#if I speak it will not be pg13 so i will zip it

[missmewts]

congregation//michael langdon

pairings; sojourn michael langdon, atheist gender neutral reader

rating; pg13

warnings; some harsh language

fuuuck this gif gives me 🌊coochie butterflies🌊

they had been waiting. the church, anti-church if you will, has been waiting for this "anti-christ" for months. as much as you wanted it to happen, for this person to show up, you losing were hope. surely, the lord would grant his followers some sort of reward? the church did sacrifices, group rituals, even routine solo practices to prove devotion.

but everyone still showed up with bright optimism. you sat in the back, like you always did. every so often, a homeless wondered in. they often sat in the back, as to not disrupt, and on the seat closest to the door as a precaution. they were often thirsty and hungry.

which means, you weren't surprised when a tired, scruffy man with baggy clothes, baggy from loss of weight had stumbled in. he glanced at the closest bench, at you. you scooted over to the left, leaving plenty of room for him at the end. he looked famished.

he took your invitation, sitting down as quietly as possible. your backpack made a soft noise as you sat it between the two of you. he crossed his arms and leaned back a bit. when he did, his back popped quietly. his head seemed to lower, his eyes close. after a few minutes of sharing sins with the congregation, you unzipped your bag and reached in. with your free hand, you tapped his elbow.

his head lifted slowly, and he turned his head at that same speed. his eyes were narrow, nearly shut. you couldn't quite tell what color they were. his bottom lip trembled, it almost seemed like he was holding back tears.

he lifted his head a bit more when your hand slipped out of your bag, a small plastic bag between your fingers. your free hand dipped in, and pulled out a bottled water. with both items now out, you moved your bag back to the floor between your feet, and set the two in the empty space between your thigh and his. he eyed it lazily, his head lolled slightly. with a hesitant, shaking hand, his fingers grasped the sandwich bag.

he looked on at you with furrowed eyebrows, but you had looked back up to the front. as the congregation began murmuring, you leaned to the right, slightly. 'how long has it been since you've ate?' you whisper. he sighs. 'what's it to you?' he sounds young; around your age.

you lean back. 'just trying to help, man. you don't look too good.' he eyes you, watching you turn straight. he sighs, rubbing his eyes and taking a bite of the ham sandwich, a small bit of mayonnaise painting the corner of his lips. he closes his eyes with annoyance when you speak up again, fighting off a migraine.

'y'know,' you begin, grabbing your backpack and scooting over a bit so you don't have to talk so loud. 'i can fix you some dinner or something. run a shower.' you say, zipping your bag back up. 'the apartment is only, like, three blocks away.' you say, half expecting him to say no and accuse you of trying to kidnap him.

instead of doing that, he wipes mayo from his lips, and looks at the sandwich. he wasn't dead yet; that's a good sign. 'thats...really nice of you.' you chuckle. 'yep. and you're still an ass.'

that seemed to get his attention.

'um.. actually,' the man took another bite of his sandwich and opened the water bottle, holding the sandwich in front of his mouth as a way to tell you he isn't done. 'i think.. i think we should do that.' you snorted. 'don't even know my name and you're already trying to get me in bed.' you tease, taking the sandwich bag and stuffing it in your blazer.

the man's dirty cheeks flushed red. 'what?'

you tucked your bag under your arm and reached out with that hand. '[y/n].' he switches the sandwich to his other hand, and shakes yours.

'michael.'

#michael Langdon #ahs #ahs apocalypse #sojourn michael is incredibly sexy #fanfic

[missgarnet]

Baby Daddies Ch. 3

Pairing: ot7 x reader

Word count: 2.5k

Rating: pg13?

Genre: fluff, and a little bit of chaos

Summary:  So... no one tells you what to expect when you and your friends with benefits are about to have a child. (All plans are thrown out the window when your 7 closest friends find out they're going to become dads.)

Warnings: My own horrible sense of humor, pregnancy, Jin feels left out, and even more chaos

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Link to ao3

“You know, if you keep stealing my clothes I won’t have anything to wear. I’ll be forced to walk around the apartment completely nude.” Hoseok teased as he spotted you in another one of his shirts.

“Ooooh now that’s an offer I can hardly refuse. Comfy shirts and a handsome man strutting around my house without any clothes. If only he would make me breakfast too.”

“We could call the guys, see if one of them wants to get breakfast together.”

“Nah,” you said, trying to catch the toast before your overly excited toaster could throw it across the room this time. “They’ve all been so busy with work this week. I know you all said to call anytime, but you need to be taking care of yourselves too.”

Hobi started the coffee pot and sat down at the counter, going back into the routine the two of you had fallen into this last week. “Speaking of the other guys, when are you going to tell them? I know you said you wanted a little more time but they deserve to know too, we’re all in this together.”

“I know, I just don’t want to deal with everyone finding out all at once.I’m hanging out with Jimin and Tae tonight, I thought I should probably tell them next so they don’t have to hear it from Jungkook”

“Oooh, I almost forgot about your little date tonight!” Hoseok joked.

You huffed and rolled your eyes at this, ”It’s not a date, Tae finally got an offer from that gallery downtown. He just wanted to check out some of the other photography there to figure out how he wants to set everything up, and then we’re going back to their place to hangout.”

The words you were saying might have been more believable if you hadn’t started burying your face in your hands, trying to will away the heat of embarrassment. After all you were just friends, sure you were having a kid together now but that was it. All of you had slept together over the years, but it wasn’t like you were actually dating any of them. It wasn’t your place to go on dates with Jimin and Tae, or get jealous when one of your friends got a little too handsy with Jin.

Each of you adored one another more than anything, but that’s what friends are for. You’d be kidding yourself to think it was anything more. Hobi seemed to notice something was off, pulling you onto the couch with him as he turned on one of your favourite game shows.

Just as the two of you finally settled on the couch the door was thrown open by Jimin, “Surprise shawty!”

“I swear you’ve been around Jungkook too much again,” You said shaking your head as he strolled into your apartment with makeup bags tucked under his arm and a curling iron in his hand.

You trailed him to the little bathroom attached to your room, lifting yourself to sit on the counter as he started pulling the makeup brushes from their bag. The rest of the guys used to tease the two of you about taking so long to get ready, but you enjoyed the little routine you’d fallen into.

There was a comforting warmth in your chest as he helped you get ready and you were happy to bask in every moment of it, taking in the gentleness of him sweeping the makeup brushes across your skin, his sweet smile right in front of you as he played with one of the curls he just finished, the little furrow of his eyebrows as he tried to focus on getting your eyeliner perfect on the first try.

“Are you ready to go yet?” Taehyung called from the couch.

You glanced over at Jimin, still touching up his makeup in the mirror. “I’m not sure that I’m the one you should be asking. I just have to zip up my dress and then I’m good to go.”

“Hobi, could you give me a hand? I can’t reach the zipper.”

He moved your hair out of the way as he gently tugged the zipper up, but there was just one problem. “Y/N… the zipper’s not going any higher.”

It was one of your looser fitting dresses, you’d been hoping that the higher waistline would let you keep wearing it for a little while longer. Unfortunately the twins were getting bigger every day, which meant that you were too. This wouldn’t have been a problem if you’d have had any time to go shopping for your first set of maternity clothes. Most of your week had been spent wearing one of Hobi’s shirts or the hoodies you stole from Jungkook.

“Houston, we have a problem.” Tae and Jimin looked up as you said this, “None of my clothes are fitting and I can’t keep stealing clothes from you guys. I think it’d be easier if you guys just went without me this time”

Jimin hopped off the counter “Nope, you can borrow something from one of us for now and then we can go buy something for you to wear tonight.”

Before you could even argue you  noticed Tae already giving you puppy dog eyes,  “Please? It wouldn’t be the same without you, and we could have fun picking out clothes too.”

Needless to say the two of them easily suckered you into what was supposed to be a brief shopping trip. It was supposed to be a quick run, but the baby section was right next to the maternity clothes, and it couldn’t hurt to look. Everything was so cute and the three of you ended up going even deeper into the aisles looking at the cribs, stuffed animals, and baby blankets.

“It’s so cute.” Jimin said holding up the tiniest button up you’d ever seen. Tae was right next to him looking at another impossibly small pair of converse. The boys had been piling almost every adorable little baby thing they could find into the cart without you noticing until now.

Reaching into the cart you started picking up each piece on it’s own. There were onesies, dresses, and even little mittens. Everything just felt so tiny and fragile in your hands. “Guys, this is too much. It still feels too soon to be getting all this, they’re still really small and we don’t need all of it right away.”

“You’re right, we already have a lot of the basics anyway.” Tae said as if that were obvious.

“We do?”

“Yea,” Jimin added. “We’ve all ordered a couple things, but Jin and Namjoon have a small collection in the guest room right now.”

You picked up one of the onesies from the cart, tracing the two little elephants printed on the front. Were you really the only one who wasn’t prepared for all this? Maybe this was a sign, you still didn’t feel ready for all this but you had people who were. And that was enough for you to try. “What if we just get two of these, that way they can have matching outfits. Maybe we can come back and get two of the little bouncy chairs in a few months.”

It was hilarious to see the look on their faces once everything clicked. Jimin was trying to keep his makeup from smudging as he fought to hold back tears, and Tae was overjoyed as well, throwing his arms around you and pulling you into a tight embrace.

As the three of you were finally leaving the store with way more than you needed, you noticed Tae frowning as he typed out a message on his phone. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I was just asking Namjoon if we needed to start buying two of everything now.”

“Oh dear,” you muttered as you snatched your phone from your purse trying to get a hold of him before he saw Tae’s message. It wasn’t that you didn’t want him to know, you just felt like he deserved more than just a text from one of the guys.

Pausing for a moment you began to tap your foot chanting “pick up, pick up” over and over again. You were right about to hang up and try again as the ringing came to a halt. “Hey Namjoon, what are you doing right now?”

“I’m at the maknae’s. Why, what’s up?” He sounded out of breath and you swear you could hear Jungkook and Hobi shouting in the background.

Taking a deep breath you figured it’d be best to just rip off the bandaid and tell him as soon as possible. “I wanted to tell you in person, but then Tae texted and I felt like it would be better if I just called and told you myself. And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but we’re having twins.”

It went silent for a second before you could hear him laughing through the phone, “You’re fine, Yoongi already told me after you three got back from your appointment. He wanted to know if there was anything we should be doing to help, and I just figured you’d bring it up whenever you were ready.”

“I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier. I promise I’ll get better at talking about all this.”

“What are they like? Do they have their dads’ good looks yet?”

“Not yet, but they have Jimin’s hands.” Glancing to the side you could see him trying to glare at you but failing to hold back a smile.

You didn’t realize they were leading you home until you were taking the elevator to the maknaes’ apartment, Taehyung pulling you through the door as Jimin carried the bags that he managed to sneak away from you. They set everything in the hall and rushed to meet the others in the living room.

As you rounded the corner you could see Jimin yelling at Jungkook again, “Ya! Why didn’t you tell us? I take care of you and you can’t even tell me that I’m about to be a dad of two.”

“How could you keep the twins all to yourself!” Tae jokingly complained as he flopped down onto Jungkook’s lap.

Hobi poked his head out from Jungkook’s room trying to see everyone, “what’s going on?”

Tae looked up and used the puppy eyes he knew none of you could resist as he pouted, “Kookie was keeping the twins all to himself and didn’t tell us about them.”

The face he was making was just too adorable for you to ignore, but before you were able to give him forehead kisses like you had hoped, Jin peeked out from the same room Hobi had come from. Had it been any other day, your eyes may have fallen to the hickeys on his chest, his belt hanging halfway off, or the way his shirt had missing buttons from being torn off by one of the guys. Instead your gaze fell to the saddened look on Jin’s face.

“Was I the only one you didn’t tell?”

The room was uncomfortable silent and you noticed Hobi awkwardly creeping his way back into Jungkook’s room. Jungkook finally broke the silence as he cleared his throat, “I’m just gonna give you guys some space.”

You looked up to see all three of the maknaes getting up to rush into Jungkook’s room and avoid the awkward situation they were leaving you in. “Jin, I’m so sorry.”

“No you’re not. None of you are. I’m the one who’s always been there taking care of all of you, and I’m always the one being left out.”

“That’s not true.”

He sighed and shook his head, “It is. Why do you think I’ve been at your place so much these last couple weeks? I just wanted to feel like I had a part in all of this. It was wrong of me to start betting on how far along you were, but I wasn’t trying to be mean. I just thought if you were a little further along then they might be just mine.”

“Jin, you are just as much a part of this as the rest of us. I didn’t mean to make you feel left out in any way.” You sat down on the couch, pulling him along with you.

He laid next to you and pulled you close to him, wrapping his arms around you and gently placing one hand on your stomach. “I just want to know that all of you are going to be okay. I know you don’t want to talk about everything right away, but you can’t just close me out. If I’m a part of this then I want to do this together as a family.”

“I know, I’m trying.” you said intertwining your hand with his. As much as the two of you like to joke around and bicker with each other, you could never stop caring about Jin. There was something about being wrapped up in his arms that always made you feel safe and cared for. “You know, there’s still a lot I don’t know about you either.”

“I am an open book, ask me anything.”

You knew that was true for the most part, Jin and you might constantly annoy one another but the two of you shared everything… well almost everything. “What’s that story you won’t let Joonie tell me.”

“Let me rephrase that. Ask me anything else.”

“I mean, if neither of you will tell me I could just ask Hobi.”

“There’s a reason we don’t talk about it. It might be the only secret that Hoseok can keep.”

“Come on, you already told me about the time you ran over two kids and almost broke your nose trying to sled with Joon. What’s so bad you can’t tell me, weren’t we best friends?”

“Yes, which is why I’m not telling you.”

“Ok, what about this? You tell me what happened, and if the twins are both boys you get to name one of them whatever you want.”

You hadn’t noticed the other boys leaving the room they were hiding in until Namjoon walked into the room and immediately sent Jin a warning look, “Don’t do it.”

Jin didn’t even hesitate as he blurted out, “A couple years ago Namjoon and I got married in Vegas!”

Everyone’s heads whipped towards the eldest man as he said that, the youngest of the group in shock and the older half already shaking their head or roaring with laughter. You however were wondering if you’d even heard that right, surely your best friend at the time wouldn’t get married without telling you. “You what now?”

Noticing everyone’s eyes on him, Jin’s face began to grow red as a tomato. “Remember when you went on vacation with the maknaes and the rest of us went to Vegas? Well, we met this guy dressed as Elvis, had a couple drinks, and played the slot machines. Next thing I know it’s two days later and I find a video of us getting married by a drag queen.”

“Jin, what the fuck?”

#bangtanuniversity #bts fic #bts fluff #chaotic bts fic #bts ot7 x reader #bts fanfic #bts ff

[hobeemin]

Memories

🌼 Genre: Romance, Fluff, College AU, f2l

🌼 Pairing: Kim Namjoon x (f) Reader

🌼 Rating: pg13

🌼 Warning(s): Unless you count Monie’s appearance 😁😊

🌼 Word Count: 1.2k

🌼 Credits and Shout outs: @spicykoreantatertots a huge and warm thank you for reading this over and giving me great feedback 💜 @taerseok​ for helping me with the f2l’s questions 💜, and to my lil bro @guktro for his guidance with helping me with this banner. I was ready to pull my braids out!

🌼 Banner resources found here and here

🌼 A/N: To @editingverse​ this is a special gift to you :3 Editors deserve just as much credit as writers, if not more. 

It started off simple. He offered you his chocolate milk and that alone solidified your friendship. Thick as thieves, two peas in a pod. Practically attached at the hip, you two were inseparable. Kim Namjoon was your best friend in the entire world, your soulmate perhaps, but all you knew then was that life would be pointless without him there. 

But the inevitable happened.

You had to move away.

A new job transfer for your mom was the reason for the move. Still, Namjoon made you promise to stay in touch.

“One mind, two bodies, moon child.” 

That was your mantra. And for a while, things seemed normal until you got older. The calls and texts became sporadic, emails left unanswered, time moved on and so did you. The best friend you had was now a distant memory of the past. 

Autumn had arrived. The vibrant leaves crunched under your boots as you walked through the quad, earbuds in, bobbing your head to your favorite song. Throughout your time in college, you spent much of your time to yourself but managed to collect a tiny group of friends. Deciding that your passion was art, you spent your alone time sketching and painting anything you came across. Wrapping your infinity scarf tighter around your neck, you found a bench off the path and plopped down. Humming to yourself, you set your bag down and pulled out one of your sketch pads and a charcoal pencil. 

“What do I wanna draw today,” you ask yourself, tapping the tip of the pencil under your chin.

With a smile, you began to create the shape, adding the shading as you went along. Focused, you hardly noticed anything around while you drew until a fuzzy white blur ran up to you. You jumped in surprise dropping your sketchbook on the ground. In front of you stood a medium-sized dog, wagging it’s nail while his tongue lulled happily.

You plucked your earbud out and gave a laugh.

“Who do you belong to? Your mom or dad isn’t gonna be happy you ran off.”

The dog barked, jumping up to lick your face and you giggled giving him a pat on the head. “You’re certainly friendly. You remind me of another dog I used to know.”

A smile formed as you recalled the name.

“Monie.” 

“Monie!”

Your eyes widened as a man jogged around the quad holding a leash. By his expression, he looked distraught. Turning his head his eyes zoomed on the fluffy American Eskimo dog. Scowling, he ran towards you and the dog, tripping over himself. He placed his hands on his hips and stared hard at the dog. 

“Monie! You nearly gave me a heart attack. I take your leash off for two seconds and you decide to zip across campus. What am I gonna do with you?! I swear dude. Not cool.”

You snorted, watching him fuss at the dog, not taking any notice of you. You cleared your throat making him look at you for the first time since he ran over.

“Hi. I’m guessing you’re his owner?”

He nodded, a smile forming for the first time. His dimples deepened as he looked away in embarrassment. “Yes. I’m so sorry. He usually doesn’t do anything like this. I don’t know what came over him. Monie just freaked as we were walking.”

Dressed in a light hunter green jacket, white shirt, dark khaki pants, boots, and a maroon beanie, he looked comfortable. He stopped rambling once he spotted the sketchbook on the ground. “Oh, is this yours?”

You nodded picking up the other items Monie knocked over. He picked it up looking over your recent drawing. Nostalgia hit him at once looking at the image. Two children playing under the full moon.

“Moonchild,” he murmured.

Your head jerked up staring at him. “What did you say?”

He pointed to the picture. “Moonchild.”

Your jaw dropped open. “One mind.”

His eyes crinkled as he grinned. “Two bodies.”

You screamed from your spot and practically jumped into his arms. “Joonie!”

He wrapped his arms around laughing. “Y/N! I can’t believe it’s you!”

You pulled away, beaming. “Small freaking world. I can’t...This is...Wow.”

Namjoon nodded in agreement. “I’ll say.” He looked you over, shaking his head. “You look amazing. How long has it been? Jeez, almost ten years.”

“Ten long years,” you mused. “What are you doing here of all places?”

He joined you on the bench, Monie laying between you both. “I transferred here this semester. I start classes soon, philosophy,” he answered happily.

You smiled fondly at him. “I’m not surprised. You were too smart for your own good growing up.”

He laughed, clapping his hands. “I couldn’t help it. You didn’t seem to mind back then.”

You coughed as pink dusted your cheeks. To lighten the mood you poked him playfully in the side. “True, but who was it that got you out of trouble all those times?”

He raised his brow, poking you back. “Touche.”

It was almost as if you both hadn’t been estranged for almost a decade. Getting back into a familiar groove. It felt comfortable. The bell from the clock tower chimed signaling that it was close to the early evening. Frowning in the direction of the clock, you sighed. “Crap I’m gonna be late.”

Namjoon looked at you, trying to hide his disappointment. “You have to leave?”

You sighed as you packed your art supplies. “I’m supposed to meet up for a group project.”

He fidgeted a bit as he turned to face you, taking your hand into his, making you freeze. Your eyes met his, and he began to speak. 

 “Y/N, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you. You were my best friend.”

You felt a pang in your heart as he spoke. You felt the same. Time just got in the way. With some hesitation, you reached over and squeezed his hand. “I missed you too, Namjoon. I regret not staying in touch. And now you’re here.”

He smiled at the warmth coming from your hands. It was something that he missed from when you were younger. It gave him comfort. Now that Namjoon was sitting next to you, he took in your features. Gosh you were beautiful, just like he remembered. Time had been good to you. And he was determined not to let you get away this time.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously trying to come up with the words to say.

“Y/N, I need to say this cause I don’t know if I ever will–listen, I’ve...I’ve liked you since we were kids. The day you left, I had planned to confess my feelings to you, but then you moved and I never got the courage to do it again.” He squeezed your hand gently, those dimples appearing once more. “I-I know this is sort of sudden, but would you consider letting me take you out? I would love another chance to see where this friendship takes us.”

He gazed at you with hopeful eyes with determination behind it. Something that was always present when you were younger. Truthfully, you wanted to see him again too.

“Yes,” you answered.

His smile spread wide. “Really?!”

You nodded. “Of course, but I get to pick the place.”

He poked your forehead gently and chuckled. “Still bossy as ever.”

You leaned in and placed a kiss on his cheek sweetly. “One mind.”

He blushed giving you a wink. “Two bodies.”

#bangtanhq #bangtanfairygarden #bangtanarmynet #houseofddaeng #networkbangtan #hyunglinenetwork #namjoon #kim namjoon #bangtan #bts #namjoon romance #namjoon fluff #namjoon college au #bts romance #bts fluff #bts college au #bts f2l #namjoon x reader #namjoon x y/n #namjoon x you #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts x you #namjoon fanfic #namjoon fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction

[justimajin]

It’s a Reverse Basket ◍ Part 1

⇝ Pairing: Yoongi x Reader

⇝ Genre: Fluff, Comedy, Angst 

↳ Basketball AU, Crossdressing AU

⇝ Words: 2.9k

⇝ Summary: The goal has never been in your favor, and despite all your best efforts, you don’t think it ever will be. But that’s right when you finally get the chance to turn things around, to do things the way you’ve always wanted to and to go after what you truly love. However the problem isn’t if you can do it, it’s how much are you willing to do...?

⇝ Warnings: pg13; none for this chapter

⇝ *Disclaimer: If you’ve read gender bender manga before, you know exactly what this fic is going to be like. However if you haven’t, this story will involve themes of cross-dressing only for fictional and story purposes. This will include numerous instances of the reader having to hide that she’s a girl and this being kept secret. Please do not read if you are not comfortable with this idea.

gif credit. 

⇝ Previous Parts: Moodboard

⇝ Next Update: Tuesday, March 24 

One Step.

Two Step.

Turn around.

The building before you is coloured a burnt red, grimy bricks stacked together until they join to create a giant brown rooftop. Craning your neck further, there are rows and rows of glass stretching out in between the reddened bricks, crossing what you assume to be at least ten floors. A small ding from the inside snaps your attention away, eyes no longer taking in the towering landmark that looms over you.

The rumpled map is carefully folded within your hands, doors automatically shifting apart when you draw closer. Your bewildered eyes can only glance around aimlessly until they locate the elevator, rushing over and hurriedly pressing the button to go up. After what feels like an entire eternity, it finally dings again and you step inside, grip tightening on your bags.

When it comes to a full stop, you hesitantly lean forward. Your gaze traces over the many rooms that span across the lengthy hallway, each one containing a string of numbers stamped in fine print. It’s eerily silent as well, compelling you to wonder if that’s such a good thing until you begin sweeping by the various rooms, hearing distant sounds of shouting and yelling, even a certain crash that has your shoulders spiking and a shiver running down your spine.

There’s a sudden loud thudding noise coming from your right that mimics the quickening of your heartbeat, a cluster of students jogging by. All of them are glued to one another, swinging their arms around each other’s necks and loudly chattering away until they notice you, despite your best efforts to become one with the wall in the hallway.

Shoulders bump into you rapidly and your backpack slides off, getting harshly trampled on until it's kicked away to the side, a collection of snickers echoing before the group leaves. You kneel down, dusting off any remains of nasty footsteps with a sigh and shrugging it onto your back. Picking up your fallen suitcase, your eyes are both lost and confused so you opt-out for rummaging through your pocket, a crumpled piece of paper emerging in your hands.

“Room…613..…” You whisper, scanning the various number plates, “610, 612…” You look on the right side, “611..…613!”

Inhaling a deep breath, your fist rattles against the door.

When it seems like time has begun to slow down and the chattering of your breath erratically increases, the door is finally yanked open. Your eyes and mouth are both wide, jaw nearly dropping at the young man that stands before you.

Long curly black locks fall down his forehead, resting delicately against his sun-kissed skin and nearly covering his surprised eyes. He’s dressed in a loose black t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, a lollipop sticking out of his pursued lips.

He’s extremely handsome, you acknowledge right away and when he leans forward to get a closer glimpse at you, you also realize – and very tall.  

Before you have a chance to say anything, he spirals around and shouts in a deep tone. 

“Jungkook-ah! Did you end up adopting a scrawny little kid and not tell me?”

“What?! No!” You hear a voice shout back far within the room, a delicate tone in comparison to the guy at the door. There’s some shuffling before footsteps stomp over, the voice growing louder, “Tae that’s our new roommate, stop being weird and just let him in.”

“A NEW ROOMMATE?!” The man – ‘Tae’ – glances at you with huge eyes and opens the door to the room wider, “Oh my god, where are my manners! Please come forth to our lovely home and pardon the mess, the black-haired fairy in the corner over there has refused to clean up his shit since yesterday!”

You’re greeted to exactly what he says; an utter mess. There’s piles of takeout and clothes sprayed out all across the floor, mixed in with a handful of dishes, specks of dust and some random clutter as you stand in the middle of the room. You catch a peek at the individual facing Tae, appearing to be drastically younger in comparison and sporting shorter black hair, a set of silver hoops dangling from his ears. Yet despite his youthful appearance, you notice that he’s on par to Tae in terms of height when he stands right next to him.

“The mess isn’t just mine you know?! You can clean up once in a while too!”

“What was that?? I can’t hear you because I’m too busy untangling myself from your dirty laundry on the ground half the time!”

You watch them argue from a distance, not quite sure about what you should be doing as your hand remains planted on your suitcase. Biting down on your lip, you wonder if perhaps you should say something, eyes darting between them at a speedy pace.

A scream almost threatens to leave you when a hand taps you from behind, whirling around to be greeted to another person – one with ashy-grey hair and flushed cheeks.

“Please do ignore those two idiots and come in.”

He kindly smiles, immediately taking the suitcase from your grasps. You’re at a loss of words when he gestures for you to follow him, gaze still darting back to see Tae and Jungkook completely at each other’s necks. However when you hear your suitcase being strolled away, you hastily trail after him to catch up.

After rummaging through a couple of keys, he unlocks one of the doors and opens it wide.

“Here’s your room!” He declares and his arms stretch out, as if presenting to you a wonderful creation. When you step in with curious eyes, you notice immediately that it’s extremely small – just a narrow window and closet in the corner, only a third of what your room back home was like. It’s also something that Jimin regards right away.

“I know it’s not much, but I can assure you it’s cozy!”

And yet contrary to the room, you find yourself absolutely agreeing with him.

“I love it.” You whisper, eyes spread in awe when you pivot around your surroundings, utterly mesmerized until the man behind you chuckles. “Thank you– uh…”

“Jimin.” He reaches out a hand with a smile and you instantly take it as he tilts his head to the side, “Those two are Taehyung and Jungkook, they’ll be your roommates.”

“Oh, so you don’t live here?”

Jimin shakes his head, “I actually live next door, but Taehyung and Jungkook are my close friends so I come by often.”

You nod and he whirls around, eyes darting to outside of the room.

“Speaking of which….”

You trail behind him when he goes back to the living room, a new high-pitched voice soaring out.

“Hey! Don’t fight, don’t fight!” Your eyes catch sight of a man with brown hair standing in between Taehyung and Jungkook, his serious expression causing you to feebly cower behind Jimin. But that’s when his eyes dart over to you, and similar to a light switch, he immediately brightens up.

“Hi! You must be their new roommate!” Rushing over, he snatches you up into a hug right away and you turn into ice in his arms, “I’m Hoseok!”

“N-Nice to meet you.” You take a step back, clearing your throat as you naturally deepen your voice, “I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N?” Taehyung frowns, “That’s a strange name for a guy.”

“I-It’s not really, it’s usually used for both genders so it’s not out of the ordinary for a guy to have it.” You suck in a breath when you've forgotten to breathe, all eyes in the room simultaneously glued to you.

Taehyung hums, “I guess you’re right.” He reaches out to grab Jungkook, who simply scoffs at him before his eyes roll over to you in curiosity, “As you might have heard already, I’m Taehyung and this grumpy twerp over here is Jungkook.”

“I would be less grumpy if you actually cleaned up for once in your life.”

“You really want to start this up again Kook?” Taehyung narrows his eyes at him, practically fuming as you dart your eyes all over the place. Hoseok flicks Taehyung against the forehead, causing him to whine as he tugs Jungkook over to his side.

“Will you two behave?! We have a new member in the room!” Hoseok scowls, donning a similar expression to before and they both immediately zip it.

Jimin giggles, “Seems like you’ll have quite some trouble on your hands Y/N. If these two aren’t getting their act together or bother you at all, don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Exactly!” Hoseok points over to Jimin with a grin, “We’re just next door so reach out whenever the case!”

“Thank you.” You whisper, softly smiling until an idea suddenly sparks in your mind. “Uh, if you don’t mind me asking– do any of you know about the competitive basketball team here?”

“You like basketball?” Jungkook inquires, doe eyes growing wide. When you meekly nod, there’s an explosion of awe surfacing in the room.

“That’s great Y/N!” Hoseok exclaims, eagerly gazing at you, “Are you thinking of joining?”

When you nod, Taehyung jumps in, “We have our first meet tomorrow morning! You should come with us!”

“Us?” You question, hopeful eyes scanning their faces. Taehyung smiles, a proud expression on his features.

“You can say you’re looking at last year’s elite team, Bangtan Sonyeondan!”

“Still hate that name.” Jimin mumbles. 

Jungkook crosses his arms and scoffs, “I think it’s cool.”

“You and Namjoon are the only ones that actually like it,” Jimin rolls his eyes, before bringing his attention back to you, “but you should definitely come tomorrow Y/N.”

“Yeah! It’ll be so much fun!” Hoseok adds, causing you to smile.

“Of course.” You glance over at your room, an apologetic look appearing on your face, “I hate to break this up but I should really start unpacking…” 

“Hey no worries, we should all get some shut-eye for tomorrow.” Taehyung gestures over to Hoseok and Jimin, snapping his fingers, “And you two, out.”

Jimin pouts, “You can ask nicely…”

“Last time he did, you guys protested and fell asleep on our couch.” Jungkook’s eyes narrow onto Jimin’s, “and drooled all over my carpet.”

“To be fair, Hoseok pushed me off when I tried to cuddle and–  okay, okay we’re going!” Jimin holds his hands up in defence when Jungkook glares at him, grabbing onto his roommate and dragging him as he waves to you with a heart-shaped smile on his face. “Bye Y/N! It was nice meeting you!”

You giggle at Hoseok and Jimin offers you a kind smile, carefully closing the door behind him as Taehyung turns back to Jungkook.

“Now, does cleaning mean I have to do the dishes tonight?”

Jungkook grabs a dirty sock from the ground and throws it at him.

***

After spending countless of hours unpacking your belongings, you eventually decide to call it a night. You take a quick glance at the apartment, noticing the front door you had walked in had led into the living room – which aside from the couch and small TV, was still sprinkled around with Jungkook’s clutter. He had managed to get rid of the laundry Taehyung had mentioned along with some takeout boxes, though you’re not quite sure how Taehyung had seemed to convince him to do that. Taking a fast peek in the tiny kitchen, you notice there are no more dishes leftover either, so in a way you wonder if a compromise had somehow gotten established between the two.

When your head falls down onto the soft pillow you brought, you adjust yourself on the mattress you had plopped down on the ground, still exhausted from all the unpacking to set the bed up properly. Looking at the top of your headboard to the bottom where your blanket is, you recall that your room is right in between Taehyung’s and Jungkook’s, being the smallest one out of all them.

Thankfully, both of them have fallen asleep, the room being silent enough for your lids to flutter close.

***

A loud pounding sound jolts you awake, a bird’s nest resting on top of your head and half-lidded eyes darting around. You eventually realize the sound is coming from your door – another series of knocks greeting you once again.

“RISE AND SHINE Y/N! We have our first meet at 6 am sharp!” Your puffed-up eyes glance over at the clock you hanged up last night, the time reading 5:30 in the morning. With a sharp inhale, you scramble out of the bed and attempt to locate your comb and toothbrush.

“I’m awake Taehyung!” You hurriedly shout back, detangling your long hair at a quickened pace. Glancing around, you grab onto the short mop of hair sitting on the ground next to your bed, brushing it thoroughly before planting it onto your head.

“You better hurry! It looks like Jungkook’s cooking up some breakfast and I’m going to need help convincing him to share!” Taehyung retorts like he’s telling you a secret, a giggle being drawn out of you as you slide on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

“Not to worry, back-up is on its way!” You grab your shoes and sink your feet into them, a foaming toothbrush sticking out of your mouth.

When you finally come out, your greeted to the smell of freshly sizzled eggs and sweetening pancakes, eyes widening in surprise when Taehyung grins at your expression. After a full ten minutes of convincing Jungkook to share with the two of you – one that Taehyung had told you involved showering him with praises until he gave in – you’re happily chomping down as you race against the clock to head over to the court. Taehyung and Jungkook guide you through the buildings along the way, your eyes eagerly taking in every aspect of the school that you had just enrolled in.

“Oh, that’s the canteen!” Taehyung quickly says, “We usually eat there together after class.”

He starts pointing in several different directions, your eyes barely being able to keep up. “Classes happen there, those are the libraries, there’s also this really cool place called The Zone that let’s you get free food on Fridays.”

You nod, quite impressed with how well the school was built. Based on your own research, you had heard it was more catered towards students interested in the sports rather than academics, but there was a fair share of other things going on aside from the two.

“Guys.” Jungkook snaps you out of your thoughts when he points to the gym, your breath almost being stolen at the sheer size of the building before you. Taehyung takes a glance at his watch, sucking in a sharp inhale when you’ve only gotten a couple of minutes left. He grabs hold of you and Jungkook instantly, dragging you along with him at a speed that has the air knocking out of your lungs.

“We’ll show you the rest later Y/N! I don’t want to get killed for being late again!”

He speeds down the hallways, a blur of yellow locker rooms whizzing past your vision alongside the vast expanse of water behind glass doors. However, the small handful of details you take in isn’t what has your expression contorting in absolute marvel.

It’s the massive gymnasium that Taehyung brings you into.

It would be a shame to put it into mere words, the large interior that rises high above to the ceiling, wide enough to fit at least 10 teams. The ground is decorated with various streaks of colours, hues of bright orange and fresh white. From the corner of your eye, you can see the long rows of bleachers – already the sounds of thrilled fans echoing through the gym.

The astonishment steaming from your eyes is stolen away when Taehyung plants you in a line-up, right next to Jungkook and a familiar individual with ashy-grey roots.

Jimin beams at the new sight of you, and from a distance, you can see Hoseok standing right to him – but instead of having a giant smile on his lips and eyes full of excitement, his shoulders are stiff and his gaze is hardened.

Confusion waves over you for a second until you feel a sharp jab to your waist that has you straightening up, not missing the subtle glare Jungkook holds.

Taking a deep breath, you’ve failed to miss how the large gym is quiet – including the boys that are currently lined up. It almost makes you feel like you’re in the military, a heavy silence in the air as everyone’s form remains ominously tense.

Before a million of questions are ready to spill by your lips, the sound of footsteps stops you. Just like the rest, you swivel your head to the right towards it and if you thought the gym itself had already taken you aback, you were definitely not prepared for this moment in time.

Similar to a hit of deja-vu, it’s vastly familiar. The dark maroon hair, the narrowed yet intrigued eyes, the basketball clutched tightly in his hands as if he was holding a prized possession. Every single thing about him has you nearly dropping dead onto the ground, but its something you whole-heartedly try to refrain from, especially when he walks past you with a slight frown.

He moves to stand in front of the boys, a programmed commanding stance embedded into him and trained eyes already resurfacing. 

Because in front of you stands the Min Yoongi.

The infamous captain of Bangtan Sonyeondan.

#btsbookclub #btswriterscollective #yoongi fanfic #min yoongi fanfic #yoongi fluff #yoongi angst #bts yoongi fanfic #bts yoongi basketball au #yoongi basketball au #yoongi sports au #bts suga fanfic #bts suga fluff #bts suga basketball au #bts suga sports au #min yoongi fluff #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts basketball au

[ranwing]

Kadam Fic: Dramatic Theory (1/2)

Title: Dramatic Theory Series: A New Direction (was Season Four Remix) Pairing(s), Characters(s): Kadam, Kurt Hummel, Adam Crawford, Burt Hummel, Carole Hudson-Hummel, Rachel Berry, Santana Lopez, Noah Puckerman, Tina Cohen-Chang, Artie Abrams, Original Characters Rating: PG13  Genre(s): canon divergence. Parts: 1 /2

On AO3

Summary: As Kurt prepares to make his professional debut at the Garrison Shakespeare Festival, he finds that he has a lot more to learn than simple stagecraft.

Standing on stage with his fellow performers in the ensemble was a heady feeling as they bowed to the loud applause and cheers from the audience. Kurt couldn’t help from smiling broadly as he picked up on his father’s cheers over the clapping, which were particularly loud. Maybe a bit louder than absolutely necessary but he could be forgiven his excitement at seeing his son performing for the first time in something other than a school production.

Once the ensemble players had received their ovation, they stepped aside for the principle and lead actors. When Adam stepped onto the stage, he couldn’t help from adding his own applause to the loud ovation from the audience. And the entire cast was cheering when Lord and Lady Macbeth stepped onto the stage, accepting the regard from the audience.

The entire cast as a group bowed again and the curtain came down for the last time on this production of Macbeth.

Once they were shielded from the view of the audience, the cast collectively gave a long sigh of relief that it had gone so well. Kurt found himself in the midst of a group embrace as the actors gave one another supportive hugs and words of praise for such well done efforts. Adam managed to squirm his way through the crowd to Kurt and pulled him into his arms, grinning at Kurt’s effusive praise over his amazing performance.

“I’m so proud of you, love,” Adam said warmly, looking down on his younger lover. “You did so well.”

Kurt made a dismissive snort, shaking his head. “You were the amazing one,” he insisted, not outright rejecting Adam’s praise but keeping it in proportion to his actual accomplishment. “I still can’t believe what an incredible actor you are.”

Adam couldn’t help from blushing a bit at Kurt’s compliments. “Well, I can’t wait to see your performance this week. You are going to be fantastic.”

Kurt nodded, not brushing away Adam’s compliment. “I think I’m ready,” he stated with reasonable confidence. But when he considered the weeks of practice and the encouraging feedback he’d been receiving from Mr. Tillman, he amended, “I’m more than ready.”

Adam couldn’t help from smiling at Kurt’s confidence, which had blossomed as the festival season progressed. Kurt’s eagerness for his true debut was infectious and Adam couldn’t help from being excited for him.

The director, made a loud whistling noise to get the cast’s attention. Adam and Kurt looked over and once the din had quieted, he gave them all a broad smile.

“I know you all want to get things moving and clean up, so I just wanted to compliment everyone on a great job. This production was everything I could have hoped for. Everyone was fantastic and you all deserve a lot of credit for your hard work,” Me. Tillman praised.

“Now don’t forget that we have our final dress rehearsal for Much Ado tomorrow afternoon so don’t stay out drinking all night. I’m not going to take pity on anyone who shows up hung-over,” he warned playfully. “Everyone should be here by noon for our cast meeting before we do our final run through. But tonight go enjoy yourselves. You’ve all earned it.”

The actors applauded their director and then dispersed to get out of their costumes. The theater was too small for private dressing rooms for even the lead performers which helped foster a sense of unity with the cast. Kurt found his dressing table in the communal dressing room and began the process of transforming from a highland soldier back to a theater student/actor.

Their last performance of Macbeth had been, in Kurt’s humble opinion, their best yet. All of the leads were absolutely amazing and if he held any regrets, it was that he didn’t have the opportunity to see the production from the audience. Still, he had nothing to complain about since he found it absolutely thrilling to be in the thick of things.

Being in the ensemble had been a lot harder than he’d anticipated and while he might not have had any lines, he probably had more actual time on stage more than any characters other than Lord and Lady Macbeth. It had been a challenge to keep track of his marks and what he was expected to do in each scene without having any real cues to work from. He made a few mistakes during the first performances, though now he had everything firmly committed to memory and could perform as a seamless member of the cast.

It had been exhilarating to take the stage with such a talented group even if he wasn’t the person that the audience was coming to see. Unlike his experiences in high school, where the supporting players existed only to showcase the leads, the entire cast worked together as a team. He never felt that his contributions were not needed or appreciated and found himself supported and nurtured as he fulfilled his first role and prepared for his next.

In hindsight, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that Mr. Tillman had been very wise not to cast him in two speaking roles right off the bat. It had become clear to Kurt early on that he had a steep learning curve, and it became even more challenging when they began dress rehearsals for Much Ado during the day while performing Macbeth in the evenings. But he found himself capable of a lot more than he would have thought possible.

He easily recognized that having Macbeth as the first play staged for the festival worked very much to his advantage. While Kurt was extremely eager to have his moment in the spotlight, he wasn’t ashamed to admit that having his spending his first few weeks in a supportive role gave him the chance to get the feel of really being on stage in a professional production without quite as much pressure as he’d face with a speaking part. During the first few shows, it was enough to just remember where his marks were and what he was expected to be doing at a given moment.

Someone else in the cast didn’t have that advantage. Craig, one of the other new young actors in the company, had been cast as Fleance and while it wasn’t the biggest part in the show, he didn’t have the luxury of being able to learn in the background. The other young man had felt tremendous pressure in measuring up to the more seasoned cast.

Kurt hurried over to his friend and gave him a warm hug. “You did it!” he praised, patting Craig on the shoulder. “How does it feel to be a big star?”

Craig exhaled loudly, giving a shuddering sigh of relief. “I can’t believe it’s over,” he chuckled a bit breathlessly. “Whoo…Talk about being thrown into the deep end.”

“Well, you not only survived your first role, but you were incredible,” Kurt complimented sincerely. “They knew what they were doing casting you in that part.”

Craig gave him a thankful look. “I’m exhausted. And I’m not going to lie... being in the ensemble the next time around is going to be a piece of cake after this.”

“Oh, you think it’s so easy?” Kurt teased. “We’ll see how you like it next week when you’re totally lost because you forgot where you need to be standing in Act Two and people are tripping over you.”

“Boys, do I have to separate you?” Tracy teased, looking absolutely adorable in her serving wench costume. “I thought we newbies were going to stick together?”

Craig had the good manners to blush at her playful admonishment. Especially wise since the two of them had been dating since rehearsals began. Kurt chuckle, shaking his head in bemusement at the antics that he’d become quiet familiar with as he’d had a front row seat to the entertainment that was their blooming relationship.

“On that note, I’m going to change before my family thinks that I got kidnapped,” he proclaimed. “This kilt is making a bit of a draft.”

“Oh my God, you are wearing it properly, aren’t you?” Tracy teased.

“I’m sleeping with an Englishman. What do you expect?” Kurt answered primly, raising his chin proudly and walking away from their chuckles with a dramatic huff. Kurt gave his kilt a bit of a flutter so that they could see the flash of a bare buttock, his only concession to stage modesty being his thong.

He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face as he stripped off his Scottish costume for the final time. He carefully unwrapped the plaid kilt from around himself and laid it neatly on its hanger, his hand running over the soft woolen fabric a last time. His wig was placed carefully on its stand and he all but ripped the wig cap off his head to free his hair, scratching vigorously at his scalp. Zipping up the costume in its garment page felt like he was closing the door on something really significant in his life.

Sitting down at his chair, Kurt pulled out some wipes to get the stage makeup off before his pores could clog and smiled in amusement at the commotion going on about him. Other actors were busy getting out of costume and chattering excitedly about the show. The cast as a whole was buzzing with happiness about how well things had gone and looking forward to the next production.

The joyous excitement was infectious and Kurt felt himself grinning widely as he bid farewell to his first role and looked forward with anticipation for his next.

He would be forever grateful that his first experience in a professional production was with Matthew Tillman directing. Not only was he a very fine stage director, but he was more than willing to be a teacher to the less experienced performers in the cast. He never failed to answer questions and had shown Kurt a great deal of patience and support as he found his way.

He demanded a great deal from his cast and Kurt found himself rising to meet those expectations. Mistakes were firmly corrected, and Mr. Tillman could be sharp when things didn’t go right or he felt that he wasn’t getting their best effort. But good work was likewise praised. After years of having his supporting work with New Directions taken very much for granted, it was a novel and refreshing change.

While being in the ensemble ended up being a great test in its own right, in just a few days Kurt would have an even bigger challenge to face. Then the spotlight would be on him and he would be shouldering an even greater responsibility. It was a heady feeling and one that he now felt much more confident about being able to accomplish. The weeks of rehearsals and hours on this very stage had prepared him well. He was ready for this.

Gen arrived to pick up his costume and props and gave him a warm smile. “So you survived,” she chuckled as she took his garment bag.

Kurt nodded and sighed happily. “Seem to have,” he answered agreeably, pulling his shirt over his head. “No one threw rotten fruit so that’s a good sign.”

The costumer laughed brightly. “Well, I was watching from the back of the house and you looked right at home up there. Like you’ve been doing this forever.”

“If I didn’t stand out in any way negatively, then I accomplished what I wanted to,” Kurt said confidently.

“And you did seem to have your own cheering section,” she teased playfully. “They were kind of hard to miss.”

Kurt smiled fondly, blushing a bit. “My family and friends… they wanted to see the show even if I was in the background,” he explained. “They’re going to be here for the opening night of the next show too.”

“Well, going by how rehearsals have been going, you’re going to totally blow them away,” Gen remarked as she slung his garment bag over her shoulder. “But can you do me a favor? Ease up on the workouts until after the festival closes. I’ve had to let your jacket out in the shoulders twice already!”

Kurt couldn’t help from laughing ruefully. His body was continuing to mature, with more defined muscle in his upper body. He was keeping up on his dance exercises so that he’d be in good shape when school started in the fall, and working in the theater provided plenty of physical activity to burn off what little fat he had left on him. The only problem was that it wasn’t kind to the wardrobe team that had to make constant adjustments to his costumes to accommodate his changing physique.

Gen just shook her head, giving him a mocking stare of disapproval. “Well, I suppose that’s what we get for designing costumes that are so form fitting, but you’re already sexy enough,” she insisted, wagging her finger playfully. “Well, I’ll let you finish cleaning up. I’m sure there are some people at the stage door waiting for you.”

Kurt pulled on his sneakers, hurrying to finish getting dressed. Ensemble performers generally weren’t sought for autographs, though he’d signed a few as he left the theater with Adam over the course of the season. And he surprised himself in finding that he wasn’t at all bothered by the lack of notice. He’d found the experience in this production such a valuable learning experience that he couldn’t find it in himself to be jealous of the featured performers. His time would be coming soon enough.

Adam was waiting for him, his skin rosy from washing off his stage makeup. “There you are,” he proclaimed, motioning for Kurt to hurry over. “I was wondering what was keeping you.”

“Just talking to Gen,” Kurt explained. “Getting a few words of encouragement. And complaints about the constant alterations.”

Adam’s eyes twinkled merrily at Kurt’s woes. “What a terrible thing… to need your costumes adjusted because you’re just getting so fit.” He gave his lover a mocking glare of rebuke. “You should stop that, before you drive all of us to distraction.”

“Well, I need to make sure that I stay fit if I’m going to look right on your arm. You give me a lot to live up to,” Kurt quipped. “But that doesn’t stop my costumer from getting irritated.”

Adam chuckled, slinging an arm about Kurt’s shoulders and pulling him close. “Well, let’s head out and meet everyone.”

Kurt nodded and fell into step alongside his boyfriend. Outside the stage door there was a sizable crowd, a bit bigger than the usual gathering of a few dozen festival attendees looking to have their programs signed. It might not be the kind of turn out one would see at a Broadway theater, but Kurt valued their enthusiasm. Live theater was something special and it was more than gratifying to see so many people with an appreciation for theater and who looked forward to attending.

While he greatly looked forward to appearing on Broadway someday, Kurt knew that he would never disregard the value of local productions like this. It had been hard work and the payoff had been the pleasure of his audience. The whole experience thus far had been a valuable lesson that he would definitely take to heart.

Adam cheerfully signed the Playbills shoved at him, thanking the fans for their regard. Kurt felt himself smiling as he hovered towards the back, not looking for attention from the fans and enjoying watching his boyfriend getting the attention that he deserved. Several other members of the cast were still there sighing autographs with cheerful, albeit, tired smiles before they departed for the motel to rest.

“Hey, Kurt!” Finn called out, waving at him from the back of the crowd.

Kurt looked up and was met by the loud cheers and whistles from his friends and family. Finn and Puck were carefully nudging their way to the front of the crowd, making way for everyone else. Tina was pushing Artie’s wheelchair and Kurt couldn’t help from blushing at the loud cheers coming from the group.

“So what did you think?” he asked, smiling brightly as he stepped over to his group. Puck reached out to grasp his arm and pull him in so that he could be passed about for hugs and congratulatory pats on the back.

“Well, you might have the wrong plumbing to appeal to me, but I have to say that you looked hot up there in that kilt,” Santana remarked. “I can see why Adam’s always so cheerful.”

Kurt chuckled at her comment, knowing very well that she’d been impressed. She just wasn’t the kind to give genuine compliments.

“You were great,” Rachel insisted, her dark eyes shining happily. “I wasn’t sure what to expect but it was such an amazing show. Everyone was wonderful.”

“So how did it feel, sport?” Burt asked, his pride evident on his face. “Your first professional show?”

“It was incredible,” Kurt insisted. “I don’t think I ever worked harder in my life, but it was such an amazing experience. Everyone here is so talented and worked really hard.”

Carol shoved her Playbill towards him with a pen. “Well, you have to sign this,” she claimed. “This is something that we’ll need for the scrapbook.”

Kurt smiled and signed his name to the cover, feeling a real sense of pride at what he’s accomplished.

Puck was next, pressing his program into Kurt’s hand. “Mine too,” he insisted. “This shit’s going to be worth money someday when you’re a big star.”

Kurt felt his cheeks color at the other boy’s pronouncement. He quickly found everyone in the group demanding his autograph, wanting to make sure that they had the Playbill for his first performance.

An older woman standing nearby pressed her own Playbill in Kurt’s direction. “Excuse me, but would you mind signing my niece’s?” she requested politely.

“Of course,” Kurt said agreeably, accepting the program. He smiled at the girl standing by her aunt’s side.

“She saw your picture in the program and thought you were very cute but is too shy to ask,” the woman confided, earning an outraged squeal from her niece.

“Aunt Lynn!” the pre-teen girl whined in protest. Her cheeks were burning with embarrassment as her crush was proclaimed to the entire world.

Kurt just smiled and opened the program to the cast listing. “What’s your name, sweetheart?” he asked kindly, knowing how easily embarrassed kids her age were. The poor girl looked like she wanted to sink right into the ground.

“Kelly,” she answered, her cheeks flushing even darker at being addressed directly by the man she was crushing on.

Kurt wrote a quick personal note to her, thanking her for attending his professional debut. “Here you go,” he said gently, handing her the program. “I hope that you’ll come see the next production. I’ll be in it too.”

“Thank you. We already have our tickets,” she all but whispered, clutching the Playbill to her chest like it was something precious. Kurt watched her retreat with a smile, amused at how she was berating her aunt for embarrassing her.

Burt chuckled at the display. “Your first fan,” he noted proudly. “You handled that really well, sport.”

Adam’s hand reached over to grasp Kurt’s hand and pull him close. “He’s gathered a few of them already,” he informed Kurt’s father playfully. “Strangely, many of them are young girls or older ladies.”

Puck burst out laughing at Adam’s pronouncement. “Shit, that’s all wasted on Hummel here.”

Burt shook his head in bemusement, laughing at the antics of the younger men. He looked up to give Adam a fond smile. “You were pretty amazing,” he complimented. “I can see why they ask you back every season.”

“Thank you so much,” Adam said sincerely, keeping his arm about Kurt.

“Well, I’m sure the two of you are exhausted and starving,” Carole surmised. “There’s a place that we spotted that looks perfect for a post-theater snack.”

Kurt felt his stomach grumble a bit, the light dinner that he’d eaten before the show a distant memory. “That sounds great. I’ve got so much to tell you…”

Finn reached over to pull Kurt away from his boyfriend and gave him a hug. “I’m so proud of you,” he praised sincerely. “You really are doing what you dreamed of. Last summer you were in Lima and look at you now.”

Kurt felt himself blinking back tears at his stepbrother’s regard. Just a year ago he was serving lattes and fearing for his future. Now he was starting to see his aspirations realized. He was on stage and gaining experience and respect in his profession. He couldn’t be happier.

“Well, let’s get moving,” Burt urged, offering his wife his arm. “There’s a piece of pie with my name on it. Come on kids… my treat.”

The group cheered, not going to turn down the chance for food. Adam regained possession of his boyfriend and fell into step with the others, chatting happily with Kurt’s friends and family as if he’d known them all his life.

Kurt felt himself grinning, allowed himself to be pulled along to celebrate the first phase of his summer performances and looking forward to the next.

* * *

“It’s really great of you to put us up here,” Finn remarked as he helped lay out the bedding on the couch. “I mean… you didn’t have to.”

Rachel just gave a soft smile, cocking her head. “It’s not a big deal. With everyone here, it’s like a New Directions slumber party.”

The loft was going to be very crowded for the next few days with so many people staying there. Kurt gave Artie and Tina permission to use his bed during their visit since he wasn’t around, which left the living room for Puck and Finn. Fortunately it would only be for a few days and it would be nice to have a chance to reconnect with everyone while they celebrated Kurt’s debut.

Santana had decided after they got home that even though it was nearly midnight they needed more snacks. She dragged Artie and Tina along to show them where in the neighborhood they could score some late night food. Puck decided to tag along, leaving Finn and Rachel alone together for the first time in months.

“Still, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Finn insisted. “Mom and Burt would have gotten us a hotel room if it was a problem.”

“It’s fine,” she assured him with a confidence that surprised her. “I’ve got dance class tomorrow most of the day and I’m singing at the piano bar in the afternoon so you probably won’t see much of me until dinner.”

Finn offered her a thankful smile. “Well, I thought that Puck and I would do a little sightseeing. Kurt said we should check out the Highline.”

Rachel nodded. “You’ll enjoy that. There are a lot of interesting places over there.”

“It’ll be nice. I didn’t have time to do any real sightseeing the couple of times I was here.” Finn said agreeably. “It’s a shame that Kurt won’t be around, but I know he’s going to be busy tomorrow.”

“He and Adam will be staying in Garrison until the festival ends,” Rachel explained. “I haven’t seen him very much since they started rehearsals. But it’s so wonderful to see him performing like that. He’s so happy.”

Finn nodded agreeably. “We’re really proud of him. He knows what he wants and he’s been working hard for a long time. It’s nice to see him getting what he deserves.”

At one point, Finn would have expected Rachel’s expression to darken at his comment. That she wasn’t getting the acknowledgement and credit being given to another. Instead, to his surprise, she just smiled and nodded in agreement.

“I know,” she answered with a lot more conviction that he would have given her credit for. “I can’t wait to see him in the next show.”

Her smiled brightened at the prospect and Finn could see just how much she had changed since he last saw her. His gaze softened at the memories of what might have been.

“How have you been, Rachel?” he asked, sitting down on his makeshift bed. “Kurt told me about what happened with Funny Girl. I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I know that you’re disappointed.”

She sighed, still bitterly disappointed, but enough time had passed that mention of the show no longer felt like a knife in her gut. “I am, but it’s for the best,” she said with quite assurance.

“I… I just wasn’t ready,” she admitted. “And I probably would have just screwed it up if by some chance I got the role. I needed that reality check.” She allowed herself to smile ruefully. “Sometimes getting knocked down makes you even more determined. And not as likely to take things for granted.”

Finn smiled softly, happy to see the change in his ex. Rachel’s drive was one of the things that he had most admired about her, but he knew better than most how it could blind her. To see her accepting a failure to get something that she had desperately wanted and an understanding that she was rushing into something that she wasn’t prepared to handle was a change that he was pleased to see. Seeing that she had learned to control her drive enough to keep from harming herself and others was gratifying and made him hopeful for her future.

“I’m glad that you can see it that way,” he consoled sincerely. “It’s not easy, but sometimes you’re better off taking that step back so you can regroup and be in a better position the next time.”

Rachel nodded in agreement. “I spent so much time building up playing that one part in my mind that I kind of lost sight of the fact that I’m looking to build a career. I can’t let one set back stop me this early on.”

Finn smiled proudly, pleased to see how far she’d come since he last saw her.

“But what about you?” Rachel asked. “How are you and Puck enjoying New Orleans?”

“It’s been great,” he said agreeably. “We’re doing a lot of good down there and it feels good to be helping people. So we’ve got a few more weeks there before we have to decide what to do next.”

“Any ideas?”

Finn nodded, his fingers picking at the bedding . “Maybe. The guy who’s managing the rebuilding project owns a company in Austin. He liked how we’ve picked up on things even though neither of us had any real experience and he’s offering us a chance to apprentice at his carpenter shop. We already wanted to check out Austin, so this might be a good reason for us to head down there.”

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. “That sounds like a great idea,” she agreed. “You’ve always liked working with your hands.”

Her encouragement seemed to lighten something in Finn’s eyes. “It wasn’t what I planned to do, but I think it’s worth checking out,” he granted. “I’m not going to lie… the past few months have been really hard. Not knowing what to do with my life, I mean. Especially when I look at you and Kurt. You both knew what you wanted and I felt really stupid in comparison.”

“Finn…”

He looked up at her, offering a reassuring smile. She had always tried to encourage him, even if her advice wasn’t particularly helpful.

“No, it’s okay,” he insisted. “It’s great that you know so clearly what you want to do with your life. But it took me a little while to get it through my head that there’s no shame in not knowing what you want right out of high school. It’s more than okay to take some time to figure yourself out.”

Rachel offered him a knowing smile. “Is that something you learned on your travels?” she asked playfully.

Finn chuckled and shook his head. “No. I was talking to Adam when he was in town for the wedding and he gave me some good advice. I’m just glad that I followed it. Otherwise I’d probably still be stuck in Lima.”

He looked over to her, smiling warmly. “I feel like maybe I’m starting to find myself a little bit. A place for myself that doesn’t hinge on being what someone else needs me to be for them.”

Rachel knew that Finn hadn’t meant his words as a slap against her, but she couldn’t help from feeling a trace of shame over how she’d treated him. Her own ambitions had been paramount and she hadn’t realized at the time how much pressure she had placed on Finn to live up to her needs. She hadn’t considered the harm she’d done to him until she lost him.

She sat down on the couch next to him, wishing that she could take the comfort from his presence that he’d always readily offered. But she didn’t have that right any longer. Especially not since she all but threw her relationship with Brody in his face.

As if he sensed her uncertainty, Finn reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay,” he promised, trying to ease her worries. “I don’t blame you for me not having my act together. Don’t feel bad because you’ve know what you wanted to be and I didn’t.”

She fell silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts about how their lives had pulled them apart.

“You look like you’re thinking awfully hard,” Finn teased, giving her the smile that always made her insides quiver.

She brushed her hair back, not sure if she should be asking the question that was churning in her mind. “Do you think..?” She paused, trying to get the right words out.

Finn didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for her to get her thoughts in order.

Rachel sighed and decided to just rip off the bandage. “Do you blame me for what happened? That maybe if I wasn’t so focused on myself that we’d still be together?”

Finn’s eyes softened at the wounded tone in her voice. “Rach… I don’t know,” he admitted with a trace of genuine regret. “But I do know that even back in our senior year that we were drifting apart in a lot of ways. Even if everything had worked out the way I planned and I got into Ohio State, we would have been apart. What we both wanted just wasn’t connecting anymore.”

He reached up to gently smooth back her hair. “I don’t blame you for your dreams. Maybe if you did bend a little we would have held out a bit longer, but to be honest I just don’t see how we could have stayed together over the long run. Not without one of us really making the kind of sacrifice that neither of us was able to.”

The young man offered her a comforting smile. “I think that somewhere along the time, we loved the idea of being together more than we actually loved being together. So letting you got to New York was the right thing for both of us, not just you.”

Rachel could fear the tears well in her eyes and blinked them away. She knew that he was right, but it still hurt to put what they’d shared together firmly and finally in the past. “But we can still be friends, can’t we?” she asked. “I don’t think I could stand it if you hated me.”

Finn’s eyes softened at the plaintive tone in her voice. “I don’t hate you, Rachel,” he insisted, reaching out to pull her close. “You might have hurt me, but I could never hate you. I want us to be friends so I can come here to support Kurt. And you. I want to see you achieve everything you ever dreamed of and to be happy. And I’ll find my own dreams and be happy.”

Rachel nodded, her smile teary as she mentally bid farewell to the romantic phase of their relationship. “I’d like that,” she agreed, sniffling. “After Kurt, you’re my best friend.”

“And you’re one of mine. After Kurt,” he chuckled.

Rachel sniffled again, getting her emotions under control and giving her ex a smile. “I’m glad that you’re here,” she insisted, for the first time not feeling real pain at the thought of what they’d shared. “And I know that it means a lot to Kurt. I’m glad you won’t be staying away because of me.”

“Nah… I can handle you,” he swore, his smile teasing and playful. “After all, I managed not to completely lose it during Election Gate.”

“Oh God, I was such a monster then,” she admitted ruefully. “I don’t know how you and Kurt didn’t kill me.”

Finn was saved from having to answer when the loft door slid open and the others poured in, Artie balancing a bulky paper bag on his lap and Puck carrying a pair of six packs. Santana took in the cozy scene and snarked, “Well, isn’t this sweet? I’m so glad that we’re not going to have a murder/suicide to clean up. Hummel would not be pleased.”

Rachel couldn’t help from laughing at Santana’s joke, containing just enough of her typical venom to bite but not sharp enough to draw blood. “No, we’re okay,” she assured the group. “But it was nice to talk.”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of munchies,” Puck promised, stashing the beer in the fridge. “Finn, you mind of Gothica and A-Rex join us tomorrow? I figure they need to see more of the city before they move here.”

“Sure,” Finn answered agreeably. “The more the merrier.”

“Great… the four of you partying it up while Berry and I work,” Santana groused.

Rachel nudged her playfully. “It’s not like we don’t have the city to ourselves all the time,” she admonished.

“We’d love to tag along, Finn. Thanks for inviting us,” Tina said, relieving Artie of his shopping bag and placing containers of ice cream into the freezer. “But seriously… we need to do something with Kurt after his show. Is there any place in Garrison we can go?”

“Kurt mentioned something about an Italian place they go to a lot,” Rachel informed them.

Finn nodded. “That sounds good. I’ll have Mom and Burt check it out to make sure it’ll be open late.”

Artie grinned widely, tearing open a bag of cookies. He took one for himself and then passed the bag around. “This is kind of exciting. The first of us in a professional production.”

“It’s a shame that Mercedes can’t be here” Puck mused, sitting down next to Finn. “She’s always been Kurt’s biggest fan.”

“The festival website will post a few scenes, but I’m going to sneak my phone in,” Rachel said, swallowing a bite of chocolate chip cookie. “I’m small so I can sneak a few shots.”

“Then it looks like we’re set,” Tina said happily.

Rachel nodded, feeling a sense of pleasure that she wouldn’t have expected for anything other than her own opening night. She knew that she had promised to support Kurt, and too often it had been an oath that she hadn’t lived up to. But now all she wanted was to see her best friend standing in the spotlight where he belonged.

Both of them were on the path together, and the only thing that made it better was to have their closest friends at their sides. She looked to Finn, grateful that they were able to move past the hard feelings and would still be there for one another.

Life may not have gone the way she expected, but it was still pretty darned wonderful.

* * *

Burt stood in front of the bathroom mirror, shaving his face while his wife brushed her teeth. They had been married long enough to share space during these normally private moments. While the hotel room was nice, space and time was limited.

“I spoke with the boys,” he informed her, wiping the traces of lather from his face. “We’ll pick them up in an hour and take them out for a good breakfast. I want to feed them up before they have to get to the theater.”

Carole nodded, rinsing her mouth and spitting neatly into the sink. “I’m surprised that you don’t want to sneak in to see the final dress rehearsal,” she teased.

He chuckled and shook his head. “I thought about it,” he admitted. “But I want to be surprised when I see Kurt in the show tomorrow night. And I want him to be able to get through his last rehearsal without him trying to impress me.”

“Then we’ll take them out for dinner afterwards,” Carole proposed. “Knowing Kurt, he won’t have much time to eat during the day.”

“You read my mind,” Burt complimented, giving his wife a quick kiss.

“Well, you get dressed while I put on some makeup. Don’t want to frighten the locals,” Carole teased.

Burt laughed and moved past her, giving her bottom a quick pat and headed into the sleeping area. He checked the clothes hanging neatly in the closet and decided to dress casually in his usual denim and a light cotton shirt. He rather liked that he didn’t look like a politician and could move about rather anonymously, unlike a number of the showboats that he worked with in Washington.

And definitely unlike his son, who had grown into a striking young man who drew attention no matter where he went. He’d stood out in Lima like some kind of exotic tropical flower in a field of daisies and was making his mark in New York just as radically.

He spotted the program from MacBeth that had been tucked into his sport jacket pocket from the night before. Taking it out and carefully smoothing it, he opened the program to the cast page and focused on the entry for his son.

Kurt had told him about his deliberations to pick just the right picture of himself. It needed to represent everything he’d accomplished thus far in his brief career and everything he hoped to. The black and white headshot had been taken by one of his photographer friends at Vogue and he looked both youthful and sophisticated, a juxtaposition that drew attention. It was hard to grasp that this handsome, talented adult was his son. This was his little boy who loved to play dress up and who covered everything he could get his hands on with sparkles. Now he was a grown man at the start of his acting career.

The biography blurb was brief, but cemented just what an important event this show had been in Kurt’s life.

Kurt Eli Hummel (Ensemble) is making his professional theater debut. Born in Ohio, he was a member of a nationally ranked show choir team in high school and moved to New York to attend the prestigious New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. He is grateful for his family and friends for their love and support in helping to start his stage career.

Burt felt his eyes start to water, because this was all now very real to him. He was getting to see his son taking his first professional steps and it was hard to put into words how much that meant to him. He always had the normal parental concerns for his son’s future, wanting him to be successful and happy. He had his concerns, with Kurt choosing such an unstable career. He wasn’t a naive man and while he thought the world about Kurt’s talents, he knew very well that talent might not be enough to give him success. H he dreaded the prospect of having to watch his son’s dreams be broken.

He had seen his son disappointed before, when he came home dejected because he was rejected for a role or solo that he felt he’d deserved. Teaching Kurt perseverance and strength in the face of adversity was all well and good, but no parent wanted to see their child constantly have to shoulder the burden of rejection. There were too many times when he had to watch Kurt putting on a brave face, swallowing his disappointment and finding the strength to push on and try again.

He should have known better. He knew how determined his son was and it should not have come as a surprise that Kurt was finding a place in that uncertain world and acknowledgement of his abilities. Kurt’s talent, not to mention his determination, were formidable that after only a year out of high school he was making a name for himself.

He’d been so deep in thought that Carole’s hand on his shoulder startled him, and he looked up at her in surprise. She just noticed what he was holding and smiled at him.

“It’s really amazing, isn’t it?” she asked softly, her expression loving as she stared down at her husband. “We watch them slowly grow up, take their first steps… see them off to the first day of school and before you know it, they’re out in the world without you.”

Burt huffed, wiping at his eyes. “This is… this is everything I ever hoped for him,” he admitted. “Even when he was a little kid, I knew that he was something special but no one except his mother and I saw it. Now it seems like the world is finally catching on.”

Carole couldn’t help from laughing, running her hand through his short hair lovingly. “This is the fun part of being a parent,” she decided. “Our reward for seeing them through heartbreak and skinned knees. We console them when things don’t work out, but we also get to celebrate when something like this happens.”

She looked down at the program, tracing her finger over Kurt’s picture. “I know that I’m not his mother, but I’m as proud of him as I would be if I was. He’s grown into quite a remarkable young man.”

Burt felt his throat tighten and nodded, giving his wife a smile. “Thank you for being here. That means a lot to us.”

Carole made a shushing sound and kissed him. “Don’t be silly,” she admonished. “There was no way that I’d miss this. I love you and I love Kurt. We might not have started out as a family, but we are one now.”

Burt knew that Finn’s accomplishments might not end up being as flashy as Kurt’s, but he made a mental promise that he would be as attentive and effusive for his stepson as Carole was for Kurt. He would not allow Finn to feel like he was second-best just because he was still searching for his own future.

“Well, let’s get dressed and pick up the boys,” he suggested, giving his wife another kiss. It would be a few days of celebration and he was looking forward to getting started.

* * *

Curtain was scheduled to go up at three in the afternoon, with the theater filled with invited guests. Besides some local press and VIPs, there were children from a local summer arts camp, nursing home residents, student groups and a number of scout troops. Despite the performance technically being called a dress rehearsal, it was more of a preview performance; a full run through with no breaks or interruptions. They’d have to adjust on the fly for mistakes, just as they would in a proper performance. Their director would be watching from the audience, making his notes for corrections or adjustments that he wanted to see.

Kurt sat at his dressing table, giving his hair a very generous application of hairspray. He paused for a second, touching the hair at his temple to judge the effectiveness of the spray, and then gave it another generous spritz. His hair wouldn’t move at all for the duration of the show, styled into a high, proud crest.

He’d gotten quite good at putting on his stage makeup over the past weeks, the foundation smoothing out his complexion and a carefully application of contouring to make the most of his cheekbones and jaw line. A touch of eyeliner and lip color finished the look, giving him a slender, haughty appearance that suited the character well.

Once satisfied with his appearance, it was time to put on his costume. The striking uniform hung on the rack behind his station, ready to transform him into a soldier from another era. He smiled, thinking back to his costuming class where he learned how much the costuming could play into how an actor approached a character, helping them to get into a certain mindset and influenced their portrayal. The black uniform with its crimson sash reminded Kurt of a black widow’s markings, or a coral snake’s coloration. Danger markings that warned of venom and should give a clear signal that he was a viper who would strike at any who might make the mistake of jabbing at him.

The colors marked Don John as a villain, someone who was set apart from the others. But Kurt had been delving deep into his character, finding complexities that might not be readily apparent in the dialogue. Don John certainly did a lot of despicable acts during the course of the show, but he had gotten into his character’s head and found the motivations behind this behaviors. His goal was to translate the vulnerabilities and hurts to the audience that might only be inclined to see the bastard who was jealous of his betters.

He glanced out the corner of his eye and saw Adam with the actors playing the prince and Claudio, looking bright and cheerful in their red jackets. There was nothing to stop him from going to them and being part of the group, but he wanted to keep in John’s headspace. He was the outcast, permanently set apart from the others through nothing more than an accident of birth.

“Hey Kurt.”

He glanced up to see Tracy, looking lovely in a butter yellow gown with an Empire waist that flattered her slender figure. Her auburn hair was piled on her head in neat ringlets and bound with ivory ribbons. He gave her a warm smile. “You look gorgeous,” he complimented sincerely.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” she asked, her brown eyes narrowing in concern. “Are you okay?”

Kurt nodded. “I was just thinking… getting into character a little.”

She nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I did a bit of meditating earlier. Wanted to make sure that I was in the right headspace.”

“I’m just thinking about my approach here,” he explained. “I want to make sure that I’m not reading him wrong.”

“Are you kidding?” Tracy demanded, an amused smile on her face. “You’ve been fantastic this whole time. Now’s not the time to start second guessing yourself.”

“I’m not,” he insisted. “I just don’t want to perform in a way that’s stepping on anyone’s toes.”

Tracy gave him an admonishing stare. “If you were, they would have said something. Kurt, you told me that you had this vision of Don John from the moment you auditioned. Ben angled his whole performance to play off of you.”

That had taken him aback, finding out that such an experienced actor was using Kurt’s performance to give his own form. “You think so?” he couldn’t help from asking.

Tracy just grinned. “I know you really get into your own head when performing, but see if you can pay attention to how Ben is playing off you. It gives some nice nuance.”

“I’ll try to do that,” he said agreeably. He needed to pay more attention to the other players and not focus so completely on his own performance. He owed it to the other players to give them the consideration that he wanted to himself.

“Well, I’ll leave you to finish dressing,” Tracy proclaimed, giving him a warm smile. “I’ll go see if I can bother Craig a little bit.”

Kurt gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll see you on stage,” he promised.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Once left to his own devices, Kurt shrugged off his robe and began to dress, putting on the layers and seeing Don John come to life with each garment that he wore. Once he buttoned up the jacket and tied the sash about his waist, he was ready to take the stage.

But first, he took a moment to join with Adam and the others, letting them pull him into their circle of easy camaraderie. He didn’t want to get a reputation for being standoffish because he was so focused on his work.

“Here he is,” Adam crowed, pulling Kurt into their group. “You look smashing.”

“Wow,” Ben complimented, taking in the full picture. “You are really going to be breaking hearts out there.”

“Hey, I’m supposed to be the heartbreaker here,” David, the actor playing Claudio complained playfully.

“Sorry, but I’m prettier,” Kurt responded lightheartedly. “And people love a bad boy with layers.”

“Well, let me get a picture of us,” Ben insisted, picking up his phone from his dressing table. “Because all this handsomeness needs to be immortalized.”

They quickly feel into position, Kurt at the center of things and giving big smiles. “I’ll want a copy of that,” Kurt insisted. “There’s nothing like being surrounded by a bunch of handsome men in uniform.”

They all laughed heartily, and Adam kept his arm casually around his boyfriend’s shoulders. “Ready, love?” he asked, his blue eyes shining with happiness.

Kurt nodded. “Can’t wait.”

“Well, I just wanted you to know that I’m really happy to be doing this with you,” Adam insisted gently. “This may be a job, but having you here… it’s made this a real pleasure for me. Thank you for doing this with me.”

“You can kiss me, but don’t mess up my makeup,” Kurt quipped, leaning close.

Adam smiled and kissed him gently. “We’d better get going,” he urged, holding Kurt in his arms. “The curtain will be going up soon.”

Kurt nodded, letting Adam lead him to where the rest of the cast gathered backstage. They listened intently to his final instructions and words of encouragement. Then it was time for the cast to find their marks and wait for the show to begin.

“Break a leg everyone,” Ben said encouragingly, his bright smile betraying his excitement.

Kurt couldn’t help from grinning happily, but quickly got his game face on. He fell into place behind Adam and the others, his face settling into quiet petulance as he let himself slip into character. When the stage lights came on and the curtain rose, he was ready.

#kadam fic #kadam #kurt hummel #adam crawford #burt hummel #carole hudson #rachel berry #finn hudson #noah puckerman #santana lopez #tina cohen chang #artie abrams

[crackerjackmercenary]

Stay The Night|02|

Pairing: Reader x Idol Yoongi Word Count: 1,346 Chapter Summary: You figure out where you are, find your stuff, proceed to try to make a quiet escape but you discover the man sleeping in the bed is someone famous and you can’t believe who it is. In fact it takes some convincing to you.  Chapter Rating: PG13 Warnings: Swearing, alcohol references, implied sex Chapter:|01|02 Hear Me Out |03|04|05|06|07|08

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You immediately open your eyes and looking around with your eyes without moving your body yet. You try to recognize where you are and if it was a friends house, a regular booty call or a stranger's place. You realize that you don’t recognize where you are as you look around, however you notice that it was a hotel room. A nice one at that. You could hear someone sleeping next to you, shuffling around but still asleep and realize that you are naked. Oh a stranger in a hotel, how typical of drunk me to do. You say to yourself as you slowly reach over for your phone, it was still pretty dark in the room so you turned down your brightness to 0. You squinted as you tried to force your eyes to adjust. You felt thirsty as you knew you were dehydrated and could taste the alcohol from last night in your mouth. Is that….coffee flavoured whiskey? I hate coffee. You think to yourself as you look at the time. 5:32am. Now where the fuck am I? You ask yourself as you open your maps and see. You zoom in and realize that you are right downtown in a Hilton Inn. HILTON INN?! I hope I didn’t pay for this last night. It’s so expensive. You immediately open your bank account to check, you sighed as you saw that you hadn’t seen a bill from Hilton Inn, but you saw that you had spent money at a corner store, on some pizza and at a pharmacy in that order. You looked over at a chair as your eyes have adjusted to the room and saw the pharmacy bag with toothbrush, mouthwash and toothpaste packaging inside it. You sighed as you laid your phone beside you and looked around before lifting yourself up slowly trying to not awake the person beside you. You managed to get off the bed and fumble around for your clothes quietly and quickly hoping that he doesn't wake up. You grab a pen and paper pad on the side table and write “It was nice, thanks. I’m probably home by the time you read this”. - (first letter of YN) You felt your clothes under the bed and started putting on your socks, as you see the figure in the bed shuffle, groan as he stretched and felt beside him to feel it empty, his eyes opened and he looked around the room as he opened the lamp and saw you hiding behind your clothes. “I-oh… I was just getting ready to leave” You say hiding yourself from him. You turn around quickly and put on your bra and underwear as fas as you could. “It’s 5 in the morning Y/N, where can you be going this early?” He asked with a raspy voice, rubbing his eyes trying to wake himself. The voice sounded familiar with a familiar accent and in your half-drunk state you blurted out the first thought in your head without thinking.  “Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Suga from BTS?” You say with a laugh. He didn’t say anything but from his silence, you could tell he was confused. “Uh… that’s because I am” He answered in a serious tone.  “Oh yeah, haha. Very funny” You say sarcastically as you finish buttoning your shirt and put on your jeans. “I really am, how can you not see that? Here” He moves closer to you and his face becomes a little more clear. You were face to face with a man that looked pretty similar to Min Yoongi, aka Suga.  “I’ll have to admit that you look a lot like him” You laugh as you sit down on a chair and put on your shoes. He shakes his head and puts on a robe to sit at the end of the bed to look at you. “You said your vision was bad but I didn’t know it was this bad,” He said with a sigh ruffling his hair looking at you. At that moment you realized that you haven’t had your glasses and that they were under repair so you’d be basically blind for 2 weeks. You could barely see beyond 2 inches away from your face clearly. Even someone standing a foot away was blurry for you. “Oh yeah, I am pretty blind, but I know you’re not him. What are the chances of that meeting him there at that moment in the music store? A world-famous celebrity?” you snorted. “Okay there” you add sarcastically. He shakes his head, took a deep breath then stood up to stand close to you to help you up. Your vision finally came into focus as you were now closely face to face with him. You were both so close that he basically pulled you closer into him that you felt the warmth of his body through your clothes. You realize in horror and realize that he was, in fact, Min Yoongi. Your eyes widen and study his face rapidly, then realize he’s holding your hand and standing really close so you take your hand back and move a step away.  “That’s the reaction I was going for,” he said with a smirk. You kept staring in awe, shock and star struck unable to speak. No, this isn’t real I am dreaming.  You tell yourself as you stayed silent. “You really are blind, Y/N” He broke the silence looking at you and stepping away as he sat back down on the bed. You finally come back to reality and began to have racing thoughts. He’s a celebrity, he probably does this all the time with girls all over the world. I should just go. You tell yourself as you side smile looking at him while putting on your coat. “Yes, and I really should get going, I need to run errands and stuff,” you say fast as you can zipping up your jacket. You just wanted to get out of there. “At 5am? Who gets up this early?” He asks looking at you while raising an eyebrow. “I do,” you say as you look to see you have your wallet, phone, and keys. “Well at least let me get someone to drive you back to your place,” He says standing up putting his hands in his pockets. You walk towards the door with him closely behind. You open the door and hold it open, “Uh no thank you, I can just take an uber or something, I’ll be fine. I gotta go now. Bye” You say as you walk away fast. “Wait, I didn’t get your number!” He asked running after you. “Oh that’s not necessary, you don’t need to be nice to me and feel like you need to hush me so I don’t say anything, I promise you I won-” You say in one breath as you press the elevator button. You realize that you are in the penthouse. “It so we can trade tracks and possible collaboration” He interrupted bowing his head. You let out a sarcastic laugh.  “Are you drunk?” You ask him as the doors open.  “No, I swear. I gave you my manager's number but you didn’t give me yours” He said holding the door open. You pressed the button to the main floor and looked at him. I just want to get out of here with my dignity intact. You think as you smile with a blank stare. “Okay, I’ll call your manager and leave my number on there,” You say as you press the close doors button and he moved. “Alright, I look forward to hearing from you Y/N” He said still keeping eye contact. You both met eyes as the doors closed tightly. I doubt it but I’ll just pretend. I wish I could remember what happened, how did I end up in this place with him in bed? You fix your hair, check your face and book an uber as you make your way out of the elevator and into the lobby. 

#Stay The Night #staythenight #series #chapter 2 #chapter 02 #chapter #2 #02 #suga #idol #reader x suga #reader x yoongi #readerxsuga #readerxyoongi #min #yoongi #minyoongi #min yoongi

[crackerjackmercenary]

Stay The Night|01|

Pairing: Reader x Idol Yoongi Word Count: 677 Chapter Summary: You were out minding your own business in a music store, after a night of drinking and end up meeting a stranger at the music store. Next thing you know, you wake up in an unfamiliar place from blacking out. Chapter Rating: PG13 Warnings: Swearing, alcohol references Chapter:|01 We Are Upside Down |02|03|04|05|06|07|08

_____________________________________________________________________ You typically went on these drunken benders for what seemed like weeks at a time. Weekends of partying your face off and sometimes blacking out not remembering the night. Most times you ended up in a stranger's bed, in your own bed with a stranger or on someone’s couch. Sometimes you would wake up and weeks later you would receive a random purchase from something you bought while drunk online. There was that one time you woke up in the drunk tank and was let off on a warning. It was just something you were used to when your brain decided to switch gears, you were the kind of person that just went with the flow and went with it. You tried your best to improve your life and you did, it’s just the drinking benders started to take it’s toll so you promised yourself that you wouldn’t do it anymore. You decided to not drink as heavily tonight, because you were in the city by yourself on the New Years Eve week. Exiting the bar, you walked home and found a musical instrument store where you went in and explored. You touched the guitars gently, fiddled around with the DJ booth and played around with the MacBook they leave out for mixing. You sing quietly a bit to record something onto the MacBook, you close your eyes as you start singing something you wrote that day. You had your earphones on so loud that you didn’t really notice how loud you were singing, however, the owners knew that you always come around this time to sing and they didn’t seem to mind as you never caused trouble. You started touching and tapping the keyboard to hit certain keys to make beats, claps, and snare sounds. You got to the bridge part of your song and got so into it that you closed your eyes again singing loudly. You were drunk, you weren’t shy and didn’t really care if customers were around. It wasn’t until you felt a tap on your shoulder, “I’m sorry, Phil, I’m almost done. I’ll leave in a bit” You say still keeping your focus on the MacBook. You close your eyes and start humming then felt another tap on your shoulders, this time you opened your eyes and saw a stranger standing beside you. Your eyes widened at the realization of what just happened. You couldn’t really make out his face all that much as you felt the effects of the alcohol reaching it’s high. “OH I AM SORRY, I THOUGHT YOU WERE BRIAN. THE-” You realize you are still yelling and pause the music and take off the earphones. “Hello,” The stranger greeted you. “I am so sorry if I was bothering you, I just was finishing up here, you can have it now,” You say as you grab your jacket and start to walk away, the man kept trying to speak but you kept speaking over him. “No no, I wanted to say, I enjoy listening to you sing,” He said nodding his head. “Oh, oh… uh…. Thank you.” You say stopping in your tracks, you felt a little embarrassed assuming thing quickly. You smile and nod. “You can go back to music,” He said pointing back to the Macbook. “Oh, I...no… I need to go, I am starting to feel it hit me. I must go before I do something stupid” You laugh trying to reach and hold on to a shelf to get your balance. You throw on your coat, zip it up and put on the hood. It’s as if you blinked and the next thing you knew you were in your bed. You hadn’t opened up your eyes and just realized that you blacked out. Shit. I hope I didn’t embarrass myself. You say as yourself frantically reach for your phone on your nightstand, you realize that it wasn’t your nightstand because you felt glass and an alarm clock. Yours was made of wood. FUCKING SHIT. You cursed yourself as your eyes fly open.

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