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#he faked an assistant to get out of attending events

hsllfirescoopsreblogs · 1 month

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•——————•°•✿•°•——————•

「 ✦ Jamie Tartt ✦ 」

╰┈➤ 18+ none of these stories belong to me! this is a masterlist of all jamie tartt stories i’ve read and reblogged! just thought it would be nice to have them all in one spot! (if your fic is on here and you wish not to be, please let me know!)

╭┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈╮

☁︎change in perspective by @justauthoring

⟿ you never thought jamie tartt could be anything but a prick.

☁︎saved you a seat by @benedictscanvas

☁︎gentlemen by @danistartt

⟿secret dating because reader works for Richmond (as like pr or physio or something) but when they win a match one day Jamie is so overcome with joy he just has to kiss her

☁︎@axelsagewrites

⟿bus ride

⟿decide royjamie x reader

☼they both like you and when they came to settle it once and for all neither of them expected this out come

⟿ practise mishap

☁︎ @pandorasprongs

⟿i’d be better armed if you agreed to take it

☼higgins' new assistant happens to be an old friend of the reader's, and their reunion hits jamie with major feelings of jealousy. when the team thinks that the pair of them are going on a date soon, jamie decides enough is enough.

⟿comfort crowd, you can always count

☼reader gets cheated on and jamie, whose trying to be a better friend and person, decides to help her out by hiding her phone for the day.

☁︎ @rqgnarok

⟿i can see you

☼you and jamie have been watching each other for ages, trying not to feel the pull between you. a moment in the hallway changes everything.

⟿delicate

☼jamie hadn’t planned on dating. his reputation’s never been worse. but then he met you.

⟿music to my eyes

☼jamie has a crush on the band’s bassist.

☁︎@its-time-to-write

⟿three times ‘cause i’ve waited my whole life

⟿coffee at midnight

☁︎@buckychristwrites

⟿about you

☼Your job? Pop culture journalist for The Independent. Your assignment? To write a profile on the cocky footballer that you’re publicly feuding with.

⟿could this be

☼One minute, you're single and working for AFC Richmond as the team's medic. The next minute, you're in a fake relationship with the team's handsome striker who you know next to nothing about…

☁︎i can see you by @hopefulromances

⟿Roy's sister comes back to town

☁︎fuck by @wlntrsldler

☁︎spring rolls and stocks by @veryberryjelly

☁︎distractions by @illiterateaffairs

☁︎you’re obsessed by @mllersjoel

⟿ he has a huge crush on an actress and sees her at a richmond event and she flirts w him he’s really shy bc he likes her

☁︎ tour de richmond by @ofstarsandvibranium

⟿ Jamie gives you a tour of Richmond as well as gets to know you better. When you tell your cousin of his teammates generosity, he suddenly becomes a big hostile towards Jamie.

☁︎ @theowritesstuff

⟿ operation: tartts heart

☼Jamie’s too scared to confess his (obvious) feelings for you, so when Richmond gets another clubhouse attendant who starts flirting with you, the team suddenly all become your guard dogs.

⟿ other people

☼You and Jamie have a discussion about the exclusivity of your relationship

☁︎ in the stands by @cauliflowercounty

•masterlist

•ted lasso masterlist

hopefully all links work if not let me know! <3

last updated april 4, 2024

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt #phil dunster #ted lasso #ted lasso x reader #jamie tartt series #jamie tartt one shot #jamie tartt angst #jamie tartt fluff

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abibliophobiaa · 8 months

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Eddie Munson

series:

begin again — a few years after the events of season four, you move to hawkins and start up your grandfather’s old coffee shop. you find yourself quickly falling for the grumpy bartender across the parking lot at the hideout. four seasons in the life of eddie and r as they navigate love after grief. grumpy x sunshine; bartender!eddie; fem!reader. 18+

daylight — you’ve never been one for love. especially after your last round with it. halloween rolls around and in comes eddie munson. he’s only in town for a couple days, you’re looking for no strings, and chances are you’ll never see him again anyway. easy, right? at least, until you end up with an unexpected party favor. accidental pregnancy; forced proximity; strangers to lovers; fem!reader. 18+

talking in your sleep — it’s summer of 1986. nothing weird ever happens in hawkins, until now. summer slasher au; fem!reader. 18+.

stuck in a moment — you relive the worst day of your life over and over again, and maybe you’ll get it right this time. best friends to lovers; time loop au. 18+.

i will wait — you find yourself as rockstar eddie munson’s new assistant. spoiler alert: he’s the worst. 90s soulmate au; fem!reader. 18+.

one-shots/blurbs:

a series of interconnected family one-shots

you grieve the loss of eddie after season four, and he comes back not as you expected

you and eddie attend a wedding together as friends and ‘fake dates’ (18+)

vampire eddie is a little hungry and he can’t wait to get home to have you (18+)

vampire eddie comes to you after a concert (18+)

eddie comforts you after a nightmare

you daydream about eddie over ice cream with some friends (18+)

you spend your last day on earth with the love of your life

eddie is patient as you figure out what you want

mechanic eddie asks you on a date

you and your rockstar ex boyfriend reunite on a snowy day (18+)

steddie:

events:

luna’s 14 days of halloween

page still under construction 🚧 (I still need to grab the rest of the fics I’ve written)

#Eddie Munson Masterlist

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reveluving · 2 years

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How about Batmom being his wife’s work, people can see there are atracttion , but they never do something about it.

And the kids are tired, because SHE is their mom even when Bruce insist she is a friend and his assistant. Like if there is a mothers day’s event she is the one there.

And of course she give hints, but Bruce make everything hard dating other womens, and Batmom just get tired. So she still remain in contact with the boys, but stop waiting for Bruce

Extra

If he realised that he is gonna lost her, on her wendding day with a guy that the kids like even when they don’t want to, is gonna be the cherry in the top.

"Where are you going kids? And in Tuxedos?"

"God, you never listen anything!"

"To Y/n’s Wedding, Jason is gonna give her"

And the man is just so shocked to talk

Damn. I was not expecting an angsty one??? But screw it, here we are! (For the sake of this piece, this is NOT related to 'A Mother's Touch' series, obv!)

Thanks, anon! ❤

You're right about one thing; the kids may not like the idea of giving away what could've been their mother, but they sure as hell hate seeing Bruce not appreciating you the way they do. You were not only his rock during his lowest, but each and every Batkid in the picture.

So keeping you around was their way to cope with the shit in Gotham.

But...

They wouldn't be able to forgive themselves for being selfish and keeping you here any longer. Not when they know Bruce isn't going to do anything about it. The dejection, the fake smiles you'd put on for the sake of his happiness. It was too much, even for Bruce.

So, the kids let you go. With a heavy heart, of course. Telling you that you deserved better. You didn't want to believe it, but you knew they were right. You knew Bruce felt the same way, but that ego of his was unshakeable.

As soon as you resigned from Wayne Enterprises, they knew it was over. The only thing that kept you all together was the group chat they made. Bruce, too, his heart dropped at the news, but there was a voice at the back of his mind; "I told you so." But he tried to think nothing of it, maybe you wanted to work somewhere else but still keep in touch, right?

He wished.

He should've figured out when he saw Tim, Duke and Damian talking about suit colour they should wear and Cass twirling in a dress in front of her mirror. It wasn't until he finally opened the pretty looking letter on his desk that he's kept aside for so long that he realized why.

He knew he had no business raising his voice when two of his eldest boys came to pick up the rest. Jason was seconds away from giving the man a black eye, but he had a better idea.

"You're lucky that I can't beat the shit out of you. Wouldn't want to ruin this suit when I give ma away," None of them waited for his answer, not when Bruce himself didn't know what to say.

You didn't invite him out of spite or revenge. He was the reason why you've found your beloved, so, if anything, it was a 'thank you'. Though, you had a feeling that he wouldn't attend, and you were right.

Unbeknownst to you, that man you once thought was your one and only never stopped looking at the wedding photos Jason spammed on his phone. Your contagious smile, absolutely stunning in white, in the arms of another. Most importantly, that one big family photo he knew Jason sent with a wicked smile.

You, your new husband, and all of the Batkids. Together.

Alfred could only watch his master with both pity and disappointment.

Bruce never stopped wishing that man of yours was him.

˚ · . f i n . · ˚

Tada! Not the best in angst so this was the best I could do! Ask box is open for your Batmom thoughts; preferably soft or smutty tho because my heart can't handle too much angst 🤧 But thanks again, dear anon!!

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chelseachilly · 6 months

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THIS LOVE - epilogue | you come back to what you need

pairing: ben chilwell x reader

rating: T

word count: 2.8k

summary: you and ben settle into life as a couple 🩵

A/N: as promised, the epilogue 🫶🏼 thank you for reading, and i'm going to be working on some oneshots now that this story is complete so stay tuned for more ben content! x

previous chapter | view all chapters

“You’re telling me I spent months cultivating your public image as a couple only for you to go become an actual couple?”

You hear Ben’s publicist Shreya’s voice coming through the phone, partly because he’s just put it on speaker and partly because you’re laying on top of him.

You’ve been mostly in this position for much of the past week. Ever since you and Ben confessed your feelings for one another, you’ve been pretty much inseparable - unless you’re at work or Ben’s at training, you’ve been holed up at his house ignoring the rest of the world.

You didn’t make your first public appearance as a couple - a real one, that is - until yesterday, when you attended Ben’s game at the Bridge. They beat Bournemouth 4-0, with a goal and an assist from Ben in one of his best performances all season, and you couldn’t resist jumping into his arms and kissing him senseless when you met him on the pitch afterward.

Naturally, the photos spread like wildfire over the internet, and although the public was already used to the idea of your relationship, your phone has been blowing up today with messages from your close friends and family who were in on the fake relationship but not yet aware of its newly real status.

You know you’re gonna have to call at least your parents at some point today to explain why there’s a photo of you and your best friend making out in The Sun - although you know they’ll be thrilled, since they already see Ben as an honorary son - but you haven’t responded to anyone yet.

In fact, you haven’t done much of anything since you got home from the game last night - well, except your new boyfriend.

“Erm, yeah,” Ben chuckles, running his hand over your bare back in a repetitive motion as he talks to Shreya.

He figured he at least owed an explanation, so he took his publicist’s call to catch her up to speed and let her know that he wouldn’t require her to bolster your appearance as a couple anymore.

There’s a pause on the other end, and you have to stifle a giggle against Ben’s chest when you hear Shreya’s sigh of exasperation.

“To be fair, it was the easiest job I ever had trying to convince people you were together, so perhaps I should have seen that one coming,” she says. “Well, good for you, Ben. You sound happy, and you were brilliant yesterday.”

“Thanks,” Ben grins, his eyes glued to yours. “I am very happy.”

Your heart thumps in your chest and your eyes tear up slightly at his earnest, lovestruck expression. You can’t resist shuffling even closer and pressing a kiss to his cheek, followed by one to his jaw, then a few more down his neck.

“Do you want to go over your GQ interview next week?” Shreya asks. “You know, the reason you pay me?”

You’re still distracting Ben with soft kisses to his neck that have made his eyes flutter shut and his focus drift.

“Sorry, I - uh, I’m gonna have to call you back, Shreya. Thanks again, cheers.”

Ben hangs up and tosses his phone to the side, immediately flipping you over and attacking your face and neck with little kisses until you’re giggling uncontrollably.

“Ben,” you sigh as he’s sucking on your collarbone in a way that you know will leave a mark if you let him. “We should probably get ready.”

As wonderful and perfect as the past week has been, spending all your free time tangled in these very bed sheets and experiencing things you’ve never felt before, Harvey is hosting an event for his clothing brand later that you can’t miss.

You’re not particularly eager to leave your little bubble of joy in Ben’s house, but you figure you owe it to one of the friends responsible for that happiness to turn up for him today.

“I know,” Ben groans, his hand travelling low on your back and sending a shiver up your spine. “In fifteen minutes?”

“We’re already going to be late,” you point out, glancing at his watch. “It’ll take an hour to get there and I still don’t know what I’m wearing-“

“You’ll look amazing in anything,” Ben insists, leaving more kisses up your neck, “or nothing…”

“Ben,” you say with slightly more resolve, even though his lips are making it hard to think of anything else right now. “We can’t avoid all social plans forever. As much as I love being alone with you.”

Ben pulls back and you think you’ve finally got him to focus, but there’s a look in his eyes that you recognize all too well from your lifetime of knowing him. It’s the same look he has before a big game or in an argument - he isn’t going down without a fight.

“Please, baby,” he says in a soft whisper near your ear that he’s very quickly learned is one of your many weaknesses when it comes to him. “Ten minutes?”

The other thing about those big blue eyes that you know so well is that they just so happen to be one of your other greatest weaknesses, and when he smiles at you, you know you’re a lost cause.

“Ten minutes,” you agree, grabbing his face and kissing him again before he can respond.

It’s actually closer to twenty-five by the time you actually roll out of bed, and another twenty when you realize you both need a shower and end up getting distracted once again, so you have to hurry to get ready.

One perk of dating your best friend is that you already have a closet full of clothes at his place, and you pick out a simple dark blue dress that you know looks good on you. As you’re finishing up your makeup, Ben walks into the bathroom freshly changed into a black t-shirt and jeans, and you don’t miss the way his eyes light up at the sight of you.

“You look absolutely gorgeous,” Ben murmurs as his eyes rake over your body in the mirror from behind you. “I’ve always loved this dress on you.”

“Thanks, Benji,” you say softly, putting down your makeup brush and smoothing out the wrinkles in your dress. You can’t help but blush a bit at the thought of Ben checking you out long before admitting how much he fancies you. “Are you ready?”

He doesn’t respond, instead just stepping closer and wrapping his arms around you from behind for a moment. Despite the time crunch, you relax into him and breathe a small sigh of contentment.

You can’t help but admire the sight of the two of you in the mirror, his face buried in your neck and inhaling your scent as you hold his hands that have settled on your stomach.

“I still can’t believe I get to do this now,” he whispers, echoing the same feeling running through your soul.

After unknowingly yearning for this for so long, maybe your whole life, it feels so right to finally fall into this simple intimacy with Ben. It feels like coming home.

You turn in his arms, intending to lean in for a quick kiss before forcing the pair of you out the door, but you instead feel overcome by the sudden urge to wrap your arms around his waist and bury your face in his chest. He hugs you back without a word, pressing a few soft kisses to your hair.

“I love you,” he murmurs, his thumb rubbing circles on your spine. “I’ve never been this happy before.”

“I love you too,” you mumble against his chest before pulling back just enough to cup his face and see your whole world between your hands. “And neither have I. This week has been…perfect.”

He nods in agreement, letting out a small sigh. “Are you worried it’s going to be weird when we leave our little bubble? I don’t think the game yesterday counts since we were basically apart until you pounced on me afterward.”

You slap his chest playfully and roll your eyes before shaking your head.

“It might be a bit of an adjustment, but not really. I mean, we’ve basically been doing this for months now in public.”

“Sure, but it was fake then,” Ben points out.

“Yeah, but the feelings were there,” you say, your fingers running through his hair in a way that makes him smile sleepily. “Now I get to love you publicly and privately, and I can’t think of anything that could feel more right than that.”

Ben’s eyes light up before he closes them to dive in for a kiss, his soft lips lingering on yours for a few moments before he pulls away.

“You’re right, love,” he says. “Now, we should probably go, because the longer I look at you in that dress the more I wanna take it off.”

You smirk and pat his cheek before walking away, knowingly giving him a great view of your arse on the way out.

An hour later, after singing loudly to the pop songs on the radio and laughing so hard your ribs hurt the entire drive to Soho, you and Ben are standing in the crowded restaurant where the launch of Harvey’s new fashion line is being celebrated.

A bunch of your friends are here, all of whom are enjoying this opportunity to tease you - with love, of course.

Tom caught you stealing a few kisses in the corner of the room less than five minutes after your arrival, so you probably deserve the teasing. Plus, you’re so happy that you don’t care.

After circling the room a bit and congratulating Harvey, you’re now chatting with Anish and his girlfriend Hannah in a booth. You have lots of room, but you’re still pressed to Ben’s side, his arm around your shoulders.

As he and Anish chat about the clothing line, you’re content to just listen to Ben’s voice and enjoy the warmth of his body against yours. You occasionally press a kiss to his jaw and he’ll stop talking for a moment and smile at you, which makes you want to do it again.

After a while, Hannah suggests going to get another drink, and the boys nod in agreement.

“I have to use the loo, can you grab me something?” you ask Ben, and he nods and pecks your lips quickly before heading over to the bar.

After using the washroom, you’re eagerly making your way back through the room to find your boyfriend when you bump into a familiar figure.

“Ryan?”

Ryan, the well-dressed man standing before you, just so happens to be your ex. You went out for a few months two years ago before ending things fairly mutually and amicably.

You’re surprised to see him for a moment, but he does work in the fashion industry, so it makes sense that he would be here.

“Y/N, wow, it’s been ages,” Ryan says, giving you a quick hug. “How are you?”

“I’m good, still working at the hospital,” you say with a smile. “Are you still at the magazine?”

“No, I actually moved to Paris, just in town for the week visiting some friends,” he explains.

“Wow, Paris!” you remark. “That’s amazing. Do you like it there? Are you seeing anyone?”

“Of course I like it, it’s Paris,” he chuckles. “And yeah, I just moved in with my girlfriend Claire. You?”

As if on cue, Ben comes up beside you and presses a kiss to your cheek before passing you a gin and tonic, your favourite, with a water for himself in his other hand.

“Here you go, babe - oh,” Ben’s face falls slightly when he sees who you’re talking to. He was never a fan of Ryan, often calling him pretentious or making fun of how artsy he was, though looking back now that may have just been jealousy. “Ryan.”

“Well, that answers that question,” Ryan says with a small smirk. “I have to say, I’m glad you two finally got your shit together.”

“What?” you ask, furrowing your eyebrows.

“I mean, it was painfully obvious you were in love with him back when we were dating,” he elaborates. “You never stopped talking about him and you saw him more than you saw me.”

You can’t help but blush a bit when Ben looks at you with a slightly raised eyebrow, despite the fact that you’ve literally spent the last week demonstrating exactly how in love with him you are.

“I think you might be exaggerating-“

“I seem to recall you cancelling a date more than once because Ben had a ‘bad game’ and you needed to go round his and cheer him up?” Ryan laughs. “I hated football before that, but it really solidified the hatred.”

Although part of you wants to laugh, cry, or scream at yourself for being so blind to your feelings for Ben, you do also feel a tinge of guilt for dragging guys like Ryan along before you figured things out.

“Sorry about that,” you say, leaning into Ben’s arm that is wrapped protectively around your waist. “It took me a while to realize what was always right in front of me.”

“No worries, it worked out for the best, yeah?” Ryan says, raising his beer to you and Ben. “I’ll see you around, cheers guys.”

As Ryan walks away with a smile on his face and Ben pulls you closer and presses a kiss to your temple, your guilt is replaced by a warmth settling into your chest - everything really did work out. All the wrong turns and detours along the way just led you back to where you always belonged. To Ben.

“So, you never stopped talking about me, huh?” Ben says after a moment, and you can hear the smirk in his voice before you turn to look at him.

“Oh my god,” you roll your eyes, playfully pushing him away and shaking your head. “I literally confessed my undying love for you less than a week ago, you arse.”

Ben just continues to smile at you, setting down his glass so he can wrap his arms around your waist.

“You’re cute when you’re obsessed with me,” he murmurs, his thumb stroking your hip just enough to drive you crazy.

“And you’re cute when you’re jealous,” you retort, smirking slightly. “He has a girlfriend in Paris, just so you know.”

“I was not jealous,” Ben insists with furrowed brows. “How can I be jealous when my girl is soooo in love with me-“

You shut him up with a kiss, partly to get him to stop talking and partly because you are in love with him and hearing him call you his girl has reduced your brain to mush.

You don’t know if this will ever stop - you doubt it - but every nerve in your body is electrified as he kisses you slowly, pouring every bit of love and desire he feels for you into the kiss. It’s not the most passionate one you’ve shared so far, being that you’re surrounded by people, but it’s soft and sweet and more than enough to make your knees go weak and your thoughts blur.

“Ben,” you mumble against his lips, forcing yourself to pull back. “We can’t make out in the middle of Harvey’s work event.”

A small pout forms on Ben’s face, which is so adorable that you have no choice but to peck his lips once more.

“How about my car then?” Ben suggests, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Ah, is that why you insisted on taking the Range instead of your flashy new sports car?”

He nods, gesturing to the car park just outside. “Lots of room in there.”

As much as you don’t want it to work, the thought of what Ben is capable of doing to you in the backseat of his obnoxiously big car is too tantalizing to resist.

You glance around the room to make sure none of your friends are watching before nodding. “You get ten minutes, Benjamin.”

“We’ll see about that,” he grins, grabbing your hand and beginning to drag you toward the exit as you try to contain your lovesick giggles.

As you climb into his car and then into his lap, exchanging messy kisses that are interrupted by your smiles, you can’t believe it took you so long to get to this point. Sure, it’s still kind of terrifying to jump headfirst into a relationship with the person who has been your person since you were kids, but it’s also thrilling.

It’s the beginning of the rest of your life with your best friend, and you have a feeling it’s going to be a very happy one.

a/n: please let me know what you thought! i hope you all liked the ending :) tag list: @captainwans @amandaaa1025 @bbygrlllllll @ncentic @lunamelona @kathb59 @cinderellawithashoe @batmansb1tch @myheartgoesvroom @chillymountsjess @babygirlbenji @delicateearthquakellama @joyfullyswimmingface @xxenia14 @chaotic-taco-collector-blog @chilwellspulisic @maraudersmap123 @evelinapurmale @freekoalakryptonite

#ben chilwell #ben chilwell x reader #ben chilwell x y/n #ben chilwell imagine #chelsea fc imagine #this love

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rainbowsky · 5 months

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Anonymous asked: Serious question - Does this type of public fan behaviour not land the boys in troubles? [link redacted] Funny question - what will be DD’s reaction if he sees this bus? Will he feel shy or happily take pic and send to GG?

Hi Anon! ☺️

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Anon is talking about the bus and taxi that BXG had wrapped in GGDD graphics for the Tencent event last night.

This is something BXG do whenever there's a big event like this, especially ones there's a chance they'll both attend (these types of things are planned well in advance, long before BXG would know for sure whether GG would be attending).

One bus and a taxi is actually pretty low-key compared to some of the things BXG have done in the past. It's not unusual for them to do multiple buses, digital billboards, etc. and they even lit up the entire exterior of the arena with BXG graphics/slogans for Weibo Night a couple years ago.

Solos love to make it seem like turtles behavior is risky or dangerous, but I find that notion totally ridiculous. These are fan materials and all in good fun. Bystanders will immediately recognize it as such, and are unlikely to take it too seriously or get offended.

At the end of the day, GG and DD are the only ones with any power to put a stop to these things and they haven't, so I think that says everything we need to know. I've talked about that a bit in the past.

So, Anon, not to worry.

As for GG and DD's reaction to things like this, there has been some discussion of that in LRLG rumors in the past. I'm especially thinking of the light banners at Tencent 2020. You can read more about that event here.

Fake rumors are fake rumors, but I think it's a pretty safe bet that they and their teams find these things amusing and heart-warming. There are plenty of examples but here are just a few:

Back during DDU they filmed a segment where DD was driving with the other DDU brothers in the car. DD was driving by a group of BXG and honked at them (some were clowning that the pattern of his honking sounded like BJYXSZD because he was doing 7 fast honks, taking a pause and then 7 again).

One year for DD's birthday BXG hired a digital billboard truck to drive around the Hunan TV building all day (where DD was filming DDU). The truck was decked out in BXG graphics and with a loudspeaker blaring GG's voice from the BTS yelling "HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANG YIBO", and there were fan repos of DD, the other hosts and Hunan TV employees laughing and taking pictures.

GG was seen smiling at BXG balloons during his visit to Milan.

When DD was in LA his car was driving by a group of BXG who were standing on the streetcorner holding balloons and chanting BJYXSZD, and DD's assistant was filmed laughing and taking photos/video from inside the car.

There are countless examples of GG and DD appearing to look at and react to BJYX light banners and headbands.

I'm sure there are many more examples I could add, but you get the general idea. I think it only makes sense that GG and DD would find these things mostly cute, and appreciate the support.

Thread about GGDD and the supertopics. Original post here.

What turtles might mean to GGDD

Do you think they're aware of how fans interpret things?

Do you think GG and DD enjoy BXG fan works?

Can I also add that I found this light banner from last night's event especially hilarious:

#bjyx #yizhan #ggdd in the public eye #bxg ggdd #ask

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eemcintyre · 1 year

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Masterlist alert

Something to Talk About universe

Something to Talk About - you and 90s!Tom are secretly married, and while on vacation, you realize that the press has finally caught you together and published the photos.

One More Night - It’s the last night of you and Tom’s vacation where your relationship was uncovered by the media. He surprises you with a motorcycle ride, a beautiful view, and a special gift to close the day out.

All Eyes on Us - Oscars night finally arrives and you and Tom make your official debut as a couple. You are overwhelmed by the attention and some invasive interview questions, but Tom supports you through it.

Production assistant reader x TC

The Door is Open - you are a production assistant on the set of a 90s Tom Cruise movie, and he steps in when one of his costars threatens you.

Behind Closed Doors - Over the last several weeks since you met Tom on the movie set where you work, you have discovered an undeniable attraction to each other. Although neither one of you is sure where it will lead, you’ve been getting the tension out with secretive meetings in his trailer.

Parental fics

Good Morning - Trying to make up for how busy he's been lately, Tom takes your daughter off your hands for the morning and obv cuteness ensues.

Flipped - Tom's daughter keeps him company from her playpen while he cooks dinner.

Miscellaneous fics

Surprise Me - One of your friends, after a poor track record of setting you up on dates, gets one more chance and makes the most of it. You meet the date for dinner at an elegant NYC restaurant to discover that your friend has set you up with Tom Cruise.

Repaying the Favor - Tom comes home to find you in a great deal of pain because ~it’s that time of the month amirite ladies~, and he does what he can to try and make things better, despite you insisting that you can handle it.

All or Nothing at All - Attending a friend's wedding compels Tom to ask you an important ~question~, and it invites a conversation about the direction of your relationship and your anxieties about it.

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over - (Sequel to "All or Nothing at All") After a long time of being apart, you and Tom reunite, but what should have been a pleasant evening turns into a fight when Tom's exhaustion and frustration causes his personal issues to make an appearance.

Thirty Minutes - You're making last-minute preparations for the Halloween gathering that you and Tom are hosting. Since you have a tendency to go overboard with these kinds of events, Tom has to remind you to have some fun.

Cruel to be Kind universe

Cruel to be Kind - Terry finds out that a coworker has been bothering you and you insist he stays out of it, but he takes matters into his own hands. Literally.

Tainted Love - You are in extreme turmoil after the... incident... at the house. While doing everything in your power to avoid Terry, you're trying to figure out what you should do and how you feel about who he's revealed himself to be.

Both Sides Now - You have an intense nightmare and Terry comforts you. The next morning, after a great deal of thought, you finally decide the future of your relationship.

Enemies-to-lovers/fake dating series

Let the Games Begin - Terry Silver (80s edition™️) is determined to claim the one woman at Dynatox who doesn't appear to be interested in him, and he concocts an elaborate scheme by which to do so.

Looking the Part - Valerie visits the luxury shops of Rodeo Drive to prepare for her role as Terry's girlfriend. Afterward, she and Terry meet for lunch, and then they practice how to kiss each other for the first time.

Playing the Part - The vibes between Valerie and Terry are now noticeably different. Terry arranges for the media to discover them when they soft-launch their relationship to the public at a cafe.

People Will Say We're in Love - The first news story about Valerie and Terry is released, and Valerie must cope with heightened scrutiny from her family, friends, and strangers. She also learns that Terry will be hosting a cocktail party to welcome the investment group and that she needs to be there.

Miscellaneous fics

Wicked Game - Terry Silver takes an interest in one of his adult students; an innocent and inexperienced girl with an obvious crush on him.

"The Firm" (1993)

"Cocktail" (1988)

"Ulterior Motives" (1992)

"Crackerjack" (1994)

"Excessive Force" (1993)

"Hollow Point" (1996)

"Timecop 2: The Berlin Decision" (2003)

"Seawolf: The Pirate's Curse" (2005)

"Stretch" (2014)

"Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One)" (2023)

#tom cruise #tom cruise fic #tom cruise imagine #creative writing #fanfic #one shot #tom cruise x female reader #tom cruise x reader #terry silver #terry silver x reader #thomas ian griffith #movie review #film review

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thebottomfromhell · 4 months

Text

Headcanons

Uppermoons + Muzan + kids and tropes during Christmas day and eve (NO READER)

Me ruining everyone's Christmas HC's of these guys, Marry Christmas!

Warnings: Cannibalism, Religion & Blasphemy

Muzan:

Pretends to enjoy Christmas in public, puting a good face and following the traditions when in reality he just wants to kill everyone the second they start singing.

Hosting a big and luxurios party, there is a dress code and children will be left in a separated room. He invites his neighbours, pretendind to be human.

Fake smiles all night.

Wants to burn up the nation that invented Christmas.

Gives the best gifts, not because he wants to or because he cares, but because he wants to look good.

Is the one who gives speeches, he planned it and practiced in front of a mirror with Nakime's help.

Kokushibou:

Hates Christmas, loathes it.

Will shut himself out after Halloween and not come out until mid January.

Unless, of course, Muzan forces him to pretend to be human and assist on his big celebrations.

Stays on the drinking corner with the drunk uncles, just staring without saying anything untill he is told he can leave.

If someone tries to talk to him he will pretend to be a statue.

Doesn't give gifts nor does anything special.

Douma:

He likes the vibe (the presents and the fact that people become like him for a night, mostly).

It fascinates him like everyone will put a happy mask and pretend they all love each other for the day, it comes close home.

Will remind everyone it's a religious festivity... constantly, almost making it a chore to some.

Reminds everyone that Jesus was born to die, ruining the mood of most.

Can't be uninvited because he usually hosts the party.

Depending on what he thinks about you he can iether give you the worst gift or the best gift ever.

Human buffet for Christmas eve, everything he can eat (also setting one for humans before his).

Will tell everyone, specially the children, that he ate Santa the next day.

Impossible to get rid of, he will go even if he is not invited, Muzan has tried.

Akaza:

He doesn't like it unless there is someone special who does, then he makes the effort, genuinely enjoying to some point.

He never hosts but arrive early to help with the food and decorations.

Thinks a lot about the gifts even if he never gives anything expensive.

Will argue for the children to have their own room and celebration since he doesn't want to deal with them.

Helps to clean after the dinner even if he didn't eat, stays like a cook all the party since he gets tired of other people fast, so it becomes his safe space.

Leaves a few minutes after the party is over and sleeps all Christmas day. No different if Muzan hosts it.

Nakime:

Sometimes Muzan let's her host in her castle, pretending it's a normal house, closing certain areas in "repair".

She doesn't like the celebration, but she likes hosting, to show off her giant and luxurious house with the best decorations and lights.

Dresses up for the event.

She talks to 5 people and leaves to her room for the next of the night.

No children in her castle, at all. Is you want to bring the kid, she is more willing to lose guests than to have the brats running around and dying because they couldn't follow instructions or respect her/Muzan.

She makes smalls gift to give to the guests in a sense of good faith.

Eats a lot on Christmas day as a present for herself. Sometimes Muzan let's her keep a guest for that as a gift.

Hantengu:

He would have enjoyed when he was human, now it makes him nervious.

He doesn't like the lighst and the sounds, also the preassure of having to decorate the house and make sonething with family... not for him.

Half of his clones like it, though, so he just hides away as the others try to celebrate or destroy the Holiday for everyone else.

Will steal part of the Clone's dinner and steal gifts for them, also get's sad if he doesn't get one.

Saves gifts for Zohakuten.

Doesn't attend Muzan's event, let's the clones do it for him. Muzan very much is happier without him around.

Sekido:

Christmas is infuriating!

Too much work! Why there must be a party to celebrate some Jesus birthday that already died two centuries ago? He won't even know if anyone skips it.

"Why are you wasting our time like this?! We should be doing something useful!" Only complains and doesn't do shit.

Secretly enjoys the gifts and makes sure to give something to the others, specially to Hantengu, and save something for Zohakuten.

Stays around only to show his dislike, complaining and judging others. Only keeps his mouth shut if Muzan is hosting.

Will scape Muzan's parties when the other clones are gone with the excuse of "looking for them".

Karaku:

Takes pleasure from Christmas!

He makes sure to get a house (stealing and killing the residents), put the decorations, sets some food (the corpses of the residents with some improvisation to make it look nice), and gets a lot of gifts for everyone, inclusing saving something for the kid. (Aizetsu helps a bit).

Learns all the jingle bells, traditions and makes up some activities for the night if needed. Also, fixing himself it's a must, showing and dressing up for the night.

Genuinely thinks it's more fun to make his own than hoing to Muzan's, so he sets an scape after the introverts are gone, knowing that if Muzan doesn't mind Nakime, Kokushibou and Gyutaro off, then he won't mind them too.

Sometimes goes to tease the children before leaving.

He makes sure to serve some entretainment first in this one before going to his own with the others.

Urogi:

Takes joy from Christmas!

Karaku makes the best celebrations, he likes them better than Muzan's, since they are cozy and warm.

But he likes assisting to both, since Muzan always ges some food for his moons in the "restricted rooms".

Also, he likes recieving gifts and the lights, even if sometimes he needs breaks because of the noise.

The energy is so cheerful and positive, he adores it, and every decorations is very cute for him.

Recieving gifts it's fine, Aizetsu helps him to remember to get some and save one for Zohakuten.

Sometimes goes with the kids to play with them, he adores them.

Will talk with everyone in Muzan's party until Karaku tells him that there is more food at home.

Aizetsu:

Christmas is sad...

Celebrating the birthday of a man that was born to be sacrificed and then use that said sacrifice to guilt trip the believers into the idea that their own birth is somethin that needs repentance, then then taking advantage of said celebration to force the working class into spending money and shame them when, compared to the parties made by upper classes, they have nothing showing off the difference of the preference life has in- "We got it, Aizetsu. You are sad. Please stop ruining for us!"

Helps Karaku to decorate since he feels pity that he does all that alone, even if he likes it. Sometimes he even wears the hat.

Reminds everyone to get gifts since he doesn't want anyone to be left out, including Zohakuten.

Doesn't like Muzan's party, they are fake and sad, so he just stands in a corner until Karaku gets him to go wherever they are staying that year.

Zohakuten:

Mostly curious about it, he doesn't unterstand the foreigh celebration but is willing to give it a try.

He hates Muzan's parties, those are boring, mostly boring for adults just wanting to show off wealth and looks.

He also doesn't like being with other children, he doesn't know why but he doesn't like them.

The lighst are exagerated and he can't find sense to it, he doesn't care about that Christ everyone is celebrating today, he isn't even here.

He does likes the presents and the extra food. Everyone saved something for him! Toys, drums and clothes just for him!

He only stays to judge people, then leave to see his gifts.

Gyokko:

It's a bit annoyed by the celebration, but every chance to show off is good.

He will only celebrate if there is a big party, prioritizing Muzan's invitations over anything else.

A human disguise doesn't make him justice, but he takes advantage of show his pottery and sell some pieces.

He will dress up and talk to everyone with class, taste and/or wealth. Sometimes he finds a good canvas to take home.

Hates kids on those parties, a miracle that he doesn't kill them on sight.

Doesn't have a pattern in turn of leaving, just goes home the second he got what he wanted or got bored.

Will eat something nice, a young woman with healthy diet and soft skin and tender meat, bloodied heart to celebrate at home.

Gyutaro:

Too tired for Christmas.

Just follows Daki's lead, she is the one who likes it.

ALWAYS at least 5 different gifts for his little sister. Clothes, make-up, jewelry, home decorations, and other things she might enjoy.

Evades parties, unless Muzan explicitely tells him that he must be there. Always brings Daki, most of the time staying inside her unless Muzan tells him otherwise.

Doesn't like this luxurious parties, would rather be anywhere else. Stays in silence a few feet away from Daki or anyone he might know until he is told he can leave.

Sometimes will go to tease the children, scaring then telling them they will get no gifts.

If Daki doesn't want to leave he goes back inside her.

Daki sometimes also gets him things, he takes great care of her.

Daki:

Loves Christmas.

The colours and lights are nice, the decorations are cute and Gyutaro always gets her a lot of gifts. Some frequent clients also give her presents.

She dresses up if Muzan invites her and Gyutaro to some party, she adores to go there and show off. Sometimes she will even sing for the guests.

Honestly? Sometimes she gets bored of dealing with the adults, everyone wanting to talk about business even in a party, but she won't admit it and still pretend to be an adult.

She thinks children (not admiting she is one) should be banned from this kind of parties.

She is almost everytime of the last people to leave, unless Gyutaro gets to the point of begging to go home or she has a surprise for him.

The next day she always spends it with her brother and the gifts.

Kaigaku:

He likes the sales (he can't help but lament he can't taste the food in this state), but everything else sucks.

Talking with others? Pass. The decorations? Pass. The need to pretend to like others for the night? Pass. Pretending that there is a magical old man giving gifts? Pass.

He attends Muzan's party under the order of Kokushibou and can't understand what are they doing there since they stay together in silence with the drunktards.

Some old women get close to him to talk about his looks and about their single grandaughters. They are the ones who give him a left-over piece of clothing as a gift, besides the pieces that Nakime and Muzan give to the guest.

He scapes the second Kokushibou actually feels sympathy towards him and tells him he can leave, even if sometimes the old man holds him up out of envy that Muzan doesn't specifically want Kaigaku there, so he can actually leave anytime.

Sometimes he tries to talk to Daki and Gyutaro, also Zohakuten if he is there. Urogi and Karaku naturally get close, the green eyed demons sometimes also get him something with Aizetsu out of pity.

He takes deep care of every gift he recieves, spends all Christmas day comparing the eve with his days as an orphan and human holding his new things.

#demon slayer #kny #upper moons #karaku #urogi #gyutaro #aizetsu #sekido #hantengu #daki #gyokko #zohakuten #kaigaku #nakime #akaza #douma #kokushibou #christmas

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ahundredtimesover · 2 years

Text

The Light of Dead Stars (02) | KSJ

Pairing: Seokjin x (f.) Reader; side Seokjin x (f.) OC; side Reader x Namjoon

Genre/Tags: arranged marriage, fake romance, boss/workmate aus; angst, drama, fluff, smut; slow burn

Chapter Warnings: Foul language (18+)

Chapter Word count: 9.7k

Series Masterlist | Muse Moodboard | Setting Moodboard

Status: Complete

Series summary: Your unconventional arranged marriage with your company’s President, Kim Seokjin, is necessary, practical, and simple - both your families benefit, and he minds his own business and so do you. But when a slip-up causes his parents to believe that you and he are in love, you have no choice but to pretend you are, especially with the trip to France for his brother’s wedding coming up. When you get back to Seoul, things start to change, and Seokjin is faced with the most difficult decision he has to make.

“Yes, Mr. Smith, that sounds great,” Seokjin says as he looks out the car window, seeming to notice the unusually dark sky this Monday morning. He continues to speak in what you’ve now confirmed is his business voice, low and serious and oozing with confidence. “Let me go check my schedule and see when we can meet. My secretary will let you know, thank you.”

He puts the phone down and like clockwork, calls for the man in the passenger seat.

“Yoong—”

“Yoongi, what’s my schedule like this week?” You interject in your low and supposedly confident voice, knowing it’s going to be Jin’s next sentence.

He turns to you with furrowed brows. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Oh, not at all,” you smile sweetly, trying to act innocent.

“She is, actually,” Yoongi says matter-of-factly. “She wonders why you ask that every time when you can easily check the tablet that you’re holding to see your schedule.”

“Gee, thanks for throwing me under the bus, Mr. Min,” you glare at him, but he merely sticks out the tip of his tongue to tease you while the rest of his face remains expressionless.

“So you were teasing,” Seokjin arches his eyebrow.

“It’s just funny that you ask Yoongi after every one of these morning calls when you literally could just tap once and your calendar would show up in the tablet you’re holding,” you say with a little laugh.

“Ah, it’s a habit,” your husband chuckles. “And I don’t know, something about his voice calms me down, like he’s not stressed about my schedule even if it’s pretty tight. Kinda need that one person sometimes, you know?”

You give him a comforting smile and he smiles back.

“But really, Yoongi, how’s it today?” Seokjin asks.

“You have a meeting with your father in the morning, a luncheon in Jeju, a press conference in the afternoon, and a business call with the Singapore office after,” Yoongi says without missing a beat.

“Ah, that’s quite a day you’ve got ahead,” you nudge your husband’s arm.

“And what about ___? How’s her schedule like today?” He asks his secretary.

“Mrs. Kim hasn’t given me access to her calendar yet,” the younger man replies.

The name is still something you’re getting used to, even if it’s what most people call you already, but you don’t correct Yoongi in front of Jin the way you normally would when your husband isn’t around. You don’t want him to feel like you’re the one who despises the situation.

“Why not?” He turns to you.

“Uh, why, though? Yoongi’s your secretary. He only needs to know your schedule,” you shrug, also still getting used to other people being in your business now. You’ve only been a Director for a year, yet even having an assistant who has to manage things for you is something you’re not fond of.

“There are conjugal events that Yoongi can only confirm our attendance to if he knows your schedule,” Seokjin explains. “I won’t ask you to drop what you’re doing for it, so he has to know, too. But I understand if it’s too intrusive, I won’t force it upon you, either.”

Right. You do have your wife duties, after all.

“Ah, it’s fine then,” you say, immediately giving access to the said man, who eventually states your schedule for the day.

“Product deliberations in the morning, lunch meeting with the chef for the collab project, farm visit in the afternoon,” Yoongi reads out, and you do agree - his calming voice reduces the stress somehow.

“That’s quite the day you’ve got ahead, too,” Jin turns to you. “You’re going to the farm? That’s a long trip.”

“Two hours is doable,” you shrug. “The team’s going to visit the production site and they need to submit the reports by the end of the week so I offered to go; I haven’t been there in a while, anyway.”

“Okay. Be careful, alright?”

“I will, don’t worry.”

You all exit the car and head inside the building, with you still not used to the company staff bowing to you as you walk side-by-side their President. You enter the elevator and savor the silence inside before the rest of your busy day starts. The doors open to your floor and you turn to him.

“Be careful too, okay? See you at home.”

He smiles brightly at you, something you don’t think you’ve seen much of with all the ste.

“See you at home.”

You will your tired body to get out of the car and walk to your house, and if it wasn’t so humiliating, you’d crawl. All your engagements today extended to the point that you were only able to start the trip back to Seoul at 7PM, and with the Tuesday night traffic, it’s no surprise that you’d just got home, and it’s already 11PM.

You wonder how Jin’s flight this afternoon was, and how the press conference went, and if he’d already eaten, and just as you’re about to call him, you hear a car stop and the door open.

“You just got home, too?” He asks, seemingly worried.

“Yeah. I’m exhausted. And hungry. Have you eaten?” You respond, keying in the security code of your door.

“No. I didn’t know what time I’d end so I didn’t have Mrs. Kang prepare anything. Let’s just order then,” he suggests, turning to you with a cheeky smile. “The usual?”

“The usual,” you nod, taking your phone to call for delivery.

Instead of heading to your rooms, Jin slumps himself on the kitchen bar stool while you grab his favorite red from the chiller and pour him a drink. You take your usual beer from the fridge and sit next to him.

“You think the President of my company would mind if I clock in late for work tomorrow?” You ask, gulping your drink.

“Nah, I think you’re good. Screw him if he expects you to go on time after slaving the whole day today,” he chuckles.

“Maybe he should take a bit of a rest, too. It’s been a long day,” you urge him, knowing he rarely takes breaks because it’s Jin and he has too many things going on to be afforded a break. And he likes it that way. He told you once it’s better that he has his feet in everything in the company; it helps him lead better.

“He’ll think about it,” he releases a long breath.

“Yeah, that’s code for he won’t,” you laugh. “But seriously, snoozing your alarm or at least extending it for another 30 minutes won’t hurt.”

“Yeah, that’s if I even get woken up by my alarm,” he says. “I wake up before it goes off.”

“That’s a sign of growing old, you know?”

“Shut up,” he nudges you, standing up to get the door for the delivery.

Jjajangmyeon and samgyupsal from a family restaurant not far away is your go-to at times like this. There was one time that you and Jin were up until 3AM working separately and got hungry but were too tired to cook, and this restaurant was still open and served the best noodles and pork belly that you’d had at that time of the day. They still tasted delicious the next evening, and you both knew it would be your staple when things are going tough.

You both sit on the living room floor with the TV on; you learned that Jin likes watching random sports on mute because it’s still as exciting but less stressful when there are no sounds.

You’re both eating quietly, savoring the peacefulness of a place you both try to feel like home everyday, and with the little routines you’ve both managed to have without outwardly talking about it, you feel like you’ve both succeeded. For how long this is gonna go, you’re not quite sure. But you’re enjoying it for now, and that’s really the kind of comfort you need at a time like this.

“How was your visit to your parents last weekend by the way?” He breaks the silence. “I forgot to ask. Is your dad doing better?”

It’s been a month since his surgery and 3 weeks since your parents found out about your arrangement with your husband. It’s safe to say that they’re not big fans of the whole thing - especially Seokjin, sadly - but they’ve taken to just accepting that you know what you’re doing, and that they’ll stay out of it as much as possible.

“He’s okay, and yeah, the trip was fine. The usual, really. We just talked about work, video-called with my siblings, bought groceries and medicines, nothing exciting.”

“Do they still hate me?” He asks, his voice falling.

“They don’t hate you,” you nudge his leg. “They just don’t get it.”

“A lot of people don’t.”

“Why, who else knows?” You turn to him curiously.

“My brother. And by extension, his fiance. And given my amazing social life, my secretary happens to also be my only friend so yeah, him, too. Taehyung called me dumb; Hyun-a thinks I’m making a terrible mistake, and Yoongi doesn’t smile when I mention Seri so I’m just assuming he’s not thrilled about it,” Jin chuckles to himself mockingly.

“Well, if it makes you feel better, my brother called me dumb, too. My best friends said I’m being stupid, and well, Yoongi only smiles on special occasions so he’s fine,” you respond.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better,” Jin shakes his head, but you do see the twinkle in his eyes, as if he’s trying his best to find the humor or the silver lining in all this right now.

“And Seri? Does she get it?”

“She says she does,” Jin shrugs. “That’s kind of her favorite line, actually. ‘Don’t worry, I get it.’ It used to make me feel good, you know? That she understood. But lately, I… Well, I know I haven’t been fair. To her, to you,” he trails.

“I’m the last person you should worry about, Jin,” you try to comfort him, though honestly, you weren’t expecting him to open up to you like this. “Seri’s been around for you for years. She’s the one who–”

“Is that enough, though? I mean, is that enough of a reason? Because she’s been around all this time?” He wonders out loud.

“She hasn’t given up on you, has she?” You ask. “I mean, that says a lot about what a person feels - hanging on, lingering, waiting… it’s as if there’s this certainty that they’re still gonna be there after all this time.”

You know it’s bullshit, what you’re saying, mostly because it’s what you want to believe. You’ve hung on, lingered, waited for the same person to come back for 5 years, as if that uncertainty is what makes everything so certain for you.

But Seri has been around for Jin just as long as he’s been around for her. Maybe that says something - whatever it is, there’s still meaning there.

“I used to think it was that simple,” Jin replies. “Our on-off secret thing has lasted all these years and we still can’t let the other go and months ago, I would’ve thought that it said a lot, like you said. But now I don’t know if it’s about her anymore or if it’s about me.”

“What about you? You mean, why can’t you let her go?”

“I mean, why can’t I fight for her to be more?”

There’s a brief moment of tense silence, and you try to act unsurprised by his sudden openness and honesty.

“Much as I like helping you figure things out, I’m afraid that’s one thing you have to figure out on your own,” you pat him on the shoulder. “I don’t know enough about Seri, or you, or your relationship, so I can’t really say much. But now you got me thinking, I should probably be asking myself the same thing.”

“About the guy you like?” He wonders.

You nod in response. “I still think there’s a reason why he hasn’t completely let me go, why he still holds onto his word that he’s going to come back for me. Maybe I should start wondering why I haven’t asked him to come back yet, or ever considered following him wherever he is. Why I’ve never - like you said - fought for him - for us - to be more?”

It’s quite ironic, talking about the people you love and are still holding onto with the man you’re married to. But there’s something oddly comforting about this moment, that even after a long day, you could sit at home with Jin and talk about the things that don’t make sense to you and feel like at some point in time, it will.

“Do we keep people because we want them or because we think there’s no one else to hold onto?” He wonders out loud again.

“Do we let people go because we think we’re better off without them, or they’re better off without us?” You say this time. “Or maybe because we love them?”

“That’s a good thought,” he says, sighing as he finishes his food and leans on the seat of the couch.

“It’s a sad thought,” you chuckle. “Too sad for 12:30AM on a weeknight, actually,” you turn to him.

“We should go to bed,” he stands and takes your hand to help you up. “It’s been a long day.”

“Uh-uh. I don’t know about you, though, but my boss allowed me to clock in to work late,” you smirk.

“Ah, what a kind boss you have,” he laughs. “He’s a good one, isn’t he?”

“He is. And I hope he never forgets that, too.”

Taehyung and Hyun-a’s wedding was dubbed the event of the year by the entertainment industry. She’s a well-loved actress who’s known for her serious roles on screen but off it, she’s a bubbly young woman who adores pretty things. Taehyung, aside from being the youngest of the well-known Kim family, is a model himself and loves luxury.

It’s a fact that they’re an incredibly good-looking couple, but beyond all the glitz and glamor are two people who truly love each other. You’ve seen it firsthand, as the banters and affection they display during the few family events that you’ve attended since marrying Seokjin don’t seem fabricated to you. They’re genuine, and even during your dinner and drink nights with the younger Kim, you’ve heard him endlessly talk about Hyun-a and the lovely babies they’re going to make.

It’s expected that they would have an extravagant celebration, and they will - in a grand ballroom with the view of the Seoul skyline against the Han River, with many from the entertainment and business industries attending. It’s public, too.

But before that, they’ll be having a private ceremony in France - which is where they met during a serendipitous trip - and only a handful of people are invited to the intimate but still lavish event in the Kim family’s holiday home in Montauroux.

That’s happening in a few weeks, but right now, what you’re focused on is this afternoon’s fitting that Seokjin’s mother insisted you have. She’d taken the measurements of your wedding gown and used it to have dresses made for both affairs.

It’s a Saturday and you’re heading over to a luxury boutique store to see the semi-final outfits after you’d chosen the designs not long ago.

“Hey, ready to go?” Seokjin calls out from outside your bedroom.

“Yeah, I’m coming,” you say, heading out the door and meeting him by the stairs. “I don’t know why I’m nervous.”

“They’re just dresses, ___. And you literally went through weeks of gown fitting with my mother and you were fine,” he reasons as you both exit the house then enter the car.

“Uh, I was losing my shit every time,” you admit. “You know I’m not… made for these things.”

“For what, exactly?”

“For glamor?”

You see the disappointment on his face when he asks, “since when did that matter?”

“It doesn’t, but it’s just… I’ve been accompanying you to social and business events with all these rich people, yes. But I can catch up with them,” you explain. “I work in the field. I’ve been trained to engage with those kinds of people but the people who are gonna be at this wedding? They’re celebrities, the most beautiful people in the world and I’m supposed to mingle with them? Beside you?”

“Hey, you’re not so bad,” he says, wincing when you pinch his arm. “I’m kidding! But honestly though, where is this coming from? Is someone making you feel bad about it or something?”

“No, not really. It just crossed my mind since there was an article about the guests at the wedding and I went from thinking that I’m probably gonna lose my mind from being starstruck, to wondering how I’m gonna keep up - looks-wise and others.”

“No one has to keep up with anyone, ___,” he tries to comfort. “You’re you and they’re them. There’s something that makes them stand out and there’s something that makes you stand out. It doesn’t always have to be about looks.”

“Gee, thanks for telling me I’m ugly.”

“Yah! That’s not what I meant!“ he yells, laughing now as you’ve started to repeatedly pinch him. “I’m just saying, you have nothing to worry about. You have your own charm and charisma about you - looks-wise and others,” he emphasizes. “You’re not being kind to yourself whenever you think you’re not pretty or good or glamorous enough.”

“Are you saying that your high regard for your looks is you being kind to yourself?” You tease.

Jin has never shied away from the compliments about his looks, and you don’t blame him. You have a pair of functioning eyes - he’s objectively handsome, like a classy gentleman with an angular face and perfectly placed and measured features.

You’d feel so immeasurably small and undeserving as his wife if only he isn’t as kind and assuring as he is. You still get a little overwhelmed sometimes, but you’re thankful that at least the worst that people have said about you when the news came out about your engagement is that you’re “too plain and forgettable” and that at least you’d now have money to get your face done. His family had been the one to hype you up by boasting of your academic and professional achievements and that seemed to shut people up, somehow.

“It’s part of it, yeah,” he chuckles. “But that’s also me just keeping up. This is such an embarrassing thing to admit but that was one of my concerns growing up - proving that I’m more than just my looks, that I’m actually competent and deserving of my achievements that I worked hard for.”

“Ugh, beautiful people problems. Can’t relate,” you laugh, but you can’t deny the way you soften at his confession. “Is that why you work as hard as you do? To show people that you actually do work and that you’re good at it?”

“Partly, yeah,” he nods. “But also, the company means a lot to my family. Sure, I have a role to play as the eldest son, but I like it. I love food, and the fact that I get to continue this legacy of making good food accessible to the general public, that makes me feel good; it makes me satisfied. At the end of the day, that’s what really matters to me.”

You hum, absorbing his words. You feel the same way. Your mom was raised by farmers and had such high regard for food, and she always made the best home cooked meals, no debate. And while you weren’t so privileged growing up, you were blessed to enjoy comforting food, and it’s something you’ve taken with you as you set out your career. Culinary school was too expensive, and working for the Kims, in a company that mass produces good food so that it could be available to the public, is another way you get to show your appreciation for it.

Your silence tells him that you’re thinking about what he’s said. You and Jin talk about food and work an equal amount of time, but not at this level, and he appreciates being able to relate with someone like this. It’s one of the things that caught his attention when you became Director - you had such love and appreciation for the craft, and that always earns his respect.

But he still enjoys teasing you sometimes, just because you’ve somewhat grown comfortable with each other these past months.

“But you know, if you want me to tell you you’re beautiful, just let me know. I’ll do the husband duty by doing that,” he smirks.

“You really have to ruin it, huh?” You scowl, but he doesn’t miss the small smile and satisfying sigh you make when you turn to the window and close your eyes.

You enter the chic boutique store in a fancy hotel and take in your surroundings. You don’t think you’re ever going to get used to it, though a part of you winces at the thought of having to let this all go at some point.

Seokjin’s mother greets you and introduces you to the designer, who was lovely enough to give you the cheapest price she could for the kind of dresses you would have. You insisted on paying for them, but Jin argued with you about it - perhaps the only time you ever did.

You were doing him a favor and you wouldn’t even be needing to spend if it wasn’t for his family, but you stood your ground. In the end, you agreed for him to pay for one dress - the one for the event in Seoul - while you paid for the other one, and even you were surprised it wasn’t as expensive as you thought. You suspect his mother had something to do with it but you didn’t want to question any further, afraid to cause some rift that’s unnecessary.

“Hello, darlings,” she chirps, giving you then Jin a hug. “I’ve seen the dresses and they look so stunning. You’re both going to love them,” she smirks.

You try to not think much of it. You’re not quite sure what his parents expect of you and him. Do they think you and Jin would end up falling in love and living happily ever after? Perhaps. She was arranged with Mr. Kim, too, but you wouldn’t have known - those two seem so affectionate with each other. You don’t know how much of it is for show, but you’ve seen them laugh together and sweetly look at each other and you think that’s not something that two people could easily fake.

You follow one of the staff who leads you to a changing room that’s as big as your apartment before you moved in with Jin, and you let her assist you.

It’s the magic of an expensive fabric and dazzling jewelry because you definitely didn’t look this good just moments ago.

You exit to find a sitting Seokjin, in his blue suit jacket and brown trousers, cross-legged with a cup of tea and conversing with his mother. He turns to you after his mother squeals in delight, and smiles. It’s a soft one, something you don’t see that often.

He stands as if to assess you, and with a hand on his chin, he nods. “You can definitely keep up,” he winks, and while you think it should make you flustered, somehow his compliment just made you feel warm and comforted.

“What about you? Are we going to see your suit?”

“Tae had it made in France,” Jin replies. “I tried it on when I went there for the food tasting and it looks nice - chic and summery like they wanted.”

“Hmm, looking forward to the surprise, then,” you smile.

You turn to head back to the changing room and wait to be surprised yourself. Since the gown for the celebration in Seoul was paid for by Jin, you don’t know what it looks like. All you said was that you wanted it to be simple, and that you’d just like to complement his outfit that you know is going to be breathtaking.

Your jaw almost drops to the floor. It’s simple, alright, but it’s so perfectly elegant that you couldn't have dreamed of a better gown for yourself. The champagne color is just the right shade you want, and the satin material is so soft, so luxurious, so classy. It hugs your figure just right, and the off-shoulder neckline and slit at the front show just enough skin to make you feel sexy and confident.

Seokjin sits on the couch, taking a sip from his cup of tea and browsing through the magazine. You’re taking longer this time, and he thinks you’re probably still marveling at the gown you’re wearing. His mother had shown him the design, and he just had a feeling you’re going to like it.

You’re not a flashy person. You do like to dress up at work - you’d said it adds to the respect you feel you need to keep earning as a young female director - but these types of events are particularly tricky for you. He doesn’t want you to think you have to overcompensate. Like he’d said, you have your own charm.

Sure, you’re not exactly his type looks-wise, not like Seri whose perfect mix of puppy-eyes and pale skin and feminine features captured his attention immediately; you’re a lot simpler and more natural than that. And that’s something he at least appreciates.

He hopes you cut yourself some slack, though, as he’d felt sometimes you feel more anxious than he’s used to when he takes you to events, something you’d voiced out earlier. He wishes he got to say more and made you feel more at ease, at least, and he tells himself he’s going to do that next time.

But as you walk down the hallway with an excited smile on your face, he’s just as satisfied as you are.

“Okay, I can definitely keep up,” you chirp, twirling around for him and giggling as you almost lose your balance in the heels you were asked to wear.

“Yeah, you definitely can.”

You slice the ravioli in half and munch on a piece, your eyes furrowed, hoping that you finally get the pasta right. You huff and aggressively eat the remaining half, scowling as you do.

“Aish, how do I get this right?” You wail to no one.

“You know that’s not your job anymore, right?” Seokjin’s voice echoes in the kitchen, your pouty face making him laugh. “You didn’t get promoted for you to still be doing product developer tasks,” he reminds you. “Get your people to do this. You’re sacrificing your weekends to perfect this recipe.”

“Says the man who does just that,” you arch an eyebrow. “You were literally mixing around with the packet broth recipe that your people should be doing. And that was just last week.”

“I was making us dinner,” he defends.

“You made 4 batches of the broth, Jin; 5 if I hadn’t stepped in and complained that I was starving.”

“Fine, you caught me,” he says, taking your fork and eating the other piece of ravioli, muttering that it’s good. “Your point is?”

“My point is that I have as much right to do this as you do. Also, it’s good but the pasta’s too thick.”

“Wasn’t this a project from last year? I thought one of your teams was working on it already,” he asks, opening cupboards and drawers and taking out ingredients and a pan.

“They were; research had begun but the other team working on the samgak kimbap were down some people and the ravioli team had to help, so this took a backseat. It picked up again but there are still issues with the ingredients and pricing so I decided to help, otherwise we’d be behind schedule.”

You watch Jin heat up the pan, take the remaining white kimchi from the jar, put it in a bowl, and cut it into smaller pieces. He slices bacon, canned spam, and sausages and boils some eggs.

“So the filling is okay, it’s just the pasta you need to figure out?” he asks, as he starts to fry the meat; the sizzling sound is music to your ears.

You hum, getting lost in how he works, as he now adds the white kimchi - with some chili paste and flakes - then the rice, mixing everything until they’re ready to go. He puts it in a serving plate then adds soft boiled eggs on top with some garnish.

When he’s stressed or wants to take his mind off things, he cooks. It’s one of the first things you learned about him after you got married.

You grew up in a humble home and watched your mother make stews from the vegetables in the garden - humble cooking for a family like yours. But you know Jin grew up traveling the world, being exposed to various cuisines and shopping for expensive ingredients like it’s a normal thing.

You’ve seen him make pasta from scratch, cook steak to perfection, and whip up interesting and complicated dishes, and it always astounds you. He works in the kitchen with so much grace and confidence, and he’d mentioned once that if he wasn’t the eldest who’s expected to run the company, he would’ve made a career as a chef or a food critic.

But of all the times that he’s made meals out of the fanciest ingredients, some of which you’ve never heard of before, it’s when he’s making food like this that you’re most impressed. Somehow it tells you that at the end of the day, this is still his comfort food, and this is his way of comforting and encouraging you. You’ve mentioned quite a few times that aside from pancakes, all-meat kimchi fried rice is something you also like to gorge on when you’re stressed.

He passes you bowls and spoons and motions for the living room. “Turn on any food channel, let’s have dinner.”

You follow, and soon after, he’s plopping down next to you on the floor with the plate and 2 bottles of beer.

And that’s how you spend the rest of the evening - watching culinary shows, from cooking contests to documentaries, and munching on chips and ice cream after your meal.

“I just watch when I’m stuck,” he says, after all the oohs and ahhs due to the delicious food on your screen and to the new things you learn. “For inspiration, yes, but mostly to remind myself that the perfect recipe is out there, and I’m going to find it.”

You softly smile at the thought.

It’s odd, being married to the President of your company and not being romantically involved with him. It’s almost like a learning experience, and if that’s something else you could take from this arrangement other than your family being safe, then you’d take it and make this decision over and over again.

“Hmm, there’s still a bunch of things in the pipeline. You want us to cater to the North and South American and European markets,” you remind him. “I’m gonna need more hours of inspiration and reminders that the perfect recipe is out there.”

“Good thing we live together, then,” he chuckles. “We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Watching food shows becomes a staple of your next 2 weeks. You’d usually spend your evenings after shared dinner on your own - you speak with your family, work on your finances, and do what little social engagement online that you can sneak in, while Jin does whatever he does in his room on the other side of the hallway.

But after that night when you started watching your cooking shows over whatever meal he’s cooked up or you bought on your way home, it’s become your only form of bonding.

You’ve been visiting your plantations and production sites out of town, so you’ve been leaving the house earlier than him. He’s busy, as usual, going wherever he needs to go and attending whatever he needs to attend, but whoever one of you gets home first, there’s always a dish ready and an empty seat on the living room floor for the one who arrives later.

It was after the fourth night that you got your inspiration and shared it with the team after, but the TV nights kept going, even if some of them had Jin falling asleep and you, having to wake him up to go to bed.

But you figure that he’s the one who’s stressed this time, given the upcoming presentation that he has to deliver for a leadership conference for young entrepreneurs. So you indulge him, letting him choose the show and answering his random questions as he hypes himself up for the big day.

It’s a Sunday afternoon and he’d just arrived from the tailor while you just woke up from a nap after an early morning flight from Singapore.

Your phone rings and you stare at it for a few seconds, too tired to pick it up, when you see Jin’s name on the screen.

“Hey, are you awake now?”

“Uh, yeah, thanks to you,” you huff. “How did you know I was asleep?”

“I was knocking on your door and calling your name but you weren’t responding.”

“Ah, yeah. The guy next to me in the plane was snoring so loud, I didn’t get to sleep.”

“I told you to take First Class, you never listen,” he groans.

“I don’t use my President’s wife perks for work, okay?” You remind him. “Business class was fine. The dude was just enjoying his sleep too much. Anyway, you okay? What’s up?”

“I need your help. Can you come to my room?”

“Be there in a sec,” you say, stretching a bit before walking across the hall.

You’re still in your clothes from this morning, not minding much. You call his name when you’re near the door so you don’t see something you’re not supposed to, and he tells you that you can enter.

“I got these 2 suits today and I’m not sure which one to wear for my presentation on Wednesday,” he says, lifting both up.

He puts each set against his body so you could get a better assessment, although objectively, either one would look good on him, something you voice out.

“But I cut my hair and lightened it a bit. That has a bearing. My suit needs to match my hairstyle so I look young.”

“Jin, you’re 35. You are young; you look even younger than your age,” you respond.

“I’m at least 10 years older than the people I’m going to be presenting to,” he says. “I need to look relatable.”

“Jin, you’re a fucking billionaire. You’re not gonna be any more relatable to those youngins regardless of which suit you decide to wear,” you chuckle, but you see the stress on his face and you give in. “Fine, go try them on and I’ll see.”

“Alright, go sit on the couch and I’ll change.”

You do as he’s asked, and it’s really the first time that you spend more than a few seconds in his room. It’s cleaner than you imagined, but it definitely has more photos than you expected.

You eye his shelf and see the sporty side of your husband. There’s a tennis trophy, the label a little faded so you assume he was probably in high school. There’s a photo of him snowboarding, another one golfing, and then on a horse. There’s even one with what you can tell is a yellowfin tuna. Ah, rich people hobbies, you chuckle to yourself.

But there are more photos - with his brother, his sister, his parents; not many with his friends, though, at least in his later years. You can only imagine what he had to give up just to be where he is now.

He exits his walk-in closet wearing a dark blue triple-breasted suit over a white polo and you admit that he looks pretty good in it. You let him turn and walk around and he follows, thinking you haven’t seen enough when you really just wanted to mess with him.

“Now do a 90-degree bow, please,” you laugh, but he throws you a sock and walks back to change while you yell in disgust.

He walks out in a charcoal suit, and he looks every bit of the President that he is. He just walks closer to you and turns around this time, and even you feel a bit intimidated.

“You look too professional and too rich,” you hum. “I like the blue one better, it’ll appeal to the young ones a bit more. Makes you look approachable, too. Can you change into that again and put on a beige or brown trench coat? It might be cold there.”

“Okay,” he says, following your suggestion and coming out with a beige coat.

“Can you remove your contacts and wear your glasses, too?”

“Why?”

“Just going for a certain vibe,” you shrug, and he does as you ask.

Well, you initially thought that his face might be too distracting because of how beautiful it is, but now you think having his glasses on makes him a little too good-looking, but you don’t say that, so you just nod and give him a thumbs up.

“Looks like you’ve found your outfit,” you say.

“Thanks,” he chirps, removing his suit, and you scold him for being too careless so you help him in hanging them properly. “Seri usually helps me with these things.”

“Why didn’t you ask her, then?” You ask, with no bitterness in your voice.

You assumed the same; you even half expected her to be here, given that you’d informed Jin also just this morning that you were going to be home early.

“I’ve just been busier than usual, haven’t had the time to speak with her,” he shrugs, going back to his closet to change.

“Is that normal?” You wonder out loud. “I mean, she’s your girlfriend, right?”

“Uh, yeah. But it’s not a normal relationship, or conventional for that matter.”

“It’s because of me, right?” You pout, something he catches.

“What? No!” He assures you, sitting next to you on the couch. “It’s always been like this, I think I told you that some time ago. It’s kinda just easier to say she’s my girlfriend and leave it at that but when it’s a secret, when I do what I do and don’t have as much time as I want for anything else other than work, that’s what happens,” he explains. “We see each other when I can, we text or call when I can’t. It just always worked like that.”

“You sure?”

“Now I’m the one who gets to tell you that yes, I’m sure; we’ve talked about this,” he adds, saying the line you always tell him. “And like I said, she gets it. I’ll try to see her this week.”

“Yeah, you should. We’re flying to France soon. That’s still 2 weeks without seeing her,” you remind him.

“That’s another thing to stress about,” he huffs, leaning his head against the wall and briefly closing his eyes. “I can’t believe that my dad and grandfather let us take that trip for 2 weeks, but I also can’t believe he let us take that trip for 2 weeks.”

“It’s your grandfather’s birthday a few days before the wedding,” you say. “I mean, isn’t that why Tae and Hyun-a scheduled it then? So it would align with your grandfather’s 85th? Which is great, really. Your entire family would already be there.”

“Yeah, it’s the first time that my sister’s kids are seeing the family home,” he smiles. “That would be fun. And you, too!”

“Well, it’s not like I’m actually part of the family,” you chuckle, looking at the floor and missing the way Seokjin’s face falls a little at the thought. “But it should be nice. I’m probably gonna be a nervous wreck because I haven’t seen your grandparents since the wedding.”

“What about it?”

“I don’t know, they might be expecting something?”

“They don’t really ask me much, actually. Or I kinda just dodge it when they’re heading there,” he laughs. “They just know we get along, and that seems to be enough for them.”

“Ah, well, it shouldn’t be much trouble, I would assume? It’s France, in a lovely house–”

“Chateau, actually,” he corrects, and he laughs at your widened eyes. “Restored, but yeah, it’s beautiful.”

“Okay, then, chateau,” you try to say it elegantly. “It should be fun, and stress-free… right?”

You turn to him for assurance. The hecticness of your last few weeks has blinded you to the reality of the wedding and all the possible things that could go wrong, which, if you think now, could be a lot.

Jin might miss Seri too much, he might slip, and you could both be in hot water. Or you both could act so comfortably, the way you both do anyway, and his family might think that something is indeed happening, and you wouldn’t know what to say, or at least how to say that you’re more platonic housemates than anything, and there’s really no chance of love or even attraction, given that he has a girlfriend and well, you’re not exactly keen on finding love, since the one you want is somewhere else in the world who may or may not want you, too.

But what keeps you hopeful and positive is that it’s Jin. Really, if there’s any rich and handsome man that you were to end up in this unconventional arranged marriage with, you’re glad it’s him. He makes you laugh, he annoys you sometimes, but more than anything, he makes you feel like yourself.

Seokjin sits on the couch of the holding room, legs and arms crossed and eyes closed as he waits for the start of his presentation which is in half an hour.

Donning the blue suit you’d chosen the other day, he takes in the quiet of the space, letting his mind work and relax at the same time. He’s glad you’d insisted that he bring his coat; it’s cold, like you said, and no amount of hot tea can make him warm up. He’s a little nervous, if he’s being honest; he’s human like that.

There’s a soft knock on the door and he instructs the person to come in, his eyes still closed.

“Are you… meditating?”

“___, it’s you,” he says, opening his eyes in surprise, having not heard the door open. “I thought it was Yoongi. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

More like, he didn’t think you would be. He’d voiced out his nervousness, too shy to ask you to come since he knows you’re also busy and well, you’re not exactly required to attend, even as his “wife.”

“Ah, well, I saw your father at the office and he seemed a little disappointed I'm not with you,” you narrate. “I didn’t want to seem like a neglectful partner so I came.”

He hums, not thinking much of your reason for showing up.

“I felt like you’re gonna do well, anyway,” you add, “so I didn’t think you’d need the luck of my presence. But I don’t mind, actually. I’ve seen you deliver presentations so many times and I know I’m gonna learn a thing or 2 from you today,” you say, earning you a faint smile.

You take your seat next to him and nudge his knee. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just a little nervous,” he shrugs.

“Really?” You sound surprised. “You’re gonna do great, Jin. We’ve been practicing all week.”

You’re right, you both have. You’ve spent almost every night listening to him vocalize his presentation because that helps his flow. He wants it to sound natural but still practiced; you almost memorize it yourself.

“I have to speak as the President now, and to young people; that holds a lot of responsibility,” he says.

He hasn’t been President long, and he’s been delivering speeches in the past months, but a presentation in front of those who may look up to him as a role model - some have noted that he is - adds so much pressure. And because of that, he’s anxious and he’s glad you’re here before he takes the stage.

“Well, you already look the part. And I know you’re gonna smash it. If all else fails, just give them that brooding look of yours and they’ll just get hypnotized or something,” you comfort.

He laughs at your idea of a last resort and finally smiles.

“Anyway, I’ll only be here for your presentation. I have to head out right away since we have that directors’ meeting,” you say, standing up and he follows.

“Sure, no worries,” he says, removing his trench coat, wrinkling his suit a little because of it.

“Yah, careful.”

You mindlessly fix his collar, your fingers tracing down to fix the hem, too. With your eyes focused on what you’re doing, you don’t notice that his are focused on you, surprised at how you’d acted reflexively and being as close as you are.

You look up and meet his gaze, a millisecond of you getting hypnotized before you snap out of it.

“Sorry,” you chuckle. “You need to look perfect, and well, you do. I’ll see you after, alright?”

He doesn’t get a word in, as you’re turning around right away and heading out the door, questioning yourself why you’d done the wife thing and fixed his suit when you’d usually make him fix it himself. Perhaps the comfort of the last weeks have made it too easy, moving closer like that.

You sigh. It was a momentary slip up, and you wish he hadn’t felt awkward or even creeped out. You decide to act like it didn’t happen and head to your seat in the audience.

Back in the holding room, Seokjin is the one trying to snap out of it. Apart from your wedding where you’d held hands and kissed - for about a millisecond, he recalls - and during social events where he’d have his hand lightly on your back, you two don’t really get close in any way when you’re alone.

Neither of you initiates, and even if what you’d done was a mere tap on his chest, the proximity caught him off guard. And for the briefest moment, he hadn’t minded it at all.

Seokjin does his presentation with ease, exactly how he’d envisioned doing it. He had visual aids to show data and engaged with the audience - asking questions, looking them in the eyes when they responded, and even making jokes.

He’d impressed them, as he hoped, and many times, he found himself glancing at you, who looked just as engaged and impressed as well. You were even trying to discreetly take photos with your phone and he almost laughed at how much of a stage wife you were being.

After he said his ending line - “don’t try to be the next Kim Seokjin, be the next you” - you gave him a thumbs up sign - after rolling your eyes and chuckling, of course - and he knew he did well.

You met him at the conference hall entrance before you left, and he’d made his way back to the holding room to make a few work calls before he went back for a panel session.

He’s on the couch, having just responded to an email, when his phone rings, Seri’s name flashing on the screen. Caught off guard - since it feels so long since he’s spoken to her - he picks up after the third ring.

“Hey,” he says, standing up. “How are you?”

“I’m okay,” she replies cheerily. “Am I seeing you at the directors’ meeting later? Your brother will be attending and I was assigned to assist him.”

“I’m in Incheon for a presentation, actually,” Seokjin responds, realizing he’d forgotten to tell her about today. “I asked Taehyung to preside over that meeting since I won’t be there.”

He’s standing by the window now, looking out into the busy street, wondering how she’s doing, and wondering how he’d lost track of the days.

“Oh, that’s why,” she hums after a beat of silence but still sounding jovial. “I can imagine how busy you are. Am I gonna see you soon, though? I mean, I know I saw you this morning but it feels like I haven’t seen your face in so long.”

“I know. It was nice to see you, though,” he responds sincerely.

They’d passed by each other when he entered the building and were in the same elevator. But so was his father and Seokjin couldn’t really say anything, especially as the elder Mr. Kim was talking about the trip to France and how his parents couldn’t wait to welcome you to their holiday home.

“But yeah, I’ll find time. Maybe a nice dinner? We can get whatever you want,” he grins.

“Yes, that would be nice!” She chirps. “Even just to see you, really. I, uh, I miss you, Seokjin.”

It’s the sound of his name that gets to him. It’s how he knows she’s serious; it’s how he knows that’s all she wants.

“I miss you, too. I’ll see you, okay?”

“Okay. You should go now, I don’t want to take up your time.”

“Alright, bye.”

He hangs up and takes a deep breath, suddenly feeling bad, perhaps missing time with her because he’s been spending more time with you. Or is he?

But before he could doubt himself even more, he hears someone hum, and turning around, his heart drops to the ground.

“I didn’t think that you and ___ would fall for each other so soon, darling,” his mother chirps. “Of course, we hoped for it, but now it’s real.”

“Mother, uh, what are you doing here? And uh, how long have you been standing there?” He stutters. Damn that door and how quiet it is.

“Long enough to learn that you and your wife can’t get enough of each other, hmm? I just met her at the entrance after she’d watched your presentation,” She smiles, walking over to fix his collar and the wrinkles on his suit. “Get her that dinner, or better yet, make her dinner. That’s how I knew your father cared about me,” she winks. “And oh, I was at a nearby hotel for a meeting and he reminded me about your presentation today. I caught the second half of it.”

“Right, uh, thanks,” he feigns a smile, loosening his tie now as he feels like he’s suffocating.

“But it’s great to know that you two have become fond of each other,” she says dreamily. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to be because you didn’t seem interested in relationships after you hit 30 and now I’m just glad that you’ve come to like ___, like this marriage really could work out between you two.”

“Yeah, I mean, she’s great and easy to get along with.”

He knows he’s just dug himself a deeper hole, but it’s during these moments when Seokjin is convinced that he is, indeed, stupid. He wishes he had more common sense and could think quicker instead of freezing and letting his mother believe that what you both have has now become real.

“She is. I’ve become fond of her, too.” She fondly tucks his hair behind his ear. “I’m happy for you, Son. You deserve someone who cares about you, and someone you care about, too.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Okay, then. Well, I just wanted to drop by and tell you I’m proud of you,” she smiles again. “And just a bit of advice? Don’t say you’ll find time; you make time, okay honey?”

“Got it, I’ll keep that in mind,” he nods.

One of the event organizers peeps in and calls for Seokjin, as the panel discussion is about to start. He says he’ll be back out, sending you a text first to meet him in his office so you could go home together.

“Fuck,” he mumbles. “What are you gonna do now, Seokjin? You’re about to mess everything up.”

You walk towards Jin’s office as he’d asked you to do earlier in the afternoon, a spring in your step as the directors’ meeting that you thought was going to be a tough one turned out to be better than expected.

Taehyung presided over it and was a lot more jovial, a stark contrast to his older brother, your husband. You got things done, at least, agreeing on certain policies and immediate action points, with a few laughs in between. It’s how Taehyung’s always been, anyway.

“You’re deep in thought,” you hum, as you open the door. You’ve reached that level of no more needing to have Yoongi let you enter; you just knock and are allowed to go in as you please. “That chair could burn with how badly you’re staring at it.”

You look like you’re in a good mood, and he hates that he has to ruin it.

“We’re kind of in trouble, and it’s all my fault,” he looks at you apologetically. “I’m sorry, ___.”

“Hey, what are you saying?” you ask worriedly, walking towards him and nudging him to look at you. “Talk to me.”

So he tells you everything - the phone call, his mother overhearing, and then the text she’d just sent that your parents have booked you a few nights’ stay at a resort in Saint-Tropez during your trip to France as their honeymoon gift, among others.

“That’s uh, a lot to process,” you huff, feeling the spacious room suddenly get hot. “How are we— I mean, uh, I’d tell you to say you weren’t talking to me because we’re not romantically involved but like, who would you say you were talking to?”

“Exactly, it was too sweet to be a friend and I don’t even have friends,” he sighs. “I’m so stupid. I should’ve been more careful about taking her calls when I’m not at home or here in my office. And that fucking door, I swear it was—”

“Hey, just think… at least you didn’t say her name,” you comfort. “This is all terrible but I mean, it’s not the worst.”

You look at each other, mirroring each other’s pouts, and if it wasn’t a stressful moment, you’d laugh at each other’s faces.

“It’s just—”

“Hyung!” Taehyung’s voice echoes in the room, momentarily breaking the slight tension between you and Jin.

“Yah! What did I say about knocking?” Jin scowls.

“I did,” his brother argues.

“You didn’t,” Jin counters.

“Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t,” he smiles sweetly, one you’ve come to know as his boxy grin that’s all types of charming and screams I can get away with anything, and he does. “I was gonna ask for your advice on the bar food for the after party of the celebration here. But you two look like your world’s ending so my question can wait.”

Taehyung stands in between you and Jin, his eyes shifting between you and his brother. “Is this your first couple fight? How can I help?”

“No,” Jin growls, and you’ve never really seen him this frustrated.

But he narrates the story to his brother, the way he did with you, not missing or changing any detail. A short beat of silence follows, until Taehyung speaks out.

“Uh, just pretend to actually be in a loving marriage, then,” he says so casually, like it’s the most normal and obvious thing in the world. “I mean, you at least like each other as people, so no need to pretend about that. Just, up the romance thing, alright? And the sexual, too,” he winks.

“Tae, you know I have a girlfriend,”Jin says too fast yet somehow, too unsure.

“Whom you decided to still keep even when you agreed to this marriage,” the younger man points out. “And you may both act like he didn’t have a choice but he always does, and he chose you,” he turns to you. “But he also chose her.”

You feel like this isn’t the kind of conversation you should be present for, but Jin’s dejected face makes you want to comfort him. It’s your fault, too, somehow. You enabled him, in a way, by letting him stay with Seri. This is the only time you ever doubted your decision, always thinking that you were doing the right and sound thing.

“Look, I hate to be the selfish one, but I’m getting married in a few weeks,” Taehyung continues at your silence. “Sorry to be insensitive but Hyun-a is the woman of my dreams, and I would love for our wedding to be a happy event, with the most important people to us present, celebrating with us. Whether you both come out with the truth or cover it up, it’s up to you, but I hope you choose the one that doesn’t impact my wedding negatively. I… I would really appreciate that.”

He’s right, and though you don’t feel like you’re in the position to say something, you shoot him a smile, knowing that for someone as in love as he is, you know he’d want his wedding to be perfect. There’s no place for any of your and Jin’s drama on this trip.

“I don’t want Seri to feel—”

“I’ll talk to her,” Seokjin cuts you. “I’ll try to make her understand.”

He looks at you apologetically, but you look at him with assurance. You know more than anything that he wants his brother’s special day to be as beautiful as it could be.

“So, uh, that’s the plan, right?” Taehyung looks at you then at his brother again. “Pretend to be in a relationship with your spouse?”

It sounds silly, silly enough for you and Jin to laugh and shake your heads at the same time.

“I guess it is,” he breaks the silence.”

“It is,” you say. “But hey, at least we’ll be in France.”

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#seokjin fic #seokjin angst #seokjin fluff #seokjin smut #seokjin x reader #seokjin x you #seokjin series #arranged marriage au #boss au #the light of dead stars

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50shadesofrossi · 2 years

Text

Insanity and Devotion

Young Johnny Lawrence x F!Reader

Part One

Summary: The usual family night at the Country Club turns into something else when you meet a blonde haired Johnny Lawrence

Warnings: Swearing

Author’s Note: Just an fyi, I haven’t written anything in quite a while and I’m trying to get back into it with a short little Johnny Lawrence Fic

Saturday night-your least favourite night of the week. No matter how much you beg and plead, your father still makes you attend the Country Club with your family; forcing smiles and fake laughs until the clock strikes nine and you can bolt out the back door. Suppose, it's your father's way of keeping your family tight, knowing once your brother and yourself are older, you'll branch out and see each other less and less.

You can't fault him, but there are plenty of other activities you could be doing with your gang of friends instead. Three of your friends are also dragged to the event by their parents, making the situation not completely terrible, but it would be better to not be separated by social groups.

Your parents mingle in their cliches, your father with his business partners and your mother with the older, snobbish women. You sneer at the judgmental glares they send your way throughout the night, no doubt your mother expressing how unladylike you've gotten in the past year.

Sure, you used to dress nicely and smile at the handsome boys who stood alongside their parents during introductions and ate food with a delicacy your mother forced you to master and you always kept quiet unless spoken to, but since becoming friends with boys, well, let's say all sixteen years of brainwashing went down the drain.

Goodbye, cute dresses, cute hairstyles and pretty makeup. Hello, jeans and shirt, natural hair and the occasional lipstick. You no longer care about dolling yourself up for others, when you're a natural beauty who needs no 'assistance'. The little heels were replaced with doc martens and on the odd day, heeled boots.

You got piercings and revealed your bad bitch attitude.

Though sometimes, that bad bitch attitude gets you in trouble.

"Damn Baby, I didn't think you and adorable would ever be in the same sentence." Your friend chuckles, gesturing to the cardigan and short-sleeved shirt your mother insisted you wear, tucked into your skirt. You flip him off, walking down the small set of stairs to pinch the joint from between his fingers.

Ever since you could remember, you've been called Baby, your real name saved for the moments when you're in dire trouble. Sometimes your father will throw in your middle name for added exaggeration.

"Ha ha, real funny." You scowl, pressing the joint to your lips and leaning against the building.

The back door suddenly opens and the three of your friends scurry down to join you, having also escaped from their parent's sights. "I don't know about you Baby, but my parents are trying to set me up!"

You exhale, the puff of cloud floating into the atmosphere. "You're almost eighteen Debby, what do you expect?" You hand her the much-needed bud. "I assume I'll be in the same boat in two years."

"Pfft, please," Brett laughs. "As if anyone could handle you."

You all laugh, knowing it's true. Your parents have a hard enough time as it is, your father is a little easier but hard nonetheless.

"The only person capable of controlling Baby, is someone just as insane."

You roll your eyes, passing up the offer of alcohol that Steve managed to swipe on his way out. Normally you are all for it, but you know your father will be pissed if he smells weed and alcohol. He's pretty flexible with your rebellious phase, allowing you to stay out until eleven-thirty, shaking his head at the new piercings or scandalous outfits and occasionally allowing you to skip school.

He likes to remind your mother of the man he was when she met him; the exact same way you are now. He remembers wanting to try and figure himself out, changing up the new styles and having fun with his friends up until senior year when he put his head down and graduated with the third-highest grade in his school.

Realistically, you have a year and a bit of having fun and being carefree, and then you need to knuckle down and do the best you can. You haven't the slightest idea of what you want to do after high school, though you are leaning towards something to do with art.

From the moment you could hold a pencil, you've been drawing, creating images and scenes from your little mind and quite literally putting it on paper. As you've grown, so has your talent, and you're favourite style.

At least you know you'll never fail your art major in two years.

"What do you think, Baby?"

You blink, turning to face your friend Miranda. "What do I think...?"

"I told you she wasn't listening." Deborah laughs, extending the joint back to you. "We're thinking of crashing the Mayfield party afterwards, wanna join? We might run into Gemma."

At this, you perk up, your jaw clenching. Gemma; bitch number one. You used to be best friends, almost sisters from your first meeting in kindergarten, but after you walked into your little brother's bedroom during a party you hosted only a couple of months back, you've been waiting for the right time to pummel her. Your younger brother-by almost a year-was so smashed that he required assistance to make it to his room, and when you managed to get up there to check on him, you found Gemma undressing him.

She tried to take advantage of your drunk brother, and you lost it.

Few people know the true story, recreating rumours from the little scenes witnessed that night. Only you and your friends know the real story; Gemma and your brother included.

"For her sake, I'd hope not." You grit, your mood severely dampened.

"I'm surprised you haven't beat her yet, the Baby I know doesn't have enough control for that," Brett murmurs, remembering the night.

You purse your lips, glaring at the concrete below. "Master Phil told me to wait until the tournament when I can unleash and still beat her; again." At a young age, you began learning Taekwondo, working your way up to a second dan black belt. Every known and again you compete in tournaments, entering the Weapons and Poomsae sections. You try to avoid Sparring at all costs, knowing how ruthless you become.

You originally joined alongside Gemma, an incident at school encouraging your fathers to sign you up. Not long after, you moved to a different dojo, not liking the Master's style and flourishing with Master Phil. At least it allows you to have some friendly competition, which has now changed to a serious rivalry.

You intend on signing up for Sparring.

Before anyone can say anything else, the back door slams against the building, the noise startling you. The bright light casting down on your little area blinds you, blinking furiously to adjust and try to recognise the figure standing at the threshold.

"Steven Phillips! How many times do I have to catch you before you learn your lesson!"

Shit, you scramble to move away, instantly knowing who that angry voice belongs to; the manager. Most nights you attend, your group is caught stealing food or alcohol, creating your reputation amongst the staff.

You stifle a laugh as Brett hauls ass into the darkness, knowing his parents would crack down on him for being caught at the Country Club again. The four of you sprint for the patio along the side, dodging people and ducking around objects to slide through the glass doors and into the crowded room.

You lose sight of your friends, your adrenaline pumping and your ears burning at the frantic movement and rush of getting away. Something tells you that your father will be less than pleased if you get into trouble again.

Weaving your way through the scattered people, you swivel your head to try to catch sight of the manager, releasing a sharp breath when you see him following Steve up the stairs. With your attention fixated in front of you, you don't sense the person behind you, until you collide with them.

Hands reach out to steady you, your own grasping anything to keep the both of you upright. "I'm so sorry!" You blurt, your eyes wide in shock.

"Hey! You should watch where you're going," they cut off, their eyes finding yours.

You pause, taking in his azure blue eyes that fixate on you. They're the first thing you notice, the bright colour capturing your attention. You could probably spot them from a mile away. For a heartbeat you stare at them, the pools of colour swirling the longer you go before you blink and really notice the guy.

His sandy blonde hair covering his forehead yet swept slightly to the right, freckles painting his cheeks and nose. His dark coloured suit complimenting his skin tone, and hinting at the fact that he's from money. You've never seen this boy before, making it a tad bit awkward for the blatant staring and for bumping into him.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." You cringe at the slightly higher octave in your voice, hoping he doesn't notice.

"No it's alright," he smiles, his hands still gripping your forearms gently yet firmly. "You seemed like you were in a hurry,"

You falter at the sight of his smile, the corner of his mouth twisted up. "I was-I am." You correct yourself, breaking eye contact to find the manager descending the stairs. You don't know if they've spotted you, nor do you want to find out. "Again, I apologise for the disruption."

Almost reluctantly, you pull away from his grasp, turning to continue your way through the bodies and effectively out of sight. You don't feel the gaze following you until you slip around a corner. You also don't feel the heat in your cheeks from your encounter, too focused on finding your family and blending in for the rest of the evening.

You approach your table, your father standing at the sight of you. "Baby, where have you-really?" He scolds, smelling the weed.

Your face flushes at the realisation, tucking your bottom lip between your teeth. Did you seriously just have that entire encounter with the handsome boy, whilst smelling of pot? Your father raises a brow at your stupidity to cover your tracks, gripping your shoulder. "Go to the ladies' room and freshen up, before your mother sees you."

You nod, ignoring your snickering brother from the table. How could you be so stupid, the number one rule is to douse yourself in perfume afterwards and you couldn't even do that. And, you were in close proximity to a boy, smelling like you do.

Amateur.

"Sorry, daddy," you mumble.

"Go," he urges, gesturing for the bathroom before turning to return to his conversation.

Your brother stifles his laugh, quickly jumping out of his chair to escort you to the bathroom, his arm wrapping around your shoulders. "Did you at least save any for me?"

"No, Brett took it."

"Aw man, why don't I ever get any?" He whines.

You roll your eyes, shrugging his arm off and placing your hand on the door of the bathroom. "Because they're my friends, and not yours." He pouts. "If you cover for me later, I'll bring some home."

Classic sibling bribery, the only way the two of you get along. Once your brother was old enough, you began 'training' him on it, using it for almost everything. Of course, you're a little better at digging up the dirt on him, as any older sibling is.

"You better," he points, narrowing his eyes and slowly backing away for added effect. You chuckle at his antics, finally pushing the door open and entering the bathroom.

The light reflecting off the white tiles blasts into your eyesight, causing you to blink erratically as you make your way to the sink. Most of the women here attend daily, all know each other and thus leaving products for everyone to use, should anything arise. Thankfully, it gives you the perfect opportunity to dose yourself in perfume, wrinkling your nose at the pungent smell.

Behind you, a small group of girls your age rush in, occupying a small selection of sinks and two of them jumping up onto the counter, all the whole animatedly chatting. You nibble on the corner of your lip at the conversation, pretending to check yourself over.

"Have you seen Johnny tonight? He looks absolutely dashing." One of them giggles, reapplying her lipstick.

For a moment you swallow the heaviness in your throat, opting to tune out the dreamy sighs as they relive their encounter with said Johnny. As much as you love your friends and the way you all are, sometimes you wonder what it'd be like if you were different; you don't talk about crushes or prom or anything like that. It's normally about parties, something stupid the boys did and getting high.

Sometimes you wish you were close with them, much like the girls next to you clearly are with each other-encouraging the first girl about the boy and reminding her to play hard to get, presenting herself to be uninterested but pursuable.

Ugh, what am I thinking? I couldn't imagine anything worse.

Turning to exit the bathroom, you make haste in retreating back to your table, sitting across from your brother. Your parents have learnt to separate you both since the last altercation you created.

You lean back in your chair, huffing at the way your mother acts with her friends, hand movements, fake laugh and her voice raised a little high. On the other side of the table, your brother sits straighter, mocking your mother's movements and mouthing a conversation.

You chuckle, amusement dancing over your features at his antics, your mother completely unaware.

"Ah Sid, it's good to see you," your father voices beside the table, shaking hands with the wealthy man.

Your brother abruptly stops, his cheeky grin giving himself up as your father turns to introduce the man to your family. You glance sideways to inspect the man when you come face to face with the boy from earlier; the one with the azure eyes you stumbled into.

"Oh fuck," you mutter, averting your attention to your empty glass in front of you.

Your father calls your name, gesturing to the both of you and your brother, Sid shaking his hand. You smile politely, wanting nothing more than to remove yourself from the awkward situation, even more so as Sid reveals the boy's name.

"This is my wife Laura, and her son Johnny,"

You reluctantly glance up, meeting Johnny's gaze. He smiles almost hesitantly, like he isn't sure what else to do besides hold your attention. You think back to the girls in the bathroom, blurting, "so you must be Johnny."

His eyebrows raise in surprise. "You've heard of me?"

"Only in passing." You smirk, already sniffing out his inflated ego.

He nods slightly, a little confused though interested in seeing where this could go. "Yeah? Where?"

The adults take a seat, claiming dinner is soon to be served and your father has much to discuss with Sid, Johnny situating himself beside you. "The bathroom, this group of girls couldn't stop fawning over your, what'd she say? Dashing features."

Johnny perks up at the comment, his neck heating up. "And who is this girl? I must meet her."

"Oh, that one over there with the blonde hair." You lean close, pointing to the girl over his shoulder.

"Ali?!" He says her name a little loud next to your ear, causing you to wince.

You tilt your head, smirking at his excited expression. She must mean something to him, otherwise, he would've kept cool and brushed it off, going off his personality trait you can already pick out.

"She your little crush?"

For a heartbeat, Johnny forgets where he is, his features darkening at the possibility of you making fun of him, until he notices the amusing spark in your eye and the sly smile threatening to spill. So you're a cheeky little thing.

"She's a girl I go to school with, a pain in my ass."

"Mhm, sure." You lean back. From his reaction, she must be a real thorn in his side. You've never met this boy before and here you are, making easy conversation and actually enjoying it. Most of the time you roll your eyes at their incessant rambling about sports or cars or even big talk to make themselves seem cooler.

A real charm, the boys at your school are.

"I've never seen you here before," he starts, capturing your brother's attention.

"That's because she's usually out the back smoking billy's."

"Hey!" You scold, your mother jumping in her seat at his language. She uses his full name, alerting him that he's in serious shit for using that mouth in this building, around these successful people.

Beside you, Johnny uses his hand to cover his laugh, choking in an attempt to keep it down. You scoff are your brother, glaring daggers at him.

You can forget our deal.

What?! I was only half-joking!

Forgotten.

"Baby!" He whispers harshly once you break contact, knowing you'll stick to your word. "Come on, I didn't mean it, I'm sorry."

You cock a brow, daring him to say more. Johnny watches from the side, unaware of the stakes yet curious to know the hidden meaning behind your silent conversation.

The appearance of waiters placing food down cuts the large room in half, voices dimming down as people eat and quietly converse between bites. You slowly eat, not feeling hungry yet knowing you should have a full stomach. Your father has a sudden interest in the boy beside you, asking him questions about school and his future plans.

Sid laughs, causing Laura to frown and encourage Johnny to continue anyway. He slips one hand down to his lap, blinking drastically and pausing for a moment before starting. You notice his hand clench, his knuckles turning white at the comments his stepfather makes. If you didn't know any better, you'd say Johnny is two seconds away from throwing that fist.

Something compels you, your hand reaching over to cover his. He feels warm, a tad on the hot side and a little clammy in comparison to your cool touch. You don't stop your eating, acting normal despite him going silent and allowing the adults to take over. You peak out the corner of your eye, taking in his red ears and tight jaw, glaring holes into his plate and his chest rising.

Hot temper.

The colour begins to fade, his breath evening out and his hand slowly relaxing under your own, making you turn your head slightly. You can't help but piece together that Sid must treat Johnny like some sort of financial aid, a kid he never wanted but let's stick around because of his mother. You could only imagine the emotions brewing inside the boy, the hatred and humiliation.

He meets your eye, gratitude spiralling within his own.

You eventually remove your hand as the dinner progresses, you and your brother chatting about some of the people you know when you catch a glimpse of your friends going up to dance. Deborah meets your gaze across the floor, a subtle flick of her head to signal you get up there. No doubt to plan the rest of the evening.

You lick your lips, sending a small nod of confirmation to her. You know your father will be suspicious if you just waltz up to them or try to meet somewhere away from the public eye, leaving you with the only option of dancing, and 'coincidently coming into contact with her and your other friends.'

Sparing another glance at Johnny, you tilt your head at his quietness, that arrogant, cocky boy from earlier, nowhere to be seen. "Let's go dance," you say lowly.

"You want to dance?" He turns, confusion swirling within his azure eyes.

You nod. "We can leave these old crones to their chatter, whilst we go have fun."

Johnny flickers over to his mother and Sid as though weighing his options and coming to a decision. He stands, the movement catching the attention of the adults. "We're going to dance." You tell them, quickly grabbing Johnny's hand and leading him near Deborah and some lad on the dance floor before your father can object.

One of his hands comes to rest on your back, the other holding your own with a delicacy you would only imagine as hesitancy. You rest on his shoulder, taking the time to fall into the rhythm of the song and relax. Johnny takes the lead, his jaw tense and his figure a little uptight as he burns a hole through your eyes.

He seems a little out of his element, despite his impeccable footwork and efficient movements, revealing his athletic side of him. If only you knew it was because of his years of extensive training in Karate.

"Baby!" You turn your head, smiling at Deborah.

"Steve didn't get caught did he?" You ask, mildly aware of the fact that you are still moving.

She shakes her head, grinning like a madwoman. "We're thinking of meeting up at Brett's? His little boy toy can take us up to Mayfield's."

Brett constantly denies the fact that he has a boyfriend, calling him a thing, nothing serious, even though he looks at the man so much adoration. His boy toy has a license, and generally hauls your asses around the Valley. You all brush Brett's antics off, knowing deep down he still struggles with his sexuality because of his parents.

"Sounds like a plan. Say, 10:30?"

You and Deborah lock in the time, Deborah leaving to alert Miranda and Steve of the plans when you shift your focus back to the boy in front of you, tilting your head at his serious gaze.

"So that's why I'm here,"

"Hmm?" You step forward, your chests brushing and the air heating up alongside the beat of the music.

"Just a front for your daddy."

You shrug, ignoring the feeling brewing in the pit of your stomach. You've only met the guy a little over two hours ago and your body is already responsive to his close presence. You blame it on his charming looks. "That, and it looked like you could do with some space." You lower your voice, not wanting to impose on his situation yet uncovering the fact that you could read the room.

He swallows, avoiding your eye as you both continue to move, his fingers flexing along your back. Goosebumps erupt along your flesh, your blood pumping under his warm touch. "Sid, he uh," he starts, his brows furrowing in concentration.

"You don't have to explain it to me."

Johnny's azure pools dart up, surprise etched across his features. He's so used to people prying, that he almost forgot what it's like to have someone not care about his private life, to not making him lie and protect his stepfather's reputation.

You smile sweetly, readjusting your grip on his shoulder as a sudden flash of confidence bursts throughout Johnny, his steps becoming more strong and his form straightening. You'd never picture this boy to be a fantastic dancer, leading throughout the song without a fault.

Suddenly, the tempo changes and a new song begins. Your eyes widen in recognition, excitement coursing throughout your body as you sway your body to the beat. "The warden threw a party in the county jail. The prison band was there, and they began to wail." You belt out the lyrics, forgetting your stunned dance partner and turning to face your brother who leapt out of his seat the moment the song started.

"This is our song Baby!" He yells excitedly, grabbing your hands and sending you both into your practiced positions. You and your brother adore Elvis Presley, creating dances to the majority of his songs and memorizing the lyrics.

Your body flows with the beat, most of the people on the floor making room for you both as you become the centre of the attention. You move away from your brother temporarily, pointing your finger at yourself then at him, following the words. "Number forty-seven said to number three, you're the cutest jailbird I ever did see,"

He laughs at your enthusiasm, finishing the verse, "I sure would be delighted with your company. Come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me!"

Johnny stands alongside your parents, chuckling at you with surprise. The last thing he expected tonight is to see someone so joyous in a song, allowing the energy to enter your body and take control.

"Go Baby!" Miranda cheers you on during the instrumental solo.

Your body warms from the excessive movements, blood pumping and your cheeks heating up. Glancing up, you spot Johnny fairly easily, observing you from the outskirts. "Come on," you mouth, jutting your head back in an attempt to coax him onto the dance floor with you.

He shakes his head, putting his hands up and slightly backing away. Put him on a mat against anyone in a tournament with hundreds of people watching, but out there on a dance floor? Fuck that. You roll your eyes, a laugh escaping you as your father not so subtly nudges the boy forward, right into your reach.

You grasp onto his hands before he can retreat, pulling him further out. "That's not very nice," he grumbles.

"I'm actually helping you out here, but if you don't want it,"

He frowns, loosely following you. "Helping me how?"

"Little miss pain in my ass, hasn't been able to keep her eyes off you since we came up here." You tell him, having noticed Ali the moment you and Johnny stood and left the table. "Don't look!" You quickly stop him from turning to see for himself, bringing his attention back to you. "You don't want her to know we're gossiping about her."

"And you’re helping me because...?"

You shake your head lightly, rolling your eyes again at his antics. "Ali's playing hard to get, which is fine and all, but she needs to be reminded that after a while it can get tiring, and there are other options out there." Understanding flashes across his features, his eyes sparkling. "Trust me, after tonight, she'll adjust her attitude toward you and you'll be taking her on a date in no time."

"So, you’re making me look like a player?" He muses. In all honesty, the boy had forgotten about the blonde-haired girl from school, enjoying his time with you.

You deadpan, barely registering how close you've become, his breath fanning your own and your hands still clasped with your fingers laced. It's hard to believe you've only met the boy this evening, having felt like it's been at least five years.

A bright smile spreads across his face, his azure iris' lighting up. Jailhouse Rock finishes and another starts, the both of you getting lost amongst yourselves, enjoying the music and floating around the other.

"Baby, we're going home." Your father calls out.

Immediately you both stop, a twinge of disappointment churning in your stomach. For the first time in a long time, you've really enjoyed yourself with this stranger. You don't really want to leave, knowing he won't ask for your number and deep down you want him to, meaning this will probably be the last time you see him.

Running a hand over your head to compose yourself, "goodnight Johnny, it was fun dancing with you." Johnny licks his lips, his neck warm and his heart pounding in nervousness? "Yeah, you too." He breathes, his chest rising heavily. His azure eyes flicker with emotion, his thoughts spiralling and the only thing he can say is, "goodnight, Baby."

#johnny lawrence #johnny lawrence x reader #william zabka #the karate kid

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fiddlstyx · 1 year

Text

give those silly rangers some ages!! aka, headcannons on the ranger’s ages + school stuff

February: About 22, just finished college, this is her first mission. Either went to the League’s Academy as soon as she was out of highschool, or transferred there after a year in another course.

Tootsie: Mid to late 30s, maybe 38, also first mission. Just graduated from the League’s Academy. Went to a local school on his planet and farmed for a few years before deciding to become a Starship Ranger.

Mega-Girl: Ageless but physically like 2. Programed to assist Rangers. After canon this is changed to being a Ranger.

Krayonder: 33, first mission. Wanted to be a Ranger his whole life but was unable to attend the Academy until recently, just graduated.

Specs: 34, first mission. Used to be an Earth engineer, helping design, build, and improve starships, but was moved to be an onboard engineer (had to take a year or two of Academy training). Indifferent about their moved position. Was in some of the same training classes as Krayonder.

Taz: 19/20, has been in many missions before. Trained under Up since she was 15 so was able to skip pretty much all of the official Academy training. Graduated in under a year. Didn’t have much of a choice about becoming a Ranger, after getting stuck in the middle of the Robot Wars, but enjoys it nonetheless.

Up: Late 50s to early 60s, maybe 58. Apart of some of the first Rangers, who weren’t officially trained (there was no Academy yet) at the beginning of the Robot Wars. Used to only care about the fighting aspect of being a Ranger, but now sometimes takes classes in alien etiquette or ship repair.

Junior: 25 (canon!), but acts like hes 35. Bypassed the Academy by being the son of the Head of the Galactic League. Was taught practically from birth everything he needed to know about politics and space and the such.

Bug: Aprox. early 20s (in Human equivalents). Able to take Academy class online while working on the Starship, but is able to skip some due to canon events. Before aliens are allowed in the League, he’s enrolled as a human student that was found abandoned on an alien planet (like his fake backstory in canon). He doesn’t have to show his face in classes so this works. Attends some classes with Up.

#starship #starship rangers #starship starkid #starkid #everyone give junior a round of applause for being the only one with a canon age 👏👏#i love thinking about them sm #it’s like free therapy #fiddl is kicking it up a notch #headcannon

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literaticat · 8 months

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There's an agent I want to connect with since we went to the same college at the same time and worked at the same place while there. The only way to contact him is through querymanager, but my manuscript is only loosely related to the genres he's seeking. Do you think it would offend him to be reached out to in this way? I'm mostly seeking a professional connection, or a connection through him to another agent at his agency - it just seems the past association is too conspicuous to not use.

I feel kinda offended and it's not even me you are trying to schmooze.

Some years back, a former friend from High School reached out to "reconnect" and take me to lunch -- how nice! -- only to find out she was a writer who wanted me to introduce her to a different, more famous agent. When I told her I couldn't do that, but that, you know, I'm sort of a famous agent myself and maybe I could give her advice or something, she lost interest entirely -- she ONLY wanted to talk to me because she thought I could intro her to this other person. LOLOLOL omg I am still mad as hell about that.

I'd also say that, I dunno, I can't speak for every agent, but somebody having gone to my alma mater or worked at the same place as college-me would do nothing for me. I have few memories of college, it's not something I think of at all, I don't remember who else lived in my giant dorm or worked at Tower Records or whatever when I was 19, and like ... ???? LOL. If a stranger tried to forge a connection over these things with me, I would for sure look at them blankly.

(Maybe it's different if you went to like, an Ivy League or other 'exceptional' kind of school where people talk about it all the time even when they are grown-ass adults and 'network' with one another and feel a lot of passion toward their alma mater and attend alumnae events and wear the school tie to their own funeral? I'm sure I wouldn't know.)

Anywhoo. As far as QM goes, I would strongly suggest you not reach out for random correspondence through QueryManager if you are not querying that agent. That's just not what QM is used for -- the point of QM is to streamline the querying process for people who are querying, and for the agent who has to look at queries -- having to navigate random other kinds of messages in there would gum up the process for everyone, and I'm sure you wouldn't want to be a gummer-upper.

(Not to mention, the agent probably wouldn't even see a message that was not an appropriate query in the genre the agent is seeking -- QM doesn't let you send messages without a query, nor does it let you send queries in random other genres they don't rep, and if you were sending a fake query just to like, get their attention, an assistant would probably weed it out first!)

I'd suggest if you really feel compelled -- get their email address and write them a nice, warm letter via email. And be up-front -- "I'm not sure if we ever crossed paths in college, but blah blah blah whatever your connection is --I realize I don't even write the same genres as you rep, so this isn't a query -- I'm just reaching out because it seems like we have a lot in common and I wonder if you have any advice for a fellow Fightin' Owl" -- OR SOMETHING. No demands, no expectations, just a nice friendly reach-out.

If you want to be more casual about it, send a DM on social media - -again, friendly, not expecting anything from them at all, just noticing a connection with a fellow human. And be prepared for them to ignore you, but who knows, maybe they won't.

(If you really can't find a public email for them or any socials -- maybe they don't want to be approached by strangers at all. Take the hint.)

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onyourhyuck · 2 years

Text

𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝓇𝑜𝓃𝑔 ℛ𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃𝓈. | 𝓃.𝓳𝓶 (M)

synopsis; na jaemin is a young prince who doesn’t want to get married because he finds it pointless. shin mirae is a young princess who refuses to get married due to her gamophobia, a fear of commitment in relationships, what happens when these two meet paths?

warnings; cottagecore/royal au, lowercase intended, romance, fake dating later falling in love trope, bachelor noncommittal princess and jaded prince, angst, mentions of death, smut!!, mature language and audience.

1/24. PART 2 LINK

╔══════════════════════╗

Chamberlain Gala, the only time where every royalty flies across to france to attend such important greet met up. it’s mainly for the single young royalties who are of age to get married however.

hence why shin mirae dislikes such events, it casts a shiver on the skin, makes the heart race to the point she’d feel like her heart will explode, furthermore it gives her tons of headaches! who needs to get married? definitely not mirae.

“mirae is there any boy catching your eyes in france so far?” ms shin asks in the carriage, mirae looking up from the page, taking a small glance to the surroundings; beautiful ancient france buildings and many beautiful people dressed in extravagant victorian type dresses. “nope.” mirae told bluntly, shifting eyes back to the book.

ms shin scowls at the dry response. “tut, suit yourself. maybe you’ll find someone at the chamberlain’s palace.”

“which won’t ever happen,” mirae said as she glances to look at her mother, noticing the fed up face. “just pointing out, mother.” mirae gave a short sweet smile to aggravate the older woman more.

horses pouting aloud as the galloping of the horseshoes stops, the carriage moving shrieks, multiple servants and butlers coming to assist the shin royalties down the build. ms shin smiling at the sight of the white building in front distance. the palace was truly magnificent— it held different balconies, wide stair range, fountain in the middle, multiple field plains and a rose garden maze. the bright blue france sky stunning the landscape with its bright sunshine.

mirae glances to the male butler’s hand in which she completely avoided, going down herself from the carriage. her mother calls mirae to come forward.

mirae looks towards the front. “mirae meet lady and sir garcia.” ms shin said, mirae gave a short smile bowing down to the older royal elders.

“oh gosh you have a beautiful daughter, ms shin.” mr garcia jeeps. ms shin laughs a little staying humble. “my daughter, mirebelle is here.” ms garcia introduced.

a sight of a young girl around the same age as mirae was shown. mirebelle bows a little before glancing to mirae with a wide smile. somehow mirae feels like those two will be good friends.

“hello mirae,” mirebelle said as the two walk away from their parents conversations. mirae looks at the beautiful girl, “hello mirebelle, where did you fly from?”

“spain, how about you!” mirebelle asks in an awful cheerful tone, mirae would whoa, she never met someone from spain yet. “korea, you didn’t travel a lot then?” mirae questions. mirebelle would nod. “indeed, it was like a walk down to the garden of your own home.” mirebelle jokes.

“i see, lucky!” mirae beams, for her it felt like a torturous ride, especially because she had to sail to france most of the time travelling.

the royalties have arrived later, since the palace itself is getting full and crowded by other nobility to attend the events, mirebelle and mirae have ventured out to the piano room amongst other females.

mirae laughs a little, pressing a random chord on the piano onto the left side. mirebelle sitting next to the princess, pressing the same chord on the right side, making a large high pitch cluck, whereas mirae’s chords sounds more like a clug with deeper tone.

the room itself was quite comforting, most of the girl’s here get along together— and some speak to each other with their languages as many are from different countries. most royalties know english from young by being taught to maintain peace together.

“is there anyone who caught your eyes yet ladies?” mitsuki comes forth interrupting mirae and mirebelle on the piano. mirebelle shakes her head, “not yet, how about you?”

mitsuki would let out a small sigh out, leaning on the grand piano wooden structure. “hmm i’m afraid yes,” she said. mitsuki is a true hopeless romantic. mirae would roll back her eyes. “who is it?”

“glad you asked, mirae!” mitsuki squeaks. “sooo he has blonde hair, light blue eyes- oh gosh did I mention he’s handsome?”

“i mean, his name! not how he looks slowpoke.” mirae shouts, mitsuki stands up. “oh, his name is prince tomas.”

“ahhh, prince of Atticus?” mirebelle would say, earning a nod from the japanese princess. “i heard he’s a massive player though,” mirebelle trails.

“i don’t understand why everyone is looking for someone to marry.” mirae huffs out the cheeks forward, she can’t relate to anyone here. mitsuki tilts head at the girl, “do you not want to find love?”

mirae nods. “yeah, i don’t get it.” mirebelle would nudge forward towards mirae smiling, “awh that’s okay right, mitsuki? you don’t need to understand love.”

mirebelle paused. “love will happen naturally for you, no worries!” mitsuki nods, “yeah naturally.” mirae gave a short smile at her two friends, “awh thanks guys, you’re so understanding.”

the large golden court doors swung open with a older korean woman and a boy beside her tracing behind. the woman looks around the girls in the room before turning to the boy with a frustrated expression; the boy having the most annoyed and tiresome face.

“look around, na jaemin! which girl do you want to marry?” ms na shouts forward. her son casually glances to the women in the room currently, his eyes faltering at the girl that caught his outmost attention, brunette porous curls, layered upon the sunlight shunning down causing a light effect of blonde; thinly soft shape brows, eyes monotonously glancing about the room, soft white skin, rosey cheeks, nicely shaped collarbones resting out by a white shoulder corset dress that extends out into poofyness of almighty glory.

“her,” jaemin points towards mirae, a smirk forming upon his lips.

mirae felt the room gasp, bursting in quiet gossips in less than a second, her friends next to her sharing the same expression.

“m-me?” mirae repeats forward, the boy nodding casually. “yeah or should i tell you in korean instead?”

╚══════════════════════╝

This is lowkey a Bridgetone type theme LMAOA

MASTERLINK FOR ALL THE WRONG REASONS.

@onyourhyuck please refer from copyrighting and plagiarising my work! remember to reblog, like, follow and comment if you enjoyed this and want to see more content like this~

#jaemin fanfic #nct fanfiction #nct smut #nct x reader #na jaemin #nct jaemin #all the wrong reasons

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kimsgoeun · 1 year

Note

♫ five times my muse swears it’s not a date, and the one time it maybe is. (either of our two fake dating ships)

@cass1x1

She's leaning against him on the couch. His knuckles brush against her shoulder, an arm thrown lazily around her. It's comfortable. Nothing anything out of the ordinary considering it's a Tuesday and they're both doing their own thing--just in the same vicinity.

Scrolling through her phone, a message appeared over her notifications. A text from Ryleigh. [ Got plans? Want to go a bar with me? ] Liz considers it for a second until Ryan asks if he should order take-out for them if she's staying over.

[ Sorry. With Ryan. 👏 ]

It doesn't take long for her friend to text back: [ Boo. Ditching a friend for a date 😑 ] Habit has her nearly texting back that it isn't a date, but that would blow their cover.

How could it be a date when they do this all the time?

ii.

Their parents have long since left the event. Some other dinner they had to attend across town. It leaves the pair of them, thankfully, out of their parents' watchful eyes (maybe more so hers than his).

She let's out an elated sigh. "Thank god. These things blow." The only upside is getting to wear a fun dress--a dress her mother claims was a tad (okay, highly) inappropriate for a function such as this. "I say we leave and find something more enjoyable to do."

Just as Liz is about to walk off, Ryan grabs her hand to stop her. "Let's have one dance first."

"What?" she whines, frowning heavily. "No, come on. I suck at that stuff." Gyrating and bumping along to some fast-paced song, yes. Slow dancing? Doing some sort of waltz? Nope.

He pleads his case. "--So we both look stupid, who cares. It'll be fun."

It only causes her to roll her eyes, but she relents. "When I step on both your feet, you're not allowed to complain." He grins and they make their way onto the dancefloor.

She's mostly staring at her feet, trying to remember all the stupid dance lessons her parents had put her through at one point in her life. Huffs in annoyance every time she missteps, only for Ryan to chuckle near her ear.

"Relax, Lizzie, it's not like our parents are watching."

They aren't, that's true. And without them around, Liz knows what it must look like--what they must look like. Like they're actually dating and this is some kind of date.

But just because they're the only pair to be having some ounce of fun, it doesn't mean it's a date.

iii.

Ryan appears out of nowhere and slips an arm over her shoulder protectively. "Everything okay, Liz?" There's some relief in having Ryan now at her side, but she's still glaring.

They glance at the pair of them hesitantly in consideration. It doesn't last long though. The shift from awkwardness to pompous asshole is quick, especially when it's clear he wants to save face. "I didn't realize you're here with someone," he grimaces.

"And why exactly would I feel the need to share that with you?" Liz shoots back. People like him are the exact reason she doesn't attempt more than meaningless hook-ups. Having someone act as if they're entitled to her time irritates her to no end.

"Considering I didn't think you knew how to be out on a date with someone without it being the middle of the night, I'm just surprised you still have your clothes on."

She bristles at the insult, but it's nothing in comparison to the anger Liz feels radiating off of Ryan in that second. He beats her to saying something scathing in return. "I suggest you walk away now before it's too late." His tone is cold and threatening. Not something she's used to hearing from him, but it's enough to get them back off. Hopefully it's the last she's seeing of him again.

Liz turns towards Ryan. "Well thanks for the assist--told you I had shit taste," she jokes in an attempt to lighten the mood. It doesn't seem to bode well with him though as he glances at her exasperatedly. She pats him on the chest reassuringly. "It's all good. You were super menacing--very cool by the way--but you can go back to whatever you were doing before."

He shakes his head. "I'll stick around in case he comes back."

"He won't. It's fine."

Ryan shrugs. "I don't mind being your date."

She rolls her eyes half-heartedly. "I don't need a date to protect me." But she doesn't object further when he does, in fact, stick around.

iv.

"If we're both going, do you want to go together?

She shrugs. "Sure." Her brow lifts in question, a sly smile on her lips. "Does that mean I don't have to shell out Uber money?"

Ryan rolls his eyes and chuckles, "I will even throw in getting dinner beforehand."

"Ooh, well don't I feel special now," she grins, placing a hand over her heart.

"You have a very low bar for dates, Liz."

He says it jokingly, but the comment still sticks with her--the date part anyway, she could at least agree that her bar is pretty low. But then again, it isn't as if she's really a 'take out on a date' kind of girl. She replies without thinking much about it. "Well it's not like it's an actual date, so it's not like we gotta point out my obvious flaws, Ry."

Liz laughs and he smiles back, but there's a look on his face for a second that takes her aback. "What?" she asks.

He shakes his head, the momentary expression gone from his face as if it wasn't there at all. "It's nothing--so where do you want to eat? I think there's a burger place on the way."

She stares at him for a second, considers prodding further, but drops it. There isn't really a point, is there? Back to normal conversation it goes then. "Yeah, that's fine. Should I meet you here or you gonna pick me up from mine?"

It's her unfortunate luck when she runs into her dad just as she's left the coffeeshop with her orders in hand. The obligation to stop and chat isn't what Liz wants to do, especially if it means the coffee cooling off, but better to appease her dad now than be stuck with a lecture later.

"You missed lunch with your mother and I last week, Elizabeth. I'm sure you have a suitable excuse."

"Oh, well, you know. Busy... With things," she hems.

His brow lifts, unimpressed with her answer (as always), but he doesn't immediately address it. Instead he notes the drinks in her hand. "Off to meet someone? I'm assuming it isn't a business meeting, since that wouldn't be an appropriate exchange."

"Yeah, no. I mean, yes, I am meeting someone... And since I shouldn't let their coffee get cold, I should probably--"

"--A coffee date then?"

Her eyes nearly bug out at hearing her dad's response. "Wha--No, it's--"

He interrupts her again. "So you're not meeting Ryan then?"

Liz isn't sure how to respond to that. Technically, yes, she is meeting Ryan, but it isn't a coffee date, as her dad eloquently labeled. "Bringing Ryan some coffee doesn't make it a date." She's not about to explain the difference between a date and just stopping by.

"But you are going to see Ryan." He warms at that--seemingly happy that his daughter is seeing Ryan (and not doing some scandalous most likely).

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, dad, I am going to go see Ryan."

He nods approvingly, tells her he doesn't want to keep her any longer then. "Make sure to tell Ryan I say hello, Elizabeth. Your mother and I want to have dinner with the two of you sometime next week. Make sure to keep your schedule open."

She only sighs once his back has turned and she's left on her own on the sidewalk once more. The conversation wasn't as nearly bad as she had thought it would go, but speaking to either of her parents always left some tension in her shoulders.

Her phone rings as she tries to shake it off. It's Ryan. She answers without greeting. "Yes, yes. I have your coffee. Had a run-in with my father, so you know, you better appreciate this coffee I'm bringing over.

vi.

She catches his eye across the room. A smile brightens over his face and she grins in return. Watches as he heads over to her, saying his hellos as he passes by others. Even if she's seen him only minutes ago, Liz cannot help but give him another once over. Noticing, he smirks.

He's in front of her in no time. A arm slips around her waist, hand resting on her lower back. His mouth is beside her ear, leaning down to whisper, "All of the inappropriate staring is going to get someone in trouble."

Liz feigns offense as he pulls back to meet her gaze. "Are you trying to say I'm going to get you in trouble? From staring? Seems to me like you're giving me a lot of credit here, Ry." He nudges her playfully, causing her to laugh. Crossing her heart dramatically, she adds, "I promise to be on my best behavior."

"Well you don't have to go that far," he jokes. "It'd be a boring date if we suddenly decided to be on our best behavior."

Liz only rolls her eyes and says, "As if our dates would ever be boring." Usually this is the moment she adds in some offhand comment about it not really being a date-date, but she doesn't. And if Ryan notices, he doesn't say. But they both smile nonetheless.

Ryan raises a brow. "You think so?"

"I do happen to like you, so yeah." Which is true. Though she doesn't think she's really admitted that to him in some kind of traditional, confessional way. But Liz is starting to think she should. Especially since these so-called "dates" are something she's starting to look forward to... So maybe the idea of this, even if it is some work function she's attending as Ryan's plus one and they're technically in a fake relationship, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to consider an actual date.

#otp: elizabeth x ryan #wc: elizabeth bass #cass1x1

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dloveg · 5 months

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Episode 1

This show has awesome characterization.

Xu Si: The guy maximizes his time. There is an event, but he uses the lull to close his last deal for his current company, attends the stocklisting ceremony, says goodbye to his boss (who does not want to let him go), and not a minute later, starts working on a deal for his new job.

He is a luxurious guy, but he dresses down when he visits a factory, so much so that he was mistaken for a lowly junior assistant.

Drama gives us some false impressions about him in these early scenes. 1) he is manipulative (a. the "trap" statement - he tells the other party a trap is laid out for them outside of the negotiation, when it seems he is the one trapping them. of course, we know later on that the trap statement is actually true. b. his asking about the "daughter" to use her to get close to her father - later on we suspect this is only half true as he seems to already be interested in her). 2) he is vindictive (a. he is angry that mr. jiang has not talked to him, thus, he intended to bring down free unicorn/TY - not true, he did not do the company any harm. b. used the money to buy hamburger as revenge for jiang hu looking down on him - again, not true as we see him keep the bill and note).

*xu si using jiang hu to get close to her dad immediately tickled my fancy, I like tropes like that, laying down a trap and getting entrapped in it.

*xu si felt inconsiderate when he made an eating wu guanglei follow jiang hu

*xu si immediately understood what jiang hu was doing (from the fake fight, the internet trend manipulation, to getting zhao yang fired) and was not against those actions, instead admires them haha. honestly, he looked smitten by her because of these so that his instinct was to approach her in a flirtatious manner right away

*xu si has a stylish aunt who takes care of his clothing and disapproves if he dresses cheaply

*xu si does not hide his enthusiasm in waiting for jiang hu, I think that was cute. again, it was vague for me

*xu si lets guanglei think something happened between him and jiang hu the night before

Jiang Hu: people in the office are used to her strutting around as the boss' daughter. I initially thought she actually had a marketing position in the company, but drama says otherwise. She still does work for the company though, given that she organized the live streaming anniversary event. She has a very entitled aura, but it seems to be harmless. If anything, my first impression of her was a dumb spendthrift - which is further reinforced when she left her unscarred shoes on the streets.

*but the old apartment scene is a GREAT choice of exposition. not only does the audience become curious on what she's doing there, the audience also feels xu si's interest about her also go up. double win. I love that jiang hu is also unreadable in this scene, there is no clear reaction from her, which makes the audience wonder 1) is she getting the hamburger from this area? 2) is she buying textile supplies for the factory? 3) is she getting knock off shoes? 4) was she annoyed by that old lady who knocked off her shoes? 5) why did she throw those shoes? seriously, that sequence is genius in heightening up the curiosity about our female lead

*about the dumb part - the show immediately debunks this by showing that FL is smart and has commanding presence. this is further enhanced by xu si's admiring looks (since xu si has been established as competent, his approval gives weight to jiang hu's competence as well). People say the main leads have no chemistry but I completely disagree. The main leads are clearly shown to have a meeting of the minds (from stylish clothes, to manipulation) very early on. For me, they are one of the most compatible pairings I've come across.

*her confrontation with zhao yang reveals she's manipulative. I think most audiences started to dislike her because of this but I did not because between the two characters presented, jiang hu's authority had won me over zhao yang's submissiveness to her mom. it is irrational, and I dont know if it was the failure of the ZY actress or intentional on the storytelling, but jiang hu is just a more likeable person for me. jiang hu is smart and unpredictable while ZY is your normal boring usual female lead at this point. jiang hu is unapologetic, she has a plan and she will execute it - pretty much the same thing she accuses xu si later on in the series.

*her reaction to xu si: she knows him! did she find him cute at first sight? did she ask her dad about him? again we dont know. she acted annoyed but she definitely played along. a part of me thinks they actually slept together that night (although, they most likely did not).

*the box of shoes, did jiang hu just gave her maid the cheap shoes she got earlier? this makes her character shady because she literally threw away nice louboutins. in episode 2, we realize she's actually genuinely nice to her nanny.

*she matches clothes with xu si! they look so good together.

*she held out his tie out in the open, she is no chaste girl and plays the liberal type (later on, we learn she's been in love with one guy her whole life and is actually very shy when she truly likes someone)

Zhao Yang: the girl is an art nerd, she will find the opportunity to paint anywhere, anytime. she is a nurtured employee as her bosses pick her up. and she gets the annoying mother trope, so at this point, I was sure my main leads would be free from the family drama staples haha.

Ji An: Honestly, no feelings for him this episode. he was just a wallpaper for me because they have established that he's someone who takes care of zhao yang.

#rising with the wind

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theorist-influencer-untitled · 6 months

Text

10.23.23 Monday

12:34 am

Will take my shower, still having windblow... Still,mastering the song "Kill Bill" and I got shocked I checked the video that tagged as "official video of Kill Bill song of SZA, it is kinda weird for me....Not sure if that is the official video like on Lady Gaga's Judas, it has 2 different versions of videos but recently they removed the first version...

I got curious on this song "Kill Bill".... Then, I found out it is a movie....Interesting movie... I haven't seen it yet and I wanna see the movie, in a lil while...

12:54 am

Before showering....

I really wanna cry thinking of money....I look so calm right? But I'm not ohkay, I'm really panicky so you won't believe it that I'm panicky...

Whew! God will provide--Matthew???

Weird,remembering someone from the gym but not sure where I saw Glenn... But it was really a decade and more years ago...

He gave his beloved son to human race--John?? JOHN FUENTABELLA??? It was weird it suddenly pop-up in my head.

My future is damage...

youtube

2:29 am

Done,showering... The leopard ;) joke! Hahaha

I need to get a bf who can assist me,this is serious. Still,having windblow...

I want a black penis? But he is gone here...I wonder where he is now...

7:36 am

Still,have windblow... Still,thinking of money... Nobody in the family can help me on money, angels....I'm not ohkay....I have to do something...

Do I have to ask other people? You can't tell who are fake and real in this family...

Since 2007 Betsilogz gang with Eusebio's family always on the upper stage or had have their events in life....I'm always just an observer of their success....

10:29 am

Here in "Pag-ibig" Volets processing my requirements... Went to the bathroom and paid 5 pesos for the tissue and for using the bathroom... After using the bathroom the lady attendant on that particular bathroom suddenly commented "bagsak or failed in English" huh? I ignored that woman... Huh? Some people are strange...

I need money and job and trainings for 2 years and will go to Sand-Dunes plastics...

I need to get a bf, I want the black-penis???

Hmm....Dread-locks/Miles??? He can't lift me for now... :(

2:20 pm

My Uncle Chipoy DD... About the fundings here... I feel stress-out about his question which is important water or food? Hellowie! Both! Of course...

They didn't help me on my toiletries or my job starter fundings. They are not mature angels... They don't know how to be a family on me or how to be a parent on a portrayal role.

I don't have fundings for myself... I need to get a bf who can assist me and live with him, I mean live with him then go here for my nana and son-dog John and stuff that I need to do here...

I wanna a mature bf where I can have my peace of mind and can assist me to get back on my feet... I need some assistance but I have to work I know...

Where is that black penis???

6:04 pm

Uncle Jun is here, all are fakers and still hating them all, like my fakers Biological Mother that I wanted to kill like Uncle DD.

They are not helping me on money... Still, panicky and I don't know where to get a bf who has a maturity but the one I like, such as a "black penis"! A strong black penis...

Anyways, done watching "Kill Bill Volume 1" it is interesting, it is all about revenge of Black Mamba on people who have wronged her most specially his Xbf "Bill".

8:04 pm

Hmm... Something is missing here one of my spray colognes the "lemon verbena"... hmm..

8:13 pm

Hmm...Did Uncle DD got it here from the living room table?

The lotion is here but I also have the cologne, the cologne bottle is missing...

I'm putting Bench Lemon on the spray cologne of my "Lemon Verbena"...

It is as stress for me if there are missing stuff here... We should be family here... I feel stress again.

8:23 pm

Oh! I got it here on the back table in the living room...

I put Lemon Bench there... But if I have money I wanna buy a new bottle of "LEMON VERBENA"..

It is around 500 to 800 pesoses...

8:42 pm

I feel bitter... I'm thinking of money and I can't get a bf who can assist me and nobody wants me...

I feel bitter... I can't get a group that I'm gonna be the center and I have to float...

I feel bitter and I feel boring...Super self-pitying... I wanna buy starbucks everyday but I'm still waiting for rewave and I will really cry if I can't get the certification in Iqor and I really wanna beat that fucking call.

I feel super boring angels... I wanna have sex but I want someone sweet and loving and mutual that I like him and he likes me and sensitive enough to assist me not just on money but emotionally coz I have complex. I need a physical touch now, I have that kind of emotion... I feel ugly,fat and wrinkled but I'm not ready to get pregnant coz I feel ugly... I'm thinking of money... I hate my "deep smile lines"...

But I really wanna have sex with someone who really likes me ( mutual thing and someone clean ) and mature and will just assist me at my back coz I have emotional breakdown, it is a mixed-up!

9:30 pm

I feel insecure now on my body, on my skin, on my looks... I have complex in life now, my own future,my stability, my money, getting a bf, getting friends, my job and I feel that I can't get success... I still have windblow...

I can't get sex for 16 years, I can't get sensitive souls that will be mutually attach with me.... I feel hurt and out of place... I want a black penis now..

I feel hurt on Miles or dread-locks that our chance was not on the right timing... I feel irritated coz the situation can't be pushed on my wants and needs...

I still wanna meet a new soul that hoping will be mutually attach with me with maturity...

9:42 pm

I hate being here in Cavite coz they are murderer of people's right to have sex and get some relief in life...

Wait, will tell more...

9:58 pm

I have windblow... It is just weird there is no hotel here in Cavite that is cheap,clean and affordable that we can freely express our inner struggles or inner expression of love on someone or to simply have a quality time or family time or bonding moments...

The room for sex here is not balance on the salary that people earned for their living. The basics needs of human are food, water, oxygen, clothes,shelter and 6th SEX!

We all know that our body is holy, it is given... But a being you and You and you will not always be perfect! I mean you wanna be holy but sometimes you have to give some relief on your inner struggles coz it is part of you as human being...

I mean, I checked some of the room for rent here or sex hotel... On my xpartner we were in hotel, we were always on a "family hotel" as well as my other friends.

The "family hotel" are always considered a 3 stars,why and why???

A family hotel is 3 stars cheap coz they are the reality of our lives....Actually let me just change the word to affordable not cheap! Why is it affordable? First, it is a family hotel that hotel wanna give some shelter and care for any emergencies cases, 2nd the strategy of those owners are reaching out to the reality of people's lives, 3rd it promotes freedom of rights of people to express their sexual needs.

The family hotels that are affordable are SoGo, Eurotel and the latest Go Hotel... These 3 stars family hotel are "affordable,safe and clean"... But they are somehow "strict"... Sometimes, they will ask if you are married or what? Coz they want to promote decency.... Go in decent, go out decent! Gets!!!

Those family hotels advantage they portrayed the 5 stars hotel in a way,they gave the freebies of free steam room slippers, a steam or virus free towels, steam new viruses blankets and steam new virus free pillow cases...

It was just really a funny experience for me....I've learned it on my growing-up years... The food are so funny but the service are just like on 5 stars...

When you grow-up if you can reach the 5 star hotel,the food are totally different and yummy! But somehow same routine service that you got from 3 stars or family hotel.

But if you stick to 3 stars then it is better than 2 and 1... That's still LIFE and RIGHTS! ;)

10:47 pm

It was a funny thing the day that I planned to have sex with dread-locks or Miles the day that I bought the TRUST orange condoms pack of 3 ( still,complete until now... ).

I had my back-pack coz we are in a call center but same thing that I had way back but a big bag or travelling bag... No comparison but it just reminds me of something. So,funny Miles or dread-locks guy told me you have so many things and stuff with you. Like on my xbefore I had my blower and panties and my toiletries. But I wasn't able to tell him that night coz of he wanted to charge or he needed to charge his mobile meaning he is kinda tired... Ooppss...

11:03 pm

In short, I really wanna have sex... I want something mutual meaning with love and care and support...

Whew! It is just depressing if you can't get sex that you are trembling to have it coz you need it now... But I can't find him... The one who is willing to love and care... I feel bitter!

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