#After Party Event Management Service

[dfgdhfdwemet346]

The Power of Residential Cleaning Services: Transforming Homes and Lives

Benefits of Residential Cleaning Services:

Time-Saving:

Discuss how professional cleaners save homeowners valuable time by handling the cleaning tasks efficiently. Highlight the convenience of having experts take care of the chores, allowing homeowners to focus on other priorities

Expertise and Experience:

Explain the advantages of hiring professional cleaners with specialized knowledge and experience in different cleaning techniques and products.

Emphasize the use of effective tools and cleaning agents that can produce better results and ensure a hygienic living space.

Discuss the comprehensive cleaning services offered by professional cleaners, including detailed attention to every corner and surface of the home.

Explain how this level of cleanliness contributes to maintaining a healthy living environment, reducing allergens, and preventing the spread of bacteria or viruses.

Highlight the flexibility of residential cleaning services in adapting to homeowners' specific needs and preferences. Mention the ability to schedule regular cleanings or request one-time deep cleaning sessions as necessary

Explain how hiring professional cleaners can relieve the stress and burden of cleaning responsibilities from homeowners.

Discuss the trust and reassurance that come with background-checked and insured cleaning professionals.

Summarize the key benefits of residential cleaning services and their impact on homeowners' lives.

Encourage readers to consider investing in such services for a well-maintained and enjoyable living environment.

#Residential Cleaning Service #Bank & NGO Cleaning Service #General And Deep Cleaning Service #Facility’s Management Services #After Party Event Management Service #Pest Control Services

[testrella]

bottle services ceo! g.satoru x waitress! reader ๋࣭ ⭑

synopsis: in which satoru finds himself requesting the same waitress for bottle service. his eyes are on you, and only you. fandom: jujutsu kaisen ⌗ rich / ceo / playboy g.satoru x waitress reader ⌗ modern au content warnings: mild cursing (like one curse word), drinking, usage of alcohol, mentions of age gap, SFW.

as bright colored lights shined all over the place, painting a vivid and lucid vision on the club’s tile floors, gojo is surrounded by his elite associates in the VIP booth. with only the snap of his hand, the waiters immediately send out bottles of the finest champagne in japan along with beautiful chiseled ice.

“i have to say gojo, going out with you is like entering a new world. you’re almost like the modern day gatsby!”

the men surrounding him all chuckle in agreement with the man. it was the pure truth. anyone who partied with gojo or attended one of his many events, left with a new perspective, a new meaning of life, and as changed person.

he poured himself a glass in the dimly lit room, and watched the golden bubbles form to the top. with the flashing lights and the bass banging in his ear, his eyes finally met yours.

gojo’s gaze was drawn to you the moment you entered with more champagne. he watched as you balanced two bottles of champagne and multiple glasses on one tray with ease.

your name was y/n, he knew that already. he knew that you worked within the bottle services and has sought after your service anytime he visited the club. it wasn’t out of the ordinary for high elites to request for attractive women to attend them, it was nothing you hadn’t seen before.

for you, it was normal. for gojo, it was an attempt to make a lasting impression on you.

“miss. y/n! it’s so lovely to see you again, how are you doing?” gojo smiled with a very wide, toothy grin. it was clear he was one bottle of champagne deep.

“i’m doing great, how are you doing?”

you placed down the tray and watched as all the men gathered to get their greedy hands on the drinks.

“i’m ok, i’ll feel better if you accompany me tonight. c’mon y/n, spend the rest of your shift with me.”

“i’m flattered mr. gojo but i do have a job to do.”

he watched as your figure turned and walked away from his booth. disappointment creeps onto him as he realized you once again rejected his advances.

as the night unfolded, gojo found himself stealing glances at you whenever you passed by his booth. he’d smile your way, waving slightly, like a child would do to a kind stranger. when you smiled and waved back, his face was full of joy and he’d giggle alongside his associates.

“she’s a fine piece of work. you’ve got great taste in women.”

“i agree but she’s a little young for all of us no?”

gojo was only a few years older than you unlike his elite associates. they continue to banter about you and their interest become stronger.

“how long is it going to take gojo to realize that she’s just another club crush that comes and goes?” one said.

with a nervous pit in his stomach, he mustered the courage to call you over again. gojo watches you summon your presence with a hesitate smile.

“y/nnnnn, h-how about i get your numberrrr and we can talk when i’m not s-shit faced?” his words were slurred and fumbled a bit.

gojo wanted to prove a point to not only his friends but to himself. to prove that something good can actually happen between the two of you.

your eyes widen and taken aback from his sudden request as your cheeks were tainted with a pinkish undertone. you glance back at your manager who was standing behind the bar. the constant flickered lights and the loud music echoing in your ears made it worse for you to think about it.

“gojo i.. i really appreciate the offer, really! but..” you started with a gentle and apologetic tone. “but don’t you think it’s a little unprofessional? i shouldn’t be giving my number out to customers, i hope you understand.”

gojo felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach. a wave of nausea made its way into his mouth while a disappointed expression formed on his face.

he offers a polite smile before speaking, “no yeah, i understand. i was just hoping we could keep in touch outside of the club.”

suddenly the infamous playboy and CEO of the gojo company had felt shame rise in him. all the kind words and playful conversations between the two of you was simply you trying to do your job. he continues the night drinking his feelings away.

despite the rejection and trying to keep up your professionalism, you found yourself unable to shake the conversation out your head. gojo satoru was a loyal client of yours who always requested your presence. it was obvious to anybody that he was simply another client who crushed on the kind waitress.

yet you found yourself making a bold decision. with your heart beating out your chest and a tingling feeling inside your stomach, you smiled softly at gojo. you disappeared behind the bar before finding a pen and paper.

you were given the chance to give your number to one of japan’s most sought after bachelors. who were you to say no?

your pulse raced as you found the opportunity to slip the note into his jacket without anybody’s knowledge. it was an opportunity of a lifetime.

later that night, gojo found himself alone in a hotel room. his head was spinning and regretting drinking that much in the first place. he reached into his pocket to take out his phone only to find a pleasant surprise.

a small piece of paper.

gojo unfolded the unexpected piece of paper curiously, revealing your handwritten phone number on the note.

a smile quickly spread across gojo’s face once he realized he got what he wanted. with a rush of adrenaline going through his body, he quickly texts the number.

+81 ## ### ### hey it’s satoru are you free next weekend?

author's note; reuploaded bc it flopped the first time..

#jjk #jjk manga #female reader #jjk x reader #fanfic #jujutsu kaisen #gojo saturo x reader #jujutsu gojo #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #gojo x reader #gojo smut #satoru gojo #jujutsu sorcerer #jjk fanfic #jjk x you #jjk fanart #jjk masterlist #jujutsu kaisen manga #jujutsukaisen

[felassan]

Article: 'EA’s BioWare will lay off 50 and cut ties with unionized Keywords playtesting group'

[BioWare Blog post for reference]

Excerpts:

"The layoffs are a blow to morale at the studio and have made the environment difficult, said Gary Mckay, general manager of the developer, in a statement to employees today. He said EA is trying to make BioWare into a more agile and more focused studio. EA has an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 employees, and BioWare had perhaps 250 people. The moves come with a couple of related or perhaps coincidental events. A spokesperson for EA said that the company was unable to come to an agreement with a part of Keywords, a big game services firm, that provides playtesting services. In June 2022, this small part of Keywords had a group of contractors who voted to unionize. EA said it was unable to create a new contract and so will let that current one expire on September 27. It’s not clear what will happen to the contractors without the EA contract, but it’s fair to guess that some jobs will likely be lost over at Keywords unless they find other work. An industry source said EA has renewed work orders with Keywords Studios since their employees voted to unionize in June 2022. But the source added that, in this instance, the two companies simply couldn’t agree to terms. The Keywords contract requirements exceeded what EA/BioWare needed given the change in development approach at the studio.  The layoff also comes about three months after EA moved production of its massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, to a third-party publisher, Broadsword, in Reston, Virginia. The game debuted way back in 2011 and has entered maintenance mode. Broadsword has also taken over games like Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot so players can keep playing them. McKay’s leadership will not be affected. Michael Gamble, who recently returned to BioWare, serves as head of the Mass Effect team, and pre-production continues on the next Mass Effect game. Corinne Busche and John Epler, two leaders on Dragon Age, also continue in their roles. Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, announced back in March that the company would cut about 6% of its total workforce, and these cutbacks are related to that move. EA has not said when Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will ship."

[source and full article]

#dragon age: dreadwolf #dragon age 4 #the dread wolf rises #da4 #dragon age #bioware #mass effect #next mass effect #video games #long post #longpost #sw:tor

[tanadrin]

What’s the case for an upper and lower chamber?

In my opinion, none.

The historical situation is that the upper chamber had more power and the lower was a sop to the common folk and petty nobility: this is why the House of Commons was formed (originally from knights of the shire and the representatives of cities that had been granted special rights by the Crown), and only later, after a very long process of constitutional evolution in Britain, did the Lords transform into a consultative body that was adjunct to the Commons, where the real power lay. For a while, even after you started to have something that looked like modern government in Britain, you still frequently had PMs drawn from the Lords--and still could, in theory, except that the convention is they come from the Commons.

In the U.S. example, the goal was simply to split the difference between a popular chamber (the House) and a chamber representing state governments (the Senate, whose members could be chosen by any method provided for under state law, but originally were usually chosen by state legislatures). This is because the people who drafted the U.S. constitution hated and were suspicious of popular democracy, because they were rich landowners and slaveholders whose positions were untenable in the long run if everyone in the country could vote and was equally represented.

Obviously they didn't put it like that--they spoke of the hotheaded hoi polloi, the changeable will of the people--but they were massive Romeaboos, and all the populist leaders who whittled away at the Roman republic managed to do so because they were willing to centralize power, to take it away from the baronial elite of the Republic, and to use that power in service of people further down the org chart. In service of themselves too, of course--these were not altruists--but it was the particularly Roman instantiation of the crown-vs-barons struggle, where the common folk usually side with the Crown, because the barons are bastards who abuse them directly.

(Very many "tyrants" in history were "tyrants" only in that they gave a raw deal to the barons in their particular social order, and very many events which we now describe as movements toward a more equitable distribution of power were in fact a very shitty deal for the majority of the population--the peasants--because it gave the barons even more license to abuse their serfs.)

And the American founders knew all this, and they were all barons, and they didn't like the idea of a federal government that was too effective, so they sprinkled it with veto points and also totally failed to anticipate the rise of modern political parties. (Which weren't exactly what they had in mind when they warned against factionalism--that was more about sectional interests. But still, they did totally fail to anticipate how this system would work as party politics developed.)

In a system of democratic government like the U.S. has now, where it is widely acknowledged the rule should be "one adult citizen never convicted of a felony who can get the day off work to stand in line and has a photo ID = one vote" the U.S. Senate is an inexcusable anachronism. Indeed, the Supreme Court has ruled that state senates modeled on the exact same principle as the U.S. senate (say, one county one senator, as the constitution of my home state Tennessee has it) are unconstitutional, because they violate the equal protection clause.

More recently, many countries have approached the idea of an upper chamber as a sort of "chamber of experts" meant to review and advise on legislation. This kind of makes sense in theory, I guess, but if voters want subject-matter experts to make policy, they can vote them in; in practice, any system of appointment or ex officio qualification is going to select for political lackeys without democratic mandates, and it's also just a bad idea to have people with significant power over the legislative process who do not have democratic accountability. The problem of creating legislation is never that we don't have enough smart people willing to offer their opinions; the problem is brokering functional compromises between interest groups and resolving incentives that push the process toward dysfunctional outcomes, which isn't really something you can fix just by fiddling with the composition of your upper house.

So in most modern parliamentary democracies, upper houses are reduced in power. Either they can't veto bills permanently (Lords), they can't originate money bills (Lords again), they only have input on certain matters (German Bundesrat), they're full of government appointees to ensure the government always has a majority in them (Irish Seanad), or the lower house can overrule them on most matters (Japanese House of Councillors). And the reason why is obvious: if your democratic mandate comes from the lower house, if that's where your government is being formed in a parliamentary system, if the whole principle of government is meant to be collective self-rule by the body of citizens, an upper house that is a check on that power is either definitionally redundant or a brake on democracy.

There are ways to ensure that a lower house is both representative and does not devolve into factional chaos. Proportional representation, four-year terms, constructive motions of no confidence (again, parliamentary systems only), etc. Plenty of countries and subnational entities have unicameral legislatures and are perfectly stable: Sweden, Norway, the Baltics, Portugal, Mongolia, South Korea, Peru [ok bad example nvm], all the states of Germany, all the provinces of Canada, most of the provinces of Argentina, Queensland, the vast majority of the states of India, and the three devolved legislatures in the United Kingdom.

Therefore in my opinion there is no good democratic case for an upper house. And all the undemocratic reasons why you'd want one are bad. Too much democracy is, in fact, a very rare problem for systems of government to have!

#thanks for the ask btw anon #i love getting to rant about the evils of bicameralism

[henrioo]

✦ ── SUGAR DADDY: CROCODILE

Part one, part two, part tree

Relationships: Sugar Daddy! Crocodile x Gn! Reader

Synopsis: Where would you go to meet your future Sugar Daddy?

Warnings: Sugar daddy stuff, physical assault (slapping), fights in the workplace

Word Count: 564

Rating: Mature (sensitive topics)

Notes: The first part of a little sugar daddy series! Crocodile, I hope you like it, the next parts will have more nsfw themes and deepen the relationship, this is just the beginning

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ• ────── ✦ ────── •

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who is tired of his employees in the service, it seems that everyone is trying on purpose to ruin his mood

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who hates arriving at his cold house and being alone, all his friends too busy with their own families to pay him a visit

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who hates arriving unaccompanied at the parties he is invited to, even though women and men throw themselves at him at these events he knows it's different from showing up with a formal date

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who discovers that his favorite coffee shop was closed for renovations just on a busy Monday when all he needed was a good sugar-free espresso.

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who decides to turn off his cell phone and not give a damn about the calls from his secretary trying to let him know he was running late, all just to find another location for his coffee

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who finds a small bookstore cafe hidden among countless other stores, it looked like a family place, cozy and comfortable, warm as a cup of the drink he was looking for, maybe that's why he went inside

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who just ordered his coffee next to salty cookies and sat down near the window just to open the newspaper and pretend for a few minutes that he was not a CEO busy to the bone

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who initially didn't see you, only noticed your presence when you started fighting with a customer. The man was trying to take advantage of most of the employees being women and you were the steady foot that was protecting them.

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who thought you'd back down when you got slapped by the man, who seemed to be bragging about being a criminal, all only for you to punch him back in the face and shock everyone in the place, including him

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who remained unresponsive even after receiving your order, just looking at how extremely brave you were even though your eyesight was tiny, you were determined to protect your colleagues and it ignited something in him

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who asks another employee who you were, only to find out that you were the manager of that shift and that messes like that were more common than he imagined

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who tips you big when you pay your bill at the cashier just for the fun of it, not many could leave you surprised or impressed.

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who comes into the office not really paying attention to anything, just agreeing to everything and dismissing the staff, the only thing on your mind is you

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who decides to leave the house a bit early the next day just to go to the same cafe, he wouldn't even say the food or drink was extraordinary, but you were definitely something worth seeing again

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who sits in the same place and orders the same thing, waiting peacefully while flipping through the newspaper, without really reading anything, he can't pay attention to the news

Sugar Daddy!Crocodile who can't hide a slightly wicked smile when the person who comes to deliver his order is none other than you, with a bandage on his cheek and a smile that makes the fire inside him burn uncontrollably.

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x you #onepiece #anime imagines #one piece imagine #imagines #anime and manga #crocodile x reader #crocodile x you #crocodile one piece #sir crocodile #crocodile #sugar daddy! crocodile #one piece sugar daddy

[prettyboykatsuki]

ari if u don’t write sae i’ll actually go crazy/lh

ordinary business | i. sae

✮ tags ; alcohol, gn!reader, reader has an accent that progressively worsens as the night goes on, setting is in japan, reader is sae's manager, sae is an acts of service kind of guy, they eat ramen tgt

✮ wc ; 1.2k

✮ a /n ; stop. i dont want this man.

"Ramen," You moan, face flush and nearly stumbling over yourself clumsily "Oh my god, I want ramen. And I wan' a popsicle. Fuck it's so cold."

Sae puts an arm out to keep you from stumbling, but you regain your strength before you notice. He sighs, as you confidently march down the sidewalks and turn into the nearest 7/11.

He hasn't seen you like this in the three years he's been under your management. You're a professional, and you always hold your drinks well. Tonight was one of his mandatory public events he needed to keep sponsorship, and you went as his plus one. He's back in Japan only for this, and he'll leave the day after tomorrow.

You were well-behaved for the entire night, but the minute you got in the limousine - your words were slurring asking the driver to take you to the closest bar so you could party.

Sae doesn't usually worry and fuss over people like this, except for Rin on the occasion. It's just that it's you, and he's never really seen you in this state. He's never going to claim being a good guy, but even he has enough of a conscious to do this. To stop you? No. But to make sure you don't get into anything you'd regret.

So, he's following you. He's still in his suit but he has his security nearby just in case and to make sure there's no paparazzi.

It's also a little funny seeing you drunk. There's an apathetic college student at the counter who doesn't even look up when you walk in. You don't seem to care though, rifling through the snack isles with a hazy look on your face and no awareness of your surroundings. Every few minutes you hiccup, remembering he's here.

"Do you want anythin'?" You say, only vaguely aware of what's going on. He stares at you.

"Can't."

"Fooey," You say, and Sae has to keep himself from laughing "Jus' a lil. I won't tell anyone. Scouts honor."

"Why do you want me to have some in the first place?"

"It's fun to share," You say, giving him a heart with both of your hands, ramen tucked under your arm "Don't wanna eat alone. Please."

"I've never seen you this drunk before."

"Don't usually drink a lot," You say, going to back to stare at snacks with a thoughtful look on your face "But. Ugh. Y'know?"

"Ugh?"

You nod emphatically.

"So super ugh. Anyway. Have ramen with me? It can be healthy if we get you an egg, I think."

"I'm not eating the pre-made eggs. But fine,"

"Yaayy. Thank you."

"And I'm paying for it." He says, not turning around to let you protest. You whine a little behind him, a quiet and thoughtful nooo that he has another good laugh at. He'd be amiss to let you pay, especially since he makes much more than you.

That and the fact he's trying to confess his feelings. It doesn't seem very romantic to do otherwise.

It doesn't take any effort to grab up the stuff you've secured in your arms. The cashier rings it out quietly, not paying much attention at all. He only makes an impressed face when Sae pulls out his black card.

When the ramen is finally paid for, he takes his out of the bag and hands it to you. And you scurry over to the hot-water station and microwave, where he follows suit. He looks away for one minute, and hears you yell. You've burned yourself slightly on the electric kettle.

He sighs, stepping in. He flicks your forehead with his thumb and forefinger.

"Oi. Go sit before you do something stupid."

You fumble, protesting for a minute about the fact you can do it but again - it doesn't take much effort to redirect you to your set. You rest your feet on the place for them on your stool, swishing back and forth. Sae reads the instructions, making each ramen and returning. He grabs your ice cream from the bag and places it in the nearby cooler so it doesn't melt.

He watches you stare at your ramen while it cooks, a pair of wooden chopsticks sitting ontop. He just barely stops himself from teasing you about being impatient. You place your elbows on the table in front, drowsy and huffing - glancing over at him until he tells you it's been enough time.

"Should be done. Don't burn your tongue."

"Woo!" You cheer, tearing off the top part off, chopsticks in hand. You look pleased as you eat, not hesitating to shovel as much as you can into your mouth.

Sae eats too, though probably a little less enthused. The ramen is good. It's not easy to find good instant stuff like this abroad and he hasn't had it in a long time.

"Oh, I feel better. Eating... it fixes everything,"

"What exactly were you feeling bad about?" He asks between bites. You open the soda you bought and drink it down, before wiping your mouth.

"Ma wants me to get married soon," You say, with all the annoyance. He stops chewing "Which is sooo stupid. Says she ain't getting any younger so I should start looking. Keeps setting me up on blind dates."

"...You don't want to get married?"

You sigh.

"Mm, no. 's not like that. Just that," You put your chopsticks down, elbows on the table - chin resting on your palms "Want it to happen a more naturally. You're gonna make funna me if I keep talkin"

"I won't this time."

You snort with laughter, before glancing over at him.

"If ya say so," You turn yourself slightly, looking around before giggling "I want it to be love. Stupid right? Least for me."

"Why would that be stupid? Isn't that pretty common?"

"Hn. Yeah, maybe. But I dunno. Who's out there to fall for me naturally, y'know. I don't wanna force it is all. Just want it happen without me havin' ta chase it," You say, thoughtfully, leaning back but not falling "I work hard for everythin'. Just one time, I thought - I wish it'd fall into my lap."

For a minute he sees your usual self. For a minute, Sae is shocked by the feelings he's experiencing. He's always known it. Felt it, lingering in the back of his mind. He knew it intrinsically like some kind of base instinct.

But hearing you talk, the usual smile and level eyes about something so important makes him really feel every extent. For a minute Sae thinks, he probably doesn't just like you.

It'd be nice, yknow. To see the look on your face when it does really just fall into your lap.

"Yeah, you're right. That's pretty stupid."

"Hey, c'mon. You just said—"

"Not wanting to work for it when you're married to your job is fair."

"Are you tryin' to console me? That's not—"

"So," He says, pausing to glance at you "Tell your mom you're seeing someone."

"I don't wanna lie to my Ma."

"It's not a lie." He says, straight-faced and finishing the last of his ramen before turning to you "Go out with me."

#itoshi sae x reader #bluelock x reader #itoshi sae fluff #bluelock fluff #writing tag #man.... #man.

[moxxbox]

MOXXIE DEAREST I HEARD UR CRY FOR REQUESTS AND IM HERE.

I would like to request the dorm leaders and their reactions to mc proposing with a ring pop!

YAKO MY SAVIOR

I also played around with a different type of writing than I usually do so I hope it's still good! (I also messed around with dialogue)

~

Dorm Leaders/Housewardens getting proposed to with a ring pop?!

He sees you lower yourself to the ground and get on one knee, while the two of you are in public. Then he hears, "Will you marry me ____?". But what's that in the ring box? Huh? A ring pop!? What could his reaction be...

Riddle Rosehearts

You were both at an un-birthday party, nearing its end. He goes as red as his hair immediately, "H-Huh? OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

Now it's not that he wouldn't want to marry you in the future it's just you're both in front of so many people! He'll apologize for using his unique magic while you're together in private later.

Leona Kingscholar

He goes to class one day. ONCE. He's amused, however, "Huh, so you want to get married already, Herbivore?"

He's so smug about it, Although you can tell he was shocked at first from how his ears and tail shot up, for a second. Depending on how long you've been together he might actually go ring shopping for a full-out engagement ring for you!

Azul Ashengrotto

You know that one manager thing where they randomly walk around the restaurant they manage and are like "are u enjoying ur service". That's how you do this, he pops by your table in Monstro Lounge. "..."

He just freezes...blue screens, etc. His face flushes a bit, but you'll most likely end up talking more about this after the Lounge closes for the day/night.

Kalim Al-Asim

It was at one of his parties! He gets excited, "Oh! I do! :D"

When/if you get married in the future in the little goodie bags for guests he'll have ring pops put in them!!

Vil Schoenheit

At least you only did this in the Pomefiore dorm main area. This man is just so done, he can't. "Potato, why?"

He doesn't even mean this in a rude way, he is just genuinely curious as to why...with a ring pop...in public...?

Idia Shroud

The only time he leaves his room...All these people staring? Kinda terrifying ngl... He noticeably is blushing as well, "Why is such an SSR event happening like this!?!?!"

Sighs, gamer words for the gamer dude. He'll accept the ring pop though.

Malleus Draconia

It was at Ramshackle (Dw it's still public😎the 1st years were there!)

"Oh, you would like to be wed, Child of Man?"

He'll start courting you officially after this💀. He'd find a way to keep the ring pop good, and wear it as an actual engagement ring💀.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #twst fanfic #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle x reader #leona kingscholar #leona kingscholar x reader #leona x reader #azul ashengrotto #azul ashengrotto x reader #azul x reader #kalim al asim #kalim al asim x reader #kalim x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #vil x reader #idia shroud #idia shroud x reader #idia x reader #malleus draconia #malleus draconia x reader #malleus x reader #dorm leaders #twst dorm leaders #twst dorm heads #dorm leaders x reader #twst housewardens

[bakuliwrites]

This might be a little oddly specific, but what about The Arcana Main six with an MC whose family does not support the relationship? (possibly doesn’t like the LI, doesn’t want to give their blessing, overall just disapproves of the LI)

Thank you and best of wishes xxx

I would be delighted to write this one! Thank you so much for your request and I wish you the best as well 💜

M6 when MC's Family Does Not Approve of Them

It would certainly hurt Asra to know that your family doesn't approve of your relationship with him, or perhaps doesn't even approve of him. All Asra wants is for you to be happy, so knowing that he may somehow be contributing to your unhappiness is devastating to him.

He wonders often if your family is disapproving of him because of your history with him. If your family knows what went down between the two of you before, during, and after the plague. Or perhaps they're simply wary of the magician. Of his powers. "There's no point in speculating," you say to him one day after a particularly stressful visit to your hometown. Asra casts a troubled glance your way before pulling you into his arms and pressing a tender kiss to your lips. You're right. All that matters is that you have each other.

He is a constant support in your life. If you have to visit your family, he is more than happy to be by your side, even if they don't care for him. And he's not about to let them take their frustrations or cruelty out on you. Fine, say unkind things about him. He can take it. But he's not going to let anyone hurt you. He'll stand up for you to your family. Whatever support you need from him, in whatever form, when it comes to your family, he's there for you!

His parents approve of you. In fact, they adore you! So he figures that the four of you (seven with Faust, Chimes, and Flamel!) can be your own little family 💜

Nadia is familiar with the feeling of family disapproving of a significant other. To say her marriage to Count Lucio was no picnic is an understatement, and with it came a lot of stress due to the fact that her family was incredibly displeased with him. But this doesn't mean that Nadia isn't deeply hurt by the fact that your family doesn't approve of the two of you being together.

At first, Nadia will probably go out of her way to try to win them over. Not in any ridiculous, over-the-top sorts of ways. But she'll offer any services of the palace, should your family need assistance with anything. She tries her absolute best to gift them with things that she knows they would like, and with your recommendations for what they might like/need.

After a while though, when nothing seems to be working, you sit her down and politely tell her not to bother anymore. "I just don't understand," you manage to whisper through the threat of tears. She lets you collapse into her, holding you close as you weep. She smooths away your tears with the pads of her thumbs and gives you a warm smile. "Sometimes things bear no explanation," she reasons, pressing a featherlight kiss to your lips, "All we can do is carry on with our lives and do what brings us joy."

Nadia isn't petty. Your family is still invited to all events she hosts, to every party, and ball and what not. But her gaze is cold and disapproving when she glances at your family members from across the room. She's quick to defend you, too. Her support is invaluable to you, and she wants you to know that she'll always have your back, even if your family doesn't 💜

Julian is devastated that your family doesn't like him. He's aware that he's not everybody's cup of tea. Normally, that doesn't get to him. But the fact that it's your family cuts him deep. He's not worried about himself, though. No, he can handle it when people don't like him. He is, however, worried about what it all means for you.

He frets often about their disapproval. He wonders if you would be better off being with someone else, someone that your family actually approves of, but he tries to quash that unhealthy train of thought. The two of you have a lot of late night discussions and debriefs about your family. Especially if you've had to interact with them extensively, say at an uncomfortable family dinner or gathering.

"Maybe I should simmer down a little when we're around your family," Julian suggests, worrying that he's a bit too boisterous for them or something. You shake your head, "No, you shouldn't. You should still be you. If they can't handle it, that's their problem." He admires your ability to stay strong, even though he knows your family's disapproval is painful for you. He wants to stay strong for you, too.

He'll be right by your side if you have to attend any family gatherings. Julian will slip his hand into yours and squeeze it tight if he can feel that you're getting stressed, or press a soft kiss to your cheek. He'll defend you if your family has the audacity to say anything about your relationship. He knows you've got his back, too. And luckily, his family adores you. You, Portia, and Mazelinka are the most important people in the world to him, and that's all that matters to Julian 💜

I think it would break Portia's heart if your family didn't approve of her or your relationship with her. She lost her family young, but was able to make one with her brother and the grandmas in Nevivon, so I think she would really be hoping to include your family in her own.

Whenever the two of you go to visit your family, Portia always brings a baked gift to try to smooth things over. She is polite and courteous, offers to help out around the kitchen, and tidy up after dinner. But none of it seems to smooth things over with your family. She starts to wonder if maybe she isn't good enough for them, if you'd be better off with someone of a little higher status or something.

"Nonsense," you tell her back at her cottage, snuggled up in bed together, "My family's opinion doesn't matter to me anyway." She smiles ruefully at you, knowing deep down that that isn't true. She can see the way it hurts you, but nonetheless, you put on a brave face. "It's okay if it's not okay," she whispers, pressing a soft kiss to your lips. You give her a small smile, squeezing her hand tight, "You're what matters to me, Portia," you reassure.

Portia gets feisty if she needs to with your family, if they're being cruel to you. But otherwise, she tries to keep the peace if the two of you do have to interact with them. She has bouts of insecurity, where she feels like maybe it would be best if you found someone your family approved of. But you are quick to reassure her, and your obvious love for her is enough to prove that the two of you are meant to be 💜

Though Muriel is reserved, I feel that a lot of him would have been hoping to be able to become a part of your family, given that he lost his when he was so little. Having grown-up on his own, Muriel hoped that your family would be gracious enough to accept him into their circle, but unfortunately, that's not the case.

He wonders late at night when his thoughts keep him up if his past has anything to do with why your family doesn't approve of him. He wouldn't blame them. "Maybe we should just go our separate ways," he offers one afternoon after a particularly uncomfortable luncheon with your family. You frown at Muriel, quirking an eyebrow up, "Break-up with me because you want to break-up with me. Not because you think my family would like it."

And with that, it dawns on Muriel that you're with him despite what your family thinks of him. That you care about him, truly and deeply. That this is probably incredibly painful for you, too. "I love you, Muriel. I don't care what anyone else thinks," you say to him, spelling it our clearly and precisely.

You and Muriel decide that you don't need your family to approve. The two of you, and Inanna, are a family. And Asra, and Nadia, and Portia, and Julian (though Muriel agrees to this begrudgingly). The two of you have people in your life that care about you, that love and cherish you. Blood doesn't always mean everything, and the connections that you and Muriel have formed together, the bonds you've made, are what matter most 💜

At first, Lucio is flabbergasted as to why your family doesn't like him. He's so likeable, so what gives??? But over time, it dawns on him why your family might not approve of your relationship with him, and why they probably don't like him at all.

For a long time, he tries to win them over with overly-elaborate gifts that increase in amount (and in price) in the hopes of winning them over. He's desperate to gain your family's approval, hoping that at some point, he'll happen to send the right present and suddenly, all will be well. All will be forgiven and Lucio will be in their good graces.

When this doesn't work, he makes a show of expressing his adoration for you. He tries to talk to your family and convince them of how much he loves you. But nothing works. Lucio starts to feel defeated. "Why don't they like me?" he whimpers one evening, after another failed attempt at winning them over. You smile softly, gently tilting his chin up to look at you. "It doesn't matter what they think, Lucio," you reassure, brushing your lips featherlight against his, "You're important to me. I don't care what they think, and neither should you."

He stops trying so hard to gain their favor, and instead opts to ignore their existence (unless you have to visit them, in which case he'll try his best to be polite, but will likely come off as curt). Lucio feels a swell of confidence at your words. Oh yeah, that's right, it doesn't matter what they think! Lucio loves you, and you love Lucio, and that's all that matters 💜

#the arcana #asra alnazar #nadia satrinava #julian devorak #portia devorak #muriel of the kokhuri #lucio morgasson #count lucio #arcana headcanons #dani headcanons #my writing #request #asra x reader #nadia x reader #julian x reader #portia x reader #muriel x reader #lucio x reader

[jester-lover]

Hobie with a Desi! S/O

cw/ fem! Reader, horrible attempt at writing British people, including multiple desi cultures bc my girlies need all the representation we can get (it’s slim pickings out here) all fluff, some cultural struggles, but everything is resolved, mentions of insecurities

(LONG POST- headcanons and a drabble)

I'm goth and I had a literary awakening when Hobie showed up

There are literally only two ways I see the two of you meeting

The first involves you being a friend/relative of Pavitir’s, who is exceptionally happy his two homies are getting along

In this situation, Hobie would know a little more about you from the get go, and you most likely would know about him (Pav thinks he’s so cool, he’ll talk about his friends to anyone who’ll listen)

Another; in my opinion, funnier, way for the two of you to meet is him accidentally crashing a desi wedding when he’s on Spidey business

You would be mildly peeved with him for disturbing the wedding, but his spunk and generally opinionated personality make you fall for him

Either way, congratulations! You have the world’s loveliest punk boyfriend

As a boyfriend, Hobie loves helping out in any activity you need help with

He’s the type of boy who tries his absolute hardest to be there for any event that is important to you

No matter if its a massive grad party or a late night pizza run, Hobie is there and having the time of his life

Now, moving onto the cultural aspect, Hobie adores learning about other cultures

Your family is weary of him at first, because of the way he dresses primarily

He manages to find a place in their hearts after they see the way he treats you (with respect and dignity!!!!)

Also the fact that he eats whatever your mom makes, entire plate, man will lick it clean

(I mean, have you seen how much British people love takeaway?)

“Is your mum home yet?” “She’s making something good I bet, she always is.”

He can HANDLE spice, and he’s good with kids (his interaction with Mayday proved that to me)

Your parents may end up, in a shocking event, liking him!

Hobie is your biggest hype man whenever you wear cultural clothes, especially if they’re a little on the edgy side, dark colors and all that

Lehengas, shalwar kameez, sarees, etc, he loves them all

“You're dressed up, aren’t you?”

He’ll explain it to you in this mysticised ‘stepping on eurocentric beauty standards’ type of way, but you know deep down he just thinks you're super pretty

He’s obsessed with your features, no matter what you look like, he thinks you have the most perfect face in the world

If you ever make Hobie Desi food, he’ll be in love with you forever

He loves pani puri, especially if the pani is a lil spicier

His love language is acts of service, and you making him something to eat is like, you are nourishing him?? With bomb Desi food?? he’s is seeing heaven rn

He most DEF asks Pav (who then asks Gayatri) for advice on how to impress you

This leads to him, hanging onto your windowsill, with a Mendhi tube in his hand, and a calm smile on his face

As Hobie slid off his mask, his gorgeous hair fell to the sides of his sharp face. Placing the spiky mask on your side table, he sauntered towards your bed, abruptly sitting down and motioning for you to follow him. 

You sighed, and smiled as you took your spot in front of him. He was alway so considerate, taking your interests into mind whenever he swung by.

“You know, I’m not a pro at this or anything.”

He grinned, almost wolfishly, and placed the small sharp tipped tube into your lap.

“I could care less, do anything on my hands.”

You gently took one of his hands into both of yours, spreading it out to see the flesh of his palm, his nails were painted red this week, courtesy of you, of course.

His long bony hand flexed as you gently took off each of his silverish rings, one by one. 

You were completely focused on this simple act, treating him with a gentleness only you could offer him, a complete contrast from his usual existence. 

“I don’t have a lot of time today, my cousin’s getting married, we have to go to some pre wedding events.”

Hobie perked up in interest, sliding his free hand to smooth out your gingham sheets.

“And what do you plan to wear?”

His mind flashed through all the traditional clothes he’s seen you in, each more ornate and beautiful than the last.

“The lehenga most likely, the peach-ish one, with the sparkles.”

You undid the little plastic pin at the top of the Mehendi tube, applying a slight pressure and making a small line on his palm to start out with.

Hobie looked at you closely, remembering the last time he saw that specific lehenga.

“That one’s cute.”

You laughed a little, looking down at your messy drawing.

“I was going for a flower but it sorta looks like a palm tree.”

He looked down at his hand, a messy smudgy, and less than finished flower was on his palm.

“Maybe, a couple more petals on the top, yeah?”

You squeezed the Mendhi tube again, carefully drawing three extra petals on the top.

“There! I think that's good.”

Hobie looked down at his palm and kept a laugh back, poorly albeit.

The flower wasn’t necessarily bad, just a little wonky.

“It's absolutely beautiful.”

You smiled.

“Hold your hand still until it dries, then peel off the crumbly bits, okay?”

Hobie mockingly saluted with his other hand, matching your smile.

“Anything you say.”

You giggled, taking his face in your hands gently, careful to avoid snagging one of his piercings.

“What am I ever gonna do without you?”

His expression turned a little soft, keeping his smile steady.

“Let's hope it never has to come to that.”

#reader insert #fanfic #fanfiction #female reader #fem!reader #spider man: across the spider verse #spiderverse spoilers #spider punk #hobart brown #hobie brown x reader #hobie x reader #hobie brown #spider punk x you #spiderpunk x reader #spider punk x reader #desi!reader #desi reader #spiderverse x reader #self indulgence time #spiderman #spiderman x reader #hobie my beloved #british people #spiderpunk x y/n #spiderpunk x you #headcanons #drabble #fluff #fluff drabble #fluff headcanons

[90skiyoomi]

priceless

rich!sakusa kiyoomi x f!reader

sakusa kiyoomi, one of the wealthiest man, and his most prized possession.

fluff

a/n: no proofreading. i finishing writing this at 5:54am and i'm exhausted so i'm pretty sure it's quite messy but i hope you enjoy this!

sakusa kiyoomi isn't the kind of person to flaunt his wealth but from the way he dresses himself, and the way he does things, even the smallest thing like walking, you know that man is wealthy.

he isn't much of a spender when it comes to himself. he has, however, indulged in spending millions on a nice penthouse right in the middle of the bustling nyc. he owns one fancy matte black lamborghini but that's about how far he would go to spending on himself. maybe a few nice suits here and there for formal parties that his parents basically dragged him to, and galas to raise funds for charities, you won't see sakusa spending a lot.

unless it comes to you.

how you both met still astounds him (and you) till this day. you remember working at a small local cafe near your university to make some extra cash as allowance as you didn't want to burden your parents more financially, not after they paid for your degree fully with their hard earned money.

it's not like your family was poor. in fact, your parents make a decent amount of money to feed all the children in the house, having plenty of extra money laying around. but being the oldest, you've grown to be more independent than the rest of your siblings, lessening the burden on your parents whenever you can.

it was just a normal day at the cafe. as you wipe down the round wooden table and clearing all the cups that was left by the people that were just sitting here, you heard the bell ringing, signaling that a customer had just walked in.

"hi, welcome to cafe du monde," you greeted the tall man.

he must have been at least 6'2, you thought to yourself, as a shadow casted in front of you when he walked towards the counter.

you quickly took the basket with all the dirty cups behind the counter, washed your hands with soap and drying it with the paper towel nearby before making your way to the counter to take his order.

"one cafe au lait and a butter croissant please," his voice ringed in your ears.

you keyed in his order into the POS system.

"that would be $7. how would you like to pay?"

"by credit card," he chimed monotonously, handing you a centurion american express card.

you swiped his card and you handed him his card and a receipt.

"take a seat. i will bring your order over to you once it's ready!" you said, in your best "customer service" voice.

he nodded and walked to the furthest and quietest corner of the cafe.

you watched amusingly as this tall figure made his way to his seat, mentally slapping yourself for gawking at him like his your next meal before preparing his order.

you handed his coffee and pastry and he returned a quiet thank you, before going back to whatever he was doing on his phone.

little did you know, he was texting his cousin, komori, about this petite waitress (an exaggeration because has he seen how he towers over basically everything) that just served him and how he was internally freaking out, and how his heart skipped a beat when you accidentally brushed your finger against him when you pass him back his card.

and your smile.

what was this feeling? he thought.

sakusa was not only good-looking, he was so filthy rich that he had girls swarming him at every event he's been to. we're talking about girls that were so pretty that they could be runway models. so why did a regular waitress at a small local cafe managed to make him feel this way?

he was so lost in his thoughts that he lost track of time, not noticing how late it was. he finish the last sip of his coffee and made his way out, not forgetting to slip his number to you over the counter with a cheesy "hi, i think you're really pretty."

you ended your shift shortly after and decided to text him. i mean, a handsome man that seemed like he was molded by god himself gave you his number. it's as if you have just sturck the lottery, you thought.

"hey stranger"

sent.

you facepalmed yourself and cringed at the message that you just sent to him.

"hey you" your phone chimed a few seconds after.

that was the start of many conversations you both shared.

life works in a very funny way because 5 years later, the both of you were celebrating your 4th year anniversary.

remember how sakusa doesn't flaunt his wealth or even spend too much on himself?

throughout your entire relationship with him, you can count the amount of times you actually paid for things with just both your hands.

the number of times where he sneaks your wallet out of your already packed bag and place it somewhere high at the shared apartment (more like his apartment) so that he could pay for you because "you can't seemed to find your wallet anywhere"

the number of times where he basically dragged you into balenciaga and prada because "he wanted to check out some new collections" only for him to pick things out specifically and specifically for you.

the number of times where you tried to sneakily pay for the meal while he's in the washroom freshening himself up, only to find out that the bill has already been paid for.

his deceiving stoic look as you know how much of a softie he is when it comes to you.

he treats you with so much care, throwing some banters here and there as he teases you about how you should just be his personal housewife and go shopping with the sub-card that he gave you 1 year into your relationship and let him be the one working. you always laugh at his comment, saying how you can't just throw away your degree just so he can have an excuse to spend more money on you.

you can't say that you hate that he's pampering you this way, because you knew his love language was gift giving. it's just that you want to be able to pamper him too with your hard earned money (which you do, whenever you can).

"happy 4th year anniversary, baby" he coos, as he cut another piece of A5 miyazaki wagyu steak in a restaurant that he fully booked so that the both of you can enjoy your evening together.

"happy 4th anniversary, omi" you smiled.

sakusa kiyoomi doesn't flaunt his wealth but you were his prized possession.

and he would trade anything to be with you over and over again.

and he would do anything to be able to flaunt you to the whole world

#haikyuu au #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu sakusa #sakusa x reader #sakusa x you #sakusa comfort #sakusa fluff #sakusa scenarios #sakusa fic #sakusa kiyoomi #sakusa drabble #sakusa headcanons #sakusa imagines #sakusa kyoomi headcanons #sakusa kyoomi x reader #sakusa oneshot #sakusa x y/n

[nicohischierz]

dress: nico hischier

tani speaks: did i right another nico fic where he’s dating his female teammate? yes because i need a distracting and this was the only thing i could think off

it was natural for you and nico to show up at team events together considering you were roommates. what members of the team missed were the longing stares between the two of you or the way your fingers roamed each other's body.

you'd always try to cover the marks nico left on your body as the two of you enjoyed the night together. none of the guys on the team saw the small number 13 tattooed on your outer wrist, a late-night decision after dinner with your boyfriend.

when the two of you were out in public, there was no indication of your secret romance. nico would always end up in a group with timo, jonas and erik as you joined jack, dawson and now luke.

all six of them were oblivious to the way you and the captain barely contributed to the conversation at hand just to be able to resist going over to one another and ruining everything.

no one knew that you and nico would spend the night in each other's bed on the road or how the two of you would order room service, put on a good movie and call it a date just to avoid getting caught.

it was the night of your 21st birthday. the devils wags had kept you occupied the whole day getting ready for the night's festivities. before the party began, the girls had helped you get dressed in a short silver dress with a plunging neckline.

the moment you had tried the dress on, you knew nico would appreciate it. and you were right. the second nico saw you step out of the elevator.

"y/n," he mumbled the second he was able to get you alone. at that moment you felt as if it was only you and nico up on that roof. the noise of your cheering teammates and their significant others silenced as you relished in your captain's arms.

you and nico lasted two hours before you feigned being too drunk to walk and decided it was time to go home. the second nico stepped into your apartment he already made a move on taking your dress off.

he wasted no time taking you to your shared bedroom to show you just how crazy you made him feel. you told him how you bought the dress with him in mind and that made him go crazier.

over the time you and nico dated you enjoyed the sneaking around and secret touches when no one was looking. the way the two of you would go out with the team and be completely normal but the second you came home you knew you'd have trouble covering the marks the next day.

some of the wags picked up on the subtle hints that something was going on between you and nico. they watched the way nico would whisper something in your ear, causing you to blush. of course, when they asked their significant others they were oblivious to the whole ordeal.

luke was the only one who caught on.

everyone had gone out for a team dinner with the families. you were sat next to nico on one side and luke was sitting opposite the two of you.

the night was filled with wine bottle after wine bottle, but seeing as you, jack and dawson had some drinks prior to coming for dinner you were slightly tipsy.

luke noticed how you would whisper something into nico's ear and giggle as the captain kept a straight face. the young hughes boy didn't miss the way you would place a kiss on nico's neck or shoulder whenever you laid your head on him.

it was also at the dinner that luke noticed the tattoo on your outer wrist. the one so clearly meant for the man sitting next to you.

you spent the night thinking you and nico managed to keep your romance a secret from everyone.

but you were wrong.

everyone at the table watched the way you and nico interacted. the way you unconsciously kept you hand intertwined with his as you engaged in conversation with someone else. they watched the looks of love nico sent your way.

it clicked then to some of the wags.

the way you would smile when wearing a dress, you were thinking about the way nico would react to it when the two of you were out in public.

when you and nico reached your apartment that night you whispered in his ear "I only bought this dress so you could take it off,"

#nico hischier imagine #nicohischierz writes #nico hischier x player!reader

[jokeroutsubs]

Nace Jordan for Slovenian online journal Aleteia

From performing at Ritem srca (Rhythm of the Heart) to Eurovision: "I value honesty the most"

03.06.2023

Interview with Nace Jordan, bassist of Joker Out

"Thank you, don't count on us..." This is a segment of their currently hottest song Carpe diem, taken out of context. Two weeks ago at Eurovision we were counting on them quite a lot. Despite finishing 21st they did not let us down, as we got to witness an energetic, playful and colourful musical delicacy.

We are glad you managed to take some time for Aleteia during the exciting post-Eurovision events. The youngest member of Joker Out according to length of service, and the wisest according to age, the likeable bassist Nace Jordan.

Congratulations for your wonderful Eurovision performance. Have you gone deaf due to the crowds that have excitedly welcomed you yet?

(laughter) We haven't gone deaf, but the reactions were very nice. We heard that people in Slovenia were watching and loudly cheering for us, especially during the semi-finals performance. All of this is very 'extra'.

Did anything disappoint you in Liverpool?

I can't say we were disappointed about anything. Maybe I would mention that they were promising us 'crazy' parties, which take place during Eurovision. They were great, but not as special as we were promised.

How long has it taken for the adrenaline to calm down after Eurovision?

Personally, I have not yet managed to recover from it all. All together it was very mentally and physically exhausting, but because of our love for music, we managed to pull through.

When coming home, was it difficult to switch from a huge event, where everything is about you, and come into a familiar, calm environment and simply go to the store?

We are lucky enough that since coming home from Great Britain, we have had so many things happen that we haven't yet had any time to lead a normal life, even to go to the store to buy something.

Currently we are positioned on various European charts. (Author's note: On the day of the interview (interview posted 03/06/2023) the group is fourth on the Spotify Global Viral chart; the only fellow Eurovision contestants above them are Finnish representative Käärijä and Swedish representative Loreen. Overall they have surpassed the 1,500,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Source: evrovizija.com.)

Marvelous!

All of this feels unreal and nice and it gives us a lot of energy. In addition, many are beckoning us to concerts abroad. The dreams of each musician are to once spread from the narrow area of Ex-Yugoslavia to the markets all across Europe. We decided that we will risk it, since the people want to hear us. We announced a concert in Dublin which we will perform with our Irish Eurovision friends. Let me say that the concert was sold out in 20 minutes. These are truly 'insane' numbers, which are not letting us catch our breaths after Liverpool.

The excitement of the crowds does not surprise us. When and how did the members of the group even meet?

Bojan Cvjetićanin and Kris Guštin met at a performance in secondary school, where Kris was the reporter of the school newspaper. After a while, Bojan invited Kris and Jan Peteh into the band. After a while Jure Maček joined, and last year myself as well.

You came into the band last, yet it seems as though you've been with the boys since their beginnings in 2016.

That's right.

Nace, we have already managed to observe you well on stage. We see that you're all smiles, brave and energetic. How would you describe yourself?

Really? (laughter) I would describe myself as silent and smiley. Due to me being the oldest member of the band (Author's note: Nace is 28, the ages of the other members vary between 23 and 24), I have noticed that I have a different view of things than the other members of the band.

So the age gap is noticeable?

I think so.

In short, describe the other members of the band.

Bojan is intuitive, Maček playful, Guštin serious. And I can't describe Jan in any other way than saying that he is a pure artist.

Do you have other occupations, not connected to music?

I can speak for the entire band when I say that no one does anything besides music. Well, Bojan may occasionally appear in a commercial or two. (laughter)

What is the atmosphere among you? Do you trust and help each other?

No doubt, without it we couldn't have handled the pressure of Eurovision. Everything was easier because there were five of us. If someone was feeling down, the others noticed right away and gave him some space. Or offered him to talk - whatever he needed in that moment.

I liked it how you said at the press conference in Liverpool that you wouldn't consume alcohol before the performance. I have also noticed that you know how to express yourself in interviews. And we can't forget the fact that you sang in Slovene at Eurovision. Do you think it's important to maintain our language?

The fact that we sang in Slovene at Eurovision should say it all. We love Slovene and we find it the most appropriate for expressing ourselves, both in songs and conversation.

In the song Carpe diem, among other things, you sing about how you are against hate. How do you, as Nace Jordan, take steps toward a kinder society?

Let me correct that the song itself is not only against hatred, but it also talks about how we have to seize each day and look at the bright side. We ourselves are the only ones who have control over the fact that we wake up in the morning and make the best of the day. Personally, I make a person's day by smiling at them and consequently giving them a good feeling.

During your concerts, unexpected things are bound to happen. Would you let us in on any such event?

Not everything is of public nature. But I can mention that recently we had a concert in Umag. It took us a very long time to find the entrance to the concert hall. Luckily, we managed to find it right before the concert. We were really close to missing our own performance. (laughter)

Nace, Joker Out is not the first band in which you played. In the past you have collaborated with many Slovene performers, you are a member of Diamanti ('Diamonds' - the RTV house band) who take care of the musical accompaniment for the show 'V petek zvečer' ('On Friday Evening' - a show on Slovene national TV).

I don't know how much longer, sadly time is tight.

Your friends mention that you're a real-life 'jukebox', as you still remember the melodies of all the 200 songs that you performed during your times on the cruise ship.

That's true.

How was it, playing on a large ship away from shore?

When others went to study, I went to play on the ship. At that moment I chose to dedicate my life to music. This was one of the nicest and best decisions I've ever made. The half year spent on the cruise ship shaped me into the musician I am today. Living on a ship with so many people was a real school of interpersonal relations.

Was the music you performed always according to your taste?

Of course not, amongst the less favoured were for example German hit songs. (laughter)

I can't not mention that you were a member of the accompanying band at 'Ritem srca' ('Rhythm of the Heart' - festival of modern Christian music) and at the concert of 'Radio Ognjišče' ('Radio Fireplace' - a Christian Catholic radio in Slovenia). What is your memory of that experience?

I was looking forward to performing at Ritem srca this year as well. But sadly we had concerts and practice with Joker Out, so it wasn't possible. Ritem srca is one of the more pleasant festivals in Slovenia and I do not have a single bad experience with it. All participants were not only kind but also in good spirits and energetic. That is exactly what the world needs, it's 'carpe diem' in principle.

Who is the best performer of spiritual rhythmic music according to you?

I can mention Matej Šoklič, who I know personally. And Franci Rotar. Franci is a real 'character'. Every time I meet him he brightens and improves my day.

Speaking of spiritual music... Have you had to give up something that did not align with your personal beliefs during your musical career?

I avoid politics.

At the moment, Joker Out are a role model for many youths. What do you admire in a person?

It may sound cliché, but I appreciate honesty the most, both a frank critique and praise. With time I forget that I'm good at something, so it feels really nice when someone reminds me of it.

~

Translation cr.: @beeoftheanxieties

#joker out #nace jordan #bojan cvjeticanin #bojan cvjetićanin #kris gustin #kris guštin #jan peteh #jure macek #jure maček

[kpopfanfictrash]

Love to Hate (Ch. 8)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Genre: Fuck Buddies / Enemies to Lovers

Pairing: Jungkook / Reader

Synopsis: Born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you've done your best to rid yourself of the taste since you were old enough to walk. Occasionally though, your mother manages to rope you into an obligatory function – or a blind date with playboy billionaire, Jeon Jungkook. Jungkook stands for everything you loathe about the world you left behind, but you can’t deny the spark of attraction between you. Intrigued by the promise of mutual satisfaction, you agree to one night in bed… and quickly realize you’re in far, far deeper than you ever intended.

Rating: 18+ (not an explicit chapter) 

Warnings: mentions of cheating (past)

Word Count: 10,561

“I don’t have to point out the irony, do I?” Hoseok shouts to be heard over the wind. “The fact that you’re terrified of open water, but run an organization dedicated to saving the ocean?”

“Nope,” you say, gripping the rope like a lifeline. “No need to point out the obvious.”

Hoseok grins. “Anytime,” he laughs, stepping onto the yacht.

Determinedly, you stare at the gangplank before you. You can do this, you reason. People walk onto boats every day and walk off them, alive. There’s no reason you would be the one to trip, fall into the ocean and be devoured by a shark. Or worse.

Shit. Now you’re thinking about what worse would be.

When Olya suggested this meeting, you agreed without really listening to the particulars. The particulars were important though, since they involved meeting Doug Johnson – reticent mayor of Marine Cove himself – onboard a yacht owned by one of Seokjin’s friends. A meeting during which you’ll be setting sail for several hours.

On the open ocean. Alone.

Most likely, you’ll die.

At least today will be a distraction, you think, gingerly placing a foot on the gangplank. After the events of the past week, you’ve done everything short of flinging yourself into the sun to distance your thoughts from Jungkook.

Forcing your concentration, you run the last several steps to enter the ship. Catching your breath, you turn and find Hoseok looking bemused.

Casual, he pushes his glasses up his nose. “Come on.” Hoseok turns. “Liam should be here any minute.”

Ah, yes – the other nerve-wracking part of today.

Marine Cove still hasn’t given a response about whether they’ll participate in your coastal ecosystem project. In a final effort, Hoseok suggested bringing Liam along. Marine Cove’s biggest worry is their main employer abandoning the town in retaliation. Hopefully, introducing Doug to Liam will remind Marine Cove there are other companies willing to work with Clean Ocean.

A promising idea, but one wreaking havoc on your sanity – what’s left of it, anyways. After your parents’ party on Saturday, you’re hanging on by a thread. First you introduced Liam to your parents way too soon and received their unfortunate approval, and then…

Well. And then.

Shutting out thoughts of Jungkook, you return to the problem at hand. Forcibly confronting your fear of open water might be the only thing planet capable of tearing your thoughts away from Jungkook.

At least only Hoseok saw your embarrassing entrance. He insisted on arriving a half-hour early to set up, resulting in no one seeing your struggle. By the time Olya and Liam get here, hopefully your motion sickness pills will have kicked in.

Beneath your feet, the boat gently rocks while you wait on the deck. Checking your phone, you see zero messages. Ignoring the way your heart pinches, you replace your phone as a man enters the stern.

“You must be Y/N and Hoseok,” he says with a grin.

Stepping forward, the sun’s rays light him as though they belong there. Blonde hair, tan skin, and an easy smile – the man could be an advertisement for surfing but for a steadiness which makes you trust him implicitly. Safely, you assume he must be the captain.

“Yes,” you say, shaking his outstretched hand. “And you must be… Noah?”

“At your service.” Finished with greetings, Noah steps back to lace both hands before him. “Would you like a tour of the vessel before heading upstairs? That’s where the table has been set up for your meeting.”

“Sure.” Hoseok cuts off your noise of protest. “That’d be great.”

Nodding, Noah turns and disappears down the hall.

You tug on Hoseok’s sleeve. “Didn’t you want to prepare for the meeting?” you hiss.

“This is preparing. Or don’t you want to know where the exits are?”

Hoseok has a point, so you nod and follow suit. The boat – yacht? Ship? –is beautiful, you have to admit. It belongs to one of Seokjin’s family friends and whatever he did to allow your use, you don’t want to know.

The interior is clean and white with bright wooden beams overhead. Having entered from the stern, you follow Noah through the interior to reach the bow. He points out several rooms as you pass – staff quarters, an equipment room, a game space and more.

You nod, slightly dazed when you come to a stop at a narrow staircase. At the top, the view frankly takes away your breath. Hoseok lets out a low whistle, climbing behind you.

“Damn,” he says, stopping to take in the view.

Ahead is the bow, waterproof cushions laid out for sunning. A steel ladder descends to the deck – one you won’t be using, you decide. The marina stretches beyond it, and past that lies the ocean in waves of pure blue. It hurts your eyes and, squinting at the brightness, you turn away.

Immediately you spot the table Noah mentioned – a small, four-person space set with paper, pens and assorted drinks and snacks.

Noticing your glance, Noah asks, “Will it be just you two today?”

“We’re expecting three more,” says Hoseok. “So, we need another chair.”

Taking this all in stride, Noah nods. “I’ll go and grab one. You two make yourselves at home.”

Once he’s gone, you look at Hoseok. “Three?”

“Mhm.” He nods. “I asked Olya to come.”

Pointedly not meeting your gaze, Hoseok pulls out a chair to sit at the table. Hiding a smile, you leisurely join.

“So,” you say, nonchalant. “Olya’s coming.”

“So. You’re scared of fish.”

Your smile vanishes. “I’m not scared of fish, Hobi. I want fish to live in a clean and safe environment. I just don’t think people give the ocean the respect it deserves!”

Lips twitching, Hoseok shakes his head. “It is pretty spectacular, I’ll admit,” he says, gazing around the deck.

“I know,” you agree. “When we’re docked, I appreciate it even more. I just wish we’d stay in the harbor today.”

“We are.” Hoseok closes his eyes. “I was fucking with you when I said we’d be at open sea.”

You gape for a moment before smacking him – hard – on one arm. Hoseok laughs and jerks upright, swatting right back. Before you can fully berate him, someone calls from below.

“Hello?” Liam’s voice drifts from the staircase. “Anyone here?”

“We’re up here,” you call back. “Hoseok and I are upstairs!”

Liam’s hair appears first, windswept and golden. His eyes crinkle as they emerge, revealing a smile when he clears the last steps. On the landing he pauses to take in your surroundings.

“Wow.” Liam whistles. “What does your friend do again?”

“It’s not his boat,” you say, rising from your chair. “But it is beautiful.”

Turning from the ocean, Liam’s gaze darkens when he sees you. “It’s not the only thing,” he agrees, dropping his voice so Hoseok won’t hear.

His words prompt butterflies in your stomach, the unmistakable pleasure of being complimented and – that’s it. Nothing beyond that. No sweaty palms, throbbing heart, or sudden speechlessness. Before you can adequately mask your disappointment, Hoseok jumps in.

“Should we go over the plan?” he asks. “Before Doug arrives.”

Retreating from you, Liam nods and gestures for you to sit first.

“Sure thing,” he says, and you rejoin the table.

Since Saturday, you’ve been in contact with Liam nearly every day. Nothing crazy, just a hey, how are you here and a goodnight text there. Your exchanges have been pleasant, if not exciting.

Which is a good thing, you remind yourself.

Liam is the exact opposite of crying alone in a hotel bathroom until you can breathe easily enough to pretend nothing happened.

Holding onto this, you glance upward and catch Hoseok watching. His brows furrow, and he stares a moment longer than necessary before Captain Noah returns.

“Ah, another one,” he says, setting down the fifth chair. Good-naturedly, Noah sticks out his hand for Liam to shake. “Apologies for not greeting you at the dock. Wanted to make sure everything was set up here.”

Half-rising, Liam offers a smile. “No problem at all,” he says, shaking hands. “Beautiful boat you have here.”

“Not mine.” Laughing a little, Noah withdraws. “But beautiful, all the same. I’ll head downstairs to greet the rest of your guests. Let me know if you need anything!”

“Thanks, Noah!” you call as he leaves.

Silence falls when he leaves, save for the wind off the ocean. A quick glance at Hoseok shows him texting someone, probably Olya.

“So.” Liam leans in. “Strategy?”

“Right,” you exhale.

Earlier, you printed out copies of Hoseok’s talking points. Accepting the paper you hand him, Liam quickly scans the page as Hoseok’s phone dings.

“That’s Olya,” he says, jumping up. “I’ll go get her.”

You have no time to protest before Hoseok disappears. Taking advantage of his absence, Liam leans forward until his knee presses to yours.

“So,” he says, his voice low. “I enjoyed meeting your family on Saturday.”

“Did you?” You blink, unable to mask your surprise. “That has to be my first time hearing that.”

“Granted” – Liam laughs – “those types of parties aren’t my thing, but it was nice to be introduced to people as your boyfriend.”

“Ah.” You hesitate. “You… really don’t need to worry about that. Jason tends to get carried away.”

“I didn’t mind,” Liam says, not hearing the subtext. “I liked when he said it.”

“Oh. Sure.”

Sinking a little, you ponder how best to fix this when Olya and Hoseok return. Pasting a smile over your face, you make room for Olya as Liam asks Hoseok a question.

While they’re talking, you can’t help but look at Liam.

It was strange, how Liam acted on Saturday – or rather, how he didn’t act. Since meeting, Liam has said he doesn’t belong in your parents’ world but from what you saw, Liam fits in better than you. Take now, for instance. His crisp, linen trousers and white shirt are ready-made for a yacht. You’re ninety percent sure you’ve seen your father wear the same get-up.

You’re so entrenched in these thoughts, you nearly miss the moment Doug arrives. Hoseok notices though, the legs of his chair scraping as he stands.

“Mr. Johnson,” he says brightly. “Please, have a seat.”

Scanning the table, Doug nods and places his briefcase on the floor. “Hello, everyone,” he says, seating himself beside you. “I know Hoseok and Y/N, but I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting everyone else.”

“Liam Jessen.” Liam extends his hand. “CEO of Infinity Motors.”

Doug glances briefly at this, then back up. “I see.” His gaze cuts to Olya. “And you are?”

“Olya Cermak,” she supplies. “Head of Communication and Events for Clean Ocean.”

Doug nods, recognizing the name. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Now that we’re all acquainted,” you say, jumping in. “Shall we get started?”

“Yes, let’s.” Doug nods. “I suppose I can tell you the city council has yet to come to a decision regarding our participation. It might be best if we withdraw until after the pilot.”

His words cause your heart to sink, though you try not to show it.

“That would be a shame.” Hoseok pushes up his glasses. “We invited Mr. Jessen so that you could talk. I know you’re concerned about how temporary closures might affect small businesses. As a business owner himself, Liam might be able to better explain the benefits of our programs.”

“That’s right,” Liam says confidently. “Infinity Motors has always–”

“You’re a big business, though.” Turning away, Doug cuts Liam off. “I fail to see how your experiences are relevant to brick-and-mortar stores with seasonal customers. Just one month’s loss of income could be enough to drive them out of business.”

Liam falters, glancing at you with a panicked expression. Doug has a point though and, as you realize this, even Hoseok falls silent. Your last-ditch effort might be dead in the water.

Except.

Doug’s speech would be more convincing if he hadn’t told you his greatest fear was that clothing corporation. Painting himself as the savior of small business is laying it on a bit thick. The moment you think this, Jungkook comes to mind, and you hear your conversation play back in your mind.

Are you talking about blackmail?

No. I’m talking about explaining their options.

Teeth gritted, you have a momentary debate before deciding to hell with it. Smoothing your expression, you lean back in your seat.

“Doug,” you respond, folding your hands together. “Let’s all be honest, okay? You’re having second thoughts about participating in Clean Ocean’s program because of threats from a certain clothing company – right?”

Doug is silent long enough to confirm your suspicions.

You nod, as though in agreement. “I suppose I can’t fault you for that. You’re only looking out for your town and that company is a major employer.”

“That’s… true,” he says slowly.

Brow furrowed, Doug continues to look at you skeptically. Clearly, he doesn’t trust you and for good reason. Hoseok gives you a similar look and silently, you will him to hold on.

“Ultimately, Clean Ocean can find another town to pilot with.” You shrug. “Hell, we already have two other cities lined up. There’s unfortunately no shortage of polluted cities. The main reason we thought of you was because of said clothing company.”

Although Doug remains silent, he appears to be listening.

Reaching out, you take another sip of your water. “I know it can be hard to divorce the short-term from long-term. Right now, this company is threatening to leave. In the long term though, your tourist numbers continue to dwindle. Those businesses you claim to care about won’t have sustainable profits to live off much longer. I can only imagine what they’ll think once they hear their city council passed on a coastal renovation project.”

Hearing this, Doug’s eyes widen. 

“Is… that a threat?” he says, stunned.

“Of course not,” you say, keeping your expression neutral. “Merely an observation.”

“So, what then,” Doug blusters. “You’ll go over my head? Leak the news that we turned you down to the press?”

Hoseok makes a tsk-ing noise in the back of his throat.

“A news leak. No, no – nothing like that.” Doug’s momentary look of relief disappears when Hoseok continues, “It would be understandable though, if a lower-level employee accidentally published a release with our Head of Communications out of office. The one which lists Marine Cove as a program participant.”

Olya nods. “Terrible, but understandable. How can employees learn without making mistakes? Of course, it’d be embarrassing if Marine Cove needed to correct our materials. Explain how they turned down our offer.”

Looking slightly green, Doug glances between you. “The council won’t like this,” he warns.

He seems queasy enough for you to take pity. You know first-hand how companies like your parents’ operate. Setting down the water, you lean in.

“I meant what I said,” you tell him. “We can find another city to work with. The only reason I’m pressing is because I believe Marine Cove would benefit from this program. If you decide it’s not worth it – fine. All I’m doing is saying you have options if the council refuses to act in your town’s best interest.”

Something akin to hope rekindles in Doug’s gaze.

Relief seeps through you. That was a gamble, but you couldn’t help but notice Doug’s declinations always involve the city council. It sucks to be the messenger, especially when it’s for a cause you don’t believe in. Hopefully, your information helps Doug to push back.

Sensing you’ve outworn your welcome, you push back your chair.

“It might be worth asking,” you continue, “why the possibility of the public knowing the truth is so alarming to the council.”

Doug remains quiet, only looking up when Olya slides an envelope towards him.

“An invitation,” she says, standing as well. “For a pre-launch event this Friday. The launch party is next Saturday, but we’re holding a smaller gathering for investors and participants only. We hope to see you there.”

“Thank you,” Doug says, staring dazedly at the card.

Casting him a sympathetic look, Olya grabs her purse and turns away. Hoseok and Liam start to leave, the latter pausing at the top of the stairwell.

“Y/N, are you coming?” Liam asks.

You nod, although Doug still hasn’t moved. “In a minute,” you say, waving him onward. “You go ahead, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Liam departs.

You wait until his footsteps fade, wondering if he were someone else, would you have asked them to stay. As soon as you think this, you shake your head. There’s no point wondering what-ifs when you have a job to do.

“I’m not trying to be an asshole,” you say.

Doug gives a low laugh. “No?” he asks, looking up. “A happy coincidence, then.”

You ignore this. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before; all women in business have heard worse, especially when they need to be firm against men.

“I really do believe it’s for the best,” you continue. “I think you do, as well – despite what you said.”

Doug pauses, then stands and looks out at the ocean. “I know,” he says, shoulders drooping. “That’s what makes this so damned hard.”

Noticing he holds the Clean Ocean invitation, you decide to press on.

“The pre-launch party is more than just a gesture,” you offer. “Clean Ocean has a lot of investors. Infinity Motors is just one of them. If that clothing company does decide to leave…” 

You trail off, allowing him to fill in the blanks. A moment passes, then Doug turns his head.

“Who knows?” you say as you move towards the staircase. “Maybe you’ll find another company to replace them.”

Doug doesn’t respond, and you emerge on the lower deck to blink in the sunlight. Hoseok and Liam stand ahead of you, quietly conversing against the railing. Olya is beside them, frantically typing something on her phone. When they hear your approach, all three of them look up.

“Hey.” Breaking away, Liam smiles. “All done?”

“Yep,” you say. “I –”

Doug appears behind you.

“Thank you all for the meeting. Mr. Jessen,” he adds, glancing at Liam. “I’ll be reaching out to you with questions about your Clean Ocean involvement.”

Liam blinks, recovering enough to nod. “I look forward to it.”

Pulling sunglasses from his pocket, Doug slips them on. “You can expect my final response on the subject by the weekend.”

Hoseok lifts a brow. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

Glancing your way, you think Doug almost smiles before striding away. You wait until he’s out of view before you release your breath. Even Hoseok sags slightly before he whirls around.

“That was not in the bullet-points,” he huffs.

“I know, I know,” you groan, slumping on the wall. “But Hobi, he completely shut us down. I had to change directions.”

“I know,” Hoseok says. “And it was a risk, but… damn, it paid off. Good job.” Smiling a little, he pulls out his phone. “I need to head to the office, but you should stick around. Celebrate. Maybe take Seokjin’s boat for a spin around the marina.”

You glare daggers at him and Hoseok smirks, knowing that’s the last thing you’d want. Liam doesn’t seem to notice, looking around in surprise.

“This is the Kim family boat?”

“No,” you correct. “Just someone he knows. And no thanks to the joyride, but I will say goodbye to Noah.”

“No need,” Hoseok says. “Olya said goodbye for all of us.”

Olya nods. “Yeah, he mentioned something about preparing lunch. Hoseok,” she says, turning around. “Can I get a ride to the office? This Friday caterer is giving my assistant the runaround. Don’t worry,” she adds, spotting you. “I’ve got it covered.”

“Yeah, sure,” Hoseok says, fishing for his keys.

Liam glances between you. “Will you be heading into the office as well, Y/N?”

“Oh.” You pause. “I – well, I was planning to.”

“Oh.” His face falls a little. “Right. I was kind of hoping we could grab lunch.”

Guilt flashes through you at his expression. You have a ton of work at the office, but it would be nice to get some fresh air – on land, of course. And you did say you’d give Liam a chance. That means going on things like day dates.

“Okay, sure,” you allow, glancing at Hoseok. “Can you move all my afternoon meetings?”

“Sure, yeah. I’ll text Jason to call you back tomorrow.”

Again, you smack Hoseok, prompting laughter from Olya. “Anyways,” you say loudly, turning to Liam. “Yes, I’m free for lunch.”

“Great.” He smiles. “I’m parked around the corner.”

Nodding, you retrace your steps to exit the gangway. As soon as you’re on solid ground, you exhale in relief. You have gotten better at being on the water. When you were young, your parents could barely bribe you to step foot on a boat. Now, you barely notice – apart from entering, exiting and the actual sailing.

Heading up the hill, you find Liam’s car parked beyond a meter. Hoseok and Olya keep going, waving and leaving the two of you alone.

“So,” you say, squinting at the sun. “Did you have a lunch place in mind?”

“I actually do,” Liam says. “There’s this sushi place I’ve been meaning to try that’s near here. Are you good with that?”

“Sure,” you agree. “Sushi is my favorite.”

“Perfect.” His grin widens. “This way, then.”

Opening the passenger door, Liam waits for you to settle. Once you’re both seated, you’re suddenly aware of how small the space is. Liam is tall – very tall, his head nearly brushing the moonroof above. His cologne fills the car, a rich scent you think Jason used to wear in high school.

“I do have a favor to ask,” says Liam, returning you to the present.

“Oh?” you ask as you buckle your seatbelt. “What’s that?”

When Liam extends his hand, you balk and wonder if he wants you to take it. He opens his palm to reveal an AUX cord.

“Will you DJ?” Liam laughs. “I have shit music taste, according to all my friends.”

A relieved smile breaks over your face.

“Of course,” you say, reaching for the cord. “But I’ve got to say, this is risky. I could have even worse taste than you do. My entire Spotify could be that one song from the Baha Men.”

“Can you move it like this?”

“I can,” you confirm, pressing play. “I can also shake it like that.”

Liam snorts, placing the car into drive. “I’ll take my chances.”

Selecting your LONG DRIVES NEAR THE BEACH playlist, you press play and the opening notes of a pop song fill the car. Liam’s windows are rolled partway down, the sounds of city and surf mixing with the singer’s voice.

The sushi place isn’t far, and you only make it two songs before you arrive. City parking elongates your trip another five, circling the block several times before finding a spot. By the time you reach the restaurant, it’s prime lunch hour.

Despite this, you’re led to a table with a view of the ocean. Taking a seat, you stretch your legs and glance around the place. The restaurant is mostly empty, which is odd – although you suppose it is a weekday. There are office buildings in this area though, usually with hungry lunch patrons.

Taking the seat across the table, Liam stretches his legs to grimace at the fit. You can’t help but laugh as you pick up the menu.

“We could’ve sat at the counter,” you tease him. “Give you more room.”

“No, no,” Liam sighs. “I’ve been this tall since high school. By now, I should be used to it.”

“Since high school – damn.”

“I was much smaller back then, though. Like a stretched-out string bean. I didn’t put on all these muscles until college.”

You peek at him over your menu and his lips twitch, amused.

“Are you looking?” Liam asks without glancing up. “Did it work?”

“It did,” you confirm with a laugh.

Despite the awkwardness on the boat, you’re beginning to enjoy yourself. Talking to Liam is easy, and if you don’t feel the kind of stomach-churning passion you feel in the presence of Jungkook, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If this were a few months ago, you would’ve been satisfied. Liam’s presence is far better than Eric Main or any of your other dates. And if that were your only comparison, the thought would end there.

He isn’t though, and each time you look at him, you think about Jungkook. Your first date, the last time you spoke, and everything in between. Jungkook making ramen, meeting Dante, and conversing with Jimin. You hear him teasing, supporting and know that no matter how good Liam makes you feel, it’s not the same.

On Saturday, you thought that was what you wanted but now, you’re starting to doubt.

“What can I get you?”

The approach of your waiter drags you from unpleasant thoughts. Forcing a smile, you put down the menu.

“A bento box,” you say, picking the first thing you see. “Chef’s special.”

Nodding, the waiter turns to Liam.

“Make that two. And a glass of Chardonnay. Y/N?”

“Water for me,” you say, handing over your menu. “Thanks.”

Once the waiter disappears, Liam leans in. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more with Doug,” he says, lips twisting. “If he does reach out, I promise to sing your praises.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you say. “It’s not your job to get people to join our programs – it’s ours.”

Liam nods as his white wine is set before him. Picking this up, he takes a deep sniff, tips the glass forward to check for sediment and finally, drinks. Nodding acceptance, Liam dismisses the waiter and sits back in his seat.

Dimly, you feel a shred of annoyance. Jungkook is an actual sommelier and you never once saw him do that.

“You were great though,” says Liam, continuing where you left off. “It was a good idea to leak their withdrawal to the press. Did you come up with the idea with Hoseok?”

His words make you pause, confused. Clearly, Liam wasn’t listening when Hoseok voiced his surprise. Neither did he read the briefing materials – if he had, Liam would’ve known a press leak wasn’t the plan.

“Well – no,” you say, and then stop.

You were about to credit the idea to Jungkook, but Liam doesn’t know how close you were.

Not that it should matter but still, you hesitate. Liam mentioned knowing Jungkook, and not in a good way. Jungkook hinted at similar bad blood between them. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to bring either up to the other.

“It just… came to me,” you say, forcing a smile. Quickly changing the subject, you glance around. “Guess the lunch crowd is a little slow today.”

Frowning your gaze, Liam follows. “Yeah, seems so.”

He doesn’t seem put off, unlike you. Maybe it’s your Type A personality; you hate wasting your time at subpar restaurants. Not that you vet every place before eating, but if you walk into a restaurant and it’s empty at peak hours, that’s typically not a good sign.

“Where did you hear about this place?” you press.

Liam takes another sip of his wine. “A guy from work. He took a distributor to lunch here and raved.” Brow furrowed, he adds, “If he turns out to be wrong, John is officially moved to the last seat at the conference table.”

You laugh, though the sound dies quickly when Liam doesn’t join. Apparently, that was a serious remark.

“Right,” you say. “Uh. You went to the same university as Jason, right?” you add, reaching for a new topic. “How did you like it?”

Liam’s expression relaxes. “Honestly, university was kind of a mixed experience for me. Most of my class grew up together, and I was always the outsider.”

Sympathetic, you nod. The fact that Jungkook, Jason and Liam all attended the same university speaks volumes for the type of institution it is.

“The way Jason tells it though, sounds like you were something of a legend,” you tease, hoping to coax a smile.

On cue, his cheek dimples appear. “I don’t know about that,” Liam laughs. “But I did graduate at the top of my class. Even went back for my MBA.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” His teeth flash. “That’s where I met Jungkook, actually. You remember him, right? From your fundraiser? I’m a few years older than he is, but we attended at the same time.”

Although you nod, you shift uncomfortably. Yes, you remember Jungkook. If memory serves, you went home that night and promptly fell asleep after receiving a mind-blowing virtual orgasm from Jungkook.

Feeling your neck start to heat, you look away.

“Yes,” you manage to say. “I remember him.”

“We were close at university, but after the whole thing at his father’s company” – Liam waves a hand – “we lost touch. I haven’t been back to my university since.”

At this, your eyes narrow.

Call it a sixth sense, but you’ve always had a good instinct for what’s important. If Seokjin knows when you’re lying, you’re able to sift through his nonsense to discover what he really means. Something about Liam’s story isn’t adding up.

Tilting your head, you say, “You… haven’t been back to your university because of the Jeon family?”

Liam pauses, as though realizing he’s said something he shouldn’t. This, of course, only further stokes your interest.

“I – well, partly,” he says. “I know his family are donors, which means they’re close to the professors. After the internship, I wasn’t sure what they’d heard about me.”

“What happened at the internship?”

Again, Liam hesitates, and you lean forward despite yourself. Jungkook said Liam wasn’t a good guy but refused to say why. You’re tired of all the half-truths and lies – if Liam has something to say about Jungkook, you want to know.

“Liam,” you say, your patience slipping a little. “What happened with you and Jungkook?”

“I… don’t know what you mean.”

“I’m not blind. Something clearly happened between you. What was it?”

Liam exhales, then uncrosses his legs. “I just… don’t want to change your perception of him,” he admits, voice dropping. “You seemed friendly at the fundraiser, and I know your parents run in the same circle.”

“Well, we’re clearly not friendly enough for me to know what happened.”

This seems to land, since Liam finally nods.

“It’s stupid,” he admits. “Honestly, I feel embarrassed just telling you. But… like I said, Jungkook and I went to the same university. I was getting my MBA, but we both were part of the business club. It was through him I got my internship with Jeon Energy.”

“Right,” you respond. “I remember you saying it didn’t work out.”

Grimacing, Liam finishes his glass of wine. “Yeah, well… that’s not quite true. I liked Jeon Energy. Jungkook’s dad was a good boss – hands-on, super helpful and he seemed to like my work. I was going to accept their offer at the end of the summer, but …”

“But?”

“… but later, I found out Jungkook was upset by my offer. He got me the internship, but didn’t like how close I got to his dad. At the end of the summer, the company threw this giant party for the interns. I got absolutely wasted, accepting shots from all the managers. When I woke up the next morning, I had a bunch of missed calls. Apparently” – Liam’s face tightens – “my girlfriend was spotted at some club. Making out with Jungkook.”

You feel rooted to the spot. “She … he did what?”

“Hooked up with her,” Liam confirms. “Right in the middle of the dance floor. I got the message loud and clear, and declined the job offer.”

“I….” You falter, unable to think of a response. “I can’t imagine what that was like.”

Liam gives a half-shrug. “It was a long time ago. I try not to judge, because I know Jungkook doesn’t have the best relationship with his dad, but –”

“But he didn’t have to do that,” you interrupt. “There were a million ways he could’ve responded that weren’t hooking up with your girlfriend. Jungkook could've, oh, I don’t know – talked to you.”

Liam’s upper lip twitches. “Yeah, well. He was young.”

“We’re all young,” you say. “If Jungkook and his dad had issues, then that was their problem to work through. Sorry,” you add, catching Liam’s expression. “I just… don’t like cheating.”

“I get it.” He nods. “But it was so long ago, I can’t really be mad. Honestly, I should be thanking Jungkook for how things turned out.”

“Thanking him?”

Nodding, Liam reaches out and takes your hand in his. “If things hadn’t happened the way they did with Jeon Energy, I might have accepted their offer. Then I wouldn’t have joined Infinity Motors, become CEO, and I might never have met you.”

Your stomach twists, gaze dropping to where your hands lace together.

Liam keeps saying all the right things. Most women would kill for what you have; a guy grateful for his struggles because they brought him to you. The only problem is that Liam’s words bring a sense of expectation. Rather than be excited, you have the impression his feelings have strings attached. It leaves an unpleasant tint around the edge of his words.

Drawing back, Liam continues to talk but each word he says goes in one ear and out the other. No matter how hard you try and concentrate, all you can think of is Liam and Jungkook.

Jungkook helped Liam’s ex to cheat.

It’s not just the cheating. It’s the fact Jungkook did something so petty, so vindictive, it leaves your mind reeling. In fact, the story is so despicable that… you have trouble believing it.

You know – you know – you’re being naïve.

Objectively, the story sounds like something Jeon Jungkook, heir to Jeon Energy, would do. It sounds like the guy you thought Jungkook was before you knew him, the guy who exists for the tabloids and who thrives on rich people scandals. Not the Jungkook who made a special bedroom for guests and watches Ever After before bed in a desperate plea for romance.

Glancing away, you pick up your chopsticks and push Jungkook from mind. You suppose it doesn’t matter whether he did it or not. Jungkook isn’t your boyfriend – or even your friend.

Hardening yourself, you take a bite of sushi – and grimace. Across the table, Liam is doing the same. Eyes watering, he slowly sets his chopsticks down.

“I should have known,” he says. “Any sushi place recommended to me by a guy named John could never be great.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Liam gives you a look. “Is sushi really the food you want to test your theory on?”

“On second thought,” you say, dropping the fish, “do they have karaage?”

Laughing a little, Liam flags down the waiter.

The chicken is better than the sushi, so you end up mostly full as the meal draws to a close. Liam grabs the check, leaving you shaking your head as you exit the restaurant.

“Okay, next time I’m paying,” you laugh. “I know men have this terrible need to be in control, but I promise I won’t think any less of you if I pay the bill.”

Pretending to be wounded, Liam clutches his chest. “But what about my ultra-fragile ego?”

“Tough.”

He laughs, holding the door open for you to step outside – until you turn, finding Liam hovering above.

He’s closer than you thought, his breath soft on your lips and the tension between you is taut as a wire. Even if you don’t feel as strongly, Liam is still attractive, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t thinking about his mouth on yours.

“Liam…” you say.

“Yes?” he says, bending a little.

In response, you close your eyes and his lips brush against yours. Warmth courses through you as Liam releases the door, sliding an arm around your waist to pull you closer. 

Shocked, your eyes open, and you’re met with the sight of the backs of his eyelids. This is all wrong, you panic.

In a moment, a flash goes off in your peripheral. Coldness spreads through your limbs, chasing away the warmth. Years of living with your parents taught you what that means.

Jerking away, Liam’s arm drops. His gaze cuts over your shoulder, landing on someone unseen in the bushes.

“We should go,” he murmurs. “Someone is watching.”

You nod, feeling slightly sick as you turn around. Another flash goes off and you wince, instinctively covering your face.

With an easy sort of laugh, Liam slips an arm around you to pull you closer. In another situation, the gesture might seem protective, but you can’t help but notice you remain exposed. If the paparazzi are still photographing – which is likely – they’ll get an excellent shot of Liam’s arm on your waist.

Twisting away, you step from his grasp and begin to walk faster.

“That’s enough,” Liam calls out, turning around. “You got your shot – go.”

Someone responds but you don’t hear them, heart pounding as you force your legs to continue. In the distance, horns honk and the breeze from the ocean stirs the hairs on your neck. 

You make it nearly a block before Liam catches up.

“I’m sorry about that,” he pants. “I don’t know how they found us.”

“No?” you say, a bit sharper than intended.

You can’t help but overlay this moment with others, thick from your past. Dinners with family. When you broke up with Kameron. Launching Clean Ocean and the ensuing bad press. Camera flash after camera flash, coupled with rude headlines.

“I – no,” Liam says. There’s an earnestness to his voice you want to believe. “Really, Y/N. What are you saying?”

“I…” Slowing your steps, you look up and see his wounded expression. “Nothing,” you say at last. “I just don’t like being in the public eye, that’s all.”

Solemn, Liam nods and you look away. Slightly chagrined, you continue to walk in the direction of his car. Each step calms you enough to think.

Although you don’t know Liam that well, you also don’t know him well enough to distrust him. Even if he didn’t react how you would for the paparazzi, that’s not a bad thing. Liam didn’t grow up with all this. He doesn’t understand the terror of being chased by a strange man for unflattering photographs and an untruthful headline.

The remainder of your walk is silent, thoughts of the paparazzi clouding your mind. You’ve almost forgotten the kiss from earlier – almost, but not quite. Liam’s kiss only confirmed what you’ve been suspecting.

You don’t want this. You thought you might, but the idea of a relationship without love is as ridiculous as the idea of you dating Jungkook.

Reaching his car, Liam unlocks the doors. You buckle in as he enters, and once you’re both settled, Liam exhales.

“I feel like I messed this up,” he confesses, hands on the wheel. “I… I moved too fast with that kiss.”

Surprised, you glance sideways.

“No,” you insist. “No, that’s not it. Really.”

Liam gives you a wry smile. “Then, why haven’t we talked since the restaurant?”

“I – okay,” you say, facing forward. “Here’s the thing. I was kind of seeing someone else, and it recently ended.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.” You look down. “I just don’t think I’m ready to see someone else.”

Liam exhales. “I get it.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.” Slowly, he shifts the car into drive. “I mean, I guess I should’ve known a woman as amazing as you couldn’t be single, right?”

“Right,” you respond.

Glancing away, you stifle a twinge of annoyance. You hate the narrative that only unpleasant women could be without a relationship. Not everyone desires or aspires to romance.

Liam glances at you. “Just so you know, though,” he says. “I do like you, Y/N. As more than just friends or co-workers. So, if you ever change your mind – I’m here.”

Again, you’re aware this is the type of confession which makes women swoon. Not you though, and you wonder if something inside you is broken. Maybe you only want what you can’t have.

“Thank you,” you say softly, and roll down the window.

You ride the rest of the way in silence, and Liam drops you off at your office with a promise to send over the paperwork to Hoseok. When he speeds away, you exhale and pull your phone from your pocket.

Seokjin’s name blinks across the top of your screen.

Seokjin: hey [2:14 PM]

Seokjin: I need you [2:15 PM]

Seokjin: -r help lol sorry, pressed send too soon [2:15 PM]

Seokjin: heh heh hope that didn’t get your hopes up [2:18 PM]

Rolling your eyes, you stop in the stairwell to text him back.

Y/N: Seokjin, I was the one who drove you to the ER after you took off-brand Viagra. Safe to safe any sexual spark between us is dead [2:31 PM]

Y/N: what do you want? [2:31 PM]

Seokjin’s response comes as you enter your office.

Seokjin: glad that you asked [2:35 PM]

Seokjin: I need you to come with me to dinner [2:35 PM]

Y/N: ………. what’s the catch? [2:36 PM]

Seokjin: what do you mean? Why does there have to be a catch? [2:37 PM]

Y/N: Seokjin, I’ve known you since we were in diapers. There’s always a catch [2:37 PM]

Seokjin: This time there’s not! One of our food reviewers just quit, so Conde needs me to step in to review some restaurant. It’s supposed to be good… free dinner… [2:39 PM]

Y/N: what restaurant? [2:40 PM]

Seokjin: idk, I’m supposed to get details soon. What do you say? You in? [2:41 PM]

Y/N: fine, fine, I’m in [2:41 PM]

Seokjin: you say this like free dinner at an amazing restaurant is torture. Pick you up around 7, ok? [2:43 PM]

Y/N: see you then [2:45 PM]

Exiting the thread, you take a seat at your desk and turn on your computer. While you wait for it to load, your gaze slowly drifts again to your cell phone.

An uncontrollable itch takes over and suddenly, you find yourself opening Instagram. For a few minutes, you scroll before giving in and typing the name you want.

Tapping your fingers, you wait for Jungkook’s page to load. It’s been nearly six hours since you allowed yourself to look and in that time – nothing. Releasing a breath you didn’t realize you held, you glance away.

Since Saturday, Jungkook seems to have disappeared. He posted a story on Sunday (you viewed it from Hoseok’s phone), but that’s all. Just a shot of Jungkook in his apartment watching the Ted Lasso finale. He posted a quote and a boomerang of him pretend-kicking a ball. That’s it. Since then, Jungkook’s profile has remained as empty as your text thread.

Exhaling out loud, you place your phone on the desk. Jungkook’s silence shouldn’t bother you as much as it does. As you said on Saturday, you’re over him. Easier said than done though, as your lunch with Liam proved.

At least work passes quickly, ironing details of the pre-launch party for Friday. Progress for the coastal ecosystem project is also coming along. Only Marine Cove’s participation remains a question mark – given the circumstances you should count this as a win. History has taught you many things can go wrong with a program launch.

The next time you look up, you swear and realize it’s close to six. Ripping the cord from your laptop, you toss everything in your purse and dash outside. Hoseok and Olya have already left, vanished an hour ago to check on Friday’s venue. Obviously, you’ve noticed their increased time spent together, but out of respect for Olya, have chosen to stay quiet.

For now.

At home, you take Dante on a walk and feed him his dinner. Standing in front of your closet, you frown. Seokjin not telling you the name of the restaurant means you’re flying blind. He doesn’t answer when you call him, forcing you to pick a dress which could double as casual with a sweater.

Slipping into heels as the clock strikes seven, you kiss Dante goodbye and drop him off at Jimin’s. Hurrying outside, you find Seokjin idling at the curb.

His car is something shiny and Italian with leather interiors, likely a lease from his corporate account. Opening the passenger side, you sit and quickly shut the door.

Lowering his expensive shades, Seokjin stares at your outfit. “A sweater?” he says, voice full of derision. “Honestly, Y/N, we’re not going to a drive-thru.”

Removing the sweater and tossing this in the backseat, you give Seokjin your best withering glance.

“How was I supposed to know the dress code?” you complain as he pulls away. “All you told me was ‘restaurant.’ That could mean Michelin star, or it could mean a dive. I had to dress for both occasions!”

“Michelin,” says Seokjin, putting on his blinker. “They just earned their first star. Some new chef who changed their entire menu.”

“Mm,” you say, rolling down the window. “What restaurant?”

“Chez Moi, Chez Toi.”

Your fingers freeze as slowly, you turn your head. Oblivious to your predicament, Seokjin hums beneath his breath to a song on the stereo. He makes it several obnoxious bars before noticing your stare.

“What?” He turns down the music. “What’s wrong?”

“Chez Moi, Chez Toi,” you say through gritted teeth. “Does their chef happen to be Min Yoongi?”

“Yeah.” Seokjin blinks. “I think so. Why?”

“You mean, Jeon Jungkook’s close friend, Min Yoongi?”

Now, Seokjin is the one staring at you in horror.

“… shit.”

“Ugh,” you groan, sinking further in your seat. “Okay, well, that’s it. Turn back around and drive me home. I’ll stay in.”

“No can do,” Seokjin says. “If I turn around now, I’ll miss my reservation. I need to get a review to my editor tonight.”

“Well, then drop me off at the restaurant next door. I’ll hang out there and meet you after.”

Seokjin rolls his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic, Y/N. I doubt we’ll even see Yoongi – and what does it matter if we do?”

“I– it matters,” you say, jaw snapping shut.

Seokjin gives you a look. “Come on,” he groans. “Don’t make me eat alone. How sad and pathetic would that be?”

“I eat alone all the time, Seokjin.”

He raises a brow.

A small laugh escapes you, unwilling. “Okay, fine – point taken. I’ll go. But we’re eating really fast – in and out. No appetizers.”

“No appetizers?”

“Okay, one appetizer,” you amend, remembering the buffalo chicken spring rolls Yoongi made for your fundraiser. “But just one cocktail!”

“Deal.” Seokjin turns on his blinker. “I’m driving, anyway.”

Grumbling lowly, you turn up the stereo. It’s a short drive downtown but Seokjin is right – city traffic means you arrive with only five minutes to spare. Parking as fast as he can, Seokjin exits the car and gallantly offers an arm to help you in heels.

The host must think you’re on a date since she brings you to a romantic table near the window. You keep your gaze steady on her back, refusing to look around the restaurant. Panic suddenly flares as you sit, and you chance a quick glance around to ensure Jungkook isn’t here.

He’s not and, exhaling deeply, you face forward. Seokjin watches you with an expression that says he sees far too much.

Ignoring this, you pick up the menu. “So,” you say loudly. “What are you thinking?”

“For food?”

“And for drinks.”

You clutch the menu, certain Seokjin is going to pry but for once, he chooses to let it go.

“Hm.” He scans the pages. “Conde Nast sent me a bunch of dishes to try, so why don’t we start there?”

You nod, about to respond when your waiter arrives.

Not the same one as your date, prompting further relief. In the corner of your eye, you can see the table you sat at with Jungkook. For a moment, your past self seems to overlap with the present, prompting an unbidden memory. You remember someone photographing you that night as well, but Jungkook sprang into action and led you out the back way. Unlike Liam.

Unease prickles your neck, and you wonder if photos from the paparazzi have leaked by now.

“Hello!” says the waiter brightly. “Welcome to Chez Moi, Chez Toi. Is tonight your first time dining with us?”

“Yes.” Seokjin lays down his menu. “But I’ve heard good things.”

“Well, I certainly hope we live up to them.” He smiles. “There are a lot of great options on the menu. I’m more than happy to point you towards some of my favorites.”

Seokjin shakes his head. “That won’t be necessary. Y/N,” he says, glancing your way. “Have a drink in mind?”

“Before you do that,” says the waiter.

Both you and Seokjin look at him, brows raised.

“Apologies,” he says, cheeks slightly flushed, “but I do want to point out the wine pairings noted next to each dish. Chef Min recommends ordering smaller portions of each drink to pair with the dishes you try.”

“Interesting,” Seokjin says. “Why don’t you give us a minute to decide on our food, then?”

“Of course. I’ll be back in five.”

With a nod, the waiter disappears, leaving you alone.

“Why did you send him away?” you ask. “You already know what dishes we want.”

“Right, but he can’t know that.” Seokjin opens the menu with a snap. “I’m supposed to seem like any other unbiased customer.”

“Yeah, sure. An unbiased customer with an Hermes belt.”

“Par for the course here.”

Seokjin’s not wrong, you think as you scan the restaurant. Honestly, you’re surprised to see so many faces from your parents’ circle. You were too distracted that first night to appreciate the food, but from what you remember, it was delicious and although Yoongi has a Michelin star, he’s been very vocal about striving to make his menu accessible.

This was explained by Olya before your last fundraiser – although at the time, it was in one ear and out the other. Her taste has always been impeccable, so you rarely feel the need to weigh in.

Exactly five minutes pass by, and your waiter appears to take your order. Once he retreats again, you sink in your seat and take a sip of water.

Seokjin clears his throat. “So.”

You frown. “So?”

His brows lift. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Say what?”

Seokjin sighs. “You’re going to make me say it. She’s going to make me say it,” he mutters to no one.

You glance around the restaurant. “Who are you talking to?”

“What happened with you and Jungkook?” 

Startled, you blink, unaware you had been so obvious. Then again – you suppose you did ask Seokjin to drop you off rather than eat at a place where Jungkook’s friend works. Exhaling softly, you sink back in your seat.

“It didn’t work out,” you say quietly. “I tried to tell Jungkook how I felt, and he said he has feelings for someone else.”

Whatever he thought you were about to say, it wasn’t that.

“He – seriously?” Seokjin gapes.

“There’s no need to look so surprised,” you huff. “I’ve been wrong before. I mean – not often, I guess, but it happens.” When Seokjin’s brows furrow further, you exhale. “It’s for the best. Better than finding out his feelings later.”

“I… guess.” Seokjin considers. “And Jungkook didn’t say who he has feelings for?”

“No,” you mutter. “And I don’t want to know. It’s better this way.”

“… is it?”

“It is,” you say, adding steel to your voice. “How would knowing that make me feel better?”

“I don’t know. Closure?”

A puff of air escapes. “Overrated. All I need to know is Jungkook doesn’t want to hook up anymore. Case closed.”

Again, Seokjin scans you with his truth-seeking gaze. After a moment, he reluctantly nods. “I guess you’re right. To be honest, the whole thing seemed unlike you from the start.”

“How so?” you ask, stifling a prickle of defensiveness.

Seokjin is saved from an answer by your waiter’s return, bringing with him an appetizer and the first round of drinks. You sample the dish, nearly swooning at the taste. Equally impressed, Seokjin jots down notes in his phone.

When he’s done, he looks up.

“I mean – fuck buddies?” Reaching out, Seokjin takes a sip of his wine. “No offense, Y/N, but casual is hardly the word I’d use to describe you. Militant, sure. Passionate, yes. Good odds of winning on a survival TV show, absolutely. But casual?” He snorts. “No.”

“First off,” you say. “I would never go on a reality show. Second – militant, Seokjin? Really?”

“All I’m saying is the words, ‘casual relationship,’ wouldn’t be on my Y/N BINGO card. Especially not with someone like Jungkook.”

“He’s not a bad guy,” you respond, automatic.

Seokjin’s brows lift.

Stifling an eye roll, you smooth down your napkin. Truthfully, you don’t know why you’re arguing with Seokjin. Jungkook ended things after fucking you in a closet, not to mention the story you heard from Liam. Neither paint Jungkook in a shining light and yet, you can’t help but rebel against what Seokjin is saying.

Maybe Jungkook isn’t wholly good, but he’s not bad, either. A bad person wouldn’t send their date home to take care of their drunk friend. They wouldn’t automatically be loved by your picky dog. They wouldn’t offer you rides, walk you to your door or offer you pleasure on whatever terms you want it.

“I mean…” A heaviness settles deep in your chest. “In some ways, you’re right. From the outside, the situation doesn’t look good.”

“And yet…”

Although Seokjin is prompting, there’s no judgment to his gaze. Possibly this is what makes you continue.

“I don’t know,” you admit. “I mean – I know what some people say about Jungkook and sometimes he’s like that. Yeah, he sleeps around. Yeah, he works for the anti-Christ and sure, he can be arrogant but… he’s other things, too.”

Looking down, you fiddle with the edge of your napkin.

Seokjin can always tell what you’re thinking and right now, you’re sure your emotions are written all over your face. You like Jungkook. You like him, and it hurts more than you admit that he let you go.

Maybe if you had been honest earlier, Jungkook wouldn’t have fallen for someone else. Maybe if you’d mustered the courage to tell him – but no. It’s pointless to wonder what-if. The only situation you have is the one before you.

Rather than chide you for your naiveté, Seokjin just nods and sips his wine. Curious, you watch him drink; you’re well-aware Seokjin is rarely quiet without reason.

“You know…” He lowers his glass. “You’re not the first person I’ve heard say that about Jeon.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” Seokjin frowns. “I’ve heard other people say that he’s different in person. That his whole reputation is a front. Kind of.” He pauses. “People say Jungkook used to be like that, but not anymore.”

“Why? What do you think changed?”

“I don’t know. You... know what happened to his mom, right?”

Your expression tightens. “Yeah.”

“Rough, to lose a parent so young.” Seokjin pauses, then shakes his head. “From what I hear though, things started changing long before that – if they did, that is.”

“What do you mean?” you ask, curious. “What do people say?”

Leaning forward, Seokjin drops his voice. “You know my cousin who works in PR?” When you nod, he continues, “Her company supports a ton of high-profile clients – including the Jeons. Apparently, one of her co-workers is convinced they have this conspiracy. Each time Jeon Energy does something bad, Jungkook has a scandal. The public’s attention goes to him, and not to the gallons of oil Jeon Energy dumped in the Pacific.”

Your jaw sags a little. “That’s… horrible.”

“I know,” Seokjin says. “It’s only a theory, but it does make you wonder.”

Shaking your head, you reach for your wine. Mind racing, you find yourself unsure what to think. It’s a lot of information to take in – and again, it’s only a rumor.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Seokjin wipes his mouth on a napkin. “I never really believed her, but then you said you liked him, so… I don’t know.”

“What does my liking him have to do with anything?”

“Y/N.” Seokjin stares. “I can name like, six people you like and two of them are Dante.”

“Well, sure. He has many personalities.”

“You get my point, though.”

“Yeah, I do.” Slowly, you exhale. “It doesn’t matter though, because Jungkook and I aren’t–”

“Are you enjoying your meal?”

Startled, you turn and find Min Yoongi beside you. Sitting up a bit straighter, Seokjin drops his napkin into his lap.

“It’s good,” Seokjin says, quickly composing himself. “Are you our replacement waiter? Did we scare off the other one? I should apologize for my friend here, if so. She can be somewhat off-putting.”

This last part is said in a whisper, causing Yoongi’s eyebrows to raise. He spares you barely a glance, making your cheeks heat and you wonder what he overhead.

“Nothing like that,” Yoongi says drily. “I’m Min Yoongi, the head chef.”

Furtive, Seokjin glances around. “And are you greeting each table individually, head chef?”

“If I say yes, will you speak highly of me in your review?”

Seokjin’s eyes widen, and you relish the flabbergasted look on his face. It’s a rare person who can fluster him and when it does happen, it’s a remarkable sight. Flashing Seokjin a smile, Yoongi turns to face you. 

His expression tightens. “I know you,” Yoongi says.

“I – yes.” You hasten to reply. “I’m Y/N Y/L/N. I run the Clean Ocean organization. You catered for my fundraiser a while back?”

“Ah, yes. That must be it.”

Something in his face warns you this isn’t all, but before you can respond, Yoongi turns again.

Seokjin sits back. “How did you know I’m reviewing your restaurant? Do I have the aura of someone with a refined palate?”

“No.” Yoongi’s lips twitch. “Actually, your assistant made your reservation from their work email.”

Not to be deterred, Seokjin drops a wink. “And what about now that you’ve seen me in person? Refined palate aura?”

To your surprise, Yoongi laughs.

You nearly give yourself whiplash, glancing between them. It’s equally rare for someone to keep up with Seokjin and when this happens, it spells love or disaster. Based on Seokjin’s grin, you’d guess the former.

“And what would a refined palate aura look like?” 

Seokjin’s voice deepens. “You know when you look at someone and think, ‘I bet they eat well.’”

Yoongi’s expression slackens, a gleam of interest entering his gaze.

“O-kay,” you cut in before they can go any further. “I think what Seokjin is trying to say is the food is incredible. As are the wine pairings,” you add. “Our waiter mentioned you have an in-house sommelier?”

“Close.”

“I – sorry?” you say, taken aback.

“I said, close.” Yoongi turns. “A sommelier made the pairings for us, but they aren’t in-house. It was a friend of mine, actually.”

Your fingers freeze as you gain a sinking suspicion of who this friend is.

Entirely oblivious, Seokjin continues. “Oh, really?” he asks. “What’s their name? I’ll be sure to mention them in my review. Since the cat’s already out of the bag,” he adds, grumbling a little as he opens his notes.

“Sure. The name’s Jeon Jungkook.”

Seokjin’s fingers still on his keys. “Ah.” He pauses, then swallows. “Okay, right. Jeon Jungkook. Thank you, Chef Min.”

Glancing your way, Seokjin has a guilty expression you choose to ignore. Smoothing your napkin, you focus instead on your water.

“Call me Yoongi.” Yoongi nods. “Enjoy your food.”

With that, he turns and strides across the restaurant. Seokjin watches him leave, waiting until he’s out of earshot before giving a whistle.

“Damn,” Seokjin says, his gaze dropping. “That tiny man has an ass.”

“Seokjin! That is not what’s important right now.”

“To you.” When your glare only increases, Seokjin snorts. “Okay, fine,” he says. “What’s important?”

Glancing around, you lean forward. “Did he seem weird just now?”

“Who? Yoongi?”

You nod.

“I don’t know.” Seokjin shrugs. “I just met him.”

“He seemed weird,” you insist, your voice dropping. “I met him at my fundraiser, and he was much nicer. Quiet, but nice. That was…”

“Expected?” Seokjin supplies. He shrugs at your look. “I mean, come on, Y/N. He’s Jungkook’s friend.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, I – oh my god,” Seokjin moans, placing the steak in his mouth. “This filet is amazing, Y/N. Have you tried it?”

“Seokjin.”

“Right, sorry.” He swallows. “What was I saying?”

“Jungkook.”

“Oh, yeah. Jungkook. I’m just saying, who knows what he’s told his friends? Yoongi was probably giving you side-eye because he knows what happened between you.”

“But that’s just it!” you protest. “What could he know that would prompt that kind of response? Jungkook was the one who ended things, not me.”

“I don’t know.” Seokjin shrugs, unconcerned. “It’s only a theory. But if you’re out here shit-talking Jungkook, he’s probably shit-talking about you to Yoongi. It’s the circle of life, or whatever.”

“I am not shit-talking Jungkook to you.”

Seokjin gives you a look which makes you wither a little. “Alright, fine,” you say. “Maybe I’ve shit-talked him a little. But I was the dumpee.”

“And I thought you two weren’t dating.”

“I – you – well, you know what I mean,” you sputter.

Smiling triumphantly, Seokjin moves on to the tuna tartar.

Slightly subdued, you’re forced to admit Seokjin has a point. It shouldn’t bother you what Jungkook tells his friends because you two weren’t together. It doesn’t make sense that you’re here, talking about Jungkook to Seokjin. If anything, you should be asking his advice about Liam.

And yet, you haven’t, and Seokjin hasn’t offered. Likely because he knows Liam means nothing to you in the long run. You also should have mentioned Liam’s story when talking about Jungkook’s past. Seokjin possibly could have shed light on it.

Maybe you didn’t tell him purpose, says a voice in your head. Because if the Liam story is true and Jungkook’s heartbreaker façade is who he really is, then the man you have feelings for doesn’t exist.

Catching the slip of present tense, you close your eyes. Even your subconscious betrays you, reaching for a man who might not be real. Apparently, your feelings aren’t something sheer force of will can dissolve.

Neither can it lessen the hollowness in your chest.

For the rest of your meal, you don’t turn your head and by the time it’s over, you’re more confused than before. Your phone burns in your pocket the entire drive home.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed :) I do not have a tag list, so please do not ask to be added or ask about updates. My writing progress can be found in my updates schedule, linked in both my header and FAQ!

[Series Master List]

© kpopfanfictrash, 2022. Do not copy or repost without permission.

#bangtanarmynet #jungkook fanfic #bts fanfic #jungkook smut #bts smut #jungkook series #jungkook angst #jungkook fic #bts series #bts fic #bts angst

[humanitys-strongest-bamf]

"get me a damned matcha" | Chapter 17: October II

{{ Chapter 16: September II | Chapter 18: November II }} Chapter Directory

heheheh things will start to get heated soon i promise

if you wanna get tagged for updates, fill out this form here!

✧ pairing ➼ levi ackerman x fem!reader, college x coffee shop x roommates!au ✧ summary ➼ After you find yourself plagued with misfortune due to struggles in your personal and family life, you find yourself needing to move last minute. As a junior in undergrad with little money and little social support, you considered yourself lucky when you found a sublease that was close to campus and was relatively cheap. Unfortunately, it seemed that your roommate did not seem to be so excited regarding your presence. ✧ content/warnings ➼ fluff, mutual pining, idiots in love, fem!reader, eventual smut, alcohol, college-typical parties, suggestive ✧ word count ➼ ~5.7k

"Look who's back!"

You stared at Oluo with a deadpan expression as he announced your arrival to the classroom that hosted your weekly meetings for the Honors Society. This was the first time that you had been back since the accident last month. Between waiting for your ankle and arm to heal and catching up with any missed schoolwork since you had been rushed to the hospital by Levi, you had little time to manage the club. Being Vice President, the responsibility fell onto Oluo, which is why you were surprised that the club hadn't burned down to the ground in your absence.

"You make it seem like I was dead," you said in a monotonous tone as you walked inside.

There was food prepped on tables that lined the wall. Upon looking further, you saw a card at the end of the table, surrounded by cheap university pastries that said "Get well soon!" with an obnoxiously bright color scheme that never got delivered to you—likely as a result of having Oluo plan the whole thing. 

You smiled to yourself, your heart warming up at the fact that the members of your little impromptu club went out of the way to throw you a welcome back party. Your absence was missed. 

You frowned upon seeing the type of food that was spread throughout the tables. It certainly wasn't the high-end pastries that you regularly got from Nicolo. These were the cheap university catering services that you desperately tried to avoid when planning events like these. They were overpriced with questionable quality. Nicolo's was overpriced, but of high quality—and even then, the pricing was offset by that generous discount he would give you for being a regular. You glanced at Oluo, who gave you a shrug. Without exchanging a single word, you were able to deduce that your VP put together this party last minute with some of the freshmen (now sophomores) and had no idea how to do some of the more nuanced parts of the event-planning that you usually took charge of. 

Oluo had said that he had today's meeting all planned out ahead of time and that you didn't need to worry about it, which was both the truth and a lie. He had absolutely nothing planned out for today's meeting, but his reasoning was that the event for today's meeting was your welcome back party. 

It was sweet and you silently noted to yourself that even though your club was not particularly popular or well-funded by the university, you had at least built some sort of community, which was the whole point of it in the first place. Plus, even if they didn't do that great of a job at being friends, at least the officers seemed to care about you in some capacity.

After the sophomores were done ravaging through the food—Sasha, in particular—you walked up and picked at some of the fruit and crackers. 

You heard footsteps approach you and you glanced back and grimaced. It was Marlo.

"Please don't start," you spoke before he even got to you.

"Please!" he said, looking excessively nervous about approaching you. "I nearly got you killed and-"

"Did you?" you cut him off before he could continue. "It wasn't your fault that the pickup truck slammed into us. Nor was it your fault that my airbag didn't pop out."

Marlo fell silent but looked down, clearly still blaming himself for the accident that nearly took your life. You walked over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Forgive yourself," you whispered to him. "It happens—and I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine."

You shot him a smile once he looked up. Once you saw him nod to you, you gave him another pat on the shoulder and walked over towards Oluo to debrief with your VP over the state of your club. 

He had been struggling a bit to keep everything together, but was overall succeeding, voicing astonishment at your seemingly effortless ability to keep it running.

He had suggested the two of you meet up later in the afternoon to hammer out some details of how to run things throughout the rest of the semester, but you shook your head.

"Can't, I'm meeting up with Petra to catch up on some writing before heading over to that Halloween party," you said without sounding particularly excited, as if attending the party was going to be more of a chore than it was a way to let loose.

~~~~~

Nothing had really changed between now and the beginning of September, other than the accident that had happened, and how aware Levi now was about his own uneasiness around you. Your first stolen kiss never got brought up, and the second one that happened a few weeks ago hasn't been either. 

Between processing that and still processing the shit that ran through his mind while at the hospital, Levi had little emotional energy to plot out the best way to bring this whole thing up to you. Luckily, his unease had begun to finally dissipate. For the first few weeks, he felt like he couldn't take his eyes off of you without feeling like you were going to hurt yourself or that he would leave and come home to see you collapsed on the ground, with it being too late to take you to the hospital.

He was able to tell that it had something to do with the death of his mother, in which he was too late in reacting after she collapsed onto the ground. He hadn't brought up that memory in years, burying it deeply within his heart, but seeing you in the state that you were in unearthed everything and it was beyond uncomfortable. 

The fact that he even got this attached to you was astonishing. It was unbelievable to him how quickly he had transitioned from being impatient for the opportunity to getting rid of you towards being in pure distress over the thought of losing you. You were constantly on his mind. He couldn't focus on anything else. Every time he was out, he'd wonder when he'd see you again. Every time you were out, he'd wonder when you'd come home. He couldn't stop thinking about you no matter how hard he tried. It was agonizing.

"Levi, you've been charting that same data point for 30 minutes now."

"Have I?" 

Levi gave an uninterested response as Hange approached him, carrying some complex lab tech that they no doubt just ripped out of the wall to replace after the fire in August had wrecked roughly 90% of the lab. Hange's comment reminded Levi of his own comment towards you last year when you were sick and stubbornly kept working until he noted that you had completely stopped typing due to being unable to focus.

"Did something happen with _____ again?"

Levi gave Hange a side-eye, knowing that Hange was going to start giving him a hard time about things they didn't even confirm about him yet.

"Did you kiss again?!"

Levi internally cursed at himself for letting that information slip to his overly enthusiastic labmate a few weeks ago. He had originally only intended to let them know that you helped him with retaining most of the data that was collected over the past year, but he ended up bringing up the unexpected kiss that you had given him—a choice with many regrets.

"Tch," he fully glanced at Hange with a hostile glare. "Why is that the first thing you ask?"

"So that's a yes?" 

Levi grunted, not answering the question. However, the grunt in itself was effectively a confirmation.

Hange immediately slammed their hand on the desk in excitement.

"How long ago was this?!"

"Oi, shut up already," Levi said with a groan, "you're giving me a fucking headache."

"Sorry, sorry," Hange said, raising their hands up in defense. "But why have you kept this from me?!"

"Didn't realize it was my job to keep you updated on every detail of my life," Levi grumbled as he turned back to his computer.

"This is a pretty important detail!" 

"Drop it already, will you?" Levi said as he turned back towards Hange with a cold, hostile glare. "It just kinda happened after the accident, there was nothing else to it."

Hange placed their hands on their hips and tilted their head at him in disbelief.

"Really?"

"Yes. Really," Levi muttered. "Can you drop this already? I'm never going to get this shit done with you pestering me."

"Alright, alright," Hange said, finally turning away, "but I better be seeing you at the party tonight, yeah?"

Levi rolled his eyes, partially at Hange's tenacity at bringing him along to one major party a year, but also partially at the fact that you'll likely be there as well.

"Fine, but I'll be damned before wearing a fucking costume."

"Yes, boss!" Hange declared before saluting him by placing their fist over their heart, which earned a scoff from Levi as he promptly turned away and back to his computer.

~~~~~

Levi came home to an empty apartment. It was well into the late afternoon, so you should have been done with classes. While he knew that you tended to hang out in the cafe directly after or in-between classes, he knew that you had errands to run today before attending the Halloween party. 

He wasn't sure if he was disappointed or relieved to find that you weren't home. He wanted to see you, that was certain, but not seeing you also meant that he could put off addressing whatever it was that was going on between the two of you—he couldn't put words to it. He knew he couldn't put it off forever, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to, given how distressed he was when he wasn't sure if you'd make it. He had felt so rushed to get it out while you were injured, but then failed to initiate that conversation ever since you came home. This just resulted in the two of you floating in a sort of limbo, waiting for the other to make some type of move, but never being certain of what would come next.

He placed his keys onto the dining table after taking off his shoes, not bothering to hang them up since he had to head out in an hour. His keys landed on a piece of paper that wasn't there in the morning and he glanced at it to see what it was. A surprised look appeared on his face when he saw that it was a note from you directed at him.

[your laundry basket is outside your room. dont worry about venmo-ing me back the cash. consider it a favor for saving my life =P]

He scoffed upon reading the "saving my life" part, slightly annoyed that you were referring to it with such a nonchalant attitude, but also couldn't help but smirk at it. It was that weird, dry humor of yours that he had grown to appreciate throughout the past year. He neatly folded the note in half and tucked it into his back pocket. 

He looked up towards his bedroom door and, as promised, saw that you had left a laundry basket there for him. He wasn't sure when the two of you exactly got comfortable with casually entering each other's rooms, but the fact that you went out of your way to go into his and grab his dirty laundry basket put a rare smile on his face.

Levi took off his jacket and placed it on the armrest of the couch. Since he had an hour to kill, he went ahead and picked up the laundry basket, deciding to fold and put away the clothes before they got wrinkly.

Upon entering the room and dumping the freshly cleaned clothes onto his bed, he dug your note out of his pocket and walked to his desk, opening it up again. He clenched his jaw upon reading it again.

He really did save your life on that day. If what Marlo said was true, it took the police another 30-45 minutes after he had left with you to arrive at the scene. With how bad your head injury was, he wasn't sure how bad your condition would have been if they had just waited for the paramedics to get there. 

Levi remembered just how panicked he was as he spent the night waiting on news regarding your condition. That night flew by as if it was some blurry fever dream and he hated that the idea of you being in danger had that effect on him. 

He frowned as he placed the note in one of the side drawers on his desk, unable to stop ruminating about how relieved he was when he found out that you were okay. That sense of relief, plus the awkwardness that came with the consequences of that impulsive kiss, only further confused his thoughts and he found himself lost in them as he sorted through his laundry. 

He needed to decide if he was going to bring it up—and if he didn't, he needed to figure out how to resolve this. Being in this space of not knowing was miserable and added unnecessary stress onto his life. He had to either tell you or move on, he just wasn't sure which was the better choice. The fact that you hadn't made a move to bring this up either further confused his judgment over what it was that he should do. 

His thoughts suddenly paused. It wasn't because he had an epiphany over whether he should confess his (maybe) feelings to you or how he was going to put the whole thing behind him. 

He looked at a loose article of clothing that was buried underneath his socks. It wasn't his. 

A hint of pink tinted his cheeks as his eyes landed on a stray set of your panties that had gotten mixed in with his clothes. He found his mind drifting places that he couldn't readily admit to without sacrificing some of his dignity, and shook his head in a desperate attempt to get it out. He found himself staring at them, unable to move to grab them or shy away from them. He had seen you in a bikini before, and seeing you wandering around half-naked was normal, considering that the two of you had lived together for a little over a year now, but this was the first time that he had thought about you in that context.

His face continued to heat up and he continued to grow more tense as he caught himself having even the thought about seeing you unclothed. It was inappropriate—and honestly, kind of creepy—but he couldn't get the feeling of your lips on his out of his head. He remembered the rush that he had felt when he pulled you in again and how your presence seemed to lure him in with him failing to keep himself back no matter how hard he tried.

Levi shook his head harder, desperately trying to get any of those thoughts out. It wasn't the right time. He wasn't sure if it would ever be.

Should you talk about it?

Did you even want to talk about it?

Will you even get the chance?

Asking himself these questions only left Levi Ackerman further confused.

~~~~~

"I think you should bring it up."

The only sound in response was typing and the gentle chattering of other students in the library.

You stared intently at your laptop screen, typing out whatever words your tired mind could generate. After hearing Petra clear her throat at your lack of a response, you looked up at her with an unamused glare.

"Why?" you asked dryly.

"He's your roommate," she said, as if the answer to your question was obvious. "And you've kissed twice—and both involved you both kissing back."

"You don't know that," you said dismissively. 

"Well, you at least said that he initiated the most recent one?"

You opened your mouth to come up with a way to invalidate her comment, but almost immediately closed it again, realizing that you had nothing to say. Levi's decision to suddenly kiss you the other week certainly seemed impulsive, but you knew that it did have some merit behind it. This was primarily because of what he said immediately after the kiss.

I can't lose you again.

"How the hell am I even supposed to bring this up?" you asked quietly.

Petra shrugged, humming an "I don't know". 

You groaned, resting your face in your palms, feeling the overwhelming urge to do something without knowing exactly what to do.

"Let's change the subject," Petra interjected, sensing your increasing levels of distress. "What are you wearing to the party tonight?"

"Ha," you said as you peeked out at her through your fingers. "Not a costume, that's for sure."

You sighed as you put your hands down and fully looked at her.

"I didn't have time to prepare one with the accident and having to catch up with schoolwork and all that. You're lucky I'm even going."

"Oh come on," Petra said as she shut your laptop for you, which elicited another unamused expression on your behalf. "I'm sure a few shots would loosen you up about this whole Levi situation, right?"

You gave a dry chuckle.

"Not if he's also there."

"It's a pretty big party," Petra said with a shrug. "I'm sure it won't be too difficult for you to avoid him."

~~~~~

It was definitely difficult to avoid him.

You had gotten ready at Petra's to avoid any chance of running into Levi at home and being forced to have The Conversation™. You were telling the truth in that you didn't have a costume and you simply elected to wear one of your dresses that you had left at Petra's after a night out in which you crashed at her apartment. You went with a more gothic theme, wearing a dark dress that fell just a little bit past your butt, some fishnet leggings, and combat boots. You figured that'd meet the criteria for acceptable outfits to wear at a Halloween party without being singled out as being a party pooper.

However, all of your efforts to minimize contact with Levi flew out the window when you immediately made eye contact with your raven-haired roommate upon walking into the house. 

You felt your eyes widen and your breath get caught in your throat, only mustering up an awkward wave, before looking down towards the ground and making a beeline to the makeshift bar. If this was indicative of how this night was going to go, you were going to need a lot more to drink.

Luckily for you, Oluo was already there waiting, after having purchased an entire tray of shots. 

"To celebrate the prez's speedy recovery!"

"Shut up already about that!" you shouted, as you angrily grabbed the shot glass out of Oluo's hands and downed it yourself, listening to some of the other students cheering you on. You didn't even know half of them.

After a few more rounds of shots, you felt your anxiety finally begin to dissipate. The shots were watered down a bit with mixers, so you didn't get completely shit-faced from the 5-6 that you had taken in a row, but you were feeling fairly buzzed and quickly found yourself shuffling back and forth to the music and chatting it up with some of the other students around you.

You waltzed around the cleared out living room-turned-dance floor with a red solo cup in your hand that was filled up with a cocktail that you had mixed up yourself (although it was debatable if it could even be considered a cocktail, given the fact that you have never made one before in your life). As you were spinning, with your dress lifting a bit too high for sober-you to have been comfortable with, you felt yourself stumble towards someone and quickly lost your balance.

You already knew who it was that caught you before you looked up. It was like the world was determined to force the both of you to be near each other, although you were a tad too drunk to fully realize that. 

You looked up into his steely gray eyes and felt your face flush up, immediately picking yourself up and looking away.

Levi hadn't really moved from his spot and was currently sipping on a beer, but you really couldn't tell if he had been drinking at all other than that. He certainly looked much more composed than you did.

"Hi." 

You greeted him quickly, awkwardly placing your hand at the back of your neck.

"Hey."

He responded just as awkwardly, taking another sip of his beer without looking towards or away from you. 

The two of you stood near each other for a few minutes, avoiding each other's gaze without speaking a word. You sipped at your drink periodically, silently praying that Petra would find you and drag you away, but you knew that she was likely fully distracted and in her own little world at this point, given how late into the party it was.

Finally, you cleared your throat.

"I see you didn't bring a costume either?"

He scoffed, as if he was astonished that you even asked the question.

"You really think I'd wear a costume to a stupid thing like this?"

You pursed your lips and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess not."

"Where's yours?" he asked, catching you off-guard, which prompted you to finally look at him. "Weren't you a shitty maid last year?"

You scowled at his comment.

"I was a maid, but not a shitty one."

He raised an eyebrow at you.

"Really? I recall making some comment about you being shit at cleaning."

"Asshole," you said as you stuck your tongue out at him.

He slightly smirked to himself as he took another sip of his beer. Even through the awkwardness, those small quirks that made up your personality were still there. Despite all the confusion of what has been happening between you two, your personality was still able to rebound back to the one that he had come to adore.

Although you had both come into the party incredibly nervous (or even flat-out unwilling) to see each other, that awkwardness and anxiety dissipated rather quickly once you actually spoke again. It wasn't your interactions that contributed to any anxiety, only your rumination.

The both of you got immediately interrupted by at least half the party beginning to shout "shots!" repeatedly. You both made your way over to the center of the house and saw a fairly large group gathering around a table.

"What's going on here?" you asked as you leaned towards Mikasa, who was looking towards the center of the table with a deadpan expression.

"Someone came up with a party game called truth, dare, or drink."

"What the hell is that?" 

"You tell the truth, do a dare, or drink," Mikasa said nonchalantly. 

"Hey, Mikasa, you're up next!" shouted Eren from across the room. 

"I say truth!" shouted Jean from the opposite corner. "What's your darkest secret?"

Everyone leaned in, eager to hear what Mikasa's response was.

After about a minute of thinking, Mikasa finally opened her mouth. Everyone's face went from eager anticipation to absolute horror as Mikasa began to graphically depict how she almost murdered someone as a child.

"This is stupid," muttered Levi, who was standing behind you as the rest of the room fell quiet into an awkward silence.

"_____!" you heard someone shout.

"Hmm?" you perked up, scanning around the room for who had shouted out your name.

"If you had to kiss or make out with anyone in this room, who would it be?"

"Yeah, tell us, Prez', who would it be?!"

"Come on, let us in!"

"You never tell us anything!"

So many of your underclassmen in your cohort began shouting at you that you didn't even register who it was that asked the question. Lucky for them, as you would have likely pummeled them afterwards once identified.

Your face only continued to flush up as everyone began to crowd you and the hairs on the back of your neck began standing up as you became more and more aware of Levi's presence behind you. He was standing close enough to you that your legs were touching and you didn't dare look in his direction.

Instead, you immediately reached for a shot and downed it in one gulp, ignoring the disappointed groans from the people around you.

Levi shot a glare towards Hange, who had groaned the most obnoxiously out of everyone involved. 

"Tch. What a pain in the ass," he mumbled, finishing his beer before grabbing you by the arm. He could tell by the way that you were shuffling and zoning out that you were beginning to feel anxious by the commotion.

"Come," he whispered to you. "Let's get you some air."

~~~~~

You took a deep breath as soon as you felt the chilly, fall breeze hit your face.

"I'm going to kill that damned four-eyes," Levi mumbled as the two of you walked away from the sidewalk and towards the side of the house to get out of the way of the people roaming to and from the party. 

"What for?" you asked, slightly out of breath from the alcohol and commotion that you just had to deal with. 

"Nothing."

"Oh," you said, a bit concerned, but being ultimately unable to deduce what was going on in the background due to the alcohol in your system. 

Although you were technically more sober when compared to when you ran into Levi earlier, you were still tipsy, which put you in that gray area between knowing what is going on around you and having just enough 'liquid courage' to come out of your shell a bit more than usual. 

"I'm surprised to find you here," you said, changing the subject.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I thought you hated these things," you said, tilting your head at him.

"Well, unfortunately Hange wouldn't stop pestering me until I get dragged to at least one of these a year."

Your eyes perked up at that statement.

"Oh, so you're telling me that I just needed to enlist Hange's help in order to get you to do what I want?" you asked, teasing him with an amused look in your eyes.

"Or you could just ask, dumbass."

You feigned a surprised gasp. 

"That is so not true. If I asked you to do anything last year, you'd go out of your way to do the exact opposite."

"You're so dramatic," Levi muttered as he rolled his eyes. 

"You literally put my name in your phone as 'Matcha Girl' to spite me!" 

You were right. He did put that specifically as your name because he saw that it irritated the shit out of you.

"Well," he said as a small smirk grew on his face. "You do love your Matchas." 

You frowned and pushed at his shoulder a bit for teasing you, looking up into his eyes. 

However, upon meeting his gaze, you immediately regretted looking up. You felt your body tense upon getting to look at him properly in lighting that wasn't the flashing party lights. 

This was part of what you loved about him. The two of you had non-stop awkward situations come up over the past few weeks, yet you were able to naturally fall back into the dynamic that you two had commonly shared over the past year before everything went to shit. It felt natural. You felt more comfortable chatting with him—even with all the tension over what you were to each other—than you did with most of your friends.

Your eyes darted down to his lips, remembering the feeling of his lips on yours the past two times that you've kissed. You remembered how soft they were along with how gently he held you as he embraced you. You couldn't help but think of what it would be like to have him on you again.

As you felt your body heat up from your thoughts, you cleared your throat and looked away, trying to get ahold of yourself. You shuffled on your feet a bit, trying to clear the tension in your body, but—as you were still quite tipsy and therefore off-balance—you stumbled and Levi immediately grabbed your shoulders to keep you from falling completely into him. 

You looked up at him again.

"Fuck, I hate you so much," you whispered.

"Is that so?"

You absolutely hated his guts. You hated him because he was making you feel all sorts of ways, continuously confusing you and your judgment. You couldn't stop yourself from wanting him no matter how hard you tried.

You glanced to the side and saw that no one was around and that everyone was inside, no doubt still participating in that silly party game.

Looking into his eyes, you felt your lips part and you slowly leaned in, connecting your lips to his.

He didn't move, and you froze. You might have just made a huge mistake. The first time you kissed him was due to heightened emotions. While you could blame the alcohol for this one, you knew that you had sobered up enough that you wouldn't be making impulsive decisions unless there was some merit to them. 

You felt your heart soar once he finally kissed you back, gently pushing you up against the wall, taking care to not put too much pressure on your arm that had freshly healed from the accident. 

As the two of you continued to exchange kisses, you felt his body on yours—warm and electrifying—and your kiss deepened. Before long, he was biting at you and his tongue was prodding at your lips.

It was hard for you to catch a breath, and your breathing was so warm that it was literally turning steamy whenever you exhaled to the cold air surrounding you. 

Levi lowered his hand towards your waist to pull you in, his hand gently brushing across your breast on the way down.

"God," he whispered, his voice heavy and breathy, "I hate that I can't keep my hands off you."

His other hand lifted up your leg and—given how short your dress was—landed on your hip underneath your dress. His hand gripped at you tightly to the point that it was almost painful, but it just sent you further into that euphoric feeling that he provided you every time he placed his lips on yours. His lips pulled back from yours and he began to press his lips down your cheek, jawline, and finally to your neck, doing a scarily pleasurable combination of kissing, sucking, and biting along it. Whether he was biting hard enough to leave marks was left completely out of your mind. You couldn’t think properly. You didn’t want to think properly. All you could even process was how he felt on you.

Your back arched into him, pressing your chest up against his, so much so that you felt your heart rates in sync, as gentle whimpers and moans were escaping your lips. As he continued to bite and kiss at your neck, you couldn't focus on anything other than just how good he felt on you. He set your senses on fire and you never wanted this feeling to go away. You felt something warm deep within your core, and the electrifying feeling that he sent throughout your body was annoyingly addictive. You were completely lost in the feeling of just him.

Your fingers found your way to the back of his head, slightly tugging on his hair, which only earned you a tighter grip on your thigh. You wanted him. You wanted everything that he could offer. You wanted to press your body further against him and never let go. You wanted your hands to travel lower and lower and explore all that he was. All you could think about was Levi and how he would feel-

You felt him pause and immediately understood why. The door to the front door of the house had opened and you both pulled away from each other. He took his hands off you and you immediately lowered your dress back down so that you were covered again and he began readjusting his jacket and shuffling. You shook your head so that your hair fell back into place, making it seem like you two weren't just pressed up against and embracing each other.

A group of undergrads stepped out of the house, yelling something about grabbing food downtown. They were very intoxicated, so they didn't even notice you or Levi standing at the side of the house before running off.

You exhaled shakily, your breath creating a puff of steam, and awkwardly avoided looking at him to avoid that dangerously warm feeling that was building in your gut. 

"So..." you began to speak. "Should we go back inside?"

He was quiet for a bit before saying, "That's probably a good idea."

Both you and Levi walked back into the house without really touching each other, maintaining a distance so that you wouldn't even risk brushing up against each other. You couldn't take your mind off of his body on yours, and even the slightest touch would likely make you explode.

Although the alcohol had somewhat worn off by now, you were easily able to pretend that the immense blush on your face was simply due to the drinking, which made it easier to ease any ongoing suspicions on behalf of some of the people present, like Petra and Hange. 

Neither of you could continue to doubt that there was something between the two of you. This was explicitly the case now. No matter what you did, you couldn't stop yourself from recalling how he felt against you.

You desperately wanted him, and you were fairly certain a part of him wanted you too.

#: @levisbrat25 @gothgril69 @sckerman @berrijam @notgoodforlife @meowjaa @averysmolbear @roseofdarknessblog @bejewelledd @hhighkey @ayame236 @sad-darksoul @velouria17 @kamyru @l1zk4 @layenacreates @lamees004 @whoami-72 @highgoon69 @chaotic-on-main @levishotgf @nube55 @chosos-mascara @heichoucleanfreak @svftackerman @v4mp-wife @moonchild-angel @astri-ackerman @auriuswolve @noctemys @you-always-made-me-blush

#tw: alcohol #tw alcohol #levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi heichou x reader #captain levi x reader #levi #levi ackerman #levi heichou #captain levi #modern!au levi #coffeeshop!au levi #college!au levi #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #snk #fics: matcha

[unfair-water-plane]

I’m very new to talking about things online, but just wanted to share a headcanon.

After the events of ME:3, humanity has to start rebuilding. Arcturus is gone, very likely much of earth’s governance is gone or indoctrinated beyond the ability to lead. They are going to need new faces in high places, and whose is chock full of people who have shown their mettle? The Alliance. It’s natural that leaders will rise from military places, and that can be dangerous. It’s so easy to go martial law when everyone is…well, martial.

But you know who probably be okay with leaving the alliance? Who has the moral fiber to stand not just for earth but as a leader for the whole galaxy? Who has not just the trust of the Spectres but has earned their way among them, and who they know will not treat them like cannon fodder in the rebuilding of everything?

That’s right, introducing humanity’s new councilor:

Kaidan Alenko.

The way I see it (and your mileage may vary, I’m basing this on my own experience and service), if I had busted my way all the way to N7, was an operational commander and had a frigate no one had the balls to take from me I would be in no hurry to just end that rise. I have a headcanon that N7 is hell in career growth since they don’t drop a bundle on training and then promote you out of the field, so Shepard’s probably primed for a life of spec ops service with Commander, or maybe Major eventually, as his high water mark.

Now add in the fact that your husband (because you know the minute Shepard managed to open even one eye Kaidan was welding a ring on that finger) is going to be humanity’s councilor. He’s going to need someone in his corner who is unquestioningly loyal, fiercely protective, and has once a month spa dates with the Shadow Broker.

But I think Kaidan is like be so good at that role. He’s a natural peace maker, has spent a lifetime developing control over himself and his action. The first time one of the other councilors starts to just pass down uncollaborative mandates Kaidan drags them all aside for six hours of methodical debate and a galactic sized MCPP. By the end of the first month he’s completely eliminated standing on the platforms and holding condescending debate in front of applicants. Round table discussions with home planets, involved parties and unbiased observers becomes the norm. There will never be another ‘cruel and unfortunate truth’ moment with Councilor Alenko demanding the mindset of respect through service.

(And in the background, completely uninvolved in the discussion but never too far away during the emotional debates, Reaper Killer and Galactic hero Commander Shepard alternates between staring at humanity’s councilor like he hung the stars and seeing how quickly he can intimidate an end of a meeting at the first sign of a migraine).

Anyway, that’s just my two cents. Wanted to get it out of my head.

#mshenko #mshepard #kaidan alenko #mass effect #citadel headcanons #galactic politics #fuck the council though

[softpascalito]

Christmas Eve - Pedro Pascal Character Headcanons

Summary: How do the Pedro characters spend Christmas Eve with you? Some ideas!

Relationships: Joel Miller x Reader, Silva x Reader, Javi Gutierrez x Reader

Tags/Warnings: Non-explicit smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Tiny mention of eventual death (idk??), Headcanons

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Joel Miller

With Joel, Christmas Eve is quiet. It's the first year that Ellie has not been with him, instead opting to have a small party with Cat and a few others.

The poor man is absolutely oblivous to Ellie's reasons at first and it's not until you carefully bring up the topic of teenagers being teenagers that he understands. He doesn't mention it again.

The two of you opt for a nice dinner by yourself, Joel helping you with the cooking before presenting you with a nice bottle of wine he found on patrol a few weeks ago.

After dinner, you let him choose a movie (mentally already retiring to the idea of watching one that was already considered old when the outbreak happened). It's not half bad though, with Joel cuddled up next to you and the small Christmas tree in the corner smelling like fresh pine.

Joel misses the second half of the movie when he falls asleep, silently cursing when you wake him up to drag him to bed as the credits roll.

He complains like a child, not wanting to end the evening already, especially since you don't have plans for Christmas morning. So you both settle for a cup of coffee, Joel pulling out his guitar and softly strumming a few songs.

He rarely plays in front of you (or anyone) and so it feels like a Christmas present in itself. You give him one in return, one that also involves the mouth, even if it's not used for singing.

You both fall asleep at the same time, curled up in bed and more relaxed than you've been in a while.

Silva

Silva goes to church on Christmas Eve. He has since he was a young boy and despite not believing in everything that is preached, he finds something in the sense of community.

He enjoys seeing old friends, folks who have made the trip for the holiday and it usually takes a fair bit of time until he's made his rounds after the service ends.

You tag along, for the first time. You try and not make it too obvious that you aren't exactly a church person, haven't been for years. He notices anway. And he promises to make it up to you afterwards.

He does. Silva decks the small ranch house out with candles, wax dripping practically everywhere. You don't realize quite how much work he's put into it until you return from the stables and find the house glowing, the warm light becoming more intense as darkness falls around you.

There's food, too. Some that he's evidently stored away for this occasion and you genuinely wonder how he's managed to keep it hidden this entire time.

You hum songs together, wrapped into your handmade blankets as you sit in the glow of the candles, just content to sit and be still with each other.

He makes love to you on the bed, taking his time with undressing you, kissing your body for what feels like hours.

When the candles have all burned out, you're certain he has kissed every inch of your body, touched all of you, and in that moment, you silently wish that he never, never leaves you, that he'll always be there to kiss you and hold you and be kissed and be held.

He continues lighting candles every year. Even after you're gone.

Javi Gutierrez

During Christmas time, Javi happens to be fucking head over heels for you. He takes you to Christmas-themed events and markets all throughout december.

It's during one of those markets that he stumbles over a Paddington book, the cover complete with a Christmas tree and the small bear in his blue coat.

You hurriedly buy it when he heads to the toilet a few minutes later, already eager to see his eyes when he unwraps his present on Día de los Reyes.

On Nochebuena, there is a feast unlike one you've ever seen. Javi has gone all out, wanting to leave a good impression on you but also give his family a nice opportunity to meet you.

There is a perfectly roasted Pularda Asada, a truffle-stuffed turkey that has you audibly exclaiming how much you love sharing this tradition.

Javi shows you around, introducing you to everyone of importance, his hand always on your lower back for support (both mentally and physically).

You talk a walk as the party slowly begins to die down, wandering through the woods around the estate, hand intertwined and listening to the music and voices drifting over to you, mixing with the sounds of the sea.

It's everything you imagined it to be, though you know that with Javi by your side, you'd even take a Christmas Eve dinner consisting of nothing but a piece of bread. Lucky for you though, your man spoils you all throughout the evening, leaving you stuffed for hours afterwards. It's well worth it.

#pedropascaladventcalender #headcanons #hcs #joel miller #joel miller / reader #joel / reader #joel miller x you #christmas #christmas tree #softpascalitosadventcalendar #softpascalito #christmas eve #silva #silva / you #silva / reader #silva x you #silva x reader #strange way of life #swol #tlou #the last of us #javi gutierrez / reader #javi gutierrez / you #javi g / you #javi g / reader #javi g x you #javi gutierrez #tuwomt #the unbearable weight of massive talent