#i also would have had to go on multiple hikes due to the locations they needed. so perhaps it’s a good thing my script got voted in too

[katnissgirlsmakedo]

also fun fact. you can effectively punch holes in plastic glow in the dark stars using a push pin and a rock and just pressing it really hard into your carpet or something so it doesn’t damage anything once it penetrates the plastic. in case you ever needed to know that

#i hope all my actors come to the premiere because i do not think i will be finishing this shit by sunday when we stop filming #going to need to tell them i have surprise presents for them all and use that to make them come see my mid short film #i have to stop putting down my own film. it’s not going to be mid. it’s going to be good. perhaps not as good as some others in the class #but it will not be as bad as the annoying ‘men’s mental health story’ bs one group is doing #frankly i don’t give a shit about men’s mental health but whatever #actually it might not be bad as a film idk their skill levels. but i won’t care about it due to there being no women in there #actually another group is making a film with no women (except the firdged mom) but i think theirs will be good #they have a cast of two people it’s not insane that there’s no women so i’ll allow it #and also of course that guys script was very good and he was actually my first choice when we voted on who’s scripts to make #no i was not my first choice…. i was trying to be humble…. #also i wouldn’t have had to be director on his film. i could have been the bitchy production manager….. #i also would have had to go on multiple hikes due to the locations they needed. so perhaps it’s a good thing my script got voted in too #and i know i complain but i do actually like my group they’re great people to work with #even if the Annoying one and i clash sometimes. i like to think of our dynamic as Divorced Coparents #which sounds more sexy than it is. it’s not sexy at all. there’s no sex going on metaphorical or otherwise #i just mean. we clash sometimes but we also have good rapport. it’s like a tense middle school friendship #and the other guy. he’s great. cringe at times but we love him #i wish i’d known him before this semester so we could have had more time to become friends this timing kinda sucks #anyway. i don’t remember how this post started. #ok bye

[teamfreewill2pointo]

Visiting the Supernatural shooting locations Part 2

Please find part 1 here.

On our final day, we did Deer Lake and Riverview as the main viewing points.

The thing y'all gotta keep in mind is that there are so many locations, that we drove by countless of them just driving around, so I'm not showing you most of what I saw because I didn't get pictures of it all and also because tumblr wouldn't allow me to post so many photos.

That spot that's highlighted in Riverview? They shot 1x05, 1x10, 1x13, 1x18, 2x01, 2x19, 3x15, 4x06, 4x09, 4x13, 4x16, 5x04, 5x11, 6x10, 6x21, 7x02, 7x03, 7x10, 7x17, 7x21, and 10x09 there.

And that's just one building in Riverview.

It's a beautiful park and we got really lucky with the weather and it only poured rain for half of one day. Even with the bright light, it felt very creepy and I can only imagine how it would look and feel with fog or on a cloudy day. There were a lot of signs warning people not to enter the building or stay on the premises after dark.

A lot of the finale was filmed around Deer Lake. Unfortunately, the Burnaby Village Museum was closed because apparently it's only open to the public in the summer. We weren't able to visit there, but we were able to visit several other filming sites.

One of the things I noticed is that often episodes are filmed in clumps. For example, Regarding Dean was filmed in a few locations, but they grouped together the filming at the various locations to make it easier to film. The restaurant they went to was the Denny's near the motel they went to.

At this Deer Lake location, they filmed multiple scenes from the finale Sam playing catch with son, Dean's funeral pyre, the tree scene, the house the vamps broke into, Sam going for a run, and the pie scene, plus scenes from other episodes.

We found the tree where Baby was parked

which was in a slightly different location than the map said, but close enough that we found it easily. This place looked so different

But we're at a different time of the year and we're visiting 14 years later, so it's probably due to that.

One thing that I forgot to mention on the earlier post is that while Bobby's house is gone, the junkyard is still standing and an active business.

We had read online that the owner is very friendly, but it felt kinda awkward going in there and taking photos while people are hard at work. There's a giant dog that barks at you when you walk in.

One place I wanted to visit, but didn't get to was the Spur 4 Bridge where the finale ended.

There's a few shooting locations up there including the spot where Sam and Dean split up in 5.02 and the purgatory scenes in s15, but the Spur 4 Bridge is a hike since it's on a private road. Most people access it through the Fisherman's Trail

Although it's rated as easy here, someone who hiked it recently said that due to a rockslide, bring boots. You can also bike around it.

Since it was such a long hike, I decided to save it for next visit, when I'll plan a whole day around it. I also want to visit the place where they defeat Chuck, which is up in Minaty Bay and visit the area south of Richmond where they filmed Mystery Spot and several BM scenes.

As for getting around in general, the city of Vancouver is very bikeable and there's different bike rental options available. I don't know about transporting them between locations, but you can do this section by bike easy

We had a car, which enabled us to travel to a wide variety of sites and visit locations such as the Lulu Trestle (1x07, 3x07, 4x03, 4x13, 9x14, 12x22, 15x18).

Now you can get to the Trestle by public transportation, but it'll take you an hour from Burnaby Village Museum by bus versus a 16 minute drive. If you don't have access to a car, I'd focus my visit on the cities. At one point, we split up and I took the Sky Train from Burnaby to Westminster and it was very safe and easy. I also took a few buses to get to and from various locations. Vancouver was, in my experience, a very clean, safe city, with lots of public restrooms. Just don't continue going east of Gastown. There may be other parts that are unsafe, so if you are unsure, send me a PM and I can tell you exactly where we went.

I also recommend Salmon n'Bannock, which is an Indigenous restaurant that had some of the best food I've ever had.

Hope this helps! It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend that you visit. I'd pick out your favorite places before you arrive because there's so many places and it can get overwhelming looking at the map!

#supernatural #spn #spnfamily #sam winchester #jared padalecki #dean winchester #jensen ackles #spn family #castiel #misha collins #vancouver #spn locations #locations

[fatehbaz]

Speaking of biological surveillance and disproportionate harms of pandemic quarantine policies faced by those in abject poverty: I think that access to small storage spaces is a very important and often overlooked utility for those in destitution trying to sustain their life. I have a locker, a sort of small storage space, that I rent out from a local low-income and homeless resource shelter/space. These kinds of small under-the-radar storage spaces, at least in my experience and anecdotally according to the people I’ve talked to, are critical for low-income or homeless people who might have bad credit, no active checking account, no credit card, no other place to store nonperishable groceries, or no way to pay a larger storage space business. I have overheard so many conversations, of other destitute/homeless people terrified that they will lose access to these storage spaces due to inability to pay a weekly rent fee. And now, daily submission to local healthcare staff and/or city officials, for monitoring of temperature/respiratory illness, is a requirement for these people to access the only material possessions that they have left in this life. You might say: “Well, sure, it’s important that, if many different people store their possessions in a single facility, it’s important to safeguard everyone’s health by monitoring everyone using the facility to ensure that the virus isn’t transmitted.” It’s more complicated than that.

----

They/we can store winter gear, books, bags. The storage can act as a sort of cache. Your hidden nook. Your life-line. You could stop by once a day in the afternoon to retrieve documents, grab a different pair of shoes, take off your coat as the day gradually warms.

One aspect of destitution, which highlights how things always seemed rigged against you, to promote your failure, is how people without a kitchen or pantry are repeatedly forced to spend excessive amounts of money on “eating out,” always dependent on restaurants, always forced to pay for an overpriced pastry. So that you end up spending far more on food than you would if you had a refrigerator, or a kitchen where you could make bulk amounts of carbohydrate-heavy rice or pasta.

The pandemic quarantines and lockdowns mean that low-income/homeless people can no longer seek refuge in or use the WiFi at locations like libraries, coffee shops, universities, etc.

Informally, many of these places actually provide access to food and cooking supplies that are essential for nutrition and saving cash. A coffee shop or university food court might have a microwave, so that, instead of paying $5 for a single pastry to account for an entire day’s worth of food, you can make noodles/ramen. Sites like these, aside from the microwave, might also have a hot water dispenser, so that people without a kitchen can make tea or coffee for free. (Sometimes, when you can’t afford adequate food, you might spend a few days relying entirely on the energy from caffeine. Is this healthy, as a long-term strategy? Probably not, but access to some kind of uplift, a boost, like caffeine, can make a big difference when you need to file paperwork, visit the DMV, go to a job interview, make an important phone call, or acquire enough energy for a long walking commute across town.)

The small storage space can be your only relief, the only place where you can stockpile your rice, noodles, peanut butter, bulk amounts of tea, you medication. If it’s mid-summer and you want to go swimming, or hiking, or even go over to a friend’s house, you can’t have a backpack with you all the time. After all, you can’t walk around, all day, every day of the year, carrying a giant backpack full of all of your food. Backpacks make you a visible target of c0ps, store managers, and landowners trying to accost you and keep you out of their neighborhood. You can’t carry a 100-pound backpack around in mid-summer, every day.

But you need to eat. You can’t abandon your laptop. So where can you store your food, where can you store your life?

This inaccessibility of daytime places to shelter or lounge also disrupts homeless peoples’ already-fragile social circle, the social network of support, that provides both material assistance and mental/emotional health. (Homeless shelters already harbor people coping with a disproportionate rate of psychoses, schizophrenia, etc. And for autistic people, or others who are able to maintain their morale through consistent routines, the disruption of routine during quarantine is dramatic.)

------

So, these small storage spaces are important.

Across my region, anyone accessing their storage space is required to submit, every day, to on-site healthcare staff from a nearby clinic. Your temperature is taken. You must answer questions about where you hang out, what you do in your spare time, who your friends are. You are required to wear badges, every day. The badges are signed and dated; they confirm that you’ve submitted to biological testing in the past 24 hours.

These inspections don’t account for anyone with covid who might be asymptomatic. These inspections can’t differentiate between the cold, influenza, and covid. One staff member of the facility told me, off the record, that it’s just a performance. Theater. To “make it look like we’re doing something” in the eyes of local nonprofits or apathetic county administrators who don’t necessarily care about “keeping people healthy” and are more concerned with “making it look like we’re taking measures to keep people healthy in the eyes of any wealthy or influential local observers who might briefly glance in this direction at the poor and homeless.” Just going through the motions. So that, maybe a year from now, if it turns out that many homeless people die, the county administrators might look back and absolve themselves: “Well, we took measures. We monitored their temperatures. We tried. Too bad.” Meanwhile, none of the people using this storage facility have access to food.

Miss one health inspection, and your storage space is lost. All of your possessions are put in the dumpster. Getting “back on your feet” is hard enough under “normal” inhumane conditions. But losing all of your food and possessions during pandemic and lockdowns is truly lethal.

A few years ago, while waiting on a big paycheck from seasonal work, I was forced to eat at a local shelter. Three times a day. The city promoted it thus: “Three nutritious meals a day!” After 4 weeks of eating there -- multiple times a day, apparently big meals, too -- I collapsed in public one day. I immediately went to see my doctor the same day. She called the hospital, called a cab, and then pulled her own cash out of her pocket to pay the taxi driver to take me to the ER. I was admitted to the hospital for a week due to “malnutrition.”

Since many poor and homeless have high rates of pre-existing pneumonia, staph infection, and diabetes, among other conditions, they certainly are more vulnerable to covid and resulting death, and it would be good to intercept an infection early. But dumping peoples’ possessions, penalizing homeless people during pandemic as part of self-absolving theater without actually feeding or housing them?

[pandemicperipatetics]

Two Weeks in Denver

The Verdict:

We spent 13 nights in Denver (well actually, just south of Denver in Greenwood Village). With the beautiful outdoors, friendly people, and the best/chillest drivers of anywhere we've driven in the U.S., it was our favorite stop so far! It seems like a wonderful place to live. Denver is large and seems to have lots of stuff to do in the city and surrounding areas, so this post covers just a fraction of the options.

Things to Do:

Hiking (Ranked in order of our most to least recommended)

Rocky Mountain National Park (~2 hrs drive): Check out our RMNP blog post!

Boulder (45 min drive): We didn't have a chance to hike in Boulder, but we hear it's awesome. We had hoped to stop by Chautauqua Park to check out the trails (we read that Enchanted Mesa Trail was a good 4-miler) or El Dorado Canyon State Park. We did enjoy walking along Pearl Street, where there are plenty of tasty treats (we enjoyed smoothie bowls) and appreciated the free parking in the city's covered parking garages (we parked at 1500 Pearl, which was a perfect location). Logistics: Waze told us there was a toll on the Interstate to Boulder, but Google Maps thought it was a toll-free drive. The answer? There is an optional toll lane on the highway, but you can make the trip in the toll-free lanes.

Red Rocks (30-40 min drive): This is a naturally occurring amphitheatre that is best known for evening concerts against an incredibly scenic vista. While we weren't looking for a crowded concert during the pandemic, we visited in the morning and were blown away by how beautiful the amphitheatre was (and how many stairs there were to get to the top!). We also walked the beautiful 1.4 mile Red Rocks Trading Post Trail loop, which also had a moderate amount of uphill/downhill. It was VERY hot and sunny when we got there around 10:30 a.m.; though the weather app said it was below 80 degrees, the sun was really beating down. Next time, we'd go earlier in the day (later can be tricker due to concerts in the evenings) for better weather and hopefully smaller crowds. Logistics: We just entered Red Rocks into Google Maps and it took us to a parking lot near the amphitheatre. The trail was just a couple minutes' walk from the parking area, near the Trading Post building. Parking was free and not too hard to find.

Vail/Breckenridge area (~90 mins drive): We didn't have a chance to visit, but it sounds like there's very nice hiking around here in the summer.

Garden of the Gods and Pike's Peak in Colorado Springs (~1 hr drive): When we got a nail in our tire and had to get the tire replaced, the nice guy at Firestone highly recommended we visit these areas for beautiful scenery. While we didn't make it, we read that Garden of the Gods can get very crowded, especially with Instagram-focused tourists more so than a hiking acrowd. We also read that it's not quite as nice as the Utah National Parks or Sedona. Pike's Peak also sounds touristy; there is a coveted tram that takes you to the top, at 14K feet of elevation -- after moderate altitude sickness at RMNP, we decided to sit this one out.

Denver Neighborhoods & Sights (Ranked in order of our most to least-recommended)

Denver Botanic Gardens (free with American Horticultural Society membership): This is one of the most beautiful botanic gardens we've ever seen, anywhere. It was also excruciatingly crowded on a Saturday morning and a very un-fun experience to find parking. Despite how stunning the gardens are, we preferred the much less crowded walk through Cheesman Park and the cute surrounding neighborhood. Logistics:  If the Botanic Gardens parking garage and parking lot are full, park for free at nearby Congress Park, Cheesman Park, or on a random side street a 5+ min walk from the gardens. Be observant of street signs to make sure you haven’t parked in a residential area that requires a parking permit.

RiNo (River North Arts District): About a 10 minute drive from downtown, RiNo is a hip area full of breweries, street art, and run-down looking houses. On a Saturday around 2pm, street parking was sparse (but free) and the breweries seemed packed with people. We read that the street murals are at their best on 26th-31st streets between Larimer & Walnut, and we weren't blown away in comparison to Plaza Walls in Oklahoma City or The Mission in San Francisco. Due to the extreme heat we didn't stick around, but we were interested in checking out Finns Manor (cocktails + food trucks), Denver Central Market (High Point Creamery apparently offers an ice cream flight?!), and a few breweries. Maybe next time! Logistics: Street parking is free.

Washington Park: This is very nice park for a stroll. When we went on a Saturday evening around sunset, it wasn’t very crowded. The surrounding neighborhood looks very nice, and there seem to be good places to eat nearby (our friend suggested Sushi Den, though we didn’t have a chance to try it out). We saw someone paddleboarding on the water, which looked picturesque! Logistics: There are parking lots and ample street parking around the park.

Sloan’s Lake (near Highland neighborhood): The park has a beautiful lake with a sizeable trail going around it. It reminded us of Lake Merritt in Oakland. When we went on a Sunday evening, it was somewhat busy with people running, walking, biking, and on scooters/skateboards/roller blades, and there was lots of goose poo everywhere. The surrounding area wasn’t quite as nice as that around Cheesman Park or Washington Park, but we still liked the lake. Note there were no water activities allowed -- signs indicated the water sometimes gets too unclean to enter. Edgwater Market is a few minutes away (we recommend driving as the walk isn’t very nice) and has a cute outdoor patio and lots of different types of ethnic food to try out (we especially liked the veggie pesto crepe at the crepe stand). Logistics: There are parking lots at the lake and the market.

LoDo (Lower Downtown): The downtown area is meh, you can skip it if you're short on time. If you go, you can walk through Larimer Square, a small, cute block of shops and eateries with outdoor seating that is roped off from cars; check out Union Station, where the Amtrak goes and there are a bunch of places to eat/get coffee (including the overrated Snooze AM eatery - reserve your spot in line 1-2 hrs in advance if going and be sure to get the sweet potato pancake); walk the 16th Street Mall, a very touristy street of more shops and eateries (not as cute as Larimer Square, but a pro is there is a free bus that takes you up and down this long street); and walk by Coors Field if you're a baseball fan. Logistics: Parking lots are very expensive, but we didn't find it too difficult to find 2-hour street parking ($1/hour, you can pay by card at the meter or with the PayByPhone app; free on Sundays and holidays).

Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (free, 20-30 mins from city center): This is a beautiful area in northeast Denver that you can drive through, listen to their excellent guided podcast, and spot some neat wildlife. The area is known for bison, deer, prairie dogs, and birds; we saw some of these animals. This was a great option to stay in our air-conditioned car on a very hot day, rather than being out for a hike. Logistics: There is a Visitor Center that you can stop by if you’d like (we didn’t), otherwise just download the Rocky Mountain Arsenal podcast on your phone and start the drive!

What to Eat (Vegetarian Edition)

We did not take advantage of Denver’s food options, so what we are sharing here are mostly recommendations from our friends / places we would love to try if we had more time here.

Safta (Mediterranean) - Upscale; close to downtown. Appears to have outdoor seating and advance reservations are recommended

Uchi (Japanese) - Upscale; close to downtown. Has a separate vegetarian menu including a multi-course tasting. Reservations can be hard to come by if you don’t book well in advance. They also accept walk-ins, and they do have outdoor seating if you’re COVID-conscious (or just like eating outside!)

Brunch places with hype: Snooze AM Eatery (multiple locations, get on the Yelp waitlist at least an hour in advance, known for excellent pancakes), Sassafrass (we didn’t try it), and Root Down (we also didn’t try it)

Markets: Denver Central Market (in RiNo), Edgewater Public Market (by Sloan Lake / Highlands neighborhood; we loved the crepes and thought the Ethiopian food was mediocre), Stanley Marketplace (Aurora)

Other places that were recommended to us were Ash Kara (Mediterranean), El Five (Mediterranean, good views), Sushi Den (Japanese), and Vital Root (which is apparently by a lot of good vegetarian-friendly restaurants + breweries near Berkeley/Tennyson Street), Sputnik

Dessert: I very much wanted to try High Point Creamery (multiple locations) as it seems to have many vegan options and an ice cream flight! Little Man Ice Cream also came recommended

Where to Stay

We're definitely not experts on this, but here are a few thoughts based on our trip!

Near Cheesman Park and Washington Park seem like a lovely areas to stay -- the parks are really nice and the surrounding neighborhoods seem pretty safe and upscale. We didn't come across any available airbnbs in this neighborhoods.

Greenwood Village (~20 mins drive south of Denver, close to Centennial, CO). We stayed in the Marriott Residence Inn Tech Center (the 2 bed/2 ba is good for two people working from home during the week) and loved the area. Within a 5 minute drive there are cute parks for a morning jog, plenty of fast casual eateries (we were partial to the Torchy's and Schlotzsky's nearby), and even the excellent Peak View Brewing Company (okay so it’s a brewery in a suburban strip mall, but the outdoor patio is great and the jalapeno pretzel and the peanut butter porter were a hit!). Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Safeway are within a ~10 minute drive.

#denver

[blucmoon]

━  ☾ ⊹  ( gabbi garcia, cis female , she/her ) say hello to ALTHEA CORTEZ, the TWENTY FOUR YEAR OLD that seems to have a lot in HER hands with HER job as an EVENT PLANNER! beyond that, they seemed METICULOUS AND GENEROUS upon first glance. i heard someone say they’re sort of VOLATILE AND STUBBORN though. SHE seems to live in a SHARED VILLA in SIARGAO, PHILIPPINES. anything else to add? oh, yeah! she also LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND IN VANCOUVER FOR A JOB OPPORTUNITY IN THE PHILIPPINES!

basic information

full name: althea cortez

nickname(s): ally, thea

age: twenty four

date of birth: december 2, 1996

birthplace: makati, philippines

hometown: vancouver, canada

current location: siargao, philippines

ethnicity: filipino

nationality: canadian

gender: cisfemale

pronouns: she / her

orientation: demiromantic, heterosexual

religion: agnostic

education: graduated high school, various courses at a community college

occupation: event planner

physical appearance

faceclaim: gabbi garcia

hair colour: naturally dark brown, has never dyed it in bold colours. the most she’s done is getting some blonde streaks upon arriving at siargao but soon got bored of them and dyed back to a color similar to her natural one.

eye colour: chocolate, does like to wear coloured contacts when going out or on special occasions.

height: 5 ft 6.5 in (1.69 m)

weight: 132 lbs ( 60 kg )

tattoos: none yet.

piercings: standard and upper lobe in both ears, helix on the left ear.

personality

label: the restless

positive traits: meticulous, ebullient, outgoing, loyal, generous, helpful, ambitious,

negative traits: volatile, conflict-averse, fluctuating self-esteem and confidence, secretive, reserved, quick-tempered.

hobbies: calligraphy, baking, swimming, hiking.

habits: talking to herself, drumming fingers on every surface, chewing the ends of pens, flicking pens/pencils/anything between her fingers, doodle on the corners and margins of her planner, humming when listening to music, tapping her feet when she’s impatient, rubbing her neck when she’s nervous, tugging loose threads when she’s anxious, not listening to others when she’s deep in thought.

zodiac sign: sagittarius sun, leo moon, virgo rising

mbti: esfj-a “the consul”

temperament: sanguine

hogwarts house: ravenclaw

moral alignment: chaotic good

anger: hot

approachability: friendly

sociability: loves being around people, feeling most energized when she’s having deep conversations about topics that interest her. one to not let the conversations die and always finding ways to either continue or spark a new topic, getting so involved in this that she often loses track of  time. she’s easily bored if not involved in social activities and dislikes solitude. it’s not unusual to feel as if you’ve known althea for years after the first meeting as she welcomes everyone with open arms and loves making people feel seen and heard.

detailed personality

restless, cheerful and friendly, althea will happily involve anyone into whatever interest she has or will give up her free time to be engaged in the things her beloved ones are interested in. generous with her time, effort, and emotions, she often takes on the concerns of others as if they were her own, and will attempt to put her energy to help others, eager to please and provide.

secretly, althea needs approval, recognition and admiration; she wants to be seen. goes out of her way to notice what is needed and feels even more motivated when others acknowledge her efforts and express their appreciation. though, sometimes she’s so focused on others that she lacks to pay attention to her own unmet needs and feelings.

however, she’s selective with her friends and is not overly influenced by them. when she feels comfortable, she does like being the center of attention. that is, she likes being in the “spotlight” in the comfort of her own home and with family and friends. enjoys entertaining others and is more able than most people to get others talking, simply because she’s very receptive and sympathetic with an innate ability to pick up others’ feelings and body language.

althea possesses an unwavering ambition: once she’s set on a particular path, she’s not coming back until her purpose is fulfilled. likes to get things done and has a knack for handling a wide variety of tasks at once; a tendency to take on perhaps too much at the same time. very easily distracted and her attention span can be quite short.

doesn’t have an inherent love for routine and established anything’s, but does recognise its value and purpose when it comes to be productive. she’s learnt to be a little more organized and does prefer to stick to certain plans, mostly when it comes to her job due its nature. easily gets stressed when things don’t meet up to expectations. althea sees problems clearly and is able to delegate easily in order to solve them. likes a sense of harmony and cooperation around her, and she’s energetically dedicated to her responsibilities.

able to adapt quite easily to wherever she’s in and, with an outstanding memory, she tends to pick up a lot of information from her environment to facilitate this. althea can be brave, knowing how and what risks to take. she’s able to bend the rules from time to time if she feels the need to do so.

can be a challenge to predict from time to time, even by the closest people to her. can seem very loyal and steady for a while, but althea has a tendency to build up a store of impulsive energy that explodes without warning, taking her interests in bold, new directions.

has always had problems expressing herself, particularly verbally, and much prefers to listen to others than being listened to. whatever she might say is self-censored to some degree. it’s difficult for althea to pour out her emotions because she’s always aware of what others might think of her with what she says, not wanting to accidentally come across as tactless and judgmental. very careful with what she reveals to others.

she can get easily wounded, and when this happens, her emotions are not contained as she “wears her  heart on her  sleeve” but will more often than not avoid burdening others with her own problems and concerns. instead, she likes to channel these dramatic and vibrant emotions into one of her multiple hobbies, mostly baking (she stress-bakes).

to avoid feeling a deep sense of loneliness, she finds ways to connect and be of service to others. she has an innate sense of what to say or do for people to feel seen and admired, taking pride in her ability to comfort and support others. she’s constantly moving away from feelings of worthlessness and towards feelings of connection and appreciation.

background

born as the middle sibling out of the three, althea and her family moved from makati to vancouver when she was almost one year old due to a job opportunity presented to her father.

had a really average childhood with all the pressure being poured onto her sister, five years older than her, and pushed to become the example of the other two. all the while her brother who’s only 2 years younger than althea clearly became the unspoken favorite. being the middle sibling was easy most of the time. so long she didn’t do any extraordinary things, neither good nor bad, althea was able to remain below her parent’s radar.

regular high school experience: neither remarkable nor reprobatory grades, a “steady” friends circle (as much as it can be when a teenager), dated a couple of times, part of the swimming team. by junior year, college never figured in her plans (or the lack thereof).

her parents didn’t quite like the idea but after getting help from her sister who talked to them, they didn’t complain as long as she got a job or helped her mom with hers (she was a seamstress), which is what she ended up doing.

it comes as a stroke of luck when her mother gets a call asking if she could help fix a bride’s dress at the wedding’s venue. her mother, quite busy at the moment, sent althea instead and she quickly fixed it before the ceremony started.

about to depart, crisis after crisis started presenting and it was obvious they were a little understaffed (althea learned a couple of years later that two of the assistants got sick on that same day).

with a little bit of free time in her hands, althea offered her help. by the time every crisis had been averted and she was ready to leave, the event planner took notice of her and offered to become an assistant in her company. at nineteen, thea takes the job.

the company is not as big as many others but still renowned enough to have a steady income of clients and at least one event every couple of weeks. thea was pretty much an errand girl at first and they often sent her to take courses or workshops to learn and hone some skills. (calligraphy, flower arranger, hospitality, etc. she even took an event planning course that went for 9 months, successfully getting a certificate.)

eventually, her opinions start being taken more and more into consideration and she takes more of an active role in the planning process. at twenty one, thea planned her very first wedding (a small one, no more than 50 guests).

she pours all her energy and time into this new phase of her job, loving every second of it and thriving for the compliments she got after every successful event. weddings were mostly her niche, she even planned her sister’s wedding; it doesn’t come as a surprise that she announces the engagement with her college sweetheart, it was actually quite expected. (her parents even implied more than once that they were taking too long).

it’s in one of her events, a birthday party for some socialite, that thea meets the guy that would become her boyfriend for the next two years. despite being surrounded by wealth and pretentiousness, he was unlike any of his peers: sweet, attentive, decent and didn’t pride himself on his parents’ money. it was quite easy to talk and be with him, thus they started dating shortly after.

her life seems to be perfect in every aspect: a good job, more than decent income, a healthy relationship with her boyfriend… her parents couldn’t find anything to complain about… for now.

it’s at the peak of her career as an event planner, that her parents become more and more insisting on questioning her about her status with her boyfriend. “after planning so many weddings, shouldn’t you start planning your own?” asked her mother, which thea always dismissed or ignored to avoid any fights.

truth is, even if weddings were a prominent aspect of her day to day, being a bride and going through the whole ceremony wasn’t something she saw happening in the foreseeable future, and her boyfriend seemed to be on the same page… or at least it was an unspoken thing between the two.

it’s the day before her 23rd birthday that she finds by mistake a ring box in her boyfriend’s apartment. knowing exactly what it meant, thea cracked the box open, finding the most beautiful engagement ring she’s ever seen. and it made her feel sick.

putting it back in its place, the whole night thea acted as if nothing happened despite the emotional turmoil she was going through.

when getting home, the first thing she did was try to find an email from one of her friends who told her about some camp in the philippines that could use an event planner. finally finding it buried deep within her inbox felt like all the answers to her problems were in those couple of lines.

in the middle of the night and with a dire need for adventure, thea left with a bag full of her belongings and all of her savings after booking the next flight to the philippines.

#INFO.TXT #ALTHEA.EXE #LOC.SIARGAO

[pcttrailsidereader]

Spot, Spotters, and Spotted

Dave Baugher has been a regular contributor over the past several years.  Although most of his posts have touched on the poignant and personal side of being out on the PCT, in this story he takes a mostly humorous examination of the using a SPOT device (although he does conclude with a story that reinforces the importance and value of SPOT devices).

Dave has also included a story in the upcoming 10th Anniversary edition of The Pacific Crest Trailside Reader that the Mountaineers Books will be publishing in 2022.

By Dave Baugher

The backpacker and his GPS are more like a match made in the local tavern, like beer and pretzels. Current Global Positioning tracking technology uses a network of satellites to determine the location of a device that was specifically designed for that purpose. The basic idea is that a GPS tracker uses trilateration to determine its physical location based on its distance from three GPS satellites.  For the hiker going about his way on the trail, the technology is innocuous. However, for those following, the technology can spawn a myriad of humor, concerns, and dismay, just like an evening at that local tavern.

However, these devices sometimes baffle sideline audiences and armchair quarterbacks by the hiker's behavior on the trail, as shown on Google maps.  Consider a little during-the-hike episode on the second day of my 2014 Pacific Crest Trail hike when I arrived at Lake Morena.

It was one of those quiet afternoons, with a scattering of high clouds, green cottonwoods around the lake, and the smell of fresh-cut grass on the breeze. Arriving at the county campground early in the afternoon, home tonight would be campsite #31. I laid my pack across the picnic table, took a long deep breath, and basked in the afternoon sun, planning for a much-anticipated shower, dinner, and relaxation.  Getting up, I grabbed my pack; I walked down the dusty road to the Oak Shore Grocery and purchased a couple beers and a local newspaper.  Returning to my campsite, the remainder of the evening played out precisely as planned.  The shower was hot and clean; dinner was satisfying, and reading the newspaper with my cold beer was intimately relaxing.

Later, I discovered that my trip to the store generated multiple jokes amongst my friends who were monitoring my progress along the trail via SPOT; my compatriots were closely watching.   Little did I know that the store was titled “Ice Cream Shop” on Google maps that year.  Doug, a cigar-smoking jokester, slipped in a picture of a hot fudge sundae into my resupply box, retrieved from the Warner Spring Post Office later.

That incident had the usual inferences related to SPOT tracking.  However, there is another facet to spotting folks on the trail when looking at the Google maps on a two-dimensional computer screen.  That same year, while hiking on the JMT/PCT with my son Jacob and future-son-in-law Patrick, we merrily enjoyed our hike along the John Muir Trail.  Family and friends focused on our progress via the SPOT and Google superimposed tracks.  Once we returned home, I had several folks question our progress along several specific areas.  Looking at the map of these locations, it was apparent that these areas had high elevation gradients sections with steep switchbacks.   These challenging vertical sections for folk-uneducated in more nuanced aspects of topographic map detail would look at two-dimensional Google maps as a series of overlapping orange dots on the computer screen and wonder what was going on out there.  Interesting indeed.

Another result of this GPS technology is that these devices are fast becoming legendary as a life-saving tool or beacon for someone in trouble.  An example from 2017, during my spring solitary PCT hike in the Sierras north of Lake Tahoe.  A snowstorm of near-blizzard violence had caught me below a high ridge near the timberline and forced me to take shelter for several nights in my tent.  To my wife, Luann, that orange dot, unmoving for three days, meant I was dead, bear bait, feeding the worms, you get the picture.  Luann would have called out the military to rescue me if it had not been for my son-in-law Patrick.  An Eagle Scout and avid outdoorsman, Patrick had been watching the weather along my route.  Understanding where I was and the current weather conditions, Patrick considered the situation. He reassured a panicked mother-in-law that I was ok.  On the third day, the storm broke, and my Spot’s orange dot began moving once again on the home computer screen.

On that same trip, several of my “Spotters” discussed why my track appeared not to follow the trail.  Confusion reigned amongst these folks spawning conversations about why Dave wandered over the PCT Trail line in a zig-zagging path.  I overlapped the trail in quarter-mile eastward only then to veered westward over the track for another half-mile in a wayward fashion.  Back and forth for days.  Confusion amongst friends? You bet!  Why?  Well, the trail was covered in a deep spring snowpack, buried in fact.  Signs, tree blazes, markers, and PCT emblems were nowhere to be seen in the deep snow.  Conserving my GPS battery, I was using map and compass to follow the trail orienteering from one landmark to another,

Obviously, kinfolk following hikers along the trail via a tracking device retains a propriety attitude toward their favorite hiker.  Actively considering “they” are, in fact, part of the adventure, living vicariously through the daily movement from the device strapped to a dusty pack.  You might get the impression that almost every “Spotter” in my life nowadays has a Dave yarn or two to tell. Many of these should be preserved for posterity. 

On another trip, difficulties began when I included a new friend, Steve, on my PCT Spot tracking list.  During this particular PCT adventure, I encountered heavy snow depths on the PCT in Northern California. An impending spring storm approached the higher elevations out of Castle Craig’s State Park.  After a quiet night's sleep, I awoke to boiling grey clouds, falling snow accompanied by a winter storm warning.  Careful consideration of the weather and the impending climb to higher elevations coming along this trail section for the next 60 miles, I pulled the plug on the hike and retreated home. 

Unfamiliar to my antics on the trail in the past, Steve was confused about why the orange dot was moving back down the trail along the same path from the day before. He contacted several of my friends about my wanderings. Technology malfunction?  Nope, just a wise hiker returning home.  Being spotted by spotters with my Spot on backpack, once again.

However, consider this; carrying a GPS transponder on a pack is an insurance policy for protection from the trail's worst events.  Let me share the story about another hiker, George, from Palo Alto, CA.  On June 30, 2008, during a summer backpacking trip in California’s Kings Canyon National Park, the 52-year-old hiker found himself suffering from acute abdominal pains on day ten of a 200-mile hike along the John Muir Wilderness Trail. At approximately 11:00 pm, George’s pain worsened, which led him to end his trek early and initiate an emergency alert with his SPOT transponder.

From George: “My friend and I were enjoying a great trip when I began experiencing an intense pain in my stomach near Safire Lake as we were setting up camp for the night.”  “I knew something was very wrong, but being so far removed from any help at 10,800’ elevation and deep in the backcountry, I had no choice but put my faith in the SPOT, which I recently purchased for checking in with my family during his expeditions, press the 9-1-1 button and wait for help.”

The GEOS international response center received the message from George’s SPOT unit shortly after 11:15 pm and relayed the information to the Kings Canyon Ranger Center. Due to darkness and the ruggedness of George's terrain, the Ranger had to wait until daybreak before he hiked to George’s location to assess the situation.

According to rescue officials, when they reached George, his pain was severe, and there was no way for him to make it off the mountain on his own. That was when they requested a helicopter for an evacuation.  George was flown to the Community Medical Centers in Fresno. He underwent immediate surgery for a perforated intestine, which, if left untreated, can be fatal. He was released from the hospital a few days later.

This is beautiful technology — the GPS transponder allowing hikers on the trail to happily wander through the mountains in relative safety.  Friends and families able to follow the trek from afar.  However, for the hiker going about his way on the trail, the technology is innocuous. Nevertheless, for those following, the technology can spawn a myriad of concerns, humor, and dismay, just like an evening at your local tavern.

#SPOT #GPS #GPS Tracks #Rescue

[mountainwoman-universe]

Backpacking in the Pacific North West

“You've seen the sun flatten and take strange shapes before it sinks in the ocean. Do you have to tell yourself every time that it's an illusion caused by atmospheric dust and light distorted by the sea, or do you simply enjoy the beauty of it? -John Steinbeck

Backpackers in the Pacific North West are the kindest, and most helpful group of people I have ever met. They treat each other as an equal and the Earth with respect while sharing their fondest memories in the tranquil outdoors. I am going to walk you through why I think these backpackers are a fantastic group of people while I analyze who they are in their online community.

The backpacking community upholds values of respect towards others, constant communication, and helpfulness. They expect members of this community to be honest in their adventures and share the hardships along with the highlights of their trip and everything in between. This group values constant communication, responses to the replies they receive, and to share advice to others by commenting on their inquiries and interacting with each other. This is a close knit community that has continued to grow over the years, they are a wall balanced group with all ages and genders included. They trust one another and invite each other to embark on crazy missions throughout the year.

The backpacking community can be intrigued by all sorts of posts. Because this is such a large community, each person individually is swayed by a different rhetorical appeal such as Ethos, Pathos, Logos. The majority of my posts and the ones I have seen have played upon Ethos. My posts have historically asked for advice from the masters of their craft, If you ask, you shall receive in this group and I have drawn out those who are credible and have given me examples that I can trust what they say.

For example, I used this opportunity to gain some advice from these experts on what backpacks I should use just or short day adventures. My post was specific and detailed requesting what information I needed. [Claire Platt] “Hey Everyone! I’m looking for a nice pack for day hiking, my old Columbia pack ripped and I loved it, but thought I would try something new. Ideally it would have enough shoulder support and a waist strap. If anyone has any advice it will be much appreciated! Happy adventuring.” I received incredible responses from the community that included links to their packs and why they specifically liked them. 

User [travis stein] replied “I have a Fjällräven Kaipak 28 I’ve used for years and it still looks like the day I bought it and it is very comfortable.” Link to recommendation  

Another helpful user responded quickly with multiple recommendations, user Tammy Gillett replied, “Are you looking for a women’s specific? And structured or more relaxed? And what size? I had the older version of this Osprey for many years. Actually still have it. Nothing wrong with it. I started doing slightly smaller hikes and learned not to pack so much that I didn’t need to due to bad hips and prior to my two hip replacements. During that time I started carrying this REI flash 22 and love it. It’s pretty basic and unstructured but I’ve been enjoying not such a big structured pack for the shorter hikes. It holds all I need.”

 Link to recommendation .

REI.COM

Osprey Sirrus 24 Pack - Women's | REI Co-op

Link to recommendation 

REI.COM

REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack | REI Co-op

Ethos has been a great way to reach this knowledgeable community because they love talking about what they love and have found works for them. Its harder to reach this community without asking more informative questions, they don't respond well to pathos. Earlier in January I reached out to this community asking for advice on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer. I mostly wanted advice because it is a large chunk of hiking and I need to train and buy gear for this trip, But I was hoping to get real experience stories. The closest I got to this was a response from [Kim Adkins Spalding] “Following as this is a goal for me and my daughter upon high school graduation.”

Typically this group is full of laid back members who are as honest as possible in their posts, however, there are frequently posts that don't meet the Admins criteria. In October, administrator Matthew Howell posted, “| Posting Requirements | To help with any confusion of what's being asked when sharing your pics to the group, I've highlighted several of my own posts to show as examples. It's not about the exact location, or anything to do with geotagging. In fact, I've never once asked for pics to be geotagged. I just simply would like to know where in the Pacific Northwest your pictures were taken. #backpackinginthepacificnorthwest #postingrequirements #whereinthepacificnorthwest #statethestate.”

This post was created because of an abundance of people submitting posts which were vague about their locations. One of the requirements when joining this group on Facebook is to be as honest as possible, and always tag where your photos are taken. Members are usually good about it, but leaving a place undefined gives this community no insight to where it is to check it out themselves. Keeping things a mystery on Instagram is much different than keeping it secret from a community that is dedicated to exploring, and can be frustrating when users withhold that information.

Additional admin commented on this post, one being David Danskey, “Thanks Matt. I'm on a few other sites and it is not helpful to the group when someone posts a picture and says, "Name this Mountain" or "I'm not giving up my secret location". Those types of posts defeat the purpose of belonging to a group.

It's true that some locations suffer from overuse. That is also helpful information to the unaware reader to know if they choose to go there parking may be scarce and you'll be sharing the trail with a larger number of people.” 

 This group is dedicated to sharing their experiences with the world of backpacking. Matthew Howell created this group because he wanted people who were passionate about the outdoors whether it be day hiking, long trips, questions, concerns, or even humorous posts that would keep the community positive are welcomed. The idea behind this is to create a dedicated network that allows for people to feel comfortable and have an online support system within their network.

This community mostly sees photographs of those who have escaped the confines of their home and got outdoors, they see posts of what is going on around them in the way of events, backpacking places, best times of year to go etc. Though recently snow hit the Pacific Northwest and a humorous post from Matt Bromley captured attention from these packers. “When you have snow in Portland and just have to check how your gear works at 25.”

Bromley took advantage of the rarity of snow in Portland and put his gear to the test. This post hit the community by storm (pun intended) and gave backpackers in this area the same idea, to test out their gear for a cold night.

After all my posting in this community I found that posts that are asking for advice always received an abundance of it. This community has been so helpful in preparation of an adventure, it is honestly amazing how much they care about other people sharing the community. It has been great to see posts of beautiful pictures receiving comments and likes while also seeing people getting involved in the planning process of other people's trips.

Posting on facebook grabs this community's attention better than any other platform. I have found that this is a group of people in different backgrounds such as economic status, gender, age, and experience level. On facebook, interaction is a high and are always very organized. People comment on posts and create their own threads to comment on. The conversations are always respectful, and disagreements are handled in mature ways. Most negative comments are erased by the admin and people are very good about reporting people who are bringing the group down. 

This group is wealthy in knowledge, when I ask for recommendations on equipment I get large ranges of cheap to expensive yet, no matter the financial burden of getting supplies, getting outside nature is free, and getting recommendations of these beautiful places is unmatched from anyone else. This group is a great group to join if you are considering backpacking as a pastime in the future, whether you're green at this adventurous lifestyle or matured, they would be happy to have you and learn from the experiences you have created for yourself. Backpacking in the Pacific Northwest is open to everyone, happy adventuring, and don't forget sunscreen.

Cited

Platt, Claire. Looking for Backpack. Facebook, 2 Feb 2021, 1:44pm, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

Stein, Travis. reply. Facebook, Facebook, 2 Feb 2021, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 .

Gillette, Tammy. Backpack reply. Facebook,Facebook, 2 Feb 2021, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

Spalding, Kim Adkins. reply. Facebook, 26 january 2021, 9:00am, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

Howell, Matthew. Post Requirements. Facebook, 8 October 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

Dansley, David. Post Requirements reply. Facebook, 8 October 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

Bromley, Matt. Advantage of snow day. Facebook, 12 February 2021, 9pm https://www.facebook.com/groups/backpackinginthepacificnorthwest/. 14 Feb 2021 

#backpacking #nature #gear #outdoors #mountains #hikelife #pnw #oregon

[bnha-ra]

Wait wait wait that supernatural au you talked about sounds so freakin cool wth I would for sure read anything you wrote about that!!

Is this late? You bet your fucking arse. 

My friend, seeing as you asked so nicely, I’m going to give notes about this au because it is probably needed.

There might be some triggering terms in here guys, so I warn you before reading!

Starting with the realms! There are three in existence, which are called

The Higher Realm (I changed the name, Upper didn’t sound right)

The Middle Realm

The Lower Realm

The Higher Realm is basically Heaven, in the supernatural au. It’s where the Gods/Goddess reside and where All Might reigns over. Much isn’t known about the Higher Realm, other than those worthy go to the Realm once they pass into the afterlife. Mortals, monster and human alike, cannot venture into the Realm without permission from a God/Goddess.

Within the Higher Realm resides The Council, a group of Gods/Goddess that protect the Middle Realm and rule over it from above. All Might is the head of the Council and (Name)’s mother was also a participant, however, since her disappearance, her seat has been left empty for her (Hopeful) return)

The Middle Realm is Earth, inhabited by monsters, humans, animals and plants! Monsters and humans live separate from each other, some communities of Humans know about Monsters and some don’t, those who know tend to hate monsters because of fear and a rough past with them. Due to their separation, the two species basically live in different centuries.

Humans live in modern society, they have technology, they have public transport, etc. while Monsters basically still live in the Medieval era, send letters to communicate, walk, hike, horseback, etc. are the only ways to travel and yeah.

and finally, The Lower Realm, or in other words, Hell. The place you go when you’ve done wrong, evil, things during your lifetime. The Realm is nicknamed “The Home of Chaos” as most evil entities tend to reside there and it’s the birthplace of demons. There are Nine Circles to the Lower Realm (Kudos to Dante’s Inferno which I’ve never read (: ) to which have nine ruling entities to it (Todoroki’s father, or his alias, Endeavour is the ruler of the circle “Wrath”) You are assigned a Circle depending on your greatest sin. The Circles go as follows: (This has been changed from the original Nine Circles my dudes)

Sloth - For those who haven’t done anything inherently evil, but have had their shared experiences where they’ve watched people get hurt and have done nothing about it. (For example, let’s say a mother sat back while her child was being continuously abused by the father, or a spouse knew their other half was killing people but sat back as they did it)

Lust - This goes for sexual lust and blood lust (So, for example, people who have sexually abused, assaulted, raped, etc other people or murderers end up in this Circle)

Envy - Those who have felt jealous of others but have used horrid ways to quench it (Let’s say, a father abuses his son because his son is better at something than him, or lets say a robber mercilessly kills someone else for their stuff)

Greed - Those who have acted upon their greedy urges for the whole of their life (Mostly people in power (Monarchs, generals, presidents, etc) tend to end up here because of their Greed for more land, riches and power)

Wrath - People who let their anger get the best of them, releasing their rage on others or ending with something bad happening (Most abusers end up in this circle)

Pride - People who have sinned against others, committed atrocities and have felt Pride for them (For example, Hitler, Mussolini, etc.)

Violence - Those who have assaulted, hurt, killed others because they felt it was there right and there was no excuse for their violent actions (Once again, murderers, abusers, serial killers, etc.)

Fraud - Those who had tricked and lied their way in their lives for their own cruel/selfish benefit

Treachery - Worst of the worst, the most sinister entities in existence are trapped down there. They aren’t human, they’re beyond evil and so they’re trapped in a cage, hidden away from everything.

There is a ruling entity of the Realm, however, seeing as it was so malevolent to the demons and other inhabitants of the Realm, they overthrew it and locked it away in the Circle of Treachery. No one is allowed to speak its name in fear it will give it power again to overthrow everyone and break free of the Realm. The Nine Kings basically act as guardians, not all of them are bad but then again it is the Lower Realm so they’re not really good either, but they all agree, no one wants it getting out. 

One king rules one Circle each but together, they rule the whole of the Lower Realm. Also, think of demons as the “Slaves of the Lower Realm”, their main purpose in life is to survive the rulers of the Lower Realm by either doing their bidding, acting as the torturers for the sinners that fall into their Circle or tricking humans/monsters into falling to sin so that they end up in the Lower Realm once they kick the bucket.

Okay, that’s it so far for the Realms. Next,

The Capital

It’s the leading city of monsters and Wiccan! It’s known around the whole world! Even beings from the Higher Realm and the Lower Realm know about this city. It’s centred in an unknown location in the Middle Realm and the only way to get to it is through magic means. 

Within the Capital resides The True Parliament a group of leading monsters and Wiccan picked from each species to represent the others that make the rules of the magic world, oversee the magic world and represent any and all magic.

The Capital is a heavy sought-out place for young monsters to start out their life, mostly young Wiccan though as they have a chance to become a Warden.

A Warden is a monster or Wiccan who protect the community from harm and has special permission from The Ture Parliament to use magic to protect others. They’re centred around cityscapes that tend to have rogue monsters and Wiccan.

Also, I’ve mentioned them a lot, but for anyone wondering, a “rogue” is a monster or Wiccan who has turned to the dark forces and act out with the aim to hurt others around them.

The Barrier, The Pocket, The Town and The Midoriya Family Farm!

Alright! Let’s do this! 

The Barrier as its name entails is two magic barrier-like walls between the human forest and the monster forest! It protects the monsters from the savage humans that reside within the town. (Name)’s mother had put down the barrier after the incident before her disappearance as a way to keep the monsters safe while she wasn’t there. There is the human barrier and the monster barrier. Humans who try to pass through their barrier will only end up in another destination, miles away from it with a mind wipe about ever seeing it. Monsters and Wiccan, however, are unaware of their barrier, as the forest beyond the barrier from their side just makes way for more forest, as though the barrier isn’t there. It takes a special spell or special item to pass through the barrier to what truly lies beyond it. The Guardians are centred between the two walls, where they patrol on a 24 hour, 7 days a week basis to make sure that nothing happens to the barrier.

The Pocket is where (Name)’s home resides, a space between the walls. She has a little cottage that her father and mother had built when they were younger and it’s where she lives, hidden away from others to protect her from the dangers from the outside world. The guardians and the Midoriyas are the only ones allowed into the pocket.

The Town is, well, a town just on the outskirts of a monster forest and is surrounded by woodland in all directions. There is only one road in and out of the town so it’s pretty secluded, they’re kind of sheltered and they hate the supernatural. It is believed to be from a grudge of old ruling supernatural entities that cause their hatred and even though there have been multiple attempts to soothe over old wounds from the monster's side, the whole town is too stubborn to accept it. They have hunters, people who are trained to capture/kill monsters, who watch the outskirts of town to make sure no supernatural creatures leave it.

Also, the Midoriya Family farm! The Midoriya farm is huge and is about a mile into the forest, on the outskirts of The Barrier. It is a farm blessed by the nature Goddess herself, (Name)’s mother, that provides fresh food to the town, the Guardians, (Name) and the nearby city. (Which is probably a 3-hour drive from the farm) It is owned and run by Midoriya Inko and her son, Midoriya Izuku helps her out around the farm on a day to day basis. Despite their amazing food and fast harvest rates, no one else in the town as ever seen anyone leave other than Inko and Izuku, nor does anyone else in the town work at the farm. The town, on many occasion, have believed that the farm is guilty of witchcraft, however, they cannot prove this, do not want to ruin their only true source of food for miles and for some reason, there always seems to be people working in the fields or around the barn when people try to investigate?

Okay! That’s what I got for solid so far! If anyone has any other questions, please ask them.

A friend of mine has asked something already!

What happens in a human walks into monster territory?

While that’s highly unlikely due to The Barrier, if there were the odd human that did get past it, they would be captured by monsters, have their mind wiped with an amnesia spell then sent back their way to the human world! This is so it doesn’t cause tensions for the two worlds! However, if they are caught by a rogue monster, that human is dead for sure. 

#boku no hero academia imagine #my hero academia imagine #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha imagine #mha imagine #bnha scenario #mha scenario #supernatural au #au prompt

[annapurnacircuitblog]

Post Visit Evaluation and Analysis on Annapurna Circuit

Annapurna Base Camp that has been known as the lodges' small cluster on the opposite side of the glacier named Annapurna in Nepal. The Annapurna Base Camp's trek is considered an outstanding journey among a few of the highest peak treks in the world. The concept of tourism is determined as the specific activities shortlisted by own desire or choice as well as executed outer-side of the environment of the home. It is also known as the functions of travelling or visiting as well as exploring outside places to spend leisure time (Camilleri, 2018). With the same concept, I decided to visit Annapurna Base Camp destination to have an incredible and outstanding experience of exploring and going through the challenging treks. My expectations from the trip have been that I wished to view and enjoy the beautiful valley, explore the attractions of the mountain and stay in a tent at the location from where the sun-set point could be visible effectively. I encountered similar experiences as the trip trail took me through a beautiful valley surrounded by vegetation's variety.

While performing trekking to Chomrung from Ghandruk, there have been fern, rhododendron as well as bamboos. Once after crossing the point Sinuwa, I reached Annapurna sanctuary where the forest got highly dense that was although frightening to some extent but beautiful at the same time. Maslow's need theory guides that the motivation for travel gets generated among individuals in case they have a feeling of satisfaction with their needs about psychological expectations (Adiele and Abraham, 2013). Thus, I evaluated that my expectations have been fulfilled with this trip to Annapurna Base Camp to a significant extent. However, as the Annapurna Base Camp had a trek of length 67km, I failed in finding out sun-set point to place my tent for stay.

On the online platform, while visiting the web-source and articles, I found that for covering a total track of 67km length, 9 days have been essential (IndiaHikes, 2021). However, after my experience, I wanted to share that it is good for future visitors to keep a spare day with consideration of the risk of unfavourable weather. My online experience of visualising the attractions of Annapurna Base Camp has been highly significant as I found plenty of information regarding customer services. For example, I analysed that this location follows Nepali culture and the food provided at the majority of tea houses tends to be in Nepalese trend. I further identified online that in the treasure of mountain, Machapuchare i.e. a fish-tailed attractive mountain has been known for the incredible beauty of it and it was regarded as one of the places where Lord Shiva stays. Such types of information found from an online platform remained highly supportive for me as I enjoyed experiencing Nepali culture and food of their local style. Self-categorisation theory in the field of tourism explains the above aspect more clearly that the individuals themselves define the group identity or category of them in the geographical locations with their cognitive dimensions (Jostad et al., 2015). Thus, due to the Nepalese food style and language, I evaluated the prevalence of Nepali culture across the Annapurna Base Camp.  I also explored Machapuchare that offered me a divine environment and provide peace to my soul with the utmost beauty. Further, multiple customer services were observed on online platforms like booking confirmation service, cancellation policy, refund mechanism, three-day meals, items to carry like sunglasses, trekking suit and oximeters etc (Thrillophilia, 2021). In this way, a suitable advisory was obtained from an online platform to make the trip effective.

Furthermore, I also observed online that the local community-based in the Annapurna Base Camp has been Nepali; although due to the prevalence of migrants, English was the common language for making interactions that proved to be convenient for the trip. Moreover, the local culture was noted as highly welcoming as people were interactive and supportive to guide the travellers and share their life-styles to assist the stay for visitors in Annapurna Base Camp (IndiaHikes, 2021). Thus, it is evaluated that host-tourist relation has been observed to be highly strong in this location. As per the theory of planned behaviour, the individuals used to form decisions based on logical plans and reasonable aspects (Ajzen, 2011). Similarly, by visualising effective local culture, welcoming attitude of people and common language for interaction in Annapurna Base Camp, I planned to visit this location while having positive feelings after making an online search.

Apart from this, it is identified that the government of Nepal for boosting tourism, has been constantly funding the development of proper roads in the treks so as to provide a comfortable and convenient experience to the visitors. For evidence, till the year 2017 to 2018, feeder roads and highways have been developed to greater than estimated 6,700 extra miles by government funding (Shapiro, 2020). I further found that organisations like the Himalayan Glacier Adventure Travel organisation host variety of events to enhance the trip experience at Annapurna Base Camp. This organisation conducts events like trekking and hiking, cultural and historical tours, climbing and expedition, heli tours and religious tours for attracting tourists (Himalayan Glacier, 2021). However, I did not refer the local organisations to host my event as I used management of my trip by myself through exploring the place and services on Google through the internet.  

Further, I did not find adequate provision for corporate meetings as well as incentive-based travel for this location of Annapurna Base Camp. On the other side, the environmental factor was also observed that might hamper the trip due to the changing atmosphere or weather in this location.  Black swan theory guides that the events generate suddenly or surprisingly might pose a major or adverse impact (Ponkin, 2019). Similarly, I also encountered difficulty because of sudden winds and rain on my trip to this camp; so I would like to suggest future visitors take care of this aspect. Additionally, it is also noted that there has been strong physical infrastructure funded by the government and facilities of vehicles to travel in the region (Shapiro, 2020).

           Apart from it, I also evaluated that the tourism's impact gets minimised in Annapurna Base Camp protecting the environment, encouraging the use of renewable energy and raising funds or donations to fulfil basic requirements of water (NP.UNDP, 2017). In addition, for visitors' management, there are multiple factors like the staff of tea shops, porters and guides to effectively interact and welcome visitors to Annapurna Base Camp for attracting and influencing them. It is analysed by my experience that beautiful mountains, effective local food and common English language for communication help in managing visitors’ attraction to this location (IndiaHikes, 2021).

           However, while critically analysing my experience of this trip, I also wanted to convey that a sustainability issue might occur during the travelling to Annapurna Base Camp. In this essence, I wanted to share evidence that multiple other visitors throwing waste, using excessive natural resources like water and making the environment polluted contribute towards environmental destruction to some extent. The triple-bottom-line model of sustainability emphasises the need for managing social and environmental wellbeing maintenance with human actions along with the financial benefits (Ahi and Searcy, 2015). Thus, it is analysed that sustainability planning needs to be strong in this region for enhancing travellers’ experience level while also managing environmental wellbeing. On the distinct side, visitors' information was noted to be effective in Annapurna Base Camp; for example, guides for a tour provided significant knowledge of routes, destinations and attractions in this location that enhanced my experience of this trip and it would also be beneficial for future travellers to this location (IndiaHikes, 2021). Further, I preferred to stay in tents as I wanted to explore the natural beauty during my trip-period; however, there have been distinct types of accommodations in the Annapurna Base Camp region such as Himalaya Hotel and Dwarika’s Hotel. These hotels offer luxury facilities like deluxe bed, comfort-based world-class accommodation and effective ambience for travellers’ experience enhancement (Hotel Himalaya, 2021; Remote Lands, 2021). Thus, it is advisable for future travellers to go for luxury hotels in case they want effective comfort, a high-class accommodation experience and a relaxing trip.

Finally, the future challenge identified for the selected destination was related to sustainability and environmental problems because of increasing wastage, rising pollution and depletion of natural resources due to excessive consumption. The concept of the model of environmentally responsible behaviour supports the aspect of showing a positive attitude towards the management of environmental wellbeing and sustainability through perceiving values for nature and society (Chenget al.,2019). Thus, the Nepal government and tourist management agencies require taking care of managing environmental sustainability for boosting tourism and trips at Annapurna Base Camp.

References

Adiele, E.E. and Abraham, N. 2013. Achievement of Abraham Maslow's Needs Hierarchy Theory among Teachers: Implications for Human Resource Management in the Secondary School System in Rivers State. Journal of Curriculum and Teaching 2(1), pp. 140-144.

Ahi, P. and Searcy, C. 2015. Assessing sustainability in the supply chain: A triple bottom line approach. Applied Mathematical Modelling 39(10-11), pp. 2882-2896.

Ajzen, I. 2011. The theory of planned behaviour: Reactions and reflections. Psychology & Health 26(9), pp. 113-1127.

Becken, S., Lama, A.K. and Espiner, S. 2013. The cultural context of climate change impacts: Perceptions among community members in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Environmental Development 8, pp. 22-37.

Bhatia, R. 2019. Annapurna Base Camp Trek – A Backpacker’s Guide. [Online]. Available at: https://www.adventurenation.com/blog/backpackers-guide-about-annapurna-base-camp-trek/ [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Camilleri, M.A. 2018. The Tourism Industry: An Overview. In Travel Marketing, Tourism Economics and the Airline Product, pp. 3-27.

Carrillo, B., Barbieri, C., Knollenberg, W. and Edwards, M.B. 2020. The stress from my tour leading job: Differences between genders. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 44, pp. 211-214.

Cheng, T.M., Wu, H.C., Wang, J.T.M. and Wu, M.R.  2019. Community Participation as a mediating factor on residents’ attitudes towards sustainable tourism development and their personal environmentally responsible behaviour. Current Issues in Tourism 22(14), pp. 1764-1782.

Dhakal, B., Sthapit, A.B. and Khanal, S.P. 2017. Factor analysis of local residents’ perceptions towards social impact of tourism in Nepal. International Journal of Statistics and Applied Mathematics 2, pp. 1-7.

Exciting Nepal. 2019. Annapurna Base Camp Trek Map. [Online]. Available at: https://excitingnepal.com/annapurna-base-camp-trek-map/ [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Gellatly, P. 2011. A post trek exploratory study on the physical and psychological ill health effects of trekking to Everest base camp following observations by the author. Chesterrep, pp. 10-20.

Gurung, H., Buckey, R., Castley, G. and Jennings, G. 2008. Tourism and Local Communities in the Annapurna Region, Nepal. In Conference publications (extract paper) Re-creating tourism-New Zealand Tourism and Hospitality Research Conference, pp. 1-10.

Himalayan Glacier. 2021. Tailor Made Holidays for All Types of Travellers. [Online]. Available at: https://www.himalayanglacier.com/ [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Hotel Himalaya. 2021. Welcome to Hotel Himalaya. [Online]. Available at: https://hotelhimalaya.com.np/ [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

India Hikes. 2020. ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP TREK. [Online]. Available at: https://indiahikes.com/annapurna-base-camp/#gref [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

IndiaHikes. 2021. Annapurna Base Camp Trek. [Online]. Available at: https://indiahikes.com/annapurna-base-camp/#gref [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Inskipp, C. and Chaudhary, H. 2016. The first record of West Himalayan Bush Warbler Locustella kashmirensis for Nepal. Indian BIRDS, 12(4&5), pp. 1-3.

Joshi, S. and Dahal, R. 2019. Relationship between social carrying capacity and tourism carrying capacity: a case of Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Education 9, pp. 10-20.

Jostad, J., Sibthorp, J., Pohja, M. and Gookin, J. 2015. The adolescent social group in outdoor adventure education: Social connections that matter. Research in outdoor Education 13(1), pp. 16-37.

Kemp, C. 2016. NEPAL - HIKING TO ANNAPURNA BASE CAMP...EXPLORING THE LOCAL FOOD AS EVER. [Online]. Available at: http://www.grubandgumption.com/news/2016/8/15/nepal-hiking-to-annapurna-base-campexploring-the-local-food-as-ever [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Kim Kim. 2020. Annapurna Base Camp Trek - 15 Days. [Online]. Available at: https://www.kimkim.com/c/annapurna-base-camp-trek [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

NP.UNDP. 2017. A ‘Clean’ Path to Empowerment. [Online]. Available at: https://www.np.undp.org/content/nepal/en/home/presscenter/articles/2017/06/30/a-clean-path-to-empowerment.html [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Ponkin, I.V. 2019. " Black Swan" Event as Manifestation of Uncertainties in Public Administration. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences 10(2), pp. 9-9.

Remote Lands. 2021. Trek to Annapurna Sanctuary. [Online]. Available at: https://www.remotelands.com/itinerary/trek-to-annapurna-sanctuary [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Shapiro, M. 2020. In remote Nepal, new roads bring opportunity—and conflict. [Online]. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/new-roads-impact-tourism-and-trekking-business [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

Thrillophilia. 2021. Annapurna Base Camp Trek Overview. [Online]. Available at: https://www.thrillophilia.com/tours/annapurna-base-camp-trekking [Accessed on: 16 March 2021].

#tourismtourisminnepalannapurnaannapurnacircuit

[thedenimdentist]

Truman Boot Co: Java Waxed Flesh MTO Review & 1 Year Update

Introduction

Truman Boot Company is an American boot making company founded in 2014 in Pennsylvania. They later moved out to Boulder, CO, and recently moved again to their current location in Eugene, OR.

This will not be so much of an in-depth review of the Java Waxed Flesh boot by Truman Boot Company, as an amazingly extensive and detailed review was already written by Nick over at stridewise.com. Instead, my goal is to provide a quick overview of my specific pair of Java Waxed Flesh boots (including the customizations I chose and their build quality), as well as provide detailed photographs capturing the patina they’ve developed over the past year. 

Customization

I designed these boots through an MTO order placed back in March 2019. The customizations I chose were as follows:

Last: P-79 last

Size: 11EE

Construction: stitchdown (+$100)

Vamp: cap toe

Heel style: standard, no pull tabs

Stitching: brown

Ankle style: plain

Tongue leather: dark brown

Hardware configuration: 7 eyelets

Hardware finish: antique brass

Toe construction: unstructured

Sole: commando

Sizing

When buying my first pair of Truman boots, I was having a really difficult time determining what size I should order. After speaking to Truman and multiple people through Instagram, it was recommended I buy a size 10EE (based on my Red Wing Iron Ranger size, 9.5EE). Man, was that off. I normally have to wear my boots with a full length orthotic, and I could barely squeeze my foot into the size 10EE boots without the insert. I had to send those back to Truman to be stretched (to a size they claimed was 10.5EE) only to find that it was still way too tight. I ultimately had to sell those boots, and ended up purchasing 3 pairs of size 11EE Trumans within 2 months. (Probably not the best idea, but luckily 11EE was my correct size, so it all worked out.)

Tl;dr: I’m a size 11EE in Truman’s P-79 last.

Above are the two lasts offered by Truman: the C-55 last and the P-79 last (image taken from the Truman website). The C-55 last was not available when I purchased my Java Waxed Flesh boots, and has more of a formal, almond-shaped toe. Unfortunately, Truman does not yet offer wide EE sizing in this C-55 last, so I wouldn’t have been able to choose it anyway.

Below I’ve listed my sizes in boots from other brands for reference:

Truman Boot Company - 11EE

Viberg (1035 last) - 10.5

Red Wing, Iron Ranger - 9.5EE

Thursdays - 10.5

Onderhoud - 44E

Parkhurst - 11

For a deeper dive into how my feet suck and why sizing is always an issue for me when buying any footwear, please refer to my Onderhoud review (here).

(Above are the orthotic inserts I wear in my boots. They’re full length memory foam, so all my boots feel like slippers. Available on Amazon.)

Above are my 3 pairs of Trumans (from left to right: Java Waxed Flesh, Black Waxy Commanders, and Aubergine Horserump), along with my Red Wing Iron Rangers. All 3 Trumans are size 11EE with unstructured toes. (I’ve heard others recommend dropping down a half size for Trumans with a structured toe box. I can’t say for sure since I’ve never tried, so don’t quote me on that.)

Price & Shipping

The base price for these boots was $380. With the $100 fee for stitchdown construction, the final price came out to be $480 (plus $18 shipping). I placed my order on 3/15/2019, they were completed and shipped on 5/17/2019, and the boots were delivered on 5/23/2019.

Leather

Java Waxed Flesh is vegetable-tanned roughout leather produced exclusively for Truman by Horween Leather Company in Chicago. The leather starts as a rich, dark java brown color with a glossy waxed finish. This durable waxy coat makes this leather extremely durable and water-resistant. However, this glossy finish will scratch and scuff away with wear, revealing a roughout surface texture with a lighter, warmer color tone.

Waxed flesh is a great leather option for those who don’t want to worry too much about leather maintenance. Other than a quick brush down every once in a while, I have yet to apply any conditioner to my boots.

Unboxing & Initial Impressions

Unfortunately, when I first received these boots I had no intention of ever writing a review for them, and thus did not take very detailed photos. However, by looking at the photos I did take (and comparing to how they look now), these boots were constructed and finished very nicely. The stitching on the uppers appears to be very clean and neat, and the patterns are symmetrical between the left and right boots.  

Straight from the box, these boots felt like tanks. The chunky commando sole gave them significant weight and made them feel very rugged and sturdy. The leather was fairly thick and stiff with a waxy gloss finish, making it feel like armor when trying them on for the first time.

One area that I wish Truman had done a little cleaner is the two rows of stitchdown welt stitching. The spacing between the two rows is a bit inconsistent, with the outer row being a little wiggly in some places. It isn’t bad by any means. There are no loose stitches and the stitch density appears fairly consistent all around (I’ve seen far sloppier welt stitching out there on Instagram). That being said, I have no complaints about the durability and functionality of the stitchdown construction on these Trumans. I have no doubt that this welt stitching would far outlast the life of the commando soles, and will present no issues with resoling when the time comes. 

I admit, I have been told that I place a higher emphasis on the cleanliness and finishing of my boots than most (I blame Jake, @almostvintagestyle). I’ve come to appreciate the extremely precise and uniform stitching I’ve seen on boots by custom boot makers such as Rizky (@onderhoud.handmade), Peng (@flamepanda11), and Goto-San of White Kloud (@show_goto). I acknowledge that the precision and uniformity of a boot’s welt stitching mostly just aesthetics and has little effect on the durability/longevity of a boot (as long as it doesn’t fall apart or any cause issues with resoling in the future). However, I still believe that how cleanly a boot is constructed speaks to the craftsmanship and overall attention to detail of the boot maker, making me proud to own, wear, and post photos of their work.

(The very clean and uniform welt stitching on my Onderhoud derbies.)

1 Year & 139 Wears Later

As the header states, I have worn these Java Waxed Flesh boots 139 times over the past year (actually 11 months, but as the world is currently closed due to COVID-19, these boots probably won’t be worn much more over the next month anyway). The waxed flesh leather has broken in significantly and is much more flexible and comfortable. However, the leather still feels very thick and rugged, especially in comparison to my other smoothout leather boots. I admit, these are not my most comfortable pair. Even fully broken in, this waxed flesh leather is not nearly as comfortable as the Aubergine Horserump used on my other pair of Trumans (which were soft and pliable from the start). However, these javas are definitely my most heavy-duty boots. I feel like I could go into battle with these while still maintaining that slimmer, service boot silhouette.

You can tell by the rolls and creases in the leather that the leather has conformed nicely to my feet. Also, at this angle you can really see the uneven, asymmetric, and wiggly welt stitching that I mentioned previously (especially on the outside of the right boot). 

Here is a top-down view of the toe shape of the P-79 last in size 11EE (wide).

As I stated earlier, these boots are rugged tanks and can withstand quite a beating. However, being a dentist living in the suburbs, I don’t subject these boots (or any of my boots really) to the outdoor manual labor for which they were built. The smooth waxy coating has only really scuffed away in areas of high flexure (where my toes crease and around the neck of the boot where I wrap my laces). Other than that, the majority of the boots still maintain the glossy shine, even after nearly 140 wears.

Looking back, one thing that I might’ve changed is getting a dainite instead of the commando sole. I opted for the commando sole because I felt like it complemented the rugged aesthetic of the waxed flesh leather. However, as these boots are worn mostly at work in a dental office and walking casually around Target, the functional traction the commando soles provide has had little use for me. I actually prefer the dainite soles of my other Truman boots, as my feet feel more balanced and sturdy on the ground. (This may be because the width of the commando sole actually in contact with the ground is significantly narrower than my feet, as you can see in the photo above.) Ultimately, this is still just my personal preference. There is nothing wrong with the commando sole used by Truman. When the time comes for a resole, I’ll probably send them to Brian at Role Club for some half soles and a low woodsman heel.

I’ve read online that some people find the heel (counter) of Truman boots to be bulbous and wide, resulting in some heel slip. Personally I haven’t had any issues with the heel.

While my boot collection is still fairly small, I can definitely say that I prefer unstructured over structured toe boxes. I absolutely love the silhouette of a boot after the leather has broken in and the toe has fully collapsed, conforming to the shape of the owner’s foot. The toe boxes of these Trumans have partially collapsed, and I look forward to seeing how they continue to mold to my feet in the future.

Conclusion

Overall, I am very happy with the construction quality of these boots by Truman, as well as how they’ve broken in over the past year. They are by far the most rugged boot I own (other than my Red Wing Iron Rangers), and would be my first choice should I ever need to do anything outdoors (like hike, or go camping, or whatever). The waxed finish of the leather still has a lot of life to it (I’m guessing, based on the amount of sheen still left on the boot), and I look forward to see how they look after another year of wear.

In the Wild

Below, I’ve compiled a few extra photos I’ve taken of these Java Waxed Flesh boots as I’ve broken them in over the past year. For more photos of these boots, as well as the rest of my denim and boots collection, please check out my Instagram (@thedenimdentist). 

[readyplayerhobi]

A Constellation of Fires | 02

; Hoseok x Reader

; Genre: Angst, fluff, smut

; Word Count: 29.2k

; Warnings: Talk of scarring, oral sex (giving), severe self-doubting, panic attack, traumatic events

; Synopsis: Vulcan Industries, a titan in the world of technological inventions that have helped humanity progress. Despite its influence though, their CEO remains a mystery to the world, content to simply invent in the shadows. That is, until a journalist uncovers the mystery that connects a simple car mechanic to the technology giant.

; A/N: I’m sorry it took so long to come out...I’m sorry it’s so long (RIP your apps)...I hope people enjoy :3 PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU DID BECAUSE THIS IS RIDE.

; Greek Gods Series

Hades; Poseidon; Zeus; Hephaestus; Artemis; Athena; Ares;

01 | 02

-

It takes more than a few days for you to get used to the tiny town you now inhabit. You’re used to towering buildings, air pollution, fast food chains on every other block and traffic that barely seems to move yet screams at you when you somehow interrupt them.

But here, it’s like time moves at a snail’s pace. In fact, you’d witnessed your very first traffic jam only the other morning. It was kind of adorable, given that there were only two main roads in this entire town but someone had been rear-ended at the one set of the traffic lights.

Even that had been an introduction into small town life as you’d watched in fascination as they’d amiably greeted each other with a back slapping hug before they began to talk. You’d wondered why they weren’t screaming at each other for the damage or exchanging insurance until you saw Hoseok pull up alongside them in a tow truck you hadn’t even noticed at the garage.

He’d greeted both men with his brilliant smile, so bright and wide that you’d seen it even from your apartment window, before checking over the damage. The town’s sheriff had taken it upon himself to wander over to the accident, chatting with everyone while Hoseok assessed everything.

You presumed that it was just a mere accident as no one seemed to get arrested or even written up, and Hoseok had directed the first car to drive back to his garage. He’d hooked up the second car, obviously deeming it to be undriveable, or at least not safe, before driving off.

And that had been it.

You’d been so fascinated by the whole process that you’d almost written a whole article on the eccentricities of small town life. It had only been when you’d realised how dumb it would sound that you’d meekly deleted the Word document, scolding yourself as you tried to remember that you were trying to uncover information about Vulcan.

It was nice overall though, and you quite enjoyed your little walks in the fresh air. You hadn’t quite realised what you’d been missing out on, living in the concrete jungle that is the city.

Although it’s not all roses. You’d kill for a Starbucks or something, and the lack of your favourite take out meant you were craving sushi so bad. It made you feel a little stuck up when you realised what you were doing, but you figured that you could cope with it for a while longer.

Because the positives really did outweigh the negatives, and if you ignored the assignment you had then it was easy to just pretend that you were on a long vacation somewhere. The mountain air was truly refreshing and you had an oddest urge to hike.

Though that may have possibly been because of one Jung Hoseok. The mysterious mechanic was still sending your journalist spidey-senses tingling, but you would be a straight up Pinocchio if you said that he wasn’t possibly the sweetest guy ever.

You hadn’t actually seen him in person in three weeks now, the accident not included, due to him being overwhelmed with work for the first two and then being away for work for the last. That on its own had sent your investigative feelings haywire, wondering how on earth a tiny mechanic’s garage in a teensy town in the middle of the nowhere could possibly be busy enough to warrant not seeing someone for two weeks.

And then going away? Where did he have to go? His workplace was literally only like...a hundred feet away from his home. He was a delightful mystery that you were positively itching to unwrap, even if you felt a strong sense of unease at potentially hurting such a sweet and compassionate soul.

Because he was. He really, truly, was quite possibly the kindest person you’d met.

Even though he’d been busy with his work, he’d made sure to message you once he finished to check that you were okay and query what you’d been up to. Multiple apologies had been sent for him being too busy, but he’d also sent you many suggestions about things to do both in the town and the surrounding areas.

It was because of him that you’d discovered the next town over, a whole twenty minutes away, had a movie theatre and a bowling alley. You’d also discovered that there were multiple hiking and walking trails around the mountains and forests that surrounded this tiny town when he’d casually mentioned it one day.

A further query had resulted in him telling you that he’d grown up around mountains and felt at peace on their tall slopes, reminding him of the peaceful times in his life. It had almost made you want to go on a hike yourself, before you remembered that this was the first time you’d ever even seen a mountain and you’d probably die from some stupid reason.

Hoseok had also been exceptionally patient with you and your incessant questions about the area, querying the history of certain places or even buildings. He seemed to have a surprising amount of knowledge for someone who was a self-proclaimed introvert, but was happy to let you be privy to his veritable wealth of information.

It was remarkable how comfortable he was talking with you for long periods of time through text as well, given how open he had been about not understanding how to communicate with people properly. He would often start texting at around 8 or 9pm and continue until he went to bed at 11pm.

You’d queried why he didn’t want to call once, and he’d taken a while to respond. Though not because he was avoiding the question, but more like he didn’t seem to know what to say given the three dots that kept appearing and disappearing constantly.

He’d finally simply responded by saying that he didn’t feel comfortable on the phone with people who weren’t customers, and so preferred text as there was no expectations on his responses. Which seemed reasonable enough to you, and you didn’t want to push him any further than he was willing to go.

His texts had become even less frequent since he’d gone away, so you’d settled for exploring more and trying to make at least a single friend in this forgotten town. June was happy to talk to you, but you didn’t really feel like you both had things in common enough to make proper conversations with her.

And everyone your age seemed to be working, leaving you to often simply sitting in your apartment and researching Vulcan. It had been through searching the forums that dedicated themselves to Vulcan Industries that you’d discovered a new pseudonym for the CEO had been found today, signed onto a document from five years ago.

Hannah Jameson, which had proven to be false almost immediately. The signature was appalling and you’d wondered how on earth the company got away with filing documents with such fake signatures and names. Though you presumed that they probably filed legitimate documents with the real CEO’s name and signature on it, but that they were never revealed to the public.

The government seemed to be very content to acquiesce to Vulcan, eager to keep the industrial giant inside its borders and ensure that American engineering remained at the forefront of the world. Not that Vulcan had ever given any intention that they wanted to move elsewhere.

Though Vulcan was a strange company anyway, choosing international headquarters in locations that perhap wouldn’t be someone’s first choice. Their Asian offices were based in Seoul, South Korea, and their European offices had raised more than a few brows when it had been announced they would be choosing Athens, Greece, instead of where the other international corporations often chose, such as Amsterdam, Dublin, London or Berlin.

So who knew what they would do if given the chance?

Three sharp knocks on your door though has you squealing in fright, hands quickly grabbing the laptop that’s about to slip off your knees before you’re glancing wide eyed to the dull brown door. Brows creasing in confusion as to who could be visiting you, you carefully close the lid on your MacBook before placing it onto the coffee table and heading over.

A peek through the peephole that’s installed in the door lets you see a sight you weren’t expecting, causing you to jerk back with a hand pressed to your throat. Glancing around at the untidy apartment, you curse quietly before looking down at your own outfit.

The cupcake shorts and baggy white shirt with a unicorn on it were what you’d gone to sleep in and with a day of nothing ahead, you’d simply not bothered to change.

Which was just fantastic when quite possibly the most handsome man you’ve ever seen in real life is currently standing outside your door.

Glancing to your bedroom door, you let out a soft whine as he knocks again before stamping your feet on the ground in a tiny tantrum. Dammit Hoseok! Why hadn’t he texted to let you know he was swinging by?

You’d have at least dressed in normal clothes instead of your damn sleepwear!

But it’s too late now, and it would be rude to make him wait when you’re quite evidently inside. Pressing your forehead to the wooden door, you take in a deep breath and square your shoulders before letting it out in a long, slow exhale.

Unlocking the door, you open it slowly with a bright smile that you hope will distract him from your clothes. He looks magnificent, and your smile wobbles slightly as you swallow thickly at the sight of him.

Dark jeans with rips in them cling to his legs, ending in tough looking boots that are scuffed to high hell. A plain white shirt drapes over his torso loosely, the front tucked into his jeans and letting his belt buckle take the glory while a black leather jacket rests over the top of this.

A dazzling smile practically blinds you as he takes you in, his teeth perfectly straight and white while his dimples burst into view and his eyes crease from the strength of his expression. His dark hair gives no glimpse of the red that shines when he’s in the sun, but looks suitably messy enough to let you know that he’s been running his hands through it.

“Hoseok! What are you...I didn’t know you were coming here? Or even that you were back.” You stutter out, gripping the door tightly as your smile turns a little bit brittle as you realise he looks like a five course meal and you look like a squashed McDonald’s.

He lets out an awkward chuckle, bringing up one hand to rub the back of his neck slowly before he shrugs with a lopsided smile. “Surprise? I got finished earlier than expected and made good time back.”

You’re about to say something more when he makes a sudden noise, mouth forming an ‘o’ while he holds a finger out to you before producing his other arm from behind his back with a sweet smile. “Surprise! Turns out there’s a drive-thru now in the next town over. I saw it and thought you might like it. Sorry if it’s not very warm.” He says apologetically, but you pay no attention to him anymore.

Instead, your eyes are focused on the tall, white cup that’s held in one hand, the world famous green logo on the side letting you know he’d brought Starbucks. Squealing in excitement, you let the door swing open without a care in the world as you grip the cup, bringing it to your lips and taking a sip before letting out a sigh of happiness.

It’s not boiling hot, but is still more than warm enough to make your insides quiver at the delicious taste of the white chocolate mocha. You wish that you could say you’re surprised he remembered your casual mention of your favourite drink, but honestly you’re not.

On the list of surprising things about Jung Hoseok, that’s probably pretty low.

It’s only then that you remember to thank the man for bringing you this small moment of bliss, opening your eyes to thank him before noticing him admiring your clothes with a quirked brow. Glancing down, you feel your heats cheek with embarrassment before curling an arm around your waist.

“Thanks for the drink. And err...sorry about the outfit. I wasn’t expecting company. Obviously.” You mumble, shuffling to the side before gesturing for him to come in if he’d like. He does so with a gracious smile, toeing off his boots at the entrance before following you inside to your small living room.

He looks around with interested eyes before smiling at the sight of a random YouTube video that’s playing through the television. It’s one of those stupid list videos that you seem to have an undying love for.

They can take away your documentaries, but they can never take away your list videos!

“I’m sorry for just...turning up like this. I didn’t think properly.” He apologises once more, sitting on the edge of the couch carefully and looking down at his hands in contrition. You get the strongest urge to just run your hands through his hair and telling him everything’s fine, but you recognise that he probably wouldn’t like that.

Instead, you just smile and self-consciously clean up some of the crap that’s been thrown around the place since you’d started to live here. “It’s okay. I’m sorry it looks like a gremlin’s been at it in here.”

He snorts with that and you glance over to see him biting at his lip to try and stop his smile, your insides warming at the sight of his amusement. “Anyway, was there a particular reason for your visit or are you wanting to hang or something?”

Hoseok stays silent for a moment, leaning forward and taking an empty Coca-Cola bottle from where it lies on its side and picking away at the label. “Well...I mean I got home earlier than I expected like I said. And...well...I mean I do have jobs I could be doing, but I figured I’d ask if maybe you want to...you know...hang? Somewhere? I don’t know, it was just a thought that went through when I was driving back.”

He’s muttering by the end and you have to stifle a chuckle behind your hand as you grab the bottle from his hand and throw it into the recycling bin. “Sure. That’d be fun. I haven’t actually done a lot lately as, well there’s not many social activities to do in this place.” You ponder for a moment what the two of you could actually do before you suddenly remember his mention of metal working.

“Oh! Could you...I mean...do you think you’d be willing to show me your metal working stuff? I know you said you really like doing it and I’m kind of interested.” You ask chirpily, smiling at him as you rearrange the cushions on the couch around him.

Hoseok watches with amusement as you flutter around the place before nodding slowly. “Yeah okay. I mean, if you want. It sounds pretty boring but I can show you them. If you’d like, we can maybe go to the movie theatre in the next town later and watch something? I’ve not been to see a film in so long, and you can get another Starbucks.” He suggests, shrugging nonchalantly but his twisting fingers give away his nerves.

You pause and smile at the sight of him, trying to be bold even though he’s obviously cringing internally. “I’d like that. I’ve not seen that town either, despite you constantly going on about it. So it’ll be nice to see what’s nearby. Just give me half an hour to actually make myself look presentable or something okay?”

“Why? I think you look charming as you are. Unicorns are very in now I hear, or at least that’s what I’m assuming given it looks like a rainbow and a horse had sex all the time in the stores.”

A clean shirt thrown at his head is the only response he gets, causing him to laugh out loud as the door closes behind you.

-

Any worries that you’d had that the atmosphere would be awkward or tense between the two of you dissipates once you both get into his car. The radio is blasting out cheesy 90s music and you can’t help but giggle at the flush on his cheeks as he practically slams the radio in an attempt to change the station.

Pushing his hand away, you look at the fancy radio with a raised brow. “This is...very advanced looking. Did you install this recently?” You ask, finding a station that’s playing some 80s rock before pressing some buttons that appear on the screen.

A soft gasp leaves you as it suddenly projects a hologram above the dashboard, the station name listed along the top along the song currently playing. In the right hand corner is the temperature and weather status while a highly realistic looking 3D map takes up most of the space, the cars position perfectly visible as Hoseok drives along the street.

“What is this?!” Reaching out, you gently push at the air where the ‘Media’ button hovers and grin as a menu screen appears. You can’t even begin to understand the technology that makes this work, nor have you even heard anything about it.

Hoseok lets out an uncomfortable cough before he waves his hand through the holographic simulation, eyes remaining firmly on the road while it disappears into thin air. “It’s a...err...prototype. Yeah. Vulcan asked me to...test it, you know? I mean...it’s good but it’s not very road safe. As you just saw. We’re...I mean they’re working on it.”

You watch him quietly for a moment, eyes narrowing at the slip of his tongue. We? You’d question more before you rationalise it to yourself, figuring that he’s obviously their head mechanic and the best placed person to decide whether vehicle related tech is good or not.

But still it’s shocking to see something like this being used so openly. Your finger traces along the edge of the fancy radio before you place your hands back in your lap, lip quirking slightly. You could certainly make some money reporting on this prototype, but it’s with a content heart that you decide to pretend you never even saw it.

Instead, you refocus back onto the road and smile when you see Vesuvius Mechanics reappear along the side of the road. There’s a few cars parked outside but the main shutter is down and the lights are dark inside. You’d found out that he had two assistants, but they only worked for a few hours every other day.

The bulk was entirely done by Hoseok, which fascinated you.

But he doesn’t pull into the garage, and instead drives on a road you’d never noticed that runs alongside it. It continues on, simply a gravel road inbetween the trees and you watch with fascination as his house appears.

You wouldn’t be able to see it properly from the road, but it’s a pretty, two-story house that looks big enough to host a whole family inside. The walls are painted white while terracotta tiles line the roof in true Californian fashion, but it also kind of reminds you a little of the Mediterranean.

A porch wraps around the entire house and you note the swinging chair positioned out front along with a variety of colourful flowers, all in white pots that are decorated in subtle oranges and browns. Along the ground of the porch, a flowerbed is overflowing with bushes and plants that all clamour for attention while his lawn is neatly mown.

There’s a large building built separately from the house with a garage style door that opens slowly, allowing Hoseok to pull his car inside to protect it from any weather. The space inside seems a lot smaller, surrounded with tools and gardening pieces while a metal door is closed to the remainder of the space.

You note with interest momentarily the electronic keypad that keeps the door locked but look away quickly. Given the ridiculous technology installed in his car, you couldn’t even imagine what Hoseok had in that room from Vulcan.

Following Hoseok to the main house, you can’t help the noise of awe that leaves your mouth as you look over the entire area he lives in. It’s secluded from everything else, and you feel like Hoseok has turned what would be something unassuming into his own personal heaven. Quiet and peaceful, with only the sounds of the birds chirping in the trees.

“Hoseok...this is beautiful!” You coo softly, running your fingertips along the white wooden post that frames the archway leading up to his porch with reverance. He lets out an anxious chuckle as he stands in front of his door, watching your face closely.

“Yeah? It’s taken a while to get it to this point but...I think I’m okay with it for now. Give me three months and my opinion might change.” He teases, teeth peeking through his small grin as he inputs some numbers into yet another keypad. A loud beep is heard before the door unlocks, leading to him welcoming you inside.

For someone who lives on his own, you expected Hoseok’s house to look a little more bachelor. And for someone who works as a mechanic and is constantly covered in grease and oil, even today he’s still got some dark grime in his fingernails, you thought his home might like his garage part two.

But instead, it’s oddly beautiful inside. Everything is perfectly clean and looks to be in its place, and if it weren’t for the fact he’d been open about constantly redecorating his house, you’d suspect he had brought in an interior designer.

“Damn, if you did all this,” You spin in a circle as you enter the living room and eye everything with an intrigued gaze. “You’re missing out on a career as an interior designer. This is California, there’s always some soccer mom who wants their house to look like an IKEA catalogue.”

He leans against the door frame and watches you with an amused face, lifting one brow as he looks around the space with a slightly more critical eye. “You think? I appreciate your thoughts but there’s a reason I work with cars and not soccer moms. When a car whines at me, there’s actually something wrong.”

His tone is sarcastic and for a moment you’re left speechless, shocked at how your normally shy and socially awkward mechanic could have come up with that blistering rebuke to soccer mom’s across the United States. Snorting out a laugh, you cover your mouth as you follow him into the large, open kitchen and rest your elbows against the marble counter.

Watching as he pulls a bottle of water out of the fridge, you giggle as you wiggle your eyebrows at him. “Had experience in soccer moms huh?”

He tags a deep swig of the ice cold water and you have to look away to avoid the tantalising sight of the muscles of his throat working, the golden skin looking biteable under the natural lighting. It’s only when the plastic bottle hits the counter that you realise he’s finished and you look up with an expectant gaze.

Hoseok is smiling as he shrugs, his expression a sweet mix of shyness and amusement. “I’m a, not totally, unattractive, single guy with my own business in a small town. I think some people harbour Desperate Housewives motivations or something.”

You gawp at him for the pop culture reference before laughing out loud, letting your head fall forward as you do so. “Oh my god! So you do watch television occasionally? But Desperate Housewives? Seriously?”

He’s biting his lip at your teasing before sighing, coming around the island and gesturing for you to follow him. “I’m not up to date on all that stuff. I only just found out Game of Thrones exists. Give me a break.”

You snigger at that and poke at his back lightly, pleased at the way he jerks ever so slightly but doesn’t pull away from the touch. “That’s a good show, I think you’d like it.”

He reaches a closed door and opens it up grandly, making a sweeping gesture for you to follow with a sardonic brow raise. “After you my lady. And it is, I’m only on like episode 6 of season 1 so...don’t spoil it.”

Anything you’d say is gone though as you walk into the room and freeze in place, looking around the place with wide eyes. His living room connects directly to his kitchen, with no walls blocking the space between and the island counter obviously serving as his dining room table.

This room must take up the rest of the space on the lower floor, as it’s huge. And filled with some of the most exquisite looking metal sculptures you’ve ever seen. Some are finished works, with their gleaming bodies just waiting to be housed somewhere else and they range from taller than you to tiny pieces that could be displayed on a fireplace.

Others look to be half completed, resting on tables that are in complete disarray compared to the rest of his house. A whole range of intriguing looking tools litters almost every surface, and you note that his back wall is pretty much balcony doors that leads out to his backyard.

Walking carefully through the room, you head towards those doors and open one up when he gives the nod to do so. Outside is an extended porch, and you note with interest that he has what looks like a bunch of forge things set up out here. Despite the chaos of everything around you, it’s still peaceful and the backyard extends out until it hits the forest line.

“Wow...this is...I’m not even sure.” You state quietly, turning back and heading over to a metal horse. It’s comes up to about halfway up your thigh and is prancing beautifully, the bronze colouring gleaming in the light that shines through the doors. Running a finger along the smooth edges, you smile at the surprising amount of detail on it.

A tiny metal cat is perched on the table next to the horse, while a Spartan style helmet rests next to it like a war prize. Across the room are some more abstract pieces of art, shapes that make no sense to you yet are pleasing to the eye.

“Hoseok...these are incredible.” The words whisper from you as you eagerly move from one piece to the next, taking in the smooth curves of musical note that stands on a stone base to the rough, unfinished edges of a sword in the making.

It was suddenly clear why Hoseok had never even been aware that Game of Thrones existed, as he quite obviously spent most of his time in here creating works of art that would last for lifetimes. The amount of skill he must have to create the items on his own was mind boggling, particularly as you couldn’t even draw a stick person without it going lopsided.

“It’s nothing. I mean...they’re just little projects I work on.” He mumbles, gaze down as he lets his fingers dance along the back of a leaping tiger. Moving over to him, you crouch down to get a closer look at the big cat, admiring the orange sheen to the metal while the black stripes appear to be engraved into its sides.

“Are you serious? These little projects are better than some of the stuff I’ve seen proper artists doing! I mean...god you’ve got a full time job out there in your garage and then you come home and do...this!” You say, amazement filling your voice as you gently press a finger on a curved fang.

Standing, you look around at the room once more before turning back to him with a grin. “Is there a chance you can show me how you do this stuff?” The question is innocent enough, but he stiffens slightly and swallows, eyes flickering everyone but yourself.

“Maybe. I mean...not now. It takes time to set everything up. But...I can show you in the future if you want? It’s not very interesting to watch.” He practically mumbles out and you lean into his space slowly, giving him plenty of time to back out if he felt uncomfortable.

He doesn’t though, instead standing squarely while you move closer to him with a pretty smile painted onto your face. “I think you and I have different ideas of interesting Mr Jung. Maybe not today then, but I’d love to watch you create something beautiful in here. Because you appear to have quite the creative imagination.”

Hoseok goes a deep red at that, spluttering slightly as he steps away and moves over to the door with a shaking breath. “Well...I do like to dabble in inventing every now and again but...this is just an outlet.” He pauses and looks back into the room, running his eyes over you as you turn your attention back to the metal work and his lips curve up gently.

“I don’t think I could ever create anything as beautiful as you.” He murmurs to himself quietly, rubbing his lips before freezing when you turn and look at him inquisitively, making a questioning noise.

“Nothing! Just...thinking out loud. Anyway, do you want to set off now? We can take a look at the film times and decide if we want to eat first or after?” You follow him out of the room and making thoughtful noises, completely unaware of the racing heart that moves in front of you as you decide.

-

The film and dinner went by surprisingly easy, with the conversation flowing between the two of you throughout the whole night without feeling cumbersome at any point. As had multiple other dinners since, along with many impromptu hang outs over the months.

You’d find it strange that he was surprisingly social despite his protestations, yet you’d quickly discovered that Hoseok was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma and decorated with a conundrum. He defied your descriptions and even when trying to describe him to your mom or the few friends you had back home, you’d found yourself floundering.

And yet, you found yourself wanting to be closer to him. He gave off an aura that you simply enjoyed; warmth and kindness mixed together with genuine caring. Everytime he went out of town, he made it a mission to bring you a Starbucks back or something else you were craving.

Not to mention the movie nights he’d designated Friday to, whereupon you would go to his and watch a range of movies streamed from Netflix onto his ridiculously big and fancy television screen. Even if he did made strange comments whenever you watched historical films. Watching Clash of the Titans with him had certainly been an experience as he’d spent the whole time whining about how it wasn’t historically accurate.

Despite his odd behaviour when watching things, you found that spending time at his house was both wonderful and strangely relaxing. Whether it was because you were increasing his knowledge of pop culture or simply watching him work on some hobby.

Hoseok had shyly called you a few days after he’d shown you his metal working room, asking if you wanted to come and watch him work as he was feeling inspired. By the time you’d got there after enjoying a walk over in the autumn evening, he’d had everything up and running and you’d been convinced that you’d died and gone to heaven when you saw him in a white vest, his arms on display.

A swipe of your lips had determined that you were not, in fact, drooling at the exceptionally defined biceps, nor at the toned shoulders that moved underneath the shirt with each of his movements. And you had definitely not let out a tiny whimper at the sight of him sweating once he’d been at it for a while, his skin practically glowing in the evening light.

It was quite possibly every straight or bisexual woman’s dream, seeing an incredibly handsome man sweating away over physical labour as he’d slammed down a hammer on the pieces of boiling hot metal. You’d thanked him for the seat, but internally screamed out your gratitude as your knees had felt weak at the sight of him.

There was something primal about watching him work, which was at odds with the soft way he spoke to you as he explained everything he was doing. It had taken two sessions of watching him to finally begin to understand some of the process, but you’d shied away from actually having a go yourself.

You’d no doubt burn yourself or something ridiculous.

But Hoseok, as per usual, was a sweetheart about it and simply accepted your request. Instead, he just let you watch as he created something wonderful out of a lump of metal. The man had the hands of a god, truly, and an unbelievable talent. It was almost like the metal just listened to him and formed the shapes he desired.

You’d even suggested to him that maybe he could create a YouTube channel so that people could watch him as he created things, to which he’d laughed sardonically.

“I don’t think people would be interested in that.” Hoseok said, brows raised as he looked up at you. A droplet of sweat was slowly trickling past his temple, slowly sliding along that luscious skin before reaching his jaw.

It disappears when he lifts an arm to wipe at it and you chew your lip thoughtfully as you watch him. You don’t want to tell him that there would likely be thousands of women who would watch his videos solely for him, but you certainly wouldn’t be wrong.

You’d watch them for him.

“I bet they would. You’d be surprised how many people watch stuff like that on YouTube. There’s a whole series on a channel dedicated to creating weapons from pop culture. It’s really successful, so I think you could probably make something of it.” You muse, running a finger along your lip as you watch him bring a hammer down on the metal sheet he’s levelling out.

“Well...if there’s already someone doing it, then why do I need to do it?” He asks, wet tongue licking his dry lips. He moves the metal over to the forge, heating it once more before moving it over to a what looks like a metal press.

“Well...Mr ‘I-Like-To-Create-Prototypes-In-My-Free-Time-In-The-Hopes-Vulcan-Will-Make-It’, why does Vulcan ever make anything then? We’ve already got televisions, why do we need them in bigger sizes or in different styles? The cars been invented for a long time, why do we need new cars? Va-ri-ety.” You sing out to him, smirking at his narrowed gaze.

You’d found a hand drawn blueprint for a prototype the other day on his countertop in here, the lines sketched to produce something that you didn’t understand. Honestly, you understood nothing about it as none of the words made sense to you, but you had understood the ��Property of Vulcan Industries’ along the top.

Hoseok had flushed red when you’d teased him about it, saying that he occasionally liked to dabble in the idea of creating things but that Vulcan usually turned him down and it was an old idea. It was kind of sweet honestly, and you’d thought it impressive of him to put himself out there like that given his introverted nature.

“I guess. Maybe in the future or something. You could be my videographer.” The last statement was almost muffled, but you heard it all the same. You don’t comment on it though, simply letting it drift gently into the comfortableness between the two of you with a warm heart at the thought of him thinking about you being in his future.

Nothing further had been mentioned on the idea of a channel, but you noted that he seemed to be a little bit more receptive to ideas than you’d originally anticipated. And he certainly seemed to be loosening his grip on his work life by being more open to spontaneous activities with you.

In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that he had asked if you wanted to go on a hike, finally fulfilling your secret dream. It had taken all day, but you’d discovered that you enjoyed it and more importantly, you enjoyed his company.

And as much time as you spent at his, he spent almost as much time at yours. You’d be a little frightened by just how easy it was to let him worm his way into your life until the first person you thought of when something new happened was to let him know.

The only downside was that he still remained an intensely private person, with entire areas of his house still unseen and hidden behind keypads. And his history was basically non-existent as far as you knew. He’d never mentioned his parents or family, nor even where he was from.

It was only through a random meeting with June that you’d found out he’d done something big when he was around 15 that had resulted in him becoming well off. What that was though, you had no idea as he seemed to live a pretty quiet life with no real showings of wealth.

You didn’t even know what had caused his scars, which he had become more comfortable around you with. Though it had only been in the last week that you’d finally plucked up the courage to ask, frightened that he’d be offended by it.

Hoseok’s chest is warm and surprisingly comfortable, leading to you blinking at the screen with sleepy eyes. Game of Thrones plays on, the man you’re leaning against silent as he watches with interest while a hand almost lazily runs through your hair.

It’s...domestic. In a way you never expected nor demanded, and your stomach fuzzes slightly at how much you enjoy it. At how much you want to do this for a long time, and you wonder for a moment what it is about this sweet, kind-hearted man that has you so thoroughly wrapped around his finger.

His heart beats solidly under your ear, the sound reassuring and calming. Glancing down, you note the scars on his left arm with an idle eye. You were so used to seeing them, along with the rough tissue on his left cheek and throat, that it was almost like they weren’t there.

Almost.

But while you could never forget them, you never looked at him with disgust. He was far too good a person to ever think that.

Your mushy thoughts about him accidentally turn verbal, as the words tumble out of you without meaning to. “How did you get these scars?” It’s only once they’re out that your eyes widen, realising what you’d said to him and your body stiffens.

He stills as well and you wince, mouth opening to take them back and tell him it’s fine. Only he surprises you.

“Fires. When I was younger. I don’t...I can’t talk about them.” He murmurs out and your cheeks heat, mouthing out a curse to yourself before pressing against his thighs to push yourself up.

“I’m sorry Hoseok, I didn’t mean to-” Hoseok cuts you off, shaking his head with a smile that’s gracious despite the uncomfortable look on his face.

“No, it’s fine. You’ve been surprisingly good about it actually. I just...can’t talk about how I got them yet. I’m not ashamed of them. It’s just...if they’re on show then people stare. And I can’t handle people staring because then they’re looking at me and...I panic. I can’t cope with attention.” He runs his hand along the scarred skin of his wrist slowly.

“I just...can’t. The stares I used to get when I was younger...they hurt. And the things people said. They were cruel in way you can’t imagine. It made me never want to go out. It affects you. I moved out here as soon as I could to just...get away from people. I used to get anxiety attacks about going out or seeing people. I’m better now, not 100% as you can tell but...better.” He looks at you then, his almost supernatural eyes with their mahogany rims and hazel inners looking hopeful suddenly.

“I’m trying. I think I’ve spent long enough hiding in the shadows and licking my wounds.”

He’d been rather abrupt when discussing them, but you’d understood that despite his words it was still a touchy subject for him. But you’d felt happy that he’d at least talked about them with you, let you into his high walls even if it was only a glimpse.

You hadn’t queried him any further, respecting what he’d been willing to tell you but it had almost shifted your relationship with him slightly. The comfortable closeness you had both engaged in for the last few weeks had clicked softly into a mutual trust, full of warm smiles and gentle touches.

And sexual tension that you were positive could be cut with one of his exquisite swords.

Your own attraction to him had been evident the whole time, so bizarrely strong that you were positive it was written on your face whenever you looked at him. But the indifference he’d given you at first had ever so slowly changed the more you hung out.

His gentle gazes often turned molten when he didn’t think you were looking, and exposed skin garnered more than a second glance. Affectionate touches evolved into sensual strokes without meaning to, and you were beyond positive that you were both on the knife’s edge of desire.

One way or another, you were positive that it would all come to ahead pretty soon.

But for tonight, you were on your own. Hoseok was out of town again for a week with yet more work and you were left to browse the usual conspiracy forums to find out some more information about your Vulcan CEO.

Lazing on the couch with your laptop on your belly and a documentary about Pompeii on the television, you read the comments with a sigh. You’d become a bit more lax lately with your research, leading to you feeling guilty when you responded to any of Donghae’s correspondence.

You’d assured him that you’d found something, when in reality you hadn’t. If anything, there was something that almost seemed to be stopping you from looking into it, a sense of unease that you couldn’t figure out.

Someone had managed to find a project that had been scrapped by Vulcan, hidden deep in their servers that had been hacked the other week. Nothing of interest had been found apparently, except for the outlines of a prototype that had never happened.

The only reason it was even on these forums is because apparently it had been developed by the CEO, so of course the gold diggers were out in force. Clicking on the link, you look at the drawing with a frown, wondering what the hell you were looking at.

No one else had figured it out either as there was no explanation that made sense, the language used apparently a form of shorthand that the CEO had developed. Squinting at it, you tilted your head to the side and frowned.

It looked oddly familiar, and the words written around it looked equally as familiar. Which was bizarre, as you’re the least technologically minded person you know. Perhaps you’ve just seen it in some science fiction show or movie somewhere - you’d discovered that Hoseok really enjoyed that genre.

Closing the screen again, you scroll through the forum before you find yourself tuning back into the documentary. It had been talking about Pompeii today and the history of the archaeology that had led to it being discovered.

You watched with idle interest as it began to talk about the fateful day in 79 AD, describing how the Roman inhabitants had ironically been celebrating the festival of Vulcanalia the day before Vesuvius erupted.

This was ironic, as apparently Vulcanalia was the festival of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and volcanoes. Raising a brow, your lip quirked at the strange turn of events before you suddenly frowned, head tilting as your mind worked a hundred miles a minute.

“Vulcanalia...weird how my life seems to be revolving around you, Vulcan.” You mutter, looking at images of the ancient god when you type him into Google. Clicking on his wikipedia page, you read with interest before pausing once more.

Maybe Vulcan Industries had something to do with why Hoseok’s garage was called Vesuvius Mechanics? The two were closely linked after all, so it made sense to name things that were kind of similar.

The Wikipedia page is full of information that would not be accepted as a reference in university, but you pause when you read that he was also the god of metalworking. Flashes of Hoseok’s metal creations appear in your mind and you look to the side as you recall the blueprint in his room suddenly.

Gasping out loud, your eyes widen while you frantically try to get back to the forum that showed the link to the prototype that had been scrapped by Vulcan. Clicking on it frantically, you take it in with new eyes as you recall the hand drawn version you’d seen in Hoseok’s house.

“No way...I mean...no. He did say they rejected it.” You murmur before you read the comments about the weird language, stomach going cold. Looking to the side, you let out a deep exhale slowly before grabbing your notebook off the table and a pen.

Writing everything you’ve just realised out, you note the similarities and scowl. How would Hoseok know the weird language that the CEO invented when he’s just a damn mechanic? He lives in a town with two set of traffic lights for crying out loud!

Hannah Jameson.

Floats through your head and you stare at your computer screen for a few seconds before typing in the forum search bar. The theorists keep a running list of the pseudonyms that have been used and you read through them all.

Hannah Jameson

Hope Justice

Heff Jackson

Jeon Hyuna

Harold Jackson

Helena Jupp

The list goes on and on, almost comical. It’s only when you scan the comments that you note the amusement of that fact that every name starts with H and the last name with J.

Jung Hoseok.

“No. No way. It’s just...a really weird coincidence.” You mutter, rubbing at your forehead furiously. It’s just a fluke that his name follows the same naming conventions of all the pseudonyms given. And that his prototype was somehow in Vulcan’s servers with the CEO’s language scribbled all over it.

“It’s not even logical. He’s not even old enough…” Your words trail off when you search for Vulcan, discovering that it was founded 21 years ago.

When Hoseok was 15. June had said he’d done something big when he was 15 that made him independently wealthy. Founding a multi-billion dollar company is certainly something big.

“No…” He wouldn’t hide this...would he?

I can’t handle people staring because then they’re looking at me and...I panic. I can’t cope with attention.

His words slowly filter through your head and you nod to yourself. Yes. Yes he would hide this. But Hoseok isn’t good at hiding things, which means that this is almost laughable how easy you’ve figured it out, despite everyone else failing.

You’ve only figured it out because he’s let you in slowly, letting you see clues that on their own are meaningless but together form the hastily constructed walls around the most elusive CEO in the world.

Picking up your phone, you find the post that lists the name and number of the assistant to the Vulcan Industries CEO. She was notorious for being the ultimate gatekeeper, refusing to allow anyone access who wasn’t supposed to and keeping the CEO’s identity on lockdown.

People try all the time to guess who it is by calling her, and the bubble of panic inside is consoled slightly by the knowledge that she’ll shut you down quick. There’s no way it would be this easy.

Dialing the number, you hold it to your ear with a shaking hand and take a deep breath as you hear the dial tone. It rings three times before it’s picked up.

“Hello, Annabelle King speaking.” Her voice is brusque and you can almost hear the irritance in her voice, probably ready to put the phone down as soon as it becomes apparent that it’s yet another prank call.

Clearing your throat, you begin to speak with a voice that’s far more stable than you feel. “Hello, I’m wondering if I can schedule an appointment with Mr Jung please? I know he’s in town for the week and would love the opportunity to speak with him about a possible investment opportunity in a charity?”

The lie falls from your lips like honey and you feel sick at it, wanting to put the phone down. You’re wrong, you’re definitely wrong and this is just the thoughts of a deluded woman coming through. But Annabelle hasn’t said no, in fact she’s hesitating.

“I’m sorry, Mr Jung?” Is all she asks, tone inquisitive and you swallow thickly. Maybe she has no idea who that is and it’s just another way of catching people out.

“Yes. Jung Hoseok? I was told he would be in the area from Monday until Friday.” There’s silence and you begin to breathe easy again, content with the knowledge that your mechanic really is just that. A brilliant and inventive mechanic.

“Mr Jung is in town this week, however please accept my apologies as he is unable to accept appointments at the moment. If you would like, you can leave your number with me and I can schedule an appointment when he is next here Miss…?” Her voice trails off but you’re hitting the end call button anyway as you sit there in silence.

Holy shit.

Holy shit. No fucking way. You did it.

You found out who Vulcan Industries CEO was. The mystery of the century.

It’s Jung Hoseok.

-

You ruminate over the knowledge you have for the next few days, agonising over whether or not you should write that article. The little you’d managed to gain about him in physical form was sitting in a file on your laptop, but you felt no inspiration to write anything.

It felt like betraying someone, and you weren’t sure if you were ready to do that.

Staring at the screen on your laptop, you sigh heavily and run your hands over your face before the buzzing of your phone catches your attention. A quick glance reveals the very person you’ve been thinking about, and your stomach twists into a knot at the sight of his name, normally from excitement but currently from guilt.

Watching it for a moment, your eyes flicker between your laptop and the phone. If ever the universe was asking you to make a decision, it was now. You almost appreciated the irony of it all before you reached out and took the phone.

“Hi Hoseok.” You whisper, slumping back into the couch. He pauses for a moment and you can practically feel his surprise and concern.

“Hey. Are you okay? You sound sad? I’m almost back in town and wondered if you want to go watch a movie or something? I bet you’ve not even left your place.” He teases, his voice sing song like and you can practically hear the happiness in him.

Smiling without meaning to, you flop onto your side and sigh heavily. “You don’t need to rub it in, my social butterfly. But...yeah. A movie sounds good.” It really does, because it’s Hoseok.

And as you listen to him chatter away, you feel a sense of warmth take over your body as you make a decision. Looking at the laptop screen, you get up and head into your room to change for him.

You found the elusive Vulcan Industries CEO, which was the paycheck of a lifetime. But it would involve destroying his happiness for material gain.

Shaking your head, you smile softly as you make a decision that will have ramifications for your future. There is no way you could destroy Hoseok’s confidence and trust just to further yourself. Not only is that not how a friend would act, but it’s certainly not how a potential love interest would act.

And you were just a little desperate to be seen as the latter to him. Because you loved him. You’d suspected for a while, feeling silly and childish, but you did.

His smile made your stomach flutter and his touch made your heart race. The very thought of him brought a smile to your face and you went warm at the thought of spending time with him. The tiny smile he got on his face when he danced self-consciously to a song when he was in the garage or the way his eyes lit up when he saw something he liked.

He was everything you ever wanted in a man, and so much more than you could have ever dreamed of. Jung Hoseok was so easy to fall in love with, but he was even easier to damage and you found that you could never do that.

The knock at the door brings you out of yours thoughts and you head out, slipping on your shoes and grinning at Hoseok as you close the door behind you. He looks beautiful, with his black hair swept off his forehead carelessly, the subtle red highlights shimmering slightly in the natural light that seeps through the hallway window while a responding smile of his own illuminates his face.

Your heart kicks slightly at the sight of him and you suddenly reach out for his hand, taking his work roughened fingers between your own and carefully lacing them together. Hoseok stalls, his face creasing in confusion as he looks down at the sudden, and obvious, intimacy you’ve initiated but he doesn’t say anything.

All he’s wearing are simple jeans and a black hoodie, and yet he looks like the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. “Shall we go?” You ask lightly, cheerful as you feel a weight lift off your shoulders.

He watches with bemusement before shrugging and following, obviously concerned about your sudden change in behaviour.

But you don’t care. Because you’ve figured out your mystery and decided it’s not worth it. It’s not worth losing this beautiful, handsome man and his kindness and love. So instead, you’re going to enjoy this for what it is.

“Is this a date?” You ask suddenly as you reach his car, watching as he goes bright red and splutters in surprise with shocked eyes. He’s so astonished by your sudden question that he even drops his keys, crouching down to pick them up.

Hoseok doesn’t rise though, and instead lets the keys dangle from his finger as he gazes down at the concrete below his feet. You hear him take a deep breath before letting it out slowly, the technique almost meditative before he speaks.

“Do you want it to be?” His voice is quiet, and you want to wrap your arms around his neck so badly. But you shove your hands into the pockets of your own hoodie firmly, determined to not push him past his boundaries. You’ve already violated one part of him so horribly, you would never do so again.

“I’d like that.” Is all you say and he stands slowly, keeping his gaze averted before nodding his head, tongue licking his lips slowly.

“Okay. Okay...a-a date. We’ll g-go on a d-date.” He’s blushing and you want to aww so badly at him, but instead you simply give him the brightest smile you can to try and make him feel at ease.

“I can’t wait.”

-

The mood is tense on the way to the next town, Hoseok’s fingers opening and closing on the steering wheel while he chew on his lip. Your own stomach fizzes with excitement and you wonder if he’s as excited as you are.

Turning your gaze from the passenger window you’d been staring out of, you watch Hoseok for a moment quietly. From this side, the exquisite profile of his face is made even more obvious by the low light. His elegant, sloping nose ends in a perfect point while his lips are just pouty enough to give them dimension, before his jawline takes over from everything else.

You’ve always thought he was stunningly attractive, from the very first moment you ever saw him, but seeing him in the fuzzy light of your new feelings makes him look like the highest form of perfection a human being can ascertain.

Reaching out, you take his hand without realising and watch as his eyes glance over to you, wide with concern that there was something wrong. Your lips kick up ever so slightly before you tug his hand into your lap, turning it over and slipping your fingers between his.

He’s a little slow to react, and from the nervous twitching of the muscles in his hand you suspect it’s because he’s not entirely sure what to do, but he finally closes his own fingers around yours. Smiling, you let your fingerpads run over the rough, scarred skin on his hand and take careful note of every point of interest on his arm.

You’d never thought you’d see the day when you thought an arm was beautiful, but here you were. “Are you okay with this being a date?” The words are soft, barely heard over the radio but you want to make sure that he’s okay.

The guilt over your discovery and original mission make you feel a little sick if you think about it too hard, but you were a little desperate to make sure that he wanted this too and you weren’t simply projecting onto him.

He’s quiet for a few seconds before he squeezes your hand, nodding his head a tiny bit as he lets out a shaky breath. “Yeah. I think...I think I am. No, I am. I’m just...I mean the people.” He mutters, eyes flickering down to your joined hands.

You sigh quietly, bringing his hand up to your lips and pressing a featherlight kiss to the scarring there. The poor guy is worried about how people will react to the both of you and it turns your stomach at how people must treat him. He’s always a little self-conscious whenever you go out, and he usually prefers to do things that are solitary.

“We don’t have to go out, I’m fine with just hanging out in the back of your truck or something.” You gesture to the open bed in the back, causing him to laugh and shake his head.

“Really? So we can grab McDonald’s and you’re fine just sitting there?” He asks almost sarcastically, brow raised while his amusement shows clearly. Along with more than a little relief that you understood without him having to explain.

“With you? That sounds perfect.” Your words have his cheeks turning crimson in the soft light and you want to run your fingers along them so badly. He’s so unbelievably charming and kind, how could anyone hate or be mean to this ball of sweetness?

“Okay.” Is all he says, turning and heading towards the closest McDonald’s. A trip through the drive-thru leaves you with two Big Macs and a Coke for Hoseok and a quarter pounder and strawberry milkshake for you.

A meandering route through some of the forested roads leads you to what you presume counts as a lookout spot here in the countryside. But instead of a city view, you’re treated to some of the best nature can offer in these areas, with the mountains reaching into the sky in the distance while the sun slowly falls into their welcome embrace.

Hoseok turns the car around before getting out and pulling the back down, leaving you with a way to get into the bed and you watch as he pulls some blankets out from a toolbox that’s tied down. Once down, he gestures to the makeshift sitting spot with a shy smile, helping you up.

Sitting cross legged next to him, you look out at the view in front of you and sigh softly as you chew a bite of your burger. He’s watching it as well and you turn to watch him quietly for a moment, admiring not only his beauty but the strong personality that has let him build a multi-billion dollar company, all while keeping himself grounded.

Now that you know, it’s almost kind of obvious.

“It reminds me of home a little, you know.” He suddenly speaks and your eyebrows rise in confusion, wondering what he was talking about while simultaneously being excited that he’s willingly talking about himself.

As if sensing your confusion at his words, his lips tip into a fond smirk before he gestures with a fry to the landscape in front of him. “This. The mountains, the sun, the sky. There’s more forest here and no sea but it’s still beautiful.” His words sound almost longing as he speaks, eyes squinting in the setting sun.

“You sound like you miss it. Would you go back?” Even if you have no idea where he grew up, you can hear the homesickness in his voice suddenly. He stays quiet for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.

“I couldn’t go back even if I wanted to. It’s not the same anymore.” You reach forward and grip his hand comfortingly, simply letting him know that you were there in case it brought bad memories for him.

“You never talk about your family.” He stays quiet, chewing on his burger slowly before letting it drop into his wrapper. The only sounds that can be heard are the soft calls of birds and the wind rustling through the trees gently, blowing his crimson highlighted black hair.

“My family...is not a nice family. They are...egotistical, selfish, cruel and they like to play games. Both physical and mental. They’re vain, their reputation means everything to them and they think they’re owed everything by everyone.” You’re not sure if he’s aware of it, but he’s pulling apart the remainder of his burger bun as he stares at it unseeingly.

“I got these scars because of them, for them. But they...shunned me for it afterwards. I didn’t fit their idea of beautiful, so they isolated me. I was good enough to make their stuff for them, but not to be with them.” Dropping your gaze to the scars that scatter both hands and up his arm, you scowl at the thought of his family being so cruel.

“They don’t deserve you. You’re one of the nicest, kindest and sweetest men I’ve ever met, and if it helps you’re quite possibly the most handsome man I’ve ever seen. They don’t know what a great man they’re missing out on.” His head is bowed and you shuffle forwards, reaching out to touch him but hesitating.

Looking back up, you make a soft noise of unhappiness at the watery gaze he gives you before he shakes his head, laughing weakly. “I know this isn’t really first date conversation, but...you mean a lot to me. More than you realise. More than you can ever realise actually.”

Shaking your head, you move even closer to him, smiling at this compassionate man that stole your heart. His eyes flicker to your lips and you have to physically control yourself to stop from vibrating with excitement and squealing as he watches you lick them slowly.

“Can I kiss you?” You ask, the words so soft that they’re barely audible and yet he’s nodding slowly with blown out eyes that focus on you. It’s the only permission you need as you close the gap between you, your lips finally pressing to his in a sweet, chaste kiss.

It’s short, and you pull away after a few seconds to gauge his reaction. His eyes are closed and he has an exceptionally adorable dopey look on his face before he focuses on you, cheeks tinging pink in the golden light of the sun.

Grinning, you gently run your fingertips over his cheek as you cup his face, watching as he flinches slightly as they run over the roughened skin of his scars. Leaning in, you capture his lips once more, enjoying the velvety feel of his lips beneath yours as you both kiss almost innocently.

Tilting your head, you want to smile as his nose bumps against your cheek before your tongue slowly tracks along the seam of his lips. There’s a moment of nothing before his mouth is opening, allowing you entrance as you deepen the kiss with him.

Without even realising it, you’re practically pressing yourself to his front as your tongues dance in a rhythm that is centuries old. His hands rest on your waist before tracking along your body to your hips in long, slow movements that raise shivers in you.

Hoseok is rather submissive in his approach to this, letting you take the lead and content to simply follow where you go. Pulling back slightly, you tug his lower lip into your mouth and release it ever so slowly, eyes focused firmly on his as you do so until he lets out the softest groan.

“Can we go back to mine?” You ask, uncaring if you’ve barely spent any time on this date but you want him. God you want him so badly, show him that he’s more than worthy of your attentions and love.

He’s quiet for a moment, breathing heavily with lips that are wet and puffy from the intense kiss you’d shared. It’s almost eerie how his hazel eyes always seem to glow like fires in the dying sunlight, but you’re distracted away from it by his slow nod.

“Yeah, yeah we can do that.” Hoseok whispers raggedly, his throat sounding gruff while his breath comes in short pants. Neither of you move for a moment before he’s suddenly bounding off the bed of the truck, gesturing for you to follow him as he latches it back together and then you’re both inside, Hoseok taking the handbrake off as he begins to drive.

The drive back to yours is filled with a sexual tension that has you feeling hot and bothered, but it’s with an impatience for him to drive faster. You’re almost on the verge of telling him to just floor it; given how much the sheriff likes him he probably wouldn’t even get stopped.

But you don’t, as you kind of enjoy the sizzling atmosphere that’s slowly building between you both. Hoseok is gripping the wheel even tighter than on the drive there and he seems to be focusing on breathing slowly. It’s almost cute how intently he’s staring at the road, but you don’t say anything that could potentially embarrass him.

You were aware that he wasn’t inexperienced in this area, but his shyness still made you want to take it slower than you normally would.

It’s still hard not to ravage him when he pulls the car to a stop outside your apartment, both of you staring at the brick and stone building for a moment before getting out slowly. Hoseok comes around the front and takes your hand in his, leading you to the door and you shudder with anticipation, your thighs squeezing together with a need you hadn’t even thought about in a long while.

Your hands shake as you unlock your door, the keys jangling in the quietness of the hallway and it takes everything you have to not curse at the physical manifestation of your need for him. But any prospective embarrassment is gone when you turn round to look at him and see Hoseok’s eyes.

The unusual colour almost looks to be glowing in the dim light of your apartment and you shudder slightly, watching as he carefully tugs off his hoodie and hangs it up. It’s almost hilarious, how polite he’s being when all you want is for him to ravage you.

But you know Hoseok, and you know that he’ll only do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Stepping up in front of him, your hand rests on the solid chest beneath his shirt and you reach up onto your tiptoes to press your lips to his once more. The kiss is slow and languid, his tongue slipping into your mouth and exploring at a leisurely pace.

You let out the softest moan at the touch, which seems to trigger Hoseok’s desire as suddenly he’s bending ever so slightly and then you’re in the air, pressed to him as your thighs wrap around his waist tightly. Even underneath the stiff fabric of his denim jeans, you can feel his hard length pressing against your core and a whimper leaves you, causing him to growl ever so slightly.

So consumed by your want for him, you don’t notice when he manages to manoeuvre you into the bedroom until you’re toppling backwards, back meeting the soft covers that lay on your bed. He follows quickly, knee pressing into the mattress as his mouth pursues your own almost desperately.

Sinking your fingers into his luscious hair, you keep his face firmly against yours as you kiss him deeply, enjoying how reciprocal he’s being before his hands graze the soft skin of your stomach underneath your shirt. Pulling away, you look up at him with sheer lust, pushing yourself up just enough to remove your shirt.

Without a word, your bra follows and you watch as he pushes himself up, kneeling between your legs and simply admiring the curves and lines of your body with the practiced eye of an artist. His tongue licks along his lower lip slowly as his eyes track you before his hands run along your skin almost reverently.

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispers, his tone awed and you smile at him, the love you hadn’t spoken aloud practically emanating from your expression. At it, he hesitates slightly and turns his head to the left, hiding his face and you frown immediately, sitting up to cup his cheek.

“Don’t. Please. Don’t do that. Hide yourself from others if you really want, but please don’t hide from me.” His mouth opens before closing, jaw quivering before he nods quickly. Hoseok leans in to kiss you again but you dance away from him with a smile, reaching for his own shirt and playfully tugging it upwards.

There’s a pause from him as he resists for a moment before his arms lift, letting you take his shirt off to finally witness the incredibly toned torso you’d been craving to see for so long. And he’s glorious, everything you had imagined and so much more.

The soft pads of your fingers trace over the defined muscles of his abdomen, teeth biting at your lower lip in excitement at the smooth expanse of golden skin. Tracking upwards, you note that his chest is just as defined and it makes your mouth water.

You make no mention of the scarring that tracks down his left side, instead leaning forward to press featherlight kisses to his skin before evolving into hot, open mouthed kisses that leave wet patches that signal where you’ve loved him.

Each touch of your mouth causes him to jerk slightly and you feel him quivering as his breath exhales from him shakily. You’d like to say it’s because of how turned on he is, but the way he flinches when your lips press to his roughened skin tells you otherwise.

You don’t want him to feel like this when you’re together so intimately. In fact, you want him to forget about anything as he enjoys you, but you know it probably doesn’t work like that. So instead, you simply continue to tease him and touch at him, your fingers dipping into the waistband of his jeans and snapping them against his waist.

He moves away abruptly, standing at the side of the bed and you sit there for a moment in concern, wondering if you’ve pushed too hard. Instead though, he stares directly into your eyes before unbuttoning his jeans and pushing both them and his underwear down his legs.

Any thoughts you may have had vanish instantly as you stare at him, sheer lust and excitement bubbling through your veins at the sight of him fully naked. He’s quite possibly the most exquisite person you’ve ever seen, and he’s here for you.

Shuffling forward until you’re sitting at the end of the bed, you reach forward and grasp his hips firmly. He goes to say something but you simply shake your head and pull him closer with encouraging tugs until he’s standing close to you.

Reaching out, you take his hard length into your hand and give him one, long stroke that has him gasping out as his head rocks back. It’s almost bizarre how beautiful he is, even his penis is so perfect that it belongs in an x-rated movie or something.

Tugging at the silky smooth skin over his cock, you take note of the copious amounts of precum he’s leaking and feel a shard of pride take over at how much he’s obviously desiring you. Leaning forward, you kitten lick at the engorged tip of his head and internally grin at the almost pained whimper he lets out.

“You are beautiful.” You say to him, giving him another stroke before enveloping him in your warm mouth. Hoseok is almost the perfect mix of length and girth and he whines as you move down him as far as you can go before hollowing your cheeks out on the journey back up.

You continue on for a few minutes, simultaneously jerking him off while alternating between sucking on him and licking along his length, teasing all the spots that make him gasp out with need.

It’s only when his hips start to rock even harder that you pull away, eyes flickering up to meet his desire filled gaze as his chest heaves with gasps. Keeping your eyes locked to his, you carefully unbutton and tug off your own jeans and underwear before crawling back up the bed slowly and spreading your legs for him.

Immediately, his eyes focus on the glistening wetness that shines in the final strands of daylight that stream in through your window, an audible groan leaving him at the sight. Smirking at his want, you reach out for him before grinning as he practically falls over himself to put on a condom before he pounces onto the bed and inbetween your legs.

“Do you want me to…” He breaks off before glancing down between your legs but you’re already shaking your head, reaching down to grasp his dick and caress it languidly, enjoying the way his eyelids flutter shut while his jaw drops open.

“No, I want you. Now. Believe me, I’m wet enough.” You murmur, letting go of him to push yourself up and meet his lips. He responds immediately, his kiss almost aggressive but still allowing you the control that you’ve taken the entire way through.

He doesn’t do anything for a few moments however and you almost whine at him until he grinds his hips against yours. The movement has his hard shaft sliding against your engorged clit and you immediately let out a high pitched pant at the sensation, shifting your own hips to encourage him to find a perfect rhythm.

Each slow slide has his cock becoming coated in the clear slickness of your arousal while it sends lightning spears of pleasure through your own body. Moaning into his mouth, you grip his hair tightly to keep him close.

The slightest shift of his body suddenly has him penetrating you in one slow, long slide. Immediately your head slams back into the pillows at the intrusion that stretches your walls in the most delicious way while he in turn lets out a breathy grunt at the tight sensation as you grip him.

A stream of words you don’t recognise in a musical language escape his lips while his brow creases in concentration as he remains seated in you firmly. Recognising that he’s probably a little overwhelmed, you stroke along his back in long and soothing movement while you suck deep kisses into his neck and whatever other skin you can reach.

Finally, he begins to move in slow rocks that gradually increase in speed and depth until he’s moving at a good pace, the two of you moaning out your pleasure into the quiet room. “Oh god Hoseok, please.”

He’s not hugely vocal in bed you discover, but he doesn’t need to be when his body does all the speaking for him. Each snap of his hips has you jerking up the bed and your eyelids flutter shut of their own accord as bliss crackles through your veins.

“Is it good?” He finally speaks, and when you open your eyes you see the concern painted deeply in them. Hoseok wants to make this good for you, and your heart swells to see his concern for you.

Nodding at him, you let out a choked gasp as he hits a particular spot inside you that sends your body convulsing under him. “Fuck Hoseok, fuck I’m close.” You whine and your hand moves of its own accord down your body, reaching between your legs before you begin to play with your clit.

The engorged bud has been severely forgotten about, but as you begin to circle it with the right amount of pressure it intensifies the pleasure that Hoseok’s cock is providing you. Your other hand grasps at the bed covers desperately as you continuously clench around him in pursuit of your orgasm, causing him to moan out in turn as he maintains a good pace.

“Come for me.” He whispers into your ear, the words rough and gravelly from his exertion and the air tickling at your sensitive skin. The pounding of his hips into yours combines with the furious movement of your hand and then you’re exploding around him, mind blanking out for a few moment as long, animalistic groans leave you.

They quickly become the high pitched whines of over-stimulation as you pull your hand away as he continues to fuck you through your orgasm, hips moving at a startling pace. The gratification of his dick inside you continues though and you can’t stop the breathy moans that seem to leave you with each thrust, but you look up at him lazily as your hands stroke along his body encouragingly.

“Your turn Hoseok, are you close?” You whisper, voice raspy from your vocal exertions and you bite your lip firmly as he nods with closed eyes. His face is a picture of pleasure and effort and you push up to bite at his defined jawline gently, squeezing your inner muscles around him encouragingly until he’s almost sobbing with his need.

A sudden jerk of his hips is the only inclination about his impending orgasm until suddenly his head is dropping into your neck as he grunts, his hips jerking forward in tiny movements as his length twitches inside you. Head dropped to the pillow, you watch with fascination as he orgasms, brow quirking as his skin almost seems to be illuminated but you dismiss it as the lighting outside.

He’s quiet for a moment and the room feels hot and stifling, a layer of sweat coating both your skin and his own. But it’s comfortable and you feel a swelling of emotion in your stomach as he lays there, your arms gently wrapping around his shoulders as best you can.

Hoseok pulls out and flops onto the side, letting out a heaving breath as he tries to catch his breath before looking to the side at you. Swallowing, he licks his lips before giving you a tentative smile.

“Was it good?” It’s almost adorable that he asks and you find yourself grinning as you lean forward to press a kiss to his abused lips, remaining close enough to him that your noses brush with each breath.

“It was amazing.”

-

The air is still when you finally gain consciousness the next morning, eyes bleary and crusted from the most restful sleep you’ve had in a while. While the sex had been phenomenal, truly amazing, it had been the intimate and quiet minutes afterwards that you’d enjoyed the most.

As you rolled over under the sheets, inhaling his scent that lingered deeply, you let a meek smile loose as flashbacks of the night before race through your mind. He had been so caring and attentive, with far more experience than his shy and awkward nature let on.

It had been all the better with the knowledge that you’d fallen in love with this compassionate man who had a smile that would put the sun to shame. Staring up at the white ceiling and listening to the soft chirping of birds outside your window, you couldn’t stop your lips from spreading into a grin as excitement fluttered in your stomach.

You loved him, and there was no way on Earth you were giving him up to the vultures of the media or your harpy of a boss, Donghae. They’d rip this affectionate and introverted man apart and the very idea of it made your breath hitch.

He froze up with tension and fear in a crowded place and in the months you’d spent with him, he’d only acquiesced to one photograph with you. A photograph you treasured beyond belief. No, Jung Hoseok did not have a personality that would survive the assault on his character and live.

Finally registering the fact that the apartment was quiet, you sit up with a frown as you look around your bedroom for the man in question. His dark ripped jeans are gone but the shirt he’d been wearing yesterday was still carelessly thrown onto the floor.

Climbing out of the bed, you smile to yourself at the gentle ache between your legs before bending to pick up his shirt. Pulling it on, you take a moment to bring the collar to your nose and inhale deeply, eyelids fluttering at the scent of cologne, oil, metal and the very essence of Hoseok.

You marvel for a moment at how it falls down to your just above mid thigh before remembering how you always have to look up at him all the time. Running a hand down the soft material, you grin with pleasure. You’ve never worn the clothes of your partners before and you kind of like it.

Before leaving your bedroom, you make sure to at least pull on underwear so that you didn’t appear to be too desperate for a round two. Though you certainly wouldn’t say no if he proposed it.

Heading outside, the constant silence is confusing to you. Given he wasn’t in bed when you’d woken up, it would only make sense that he was either in the bathroom or the kitchen. But there was no noise coming from either and you half entertain the thought that perhaps he really had just left and not bothered to put on his shirt or shoes.

You find him, however, in the living area of your apartment where he sits on the grey couch in silence. Walking over, you add what you hope is a seductive tilt to your walk only to see it goes completely unnoticed. Instead, Hoseok is focused on your open laptop in front of him.

It’s the deep frown lines that paint a map of unhappiness on his forehead that let you know that something is wrong. As you step towards him, he suddenly looks up with distress written all over. Immediately you want to wrap him in your arms and protect him from whatever has upset him.

“What is it? Hoseok what’s wrong?” You ask, coming forwards with arms open to embrace him. Only you freeze when he flinches away from you, his eyes that had been so vibrant with happiness yesterday rapidly cooling. Pressing his lips together, he swallows thickly before licking them and pointing to your laptop screen.

“Is it true?” His voice is hoarse, the tone husky and rasping enough to cause goosebumps to rise along your skin. Only it’s not from pleasure or anticipation, but fear. Edging your way around the coffee table, you look down at the bright screen of your laptop and focus on what he can see.

The sight causes you to freeze, your heart dropping into your stomach as you read the email that had been sent this morning. Coldness envelops your body as blood rushes from your face and you can’t think properly, mind going fuzzy with panic.

“Hoseok...it’s not what it looks like. I swear.” You begin, voice pleading immediately and your hands are moving of their own accord towards him. He stands up though, muscular thighs flexing as he darts away from you and you watch with despair as his shoulders close in, back hunching slightly like an animal that’s been cornered.

Hoseok lets out a frantic laugh, each sound tinged with a despairing note that makes your heart clench with trepidation. “So...you’re not a reporter then? And you haven’t been given the job of finding out who the CEO of Vulcan is? I know you’ve figured it out as you left your notes open on here. I just sat down to drink some coffee when I must have nudged your laptop into life and there it was...a full report on me and how you’d figured it out.”

Staring at him in distress, you find that the only thing you’re capable of doing is opening and closing your mouth. Any attempts to formulate a response, despite the fact your mind is screaming denials, simply comes out as an oddly soft, croaking and gurgling sound.

When he catches your eyes flicker to the screen, cursing the fact you’d left your Outlook open and that your boss has evidently finally gotten annoyed, his face crumples. Those cheeks that harboured dimples you were desperate to learn with your touch fell, mouth disappearing behind his shaking hand.

Stepping further back, his uncovered back hitting the wall with a soft thud and you feel like someone has reached into your chest and cruelly ripped your heart out. The soft ticking of the clock on the wall sounds like your happiness slowly dripping out of the hole that’s been left, but it’s the film of tears that shines over his eyes that sends your body cold.

Those beautiful eyes, so unusual and vibrant are dull and you don’t even need to see the rest of his face to understand the betrayal he must be feeling. His other arm presses to his stomach in the classic protective position of people across the world and it’s with growing consternation that you realise he’s afraid of you.

Afraid of the power you wield because of your job.

Gasping out, you bend over slightly at the metaphorical gut punch at that knowledge as you watch the man you have come to love recoil away. Slowly lifting your hand to him, your head begins to shake as tears slowly fall, internally willing yourself to stop being so selfish and focus on him.

“It’s not...Hoseok I swear. I swear I wasn’t going to. I...I’ve known for a few days who you are and it didn’t matter. It doesn’t matter! Please don’t, I’m not going to. I swear to you.” You plead, your throat quivering slightly as tears thicken it.

He watches you for a moment before slowly gesturing to the room. “Was this...all part of it? Moving into the town? Getting to know the people who know me best? Was it just...a way to get close to me?” At that, he suddenly frowns deeply and your heart breaks to see an innocent, confused look take over.

He points to himself slowly, almost as if he doesn’t want to ask. “Did you get close to me...just for that? Was last night just…” Hoseok can’t finish his words and immediately you’re denying it, moving closer and wanting to cry as he slips out of your grasp, dancing around your hand and to the door.

“No! It wasn’t, I swear Hoseok it wasn’t. Yes, yes it started out as an assignment but...you’re my friend and well...you’re my closest friend. And last night was...amazing and great and everything my past relationships have never been. I’m so sorry Hobi, please believe me. I didn’t use you, I’m not using you, I lo-” Immediately he’s shaking his head violently, messy black hair flying.

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare say that! You can’t, you can’t...not when. No, you can’t. I can’t...I need to...no!” Hoseok cries out, the tears finally breaking the dam and slowly trickling down his face in a trail of pain at your deception.

Staring at you for a few moments more, you choke on a sob as you watch his chest heave with the emotions he tries to keep locked down. “I trusted you.” He whispers low, wiping at his face furiously before he’s turning round. You’re not sure what to make of his actions till you realise he’s yanking on the black hoodie he’d hung on the coat rack.

It’s only when he’s grabbing his keys and shoving his shoes onto his feet that you suddenly come to your senses, mind screaming at his actions. “Wait, Hoseok just wait!” You call out but he’s gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

Staring at the door, you watch for a few seconds in shock before you’re grabbing your keys and running after him. He’s not in the hallway and it’s only while your feet are slamming against the stairs that you register you hadn’t even put on shoes.

Skidding to a stop just outside the entrance to the building, you let out a broken whimper as you watch the back end of his black pickup peel out onto the street. Hand pressing to your stomach, you try hard to ignore the nausea you feel along with the numbing fear. You’re not sure what you’re supposed to do now and it’s only when you look around with wide eyes that you see a few people staring at you with judgement in their eyes.

Looking down, you note your bare feet and legs before realising you’re stood out in public in just Hoseok’s shirt and some underwear. Flushing bright red, you run back inside to your apartment before standing in the entrance, hands fisting at your hair in anguish.

Swiping at your nose, you gasp on a choked breath before rushing into the bedroom. Standing still for a minute, you grip the roots of your hair tightly as you try hard to ignore the dark thoughts running through your head. You’ll pack your stuff, get your car and then leave. Simple, you’ll go back and tell Donghae you’d failed.

As you began to throw clothes into your suitcase, half of your mind was screaming to go after Hoseok and explain properly but the other half was too ashamed and upset. His reaction had been everything you’d been afraid of and you were far too cowardly to go after him.

Besides, for someone as skittish as Hoseok you had no doubt that he didn’t want to see you and was likely hiding somewhere till you left. The best thing you could do for him would be to vanish and never publish the information you’d found out. Even if it felt like your heart was shrivelling and dying.

You’d chosen to be selfish that day in the meeting with your boss, deeming your career more important over someone else’s privacy. But after getting to know Hoseok, you knew that while your life would improve exponentially upon revealing the information you’d found, his would crash and burn around him.

Dragging your suitcase out to the hallway, you abandon it for a moment while you focus on cleaning the apartment as best you can and throwing out the food. It wouldn’t be fair to June for you leave the place untidy; you may be running from your problems but you won’t be that rude.

It’s only when you sit on the sofa to turn your laptop off that you finally pause, rational thought finally making its way through your mind. Staring down at the dark screen, a press on the touchpad wakes up the screen to reveal the documents detailing all you’d found about Jung Hoseok and what explicitly linked him to Vulcan Industries.

Reading over your notes again, your palm runs down your face tiredly while another rubs the back of your neck. Why did you care so much? Why did anyone care so much? Hoseok had done so much good for the world, made so many inventions that had brought relief and happiness and he’d demanded nothing in return.

Nothing except for the ability to live peacefully and privately in his own private version of heaven; a small town where no one cared about big corporations, a home he’d made his own and a garage that allowed him to help in small ways along with the big.

Swallowing thickly, you open up the email that had led to him figuring everything out. Donghae is curt, demanding an article as soon as possible on whatever you’d found. It’s when you read the words that you’d sent to him weeks ago that you feel the hot tears prickle your eyes, filling to the point that they slowly trickle down your face.

From: Y/N

To: Lee Donghae

Subject: Project Vesuvius

Hi Donghae,

Please accept my apologies that I’ve been radio silent for a while. I’ve been doing research into the CEO and I think I’ve finally found something.

I will respond to you with an article once I’ve confirmed my suspicions and done extensive research. It should be within the next few weeks I believe, please wait for further correspondence.

Kind Regards,

Y/N

Unsurprisingly, Donghae had got annoyed at waiting for you to respond to him and taken it into his own hands. The resulting email had all the hallmarks of Donghae’s infamous lack of patience and it made your stomach shrivel to know that not only were you going back with nothing, but Hoseok had seen it.

From: Lee Donghae

To: Y/N

Subject: RE: Project Vesuvius

Y/N,

Where the hell is this article?! You’ve been gone for four months now, I’d expect to at least see something after this.

What am I doing? Paying you for a vacation? Send me what research you have now or I’ll be docking your pay for this waste of time.

Donghae

Deleting the email with a gulp, you instead open up the pictures folder. There were so many images in there of Hoseok’s metal work, each piece a small work of art that he had put his heart and soul into.

But that isn’t the one that makes you stifle a sob, instead it’s the one solitary picture you have of the man you’d fallen hopelessly in love with. It was from when he’d taken you hiking up one of the mountain trails that were dotted around the landscape here.

Wearing dark jeans, a pair of sturdy and well used walking boots along with a plain grey shirt and white hoodie, he’d looked an absolute picture of beauty. You’d felt more than a little ridiculous when he’d raised his eyebrow at your white linen shorts, pale yellow t-shirt and white Adidas trainers.

The reason for his dubious look had appeared only an hour into the hike, when you’d fallen over twice from the uneven ground and now had shorts that had turned a lovely shade of dusty brown along with scuffed shoes.

Still, the view had been worth it when you’d reached your destination. Hoseok had packed a lunch for the two of you and it had been perfection. At your shy request for a photo together, he’d acquiesced and there it was.

He was smiling so prettily, his face slightly turned to the side to try and hide his scarring while the red highlights in his hair had gleamed in the bright sunshine. His eyes were reduced to almost squinting from the bright light yet you still admired the pretty shape of them, the way the apples of his cheeks were so rounded and the dimples that always appeared so easily.

The tiny mole on his lips could be seen even while his smile was so big and you bit down on your lip hard as you realised he looked happy and relaxed. Because he had been happy and relaxed.

Changing screens back to your notes, you stared at the countless words and html links with a blank look for a moment. The letters blurred slightly from your tears and you shook your head, closing down the document.

Going into your documents, you found the file that contained all the information you’d found out about Vulcan and Hoseok and dragged it over to the recycling bin. Watching it disappear with a soft ‘woosh’ from your laptop, it only took a moment to right click and empty.

Shutting it down, you placed it inside your messenger back and sniffled pathetically. Wiping your nose with the back of your hand, you looked down at the black shirt that still smelled of him and willed your lips not to tremble.

It took no time at all to leave June a voicemail apologising for your sudden absence and informing her of where you’d left the key before you were walking towards Hoseok’s garage, a lump in your stomach as fear filled your limbs.

You didn’t want to face him. Not because you were afraid of him, but because you simply didn’t want to hurt him anymore and you certainly didn’t want to see that look of betrayal in his eyes again.

The suitcase trundling behind you was so loud and you wince as you reach the garage, noting with a sad relief that the main doors were closed and his car was nowhere to be seen. Shuffling quickly to the customer entrance door, you enter the six digit code that Hoseok had told you only two weeks ago, 790824.

He’d invited you over to his place for the evening and warned you that he’d be in the garage working on some repairs. As such, he’d simply informed you of the code to enter so that he wouldn’t need to leave. The reasoning behind his choice of numbers had only been made clear to you the other day, making you wonder for a moment if he’d wanted to be found.

Entering the clean waiting room, you look around and inhale the oh so familiar scent of oil and metal that had always been Jung Hoseok. Swallowing, you let your fingers trail slowly along the counter top as you move around it, spying the tray of keys to all the cars he has.

Picking out yours, you clutch onto them tightly before turning and practically running out of the building. It’s only once you’ve stuffed your suitcase into the back of your car and sat in the drivers seat that you finally pause to crane your head, trying to take a peek up the isolated drive that leads to his house.

From here, you can barely see the building you’d become so acquainted with over these last few weeks, but you can clearly see the black car parked haphazardly in front of it. Turning back, you rest your head on the wheel for a moment and fight the desperate need to go to him and apologise, beg on your knees and anything else you can think of to make him forgive you.

It’s only a deep, fortifying breath that shudders dangerously that gives you the strength to insert the key and turn the ignition. Your car starts immediately, the deep and almost choking rumble that you were used to filling the silence and you move away with a heavy heart.

A glance into the mirror lets you watch his garage disappear as you drive down the road, heading down the long and lonely roads that make up this part of the world as you drive back home. You’ll probably get fired from your job for wasting their time but it’ll be worth it.

It has to be worth it, because it will mean that his secret is safe.

-

Hoseok sat the floor of his bedroom, back resting against the bed as a bottle of half empty whiskey dangled from his fingers. Staring at nothing, he sighed heavily before running a hand through his hair and letting his head fall back against the mattress.

He desperately wished that he could get drunk, that when he drank this whole bottle of whiskey he’d be half comatose with inebriation. Instead, all he got was a burning sensation when he drank the foul liquid.

Damn his godliness that meant only alcohol made by the gods would work. He hadn’t had a good drink like that in centuries and he wasn’t particularly in the mood to go find some. Maybe Hermes had invented some online store for Olympus made products already? Musing on that, he tipped the bottle back and swallowed some more lazily.

It was over. It was all over.

He’d had a good run at anonymity, he thought to himself before a shard of pain lanced through his chest. Holding his right arm out, he looks over the scarring that always caught the human’s attention and let out a shaky breath.

It didn’t bother him that he had them anymore, he’d gotten over them a long time ago, but it was the staring he could never get over. The way people would turn slightly when they saw it, their eyes tracking over each point like a dot to dot puzzle and he could see the questions forming in their head immediately.

He’d experienced it for millennia, and no matter what mortal body he chose he knew that the scarring would appear in the exact same places every time. For these were wounds that had been caused by the fires of Mount Olympus and even his godly skin would not heal them.

Hoseok could only imagine what the humans would say to find out he was the genius behind Vulcan. It would be nice to think that they would be understanding and kind, focusing on the technological achievements that he had made throughout the years.

Perhaps note how he was a small town guy who had shunned the spotlight, instead letting his works take all the fame. Maybe even his philanthropy and how he tried to help improve not only human society but the environment as well. That he was an example for children across the world to aspire to.

But he knew what they would focus on. His scars, his anxiety, his pathological need to be away from crowds, his panic attacks. He had no doubt that there would be people in town who would happily take money to spill all his secrets, to gleefully tattle about the one or two times he’d lost his temper or been rude.

As he watched, his hand began to shake from the stress as his mind went into overdrive. Despite the terror that threatened to swallow him whole at the thought of his face being plastered across the media, his mind kept latching onto you. To the look of shock on your face when you realised that he knew.

Staring at his hand, he gritted his teeth as the tears began to fall once again and with effort he clenched his fingers into a fist. Hoseok had spent centuries on his own, millennia even. The gods, his own parents, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts and cousins, had rejected him long before any human language was first inscribed on stone.

To be a god was to be the perfection that humans looked up to. As such, it was only right that they were the pinnacles of humanity. They had to be the strongest, the fastest, the smartest, the wittiest and above all else, they had to be the most beautiful.

It mattered not that Hoseok was one of the smartest gods in the Pantheon, creating machines that humans still couldn’t comprehend even today. It did not matter that his strength was just as strong as any gods or that he could hold his own in a battle of wits with even Hermes, the flighty god who was a trickster personified.

No. They had taken one look at the scarring on him, the scarring that he had gained while building and creating the weapons and machines they had asked for, and deemed him unfit, ugly and not welcome amongst their ethereal beauty. And so he had been relegated to the harshest area of Olympus, surrounded by lava and searing temperatures. It was a place no gods visited.

None except the one who had become his best friend, the equally lonely and rejected Hades. The isolation he had experienced had continued for millennia, which had resulted in what the humans called social anxiety today. As he had told you previously, he had sexual experience but he was basically a virgin in terms of relationships. He didn’t understand how to navigate the complexities of society, and as society had become even more complex he had decided he didn’t want to.

Until you. Until you had come into his garage, with your sweet and innocent smile and the laugh that made his heart flutter. You had spent weeks with him, slowly chipping at the casing around his heart until you’d finally found her way inside, curling up within him and slowly spreading until all he could feel was you.

He had spent a large portion of the time ignoring his feelings, believing them to not be true and just a figment of his imagination. It had taken him a while to convince himself that you were being honest as well, that you truly wanted him for himself. That when you laughed, it was with him and not at him.

He had finally learnt how to love another, had been willing to ask you if you would be willing to try a relationship. Hoseok had no idea how to be a boyfriend - he had had many names over the millennia but that had never been one. But he had been willing to try for you, to look into how to be the perfect human boyfriend and simply love you as you deserved.

And then he’d found out it had all been a sham. That he had been wrong now and right long ago. He had written off humans as individuals millennia ago, deeming them to be selfish and stubborn creatures who would sell their own mother if it meant it would advance their own agenda. As a society on the whole, they had positives that he could see, but individually they were a menace.

It was simply his need to create and his wish to improve the lives of innocents who suffered and to try and stave off some of the illness that humanity had cursed the planet with that had spurred on his creation of Vulcan Industries. But humans themselves? He had no care for them, as they had regularly rejected him in turn.

It had always been a point of contention between himself and Hades, which had continually baffled him. His best friend, and uncle to get technical, who ruled over the Underworld and regularly saw the very worst that humanity had to offer get thrown into the eternal pits of Tartarus, believed in humans so strongly.

Whenever he’d pointed out the dichotomy, Hades had always shrugged. “For every one human that has done atrocious things that is sent to Tartarus, I watch two innocent humans enter the Fields of Elysium. I see children who do not belong in death and I see elderly who should have never reached the age they did. If I had the time, I would take every bad human and thrown them into the Styx before dumping them into the Acheron for extra measure and then let them make their own way to Tartarus in the Phlegethon. But the vast majority of humanity is not evil, just misguided.”

You had made him think that maybe Hades had been right. Maybe he had been wrong all these years and that there was much to celebrate and rejoice about humanity. And then you had proven him right, in the most painful way possible.

He rubbed his chest slowly, fingers pressing against the soft material of the hoodie before he clawed at it slightly. It felt like he had a gaping hole in his chest, exactly where his heart had once been placed. Lowering his head, he let the now empty bottle of whiskey fall to the floor as he let out a shaky sigh.

Hoseok had carefully, and with much trepidation, given you his heart. It was a big thing, for it was the heart of a god and carried with it much power and blessings. He wished he could say that it was easy for him to snatch it back, but that would be a lie. You still had it, and he wasn’t sure how long you would continue to do so.

Looking around his room with a depressed eye, he felt the inescapable need to just flee. Go somewhere and pretend that this life had never existed. Hoseok needed to go and recoup, come back to himself and try to forget you. He couldn’t do that here, not now.

The house was filled with your memories, from the sound of your laughter in the kitchen as you baked with him to your awe filled gasps in his workshop. Your very presence had seeped into the walls without his permission and it sounded like betrayal.

Pulling out his phone from his pocket, he stared at the dark screen for a moment before pressing it to his forehead firmly. Closing his eyes tightly, he swallowed before finally speaking. “Vulcan, call Hades on speaker.”

Immediately his phone acknowledged his request and soon a dial tone began to call out. He waited with a patience that he was surprised he had, though in reality he was simply beginning to wallow in the despair of his misguided faith and love.

“Holy shit, Heph! Is the world ending or something? I think you’ve still got a way to go before you own it all you know. On that note, dude! What the fuck? Where’s my funky hologram phone. Some best friend you are. Millennia together and you can’t even be fucked to-” The familiar ranting of Hades begins and Hoseok simply listens for a moment, eyes closed before his lips tip up of their own accord. Yes, maybe this was the right choice.

“Hades...I’m sorry, Jimin. I keep forgetting that’s your name now,” He mumbles, rubbing at his eyes tiredly as he sighs. “I’m sorry, I’ll send you one. Or bring you one, if that’s okay?” The words are quiet, much more softer and shyer than he’d intended.

There’s silence on the other end before Jimin is speaking again. “What’s wrong? You don’t sound okay.” At his words, quiet and completely void of any joking or teasing, Hoseok’s eyes fill immediately and he bites his lip to try and stop any noise.

It doesn’t work though, and his voice cracks before a heart wrenching sob leaves his whiskey burned throat. “I did it Jimin. I did what you always said I should.” Blinking rapidly, he tries in vain to stop the gentle trickle of tears down his cheeks.

“...you finally had a six-some with the sea nymphs?” The confused tone to Jimin’s voice makes him laugh, the sound thick with pain. He wasn’t offended, the God of Death had never handled emotions well.

“No, I let a human in. I finally...I mean I...she made me think that maybe you were right. That humans aren’t all terrible and that maybe I was worthy of some happiness finally. But you were wrong. They are, and it turns out I’m not.” Hoseok’s hand wraps around his mouth at that, trying hard to keep his crying silent.

Jimin is quiet before he speaks again, his voice soothing and calming. “I’m sorry Hoseok. Are you okay?” Hoseok lets those words sink into his skin slowly, contemplating what his answer would be as he takes a shaking breath.

“No.” Is all he can manage to gasp out, the word so meek and quiet but he knows that if he tried to be louder then his voice would crack. There’s a couple of seconds of silence, the speaker barely even letting Jimin’s breathing be heard before he finally hears a long, deep sigh.

“You can come here for a while if you want? We bought a new place a few years ago, it’s gated and no one can get in. It’ll give you the privacy and solitude you need right now?” Immediately Hoseok felt a wave of relief wash over him, numbing his frayed nerves in a way that the whiskey never could. “Oh, you can meet my wife too! Finally. I know you’re a bit annoyed at humans but...she’s a good one. I swear. And she knows about us.”

Sighing softly, Hoseok let his phone dangle from his fingertips as he let his head tip forward to rest on his knees. Of course, he remembered that Jimin had gotten married a few years ago. Hades, of all the gods, had finally let himself fall in love. Hoseok remembered sending them some Vulcan stuff and one of his own metalworks to congratulate them.

“That’s okay. As long as she doesn’t, you know. Actually what does it matter. Whatever. I just need to...be away from here.” He whispered, just wanting to leave this damn house and forget the memories before his life imploded on itself.

The remainder of the phone call was simply Jimin agreeing and telling him that he would be expected. Once the call ended, his phone chimed once to let him know that the god had texted him his new home address.

It took Hoseok half an hour to finally convince himself to stand up and get moving, half-heartedly throwing a few clothes into a duffel bag. The garage would be fine for however long was necessary as he had no outside clients currently, only the Vulcan cars. Walking down to the door, he stopped into his workshop for a moment to grab the metal sculpture he’d created a few months ago and thought Jimin might like.

But he freezes in place when he sees the sculpture he’d been working on for a while now, taking the utmost care to make sure every inch of it is perfect and beautiful. A metal rose, so delicate that it looks like it would shatter if it was dropped. He hadn’t finished it yet, the edges of the leaves still sharp where he had yet to smooth them out.

Rage erupts from inside him, the emotion thick and molten like lava and without even thinking he’s gripping the rose head tightly. Muscles strain as he distorts it crumpling it in his heated hands until when he moves away, all that remains is a lump of deformed metal.

Sharp pains radiate from his palm and he looks down, staring at the deep cuts that bleed freely from where the petals had embedded themselves. As he watches, he feels the anger bleed from him with each drop until all he is filled with is despair and hurt, tears of sympathy falling from his eyes.

Turning quickly, he flees the room without even taking the item he’d originally intended, the sheer need to vanish overwhelming him. He threw his duffel bag into the footwell of the passenger seat and turned the ignition, listening to the satisfying rumble of his car. Stretching his fingers over the wheel, he took a deep sigh and willed himself to calm down.

He would be okay, he had to be okay. It had to be okay. Clenching his jaw and squeezing his eyes shut, he focused on breathing slowly. In and out, in and out, just like how you’d shown him how to cope with a panic attack. The thought of you had his eyes filling up again and his next exhale trembled viciously, almost interrupting his calming process.

By the time he was finally feeling stable, fifteen minutes had passed and he let out a sorry sigh. According to the sat nav in his car, it would take 4 hours to drive to Jimin’s place. But maybe that was good, he thought to himself, as it would give him 4 hours to come to terms with everything that had happened to him.

And everything that would happen to him. Was he ready to be outed to the world? No. But he didn’t have a choice now. As he drove along in silence, his mind ran at a million miles a minute. He was terrified of being revealed to the world, yes. Yet he’d come to realise what hurt the most was simply your betrayal, the fact that you’d used him so easily.

Hoseok came to realise, as he drove along the long, isolated road through the vast forest that linked his town to the next, that he was ashamed of how easily he’d let you in. The memories of you made his heart clench in happiness before he felt the sharp pains of hurt dagger their way through. Each memory became tainted suddenly and he found himself viewing every interaction with suspicion.

As he drove, he suddenly had a moment of panic about whether or not you’d filmed last night. Immediately he felt sick and he had to pull over to the side of the road, jumping out and heaving for breaths as he bent over. Even as he struggled to breathe, his mind scolded him for his thoughts.

You were cruel, but he doubted you were that cruel.

Straightening up finally, he took a few fortifying breaths with his eyes closed as he tipped his head back. The forest was quiet and it took him a few moments to realise that it was unusually quiet, the sound of birds were absent and he opened his eyes to look around in confusion.

It was then that he noticed the underbrush was disturbed up ahead, the grass flattened and the clear sign of tyres being the cause. He stared at it, eyes squinting slightly before he began to walk forwards.

There was no reason for a car to come off the road here, the trees of the forest were too thick and frequent to fit a car inside. Not to mentioned the slight dip in land that meant the car probably wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Walking over, he listened to the sound of his boots crunching in the dirt before he finally caught sight of why there were signs of a car. Because there was, and it was currently upside down and smashed forcefully into a tree around 30 feet off the road.

Eyes widening, he started to slide down the slight embankment as he made his way over. There had been no brake marks on the road to indicate that the driver had tried to stop, so there was no surprise that the car had tried to wrap itself around the tree.

“Hello?! Is anyone in there? Are you okay?” He called out, voice loud against the stark quietness of the forest. There was no response from the car and he felt an odd sense of trepidation.

Dried branches cracked underneath his boots as he walked forward, suddenly wishing he’d put on a shirt underneath the damn hoodie when he’d been home. As he got closer to the car, he winced as he saw how completely destroyed the car was. It’s front end was practically non-existent and he wondered how fast they’d been going to cause this much damage.

He glanced at the number plate for a brief second and it was only seconds later that his mind finally translated the upside down plate. Immediately he froze, looking over the car with new eyes as shock numbed his system.

“No, her car is still at the garage. I never fixed the bra..” His voice trails off as horror takes over the numbness, gasping as he rocks back. “I never fixed the brakes.” He breathes out, frowning instantly before he’s sprinting forwards.

Skidding to a halt next to the wreckage, he looks it over desperately while his hand gestures uselessly. Dropping into a squat, he prays to Olympus that some joy rider had just stolen your car. Please, please let it be some idiot, he chants internally.

But his prayers aren’t answered when he ducks down, looking through the shattered drivers window. “Oh god no. No, no, no. Please no.” He whispers desperately, falling forward to his knees and ignoring the glass that pricks at them.

“Hey, Y/N? Hey come on, wake up. Please wake up. Come on sweetheart, wake up for me please.” He calls out, encouraging as his fingers gingerly reach for your throat. There’s blood dripping from your head to the ceiling, which is now the floor, and he notes with a sickening feeling that there’s a good sized pool there already.

He feels a heart beat, slow and sluggish, but a gasp of relief runs through him. “Okay agapi mou, it’ll be okay. I’ll get you out. Stay with me okay?” He speaks, his voice oddly soothing despite the panic running through him.

Looking over the car, he winces when he realises that the engine had been practically destroyed, but the sheer force of hitting the trunk has wedged the dashboard onto your legs. The steering wheel is pressed against your stomach and he hopes that you’re not injured too badly internally.

“Okay, okay Hephaestus. You can do this. It’s fine, you just need to get her out without hurting her.” He has no idea where to start. He can take a car apart if necessary but that’s usually under controlled circumstances; it only takes one look at the door to know that’s not going to open.

Swallowing, he sits confused for a few seconds as his mind frantically works. He’d need an industrial saw to cut through the door and he needs to basically straighten the dashboard out enough so that he can pull you out.

But he doesn’t have that, and he knows that the closest fire station will take half an hour to get here. Taking a quick look at you again, he winces when he sees the constant stream of blood and knows you probably doesn’t have the time it would take to wait. Stripping his hoodie off, he tries to wrap it in a way to stem the blood flow.

Staring at the dented door frame, he takes a deep breath before muttering encouragements to himself. “It’s okay, you’re a god. You can do this, it’s fine. She’s not awake, she won’t know. You can do this. You have to do this,” Swallowing he places a hand on the door frame. “You have to do this or she’ll die.”

He’d been hurt by your actions and you were likely going to ruin his life, but he couldn’t escape the fact that he was in love with you. And the thought of you being gone forever made his chest constrict tightly.

Nodding, he placed his hands on the door frame, fingers squeezing against broken glass and he begins to pull. Groaning out loud, he strains hard as the car begins to creak and complain. An unholy loud sound screams around the silent forest as the metal begins to rip and he curses the fact that you’d chosen an old car instead of a newer one.

Yanking up, he shouts out as he strains desperately against the resisting door. Come on, he thinks internally, grunting at the pressure on his hands. Pausing, he presses his head against the cool metal and takes deep breaths, regulating himself before he’s pulling again.

The door finally gives way, causing him to almost fall backwards from the force but instead he’s simply throwing it to the side. Scanning over the dashboard, he groans softly as he wonders how the hell he’s going to sort this.

Looking back at you, his eyes trace over your delicate features quickly and his stomach twists. You’re paling rapidly and it frightens him, bruises already beginning to blossom on your face while all he can hear is the constant dripping from your head.

“I’ll get you out, I swear.” He whispers before looking at the front again. It’s going to require care, to pull the dashboard off you without causing any further damage. Looking everything over, his eyes flicker to you again before he makes his decision. There’s no other way.

Holding up his hands, he watches as the cuts slowly heal before his golden skin begins to shimmer slightly. As he concentrates, the shimmer turns into a soft glow that gets brighter and brighter until it looks like he’s been lit from within, arms burning a red glow. He desperately hopes you won’t wake up and see this, but it’s more important to simply get you out.

Take hold of the steering wheel, he presses a hand against where it connects to the dash before closing his eyes and hissing out. As he does so, the place he touches begins to bubble and burn until his hand is through the plastic and pressing against the metal connecting the wheel. He grabs hold of it and grinds his teeth together, concentrating to do something that he hasn’t done in millennia.

The dim interior of the broken car lights up as he channels through the power of Olympus, the direct contact he has with the seat of the gods activating and he begs for the power of the mighty volcano hidden inside.

Searing pain races through his arm as the mountain answers, his veins becoming molten lava and his hand heating a temperature that no human could withstand. He would pay for this, with new scars that the volcano would demand from him.

The metal began to heat, turning white hot under his hand and within seconds it was malleable enough for him to pull. Carefully, he removed the steering wheel and placed it outside, making sure that the heated end would not touch the ground and accidentally start a wildfire.

He burned his way through the car, the heated metal peeling apart with ease until finally he could free you without causing further harm. Waiting a few seconds till his arms return to their normal colour, Hoseok gently pulls you out until you are laid on the cool forest ground.

“Agapi mou? Please, please wake up. Please?” His voice cracks as confused emotion runs through him, the hurt and despair from earlier warring with his worry and love for you now. Shaking fingers trace down the side of your face and he notes the new scars on his hands with jaded interest.

There’s nothing from you until he suddenly hears the softest murmur. The reassuring sound has him lowering his head before he’s lifting you up, fully aware that he’s probably doing everything wrong but he’s a mechanic, not a doctor. But you make no noise and he’s moving back to his car, placing you into the bed of his pickup as gently as possible.

“It’ll be okay, I swear.” He whispers, brushing the hair out of your face before he’s darting back into the driver’s seat. The closest hospital is half an hour away and he drives as fast as he possibly can without attracting any attention to himself.

Screeching into the emergency bay, Hoseok is jumping out of the car as quickly as he can before running inside and calling for help. Internally, he praises humanity’s need to heal as immediately nurses and doctors are rushing to his car. As he explains to the nurse at his side what had happened along with the few details he knows about you, he watches intently as they place you onto a stretcher and you’re being whisked off.

Following until they disappear behind some sliding doors, he places a hand on the nurses arm hesitantly. She stops and turns to look at him, concern on her face. “Will she be okay?” He asks softly, voice filled with concern for you.

At his words she gives him a reassuring smile, her own hand coming to rest against his own and patting gently. “Your girlfriend should be fine, the doctors are very good at their job here.”

As his mouth opened to refute the title she’d given you, she quickly runs behind the doors and he’s left to stand on his own. It’s only when he looks down at his hands that he realises he’s shaking violently and everything catches up to him in a rush.

Pressing a palm to the wall, he gasps loudly and bends over as nausea takes over. His mind acknowledges that he’s in shock, even if another part of him is confused as to why he’s experiencing such strong human emotions. Clenching his eyes closed, he takes slow and deep breaths to try and calm himself down while he slowly slides down the wall.

Hoseok has no idea how long he sits there, with a hand pressed to his forehead and his eyes closed. The fire of Olympus is still raging in his veins, hot and demanding that he create but he can’t. For the first time in his long life, he has nothing that he wishes to create. Instead, he lets that fire slowly burn away, ebbing until all that remains when he turns his hand over is a soft glow from his veins.

Watching the slowly dimming light, he sighs heavily and lets his head fall back against the white wall with a thud. He can hear the busy sounds of the hospital all around him; nurses doing their rounds and patients complaining. Part of him wants to leave, to simply get up and walk out of the hospital and never look back. But a meek voice inside his head, so new and fragile yet hiding away from hurt, asked him to stay.

It was this voice that he listened to, hoping desperately that he wasn’t making a terrible mistake and potentially destroying that tiny, delicate hope. Pulling out his phone, he sends a quick text to Jimin to let him know before shifting over to one of the waiting room chairs and settles for what he believes will be a long wait.

-

“Sir? Sir?” Hoseok wakes with a startle, eyes wide and panicked as he looks around the unfamiliar place and anxiety grips his throat tightly. His mind soon recognises the hospital waiting room and he blinks rapidly, focusing on the blue uniformed nurse in front of him. Her blonde hair is tied back tightly and pink lips turn up into a gentle smile.

“You’re the man who brought Miss Y/L/N in correct?” She asks, noting the name on the clipboard she has in her hand. He nods slowly, sitting straighter at her words and looking around.

“Yes, yes I did. Is she out of surgery? Is she okay?” He peppers her with words, not even caring that he’s not being polite. An urgent need to know how you are is overwhelming him. The nurse gives another smile before nodding, a hand squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“She’s out of surgery now, we’ve placed her into room 201 and are just waiting for her to wake up. You may visit if you’d like?” She gestures down the corridor and he follows her movement, swallowing thickly before nodding and standing.

“The police are likely to want to talk to you later once she’s awake, if that’s okay?” She asks and he simply nods his acknowledgement, giving a tense smile before striding in the direction of your room. Reaching the door, he stands outside and lets out a shaky breath while looking at his feet.

Is he really ready to confront you so soon after what he had discovered? Rubbing his chest slightly, he knew that the wounds you’d caused were still so raw that they were bleeding and he figured that he wasn’t. But he also knew that he couldn’t leave you alone here, not when you had almost died alone.

Pushing open the door, he steps into the room with more than a little reluctance. The soft beeping of a heart monitor is the only noise that can be heard, while you lie on the bed in silence. A thick bandage is wrapped around your head and he notes the casts you wear. One over your left wrist and a second around your left leg up to the knee.

Bandages wrap tightly around your torso underneath the hospital gown, peeking out from underneath. That’s just what he can see too. Tears prick his eyes at the sight of you so broken and he moves the chair to sit next to you, gently taking your free hand in his own.

“I told you that you’d be okay agapi mou, and a god always keeps his word. Or at least I do.” Hoseok whispered, lowering his head to rest against your hand. Underneath the antiseptic and other medicinal smells, he inhales the scent that he’s become so familiar with.

It’s a smell that calms him when he feels his heart race and his breathing quicken, a smell that makes him smile without even realising. It’s a smell that he fell so in love with, and it’s with a trembling breath that he exhales it out.

Tears fall onto the white bedspread, the wet stains the only witness to his emotional breakdown. He’d thought he’d had enough earlier in the day, but it turns out that he was wrong. When it comes to you, he’s not sure he’ll ever get over it.

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered brokenly, gripping your hand so tightly the skin ashen with blood loss. “I’m so sorry, I swear I forgot. I didn’t mean to, I swear I didn’t mean to.” He cries, guilt over the brakes he forgot to fix warring furiously with the heartache he’d suffered before. Hoseok had spent the morning crying over your betrayal and fearing the attention he would soon be given.

But now he cried over the guilt of almost killing you, of how his carelessness and procrastination had almost led to you dying alone in a forest. He’d put off fixing the brakes for so long, hoping that the longer they remained unfixed, the longer you would stay.

Of course, he knows now that it would have had no impact on your decision, but he’d let himself believe. Instead, he’d almost destroyed the thing he loved most in the world, even if that thing had crushed his heart into tiny pieces.

Finally, his tears dry and he simply sits in silence as he performs a quiet watch over you. He answers the questions the police officers ask, carefully dancing around their confusion over the ripped car and simply waits for you to wake.

Hoseok doesn’t know if he’ll forgive you, but he knows that he can’t leave you yet. Maybe he can get some closure from you, maybe his love will sour rapidly into hate. The gods are infamous for their fickle emotions after all.

It’s only because he’s staring intently at your hand, thought rushing through his head, that he notices the slight twitch of your finger. Glancing up to what little of your bruised face he can see, he watches quietly until your eyelids begin to flutter open.

“Y/N, hey agapi mou. Hey it’s okay, you’re okay.” He soothes, running his fingers over your hand as you look around in a panic. “You’re in the hospital. I don’t know if you remember but you were in an accident - your brakes went. I’m so sorry, I really am. The-” He gets cut off by your frown, the tips of your eyebrows just visible under the white bandage.

“Are you a doctor?” Your voice is raspy and his first instinct is to grab the cup of water and straw that had been left on the table next to the bed. It’s only when the plastic cup is in his hand that the words register and he falters, water sloshing over the sides.

“Am I a...doctor?” His own brow creases in a frown as he looks down at you. Automatically, he helps you to drink while his mind tries to compute this information. He may be one of the smartest gods in the pantheon, but right now he can’t quite understand. “No, I’m...I’m not a doctor.” He stutters out.

Coughing delicately, you wince in pain and your free hand rests on your ribs lightly. “Who are you then?” The question is innocent, the look in your eyes wary and he suddenly feels like he’s been punched in the stomach. Any air he has is gone, leaving him gasping slightly as ice runs through his veins.

“I’m...I’m...I-” He can’t finish the sentence however, standing up and backing away slowly. Shaking his head, he moves over to the door quickly and tries to breathe as steadily as he can. “I’ll go get...the doctor.” He wheezes out, slipping through the door and closing it quickly. For a few seconds he simply rests against the wall, eyes squeezed shut as he pants for a breath his lungs simply won’t give him.

You don’t remember him. You don’t remember him. Months in the company of one another, playing the slow dance of flirtation around each other and you can’t remember who he is. Flashes of your laptop screen detailing his information appear in his mind and he lets out a laugh that sounds just this side of sane.

He’d spent hours panicking over his identity being revealed and now this had happened. Looking up at the ceiling, he lets out a strained chuckle. “After millennia of ignoring me, are you finally trying to help Moirai? ‘Let’s finally let Hephaestus have a break?’. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” He finishes, cursing the fates.

A passing nurse gives him a strange look and it’s only then that he realises he’d spoken in Ancient Greek, a language that had died long ago. Giving a tense smile, he informs her that you’d woken before slumping onto one of the uncomfortable chairs lining the hallway.

Sinking his hands into his hair, he tugs lightly while letting out a strained giggle. Even a god has their limits, and right now his mind feels fried from the tennis match of emotions he’d been under. Rubbing his palms over his face, Hoseok vaguely realises that his leg won’t stop shaking and it’s only then that he acknowledges the overwhelming feelings.

Standing, he makes his way to the exit and stands outside, bending over against the wall and engaging some of the breathing exercises you’d taught him. Surely this was a good thing? He could walk away and you’d never be any the wiser. Your laptop had been broken in the car accident, he remembered seeing it smashed on the ceiling.

Hoseok could go back to his quiet and peaceful life without the worry of being unmasked to the world. This could be his escape, the way to calm his panicking mind and soothe his anxious soul. But it came at the cost of truly losing any chance with you.

“Hoseok?” The light voice comes from his side and he looks up in confusion, brow creasing before realising he’s seeing Jimin in front of him. He takes a moment to look over his old friend, noting the blue hair that he’s paired with skin tight black jeans, a black shirt and silver outlined black jacket. Stylish sunglasses hide eyes that glow an ethereal blue, the effect of two gods near each other, and he notes the slight smile on the man’s face.

“Jimin? What are you...how did you?” Hoseok asks, bewilderment running over his face. Jimin’s thick pink lips spread into a sweet smile, spreading over half his face and causing his eyes to crease into tiny half moons.

“You told me you were at the hospital, this is the closest to where you live. I just drove here as quickly as I could. Something’s obviously wrong.” The God of Death states simply, closing his eyes and letting out a long exhale. At his words, Hoseok’s eyes fill once more and he wonders idly if a god could have his dry his eyes out.

Reaching out, he places a firm hand onto the smaller god’s slim shoulder, squeezing tightly as he lets out a trembling breath. He knows how hard this must be for Jimin to be here, one of his passive abilities is to attract those who are about to die without them knowing. A hospital is likely to be one of his least favourite places to visit.

Without a word, Jimin leads him over to one of the benches and Hoseok sits down heavily, head lowering as he lets his arms rest on his thighs. “So...what has got you looking sadder than that time I accidentally took your favourite sculpture.”

At that, Hoseok gives him a slight glare as he remembers that incident thousands of years ago. Immediately, Jimin’s hands are rising as he makes a placating movement with wide eyes. “Hey! Don’t get upset again. It’s not my fault you made it so phallic shaped,” He mumbles, glancing down. “You should consider a Vulcan line for that by the way, I know it wasn’t intended for that but it felt-” Hoseok raises his hand and cuts off the words.

“Please Had-Jimin. Not now. I don’t...I can’t right now.” He deeply, rubbing at his temples with a low groan. Jimin quietens down and turns serious, letting Hoseok have his time to himself for a few minutes. It’s only after a comfortable silence settles that he finally leans forward, trailing his fingers over the new scarring on Hoseok’s hands.

“This is new. I thought you swore that you’d never call on Olympus again?” Jimin’s voice is muted, his emotions carefully caged until Hoseok can’t tell what the god is feeling. Looking down at the new scars that have spread across his hands and wrists, he flexes them before sighing through his nose.

“I also said I’d never fall in love with a human but...here we are.” His voice is so quiet that he’s not even sure Jimin heard him until he notes the older gods clenched fists. “I had to. It was the only way to save her, otherwise you’d be very much aware of who she is right now as she’d be residing in the Underworld.”

“She must be very special to you then. Not only for you to fall for her but to willingly call that.” He gestures to the scarring and Hoseok swallows, thick tears slowly beginning to fall past his lashes as he nods.

“She was. Is. I don’t know,” Looking up, he sniffles and wipes his eyes on his wrists, only just realising that he’s still shirtless and no one even bothered to tell him. As if able to tell, Jimin gently drapes his own jacket over Hoseok’s bare shoulders and patiently waits for the story.

“She was perfect you know? Funny, sweet, kind and so curious. She was interested in my hobbies and smiled at me even when I made an idiot of myself. She taught me how to control my panic attacks and encouraged me to go out more, talk to people more. I was changing, and not just for me but because of her. She made me smile. She made me feel the same happiness I feel when I’m creating and when we’d curl up on the couch watching a movie, I’d feel content for the first time ever.” His voice breaks suddenly, emotion rising up his throat and thickening his words.

“She didn’t stare at me like there was something wrong with me, nor did she ask me to give her things or do things for free. I fell for her. I started to imagine a possible future. She never set off any alarm bells in my head.” Jimin watches him in silence, his expression open and icy eyes locked onto him.

“I was an idiot. No one has ever gotten close to me without wanting something except you, so I should have known. Thousands of years and what possessed me to think this human woman would be any different?” His fists clench tightly as the memory of finding out slashes across his soul.

“What did she do?” Jimin asks, fully aware that you must have done something tragic to hurt his closed-hearted friend so much. Playing with his fingers, Hoseok stalls for time as he mulls over how to explain this.

“She...my identity is worth a lot, right? And humans can never just...keep to themselves. I thought she felt the same way about me and we...you know. It was great, I’ve never felt that kind of emotional connection before. And then I woke up the next morning and accidently hit her coffee table. She had her laptop out and it came to life. I saw her notes.” Licking his lips, he grits his teeth to try and stop the overwhelming emotions from spilling.

“She’d told me she was a writer, that she needed inspiration. Well, I guess she was kind of right. She is a writer...only she’s a journalist and her job was to uncover my identity. She figured it out and she was going to write that article.” Pressing his lips together, he shrugs in a way that doesn’t give away the sadness he feels. “It would have made her career and it would have destroyed everything I’ve worked so hard towards in this persona.”

Jimin heaves a sigh as he slumps back on the bench, toned body relaxing as he runs his fingers through his soft blue strands. “Damn. And in today’s world, you’d have to ‘kill’ yourself and come back in another body huh? And with none of the money that Vulcan gives you.”

Hoseok scoffs at that, rolling his eyes. “As if I care about money. I like this life. It’s quiet and I get to indulge in my inventing and create things that change the world. I like the anonymity while being able to see my work doing good. I like knowing I’m changing lives and the world, why do people need to know who I am? I don’t want to give this up and I don’t want to start a new life.”

Neither of them speak for minutes, letting the idle sounds of cars and ambulances fill up the silence between them and watching as humanity continues on. Every single one of these humans will die one day, and even if Hoseok and Jimin never moved from this spot, they would live on long after the great grandchildren of these people died.

“I understand, but you keep talking about her in past tense.” Jimin finally notes, shifting his body so that one ankle rest against his knee and an arm stretches across the back of the wooden bench. Nodding slowly, Hoseok lets out a long sigh that tells Jimin a lot.

“I got hurt, and angry. And I left. Tried the human thing of trying to get drunk, failed, panicked a bit more and then called you. I was driving to you when I had another panic attack and that was when I noticed…” His voice breaks, the sound loud and suddenly Hoseok is stuffing his fist into his mouth as feelings overwhelm him once more.

Jimin immediately begins to rub his back in slow circles, his touch soothing and comforting until finally Hoseok can breath properly. “Her car. I think she made up an excuse for it, but the brake pads. I never fixed them and she never questioned and then she...she took it and they failed and I found her.” He looks away from Jimin’s concerned gaze.

“She almost died. She would have died alone, bleeding to death in that forest if I hadn’t stopped. But she wouldn’t have crashed if I’d just fixed the brakes. I’m so confused, I don’t know what to do. On the one hand I’m so angry at her and hurt but on the other I’m terrified after watching her bleeding out because of something I did.”

Chewing on his lip, Jimin sits forward again as if he can’t find a comfortable position and nods as Hoseok talks. Once he pauses, he looks towards the blue haired god and waits to see if he has anything to say. Unsurprisingly, the god who has always been more at home with dead souls than with emotions sits in silence, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m angry at her, and I feel deceived and I don’t know what’s real and what’s not. But...I still love her. I love her enough to call on Olympus. I was so prepared to go in there, maybe even talk to her and listen and then the Moirai decided for once in my miserable life to try and help. She doesn’t remember me.” He mumbles, heart clenching painfully as he remembers the blank look in your eyes at the sight of him. Even though he’d wanted nothing more than to never see you again only hours ago, the thought of you not remembering your time together hurt him more than anything you’d done.

“She doesn’t remember who I am, which means she doesn’t remember who I am. Her laptop was destroyed, so everything I was terrified about is gone. I can just leave and she’ll never remember me. I can stay anonymous and no one will ever know why Jung Hoseok is important to the world.” Scowling at his hands, he stands suddenly and begins to pace.

Jimin shifts and when Hoseok looks over, he notes the scowl on the god’s face. Immediately he’s confused, wondering why on earth Jimin is annoyed when it’s him who should be irritated. After querying, he watches as the god removes his sunglasses, running a hand through his hair and letting out the longest exhale.

“Let me get this straight. She’s a journalist working to find out who you are?” Hoseok nods in affirmation. “Did she mention it? Did she send it off? Has the article been written?” Frowning, he thinks back and shakes his head.

“No, her boss had sent her an email this morning demanding that she send an article in about it.” Jimin lets out the loudest groan at shakes his head. Taking a step back, Hoseok’s shoulders hunch slightly as he tries to protect himself subconsciously from Jimin’s annoyance.

“So she hadn’t sent anything. And I’m going to presume she’s probably known for a little while, figuring everything out. So who’s to say she was going to send it in? The way you talk about her, I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like that. And you keep yourself so closed off to the world, I can’t see how she truly means you harm. Did she ever do anything suspicious? Did you find her anywhere?

Hoseok shakes his head slowly. “Did she ever ask weird questions about you or Vulcan?” Another shake. “I know it might be hard for you to consider, and believe me I’m not trying to undermine your hurt or anger here, but maybe she loves you just as much as you love her. Journalists have some integrity, and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t sleep with you if she planned to expose you. There’s no reason for her to do that, unless she’s the world’s worst person and what you’ve told me doesn’t match that.”

Looking away from his old friend, Hoseok focuses his gaze on an ambulance that speeds into the emergency bay. As he watches, the back doors slam open and the paramedics begin to push out the stricken human on a stretcher, nurses and doctors surrounding as medical talk begins to be fired between them all.

“I know, I know that it’s hard for you to think this. I know you’ve always given to the humans and only received mistrust and hate back, but just this once, do you think you could look past that and maybe give her the benefit of the doubt?” There’s something in Jimin’s voice that makes Hoseok frown, turning back and letting his eyes trace over his figure.

Normally so boisterous and outgoing, the god is tense and unhappiness radiates from him as he twitches his foot. “What’s wrong with you? Why is this bothering you so much? Shouldn’t you be more upset for me that she lied?” Hoseok asks, tone curious and tentative as he begins to navigate the treacherous waters of Jimin’s infamous temper.

Perfectly white teeth chew his pink lips before he’s blowing out a sigh, cheeks swelling and making him look far more adorable than the God of the Underworld should. “I should be, and i am upset for you. I really am. But I’m angry with you too.”

At that, Hoseok steps back in shock and his hand immediately raises to his chest in a protective move. Blinking in surprise, he lets that statement settle between them until all that can be heard is the general lifeblood of a hospital.

“Why?”

“Because...because you finally opened up to someone and found her worth loving. And now you’re just going to throw her away because of a stupid mistake?” The words have a hissing tone to them and Jimin’s fists clench slightly.

“A mistake? She was going to expose me to the world! I’d have lost everything, you know I can’t cope with that attention!” He exclaims loudly, arms gesturing wildly as disbelief rolls through his body.

“Who. Cares?! You’re a fucking god Hephaestus! You’ve lived hundreds of human lives and you’ll live hundreds more. So she almost exposed you as a freaking CEO, who cares? You could have just asked her not to, or seen what she was going to do with it. And if she did it anyway, then you’d know that it wasn’t worth it. But even if she did, you can more than rebuild your life. You always do, that’s what you do. You build things.” The slighter god stands suddenly, arms flexing underneath his t-shirt as he points to the hospital.

“You have the chance for real happiness in there Heph, real fucking love and happiness. Olympus, the way you talked about her and the smile you got. I’ve never seen that on you. She’s a risk, I get that, but I’ve discovered over the past ten years that sometimes the best things are the riskiest.” Jimin clenches his teeth suddenly, looking firmly at the ground.

“I will never forgive our family for what they’ve done to us. They convinced both of us that we were unworthy of love. That love wasn’t for the God of Death or a scarred god, that we should just spend our lives alone, hidden away from sight. I hate that they got into our heads so much, and made us think we are so unworthy of being loved. But we are.” His hands come to rest on Hoseok’s shoulders, squeezing tightly while his eyes shine with sincere emotion.

“You are worthy of being loved Hephaestus.” Hoseok had been prepared to be angry with Jimin once he’d started his tirade, confused as to why he didn’t seem to be bothered by the prospect of you revealing who he was. But the final words have his throat closing up as his eyes swell with tears, an emotional punch that cracks through thousands of years worth of hidden hurt.

“But...the article.” He mumbles, trying really hard not to cry for what feels like the thousandth time today. Jimin lets out a tired laugh and simply places his hands on either side of Hoseok’s jaw, lifting up gently and giving a twisted smile.

“We’ve all made mistakes in our lives, and as gods we’ve made more than a few. Ones which were definitely worse than this. Think deeply, is the prospect of her potentially revealing your identity enough to stop you from loving her?” He’s quiet for a moment before his head is shaking, black hair falling into his eyes as he answers honestly.

“I love her so much. I didn’t even know it was possible, which is why it hurts so much.” Hoseok whispers, voice barely heard above the blare of a siren in the distance. At that, he’s tugged into a hug and the two just stand in silence for a few minutes.

“If there’s one thing I’ve discovered in ten years, it’s that love is possibly the scariest thing you’ll ever do, even as a god. And it also hurts in ways you didn’t even realise were possible, but it’s so rewarding. I swear. If it goes well, then you’ll never be happier than you are when she’s with you.” Moving away and sitting back on the bench, Hoseok chuffs out a laugh at Jimin’s tangent.

“You sound very much in love Hades. Careful, or I’ll start teasing.” The death god just smiles brightly, his eyes closing as he obviously thinks of his wife given the wedding ring he keeps twisting around his finger.

“I am. And if it turns out she isn’t going to do anything, then I will never forgive you if you don’t hold her tight and love her as much as you can.” His eyes open and Hoseok shivers slightly, the fires of the Underworld glowing fiercely in Jimin’s glacial gaze. “You have no idea what a gift you have, the opportunity the Moirai have blessed you with.”

And now it’s Jimin’s turn to sound choked, his cold eyes filling with unshed tears as he looks down at the ring he plays with. Hoseok hesitates at the sudden emotion before softly querying what Jimin means.

He takes his time to answer, throat working as he swallows thickly before giving a sad smile. “You’re one of the few gods who can give a human immortality. If everything works out well for you, then you can keep her young and love her forever.” A tear escapes its dam and slowly trickles down Jimin’s face.

“I love my wife, I love her so much it terrifies me. And it terrifies me because each day I wake up and each day I see time on her face. Each line and each grey hair is a visual reminder that she’s going to die one day and I’m not. I’d give anything to be in your position, anything.” A sad silence takes over while Hoseok rubs Jimin’s back comfortingly, unsure what to say that could possibly soothe the hurt.

“So if you decide to forgive her and go for it, then I want you to love her so much. I want you to hold onto her tightly and tell her that you love her, and if you turn her immortal then I want you to appreciate the gift you have forever. If you don’t, I’ll never forgive you.” He gives a tremulous smile and Hoseok’s heart clenches, wishing desperately that he could help his best friend.

Squeezing his shoulder tightly, Hoseok stays quiet in understanding for a few moments as they both sit amidst the frantic nature of humanity. “I’m sorry Hades. Really. I am. But I hope you enjoy every moment with her.”

Jimin sighs at that and stands, ruffling Hoseok’s hair with a tired smile. “It’s Jimin now, remember? And I do. Just like I hope you’ll choose right.” At that, he says his goodbyes and lets Hoseok know that his door is always open before leaving.

Hoseok heads back inside and stands outside your door for a few minutes, simply staring at the white paint as he inhales deeply before letting it out slowly. He has a choice he can make here. A choice that could change everything.

He could run away and pretend this never happened. Or he could love you, despite what might come.

Opening the door, he heads inside and sits down at the empty chair next to your bed. You’re awake, and watching him with curious eyes that are tired and doped up on just a little pain medication.

“You’re back.” You mumble, jaw barely moving as the words practically slur out of you. He watches for a moment, eyes tracking over your face that is still so heart wrenchingly beautiful even when bruised before smiling.

“Yeah. I am.”

“The doctors said you brought me in. That we know each other?” Your voice is inquisitive, with threads of frustration interwoven that you can’t remember him. His lips quirk up slightly as he nods, tentatively reaching for your hand and running his fingers along the smooth skin.

“Yeah, I did. And we do. My name is Jung Hoseok,” He pauses for a moment, wondering whether he should go all in before squaring his shoulders. “And I’m in love with you.”

-

The doctors and nurses work out a plan with Hoseok when he informs them of his relationship with you, and he takes on the role of almost caretaker. Your memory loss is deemed to likely be temporary amnesia from hitting your head so hard, and they suggest that your memories are likely to come back on their own slowly.

It makes Hoseok’s stomach churn to think about you remembering who he is properly, but he makes no mention of it. Jimin’s words filter through his mind constantly, and he eventually comes to terms with the fact that he had been just as bad as you.

If anything, he was even worse as he was hiding two entire personalities from you.

One thing he does discover while you remain in the hospital is aspects of your personality that he’d never seen before that come to the forefront, including the shy and cute personas that appear along stubborn exasperation. You’ve always remained mature and almost professional with him, but vulnerable as you are, an almost childlike petulance emerges.

Refusing to eat certain foods and whining for other things, he should find it annoying but instead he finds it cute. It’s understandable though, given your frustration at being stuck inside the hospital. But what he enjoys most are the moments when you begin to remember who he is.

He has nothing to really show you to try and trigger your memories as there are no pictures of you both, so instead he brings in some of the smaller metal sculptures he’d made that you’d admired. Every time, you’d stared at them so intently before giving him a simple smile.

“Pretty.” You would murmur, tracing your fingers along the edges. But then you began to mention things that one of you had said during your many times together, whether it was a funny comment Hoseok had made or a casual observation that only the two of you would know.

And each time, his heart would clench before soaring, happy that you remembered some part of him. Because he had slowly worked through his pain and hurt until he realised that he didn’t want to be forgotten by you.

You’re finally allowed to go home two weeks after you entered the hospital, and he has to bring you back to his house as your apartment as already been rented out again. Due to the cast on your leg, he has to work quickly to turn the living room into a makeshift bedroom to which you thank him profusely and with much embarrassment.

He doesn’t care though, and enjoys his time caring for you more than he thought he would realise. And even if you can’t remember why he sometimes looked at you with pain filled eyes, he finds it cathartic to work through his hurt and anger until all that’s left are smouldering ashes.

As the weeks continuously pass though, you remember more and more and he begins to feel happier and more comfortable around you. Until one night though, when you’re both laid on the bed watching the large television screen as Breaking Bad plays. His hand is slowly drawing patterns on your uninjured arm, but he stops immediately when you suddenly speak.

“I deleted the files.” For a moment, he doesn’t understand until the memory comes back and he looks at you in a combination of fear and shock. Your gaze is somber on his, face carefully blank before you try to give him a trembling smile.

“I didn’t send anything. As soon as you’d gone, I deleted everything. I swear. No one will find out.” He stays quiet for a moment as the pain of your betrayal hits him once more, but its softer this time and a little muted. “I remembered it a few days ago, but I didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Rubbing at his chest, he frowns slightly at the ghost of the pain he’d felt at that time before glancing back to you. “Why? You could have made your career with that.” It’s stupid of him to ask, but the knowledge that you won’t reveal him has his heart singing, even if his stomach sinks at the thought of what is likely your impending job loss.

A soft laugh leaves you, wincing slightly as your still sore ribs complain before shifting so that you face him better. “And I would have hurt you beyond belief. I couldn’t do that. I’d decided as soon as I found out that I would never reveal it. What kind of person willingly destroys the person they love?”

Your words make him freeze before he’s carefully looking up at you. “Love?”

Smiling, you bring up your hand to cup his cheek and stroke at the scar tissue fondly. “How could I not love you Jung Hoseok? You’re perfect, and I could never make you unhappy. I mean, you’re so...kind,” Your voice cracks as tears form. “I mean look at you, you’ve spent weeks caring for me, even knowing that I could possibly ruin everything.”

He shakes his head at that, grabbing your wrist while he shifts his head to press a kiss to your soft palm. “I stayed and cared, because what kind of person willingly lets the person they love suffer on their own?”

The words are careful and slow, his tone barely heard but you hear them all the same. Heart stopping, you look at him with wide eyes as he stares back with such fondness in them. “I love you enough, to stay even though you could hurt me. Because you’re something so special, that I’ve never experienced it in my long life and for once, I want to.”

His unusual words should have you frowning, confused about the phrasing but slowly your lips simply quirk upwards as you remember something else. Looking down at his arms, you slowly trace over the new scars that have appeared before giving him a quirked brow.

“Do those strange words have anything to do with these scars magically appearing?” Hoseok freezes at that, as he’d come to terms with you knowing who he was in terms of Vulcan but this is something else entirely. How can he explain this without sounding crazy?

“Err….well.” He starts but you interrupt him, flicking your eyes back to his unusual ones with curiosity deep set.

“I don’t remember much about the accident. I don’t remember coming off the road, or hitting the tree. I don’t remember you arriving. But...I do remember a few things that I thought were just weird, dream hallucinations.” He stays quiet, tongue nervously licking at his lips as he simply waits for you to continue.

“You called yourself Hephaestus. Which was odd. But then you...ripped the door off? And then...you were glowing? Like...so bright, it was like looking at molten metal. And it got so hot, and you...practically peeled the car apart? And when you stopped...you stopped shining and these scars were burning bright. What was that?” Your face is an expression of befuddlement, with your brows practically meeting in the middle.

Hoseok’s mind works frantically, wondering how he can explain this before his shoulders slump. Jimin’s wife knew, maybe you’d react well to his frankly, ridiculous statement?

“Remember when I said I grew up with mountains? Well they were the mountains of Greece. And...I’m not 36. I don’t actually know old I am, just that it’s a good few thousand years. You’ve probably heard of my family, they’re pretty infamous worldwide though they’re nothing like that Disney Hercules film.” Your eyes widen at his words as he doesn’t dissuade your ridiculous comments and you stare at him.

“Seriously?”

He laughs slightly, the sound a little manic as he runs a hand through his hair. “I’ve had many names throughout history. You might recognise some of them, but the two people know the most are Vulcan and Hephaestus. It might make some things make sense to you now.”

It feels almost good, to reveal himself so freely, knowing that there will truly be no secrets left between the two of you.

You gawp at him for a few moments before twisting into a position to stare at him, grimacing at the slight sensation of pain. “No fucking way. You’re saying you’re a Greek god?”

Immediately, flashes of the strange things about him run through your mind. His unusual eyes that often seemed to glow, the strange way he seemed to be lit from within when he orgasmed, the way metal worked so easily under his hands, the strange language he swore in and the fact he was so otherwordly beautiful.

“Yeah, I am. I wasn’t 15 when I made Vulcan, I just wanted to help. But I didn’t want the spotlight, I never have. I’ve always been hidden in the shadows, and that’s where I wanted to stay. These scars, come from when I called on the fires of Mount Olympus to create things for the gods. They’ll never heal.” You look down at his scars with your new knowledge.

“Wait...you did this...for me?” Reaching forward, your grasp his wrist gently to get a closer look. He sighs deeply before nodding. “Why?”

Smiling sweetly at you, you realise that you believe him. Hoseok has never outright lied to you, he just subtly shifted things around and hid them because they were too hard or unbelievable to explain. But he’d never lied properly. So why would he lie now?

“Because I love you. And I had the power to save you. It hurt, but the thought of you being gone forever hurt more,” He leans forward to press his forehead against yours, lips quirking slightly. “I forgive you for lying. Because I lied far worse, and it was a form of lying even if it would have been outrageous to explain. But just know, you have the heart of a god in your hands. Be gentle please, no one has ever had it before.”

Bringing your fingertips up to his cheeks, you grin brightly as tears slowly fall. You haven’t yet come to terms with everything that’s happened, and there’s no doubt going to be growing pains in your relationship with how fast everything has moved now, but for now you simply marvel at him.

“I’ll be gentle and loving. I swear. I don’t know how to love a god, but I’ll try for you. It doesn’t excuse you from leaving the toilet seat up though.” He grins so bright at that, his happiness overwhelming his senses and you watch with awe as his skin begins to brighten, glowing a soft gold from his emotions and it’s awe-inspiring to realise he really is a god.

“Sounds fair.” He doesn’t bother saying anything else though as he captures your lips with his own, hand cupping the back of your head as he feels a sense of contentment and bliss that he’s never felt before. But one he hopes to spend the rest of his long life feeling.

-

Epilogue

“Parcel for you Jimin.” His manager dumps a mailbox on the table in front of him, distracting his attention away from his phone as he reads the text from Hoseok telling him that everything is going to be fine in his friend’s relationships.

Smiling brightly, he exhales slowly as happiness bubbles for the fact that Hoseok was pushing past his comfort zone before bitterness slithers through his veins at the knowledge he’ll get forever with his love. Shaking his head, Jimin tries to ignore the feeling and instead focuses on the box in front of him.

There’s no return address on it, and he notes with confusion that there’s no delivery address either, just his name. It’s not until he sees the winged helmet stamp in the corner that he realises and he snorts, wondering how much pride Hoseok had to swallow to find Hermes.

The only reason he knows it’s from Hoseok is because of the anvil stamp in the corner, the symbol of the metalworking god. Tugging open the box, he looks inside and pushes away the packing chips until he finds an elegant, mahogany box.

Placing it onto his lap, he takes the accompanying letter and unfolds it with interest, noting the elegant handwriting that’s written in the god form of Ancient Greek. Unreadable to humans.

Hades,

Thank you. I can’t ever express my appreciation to you but I hope this will suffice.

Have her take one every month on the first. There is one for each month of the year.

I wish you both a long, and happy life.

Your friend,

Hephaestus

Jimin’s hands are shaking by the time he finishes reading and he lets the letter drop slowly as he stares at the box in awe. Opening the lid slowly, he bites his lip to try and stop the tears from falling as he sees the twelve pomegranate seeds carefully placed inside.

#networkbangtan #armiesnet #btscreatorsnet #btssunshinenet #btssmutclub #hoseok fluff #hoseok angst #hoseok smut #greek god au #bts smut #bts angst #bts fluff #j hope fluff #j hope angst #j hope smut #hephaestus hoseok #hobi fluff #hobi angst #hobi smut #hoseok x reader #hoseok x you

[acupofmatt-blog1]

MATT VS. NATURE

Location→ Hither Hills State Park

Date→ 08/23/19-08/25/19

Summary→ …pray for Mattycakes.

MATT VS. MOSQUITOES (AND BUGS JUST BEING VERY, VERY SCARY)

Matt always went by the motto “if you got it, flaunt it” and Matt applied this motto anytime, anywhere. Even camping. So Matt obviously wore a black sports bra and black shorts. It was sporty and Matt looked as fuck. Now, Reagan and several others advised Matt before they went hiking to “cover up” and Matt only rolled her eyes and responded with: 

           “With a body this good? She’s gonna be shown off.” Pause. “Wait are you telling me that my perfectly sculpted abs are gonna attract attention? Like…furry attention—wait I worded that wrong—like…bears?”

           Matt couldn’t be more wrong. As everyone enjoyed the hike and all the wonderful sights of nature, you could hear loud smacking every few seconds.

           “What the FUCK why do these mosquitoes keep biting me?” Matt whined as she smacked the back of her neck. “I WORE bug spray, look!” Matt showed the person next to her the bug spray.

           Much to Matt’s dismay, it was not bug spray. It was bear spray that Matt applied generously all over her body.

           Wrong B.

           Matt smacked her arm, watching bumpy, red mosquito bites forming all over arms and on her abdomen.

           “This is not the kind of sucking I signed up for.”

           The rest of the hike, Matt mostly smacked away mosquitoes and also made obnoxiously loud noises that trembled with fear. Because WHY do animals with a billion tiny legs exist???

~ ~ ~ ~

MATT VS. THE SETTING SPRAY FAILURE

           Make-up was, and always has been, Matt’s best friend. Contour? Matt looked like some motherfucker from Roman times chiseled her face by the time she was done baking and enhancing with her Anastasia contour kit. Highlight? Matt competed with the motherfucking sun as she applied her Fenty highlight. Brows? Move over Michelangelo (not the Ninja Turtle) because Matt’s talented wrist never failed to move effortlessly and create an impeccably shaped eyebrow all thanks to her Anastasia brow kit (she really loved Anastasia beauty products, okay? As much as Fenty, if not more. Don’t tell Rihanna that though).

           Basically, Matt knew make-up like it was basic math. It was easy. She always knew what to use. So when Matt ordered Kiko Molano setting spray? She knew she’d be fine. Matt’s always used the Italian beauty product. It never failed her. Her gorgeous make up always stayed on no matter the setting. Beach day? Check. Clubbing? Check. ACup? Check. Sex? Double check.

           Matt sweating didn’t freak Matt out. She could sweat all she wanted, this make up would stay on no matter what. Matt was particularly proud of her winged eyeliner. If this motherfucking eyeliner could fly, it would be a majestic eagle because that’s how SHARP it was. Could kill someone, probably.

           After helping some of her friends who were making a fire bring the necessary items to make a bonfire, Matt was definitely sweating a bit. Matt placed her hands on her face and paused to take a breath from all the work. Matt was about to go back to her bonfire duties when she noticed something shimmery, something dark, and something cakey in her hands.

           NO.

           Matt let out the loudest scream, causing some of her friends to rush over to her in worry.

           “My SETTING SPRAY didn’t SET!” Matt informed them, showing her hands that displayed the evidence of her smeared make up. “It’s KIKO MOLANO. It’s an Italian product and all the reviews say it stays. Shit, Reagan has sat on my face and it STAYS ON. I don’t get it—hey, wait, where are you guys going?”

           Damn this Italian scam.

~ ~ ~ ~

MATT VS. FINDING WIFI

Instagram. Memes. Vines. Tik Toks. Reddit. Snapchat. Pinterest. Netflix. Hulu.  Matt Solís loved her social media and apps. It fueled her. So to go three days with limited Wi-Fi where her ego couldn’t be fueled by thirsty comments from her hot selfies? Or to see that crying laughing emoji from someone who thought she was the funniest person on the planet (and she was)? What if a new meme trends and Matt won’t know about it?

A nightmare luv, litrally a nightmare.

So naturally, Matt made sure to dedicate time to sorta catching up with social media and asking Harper to take pictures of her “enjoying” nature for the ‘gram. Matt especially liked one where it was golden hour and Matt’s make up + amazing skin made her face glow and she looked absolutely stunning as always.

She needed that ego fuel. CRAVED IT.

Matt needed to post this picture on Instagram, so she walked around looking like she was part of the Lion King with her arm stretched out as high as she could in search of some bars.

“This is the shittiest Wi-Fi I have ever had to deal with, what the fuck?” Matt complained as she continued to idly walk around in search of the perfect spot with the perfect amount of Wi-Fi where she can post something.

Five minutes into this heartfelt journey, Matt tripped on a thick, heavy branch and cracked her phone screen. Never mind that she might’ve slightly sprained her ankle. Her phone screen.

And the worst part? Amidst her bright, cracked screen she read the words “No Signal Please Try Again.”

Now how will people ever believe she was loving this camping trip?

A tragedy luv, litrally a tragedy.

~ ~ ~ ~

MATT VS. “BEAR”

           Matt’s nightly skincare routine is something Matt did religiously. She never missed a night. Matt could be coming in from clubbing at 6 am and super drunk, but Matt would still do her skincare routine. A bitch wants to have clear skin and glow, okay? Camping would not get in the way of that, even if she hogged the bathroom.

           After finishing her nightly routine with her night cream, Matt took her time putting all her creams, serums, moisturizers, etc. back in her travelling bag before walking back outside. As soon as Matt closed the door, Matt heard a rustling.

           “GUYS, it’s not fucking funny anymore! I already heard you, anyways, dumbass.” Matt rolled her eyes. Almost everyone had taken turns in scaring her multiple times during the course of this camping trip due to Matt’s irrational fear of bears, but this was getting old.

           Matt continued to hear rustling and Matt stopped dead in her tracks. Whoever it was... would’ve jumped out by now.

           Fuck.

           Shit.

           Motherfucker.

           No fucking way.

           Nope. It was not what she was thinking.

           “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” Matt mumbled to herself. What should she do? Pray? Run? Sleep in the bathroom?

           Coming out of the bushes, Matt could see the silhouette of a four-legged animal.

           It was a bear.

           It had to be.

           What else could it fucking be?

           “I can’t die like this. I’m too fucking pretty.” Matt said to herself in panic as she scrambled through her bag and took out the bear spray she brought and frantically sprayed it all over. “GET AWAY. GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME. I JUST PUT MY NIGHT CREAM ON!”

           Several mistakes here.  

Matt was loud.

Matt was panicking.

 Matt wasn’t spraying bear spray.

It was bug spray.

It wasn’t a bear.

It was a raccoon.

The racoon ran as soon as she screamed.

Matt is an idiot.

#para #para: 25 #para: matt vs nature #aka the one where Matt is a dumbass #reagan lane camping trip 2k19

[microshiner]

Ska, craft spirits, and Colorado's real drinking town

The hangover bell rings loud and clear in my head as I lift a 70 pound guitar cabinet into the back of a white 2000 Ford Econoline XL. Rain falls lightly. I am running on only a few slovenly hours of sleep but despite the pounding head, my mood is jovial. My band mates and I recount the night before over and over. In the world of ska music, there are few bands more respected than Hepcat, and few bands more infamous than Mephiskapheles, and we just shared the stage with both in one night. It was also the kick off to the second leg of our spring and summer run- this morning we hit the road out of Denver and head for Durango, Colorado, where we’ll spend a week in the studio and follow it up with two shows in the area including a performance at the legendary Ska Brewing Company.

Alright.

Personally, I am excited for more than one reason. I went to school in Durango, but it’s been six years since I’ve lived there and from what I can tell, the drinking scene has only gotten better. A new craft distillery just opened up, and the number of breweries has jumped from 4 to 6 (All this in a town of 17,000. Fort Collins gets the glory, but at over 150,000 residents, are their 14 breweries and 3 distilleries that impressive? Which is the real drinking town?)

I contemplate this and other pressing issues to pass the time on a 7 hour haul over the Rocky Mountains. As we climb in elevation, my mood levels off. It always does when passing time in the van. Whether I am headed somewhere new or somewhere I’ve been many times, as long as it’s light outside touring has always had a bit of a weird vibe to me. The late nights, the shows, the people, the free drink tickets - that is what it’s all about and what makes it worth it. The rush of playing a good show is matched by no drug or other experience I’ve ever had. But during the day, driving through the middle of nowhere to the next town while getting further and further away from your personal life back home, the anxiety creeps in.

Maybe it’s because I’ve never been in a band at a level where touring was our income. I’ve always had to hurry back home after each run and get to work in order to keep the bills paid. Right now, it’s about 9:30 on Monday morning. Everyone I know (except the three guys sitting here with me) is at work, or walking the dog, or heading to the bank, something normal.

Don’t get me wrong, there is certainly a level of awesome to all this. I’m never going to be a ‘company man.’ I knew that by the time I hit high school. I take a lot of pride in what I do for a living and for a hobby. But the older I get, the harder I find it to relate the stories of the road and the stories of the pen and the stories of so many nights passed in rock clubs to people who are my age but haven’t had a night out in months. The word ‘baby’ means something entirely different to them.

As Vonnegut would say - So it goes. We pull into town just in time for happy hour but unfortunately the liquor store will have to suffice for tonight; we’ve got to get to the studio. Tomorrow I will have the opportunity to experience some of the actual culture of this town I’ve missed so much.

Tuesday morning I am walking down Main Avenue bright and early in a leisurely search for a cup of coffee and a paper. Part of me feels like a Texan, stopping to gaze into each store window as I pass by and then actually purchasing, after looking around to make sure no one I know is in sight then ducking quickly into the storefront, a “Durango” t-shirt. I’ll have to bury this down in my backpack so my bandmates never see it. I justify the window shopping and eventual purchase as a mere way to pass some time before my scheduled meeting with some real locals, the owners of Durango Craft Spirits, at 10 o’clock.

I walk into the tasting room to meet owners Michael and Amy McCardell. Immediately I can tell that the duo lives by their motto and are ‘Inspired by the true spirit of Durango’ - It is only 10 am but the room is full of bluegrass music and the McCardell’s beckoning call for a drink. Michael handles the distilling of what is currently their sole offering - Soiled Dove Vodka, made from a mash of 60% native grown, non-GMO white corn they get directly from the Ute Mountain Tribe of Ute in Towaoc, Colorado (just a little over an hour from Durango). His soft voice, with a bit of a country tinge, makes even a short sentence sound well-rehearsed and wise. Perfect for telling stories, and I’m guessing he has a lot of them.

Lucky for me, Michael is not at all shy about telling the story of Durango Craft Spirits, his pride and joy.

It is, I learn quickly, Durango’s first post-prohibition, grain-to-glass distillery. “We’ve got a couple friends over at Ska, Dave (Thibodeau) and Bill (Graham), that opened Peach Street Distillery, in Grand Junction) years ago and one day I met the old distiller and Bill brought in one of their first bottles of gin, along with a bottle of Bombay Sapphire,” Michael says. “It was just unbelievably so much better. That first opened my eyes to craft distilling.”

This was over ten years ago, and until that day Michael had no plans at all of going into the distilling business. “A couple years later, I’m hiking around a piece of property up north with the county assessor, and he said ‘I gotta tell you this story. There’s a buddy of mine who thought he found some ancient Anasazi ruins on his property and he wanted me to come check them out. They hiked up there on a cliff to an Anasazi looking wall and there was an old still sitting back there.’”

He decided to do some research and try to figure out what kind of distilling was done in the area. “I started reading a few books about distilling in the area, and there was quite a bit done,” Michael says. “Especially turn of the last century when the silver market took a crash. A lot of the miners took to cooking booze in the mines.”

With his interest piqued, Michael attended three distilling schools and landed himself an internship at Wood’s High Mountain Distillery in Salida, CO, with the intention of opening his own show in Durango once he learned about the operational side. Both Michael and Amy had spent years in the local hospitality industry managing hotels and a golf club.

As their current jobs came to end due to sell offs, the decision was made to go full-steam with the distillery concept. Step one, securing a location. Where They landed right on the corner of 11th and Main, in the heart of downtown, and opened in January of this year.

Their setup is pretty simple - tasting room in the front, still setup and work area in the back (visible to guests), and office off to the side. Nice and cozy. “We go grain to glass right in the building with all regional grains,” Michael says. “We’re real proud to mash, distill, and bottle right in house.” I had been sold on their concept already, but at this point I could not continue the interview without trying some of their product.

Amy, generally in charge of the tasting room and PR, hands me a pour from behind the bar. I stir, smell, and sip. Then I gasp.

I am not a vodka drinker. My taste for the stuff was ruined by too much Smirnoff as a teenager. But this morning I am happy to make an exception. This stuff is good. Smooth, one of those spirits that you know would be perfect in a cocktail but it almost seems like a sin to dilute it, like a fine scotch. Until you realize that a vodka of such high quality could finally allow you to drink those plastic-bottle vodka infused party concoctions you swore off in your mid-twenties because you can’t stand the headaches any more, minus the headache. “I use a pretty strange recipe for the vodka compared to other distilleries, and it gives it a pretty unique flavor.” That, I agree, is easy to notice.

“The product is tied to Durango’s history,” Michael informs me as empty my glass. “Soiled doves being a Victorian term for the prostitutes of the town. They operated into the 1960s in Durango and were fined heavily, with the fines helping to cover the cost of the schools, the police department, and the fire department.”

The McCardells pay homage to these lovely financiers on the back of their bottle. The cocktails served in the tasting room are also related to the town’s history, an effort that has most certainly allowed the curious tourist to feel more accomplished in his imbibing. The distillery looks to release an unaged whiskey this fall, with barreling scheduled to begin this month. The vodka is currently only sold within 150 miles of Durango. “We are being (probably) too cautious about our growth,” Michael says. They do, however, plan to expand further across Colorado. Not bad for a true mom-and-pop and operation.

I like to think that my band is a mom-and-pop operation. I guess it would be a quadruple-pop operation. Like Michael and Amy, we have grown our small company from nothing into nothing less than an amazing life experience, with no real guidance other learned experience. We have made plenty of mistakes over the last eight years but have slowly made progress come from each of them. We’ve dealt with marriages, jobs, mortgages, kids, operational disagreements, and an old van catching on fire on the road, and as life has happened, we have found a way to happen with it. Back in the early days, circa 2007-2010, I put all of my eggs in that basket. I was willing to work crappy kitchen jobs and live in dilapidated apartments so that I would in turn have the flexibility to leave town when I needed to and be able to keep my financial overhead at a bare minimum in order to play music multiple nights a week. I cared about nothing other than making the band succeed. I lost relationships and friends.

The other guys, at least the two I started the group with, did the same. And then, in the fall of 2010, we crashed and burned hard. So hard, in fact, that over the next two years we did next to nothing with the group. We had no money, our leases were up, and we had nowhere left to go. For a while, we went our separate ways. Our biggest lesson, and one of the most important things I have ever gotten out of life, is that you have to have options - you have to have more than one card to play. As we’ve grown up since then, we have found ways to have other priorities in life while still being able to come back and execute with the band when it’s time.

While the band was on ‘unofficial hiatus’, I filled the musical craving in another group, but I was also able to take the experiences I had with the band, mix them with my college degree, and create some kind of shit show career path based on music business and journalism. Five years later I feel I can see it blossoming. To me, the craft lifestyle embodies that same spirit - live life, take what you’ve got, mix in a heavy dose of passion, and throw it to wind. It takes awhile, but when it finally comes full circle, it tastes so damn good.

[jamesbvck]

the call | b. barnes | one shot

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Summary: Not all missions were the same. They never began the same and they never ended the same. Bucky’s mission this time was to get back to you. Word Count: 2.9k Warnings: Angst, reminiscing, injuries. A/N: Based on this scene from Furious 7. I was moody. Feedback? :)

Not all missions were the same. They never began the same and they never ended the same. After countless surveillance stake outs and compromised missions, the team finally had HYDRA in their playing hand. Hidden in the deep forests of Bulgaria was a makeshift facility for HYDRA’s latest lab. It was far off the beaten path that no one dared to hike or visit  due to strange energy found there. Locals considered it evil and the devil working up a new hell for earth. However, the Avengers new better and with thorough investigations they had pinpointed the location. This mission was long, body bruising and mentally exhausting. This mission was also in the realm of ‘taking one for the team.’ Steve wouldn’t dare call it a suicide mission but he might as well.

No one said a word as they equipped themselves with their gear and weapons. Bucky sat on a trunk outside of the quinjet. They had a base set up in Sofia. Multiple people were running around making sure everything was good to go and they had everything they needed. Each time they dealt with HYDRA it  set Bucky back. He had new methods of how to deal with the stress and he constantly reminded himself that they did not control him anymore; he would forever be in Shuri and T’Challa’s debt.

They didn’t leave for another hour or so, waiting until dawn broke through the skyline. Bucky’s fist was curling and uncurling. He could hear Tony’s voice to the left of him. It sounded energetic which was odd considering they were going in to one of the most important missions they had ever been on. There was a lot at stake for everyone there. It was the first time he had truly seen Natasha nervous for a mission; he thought she was fearless.

Bucky got up from the trunk and walked away from the jet. The one thing he needed to do was hear your voice even if it was just for a minute. He still wasn’t used to having a smartphone. Some things about it continued to confuse him but he knew enough and it was important to have one to keep in contact with you. He found a secluded area inside the the base, a small office. Tapping your name, he held the the phone to his ear and listened to the rings. He couldn’t keep up with the timezones and perhaps it was too late in New York. Leaving a message didn’t feel right.

The phone stopped ringing and Bucky heard your breath on the other line. “Bucky?” you spoke quietly. There was some sleep in your voice and he smiled to himself.

“Is it late, doll?”

“No! No— it’s not,” you replied. “I just finished some laundry and was catching up on the news.”

Bucky wasn’t too fond of the news. He knew you watched it constantly to see if there were any updates or if they would talk about the Avengers. He understood that you worried but most of the time it was nonsense. The world was still divided on how they felt about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Bucky didn’t consider himself one but he was somehow able to fit into a team. He wasn’t just some killing machine or an asset anymore. He had a true purpose of helping innocent people.

“Where are you?” you asked when Bucky didn’t reply. “Are you in Bulgaria still?”

Bucky breathed out a slow breath beginning to pace around the small room. “Something’s about to happen and I can’t guarantee the outcome of it,” he began. “I can’t promise you that I—“

“Don’t say that, Bucky,” you voice diminished to a whisper on the phone. “You’re going to go in to whatever hell storm it may be and you’re going to get the job done like you always do. And then you’re going to come home to us.”

Bucky ran his metallic hand down his face, heaving out another sigh. “Is she sleeping?”

“Yeah, it was hard getting her to go down tonight. She was asking about you and then eventually fell asleep on your side of the bed with her teddy bear.”

He could hear the sadness in your voice. There wasn’t disappointment or angry, it was simply the painful distress that you missed him. He missed you and the daughter you shared even more. This wasn’t the life that was good enough for you. He couldn’t keep leaving for days or sometimes weeks. It wasn’t fair and it hurt him that he couldn’t be there when you needed him to be. But this was his job and he was lucky enough that Tony gave him and his little family a space off in a secluded section of the Avenger’s facility (much of which was help from Steve and even Natasha).

“Buck?”

“I’m here,” he replied. “You’re the best decision I ever made, you know that? You and our little girl. Sam still reminds me that I owe him one.”

You laughed, “If it wasn’t for him you still would have been that guy that came into the diner every other day and never spoke more than a sentence to me. You would have kept ordering that damn sandwich that wasn’t even good.”

“It was good enough for me,” he chuckled in returned. “I think I must have had sixty of them before I finally got sick.”

“I told you not to order it. You never listened.”

“I know.”

“Ever.”

Bucky rubbed the side of his scruff, biting back another laugh at the memory. “You were wearing a skirt and that blouse you didn’t like. You said it made you itchy but it was part of the uniform. You accidently dropped the tray of ketchup and mustard bottles and I helped you clean them up.”

“Even though I told you it was fine,” you smiled on the other end of the phone. “You asked me to go to the movies.”

“Still surprised you said yes.”

He heard you exhale a tiny breath. It was quiet but he knew that reminiscing was only making you more anxious about not being there. “It was the best date I had ever been on,” you admitted. “I still have the ticket stub tucked away.”

The silence that came abound was nearly heartbreaking. Bucky was searching for the next set of words to say and you were hanging onto a thread of hope. There was no way this family was going to be torn apart, it couldn’t happen. If he could imagine it correctly, he knew you must have been curled up on the couch, clothed in one of his hoodies and wrapped up in a blanket. And he was right, too.

“Bucky, come home.” you mumbled to him on the phone.

A lump caught in his throat, swallowing it like a hard pill. “I love you,” his voice was dry and shaky. “So much.”

“Don’t—” you sniffed with eyes stinging as you fought back tears. “Say something else.”

Bucky stared at the cement wall in front of him. It was blank but he painted a picture of you on the wall. His tongue ran along his bottom chapped lipped, shifting his weight from one leg to the next. “Kiss Kira goodnight for me.”

“I will,” you gulped.

“I have to go,” he murmured, switching the phone to his other ear. He could see Natasha, Sam and Clint boarding the quinjet from the window. “Always.”

Your eyes slipped closed, breathing out, “Forever.”

Bucky hung up the phone staring the End Call screen for several moments. His own tears pricked his eyes but never fell. He tucked the phone away into one of his many pockets and exited the building. He headed straight for the jet regaining his game face for the mission. Steve cut across and halted Bucky. The old man looked sympathetic and worried.

“You’re in the way, punk,” Bucky attempted to make it playful but it came out a little harsh.

“I need to make sure you’re okay,” Steve eyed his best friend. “I know it’s not the best situation.”

“What did I tell you all those years ago? It always ends in a fight, hopefully this is the last one.” Bucky didn’t wait for a response. Instead he maneuvered around Captain America and climbed up the bridge into the jet.

Bucky sat himself in one of the seats the furthest away from the rest of the group. The quinjet closed once Steve and Tony boarded. The engines rumbled as the aircraft and began to lift away from the runway and soared off into the pinky orange sky. He took his butterfly knife out of his pocket and twirled it between his fingers to distract himself for the duration of the flight. He drowned out the voices of the others focusing on you and Kira.

“Going to have my back out there?”

He didn’t bother to look up at Natasha who hovered beside his seat. “Don’t I always?” His tone lacked any form of energy.

Nat adjusted her batons on her belt. “You do,” she nodded. “We’ll be out of here before the bastards can even take a shot.”

A half smirk wiggled its way to Bucky’s lips with eyes continuing to watch his knife spin around. Natasha patted his shoulder once then went to sit with Clint. When the jet started to descend, he rose from his seat and equipped himself with the SAW machine gun taking extra ammo as well. They landed amongst the trees not far off from the HYDRA facility. Stark was suited in his iron clad and everyone else was set for the action.

“Captain,” Tony’s voice was tinny with the slits of the red helmet glowing. Steve looked forward as the the bridge of the quinjet opened revealing their new mission. He adjusted his shield before leading the march out.

Even when HYDRA was unprepared, they were somehow still prepared. There were multiple shots and bombs going off. An emergency noise rang through the facility and several HYDRA members were filling out to defend their ground. Steve barrelling through men while Clint and Natasha entered combat mode. Arrows were flying and bullet shells tricked to the ground. Tony was high and low with his repulsors beamed, Sam along with him. It was all a blur in Bucky’s mind. He could hear his gun popping as he shot his way in with the others. He felt like he was on autopilot.

A large explosion rocked the group. Natasha was down, unresponsive for a solid minute. Clint yelled for help as he covered her and continued to rapid fire his arrows. Bucky sprinted his way over, turning Nat over to see part of her uniform shredded and her face caked in soot. He shook her body and slowly she grew back to reality, gathering her surroundings.

“You’re hurt,” Bucky told her.

“I’m fine,” Natasha pulled herself up with the help of his metal bionic arm. “Cover me, Barnes,” she whipped out two glocks and hastily shot at the opposing side. Bucky turned to protect her rear and aimed at men on the upper levels of the facility.

The silence that soon filled the air was suspicious. Bucky sent Steve a glance before walking around to find whatever he could. There was chatter their the earpieces mostly of thing of importance to be found. Bucky wandered into a computer lab of sorts, all the screens blank except for one.

Hello Sergeant Barnes, You cannot defeat the ones who have created you. град гидра (Hail Hydra).

The screen flickered to a 20 second timer, counting down. Bucky’s eyes widened in panic and immediately ran out of the room. “Get out! It’s going to blow!” He shouted. “Go!”

The others had gotten to the large metal doors with Sam pushing them opening using his wings as extra force.

“Buck, come on!” Steve called from the opening.

He was running out of time, internally counting down the timer. There was ten, then nine seconds and he was only halfway to the door. Bucky launched himself over rumble making a wobbly landing. Five, four, three— Black.

For you, it was a typical Tuesday morning. Your daughter had woken you up when your phone alarm continued to blare and you were simply too tired to do anything about it. But you were a mother; you had get up and put on a happy face for your three year old and take her to pre-school for the day. Kira had taken the liberty of dressing herself in a Captain America kids t-shirt and some purple leggings, her sparkly backpack strapped to her back and her shoes untied.

“Uncle Steve would love the shirt your wearing,” you murmured. You took each foot and showed Kira how to tie each. She was getting better every time but some things took time. She could count to thirty and knew how to spell her name easily. “Let’s get you to school.”

“Yes!” Kira exclaimed, running out of the room to go.

You grabbed your car keys and purse off the counter, “FRIDAY, please keep me updated.”

“Of course,” the AI replied.

Tuesdays were also the days you wandered aimlessly around the park. Your thoughts travelled to unwanted places with your phone clutched in your hand. This wasn’t out of the ordinary. Sometimes you wouldn’t hear from anybody for a day or two. You feared for them all that they would be safe and come home in one piece. They had to, they were all your family. You filled the time with mindless errands, picking up things you didn’t necessarily need.

Time moved slowly. Nothing ever felt right unless Bucky was with you. He completed the missing gaps and the empty silence. Bucky was everything.

Kira was bouncing off the wall when it came time to retrieve her from school. She had made a new craft to hang on the fridge for everyone to see. The entire stainless steel appliance was covered in her drawings and artwork, everyone adored it and praised her to be the next Picasso. You eyes watched the road as the little girl rambled on and on in the back from her carseat. She was a happy child, a good one full of life and excitement. Her bright blues dazzled like her father’s eyes complimented by a cheeky grin.

Arriving back home brought you worry. Tony’s AI hadn’t made a peep all day and that never brought in good news. You carried Kira inside, standing in the elevator with her placed on your hip. Her head rested on your shoulder as she watched the numbers go up to the living quarters. Stepping off, there was distant chatter. You feet began to pick up speed to move towards the sounds. Steve and Natasha turned the corner and they both looked rough.

Natasha had a banaged wrapped around her core and one around her wrist. Steve had a bad bruise on his right eyes and a cut over his cheek. His hands looked pretty messed up to. Kira squirmed in your arms to be let down and once she was, she ran to Steve and gladly he embraced her. Kira waved enthusiastically at Auntie Nat, too.

Cautiously you approached your friends, eying them carefully. Natasha was solemn and Steve couldn’t keep his face neutral. It was faltering to sympathetic. His mouth open but before he could speak you pushed yourself passed the two and dashed down the long hallway and off to the left. Busting through the door you entered the small apartment-esque home and called out for Bucky. The bedroom door opened revealing the very battered soldier with a lopsided smile on his lips. You didn’t hesitate another moment and embraced him with all your might.

You could feel Bucky’s body wince and tighten at your hold around him, causing you to let go. His face was decent, a cut or two. It wasn’t until you lifted his shirt that it told the entire story. It was bad, worse then that, he was purple and yellow and blue. His entire left side was wrecked; a large patch of skin scraped with dried blood.

Your eyes were pooling with salty tears spilling down your cheeks.

“I’m here, I’m fine,” Bucky wiped your tears away with his thumb.

“F-fine? Bucky, you call this fine?!” you shouted at him. Bucky’s lips turned into a frown. Perhaps he wasn’t fine. His entire body ached like hell and one of the medics told him not to move around so much. He never truly listened to them. “You scared me.”

“I know,” he whispered.

“I was so scared.”

Bucky brought you into his embrace again, ignoring the bruises and the pain. You buried your face into his chest letting the tears fall down and dampen his shirt. He was here, he was alive and he wasn’t going anywhere. He soothed you, rubbing his hand up and down your back. You didn’t want to know what the hell happened.

“Where’s Kira?”

“She’s with Steve,” you mumbled. “She can’t see you like this right now, I can’t— I just…”

Bucky lifted your chin with his thumb and index finger. “I do this to protect you and her. I will always make sure you are safe, doll. You’re the reason why I’m here.”

You nodded regaining a steady breathe as your tears began to calm. You walked with Bucky to the couch sitting on his lap and cuddle into his chest. His large arms wrapped around you and held you tight. You could sacrifice a little time to be with him in the moment, to make sure his heart was beating and he was truly here.

Not all missions were the same. They never began the same and they never ended the same. His life mission was you. Always and forever.

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#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x you #bucky x reader #bucky fanfic #marvel fanfic #bucky fic #marvel fanfiction #leighsfam #laurensfam #userten #fic: the call #with you until the end of the queue

[suarezsylvest5-blog]

Kentucky Wildcats Willpower Beat Kansas Jayhawks.

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[wikibious]

Brian Laundrie Missing, Missing, Search, Suspect Fast Facts You Need to Know

Brian Laundrie Wiki - Brian Laundrie Biography

Brian Laundrie is now also missing. He’s the Florida man who police describe as a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, with whom he was filming a cross-country YouTube series called “Van Life.” Police in North Port, Florida, where Laundrie and Petito lived with his family, are spearheading the investigation and, with the news that Laundrie also has vanished, they’ve launched a massive search effort to find him – and Petito. In the days before Laundrie disappeared – Petito’s family attorney told CNN he’s “hiding,” not missing – police ramped up the public attention on his refusal to speak with them about where she was. Chief Todd Garrison tweeted at Laundrie and his lawyer, “@NPPDPoliceChief Mr. Steven Bertolino, esq. the @NorthPortPolice needs your help in finding Gabby Petito. Please call us to arrange a conversation with Brian Laundrie. Two people left on a trip and one person returned! #wheresgabby #FindGabby #fbitampa #gabbypetito.” But then he too was gone. That news came after police say Laundrie’s family decided to speak with them in detail. Petito, 22, of Blue Point, New York, is described by New York authorities as a “white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads ‘let it be.’ The van she was traveling in has been recovered.” Blue Point is located on Long Island. At the fall of darkness on September 18, 2021, police called off their search for the day, finding nothing.

Police Are Searching for Laundrie in Carlton Reserve

As of September 18, 2021, North Port police were conducting a massive search for Laundrie in Carlton Reserve. That’s a 24,565-acre preserve located in Sarasota County, Florida. “The North Port Police Department, FBI, and agency partners are currently conducting a search of the vast Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie. His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week. More details when available,” North Port police wrote on Twitter. Police revealed in a statement that the attorney for Laundrie’s family called the FBI on Friday night (September 17) and indicated the family wanted to “talk about the disappearance of their son.” The family “now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week,” police wrote. He was “last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.” Police said they are frustrated because, for six days, they pleaded with the family to contact investigators regarding Petito. “Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail. It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby’s disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime. We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigation.”

Police Debunked Rumors That They Found a Body During the Search

The North Port Police Department, FBI, and agency partners are currently conducting a search of the vast Carlton Reserve for Brian Laundrie. His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week. More details when available. pic.twitter.com/I5x7DvQ3Jt — North Port Police (@NorthPortPolice) September 18, 2021 Police say it’s not true that they found a body during their searching. “There are currently false reports of a body being located where we are searching. Completely fake,” they wrote on Twitter on September 18, 2021. According to News Channel 8, the search started at Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park, where police believe Laundrie first entered the park. Harrison noted on Twitter, “The conversation at the Laundrie home is complete. Once we have the details, a statement will be made. We ask for calm! Please let us work through this and information will be forthcoming.” North Port police previously wrote in a news release that he is now a “person of interest in this case.” “The national search into the disappearance of Gabrielle Petito of North Port continues. Due to the parties in this case residing in North Port, Florida, the North Port Police Department will be the primary investigating agency, in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigations. We will also continue to work with the Suffolk County Police Department, and we are thankful for their assistance,” the release stated. “Several detectives are working around the clock to piece this complex and far-reaching situation together. Gabrielle’s vehicle was recovered here in North Port at her home on September 11th. A home shared with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie and his parents. That vehicle was fully processed for evidence along with FBI agents Tuesday evening. As of now, Brian has not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators or has provided any helpful details.” According to police, “We know Brian returned here to North Port on September 1st — ten days before her family reported her missing on September 11th. We have no information that a crime occurred here in North Port. Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in this case.” “As a father, I can imagine the pain and suffering Gabby’s family is going through. We are pleading with anyone, including Brian, to share information with us on her whereabouts in the past few weeks. The lack of information from Brian is hindering this investigation. The answers will eventually come out. We will help find Gabby and we will help find anyone who may be involved in her disappearance,” North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said in the release. “FBI has set up a national hotline to receive tips. 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324). That is now our primary tip line. So far, we have received hundreds of tips which are being vetted through multiple agencies. If anyone has seen the van photographed and information which might be helpful, please let us know,” police wrote.

Authorities Are Using Bags of Laundrie’s Clothing in the Search for him; Petito’s Family Last Had Contact With Her During the Last Week of August

Authorities told News Channel 8 that K9s are using bags of Laundrie’s clothing to help with the search for him. About 50 officers from various departments are involved, according to the television station. “We’re hopeful that he’s out here,” North Port Police Spokesman Josh Taylor said to News Channel 8. “Certainly, we prepare for all different possibilities, but you know, our goal is to locate him and bring him back to North Port.” Police told CNN that Laundrie’s vehicle is back at his home but might have been at the reserve at one point. North Port police revealed that, according to Petito’s family, “they were last in contact with Gabrielle during the last week of August. Prior to the last communication, Gabrielle is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Petito and Brian were traveling in a white 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plate QFTG03. Gabrielle, 22, is white, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 110 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and several tattoos, including one on her finger and one on her forearm that reads ‘let it be.’” Petito’s family reported her missing because they considered it unusual not to hear from her while she was on the trip touring national parks, which began in July, Fox News reported. “We had been in touch with her as she traveled,” Petito’s father, Joe, told The Daily Beast. “I’d speak to her once a week or so, her mom spoke to her two or three times a week. My son would talk to her often on Snapchat, FaceTime; my niece would be in constant contact with her.” Petito’s dad has also been posting on his Facebook page urgent pleas to find his daughter. “Please Help Find Gabby. This is my daughter Gabby Petito. Please share and help find her. She was last seen headed to Yellowstone National Park from Salt Lake City, Utah,” he wrote with one plea. A missing person’s alert for Petito was released by Suffolk County, New York, police. It says “Blue Point Woman Missing,” and added, “Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. Date/Time: Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 6:55 p.m.” The release states, “Suffolk County Police Fifth Squad detectives are investigating the disappearance of a Blue Point woman who went missing while traveling. Gabrielle Petito was traveling in a white, 2012 Ford Transit van with Florida license plate QFTG03 with a companion when she stopped communicating with friends and family.” It adds, “Petito was reported missing to the Suffolk County Police Department by her family on September 11 at approximately 6:55 p.m. According to family, they were last in contact with her during the last week of August. Prior to the last communication, Petito is believed to have been in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.” Petito’s mother, Nicole Schmidt, told Fox News she last spoke with her daughter on August 25. She received a text from her on both the 27th and 30th but now says “I don’t know if she left Grand Teton or not…I don’t know if it was technically her or not, because it was just a text. I didn’t verbally speak to her.” Viral videos by TikTok user Miranda Baker are helping authorities piece together the timeline. They claim that she picked up Brian Laundrie while he was hitchhiking in Wyoming – without Gabby Petito – and she thought he was acting oddly. That’s only four days after Petito told her family she was at Grand Teton National Park, where Baker says she picked up Laundrie. According to Fox News, police in North Port, Florida, where Laundrie and Petito lived, confirm they spoke with Baker. “We have spoken with her and are potentially utilizing her info into our timeline,” department spokesman Josh Taylor said in an email to Fox News. @mirandabaker_##gabbypetito ##findgabby ##brianlaundrie♬ original sound – Miranda Baker In a series of TikTok videos, Baker claims that she picked up Laundrie on August 29, 2021, on her way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He asked to get out about 6:09 p.m. when she mentioned that city, she says in videos. “Once I said Jackson Hole he became agitated,” she said in a TikTok video. “He seemed like he needed to get out, he was kind of antsy. And that’s when things got weird.” She said he continued trying to hitchhike when he got out of her car. She thought it was weird he offered her $200 for a 10-mile ride, she says. She added, “He kind of hurried out of the car, and then was like ‘I’m going to find someone else to hitchhike,’ and we’re like, okay.’ It was a weird situation.” @mirandabaker_##findgabby ##brianlaundrie ##gabbypetito ##wheresgabby♬ original sound – Miranda Baker In the videos, she claims Laundrie suspiciously didn’t have a full backpack, noting, “You think if you’re going camping for days on end you’d want food and a tent and he had none of that.” She added that he claimed his fiancee was back in their van running their social media accounts. “We were going south out of the park when he said he was camping north. He had told us that he and Gabby were not camping on a regulated camp site… they were camping out in the middle of nowhere out in the Snake River. He said he had hiked for days out in the Snake River… he said all he had was a tarp to sleep on.” She said he “looked clean and didn’t smell bad.” She also posted a map showing the “whole journey with Brian” in one of her TikToks. @mirandabaker_##findgabby ##brianlaundrie ##gabbypetito ##wheresgabby♬ You Are Enough – Sleeping At Last You can find her page on TikTok here. Some of her videos have been viewed millions of times.

Petito’s Family Attorney Says He’s ‘Hiding,’ Not Missing

Richard Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, told CNN that Laundrie is “hiding.” “All of Gabby’s family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing,” he said, according to CNN. Before he vanished, Laundrie’s lawyer told NBC he would not speak with authorities because “intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this and the warning that ‘any statement made will be used against you’ is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito’s disappearance.” Jim Schmidt, Petito’s stepfather, told CNN about the search for Laundrie, “We’re still trying to get the word out there and try to find that one person that might have some details that we need. Just trying to get out there and find that person and hopefully they can help us with anything that will bring her home.”

The Couple Featured Their Van Trip in a YouTube Series

Play VAN LIFE | Beginning Our Van Life JourneyA glimpse into our van adventures! After our first cross country trip in a little Nissan Sentra, we both decided we to wanted downsize our lives and travel full time, but trying to fit everything for two people into the tiny little trunk of the car, also spending way too much on gas, food, and…2021-08-19T21:11:25Z The couple’s YouTube series is called “VAN LIFE | Beginning Our Van Life Journey.” One of their videos has more than 145,000 views. It’s eight minutes long and shows the couple walking on a beach together. They appear close in the video, which shows them together during various travels. It then shows them on the road. They kiss in one scene; they’re eating sushi in the next. In one frame, they’re in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. In another, they watch the sunset together on the beach. They do cartwheels on the beach in front of an amusement park and ride a ferris wheel together before kissing some more. Their YouTube Channel, called Nomadic Statik, has more than 1.37 million users. The van life video is their only video. “A glimpse into our van adventures! After our first cross country trip in a little Nissan Sentra, we both decided we to wanted downsize our lives and travel full time, but trying to fit everything for two people into the tiny little trunk of the car, also spending way too much on gas, food, and airbnb, was not the road to take,” the page says. “We quickly realized we had to come up with a solution if we wanted to continue traveling and living nomadically, so that’s why we handcrafted our own tiny van, a simple 2012 Ford transit connect, utilizing space with unique designs and features. Creating a space for both artistic expression and distance hiking. Thank you so much for watching, and we hope you tag along on our journey wherever the van takes us!” They added: “Follow our van life journey for some awesome van life ideas, tips, hacks, camping spots, and so many beautiful places to travel!” The couple also had a website and a blog. The website, captioned Brian & Gabby, is password protected and sends readers back to the YouTube page. Read Also: Who is Antoine Darnique Suggs? Wiki, Biography, Age, Family, Suspect Arrested Read the full article

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