#the filipino is spinning in my head

[zamjd]

@eyenaku I read the fic, fell in love with them instantly

Apologies if it's very a little messy ^^; correction pen is a challenge to use but was very fun to experiment w/ :>>

Bonus doodles

Also the "Moon's BudBud" was inspired by the idea in Genshin on how characters have "special dishes" for specific characters :>>

#fnaf sb #fnaf dca #dca au #dca fandom #fnaf sun #fnaf moon #aswang au #aswang!sun #aswang!moon #doodles #Zamjd's Art #hehhee #the filipino is spinning in my head #💖💖💕💕✨️ #the only mananangal I'll ever tolerate💙

[niobe-loreley]

Heaven Is In A Shortcake {xv}

three words plus one = I HAVE RETURNED.. temporarily lol

disclaimer: The Gray Man and the characters are NOT mine, even the reader. I only own the plot and the reader's character lol. Pictures used in the fic are NOT MINE, but only the edited version (u can msg me if u ze owner); credits to the rightful owners and canva + weheartit. Additionally, I am not a Subic/Zambales native, so my apologies for any wrong locations, descriptions, or languages.

Six x F!Reader / Courtland Gentry x Female Reader

warnings: moderate amount of swear words. some filipino dialogues. slow burn. fluff. trust issues. dramaramramamama. comedy if you use a magnifying glass. culture shock. word count check. slightly proofread/revised.

CHAPTER SELECTION IS IN THE ✨Masterlist✨ Chapter 14 is prolly a deer now Chapter 15 is the moment

word count: 2.7k (N/N) = nickname *Kiara = Clare *Kurt = Court *cover names = reader doesn't know YET (except you do know #wreckthe4thwall)

"Shit."

That's one way to put it.

You glance over your shoulder. "Puta."

That's another way to put it.

Cuss all you want, you deserve to— especially with two cars hurtling right behind you, as though with the intent to make you crash.

"Tangina!" you shout when one of the cars, the white SUV, speeds up to your left and prevents you from driving towards the Hotel Interpark.

You take a wild gander around the street, where there’s not a single soul in sight. Probably because of this fucking rain!

As though the thunderclouds heard your insult, the downpour becomes stronger; a little more and the thick raindrops will be like waves crashing down from above.

You drive faster now, maintaining your balance, and you turn right, weaving into a street that’s partially being remade. You switch to the lane that’s under construction and you’re thankful for your experience in riding motorcycles on tough roads. 

There’s a nearby restaurant— with workers still inside!

You're about to honk to gain their attention but a bump from behind threatens your equilibrium. You swiftly steady the motorcycle and veer left into a street. You take a gander, despite the parked cars and opened lights in the building, no one is witnessing you fleeing for your life.

"Fucking hell!" you roar, harshly twisting the accelerator.

Just as you burst out of the street, you're about to turn left when headlights swallow you. Luckily, your instincts kick in and you haven't released the accelerator. If you had slowed down then, the black Honda Civic would've crashed into you. Instead, it hits your rear wheel; you attempt to balance once again, but the force this time is too much.

Lightning strikes the earth at the time your motorcycle pummels into the ground. You're thrown off into the curb, ignoring the pain flaring across your body, you shuffle up and head for your motorcycle. But you stop when you see your pursuers are already out of their cars. You hastily swivel away and hurtle into the trees. 

You then realize your location: Waterfront Park. Even in the evening, this park is typically spotted with people; but the rain has metaphorically washed them away indoors. Just your luck. However, before despair can shackle you, you will yourself to fight and use your head. You know there's a lot of establishments nearby, but only a few of them are still open at this hour. You see it even from afar, the ray of light— The Reef Hotel & Residences. 

You hightail towards the treeline. Just cross the park— that's your success to escape, because once you're out on the street, the guard at the hotel will surely notice you.

You're about to exit the treeline when someone tackles you back beneath the shadow of the woods. Everything spins, disorienting you for a second until a biting pain courses through your nerves. You let out a cry when you feel as though your elbow has split open. The guy who tackled you is trying to grab your arms. Thankfully the streetlights still manage to reach into the darkness of the park, you find yourself on the ground and spot the guy's knee, which you give your mightiest kick, and when he doubles over, you cut off his pained squeal with a kick to his face.

Upon rising up to your feet, another guy clutches at your arm. You spin to face him, jabbing his throat with your free hand. He releases you, and you run—

THWACK!

—into a fist. Pain explodes across your temple, where the hit forcibly landed, and you're reeled into blackness. There's a ringing in your ears, it's somewhat scolding you for not taking the rape whistle that Mindy gifted you. You ponder on where you put it and realize it's in your locker in the cafe's staffroom.

If you had it with you, you could've gotten some attention.

Your inner self smacks her lips— So, why didn't you press the motorcycle's horn instead?

As your stupidity dawns on you, your bearings slowly rebuild itself. You then find yourself restrained; mouth stuffed with a cloth and hands tied behind your back. And you're draped on some guy's shoulder. You thrash as you try to peer where they're taking you— to their cars parked at a spot where no one was around. Your strength doubles as panic and adrenaline surges through your nerves.

You try to scream, but it's muffled. 

Despair begins to leisurely brim your eyes.

"Patulugin niyo muna nga siya! Masyadong maingay at malikot!" 

(Knock her out! She's too noisy and squirming a lot!)

They roughly set you down with your back on the ground; the guy who was carrying you is now holding your ankles down. Another guy then crouches above your stomach and pulls out a switchblade; you freeze, shock slowly morphing into fear, and you try to relax as you ponder on how to get out.

"Tama 'yan, wag ka na magulo o masasaktan ka pa." the guy atop you says and, lightly tracing the side of the blade on your neck, he unzips your jacket. 

(That's right, don't be naughty or you'll get hurt.)

He lifts the hem of your shirt with the blade and they all whistle at your bare skin.

You squeeze your eyes, tears flowing through.

"Nasa'n ngayon ang tapang mo?"

(Where's your courage now?)

They all share a laugh, the hyena kind, and thunder claps across the heavens. No one will hear them. But that isn't what scares you, what scares you more is the fact that—

No one will hear you.

You struggle, he taps the blade on your stomach, and you stop. He then raises your shirt over your bra and your eyes snap open. You begin talking through your gag, which the guy finds annoying, so he pulls it out of your mouth.

"M-May pera ako," you blurt out, breathing erratically.

(I have money,)

"Don't worry, we already have it." one guy holds your backpack up.

"But what we want more is you."

"Aren't you lucky?"

They all start yammering how giddy you must be feeling. Wanted by one too many guys. But they know very well it's quite the opposite.

Before you can plead, they gag you again. You're about to put up a fight when the guy slides the knife sideways beneath your bra. The blade's coolness decorates your flesh with bumps as fear wrings your throat shut. He flips the knife with the sharp edge cutting against the cloth; still, the blunt side pricks into your skin.

He slowly moves the knife, pushing upwards. "It's probably hard to breathe, right? Let us help you.."

You scream, cry, and wail simultaneously. Not just because your bra is about to be cut off, but also because the other guys are unbuttoning your shorts and pulling them down. One of them is also taking pictures, you hope someone will spot the flashes.

Another guy harshly grabs your face when you start getting louder than normally muffled. "Shut—!" he cut himself off as he looks at something behind his pals. "PUTANGINA!"

A sort of banging sound echoes around the woods. It's repetitive with a few cracks, grunts, and cries here and there. Your should-be-rapists shuffle up and run to the same direction, yelling as though they're charging into war. You quickly roll on your side and sit up to find someone fighting against five guys.

You now realize that your should-be-rapists were eight guys when you notice three of them are already on the floor. And despite the dimness shrouding the woods, you begin to recognize your cap-wearing savior.

"Kurt?" you breathe out, shocked and confused.

But he doesn't hear you with the gag. That is until the guy who straddled you is slowly approaching Court from behind. You spot the switchblade he's holding and scream with all your might.

"LOOK OUT!"

Despite your muffled voice, Court somewhat understands you. He whirls around in the blink of an eye, ramming an elbow on the guy's temple. The switchblade drops with its unconscious owner.

Immediately, someone else picks it up. You're about to shout at Court again when you realize the guy with the knife is charging at you.

You don't even have to ask why, because whatever his intentions are, as long as he's coming at you with a knife, it can't be good. Scrambling up to your feet, you curse when the shorts at your ankles nearly made you fall; your bounds aren't helping either.

In such a state of panic, and insufficient lighting, you miscalculate the thick root for soil. You trip, face-planting into the ground, but you don't let that stop you and try to get back up.

"Come here!" the guy chasing you clutches at your ankle and reels you to him.

You'll probably feel the scrapes later, because your fight response brawls against the intense fear flooding throughout your body. "Let go!" you scream, kicking at him successfully on his shoulder and stomach.

"Tangina, tumigil ka nga!" he yells and grabs both your ankles, pulling you closer.

You're about to boot his face this time, but he smacks yours first, stunning you. He rises, roughly hauling you up, but someone gets in between you two. The guy gasps when a fist heavily jabs into his chest and throat; he's instantly knocked out when the same fist strikes his temple.

Still in a daze, you think the world is falling away. Trees dancing into a swirl with streams of light. But in actuality, you're just falling down.

You're on the ground, you think as your perspective steadies itself.

Someone calls your name, you think it's the Kapre on the trees— maybe your perspective isn't right just yet.

You hear your name again and a face appears. You recognize him.

"Kurt?"

"Hey," he breathes out, relieved.

You fight back a wince when your chest tightens. "W-Why.." you stammer, "How are you here?"

"I'll tell you later. First," he pauses, scanning you from head to toe, "are you okay? Where does it hurt?"

Your head is buzzing. The last several minutes replays in it as a myriad of emotions washes over you. Terror, relief, panic, concern, happiness, gratefulness, anxiety, sadness, shame—

It's overwhelming.

And because of it, you're starting to think you're hallucinating. Maybe the one holding you isn't your friend.

"Kurt," you say, shakily.

"Yes?" he replies, steadily.

The strong arm wrapped around you and the rough yet gentle hand holding you conveys everything else. 

It's him. 

It's Court. 

He's here.

He saved you.

You have an abundance of questions. However, you want to address first why your face is somewhat damped and stinging. You think you have a gash and you're heavily bleeding, that is until you taste salt. Warm, liquid salt.

Oh.. you're crying.

You try to stop, but that only makes you cry harder. Like all the emotions pouring out your eyes, your body melts against Court's. But unlike your cascading tears, you're held firmly by him.

"Hey, what is it?" he asks, worriedly calling your name. "Where does it hurt?"

You manage to stifle your sobs for a second. "I'm so-sorry."

He scowls. "You're not the one who should be apologizing."

"N-No.. I'm sorry fo-for.." you gasp in between sobs,"for crying."

Court is astonished.

You continue. "I-I-I'm so-sorry you had to sav-save me.."

His hold on you tightens. "I'll always save you, (Y/N).. no matter what."

"Y-You don't always have to," you say, "I don't want you hurt."

Court holds the side of your face, gently pushing it up so he's looking into your teary eyes. "And I don't want you hurt, too." he declares, "So I'll save you. I'll protect you. I'll take care of you… Whether you like that or not."

There's an ache in your heart, yet it's somehow comforting rather than agonizing.

"And I'll beat the shit out of anyone who makes you cry."

You hide your face on his shoulder, but it doesn't stop you from laughing and sniffling at the same time.

The two of you stay there until your tears slow down to a halt. Then you finally allow yourself to wrap your arms around him. Because you didn't think you deserve it, you always thought you're unworthy to be saved. But then you don't know what else to do to express your gratitude at the moment.

So, you hug him with all your feeble might. Simultaneously trying not to let your feelings overpower you.

"Th-Thank you.." you sigh, "Thank you."

He returns the embrace, and for a second, you think he's kissing you on the head. "You're welcome." he whispers into your hair, "And thank you, too."

"For what?"

He stays silent for a moment.

"For.. you."

".. You want to thank me for me?"

"Yes..?"

You snicker. "That's stupid."

He breathes out a laugh. "Sorry."

"No worries. You got an unlimited savior coupon for the rest of my life."

"Well, then.. thank you."

"You're welcome."

first off~ I AM SO SORRY! VERY MUCH, I AM SORRY SORRY!!!!! AND PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES WITH THREE NEW CHAPTERSSS I will explain my abrupt hiatus in another blog after posting the chapters. Thank you so much for waiting, enjoying, and messaging me about this fic! I hope y'all still enjoy it (*_ _)人 The portal to Chapter 16 will open momentarily starting now!

✨TAGLIST✨

@kat-thepoet @queenofhellhasrisen @sierrasixswife @vallyb @lyuir @yvxcy @justareaderdude @sortingharryshairclip

#the gray man #sierra six #courtland gentry #six #court gentry #reader insert #claire fitzroy #the gray man fanfiction #the gray man x reader #sierra six x reader #court gentry x reader #slow burn #fluff #comedy if you look closely #teenage girl needs a mama figure #the gray man has trust issues #father-figure trying hard #ryan gosling #chris evans #ana de armas #netflix #russo brothers

[aro-bird]

Hey, I should've probably made a post about this when the controversy first started but it's better late than never I guess. There's been some discourse on twitter about this, mostly from non-native Filipinos, so I have to say: Stop trying to say that the Filipino sapphic McDonald's commercial was just taking advantage of Filipinos.

Look, I understand that it's so easy to try to go "rAinBoW cAPiTaliSm!!!" on companies when you see them creating content for the queer community especially if the company doesn't really have a good track record. Hypocrisy is absolutely a thing you should point out especially when companies trying to capitalize on the groups they refuse to support. But FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP TRYING TO SPEAK ABOUT SHIT YOU DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT

If you're not aware, the Philippines has an awful homophobic and transphobic culture where, like a lot of Asian countries, they would tolerate you being gay but wouldn't accept you. It's not uncommon for people to get their identities erased by their families, their queerness forced into the closet, and family making suggestions to force you to be cishet. Not only that, but if you were public about being queer, you would either be mocked or harassed with some incidents possibly escalating to violence.

This culture of bigotry has created a push to make laws to prevent discrimination against people based on their sexuality or gender identity in the form of the SOGIE bill. The thing is, this law constantly gets push back from religious groups and even some members of the cishet majority since they don't understand what the law entails and think that the gays just want to hurt the "nuclear family".

You wanna know how bad it's been for the SOGIE bill? An anti-discrimination bill was first officially proposed in 2004 and none has had approval since. In February 2023, there was a news report that even uncovered a large disinformation campaign that was trying to spread lies about the current SOGIE bill so people would be against it passing into law. These were mostly spearheaded by Christian Evangelical groups that had had a stranglehold on queer rights in the country for decades.

There has also been a constant pushback against queer people and loud discrimination against them even on a societal level. Stories like that of Gretchen Custudio Diez who was a transwoman that had been arrested for trying to use the bathroom may have been given a transphobic spin by the larger anti-queer disinformation campaign, but there's still so many people that either mocked and ridiculed her before they heard anything else about the story besides "transwoman gets arrested for using the bathroom." I vividly remember my otherwise pretty supportive mother making jabs at it and even spouting some transphobic rhetoric before I had to correct her, and she's not really the type to be obsessed over Facebook or Twitter.

McDo creating this commercial is controversial and yes, could be considered pandering, but you need to get it into your head that the Philippines has different cultures and social issues from the fucking west. The Philippines may be listed as "one of the most gay friendly countries in the world" but that is such a gross understatement of the truth here. The Philippines is gay-tolerant, not gay-friendly, and anything that tries to normalize any gay relationship outside of queers being used as a punchline or some emotional sideplot gets criticized to hell and back.

The amount of sapphic Filipinos and other queer Filipinos that found joy, comfort, and hope because of this commercial could also not be understated. I've seen so many tweets and posts about how happy and represented they felt even with such a short ad and you shitting on that is just such a dick move, especially if you yourself aren't a Filipino who grew up and/or lives in the Philippines.

As much as I hate capitalism, corporations actually showing public support for the queer community is extremely necessary here since it normalizes queer people. In this day and age where not only do queer Filipinos barely even have rights but the global queerphobic right has definitely been influencing the Filipino internet which may even endanger any bit of progress queer activists had made for the past few decades, corporations being on the side of the community is super fucking important.

If you haven't seen the commercial yet, here's a link to the video. McDo has also made a more subtle mlm commercial before that you can watch here.

#mayaposts #queer #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtqia+ #philippines #queer rights #gay rights #pride #queerphobia #homophobia #transphobia #mcdonalds #rainbow capitalism #filipino queer #filipino

[rockislandadultreads]

AAPI Heritage Month: Cookbooks to Check Out

The Honeysuckle Cookbook: 100 Healthy, Feel-Good Recipes to Live Deliciously by Dzung Lewis

The Honeysuckle Cookbook is stuffed with exciting ideas for easy, approachable, Asian-influenced cooking at home. With 100 recipes, from the breakfast favorites that consistently rate the highest in views on the author's popular YouTube channel (like her Overnight Oats, 6 Ways) to original twists on one-pan and pressure-cooker meals, this book is for those of us who want feel-good meals made healthy, delicious, and quick. Dzung's recipes take the familiar and turns it ever-so-slightly on its head: Marinara sauce gets extra umami with the addition of fish sauce, while mac and cheese becomes more than an out-of-the-box staple when made fresh with kimchi. Lattes get an extra kick from bold Vietnamese coffee and sweet, floral lavender, and quinoa pilaf is mixed with a creamy curry-miso dressing. Dzung also teaches readers how to stretch groceries so they spend a little less money, how to plan meals seasonally, and how to match main courses with sides so plates look impressive and taste great. With quick snack ideas, recipe hacks, foolproof instructions, and genius tips for pretty presentation, The Honeysuckle Cookbook will be the friendly hand busy young cooks need to hold in the kitchen.

Cook Real Hawai'i: A Cookbook by Sheldon Simeon, Garrett Snyder

The story of Hawaiian cooking, by a two-time Top Chef finalist and Fan Favorite, through 100 recipes that embody the beautiful cross-cultural exchange of the islands. Even when he was winning accolades and adulation for his cooking, two-time Top Chef finalist Sheldon Simeon decided to drop what he thought he was supposed to cook as a chef. He dedicated himself instead to the local Hawai‘i food that feeds his ‘ohana—his family and neighbors. With uncomplicated, flavor-forward recipes, he shows us the many cultures that have come to create the cuisine of his beloved home: the native Hawaiian traditions, Japanese influences, Chinese cooking techniques, and dynamic Korean, Portuguese, and Filipino flavors that are closest to his heart. Through stunning photography, poignant stories, and dishes like wok-fried poke, pork dumplings made with biscuit dough, crispy cauliflower katsu, and charred huli-huli chicken slicked with a sweet-savory butter glaze, Cook Real Hawai‘i will bring a true taste of the cookouts, homes, and iconic mom and pop shops of Hawai‘i into your kitchen.

Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora by Angela Dimayuga, Ligaya Mishan, Alex Lau (Photographs)

Filipinx offers 100 deeply personal recipes—many of them dishes that define home for Angela Dimayuga and the more than four million people of Filipino descent in the United States. The book tells the story of how Dimayuga grew up in an immigrant family in northern California, trained in restaurant kitchens in New York City—learning to make everything from bistro fare to Asian-American cuisine—then returned to her roots, discovering in her family’s home cooking the same intense attention to detail and technique she’d found in fine dining. In this book, Dimayuga puts a fresh spin on classics: adobo, perhaps the Filipino dish best known outside the Philippines, is traditionally built on a trinity of soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic—all pantry staples—but add coconut milk, vinegar, and oil, and it turns lush and silky; ribeye steaks bring extra richness to bistek, gilded with butter and a bright splash of lemon and orange juice. These are the punches of flavor and inspired recipes that home cooks have been longing for. A modern, welcoming resource for this essential cuisine, Filipinx shares exciting and approachable recipes everyone will wholeheartedly embrace in their own kitchens.

My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water by Betty Liu

Filled with galleries, museums, and gleaming skyscrapers, Shanghai is a modern metropolis and the world’s largest city proper, the home to twenty-four million inhabitants and host to eight million visitors a year. “China’s crown jewel” (Vogue), Shanghai is an up-and-coming food destination, filled with restaurants that specialize in international cuisines, fusion dishes, and chefs on the verge of the next big thing. It is also home to some of the oldest and most flavorful cooking on the planet. Betty Liu, whose family has deep roots in Shanghai and grew up eating homestyle Shanghainese food, provides an enchanting and intimate look at this city and its abundant cuisine. In this sumptuous book, part cookbook, part travelogue, part cultural study, she cuts to the heart of what makes Chinese food Chinese—the people, their stories, and their family traditions. Organized by season, My Shanghai takes us through a year in the Shanghai culinary calendar, with flavorful recipes that go beyond the standard, well-known fare, and stories that illuminate diverse communities and their food rituals. Chinese food is rarely associated with seasonality. Yet as Liu reveals, the way the Shanghainese interact with the seasons is the essence of their cooking: what is on a dinner table is dictated by what is available in the surrounding waters and fields. Live seafood, fresh meat, and ripe vegetables and fruits are used in harmony with spices to create a variety of refined dishes all through the year.

#nonfiction #non-fiction #non fiction #AAPI #AAPI authors #aapi heritage month #asian american heritage month #asian american pacific islander heritage month #to read #tbr #library books #cooking #cookbooks #asian cooking #reading recommendations #Book Recommendations #food

[purplesurveys]

1517

Does your head hurt when you cry? No, this has never happened to me. My headaches are almost always work-related/screentime-related.

Who was the last person to comfort you? I’d say Sofie. We were catching up and I was getting her up to speed about The Breakup (apparently she had no idea) and though I don’t think she specifically meant to comfort me, she said things that were really reassuring. Like how my energy is different now, I seem happier, independence suits me, etc.

Are you currently wearing any socks? Nope, I never wear socks indoors.

What's the closest thing to your right hand? Apart from the keyboard, my blanket.

When was the last time you made a wish? Idk I never make them unless I’m at a well or it��s my birthday.

Have you ever watched a foreign film with English subtitles? Regardless of the language I absolutely have to have subtitles on all the time because my sense of hearing can get terrible when watching movies. For Filipino films I like keeping English subs on because I’ll sometimes have a hard time with deeper Filipino words or phrases – and it’s also fun to compare how much of the English translation is accurate.

When was the last time you wore athletic shorts? I’m not sure for shorts, but I wore tights for my spinning class two weeks ago.

Do you think that in the end, everything will fall into place? It’s a nice comforting thought to have but I always prefer to be realistic so I can manage my own expectations.

What's the closest transparent object to you? My phone case.

What was the last thing you swallowed? Water.

Do you like mayonnaise? Did I even spell that right? It’s correct and yes I fucking love mayonnaise, it’s my fave condiment and I can put it on nearly everything even if a dish doesn’t traditionally have mayo in it lol.

Anyways... When was the last time you went out in the rain? Yesterday. Rain’s been more frequent this month but my friends and I had dinner reservations for yesterday, so we pushed through with it – also because Sofie is leaving for the UK next month and it was her only free time; otherwise there’s no telling when we’ll next see her again.

Have you ever seen a Tim Burton movie, like Coraline, 9, etc.? Just Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Do you keep 3D glasses after you've left the movie theatre? No, but I also never go for the 3D option at the cinema. When was the last time you heard a British accent in person? Yesterday, we had a kick out of teasing Sofie for her future British accent once she gets settled in Brighton. gosh I AM SO EXCITED TO VISIT HER IN THE FUTURE

Who was the last person to unsurprisingly disappoint you? My brother.

Do you know what FTW stands for? For the win.

When was the last time you went bowling? 2019, I think? Idk it was with my ex and when it comes to her my memory has already become all muddled and a big blur.

Do you like cats? Sure. But I wouldn’t want one as a pet.

Do you use aerosol hairspray? It's bad for the environment, you know... I don’t use hairspray.

What was the last food you choked on? I never really choke on anything except my own saliva hahaha.

Who was the last person you disappointed? Myself.

Do you really miss someone right now? No, I’m fine.

Do you think anyone can really reach "Nirvana" at some point? I can't speak for anybody else, but personally I don't think that's really a thing, no. < Same.

What's the capital of the state you reside in? We don’t have states.

What is the last advice you gave someone? I can’t remember.

Do you ever dip your fingers in wet candle wax? I wouldn’t dare.

When was the last time you sweat really bad? Two weekends ago when I did spinning with Bea and Liara.

Do you write it, alot or a lot? A lot, because alot isn’t even an option. Does it annoy you when people are always smiling and happy all the time? Not for the most part. The only time it does is if they spread their vibes while actively shoving their way of living down my throat. Like you know how some people would relate happiness to praying/Jesus or the phases of the moon and crystals? You do you, but I personally am just not affected if something is in retrogade or if we’re expecting a full moon or whatever. I don’t directly confront/provoke those people of course; but if I see posts like that I just hide them from my feed or unfollow the person altogether. Last thing I want to do is invalidate someone’s source/s of happiness and peace.

What was the last rule you broke? Using flavored pods because those have been deemed illegal here recently.

Have you ever hazed someone or been hazed? Yeah. The org culture in UP is such that you go through some sort of final rites, or like an initiation. I've always found it stupid but I’m glad that younger generations are straying away from such a dumb, unnecessary tradition.

What is your opinion on abortion? Pro-choice. This shouldn’t even be up for discussion.

Miley Cyrus rings your door bell, and asks for some shelter. You say..? I’d first do whatever I can to prove her identity because that seems sketchy as all hell lol, then once I let her in I’ll probably start off by asking how the hell she ended up in the Philippines. Then I’d get her food, some pilows and a blanket, let her play with my dogs, etc.

What would you say if someone called you at 3 am to have a casual convo? Depends. There’s a very small circle of people I would wake up for because who knows what they’re going through; otherwise I would ignore the call.

Have you ever made a SERIOUS typo, and couldnt go back and change it? I wouldn’t say any of my typos have had any serious or significant implications.

Have you ever yelled at an authority figure? I don’t think so.

When was the last time you had to pee really badly? I can’t seem to remember when it was but recently I was stuck in a situation where I couldn’t pee for a long time that day, to the point that my bladder started really hurting and I was mentally panicking about bladder stones.

What was the last thing you regretted eating? Not eating, but drinking - last night. My stomach just didn’t fare well with my espresso martini and it felt super upset, so there was a point in the dinner with friends that I fell quiet because I was dealing with the ahce. Have you ever met anyone famous? Yes I met Sassa Gurl last June and I’M STILL OVER THE MOON ABOUT IT. I hate this job for the most part but boy does it let me meet my favorite celebs.

How often do you get fountain drinks from a gas station? Never.

Do you like screamo music? Not so much.

Do you know anyone with some serious talent? So many people around me have really strong talents.

When was the last time you made fun of someone? Earlier this evening, but lightheartedly, of course.

What was the last thing you yelled? Also earlier this evening when I was yelling along to a BTS song.

Will you save all your answers? It's no fun if you don't. That’s kind of what I do with the surveys I do here on Tumblr.

#survey #surveys

[astolary]

𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐔! 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝟏 .

( Synopsis ) Glimpse behind the scenes.

( Word Count ) 0.6k words // EDITED! 

PART ONE || PART TWO

— VALORANT MODERN ACTING AU! BEHIND THE SCENES, WHEREAS;

While filming Fade's trailer, they had to refilm Cypher and Fade's scene multiple times because he couldn't stop laughing when Fade placed her fingers on his neck. He's ticklish.

Fade got jumped scared by Neon because instead of landing outside the warehouse, the Filipino jumped inside through a hole in the roof.

Chamber is the person who accidentally gives a bit of a spoiler about what's going to happen next in the series.

Everybody contributed to the graffiti wall on Jett's music video and she loves it.

Viper tripped on the treadmill machine during their first attempt at filming and she couldn't stop smiling about it. She was too busy looking at her reflection in the window to make sure she looks like she hates the world. So after that, she had a harder time staying in character.

WARM UP! The most iconic moment in episode 4: Yoru fell off the ledge of the window, he was distracted by juggling the credits lying in his hands.

When they were practicing their script for Duality, Phoenix got scared from jumping down and accidentally landed on Viper's back.

Skye will never get used to having to film two versions of herself. The animals alongside her are very much real, and she can't get over the fact of how friendly they are.

Neon ran into the wall while spinning around in her room, so she tried holding the table for support. The table, and eventually the whole set, fell apart. The producer blamed it on the production crew who couldn't stop laughing about it. (Neon's fine, she thinks it's funny too.)

Everybody screamed when Breach and his dog walked down the red carpet. Sova likes to tease him that his animal best friend surpasses Breach's fame.

During DUELISTS, Jett expected to land on her own two feet while jumping above Ascent's small city river. She fell into the water, and she begged Phoenix to stop laughing at her.

Astra's signature pose became an icon, but what the public doesn't know is how many times her legs would cramp a bit when she does it. Brimstone would call in the background,

"You're getting old!"

"Shut up!"

Omen cape is ripped off because while Kay/o was fiddling with all the small machines on his arm, Kay/o pressed a button that just sucked up half the cape. Omen looked at Kay/o in horror while Kay/o violently shook his head.

RETAKE! During the scene where Phoenix looked through the small hole in the metal crates, Raze wanted to do it too. While everybody was distracted, she snuck into the set and peeped through it. So when Killjoy accidentally passed by, she thought her best friend looked cute and took a picture of it. Now, Raze's profile picture is her eye.

Cypher only agrees to "die," in each cinematic as long as he falls on a bed with Nora sitting on it. Nora shakes her head each time he falls on the cushioned mattress laid on the floor because she knows, he's grinning stupidly under his mask.

"Be grateful, I could have been doing more important things than sitting here and wasting my time."

"I never knew that all the times we hugged each other in bed was a waste of time~"

She doesn't feel butterflies in her stomach, no she doesn't.

Brimstone's neck hurt terribly when he acted dead in Kay/o's arms, Killjoy tried massaging his neck to ease the pain. He's grateful, but it won't stop him from rolling his neck every couple of times.

When Reyna was passing by a café, she never heard such high-pitched screeches it made her raise an eyebrow. Oh, the picture of her in the dress got posted on Twitter.

Sage, by accident, threw the slow orbs on Sova's face. She doesn't know how it happened, but it did. It took a while to remove it from his hair and Sage can't stop apologizing.

astolary 2022 — do not edit, repost, or translate.

#（ ❁ଓ.° ） #（ ❁ଓ.° ） astro! valorant #Valorant #valorant headcanons #valorant scenarios #valorant astra #valorant breach #valorant brimstone #valorant chamber #valorant cypher #valorant fade #valorant jett #valorant kay/o #valorant killjoy #valorant neon #valorant sova #valorant omen #valorant phoenix #valorant raze #valorant reyna #valorant sage #valorant skye #valorant viper #valorant yoru #is this illegal or-

[sehunniepotwrites]

if we were a movie | j.jh

for @nctsworld’s first writing challenge

SYNOPSIS. For someone who was always the understudy and never the lead, scoring this role was huge for you. All you had to do was pretend to be in love with your best friend. No big deal, right? Wrong. It was the biggest deal because, for the past four years, you had been hiding your feelings for Jung Jaehyun.

If this were a movie, he would be your perfect match and the story would end happily with the credits rolling to a perfectly timed soundtrack. Too bad this wasn’t a movie— this was real life and life came with complications.

GENRE. childhood friends to lovers!au, college!au, drama school!au, slow burn, angst, humor, mutual pining, fluff (loosely based on the Filipino rom-com Must Be Love and If We Were a Movie by Hannah Montana) PAIRING. theatre major!Jaehyun x  theatre major!reader WORD COUNT. 14+ k

WARNINGS. point of view switches from first (”I”) to second (”you”); self-doubt, insecurities, mutual pining, cursing, lots of references and direct quotes from musicals such as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Disney’s Newsies, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Shrek the Musical, and Wicked (edited but i might’ve missed some mistakes; bare with me!)

There are moments where time flows as normal, where people carry on with their days as they usually do. Then, there are moments people experience in slow-motion, where the world just stops spinning and all the background noise just fades away. These are the moments people look forward to. They’re the breathtaking ones, the ones that capture your heart and soul. After those moments, people are never the same. 

The first time I experienced something in slow motion was when I made my stage debut at a small talent show. There was thunderous applause after my performance and while my heart thumped against my chest, the world seemed to come to a stop. That’s when I knew my heart belonged to the stage or rather, the stage belonged to me. 

Some of these slo-mo moments are the ones where people fall in love. 

My father said that’s how he knew my mother was the one for him: he experienced it all at a slowed rate, everything fading into black and she was the only thing he saw. She was his brightest star and he was the one who reached for the sky to bring her down to Earth. 

When I was younger, I always dreamed about my “falling in love” slow-mo moment. I pictured a grandiose event with large actions and sweet words.  For it to actually happen at theatre camp during the initial dress rehearsal for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast J.R.— well, that was far from what I hoped for. 

And yet, it was just as special as I thought it would be. 

I was in my obnoxious fork costume, waiting for my best friend to leave the boy’s dressing room. 

Jung Jaehyun had been my best friend since the beginning, otherwise known as my first year at theatre camp. Only ten years old at the time, we both were cast as two of the three blind mice in Shrek the Musical and had been inseparable ever since. Although we attended different middle schools, our friendship grew from our shared vocal and dance lessons as well as our summers at camp. You know how it is; those who end up in the ensemble together stay together. 

Going over the dance moves in my head, I didn’t hear my friend’s voice calling my name. He gripped my shoulder, the action surprising me to the point where I lost my balance. I yelped and shut my eyes, expecting to fall onto the hard ground but a hand grabbing onto my wrist prevented my doom. With an arm around my waist, I barely missed the ground.

Slowly opening my eyes, I glanced up to see Jung Jaehyun looking down at me with a worried gaze. He was just a sixteen-year-old boy dressed as a spoon and yet, the world around us came to a halt. Gone were the other frantic theatre kids and the backstage messes. The couple playing Belle and the Beast was no longer sitting across from us, running through their lines. No hustle and bustle of the crew and the props masters.

It was just me dressed as a fork, falling down while my spoon for a best friend caught me in his arms. 

“We make quite a pair, don’t we, Forky?” he chuckled lowly, hitting the top of his costume to mine. It was a ridiculous sight— a pair of oversized cutlery in a crowded dressing room.

A burning hot sensation crept its way up to my face as he gently pulled me up. “I guess we do.”

Since then, my life has never been the same. I was in love with my best friend, Jung Jaehyun. I fell for him when the world stopped spinning beneath my feet while his world, unfortunately, kept on turning.

I remember each and every slowed-down moment in life —the good, the bad, and the absolute worst. I never thought a bad slo-mo moment existed, I simply didn’t think it was possible. 

I was young and naive then and I was so incredibly wrong.

The moment that hurt me most took place in my senior year of high school. The final callbacks for our community’s production of Disney’s Newsies were in order. The role of Jack Kelly, the headstrong and flirty newsboy, was easily given to the ever-so-charming Jung Jaehyun. He was not only my best friend at the time but he was the it-boy of our small theatre. People were either in love with him or wanted to be him— his talent matched his insane looks. His kind personality made him all the more lovable.

Jaehyun had his two fatal flaws, though. Everyone knew them but still saw him in such a bright light.

One: the boy was extremely clumsy. Jaehyun was often called “magic hands,” constantly ruining his props. It was a running gag in the theatre but the props committee never minded; one smile was all it took for them to forgive him and his cursed hands. 

That was his first flaw. And his second? Jaehyun fell in love way too easily and way too fast. 

How exactly did I find this out? Well, I was there to witness the scene that lifted his heart to the highest of levels while mine dropped straight to the ground.

I was in the running for the stubbornly intelligent female lead named Katherine Plumber. My opponent was the confident and radiant Son Wendy. She always played the lead in her high school productions but this was a community musical and I was determined to claim that part as my own. 

I went first, entering the audition room with a smile with the script gripped tightly in my palm. Performing alongside my best friend was easy. The romantic scene was a piece of cake, not because the lines were a breeze. That wasn’t it at all. It wasn’t because I memorized the Newsies script as a child either. It was because, at that moment, Jung Jaehyun was in love with me as much as I was in love with him. It was a moment I wanted to cherish forever: the way he looked at me was something I had never experienced before. It was so full of emotion and passion, like he had me within his grasp and never wanted to let me go.

“You got this. I believe in you,” he whispered in my ear, squeezing my hand in support. His breath tickled my skin and sent shivers down my spine. The nerves were back, not because of the audition, but because of him. 

“You’re just saying that because it’s the scene we’re about to act out, Jae,” I hissed. The sheet music for the duet, Something to Believe In, wrinkled in my free palm. 

His warm, comforting hand pressed harder against my own. “No, it’s not that. If you need someone to believe in you, I’m right here. I’ve got you, Forky. Always.”

The director cleared his throat from his seat, his scrutinizing eyes watching us closely as we got into position, just like we rehearsed a thousand times. “Whenever you’re ready.”

I watched as Jaehyun took a deep breath to get into character. He closed his eyes, rolled his broad shoulders back, and then his lids snapped open. His brown-eyed gaze aimed straight at me, with a vulnerable expression taking over his features. He was no longer Jung Jaehyun— he was Jack Kelly, a scared newsboy who was in love with a newspaper company heiress. 

The line came pouring out of his mouth with the utmost sincerity, the confusion and affection seeping through his words, “Just standing here tonight, looking at you, I’m scared tomorrow is gonna come and change everything.”

 Jaehyun took a step forward towards me, an unsure smile curling on his lips. “If there was a way I could just grab hold of something to make time stop just so I could keep looking at you.”

His body stops right in front of mine, keeping a clear distance but enough to feel the passion radiating off of his words and actions. For once in my young life, my best friend looked at me with a different kind of love in his eyes and I returned it, my genuine feelings seeping through my words. 

Biting my lip, I replied coyly, “You snuck up on me, Jack Kelly, I never even saw it coming.”

“For sure?” he stage-whispered. His upstage hand unexpectedly reached up to caress my cheek. The action was unrehearsed, almost catching me off guard. It was a different take on the scene. The characters were supposed to be shy, their thoughts wavering on their own feelings for each other and the impending strike that was to come the day after; yet, Jaehyun played Jack as someone certain of his feelings.

“For sure,” I answered back at the same volume, my hand cupping his own to follow along with his direction. It felt as if he was searching my soul for my thoughts and I could not let him in. The opening bars of the romantic duet echoed throughout the room and after taking a breath, I began to sing. Jaehyun joined in on the second verse and instantly, our voices blended together in a beautiful harmony, one that beat our Newsies karaoke sessions in his car. 

The scene ended as quickly as it began. The director hummed before jotting notes down and whispering to his casting assistants for a few seconds. I thought they were the longest seconds of my life. Jaehyun nodded his head to reassure me. “You did well, Forky.”

“Of course I did, it’s me we’re talking about here,” I nudged him back. “I can do no wrong, Jae!” 

“Thank you,” the director finally spoke, “you may go. Jaehyun, if you could escort her out and fetch Wendy for me?”

“Of course,” your friend nodded. The feeling of his large hand on my back slowly guided me out of the room. The spot he touched me burned but my cheeks were burning even more. Why was it that every little touch drove me to the brink of insanity?

“You’re so going to land this part,” I remember him saying as he squeezed my waist. My heart was beating erratically against my ribcage, the butterflies in my stomach threatening to fly their way up my throat.

“You think so?”

“Oh definitely,” Jaehyun stressed with a wink. 

He said it too soon. 

Because the minute he locked gazes with Son Wendy, I just knew he had found his leading lady. 

“S-Son Wendy?” he stuttered as he caught sight of the pretty girl in the waiting room. Her hair was styled similarly to a young maiden from the turn of the century, perfectly curled and out of her face. 

“Yes?” she smiled back.

It seemed like the words were caught in my best friend’s throat. Sneaking a glance at Jaehyun’s ears, they burned a bright red. “We’re, um, we’re ready for you.”

I watched as Jaehyun nervously offered his arm to her, his eyes never leaving her face. It was like he was her own personal spotlight, the way his eyes shone just for the girl in front of him. The boy was completely enamored and I was instantly in the shadows. The sweet smile that was reserved for me was directed towards another and it sparkled in a way it never did before.

The world around me moved incredibly slow as they passed me by. With everything frozen, all I saw was the gorgeous couple headed to the audition room with hushed exchanges. Jaehyun took his time heading to the private room to spend more time with the girl while Son Wendy steadily made her way into my friend’s fragile heart. My own heart clenched at the sight. It was breaking ever so slowly and I felt every little crack and tear. 

Even with the role of the understudy, it was as if I never even had a chance at winning his heart over. If Wendy wasn’t present for one rehearsal, Jaehyun didn’t even see me— his own best friend since our ensemble days. He was way too deep into his “showmance.” It was like I never even existed. It wasn’t long before he called Wendy his girlfriend and then, I was invisible. Cast aside. Ignored.

Needless to say, my heart broke in slow-motion as Jaehyun’s pounded rapidly for a girl that took two parts I desperately ached for: Katherine Plumber and the girl who held Jaehyun’s heart. 

But this was just the first time his heart was stolen by his opposite. The first of many.

The first two years of university passed me by like a summer breeze. Constantly busy with general education and introductory drama courses, I was constantly flitting around from building to building. My hands were usually occupied by my laptop, a blazing cup of caffeinated tea, and a worn out script while my mind was filled with jumbled up lines and the dramatic cries of an overwhelmed university student. I probably wouldn’t have made it this far if it wasn’t for Jaehyun and Xiao Dejun, another theatre major we had met during orientation, by my side.

Fast forward to my third year and the three of us were headed to the office of the theatre department. It was posting day for the spring musical— the day the cast list was revealed. This year’s musical spectacular was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The play itself was a modern classic and it was also my dream come true.

This day, just like any posting day of the drama department, was nerve-racking. Everyone was anxious to find out what parts they were given and how the fairytale would play out. The part of the brave and kind Ella was always on my list of roles I wanted to fill. As much as I thought I did well on my final callback, I didn’t want to set my hopes too high.

“Are you nervous?” Jaehyun asked while draping an arm over my shoulder. He playfully put all his weight onto his right side to throw me off balance. 

“Nervous? Me? Why would I be nervous if I’m like 95% sure  I’m going to get the understudy again?” I chuckled sarcastically. Bitterly. It happened every year, so why get my hopes up now?

“Yeah but—”

“No buts, I’ve accepted the title of the Wonderstudy! I think you should too, Jae,” I slapped his shoulder before quickly slipping out of his hold before linking arms with Dejun. My best friend let out a yelp, almost tripping over his own two feet as we continued down the hallway. “I’m mediocre at best.”

The Wonderstudy: it was the nickname the other students in the department gave me because I was always the understudy. I was never the star of the show. It said that I was good but not good enough. 

Dejun leaned in and whispered, “You do know that you’re more than just that, right? You’re an actor. A phenomenal one. You weren’t accepted to this drama program by just being mediocre at best.”

I ignored my friend’s comment, eyes zoned in at the other end of the building. The crowd of usual theatre students crowded around the bulletin board, curious heads popping up and down trying to take a peek at the list. Some buzzed with excitement, happy they got a major part while others groaned in disappointment. You were most likely going to be with the later group. 

Once the cluster of students caught sight of Jaehyun, they parted like the red sea to let him through. It wasn’t really necessary, though, everyone knew the it-boy of the drama department was cast as the role of the misguided prince, Topher. 

The only question was: who was cast as his princess? Who was this year’s Ella?

I fought my way through the bunch with Dejun following behind me as our best friend was showered with congratulations. Jaehyun was all smiles, dimples prominent as he was lavished by the mass. Dejun made it to the list first. His finger dragged along the thin paper until he found his name. He cheered, pumping his fist up in joy. “I got the part I wanted! I’m Jean-Michel!”

Grinning at my friend, I sincerely congratulated him. He got the second lead: the feisty peasant looking for change. Turning again, his eyes grazed the list until Dejun found my name. His smile dropped ever so slightly and that was when I knew: I was beaten once again. 

“What part did I get?”

“Gabrielle,” he answered. Ah, the outwardly abrasive but quietly empathetic sister. The second lead, love interest of Jean-Michel. At least I was playing Dejun’s opposite. 

I took a step closer, wondering who took the part of the kind princess. Squinting at the small print, my eyes scanned the jumble of words until I saw it.

Ella……………………….Lee Naeun Ella u/s………………….Y/N

I scoffed. Forever the understudy. The Wonderstudy of the Theatre Department indeed.

The first rehearsal, otherwise known as the read-through, took a toll on me. It was usually a two to three hour long session, filled with loud chatter, crazy introductions, and a variety of crazy theatre games to break the ice. When the niceties ended, everyone took their seats in their plastic chairs that were arranged in a huge circle. Bae Joohyun, the head stage manager began reading the stage directions aloud as the table read began. The production’s director, Professor O’Hare, sat alongside Joohyun, jotting down notes and giving out commentary when needed. 

Amongst the reading of lines were tiny whispers, the sound of highlighters and pencils marking the paper, and the simultaneous turning of pages. The music director, Professor Lau sat at the piano bench and sight-read the music to give the cast a taste of the songs. Being the first rehearsal, the few who knew of the songs sang along to the accompaniment with joyous smiles, myself and Dejun included.

When Professor Lau played the first romantic duet between the leads, all heads turned to Jaehyun and Naeun who sat side-by-side. With it being their first time together, the performance was far from perfect but it was still something. His lower tone blended nicely with her softer voice and the shy glances they exchanged made their duet quite a sight. 

As Jaehyun and Naeun read the last lines for Act One, I noticed the way Jaehyun’s gaze kept flittering back to Naeun’s pretty face. The girl was focused on her lines, head down and hair blocking her gorgeous features, but he still kept looking at her and only her. I could imagine how the scene was playing out in his head, the world slowing down until Naeun was the only one moving.  He was infatuated. Twitterpated. 

And it hurt. It hurt more than reading the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet or listening to Elphaba’s desperate cry she lets out when she loses Fiyero. Call me dramatic but that was how I felt. 

It wasn’t like I tried getting over him. It wasn’t like I tried dating other people before; I had many, many times but my mind always drifted back to my best friend. He was the boy with the richest brown eyes, the perfectly dimpled smile, and the lowest laugh that set my heart aflame. Without even knowing it, Jaehyun had this incredible hold on my broken heart and he would not let me out of his grip. 

The green-eyed monster inside me resurfaced and I hated it. I absolutely hated it— why was I so pathetically in love with my best friend? 

 “Here we go again,” I said before dropping my head onto the table. 

“You say that every time and you keep running back to him at the end of the day,” Dejun whispered before looking back down at his script. His hand continued to jet across the page, his highlighter marking his many lines. 

Rolling up the script in my hand, I whacked his side. The action caused his hand to jerk the bright marker in another direction, striking a distorted line on his page. “Look what you did, twerp!” he hissed.

“Your fault, Eyebrows!”

“Stop calling me that, you fork!”

“Hey, only I can call her fork!” Jaehyun appeared out of nowhere, plopping alongside me. His voice snapped us out of our little argument, making us realize that the director called for a fifteen. 

“That’s only because you’re a dumb spoon,” I stuck my tongue out at him. Jaehyun pretended to reach for it and I blew a raspberry at him to retaliate. 

“You two idiots are my favorite cutlery set,” Dejun shook his head with a laugh. He was probably wondering why he stuck around us the majority of the time. 

“Let off it, Dejun,” Jaehyun said with the roll of his brown orbs. 

“Only if you let me be the knife to your set.”

“As if, dumbass,” I countered with a laugh. 

“Okay but you guys, can we stop fighting for a sec and talk about how I got her number?” Jaehyun beamed, throwing his arms over both our shoulders. He pulled us closer to his body and the faint smell of his musky cologne hit my nose. I held back a sigh as it filled my senses. Oh, to be drowned in his scent. 

“I got Naeun’s number!” he repeated excitedly, his strong arms shaking us. I held back my abrupt want to push him off. I wasn’t in a celebrating mood. My heart was too broken to care.

“Of course you did, when do you not get a girl’s number?” I answered a bit too bitterly. Raising a brow at him, I added, “Are we supposed to be surprised?”

“Listen,” Jaehyun countered, pulling back from me. “I don’t like that attitude, Forky.”

I scoffed, “Never stopped you from being my friend before, Jae.”

Jaehyun didn’t answer; he was too busy clutching his phone. His pretty brown eyes were fixed on Naeun’s contact page like it was the world’s greatest treasure. His eyes were sparkling in admiration before his gaze turned to the girl across the room. The look my best friend wore on his face was soft, the smile on his lips light. “I think she could be the one.”

Some thought him to be a player but I never thought of him that way. He might have had the looks of a heartbreaker but he had the purest heart of gold. The boy with the dimpled smile, porcelain skin, and cheeks as red as roses was a hopeless romantic to his very core. He was simply looking for his other half. 

“I think she could be the one.” His words repeated in my head, his voice pestering me. My heart lurched at them despite hearing them each semester. 

Jaehyun said this every year, with every girl. He said this when he crushed on Son Wendy, Kim Chungha, and so many more. His infatuations and crushes ended just as easily as they started. The boy was more than disappointed when the initial spark with each girl ended after a show’s run ended. When the musical closed, so did his feelings for each opposite. 

I never got stage fright; I was usually the one who said what was on her mind without a moment’s hesitation. So why was I hesitating to tell him my feelings?

Why was I hesitating to say that the one Jaehyun could be looking for was standing right next to him?

Just another rehearsal at the auditorium. 

Just another day watching my best friend fall for his leading lady.

Jaehyun and Naeun were standing in the middle of the stage, the ensemble surrounding them. He stood behind her, his hands gently placed on her waist while she leaned back into his touch. Naeun was wearing a fluffy tulle skirt, a mock-up of her ballgown. Park Sooyoung, the resident fashion major and lead costume designer, pushed her to wear it so she could get used to the estimated size of her dress. Even in a mere tank top and tulle skirt, Lee Naeun looked like a princess.

Professor Kwon, the choreographer of the production, stood at the end with a watchful eye. She counted them off, walking them through the routine while the rest of us practiced our steps off to the sidelines. 

Once the two main characters got the hang of their steps, Professor Kwon motioned for Professor Lau to play the songs from the beginning. As much as I tried to focus on my own dance moves, my mind kept wandering back to Jaehyun. 

Imagining him under the spotlight in a perfectly tailored suit, a crown sitting on his head, extending his arm out not to Naeun but to me. It was one of those movie moments where the characters and the audience watching fell in love. 

If life was like a movie, things would be so much easier. 

So lost in my thoughts, I missed a count and stepped on my partner’s foot. Muttering a quiet sorry to him, we continued on with the routine. As my partner swirled me around the dance floor, I drifted back into my daydream.

My utterly impossible daydream where I was the girl Jung Jaehyun was infatuated with. Although this play talked about impossible things happening everyday, I couldn’t imagine this ever happening. 

The terrible thing about being a theatre major in university was being a theatre major with midterms. Not only did I have to deal with hours of my back hunched over a desk and scattered study materials, I had to spend half of my days in the school’s theatre rehearsing. 

If I was not in class scribbling down last minute notes in notebooks,  I was learning dance routines or running lines on and off stage alongside Dejun. The days were long and the nights were even longer. Sometimes, the cast fell asleep in the seats of the auditorium while rehearsals were going on. We were all losing sleep. Some of us were losing our sanity but hey, welcome to the theatre. 

My schedule was filled to the brim and I wasn’t even the main character of the show. On top of that, I had to memorize the part of Ella. Not that it was really needed in the first place. 

No one ever stepped down from a lead role while I was their backup. It just didn’t happen.

Despite the hectic lives of belonging to the theatre department, the musical was two months into production and everything was running smoothly. With a month and a left until opening night, everyone was off-book and the initial stage blocking was done. The costuming and makeup committee were finishing up their mock-up designs and the student orchestra sounded divine. 

I saw more of Dejun than Jaehyun lately, my best friend being preoccupied with his new love interest before, during, and after rehearsals. I was cast aside once again.

Was it something out of the ordinary? No.

Did it still hurt? Yes.

Did I do anything about it? Absolutely not. I didn’t want to ruin his happiness. I rather suffer than see him as nothing but joyous, even if the happiness was temporary. The grin he wore when he was in love was too beautiful to rip away. Jaehyun shined like the light from the sun. I could never bring myself to do it. 

It was week eight of rehearsals when I stepped out of my last midterm, my head absolutely empty after reading small text for over an hour. Reaching into my backpack’s front pocket, I pulled out my cell phone and quickly turned it on. My screen was flooded with missed calls and texts from Professor O’Hare, Joohyun, Jaehyun, and Dejun, the notification numbers reaching over a hundred total. 

Something must have happened. Talk about a theatre emergency. Knowing our kind, they were probably being overdramatic. 

Just as I was about to unlock my phone, a video call went through. It was Dejun. Rolling my eyes, I slid my finger across the screen to answer it. “Jeez, I know you love me but give a girl a break, Eyebrows!”

“God, you’re so conceited sometimes. Why didn’t you answer my calls?!” He shouted, face close to the phone. I winced at the volume, immediately lowering the level as I slipped on my wireless earbuds. “There are important matters to discuss here!”

“What happened this time? Did someone say Macbeth in the theatre again? You know I don’t believe in that shit,” I said sarcastically.

“Oh my god. This is not the time for jokes! Everyone’s been trying to reach you!” Xiaojun yelled once more. “Where are you?!”

“I just got out of my musical history midterm in Maple Hall. Heading to the theatre right now. Why?” I never received an answer; Dejun hung up the call. Giving my phone a weird look, I shoved it in my pocket before continuing on my way. A light push on my back prevented me from going too far. 

“Twerp!” Xiao Dejun’s voice came from behind me, yanking me by the straps of my backpack. He was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. “Oh my god, we’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he said in between heavy breaths. 

Crossing my arms, I cocked a brow at him. “Why’s that?”

Dejun placed a hand on my shoulder for support. The words came flying out of his mouth, I almost couldn’t catch what he was saying. So much for being a theatre major. 

“Speak clearly, Dejun. Enunciate, articulate, exaggerate, remember? We are thespians and thespians do not mumble!”

The exhausted boy ignored my theatricals. “Naeun didn’t land a switch leap right and she rolled her ankle during advanced ballet. She’s going to be out for at least three to four weeks,” my friend replied breathily, his words a lot clearer than before.

The news shocked me to the core, my feet suddenly planted to the ground. It sounded like he said Naeun was out of commission. “What?” 

“She’s out for three to four weeks! I mean sucks for her, I wish her a speedy recovery but do you know what this means?”

The lack of response from me urged him to continue, “Sweetheart, she’s out. You’re in!”

Oh shit. I was in.

The part I had always dreamed of was mine. The lead role was finally mine.

I was now Ella and Jung Jaehyun was my Prince Topher.

Having an understudy step up to their role halfway through production was always something to get used to. It was a setback, a minor one, but still a setback. Just as Jaehyun finally settled into his role and built an unshakeable bond with Lee Naeun as his opposite, the accident happened. His potential girlfriend was now out of the show and off her feet in order to push for a speedy recovery.

The lovesick boy couldn’t even be there for her because his rehearsal times increased in order to get his best friend adjusted to your new role. There he was, leaning against the piano while waiting for you to arrive.

Professor Lau sat at the bench, flipping through his sheet music until he found the song he was looking for. 

The door slammed open and you stumbled in. “Am I late? I’m sorry, I just heard the news.”

“No, not at all. You’re right on time,” the professor smiled at you. “The situation’s weird, I know but congratulations on getting Ella.”

“Thanks, Professor. That means a lot,” you grinned back. 

Dropping your bag by the piano, you swiftly pulled out the script. You glanced at Jaehyun’s opened book for the page number before hastily flipping through the pages. Jaehyun nudged your side. “Hey, Forky.”

“Hey yourself,” you elbowed him back, biting your bottom lip.

“Congrats, bubs. You did it,” he pulled you into a side hug before ruffling your hair with pride. You had finally gotten a part you wanted. It was your time to shine. As your best friend for many years, Jaehyun had been waiting for the day you could show the crowds your full potential.  

“Did I really do it or did your girlfriend just get injured? How is she, by the way?” 

As much as you tried to play the overdramatic, conceited girl, you never believed in yourself but Jaehyun always did. You deserve the spotlight; your talent was out of this world and the masses were finally granted a chance to see you for what you were— a star.

“You did this. You were made for this part as much as she was,” Jaehyun reassured his best friend with a smile. He tapped your nose. “And she’s not my girlfriend but she’s doing alright. Just in a little bit of pain. I’m going to see her after we finish.”

“Give her some well wishes for me,” you answered. Jaehyun didn’t notice your smile dropping into a small frown.

“You ready to act like you’re in love with me?”

“I was born ready, you doof.” There was something weird in your voice when those words left your lips but Jaehyun didn’t have time to process it.

Professor Lau guided the students through a series of warm-ups before asking, “Shall we start with Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful today? We’ll do a couple of run-throughs before Jaehyun teaches you the blocking.” His fingers played the beginning notes of the song, the light melody drifting to their ears. 

Already off book at this point, Jaehyun closed his eyes and began to sing.

Do I love you because you’re beautiful? Or are you beautiful because I love you?

Am I making believe I see in you A girl too lovely to be really true?

Do I want you because you’re wonderful? Or are you wonderful because I want you?

Are you the sweet invention of a lover’s dream? Or are you really as wonderful as you seem?

When his eyes fluttered open, Jaehyun found himself facing you with a script in hand. Your face wore the softest look as you stared back at him. His breath almost caught in his throat at the gentle smile you wore. You played the part differently from Naeun and it was a refreshing sight to behold. You were playing a confused peasant but your eyes still sparkled with the gleam of a thousand suns. 

There was a flush of heat that started from his cheeks and extended to his reddening ears. His heart was doing its best to break out of his ribcage and the star of the show wasn’t sure if his chest could keep it in for very much longer.

When singing with him, Naeun was a pretty princess.

But when he sang with you, the girl in front of him? Jaehyun thought you were absolutely breathtaking.

Two hours later, we were finally free of rehearsals. My first rehearsal as Ella. My throat was a bit parched from all the singing and projecting I was doing but I felt lighter than air. Singing with Jaehyun made me feel lighter than air. I was weightless, nothing could hold me down.

“Forky, you’re really good,” he said to me as we walked to our cars. I tried to fight the sudden heat making its way to my face. Lately, compliments from him were hard to come by.

 It was already late when O’Hare and Lau finally let us out, the moon sitting high in the sky. The night breeze crept its way into my thin jacket, causing me to hug myself to retain some warmth. Noticing my struggle with the cold, Jaehyun quickly draped his jacket over my shoulders. I was immediately hit with his familiar scent, it was almost overwhelming. I should be used to this, his action of sharing his clothes with me was nothing new but I was weak. It affected me every single time. I guess I was that head over heels for him. 

Head over glass heels, one could even say.

“You’ve seen me in action before and I mean, I was chosen to be the understudy for a reason,” I gave him a shrug. 

“Yeah but I’ve never seen you act and sing like that. Just...wow.” Stealing a glance at him, Jaehyun almost looked enamored with me. He was giving me a look that was usually reserved for someone else. I felt my heartbeat pick up in my chest and flutters in my stomach.

“Stop that,” I blushed, pinching his skin through the thin material of his long-sleeved shirt. A satisfying buzz ran through my body. Was he really looking at me like that? I was probably reading too much into it.

“No, but it seemed so real. Like you weren’t pretending.”

“That’s because I wasn’t,” I whispered under my breath as we arrived at our cars. 

“Hmm, you say something?” Jaehyun asked, leaning closer to hear me. 

Shaking my feelings away, I ignored the dull ache in my chest and acted through the tears I was desperately holding in. I wrinkled my nose at him playfully, secretly pushing the pain down my throat. “You really don’t listen to a word I say, do you, Jae? I said, I’ll see you later.”

“See ya, Forky! Get home safely!”

Scoffing to myself, I realized how much of a great actor I was. I deserved an Oscar or a Tony for the scenes I played out, the ones where I pretended to be okay when I was far from it. 

What award do you ask? Best Actress in a Supporting Role— the best friend to Jung Jaehyun but never the love of his life.

Wardrobe fittings for productions were always an exciting day for the whole cast and crew. It was one step closer to putting on a show. Jaehyun was already dressed in one of his many costumes, a white suit with golden trimmings. It fit him for the most part, only tiny adjustments were needed. Members of the wardrobe department quickly pinned his neatly pressed jacket before taking it off his hands. Since he was the main character, Jaehyun was one of the first ones done. He was simply waiting for you to come out in your first dress— the white gown for the ball scene in Act One.

When you finally did all those minutes ago, Jaehyun swore his heart stopped. 

Ten minutes ago, Jaehyun saw his best friend walk through the curtains. Your face was bare, hair still in that lazy style you always sported but your clothes. The comfy clothing you usually rehearsed in was gone and replaced by a beautiful ball gown. Despite the pins that scattered throughout the material to fit your form, it still appeared majestic. There you were, standing before him and the rest of the cast, and you were the loveliest you had ever been.

Ten minutes ago, you walked in and his head was reeling. Time slowed down as you tentatively made your way towards him. You did not meet his eyes but Jaehyun was dying to catch your gaze. He never wanted to let you out of his sight. The picture of his best friend in white was something he wanted to treasure and suddenly, the slowness around him stopped. The cast’s cheers and squeals disappeared. There was only you in that beautiful ball gown. 

Was this the slow-motion moment you always talked about? The one you always dreamed about experiencing? Jaehyun could see why people thought it to be magic. It was almost like a movie, movie magic if you will. 

Another look at you and then Jaehyun was in the future, watching you make her way down the aisle. A thin veil covered your face and he was so tempted to push it away from concealing your dazzling smile. His heart was fighting its way out of his chest, wanting to head down the path straight to you. How he wanted to reach out and touch you, cradle you in his arms. 

You were truly an angel in white. A princess. A queen.

The mere sight of you took him to the skies, the one place he was sure you were from. Although Jaehyun would never admit it, he always thought you to be beautiful. Throughout the many years of being best friends, he would find his gaze subconsciously drifting to you. He would rip it away before you would ever notice him doing so, knowing you would tease the hell out of him for it— it was his own little secret tucked away into the corners of his beating heart. 

“How do I look?” Your question snapped him out of his daydream and back to reality. Back down to earth. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” 

“Oh my god, you stupid spoon! I said, how do I look?”

“Lovely,” he answered sincerely, his brown eyes digging into your own. “You look absolutely lovely.”

Ten minutes ago, you simply murmured a question while Jung Jaehyun came to a realization. The realization that he might’ve fallen for you: his Forky, his best friend.

The loveliest girl he had ever seen.

With Cinderella’s opening night being only a few weeks out, you and Jaehyun decided to fit in extra time together to run lines and songs outside of scheduled rehearsals. That was the plan for every weekend and that particular Saturday was no exception to this plan. When his doorbell rang frantically, Jaehyun groaned loudly before getting up to answer the door. Did you always have to be so obnoxious?

Just as the door swung open, your loud voice boomed into his apartment, “‘Sup, ho! Ready to rehearse the hell out of this show or what?”

He stepped aside to let you in and you immediately made yourself comfortable in his humble abode. Jaehyun almost laughed as he watched you. There was a particular routine you stuck to when visiting his place. First, you would take off your shoes, slip on your personal pair of slippers you left at his house, drop your bag on the kitchen counter, and then open his fridge to raid his food supply.

Precisely as Jaehyun predicted, you waddled to the fridge in your memory-foam duck slippers and stole one of his yakults. He loved how comfortable you were in his home. It was truly a heart-warming sight.  The act itself was extremely domestic and he quite liked the domesticity when it was with you. That flash of you in a wedding gown came back to him and he blushed at the thought. The idea of spending a future together was flooding his brain recently and he didn’t know what to do. 

You weren’t the one he liked. Naeun was but why were you the only person on his mind? Was it wrong to have you in his mind? Naeun wasn’t his girlfriend— they were still getting to know each other. His time with her decreased over time since you had stepped into the role of Ella. He was very fond of you. He always had been. There was this little piece of his heart that was reserved for you but was it because you were his best friend or was it more?

Jaehyun quickly snapped himself out of it. 

“First of all, I’m not a ho,” he said before grabbing a yakult of his own. He poked the straw through the foil a bit too harshly, the liquid splashing over the top. Damn his strength— now half of his drink was gone. “Second, stop slut-shaming me for my dating choices. It’s 2021. If I wanted to be a ho, I could be a ho.”

You rolled your eyes as you took a sip of your drink. “God, I hate you sometimes.”

“You need to stop lying to yourself, I know you’re hopelessly in love with me,” Jaehyun said, pointing his drink towards you. He caught you rolling your eyes at his answer.

“Oh, you’re absolutely right. I am irrevocably in love with you, Jung Jaehyun,” you said sarcastically, dramatically batting your eyelashes his way. Your confession, despite being a sarcastic statement, left his heart racing against time. 

“Alexa, play Hopelessly Devoted to You!” you yelled ironically. 

“Now playing Hopelessly Devoted to You by Olivia Newton-John,” an electronic voice boomed across his living room before the opening notes of the ballad began to play. 

“Shit! I forgot you actually had an Echo,” you jumped, not expecting that at all. Jaehyun chuckled at your reaction, loving how easily you scare. He always thought it was one of your cuter traits. 

“Alexa, stop!” he called. 

Jaehyun ran a hand through his hair. He dragged his feet to his bedroom, knowing you would follow without a word. “I can’t rehearse today, I have to write this damned analysis paper for a class. It’s due in two days.”

“I’m sorry, is that paper more important than your best friend in the entire world?” you pushed from behind him.

“Yes,” he deadpanned, taking a seat at his desk. Jaehyun’s study area was an absolute mess. His notebooks were scattered around the floor, textbooks opened to random pages, and his laptop opened to a google document.  

“That’s a motherfucking lie and you know it.”

“I really can’t rehearse now, Forky,” he sighed.

He glared at you as you theatrically fell onto his bed. The notes spread out on his bed flying to the floor. “Oh, woe is me! Jung Jaehyun cannot give me the time of day to rehearse. What am I to do?”

“Why are you like this?” 

“I’m a theatre student, I’m wired to be this obnoxious,” you said with a straight face. 

He stared at you through narrowed eyes. “I really hate you right now.”

“I know,” you countered with a flat tone. “But in all seriousness, Jaehyun. I won’t take too much of your time. I just wanted to practice our duets a couple of times and then I’ll be out of your hair. Plus, you look like you need a break.”

One look at you and he was a goner. How could he ever say no to his best friend?

“Ugh, fine.”

“Ha, I knew you would cave.”

“Shut up.”

The next hour with you was spent rehearsing the numbers. During the last run-through, Jaehyun suggested going over the blocking and putting their all in it. To act like it was opening night. You swiftly agreed and he played the music from the top.

Jaehyun led you around his room, spinning you across the floor as you sang. The smile on your face was so lovely, he could not take his eyes off your lips. His eyes fluttered to a close and he imagined you in your full costume, downed in your gown, as dainty as a daisy and as graceful as a bird. The thought of you dressed like a princess drove him crazy.

He never thought of Naeun this way. This was different. You were different but why?

Jaehyun opened his eyes to see you smiling so gracefully at him as the song was coming to an end. Just as planned in the show, your gaze flitted to his lips. You leaned closer and he followed, dipping his head to meet you halfway. His heart was skipping to its own beat as he inched down. Your soft lips brushed against his oh-so-gently as he held you in his arms but before the boy could press back, the door to his room swung open.

You broke away from him, shocked at the sudden arrival to see your other friend and Jaehyun’s roommate, Dejun. “Oops, was I interrupting something?” 

“I, uh, I gotta go.” Before you could even stop him, Jaehyun grabbed his wallet and phone off his desk and ran out his room. 

Confusion clouded his senses. Why did he feel empty after you pulled away? Why did he want to kiss you so badly? It was just a stage kiss.

Was it not?

Jaehyun’s door slammed shut behind him, leaving me and Dejun in his room. It wasn’t long before we heard the front door close, too. “Well, that was something,” Dejun said after his roommate shuffled out of the apartment.

“Shut up, Xiao Dejun,” I replied, smacking his arm. 

My friend lifted his arms up in defense before he gave me a pointed stare. “I’m just saying, the two of you looked really into it. It looked great, to be honest with you. No notes to give here— I’m sure O’Hare and Lau would say the same.”

“It’s just acting,” I tried to shrug it off. 

“Stop lying to yourself.”

“I’m not!”

“Bulltshit. I saw the way he looked at you— that’s not acting, twerp,” Dejun declared, his voice dropping. His voice never dipped in tone unless he was serious and in that moment, he was dead serious. My friend sounded like a frustrated tutor deliberately explaining a concept for the fifth time and I was the stubborn student who just didn’t understand.

“Yes, yes it is!”

“No, it’s not because that’s how he always looked at you!” 

“Lies!” I yelled accusingly, “We got Liza Minnelli over here!” 

“God, you’re so annoying sometimes! Why won’t you confess? Cat got your tongue? Nothing’s really stopped your sharp tongue before,” Dejun groaned at my stubbornness. He slapped a hand onto my shoulder. I tried to shrug him off but his grip was too strong. Maybe it was him trying to help me get a grip. Who knew? I honestly didn’t. 

“It’s not like I haven’t tried, you know?” An exasperated answer left my lips. I was tired. So ridiculously tired of dealing with these feelings for my best friend. It had been four years since I fell for him. Four years of trying to see other people, four years of trying to confess, and four long years of failing every time.  “I just freeze up like a deer in headlights or like you did when you performed that one monologue sophomore year in voice and movement class. Remember that, Jun?”

I felt his sharp glare burning a hole in my back. “You promised to never talk about that moment, you traitor,” he hissed, his hand squeezing the hell out of my shoulder. 

“Okay yeah but you get the point, right?” My nails dug into his skin, leaving little indents onto his hand. He yelped, finally jerking his hand back to examine it. Shaking my head, I added, “Plus, he’s my best friend. I just can’t do it!”

“So, what you’re saying is that you choose friendship over the possibility of him loving you?” 

“It’s just...I don’t know—” I started, shifting my body to face him, “—choosing friendship means that I’ll only lose love. But if I chose to confess and put my feelings out there, I could lose him as a potential lover and my best friend. I’m not prepared for that. I don’t think I ever will be.”

And there it was again. The self-doubt hit me, imposter syndrome resurfacing at an all time high, bringing me to the lowest of lows. 

The feeling of being a fraud, of being not good enough. 

For Jaehyun. For any love interest for that matter. For the role of Ella. For taking my place under the spotlight. 

“Dejun?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I—am I good enough?”

“For?”

“I—I don’t know—” I stuttered as my mind was consumed by my own crippling thoughts. I tried to stay strong but the crack in my voice gave me away, “—for anything? Everything?” 

“Oh, twerp,” Dejun said in that particular voice and then that was when the floodgates opened. The tears just came pouring down with no sign of stopping. My friend gently pulled me into his comforting arms. They were snug and I felt safe but not as safe as I did in Jaehyun’s hold.

“You, my darling, are definitely good enough. Don’t let your thoughts tell you otherwise.” Although his voice was comforting, it did not help the unhinged thoughts running through my brain. 

“Then, why does it always hurt when I don’t get the role of the leading lady? Of his leading lady? I always get so far and then, at the end of the day, I’m just not what they’re looking for. What he’s looking for.” Pining for something so unimaginable was too taxing. Having the lead role in a play and having Jung Jaehyun wear his heart on his sleeve just for me. 

“Sometimes, the roles aren’t made for you and that’s okay.”

“But what about this one?”

“This one, twerp, this one is a little different.” 

“And why’s that?”

“Because there is music in you; it goes hand in hand with Jaehyun, like a melody to his harmony. You are his Ella and he’s your Topher,” Dejun urged. It was like he was begging me to not give up hope. 

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m really not. You just gotta do what the theatre gods tell us to do: just trust the process.” 

How could I trust the process when all it did was hurt me by allowing me to have a glimpse of a love and a life that would never be mine? 

Opening night finally arrived. Everyone was called to the theatre for a full run through in the afternoon: the final dress rehearsal hours before the doors opened and the curtains were drawn. I had gotten there earlier to soak in the calmness of the empty auditorium before the chaos began.

I heard heavy footsteps come from behind me. Even without turning around, I knew it to be Jaehyun. The boy took a seat next to me on the wooden prop walls that were locked into the ground. If the stage managers and props committee saw us, they would’ve definitely ripped our heads off but they weren’t— it was just us.  

“Penny for your thoughts, my dear Ella?”

“Topher,” I answered, playing along with his game. “Lovely to see you here bright at early.”

“I knew you would be here and I wanted to be here with you,” he said, pulling me into a side hug. Jaehyun knew me well but did he know me well enough? “Spill it, Forky. What’s wrong?”

“Sometimes I still doubt myself,” I said a little too fast. A loud sigh followed my reveal. The crippling doubt was always there, haunting me. Let me tell you, it was not the best thing in the world to have during an opening for a new production. 

“Oh yeah?” Jaehyun asked, pushing me to continue. I felt the soft brush of his palm against my hand. His fingers grabbed hold of my wrist before fighting their way to tangle with my own fingers. The sensation tickled, taking me away from my thoughts for a fraction of a second. I played with his fingers, watching the way his pinkish hand fit with mine. 

I refused to look at him; I was too afraid of breaking down.“Doubting myself, my abilities. Always the understudy, never the star, remember?”

Jaehyun hummed. He rested his chin on my shoulder. “Did something change?”

“Yeah, I finally realized that maybe it wasn’t that I wasn’t right for the part; the part wasn’t right for me,” I laughed a bit dryly. “Does that make any sense?” 

“Weirdly, yes,” he replied, his breath blowing against my neck. I tried to ignore the tickling sensation and the way it made me feel. 

“But this is different— I feel like I was made to play Ella. Made to play her even though I got the part in this odd, unconventional way,” I turned my head to the side to avoid eye contact. “The girl who sees the good in everything despite the hardships and suffering she went through.”

“Without a doubt, I believe that you belong on stage with me,” Jaehyun answered sincerely, “and I’m glad we have the chance to finally play opposites.” 

He squeezed my smaller palm in support. I appreciated the reassurance; the action slightly calmed me down before she took the next step. Possibly the biggest step of my entire life. “There’s something else I realized, too.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Jaehyun asked softly. 

Taking a deep breath, I said, “I realized that I could be right for you.” 

It took him a minute, a long solid minute before Jaehyun could bring himself to respond to my confession. I wondered what he was thinking at that moment, when those words left my mouth. “Right for me?” came his tentative reply. A quick glimpse at his ears and I saw the burst of red. He was caught off guard, embarrassed. 

“Yeah,” I said almost shamefully. Was I ashamed of my feelings? I never was ashamed before. Maybe it was because Jaehyun finally saw me for who I truly was— his highly dramatic best friend that was head over glass heels for him. 

“How long— how long have you felt this way?” The red of his ears seeped to his rosy cheeks. 

“Ever since we were a dumb pair of utensils,” I replied sincerely, my voice wavering at the truth, “a set of ridiculous tableware.”

There was an awkward chuckle that left his drying lips. I heard him click his tongue, a habit he did when Jaehyun never knew what to say. It seemed like I rendered him speechless. “Since we were sixteen? That long and you didn’t say anything?”

“You’re really asking me that?”

“Yes, I really am!”

“Jaehyun, c’mon. Use your brain! How was I supposed to? You’re my best friend and when you’re not my best friend, you’re out there chasing other girls,” I stopped to lick my drying lips. There was another inkling of silence and I gulped at how tense the atmosphere was. “And I thought maybe once, just once, you would chase after me, too.” 

I almost laughed; my greatest desire was finally out in the world and it was greeted by silence. 

“But what if I’m wrong for you?” 

And there it was. The rejection I was preparing for. Giving him a pained smile that failed to meet my ears, I said, “Then that’s life, I guess.”

“You guess?” 

“Well, I can’t make you act like you’re in love with me, can I?” I snapped, my pain taking the best of me. It clouded my brain, blocking off all rational thoughts out of my head. “This isn’t a play or a movie with a script, Jaehyun. This is real fucking life.” 

Hurt. I was being overwhelmed with a wave of hurt and anguish. My body was trembling as much as my eyes were. I felt them growing wet and I shut them closed. My hands curled into fists, nails digging into my skin. It stung but not as much as being rejected by the one you loved most. The lead of the movie in your mind. 

“Wait, no, that’s not what I meant,” Jaehyun tried to stop me from getting off the stage. I pulled away from him, quickly snatching my belongings before heading to the nearest exit. Turning back around before I left the empty auditorium, I experienced another moment in slow-motion. 

There Jaehyun was in all his glory— denim jacket slipping over his broad shoulders, dark brown hair sticking up in all directions and a confused look on his face. He looked like a mess under the spotlight of my mind but nevertheless, he was my mess of a best friend.

He was my mess of a best friend and that was all he was going to be. That fact hurt more than being the forever understudy. 

Why couldn’t I fast forward this portion of my life? Why must I suffer this much?

Why couldn’t I escape the role of being second best?

If only my life was a movie, then maybe I wouldn’t be everyone’s second choice. His second choice.

If we were in a movie, Jung Jaehyun would be my best friend and my perfect match. Our story would be the typical friends-to-lovers saga that every girl dreams of. It would end happily with the credits rolling to a perfectly timed soundtrack. 

Too bad this wasn’t a movie— this was real life and life came with complications.

After that confrontation, you and Jaehyun were off and not off the charts— just off. The directors noticed it. The stage hands noticed. The cast noticed it. The final run-through before the curtains opened just finished and it was an absolute disaster because of the way you acted with Jaehyun. Every time he opened up his body to you, the response you gave him was closed off. Cold. 

To the rest of the cast and crew, the prince and princess didn’t seem very much in love that day— they didn’t even seem friendly. You and Jaehyun seemed like two strangers trying to work their way across a stage. There was no connection. There was nothing else there. 

Now, if only you would let Jaehyun talk to you, maybe something would change but you didn’t. You ran away every chance you could. It was like Cinderella, but you didn’t leave a glass slipper behind. You didn’t leave anything behind. 

Less than an hour before showtime and he couldn’t even talk to you. Let alone look at you. He sighed into his hand, palms applying pressure to his eyes. Jaehyun cursed under his breath, forgetting that he had a heavy amount of stage makeup on his face. Looking into the mirror, he saw his makeup was still intact. Thank the theatre gods for the Ben Nye Final Seal Setter. It seemed like that it was the only thing set in stone at that moment. 

The door to Jaehyun’s dressing room slammed open and Dejun waltzed in, fully dressed in his costume.“Dude, what was up with you and the twerp during that dress rehearsal? You were so off!”

He received no reply, Jaehyun was too zoned out to hear. Dejun hopped onto the counter of Jaehyun’s dresser. Usually, the action would shock the main lead but Jaehyun was too lost in thought.“Well, you know what they say about a bad dress rehearsal. That means we’ll have a good opening night,” Dejun said, eyeing his friend for his lack of response.

Finally looking away from his reflection, Jaehyun glanced up at Dejun with a look of disbelief. “She likes me?”

His friend jumped off the counter with widened eyes.“Oh my god, did she finally confess? Was that why you were acting weird?”

“Dejun, you knew?” Jaehyun slammed his palms on his dresser. The makeup products on the tabletop shook, leaving the other guy to wince at the show of strength. 

“Honestly for being the ace of the theatre department, you sure are dumb,” Dejun replied a bit too casually as he leaned into the mirror to examine his appearance. He clicked his tongue upon realizing his cheeks didn’t have enough color. The stage lights would wash him out. The boy reached for Jaehyun’s pink blush and a clean wedge before applying it onto the apples of his cheeks.

“What should I do?”

“Well, Jaehyun, what do you want to do?” Dejun asked, turning side to side to double-check his reflection. 

“I don’t know that’s why I’m asking you!” Jaehyun fired back with vigor, hating how casual his best friend was acting. He was having a before-show crisis and his best friend was calmly stealing his bottle of Ben Nye, spraying his beautifully sculpted face with the setting spray.

“Well, do you like her more than a friend? And what about Naeun?”

“Yes? No? I don’t know! But—”

“But?” His friend asked before hopping onto the countertop. The actor raised his perfectly shaped eyebrows at his friend and Jaehyun had the sudden urge to pluck the beauties they were until Dejun had no eyebrow hair left. When Jaehyun didn’t reply, Dejun repeated his question.

Dropping his head in his hands, Jaehyun hesitantly replied, “There was this moment when I saw her and it was like that thing she always said? The slo-mo thing?”

Dejun’s head perked up. “You saw her in slow motion?” 

“Yeah, it was like time stopped. All I saw was her and then…” Jaehyun thought back to seeing you in a wedding dress. He changed his mind; he didn’t want to talk about his feelings. All he wanted to do was make sure opening night ran as smoothly as possible. Grabbing his white suit jacket for the top of Act One, the boy stood up in an attempt to escape his friend’s sudden peak in curiosity. “Never mind, this is ridiculous. I gotta go, Dejun.” 

“No, you’re not going anywhere until you actually confront your damn feelings,” Dejun said, shoving his friend back in his chair. “Do you like Naeun?”

There was a pause before he answered truthfully: “Yes.”

“Okay, and are your feelings for Naeun stronger than what you have for your best friend?” 

“No,” Jaehyun released another sigh as he leaned back in his chair. A hand reached up to brush through his hair before he remembered that it was gelled back in place. He dropped his hand to rub the back of his neck, not wanting to mess with his looks before places. “I was infatuated with Naeun but with her, god, she’s something else and it took me this long to realize it.”

“How do I know you’re not just saying that?” Dejun questioned, squeezing his friend’s shoulders a bit too tightly. Jaehyun thought his friend was testing him and for a good reason. If he was in Dejun’s position, Jaehyun would’ve grilled his friend, too. “How do I know you’re actually in love with her? Yes, you’re my roommate and best friend but she’s my best friend, too. I can’t let you hurt her if all you feel is something temporary. I can’t let you treat her like those other girls.”

“Because she’s The One, Dejun. I’m certain of it,” Jaehyun snapped back. “When I look at her, I see everything I’ve been searching for. It’s like I was blind for the longest time, you know? She was always just Forky to me back when I didn’t know any better. But now I see and all I see is her— her, with all her flaws. The way she hides her insecurities with her dramatic outbursts. How she picks at her cuticles when she’s nervous or how she always steals my food at home. And the way she just fits with me. I can’t explain it.”

Jaehyun didn’t even give his friend a chance to butt in. He was still rambling on with a fond smile, his mouth running a mile. “She’s been there with me since the beginning, Jun. Before I was this prince of the theatre department, she was there. She’s been there since the beginning and even when I was chasing after girls, she was there at the middle of it all, and fuck, I want to go all the way to the end with her.”

Dejun released his hold on his friend and rolled his eyes. The boy made his way to the door of the dressing room before mumbling under his breath, “God, what is with you two and giving out monologues? I swear, when this is all over, you should become playwrights.”

“What?”

“Never mind me, Jaehyun,” Dejun opened the door and gestured for Jaehyun to follow the path— the path down the hall that led to you. “What are you waiting for? Go get her, we have 30 until Joohyun calls for places!”

“Dejun, it’s much more complicated than that.”

“It’s only as complicated as you make it out to be. Just— just go and talk to her, yeah?”

Jaehyun sighed deeply as he reached your dressing room door. He knocked lightly, running through the lines he wanted to say in his head before you shouted a faint “come in.” The door squeaked open to reveal you, his best friend in the whole entire world, touching up your makeup. The best friend that he was inescapably in love with. You watched him through the mirror as he leaned against the frame with crossed arms. 

“Can we talk after the show? There’s something I need to tell you— it’s important. I don’t think I—um, I have enough time to tell you now,” Jaehyun asked, stuttering through his words. Gone was the confidence he usually bared. The only thing left in him was a scared little boy, afraid of the problem his words may cause. 

The smile he received from you did not reach your ears. “Of course,” you replied curtly before turning away from him. He noted how you were over applying your blush and fidgeting with your costume. You were doing everything in your power to avoid him. 

The tugging of your ear, the biting of your lip, the picking of your cuticles. He saw all your bad habits. You were a ball of nerves and the speaker announced it was ten minutes before places.

“Hey, Forky?”

“Yes, Jaehyun?”

“You know that I believe in you, right? Always?”

There was a twitch at the corner of your lips. “I do.”

“Good,” Jaehyun approached you with caution. You watched him from your mirror, never making direct eye contact as he came closer. He dropped a kiss on the crown on your head, relishing in the way his plush lips against your torn bandana and the lace front wig. “Break a leg, my Ella.”

He observed you through your reflection and took in how beautiful you looked in your rags. You made the rags the costume department designed for you look like riches. 

“Same goes to you, my prince,” he heard you answer in that soft tone.  Again, you had sent him to the skies and the boy was struggling to find his way back down.

When it was time to draw the curtains and light the lights for the first performance of Cinderella, it seemed like everything fell into place.  Jaehyun stared at you across the stage, falling for the way the lights illuminated your figure in that white ball gown. The bright glow brought his attention to your bright grin, that beautiful and radiant smile of yours, that shocked him to his core. 

Jaehyun locked eyes with you and suddenly, he was drowning. He was drowning in your expressive eyes. He was drowning in your overflowing love. 

It was different being across from you in front of a full audience. There was a rush that took over him whenever he saw you and it beat the flurries his heart experienced with his other leading ladies. As you said your lines with that bewitching sparkle in your eye, Jaehyun hated himself for not realizing how much he loved you sooner or how you were never playing pretend. 

But that was okay because Jung Jaehyun loved you now. He loved you in the world you made believe on stage, where he was Prince Topher and you were his Ella, and he loved you in reality where you would always be the fork to his spoon. 

Opening night went smoothly and the roaring applause I received during my final bow sent me to the moon. The way Jaehyun looked at me across the stage with eyes filled with pride and joy blasted me to places I had never been before. I became high on this feeling of being under the burning spotlights. The feeling of wearing the most intricate costume and the way his hand slid into mine for the last bow before the curtains were drawn; it was something I wanted to treasure for the rest of my life.

But with every high came a low— my low hit me when I ran into Jaehyun’s dressing room. I caught him in an embrace with Naeun who gifted my best friend with a rose. She placed a kiss on his cheek, causing his white ears to flush a deep red that rivaled the flower he held. The girl gave him a quick shove of the shoulder before heading to me. 

Her congratulatory statement went in one ear and out the other. I could barely process Naeun handing me a rose of my own before she walked out of the room, the sweet scent of her perfume lingering in her wake. She gave my best friend one more lingering look as she left and it hurt me in so many ways.

“Ready to go?” Jaehyun said, clearing his throat. “Wanna stop by the stage first? Soak in your first opening night as a lead?”

“Why the hell not?” The walk back to the stage was short. It felt different somehow.

“We did it,” I whispered.

“That we did,” he answered back. 

We walked onto the stage together and I could still hear the crowds cheering for me, giving me the standing ovation I earned. It was electrifying, the way the sparks ran through my body. It ran from the top of my head to the tips of my fingers and toes. 

Glancing around the empty auditorium, I pondered aloud, “But do you know what sucks about it all, Jaehyun?”

“What?”

“There’s nothing worse than the feeling of not being chosen and it still hurts that I wasn’t the first choice,” I replied truthfully, “Not as much as before. But I’m learning to get over it. The casting directors saw potential in me.”

“That’s because you do have the potential to be a star. You’re practically glowing right now.” I felt his eyes trained on me, just like they were the entire time we shared the stage. 

Turning abruptly to face him, I said, “You really can’t say that to me, you know?”

“And why’s that?”

“Because it makes my heart beat against my chest and these stupid butterflies come around before I remember that you have never chosen me to be your first choice,” I glared. 

“But I do choose you,” Jaehyun pushed, his voice laced with desperation, “That’s what I was trying to tell you before you stormed off on me earlier!”

“Are you really choosing me, Jaehyun? The real me? The me that has been your best friend for years? Or are you choosing the me that shares a stage with you every night? The me that could potentially be your next whirlwind romance?” No matter how desperate he sounded, he couldn’t beat the hopelessness that was dripping from my own voice. 

“No, that’s not it at all!” his voice boomed, the sound echoing throughout the empty auditorium. 

“Then, what is it, Jung Jaehyun? Because I am tired of being second best and I’m tired of not being chosen,” I almost cried. The anguish was just taking over my body and I couldn’t make it stop. “Yes, I know some parts are not right for me but I can’t help but be hurt. And then you say that you’re choosing me? Of course, I’m going to think of it being because I’m your newest love interest on stage.”

“If you could just listen—”

Unable to stop the words from coming out, I just kept running off at the mouth. Everything I wanted to say to Jaehyun was flying out of my lips at rapid speed; I couldn’t even stop it. “I have seen you in slow motion so many times and I want to just fast forward from those moments. To speed past them so I can move on from the idea of not being yours. I refuse to be a temporary love that you lose interest in. I just want you to pick me, to choose me, and to love me, damn it— is that too fucking much to ask for? To be chosen and loved?”

While I was taking a breath to continue with my rant, Jaehyun cut me off and the words he said rattled the stage, the ground beneath my feet, and my whole entire world.“No, it’s not and you are way fucking more than that, if you just take a moment out of your godforsaken monologue and listen to me! I choose you not because you’re my leading lady but because you’re you. You’ve always been this— this incredible, breathtaking you.” 

He took one step closer and I took one step back. “And you’ve the person at my side when no one else is.” 

Every single time I would retreat, Jaehyun would follow. The boy was persistent, his brown eyes trained on me. “The one who figured out you loved me first while I was too blind to see it. You’re the fork to my spoon. We’re a set, we go together. And I was too dumb to figure out that at the end of the day, I always think about you and how no one I’ve ever been with compares to you.”

 When my back hit the wall, I was trapped. Trapped in between his arms and the way they propped themselves on either side of my face. Trapped in the haze of his brown eyes and how they dug deep into my soul. 

 “I don’t see you in slow motion— I see you in fast forward. I see you in the future, my future, walking down the aisle in white and I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. All I know is that I choose you. I will always choose you.”  

I was trapped by Jung Jaehyun and there was no escape for me. Judging by the way his eyes never let me out of his sight, there was a chance my friend didn’t want to let me go either. He wanted me to stay. 

“Jaehyun, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I love you. You’re my beginning, middle, and my end.”

“You love me? Like you’re in love with me?” Jaehyun heard you ask, like the possibility of being loved by him was so impossible. You were searching for any inkling of doubt but he made sure you couldn’t find any because you were the only thing he could see. 

Jaehyun brought a hand near your cheek. It hovered there as he hesitated to touch it to your skin until you leaned into his touch. Your cheek felt so warm in his palm and it was so comforting to have you in his hold. “I wanted to say it earlier but I was just so scared of losing you as both a lover and a friend because what if it all goes to shit? What if we go to shit and things hit the fan? I can’t lose you.” 

“But you, Jung Jaehyun, are in love with me?” you repeated as your hand cupped his own. The smile you gave him was bright enough to light up the stage. 

“Yeah, I thought I made that clear. I’m sorry, did I mumble that line?” he teased playfully, trying to coerce a giggle out of you. “Should I start the scene over?”

“No, no. I’m just—” you paused and he watched you recollect your thoughts. His glittering brown eyes were trained on you as the words processed in your head. “You love me,” you laughed in disbelief. 

Jaehyun took a step closer, his hand tentatively reaching out to stroke your face. He sighed in relief as you relaxed into his touch. “You’re my number one girl. I choose you.” 

“Well, it’s a good thing that even after all this time, I’ve always chosen you, too.”

Once those words left your lips, he couldn’t hold himself back. Wrapping his arms around your waist, Jaehyun pulled you against his chest and smashed his lips against yours. Yes, he had kissed you on multiple occasions prior to this— onstage and off— but this time was different than the rest.

 This was the first time he really kissed you after your feelings were out in the open.

The first time he kissed you and finally felt the love you harbored for so many years. Jaehyun just hoped you could sense the love he was pouring out for you, too. 

He did not want to let you go but he was struggling to breathe. You were so lovely, everything about you was so incredibly lovely, and to have you in his arms was the best feeling in the universe. Everything around him turned dark and he felt the warmth of a spotlight and the flush of your body against him. The entire world was spinning beneath his feet, his heart racing, and his lips chasing you and only you. 

Jaehyun did not understand why people did drugs— the high of being so ardently in love with another person, with you, gave him the high that he needed. 

He felt you hit his chest in an attempt to end the kiss but Jaehyun did not want to stop. A light shove to his shoulders was enough to separate his lips from yours and what a sight you were— chest panting heavily for air, lips plumped and swollen, and the prettiest set of eyes widened in shock.

“You kissed me!” you said in between pants. “Like not a stage kiss but you actually kissed me!”

“That I did, love,” Jaehyun replied cheekily, taking another step towards you. You stepped back to lean against the wall but did nothing to stop him from coming forward. “Are you gonna do something about it?” 

The look in your eyes changed after you heard his new nickname for you. It was coy. Flirty. Challenging. “Do it again, I dare you,” you whispered a bit too loudly. 

Before Jaehyun closed the distance, his eyebrow perked up at the challenge. “Gladly.”

Senior year was there before we knew it. 

Another year, another posting day. 

Dejun, Jaehyun, and I swiftly made our way down the hall to the front of the theatre department, curious to find out which roles we were given. The spring production and the final musical of our college career was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. 

Callbacks for Belle went as smooth as ever— the chemistry between Jaehyun and I were off the charts. But why wouldn’t they be? We were together now. 

Just like any other time, the crowds gathering around the cast list and bulletin board parted immediately once they caught a glimpse of Jaehyun approaching. The only difference was that this time, he was tightly clutching my hand. 

When we arrived in front of the board, I shut my eyes before I could read the cast list. An anxious buzz flowed through my veins, tickling the tips of my fingers and toes. My boyfriend must’ve felt the twitching of my fingers or the sweat dripping off my palms. 

I felt his body shift towards me. “Want me to take a peek first, love?” Jaehyun asked as he pressed his plump lips onto the crown of my head. He nuzzled his nose into my hair, a small but sweet action that always comforted me. 

Shaking my head, I looked at him and said, “No, why don’t we look together?”

“On three?” he grinned lovingly.

“On three, you dumb spoon.”

The countdown was quick but the glance I took at the cast list was even quicker. It was so quick, I almost didn’t catch who was put into the role of Belle. Taking a double take, I let go of Jaehyun’s hand as my eyes zeroed in onto the tiny print. 

Everything around me came to a stop as I read and re-read the cast list. Everyone around me was celebrating their parts but I couldn’t hear them, they were all muted in my mind. All I could hear was the sound of my own breaths  and all I could see my name on the top of the page. 

Belle……………..Y/N The Beast……..Jung Jaehyun

“Oh my god, I got the part,” I whispered to no one in particular. Backing away from the board, I repeated the same words a little louder and it got the attention of everyone surrounding me. Before I knew it, everyone threw a congratulations my way. The cheers were loud and obnoxious but they were for me because I did it. I finally did it.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, I backed away from the blustering crowd before bumping into my boyfriend’s firm chest. Jaehyun caught me in his hold, his arms circling around my waist. He dropped his chin on my shoulder and placed a tender kiss on my temple. “Would you look at that? We’re not a ridiculous set of tableware this time.”

“No disrespect to those parts, they were awesome, but I think I like this a lot more,” I giggled, turning in his hold. 

As I circled my arms around his neck, he whispered, “Same here.”

I yanked him down into an earth-shattering kiss that sent the world spinning beneath my feet. It slowed down, speeded up, and it did everything in between. I saw flashes of yellow ball gowns, royal blue coats, and Jaehyun smiling at me gracefully across the stage. 

Jaehyun staring me down from the other end of an altar. 

I saw it all. 

If my life was a movie, then this would be the time that the screen would fade to black and show the names. Some overly poppy song would resonate through the speakers and everyone would get up from their seats and gush over the happy ending.

But it wasn’t. My life was as real as it could be and it was even better than any romantic-comedy that would ever grace the screen. 

This wasn’t the ending. 

This was the perfect beginning. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE. hello, my darling readers! you really didn’t have to wait that long for this release, did you? a big thank you to several people: @johtenrecs for always being my beta and for the helpful feedback, to my chaotic gc ( @smoll-tangerine, @ppangjae, @jaedore​, and @jeongvision) for listening to me complain about how i was losing it while writing this fic, to @suhpressed​ for helping me with brainstorm, and lastly, to my lovely @notnctu bc without her and our crazy idea of hosting a hannah montana collab, i wouldn’t have gotten this idea! love y’all! hope you enjoyed this and please leave feedback! uwu

TAGLIST. @yasmini24 @jaehyunnie77 @emmybyeakitty @fluffyjaes @aevizen @dearjaehyxn @yourmagnanimousholiness @jaehyvnsvalentine @keemburley @softieus @lanadreamie @lebrookestore  @notmangojuice @felixn-recs @captainsjoongs @anotherfullsun @ukiyoneo @kunrengui​ @babyyynatty​ 

© sehunniepotwrites, 2021

#nctsworldfwc #neowritingsnet #cznnet #nct scenarios #nct fic #nct imagines #nct x you #jung jaehyun #jaehyun #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun x you #jaehyun fic #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun angst

[they-bite]

Hi there, I adore your Danny/PPG stuff. On the line that Danny lives with the girls, how does he handle living in a town with a whole different type of villains?

Pretty well, lmao. He rarely fights them (the Girls have it covered) so he treats them with all the curt grace of a passive-aggressive clerk who wanted to close up 10 minutes ago. He also takes a sly pleasure in them not knowing the upper limits of his powers, so he lets them think that the Girls ended up with a big brother who can coincidentally walk up walls and spin his head.

@reanimatedgh0ul and I both thought it would be fun if the Gangreen Gang got chummy with Danny. My Danny doesn't have as much in common with them as Robi's Danny does (my Danny's half-Filipino, Robi's is Mexican, Robi also pitched the idea of Ace and Snake being Latino), but they're still in the same age group and would frequent similar places (arcade, C-store etc.) I could totally see Ace trying to get Danny to relate to the Gang on the grounds of being "too weird for Townsville" if he thinks Danny's having a hard time adjusting.

The other main exceptions are the Boogieman, HIM, Abracadaver and any supernatural threats Danny would have more jurisdiction over. Danny's more controversial in that crowd-- I can see him getting along with the Boogieman until Boogie's no longer content leaving well enough alone.

#dp x ppg #answers

[the-nubiest]

Skating Rink

I'm writing a short story in response to this (from @flooficandii's post about neon x jett)

I have little idea on what her personality is [neon], so she doesn't do much in the story lol

And as a little thing, here are their outfits <3

Jett

Neon

Phoenix

Yoru

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whose idea was it to go to a skating rink?" Yoru scoffs. "I cannot even balance on a pair of blades for my life."

"Come on man." Phoenix pets Yoru's shoulder. "We deserve a break. Holidays are almost over and going on a double date with Jett and that new agent will be fun."

The blue oni laughs, "You can't roller blade either."

"Shut up."

The two boys carefully enter a building with bright lights shining above them.

They see two girls with a white ponytail and high pigtails, respectively.

"You guys finally came. Neon and I were about to skate without you." Jett smirks. She lifts up her hand, making a little hand motion. Some wind blowing out, moving Phoenix's locks. "We already got our skates, so we'll go ahead of you."

The wind opens the door to the rink, slipping in there with ease. She moves along the wooden floor like she knows what to do.

Neon lags behind her. Every move she makes, small sparks fly out of the wheels. "Jett! Watch this!" She slams the wheels of the blades together. More tiny sparks fly out of it.

Eventually circling around the white haired girl. "No tricks? Fastest agent in the protocal, and not even doing anything."

A cheeky laugh comes out, "I'll show you fast. Let's race around the rink. Be glad that Brim rented the place so no one can see us."

"Bet."

---

"Fuck! It's so hard!" Yoru tries to regain his balance. Yet his legs gives out every time.

The Brit cannot help but laugh at the situation, but he unfortunately can't skate either. So he also slips below his feet. Back smacking against the ground.

Laughing, "Oh my god! Phoenix, you're worse than me!"

"Get down here." Phoenix grabs Yoru's leg and he also lands on the ground.

Both lying on the wooden floor together.

"What if the girls see us, Phoenix?"

"Just tell them we're relaxing." Putting his arms on the back of his head, letting out a sigh of relief. "To be honest, I just want to do nothing."

A few minutes pass. Only the music in the background filling in the silence.

Eyes already closed.

Then rush of wind is heard.

Both of the boys sit up. Whipping their heads around. The rink is huge, so it's hard to see what is happening.

"Coming through!" Neon jumps over the two of them. Lightning trailing behind her blades.

Jett dashes. "Sorry! I am so glad your heads hasn't been chopped off by us!"

The boys get back on their feet, both holding onto each other, trying not to fall.

"Why are you guys racing?!"

Neon spins around, skating backwards, "To see if she is the fastest."

Jett's voice echoes in the rink. "I am! In the battlefield and in bed." Her laugh being very infectuious.

"Shut up!" The filipino agent starts to turn red. "I'm still gonna beat you!"

#valorant #valorant phoenix #valorant yoru #valorant jett #valorant neon #phoenix valorant #yoru valorant #jett valorant #neon valorant #yorunix #they gay lol

[biimos]

# ❝ MABAGAL ❞

[🍢] KAEYA ALBERICH

꒰ Synopsis. A familiar tune danced along the walls as Kaeya offers to dance with you.

꒰ Reader type. Filipino gn reader

꒰ Type. Modern genshin au, sfw, sweet tooth-rotten fluff !!

꒰ Note. Just couldn’t get the song out of my head and like ahhh I keep falling in love every time i hear it >/////< !! I hope you enjoy this and I’m sorry if this writing just looks wonk!! Remember request are open ^^

° ° °

“Kaeya, hun I’m home!” You yelled, your voice bouncing off the walls of your gorgeous home. You walked into the house, slipping off your shoes and simply putting them beside the front entrance. You were drained after a hard day's work, and you were grateful that your manager permitted you to take two days off. Your attire was sloppy-wrinkled and folded to be exact, and you fantasized resting in a hot bath with a cuppa tea in your hand. Especially some relaxing music in the background, pretending as if you are in a spa. You check around the house for your wonderful partner, but you can't seem to find him anywhere. You believed he wasn't home yet, so you went upstairs to your bedroom to change out of your tight rumpled work attire.

You've never felt so relieved as when you put on some baggy sweatpants and Kaeya's favorite navy blue top. You missed him terribly, and all you wanted to do was snuggle up next to him and listen to his soothing voice. You return downstairs to prepare something for the two of you, only to be met by someone who is already in the kitchen.

“I see you’re already home, love.” Kaeya stated this with a warm grin on his face and a velvety voice that made you swoon.

“Yeah, my boss said I can take a day off for two days!” You winked, making Kaeya chuckle. He enjoyed seeing your beautiful face, and the way you laughed made him feel more at ease. “By the way, were you already home or did you just come home?” You inquired, and he usually came in before you, but you didn't notice him.

“I was actually already here before you arrived, why? You miss me don’t you huh?”You pouted as he chuckled. It was true that you missed him, and you wished you could spend a day together without work interfering. When he observed you pouting, he dropped his glass of wine and enveloped you in a loving hug. You couldn't help but sigh in relief as stress left your stiff body, causing you to relax. “I love you [name].” He tickled you with his hot breath, forcing you to chuckle a little.

“I love you too.”

A familiar melody began to play in the background, and it sounded recognizable. It seemed familiar, like if you'd heard it someplace before. You listened to it again, trying to recall if you had heard it before. The smooth jazz groove was all too recognizable. You don't realize where it came from until you learn it was from your grandmother's CD before she left. You smiled at the soothing sounds, remembering how she and your grandfather used to sing and dance to each other, you enjoying them from afar as they grew more in love with each other.

“Care to dance my beloved?” As he gazed into your starry eyes, he grinned. You smiled and nodded your head, his hand interlaced with yours as he gazed at you with pure love in your eyes. His body swayed, as did yours, as you both danced to the gentle beat, spinning and gliding across the gleaming oak flooring. You adore each other while humming to the music and never leaving one other's gaze. You couldn't help but remember your granny and grandfather dancing to this song, adoring one other as if the world were going to end one day. This just added to your enjoyment of the day.

“Gusto kitang isayaw ng mabagal…” You gently sang along with the music coming from the speaker. “Hawak kamay, pikit mata.” You tighten your grip a little more. Kaeya was enjoying your voice and was delighted when you chose to sing a cheerful grin that never left you. His adoring glance is never far from yours.

“Sumasabay sa musika.” You sang once more. Kaeya sang along with you as you both swung into the night, relishing this magnificent night once more. “Your grandma has some lovely taste in music.” He smirked, thanking your grandmother for blessing his ears, and you agreed because he was correct. Grandma has great musical taste, you thought to yourself.

“I remember grandpa and her would dance the night away when this song was playing. She always talks to me about the Philippines and would give me her CD’s filled with Tagalog music.” You smiled, a bittersweet emotion making you cry a little, but you decided to be pleased that you could experience what your grandparents did. You both swayed through the night, smiling and laughing. You discovered yet another reason why nights with Kaeya were the finest part of the day. You adore him and have pledged to yourself that you would never let a man like him go and walk out the door.

Gusto kitang isayaw ng mabagal

#🍢— biimos. #🥥. kaeya !! #🥢— genshin. #genshin x gender neutral reader #genshin x reader #genshin fanfic #genshin impact kaeya #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin fluff #kaeya alberich #kaeya x you #kaeya x reader #genshin impact #genshin kaeya #kaeya alberich x reader

[honeysucklepink]

Anyway, Here's Wonderwall (12/?)

Day 12: Invisible (also on AO3)

“Well well, look who’s still alive this morning!” Elliott exclaimed, as Kurt and Blaine came down the stairs and stepped into the pub, which was now buzzing with a mix of hungover patrons and helpful guests.

“Yeah, both of them,” David added. “Come down here and help us with breakfast preparations.”

“Breakfast prep? Why?” Blaine asked.

Adam stepped in. “My staff was sharper than I was last night, I’m afraid. Rodney and Sharon usually do our breakfast shift, but they asked to leave early last night ‘cause they have kids at home. I should have listened to them.”

Elliott continued, “So, we offered to pitch in and help. Turns out Wes here makes a mean fry-up.”

“I may have spent a semester abroad and learned a few things,” Wes added, spinning a spatula.

Kurt looked around. “Where’s Dani?”

“Sleeping in. She took the pull out sofa in my office. So, ready to help?”

“First, coffee,” Kurt said. He turned to Blaine. “How do you take yours?”

“Black, two sugars, thanks.”

As Kurt headed to the coffee pot, David leaned in to Blaine. “Glad to see no one joined the Choir Invisible last night. Neither do you look worse for wear, though I’m disappointed you aren’t scandalously disheveled. I guess you guys just did the boring thing and sleep?”

“Well, slept and talked.” And cuddled, Blaine left out. “I think maybe we just got off on the wrong foot.”

“The wrong foot for four damn years,” David snarked. “It’s a start.”

Kurt came back with two cups of coffee and gave one to Blaine, who took a sip. “Perfect, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” They looked at each other for a moment, long enough for David to make a grunt. “So, what can we do to assist?” Kurt spurted out.

Since Adam, Wes, David and Elliott had taken on cooking and serving duties, that left Kurt and Blaine on dish duty. Blaine offered to wash so Kurt could dry, and they fell into a rhythm at the sink. They talked about NYADA– for the first time without malice or jealousy. Blaine, it turned out, had loved Kurt’s performance of Ernst in Spring Awakening: “I thought your solo in ‘Touch Me’ was revelatory.” Kurt’s observation was correct; June Dollaway had in fact tried to suppress some of Blaine’s creative instincts, leading to a falling out. They talked about Ohio and show choir and the missed connections. And they bonded over handling the whirling dervish that was Rachel Berry.

Dani finally appeared, grumpily taking over the dishes with a piece of bacon hanging from her mouth, and the two grabbed plates and heaped them with eggs, more bacon, toast, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Adam brought out an extra plate of kippers, and they found a corner of the pub to continue their conversation. It was then the topic of that fateful band audition came up.

“I was so mad at you that day,” Kurt explained, “but I guess I should have been more upset at the subway. And frankly at Santana for not waking Dani up sooner, otherwise we wouldn’t have run late.”

“Well, if I’m being honest, your attitude did put a damper on the day. I was so happy and all of a sudden, I’m getting death glares?”

“I did sort of make a bad impression,” Kurt agreed. “But seeing you up there with your bandmates sort of cemented something for me, something that I was never going to get.”

“What do you mean?”

Kurt took a swallow of his coffee for courage. “I’m sort of ashamed to say this, but I think one of the reasons I resented you was that you pass better than me. I mean, playing opposite Rachel, Melchoir? You’re like the pinnacle of the cis straight Broadway lead. Casting directors would have no problem picking you as a Tony or a Danny Zuko. Me? If I’m lucky I’ll get Damian in Mean Girls.”

“It’s funny you say ‘passing.’ I was always annoyed by that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but not for what you think.” Blaine shifted in his seat. “You know why I call my grandmother ‘lola?’ It’s a term of endearment in Fil-Am families. Mom’s Filipino, dad’s white. But obviously I inherited dad’s eyes and tendency to sunburn. You know how much it sucks to be out at a store and people think your mom is actually the nanny? Anyway, I know it gets me opportunities that I wouldn’t get if I looked more like my mom’s side of the family, which feels a little unfair. And for the record? I don’t really see myself as passing straight. I’m hyper aware all the time of it. And I personally would love to see your Danny Zuko. You sell yourself short.”

“Well, thank you. I’d like to think my Danny would be a little more Aaron Tveit than John Travolta, though.” Kurt remembered something. “Hey, back to the audition; how did your band do at that venue, anyway?”

“We didn’t,” Blaine said. “The venue was sold and the new owners wanted a ‘different vibe.’ We were replaced with an all-girl Guns and Roses tribute band.”

“Way to break the stereotype,” Kurt raised his cup in a toast, to which Blaine met him with his own glass. “To upending expectations.”

“And to second chances,” Blaine added.

“Yes,” Kurt smiled. “To second chances.”

#klaine advent 2021 #klaine advent: invisible #anyway here's wonderwall #pink writes things #aw they like each other now

[cutesilyo]

no place in the world (like manila) — an amephil fanfic

A few months after the outbreak of the Philippine-American War, Alfred falls in love with and is betrayed by a bright-eyed teenager with the prettiest smile on this side of the Orient in a single night. 

This is not a love story.

Also available on AO3.

—

"Sir, I don't think it's safe for you to leave the camp," Major-General MacArthur warned. "I don't know how, but the revolutionaries know your face. They could attack you!"

"Pshaw," Alfred snorted. "I'm a nation. What could they do that could take me down, huh?"

MacArthur's mustache bristled in displeasure. "Be that as it may sir, might I remind you that you only arrived in Manila a week ago? Knowing you, you'd just get lost and I'd have to put together a whole squad of troops just to hunt you down. You could get captured, Alfred. I don't know how to tell you just how badly that would bring down morale."

Alfred just wagged his fingers, a bright grin on his face. "Look, if I get captured, I'd bust out of whatever crappy holding place they'd put me in without barely breaking a sweat! And knowing our soldiers, that's just the stuff that would make a great story to tell at dinnertime. How's that for morale?"

The way that MacArthur simply stared at him blankly told Alfred that this was not a convincing argument.

"I hate it when you do that," he groaned, slumping back on his seat. The leather was hot with the heat of the tropical sun and it stuck uncomfortably to his skin. Oh, how badly he wanted to just finally get up and leave. "I'm just saying, I can't stay inside here forever just waiting for you to dictate our next move."

"It's part of our strategy—"

"And it's boring. I'm bored, Major-General. I might as well look around." Alfred's eyes glinted dangerously. "Besides, you'll capture the whole nation for me soon enough, won't you? No harm in wanting to see what we're winning once this war is over."

The silence lasted for a few seconds before the major-general sighed in defeat.

—

Private Patton R. Wilkes was assigned to “accompany” Alfred while he roamed around Manila, but he knew that MacArthur just wanted someone to make sure he would actually return to camp instead of getting lost or, God forbid, taking the next ship back to America. Though the both of them were dressed in civilian clothing, the private carried himself with a strict stiffness that just screamed hardened military man. If Alfred wanted any chance of escape, it looked like the private would be hard to shake off.

Alfred tried to stay optimistic about the trip anyway. He hadn't paid much attention to the city while he was on the way to the American camp, but he certainly expected it to have an air of exoticness. He was a bit disappointed not to see anything like the palaces of Japan or the distinctly oriental architecture of China. Instead, he found street signs written in Spanish, the excited chatter of fast-talking brown-skinned people, and the cacophony of guitars, church bells, and the sound of horse-drawn carriages trotting along the stoned roads. Walking around Manila was like looking at a funhouse mirror version of Mexico: more or less the same, but with just enough differences to make his head spin.

"Uh, you alright there, sir?" Patton asked.

"Was just thinking about a bad memory, is all," Alfred grimaced. He's sure that Alejandro would have his head once he returned to the continent. He's been pissing off a lot of Spanish-speaking nations recently, that's for sure. "Come to think of it, the Philippine Islands must have its own personification too, right?"

The private's face darkened. "He's a force to reckon with, sire. Haven't seen no hide nor hair of him myself, but some guys in the other squadron barely survived after fighting with the kid."

"A kid?" Alfred furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't know there were still nations out there who were that young. Then again, he was only a teenager himself, and he was even younger when he fought against Arthur as well. "I don't know how I feel about fighting a kid. Couldn't I just give him a lollipop or something and this could all just work itself out?"

He meant it as a joke, but Patton seemed to take it seriously and started furiously shaking his head. "Don't think you could even try negotiating with him sir, the kid's a savage. Hacked and slashed his way through the guys with some kind of golden knife, they said. We're lucky our medics are so darned fast, otherwise, we would've been down almost a dozen men from him alone."

Something in Alfred's resolve hardened at the thought of losing his soldiers to someone so brutal. He clapped the other man on the shoulder and said, "Don't you worry, Pat. We'll end this soon, and when we win, we'll make sure that nobody from these islands ever lays a hand on any of our own."

That seemed to comfort Patton somewhat, though he was still shaking with anger. "I'll give them a good walloping right by your side, sire."

"Now that's the kind of patriotic determination I wanna see!" Alfred crowed. He then immediately scrambled for his wallet and hurriedly gave the private a wad of bills. Some onlookers openly gawked at seeing the number of dollar bills in his hand. "Tell you what, why don't you buy some booze, head back to camp, and inspire your fellow soldiers, eh? God knows we need some fun around here."

"Um," Patton blinked, caught off-guard. "I don't know if Major-General MacArthur—"

"Tell Major-General MacArthur that I'm just trying to boost morale," Alfred winked. "Also, tell him I'll back by next morning!"

He didn't get to hear Patton's response as he took off running wildly in the opposite direction. He barely registered running past the stores, wet market, and the cathedral; he just wanted to be alone and independent, exploring this new land to his heart's content. The buildings were shorter and the roads were narrower here than in his own country, but Alfred was just so glad to finally be in a place filled with people just like he was used to.

Alfred collapsed on his knees, winded. When he looked up, he was surprised to see that he had apparently made it to one of Manila's many ports. Past the numerous small fishing boats and trading boats, he could see that the sun was already beginning to set. The sky was painted in a pretty combination of pinks and oranges in contrast to the ocean's blue, the stars already starting to twinkle faintly into appearance one by one. The rhythmic lapping of the waves against the rocks seemed louder than everything else around him — a stark reminder that no matter where he went, there was always something bigger to discover.

He stood there for a moment, mesmerized when a loud grunt startled him out of his stupor.

He turned to find some kind of bull staring at him with its beady eyes, its long horns curving towards the back instead of to the front. It was pulling a wagon full of leafy vegetables that Alfred couldn't recognize, and the old man riding it looked startled to come across a foreigner.

"Hijo, padaan naman po," he said, with a strained smile.

"Oh, sorry, I don't know what you mean," Alfred tried, but the man just continued smiling at him. He was starting to think that maybe abandoning Patton, who wasn't fluent but at the very least conversational in Tagalog, was a bad idea.

Luckily, someone came to his rescue. A teenager with bright eyes approached him, an amused twitch of the lips on his sharp face. He was dressed simply: unlike the suit and tie ensemble of the richer Filipinos he'd come across or the pale blue uniform of the Philippine Army, he wore a thin white top and trousers cut just above his ankles. The scabbard on his hip would have been concerning if Alfred didn't know just how many Filipinos carried knives in their daily lives. All in all, he looked just like any other street vendor, but the red handkerchief tied around his neck was vibrant enough to make him stand out. "You are American, yes?"

"Ah yeah," Alfred flushed, a bit flustered. The way the stranger leaned in was a little too close for comfort, but he looked harmless and at least he spoke English. "Can you help me? I think that man is talking to me, but I can't understand what he's saying."

The teenager grabbed his arm to pull him to the side. The old man tipped his straw hat in thanks, and the teenager smiled, saying: "Pasensya na po, lolo! Hindi kasi taga-rito."

The two of them watched the wagon pass them by. They stood there in silence for a moment, and then Alfred blurted out, "I didn't know I was in the way, I swear."

"You did seem quite distracted." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other boy laugh. The both of them turned to each other at the same time, a small smile on each other's faces. "Not that I blame you. I am sure you have sunsets in America, but it is different here than in other countries. I think the colors are more vibrant, do you agree?"

"Certainly takes my breath away," he admitted. "I do have to ask, how come you speak English so well? I've only been in Manila for a few days but I don't think I've met another Filipino that's as good as you are."

The teenager only laughed again and held on to Alfred's arm tighter. As he looked up at him, his eyes and grin were equally bright with mirth; and despite himself, Alfred was a bit charmed. "Us Filipinos are not as stupid as you think, señorito. Now, you say you are a stranger to Manila, yes? Come with me, and let me show you around my city."

—

They ended up hailing a tranvia, a carriage made to carry a whole group of people instead of just a pair. Alfred found it small and quaint, making an internal note to build tram lines in the city once he was able. Yet the energy that the teenager had with him was larger than life. He had apparently noticed the other passengers giving Alfred a suspicious side-eye, and immediately launched into a round of jokes to dispel the tension. Though he barely understood the jokes due to them being told in a mix of Spanish and Tagalog, the way that the whole tranvia burst into loud laughter was enough to assure him that his companion was quite the comedic performer.

When they got off, the driver even thanked them for the entertainment and told them not to pay the fare anymore. Alfred let out an excited whoo! as the teenager did an exaggerated bow.

As the carriage rode off, Alfred turned to his new friend and exclaimed, "Wow! The way you handled that was amazing! I mean, I've been through worse than an awkward train ride, but you definitely saved my ass back there."

The teenager blushed slightly. "Think nothing of it. I would rather see my companions happy and comfortable in my care than anything else."

"Still, that thing you did was certainly a swell sight." Alfred breathed in the cold evening air and let it out with a contented sigh. He looked straight into the other boy's eyes as he said, "And it's really nice that you're going through all the trouble to be with me tonight too! Like, we don't even know each other's names but you just whisked me away like some kind of fairytale hero! That was really awesome of you, I have to say."

"You are a man of sweet words," the teenager said, with a smile that looked almost bittersweet. Then, as if he had completely forgotten about his melancholy, he grabbed Alfred's arm again and dragged him towards the next street corner. "But let us not waste time talking! Most of these shops close soon, and I would hate for us to miss them!"

Helpless, Alfred let himself be strung along.

Sadly, most of the shops they went past had already closed for the day. Still, the teenager cheerily talked his ear off about what wares they sold and the local gossip about the people who ran those stores — like Pepito, owner of the clay pottery store, who had apparently given away all his lotto winnings to the next city's blacksmith. The one time that they had actually been able to buy something was when they came across a small, brightly-colored cart that apparently sold the Filipino version of ice cream. Both the vendor — Mang Tomas, as he was introduced — and the teenager had chuckled when he brought out a wallet full of dollars, so the teenager had to reach into his own pocket to pay with a few coins. As they walked past yet another cathedral, Alfred caught his friend singing the hymns under his breath. When they reached the plaza, the teenager then asked the lady standing nearby — Aling Nena, he was told — to give him a jasmine garland, the scent of the white flowers so powerful that it immediately made Alfred sneeze on his friend's face when he put them around his neck. Yet instead of getting mad like he expected, the teenager had only laughed and told him he looked handsome.

No matter where they went or who they talked to, his friend always seemed to know everyone's names. Alfred had no idea how he had the time to possibly get so familiar with all the people around him, but he certainly understood the sentiment; he loved talking with all the Americans that he came across with too. Personally getting to know the people who made his nation always made him feel more connected with them in a way that war and politics never could.

And if the Philippine Islands was truly to be his someday, Alfred knew he wanted to treat them similarly. More than anything or anyone else though, nobody in the archipelago had intrigued him most than the young man beside him whose smile was brighter than any star.

Yet all his experience in small talk failed him tonight, and not for lack of trying. Every time he asked questions about his friend, he was always diverted away from the topic.

Which part of the city are you from? was met with a vague Do you ask the flower which vine it came from? You are better off simply enjoying the whole garden.

Where is your family? had been completely ignored as his friend said You must be hungry, yes? I know a place with the best empanadas this side of Binondo.

What is your name? earned him a cheeky wink and a teasing If your mind still ventures to inane questions like that, then I am not doing very well in completely impressing you.

How old are you? made the teenager burst out into loud, hearty laughter that lasted for more than a minute. Alfred didn't even bother to try asking anything else after that, choosing to focus on his empanadas and arroz a la valenciana for the rest of the meal.

Later, when they were served a bottle of gin to share along with a bowl of peanuts, his friend had the grace to apologize for his behavior.

"I truly am sorry," he said, but the playful grin on his face made it difficult to take his apology seriously. "I simply do not think that you knowing more about me is more important than us having a good time together."

"How am I supposed to find you again if I don't know who you are, huh?" Alfred couldn't stop himself from whining. He ignored the glass in front of him, taking a swig straight from the bottle and letting the alcohol burn down his throat. His friend watched him in bemusement. "This has been the best night of my life in a long time. And if this is the last time we see each other, I don't think I'm going to forgive myself if I don't push you into giving me a hint."

This time, it was his friend's turn to take a drink: he filled his glass half-full and downed it all in one go. "You are certainly bold, señorito, I will give you that. A good friend of mine warned me about how loud and annoying Americans were, but it seems he neglected to tell me about how forward you all were as well."

Alfred resisted the urge to roll his eyes; of course, he would get deflected yet again. "Alright, I'll bite. Tell me more about your friend."

The teenager looked surprised. "You wish to know more about a man that insulted you?"

"If this is the closest I get to you telling me more about yourself, I'll take it," he shrugged. "Besides, I'd love to know how this friend of yours thinks. Americans are the greatest people in the world! He must be stupid if he doesn't know that."

The other boy laughed. "Of course you would say that, you biased brute. And I will have you know that my friend was quite smart, actually. One of the smartest men I have ever known."

Alfred felt like he wouldn't like the answer, but he asked anyway: "Was?"

All traces of laughter from his friend's face faded away into a hollow smile. "Killed by firing squad a few years ago."

Silently, Alfred poured gin into both of their glasses. They drank in solemn solidarity.

"My sincere condolences," said Alfred, and he meant it: he had lost too many friends himself over the centuries. "And I'm sorry I called him stupid."

His friend waved it off. "No worries. Pepe was incredibly intelligent, but he definitely had his fair share of stupid moments — you wouldn't believe how many times that man fell in love over the course of his short lifetime. Still, I miss him terribly and I wish he was still around. God only knows what he would have thought about everything happening at present."

"Oh, I know the feeling." Despite him dying decades prior, Alfred still longed for George Washington's steadfast guidance sometimes. He reached, a bit messily, for another drink. "It's uncanny, yeah? Some people just have this weird ability to analyze the present and predict the future. I certainly don't know how they do anything like it, really. I kind of just talk big and hope for the best."

"Funny that you talk about the future," the teenager chuckled. "Somehow, my friend even managed to predict that you would come here, Alfred. I did not believe him at the time, of course, but here you are."

"Here I am," Alfred repeated faintly. "Hold on, how did you know my—"

"Why were you all alone in my city, señorito?" His friend interrupted, looking up at him through his eyelashes. He leaned closer, close enough for the skin of their arms to touch, and Alfred suddenly forgot about all his worries. "I was very surprised to see you on your own, looking every bit like a lost little lamb. You are very lucky that I found you."

"Lucky indeed," he murmured, adjusting the collar of his shirt. It felt like the temperature in the room had risen by a dozen degrees. "Just wanted to explore, is all. MacArthur told me we had to stay low for a few more weeks, I got bored, and he let me out."

Those bright eyes were practically glittering as the teenager looked up at him, his fingers slowly tracing up his arm. "And you were alone? I always thought American soldiers traveled in pairs, but perhaps I was mistaken."

"No! No, you're right, you're definitely right," Alfred stammered out. He was sure his face was completely red by now. "I was with Private Wilkes earlier, but we, ah, got separated. He must be on the way back to Bulacan by now."

"How unfortunate," the other practically purred, clearly delighted. "Say, tell me, how did this Wilkes look like? Because I am sure that he does not look as handsome as you do."

That damned smile, now coy instead of kind and sweet, was tantalizingly close. If only he had the courage to lean down—

Alfred, trying desperately to distract himself, grabbed the bottle again and took a long swig.

There were about a million promises that threatened to spill from Alfred's lips, each one more outrageous than the other: Come with me. Stay with me. I'll keep you safe. I'll love you. Yet at the moment, he found himself tongue-tied. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or the atmosphere or the way the young boy across the table had so effortlessly allured him, but he felt like he was about to go insane. He barely registered the both of them standing up to leave, didn't question why they didn't need to pay at the restaurant, paid no heed to what his friend had whispered to the men standing guard by the door. His mind was in a muddy haze, and all he could focus on was the fact that his friend was holding his hand as he was led into the dark streets.

Dimly, Alfred thought that however striking he looked by the setting sun, he looked much more ethereal bathed in moonlight.

He must have said this aloud because the teenager laughed.

"You are a man of sweet words," he said, and there's that oddly bittersweet smile again. "And I wish we could have met in better circumstances."

"What's wrong with the way we met today? I had fun," Alfred argued. He swayed slightly on his feet, and his friend held on to him to keep him from falling. "Didn't you have fun?"

"You forget we are at war, señorito. And you forget that you are seeking to control me and my people, not find a lover." Despite the harsh words, the way his friend said this was soft and sad. Almost like he was somehow hurt. "It does not matter what we feel today if we are bound to fight each other tomorrow. Should you not know this by now?"

They walked together in silence, each supporting the other. Slowly, Alfred's alcohol-induced dizziness began to subside. It was replaced by a growing emptiness in his chest — and a heavy, heavy realization.

"You knew I was America this entire time." When his friend deigned to respond, he continued. "Then, why...?"

At this, the teenager laughed — broken and wistful and desperate, all at once. "I do not know myself. I was ready to attack you, but for some reason, the look in your eyes as you watched the sunset stopped me. I thought, if you could look at my country with such amazement, then you could see that this war is unnecessary. That if you could know my land and my people the way I knew them, full of vibrancy and color and light, then you could realize that they did not deserve to die.

"Yet as the night went on I began to realize my efforts were fruitless. It was not them you were looking at anymore, but me." Here, his friend faced him; Alfred barely catching a glimpse of his wet eyes before the teenager looked away. "Believe me, I would love to spend another night like this with you. But you have your responsibilities and so do I."

"Fruitless," Alfred repeated hollowly. The cold night wind was in stark contrast to the hot rage he felt bubbling inside him. He forcefully wrenched himself away from his friend, yelling: "You made me tell you classified information!"

In seconds, he watched the teenager's face go from shock to hurt to an angry glare.

"Do you not understand how badly I need to win this war? My people did not give their lives to free me from Spain just so you could swoop in and take over! So forgive me, señorito," his friend spat mockingly, "for trying to find whatever advantages my poor nation can get against such an imperialistic nation like you!"

"And do you not understand what we're trying to do here?" Alfred shouted. "We are fighting this war to save you! Don't you see that your country is a mess? That you're underdeveloped, uneducated, and unfit for self-rule? I was the hero who helped save your people from Spain, jackass, and—"

"—and you promised to give us independence, and yet all your countrymen seem to do is kill." The teenager finished, both his eyes and the hilt of his knife glinting golden under the moonlight. "Is that what freedom means to you, America? I beg to differ."

As Alfred stepped away from him in furious, furious betrayal, all he could think about was that the other boy looked so small.

"I thought of you as my friend," he said.

"And I thought of you as my liberator," the teenager said coolly. "I see we were both wrong."

A harsh whinny interrupted them both. Alfred turned to find Patton riding a chestnut brown horse, his face red from exhaustion but seemingly unharmed. The private stopped in front of him, dismounting without grace on the pavement. His face was red from exhaustion and his clothes looked considerably ruffled, but otherwise, he looked unharmed.

"It ain't my position to say this sire, but don't you dare ever try to run away from me like that again," Patton panted, giving a quick side-eye to the other teenager before dismissing him. "We best hurry now, because those two won't be happy about their stolen horse."

Just as he was about to ask who those two were, a pair of Filipinos with muskets turned the corner and ran towards them. He vaguely recognized them as the same two men who were standing guard at the restaurant. They shouted loudly, a mix of Tagalog and Spanish expletives that Alfred could barely recognize, and a phrase distinct enough that he felt like it was something significant: amang bayan.

Patton evidently recognized the words. He looked at him in a wide-eyed panic, saying, "Sire, we need to leave—"

And as quick as lightning, Patton fell to the ground with a sickening crack. Caught completely off-guard and his arms restrained, he was helpless against the teenager who had a knife at his throat: a knife that, as Alfred began to realize with a horrified lurch of his stomach, was engraved with golden flowers and the insignia of an eight-rayed sun.

"You must be Private Wilkes," the Philippines smiled. "I do hope you are enjoying my country."

"Get off him or else!" Alfred screamed, the combined events of the night making him feel like he was about to reach his breaking point. He reached for the pistol he kept hidden on his belt and took aim, hoping to God that the other nation wouldn't force him to shoot. Even after everything, he didn't feel like he had the nerve to hurt Philippines after the hours they spent together; maybe some other day, but not tonight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the two men had caught up to them. They angled their muskets at him from a distance. The horse, which Alfred had been planning to use for escape, had already taken off running in the commotion.

Patton stared up at him with fear in his eyes, a bleeding gash on his forehead, and Alfred's hands began to shake.

Above all else, Philippines was still smiling: eyes bright, amused twitch of the lips on his sharp face. Slowly, he stood to approach him.

Like a switch had been flicked, his features turned soft and kind again — more like the boy that Alfred had met earlier, the boy who had dragged him around the streets of Manila with lighthearted laughter, the boy whose smile was brighter than any star. All Alfred could do was stand there, mesmerized once again, as his hand was gently pried away from the gun.

"Alfred," Philippines said this quietly, almost like he was invoking a prayer. He motioned the men to stand down. "I do not wish to fight."

"I don't want to either," Alfred admitted. Maybe there was hope... "C'mon, we can talk this through, right? Look, we haven't had a battle in months. It should be really easy to negotiate, yeah? I'll set up a meeting with your generals and mine, we'll have a civil discussion with no weapons allowed, and we'll reach a compromise."

The other nation was leaning in, and this time, Alfred took his chance. He held Philippines' cheek in his hands and they kissed, soft and quick and chaste.

"Of course," Alfred said, as he pulled away. "I would need your complete surrender—"

He was swiftly kneed in the stomach, disarmed, and shot.

"Alfred, I do not wish to fight," Philippines said, as he watched Alfred collapse to the ground. "But I have to. I hope you understand."

He vaguely registered Patton reaching out to him as his eyes closed and the blood pooled around him, but all he could focus on was watching the other nation walk away into the darkness.

—

When Alfred came to, he was already back at camp. Without thinking, he immediately trudged to the general's war office.

"Good morning, Major-General MacArthur," he smiled, bright and cheery. "Gather the troops. I want to destroy Manila immediately."

—

Notes:

This is set in October 1899, during those months when there were no battles or skirmishes between the two armies. On the first day of November, the Americans launched a major attack on the Filipinos. This attack happened in San Fabian, Pangasinan, not in Manila, but let's forget about that.

Major-General MacArthur is, of course, Arthur MacArthur Jr., who was a major military figure during the Philippine-American War. I also claim artistic license in hinting that the American camp was in Bulacan because it probably wasn't.

Alfred's comments about Manila looking like Mexico are based on a comment by former president Manuel L. Quezon when he visited Mexico back in 1937: "Everything was the same." He meant that very, very affectionately.

Here's a nifty map of modern Manila. Alfred and Patton start out in Quiapo, which is basically the heart of downtown Manila. Alfred runs all the way to Muelle del Rey, which, coincidentally, happens to be the same place where the Jones Bridge stands today. Alfred and Phili take the tranvia to Binondo, Manila's business district and home to the world's oldest Chinatown.

The names of the store owners and vendors that Phili talks about are references to assorted media in Philippine pop culture. Pepito is a reference to Pepito Manaloto, a long-time comedy show about a man who won the lotto. Mang Tomas (Mang being an informal way to refer to a male adult older than you) is the name of a popular brand of gravy. Aling Nena (Aling being an informal way to refer to a female adult older than you) is a reference to the song Tindahan ni Aling Nena, about a boy who falls in love with a storeowner's daughter.

The garland of white jasmines that Phili puts around Alfred's neck are supposed to be sampaguitas, our national flower. They're usually sold near churches and are given as a sign of respect.

I have no idea if there are actually empanadas and valenciana sold somewhere in Binondo, but let's jot that down to artistic license. But these are very much Filipino foods that were adapted from Spanish foods, which is why Phili brings it up when Alfred asks about his family.

The old friend that Phili keeps talking about is Jose Rizal, our national hero. He is primarily known for being a great writer, whose novels inspired the Philippine War for Independence, and for being killed for it. He is also known for being having a long list of lovers, many of them not even Filipino. Lesser known is the fact that he visited America, hated it, went on a train ride with an American, and hated it. He wrote a whole diary entry about how much he didn't like America and Americans. He had also predicted that out of all the world powers, it would be America who would probably take an interest in conquering the Philippines when Spain was out of the picture. Go figure. Rizal was also affectionately known by his nickname, Pepe.

I imagine Phili to be particularly proficient in arnis, which is also known as kali or eskrima. It's a kind of Filipino martial art, most easily recognizable as that one martial art where everyone is dual-wielding a pair of sticks. The sticks are actually for training. Traditionally, arnis is fought by dual-wielding knives or swords, and it's meant to be quick and efficient in defending, attacking, disarming, and killing. Phili's fictional ornately designed knife is inspired by this very real ornately designed knife. The detail of the eight-rayed sun is a reference to the eight-rayed sun in the Philippine flag.

Lastly (phew!), some Tagalog to English translations!

Hijo, padaan naman po - Young boy, kindly let me pass Pasensya na po, lolo! Hindi kasi taga-rito - Sorry, grandfather*! He's not from around here. Lolo literally means grandfather but is a general way to refer to any elderly man regardless of any actual blood relation. Amang bayan - Fatherland

#hws #hws america #hws philippines #usph #amephil #hetalia philippines #hetalia america #aph philippines #aph america #historical hetalia #mine

[crystalirises]

Na Tinuruan Mo ang Puso Ko na Umibig na Tunay (That You Really had Taught My Heart How to Truly Fall in Love)

wawawawawawa finally wrote this!

Just a note, this is a songfic and the song used is originally sang in Filipino. The bold italicized texts are the original lyrics while the italicized lyrics within dialogue is the English translation. Also note, I did use English lyrics from a website so I want this to be clear, the English lyrics are different from the original a bit so... Even though you can't understand the song, if you want to, you can try to listen to the original song (which is in Filipino) Anyway, bye bye.

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886223/chapters/79904587

‘Kamukha mo si Paraluman

Nu'ng tayo ay bata pa

At ang galing-galing mong sumayaw

Mapa-Boogie man o Cha-Cha’

“You looked just like Paraluman, when were kids before…” He glanced up at Fundy, his hands fidgeting against the diner table in front of him. Their song was playing in the background, memories of their youth racing through his mind. The fox hybrid glared at him from the other side of the table, arms crossed in front of his chest and with bags underneath his eyes. He didn’t know what had come over him, honestly. Meeting up with his… ex-boyfriend? Well, here they were now. In a rundown diner in the middle of the nothing-town that they both had grown up in. Both washed-up losers. “And you danced so beautifully, whether it’s Boogie or a Cha-cha.”

“You came all this way… All this way, Dream… just for that to be your first words?”

“I’m just trying to reminisce, sta一 Funds. No need to be so aggressive, it wasn’t as if you were planning on saying anything anyway.” He huffed, adjusting his hands until they were hidden inside the pockets of his sweater. Fundy’s eyes had narrowed into thin slits, no doubt at Dream’s accidental slip of an old nickname. He wasn’t sure why he still remembered it. That was such a long time ago. Both of them were practically stupid teenagers when he had dubbed his then-boyfriend with the nickname star. He didn’t even remember why he’d called Fundy that. He leaned his head against the seat, wincing at the loud groans and squeaks of the springs beneath him. Gods, he’d always hated this place. “I don’t know what to say, okay? Then that song started to play and I just said what came to mind… Look, just… let me remember who we were, okay?”

‘Ngunit ang paborito

Ay pagsayaw mo ng El Bimbo

Nakakaindak, nakakaaliw

Nakakatindig-balahibo’

He smiled, nodding along as though that was answer enough for himself. “I think my favorite was when you danced to the El Bimbo.” He glanced around the diner, glad to find that there was no one there, except for the waitress by the counter who was throwing him weird glances. He thinks he knows her, from long ago. Perhaps in high school, a familiar face who looked on at him with pity that made him want to run out of there. Still, Fundy was right in front of him, waiting for him to get to the point. “It makes me shiver, it’s like a show. It makes my hair go straight.”

‘He remembers the first time he’d seen Fundy. It had been a passing moment, a flicker of a lifetime. Yet he had paused that day, eyes drawn to the dancer upon that empty stage of their local school theater. He had disappeared into the room to escape the crowd of high school, needing a moment for himself, and that was when he looked up and saw him. A boy his age, dancing across the stage to a song that he couldn’t quite remember anymore. Fundy had never once looked his way, too enthralled in his steps and in the music to pay attention to a rowdy jock like him. He had stayed until the end, mouth hanging open in shock. His hand had made its way to his chest, his heart racing madly that he had feared it would explode. He was enraptured.’

“You’re lucky I didn’t look up that day. Imagine… being stared up by a creep!”

“I was not一 I was not being a creep.”

“You’re just lucky you’re cute.”

‘Pagkagaling sa 'skwela

Ay didiretso na sa inyo

At buong maghapon ay tinuturuan mo ako’

“After my classes were dismissed I went into your house.” Dream chuckled, shaking his head at the thought. The amount of minutes he’d spent climbing up the tree so he could scale the branch to enter Fundy’s room. He nearly once since Fundy had decided to scare him. Dream had been quick to grab onto the windowsill. “And for the whole afternoon, you taught me how to dance.”

“Gods… you fucking prick, do you know how many times my dad nearly caught you?” Fundy reached across the table, lightly smacking Dream’s hand. “He would have skinned you alive!”

“That’s why I’m still alive today, babe. Your old man’s too slow to catch me.”

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind…” He remembered those long hot afternoon days, where they would dance to the beat of whatever song came on the record, their hands clasped together so gently. “That you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.”

‘He remembers climbing into Fundy’s window, nearly tripping against the bright orange carpet that decorated his boyfriend’s whole bedroom. They were both alone in the house, Fundy’s family being out due to a family outing that Fundy had weaseled his way out of. When he managed to get in, Fundy was already waiting for him, the radio opened to an old song that neither of them really knew the lyrics to. Fundy had smiled at him, reaching to pull him closer. Despite what people might say, when it came to dancing, Fundy always took the lead. He always did. Dream was never allowed to take the lead because dancing was Fundy’s niche and Dream was just a beginner. That one afternoon day, Fundy held his hands in his. But unlike the other times, he had a whole other plan in mind. Dream could only blink back his shock when Fundy slowly leaned in, their lips touching. It was quick, but it was enough to pull Dream in for more. So, he leaned in.’

“Our first kiss.”

“Yeah…”

“I’m surprised you still remember… Then again, I’m also not surprised.”

‘Naninigas ang aking katawan

'Pag umikot na ang plaka

Patay sa kembot ng beywang mo

At pungay ng 'yong mga mata’

“My body starts to harden when the record starts to spin.” His breath would quicken with each step they took within their dance. In that small bedroom, it felt like the whole world just melted away. Dream glanced up, smiling shyly when he caught Fundy’s eyes. He always found them to be mesmerizing, liking the way how gold seemed to glitter in them each time the sun illuminated Fundy’s whole body. “I love when your hips start to shake, as well as the sight of your eyes.”

“I do have great eyes. You loved that about me. You always spent too long staring into them like it would be your last chance to do so. Dream, you do know my eyes were just brown, right? I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about. Golden flecks? You’re too much of a romantic for your own good. Then… I always liked that about you, seeing that other side of you, the other side to the smug jock that people fawned over that it was personally nauseating to watch.” Fundy rolled his eyes from across the counter. Dream nearly jolted when Fundy suddenly stood up, leaning against the booth while he kept his gaze on him. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering despite the warm air of the diner. None of the windows were open. It felt like he was being stripped from the inside out, like Fundy was clawing out every dirty detail that Dream had acquired over the past years of his miserable life. “I… You and me… wow, how did we even—”

“I don’t regret it. You and me. I never once regretted it.” Dream wanted so much to reach out, to clasp a hand on Fundy’s shoulder or even pull him into an embrace. But he couldn’t bring himself to. He couldn’t. He settled deeper into his seat, resting a hand on the back of his neck. “I regret many of my decisions in life. But falling in love with you… was probably the only good choice I ever made. I would never regret falling in love with you, and I hope… you never once regretted falling in love with me. I loved you with all my heart, Fundy. I loved you so much.”

‘Lumiliwanag ang buhay

Habang tayo'y magkaakbay

At dahan-dahang dumudulas

Ang kamay ko sa makinis mong braso, hoo’

“My life just gets brighter while we're holding hands with each other.” Those had been the best moments of his life. Though what they had only lasted for a few years, it was real. Dream thought it was real. During those afternoons where he would come to visit Fundy, he felt like he could leave his troubles at the window. When they danced, it was just them. The world would never know who they were, would never know the dances and talks they shared. No one could judge them, or mock them, or expect more from them. They were just two teens crazy in love with each other. But all good things must come to an end. Dream lowered his gaze, swallowing down the bitterness in his throat. He remembered that night so clearly, remembered the tears they both had cried. “And slowly, I lose my grip when my hand starts to slip on your shoulder.”

‘It had been a rainy night, cliche but Dream didn’t really find it all that funny. High school was over, and it was time they moved on. Fundy had barely even looked at him the entire time, maybe he was terrified of what Dream would do, but Dream was too busy holding back his own tears. Of course he had expected it. He knew it was coming, he just didn’t think it would be so soon and so sudden. Fundy had apologized, stating that his family was sending him to a faroff college, one that Dream would never be able to get into no matter how hard he tried. It was officially over.’

“I broke up with you.”

“You did… It hurt. It still does.”

“I know.”

‘Sana noon pa man ay sinabi na sa iyo

Kahit hindi na uso ay ito lang ang alam ko’

“I wish that at that time I had told you what I felt.” Dream wished he’d told him how much he loved him. If he had, then maybe… “Even if it's not popular, this is the only thing that I know—”

“Shut up.” He startled, flinching once he realized that Fundy was moving closer. Dream paused once he realized that Fundy was reaching out a hand towards him. “One last dance, Dream?”

“I’d die to have one last dance, Fundy.” He looked down at Fundy’s hand, glancing at the harshness of his palms. Fundy used to have the softest hands, but the years have changed that. Dream hesitantly placed his hand on Fundy’s, pulling himself off his seat before swaying gently to the music. Fundy held onto his hands, a small content smile on his face. Dream could feel the waitress’ gaze on the back of his head, but there and now, he could have cared less. He wanted this last dance before he went to leave again. He wished he could have more than one last dance.

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind…” Dream could feel the tears fall past his cheeks, gasping for air. “That you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.”

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

He held on tightly to Fundy’s hands, wishing for that moment to last forever. They danced together, swaying to the tune of the music. Even if the diner hadn’t been empty, Dream would have danced with Fundy if he’d asked. He would have jumped at the chance to dance with again. The song finished, and Dream collapsed back into his seat. It was their song that was playing.

‘Lumipas ang maraming taon

'Di na tayo nagkita

Balita ko'y may anak ka na

Ngunit walang asawa’

“And many years had passed by, we didn’t see each other anymore.” He started shakily, waking himself. “I heard from somewhere that you have a child… but you don't have a husband.”

‘Taga-hugas ka raw ng pinggan sa may Ermita

At isang gabi'y nasagasaan sa isang madilim na eskinita

Lahat ng pangarap ko'y bigla lang natunaw

Sa panaginip na lang pala kita maisasayaw’

“They said you wash the plates in a place called Ermita, and one day, there was an accident that happened on a very dark alleyway.” His head felt heavy, like a hammer was beating in a nail against the back. Dream rested his head against the cool table. He couldn’t bear to look up again. He couldn’t look up again. For his own sake, he couldn’t. “All my hopes for the future had just started to melt away. I guess my dreams are the only place where I could dance with you again.”

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

“As we held our hands together, I had no doubt in my mind that you really had taught my heart how to truly fall in love.” Still, Dream would hold onto the memories of them. The kinder times.

‘Magkahawak ang ating kamay

At walang kamalay-malay

Na tinuruan mo ang puso ko

Na umibig na tunay’

As we held our hands together

I had no doubt in my mind

That you really had taught my heart

How to truly fall in love

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

La la la la, la la, la la, la la la

“He talked about you a lot.”

Dream looked up, the waitress was holding a box of tissues towards him.

“He did?”

“He did.”

Dream reached for the box of tissues, his heart burning with ache.

“I just wish…”

“I understand. I wish he was still here too. He was… He is my best friend.”

The waitress wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

“I… We used to date. It’s stupid but… I miss him.”

“I do too. Yogurt, Fundy’s son, he’s devastated.”

“He’s young, and he’s already lost his dad.”

Dream glanced down at the box of tissues, forcing a smile on his face. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Be good to him, or I will hunt you down and kill you.”

He laughed at that, reaching for one of the tissues. “Thank you, Miss…?”

“Niki. It’s Niki.”

She reached down, patting his shoulder.

She gave him a bittersweet smile.

“Fundy would have… He trusted you. So, be good to Yogurt for him, please.”

“I will.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Killed off Fundy, not feeling good ;-;

Also Yogurt is mentioned but not significant, I'm so sorry Yogurt ;-;

Also rip the imagery of Dream dancing alone in the middle of an empty diner ;-;

#fundy #dream dsmp #fundywastaken #dsmp fanfiction #dsmp #rip the tags they be disappearing lmao

[blu-joons]

You’re Filipino ~ BTS Reaction

Jin:

When he first suggested that he wanted to learn the language he thought it would be a breeze, but how wrong he was. “It’s impossible to get.”

“It’s not impossible, you’re just not giving it enough time,” you reminded him.

He turned back to face you, “we’re meeting your parents in a matter of weeks and I can barely put a sentence together, they’re going to hate me.”

“Well what do you want to learn?” You asked, sitting down in his lap.

“I want to be able to say I love you, that’s a pretty important phrase.”

“I don’t think my parents will be impressed by that.”

His head shook, pressing a kiss against your cheek, “it’s not to impress your parents, I just want o be able to say it to you.

“Listen closely, mahal kita, that’s all it is,” you clearly told him.

“Mahal kita,” he repeated, giggling as you nodded proudly at his attempt. “Y/N, mahal kita,” he blushed, hiding his face into your neck.

“Do you feel a bit better now?”

“Yeah, I’ve learnt what’s most important.”

Yoongi:

His hand laced in yours as you walked through the streets of your hometown, pointing out all your favourite places. “I can’t believe this is where you grew up, it’s so different.”

“It’s not Korea, but it definitely will always be home for me,” you smiled.

He waved lightly as a few of your old friends walked past, “I wish we could stay for longer and explore this place a little more.”

“If we stay together, we’ll get to have plenty of trips here to see my family.”

“I don’t plan on breaking up,” he chuckled.

“I don’t plan on us breaking up either.”

His eyes were firmly on you as he saw just how happy you were to be back in your place, filled with all your memories. “Do you miss it?” He questioned suddenly.

“At times, but I have a new home now.”

“I know Korea isn’t the same, but I’ll try hard to make it home for you,” he assured you, pulling you tightly against his body.

“Home is wherever I am with you.”

“I’ll always be your home.”

Hoseok:

Your smile quickly grew as you saw your family appear on screen, sitting out in their garden late at night. “Kamusta,” Hobi grinned, waving to all of them.

“He’s been practicing,” you pointed out as they all hummed, impressed by his efforts.

Your mum leant forwards, giving Hobi a thumbs up, “hello to you too Hobi,” she responded, causing him to chuckle.

“How have you been?” He asked, exhausting all he could remember of the Filipino language.

“We’re good, how have the two of you been, looking after each other?”

“Of course, we have!” He quickly reassured them all.

You sat back for a moment admiring the close bond your family shared with Hobi, even if there were so many miles between you both. “He does look after me very well.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” your father piped up, sending a shiver down Hobi’s spine, “you know if she’s ever trouble though, send her back here.”

“Hey! I’m no trouble at all!”

“She’s right, she’s brilliant.”

Namjoon:

He called your name out as soon as he came back from the shop, placing all the items down on the counter. “There’s a theme going on here, see if you can figure it out.”

“It’s all food?” You joked, sniggering as his eyes rolled at you.

He turned the products around, so the labels were on show, “take a closer look, and give it all a thorough read through.”

“It’s from the Philippines?” You nonchalantly read out to him.

“Exactly! I bought all the produce that came from the Philippines, so it kind of comes from home.”

“But you missed half the stuff off the list?”

A light blush graced his cheeks as he began to put the shopping away, “you’re missing the point, isn’t this romantic of me?”

“If you want to eat bananas all week,” you frowned.

“Okay, how about I go back to the store tomorrow, but maybe we could try and make something out of all of this,” he suggested, looking around.

“You’re going nowhere near the oven.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

Jimin:

You were barely able to contain your excitement as the plane landed, staring out of the window with wide eyes. “It smells like home; the air just feels right.”

“I guess you’re excited then,” he teased, squeezing his hand against yours.

Your head nodded rapidly, “I’ve been dreaming of the moment I get to bring you here for so long, and now it’s finally happening, I’m more than excited.”

“I’ve got a pretty good-looking tour guide to show me around too,” he whispered.

“Oh, where are they?” You joked, looking around the plane cabin, making him laugh.

“I guess we’ll never know.”

You couldn’t get off the plane quick enough as you stepped onto your home ground, “I hope you’re prepared for a lot of fun this week Chim!”

“I wouldn’t want for anything less,” he assured you.

“Everyone’s so excited to meet you, and make sure you’re the right one for me,” you warned, smirking as the expression on his face dropped.

“No pressure at all then.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine!”

Taehyung:

You were woken by the smell of something cooking downstairs, greeted by Taehyung, still in his pyjamas walking around the kitchen. “It’s a little early to be cooking, isn’t it?”

“Get out! Don’t look!” He yelled as soon as he heard you walk into the room.

The smell was all too familiar as he pushed you out, trying to peer over his shoulder. “Are you doing what I think it is you’re doing.”

“Well, it’s not going to be as good as at home,” he frowned.

“You’re doing tapsilog? That’s so sweet of you, I promise I’ll love it regardless.”

“As long as it’s not ruined?”

You nodded, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I’m sure it’ll be perfect, just follow the instructions and you can’t go wrong.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” he smartly replied.

“Do you want my help?” You asked, but his head quickly shook, this was something he wanted to figure out all by himself.

“You relax, I’ve got it all under control.”

“If you say so.”

Jungkook:

Light giggles escaped him with every step you took as you walked him around the Taal volcano, “I need to take a photo of everything here, it’s so pretty.”

“So, I did a good bringing you here?” You asked, catching up to him.

He smiled across at you, “I know you said that it would be amazing here, but this has exceeded all of my expectations, it’s amazing.”

“And it’s perfect for your photography,” you added.

“I could stay here all day and take photos, it’s such a beautiful sight to capture.”

“I did tell you that it was stunning.”

“I was talking about you,” he chuckled, snapping a quick photo of you off guard, “but I guess the volcano looks pretty nice too.”

“You’re far too smooth sometimes Jeon Jungkook,” you chuckled.

He proudly nodded, spinning himself around to take a photo of the volcano, “will you stand in front of it, I want to take one like you’re holding it.”

“This just keeps getting more and more cliché.”

“I know you love it really!”

---

Masterlist

#bts #bts imagine #bts reaction #bts reactions #bts scenario #bts scenarios #jin imagine #yoongi imagine #hoseok imagine #namjoon imagine #jimin imagine #taehyung imagine #jungkook imagine #bts drabble #bts one shot #bts fluff #jin #yoongi #hoseok #namjoon #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #kpop #kpop imagine

[kuroosshortcake]

Under The Rain | K. Tetsurou

Kuroo Tetsurou x Audr-- Y/N ( aaaah. t_t )

Genre: fluff ig? romance ig??idk omg haqhhquqiiqiqiq.

Sticky Notes!! Lmao hi y’all, double update bcuz y not? hope y’all will love this and pls don’t be shy to suggest some plots or whateves, love y’all.

The title of the song i used was “Binibini” by Zack Tabudlo (eng version, the original one was Filipino/Tagalog) I just love the lyrics that why I decided to make a short cute story about it, y’all should listen to it.

Binibini means young lady

Credits to Zack, the owner and composer of the song.

Ps. I was blushing the whole time while writing this wjqiosaoalskkciswiirwiw Goddamn.

“Damn, the bus forgot about us.” He puts his palm on his forehead because of frustration.

“This is the worst day of my fuckin life”

Stress and hungry was all written on his face. You two are sitting by the waiting shed of the school.

“Aww don’t be that mad, I’m sure that this day wouldn't be that worst.” You said patting his back, he just frowned at you. “Oh! I suddenly remembered i still have that pork bun you bought for me” You opened your bag to get the food “Here, say aaahh” You said as he opened his mouth to accept the food even though he’s still pissed.

You smiled at how adorable your boyfriend is.

Then suddenly the rain starts to pour. (pls play the video at this part and just feel the music while reading. <33)

“Ah, fuck it. We’re doomed.” he said at he held your hands and pulled you closer to him, making sure that the won’t get wet by the rain.

You love weather like this, the cold and wet rain water was splashing on the ground was just really satisfying to watching.

You started to take of your shoes and socks and stoop up, still holding Kuroo’s hands.

“Hey! where are we going?! we might get wet! ” He said, forcing you to sit again.

You let go of his hand and started to ran on the road, feeling the cold rain water splash against your body. “This feels good.” You said on your mind as you closed your eyes, imagining that you're dancing gracefully with a good music.

Kuroo on the other side, was worried but when he saw you swaying a little, he smiled.

He was mesmerized by your beauty, he’s really inlove. As you spins gracefully, his heart skips a beat while watching you.

He's just watching you, when you suddenly run towards him “Come on, Kuroo! Let's dance!” You let out a small chuckle, Kuroo smiled and took off his shoes too.

You two went to the road, swaying slowly together with the dancing rain. You were smiling the whole time when he spins you around, you two were like on your own little world, not minding who will see.

you two were like a prince and a princess on their own ballroom, dancing and staring at each others eyes.

“Hey shortcake” He said and puts his handa on your waist, pulling you closer to him. “Do you remember the time you told me that you weren't ready for a relationship?” he asked and hugged you. “Hmm” you responded and closed your eyes. “I was madly inlove with you that time...well i’m still madly inlove with you until now” he said and chuckled.

You never imagined that you’ll be in a relationship with someone who’s nearly perfect like him, that’s why at first you told him that you weren't ready.

But he keeps on telling and showing you how much he loves you, now look you were in his arms.

Wishing that he wouldn't let you go.

“But destiny called the both of us and now look, we’re in each others arms.” he said and kissed your head. you tighten your hug, signalling him not to let go. “I won't let you go, I swear to all the pork buns in the world ” he said and chuckled.

“I love you, Shortcake” he said and kissed you in the lips.

You in Kuroo’s arms while kissing each other under the rain.... what a great scenery, right?

“Oh, darling, dance with me now

Under the rain, under the dark gray clouds

If this my last day on Earth, then love me now

Baby, I'll do everything to make you smile

I know you love me like, I love you now”

  

#haikyuu!! #kuroo tetsurō #kuroo x you #kuroo fluff #haikyuu kuroo tetsuro #haikyuu kuroo #anime

[keiyoomi]

tradition and culture.

❝. . . How about HCs half-filo Iwaizumi imparting basic tradition and culture to his toddler like the "mano po" or the "tabi tabi po." . . .❞ - anon

✒ i know i’ve mentioned in my rules that i wouldn’t write race-specific request (’coz i don’t want to offend anyone if they’re not represented correctly), but of course i’ll consider filo-related request. i mean. . . i’m a filo. 😅

✒hq!! characters and babies

“Every year, my mother’s family gathers at my grandmother’s house,” he began while showing your two-and-a-half-year old daughter some of the pictures taken during their previous family gatherings. “This year, it’s extra special because this is the first time they’ll meet you,” he continued while fixing Reiko’s hair.

“’Dy, frens? Play?” he asked while pointing at the little kids on the picture. He chuckled before kissing his daughter’s soft hair.

“They’re a lot older now than they were when we took this picture.” Then, he pointed at the boy wearing an oversized orange shirt. “This is your kuya Dodong and this is his little brother, kuya Toto,” he said while pointing at the kid next to Dodong.

“Kya Dong? Ya To?” he chuckled while nodding his head. “Wah!” she gasped before turning the album to another page. Reiko’s eyes glimmer as she skims the album and see more and more kids. Until she saw the photo where you stand next to Hajime. “Mama!” she squealed.

Then, Hajime thought of a bright idea.

WHEN you arrived home, you noticed the odd silence inside your house. Especially when you opened the door. You raised an eyebrow at your husband who was leaning against the wall with a smug look on his face before looking at your little daughter who was playing with the ribbon on her dress.

You placed your outdoor shoes on the rack and slipped on your soft slippers. Then, Reiko suddenly extended her arm, reaching out for your right hand. Your jaw dropped when she brought it on her forehead before she looked up at you with the brightest smile on her face.

“How day po, Mama?”

When she uses ‘po’, you glanced up at your—now—teary-eyed husband who’s trying his best to keep himself from crying. Proud of his little girl, he picked Reiko up before spinning her.

You little girl giggle and laugh as Hajime nuzzles his head on his little girl’s neck. “I’m so proud of you, Rei. You’re a big girl now.”

You shook your head as soon as you heard those words from him. “Hajime, it’s not like she’s going to move out now that she learned some of your tradition,” you pointed out.

A pouting Hajime looked at you, “She’s. . . She’s. . .”

You tapped his shoulder as soon as he sniffed. You tiptoed and kissed his lips before heading to the kitchen. “She’s still a baby, you big baby.” Then, you turned to them. “Ah! You gotta tell her too about that ‘pwera usog’ you taught me before. Because I’m pretty sure a lot of them would compliment her.”

Hajime’s eyes widened before nodding his head. Good thing you remind him of that. He wouldn’t risk your child’s health, you know.

fun facts (for non-filos):

most filipino families love to gather once in awhile. at least, pre-covid period. it could happen during birthdays, death anniversaries, christenings, weddings, despedida (send-off) parties, even fiestas!

in our family, i’ve met several ‘dodongs’ and ‘totos’ and all of them were relatives of ours. yes, they are different people.

kuya is one way of addressing older brother (i use kuya even to older men/male strangers like jeepney drivers tricycle drivers, etc.) another way of addressing them is by calling them ‘manong.’

the ‘mano po’ thing is one of the things that the elderly taught the younger generation as a sign of respect to their grandparents, mother, father, aunties, uncles, godfather, godmother, etc.

the word ‘po’ is a sign of courtesy and respect to the person you were talking to.

and the ‘pwera usog’ thing is kinda hard to explain. i hear it from my auntie whenever someone compliments a kid or even people around my age. it sort of mean like ‘not to be jinxed’ or something. it is like it wards off bad things from happening to the complimented person?

#keiyoomi: masterlist #keiyoomi: fluff #hq!! fluff #iwaizumi fluff #iwaizumi hajime fluff #haikyuu!! fluff #haikyuu!! as dads