𝟷, 𝟸, 𝟹 (𝚜𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎) // 𝚜𝚒𝚡

𝚙𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍'𝚜 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚢!𝚓𝚊𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗 𝚡 𝚌𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚜𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜: 𝚒𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚓𝚊𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚖𝚒𝚎𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚘𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎. (𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝟷, 𝟸, 𝟹 𝚋𝚢 𝚗𝚌𝚝 𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖)

𝟷, 𝟸, 𝟹 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 // 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝 // 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝

You were excited to have Hyerin on the paper because she was an amazing photographer, and it meant that you had an actual shot at having a female friend for a change. Of course, you wouldn’t trade Jinyoung, Yonghee, Hyunsuk and Eric for the world – Sunwoo was on thin ice after pranking you one too many times – but it would still be nice to have a female presence around.

“Okay guys, let’s get started,” you happily commenced the meeting when everyone arrived in the media room. “Eric’s been working on an idea about sustainability in school that he’s going to need your help with, Hyerin,” you began, causing both Eric and Hyerin to nod and smile at each other. “I’m sure you guys can figure out exactly what you need. Who’s turn is it for layout this week?”

“Mine,” Jinyoung said, taking brief notes on a post-it note about the different tasks that you had to layout during the meeting.

“Great! Then does anyone have any ideas for the cover piece this week?” you asked, giving everyone an opportunity. The cover piece was the front-page article and the most important part of the newspaper. If it wasn’t interesting or eye-catching enough, people wouldn’t even pick up the issue at all. “I had an idea that I think is more enticing than Eric’s issue on sustainability, no offence,” you quickly added. Eric waved you off to show you that he was fine. “I was thinking… Since Jinyoung is a member of our newspaper team and he’s running for dance team captain, we could make our cover piece an interview,” you suggested, smiling at your team to see what they thought.

All of your friends already knew and liked your idea, so it was really up to Hyerin to see what she would think. “I think that’s an amazing idea,” Hyerin stated, looking genuinely excited about it. “But doesn’t that seem a little unfair?” she added. “I mean, it would seem biased if Jinyoung is the only person that gets an interview, just because he’s on the paper and the editor’s best friend.”

You deflated. Hyerin was completely right, and you felt embarrassed that you hadn’t considered this. “Oh,” you sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. So it’s a no-go, then?”

“We could just interview everyone instead,” Hyerin suggested. “There are only three nominees so it wouldn’t be so difficult to get an interview with them all.”

You thought it over. On one hand, you wanted Jinyoung to win and have an advantage over the others. On the other hand, you wanted to be a fair editor and have the popularity of the newspaper increase so that more people would join the staff in the future. “I think that’s a good idea,” you agreed, feeling that it was truly the best way to go for the paper. “Since Eric is going to be busy with his piece, Yonghee, Jinyoung and I can interview.”

Yonghee brought something up. “Since Jinyoung is being interviewed, maybe it’s best if he sits this one out. Just so nobody feels like it’s biased,” he reminded.

You nodded. “Right. Okay, Yonghee why don’t you interview Hwang Hyunjin, and I’ll interview Jinyoung and Na Jaemin,” you modified since Hyerin was only the photographer and had no involvement in writing or interviewing. She would also be busy taking portraits of the nominees, so she wouldn’t have time for interviews and such.

“I’m okay with it,” Jinyoung agreed, although his expression had hardened and you could tell he was just being nice. “I have to work on the layout, anyway.”

“So it’s settled,” You said, nodding. “Jinyoungie, why don’t you work on the horoscopes for this month too since I’ll be doing two interviews instead of one like I originally thought?”

Jinyoung gave you a two-finger salute. “No worries, boss,” he added with a wink, causing you to roll your eyes at your best friend. Still, you smiled back at him and could see – now more than ever – why so many people thought that you and Jinyoung were dating. The two of you had been friends for so many years that the playful relationship you had often came across as romantic to others, but it was something that you guys simply ignored.

“Jinyoung, do you have the other nominees’ numbers? If possible, I want to schedule the interviews for tomorrow during our newspaper meeting so nobody has to work outside of our meeting hours to do this,” you mentioned, causing Jinyoung to nod.

“Oh, Jaemin’s my best friend,” Hyerin added from her seat next to Eric. The two of them had excitedly been chatting about how Eric was going to expose the school for preaching sustainability but still using plastic utensils in the cafeteria when she spoke. “I can just tell him to be here tomorrow after school and he will be.”

“That’d be great, thank you,” you appreciated, happy to have one less thing to worry about. You glanced down at your agenda and nodded slowly to yourself. “Okay. Jinyoungie, send Yonghee Hyunjin’s number and then we can get to editing the other articles we have ready for this week’s paper!” you smiled, closing your agenda and grinning at everyone.

Jinyoung nodded, immediately grabbing his phone to do as you said. “This is exciting,” Hyerin said, glancing up at you. “Thank you guys for letting me join. I know I was supposed to sign up last year but there was just a lot going on,” Hyerin said.

“Of course, we’re glad to have you!” you encouraged her.

Hyerin beamed. “I can’t wait for you to meet Jaemin tomorrow,” she added. “I think you’ll get along really well.”

You paused. Jinyoung was your best friend in the world and he meant everything to you. If you could take all of his burdens away, you would. You didn’t know how you felt about interviewing someone else for the position that Jinyoung had been working for all his life. After all, he wanted to major in dance in University and this captain position would really help him get a scholarship that he deserved; especially since he worked so hard to have good grades while his mum worked three jobs. You also knew that Jinyoung wasn’t Jaemin’s biggest fan – not even close. Still, you smiled, even if it was a little forced. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Okay guys, meetings over. Go dance your little hearts out – or in Yonghee’s case, student council your little heart out,” you encouraged your team. Yonghee rolled his eyes at your lame joke, still giving you a grin and a hug on the way out.

“My article is going to rip the school to shreds,” Eric said happily, running a hand through his hair before giving Hyerin a high-five.

“Hopefully it’s enough fuel for Yonghee to actually implement some changes,” you agreed, knowing how much power media could have over people.

Jinyoung grabbed his backpack, but not before tapping your nose gently with his finger. You scrunched up your nose before giving him your attention. “Are you okay?” you whispered, leaning in closer so nobody would overhear.

He sighed. “I don’t know,” he frowned, running a hand through his hair. “This just feels weird… I don’t like getting involved with Jaemin,” Jinyoung admitted. “And I don’t like the idea of you spending time alone with him, either.”

“I know,” you acknowledged, feeling sympathetic. You didn’t know why Jaemin and Jinyoung didn’t get along, your best friend had never told you of the reason behind their feud before. “It’s just an interview, though.”

“I know,” Jinyoung echoed what you said, leaning over and kissing your cheek lightly. He pulled away, eyes shaped like half-moons as he grinned at you. “Let’s not worry too much about it. Are we still on for after practice?” he asked. You usually walked home together since he only lived a few blocks down from you.

“For sure!” you agreed. “Hyerin and I are gonna walk you boys to practice and then we’re going to the library,” you added.

“To study, or whatever else we get up to,” Hyerin added happily, linking her arm with yours and pulling you away from Jinyoung. “Hey,” she whispered, walking ahead towards the dance room as Eric and Jinyoung trailed behind, bantering. “Are you and Jinyoung…?” Hyerin trailed off, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

You grinned. “No,” you denied, shaking your head. “We get that a lot though.”

“Jaemin and I used to get that a lot too,” Hyerin recalled. “But now I’m dating Jeno so people don’t really make that assumption anymore,” she added. “It gets a little annoying sometimes, huh?” she asked knowingly.

“A little,” you admitted. “It’s not that big of a deal though. People are just curious.”

“Well, I’m sorry to have to add to those people,” Hyerin laughed. “I never used to see it between Jaemin and I but I guess, looking at other best friends who are even closer than we are, I see why people might make those assumptions.”

The two of you excitedly discussed your afternoon plans and before you knew it, you had all arrived at the dance studio.

“Rin!” Lee Jeno cheered when he saw Hyerin, eyes lighting up and lifting into a cute eye-smile. He ran over and embraced his girlfriend, who was rolling her eyes at how dramatic he was being.

“Okay, okay, calm down,” she mumbled, cheeks flushing at the PDA. Before she could introduce you, Jaemin pulled her aside. He seemed wide-eyed and panicky, more so than he usually was due to his ridiculous caffeine intake. “Nana?” Hyerin asked. “What’s up?”

“How do you know Y/n?” he asked, eyes flashing over to where you were introducing yourself to Jeno. He watched you laugh at Jeno’s words before giving Jinyoung a huge hug goodbye.

Hyerin furrowed her brows in confusion. “I tutored her in multivariable calc last year,” she told him. “And she’s the editor of the newspaper. Why, how do you know Y/n?” Jaemin blushed, quickly diverting his eyes when he saw you look back at him. He cleared his throat before looking over at Hyerin, who looked all too smug. “Oh my god. Y/n’s the girl you have a crush on,” she realised before squealing. “Oh, this is perfect! I can introduce you!”

“No!” Jaemin whisper-yelled, shaking his head and putting his hands on Hyerin’s shoulders to stop her from jumping in excitement. “It’s not perfect! She’s Bae Jinyoung’s best friend. This is a nightmare!”

Hyerin rolled her eyes. “Oh come on. Why is that bad? You get along with everybody.”

“Not him,” Jaemin shook his head. “It’s a long story, but Jinyoung and I have had a feud going on since kindergarten.”

“Kindergarten?” Hyerin echoed in disbelief. “Jaemin. That’s childish.”

“It was,” Jaemin agreed. “But then it started getting personal. So no, you will not introduce me to her, I don’t want her to ever see me ever again.”

Hyerin made a face. “Really? How are you supposed to flirt with her if you don’t want to see her.”

“Oh my god, who said anything about flirting?” Jaemin asked. “I’m sticking to my brand and pining in silence until I get over her. It worked for you in middle school,” he added, thoughtful.

Hyerin rolled her eyes. “It may have worked for me, but it won’t work for Y/n,” Hyerin’s eyes lit up, remembering what the paper was working on for the week. “By the way, I found a way for you to campaign for dance team captain,” she added. Jaemin tilted his head, listening. “The paper is doing a profile and interview on all the candidates.”

“Really?” Jaemin asked, earning a nod from Hyerin. “That’s awesome!”

“Right?” Hyerin grinned. “Now, all you have to do is meet Y/n in the newspaper room tomorrow after school. Easy as pie,” then she slapped Jaemin on the shoulder and left him with his mouth hanging open.

i wonder what started jaemin and jinyoung’s feud...

The Buy In

Chapter 5: Keeping Up Appearances

by @dracusfyre

Bucky stared sightlessly at New York traffic as he quietly panicked. He tried and failed to think of any way to get out of this, now that he was already in the car; if he could have, he would have given himself nausea and diarrhea immediately and suffered the indignity instead of escorting Tony Stark, the Mechanic, the single most powerful crime boss in Manhattan, to the Policeman’s Ball. What in the hell was he going to say to his handler? For three blocks he debated whether to give them any advance warning at all; it would be so much easier to deal with the fallout later by claiming that Stark had taken his phone before telling him where he was going. For three more blocks, he tried and failed to type something, each sentence he came up with sounding dumber than the last, so with only the barest bit of guilt he stashed his phone in the car’s glove compartment as Happy pulled into the drop off line for the ball.

Cameras started flashing almost as soon as he got out of the car to open Stark’s door, and while Stark climbed out, smiling and waving, he tried to look as boring as possible, mouth a flat line as he ignored the press and kept an eye out for anyone looking suspicious. Just what exactly was he supposed to be guarding Stark from, anyway? Other mob bosses in attendance? A mugger? The police?

“Want a drink?” Stark said once they got inside, and Bucky forced himself to shake his head even though he desperately wanted to say yes. He trailed behind Stark as he glad-handed the crowd, making jokes and asking after people’s kids, and miserably tallied the various important people in the room: the mayor, who gave Stark a handshake and a clap on the back for his donation to the Food Bank For NYC; a representative to the state house, who managed to solicit campaign donations in the guise of complimenting him on his philanthropic efforts; a US Senator that thanked him for his investment advice. And those were just the people that Bucky recognized; there was no telling how many government officials and CEOs that numbered among the people that subtly held court around Stark. He wondered how many knew about Stark’s criminal ties, and how many would care if they did know.

Finally, for Bucky’s sanity, they made the announcement for dinner and everyone filed dutifully into the main hall where they set up tables for the event.

“I was wondering if you were coming, Tony,” an amused voice said from behind them. Stark turned, and the smile he had been wearing all night widened and finally reached his eyes as a tall, slim redhead let him pull her down to kiss her on the cheek.

“Pepper, so glad to see you,” he said, taking one of her hands and putting it in his elbow. “Are you sitting next to me?”

“Of course.” Bucky recognized the woman from Stark’s case file; she was Virginia Potts, his personal lawyer. Though ‘lawyer’ didn’t really capture her, really; from a police perspective, she was Cerberus, the dragon guarding the tower, Gandalf on the bridge: in short, “You Shall Not Pass” in human form. She was largely the reason why Bucky was on this undercover assignment; faced with the potential of meeting her in court, no judge in the city would grant them a warrant without a literal smoking gun of Stark’s guilt. She was just as well connected as Stark was, to boot; one of the other senior partners at her firm was on the short list of the Democrats’ Supreme Court Justice picks and the other worked for the state as the deputy Attorney General. “How are you? Who’s this?” she asked, finally noticing Bucky following them to the dinner table.

“I’m fine, and this is a new guy,” Stark said as he pulled the seat out for Potts to sit. “I call him Blue Eyes.”

Potts rolled her eyes and offered Bucky a surprisingly kind smile. “Don’t worry, he can’t remember my real name either,” she said. “Don’t take it personally.”

“I don’t, ma’am,” Bucky said, returning her smile despite himself.

“Oh, Bill, it’s good to see you,” Stark said, and Bucky glanced away from Potts to see that sitting right across from Stark was the NY police commissioner.

 Tony hid a smile as he heard the strangled noise Blue Eyes made when he recognized the police commissioner. But after an evening of watching the man sweat as Tony rubbed elbows with the most powerful men in the state, he took pity on him. “I’ll be good for a while, if you need to take a break,” he said, and watched with amusement as the man all but fled from the table.

“What was that about?” Pepper asked with a small frown, thanking the wait staff as they filled up her glass with water and set a glass of white wine in front of her.

“I think his eyes aren’t the only thing about that guy that’s blue,” Tony said, looking significantly towards the police commissioner. Pepper’s eyebrows shot up and she took a drink of wine as she realized what he was saying, then she barely swallowed it in time before she laughed.

“And you brought him here? You are a terrible person,” she scolded him, clearly trying to suppress a smile.

“Yeah. It’s been fun watching him trying to avoid the cameramen all night. Especially because he’s been so worried about being photographed that he probably didn’t notice the fact that half of the conversations I’ve had tonight involved breaking the law in some way or another.” For example, what had probably sounded like a request for a campaign contribution was actually a solicitation for a bribe, which Tony was going to pay because politicians were just good investments, really, and honestly the Senator Walker should really talk less about how much money he made off of insider trading, particularly when he is using his committee positions to do it.

This time, Pepper’s eyes held a flash of warning instead of amusement, and Tony held up his hands in surrender, turning the conversation to safer waters as they ate.

                                                               ***

To Bucky’s surprise, Stark was ready to go not long after dinner; for some reason Bucky had the idea that he would want to stay all night, shaking hands and taking turns around the dance floor. He was all smiles as he left, but as soon as the car door closed behind him, he collapsed against the car seat with a sigh.

“You know,” Stark said, eyes closed as he rested his head on the back of the seat, “the funny thing about going to these events, is that I probably shook hands with more criminals tonight than I have in the past six months put together. But no one cares about that because the people who are supposed to care are criminals too.”

“That sucks, Boss,” Happy said, clearly having heard this complaint before. Now that they were far from the crowds and bright lights, Stark’s good mood seemed to be curdling; he sounded almost depressed. 

“It’s exhausting, is what it is. Blue Eyes, have you ever had to shake hands with and smile at someone that you hated all the way down to your bones?” Stark’s voice was muffled and Bucky looked back to see that his hands were over his face as he rubbed his eyes.

“Yeah, of course. There’s always that one guy at every job, right? The asshole that no one likes?”

Stark barked out a laugh. “Having only one would be nice, actually.” He sat up suddenly and scooted forward until he was all but in the front seat. “Let’s get dessert. Is there a late night ice cream place? Or pie? Or donuts? Back there they only had some sort of fancy baklava on the menu and I don't like honey.”

Happy and Bucky shared a look and Bucky patted his pockets for his phone before remembering that he’d put it in the glove compartment. Then he remembered why he’d left it in the car, and winced as he saw the notifications on his phone. But it was after midnight so that was going to be a Future Bucky problem. He pulled up the search bar and found a late night cookie company that was on their way home.

When they got there, there was no place to park, so Bucky got out with Stark to go inside while Happy stayed with the car. Unsurprisingly, they were the oldest people inside; the cashier and the two other customers looked like they were still in high school or college, because realistically who would be looking for a sugar fix this late at night except students. And one mob boss with a sweet tooth, apparently. Stark made a beeline for the display case and all but pressed his nose to the glass.

“What’s your favorite kind of cookie?”

“Something with fruit and nuts in it,” Bucky said. “You?” Bucky came up next to him to read all the labels. “Mexican chili cookie? Who wants a spicy cookie?”

“Can’t do better than chocolate chip,” Stark said.  “But that salted caramel is speaking to me.” He glanced up at the menu and said, “Ooh, ice cream sandwiches,” sounding so excited that Bucky had to smother a smile. It was hard to keep a straight face as Stark deliberated; the man was being so stupidly cute as he debated the merits of the different options that Bucky had the dumbest fucking desire to kiss him. Stark ended up buying a whole box of cookies and an ice cream sandwich because he couldn’t decide on which cookies he wanted, and because he kept thinking of people to give them to: “Happy will say he’s on a diet but I think he’ll want one of these M&M cookies. I don’t think I’ve ever seen mint in a cookie, I’ll get that one for Rhodey, but also this sprinkle one because it will be funny.”

Maybe it was the sugar or the impulsive shopping trip, but Stark seemed in lighter spirits as they drove the rest of the way back to his garage, telling funny stories about the people that had been at the event. It even made Happy unbend a little, as much as he ever did when he was working, and at one point Bucky was laughing so hard he was in tears.

“Here’s good, Happy,” Stark said before they could pull into the secured parking lot behind the garage.

“Are you sure, Boss?” Happy said dubiously. “It’s not safe-”

“I got Blue Eyes to protect my virtue, right Blue Eyes?” Stark said. Bucky almost bobbled the box of cookies as climbed out of the car at the mention of Stark’s virtue, and when Stark met his eyes Bucky knew he’d done it on purpose. “Come on inside with me,” Stark continued. “We need to talk about the event tonight.” He leaned over to look at Happy through the window. “You go on home, I’ll make sure he gets home ok.”  When Happy nodded, Stark tapped on the top of the car and stepped back from the curb as the car pulled away

Bucky’s hands tightened on the box of cookies as his heart gave a heavy thump and his mouth went dry. He swallowed against a spike of nerves. We need to talk was never a good sign, but also, he was about to be alone with Stark. Trying not to think about what had happened earlier, he trailed awkwardly behind Stark as he put in the security code for the door and stepped inside, turning on a few of the big banks of fluorescent lights as he went.

“You can change, if you want,” Stark said, gesturing towards the bathroom where Bucky’s clothes were still folded neatly on the sink. He shrugged out of his suit coat and unbuttoned the sleeves, rolling them up so the cuffs didn’t dangle. Bucky’s eyes lingered for a moment on the lean muscles of his forearm, the strong, slender wrist bracketed by the narrow-banded watch, and decided that a moment alone in the bathroom was a good idea.

He changed quickly and splashed cold water on his face, giving himself a stern lecture about professionalism in the mirror, reminding himself why he was really here. His boss would be telling him that this was a great opportunity, that he seemed to have Stark’s trust. That now would be the perfect time to dig a little deeper. Bucky told himself that even though Stark was handsome and funny and apparently the kind of guy that would stuff a hundred dollar bill in a tip jar didn’t mean that…

“Wait, start over,” he muttered, shaking his head. Even though Stark seemed like a good person he was, at the very least, the target of a massive criminal investigation, even if it did seem like maybe there were worse criminals out there they could be investigating. They weren’t friends, he reminded himself. Stark didn’t know anything about him, and would probably drop him into the Hudson if he did. With that sobering thought, Bucky sighed, gathered up the fancy suit and shoes Stark had lent him, and went back out to the main room.

Then that whole pep talk promptly went out the window as he came out to see Stark sitting on a metal table, swinging his legs like a kid as he ate a cookie. As Bucky came closer, he saw that Stark had kicked off his shoes and had also taken a signle bite out of half the cookies in the box. When he looked up at Bucky with a smile of welcome, Bucky knew that he was in trouble.

“So what did we need to talk about?” he asked, taking a seat on the table next to Sta- Tony. He might as well stop calling him Stark; it’s not as if thinking of him by his last name was helping him maintain any sort of objectivity.

“Just getting your impression about tonight. Did you notice anything I should know about?” Tony held out the cookie box and Bucky took one of the oatmeal craisin ones, one of the few that Tony hadn't taste tested.

He took a bite to buy himself some time to think; Bucky had a lot of observations from tonight, ranging from the completely inappropriate (the curve of Tony's ass when Ms. Potts dropped something and Tony bent over to pick it up) to the irrelevant (not impressed with the music selection) to the potentially explosive (the Commandant had a drinking problem and was probably cheating on his wife). Assessing which were relevant to Tony took a moment. “There were a couple of people that were giving you the evil eye all night,” he said finally. “Right after you shook hands with them they looked like they wanted to shank you.”

Tony threw his head back and laughed at that. “I’m sure. Was one of them a skinny tool with glasses? Justin Hammer?”

“Yeah, that was one. Another one was the Special Agent in Charge of an FBI satellite office-”

“Not surprising,” Tony commented. “She’s new. The new ones are always hungry, she’ll come around.”

“-And the other was a big guy, bald but had a beard. I didn’t catch his name, sounded like you called him Toby.”

“You mean Obie? Obediah Stane?” Tony said with surprise. He dug out his phone and pulled up a picture. “This guy?”

Bucky leaned over to look at the phone. “Yeah. I always saw him watching you when you were talking to other people. Guy had eyes like a shark. People like him can kill someone and pass a lie detector test while his hands were still bloody. Who is he?”

“A family friend.” Tony frowned down at his phone and tapped it against his palm thoughtfully. “At least, I thought he was.”

“Oh shit. I’m sorry,” Bucky said. “Maybe I’m wrong, you know, I’m not-” an expert, is what he was going to say, but he stopped because no matter how you sliced it, cop or criminal, he was. He was an expert in assessing threats, and that guy was definitely bad news.

Tony waved his words away and tossed his phone on the table with a clatter. “It’s fine. Better to know. I’ll look into it. Anything else?”

Bucky shook his head and took another bite of cookie. “Why do you go to these things if they are full of people you don’t like and apparently people who don’t like you?”

“Networking, mostly. Obligation. Gotta show my face every now and then. Spite,” he added with a smirk. “But it’s also a good reminder.” When Bucky made a questioning sound, he took another cookie from the box and nibbled the edge.  “Look, I was a rich asshole for a long time,” Tony said after a moment. “Too long. Then one day, I met a guy at a party. Don’t even know how he got invited because he wasn’t rich, wasn’t famous, he was just some doctor. And I don’t remember what I was saying, but at one point he looked at me with such pity,” Tony said, eyebrows drawing together. He studied his cookie like it was helping him remember. “I still remember his face. No one had looked at me with pity before, and he said, ‘Look at you. All this money and still you have nothing.’ And I was like, ‘excuse me? Do you know who I am?’ As you do, right, because I could have anything I wanted, I’m fucking Tony Stark. And he said, ‘Yeah, I know who you are. I’ve seen dozens of men like you. And despite all their money, all their fame, death came for all of them in the end, and they had nothing to show for it but a tacky tombstone.’” Tony bit his lip, frowning a little. “I’m sure I said something, but he just finished his drink and walked away, like I wasn’t worth his time. I wish I could say that I had this like, huge change of heart and changed my ways after that night, but it ended up being this gradual thing.”

Bucky realized he was staring. “What do you mean?” he asked, taking a bite out of the cookie he just remembered he was holding.

“Well, I looked him up later and found out he ran a free clinic downtown and on a whim I donated some money. Like, 'see what a good person I am, have some money.' Like I was proving him wrong somehow by doing that." Tony snorted and shook his head at the memory. "Anyway, doing that puts you on some kind of list somewhere, apparently, and one day I got an email about a runaway shelter. Then a food bank, then a refugee thing, and it kind of snowballed from there.”

“Wait, wait.” Bucky shook his head. “How did you go from ‘donating to a clinic’ to ‘mob boss over half of Manhattan’? That’s one hell of a snowball.”

“Well, after donating to a bunch of causes, I saw that a housing complex near all these nonprofits went up for sale, so I bought it,” he said with a shrug, fiddling with a napkin as he talked. He was already done with his cookie somehow, despite having done most of the talking.  He reached for another from the box and took a tiny bite. “I was kinda feeling like, I don’t know, tied to this area as I kept an eye on my pet projects. Then I started getting a bunch of complaints about the conditions and I was pretty fucking appalled at what I was seeing. Like, no one should live like that. It was a shame for rats to even be living there. So I fixed it up, and then I set up a trust for the building and gave it back to the tenants. All their rent goes in a fund, and they spend money on that fund to pay for what the complex needed.”

“Like a condo association?”

“More like a cooperative. They decide how much to charge everyone for rent, they decide if they want to spend money on painting the place or upgrading the light fixtures, you know, whatever. I think last time I checked they had put in a community garden. So when another came up for sale, I bought it, and then another, then I realized I might as well invest in some of the businesses here. After the fiasco of that first apartment building, I started looking at what I was spending my money on so I would know what to expect. Then when I was looking at a commercial building, people came in to shake down the owner of one of the businesses while I was there. Like, I was standing right there and those people didn’t give a shit who saw them. I was so surprised that I didn’t say anything until it was over, and then I asked the guy if that happened a lot. Can’t let that go on, you know, because...well, I mean, the owner looked so scared, and that made me mad because he's just trying to make a living, you know? Also, it cuts into the bottom line, so.” Tony shrugged again. “I put a stop to it. And then, well,” he gestured expressively around him with his cookie. “Like I said. Snowball.”

Bucky could only stare, bemused. If he had heard the same story on his first day of work, he might have been unable to keep from laughing in Stark’s face. But now…well, it was increasingly hard to square what the police knew – or thought they knew – about Tony Stark and what Bucky was seeing. “I guess no kid wants to be a criminal when they grow up,” Bucky said. “We all just kind of wander into it.”

“Yeah? Is that how you went from Bagram to Brighton Beach?”

Now it was Bucky’s turn to shrug, uncomfortable. After hearing Tony's story, he didn’t want to feed him some bullshit line from his cover story. “There’s only a few career opportunities for a grunt back home,” he said vaguely. “Even fewer that pay well.”

He glanced up to see Tony studying him thoughtfully. “Do you miss it?”

“The Army? Hell no.” That part was true enough.

“How about here? Are you happy here?”

Bucky’s mouth quirked. “Are you asking me about my job satisfaction? One means not at all satisfied, ten means highly satisfied?” He had the pleasure of watching Tony almost spit out a bite of cookie as he surprised a laugh out of him.

“Sure,” Tony said after a moment when he finished chewing. "One out of ten."

“Ten,” Bucky said truthfully. “I like helping people.” He had the traitorous thought that the past few months working with KT had been closer to what he'd thought it would be like to be a cop than what it had actually turned out to be like, and felt vaguely guilty.

“Yeah, me too.” 

They sat there in a surprisingly comfortable silence for a few moments before Bucky heard the ding of a notification on his phone. He silenced it without looking – his handlers were still yelling about the Policeman’s Ball – but sighed when he saw the time. “It’s getting late,” Bucky said reluctantly, more because it seemed appropriate rather than any desire to actually leave. He opened his mouth to say, I had a great time tonight and immediately felt like an idiot because, bare feet and half-eaten box of cookies aside, this wasn't, in fact, a date.

But apparently he wasn’t the only one who had lost the plot, because Tony said, “Would you like to come up for a dr-” before he cut himself off with a look of horror that would have been funny if Bucky hadn’t, deep down, wanted so badly to say yes. “I’ll call you a cab,” he said instead, looking away to grab his phone.

“I’ll wait outside,” Bucky said, and fled.

                                                ***

Tony watched from a window as Blue Eyes' taxi drove away, then as Tony went up the elevator to his penthouse condo he texted a sad face to Rhodey.

Told you it was a bad idea, Rhodey wrote back.

Don’t say I told you so. I’m sad, Tony responded.

You’re making yourself sad pining after an undercover cop. I don’t feel bad for you.

“That’s fair,” Tony said out loud. You should. I got you cookies and you’re being mean to me. Tony texted Rhodey a picture of the half-empty box of cookies and made himself sad all over again, remembering the intensity with which Blue Eyes had stared at the display of cookies when told to pick one, like it was a pop quiz that he was determined to pass.

Go to bed, Tones.

With a sigh, Tony tossed his phone on the bed and started peeling himself out of the monkey suit, setting the cufflinks he’d been wearing on his dresser as he threw the suit and shirt on the back of a chair to be dry cleaned. The problem was that tonight, like every night for the past few years, Tony was going to bed by himself. There had been a certain point where he’d realized that he’d tipped over from bending the rules, to breaking the rules, then to breaking the rules in a way that would get him put on lists written by people with badges, and at that point he’d realized that to bring anyone into his life was to put a target on them. The only way to avoid it was to not get close to anyone, but he’d done the one-and-done lifestyle and wasn’t interested in that anymore. It had been Pepper for a  while, because she was more than capable of protecting herself, but after a year she had gently but firmly told him that it wasn’t working for her, and that had been the end of it. Since then, there had been a few people that he thought maybe, maybe this one but in the end, they didn’t feel right.

Blue Eyes felt right. He knew it was dumb and he knew what Rhodey would say – star crossed lovers only exist in fiction, Tones - but as he slid between the sheets that night, he let himself daydream about it until he fell asleep.

Sweet Nothing (MHA Staff AU Fanfiction

Chapter 6

Warnings: None, swf. 

"Maybe you should go back to California for when you're a pro." My eyes met with bright blue ones.

"Why would I do that? I like it here." I stared out at the city skyline in the sunset.

"I don't know. I figured it would be better for you if you go back for a little while and actually have good memories in the U.S." The blue-haired boy wasn't smiling like he usually did, "I just don't want you to stay here because you feel secure here. What happened to you shouldn't make you afraid to go back." He gave out a small chuckle and then wrapped his arm around me, "Plus, it's not like I'm telling you to stay over there forever. We have a plan to have our own agency with Yamada and Aizawa, remember?"

I gave a sad smile, genuinely thinking about the proposal, "I don't know. I have family out in California, but they never really contacted me. Only my cousin. I have a family here now; I can't just leave that."

"We're always going to be there for you. Even if we're a whole ocean away. Our group was incomplete until you came. We're not going to let you go." He went to pinch my cheeks, "You're like my little sister, I refuse to leave you alone."

I refuse to leave you alone.

"Mai?" a voice brought me out of my thoughts. I shouldn't be spaced out in this meeting. I looked over at Hound Dog and Nezu. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, just tired from helping Aizawa settle into his place yesterday." I smiled sheepishly. "Did you need me to go over the plan again or..."

Nezu spoke up, "I do think we need to amp up this program after the USJ attack. So I'll give you, Hound Dog, and Ms. Rowell the green light to start." He gave an excited smile and took a sip out of his tea. "We need to be prepared for more villain infiltrations, so definitely starting with security, and the mental health program are major priorities."

"I'll have a meeting with some of the other teachers to come up with a good way to beef up security." Hound Dog suggested.

"Maybe hire an agency to make rotations? Maybe the Fatgum agency? Taishiro would be more than happy to help out; I'm sure if Ms. Iris and I ask him, he'll say yes." I spoke up.

"I don't see why not. Why not ask Ingenium for help too? Doesn't he have a sector here?" Hound Dog wrote down a few notes on his tablet.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable asking since Tenya Iida is his younger brother. It would feel unprofessional and put a student in potential danger if villains found out." I bit my lip. I didn't want the students to be targeted. We barely found out that the villains were out for All Might, so it's going to be hard to avoid more attacks as long as he stays. "Speaking about the students, are we still going to go through the Sports Festival? I don't feel that it's appropriate."

Hound Dog looked at me like I had just shot a puppy. Nezu, on the other hand, kept a calm composure. "I have no plans to cancel the Sports Festival."

"Why not?" I tried to hold in my disdain.

"I felt that the students should be able to enjoy the normal events that would happen if we weren't attacked. Plus, it's best to show that we were unbothered." I looked over to Hound Dog, and he just gave me a knowing look.

"The Sports Festival is broadcasted all over Japan, and we're in a bad position as a school." I interjected.

"Yes, but the Sports Festival is the best option for students to use their quirks and be potentially scouted by a pro." Nezu continued to be calm, but my patience was growing thin.

"Or potentially a villain." I raised my brow at him.

"I know, given your history, you take the student's safety seriously. I do, as well. But the Sports Festival is an opportunity to give people a place to feel collective and hopeful that it was just a one-time thing, while us staff members and the police investigate." Nezu took another sip, "It would be unfair to the people to take that away from them and let them live in fear."

"I don't think it's a good idea. But then again, I'm not in charge of the school. So I guess my opinion doesn't really matter." I grumbled. I hate acting like a child, but honestly, I was a little annoyed that he didn't want to cancel the festival despite knowing that I am in the right to be concerned.

"Don't you start giving me that attitude of yours? You know I thought about every possible outcome before making a decision." He lightly slammed the desk with his paws. "Now, I will let you and Dog Hound ask your connections about security, and you and the other counselors should meet up with your students as they prepare for the festival. Understood?"

I simply bit my tongue and nodded as the mouse stared me down.... Er... more like up at me. And with that, the meeting was over, and Nezu made his way out to his private office, leaving Ryo and me in the meeting room. "Why didn't you warn me before the meeting to not mention the Sports Festival?"

"Honestly, I thought Nezu already told you." He said, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"He probably didn't because he wanted to avoid seeing me mad." I sighed and threw my bag over my shoulder this time. "Well, at least everything else he agreed with. Just wish that he wouldn't be exposing the students that much right now." I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration.

"Have you had any sessions with your kids since the incident?"

"I had them email me if they had any concerns, and despite how severe they were, I made a call and spoke over the phone with them. But mostly all my kids were focused on Aizawa and Thirteen. If anything, I'll make in-person appointments to meet with them this week in case they left things out in the emails and calls."

"I saw Aizawa is back despite not being fully healed." She gave me a slight judgmental but a not so surprised look.

"We literally argued for a whole week about him coming back to work. So don't get me started with him." I sounded exhausted. But I didn't know why I was so tired and restless. I feel like I haven't done much to elicit this.

"Awe trouble in paradise for Dadzawa and Momtoya?" He smirked and wiggled her brows.

"Damn, is everyone calling us that now?"

"Yep, especially since you guys are temporarily living together because you agreed to take care of him."

"It was for my students. They wanted updates, so we made a group chat. Aizawa doesn't know about it, though."

"Why?"

"Well, I figured it would be the best way to communicate with them. It's through one of these school apps, so it's not breaking any boundaries."

"I meant why not tell Aizawa." He pressed on a little.

"Oh, because we make jokes about him on the chat sometimes. Plus, he would just make fun of me for wanting to be buddy-buddy with the class."

"I think it's endearing." He gave me a little pat on the back.

"That's what I thought! I recommended that all the counselors do it." I let a quiet shriek in excitement. "With the permission of parents, you know? Since despite it being their school email, the parents need to know about staff connections to students." I scratched the back of my neck. I really need to stop with this scratching habit of mine when I get awkward or nervous. "Anyways, I have to get back to my desk and start emailing the whole department about the meeting. And then I'm going to go check on Aizawa and Class 1-A, hoping neither of them is tiring each other out."

I was about to walk away and split from Ryo when I ran into Kayama and stopped me for a quick second. "Do you mind hanging out with me later after work? I have something to get off my chest, and I would like to get your perspective."

I hugged my tablet, "Um... I have to watch Aizawa... But I'm sure once I get him down for a nap, you can come over for tea or something, and we can talk. I'll just give him a heads up."

I gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned. "Okay, cool. I'm glad to hear that. Just keep me updated if anything changes."

"Yeah, no problem, Nemuri." I patted her shoulder and made my way to the lounge as she rushed to go teach Hero Art History to Class 1-A.

I opened the lounge door—literally, no one. Not even Toshinori was here. Well, I guess I can actually get work done before I go to class. "So, I guess you and Montoya are actually getting situated nicely for now." Never mind.

I look up from my desk to see Snipe and Aizawa walking in together while Midnight took her shift to teach Class 1-A. Aizawa socializing? That's good for him. Maybe it's because they're colleagues. "Oh, speak of the woman herself." Snipe waved over at me and walked into my direction. Aizawa just looked annoyed and limped over to his desk that was diagonal to mine. "How are you doing, love?" He leaned down to hug me.

"I'm good. I just had a meeting with our lovely boss. I might've upset him, though." I squeezed her hands tight around me.

"Why do you think that?" It was hard to detect his face because of his mask, but his voice sounded curious, and his head slightly fell to the side.

"I told him that he would be endangering the students if he still held the Sports Festival, and he got defensive. I felt like a child." I grumbled.

"Well, that's just how Nezu is."

"We're you and Aizawa just talking?" I nodded over to the mummy man.

"Oh yeah, we were just making conversation about the students, and we were talking about the new counseling department. And then we were talking about how you two have been adjusting to your current living situation." And in queue, Aizawa looked over at us.

I gave Snipe a little smirk, "Well, I hope nothing bad was said on my part."

"All I said was that you were annoying me with all your pestering." He shook his head. Something was off about him. Normally he didn't feel the need to explain himself. Was he worried about me thinking he talked bad about me? "The kids keep asking about when you're stopping by. Don't tell them that you're in my apartment until Recovery Girl finishes healing me up. I don't want them getting ideas."

"Oh yeah, he mentioned that a couple of times." Snipe chuckled and stared a little too long at Aizawa and me. I wonder what's that about...

"Too bad, Ashido already found out when she saw that I was packing a suitcase during my video session with her. So most likely they already know, they just don't want you to know that." I smirked.

"Yeah, they really like keeping things from me. That's why they told me about the group chat you have with the class." He flatly spoke. "Isn't that a little unprofessional?"

"Everyone that I told thought it was cute. And the parents were more than happy with knowing that their kids' counselor was available to them at all times." I got up from my seat to grab a chair for Snipe and some coffee. I can only guess that he was amused at the banter as he silently watched us.

"Who is everyone?" He said, eyeing up my coffee. So I gave him his own cup and Snipe water.

"Kayama, Lily, Iris... Oh, and Vlad." I smiled brightly. "Actually, Vlad said that it was adorable how close I am with the students and was glad to hear that I was adjusting well to my job here." I took a sip of my coffee while analyzing Aizawa's demeanor. He looked a little tense and uncomfortable. I assumed it was from his injuries and the new bandages I helped Recovery Girl put on. He was so readable yet still a mystery because there was something hidden behind his eyes that I couldn't quite uncover.

"Well, maybe you should add me to the chat since I am their homeroom teacher." He said as he took a sip from his coffee. That's surprising; he wants to be more engaged with the students on a personal level?

I quickly agreed and decided not to question him about it. Then I gave him a quick explanation about Kayama wanting to come over, and he just said sure, not giving it much thought. Afterward, I gave my attention back to Snipe, who was still casually looking at Aizawa. "Snipe?"

"Hm? Did you say something?" Snipe looked towards me; I guess he spaced out.

"No." I went back to my seat. "I have a few things to work on and give to the other counselors, so is there anything you want me to keep in mind when it comes to the students?"

Snipe slowly rose from his seat and made his way over to his desk, "No, not really. I think you and Eraser have everything under control. I'll be over here, don't want to distract you. I could always talk to you later." I just nodded and put my earphones in as Aizawa looked between the two of us awkwardly.

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

I was in the middle of finishing up the files I had to finish for my colleagues when there was a knock and a small voice at the door of the lounge, "Excuse me, Mr. Aizawa, Mr. Snipe? Is Ms. Montoya here? I need to speak with her?' It was Izuku Midoriya.

"I'm over here, Midoriya. What do you need to talk to me about?" I swiveled in my chair.

"It's kind of private." He rubbed his hands together nervously. His eyes were bugged out and filled with anxiety. "It involves my quirk. I'm sorry if you are busy, I knew I should've made an appointment. I'm sorry for being an inconvenience. I'll just come back later."

The boy was about the run out when I stopped him, "Woah there, I wasn't that busy; there's no need to be apologetic." I got up and smoothed out my clothes, and walked over to him. "Let's go take a walk and talk, does that sound good?" The green-eyed boy nodded and followed me out of the lounge.

"I love how she's really dedicated to the students." I heard Snipe say to Aizawa as I left.

"Yeah, she's really good at her job." I couldn't help but smile a little at the compliment. "She sucks as a caretaker, though." Damn it, Sho.

I turned my attention back to Midoriya as we quietly walked through the halls. "So, what was concerning you about your quirk?"

"I know, you know about One for All." His voice was shaking, then he looked me in the eyes, "I want you to tell me your connections to All Might. He doesn't tell me anything but you being an intern of his before going to the U.S."

"Well, there isn't much to tell..." I bit my inner cheek. I kind of don't know what exactly I could tell him.

"I just want to know how he was when he was your mentor and if you could help me better understand the quirk One for All." The boy pleaded.

"Oh... well then..." This is going to be a long story.

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My master list 😊

Tag list: 

@inumorph @thatgirlwithcamera @mel-sanch

enjoy your stay (reader x Bangtan, Hotel AU)

A/N: Hi everybody! This is my first time posting a fanfiction about BTS, and also my first time posting fanfiction on Tumblr, so please forgive me if I mess stuff up! 

ENJOY YOUR STAY ↳Boss!Namjoon, Chef!Jin, Receptionist!Hoseok, Bellboy!Jimin, Bartender!Jungkook, Accountant!Yoongi, Photography student!Taehyung ↳Some inappropriate language and cursing. Later chapters will have sexual content.

SUMMARY ↳Working the graveyard shift at a hotel isn’t the most exciting job in the world, but your coworkers are certainly happy to have you here.

CHAPTER ONE ↳You’re surprised you were ever considered for a manager position, but your boss Namjoon seems certain you’ll be a good fit. (Note: Taehyung isn’t in this chapter, but that’s just because he’s not an employee. You’ll see him in Chapter 2 and onwards, I promise!)

You run the pad of your finger back and forth across the newly-cut corner of your staff ID card. As the owner led you through the winding halls of the main building, you had noticed that none of the other staff members seemed to be wearing theirs. You drop it and let it hang limply from the forest green lanyard and tune back in to what the man beside you is saying.

"...but you won't need to worry about that, since you won't be here during the day. Really, there aren't a whole lot of customers out and about after 11pm. Maybe if we were a bigger hotel, there'd be more customers off red-eye flights, but generally, the graveyard shift is pretty quiet." He clears his throat again and comes to a halt, clearly unused to giving the full tour. "Your job is more helping me and the other staff out than customers. I know it's probably not what you were expecting a night manager's role to be."

You smile softly at his sheepish grin and shake your head. "Honestly, I'm just glad you even considered me for the job at all. I kind of applied for this on a whim. Until you called me last week, I was resigned to working as a waitress until my dying day."

He let out a genuine laugh, one you joined in with. Although you were joking around with him, you were really honoured to be here. Not only was the job well paying and pretty straightforward, but Mr Kim, or, you supposed, Namjoon, seemed like a really kind man to have as a boss. That was rarer than a good job, and here you were with both.

"Well," he murmured, attention caught by a commotion down the hall, "we're glad to have you. Wh- Jin! What is this?"

You follow Namjoon's gaze to where the noise, a squeal from an older lady, had come from. She had her hands thrown up in the air in a show of dramatised fright, and one of them was dripping water down her sleeve.

The culprit was a man in a pristine white chef's uniform holding a metal ice bucket. His lips were parted and eyes widened in bewilderment. His head shot around to make eye contact with Namjoon, who had patted you on the shoulder in apology before storming down towards him.

Unsure of what you should do, and secretly wanting to get in on the drama, you quietly followed after him, hovering by a fake potted plant while he confronted the chef.

As soon as he asked what was going on, the elderly lady, now cradling her damp hand, screeched in outrage. "This is some sick prank! What's wrong with you people?"

Jin interjected. "Actually, ma'am, this is dinner." This time, when he lifted up the bucket again, you could see several live lobsters wriggling around in the water.

"Not helpful," Namjoon shot back, before turning to the lady. "I'm so sorry, Mrs Kang. It should've been in a food-safe container, not an ice bucket."

"Well, I never! My husband and I order a bottle of champagne to celebrate our anniversary and instead this...this madman presents us with seafood!"

Namjoon winces, but straightens up when he sees another figure approaching. "Ah, here the champagne comes now, Mrs Kang. Again, I'm terribly sorry about the misunderstanding. We'll take the champagne off your room tab for your troubles. Have a good night, and happy anniversary to you and your husband."

Pleased with the concept of free champagne, as well as its eventual arrival, Mrs Kang makes herself scarce, returning back into the room from whence she apparently came.

Heaving out a relieved sigh, Namjoon turns to the chef. Tiredly, he mutters, "that was a two hundred dollar bottle of champagne, Jin. Was there really nothing else you could've put the lobsters in? Lobster isn't even on the menu."

The chef, Jin, gives a radiant smile to his boss. "Lobster wasn't on the menu. It is now." He looks back down at the bucket. "At least, I hope so. She might've scared the lobsters to death or rotted them with her godawful screaming."

Namjoon darts forward and latches onto the arm not holding a lobster-filled bucket. "Quiet!" He hisses. "We're still outside the room, idiot!" From his new vantage point, he sees you hovering uncertainly on the edge of the hallway. His shoulders drop and he fails to meet your gaze. "Go set up for the dinner service, Jin. And for the last time, don't go through the lobby, use the service entrance."

Namjoon joins you, hand rubbing the back of his neck, and waits for Jin to happily trot off down the hallway to the restaurant. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry, now I know not to harass customers with crustaceans. I'm glad I left mine in the car, now."

The brief awkwardness of the past few minutes is worth it to see the brilliant smile that lights up his face as he laughs. "If I were you, I'd be going out to make sure those weren't my crustaceans. Who knows where Jin gets his groceries."

The rest of the tour goes well, Namjoon having relaxed more, and you feeling more and more positive that this was the place for you. Apart from Jin, Namjoon said, the other workers in the hotel would leave at 11:30 to make way for the night shift. Since you were taking the tour at just 6pm, you wouldn't meet any of your coworkers until your first day, or night, of work.

That first night comes quickly, and although it's been less than a week since the tour, your heart races in excitement when you see Namjoon waiting by the front reception to greet you.

He looks good today, which is maybe not a thought you should be having about your boss, but the other day he was off duty in a polo shirt and linen trousers. Today, he was in all black, apart from the single stripe of forest green that ran down the front of his shirt. His pants were tighter than the linen ones, and his dress shirt had a high neck rather than a collar, making for a very appealing silhouette.

The lobby itself was lighter in colour, but no less dashing. The marble floor with its flecks of gold, the deep green couches, the high ceilings. You felt slightly inadequate, glad for the fact that you had a matching uniform rather than your own clothes.

He greeted you with a warm handshake, and drew your attention to the man sitting leisurely at the reception desk. How you ever missed him coming in, you didn't know, but now that you met his gaze, it felt like the room had brightened several degrees.

His luminous grin and friendly eyes reeled you in, and you found yourself grinning back as you shook his hand. Namjoon introduced him as Hoseok, but the man waved his hand. "Call me Hobi, everyone does."

You began to nod, but Namjoon made a noise of displeasure. "In your own time, sure, but when you're on the clock you can be professional, please, Hoseok. You don't walk around calling me Joonie when I'm trying to deal with unhappy customers."

"I would if I could, buddy." His eyes twinkled as he shot a sly wink at you, swivelling lazily back and forth on his chair.

"Hoseok here is the first thing that anybody who enters the hotel sees, so in many ways he's the face of the business. You can't redo a first impression. If you ever do have a customer out and about during your shift who wants to know something you aren't sure about, just send them his way." Behind Namjoon's back, Hoseok's eyes widen comically and he quickly shakes his head. "For example, if a customer wants to know where they can go to do laundry during a long stay, you'd send them to Hoseok and he'd tell them..." Hoseok's face lights up with a brilliant as Namjoon turns around to face him, but instead of answering, just waits expectantly for Namjoon to continue. Namjoon sighs and turns back to you. "He should tell them that there's a 24 hour laundromat a five minute walk from here if you go right at the main entrance."

You nod resolutely, willing your mouth to keep still instead of quirking up in response to Hoseok's sheepish grin. "No problem, sir."

The gazes of the men in front of you slide over your right shoulder, and you turn reflexively to see what's caught their attention. A young man in a classic bellhop uniform approaches the three of you with an eager grin on his face. The strap of his hat as well as his chubby cheeks cause his eyes to almost disappear in his smile, and when he reaches the desk he leans his back against it. "Hey, boss, is this the new chick?"

You introduce yourself to the bellhop as Namjoon cringes at the boy's forwardness. His name is Jimin, and he makes it very clear with his body language and cheeky grin that he's pleased to meet you. You feel your face heat up when he licks his lips, still staring directly at you. "Being a bellhop with no luggage to tote gets pretty lonely. I hope you get a chance to come and keep me company every now and then."

Hoseok, who had been previously watching this exchange from a leaned-back slump in his chair, sits up in outrage. "I'm here, Jimin! Am I not good enough to keep you company?"

Without turning to look at him, Jimin replies. "Not the kind of company I'm after."

Namjoon's fingers pinch the bridge of his nose and he scrunches up his face. "A little less sexual harassment in the lobby would be great, Jimin. We don't want to scare the new manager away before she's even begun."

You replace your flattered and flustered smile for what's hopefully a more professional, neutral one. "It was lovely to meet you two. I'm sure I'll see you guys around."

Namjoon takes that as a safe point to end the conversation, and mutters a gruff goodbye to the other two before guiding you out of the lobby with a warm hand against your lower back. "I apologise for them," he murmurs as he navigates the carpeted hallways, "the majority of our employees work during the day, and as it happens, all of the female employees, too. The night shift has been a boys club for a while now." He anticipates your unease as you process his statement. "But don't worry! All the guys are great, and you'll get along just fine. Any problems, you can talk to me."

He suddenly turns a corner, and you're led into a small lounge with a fully stocked bar in the far end. There's a man behind the bar, looking the part with an apron around his waist and a rag thrown over his shoulder. The rest of the room is empty except for a single figure at the bar, hunched over with his back to you. He doesn't look up when the two of you approach the bar, even when Namjoon pulls out a stool to sit beside him. The mystery man is flicking back and forth through pages and pages of spreadsheets and data tables, scrawling notes here and there and punching furiously into a calculator. Namjoon leaves him to it for now, and calls over the bartender.

"This is Jungkook, our newest hire. Well, I suppose he was before you came."

The man in question flips a glass bottle of liquor in his hand with a touch of showmanship. "I'm a seasoned employee now, Namjoon. Did I tell you I got to make a sex on the beach the other day? I just about passed out when the lady ordered it, I had her pinned for a white wine kinda gal. I reckon she just had the hots for me, because she took one sip and scrunched her face up like this," you grin at his enthusiastic recreation of her expression, "like she didn't realise what the drink had in it."

"Or maybe you just made a terrible sex on the beach."

"Well, maybe if I was put on the evening shift I could actually make enough drinks to find out," he protested, crossing his arms over. You hold your gaze stubbornly to the shelves behind you in order to avoid staring at the way the muscles of his exposed forearms flexed and the veins in his hands jumped with the action. Why the fuck was everybody in this hotel so hot?

"Yoongi, would you like to introduce yourself to our new night manager?" Namjoon tried to give the man at the bench meaningful eye contact, but the black head of hair was buried in paperwork.

"What I would like," the man drawled under his breath, "is for us to stick to our goddamn budget for once. Just one month, Namjoon, and I'd kiss your fucking shoes." Namjoon cringed at the curse, but had the decency to look a little guilty. The man, Yoongi, sat up a little, enough for you to see most of his face, and flipped through until he found a certain page. "Here," he growled, finger rapping angrily at a money breakdown report, "does Seokjin really have to spend nearly three hundred dollars on chicken stock? Nobody's ordering chicken noodle soup in the middle of summer!"

Namjoon frowns and leans in closer to Yoongi. The pair of them fall into intense conversation, and you awkwardly avert your gaze to give them some privacy. The bartender, Jungkook, sees you shifting around and rests his elbows on the bench. "You want a drink?"

You blink. "Oh. No, I don't think I should be drinking on the job. But thank you for offering."

He lets out a chuckle. "We have water," he says, eyes twinkling. "Do you really think I'd get you drunk on your first shift?"

You shake your head, feeling silly that you had assumed he was offering you alcohol. "Water would be nice. Thank you."

He sends you one last toothy grin over his shoulder as he grabs a glass, and fills it for you. The water is so cold that by the time he sets down a coaster in front of you, condensation has gathered on the outside and drips over your fingers when you take a sip.

He watches you for a moment, reflexively whipping out his rag to clean up the water droplets on the bench. "So, why the hotel?"

"Hm?"

"Why is a girl like you applying for a job where the only hours are the middle of the night?"

You set your glass down. "I don't know what you mean by a girl like me, but to answer your question, I'd take any hours if it meant I didn't have to wait tables anymore. I've dealt with enough shitty customers to last a lifetime."

He nods thoughtfully, but his lips are quirked into a smirk. "Better no customers at all, huh?" He waves his hand to gesture at the empty room.

"Actually, better all the angry customers have tired themselves out with the day staff and are sleeping peacefully." The pair of you fall into a comfortable lull of silence, but it doesn't last. "Don't you get bored? Being a bartender with no drinks to make, I mean?"

"Not when I have a pretty girl to think about." Although he wiggles an eyebrow suggestively, you know you're right.

Unaware of the fact that the conversation to the left of you has finished, you shoot back a reply. "Thanks for that. So far every staff member tonight except Yoongi has flirted with me. I feel like I'm collecting the whole set."

You hear a scoff, and the fact that it's too deep to have come from Jungkook sends blood rushing to your cheeks. The man in question has tidied up all his papers into a single neat pile and is staring directly at you. You're not completely surprised to see he's absurdly good-looking too, now that you can properly see his face. He doesn't seem to be mad, just a little begrudged. "Maybe if Namjoon would hire adults for once, rather than horny little boys, you wouldn't have to deal with it."

Jungkook lets out an offended cry, but you ignore him and turn to face the two older men. "I don’t know,” you joke, “just think how much money you must save hiring horny little boys rather than qualified adults! It probably evens out the chicken stock fund." You don't quite manage a laugh out of him, but Yoongi's quick flash of a grin seems reward enough.

Namjoon decides it's time to move you along, and the last thing you see as you exit the bar is a rueful smile and wave from Jungkook, and Yoongi's curious stare. You expect to be led to another room to meet more employees, or to Namjoon's office to get started, but before you go anywhere, he gently presses on your shoulder to slow you to a stop, and leans in to talk to you in a soft murmur.

"I'm so, so sorry if you feel like the other staff members have been inappropriate with you." Guilt darkens his face. "And I would be completely disappointed in myself if you felt like I had acted the same. I'm so sorry," he repeats awkwardly.

You shake your head and give him your brightest smile. "It's totally fine! All the guys, you included, have been nothing but sweet to me, and besides, I was just joking around with Jungkook. No harm done, honestly."

He searches your face for a few moments, then slowly nods. "Okay. Okay, let's get started, then."

MY FAVORITE DRAMAS OF 2019 !

Hello everybody, I’m back for this annual drama pick !

Unlike last year, this year was good, not exquisite, but good. But, I’m still going to give you the best of the best, la crème de la crème ! Once again, this is only my humble opinion, and I might add, I can’t watch every kdrama of the year, so I guess this is quite a small list.

PS : I still can’t choose an order, so please, make your own ranking out of my choice ;)

The 2018 version of it !

Hotel del Luna (호텔 델루나)

Jang Man-Wol is the CEO of Hotel del Luna. She made a big error many years ago and, because of this, she has been stuck at Hotel del Luna. Jang Man-Wol is fickle, suspicious and greedy. Koo Chan-Sung, a sincere perfectionist but actually has a soft disposition, begins to work as a manager at Hotel del Luna, due to an unexpected case. The hotel's clientele consists of ghosts.

> Where to begin... I guess IU got me again this year (My Mister in 2018), but in a totally different role and kind of acting. I was not disappointed. This drama has a really good storyline, using modern days and history, and reality and myths and legends. This kind of mix works really well for me. All the cast was perfect and the two leading actors had a great chemistry, and it made me love Yeo Jin-Goo a little more. Plus, the scenery and special effects were really great ! AND let’s not forget the looks of Man-Wol, and the charisma of IU > PERFECT ! I guess this drama is in my top 3 !

Kingdom (킹덤)

10 days have passed since the King collapsed from an illness. Queen Jo and her father Chief State Councilor Jo Hak-Joo have forbidden anyone else to see the King. Even his own son Crown Prince Lee Chang is forbidden to see his father. But rumors spread that the King is dead. Crown Prince Lee Chang senses something sinister and sneaks into the King's palace. He sees a shadowy monster through a door and smells its foul stench, but he is discovered and escorted out of the palace. To find out what happened to the King, Crown Prince Lee Chang and Moo-Young travel to the Jiyulheon clinic in faraway Dongnae to see a physician. When they arrive, they discover that the clinic is in ruins and dead bodies are found under a building. A medical staff member Seo-Bi tells them that the dead they saw at the clinic are not dead and they will rise up soon to kill.

> If anyone asks, zombies are my thing, it’s been years, I literally dream of a zombie apocalypse (no, not really). As I’m not over Train to Busan, I was very excited to see zombies in a kdrama. And I’m not gonna lie, it was damn good ! And I was not very glad at first that the storyline happened in old time, because like I already said, I don’t really like historical drama. But this one made it to the list. Great zombies, great actors , great all ... I guess it’s Netflix ! (Mr.Sunshine from 2018)

My Strange Hero (복수가 돌아왔다)

When Kang Bok-Su was a high school student, he was falsely accused of committing violence and kicked out of school. This was caused by his first love Son Soo-Jeong and a male student Oh Se-Ho. Kang Bok-Su is a now an adult, but his life has not gone smoothly. To get revenge on Son Soo-Jeong and Oh Se-Ho, he returns to the same high school as a student. The environment at the school has changed and Kang Bok-Su gets involved in unexpected cases.

> In a lighter tone, my strange hero is a great drama with a great story and great acting from Yoo Seung-Ho, it kind of made me want to follow his project in the future. The story is a classic revenge one, but it really made me want to have justice for Bok-su, it made me attach to this character. Great drama to relax and enjoy the love story.

Touch your heart  (진심이 닿다)

Oh Yoon-Seo is a popular actress. She is famous for her beautiful appearance, but her acting is bad. She gets involved in a scandal with the son from a chaebol family. Her acting career declines precipitously. Oh Yoon-Seo hears that a famous screenwriter wants her to play the lead female role for a drama series. The character works as a secretary for a lawyer. To gain experience for the role, Oh Yoon-Seo is required to work as a lawyer's secretary for a few months. Meanwhile, Kwon Jung-Rok is an attorney for a law firm. He is arrogant and cold-hearted. One day, his boss asks Kwon Jung-Rok to let actress Oh Yoon-Seo work as his secretary for 3 months. He is not happy about the situation, but he has to accept.

> Basic Kdrama trope, but this one worked on me. We can say that Goblin greatly influenced my choice, the chemistry between Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na is beyond everything. But my heart goes all the way for Lee Dong Wook ! Anyway this drama really shows some deep characters and I loved it ! Bonus : it’s funny as heck !

Leverage (Korea)  (레버리지:사기조작단)

Lee Tae-Joon is an excellent insurance fraud investigator. An unexpected case changes his life. He quits his job and recruits talented criminals, that he once caught, to form an elite fraud team. The team includes Hwang Soo-Kyung , Ko Na-Beyol , Roy Ryu  and Jung Ui-Sung . They scam wealthy criminals and return the money that they stole to the victims.

> As a huge fan of the original US version, I was forced to watch this one, and let me say that, for once, the Korean version did not disappoint ! It takes the best of the original series and adapt it to Korean standards, and it works very well ! We can feel a great union between the actors who plays the team ! 

He is Psychometric (사이코메트리 그녀석)

Lee An has a special psychometry ability. Whenever he touches someone, he can read that person's memory. Using his psychometry ability, Lee An wants to take out evil people in the world. Yoon Jae-In is a girl with a scar in her mind. She tries to hide that. Lee An and Yoon Jae-In happen to meet and they struggle to solve cases.

> I was never a fan of Park Jin Young, but damn this boy got me ! He really has a great future in acting in front of him ! But all the cast were amazing. The story for once was really outside the box, I think that’s why I liked it so much ! Kudos to Da-Som whom I hope to see in more dramas !

The Light in Your Eyes (눈이 부시게)

Kim Hye-Ja hopes to become an announcer. She is honest and has a positive personality, but she suddenly becomes a 70-year-old woman. 70-year-old Kim Hye-Ja gains the special ability to manipulate time. Lee Joon-Ha wants to become a reporter. He has worked hard to achieve his dream, but he now lives his life hopelessly. He gets involved with Kim Hye-Ja.

> You can never guess how much I cried at the end of this drama ! You should really watch this drama, for the great acting, but also the story, a brilliant and well made one, I think you never really expected the ending, it tells how much the directing of this drama was good. This drama is definitely a revelation for me !

Extraordinary You (어쩌다 발견한 하루)

Eun Dan-O is a student at a prestigious high school. Her family is wealthy, but Eun Dan-O has a heart disease. Her fiance Baek Kyung attends the same prestigious high school. She likes him a lot, but he does not like her at all. Suddenly, Eun Dan-O has short-term memory loss and she can see what will happen in the near future. She gets confused by her symptoms. Then, Jinmiche, from the school cafeteria, tells Eun Dan-O that she is a character in the comic "Secret" like everybody else there. Eun Dan-O learns that her character is not even a main character, but rather an extra and she doesn't have much time to live. Eun Dan-O is stunned, but she decides she wants to find her own true first love and not someone written by the comic writer. One day, she falls down the school stairs. She feels her back touch the back of another student, among a group of male students. Her heart suddenly starts to flutter. Eun Dan-O wants to find the male student who made her heart flutter. She eventually finds the student and he is her classmate. He is a character that doesn't have a name. They get close and Eun Dan-O names him "Ha-Roo."

> I really did not expect to like this, why ? Because the basic story of this drama has been already this a thousand times : high school crush, bullying, ... But the fact that it happens in a comic really changed it all, plus, the scenography is really pretty, and the acting is on point when you watch them shift of characters ! You should really watch this !

Search : WWW (검색어를 입력하세요: WWW)

The story of three women in their late thirties — Bae Ta-mi, Cha Hyeon and Song Ga-Gyeong — who work in the top two competitive web portal companies: Unicon and Barro. This drama is about the conflicts, the wins, and losses one experiences when working. It will follow the story of 21st century women, who chose to not be a wife or a mother and successfully work without discrimination or impediments.

Bae Ta-Mi works as a director for a big web portal company. She is in her late 30's and is quite competitive. With her competitiveness, Bae Ta-Mi enjoys success. The methods she uses to win has her wondering if she is doing the right thing with her life. 

Cha Hyeon also works as a director for a big web portal company, but as the direct competitor of Ta-mi, she’s also quite competitive, fierce, but also has a soft side, a side that she only shows to Ga-Gyeong her superior and friend.

Song Ga-Gyeong, is a rigid director of Ta-Mi in Unicon and the daughter in law of the CEO of KU Group, a big society who wants to influence the politics via Unicon. She is used by her mother in law but quickly became a fierce woman who stands for herself.

> First ... THREE STRONG WOMEN AS LEADS ! What can go wrong ? What can do better than this ! I don’t know my dear friends, I don’t know... If you ask, yes there is a love story (it won’t be a kdrama otherwise duh !), but the main couple isn’t really that great, and I really didn’t care about that. I loved the show for the power that these three women shows, and how it’s natural for women to rule the world ! (Yes I said it !) Bonus : openly showing that some characters could be bi (Cha Hyeon), and it show a very natural side of people that often people (especially in Korea) think it’s deviant (not shy about expressing their feelings, implying sex scene, etc ...). Great great drama !

  Honourable mention (but did not make it to the list) : Romance is a Bonus book (My love for Lee Jong-Suk did not help unfortunately ! The female lead was hard to like), Her private life (great drama, great actors but the fangirl story is a little cringey), Melting me softly (Nice but weirdly made love story...)

That’s it for this year !

Please feel free to recommend me some 2019 kdrama ! ☺️

2018 ; 2019

Gintama Chapter 702 Review

I have been dreading for Gintama to return and not only I got my satisfaction, it exceeded my expectation. Although the chapter is shorter than last time, the content still packs a heavy punch to leave you feeling awed and invested. This chapter was an outstanding setup for the grand finale that I still have chills, goosebumps, and anything else that a man would feel when the hype is extraordinary. Once more, I’m dreading for Gintama to return.

It has been a while since the last chapter, though luckily for me, I still remember the setup and the events took place. I remember Takasugi reached to the top to confront Shouyo while Yorozuya is reunited and running towards where the two are at. Sadly, this chapter doesn��t begin with a gag like the last shift, but it’s all good when the series is at the intense climax. We’re in the endgame now.

The chapter begins with a really good hype build-up with yours truly, Sakamoto. That facial hair is doing wonder for his design as he come across like a really cool guy. That and the artwork is very solid throughout the chapter; clearly, Sorachi’s long break helps out the clarity. Back to Sakamoto, it’s all about the fate of the world, hence the chapter’s title. This moment raise the stake and increase the tension as it is the finale. It’s like the speech about history is written by the victor. The idea is this is the fight that will change everything; it’s the true endgame.

It is incredible that Earth stays getting attacked and always come close to world destruction. It’s practically fate by this point. Sakamoto always have a great speech in his arsenal and this is no exception. The pain and struggle always come for them, but their fate will deny the fate. It highlights all the Joui Four’s scenario respectively, a good reminder after a long break. It’s all about fighting to see the end and justify a reason they may or may not know. It’s inspiring and helps the hype level for what’s to come next.

Takasugi has been stellar throughout this arc. If he was like his old self before Shogun Assassination Arc, his ticking time bomb to death wouldn’t worry me. Now, I am anxious to know what his destination is. Needless to say, I’m deeply worry for the guy. With all that said, his confrontation with Shouyo is heartwarming; showcasing his great development. I’m really glad that he finally got to meet him alone. I wanted him to share his side of thoughts about his sensei, his comrades, and his own feelings.

As rough state Takasugi is in, he still smiles at the sight of his master. It’s not Utsuro, but Shouyo to his eye. He truly wants to go back home; back to the way things were. This was touching; I feel sorry for Takasugi. You can feel his words and expression how much he wanted to see him. The students may have split apart before, but now, they are returning back home. It’s a touching metaphor to say, “Family will always be family.”

The best part of the speech is when he contrast his life to Gintoki’s. In the midst of his speech, Otae was close to get crushed by blocks, but Yorozuya shows up in time to save her. Gintoki broke his staff and got hit by a block. It should be funny, but this quickly plays off as a moment to recover the best sword of them all. He is the man that moved ahead to the future and Takasugi’s role is his companion. The metaphor and the narration makes the moment emotional; I could draw tears. I can’t do it justice here, but the narrative flow is so good. Takasugi passing out got me praying; that’s how much I cared. He did recover, but then the scene segue to one of the most unexpected emotional scene this series gives so far, and that’s saying it a lot.

Out of all people to give us an emotional speech, it’s Utsuro/Shouyo himself. In fact, this is the best part of the chapter aside from the ending. Although he appears as Shouyo, it is best to be reminded that he’s the embodiment of all characters of himself within a body. In other words, he’s everyone; Utsuro, Shouyo, whoever. The idea is he acknowledge what and who he is, and nothing will change the fact he has long live to experience many life decisions. Even when he did die before, the memory remains, including Edo defeating him in the war. Honestly, this series presented very well how awful immortality can really be. He finally found the moment to die for good and this is for the best.

Shouyo’s speech doesn’t end there, but the scene does shift to Katsura and Hitsugi to connect the narrative of the end of Shouyo. There are few interesting notes here. Shouyo’s speech ties in to the moment where his heart was destroyed, because it truly is the end of him. Even if he were to gain a crystal, a replacement so to say, it’s only temporary. Basically, he’s human, and anyone with his blood will die along with him eventually. Technically, this is a plot twist and a damn good one. I’ll say it again, “We’re in the endgame now.”

What really captures my interest is Hitsugi as a character. I am stunned how Sorachi managed to make a mute guy and a third henchman into a sympathetic character and I like it. It’s another plot twist when you think about it. For a while, fans thought he’s favoring Utsuro to revive and restart the chaos once again. It turns out he is favoring him, but to put an end to his life; just as current Shouyo’s wish. It amazes me how any of his disciple truly loves him and knows what’s right. Clearly, he is the most beloved master.

I don’t know if this twist means other moments are red herring, but it’s more like us looking at the wrong direction. I thought he was a slave to Tendoshu, when in reality, he knows what needs to be done and reviving Utsuro isn’t it. What struck me the most is how he was able to understand the hardship and misery of Utsuro as immortal being. Even for a short while compare to Utsuro’s lifespan, it is a nightmare, so he wants to grant him death. What’s up with good writing making me feel sympathy for a character who is either evil or short-lived? I like how he wished the best for everyone associated with Utsuro a closure they deserved. Sleep well.

The best portion of the speech is here. After you take it all in with Shouyo’s wish and how the effect come in play, we learn how he truly feels about everything. It’s pretty emotional. His final move is to collide with Altana and cancel out the destruction to save Edo. It’s his only way to save a life and yet, he cannot save the loved ones that are his disciples. I don’t recall if I said this before and it doesn’t need to be said, but I’ll say it now: Shouyo is a tragic character.

He has been a great character, villain or not. Usually, a character can be good in one criteria, like a good person, but a crappy villain, or vice versa. Shouyo can work well for multiple roles. This is why he is well liked in the community. Because of good writing and sheer investment of these characters, I can sympathize his misery of not able to do well as immortal; can’t save not one disciple. Even offering a life with his blood, it only brought tragedy. When he cries, shoot, I begin to cry. He didn’t deserve this. He can make a great protagonist in a tragic series; I can’t say that’s a compliment. It’s sad as hell. Life truly sucks, and yet, he cannot die.

The chapter is covered with plot twists, so it might as well have one more and it’s the most shocking one. Imagine the mood you’re in after reading heartbreaking words from each characters; you’re overwhelmed with emotions. Then, the twist to top them all happens with a sheer suspense. A page left me wondering until blood is spill. Takasugi stabs Shouyo and it is gut-wrenching to fathom it. The twist is Takasugi is gone (for now at least) and Utsuro has taken over the body. Wow…

I didn’t see this coming. In fact, the way I saw it before this chapter was Utsuro is back in his own body and going to fight Takasugi before Gintoki arrives. Never would I guess Takasugi lose his conscious to Utsuro, but it makes a lot of sense. That’s why we needed to see Tendoshu as fallen victims to Utsuro. It all lined up well for this twist to happen. That said, it’s painful for Takasugi to be the man to kill his beloved master, before his very eye. Someone in the reddit pointed this out and it’s sadly true: both eyes witness the tragic fate with tears and death. Hasn’t he suffered enough? Bottom line, Utsuro is the final boss and it all comes down to the final scene.

I absolutely love the atmosphere of the aftermath of Altana destruction. Utsuro delivered bone-chilling words about Shouyo once again dies without saving anything. That’s just dark. After his line, the rest of the chapter goes silent and the visual storytelling kicks into high gear. What I love about this is how it is setting up for the final stage for the final battle. Gintoki is out of the rubble, resuming his chase for Shouyo. He arrives to the place, only to see his master dead. That’s awfully sad that he couldn’t fulfill the one path to see it through, and ironically, it’s because of Takasugi. The image of seeing your close friend being the murderer is morbid and disheartening. It’s even worse when Takasugi sadistically smile one more time before Utsuro completely takes over. Gintoki can’t catch a break at all.

The sad part is he has to kill the two of his loved one for a price of one. This series is cold when it truly needs to be. As sad it is, I can’t contain my excitement. The last shot with Gintoki and Utsuro standing got me floored with amazing amount of hype. Two men with a mission, the sun in the background, everything that has built up to this point. That shot is pure hype. It’s the final destination level of the final boss. This is Metal Gear Solid 4 final fight level of greatness. This is whatever you think it’s the best final stage tier. This is the endgame.

The whole arc has been stellar because it is more grounded, personal, and emotional. Have it end with a War Arc, it would have been pretty good, but not enough for total satisfaction. Granted, it was a solid War Arc, best in Shounen category, and opinions will vary, but a condensed concentration on few characters rather than everyone is much easier to digest, and the pacing flows more naturally. This is why the ending is shaping up to be incredible. Even if it is taking forever due to multiple trolls, fans will get the satisfaction they deserved, let alone Sorachi himself.

Bottom line, this chapter was outstanding for its incredible emotional roller coaster from various characters, excellent buildup for the final battle, and plenty of great panel shots with deep intensity and excitement. I can’t do justice on its atmospheric trip, especially the last couple of pages, but I had chills. The next chapter is hype of the hype. I have to think which soundtrack to use for the final battle. This is it. There’s no other way. Gintoki versus Utsuro as Takasugi. It all ends here.

Madamspellman Teacher AU Chapter 3: The One With Football and Milkshakes

The weekend felt like the bright light at the end of a very long tunnel for Zelda. Her fourth period Spanish class continued to cause her problems, as if the football incident wasn’t enough. Fourth period Spanish and fifth period French 1 were her biggest classes, a total of twenty five students each. By the end of the week all but seven of her Spanish students have turned in a journal, and Zelda didn’t like the look they gave her when she warned them about having the journal the following Monday. By Friday she was losing her patience with Seth Grinwis and his friends, they disrupted her class all week with outbursts and comotions that almost rivaled the football incident. On Friday, they came into class, smug as ever, and talked all throughout the warm-up. They didn’t even do the warm-up. She set up a folder so students who still didn’t have a journal could turn in the warm-up on loose leaf paper with the rest of class when the five minutes for warm-up were done. When they came back from lunch, Seth Grinwis and company were absent. Zelda was beyond relieved, class free of distraction, it was the best Spanish lesson that week.

On Saturday, Zelda woke up refreshed. It was a good time to be in the Spellman house. Hilda had a mountain of food made; pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, and assorted homemade jams would crowd their kitchen table, surrounded by the whole family still in their pjs. Sabrina and Ambrose shared the bench, their plates piled high with bacon. Vida sat across from them trying to eat a pancake whole, strawberry jam dripping everywhere until Zelda came up behind her and cut it up to more manageable pieces. Zelda’s place was at the head of the table, closest to the window. The sun light shining behind her made it ideal to read her paper with. Zelda ate half a pancake with some sausage, a little egg, and a top of a biscuit lightly buttered, the bottom half went to Vida.

“Mommy are you excited?”

“Vida don’t talk with your mouth full, you know better. About what baby?” Zelda waited a minute for a reply as her daughter washed away the remainder of the biscuit with freshly squeezed orange juice.

“The zoo! We’re still going right?” Zelda’s blood ran cold as her heart stopped. She had completely forgotten that she promised to take her daughter to the zoo. She’d been promising to do it all summer, but was waiting until the weather was a bit cooler and the tickets were a bit cheaper. And of course, before Hawthorne making her attend the game this afternoon.

“We can’t go to the zoo Vida.”

“Why?”

“Because Mommy’s boss is making her attend the football game this afternoon.”

“But we had plans first!” Vida slammed her little fist on the table. Very rarely would Vida throw a tantrum, but it was ugly when she did. She had her mother’s temper which made her a force to be reckoned with.

“I know we did baby, but we will go, I promise.”

“You’ve been saying that for months! I want down!” Hilda jumped in her seat but helped her niece down from her booster seat. Zelda just sat frozen in her seat with tears in her eyes as she heard her daughters small footsteps run out of the room.

“I can’t believe Hawthorne is making you attend the game.”

“Neither can I, but there isn’t anything I can do about it Sabrina.” With breakfast done, Zelda went to look for her daughter. There weren’t many places where Vida would run to, Zelda found her in her chair on the porch. She looked so small curled in on herself on the seat of the chair and was crying, cheeks red and covered with tracks. “Oh baby.” Zelda’s heart finally broke, she hated seeing her daughter like that especially when she caused it. This made Zelda hurt even more. Vida did not resist as Zelda picked her up and pressed her close, cradling her to her chest. Zelda cried along with her daughter, they were both hurt and the only place that hurt could go was out. “I know I keep letting you down but we will go, I’ll get the tickets for next Saturday, promise.” Vida lifted her head, her eyes were as red as her face and a stray tear escaped which Zelda whipped away with a soft brush of her knuckle. “Okay?”

“Okay.” Vida gave her a small smile, it was enough to mend her heart.

“Let’s go back inside.” Vida just hummed and placed her head back on her mother’s shoulder as Zelda carried her back into the house.

It shaped up to be a great afternoon. The sun was shining in a cloudless blue sky and the temperature remained in the high sixties. It ticked Zelda off that she had to waste it, rather than properly enjoy it with her daughter.

After breakfast, Zelda got ready in a flowing red sundress and dressed Vida in a t-shirt and skirt. They along with Hilda and Sabrina, left. Hilda was working and Sabrina was meeting her friends at the game, which was why Vida was coming. Zelda didn’t trust Ambrose not after he let Sabrina, who was two at the time, cut out several chunks of her own hair with kitchen shears. He had grown since then, but Zelda worried less if Vida was with her. With advice from Sabrina, Zelda parked the car near the bookshop where Hilda worked. When they arrived at the school, the lots, even the faculty parking, was full. There was a huge crowd leading to the stadium, and there were even more people when they got inside. When she spotted her friends, Sabrina went off with them. Zelda went to the starting end zone for Baxter High where her fellow staff members were conjugating. That part of the field was the divider between the football field and the baseball diamond, so there was plenty of room to walk around. Some of the cafeteria tables had been brought out for extra seating.

“Mrs. Spellman!” It was Mr. Hawthorne, he was dressed in his usual suit, which explained why his face was flushed with sweat. “Glad you could join us.” Like I had a choice said the voice in Zelda’s head. Hilda called it her ‘bitch voice’, and there was a time and a place for it. This was, unfortunately, not one of them. “Who’s this?” He looked down at her daughter. Vida had moved to hide behind her, she didn’t like strangers leering at her.

“This is my daughter Vida. Vida this is my boss Mr. Hawthorne.” Zelda didn’t expect her daughter to reply, but it would be a sort of comfort to her daughter to know why someone was speaking to them.

“Oh! I didn’t know that you had a daughter.” The look on Mr. Hawthorne’s face… Zelda might of imagined it, but it looked dejected. Zelda didn’t know why he would feel that way, especially not because of her daughter. “Well, have a seat anywhere you like. The game is going to start soon.” Mr. Hawthorne gave her a small smile and turned in the direction of the field. Zelda looked around for a spot that wasn’t too crowded, but still had some protection from the sun. She remembered to place sunscreen on herself and Vida, but she didn’t want to tempt fate. There was a tree on a slight swell of a hill that was the perfect distance from the field. In her tote bag, Zelda packed a blanket, which she laid on the ground in the shade. Zelda sat with her back pressed against the tree trunk while Vida, after she was done running around, sprawled laying on her back. When they were hungry they had the sandwiches that Hilda quickly prepared for them, and water from the water bottle that Zelda fixed up before leaving home.

“Well you certainly have the right idea.”

“Ms. Wardwell.” Mary Wardwell looked stunning. The history teacher pulled off the white t-shirt with jeans exceptionally well and the sun made the highlights in her hair shine. Ms. Wardwell’s makeup was light but her lips were still their signature red color. “How are you enjoying the game?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

“No, but it’s polite.”

“How true.” Vida, who was reading one of her Madeline books, looked at Ms. Wardwell but didn’t show the same fear as she did with Hawthorne. “And who might you be?” Ms. Wardwell bent down so that she was at eye level with the small girl.

“V-Vida?”

“Are you sure about that?” Zelda smiled as her daughter puffed out her cheeks at Ms. Wardwell’s teasing smile.

“Yes. My name is Vida Spellman.”

“Well nice to meet you Vida Spellman, I’m Mary Wardwell.” Ms. Wardwell held out her hand to the small girl, the child’s hand barely covered her palm. “Would you mind if I joined you?” Vida looked at her mother, Zelda smiled and gently nodded.

“Yes!” Zelda bit her lip to stifle a laugh. Her daughter didn’t understand the way that Mary asked she was supposed to say no, but Ms. Wardwell smiled all the same and joined them on the blanket. Through the rest of the first half of the game, Ms. Wardwell nodded along as Vida rambled on about Madeline and her adventures. Vida had read the book so many times that she could read them all by herself even though it was in French. During half time Zelda left to go to the bathroom, she asked Vida to come along with her but her daughter didn’t want to go.

“I don’t mind watching her Zelda. You go, we’ll still be here when you get back.” Zelda wanted to protest. She didn’t know the first thing about Ms. Wardwell, nothing personal that would tell her to trust this woman with the most important thing in her life. But Vida looked content so Zelda agreed. On her way back Mr. Hawthorne spotted her and he waved her over to where he was standing.

“Mrs. Spellman, how are you enjoying the game? Can you believe that we’re  about to win against Riverdale? They’re our biggest rivals in the division.”

“Oh really?”

“Indeed.” Hawthorne then launched into a ten minute spiel on the history of Greendale’s rivalry with Riverdale. It sounded more like a slaughter to Zelda, Greendale hasn’t one a single game against the other school in almost three years.

“I’m sorry Mr. Hawthorne.” Mr. Hawthorne stopped mid sentence. He looked like a gulping fish before closing his mouth. “But I have to cut this short. My daughter is waiting for me.”

“Yes. Of course. Your daughter. How old is she?”

“She’s four.” Zelda tensed. She didn’t like talking about her personal life, especially when it concerned her daughter.

“And how long have you and your husband been married?”

“I don’t believe I ever mentioned having a husband. I’m not married.”

“Oh- I just- with the- and…” Mr. Hawthorne’s face went even more red than it was before, and he walked away still stuttering.

When Zelda returned, she found that Vida had made herself at home in Mary’s lap. She was reading aloud from her book, in perfect pronunciation that made Zelda flush with pride. Mary was nodding along, occasionally parroting some of the words. She looked up at Zelda and winked. Zelda took her old spot next to the tree but placed herself an inch closer to Mary, inhaling that subtle perfume, it smelt even more wonderful in the late summer air. And while she will deny it, Zelda dozed off, her head resting on Mary Wardwell’s shoulder. Mary didn’t seem to mind one bit.

Greendale ended up losing the game in the last quarter. After half time Greendale gave up a touchdown with a conversion and a field goal. It was almost five when Zelda and Mary folded up the blanket. They left through the cafeteria, it got them around the heavy crowd. While fall was still a few weeks away, the sun was going down earlier, it hung low and bright orange.

“Where are we going now Mommy?”

“Well, I was thinking we get chicken fingers and perhaps milkshakes.” Zelda smiled at the bright look on her daughter’s face. While Vida seemed to let go of her sadness about the zoo, Zelda didn’t forget. And Vida behaved herself so well at the game.

“Can Mary come!?” While Zelda held Vida’s left hand, half way into town Vida took her free hand and placed it into Marry’s. Hence why Ms. Wardwell was still walking with them.

“Why don’t you ask Mary if she’d like to join us?”

“Mary, would you join us for chicken fingers and milkshakes?”

“I would love to!” The squeal that left Vida was deafening but the smile was worth it. It was the happiest that Zelda had seen her in a long time. It was also how the three of them ended up sharing a corner booth at Hilda’s work. Hilda supplied them with a large platter of chicken fingers and milkshakes for Vida and, to Zelda’s surprise, Mary. Zelda had hot tea with honey and a splash of milk. Vida’s favorite milkshake was strawberry mint, while Mary stuck with an old classic, vanilla.

“I’ll be back.” Vida, who was in the curve of the booth between Zelda and Mary, ducked under the table to come out the other side.

“Where are you going baby?”

“I’m going to find Aunt Hilda so she can take me to the bathroom.” Zelda nodded and watched until Vida found Hilda.

That left her, Mary, and a half eaten platter of chicken fingers. Zelda twirled a french fry between her fingertips and looked anywhere but at Mary Wardwell. Eventually she was forced to look at the teacher because there was only so much of the decor she could stomach. Mary caught her looking, and they locked eyes over Mary’s milkshake glass. Mary’s smirk and the lipstick imprint on her straw caused a slight flush of Zelda's cheeks.

“You have one amazing daughter Zelda.”

“Thank you.” Zelda’s voice became soft, almost a whisper. “Some days I just hope that I’m doing it right.” Vida was not the first child Zelda had raised. She and Hilda have brought up Sabrina since she was a babe. And Zelda went through the ‘what ifs’, and the worrying, but when Vida came she brought all that back. All of Zelda’s fears and concerns played in her mind, making her second guess every decision when it came to Vida. But her love for her daughter, her determination to be the best mother possible, kept her grounded. It allowed her to enjoy those small moments.

“Well, from where I’m sitting.” There was a squeak of leather as Mary slid over to Zelda. “You’re doing a fantastic job.”

Zelda huffed and summoned all her willpower to not cry in front of Mary. Her dignity wouldn’t survive. Try as she might a tear fought through, it slid halfway down her cheek before it was brushed away by a gentle knuckle.

“I’m glad your cheek is looking better.”

“Completely healed.” Zelda replied with a weak smile.

Mary nodded, her hair slightly brushed Zelda’s face. She then moved back to her side of the booth like it was nothing the way she comforted Zelda in the middle of the bookshop. Mary’s smile had changed, it wasn’t its usual smirk, it was softer. Vida came back with Hilda, who wasn’t dressed in her usual Frankenstein dress, but rather in her regular everyday clothes.

“I found Aunt Hilda!”

“I see that baby.” Zelda smiled and got out of the booth. Vida crawled back in, scooting as close to Mary as possible without being on top of the teacher. Mary didn’t mind, she playfully nudged the little girl causing her to giggle. Hilda sat next to Zelda, letting out a small groan.

“I just need five minutes.” Hilda picked up the chicken tender that Zelda half finished, not caring that it went cold. She ate it in two quick bites.

“Tough day?”

“Long.” Hilda squeaked and dropped the chicken tender that she was taking from the basket. “Dear lord, where are my manners? Hi, I’m Hilda Spellman. Let me guess, Ms. Wardwell?”

“The one and only. My, I must be lucky meeting two Spellmans in one day.”

“Aunt Hilda, Mary’s my new friend!”

“That’s great love. What did you do today? How was the game?” Vida led the conversation when she wasn’t munching on a chicken tender or taking sips of her milkshake. When the basket ran empty, Hilda got out of booth and stretched with a groan.

“Ready to go?” They left the table, Zelda holding one of Vida’s hands, Hilda grabbing the other. Mary walked next to Zelda, admiring the small family scene. “Would you like a ride home Ms. Wardwell?”

“Please call me Mary, Hilda, and no I think I’ll walk. It’s a lovely night after all.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. I’ll be fine but I thank you for the concern Zelda.” Mary waited on the corner as the Spellmans got into Zelda’s car. Zelda saw her in the driver's side mirror before Mary completely disappeared in the blackness of the night.

The car ride home was filled with Vida’s soft snoring. Hilda turned the radio on but kept the volume down so that it was a low hum. Zelda focused on the woods. The temperature had cooled when the sun went down but the sky was void of cloud, filling the night with stars. Mary was right, it was a beautiful night.

久しぶりのUPDATE! : The First Semester

It is definitely time for an update! Sorry that updates have been so infrequent these days! I’ve been taking lots of photos, and I have lots of blog posts planned, I just haven’t had time to sit down and type them up.

But yeah, I have a ton of things that I’ve been saving up to show you all, so let’s jump right into it!

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In one of my previous posts, I talked a little about my photography class, but I now have all of the data from those photoshoots, so here’s some of the photos we took!

Here’s the photo from the yukata photoshoot

And here are the photos from the Halloween themed photoshoot we did! (I’ve been like actively waiting for Halloween since April, but now it’s only two months away and I’m EXCITED)

We also spent about a month learning how to take photos of products. Product photography is so much more difficult than it looks! Lightning and reflectors are really important.

For our last project, we combined what we learned from the portrait photography and product photography units, and we had to take photos of a product and also of someone modelling with the product. I got nominated to be the model again, lol. (Why were so many of my classmates too shy to try modelling? It’s fun!)

For the product, we chose my Mitsutada necklace. We had to edit the photos to look like they could be advertisements.

Of course I took off the wig after we were done taking photos, but I really liked how my makeup turned out that day

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Back in July, my school had its annual Sports Day! Sports days are always a thing in school animes, so this was another one of those #LivingTheWeeabooDream moments, LOL. (There are a lot of things like that, like the sound of the bell that rings before classes, that to my Japanese classmates are just normal school things, but to me feel like anime things, ahaha)

Each class competed as a team in a variety of events; jump-roping, a relay race, volleyball, and tug of war.

Despite not being very athletic, I volunteered to compete in everything except volleyball (some of the activities only needed like 6 people, and there are 18 students in my class) Our class actually won the first round of the relay race tournament!

Oh, and each class came up with a logo and silk-screened their own matching t-shirts for Sports Day! Here’s me with my class (I wish I could show you their faces, but I would have to ask each person for permission)

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One of my classes this semester (”Design ArtWork”) focused on non-digital art, and we had to make collages. I saved up the wrappers and packages from a bunch of the mint chocolate snacks I’ve been eating recently, and made a mint chocolate collage!

(Also I’ve been taking photos and writing reviews of each new mint chocolate thing I buy from the konbini, so expect a big blog post about that once summer is over and they stop releasing new mint chocolate things for me to try, lol)

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For the final project in my Photoshop class, we had to make some kind of photo collage illustration depicting an imaginary world. It’s not my best Photoshop work (the shadows aren’t consistent, etc), but I way exceeded the requirements of the project anyway, and I had a deadline to meet!

This is a landscape that I doodled a picture of back in high school. (although I decided to add in whale sharks this time around) I had fun trying to make it in Photoshop!

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The only class I had twice a week this semester was “Creative Work”, which is a class about applying the skills from the other classes and creating a big project based around some kind of prompt. This semester, our prompt was to create a type of toner (or astringent, in Japanese they’re the same word). First we had to go to stores and research what types of toner already exist, then we had to come up with a concept for our own type of toner, design a logo, make a label and actually stick it on a bottle, create a tri-fold pamphlet about it, make a website for our product, and design a concept sheet to explain the important points of our design at a glance.

When I did my product research, I noticed that there were very few brands of toner that were both stylishly packaged and cheap, and that most of the types of toner aimed at young women had pink packaging, so I wanted to create something stylish and cheap with a design that was more “cool” than “cute”. (Of course I like cute pink things too, but sometimes it’s nice to have other options!)

And because I’m terrible at thinking of names, I just ended up calling it “Emerald” because it’s green. (I later made up a complicated explanation about how it was because the hexagonal crystal structure of emeralds was like the hexagonal molecular structure of the ingredients in this toner, LOL)

The printers at school can’t print with white ink, but I REALLY wanted to have the molecular diagram of ceramide and the text on my bottle in white, so I bought white label paper rather than clear, and cut out the text and molecular diagram, LOL. Everyone thought I was crazy, but my teachers were impressed, ahaha. Glad that my cosplay-making skills could be of use!

At the end of the semester, we had an exhibition of all of our projects (the 2nd and 3rd year students displayed their projects too), and a bunch of people from different companies came to our school to see what we had made and give us advice.

Oh! And I forgot to mention earlier, but I made both a Japanese website and an English website! In the future I’m hoping I can translate websites as well as design/code them.

It was good talking to people from different web design companies (I got the same advice from about 5 different people, so good to know that I really need to work on that point) and I was one of the two first-year students to get invited to do an internship at a company!

So last week I spent three days interning at that company, and it was a really great experience! On the first day, I got to make an actual website banner for a college’s open campus, and then I spent the next two days translating the website for “MONJI” a new tool that this company created to make it easier for clients/bosses to request changes to a website, PDF, or graphic. Right now MONJI is online for free (and the current English version that’s online was just translated through Google Translate), but this company is hoping to eventually release an official English version and monetize it. I can now say that I’ve translated the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy pages of a website, LOL (wow that was a challenge)

It was really nice to see that Japanese companies could be that chill. (No overtime work! No suits!) Everyone was so friendly, and I feel like I would really enjoy working at a place like that in the future! And all of their chairs were video gaming chairs, which were incredibly comfortable and I want one.

The staff gave me a fancy pen as a thank you for translating their website, so I tested it out by writing them a thank you note.

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I spent a good amount of time this semester applying to jobs and going to interviews. I was able to get contracts with two different English teaching companies. These places send you to different companies to teach the employees there, rather than having a physical school like my job in Shikoku. HOWEVER, to take a class offer from these sort of companies, you have to be able to teach at the same time on the same day of the week every week for like 15 weeks. Since I won’t know my class schedule for next semester until the middle of next month, I haven’t been able to get any work yet, but at least I should be all set up for when I do finally get my schedule. (Now let’s just hope there’s time in my schedule to be able to take some work; my school tends to have a lot more in-class time than other technical schools)

These sorts of English teaching businesses can be pretty strict, so I had to wear a suit to all of my interviews, and I tried really hard to keep my makeup “natural”. The day after a job interview, I usually felt the need to do extra heavy makeup and wear black just to balance out my life again, LOL.

I went to a English-teaching job fair at the Sky Building! The Sky Building is pretty close to Osaka station, and I used to see it from the train a lot, but this was my first time actually walking over there. It has two towers connected by a bridge!

It was right around the time of the Tanabata Festival, so they had these colorful decorations up!

After I finished with the job fair, I walked out onto the bridge. The sunset made the city look pink and purple, and it was so pretty!

The Tanabata decorations looked so nice all lit up too!

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Speaking of sunsets, there have been some really intense sunsets lately! This is the view from my apartment balcony.

The sunsets are usually more pink than red though.

I just thought this white building looked so cool in the pink sunset light.

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This summer’s new type of Black Thunder candy bar, Cookie & Salted Vanilla! The extra salt was a nice twist on the cookies and cream flavor, and so good for summer! One of the best new Black Thunder flavors recently, I think.

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This type of candy literally translates to “Loooong Tearable Gummy”. It’s 40 cm long, and perforated so that you can tear it into thin strips.

The reason Mabs and I wanted to try this type of gummy was because their commercials are ridiculous! Here’s a full compilation of them. They’ve got a whole story going on, LOL If you watch this video, definitely watch it all the way to the end; there are so many plot twists!

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A whale-shark-inspired outfit~

That day, Mabs and I went to the Osaka City Art Museum. As foreign exchange students, our schools gave us each a little booklet with free tickets to a bunch of museums and things around Osaka. The museum was pretty cool (no photos allowed though), and it was a nice way to spend a hot summer day. Mabs and I got kakigoori (shave ice) afterwards!

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I’ve been hanging out with Mabs almost every weekend, and even more often now that it’s summer vacation! We’ve been playing Okami (yes this game came out 12 years ago, but this is our first time playing it) and it’s so much fun! You play as a wolf (not just any wolf, but the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu) with the power to change the world through painting. So you go through the game helping people, fighting monsters, and painting color and life back into the landscape, and it’s such a pretty game. The graphics are designed to look like Japanese brush paintings, and it’s just so nice to watch the world slowly become a happier, more beautiful place.

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A couple months ago, our friend Hannah from college came to visit Osaka for a bit, so we met up one evening! It was so great to catch up and hear about all of the cool things she’s doing. Hannah is studying for her master’s degree in math, and the reason she came to Japan was to do a summer math program in Sendai!

We had a nice dinner together!

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After I got done with school on my last day of classes for this semester, Mabs and I went to AmeMura and Shinsaibashi to do some shopping! Our main goal was to find Mabs a cute sun hat for her class trip.

Mabs' school had a class trip to Wakayama for three days. I had fun looking at all of the photos when she got back, looks like they got to see some cool stuff!

Here are the omiyage that Mabs brought back for me; delicious ume manjyuu, and this tiny round panda! (I like that its ears and legs are the same size!)

The bag that that panda came in had some quality Engrish, lol!

That same weekend, Mabs  and I went to see the Hero Academia movie! While it wasn’t as good as the anime usually is (a lot of things were simplified so that people who hadn’t watched the anime could still enjoy this as a stand-alone movie, and the storyline felt pretty generic), it was still enjoyable to watch, and they gave everyone these little free books with character art and stuff.

And we got tofu donuts! Tofu donuts are very moist and cake-like, yum!

Also, this pale mint green nail polish is my new favorite color! It’s so fun and summery, and matches all the mint chocolate ice cream I’ve been eating, lol.

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The big (expensive) Hankyu department store always has very extravagant window displays, and right now they have these super colorful displays of (expensive) summer yukata!

They’re just so fabulous!

I was curious who made these window displays, and it turns out that it was the designer from the equally colorful clothing brand 6%DOKIDOKI.

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Wow, that was a long post! Thanks for sticking around and reading to the end! It’s good to be all caught up on most of the stuff that’s been going on around here. I have some smaller posts about music and things saved in my drafts, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I get around to posting next! Hope you’re all having a good summer!

NCT 127 Reaction When They Get to See Their Long Distance S/O After a Long Time (Hyung Line)

I wasn’t entirely sure which unit you were asking for, so I just went with 127. I hope that’s okay. I also changed the request a tiny bit. If you want another unit please send in another request and I’ll get to it as soon as I can. Thank you so much for the request.

P.S. This ended up being hella hella long so I decided to split it up into Hyung and Maknae line

~Izzy

Scenario: You are a study abroad student, or just visiting Korea on a holiday visa (they usually only last 6 months) when you meet him. The two of you date for a few months before you have to return to your home country (in this specific reaction I’m using the US I’m sorry if that is not where you are currently living). It’s been a year since the two of you could see each other in person again.

(I accidentally changed the scenario for Doyoung, my bad)

Taeil:

Honestly I feel like Taeil will be the most apprehensive about having a long distance relationship in the first place. When he first met you he knew he was attracted to you but tried his best not to fall for you because of that. However, all that went out the window when you asked him if he would want to go get coffee with you (yes, you had to ask him out first). There was no way he could say no to you. The two of you continued to date for 3 months in Korea before you had to leave. It was a teary goodbye, but he understood that you had to go, and promised to stay with you no matter what.

After a year of waiting you finally were able to get back to Korea. As soon as you found out you called him. Both of you were so excited that you booked a flight right then while you were on the phone with him. The day of your flight he was at the airport hours before your flight was even supposed to land because he just couldn’t wait to see you again. The second he saw you enter the baggage claim area he would have to hold himself back from running to you. Your relationship was still a secret and he was trying his hardest to not be suspicious but he just couldn’t help it. When you reached each other he couldn’t help but give you all the sweet pecks and cheek kisses that you had missed out on over the last year.

“I missed you so much,” He would say to you softly in between kisses “I’ll never let you go ever again.”

Johnny/ Seo YoungHo:

You met Johnny at a street market. You and your friends had decided to rent a guest house together to stay in Korea for a few months and experience the culture. For the most part it had been incident free, that is until you were sent out grocery shopping and for the life of you couldn’t remember the word for squid and were struggling to describe what you needed to the poor confused lady at the stall. That’s when you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around you make eye contact with a very tall and handsome, but very intimidating man. You thought he was just trying to get passed you to buy something but as you were going to walk away he stopped you.

“What were you trying to get?” He asks sweetly gesturing to the stall.

After that he escorted you around the market ‘just to make sure you didn’t get into anymore trouble’ and everything just fell into place.

Long distance with Johnny didn’t feel long at all. You guys talked at literally every opportunity you could. This boy only wanted to take care of you and couldn’t handle the thought of you being lonely. He would even ship you little presents of things that reminded him of you and sometimes you would receive the latest NCT merch as well.

Johnny wouldn’t even tell you he was coming. He had told the company he was going to visit his family for two weeks on their break. Which wasn’t entirely a lie, he did spend the first week with his family, but the second week he reserved entirely for you. As he arrived in front of your house/apartment he gave you a call. He tried to play it off like he was just seeing if you got the last package he sent, but when you opened the door he was standing there not some little trinket he sent. While you were still in shock, he would pick you up and spin you around. He missed you so much the last year and he wasn’t going to waste his time with you on casual greetings. No matter what you were wearing he would pull you out so you guys could start a date right then.

“I don’t have a lot of time,” He would say pulling you to the car he borrowed from his parents “We have to make as many memories as we can before I go back to Korea.”

Taeyong:

I know I said Taeil was the most opposed to a long distance relationship, but I forgot about this boy: Taeyong was the most opposed to long distance. When you first met, you were walking into a coffee shop with your friends as he was walking out with the other NCT boys while they were on break from practice. Unfortunately neither of you saw each other and literally ran into each other. He ended up spilling his coffee on you, but was able to react quick enough to catch you before you fell down. He apologized profusely but couldn’t be late for practice so he told you to meet him here tomorrow at the same time and he would buy you a coffee to make up for it.

The two of you didn’t actually start dating until right before you had to leave. He didn’t want too much on his plate being leader and all that, but he definitely had feelings for you. One time when you went out together he got very serious with you and explained how he felt, and said that if you two were to date you needed to be absolutely certain about it and plan everything out about long distance before you had to actually do it. You shut him up by kissing him which, he would never admit, but he was glad you did.

Since you and Taeyong hadn’t been dating long before you had to leave he never really got to experience skinship and intimacy with you to the fullest extent, and as the months went on he was really feeling the effects of that. All he could think about was what it would be like to be able to hold you and touch you without any hesitation or pleasantry like he had in that little time you were together in Korea. He couldn’t meet you at the airport, because of his schedule, but he promised to meet you where you would be staying as soon as he was done. When he arrived and you opened the door for him he didn’t give you time to say anything. His lips were immediately on yours, his hands wandering from your waist to your cheeks and everywhere in between. He had no intentions of leaving you that night, or for the rest of you trip for that matter.

“God I waited so long to do that.” He would say to you as he pulled back to catch his breath, fully intent on returning to your lips when both of you were up for it.

This gf has me so weak tbh

Yuta:

I feel like Yuta wouldn’t be thinking about the fact that you would have to leave Korea when he first asked you out. All he could think about was how you made him feel now and the fact that he wanted to be with you in the present and not think about the future. And for the few months you were in Korea that was amazing, but you couldn’t pretend forever. When he came to pick you up for one of your last few dates before you had to leave, he found you crying. When he asked why you explained that you didn’t want to break up or stop seeing him, but you knew you had to. He would be taken aback by this at for a moment before pulling you into a tight hug.

“Who ever said we had to break up,” He would say sweetly, rocking you back and forth “I like being with you in person, it’s true, but that’s even more of a reason to hold onto you while your away. It’ll be something to look forward to when we see each other again.” The two of you stayed in that night, no exciting date like usual with Yuta, just a relaxing night of cuddling, sweet kisses, and too many bad movies.

When you first heard that NCT would be in the states for their first US tour you were ecstatic. Yuta already told you you didn’t have to come seeing as it was in a completely different state, and he didn’t want you to worry about travelling to see him,but there was no way you weren’t going to see him.

Even though you knew he couldn’t stop and see you at the airport because of all of the fans and cameras that would be there you wanted to surprise him anyway. You ended up toward the front of a rather large group of fans waiting outside the airport where they would be, you even made a sign that read ‘I’ve missed you baby’ with a picture of him that you had taken together (except you had to crop yourself out of it so no one got suspicious). When the group exited the airport he didn’t see you at first. That was until one of the other members caught a glimpse of you and pointed you out to him. You weren’t expecting him to do anything, but you would be wrong.

Yuta broke away from the rest of the group and went straight to you. In shock you dropped you sign. You had no time to ask what he was doing before his lips were on yours and every fan and camera was looking at you. When the two of you broke apart he smiled at you.

“The company said I could tell everyone about you, I was planning on telling you while I was here but I guess this works too.” He whispered in your ear. Looking down he grabbed the cute sign you had made for him before being pulled away by his staff

“Thank you for this by the way,” He yelled before getting in their car “it’s very cute.” and with that you were left blushing surrounded by a thousand questions by his fans.

Doyoung:

You were in Korea on an internship with SM’s publicity and production department. This allowed you to participate in the filming and promotion of NCT U’s Boss. This is how you met Doyoung. You were tasked on assisting in the shooting of his solo shots. When you first started the shots seemed very plain and lacked dynamics like the rest of the MV. It had nothing to do with him, but instead the staging. You were actually the one that suggested the in the final cut the shot was sideways. Doyoung was super intrigued by you creativity and watched yo work and take notes for the rest of the day.  

When the MV shoot was wrapped and the group was going around and saying their thank yous to the staff, Doyoung specifically went to find you and complimented you on you creativity and your eye for things like this. You were definitely flattered seeing as it was your first time working on a set like this. After that you saw each other very often. You were always working on their shoot and any sort of event they were at you were at too. Eventually you became a regular staff so it wasn’t weird that all the boys had your number.

You and Doyoung had been closer than the rest of the boys, and you talked more often but it wasn’t anything that hinted at romantic. The both of you had feelings for each other, but neither said anything about it or showed it in anyway. That is until you stopped showing up for shoots and events. Doyoung got very worried that he would never see you again. He hadn’t used your number for anything more than questions about shoots, but this time was different.

When you received a very panicked message from Doyoung about your absence your heart began to pound. Did he really care that much? You had to explain to him that you visa had expired so you had to end your internship. This lead to a long conversation about how he never got to say goodbye and some profuse apologies from your end. You thought that would be the end of your contact with Doyoung, but it wasn’t. The two of you actually continued to keep in contact, you would call and text everyday. It was actually over facetime that he had confessed to you. When you said you also had feelings for him he immediately asked you to go on a date with him when you guys saw each other again. Whenever that may be.

It wasn’t until a few months later that Doyoung called you excitedly saying the company would help you renew your visa so you could come work on their next comeback, that the nervousness of everything that had happened actually set in on you. You would actually get to see him again, not just through a phone screen.

You weren’t going to see him until the shoot was scheduled and you had no idea what to say. When you arrived he was nowhere to be found. The other boys were waiting and excited to see you. After exchanging pleasantries with them, you kindly asked where Doyoung was. They pointed you in the direction of the room where they all get ready for the shoot. You assumed he was almost ready and just getting his hair or makeup done so you walked in. What you saw was a shirtless Doyoung looking for his outfit for the first scene. When he looked up and saw it was you he smiled, but all you could do was apologize and turn away towards the door. Before you could leave he grabbed your arm and turned you around pulling you to his bare chest. You were still blushing but the feeling was comforting.

“I missed you so much,” He said tilting your chin up so you were looking at him. “I couldn’t wait to do this.” He said as he leaned down to press a sweet kiss to your lips. You blush again hiding your face against his chest.

“Can I cash in on that date now?” He said laughing at your cuteness.

pls ignore the caption

The End of an Era

Hello, loves! It is hard to believe that for 10 years I have wanted to join Peace Corps.  Not only did I finally join, but I completed my full 2 years of service!  I have exactly 4 days left in Benin and I am not sure where to begin on describing emotions or events that have taken place leading up to my departure.  So, I’ll start by describing my last two weeks in Bohicon.  Christiana, Pauline’s daughter, came by and took all my furniture a week before I moved out (I inherited all the furniture from the volunteer before me, so I figured I should pay it forward as I am not getting replaced in my house).  Once the furniture was gone, I sat there wondering why I had not gotten rid of things sooner!  It felt great to live a minimalist life with only a small mattress on the floor and a few items of clothing. 

It is part of the culture in Benin for the locals to ask for a gift when you get back from the market, when you travel to another city, before you leave for good.  My understanding is that due to the history of French colonization and missionary work – it has left Benin as a very “give me, give me” culture; dependent on handouts to survive.  So, having close to nothing in my house helped alleviate a lot of those demands for gifts.  My friend Jean told me to respond by saying “Je suis comme vous, j’ai rien.”  (I am like you, I have nothing) I did try this response on a few neighbors and they looked at me confused saying….” But you are white, you have money”.  So, all in all, a failed attempt to politely say I have nothing to give away.  This continued three times a day for the last two weeks, which left me feeling a bit frustrated. 

A less frustrating culturalism in Benin is going away “fetes” (parties).  Everyone in the invited fete wears matching fabric, food is prepared, and drinks are shared. Usually the one leaving pays for or contributes some money to the fete.  I happened to have three going away fetes my last week at site in the following order:

1.)    My Women’s Anti-Trafficking Group in Adjido:  I arrived in the small village on Tuesday around 9 AM and the food was not prepared yet, so I sat and helped peel garlic as the ladies danced around and teased me about leaving, asking if they could go with.  Finally, at 12, the women changed into their matching outfits and we began the short walk to the community center where we normally hold our Village Savings and Loan Meetings.  (The women carrying food and drinks on their heads) Once we arrived, the women began singing traditional songs and held a dance off!  Yours truly was pulled into the dance off against Christiana, which the ladies got a kick out of.  Then the President and Treasurer of the group had the final dance off which brought the house down with laughter, cheering and clapping.   We sat down and enjoyed my favorite meal that they had prepared: Pate rouge with soy cheese.  We each got a drink of choice (coke, sprite, or apple juice).  I had put 15,000 CFA ($26.00 USD) towards the fete and am glad I did.  It was worth it to see all of us dressed up so nicely with no place to go, laughing and stuffing our faces.  We eventually got around to holding our savings meeting and then I got back home around 2 PM, exhausted. 

  2.)    Pauline’s Family: Christiana and I had planned to have a fete at La Racine on Friday night, a restaurant in Bohicon.  I pre-ordered 10 plates of food for 20,000 CFA ($35.00 USD) and waited for Friday night to arrive.  I invited Pauline, her husband Julien, Christiana, her son Nehemie, Emile (my favorite moto driver), the school Director of CEG Sodohome, and three of my retired friends.  (Plus me, that would have made 10 people) The fete was set to start at 7 PM, but mother nature had other plans.  As we are in the rainy season in Benin, the rain started pouring at 6 PM.  Christiana called and re-assured me that by 7 it would be fine. Around 7:30 PM, guests started calling and asking if the party was still on.  I said yes, let’s just wait a little bit.  8PM, 8:30PM, 9PM, 9:30 PM…..finally at 9:45PM I called everyone and said the party was off as the rain still had not stopped!  As everyone uses motorcycles as transportation, it would have been impossible to drive in the rain.  I started to get ready for bed when I got a phone call at 10:30 PM from Christiana.  She said to run outside of my house, because she had found a friend with a car who picked up some of the guests! I quickly dressed, grabbed my rain jacket and ran outside.  When we arrived at La Racine, I was surprised to see Julien, my friend who we call Sancho (he is a security guard and helps Pauline around her house sometimes), Christiana and her son.  Julien and Pauline are hosting a student for an internship program, so the girl was there as well.  We called Pauline but she had gotten stuck in the rain trying to make it to the fete on a moto taxi so she was feeling very sick and was at home trying to stay warm.  The staff at La Racine had held the food and warmed it up so we had a nice feast, including a bottle of wine that the owner sent over to our table.  As I had already pre-ordered the food, I still had to pay for 10 plates and drinks but it was worth it.  All in all, it worked out but it was a final reminder from Benin that life does not go as planned and patience is key.

  3.)    Retired Patrons of CLCAM:  Jean, Telesphore and Sabine have all served as Directors at CLCAM over the last 20 years and are all retired now.  (The volunteer before me, Mike, had introduced me to Jean as someone I could rely on as he has worked with Peace Corps Volunteers for ten years) CLCAM is a microfinance and loan association and has been in business for 40 years in Benin.  As they were unable to make it to my fete at La Racine the night before, on Saturday they picked me up at noon wearing 40th Anniversary CLCAM tissue and had made me a matching dress as well!  We stopped at La Racine so they could see the venue and I bought them each a beer.  From there, we drove to Abomey to stop at one of their friend’s house for a whiskey.  From there, they took me to Hotel Bis where we had another beer each.  Finally, we ended up at a bar near my house for a final beer!  I am not a big drinker so I was pretty toasty after all of the bar hopping!  As you all are aware, the last two years have not been easy for me regarding interactions with males in Benin.  It was such a blessing to have these three men as my support and protectors the last two years! In Benin, usually retired, well established men are referred to as “Patrons” or bosses.  It was a hoot being driven around all day by these patrons, and getting only the best service at each place we stopped since they are highly respected in the community.  I thanked them for always being so kind to me and for their friendship since 2015, and then they dropped me off at home.  Feeling quite tired I took a nap and then had one last dinner with my friend Aviva who lives 10 minutes from me in Saclo (she will fly home a week after me)

Moving day!  On Sunday, I woke up and called my taxi drive to verify that he would arrive at 1 PM.  I organized everything that needed to be returned to Peace Corps in my living room (mattress, gas tank, lock box, fire extinguisher, water filter, helmet).  I still had not said goodbye to Pauline and her schedule did not permit a meetup that day, so I was pretty sad.  I then decided to burn my last stick of incense and walked through each room in the house, as well as the garden and bathing area outside.  I thanked each space for the memories and lessons I was taught over the last two years and then I cried a lot.  Tears of joy, tears of sadness, tears of closing this chapter of my life. The more I travel, the harder the goodbyes are as I will always leave a piece of myself behind.  I enjoyed an hour of silence as the incense finished burning and then Aviva, Alex and Camille showed up with the taxi driver to help me move the Peace Corps items into the car. 

Surprisingly the move itself was very anti-climactic.  I was expecting neighbors and children to run after the car, waving and crying.  Instead, it was a quiet Sunday afternoon. No one was home.  I went next door to turn my keys into my landlord to find 15 children glued to a television watching a show.  I said, “Au Revoir” and they nodded, not taking their eyes off of the TV Screen.  We dropped Aviva off at her house since she was on the way to Cotonou and I cried a lot as we said our goodbyes! She was a great friend and saw me through me best and worst days in Bohicon, and accepted me just the same.  She lives in California so I am sure we will meet again someday!  I got back into the passenger seat of the taxi (Camille and Alex were in the back seat as they were going to Cotonou as well) and remained silent for the 2-hour journey.  I made sure to soak in all the landscapes, humor the vendors as they tried to shove peanuts and water through the window at every stop, and did not even mind that our driver stopped to urinate a few times.   I arrived in Cotonou around 3:30 PM, checked in my Peace Corps belongings with staff and showered. 

Now begins Close of Service (COS) in Cotonou.  Yesterday, all 11 of us who are flying home this week had to go to the medical office to get a TB skin test done.  We are all provided with a COS checklist, which entails running around to get signatures from different staff members before the day we fly home stating that we have paid any debts, we have returned Peace Corps property, our bank accounts are closed, and that we are medically cleared to leave the country.  The last step is an exit interview with our Country Director, which I have scheduled at 9 AM on Thursday morning.  Pauline surprised me yesterday!  She came to Cotonou and took me out to lunch one last time.  I was so excited that we had a chance to meet up and say a proper goodbye.  I thanked her for everything that she had done for her community and for me the last two years, including loving me as if I was her own daughter.  It was really emotional, as I have received more encouragement and love from her in 2 years than I did in 26 years from the woman who gave birth to me.  We took one last photo together and then Pauline said “go ! quickly! We will start crying! “ so off we went, both on different moto taxi’s going in opposite directions.

As far as luggage, I am ready to go.  My suitcase is exactly 50lbs and my small carry on backpack is stuffed full.  My flight is at 5:25 AM on Saturday, August 19th.  We have a quick stop in Lagos, Nigeria and then continue to Morocco.  I will have a 10-hour layover in Casablanca, Morocco.  As there are two other volunteers on my flight, we are planning to spend the layover walking around Casablanca, visiting the grand mosque and getting lunch.  From Casablanca, our flight will leave at 10:30 PM for JFK!  I am so anxious to land in the USA for the first time in 2 years!  We arrive at 1 AM in JFK on Sunday, August 20th.  I will try to sleep in the airport before boarding my 8:30 AM flight to Atlanta.  After 3 hours in the Atlanta airport, I will FINALLY take my last flight to Albuquerque, landing around 3:30 PM on Sunday, August 19th.  No doubt I will be tired, excited and full of emotions throughout my long journey back to New Mexico.  I will keep you all posted once I land safely and am enjoying New Mexican cuisine with my family!  What a wild ride it has been for two years living in Benin. 

It is the end of an era!  10 years of planning to join the Peace Corps is completed.  Thank you all for your continued support via phone calls, WhatsApp messages, emails and keeping me in your thoughts.  So thankful for my network of loved ones!  Looking forward to catching up with all of you stateside very soon!!!

Somebody Like You 12/12

Fandom: Victoria, Vicbourne

Characters: Queen Victoria, Lord Melbourne, Emma Portman, Dash, Nancy Skerrett, Charles Francatelli, Prince Albert, Prince Ernest, Duchess of Kent/Victoria’s mom, Robert Peel, various other characters from the show & real life, and new characters created for the story.

Rating: PG

Summary: Modern day teacher AU. Victoria is a young English teacher facing her first year of full time work. After making friends with the staff, she comes to rely on William Melbourne, the head of History department, and the teacher across the hall for advice and wisdom as their departments work closely together with the senior class.  As the two grow close feelings start to emerge which complicates various parts of their lives. Will they act on their feelings or choose to do what each thinks is best? Title from the Keith Urban song.

Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Author’s Note: I've loved writing this story and a bit sad that this is the final chapter.  It's the longest chapter too and I'm very happy with how this turned out and thanks for all the likes. :)

Chapter 12

The students had done a wonderful job with the "Beauty and the Beast" theme for the senior prom.  Victoria admired how the room looked like a ballroom and the fancy looking decorations.  In a way prom always did remind Victoria of those dances she would watch in those period dramas.  She smoothed out her blue dress that was new and one she picked out specifically for tonight.  It had taken her so long to get ready and make sure she looked perfect.  The plan she made and speech she practiced in her head were ready to go.  William now needed to get here.

Nancy came over to Victoria holding Charles' hand.  The students all were so happy to see them together and the couple had become a favorite of the staff too, as many were wondering when they'd get married.  Victoria had wondered if they were doing something similar with her and her Lord M.

"You both look adorable."  Victoria said and Emma standing next to her agreed.

"Thank you."  Nancy said with a blush.

Charles kissed her on the cheek.  "We couldn't be happier."

"Have you seen William yet?"  Victoria asked.

"Not yet."  Nancy said.

"But speak of the devil." Charles then pointed behind them.

Victoria turned around and her breath caught as she saw William in a new suit.  He looked so handsome and her stomach fluttered as she locked eyes with him and that slight smile came over his face.  It made her smile go even wider as he came near and slowly his smile matched hers.

When he reached her the distance they had these past few weeks made it seem like they were meeting for the first time again, but with more nerves.  "Hello Victoria."

"Hi William."  She replied and then noticed the plastic carton he was holding.  "Is that for me?"

"Yes."  He said almost shyly as he opened the container and brought out the corsage.  It was another white flower but larger this time with a blue wrist band.  "If I can just..." He started.

"Sure."  She gave him her hand which he gently took and placed the corsage on her wrist.  "It's beautiful."

"It's a gardenia."  He replied still holding her hand in his and she loved feeling his touch.

"It smells so wonderful too.  Thank you William."  She then squeezed his hand and her heart soared when he squeezed back and stared into her eyes.

"William, you should take her to dance."  Emma said, jolting them out of their trance.

Both laughed when they realized they forgotten everyone else.  "Yes, I want to dance with you." She added.

"Then I can't refuse."  William replied and then still handing hands he took her to the dance floor.

They were quiet at first as they started dancing.  It wasn't just nerves over what to say, but they wanted to relish in being close again.  This wasn't going as she planned but so far this was better being in his arms again.

William spoke first.  "I'm so sorry Victoria.  I never should have made you feel that way."

"It's ok. It took me a while to understand but I do now."  She looked up into his eyes, even with her heels he was still so much taller than her.

Relief hit his face and his smile came back.  "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too."  She said it with so much feeling she thought her heart would burst.  "I love you William and I know you've been scared, as was I, but I'm not going anywhere.  I would never do that to you or Kaitlin.  I've never felt this way about anyone and I want you to be my family."

William looked down into her eyes and she saw what she had been hoping to see for so long.  "I love you too Victoria.  I never thought I would feel this way again and then you showed up and changed everything.  I was so wrong to push you away when I need you more than anything."

He then placed his hands to cup her face and gently leaned down to kiss her.  When their lips met Victoria felt a happiness she had never known and pulled him closer to deepen it, running her fingers in his dark curls.  This felt right and the way things were supposed to be.

People whistled and talking got them to separate finally as they again forgot they were in front of all the students, colleges, and their boss.  However, everyone seemed to be ok with it, even Peel.  Victoria realized most of them probably knew what had been going on this whole time.  They both laughed as William brought her close to dance again.

This time it was a fast song and she laughed when he twirled her.  Then when she got closer again he whispered in her ear.  "Kaitlin is staying at Emma's tonight."  He paused as she took the meaning in and her stomach flipped again.  "Come home with me."

She leaned back to look in his face and stare at him seeing his desire in those green eyes.  Smiling she kissed him again in confirmation.

---

Sunlight filtered in the next morning as William slowly opened his eyes.  Looking at his alarm clock he saw it was only 6 am and he usually slept in till 8 on the weekends.  But noticing the corsage on the nightstand memories came rushing back of the night before and he remembered why he woke up so happy and relaxed.  He turned on his side and found Victoria still asleep.  Se looked so peaceful and comfortable in his bed and he settled his head back on his arm to watch her.

Victoria was absolutely beautiful at the prom.  The dress she wore brought out her eyes, which he was glad his corsage matched like he was hoping.  He was afraid she wouldn't forgive him or accept him, and was so glad to see he had nothing to be afraid of.  She was his now in every way.  Kissing her had been like a revelation and realizing it was always her he was supposed to be with.  Then making love last night proved it even more.

Of course he had been with other women after Caro, but he hadn't expected this.  It wasn't just sex but something more.  With Victoria they were expressing how much they loved each other and nothing had ever felt so perfect.

When she finally opened her eyes and looked at him her smile freed up something in his heart.  He realized this was how it was going to be from now on with her waking up with him every morning like it should be, and his smile grew wide.

"Hi."  She said quietly.

He reached out his free hand and tucked her hair behind her ear.  "Good morning my love."

"Good morning."  She replied and sighed as he stroked her arm.  "Was last night real?"

He laughed lightly.  "I sure hope so."

She giggled.  "It feels so much like a dream."

"A very good dream."  He then kissed her neck as his hand went around her back.

"I don't want this to end."  He hands now went into his hair and his shoulder.

He looked into her eyes.  "It won't."

"You promise?"  She asked with a smile.

"If you don't mind me being an old man."  He teased.

"Never."  She giggled again and leaned closer.  "And you're not old."

"I promise."  He replied.  "Now let me show  you I mean it."

Victoria laughed again and brought him closer as they kissed.

---

Two Years Later

"Kaitlin, your food is getting cold!"

"I'll be down in a bit Mom!"  Kaitlin yelled from upstairs.

Victoria shook her head but in an amused way.  It was Kaitlin's first day of high school and the girl was properly nervous trying to find the best outfit.  It would be different now with her daughter attending the same school her parents taught at but they would get more familiar with it as it went on.  If anything William was more worried about the boys at school now.

It was also still amazing how Kaitlin quickly adapted to her father and Victoria's relationship.  Her and Kaitlin had always gotten along and Victoria did feel very close with the girl, almost as if she was her own child.  William brought up the idea after their engagement of Victoria adopting Kaitlin and Victoria admitted she had already been thinking of it.  The girl needed a mother just as much as William need a wife, and Victoria needed them both.

Victoria never realized she could be this happy.  William was everything to her and the three of them were a family, well four when you count Dash who was so excited to move into the Melbourne house with it's large rooms and yard to run in.  Ever since she first visited the house it felt like home and now it was.

People did question their relationship saying he was too old and had too much bagged, or she was too young and needed someone her own age, but every day felt like they were proving those naysayers wrongs.  Her family came around including Albert and Ernest who found their own girlfriends, the latter with Harriet which still surprised everyone.  Uncle Leo took some time to get used to William, but Charlotte helped to persuade him as they reminded her of when she and Leo were first together.  Addie only wanted Victoria's happiness and even Marie came to accept it and was now visiting more often and having a better relationship with Victoria.

Their co-workers were some of the easiest to congratulate the couple.  It did turn out that some had been taking bets.  Emma of course was overjoyed, and Nancy and Charles joked of a double wedding.  But they only recently got married themselves in Italy.  Peel even seemed in better spirits now waiting for whenever William decided to retire to take over as history head.  The students also loved the match as they both were now very popular and favorite teachers.  And it was still wonderful to hear them call her Mrs. Melbourne.

Looking down at her rings Victoria remembered their wedding.  It was a small one but all their friends and family were there.  Her now husband looked so handsome in his tux and she wore a flower crown atop her head with flowers from his garden.  He still brought her flowers all the time and would surprise her still somehow with them.  His latest bouquet was on the table where he was eating breakfast.

"Don't worry my love, she'll be down when she's ready."  William smiled and gestured towards her usual chair for her to sit down.

She did and started to eat while Dash begged.  "At least we don't have to worry about him being a teenager for awhile."

"Quite right."  William chuckled.  "You've still got a ways to go before that my boy."  He made a face and a high pitched giggled came from across the table.

Their son Eddie was picking up his little cereal bites and eating it but now was laughing at his father's funny faces.  At 14 months old he was able to eat a little bit on his own and start to talk somewhat.  His blue eyes were so much like Victoria's but he still looked so much like his father with those dark curls.

She still remembered when she told William about the pregnancy.  They hadn't been married that long and yet it happened.  Tears streamed down his face then as he never thought he'd get a chance to find love and be a father again.  Pregnancy did scare Victoria as some of her family had had complications or couldn't have children, but William was always there to calm her and ease her fears.  She didn't know how she would've handled it without him.  Kaitlin was ecstatic too to have another sibling and helped out as much as she could.

When Eddie was born William was so overjoyed he broke down in sobs while holding his son.  It caused Victoria and even the doctors and nurses to get emotional.  He brought their son to Victoria and then holding their baby they created she never experienced a feeling of such love before and the miracle of it all.  They named him Edward after her father and she hoped her dad and August were smiling on them all.

Kaitlin finally came down to the kitchen all dressed and even was wearing makeup.  It still shocked both Victoria and William how much older she looked and how tall she was.  She passed Victoria's height by almost half a foot now.  Kaitlin's long, dark hair and striking green eyes made her beautiful and she was growing up so fast.  It made Victoria wonder about what she was going to say next.

After Kaitlin sat and started to eat Victoria straightened up.  "Now I know it's a big day for us all with Kaitlin's first day of high school, Eddie and Dash going to stay with aunt Addie, and us back to work, but I have some news."

William and Kaitlin both looked at her surprised while Eddie was now distracted watching Dash.  "Is something the matter?"  Her husband asked.

"On the contrary, it's very good."  She couldn't help the smile that came over her face.  "Let's just say I'm going to need a substitute while I got on leave again in about 6 to 7 months."

"Does that mean?"  William couldn't even finish his question as his eyes went wide and mouth dropped open.

"You're having another baby?"  Kaitlin asked at the same time.

Now Victoria couldn't help but laugh.  "Yes, I'm pregnant again."

William got up from his chair and so did Victoria as she knew he would take her I his arms.  He did a hugged her close.  Then he cupped her head in his hands as his eyes filled with tears again. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."  He then kissed her.

"We're going to have a baby sister Eddie!"  Kaitlin said to her little brother.

Both Victoria and William laughed.  "We don't know yet."  He replied

"But I have a feeling she might be right." Victoria added.  "I've always wanted a little girl named Elizabeth."

William smiled and then placed his hand gently on her stomach.  "Our little princess Elizabeth."

"That sounds wonderful."  Victoria now couldn't help but tear up too.

William looked back into her eyes and his arms went around her waist.  "I love you so much."

"I love you too and our family, and I can't wait to see what our future holds."  They both smiled and kissed again thankful for everything they had.

Love in the Wee Hours of the Night

I really, really hope that Tumblr doesn’t ruin the formatting.  (Tumblr didn’t ruin the formatting, thanks heavens.) This is my work for @assasin8.

Night I

Phichit was a very social person. He never found it difficult to make friends, and college had been a blast. Life after college, not so much. Life as a photographer was difficult. Many odd jobs, sometimes gruesome time-slots and foremost, working during the weekend. It didn’t pay badly, but until he had made his name known out there, money was tight. Therefore, when an old college friend had asked him to help him out, he hadn’t hesitated.

His college friend- a distant one, they knew each other the best from parties- owned a bar. It was running pretty well, and it was located in the same village Phichit lived, so it wasn’t an insane drive. However, as his friend was the sole owner and runner of the bar, he had no replacements. Therefore, when he and his fiancée- correction, husband- wanted to go on a holiday, he needed someone to take over the business for the summer. Apparently, Phichit was the first one that came to mind- or the first one who was willing. He was enjoyed talking with people, and his friend’s bar was known for being laid-back and cosy- even the music was somewhat bearable.

Next to the extra money, Phichit had another bonus with his temporary job as bar-owner. He was the boss. So when his best friend had called in and asked for an emergency intervention, he had invited him over to the bar after hours. Said friend was currently wallowing in self-pity, nursing a glass of strong alcohol.

“I just can’t,” Yuuri mumbled, sipping his alcohol. “Why does it always happens to me?”

Phichit chuckles. “What? Meeting beautiful guys? I would love to switch roles with you- I mainly meet families with loud kids,” he teased, enjoying seeing his best friend growing flustered. “But tell me more about him, what was he like?”

Yuuri made a helpless gesture, drowning the rest of his drink in one go.  “At first it wasn’t so bad,” he started, slurring slightly. “But then he began to ask for help- looking for flowers with particular meanings, and I began to ramble,” a wounded sound escaped Yuuri’s lips.

The photographer raised an eyebrow in mild amuse. Yuuri was known to start rambling when he was nervous- or excited. Unsurprisingly, there were only a few things that could excite Yuuri. Dogs, his family and flowers. His friend was a florist that had started his shop recently. His business was doing well, and the people loved him, though Phichit wasn’t surprised. Actually, nobody except Yuuri himself was surprised to see the flower-shop faring well. While shy, Yuuri was a very pleasant person to be around. Kind, well raised, humble and very passionate.

“You know that you’re kind of cute when you ramble?” Phichit remarked nonchalant, hoping that it would soothe his friend’s anxiety. It didn’t.

“I’m what!” Yuuri stuttered, his face flustered. “Phichit, I’m not cute- I’m a grown-ass man.”

Phichit shrugged, knowing that Yuuri could be very, very stubborn. “Have it your way.”

Yuuri sulked in his seat and ordered another glass of alcohol. “He probably thinks I’m a nerd,” he muttered as he nursed his second glass of alcohol.

“Yuuri, you’re a nerd,” Phichit deadpanned. “We all are nerds. You, me, Leo, Guang Hong. You remember how Leo had confessed to Guang Hong, right?”

A sweet smile crossed Yuuri’s face. Their friend Leo probably was the biggest dork amongst all of them. He had, without even questioning it, played some romantic song on his guitar under his current boyfriend’s window. It had caught Guang Hong’s attention, only the art student had no clue what Leo was saying. For some reason, Leo had settled down on singing something in Spanish. All of them were bilingual, but Leo was the only one who spoke Spanish. This had awarded him the biggest dork award, even as it somehow did work.

“Still, I just-” Yuuri let out a frustrated groan. “Why do I suck so badly at flirting?”

Wiping the counter clean, Phichit offered his friend a reassuring smile. “It’s probably just a one-time thing. People don’t buy flowers that often- unless they have more money than all college students combined.”

Phichit was glad to see a somewhat cheerful smile crossing Yuuri’s face. It seemed that Yuuri was thinking the same, it probably was just a one-time thing.

Night II

It seemed that people visiting him after closing hours were a reoccurring theme. Within the span of a week, Yuuri had visited him twice, moaning over the fact that the handsome stranger had visited him again. At the end of the week, when the door opened after closing time, Phichit had once again expected to see Yuuri. Looking up from his work, Phichit saw immediately that this guy wasn’t Yuuri.

Nervously, Phichit placed his hand on the gun Chris kept. It wasn’t loaded, but it at least would scare any creeper off. Not that Phichit would have the heart to shoot anyone- he wasn’t ready to be traumatised for life. Feeling somewhat secure, Phichit returned his gaze to the unfamiliar customer.

The man was tall. He was fairly good-looking, grey hair, blue eyes. His clothes, however, normalised the man a tad. A pair of sweatpants, sneakers and a t-shirt. It seemed somewhat warm for the summer weather, though, on the other hand, it could get chilly during the evening.

“You aren’t Chris,” the man said in surprise, a faint, Russian accent lingered between the words.

“No,” Phichit tried to keep his voice under control. “Chris is travelling Europe with his spouse.”

The man left out a small laugh. “I briefly forgot about that,” the man admitted, running his fingers through his hair.

“But I’ve to send you away- the bar closed a while ago,” Phichit tightened the grip on the gun.

The man blinked innocently. “I’m on the list- didn’t Chris mention the list?”

Chris had told him about the list. He hadn’t actually looked at the list, but if he recalled correctly, it was a list of the names of ‘Special Guests’. Alternatively, the ‘These are my friends and they can crash my place after hours’ list as Phichit rather called it.

Deciding that the man probably was harmless, Phichit briefly ducked under the counter and sought the list. There were a few names on the list and frankly, Phichit didn’t recognise any of them.

“Name please?” Phichit asked, smoothing out the list.

“Victor Nikiforov,” the man said chipper.

It was the very first name on the list. Well, it seemed that there was no need to worry.

“Ah, well, that changes things,” Phichit put on his brightest smile. “Feel free to sit down- my apologies for being, well… acting suspiciously.”

Victor waved it off and took a seat at the bar. The man immediately ordered a drink, a rather strong one that it. Though, secretly, Phichit had expected the man to order Vodka. Nevertheless, not everyone fitted in with his or her national stereotype. His friend Leo was American, but he was far from the obnoxious blond as the media typically portrayed an American.

“Thanks,” the man mused, already sipping his drink. “It must be a bother- having me crashing this place after closing hours.”

“Don’t worry,” Phichit said cheerfully. “My friend has hit this place before after closing hours- and I assume you have a reason to be here?” Phichit was used to be the advisor amongst his friends- why people went to him for advice, he still didn’t know. Nevertheless, friends of his friends were his friends, unless they were douchebags. Then they would have to deal with Phichit’s never ending sass and blackmail.

Victor let out a nice laugh- Chris clearly had a thing for having handsome friends. “Ah, yes. I usually visit Chris when I need an ear to listen- though I’m not exactly sure whenever you’re willing.”

Phichit grinned brightly. “I’m used to listening to my friends complains so…” he propped his elbows on the bar and rested his head on his folded hands. “Shoot.”

By the time Phichit had finished cleaning up the bar, Victor had told him a weeks’ worth of what seemed like a romantic comedy. For starters, Victor works as a model, that didn’t exactly surprise Phichit. He was send to run an errand, as they were short on staff. Therefore, the man had ended up in a flower shop where he met this cute girl who was absolutely passionate about flowers. She even had bothered to explain some of the flowers and their meaning to him. Victor clearly had expected it to be a one-time thing, but soon he returned for a few more times in the span of a week. She was just so fantastic, and clearly, she didn’t know who he was. However, to be fair, Phichit never had seen or spoken to Victor before either, so he probably wasn’t that famous.

“Thank you for being my ears,” Victor passed him a generous amount of money. “You can keep the change- for, you know,” the man made a vague hand gesture.

Awkwardly clutching the bills, Phichit opened the register and stored the money. “It was no issue, really,” he offered Victor a grateful grin. “I like listening- people have interesting stories to tell.”

“I doubt mine was that interesting,” Victor admitted, running his hand through his hair. It was a habit- something Phichit had noticed during their chatter.

“It was lovely,” Phichit grinned. “It actually sounds like a story I heard before, from a friend of mine.”

A hint of mild curiosity crossed Victor’s expression. “How did it end?”

Phichit laughed and shook his head. “His story just had started.”

Night III

A solid month of working as a bar owner, Phichit thought he had seen everything. Fights, catching people making out in the toilets, having people over after closing hours. Two more people from Chris’ so-called list had dropped by, pestering Phichit after closing hours. Well, ‘pestering’. Phichit loved them- Chris had a surprisingly good taste in friends.

Mila, a woman Phichit vaguely recalled from college, was absolutely and utterly amazing. She was a gossiper, just like him- and she apparently knew about Victor and his massive crush on Flower Girl. The two of them had talked late into the night each time Mila decided to drop by, which sadly enough had only been twice in the span of a month. But they ended up exchanging numbers, texting each other occasionally.

The second person was the definition of a human teddy bear. Phichit, for the first time, actually recognised the man immediately. Emil had been two years his junior during college, but it was hard not to notice him. Tall, blond and a bundle of never-ending energy. Unlike Mila, however, the man didn’t drown himself in alcohol. He was actually the first fully sober person Phichit had talked with after hours. Emil had dropped by a few times during the span of the month, brightening up Phichit’s otherwise dull night.

Yet, this night Phichit was graced with the presence of his favourite human being.

“Yuuri!” the man called happily, waving excitedly as his friend entered the shop.

Yuuri looked dead. Unhealthy pale in the face, eyes slightly droopy and dark bags grazing his cheeks. Well, something was going on- Phichit should’ve known the moment his friend had entered the bar. Yuuri never drank any alcohol if he had the morning shift the next day. Well, now Phichit could scrap the ‘never’ part.

“Phichit,” Yuuri groaned in response, slumping down on one of the bar seats. “Kill me- please.”

Sighing, Phichit stopped the act of doing the dishes. Chris never had invested in a dishwasher, which was a real shame.

“Sorry- the gun isn’t loaded,” he responded cheekily. “But tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help you if I don’t know the problem, right?” he suggested, trying to remain aloof. It would make things worse if he too started to mope around.

“It’s him,” Yuuri wailed, burying his head into his arms. “The handsome customer from a month ago- I just can’t, he’s just too…” a muffled sob escaped Yuuri’s lips.

“He keeps on coming back,” Yuuri muttered, sniffing softly. “And I can’t handle him- he has no awareness of personal space, I’m pretty sure his hand was on my but one time.”

Phichit let out a barking laugh. He struggled to feel sorry for his friend. Whoever this customer was, it sounded he was pretty interested in Yuuri. Though, knowing Yuuri, his friend had a tough time accepting that.

Yuuri let out a groan and propped his face on his arms, staring at Phichit with utter disbelief. “I hate you. This isn’t funny,” he muttered. “He has the nicest smiles I’ve have ever seen and once he brought his dog with him. A Poodle. A fucking Poodle Phichit,” tears started to roll down his face. “He’s too perfect. Is this my punishment for being a party-pooper and rather stay inside playing video games in college?”

Pitying his friend, Phichit grabbed one of the clean glass and poured a generous amount of alcohol in it. It was Yuuri’s favourite- and sometimes alcohol did wonders. “On the house,” Phichit muttered, pushing the glass to Yuuri. “You might need it.”

A grateful ‘thank you’ followed and Yuuri started to sip his drink. Knowing that his friend needed some time alone, Phichit continued cleaning the dishes. Humming softly to himself, Phichit wondered what this guy was like to really catch his friend off guard- not many people had tried to sweep Yuuri on his feet and the ones who tried, well… they never came far.

Maybe the Pretty Customer as Phichit now called him was the real deal. If not so and he broke Yuuri’s heart, Phichit had to personally pay Yuuri’s flower shop a visit. As soon as he knew the man’s identity, Phichit was convinced he would find some blackmail on him. Nobody would harm Yuuri and come out of it unscathed.

Night IV

“So, you think that will work?” the brunet asked, his eyes filled with worry.

Phichit chuckled and rolled his eyes. In his friend group, Yuuri was by far the worst when it came to romance. That, however, didn’t mean his other friends were somewhat decent at it.

“Guang Hong- Leo will love everything you create. You probably could gift him a stick-figure, and he’ll stick it to the fridge,” Phichit teased.

His friend rapidly grew red in the face. “I guess you’re right,” he mumbled. “That settles it. Thanks!” Guang Hong threw Phichit a bright smile.

As his friend was getting up to leave, the door swung open and a familiar face strode in. Victor looked worn out- tired and sweaty. Noting the clothes the model wore, sports shorts and a t-shirt, the man probably had run to the bar. At least, the man had mentioned he liked to run to stay in shape, which was necessary for his career.

Guang Hong blinked at the man in surprise. Victor, in return, looked at Guang Hong in confusion.

“Bad timing?” Victor breathed shallowly.

A squeak escaped Guang Hong’s lips as he basically jumps off his seat. “I’m twenty-four!” he shouted, face flustered. “Don’t call the cops on Phichit.”

Victor watches Guang Hong with an expression of pure shock. A brief moment later, the man started to laugh rather loudly. Pressing a hand to his lips, Phichit busted out in a muffled laughter. Guang Hong looked rather young- young enough to be mistaken to be younger than twenty-one. It always had been an issue during college as everyone asked the petite brunet for his ID- as nobody believed that he was older than twenty-one.

“I’m sorry,” Victor apologised, clutching his side. “It’s rude to laugh,” he added. “But seriously, is the timing bad?”

“Ah, no, not really,” Phichit assured between shallow breathe. “Guang Hong was just about to leave.”

Guang Hong nodded furiously and slapped some money on the bar. He bade both Victor and Phichit goodbye and hurried out of the bar.

“He’s kind of cute,” Victor remarked as he settled down on a bar seat.

Phichit hummed in agreement. “He’s is- sadly enough, he’s already taken.”

Victor didn’t actually look bummed out, not that Phichit had expected it. He always had considered Guang Hong cute- but not someone to settle down with. Not that he had any chance if he really had wanted- Guang Hong had been swept off his feet before Phichit had even caught a name.

“Lucky girl,” Victor whistled. “The usual please,” he added.

Knowing Victor’s regular order by heart, Phichit started to bustle around. “It’s a guy- lucky guy. Guang Hong isn’t particularly… straight.”

Phichit noticed Victor’s surprised expression. He hoped that Victor wasn’t one of those people, though he had his doubts. If you could be friends with Chris, you also must be somewhat comfortable with different sexualities than heterosexuality.

“Hey, listen, if you’ve got a problem with it, I-”

“I see,” Victor said hurriedly, his face flustered pink. “I’m just, well, cautious with things like that- I have had enough run-ins with, well, those people.”

Phichit caught himself staring at Victor. Like him, Victor had been careful with what to blurt out and whatnot. “We all have,” he eventually returned, finishing Victor’s drink.

“So, you aren’t exactly straight, are you?” Phichit asked casually, trying to ease the mood. “I mean, you look like a real ladies man but…”

“Bi,” was Victor’s curt reply. With ease, the man drowned his alcohol.

“Pan,” Phichit returned. He refilled Victor’s glass, expecting that he might need it.

To his relief, the tense mood had dissolved by the time Phichit had handed Victor his second round of alcohol.

“Work has been busy,” Victor starts. “But, well…” he made a vague hand gesture. “I can’t get him off my mind- I’ve been spending nearly every free day there- at his shop- God I’ve caught it badly.”

Phichit was confused. Him? A month-and-a-half ago, Victor had talked about a girl he met at a flower shop. Maybe this was a new thing? It could be possible, unless…

“Flower Girl is a boy?” Phichit questioned. Victor was briefly caught off guard by Phichit’s nickname, but eventually nodded.

“Yes, I didn’t know you back then and, well,” Victor runs his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t want to make things awkward.”

He understood. Phichit understood what Victor had in mind and to be fair, he could hardly blame him. “But that makes things easier,” he eventually responded, trying to sound thoughtful.

Yuuri was a florist. He knew what he liked and disliked and he knew how to speak ‘Flower’. Surely, if Phichit asked, Yuuri could help Victor out with his crush.

Phichit’s remark didn’t seem as logical to Victor as it had seemed to Phichit. “Easier?” he asked in confusion. “I’m pretty sure that there are more straight men than gay men, but I could be wrong.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Phichit muttered. “But I’ve a friend who’s a florist- he surely could help you with, well,” he made a helpless gesture. “The Language of Flowers. It surely would sweep your Flower Boy of his feet.”

Victor blinked in surprise before starting to grin brightly. “If he doesn’t mind, that would be lovely.”

“I doubt he does mind it,” Phichit assured. Victor was a good-looking man who was nice, earned some nice money, had a dog and was available. Yuuri surely wouldn’t mind spending some time with Victor, even if it was just to get his mind of Pretty Customer.

Night V

Two months. It has been two months since Yuuri had started pining on Pretty Customer and it was getting out of hand. Yuuri was seated at the bar, drowning his fourth glass of strong liquor. Even with him having the next day off- this was getting really bad.

“Yuuri, you know that I love you in a completely platonic way,” Phichit remarked. “But this is getting out of hand- just ask him out already.”

Yuuri glared weakly. “That’s easier said than done,” he moped, drowning his fourth glass. “He’s a model. I know he was pretty, but I never had expected him to be a model out of all things. I’m so out of his league and yet,” Yuuri grumbled the last few words, unable to form a proper sentence when not focused.

Phichit rolled his eyes and stored away the last few of the glasses. “It’s just a job. The fact he keeps on returning means he’s probably interested.”

“Or he has a girlfriend,” Yuuri muttered, pushing his glass to Phichit. “Refill, please.”

Shaking his head in disappointment, Phichit plucked the glass from the bar and threw it in the water-filled sink. “You’re drunk,” he stated when Yuuri started to whine.

“I hate you,” the florist hiccupped. “You’re taking away my last beacon of hope.”

Sighing, Phichit leant over and took Yuuri’s clenched hands in his own. “Listen, I want to help you, but you’re the one who has to confess. Maybe he thinks you aren’t interested, especially if you keep this up.”

“But I’m interested,” Yuuri wailed. “I’m absolutely smitten but I just can’t- I’m so out of his league I-”

Phichit groaned. He really wanted to smash his head against the counter. Maybe a concussion would make him forget about his friend’s silliness. Pretty Customer might be a model, but he wasn’t probably very popular as he crashes Yuuri’s shop for flowers. Yuuri wasn’t an expensive florist, wanting to spread the love for a reasonable price. Nobody who earned a ton of money would go through the trouble of visiting a small, nameless flower shop.

“What’s his name anyway,” Phichit asked, suddenly realising he still had no idea what the man’s name was. Pretty Customer did suffice as a name, but an actual name made it feel more real.

“Victor,” Yuuri sniffed.  “I think he went to the same college as us, but graduate during our first year.”

Time seemed to have slow down. Jaw-dropped Phichit stared at his friend, who didn’t even appear to be bothered with Phichit’s sudden change in behaviour. Pretty Customer was Victor. It all made sense now. God, how dumb could he have been? Even their stories lined up.

Yuuri meets a handsome stranger. A week later Victor mentions that he had met a beautiful girl- which later turned out to be a boy- who worked in a flower shop. Both Victor and Yuuri met their crush around the same time.

Fast forward a month later. Yuuri still moans about the Pretty Customer, who visits him at least a few times in the week, always buying something. And the man had a dog. Important to note because Victor has a dog. Two weeks later Victor comes in and mentions he still was crushing on Flower Boy- it even had grown worse.

He has been acting as moral support for two people who had a crush on each other. Well, that did settle it. Phichit would retrieve his bow and arrow and play cupid. It seemed his friends would be lost without him- though all he probably had to do was giving a small push in the right direction.

Night VI

Two-and-a-half month. Phichit knew that Chris would return around the three months mark- which meant that Phichit soon would lose his job as a bar owner and had to return as a full-time photographer. While he would miss his job, he was longing to spend his evenings photoshopping his photos and keeping an Instagram presence, something he currently couldn’t do. However, as he only had a week or two left, it was time to set his plan in motion. Get Victor and Yuuri together.

Surprisingly, Yuuri had agreed on helping out Victor with Flower Language. Only he didn’t know it was Victor. Phichit only had mentioned that a friend needed help. Victor, likewise, didn’t know that Yuuri was the one who would be helping him out. It was a bit silly, the guy who Victor wants to charm is also the guy who teaches Victor how to charm him.

Yuuri was somewhat nervously sipping his alcohol. This time, his friend had opted for something with a lower alcohol concentration. It would be nice after all if Yuuri were sober enough too actually teach Victor about flowers.

“Are you nervous?” Phichit asked casually, stacking the chairs on the tables.

“A little,” Yuuri muttered, sipping his drink. “But as he’s your friend, he probably is at least nice.”

Phichit batted his eyelashes innocently. “Well, he’s nice. And pretty good looking.”

Yuuri let out a loud groan. “I knew you were setting me up,” he muttered, drowning the remains of his drink in one go. “I told you I would figure things out between Victor and me.”

“Sure,” Phichit rolled his eyes, hardly believing his friend. Yuuri wouldn’t figure things out.

Noticing Victor approaching the bar, Phichit stopped stacking chairs and placed himself behind the bar, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. “There he is!” he announced excitedly, gesturing to the door.

The florist grumbled some insults directed to Phichit and moved his gaze to the door.

Victor entered the bar with an excited smile on his face. He was dressed surprisingly nice, especially considering that it was rather hot outside. The summer hadn’t exactly been kind to them. The man actually worse something fashionable for once.

Eyeing his friend, Phichit noticed that Yuuri was on the verge of having a stroke. He wouldn’t even be surprised if Yuuri dropped death right there. Well, it would be a bummer. Though, thankfully, Phichit had 911 on speed-dial.

“Hi Victor,” Phichit greeted, waving excitedly. “This is the florist I talked about- Yuuri. He was my roommate back in college.”

Yuuri grew extremely flustered in the face. Unlike Yuuri, Victor seemed to handle it a bit better, though he still looked surprised by the sudden turn in event.

“We’ve already met,” Victor said, a nervously smile playing on his lips. “I’m a customer.”

Victor threw him a helpless look. His theory had been right after all. Unsurprisingly, really. Victor had been pining after Yuuri and Yuuri had been pining after Victor.

“Well, that makes things easy,” Phichit said encaustically, beckoning Victor to take place on one of the bar seats.

The model actually took the seat next to Yuuri, their knees almost brushing against each other.

“Now as both of you’re here, I’ve something I want to get off my chest,” Phichit took a deep breath, trying to build some suspense. “And no, I’m not interested in a threesome.”

The tense air evaporated, and both Victor and Yuuri started to laugh. Phichit fakely pouted and waited for them to stop laughing. A brief, tender smile was shared between the two of them before they finally returned their attention back to Phichit.

“I, well-” this was trickier than Phichit had expected. Maybe being Cupid wasn’t exactly his calling.

Taking a long pause, Phichit eventually gathered his thoughts and settled on four, hopefully, groundbreaking, words. “Your crushes are mutual.”

Victor eyes him with confusion while Yuuri’s face grew blank.

“What I was saying,” Phichit said slowly. “Is that Yuuri,” Yuuri’s eyes flashed briefly, notifying Phichit that his friend was listening. “Victor thinks you’re adorable and Victor, Yuuri thinks you’re gorgeous, and he’s absolutely smitten.”

There was a long, tense pause amongst the three of them. Phichit knew he couldn’t do much more than he already had done, now he hoped that the two would figure it on their own. He would feel terrible if there had been a misunderstanding all along, Yuuri was still his best friend, and he didn’t dislike Victor either.

“You think I’m pretty?” Victor asked slowly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Yuuri fidgeted in his seat, his face scarlet red with embarrassment. “I think you’re absolutely gorgeous- but you’re also very kind, and you’re such a dork and- and-” he nervously bit his bottom lip. “Your dog is cute- I used to have a Poodle on my own.”

Victor’s face lit up, his eyes alive and a bright smile on his face.

“But that doesn’t matter,” Yuuri huffed. “You think that I’m cute? All I’ve been is a nerd and ramble about flowers.”

“You’re the purest person I’ve met in a while,” Victor admits, a flush colouring his cheeks red. “Especially when you talk about plants. Your entire face just lights up, and your eyes go all sparkly, and you’re really passionate about them,” a tender smile had replaced Victor’s previous bright smile. “And Makkachin likes you- he’s very picky.”

Phichit slipped from behind the bar, continuing to stack the chairs on the tables. Knowing that his job was done, he decided that the two lovebirds could figure things out on their own. Well, when Chris returned, they had a lot to catch up with. First of all, Phichit is pretty sure he made quite some profit, especially with many people crashing the place after closing hours. A few glasses had met their end, but that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. And, the most interesting story, Phichit somehow had managed to play matchmaker for both of their friends.

Nothing Was The Same...

3 Months Later... Porter: Traveling with Remy was exhilarating! We had been to Paris, London, Venice, and Miami within the course of two months and I've been back in Toronto for about two weeks. I've yet to go back to work. I've been working from home mostly and Drew the assistant I hired to fill in for me goes out with Aubrey. A lot has changed in three months... Remy, Bam, and Ju, have been essential for helping me see what it is I truly want to do as well as helping me get my feet off the ground. I always thought I wanted to be an event planner. I'm good with details and getting things done. But my real passion is photography. Before my father died he left a lump sum of money with my mother with the instructions to give it to me when I knew what I wanted to do outside of the family business. When I came to my mother with a game plan on starting my own photography business and opening a studio, she gave me an envelope and everything went from there. Erin and Ju went with me to find the perfect building in an Artsy district of Toronto. I named it The Peir which is in big pink letters in gorgeous script on the store front. Of course Bam did my interior design for free. Rose Gold and Light pink were in every detail, from the plush rugs to the seats, the tables are creme and pictures are everywhere. Steez, Ju, Ant, Noah, and Mark all came in to help move things and hang things. My opening is set in another week or so. The guest list is crazy and I have to thank my amazing team. Celeste who is my personal assistant is an amazing and beautiful grad student who has a passion for photography and art in general. She calls me her mentor even though I feel she teaches me more than I teach her. I haven't missed the way Ju looks at her either... Erin and Remy sat in as I hired the very few staff I would need, and they also helped me put together the portfolios that will stay out in my showroom. My office just got finished today, and the gallery should be done today as well. The last touch is my studio where I can take pictures and do small shoots. The great thing is that my office and the studio are upstairs. While my gallery, store, and stockroom are down stairs with a work and break room for my girls. I was going through ideas for work attire with Remy. She was significant in this because she put her foot down for me to take her pictures for her spread with teen vogue. They loved it so much they want to sign me on for other shoots. Aubrey doesn't know that I know but Ant to told me that while he put in the word for me to cover the pictures the raptors needed for an advertising campaign, Aubrey pretty much sealed that deal. Victoria Secret let me do a shoot of theirs and loved the outcome as well as Steez allowing me to do the marketing images for the hotels and Bam letting me do the photos for her look Book. My mother has been in to help as well as Erin who is putting the journey on her YouTube. Aubrey is set to come by in a few hours since Mark chose me as the photographer for Virginia Black. I also have a meeting with Courtney tomorrow to put ideas together for the new shoot for the next line of Evelyn Sher as well as with Niko for the men's line. Remy and I decided on a concept when Celeste came over the earpiece. "Boss lady there is a fine man down here that says he's here for your one o'clock." Remy and I laughed at her silliness. As I told her to send him up. We aren't together right now, but my heart and body go through something every time he comes into a room. He walked in looking amazing as always in his tailored suit with Mark and Drew behind him. I got up with Remy as she went to hug him and I spoke to Drew before attacking Mark. I made it to Aubrey and we stood awkwardly facing each other. "Hi!" He said in that sexy voice and I melted. "Hi!" Was the only response I could give. "Um how about we give them a quick moment... maybe they'll come up with more words!" Remy joked shooing Mark and Drew out of the room with her. "You need to tell me something?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. We communicate off and on. Not daily but maybe bi-weekly. At the end of the day he's my best friend so it was hard to completely cut him out of my life because when things happen to either one of us we automatically want to tell the other. Only thing is what I have to tell him shouldn't be said over the phone but face to face... "Yes I need to tell you something." I confirmed. "You look really good ba...Porter. You have a glow about you and your boobs are..." I couldn't hide my shocked giggle as I punched him playfully. "Can you be professional please?" I asked with a shriek. "Chill out with that hitting woman, and nothing may be the same in the sense that we aren't together romantically, but you are still my best friend before anything else understood?" I nodded as he looked at me intently before smiling softly at me. I didn't miss the longing in his eyes. I'm sure it could be seen in mine too, but I'm finally getting myself together I just need a little longer. "Your observation is correct my boobs are a little bigger... but that's just what starts to happen when you're pregnant..." I waited for his response or reaction and it came quickly in the form of a smile which quickly turned into a serious look. "How long?" He asked carefully. "I've known for about two weeks, my doctor said since I realized it a little later than some to just hold off on telling you until the eighth week when chances are less likely of losing the baby." His eyes widened. "How far along are you?!" He asked. "About ten and a half weeks or so roughly." I responded. "So you were pregnant before..." I cut him off. "Most likely yes, I just hadn't realized that I missed my period. I was so wrapped up in life." He nodded moving closer and placing his hand on my little pokage. "Who knows?" Was his next question. "Just my mother, Remy, and Noah... I wouldn't tell E because she would have slipped up. Noah only knew because he caught me spewing chunks on the newly installed toilet when he came to help move stuff and I swore him to secrecy!" Aubrey nodded contently rubbing my stomach. "You're talking to me!" He smirked throwing my words back at me from that day in my bed. "Would you like me to stop? I know you'll feel a way if I did!" We smirked at each other now and he kissed my forehead making my body shiver. "I know you're not completely ready for this, and hell I might not completely be either... but I love you and I'm glad I get to share this kid with you!" I nodded looking at his hand on my stomach. "I still need time Aubs..." he nodded with sad eyes before moving back a little. "I understand." "How is Jaya?" He looked off not knowing I knew about her. "She's not you and we'll leave it at that. You'll let me know about your appointments and stuff?" He asked dismissing my prior statement so easily. "Mmhm..." I went to my boudoir behind my desk off the side of my window to grab my camera. We opened the door to have Mark fall in. "Baby mama... I'm so excited!" I laughed at his foolishness as he rubbed my stomach. "Hands off my niece Mark!" Remy said walking into my office to grab her purse. "How you know it's a girl?" He asked her. "I don't I just want to give Steez hell and make him think it is when we tell him she's pregnant! Thank god you know now Chunck it was killing me not to tell you!!" She walked out kissing his cheek before hugging me and Mark and saying goodbye to Drew. She spoke to Celeste as they passed each other on the stairs and we headed to my studio. Averly one of my other girls had set it up and Celeste had escorted the guys from Virginia black up and we all got down to business. I took pictures while Aubrey flirted with the camera we got some really great shots. My favorite was him leaning against a mock balcony one hand in his pants pocket, the other holding the glass up to his lips while he looked at the camera as if it were interrupting his intimate moment with the whiskey. His eyes told a story and the picture was breathtaking. We were going through some of the film when she walked in. "Hello everyone! Sorry I'm late what did I miss?" We all looked up to see a stunning woman. Light golden skin long curly hair, green eyes and curves for days in her skirt suite and red bottoms. She hugged each of the men before hugging Mark, speaking to Drew, and kissing Aubrey on the cheek. I fought to hold my emotions at bay. "Porter Pier I've been hearing a lot about you in such a short time. Jaya Xavier marketing consultant for Virginia Black, it's so nice to meet you." She held out her hand with a confident smirk on her face. And like the polite woman my mother raised me to be I quickly shook it before clutching my camera. "Nice to meet you we just finished." I didn't miss the way Aubrey observed the whole exchange, or Marks silly self acting as if he had popcorn. "Girl she's Bad but she has nothing on my boss!" Celeste spoke quietly into the headset causing me to smile and glance over at her. I love my assistant. "Well may I see the pictures?" Was Jaya's next question. "Sure I'm going to excuse myself quickly my child is chilling on my bladder, I trust Aubrey to guide you through the film!" It was subtle but she can't have the father of my child... "Oh congratulations..." she looked quickly at Aubrey and he kept his eyes fixed on the screen where the pictures were displayed. "Thank you!" I left going to the bathroom with Mark on my heels. "Do I sense that my baby mama is jealous?!" He said with amusement. I flicked him off before closing the door in his face. "Unh uh, don't come for boss lady sir, nothing to be jealous of!" Celeste spoke for me. I finished up and washed my hands before heading back to wrap up the shoot. Jaya hovered which was fine by me she wouldn't last long. "The pictures are Amazing P the guys are impressed and can't wait to send the adds out!" I packed up the last of my camera and turned to Aubrey as he took the bag from me. "Thanks I had an easy subject who's a natural!" I responded as we headed to my office. When we reached my door I took my bag and we stood looking at each other. "You better get back to your girl, she's stunning." I said. He smirked. "Jealous?" He asked rubbing my stomach again. "Nope, we both know who owns this!" I touched his heart before backing away and going into my office closing the door behind me. But not before I glanced to see our audience of Mark, Drew, and Celeste. "Bye Porter Sofia!" Aubrey said before I shut the door all the way. "Bye Aubrey Drake!" Was my response as I smiled to myself. "Oooh girl you better let him know!" Celeste said into her head set. I chuckled shaking my head before hearing Mark come through it. "I see you P, claim your man!" "Boy get out my microphone and go with your friend!" Celeste fussed at him. "Feisty I like that, she was a good choice P!" I laughed at them going back and forth before it got quiet meaning Aubrey and the gang had left. I sat at my desk rubbing my stomach thinking about life. I was finally where I wanted to be, except now I would be sharing this world with the little person Aubrey and I created. I just hope when I'm ready he still wants me... wants us. But I just couldn't help the feeling that nothing was the same...

Principal for a Day at Jackson Elementary

This spring, I was asked by the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) School Board president, Valerie Amezcua, to be “Principal for a Day.” This is an experience where local business leaders and other community members are invited to visit a school, tour classrooms, meet students and teachers, and learn about the great things being done in education.

I arrived at Jackson Elementary with a smile on the morning of March 22. It was already a special day because I was visiting one of the very same schools I’d attended as a child! I was greeted by the office team, Ms. Maria Benoun and Ms. Graciela Rodriguez, and immediately made to feel important. I had reserved parking, a main seat in the principal’s office, and was assigned to greet school families.

Principal Cervantes reporting for duty!

A Chance Encounter

When I met the principal I’d be shadowing for the day, I was shocked! There I stood, face-to-face with a familiar Mr. Norris Perez. You see, my first job after graduating high school was as a paraprofessional within SAUSD, and I was tasked to support a new teacher: Mr. Perez. Twenty years later, I was spending my day with him in his first year as principal at Jackson Elementary. We were both a little surprised!

  I still can’t believe that I got to shadow Principal Perez for the day! What are the odds?

One of the first things we did was participate in a twenty-minute staff meeting. The faculty does this on a daily basis to prep for the day ahead. I was impressed by how productive it was and how staff made sure to stick to twenty minutes. Immediately after, I attended their Friday school-wide assembly.

I was honored to be able to give a brief speech. When I said who my boss was, all the kids went wild! They immediately asked, “Is JiJi a boy or a girl?” Students started coming up to me, proudly sharing their ST Math® progress and asking for my support if they were stuck on a challenging puzzle.

“Is JiJi really your boss?” a little girl asked.

“Well, yes,” I responded.

“So does JiJi only talk to adults in real life?” she asked. “Because JiJi doesn’t talk in the games and JiJi needs to talk to you in order to tell you what to do at work.” Kids are so smart and observant!

An Emphasis on Academic Success

I then toured the classrooms, from transitional kindergarten through fifth grade, and met with teachers and students. During my tour, I quickly noticed a strong presence of colleges represented by shirts, banners and signs in classrooms. It turns out, each class represented a college campus. I also learned that students refer to themselves as scholars. It was apparent that the Jackson Elementary community strongly values academics.

Look at these scholars’ University of Washington pride! I wonder if this will motivate many of them to apply there?

Jackson Elementary has been an ST Math school since 2008 through the Orange County Math Initiative and the JiJi culture there is strong. One of the classes I walked into had just finished working on dioramas and a few students had decided to create penguin habitats. I also heard stories about scholars spending their lunch or after-school time playing ST Math because they really wanted to get to 100% progress. In every class I visited, there were at least three students who had already achieved this goal!

Looks like JiJi has inspired all kinds of penguin-themed projects at this school.

A Well-Rounded Student Body

My tour then included a visit to the school’s $100,000 fitness center that they received as the grand prize winner of the 2010 Governor's Fitness Challenge, and to their mini-pitch soccer field, courtesy of LA Galaxy. Both of these gifts are part of a state-wide initiative for healthy eating and living. The school utilizes exercise as a reward for students, and it’s having an especially positive impact on those with attendance issues. The exciting fitness opportunities encourage scholars to come to school more often and stay engaged.   

This mini-pitch soccer field blew me away! My son would love it.

The highlight of my day was meeting Ms. Juarez’s class. As soon as I entered her classroom, I felt an uplifting energy. The room didn’t look like a traditional classroom. Ms. Juarez had flexible seating including bean bag chairs, balance balls, and carpet space. At the time of my visit, she was teaching students how to become fundraisers for a meaningful cause. This was the second year they were collecting change for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Last year, they collected almost $3,000 in change and they were expecting to surpass that goal this year. Isn’t that impressive?   

An Outstanding Day

My morning as principal flew by. At noon, I headed to a luncheon where I joined the rest of the schools that participated in this amazing day. McFadden Middle School hosted a nice Italian lunch for everyone and we had great entertainment from the local high schools.  

Seeing friends in the community at the luncheon was the perfect way to end a fantastic day.

As the Community Partnerships Director at MIND Research Institute, I’m grateful for the opportunities our leadership provides to get involved with our partner schools. It’s just one of the things that’s kept me at this organization for over 17 years. MIND offers paid volunteer time (5% of working hours) to all colleagues through our Open MINDs program. Youth and women’s empowerment are causes close to my heart, and I was glad to be able to use Open MINDs hours to spend the day with students and their families. There are amazing things happening at our local schools!

After my visit, Principal Perez sent a wonderful message to my colleagues and I at MIND:

"What a wonderful experience it was having Mrs. Cervantes from MIND Research Institute serve as Principal for a Day at Jackson Elementary School. She connected with students right away, asking questions about their projects and how they use ST Math to learn math. We were thrilled to share about Jackson's Soccer Academy and ask her advice about how to grow the program over the next few years. She was thrilled with the strong focus on creating a pathway for students to earn college scholarships while leveraging the love our scholars have for soccer. We are grateful for MIND's many years of support here in SAUSD and are looking forward to many more years of success, innovation, and dynamic team work."

Thank you, Jackson Elementary, for providing me with this opportunity to give back and to learn about the strengths, challenges, and successes of your school. It was a privilege meeting your scholars and seeing that our future is in really great hands.

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