#Bigger Boo's Fortress

[silentsenior09]

Just in case you missed Friday's video: Yoshi's Island 2-3 and World 2's Fortress.

[fcb-mv33]

No I genuinely get a giggle when I see articles written by British media saying Checo needs to start with the mind games on Max to win the championship😭😭😭

Bestie y’all forgetting that Max has had to deal with media abuse since he was 17, abuse from older drivers in the media, booed by fans, had a driver who is known for mind games pull out all the stops in 2021 along with his team and had to endure a childhood of toughening his mental health…you really think some dude who’s ego is bigger than his racing ability is a match for the fortress that is Maxs mind?

[munchboxart]

My in-depth-ish thoughts about Paper Mario TTYD

There will be mega spoilers so don't read if you haven't finished or are interested in getting into it. Also mega yapping, I am the yapper

I thought it was overall pretty fun! I enjoyed it. I'll talk about the battle mechanics first then the story.

My first experience with the Mario RPG games was with Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, so I was a little surprised that the command inputs are a little less involved? I was also surprised by the lack of moves, especially for the partners. I think M&L's moveset is a little more fun honestly, but the ones here are also pretty interesting! It's surprising to see that Vivian's is a little more complicated compared to the others too (using more buttons than tilt the joystick or the a & b buttons). I also really like the Superguard and Guarding system, kind of brutal but it's a nicer idea than just being able to jump over attacks like in M&L.

It was also surprising that you don't really raise your attack through experience, but by getting BP's and using badges that increase Attacks (WHICH COST 6BP EACH!!!!). It's a nice idea! It makes it more strategy and and a little more skill based I think, though I couldn't help shake off the feeling that I wasn't doing enough to increase my attack power. But overall the battle system is nice.

Story wise, it's pretty fun and cute. I will say that it's biggest drawback is the amount of backtracking, good GOD there's so much. It's so bad that I can't even pick a favorite chapter. I can for sure pick segments but I can't pick a favorite chapter honestly. I think they're all pretty equal.

Uhmmm Chapter 1 is cute, Chapter 2 is cute as well but good fucking god I HATTEEDDD going around the tree, it was awful. Chapter 3.... I was surprised to hear it was really well liked, and I can understand why, but I felt like the climb went on a little too long. I was also surprised to see how small the island is... I thought it'd be bigger or at least bustling with a lot of NPCs.

Chapter 4 is one I really looked forward to because I love Boo's and I've heard about Doopliss so I was excited to see him, and good god I think the town part of the Chapter brings it down a lot in terms of memorability. LIKE.... WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO THE FIGHT WITH SHADOW PEACH AND WHEN IT WAS SHOWING THE CRYSTAL STARS GOING THROUGH EVERY CHAPTER LOCATION..... AND THEY ONLY SHOWED THE MOM AND MAYOR TALKING BECAUSE NO ONE ELSE WAS IN THAT CHAPTER.... LMFAOFJDSIFGHUIREHGUJN

LIKE AT LEAST THE OTHER CHAPTERS HAD MEMORABLE CHARACTERS.... THIS ONE THEY DGAF. Big Boo fight is super cute though, love love love it, I don't know if the other chapters had secret bosses like it? Also the Boo's in this game are totes cute, I love how Boo's were drawn in the early-mid 2000s god

ANYWAYS, Chapter 5 is... fun. I'm not a big fan of pirate themes but I WILL SAY, I LOVE CORTEZ he's so fun and love his design. I really like that his earrings tie down his jaw and head together since it's papercraft. I also really like Bobbery, the thing with his wife was really sweet.

Chapter 6 is... a chapter 8E83RHWFIUEFGERGER. OK WELL NO I usually like train mystery stuff. I enjoyed Sonic Murder Mystery a lot, but the early part of the train stuff was kind of a slog to get through... Unfortunately I think I've seen the Poshley Heights part before from a long time ago, but it was mainly getting to the Crystal Star rather than Doopliss and the 2 sh*dows. I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THEM FOR BEING MEAN TO DOOPLISS AND VIVIAN!!!!! MARK YOUR WORDS BELDAMMMMM

I enjoyed Chapter 7 a lot actually, maybe I can call it my favorite chapter. I think the music for the X-Nauts Fortress slams nuts a lot and definitely heightened my experience for it. I also like TEC a whole lot, I don't think I've mentioned that yet but I'll talk about the Bowser and Peach segments later.

Chapter 8 visually is definitely a highlight. I absolutely love how it looks. I can't say much about the actual areas itself though. The tower was pretty nice I guess, the puzzles are easy, though. I will punch Beldam for being mean to Doopliss. And the fight with Shadow Peach was hard! At least for me. I came in without upgrading my whole party and trying to get through it with Yoshi and Bobbery and boy did I get sweeped. I went back and upgraded Goombella and we traded Power Lifts and beat her up and saved the world the end. I did like that it was the toughest boss you've met yet and not only that, I think the only one with over 100 HP? (I don't know about Gloomtail and Hooktail since I didn't have Peekaboo enabled on)

For the Bowser and Peach segments, the Peach ones are really sweet and TEC is super sweet. I am upset that Mario didn't tell Peach his last wish on screen IT MADE ME SO MADDDDD.

Bowser's is really funny, I love love love him and Kammy they're such a funny duo. Also I can't lie, the 2D segments with Bowser really felt like Flash ripoffs from the web to a T LMFAOOOO. I will say I was a little surprised how uninvolved he actually is with the story. A little disappointing but honestly, I wouldn't change the story at all.

Oh also everything visually was so fucking beautiful, and the soundtrack slams cheeks

Sorry for the long yap but TTYD was really fun, definitely worth the time I poured into it (Nearly put 30 hours into it and still adding more since I haven't done the pit yet at all). I'll play the original Paper Mario next since I am interested in Lady Bow and the baking scene that I watched oomf do and fucked up 5 million times to poison the toad.

Probably the last time I'll talk about TTYD though since I don't have any other thoughts, unless the pit changes my life somehow.

[sparksadrift]

I'm not even high, I don't understand what happened - but I sort of wrote a blurb for a Fantastic Beasts Parody, meant to pair with A Very Potter Musical, only it's mostly Grindeldore and pizza, and IT'S SO STUPID. I DON'T KNOW WHY I WROTE THIS.

A Very Fantastic Musical [Alternate working title: A Very Fantastic Pizza.]

Starts with summer 1899, big ol' number that suddenly ends with a somber imperative dance or something. Lights, pizazz, then young Albus flopped in some tragic Shakespearean pose - ends with a punchline of some kind.

Then it cuts to Hogwarts maybe, an echo-y reprisal as it reveals older Albus looking in the mirror, seeing all the summery pizazz, reflecting.

The blood pact is something stupid, like a pizza pendant, because Gellert and Albus both shared a love of pizza. On the fence about sausage euphemisms... Oh God. Then it turned out that Gellert was lactose intolerant all along, a heinous betrayal.

There's going to have to be a song about pizza, all wistful and morose eventually. Just know it.

Newt is still in school, and for some reason Jacob is there, because Albus was all - fuck it, here's a toy wand, just pretend.

I want Rumbleroar to be some wise counsel or something. Scarfy sorts Gellert as a sadistic fuck, and Albus is obviously as gay as the fourth of July, cause keeping with the Americanism and all that.

Then, I dunno, everyone splits off into teams, the goodies and the baddies, and Fawkes does something cool I guess.

I want Gellert to be all Shakespearean with unexpected profanities. He just crucio's everything. Even the chair, and someone yells it's not alive, it can't feel pain, and Gellert is all, anything can feel pain if you try hard enough! Crucio's his tie when he can't get it right, gets himself by accident. Adorable. Cut to Albus sobbing, no, Gellert, not the pizza!

WHY IS IT PIZZA LMAO???

OH MY GOD and Gellert can have a crystal ball, and sees Voldemort at some point, peers all close and shit, taps the glass because he isn't moving, like the screen is frozen, then Voldemort goes BOO! and does that insane cackle only Joe Walker can do, scaring the shit out of him. Ends up being like girl talk, but it's dark lord talk instead, then they heatedly argue about who's wand is bigger hahaha. Yeah well, *I* have a fortress! - And *I* become immortal, you swiiiine!

The running gag is figuring out when Albus's birthday is. He's Ron with food, only it's sweets, so he can do the Red Vines bit at least once. Constantly licking a lollipop, cause why not. A fucking rainbow of outfits, some are definitely sparkly, and he changes like every other scene. Maybe some split suits to save time lol.

Something about a pinky promise with the blood pact, and Gellert has a hissy fit and is all but everyone knows you can't go back on a pinky promise! And Albus is all, that was a long time ago, I'm a changed man, my pinkies have physiologically changed cells several times over, in fact-

Gellert grumbles and huffs and calls him a nerd or something, and is all what about our pizza? You promised we'd make it, together. Albus- YOU LIED TO ME GELLERT, YOU MADE ME BELIEVE *sobs* THAT YOU COULD DIGEST DAIRY. Gellert- It was never about eating it. It was making it, together - swirling the sauce across the soft dough, the sprinkling of infused herbs-

*Albus snaps out of his dazed dream, in which they swirl the imaginary sauce and breathe in the happy aroma of a promised pizza* I told myself I'd never touch another pizza...

This is totally when the wistful and morose pizza song occurs, with an echo of the pizazz in the background, and Gellert serenading Albus with a list of possible cheese blends.

Of course, Gellert's best argument is lactose free cheese, which makes Albus sob THAT'S NOT A FUCKING PIZZA AND YOU KNOW IT! This is just another of your sick experiments! You're twisted!

I'm howling at this, I can't - it's so fucking ridiculous. I can't with this plot.

Bro - then Jacob makes them a pizza at the end.

Or sends them a kit at least, so they can make it together.

...I have more ideas for all the other characters too, and the casting and everything, and I'm so pissed and pleased with myself all at once. I have no fucking clue why it's pizza. I blame dinner. No hate to non dairy cheese!

[foximator-blog]

More Mario AU details and headcanons.

Just more random stuff related to my alternate universe, so I will mention Ocs, and some things might be a little weird. Some are geography related, but I'll have individual character ones too.

GEOGRAPHY HEADCANONS

The Mushroom kingdom, Bean bean kingdom, and modern day Hyrule are technically separate land masses, but are close enough to be connected by some of the largest bridges in the world. Though there is a smaller stony and crystal island between the Mushroom kingdom and Bean bean kingdom that's treated as the "border" so to speak.

The Koopa kingdom is also pretty close, but not close enough to build a bridge. During Bowser's weird kidnapping days, he'd sometimes set up temporary "main" fortresses on temporary volcanic islands created by his and Kamek's magic.

South of the Mushroom kingdom mainland is Isle Delfino, and further south of that is the Rainbow isle, where Rainbosaurs like Yoshi originally come from.

Diamond city is on a smaller island neighboring the Metro kingdom.

The DK isles are actually a group of islands with different ecosystems connected by tropical beach areas in between them all. The center jungle island the Kongs live on is called Congo Bongo, and the Kremling King K Rool has taken up the spooky swamp island, and hopes to conquer the others.

The Empire of Sarassaland is actually on one of the biggest continents in the world, made up of 8 kingdoms. It's the only remaing empire in the world.

Wart's kingdom is located in the clouds, and kind of drifts around freely. He once took over the Pastel lands where Birdetta and other Palettesaurs come from, but after Mario and co defeated Wart, the Palettesaurs liberated their lands from his army.

CHARACTER HEADCANONS

The Kongs use special music related magic to fuel their strength and agility. Each kong uses a different instrument that relates to their style and personality, and the magic becomes much stronger when they play their instruments in harmony.

Of course, the Magical banana hoard also plays a role in their strength... Though the Magical bananas are used as the main ingredient of Cranky Kong's potions, or sold to restaurants in the Metro kingdom so the Kongs can participate in trade and economics.

These magic banana restaurants are somewhat popular, and may be why Metro kingdom residents have become so tall over the years.

The Kongs and Kremlings were once on opposite sides of a great war... Though the Kongs did win, their numbers have dwindled, which is why K. Rool keeps trying to take them over.

K Rool isn't actually a king, but as the only surviving general of the Kremling army, no one questioned him when he decided to declare himself one.

K Rool wants the bananas so he can make magic fueled super weapons.

Bowser may kidnap Peach from time to time, but he's actually pretty diplomatic and a fair king despite his great pride, so he hates tyrants like Wart, K Rool, or King Boo.

King boo cries victim, but his real reason for hating the Mario bros is because they were the first to survive his ghost house, and King boo is frustrated because his army relies on luring foolish mortals into his house in order for them to die and join his ranks.

Ramona rightfully hates King boo because of what he did to her... but she has gotten the hang of standing up against his creepy advances, especially with the help of her own loyal following of Boos.

Good boos look like the classic in game boos, and they are loyal to Ramona. Dark evil boos have darkened faces and violet eyes, and of course are loyal to king boo.

Dry Boss (dry bowser) is the skeleton of a dragon koopa reanimated by King boo to be his second in command. Similar to boos, Dry bones who are loyal to these villains are darker and more sinister looking.

Bob-ombs are a combination of magic and technology, and after they explode, they will regenerate over time. Bigger bob-ombs contain more magic and explode with a wider radius... at the cost of taking longer to regenerate.

King Bob-omb is considered a king by other bob-ombs not because he rules a kingdom, but because he is the biggest and most powerful of them, and has the ability to change his size to alter his blast radius. Such power is considered "Kingly" for bob-ombs.

Captain Syrup oddly enough, favors ice magic in my AU. Aside from being able to create swords of ice, she also lacks temperature sensitivity because her magic keeps her regulated. She could just as easily bundle up in a volcanic area or go sunbathing on an iceberg if she wanted to.

My OC Blitz actually doesn't habe a true magic alignment... but he has used the super ball flower E. Gadd created quite a bit, and his body has become rather cartoonishly stretchy and flexible as a result.

While most of the time Mario or a group are responsible for the heroics, the Sunshine and Oddysee events are the only times in the AU my OC Fritz ends up being the hero in the end.

The oddysee events are the last time Bowser engages in his weird kidnapping shenagins. Afterwards he's a full on ally in thwarting enemies like King boo, Wart, or K Rool.

I probably trailed on too long, sorry ^^;

[echoeternally]

For some reason, the links between Tumblr and fanfiction.net end up kind of wonky or don’t translate cleanly anymore. Hopefully this one works, but we’ll see later, I suppose.

Regardless, if you missed the other posts, this is the latest chapter for the Super Mario fanfic, Eternally Never Yours! It’s a romance saga between Bowser and Mario.

And we’ve finally reached the 50th chapter of their affair! Crazy, huh?

Though there’s still more to come after this, including Peach’s royal address concerning Bowser and Mario, there’s quite a bit happening here too. So, look forward to what Bowser, Mario, Luigi, and more get into here!

In this post, we’ll see Mario visiting some of Bowser’s top minions.

Excerpt is below the cut!

...

As we neared the throne room, I made my way toward the doors, but Bowser stopped short. I blinked and spun around to him, while he pointed to another room.

"They should actually be in the meeting room," revealed Bowser. He paused and lowered his eyes. "Which, the one that we have for them is really just another grand hall of sorts, but that's where we gather the larger forces." I nodded and he mimicked me. "Anyway, they're gathered in there so that we can talk about settling down the troops a bit more, without relying on the invasion against Peach's Castle, and then I could persuade them to maybe stick around for defensive measures." He sighed. "Hopefully none of that will get too derailed, like usual."

"Um." I scratched behind my head as Bowser lifted an eyebrow. "Should I be going with you?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"These are bigger, uh…well, they're like bosses beneath you, right?" Bowser nodded to me. "So, do we really want to find out how they're going to interact with me? They could cause more issues with their respective underlings or stir up other issues." I rubbed my arm and glanced aside. "Or they could still hold a lot of aggression toward me, considering past encounters."

"Ok, the last one, you've got a point," admitted Bowser. "But, these are bosses that I've either appointed or established as part of higher ranks among the Koopa Troop. None of them would go against me for some kind of coup or riot. They know better." He smiled to me. "Plus, I won't let them do anything to harm you, if they really wanted to try it!" Bowser hesitated and deflated a bit. "Though, they may be a little annoying or nosy, so…brace yourself on that."

"How so?"

"Uh…since they're higher in rank, they like to know more and be involved."

"Ah."

"Trust me, you'll see." He guided me to the large green door with red borders. "Hopefully they won't be too much for today, but given their work at the fortresses this time around, ah…I doubt it."

Entering the meeting room, I surveyed the various underbosses that arrived. At a long table on the right side sat the Koopalings and Junior, watching the other bosses while whispering among one another. Near one of the room's columns, a large, crowned Whomp and a big Bob-omb with a great white mustache chattered with each other. By another table with a couple of candles on it, two more familiar faces were waiting around it: King Boo and Petey Piranha. At the spot past them were a skeletal Koopa, two Boom Booms, and…what appeared to be a helmet with horns…?

While I observed all of them, Bowser made his way to the center space and sharply whistled. Everyone quieted down and turned their attention to Bowser, working their ways over to meet him…or rather, us.

"Ok, looks like everyone that could be here made it, so, that works out," assessed Bowser. "So, uh, welcome back—"

"Is that Mario? Actually the real deal, the Super Mario?" The horned helmet, with feet and eyes, spoke first. …Ah, ok, I remembered him.

"Yes, Prince Bully, this is Mario," flatly reintroduced Bowser. "Do we need a minute to do meet-and-greet moments, or can I continue?"

"Where are your manners?" King Boo cackled. "We have a newcomer with you, in one regard or another."

"He's not new."

"Sure he is," debated King Boo. "After all, has he ever been part of these meetings? Has he discussed anything freely with us concerning your usual matters of conquest?"

"No."

"Then he's new after all."

"For the love of the Stars…" Bowser dragged his claw over his face. Dropping it to his hip, he pointed at me.

...

Looks like Mario gets to watch Bowser’s minions drive him absolutely insane. And so do we, how fun!

There’s more to the story than nosy bosses, as Luigi also has worries to address himself. (About the address no less!)

Click the link above when you’re ready for the latest and longest chapter!

If you’re new, feel free to join in! It’s a long read, but it’s still ongoing, so hopefully you’ll enjoy the long-lasting affair of Mario and Bowser!

Thank you for reading.

[fadingfics]

Loptr

AN: This was requested as a deviation of our story Death Of The Lie, in which Loki is Hela and Laufey’s son, and Odin steals him case he’s a tyrant and an asshole. This drabble is a short “what if” Odin didn’t kidnap Loki when he was a baby, and his name was still Loptr.

The pitter patter of small feet resonated in the icy halls of Jotunheim palace, and a child’s laugh echoed along. A nurse hurried behind the little prince, trying to prevent him from reaching the throne room, but the toddler was smarter, and smaller too. Much smaller.

He slid behind ice pillars effortlessly and snuck into the main hall despite his nurse’s protests. The guards looked amused as they saw the prince’s black tuft of hair running towards the adjacent council room.

Laufey was the first to hear the tiny steps getting closer and anticipated the entrance of his son, but pretended not to see how he hid under the table and crawled on the floor. Even the chieftain held back a chuckle.

“Is that all then?” Laufey asked.

“Yes, my king. Any other news will be informed as requested.”

The chieftain gave the king a small nod and left the room. Laufey laid back on his chair and waited.

“Boo!” His tiny son jumped from under the table and climbed onto Laufey’s lap.

Laufey pretended to be surprised. “Oh, I’ve been ambushed!”

As soon as their skins touched, the boy turned a deep blue, and patterns that matched those of his father appeared over his body.

“Loptr,” Hela spoke firmly from the door. “Why aren’t you in your bath?”

Loptr smiled sheepishly and hid his face in his father’s chest. Laufey stood up with the boy in his arms.

“Did you want to be blue for a while?” Laufey asked.

“Daddy is blue, mama is pink.” Loptr giggled. “I am both!”

Laufey handed Loptr to his mother, his skin immediately changing to resemble hers. It made him laugh. He touched Laufey’s arm with one of his tiny fingers, and watched how his whole arm turned blue.

“See? I am both.” Loptr repeated, delighted by the effect his parents had on him.

“You are both and you are beautiful.” Laufey kissed Loptr’s head and ruffled his hair.

“But now it’s night time, and you must bathe and go to bed.” Hela insisted.

“Yes, mama,” Loptr said with a pout, and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Hela handed the boy to his distraught nurse and she took him away.

Laufey sat on the same chair he had used before and sighed deeply.

“Something wrong, my dear?” Hela asked, crossing her hands.

“Nothing, and that's what's bothering me.” He reached for her to take his hand. She did. “It feels like being at the edge of a chasm, about to be pushed without knowing when.”

Hela sat by Laufey’s side. She shared his uneasiness, being left in that constant state of uncertainty, and fear, was taking its toll.

The last time she had seen her father, it hadn’t been the most pleasant family reunion. She had betrayed Asgard, betrayed him, married the King of Jotunheim, and was pregnant with his heir. To say Odin was furious didn’t even begin to describe his reaction.

They both feared Odin would bring all the legions of Asgard and lay waste to Jotunheim before letting Hela give birth.

But that didn’t happen.

Years and years had passed without anything happening.

For the most part, they were thankful. Their son was born in the safety of the ice and stone Fortress of Jotunheim, and blessed in their temple as all newborn Jotuns were, despite encountering some resistance from the Elders. They watched him grow into a happy prince, one that was loved and even accepted. Jotunheim had much bigger problems than their Queen being an outsider and their prince being a halfbreed.

Still, everything felt like the calm before the storm. Hela knew Odin would exact revenge. On her, on her family, on her new home. It even occurred to her that his father was leaving them alone on purpose. Jotunheim was dying, and the people on it would die too, eventually.

The Allfather wasn’t above starving a whole race to death, or condemn them to a slow painful extinction.

Hela laced her fingers with Laufey’s.

“I just wish that, for better or worse, this ordeal was over with,” he said, rubbing her hand with his thumb. “If only you could take Asgard’s throne.”

“I won’t. Odin will see to that,” Hela said with a sad, tight smile. “But Loptr will. Asgard won’t be able to deny him his birthright. He will grow to be a far better king than Odin could ever be.”

“May the goddess hear you.” Laufey kissed the back of her hand.

“You forget, my love,” she smiled widely. “I am the goddess.”

Requests are open!

[mvssmallow]

Bloodline, Part V

Previous Chapters

It’s midnight, the traffic has slowed down and they’re in his small, quiet and almost barren apartment. He’s standing at the edge of his bed, looking down at the body twisted in his blue sheets: there’s hard lines of muscle, dark swirls of tattoos across a broad back, scars down both arms, bruises colouring a cheek and cuts slicing over knuckles.

He feels his heart breaking but he says nothing, worrying and knowing that it’ll only burst the bubble and lead to an argument where he will lose and end up alone.

Jiwon’s eyes blink open slowly, probably sensing the distressed way he’s being stared at. He always thought those eyes were on the smaller side but now that they’re looking straight at him, their intensity makes them seem so much bigger, darker and sinister.

“I thought I told you we couldn’t do this.”

And he’s mute again. His feet stuck to the ground. Hands heavy, leaden and unmoving. He can’t do anything but look and breathe and fall apart on the inside.

“Is this what you want?”

His mouth won’t even open. Jiwon just looks at him with a frown that’s equal parts accusatory and disappointed.

“Stop dreaming of me.”

****

“Bad day?” Jin asks, sliding a mug of black coffee across his table.

He nods, unable to look up, worried that anyone who sees his face will somehow figure out that he’s been dreaming of the same guy all week.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He shakes his head and accidentally lets out a frustrated sigh.

Jin picks up on it right away. “You okay?”

He’s not but this is completely unprofessional behaviour. He’s an adult. A fully functioning, working, responsible adult and not some moody hormonal teenager who gives monosyllabic answers and shrugs at everything.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He says, forcing himself to look up and offer a small smile. “Just got a lot on my mind.”

Jin nods like he understands it, maybe he does. “Hey, listen. I know you’re into maintaining this whole Fortress of Solitude thing but me and Yun are gonna grab a drink tonight at Cherry Pie if you want to come.”

A ‘No’ is already forming in his mouth when Jin butts in again.

“One drink won’t kill you. Come on, you need to come. You’re so boring.”

He can’t stop the eye roll and groan but at least it takes his mind off everything else going on in his head for a few seconds.

“Fine. FINE. Now get out of my room.”

Jin pokes out his tongue but gives him a happy thumbs up.

The rest of the day goes to shit but at least it’s over quickly. He’s in a bad mood and everyone knows it. There’s no surprise end-of-the-day appointments and if Jin caught him staring out the back window at 5:58pm, nothing is mentioned.

They all take their cars home and agree with meet up in half an hour. He can’t shake the bad mood. Alcohol is not the answer but what else is there at this point?

“Ugh, finally. I thought this week would never end.” Yun says with a long sigh as he sinks into the booth at Cherry Pie. He was another new doctor working at the clinic and the only reason they’re friendly is because the three of them developed some kind of addiction to the danish pastries from the bakery down the road.

Jin comes back with two beers and a pink cocktail.

Yun raises his eyebrow. “What’s that? You’re doing the first round and only one person gets the fancy cocktail?”

“Yes. Suffer.”

“Rude.”

“Don’t care.” Jin shrugs and sips at his cosmopolitan dramatically.

And so it goes, there’s one cocktail per round until they forget what round it is and the table is all fancy straws, cherries and snacks. He’s not really one to get drunk and it’d take more than a couple of fruity glasses to get him anywhere near wasted but at least he’s relaxed. Jin was right. He did need this.

“So Hanbin, what’s the plan for the weekend?”

He chews on a chip and wonders if there’s a way to dress up the fact that he’ll just be at home eating take-out. Again.

“I think I’ll try the new burger place that just opened.”

Yun doesn’t even laugh at him. Just nods in deep drunk understanding. “I know a guy who works there. Well, actually. I don’t know him. But he’s kinda hot. You remember him Jin? That blonde guy. With the nice smile? The one I said you should hook up with because he looked-”

“-like he’d be good in bed.” Jin rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I remember you embarrassing me when all I wanted was a damm burger.”

Yun shrugs and doesn’t look sorry at all. “He’s not as cute as that weird guy at the bakery though.”

They all hum in agreement there.

He learns that Yun recently moved from Hong Kong, where he did most of his training, and returned to South Korea help take care of his grandmother. The clinic job was a last resort but now that he’s working it, it’s not half as bad as he expected it to be.

Jin announces that he’s going to dye his hair gray to match the weather and ‘his shrivelled up heart’. They can’t stop laughing at it for some reason. It feels good to laugh at something for a change, however short lived it might be.

“Did you guys hear about that crazy gang stuff went down a few weeks ago? Some guy got sliced up pretty badly. I’m surprised we don’t get them walking into the clinic.” Yun says, grabbing a few hot chips from the plate and chewing thoughtfully. “Those guys probably want to avoid authority though don’t they?”

He’s not even remotely drunk but now he feels more sober than ever. Jin shifts in his seat and their eyes meet for a brief nervous second.

“This whole area is so weird. There are families walking around but then you hear about all this gang stuff. I wouldn’t even know who’s in a gang or not, everyone dresses the same.” Yun continues, seemingly oblivious to their silence.

Jin clears his throat then, because one of them had to say something. “It was probably just minor stuff. Didn’t even make the nightly news.”

It was in the local newspaper though. He remembers reading that with a cold sweat down his neck and knot in his stomach. There were no names mentioned but deep down, he just got this feeling that never really went away.

“It’s like those guys in the corner. Are they just cute bad boy aesthetic or are they actually really bad guys in general…no, don’t both turn around at the same time!” Yun hisses in exasperation. “One at a time, geez!”

Jin looks first but doesn’t say anything. There’s a nudge at his feet under the table and that’s not exactly reassuring.

When it’s his turn, he does it slowly and with so much apprehension that it feels like it takes too long.

He wants to laugh.

Because: of course.

Of course this shit would happen to him here.

Of course Jiwon would be here.

God hates him.

The only mercy in all this is that Cherry Pie is dimly lit, Yun is a featherweight drinker with a bad memory and Jiwon hasn’t seen him yet.

But he’d know the sharp angle of that jaw anywhere.

“I should get going.” He starts, knowing it sounds so abrupt but trying to make a show of how tired he is. “Been a long day.”

Yun boos him but Jin doesn’t say anything at all, just looks across cautious and anxious.

“You’re okay to get home?”

“Yeah, I don’t live that far. I’ll get a cab.” He shrugs, knowing there’s always a few parked out front on a Friday night. “Have a good night, thanks for inviting me out.”

He slips out of the bar just as a group of university students walk in. At the last minute, his eyes search the group of guys sitting in the corner but Jiwon isn’t there anymore. He’s not sure if he should be grateful or disappointed. This whole day has him on edge. Fuck, the whole week has been a mental disaster and he knows it’s because of the same frustrating recurring dreams he’s been having.

No more. He just needs to go home, shut the world out and sleep.

There’s a few smokers out front that he passes on the way to the line of parked cabs. The good thing about Fridays is that there are always so many people out late. It gives him a weird sense of security.

Safety in numbers. More witnesses. Something like that.

“You’re not invisible you know.”

He whips his head around to search for the voice, his heart racing and mind thrown into chaos again. It goes right through him like a jolt of electricity and settles uneasily in his stomach. Like the strongest of visceral responses, goosebumps break all over his skin and he’s acutely aware of how exposed his neck is for a moment.

There’s a gray puff of smoke coming from the shadow of a shop front he just walked past. Why is this whole fucking street so dim?

He’s man enough to admit that the cold sweat running down the back of his neck is fear. He feels everything at once: excitement, worry, curiosity, attraction, confusion….but in the end, fear drowns them all out.

It’s the Jiwon he knows. The Jiwon that has a brother and smiles and makes jokes. It’s the same Jiwon, he reminds himself. It’s the Jiwon you know.

Except that it’s not. He doesn’t know Jiwon. The energy around them is different now. It’s all wrong and crackles through the air like sharp lightning instead of the usual soft hum of thunder that he’s always found more comforting.

There’s a cab a few meters ahead and he could just get in and go home right now. It must be the hesitation in his movements that has Jiwon pushing off the wall of the shop front and walking towards him, stopping just before he steps out of the shadows completely. It’s just enough to be seen and heard but not enough for anyone to see his face clearly.

“Going home?”

Something about the casual way Jiwon asks him, like he’s asking about the weather, and keeps on smoking like he has no idea what kind of effect he has on people, turns his shock and fear into something resembling anger.

“Yeah I am.” He says defensively.

“Shouldn’t be walking around here by yourself.”

“Shouldn’t be sneaking up on people.” He snaps back, fists tightly balled up by his side.

There’s a quite chuckle that does nothing but flare his temper even more.

“You gonna fight me?”

He ignores the question. “What are you doing here?”

Even in the darkness, he can see Jiwon’s wide grin. “Aren’t you supposed to be all polite and shit? Not gonna ask me how my day was? What happened to all that?”

“Not at work right now.” He says as neutral as possible but knowing it comes out cold. He hates himself for reacting to this so badly. He’ll regret it later. He already knows.

“Ahh,” Jiwon says, taking another hit and blowing the smoke to one side. “Only polite and nice at work, huh?”

This isn’t his Jiwon.

Fuck.

His Jiwon?

Not his Jiwon at all.

Someone else’s Jiwon, he thinks dejectedly. And it’s right then that the anger simmers down, replaced by that all too familiar feeling of misery and resignation over something he knows can never and will never happen.

“I should get going.” He stammers out and makes to turn towards the cabs again.

“Why?”

The question catches him off guard, the last thing he expected to be asked.

“Because it’s late. And I-”

“It’s like 9pm. And a Saturday tomorrow. You got a girl to see or something?”

“What?”

“Why do you need to go?” Jiwon asks him again in an amused and mocking tone. “Got big plans?”

“No, I just need to go.”

“Because?”

“Because….”

“Jesus, you’re a hard sell. Can’t even talk to you without an appointment, huh?”

“That’s not what-”

“S’okay, doc. I’m just playing.” Jiwon smiles at him again, this time smaller, less arrogant, less…everything. He watches as the joint burns to Jiwon’s fingers and gets stamped out on the ground between them.

He stares at it, then at their shoes, then the shadows they create on the pavement, all the while cursing at why he lets this one guy shake him up to the point of social disaster.

“Thought you needed to go?” Jiwon asks and there’s so much knowing in that voice that he wonders if people can hear his thoughts all the sudden.

“Yeah. I do. Um, have a good night.”

He stumbles his way towards the line of cabs, each step confusing and depressing as the next.

“Hey? Take the second one. He won’t scam you a few bucks.”

He turns around to say thanks and well, that was a mistake because Jiwon finally steps out of the shadows and they can both see each other clearly for the first time tonight. There’s a cut across his cheek, he looks exhausted but it does nothing to stop that lopsided smile from appearing and does nothing to stop that one automatic thought.

Fuck. Why does he have to look like that?

The butterflies that were paralysed with fear in his stomach only moments ago suddenly decide to take full fucking flight.

“Have a good night.”

He hates himself the entire way home. He hates how weirdly nice the cab driver is. He hates how the fare really is a few dollars less than usual. He hates how he turned to wave out the window and Jiwon was still there, lighting up a new smoke. He hates how he dreams of the same thing over and over again but still wakes up frustrated and alone.