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dat-town · 3 years

Text

not gonna miss this chance

Characters: Han Seojun & soloist!female reader

Genre: fluff

Setting: true beauty au, set a year after the tv show’s ending timeline

Summary: Your career is on the verge of ending, hence your management puts you up to do a duet with the infamous Han Seojun. You have heard too many rumours about him to keep track of and yet, none of them could have prepared you for the feelings that came with meeting him.

Words: 4.1k

Self indulgent little snippet because he deserves happiness too.

You had heard of Han Seojun before meeting him, of course you had. Everybody who was in the industry had heard of the hot trend of a Newstagram star-turned idol and his band's shining debut from a year ago. They were told to have snatched teenage girls hearts all over Korea with their good looks and soulful music. You had heard their title track and you had to admit it was nice but nice wasn't enough in a cut-throat industry like entertainment.

Look at you, starting training at twelve, debuting at fifteen and now barely twenty-one you were on the verge of becoming a thrown away doll. Once you had been called cute and the it girl of your generation and now? People were saying you got boring just because your music had matured. Gosh, you couldn't keep singing about first love like your hit song had been for the rest of your life for god's sake. Your last album had been a flop, your company had been losing money and you were still afraid that even with a year left of your contract, they would cut you. But your manager had begged them for a chance and here it was: a collaboration with the newest love of Korea.

But the thing was, Han Seojun had quite a reputation and you didn't know who to believe. Some said he was well-mannered and hard-working. Others gossiped that he was always flirting with his makeup artists and Chen claimed he had been rude to her even when he had just been a ‘nobody’. Not that you were particularly fond of Chen either but as a fellow solo female singer you were a tad bit worried how the infamous singer would treat you.

Well, standing in front of Move Entertainment, you were just about to find out. Taking a shallow breath you followed your manager's lead, bowing to the receptionist and getting into the elevator after taking your visitor's badge. You had heard the company has gone through many changes after the executives were replaced due to the revealed Seyeon scandal but everything looked expensive, shiny and new, unlike in your small agency.

“Hey, I’m Lim Heekyung, nice to meet you. Seojun will be in a minute, too,” a woman in a pantsuit walked up to you on the right floor with a confident smile as she introduced herself. She led you to a meeting room which was apparently customized for a few people only and started preparing papers. She looked excited which was a relief and nice to see, at least someone from Move Entertainment was happy for this project apparently. You were a bit afraid they would see you like a leech, trying to cling onto their new star’s popularity.

“Shall we start? Seojun is a fan of dramatic entrances anyways,” Miss Lim laughed joyfully as if it wasn’t new to her that the idol didn’t make it on time. Ah yeah, you had heard rumours saying that he had something on the company and that was why they were so lenient with him.

You sat in silence, let your manager do the talk about the collaboration project. Seojun could play the guitar, you could play the piano, apparently it was perfect for a ballad duet, though if you used instruments yourself it added to the preparations time. But luckily, there was a songwriter named Leo at the company who had already sent in a few samples specifically for Seojun, so you didn’t have to start from zero.

“Ah, I see you started without me. What did I miss?” A tall boy opened the door wide and flipped down onto the chair across you casually. He had grown into his lanky limbs and with those wide shoulders hugged by the leather jacket, helix earrings in one ear and soft brown hair brushed to one side, it wasn’t a surprise how many female fans swooned over him. But there were a lot of handsome boys in the business, just his looks – no matter how confident he was in them based on the way he carried himself – wouldn’t make a difference.

Miss Lim patiently let Seojun know about the advances and only when she mentioned your name, did the boy glance at you. His dark brown eyes had a sharp form, just as piercing as his gaze, but the cunning smile spreading over his lips softened it a bit. He looked at you as if he wanted to see through you, to figure out how he should have approached you. You expected a snarky or arrogant comment, but in the end, he just flashed a blinding smile at you, one you could see on his posters, before turning back to Miss Lim.

“What’s the schedule?” he asked simply and you both were notified about the deadline of deciding and finalizing the song, the dates of planned recording sessions and the photoshoot. Since there would be no promotion period, it all would be done within a month and half from start to finish. You were a bit relieved hearing that and leave Move Entertainment without any confrontation.

You thought you were good at masking your wary feelings since the further meetings went well and the first recording session went okay-ish. Although both of you had been a bit scolded by the producer for not putting enough feelings into your singing. He claimed that the demo sent by Leo was much more emotional which made Seojun scoff and mumble under his nose. The PD called it for a day, making you promise to practice for next time and one by one they all left. Your manager told you that he would bring the car while you refresh yourself in the bathroom, so you really didn’t expect anyone to wait for you when you stepped out of the restroom, much less Han Seojun.

"Spit it out," he bit out barely glancing your way as he leaned against the corridor’s wall.

"What?" you spluttered as you were really taken aback by his out of blue appearance and question. The guy let out a tired sigh at your obliviousness and pushed himself away from the wall just to walk up to you, towering over your height with his.

"You look at me as if I killed your hamster or something. Which rumour about me bothers you? I fucking can't keep walking on eggshells around you, especially when it's just the two of us," he tsked and you gulped at the sudden called out. You didn’t think it bothered him, or that he was considerate enough to ‘walk on eggshells around you’, you merely thought he was so distant from everybody. It was still better than what Chen had told you.

"Oh, I… nothing. It's stupid. Sorry," you mumbled, feeling embarrassed for your your actions but Seojun apparently wasn’t satisfied without a real answer as he carried on:

"I didn't bully kids in high school but I threatened ones that deserved it, I didn't only get a pity chance from the entertainment, one of our makeup artists is actually one of my best friends, I'm not…"

"Chen told me you are rude and arrogant and have no respect for girls," you blurted out to stop him from speaking because you felt like you didn’t deserve to hear all that. He didn’t owe you any explanation for the way he was. You were just co-workers for a project after all, you had no place in his life, nor he had in yours, so he shouldn’t have been that bothered by your opinion but you understood that he felt uncomfortable due to your silent accusations.

Hearing your hasty interruption, the singer scoffed, a laugh-like sound leaving his mouth.

"Well, I have no respect for girls like Chen who harass my friends and turn their lives into hell just to go on a date with me," he said and it made you blink slowly.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Check your facts before you go around believing such crap," Seojun stepped back with a roll of his eyes.

The whole situation made you feel made about how you acted, so you wished to apologise but it fell from your lips all too carelessly: "Sorry, I was just worried. This is my last chance, so–"

"Last chance?" the guy quirked a brow at you, curious but you quickly waved his question away.

"Nevermind, I just need this song to do well."

"Of course, it will. I'm Han Seojun, it will turn to gold under my hands," he grinned and made eccentric gestures as if he was about to do magic. You couldn't help a smile. “Or well, vocal chords.”

And turn it to gold, he did.

The rest of your recording sessions went smoother, even the previously grumpy PD complimented your for the development in your chemistry. Funny, you wouldn’t have thought that the wall pulled up between the two of you mattered that much, but at least you didn’t have a knot in your stomach, nor did you worry about every small thing you did around Han Seojun. He also acted more casual, more playful, joking around when both of you had a bit of time to take a breather. He snapped silly pictures, showed off with his height, smirked when he got too close but despite all his bravado and lowkey flirting, you believed even he wouldn’t have jeopardised his career over something like this.

Maybe that's why wrapping up the recording felt a tad bit weird: you got used to his presence, his jokes, his beautiful, deep voice that you could have fallen asleep to. Sure, sometimes he was cocky, a bit rough around the edges but he was a great singer and a fun guy. The project seemed to work out well and you loved it a lot, so you hoped the listeners would appreciate it as well.

But before all that you had one photo shoot together for the promotional pictures and the single's cover. You were grateful for the simple pastel colour background and elegant setting. The warm light latte colour and the clock in the background really fit the song's vibe. Luckily, your dress was decent and pretty as well, you didn't have to feel uncomfortable in it at least. However, you didn’t expect that happy yelp coming from one of the makeup artists stepping into the dressing room. You turned to face the girl, wondering whether she was your fan judged by her excitement.

"Oh my! I'm so happy to finally meet you! Seojun told us about you so much!" she beamed at you which obviously took you back. Well, that you didn’t expect at all. He spoke of you to others? Ah. Apparently to the makeup artist who was most probably that certain one of his best friends he had told you about?

"Don't exaggerate, Imju, I mentioned her like what… once?" Seojun walked in on cue. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, trying to avert the topic. "How's Suho?"

You had know idea who that said guy was but after a moment or two you could breathe properly once again while listening to their chatting.

“Just the usual. He’s excited about your duet.”

“Of course, he is,” Seojun grinned, a bit snarky but you could hear the proud undertones of it. When he looked at you, you were surprised by him leaning close though as he quieted down until only you could hear it. “Don’t worry, Jugyeong is really good and just stop her if she gets too gossip-y.”

“Are you talking about me behind my back, hah, Han Seojun?” The pretty girl called Jugyeong raised her fist as if she was about to hit the idol but he just laughed it off and left you two alone when he was hurried onto the set to start with his individual shoots.

“Have you known each other for a long time?” you couldn’t help but wonder as you were seated to get your makeup from her.

“Ah, almost 4 years, I think. We went to high school together. Plus, he’s best friends with my boyfriend. Though, they are always bickering like a married couple,” Jugyeong chuckled joyfully as she started with the cushion. You closed your eyes, listening as she kept going on about the time when Seojun had been obsessed with his motorbike, getting into trouble with his mother. It was strange hearing about a whole other side of him, mama's boy but the image tugged on your mouth, making you smile even though you weren't sure you had the right to know all that. You also learned that Seojun's sister was dating Jugyeong's brother and you felt so involved with the girl's trust albeit it was your last meeting, you were sure Seojun must have only told good things about you.

Hence, you felt shy under his knowing gaze when you walked out of the dressing room. He must have known that Jugyeong couldn't shut up for the life of her, so he looked a bit uncertain, too, stretching the back of his neck, forcing a cunning smile onto his smile when you took your place next to him.

To fit the ballad's theme, the setting was a piano decorated with flowers and you were instructed to sit beside him as if you were about to play a four hands piece. As you did what you had been told, you were very much aware of the way your arms brushed, his long fingers over the keys close to yours, his smile small but genuine.

"Great, great, guys! Someone help her onto the piano and Seojun, stand in front of her," the photographer directed the next scene but before any staff members would have rushed up to you, the singer next to you shushed them.

"I can do it," he insisted as he stood up and looked you in the eyes, silently asking for permission. You nodded while holding your breath back before Seojun put his hands on your waist above the fluffy tulle skirt part and counting on three, he lifted you onto the lid of the beautiful instrument.

You crossed your legs, watching in awe as your pink skirt fell down on waves but your breath hitched for an entirely different reason when you looked up, gaze meeting Seojun's feline eyes trained on you. You had never seen him look at you like that, lacking playfulness or suspicion or curiosity. He looked open, vulnerable, outright starstruck. Your lips parted meaning to ask something but your brain shut off when you heard the shutter of the camera go down and the director yelling compliments at you. It made you snap out of it and later, you blamed the evident blush on your cheeks on the makeup. Seojun blinked too, his guarded expression back in no time, finishing the photo shoot professionally, always lingering close to you, but never touching you. Even though you wouldn’t have minded.

"Hey," Seojun peeked into your dressing room just as you were about to leave, packing up, with a smile on his mouth and sparkles in his deep brown eyes. But unlike half an hour ago when he wore a fancy suit and looked at you like a prince would have looked at his princess, he acted just as casual as he looked in his denim jacket over dark tee. "Wanna grab something with me if you finished for today?"

His question took you back but first thing first you glanced towards your manager, eyes begging for permission which you had gotten with a sigh.

"Just be discreet and call me if you need me to pick you up," your manager shrugged, leaving you two alone with a knowing look that told you to be careful. You didn't need to be told though, you knew how much depended on the current public response to your image.

"Seems like a green light. Have you thought of anything specific?" you turned back to the boy with a subtle smile.

"Not really but I know a few less frequent, secluded places to avoid much talk about us," he said and you nodded, following his lead. Masks, caps and hoodies on, you barely talk on your way to the tent with the lovely ahjumma who welcomed Seojun (two heads taller than her) with a pinch of his cheeks and told you to get seated.

"Are you a regular here?" you inquire, carefully pulling down your mask since not many people are around.

"You could say that," the boy hummed letting you adjust to the place at your own pace, not pressuring you with extra reassessments about how safe it is there. Yet, he is so casual as if he wasn't afraid of a getting mobbed by Dispatch out of the blue. Not that it happened to you a lot of times but you heard stories and at such a crucial time in your career, you feared something like that more than anything.

"Do you want to come up to mine instead?" Seojun blurted out suddenly which made you wide eyed in a span of a moment as you splattered out a surprised yelp. "Come on, I don't mean anything by it. You just look really nervous being in the public," the singer said, his deep voice softening, soothing by the end and you needed to take a breather before answering. You didn't think it was so obvious but apparently you had never been a good liar with him.

In the end, you decided on going over to Seojun's place, so he asked the ahjumma to pack your food to go and you headed towards his flat a few blocks from the company. It was a small but cozy place, much softer and brighter than you expected, lots of pastels and photos of friends and family. While the boy busied himself in the kitchen, getting you plates, chopsticks and beer, you were encouraged to look around and you couldn't help but smile at his photos with not only his band members but high school friends, too. You had seen photos of his graduation with Jugyeong, then another one of his debut with her and another guy. He was a recurring person on a lot of pictures, so you assumed that he was the so-called Suho.

"He's Jugyeong's boyfriend," Seojun affirmed as he walked up to you which you acknowledged with a hum and smiled at his photos with his sister and mother. The makeup artist was right when she said he was only tough on the outside.

"You knew Seyeon?" you whispered as your gaze shifted of a picture of three boys smiling widely into the camera. The middle one was the talented boy you had known from the news of his committed suicide. Such a tragedy.

"Uhum. We were best friends. Him, Suho and me," Seojun nodded and without having to ask, he told you how they had gotten to know each other, what were their favourite past time activities and how they fell apart when he died. You could see he was hurting even now as he was talking about it, so you grazed your fingers against his knuckles as though to say you were there for him to listen, or whatever he needed.

Talking about his best friends and how a group of guys including someone named Chorong stuck by his side over the years warmed your heart. It was nice to know that not everyone had it as lonely as you who basically missed out on high school and memories from that time to be able to turn your dreams into reality. Your only friends were also in the industry but it made things both easier and harder.

"What about you? What did you mean by this being your last chance?" Seojun asked like a loaded gun but after everything he had just told you, you knew you could trust him with this and being in the industry for a while now, he must have understood, too.

You told him about the rising expectations, about your image and your company's ultimatum. It actually felt nice to talk about with someone other than your manager. Especially since Seojun seemed to understand exactly why you felt conflicted over the matter. You have given your youth to this dream of yours, so giving up on it would have felt like betraying yourself and everyone who believed in you but you weren't sure you could give it another 10 years of your life no matter how much you liked music. You had decent CSATs result, maybe you could have applied for a university program. Seojun even offered to arrange a meeting between you and Suho who was studying to become a proper songwriter.

You talked for hours and ate the tteokbokki even though it had gotten cold long ago and you couldn't remember when was the last time you had felt so light. You felt giddy even with just the tiny bit of alcohol in your system by the time you knew it was time for you to go.

Once you had felt relieved knowing that promoting your duet would be only one performance but recently, you started dreading the moment because that meant that you wouldn't have any more excuse to see Seojun. In the backstage, this time around you greeted Jugyeong like an old friend and teased to give Seojun a funny makeup before walking up to your own assigned staff members. Your look was full of sparkles and glow fitting the silver colour of your dress, completing the ethereal vibe off the stage you were going to do and the beautiful song you had grown to love so much you held it close to your heart. The last rehearsals went smoothly and if you noticed Seojun's gaze lingering a bit too long, you didn't comment on it.

"Are you nervous?" he asked before the final recording and you knew it would have been unreasonable to deny it, so you replied with a small smile.

"A bit."

"Don't be. You're pretty and you'll do amazing," he reassured you and the way he said those words oh so easy. As if they were natural. As if he believed in you and maybe this was all the reassurance you needed because when you walked up onto the stage, not taking your eyes off his, it felt like it was just the two of you there. All the stress about not being good enough, about being judged for who you were and what you wanted to do with your life was subsided as you focused on the moment, just to sing this one song with one while trying to fight your heart's crazy beating.

You didn't really have the luxury to have crushes. You had always been concentrated on your work, you couldn't let yourself have distractions, especially since love scandals always affected girl worse than guy. At least that was what you told yourself for always putting up a wall around you and guarding your heart all too well. But during the past few weeks, between playful or flirty remarks, between smiles and ruffling hair, Seojun took apart your wall brick by brick even if he wasn't aware.

So it might have been only a few days since you had last seen him but in that rare moment of boredom, alone in your room, you realized that you missed him. Hell, you liked him and the feeling made me want to scream into your pillow as if you were a silly teenager. As if on cue, your phone buzzed with a new message and seeing the KakaoTalk ID made you shy.

duet partner, han seo jun

so...

i've been thinking

you

sounds dangerous but ok

duet partner, han seo jun

don't get sassy with me, miss

you

what have you been thinking about?

duet partner, han seo jun

that i don't want to miss my chance

there's this girl i like

i thought of asking her out

do you think she would say yes?

you

oh. well... why wouldn't she?

i mean, you are talented, handsome, funny and reliable

duet partner, han seo jun

and what about my job? it's busy and a bit crazy

don't you think it would be unfair of me to ask?

you

I think you should let her decide that

duet partner, han seo jun

okay

are you free on friday?

you

um, sure?

duet partner, han seo jun

cool, then go on a date with me?

#han seo jun x reader #seojun x reader #han seojun #han seo joon #true beauty #stories #i just wanted to give him a happy end after ep16 #that's what this is about

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marjansmarwani · 3 years

Text

like I was already brave enough to let go

7.2k || Chapter 1/2 || ao3

Enzo understands that leaving New York in the wake of everything is what's best for TK, but that doesn't make it any easier. Watching his stepson pack up all his broken pieces and move across the country hurts him in ways he can't describe, mostly due to the knowledge that there will be a distance between them that has never existed before. So he takes the time to check-in, to keep track of TK. To be there for him, no matter what.

He's just starting to wish that he had picked somewhere other than Austin, because he is quickly discovering he is not built for this level of stress.

After reading @futures-tense’s Enzo fic (that everyone should read, it is phenomenal) I couldn’t get thoughts of him and his relationship with TK out of my head, so naturally I wrote this. It fits into canon evetns and this is only chapter 1 of 2, because while I so have an outline for season 2 events, this was getting long so I figured I’d at least post what I had.

Massive thanks to @silvarafael and @justaswampdemon for all their help and support with this, you’re both the best!

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

He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting when TK opened his apartment door, but the sad shell of the boy Enzo had come to love as his own wasn’t it.

Or maybe it was, but it hurt all the same.

“Hey kid,” he said softly, stepping carefully around him and into the apartment. He looked around the small space, taking in all the boxes haphazardly labeled and partially packed. “So, it’s true. Your mom told me but I don’t think I believed her. Never thought I’d see the day TK Strand willingly left New York for Texas, of all places.”

“Who says it’s willingly,” he said dully as he shut the door behind Enzo.

Enzo turned and studied him more closely, taking in the downturned eyes and anxious fingers thumbing the seam of his hoodie pocket, “Do you not want to go? Because you can stay here. I’ll talk to your mom, you can stay with us if you…”

But TK cut him off with a shake of his head, “No,” he said, “I think I need to do this. Dad’s right, I need a fresh start. I can’t...I don’t think I can be here anymore. When I think of staying here, I don’t see a way forward. I think if I stayed here I’d…” he trailed off, but Enzo felt a chill rush through him at the implication of what TK hadn’t said. He tried to meet his eyes but TK looked away, casting his gaze downward and away from Enzo’s sympathetic eyes.

It hurt him more than he could say to see TK like this. For all his struggles he had always been a happy kid. He had always been someone who found the joy in life where he could and he had always worn his emotions on his sleeve, for better or worse. Seeing him like this and knowing what had happened hurt Enzo in ways he couldn’t fully describe because he didn’t know the right words. All he knew for sure is that this was not the TK he had known and loved for 16 years standing before him. This was a stranger; someone he had only seen once before during a time he had hoped to never revisit.

He hadn’t asked what happened because he knew enough and he wasn’t about to make the kid revisit it just so he could fill in some blanks. He might not know everything but he knew enough to feel hot anger course through him at the thought of someone breaking that too big heart of his. TK had always been someone who loved fully and completely, and to see that thrown back in his face so spectacularly made Enzo—a typically steady and calm man — strongly consider homicide.

He had every confidence that Gwyn could get him out of any charges too, but he pushed that thought aside to focus on the scene before him.

“This isn’t your fault, TK.”

TK turned away from him, absently picking up some books from the table and dropping them into one of the boxes. “I know I didn’t make Alex cheat,” he says eventually, “but the rest of it? That is completely on me Enzo, no one else.”

He could sense that the kid had more to say so he let him go, watching from the doorway as he listlessly picked up other odds and ends from around his apartment, tossing them into boxes without any real care as to what the labels on the side said. He knew TK would speak up when he was ready and it was only a few more minutes before he did.

“Eight years,” he finally said, his rough voice breaking the silence of the half-packed apartment. “Eight fucking years of sobriety, all gone. And that’s all on me. It doesn’t matter what Alex did, I’m the one who made the choice. I am the one who let him have that power over me and…” he broke off, meeting Enzo’s eyes for a moment before looking away and swallowing. “I do need to leave,” he said eventually. “I don’t trust myself to stay here anymore. I don’t know if I’d survive it.”

Enzo could feel his heart breaking for the kid. He wasn’t a kid anymore — now 26 and an adult — but in Enzo’s eyes sometimes he was still the 10-year-old who met his eyes shyly when Gwyn first introduced them, the 14-year-old who had admitted to him in a terrified whisper that he thought he might like boys, the 19-year-old who had come to him because he wanted to enroll in the fire academy and didn’t know how his mother would take it. The feeling he had now was just like the feelings he had had then. This overwhelming love and desire to protect him from everything bad in the world; from anyone that ever told him he wasn’t enough.

And just like he had then, he stepped forward, closing the space between them to pull him into a hug. He held him close, pressing his face into his chest and placing a kiss on the top of his head. “You’re making the smart choice then,” he said evenly. “And, as much as I’ll miss you, I’m proud of you for doing what you have to do. You’ve beat this once and you’ll beat it again, I have no doubt about that.”

He knew he wasn’t imagining it when the body in his arms sagged in relief. It made him clutch him that much tighter as he spoke again, hoping what he was about to say was a given but needing to say it anyway: “And I will always be here for you, no matter where you live. I’m always just a phone call away, you know that, right?”

TK’s voice was muffled by the material of Enzo’s sweater, but he could still hear the tears in it clear as day, “I do.”

“Good,” Enzo replied firmly, releasing his grip on TK and stepping back so he could meet his eyes. “Because I will be calling to check-in, that is a promise.”

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

Watching him leave was bittersweet, but he believed TK when he said it was something he needed to do. He took some solace in the fact that he wouldn’t be alone. Enzo and Owen Strand may have had their differences over the years (many, many differences) but if there was one thing Enzo had never doubted it was the other man’s love for his son. He knew that TK was in good hands, but that didn’t make it any easier.

He got confirmation they had arrived in Austin in the form of a text that included a picture of a shop selling cowboy hats that simply said, “turns out people actually do where these here. Yes, it looks as ridiculous as it sounds.” It is followed by another two days later that noted the crimes Texas has committed against pizza and though Enzo was still filled with worry, he allowed himself to smile and take it as a sign that he was healing, be it ever so slightly.

He gave it almost a week before he called. He wanted to hear TK’s voice; to have proof that he really was okay, but he also wanted to give him time. His patience was helped by the fact that Gwyn had spoken to her son but eventually, he decided that he needed to hear from him himself.

TK answered by the third ring, sounding out of breath. He greeted him warmly, and Enzo could hear the commotion of construction in the background. He raised an eyebrow, “What, did you decide to leave the fire department and become a contractor when I wasn’t looking?”

This pulled a laugh out of TK and Enzo took a moment to savor the familiar sound. It felt like far too long since he’s last heard it.

“No. Dad decided we should re-do the firehouse, to give everyone a fresh start. I figured I might as well help out. Besides,” he added with a shrug Enzo could almost hear, “demolition is the far healthier method of coping with feelings, right?”

“When done with permission,” Enzo quipped in response. “How are you doing kid, has the pizza chased you away yet?”

TK scoffed, “No, but it was a close thing. Honestly, I really haven’t had that much time to dwell. I’ve been helping with the demo and construction, as well as the candidate interviews and paperwork. I haven’t really taken too much time to think about anything.”

TK said it matter of factly and Enzo almost moved past it. But he knew TK better than most. “You don’t have to punish yourself, kid,” he told him gently. “All you need to do is heal.”

“I’m not punishing myself,” TK objected, “I’m just...trying to keep busy. To distract myself.”

TK might very well think that, but Enzo was pretty sure it wasn’t true. But he was willing to move past it, for now.

“Tell me about the new crew,” he said instead, and smiled as TK launched into stories about a daredevil from Miami and a possible psychic from Chicago. He seemed enthusiastic and Enzo didn’t realize how good it felt to hear that until he had. It was like there was a little bit of life back in his voice and though he knew TK still had a long way to go to make this better, he was relieved to see that he was at least on the way.

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

For a while, everything seemed to be going great. TK called and texted him from time to time, sharing anecdotes from calls and his new crew, and each time Enzo thinks he can hear just a little bit more of his old self returning to his voice. Sure he complains about one of them, for a while, but that too seems to sort itself out.

He could tell there is someone new in his life too, even if TK is hedgy about it at best. But Enzo was the first one to know that TK was gay at 14; he knew how to spot the signs.

“Why won’t you tell me about him?” he asked him one day, voice light and teasing as he stuffed his papers into his bag. “Is there something horribly wrong with him?”

“No,” TK countered emphatically, “there is nothing wrong with him. Absolutely nothing,” he added, almost an unconscious mutter Enzo was not entirely sure he was supposed to hear.

“So if there is ‘absolutely nothing’ wrong with him, why aren't you going for it?”

There was silence on the other end as Enzo slid his bag onto his shoulder, patiently waiting the younger man out.

“You know why,” he eventually said, voice low and sad. Enzo grimaced at how pained his voice sounded and he dropped back into his desk chair with a sigh.

“TK…” he began, but the younger man cut him off firmly.

“No, Enzo. I...I thought I could. I thought we could have something casual and that I could handle it. But then he wanted more and I hurt him. I don’t want to do that, he doesn’t deserve it. He’s too good to get dragged into my shitshow.”

“Have you asked him what he wants?” Enzo asked gently.

The bark of laughter TK gave at that was sharp and harsh, “Yeah, that should go well. Definitely won’t lead to me having to explain to this guy I’ve hooked up with a handful of times all the ways I’m fucked up right now.”

Enzo sighed again, leaning back in his chair, “It won’t always be like this, T. Someday you will be ready to try again, but only if you let yourself consider the possibility. Can you at least promise me that?”

There was silence for a long stretch and Enzo was about to ask him again when TK’s voice finally responded quietly, “Yes.”

“Good,” Enzo responded firmly, “because no matter what happened, you still deserve happiness. And someday you’ll be ready to let it in again — maybe sooner than you think.”

The sound of acknowledgment TK made sounded skeptical at best, but Enzo would take it. He knew he was right and he knew that someday TK would realize it too. Maybe even sooner than he thought.

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

It’s about a week later when Enzo’s phone rings, nearly making him jump as he is pulled abruptly from his stack of midterms. It took him a few moments of shuffling blue books to even locate his phone and when he did he frowned at both the time and the name displayed on the screen.

“Hey kid,” he said lightly as he answered the phone, “what’s up?”

He had hoped he was overreacting, that TK was just calling him late because he was on shift and had lost track of the time. He had hoped that maybe the universe was finally giving the kid a break.

The despair and fear so clear in TK’s voice quickly prove him wrong.

“Hey Enzo,” he said softly, “fuck, I know it’s late and I’m sorry to bother you, but I just really needed to talk to someone.”

“You are never a bother,” Enzo told him firmly, capping his pen and setting it down on his desk. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” TK began before stopping, taking a deep breath and trying again, “I don’t know for sure yet, but I know something is.”

And Enzo believed him. The fear in his voice is so raw Enzo could feel every ounce of it even from a timezone away. “I’m going to need more than that, kid,” he told him gently, leaning back in his chair as he waited TK out.

“I found something,” TK said eventually, “that I definitely wasn’t supposed to find. And it means something awful. Something I don’t know if I can handle. But it also means he doesn’t trust me,” TK continued, “and somehow that almost feels worse.”

Enzo frowned, pondering all the non-specific details in his mind. He didn’t know all that much about his stepson’s life in Austin, but he knew enough to know that while he was close to his new crew, he wasn’t close enough to be this upset by an omission from one of them. That left him with two possibilities: the mysterious man he was not seeing, or Owen.

And Enzo knew which option was more likely and it made his heart sink. TK might not be sharing but Ezno knew both the Strand men better than most. If there was something Owen felt strongly enough to keep from his son that TK was this upset about, it wasn’t good news.

“You don’t have to tell me what it is,” he said cautiously, “but is it something about your dad?”

There was a deep, shuddering breath before TK responded, “Yeah.”

And Enzo shut his eyes, the hurt and fear in TK’s voice telling him all he needed to know.

“I don’t know what this is about,” he said eventually, “and you don’t have to tell me. But I do know you, and I know whatever it is you are going to want to be there for him, because that’s who you are. Let him know that, and the rest will follow from there.”

There was silence again, but Enzo waited TK out. He was familiar with this rhythm; when something was bothering TK he often took his time to make sure he had the words right before he spoke. Over the years Enzo had learned to wait him out knowing that he would get to his point when he was ready.

He did a few moments later, “I do want to be there for him,” TK agreed, “I just know why he didn’t tell me. He doesn’t think I can handle it — and he’s right,” TK confessed softly, “I don’t know if I can.”

“You can,” Ezno assured him firmly, “you can do anything you set your mind to. You always have.”

He let his words sink in for a moment before he added, “And I would talk to your dad before you make any assumptions. Let him know he can rely on you, let him know you want to be there.”

“You make it sound so easy,” TK said dryly, and Enzo huffed a laugh.

“In a way it is. It’s just words. It’s the actions behind them that are hard.”

There was silence again before TK spoke, his voice so quiet Enzo almost missed his next words, “I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Enzo reminded him, “sometimes fear is the appropriate response.”

But even as he said it, he could feel his heart breaking. He didn’t know what was going on and while he was sure he would find out soon enough, he couldn’t help but hate whatever it was. TK deserved some time to find himself, to heal and simply exist. He didn’t understand why the universe kept throwing such curveballs at him, but he wished with every fiber of his being it would stop.

“Sometimes it is,” TK agreed in a tone that made Enzo wonder even more what this was all about. But he didn’t ask; TK would tell him when he was ready. For now he would just be here for him. Sometimes that was all he could do.

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

As much as Enzo couldn’t help but worry about the younger man, sometimes the updates were a sign that things were getting better for him, slowly but surely.

One such time came as he and Gwyn were sitting on the couch together, Enzo making a case for watching Jeopardy with Gwyn adamantly refusing.

“No,” she said again with a firm shake of her head, “it always ends the same way.”

He shrugged, “I can’t help that you’re too competitive, or that I’m better at it then you are,” he added, giving her a sly grin.

“We can’t all have PhDs in history,” she said wryly, “some of us need to work for a living.”

He opened his mouth to fire back a retort but was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. “Saved by the bell,” he said instead with a shake of his head as he dug his phone out of his pocket. He frowned when he saw the familiar name on the screen and turned it so Gwyn could see.

“Hey T,” he said cautiously as he answered, “everything good?”

There was a lot of noise in the background but he could hear TK’s voice clearly as he answered, “Yeah, I just had a question for you. These people don’t believe me so I need your cred as a Columbia history professor to back me up.”

Enzo raised an eyebrow at Gwyn, who had leaned closer to hear. She bit her lip against a laugh and he shook his head fondly, “I’ll do what I can. What’s the question?”

“Hang on,” TK said, “I’m going to put you on speaker.” There was the sound of fumbling before the background noise grew louder and TK’s voice returned. “Okay guys,” he was saying, “this is my stepdad Enzo. He’s a history professor at Columbia and if you don’t believe me maybe you’ll believe him. You want to ask him the question, Paul?”

“Man, you didn’t need to…”

“No, this is a point of pride now.” TK objected indignantly and Enzo glanced at Gwyn to see that she had fully pressed a hand against her mouth to stop any laughter from slipping out and giving away her eavesdropping. “Ask him,” TK prompted and there was a sigh before a new voice joined the conversation.

“Sir, we are so sorry to bother you. TK’s just being a sore loser.”

“Paul, right?” Enzo asked and got a sound of confirmation in return, “You don’t have to tell me that, I helped raise him.” There was an indignant noise in the background, likely from TK, but Enzo ignored it. “What’s the question?”

“Who invented the first movie camera?”

“Louis Le Prince,” Enzo replied without hesitation, unable to suppress a chuckle at the sound of TK’s triumphant ha! In the background. “You guys thought it was Edison, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah,” Paul admitted sheepishly and Enzo chuckled lightly.

“That’s understandable. Edison was the first person to mass market it and the first to get recognized for it, but Le Prince was actually the first. But he mysteriously disappeared in 1890, right before he was set to take a trip to the US to talk about his invention. So he never got a chance to market it.”

There was silence for a moment before Paul spoke again, “So is there any proof Edison had him killed or…?”

“No,” Enzo admitted, “but that is one of the theories for sure. Another is his brother did it over the family will. Either way, Edison was not the first.”

“Huh,” Paul said thoughtfully, “that’s actually fascinating. Dude, I’m sorry for doubting you.”

“It’s fine,” TK said evenly, “I am more than a pretty face you know.”

There was a collective snort from the other end of the phone and Enzo glanced at Gwyn to roll his eyes. She shook her head fondly and he returned his attention to the call, “Any other burning history questions or was that it?”

The background noise lessened as TK took the phone off speaker. “No, that’s it. Thanks, Enzo.”

“Anytime kid,” he told him, “you know I love to flex my random history facts.” That got another laugh out of TK, but Enzo could still hear the background noise of a group in the background. The sounds of easy comradery set his mind at ease in a way not much else had since TK had left for Texas. “Why don’t you get back to your friends and I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Okay, thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it. I love you kid.”

“Love you too. Say hi to mom for me?”

“You’ve got it.”

With that the call was over and Enzo was left back in their silent living room, Gwyn looking at him with a soft smile.

“He sounds happy,” she said after a moment, her voice warm but thick. He nodded.

“He does. As much as I do hate to admit it, I think going to Austin may have the best thing for him.”

“You just hate that Owen was right.”

“And you don’t?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Well that’s a given,” she quipped, leaning closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed them as she rested her head on her shoulder. “I’m just glad he’s doing better,” she said softly after a moment, “I’ve been so worried about him.”

“Me too,” he admitted, pressing a kiss to the top of her hair. That sat in silence for a few more moments, each lost in their own thoughts before he spoke again.

“So is that still a no to Jeopardy or…?”

She swatted at him and he grinned, ducking away from the light hit. Things seemed to have returned to their equilibrium, and that was a relief.

He just hoped it stayed that way.

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

When he was wrested from sleep by the shrill sound of his phone ringing cutting through the late-night silence of his bedroom, Enzo groaned. He swore under his breath as he fumbled for the device, blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he did. But when he managed to grasp his phone and saw the name on the screen, all thoughts of annoyance fled his mind. Owen Strand calling him was rarely a good sign. Owen Strand calling him at 2 am promised nothing short of disaster.

“Owen?” he said as he answered, skipping any and all attempts at pleasantries. “Is everything okay?”

He could afford to give the universe the benefit of the doubt, he decided; even if only for a moment.

When Owen’s reply came it was in a voice Enzo didn’t recognize. It was shaky and uncertain in a way that the other man never was.

“Enzo, hey. I’m sorry to bother you but Gwyn’s not answering her phone and…” he broke off with a shaky breath, “I really need to talk to her.”

“She’s in Beijing,” Enzo replied, sitting up and switching on the lamp beside him. “And given the time difference, probably in a meeting.”

He heard Owen swear distantly before he felt fear rise up in him. Owen calling him at 2 in the morning looking for Gwyn and out of sorts only added up to one thing, but Enzo so hoped he was wrong.

“Owen, did something happen to TK?” he forced himself to ask; the stress of not knowing was worse than anything else.

He could hear Owen take another breath, deep and shaky and filled with something else Enzo couldn’t identify on a phone call from half a country away.

“There was an...incident,” Owen said softly, voice still unsteady, “on our last call.”

Enzo’s mind was already spinning, stumbling from one horrible possibility from another.

“There was a man with dementia who broke into his old house and a homeowner who had a cardiac event and TK broke down the door and….he was shot.”

Enzo heard the words, he knew he did. But he couldn’t have. If he had heard them that would mean that TK had been shot and that was not something that could be true. His stepson was a firefighter. It was a profession that came with enough risks of its own. He had spent countless days worried and fearful at the thought of rescues gone wrong, of untamable flames and unstable buildings. Never once had he even entertained the thought of a bullet being a risk to watch out for. Bullets were supposed to be the problem of other people with other jobs — not his stepson, who already had so many dangers to face.

But it was true. The fear and pain in Owen’s voice told him it was true. There was an edge of both hysteria and despair in his words and that more than anything scared Enzo more than he could say.

“Where?” was the first coherent thought he could form.

“Just below his left shoulder” Owen repeated mechanically. “His...his lung collapsed before we were even out of the hallway. Enzo, he couldn’t breathe. He kept trying but he couldn’t and there was so much blood....” Owen trailed off and Enzo could hear the unmistakable sound of a sob in the background even as his own hands trembled and his eyes watered.

“Is he…” he started, but he couldn’t make himself say the words. He couldn’t speak the awful possibility into existence.

“He’s headed to surgery,” Owen replied. “I don’t know anything more than that, we only got here about 15 minutes ago. I just...I just hope it was fast enough.”

There was silence then as the two men allowed the same fear to consume them from opposite ends of the country. Enzo felt a morbid camaraderie with the other man in that moment. In the 16 years they had known each other it was safe to say that they had never exactly gotten along. They had always been polite and cordial for the sake of Gwyn, TK, and family gatherings but they were too different in too many ways that mattered to ever truly be friends. They had only ever agreed on one thing, and now that was the thing that tied them together — loving TK.

“You got him there as fast as you could Owen,” Enzo assured him without hesitation because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that it wasn’t true. “You did everything you could. Any chance he has is because of you.”

“I think the credit lays more with the paramedics,” Owen objected, “but I appreciate the effort all the same.”

Enzo opened his mouth again, not quite sure what he was going to say but feeling the overwhelming need to say something, but he was interrupted before he got the chance to figure it out.

There was a noise on the other end followed by the sound of shuffling as Owen attended to whatever it was. When his voice returned, it was tight.

“That’s Gwyn on the other line, I’ve gotta take it. But listen, Enzo…”

But Enzo just shook his head, “Don’t worry about it Owen, talk to her. Just, keep me updated?”

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation, “as soon as I know anything.”

Then with another hurried goodbye, the call was over and Enzo was left in the dark and quiet bedroom, alone. It wasn’t long before the tears he had felt threatening began to fall in earnest as he wrapped his mind around this reality and allowed himself to dwell on it. There was a chance — a very real and terrifying chance — that they could lose TK. That Gwyn and Owen could lose the son they had brought into this world and loved for 26 years. That Enzo could lose one of the people he loved the most. The thought of TK not existing anymore was too horrible to dwell on.

Enzo was a religious man. He had been raised by a small Jewish family in a large community and his faith had been something that he had always had. It had seen him through so much. But now, with this, he had to wonder. It didn’t make sense that TK — his wonderful, caring stepson who had dedicated his life to helping people — should have to suffer so much in such a short time on earth. It went against everything he had ever believed about putting good into the world. Why should TK — who had never done anything to hurt anyone — have to suffer so? Why should he? He didn’t want to know what life without TK looked like.

More than anything, he hated that he might find out.

When Gwyn called him a few minutes later he pushed his own tears aside. He murmured soft reassurances as she sobbed in a quiet corner of a Beijing office building, consumed with fear and grief a world away from her child who was slipping further and further from them with every passing moment. He gave her empty platitudes, reassured her the best he could.

But all the while the fear was drilling a hole straight through his chest. This, he decided, was the worst fear he had ever felt.

The worst part was there was nothing he could do but wait, and hope desperately for the best.

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

The next several days were some of the longest of Enzo’s life. Each day he woke up and went about the day. Each day he kept his phone volume on, not wanting to miss any news either way. Each day an update came from Owen and each day it was the same: no change.

He debated going out to Austin — he had been halfway through buying a ticket online half a dozen times — but each time he stopped himself. Logically he knew that being there wouldn’t change anything. He would still be waiting, he’d just be waiting there. He told himself he was needed here, that he couldn’t just pick up and go across the country with no warning. It was the end of the semester and he had students to help to finish the course or their dissertation. He told himself staying was the responsible option, but he knew that it was largely just a distraction. But he would take any distraction he could get and so he pushed the guilt of not being there to the side

He taught his classes, he went through the motions. He fielded calls from Gwyn, still stuck in China and frantic with worry. Each day he reassured her; reminded her that TK was strong, young, and healthy. Above all that, he reminded her, he was stubborn. No bullet or coma was going to take him from them before he was ready.

Of course there was the private fear, the one he didn’t want to share, that he didn’t want to hang on anyone else. The one he was afraid to say out loud.

It was the thought that maybe, after everything, that was exactly what he did want. That maybe this was an out and that maybe, he would take it. That maybe he didn’t want to be alive anymore.

But that was a possibility too horrible to accept. Maybe it was selfish, but Enzo knew that even if that was the case, he wasn’t ready. He doubted he ever would be, but he certainly wasn’t now. He knew both Gwyn and Owen would agree. No time was a good time to lose your child — step or otherwise — but now, after this — after everything — was not the time.

So he waited, and hoped.

Time seemed to blend together and before he knew it one day had become two, which had stretched into four. Each moment passed the same way — tensely, with no news.

He knew he had been distracted too — keeping his ringer on during class and checking in throughout his lectures and office hours. He had apologized to his classes after the second telemarketer had caused him to drop everything and lunge for his phone, citing a family emergency and word had slowly gotten around. Soon it wasn’t just him hoping for the best, but most of the Columbia history department as well. Their well wishes were touching, but nothing short of good news was going to make him feel any better.

So when his phone did finally ring on a Thursday afternoon, 5 days after the fateful call, he picked it up with trepidation. The name on the screen sent his heart racing and he nearly dropped his phone in his haste to answer it.

“Owen?” he asked tersely, “Any updates?”

Because since that night they hadn’t spoken. All updates had come in the form of texts and the thought of Owen finally having something to tell him one way or the other simultaneously thrilled him and nearly froze him with fear.

But it wasn’t Owen’s voice that answered.

“Hey Enzo,” TK said, the sound of his voice rushing through Enzo’s body like a current of electricity. He sank back into his seat with a wobbly laugh, feeling nearly a week's worth of tension fall away as he listened to the miraculous sound of TK breathing on the other end of the phone.

“Hey kid,” he said warmly. “You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice. How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” he answered, “I really don’t feel too bad at all. A little sore, a little tired, but overall not bad.”

“I hear getting shot will do that to you,” Enzo retorted drily before sighing and running a weary hand down his face. “You scared the shit out of me, TK,” he admitted.

“Sorry,” TK replied softly, “I didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

“It’s not your fault,” Enzo rushed to reassure him, “I know you didn’t ask for this to happen but...shit TK, I am not built for this. Do you think you could avoid getting shot in the future, for my sanity at the very least?”

“I’ll try,” TK responded with a chuckle, “I don’t remember most of it but I don’t think it’s anything I want to revisit.”

“No, I’d imagine not,” Enzo retorted wryly. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts and taking comfort from the presence of the other even if it was only over a phone call from half a country away. “So,” he finally said, leaning into normal conversation for the sake of normalcy, “is your dad driving you nuts yet?”

“Yes,” TK responded emphatically, “he has been hovering non-stop, and he brought a date.”

Enzo could hear indignant sputtering in the background and Owen muttering something about him not bringing a date, that his date had simply come to visit him to see how he was doing and, maybe because of all the fear and stress of the past week, Enzo could only laugh.

“That sounds like your dad,” he retorted once he caught his breath, “and I wouldn’t count on that changing anytime soon.”

“She seemed cool at least,” TK allowed, voice teasing, “I don’t know why he was trying to keep her a secret.”

“Excuse you,” Owen’s voice objected from the background, “I am not the one who had a hot cop sitting by my bedside. You don’t get to talk about keeping secrets.”

“Dad,” TK groaned and Enzo’s eyebrows shot up.

“Oh, so the mystery man is a cop,” he teased, “and the plot thickens.”

Now it was TK’s turn to splutter, “Nope, we are not doing this. That is more than enough from both of you,” he declared and Enzo could hear Owen chuckling at his son’s indignation from the background. It was a slice of normal that he had feared he’d never get again. To be sitting here hearing TK’s voice, teasing him about something so simple as the guy he had a crush on seemed like a miracle and Enzo was grateful for it.

Everything was normal again, at long last.

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

Sometimes he thinks that turning on news alerts for Austin was the worst decision he had ever made.

It seemed practical, at the time. An easy way to stay in the know, to have an idea of what kind of calls TK may have seen on any given day. But now he was frozen in the middle of the hallway after one of his classes staring at a notification about a solar storm that had blasted through Austin, leaving devastation in its wake; regretting every decision that led him to this point.

He knew TK was still on medical leave. He knew that he should be home and resting after only being released from the hospital two days before. But he also knew his stepson and knew that whenever there was trouble, TK was usually not too far behind.

It was with that thought in his mind that he stepped out out the middle of the hallway and leaned against the wall as he waited anxiously for the call to connect. The sound of a pleasant robotic voice informing him that his call could not be completed filled him with dread, but he forced himself to take a breath. It didn’t mean anything. The grid was likely overloaded right now; Enzo couldn’t say he knew for sure what kind of damage a solar storm could do but he was willing to guess that it wasn’t great for the electronic infrastructure.

Left with no other options he went on about his day, the familiar anxiety he had only recently shed slipping back over him like a worn winter coat. He tried calling a few more times, trying to ignore how the dread in his gut grew each and every time the call didn’t go through. He resisted the urge to ask one of his science colleagues to explain the specifics of a solar storm; reasoning that dealing with his own uncertainty would be far kinder than having confirmed facts. At least this way, he decided, he could tell himself he was overreacting.

It was far too many hours before his phone rang; an unfamiliar number appearing on his lock screen. He frowned at it but swiped to answer. He did list his cell number on all of his course syllabi, but for the most part his students stuck to his campus email, or — in desperate times — text.

“Dr. Cohen,” he answered, mentally placing bets as to whether it was actually a student or a robot trying to inform him about the extended warranty of the car he didn’t own.

To his immense relief, it was neither. Instead, a familiar voice answered, sending a rush of relief through him at the sound, “Hey, Enzo, it’s me.”

“TK,” he breathed, setting down the paper he had been reading and closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

“More or less,” he answered sheepishly and Enzo was about to push for more than that when he caught the distinct sound of a hospital intercom in the background.

“Tyler Kennedy Strand, are you in the hospital again?” he demanded and he heard a weary sigh from the other end before a quiet “yeah” was muttered.

“It’s not a big deal though,” TK rushed to explain, “I’m fine. I just pulled my stitches.”

There was another voice in the background that Enzo didn’t recognize and could barely hear, but what he could hear made it clear that the other voice was not impressed either.

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” TK demanded, and Enzo was not entirely sure who he was speaking to, “Let her drown in a burning bus?”

“You just got out of the hospital!” Enzo objected when he could form words again, “What were you doing somewhere where there was a burning bus?!”

“We just went out for boba,” TK retorted, “I didn’t expect there to be a solar storm that caused a bus accident.”

And Enzo forced himself to take a deep breath because that was fair, he supposed. There was no way anyone could control anything like that. Still…

“The next time you move we’re going to need to do some research,” he declared. “Because if it is anywhere as chaotic as Austin, I’m going to have to object.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” TK assured him, “I think I’ll be in Austin for a while.”

There was a smile in his voice and Enzo somehow had the feeling he was intruding on something, even though TK had been the one to call him.

“What number are you calling me from?” he asked, testing his theory.

“I borrowed Carlos’s phone,” TK answered in a voice that said he knew what was coming and he hoped it would at least be quick.

“Oh,” Enzo replied, “and Carlos wouldn’t happen to be the name of a certain ‘hot cop’ your father mentioned, aka the mystery man I have been trying to get you to tell me about for months?”

“Yes.”

“And when you say ‘we’ were trying to get boba…”

“Enzo…”

“And he wouldn’t happen to be with you right now, would he?”

“Are you done?” TK demanded, and Enzo only laughed.

“Not nearly, kid; I’m just getting started.”

And despite TK’s muttering, Enzo could tell that he sounded happier than he had heard him sound in ages. He marveled at the fact that somehow, despite everything, TK had managed to find the happiness and peace he had hoped for him ever since he left New York all those months ago. Between the disasters he had managed to take his broken pieces and fit them back together, maybe even stronger than they had been before.

It was all he had ever wanted for him, and he was relieved beyond belief that he had found it.

“You know, this means I’m going to have to come down there soon,” he said instead, “I’ve got to meet this mystery man for myself.”

He could practically hear TK rolling his eyes, but his voice was impossibly warm when he assured him, “You’ll like him, Enzo.”

“Do you like him?” he asked.

“Yeah,” TK responded without a moment’s hesitation, “I do.”

“Then I already do,” he assured him.

If this Carlos had anything to do with the happiness he could finally hear returned to his stepson’s voice, he couldn’t do anything but.

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #my writing #tk strand #enzo #userkimmy #userjilly #userac #userbones #reyesstrand #reyeslonestartag #tuserpaige #tuserjamie #buckybarnesalways #laelipoo #I know for sure I usually tag more people but it's been so long I can't remember

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suituuup · 3 years

Photo

pieces - chapter one

Five years ago, Chloe dropped off the face of the Earth. Beca sees her again in the most unexpected place.

rating: M (drug abuse, mention of sexual abuse in later chapters) word count: 2,100

ao3 link

“Any messages, Gina?”

Beca Mitchell strode out of the elevator, high heels clicking on marble flooring on her way to her office.

Her assistant rushed to walk alongside her, notebook opened as she handed Beca her second coffee of the day, which Beca took with an appreciative smile.

“Mr. Mendes needs to push back his meeting to Thursday, and Mr. Hozier-Byrne is waiting for a call back, preferably before 2 as he’s five hours ahead.”

Beca rounded the corner to her office and dragged her leather desk chair back, shrugging off her woolen trench coat and draping it over the back. “Got it, remind me what I have planned today?”

“You’re having lunch with Mr. Zimmer at the Plaza to discuss Jesse’s project, and apart from the weekly team meeting at five, you’re expected at Edgy Reggie’s party from 10 pm at the Sapphire.”

A groan surfaced from Beca’s throat and her eyes slammed shut as she plopped down on her chair. “I forgot about that. Luke can’t go?”

Gina winced and shook her head. “Family dinner.”

“Family dinner, my ass. His whole family lives back in fucking England,” Beca muttered before she could help it, throwing her assistant an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Thanks, Gina. Hold my calls until ten, please?”

“Of course, Ms. Mitchell.”

As she did every morning while sipping her coffee, Beca listened to demos over the next hour, forwarding them to Luke if any of those yet-unknown artists spiked her interest enough to sign them into their label.

The rest of the day consisted of two meetings, a dozen calls, countless email exchanges, and not enough studio time. A thick blanket of darkness had veiled the city by the time she closed her laptop and called it a day. She stretched her neck and took a moment to gaze at the lit skyscrapers through her floor to ceiling windows, sighing softly.

It was sometimes weird to think about how this was her life. How the asocial, grumpy freshman from thirteen years ago had made it to the top of the music business and now co-owned one of the biggest labels throughout the country.

Scratch that, throughout the world.

Snapping out of her daze, Beca stood and slipped on her coat, plucking her phone off the desk to call herself a Lyft home. She had just about time to take a shower and eat dinner before heading to that stupid party.

Beca could think of a million things she’d rather be doing right now as she strode down the wet sidewalk towards the lit GIRLS red neon sign in the distance a couple of hours later.

She told herself one drink, an hour tops, then she could head home, put on her pajamas, and finish that true-crime TV show she started yesterday.

“Name?” A dude bulkier than the freaking Rock asked her as she made it to the club door.

“Um, Beca Mitchell. I’m Edgy Reggie’s producer.”

Her artist had privatized a strip-club for his celebration party over his album hitting Platinum, and Beca couldn’t not show up, as... well, he was an important client and brought her label the big bucks.

The guy checked his clipboard and nodded, hitching his thumb over his shoulder. “You’re good to go.”

Casting the bouncer a nod, Beca ducked inside the dimmed, crowded club, wincing at the crappy music heavily pumping through the speakers. Three girls in bikinis and heels stood on platforms, twisting their bodies around dancing poles as dozens of dudes reclined back in leather sofas, shamelessly ogling their forms.

Beca’s nose crinkled as she scanned the room for her artist.

“Yo, Beca!”

Her gaze snapped to the left corner, catching sight of Edgy Reggie (he didn’t want to change his stage name, no matter how much Beca insisted) waving her over.

“Hey,” she cast him a tight-lipped smile, tucking her straight hair behind her ears. She nodded at the other dudes sitting around the low table. “What’s up.”

“Guys, this is the girl behind the magic of my album,” Edgy Reggie explained, throwing an arm over her shoulders before Beca could squirm away. “She is fire. ”

Beca chuckled awkwardly, then pointed over her shoulder. “I’m gonna go get myself a drink.”

Maybe two come to think of it, so she could get herself through this.

She headed to the bar and ordered an old-fashioned, fishing in the inside of her coat pocket for her credit card.

“Thanks,” she muttered when the barmaid (also clad in a bikini that left very little to the imagination) came back with her drink, handing her her card just as the club’s speaker made an announcement.

“Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome to the stage… Ariel! ”

The crowd cheered and hooted, Beca glancing over her shoulder to see what all the fuss was about.

There was no amount of alcohol that could have prepared her for the scene unfolding before her.

There, on the main stage, strutted in a redhead, only wearing a silver g-string and high heels. Beca would have recognized that shade of hair anywhere, and while the lighting in the club was low, there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that this girl -- Ariel -- was her former best friend.

Her former best friend who had dropped from the face of the Earth almost five years ago, without so much as an explanation. She hadn’t just stopped talking to Beca, but to all of them, even Aubrey. She was nowhere to be found on social media and when Beca had tried calling her after six months without news, she found out Chloe’s phone number had been disconnected. It wasn’t like they talked on a daily basis before that. After three years spent living on opposite sides of the country, the texts started coming further in between, their communication coming down to a few check-ins a year and on birthdays, until they eventually stopped.

Fearing the worst, Aubrey had called Chloe’s parents, who assured her she was fine, working as a vet in NYC and in a committed relationship. While relieved, the news stung Beca, as it was clear Chloe had deliberately ceased contact.

It took some time, but Beca eventually stopped thinking about her so much, especially when she started getting successful as a music producer and pouring her time and energy into her projects. She soon won her first Grammys, Gold, and Platinum records featured in notorious magazines and talk shows. She could stop working tomorrow and money wouldn’t become an issue, but Beca didn’t like to boast about her fortune, or fame, for that matter.

Despite being insanely busy, she still kept in touch with the other Bellas in their group chat, but she hadn’t seen any of them in a couple of years, missing the last reunion because of her job.

Beca’s mind steered back to the present, where the once most important person in her life was currently dancing for money. Men were staring hungrily at her as she sensually moved around the pole or bent over with her ass in the air to collect dollar bills from the floor, and Beca suddenly felt sick.

This couldn’t be her dream job, right? Something had to have happened for her to settle for this.

Beca grabbed her drink and knocked it back, flagging the barmaid down for another as her mind reeled as to what to do.

She needed to talk to Chloe. In private. Tonight, as soon as she finished… parading in front of these disgusting fuckboys. Only… she wasn’t sure Chloe wanted to talk to her.

“Hey,” she said when the barmaid came back as an idea struck. “How do I get a private lap dance with one of the girls?”

The girl raised a surprised eyebrow. “Backroom, hun. Who do you want?”

“Ariel.”

The platinum blonde let out a curt laugh. “Ariel doesn’t do lap dances, babe.”

Beca’s eyebrows knitted together in a heavy frown. “Why not?”

“Because she’s the boss’ favorite.”

Beca didn’t know what that meant exactly, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out as another wave of nausea swept over her insides. “Is your boss here tonight?”

The barmaid scanned the room quickly, nodding. “He’s the guy over there in the suit.”

“Thanks.” She took her drink and headed over to where the fifty-something dude was talking to another guy. Stepping up to them, she ignored their glares over her interrupting their conversation. “Hey. Are you the manager?”

The dude who looked like he ran a mafia mob turned a bit more towards her. “What’s this about?”

“How much for a private dance with Ariel?”

His gaze flickered over Beca’s shoulder towards the stage, then sized Beca up, unimpressed. “She’s not available, kid.”

Beca gritted her teeth at the condescending tone of his voice. “Not even for ten grand for twenty minutes?”

He slow-blinked, then burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m being serious. Ten grand, twenty minutes. Alone in a room, just the two of us.”

The man’s expression hardened. “And I said she’s not available .”

“Twenty grand.” Hell, she’d throw half a million on the table if that’s what was needed to talk to Chloe. After a beat, she added, “And no touching. That’s not what I’m here for.”

The manager seemed to consider her offer for a handful of seconds. “You got the money?”

Dammit. She couldn’t withdraw that much right now, she needed to call her bank. “Tomorrow night.”

He smirked, snickering. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

He turned back to his buddy, leaving Beca grumbling under her breath as she turned around and stalked out of the club. She couldn’t stay. She couldn’t stand the sight of Chloe objectifying her body for money.

As soon as she got home, Beca fired up her computer and typed in Chloe’s name in her browser. Apart from old stuff on the Bellas, she found nothing relevant. Chloe appeared to still be MIA from any social media.

Beca grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts, bringing the device to her ear.

“What’s wrong?”

“How do you know something’s wrong?”

“We call each other twice a year on our respective birthdays and stick to the Bellas chat for the rest.”

Beca nibbled on her bottom lip. “I found Chloe.”

A long stretch of silence on the other end of the line followed. “What?”

“I saw her tonight, Aubrey.”

“Where??”

“At a strip club. She’s… a stripper.”

“What? Did you talk to her?”

“No. She was performing on stage. But I will. I’m… buying a lap dance from her tomorrow. I figured… she’ll have to listen to me since she’s being paid for it.” Her eyes slammed shut, scrunching up her nose. “I don’t know. It might be a bad idea, but-- I just wanna make sure she’s okay, you know?”

“Yes, of course. Keep me posted?”

“I will. Talk to you soon.”

Beca shuffled to bed after that, but sleep never came. Her mind kept reeling about Chloe, about what she might say to her once they were face to face, and the possibility that Chloe might shoot her down and refuse to talk to her.

She spent her Saturday trying and failing to make some progress on an ongoing project, willing time to tick faster so she could head back to the club. Mid-afternoon, she headed to the bank to withdraw twenty grand, tucking the envelope in her purse.

“Why does it feel like you’re doing something illegal, Beca?” She muttered to herself on her way out of the bank, slightly paranoid about carrying so much cash on her.

The club was just as crowded when she got there around 10 pm. A different girl danced on the main stage and the manager was nowhere in sight, so Beca perched herself on a stool at the bar, ordering herself another old-fashioned.

“Is your boss around?” She asked the barmaid, a different girl from last night.

“Who’s asking?”

“Tell him the person who wants Ariel is here.”

The girl’s eyebrows shot up at that but she didn’t say anything, nodding before strutting away. Beca sipped at her drink for the next twenty minutes, keeping her back to the stage.

The manager eventually appeared in her peripheral, and he leaned an elbow over the counter, lacing his fingers. “So what’s so special about Ariel?”

Beca slowly set her drink down and fished for the envelope, pushing it towards him while keeping her gaze straight ahead. “I like redheads.”

He plucked the envelope off the counter and peered inside. Twenty stacks of ten hundred dollar bills in exchange for twenty minutes with Chloe.

He nodded. “Follow me.”

Beca finished the rest of her drink, the alcohol managing to muffle her nerves some as she followed the manager towards the back of the club, and down a set of stairs. Her heart pumped hard in her ears and her palms started to sweat as she was led inside a dimly lit room with a handful of sofa chairs and a small stage with a dancing pole, some kind of music that seemed straight out of a porno carrying through the speakers. A spiral staircase was tucked in the right corner, and she guessed that is where the strippers made their entrance from.

Beca wondered how far things usually went in these kinds of private rooms.

She wondered how far Chloe went.

She cast the guy a tight-lipped smile and a nod before he closed the door, and paced the room for a little while, eventually lowering herself on one of the leather chairs and wiping her palms on her designer slacks.

The clicking of heels over metal made Beca’s spine snap straighter. She resisted the urge to look over her shoulder as the steps grew nearer, digging her nails into her thighs as a new round of nerves gripped her insides.

“Good evening, sweetheart,” the huskiness of Chloe’s voice made Beca swallow, and she felt a hand run over her shoulders as Chloe approached from behind.

Glancing up, Beca met familiar, ocean blues.

#bechloe #bechloe fic #bechloe fanfic #beca mitchell #chloe beale #pitch perfect #pieces

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minheeology · 3 years

Text

treasure reaction ➳ you visit them at practice.

requested? : yes!

pairing : treasure x neutral!reader

genre : fluff!!

warnings : none.

word count : 2.2k

a/n : it was hard to come up with twelve scenarios.. but nevertheless, i hope you enjoy it!

hyunsuk

you walked down the halls of the building in which your boyfriend worked. you had just gotten back from a trip, and despite it being late at night, you decided that you wanted to see your boyfriend. pushing open the door to the practice room, it was fairly empty. only three members, your boyfriend included, were still practicing. upon hearing the door open, they all turned to look at you. hyunsuk let out a gasp and made his way over to you after telling doyoung and haruto to take a break.

“baby!” he said with a giant smile, “i missed you so much! yah, what are you doing here so late?”

as he pulled you into his arms, you replied, “i missed you too, that’s why i’m here! i don’t care how late it is, i wanted to see you.” you admitted shyly.

“you’re cute, you know. but your health is important!” he scolded, but he still gave you a kiss, happy to see you.

jihoon

it was your boyfriend’s birthday, and due to his busy schedule, you hadn’t had time to see each other much. at first, you accepted that you were going to have to celebrate jihoon’s birthday another day, but thanks to the other treasure members, this wasn’t the case. while treasure was practicing, hyunsuk made up an excuse to leave the room, and nobody thought anything of it. when he left, he went to find you, leading you to the practice room. you had a cake in your hands, adorned with candles, ready for your boyfriend to make a wish. you slowly made your way into the practice room, and the members began singing happy birthday almost immediately, having been in on the plan the whole time. needless to say, jihoon was indeed surprised.

“happy birthday, baby. make a wish.” you smiled and watched as he blew out the candles.

after doing so, he looked at you, “making a wish was difficult.. i already have everything i could wish for right here.”

yoshi

some days, you had to admit it. you missed your boyfriend. unluckily for you, he was constantly practicing. you knew what you were getting yourself into when you started dating yoshi since he’s an idol, but it was hard to be away from him. with this in mind, you got ready and made your way to the yg building. after texting hauruto for directions, you finally found yourself standing in front of the practice room. for several minutes, you stood outside, waiting until the music died down. when it did, you took this as your cue to walk into the room. everyone’s heads shot up to look at you, but yoshi was the only one to react.

“y/n?” he nearly yelled as he made his way over to you, “how are you, my love?” he pulled you in for a hug.

“i’m good, better than before now that i’m here,” you chuckled as you pulled away from the hug, “i’m sorry for showing up without warning, i just missed you a lot.”

“never be sorry, you’re always welcome here, okay? you should stop by more often.”

junkyu

it was your anniversary, and you wanted nothing more than to spend it with your boyfriend. unfortunately, he was preparing for a comeback, and you two never had time to make plans to celebrate. luckily for the both of you, you always thought fast. after confirming with a few people, you prepared a tiny picnic basket filled with yours and junkyu’s favorite foods, and made your way to the building where your boyfriend was currently learning knew choreography, completely oblivious to what was about to happen. when you arrived, jihoon let you inside, and led you to the room where junkyu was. when junkyu spotted you, he was initially shocked. he hadn’t expected you to show up, let alone with food.

“i come bearing gifts.. happy anniversary, junkyu..” you spoke as he strode over to you, placing a kiss on your lips.

“you’re so amazing, you know? happy anniversary, baby, i love you.”

“i love you too.”

mashiho

it wasn’t uncommon for you to surprise mashiho during practice. he was constantly working to improve his dancing despite the fact that he was incredible at it. however, recently, you had been busy with your classes, giving you no time to visit your boyfriend. this is why, when you showed up with some take out in hand, mashiho was caught completely off guard.

“baby?” he asked as he walked over to you, “i thought you had to study for a quiz?”

“i did- i do, but i wanted to see you first.. i figured you might be hungry. plus, you’re more important than a stupid quiz anyway.” you blushed lightly as mashiho planted a kiss on your forehead.

“well, then who am i to say no to you, angel. let’s eat!”

jaehyuk

you had always been close with the treasure members since the beginning. jaehyuk made sure of this, wanting all of the important people in his life to get along well. today, you were more thankful for this than ever. asahi had texted you saying that jaehyuk was being down on himself at practice and needed cheering up. after discussing it further, you rushed over to the building where your boyfriend was. you felt like you couldn’t walk fast enough as you made your way into the practice room. due to the force you used on the door, everyone turned to look at you.

“y/n, what are you doing-” you cut your boyfriend off as you pulled him into a hug.

he knew what this was about, not asking any more questions. he hugged you back, thankful to see you despite his initial reaction. when you pulled away, jaehyuk pulled you over to the side so that you didn’t interrupt the other boys.

“i’m sorry for just barging in.. asahi told me you were having a hard time, and i-” you started to ramble, but your boyfriend stopped you.

“i’m happy to see you, you know.. i needed to see you right about now. thank you for coming..”

“of course. i’m always here if you need me.”

asahi

lately you had been seeing asahi less and less. sure, you facetimed often, but it was nowhere near the same as seeing each other in person. you missed your boyfriend, but you also understood that you were both adults with things to do. still, you wanted to see him so bad. the thoughts of seeing him clouded your judgement and soon you were walking into the practice room unannounced. all twelve members looked at you in a slight panic, relieved to see it was just you who had walked in. asahi looked at hyunsuk for approval before walking over and hugging you tightly. neither one of you said anything as you both weren’t good with your words. you didn’t need to say anything. you both knew that this was something that you needed.

yedam

you and yedam were lucky enough to be classmates, so you saw each other often. however, on this particular day, yedam hadn’t shown up for school. you thought that maybe he was just sick and sleeping the day away, which is why he didn’t text you about missing school, but something was telling you that wasn’t the case. after exchanging a few texts with doyoung, you now knew that your boyfriend was not sick, but had been practicing all day instead. you took this as your cue to go and try to convince him to take a break. and that’s what you did. you arrived at the yg building after your classes and found yedam still dancing away in the practice room. since he was the only one in the room, you didn’t hesitate to walk in.

“hey..” you spoke, and yedam jumped, having not seen you walk in.

after turning off the music, your boyfriend looked at you, “baby? what are you doing here.. it’s late. you should go home and rest.”

“you need to rest too, yedam.” you started, “i came here partially because i wanted to see you, but also to tell you that you’ve done a great job today and deserve a break.”

after taking in your words, yedam nodded, “you’re right.. i just really want to nail this choreography.. but hearing you say this.. it means a lot- and i’m gonna listen to you. thank you for coming tonight..”

“i’ll always be here,” you kissed his cheek, despite him being sweaty, “now come on. let’s lay on the floor and you can play me some of the demos you’ve been working on.”

doyoung

you had been out with your friends when you realized you were close to the yg building. your friends convinced you to go say hi to doyoung, your boyfriend, but you didn’t know if you wanted to intrude on him like that. eventually though, you found yourself in front of the newly redone building. you told your friends you would catch up and sent them to continue shopping before making your way into the building. it was hard to navigate, but when you heard the loud music blaring down the hall, you knew that you were nearing your destination.

when you walked into the room, you found doyoung in the room with four other members. when you and doyoung made eye contact, he blushed. having been the youngest member in the room, he did not expect for his girlfriend to come unannounced. doyoung acted fast though, walking over to greet you with a kiss on the cheek.

“babe, you didn’t tell me you were coming.. what a pleasant surprise.. what brings you here?” he asked, a shy smile still on his face.

“i was in the area with my friends and they convinced me to come see you..” you admitted, “i didn’t want to bother you, but they insisted.. plus, i kind of, well, really wanted to see you.”

“well, i’m glad they convinced you, because i really wanted to see you too.”

haruto

if you’re being honest, it kind of just happened. while watching a romcom alone, you started to realize how much you missed haruto in that particular moment. you hadn’t given it much thought before jumping up and getting ready to leave the house. once at the yg building, the place where you and haruto had first met, you navigated the halls with ease, walking into the practice room where your boyfriend was not three minutes later. haruto was shocked to see you, but greeted you with a hug despite it all.

“what are you doing here, y/n? not that i’m not happy to see you, but-” he cut himself off before he dug himself into a hole.

with a laugh, you shrugged, “i just missed you today is all.. i didn’t think about it much, i kind of just.. came here.”

“god, you’re so cute..” he chuckled, “do you wanna see the new choreo we’re working on? it’s so cool, i think you’ll like it..”

he sounded so excited, which made you excited as well, “of course i want to see it! what are you waiting for?”

and with that, the music started playing once again.

jeongwoo

you didn’t plan to show up at the yg building, but jeongwoo missed class and you needed to bring him his work. had he answered your texts, you would have known he wasn’t home, but after a trip to the dorms with no answer, you were left with one other option. that’s what brought you here, watching your boyfriend practice through the window on the practice room door. sure, you should have assumed that he was busy, but you hadn’t been thinking straight until now. since you had already gone all the way there, you just walked into the practice room.

jeongwoo noticed you right away, calling out to you, “y/n! hi!” he said before jogging over to you, “what are you- is that schoolwork?”

“yes, it is.. they asked me to bring it to you, but i didn’t know where you were, so.. surprise?” you held the folder out to jeongwoo who took it and flipped through the pages.

“man, this sucks.. but hey, look at the bright side.. i got to see you.” he smirked a little but, prompting you to giggle.

“you’re so lame.. oh, yeah, and that’s all due tomorrow, by the way.”

“oh man.”

junghwan

this was all hyunsuk’s idea. junghwan, being the maknae of treasure, had been shy to introduce you to his members in fear of teasing. hyunsuk had taken it into his own hands, asking if you could stop by the dance studio during one of treasure’s dance practices, and you were more than happy to do so. however, as you were walking to the practice room, you started feeling nervous. you didn’t let this stop you though, as you’d take any chance to see your boyfriend. with this in mind, you walked into the practice room. when junghwan saw you, it looked as though his eyes would pop out of his head. he took quick strides towards you, his face begging the question of ‘why are you here?’

“hyunsuk invited me, if you’re wondering why i’m here.” you spoke, turning to look at all of the treasure members, “are you gonna introduce me?”

junghwan, clearly flustered, began to speak, “um.. this is my partner, y/n.. i’ve been meaning to introduce them to you guys for a while, but.. yeah.”

“nice to meet you all,” you looked up at your boyfriend, “this is more awkward than i thought it would be.”

“yeah, me too.” junghwan agreed, causing the other eleven boys to laugh.

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whumpitgood · 3 years

Text

HEAR ME OUT: I don't think Bobby is a terrible person who stole Sunset Curve's music to be selfish

I’ve seen Bobby/Trevor getting a lot of hate, but I don’t think he deserves it. The whole reason he is judged negatively is because when the boys found out about him making it big with their songs, they hated him for it. They assumed he did it out of a selfish desire to be rich and famous, so he took advantage of the situation, i.e., their deaths, and made a name for himself. This is the assumption they made, and it is what we, the audience, are expected to believe.

But let’s take a step back. What do we actually know about Bobby (I will refer to him as this from now on)? After the boys died, he basically disappeared and changed his name. Fast forward 25 years, and we see him as a rich musician who lives in a mansion with his daughter. He has a therapist. He does meditation. He also has a helicopter. That’s pretty much it, right?

Let’s break it down even further.

1) The members of Sunset Curve were his best friends. Basically brothers. They were serious about making a name for themselves and making it big. That means they had to have spent lots of time together, practicing music and just being friends. It is implied that Alex, Reggie, and Luke all had questionable home lives, meaning that they probably spent most of their time at Bobby’s and they probably spent a lot of time making music.

Luke ran away from home. It’s very likely that when he did, he went to live in their studio, which was most likely Bobby’s garage (since we know none of the other boys had lived in Julie’s house). Meaning Bobby saw Luke literally every day. They basically lived together. I’m sure Alex and Reggie also spent a lot of time there too to escape their parents. They were probably together all the time, including their school lives.

On the night they were supposed to make their dreams come true, Bobby stayed behind to flirt with Rose. Imagine Bobby chilling with Rose, only to be told by a cop or a random phone call to the Orpheum that your bandmates and best friends were dead? How would someone process that?

I’m sure he grieved. Maybe went to their funerals…it’s unclear since he was said to have disappeared, but the point is that it would have affected him greatly. In one night, he lost not one, but three people he was close to. He goes from seeing them all day every day to them being dead and gone in one evening. I doubt he could even go into the garage after that. There would be too many memories.

I like to think that he and Rose became close after that. She must have comforted him when he found out. It would have been hard for her, too, because she had just spoken to them. I’m sure they stayed in touch and helped each other through it, although it was probably Rose doing most of the consoling. Bobby didn’t have anyone left.

Because of this, it makes sense (assuming Rose is Julie’s mom) why Julie and Carrie were friends at one point in time and why Julie’s family was living in Bobby’s old house.

Keep in mind that for the boys, they simply died, and what felt like five minutes later was actually 25 years. It was nothing to them, but Bobby had to live through the aftermath of their deaths. He had to struggle and come to terms with the new reality that they were gone. For him, it wasn’t just a blink of the eye, it was years of dealing with trauma.

2) Bobby’s wife/girlfriend is never mentioned. Did she die? Did they break up or get divorced? Either way, he is raising his daughter by himself, as a single dad, as far as we know. The point is, if she died, that would further Bobby’s trauma. He was already dealing with probably some regret and survivor’s guilt over his friends’ deaths, so if she died, that would only make it worse. Like he couldn’t get close to anyone without them dying, especially considering that Rose died as well. Even if they just broke up, that still means that she left. It’s like no one will stay with him and he is destined to be alone.

Maybe that is why Carrie is the way she is. Her dad has been through a lot. It’s probably hard for him to function normally and connect with others. She may have been emotionally neglected growing up, meaning that now she will take any type of attention she can get, whether it be positive or negative. This is sort of implied with her song “All Eyes on Me”. She just wants to be noticed. So, yes, she has daddy issues. Bobby’s trauma affect’s his daughter.

3) It is mentioned that he has a therapist. When the boys go to haunt him, he runs off in his helicopter to go see his therapist. The scene is made to be funny and paint Bobby in a silly, almost negative way, but stop and think about it. HE HAS A THERAPIST. It may not be too unlikely that he experiences odd things, maybe hallucinations because of the trauma he’s been through. He also does mediation, probably to keep him calm and also deal with past trauma.

Remember, he lost his best friends suddenly, right before their big break. He must have survivor’s guilt. He was meant to go with them. He would have, if it hadn’t been for Rose. Rose then helps him through the difficult mess his life became in the aftermath, and then what happens? Rose dies. He lost her too, and who knows about Carrie’s mom. He’s got to be hurting. He’s probably got some PTSD, too. Nothing in his life has been easy, like they would have you believe. Sure, he’s famous and rich, but look at what he’s been through. I doubt he’s truly happy. Carrie isn’t, and she didn’t go through what he did.

Okay, that brings us back to him stealing their songs and making it big. Why would he do that if it wasn’t out of a selfish desire to be rich and famous?

Would he really want to be in the spotlight after he’d been through all that? Probably not. I think he was struggling with a lot. Trying to come to terms with everything. So why would he do it?

I had a thought as I mulled this over. If he and Rose were close, she would have stopped him from stealing from his bandmates, right? But she must not have, because he still did it. And she had their demo. She knew their music. She would’ve recognized the music and called him out on it, but she didn’t. Instead, she listened to his music with Julie.

Then I thought, what if she actually encouraged him to do it? Like, as a therapeutic way of relieving the guilt he felt. Like, maybe through making their music famous, he was almost giving them the life they didn’t get to have. They got to live through him. It probably made him feel closer and connected to them. It probably felt like he was doing them a favor.

But why not let the world know whose music it really was, that it was actually Sunset Curve? Why change his name?

Think about it. His career would no longer be a form of escape. He even changed his name so he couldn’t be tied to his past. He was anonymous. If everyone knew who he really was and where the music actually came from, his life would be filled with interviews about the past. Everyone would bring up what happened. He’d have to relieve that pain again and again. Maybe it’s selfish, but he was really trying to save himself that trauma, while still trying to let his bandmates’ memories live on.

And remember he didn’t take “Unsaid Emily”. He knew how much that song meant to Luke. He knew it wasn’t his place to perform that song. It was too personal and he respected that by leaving it alone.

I can only imagine how he felt as he sat in the Orpheum, where he’d been when he’d gotten the news about their deaths, and saw his old friends just as they’d been before, finally getting to experience that dream from all those years ago. Finally getting to rock out on that stage.

Maybe I’m wrong, but it makes sense to me. I hope season two touches on Bobby and his story. I doubt he’s as bad as they want us to think at this point. I hope he gets to communicate with them. He needs closure. They all need to resolve things. And while they’re at it, I hope Luke gets to resolve things with his mom. Here’s hoping for season 2.

EDIT: I'm not saying he's perfect or praising him or anything, I just think there is more to his story than we are aware of. I think he probably started out with good intentions, but he may not have stayed true to that over time, considering he took "My Name is Luke" and his helicopter has his face on it, if I remember correctly. Anyway, just putting that out there.

#jatp #julie and the phantoms #bobby/trevor wilson #bobby #trevor #emotional whump #angst #luke #reggie #alex #julie #trauma #survivors guilt #ptsd #julie and the phatones #headcanon #canon

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justgillespie · 3 years

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Missing (6/?)

Summary: Your next door neighbor, Luke Patterson (a.k.a. your longtime crush) has gone missing, and you think you could help finding him.

Word count: 2.8k

Warnings: none!

Author’s note: Hi! So I’m back, and I’ve had a big writer’s block, so that’s why this part is kind of 💩. Anyways, hope you still enjoy!

Part 7

•

Sunday went fine.

You and your family went to church, you had lunch back at your house and then even watched a movie together, before getting everything ready for your sister’s boyfriend’s visit. He came and charmed your parents and yourself. He was very nice and polite. You couldn’t help but be grateful for the fact that he was nice to YOU. Tamra’s other boyfriends were usually indifferent at your presence and some of them would even get bothered by you, which you always thought was ridiculous because you didn’t even talk around them, as Tamra would ask you. And most importantly, he did like dessert. You and Tamra decided to bake Torta Tres Leches (your specialty) and he loved it. And after dinner, he helped you and your sister clean the dishes.

“...We ain’t searching for tomorrow...”

Tyler sang while washing a plate, and you couldn’t hide your surprise.

“You know Sunset Curve?”

Maybe it shouldn’t surprise you that much. They had performed in several places before. Maybe it should surprise you if someone didn’t know them.

“You know them?” He asked smiling.

“The lead singer is our neighbor next door.” Tamra informed him.

“That’s awesome! Could we meet him?” He said with shiny eyes.

“Sure. If he wasn’t missing.” Tamra said, placing the dishes in their place.

“What?” He said, his eyes wide open. “Really? That’s messed up! I know them because they tried to set their stuff in front of the caffe once, a while ago, but my boss kicked them out as soon as he saw them. But they dropped a demo on the sidewalk, I think on purpose, and I took it. I’ve been listening to it nonstop ever since.”

“Would you mind borrowing it to Y/N? She’s trying to reach them to find Luke. Luke’s the lead singer.” Tamra explained.

“Sure, I can give it to you this week.” Tyler said looking at you.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think I’m doung that anymore.”

“What? Really?” Tamra asked you. “Why?”

“Long story.” Not really.

Your sister looked like she wanted to insist, so you spoke again.

“I’m telling you about it later.” You rolled your eyes.

Tyler and Tamra kept talking about the band and she told him about the time she saw them playing at the bookclub. You helped them finish cleaning the rest of the dishes, quietly.

“I’m heading up to my room. It was nice meeting you Tyler.” You smiled politely.

“You aren’t watching a movie with us?” He asked, and you shook your head.

“Next time, I promise.”

“Perfect. See you soon, kiddo.”

You said you wouldn’t, but once you got to your room, you couldn’t help to open your window and look at Luke’s room again. Still empty and perfectly cleaned.

What Tamra said got stuck in your head. You started the investigation just four days ago, and you were already giving up.

I wouldn’t say it’s giving up, you thought, it doesn’t make any sense to keep looking for him if he has no plans of coming back.

Maybe there was such thing as too optimistic, after all. You underestimated the situation and expected too much. You didn’t realize how real this was until now. And right then it hit you: this wasn’t a joke. Luke was missing. Kind of. And you were trying to find him?

You must’ve looked ridiculous playing the detective.

You were still starring at the other side of your window when you heard Tamra laying down on your bed, in a jump.

“You didn’t watch the movie?” You asked, finally turning your head to see her.

“No. I told him to go home. It’s pretty late already and he has to work tomorrow.” She responded, looking at the ceiling.

You left your window seat and climbed onto you bed next to her.

“He’s super cool. I like him. Mom and dad did too.”

“Yeah.” You noticed the little smile on her face. “He loved you all too. Especially you. He says you’re adorable.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’m only two years younger than you two.”

“Well, say that to him. He told me he’s taking you as his little sister. He’s an only child, by the way.”

“That sounds fun.” You joked and she hit your arm slightly. “I’m just kidding! But I always wanted a big brother, so he’s more than welcome.”

“Hey!”

“I didn’t say I want to change you for him.” You rolled your eyes. “I just want an older brother, that’s all.”

You tried to distract her for a little while, talking about Tyler, but that didn’t work for too long.

“What’s that about you quitting the investigation?” Tamra finally asked, and you sighed.

“That I’m letting the police do their work.”

“But, why?”

“It’s too much. I am just a sixteen year old.”

“You’re just months away from being seventeen.”

“Does that change anything?”

She looked at you carefully. “What happened?”

You shook your head before talking.

“Every time I think or feel I’m closer to find him, turns out I’m only further. Did you know this isn’t a movie? Where everything just comes in hand? Because apparently, I didn’t. And now I’m here.”

Tamra starred at you for a minute. “It’s weird seeing you giving up. You never give up. And you’re always so positive. It makes me crazy sometimes but it’s one of things I appreciate about you.”

It’s not giving up, you wanted to say, but maybe it was.

“But I guess you’re right. You are just a sixteen-almost-seventeen year old. How much could you do?”

She said it on purpose and you knew it. She wanted to get in your head. She just didn’t know she already did.

You just stayed silent.

You did feel bad. You tried not to think too much about it, but you did. You didn’t like the way you just... well, gave up. The way you were so close, and still didn’t get Luke. But it happened. And this wasn’t a game. It was real life.

“Are we not gonna talk about the cute guy that brought you home yesterday?”

Your thoughts fade away when Tamra spoke again after a while.

“Josh?”

“That’s his name? I didn’t remember. But, yeah, him I guess.”

“He asked me out. And I said yes.”

“Really?” She raised an eyebrow at you. “So you’re planning on dating him or...?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?”

“Maybe is not an answer.”

“Um, yes it is. As in, maybe I will date him. Maybe I will not.”

“The fact that you’re hesitating is a bad sign.”

“I’m just-” You sat in your place. “-not sure. What if I waste this opportunity? I mean, come on. Josh is cute. Really cute. He plays football, likes to read, he’s really sweet and he’s fun to be with. But...”

“He’s not Luke.”

“Yeah, he’s not... wait.” Your heart sank. “What do you mean?!”

Tamra chuckled. “You thought I didn’t notice? You are really obvious.”

“But- how-? What-?” You shook your head, confused.

“I noticed ever since we moved. You were all heart-eyed for him the day him and his family came with those delicious muffins.”

Somehow, you felt a bit relieved. At least she didn’t know you’ve been sort of spying on him.

“Every time he says hi to you, you have a dumb smile on your face. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t know you like him.”

You blushed. You really hoped Tamra was just exaggerating like she usually does.

“I’m surprised you never talked to him, though.” She added.

You just shrugged and didn’t say anything.

“So?!” Tamra asked. “You’re not gonna give me any details?”

“There’s not much to say.” You said. “I have a crush on him even though I don’t actually know him.”

“But you could get to know him. Once he’s back.”

You held back a laugh. If he wants to come back, you couldn’t help thinking.

“If you like him, you should go for it. I mean, I don’t see why not.”

“I don’t know. He makes me feel weird.”

“In a good or bad way?”

“Good way, I guess. But I don’t know how to act about it, you know? I’ve never actually dated anyone. I’ve been living out of crushes my whole life.”

“That’s because you never make time to date anyone.”

“I don’t have, the time to do so. I’m always either at school or dance. And when I’m not, I’m here practicing or doing homework. That’s why I usually bring my friends here instead of actually going out. Yesterday was the first time I went out in a month... What I’m trying to say is that dating is not a priority of mine. I like Luke, but nothing ever happens with him. If things were supposed to happen, they should’ve happened already.”

“But that’s because you don’t make a move.”

“Why can’t he make the first move?”

“Nobody said he can’t. He’s just not doing anything, so maybe you should do it first.”

“Don’t you think that the reason he doesn’t make any moves could be because he’s not interested in me?”

“Do you know that for sure?”

“No, but-“

“Then you will never know.” She sat and faced you. “You’re wasting your time.”

You wanted to disagree, but it was true. Luke wasn’t your first crush, but he was the first boy you’ve ever considered the idea of dating. Or at least you fantasized with that image in your head.

“I’m just saying.” She lifted herself up from your bed and walked to the door. “Didn’t you regret it when you found out he ran away? You’ll have a second chance, but it’s up to you, if you take it or not.”

When Tamra left, you tried to ignore everything she said, because it really was nothing you haven’t thought about already.

A second chance.

That reminded you of the promise you made to Mrs. Patterson.

You told her you would visit her the next day after school, when you found her at church. Mr. Patterson even thanked you personally for doing so, and told him she looked better ever since your first visit. But did you have the heart to tell her you’re not searching for Luke anymore? You weren’t even sure if she actually believed you could find him, but it still didn’t seem easy to tell her that.

•

“Hey.” Max sat next to you in your backyard, later that night.

It was ten thirty, or maybe eleven when you called him, and asked if he could come over.

“Hey. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course.” He said, nudging his elbow against your arm, slightly.

You gave him a smile.

“Sorry for not calling today.” He said and you frowned.

“Why?”

Max’s cheeks went red. “Uh- I don’t know, I just, um-.”

You chuckled. “I’m just kidding. It felt weird for me too. To not talk to you today, I mean.”

He relaxed his face. “Yeah, yeah. I didn’t know if you felt that too.”

“I do. You’re kind of my best friend now.”

He looked surprised to your eyes. Maybe even excited.

“I thought you already had a best friend.”

“Let me guess. You assumed, I had a best friend?” You teased.

He giggled. “Yeah. Exactly.”

“Well, you were wrong.”

You haven’t had a best friend since elementary school. Your old best friend, Ana, moved to another city the year you started middle school, and although you were pretty sociable, you never really found a friendship like hers again. It was tough for you, but you managed to keep going. It wasn’t like you didn’t have friends. But of course, you still felt the need of a solid friendship.

“We’ve known each other for... three months?”

“Two.”

“Just two? Wow.” He shook his head. “It feels like more. We’ve known each other for two months, and I don’t think we’ve talked as much as these last few days. I don’t think I’ve trusted anyone this fast before.”

You chuckled. “Me neither. It feels weird.”

“Yeah. And nice.”

“Yeah.” You looked at him. “I didn’t hear you say it, though.”

He didn’t have to ask to know what you meant.

“Come on. Say it.” You insisted.

“You’re my best friend too.” He rolled his eyes, smiling.

“I thought you already had a best friend.” You joked. But you actually meant it. Unlike you, he had Ian.

For your surprise, he frowned. “Who?”

You looked at him kind of annoyed. “Ian? When I asked you if you had friends, at the library, you said you had Ian.”

“I never said he was my best friend.” He then smiled. “See? You assumed.”

“I’m spending too much time with you.”

He laughed. “Definitely... but, no, Ian isn’t my best friend. We do see each other often, because our parents are close friends. And there’s school too. But we don’t like... I don’t know. Have deep talks? Or anything. What do best friends even do together?”

You laughed.

“We don’t even hang out together at school.” He continued. “He has his own friends.”

“But he went with you to ask more about Luke, the other day.”

“Well, yeah, we trust each other enough to ask favors. That doesn’t mean we’re close.”

You stayed silent, processing everything.

“It makes me feel bad that you don’t know what best friends do.” You then said.

“Thanks?”

“First of all, best friends tell each other everything.”

“Okay...” He nodded, like taking a mental note.

“I’ll go first.” You said. “I’m going out with Josh next Saturday.”

“You what?!”

“Yeah.” You said indifferent. “He kind of asked me out yesterday and I said yes.”

“I’m honestly surprised. I didn’t think he was your type.”

“Who did you think was my type?”

“Well, I don’t know...” He looked up, thinking. “I kind of see you with someone like Luke.”

“Really?” You said. Not really believing it. He had to be teasing. Maybe he knew you have a crush on him too.

“Yeah... actually, yes. It makes sense the more I think about it.”

You shook your head and almost decided to not confront him. But you just said best friends tell each other everything.

“You can say it now.”

“Say what?”

“That you know I like Luke. And tell me I’ve wasted my time, that I should’ve done something before and definitely talk to him once he’s back.”

“Wow, hold on a second.” He frowned and shook his head repeatedly. “You like Luke?!”

“Either you’re too naive or my sister was just exaggerating when she said I was being obvious about my feelings.”

“Honestly? If someone else told me, I wouldn’t have believed it. Man.” He scoffed, amused. “It really is hard to tell when you like someone. You’re just... all yourself with everyone. You don’t give special treats. Maybe Tamra could tell because she knows you better than anyone.”

You considered his theory. Maybe he was right.

“What I said about... about me seeing you with someone like Luke it’s true, though. I just haven’t thought about it until now.”

He laughed and you laughed along with him.

You enjoyed each other’s company in silence for a minute before you spoke again.

“I saw Reggie and Bobby yesterday. At the party.”

And you told him what happened. Maybe it wasn’t much of a surprise, but he was mad.

“Why didn’t you tell me?! I could’ve helped somehow!”

“Max, you were with Aria. I wasn’t going to interrupt.”

“You weren’t going to-.” He ran a hand though his hair, frustrated. “I can’t believe you right now! This was important! I mean, I would’ve get it if you interrupted me for some other stupid reason but this was about Luke! We could’ve found him, we-“

“Did you not just hear me? They wouldn’t say anything, just like you said before.”

“I’ll talk to them. Tomorrow at school-.”

“It wouldn’t make sense. Bobby said Luke needed some time. We don’t know how much time is that but we do know that he’s not planning on coming back soon.”

“But Mrs. Patterson...”

“I told you I sent him a message. With a little bit about everything maybe. Including his family.”

“Yeah, but he’ll think Amy sent him the message.”

“Does it even matter?”

“Well, I thought it would now that I know you like him.”

“The correct answer is, no. It doesn’t matter. The point is for him to know his family is okay. My feelings are not a part of this. Hopefully he’ll talk about it with his pillow and come back sooner than expected. For his parents.”

“...So, is it over? It’s done?”

You knew he meant the investigation, and you didn’t respond right away, trying to come up with something. You found yourself worried he would get mad again. Or reproach you like Tamra did.

“I think... at least for now, yeah. We’re done with that. We got enough information to know there’s really not much we could do.”

Another silence grew between you two.

“Come on.” You said after a while. “Tell me about Aria. How are things going with her?”

He smiled, like he was waiting for you to say that.

Max stayed until the clock ticked 12:48 and he only left because he remembered finals at his school started the next day. That was the reason he didn’t call you the whole day, because he was studying. That made you remember that finals at your own school started the next week. Exams at your dance studio did too.

But you would stress about that later.

Right now, you had a beautiful view above you, and you were willing to enjoy it as long as you could.

•

Taglist: @ifilwtmfc @sovereignparker @catbcyluke @marvelgirl300 @valeriasannchez

#luke patterson x reader #luke patterson #julie and the phantoms x reader #julie and the phantoms

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hankwritten · 3 years

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No Thru Traffic

Gen, 1k

Part of the DontNeedADiscord Pride Week, Day 6: Parade

“I’m really sorry Administrator,” I coughed into my tissue. “It really is- achoo-! It really is that bad. But at least it came after I got all that work done yesterday, right?”

The slightly pixelated Administrator on the other end of the Zoom call did not chime in in agreement. She narrowed her eyes, and I swallowed, hoping the sweat beading down the side of my face added to the charade.

After several tense seconds, the Administrator said, “very well. But I expect you early tomorrow morning to make up for the lost contracts.”

“Oh d-definitely,” I sniffed. “I’m sure it’ll be c-cleared up by tomorrow,”

“It better be. Administrator out.”

Her face hung frozen for a half second before the call dropped, replaced by a black void on my screen. I cautiously closed the webcam cover, just in case.

Then, I flew into a frenzy, wiping off the makeup I’d used put fake bags under the eyes. From my nose I removed two stubs of tissue, and took in a glorious breath now that I was freed from stuffy-nostrils. The sweat was real though. I’d never lied to the Administrator before, never to her face, and the sudden adrenaline as I realized what I’d just pulled off threatened to jitter me out of my skin.

“Yes!” I said, punching the air. “Ha! I did it!”

The exultation was short lived, as my head whipped to where my laptop was still sitting open. The call was over but…better be extra safe and power that off before I go.

I changed out of the grubby, sick-girl pajamas, and went to my closet. Habitually, my hand went to one of my numerous purple tops, but stopped just short of the hanger. Was this what I was going to wear, today of all days? Same boring work clothes I did for the other three hundred sixty-four days a year? I drew my hand back and frowned.

Screw it. Who knew when the next time I’d work up the nerve to do this again?

I began shoving hangers aside, heavy with their deep whooshing as I sorted through dozens and dozens of painfully similar button downs. Sometimes there was even a dress! How original! So I just kept searching and searching until-

There! Right at the back: an orange Hawaiian shirt I’d worn exactly once, back when I’d been forced to take my government mandated vacation. I pulled it on with gusto.

The tangles came free from my hair—I hadn’t brushed it yet that morning in order to give it that “sickly” look—and then I was in front of the bathroom mirror. Biting my lip, I looked down at the facepaints I’d bought on an impulse, thinking at the time I could paint little flags on my cheeks, but now that the time was upon me I wondered if it was too much. Already I was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, how much more wild was I willing to get?

But, well, since I’d already bought them…

Fifteen minutes later, I examined myself in the mirror again, and gave a relieved sigh. Hadn’t managed to smudge a thing!

Sensible shoes, my bus pass, and then I was off.

The parade was vibrant, so much better in person instead of looking at YouTube clips later and sighing wistfully. My first day off to coincide with it ever, and all I’d had to do was a little office subterfuge. Now, as long as I didn’t end up in any photos, no one would know I’d been here at all! Everything was going to be absolutely-

“-Oof, entschuldigung, I did not see you there.” The man who’d just bumped into me adjusted his glasses. “Miss Pauling?”

“Medic?” I gaped. “What are you doing here?”

“I am here for the parade of course,” he said, gesturing around. He was dressed for it, his usual vest replaced with one of horizontal rainbow stripes. “As are you, I assume.”

“Yes but,” I stumbled over my words. “What about work?”

“Ah, the Voice? I simply told her I was sick.”

I felt my spirits sink. “Did you now.” I rubbed my face, only remembering to avoid the facepaint at the last second. “It’s fine. Great to see you actually. As long as no one else recognizes us I’m sure we’re-”

“Doktor! Miss Pauling!”

“Aw jeez.”

Pushing through the crowd to greet them was the Heavy Weapons Guy—even worse, Engie appeared to be tagging along behind him, discussing a brochure with a unicorn-costume clad Pyro.

“Did not expect to see you here,” Heavy said as he made it to our side of the street. “Thought little Pauling must work.”

“Could say the same to you guys!” I said, irritation creeping into my voice. “Don’t tell me you all just played hookey together?”

“Naw,” Engie replied. “Didn’t know any of these fellers were coming until we all ran into each other.”

“This is bad,” I began to titter. “If we’re here, then who’s at the office?”

“…Is this a bad time to tell you that Demo ‘n Soldier are coming at us from down the street?”

I whipped around. Sure enough, there they were: Soldier with rainbow-striped American flag tied around his shoulders, and Demo with his afro dyed a deep commitment to purple.

“Ahhhhh!” I couldn’t help but let out. “Why did you all have to skip work at the same time as me?”

“We all wanted to come to the parade, lass.” Then, noting my distress, Demo added with a wink, “don’t fret! The old woman won’t know a thing. Currently, I’m home in bed with the measles.”

“The measles,” I deadpanned. I turned to our now rather obstructing group. “And what did the rest of you say?”

“Gingivitis,” Soldier offered.

“Chicken pox.”

“Halitosis.”

“Cat Scratch Fever,” Scout said, taking a bite from a hot dog.

“Scout!” I demanded. “When did you get here?”

He shrugged. “Don’t blame me, I was just following Spy, seeing why he was sneaking around and crap.”

“And I told you,” Spy’s voice replied, “that I was merely following the bushman and seeing what he was up to.”

“Wankers.”

Maybe I should just stop turning around. Then my coworkers would have to stop randomly appearing behind me, right?

“That’s literally everyone,” I berated them all. This time, when I rubbed my palms under my glasses, I did end up smudging the paint, streaks of white and pink running up my cheeks. “Uhg, we’re so screwed. What is the Administrator going to think when she walks in to the office and sees-”

“Absolutely no one?”

Okay. It looked like I’d have to turn around in a horrified manner one more time.

The Administrator parted the crowd around her, not the least because her shoulder pads threatened to stab anyone who got too close. Everyone shrank before her, except for Heavy maybe because I don’t think he has it in him to shrink before anyone.

“Helen,” I started, then cleared my throat. “I guess you uh…took a guess where we all went huh?”

“That I did.” She blinked down at her employees. “I must say I am disappointed. Of course, I expect something like this from these idiots, but from you Miss Pauling? Couldn’t even engineer a decent structural emergency in order to justify shirking your work. At the very least you could have flooded the building, or released feral opossums into the ventilation.”

“HEY NOW,” Soldier barked from the back of the group. “Have you been reading my itinerary? Because it very clearly says SOLDIER’S DAY PLANNER, DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU ARE SOLDIER OTHERWISE I WILL KILL YOU!”

“…Are you saying you wanted me to fabricate an emergency?” I asked, perplexed.

“It would at least have been more convincing than nine separate emails from my employees, all claiming different maladies. One of which was,” she looked at her phone, “‘A Case of the Mondays’.”

“It is actually proven that worker productivity is up to thirty-three percent lower at the beginning of the week,” Medic justified.

The Administrator stared at him. “It’s Thursday.”

“Alright, alright,” Engineer butt in. “I think we can all agree that we may have messed up a little. Told a few harmless lies about medical issues we may or may not have. But that ain’t exclusive to Miss P here! We all’ve been lying ‘round here, and it ain’t fair to single her out.”

“The laborer is right,” Spy agreed. “The blame should fall on all of us.”

One by one, to my amazement, the others spoke up, or nodded in agreement. When I glanced up at the Administrator again, she had an eyebrow raised, as though I had somehow orchestrated this as well.

“I could instruct you all to return to work, you know,” she said. “It is only fair that your recrimination should begin there. However…”

“You showed up, saw how sick it was, and decided you’re going to hang out and eat hot dogs with us instead?” Scout asked.

She glared at him. “I still have work that must be done before the end of the day. But, it appears Miss Pauling has tripled her workload in the week leading up to today, she has effectively removed any urgency from the rest of your duties. Thanks to her foresight, you are technically not needed at the office today.”

“Aih! Way to go lassie!” Demo said, squeezing me around the shoulders until only my toes were on the ground. Similar congratulations were offered, everyone getting in a pat on the back.

“You inspire great loyalty, Miss Pauling,” she said. “But do not let this happen again.” With that she turned, and disappeared into the revelry.

“Wow,” I said. “I think I’m going to have a heart attack now.”

“Have one when the parade is over!” Soldier demanded. “Look! Floats!”

There certainly were floats. As the chatter died down, and everyone celebrated their good luck, I was left standing among my friends with a new appreciation, these people who’d stuck by me when it’d counted. They were a bit of a colorful bunch but, hey, who better to celebrate pride with than them?

#dnadprideweek2021 #tf2 fanfiction

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lavendermenaceart · 3 years

Text

"What did you expect?"

Summary: A little slice of life surrounding you and your demon girlfriend going to a sex shop.

Tw: Mild sexual harassment, Mentions of sex

It was a crisp winter day, snow twinkling across the ground as grass and flowers slept. [Y/N] was bundled up warmly, a soft hat on their head and mittens on their hands. Next to them though was a woman with long, flowing black hair in a black tank top and dark, ripped skinny jeans. The cold air didn’t seem to bother her, not a goosebump could be seen on her skin.

“Aren’t you...you know...cold?” You ask, smiling awkwardly.

“Not at all, why?” She responded, tilting her head inquisitively as she looked over at you. Her eyes were a deep purple, an unnatural color but most people just thought she was wearing contacts.

“You’re from hell?” You stuffed your hands in the pockets of your coat, the chill creeping in through the cloth.

“Ah, common misconception! Hell is actually, like, really really cold. I’m built for this weather.” The demoness grinned, raising her arms and letting the freezing wind hit her body. Not even a shiver passed over her body.

“Wow. I’m thinking maybe I should have done more research before summoning you.” You chuckled softly, fisting and unfisting your hands in your pockets hoping the movement would create some heat.

“Aw, it’s okay. It’s not going to be in any human books. We have to keep some things mostly secret. Mostly, because some things just slip through the cracks.” She shrugged, her hair falling behind her shoulder. Her purple eyes scanned the shopping center you had decided to go to on a date trying to find a shop that piqued her interest.

And of course, her eyes fell on a sex shop called Satin Box. She excitedly grabbed your hand and dragged you into the warm bliss of the lewd shop.

Sex toys, ropes, and other such bondage gear covered the deep red walls, and in the very back was a section all for lingerie. At the register was a young woman with blue and purple hair and a few facial piercings. She waved as you walked in and greeted you.

“Are you two looking for anything specific or just looking?” She asked, leaning slightly on the counter that held lubes and smaller sex toys.

“Oh, just looking. Thanks.” Your girlfriend had a mischievous look in her eyes as she moved the both of you deeper into the story, going straight for a wall that had whips and rope hanging.

“This color would look so good on you!” The demoness exclaimed a little too loudly for your liking while she held a dark red rope up to your skin.

“I guess I’ll try anything once, as long as it’s with you.” You watched her face turn a deep red as she tried to cover up how flustered she was by busying herself looking at ropes.

As you moved over to the whips, you glanced around the shop as a man entered. He was middle-aged with salt and pepper hair. Your eyes met for one awkward moment and instinctively you smiled before looking down at your girlfriend’s feet as she went on about her favorite kinds of “torture”.

“Do you wanna feel this one?” She asked, looking over her shoulder at you while holding on to a dark purple whip with velvety tassels.

You couldn’t help but giggle a little bit as she playfully teased the skin of your arm with it. It was soft and you couldn’t imagine it hurting too much, unlike some of the other tools you saw in the shop.

“That actually feels pretty nice. Can we-” You were interrupted by the man you saw enter the shop a few seconds ago.

“Yeah, that’s a good one for beginners. You are a beginner, aren’t you?” You couldn’t believe a stranger was asking you that. Your mouth hung open slightly as you tried to search for a polite way to say-

“Fuck off, dude.” Your demoness rescued you, seeing how uncomfortable the man was making you. You were slightly relieved but feared the consequences.

“Hey, I’m just trying to make conversation, bitch.” The words felt weird coming from this older man, and even odder that someone would challenge your girlfriend. You squeezed her hand, begging in your mind that she wouldn’t explode like all the other times before.

She seemed calm and collected, not seeming offended by the words. She simply reached her hands up and grabbed the sides of his head.

“Babe-” You tried to stop her.

The man's pupils dilated and he opened his mouth to scream but all that came out was hot air that smelled like coffee. You knew what she was doing. She had put this man in a trance where his worst nightmares were real. Maybe his family being killed in front of him maybe spiders crawling through every hole in his body. You couldn’t tell because he couldn’t speak.

You were hidden from the cashier by a stand of lingerie and strap-ons, but she seemed to figure something was wrong by the silence even with 3 customers in the store.

“Is everything alright?” You could see her blue hair bobbing towards you and quickly pulled your girlfriend’s hands away from his head.

The man had tears running down his face as he stood in shock. Your demoness just grinned at the cashier and nodded.

“Yeah, everything’s great! We’d like to buy this whip, please.” Her face seemed a little tired behind the smile, which made sense seeing as how using her magick on earth made her fatigued usually.

As you both walked towards the counter to pay, you grumbled under your breath.

“Okay, what?” She asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to you

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe I would just like to go on one date without traumatizing someone?” This wasn’t the first time and probably wouldn’t be the last. “I would actually prefer if you just punched people at this point.”

“I’m a demoness, what were you expecting?” She flashed a playful grin and bumped her hips against yours. “Now let’s pay for this, I wanna hurry up and get home so we can play.”

#writeblr #writing #writblr #writersoftumblr #writers #creative writing #amwriting #original writing #OC #OCs #demoness #slice of life

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ayuuria · 3 years

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Yashahime Translation: Animage January 2021 Issue (Part 2)

Please do not repost this translation without my consent! This includes screenshots of any type and amount. If you wish to share this translation, simply link to this post.

For more information regarding the use of my translations, click here.

I decided to split this translation into two parts as it made more sense flow wise.

Part 1: Merry Christmas from the Yashahimes Part 2: Interview with SixTONES (the group that performed the opening theme to Yashahime)

Click here to read Part 1

SixTONES, Let’s Start Running

An opening theme that livens up the start of the story with a catchy tune and lively moving cinematic. Thoroughly dissect the charm with an interview and scene cuts!

Singing the opening theme for “Hanyō no Yashahime” is the energetic idol group that has gained popularity across a wide age range, SixTONES. What is charming about their 3rd single, “New Era”, is that it is an emotional song that has a melody overflowing with a sprint like feeling and rap mixed in. With the meaning of “A new age” included in the title, it perfectly matches this work that draws the story of the new generation.

Bringing out the feel of the tune’s youthful vitality is probably the condition of its link between the video. Going along with the lyrics of “Let’s start running” at the beginning, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha can be seen running together. At the hook of the song, matching the melody, the three of them rhythmically attack demons. In accordance with that, within the tune’s positive impression, the “likeness” of the three girls is added refreshingly. With the synergy of the song and the cinematic, it is an opening theme with an overflowing feel of righteousness that instantly draws viewers into the world of the work.

Shared Questions

Q1. From the start, what sort of impression did you have of “Inuyasha”?

Q2. What did you think when you heard that the song would be the opening theme for “Hanyō no Yashahime”?

Q3. What is your favorite part within the melody or lyrics?

Q4. What were your thoughts during the recording?

Q5. What did you think when you saw the completed opening cinematic?

Q6. If you could go to the Feudal Era, what would you take with you?

Kochi Yugo “I took a photo together with the opening screen”

A1. My impression was the characters were so cool and cute that it made me want to try on Japanese clothes when I was little. Personally, I fell for Sesshōmaru.

A2. I was genuinely happy. I never imagined that SixTONES would oversee a theme song to an anime that is popular across a large range of generations. Anime songs have a lot of impact, so I thought this was a chance for people of all different generations to hear us!

A3. I personally love Morimoto’s B melody part. It has remained in my ear ever since listening to the demo sound generator and I secretly wanted to sing that part. Please, I would like everyone to listen (to that part) consciously!

A4. Rather than focus singing well, I went into the recording wanting to focus on the sprint like feeling and emotion. It ended up having a good nuance with more emotion in it which made me happy!!

A5. Seeing the main characters move with our tune was fresh and exciting. When the credit came up, I instinctively took a picture of it!!

A6. I would take a large amount of seasonings like mayonnaise to the Feudal Era. I want to eat fish and rice deliciously! I also want to make a triumphant face!

Kyomoto Taiga “I streaked my hair as a sign of respect”

A1. I watched it every week after coming home from school, so it feels like I’m returning to my childhood when I watch “Inuyasha” even now. V6’s “CHANGE THE WORLD” (first opening theme song of “Inuyasha”) was the first CD I ever bought so I’m happy that we were entrusted with the theme song this time!

A2. Anime theme songs are something I normally appreciate and have an aspiration for, so I was truly happy. Putting in respect for the work, I streaked my hair for the shooting of the music video and (CD) jacket.

A3. There’s charm packed in the whole thing but the falling hook is especially nice so I would like everyone to enjoy the development of tune as it changes like a rollercoaster.

A4. I was entrusted with the important parts like the beginning of the A melody and the B melody right before the hook, which influences the tune’s impression and enlivenment. Hence, I completely brought out my rock side which was locked in my internal shelf when I sang. I hoped my strength and passion came through.

A5. It’s a work that inherited the world of an anime I watched when I was little, so hearing our voices resound in the theme song was deeply moving.

A6. A blanket. I have a habit of making blankets into pillows when I sleep so I’d like to take one so I can sleep well.

Tanaka Juri “The potential of the tune expanded with the added cinematic”

A1. The image I have of “Inuyasha” is that it’s recognizable to many people and has a lot of fans. I watched it myself and a lot of my friends are big fans.

A2. I heard that we would be singing the theme song first before the actual song. Frankly, I was happy and excited as to how our music would match the anime’s setting.

A3. I think you’ll get the feeling that you’re being taken to a variety of worlds from this single song due to the way the melody continuously changes. However, it really comes together as a whole, so the quality of the song is high. It would be great if people can enjoy the six of us shining in our individual parts with their ears.

A4. As much as I could, I tried not to think about the fact that it was a theme song when I sang. I’ll mess up if I think about it. The conclusion I came to after interpreting the meaning of us overseeing (the song) in my own way was that there was meaning in SixTONES delivering cool music. Hence, I focused on creating cool music without thinking about unnecessary things.

A5. We saw it for the first time during the broadcast, but I felt that it expanded the potential of the song that we alone couldn’t express.

A6. A rice cooker. I want to eat warm rice.

Matsumoto Hokuto “I was happy there was starry sky cinematic at the slow part”

A1. At the time, I thought it was a work that was a little more for adults so I thought I shouldn’t push my limit and didn’t watch. Even so, I really liked the visuals for Inuyasha.

A2. I knew it was a highly anticipated work. Thus, I was little unsure if we could create a song that could clear that hurdle.

A3. The part at the intro and coda that goes “ai ai ai…” was sung not as a chorus but by myself. It’s a hard song with a lot of vigor but there’s a delicate harmonization paired with it so I would like people to pay attention to the depth and lightness as they listen.

A4. In addition to the “ai ai ai” part at the intro and coda being one octave lower, adding a nuance to it was difficult so I had a harder time with it than expected.

A5. It was my dream to see a battle scene go along with our song, so seeing the scene where swords are being brandished made me excited from the bottom of my heart. This is me talking personally; during my slow part, the starry sky shows on screen. The name Hokuto originates from the stars, so I was strangely happy.

A6. Smartphone. Taking high resolution pictures and videos; I want to take a walk while having a modern map open, matching up where is where.

Jesse “It fits so perfectly that I laughed”

A1. When I was little, I wanted to be a demon!! I had “Inuyasha” stationary too!

A2. I was excited, wondering how the cinematic would fit and when I actually watched it, it fit so perfectly that I laughed! It really matched! I was really happy!

A3. There’s a lot of parts such as the Japonesque feel from the intro, the rap, the righteous melody line at the hook, and my part which is the drop melody. Thus, I don’t think you’ll get tired of listening to it. Also, the lyrics are really straightforward which I love. In the drop melody, in addition to the sprint like feeling and heartrending feeling, the hue changes a little so singing it made me feel a happiness I really like.

A4. I shouted more than usual in the recording! I like Shintaro’s part, so I hum it a lot.

A5. The voice of SixTONES, the melody of “NEW ERA”, and the character’s movements all fit perfectly so I’m relieved. I’m thankful!

A6. SixTONES’s sound generator and speakers!

Morimoto Shintaro “It become one at “Let’s start running””

A1. At the time, I was in either kindergarten or elementary school, so I was always excited to watch “Inuyasha”. I remember buying Tackey & Tsubasa’s “One Day, One Dream” single CD.

A2. I was very surprised! Very happy! Just like the song’s name “NEW ERA”, I thought it would be great if “Hanyō no Yashahime” and SixTONES could create a new era!

A3. The world of “Hanyō no Yashahime” and the world of SixTONES, the sound that has a lot of changing keys; there’s a lot of substance within one song to enjoy. I would like for everyone to pay attention to the sprint like feeling.

A4. There’s my slow part that starts from “I wanna~” and I would love for people to enjoy the tempo and melody as well as the hook that rises towards the “No no no no no-“ part.

A5. The scene where the characters start running when the lyrics say “Let’s start running” really tugged at my heart like the work and SixTONES had become one!

A6. Snack food. I want to bring them like “We have these delicious foods in the future!”. Even if you’re fighting, food is sure to bring about peace. That is my wish.

The Start of the Three’s Journey Opening Storyboard, Production, and Key Animation: Tobe Atsuo

— Please tell us what your thoughts were when you first listened to “NEW ERA”.

Tobe: I felt pressure as I thought it fit the image of the work.

— The cinematic was matched with the song but what sort of theme did you think of for the storyboard?

Tobe: At first, it was originally planned that Director Satou Teruo would draw the storyboard, so we composed it based on the director’s ideas. First, the number one priority was that we wanted to make the feeling of continuation from the work called “Inuyasha” straightforward. We decided we wanted to express “The three meet through the guidance of the rainbow pearls and go off on an adventure together” in a simple composition.

— It seems that you were the “One-man key animator”, is this what you wanted yourself? Also, within those 90 seconds, was there a part in particular that you enjoyed drawing?

Tobe: The one-man key animator was the director’s request. Of course, expressing the forms and impressions of the three new protagonists was fun and it was work worth doing. However, drawing the inserts of characters from “Inuyasha” was nostalgic. Especially Kirara. Also, Takechiyo’s a good character (laughs).

— Please tell us the parts you focused on or points that we should pay attention to.

Tobe: In any case, I made sure not to deviate from the image of the three leads being “youthful”. I was careful of not making it “childish” but instead “youthful”. In the opening, I didn’t concretely present the enemies that would appear going forward as I wanted to focus on the aspect of “the of start of the three’s journey”. Nothing would make me happier if viewers are able to enjoy the main story like “What’s going to happen from here on”.

Inuyasha & Sesshōmaru

While holding the key to story of “Hanyō no Yashahime”, Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru, who have not yet made a proper appearance since episode 1, are drawn in a meaningful way in the opening. Just what sort of meaning do their expressions have….

Illuminated by the Morning Sun

In the opening cinematic, it finishes off with the forms of the three girls gazing at the morning sun from atop a cliff. It is a situation where the scene closely resembles that one scene from the cinematic of the very first opening theme of “Inuyasha”, “CHANGE THE WORLD”.

#Yashahime #Hanyou no Yashahime #yashahime: princess half-demon #Translation #SixTONES

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sage-nebula · 3 years

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Neo: The World Ends With You - Thoughts So Far

I’m on Day 6 of Week 1 and I want to compile my thoughts so far — not in a formal post, but at least all in one place, especially since I feel that jotting down what I think / feel as I go through will help me write my review when I’m done. Spoilers under the cut, obviously — and while it should go without saying, do NOT comment on this post with spoilers from later in the game, so help me. Even if I pose a question that gets answered later on — hell, especially if I do — don’t tell me. I don’t want to know. I will find out in my own time.

With that said . . .

So obviously, I’m really enjoying it so far. You can tell that the writers / devs haven’t lost their touch despite it being thirteen years since the first game was made. You can also tell that a lot of love went into this; this isn’t something they churned out just to make money (if they thought this was a moneymaker we wouldn’t have had to wait 13 freaking years for the sequel), but rather something they really, really wanted to make. Not a total passion project, because those aren’t allowed in the world of capitalism, but there is still a lot of love there.

That said, more specific thoughts:

THE MUSIC. It doesn’t really come as a surprise given that TWEWY’s soundtrack was phenomenal, but god, they brought it right back for this game. The remixes (“Someday”, “Three Minutes Clapping”, “Transformation”, “The One Star” etc) are all excellent, but the new tracks are phenomenal too. Tbh I’m not sure how any of the Players get any fighting done when the music makes you want to just bust a move right there in the scramble. It’s so good.

Most of the characters are great too. Of the Wicked Twisters, I think Fret is my favorite; he is pure of heart, dumb of ass, and I love that for him. I do like Rindo too, of course, and his habit of overthinking everything (since Fret has zero brain cells, Rindo has to make up for it), but him being standoffish / socially anxious and snarky makes him feel a bit like a toned down Neku, so he doesn’t catch my interest quite as much. And while I do like Nagi, the way she speaks in like . . . medieval-esque language is a bit off-putting. In particular it’s weird that Rindo didn’t tell her to knock it off with the “Lord Rindo” stuff since using such an honorific would be considered awkward / embarrassing in Japanese. I guess he’s just too socially anxious / awkward to tell her to stop, but it’s still a bit distracting. Other than that, I’m really not a fan of Kubo (one of the Reapers) or . . . Susukichi, I think his name is? The leader of the Ruinbringers. I find them both to be pretty annoying, haha. But I love Shoka, as well as Kanon, and Motoi is a good bean, too. As for the Deep River Society . . . those nerds have issues lmao. Especially their leader. Although I can’t fault him for breaking down sobbing when he realizes that he now stands a very good chance of getting erased, which reminds me . . .

HOW ARE WE ON DAY SIX AND THE WICKED TWISTERS STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT BEING ERASED IS?? We have kind of an inverse situation where where Neku knew right away that he would get erased if he failed the missions / didn’t win the Game, but didn’t find out until later that he was dead. Here, the Wicked Twisters learn that they’re dead fairly quickly (and Fret has some realistic denial going on about it at first, though he gets over it pretty quickly), but they’re still completely in the dark about the fact that their souls will get wiped from existence if they lose despite erasure being mentioned at least a handful of times. Like I guess it was never spelled out for them, but especially as someone who played the first game about a million times, it’s a bit maddening to see them be like, “Why is he crying like his life is on the line? lol whatevs no big deal la di da!” Since the Wicked Twisters aren’t aware of the stakes, a new player wouldn’t be either, and so it rather tones down the urgency that was felt in the original game where everyone was very much aware that they were fighting for their right to exist.

Since I brought up Motoi, I want to say that I just played past the part where he reveals that he was An0ther, who is apparently Rindo’s favorite blogger / poet. I feel like this is meant to be similar to how Hanekoma was CAT, Neku’s favorite artist, but it doesn’t carry the same impact because a.) as far as we know An0ther didn’t have anything to do with how Rindo died; b.) we haven’t seen Rindo bring An0ther or his poetry up that much, much less have anything An0ther said be his entire life’s mantra; c.) we haven’t gotten to know Motoi that well either. Like we met him once before this revelation. That said I’m not sure it was supposed to have the same impact as the Hanekoma = CAT reveal, but if it was then it did fall short. (Also I saw it coming the second Motoi quoted An0ther lmao.)

Speaking of Hanekoma, WHERE IS MY MANS??? I know he has to show up at some point because if I’m not mistaken we saw him in the trailers. And if I am mistaken then he still has to show up at some point because he played a central role in the “A New Day” epilogue chapter of Final Remix, what with Coco being unable to control him and him knowing what was going on, plus he was testing Neku for something in “Another Day” and that has to be whatever is going on in this game. I’m sure he’ll come in for some big reveal later, but like, we have a new street artist in this game (MKN) with no mention of CAT as of yet, and I’m just like . . . where is he. Where is my mans. What is he doing. Bring him to me.

That said, we already got to see my #2 mans (Kariya♥) so I am happy about that at least.

Back to my mans for a hot second: I actually erased my demo save data and started fresh to remind myself of everything when I got the game, and idk if it was in the demo or not, but regardless—at the end of the demo portion there’s this shot of the sky and then this nameless voice is like, “It’s finally starting. I hope you wake up soon. I don’t want you to miss all the action.” My current guess is that the speaker was Hanekoma, speaking to Joshua. Joshua being “asleep” would explain why the Game is as screwed up as it is right now, what with it having been going on for a year and people able to choose to play again and again and again while the rest of the Players—who tbh should also be counted as winners if they survive the week!—are trapped in limbo.

Because that’s the thing: I know that it was partially a lie to cover for the fact that Joshua’s game with Megumi was set to last three weeks, but at the end of the third week Megumi told Neku that a new rule was being put in place that wouldn’t allow repeats of the Game anymore. But even setting that aside, in the original Shibuya UG rules, anyone who survived the Game could get a wish at the end, whether that was to be brought back to life or made into a Reaper. This is why at the end of Week 1, the three winners were Neku, Shiki, and Beat. However, here the Ruinbringers are able to keep everyone trapped and they have been trapped for at least a year, given what Motoi said. It’s completely different rules and I’m sure that this has something to do with the fact that the majority of the Reapers we’ve seen so far are from Shinjuku (at least going by the spoilery trailer, and iirc it was confirmed in “A New Day” that Coco was from Shinjuku actually, but it’s been a while so I could be wrong about that).

Speaking of, has anyone noticed that the possibly-Shinjuku Reapers don’t have wings? No?

ALSO speaking of Coco, at least tangentially: Coco was the one who revived Minamimoto at the end of “A New Day”. However, he’s definitely not how I would have expected. Like despite Coco using the Taboo Noise sigil to bring him back, he’s clearly not in his Taboo form. He’s using psychs as a Player would, rather than a Reaper. And while it’s clear he’s up to some form of nonsense, it’s unclear exactly what form of nonsense he’s up to. I know that he’s here for fanservice and that him looking like Nagi’s bias from Elegant Strategy is a tongue-in-cheek nod to that, but I have too much faith in this series to think that’s all this is. I’m wondering if being revived for a second time fixed whatever screws were loose in his head before? Or if he was revived as a human Player by like, Joshua or something? (Although why Joshua would do that I have no idea. Maybe Hanekoma instead?) Hmmm . . .

Small aside, but we all know that Nagi has put herself into hundreds of thousands of yen in debt for Tomonami merch lolol RIP Nagi. (I’m also interpreting that she’s not actually older than Rindo or Fret, but she just skipped a bunch of grades. Like I feel like this might have been lost in translation a bit, and that she’s a senpai to them because she’s in uni but she’s not actually older than them. I could be wrong but that’s how I’m interpreting it right now. She just doesn’t look or act older than them.)

Oh another minor annoyance, but whether it’s due to the partial 3D environment or something else, I’m SO ANNOYED that some of the streets aren’t connecting as they should now. Like, how going in the direction of Molco spits you out at Spain Hill or 104 or whatever? I don’t remember exactly what area it was, but it wasn’t Molco!! I’m sure if I hadn’t played the original a million times like a loser this wouldn’t be such a big deal to me, but I have and it is lmao. Also, they’ve had the Shibuya Underpass / Cat Street blocked off this whole time and I’m like :( let me go to Cat Street :( let me see my mans

I’m relieved that Ken Doi is still making delicious food and I look forward to his ramen curry fusion. I was really upset about RamenDon being gone at first but as long as Ken Doi is still around I am happy.

My dinner just arrived so this is all I have to say for now, but I will update more as I play more. I love this game and I’m so happy to be back in Shibuya, even if the characters pronounce it wrong sometimes (saying “ShiBOOya” like pls . . . you are supposed to be Japanese . . . get it right . . .)

#neo: the world ends with you #no but seriously I will block anyone who sends spoilers lol it will be ON SIGHT

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prettyboongi · 4 years

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All the Better

[A/N: Hey everyone ＾ω＾this is something I’ve been wanting to write for a while and I really hope you guys like it]

Special thanks to @rougebangtan (a lot of the editing and suggestions I owe to you!) and @cheonjae-min for hyping me up and beta reading this for me. I can’t tell you enough how much your help and feedback means to me. Also to @soft-hard-peaches for helping me develop the idea of this story. You guys are absolutely amazing!! ♥]

Reader x Min Yoonji

Characters: Y/N (of course), Min Yoonji, Min Yoongi (Taehyung is briefly mentioned)

Word Count: 1,608

Warnings: some suggestive language

Rating: PG-13

First posted: 07.04.20

Chapter 1

The cafe you were sitting in was unusually uncrowded for a Tuesday mid-morning. As you sipped your iced caramel macchiato, you looked around the establishment and saw that there were only a handful of patrons scattered around. But you weren’t complaining; it felt nice to be here while business was slow. How long the tranquility of it all would last, however, you weren’t sure. Especially since you were waiting for your best friend, Min Yoongi, to arrive.

Taking another long sip of your coffee, you picked up your phone to check the time. The screen flashed 11:23 a.m.

"I’ll meet you there at 11:00, he said," you thought to yourself. While you were a bit annoyed that Yoongi was running late, you honestly couldn’t be too surprised. In all of your years of friendship, Yoongi wasn’t known for his punctuality. He was an hour late for your high school graduation, for God’s sake, and then late again for your college graduation.

You were vacantly scrolling through Instagram when you felt a hand on your shoulder, making you jump a little. Quickly, you turned your head, already assuming who the culprit is.

"Sorry, I’m late," Yoongi says somewhat apologetically. He leans over and lightly wraps his arms around your neck from behind.

"It’s fine," you respond, squeezing his forearms. "So what’s up? It sounded very urgent when you asked me to meet here.

Yoongi scoots the chair across from you and sits down. "Oh yeah, I’ll tell you in a minute. I’m expecting someone to show up."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "Is it Tae? You didn’t tell me he was coming."

"Oh, it’s not him. He’s at work right now." Yoongi's gaze shifts to the side as the cafe’s door opens behind you. "Speak of the devil."

Confused, you turned to see who arrived and your eyes instantly widened.

Yoonji.

You watched her look around for a few moments before Yoongi waves his hand to grab her attention. Swiftly, you turn your head back to Yoongi.

Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?" Your voice sounded calm despite the rising irritation now forming inside of you.

He shrugs, "Swore I did." Dickhead.

"Hey loser," Yoonji says as she roughly but teasingly pushes your shoulder. "Long time no see."

Rubbing your now sore shoulder, you stare daggers at her as she sits in the seat between you and Yoongi. "Yeah, not long enough."

With a scowl on your face, you think, why does she have to be here?

You’ve been best friends with Min Yoongi ever since your freshman year high school. No one quite understood how you two became so close, considering the fact that the two of you were exact opposites. Yoongi was the notorious slacker who always pulled the bare minimum in his classes whereas you were the straight A student that was admired by students and teachers alike. Even though you two were from seemingly different worlds, it was really your differences that complimented each other.

Both of you had something to offer each other. You made sure that Yoongi didn’t fail his classes, and pushed him to strive for goals, while Yoongi taught you that it was alright to relax and let loose sometimes. You supported him when he decided to come out of the closet during your junior year, and he was your shoulder to cry on when your parents’ marriage fell apart, ultimately divorcing.

That support was the reason your friendship lasted into your adult years, you could easily say that Yoongi was the bestest friend any girl could ever ask for. However, there was only one downside to being Yoongi’s best friend: having to deal with his twin sister Yoonji.

You remember first meeting her. It was during your first week of 9th grade when Yoongi told you that he had a twin sister. In your enthusiasm, you asked him to introduce you to each other. You had to meet your best friend’s sister, after all, and you did. That exact same day after school.

"Sis, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Yoonji," Yoongi said.

You beamed at Yoonji. Obviously you knew she was going to look a lot like her brother, however, you were shocked by how beautiful she was. You were instantly fascinated by her sharp, cat-like eyes and her small pouty lips. The jet-black bob framed her face only intensified her look even more. Like her brother, she was rather short in stature and incredibly slender.

Unlike him, she seemed to put an impressive amount of work onto her outfit. You remembered her wearing denim skinny jeans and black spaghetti strapped crop top, accompanied with an oversized red flannel shirt and Doc Martens. Needless to say, Yoonji was undoubtedly gorgeous as fuck.

"Nice to meet you, Yoonji," you greeted while taking out your hand.

Retrospectively, you knew how lame it was as a high schooler to shake hands with someone the same age as you. I mean, Yoonji herself was initially surprised by your gesture, but smiled and took your hand anyway.

"Nice to meet you too."

They say first impressions make everything. Yet you can’t say your positive impression of Yoonji lasted too long. As time went by, the more you got to know her, the more you were annoyed by her existence. The image of her being a cool beauty was absolutely tarnished by her frank and smug personality. You hated how she always had something snarky to say. Whether it was about your fierce perfectionism, or your taste in TV shows, she never failed to raise your blood pressure. And she would always play it off as her joking around.

"Come one, Y/N," she’d say, "I’m just playing around."

"Well, I’m this close to slapping that smug smirk off your face!"

Countless times, Yoongi had been the one to play referee of your spats. In her defense, he always claimed that it was her way to display affection, but you’d never buy it. She clearly didn’t like you and the feelings were mutual. To make matters worse, it also bothered you that Yoonji caught the attention of everyone at your school. The boys made it no secret that they wanted to be with her inside of her.

Throughout all of your high school years, Min Yoonji made you feel like a plain Jane. Every girl envied her for bewitching all of the boys, so they would copy her looks to feel on trend. Her beauty went as far as being favored by the pervy male teachers, who lusted after her, and gave her special treatment left and right. The school’s it girl certainly made you sick.

When high school ended, you and Yoongi got into a university deep into the city while Yoonji attended one closer to your hometown. You were so relieved not having to be around her every single day anymore, and to only stumble upon her presence wherever you came back home for a visit. The more you settled into adulthood, your interactions with her became even more sparse, and unfortunately, it was situations like these that brought the demoness back into your life.

In an attempt to be nonchalant, Yoonji clears her throat and her hand moves to grab your cup, wanting to take a sip of your drink. As you promptly stop her, glaring at her, she leans back into her chairs and rolls her eyes at you.

She sighs inaudibly and even then, you notice. Yet she pays you no mind, her focus steadfast on Yoongi. "So... You told me you needed to tell me something. I'm listening."

"As you both already know, Tae and I are engaged," he begins, and you nod in response, while Yoonji blankly stared at him. "The wedding is coming up fairly soon, and since we want to have a small one, we were wondering if both of you would be our maids of honor and help us plan this thing out."

Yoongi definitely seemed keen on the idea, and although somewhat hesitant, he also looked very dreamy. “We talked about this last night, and we both thought it would be a great idea…”

Upon hearing his words, your face dropped. The both of us? Maids of honor? Together?!

"Sure, I’m down with it," Yoonji says in her usual casual tone. "Anything for you and Big Tae."

You watch her tenderly place her hand on Yoongi’s and warmly smile at him. Such a rare tender moment you’ve seen of your nemesis, it genuinely catches you off guard. But, in the next moment, this image falls apart as she quickly shoots you an arrogant grin. Bitch.

You honestly didn’t know what to say to Yoongi. You weren’t necessarily mad at his decision, you were just so confused. He knew how you felt about Yoonji, so why in the world would he think the both of you working together be a great idea?! When Yoongi caught the baffled expression on your face, his arm reached across the table and softly held your left hand.

"I know this decision seems very strange but the both of you are so important to me, and to Taehyung as well. I honestly don’t think there’s anyone better for the job than my two best friends."

And like that, Yoongi’s sweet words melted away any apprehension you were feeling before. Getting a little choked up, all you could do is muster a heartfelt nod. Now your biggest goal was to help make Yoongi’s wedding the best day of his life. Even if it involved you working with… her.

Please send me some feedback, I wanna know what you guys think!!

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sinceileftyoublog · 3 years

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Mina Tindle Interview: A Natural Frame

BY JORDAN MAINZER

The release of Mina Tindle’s SISTER last October was supposed to be accompanied by an ambitious live show and an hour-long film made up of visuals for its nine captivating songs. After all, these sorts of artistic deep dives are what the project of Pauline de Lassus is all about. But when it became clear last summer--the summer of COVID-19--that neither could be easily achieved or achieved any time soon, de Lassus let go of her inhibitions. Recorded and filmed during a specific time last summer in France when the virus was more under control and travel/lockdown restrictions were somewhat lifted, The LFO/Blogothèque Sessions present stripped-back versions of some songs from SISTER as well as a track that didn’t make the cut. With help from Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), de Lassus’ husband Bryce Dessner (The National), and David Chalmin, and in collaboration with French production company La Blogothèque, de Lassus presents the songs in new ways. The percussive gallop of “Fire and Sun” presents itself more in Dessner’s guitar in the live version. Vocal harmonies and guitar take the place of beats and strings on “Belle Pénitence”. A cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Give A Little Love”, whose album version features Stevens and his quintessentially Reichian arpeggios, is all about the harmonies between de Lassus and Stables. And “Indigo”, never recorded, is buoyed by Dessner’s spritely, finger-picked guitar.

As much as these sessions have the feel of a fleeting moment--that should the group have decided to play them on, say, a different day, that they would take another shape--they’re also very much a product of place. For one, it wouldn’t have happened had de Lassus been somewhere without access to a studio, let alone with lesser restrictions. The accompanying videos--just as much a part of the release as the audio--were shot from de Lassus and Dessner’s new home in the South of France, where they moved from Paris with their child. The almost mystical, beautiful quality of the surroundings makes me think of what de Lassus told me over the phone last month about “the fantasy of having a live show.” With a camera capturing moments where the group decided to just go for it, it’s got that live quality, but like the best “live albums,” make you hungry to experience the music in person for yourself.

The LFO/Blogothèque Sessions was released on Friday via 37d03d, the “people” label. (“They give their artists a lot of freedom and love,” de Lassus said. “They’re amazing...I don’t think I would have put the record out if it wasn’t with them.”) Read our conversation about adapting the songs to a new setting, edited for length and clarity.

Since I Left You: Did you always want to do stripped-down versions of these songs, or was the occasion of lockdown restrictions being lifted the inspiration?

Pauline de Lassus: Something I love doing is having nice visuals or working on videos. I had a big project for this record, a film the length of the 9 songs--I wanted to make a movie. But it was a totally different object, an homage to [Norman] McLaren. I wanted to do a one-hour long video. Everything was cancelled because of COVID, and I ended up doing all the videos myself. Do it yourself, like back in the days. I chose women I love dancing, and it was nice to work on. But it’s really nice when it’s professional. I knew there would not be any shows for this record--maybe in a few years. So I had the idea of trying to capture that. I did it with basically family--Kate Stables, Bryce is my husband, and David is a really close friend. Doing it in the safest environment possible. It was really nice.

SILY: Was it natural to strip down these songs? How did you adapt them to the setting?

Pauline: We just played them. We kind of worked on it with Bryce a bit. He’s really good at that. When I got the chance to tour with The National, I saw they record an album and know all the songs, because they work on it for months. We did maybe four days of rehearsal in Paris to start the tour, and that was it, and after four days, they played the songs over and over. There were like 50 of them. By the end they went on stage and just played the music. I remember thinking, “Woah.” My way of doing it would be to overplay or overwork them to try to get the right version instead of just playing the music. It’s more the fact that they play it a lot that it turned into something they like. Because these songs were so minimal, we didn’t have to sing too much.

SILY: It seems like certain qualities of the songs you kept but achieved them in a different way, like the forward gallop in the drum beat on the SISTER version of “Fire and Sun”, you get more in the guitar here, whereas for “Belle Pénitence”, the emphasis is more on the vocal harmonies and the guitar than on the strings and the beats like on SISTER. Did that, too, kind of come naturally from just playing them?

Pauline: I think we just played them. I love making records. It’s one of the things I love doing the most. I don’t mind if it takes 5 years, and I don’t mind a quick record, but working in the studio is a really different process. You can add all the things you want. It’s kind of magic. These days, it’s not on tape, so you can erase the minute after. It’s really an experimental place.

Playing them [live], I have one of the greatest musicians and guitar players in Bryce. He can get the essence of the song really easily. And the soul of Kate, we love singing together; every time, something happens. I think it was a way to sing with more space. We weren’t trying to mimic any existing version, which is great, because I’ve been touring with Mina Tindle for years where the expectation was I am trying to mimic the record. The up-tempo song had to be up-tempo. This time, it was extremely free. It was really nice, because what I needed was really little. Two instruments, two singers, that’s it. We wanted to play them acoustic, which is sometimes a challenge.

SILY: What you said about playing them with more space really stood out to me on the EP version of “Indian Summer”. You have this piano ballad as opposed to something that’s more all over the place.

Pauline: I love both! In the past, I’ve been slow at making records. Sometimes, I just have the demo, and it’s the first draft, and it’s good. That’s why I like the idea of having a live recording, because it has to be straight and honest right away. In a way, I feel like you interpret it differently, also, because it’s one shot. Maybe we had two shots, but there was no editing.

SILY: How did you get around not having Sufjan’s presence on “Give A Little Love”?

Pauline: When I sing that song, I always try to be at the level of his song. He’s the sweetest person, so he couldn’t care less--he’d give me freedom to adapt the song [even] metal or AC/DC style. He’s a free mind. It’s sweet because I’m more shy when it’s my songs, but I love covering songs that I love. [Feist and I] did this tribute to Lhasa de Sela, who is one of my favorite singers ever. She passed away when she was really young. We had a love for her music and ended up making a show that we played in London and France and Ireland and Berlin, where we were covering her songs. It was one of my favorite things to do. It’s an ode to my love to music, whereas when I sing my songs, I feel more shy or intimidated to open up. Sometimes, I really wonder why I open my heart. When it’s someone else, I feel happy they’re connecting.

SILY: What’s the story behind the new song on this release, “Indigo”?

Pauline: “Indigo” is the black sheep of the record. It was many people’s favorite song, but I had 5 versions of it I couldn’t choose from. When I ended up not putting it on SISTER, I was really happy. I felt relieved. I didn’t know where to put it. I tried to mix it with different people, but it was never right. Kate had sung that song with me many times, so she knew it, and this was the right way to do it. I felt totally fine presenting that version. This EP is a way to free up any vision. It is what it is. That’s why it was on that record, because we really wanted to sing that song together. It’s a story of a separation, if I remember correctly. Losing each other. I remember being obsessed with the idea of losing someone you really love. It was not my personal life; fortunately, I was doing pretty okay. But having a kid is a total volcano in your life, and I was looking at many people around me who seemed to not be okay, living through that experience, so it was a song about how you can tear apart when something’s supposed to make you closer.

SILY: You could have a whole rarities release of different versions of “Indigo” as your next release.

Pauline: Yeah. I don’t think anybody would like to listen to it. [laughs] The same song four times.

SILY: What’s the story behind the cover art of this release?

Pauline: It’s Kate and I dancing. We were really happy because we did [the recording] in two days. We had an extra day with her, so we did some stuff for her, and we were just dancing. There was a huge storm--the weather where we are is crazy. It can rain and be super shiny in twenty minutes. So we had this crazy summer storm and started dancing as if it was a mirror and improvising the dancing. We are not dancers. [laughs] But we had a lot of fun. This red window is the typical colors of the architecture in the region. It’s actually in my house. I’ve already taken so many pictures of people inside and outside that window, because the window reflects the landscape behind. It’s so beautiful. It’s like a natural frame, and whatever you put inside, it’s kind of logical.

SILY: Are you planning or able to do live shows or live streams?

Pauline: As I told you, I intended to do way bigger or ambitious thing at first, because I kind of hate videos for music--or I never watch them. For me, the music is not more important, but enough. So when you do videos, it’s nice when you have something unique. We couldn’t do that movie I was thinking about, so putting money into trying to make a beautiful live performance was it. I was happy with it.

A livestream, maybe under certain conditions, but it’s a really strange period where even more than before, while I’m happy to give and share what I’m creating, but privacy is more something I’m into these days.

SILY: Livestreams do have that bedroom aspect.

Pauline: It’s kind of an exhibitionist thing I’ve never had. I’ve always felt conflicted about it with social media. It’s like opening your house to people. I’m not judging people who do it--you can do it really healthily--but I don’t feel comfortable. So far, I’ve said no to a lot of stuff.

SILY: Some of the best ones I’ve seen have skirted the home recording feel because they’re recorded at an actual venue and professionally edited. It’s not really live, but it’s at least for the time being something a little bit in between.

Pauline: We should look forward to live shows coming back, not necessarily doing bad performances. Like with social media, we now see 30-second music extracts, like on TikTok. The quality is not getting better. We don’t have to share everything the universe is offering to us. Sometimes it’s better to hold back and wait. That’s totally my point, though. Of course, when you’re in your 20s, you should do whatever you want to do, but at this point in my life, I don’t feel the urge to constantly express myself. I’m just old, you know? [laughs]

SILY: What else have you been up to lately?

Pauline: I’m doing a lot of things not related to music. I’m illustrating a book that’s more for children. It’s around music. I’m busy spending my days painting and drawing, and I love it. It’s creative, but it’s nice to take a break from music. The final collection is gonna be really cool.

SILY: Anything you’ve been listening to, watching, or reading lately that’s caught your attention?

Pauline: Besides two children’s books a week. You can see there’s a big switch in illustrations for kids books. You can spend a whole day at the library in the kid’s section. It’s so impressive and beautiful.

My knowledge in feminism was really bad, so the last 6 months, I’ve been reading everything I can on the subject and listening to podcasts. It’s basically my routine. I thought I wasn’t feminist, but I am.

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