#i wait for my number …. as it approaches i start to call my insurance company (why? well) because yesterday (!!) when i called they said

[melwilson]

lonely people | b.b.

pairing: bucky barnes x reader

rating: fluff

warnings: slow burn. kinda long.

a/n: i’m not dead. i just had zero inspiration. here’s to me kinda getting my groove back. it took me way too long to finish this, but i think y’all will like it. it’s one of my faves.

People were...people.

And people were complicated.

That’s all you could really say to describe your relationships, or lack thereof. You could blame it on your social anxiety or undeveloped communication skills or just the sole fact that you strongly despised the human race. In fact, you could spend the rest of your life alone in your apartment and you’d be fine, but your therapist mentioned that loneliness was damaging. No one deserves to be alone, she had said. Maybe she was right, you just shrugged it off. You had been alone most of your life. It wasn’t something that you shut the door on like a nosy neighbor. You welcomed the solace being alone provided. A comfort and a calm that couldn’t be interrupted. However, the words of your therapist seemed to etch themselves permanently in the back of your mind. You could hear her calm, almost motherly, voice as you carried on with your week.

You need friends, Y/n. You need people that you can relate to and depend on. I’m the only human contact you get every week and yes, you can depend on me, but you need someone else. Anyone else.

You sighed, your eyes squeezing shut as you tried to rid your mind of her voice. Making friends was something children did. You were a grown ass adult who still panicked when it was your turn to pay in the grocery line. Getting to know someone required putting yourself out there. Being vulnerable, but before that you just actually had to talk...to another human. Which you weren’t good at. But maybe, just maybe, Dr. Smith’s voice would go away if you gave it a shot.

So, you got up and got dressed in your favorite hoodie and jeans and topped it off with a pair of hightop converse. You weren’t exactly sure where you were going to go, but the coffee shop down the street was always your first stop before you went anywhere. It was apart of the routine. No, it didn’t inspire change. It was small and quiet, the people were nice, and the coffee was five star. It was the perfect place for you to pop in every now and then and gain that sense of familiarity. You ordered the same thing every time; vanilla sweet cream cold brew. The first time you walked in, it’s the what the barista recommended. You figured that he knew best, so you went with it. Now, every time you grace the coffee shop with your presence, you don’t even make it up to the counter before they start on your order.

“How’ve you been, Y/n?” Your favorite barista, Donnie, wore a kind smile as you leaned against the counter. He was a tall redhead who always seemed to be working the same days you went in. It was comforting and regular.

“Good,” you said honestly, “Sorry, I haven’t come down to see you. I bought the Keurig you recommended. It works wonders for an introverted individual.”

Donnie chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re saying it’s my fault?”

“Precisely,” You hummed as he slid you your daily dose of caffeine. “You’re the best, Don.” You slid him a ten and he just glanced up at you. “On the house...I know,” you said with a roll of your eyes. “It’s a tip.” Before he could protest, you were half way out the door and stepping out onto the busy Brooklyn streets. Immediately, you shoved your left hand in your hoodie pocket, making your body as small as possible. Trying to walk through downtown Brooklyn would have been impossible for you a year ago. It was too crowded, too many bodies, too much noise. It was overwhelming. Even now, it still overwhelmed you, but your sessions with Dr. Smith had made controlling your anxiety easier.

Taking a hard right, you cut through an empty alley that was a shortcut to your apartment. You had gotten out of your house today. That was enough for you. Tomorrow, you had a session with Dr. Smith.

The office building that Dr. Smith worked in was nice. Really nice. The whole building was reinforced glass, whites, grays, and blacks bringing to the modern feel. It was a great contrast to the red, brick buildings that bore the history of the city. Today, the sun radiated throughout the whole building bringing it’s warmth and a multitude of people with it. There were different businesses in the building, a dentist on floor eight and an insurance company on floor ten, so, naturally there were always people in and out of the elevator. Today, though, there was a lot of people. You had managed to squeeze your way to the back, your shoulders brushing over the ones next to you. You fingers meddled with the gold rings that you rarely took off, eyes casted at the floor. Your breathing was quick and shallow and the small child who couldn’t seem to take their eyes off of you only made it worse.

When the elevator dinged and a bright red ‘NINE’ ran across the screen, you shoved your way out of the steal box and tumbled into the waiting room. You were almost gasping for air as you approached the front desk.

“Too many people?”

You nodded meeting a pair of green eyes. Cynthia was probably the nicest lady you had ever met. She was nearing 40 and married with a couple of a kiddos that you seen running around the offices. She wore a kind smile and had a soothing voice that you could listen to all day. “You changed you hair color?” Her usual brown hair, was now blonde with brown highlights. It was pretty, but it was different.

“Yeah,” Cynthia sighed, running a hand through her long locks, “Ready for a change, I suppose.”

You nodded, signing your name on the check-in sheet.

Change. Even the thought made you wanna puke. Brooklyn, New York had been your home all of the 25 years you had been alive. You knew the streets like the back of your hand. You knew what diners were the best, how to get from one place to another without getting stuck in traffic, the best and worst places to live, the names of the all the older men and women whose businesses were still kicking. Brooklyn was all you had ever known. It’s all you wanted to know. You didn’t want different. You didn’t want something you would have to get used to, something you would have to learn. You had discovered that even the smallest inconveniences were hard for you deal with. Like right now, two teenagers were in your seat. The black leather couch that you had grown accustomed to was taken. You stopped, your breath hitching ever-so slightly. The only available spot was next to a man with cropped brown hair and a brooding appearance that made you want to settle for the tile floors.

Get over yourself, L/n, you said to yourself. The man only glanced at you when you sat down next to him. He shuffled over to give you more space and that’s when you noticed his gloved hands. It was 60 degrees out and sunny. Why this man was wearing gloves, you weren’t going to ask. You just shrunk further into your seat, your knee bouncing with every second that ticked by. A few minutes passed and you could feel the man’s eyes on you. You caught a glimpse of his steel blue eyes before he looked away.

“Sorry,” he muttered under his breath.

You shook your head. “Uh, don’t worry about it.”

Minutes of uncomfortable silence seemed to go on forever until your name was called. You stood up wiping the imaginary dust off your jeans, not sparing the unknown man a glance before disappearing down the hallway.

“Make any friends this week?” Dr. Smith asked. Her glasses were perched atop of her nose, her brown eyes already searching for a lie.

“I went to see Donnie.”

She rolled her eyes, clicking her pen twice. “Did you make any new friends?”

You sighed, tugging your bottom lip between your teeth. “I talked to a guy in the lobby before today’s session.”

Dr. Smith hummed, raising an eyebrow. “Did you get this guys name or number?”

“No, but he wore gloves. Who wears gloves in the middle of spring?” You asked, more to yourself than to the shrink.

“That’s James,” Dr. Smith revealed. Her first name was Marlinda, most called her Mar. “War vet. He doesn’t get out much either. You two might be good for each other. I want you to talk to him.”

You groaned. “Mar-“

“Y/n. You are 25 years and have no friends. No one to talk to. You. Are. Alone. And I know that’s hard for you to hear and you may not understand nor realize it. I want you to have a life, Y/n. I want you experience things without being crippled by your anxiety. But it’s going to take work. Work that you have to do. There are mountains you’ll have to go over and valleys you’ll need to travel through. But I will not allow you to let your anxiety control you.”

You swallowed thickly, Dr. Smith’s words hitting you like a ton of bricks. Her words were genuine. She wanted to see you be free, but they were stern. You met her eyes before glancing out the window. “I’m trying, Mar. I just don’t know how to do it.”

“Start by getting James’ number. I expect good news next week.” You nodded, standing to your feet. You stuffed your hands into the pocket of your hoodie as you trudged over to the door. “And Y/n?” 

You turned around raising an eyebrow. 

“You’re more than your anxiety.” Mar’s voice was soft and didn’t have the edge to it like it usually did. You could only send her half a smile before grabbing the door handle and walking out of the office. 

It rained for three days straight after your session with Mar. You spent those three days moping in your apartment. Most of time, the rain didn’t bother you. You loved the rain. You loved the cozy atmosphere and the peace those gray, rumbling clouds brought. You would always turn on a good movie or pick out a book to read. You sighed as you read the same line for nearly the tenth time. Your mind was elsewhere. It was cluttered. Dr. Smith’s words rolling around in your head like a bowling ball. You’re more than your anxiety. 

“For goodness sake,” you muttered under your breath. You stood up from your couch and made your way into your room. “This’ll have to do.” You were in a pair of light wash jeans, a plain back tee, windbreaker on top, and the same pair of converse from a few days ago. You grabbed your phone, keys, and wallet before heading out the door. The rain had slowed down just enough for you to reach Brooklyn Roasting Company. As soon as you stepped in the door, the floodgates opened and thunder rumbled in the sky. You shrugged off your jacket as you approached the counter, catching the sight of the familiar mop of red hair. 

“I get to see you twice in a week,” Donnie said catching your gaze. “Someone’s getting adventurous.” 

You scoffed, a small smile playing on your lips. “Don’t get used to it.”

“I’ll grab your cold brew, but I hope that you didn’t plan on sitting in your usual seat.” 

You furrowed your eyebrows following Donnie’s gaze to the man sitting in your seat..the one next to the window. You recognized the cropped brown hair, sharp jawline, and gloved hands. 

“You think you could bring that cold brew to my table?” 

“Yeah, give me a couple of minutes.” 

You muttered thanks. 

Start by getting James’ number...

You’re more than your anxiety. 

You sucked in a sharp breath, your feet carrying you over to the table James was sitting at. You cleared your throat when he didn’t notice you at first. His eyes ran over your frame, a hint of confusion mixing in with the ocean blue. 

“H-hi,” your voice was soft and you smiled, nervousness laced in your eyes. “Do you, uh, mind if I sit here?” 

James’ eyes looked at the empty tables behind you and then to the seat across from him. “No. It’s all yours.” An awkward silence fell between the two of you, your eyes focused on the rain drops rolling down the windows. 

“Vanilla sweet cream cold brew for the pretty lady,” Donnie said, interrupting the silence. 

“Thanks, Don,” you said with a small smile. He nodded mouthing, ‘good luck,’ before sending you a wink and heading back into the kitchen. 

“You’re the girl from the therapists office?” James’ voice was deep and smooth. 

You nodded taking a sip of your coffee. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Y/n.” 

“Bucky.” 

“Bucky,” you repeated, his name falling effortlessly from your lips. You both liked the way it rolled off your tongue so easily. You glanced out the window and then back at Bucky. He looked tired, dark circles starting to form under his eyes, but that didn’t take away from his striking features. There was a light stubble lining his jawline almost up to his high cheek bones. His blue eyes stuck out against his pail skin, long eyelashes grazing his skin when he blinked. He wore the same black jacket he had adorned at therapy, black jeans, and black combat boots. You could see a dark blue shirt poking out at the top, dog tags hanging loosely around his neck. “It’s nice to meet you, Bucky.”

“The pleasure is mine, Y/n.”

Bucky couldn’t get his knee to stop moving. Up and down, up and down. Faster and faster. He was waiting. Waiting for you. You ended up spending nearly an hour at the coffee shop together. Few words were exchanged, but neither of you really desired to talk. It was the presence of another person that both of you were content with. Bucky glanced at the clock, his bottom lip tugged between his teeth. He had ten minutes before his session and he really wanted to see you. Another minute passed and soon enough you were stepping out of the elevator. At just the sight of you, Bucky’s knee came to slow, his shoulders relaxing.

“Hi,” you said softly. You sounded almost out of breath, your chest rising and falling quicker than normal.

Bucky sent you a small tug of his lips as you sat down next to him. “Hey.” No other words were exchanged.

The following week, you were late and missed getting a chance to see Bucky before your session.

“I made a friend...I think,” you told Mar.

“James?” Mar questioned.

“Bucky,” you corrected sitting back in your seat.

A small but proud smile graced Mar’s lips. You didn’t realize it, but there was an ever so small light in your eyes that she saw. A light that she had been trying to dig out of you since your first session. “And did you get Bucky’s number?”

You shook your head. “I talked to him though. I took the first step and asked if I could sit at his table. I sit next to him in the waiting room before sessions. He’s- he’s nice.”

“There was a time when I thought your smile would never reach your eyes,” Mar said honestly. “I’m glad to see you’ve changed my mind.”

The next week, you got there before Bucky. You were half and hour early. Why?

You wanted to spend time with a friend.

Ten minutes later, Bucky stepped out of the elevator his eyes searching the room until they landed on you.

“You didn’t come last week.”

You slid over so the brunette could sit. “I didn’t miss. I was late.” Bucky hummed. “You miss me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, L/n,” the man scoffed.

“You can admit it. Besides, it’s nice to know someone enjoys having me around. I like having you around too.”

Cynthia called your name before Bucky got a chance to respond. You stood up, sending him a smile before disappearing down the hallway.

“Leaving so soon?”

You jumped, your hand flying to your chest, heart beating wildly. You turned to face Bucky who was leaning against the glass building, a smug smile playing on his lips.

“What the hell, Barnes?”

“I didn’t mean to scare you,” Bucky said pushing himself off the wall. The sunlight only seemed to illuminate Bucky’s features further.

“Yes, you did,” you deadpanned.

“You’re right,” Bucky shrugged, “I did.”

You rolled your eyes continuing down the street. Bucky caught up with you quickly, his stride matching yours. “What do you want, Buck?”

“I wanna...hang.”

You stopped in your tracks, your eyes narrowing. “You want to...hang?”

“Um, yeah. If-if that’s okay with you.” Bucky seemed nervous as you guys moved out of the way of those trying to avoid you.

Your eyes softened. “That’s more than okay with me, Bucky. You got anywhere in mind?”

“You’re place?”

Bucky was in your space. Your space. If someone didn’t out right tell what they were really like, their home definitely did.

It smells good in here, Bucky thought to himself. Your apartment was exactly how Bucky pictured it to be. Simple, yet organized. The living room held a gray couch and two plush chairs, a TV mounted on the wall. A glass coffee table sat in the middle, a few books and a half consumed coffee cup on top. You dropped your jacket over the back of the couch, noticing how Bucky was still standing by your door.

“Can I get you anything?” You offered.

Bucky shifted his weight into his right leg. “I’ll take a water.”

As you reached into the refrigerator, you could hear Bucky’s footsteps against the hardwood floors. When you looked up, he had taken a seat at the countertop, his jacket and gloves still on. You tossed him the water which he caught with ease.

“What?” Bucky asked. Your arms were crossed over your chest, that look of curiosity that he had grown to recognize on your face.

“You gonna take your jacket off?”

“I’m comfortable,” Bucky shrugged.

“I’ve known you for a month, James.” Bucky’s eyes narrowed at the use of first name. “What could be so bad that you have to hide it from me?”

Bucky was quiet for a moment and when he looked at you there was a sadness laced in his eyes. “A lot.”

You pushed yourself off the counter moving to sit next to the larger man. “We’re both messed up, Buck. If I can’t handle your flaws, then I shouldn’t call myself your friend. Look, you don’t have to tell me or show me, but you’re kinda all I got so I’m always gonna be here.”

“I just need some time,” Bucky said softly.

You nodded placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Come on,” you gestured towards the tv, “You said you wanted to hang.”

This hang out continued. Every week, Bucky would come and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening with you after therapy. He slowly started to loosen up around you and you around him.

“So, he’s your best friend?” Mar asked.

“Um, yeah,” you nodded, “You could put it like that.”

Mar stared at you for a moment, her eyes studying your face. You shifted in your seat, your knee bouncing slightly. Her stare made you uncomfortable. She knew you better than anyone so whatever she was going to say was going to hit you deep. “You like him.”

You choked on air, your eyes wide. “I- what?”

Mar rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb, Y/n. You’ve fallen for him.”

“Mar-“

“Y/n, it’s okay,” she said noticing the scared look laced in your eyes. “You’re allowed to feel again. You know, when you walked into this office you only spoke...maybe ten words to me. You hated it. You hated me. You didn’t want to trust anyone because you lost someone.”

“...I lost everyone,” you said softly.

“I know,” Mar agreed, “but you allowed yourself to let Bucky in and you’ve only known him for two months. He’s special to you-“

“He’s all that I have, Mar.”

“So why not give him all that you have?”

There were tears threatening to spill. “Because everyone that I’ve ever loved, I’ve lost.”

“But it wasn’t your fault. What happened to your dad came with the job, okay? And we both know that it’s better that your mom was not in your life. And your grandparents? They hung on until you were legally an adult. Loss is apart of life, Y/n. It’s not something you can run from and hope never happens.”

“But it hurts,” your voice was barely above a whisper, but the pain was there.

“It’s supposed to because you cared. I know that you’re scared, but you and James both deserve someone who cares and loves unconditionally.”

The next day, there was a knock on your door.

“It’s open!” you called from the couch. You knew Bucky was planning to come over. He had texted you a few hours before asking what you wanted from the coffee shop. You heard the door slam shut and Bucky’s shuffling from behind the couch.

“Hey,” he said. He extended his arm to hand you your cold brew except in front of you was metal. Your eyes raked up the metal arm until you met Bucky’s blue eyes. His bottom lip was tugged between his teeth, jacket and gloves discarded. He was waiting for your reaction. Waiting for you to kick him out and tell him that you never wanted to see him again in account of what he had done. But that didn’t happen.

“I knew it,” you muttered softly.

Bucky was tense as he sat down next to you. “You knew what?”

“I’m not an idiot, Bucky. I started to piece things together. The gloves, the jacket, your overall hatred for humanity..”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew?”

“Because I knew that you’d tell me when you were comfortable,” you shrugged. You sank down in your seat taking a drink of your coffee.

You could see from your peripheral, Bucky setting his coffee on the table, his body moving closer to yours, knees touching. He took your hand in his metal one squeezing it gently. “Thank you.”

You responded by bring the black and gold metal to your lips. The gesture caused both you and Bucky to freeze. Neither of you were used to displays of affection, giving or receiving. It wasn’t hard to tell that both of you were touch deprived and longing for something gentle and real. Even though Bucky couldn’t really feel your kiss, the gesture was enough for him to realize how special you were. His heart was beating wildly in his chest as he craved more. He wanted to feel every inch of you, not just your body, but your heart, and your soul. He wanted to know you, all of you. He wanted to know how you liked your eggs cooked, your favorite song, what books you were reading, what made you laugh, what made you cry, your favorite places to eat, your favorite movies. Bucky wanted you.

“I’m sorry,” you said, the heat crawling up your neck. “I- it felt right. Everything with you feels right.” Bucky could sense that there was more you wanted to say, so he stayed silent, his thumb rubbing over the back of your hand. “When I met you, I wasn’t looking for anything. I actually was against relationships as a whole. But then I met you. And that was...it just happened, I guess. I found myself wanting to spend time with you. And then I found myself falling for you. It was simple and easy. I was comfortable. I think that’s how the best relationships start. You’re not looking and then there’s something. Someone. You’re my someone.”

Bucky’s heart swelled at your confession. God, I don’t deserve her, he thought to himself. He didn’t think that it was possible to have someone feel that way about him, nor did you think it was possible to feel the way you felt about Bucky.

“This whole relationship thing...I don’t really know how to do it,” Bucky said, his voice low and laced with a kind of disappointment. “I’m not sure I remember how to love or what it’s like to be loved, but I’m will to try for you. You’re all I got and you’re all I want, Y/n L/n.”

You sent him a sweet smile, a smile that reached your eyes and was filled with warmth. Suddenly, the distance between you was slim to none, your breaths mingling together. Bucky’s hands had found themselves gripping at your waist pulling you impossibly close. You were hoping he couldn’t hear your thundering heartbeat, your bottom lip tugged between your teeth. Before you lost the courage, you pressed your lips softly against Bucky’s. It was as if time stopped for this moment. The kiss was sweet, the feeling strange and foreign but you welcomed the change. Your lips seemed to fit together perfectly as Bucky took the lead, clearly more experienced. When you pulled away, Bucky grunted chasing your lips hungry for more.

“Damn,” you muttered, chest heaving. “That was...nice?”

“Nice?” Bucky laughed. It was probably the most beautiful sound you had ever heard. “You’re an angel, ya know that?”

A shy smile tugged at your cheeks as you placed your head on Bucky’s shoulder. You two had a lot to learn about yourselves, about each other, about relationships. And you were scared....terrified. But as you sat there, a warm feeling turning in your stomach, Bucky’s arms wrapped around you, you decided that the risk was worth it. And the man next to you was worth everything.

—

tag list: @hellishseaqueen

#bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #james buchanan barnes #bucky fluff #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #fatws #fatws bucky #avenger imagines #marvel fluff #marvel fanfiction

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Enforcers: Part 6.5 (Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader)

wc: 1.1k

tw: violence, guns, blood, trauma

masterlist

"Hand over the evidence."

The voice of the Kitsune is muffled by the mask over the lower half of his face. You frown, taking a step back.

"Give us the thumb drive, or we'll shoot. Either way, we'll get what we want."

"Y/n," Suguru hisses, and you flinch. "Give it to them."

"But--"

"One." You hesitate, eyeing Suguru carefully. He nods, hands still raised, and you walk toward the two men, one of them lowering their guns. "Two." The other keeps his gun trained on Suguru, eyes squinted. You fumble with the thumb drive in your pocket, hands shaking.

When you pull it out, the man stretches his hand out, and you hear a breathy whisper escape his lips.

He's just as afraid as you are.

The guard beside you adjusts his grip on his gun, which gives Suguru the precise split-second he needs. With blinding speed, he roundhouse-kicks the second guard in the head and then grabs the gun from the one across from you, wrenching it out of his hands before elbowing him to the ground.

"Wait--" Before you can ask Suguru to spare the two men, he shoots both of them in the knees, four semi-silent pops ringing out in the small hallway. He grabs the other gun and tosses it to you - but you barely know how to shoot anything other than a stationary target at the gun range - and not so well at that.

"We need to get out of here." He drags you to the door leading out to the main hallway, peering past it before exiting, brandishing the weapon while looking both ways. "Come on." The adrenaline in your veins is rushing at a thousand miles per second as you follow him down the hallway, running at top speed while you put the device back in your pocket.

"Suguru, we need to find out what's going o--"

"You didn't notice those were two Kitsune did you?"

"I did," you reply as you dash down a stairwell behind him, his feet clanging on the metal stairs. "But Kenjaku is known for using plants in recon missions."

"Those weren't plants," Suguru yells as he throws open the door to the fifth floor. "Those Kitsune were sent by the Grand Council."

"How do you know?" you hiss, feeling the wind slap your face as you dash down another stairwell, this one open to the air outside. But he doesn't answer you, instead, crouching down by the door that leads back into the building and checking the number of bullets in his gun.

"Fuck." He motions for your gun and you hand it over. "Much better," he breathes, taking yours and handing his old one to you. "You've got three bullets in that one. Use them wisely."

"Wait, what?" you exclaim, but Suguru ignores you again, dashing down the stairs without another word.

"We have three minutes until a swarm of Leviathans shows up," he calls out. "And it'll take us that exact amount of time to get from here to the parking lot and into a car."

"A car? What about our car?"

"GPS tracking doesn't do us much good in company cars, does it?" Horror floods your veins as you approach the first floor, and Suguru goes down one more level, breaking off into a dead sprint when he gets to the concrete of the parking lot.

Five vehicles are left in the lot, with only one having paper tags and one already running.

"Two options," you call out, but Suguru is moving for another vehicle - a black SUV with license plates. He goes around the car and pulls on the handles methodically: the far-right handle four times, the right-back handle three times, the back left handle twice, and the front left once. The car unlocks, and you climb into the passenger seat as Suguru begins to dismantle the space beneath the wheel where the wires are kept.

"Check the glove box for a knife." You do so obediently and find a small one stored away between insurance papers and the car manual. Once you hand it to him, you hear the sound of choppers approaching, and dread sinks into your bones.

"Su--"

"I hear them," he murmurs, frowning as he tries to get the two wires to spark. "I hear them." The radio light and dash lights come on, but the car won't start yet. It takes him a few more times and precious seconds to start the car, then he cranks the wheel hard left and right before throwing the car in reverse. But as he peels backward out of the space, you see a lone figure approaching the car, gun drawn.

Toji Fushiguro.

He says nothing, just smirking while beginning to unload his clip as Suguru floors it out of the parking lot in reverse. "Hold on!" The windows splinter, though they don't shatter by some miracle as you escape from the maniacal Leviathan leader and his crew.

The SUV speeds off down the road, no doubt about to be followed by a horde of other vehicles, but as you blend onto the highway, Suguru slows down with the other cars. The first thing that would draw attention to your car is swerving and speeding. Nothing good would come of a car chase.

And as the adrenaline flows out of you, you feel it. A burning sensation begins on your left side, and you press a hand to it, groaning. When you pull it away, you see a smear of red on your fingers.

"You okay?" Suguru asks, taking a moment to look over at you. When he notices the blood on your fingers, a strangled sound comes from his throat and you turn to him, frowning.

"I didn't even feel--"

And the world goes dark instantly as you tumble into confusion and uncertainty.

_____________________________________________________________

"Just hold on; just hold on, babe."

Panic. Choked sobs. A wobbly voice laced with fear. Burning.

No, that can't be right.

Let's try that again.

_____________________________________________________________

Let's try this one more time.

There are snakes in your nose.

You push up from the bed, snatching the offending things out, and opening your mouth to scream:

"Suguru!"

Why is it so damn bright, and where the fuck is your partner - a nurse rushes up to you, yelling some other words you can't comprehend because you. need. him.

"Suguru?" with the long black hair and piercing black eyes? "Stop pushing me down! I need my partner!" then "Who the fuck are you telling to "stop screaming", stupid bitch?"

You try to punch at the woman who is talking to you in babbles but fail miserably as another nurse grips your arm with deadly force.

"Why is the room so bright? Where am I?" but "Where am I?" The snakes are going back in. "Where is Suguru?"

and "Where is..." and "Where?" and "Wh--"

Darkness descends.

Game.

Fucking.

Over.

...

Rematch?

_____________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @missbonekitty @wack0-genius @thankuary @jsqeeut @r-i-m-f-009 @sunfloweroranges @leanne-tamashi @girlruby23 @rein-icu @brownskinnedgirll @chanelmalandro @savantsoulfinder @jibe-gajima @chilledlucifer @amnxsia @kontentious @fuyuko26 @everybodylovescayrayray @flare-on

#getou suguru x reader #jujutsu kaisen geto #getou suguru #geto suguru x reader #geto suguru #jujutsu kaisen #jjk

[pradaksj]

7 Rings | 02

♛ pairing: taehyung/reader

♛ genre: richboy!taehyung | blackmailer!reader | infiltration au | future smut | angst.

♛ rating: mature

♛ word count: 9,990+

♛ warnings for this chapter : explicit language, usage of alcohol (legal)

♛ (please read) author’s note: This chapter basically goes back in time to the day in which Y/N finds out about her mother, but instead we now get a glimpse of tae’s life so there is not much y/n in this chapter !! Just to let y’all know so you don’t get confused :)

♛ summary: In desperate need of money, you and your best friend come up with a plan to infiltrate one of Seoul’s richest families, the Kim family. The plan was simple, garner some money and disappear, but of course things don’t always go as planned. Especially not with someone like Kim Taehyung.

━ ❝ Whoever said money can't solve your problems, must not have had enough money to solve 'em.❞

♛ chapter index/masterlist || series masterlist

Chapters⇢ 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08

Friday Morning.

“In today’s news, the Kim family’s multibillion dollar deal has been officially confirmed. Their partnership with Hyundai is estimated to bring in at least seven billion in revenue to Korea’s economy over the next 5 years. Both parties have agreed to terms that will lift…”

Kim Taehyung stared at the coffee shop’s mounted TV as he waited in line to order, feeling as if it was already too early to be stressed out. The weary feeling of 4 hours of sleep was beginning to manifest itself, irritation slowly beginning to take its form. Honestly, it was a feeling he found himself feeling quite often these days. In a few years, the responsibility of a billion dollar empire would be under his hands, something he wasn’t exactly looking forward to. The images of his dad shaking hands with Hyundai’s CEO appearing on the TV, the man was basically hailed a hero. Taehyung’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

One could say his relationship with his father was not only distant but … complicated. As Taehyung grew up watching his dad’s empire become almost unstoppable, it also meant that he was always away from home. Though for the most part, Taehyung didn’t mind. His mother was everything a child could ask for, compassionate, hard-working, and never failing to provide her almost endless unconditional love for the young boy.

When he was younger though, his father seemed like an unattainable hero, an inspiration, and at some point it was a relationship he longed for. He often felt guilty whenever he’d hear kids in his school mention not having a father figure in their lives, either due to tragedy or other unspecified reasons. He was lucky enough to have his father in his life … so then why didn’t it ever feel like it ? Not like he had a right to complain.

Without his father he wouldn’t have grown up in the world of luxuries as he was fortunately able to. You see, there was a reason why Kim Enterprises was plastered all over Seoul (if not all of Korea), and that was because they were the IT company. A multi-conglomerate holding company who owned stakes in almost every major company from South Korea that you could possibly think of. Their rise in power was truly undeniable.

The company had been founded just a couple of years before Taehyung had been born, originally starting off as an insurance company which had done small investments in prospect companies, slowly rising in their investment and stakeholder shares. At least that was the story Taehyung’s father told him growing up, never failing to remind him that he came from nothing, and for that reason Taehyung should be nothing but grateful, stating that because of him he’d never know what it was like to feel the stigma of being poor in his own home and the powerlessness that comes with it. And you see Taehyung had absolutely no problem with that because well… it was true, and there was no denying that. What bothered him though, was that those speeches never seemed to come out of a place of genuinity, but one of animosity. As if to remind Taehyung that without his father he was, is, and would’ve been nothing.

To a certain extent he respected his father, but he didn’t love him. There was no genuine relationship there, and he knows it may sound horrible to say, but Taehyung most definitely had his reasons. But some things were just simply better left unsaid.

“Hello? Next in line,” a voice (an annoyed one at that) interrupted his thoughts, as he failed to realize that the cashier had been calling out for him for who knows how long. Though he didn’t take her harsh attitude to heart, if anything sympathizing with her and what he assumed was a stressful job, and it wasn’t like he was making it any easier by being a slow-poke.

“Welcome to Seoul’s Magnificent Mocha, what can I get for you this morning?” she asked once he had made his way up front to the cashier counter. Taking off his sunglasses, he couldn’t but want to laugh at how quick her facial expression had changed. It was the face that people made when they recognized him. It was amazing what a simple baseball cap and some shades could do, he hadn’t even worn his black face mask this time. “Y-You—” she began to stutter her words, instead slowly pointing at the TV. He gave her a small smile along with a small nod as a way of confirming what she was trying to say.

“That would be me,” he smiled, “Can I get an iced Americano and um a,” he paused trying to remember what Namjoon had wanted, “strawberry iced tea. Both medium please,” he finished off the order clearly sounding very uncertain.

“It’s g-going to b-be um,” the poor girl was so nervous she couldn’t even tell him his total without stuttering, “15,000 Won,” He proceeded in handing her a 50,000 note.

“You can keep the change,” he winked at her before putting his sunglasses back on and politely dismissing himself towards the waiting area, quietly laughing at how quickly she facepalmed herself when he was out of her line of sight.

Taehyung always did have a special charm on people, plus he was good looking, and he knew it. He didn’t have any special talents, nothing he could actually proudly boast about. It would be dense of him not to acknowledge that the only reason he was so famous was because of both his status and looks.

There were many people who swooned over him such as the cashier, but there were also many who believed he was still the same old spoiled brat who was nothing but a troublemaker from four years ago. It didn’t help that gossip blogs were still using the same clips from years ago when he really was nothing but a troublemaker who liked flashing his expensive cars for the paparazzi, and purposely kept a high profile. He had been naive, nothing but an eighteen year old teenager who thought fame was better than anything else in the entire world. Four years later, now at the age of twenty-two, and he had long learned that fame was horrible. But he had changed and that’s all that mattered, right? A complete 180, if you will.

Those people didn’t know him, so what made them think they had the right to judge him? To act as if they’d do things any better if they were in his position. The only Kim Taehyung they ever knew was the one they’d seen through a screen. He remembered the first time his name had made its way on the headline of gossip blogs and the comments that came with it.

[Kim Taehyung, son of Kim Jeong  spotted out having a wild night out in Hongdae. Pictures leaked from last night with some steamy footage. Click here for more.]  

[+3,623,  -59] he better pray he doesn’t catch any STD’s while he’s at it ㅋㅋㅋ wouldn’t be surprised if he already has some

[+3,100, -100] i feel bad for his dad, he expects someone like this to run the fortune he’s worked so hard for??? he’s so young as well…

[+2,547, -57] leave him alone and respect his privacy

[+2,100, -23] ah he’s so cute!! whoever was dancing with him is one lucky lady!

[+1,022, -34] a brat like that doesn’t deserve the things he has

That night had only been the beginning to years of nothing but front covering gossip magazines and having his privacy invaded on a daily basis. People became invested in what he was doing with his personal life, his friends, who he was seeing, what he was wearing, and anything else you could possibly think of. He often wondered why, but he assumed it was the same reason as to why people continue to give someone like Kim Kardashian attention despite claiming to hate her. Because people want a glimpse of a world that isn’t their own, simply fascinated by the rich. That and their obsession for scandal only adds fuel to the fire.

With fame came pressure though, pressure to uphold an image for the family company, one his father fairly cared about these days. Hell, nowadays his dad gave him more attention than he ever did as a child, all because he knew that Taehyung was and is the future for Kim Enterprises. It was his father’s pressure that led to his current relationship with— ah speak of the devil.

[From: Sunhi]

[9:10AM] I know you see my texts.

[9:11AM] why are you ignoring me???

[9:12AM] hello???

“Taehyung! Your Iced Americano and strawberry iced tea is ready!” Taehyung rolled his eyes as he glanced through the several number of text messages, instead locking his phone and going up to grab the drinks.

Sunhi was the granddaughter of Hyundai’s CEO and had long been in the picture as early as Taehyung could remember. The two went to the same middle and high school, a one sided crush on her side forming at some point. It wasn’t until about a year ago after returning, that his father had basically forced him to take her out on a date citing that it was in his words, “good for business”. And well today the “good for business” approach had its results, the confirmation of a multibillion dollar deal.

The media loved the two together, hell, they were even labelled as Seoul's next generation’s power couple. Their names amassing a fortune worth billions behind them, their good looks garnering both of them ambassador deals, all in the meanwhile social media was the backbone of the phenomenon that was their so called “relationship”. Not that Taehyung considered it much of one, in his opinion it had stopped being an actual relationship a long time ago.

It wasn’t that Taehyung hated Sunhi, in fact in the beginning of their relationship he was smitten for her, but it wasn’t long until the spark burned out. “Wasn’t long” meaning a couple of weeks in and she actually turned out to be the real definition of a brat, the actual real-life manifestation of Blair Waldorf. Constant up and downs with her had quickly worn him out, and the constant badgering from the media only made things worse. But that doesn't mean he hated her, in order for him to hate her he’d actually have to care about her, and well in all honesty…  he didn’t.

Sometimes he’d ask himself why he was still with her considering the deal had long been confirmed even before today. Taehyung had been free to do what he’d like for a long time, meaning there had never been a need for him to have kept this going for so long, he just did. One must ask, why?

Maybe it was because he knew she was the safest option, the person everyone expected and wanted him to be with. Breaking up with her right now would only further his stress, something he definitely didn’t need more of. Plus she knew him from the surface, and he knew her from the surface, and maybe that was just enough. He didn’t need, or want, anything more than that from her or anyone else for that matter. Sunhi was just enough.

It wasn’t like she was using him for anything, especially considering she already has everything. But by being with her, he was satisfying others, he was becoming the person everyone wanted him to be, the person he always should’ve been.

Hell, who knows, maybe he could truly fall in love with her one day … though in the back of his mind he knew the answer to that.

“Took you long enough,” Namjoon complained as he turned on the ignition of the car. He glanced at the drinks in Taehyung's hands, dramatically sighing at the sight, “and you somehow still ended up ordering the wrong drink for me,” he sighed, grabbing the drink from Taehyung’s hands nonetheless.

“My bad, I had forgotten in the moment…” he shot an apologetic smile towards his newly dyed platinum-haired friend.

Namjoon was the son of another one of Seoul’s elite, but also Taehyung’s right hand man. The two had met during their freshman year of high school, but funnily enough the two originally hated one another. Now looking back at it, Taehyung could admit that the two had acted extremely childish over a girl who’d end up picking neither of them, but that was a story to tell for another day.

Luckily Namjoon seemed to enjoy the drink, no longer complaining about it during the ride to Lotte World Mall. The two needed to go buy some new suits for tonight's event in celebration of the brand new deal between Kim Enterprises and Hyundai. The paparazzi were definitely going to be there and with all eyes on him, Taehyung decided that he might as well look good.

Friday Evening.

By the time Taehyung had returned to his place, he was both drained and exhausted, the idea of taking a nap and ditching the event seeming all too tempting. Namjoon this morning had felt the need to visit almost every high end store he could think of and try on the most useless things including scarves, gloves, and a whole bunch of other things. Basically going back and forth all across the mall whenever he’d regret not buying something.

He carried his bags upstairs to his room, ready to plop onto his bed and take a well deserved nap, but of course as always the universe seemed to work against him.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” he silently cursed to himself, asking himself why he thought it was a good idea to give Sunhi access to his penthouse. “Of course you went shopping without me, and to think I wanted to color coordinate,” she puckered her lips attempting to give him a small kiss on the lips, but before she could Taehyung had turned his cheek causing her to almost entirely miss.

She quickly composed herself acting as if that didn’t just happen, instead beginning to rummage through his bags, complimenting the things he chose while he just laid in bed slowly taking in deep breaths trying not to snap at her for coming unannounced. “So what exactly is that you came here for Sunhi…” he mumbled, failing to hide his annoyance.

She pouted, “Well you weren’t answering my texts, and I wanted to know whether you’d be going tonight…” she began to give him small pecks on his face, hoping that he’d show some kind of affection.

“I am, I am. I’m just really tired right now and in desperate need of a nap,” he responded, ignoring her obvious attempts to initiate things. His eyelids were half way closed, clearly ready to knock out at any second.

“Oh well I’ll just stay—”

“No, no. Just go back home, get ready, and I’ll see you over there okay?” his voice was much harsher this time, turning to face the other direction of his bed which was no longer facing her, a cold gesture on his part.

Sunhi sat there for a moment, feeling a mixture of both anger and disappointment. She wanted to say something, but instead crossed her arms, and let out a huff of air in response. Taking one last look at him before getting up from his bed and walking herself out. The same old feeling of being unwanted creeping into her mind, a feeling she knew all too well.

Friday Night.

By the time he had arrived, Taehyung thought that the paparazzi would’ve grown impatient waiting for him and end up leaving, but as per usual he was completely wrong. If anything, him being late had only caused them to triple in numbers. Those men really had no shame, their camera flashes penetrating through the Mercedes Benz’s tinted windows.

“You let me know when you’re ready Mr. Kim,” his security guard said. Taehyung took a deep breath, fixing his YSL brooch before nodding to him, letting him know that he was ready. He was quickly greeted with a stammering number of questions.

“Where’s Sunhi?”

“Over here! Over here!”

“How’s your night been?”

Taehyung tried to not make any faces, knowing that even the slightest lift of the brow would be taken out of context, and that by tomorrow morning there’d be a whole bunch of rumors trending on Twitter. The only thing was that the paparazzi always knew how to push his buttons whether it was shouting something rude, roughly grabbing at him, and etc. 

At this point he just needed a drink to relax and take his mind off of these low life men who had nothing else better to do than to try and make a quick buck off his name.

“Finally! Took you long enough,” he heard, quickly spotting Namjoon the moment he entered the venue, wondering if he had been waiting up front for him the whole time.

“You didn’t have to wait for me you know? And plus it’s not my fault you had me running circles around the mall,” Taehyung said causing Namjoon to scoff in response, “Has he given his speech?” the “he” Taehyung was referring to was his father.

“I honestly don’t know,” Namjoon shrugged, who like Taehyung, never did like these kinds of events as they always had him wanting to knock out halfway through, the only thing he really did appreciate was the food they served. 

The two walked towards the bar which caught their attention much more than the cathedral-inspired venue, deciding that a drink was necessary to kick the night off right.

“Two gin and tonics please,” the bartender nodded, beginning to prepare their drinks. Taehyung watched the bartender pour gin into his jigger, curious as to how someone could memorize the recipes for so many drinks. “How many years does it take for one to learn the ways of bartending?” he asked the brown-haired man, an attempt to strike conversation.

“Ah well a simple gin and tonic is something every bartender should know like it’s the back of their hand,” the man chuckled, “but if you’re talking about something like hmm,” he paused for a moment, “something like a bloody mary perhaps.”

A bloody mary? Isn’t that just vodka with some tomato juice?

“It’s much more than that,” the bartender laughed at Taehyung who was slightly taken aback, not realizing that he must’ve said what he was thinking aloud. “Though those are the two the main ingredients, it includes salt, pepper, hot sauce, garlic, herbs,” Taehyung was now genuinely curious as to where the bartender was going with this, “It covers the entire range of the human palate from sweet, salty, sour, unami, and savory but you have to make sure it doesn’t taste bitter.”

He continued talking as he poured the tonic water onto the frosted drinking glasses, “A little too much of one ingredient or a little too less and the whole drink goes to waste. You have to find a balance,” he emphasized the last part, almost as if this went beyond drinks, “Someone who wants a bloody mary is someone who definitely knows what they’re looking for,” he concludes his sermon-like speech, intensely staring at Taehyung. Namjoon looked at the man like he was crazy, who the hell overanalyzes a drink to this extent? Taehyung on the other had a look of fascination on his face, instead returning the stare.

“Well … cheers!,” Namjoon breaks the tense silence by raising his drink, momentarily being left hung dry until soon enough Taehyung lifted his drink up as well, the two of them clinking their glasses before chugging the bittersweet drink down their throats.

“Ah there he is!” Taehyung turned around, watching as his father made his way towards him, right alongside Sunhi’s parents. The two gave each other an awkward hug, “You better have a good damn reason for being so late,” his father harshly whispered into his ear before pulling back, the famous fake grin that Taehyung had grown to hate still plastered onto his face. The man was an expert at saving face, like father like son.  

Taehyung remained silent instead politely greeting Sunhi’s parents before watching the trio as they made their way to greet other guests.

“I’m going to need a second drink,” he exasperated, causing Namjoon to let out a laugh. The bartender nodded, immediately beginning to prepare their drinks.

“I’m surprised Sunhi hasn’t gotten her claws on you yet, I could’ve sworn she was here earlier,” Namjoon mentioned causing Taehyung to shrug, his expression now dulled at the mention of her.

“I feel bad, I sorta snapped at her earlier, but she kept on nagging me, wouldn’t let me sleep in peace. I blame you,” he said, commenting on the situation earlier.

“Hey I’m not the one whose forcing you to be with her,” Namjoon remarked, causing Taehyung to shoot him a glare, his eyebrows now furrowed.

Instead he changed the topic, accustomed to Namjoon’s dismay of the relationship, “I just want to go home and sleep,” Taehyung yawned, the event was boring him more and more by the minute.

“Same he—” Namjoon suddenly stopped mid sentence, something more “important” now having caught his eye.

“You’re practically drooling, you do realize that right?” Taehyung deadpanned, glancing at the girl who had caught his friend’s eye. She was pretty, he wasn’t going to lie, but she seemed like someone who was quite stuck up to be honest. But he assumed that about everyone around here as it takes one to know one. “So are you going to just stand here and stare like a creep or …”

“You don’t mind me leaving you here?” Namjoon’s voice sounded a little too excited. Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, he wasn’t the type of person who couldn’t stand being alone. In fact, he enjoyed his own company sometimes, he had actually read somewhere that it was quite important for one’s own mental health.

“I think I need to go find Sunhi either way, or else she’ll be nagging me the whole night as to why I didn’t find her sooner, that and apologize for earlier,” Namjoon nodded, lightly patting on his shoulder before making his way to the woman who had caught his eye, trying his best not to gawk so much.

“Now where could she be…” Taehyung mumbled to himself, having now left the bar and instead walking around the venue, making a half-assed attempt at looking for his girlfriend.

Taehyung could feel his legs swaying left to right, the lack of balance he had was probably laughable to anyone who wasn’t him. He wasn’t drunk, at least that’s what he was telling himself. The way the world was spinning told him otherwise. In all honesty he had only asked for a couple more drinks after the second one, but nonetheless he always was a lightweight drinker to begin with. His bladder felt as if it was going to burst at any moment so instead of Sunhi being his top priority, going to the restroom now was.

He looked around, the signs on the doors now looking slightly blurry. He grabbed the handle to what looked like could be the men’s restroom harshly pushing the door open.

Everything happens for a reason… right?

“Oh my God, It’s not what it looks like,” Because what were the chances that he caught her right in the act, with none other than Jeon Jungkook.

Taehyung had seen this situation play out in so many movies and TV shows, whereas the boyfriend usually destroys everything in his way and immediately begins to throw punches at the lover, and yada yada yada. But for some odd reason all Taehyung could do was stand there and watch as she hurriedly tried placing her bra back on.

He couldn’t help but actually want to … laugh. Really, because what were the chances? What were the chances that instead of walking into what he thought was a restroom, he instead walked in on his girlfriend and Seoul’s biggest man-whore about to fuck in a janitor’s closet.

He glanced at Jungkook who had nothing but a giant smirk plastered on his face, not even bothering to put his shirt back on.

Taehyung gathered his thoughts… What was he supposed to do again?  

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing left for Kim Taehyung to do, but to turn around and walk away. And so that’s what he did, drowning out her pleads for him to stay, a small smile gracing his lips. He was finally free.  

Namjoon must’ve left early because once Taehyung had returned back to the bar, he was nowhere to be found. He decided it was just best to leave before Sunhi could find him and start begging him to hear her out. After texting his security guard to meet him out front, he asked for a bottle of water and attempted at fully sobering up before he’d have to face several rapidly flashing lights in his face.

Did it end up actually helping? Fuck no. God, why did they have to park his Mercedes so far away. It was as if no matter how many steps he felt like he was taking, he was no closer to where he wanted to be.

“Smile for the camera man, come on!” The rapid flashes of light caused Taehyung to stumble his footsteps worse than before, the responses he gave to the multiple questions being thrown at him coming out more like mumbles and slurs. He knew that deep inside his brain was sending him signals on what to do, whether his body was listening was another story.

“Watch where you’re going man! Momma’s boy can’t handle his liq—” one of the paparazzo shouted at him while grabbing at his arm, and maybe it had been cause he was drunk, maybe because he was simply just tired, but in an instant Taehyung had felt his fist collide with the man’s face throwing everyone and everything into a frenzy. The questions and comments now coming out of their mouths at a lightning speed, some were cursing him out, others were pretending to praise him at an attempt to get him to say something, but none of it mattered because by the time he got into the car it was too late to take any of it back, and soon enough everything had gone black.

Saturday Evening.

The hangover the next day was literal hell, Taehyung felt as if the inner surface of his skull was practically being thrashed upon, his eyesight struggling to cope with the rays of daylight that directly shone on his eyes. Not only that, but his mouth had felt so dry, however having to get up for water seemed like so much work to do considering how much his back was aching.

It was like the flu except it had been self-inflicted. He attempted to raise his heavy eyelids all in one go, just for them to immediately fall shut. He could feel the constant vibrating notifications from his phone, choosing to ignore it altogether as he figured it was probably Sunhi sending him several text messages. Even if it wasn’t her, he was too lazy to even stretch his arm out and disconnect his phone. Maybe he could sleep it off, he thought to himself, curling himself back under his thick duvet.

How was it that he was barely 22 and already facing the repercussions of intense hangovers when just a couple of years ago he could drink all night long and wake up the next day hangover free. It was as if with each passing year it just got worse, no wonder so many older folks didn’t get drunk anymore, they had learnt it the hard way.

And just as he was about to fall asleep, of course his stomach had to both lurch and gurgle like some kind of trapped animal. He groaned, swinging his feet around in bed like a kid who had just been told “no”. Sadly, he was going to have to force himself to get up and so he did.

Once on his feet, he immediately felt the room sway almost causing him to lose balance until he managed to grab onto his bedstead in order to keep himself standing. He yawned and stretched out his entire body, lowkey loving the sound of his bones cracking. Time to start a new day.

After brushing up, he began to prepare himself something quick to eat fearing that his stomach was going to lash out on him any moment and so he decided to make some scrambled eggs. Quick and easy. Right?

Wrong.

The rare occasions that Taehyung did cook were always 50/50, as in there was half a chance whatever he cooked would come out either decent or completely under/over cooked. The boy practically lived off of takeout, restaurants, and microwaveable food, but at this current moment he needed food and quickly at that. Today his eggs had come out slightly undercooked with some of the yolk still a little slimy, but it was edible nonetheless.

As he ate he was genuinely surprised at the fact that Sunhi didn’t ambush his home this morning, causing him to set a reminder on his phone to remove her fingerprint off of his security system as soon as possible. He scrolled through her long thread of texts that consisted of her going back and forth between apologizing, begging, and guilt tripping him, only causing him to roll his eyes and sigh.

[Incoming Facetime from: Namjoon 🐨]

Taehyung quirked his brow before clicking “accept”.

“Weren’t you the one who scolded me about facetiming without sending a warning text,” he laughed, it wasn’t like he was lying.

“Ah I know, I know, but I felt sorta bad for just leaving last night without saying goodbye, but a man has his needs,” Namjoon now sported a giant grin on his face, probably recalling last night’s events, “and well I thought you’d be in bed hungover, in need of a wake up call,” he joked only causing Taehyung to flash him the middle finger through the screen.

“Well I’m up,” Taehyung wondered if Namjoon knew, maybe Sunhi had told him or something. He quickly scratched the idea as he knew Sunhi was the type of person to try and keep everything under wraps … but Jeon Jungkook was not.

Jeon Jungkook.

Remember the small mention of Namjoon and Taehyung fighting over the affections of a girl only for her to end up choosing someone else. That someone else was none other than Jeon Jungkook, one of Upper Seoul’s biggest man-whores, if not the biggest man whore. If Sunhi was actually someone Taehyung loved, he probably would’ve punched that stupid smirk off of Jungkook’s face last night, but luckily he didn’t have to. Did Jungkook have it out for Taehyung? It was unclear to be honest. This definitely wasn’t the first time Jungkook has attempted at sabotaging him despite Taehyung clearly showing he could care less.

In fact the two before yesterday’s incident had actually been mutual acquaintances being in the same “circle” and all. That circle being the sons of the multi million/billionares of Seoul which included names such as Kim Seokjin and Park Jimin. Namjoon in particular was good friends with Seokjin, who in return was very close with Jungkook. Seokjin and Namjoon both being the “neutral” bridge between the two. So Taehyung wasn’t going to be surprised if Seokjin had in fact informed Namjoon of yesterday’s dilemma. It had been Seokjin who told Namjoon of Jungkook’s actions of the past such as leaking Taehyung’s location to paparazzi on a number of occasions, stealing brand deals under Taehyung’s nose, and many other things.

“So…”

“I know that you know,” Taehyung chuckled out, causing Namjoon to let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh great, I was really not looking forward to beating around the bush and forcing it out of you,” he laughed, “well it looks like you got what you wanted.”

Taehyung’s nose crinkled in confusion, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh come on!—” Namjoon’s mouth curved into his famous dimpled smile, obviously trying (but failing) to repress his laugh, “Don’t act like you’re not the happiest man on Earth right now! You’ve probably been praying for something like this to happen for forever,” Taehyung’s face went sour, “You’ve needed an excuse to break up with Sunhi without you ending up being the bad guy for so long, and that’s why you probably haven’t even shedded a single tear since you found out,” he insisted causing Taehyung to let out a bitter scoff , mumbling a silent “That’s not true.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night Tae—” suddenly the sound of something abruptly falling grabbed Namjoon’s attention, “Moni! Put that down! Uh I gotta go, just text me later alright,” and with that he clicked, presumably to deal with his white feisty Eskimo.

Taehyung glanced at the clock which read 3:25PM, a small nap wouldn’t hurt right?

Sunday Morning.

So much for a “small nap”. Despite him having slept the whole Saturday off, Taehyung had woken up very early and in a good mood, ready to have himself a productive day.

He made himself breakfast that even a 5 year old could make: avocado toast with different slices of fruit and a simple protein shake. While letting his breakfast settle down in his stomach, he began to do his pre-workout stretch, with his goal in mind for today’s run being at least 6 miles.

After he was done stretching, he went down to the lobby making sure to politely greet his “neighbors”. They were the same people who kept tabs on him and sold him out to the press every chance they got, but not like he could lash out on them so instead he was forced to give them fake smiles along with stiff waves.

During his morning run, Taehyung took into appreciation of the crisp morning air which was both cold and dry. The view of the river brought him a sense of relaxation and before he knew it, he was done with his workout.

“What a beautiful day,” he had thought to himself as he walked back to his penthouse’s building, ready to take a much needed shower, but of course he should’ve known she was going to ambush him at some point because there she was, sitting in the building’s lobby.

Once she spotted him she immediately got up from the couch. He tried to quickly outpace her and get into the elevator, but she yanked on his hand preventing him from going any further.

“Stop avoiding me… please,” she sounded distraught which confused him. She certainly didn’t look distraught when she was getting her neck sucked on by Jungkook.

“Can we do this,” he pushed her hand off, “some other time. You’re gonna make a scene,” he scolded her. The two of them were in the middle of the lobby, and even though there seemed to be no one around, he could never be too sure.

“No because it seems this is the only way I could get your attention,” she muttered , “especially considering you removed my access,” causing him to let out a stifled laugh.

“Well that’s what someone does when they’re significant other hmm I don’t know cheats on them,” his voice emphasized the last words.

“I didn’t,” she quickly lowered her voice once she realized she had shouted that part out, “cheat on you,” she mumbled. “I was about to, but I didn’t,” she dramatically waved her finger at him.

“Yeah because I walked in on you?” he wondered if she knew how stupid she sounded.

“Well maybe if you showed me some affection every once in a while I wouldn’t have resorted to such acts!” What the two hadn't realized was that there was someone in the lobby quietly hiding behind a pillar, secretly recording the interaction between the two.

“Sunhi,” he ran his hand through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh, “can you just leave me alone? There is no fixing this, especially since this,” he made a motion with his fingers pointing to the both of them, “has been broken for a very long time.” And with the final word, he turned around and walked away, not bothering to look at her face which had now fallen from expression.

Sunday Night.

“Kim Taehyung NASTY fight with girlfriend Sunhi. Click here for more.” was what the Twitter article headlined their argument, and of course the link provided the video of the whole thing.

[From: Namjoon 🐨]

[10:10] you really can be an ass [link to video]

[To: Namjoon 🐨]

[10:11] how!!

[10:11] i just told her the truth, at the end of the day no one can tell me that I was in the wrong 🤷🏻‍♂️

[From: Namjoon 🐨]

[10:12] you’d be surprised with what knetz have to say…

[10:13] them and the media are going crazy over you unfollowing her

Taehyung scoffed while unplugging his phone and rolling to the other side of bed now that his phone was at 100%.

[To: Namjoon 🐨]

[10:14] yea well idc.

[From: Namjoon 🐨]

[10:15] well at least ur out the relationship, that’s all that matters right 😬

[10:16] looks like ur back on the market … we all know how crazy that can get

Taehyung could feel himself become stiff at the last text. What was that supposed to mean? Maybe he was overthinking it too much…  

He was a different person now, he reassured himself. Before he could dwell on it any further he decided that it was best to just go to sleep.

Monday Afternoon.

The next day Taehyung continued with his routine of making a somewhat decent breakfast, and running his daily number of miles, crossing his fingers that he wouldn’t be ambushed like the morning prior. Luckily he wasn’t.

The sensation of steamy water hitting his body was calming to him, the shower was very much needed. Trying not to get so lost in his thoughts, he began to sing the random songs that first came to mind. He’d been told by Namjoon on multiple occasions that his singing was good, but Taehyung at this current moment was just glad he lived alone. Namjoon, or anyone for that matter, would probably make fun of him for the song he was um … rapping.

“Ain't got enough money to pay me respect. Ain't no budget when I'm on the set. If I like it, then that's what I get!” his sudden motions almost made him slip, but luckily he had caught himself just in time, “yeah,” he finished off the lyric despite his near death experience.

It was once he got out the shower that he was in for a surprise.

“7 Rings… really?” Taehyung’s towel almost fell from his waist because of his jump in surprise. Thankfully he had held onto it before it could completely fall. “I didn’t take you to be such an Ariana Grande fan,” Taehyung rolled his eyes to the teasing Namjoon.

“It’s the song of the summer for your information,” he interjected, “And how the hell did you even get up here?”

“Hmm I don’t know maybe because you practically forced me to get my fingerprint and memorize your code so that I would,” Namjoon mimicked quote signs with his fingers, “stop bugging you when I could open the door myself,” causing Taehyung’s stern face to quickly become one of dumbfoundeness.

“Oh…”

“I’ll be in the kitchen making myself some food,” he playfully sighed before making his way out of Taehyung’s room.

Taehyung quickly lotioned his body, put on his overnight hair products, and threw on a baggy sweater along with some black sweatpants, assuming that Namjoon hopefully wasn’t going to try and drag him to go outside. He had a long week ahead of him which included photoshoots, interviews, meetings, and overall promotion for this brand new deal considering he currently served as the “face” to his family’s business.

“Wow making japchae, who put you in a good mood?” Taehyung laughed as he peeped over Namjoon’s shoulder, catching a whiff of the food he was making causing Namjoon to flash his dimpled smile at him.

“Well I have a date in a couple of weeks and so I’ve been practicing every chance I get,” he admitted catching Taehyung by surprise, “and before you ask, yes it’s the girl from the event on Friday.”

Taehyung tried to subdue his shock, “If I’m being honest I thought she was kind of a…” he contemplated his next choice of words, “um…”

“A one night stand,” Namjoon completed the sentence, a look of understanding on his face. “Well if I’m being honest I thought the same thing,” he cheeks reddened, “but she actually ended up being really sweet, and well I really li—”

“Okay I think I’m done hearing your little sap story that you haven’t even started,” he pretends to yawn, causing Namjoon to flash his middle finger at him which only makes him laugh, “Sorry I’m not a hopeless romantic like you.”

Namjoon scoffed as he stirred the noodles around, “So what? Deep down you know you’re one as well.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’ve heard it all before. Why are you here again?” Namjoon flashed his middle finger again now causing Taehyung to laugh even harder than the first time.

“You sure know how to be rude sometimes,” Namjoon was now serving the japchae onto some plates, “and I’m here because one, I was bored, and two, because I was wondering if you were going to Thursday’s brunch,” the look on Taehyung’s face gave Namjoon the answer he was looking for.

“I completely forgot about that…”

“Why am I not surprised,” Namjoon sighed while giving Taehyung his plate of food.  

“It’s always the same old place, same old routine, and most importantly the same old people,” he made sure to emphasize that last part, “you’re telling me you don’t get bored?”

“I do, but look what happened last time, I met someone new!” Namjoon bragged, only resulting in Taehyung rolling his eyes once again. “You’re like the grinch, but for love I swear,” Namjoon groaned, mentally taking note that the pleasant look on Taehyung’s face meant he had done a good job at making japchae. As long as he followed the exact amount of ingredients and steps as he did today then his date would go along just fine.

Taehyung slurped the final remaining bits of food on his plate before responding to Namjoon, “I’m fresh out of a relationship Joon, let me enjoy being single for the time being.”

“In the media’s eyes you’re fresh out of a relationship, but you and I both know that you’ve been single for a very long time,” Taehyung stayed silent at Namjoon’s words, a sudden pang of guilt now hitting him as he recalled what he had told Sunhi in the lobby that past Saturday. Did Taehyung see Namjoon’s point? Yes, of course he did. Did it feel good hearing it? No, it didn’t.

“Well um guess what, she cheated on me. I remained faithful, which honestly,” he scoffed in between his words, “was the least I could do. So stop trying to paint me as some big villain,” he sneered.

“All I’m saying is that the Taehyung I know would have never even gotten into that relationship to begin with,” Namjoon silently muttered to himself, a dismissive look on his face, causing Taehyung to let out a sardonic laugh. As if Namjoon was a better person than he was?

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” he snapped, “You know I’m getting real tired of your little sly comments, as if i’m not going to catch on at some point, if you have something to say then grow some balls and say it,” Taehyung's voice echoed across the kitchen walls. Taehyung’s heart was practically pounding out of his chest, his jaw now completely clenched, glaring at Namjoon. The light atmosphere in the room had become stiff in the blink of an eye.

One would think that Namjoon would be shocked, maybe even angry at Taehyung’s outburst, but all he did was stare back, seeming completely unfazed, a pot that had been bubbling for quite some time between the two finally bubbling over. Withheld opinions, finally lashed out, “I’ll just never understand why you couldn’t break up with her from the moment your dad didn’t need you to date her anymore, or why you even got with her in the first place. All you did was waste her time and let her convince herself that she was in love with you knowing damn well you’ve never felt anything from day one. I mean even now she thinks there’s something worth saving,” he cursed, his voice now elevated up several notches, “And it’s the fact that you see nothing wrong with it that makes me sick!”

Taehyung’s face immediately fell, hurt by his friend’s words, but it didn’t stop Namjoon from continuing on, “I mean the Taehyung I knew would’ve never in a million years agreed to do something like this for anyone,” disappointment evident in his voice, “let alone for your dad,” he spat. “It just,” he pauses, “It just isn’t like you Taehyung. None of this is.”

Taehyung could feel his tough demeanor crumble, “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, so stop acting like you do,” he scowled.

“It’s just funny to me, years ago you’d talk about becoming nothing like your dad, but nowadays it looks like I’m looking at his clone,” Namjoon muttered, “You’ve changed Taehyung. You may joke around with me here and there, but I can tell you’re always holding back. You leave for a whole year to God knows where, and come back a completely different person, acting like your dad’s very own fucking puppet. You’ve closed yourself off. Like, like you’re mad at the world or something, or I don’t know—”

“And what, you want the old reckless Taehyung back?! The one who destroyed everything in his fucking path! Is that what the fuck you want?” his voice boomed, but even Namjoon could see it was merely a facade, the mixture of both guilt and sadness seeping through the cracks of his voice.

“Of course not! But the Taehyung standing in front of me is no better than the one before. You may not be as reckless as you used to be, but you’re definitely just as careless,” Namjoon condemned him, “And so then I think about everything and all I could ask myself is why? Why don’t you find something or someone, you genuinely love, something that makes you happy, not your dad, not the media, YOU.”

“Because I just don’t want to Joon…”  Taehyung looked away, ashamed to make eye contact, his voice had now become a mere whisper.

“And all I can think about is if it has something to do with —” Namjoon could see Taehyung physically tense up, “Taehyung what the hell happened that night?” he pleaded desperately.

“Just don’t Joon,” and with that Namjoon knew that even he was pushing the boundaries, deciding that it was best to just keep quiet, “I came back didn’t I? ” he harshly spat.

There was a pregnant pause, “I’m sorry,” Namjoon apologized, but was only met with silence. Taehyung got up from the kitchen chair, and placed his dish into the sink, harshly passing by Namjoon.

“Make sure you lock the door on your way out,” he muttered, before making his way upstairs into his room, leaving Namjoon standing in the kitchen by himself.

Monday Night.

And so that night, Taehyung stared up at his ceiling thinking about what Namjoon had told him. He was hurt by his friend’s words, but he couldn’t deny that he didn’t understand where he was coming from …

But it wasn’t like Taehyung was a cold hearted person, or at least he’d like to think he wasn’t. Behind it all, he was still the same kind and polite person he’d always been. He was just more mature nowadays, finally growing up like he should’ve years ago. It was simply for the best.

So then why did he feel so wrong?

He felt conflicted, he felt guilt, but honestly he had been feeling guilty long before he got into a relationship with Sunhi. Maybe it was that same guilt he’s felt eating him alive for the past several years that’s made him close himself off to others. It was the same guilt that led to disappearing one night and not coming back until about a year later.

Feeling overwhelmed, he decided to get up from bed, and stepped onto his balcony just wanting to just look at the stars before going to bed. Tonight they had seemed to be shining extra bright, he attempted at counting each one, losing count mid way. 

He couldn’t help but reminisce about his childhood, when he and his mom would go camping at Noeul Campground at least once a year, and oh how the stars would shine like never before. The two of them making a game of who could come up with the best figurines using the stars. It was nights like these that he truly did miss her, but he knew she was watching over him. Forever and always.

“I know I haven’t talked to you in a while, I hope you’re not mad. I know it’s no excuse, but time nowadays just goes by so fast and well I’m coming to a point in life where I feel like I have nothing figured out. Like as if I’m not truly satisfied, and not truly well … happy. I just feel lost, Ma. I thought coming back here, I could put the facade that I was fine but,” he lets out a deep breath,”I’m just not. God I wish you were here, you’d know exactly what to say right now,” he could feel the warm droplets of water falling from his face, not bothering to wipe them off. “I’m so sorry Ma,” were his final words before stepping back inside, a peaceful slumber waiting for him in bed.

Thursday Morning.

“Ah now this is what I’ve been looking forward to,” Namjoon grinned as politely grabbed the mimosa from the bartender’s hand. Taehyung made a motion with his hand once Namjoon offered him his cup, instead leaning against the bar watching as guests made their way in and out of the venue.

Taehyung and Namjoon had made up in the days prior, Taehyung sending a “btw the japchae was too sweet 🤭” text message, as a way of telling Namjoon that all was forgiven. Taehyung in return, reflected on Namjoon’s words, deciding that he was right, something needed to change.

“This place, it’s …” Namjoon expected a complaint out of Taehyung’s mouth, “really pretty,” he finished off, genuinely surprising Namjoon.

The venue resembled some kind of greenhouse, the arrangement of dangling flowers and potted plants, along with the rays of natural sunlight peeking through the glass exterior, and the minimalist design in seat arrangement truly was a work of art. The air itself felt crisp and fresh, he assumed it was because of the mixture of the plants’ scent along with the air ventilators.

“Wow, look who's in a good mood,” Namjoon teased him, Taehyung flashing him a small smile. Despite it only being 9 o'clock in the morning, he was glad he came. It was a brand new day, and he felt optimistic that things were going to start looking up for him.

“Ah well, let’s just enjoy it while it lasts,” he responded clearly joking around, “Let’s just say I thought about everything you said, and well I just want to start fresh. No more getting pressured into things, and being so tense about everything all the time, just me going with the flow,” Namjoon quirked his eyebrow, genuinely interested in what Taehyung had to say, “Whatever happens…” he pauses, “happens,” he finishes off, a grin now on his face.

As the brunch event went on, Taehyung continued to observe people, examining what they wore, the way they spoke, how they acted, as it usually told him a lot about a person.

“I’ll take a bloody mary, light on the vodka please,” Taehyung’s ears perked up at what he heard, a bloody mary? This early in the morning? He remembered the bartender’s words from a couple of days ago.

He tried to glance at the figure who was only a couple of feet away from him, sitting in one of the many empty seats aligned at the bar. He tried using his peripheral vision to try and make out a face, but sadly whoever this was, the angle that they were sitting along with their honey colored straw hat helped cover most of their face. The only thing he could see was that whoever it was, was a female and clearly a reckless one as a bloody mary was most likely going to result in an embarrassing stain.

He wondered if she was new around here, the way she was sitting clearly told him that she probably was. You see there were almost unspoken rules in the upper class, methods on doing things, and a high regard for appearance and well her posture wasn’t exactly… the best, and the blatant disregard for the all white dress code made him curious as to who she was. Like there was some kind of pull that made him feel the need to go up to her. She seemed … different.

“And you wanted to come at me for gawking last time! You can’t even see her face from here,” Namjoon’s undeniably loud voice interrupted his train of thought.

“Um any fucking louder and I’m sure the whole place will hear you,” Taehyung face was flushed, hoping the woman didn’t hear. Namjoon raised his hands in defense.

“Hm …” Namjoon stayed silent for a couple of seconds, before a mischievous look appeared on his face, “Hey well since you’re so keen about going with flow,” he mimicked Taehyung’s word’s from earlier, “how about you go get her number and see where things go from there,” he winked. 

Taehyung quickly shook his head, garnering a laugh out of Namjoon. “Since when has Kim Taehyung been too scared to ask for someone’s number,” he teased, “Come on you know you want to, I’ll even go find something else to do just in case she rejects you, I won’t be there to see it.”

He contemplated going up to her, what if she was just another Upper Seoul brat? Worse, what if Namjoon was right and she just completely shrugged him off? No, no one shrugged Kim Taehyung off. Namjoon's grin became wider once he saw Taehyung’s eyebrows furrow, and a determined look appearing on his face.

And so with that he decided he’d go up to her, maybe try and make some small talk. It wouldn't hurt , right? At least he wouldn’t be as bored as he was now. Slowly he made his way over to the seat next to her, trying not to look so much like a creep.

“I’ll take a mimosa please,” he ordered, the bartender nodded, “So you’re not scared of spilling your drink?” Taehyung quickly noticed how tense the woman became from his question, her posture going from relaxed to completely stiff. It wasn’t until she turned to face him that Taehyung felt taken back, his heart now pounding out of his chest, and the feeling of nervousness hitting him like a wave. As cliche as he thought it sounded, she was completely mesmerizing.

“Oh uh well,” she stuttered her words out bringing him a sense of comfort that he wasn’t the only nervous one,“um,” she was looking anywhere but his eyes, “No not really, I tend to be careful with things like this,” she explained now fidgeting with her fingers. 

Maybe it had been bad luck, but a couple of seconds later Taehyung suddenly now had red tomato juice mixed with vodka plastered all over his shirt. “Oh my God! I am so sorry!” she exclaimed. 

Several guests were now staring at the scene in front of them, the unknown girl now had a look of horror on her face, but instead of being upset all Taehyung could do was genuinely laugh. “I really didn’t mean to do that, oh my—”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” he reassured her, slowly pushing her hand away which was uselessly blotting his white buttoned up shirt with a napkin.

“No it’s not, I really didn’t mean to do that, I just—” her face was as red as the spilled drink itself, her words coming out completely jumbled almost as if she was talking more to herself than him.

“And I’m telling you it’s okay,” he insisted, “I think you’ve done the most interesting thing around here in a very long time,” he then stuck his hand out, “I’m Taehyung,” he introduces himself, giving her a small smile along the way.

It felt like she was staring at him for an eternity with nothing but a doe-eyed look on her face, and he wondered what was going through her head. Was he really that intimidating? With several thoughts running through his head, the feeling of regret now creeped onto the back of his mind, maybe he shouldn’t have ever come up to her. What was he thinking? This was practically all his fault.

His panic came into a halt once he felt the touch of her hand now moving along with his, “I’m Y/N.”

🧚🏻 a/n: here we goooo! finally kicking things off hehe, things should defiantly move faster from this point on, I just felt like it was important for me to establish both y/n and Taehyung’s personality, background, and all that good stuff before diving into the basis of the whole story. feel free to send me any theories, comments, asks, etc ! I shall update very soon. 

#btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #bts fic #bts smut #bts angst #taehyung fic #taehyung smut #taehyung angst #taehyung/reader #taehyung fanfic #tae fic #tae fanfic #bangtan fanfic #bangtan smut #taehyung x reader #taehyung series #7 rings #kim taehyung #kth #kth fanfic

[000scans]

[scans] monotube magazine vol. 2 video call with svt x francesca under cut

Sunday 7 a.m. Eastern time in the U.S. The time in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, after just finishing photoshoots with Monotube, was 8 p.m., the evening when both body and mind are exhausted. At a distance of 13 hours, global idol group SEVENTEEN and global jewelry designer Francesca Amfitheatrof met together. SEVENTEEN made a team bracelet before their official activities for the 7th mini-album, “Heng:garae.” It is a bracelet that combines a design in the form of a cable tie with a tag made of silver material; and the flat head of the tag is imprinted with a logo symbolizing SEVENTEEN.

Francesca is the one who designed the bracelet. She is the world-class designer who was the first female design director of the high-end jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. and currently serves as the artistic creative director of Louis Vuitton’s Clock Jewelry line. She is also the founder of global jewelry brand “Thief and Heist.” 

The collaboration of the bracelet between “Thief and Heist” and SEVENTEEN was made by Francesca’s active proposal. SEVENTEEN members directly asked Francesca why she chose SEVENTEEN as a collaboration partner in 2020, after the collaboration with global pop singer Elton John in 2019. They also asked how the brand name was made, “the thief and robber,” and all the curiosity they had. From now, we will broadcast a video call between Francesca and SEVENTEEN.

Francesca: Hi guys! Nice to meet you all. SVT: Nice to meet you too! Good morning, Francesca. Francesca: How are you all? How was the shoot? Joshua: We had such a great time. We really like… (showing the bracelets together) Francesca: You all got the tags! SVT: Very nice!

Francesca: Do you all speak English? Joshua: No, only two of us speak English. But, we will like translate for our members. Seungkwan: His (Vernon) hometown is New York. Francesca: I know one is from, you (Joshua) are from LA, right? In California? SVT: Oh, wow.

Joshua: We actually prepared some questions to ask you. Francesca: Fantastic!

Joshua: So, the first question is, how did you get to know us, like our team, SEVENTEEN, and why did you choose to collaborate with us? Francesca: Okay, good question. So, I’ve been to Korea many many times. I’ve worked in Seoul, I’ve done a million projects, spent months and months in Seoul. A lot of great friends, and I am a huge fan of Korea. I also love K-Pop. The first collaboration I did was with Elton John. Joshua: Oh, we’ve heard about that. Francesca: And the second collaboration is with you guys. I thought that the one thing that was really important to me was to do things that were very different. So, from Elton to you is so different. I worked a little bit with Jisoo from Blackpink, she is a big fan as well of the bracelet. And I wanted to do something because the brand is very unisex. I want to make jewelry that is not traditional. And so, um I am a huge fan of yours, it was a great kind of, you know, global initiative to have Elton and then to have you guys. Also lastly, is that I love your style. And you always wear jewelry like you wear chains. Such a cool style. So I thought it was a perfect combination. Seungkwan: I agree with you.

Joshua: Our second question is what is the meaning of your brand Thief and Heist? Francesca: So, you guys know the film “Ocean’s 11”…? SVT: Yeah, we do. Francesca: Right, so you know that thing of the very elegant minds that you need to create the perfect heist. I always like to work with incredible people who are courageous, smart, and elegant. I’m always fascinated by that type of world that is really interested in jewelry. But see it in a naughty way, a disruptive approach that challenges traditions. Because jewelry is always so traditional and Thief and Heist is not! Every time it launches something it’s gonna be very different. So, that’s the whole ethos behind the brand. Joshua: That’s cool. We love the meaning behind your brand. We actually didn’t know the meaning. So I was like, “Thief and Heist, what does that mean?”

Vernon: Our third question is, why did you use the recycled plastic for this particular jewelry? Francesca: So, I really wanted to find a way to highlight how precious a material plastic is. To try and shift people’s thinking from a single use, throw away mentality to one of value and permanence. We sourced reground plastic for The Tag, which is essential in highlighting the importance of the concept of the “circular economy.” For the 20% which is new plastic, we wanted to offset that and found an amazing charity called the Plastic Bank who we support. They build ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities around the world and pay the collectors a premium for the materials they collect to better help them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, and health insurance. So it’s like tap water that keeps on running and so we have to kinda find solutions. We’re never gonna get rid of plastics completely but we need to find different solutions that help, right? The Oceans and the sea. So, we’ve started the campaign called “Make plastic precious.” Treat plastic like as if it was gold. You know? So you use it very carefully.  Vernon: I see, I see. Wow, that’s a very noble cause. That’s awesome.

Joshua: Is there a way to take off the bracelet? Francesca: No, it’s permanent. Joshua: Oh, we have to cut it. That’s the only way to take it off? Why did you make it that way? Francesca: Um, because I wanted to make something that you don’t think about. Something that stays with you. But what it will do is it will always remind you of today. It’s like capturing a moment. So every time you look at your bracelet, it has a meaning. Because it’s a part of you, but when you click it on, that moment stays with you. So it’s either a memory of a moment or a person. You know? It’s hard to put the tag on by yourself, so you’ll always remember the person that tags you. So if you were to give a tag to somebody, that person will always have you with them.

Vernon: Oh, I also think this bracelet kind of reflects the generation we are living in right now? Like generation that uses so much plastics and yeah I think it’s a cool bracelet. Francesca: Fantastic, thank you. It’s like a new modern friendship bracelet. It’s like a new way of treating a friendship bracelet. Even your fans. All your friends, and your fans are called CARAT, right?

Vernon: Right. And umm, personal questions, what kind of music do you like to listen to? Francesca: I love funk. Prince is like my all time favorite musician. I even have an earing, with Prince’s symbol, I don’t know if you can see. Um so, I think that he was super talented. What about you guys? Do you have all different, you all have very different musical tastes? Don’t you? 

Vernon: Yeah, I mean we have so many members, so like the variety of music we all listen to is just… but we definitely like “funk” too. Seungkwan: Oh we actually have a song called “Very Nice”. Joshua: That’s like similar to the type of music you might like. Francesca: Oh, your first song, I was listening to your first ones. First of all, you started your band, you launched your first song, your first single on the 26th of May, which is my birthday.  SVT: Your birthday? Really? Wow, that’s crazy!

Francesca: And also you guys, you started off funky and then do more ballads, you do R&B and then you do ballad and you do a lot of different musical genres. Joshua: We experiment. Vernon: We don’t try to fix the genre of music. Francesca: And your new album is coming out? SVT: Yeah, very soon.

Francesca: Yeah, I wanted to know, you guys when you got together, did you all meet for the first time, or were any of you were friends already, some of you were in another band or some of you were on TV shows. How was it when you first met? Vernon: We all met each other for the first time. Like through our company’s training center. First time we all met together, they never knew each other even before.

Joshua: We just got closer through the years, through our training system, we had to live together for seven years. It’s been like seven years. Seungkwan: Eight years. Joshua: Ah, eight years actually, that we’ve been living together. So, yeah we are basically family now, just brothers. Francesca: Fantastic.

Joshua: We just want to show you that we appreciate you for designing such an amazing bracelet. Vernon: One last question, actually this is the most important question. We all have Team rings. Right here. Francesca: That’s Seventeen in Roman numbers?

Vernon: Yeah, this is our fourth one, and we just wonder if we’d have an opportunity that you’d like to design our next ring, it would be such an… Francesca: I would love to! 100%. Okay? Vernon: Such an honor. You promised! (pinky promises)

Francesca: Definitely, and I’m so excited, I can’t wait to listen to your new music and you guys what you are doing is so great. You all have amazing style. You really do. Amazingly talented. SVT: Thank you so much. Hope we can meet you soon, um, in person. Francesca: Absolutely, either anywhere in the world. Either in Seoul or in the states or in Europe. Take care, okay?

#seventeen #svt #seventeen scans #monotube #thief & heist #t:scans #g:seventeen #u:ot13 #a:monotube #t:text #i feel like she didn't rly answer the first question? lmao but okay #also the way seungkwan constantly jumped in despite not being an english speaker jalfdkj boy just wants to participate!! #and joshua being like 'u telling us we can't take this shit off' fjdaklsfdalsfdja #okay but getting to the end of the interview like yeah... why did she pick svt jakflafdjslj #the pinky promise was cute tho jfdalksfdj it is really exciting they got her to design their next team rings #also yes this is officially the last scan #i skipped a couple pages that were just abstract designs not really worth scanning #namely the full spread of the red bg + black SEVENTEEN #and vernon's spread had another page that was just a black bg and big red circle #so like. i can scan those if people REALLY want me to but like............ why #u can literally recreate them in ms paint #translations

[jalapeno-princess]

Sweet tooth

Architect Mark X Baker reader

Word Count: 5.1k

Genre: Extremely cheesy fluff

Summary: As soon as you graduated from culinary school, you wanted to follow your dream in opening your own bakery but you had no idea where to start. Your professor recommends an architect to help you make your dreams a reality but little did you know, you’d be falling in love with said architect the longer he helped you out on the project.

A/N: Hi guys! I have a few more requests in my inbox and I just wanted to let you all know that I didn’t forget about you it’s just that my mom has been sick so I’ve been taking care of her and all the house duties so I haven’t had much free time to write stories but here is the architect Mark anon! I hope you enjoy! In all honesty, I feel like this was rushed and it’s one of the stories I’ve written that I care about the least because I feel that it’s all over the place but it’s fine lol

Opening your own bakery has been a dream of yours for as long as you could remember. You’ve been baking all sorts of cakes, pies, cookies, breads and pastries since you were seven years old. Whenever you’d visit your grandparent’s house during the summertime, your grandmother would always take you to the bakery down the road for a little treat. 

The sweet aroma of the different jams they used along with the smell of yeast and baked bread would immediately fill your nose as soon as you walked in and you were always excited to see all the different types of desserts out on display. Right after your grandmother would finish paying for your choice of confection, she would bring you towards the window where you’d be able to watch the bakers preparing and making all of the delicious treats. 

As you got older, your love for baking only increased. You’d make all sorts of treats in your downtime causing your mom to freak out by the mess you would leave once you were done mixing all your ingredients together. You went straight in to culinary school right after graduating from high school and even took on a part time job at the bakery a few blocks down from your house. On the days that you weren’t at work or school, you would be in the kitchen coming up with and testing out many different recipes that you would plan to sell at your own bakery one day. Whenever, you did go to work, the day always seemed to go by very quickly. Time seems to fly by very quickly when you’re having fun and you always seemed to have a good time when you were in your element. 

Because you were very passionate and dedicated to your craft and couldn’t wait to graduate in order to start up your own business, you began taking on more classes and cutting back on hours at the bakery in order to graduate sooner. There were nights where you cried over how frustrating school could be and you got so stressed out to the point where your pastries weren’t coming out the way you wanted them to. However, you had a dream and you were determined to achieve your goals in the timeline that you set up for yourself. 

Only three years after you entered college, you graduated culinary school with your bachelor’s degree and you couldn’t be more excited to finally start working on your project. Unfortunately, you didn’t know where to start. You were so focused on the baking aspect that you failed to come up with where you’d want your bakery located, how big you wanted it to be and who you needed to hire in order to help you set up your space. Hell, you still had yet to find other bakers and cashiers to help you manage the shop and you soon grew discouraged at the thought of how much time and effort you had to put in to starting up your bakery. 

It took you a couple of months to put a plan together before you actually got to make your dreams a reality, but you wanted to make sure you had your ideas written down on paper before reaching out to people for their help. One of your culinary professors was kind enough to refer you to one of her friend’s son’s construction company to help you plan out the building of your bakery. After she sent you his contact information, you decided to do some research on the architect before contacting him to make sure he was the right candidate to help build the bakery you’ve always dreamt of. 

When you pulled up his website and saw all the great reviews and how people practically raved over what an amazing company he owned and how great the projects would turn out, you found yourself dialing his phone number and inquiring about how much it would cost and how long it would take to build your bakery. You couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was by the many photos that showed up under his name. He had a long, skinny face with curly brown hair, the prettiest smile and the cutest little dimples. People like that worked in construction? You knew you should’ve listened to your father when he told you to become a mechanical engineer. 

You were nervous to say the least about consulting with him. It was obvious that he’s been doing this for years. He’s designed skyscrapers, buildings, condominiums, mansions and town houses. His line of work went beyond that of your tiny little bakery, but it didn’t hurt to see if he’d be willing to design your cute little shop. He was very soft spoken over the phone and offered to meet you at a coffee shop later in the afternoon if you were free. Since you were so adamant on wanting to open your bakery within the next year and a half, you found yourself quickly agreeing in excitement.

 As you drove over to the coffee shop you agreed to meet him at, you couldn’t help the smile that rose on your face at the idea of things finally coming together for you. Sure, there was still a lot for you to do and so many people you still had to contact, but this was the most important thing you had to get done. When you walked in to the cafe and spotted him in the corner by the bookshelf, you began to approach him and the smile he sent in your direction made your heart flutter. 

“Hey! You must be y/n. Nice to meet you. Can I get you something to drink before we get started?” 

You looked at him in curiosity before politely shaking your head in disagreement. “I should be the one offering to buy you something! You’re doing me a favor. Thank you for coming to meet with me by the way. It’s like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders.” He giggled slightly and pulled out a notepad. After the two of you put in your drink orders and playfully argued about who was going to pay, you headed back to the table and he started to ask you a few questions about the location and size of the bakery that you had in mind. 

Once you gave him all the information, he began to draw out an idea of what he felt you would like and you were excited to see your plans coming out on paper. As you watched him draw out his ideas, you were quick to notice how focused he was and how much detail he put in to his work. It was extremely admirable.

“I’m sorry if this project is nothing compared to all of the amazing work that you’ve done so far but—“ He looked at you with the most adorable pout on his face and you were sure your heart was going to combust at the sight. 

“Don’t be silly y/n! I love every single project that I get to work on. Honestly, this is the first time I’m working on building a bakery, so I’m very excited to see how it’ll turn out. With the way you told me about how passionate you are about baking and how you’ve been wanting to open your own bakery for a while now, this is definitely not nothing.” 

He sent you a toothy grin and returned back to his sketching. Throughout your time together, the two of you conversed about many different things. You were surprised to hear that he had no plans of getting in to construction and architecture and that he actually had plans of becoming a pilot. However, when he took art in his freshman year, it was his professor that told him to look in to becoming an architect. The way his eyes would light up when he went in to detail about how he’s always loved to draw and do all kinds of sketches made you feel warm inside. 

He reminded you of yourself. Just like you, he’s loved drawing, painting and sketching from the time he was young but he never thought he could use his talent in the real world; so he pushed the idea of becoming a professional artist or having a job that had anything to do with drawing in general to the back of his mind. Hearing about how it took him a couple of years to set up his company worried you; you didn’t think it would take that long to open up your bakery but he assured you when he saw the glum look on your face that it was a different situation. 

“I had to make sure I was hiring the right people, that they all had insurance, I had to find a place to set up my company—there was a lot I had to do to make sure my employees were covered and then I had to make contracts with the state. I needed more than just other architects. I had to hire construction workers, estimators, carpenters, project engineers, electricians and so many other types of workers. That’s why it took a while. But planning, setting up and building your bakery won’t take too long. I’d say three months tops. I’m actually stoked to see how it’ll turn out and I can’t wait for it to open. I’ll bring this in to work with me tomorrow and we’ll get started on your shop as soon as possible. It was nice meeting you y/n, I had a great time. I’ll stay in contact with you and try to update you on what we’re doing so there’s nothing to worry your pretty little head about okay? You can trust me. I hope to see you again soon.” 

Once he left the coffee shop, you took a few minutes to process your entire meeting with him. He was nothing short of a gentleman. He always made eye contact with you whenever you talked to him, he was very attentive, threw in a few jokes in order to make sure you were comfortable and always asked for your opinion to make sure you agreed with everything he was doing. He had called you that following Monday to give you a rough estimate of how much everything would cost and to let you know how long it would take to build. 

You found yourself developing a small little crush on the architect in the short amount of time that you’ve known him for, but how could you not? He was extremely patient with you, curious about your likes and dislikes, very passionate about his work, determined, soft spoken yet easy to converse with and he seemed like a very genuine person. Over the course of a few months, he kept his promise of keeping you updated on the progress of your bakery. He also invited you a few times to watch it actually getting built and to your surprise, he had a helmet customized specifically for you. 

There were days that he would call you just to see how you were doing and how everything was going with the other responsibilities that came with opening a bakery. You couldn’t help but feel as if there was more to his calls and supportive little text messages and you were sure architects never were this involved with their clients but you didn’t mind. You loved talking to and spending as much time with Mark that you possibly could. 

Finally, the day came where his company were finished with building your bakery and to say you were happy with how it came out was an understatement. It was everything you could have wanted and more. The kitchen was huge and Mark had explained to you that it was because he wanted you and your employees to have enough space to move around without having to worry about getting in each other’s way. There was an office, storage room, freezer and bathroom. He even made a closet and an area for your employees to place their belongings. Even the store front was spacious. It was perfect. You never once doubted that Mark would do an amazing job, but seeing the final product made you speechless. 

“So, how do you like it?” Absentmindedly, you jumped in to his arms and buried your face in to his neck. 

“It’s perfect! I love it so much. Thank you Mark! You’re amazing.” He smiled lightly against your cheek and held you closer to his embrace. When you came to the realization that you were holding him, no matter how much you loved the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, you found yourself pulling away and apologizing in embarrassment. 

“I’m glad you enjoy it. I wanted to make sure it turned out the way you wanted it to.” He would never admit it to you, but there were nights where he stayed up till the wee hours of the morning in order to put together teams with some of his best workers to help out with building your bakery and to pull some strings with the owner of the land that you wanted to have your bakery located at. 

At first, Mark had a hard time understanding why he was going above and beyond to make sure your bakery turned out the way you’ve dreamt it to. Out of all the many projects he’s worked on so far, your bakery was the one he actually helped work on the most. He went to the construction site almost every single day to make sure it was coming out perfectly. It took him a while to realize it, but when he would hear the excitement in your voice and saw the breathtaking smile rise on your face whenever he would inform you about how your bakery was coming along, he knew he had more than just friendly feelings for you.

There were times where he’d sit in his office and work on other projects, but his mind would always wander off to you. Your bright and positive personality send a warm feeling to Mark’s chest and he couldn’t help but want to act on his feelings for you. When you came to the realization that you would no longer need to stay in contact with Mark anymore, you were upset to say the least but there was nothing you could do about it. 

“Did you need help with bringing in the appliances and setting up the plumbing?” The idea of getting to have Mark in your life for just a little longer caused you to scream internally and the word yes was on the tip of your tongue, but the realist in you gave him a sad smile. 

“You’ve already done so much for me so far, I don’t want to continue being a burden and I’m sure you have more important things to work on—“ he gave you a knowing look and interrupted you before you could continue to feel bad over the thought of everything he’s already done to support you and your bakery. 

“Nonsense y/n, I want to help you. Plus, I have some connections that could really help with making this the best bakery ever.” 

You giggled softly. “No matter how beautiful you end up making this place, I doubt it’ll be that popular. I’m sure there are many more bakeries out there that are way more popular with better products. I’m not all that special.” 

The gentle squeeze on your wrist pulled you out of your self pity and before you knew it, you were being pulled against his chest. “Stop that. Stop thinking that you’re anything less than all that you are. You are extremely special y/n. I’ve never seen someone so passionate and so in love with their job as much as you clearly are. This bakery is everything you’ve wanted and more and no matter what you think, it’s going to be the best bakery in town. I don’t care if I have to dress up as a croissant and pass out fliers to people in order to get business booming, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure this bakery becomes successful.” 

You were sure that if Mark were to look at you, you’d be as red as a tomato. His words sent fire to your bones. When you felt him wrap his arms around your waist, you looked up at him and gave him a small smile. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you for all that you’ve done to me. Thank you so much Mark.” 

With the way you were looking up at him with so much gratitude in your eyes, Mark wanted to close the space between your lips and release all the feelings he had developed for you through a kiss. Before he could do anything he’d regret, he placed his chin on the top of your head to prevent him from connecting his lips with yours. God knows that if Mark were to stare at your pretty pink lips any longer, he wouldn’t be able to control himself and his desire to feel your lips against his. 

“You don’t owe me anything. All I want for you to do is to have faith in yourself. Be more confident. Don’t you ever doubt yourself or say anything negative about yourself anymore okay? Make me proud y/n.” 

Once you got everything settled with the bank, insurance company, plumbing company and kitchen appliance company, you began to work on furnishing your bakery. Mark would head straight to your bakery once he finished work in order to help you set things up against your pleas that he’d go home and rest. You didn’t want to be a burden on him and you were sure he was probably exhausted from work; but you weren’t going to lie and say you didn’t enjoy his presence. 

Knowing that he wanted to continue to help you out although his part of the project was already over with made your heart happy. You wanted to believe it was because just like you, he enjoyed spending time with and being around you. However, you would mentally scold yourself for thinking like that and making up scenarios in your head of the two of you starting up a relationship together. In the moments that he came and helped you move your furniture, went with you shopping for necessities, ingredients, decorations, uniforms and everything else that you were in need of, your feelings for him only grew stronger. 

When you were back at the bakery, he would play some music on his phone and the two of you would dance and sing along as you worked on getting everything set up and making sure all areas of your bakery were ready for opening. There were times that you caught him looking at you and other times that he would “accidentally” touch your waist and lower back if he tried to pass behind you. No matter how long you’d spend with him, you’d always miss him whenever he would leave. Sometimes, you would order food for the both of you as an excuse to extend your time together. Mark was someone who you loved being around. 

The constant support he gave you along with the many compliments about your talent and sometimes even your looks never failed to make your heart flutter. You could only wish there was a reason he would stay in your life once this was all over. Finally the opening a day came and you were overwhelmed with so many emotions. Sure, you were excited. Your dream was finally coming true. But the doubts and worries of nobody showing up wouldn’t leave your mind at all for the few days leading up to today. Unfortunately, Mark had let you know that he wasn’t going to be able to make it because he had a few meetings he had to attend to and the news made you even more upset than you already were. Mark had practically set this entire place up. He was the reason everything came together just the way you wanted it to so it was only natural for you to want him in attendance. Plus, knowing he was there would help you relax and the thought of him would block out any other negative thoughts that were currently bringing you down. However, his cute little supportive text messages did make you calm down a bit but your heart rate fluttered at his sweet words. 

“Hey boss, you’re gonna want to take a look at this.” One of your pastry chefs motioned for you to follow her outside and when you saw just how many people were waiting outside for you to open made tears brim at your eyes. Were they all really there for your opening? But how did they all hear about it? You paid to put an ad in a few newspapers but that was pretty much it. You didn’t think it would bring in at least two hundred people right outside your storefront but you were extremely over the moon. 

“Hi guys! Thank you so much for coming today. It genuinely means everything to me. I’ve been dreaming about this day since I was a little girl and I’m so excited to have you all try my pastries. The cake fairy is finally open for business!” 

Hearing the crowd cheer as you cut open the rope and allowed people to come in made your heart race. It took you a while to finally take everything in and to come to the realization that all these people were here for your desserts. For recipes that you came up with years ago in school when you were actually supposed to be studying for finals. Nobody other than your family and friends have tried your treats, so this was the first time anyone else was going to be tasting it and your heart felt like it was going to bust out of your chest. When you saw the first few customers take bites out of your pastries and saw the smiles on their faces while they murdered just how good it was, you released a breath of relief. 

The day went by extremely quick but that’s because you had so much to do. You had to help take orders and serve people while running to the back and helping out with baking. You were afraid of running out of things to sell but you and your team tried your best to make sure that everybody got what they wanted. Some customers asked to talk to you personally and wouldn’t stop raving over your desserts and congratulating you on your success. It was such a heartwarming feeling seeing all your hard work and passion come together. 

After such a successful work day, you thanked all of your employees for their hard work and sent them home with some pastries while you stayed back to clean everything and to take a few minutes to yourself. As you began to wipe down the countertops, you heard a soft knock at the door and at first, you were alarmed seeing as how it was nearing 10 p.m. but when you saw your favorite smile peeking at you through the glass, you immediately dropped what you were doing and ran to the door. 

“Hi there my favorite little puff pastry! How was it? I heard the line went on for hours. I’m really sorry I couldn’t be here to see it.” He handed you a bouquet of sunflowers and a teddy bear dressed up as a chef. The reason why Mark wasn’t there for your opening was because he had a few tricks up his sleeve. You weren’t able to see the billboards he set up throughout your city, nor did you have the time to watch tv and see your ad being played every other commercial. He meant it when he said he was going to do whatever he could to help you succeed and it was mainly because he loved seeing that contagious smile of yours when things went your way. 

“It’s fine Mark. I understand, but thank you for being here right now and thank you for these gifts. I’m more at ease now that you’re here. Today was perfect. There were so many people and everyone seemed to really enjoy my desserts. I’m still having a hard time processing that all those people were here for my treats. It’s such an indescribable feeling and I couldn’t have done any of this without you so thank you.” With the way he was looking at you as if you were the one who set all the stars up in the sky, you felt as if you would melt in to a puddle right there. 

“Don’t mention it. Honestly, you could sell your cakes in a grungy and disgusting bathroom and people will still come. I’m sure they taste just as amazing as they look.” You asked him to follow you in to the kitchen while you brought out the cake you prepared for him the night before as a small thank you for everything that he’s done for you. It wasn’t anything too over the top; just a two tiered chocolate cake with a peanut butter cream cheese filling and the words thank you next to some sketches and a construction hat. The smile that rose on his face made your cheeks warm and you couldn’t help but mirror it back to him. 

“Wow y/n, this cake looks amazing. You’re really talented. I can’t believe I’m the first one to receive a cake made by the renowned baker y/n y/l/n. Don’t forget me when you become famous okay?” You playfully rolled your eyes as you brought out a couple other desserts and placed it on a plate for him. 

“These were the best sellers of today. Tell me what you think.” He began to take a bite out of everything and for some reason, you found yourself getting nervous at what he would think. Mark’s opinion meant the most to you. You were afraid that he wouldn’t think all too highly of your creations but when you saw him practically vacuum your strawberry shortcake, you had to stifle back a laugh. 

“I’m sorry, I must look so messy but this is so good. Damn y/n, I’m gonna need about two dozen of these to go. I’m going to eat one at every meal for the rest of this week. I’m not even kidding this is delicious—“ you couldn’t help but bring your thumb up to the corner of his lip in order to wipe away some left over strawberry cream. He looked adorable and hearing him say such nice things about your strawberry shortcake made you grin like an idiot. You weren’t able to notice the way he looked at you while gliding your finger against his mouth, so you had no idea that Mark was practically near his breaking point. 

Before you could do or say anything else, his lips were on yours. It was a breathtaking feeling, literally. His lips were soft against yours and he brought both his hands up to your cheeks, cupping it all but gently while continuing to kiss you like his life depended on it. The way he was kissing you with so much passion and fervor made your head spin. He brought his hands down to your waist and hoisted you up on to the counter top but his lips never once left yours. You tried your best to keep up with his quick pace but you were still in shock that this was all happening. 

Mark felt as if his body was in flames while you felt like you were consumed by the ocean. The two of you made out for a couple of minutes, not being able to get enough of one another and when you felt Mark moan in to the kiss, you knew things were getting hot and heavy. To Mark’s dismay, you pulled away in order to catch your breath but placed your forehead against his. He wrapped his arms around your hips as he left gentle kisses all around your face. 

“Wow. That was—you are—wow. I’ve been wanting to kiss you for quite some time now. I hope you know that there’s going to be a lot more from where that came from.” You beamed up at him and playfully booped his nose. 

“The feeling is mutual, trust me. I’ve had a crush on you since the day we met at the coffee shop. I haven’t been the same since you’ve came in to my life but I like it like that. You’ve brought in so much positivity in to my life and I’d like to think I’m more outgoing and confident because you make me want to be. I want to be someone you are proud of. Someone who has a good head on her shoulders. Someone whose good enough for you, Mr.Oh so successful and extremely dreamy architect that all kinds of people; business men, CEOs, entrepreneurs and other construction companies go crazy over. I can’t blame them though, I’m crazy for you too.” He picked up some frosting from one of the cupcakes you gave him and smeared it on your cheek earning himself an adorable whine. 

“All these desserts yet you’re the sweetest thing here—hey! Come back here y/n! You’re lucky I love you—oh.” Hearing those three words fall from his mouth sent you in to a frenzy and the two of you completely ignored the fact that Mark now had guava jelly on his dress shirt. 

“You what?” He brought his hand up to the back of his neck and scratched it out of embarrassment. 

“I said I love you. I’m sorry, was that too fast? I totally understand if you don’t feel the same just yet and it might be kind of early for me to say this—“ he was quick to smile in to the kiss once your lips connected with his as your attempt to get him to shut up. 

“I love you too. What do you say we get cleaned up here and head back to my place? You can be my taste tester for some new recipes I’ve been planning.”

He began to run his hands along your sides painstakingly slowly and it was obvious that he was trying to rile you up but you weren’t letting him mess with you that easily. “I have an even better idea. I can make us some dinner and then I can eat you for dessert.” He sucked on the juncture of your neck but frowned once he felt you pull away. “Babe! Come on, I bet you taste just as good as you look too!”

#got7 imagines #mark tuan #mark tuan got7 #got7 mark #mark tuan fluff #mark tuan imagines #got7 fluff #got7 preferences #got7 drabbles

[godlyborn]

will you be my breath through the deep, deep water? / beckett & hailey.

date: early april 2018 summary: beck’s addiction takes a toll on the twins. trigger warning: car accident, drunk driving, addiction

Beck wasn’t that sore, but he knew that he would feel everything tomorrow morning. Beck was pouting when the police made him take a breathalyzer, but did it anyway, knowing if he denied it, he’d get arrested anyway. Beck was slightly relieved when it came out just below the legal limit. Though he was nervous at how Hailey would react as her car was wrapped around a light pole, possibly totaled. The paramedics were checking him out now as he sat in the ambulance as they did so. He was mostly fine, probably from sheer luck, except for a nice seatbelt burn, a forming bruise on the same collarbone he busted going through a glass table when he was eighteen and wasted, and a cut on the side of his temple. The cut was what they were checking out mostly, to see if he needed to go to the hospital because of it or not. 

Beck felt numb, and he was sobering up pretty quickly from the adrenaline rush that he was feeling after the crash. He hated the sobering part, he always felt so hit with numbness than intense emotion and he wasn’t sure which part of that was worse. Beck watched as a car pulled up, and he knew instantly the police had called his twin. It was her car wrapped around that light pole anyway.

Hailey had started feeling numb when the unknown number first called her.  It seemed lucky that the call had come just as she walked into the locker room to change after her late night tai-chi class, but now that she was sitting in the car her co-worker was a saint to lend her, she wasn't really able to feel anything at all.  The police hadn't given her too many details, since they still needed to verify her identity when she arrived on the scene, but had laid out the basics.  There was crash that involved her car.  Instantly, her brain went to her tossing her keys to Beck before leaving for her class, and the panic was just barely able to be contained under her skin as she struggled not to press the gas down harder, praying that her brother was safe.

It felt like a year, but eventually Hailey arrived at the scene of the crash.  Almost instantly, the sight of her car wrapped around the pole made her want to vomit, though she assumed that was mainly the stress taking over.  Her attempts at locating Beck were delayed as she was stopped by two cops, checking her ID and making sure her information checked out before allowing her under the tape.   The first place her eyes darted to was the ambulance, praying that she wouldn't see Beckett laying on a stretcher, and she let out a sob when she saw him sitting instead.  "Beck!" Her feet moved faster then her head, and before she knew it, she was throwing her arms around her twins neck and pulling him into her arms.  At first, all that came out of her mouth was quiet "Thank you"'s towards the gods for keeping him safe, before she pulled back and cradled his face in her hands.  "Are you okay?  Are you hurt?"

Beck definitely smelled like alcohol, it was either from just himself or maybe it was from someone who spilled some of their drink on him, he wasn’t entirely sure. A lot happened that night, he was sure that he was okay to drive. Beck made a face when she cradled his face in her arms. “Hailey, it’s okay, l’m okay,” he insisted. The paramedics cleared him to go, telling him he was lucky to not have a broken nose from the airbags and they wanted to know if he would want to go to the hospital to make sure. Which in return he denied. He knew that he had some ambrosia at home that would make him feel better than anything the hospital would give him. “I’m sorry about your car,” he said. Beck’s eyes flashed over from Hailey to the car, his face flooding with fear, only for a second. It was weird, it was like he knew he had been in there, but at the same time felt like he hadn’t, like it was someone else.

Not caring about the face he made, Hailey kept her hands where they were, doing her own inspection of his face despite the paramedics having already done the same thing.  There was a slightly glazed look in his eyes that was clearing up, but that mixed with the smell of booze didn’t make it difficult to figure out what had happened.  He was drunk. Of course he was. 

Hailey could feel herself deflating as it processed in her brain and her hands slipped off of Beck’s face, her arms now moving to wrap around her torso, as if she needed help to support herself. “I don’t give a shit about the car, Beck.” She responded, stepping back as the paramedics moved back in to clear him. Her eyes moved once again to the car in question, wincing at how bad the damage was. It was definitely totaled. “Thank god for car insurance.” She mumbled, letting out an exhausted sigh before moving towards the wreck. Her feet felt like they weighed a ton each, but forced herself to keep going to see what she could salvage from the wreck.

It was like in sync, Beck shut down the minute Hailey deflated. He wanted to scream to her that he was scared, that he thought he was okay, to talk to him, say something to make him feel less alone, but no words came out. It was like a part of him was stopping him from stepping over that edge. That part would open the flood gates and he wasn’t sure if he could handle that, no he knew that he couldn’t handle that. “Hailey, I...” he started but trailed off. Then it was too late as she walked over to her car. Beck signed some papers, was granted a ticket from the police officer, and he followed his sister. He watched as the tow truck pulled up, and there was a glaze in his eyes, not from being impaired, but as he separated his emotions from himself. Hailey deflated and he needed to be okay, he already caused her enough pain tonight. “Hailey, the tow truck’s here,” he said.

It was a bit difficult to get the door open, but a few good tugs later and the metal bent in her favor, allowing Hailey access to her backseat. Crawling up and over the center console, she immediately reached for the keychain hanging from her rear view mirror - the same one that used to hang in their dad’s truck when they were younger, as well as the guardian angel pin their grandmother had given them before they were taken away from them.  A few more minor things, most of them Hailey wasn’t even fully aware of grabbing since it all just felt like an out of body experience. 

 Beck speaking pulled her back to herself and she glanced up at her brother before nodding and crawling back over the console. Looking back over where her rear windshield used to be she knew there was no chance of getting the trunk open and mentally made a note of having to get a new set of jumper cables at some point. She took another second to rest her head on the backseat, forcing back the tears threatening to explode out of her, before stepping out of her car, arms full of her salvaged belongings. “You can get in the car if you want, I left it unlocked.  I’m gonna make sure they don’t need anything else from us.”

Beck nodded at Hailey, getting into the passenger seat of her co-worker’s car.  Beck leaned his head against his hand, against the car window. He watched as Hailey approached the car, a frown on his face knowing that he was the reason she looked so upset. He wished it was anything but that, he wanted her to scream at him, something. He deserved it after all, he had probably deserved it for a while. The silence was deafening. When she opened the door, “Hailey, please say something,” he said.

The tow truck driver was nice enough to give Hailey a plastic bag for her small collection, which was now dangling from her arm as she walked back to the car.  She had been assured that they would get the report into her insurance company and hopefully some good news on getting a rental sooner rather than later.  She took one more glance at the car she knew she was never going to see again, let out another sigh, then popped open the driver's side door and climbed. 

Picking up on the tension between the two of them, Hailey said nothing as she started up the car, not sure what she was even suppose to say in a situation like this.  Just as she was about to put the car into drive, Beck had to request her voice.  Her hands clenched on the wheel, and she kept her eyes anywhere but focused on her brother.  "Please, don't." Her voice was small - something that she had always resented, because she was anything but meak.  But, she felt like there a weight pressing down on her body and she just wanted to get home and sob into a pillow for the rest of the night, rather then here in the car.  "I just wanna go home, okay?"

Beck obeyed, knowing immediately not to push, not now. He looked out the window, watching the horizon as they drove home. He hated the tension in the car, he hated what he done, and there were so many pieces of his brain that were struggling to put themselves together. Inside his head, all the emotions were starting to hit him, he was stoic on the outside, but on the inside it was like he was screaming, his mind was racing. He was exhausted, physically and mentally. 

The twins didn’t talk as they entered the threshold of their college apartment. He wondering if MIT would here about his ticket that day. He hoped Tyche would be on his side that night, though it seemed that she already had been. Beck stood, waiting for Hailey to say something when they got home, following her with his eyes. He didn’t dare speak again yet.

The longer the drive went on, the heavier the tension felt.  Hailey knew that she had to say something, but she just couldn't find the words, so the drive was spent in silence instead.  She couldn't quite remember the time between them leaving the scene of the crash and parking in front of their apartment, yet Hailey found herself shutting the front door and leaning her entire body weight against it, deflating once again.  She covered her face with her hands, mentally and physically drained just like her twin.

"Please stop staring at me." Most of the drive must have been spent trying to get herself put back together, as her voice was stronger once again.  Her hands fell away from her face as she looked over at Beck, hoping he couldn't see that her eyes were still glassy.  "What exactly do you want me to say?"

Beck leant against the wall across from the door. “I don’t know,” he told her, making a shrug gesture with his arms. “Anything. Cry, scream at me, anything. I just totaled the car like an idiot, and you’re not even calling me an idiot.” Beck sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, his head down. Beck could hear his heart beat in his ears. He felt sick. “Gods Hailey, I want you to be mad at me. I fucking deserve it.” He looked back at her with his own eyes, glassy. He sunk down the wall, before settling on the floor. Beck was unsteady, he was shaking, still trying to hold back everything he was feeling. God, he just wanted another drink. He wanted these emotions to go away, to get buried instead of them burying him. The anxiety finally was catching up to him after spending years of trying to avoid it. “Gods know if I could, I’d scream at myself. Hailey, I want you to tell my what you’re thinking.” Beck hated that he couldn’t read his sister’s face like usual. It was like everything that he had been doing lately has been tearing them apart and he didn’t know how to stop it, even though he wanted to. He couldn’t control it and it was tearing him apart.

Clearly, her twin had no idea how close she was to tears - something that would've been more shocking if her head was on right.  Normally, the two of them could read each other like a book - sometimes it was infuriating how well if she was being honest, but it was like there was a wall between them, rather than the totally open space of their apartment.  She watched him slide down to the floor and normally she would be walking over to hold his hand and reassure him, but tonight her feet didn't budge.

Hailey was beyond mad, that much she was aware of, but she was also stressed, tired and just done with this whole game they've been playing.  "Fuck, Beck. Of course I'm mad, I'm fucking pissed right now." She could feel her throat tightened as the words left, but she did her best to push past them.  "I'm so beyond pissed that you got behind that wheel, you have no idea.  But I don't give a shit about the car!"  Hailey's voice was slowly raising in volume and she could feel the tears burning behind her eyes.  "What I'm thinking is that I'm so fucking relived that you were able to walk away.  I thought I was going to show up and you were going to be seriously hurt, or worse."  She definitely did not want to elaborate on that thought, or how it would have been her worst nightmare coming true.

Beck felt himself flinch when Hailey’s voice grew louder. Beck looked at the ground, listening to Hailey’s word, and by the time he looked up, tears were streaming down his face. It was like something broke in him, something that was teetering on the edge of a countertop and someone just hit it over. “I thought I was okay,” Beck said, he wanted to add that he didn’t even blow the legal limit, but he couldn’t even say what really caused him to swerve on the road. He couldn’t piece together between leaving his friend’s and when the car was on the light pole. He shook his head, looking down again, letting the tears fall. Beck ran his hands over his face. “I thought I was okay,” he said, quieter this time. That time you could tell it meant more than just the car. He just didn’t know how to say it.

Hailey wanted to retort, say that clearly he wasn't okay, but she couldn't get the words to come out, especially as she watched Beckett break down on their floor.  They both knew that this was about something way bigger than the car and that mixed with how broken her brother's voice was caused the tears to break through and stream down her cheeks.

Forcing her feet to move, she crouched down in front of her twin and reached out to grab his hands, her grip almost too tight, but she couldn't tell.  "You have no idea how much it kills me inside that I can't protect you from this." Hailey has always been the type of person that couldn't comprehend how to deal with situations where she couldn't do anything physically.  She could do something about him being getting hurt, but this? It was a mental thing and there was nothing for her to get her hands on and force away but Beckett himself, leaving Hailey to feel useless and defeated as she sobbed.  "I thought there was a chance that I had lost you tonight and I have no idea what I would've done if I had. I can't lose you too, Beck, I can't do this without you."

Beck’s heart swelled at Hailey’s words. “I know, I know,” he replied. “I just,” Beck let out a sigh. “I don’t know what to do Hailey. I’m so scared.” Beck put his head in his hands, shaking it. Everything was coming out now. He couldn’t delay it anymore. “I’m so scared to deal with it all. I thought it made me feel better, that it was easier, but now I don’t know how to fix it. Everything is so messed up Hailey, and I’m scared.”

Suddenly, Beckett's hand were torn from her grasp and her hands fluttered around for a moment before resting on her knees.  "I'm scared too, Beck. I'm so fucking scared, but I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone, okay? I'm here, whatever you need.  We'll get through this." Fleeting thoughts of late nights spent in front of the computer, waking up on her desk with a blanket thrown over her shoulder came to her mind.  She was nervous about bringing it up, but they may not have much of a choice anymore.  "We'll get through this, Beck. I promise."

Beck looked up from his hands, his face tear stained, eyes red, and he was starting to get a migraine. There was a little blood on his hand from irritating the new cut on his head. “I thought I had it under control, Hailey, I really did. I didn’t mean to put you through all this. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said. He thought about when he really first sensed he had a problem, but he wasn’t ready to fix it, he wasn’t entirely ready to face everything sober. He couldn’t remember the last time he faced something fully sober. That scared him. He remembers trying to detox once, without telling Hailey, and he couldn’t get through it. It felt wrong, and it felt like something wasn’t right, he was so sick. Later he found out that it was really dangerous to detox from alcohol yourself sometimes. So he put it off out of fear, and anxiety to ask for help. It just spiraled more later, partly because he had the added stress of realizing his problem. He was then mostly drinking to keep himself from getting sick, going overboard on his more stressful days. 

“Do you remember that packet of rehabs that just so happened to appear on my desk one day?” he asked, knowing that Hailey had put it there, trying not to force him. He appreciated that she never forced him, he’d just push her away more. 

Beck took a shaky breath. “I don’t think this is something that we can do ourselves Hailey.” Beck said, vaguely. He didn’t want to admit it to Hailey how much he really drank to avoid getting sick.

Hailey's eyes fluttered up to the now bleeding cut on his head, as if she just noticed he had it. Her hand reached back out, gently wiping the blood off of her twin's face, dueling as her reassuring herself once again that he was in front of her.  Not exactly okay, but still with her.  It did wonders to soothe her heart and balm some of the anger and anxiety that remained.  "We'll get through it." She repeated in response to his apologies, letting her hand come off of his forehead and rested it back on his.

The question made her pause for a second, then she nodded.  "I do.  Remember all the times you found me passed out on the desk?"  The older they got, the better they knew the other then they knew themselves, which includes how to best introduce a difficult topic to the other.  She had let him see what she was up, but never forced him to look at it, letting him come to terms with everything for himself.  "I don't think we can either.  So we get help."

Beckett felt like he was a child all over again, with his mother fighting his monsters, comforting him when he was scared. When it wasn't his mom, it was his older sister. Beck knew, despite the struggles he often faced, it was Hailey who would come and help fight his demons, though unseen, though only being seventeen minutes older than him. The twins may have lost their parents, but they never lost someone who looked out for them. They always looked out for each other. Beck didn't know when he forgot that Hailey was there for him, he had spent so long feeling like he didn't have that person like he once had when he had nightmares as a kid, or people picked on him for his interests in school when they lost their mom. Beck was starting to really see that Hailey was that person. 

Beck leaned his head against Hailey's hand that rested on his, silent for a long moment. Beck let out a small laugh, and lifted his head. The adrenaline wearing off, and the slight pain starting to set in as he was really starting to sober up."Sorry, I just," he said. "I was just thinking, you're always there to catch me when I fall. I'm sorry I didn't realize until now. I'm sorry I haven't been a better brother. I just, I was really trying, Hailey. I just didn't want to worry you. It sounds ridiculous."

Hailey watched as Beckett seemed to stare right through her, eyebrows furrowing as she took in her brother's appearance.  She hadn't seem him look like so....so deflated since they lost their parents, but it made sense after everything they've been through tonight.  While she knew that she was older by a small degree, while they sat on the floor of their dimly lit apartment, the age difference between them seemed like years apart rather than a few minutes.  For the millionth time that night, she thanked the gods that they hadn't taken him from her as he seemed to focus back in and speak again. 

The tears were still dripping from her face, but Hailey gave him a small smile at his apology.  "What are sisters for?" She was still unsure how she was feeling from the night's events and knew that sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight, if at all, but she did her best to push it aside and stand up onto shaky legs.  Stretching her hands out, she offered them to her brother to help him to his feet as well.  "Come on, we have ambrosia hidden around here somewhere."  They'll take this one step at a time, but Hailey could already feel like things were changing, the wall between that had somehow gotten so big was starting to crack and she was more than ready to get her brother back.

#beckett #d:beck #d:beckhailey #beckhailey #discord #beckhailey2 #chris

[khhwrites]

Together

Anonymous said:  A scenario with Simon d about him asking you to move in with him, and being all nervous about it.. Thank you!! 

“Are you busy right now?” Kiseok’s voice enunciated through your phone. You gave him a hum in response and shuffled through the pile of papers in front of you. “Very. But my annoying boyfriend is keeping me from getting anything done.” 

“This annoying boyfriend of yours misses you so much, that’s why he’s being so clingy.” He whined. You worked a corporate job. The pay was decent, they took care of insurance and retirement, and the hours were flexible. The downside was that you had to go overseas so often. You practically live on a plane and when you weren’t in the sky, you stayed in hotels. 

“You know, you used to complain about me not giving you enough attention and now that I’m giving it to you, you’re ignoring me.” You huffed before putting your pen down. 

“That was before I started swimming in numbers, these financial statements are killing me. I have a presentation due tomorrow and there’s so much to do, I have to pull analytics and-” Kiseok quickly cut off your rambling. “I can help you.”

Your sweet laugh filled his ears, “Kiseok..do you even know what a financial statement is..?”

“Don’t you think you’re looking down on the ex-CEO of AOMG a bit too much?” He scoffed at you. “Better yet let me just make a few calls and get some people down there to help you okay? The best of the best. You know..the professionals with like a masters in finance and stuff.” 

You got up from your seat a stretched your arms before making a beeline towards the couch and plopping down. “I’m gonna get fired, you really wanna do that?” 

“This is my way of saying I miss you.” You closed your eyes, taking in his deep and scratchy voice that you loved so much.

“Come home soon babe.” You were always on the go. Always. It’s been like that since the beginning of your relationship, you were with him one minute, and on a plane to Beijing the next. And everytime you left his side, he would call and rush you to come back to him. 

“I want to so badly babe. I do..but work is work. And I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise but I’ll be back on Sunday. I’m staying at the same hotel that I did last time, remember? The one with the fountain?” You smiled to yourself hearing his blissful cheer through the phone. 

“Really? You promise you’re gonna be back Sunday? No take backs?” It was times like this when you wondered if he really was approaching his 40s. “Yes Kiseok, no take backs.”

“Hold on..why do you keep making reservations at hotels when you can just stay with me?” Going on business trips all the time, your company booked hotels for you to stay in, every country, every city. Even Seoul. 

“I just feel like I should have my own space, it’s your house anyways, I don’t want to intrude.” You shrugged, flipping through one of the magazines that were sprawled across your coffee table. “Baby..you’re being serious right now? You stay with me everytime you’re in town anyways.” 

“But still..it just feels weird to me..I don’t want people talking about how you let girls come over and make themselves at home.” Growing up, your parents always were strictly against sleepovers, something about how you have a house, why do you have to bother others and stay in another? 

“But you’re not just any girl, you’re my girl. And you know..if it bothers you that much we can just..you know..prevent them from talking at all.” 

“Prevent them how?” You ran a couple scenarios through your head, trying to figure out what in the hell he was talking about. “You know..like..-”

It was your turn to cut him off, “Please do not tell me you’re proposing to me right now. Kiseok please tell you’re not suggesting we get married right now..all so we can peacefully live together, sleep together..in one bed..with you hogging the blanket..” The line was silent before a loud laugh followed. 

“You know I feel quite offended that you’re so against marrying me. But to ease your anxiousness, no. No I am not proposing to you right now.” You let out a sigh in relief. “Oh. Then..then what were you talking about?” 

“I’ve been trying to get you to move in with me. Just didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding stupid..or creepy. If you don’t like my place right now, we can look for other places.” He suggested, anticipating your response that seemed to never come. “Oh..W-was I rushing it? Am I moving too fast? Sorry I just wanted you to have a place to call home because you always talk about how you don’t one and how your space is always changing. And you basically already live with me already. Everytime you’re in Seoul, I stock my pantry up with snacks and ramen because I know you’re gonna raid it. And I bring up the temperature because I know you get cold but I always seem to steal the blanket at night.” Kiseok rambled on and on as you sat and listened in amusement. 

He was so unpredictable. Who would’ve thought that a guy that looked so cold on the outside, cared for even the smallest details like that on the inside. You were so lucky to have him. Truly. “Kiseok I’d love to move in with you.”

He stopped talking and took a moment to catch his breath, “Wait really? I thought you wouldn’t like the idea.” 

“Why wouldn’t I? When you care for me like that? How could I ever say no to you. Let’s go buy a couple things for the house when I get back yeah?”

“Thank the heavens, I’ve been talking to the guys about this for the longest time and those bastards had nothing good to input.” You smiled thinking of how fun it would be to fall asleep next to him everyday and waking up to his figure every morning. “You know..I’m gonna be gone really often.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just make you into my baby mama and we’ll have no choice but to put you on maternity leave will we?” You could almost hear his smirk through the phone. “Hey, no refusing. Who just said not even a second ago how could I ever say no to you. Do you remember that? Cause I do.” He chimed happily. 

touché

“Put a ring on it first you jerk.” You had to admit, he got you good with that one. “Why is my girlfriend contradicting herself so much today? You were so against me proposing to you earlier and now you’re telling me to marry you. What is it that my lady wants?”

“You want me to live with you. You want me to carry your child. We might as well get married. Hell why don’t I just quit my job and sign with AOMG to become a rapper too.” 

“That’s not a bad idea babe.” You sneered at his comment. 

“If I finish all my work here, all my statements completed and meetings successful, I’ll be a good girl and do whatever you want me to.”

“Done. Sounds good. Sounds great as a matter of fact.”

You smirked, “But that means you can’t contact me for the rest of the week. You’re a distraction.” Victory was yours, there’s no way he’ll cave in. 

“Bullshit. What kind of deal is that. No I refuse.”

“But don’t worry babe, one way or another I’ll get you to be my good girl.” You choked up upon hearing his suggestive comment.

#khh #khh scenarios #khiphop scenarios #aomg scenarios #simon d scenarios #simon d #kiseok scenarios #jung kiseok #khiphop

[zoequeenz]

Won’t Get Fooled Again (Part 3)

A/N: I would like to apologize for the 3rd Person POV that dominate this chapter. I feel to get the whole story you must know everything you can and sometimes that includes when Percy is not present. I am sorry in advanced. But please enjoy the few moments with her and let me know if I need to figure a better way to write said moments. Also, Tumblr readers, would you prefer I change Persephone to (Y/N)? I know I enjoy those fanfics much better on Tumblr. Please let me know! Thanks, Zoe.

MASTERLIST

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

3rd Person POV at Aimee and Emily’s House

As Agent Jennifer Jareau gives her press statement, young mom Aimee is busy stocking the fridge while her daughter draws at the table. Though she is busying herself, Aimee is listening to what the agent says. The details of the package and label it would have. Her daughter, Emily, asks when her dad will be home. Aimee tells her soon and that he needs to clean up the beach home for the next renters. Aimee asks Emily to unpack her suitcase.

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3rd Person POV at U.S. Penitentiary

Jason sits down.

“You were more ruthless than I expected. If you hadn’t pushed that button, you might’ve had a chance at parole someday.” Gideon tells Bale.

“Yeah. You know, I’ve thought a lot about that day, and there’s one thing I still can’t understand. You trusted me. Why?” Bale asks.

“I never trusted you.” Gideon counters.

“You listened to me.” Bale responds just as quick.

“I made an error.” Gideon tells him.

“I calculated you wouldn’t do it, and you did. Whatever you think, I’m gonna walk outta here, and you never will.”

“Here’s what I think.” Bale starts.

“Sending those agents into that warehouse, it just doesn’t make sense. I mean, I’ve read your books. I had all those things, what did you call it? Um… a homicidal triad. I even came from a broken family, classic sociopath, so when I had the chance to kill six agents plus a hostage, I mean, just because I gave myself up doesn’t mean that I was finished with those people. I still had the remote. You...you should’ve known that. And the emotional release I would feel by pressing that button...well, that was just a little too overwhelming to pass up. Why didn’t you search me before sending those agents in? Why didn’t you do your job, Agent Gideon?”

Bale smirks and turns away.

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3rd Person POV at Aimee and Emily’s House

“Mommy, there’s a present for you.” Emily calls out.

“A present? What does it look like?” Aimee asks back.

“It’s brown with blue letters. Can I bring it to you?” the little girls asks.

The look of horror washes over Aimee’s features as she realizes it was the very same package as the one the blonde lady had just spoken about. Aimee screams out a “NO!” as she runs to the door where her baby girl is standing with the package in hand. Aimee calls the police then goes to Emily, who is now crying. She puts her hands under the package to help her support it. It was getting heavy and if Emily dropped it the poor girl would not survive. When the police show up Aimee tells her daughter to keep holding on. Aaron Hotchner, who just arrived on the scene tells the ATF men to get the mother out of there and tells the person he is on the phone with to avoid bringing armed officers. They do not want to scare the little girl. As the ATF workers approach the mother and daughter, Emily complains about the package being heavy again and Aimee tells her to keep holding on and that she is doing a good job. Tracy, the ATF worker, assures the girl that it will only be a few more minutes as he slides a table-like instrument under their hands. When Emily makes another remark about the weight of the package her mother assures her she can hold on. Tracy asks Aimee to step back. Of course, she is reluctant. He asks for her trust and tells Emily not to move. As Tracy reassures, Aimee does too. Only a few more seconds. Everyone holds their breath as Aimee removes her hands and the table is slowly lifted to under the package. They were safe. Aimee grabs Emily and they are ushered away.

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Persephone Chase’s POV

While Hotch went to the house Elle and I stayed back at the station and continued to look through evidence. It didn’t seem too long before Hotch came back. He was on the phone with Gideon. As Hotch approached Elle and I told him of some new information we had found.

“We might have something. Barbara Keller was having trouble insuring some coins she bought.” Elle starts.

“The insurance company thought they might be fake.” I finished.

“So the insurance company’s blowing up annoying clients?” Hotch asks, confused.

“What if someone sold her the fake coins? She’s on to him...he shuts her up.” Elle responds.

“Were these coins valuable enough to kill over?” Hotch asks another question.

“She told the insurance company she thought they might be worth $12,000.” I tell him.

“All right. Do you two have any idea who sold her the coins?” Hotch questions.

“No, but she had an appointment with a coin dealer scheduled, I’m guessing to challenge the insurance company’s appraisal.” Elle answers. “A guy named David Walker.” I add.

“So maybe he can help us figure out who sold her the coins.” Hotch says.

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3rd Person at U.S. Penitentiary

Spencer Reid makes a phone call to Penelope Garcia for information on Bale and who he may have been in contact with.

“Office of supreme genius puzzle solver. Do you have a riddle for me?” Garcia greeted.

“I found out Bale has been accessing the internet by getting around a firewall that’s set up on a prison library computer. The guy even has an email address.” Reid explains walking through the prison.

“Wow. Sneaky bastard.” Garcia responds.

“Yeah. He’s headed to the library right now, maybe to contact the unsub. Now, is there a way to possibly monitor his keystrokes while he’s online?” Spencer asks.

“I can send him a virus, but he’ll have to open the email for it to work.” Garcia explains.

“Let’s do it.” Spencer answers.

“What do you want in the subject line?” she asks.

“Hm, let’s think.” he responds.

“Something that’ll make him open it.” she explains.

“Yeah. He’s impotent, something that’ll make him feel in control.” Reid answers.

“I got something.” the woman says with a wicked smile growing across her features.

And she did. When Bale went to the computer to check his inbox he had an all too interesting email waiting for him. What man could pass up a hot willing woman who is looking for an inmate.

“You got this guy’s number, he’s visited six porn sites in the past half hour.” Garcia informs Reid.

“Anything else?” he asks.

“Hold on. He’s posting to a message board. Naughtyhobbies.net. Looks like some sort of website for bomb enthusiasts. “To all my friends out there, beware, they are onto you.” she read.

“We need the names of everyone who’s been on that message board in the past month.” Reid tells her.

She begins working her magic. Reid then calls Gideon. He tells him all he and Garcia have been able to find while going through Bale’s computer. He says that the people he had been talking to weren’t from Palm Beach. Gideon asks about the occupations. Reid tells him it wasn’t required so most don’t have it listed. Gideon says the unsub would fill it in because of the pride in his work. Reid agrees. He then lists off the known occupations. Gideon stops him when he mentions an antiquities dealer. Why?

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Persephone Chase’s POV

Elle and I made our way to the Walker residence. When we got there we met up with David’s wife.

“Personally, I couldn’t think of anything more boring than coins and old papers.” she says.

“Are you two single?” she asks us.

“Yes.” we both reply.

“I have a word of advice. Don’t marry the first guy that proposes.” she says.

“I wanted a pool table back there, but David insisted on making it his workshop.”

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3rd Person at Palm Beach Police Station

Aaron Hotchner was at the station waiting for agents Chase and Greenaway to get back to him about the meeting with David Walker when he got a phone call from Reid. He is given a name. David Walker, a potential suspect. He stops writing when he realizes that two of his agents are currently at Walker’s residence and don’t know he is who they are looking for.

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Persephone Chase’s POV

We were about halfway to the garage when Elle’s phone began ringing and a car was starting up.

“Oh what’s he up to now?” Mrs. Walker asks aloud.

“It sounds like a car.” Elle says.

“I hope he’s not committing suicide.” Mrs. Walker says.

I won’t be able to collect life insurance.”

Elle answers her phone and I lean in to hear.

“Elle, it’s him.” Hotch says.

“It’s Walker.”

Just as Hotch finishes, the garage door opens. David’s car comes speeding out.

“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” Elle screams, moving and taking me with her.

When I look up from where I am on the ground I see him hit his wife. Holy shit, he hit his poor wife. Only stopping to get her off his car. Elle and I collect ourselves and ready our guns to shoot at the car. He speeds off without a single hit to it. It was only a few minutes later that Hotch, The EMTs, and the police showed up. I was still kind of shaken from seeing Mrs. Walker get hit and really needed Spencer but he was at the prison with Bale.

“You two okay?” Hotch asks.

“I’ll be okay.” I answer.

“Yeah, I’m all right. But Mrs. Walker…”Elle starts.

“Yeah. Guy’s a real peach.” Hotch responds.

“Morrison’s got a county-wide search out for the car, uniforms are gonna try to find out where his haunts are, and ATF should be here any minute.”

“You sure you’re alright?” he asks again.

We nod.

“Mrs. Walker said her husband spent most of his time in the garage.” I say.

“Let’s check it out.” Hotch responds.

We all head over to the garage. It looked like a typical garage. Tools on the wall. Plywood walls. However, it wasn’t as messy as normal garages.

“Well, we got the organized part right.” Hotch said.

“What’s this?” Elle asks pointing to a contraption.

It looked like a battery type thing with jumper cables attached connecting to a dime.

“I’ve seen these. It’s for electroplating.” Hotch says.

“Look at the date on the coin.”

“It’s half gone.” I say.

“He was using this to build up the metal so he could change the dates on the coins.” Hotch explains.

“To increase the value.” Elle says.

“Exactly.” Hotch responds.

“Like what he did with Barbara Keller’s coins.” Elle says.

“Look over here. Check this out.” an officer says.

We all go over. It was a cork board of newspaper clippings. He was keeping track of who made the best bombs. Surprise surprise it was Bale.

“So this is why he chose to use Bale’s design.” Hotch says.

“He was working on something.” Elle says, pulling away a sheet.

Under it was materials for a bomb. On the board, clippings from the explosion Bale caused that killed the six agents.

“Make sure Morrison tells your officers that this guy is smart, dangerous, and he has absolutely nothing to lose.” Hotch says to the officer.

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3rd Person POV at FBI Headquarters

As Penelope Garcia lays out her lunch and gets ready to eat Derek Morgan throws down a big stack of papers.

“You ready to do some work?” he asks.

“Why not? I haven’t slept this week. I might as well give up eating, too.” she answers, defeated putting her sandwich down.

“Oh, poor baby. Try not to let the tears hit the paper. It gets a little messy.” Derek teases.

“Hmm. What are they?” she asks.

“These are emails from Bale’s account. Reid forwarded them to me.” he tells her.

“What are we looking for?” she asks again.

“Well, right now, this guy Walker’s in the wind, so we gotta look at him from every angle, see if we can figure out his next move.” Morgan explains.

“Signature behavior. If Walker got bomb making tips from Bale, then maybe he got tips on staying clear of the cops.” Garcia says.

“Uh-oh somebody’s been taking notes.” Derek says teasingly.

“Medical school, schmedical school.” Garcia responds.

“Ha, ha, well, don’t hurt yourself, Garcia.” he laughs.

“Now find me something.”

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Persephone Chase’s POV

We made it back to the station. Gideon is now with us and Morrison tells us they have yet to find Walker.

“What do we know about Walker?” Gideon asks.

“He’s a quiet career criminal. Spent four years in prison for a series of forged checks when he was in his early 20s. He’s now 46. Past 18 years, he owned a store which sold coins, maps, and historical documents. We raided the place as soon as you gave us Walker’s name. Most of his inventory was fake, forgeries valued in the millions.” Morrison explained.

“But the walls started to close in on him. We talked to some of his clients, and he was in debt up to his ears. And promising stuff he didn’t have time to forge.” Hotch adds.

“The Barbara Keller found out that the coins he had sold her were fake. She threatened to out him.” Elle adds.

“And if she had, all the forgeries would have been discovered. He would have done 20 years.” I say.

“So he had to shut her up?” Gideon asks.

Hotch nods.

“He planted all those bombs just to kill one little, old lady?” Gideon asks, confused.

“Yeah, and to throw us off, he made it look like it was much bigger than it was.” Hotch adds.

“You hear me? I said stop now!” an officer yelled, grabbing everyone’s attention.

It was a man with a bomb around his neck.

“Please...help me.”

“Everyone back...Now. We need bomb squad in here.” Morrison says as he and the other officers pull out their guns.

“Please...it’s not me.” the man pleads.

“Don’t come any closer.” Morrison warns.

“Put your hands up and walk slowly back out.”

“I can’t. He’ll kill me.” he says.

“Who will?” Gideon asks.

“I don’t know. He held a gun to me…put this on me. He said...you’ll know who he is.” the man explains.

Gideon shrugs. “Well, what does he want?”

“A helicopter. A passport. He’s watching.” the man tells us, motioning his head towards the door.

“Once he gets what he wants, he’s got instructions to defuse the bomb.”

“Walker’s close by.” Gideon says.

Morrison orders for snipers around the perimeter. Gideon tells the man we understand and we won’t leave him. He pleads again to get it off. Gideon explains we need to know how it is built first then we can get it off. Tracy came in and quickly took a picture. The room was at a standstill. The poor man whimpered. Let’s hope we can figure this out, saving this man may help wash the imagine of Mrs. Walker out of my head.

NEXT CHAPTER

#criminal minds #criminal minds series rewrite #spencer reid #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x OC #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid series #best friends with a genius profiler

[kisnet]

My Life Story

I was born Christo DeFlamingh on 29 April 1971 on the early hours of that Thursday morning. When I was about 4 years old when we lived in a military base as my dad was an artillery instructor in the SADF. This was our first family home after I was born. One night we had visitors over and my mom sent me to run a bath for myself. I placed the plug into the bath trap and opened the hot water tap. After a couple of minutes as alot of kids do, I got bored waiting for the bath to fill up with water. I decided to lie on top of the edge of the bath and after a couple of seconds I lost my balance and fell into the bath half filled with hot water and almost immediately I let out a blood curling scream. My mom appeared in an instant as she ran to the bathroom after my screams for help. She picked me up out of the bath and covered me with a blanket and my dad rushed me to the military hospital in Wynberg military base. I had suffered severe burns over the upper part of my body and my legs and my one foot. After a long period of time my wounds had healed and with time I was able to have the bandages removed. This was my very first encounter when I experienced trauma and was very a frightening ordeal for me at such a young age. Since I can remember, I used to have a very cheeky temper tantrum in me and if I couldn't have my way or wanted make a statement or wanted my way, I would throw a tantrum. We used to look after the neighbours' dog when they went on holiday. It was a foxterrier female named Suzi and was like having my first experience with owning and playing with my best friend. We used to play outside and I remember running as fast as I could and go through the front door after running around the house then close the door quickly after entering the house. That used to be such a rush and exciting thrill all at the same time. I remember my brother starting school in 1975 as a first grader (sub A). Until 1977 we didn't own a TV and so my dad purchased our first family black and white 📺 TV after moving into our new home / flat in Wynberg military base. In 1977 we moved from our then house to a military flat in Wynberg military base which a whole new experience and making new friends although some of our neighbours also moved to Wynberg as the old military houses from our former home was to be converted to single quarters / rooms for military staff members. We lived a total of approximately 7 years in Wynberg military base. During my stay in Wynberg I had some fun times with my friends and family as a child growing up in a military environment things are considerably different to kids who's parents would be employed in the private and civilian sector. Life felt alot safer back in those days then in the 21st century. But nevertheless those were good years in the early to mid eighties. In 1978 we had next door neighbours that lived in the flat right next door to us and they had two sons named Francois and Deon. Myself and Deon became very good friends as he was at least ten years my senior. He was like a big brother to me and we did alot of things together over the years. He later joined the military after finishing high school. He had met a beautiful girl named Alida. He loved her very much. One night late It was raining very heavily and Deon and some of his mates left the military base where he was doing his military service and came home to see his parents and as he walked past when he left I saw his face for the last time as he made his way back to the car downstairs. He smiled and waved as he walked past that night in I think it was August 1978. He was killed in a car crash when they drove back to Youngsfield military base. The accident occurred on Ottery road not far from Youngsfield Military Base. We attended his funeral as a family and I felt so shocked as I didn't quite understood what was really happening as I was only seven years old. Years later I would find his grave and then really cried my eyes out and understood and comprehend what had taken place in terms of my emotions. I had lost my best friend that was like a brother to me. I would ride on the back of his motorcycle his dad bought him when came from school and that was always such an exciting feeling for me. I miss him still up until today I never forgotten him. We were quite close and his mother new and could see he had quite an impact on my life. His death was a huge loss to his family and friends. His parents remained in their flat for many years after we had moved out. In 1982 I had changed schools as I was diagnosed with being dislexic. I was now in a complete new and different type of school as it was quite a big change and I faced numerous challenges as to try and adapt and fit in with the rest of the school and cariculum. The first three yesrs was very difficult as the class teacher was a very emitionally distructive person and turned out to be very damaging to myself as a person as it made me very feel insecure and frightened. I didn't know what it was like to have fun anymore as I was scared and felt anxious for most of that time but nevertheless I did make very good friends over the years at my new school. Feeling so emotional and vulnerable at times had me landing up in detention after school as I became despondent and I didn't know how to deal with the issues at the time. I had my friends that would keep me grounded over the years as well as my mom and dad. I would look to my friends for fun times in terms of my situation at school. I did suffer alot of mental anguish under my first teacher at the new school but over time things got better as I advanced to higher grades. In the tenth grade (std 8) 1988, I decided to drop out of school and join the military to complete my military service. My dad was adamant that I complete my military training even if decided to go back to school the following year but my mind was made up not go back to school. Again joining the military I felt it was huge change in my life and adapting to military life was not easy at first as I wasn't the type to fit in very easily with big new changes and strangers etc. By the second month things seemed easier and I felt more relaxed. I managed to get a transfer to my dad's unit back home as I initially did my basic training in Kimberly over 1000 km from home. I was very happy to be back in my hometown. Later that year I applied to Technical College Cape Town and was granted sleep-out pass which allowed me to move back home as I was compelled to live in the military base due to my military training. I started studying part at the college by attending classes at night after work two to three times a week. I was determined to get my national senior certificate but as luck would have it, I lost interest and didn't complete the following year at college. So I ceased all studies especially after I left the military service in July 1990. I found myself unemployed and looking for work for the first time at the age of 19. I found a job at a motor company where I worked as a driver for the first 8 years then as a parts manager after which I was retrenched in August 1999. In 1993 my dad fell ill with having complications with his heart and as a result he passed away three years later on April 7th, 1995. I was devastated after loosing my dad. For years I wore black mourning my dad's passing and important dates like the date of his passing and buried as well as his birthday were very sad days for me. I struggled with great difficulty processing my dad's passing. My dad didn't have any life insurance and we were forced to sell our house where I grew up in and my mom and I purchased a flat jointly just down the road from where we used to live. After being laid off in 1999, I spent three years looking for work. My mom covered all the bills for those three years and I thought I would never find employment. In late 2003 I found employment with a service station and I put in charge of their car wash. It didn't pay much but I was very greatful for the opportunity as it covered my bills and my mom could breath a bit. Money was always tight but we always made it work and it turned out to be a 23 year life full of lessons. Lots of good memories with some sad days as well. In 2000 I met a neighbour whom lived across the road from me in house. Her name was Cathy and she was 18 years my senior. I fell in love with her and she was my rock for short few years. She used to listen to all my trials and tribulations. We spent alot of time together and went out quite a number of times. I felt wanted again and she meant the world to me. In 2001 she fell ill after being hospitalised for a hip replacement and passed away shortly after. I was once again left in a state of shock but I was able to process Cathy's death much easier than my dad's passing. My brother left for Dubai late in 2003 shortly after I found employment at the Engen service station where I was in charge of the carwash. He used to send money us money which was a great help financially. As life got more expensive with time I found employment with a paper vendor and I left in 2012 to venture out on my own as an entrepreneur to start my own business and make a living for myself to try and have a better quality of life. Due to my mom's health which was also on the decline, it was the best decision to work from home for myself and my mom assisted me taking calls for the first 3 to 4 years. I later approached friends of mine whom were unemployed as the business had now grown considerably and needed help keeping up with the demand and service I was offering to clients. In 2018 the business failed due to the economy and I had closed the business and lost my staff also as a result. I continued to get the odd call for business but eventually died off completely. I found myself once again unemployed and at the mercy of debt collectors and by now my mom's health had deteriorated considerably and I could see the stress of loosing our home started taking its toll on her as well as on me as I found myself very depressed many days and didn't know how to deal with this situation. My brother had also lost his job in Dubai and came home and was living with us due to being unemployed. Things would get rather tense and stressful as money was little to speak of. We were forced to put our flat up for sale to get out of the financial predicament we found ourselves in. My business which once provided for me and my mom's needs was also up in smoke and I felt like I had also nothing left to live for any longer. In March 2019 we signed the transfer documents for the sale of the flat but before transfer would take place, my mom passed away on April 28th, 2019. I was once again dumped into absolute devastation and depression. By now I had been on anti-anxiety and anti-depressants for quite some time prescribed by my doctor to help me cope with all that was taking place in my life. It's been almost a year and a half ago since my mom passed away, the flat has been sold, I moved out and alot has happened since then. My health is also on the decline but live to fight another day every day. Each day is a challenge for me but thank God each day that I am still alive. I don't always have the physical strength to get out of bed but I do my best as each day is a new challenge. I miss my parents dearly and wish I could turn the clock back to have some more time with them. But I would never stop loving them because they brought me up in this world and I would always be thankful to God for the time I had with them on earth. God is my only real rock I can lean on as I don't have my mom or my dad to fulfill that task for me. I feel lonely many days but take each day as it comes. Right now I just fight to survive and to stay alive mentally, emotionally and financially. This blog was written by Chris DeFlamingh

[banashee]

Part 17 of my @badthingshappenbingo​

Square: “Suicide Attempt”

Please mind the tags and warnings in the bottom notes!

 Brooklyn Bridge at Night

 It's been a long day and Clint is dead on his feet, but still walking the way home instead of driving, waiting for a cab or taking the subway. He could have also taken Tony up on his offer of a ride, which he does sometimes, but today, he kinda wants this time for himself.

 All of those other options would have been a lot easier than walking all the way, but he’s also still in his uniform and carrying his bow and quiver. An Avenger attracts attention, even when they’re off-duty and not one of the shiny members that the newspapers love so much.

 Usually, Clint wouldn’t mind it, even though he’s still getting used to being “seen” and being out of the shadows of a spy organisation, having walked into the light of being on a team of literal superheroes. Three years is not long enough to be used to it. Maybe he’ll never be used to it.

 Tonight though, he’d rather keep to himself before he gets home to unwind.

 Clint is not in a great mood, but things could be much, much worse, either. Right now, all he wants to do is curl up somewhere warm with Phil and Lucky and sleep for the next three days.

 He’s lost in thoughts, more so than usual, and he doesn’t pay as much attention to his surroundings as he probably should in New York at night. Clint is walking in a haze, impatient to finally reach his apartment. But then his gaze wanders - stops - and very suddenly Clint is wide awake.

 About halfway on the otherwise empty Brooklyn Bridge, there is a small figure, standing behind the railing and close to the edge. Way too close to the edge for comfort.

 Carefully stepping closer, Clint can now make out the figure to be a teenage boy, probably around 15 or 17, if he had to guess. He’s clutching the railing and even though it’s not audible over the wind and nearby city noise, his shaking shoulders make it obvious that he’s crying.

 Something dark and painful turns in his stomach, and Clint walks just a little bit faster, as fast as he can without jogging or running or losing the calm. He doesn’t want to scare this boy any further and stops a few feet away - just out of reach, not wanting to crowd the clearly distressed teenager.

 “Hey. Are you alright?”

 Clint takes great care in keeping his voice calm and friendly, but the boy’s head whips around and he glares for a moment. Sniffles, then he says,

 “Fine. Please go away.”

 “If I did, would you get down here and go home as well?” Clint asks, already knowing the answer. His words make the boy look again, but this time, there is no anger in his dark eyes. Only desperation and more tears, and hey roll down his cheeks.

 “Why do you care?” he challenges, and wraps his arms around his torso, as if to protect himself. He is tired - so very tired.

 Honesty is the best way to approach this, Clint knows.

 He’s been in situations like this before - on both sides. He knows what it takes to talk a person down from attempting to end their life, knows how to keep them safe in the moment until they can get help, medical or otherwise.

 Clint also knows what it feels like to be the person standing on the edge, holding the gun or holding the knife in an attempt to end it. He understands the despair and emptiness that lead to decisions like this. Feeling lost and alone, too tired to go on - he knows all of it.

 But he also knows what life can be like after. He knows that even after all the pain and heartbreak, true happiness waits to be discovered.

 Coming from there, he may have the best luck now.

 “Because I know what it’s like to be tired enough to give up. I also happen to know that things can and will get better, with time and most of all help.”

 The boy looks at him with interest now, but remains silent. At least he no longer stares down into the cold depths of east river.

 “Do you mind if I keep you company for a while?” Clint asks, still keeping his tone calm and even.

 After a long beat of silence, the boy steps back a little, sitting down on the concrete floor and wipes a sleeve across his eyes. With a little bit of distance, but close enough to quickly grab the teenager if he gets too close to the edge again, Clint sits down next to him. He detaches the quiver from his belt and puts it down on the floor, right next to his folded up bow.

 “I’m Clint.” he offers, hoping that the chatter will help, or at least keep the boy occupied.  “Do you want to tell me your name?”

 The boy looks over, in the low light of the lamps hanging above them. His eyes wander to Clint’s face, then down to the shirt of his uniform and then the bow and quiver on the ground. His thought process is clear, and Clint waits patiently. He’ll go in whatever direction the boy next to him leads their conversation - anything as long as he can keep him safe.

 “I’m Lucas.” he says quietly, and after a beat of silence, after another look he adds, “You’re Hawkeye.”

 Clint simply nods at that.

 “Sometimes, yeah. Right now I’m just a Dude.”

 Lucas is quiet in the minutes that follow. His tears are slowly drying up, but he’s still tense. After a while, he looks back over to Clint, who is waiting patiently for Lucas to say something.

 Clint is calm and steady, keeping his posture open, but he remains quiet for now.

 “Your first instinct will be to fill in the silence - don’t. Let them talk in their own time.” he remembers the Agent leading the seminar about Suicide prevention telling them all those years ago. Clint knows the urge and fights it - despite knowing the other side, he still itches to say something, to do something. To help.

 “Uhm. My parents kicked me out.” Lucas blurts out and starts fidgeting with the seams of his jacket.

 “I uh, I’m gay, and they don’t like that. Things have been difficult ever since they found out. Then we had a fight, just about a month ago. They told me to get out of the house and to never come back. Well, that’s the short version. There was also a lot of shouting and slurs thrown my way.” Lucas angrily wipes his eyes, trying to stop a new flood of tears, but it’s useless. He still keeps talking though, breathing hard and ragged while he does so.

 “ I’ve been staying with my friend after that and he’s great, he really is and I love him for it, but… I’m just so tired, and I feel like a waste of space. Everyone will be better off without me.”

 Lucas sounds defeated, empty and sad. But now that he’s started, he keeps talking, eyes locked on the New York skyline that is illuminated by thousands of lights in the night.

 It is a beautiful view, but both of them know that this city can hold a lot of heartbreak and loneliness.

 Clint listens to Lucas, patiently and mostly silent, only nodding here and there, offering words of comfort. Lucas cries at times, and Clint manages to find a pack of tissues on his suit that he hands over.

 Listening, really listening is something he is a master at, even with his physically shitty hearing.

 Clint doesn’t mind being here for people to vent to. That, and his ability to wait and sit in one spot perfectly still help a lot. He could never deny anyone this comfort if they need it.

 The clock is ticking away, and  Lucas just keeps talking, seemingly getting more and more comfortable around Clint.

 Maybe it is a good thing that he’s recognizable in his uniform and with his weapons of choice close by his side. Or maybe an open ear and patient person to listen and be there is enough in a city that swallows people alive if they're unlucky is enough - whatever it is, it helps.

 It is a near miracle, but Clint manages to get Lucas down from the bridge, eventually.

 He also walks him to the nearest hospital, because he is uncomfortable leaving him alone in this state of mind.

 Lucas protests at first - he doesn’t have an insurance, he blurts out in a panic, but Clint insists as he tries to calm him down. The Avengers have charities for this, and they’ll keep in touch, he promises. Lucas looks at him with a mixture of hope and disbelief, but then he agrees, very silently and looking much smaller and younger than he already is.

 In the privacy of his own head, Clint thinks, that there is no way he would have left Lucas to his own devices. Even if there wasn’t a official way to help with this, Clint would have paid for the hospital bill out of his own pocket - as long as this kid is safe and taken care of.

 He also calls the landline of Lucas’ friend, after he’s given him the number - Lucas refuses to talk to his own parents, and Clint understands - he knows how difficult these things can be.

 In the hospital, he waits with Lucas until his friend arrives with his Mom in tow.

 It doesn’t take them long at all, and when a tall and gangly boy around the same age as Lucas comes running to the waiting area, Lucas doesn’t hesitate when he pulls him into a tight hug, both of them refusing to let go for a long time.

 The mother, who seems to be an older, female version of her son, looks stricken and hugs Lucas as well, talking quietly to him and Lucas just nods, pressing closer to her in a way that is heartbreakingly vulnerable.

 Clint is starting to feel a little lightheaded, but he is immensely relieved that Lucas now has people he knows and obviously loves around him - they’ll figure out the rest.

 Clint keeps his distance, not wanting to intrude in the private moment. Having a little time to catch his breath is also well needed - this night has taken its toll on him, and it’s starting to show.

 He still manages a small but honest smile and friendly words when their ways finally part, and Lucas surprises Clint with a sudden but tight hug.

 “Thank you for being there.” he tells him, and Clint simply hugs back, hoping that this boy will get the help he needs - at the very least, he seems to have found a loving environment now, even when his own parents are unwilling to provide this.

 A nurse shows up and walks the three of them down the hallway, Lucas in between his friend and the mom, both having an protective arm wrapped around him.

 Clint takes this as his cue to go home.

 It is late, so, so late at night when Clint opens the front door and shuffles into his apartment.

 He’s started out the night exhausted, but now he’s completely drained. He lets his bow and quiver drop to the floor, and quickly joins them there.

 He sits right in front of the door, back propped up against it and legs sprawling all over the floor.

 Clint can’t make out the soft clicking sounds from Lucky’s claws as he rushes through the apartment to greet his favourite human, but he smiles when the dog runs up to him, tail wagging furiously and licking his face in true dog excitement.

 Clint is happy to let Lucky do his thing, running his hands through the thick fur, leaning one cheek against Lucky.

 As always, Lucky seems to pick up on the fact that Clint is upset, so he remains close and simply lays down right on top of his legs, affectionately licking the hand closest to him.

 Then, there are steps coming closer to Clint, and he looks up to see Phil coming up to him. He’s already in pyjamas and looking concerned as he kneels down next to Clint, softly kissing his forehead and brushing away a strand of hair. He leans into the touch, and Phil takes this as an invitation to pull him into an embrace.

 “Hey. Are you alright?”

 The choice of words is not at all unusual, but right now, they make him want to cry because it’s just the same phrase he used earlier to approach Lucas on the bridge.

 Clint chokes on his own voice, and then everything comes crashing down around him - the thoughts and emotions of his encounter with Lucas, the worry and the fear for this boy’s safety. His own, old memories and experiences. The long, exhausting day and the equally long week.

 His hold onto Phil tightens and Lucky shuffles closer, whining softly and pushing himself against Clint while he lets go of the pent-up emotions.

 Clearly worried, Phil strokes his hair with one hand and keeps the other arm firmly wrapped around him, talking low and staying close by his side.

 Clint can’t make out half of the words, too out of it to listen in the first place, and Phil’s voice is too low for his aids to properly pick up. But he can feel the vibrations of it, the soft and familiar rumble against him incredibly soothing.

 He’s home, and he can safely let go now.

 After the worst of the storm has passed, Clint pulls away.

 “Sorry about that. It’s been a long day.” He sighs, head leaning onto Phil for a moment longer, and then they both get up from the floor. Lucky still remains close to Clint, who reaches down to stroke his large head.

 “Good boy, Lucky. I’m okay. It’s fine.” he’s starting to ramble, and stops himself when he realizes.

 “Are you sure?” Phil asks, and gets a small nod.

 “Yeah, I… I just need a shower. I’m gross right now.”

 When Clint makes it to the bathroom and piles his clothes into the laundry basket in the corner, he knows that Phil is in the kitchen and making tea. He knows Phil is going to  ask, but never pushing him to talk, because he never does. Instead, he’ll provide support in whatever way it’s needed, even when it’s entirely silent. But the offer is there. It always is - Clint will probably take him up on it tonight.

 Lucky, however, still follows him like a large, fluffy shadow. He nearly jumps into the shower with Clint, and it makes him laugh out loud, even with the salt of dried up tears crusty in his face, hair a hot mess and a pounding headache and racing heart.

 This goofy dog always manages to make him laugh, makes him feel better even on a dark day and Clint loves him dearly just for existing. He tells Lucky as much, even when he pulls him out of the bathroom to prevent a wet disaster at fuck o clock in the morning.

 When Clint steps into the living room a little while later, Phil waits for him on the couch, two steaming hot mugs of tea ready for them. He settles down next to him and leans close, inhaling the comforting scent that is so familiar in a unique way that is so very much Phil. Clint has been associating this with home for many years now.

 He accepts the warm mug that Phil is offering him, taking it with a small smile and wrapping his hands around it. The warmth helps chasing away the chill in his bones, and so does the feeling of being close to his partner.

 Clint remains silent for a while, cuddled up with Phil, tea in his hands and Lucky sprawling on top of him. It feels good to soak up this comforting feeling of home, and for a moment, he basks in it, debating if he should just leave it at that. But deep down he knows it won’t last - he needs to talk about this. If only to get the thoughts out of his head, and so Phil knows where his mind is wandering.

 This night's encounter with Lucas has hit a little too close to home for him - he knows it’ll catch up with him eventually, and he really, really doesn’t want to go there again.

 After minutes of silence tick by, Phil turns over to him while he keeps drawing invisible patterns onto Clint’s forearm with soft fingertips.

 “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks, and Clint takes a deep breath. Then he nods.

 “Yes, I think that would be good.”

 And so he does.

*+~

Square: "Suicide Attempt"

                             Warnings:

- Attempted suicide of a teenager, not graphic, no blood or violence - Talk and thoughts about suicide - Implied homophobia, unsupportive family - References to emotional abuse - Mental health issues

#banashee writes #bad things happen bingo #marvel fanfiction #hurt/comfort #tw mental health #tw suicide

[itsallabigmess]

Breathe Gentle

A/N: I had a really sweet dream with Jinyoung. And it had such a rom-com vibe I decided to share with you guys.

I probably should have done some research to describe some parts at the beginning of the story but since it is based on a dream, I did not worry about making it a 100% realistic. 

I hope you guys like it. Please let me know if you do.

A.

You should have stayed home. That’s what your brain kept telling you all the way from your apartment to the subway. You’ve been feeling sick since last Friday. At first, you thought it was just a flu that would go away with the vitamins and tons of water. But another week started and there you were: feverish, nauseated, and dragging your body through the busy streets of your neighborhood. Even if you knew you should be in bed. Or maybe go to a hospital.

But you were too stubborn.

Waking up a bit late, you fixed yourself as quick as you could, caring only to look decent enough to not be annoyed by unsolicited comments made by your coworkers. But after receiving a few crooked looks before entering the metro car, using your phone’s camera to check yourself, you gasped to the sight of your ill features.

You loosened your hair, hoping its waves would give you some cover and reached for the necessaire inside your bag, wanting to apply some color your cheeks and lips. But as the car started moving, it was hard to even keep your own balance, a new wave of nausea hitting your body. And two stations later you were stumbling against the people in front of you.

Getting some air, that’s what you thought would make you feel a bit better. But the vertiginous feeling stopped you from finding a way out. And before your body hit the floor, everything became black.

The white ceiling was the first thing you noticed when you woke up. A woman voice soon getting your attention. You were in a hospital bed, a woman wearing a white coat standing by your side, making notes on a metal clipboard.

“You fainted a few minutes ago. There was a little cut on your forehead, but it was treated before you even got here.” the doctor explained after introducing herself and letting you know where you were, only noticing the pain on the right side of your head once she mentioned the wound. “Your blood pressure is a bit lower than it should and now that you are awake, we’re going to run some tests. Have you been feeling sick for how long?”

“Since Friday morning, I guess,” you felt your throat burning as if you had thrown up. And considering you were not wearing your own clothes you assumed you did. “I thought it was just the flu.”

“Most likely it is,” the doctor said, “But let’s see if the tests confirm if it’s nothing more serious.”

“I’m sorry, doctor, but how many tests, and how much will it cost me?” you asked, worried that all your saving would go down the drain just because your body decided to sabotage you.

“I’ve been told your boyfriend is already taking care of it,” the doctor said with a reassurance smile. “A nurse will come to collect you in a minute.”

“…Boyfriend?”

The tests showed you were dehydrated thanks to the flu, and the falling on the ground caused a small concussion. You would have the spend the rest of the day in observation and with no other sings appeared, you would be released the next morning. But neither of those things explained the fact that you had, apparently, a boyfriend.

When the nurse told she would let him know he could finally see you, you started to freak out. Your last relationship had ended up in bad terms. What once was something close to love turned into something violent and after struggling you finally was able to be completely free of him. It’s been months since you’ve even heard your name. And now the possibility of having the one who hurt you the most in front of you again unbalanced every single fiber of your being.

But instead of your undesirable ex, the man that entered your room was a complete stranger.

Except that you knew him. Not personally, you never exchanged words, even though you had exchanged looks. He was the cute guy that always caught your attention on the subway. Sometimes you would see him when you were already on your way to work, him entering a couple of stations after yours. And sometimes you would leave work and he would already be there, reading a book or checking his phone. Somewhere in between, he caught you staring at him. You turned away, feeling your face burn. But then you dared to glance at him again and there he was, smiling at you.

After that day you started to look for him every trip you did to work. It became a weird addiction, this little game you would do with yourself. The days you would see him from afar, you would start imagining who he was, what he liked... If you would ever have the courage to approach him, give him your number. And the days he noticed you, you felt too embarrassed to look back. But while you kept your eyes down and bite the inside of your cheeks, you fed your ego with the thought of him wondering the same things about you.

Those days were your favorite days, you figured. No matter how silly it felt.

He stepped inside the room slowly, careful, his face a bit red, curiously holding your bag on his hands. “Hi,” he said shyly, voice sounding a bit deeper than you expected. “How are you feeling?”

“Confused,” a short laugh came out with your admission, the dark-haired man repeating the action.

“I’m sorry. I saw you at the station,” he started explaining. “I was about to get in the car when you stubbled against me. You looked really bad,” he said, staring at his own foot for a second “I tried to catch you before you felt but I wasn’t close enough,” you frowned at how apologetic he sounded as if you hurting yourself was his fault.

“So, you brought me here.”

“Actually, I called for the ambulance. And I… came… with you,” he said slowly, observing your reaction, but you kept your expressions at ease, waiting for him to give you more details of what happened while you were blacked out. “I’m sorry, I checked inside your bag. They needed your health insurance information, but I couldn’t find any. So, I gave them mine.”

“Can I have it back?” you asked, nodding at his hands “My bag, I mean.”

“Yes, sorry,” he rushed to you, red turning red again, a nice contrast to his dark eyes and hair.

“You told them you were my boyfriend,” it was your time to feel the warmth on your cheeks, eyes deviating of his, pretending to check if everything was okay inside your bag. He was a stranger still, but somehow, after all the trouble he went through with no need, it was hard not to give him at least part of your trust.

“It was the only way they would let come.”

“But why? I mean, you didn’t need to come. And you didn’t need to do any of this.”

“I felt like I should,” he said, his hands sliding inside his pants’ pockets. “Felt like the right thing to do.”

“Thank you,” you said gently, both of you smiling softly at each other until you felt your heart beating faster than it should, looking down for a minute. “You know, I still don’t know your name.”

“God, I’m sorry!” he scratched the back of his neck. “I’m Jinyoung. Park Jinyoung.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Even in these weird circumstances,” you waved your hand, making a circle around you, giggling at how ridiculous it all seemed.

“I should have asked you for your phone the first time I saw you,” Jinyoung confessed, his lips twitching up and you felt your heart jump. “I should be going, and you need to rest. But can I check on you again tomorrow?”

You gave him your phone number before Jinyoung left and after you called your job and explained what happened you kept the device close to you, checking it constantly. Everything seemed so surreal you were starting to think once you fell asleep you would find out everything was nothing but a dream. Of all the ways you have fantasized about talking to him, the one you were now was definitely not on the list. And still, you could not be more grateful that you had Jinyoung as your unexpected savior, even if just for one day.  

He texted you in the evening, to see how you were doing and you kept talking for a while until you started to fall asleep. The next day he was by your side again, arriving at your room a few minutes before your discharge papers were signed.

“You really don’t need to do this!” you insisted when Jinyoung offered to follow you home once he learned that was no one to make you company. Not that it mattered. Jinyoung had taken you as his full responsibility and would not be satisfied until he made sure you were safe and sound inside your own place.

The doctor had recommended you rest for more a few days before returning to your normal routine and that alone seemed to be the hardest task you ever received. Once you two were inside of your apartment you started to think of how everything needed to be cleaned up. Jinyoung already witnessed you falling with your face to the ground. He didn’t need to think you kept some dirty habits.

“What are you doing?” he asked, watching as you started to fix some pillows on your couch and collect the cups you left at the coffee table, rushing to the kitchen to wash them. “You need to rest!”

“I just need to clean this up first.”

“Why don’t I do this,” he held your wrists gently, pulling you away from the kitchen. “And you go take a shower.”

“Jinyoung…”

“I can also make some breakfast. Hospital food is never good.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” you asked, eying the grip he still had on you, keeping your arms between you two.

“Because I want to,” he said simply, as if was not a big deal “Now go.”

Jinyoung did make your breakfast, the surrealism of it all being left behind as soon as you opened the bathroom door. You sat at the small round table, buttered toasts with eggs and juice served for the both of you. Was it too soon to say you were in love?

“You really don’t have anyone to make you company?” he asked.

“Are you really that worried about me?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Can you not answer my question with another question?” you chuckled, slapping his arm gently.

“Yes, I am worried about you,” Jinyoung sighed, looking at you with unexpected tenderness. Not that anything over the past twenty-four hours had been expected. “I guess I nurtured a silent crush on you. And seeing you falling on the ground and then bleeding really frightened me.”

“Oh God,” you whined, hiding your face in your palms, imagining how ridiculous you must have looked. “How can you still have a crush on me after seeing all that?”

“You threw up on my shoes and here I am making you breakfast,” he shrugged, and you almost jumped in your chair, gasping at the new piece of information he had just given to you. Jinyoung laughed, his hand fondling your arm gently. “So, I’m very confident that I still have a crush on you.”

“And I don’t think I can ever look at you again,” your voice sounded muffled through your fingers, face being hidden again with your palms again, as you felt mortified.

“You are cute.”

You took a deep breath and looked at him between your fingers, Jinyoung’s gentle expressions putting you at ease. “I don’t even know how to start to thank you for all of this.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jinyoung said, sliding his touch from your arm until he reached your hand, holding it gently. “You could have called the cops on me and treated me like a weirdo but instead, here we are.”

“Well, I was also developing a silent crush on you,” you declared, locking your eyes with his, ignoring all the embarrassment you were still feeling on your core.

“I would ask you on a date, but you still need to rest,” Jinyoung said, turning your palm up over the table, playing with your fingers. “But how would you feel if I offered to make you dinner tonight?”

“I would feel incredibly and unnecessarily spoiled,” you said, raising a brow.

“I take it as a yes, then,” he smirked, giving a kiss to your palm.

“Are you always like this?” you asked, heart fluttered with all the amorous attention he was so willingly ready to give you.

Jinyoung smiled, leaning closer to you to give a kiss on your cheek, the touch leaving your skin tingling. “I can be worse.”

#Jinyoung #park jinyoung #jinyoung fluff #got7 #got7 scenarios #got7 drabbles #Jinyoung scenarios #park Jinyoung scenarios #park Jinyoung fluff #kpop scenarios

[prorevenge]

Be a jerk about fixing my car? hope you and your manager enjoy unemployment thanks to my dumb luck

Okay so, Few things to start. Im sorry this is long, but its a lot of information to lay out the story. i think the revenge is pretty sweet tho.

Secondly, English is my first language but I never did well with grammar, sorry.

Okay so the story.

In Jan. 2018, my best friend, his girlfriend and I all went out. we took my car, but I got drunk so my best friend drove us home. As we were approaching a round about, a driver from a side street pulled out in front of us then slammed on their brakes, causing my best friend to swerve, and hit the concrete median with both drivers side tires. We parked the car in a parking lot, and ubered home.

Next day I had the car towed to my personal mechanics shop. Insurance guy asses the damage and my mechanic gets to work.

He does everything he thought it needed, put it on the alignment rack, and found out that the engine cradle had been bent in the impact and it needed a new one. He didnt have the capability to do this, so they sent my car to a different company. lets just call it "ABC Repair".

ABC repair outsourced the engine cradle replacement to "Di*kweed shop AKA DS". Car goes, takes forever because the first cradle they got was bent, so they had to order another one from California. dude ordered the wrong parts originally. Dude gets the cradle in on the day my rental car coverage expires. as a single dad, i needed my car. Also, this whole time the manager of ABC Repair shop was not keeping me up to date on any of this, was dodging my calls, and anytime i did get him, he was rude to me.

So, guy busts rear to get it in that day, test drove, and returned it to ABC repair right before closing time, where i was waiting to pick it up. DS gave it a clean bill of health and handed over the keys.

HERES WHERE RUDE SHIT BEGINS

so the minute i left ABC shop that night, there was something wrong with the car. Since i have a bit of auto mechanic experience i assumed it was a wheel bearing. Next morning i call my insurance adjuster who tells me to take it back to DS and see whats up.

So i call him up, and say hey, its the dude with the engine cradle job, uhhh i think theres something wrong with one of the bearings.

DS : yeah, i knew about that.

ME : uhh... so why did you give it a clean bill of health?

DS: i was being rushed to return it, so i just said it was fine. It wasnt critical, so whats the big deal?

Me: uhh. okay, well this needs fixed. Are you sure you know exactly whats wrong?

DS: 100% right rear wheel bearing.

ME: okay, ill call adjuster and get it approved for repair. I have no more rental coverage, but i am going out of town this weekend and will not need my car thurs - sunday. I can drop it off then, does that work?

DS: sure no problem, see you thursday morning.

DS orders the bearing with ins. approval, and all is well. I go in thursday morning to drop off the car, and the convo goes roughly as followed.

ME: hey there, heres the keys. Now, if its actually not what you think it is, or theres more, PLEASE call me right away. ill call INS adjuster and get it approved since this is the only time i dont need my car for transporting my child.

DS: no worries. im positive its what i think it is. but if not, ill call.

I head out of town. have a great weekend, no call from DS.

Monday morning comes around, and i am about to head to pick up the car, when i get a phone call from my adjuster. He tells me he just got off the phone with DS and he was informed that no work was done on my car all weekend. I. was. livid. i asked why, and ins adjuster said he didnt know, head down there and talk to the guy myself. so i did.

I walked into the shop and dinged the bell. He walked into the office and said "can i help you?" as if he didnt even know who i was. Followed is the convo.

Me : Yeah, Ins guy tells me you didnt touch my car, what the hell happened?

DS: well, it was the right front not right rear bearing like i thought. so i couldnt do it work since the right front wasnt approved.

ME: but i asked you to call me if it wasnt what you thought it was, and you said you would. why didnt you call?

DS: well, whos paying for this, you or insurance?

ME: that doesnt matter, i asked you to call so i could get it approved while i was out of town. why didnt you call me?

DS: i dont have to answer you. it wasnt the approved work. i didnt do it. end of story.

ME: WHY DIDNT YOU CALL. I COULD HAVE GOTTEN IT APPROVED LIKE I SAID BEFORE I LEFT FOR OUT OF TOWN!

DS turns around, grabs my keys off the counter behind him, hands them to me, and says "take your keys, take your car, im done dealing with you"

I walk out, pissed, and across the street to his managers office and ask to talk to manager. on vacation until wed. i leave my number and ask manager to call me. In the meantime, i get car to original mechanic, who starts bearing repairs on all 4 tires ( approved by ins as a "were sorry" for DS shop experience) He also noticed that DS used the wrong strut in my car when he replaced the engine cradle, and didnt put the rivets back in the plastic wheel well liner, causing the tire to burn a hole though it. which insurance approved replacing both with the correct parts.

manager finally calls me at 445pm on wed after being busy doing "payroll all day"

ME: so do you know anything about why i am calling you?

DSM : no clue whats going on?

ME: begins to explain what happened when i returned from out of town, then state the strut was wrong and the liner was ruined.

DSM " interupts me he couldnt of ruined the liner by replacing the cradle

ME: oh so you do know who i am, what actually happened. (i never mentioned engine cradle replacement)

DSM: well, ill apologize for wasting your time, but i dont know what else you want me to do. sorry. hangs up on me

THE REVENGE

Remember that trip out of town? Well, on my return trip, i was bumped off my original flight, then bumped from that flight, to the one that finally took me home. I get on the plane, find my seat, put in my headphones and start to settle in. now mind you, i was out of town for a party, and i was wearing a themed onsie. a gentleman in a business suit sits down next to me. Im naturally an outgoing person, so i strike up a conversation.

ME: hey there, heading to destination for business or pleasure?

HIM : Business.

ME : what do you do?

HIM : im the regional vice president for ABC Repair company.

my eyes got huge. it was destiny. So i begin to tell him my current experience up to me leaving for out of town. the A-hole manager at his shop to the DS jerk they were subletting business too. VP was taking notes on my entire story, i swear his jaw was on the tray table. he was furious. He gave me his personal cell and email and told me he would be having a talk with the manager. he also had his company pay for 5 more days for a rental car since they ordered a used cradle and not a new one, which A-hole manager decided, didnt even ask my adjuster or me. which wasted 5 days.

The next afternoon, after i pick up my car and had that experience, i got a call from VP. He waned to make sure my car was fixed, and that he also found out there were more complaints about his manager who treated me poorly. the manager was hiding the complaints and they never reached cooperate, so he was fired.

I then tell him about my experience that morning with the guy not doing any work on my car while i was gone. That pissed him off too. He said he would be in touch.

after i talked to DSM on wednesday, i called VP back and told him what happened. He said thank you for the information and hung up.

About a month later, i had a question for VP not related to any of this, so i called him up, and i learned that they stopped giving their work to DS shop, and when the owner of DS found out why, he fired both DS mechanic, and DSM.

So thats my story. hope yall enjoyed. Moral, dont be a d-bag, be honest, and you wolnt get bit by karma.

(source) story by (/u/MajorMoron0851)

#prorevenge #by /u/MajorMoron0851 #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[p-jiminaa]

Are we even in a relationship? (#2)

Jung Hoseok and You.

Summary: When you and Hoseok were left alone in a same space. 

Genre: Angst, Sad. 

Attn: Gif is not mine. Credit to the owner.

#1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5

Masterlist

You push open the car's door and slamming it hard after trying to start up the car for a thousand times. You don't even know what the problem is. You just sent the car for a checkup last week and everything is fine, well according to the mechanic. Fine his ass! If it's okay then why would you be stranded in the middle of nowhere right now? According to your judgment, the distance between your house and here is about 10 minutes' drive so if you walked from here, then you'll be able to reach home in like 20 to 30 minutes the most but then it's night time and considering how 'coward' you are, you really don't want to walk home, alone on top of that.

The 'bing' sound from your phone awoke something in yourself. You almost wanted to bang your head to the car's door. Why don't I think this earlier! I can call someone for help. You slide into the driver's seat and took out your phone from your handbag.

I am going home. You owe me a cuddle Y/n. -Jihoon

Oh just great (in a sarcastic way). He's leaving and you have no more reason to come back to your apartment now.

I am sorry.

It's fine. Love You! -Jihoon

Shaking your head, you replied to his text back by sending the blue heart emoticon.

You dial your father's number and only after the third call, he answered your call. You told him about your car and he asked you to wait for him while also telling you to call up your insurance company to inform them about your car which you already did before calling him but the thing is they're unable to come ASAP since your place is far from the city so you have to wait around an hour but you said that you’ll call back to inform them if you needed them.

Sliding out from the car, you close the door, softly this time. It's almost 11 so there are not many cars passing. You leaned against the car's door. You heave a sigh while wrapping your arms above your chest and your mind suddenly remembers Hoseok and the reason for his hatred towards you. You were a good friend, a best friend. But due to one mistake, no not one but two, it caused him to hate you. Well, if you were in his place, you would be embarrassed too. You remember his sad eyes and you feel the world break down when you see tears streamed down from his eyes. How evil you are! He was your best friend and to think that you're doing that to him is despicable.

A light coming come from a distance snapped you from your thought.

You're so thankful when you recognized it was your father's car approaching and you smile when you saw your Dad but your smile ceased when you realized he’s not alone and saw Hoseok's dad was sitting beside him while Hoseok was sitting at the backseat.

Errr... why would Dad brought them together and you thought they're already back since it's late. Plus... I don't think they know how to fix the car. Parking the car in front of your car, all of them poured out from the car at the same time. Your eyes instantly fall on Hoseok who has a forced smile painted on his lips.

"I am sorry we're late honey." Your Dad says as he walks towards you. You shook your head while letting out a small smile.

"What happened?" Hoseok's Dad asks.

"I don't know. I sent it for a checkup last week and they said everything is great." You say while sliding into the driver seats and pull the hood button. "Try starting it." Your Dad instructs as he opens the hood. You tried but then you still failed so you went out and walk to the front where all the three-man is standing while inspecting whatever the problem is.

Your Dad and Hoseok's father stand beside each other talking and checking while you stand next to Hoseok since it's the only area that has more space. Hoseok didn't say a word since they came and thank God both of your father did not question this abnormality.

You turned to his side when you feel him staring and meet with his eyes on you. He stares at you with soft longing looks, not the usual full irritable expression but soon changed into hard and full of frown look when he realized you're looking. You wanted to say something but was interrupted by your father before you're able to say the words.

"I think it's the battery, honey." Your Dad says.

"Oh. Then I can just wait for the insurance company to come. I doubt there will be a workshop or shop open this late."

"I have a spare battery in my trunk. Hope you don't mind waiting here while we're going back to take it Y/n." Hoseok's dad says.

"Oh no, it's fine. I'll just wait for the insurance company to come..." Although they already told you that you have to wait longer for them to arrive. Then that mean... I am going to be alone while waiting for them. It’s late you don’t want them to wait with you. 

He then intervenes. "No. No, it's fine Y/n. Plus you need to get back quickly for your work." Your eyebrows rose upon listening to that. So he told his family that you have work to do.

"Okay then." You agreed. You could not just reject his kindness. Hoseok is so sweet, just like him.

"Alright." He says.

"Hoseok will stay here with you. We will be back as soon as possible." Your Dad tells and you could not argue as they already walked towards the car. This is going to be so awkward!

Both of your Dad waves playfully at both of you who were still standing in front of the opened hood.

You feel the cold night breeze and that's a cue for you to get into the car. You took the driver's seat and what you didn't expect is when Hoseok slides into the passenger's seat.  Here you are thinking that he doesn't even want to be so close to you. You both look anywhere other than each other's eyes. Feeling the awkward tension, you cleared your throat before trying to start up a conversation.

"Don't Y/n. I don't think you're ready for my answer so don't start." Widening your eyes, surprised to his sudden outburst and as if he could read your thought, he gave you an answer before you have a chance to ask him. And this is not what you expect from him at all. You thought when you caught him staring at you softly and sitting with you in this car would give a small chance that you at least could have a civil conversation with him but guess you're wrong.

But you being your normal self, a persistent, stubborn (you name it), you respond to him quickly. "I don't care Hoseok. I know you're still mad at me and I am sorry."

He let out a chuckle. His eyes still not meeting yours as he keeps on looking outside the window. "You're not sorry when you're embarrassing me. You never even apologized." He spat out the words angrily.

"You hated me so much Hoseok. Remember what you did to me after that night? You tainted my name with some fake news." You retorted back.

"I did that as a payback Y/n. What I didn't understand is the reason you did that to me. We're best friends." He snapped back, turning his head and meeting your eyes this time. A thick silence enveloping the atmosphere before you decided to answer him.

"Fooling around." You say sadly. "That was the reason. No more than that." Yes, your intention was only for the sake of entertainment and you didn't know your action cost your friendship.

Again, this time you witness his hurt expression, his sad eyes that hide millions of emotion. He turned his head the other way around.

"Hoseok..." He lifted his hand to stop you from talking.

"I am sorry. I am always sorry for my actions in the past. I know I never ask for forgiveness from you but I regret it so much Hoseok." You say in regrets. Only if you can turn back the time.

No answer. And this time he let out his phone while putting his ear podes in his ears. That it Y/n. He doesn't want to hear any of your talks.

Frustrated with his response, you pull out the ear podes violently. Surprised and angry with your action he push your shoulder when he turned to you and your back knocked against the door.  

"What do you want!" He shouts with his furious eyes shooting at you. He doesn't even realize your painful expression. It's hurt especially when he pushes you with all of his strength.

Not giving up, you shout back. "Hear me out!" Suddenly you felt a sting on your cheek. You grab on your cheek and that when you realize he just slaps you. It was unexpected and you're surprised because you know Hoseok is a sweet angel. He would never hit anyone.

Hoseok eyes widened in surprise then his gaze move to you when he notices your hand on your cheeks.

Letting out a long breath, you put down your hand and turned your gaze to the front, back leaning against the backrest. It's fine Y/n. Compare to what you did to him, this is nothing. Plus he said that making you suffer is one of the things that he loves to do so this is nothing.

Hello everyone! So I just want to clarify about the 1st part of this series. I just realized that the summary is not in line with my writing. In the summary I jotted down that Y/n didn't know the reason of Hoseok's hatred towards her but when I read it back, Y/n did know the reason (when Y/n called him and asked him the reason of why he agreed to this arrangement then he said because he loves to see Y/n suffers and that when Y/n said 'what past is past but Hoseok said he will remember it forever. So I hope everyone is clear about this. But I am going to change the summary a little bit for part 1 so that it is in line with the story. :)

Best regard, Naa.

#bts #bangtan #jung hoseok #jung hobi #bts hoesok #bts jhope #bts hobi #jhope x reader #jhope x y/n #jhope x you #jhope scenario #jhope series #jhope imagines #jhope fanfic #jhope au #bts scenarios #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts au #bts army #angst #sad #fanfic

[bountyofbeads]

The ‘follow-up appointment’

https://wapo.st/2z4uWXR

The ‘follow-up appointment’

'For many people in medical debt, it leads to a courtroom' (THIS SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING IN AMERICA)

By Eli Saslow | Published August 17 at 5:41 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted August 18, 2019 9:18 AM ET |

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — The people being sued arrived at the courthouse carrying their hospital bills, and they followed signs upstairs to a small courtroom labeled “Debt and Collections.” A 68-year-old wheeled her portable oxygen tank toward the first row. A nurse’s aide came in wearing scrubs after working a night shift. A teenager with an injured leg stood near the back wall and leaned against crutches.

By 9 a.m., more than two-dozen people were crowded into the room for what has become the busiest legal docket in rural Butler County.

“Lots of medical cases again today,” the judge said, and then he called court into session for another weekly fight between a hospital and its patients, which neither side appears to be winning.

So far this year, Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center has filed more than 1,100 lawsuits for unpaid bills in a rural corner of Southeast Missouri, where emergency medical care has become a standoff between hospitals and patients who are both going broke. Unpaid medical bills are the leading cause of personal debt and bankruptcy in the United States according to credit reports, and what’s happening in rural areas such as Butler County is a main reason why. Patients who visit rural emergency rooms in record numbers are defaulting on their bills at higher rates than ever before. Meanwhile, many of the nation’s 2,000 rural hospitals have begun to buckle under bad debt, with more than 100 closing in the past decade and hundreds more on the brink of insolvency as they fight to squeeze whatever money they’re owed from patients who don’t have it.

The result each week in Poplar Bluff, a town of 17,000, has become so routine that some people here derisively refer to it as the “follow-up appointment” — 19 lawsuits for unpaid hospital bills scheduled on this particular Wednesday, 34 more the following week, 22 the week after that. Case after case, a hospital that helps sustain its rural community is now also collecting payments that are bankrupting hundreds of its residents.

“Think of me as the referee,” the judge explained, as he called the first case. “It’s my job to be fair. I’m not going to be chugging for either side.”

On one side of the courtroom was a young lawyer representing the hospital, and he carried 19 case files that totaled more than $55,000 in money owed to Poplar Bluff Regional. Three nearby hospitals in Southeast Missouri had already closed for financial reasons in the past few years, leaving Poplar Bluff Regional as the last full-service hospital to care for five rural counties, treating more than 50,000 patients each year. It never turned away patients who needed emergency care, regardless of their ability to pay, and some people without insurance were offered free or discounted treatment. In the past few years, the hospitals’ total cost of uncompensated care had risen from about $60 million to $84 million. Its ownership company Community Health Systems, a struggling conglomerate of more than 100 rural and suburban hospitals, had begun selling off facilities as its stock price tanked from $50 per share in 2015 to less than $3 as the lawyer approached the judge to discuss the first case.

“We’re seeking fair payment for services we’ve provided. Nothing else,” he said.

Behind him in the courtroom were some of Poplar Bluff Regional’s patients — a population that was on average sicker, older, poorer and underinsured compared with the rest of the United States. More than 35 percent of people in Butler County have unpaid medical debt on their credit report, about double the national rate. Most of the 19 people on the morning docket had been treated in the emergency room and then failed to pay their bill for more than 60 days before receiving a summons to court. Many of them had insurance but still owed their co-pay or deductibles, which have tripled on average in the past decade across the United States. One patient owed more than $12,000 after being treated for a heart attack. Another was being sued for $286. If the hospital won a judgment, it had the right to garnish money from a patient’s paycheck or bank account or it could put a lien against a house.

“I’m hoping to negotiate a payment plan, but I can only afford $20 a month,” one patient told the court.

“I’m late for work, so if there’s someplace I can sign, I guess I’ll just sign,” said another patient, who owed more than $3,000 after spending six hours in the emergency room for chest pain.

“How am I supposed to pay $4,000 to see a doctor if I’m barely making $2,000 a month?” asked another.

One by one the patients came up to plead their cases until the judge called Gail Dudley, 31, who was sitting with her mother in the third row. She had gone to the emergency room at Poplar Bluff Regional in 2017 after passing out because of complications from Type 1 diabetes. The hospital had given her medication to stabilize her blood sugar, kept her overnight for observation, and then sent her home with a bill for $8,342, of which she was still responsible for about $3,000 after insurance. She’d tried to appease the hospital’s billing department by sending in an occasional check for $50, but with accumulating interest and penalty fees, the balance on her account had remained essentially the same for two years.

“I’m grateful for what they did for me, and I know I owe it, but I don’t have that kind of money,” she said.

The judge gestured in the direction of the hospital’s attorney and then looked at Dudley. “Would you like a chance to talk to this gentleman for a moment and see if you two can work something out?”

“Okay,” she said. “We might as well try.”

Matthew McCormick, 27, led Dudley into the hallway to begin the same negotiation he’d been having with dozens of hospital patients each week. On Thursdays he was listed as a hospital attorney for the court docket in Doniphan, population 1,997. Mondays it was Kirksville, Tuesdays were Bloomfield, and Wednesdays often brought him here, to a 95-year-old courthouse in Butler County, where he’d represented Poplar Bluff Regional on more than 450 billing cases so far in 2019.

“We’d like to find a way to work with you on this,” he told Dudley as they sat down together in the courtroom lobby. He reached out to shake her hand. He smiled and offered his business card. For the past year, he’d been working on behalf of the hospital as the newest attorney for a law firm called Faber and Brand, which promised to “use the judicial system to recover money owed.” McCormick’s cases hardly ever went to trial. More than 90 percent of the people being sued weren’t represented by an attorney and at least half failed to show up in court, resulting in default judgments in the hospital’s favor. The rest of the patients McCormick met came into court with little to offer in their own defense except for apologies and stories of poverty, poor health, unemployment and bad luck.

“I’m real sorry about this,” Dudley said. “If I’d been thinking straight, I would never have let them take me to the emergency room. I know I can’t afford that. I wish I could pay you all of it right now.”

“Let’s make this as easy as we can,” he told her. “Is there something you can pay? A little each month?”

“I don’t have anything extra,” she said, thinking about the paycheck she earned for a full-time job as a clerk at Goodwill, which totaled $736 every two weeks. After paying for rent and utilities on a subsidized three-bedroom apartment, groceries, and child care for her 6-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, she sometimes ran out of money by the end of the month.

“How about $15 out of every paycheck?” she offered, even though she doubted she could afford it. When McCormick didn’t immediately respond, she revised her offer. “Thirty? How’s that?”

“Let’s say thirty,” McCormick said.

He had more patients waiting to negotiate, so he thanked Dudley and led her back into the courtroom to sign her judgment. It said she had agreed to a total claim of $3,021, plus $115 in court costs and 9 percent annual interest. She would send the hospital $60 each month until the balance was paid in full, and if she failed to make a payment the hospital could pursue garnishment of her wages.

“I’m glad you worked something out,” the judge said as he signed off on the agreement.

The court clerk handed Dudley a copy of the judgment, and once she was back outside the courtroom she took out her phone to run the math. If everything went right, and she somehow managed to save and pay $60 each month, she’d be sending checks to Poplar Bluff Regional for the next 5½ years.

In order to make 66 monthly payments, she had to somehow come up with the first, but her bank account was almost empty and payday was still a week away. Dudley left the courthouse, got into the car with her mother, then changed into a polo shirt for work. They drove away from the cobblestone streets of downtown and headed toward Goodwill.

“Could’ve been worse,” said her mother, Norma Garcia, 48. “Sixty isn’t so terrible.”

“It is if you don’t have it,” Dudley said. “Who do you know that’s sitting on an extra sixty each month?”

They drove past a dollar store, a payday lender and a fast-food restaurant advertising “full-time career opportunities” starting at $7.80 an hour.

“Maybe you can borrow it?” Garcia suggested.

“I don’t do credit cards or lenders,” Dudley said. “That’d just be another debt I couldn’t pay.”

“I meant from somebody.”

“Who?” Dudley asked. “Everyone we know is paying the hospital already.”

Their family had lived for three generations in Poplar Bluff’s predominantly black neighborhood just north of downtown, where according to credit records more than half of adults had debt in collections for unpaid auto loans, credit cards or medical bills. Dudley’s aunt had been sued twice by Poplar Bluff Regional and was forfeiting 15 percent of her paycheck to a court-ordered hospital garnishment. Her cousin was being sued for $1,200. Her sister owed $280.

But none of them had cycled through the emergency room as often as Dudley during the past several years. Her two pregnancies had complicated her diabetes, and she’d tried to save money by skimping on insulin. Instead of paying $50 every few months for a preventive medication, she had collapsed at work and been rushed to the emergency room, where she was sent home with thousands of dollars in now-unpaid bills. Poplar Bluff Regional was an ambitious rural hospital — a $173 million facility with a cancer center, a cardiac center, dozens of specialists and state-of-the-art surgical suites — and Dudley believed she was alive because of it. But during the past five years, the average amount that rural patients owed for hospital visits nationwide had doubled, and Dudley was earning $11 an hour at Goodwill as new hospital bills kept arriving in her mailbox.

She owed a $100 co-pay from another hospital visit in November 2018 that had already been sent to collections.

She owed $485 from another trip to the ER in April.

She owed $159 for lab tests, $85 for a doctor’s visit and now $60 for her first court-mandated payment, which was due at the end of the month.

“I’m trying to make peace with the fact that this debt could sit on me forever,” she said.

“Maybe I can help,” Garcia offered, even though she was on disability and avoiding her own billing notices from the hospital, seeking $365 in unpaid deductibles.

“It’s my bill to pay,” Dudley said. She’d been saving a little money for back-to-school supplies, and she said it was enough for her first month’s payment. “I’ll handle it,” she said. “There’s no other choice.”

There was one person in town who did believe patients had another choice, and over the past several years Daniel Moore had begun encouraging his clients to make it.

“Don’t pay one cent,” the lawyer had advised dozens of clients. “I don’t care how much the hospital says you owe. Fight them over it.”

Moore had been working for almost five decades as a self-described “old hillbilly lawyer” out of a converted house downtown. He specialized in criminal defense, with more than 400 cases pending all over the state, and he liked to align himself with the underdog. He’d been unable to afford a doctor himself while growing up on a farm with no running water, so when clients began coming to his office with bills from Poplar Bluff Regional that they could neither pay nor understand, he had agreed to take a look.

What Moore found in some of those itemized receipts didn’t make sense to him either: $75 for a surgical mask; $11.10 for each cleaning wipe; $23.62 for two standard ibuprofen pills; $592 for a strep throat culture; $838 for a pregnancy test. He searched through court records and discovered that the hospital was collecting hundreds of monthly garnishments from hourly employees at places like Quickstop, Earl’s Diner, Wendy’s, Instant Pawn and Alan’s Muffler.

He decided to represent several hospital patients free, and went to court against the hospital for a jury trial for the first time late in 2015. Moore’s client was a Poplar Bluff police officer with decent insurance, an Army veteran who went to the emergency room one afternoon because of chronic stomach problems. He’d been given a battery of tests in the ER, then treated with three IV medications before being discharged after three hours with a bill for $6,373. His insurance had paid some, but the hospital was suing him for co-pays totaling about $1,650, plus interest.

“The facts show that he came to the hospital and received treatment that alleviated his symptoms,” the hospital’s lawyer at the time told the jury. “He received three separate bills. He just didn’t pay the balance.”

“These charges are outrageous,” Moore told the jury. “He doesn’t owe the hospital anything.”

A billing manager from the hospital took the stand and said Poplar Bluff’s prices were in line with other hospitals in rural Missouri. She mentioned the high cost of providing care at rural hospitals, which must pay higher salaries in order to recruit doctors, nurses and specialists while also suffering more from federal cuts to Medicaid and Medicare compared with urban hospitals.

Moore began to question her about each charge on his client’s itemized receipt. Why, he asked, did it cost $800 to spend approximately 40 seconds with a doctor? Why was the hospital charging $211 for an oxygen sensor that was on sale for $16 at Walmart? Then Moore asked about three identical charges on the bill labeled “IV Push,” which each cost $365.

“An IV push, if I understand it, that’s the act of sticking the needle in that little port and then squeezing it,” Moore said. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” the billing manager said.

“So that takes maybe five seconds, right?”

“Yes.”

“So you, the hospital, think that act alone, not counting the drugs inside the IV, which cost thousands of dollars more — that act alone is worth $365.38?”

“Yes,” she said again.

“It makes me so mad,” Moore told the jury, in his closing argument. “If you’re content to let the hospital just crush people, then go on and give them their measly $1,650. But what you can do today is say, ‘Hey, we’re tired of this.’ How many times are we going to let working people take the shaft?”

“In reality, this is a simple bill,” the hospital’s lawyer countered. “All we’re asking for is his co-pay and his deductible. The hospital provided treatment. He still owes.”

The jury deliberated for less than an hour and then found in favor of Moore’s client, wiping away his hospital debts. But whatever sense of victory Moore felt was mitigated over the next months as Poplar Bluff Regional’s lawsuits continued to spread across the civil courts of Southeast Missouri, and he agreed to take on more free cases. “The hospital circuit,” Moore called it, which meant Mondays in Caruthersville, Tuesdays in West Plains and Wednesdays in Poplar Bluff.

On Thursdays it was Doniphan, a town of fewer than 2,000 people, where Poplar Bluff Regional had filed more than 300 lawsuits during the past several years. Moore drove past horse farms and timber plants, parking near an abandoned hospital. Ripley County Memorial had closed six months earlier, and there were locks on the doors and a sign taped above the ambulance bay.

“For Nearest Emergency Services, go 29 miles to Poplar Bluff Regional,” it said, and now several of those Poplar Bluff patients had been summoned right back to downtown Doniphan, to a red brick courthouse at the center of the town square.

They crowded next to each other on a wooden bench in the lobby, waving their hospital bills as fans against the late July heat while they waited for the courtroom to open and then entered one by one: a husband and wife who went for cancer treatments at Poplar Bluff Regional each week but couldn’t afford the co-pays. A community college student who owed more than $7,000 for treatment of a chronic heart condition. And then the judge, who had presided over hundreds of hospital cases during his career and also recused himself from one case a few years earlier, when the patient being sued was his wife.

“How are we all doing today?” he asked, as he looked down at a docket with 14 more cases between a hospital ownership company that couldn’t afford to keep losing money and patients who couldn’t afford to pay. Both sides were drowning in debt, fighting to stay above water, and pulling each other back down.

“It’s another full docket,” the judge said. “We might as well get started.”

Eli Saslow is a reporter at The

Washington Post. He won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for his year-long series about food stamps in America. He was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing in 2013, 2016 and 2017

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