familiar bag down on the desk in front of her and winked. Winked.

She felt her breakfast come up a little as it dawned on her, with absolute horror, that the bag donned the logo of the exact same store she’d been trying on underwear in the other day.

“What… is this,” she asked, gesturing at the bag like it was a severed toe.

Len looked smug, resting his chin on his hand. “I don’t know. Take a peek.”

“You don’t know,” Rin muttered to herself, unconvinced. She leaned forward, peering into the bag, catching a glimpse of something the shade of lavender. Uhhhh. She’d seen that shade of lavender somewhere. On her body. In the dressing room.

Hm.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Len said, shifting his gaze away so that he was facing forward. “No, I don’t know your size. I guessed.”

She wanted to send her face forward into the surface of the desk.

“But if it doesn’t fit,” he added, lips turning up into a smirk, “you can always take it in to swap it for your size. The receipt is in the bag.”

God. What on earth. What the even. What?

“Is this… are you going to like… blackmail me or something, or,” Rin spluttered, eyeing him with suspicion. “What are you going to have me do in return for… this? This brand isn’t… cheap.”

Len glanced back at her, shrugged his shoulders. “Well, you technically don’t have to do anything , but…” He licked his lips. What the fuck? Ew. Gross. “I wouldn’t mind some more pictures.”

She gawked at him, heat rushing to her cheeks. “ Re ally?” She didn’t trust him. She didn’t trust this pretty-faced man-boy at all. “So, you want to be my sugar daddy?”

He choked. After recovering from his coughing fit, he sat up straight, made direct eye-contact and said smoothly, “Yeah, if that’s how you want to see it.”

So, he gave her expensive lingerie. In exchange for. Pictures of her. In said lingerie.

Wow.

Rin wasn’t sure whether she was awake anymore, or just dreaming. Maybe she had passed out or something, and was having a fever dream. This was just too weird to even be real. She pinched her thigh under the desk, but nothing happened (alas).

“I mean, you could just go on a date with me instead, and maybe you’ll get to see the real thing,” her mouth said, without any mental input. It just came out.

It was real clown hours in this Psychology lecture, huh.

Len’s mouth popped open. Then closed. Then opened again. “That could work, too.”

It was silent. No one knew how to handle this situation, apparently. They were both staring awkwardly at the bag of lingerie on the desk between them, like it might eat them at any moment.

Eventually, Rin’s hand reached out and snatched it off the desk, stuffing it down into her shoulder bag on the ground. She cleared her throat, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Well, I’ll try it on tonight and see how it fits.”

Len tried not to look too pleased. And failed. “Cool.” He hesitated, side-glancing her. “If it does… ”

“I’ll meet you at Crypton's at seven.”

He blinked, surprised, before leaning back in his seat and grinning with satisfaction. “Sounds good.”

(Spoiler alert: Rin’s underwear didn’t fit, but they still went on the date anyway.)

#fanfiction #vocaloid #vocaloid fanfiction #rin kagamine #kagamine rin #len kagamine #kagamine len #rinlen #lenrin #rinxlen #lenxrin #uh... yeah

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irisvseyelash · 4 years

Note

[Part 1] Aww good luck for your revisions and exam, Iris! Wish you have successful exams and getting all good&satisfying grades. Amiin.. 🙏💕💖 About sideblog, I'll encourage you to make that! You could post some of your drawings along with hcs or snippets of your fic/draft, as a way to vent or practicing your skills. You have my support! 😤👍✨ Yeah same, I also feel too insecure to make a fic when I had no writing skill. Making random hc is my specialty, not writing fic *hands up in surrender*.

[Part 2] Btw, have you seen Garou's promo art for chinese edition of Road to Hero game? It has Garou in Highschool uniform! 😳💖 Last week I wrote Batarou HS AU and today there's this Highschooler Garou promo art, what a coincidence! Now I imagine Badd has Garou as his senior in my HS AU with an appearance like this: twitter(.)com(/)dailygarou(/)status(/)1297020663530696704 👀✨ No wonder Badd will fallen in love with him, he'd be swooning (internally, ofc), aww.. 😍😩💗💘

[Part 3] Consider: Badd secretly had a huge crush for his senior prior the tutoring event begin, he's attracted by Garou's style and handsomeness (also his reputation as both troublemaker and school prodigy, whoaa, Badd's truly respected him!) but quickly pissed off by his bastard personality once Garou opened his mouth, lmaoo! But soon enough, once they both warmed on eachother, Badd could see Garou's soft side and kindness. Plus his family already welcomed Garou, even adored him.. 😚

[Part 4] Speaking of Batarou HS AU, it's still WIP for I still working on the main event. Already writing the bonus part of it, instead, lol what is this randomness I can't anymore with myself 😜😅😂 Anyways, I'm preparing something for the fandom on the next month, and it's including you, too! It's nothing big and idk if it's good, but I hope it will keep you all entertained 😚💕 Just wish me luck to not become a procrastinator and piling my planned WIPs in discontinued works again 😞😔😅

Ameen.. Thanks again Dyan 😭💓💓💓💓 Oh yeah! Happy Belated Awal Muharram to you! I totally forgot about that astaghfirullah😂😂

👀👀👀 should I? I think I'll link it up in the reblog of this post, that blog. Tbh, lately it's been feeling like I have lesser and lesser time for writing fics or shots and more and more AUs and HCs keep popping up, like one of my recent HCs of Tareo being Orochi's son :/

But heck *waves white handkerchief* I don't do AUs and HCs as well as you either.

Oh my god About Garou's promo pic forgive me lord for I have sinned 💦💦💦 He has no right to even wear his uniform like that. pFT IMAGINE IIDA TENYA NYOOMING TOWARDS HIM FROM THE SCHOOL GATE—

*cough* anyway, Yes I've seen the promo pic and holy heck I would be lying if I said I didn't squeak when Ruby first showed it to the discord server 😂😂😂 It was... Interesting, I guess. Okayyyyy Iris stop exposing yourself 😂

Okay but tell me that Garou wouldn't make any straight guy to not fall for him, platonically or romantically. I mean heck the school probably loves him but he's just such a dick that the faculty and the student body just dislikes him.

Awwwwwww my goodness imagine Badd bumping into him on the first day of school and just— *rereads part 3* HOLd on this is kinda similar to the plot of a Breddy fanfic I read on Wattpad 'You had me at Watch It' or something. Okay anyway but Garou just opening his mouth as a bad first impression would be canon fight me 😂😂😂 if it wasn't for his intimidating, rbf expression, it would be the way he talks or the way he acts

And BABY SOFTGAROU YES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA where else can you get a cunning and bright troublemaker like him to only add on to your already effed up family who all probably have the same taste in others but only have the goddamn troublemaker be a babey and a cloud aafnfnfhdn

Oh yeah, your HS AU! Can I has a teeny weeny snippet before you totally post it??? Pleaaaase *insert doggo eyes* and oH RANDOMNESS MY FAVOURITE 😂😂😂 (ignore the begging, I was listening to Vivaldi's 4 seasons and was being dramatic)

Gassssp you're including me??!?!? I hope it doesn't have a deadline, cause my studies and exams schedules will never be tolerable at any rate in time ( TДT)

Let's all just pray that procrastination doesn't catch up to us and whack us in the head ≥﹏≤

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shasta627 · 4 years

Text

Merry Christmas Rose! @c-rose2081

How funny that you were my Secret Santa and I was yours ahah! (I’m still in love with the pic you gave me btw 😍) Sorry I’m posting this pretty late but I hope you enjoy reading this fluffy little Gababel fic as much as I enjoyed writing it~! I hope you have a wonderful holiday and get to spend it with everyone you love! ❤️

xx Amelia

...

Isabel Castillo Flores drummed her fingers against the top of her giant suitcase, trying not to count the passing seconds as the time grew later and later. The carriage should’ve arrived to pick her up hours ago, yet she was still standing there, waiting on the steps of a coach station miles away from Avalor, wondering if she’d ever arrive home in time for Navidad.

In hindsight she knew it was probably her own fault for her current dilemma; she had wanted to stay at the university and finish writing her dissertation before making the long trip home to Avalor, but the closer to the holidays it grew the harder it was to find transportation, which is why she was practically stranded in the middle of nowhere on Nochebuena.

A sigh escaped Isabel’s lips as she glanced at the darkening sky above her. She loved studying abroad in the kingdom of Satu, but in times like these, she wished she had decided to take on an internship in Avalor rather than continue her schooling on the other side of the world.

“Still no coach, señorita?”

Isabel turned around to see the elderly station master hobbling toward her, looking about as troubled as she felt.

“Unfortunately not,” Isabel replied, her fingers still anxiously tapping the sides of her suitcase. “Are you sure there aren’t any other carriages in this town I can take? I’d pay extra,” she offered hopefully.

“I’m sorry, señorita, but we only have a few coaches that come through here, and the rest are all out at the moment. Your ride to Avalor should’ve been here, but perhaps the driver got the schedule mixed up,” the man said, rubbing his chin. “Or did I give him the wrong schedule?” he mumbled under his breath, his eyes squinted in concentration.

Isabel felt like facepalming. On all the days of the year for this to happen...

“Well, if the carriage never arrives you're welcome to stay at one of the Inns here, free of charge,” the man offered, flashing her a friendly smile.

It was all Isabel could do to not grimace in return. She appreciated the man’s generosity, but all she wanted was to be in Avalor, not staying at an Inn in some little off-the-map town that she couldn’t even remember the name of.

After a wave goodbye the man hobbled off again, and Isabel was left in the same predicament as before. She studied the road before her carefully, and then looked down to consider her luggage. If she used some of her shirts and attached them to her large suitcase in just the right way, she could create a makeshift backpack of sorts and walk all the way to Avalor. Her bones ached just thinking of the journey, but if she went on foot she would most likely arrive early morning of the next day, whereas if she waited here there was no telling when a coach would ever arrive, meaning she could be stranded for days before someone came to look for her.

“Backpacking it is,” Isabel mumbled aloud in disappointment, laying her suitcase on it’s side so she could begin remodeling it. She had barely touched the clasp when a faint trotting sound reached her ears, followed by the unmistakable whiny of a horse.

Isabel shot up and looked eagerly down the darkened street, her eyes straining to make out the source of the sound. Did the carriage arrive after all? Yet it only took a few seconds for her to see that it was just a single horse and it’s rider passing through town—not someone who would be willing to take her to Avalor.

Or would they?

She hated to ask, especially if it was going to be a burden to the rider, but she was desperate enough to step out of her comfort zone and practically beg for a favor. Plus, she would never know unless she tried.

“Hey! Hey, you! Excuse me, but can you help me?” Isabel called loudly, stepping down from the steps of the coach station and into the street. She waved her arms and prayed that the rider would see her and not run her over.

Thankfully it was still light enough that the rider saw her, and Isabel let out a breath of relief as they slowed down and stopped right in front of her.

“Thank you,” she said gratefully. “I hate to ask, but I was wondering if…” The words died on her lips as she suddenly recognized the person on the horse before her.

“Gabe?!” she cried in disbelief. There was no way anyone could ever forget the familiar, handsome appearance of Avalor’s Captain of the Guard, Gabe Nuñez.

Gabe seemed to recognize her at the exact same moment. “Isa!” he responded happily, a brilliant smile growing on his face as his eyes shone with joy.

“What’re you doing here?”

The question was asked simultaneously by them both. Isabel laughed and looked down, trying to distract herself from his deep brown eyes and the way he kept gazing at her, giving her his utmost attention. But instead it only reminded her of how old and frayed her dress was and that she probably looked half dead after traveling all day. Her cheeks grew warm in embarrassment and she quickly tried to straighten out the folds of her skirt before attempting to look him in the eye again. “You go first,” she said with what she hoped was a friendly, casual smile.

“I was meeting with some troops from some other kingdoms regarding a possible military alliance, but our conference went long and I’m just now returning to Avalor.” He gave a weary sigh, and Isabel could tell he hated missing Nochebuena as much as she did. “And you?”

Isabel took a breath and then relayed her entire tale to him, starting from the moment she left Satu all the way up to her waiting for nearly three hours for a seemingly non-existent carriage to arrive. “And so I’m stranded,” she finally finished, casting a glare at the coach station behind her as if the building itself was the one at fault.

“Well, not anymore,” Gabe said determinedly, finally dismounting his horse Fuego and coming to stand beside her. Isabel surreptitiously noted he was even more muscular than she remembered. “How heavy is your luggage?”

Isabel picked it up from the ground with a grunt. “It’s kinda heavy,” she warned, but then he picked it up with one hand and swung it over his head, moving to attach it to the back of Fuego’s saddle. “...Or not,” Isabel mumbled, both impressed and disgruntled.

“It may take an additional hour with the extra weight, but I think we can make it back to Avalor by midnight,” said Gabe, finishing up with the suitcase and turning back to her. “I forgot to say this by the way, but welcome back. It’s good to see you again.”

Isabel fought the furious blush working its way to her cheeks. “It’s good to see you too,” she replied with a genuine smile as her stomach began to flutter. She felt like she was fifteen all over again, when she first discovered she had a crush on him. She thought it would just fade over time, but the older she grew and the more she got to know him, it only became stronger and stronger. Even in the past three years she’d been at Satu, the absence did nothing to deter her feelings, and she was starting to become concerned at just how fast and far she was falling for Avalor’s Captain of the Guard.

“Alright, if you want to climb up first I’ll hop on behind you,” Gabe instructed, completely oblivious to Isabel’s internal struggle, which only grew worse once she realized how close they would be sitting. How was she supposed to handle being in his arms for almost five hours when she could barely keep herself from blushing every time he so much as looked at her?

It’s going to be a long ride, Isabel thought wearily, yet couldn’t help the anticipation that built up inside of her at the thought.

She put her foot in the stirrup and settled herself atop Fuego, trying not to stiffen too much as Gabe climbed on from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist to grab the reins. He let out a sharp whistle and Fuego immediately began to move at a brisk trot, and Isabel found herself being involuntarily jostled further back into his arms.

They were silent at first, and then Isabel finally spoke and said, “Thank you again for giving me a lift back. I don’t know what I would’ve done had you not come along.”

She could feel Gabe’s warm laugh ruffle her hair. “Believe me, I’m glad I ran into you too. It wouldn’t be Navidad if you weren’t there.”

The comment warmed her heart more than she thought possible, and gave her the courage to lean her head back against his shoulder. Gabe didn’t react at first, and then he tightened her arms around her and held her closer—at least she thought he did, but it was hard to tell due to the constant jostling of riding a horse.

“How’s university going by the way? We haven’t talked since last summer and I need to get caught up,” Gabe asked, and Isabel could picture the smile on his face as he said it. He was always so intrigued by the drama and everyday happenings of school life, it had almost become an inside joke between the two of them for Isa to update him on all the Satu gossip.

And just like that, despite the nervousness she constantly felt whenever they were together, Isabel lapsed back into the easy friendship they had built up with each other over the years.

They talked about everything and nothing, ranging from every topic imaginable that most often ending with hearty laughs or conspiratory giggles between the two of them. Isabel recognized that it might seem strange that they would get along so well, seeing as they were so different, but she found that their differences only gave them more to discuss and furthered their understanding of each other.

Despite the journey being so long, the hours seemed to fly by and they arrived in what felt like no time at all. The palace soon became visible in the distance, and in just a matter of minutes they were riding over the bridge and through the main entrance gates before Fuego finally stopped at the palace steps.

"We made it!" said Isabel happily.

Gabe slipped off the horse and then helped her dismount. "And with two minutes until midnight. Now you can technically say you were home for Nochebuena."

"All thanks to you," Isabel reminded, squeezing his arm gratefully. Gabe smiled in return before turning to retrieve her luggage. Isabel thanked him again as he unstrapped the suitcase and handed it to her.

They stood in silence for a moment, simply smiling at each other before Isabel finally broke the moment with a sigh. “I should go find my family, but I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”

“Of course,” Gabe quickly affirmed. “And how long are you here for?”

“Only two weeks,” Isabel admitted almost regrettably. It seemed like such a short amount of time now that she thought about it. She really wished she had come home sooner.

“Oh,” Gabe said, and Isabel could clearly see the disappointment on his face. “I wish you could stay longer.”

Isabel was about to reply with a standard ‘me too’ response, but suddenly held her tongue. Just in the last few hours she’d begun to have a sneaking suspicion, one that she’d never let herself consider lest she get her hopes up, but now the evidence was too prominent to ignore. Given everything that had just transpired in the last few hours, she couldn't help but wonder...

What if Gabe liked her back?

It certainly seemed like he did. He was attentive to her needs, he listened to everything she said whether he understood it or not, and he genuinely seemed interested in her and wanted to talk to her. She was no expert in the field of love, but the signs were there, and she wanted to believe it was true…

“Why?” she said instead in response to his question, her heartbeat quickening. Was she really about to do this, on the palace steps at midnight on Nochebuena?

Gabe blinked. “Why?” he repeated.

Isabel nodded. “I’ll be back again in a few months and you’ll see me then. Why don’t you want me to go?” It seemed like a silly question, but Isabel was clearly giving him an opening and wanted to see if he'd take it to confess his feelings.

Gabe’s eyes focused on hers, and all of a sudden the confusion in his expression vanished and he seemed to understand what she was getting at. He let out a deep breath and took a step closer. “You want me to be honest?” he asked, his voice low.

Isabel swallowed, a rush of both anticipation and excitement coursing through her at the realisation that her spontaneous plan might actually be working. She finally managed a single nod in response.

Gabe let out another breath and nodded himself, running a hand through his dark hair. “Alright. Isa, I just...I really hate seeing you leave,” he admitted, so quietly it was almost as though he was talking to himself rather than her. “I love when you come home. The palace feels alive and complete again, and when you’re around I...I find myself smiling more. You make me happier.”

It was a simple confession but it still rendered Isabel speechless. She felt like she could hardly breathe due to the sudden rush of emotions flooding her brain.

But he kept talking.

“I know we’ve been friends for a long time. I mean, I’ve been around for what seems like forever and you’ve been around for even longer—quite literally.” He chuckled at his own joke regarding her true age, but then his smile quickly faded and he looked down, as though suddenly nervous. “Isa, I’m not good with big speeches. I like to think I can be romantic and smooth when in reality I’m...not. I'm by no means an expert on this stuff.”

“That makes two of us then,” Isabel heard herself saying, and was surprised to find that her voice still worked despite everything going on around her.

Gabe looked up at her and smiled so brightly, Isabel was liable to melt right on the spot. He could say nothing but gibberish and she would still be completely enamored.

“Glad I’m not alone,” he said softly, and then took her hand in his. “Isa...you’re an incredible person. You’re smart, beautiful, funny, and you impress me with your kindness and generosity everyday. And I know I’m not perfect. I can be uptight, overbearing, and I don’t know a thing about science or math or inventions and whatnot, but...I promise I would try to be better at all those things, and would spend everyday trying to make you happy, if you will let me.” He squeezed her hand tightly and then met her gaze, his eyes searching for a response.

Isabel was afraid she’d either start laughing giddily or ugly crying with happiness if she opened her mouth, because her hypothesis was right—he liked her too! She was so elated yet all she could do was stand there and stare at him in awe.

"Isa?" He prompted a few seconds later. He looked nervous. "Please say something."

Isabel didn't know how words could convey the happiness she was experiencing, and so she decided to do the next best thing she could think of doing, and leaned forward and kissed him.

It was a soft, featherlight kiss, seeing as she was still far too overwhelmed and nervous to try anything more, but when they pulled back and she saw the hope gleaming in Gabe’s face—his sweet, beautiful face—she finally found the words she needed to say.

“Your imperfections only make you more perfect to me,” she whispered, still so close their foreheads were nearly touching. “And the fact that you still care for me despite all of mine only makes me want you more.” She was sure her face was flushing brightly but she couldn’t bring herself to care. After waiting for so many years, all of her dreams were finally coming true.

“I’m willing to take this chance if you are,” she then said, and was met with an enthusiastic smile from Gabe followed by a long, tender kiss. And then another one. And another.

After what felt like an entirely too short amount of time Gabe pulled away. He gently cupped her face and smiled. “As much as I’d like to stand here all night and kiss you, I know you wanted to see your family and you should probably find them before it gets too much later. Don't worry about your suitcase either, I'll have it delivered to your room so you don't have to lug it up the stairs.”

It took Isabel several seconds to comprehend what he was saying, she was still so dazed by everything that had just transpired. “Oh. Oh! You’re right, I completely forgot about them! I'm a horrible person,” she moaned, turning to dash up the palace steps to go inside. She then paused and turned around to look at Gabe.

“I’ll see you in the morning?” she asked eagerly.

“I’m already counting down the hours,” he replied with a smile, and Isabel raced down the steps to give him one last kiss before she dashed inside again, feeling happier than she’d ever been in a long, long time.

Navidad had just begun, but already she knew it would be her best one yet.

#secret santa #elena of avalor #gababel #older gababel fyi #gabe nunez #isabel castillo flores #eoa discord server #this story is based on a true experience during my studying abroad btw #except no handsome man on horseback came to save me :(#anyway I hope you like it rose!#merry christmas #<3

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zerot0all · 5 years

Text

Bloodline .4. | M

Mafia Theme

!Chapter 4- Part One!

.CHANGBIN POV.

I was wrong. I was held up at the police station clearly for a whole day, I was taken in before the sun even came up and I was out way past midnight the following day. Fucking bullshit. Those scum bags had fun pushing me around , making me feel like some street thug with no credentials. Like as if I wasn’t from the family of one of the most powerful mobsters in Korea.

I was hellbent on getting out of there fast and head back to y/n’s place but the fucking surprise I got once I was out was one I would have never expected.

“And where the fuck did they find you?” Father nearly growls as I step foot into his office, his henchmen picked me up as soon as my lawyer cleaned up the mess. The last place I wanted to be at was my fathers home. I rolled my eyes as I massaged my wrist. Those fuckers tightened the cuffs to the point of pain, making me bleed. I’ll show them, they don’t know me.

“Doesn’t matter,” I reply shortly , making my way towards his mini bar. I needed a drink. Whiskey. Something strong to take the edge off. Since I was rushed out , I didn’t have much time to admire my beautiful kitten. Her eyes, they were beyond hurt. I didn’t want to bring this battle to her doorstep, I didn’t want her involved in anything but I couldn’t stay away.

She doesn’t want me, or any of this. She’s far too good for a criminal like myself.

“The fuck it does Changbin, who the fuck were you with? Were you slumming it down with those wanna be hustlers across the river?” He grits, his fist slamming down on his redwood desk.

“What? And ruin all my chances of taking the empire from beneath your feet... I would never .” I say in a taunting manner , Father knew I was next to rule and he hated it. At times I feel like he hated my own guts , wished I was never born but here we are.

“He must of been with a lady friend,” Jisung spoke up, almost jokingly. One of my right hand men, he was a sucker for father. So it was only obvious to have him and Chris join me in my entourage. Father cocked his brow , unamused.

“You mean to tell me the cops found you with your whore!” He spat making me see red, anger slowly boiling within me.

“Honestly son, I thought I raised you better.” The old man huffs , surprised with my actions. Like as if I had such a great upbringing in my life, watching that sick bastard fuck anyone with legs and a cunt.

“Honestly father, I still don’t know who my mother is ... so , I think we’re even here, huh?” I grin, joking as I sip the last of my drink and proceeded to head out. I could hear him yell for me but I was done , I was eager to get the fuck out of there and actually do something about all these deaths. Murders to be exact ... I know I’m guilty for other crimes but fresh blood on my hands has not been on my agenda for a while.

“Where do you want me to drive you?” Chris asks as we hop into his Audi, I think intensively.

“I wanna have a word with Mister Park,” I say almost nonchalantly, both Chris and Jisung turn towards me.

“You’re kidding ? Your father will have us both killed if Mister Park doesn’t do it himself ,” Jisung spoke up, anger clear in his voice.

“Mixing business like this is bad Changbin, especially since this war has been going on for years. Way before we were even born. Don’t go adding more wood to a fire that’s already blazing.” Chris, the wise one out of us three. At times , he spoke more like a father than my actual father ever did.

“I really need to talk to him , I can’t explain anything right now . Just ... trust me.” I pleaded. I needed some answers to a very important question that has been stuck in my head since I got hauled out of y/n’s apartment.

In this world you have the all powerful and the one right under it , awaiting the fall of that empire.

The Seo Mob is top notch , while the Park Clan are a close second. Growing up, I never knew I would ever be in this predicament... going in to talk to the one and only Mister Park. Who knew that son of a bitch’s blood would run through the veins of someone I cherish more than my very own life.

Who knew... I would be stepping over boundaries that have been set in stone for years only to find out if y/n’s father is behind this whole mess.

Still pensive about my next actions , Chris follows through, driving me across town to Park Industrial. No one has spoken , Jisung started adding more bullets to our guns... just to be safe. But I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t feel like spilling more blood , I didn’t feel like any of these killings were meant to bring attention to the Seo family as a whole .. but to me.

I could feel it in my bones that he was targeting me... and only me.

“I’m hoping nothing goes down... I just need to have a word with him. That’s all,” I reassure my men, both of them strapped and ready for whatever could happen.

“Hope is a funny word ... especially in our lifestyle, Bin.” Jisung quips , unamused with anything at this moment. I knew this was foolish of me and I know anything could happen , but this is something I must do.

***

“And what may I ask is the special occasion, having you cross over into my property, on my side of town in broad daylight. Are we getting brave Mr Seo?” Mister Park humors me , his slim tall figure standing by the bookcase. His office was dark, almost dungeon like. Reds and black colors took over my vision, the closer I got to his desk.

“I have matters in which I need to speak face to face with you, Mister Park. A phone call seemed kind of redundant... don’t you think?” I replied , watching as he cocked his brow; almost amused. He took his seat, his eyes not once leaving mine. After what seemed like a while, he motioned for me to sit.

“You’re all the town is talking about , what do kids say nowadays... you’re the hot topic? Care to explain what a murderer like yourself needs to speak to me about ?” He’s fast with his remarks , not once blinking as his words jab me deep. I swallow , needing to hold back my anger.

“It’s funny you say that ... since I think we both know who’s behind all that mess..” I counter. Mister Park sits, unmoving then lazily glares at my men, who wait by the door next to his men. Chris and Jisung both glanced at eachother , wondering what I had up my sleeve.

“Oh , do we now?” The vile behind his tone seemed almost laughable.

“Of course, it was a messy set up. I mean, come on ... a knife? What are you... a rookie?” I chuckle throwing my head back in delight. Mister Park cleared his throat , motioning a hand to his men meant leaving us both alone in his office. After the door closed , Mister Park pulled on his tie. He was nervous, but aside from that , he was embarrassed. We were in silence , a bright smile on my face as he tried to regain his control. It wasn’t till he huffed a laugh that got me confused.

“You Seo men think you know everything. Always out to take over the world, not knowing what exactly is going on at home, huh?” His tone was fluid, harsh but yet a hint of pain hid behind his words.

I was lost.

“Pardon ?” I query.

“Before this whole lifestyle took over our lives , did your father ever mention why we started a war? Did he ever tell you the story of the game changer? Before the drugs, before the international trading, before the money. Huh?” Mister Park spat, his fist balled showing white knuckles full of anger. I was tempted to reply with a smart ass note but , for some odd reason my mind went blank. I couldn’t say shit, and he knew it as he chuckled loudly.

“Of course he wouldn’t tell you ... once a bitch, always a bitch. Your father has always been a conniving double crosser , whatever he got his eye on... he took it. And , at one moment , it was my wife.” He snarled , the memories burning a hole in his mind . A sensitive topic that could fuck any man up. My father coveted another mans wife? I was speechless , my mouth opened and shut , unable to form words. I knew my father was a sick bastard but this was news to me. Mister Park abruptly stood, grabbing a glass that he had on his desk and threw it across the room. It shattered instantly , my anxiety coming back.

“Tell me ... do you have siblings?” Mister Park finally asks , glancing over his shoulder as he makes his way back to his bookshelves. My brows furrowed , the sudden anxiety and anger coming to light, mixing into something new.

“No, but you knew that already.” My reply was quick, it was no secret I am the only son to the Seo Mob. I am next to reign in Korea... everyone knew that. Mister Park smiled , nodding as if he understood. Meanwhile , I was boiling with news I had no knowledge about. I felt useless , what the fuck is he talking about?

“You ever wonder who your mother might be?”

I froze. My heartbeat became no more, the sudden raw emotion running through my veins was cold. That question. That million dollar question.

“Where are you getting at Park?” I dropped formalities as a raging fury crawled up my spine. This was ridiculous. Mister Park cocked his brow , once again. This all seemed like a joke to him as he leaned over his desk, both palms expanded over his dark wood. His eyes demeaning , glaring into me.

“What if I told you ... I knew your mother.”

•••••

[MS]

-This is part 1 of Chapter 4... because I need to add more info to this mini drama. So, please enjoy this till the next part. 😈 love ya 💕

PART ONE WILL HAVE THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS LINKED.

*btw. found the pic on google. credits to the owner.*

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rosetowersfanfic · 6 years

Text

New Feelings Part 3

Mark and Graves’ feelings finally come to head when Graves realises there’s photographic evidence of a certain incident online.

Graves, once again, berated himself for taking this stupid job. He was supposed to hang around Beaks and pretend to be his bodyguard during the day, then periodically sneak into McDuck’s money bin to steal ideas. Dragging his nitwitted boss away from the paparazzi was not in his job description.

Yet here he was, running through the streets of Duckburg, his hand clasped around Mark’s (no, Beaks’) wrist because for once the parrot had decided to walk to get coffee instead of taking the limo. It had been something to do with a new app recording his steps, or some new fad online.

They ducked into an alley and let the crowd of reporters run past.

“Well, on the plus side, all that running added a ton of steps,” Mark (Beaks!) grinned, fiddling with his phone.

Graves rolled his eyes and was about to tell him to call the chauffeur when he heard heavy footsteps approach from the dark end of the alley.

“Well, well, well, if it ain’t Mark Beaks,” the shortest of three Beagle Boys grinned.

The largest scratched his head in confusion. “Uh, but it IS Beaks, Big-Time.”

Big-Time rolled his eyes and wacked his brother’s head.

“Shut up, Bouncer.”

Graves cracked his knuckles.The Beagle Boys had a lot of muscle, but were severely lacking in any concept of strategy or finesse. This would be easy.

Big-Time turned all his attention to Beaks, big mistake.

“Alright, rich boy. Gimme something valuable, and I might let you and your boyfriend here go…”

Big-Time was interrupted by Graves’ fist in his face, knocking him out and likely leaving a painful bruise. Bouncer growled and swung his own fist at Graves. He dodged, grabbed his larger opponent's arm and spun, throwing Bouncer at his skinny brother.

With all three Beagles out for the count, Graves turned to check on his employer and saw Mark staring at him with an expression that could only be described as starstruck.

“Call the chauffeur.”

“Guh? Right!”

~~~

A couple of hours later, Graves was walking back to Beaks’ office from the company’s cafeteria, a styrofoam cup of tea in hand.

He was exhausted. Between the unexpected morning jog and the short tussle with those thugs, Graves was at the end of his rope. At least they made good tea here.

Another issue was how his “co-workers” had started to behave around him recently. Before, there had been a healthy aura of fear when he passed by, as well as some anger from the security guards. Now, however, when he passed by there was whispering when they thought he couldn’t hear.

Graves usually ignored it, but by this point he was seething. He heard more whispering as he passed a pair of interns at the front desk, and even heard a snicker. Graves focused his hearing and caught something deeply troubling.

“I mean, why else would he hire him…” “Desperate much…”

The first logical thought was that they knew Graves was a corporate saboteur. A select few in the company knew of Graves’ actual job: the scientists in Research and Development, and a couple of interns. The interns who believed Graves couldn’t hear them weren't supposed to be in the know.

Graves turned on his heel and approached them.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your little chat about our employer and I,” he loomed over them and narrowed his eyes. One of them, a young looking dog, looked about ready to wet himself. The other, a pelican, smirked at Graves, unfazed by his intimidating size and glare.

“Oh, ya mean the employer who had to pay for someone to date him?” he snickered as his friend started tugging at his arm in a vain attempt at getting his friend to stop digging his own grave.

“Or how you need money so bad you’d accept money for dating him?”

Graves dropped his coffee.

“W-what?”

The pelican rolled his eyes. “Ugh, please. Everyone’s seen this pic of you guys by now.”

He brought out his phone and turned it to show Graves a picture of him and Mark caught in a moment he had been trying his best to forget.

That stupid impulsive decision Graves had made - wiping some foam off Mark’s beak - with the caption “OMG does Beaks have a bf? SO CUTE!”

It was online, for all the world to see. All except Graves who didn’t use social media.

Mark (no, BEAKS) knew. The picture was a few weeks old. Beaks KNEW.

Graves growled and grabbed the phone; he then stormed off, ignoring the intern’s whining, as he made his way to Beaks’ office.

“BEAKS!” Graves roared as he marched in. Beaks jumped six foot in the air and dropped his phone.

“Woah! What’s the big idea? I was in the middle of something!” Beaks snapped, not bothering to get up from behind his desk or bend down to pick up his phone, instead reaching into his hoodie to grab a backup.

“Your employees appear to be under the impression that you’re PAYING me to date you!” Graves snapped, slamming his free hand onto Beaks’ desk.

Beaks paled. “I- what?! Where’d they get that from?!”

Graves thrust the intern’s phone in his face, showing him the picture that was effectively ruining both their lives. “Does THIS seem familiar?!”

Beaks pinched the top of his beak and groaned. “Ugh, you’ve gotta be kidding me- wait, who’s phone is that?”

Graves snarled. “That’s not the point! You knew!”

Beaks glared back at him. “Hey, this is not my fault! I’ve been trying to get it taken down. Besides, it’s really your fault.”

“MY FAULT?!” Graves crushed the phone to pieces. “HOW IN THE WORLD IS THIS MY FAULT?!”

Beaks stood up and leaned into Graves face. “You’re the one who got up in my bubble and wiped my face. In public.”

Graves leaned closer to Beaks. “You had foam on your face. It was driving me crazy so-”

“-You coulda told me to wipe it off instead of doing it yourself like that?” Beaks raised his eyebrows.

“Something ya wanna tell me, Gravesy?”

Graves growled. That was it, he’d had enough of this spoiled, annoying brat. He thought he could do and say whatever he wanted because of his money and intellect and the adorable way his brow creased when he was actually working on something…

Graves grabbed Beaks’ shoulders, ready to throttle him regardless of the consequences. He looked deep into Beaks’ hazel eyes; for the first time - other than at the coffee shop - he looked unsure, worried even. Graves felt a strange stab of protectiveness for the parrot, and he gripped him tighter, now breathing heavily as he finally processed how close together they were.

“Uh, Gravesy?” Mark gulped.

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.

Graves held Mark closer; their beaks touched.

He was making a mistake. He needed to stop, he needed to put Mark (Beaks!) down and walk away, and hope he wasn’t fired. He needed to calm-

Mark interrupted his train of thought by shutting his eyes, leaning his head forward, and kissed him.

Graves’ eyes widened with shock. The kiss itself only lasted ten seconds, but it was plenty of time for him to silently panic.

Mark was kissing him. Mark was kissing him on the beak and anyone could walk into the office at any moment and Graves wasn’t sure if he was going to be fired now.

Then the kiss ended and Mark drew back an inch and opened his eyes.

They stood there, leaning over Mark’s desk, staring deep into each other’s eyes. Mark gulped again, visibly worried by Graves’ lack of reaction.

Well, Graves thought, he’s gotten me to make a lot of stupid decisions already, one more couldn’t hurt.

With that in mind, Graves pulled Mark towards him and kissed back. The parrot squeaked softly at the impact, bringing his hands up to grip Graves’ shoulders as they deepened the kiss.

Graves felt the tension leave his body, and could even feel Mark relaxing in his grip. They stopped again after a minute, panting softly as a shy smile graced Mark’s beak. He then climbed up onto his desk, grabbed the back of Graves’ head, and resumed their… well, it was basically a snog at this point. They really couldn’t deny it.

Graves wrapped his arms around Mark and held him closer as they kissed; Mark started letting out soft whimpers, Graves groaned when Mark ran his fingers through the bodyguard’s head feathers. Nothing could ruin this moment, everything would be fine so long as they didn’t have to stop kissing-

“Dude, just get a new phone! It’s not worth it!”

“Grow a spine, Bert. Alright Graves, gimme back my phone or- HOLY MOLY!”

Graves jumped back in shock, quickly trying to come up with some sort of excuse and failing.

Well, this was it.

“Woah, Graves. I mean, I knew ya needed cash but I didn’t think you’d be this desperate- hey! What happened to my phone?!”

Mark was probably going to fire him, he’d be broke again within a year, no other job opportunities available, and this twit was upset about his phone being in pieces on the floor.

Mark had dropped his own phone onto the desk at some point during their make out session; he picked it back up and started tapping at it. Suddenly, most of the lights went out, the remaining few turned red, and the door locked behind the interns.

“Hey, so this is pretty awkward, right?” Mark hopped off his desk and approached the two frightened interns.

“I mean, you really shouldn’t have seen that. It would totally be a nightmare dealing with the press if this got out, huh?” He waved Graves over.

The bodyguard, though still in shock, got the memo easily enough. He put on a stoic expression, walked over to the interns and went up behind them. He then grabbed them by their collars and lifted them into the air.

“Of course, they already are, especially with that pic, which was totally taken out of context btw.”

He rubbed the back of his head, feigning awkwardness. “But look, I’m gonna need you both to keep this on the down low, cuz this would send everyone into a frenzy and then,” he chuckled, “well then I’d probably have to fire you and make sure you never work again, even interning would be off the table.”

Mark smirked at them in a way that caused Graves’ heart to skip a beat. This was actually a lot of fun. He could feel the interns shaking in his grasp, feel the malice roll off Mark in a way that was surprisingly attractive. It was like finally kissing him, finally admitting he was attracted to this ridiculous, adorable, amoral parrot had flipped some switch inside him. Possibly inside both of them.

“So, ya know. Keep quiet, got it?”

The interns nodded furiously; Mark tapped at his phone again and the lights turned back to normal, and the doors opened. Graves turned around and dropped the interns just outside the office.

“Awesome,” Mark beamed, his demeanor instantly changing, “see you guys around.”

With that the interns scrambled away, leaving Mark and Graves alone with each other.

Now Mark seemed genuinely awkward as he rubbed the back of his head again. He wasn’t alone, with Graves clearing his throat as he tried to find something to say.

“Hey, I- I gotta head to marketing, so…”

Graves nodded. “Right, of course…”

Graves kept his eyes to the side, avoiding eye contact.

“Uh, you can stay here, ya know if you want,” Mark continued.

Graves nodded again. Mark mumbled something else before slipping out of his office.

As he stood in Mark’s office, rubbing his temples and sighing, Graves only had this to say.

“I’m doomed.”

#ducktales #gravesbeaks #falcon graves #mark beaks #beagle boys

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