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brucebocchi · 4 months

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Ranking every new anime I watched in 2023, Pt. 4: #5-1

hey, i just started a ko-fi for my writing and possible other creative outlets. this post will also be available there, so please check it out and consider tipping/donating as i'm currently between jobs. the tumblr version of part 1 can be found here, part 2 here, and part 3 here.

The list is complete! This took a lot of work but I'm over the moon to get this out there. Please consider leaving a tip if you've enjoyed reading.

Here goes, my top five anime of 2023:

5. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Zom 100’s debut hit like a freight train, especially coming from a brand new studio. It had everything: Visceral satire of Japanese work culture, incredible animation, vibrant colors in unexpected places, clever cinematography, wish fulfillment for everyone who’s ever wanted to Stone Cold their boss, and most importantly: Zombie titties.

The premise is magnetic: When your job makes you feel like a zombie, an actual zombie apocalypse means certain freedom from the grind. Akira Tendo realizes that he can finally use the vacation time he amassed while being exploited and overworked at a legally dodgy black company, so he writes a bucket list of everything he’s ever wanted to do, with all intention of checking off every single line item before succumbing to a zombie bite. He manages to rescue his hunky fuckboy bestie from college, and they embark on a road trip across Japan to finish out the list, along with a beautiful, risk-averse tsundere and a big-tiddy German weeb.

It's a perfectly fine elevator pitch, and a welcome break from the guns-and-grit quagmire the zombie genre has been stuck in for the past two decades, but what makes any good zombie-flecked media resonate is the human element, which Zom 100 delivers expertly. You’re quickly given reason to care for all the characters, their motivations are clear and relatable, and you want to see them survive and live out their dreams. But more importantly, you just want to hang out with them through their hijinks. It even delves into more serious matters, like what we owe our parents as adults, the ways isolation and bitterness can drive people to act out in their worst moments, and even the factors that push abuse victims to stay with and even return to their abusers.

Above all, though, it’s a powerful (if extreme) story of finding joy in the direst circumstances. Akira, Kencho, and Shizuka are all kindhearted, well-meaning people whose situations kept them from what they truly wanted to do with their lives, and there’s something kinda beautiful to be found in them finding a new opportunity during the possible end of the world (Beatrix is a sweetie too, but aside from the whole zombie thing, she’s already exactly where she wants to be). The final arc of the season, in particular, looks you dead in the eye and asks you: If you were suddenly faced with the ultimate freedom, would you use the opportunity to better yourself, improve the lives of others, or do whatever the fuck you want at everyone else’s expense? You may not like the answer at first if you’re honest with yourself, and that’s okay. The world isn’t over, and there’s still time for you to be your best self.

Zom 100, unfortunately, fell prey to a cruel irony in the form of production issues. Bug Films is a new studio made up of a former team from OLM that was responsible for similarly gorgeous projects such as Komi Can’t Communicate and Summer Time Rendering. They clearly saw so much of themselves in Akira's workplace exploitation that they had to swing for the fences here. The firm he works for is named “ZLM” in this adaptation, for fuck’s sake, and he fully destroys his zombie boss in the first episode. But new studio or old, the anime industry is a grind, and Bug had trouble keeping up; animation quality did take a bit of a dip after the stunning first episode, and episodes were frequently delayed as the summer broadcast season wore on and ended without the entire seasonal run making airwaves. Hell, it was impossible to watch the final three episodes until just a few days before I could write this sentence.

For what Bug were able to pull off, though, Zom 100 is outstanding. The paintball-colored blood splatters everywhere are an instantly-iconic look that strike the balance between horror and spectacle. Everything and everyone looks gorgeously faithful to Kotaro Takata’s art, and delivers an appropriately cinematic look that the manga always deserved. I almost don’t know what else to tell you but that this show is a fucking blast.

There’s also a zombie shark. What more could you want?

4. Oshi no Ko

I spent a good chunk of 2023 just assuming Oshi no Ko was going to be a layup for anime of the year. Shortly after moving on from Kaguya-sama, I rushed to binge Aka Akasaka's subsequent manga in time for the anime's feature-length debut. I was taken in by OnK's bonkers premise and sudden dark turn and quickly fell in love with the characters, and my anticipation only grew. I had high expectations for the screen adaptation, but nothing could have prepared me for just how lovingly it all came together. This is as close to a perfect adaptation as you can find, and the same can be said about both the preceding and following entries on this list.

Oshi no Ko is an audiovisual feast. Doga Kobo cleaned up Mengo Yokoyari’s character designs just a smidge, but put just the right flourishes on them to make every single cast member instantly iconic. One look at Kana Arima’s eyes will tell you everything you need to know about the level of care put into the visual design of this anime. The performances are on point as well; though many of the main cast members are relative newcomers to the world of seiyuu, you can tell they truly came to understand the characters before they even recorded one line. I’ve already gushed about Rie Takahashi in earlier entries, but her turn as Ai Hoshino is easily one of the best voice performances all year. Takahashi makes a meal out of every single second Ai spends on screen and gives you every reason to care about her as a character.

Showbiz manga in general is obviously missing an audio element, and when an adaptation can expand on that aspect well, it can help turn even middling source material into something transcendent (see also: Rock!, Bocchi the). Music is central to Oshi no Ko, and the OP/ED combination is already iconic; YOASOBI’s “Idol” has had the best worldwide chart performance of any Japanese song ever, and the prolonged intro to Queen Bee’s “Mephisto” became a meme in Japan in the same vein as JJBA’s iconic use of “Roundabout.” Rather than taking manga characters’ word for it that someone is a terrible actor, we actually get to cringe along to an amateur actor’s hammy emoting. We get to see and hear what turned a fictional idol group into a national phenomenon rather than just see cute girls posing on the page. All of this is to say that while Oshi no Ko is an excellent manga, it needed a screen adaptation, and especially one of this quality.

Oshi no Ko deserves every shred of its success. I've never seen an anime make a splash this enormous with just its debut episode, even if it’s kind of cheating to say so because the first episode is almost literally a movie, and if I were to give an award for the best single episode of anime this year, it would be that one, hands down. Adapting the entire first volume into a feature-length debut was the correct move (mostly because it’s a tonal rollercoaster, and the Big Event that defines the entire story wouldn’t have happened until the fourth episode otherwise), and the investment paid dividends. The hype naturally died down a bit as the season wore on and settled into a more consistent tone and rhythm, but it remains an essential anime to 2023.

You may have noticed that I have said very little of what this show is actually about, and that’s by design: If you still don’t know the plot of Oshi no Ko’s first episode by now, I refuse to tell you: you need to go in blind. All I will say is that it is an idol anime that glorifies nothing. If you've read this far and still trust what I have to say about anime, I beg you to just take my word for it. It's an incredibly rewarding experience.

3. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

There's just something so wonderful about taking in an adaptation of a work you’re already familiar with and knowing, almost instantaneously, that every single person working on it genuinely loved the source material and relished the opportunity to bring it to life. Nearly every single member of the original cast is in the dub (including the ones who went on to be MCU mainstays), Edgar Wright is back on as executive producer, Anamanaguchi reprise their soundtracking duties from the video game, and even Bryan Lee O’Malley himself helped co-write everything.

That last detail is probably the most important thing about this entire production: It’s not exactly a secret that the original Scott Pilgrim comics are very imperfect portrayals of a very imperfect young man. I knew reading them at the time that the comic did not have a great grasp on relationships and the dynamics between men and women, and that was at a time in my life when I myself was pretty terrible with and to women. O'Malley has said that he would only revisit Scott Pilgrim if it was “the right thing” and that he was leery of a straight retelling of a work he has since outgrown.

So instead, we have the Rebuild of Scott Pilgrim, to put it simply. Takes Off is a completely new story that reexamines the Scott Pilgrim comics, movie, and even game without undermining what came before it. This series is not a repudiation of Scott Pilgrim (the character or the franchise)’s flaws, nor is it purely fanservice; it splits the difference perfectly. It’s both more mature and completely self-indulgent. This show so easily could’ve marched to the familiar discourse drumbeat of “Scott isn’t the hero here” or “he’s actually not a good dude,” but it instead focuses on what should always be the second half of that sentence: “But Ramona still sees something in him.”

Yes, Ramona Flowers is effectively the protagonist of a new work that doesn’t even have her name on it, and it tackles some surprisingly necessary questions: What was her responsibility in creating seven evil exes in the first place? What made them evil? Are they even that evil? This series opens up entire worlds of possibilities within the extended cast and gleefully dives into them. Though Takes Off may not flesh out every single character, it does take its time with several of the ones who really did need a little more meat on their narrative bones, and even gives some characters new roles just because it would be fun to see them in new situations.

I still cannot believe they got Science Saru to make this show. “They made a Scott Pilgrim anime” and “They brought back the movie cast” are already good enough fodder for that Vince McMahon meme, but “It’s produced by the motherfuckers who made Devilman Crybaby” had me falling out of my chair. The animation maintains O'Malley's chunky, cartoony character designs and works wonders with line weights and simulated camera effects to give everything a tactile, weighty feel, like it’s somehow (and very appropriately) splitting the difference between a comic, a film, and even a video game. There’s a wide array of visual effects that helps to place all of Scott Pilgrim’s influences further on its sleeve: Dynamic action scenes, camera depth and chromatic aberration, and our beloved pixel art inserts. It looks like every Scott Pilgrim, everywhere, all at once.

The live action film’s cast did a (mostly) great job reprising their roles for animation, and there are some wildly unexpected cameos in there. Voice acting is not quite the same as stage or film acting, but everyone pulls their weight, and dialogue feels far more naturalistic than your average anime dub. Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong and, surprisingly, Chris Evans are outstanding in their respective roles. I’m gonna have to watch this again in Japanese, though. Fairouz Ai as Ramona, Aoi Koga as Knives, and Yuichi Nakamura as Lucas Lee? Sign me the fuck up.

This is not an apology or revision of Scott Pilgrim the character or work, it is a celebration that still acknowledges and improves on the flaws. If you’re a Scott Pilgrim fan who’d been clamoring for a proper cartoon adaptation, Takes Off may not exactly be what you’ve wanted, but it may be what you needed. Chances are pretty good that you’ve grown since the first time since you read, watched, or even played something with Scott Pilgrim’s name on it, and it’s a blessing to say that while the character may not have grown, Scott Pilgrim the franchise finally has.

2. Jujutsu Kaisen, season 2

I’m so glad I picked up JJK this year, if only because I would’ve otherwise been caught in a mudslide of memes I didn’t understand.

Season 2 follows in lockstep with the manga from where season 1 left off, beginning in extended flashback with the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc, covering Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto’s high school life and the events that would eventually create the rift between them that came to shape Jujutsu Kaisen’s story. We see very different versions of Gojo and Geto here, much younger and more naive, but only marginally less powerful as they’re sent on an escort mission with the future of the jujutsu world in the balance. Because this is Jujutsu Kaisen, and because Jujutsu Kaisen is for masochists, nothing happens as planned.

We unfortunately do not get the precious slice-of-life hijinks the OP suggests, but if you watched season 1, you should know better by now than to trust an OP. While the initial arc does have its quieter and goofier moments (and some delicious homoerotic subtext), it wastes little time in declaring that this is a new version of the Jujutsu Kaisen anime: Lines are thinner, character models are looser, and action is buckwild. Two of the best fakeouts in the series happen in the span of five minutes. Those unfamiliar with the source material may have wondered for a bit why there needed to be a five-episode prequel arc to start the season, but the pieces would soon fall into place.

And then came Shibuya.

The Shibuya Incident arc was what made Jujutsu Kaisen a must-read in every new issue of Shonen Jump. It reset the status quo for the story and shaped it into something far beyond another “teenagers with special powers go to a school for teenagers with special powers” battle shonen. Needless to say, the hype for its anime adaptation was astronomical.

The Shibuya arc sets the stakes early: Nobody is safe and there may be no happy ending. Triumph is short-lived, and every threat is existential. Everyone who has been in the series up to this point plays a role, and you’re not going to like a lot of what’s needed of them. This arc punches you in the gut, repeatedly, and in between each blow is some of the most intense and innovative action you’ve ever seen. It will hurt, and you will beg for more.

I liked this arc a good amount in the manga, but by the end I was ready for it to be over. I didn’t get the hype around Toji, thought the deaths were cheap, and was so. FUCKING. sick of Mahito. Seeing it in fluid motion onscreen, though, everything just clicked for me and I couldn’t get enough. I fully get now why the girlies have been wetting themselves over Toji; the character modelers were HORNY horny this season. I see now how even the most unceremonious deaths fit into the narrative, or at least one will make perfect sense to me once Gege Akutami and I have a little chat :). And holy hell do I understand now that Mahito is one of the best shonen villains in the history of the medium, that sick bastard. Season 2 was my Rosetta stone for Jujutsu Kaisen; I see it all now. My sixth eye has been opened. Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the literate one.

JJK’s second season has a markedly different feel from the first from a presentation standpoint, and I feel it’s for the better. Every aspect of the presentation is on point, and I want to call attention to the audio element: The production music, with a heavy focus on jazz piano, is wonderfully unique for the genre, and the voice acting remains top notch. These are banner performances from the likes of Yuichi Nakamura, Kenjiro Tsuda, Takahiro Sakurai, Asami Seto, and Nobunaga Shimazaki, but the performance that defines the Shibuya arc (and by extension the entire season) is Junya Enoki as Yuji Itadori.

Enoki’s been great this year in lead roles in goofy works like KamiKatsu and Girlfriend Girlfriend (not to mention minor roles in Skip and Loafer and the vending machine isekai), so it’s no surprise that he continues to crush it as JJK’s protagonist; Yuji Itadori is a goofy dude. But the Shibuya arc, for as much ground and as many characters as it covers, is ultimately Yuji’s story as he is forced, time and again, to endure the cycle of the “suffering builds character” meme. His peers and mentors in the first season told him repeatedly that the life of a jujutsu sorcerer is a short and unhappy one, and he now has to shoulder that burden for everyone. Enoki nails every single part of a wide spectrum of emotions Yuji is forced to endure over the course of the Shibuya arc, be it determination, naive confusion, or just pure unbridled trauma. If this isn’t the best voice performance of the year, it’s top five at worst.

Like every major battle shonen release in the age of social media, this season has had its detractors. Reviewers at Anime News Network kinda hated the story, but that’s something you take up with Gege Akutami (and get in line behind the manga readers). I've seen people complain about the animation. Which, like. If you don’t like the new visual style, sure, fine, that’s up to personal taste. But if you think this season isn’t well-animated, you just plain don’t know ball. It may not have a cohesive look, but that was the draw for me: Season 1 was good, but at times I felt like it looked a little too rigid, a little too shiny, a little too samey. Season 2, especially the Shibuya arc, looks like everything. Sometimes it looks like an action film, sometimes it looks like Mob Psycho 100, and at points it looks, most crucially, like Akutami’s most iconic panels brought to life, stroke for stroke.

The varying styles weren’t an accident: Nearly each episode had its own director, and those resumes cover top-tier animations like Mob Psycho, Devilman Crybaby, Kill la Kill, Heavenly Delusion, Oshi no Ko, FLCL, even Akira and goddamn Golden Boy. While the episodes don’t look entirely consistent from one to the next, the variance is less jarring and more “holy fuck, what am I going to see next?”. The looser style of animation is what Jujutsu Kaisen always needed; Akutami’s art is very loose and dynamic, and his action panels are borderline inscrutable at times. Season 2 nails the feel of JJK to a degree that its adaptation always needed and lets its directors, storyboarders, and animators run wild. At times, characters will look like they leapt right off the page; others, they will look like something you have never seen before in your life.

It is unfortunately impossible to talk about this season without also bringing up MAPPA’s working conditions, and how animators were frequently overworked against nigh-impossible deadlines. It was an open secret last year as Chainsaw Man aired that MAPPA’s animation schedule was a meat grinder, but that came bubbling to the surface quickly as JJK’s second season aired. Word got out midseason that MAPPA had its animators sign NDAs about their work conditions, but complaints still broke containment and several staffers took to social media to apologize for their work looking incomplete, and some even publicly announced that they are leaving the studio. It is stunning that the finished product looks the way it does under such conditions, and I respect the animators for putting in such incredible work, but something has to give. Several major series suffered from major delays this year, some of which I gave significant praise, but MAPPA is lucky that all of JJK came out on time. I wish I knew what could push them to treat their workers with the dignity and respect (and pay) they deserve, but that’s a conversation that covers much wider ground than just anime.

MAPPA has already announced that the series will continue through the next major arc. While there is quite a bit of it that I would love to see on screen, I can only hope that the animators get to rest. For now, though, we can be proud of what they made under duress, even if some will forever wonder what it would look like if the staff were treated like something a notch above cattle.

1. Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Fucking hell. This is why I watch anime.

I was curious about this one because a couple major anitubers I watch had reviewed the manga and were effusive in their praise. I knew the anime adaptation was on the way, so I decided to hold off on reading and see what the anime would be like, and with Keiichiro Saito (director of Bocchi the Rock! and key animator for Oshi no Ko’s instantly-iconic OP) at the helm, my excitement was piqued. That guy turned a B-minus 4-koma into an innovative hit comedy, so what can he do with a beloved source material and the backing of a legacy studio like Madhouse?

I've had so much to say about Frieren since the premiere, and I still have so much to say now, but to talk about what I love about this show is to talk about everything about this show. When the first four episodes dropped, I described it as “Mushoku Tensei without the baggage,” and I stand by that. There were multiple points throughout Frieren’s first cour where I'd nearly forgotten that I wasn't watching Mushoku Tensei. Every single element is on point: The animation is fluid and expressive, backdrops are consistently gorgeous, voice performances are quickly memorable, and the music is evocative and instantly iconic. This is, plainly, one of the most beautiful pieces of television I have ever seen on nearly every level, be it visually, sonically, or thematically.

The initial four-episode debut was a masterclass in establishing the setting, building emotional investment into the characters, and slowly but deliberately laying out the premise of the season to come. The titular Frieren is an elf mage who, for a very brief decade of her millennium-long life, lent her skills to an adventuring party to slay the Demon King. Though she helped save the world, she was never one for stuff like adulation or socializing, so she breaks away from the group to continue her hobby of collecting various spells and arcana. She regroups with them after 50 years, having kept in contact with none of them, only to find them older and frailer. The party’s leader, the hero Himmel, passes away shortly thereafter, and Frieren breaks down at his funeral, having realized exactly too late how important he was to her and that she’d never really bothered to get to know him as a person.

Some time later, she’s called by the surviving human member of the party, Heiter, under the guise of translating an old text, but soon realizes that he duped her into helping train the young orphan girl he adopted, Fern, as a mage. Upon Heiter’s death, Frieren and Fern head out together, carrying out odd jobs and retracing Frieren’s steps from the journey that changed her more than she realized. They soon learn from the other surviving member of the party, Eisen, that (ooh) heaven is, in fact, a place on earth, and that Frieren may be able to properly pay Himmel his final respects in person. In order to do so, they must make a trip to the north, past the Demon King’s castle. The story of Beyond Journey’s End is, quite literally, a nostalgia trip.

Frieren's story is one of grief and regret, but also how we can use those emotions as a way of moving forward rather than looking backward. Her history is a long one and her memories seemingly everlasting, but she uses them to pave the road ahead of her rather than let them shackle her to the past. This is best exemplified by Fern herself, as well as the other companion they pick up the way in Eisen’s former trainee, Stark. Frieren can carry on the legacies of Heiter and Eisen by helping their young wards grow into the capable young adults they’re meant to be, while Himmel’s legacy lives on in the memories of the towns and villages he helped save along Frieren’s new path, and most importantly, in Frieren herself.

The degree to which Himmel truly mattered to Frieren becomes more apparent to her as the story goes on, and it becomes more evident in her actions. Himmel was a gentle, selfless (if self-aggrandizing) man who was every last bit the hero the modern world believes him to be. With every statue of him she cleans, every flower she plants in his name, every core memory that returns to her, we are watching Frieren become more and more like him in real time. You would expect a thousand-year-old woman to be pretty set in her ways, but we see her holding off on old, bad behaviors because of how Himmel would react to them back then. As Fern and Stark grow into young adults, we see her beginning to treat them the same way Himmel treated her. Frieren doesn’t realize it until later in the season, but it’s apparent to us early on that Himmel well and truly loved her, and I feel that it’s dawning on her that she loved him too and didn’t recognize it. That is tragic in and of itself (this show absolutely is a tearjerker at times and I will cop to getting misty-eyed as I write this), but there is something beautiful, well beyond my grasp, in being able to honor the memory and carry out the legacy of a loved one in how you treat those around you. I don’t think anything could have made Himmel prouder.

Frieren herself is a really goddamn good character too (and expertly voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, best known for voicing Anya Forger in Spy x Family). Though she is portrayed as quiet and uncaring for the early part of the story, it’s been really delightful to watch her open up, and above all, inadvertently reveal that she’s actually just Really Fucking Weird. For as self-assured and put together as she always seems on the surface, it was great to learn that she’s just an enormous slob (she just like me fr), and any outward expressions of smugness or her offbeat sense of humor are always a joy. “Deeply weird person trying to act normal” is always fun, and there’s just something so consistently delightful about seeing someone so typically calm and intelligent get caught in a mimic chest every single time.

I still can’t get over how fucking good this show looks. Beyond Journey’s End features some of the most intricate, loving animation I’ve seen for stuff as simple as someone putting on a jacket. Action scenes are few and far between, but not a single frame is wasted when shit pops off. Not everyone is as detailed as possible at all times, and they don’t need to be, but everyone looks incredible when they need to be. It’s well above my pay grade to accurately say so, but this show could be a lesson in proper animation budgeting. I could go on and on and on, but I’ve written nearly eighteen thousand words about anime, so I’ll wrap it up.

The debut season of Frieren will continue into 2024, and if the quality remains a constant, it could very well be one of the best anime of next year too. It has remained as MyAnimeList’s top-rated anime ever for its entire run, warding off the legion of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood fans. Frieren deserves it. I say with no hyperbole that this is one of the most perfectly realized things I’ve ever seen on television. This is an essential watch for anyone who likes fantasy anime, anime in general, or fantasy in general.

#anime reviews

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billybob598 · 9 months

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Me and You (Alyssa Thompson x Reader)

WOO! I posted, be proud of me!!! Sooooo, requested by anon, I hope this is kinda what you wanted. As always, any feedback good or bad is welcomed. Have fun reading!

Word Count: 762 (Short asf. Sorry if its too short)

As you sit beside your girlfriend on the bus, the nerves start to overwhelm your body. This was officially your first-ever World Cup and you couldn’t be more excited, or nervous. Alyssa was sitting beside you, like always. This was an equally special moment for her as it was her first World Cup as well.

You guys had met when you were six or seven. You were originally friends with Gisele, for a couple of years you were always hanging out with the younger sister. Alyssa and you never talked much until you were both in the same high school. Everyone knew how good Alyssa was, she was always going away for tournaments and playing with all the different national teams. You, on the other hand, were much more low-profile. While you did go away for tournaments, they weren’t televised like Alyssa’s were. As high school progressed the pair of you got closer, you being one of the only people who really understood what Alyssa was going through. Just before your guys’ senior years started, Alyssa asked you out. You had definitely been crushing on her for awhile so of course you said yes.

That was over a year ago now. You and her had been dating ever since. You were with her when she was drafted first overall and she was with you when you announced your decision to attend UCLA. And now, both of you were heading to the World Cup at just 18 years old.

You know for a fact that your girlfriend is just as nervous as you are so, during the pitch inspection you aren’t surprised when she puts her Airpods in and doesn’t talk to anyone. You respect her wishes and walk around with Trinity and Ashley instead. Just as everyone goes to lineup in the tunnel, you turn to your girlfriend in hopes to do your pre-game handshake. It was something you guys had done for years now. As you reach your fist out to begin the handshake Alyssa just rolls her eyes at you.

“Come on Y/N, we can’t be doing those silly little things anymore, we’re in the World Cup,” she says, slightly aggravated. Her statement shocks you. Never once had you guys not done the handshake. Before you even have a chance to respond she’s making her way out onto the field with the rest of the subs. Lining up behind Sophia, you try your best to shake it off.

The first half of the game is probably the worst forty-five minutes of football you’ve ever played in your life. It seems like every decision you make is the wrong one, every pass, every tackle, and every dribble is just off. Alyssa can only watch and cringe from the bench. Was this because of her? She knew she was being a dick earlier, but did it really affect you that much? God, she felt horrible. She pretty much just ruined your World Cup debut.

Alyssa watches from afar as you walk into the locker room, head hanging low. She musters up just enough courage to walk over to you. You feel her presence before you actually see her. However, you still keep your head low and your eyes on the floor. Alyssa kneels in front of you and tilts your chin up until your eyes meet hers.

“You did good,” she says softly.

You scoff, “Yeah, for an 8 year old that was a 10/10 performance. I wouldn’t be surprised if Vlatko subs me off, I know I would.”

“Hey, don’t think like that. You were just nervous, Vlatko knows that, he also knows how much of an amazing player you are,” Alyssa says in attempt to get you motivated. You nod, shifting your eyes away from hers. You had been nervous, sure. But, you both knew why you had played so bad. Alyssa takes a deep breath before apoligizing,

“I’m sorry. I should have done the handshake, it doesn’t matter if we’re in the World Cup or not. It’s still me and you.” You immediately perk up.

“Me and you?”

“Yeah, me and you,” Alyssa says proudly.

For the entirety of Vlatko’s halt-time talk, you and Alyssa were holding hands. And just before you went back onto the pitch, you guys completed your handshake, punctuated with a kiss on the cheek. The second half went more your way. It got even better when Alyssa joined you on the pitch. It was a dream come true, you and your girlfriend playing together in the World Cup. Just her and you.

#alyssa thompson #woso imagine #woso x reader #uswnt x reader #alyssa thompson x reader

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enhas-bestie · 2 years

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Idol Crush! [36]

► THIRTY SIX: the letter (1.9 k words + smau)

The interior of IVE's dorm was just as lavish and luxurious as you thought it would be. Impeccable cream-coloured walls. Spotless hardwood floors. Plush leather sofas. A window the size of a fucking wall...Honestly, the entire room itself looked like it just came straight out of a catalogue. You wouldn't even be surprised if the rent for this place costed more than your group’s debut showcase.

"It's so good to finally meet you guys!" Rei's voice sounds cheerful and apologetic at the same time as she welcomes you and Jia in, "I'm so sorry for only being able to meet you guys on such short notice... I hope none of you had to cancel any schedules to make it here."

"No, don't worry about it." Jia replies politely, "Y/N and I happened to have had an empty schedule today as well. It truly wasn't any inconvenience."

“Jia’s right. Totally no inconvenience from our side,” you chime in, “You have a beautiful home by the way.” Looks like it costs my whole life.

If it’s even possible, Rei’s smile brightens further as she hears your compliment, “Thanks!” the younger girl replies bashfully, walking further into the living room and signaling for you and Jia to follow, “Honestly speaking, we don’t really have many friends in the industry, so we were a bit nervous to have two other idols over as guests.”

“Oh...well, if it makes you feel any better, this is our first time over at another idols house, so we’re a bit nervous too. ” You don’t actually know if your words come off across as reassuring, but you see Rei’s tense shoulders relax a bit and it puts you a bit at ease. The last thing you wanted to do was make the girl feel uncomfortable in her own home.

You and Jia watch as Rei busies herself by getting four pillows and arranging them around the low wooden table in the living room. You don’t really think anything of it and your eyes begin to wander around their apartment in awe, but Jia quickly takes notice of the odd amount of seats.

“Four pillows?” she asks questioningly, glancing between the three of you in the room.

As if on cue, another figure walks into the room, joining the three of you. She has a carton of juice in one hand and four glasses balanced in the other. Jang Wonyoung looks just elegant in her house clothes as she does in her performance outfits.

"Hi!" her voice sounds melodic to your ears, "can I offer you two some orange juice... It's kinda all we've got." she says sheepishly as she walks towards the table and takes a seat on one of the cushions.

You and Jia follow suit, bending down to take a seat on the two cushions on the other side of the table so that the two of you are directly facing her.

"That would be great actually, thank you." you offer her a kind, albeit curious smile. This was her house- obviously...but your brain just didn't expect to run into her today. "You have an off day too?"

"Yup…Thank god." Wonyoung groans as she passes Jia a glass of juice, "Can you believe it’s the first day off I've had in months? Things have been so hectic lately."

Your eyes widen slightly in shock as you accept the glass in her outstretched hand, "Your first day off in months? Really?"

"I wish I was joking." Wonyoung mutters under her breath, pouring her own glass, "But I'm afraid not."

"That's crazy," you say, and you mean it.

You always assumed the girl was busy, but you didn't know she was working non-stop for months. Actually, now that you even have the opportunity to see her up close without any makeup on, you can't help but notice the faded dark circles colouring the underside of her eyes.

You take a sip from your glass and the juice tastes tangy on your tongue. You supposed that idol life was enough to give anybody sleepless nights - even the people who seemed to have their life together all the time.

"I'll be right back okay-" Rei's voice pulls you back to reality and you raise your head to look at her still standing figure, "I just need to go grab the letter real quick!"

Right.

The letter.

That was what you came to get in the first place.

You watch Rei spin around, her dark hair bouncing as she disappears from your line of sight, presumably to get the letter - wherever it was.

When you turn back to face Wonyoung, you find that she’s already looking at both you and Jia. Her presence kind of makes you forget that Rei would be coming back any second now with a piece of paper that may or may not contain something incriminating against Daiyu.

"So, where are your two other members? Ami and Riyah, right?” Wonyoung asks as she looks between you and Jia, “I thought for sure they would come with you guys. They seemed... eager."

This time, Jia's the one to answer, "Yeah, they were really eager to come with us," you resist the humourous urge to roll your eyes - eager was an understatement, "but they have a joint schedule today, so they were both unable to make it."

Wonyoung nods in understanding, a slight pout on her lips, "That's a shame."

"Eh, count your blessings." you say jokingly, thinking about your chaotic duo, "Sure, they were quiet when you met them the first time around - but that's just because we were all super nervous. Trust me when I tell you they'd be talking your ear off right now if they were here."

"Oh, that's okay, I love talkative people!" Wonyoung grins, a slight hint of amusement colouring her voice. But you only shake your head. You’d give Wonyoung about an hour locked in a room with those two tops and then guarantee she’d never boast about “loving talkative people” ever again.

"Famous last words." Jia laughs, lifting her glass to her lips before pausing to add, "But I'd love to set up a date between you three. You could get to meet them, and hey, if you like them - you can keep them too - ow."

"She doesn't mean that," you say through a gritted smile, your arm retracting from where you had elbowed Jia in her side, "They're a handful, but we cherish them a lot."

A melodic laugh leaves Wonyoung's mouth, "Don't worry, I can see that."

You're about to reply to her when a little thud permeates throughout the room, causing you, Jia and Wonyoung to all turn to glance at an out of breath Rei who looked like she was seconds away from colliding with the floor.

"I-Are you okay?" you ask incredulously as you take in the girl's disheveled form. But she merely waves your concern off with a swat of her hand and makes her way to seat herself next to Wonyoung with a loud sigh of relief.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting! I swear I knew where I placed this thing, but it turns out I didn't. It took me a while to find - but here you go!"

Rei triumphantly places a medium sized pink envelope in the center of the table and you you glance down. There it was. The letter.

The glaringly pink letter.

Was it you, or was this thing starting to look more like a love note? Not that it would matter if it was - because Jungwon was already a taken guy. But you still didn't know how you would feel knowing that Daiyu would willing send a love letter to Jungwon while knowing about your crush on him.

Sunwoo did say that Daiyu was "sabatoging your relationship with Jungwon", but that could've meant anything. You honestly didn't know what to expect when you opened this thing.

"Thanks Rei..." you send her a tight-lipped smile as you reach over to take the letter into your hands.

"Here literally goes nothing." you mumble, tearing open the top of the envelope and opening it. Then, you pull the letter itself out.

Great. It was also pink. You glance over to look at Wonyoung. Maybe making the hasty decision to open it up in front of her wasn't exactly a good idea...

“You’re gonna read it here?” Jia whispers, echoing your previous thoughts, but it’s too late.

You’ve already impulsively looked down at the words scrawled on the page - and it was nearly impossible for you to stop reading once you already began:

Dear Jungwon,

Hi! This is Daiyu.

I'm pretty sure you don't know me all that well, but you might recall that I'm a member of IKONIC - meaning I'm one of Y/N's, as well as Sunwoo's, groupmates.

Unfortunately, I am unable to speak to you in person or hand you this letter myself. I did try to get into the school, but because Hanlim doesn't allow unenrolled students onto the premises without a permit, I was unable to. However, it is so so important that you do receive this letter and I hope it makes its way to you in time.

I’ll begin off by saying that firstly, I'm not really sure what your intentions are with Y/N . I don’t know whether the two of you are just friends or maybe more than that, but I need to warn you to be careful. Y/N trusts our group a lot. And because of that, she confided in us and told us about how she confessed to you three years ago. That's not what that letter is about though - but it does play a significant role.

You see, about two months ago, I was near your school waiting to pick Sunwoo up when I saw her having a conversation with a boy. By the way she was acting around him, I assumed that she had a little crush on him. Her behaviour was so obvious, even one of our other groupmates, Ami, picked up that she might be hiding something. But when she was confronted, she just lashed out and got angry. I mostly chose to stay out of it, but I was still concerned with her behaviour so I decided to keep a closer eye on her.

Every time I had the opportunity to pick her up from school, I’d make sure to arrive a bit earlier to see if I could catch her with that boy I told you about. I thought for sure she was just embarrassed because she didn’t want anyone knowing she had a little high-school crush. I kept trying to catch her and that boy interacting again, and when I finally got to see his face properly, I was so fucking shocked and confused. The boy was you.

You’re probably confused as to why I’m writing this letter and outing Sunwoo's crush on you, but Jungwon, you need to listen: Sunwoo cannot be trusted. I don't know the nature of your guys' relationship and I'm not saying you should distance yourself from her if you don’t want to, but just know that she was the one who leaked yours and Y/N’s information to the media.

I saw her do it myself. It was one of those days where I tried to arrive extra early before the bell rang and I just happened to have seen her talking with a dispatch reporter on the outskirts of the school building. When the article came out the next day, I knew it couldn't have been a coincidence and I put two and two together.

I know this is probably a lot for you to take in right now, but you have to believe me. If we could arrange a meeting time so we could discuss this better in person, I would be extremely grateful. But for now, please keep an eye out for Sunwoo and watch her carefully. If she asks you anything about yours and Y/N’s relationship, try not to share too much. I hope I'll hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Daiyu.

prev ⇥ THIRTY SIX⇥ next

Idol Crush!💞 masterlist

SYNOPSIS: Y/N knew that once she and her group, IKONIC, finally debuted, there'd be a chance that she'd run into YANG JUNGWON: The leader of the global rookie group ENHYPEN. But JUNGWON isn't just the leader of a famous 4th gen boy group... he's also the boy that she confessed to three years ago and got rejected by. The last thing Y/N needs to do is fall back in like with him, because even something as simple as an idol crush! could bring about some unwanted drama and Dispatch worthy headlines.

[TAGLIST #1]: @acciomylove @mitsukifilms @ncityy04 @ja4hyvn @navsnct @hwalllllllelujah @shit-idek-meself-at-this-point @lullabyinparis @masterofdoom @enhacolor @mochisnlix @hiqhkey @vlykai @pshwyfie @hyuka-luvbot @yvesismywife @one16core @en-boyz @moon-lys @liliansun @jungwoniie @spicynlong @ramenais @bigtoewinwin @catbitchh111 @c9tnoos @missmadwoman @haoreo @doodlewon @enhaswab @alyselenai @moasworld @yyunari @chirokookie @yjwfav @kyutekyuala @giyyuzz @andromedawillburryyou @tlnyjoong @sarahxy537 @darlinluvsu @fairycheol @love-4-keum @ohmy-fandoms @centheodd @mavlogist @jungwonnieee @emoworu

[CAN'T TAG #1] : @shit-idek-meself-at-this-point @vlykai @pshwyfie @jungwoniie @spicynlong @itboyjungwon @enhaswab @kyutekyuala @darlinluvsu

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sunoksunny · 1 year

Text

enhypen as songs in my playlist

tw: angst, insecurites, 1 (one) mention of dying, being left out, comparing themselves to others, needing to be perfect, and being forced to grow up (idk if these really count as tw but whatever)

word count: 1.2k

a/n: okay i didn’t mean for it to be sad but it gets kinda sad because most of the songs in the specific playlist I used have sad lyrics soooooo yea...

speaking of my playlist!! you can listen to it here!

Heeseung

I scared all my friends away - beard

“I’ll try my best

To be who you think I should be”

Heeseung definitely feels a lot of pressure as the oldest

He knows the other members look up to him

So I think he tries to portray himself as always being strong and capable

When in reality he might be barely holding it together

I don't think he ever opens up about his own emotions to the others

And I think this might lead them to believe heeseung doesn’t trust them

But in reality heeseung just doesn’t want them to worry:(

“I tried my best to explain but it was too late

They’d already moved on”

Jay

I don't wanna be funny anymore - lucy dacus

“I don't want the joke to be on me

Yeah, I’ll buy the clothes and I’ll be the best dressed”

THIS SONG IS LITERALLY JAY

He is the mood maker of the group, and I think he is happy making the others laugh and giving them relief through having fun

But I think he wants to be seen as more than just that

He feels like people only see him as the “funny one”

He wants people to recognize him for his talents and skills too

So I think he tries many other things to find something he really enjoys

To make that his main thing instead of the mood maker

I think sometimes jay just wishes he could play a different role in the group

“Yeah, I’ll read the books and I’ll be the smartest

I’ll play guitar and I’ll be the artist”

Jake

It's ok I wouldn’t remember me either - crywank

“Let you forget that you were once my friend

Then watch another, go on and do better without me”

I think jake likes being needed

This might be why he is so happy to entertain niki

Because he wants to feel like his time and energy are welcome and necessary

I feel like he still has some insecurities from i-land

I think he felt separated from the rest in the sense that he hadn’t trained for as long as some of the others

He tries to make up for it by being a person the others can rely on to keep them stable and comforted

But I feel like he still feels a bit unworthy, or that someone who trained longer or had more experience should have debuted instead of him

“I want to end reality but I feel hesitant

Optimistic that the future will be more concerned than the present”

Sunghoon

Tummy in the blood - the yellow dress

“There is one perfect way of being

And I know that I will find it out someday”

Sunghoon definitely feels the need to be perfect

He wants to prove to others that being an idol was the right choice

But mainly he wants to prove that to himself

And sunghoon sees anything less than perfect as failing

I think he probably pushes himself too hard trying to be perfect

And I bet he compares himself to others a lot

Things like “why can’t I sing like heeseung?” “why can’t I dance like niki?”

The pressure that he felt from being a figure skater didn’t leave when he became an idol

Since some people attributed his success as a figure skater to his looks

He is worried that people will do the same now

So he constantly tries to be perfect at everything else so people can't say that

I hope he knows he’s doing great just how he is </3

“The chances of finding ourselves home again

Of finding ourselves in the same way”

Sunoo

Where’d all the time go? - dr. dog

“There’s nothing to keep you

From falling in love”

Sunoo is a very loving person by nature

He probably trusts too quickly

But he somehow always ends up trusting the right people

Sunoo is able to make people feel comfortable

Without even trying

Like you can see how the other members are so whipped for him

He will breathe and they all go

“Omg sunoo you are so cute”

Sunoo makes deep connections with the people he is around

While I think he enjoys the positive attention he gets from being cute

He probably doesn’t really like getting babied….

Like to an extent it’s fine

But when he sees people being like “oh he's just a baby he won't understand”

He probably gets annoyed lolol cuz he wants to be seen as more than just cute

“You know I get so forgetful

When I look in your eyes”

Jungwon

Johnny boy - twenty one pilots

“Get up ‘cause the world

Has left you lying on the ground”

You get it? Cuz his english name is johnny?

Anyways

Jungwon has been underestimated as a leader just because he is young

This is probably veryyyyy annoying for him

He definitely gives someone a side eye if they mention his age when talking about how he is the leader

He is also overlooked in general because he is younger

When jungwon was in i-land, everyone kinda just….

Ignored his talents? Almost?

Like in the bts test he wasn’t seen as a rival

He sometimes feels like the world just disregards him

Jungwon probably acts more mature so people don’t comment on his age or ability to lead as much

But he forgets that sometimes he just needs to be a kid

Out of all the enhypen members, I think he is the most secretive

In the sense that you can’t read him as easily as the others

He is very good at hiding what he thinks and feels

“No one really knows his mind

And no one knows behind his eyes”

Niki

Last words of a shooting star - mitski

“I always wanted to die clean and pretty

But I'd be too busy on working days”

Niki works himself to death

He strives for nothing less than perfection and is extremely hard on himself

He scolds himself for making a mistake as if he just committed a war crime

Niki often tells himself harsh things, claiming they are “truths” or “realities”

But they are actually just him being way too hard on himself

He can never be good enough by his own standards

And it is eating him alive

You guys saw that recent -note right? He doesn’t see his own progress

Niki can’t recognize his growth and development because he only focuses on what he can improve on

And while wanting to improve is a good thing, I think niki takes it too far to where it is going to harm him if it hasn’t already

Niki is another member who was forced to mature wayyy too quickly

People tend to forget that he is just a kid, and even in i-land they didn’t treat him like one

Others in i-land saw his talent in dancing and viewed him as a rival instead of a child, who was still growing and easily affected by his surroundings

Niki needs to be able to act like a kid and laugh and do childish things while he still can

I think heeseung and jake help him remember that and I’m glad they remind him that it’s okay to mess around and have fun

“Til you cry all night you’ll never understand

Til you learn to love you’ll never learn to dance

Til you think too much you’ll never grow up

Til you learn to talk and you never shut up”

^ Ramblings of a dying adolescent - current joys (bonus lyrics for niki)

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thevindicativevordan · 1 year

Note

My Adventures with Superman trailer?

Took you guys long enough to ask!

youtube

Sure it's just a 16 second teaser, but this is still exciting! Confirmation that yes this is actually real, and has not been cancelled, is welcome news. Quick round of thoughts:

Quaid's Superman sounds much more nerdy than the DCAU incarnation which I like. For all their talk of drawing on the Byrne/Jurgens era, I don't believe that will be a huge influence on Clark himself. Lois looks good, I kinda wish they had given her the purple eyes but otherwise I like her look. Jimmy looks fine but I need to see and hear more from him soon.

People losing their minds over Clark and Lois being in their 20s is hilarious. Where did this belief that Clark and Lois must be in their 30s when they first meet come from? The DCEU with it's idiotic decision to have Clark be 33 when he becomes Superman, as a stupid Jesus reference? The DCAU incarnations looking much older? Between MAWS and rumors that Gunn is casting young for Legacy, I'm glad we're seeing a trend to have Superman begin in his 20s, and actually look like he's in his 20s.

S-shield design is fine. Not my favorite approach but every Superman should have their own version of the S-shield. Pure speculation, but I wonder if the Jack Kirby S-shield redesign was an influence on their S-shield? We know there's a lot of Kirby in the show judging by Intergang and the Newskid Legion in the concept art. And he's got the trunks! Might have been a last minute decision going off of the leaked concept art, I would've just gone with a belt, but I don't mind the trunks at all.

Metropolis here isn't quite as high concept sci-fi as the Tomorrowverse or DCAU Metropolis, but it still looks cool and non-generic.

Quite a few people were comparing the style to Invincible, as well as the choppiness of some of the animation. If the choppiness comes because they're saving the budget for the fights then I think it should be fine, otherwise I hope Gunn tosses more funding at the show.

Did not expect it to be debuting in the summer, but that should be a great time for a new Superman cartoon to air at night since kids will be up later.

With [adult swim] extending itself to 7 pm, I hope that's when MAWS airs on Cartoon Network. Should still be early enough for kids to watch if they want to, although I expect most kids are going to stream the show since digital savviness has only gone up.

Look I am rooting hard for this show to be a hit, with the more "lore" heavy cartoons all coming to an end (haven't been watching but I guess The Owl House ended and that was the last of the previous wave), the landscape is wide open for a new action cartoon to take over. Batman: The Caped Crusader isn't ready, Spider-Man: Freshman Year and X-Men '97 apparently have been delayed to next year, Invincible seems to be coming out in the Fall at the earliest. Superman has the room to himself for once. Don't blow this chance DC!

If it's coming this summer then we will 100% be getting a proper trailer at SDCC which I fully expect to be one of Superman's best showings in years. God it's nice to feel excited for Superman's future for once!

#superman #my adventures with superman

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ofnari · 1 year

Photo

☆ welcome to infinite entertainment! it's CHO NARI, who is MAIN VOCALIST of FLORA. i’ve heard whispers that the 27 year old is pretty RESOURCEFUL but lowkey GUARDED. also, doesn’t she remind you of JENNIE KIM?

Hello darlings !!! This is Esme (21+, she/her) and I'm here with another kid (yeah, I know). Some of you might remember this muse from before (new name and face), but she's my baby and she has always belonged here in Infinite.

There was a time when she was known as South Korea’s Little Sister, a child actress that was in a lot of dramas and was invited to many variety shows because she was cute and charming, and her quirkiness was adorable. But then she grew up and she wasn’t the cute girl anymore, so girl went and become an idol because it kinda just fell into her lap. She went with the flow not really knowing it was her father’s doing, but hey ignorance is bliss.

But life taught her not everything's perfect. She's nothing like what people expect her to be when they see her. Once a happy and outgoing girl, she's now very closed off and shy, protecting herself from getting hurt again. The industry hasn't been kind to her, and it has made her wonder if a career as a singer and being part of a company that doesn't care about anything but money is what she really wants for her. If you want to plot message me at @offleurs or like this and we’ll figure something out !!!

BIO °° ABOUT °° PROFILE °° PINTEREST °° PLOTS

Childhood

She was born under the first full moon of july, in a year when said month started and ended with one, which was supposed to be hopeful, but it only was the beginning of her parents' downfall.

Was raised by her dad, and in part her brother since he is eight years older than her.

Her dad is Cho Sungmin, a known actor both in movies and dramas.

He married a non-celebrity woman against everyone telling him not to, completely in love that he didn’t realize she only wanted to secure the bag. Of course, it all went to hell at some point.

Her parents got divorced when she was three, hasn't heard from her mom since then.

Although his dad went through a lot during the separation/divorce/all around mess, he always made sure Nari had a happy childhood.

Doted on from the moment she took her first breath, her father gave her everything she wanted. It was more out of the guilt he felt for being so busy and not around as he should. So there was nothing she could ever wish for that she wouldn’t get. Nari wanted to dance? There was a ballet teacher waiting for her the next day. She wanted to learn to play piano? There was a big one in the living room the very next morning. Money was never a problem in the Cho household, but it can’t really buy happiness and Nari, as grateful as she was, would have wanted to see her father and brother more often.

No surprise that, when a eleven-year-old Nari said she wanted to be an actress, her father got her a minor role in a drama.

Debuted as a child actress in 2007, a minor role in the drama Witch Yoo Hee.

Good student usually minded her own business, friendly at all times. All of it not to cause her father any problems.

In reality, and it’s something she still deals with, part of her always thinks that no matter what she does, she will never be as good as her brother. He is a popular idol from a popular group, then debuted as a soloist. People love him, seems like he has his life figured out, and their father is so proud. So she’s trying to follow the same steps and failing.

The thing is, his brother was a very much wanted child. Nari was her mother’s last chance to fix a broken marriage.

Bullying TW // But it wasn't perfect. She was the golden child around the people who loved her, but things at school were different.

Nari wasn't the pretty girl around, she wasn't popular, too shy, and spoke too quietly. Other girls made fun of her because of her being an actress and her family. And she didn't have many friends, she spent the breaks reading and studying.

Becoming a teenager didn't help, because as the other girls worried about their looks and what they wore, Nari worried about becoming the actress she dreamed of.

After many minor roles, she finally decided that she wanted a lead role, but it wasn't as easy. It didn't matter that she wanted it, and without her father's doing, she couldn't do it on her own.

She needed a manager and a company.

She got an audition for New Star Entertainment and ended up becoming a trainee instead. Of course, she got the audition and got accepted because her dad pulled some strings.

Deep down she knows it, or at least suspects it, but she always wants to believe that she got it on her own.

Debut

There was a part of her that thought she would ever really debut, that she would make it as a lead actress first.

Surprise, she was actually talented enough to be selected as the main vocalist for a new girl group.

She considered quitting, but anything was better than waiting for something that didn't seem to happen.

She was worried about how the other members would react, she knew people talked behind her back about how everything she had was thanks to her dad., but she found her home with them. They didn't care about any of that, but about the person she was.

Still, she kept that cheerful facade she had built, not wanting others to see her insecurities.

She doubted herself, her talent, and everything she did.

But being on the stage changed it if even for just a few minutes.

She was highly criticized at first for her voice, but people never wasted time saying she didn't have what it took to be a main vocalist.

But she trained her voice, worked hard, and practiced harder. Pushed herself to her limits and definitely got better. People always talked shit, but she gained a lot of confidence in herself.

Being part of a group with such loving and accepting girls helped her to get out of her shell, and she began socializing a lot more.

Slowly, that shy and quiet girl became such a ray of sunshine, someone who easily made friends everywhere she went.

She finally landed a lead role in 2016, Love in the Moonlight.

See, for a moment, she thought this was about her being a talented actress and that people were finally seeing that. It was really how pretty she was and how popular Flora was getting, so adding an idol to the drama would help ratings.

And so it became her life, her looks were more important than her talent and her hard work.

So it was like that - her voice wasn't enough to be a main vocalist and her talent as an actress wasn't enough to please people, all she got was the way she looked. It really affected the way she saw herself.

But she pushed and pushed, and tried to get roles that at least challenged her as an actress, and to be the best singer she could possibly be.

2018 (Death tw)

It was the most bittersweet year in Nari's life.

Whilst Tempted had a mixed reception in South Korea, it was well-received internationally. Nari ranked second in the list of the top 10 most talked about actors and actresses in South Korea. Despite the question of idol singers in lead roles, Nari was subsequently praised for her improvement and potential in acting, opening the door for her. It led her to get cast as the lead in the historical drama 100 Days My Prince.

It was a huge opportunity, and despite how busy Flora’s schedules were, Nari gave her best to be present for both.

Flora had become one of the biggest groups in the industry thanks to their hard work, catchy songs, and lovely personalities

Right after the incredible success of 'Yes or Yes', the girls were preparing for the repackage comeback when tragedy reached their life.

It was no secret how close the girls and all their families were, so when Silver's brother Eunwoo died in a car accident, the girls felt devastated by the news.

Nari was away at a location filming for the drama when she received the news, the manager in charge to look after her was the one who had to tell her. Still, she had to go out and finish her day before going back to Seoul.

As it should be, Silver went on hiatus to go home and be with her family, leaving the other girls to promote 'Best Thing I Ever Did', and their Japanese comeback.

Nari became the acting Leader, looking after the girls and the group in the best way she could, trying to stay strong for everyone. It was exhausting to be there for Flora and filming at the same time, but Nari knew she had no option.

It was no surprise when rumors took over social media, people wanting to know the real reason why Silver was on hiatus. All of them were upsetting, but it seemed that people enjoyed kicking them when they were already down.

Nari knew there was no special treatment in any way, but she had expected New Star to protect Silver's privacy, and instead, it seemed that their way to fix this was to force Silver to come back before she was ready so Flora didn't lose their popularity.

It was heartbreaking seeing Silver going through something so painful and still having to work so hard, to practice every day, forced to act like nothing was wrong. It made Nari sick, and for the first time, she saw the real industry and how rotten it was.

There was a shift in the Flora energy - Nari couldn't help but stop trusting their staff, to think there were always ill intentions behind their actions. It was a horrible way to live, but she couldn't change the way she felt.

Suddenly, she became too quiet, keeping to herself. She only spoke to the staff if she really had to, keeping her interactions for her members only.

People couldn't be trusted - no staff, no other idols, absolutely no person that was part of New Star deserved an ounce of their attention.

2019-2020

Mental health TW // Soon, the stress took the best of her. Nari often felt like she couldn't breathe, trapped in between the walls of the New Star building or even the Flora dorms.

It was her father who, worried, suggested she went to see a therapist. The company didn't seem too happy with it, afraid that the information would become public and Flora suffered another hit to their image. But her father wanted the best for her and still took her.

Nari was diagnosed with anxiety and depression, which lead her to take a break from acting for a while. Deciding that if she ever went back, she would do it for a project she truly wanted to do and with people she was comfortable with.

However, since Silver had already taken a six-month break in 2018, Nari wasn't allowed to take time off Flora’s schedule.

Her therapist suggested she found activities that kept her mind busy, and after she tried a few, Lego building and knitting were the ones that worked the best for her.

Nari received a script from a director she had worked with in the past. It wasn't a lead role, but an important character for the drama. Nari hesitated for a while before deciding to go back.

The great working environment and meeting so many new people made her remember why she loved acting. It was great for her, and for the first time in a while, she felt more herself.

Merger

If she has to be honest, she didn't care much about it. All companies are the same, and she still gets to be in Flora and perform. She didn't expect Infinite to be better than New Star, but she was with her girls.

It was difficult to see so many people she wasn't used to, feeling insecure and anxious. She tried her best, but Nari couldn't trust anyone.

This made it difficult, really, because she couldn't find it in herself to socialize with people.

For the most part of 2021, Nari did her job or was at the dorms.

The only major change was that she got her own apartment for privacy and to have a room completely for her Legos only.

Still, she decided to keep living with the girls in the Flora dorms.

Tour

Traveling the world with the girls is fun, but because of the tour she has missed great acting opportunities and that has been troubling her.

Sharing with so many people makes her anxious, she usually keeps to herself or her members. She's trying not to be noticed that much.

Nari has been slowly opening up, letting her true self be seen more often than before, but she still is very careful.

After almost a year of traveling, she had given herself the chance to open her mind and maybe try to get to know others.

It hasn't been easy, but it's been a big step to at least try to.

Present

Nari has been focusing on herself and healing.

she’s been working on a solo project, still not so sure about it.

Hoping for a good acting role after almost two years of no acting.

Random Facts

Despite how quiet and reserved she might seem, she's a ball of energy. If she's comfortable around you, she'll always be smiling.

She's actually quite funny if given the chance.

The clumsiest person you have ever known, but only off stage. When she’s on the stage, she transforms completely, she’s a whole different person who seems to know what she’s doing (spoiler alert, she doesn’t), and you can’t believe she’s the same person who fell backstage just a few minutes ago.

Big big fan of everyone, has albums and lightsticks, has gone to concerts, and collects photocards. But she won't say so.

If you’re her friend, she has probably knitted something for you. it’s her love language. Loves knitting and she does vlives just so the fans can see it.

She also absolutely loves eating and baking, but on tour, she hasn't had the chance to do it as often. She's always been in charge of feeding the Flora members, making sure they always have something to eat ready for them.

Nari wears her contacts all the time. But if she trusts you enough, you'll get to see her with big round glasses and hair in a messy bun.

She still doesn't trust any staff, they're all the same. And she doesn't trust people's intentions either.

Living like this is exhausting, and she often wonders if it's worth it.

She loves building legos and has a big collection, like huge.

People online are so mean, always judging her and saying awful things about her. She posts on instagram for their fans, but she is always afraid of reading the comments.

She always has dating rumors even for breathing too close to someone else, she's always dating a new person every three seconds and she hates it. Reason why she doesn't like being seen with others.

Which is crazy, because she doesn't really befriends people, and it's really all about how good she looks next to someone else.

She’s pretty nice, you just have to work past all the walls she has built around her to see it.

#infinite:intro #❀ → about

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freyayuki · 1 year

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Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia Cor Leonis Banner

The The Man Known as the Immortal event just started in the Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia (DFFOO) mobile game. This event came with 1 banner.

The Man Known as the Immortal Banner

The The Man Known as the Immortal banner features the following chars and their weapons:

Cor Leonis from Final Fantasy XV - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, LD, and Force or FR

Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy XV - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Gau from Final Fantasy VI - 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD

Yuri from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates - Burst or BT only

Already have all of the Noctis and Gau weapons featured on this banner. Missing Yuri’s BT.

Have copies of Cor’s 15cp, 35cp, and Ex. Missing his LD and FR. His Ex has been Purpled. His 15cp is already fully MLB. His 35cp has been limit broken twice.

Thoughts about Cor Leonis from Final Fantasy XV

Cor Leonis from Final Fantasy XV (#ad) showed up on a banner before as one of DFFOO’s global-first chars. Back then, he came with his 15cp, 35cp, Ex, and LD.

I like Cor well enough but he’s not really a fave or anything which was why I was reluctant to spend gems on his debut banner. He was pretty good though so I threw some tickets on his banner.

Was able to get enough copies of his 15cp to be able to fully MLB said weapon without having to use a single Power Stone. Even got multiple copies of his 35cp and Ex.

Cor’s Ex gives an A Sphere that raises its user’s physical attack by up to 15% so I didn’t fuse the copies I got together.

It’s been a long, long time so don’t remember anymore exactly how many tickets I tossed on Cor’s banner. IIRC, it was a lot. I think I used all the tickets I had on-hand at that time.

Unfortunately, I failed to get Cor’s LD so I couldn’t use him. I could have pulled with gems instead but I didn’t want to after spending so many tickets already.

Didn’t want to use Cor without his LD though so I didn’t bother to MLB his 35cp and Ex. It was only way later on that I bothered to Purple Cor’s Ex and that was only because I needed a copy of his Sphere.

And so, ever since Cor first showed up in the game, he’s just been rotting in my inventory. Didn’t even bother farming for his Artifacts since I wasn’t gonna be able to use him anyway.

I’ve completed 5 of his Summon Boards but that’s only because we got this special Choco Board when he first showed up. This Board wanted us to complete some of his Summon Boards for some rewards.

Now after what feels like a very long time, Cor is back again, this time with his Force weapon as well as his Level 90 and Crystal Level 90 Awakening.

Since I never really got to use Cor before, kinda interested in being able to use him now. His FR is pretty good. He himself is also pretty good now that he got updated.

Maybe I don’t really need him and can get by without him like I did before but still. Like I said, kinda interested in being able to try him out and use him.

The only question now is whether I should use gems or tickets on his banner.

I should go with gems if I want to guarantee being able to get Cor’s LD and FR but this banner isn’t that good for me since I already have all the other weapons here and I’m not interested in Yuri’s BT. Don’t even have his LD so won’t be able to use him even if I get his Burst.

The Man Known as the Immortal Banner Free First Multi-Draw Results

As part of some campaign or other, we get a free multi-draw on the The Man Known as the Immortal banner.

The free pull gave me a gold orb which turned into dupes of Cor’s 15cp and Ex. The dupe Ex is welcome but I wish that 15cp dupe had been Cor’s 35cp instead.

The Man Known as the Immortal Banner Tickets Pulls Results

I want Cor but really couldn’t justify throwing gems on this banner. Not interested in Yuri’s BT at all and it’s not like I actually need Cor anyway.

Plus the banner after this one will feature the Burst and FR weapons of Tifa Lockhart from Final Fantasy VII. Way more interested in Tifa so that’s the banner where I want to spend my gems on.

As such, decided to just pull on the The Man Known as the Immortal banner with tickets. Currently have 448 tickets on hand. Hopefully this will be enough to get me Cor’s LD and FR.

Got the usual bronze and silver trash plus a few gold dupes. Even got a couple of 10-draws that didn’t give me a single gold.

Got 1 dupe of Cor’s 35cp so at least I now have enough to fully MLB my first copy without having to use a single Power Stone.

Also got way too many dupes of Cor’s Ex. The first 1 or 2 or so was welcome enough but any more than that was way too much. Don’t need that many dupes of Cor’s Ex.

Yes, his Sphere’s good but it’s not that good. Spheres that increase BRV damage dealt and/or raise the attack stat are way better.

Plus, not all DPS can benefit from Cor’s Sphere since it’s only for those who deal physical damage.

Anyway, here’s a list of some of the other notable golds that I got from my ticket pulls on the The Man Known as the Immortal banner:

2/10, came from a gold orb - Noctis 15cp dupe and Gau LD dupe

Was so upset when I saw the dupe of Gau’s LD. How I wish that had been Cor’s LD instead.

1/10, came from a gold orb - Noctis Ex dupe

Unfortunately, the Sphere from Noctis’s Ex isn’t that good. It raises the attack stat by 10%, which is nice, but this will only happen if the Sphere’s user initiates a launch.

Not everyone can do that which is why my copy of this Sphere is still languishing in my inventory.

1/10 - Gau Ex dupe

Was pretty pleased to see this since Gau’s Ex gives an A Sphere that increases BRV damage dealt by 10% and its only requirement is that its user be at full HP.

A bit later on, was surprised and yet very pleased when I got a Force orb.

Yay! Super pleased to see this as well as my very first copy of Cor’s FR.

Now I just need a copy of Cor’s LD then I can be done with this banner.

Was down to 378 tickets when Cor’s FR came home.

Continued pulling but it took so long for Cor’s LD to show up that I thought that I’d never be able to get it unless I switched to using my gems instead of my tickets.

Didn’t want to use my gems though, certainly not after I’d already thrown hundreds of tickets on this banner. So was really glad when Cor’d LD finally appeared. It came from a gold orb.

This 10-draw also gave me dupes of Gau’s Ex and Noctis’s LD. Noctis’s LD showed up first.

When I saw it, was so disappointed but that quickly turned to surprise then joy when Cor’s LD appeared soon afterwards. Was down to 248 tickets when Cor’s LD came home.

Cor Leonis from Final Fantasy XV

After I finished fully limit breaking Cor’s 35cp using the dupe that I just got, turned my attention to his FR and LD.

Spent the 12 Power Stones needed to fully MLB his LD. Then I spent the 12 High Power Stones needed to fully MLB his FR.

Completed the rest of Cor’s Summon Boards. Unlocked parts of his Character Enhancement Boards, particularly the tiles that would give me his LD Call and LD extension passive.

Cor already has his Bloom Stone. Bought all of his armors and leveled them all up. After leveling up his High Armor, spent the Book needed to Realize it to 0/3.

Equipped Cor with 3 RF Spheres - Noel Kreiss’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Breaking Attack Up Shorter (RF) A Sphere, Yang Fang Leiden’s (from Final Fantasy IV) Critical Attack Boost Up Shorter (RF) A Sphere, and Hope Estheim’s (from Final Fantasy XIII) Buff Success Attack Boost All Shorter (RF) D Sphere.

Started farming the co-op that came with Cor’s event so I can get him triple of his preferred Artifacts.

After a bit of farming, was finally able to get Cor 3 ATK 108 with Sworn Warrior Up★★ (While Crownsguard Warrior active: Raises own MAX BRV, ATK by 5%).

Just tried out Cor in battle and he is pretty good. His main gimmick is giving one of his allies a buff that links him to them. This causes him to attack and deal damage to the enemy right before the char he’s linked with gets to move.

Conclusion

So, what about you? Did you pull on the The Man Known as the Immortal banner? What do you think about Cor Leonis and all the other chars featured on this banner? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below or by reblogging or replying to this post.

Notes:

screenshots are from my Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia game account

#dissidia final fantasy opera omnia #pulls for these chars:#final fantasy 15 #cor leonis #noctis lucis caelum #gau #final fantasy 6 #yuri #final fantasy crystal chronicles: ring of fates #games #dffoo banner pulls #dffoo #gacha games #dffoo ticket pulls #dffoo free pulls

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ggukkiedae · 3 years

Text

❝𝕟𝕖𝕨 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟❞

𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜:

⇢ yoonmi visits hoseok on daydream’s set, and she just wants to talk so they do something they haven’t done in a long time

⇢ set in february of 2018

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜:

⇢ mentions of fighting and yoonmi kinda mentions the situation from the last few months

𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜:

⇢ conversations written in italics are spoken in english. feedback is highly appreciated!

Yoonmi walked onto the set cautiously. She didn’t want to disturb anyone, especially since it looked like they were starting a new take when they walked in. She also didn’t know if Hoseok wanted her there. Sure, they were all pretty much good after resolving the whole four or so months of conflict, but she wasn’t sure if Hoseok would like that Jungkook brought her along with him to the set without permission.

Jungkook tightened his hold on her hand when he felt her falling behind him.“Come on. You know Hobi hyung loves you and would be ecstatic once he realizes you’re here.”

“I don’t know…”

“Hyung!”

Yoonmi jumped at Jungkook’s sudden yell. Her eyes widened when she realized Hoseok had seen them. She nearly froze in her spot, but Jungkook tugged her forward. A shy smile reached her face when they reached the older members.

“My maknaes!” Hoseok brought the two into a hug. “When did you two get here?”

Jungkook shrugged and gravitated towards Yoongi who commented about him looking like staff. Hoseok kept his hold on her, though. She felt him rest his chin on top of her head. He was still so… welcoming. He was so warm, and the hug held absolutely no spite at all. Her eyes shut, and her fingers curled into his shirt.

��Thanks for coming, Yoon-ah.” He gently stroked her hair.

She wanted to hug him tighter, but she didn’t out of fear of annoying him. “I didn’t know if you’d want me here. I mean, I didn’t tell you in advance, and, well…”

“No, I like that you’re here.” He leaned back and squished her cheeks together. “I mean, your support means a lot, and you did help me with some of the tracks on my mixtape.”

Not knowing what to say, she just smiled and held up the drinks she was carrying. She handed one to Hoseok, keeping the other to herself.

“Oh? What’s this for?”

“It’s not much,” she looked down and shrugged, “but I want to make it up to you. I would have gotten some for Tae oppa and Yoongi oppa, but I didn’t know that they’d be here, too.”

Hoseok scrunched his eyebrows together while sipping the drink before poking her cheek. “How many times do we have to tell you that it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize for anything. It’s behind us, and we’ve all forgiven each other, haven’t we?”

Trapping her bottom lip between her teeth, she nodded. She still wasn’t fully convinced that she was off the hook yet. She wished Hoseok a good luck and offered to hold his drink for him while he filmed. She couldn’t stop herself from smiling when Hoseok pressed a light kiss to the top of her head before returning her to Jungkook’s side.

“Thanks for coming. Enjoy yourself. Look, Taehyung’s making a cameo!”

She laughed lightly, hand coming up to play with a strand of her hair. Hoseok gently pushed her hand back down to her side and patted her cheek before returning to set. She felt someone fix the bits of hair she had been messing with.

“You good?” Yoongi looked at her with slight worry.

She nodded at him. “I am, yeah. What take is this?”

“Oh, you stayed?”

Yoonmi looked up from where she was sitting and smiled at Hoseok. “Are you up for the Han river?”

“We haven’t done that in ages.” A soft smile graced his face.

When they were still trainees, Hoseok used to take Yoonmi to the Han river where he’d treat her to food, then he’d teach her how to freestyle or how to do old school hiphop dances. That’s why she was so attached to the Han river. Whenever she and Hobi went, it would remind her of when her brother used to take her to the underground scene when they were younger. After they debuted, though, they haven’t gone. There wasn’t much time for them to go off on their old shenanigans.

“Only if you’re not tired.”

“Are you kidding me? It’s been five years! Let me just grab my stuff and change my clothes before we go.”

Fifteen minutes later, they’re on a picnic blanket with Yoonmi pulling some stuff out of her backpack. There was a laptop she borrowed from the company, a large container, and a 1.5 liter bottle of cola. She wrinkled her nose a little when Hoseok opened the bottle, the smell of carbonated soda entering her nose.

Hoseok let out a little laugh and booped her nose. “Why’d you bring cola when you can barely drink it?”

“You like cola when we learn dances.”

“How about we just put on some music, eat whatever you’ve got in here, and just hang out? It’s been a long day.”

“Right,” she opened the container revealing salted caramel popcorn, “I got it. Music video filming is tiring.”

She curled her jacket up and put it on the ground creating a makeshift pillow. She heard rustling beside her before she felt something drape over her body. It was Hoseok’s coat. She turned to see him with his bag under his head the same way her jacket was under hers. The only thing blocking him from the winter-turning-spring breeze was his sweater.

“This is nice.” He turned his head towards her and gave a satisfied smile before turning back towards the sky. “It’s not our usual Han river time, but it’s relaxing. Is this the beginning of a new tradition?”

“Maybe, but I don’t think we’ll have time to go to the Han river to do this.”

“Then we can do this on the roof of the dorm. Or the company rooftop. Take your pick.”

A silence took over the two of them, Harry Styles’s voice playing in the background. She turned to look at the older. He had his eyes closed with a relaxed look on his face. As per usual, he was enjoying the music, head swaying slightly. She smiled and turned back to the sky in question.

Hoseok was the sweetest from the very beginning. He’s the one who never got upset with her, not even once. Ever since she first came to the company in the last quarter of 2010, Hoseok was the one who was always patient with her, never with any sign of annoyance.

So how is it she found herself having the audacity to yell at him multiple times?

She closed her eyes in frustration with herself. She hated that she acted that way towards someone who had been nothing but kind to her. Yet, even after all that, he’s still taking care of her. He’s still happy to have her support. He’s still making sure she’s warm, more than himself.

A chuckle brought her out of her thoughts.

“If you tug on your hair any harder, you might start losing hair faster than Yoongi hyung.”

She snapped up into a sitting position, startling Hoseok into doing the same.

“I’m sorry.” She sighed when he gave her a confused look. “I know you said I don’t need to apologize, but I just had to. You’ve been nothing but nice to me for years, yet I still blew my top off at you when you were just checking up on me.”

“It’s okay,” he reassured her, resting a hand on her back. “It was bound to happen someday. The only other time I’ve ever seen you get angry is your elementary school graduation. It’s about time you learned that bottling everything up forever isn’t going to do you any good.”

“But I hurt you!” Her voice came out choked almost as if another word would have made her break.

“Maybe a little, yeah,” he chuckled, “but I’m a big boy. I can handle it. Besides, you apologized, and I already forgave you. There’s nothing to feel so bad about, okay? Come here.”

She let him gather her up into his lap. Warmth spread throughout her, and she felt her chest get lighter after melting into the older’s hug. She tried her best to swallow the lump in her throat, but her tears slipped out.

“Aigoo,” he wiped her cheeks dry, “look at you. Has this been eating you up this whole time?”

She nodded and hid her face in the crevice where his neck met his shoulder.

“No more.” He patted her head. “Next time something weighs you down like this, just ask me to look at the sky, and we can do that, okay?”

She was amazed. Here he was again, kind-hearted Hoseok who always took care of her. “You’d do that?”

“I’m not Jungkookie or Yoongie hyung, but I’m still your older brother. Now we can have our own tradition.”

“A new tradition…”

“Mhmm.”

She looked up at him, finally a look of ease on her face. “I might just take you up on that offer, so long as you do the same.”

“It’s a deal.”

#yoonmi.homi #bts 8th member #bts female member #bts female addition #miya #yoonmi #kim yoonmi #yoonmi.lyher

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bigskydreaming · 3 years

Text

And another thing, he said as if its ever just ONE more thing, hahahaha look, fuck you numbers, I’m not about to be limited by the likes of YOU.

Anyway.

Anyone else think its kinda weird that in all the many years of “Dick not so secretly resented Jason because Bruce adopted him and made him Robin and that’s why they were never close” fics.......there seem to be a big whopping zero that take the fix-it approach:

“What if Bruce had been aware of the tension between the two because he’s not actually a Dumb Dumb McStupidhead and thought to himself, gee, if only there was something I, the parent, had the power to do about this resentment from one brother based on something I, the parent, did for the other brother who never did anything because he is not the parent and also he did nothing wrong? What if given that I and my actions are the actual problem here, I, the parent, he who holdeth both the actual power in this family as the parent and the power as the problem-causer, to address the problem.....like what if I got off my ‘matches with Batman’ butt and.....did...something? About it?”

Like.....oh I don’t know, just spitballing here....maybe explaining to Jason just what it was Dick was resentful about when it came to Robin and that Jason wasn’t the one Dick was actually mad at, which more than likely would have prompted the extremely empathetic at this age Jason to take Dick’s side and be like wtf, you gotta fix this B.

Or maybe like, going to Dick and expressing how sorry he is that he didn’t consider how Dick would feel about any of this and that he’s let it go unaddressed for so long since then, which more than likely would have NOT resulted in Dick continuing to hold a grudge against an innocent third party but rather be like thank you this is literally all I ever wanted, a fucking acknowledgment that you’d hurt me and that my being hurt mattered to you?

Or if the problem is more Dick being resentful that Bruce adopted Jason and not him, maybe Bruce explaining this to Jason and that Jason wasn’t the one Dick was actually mad at, which again, more than likely would have prompted the extremely empathetic Jason to go umm, wtf are you talking to me about this for then, if you think he’s upset about that why the fuck aren’t you going to talk to him about it and tell him all this stuff about regretting not adopting him before now and sparing him this hurt instead? Like what are you waiting for old man, your fucking helicopter to come pick you up? NOW. Go NOW. You’re not getting any younger, geez Louise, why are old people so dumb.

Or maybe like.....Bruce going to Dick and expressing how sorry he is that he didn’t consider how Dick would feel about.....look, you see where I’m going with this, right? You get it? Its not actually all that tricky to grasp?

Or hell, maybe even just in a fic where Jason nurses his own resentment over the fact that he’s heard so much about Dick and looked forward to meeting him and yet months and months go by since Jason’s adoption and in all that time his alleged big brother apparently can’t even be bothered to come introduce himself, RIP Jason’s feelings, guess he can’t possibly matter all that much to the guy, way to welcome him to the family......

I mean, its not like THAT thought neeeeeeever comes up in fic, so its like, hmmm, counterpoint, but where are all the fics that take the angle of rather than let Jason think he doesn’t matter to his predecessor and let Dick take all the blame for this impression when there’s LITERALLY nothing Dick could do about it since he found out about Jason from the freaking newspaper months after the adoption and only after Jason debuted as Robin.....maybe Bruce, could again, just like....start a conversation. And be like Jason I seem to have inadvertently given you the wrong impression here, but trust me, Dick not coming to meet you before now had nothing whatsoever to do with you and was purely because I never actually told him about you.

Again, cut to Jason, the actual brains of the family at this point in time, staring at Bruce with his mouth hanging open:

“Wait, so you’re telling me that after the two of you had this big fight and you haven’t seen him in like eighteen months, AND after his eighteenth birthday came and went without you bothering to even call him and let him know you still wanted him in your life despite him no longer legally being your ward, AND after you went and took me in and adopted me......you never at any point picked up the phone and said hey kid that I raised and consider family and still want to be part of my family no matter how long its been since we talked......I just thought you should know, given that we’re still family and all, that our family is now bigger, because that’s information that is kinda key to give to people you consider family, as NOT keeping them in that loop could kinda sorta maaaaaaybe give them the impression that you DON’T think of them that way or else you would have thought this was relevant information for them to have?”

Bruce: I’m not sure I see where you’re going with this.

Jason: How are you this dumb. No but seriously. HOW.

Anywho, cut to me, twiddling my thumbs here all super casual like.....

But HMMM, isn’t it WEIRD how fandom, which is totally better than canon, and definitely does not have patience for that unnecessary family angst porn DC is so obsessed with and just wants these goshdarn idiots to be a FAMILY, like......neeeeeeeeever utilizes the transformative power of fanfic and their much more reliable takes on Good Parent Bruce Wayne to like....have Bruce....do something about the problems between past Dick and Jason? In any of these fics? And instead has him just....let the opportunities to make things better for them, AND HIMSELF in the process, just like.....sail away into the rear view mirror, waving a hand at them as they pass, content to let things fester and worsen until cut to after Jason’s return, like.....oh gee, really wish something could have been done about the relationship between Dick and Jason way back when, maybe Jason could have benefited from another close relationship in his life then and maybe Dick might not be as bad off now if he wasn’t burdened with unnecessary guilt over having had human emotions when he was a teenager?

So so SO weird that this angle never comes up or gets tackled in ANY fics that emphasize Dick’s alleged history of being an asshole to Jason and the reason they were never close or barely knew each other. I mean, its such an EASY and OBVIOUS fix to all that, don’t you think?

Unless, of course.....in the fics that make an emphasis of this fandom created dynamic.....its not actually considered a problem to fix at all.

But rather, this manufactured dynamic IS the fix, to what they see as the ACTUAL problem......any kind of real or explored focus on what Bruce actually DID and didn’t do, that caused the resentment they’re all too happy to show Dick nursing, but seem keeeeeeeeenly deft in avoiding any exploration of him FEELING. Except of course when it comes to a reason for him to feel even guiltier BECAUSE of it.

Its almost like we would have had a ton more variety in how fics depict the early years between Dick and Jason, perks of this oh so easily arrived at fix-it angle.....unless those fics were always doing exactly what they intended by keeping every one in the comments sections so busy commenting on what a jerk Dick was in that chapter or in the older events that chapter mentioned, that they just so happen to never really spend much time considering Bruce’s inciting choices back then to be AS worthy of comment or criticism.

Idk you guys, I just happen to find it kinda hilar in that ‘what a weird coeenkeedink kinda way’ that so many of the things a lot of fandom are EXTREMELY loud about holding against Dick (whether Dick did or not actually do those things in the first place)....just so happen to be the very things that most of these same people REFUSE to ever hold Bruce accountable for, or admit that he actually did.

Y’know, like how Bruce never actually fired Dick as Robin, that was just a retcon (when there’s literally been more versions of events where Dick WAS fired than WASN’T at this point).....but meanwhile, Dick very much definitely did FIRE Tim, that was exactly how that went down.

Or how similarly, Bruce neeeeeever actually kicked Dick out, let alone made him give back his keys, but Dick DEFINITELY kicked Tim out of house and Gotham.....even though Dick literally did none of that and in fact was living at the penthouse the whole time he was Batman, meaning Wayne Manor was perfectly available to be Tim’s home base the whole time, if he’d wanted it.

Or how Bruce has never lifted a finger at his eldest, or thrown any kind of a temper tantrum, because he is a good person who would obviously never ever do that, BUT if the son he spent the longest time raising just so HAPPENS to end up with a reputation of having a hair-trigger temper, going off at the drop of a hat, blowing things all out of proportion and lashing out physically whenever he’s overwhelmed emotionally.....well, that certainly has nothing to do with Bruce or anything he’s ever done, lol why would it, BUT its definitely something that needs to be commented on time and time again because it very much did happen all these times in canon, whereas all these times you’re talking about with Bruce are very clearly out of character writing because see, Bruce just isn’t like that, uh doy.

Or how Bruce definitely wasn’t being problematic as hell when it came to his non-interactions with Dick back when Jason was living with him, but Dick’s non-interactions with Jason are 10000x more worthy of comment and criticism. And Dick’s responsibilities towards the emotional wellbeing of the kid he didn’t pick to be his family and wasn’t even actually legally family with at the time, let alone actually obligated to, are definitely the same as Bruce’s responsibilities to the emotional wellbeing of both the kids he did actually pick to be his family and did actually make obligations to. Thus the one is definitely more deserving of a call-out post than the other....wait, what? Dammit, I was SURE my math checked out on that one this time. Well fuck a duck, now I am THOROUGHLY flummoxed by all this.

Yup.....

Just really funny in that lmao ‘actually not at all sorta’ way, how its the extremely PRECISE things that so many fans absolutely REFUSE to acknowledge Bruce ever doing, that they just can’t help but ‘expose’ as a mere retcon, bad writing, ooc behavior, writers just ‘not getting who Bruce Wayne is,’ etc, etc, whenever it does get brought up by other people....

It just so happens to be these very specific things that come up time and time again as the things people just WILL NOT LET GO when it comes to Dick doing them.....even when.....in most cases he didn’t even actually do them! Not because they were ‘mere retcons’ or just ‘bad writing’ or ‘ooc behavior’ or ‘writers just not getting who Dick Grayson is’....but because they literally. Did not. Happen. Until fandom for some reason - ‘despite’ HATING canon for having Bruce do THESE VERY SAME THINGS - put their own interpretative or transformative spin on things and MADE those things happen in such huge numbers that a lot of new fans coming into fandom by way of fics honestly believe that THESE are the canon moments and its the ones attributed to Bruce that are just fans of other characters having their sour grapes moments.

I mean....

You gotta laugh.

Anyway. So I mean, unless I’m just totally reading the room wrong, I’d have to hazard a guess that the only real reason we NEVER see fics addressing things the way I outlined in my earliest examples at the start of this post.....is that a whole lot of fandom just kinda decided over the years that it was just waaaaaay easier to just redirect peoples’ ire at other characters, away from Bruce, than it was to go to the trouble of like....actually ADDRESSING Bruce’s pesky little canon mistakes.

Cuz see....writing a happier, more united Batfam in the years before Jason’s death is only a fix-it fic if the problem you’re fixing is the family’s relationships.....and not ‘Bruce acknowledging - let alone taking ownership of - his mistakes.’ If the latter is the REAL problem, well a more ‘together’ family isn’t something you actually need at all....you just need someone else to pin its divisiness on.

But I digress.

Aaaaaanyway.....now standard stock disclaimer that as I’ve always always always said....I don’t actually hate Bruce nor do I have anything whatsoever against Good Dad Bruce.....my issues are always just with peoples’ approach to his canon mistakes or poor writing being to double down on the problem but just make it someone else’s. And that one little thing where the Smartest Man In The World can come up with a way to fight Doomsday with a paper clip and some chewing gum, but goshdarnnit if he’s not completely helpless and powerless when it comes to fixing his own mistakes or interceding in his childrens’ emotional problems.

(As in by just y’know, parenting them. Sitting them down for a conversation. No, bugging their apartments and calling that his love language doesn’t count.)

Also, an Honorable Mention Pet Peeve goes out to all the fans who love to dismiss Dick Grayson stans raising this issue because ‘this sort of thing happens with all the characters’ when lololololol, no, it really actually does not. Given the weeeeeeeird similarities and parallels in the very specific things we tend to gripe about Bruce doing in canon and others tend to gripe about Dick doing in fanon, like, I’d actually think some of you would be a bit more empathetic about how much it sucks seeing your fave character condemned for stuff like this, given the lengths you go to when avoiding acknowledging Bruce doing it. But then again, that would defeat the point of attributing all that to a Bruce scapegoat instead of a Bruce in the first place, so I mean, I guess not actually.

But whatevs. I guess I’m just not able to grasp the nuances of how people criticizing or even fixating on some of Bruce’s worse actions in canon gains the ire of fans who are like, I am just here rolling my eyes at you guys for being so addicted to your shitty misery porn that you like, just loooooove going with the takes where Bruce is just the worst person ever and a totally shitty dad....

While meanwhile.....many of those exact same fans.....

Two seconds later: Now if you don’t mind, we have to get back to making up scenarios and bad faith interpretations that paint Dick as being just the worst person ever and a totally shitty brother or son. But in a not-that-we’re-addicted-to-shitty-misery-porn kinda way or whatever, because we’re obvs SO not, that’s YOU guys, this is totally different. We don’t LIKE doing this, we’re only doing it because we HAVE to. It has nothing to do with us not actually minding the writing or the content of what’s being written whatsoever, we just don’t like that it makes Bruce look bad, and as long as you keep fixating on how it makes Bruce look like, duh, what other choice do we have but to make someone else look worse instead? When you think about it, this is all your fault, really.

Anyway. You just gotta love the takeaway.

Us: Griping about something Bruce does in canon and how the writers portrayed it and any resulting followup.

Others in Fandom: manufactures a parallel scenario with Bad Brother/Son Dick Grayson out of a single out of context panel, tinfoil and some dental floss.

Fandom: These two situations are the same.

Us: Okay but see they’re really fucking not tho, is the thing....

#its a Friday night gripe #and Im feeling ripe....#wait. no #thats not a thing i take it back guys I promise Im not ripe I bathe Im hygienic #I Swear

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todoscript · 4 years

Text

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐞?

anonymous requested: Can I request Angst Prompt 11 with Izuku saying that to the reader? Hopefully, it has a fluff ending. But if looking at the prompt makes you have another great idea with Izuku then please do write it that way if you want. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it this long. And I adore your work! Take care

prompt for milestone event: “Can you shut up for once in your life?” genre: angst with a bit of fluff at the end pairing: midoriya izuku x fem!reader word count: 1.4k+ warnings: small mention of possible cheating.

author’s note: You too, Anon, take care! I hope I wrote this request to your liking! And a thank you to @lovelusional and @add-a-teaspoon-of-heroism for betaing this for me really quick, you guys are great!

“I’m home…”

Midoriya calls out with fatigue in his steps as he halfheartedly closes the front door of his apartment. Every muscle of his aches down to his bones from after another long day of hero work. Today especially so, as the rampant villain he fought in the city earlier took the combined efforts of multiple Pro Heroes in the area to take down.

“Ah, welcome back!” you reply. Midoriya hears the distance between your voices and realizes you must be in the kitchen. Carrying his heavy body across his apartment, he finds his way to the living room, eyes locked onto the couch that’s calling his name. Unlatching the padded gloves and the other weighty equipment of his hero costume, he lets them hit the floor with a thud before he takes a seat. He releases an arduous sigh while allowing his tension to sink into the comfortable cushions.

Just as he expects, you pad into the living room from the kitchen. Midoriya watches with discerning eyes as you dry your washed hands against the orange and black apron wrapped around your waist, lined with green on the edges.

Another one.

It’s Ground Zero merchandise he has no recollection of you owning, so it must be new.

At the last second, he contains the grimace his face itches to convey from where he sits on the couch. He masks it with a stiff smile he can’t tell is due to his fatigue, or the exasperated notion that his girlfriend has been repping his rival’s merch for the past couple of months now.

“I saw the whole battle on TV! Boy, it was a tough fight, but it’s a good thing Baku— I mean, Ground Zero, came and helped you out!” you say, rubbing your hands on Midoriya’s tense shoulders that only grow tenser hearing Bakugou’s hero name uttered from your lips.

“Yeah… Right…” Midoriya mutters through the grit between his teeth. Bakugou had arrived on the scene a couple moments later while Midoriya was going toe to toe with the villain, explosively making his entrance with that quirk of his. He practically shifted the entire momentum of the battle, and in turn, took your attention with him as you watched the full coverage live on the news at home.

“I mean, he was amazing! You saw the way he came and blasted that villain, right? I mean, of course you did, you were there, but still it was—”

There you go again, babbling about Bakugou Katsuki of all people—the current Number Two hero by the name of Ground Zero that was taking Japan by storm and aiming to snatch Midoriya’s Number One spot from under him. You’d think, after being together for over four years now, his girlfriend wouldn’t be droning so incessantly about his rival. But after seeing you buy the blonde’s merchandise and watch all of his battles on TV, Midoriya grew apprehensive.

Ever since Bakugou’s debut into the scene as a full-fledged Pro Hero, and meeting the man in-person one time on an outing with Midoriya, you’ve been an avid fan of Ground Zero for many months now. Always prattling on about Bakugou this, Ground Zero that. Midoriya can’t even mention his hero lifestyle to you without you jumping into the conversation with GZ coming out of your mouth.

He admires the man just as much as you do, maybe even a bit more at one point in his life. His strength and tenacity as a Pro Hero were something worthy of praise, and Midoriya always looked to him as his drive and inspiration to work harder, and only aim for the best. Bakugou is his longtime rival, after all. However, when is it too much?

“—Ground Zero was absolutely incredible! His attacks were so sharp and powerful, he had the villain on the ropes—”

Your droning becomes background noise to him at this point.

Midoriya comes home to you today with an exhausted body and weary mind, and yet, all you can care to acknowledge at the moment are Bakugou’s feats from the fight earlier. What about him? He’s the Number One Pro Hero—your boyfriend—but you’re not even sharing as much of an ounce of the same enthusiasm you have for the blonde toward him.

In fact, he can’t even tell if your admiration is idolization or infatuation.

Which was another thing.

With all this going on… do you truly love him? Was there a possibility that Bakugou and you might be holding feelings for each other? It feels like at this rate, if given a chance, you might just turn tail and run straight into Ground Zero’s arms. Or maybe, something was already going on behind his back—

No. No, he can’t think like that. Can’t let such deprived thoughts cloud his judgment and start accusing you of something you haven’t done. You’re his girlfriend of four years. He should know better than to doubt and weigh his trust in you.

But at the endless jargon that blubbers from your mouth, tension continues to accumulate throughout his body until it boils into anger. His hands clench together into tight fists, and then all at once, that string of restraint in him snaps. Midoriya yells out something he wishes never left his mouth.

“God, can you shut up for once in your life?!”

He whips his head to you as the words echo into silence throughout the apartment. Your hands immediately retract from his body, and when Midoriya’s eyes find you, all he can pinpoint is the unfamiliar panic that floods your face.

You’ve never seen him act this way before. He was always caring, kind, and soft with you, treating you gently and never one to lash out, even when you two got into occasional fights. But in the face of his astonishing anger, you teeter on the balls of your feet with wide, bewildered eyes directed toward him.

“I-Izuku..?” you hesitantly call to him, voice shaky like a frightened animal.

At that moment, Midoriya regrets what he said, and the taut, narrowed brows wrinkling his skin soften.

“Oh, god, no. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” he apologizes and gathers you in his arms, rubbing circles into your back that calms your body. The small trembles in you begin to still at his familiar warm touches, and you let his arms fully wrap themselves around you.

“I-I didn’t mean to lash out at you. No, I never wanted to do that, it was just—”

“Bakugou… right?” You finish and move your head from Midoriya’s chest, searching out his eyes. The uneasiness hidden within confirms your answer. You cup your boyfriend’s face in your hands, thumbs brushing against his freckled cheeks.

“’Zuku… I should be the one apologizing. You came home all tired from a hard day of work, but I’ve been so oblivious to your feelings lately,” you say, tip-toeing so your lips reach the corner of his own.

“Besides, you’re my boyfriend… What kind of girlfriend am I to wear merchandise under another man’s name? Ah, no, tell you what I’ll throw everything out tomorr—”

“No, you don’t have to do that!” Midoriya interjects, to your surprise. “It’s fine, I understand you admire Kacchan as a fan. It’s just… I kinda wish you showed as much enthusiasm with me as you do with him…” he admits to you wearily, eyes downcast.

Your hold on his face tightens at his words. You lift him so his eyes meet yours once again, making sure he can’t avert them from your steady gaze.

“’Zuku, I could never love anyone else other than you. You’ll always have my support because you’re my man and my number one, alright? And starting from here, I’ll make sure you know this fact every day for the rest of your life,” you assure him, unwavering throughout every word.

At this, Midoriya’s eyes begin to shimmer. Before a tear could quiver down his cheek, he weaves his hand through your hair and brings your lips to his own. You embrace the kiss with as much passion as your smaller body could give him, arms latching to his neck to tug him down and deepen the lip-lock.

When you two finally part with ragged breaths, you press your foreheads together, staring into each other with only pure love and tenderness between you two.

“I love you, ’Zuku.”

“I love you too, Y/n. So, so much.”

#bnha x reader #bnha imagine #midoriya x reader #midoriya izuku x reader #bnhabookclub #bnha scenarios #izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya imagine #midoriya scenarios #midoriya #izuku x reader #mha x reader

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coffeewaff1e · 3 years

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simply lovely. congrats to max and sergio, good points for redbull here but especially for max. lewis has to hope that he wins the next race + fastest lap and that max finishes 4th and below to make up...i think this is where the competition really starts between the two for me. i hope max manages his starts better as i think this race would’ve turned out differently if mercedes didn’t mess up on the strategy.

mercedes really lost out here. 2021 doesn’t seem to be going well and i guess i feel weirded out by that lmao, after years of them barely making mistakes. i do feel bad for valtteri because this is another race that people will use to criticise him but it could’ve turned out differently if they went with a two-stop like he suggested. he wasn’t lagging behind this time, he was right there within the top 4. for lewis though, i kinda had a bad feeling when he went for his pitstop and came out behind max. chalking this up to bad strategy.

congrats to mclaren for double points but ahhh i just wish it was dan that came up on top, y’know. it was a good race for dan and it seems like he has gotten a better hang of the car, thankfully. hope this continues on to the next two races and more 🤞🏻 it’s soooo nice to see mclaren p3 in the constructors, above ferrari!!

once again, pierre gasly has placed that alphatauri in the top 10, scoring wonderful points. hope yuki’s coping well within the team though, and not take the difference in results hard because it’s still his debut year after all AND he started from the pitlane.

aston martin with that double points finish too!! i’m so happy for seb and lance since he started from the back. i’m still gonna wait for another podium from seb idc it’s possible.

ferrari...i’m surprised because they finished way off from where they started, especially charles in p16?? no points this time round for them.

fernando in p8 whilst the re-signed esteban in p14 :/ hopefully it’s just a one-off because esteban has actually been doing so well so far. i’m happy that he has a three year extension cause it guarantees him a seat, but it rules him out from the mercedes one...

which leads me to george in p12 above a ferrari and alphatauri?? wow?? he was so close to points omg. i feel bad for valtteri but he’s had 5 years, he’s not a bad driver tbh, he’s just not on the same level as lewis for some reason. it seems likely that george will have that seat and i’d welcome that. i just wanna see lewis be challenged by someone in the same car again before he goes off into the sunset with his 8 championships :’)

i’m glad everyone finished this race, safely too. it wasn’t thatttt boring with the midfield and at the end with lewis & max.

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forasecondtherewedwon · 3 years

Photo

Never a Gull Moment

Fandom: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Pairing: Sam Wilson/Bucky Barnes Rating: T Word Count: 3523

For @yavannie, who wanted Sam to either gain new powers or carry Bucky through the air. Spoiler, I went with both. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: Sam’s had an intense first week as Captain America. The perfect opportunity for a break arises when Joaquín contacts him, offering new programming for his suit. All he needs to test the tech are the beach, birds, and one uncooperative bonehead Sam didn’t manage to leave behind in New York.

If there’s one skill Sam’s hoping to adopt from his predecessor—Steve, not Walker (sweet Jesus, not Walker)—it’s the ability to end a conversation with a humble handwave before it can even begin. Steve always had that in the bag. Leading with the wrist in a flick of the hand that came across as both sheepish and respectful. Like he’d love to stop and talk with that fan or this journalist but he was just too busy. And not rude busy, busy with a quiet nobility. Anyway, it all came across in the wave.

Sam hasn’t nailed the wave.

Four days after the GRC vote-that-wasn’t, he’s still in New York, bouncing between TV appearances; everybody wants a piece of the new Cap. Sam wishes they asked a little more about his opinions on compassion for the displaced, as well as those who survived the Snap to form new, functional communities, and less about the look of his new suit, but isn’t it always a battle between style and substance? At least people are listening. To everything except the look Sam knows he has in his eyes, the one that says this debut has been a lot and he’s longing for home.

He knows he has to nail this aspect of being Captain America too. Unfortunately, chuckling amiably with morning show hosts isn’t doing a hell of a lot to distract him from what it took to get him here. There are seconds where his attention wavers—he’ll be nodding along to whatever someone’s saying, or letting his gaze follow a bike courier down the street instead of staying trained on the camera the roving reporter has set up on the sidewalk—and that’s when Karli hurtles into his mind. He feels her desperate blows vibrating the shield, the weight of her body in his arms, in her death.

He can’t keep sitting behind desks or posing impressively and trying to answer the hard questions (on the rare occasion they’re asked) after he’s told people he’s not the expert. When Torres calls up, it’s the close-enough-to-official reason Sam’s been waiting for to step back and do something that actually feels useful.

Bucky, who’s been skulking behind the scenes, somehow never pulled into interviews (if he knows the deferring wave and he’s been doing it just outside Sam’s sightline all week, Sam’s gonna kill him), sticks with him. They head south to meet Torres, and at least that feels like the right direction. Homeward bound. Of course, they stop a handful of states before Louisiana and hug the east coast, but it’s an improvement. They meet Torres at… the beach.

He’s got his foot propped in the open doorframe of a Humvee, giving Sam and Bucky a big, eager, whole-arm wave as they pull up. Not like they’re gonna miss him; Torres is in the only vehicle parked halfway down an unpaved road. Sand dunes climb steep and high just feet from his front bumper, an informal path cutting between the dunes and leading to the water, though Sam can’t see that from this vantage.

Torres’s hand is somehow already grasping Sam’s in a pumping, congratulatory shake before he’s fully out of the car. Sam hears Bucky’s soft snort of suppressed laughter and shoots him a look across the seats. Bucky raises his palms, but Sam spots his smirk before they’re both slamming their doors and stretching their legs after the drive.

“Traffic?” Torres asks brightly.

“Nah,” Bucky answers, coming around the back of their ride. “Sam just drives slower than my grandmother and she—”

“Died on the Titanic?” Sam guesses dryly.

Bucky’s flat stare could be saying a lot of things, or nothing. Sam feels as if he’s been a student of the language of Bucky’s stare for a while now, but his comprehension is still rudimentary. Pop that asshole in a sanctuary for rehabilitated brain-washees, have somebody study his behaviour like Jane Goodall studies chimpanzees, and they might get some answers. The idea starts as something funny Sam almost shares, but then he imagines handfeeding Bucky a banana and it gets weird. He keeps his mouth shut.

“Or she got the cryo treatment too and she’s kickin’ around someplace, speakin’ Russian and makin’ headshots.”

“Come on, man, Hydra jokes about your own grandmother?” Sam scoffs. “That’s not even a little bit funny.”

Torres’s expression is like a kid watching a wrestling match on TV—awed, alarmed, reluctant to question what’s real because he’s just enjoying the show.

Bucky cracks a slow smile and Sam rolls his eyes, slapping Torres’s shoulder to get him to head towards the Humvee and the reason they’re here.

“Nana woulda thought it was funny,” Bucky assures them.

“Nana?”

“Lemme guess… You called your aunt ‘TT,’ so your grandmother’s probably… ‘GG,’ am I right?”

Sam glares at him (because his guess is correct and he’s a pain in the ass) and turns fully to Torres as he opens the back, revealing a large case.

“You were vague on the phone,” Sam recalls, watching Torres tug the case close before undoing the clasps. Bucky leans against the vehicle as he observes, dark pants picking up a swipe of road dust from the dirty taillight. “Something about an update for the suit?”

“Right,” Torres agrees.

He throws the case open to reveal the wings Sam gifted him. They’ve been repaired and Sam automatically strokes a hand over the gleaming, extended metal. If Torres did this himself, he sure worked fast.

“That duffle bag wasn’t good enough for you?” Sam asks jokingly, remembering his gear broken and jumbled, fit to be dragged out with the trash.

“They’re kind my prized possession,” Torres admits. “I thought they deserved to be kept nice.”

“You might even wanna put ’em on sometime.”

“I’m working up to that.” Torres laughs. “I wanted to make sure they were in working order before I jumped off a building.”

“Or out of the back of a plane without a parachute, right, Buck?” Sam asks, smacking the back of his hand into Bucky’s chest.

“I was fine,” Bucky insists.

“Sure you were. We can watch the footage again. I’m up for that.”

“Just let the man finish.”

Torres grants Bucky a wide smile in thanks.

“Yeah,” he picks up, “so I was fixing them, working on the wiring, and when I got the electronics running smoothly again, I started thinking about Redwing—”

“May he rest in pieces,” Bucky contributes.

“Uncalled for,” Sam complains.

“I replaced it, didn’t I?”

“The Wakandans replaced it.”

“As a favour to me.”

Torres’s gaze dances between them until Sam motions for him to continue.

“About Redwing,” Torres goes on enthusiastically. “The sophistication of the relationship between you, how intuitive the tech was. How Redwing understood not just simply-stated commands, but a more conversational approach, interpreting your intentions.”

“Finally, a little Redwing appreciation,” Sam says. He crosses his arms and gives Bucky a meaningful look.

“But what if it was a real bird?” Torres blurts.

Most of a minute passes as Sam stares at Torres’s excited expression.

“I think I might get where Torres is going with this,” Bucky says.

Sam holds up a hand to pause him. He could make a guess at it too, but there’s no need for that. They have the source of whatever alterations have been made right here.

“In your own words, Joaquín,” Sam encourages.

“Well,” he begins, one palm braced in the bed of the Humvee as he leans over the case with unconscious protectiveness, “you know I’ve kinda been itching to get my hands on the wings for a long time.”

“Yeah.” Sam laughs, remembering having to practically slap Torres’s hands away from the jetpack in Tunisia.

“Since you gave them to me a couple weeks ago, I’ve been tinkering, like I said, and I had this idea. Now,” he warns, raising both hands in caution, “this might be either really obvious or really disrespectful to the whole concept of the Falcon, but I started wondering if it’d be possible for the person wearing the wings to talk to nearby birds. Use them like a resource, like with Redwing.”

“Black Panther dresses like a cat with Vibranium claws.”

“Spider-Man has webs,” Bucky adds.

“Right,” Sam agrees, nodding to him before looking back to Torres. “I don’t think it’s disrespectful to lean into the gimmick if it’s amplifying your abilities.”

“Awesome,” Torres pronounces.

“I assume you went further than just wondering about it?”

Torres gives them a modest shrug.

“I know a guy who knows an ornithologist.”

“Bird scientist,” Bucky translates.

Turning his head, Sam glances at Bucky with a no shit look.

“Thanks,” he says insincerely.

“You’re welcome.”

“Long story short,” Torres pipes up, “she got me access to a catalogue of bird calls and the scientific consensus on what they all mean. I patched that info into the suit and, hopefully, it’s something that could be used, uh, on the fly. Sorry, I was trying to think of another way to say that.”

“So my suit would be able to communicate with birds?” Sam checks. “Automatically?”

“Yeah, it would assess your surroundings the same way Redwing does already, but scanning for birds, identifying what kind they are, and having the interpretation of their calls at the ready if needed.”

“What sort of information would I be gaining with this tech?”

“Stuff like… are they feeling threatened or disturbed? Does something feel off about their environment that has something to do with somebody you’re maybe chasing?”

“Mating rituals,” Bucky says.

“How is being able to recognize mating rituals going to help me?” Sam demands.

“You never know.”

“You brought your suit, right?” Torres wants to know. Apparently, he’s not going to bother engaging with Bucky’s nonsense. “It won’t take long for me to install the new software.”

“It’s in the back,” Sam assures him, jerking a thumb towards the other vehicle.

“Great!”

“But just the bird calls. This suit is brand new. No tinkering.”

“No tinkering,” Torres swears.

He sets up his impromptu workshop in the back seat, next to the suit. Sam has to admit to himself that Torres’s reverential expression as he handles the Captain America suit is pretty flattering. He watches the progress until Torres sits back, stating it’ll just be a few minutes for the new programming to be assimilated.

“Why the beach?” Sam asks while they wait.

“I was inspired by some shaky, far-away footage of you in New York. You did, uh, kind of a nosedive into the river there, so I thought maybe you’d be interested in testing your suit’s maneuverability in water at the same time as we did a trial with the bird calls.”

“Are we running a drill or something?” Bucky wonders.

“That’s a good idea,” Torres says immediately. “A scenario to use both the calls and the water.”

“You got something in mind?”

Sam isn’t the one who asks because he can see from Torres’s face that he does. Fortunately, he is the one who gets to laugh when the Lieutenant squints consideringly at Bucky and asks, “How long can you hold your breath?”

—

The last Sam sees of Bucky, he’s taking off his shirt.

“Oh, entire jacket this time?” Torres asked when Bucky took that off first.

After that, it was his shoes and socks, then his t-shirt, and this whole Bucky stripping thing isn’t so much a last look as something that Sam has to stand there witnessing for a while. He’s already in the Cap suit and, seriously, Bucky could’ve changed at the same time. Then, he would’ve been ready to go without making Sam and Torres wait around. But Sam wouldn’t have gotten to see him undress.

“Hurry it up, man.” His voice is a little off because, at the same time, he’s thinking, Please don’t take your pants off.

“If you’re making me play a drowning victim, I can at least not be getting weighed down,” Bucky argues. “This is to help you, right? Quit complaining.”

Finally, he stalks away, mounting the dune in black jeans and a half-assed scowl and disappearing over the top. The plan is for him to swim out, then duck under the water when Torres tells him to (the guy’s brought along waterproof earpieces for the purpose). Next, Sam will fly up and search for the ‘victim,’ relying solely on input from the seagulls wheeling lazily overhead. It’s a good exercise Torres has cooked up.

Sam hands the shield off to Torres for safekeeping before the Lieutenant heads to the beach. The shield won’t be necessary for this and there’s no way in hell Sam’s leaving it in the car. Besides, it’s kinda funny how wide Torres’s eyes go when Sam offers it up. Even bigger reaction than leaving him the wings, though this he doesn’t get to keep.

“On my signal,” Torres restates.

Sam gives him a sharp nod.

Once he’s alone, he paces between the vehicles, eager to kick off the ground. He hasn’t had an opportunity to just enjoy himself in the new suit yet. Leading up to the confrontation with the Flag-Smashers (and Georges Batroc, that fists-of-steel bastard), he was in training mode, focused and determined. In the media-heavy days that followed, he conceded to a few stunts for the camera. Those hadn’t been purely fun though; they were actually something Sam had to think quick and hard about, ultimately deciding that it wasn’t just performing on command but rather giving the public a lighthearted look at their new Captain America. Testing new tech with Bucky, Torres, and a bunch of seagulls? That seems like it’ll actually be a good time.

The instant Torres’s voice in Sam’s ear says, “Bucky’s under,” he unfurls the wings and sails up over the crest of the dune.

It’s not the warmest day and the greenish-blue water’s choppy near the shore, but there is a surprising smattering of people along a quarter mile of beach. Must be locals, Sam guesses, trekking down to the water from nearby houses. That would explain the lack of other cars where he parked. The people aren’t that close or that bothered by his sudden appearance overhead. Startled, sure, but after they’ve identified him (he sees a few hands lifted to foreheads to block out the sun so they can get a good look), he gets to return a couple big waves. Besides that, nobody’s getting to their feet to pound sand and swarm Torres, who’s conspicuously there with Sam—he is holding the shield, after all. Pretty typical. The bigger the crowd, the greater the chance of people scrambling for his attention and/or whipping out their phones to film him. This group seems satisfied with watching Captain America hanging out at their beach on his downtime and Sam appreciates them for that.

“No scanning the water,” Torres says in his ear. Sam laughs.

“I’m not, just assessing our audience here.”

“Is this a bad spot? I didn’t think anybody’d be around when I sent you my location, but—”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. Did anybody ask you what was up when Bucky waded out into the water?”

“Nah. If they were wondering, they probably aren’t anymore.”

“Glad I won’t have to compete with a lifeguard to rescue him,” Sam jokes.

He hears Torres’s short laugh of agreement before focusing. Not on the water at all, but the birds. Those down on the sand are squawking for food, comfortable enough with these people to complain loudly in the hopes of being fed.

Sam’s sudden swoops scatter the gulls in the air, so he tries easier circles, mimicking their movements to hover high above the beach. Soon enough—these guys either have bad short-term memories or no patience—they start communicating with each other. The new programming Torres has uploaded to his suit signals to Sam that the birds are aware of a disturbance in the water. He gets a target on his goggles’ imaging and dives.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sam crashes into the murky water no more than a hundred yards out. The drop-off is dramatic enough for him to not complete a faceplant into a shallow bottom. Bucky’s treading water a couple body-lengths down, but he wrecks his form to offer Sam a raised middle finger in greeting. Sam’s wings retract as he grabs Bucky’s wrist to haul him to the surface.

They breathe, bobbing in place.

“Thought you’d be faster,” Bucky says.

“You didn’t drown, did you?” Sam points out. “Come on.”

He catches hold of Bucky’s hand and shoots out of the water, wings opening in the air to carry him once the thruster’s done its work. But Bucky squirms below him, their wet grip twisting precariously. Water runs from his sopping jeans.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sam asks.

“I don’t want to be carried to shore!”

“Why?”

“Because dangling this high above the ground feels a little weird to me! Not all of us do this every day!”

“I guess we could run the exercise again.”

“Fine. Let’s do that. Just drop me.”

Sam rewards Bucky’s melodrama by abruptly releasing his grip. Hey, that’s what the idiot asked for, and if he can fall out of a plane to the forest floor, he can plunge into water. It’s not like Sam’s up at aircraft cruising altitude, just high enough to make Torres look like a little action figure army man, standing on the sand in his fatigues.

“Running it again?” Torres wants to know.

“Yep,” Sam tells him, accelerating away from the shore. “Just giving that dumbass time to swim to a new spot.”

“Even though he can’t reply while he’s underwater… you know he can hear you in the comms, right?”

“Oh yeah.”

When Torres lets him know that Bucky’s gone under a second time, they start the drill again. Once more, Sam does a gliding approach to the seagulls. Once more, they go quiet before filling the air with their screaming, overlapping calls. Once more, Sam finds Bucky. He knows he’s quicker this time, so he’s expecting an acknowledgement of that when he contracts the wings, straightens his body, and plummets into the water feetfirst next to where Bucky’s floating below the surface.

Instead of an appreciative nod, an outstretched hand, or even a thumbs up, Bucky darts away from him. Is he trying not to get rescued? Now he’s just fucking up the exercise. Only, Sam can’t even berate him, because he’s still under too, holding his breath as he swims after Bucky. He uses the jetpack for assistance, but Bucky’s a fast swimmer, legs kicking just ahead of Sam. Goddamn human shark.

Because he is not an idiot, Sam surfaces to catch his breath, leaving Bucky somewhere below.

“There a problem?” Torres asks.

“Only with Bucky’s idea of teamwork.”

“Get him like a bird would!”

“Is that a real suggestion?” Sam asks, rising and falling as a small wave swells under him, rolling towards the shore.

“Really, Sam! You know, like how birds hunt fish.” Back on the beach, he makes a sharp, downward gesture with his arm that has Sam chuckling. He gets what Torres means though.

“Alright.”

Sam goes from water to air, then, alerted by a trio of seagulls taking annoyed flight from the surface of the water, goes into a steep dive. Nabbing the swimmer from above is the trick, he learns, when the swimmer is being intentionally uncooperative with the rescue attempt. Bucky might be quick when he knows Sam’s behind him, but when he drops down on him, there’s nowhere Bucky can go. Sam wraps his arms around Bucky’s bare chest from behind and lugs him up for air.

The first thing Bucky says is, “You took even longer that time.”

Frustrated, Sam splashes the back of his head, but when Bucky strokes his arms out, rotating to face him, he’s smiling.

“You messed it up,” Sam accuses. He rubs a hand across his goggles to smear the water droplets off.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t have fun.”

Sam narrows his eyes before a laugh bursts out of him. He can’t help it; it’s the pressure he’s been under, so much internal conflict, suddenly drawn out with the current. Yeah, Bucky was slightly uncooperative, but that’s nothing unusual. Swimming ahead like he was going for a gold medal or forcing Sam to plunge deep after him, the two of them suspended like the goddamn Shape of Water before Sam towed him to the surface—either way, Bucky definitely gave him distinct scenarios to work with. Sam can’t say he doesn’t feel more comfortable now that he’s had some practice. More comfortable with his wings in the water, with working with his feathered allies. With Bucky.

“Still don’t want a lift?” Sam checks.

Bucky’s expression hardens and Sam backs off with a laugh.

“See you on the shore,” Bucky states firmly.

“Alright. Get doggy-paddlin’, White Wolf.”

Sam feels Bucky’s hand shoot out to seize his ankle in retaliation as he launches out of the water, but he’s too slow. Sam’s wings fan wide as he flies up, up, up with the birds.

#my writing #tfatws #The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE WINTER SOLDIER #Sam Wilson #Bucky Barnes #Joaquin Torres #sambucky #Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes

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lunarliza · 4 years

Text

Fake Boyfriend | Chapter 4: Kook Conventions

JJ x Kook!reader

series masterlist | prev. chapter| chapter one

my masterlist

You’re a Kook Princess who has everything you ever wanted... until your handsome Kook Prince dumps you for a hot new fling. To save your reputation, you bribe the one person he hates the most, JJ Maybank, to pretend to be your boyfriend for the summer. All’s fair in love and war. But where do you draw that line when you’re suddenly wishing your fake boyfriend is your real one?

note: slight mention of panic attack

If there was anything you learned about JJ that Friday, it was that he was the absolute worse at sticking to the plan.

For one, he spent so much time looking for the tennis courts, instead of following your clearly written out instructions, that he ended up being late altogether to pick you up. What was supposed to be a grand gesture turned into you sitting on the front steps, while the sun was near done setting, waiting for stupid JJ while everyone else had already left.

“What the hell took you so long?!” you scolded, slamming the truck door shut in annoyance once he finally showed up.

“This place is confusing as hell! I kept having to make loops. It is called Figure Eight for a reason,” he tried to justify, pulling out of the lot.

“JJ I texted you specific instructions on how to get here!” you groused, rubbing your temple, “Anyways, it’s fine, whatever. Let’s just hurry home so I can get ready. My house is just a little bit up that way.”

“Yeah, uh, about that,” JJ mentioned sheepishly, keeping his eyes on the road, “I kinda have to help Pope and Poppa Heyward with something right now. It will only take an hour tops! I’ll just meet you at the party after I’m done.”

You groaned loudly, face-palming yourself. “JJ what the hell! I told you specifically to cancel your plans tonight. It was supposed to be our debut!”

“I did! I just,” he scratched the back of his neck, “kinda broke one of their carts this afternoon, so I have to help them fix it for tomorrow. I think they’re catering your little brunch thingy.”

“How did you even break the cart to begin with?!”

He hid his face from your dagger-eyes and admitted in a low voice, “I, uh, tried to surf on it down a hill when they weren’t looking.”

You had to fight the urge to smack him upside the head, but you didn’t want to risk him veering off the road. Lucky bastard.

“Fine,” you grumbled, “Just make sure you’re on time to the party.” You then eyed his outfit up and down. Even in the little sunlight that emitted from outside, you could tell it was all dirty from his day activities. “And please change into something a little nicer,” you added, “These Kooks would run you to the ground with that on.”

JJ dropped you off at your house and sped away as you unlocked the door into a near empty house. Looks like it would just be you and Alfred for dinner.

Your parents were headed off to the mainland for some business convention. Thankfully, your presence was not needed which saved you an entire day of pretending to be a perfect obedient daughter. It was an exhausting act.

Most teens your age would kill for a night alone, but after countless nights sleeping isolated in a big empty house, it got old and depressing. Most of the time, you’d sleep over at Sarah’s for some kind of company. You were always welcomed at the Camerons’.

Greeting Alfred your usual hello at the foyer, you darted upstairs to wash off and get ready with the little time you had left. The aroma of filet mignon and freshly seasoned veggies filled the house air.

“Oh and Alfred,” you called out over the intricate metal banister, “It’ll just be me eating tonight, so just set the table for one please.”

“Miss Y/n, your friend is not coming?” he asked with hints of concern. You just shook your head with a sad smile. “No, he had to run last minute.”

Alfred gave you a curt nod, making way back into the kitchen while you dashed into the bathroom.

—————————————————

Instead of throwing JJ straight into the shark’s tank (even though, given his already poor track record, you strongly contemplated throwing him to literal sharks), you decided it was best to ease him into the whole boyfriend role.

You figured he’d be more in touch with his aura if you invited him to a Kook party first— which was exactly where you were, furiously texting him where on earth he was.

It was already ten o’clock. The party started hours ago, and he was nowhere to be found. An hour with Pope your ass!

Flopping onto the giant living room couch in Billy Irvine’s mansion, you frowned amongst the throng of drunk privileged kids. Around you, the Glossy Posse was gossiping with other Kooks about some of the summer newcomers while sleazy guys from out of town tried to grab their attention. It never worked.

“So y/n,” Chloe asked next to you on the couch, “I have some great news! It’s no secret that you need a date to the all the fundraiser events, and I might just have one for you! My cousin, Gerald, is coming into town next week, so I can totally set you guys up!”

She proceeded to show you pictures on her phone of a lanky tall guy with discolored hair and a creepy smile. You resorted to taking a gulp of your drink to hide your horrified expression. “Thanks, but, uh, no thanks. I actually have a date already,” you informed, typing away heatedly at your phone for JJ to arrive that instant or so help you.

“Ooh, who is it?” Ivy nosily chimed in at the mention of you finally having a date. From the couch over, you also saw Anne-Marie and Warren lean their heads closer to get the scoop.

Jeez, were people really that interested in your love life?

“It’s-”

Before you could reveal the name, a loud ‘ding’ went off from your phone followed by a text from JJ to alert you that he was out front. “Oh! He’s actually here right now,” you announced, hopping up from your seat to collect your very problematic date.

“You’re late, again!” you scolded to the blond standing all gloomy at the front of the stone curved driveway. He changed into a nicer grey long-sleeve with khaki shorts and his signature red snapback, much to your relief. It didn’t quite match with your intricate white romper, but it would do for the time being.

“The guard wouldn’t let me in the gate! I ended up having to sneak through one of the fences,” JJ explained. You rolled your eyes at his ridiculous excuse. “Then why didn’t you just call me to let you in?” you pointed out.

“It was more fun this way,” he peskily grinned, earning himself a smack on the arm. The guy was impossible. “Ow!” he whined, rubbing the spot. Ignoring his complaints, you seized his hand and led him inside. It was about time!

The foyer flashed with various-colored LED lights while thundering rap music echoed from basically every corner of the house. All around, eyes gawked at you stepping through the Victorian-style entryway with a Pogue of all people. It was like walking into a cave of bats.

“Anyways,” you began, disregarding all the probing eyes, “This is Billy Irvine’s place. It’s the nicest house on the Eight. His parents are out of town right now, so we’re celebrating the Glossy Posse’s birthdays.”

It alway was a coincidence to you how all three of them had birthdays on back-to-back days. Witchcraft, honestly.

“Those bitches?” JJ grimaced at the mention of his sworn female enemies, “Ew why? They hate the Pogues.”

“Just shut up and suck it up. Here,” you grabbed a glass from the champagne tower in the middle of the spacious room, “Have a drink to get your mind off it.”

“Champagne? What the hell is this, England?” he yelped, taking a swig. Rolling your eyes, you hoped the alcohol would alleviate his irritability for the night. Fortunately, the blaring music was enough to drown out his constant bickering.

“Now put your arm around me! It’s time to make our rounds,” you demanded. He obliged and you turned on your best lovestruck game-face, giving him the grand tour of the mansion.

Billy’s mom was also one of the important people of the Island Club, so you had been going over there ever since you were nine being that your moms were friends. Still, you were always amazed by the extravagance of their house. You could tell JJ was also in shock of it all too.

It looked like a castle with two grand marble staircases circling the front with a tall vintage Tiffany chandelier hanging over everything. The floors were the shiniest white marble even with hundreds of teenagers recklessly dancing and slipping all over it.

“Damn, so this is how the other side lives,” JJ commented, marveling at how the LED lights reflected off the diamonds on the chandelier.

He slid his hand down to your waist as you stood closer to his side, taking a whiff of his teakwood cologne. Deep down, it was nice to have someone to attend parties with you, even if it was fake and with JJ.

You took him up the right staircase where plastered kids— some you recognized from school, some just in town for the summer— stumbled up and down the stairs or sloppily made out while pinned to the side walls. Realistically, it didn’t seem that off-brand to JJ’s party scene.

“We’re only staying an hour right?” JJ reminded in your ear as you approached the open bar upstairs. Yes, the Irvine’s had a literal bar in their second level.

“Yes, grumpy!”

“Do you know if Sarah and John B are coming?” JJ continued to question. You settled on top of a retro bar stool as he leaned against the Irvine’s prized rustic bar.

“No,” you answered, “Sarah doesn’t come to these because Topper’s here. And she hates Kooks.”

“She’s the smarter one of you two!” JJ shouted among the loud music. You shook your head and whacked him again, but lightly this time. Seemed that would be you guy’s thing— hitting.

Even in their inebriated states, Kooks were still staring at you like you had grown a third arm. Which, honestly, was what being with JJ felt like half the time. From the corner of your eye, you caught a glimpse of the Glossy Posse and Warren making their way to you with either wide or curious eyes.

Oh boy.

“Y/n!” they exclaimed, shoving through the crowd. You matched their seemingly gleeful expressions, though you knew deep down they were judging you hard.

“You must be y/n’s date,” Ivy stated without much of a formal introduction.

“Aren’t you that Pogue from the Boneyard that always tries to hit on us?” Chloe brought up once she got a better look at JJ’s face. You snorted, but no one heard you.

You were slightly worried JJ would take their snarky comments the wrong way and lash back, but his cocky grin still laid proudly on his face as he held his hand out to your girl friends. “Name’s JJ. And yeah, I’m y/n’s new man.”

New man. Well, that was certainly a title. All of the Glossy Posse’s threaded eyebrows shot up at the word.

“Y/n,” Anne-Marie said in amazement, “You didn’t tell us you were dating again.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to keep it kinda lowkey,” you lied, signaling JJ to put his arm around you again.

Expecting your friends to stick up their nose at him or give you guys condemnatory looks, you were surprised to find they were more stunned than snobby. Intrigued, you caught them eyeing JJ up and down as if he possessed some kind of magical charm.

From behind the group, you saw Warren trying to stick his hand out at JJ to introduce himself as the girls did kinda take center stage earlier, shielding him out. “Don’t believe we’ve met yet. I’m Warren, Warren Van Doren.”

JJ had to hold back a laugh at the sound of his rhyming name. So immature.

“Hey man, I’m JJ. Nice to meet you,” he greeted, shaking his hand, “Wait a sec, aren’t you that quarterback that got in that fight at regionals last year?”

Warren smiled sheepishly and looked away. “Yeah, that was me.”

You remembered that fight. The video of it actually went viral for like a week. Warren was a very nice guy, but pissed of, he was an animal. He pummeled the shit out of some of other players during that game. The topic of fighting seemed to bond the two boys as they unknowingly drifted away in their own conversation. Thank God, you were glad that at least one of the boys there would be friendly towards JJ.

“Wow, look what the cat dragged in,” Chloe announced, gesturing towards the stairway. All four of your heads turned to see Max and Anya parade up to the top step linked to one another.

That was the cue.

Furtively, you nudged at JJ’s side, interrupting his football conversation. You gave him an alerting look that said ‘look like you’re in love with me ASAP’ and he quickly enveloped his arm around you to pull you close.

Given the fact that you and JJ hardly knew each other, much less touched, it was a very ungraceful and awkward gesture. Even Warren shot you both a weird look. Either way, you figured it would be perfected after going at it a few times.

Just as the Hollywood couple sauntered in to the packed bar area, JJ dipped his face closer to yours. It was a nice touch to the act. He started whispering some stupid joke in your ear that you could hardly make out among the music and chatter, but you went along with it anyway, playfully slapping at his chest. He even placed his snapback on your head backwards. You almost yelled at him for ruining your hair, but for the sake of the show you were putting on, you pretended it was the cutest thing.

You tried not to look at Max as he passed, as you didn’t want to make things so obvious. But in the split second you did glance his way, his mouth flew agape. In that moment, you knew you had him right in the palm of your hand from twenty feet away. The evil laugh cackled inside your head while you raked your hands through JJ’s hair. It was surprisingly soft.

For the next few minutes, you could feel Max’s stare bore into you back as you leaned closer to JJ, kissing up his jawline and cheek.

“Damn, y/n, didn’t know you felt like this about me,” JJ teased.

“Shut up. I’m giving them a show,” you hissed with an infatuated smile to mask your threats.

“They’re gone now,” JJ noted lowly in your ear. You both detached like repelling magnets.

Fortunately, the posse and Warren dispersed among the crowd while you and JJ acted out your little PDA scene— it was probably from discomfort, if you were being honest. You did make sure not to hold anything back while you were draped all over JJ.

“Is that it?” JJ droned, back to his normal whiny self, “Am I done? Can we leave?”

Clicking your tongue, you shook your head, but with a grin this time. “Yes, you idiot, we can leave now.”

“Finally!”

JJ’s hand crept to your lower back as you both weaved through the mass of people to the exit. Before you could make it halfway down the staircase, however, you heard a rumbling behind you that stopped both your tracks. Warren’s six-four gigantic self was rummaging down the stairs, leaving booms in his wake.

“JJ! JJ!” he called out, grabbing hold of your fake boyfriend’s arm, “JJ dude, you gotta check out this new game system Billy has upstairs in the game room. You can play live Madden!”

“What?!” JJ’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas as Warren tugged you both back up the stairs with his giant football-player muscles.

“Dude it’s fucking sick! You gotta try it out,” Warren kept insisting. You knew JJ wouldn’t be able to resist. His eyes were practically glowing with excitement when he turned back to you as if to ask for some kind of approval.

“Okay, I’m just going to stay for one game,” he swore but you were a hundred-and-ten percent sure he’d be hooked and you could stay for much longer.

“Knock yourself out, Maybank,” you responded with a knowing smile, shooing him off to some depth of the Irvine’s enormous home. When he disappeared, you took the liberty to go search for your friends and finally enjoy the party for yourself.

As you predicted, one game turned into thirty real quick. It was well past midnight and JJ was still buried away somewhere doing who knows what. You didn’t mind. Warren was very responsible and you trusted him to take care of your date.

Plus, it gave you enough time to take rounds of various colored jello shots with Billy, dance on Mrs. Irvine’s countertops with the birthday girls, and devour the four-tiered tiramisu cake with fake-puking Barbie doll toppers that you helped pick out at the bakery.

When it got around one thirty, you grew a little concerned about JJ’s whereabouts so you sent him a quick text just to make sure he was okay and not shoving his head down a toilet. Your phone chimed back instantly—

Im jus fine y/n!!! One mor game! I almos beat War Ins Ass! Fuckin kwarter back!

Oh yeah, he was definitely gone. You texted your family’s driver to come by in about thirty minutes to make sure he’d get home safely. Then, you proceeded to dig in to your third slice of cake. Unlike the rest of your friends, you embraced the joy that was carbs— especially when you were drunk and there was chocolate involved.

JJ came downstairs a few minutes later and found where you were sitting on the couch surrounded by your circle of friends. Even amid the dark yet colorful beaming lights, his hair was still its usual sweaty mess with eyes a tad droopy, indicating just how drunk he was.

“Y/n! There’s my baby!”

He walked up and collapsed right onto your lap, tossing a dangly arm around you. You kept his snapback on for the entire night, assuming your hair was probably a bird’s nest underneath it. Everyone around seemed amused at the sight, and a few girls from school even began asking how you two started dating.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

Well, that was until your thigh circulation began ceasing due to JJ’s bony ass on it. You immediately demanded that you switch places with him, and he sloppily obliged. The throng around you giggled, intrigued by the new lovey-dovey couple. Secretly, you ate up the attention and knew JJ did too.

He was in the middle of telling everyone a dumb Boneyard party story when Max and Anya entered the living room premises. They looked like they were fixing to leave. Your date felt you tense a little in his lap and caught on to your sudden judder.

Boldly, JJ made direct eye contact with Max and threw him one of those ‘what’s up’ nods. Then, out of nowhere, in his completely trashed state, JJ cupped both of your cheeks and planted a very brazen kiss on your lips for everyone to see. Shutting your eyes, you heard a few whistles from the crowd around you, especially when he, very obviously, added his tongue to the mix.

JJ was a good kisser, you had to admit. It quite literally, took your breath away when he pulled back. Biting your lip, you mimicked his shit-eating grin while he pressed his perspiration-filled forehead on yours. It was a huge acne-hazard just waiting to happen. But, like the snapback, you didn’t care. It was the most thrilling thing you had done in months.

“Don’t look now, but Vega and his girl have their jaws dropped to the floor behind you,” he muttered in your ear. You giggled and held onto him closer, leaning your head on his chest.

It was probably be best fifteen hundred bucks you had ever spent.

—————————————————

The next morning was your mom’s weekly Saturday brunch. By default, you showed up an hour early to help greet the guests, frequently checking your watch and phone to see when JJ would arrive.

You had a tennis tournament earlier that morning, however, you didn’t even bother making your fake boyfriend go. After the events of last night, you knew he’d be too hungover in the morning and wouldn’t wake up in time for it. He was getting to be very predictable.

At t-minus five minutes until the brunch started, everyone had already made their way into the ballroom. That left just you waiting in the lobby area for your date. The look on your face was just about ready to kill JJ whenever he walked through the door. You also didn’t see Sarah and John B arrive either, so you assumed they would be a no-show yet again.

About a minute past noon, the blond sauntered past the doors wearing a black suit that looked two sizes to big for him with hideous shoulder pads. You presumed it was his dad’s old one. He also had on jet black sunglasses to mask the grogginess from the party, but it was pretty evident he looked and felt like shit.

“You’re late again!” you hissed through gritted teeth, snatching his hand like he was an uncontrollable child. Maybe you should invest in a leash and collar for him since he could never get his attendance right.

“What do you mean? You said noon,” he yawned, unfazed at your irritation.

“The brunch starts at noon!” you jeered, “That means you have to show up early!”

“Well you failed to mention those rules,” he tried to bicker back, but you flashed him one of your bitch-looks before he could go any further. That had him shriveling at the sight.

“Whatever, just hurry up and let’s get seated,” you ordered, leading him through the majestic looking double doors, “And take off those sunglasses!”

Much to your dismay, the doors made a very loud creaking noise when they opened. Just about everyone did a double-take to see you arrive late and with a woozy-looking boy shoving sunglasses in his suit pocket.

Eyes were glued on you while judgmental whispers filled the already tense air. There was a small churn in your stomach as you weaved through the round tables. Something was also gnawing at your brain, telling you that it was a terrible, terrible idea. You attempted to brush it aside, though, as you and JJ took your seats.

For some odd reason, the Glossy Posse didn’t show the same enthusiasm towards JJ like the did at the party. They were back to their pretentious ways— you figured it was probably just their hangover attitude.

On the other hand, Warren happily greeted JJ when he sat down, exchanging one of those typical ‘bro’ handshakes. They started chatting on about the previous night while you tried to make small talk with the girls. Unfortunately, they were still being short with you and were, very obviously, throwing looks at JJ, along with their dates.

Glancing to your parents’ table, they didn’t look like they cared too much about your situation, having just flown in from their trip. They were too engrossed in entertaining their friends to really pay you any mind. Sometimes you were grateful that they were oblivious to some things. When you look over at the Vegas, however, Mr. and Mrs. Vega both sent you a disapproving look. The other families followed.

You couldn’t help but feel like you were in over your head at that point. Was it a mistake bringing JJ to this event?

The servers came out and made their rounds at the tables, setting bowls of water in front of everyone.

“Thank God, I’m starving,” JJ piped, taking his dessert spoon to sip water from the finger bowl.

“JJ,” you yelled-whispered as guests continued to stare.

“What?” he chided back with an attitude, completely unaware of his surroundings.

“The water is for your fingers.”

His face shot up from the bowl and scanned the room at people dipping their fingers into their respective bowls. “Oh shit,” he sputtered as your entire table tried to hide their snorts.

When the food finally came out, it didn’t really get any better. Baked chicken was on the menu and, well, JJ was the only one in the room who didn’t use a fork and knife. Everyone stared at him incredulously as he used his hands to gobble up his plate. Though, the boy didn’t seem to notice any of the baffled eyes.

Attempting to shield your red face, you continued to take tiny bites from your food, hoping the next hour would go by fast.

You hoped too soon.

As soon as JJ was done eating, he let out a loud belt to where the tables around you could hear. Warren high-fived him. At least someone got a kick out of it. You, along with the rest of the guests, had nothing but revolt on your faces.

Once the plates were cleared, the servers brought out creme brûlée for dessert. You were grateful it was something semi-clean to eat. JJ seemed to get a knack out of all the food. He even leaned over to you with his mouth full and muttered, “This food is fantastic! My compliments to the chef.”

You half-smiled back in embarrassment and took a spoon-full of your dessert. Thankfully, your mom waltzed over when you were half-way through to ask for your help carrying in the posters and stands from the lobby that displayed all the charity and donation information.

Immediately, you rose and scattered out, away from all the the dense room.

At the front, you began picking up the easel stands to bring inside until you spotted the jet-black locks of the last person you wanted to run into that afternoon. You almost dropped the large items in your hands when he came up to you.

“So, I see you brought Maybank here. Looks like he’s really enjoying himself in there,” Max commented dryly beside you. Mrs. Vega must have asked him for a hand as well.

You winced at the oozing criticism in his voice. It was the first time you had spoken to him one-on-one since the breakup.

”Yeah, we’re, uh, kind of together now,” you mentioned, lugging a display. He grabbed the two remaining and rushed to keep up with you, following you back in.

Out of nowhere, he let out disbelieving laugh, “You can’t be serious, y/n, you and Maybank?”

Taken aback by his brashness, you stopped right before the ballroom doors, frowning. “Yeah,” you shot back sternly, “Why not? I get along with him fine.”

“Doesn’t look like it to me. The guy’s a total tool. I’ve told you that from the beginning. Trust me, I know.”

“Know what? What’s good for me?” you pressed, growing more and more exasperated at the sound of his deep and raspy voice.

It was sexy, no doubt, but just the things that were coming out of his mouth made you want to slap him silly. How dare he prance up to you in his gorgeous light blue Armani suit and tell you what’s good for you!

“I just know who you are, y/n,” he went on calmly, with not an ounce of anger present in his tone, “And JJ’s just not a good guy for you.”

You were seeping with outrage at that point. Hiking in a breath, you spoke with the speckles of tranquility you had left in you. “Well I appreciate your concern, though I hardly understand why you have any for me. But we broke up, Max. You completely lost the right to tell me any of that.”

With that, you furiously stomped into the brunch and set the displays at the front for your mom. Max looked dumbstruck as he trailed behind. But you didn’t care.

“Everything okay? Did something happen with Vega?” JJ asked when you got back to your seat. You remained silent. It was the only way to keep yourself from screaming.

It was all too much— the piercing stares, the messy eating, Max.

“I’m going to the bathroom,” you informed to JJ as he listened to another one of Warren’s football stories, “And then we’re leaving.”

Before he could respond, you were already racing to the bathroom as fast as your Jimmy Choo wedges could take you.

You needed air. And fast.

Bursting through the bathroom door, you heaved yourself into the biggest stall and flopped down on the toilet seat, taking in deep breaths to calm yourself. It didn’t help much. The room was still twirling like you were on the Graviton at a carnival. Too nauseous from it all, you didn’t even care that you were ruining your new white Valentino dress.

You just wanted to hurl inside the antique-decorated bathroom but couldn’t. It was miserable. But at least the bathroom was empty.

All the seeming success of last night crumbled away with every disapproving look or whisper of the guests. And then Max— that fucking asshole. Your head was thumping endlessly as you felt the stress knots crawl up your spine.

What were you thinking? Maybe you were in over your head. No one was believing it. Not for a second.

Even JJ was terrible at playing along. You should’ve known it was just wishful thinking. You knew you had to throw in the towel and told yourself you would call it off once you found some way to stop the hot tears that were streaming down your made-up cheeks.

As you felt your breathing start to normalize, you slowly lifted from the toilet seat and smoothened out your dress. When the bathroom door slammed open against the wall, you immediately fell back down, wanting to avoid any form of human interaction for the rest of your life.

Titters and snickers echoed the air as two girls stumbled in, mid-conversation. They didn’t seem to notice you in the stall at all. Thank God.

“Would you believe y/n? Bringing that dirty Pogue here? She’s gone insane!” A nasally voice spoke by the sinks.

You scrunched your nose, trying to catch a glimpse of their shoes from the opening underneath the stall. You nearly puked. Nameless brand heels? Unacceptable.

“I know! He’s so disgusting and that suit is just repulsive! Does she not have an ounce of embarrassment?” the other one added.

You didn’t recognize their voices, but assumed they probably went to your school by the way they knew you and JJ. A part of you wanted to charge out of the stall and drag their pitiful selves to the ground. But seeing as you were just recovering from a near panic attack, you didn’t have the energy. And they didn’t deserve your breath.

Nevertheless, they still went on.

“Ever since Vega dumped her for California girl, she’s completely gone off the rails. First the hair change and now she’s dating a Pogue like Sarah Cameron is. It’s so pathetic!”

“Seriously, train wreck of the year if you ask me.”

Train wreck? Pathetic? You’ll show them what pathetic is! Especially with those god-awful shoes. Do they have an ounce of embarrassment showing up here with that kind of atrocity?

You were seconds away from emerging from your ashes to put them in their place. But, lucky for them, they escaped before you could come out of confinement.

Huffing, you stormed out of the stall and towards the mirrors to fix yourself. God forbid you’d ever let anyone see you with smeared mascara!

Dabbing a wet cloth on your cheeks to soothe out the redness, you heard the creak of the door opening behind you and immediately tossed it into a bin. You pretended to fix your hair. Fortunately, the redness faded to a soft pink to look like blush.

Anya strolled in the bathroom behind you. Ugh, the cherry on top of the cake.

You faked a tight smile at her. She threw a cheery one at you, walking up the sink next to yours to toss up her bouncy, voluminous hair. “So, I thought you said that guy out there wasn’t you boyfriend,” she pointed out, not taking her eyes off her own reflection.

“Oh, psh, well you know,” you sputtered, not expecting the sudden inquisition, “One thing led to another that night at the Boneyard and it just kinda… happened.”

It was the first real conversation you had with her, and you wanted to hold your breath at the awkwardness. Anya nodded at your answer, puckering her lips slyly. “I just think it’s cute that you’re trying to make Max jealous.”

You almost did a double take. It was so subtle and smooth, her comment almost flew right over your head. “Excuse me?” you shot back, turning to the blonde-haired home-wrecker.

She didn’t even flinch a muscle at your snub expression, just continued to ogle at herself. It was menacing. Evil really did take form in Anya Carmichael.

“Oh, did I need to spell it out for you?” she blinked, “Y/n, you’ve been out of the picture. If you think showing up with that god-awful guy in his dad’s raggedy suit is gonna change Max’s mind about you, I assure you it won’t work.”

She crinkled her eyes in a hateful smile.

What was with people and their audacity that afternoon? Whatever was in their water, you were not about to have any of it. No one spoke to you like that.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you said blandly, wanting to get under her skin.

“Yes you do,” she snarled back, placing both hands on the sink in a threatening manner, “Look. Max and I are together now. You need to get that in your tiny pea-brain head. Do not play dumb with me. I see you looking over at him every five minutes. Get. Over. It.”

“Like I said,” you responded back in a fake-innocent tone just to push her buttons some more, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Anya. I think all the hairspray is really getting to your head.”

Two can play that game.

She narrowed her almond eyes at you and straightened up proudly. Even though she was way taller than you in her six-inch heels, you still stood your ground, blinking up at her tauntingly. At least your swanky parents taught you that much.

She scoffed. “Give it up, seriously. Using that guy to try to get back at your ex is just pathetic. Max was right about you. You’re just a shallow virgin with a handbag.”

With that, she tossed her hair behind her shoulder and strutted out the door. Your blood was boiling, having half a mind to go out there and rip the bottled-blonde right off her head. You should’ve known it was all an act!

Fuming, you treaded back to the brunch table, your face doing a complete one-eighty once you stepped through the doors. A lady never showed her seething anger underneath.

JJ spotted you and promptly stood up, snatching your purse, and getting ready to leave.

“Sit,” you demanded, pushing him down by the shoulder so his ass plopped back firmly on the chair. The look of utter shock flashed on his face, but he just took it.

“I’m feeling better now. We’re staying,” you informed as if you were a commander at war. You glanced over at the Vegas’ table where Anya hung her arm proudly on Max’s bicep as he made some joke to his table. She threw over a glare at you. No one but you noticed.

You draped an arm on one of JJ’s ridiculously large shoulder pads, nuzzling your nose to his neck. He was still as confused as ever though, but still went along with it, digging his fork into your half-eaten dessert which he later finished.

If Anya wanted a war, you’ll give her one. May the best bitch win.

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note: YES SHE WENT THERE! you kno i had to stir in anya- y/n drama!!!

pls message me to be tagged!

next chapter

tags: @2kayla64 @jewel25 @rudyypankow @rafecameron @ultranikilove @wicked-laugh @outerbankslut @agirlwholovescoffee @tovvaf @obxlife @ilovejjmaybank @celestialmaybank @erraaxh @poguecollins @jolomez @x-lulu @danicarosaline @teamnick @outerbankslut @sweetlysilent @5am-cigarette @n1ghtsh4d3-67 @duskangxl @hollandary @rudths @meaganjm @bluesiderudy @http-cherries @allycat449-blog @pink-meringues @mendesmaybank @lunaposey @natsiboo @primroswx @wtfkie @heyitsmeimdead @ilymarkchan @drewwbabyy-blog @kookkyra @mayybankz @ifilwtmfc @annedub

#outer banks fanfiction #outer banks imagine #outerbanks #Outer Banks #obx #obx fanfiction #obx imagine #jj obx #jj x reader #JJ Imagine #jj fanfiction #jj #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank fanfiction #jj maybank x you #jj maybank imagine #jj maybank

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yuta-nakamots · 4 years

Text

Walk You Home - l.jn

Pairing - Idol!Jeno x Idol!Reader

Genre - Fluff, friends to lovers, kinda crack-ish

Warnings - None (please feel free to let me know if I should add any though)

Summary - You met Jeno when you were a trainee and he had lent you his shoulder to cry on. He became one of your closest friends and one of your best supporters, eventually merging the two and becoming your best friend. Your friendship with Jeno was something you wouldn’t trade for anything, maybe aside for an actual relationship with him.

Word Count - 8.3k

A/N - this is inspired by a dream i had two months ago so it’s not really the best storyline lmao but let me know what you guys think. character inspo drawn from @t-aeycng as Soojin because she is truly a wonderful person and you should definitely check out her work as well

You ran up the stairs, stepping onto the stage overlooking the sea of fans, the largest audience you’ve ever performed in front of. You looked away from the crowd and your eyes instead settled on Jeno’s face, wanting nothing more than his comforting frame against yours but that was something you didn’t think you would ever tell him.

Three years ago, when you first joined SM Entertainment, you had left your home country in hopes of pursuing your passion of getting to perform in front of thousands of people. It was spring when you first arrived, you thought it was quite fitting as you were beginning a new chapter of your life just as the Earth was too. When you first came to Korea, you had little knowledge of the language and culture and were immediately labeled as an outcast among the other female trainees. They didn’t exactly mistreat you in any way, they just didn’t include you in activities because they didn’t know you or have any way to communicate with you.

You spent your days holed up in practice rooms and even on the days where you had training sessions with the other girls, most of them barely made any effort to talk to you, excluding one person. Her name is Soojin. From the time you first saw her, you knew she was going to be popular. She was beautiful no matter what angle you looked at her from and she had a personality to match.

After a particularly difficult dance class, all the others had left for the cafeterias, talking about how the teacher was so harsh this time around. The only ones left behind were you, packing up your things, and Soojin who was still practicing what you were taught that day. Right as you were about to leave, she called out your name.

“Do you want to eat together?” She asked, speaking slowly and carefully enunciating her words so you could understand. You were frozen in shock and all you could do was nod your head and shyly say yes.

From that day on, Soojin was essentially your guardian angel. She made sure to introduce you to everyone and include you when they went out together, she helped you develop your language skills and taught you how to get through the weekly tests the trainees were put through. You clung to Soojin the way a baby cub does to its mother.

During the holidays, she told you she wouldn’t be staying at the company and instead, going home to her family. She graciously invited you over, to which you declined, not wanting to embarrass yourself and your elementary speaking skills. You were unsure how you’d function without her, but you’d soon become grateful for that week because that was when you met Jeno.

It was already 9pm yet you were still in a practice room, not quite able to perfect a run in a song you were preparing for the weekly exams. You were tired and lonely, feeling more homesick than ever now that you were left on your own without Soojin to comfort you. You sat down, deciding to let yourself rest for a few minutes as you scrolled through social media and saw your friends and family posting pictures of their festivities together, causing tears to escape from your eyes and you let yourself fully break down, feelings of loneliness and yearning tearing at your heart.

You didn’t know how you missed the sound of the door opening, but suddenly there was a warm hand on your shoulder and a simple “hey” spoken from someone with a warm and rich voice. You looked up and immediately froze on the spot. You had seen other senior artists around the company before but they had never talked to you before, as you were only a trainee and they probably didn’t even know your name, yet here was Jeno, squatting down in front of you, his eyes searching yours to find the reason why you were crying all alone in a practice room.

“Are you okay?” That was all Jeno asked, his hand leaving your shoulder as he sat down in front of you. He waited for a bit as you tried to calm yourself down and dry your tears. “I’m Jeno, but I suppose you already knew that. Your name is?”

“Y/n,” you said, your breath almost catching in your throat as you involuntarily hiccuped, “I’m a trainee and I’ve been in Korea for six months” you told him, just as Soojin had taught you.

You saw Jeno’s features soften as he started to piece together why you were crying. “Your Korean is pretty good for coming only six months ago,” he said before continuing on, “but you shouldn’t be crying alone in a practice room.”

You looked up at him, telling him that usually, you’d be with Soojin but she went home and you’re not really close to any of the other trainees. He nodded his head, seeming to understand your message through your basic Korean. “I really would like to stay and comfort you, but my members are coming soon because we have to practice for one of the end-of-year festivals.”

You pushed yourself off from the ground to unplug your phone from the stereo and pack up, understanding where he was going with this but he followed you, not yet done talking. “If you’re okay with it, I’d like to give you my number so you can contact me whenever Soojin’s not around.” You turned to face him, shock evident on your face. “You won’t be bothering me, I promise,” Jeno said, trying his best to reassure you, “aside from practicing and performing I really don’t do much so you’d be welcome to text me anytime you want someone to talk to. I’d hate for you to go through this alone.”

He fished his phone out from his pocket, opening up a new chat and handing it to you, “here, you can even send the first message so you know that it’s me.” You accepted his offer and typed in your own number along with a short message to let you know it’s Jeno and hit send before handing him back his phone, feeling your own buzz in your hand, and light up showing the message you had just sent.

Unknown Number > y/n 9:15pm: Hello, this is Jeno

Jeno helped you gather your belongings and walked you to the door, even holding it open for you. You gave him a shy ‘thank you’ before stepping out into the hallway and he smiled at you saying that he’ll text you once his own practice is over not even a second before sound of his members coming down the hallway can be heard from their obnoxious yelling and giggling.

Jeno kept his word and as you were getting ready for bed that night in the empty dorm, you received another message from him.

Jeno > y/n 10:31pm: Y/n I just ended my practice and I’m heading to my dorm now. What are you doing?

Y/n > Jeno 10:32pm: Thinking about my next exam. They’re difficult.

Jeno > y/n 10:32pm: Ah, I remember those 10:33pm: I didn’t like them either but it feels good when you look back and see your progress

You maintained the conversation until he told you he arrived at his dorm building, to which he told you he’d text you after he washed up and ate dinner. He indeed texted you, but you were already fast asleep, the crying from earlier finally catching up with you. From then on, not a single week went by where Jeno didn’t text you.

Jeno always made sure to check up on you after an exam, asking how you did, encouraging you when you didn’t do so well, and praising you when you did do well. He even treated you to dinner a few times to congratulate you whenever you earned a B or better. He was pretty much your stand-in Soojin for whenever she was gone or got too busy with other things. He was just as patient as she was when it came to teaching you Korean and explaining things to you, his signature eye-smile showing whenever you repeated a new word back to him.

Soojin was surprised when you told her about your new friend when she came back to the dorms, almost kicking your door down in her excitement to see you, but she later held your hands in excitement saying “I can’t believe my y/n made her first friend on her own! And it’s Jeno! THE Lee Jeno from THE NCT Dream of all people! Maybe I should leave you more often” she joked before flopping down on your bed next to you to hear more about your relationship with Jeno.

Within another year and a half, you had debuted in SM’s newest six-member girl group, with Soojin as your leader, and Jeno wasn’t shy about showing his support for your group. When you coincidentally promoted alongside NCT Dream, he always made sure to wish you good luck before you went on stage and gave you tips after monitoring your performance. On one of the music shows, Jeno and the boys had won first place and they all insisted on keeping you and your group on stage with them.

Jeno’s face lit up when you danced the chorus of the song with him and he burst out in laughter when you imitated his own rapping part. There was something about you, the way you smiled as you clowned him, the way your eyes shone when he complimented your dancing. Jeno was beginning to fall for you.

Fans of both of your groups had noticed your close relationship, and though dating rumors were inevitable, most of them found the two of you to be quite cute together. You had seen a few of the compilation videos they had made for you and him though you only watched a handful of them and never dared to show them to Jeno, not wanting him to get the wrong idea because unbeknownst to him, you were falling for him too.

When the next SMTown concert was announced to be in your home country, you were overjoyed at the thought of being able to go home after two whole years away. You immediately texted Jeno to express your excitement and he matched it, jokingly telling you that he couldn’t wait to meet your friends and family.

A few days later, Jeno texts you asking if you’re free to hang out.

Jeno > y/n 4:38pm: are you free on Wednesday night? 4:38pm: Jaemin wanted to go grocery shopping after practice 4:38pm: Soojin said you guys are running low on toiletries so you can come too if you want

y/n > Jeno 4:47pm: yeah I’m free but I have practice on Wednesday night too

Jeno > y/n 4:50pm: really? What time?

y/n > Jeno 4:51pm: I think Soojin said 7

Jeno > y/n 4:51pm: wait really? That’s when I’m supposed to have practice I think 4:52pm: Renjun and Jisung both said 7 as well 4:52pm: did they tell you which room you’re in?

y/n > Jeno 4:54pm: I think it’s the basement one 4:54pm: don’t know why they have us in that huge one though

Jeno > y/n 4:55pm: no way! We’re supposed to be in the basement too! 4:56pm: do you think they mixed up our schedules on accident?

y/n > Jeno 5:00pm: I just asked my manager, he said that’s the one we’re supposed to be in

Jeno > y/n 5:01pm: that’s what mine just said too! 5:02pm: y/n, do you think...maybe...just maybe…

y/n > Jeno 5:02pm: what, Jen? just say it lol

Jeno > y/n 5:02pm: we’re working together for a performance?!

When you arrived at the basement practice room, the largest one in the building, sure enough, Jeno was in there waiting for you along with the other members of Dream. You ran to him and hugged him out of the sheer excitement coming from the idea that you’d be getting to perform together.

You and Jeno were so overly happy that it made Haechan gag while Jisung plugged his ears with his fingers and made a pained face at Chenle. However, your hug had the opposite effect on Jeno. He felt a burst of butterflies rise from the bottom of his stomach and he excused it as simply being excited to perform with you after having seen your hard work through your trainee days.

The dance your groups would be doing has a little bit of a darker sexy vibe which was something your group had never tried before. While it was something completely new to you, the boys had already done it before so they had fun showing you guys the right expressions and laughing as you and your members tried to copy them.

The type of dance was a little more provocative too and it wasn’t exactly your forte but you tried your best. You caught Jeno looking your way a couple of time but you figure he’s just trying to make sure you’re doing okay. Eventually, you give up trying on your own and you turn to go ask him for help during a break, slightly surprised to see that his eyes were already on you.

“Jeno, I don’t get that one move, the one that goes like this” you say and show it to him, his eyes glued to your figure as he tries to analyze what you’re doing.

You saw his tongue peek out from between his lips, a common habit of his when he’s really thinking, which doesn’t happen very often. “I think you’re being a little too loose with your movements, try tense up your arms and do it sharper” he explained, showing you through his own example.

You tried it again but you could tell you still weren’t doing it right from the way he sighed and moved to stand behind you. You felt the warmth from his chest seeping through both of your shirts and you had to fight the urge to just lean back against his strong shoulders but luckily you’re snapped out of your short daydream by Jeno’s hands wrapping around your wrists to guide your movements.

He ran through it a couple of times and you quickly caught on thanks to his teaching. Just as you turned your head to thank him, Jeno wrapped his arms around your body, embracing you in a hug and bringing his head to rest on your shoulder. Shocked by the close proximity of your faces, you both jump away from each other and start apologizing as your cheeks start to heat up. Fortunately, you were saved from your embarrassment when you hear Soojin calling everyone back from their break and you scampered away to stand with your members.

The head choreographer began pairing people up and you almost let out a squeal when she said you and Jeno would be together. There were no intimate portions of the choreography except for one short moment when you had to stare him down as you circle around each other as if you were ‘two lions about to fight’ as Haechan had explained it.

You and Jeno couldn’t help but giggle and make faces at each other every time that part comes up until both of you got yelled at and caused everyone to have to do push-ups as a punishment, angry glares being cast your way from your members.

The next time that part came up, you’re just slightly startled when Jeno completely switches to his performance mode and looks at you with a sultry glint in his eyes. You’ve seen this look thousands of times before while he’s up on stage whether it be from the sidelines or through a screen, but there was something different when you see it up close and you know his eyes are on you.

You took it as an opportunity to learn from him and try to give him the same gaze back during the following run through and when his eyes meet yours, you see them instantly shift away to somewhere behind you and you let out a slight smirk, finding it amusing how Jeno could still be so shy when you’re merely copying his own actions.

During the final run of the day, his gaze locked with yours and doesn’t wander away for even a second, almost as if he’s challenging you to look away first. You had to remind yourself that it’s just an act that he’s putting on for the sake of the performance, he’s not actually challenging you, though you almost wish he was. As soon as it ends, you’re broken out of the trance that is Lee Jeno himself while he went straight to his members, not even bothering to talk to you and give you feedback like he usually did.

You didn’t know what just happened, but you could feel there was now some sort of tension separating you and Jeno.

As all of you were monitoring the run on the large TV, Renjun laughed while saying “Jeno and Y/n look like they’re about to fight.” Your members giggled at his joke and one of them even calls it a ‘lover’s quarrel’. You didn’t dare look over at Jeno but you could feel his now-familiar gaze locked on you.

As your groups continued practicing together and the concert drew closer and closer, the tension between you and Jeno only grew worse, neither of you interacting with each other aside for during the dance itself. You found yourself itching to talk to him and tell him about the cute hat you saw in a store the other day, or how Soojin almost burnt the kitchen down while cooking dinner the week before. You didn’t have the guts to talk to Jeno, not when his jaw was squared shut and he wouldn’t even look at you unless it was during the dance.

During a break in one of the last rehearsals in Korea, you were playing around with your members and trying to do different tricks like backbends, roundhouses, aerials, and such. You knew these were Jeno’s specialty and you were taken aback when he didn’t come over to show off his skills and instead Jaemin did, though he was nowhere close to being as good as Jeno as he clumsily fell over from the handstand he was doing, causing you to have a fit of laughter.

Jeno doesn’t know why he feels so upset to see you laughing because of his groupmate and he especially doesn’t understand why he feels angry when Jaemin tries to spot you as you do a handstand and end up falling and dragging Jaemin down with you, both of you almost scream-laughing as your bodies lay tangled with each other.

It only gets worse when later that week, as Jeno is eating dinner with the other members, he sees Renjun’s phone light up showing a message from you telling him to enjoy his meal. Jeno didn’t even know the two of you had exchanged numbers and it was starting to drive him insane when your name kept popping up on Renjun’s phone throughout the night and not once on his own.

Renjun catches him staring, to which he leered, “what, lover boy? Are you mad that you can’t keep y/n all to yourself? Just relax, I’m only texting her to learn some phrases before the concert.” Jeno didn’t respond, not wanting to expose the fact that he didn’t even have you anymore, best friend or not.

He finished eating and excused himself from the table, leaving to go wallow in his own self-pity because he had unintentionally broken your friendship. He had realized his own feelings for you during that one dance practice but proceeded to distance himself from you out of fear that acting on his feelings would ruin your relationship, leading to the exact opposite to ruin it. Jeno cried himself to sleep that night hoping that the phrase ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ would hold true on your end, that you were missing him just as much as he was missing you.

The next time you saw Jeno was at the airport when all the company was getting ready to leave for your home country. He was wearing a simple outfit consisting of a plain black t-shirt with his black joggers along with a black snapback and his glasses to complete his plain yet oh so attractive full black outfit.

You were sitting in the lounge area with your members and one of them pointed him out and commented on how good he looks. You glanced over just in time to see him momentarily take his hat off and run a hand through his soft, light brown hair before placing his hat back on his head.

You felt a slight shiver go up through your spine as you watched him do such a simple action yet you were unnerved to hear that one of your members found him attractive even if you did too and you knew thousands of his fans did as well. Maybe distance made your heart grow fonder of him, given all the time the two of you spent away from each other and just wanting your best friend back. A few minutes later, after zoning out for a while, you were brought back to reality by your phone vibrating, showing three messages from Jaemin whose number you had gotten through Renjun.

Jaemin > y/n 8:16am: what rows do you guys have? 8:17am: we have 13 and 14. I’ll be sitting with Jisung 8:17am: he overpacked his snacks so now I have some of them. You’re more than welcome to come over and help yourself to them

Y/n > Jaemin 8:18am: we’re 16 and 17 8:18am: i’m not that hungry right now but I just stop by during the flight

You indeed took Jaemin up on his offer about halfway through the flight when your members were complaining about not liking the food being served. You mentioned how Jaemin had snacks he didn’t mind sharing and they immediately begged you to get them from him. You had forgotten to wear a hoodie so you were snuggled into the airline blanket for warmth, not wanting to leave your spot, but you ultimately lost a game of rock paper scissors so you had no other choice but to shake off the blanket and brace yourself for the cold.

As you trudged your way up a few rows, you easily find Jisung due to his large frame, though he was asleep while Jaemin was nowhere to be found, presumably having gone to the bathroom. You didn’t even bother looking around you to see where the other members were, your only goal in mind being the snacks in Jaemin’s bag because the quicker you found them, the quicker you could go back to your warm seat.

You opened up the overhead compartment and spotted Jaemin’s bag, though it was almost out of your reach. You raised yourself onto your tip-toes as you struggled to reach it when suddenly there was a warm hand on your waist and someone against your back. You froze, watching as the stranger easily grabbed the backpack and brought it down safely, handing it to you.

You turned around only to find Jeno looking down at you. It felt like a whole minute passed as you both just stared at each other, neither of you wanted to speak first, when really only a few seconds went by before Jaemin came walking down the aisle.

“Ah, y/n, you came!” He exclaimed, taking his backpack from your hold and unzipping it, “Sorry, I was in the bathroom, but I’m glad you were able to find my bag” he said, opening it up and showing you all the snacks he had. “Did you want some too, Jeno?” he asked, noticing Jeno’s presence behind you.

“No, I just came by to ask Jisung something,” he stated, “but I’ll come by later since he’s asleep” he said, already turning to walk back to his seat.

Once he was out of earshot, Jaemin sighed before telling you, “he’s been acting really weird lately. Even in the dorms, he’s all quiet and moody and none of us know why.”

“Maybe he’s on his man-period” you quipped while you took a few snacks from the bag while Jaemin rolled his eyes at your immature joke. You thanked him for the snacks and made your way back to your group members who were overjoyed when you handed them the bags of chips and dried fruit, all the bags opened within mere seconds. You only ate a bit, preferring to wait until you got to the hotel where you could eat room service food instead.

About an hour later, Soojin, who was sitting next to you, got up and told you she was going to the bathroom. You hum in response to let her know you heard. Not even a whole minute passes by before she sits back down next to you. You looked up from the game on your phone, asking her “did you even wash your hands-”, but you stopped midsentence when you realized you were looking at the face of Jeno, not Soojin.

Before you could say anything else, Jeno already blurted out the words, “I’m sorry.” You were still in shock, continuing to look at him with wide eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Jeno continued on anyways, “look I know I’ve been really cold and distant towards you for the past few weeks but that’s because...because-,” you noticed him fidgeting with his hands and you shifted in your seat to face him and look him in the eyes, “because I have feelings for you” he said, his words coming out almost too fast for you to process.

“Y/n, I didn’t want my feelings to ruin our relationship because I truly do treasure what we had, or had, as best friends, yet I allowed myself to break us apart somehow and I really do feel like shit because of it-”

“Jeno, it’s okay-” you began, cutting him off.

“No, y/n, it’s not okay,” he interjected, resuming his previous thought, “especially since you are finally returning home after two years away, I want you to be happy during this time,” his hands now shifting to play with a loose thread hanging from his shirt, “and I want to be able to be with you and share that happiness because I still remember the broken-hearted girl who was crying by herself in the practice room from homesickness.”

“Jeno, I...wow, I don’t know what to say” you mumbled, letting yourself fall into your seat, your thoughts running wild in your head.

“I know this is extremely sudden, but I just want our old relationship back. I want to stand by your side and watch you smile. I won’t even bother asking you to be my girlfriend because I know you’re going to reject me so don’t worry about that” he stated, dejection obvious in his voice.

Your head snapped up to face him, “what if I told you that I wouldn’t reject you?” Now it was Jeno’s turn to be stunned speechless. “I need some time to think this, to think us over” you confessed, motioning between the two of you to get your point across. “I need time, but I’m willing to be friends first before anything else” you conclude.

Jeno was wringing out his hands and picking his nails while smiling as he whispered “thank you” before he froze when you pulled him into a hug.

“I missed you” you murmured into his ear.

Jeno allowed himself to sink into your embrace before telling you “I missed you too.”

Both of you stayed there, enjoying the feeling of finally holding each other after being apart for so long until you pulled away to grab your phone just as it was about to slide off your lap. The display lit up and you realized you’ve been talking to Jeno for well over ten minutes, which made you worry about Soojin as she still hasn’t returned from the bathroom yet.

“I think I’m gonna go check on Soojin” you said, taking the blanket off of you as you stood up from your seat.

Jeno grabbed your hand before you could step out into the aisle. “She’s in my seat with Chenle,” he reassured, “I ran into her when she was leaving the bathroom and I asked her if she’d be okay with staying with Chenle for a bit while I talk to you.” You peered over the rows in front of you, and you found Chenle’s blonde head indeed next to your leader just as she playfully shoved him, no doubt playing that kart rider game everyone was obsessed with recently.

As you sat back down, relieved at knowing Soojin was okay, you shivered due to the few seconds you were exposed to the cold air hitting your skin as you searched for her. You do your best to steel yourself and not show Jeno that you were cold, knowing that he’d scold you, but he already knew you’d be cold when he saw you in the airport only in a t-shirt and leggings.

“You’re cold, aren’t you?” he says, more of a rhetorical and sarcastic than anything, answering his own question muttering “of course you are” as he leans back to take off his hoodie, unintentionally flashing you his abs in the process causing both of you to shy away from each other as he hands you your saving grace of the flight. You gratefully took the hoodie from him, letting out a sigh of relief when you pull it down over your body and feel its warmth made from Jeno’s body heat.

Jeno stayed with you for the rest of the flight and only leaves to go back to his seat when the flight attendant announces that the plane will be landing shortly. Luckily, your members were asleep and hadn’t witnessed your exchange with Jeno but they knew something was up when they saw you in the hoodie you certainly did not have on earlier.

Soojin smiled at you as she returned to her seat, buckling herself in while telling you “I’m glad you and Jeno are talking again. Not gonna lie, it was pretty awkward during rehearsals.” She only chuckled when you shrunk into the hoodie, pulling the strings of the hood closed over your face to hide your embarrassment.

By the time you arrived at the hotel, you were dead tired. You just wanted to shower and go to sleep which is exactly what you do once you reach your shared hotel room with Soojin.

You crawled into your bed, freshly showered and already half-asleep, ready to succumb to your exhaustion. Right as you were about to doze off, you heard your phone go off, pulling you out of your near-sleeping state. You reached around for it and turned it on silent once you got your hands on it, reading the notification that had rudely awakened you.

Jeno > y/n 12:13am: You looked really tired earlier so I’m pretty sure you’re already sleeping, but I hope you rest well. Only one more rehearsal tomorrow (today? Because it’s already midnight??) and we’ll be performing in front of your friends and family the day after! Let’s do well :)

y/n > Jeno 12:16am: I was almost about to fall asleep but I’m not mad only because it’s you 12:17am: Let’s show them the most powerful best friend duo in the world

You saw that Jeno had immediately read your message but you didn’t bother waiting for his response, already drifting off to sleep once again, though you wouldn’t have gotten a response anyways because Jeno thought you just friend-zoned him.

From the start of your day, you were already swamped with activities, shooting tons of videos in your native language to thank your fans and prompt your group while also being an in-house translator for your other members as they shot their own individual videos. It wasn’t until after the full rehearsal started that you were finally allowed some time to slow down and rest. Your group had already finished the first performance in the show and now you were in the on-deck area waiting for NCT Dream to meet you guys for your short joint rehearsal before going on stage.

You heard them coming before you even see them, the infamous “hi everyone! This is Haechan cam with 37.5% viewer ratings” greeting ringing out from the hallway. You and your members didn’t know he’d be filming so you hadn’t done anything to take care of your appearances like hair and makeup but all of you respectfully stood up to greet him and the other Dream members.

Your members grumbled amongst themselves as Haechan left the camera filming during your on-stage rehearsal, saying how they hoped this section wouldn’t get aired because none of you looked good without your hair and makeup done as you all fell into formation. You hadn’t noticed Jeno’s presence behind you, “I think you look nice, don’t let the girls tell you otherwise”, his short affirmation startling you, barely having time to shoot him a quick smile before the music started playing.

You didn’t bother doing facial expressions since it was only a rehearsal and you already felt so drained. When it came time for the dreaded eye contact portion with Jeno, you were expecting the normal fierce look but instead, you were met with his eyes smile as he made faces at you, almost making you laugh. Jeno’s heart fluttered when he saw the grin you were holding back, happy that he was able to brighten your day, even if it was only for a few seconds. If this was all he could do to lift your mood, then that was what he would do.

The previous night, Jeno had convinced himself that no matter what happens between the two of you, friend zone or not, he was going to make sure you were happy and fully enjoyed this short trip because you deserved it. You were home, and home was the whole reason why he had met you crying in the practice room on that fateful night. He told himself that he’d deal with his own unrequited feelings later but for you, he’d temporarily push them aside so he could watch you flourish in the place you loved so dearly.

Bringing you back to the current moment, as you walk out across the stage alongside your members to meet the boys of Dream in the middle. You look into the ocean of people, admiring the colors of the lightsticks and their almost hypnotizing effect paired with the screams from the audience.

You are beyond nervous, Jeno could tell that much from the way you struggle to find his face, even more so to meet his eyes. During the performance, when you again gazed over at him, ready for his predatory look, you saw another batch of his funny expressions, though this time you didn’t try to hide the smile that crept onto your face as he ruined his image.

To Jeno, he doesn’t care about all the bad pictures he’d see of himself or the whooping he’d get from the performance directors later. He was willing to endure it all if it was for you.

By the end of the concert, you were spent, all your energy thrown out of your body from dancing and rapidly switching between languages to translate all too frequently. When you joined all the senior artists for the final stage, you let your body go on autopilot as you wandered around, trailing behind your group as you tried to read all the signs and banners the fans were holding up.

You were lost in your own world until you felt two very strong and familiar arms wrap around your waist, almost scaring you enough to jump off the edge of the stage. You hear Jeno’s laugh from behind you and you whip around ready to beat him up for nearly shoving you off the stage but you stop in your tracks when he extends his arms out to show you a large banner of your country’ flag with the words “We Love You Y/N” stitched onto it.

You felt your heart swell with pride as you immediately took the item from Jeno and turned to face the audience, doing your best to hold it up, though your arms alone weren’t enough. Jeno grabbed the end of the flag that was almost touching the ground as he laughed at you while helping you to fully show the flag and thank the fans.

After you let them take a few pictures, you wrapped it around your shoulders and happily skipped off to rejoin your group, Jeno hot on your tracks as all the artists go into a line to do the final bow all together. As you ran past your members, Jeno snatched onto you, pulling you into the line right where your two groups met, lacing his fingers with yours as you both raised your arms up to bow to the audience. If only both of you could feel what the other was feeling, you’d know that the tingle of excitement you both felt was not one-sided.

When everyone came together for the group picture, you ended up getting smashed between the countless members of NCT alongside Soojin whose hand you had grabbed onto during the bow. As the cameraman started to count down, you were suddenly lifted into the air, feeling hands on both sides of your hips. You looked down to see Jeno on one side and Soojin on the other as they held you up, causing your smile to grow wider just in time as the camera flashed.

After they put you down, you turned around and caught Soojin leaning it to whisper something into Jeno’s ear, a simple “I will” was all he said in response. Once Soojin had already walked away, you were about to ask Jeno what she said, but he acted faster, almost aggressively pulling you into a back-hug with on arm around your waist, the other being used to wave at fans and point out the signs with your name and pictures on them.

You don’t know if it’s the close proximity of your bodies or simply the excitement from being able to pick out your own fans and thank them, but you felt a rush of adrenaline as you walked with Jeno. You looked up at him, admiring his side profile, finally understanding why his fans always called him a prince as you felt your palms grow sweaty and your heart skip a beat. Maybe you had just realized your own feelings for Jeno.

Once the two-day concert was over, you stop by at your manager’s hotel room to ask if you were allowed to go out for the day, the urge to visit your hometown feeling stronger than ever. He graciously said yes, telling you to let him know if you needed any help and to be sure to take someone else along for safety measures. You thanked him and ran off towards the elevator, hitting the number of the floor you knew Jeno was on rather than heading back to your own.

You excitedly jogged down the hallway to his room and knocked on his door after double-checking his text message to make sure you had the right room. Jaemin opened the door, greeting you with his loud “ohoho!”

“Jaemin shut up, oh my gosh,’ you gasped, not wanting someone to file a noise complaint, “I’m here to ask Jeno about something.”

Jaemin pulled you into the room while yelling “yah, Jeno Lee, your girlfriend is here!” much to your embarrassment. Just as you were about to whine at him and deny Jaemin’s statement, you saw Jeno shoot up from where he was lying on his bed, grabbing the blanket in a failed effort to cover his naked torso and he flung himself off the bed, looking for a shirt to put on. You swear you could see a faint tinge of pink on his cheeks as he rummaged through his suitcase but you don’t know if it’s from the lighting of the room or if he’s actually blushing. You choose to believe the first option, not wanting to give yourself false hope.

You sat down on Jeno’s bed as you asked, “do you wanna go out with me?” to which Jeno froze in place as he tried to process your words. “I mean, would you like to go and spend the day with me because I want to go home and show you where I grew up” you blurted, quickly rephrasing your words as your own cheeks began to heat up.

Jeno only grunted a response, letting you know that he did want to go with you as he threw a shirt over his head. Jaemin let out a laugh of excitement while clapping his hands and squealing “eeheehee my babies are going on their first date together! Make sure to bring Nana some delicious snacks!”

“Yeah, we’ll get you the strawberry ones you love so much” Jeno said, causing Jaemin to pout as he flopped onto his bed. Before Jaemin could pester either of you any further, Jeno was already grabbing his things and pulling you out the door.

On the elevator ride down to the lobby, Jeno asked “so where exactly are we going today?” You pulled your phone out of your pocket and showed him pictures of your favorite restaurant from you old neighborhood as you searched up the directions on google maps. You started telling him about all the memories you had there and how good the food was, and though Jeno was listening to you, he was really only paying attention to your face. He loved the way the edges of your crinkled when you smiled, the was your eyes shone when you talked with so much excitement.

Once both of you were in one of the company vans and you had already given the directions to the staff member who’d be driving, you decided to take a nap in your seat, already dozing off before you had even left the hotel parking lot. Jeno took a moment to admire your sleeping form next to him, finding you just as beautiful as when you’re awake. He took a few pictures of you, not wanting to let this moment go to waste before he too allowed himself to drift off into sleep.

You woke up to Jeno gently shaking you and telling you that you’re outside the restaurant, your half-asleep state barely even remembering which country you were in. You took a few seconds as your brain started functioning again and you wasted no time in yanking the door open and thanking the staff member as you jumped out of the van, Jeno following your actions as you nearly ran into the restaurant.

The second you set foot through the entrance, the sounds and the smells brought back so many memories and you almost teared up though you quickly brushed it off as you switched into your native language and asked the hostess for a table for two. As you followed her through to all so familiar restaurant, Jeno looked around, admiring the artwork scattered across the walls as he said the phrase ‘so beautiful’ in your language.

You whipped around when you recognized the words he just whispered, “how do you even know how to say that?”

“Oh, I uh, learned it for you,” he stuttered sheepishly, his hand going to scratch the back of his head, “I wanted to be able to talk to you and the fans better so I’ve been learning it on the side” he explained, a slightly awkward silence falling upon both of you as you sat down at the table, thanking the hostess as she handed you the menus.

The silence was quickly broken when Jeno started asking you about the different dishes, his mind overloaded with the foreign language, and all the different options. You tried your best to explain them to him, though he ultimately ended up just letting you choose his food for him, trusting your judgment more than his at this point.

Lunch with Jeno consisted of him being amazed by the food and cutely repeating phrases you were teaching him and you taking pictures and videos of him, wanting to save this moment into your memories.

Once both of your stomachs were full and you had fought with Jeno over who’d be paying the bill, Jeno won, of course, you took a breath of fresh air as you walked out of the restaurant, reaching your arms up over your head while yawning as you felt the beginning of a food coma start to take form.

You made Jeno call the staff member to pick you up and take you to another location you thought Jeno would like as you skipped down the road to one of your favorite parks. He ended the call after he sent the address of the park and ran to catch up with you. You heard him coming so you kept skipping along until he got closer and suddenly stopped, essentially brake checking him and cracking up as he slammed into you, nearly knocking both of you to the floor.

As you grab onto him to stop him from actually falling face-first into the floor, you interlocked your fingers with his and pulled him over to the playground you used to hang out at with your friends all throughout elementary and middle school. It stopped before high school though because this was also where you had your first heartbreak the summer before your freshman year.

One humid summer night, you were here with your crush and you had finally worked up the guts to ask them out thanks to the confidence of starting a new chapter of your life. You were undeniably broken when they rejected you and walked away without even bothering to tell you why. You sat on the swing set, allowing your tears to fall in silence.

You tell this story to Jeno as you sit at that same swing set, his strong arms gently pushing you forward every so often. “How about I make this place a happier memory for you?” he suggests, moving to stand in front of you, his hands grabbing the chains of the swing to stop your momentum.

You let confusion overtake your face as your feet settle on the dirt beneath the swings, fully stopping your movement and looking up at Jeno. “Y/n, I just want you to know how utterly thankful I am to have met you,” he began, making sure to hold eye contact with you, “you’ve brought so much joy and happiness to me without even knowing it and i’m glad to be your best friend. I would’ve never thought that we’d become so close due to our backgrounds but that’s what makes our friendship so special.” He pauses, trying to carefully piece together his next sentence. “I know I told you that I have feelings for you, but even if I can only stay by your side as a friend, I’m more than happy to do just that as long as you are happy-”

You abruptly stand up, cutting him off midsentence as you let your hands go to his which were frozen in place from where he was previously anxiously playing with the hem of his shirt. “Jeno, I’d like to give us a chance.” His eyes widened as he looked at you, not believing what he was hearing. “I’d like to give us a chance if it’s okay with you” you confess as Jeno smiles at you before pulling you into his embrace.

You hug him back, letting yourself get lost in his scent, your head resting on his shoulder. “Does this mean I’m your girlfriend now?” you ask, giggling into his chest.

You lean back slightly to see him nod as he said “Y/n, the girlfriend to the one and only Lee Jeno”, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. He still held onto you, not even bothering to pull away when he pulls his phone out of his pocket to answer a call from the staff member who’d be picking you up.

Once he ends the call, he kept his phone out to check the time and you felt all giddy when you see that his wallpaper is a picture from the concert of him and Soojin holding you up as if you were Simba, your laughter caught and preserved in time. “You know, Jeno, one day I’m gonna be able to hold you up like that” you muse.

“Mmm, I wouldn’t set your hopes too high” he teases. You were about to hit him but he took off running towards the company van.

You chase after him yelling “Lee Jeno, this isn’t how you treat your girlfriend!”

He only laughs as he shouts back, “best friend first, girlfriend second” causing you to roll your eyes as you continue to run after him.

@nct-writers

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