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cafeacademia · 3 years

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Guardian | Chapter Two

Draco Malfoy x Muggleborn!Reader Soulmate AU

Chapter Summary: After months of no contact with your soulmate, you begin to finally act on your suspicions, only to learn a difficult truth about your close friend, Draco.

Warnings: Sadness, some fluff, mention of abusive environments (Draco being involved with his father, Voldy and death eaters).

Word count: Approx 3200

Masterlist

NOTE: This story is following a slightly altered AU, in which Fred and George are still at school and Harry does not go for Draco after Katie Bell’s possession.

A/N: Hi loves! Here’s the next chapter! I did struggle a little with this one, but I’m really happy with it. I hope you enjoy this part and I promise there is some fluff coming for these two soon, enjoy! 💖

Flashbacks are separated using *** and use of the soulmate book is highlighted in italics

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Was it ever enough? The spilled ink, the black stained fingertips having spent hours writing with a quill. The way the pages crinkled under the heavy use, words that did not spell out a work of fiction, but that of the tale of two souls meant to be.

Was it enough to bring back what was lost by writing to him often? You couldn't know, but all you could do was try.

It was well beyond the start of your first term in your sixth year and as the leaves fell and the seasons changed, the forest surrounding the grounds with deep red and orange hues, you wondered where he could have gone, what had happened to him?

But as you wandered through the grounds, the clouds drew in, bringing a sudden downpour with them. Being quite far from the castle, the closest spot for shelter in the heavy rain was the owlery and quickly, you tugged your jacket over your head and sprinted across the wet grass towards the stone tower.

Taking care not to slip on the steps on your way up, you heaved out a sigh when you finally got yourself through the doorway. It wasn’t much warmer in the enclosed space, but it was at least dry.

It was a particularly odd Sunday, the weather had been changing all day, though you knew as winter drew in that this time of year was often very rainy and ever changing, just like autumn itself.

Backing further into the owlery, you shivered, trying to warm yourself up a little bit, but as the strong winds blew across the grounds and swept through the openings between the stones in the owlery walls, you chilled even more.

Suddenly, without even a whisper, having seemingly appeared out of no where, You felt something being draped around your shoulders and you jumped, looking over your shoulder to see yourself face to face with a Slytherin. “Draco?” It came out as a gasp. All he could do was meet your gaze with the cold blue hues of his eyes, barely managing a small smile, one that did not reach his eyes, one that appeared forced and perhaps even painful. His eyes were deep with the weight of his emotions, things he wish he could tell someone, but he had to keep them locked away as far down in himself as he could.

The ashen haired boy had barely even looked at you since the end of the last school year and a few weeks after your return to Hogwarts, it was increasingly obvious that he didn’t want to be around you.

“Harry is under the impression Draco Malfoy is a Death Eater.” Hermione had said it as if even she herself could not believe it to be true and you weren’t sure if you were lucky, or terribly placed at the wrong place at the wrong time to hear something that, despite your better judgement, caused your heart to ache.

What had he been pulled into? You couldn’t know for certain, but even now as you looked up at him and met his soft gaze, you knew that whatever he was taking part in was not through choice.

“Thank you.” You smiled softly, pulling the jacket he had draped over your shoulders around you a little more, only receiving a small nod from him. “Draco.” You reached out for him, your hand catching his wrist before he had a chance to turn away from you. And for a moment, Draco allowed himself to be touched, he allowed himself to feel the warmth of your gentle touch, but as he met your eyes, he slowly slipped his wrist out of your grasp and took a step back. “I’ll see you in class tomorrow.” He said, attempting a smile before ducking out of the doorway and disappearing down the steps into the heavy downpour.

Your heart ached at the way he had pulled away, at the deep regret he had held in his eyes as he had turned away from you. Pulling his coat around you even more, you were thankful at least, that returning his coat to him would allow you a moment to speak to him soon and you hoped you could get a moment alone with your friend soon.

Having made your way back to the castle after a ten minute wait for the downpour of cease, you headed back up to your dormitory to dry off and warm up. And as you perched on your bed with a blanket wrapped around yourself, you sighed, leaning down to gently take the small leather bound book out of the top of your school bag. Flicking through the pages, you turned to the last one that had been written on, only your handwriting occupying the crinkled, slightly yellowed paper and you sighed, your eyes landing on the words you had last written to him, drawing in a breath to speak them out loud. “Where are you?”

Draco hated it. He hated that every time he closed his eyes, all he saw, all he heard were things that haunted him. It was as if his mind could not truly allow him to rest, not without being reminded what dreadful things were happening and what were to come. But it was the worst when what he saw when he closed his eyes was the way his father had snatched the book from him, his voice full of opportunity.

***

“Do you know who this soulmate of yours is, Draco?” Lucius had asked. “No, father.” Draco lied, keeping his features neutral, his eyes passing over the book that was clutched in his father’s strong grip. Lucius cast a lingering stare at his son, judgement in his eyes as he considered his answer.

Draco knew he could not give away that he did, in fact know who his soulmate was, because surely someone might want to use you against him and he certainly did not put it past those around him to do so. Even if his father were to not use that information, he was sure someone else might, especially as motivation to carry out tasks. He knew already that anyone knowing about his soulmate even existing was bad enough, because even without knowing who you were, people could still use it as leverage. “Now, now, don’t look so miserable. You may have this back once you’ve tended to your duties.” Lucius had told him.

***

Draco looking down, pulling up his shirt sleeve to look at the image of the dark mark imprinted in his skin. Following the curve of the snake as it trailed over the veins in his wrist, Draco felt sick to his stomach. His eyes glanced up to land on the book. It was scratched up, dented and damaged, the golden gilding worn and scuffed off some of the edges, one of the metal corner protectors had gone missing and a few of the gold painted page edges were folded and ripped. It made his heart ache. It made Draco feel a uncontrollable, seething anger, a want to cry and scream and protect what was his with everything he had. But he could not.

They had all ridiculed him, used the book as a way to force him closer to the same lifestyle that they followed and Draco hated it. He resented everything they had used his book to make him do. Because it wasn’t just a book they were using, they had used you. And even though the book was now back in his possession after being confiscated more than once, thrown about and damaged on purpose to taunt him, despite the fact that he now held it as close to him as possible, he refused to use it.

What if someone were take his memories and view them? What if someone found out what he talked about? Or more importantly who he talked to. But with each passing day, his eyes landing on the old, tattered book, simultaneously a symbol of both hope and pain, Draco longer to open the cover and read the contents.

His aunt Bellatrix had tried to force him to read it out, but as if the book had known what was happening to both him and itself, it appeared blank no matter what they did, no matter how they tried to strip it of it’s concealment charms. Draco just could not bring himself to read your words, to see what you might have written in his absence, to see what his silence might have done.

“Soulmates? You can’t be serious, that’s all a bunch of old fairy tales.” Ron brushed it off. “Don’t be ridiculous Ronald.” Hermione sighed, about to curb his argument. “It’s not!” Neville suddenly burst into the argument, having seen you looking rather out of depth from the reaction you’d gotten from Ron. “My parents are soulmates too.” Neville said in a softer tone that time, giving you a kind smile as he looked across at you.

“With a book too?” You asked, now intrigued while Ron gave you both a look of confusion, having genuinely thought you had been pulling his leg when Fred and George had pestered it out of you. “No, they can hear each other’s thoughts.” Neville explained. “Do you know who yours is?” Harry asked, leaning over in his seat to join the conversation. “I can’t be sure, but I have a couple of theories.” You replied, leaning forwards and resting your chin on your hand. “Well, who is it then?” Fred asked with a big grin on his face at the idea of some brilliant gossip. “None of you would believe me even if I told you.”

“I would.” Luna smiled sweetly at you as she approached the bench, Neville almost immediately shuffling up and accidentally bumping George a little to give her some space to sit between you and him. “I believe in soulmates too, they are fascinating, don’t you think?” She asked. ”I just wish mine would talk to me again, he’s been quiet for months.” You sighed as Ron, Hermione and Ginny began to discuss something else with the twins. “You really don’t know who it is?” Luna asked. “My grandmother told me that soulmates are often much closer than you expect them to be, maybe there’s someone hiding in plain sight, waiting for you to realise that it’s them.” She told you, giving you a sweet little smile before she turned away to talk to Neville.

Perhaps Luna was right and perhaps, despite feeling a bit silly for thinking it might be someone you already knew, she was right and if your soulmate, whoever he really was, was very much absent and maybe it was time to really find out for sure.

Ron had suggested the use of Felix Felicis, but it felt wrong to use a potion in an attempt to cheat your way into knowing who your soulmate was, but as the weeks passed and you left the falling leaves behind, along with the events that took place and had shaken everyone who had seen Katie Bell tragically possessed, you began to wonder if the idea wasn’t so bad after all. The year seemed more bleak as time passed and even as you passed into spring, it felt as if the tension in the castle was ready to snap at any moment.

Despite the tempting idea of brewing liquid luck and using it to find him, another part of you was reluctant, not because you felt it was wrong or like it was cheating at something you obviously should see through to the end, but because you had a feeling you already knew who it was.

But just as you feared his sudden coldness being the only worry and the fact that you had not found a single moment in which Draco would take his coat back from you from months ago, you feared the reasons he might not be speaking to you at all. Why was he so cold to you? The chill hurt. Walking into the great hall, the chatter between the trio as you passed them seemed to only be of one thing and it shook you as deeply as it had everyone else who had witnessed it. The horrifying way she had moved in such an unnatural way, how she had contorted and her face had been taken over by something terrible. Katie Bell’s possession.

“It was Malfoy, I’m sure of it.” Harry was adamant and the conviction in his voice was enough to chill everyone in earshot. And when you had swept passed the trio, looking for a seat elsewhere, you turned to see Draco standing in the middle of the hall, his face riddled with regret, shame and something that swam deep in his eyes as he looked at you. He held your gaze for a moment, your movements still as you stood in front of a bench, your eyes not leaving his. It was as if he was silently pleading you, as if he was asking you to help him, reaching out for something, for someone.

But just as you slowly moved a step in his direction, he turned and fled, Harry leaping up from his seat, but being yanked back by Hermione as you rushed after the Slytherin.

You tried to keep up with his quick pace, Draco weaving around corners and slipping through half open doors so quickly that if you hadn’t been paying enough attention, you might have lost him.

Finally, you rounded the doorway into the bathroom, seeing Draco hunched over a sink, his hair messed up and out of place, sobs shaking his body as he tried to wash the pain away with water.

“Draco,” It was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to startle him and he turned to look at you with fear in his eyes, tears streaming down his cheeks. Your heart broke, your throat clenching tight at the sight of him in such a state. “I had to do it.” He sobbed, backing against the wall and sliding down onto the cold stone below. “He made me do it.”

Slowly, you crossed the bathroom, carefully kneeling down in front of him and reaching out, tentatively at first to brush his hair from his face. “I tried so hard to protect-.” He stopped himself, a sob interrupting mid sentence and Draco heaved for breath as he reached for you. And just as he had done for you, when he had held you so many times when you felt nothing but pain and hurt and everything in between, you held him in your arms too. The beating of your heart soothed him as he cried against your shoulder, his hands holding you with a weak grip and slowly, his sobs softened as you held him tightly, softly stroking his hair.

“He made me do it.” Draco repeated, parting from you for a moment, pulling his sleeve up to show you, but he would not meet your eyes. The dark mark was like binding seal on his wrist, one that bound him to a life he did not want and you knew that the Draco his father was trying to make him be, was not the Draco you knew.

“I’m so sorry.” You whispered, pulling him back against you and hugging him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Draco.” You felt the tears well up in your eyes, seeing someone you cared so deeply for, someone who you had secretly bonded with for years was being torn apart and put back together as someone he was not meant to be and you hated to see it happen.

“I can’t be around you, I can’t look at you, he’ll know.” Draco whispered, hugging you tightly around the middle. “You don’t deserve this pain, you deserve something more, something better.” You told him. Draco didn’t feel like he did, he didn’t feel like he deserved anything better and he certainly didn’t feel like he deserved you either.

“I’m sorry.” Draco cried, pulling away and wiping harshly at his tears. “I shouldn’t be talking to you.” He said, moving to get up, but you reached out and grabbed his hand before he could go. “Then talk to me by paper and quill. Like we used to.” You told him, and while your words could have implied your little notes during class or the letters during the summer, both of you knew what that had really meant. “Okay.” He nodded, trying to move away again, but you stopped him once more.

“Hold on, take this.” You said, tears rolling down your cheeks, sniffling as you reached into your robe pocket to pull out the beautiful green handkerchief he had given you three years prior. “You still have it.” He whispered. “Of course.” You nodded, reaching up to wipe your tears away. “I can’t take it, love. You keep it.” Draco said, gently using his fingers to close your own around the handkerchief and pushing it back against your chest.

“I still have your coat.” You added as you felt his touch linger on your hand. “You’ll keep it safe for me, won’t you?” He asked. “Of course.” You nodded. “Why, are you going somewhere?” You asked. Draco paused, almost daring himself to look up at you, to meet your eyes one last time, but he resisted and sighed. “It might be a while before you see me again.” He told you, gently trailing his fingertips over the back of your hand. “But… I will see you again, won’t I?” You asked. “I promise, we will.”

“Goodbye, sweetheart.” Draco whispered, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to your forehead before he left you alone in the bathroom, walking away to prepare to carry out his biggest and most dreaded task. And he wondered as he descended into the dungeons, how you could ever love him after he had performed the things he must do.

But Draco had been right, because only months later, with no communication with each other aside from the odd glance here and there, he disappeared completely.

Promise me, you will not come looking for me. It was scrawled quickly onto a page and for the first time in nearly a year, you saw his writing join yours again on the paper of your book. You sighed as you read those words, sitting in your dormitory amidst the horrible realisation of what had taken place, that death eaters had killed Albus Dumbledore.

Leaping up from your bed, you grabbed a quill from your bag and opened the inkwell at your desk before writing your reply. I promise, but you must promise to find me when it’s safe. You wrote back.

Minutes passed and not a single drop of ink came through. Minutes turned into hours and while you thought he might not write back at all, you cast a quick glance at the page before you finally decided to try and sleep to see his words amongst yours again.

I promise.

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Taglist (OPEN):

@kitkatd7 @paintballkid711 @thesewaywardskies @coldlilheart @victorialynn7 @pandaxnienke @megantje123 @loving-life-my-way @chaotic-fae-queen @theweasleyslut @daltonacademia @amourtentiaa

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@autumnpauley20 @malfoysstilinski @indieslytherin @bitchinbadgers @saby06143 @tsukibaby @dracoismybabey @psychramt @dracoxmgg @kmhluvbot @justmesadgirl @thatguppienamedbae @dumspirospero-1 @softlyqoos @hopelesslymt @cherrytomato2 @lipstickandloveletters @cedrictodeadric @andreasworlsboring101 @buckylahey

#draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x you #draco x you #draco x y/n #draco x muggleborn!reader #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy #draco fanfiction #draco angst #draco malfoy angst #draco malfoy imagine #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter #harry potter imagine #draco lucius malfoy

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wonderlustlucas · 4 years

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the visit - hwang hyunjin

⇢ prompt “And do what? Watch another horror so you can cry?” ⇢ pairing hyunjin x female reader ⇢ word count 1.8k ⇢ genre fluff & little smut but not really ⇢ warnings swearing, make out sesh & a little grinding action ⇢ summary “hwang hyunjin x female reader. Genre is up to you, please (fluff/smut) ~ Theme - Hyunjin and his s/o are watching a horror movie. And s/o laughs a lot, being rational and isn't scared at all. While Hyunjin is ehh a scared drama queen? haha”—request ; friends to lovers!au

You’re beginning to think inviting Hyunjin to your dorm to watch The Visit with you wasn’t the best idea.

It’s not like you had many other choices. With your roommate having gone home for the weekend and Hyunjin’s dorm only a few doors down, it was your best option. And on the typical occasion, you wouldn’t be complaining; usually, you are more than happy to spend time with one of your newer friends who not only makes you smile so hard it hurts, but also happens to be ridiculously handsome. You know. As a plus.

You should have guessed that Hyunjin isn’t a horror kind of person. Seriously— he’s a pretty rose-colored glasses, happy-go-lucky guy. So why he agreed to watch one such movie with you in the first place is beyond your level of judging expertise.

You’re trying to not get ahead of yourself.

Hyunjin lets out an audible gasp when it is revealed who the ‘grandparents’ truly are. You can’t help but pause the movie, trying to stifle a laugh. “Are you for real?” You ask, turning to look at him. “You didn’t realize who they were?” Somewhere in the back of your head, you take note of how unfairly cute he looks right now, lying on his stomach beside you with his face smooshed into one of your pillows.

“Um, no?” He scoffs like it’s the most reasonable thing ever, sending you an unamused glare.

“You’re dense.”

You start to feel bad as the movie draws closer to its end. To you, the movie is stupid; totally predictable and you can’t stop laughing. Hyunjin, on the other hand, is not having as fun of a time. Clearly frightened—or, maybe just overwhelmed—by the sudden and rather aggressive turn of events, he finds it much more disturbing and you begin to find yourself focusing more on the way he keeps flinching rather than the movie.

“Okay,” you finally quip, slapping your laptop closed, “I think that’s enough.”

“What?” Hyunjin hollers, leaning up on his elbows. “What are you doing?”

“You’re clearly freaked out, Hyunjin. You should have just told me you didn’t like horror movies and stayed in your dorm,” grumbling, you miss the hurt that flashes across his face when you reach back to retrieve your phone.

“Then I wouldn’t get to see you,” he admits, keeping his gaze glued on you as you come back down next to him. You momentarily forget how to breathe, heat making its way up your neck to settle on your cheeks. He can’t help but smile to himself at the reaction.

“Well,” you cough, “we could have watched something else.”

“No matter how disturbing it is,” Hyunjin hums, reopening your laptop, “I have to see how it ends.”

Reluctant, you look to him with a frown and momentarily wonder if he’s trying to prove something. You certainly hope not. Before you can even make sure he really wants to continue, Hyunjin offers the softest of smiles for reassurance and you can’t help but send one back. He simply has that effect. With one last sigh, you quickly type in your password and reposition yourself; this time, a little closer to him. “Fine,” you sigh, continuing the movie, “but if you cry or something, I’m going to laugh.”

He doesn’t cry. In fact, he’s stiff as a board, face devoid of emotion as he keeps his eyes glued to the screen. It isn’t until you shift to rest your head on his arm does the smallest of smiles appear on his lips. And before you know it, the movie is ending and you realize you have spent the last twenty minutes or so transfixed on Hyunjin rather than the film’s conclusion. Oh well.

“That was interesting,” you offer. You’re not sure what to think at the moment. A part of you likes to believe one too many lines were crossed this evening for friends who only met at the beginning of this semester, but the more reasonable side is convinced Hyunjin would never see you as anything more than that. Friends.

“I think you’re a liar,” Hyunjin quips unexpectantly, brows furrowed when you whip back to face him. “I think you’re scared, but you just play it off and laugh ‘cause you don’t want to blow the little façade you got going.”

You scoff, leaning back on an elbow to regard him. “I’ve seen some scary movies, Hyunjin, but this definitely wasn’t one of them. Get the hell out of here.”

“But I wanted to stay,” he whines with a pout of his lips. Fuck, if you were knee-deep in shit before, you might as well be drowning now. “And do what? Watch another horror so you can cry?” You challenge like always, blowing off what could be flirting because it just seems too outrageous to you. “No,” Hyunjin frowns, suddenly serious and it turns your blood to ice.

“What, then?” You laugh airily, looking away for the sake of your own sanity and watching the movie’s credits intently. The silence is deafening, dragging on for so long you begin to fear that he can hear how heavily your heart is beating. Finally, you muster up the courage to look back at Hyunjin who, to your surprise, seems to have been regarding you quietly the entire time. “What?”

“Can I kiss you?” Hyunjin asks in a rush.

“What?” You blurt, nearly choking on the air you heave and staring back at him with wide eyes. “Why would you want to do that?”

Hyunjin rolls his eyes, deserting his pillow in favor of sitting up to lean against the wall. “Do you want the confession version or the dirty version?” He asks like it means nothing at all, the corners of his eyes scrunched in amusement. You nearly choke—again.

“Dirty?” You repeat, bewildered. At this point, you must have died and gone to heaven to hear Hwang Hyunjin even utter such words. You scramble to sit up, keeping a safe distance from the boy talking absolute buffoonery at you.

“My friends were talking about you,” he starts, and instantly the alarms begin ringing in your brain. Hyunjin is one thing, but his friends? They’re an entirely new level of terrifying, and the fact that he’s using plural friends has your heart racing. “No, no, no. I actually don’t wanna know,” you interrupt, waving your hands for him to stop and opting to look at the now dark screen of your laptop.

Hyunjin ignores you. “They’ve been talking about your ass for weeks now after you wore this one pair of jeans, and it’s driving me absolutely nuts because, yeah, your ass is great, but it also made me realize how possessive I feel about you. I don’t think I can handle another day listening to them wonder ‘what that mouth do,’ because now I can’t help but wonder, and it’s fucking me up because I really like you and I love spending time with you but then you’ll do some nonchalant shit like… just the way you leaned back. It makes my head spin. And I hate knowing anyone else is thinking of you the way I do. But like, if you don’t feel the same way and don’t want to kiss me, I get it. We’re probably just a bunch of horny teenage boys to you, and I don’t know why you would want me of all—”

“Jesus Christ, shut up,” you groan, hastily waddling on your knees until you’re close enough to swing a leg over his lap and cup his face in your hands. For a moment, you hesitate—pausing to look him in the eyes and wondering whether you should offer some sort of confession in return. Later, you decide. Because right now, whether it’s from the words that just left his mouth or simply how delectable he looks up close, giving Hyunjin a damn kiss is your best option.

It’s nothing more than a peck—once, twice, three times, on the fourth, however, Hyunjin finally seems to come to his senses. With one hand sliding up your back to press you closer and the other coming to cradle your jaw and angle it to his liking, three simple pecks quickly evolve into much more. And for the time being, you’re entirely lost in the plushness of his lips and the taste of his tongue and the fire his touch leaves behind as he reaches for everything but nothing all at once.

“Hyunjin,” you squeak out without even meaning to. You hadn’t even meant to stop kissing him, but here you are, fingers twisting in his shirt and body throbbing with a need you did not think you would feel tonight. “Yes?” He hums, making his way down your neck with the way you tilt back for him, littering your skin with pillowy kisses in between the small bruises he sucks along the way.

“Shit, I don’t know,” you manage breathlessly, subconsciously trying to wrap your legs around his hips so that the slow roll of your core against him does more to satisfy your growing desire. “You have a problem down there?” Hyunjin whispers, noticing the determined movement and dropping a hand buried in your hair to grip at your thigh, thumb tapping at your clothed center, just a few centimeters below your most sensitive nerves. Still, it has electricity coursing through your veins and you nod hastily, lifting your hips to try and position yourself so his thumb presses into your clit.

Realizing what you are trying to do, Hyunjin clicks his tongue and moves his hand further away, stifling a laugh when you whimper. “Jesus, ___, what happened to you? I didn’t expect you to be so needy,” the fucker giggles, lifting you by the hips to guide you into spinning around and sitting between his legs, back now pressed to his chest.

“I didn’t expect Hwang Hyunjin of all people to tell me he’s possessive of me,” you retort despite how lightheaded you feel with the way his hands roam, one hand dipping under your sweatshirt to slide over the warm skin of your stomach and give your breast a squeeze; the other trailing over the waistband of your shorts.

“It’s true,” Hyunjin sighs dreamily, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. Instinctively, you drop your head against his shoulder and tilt to kiss the curve of his neck, unable to fight your smile. “Before we do anything though, ___, I have to know,” he clears his throat, fingers finally slipping beneath the fabric of your shorts and underwear, “is this going to be a one-time thing?”

This question in itself is enough to sober you from the desire clouding your mind. Leaning up just enough so you can twist around and look him in the eyes, you offer Hyunjin a reassuring smile before anything else.

“No,” you answer, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “we still have so many horror movies to watch together.”

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steve0discusses · 4 years

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Yugioh S4 Ep 27: Joey Punches Valon to Death and Seto Kaiba buys a Car.

My favorite character is back!

THE STORYBOARDER.

Like clockwork, the best storyboarder of all of Yugioh saw in the episode notes “This is the one where we shall Destroy Joey Wheeler” and he was like “Yes! this is extremely my thing!” and he’s back at it again, destroying Joey Wheeler with such finesse.

Like it’s so hard to explain in caps because you can’t see stuff move, but this animator is so good at the Yugioh vibe--he makes these character designs WORK for him (or her? No idea the identity of the mysterious storyboarder (or team of storyboarders--maybe this was one little group they freelance out to that worked really well together? I dunno) ) they really capture what Yugioh IS in a really unique way and still remain fairly economical in the animation sense. They do not hold back on any pose, and go completely ham into this ridiculous concept of a card game where you put on a special suit and punch eachother in the face.

Mind you, it’s still a card game and I skipped all that, but man...this is such a good storyboarder and I know that next episode they’ll be gone but for now I’m just gonna bask in it.

First off, Rebecca manages to figure out Seto’s 6-letter password in order to access billions of people’s personal data off of a satellite (we don’t get to find out what the password was) and although the storyboarder is great--they did make one fatal mistake.

The bane of every Californian who leaves California. LA is like a completely different country to San Fransisco but everyone only knows of two Californian cities and assumes we’re right next door to each other.

And it’s like...no, man. I don’t have Disneyland. Do I sound like a cheerful person that lives next to Disneyland? Do I say “bruh” and smile with the force of 1000 suns as we surf the coast on the backs of Lisa Frank dolphins? No dude, I have a strong Bay Area accent that makes me sound like a dry sarcastic asshole and I wear sweatshirts to the freakin beach because it’s very cold and filled with great white sharks.

(Sorry I just had to delete like 10 k words where I compared the entire cast to US cities by saying cryptic stuff like Joey Wheeler : Seto Kaiba is like LA : San Fransisco and like it was the biggest random tangent that only makes sense to me. Quarantine brain, y’all, I got SERIOUS quarantine brain. Anyone else? Anyone else just find themselves wasting like 2 hours thinking of which cities match the personalities of different characters on a show that came out so long ago? Man I need distractions right now.)

But back to what’s happening on the show, Yami is coming to terms with Joey’s struggle about as well as Yami does.

Which is mostly Yami saying “I’m pretty sure I killed Joey in that card game with Bakura in S1 and Tea had to bring him back from the graveyard so like wtv.”

(read more under the cut)

This was like 2003??? I think I keep forgetting when this season came out but we had printers at this point. We had google maps and a printer.

I don’t think I’ve touched a map like that since the 5th grade, where we had this competition to make a hypothetical road trip across America. It was Awful, and if you won the competition to get from SF to New York with the shortest distance, you would win something like pizza and a cool engraved name plate. We did not win pizza, because I could not even unfold this asshole map.

And now we have Google so like thanks, Mrs. Lambert, it was cool, but I’ll never use that information again. I hope. It was such a vivid frustrating memory that these maps still fill me with anxiety to this day, hearkening back to my 5th grade self just desperately trying to use string to measure how many miles the freeways across the midwest contain. (spoiler: a lot)

How OLD is this kid? Rebecca’s like secretly a 68 year old. She’s secretly Mrs. Lambert.

At this point we had a swell in the music as each friend of Joey joined in to announce their willingness to risk danger and save him.

Were they...not going to join him the whole time? It just seemed like a weird thing to bring up sooo after the fact.

Yami then turned to Duke and was like “but not you. You stay here” and he was like “Oh, thank gods.”

Rebecca stayed behind because the animators don’t want to draw her. Honestly, she’s incredibly helpful and they were mad stupid to leave the only smart one in the car. But youknow...this team loves being mad stupid. It makes the show more entertaining.

As they left we had a weird aside where Arthur Hawkins reflected “Rebecca is having just a REAL hard time trusting Yami” and it’s like--Arthur Hawkins! You’ve been dumping on Yami for like an entire season, that’s why. Like don’t pretend you’re all on team Pharaoh now. Why ever stop dunking?

But youknow, character development, Rebecca is going to learn the trust the ghost that possessed her crush/best friend that she’s had for 2+ years on a kid who’s been living in Japan this whole time who literally forgot who she was 2 weeks ago. You trust that ghost, Rebecca.

Or not. I mean you really don’t have to. You don’t owe Yami anything, dude. You don’t need to blindly trust idiot men, Rebecca. You just do you. Trust that instinct of “is this guy not trustworthy?” because yep. Chances are if you’re having that thought, that he’s totally not.

Storyboarder!

Storyboarder what ARE you???

STORYBOARDER!

after this followed a scene that I’ve seen gif-ed just so, so often that I assumed it was in a Yugioh Spin-off. I don’t know why I thought it wasn’t in this OG series, but I didn’t expect it to be here, in the Dartz season. But, it does make sense that this scene was under the best Storyboarder‘s direction because *chef’s kisses * it’s perfect. Every frame is a joy. The amount of sinister expressions on Mokuba, the level of sass coming off of Kaiba. It’s such a freakin shame that this man’s best work so far only lasts like a few seconds.

PS my bro looked it up and this car salesman has a wikipedia page.

He also looked up if anyone has shipped this car salesman and it’s our lucky day because this ship does not exist with any human ever in the world. Thank you, humanity. But, they DID make a wikipedia page so maybe we’re just putting off the inevitable?

I’m not even gonna cap it because I KNOW this is a gif you can easily download from everywhere but mm--this is a SOLID piece of animation. This animator is just flexing so hard, man. Yugioh did not deserve this much care and attention to detail.

Shippers rejoice, Seto Kaiba did briefly consider helping out Joey (before he absolutely drove away in the opposite direction)

(They’re clearly in the financial district already, PS. They are driving 5 ft to Dartz’ house.)

At some point Joey nabbed Valon’s card and so now he also gets to wear a bunch of stupid armor outfits.

This one is weird! It’s very Kamen rider-ish...but it’s a color scheme that feels very valentines day. It looks hard to wear. Good thing it’s animated.

I may need to capture this walk sequence though...if I still have the energy...the picture does not display his very energetic arms-in-the-air walk cycle I haven’t seen since that one Season zero episode. I dunno if it’s a reference to that, but I can’t think of any other reason why Tristan is walking like that.

This is when Mai finally shows up.

Valon lost his helmet during this fight, which lead to this:

What a good note to end on.

Anyways, I have no idea what my update schedule will look like or be, so if you’re new here and you want to start reading these from the beginning, I have a link for that:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

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fuck-customers · 5 years

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I suffer from severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD. If this bothers you then this isn’t your cup of tea to read. It will be brutal. It will be honest. It will be graphic.

I had my symptoms almost completely under control for years. I have wonderful kids and a supportive husband. For some reason a switch flipped in my brain. I no longer had my hands on the wheel no brakes to stop it. The nightmares, flashbacks, bouts of depression, never ending anxiety, and more were returning full force. It’s not like they ever went away, they were just not as big of a demon it is now. It actually got bad enough that I voluntarily committed myself to a mental health care facility.

Despite that help I only got worse. Self harming started with scratches, then deep wounds, until I was using blunt objects until I bruised. Any kind of physical pain somehow made the monster in my head weaker. During that time I also became increasingly suicidal. I began to miss work because I was just clutched so tightly within the jaws of mental horror. Obviously my husband began to stay home with me to ensure my safety.

This was making our financial situation harder and my mental health worsened with it. Like a sick joke one led to the other led to the other until I was unable to get out of bed most days of the week. When we lost Medicaid and were unable to afford insurance that also made a huge impact on my well being. We couldn’t afford for me to see a therapist, go to the doctor, or get my medication. We had to limit these things that are a very crucial part of my past, present, and future.

We did what we could to get my medication and do minimal visits to the doctor. We couldn’t afford a therapist, so that got neglected. I needed all of it, though. My quality of life suffered as did my family’s. The days missed from work piled up between the two of us. All because of this strong inescapable force that is a part of my every waking and sleeping moment.

Before I go further, yes, I know being absent a lot is reasonable terms for termination. But where do you draw the line? Where does understanding come into play? Where is your compassion, Walmart?

Things were looking up for a brief time. My loyal online friends helped make sure that my kids still got a Christmas despite our hardships. I was so moved that I felt like things could get better. Wrong.

A week before Christmas and all through the store Walmart decided we were too much of a chore. Both my husband and I were fired. On the same day. A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS! I became numb at first thinking that surely there was something we could do. We were both loyal employees and did our jobs well. So my husband and I decided to speak with the store manager about our options.

She was the most cold, robotic human being I have ever met. She sounded completely scripted and devoid of any soul as she went through the reasons we couldn’t keep out jobs. We sat and watched her as if she was giving a power point presentation and how horrible we were as employees.

I started hypo ventilating and crying in front of her. With that same robotic practiced voice she asked if I wanted her to call for an ambulance. My chest got tighter. She then asked in a monotone if she needed to call a doctor. My husband had to lead me out of the store as my breath became almost impossible to catch.

Still crying when we got home I suddenly felt that overwhelming urge that I’ve had so many times before. This time, though, I knew it was the day. I was going to do it. I had a point where I wasn’t able to provide for my family, we could become homeless, starve, and worse. The monster finally snapped it’s jaws shut with a final nudge from that conversation.

I waited until my husband fell asleep. We were both stressed enough that we had a couple of drinks. With a belly full of vodka I climbed up the stairs to my bedroom. I gathered every single pill bottle I could find, vitamins included, and choked all of them down. All there was to do now was get in bed, fall asleep, and wait.

I woke up blind, scared, weak, and confused. The ground felt like a sea of tiny legos that I sank into the more I struggled. I felt no pain, but I could hear my husband yelling at me to get into bed. I had fallen at some point, but try as I might I couldn’t claw my way up. He dragged me into the hallway and redressed me. I have no memory of having ever removed them, so it almost felt as though I was being stuffed into a body bag. His voice sounded so far away as he called 911. The darkness pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go.

In the ambulance I screamed as if possessed for water. I felt like I had gone for weeks without hydration. The more I was denied, the more I howled and pleaded. I begged as they strapped my hands down so I couldn’t fight for a single drop anymore. I finally began to figure out some hazy figures. To my left was for sure my husband, holding my hand and crying. To my right were a bunch of people I didn’t know. Still immobilized I screamed! Water! Please give me some water! All I heard were echoes that I couldn’t have any.

As time went on I began to feel as though my husband was drifting away from me as these people surrounded me and mocked me. I thought they were telling me to sit up, so I kept trying. They held a straw to my mouth just out of reach. It was too dark to see and they kept playing a game of “keep away” with the straw. I remember writhing and shrieking because of the feeling that I would never be able to taste water ever again. Just as hope was waning I saw my little brother. Impossible, I thought, he lives clear across the country. With him taking my hand my body stilled and my consciousness slipped.

When I once again came to I was still out of it, desperately thirsty, and strapped down. Never have I wanted to escape so much. My memory isn’t clear from here, but I’m sure that I managed to work one of my hands out of the restraint before intervention occurred. I was medicated to calm me down and sled back into a sort of unaware purgatory.

Upon waking again I was more level headed. I was told that my husband found me naked, convulsing, and trashing around in an effort to get back into bed .I had stitches in my head, bruises over pretty much 40% of my body, broken toe nails and finger nails, scrapes, and a deep wound behind my ear. My bedroom is quite small, so the amount of movement and strength I was putting into everything caused quite a lot of damage. For the next few days my vision went from triple, to double, then blurry before coming back to normal. I spent that time learning how to walk again so that I could simply walk to the toilet. Unable to do so I was humiliated by the necessity of a bed pan.

Where is this silver lining of all of this? What does this have to do with Walmart? I’ll start with the good things I have taken away from this whole disaster. I found help. I found people. I found love. I found the resources I desperately needed but did not know existed. I could finally get back on the road of recovery, no longer a snack for the jaws of depression. I met so many kind and generous people. I was visited by a Chaplain who lent an ear and offered me a gift card to a grocery store so I could feed my family. A local women’s charity group brought two boxes of food and intend to bring gifts and coats for my kids as well. Once again my online friends came to my rescue. For the first time in almost a year I feel good for a change.

As for Walmart’s part in my sad adventure? Their lack of empathy and sheer disregard for an employee in pain. They talk real big about family and caring about their employees. That is a lie, as my family learned. It was the last lie that I just couldn’t stand. The reason that I am sharing this is because I know I am not alone, my husband isn’t alone either. We are both victims in retail hell. Yes, again, we called off so much that we did have it reasonably coming to us. What I’m upset about is that no one asked why I was missing so much work. They didn’t even ask if I was okay or how to help. Instead the grinches decided to fire us the week before Christmas.

Everyday there is an employee out there hanging on by a thread in any retail store, but I am speaking about my experience with Walmart. They are more than willing to snip those scissors over that thread you’re clinging to. Walmart, like so many other corporations, does not care. It’s that simple. We are not people to them, we’re not even machines. We may as well be the crap they scrape off the bottom of their shoes.

Merry Christmas, Walmart! Thank you for nearly killing me with that good old fashioned Sam Walton pride. My name is Heather and I tried committing suicide on December 18th, 2018 after a very cruel discussion with the store manager of Walmart store 802. I know that I am not alone with this event. I didn’t want to learn that I am not alone through this method, so I implore you. Do not let your job be that last straw when it comes to your mental well being. Cling to that straw. I just barely clung and I’m lucky to have survived. I am here to tell you that it is not worth it. You are cared for by a lot of people, more than you’ll ever know. -Abby

Yes, I know I full on just posted the store name and number. But they have really really REALLY deserve this one. -Abby

#tw suicide #suicide #graphic #trigger warning #death #walmart #ptsd #self harm

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cookiedoughmeagain · 5 years

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Haven Syfy DVD Commentary for 4.05 - The New Girl

In which Brian Millikin (writer for the episode) talks with great enthusiasm and at a million miles an hour throughout almost the whole thing, with the exception only of interludes from Nick Parker, another of the writers. Seriously; I think every other commentary I’ve listened to has a least one moment where the talk dries up either because they struggle to think of interesting information to impart or because they simply get distracted by actually watching the episode. But these guys have so much stuff to say, it’s totally awesome. IIRC both acted as script co-ordinators before becoming writers, which leads me to think that script co-ordinators should do episode commentaries more often. I have tried to summarise/paraphrase but keep the spirit of what they’re saying :)

It was decided from pretty early on that this would be the episode that Audrey would come back to Haven, except she wouldn’t be Audrey, and that at the end of the episode Duke (and only Duke) would know that in fact she really is Audrey. And that in the next episode Nathan would find out it’s her too.

As a writer you always hope that you’ll get to work on certain episodes but you never really know because the order is decided independently of the content of the episodes, so Brian was glad/lucky to get assigned episode 5 as this was one he wanted to work on. Because he was excited about this idea of everything in the whole episode acting to convince the other characters and the audience that Audrey is not Audrey - until the last few minutes. And so it acts almost like another pilot episode with a new character in Lexie, and as another introduction for the viewers to the Haven mythology. And so it was fun to subvert that expectation at the end. They were very clear that the episode be done so that it could work without that revelation at the end; that everything up to that point is 100% as if it could be Lexie’s first episode in Haven.

Wanting Lexie to be as un-Audrey-like as possible but still have the same ‘underlying decency’ that all of her incarnations have always had.

This scene [Lexie and Nathan in the Herald at the beginning] was designed as a way to kick off the story of these two characters and Nathan’s story for the episode which in a way is all about him; Nathan as the emotional heart of the episode and the audience surrogate. Nathan wanted Audrey back on both a personal/emotional level and because it gives him a way to make up for shooting Howard and stopping the Troubles from ending. The idea for the episode being that he doesn’t want Lexie there but at some point during it he sees something in her and warms to her a bit.

The restaurant they shoot at is actually “The Rope Loft” - they didn’t change the sign for filming. Brian; “It’s a great place, we go there all the time.”

We needed this episode in some way to put Nathan and Lexie in some uncomfortable situation together. The actor playing Josh did a great job; he was actually locked in to the kitchen, with no air conditioning and no ventilation. Brian; “He goes so all-out here and we did this take after take after take. We all thought he was acting when he collapses on the floor - but he didn’t get back up again. He’d actually passed out.” The paramedics checked him out and he was fine, but he had actually fainted. He really committed to it even though it was only one scene so it was great.

The Trouble was picked for this episode very specifically. You always want the Trouble for the episode to help you tell the story about the characters, or for it to have some kind of thematic parallel. For this one, it’s an episode where the characters are dealing with someone else in Audrey’s body, so a Trouble where someone can jump into someone else’s body was a good fit. We all knew immediately that Emily Rose would enjoy being able to play someone other than Audrey and this seemed like a great opportunity to throw the same thing at Eric Balfour. And he did a great job with that too. And that allowed us to set up a scene towards the end of the episode where it’s just Lexie and Duke there so that he alone gets the chance to figure out that she’s really Audrey.

So this was a Trouble they had talked about before. Nick; “It’s been in the Trouble Bank for quite a while.” And the brought it out here because it made the most sense for this episode. Nick; “This is a good example of figuring out what would be thematically resonant and going through our Trouble Bank and finding something that fits. We have about 40 pages of Trouble ideas; some quite good, some not so good.”

Brian appreciating the skills of the director for the episode, who was a director of photography previously and how everything for this whole episode looks great and he got terrific performances out of the cast, and really understood where Brian was going with the episode. The idea that there are three episodes for every one you make; the one you write, the one you shoot, and the one you edit. And they are usually all a bit different from each other, they can be very different from each other, but for this one, there was not much shift from one to the other. The final version was pretty close to the original concept; it felt like everyone involved bought into the idea behind it and so it worked out really well.

[As we see Lexie at the second crime scene with the police radio] At this point we needed Lexie to activate herself a little bit. Up to this point she’s been going along with things, but now she’s a little bit more invested (because she met Charlotte before she died) and interested in finding out what’s going on. So it’s that underlying decency again that even though she’s a bartender with no training in this stuff, she still cares, and here she is taking ownership of it and showing that she wants to be involved.

[As Jennifer brings Lexie some of Audrey’s clothes] This was a different scene originally; there was a scene with Wade and Jennifer and Duke where Jennifer was getting Audrey’s clothes, but that got cut due to production challenges so they had to have Jennifer bring the clothes to a crime scene instead. Brian; “And we hoped no one would ask why Jennifer just showed up at this crime scene. But that kind of thing works because the actors are great at selling it. And Emma Lahana was terrific. She joined the cast this year and I think really elevated the level of the show.” Nick: “It’s some of the best and luckiest casting we’ve ever done.”

Brian; “I was really lucky with this episode that I got to push the Duke/Jennifer storyline along in a really big way.” Audrey coming back being a big deal for Jennifer because the reason she’s been in Haven up to this point (looking for Audrey) is suddenly gone. What’s Jennifer supposed to do now that she’s suddenly “the fourth wheel”. In a sense she has served her purpose and she’s afraid that Duke is going to see it that way.

Nick; “What I like about this episode is that even though Duke isn’t in control of his body for most of it, it still gets Jennifer to a point where she decides to stay in Haven.” Brian: “That’s really what sold me on the idea of the episode” that thing you often see of having the characters affected by a love potion that allows their story to be pushed forward in a way those characters might not have done otherwise, and in this situation possessed Duke was able to push some of the character story lines forward in an interesting way.

Lexie struggling to pronounce Nathan’s surname as one of Brian’s favourite lines in the episode and how they had to cut Lucas Bryant’s ad lib there where he tells her that Wuornos is Polish. They liked it but they had to cut it for time. Brian; “This was a great opportunity to have a character in here who would react to the others like a normal person would: Your name is ridiculous; this town is crazy.”

[As they find the orderly dead in Tyler’s bed] Nick: “This is the spookiest thing ever because he looks exactly like you.” Brian; “A bunch of people I know who watched this episode when it aired emailed me like; That was a crazy cameo! I’m not in the episode, but they all thought this was me. We only stuck glasses on him to make sure he definitely looked different from Tyler. But he also needed to look like Tyler from behind so that they could walk up to the body.”

Discussion of the specific things they had to work into the story to make the plot work; the get well cards that are not only there but that Lexie draws our attention to by noticing; the business card that Nathan handed to Tyler and the drinks ticket that Duke handed him. Those things were in the episode not so much because Nathan is being professional and Duke is being a nice guy but because they needed to have them both give Tyler something which could then act as this kind of talisman giving Tyler the option of possessing both of them. Brian; “These are the kind of things that you just have to squeeze in and hope that no one notices that you’re squeezing them in.” Nick; “I think they worked well. Duke did end up looking like a nice guy.” Brian; “I think it worked pretty well. And luckily the case of the week isn’t really the big story in this episode. The big story here is Nathan and Lexie.”

[As Lexie and Nathan look at the security footage in Tyler’s room] Nick; “What I like about this scene is that this is Audrey pretending to be Lexie, so she’s doing her detective work but she has to also cover up the fact that she’s actually Audrey. So she’s posing her theories as questions to Nathan and trying to lead him down the path that he’s going down. It works well.”

[As Nathan and Lexie find Duke upstairs] All of this set was built of the sound stage as they needed there to be a place in the hospital where no one else would be to hear Nathan and Lexie banging on the door once puppet Duke has locked them in. So they “invented this abandoned morgue wing” as an extra space in the hospital that no one goes to. The corridor stretching away behind Duke when we first see him there on the phone to Nathan is not really there; it’s a backdrop - a painting effectively, hung in the doorway.

[As puppet Duke locks Nathan and Lexie in the storage room] Brian comments this is where the episode really took off for him, everything up until here is set up. There were times when he was writing the script when he almost moved this scene to the end of act 2 (rather than the end of act 3 where it actually is).

Both of them agreeing that Eric Balfour’s performance as Tyler is fantastic; “it feels like a completely different person.” Brian; “Eric got applause from the crew” on finishing this scene [where he’s locking them in the storage room] and after Tyler’s death scene “and I’ve been on set for six or seven episodes now and I don’t think that’s happened before.”

Talk of how the cast [Eric, Emily and Lucas] really made the script work so well, and it being a great decision by the director to cut back to Tyler’s body having seizure’s in the basement while Tyler is using Duke’s body to point a gun at Nathan and Lexie; working really well as a really spooky indicator of the fact that it’s this guy who is in control of Duke’s body. They had scripted in to cut back to Tyler’s body once or twice but the director had the great idea to film Tyler saying the whole thing so they could cut back to him as they wanted.

[As Dwight is showing Jordan all the research in the bunker] How they were so pleased with this set and had planned to and wanted to use it much more than they ended up doing. It was tough to shoot in because it’s a small space and so they ended up having characters referring to it rather than actually being in there. But it looked great and they needed to give Dwight and Vince and Dave a place where they had been researching options for how to end the Troubles once the cycle got disrupted. And they didn’t find anything, showing that “this hairbrained scheme” of getting Lexie to fall for Nathan is still the best bad idea they’ve got.

Jordan’s idea of having Duke kill Lexie so that the Crocker Curse ends the Troubles as a good idea of hers but Dwight also being completely right that Duke would never ever do that. And so they knew that this would be the episode where Jordan would find herself a different Crocker.

Liking the actor who played Wade and wishing they could have used him more. There was only one bad thing about him and that was that “we didn’t have enough of him.” Brian; “And it wasn’t our fault, it wasn’t his fault but it just worked out scheduling wise that we were going to lose him but the end of episode seven all of a sudden and we thought we’d have him for at least one more episode so we had to accelerate his story a little bit.

Duke has been keeping the Troubles secret from Wade to protect him but “like all good secrets, especially on TV shows, while Duke had the best of intentions, it’s going to work out for the worst. Because what Wade doesn’t know is going to get him into a lot of Trouble.”

Nathan and Lexie locked in the storage room as another of Brian’s favourite scenes for the episode. Lucas actually broke the set door as Nathan is trying to bust them out of the room. Acknowledging it’s a bit of a trope to have two people stuck in some place like this but they had to do it with Nathan and Lexie so that Nathan “is forced to deal with her.” Brian’s enthusiasm for the scene and the direction and the actors making it work so well, and Nathan testing one more time to see if Audrey’s in there by asking her about pancakes. And loving Lexie’s reaction to the pancakes. How when Brian wrote that he didn’t think it would make it to the final cut (same for her inability to pronounce Wuronos) and so being glad they both made it; “Emily really liked it, and she sold it.”

[As Jennifer comes to tell Duke she’s leaving] How this is the point where Tyler starts to get an idea and to realise that maybe being Duke Crocker isn’t so bad. He came to the Gull to take some money but now he realises maybe he can take something else. Nick; “Yeah because Duke’s got a great life; he’s good looking, he’s got money, he’s got a hot girlfriend.” Nick; “The tragedy of that moment I really enjoy. The first time they kiss, after growing closer for all this time, Duke isn’t even in control of his body.” Brian agrees that only in a supernatural TV show can your first kiss not be your first kiss at all.

[As Lexie is trying to pick the lock] Brian; “We cut a line here and it kills me. That Nathan can’t pick locks not because he doesn’t know how to (because it seems like everyone on every TV show does) but because he can’t feel it. And it’s the sort of thing that you have to feel in order to do it.” But they had to cut it (and other lines from this scene) for time. And saying again what a great job the actors do here.

Talking about the moment when Nathan admits to Lexie that he wants her to be someone else. And how that would be difficult for Lexie to hear, “but from Audrey’s perspective, she’s actually quite touched to hear that.” And how Audrey in this episode is probably “learning more about Nathan’s devotion to her” that she has until now.

[Duke and Jennifer in the landrover as she realises it’s not really him] How they needed Jennifer to give something to Duke so that Tyler can take it inside to his actual body and thereby have the option to possess Jennifer too. This as another thing that Brian wrote not thinking it would stay, so being glad that it worked out.

[As Jennifer meets up with Nathan and Lexie outside the hospital] Brian; “This scene was an important one and it was there from the get-go before we even had an outline. Because what we needed was to manufacture this situation for the climax of the episode where only Lexie can go inside.” This moment where Lexie suggests it and surprises Nathan with that and kind of proves herself to him with that. And this being another turning point in the Nathan-Lexie story. And how this is Audrey trying to convince Nathan to let her go inside whilst also having to still pretend be Lexie. And how their thinking was that for Audrey, if Nathan had refused to accept the idea of Lexie going inside, then Audrey would have to have revealed herself to him as Audrey here. But luckily Nathan has come around to Lexie enough that he gives her his gun and lets her go inside.

Brian saying that he wrote this neglected basement storage room and being really pleased with how the set was put together. The ‘Free Drinks, Duke’ note was the director’s and Brian’s handwriting.

In this basement scene there was originally a moment where silver-eyed Duke picks up Lexie by the neck and holds her up against the wall. Brian; “We spent a lot of time shooting this sequence and then it got cut out for time, but I actually think it works better without it.” Nick; “Yeah, I think it’s stronger for not having it.”

[As Tyler slams the axe into his chest] Brian; “This moment I was concerned it wouldn’t come across clear enough, but I think it did. I mean look, how scary, how great that looks. This was all the actors freaking out here as Duke and Tyler die, which turned out to be exhausting … Eric did a bunch of takes of him convulsing on the wall and floor and he was exhausted.

Brian, commenting on the way the Trouble ended; “Tyler actually had a really great plan. He just picked the one wrong body to possess.” It might have seemed like a good idea because “Duke is a good-looking guy, he gets all the women, he owns a boat, he owns a restaurant/bar, he’s a pirate …” Nick; “He’s a wanted criminal in eight different countries.” Brian; “... what more could you want? Except for the fact that you should not use him to kill your own Troubled body because he’s going to eradicate your Trouble” and the whole thing will backfire.

[As Lexie is stood by Audrey’s desk looking at her stuff and Nathan comes in to talk to her]; This was a quirk of production that this was the last thing they shot on the first day of filming and they were running out of time. So they didn’t have time to set up for the two different angles they would otherwise have done, so they had to do the whole thing with both actors facing the same way. Both Brian and Nick agree it worked out really well for the scene, because they get to stand close together “which is really important for their characters” but also Nathan doesn’t really look at her, which is also important because he’s struggling with the idea that on some level he’s beginning to warm to her and to see a future for Lexie in Haven. Whether it involves anything romantic for him or not, he’s starting to think that maybe he can do this. Nick; “Emily Rose did such a great job of playing Lexie, particularly in this scene. She really sells the idea that she is a different person.” Brian; “Oh absolutely. And what you also get is the idea that Audrey is there too looking out at Nathan, hating the fact that she’s doing this to Nathan but this is what she has to do.” Because she doesn’t want to be forced to kill him, she’s pretending to be Lexie to protect him. “There’s very few moments where Emily could show that on Lexie’s face, and that was one of them.”

[As Duke talks to Wade] Brian; “We knew all along that we wanted Duke to remember what happened with his body while he was possessed. It made for the best drama because we wanted Duke to sort of feel bad, but not feel bad” about what he did to Wade and Jennifer. “And it ended up being a useful concept that will come back as we progress into season five.” As Duke is apologising to Jennifer, Nick says this is an interesting scene because Duke is apologising for something that happened while he wasn’t in control of his body but that he himself did want to do. And how the whole thing works well because it gets them to this place where they both now have an idea how the other feels. Brian talks about how this scene was initially written with a joke where Duke is being a bit sarcastic telling Jennifer she has to move out of the apartment before asking her to move into the boat, but on the day the actors played it more heart-felt and that was the way it worked for those characters and that scene and describing it as another example of where the actors made the scene better.

Nick comments how bad ass Jordan looks in her sleeveless with her arms on show because of her Trouble; “She’s just putting it out there that she’s dangerous.” Brian; “It might have been weird on anyone else, but Kate Kelton really sells it.” Nick: “Yeah. She’s just so scary.” Brian; “Yeah. And she’s not afraid. When you can see her skin like that it tells you something about her head space.”

Nick; “I love that we’ve shot so many episode codas on the Grey Gull deck because it’s really beautiful there and it just seems like the kind of place I would go to say something important to someone I cared about.”

Brian; “So this final scene is the one where we could have ended the episode 30 seconds ago and no one would have been any the wiser” about Lexie really being Audrey. “But we wanted to pull the rug out from everybody.” Brian also talks about how it was the director’s idea to focus on Lexie/Audrey’s face as she realisesDuke know who she is and how Brian thinks that worked out really well because we can see both her and Duke at the same time for this key moment. “And we’re on her face the whole time and it’s so much better because of it.” Nick comments that you can see the moment Audrey drops the facade of being Lexie. Brian; “An example of how things can get better in editing is we cut the last line of this episode. In the script, after Audrey admits it’s her, she pulls out of the hug to look at Duke and tell him ‘But you can’t tell anyone’. But we cut that final line and it was better because of it.” Brian says he’s pretty happy with it as an episode and full credit to the cast and crew and director for making it work out so well.

#haven syfy #4.05 - The New Girl #haven dvd commentaries #haven extras #haven season four extras #long post

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floofsta-x · 6 years

Text

Funny I Met You [M]

genre;; Realistic, College!AU

pairing;; Chae Hyungwon x Lee Jooheon [Hyungheon]. There’s mentions of Changki (Im Changkyun x Yoo Kihyun) too.

plot ;;

A curious story of love between a saxophonist and a tall, beautiful boy he meets at a gig.

⚠️ warnings;; fluff, smut

words;; 10011 (10k)

author’s notes;; I NEEDED SOME HYUNGHEON IN MY LIFE OK. kdjsf;adsj; As always, real life is the inspiration for this. I am a music major and saxophonist, like Jooheon is in this fic. Thank the Universe for finally letting me write some legit Sax!Jooheon.

Lee Jooheon never liked big social and public events. Often, things were far too cramped, and he held his ability to breathe in high esteem. Fairs, conventions, parties, anything, really, made him anxious. So, the first moment he could, he tended to escape, get some fresh air and reassure himself that the outside world existed. Nobody would catch him dead in a crowd, much less one with a bunch of sweaty, drunk people, but alas, that was where he was. The college Junior scrunched up his nose at the smell of alcohol, lingering in the air and on people’s breaths.

Beer festival. Normally, Jooheon wouldn't dare even think those two things in the same sentence. Yet, he was here, wandering among the crowd, because of the one thing in life he loved most--music. No wonder he had chosen to be a music major, though it required sacrifice. He was willing to go the distance to achieve his dream, though. That seemed to mean, he’d put himself in uncomfortable situations for it, like right now. See, Jooheon’s Jazz/pop combo would perform soon, and they’d get paid in cash for their efforts. So, the saxophonist had jumped at going. There was no way he was missing a gig with some of his closest friends. He could deal with the venue when the band--his band--surrounded him. Hip charts, too, made everything better.

Earlier in the day, they had loaded all the gear they'd need, and around two pm, departed from their small college town. It took three hours to arrive at a slightly bigger, but still small dot on the map. The trip was uneventful, for the most part. However, a buzz went through those in Jooheon's car as they pulled up to their destination. The platinum blond couldn't help but gaze in brief awe. Everyone was expecting this to be like any other indoor gig, but now it was clear they were wrong. The line of cars was heading straight for a tent. It wasn't a big top, like a circus would have, but still a good-sized one, intended for events. Loud music emanated from within; people swarmed in, out, and around the fluttering canvas structure. The butterflies in Jooheon's belly picked up energy.

Their professor and director, Dr. Ahn, seemed to know who to talk to. It was clear that he'd done this before. All it took was a couple conversations. Strings got pulled, and the vans they had brought were able to go right to the back entrance, by the stage. That was nice, for when they'd have to set up. Jooheon checked his watch; it was currently fifteen after five, and their slot was at six, leaving them plenty of time. All he wanted to do was tickle the keys on his alto. There was still another group performing, though, so unfortunately, it would have to wait.

Dr. Ahn approached the huddle of talking college kids, where they were hovering by the edge of the tent. 'Kill a few minutes,' were his exact words. About half the band was gone in a second after that announcement.

That was why Jooheon was wandering around, "exploring" with his two best friends, Kihyun and Changkyun. They had insisted the saxophonist go with them; why, he didn't quite get. They had made it sound important, though, and so Jooheon had relented. Not that he wouldn't have been fine with it, anyway, but there were two things irking him. First of all, there were already more people here than what he had expected. He didn't want to be alone, and worried about losing Kihyun-hyung and Changkyunie in in the crowd. Second, the trumpet player and electric bassist (respectively) had recently become a couple. Of course, after that happened, they had become touchy and--y’know--more inclined to do things boyfriends do. Kiss, for example. When they acted affectionate, it made Jooheon sad. He had been feeling lonely lately with Changkyun so involved in the new relationship. To deal with the absence, Jooheon retreated into the college's practice rooms. It was only his natural reaction. He loved spending time on his alto saxophone, anyway. Fifteen extra minutes buried in sheet music and Jazz theory never hurt anyone.

Jooheon trailed behind the pair, trying his hardest not to look at anyone and yet avoid his best friends, too. They were already holding hands and sharing shy smiles. Kihyun leaned into Changkyun’s shoulder every once in a while. Then they’d talk a bit, only to go back to looking at the displays and menus of the different vendors and brewers.

For the most part, the place was what Jooheon had expected--a bunch of party people. They hung out in groups, and everyone had a glass of beer in their hand, or a bottle. Nothing much to look at. Yeah, occasionally, something would draw his eye. Like, once, he spotted Hoseok, their drummer, whom everyone called Wonho. The handsome older boy was holding his own mug and chatting it up with some other college-age guys. Jooheon also thought he saw Hyunwoo-hyung wandering through the crowd. He could have been wrong, though. The baritone saxophonist had seemed determined to hang out by the stage earlier.

Soon his disinterested gaze was firmly fixed on the ground, which was why he ran into anyone in the first place. All at once, there was something in his path. Jooheon had to throw his weight backwards to avoid a collision. The object was moving, too, however, and was in all actuality, quite clumsy. That was what made the saxophonist realize that it was not something, but someone. He watched in horror as a warm body almost collapsed on top of him, but somehow managed to keep upright. Perhaps it was the last-minute hand on Jooheon's shoulder.

Jooheon glanced up and opened his mouth to apologize, but the tall, brown-haired man beat him to it. “Oh no, I’m so sorry. Did I get anything on you?” He seemed shocked, but there was a slight, shy smile on his face. It was only then that the saxophonist saw the bottle of beer and a paper boat of nachos in his hands. A matching wet stain and dots of yellow dotted the front of his tee shirt. Apparently, that was a result of the collision.

Glancing down, Jooheon checked his concert black out, and found he had been lucky. Nothing foreign or food related was visible there. "No, no, I don’t think so."

"Good." For the first time, the two boys locked gazes. The younger couldn’t help but gasp and blink. In a brief moment, he found that it took everything he had not to stare into the other’s big, brown eyes. Jooheon's brain was telling him that this guy was very handsome; almost sinfully so, it seemed. First of all, he was tall. Medium-long, perfectly-styled black hair fell in a sweep across his forehead. The stonewashed, ripped-knee jeans he wore with a loose tee accented his lean, slim body type. The dude could be a model for tuxedo or designer catalogs. Majorly overpriced clothing gurus would go for a face and body like his.

Guilt had plagued Jooheon before, but now it was even worse. He scrambled for an answer, inadvertently starting a conversation in an attempt to fight the rising blush in his cheeks. “Aish, I’m sorry, too, now you’re going to smell like beer for the rest of the night.”

“I don’t care about that…I mean my clothes are the least of my worries, and I would never mind running into a cutie like you." Wait--what? Jooheon turned redder, and finally managed to break eye contact. “Anyways, I’m Chae Hyungwon. I’m mortified I almost got nacho cheese on your nice clothes--I’d hate to ruin them. Not sure if I’d be wearing something like that to a beer fest, but to each man his own, I suppose.”

The platinum blond would have laughed if he wasn’t so stunned at the stranger's flirty comment. It had taken a moment, but once it had hit, Jooheon could have melted into the ground. So, he tried to concentrate on the second half of what Hyungwon said. “I didn’t just choose to wear this. My Jazz combo is performing pretty soon.”

“Oh! That makes sense. Sorry again, I spoke too quickly.”

“It’s ok. You didn’t know. I’m Jooheon. Lee Jooheon.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Jooheon.” Somehow, the saxophonist loved his own name rolling off the tall boy’s tongue. His baritone voice was warm and lush, and the way it made his perfect, plump lips tip and tuck was irresistible. Jooheon couldn’t help but stare again. A bright, white smile erupted on Hyungwon’s face, and he tossed a chip covered in nacho cheese into his mouth. “What do you play in the combo, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Alto sax.” Honestly, Jooheon could talk about his most prized possession all day. He had a lot to say about the beautiful golden instrument, but decided to spare Hyungwon all the details. “That’s the smaller one.”

“I know. I played piano in my college Jazz band. I’m graduated now, but I miss it, I have to say.”

“So wait--how old are you?” Jooheon couldn’t help but think that the guy was his age, or slightly younger. So to hear he had a degree was surprising.

“Twenty-three. I’m only half a year out from graduation, but I got an early jump too.”

That made sense. “Alright. I just turned twenty-three, like last week, and I’m a semester and a half away from walking so…”

“Oh?” Hyungwon’s eyebrows perked as he stuck another chip in and chewed thoughtfully. “Gosh, I honestly thought you were younger…at least two years younger than that.”

“Huh. Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.” Jooheon switched his focus so he wouldn’t have to be constantly looking into the boy’s eyes or to his lips. Unfortunately, he only found that he was in awe at those long, slender, beautiful fingers, too.

Hyungwon noticed, of course, and mistook the intention. “Eyeing my nachos, huh?”

“No, I’m okay--“

“You sure? I’ll gladly get you some. It’s only a few bucks. Besides, adorable, dimpled saxophonists need to be well-fed.”

The way the tall boy crunched his eyebrows together was irresistible. Plus, he was flirting again. Jooheon didn’t want to give in, but Hyungwon was making it hard not to. He sighed. “Alright, alright. But I have some cash on me, you don’t need to--“

Hyungwon brushed that away with a hand. “Nonsense. I’d be glad. I was the one who ran into you after all, I shouldn’t have tried to shoot the gap between you and those boys in front of you.”

“Well, I was staring at the ground. So I guess that makes us even?”

Hyungwon laughed, a beautiful, melodic sound that somehow made Jooheon a little dizzy. “Alright, come on.” Together, they made their way back over to the stand the nachos had come from. There was a line, but it went quickly, and Hyungwon ordered and paid for more food. “Hey, you want some beer, too?” The older boy asked as a side thought.

“No thanks. Not right now.” Jooheon shook his head. “Thanks for offering though.”

“You’re welcome. Anytime.”

Conversation between them was lively and comfortable as they found a table near the stage and ate. Soon, they were flying through topics. Seemingly everything came up, from their friends, to their pets and jobs. Jooheon worked desk at one of the hotels in his college town, which could be fun and not fun. Hyungwon listened with interest, chuckling at the stories. When it went back to him, though, his demeanor changed. He fiddled with his hands and admitted he was currently unemployed. It wasn't like he was doing nothing, though. Job-hunting was a big priority for him. He'd applied to several different businesses over the last few weeks. Hopefully, it was only a matter of time now before he got his first real job.

Jooheon grinned, and gushed that he was proud; anyone would be, considering how great of a guy Hyungwon was. Hell, Jooheon knew, even though they had only met minutes before. The older boy took the compliment, though he seemed shy and embarrassed. “Well, we’ll have to see.”

As time passed, their nacho boats became emptier and emptier. Jooheon found himself living for Hyungwon’s laugh; he could listen to it all day. The face he made along with it was great too. In a way it was hysterical and so meme-worthy, but endearing. He threw his head back, first of all, arms crossed over his shaking stomach. His smile took over his entire visage, and every pearly white tooth in his mouth was visible. Then, there was that his cheeks pushed up into his eyes.

Suddenly, in the middle of a funny story about his days in the Jazz band, Hyungwon shifted slightly. A question popped from his mouth, out of the blue: “Jooheon, do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?”

Taken off-guard, and still in the dark about why it had come up, Jooheon managed to stutter, “No. I haven’t dated since high school. Unless you mean my sax. In that case, I’m married.” Licking his lips to get rid of a sudden dryness, Jooheon shot the query back. “You?”

“Oh, no, me neither.” Hyungwon chuckled, probably at the joke, but then his tone dropped. “My boyfriend broke up with me last week.”

“I’m sorry, Hyungwon-ah.” For some reason, the younger already felt comfortable with the honorific. He felt like he knew the tall boy well already, from the few minutes since they had literally run into each other. “I know how that is. I’ve had ex-boyfriends break my heart, too.”

At 'ex-boyfriends', a spark of hope ignited in Hyungwon’s eyes. The older lit up palpably, though he tried to conceal it. Shakily, he began, “Ah--I’m sorry if this is too forward, but…could I…hold your hand? I don’t know why, I just…want to.”

Jooheon hesitated only a second, if that. “Sure.”

Hyungwon reached out across the table, and Jooheon met him halfway. Their fingers laced together, long, dark digits against shorter, chubbier, slightly lighter ones. Hyungwon’s hand was so, so warm, and the saxophonist decided he liked it. The feeling filled him with butterflies. When he glanced back up, he couldn't help but blush again as he discovered the other staring at him fondly.

Right around that time, though, the act on stage said their goodnights and made their way off, pulling their gear with them. Simultaneously, the other members of Jooheon's combo rose. Almost like ants, they started to unload the waiting cars, opting to keep everything out on the floor for now, untouched until setup. Jooheon knew he had to go, and squeezed the tall boy’s hand gently. “It's about time for me to perform. You’re staying to watch the set, right?”

“Of course. I have to, since you’ve talked yourself up like you have.” Hyungwon laughed, and the sparkle in his eyes was bright and clear. “Go make some noise, Jooheon-ah.”

“I will.” The saxophonist shot him one last, wide smile before he was off to where the others were. He came up just in time to have his instrument handed to him, and catch several others coming out, too.

Jooheon turned around again to the sight of Lee Minhyuk’s smirk, and instantly knew he was in trouble. “I am shocked and astounded,” the tenor saxophonist proclaimed, as someone passed him his horn. “Lee Jooheon, the king of salty, single men, holding hands with a boy.”

Coolly, the blond tried to think of a good comeback to his sharp-tongued friend. Hardly an easy task. “You have anything against my holding hands with a boy?” Not ideal, but it would have to do.

“No, but I didn't think I'd live to see the day you finally showed interest in someone.”

“Lee Minhyuk, my romantic and sexual drives are perfectly fine. Besides, he’s nice, and cute. Why wouldn’t I want to show interest in him?”

“You got me there. Seriously though, he is pretty hot.” Both their gazes wandered over to the table where Hyungwon was sitting, tapping away on his phone and jiggling his leg to an imaginary beat. The older guy whistled. “Damn, look at those lips. Get his number, yeah?”

“Hyung--"

“If he doesn’t work out for you, send him my way.” Minhyuk wiggled his eyebrows, and Jooheon couldn’t help but groan.

Soon everything was set up on the stage platform. The wind players popped open their cases and got ready to go. Music was on stands, everyone was in line; all they needed now was the title of their first chart. Also, a cue from Dr. Ahn would be nice. Both of those were promptly given, and the band roared to life.

The energy they were putting out instantly won over the crowd. People whooped and cheered, clapping their hands. Dr. Ahn had decided to play Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive, which was definitely a favorite. Maybe Jooheon had a slight bias, but in his humble opinion, the band did an exceptional rendition. (Never mind that he was at the helm of the instrumental solo part.) Everything seemed especially tight tonight, especially in the horns.

After their fifth tune, Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin, Hyunwoo leaned over to Jooheon, psst-ing at him. He had to get around Kim Yugyeom, their kid trombone player, so this was probably important.

“Yeah?” Jooheon took a step back and ducked closer so he could hear.

“You have an admirer.” A smirk grew on the bari saxophonist’s face. “Two o’clock.”

Of course, that was Hyungwon. Jooheon couldn't help but sneak a peek. The tall boy was grinning and waiting with baited breath for what the next tune would be. “Yah, I know.” He has an admirer, too.

From the moment Hyungwon had met Jooheon, he had known the younger was someone special. Something in the back of the tall boy's brain told him that this was a once in a lifetime thing. Don't let the opportunity pass by. That notion had only intensified as they had sat and eaten together. Even now, it was growing, building in his chest. How could someone look so beautiful, standing on stage with a saxophone in hand? Maybe it was how the white-haired boy was so animated in playing. Hyungwon's heart fluttered wildly when Jooheon glanced up to cheer on the band or make an approving noise at a particularly nice solo lick.

He didn't realize how bad it was, though, until once, when the two of them made eye contact. Hyungwon swore his heart almost stopped beating altogether. Jooheon held the older boy's gaze unwaveringly for a few moments before breaking into a huge, blinding grin. Then he dipped his head to meet his mouthpiece again.

The feeling came back, spreading through him like wildfire. It was the exact same as earlier, when Hyungwon had realized the depth of Jooheon's eyes. The glint in them was playful, but slowly changed until it took on a challenging, eager tint. Instantly, the older had forgotten what he was going to say about his goofy college friends. One question burned on his lips.

"Jooheon, do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?"

He hadn't known what answer to expect. It seemed like a futile hope to want to hear no. How could such an attractive young man not be in a relationship? But something was aligning in the cosmos tonight. Incredulity crept through Hyungwon when Jooheon admitted to not having dated since high school.

Of course, right afterwards came the reciprocated question, which made Hyungwon grimace. The memory of how his stupid ex had left him just four days before was still an open wound. Knowing the other’s answer, though, dulled the sting. Perhaps the messy breakup was in the stars. Hyungwon didn't want to imagine having to hold back in this moment with Jooheon. Immediately, those thoughts got shoved aside, though, with the younger's next words.

I've had ex-boyfriends break my heart, too.

Hearing from his lips that he had dated men in the past gave Hyungwon so much courage. The tall boy's eagerness bubbled up out of him. He stared at Jooheon's pretty hand for a brief minute before asking if he could hold it. Words couldn't describe how happy he had been when the Jooheon had agreed. Their fingers and palms had fit together so, so perfectly. Now, in the same way, Hyungwon was staring at the beautiful pout wrapped around the black mouthpiece of the saxophone. How long could he resist before he would finally relent to his heart and ask to kiss it? Would Jooheon agree to that as well, and would the sparks fly, as they did before?

Concentrating on the music wasn't hard when Jooheon was the one leaning into the mic. His perfect fingers skimmed expertly over the golden keys of his instrument. His jaw, too, was working hard, pushing and relaxing on the reed to lend that perfect Jazz nuance. Every note that fell from the horn was heaven, a powerful wave of sound that threatened to tip Hyungwon's chair backwards. Perhaps it was only his fascination with the other, but he'd revel in it as much as he could.

It hurt that this might be the first and last time he'd get to see the handsome, dimpled young man. A sudden wave of determination flooded him to not let it be. If only he could once again work up the courage...

The whole thing was over faster than what Jooheon would have liked, and yet he was also glad. He couldn’t stop thinking about Hyungwon, and it got worse when he’d look at the tall boy. There were also extra-loud cheers after Jooheon’s solos, and the saxophonist knew almost immediately who was behind them. He still felt so warm, like the older’s hand was hot in his own. Jooheon didn’t know how he managed to keep it all together, considering his heart rate was off the charts.

The moment final words and thanks were complete, everyone was grabbing something of theirs and pulling it offstage. Jooheon needed to help this time, so he couldn’t immediately go back to Hyungwon. He signaled this to the older, who nodded in understanding and held up his thumb. There was that wide smile again, and the other mouthed from afar, Okay. I'll be here when you’re done.

Once everything was back in the vans, Dr. Ahn surprised everyone again. He handed each person a ten dollar bill and declared, ‘go eat before we have to leave’. Already having nachos sitting comfortably in his belly, Jooheon pocketed the money. He didn’t need anything else; well, except for Hyungwon. The first moment he could, he went back to the table, taking his seat and smiling at the taller boy.

In response, he got a grin right back and an outstretched hand. Jooheon didn’t think twice in taking it, and hummed a bit as some lost warmth crept back into his bones again. "You were wonderful up there," Hyungwon said. It wouldn't be obvious to just anyone, but his lips were trembling slightly. The boy's eyes seemed hooded and blinked more rapidly than normal, too. Jooheon figured it was because he was trying to hold back the flow of compliments wanting to pour out. It scared the saxophonist that he knew his new friend so well already. Yet, there was something comforting about it, too.

The next act was on in no time, and they had pre-recorded music blasting through the speakers. If things weren't loud before, they were now. Though Jooheon and Hyungwon didn't speak, it was obvious they were both uncomfortable. The latter was the first to do something about it. He leaned across to pretty much yell-ask in Jooheon’s ear if he wanted to go outside. Nodding, the younger picked himself up and tugged on his new friend's arm. Their hands didn’t come unclasped even the slightest bit. Together, they ducked through a flap in the tent and wandered out into the coolness of the night. It had fallen while Jooheon's band was performing, sun slinking lower on the horizon, stealing away like a thief.

It took some time, but they managed to find a nice spot to themselves. So, now, other than the noise going on behind them from the crowd of rowdies, things were peaceful and quiet. The two simply enjoyed it for a long moment before Hyungwon's gentle baritone started up. “Hey, Jooheon, I—I’m really glad I ran into you. Even if it meant getting nacho cheese on myself.”

“I’m glad, too,” the younger chuckled. “Even if I still feel bad that you got nacho cheese on yourself.”

Hyungwon’s eyes filled with something indescribable, and his gaze dropped, weighted, to the ground. He seemed to be thinking something over, a heavy matter perhaps. The younger just waited for him to say something. He spent a long moment in thought, but eventually, his entire body relaxed. Jooheon smirked, thinking about what might be going on in that handsome head. Hyungwon was back to the eager young man who had first asked to hold hands. His last shreds of caution were evidently abandoned to the wind. “Come home with me tonight,” he blurted, hopeful; immediately, his cheeks began to heat up.

Jooheon paused. Not like he didn’t want to accept on the spot, but the caution part of his brain kicked in automatically. Shit, they were still practically strangers, having known each other for barely over an hour. What if Hyungwon was a serial killer, planned on taking advantage of him, or had some strange kink? Jooheon doubted any of those, greatly, though. More concerning was the fact that he was three hours away from a warm bed. “I’m sorry, Hyungwon-ah, I can’t--We’re headed back to the college right after this--“

“I don’t mind driving you as far as you need,” The tall boy piped up. “Stay overnight at my apartment, and I’ll get you there, tomorrow, or the next day--whenever you want." Despite his hope, he quickly tacked onto the end, "But if you really don’t want to, I’m not going to pressure you into it.”

“I—I have to be back in the morning. I work at one pm.” Jooheon averted his eyes, on the edge of giving in. Though his mental alarms were still going off, the siren was fading. There was no way this gentle young man would hurt him or use force.

“Please, I don’t mind.” Hyungwon was almost begging at this point. His eyes were full of hope. “I want to be with you. I haven’t met anyone who even compares to you in a long time--maybe ever. If you never want to think about me again after this, I’ll be fine with that. All I ask is that you give me a chance.”

Jooheon squeezed Hyungwon’s hand a little tighter. “Alright.”

“You’re--what?” Kihyun and Changkyun blurted in tandem when Jooheon told them he wasn’t leaving with the band.

“I’m going with Hyungwon over there.” The saxophonist motioned to where his new friend was standing, waiting for Jooheon to come back. “I’ll crash at his place. He’s already promised to drive me back for my shift at the hotel tomorrow.”

“Lee Jooheon!” Kihyun, always the motherly friend, exclaimed, exasperated. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? You only met him tonight--he could be dangerous, what if he murders you--“

“My gut tells me that he’s not, and it’ll be fine,” Jooheon replied, calmly. “Hyungwon-ah is a good guy, and usually my instincts are dead on--right, Kkungie?”

“They are.” Changkyun sighed and glanced over at Kihyun, who was about to open his mouth to protest again. The older boy shut up. “Is your phone charged?”

“Well--It’s almost dead, but I have my charger and cord in my bag.”

Kyun relaxed and nodded at the reaffirmation. “Alright. If you are ever unsure, please, please get yourself away as fast as you can. Call us, or the police--someone will come get you.”

No wonder the bassist was his best friend. Times like this always reminded Jooheon of that. “I will. Now I just have to go tell Dr. Ahn.”

Jooheon was admittedly nervous about getting official permission to go home with Hyungwon. He did his best to explain clearly and gently to the older, graying man. Something must have convinced him, because the doctor nodded. “Alright, I'll allow it if you’re sure, Jooheon.”

“I am. I trust him. Do you want me to call when I get home tomorrow?”

“No, that's not necessary. Just be safe, alright?”

“Yes, sir.”

Minutes later, the saxophonist had his instrument and music in hand and was walking back over to the tall boy. “It’s all cleared,” he quipped brightly and smiled, reaching out his free hand to tangle in Hyungwon’s.

The smile that spread across the other's face was priceless.

A sense of newness still lingered between them. Perhaps that was the reason why Jooheon and Hyungwon had everything to talk about in the car. They thought they had gotten to know each other pretty well at the festival, but now it was clear they had only scratched the surface. Tidbits of information flowed back and forth, and one question always brought up another. Neither could stop smiling as they chatted amiably. Moment by moment, and word by word, fondness and affection was growing between them.

Hyungwon felt comfortable driving, since his first and only beer had been about an hour ago. Despite a burning need to look at the beautiful boy who was somehow, impossibly, sitting next to him, he made his eyes stay on the road. The few minutes it took to get from the festival to their destination flew by. Before long, they were pulling up to the small, cozy apartment Hyungwon called home.

He led the younger inside, flipping on the lights to reveal a place that was clearly a bachelor pad. It wasn’t trashed, but wrappers and things lay here and there. Hyungwon picked up what his eyes caught at first glance, and disappeared into the kitchen. In the meantime, Jooheon set his saxophone down by the door and kicked off his shoes. The walls were bare (not surprising in the least, honestly), but there wasn’t too much empty floor space. A faux leather sofa and a couple armchairs that matched it took up a good chunk of room. In front of those was an entertainment center and widescreen TV. Various game consoles sat on the shelves. Nearby was a plastic tote filled with games, and a cabinet full of movies.

Jooheon, impressed, plopped down on the couch and glanced curiously around, trying to memorize every corner of the place. He wouldn’t have taken Hyungwon as someone who liked that sort of thing, but now the image of him as a gamer fit. Doubtless, he had friends who came over frequently to chill. Or perhaps the tall boy immersed himself in fantasy worlds when life got too stressful.

In no time, Hyungwon’s distinctive footsteps came back into earshot. He turned at the end of the couch, smiling widely at his guest. “So, how is everything?”

“It’s very homey in here. I like it. All the games are pretty sweet, too.”

“Thanks. And ah, yeah, they’re good time killers, for when you’re waiting for a call from a potential employer.” Jooheon puckered his lips in thought and nodded. It’s probably what he’d be doing, as well, if he was in Hyungwon’s situation. The taller followed up with, “You like playing, too?”

“Yeah, but I don’t get a chance to very often.” That was mostly reserved for when Jooheon went home. He didn’t have a TV in his dorm room, and being a music major kept him very, very busy anyway.

“If you want to try something out, go for it. I’ve got a lot of things, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Dragon Age, Gears of War, Super Smash Brothers, some of the Final Fantasies, Danganronpa, even, if you want.”

The saxophonist lit up. “I’ve got a better idea. Do you have Mario Kart?”

“Huh? Of course! No game collection would be complete without at least one of the Mario Karts.” Hyungwon broke out into a full-bellied laugh and went over to the tote, rummaging around until he found what he was looking for. He waved the game in the air. “This okay?”

“Perfect.” Jooheon nodded, and dropping down onto the carpeted floor, crawled forward to grab two controllers. “Play a few rounds with me, pleeease?”

The younger boy didn’t even have to beg. Hyungwon was all in. “Bring it on. Just warning you, I’m super good.”

“Ah, we’re going to have to see about that.”

The taller man loaded the disc in, and turned to settle down on the couch. Jooheon, however, seemed to have different ideas. He pouted and patted the floor next to him. Giving a grin, Hyungwon obeyed, and their knees touched. At the sudden warmth (Hyungwon, too, had noticed the temperature difference between them), Jooheon shivered.

“Yah, I can’t bear to see you with goosebumps,” Hyungwon cooed, and reached behind him to pull a blanket from the sofa. Slowly, cautiously, he edged closer to the saxophonist and draped it over them both. As Jooheon hummed in contentment, the older chanced a peek, and his breath hitched. There was a soft appeal to Jooheon’s features, and the fuzzy blanket made him look so cute, happy, and loveable. Almost as if he knew he was being admired, his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned against Hyungwon’s shoulder. With the saxophonist close like this, it was harder to breathe, and Hyungwon felt his heart beat fast, too.

The main game screen kicked up, though, and the momentary feeling of love dissipated. Excitement took over, and soon enough the two of them could have been five years old again. Laughing and yelling, they play-fought, trying to sabotage each other as they raced. Hyungwon won first, Jooheon won second, and thus they traded victory and defeat for a good two hours.

Eventually, their competitive natures settled down as they tired themselves out. A few easy races passed in relative peace. That was, until one particularly close round. They battled and clashed, bumpers colliding on the little animated carts. It seemed futile on Hyungwon's part, though, as Jooheon managed to gain and keep the upper hand. An idea started to form in the taller's head. Gradually, so the saxophonist wouldn't suspect anything, he began to hang back. Suddenly, Hyungwon was happy letting Jooheonie believe he was about to win. That wasn't quite the case, though, and there was a hidden ace up his sleeve. At the final turn, finish line in sight, he made his move. Gaze quickly flicking to the other boy, the taller lifted his elbow and nudged Jooheon hard in the ribs.

“Oww!--Fucking--!”

That split second lapse of concentration was all Hyungwon needed to zoom past and across the finish line first. He couldn’t help but let a sly smile slide onto his face. Once Jooheon had finished rubbing his side, he was silent for a moment. Then, slowly, realization dawned. The offending party automatically leaned as far away as he could, hoping to avoid wrath. Indeed, it seemed that his instincts were dead on, as Hell hath no fury like Lee Jooheon scorned at Mario Kart.

"H--Hyungwon, you cheater! That really hurt, too!" The blond's screech had Hyungwon howling with laughter. It was just so uncharacteristic, and the sudden flip in mood would be enough to hit anyone’s funny bone. Jooheon chased the tall boy partway across the carpet; somehow, the other managed to stay out of reach. In moments their energy ran out, though, and it was over. It was late, nearing the end of a long day, after all. Both guys were heaving for air, chests rising and falling in time. No hard feelings remained, either. Wide smiles spread on their faces; the inevitable chuckle slipped from Jooheon's throat.

Suddenly, they made eye contact, and something clicked.

Hyungwon had managed to forget for a while about his feelings of lust, but now they returned in full force. He had wanted to taste Jooheon all night, and he wasn’t going to get a better moment to do it than here, now. The saxophonist’s cheeks had a red flush, and his eyes were bright and sparkling. There was a fondness in those dark irises, too. Was it possible for anyone to look more enticing? Probably not. Cautiously, he scooted back over and reached out a hand, cupping the beautiful boy’s cheek in his palm. The other blinked, eyes widening, but he didn’t pull away. Hyungwon drug a thumb across those plump lips and pulled closer. “I--is it okay if I--?” he asked, voice weak, only a whisper. The sentence wouldn't finish, though kiss you was definitely in his vocabulary. Hyungwon was too far gone, stolen, at his wit's end; however one wanted to put it. Jooheon was just so handsome and soft and adorable.

The younger seemed to understand the implied question, thankfully. He searched Hyungwon’s eyes for a long moment, before nodding slowly.

Leaning down slightly, Chae Hyungwon met Lee Jooheon’s lips with his own. They were so soft, and as heavenly as he had imagined. If the saxophonist was an ocean, he'd gladly drown. Almost like he would, his arms snaked around Jooheon’s torso, holding onto him for dear life. Something warm and wet touched his mouth; automatically, lips parted to let in the other’s tongue. His own returned the greeting with shy caresses. Everything was so warm and peaceful and passionate. Hyungwon hoped that the younger was like him, wishing it’d never end. Almost before he realized what he was doing, Hyungwon’s hand was at the hem of Jooheon’s dress shirt. Slipping underneath, it found the soft, bare skin just above his ass, and the ridge of his spine.

At the touch, Jooheon gasped and broke their kiss, his grip tightening on Hyungwon’s thigh. Startled by what he thought was a rejection, the tall boy’s eyes widened, and briefly, panic mode took over. Truly, he hadn't meant to go that far, at least yet. He had been too lost in the moment, though, and in the feeling of holding the younger. No doubt, he'd broken whatever spell they had between them, if there even was one in the first place. “Oh--I’m sorry, Jooheonie.” He murmured and flushed red. Hyungwon turned away toward the TV screen, where the game was waiting, asking if they were still there.

Then, a hand cupped his jaw, applying gentle pressure and pulling him back. All at once, lips crashed into his again. It was Jooheon now who wanted the affection, kissing the tall boy like there was no tomorrow. His eyebrows knit together, and he was breathing deeply but unsteadily. Hyungwon could have melted into the floor.

They could have stayed there forever that time, but eventually they broke for air. Panting, they eyed each other hungrily. When the feeling of Jooheon’s lips and tongue on his own was a ghost, Hyungwon finally realized that the hand that wasn’t lingering on his cheek was on his hip. The saxophonist's thumb rubbed slow circles on the waistband of his jeans.

“Look, Hyungwon…” Jooheon sighed. “I like when you touch me. You don’t have to apologize. Ah...actually…” the younger narrowed his eyes seductively and bit his lip. Smaller hands slid into Hyungwon’s. “I wouldn't mind if you did it again.”

Hyungwon was a goner. He dived in for another kiss, gripping the blond’s waist harder this time. In moments, Jooheon was climbing into his lap, straddling him, pushing his tongue deeper. A soft whine slipped out as Hyungwon reached up to undo the top button of his concert black. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m just making this easier,” the tall boy whispered through their liplock, and pulled Jooheon’s shirt up and over his head. Everywhere Hyungwon's slender hands wandered, a trail of gooseflesh seemed to follow. A burning desire consumed him to explore every inch of that sexy, well-knit body.

Soon, the older dared to go lower; his hands settled open on Jooheon's waist and teased at his belt buckle. In response, the saxophonist's breathing picked up. How was it that he was already so sensitive and beautiful? What had Hyungwon done in past lives to have him at his fingertips? His touch wandered back up to play with a perky nipple. Jooheon gasped at this, and his teeth sank into Hyungwon's lower lip. The pain made him flinch, but unexpectedly, his cock stirred, too. Now they were both voicing exactly how the other made them feel. If someone heard through the walls, neither could care less.

A shaky, more uncertain, desperate, even, pair of hands slipped up the hem of the older boy's tee. He loved it, reveling in the fact that Jooheon wanted him this much. "W--Wonnie, I wanna--touch, too." Hyungwon couldn't resist a plea like that and consented, even helping to get the cotton off. Once they threw the shirt to the wayside, Jooheon's arms were back around Hyungwon's middle.

When they next broke, the fog of lust clouded their eyes. By now, both their mouths were swollen and red, too. Jooheon slowly scanned Hyungwon's face, and frowned, tenderly swiping a finger across his injured bottom lip. "I got you pretty good..."

"Yeah, you did. But I'd let you do it all the time if you kissed me afterwards." The salty taste of blood trickled onto Hyungwon's tongue from the wounds inside his mouth. That didn't matter now, though. He found himself wanting, needing Jooheon more and more as the seconds passed.

Doubtless, the platinum blond must have been thinking the same thing. All at once, there was a palm pressing against Hyungwon's growing bulge, stroking it up and down. The friction was delicious, and the tall boy threw his head back, mouth opening in euphoria. Lips softly suckled spots onto his neck. He couldn't do anything but pull Jooheon closer. The younger instinctively pushed himself down farther onto Hyungwon, his erection obvious through his dress slacks.

Then, fingers skimmed the plane of Hyungwon's abs. Down, down they wandered, clearing the waistbands of his jeans and underwear. Shivers of pleasure coursed through him as they proceeded to wrap around his hardening length. Jooheon's slow tugs were so good. What was better, though, was the sound of the younger's heaving pants. Clearly, his own actions were affecting him, too.

"Wait," Hyungwon barely managed to murmur, keeping his head on for a last minute.

"What is it, Wonnie?"

"Bed--would be more comfy."

Jooheon seemed to agree, and nodded. He glanced behind him and backed up. The taller boy missed him immediately, and not just because he no longer had a hand on his needy cock. Shakily, he got up from the floor and steadied himself. Lips parted, he blinked and spent a moment admiring the beautiful white haired boy.

Something burned in the younger's eyes, and it excited Hyungwon to no end. Jooheon approached, drawing close again to plant a chaste kiss on the taller boy's lips and hook an arm underneath his ass. “Jump.” The command floated softly out of his mouth, irresistible, and Hyungwon obeyed. For a moment the older thought he'd hit the floor, but didn’t. Jooheon managed to catch Hyungwon's weight and stabilize himself. With a determined effort, he headed in the direction of the back hallway.

“Second door on the left,” Hyungwon muttered, half-gone already. He laved his tongue down the side of Jooheon’s neck, under his ear, and this made them both shiver. The tall boy was getting painfully hard at this point. His thoughts drifted to everything he wanted to do to the sexy piece of man carrying him. Of course, that did not help his problem at all.

All Jooheon had to do was lean into the door, and it swung open. The tiny room that greeted them, with a queen-size bed, white sheets, and a checkered comforter, was cozy home, sweet home. Carefully, the blond set them down on the edge of the mattress. Hyungwon crawled backwards, pulling Jooheon along by the neck. Their kiss never broke as the latter crawled up onto the open, waiting lap again. Hyungwon thought he was about to go crazy, with their bulges rubbing together. Jooheon even had the audacity to start grinding into him.

Eventually, they parted, a trail of saliva stretching between them. Jooheon smiled, and wordlessly ducked down for Hyungwon's collarbone. At the same time, he set a hand on the older's chest and pushed him down flat on the bed. His pretty lips left a blooming red trail on the skin as he kissed down the long, lean body of the tall boy. When he was at Hyungwon’s navel, he grinned blindingly and lapped at it, rimming the hole like it was another, farther down.

“F--Fuck, Jooheonie,” Hyungwon whined impatiently. He craved something, anything, around his aching cock. "Haven't you teased me enough already?”

“Wow, hyung, so needy.” Somehow, the low chuckle that followed filled Hyungwon with fire. Jooheon turned them both more toward the center of the bed. The older reached behind him to grab a pillow for his head and neck. He swore he had never heard a more satisfying sound than the pop of his jeans button. The saxophonist pulled them clean off, along with Hyungwon's boxers, and the cloth slid off the end of the mattress, neglected. Cool air met hot flesh as the tall boy's hard length flopped against his belly. That sensation alone made him moan something fierce.

Jooheon stopped for a moment to admire the sight. Pink tongue darted out to lick his lips; almost eagerly, he bent over to plant kisses on Hyungwon’s dick. His rewards were deep moans and precome. “Look at you, Wonnie...so beautiful like this…would you like my mouth?”

Though the words were quiet, Hyungwon didn't lose a single one. He ran a hand through his hair and nodded desperately. The blond smiled, picking him up in his palm and giving the head a kitten lick. The tip of his tongue scooped some of the slick, clear precome off. Jooheon hummed in surprised contentment at his first salty taste of Hyungwon. Then he glanced up and locked gazes with the older. Somehow, he never broke eye contact as he wrapped his lips around the tip and slowly began to bob his head. With every pass, Jooheon took in more of the long length.

"F--fuck, Jooheon." Indescribable feelings rushed through Hyungwon, overwhelming him with pleasure. Every ounce of willpower that wasn't lost to the sinful wet, velvety feeling was struggling to keep his hips from bucking. His ex never paid attention to him like this, preferring to let Hyungwon do the dirty work. Now, the tall boy knew why. Jooheon's lips and tongue and throat all in combination had him ascending to a higher level of heaven. It was so wet and warm and better than anything else he had ever experienced. If his own mouth was half as good as this…

Jooheon’s ass wiggled in the air, and he gave a low whine. Instantly, the older boy understood. The saxophonist was searching for friction from his own thighs, but having little success. Guilt swept through Hyungwon. All of a sudden, the idea of getting sucked off wasn't appealing anymore. "Baby...come back up here, won't you?"

Hyungwon got a chance to taste himself when their lips crashed together again. It was a good flavor, and that it mixed well with Jooheon's sweet mouth somehow made it even better. They laid together for a while, making out. Hyungwon's bony hip provided some relief for the younger, but he clearly needed more.

“Jooheon-ah…let me take care of you.” Hyungwon rolled over on top of the blond, and tugged at his slacks. “Off.” The other didn’t hesitate to obey, fingers fumbling to undo his belt. While he worked on that, Hyungwon reached over and opened the drawer of his nightstand. Some lube and a box of condoms were inside, and he grabbed that and a silver foil packet. Then he turned his attention back to the sexy boy whose legs he was between. Jooheon was struggling to get the fabric off from his ankles, and so Hyungwon helped. Now all there was between them were Jooheon’s briefs, and Hyungwon’s breath hitched in his throat. A pink tinged the beautiful white-haired man’s cheeks, and his eyes batted in anticipation. The wet spot in the cotton fabric, where his tip was, grew ever so slightly bigger by the moment.

At the same time, their hands reached down for the last remaining waistband. Fingers tangled together, and in it; Jooheon’s skin was hot and smooth as they dragged it down. The younger went as far as his arm would reach before letting Hyungwon do the rest.

“So perfect,” Hyungwon murmured in awe, taking hold of Jooheon’s erection for the first time. Long, low moans slipped the younger’s mouth as he gave it a few good tugs. Hyungwon had never seen such a pretty cock, red and flushed and perfectly proportioned. Desire overtook him to see it twitch and release as he was balls-deep inside it’s owner’s ass.

Neither could breathe for a moment as the older boy popped open the lube and beaded some on his fingers. He made sure they were good and coated before rubbing around that pretty hole. Then he stuck a finger inside. “A--Ah,” Jooheon gasped, mouth falling open, eyes fluttering shut. When Hyungwon added a second digit, the blond squirmed, trying to fuck himself deeper. “So good, Wonnie.”

The taller didn’t say anything, just kept carefully prepping him. Soon, he felt comfortable enough to put in a third. When he crooked them within Jooheon's tight hole, he hit a nice spot. The younger’s back arched up off the bed, and he gasped loudly.

When Hyungwon pulled out, the saxophonist whimpered, impatient. “Hurry, Wonnie,” he begged, as the older boy tore open the condom, rolled it on himself, and rubbed on another coat of lube for good measure.

“And you said I was needy,” Hyungwon chuckled, pressing his cock to the waiting ring of muscle. Then he leaned forward, and was inside, Jooheon’s walls squeezing him in all the right places. “Shit,” Hyungwon hissed. “Still so perfect.” A small smile grew on Jooheon’s face, and he reached up for a lingering kiss.

Hyungwon started to move, treating the younger to long, firm strokes. Occasionally, he'd change angles, searching for that perfect spot. It didn’t take long at all, and he knew when Jooheon’s legs wrapped around his waist. Hands scrabbled for a hold on his back, too, and the younger became decidedly more vocal.

That beautiful cock called to him, begging him to touch again. Or perhaps it was his brain and hand that gave the order. In any case, he wrapped his hand around it and pumped, even as he kept rocking into Jooheon. The saxophonist was too far gone even to kiss by this point. Hyung, hyung, was one of the only discernible things falling from his lips. One couldn't pin it down as the beginning of the older’s name; yet, it wasn't totally based off the honorific, either.

Soon, Jooheon tensed, and giving a cry, came all over his own cute belly. “Good, good boy,” Hyungwon murmured, continuing to pepper wet kisses on the younger’s jaw. He stroked him through the high (and then extra, so Jooheon trembled, overstimulated). Then Hyungwon, too, let himself go, filling the condom.

They held their position briefly, both feeling spent and close to sleep. Hyungwon brushed at Jooheon’s forehead, cleaning away locks of hair and receiving a fond, dimpled smile in return. However, there was still a mess to clean, and his strength would give out soon. So, Hyungwon pulled out and reached for a nearby box of Kleenex. Grabbing two, he proceeded to clean up Jooheon’s tummy. Afterwards, he removed the latex sleeve on his own length. It only took a few seconds to tie it and toss toward a nearby trash can, along with the soiled tissues.

He gladly let the younger boy snuggle into his chest as they finally settled down together. Hyungwon felt happy and peaceful, and he hoped Jooheon did, too. “Sleep well, sweet dreams,” Hyungwon said, yawning and knowing he wouldn’t last much longer.

“You too, Hyungwon-ah.” Jooheon’s murmur was barely audible, but the vibrations stirred the older’s heart. “Goodnight.”

Hyungwon woke to the mattress dipping, and a warm body sliding back under the comforter, next to him. A gentle “Hyungwon-ah,” called him back from the borders of dreamland. The scent of coffee wafted through the air. As his senses came awake, a familiar hand mussed his hair. “Wake up, Hyungwon-ah.” At long last, his eyes fluttered open to the sight of a handsome dimpled face beside him in bed, deep brown eyes sparkling and grin radiant as the sun. Jooheonie. So that hadn’t all been a dream. The older boy’s heart fluttered in his chest, just like it had the first time he saw who he had run into at the festival.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” Jooheon gave Hyungwon a peck on the forehead. “I’ve got coffee brewing, and I’m making rice to go with the Kimchi in the fridge, too.”

“Aww, come on, can’t it wait a few more minutes?” The slender boy caught Jooheon’s lips and pulled him closer, hooking an arm around his waist. “I like having you here in bed with me--”

“Not that I don’t want to say yes, hyung.” Jooheon fidgeted with his hands. “But I don’t want to lose my job, and I already let us sleep in.”

There was a moment of silence, before Hyungwon sighed. “Oh. Right.” Shaking his head, he let the white haired boy go, and turned, sitting up on his side of the bed. The thought of having to take Jooheon back to college hurt, though he knew it shouldn’t. This was a one night thing all along. They had a single evening to get to know each other. They could let the relationship go where it may, pull their hearts and minds around like ragdolls. Unfortunately, though, the next morning, it was back to their separate lives.

The tall boy hurried through his shower, and soon joined Jooheon out in the kitchen. The rice wasn’t quite ready, so he stood at the stove with the saxophonist. Hyungwon’s long noodle arms wrapped around Jooheon’s waist, and his chin rested on his shoulder. Every now and then, Jooheon would go to the wall outlet to check his phone. Sheepishly, he explained that though his friends had insisted on it, he had completely forgotten to charge the stinkin' thing the night before. “I would have called them if you turned out to be a creep,” Jooheon admitted, a red blush spreading across his cheeks. “But you’re not, of course.”

“I’m glad.” Hyungwon chuckled and patted the younger’s bare belly.

Not too long afterwards, they were at the table, settling down for a small meal. Despite the shift in Hyungwon’s mood, a steady conversation still flowed between them. How they liked their coffee, whose mother’s Kimchi was better. They both ate their fill, and got up and around. Hyungwon did dishes while the younger man gathered his things. They had to leave pretty soon if they wanted to make it back to Jooheon’s college town by one o’clock. And indeed, soon they were off, side by side in the front seat of Hyungwon’s car. The only stop they needed was to at the gas station, to fill up quick.

Most of the three-hour ride passed in relative silence. Hyungwon kept his eyes firmly on the road and wondered what the hell he should do. He really liked Jooheon, and it made his heart hurt that their time together was almost over. Every moment with the blond had been perfection, not just the sex, even though it was mind-blowing, too. Did Jooheon feel the same way? Hyungwon was afraid that asking the saxophonist to be his boyfriend would be too forward. What if Jooheon said no? It wasn’t necessarily the end of the world, but Hyungwon knew that then, it was more likely he’d lose interest soon after. That was the absolute last thing he wanted, for Jooheon to exit his life as abruptly as he had arrived.

“Hyungwon-ah?” Jooheon asked, gently, from the passenger’s side.

“Yes, Jooheonie?”

“The landscape around here is beautiful, huh?” The younger boy glanced out the window, resting his chin on his palm. As they were getting closer to Jooheon’s college town, the geography was getting hillier. Strips of pine and deciduous trees grew on the slopes. It was fall, so the former stayed fresh while the latter changed. The difference speckled the world in dark greens, bright yellows, and firey oranges.

Hyungwon took it all in, and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, it is.” A soft smile grew on his face, As he was momentarily distracted from his train of thought.

(If he would have glanced over, he would have seen a certain, beautiful boy not paying so much attention to the colors anymore. Instead, his lingering gaze rested on the other’s face.)

Finally, they pulled up to the front of the dorms. There was even thirty minutes to spare before Jooheon had to rush off to work. The younger boy stretched and gave a slight, happy smile over to Hyungwon. “Thank you for everything.” He had planned on leaving it just like that, so his heart wouldn’t be so disappointed. It was inevitable, he'd have to leave the older alone. However, it wasn’t to be so. As he went to kick the door open and slide out, Hyungwon grabbed him by the arm. “Wait.”

“Mmhm?” Jooheon turned and smiled.

“Ah--I um, I was hoping…” The older boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “If it wouldn’t be too much, could we...keep in touch?”

The saxophonist couldn’t help but let some joy slip out in his face and eyes. “Of course! Here, let me give you my number.” He grabbed Hyungwon’s phone from where it was sitting in the cupholder, and tapped into contacts, adding a new one. “There we go.”

Hyungwon seemed happy and relieved. “Awesome. Well--ah--” Suddenly, a soft palm caressed the younger’s cheek. Hyungwon leaned in and pulled him in for a kiss, one that Jooheon felt like melting into. “Take care, Jooheon.”

“Yeah, you too, Hyungwon.” They were both blushing like mad, and a spark of hope and excitement ignited within them. Soon, they’d be able to meet again, and they’d wait however long it took.

#Monsta X fanfiction #Monsta X scenario #Monsta X #Hyungheon #Jooheon #Hyungwon #Lee Jooheon #Chae Hyungwon #sorry for the tooth rotting fluff >////< but I am a sof

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