#I love puzzles like this where ya need to pay attention to small details

[lavenderr-starrs]

I bought the Phoenix Whright ace attorney trilogy on my switch today cause I got a Nintendo gift card and I’ve been playing it completely blind, so far it’s really fun! I finished the steel samurai trial:

And All I’m saying is this is the vibe Edgeworths lil “Confession” thing at the end of the final trial gave me XDD

[divinefireangel]

The Way You Love

SF9 Youngbin x F! Reader Imagine.

He's so precious I WANNA PROTEC

Disclaimer: This is just a work of fiction. If this piece of fan fiction is offensive to any celebrity, fandom or culture please let me know so I can take it down. Also note that this is my version of a character or celeb, which will vary from person to person.

Author's Note: Got the idea at literally 3am. And I cried a lil while writing this. I do recommend reading this when you have a bad day. Because I have to say it is cute.

Copyright: Please note that this is my work and if you want to publish this on any other platform, take my permission before doing so. Taking an author's work and posting it somewhere else without any intimation is just disrespectful. I readily welcome suggestions and criticisms. That being said, Happy reading! 🤍

Warnings: All ages and written with she/her pronouns but everyone can read it. (nothing specified with respect to anatomy, appearance, etc of reader). Nothing really. Just pure fluff. Slowburn and crappy ending because I went blank 😂💀

Summary/Pre-Requisite: Youngbin and Y/N are in a well established relationship. But it isn't enough.

1.6k words

Youngbin smiled at the small box in his hand. He can't believe he is actually going to do this. How can something as little as this be the source of so much joy, he didn't know. Maybe it was her. Or the fact that it was for her, from him. An eternal promise to love her till his last day, last hour, last minute and final breath. Well there is still much time to worry about that now though.

Loving Y/N is definitely the best decision he took without having to take it. Loving her, was as easy as breathing the fresh morning air. Listening to her talk was his favourite sound in the entire universe. Watching her dance goofily is his ideal view, other than when she's paying attention to something. Her face looks so cute when she's concentrating, he almost feels like he can cry over her adorableness.

Watching her from across the room, her movements, the way she smiles and makes everyone around her laugh with her silly jokes only adds to one of the many reasons why he loves her. She is the brightest light in his life, illuminating his existence with unfiltered joy and eternal love and affection.

He loves it when she snuggles up to him, wrapping her small arms around his torso and asks him what he's doing with her honey sweet voice, never fails to make his heart melt and burst with adoration. He loves it when she sleepily moves closer to him, like a pair of magnets, because she feels cold and knows that she can always rely on him to keep her warm.

He loves it when she bonds with his members and treat them and scold them like they are her children. Although he loves it more when she becomes a source of reassurance not only to him but also to his little brothers. He loves it when she helps them with anything, no matter how small the help may be. Since he is treated like the Dad of the group, Y/N automatically became the Mom and he couldn't wish for someone more perfect then her for that role.

He loves her understanding nature, her positive spirit, her overly motivating presence, her genuine compliments and concern. He loves the way she looks at him, like he's the only man in a room full of people. Her eyes reflecting the same twinkles of his eyes, with just as much love when he looks at her.

He loves when she slightly shuts her eyes when he moves her hair out of her face. He loves it when her small frame hugs him so tight he can barely stand still. He loves it when she plays with his hair when he takes a nap on her chest. He loves how her hand fits into his perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle.

If there was one thing he could do again, it would be to go back in time and fall in love with her all over again for the first time. Everyday, she gives him something new to love about her. Whether it be her shy smile, her blushy flustered face or the way she gets excited when she sees something cute, the way she coos his puppy to sleep, the way she always makes him feel better on a bad day and so many more things that may seem insignificant to her, but are never to him, makes him fall for her harder and deeper in love than he ever thought possible.

"Hyung! HYUNG!!! "

Snapping back to reality, Youngbin sees a wide eyes Chani looking at him with a questioning expression.

"What? "

"Were you daydreaming about Noona again? Why are you so distracted today? "

"It's nothing Chani-ya. She just makes me happy. That's all. Did you tell the camera crew that I need them this evening? "

"Yes I did Hyung. That's what I was telling you as you were zoned out. I don't even want to imagine what it's going to be like when you get married. We probably won't get anything done at all since you will be distracted all the time. " Chani said in a factual manner.

"Okay that's a bit excessive. And you haven't found someone whom you love as much right now. You will understand better when you do. Till then I can't really explain this." The older said smiling lighty as she took over his thoughts again. Rolling his eyes, Chani patted his leader and left wordlessly.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

"This is nice. The air isn't as humid as I thought it would be. " Y/N said as she walked next to her lover, fingers intertwined, arms swaying back and forth as they moved forward. Stopping still he twirled her around till she faced the railing covering the boundary of the lake. Giggling she wrapped his arms around her so he could hug her, keep her warm, even though she wasn't as cold yet.

Resting his chin on her head, he sighed heavily, feeling content with his beloved in his embrace. Oh how he could stay like this forever and never leave. Hmm. She's right. The air is just perfect. Like her. And it is definitely the perfect weather, to take the next step most relationships do.

Looking up at the sky, the stars shine bright, twinkling and shimmering beautifully. Taking this as a positive sign from the universe, Youngbin hugged Y/N tighter, knowing that it's now or,well later but now is nice. Turning her head to her lover, Y/N stands on her tippy toes to kiss him.

Breathing out the two lovebirds stared up at the star filled night sky. The soft wind getting stronger with time, but not too strong to have any effect yet. Just a light breeze that can be felt. Like the love that's surrounding them, keeping them warm from the exterior and from within.

"Oh! Did you see that! That star is shining the brightest." Youngbin said pointing at a distant star.

" Which one? " Y/N stepped forward by one step, trying to see the star he pointed out.

" That one? " She asked again, this time she was the one pointing.

" No. The one standing in front of me right now. "

Drawing her hand back to her body, her heart thumping strongly in her chest. Now, what had happened when they hugged is that Y/N had felt a small poke on the side of her thigh, where Youngbin's jacket was over on her. So being the smart young lady she is, Y/N knew. She knew what was happening. And it wasn't just feeling the poke, she's been feeling like this for some days now. And she knows that he has too.

Slowly turning around, Y/N was faced with her lover, who was down on one knee, holding a small box with the cutest ring she had ever seen. To say that Y/N.exe had stopped working was an understatement. She stood there, as though she was frozen. Looking up at her, Youngbin breathed heavily and started.

" When I met you for the first time, I never thought that you will love someone like me. So I was happy to settle being just your friend. But we both started liking each other at the same time. I asked you out and you agreed to date me. I never thought that you would actually date me for a long time because I've, well I was thinking that you deserve better. But you told me and made me belive different. And I am really really grateful that you did. And as time progressed, we both grew to love each other so much. You know all of this already, but saying this out loud, makes me sure that I want more. You, have helped me grow into a better person, over the time that we have dated. You, motivate me and drive me to do better, because even if no one did, you knew my limit and my capabilities. You, make me the happiest I've ever been. So will you please make me a little bit more happier by becoming my fiancee and the happiest, in the near future, when you become my wife? Will you marry me? "

Y/N stares at him, while breathing through her mouth. The only sound that's heard is the soft wind.

" Yes. "

Y/N gets down on her knees, in front of her lover, sweet tears of shock and joy streaming down her face.

" Yes. I will marry you Kim Youngbin. "

" Hyung!!! Congratulations!!!!!! "

Breaking his face into a grin, Youngbin removes the lovely and intricately detailed ring and puts it on Y/N's finger delicately. Kissing her left knuckle, Youngbin realises he is crying as well. Sobbing out loud Y/N throws her arms around him, making him tumble backwards a little. Laughing a little, Youngbin slowly wraps his arms around her, caressing the back of her head as he looked up at the sky, trying to stop the tears from falling down his cheek.

Hugging each other tight for what seemed like forever, they move away from each other's embrace upon hearing clapping sounds and cheers from the young men and their team who have now approached them.

Standing up Y/N couldn't help but hide her face in her lover's chest. Kissing her forehead, Youngbin thanked everyone.

" Let's all celebrate! Dinner is on us. " Youngbin stated looking you. Smiling you nodded you head in agreement as everyone around you cheered and wiped their tears away.

It all felt like a dream. But it wasn't. It was reality. A reality that she was so thankful to have. Smiling till their cheeks hurt, Youngbin and Y/N not couldn't wait till they were married and called as Husband and Wife.

[mcfreakin-bxtch]

Welcome Home

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Half-awake and goofy Reader, Daddy Kink, Soft Sex, Unprotected Sex, Language, Fluffff

Word Count: 2.5K+

Summary: After many sleepless nights (and one missed text), Bucky is finally home.

A/N: Reposting because Tumblr hates meeeeee. I know I’ve been IA off and on here but I promise I’m working on my series as much as I can. It’s been one hell of an year, huh? My inbox is always open for you lovelies. Love you all.

***

The bed feels too big without him.

It’s normal to feel this way on most lonely nights, when Bucky has to be away on a mission—not like he isn’t saving the world or anything, but after two years of sleeping next to his heavy but familiar weight, it’s hard to fall asleep without it. What’s worse is that you can’t rest your head over his heartbeat or crawl into his warm, open arms, or kiss that little pout on his lips.

You even begin to miss the array of clothes spread out on a pile in the corner of the room that he always claims he’ll get to when they start to smell—as much as you want to kill him for it, you sincerely miss it now.

The blocky red numbers glare at you from where it sits on your nightstand, reminding you for the hundredth time that this is the fifth night in a row of tossing and turning and it’s four in the morning. Your body is fatigued but your mind anxious and relentless; he hasn’t texted like he promised he would, like how it’s been on nearly every mission, and maybe it’s because of the fact that he’ll be home tomorrow, not because he’s—

“Stop,” you whisper to yourself.

You let out a deep sigh and flop onto your back—the ceiling still has the same color and the small crack that keeps you fixated for a decent amount of time. Not even the running box fan or the low volume of your tv is doing anything to appease your unsettling thoughts. At this point, you don’t want to get up at all, not even to pee… no, you really need to go.

The bathroom is just as cold as the bedroom feels and it makes you want to cry; you won’t, but it’s close. The slight chilly air stings your bare feet as they paddle across the floor, sitting up this time on your bed and snatching the remote with a huff. You flip through the channels mindlessly, barely paying attention to the titles—titles that you’ve already seen a thousand times—while slumping against the pillows with the hope that SpongeBob SquarePants will be the final solution to your sleeping problem.

You become so engrossed in the cartoon that you don’t notice the creak of your house door, or the soft plop of a bag on the floor, nor the light steps making their towards your room until the handle jiggles rather loudly for someone who’s trying to sneak around; Bucky still underestimates his own strength on some days, like this one.

When the door starts to slowly open you curse yourself for not being more attentive, and try to remember with stiff muscles where that stupid knife Bucky gave you is…

“Shit,” the intruder curses. “Sorry, doll. Did I wake ya?”

The gruff whisper—twinged with a light Brooklyn accent—echoes across the room and straight to your chest, your heart stuttering a beat at the realization; the ocean gray eyes meets yours with a tired but exciting glint that equally matches the one in yours and that beautiful, beautiful full smile greets you like home.

“Bucky!” You squeal quietly, not wanting to disturb the peace, opening your arms out wide for him. “You’re home.”

He chuckles and closes the door behind him, slipping his gloves off, the two or maybe three shirts (armor, padding, whatever it is) he easily shrugs off, then his socks and pants, leaving him in a tank top and boxers. You wait patiently, all the while checking for any new scrapes and bruises or any signs of injury in his expression; so far so good.

The mattress dips under his fists as he leans over to give you a kiss; it’s short, just a quick peck that leaves you whining for more. Instead, he smiles again and rubs the tip of his nose affectionately against yours.

“I missed you,” his breath ghosts over your lips.

You cup his face, his light stubble scratching your skin, and pull him towards a longer, deeper kiss. He moans faintly into the kiss and dips the rest of his weight on the bed, curling into you instinctively; he fits against you like your puzzle piece, and when you lie down he follows fluently, careful of not laying all of his weight on you—as much you really want him to squish you.

“I missed you more,” you say in between kisses, wrapping your legs around his waist. “So—” the loud smack of your lips against his cheek raises a lovely chorus of giggles from the both of you. “—so much! But how?”

Bucky understands. “Caught the guy earlier than expected. Got back at the compound, took a shower—”

“And you didn’t text me, asshole!”

“Aw,” he drawls in a pitch, teasing your ribs with feather-like caresses. “I’m sorry baby. I won’t do it again, I promise.”

He seals his promise with a kiss, not wasting any time in slipping his tongue along the seams of your lips; you grant him access, swirling his tongue with yours. You moan and, without even realizing what you’re doing, slant your hips up, arching yourself into his touch. His hands slide down your body, memorizing every detail of your curves while continuing the dirty, sensual kiss; you then feel the half-hard bulge grinding steadily against your core, but you nor Bucky comment on it.  

He’s the first one to pull back. Bucky doesn’t say a word, and so neither do you, just taking in each breath that leaves his lungs through an exhale, every inch of muscle that rests and moves against yours, and suddenly it feels like you can actually sleep now.  

“Pretty girl,” he murmurs, using the tip of his pointer finger to trace the circles under your eye. “Having trouble sleeping again?”

“I always do when you’re gone,” you mumble back, closing your eyes since he mentioned it.

He starts to move but you latch onto him before he can fully sit himself up, wrapping your arms around his neck and burying his face in your neck.

“Baby,” he giggles, moving his hands to your hips.

“I still have to welcome you home, soldier,” you purr and run your fingers through his soft, short hair.

You grind back at his still hips, grinning goofily at the sigh that escapes his lips. “C’mon, I want to.” Another slow grind, harder than before. “I wanna feel that thick cock fill me up so good, been too long, daddy.”

The breath hitches audibly in his throat, his eyes growing dark and glazed. “You sure?” He asks, because he’s the perfect gentleman as always. “It looks like you can barely keep your eyes open, sweetheart.”

“Not uh.” To prove your point, you open your eyes as wide as they can go. Bucky laughs with a shake of his head that tells you, ‘I love you, you fucking goofball’.

You lean up to catch his slightly chapped lips, and reach down to pull your shorts and panties off; Bucky breaks the kiss to look, groaning at the sight of your glistening pussy. You palm him through the thin fabric of his boxers, giving him a light squeeze.

He buckles against your hand. “Fuck,” he hisses, then chuckles. “It really has been too long.”

“So,” you quickly slip your shirt over your head, reveling in the way his eyes immediately latch on your breasts. “Fuck me.”

Bucky finally gives in with a moan, bumping his forehead against yours for a rushed but heated kiss that leaves goosebumps on your skin. You waste no time in pulling his boxers down, licking your lips at the sight of his twitching cock.

“Oof!”

His entire weight topples on you in his haste to pull his shirt off, crushing the air out of your lungs; he mumbles an unintelligent apology against your open mouth.

Metal rests against the slope of your ass as the other lines himself at your entrance, looking in your eyes for your approval. You nod, too excited and trembling with anticipation. His lips are once again back on yours, the bulbous tip of him nudging through your folds and circling your clit, teasing you with a knowing smirk as you kiss.

Before you can scold him he pushes in, stretching you slowly to the brim until his balls rest at the slope of your backside; it’s a little painful, but the burn is a bonus to the increasing pleasure you feel by him just being inside you.

“Oh fuck,” you gasp through gritted teeth, clutching his biceps with a tight grip. He answers with a nip to your breast, circling his tongue around the perk nipple before completely latching his mouth onto the sensitive mold; his teeth lightly scrapes you, making your body jolt and pussy flutter around him—shit, it really has been too long for the both of you.    

You tighten your legs around him, enveloping yourself in his heat, not wanting to bear the coldness that plagued you in his absence.

“Good?” He croaks from your chest, already sounding breathless.

“Please.”

He settles himself more comfortably between your legs and pulls back until only the tip is inside, plunging back in with a hard, punctuated thrust that heaves your body upwards. A choked sigh scrapes your throat, your hands splayed out on his back, feeling every muscle continue to move and slither; chaste kisses litter your neck with every thrust, hard and steady and deep.

“Buck.”

“I know,” he says. His metal hand cups your cheek, holding your gaze—you’re doing your best to keep your eyes open, but you don’t know how much longer that’ll last. “You feel so good, princess. So good, so fucking good.”

You lift your hips to meet his, feeling the coil in your lower stomach building and tightening and getting hotter and hotter—

“Fuck Bucky right there!” You moan wantonly, shifting your body so he can hit your sweet spot again.

“I got ya,” he rubs your back before pushing your lower half up so he can keep you exactly where he wants you, not once breaking the rhythm you can now so easily create.

His cock continues to bring you undeniable euphoria, scratching against every little itch you have and angling his pelvis so that it grinds against your aching clit, giving you the extra stimulation you need. He kisses you until you have no more air to give, nips and bites at you until there’s marks, caresses your body with a touch only a lover can understand, fucks you so right and smooth that you can feel every vein and ridge of his cock; thank fuck he’s home.

His hips move a little faster, no doubt starting to feel the edge of his climax. As if to prove your point, his hand—the one that was one your cheek—reaches up to grip the top of the headboard, using the pull to push himself somehow deeper into you; like he’s trying to crawl into your body and take shelter where he knows he’s safe.

“Y-yeah, shit B-Buck keep going!” You stammer in between thrusts. Your pussy flutters harder around him, making him squeeze his eyes tightly shut and curse under his breath.

“Me too, pretty girl,” he growls, looking down at you like you’re the most beautiful piece of art he’s ever seen, and in his eyes you are. “Gonna cum with me?” Your cunt clenches around him. “Goddamn baby—” (holyfuckingshit the way he just whimpered has your entire back arching and more juices gushing from your core). “—forgot how tight you are.”

It’s too much now, the friction heating your entire core until it feels like your whole body is on fire, about to implode at any second. Your moans and whimpers spur him on even more, now slamming his hips until the sound of skin against skin—and the sloshes of his dick pounding into you—echoes loudly in the room.

“Bucky I’m gonna come.”

“I feel you,” he grunts. “Come around my cock, babygirl. C’mon, I wanna feel it, sweet girl.”

Your legs tremble and shake as your orgasm approaches you, clouding your mind with a fog and filling your vision with white; you’re so lost in the spasm of your pussy, the thumb now rubbing your clit in tight circles, and the growls and whimpers that he’s doing nothing to hide, that when your cunt squeezes him like a vice, the scream that follows does no shame to the gruff grunts and groans lapping with your vocals.  

Bucky fucks you through your orgasm, your sensitive pussy continuing to flutter around him. It’s like you’re being shocked by bolts with the way your body spasms beneath him, taking everything he’s giving you and more until you’re nothing but a puddle at his bidding; every nerve feels shot and abused, but it’s not complete until he fills you up.

“Christ doll I’m coming,” he growls from his chest, sending shivers through you. You clench your pussy around him and… and he gasps like you just punched him in the gut and suddenly hot spurts of cum fill your pussy in thick, hot ropes.

With one final, hard thrust he collapses on top of you. The air is thick and slick with the air of sex, skin glistening in the soft light of the tv that’s still playing the same cartoon. His chest rises and falls with yours as you catch your breaths, holding each other.

Bucky is usually the first to recover. He raises his head and gives you a tired, goofy smile before kissing you; he uses the distraction to carefully pull out of you, the chill of the air brushing against the combined juices covering your pussy and inner thighs. You grumble with a scrunch to your eyebrows that makes him giggle.

“Hang on.”

He gets out of the bed with a heavy sigh that comes with age—you like to tease him about it every now and then—and flicks the light to the bathroom on, leaving the door ajar. The sound of running water is faint to your ears, the exhaustion of the week settling in on you heavily. The rattles from the bathroom fade with the stress, into comfortable white noise...

The cold, wet cloth makes you jump with a whine (did you actually fall asleep for a minute there?). Bucky shushes you gently from where he sits, gently cleaning you up before throwing the washcloth towards the corner of the room—yes, his corner.

Your arms blindly reach for him, your eyes still closed. You hear him turn the tv off and shuffle around until the covers are being pulled back and he slides in, making sure you’re both completely covered. He crawls into your embrace, laying his head in the crook of your neck and tangling his legs with yours.

“I love you,” you whisper groggily.

“I love you, too,” he says back with ease.

A few moments of silence pass, and just before you reach the land of dreams, one silly little thought brings you back.

“Bucky?”

A minute.

“What?”

“Welcome home.” 

[diyunho]

The Joker x Reader - “Trapped” Part 2

Almost one year ago, someone tried to kill The Joker in a speeding car and Y/N pushed him out of the way, getting hit instead. With a fractured skull and broken bones, she was out of business for 6 months; when she finally recovered, The Queen of Gotham wasn’t the same anymore. Trapped inside her own mind and exhibiting severe cognitive impairment, Y/N’s life switched upside down without any hope of ever returning to normal.

Part 1      Part 3     Part 4    Part 5

The Joker feels your hand searching around and he knows what you’re looking for: the yellow teddy bear.

“Here Pumpkin,” J gives you the toy that landed on the other side of the bed during the night; a couple minutes pass and his cheek is covered in soft kisses. He opens one eye and you instantly pretend to be asleep.

“I’m onto you, Y/N!” The King of Gotham sneers while you giggle at his affirmation. But as soon as he pecks the scar on your collarbone, your attitude changes.

“No…”, you whimper and cover your face with the sheets.

“I told you before I don’t care about scars,” The Joker tries to reason with you because it happens each time he touches the numerous stitch marks scattered all over your frame: some are deeper lacerations perfectly normal after the surgeries you sustained, others are cuts that might diminish in a few months. “Princess, are you listening?” J traces the lesion on your wrist.

Y/N is so stiff though he has to fight in order to pull the covers away from her.

“Hey…hey… See? I have scars too,” The Clown attempts to distract you. “Are you having a panic attack? No need to!”

You try to keep up with what he’s saying and it’s pretty difficult giving the circumstances; at least you do understand J is making you relax.

His cell phone starts vibrating on the nightstand and he reaches for it.

“Perfect timing, Frost!” The Joker takes his frustration on Jonny. “What do you want?!!”

The short conversation ends fast with The King yelling a bunch of angry stuff, including an interesting grand finale: “Next time you interrupt when I’m on a roll struggling to get laid, maybe you’d like to intervene and convince Y/N her scars don’t bother me!!!”

Why is he mad?...

You watch him toss the phone on the floor and crawl by him, intrigued.

“Upset?” you begin caressing his hair with the teddy bear’s paw.

“My throne won’t be ready until June, Princess! I requested that fancy chair for a reason and paid a fortune to have it customized! What am I supposed to use at the club?! I don’t like the old furniture anymore!!”

You already lost track of what he’s saying: something about not having a throne???… … …

Oh, there’s one really close by!

You grab The Joker’s arm and drag him out of bed towards the bathroom.

“Where are we going?” he inquires, confused.

You quickly guide him to the toilet, making J sit on the closed lid.

“Throne,” you point at the porcelain bowl and The King of Gotham frowns, immediately bursting into laughter afterwards.

“You’re brilliant, Pumpkin! Brilliant!” he praises your interpretation as you are pulled on his knees.

“Hm?”

“You’re a clever Kitten and whoever says otherwise is an idiot! Turns out I do have a throne,” he admits and gropes you.

Too much for your brain to decipher all his sentences, yet Mister J seems content and that’s enough for you.

“The plan for this morning is simple,” he continues. “We’ll have sex, then take a shower and whatnot, then eat breakfast. Later I have a meeting; you just stay here and wait for me, alright?”

“Mmm…” you hesitantly process the words coming out of his mouth, opting to agree for his sake. “Ok?”

“You naughty girl,” he pulls down on your tank top spaghetti strap. ”I know you hate me sometimes, but in the end can’t resist my charm.”

“No hate… Love,” you snuggle to J while he walks back into the bedroom carrying the sweet burden of his existence; of course he ignored your statement because why would he pay attention to nonsense?

*************

You’re outside the car and sulk when Alice sneaks on the passenger’s seat that literally belongs to The Queen.

“Stay here, Princess. I won’t be too long,” The Joker mutters.

“W-why?” you ask since you are not a fan of the idea of having your boyfriend’s ex riding alone with him.

“You get bored at meetings,” he explains. “Circle the property and let the boys know if you need anything,” J emphasizes and drives down the path leading to the gates, leaving a puzzled Y/N behind: you never liked Alice and that didn’t vanish after the accident.

“Bye, Y/N!” she shouts and you can’t make a lot of sense of what you’re feeling, still one detail is certain: it hurts.

How come you couldn’t go?! Why didn’t he give you a choice?! He always does.

If The Joker thinks you can’t put two and two together these days, he’s very wrong.

“Y/N recovered quite nicely,” Alice smirks.

The King of Gotham sighs and she fixes a rebel strand of green hair rebelliously flying over his ear.

“I was wondering if you’ll call me at one point. I missed you, babe.”

“Did ya’?” he scoffs at her bold confession; but she’s a direct person, one of the qualities J admired when they were an item.

“I can’t image how you two function; I mean… her unfortunate transformation, it must be hard for you to put up with someone fighting to comprehend the easiest tasks.”

“It’s not easy,” The Clown admits and gazes at her: Alice dolled up for their rendezvous. Everything he considers attractive is there: beautiful pair of legs popping from under the short skirt, his favorite perfume discretely lingering on her flawless skin, the tip of the purple lace bra she’s wearing casually showing each time the woman leans forward.

“I bet,” Alice pretends to sympathize with his problems. “A man like you has needs that I’m positive Y/N can’t even remember how to satisfy,” she pats his thigh, slowly working her way to his crotch.

The Joker chuckles, accomplice with her insinuations, also super annoyed when his phone rings.

“Yes?” he promptly answers.

“Sir,” Frost reports, ”we have a situation; Y/N is increasingly agitated and…”

“Deal with it!” he hangs up and strives to cruise straight despite the sexy distraction urging him to do otherwise.

“Why did we split?” she scoots closer to him, pouting.

“Beats me,” J purrs as she squeezes her fingers in his pants’ pocket.

“What’s this?” Alice rattles the small plastic pouch.

“Y/N’s anti-inflammatory drug; there’s not much that can be done now and this is helping with the blood clot pressing on her frontal lobe. The doctors say it will reabsorb; granted it won’t matter regarding her cognitive impairment.”

“Awww,” The Joker’s past flame pretends to be affected by his briefing. “That’s too bad, babe; probably the future is not too bright…” she shoves your pills in the glove compartment. “Why don’t we reconcile? You know I’d do anything for you,” the flirtatious tone makes J reply:

“Would you jump in front of a speeding car like Y/N did to save me?”

“Ha! I would,” she elbows him, snickering at his antiques.

“Prove it then,” J growls. “Get out of the vehicle and don’t flinch if I run you over. If you survive, I’ll take you back!”

Alice opens her mouth in amazement and the SUV halts before The King reprises driving.

“Got cha’!” he cracks up at her baffled reaction.

“For God’s sake, babe! You scared me!” she playfully pinches him and teases: “Are we going to our spot?”

“I was wondering when you’ll notice,” The Joker navigates the unpaved road guiding the automobile towards Clear Sky Summit.

“Pull over,” Alice urges him and he complies at once. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” she moans climbing on his lap. “I can tell you missed me too,” the woman grins at his body’s response.

“That’s my gun,” J buries his face in the revealing cleavage, firmly holding her waist.

“I bet it is, babe,” she winks while unbuttoning his silver shirt. “I love you!” she tries to bite him and he violently yanks her long hair, snarling.

“Is that why you tried to kill me?”

Alice cautiously exhales, a bit nervous at the switch in his demeanor.

“What are you talking about?!”

“Who was driving the car meant to hit me, huh? Tinted windows, no license plate.”

“Babe, you’re hurting me,” she winces in pain at his strong grip. “I swear I don’t know anything!”

“Are you sure?” J sniffs her scent.

“Yes I’m sure! I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize our…”

“Our what? What exactly our means in this context? We separated more than two years ago!” The Joker crushes her spine against the wheel.

“Babe, let go!” Alice wiggles in his tight embrace.

“Why did you do it? Were you jealous I found a new fling? Took me months to track the culprit!!!” J restricts her movement when she stretches to open the door. “You fucked up my girl!” his hands forcefully twist her neck and the snapping noise of fractured bone halts the argument.

The Joker pushes the corpse off him, numb to the murder he committed out of pure rage: what’s another name added to the list?

Yet… this was personal.

He keeps staring at the trees surrounding the trail without discerning their shape. 30 minutes pass and the phone’s alarm alerts him it’s time for your remedy: The Clown Prince of Crime is so out of it he doesn’t stop it until he’s on the main road.

He speeds up to ensure a timely arrival at the mansion where Y/N will definitely confront him after being abandoned in such fashion: the truth is he doesn’t mind.

What he does mind though is that no matter what happens, Y/N will never be her former self.

***************

The Joker parks in front of the villa and hops out of the car, barking instructions at the goons patrolling the area:

“I want this gone!” he gestures at the cadaver crammed under the front seat. “Where’s Y/N?”

“In the garage, boss” Frost indicates. “You should know that…”

“I got it! I got it!” J waves and sprints towards your destination.

Nothing prepared him for the carnage.

“Holy… … shit!!!” he inhales at the shocking landscape depicting all five of his most beloved vehicles mauled to pieces: broken windows, scraped paint, karoseri indents…a whole mess!

Bam!!! You smash the rearview mirror of his favorite Ferrari with the baseball bat.

“What are you doing, Pumpkin????!!!!” J screams, aggravated.

Oh, he’s back!

“Y-you like her??!!” The Queen redirects her wrath. “B-because she’s smart??!!”

“Who? Alice?” he quizzes for no reason whatsoever: The Joker’s aware of the reply.

“Wh-where did you go, hm?” you point the wood weapon at the man taking you for a fool; you try not to stutter but it’s impossible with the strained neurons firing up a storm inside an already troubled brain.

“Nowhere, I killed her.”

“Hm?”

“I killed Alice!” The Joker raises his voice and watches you squint your eyes, a clear hint you’re analyzing his disclosure. “Look what you did, Princess! Are you happy now??” he finds the perfect opportunity to divert the outcome of the mayhem he actually created: J repeatedly learned this is the best strategy.

“U-hum,” you serenely admit since you’re indeed pleased with the results of your rampage.

The two parties glare at each other in silence and The Joker grabs the yellow teddy bear resting on a nearby hood, proposing truce before you bash something else:

“I’ll trade you the fur ball for your bat.”

Yikes, you’re reluctant to his treaty: further distraction is required.

“My collection is destroyed, Pumpkin!” The Joker approaches with the toy he stole for you on your first date. “Who we’re gonna call on such short notice to fix all this crap?!!”

Oh, you know this one! You and Mister J watch the movie on a regular basis.

“Mmm… Ghost Busters?” Y/N innocently suggests.

He puckers his lips at the astonishing proposal and it takes a lot of effort not to laugh.

“That’s brilliant, Y/N! Best idea I heard all week!” The Joker proudly compliments your intuition. “You’re a clever Kitten and whoever says otherwise is a moron!” he swiftly snatches the baseball from your grasp and replaces it with the teddy bear.

He rolls the weapon by the closest tire, signaling you to follow.

“Come on, Pumpkin, it’s time for your med. Why are you limping? Is your knee hurting again?”

“U-hum.”

“Serves you right for going rogue!” he scolds. “Com’ere,” J lifts you up, placing your legs around his midsection. “I expect apologies by the way!”

“No,” you sniffle while dangling the toy with one arm.

“Pain in the ass!” he huffs and you kiss him. “This is not an apology!” The Joker spanks you butt.

“Mine,” you cuddle to his shoulder, totally blocking his grouchiness.

“Yeah, yeah, yours,” J grumbles heading for the elevator. “So this is how the rest of today will unfold, Y/N: I’ll be mad until evening time, then we’ll have makeup sex and dinner, the last two not necessarily in the same order. And you’re not going to freak out when I touch your scars, OK?”

“Mmm…OK?”

“Why is that a question?” The Joker continues bickering. “You have other prospects? Boyfriends I should know about? Are you even listening?”

“U-hum,” you poke J’s star tattoo. “No… freaking out.”

“Fair enough,” he compromises and lifts you higher on his hips when you cling to him: selective perception is infinitely better than none. “Is this Pink Blossoms?”

“Yes,” you nod at the familiar brand you use all the time.

The King of Gotham smells his favorite perfume in the air, reckoning he wouldn’t enjoy it if another woman wears it for him.

Also read: MASTERLIST

You can also follow me on Wattpad and Ao3 under the same blog name: DiYunho.

[witharsenicsauce]

Chosen Stories From the War #16: Boat Ride to Vorontsovo

“Mail time!”

The bar was relatively empty, only a few other soldiers having set up in there for the afternoon. Princess and Tisiphone were arguing about something again, but this time Tiwaz was there as well to remind them to please keep the conversation at an indoor level. Mithridates had set up with his laptop in the corner and was playing (and losing) a game of chess against the computer. 

Kon-Mai and Gur-Rai had shoved aside the remains of their breakfast (which was just green tea for Kon-Mai and a piece of toast with spicy mustard for Gur-Rai) and were now sitting across from each other with a deck of Uno cards. Neither of them knew how to play, however, so they had pretty much been making up a totally new game that was somewhat of a combination between Poker, Go Fish and BS.

At the sound of the yell, everyone looked up to attention as Bradford strolled into the bar, waving a stack of envelopes. The other soldiers got to their feet and rushed over, hands out like eager little pigeons awaiting breadcrumbs. Kon-Mai returned her attention to the cards in her hand, confident that there would be no mail for her. Gur-Rai, however, stood up and waved the Central Officer over.

“Central!” He called. “Anything for little ol’ me?”

“Actually.” Bradford walked over to them, thumbing through the huge pile before pulling out an envelope and handing it to Gur-Rai. “Here you go. And for your sister…” He pulled out another one and plopped it in front of Kon-Mai, who picked it up and stared at it in confusion. “That’s all.” Bradford began to walk off, but Kon-Mai jumped to her feet. 

“Central, what is this?” Kon-Mai demanded. “We have no family to contact us. We should not be getting mail.”

“That’s your paycheck.” Bradford said casually.

“...I beg your pardon?”

“Your paycheck.” Bradford looked up at her and chuckled. “...You didn’t think you were working here for free, did you?”

Kon-Mai blinked, completely taken aback. “...What...what do I do with this?”

“Have you never gotten a paycheck?”

“The Elders weren’t big on fair wages.” Gur-Rai said as he tore open his envelope and looked over his pay stub. “Oooh. Not bad, Central.”

“What use do we have for money?” Kon-Mai puzzled.

“Well...it depends.” Bradford shrugged. “Some of the refugee camps have convenience stores that still take Old World cash.”

Kon-Mai rolled her eyes. “I have little need for such small trinkets.”

Bradford scowled. “Well maybe the Black Market is more up your alley.”

“The what?” Gur-Rai lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing those words.

“Yeah, ask the Commander about it. I gotta hand out the rest of these.” He stopped as Dhar-Mon entered the bar, and dug out another paper. “Hieromonk.”

“Hm?” Dhar-Mon took the paper, his reaction quite similar to Kon-Mai’s. “What is this?”

“That is your paycheck, Brother~” Gur-Rai chuckled.

“Central, I cannot accept this!” Kon-Mai shook her head. “This is valuable funding that XCOM needs to acquire weaponry!”

“You’re a soldier like any other. You get a paycheck.” Bradford said. “Look, if you don’t want it, just take the cash and give it to another soldier. Give it to Tygan. Or the Commander. Or me, hell knows I could use a raise. It’s your money.” He griped like an old man as he walked away, leaving Kon-Mai standing there, dumbfounded.

“You forget, Sister, XCOM soldiers aren’t mindless drones.” Gur-Rai folded his check. “They probably need more of a reason to stay than just loyalty to a cause.”

“But why give us this?” Dhar-Mon mused. “We would never leave. We have no place else to go.”

“Perhaps it’s the principal of the matter.” Gur-Rai stood up. “In any case, I definitely want to know more about this…’Black Market.’ that Central mentioned~”

.

.

They stopped by the “clerk”, which was just a safe in the armory connected to a computer that still ran Windows 7. Kon-Mai stuck her check into the little slot a the bottom and stared at the screen as that god-forsaken loading symbol sat there, taunting them, for a good two minutes until another screen finally popped up.

“Please select your currency.” The computer said aloud.

Kon-Mai looked back at her brothers for help. “What currency is even accepted at the markets?”

“I guess it depends on what country it’s in.” Gur-Rai leaned over her shoulder and read through the options. “Oh, go for American.”

“Why?”

“Because America is always the country you see in movies.” He shrugged.

“I do not believe America exists any more.” Dhar-Mon said.

“Still, most people will recognize it! So their currency has to be valuable!”

Kon-Mai grimaced. “I think not.” She looked around for a moment, finally clicking on Japanese Yen.

“Oh, fine then. Don’t listen to me.”

“Shut up.” She smirked as she typed in the amount she wanted to withdraw. The machine whirred for a moment, shuddering worryingly, and then opened up a slot and spat out a wad of bills and a few coins. Kon-Mai took them, counted them meticulously, and then tucked them into her belt.

“Okay, my turn.” Gur-Rai pushed though as Kon-Mai turned to the door, where Dhar-Mon was still standing, reading over his check.

“Are you alright, Brother?”

He looked up at her, worry apparent on his face. “I simply do not feel right taking money from XCOM. After the grievous atrocities I committed…”

“Grievous atrocities?” A voice behind him giggled.

Dhar-Mon jumped, his palms glowing with psionic power, but behind him only stood Senuna.

“Commander!” He dropped to one knee, as though he were once again worshiping the Elders. Senuna at first seemed to smile at this, before she shook her head and patted his shoulder.

“No no no, up up.” She coaxed him gently. “No need for that, Dhar-Mon. I actually was just looking for you three!”

“Hello Commander!” Gur-Rai called as he dropped a handful of pennies onto the floor.

Senuna waved at him. “So. Shen and I were about to take a trip to the Black Market-”

Kon-Mai raised a brow. “We had heard about this ‘Black Market’ earlier. From Bradford.”

“‘Course you did!” Senuna winked. “So I thought, I COULD use my regular security detail, BUT, I also have a bunch of big, scary Chosen who I’m sure would love some time out! Whatddya say?”

“I say hell yes!” Gur-Rai called as he stuffed the dollar bills into his pocket.

“Do we need any specific currency?” Kon-Mai asked.

“Oh, no, the Black Market takes anything. Some traders will bitch about certain exchange rates but overall, if it’s money, they’ll take it!”

“Wonderful.” Kon-Mai looked to her eldest brother. “Dhar-Mon? What do you think?”

He hesitated for a moment. “If you and Gur-Rai both think it a good idea…”

“Brother, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Gur-Rai said.

“That is true but…” He didn’t say it, but Kon-Mai could see he did not want to leave the comfort of their little trio.

“So it’s settled then!” Senuna giggled and clapped. “Well I have to get ready, so meet me in the garage in...about 2 hours!”

Kon-Mai stared at Senuna in disbelief as she sauntered away, and Gur-Rai chuckled.

“How that woman became Commander will always be one of the world’s greatest mysteries.” He said.

.

.

The Avenger had landed near the ocean, dropping from it’s main deck a life vessel that could only hold a few people at most. Crammed inside this tiny boat were all three of the Chosen, Lily Shen, and Senuna herself who, under the black cloak that covered her, wore one of her best summer dresses with a garish flower print, thus requiring the cloak. In fact, they had all had to conceal themselves, and seemed to have blended in nearly perfectly with the night. The gentle hum of the boat was the only noise as they splish-splashed through the water towards the distant lights.

The buildings on the shore were dark and quiet, with nary a sign of life as they approached. Gur-Rai realized he was holding his breath, and forced himself to release it. His sister pushed herself further to the front, in front of her brothers as though to protect them.

As they got closer and closer to shore, they saw the eyes. The moving shadows of people watching them from the windows and on the corners, just barely there enough to see, but not identifiable. In fact Gur-Rai was beginning to question if they really were there at all. Perhaps he was imagining the little moving shapes…

Until, as they passed the docks, a group of men came seemingly from nowhere, guns trained on them. They were yelling something in Russian, and if Gur-Rai closed his eyes and listened, he could just barely make out the words “Stop! State your name! Who are you with?!”

“Ya Komandir XCOM.” Senuna said, in fluent Russian. “Menya zovut Senuna. Sprosite Ledi Guan-Yin, ona khorosho menya znayet.”

The men spoke among themselves for a minute, and one of them walked off into a nearby building. The silence was thicker than tar, until one man jabbed his rifle into Gur-Rai’s shoulder, yelling something else that he could only barely understand from snippets of long forgotten memory. “Why is ADVENT here?!”

He heard Kon-Mai hiss at that-she must have understood ‘ADVENT’ at least- and Senuna smiled and spoke to them again: “Ikh bol'she net s ADVENT. Teper' oni svobodnyye lyudi.”

“Razve oni ne Izbrannyye?” The man whacked Gur-Rai in the head with the mouth of his pistol.

“Sprosite Ledi Guan-Yin. Ona khotela by uslyshat', chto ty brosayesh' mne vyzov.” Senuna spat with fire in her voice.

The previous man came back and said something, to which the man with the gun spat into the boat and growled. Gur-Rai heard him say “You may go.”

Senuna bowed, and the boat prattled forward, the tall concrete buildings on either side of the canal slowly fencing them in, making them all claustrophobic.  Gur-Rai felt Dhar-Mon reach out, and he took his hand, smiling back at him to comfort him.

The buildings began to thin out, and Kon-Mai leaned forward. “Why are we not stopping?”

“We’re not there yet.” Senuna whispered. “Leskino is just the gateway.”

“So where are we going?”

Senuna merely smiled at her. “You’ll know when you see it~”

The canal widened into a large, open bay, and once again the little boat was tossed against the waves of the dark waters. Dhar-Mon was squeezing Gur-Rai’s hand, and even Kon-Mai had shrunk back, clinging to her brothers. When Gur-Rai peered over the boat into the dark waters, he swore he felt something staring back at him from the depths, with teeth as sharp as his and twice the size, just waiting for one of them to take a tumble overboard…

He grabbed his sister around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

The boat bobbed and floated toward where the bay began to narrow once again, and Senuna pointed forward. “That way is where we’re going.”

Gur-Rai pried his eyes away from the dark, churning water, and gazed forward at the lights of the town cutting through the darkness. He saw other boats, some large, others smaller than their own, bobbing along the docks. Even from out here he could hear talking and shouting, and saw the dark figures of sailors hauling their cargo to shore.

“Vorontsovo.” Senuna said excitedly. “The Black Market.”

“Oh.” Gur-Rai smiled despite his trembling insides. “Sounds magnificent.”

“It’s a hive of scum and villainy. You’ll love it.” Shen winked.

As the boat got closer, he could see even more of the colorful silhouettes that surrounded them. The boats parked there were massive, towering ships of antiquity, some made of steel and concrete, others only of wood. They parked the little dinghy in between two such ships, and Senuna leapt out and dragged it to shore. She was surprisingly strong.

Shen got out next, and Gur-Rai joined her, helping his sister from the boat first, then his brother. Now that they were on land, they conspicuously towered over everyone at the docks, and yet no one seemed to pay them any mind, so lost they were in the hustle to unload cargo.

Senuna put her hood down and unbuttoned her cloak, letting it hang loosely around her shoulders and revealing her obnoxious dress. “We made it, everyone!” She waved them over. “This way! And don’t fall behind, it’s easy to get lost in this place~”

They weaved their way into the crowd, and as they did, the colors and sounds increased in intensity. They pushed their way past the sailors, some of whom already had drinks in hand, and the small stands and vendors sitting on blankets grew more and more frequent, lining the streets. Many of them called out to the group, beckoning them over to sample their wares. Occasionally one would slip a glance at the Chosen under their hoods, and the calling would promptly stop. 

Gur-Rai’s sharp eye caught the sight of several women, and a few men, wearing extremely flashy, garish outfits, even for this place. A he followed one with is eyes, a blonde girl with a long red ball gown, she glanced at Kon-Mai and whistled to her, waving and giggling. Gur-Rai huffed as Kon-Mai looked between them in confusion.

“What?” Kon-Mai looked around. “What is going on?”

“Don’t worry about her, Sister.” He chuckled. “She’s just a...lady of the night.”

“Of the night? Like me?” She smiled. “They are stealth warriors?”

“Um...no.” He chuckled. “They’re not.”

“But you said-”

“They’re prostitutes.” Shen called back to them, and Gur-Rai watched as Kon-Mai’s blue skin turned purple with realization and embarrassment.

The street grew more packed as they walked, and Gur-Rai looked up at the buildings towering above them. The light of the moon illuminated the tops of the rickety buildings, and he saw that the old concrete structures were also full of people, leaning out the windows and watching those who shopped below.

“See that building up there?” Shen pointed towards the end of the road, where a large cliff face blocked off the market. Within the stone, there seemed to be carved an old temple, great and looming, with dark windows spreading across it’s walls.

“Spooky.”

“Yep. That’s where we’re going.” She sounded cheery. “I can’t wait for you guys to meet...well, you’ll see.”

Gur-Rai looked up at the temple again, and swore he saw a figure standing there. Watching them.

.

.

Senuna removed her cloak and draped it over one arm, despite the temperature continuing to drop as the night went on. Gur-Rai and Dhar-Mon were huddling together for warmth, the big man providing a significant amount of it, and even Kon-Mai (who was naturally cold) was beginning to shiver.

Shen ran up ahead of them, towards two armed guards who stood at the end of the road. She spoke to them, not in Russian this time, but Chinese. They nodded to her, stepping aside and bowing to her, as she gestured for the others to follow her through the now open gates. “This way!”

“How’d you do that?” Gur-Rai asked, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

“You’ll see in a bit.” She smiled as they made their way down the stone pathway. 

Instead of a garden of plants, the front yard of this shrine was populated with large spires of colorful rocks, placed within indentations in the sandy ground. Strange patterns had been carved into the sand, and Kon-Mai’s eyes widened with interest. “What a lovely arrangement.” She mused softly.

“Yeah…” Shen chuckled. “Nothing grows here, so….”

“Guan-Yin had to improvise.” Senuna chuckled, and pushed open the large metal door of the building.

It was dark inside, illuminated only by dim crystals of various colors, drilled into spots all over the walls. The main hall was empty, the ceiling tall and looming and the walls made of ebony stone so cold and dark, it made it so their steps echoed off the stone walls. However, from a staircase to their right, another set of footsteps could be heard.

They turned, and Gur-Rai saw a woman who looked so much like Shen, he almost called her that.

She descended the stairs in a purple dress that looked much too plain for someone who lived in this building, and her hair was tied in a bun so messy, most of her hair was actually falling out around her shoulders.

“An-Yi.” The older woman’s stony, wrinkled face morphed into a smile, and she picked up her skirt and ran down the stairs, where Shen met her in a tight hug.

“Wǒ xiǎngniàn nǐ.” Shen pulled away and turned to her compatriots. “Guys, this is-”

“Lady Guan-Yin Shen. Owner and proprietor of the Hēi Shìchǎng, Mayor of Vorontsovo, and proud mother of An-Yi Shen.” The woman said, her back straight and her eyes piercing as she scanned the three of them. Her gaze lingered on the three Chosen for an uncomfortable minute, and then she turned to Senuna. “Now, Sīlìng, what have you brought into my city?”

“Mom, these are our...new recruits~” Shen giggled. “The, formerly, Elders’ Chosen.”

Lady Guan-Yin sighed, closing her eyes in familiar resignation.

“I told you I could do it~” Senuna was giggling like a schoolgirl.

“Of course you did, but do you blame me for doubting you?”

“Of course I do. You should know better by now!” 

“Nǐ yītuánzāo.” Guan-Yin snapped at her.

“Mom.” Shen said. “Think we can head upstairs? We’ve been walking a long time and my feet hurt.”

“Of course An-Yi. Where are my manners!” Guan-Yin bowed to the Chosen. “Please follow me. We shall conduct business in the drawing room.”

“Business?” Dhar-Mon asked.

“Of course.” Guan-Yin smiled. “That is why you’re here, is it not?”

.

.

The drawing room was significantly more comfortable, with velvet pillows and curtains and colorful wallpaper coating the walls. There was a hookah on the table that Kon-Mai had smacked Gur-Rai for trying to take a hit of, and in the corner was a small stove that was boiling mint tea. The room seemed to be a mix of decor from all over the world, and all of it looked rare and expensive. Dhar-Mon was enthralled with some of the tapestries on the walls, depicting stylized scenes of ancient warriors, while Kon-Mai had settled into her lotus pose on one of the pillows, looking completely in her element.

Guan-Yin took the kettle off the stove and poured six cups of tea, which smelled strongly of mint. She handed the first one to Shen with a loving look, then passed the rest around to her other guests.

“You have impeccable taste, Lady Guan-Yin.” Dhar-Mon said as he took his cup. “Many of this art has not been seen in...quite some time.”

“I am very resourceful.” She replied, narrowing her eyes at him. “ADVENT can’t destroy everything, and what they miss, I keep.”

“It is certainly a collection to be proud of.” Kon-Mai said. “You control this market, then? All of it?”

“Of course I do!” Guan-Yin said with a smile that seemed somewhat forced. “I built this place from the ground up, you know. It started as just me and my little shrine, and became something truly grand.”

“Incredible.” Gur-Rai nodded. “All this under the nose of ADVENT?”

“Absolutely. ADVENT is very stupid.” Guan-Yin sat down in a large, ornate chair and crossed her legs, tucking her purple skirt around her knees.

Dhar-Mon looked taken aback at her forwardness. “...I...suppose…”

“Yes. They are clueless. They don’t know us humans, how we think, how we feel. They barely have a hold over the territory they do control. It takes very little effort to go around them, and would take even less to force them out.” She sat back and looked to Senuna. “You wanted to make a deal, yes?”

“Yes.” Senuna scooted closer. “Shen told me you came into possession of some plans for the Hellweave Armor.”

Guan-Yin looked over at her daughter. “Are you running your mouth again?”

“I can’t help it! I got excited!” Shen giggled.

Guan-Yin looked back at Senuna. “Maybe I did.”

“Mhm. Any chance we could get a jump on that?”

“Just because my daughter favors you doesn’t mean I do.” Guan-Yin leaned on her hand. “Besides I already have a buyer. The Golden Horde is interested and they have the coin to back it.”

“Guan~” Senuna chuckled. “I’m good for much more than coins. You know that~”

“Do I, Sīlìng?” Guan-Yin raised a curious brow. “Do I know that?”

“Well you husband did.” Gur-Rai piped up. “He worked for XCOM, didn’t he? This’d be a nice tribute to his memory.”

A cold silence fell over the room, and Shen hissed at him, making a slashing motion across her throat.

“My husband.” Guan-Yin said softly, her teacup shaking in her hand. “Yes. My husband. He loved XCOM. More than he loved me.”

“Oh boy.” Senuna whispered.

“And certainly more than he loved his daughter!” Guan-Yin snapped. “Do not get me STARTED on my husband, who uprooted his entire family to go chase a half-baked dream in the U.S.”

“But XCOM was a government fund-” Gur-Rai shut up as his sister dug her claws into the back of his neck.

“Did he ASK me if I wanted to relocate? No he did not! We were perfectly fine in Taiwan and all of a sudden, I have to leave behind MY entire family, An-Yi never even got to see her grandparents again before the aliens attacked!” She stood up, leaning forward with her hands on the table. “And when XCOM fell, when his little escapade proved useless, MY HUSBAND was more obsessed with protecting his damn ROBOTS, than he was his own wife and daughter!”

“Mom.” Shen whimpered. “Stop, we get it.”

“So no, Madron, I don’t give XCOM any special treatment. I had to struggle and canive and claw my way up here, all to ensure my daughter and I didn’t DIE in this wasteland MY HUSBAND left behind. I have other customers besides them, and I don’t rely on any one person to make this market as prosperous as it is. That was all my hard work. Me.” She sat back down, silence hanging over the room.

Dhar-Mon cleared his throat. “With respect, Commander, I think it would be best to leave you to conduct business with Lady Guan-Yin...alone.” He motioned for his siblings to follow him.

“Agreed.” Kon-Mai stood, pulling Gur-Rai to his feet. “Perhaps we shall sample some of the storefronts.”

“Yeah…” Shen stood slowly. “Do you mind if I go with them, Mom? I can...make sure they don’t get lost.”

“Of course, Bǎobǎo, just be careful! Tell them I sent you!” Guan-Yin called to them, reaching out and squeezing Shen’s hand as the mechanic slipped out beside the Chosen.

.

.

Kon-Mai handed the vendor a few metal coins and gave one of the small fried confections to Dhar-Mon, who sniffed it curiously and gave a confused look. Gur-Rai broke off a piece of his and held it up near Shen’s mouth. Shen ignored him.

“Come on.” He chuckled. “I don’t even need to eat this, you do.”

“I’m not that hungry.” She muttered.

“You paid for it.” He said. “Don’t wanna let it go to waste, do you?”

“Perhaps there is a scrap vendor around.” Kon-Mai mused. “You could acquire some new parts, Shen.”

“Mom keeps all the worthwhile stuff at the shrine.” Shen sighed.

Dhar-Mon took a bite of the fried dough, looking around. He pointed to a shop window and muttered something around the food in his mouth.

“Pardon, Brother?” Kon-Mai looked over. “Oh!” She gasped. “A fabric vendor!”

“You planning on making drapes?” Gur-Rai asked.

“I am planning on making myself several new articles of clothing!” She retorted.

“What, your XCOM allotted clothes aren't good enough?” He smirked. “I thought we had all we needed on the ship.”

“Well, I was considering making you some fitting pants as well, but since you are so very rude-”

“Oh beautiful and gracious sister of mine!” Gur-Rai bowed obnoxiously. “You are most generous to think of me, your humble brother, in his hour of need. And yes I desperately need pants.”

“That is better.” She smirked. “Dhar-Mon, would you like to accompany me?”

“Of course, Little Sister.”

Kon-Mai waved to Shen and Gur-Rai as she and their brother disappeared into the crowd, and Gur-Rai was left alone with Shen once again.

He turned to her. “Anything you wanna see, Lady Lily?”

“Don’t call me that.” She muttered.

He paused. “...Okay, I’m sorry about earlier. But in my defense, how was I to know your mother would throw a fit?”

Shen didn’t say anything at first, and Gur-Rai had half a mind to stop talking. Unfortunately, the other half won out, and he kept talking.

“It was stupid of me.” He followed up. “So, I apologize.”

“It’s...not your fault. You didn’t know.” She sighed. “I just wish I could bring up Dad without her throwing a tantrum about it.”

“It’s a shame.” He nodded, grabbing her arm and gently pulling her through a tough spot in the crowd. “From his ADVENT files, he seemed like a remarkable man.”

“...He was.” She said softly. “And, don’t get me wrong, Bradford and the Commander spare no details about him, they’ll tell you anything and everything they know. But…” She crossed her arms. “I just wish I remembered him as a dad. Not as Raymond Shen but...as Dad.”

“...How old were you?” Gur-Rai asked. “When he…?”

“Eleven.” She said. “I know it doesn’t seem that long ago but...I’m 33 now, and I can’t even picture his face anymore.”

Gur-Rai looked away. “Well, surely he left you something. I thought humans wrote out wills for their loved ones.”

“Not that I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I’d just love to ask my mom what he was like before all this…”

“If the previous conversation is any indicator, that is not a good idea.”

“I know, Gur-Rai. I’ve tried.” She looked up. “The most I’ve been able to garner is, their marriage was not great.”

“I can’t imagine!” Gur-Rai chuckled. “She seems so sweet and mild.”

Shen snorted in laughter. “Not Mom. She was a hardass even when Dad was alive.” She sighed. “...Taiwan wasn’t big on women being independent. I think she had other dreams besides raising me. Dreams of owning her own business…”

“Well.” Gur-Rai raised his arms. “She has that now, the greatest business on planet Earth, quite literally. And she did that with you on her hip, Lily.”

Shen smiled. “Yeah…” She sniffled. “She may have hated Dad but...she always made it clear she loved me.”

“At least you had that.” He chuckled. “Better one parent who loves you, than three who despise you.”

“Sounds like you have experience with that.”

“You think your parents argued?” Gur-Rai smirked but it was forced. “Our parents alternated between constant screaming and constant fucking. And if they weren’t screaming at each other, they were screaming at something I or one of my siblings did. Usually me.”

“God...that sounds awful.” Shen said. “And you said three? How many were there?”

“The three who ‘birthed’ us were the head honchos. They were married, all three of them, but no one else got to be in on that inner circle so it wasn’t an open marriage by any means.” He said. “The others didn’t have much to do with us besides checking in once in a while. I think Kompira made Kon-Mai’s sword but that’s all the contact those two had.” He shook his head. “No, the big three were in charge of us, for better or worse. And oh, they just set the best example~” Gur-Rai faked a gagging motion.

“Huh…” Shen chuckled. “Suddenly a LOT makes sense~”

He nudged her, laughing, and she stumbled. As he dove to catch her, his foot slipped and the two landed on the ground in a heap.

“Ow.” Shen grimaced. “Get off me, you big blue ogre.”

“My sincerest apologies, Lady Lily.” He knelt dramatically as she stood. “Please, allow me to lick your shoes~”

“Fuck off!” She cackled.

.

.

“Where did they get Tussar silk?!” Kon-Mai gasped, running her hand over the fabric. “I had thought it all lost in the raid of Bhagalpur.”

“Lost but not forgotten, it seems.” Dhar-Mon said as he, too, browsed the rolls of cloth. His hand brushed over a purple velvet dress, and he lifted it from the rack to view it further. “This is old, from long before the invasion...I can sense the history of it.”

“Let me see it.” His sister rushed over to the fabric he was viewing and he held it out for her.

“A connoisseur of historical artifacts, are you, Sister?” He raised a brow.

“Human history is so...rich and vibrant.” She took the velvet from his hands. “I can feel it as well. This dress is as old as the Black Plague of the 1400′s.” She smiled. “I would wear it myself, but I am afraid I would ruin it.”

“How would you ruin it?”

“My great height.” She growled. “No human woman was ever as tall as me, and if they were they did not wear dresses like this.”

“You could undo the stitches and tailor it.” Dhar-Mon suggested. “Make the dress your own.”

She shook her head. “No, no, I could not bear to defile a work of art such as this.” She placed it back on the rack and went back to looking at the silks. “Tell me, Brother, what clothes would you wear in a casual setting?”

He blushed slightly. “I was...hardly ever without my armor. When I was, I was being bathed by my attendants, or was in my sleeping chamber..”

She chuckled. “What of your priestly robes?”

“They are...quite formal.” He admitted. “When you say casual, I assume you ask what I will wear when socializing in the Avenger. I would rather have something...innocuous.”

She looked surprised. “Perhaps Bhandasura’s attack did more to you than the doctor assumed, because the old Dhar-Mon wouldn’t dream of such a thing.”

He looked away. “Yes...the old Dhar-Mon had much to learn.”

“Well then, my dearest brother, perhaps a woolen sweater like Gur-Rai’s? Or something a bit more practical?” She abandoned the silk and began sifting through the sturdier fabric. “How much hard labor do you expect to partake in?”

“All the soldiers require of me.”

“Hm.” She looked over the racks. “Perhaps denim then, or a blend, something that can be used for both comfort and the occasional strong-man activity.” She chuckled. “Your shirts, however, I’ll make softer.”

“When did you take interest in sewing?” Dhar-Mon asked as he watched her prattle away.

“When my armor became severely damaged and I had to repair it on my own.” She replied. “It became a relaxing activity, and I would spend hours sewing and improving my clothing.”

“The...Elders did not help you?”

She hesitated. “...Vox Kompira reforged a few of the plates. But the cloth...no, I had to do that myself. And when it’s a matter of life of death…” She smiled. “I simply became good at it.”

Dhar-Mon hesitated, still thumbing through the clothing racks. The words were on his lips but he was reluctant to speak them.

“Cotton maybe…? No, too flimsy. Oh, perhaps Muslin Soft-” She looked up at Dhar-Mon. “Is something the matter, Brother?”

He looked up, was about to say no, don’t worry, all is well, but instead he opened his mouth and blurted out- “Can you teach me to sew?”

Kon-Mai blinked, stunned, while Dhar-Mon turned purple and wished for death. 

“I...well…” He stammered. “You do not have to. Not at all. It is very dear to you, this activity, and you do not have to entertain…”

She reached out and put a hand on his arm, and when he met her gaze, she was smiling. 

“Dhar-Mon.” She said. “I would be honored to teach you to sew.”

He squirmed a bit. “I know it is not the most…” He cleared his throat and fell silent.

“The most what?” She asked.

“The most…” He was so afraid to look her in the eyes. “This is not an insult towards you, Sister, I swear, but...it is not very masculine.”

She scoffed. “Dhar-Mon, I’m surprised at you. To let something like gender perception hold you back?” She saw him begin to crumple and hugged him. “No no, I am just joking with you.”

“Will anyone think of me differently if I practice such a skill?” He asked, feeling like a child in her strong, motherly arms.

“If they do, then they will not think long before my blade severs their head from their body.” She pulled away and squeezed his shoulders. “It is a skill, Dhar-Mon, and I am happy to teach you it.”

He took her hands. “...Thank you, Kon-Mai.”

“Oh Brother, it’s what I’m here for.” She smiled. “Let us make our purchase and return to Gur-Rai, before he does something I’ll regret.”

“Is there anything else you wanted?” He questioned as she gathered the fabrics and patterns she had chosen.

Kon-Mai thought for a moment. “Perhaps some…” She shook her head. “It’s nothing useful.”

“Sister!” He put his hands on his hips. “You dare judge your interests on their practical application? Activities can be enjoyed for their own sake.”

She burst into a raspy laugh at the sight of him. “Well...I did want to peruse the shops, in case they had any...cosmetics.”

“Cosmetics…?”

She tapped her cheeks. “Make-up. I…don’t have any at the Avenger, and while it’s rare that I wear any I do miss being able to...pretty myself for special occasions.”

“But you are already pretty.”

She rolled her eyes. “Did you not just tell me to stop judging my interests based on use? I know that make-up by itself is going to do nothing to improve my appearance, but I really...appreciate the art.”

Dhar-Mon seemed to take a minute to process this, then something clicked in his head and he nodded. “If that is the case, I shall help you find what you desire.”

She smirked. “I think this has become a mutually beneficial exchange. I give you sewing lessons, and you pay for my cosmetics~”

“Yes.” He put his hand on her shoulder and the two made their way to the front.

.

.

“How long should we give the Commander?” Shen asked, pulling a piece of cotton candy off of Gur-Rai’s stack and shoving it into her mouth.

“Dunno. She’s talking to your mom, I thought you’d have more of a time frame for this.” Gur-Rai let the piece of candy sit on his black tongue for a moment before putting it in his mouth. “Finally a food that melts on contact for everyone else, too.”

“Is that what eating is like for you?” Shen whistled. “That’s sad.”

“Our parents figured since they don’t need to eat, we don’t either.”

“Your parents can suck a dick.”

“They can’t actually. No mouth.”

Shen thought for a moment. “...Do they have other holes?”

Gur-Rai blinked. “I don’t know, Lily. I didn’t ask my fuckwad abusive masters if they like to stick things up their butts.”

Shen snorted, spitting out a glob of cotton candy spittle, covering her mouth as she muttered “I am so sorry oh my god.”

“You’re fine.” He flashed a toothy grin. “Karma works fast.” He looked up, and his smile suddenly dropped.

“What’s wrong?” Shen asked, wiping her mouth with the corner of her shirt.

“Hey, don’t look,” Gur-Rai hissed “but there’s someone watching us.”

Shen immediately began scanning the crowd. “Where?”

“Didn’t I just say not to look?” Gur-Rai motioned with his head across the way, where a masculine figure was leaning against the wall of a shop, staring at them.

“Maybe he’s a prostitute.” Shen shrugged.

“No, he doesn’t have the look.”

“There’s a look?”

“There’s a look, Lily, trust me.” He looked away. “But I think he does want something.”

Shen looked over. The person was still standing there. “What?”

“Dunno yet.”

“We could ask.”

“Ah, patience my dear Lily.” Gur-Rai tapped his eyebrow. “A true detective must deduce from context-HEY!”

Shen stood up and walked over to the figure, and Gur-Rai saw her strike up a conversation just as he heard footsteps, and saw his siblings returning to where they were waiting.

“Why do you look sour?” Kon-Mai asked, an old cloth shopping bag draped over her arm. The rest of the bags and boxes were being held by Dhar-Mon.

He pointed across the way where Shen was still talking to the figure, although now she was doing less talking and more nodding.

“Who is that person?” Dhar-Mon asked.

“I dunno.” Gur-Rai crossed his arms. “They were just...staring at us. Lily decided to be stupid and go talk-HEYY!” He cried as Kon-Mai followed Shen’s example and went to join the conversation.

Dhar-Mon looked down at his little brother, who was now pouting.

“You gonna go too?” Gur-Rai grumbled.

Dhar-Mon simply took a seat beside his brother.

Gur-Rai smiled and leaned his head on his arm. “At least we have each other, Big Guy.”

Shen whistled and waved them over. “GUYS! C’MERE!”

Dhar-Mon looked at Gur-Rai again. “I believe this may be of interest to us.”

Gur-Rai sighed. “WHAT IS IT, LILY?”

“I GOT US A DEAL! COME HERE!”

Gur-Rai’s eyebrows shot up. “A DEAL? WHAT KIND OF DEAL?”

“BROTHER, GET YOUR SCRAWNY LITTLE FORM OVER HERE!” Kon-Mai shouted across as the figure opened the door to the building they were standing against.

Gur-Rai finally stood, followed by Dhar-Mon, and the two followed the other members of their party inside, where the aforementioned mysterious figure was holding the door, seemingly waiting for them.

“Greetings.” They said with a smile. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

“Guys, this is Japheth.” Shen said, as she began to browse the incredibly dark shop. “He said he’s heard of you guys before, and he’s definitely heard of me, so he gave us a wicked discount!”

“It is my pleasure.” Japheth bowed. “I must say, Madron, I have been expecting you for some time.”

“You have?” Dhar-Mon looked at him warily.

“Oh yes.” Japheth smiled knowingly. “I saw it.”

“If I understand correctly,” Kon-Mai said as she sat down in a rickety wood chair “Japheth is a diviner.”

Gur-Rai sighed. “A fortune teller, Sis? Really?”

She scoffed. “In a world where the power of one’s mind can reveal the deepest of secrets and even connect those a thousand miles away, fortune tellers are where you draw the line? Truly?”

“Yeah, because most of them are hacks.” He looked over to Japheth, “No offense.”

“None taken. I understand, it is good to be wary of those trying to extort you.” Japheth went back to his table, upon which there was nothing but a bowl of water with some herbs. Behind him, leaning against purple felted walls, some magic trinkets and tarot cards were scattered around haphazardly. “That’s why I’m willing to perform for free.”

“Free?” Gur-Rai’s eyes shot wide open. “I like free.”

“I thought you would. And I’m not going to try and scam three large, blue monsters who could lay waste to me with a thought.” He nodded to Kon-Mai. “No offense, Miss.”

She rolled her eyes.

Dhar-Mon gently put the purchased items on the floor of the shop and stood beside his sister, looking over the table. “...I know this plant well. That is Silene Capensis.” He pointed to the bowl of water, or more specifically, one of the herbs floating in the bowl of water.

“Right you are. It helps me with my rituals.” Japheth nodded. “But I try not to rely on my herbs to determine for me. They simply help me see more clearly.” He pointed to the bowl. “I have Heimia Salicifolia and Artemisa Vulgaris in there as well.”

“I understood, like three of those words.” Gur-Rai said as he, too, leaned over Kon-Mai’s shoulder.

“I assume, Miss, you’d like to go first?” Japheth asked Kon-Mai.

In response, she shot her brothers a look that told them to back off immediately. Once they did, she put her hands on the table, palms up.

He smiled. “You’ve done this before then?”

“No.” She simply replied.

“Hm.” He took a bit of the water from the bowl and ran it over her palms, between the lines in her hands and her fingers, and then took her hands and closed his eyes.

Dhar-Mon shivered as a wave of something familiar came over him. He knew this feeling, similar to what he felt with Malinalli during his practice with her. But where hers was passionate and excited, this...was older. Deeper.

Japheth opened his mouth, hesitating for a moment. “You have no idea the wreckage left behind you.”

Kon-Mai’s face fell, and she looked like she wanted to pull away, but she didn’t.

“Your past is rife with destruction and sorrow, a tale of woe to rival the gods. Every happiness you sought was stripped from you, until they left you with nothing, empty, the perfect warrior. A puppet.”

Kon-Mai grit her teeth.

“Your present is warm, but something waits underneath. You have found emotions that you, Kon-Mai, have never felt before, and yet these feelings are familiar to you. You do not know why.”

Gur-Rai stifled a cough, and Kon-Mai glanced at him briefly. He saw distress in her eyes.

“But your future…” Japheth hesitated, and Kon-Mai felt her skin prickling. “Your future is full of love.”

“...Love?” Kon-Mai furrowed her brows.

“Love.” Japheth repeated. “This love will grow within you, expanding like a galaxy and burning like the sun. It will be yours to nurture, yours to care for, yours to admire no matter the form it takes. You will know fear in its presence, fear unlike any in the cosmos. But you mustn't balk from it.” He opened his eyes. “You will know what to do when the time comes.”

Kon-Mai pulled her hands away, seeming like she was in a trance. Dhar-Mon helped her to her feet just as Gur-Rai took her place in the chair.

“Okay, my turn.” Gur-Rai put his hands on the table, palms up. “Lets see what kind of trouble I’m going to get into.”

Japheth chuckled as he smeared the herb water over Gur-Rai’s hands. He took his hands, and his eyes grew wide for a moment, before he closed them.

“You have survived so much.” Japheth sounded impressed. “What brought most to their knees, you took in stride, no matter the pain, no matter your wounds, or how deep they were.”

Gur-Rai smiled slightly.

“But even the strongest diamond can be worn down, and you are simply waiting for the day you do shatter.”

Gur-Rai’s smile fell.

“You want to trust in what is real, but you are convinced it shall be torn away, like it was before. Like everything, and everyone. And you are convinced it shall be you that deals the final blow.”

“Yeah, great, please tell me my future involves me getting rich and moving to a tropical island.” Gur-Rai said jovially, but his voice was shaking.

Japheth chuckled. “Your future is made up of many voices, and many lives. You have known many, and you will know many more. You will know those who will betray you, those who will destroy you, and those who will shatter you before you finally find the ones who will put you back together and hold you.”

Gur-Rai yanked his hands away, and Japheth’ eyes snapped open. 

“I’m sorry.” Japheth said. “That one was very intense.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Gur-Rai jumped up and moved near to the back wall, where he seemed to retreat into himself. Kon-Mai went over to him, and stood beside him, offering her arm to him. He didn’t look at her.

“I suppose it is my turn.” Dhar-Mon sat down, the chair creaking under him, and put his hands on the table.

Japheth smiled. “A fellow psionics user. This will be interesting. I will try not to frighten you~”

Dhar-Mon scoffed. “I do not frighten easily!”

“Hm.” Japheth took Dhar-Mon’s hands. “That is a lie.”

Dhar-Mon growled, but he held his hands still, feeling the energy from Japheth’ grasp sweep over him.

“Oh dear…” Japheth seemed to cringe. “There is so much you don’t remember. And yet you do, just under the surface...that will be painful to dig up again. Your past was so happy until…” Japheth sighed. “Well, the imprint is always there. Nothing is ever really forgotten.”

Dhar-Mon’s lip twitched.

“Your present; it is full of uncertainty. You have been one way for so long, now something else is expected of you, and you do not know how to fulfill it.”

Dhar-Mon lowered his head. “Just tell me...will I fail?”

“Depends on what you mean by fail.” Japheth smiled. “But your future burns with an intensity I rarely see. You care very deeply for someone, don’t you?”

Dhar-Mon looked up, almost frightened...and slowly nodded.

“She is all around you. I see her in your past, present and future. She is more powerful than she knows. But you know.” Japheth chuckled. “Don’t you?”

Dhar-Mon’s lip quivered.

“This fire you feel in your chest will be your guiding light in the darkness. But it will consume you, and it will consume all and everything in its path, ADVENT and XCOM alike.” Japheth leaned forward. “The light of your love will be the spark that sets off the fire of Rome.”

Dhar-Mon sat in silence as Japheth let go of his hands.

“...Are you alright?”

Dhar-Mon nodded, stood up, and bowed. “...Thank you.”

“Of course.” Japheth beckoned Shen over, but she shook her head.

“No thanks. I like being surprised.” She winked. “But let me know if you ever start offering lessons! I’d love to learn how to do that!”

.

.

“This is very interesting.” Guan-Yin set the diagrams to the side. “A war hammer and a sword? That might actually get you something valuable.”

“The actual weapons aren’t for sale.” Senuna smiled knowingly. “But with those schematics…”

“Perhaps.” Guan-Yin looked over them again. “Someone will be able to replicate it. You know humans.”

“Yes.” Senuna sighed wistfully. “I do. So, how about that Hellweave Armor?”

Guan-Yin sighed. “...Fine. I shall send you the blueprints. Happy, Sīlìng?”

“Very.” Senuna began to stand. “If that is all-”

“There is one more thing.” Guan-Yin beckoned her to sit back down, and Senuna raised a brow as she sat. 

“Oh? Do I have to pay extra?”

Guan-Yin shook her head, and her face was suddenly very serious, even moreso than before. “My little birds have told me of something that ADVENT is holding.”

Senuna grimaced, but she did look interested. “Is it another weapon?”

“No, Sīlìng, it’s not a weapon. It’s a person.” Guan-Yin leaned forward, her eyes soft with tears. “My source has the location of Shaojie Zhang.”

Senuna audibly gasped, covering her mouth. “Chilong? He’s alive?!”

“He is alive, though for how much longer I do not know.” Guan-Yin grasped Senuna’s arm tightly. “I suggest your team go to rescue him as soon as you can, Sīlìng. You and I both know what ADVENT will do to him if you don’t.”

.

.

.

.

.

(Is it 4:30 in the morning? Yes. But I was gonna get this out today one way or another! I just could not wait for this reveal.

I’ve had so many ideas for the Black Market, putting them all together was fun. The location was actually taken from my S.O’s XCOM 2 game, where the Black Market is near Russia. It was also partially his idea to have Shen’s mom be the Black Market leader, because we never see her mom, and I feel that opportunity should have been explored much more!)

[hunterxassasin]

This could be a disaster

The next ficlet for Stingers and Claws is here! Hope you enjoy this one, it's more Adrien centered, but it is how Chloe gets her miraculous.

-----

Adrien practically ran out the door when his first day of attending public school came around. His father had changed his mind last minute which mean Nathalie and his bodyguard would be on his tail any second. Bolting down the street, Adrien spotted a familiar yellow jacket stepping out of a limo that was parked in front of the school. He had found his savior, in the form of his childhood best friend, Chloe. With a final burst of energy he cleared the distance between him and the girl, taking a deep breath. 

As soon as Chloe saw Adrien she jumped into his arms, barely giving the boy enough time to catch his balance. "Adrikins! You made it!" She squealed,holding onto him tightly. "If you hadn't shown up today I would have stormed your house and demanded your father let you attend school but it doesn't seem like I have to do that." Adrien rubbed the back of his neck as she let go of him, hooking her arm with his. 

"Well. . .I'm not exactly in the clear yet, Chloe. . ." He mumbled, turning his head to see Nathalie and The Gorilla getting out of their car and advancing on him. "It looks like I won't be staying after all. . ." Adrien looked a bit down trodden, but he didn't make any move to stop Chloe from dragging him up the steps of the school. He only stopped when she did, turning around to see her glowering at his father's staff. Chloe stomped her foot on the ground,huffing. She let go of Adrien, balled her fists and stomped over to Nathalie,pointing a finger in the women's face.

"How dare you try to keep my Adrikins from going to school?! You have no right to do that! I'll call my father and have this corrected right away!" The blonde said in a matter-of-fact tone. She pulled out her cellphone, getting ready to dial her father's number, but Nathalie shook her head,glancing from Adrien to Chloe once more. It was easy to tell the woman was conflicted between following orders and giving Adrien the chance to be a normal kid for once in his life. Chloe opened her mouth to begin her rant again when a hand was placed on Nathalie's shoulder. The Gorilla gave her a look, and the two of them silently went back to the car. 

Nathalie rolled the passenger side window down. "Adrien, we will be here when school is over, do not take more time than needed." And with that the window rolled up and the car drove off.The look of triumph on Chloe's face was one she often wore when she succeeded in making one of the girls in her class cry, or get very upset. Adrien cringed but said nothing. Chloe may not be the best person, but when it came to him and his needs he knew she had his best interest at heart, it may not just be the best way of approaching getting what she wants.

As he was dragged my his arm into the building, Adrien glanced behind him at the retreating black car. Out of the corner he spotted someone, a short man, gazing in his direction with a glint in his eyes. Adrien grew a bit uncomfortable and thought about bringing the man to Chloe's attention but by the time he opened his mouth, they were already through the doors of the building. The man was shoved to the back of his mind as Chloe loudly introduced him to the others in the classroom she had pulled him into. Adrien gave a sheepish wave, his cheeks tinting a slight pinkish color. Of all his years of modeling, one might assume the boy would be used to people staring at him, but alas this wasn't the case. Having twelve people stop their conversations and turn their heads towards him was something he wasn't prepared for.

Adrien swallowed hard, calming himself down. "Uh hi. . .I'm Adrien." He said with one of his charming model smiles. As he spoke he noticed a girl who was paying him no mind,her dark hair stood out to him, especially when compared to the girl she was speaking to, who had a mane of auburn hair that made the first girls hair stand out. He was so lost in his thoughts as to why this girl might be ignoring him that he didn't notice Chloe call him over to sit in the seat next to her. Everyone seemed to have stopped paying attention to him when Chloe called out to him. He scrambled over to the girl,slipping into the seat next to her. "Sabrina usually sits by me, but you can have her seat, she can go sit in the back with the other losers." Chloe sneered,sitting forward as Ms.Bustier came in. The look of betrayal that crossed Sabrina's face was one Adrien was also very familiar with, but there was nothing he could do about it right then and there. He shot Chloe a disappointed look, introducing himself to the class once more when prompted by Ms.Bustier.

---- 

Adrien loved spending time with Chloe, he really did, but when the time came around for lunch, well, he really didn't want to sit with her. He needed a break, and time to think about how he'd approach her about how rude she was being. He never got the chance however as Chloe once again dragged him towards the car that came to get her for lunch. "Chloe. . .you can't just make people do things against their will. . ." He muttered, causing the blonde to glance back at him, hurt flashing in her eyes for a mere second. She stopped and let go of his arm, crossing her own over her chest.

"Are you saying you don't want to spend time with me?" Chloe narrowed her eyes and the boy that was supposedly her best friend, she was ready to turn her nose at him, to walk away without giving him the chance to even speak, but Adrien knew her too well and spoke up before she even got the chance to walk away. 

"That's not it at all, you know me better than that. I just don't like the way you're treating the people around you Chlo, first you get angry at Nathalie for just doing her job, and then you kick Sabrina out of her seat. Not to mention you made fun of that girl, Marinette is her name, I think, all throughout class and no one said anything to you besides the girl sitting next to her and then you just threw insults at her too." Adrien took a deep breath,feeling a gaze piercing the back of his head. Someone was watching him, but he didn't dare turn around to see who it was. Doing that could mean losing Chloe's focus on him and that would result in her not taking in any of this information. "All I'm saying is that you should try to be nicer to our classmates. If they got to know the real you I'm sure they'd like you. You complain all the time about only having me as a friend, but I see now why no one else wants to be your friend. The Chloe Bourgeois I witnessed today isn't the Chloe I know." Adrien finished, hope sparking in his eyes as Chloe's expression changed from.one of anger, to one he couldn't quite read, but he knew she wasn't upset with him as far as he could tell. 

Chloe turned on her heel, looking away from Adrien. "Fine, whatever you say. But Marinette Dupian-Cheng deserves whatever I or anyone else throws at her and so does that Alya girl." She snapped,climbing into the car. Adrien sighed as her car drove away,and made room for his. He slid into the backseat. Maybe it would take more than one conversation to get the lesson through Chloe's head.

----

Adrien barely made it back to school on time, the photoshoot that afternoon had ran over and he had to sprint back to school. As he neared the steps, Adrien, in his blind panic to get to school on time, stumbled into an old man who was walking down the sidewalk. He stopped and stood back, rubbing his head, "Ouch. .  " when he opened his eyes, the man he had ran into was struggling to get up. Adrien moved quickly and precisely, helping him up. He picked up the man's cane and handed it to him with an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry sir, are you alright?" He asked sheepishly,rubbing the back of his neck.

The man gave a soft laugh and nodded his head. "I'm quite alright, it's no big deal. Thank you for the assistance young man." The man waved goodbye as Adrien walked up the steps, a girl with dark hair running close behind as she too was almost late for classes herself. The man glanced down at the bag he was carrying, which held two small, intricately detailed boxes. He nodded his head and began to head back towards the place he called home. 

----

When Adrien slid into class a moment before the bell rang, he took the seat closest to the door that wasn't occupied. The boy next to him gave him a cautious look, as if he might bite. Adrien smiled, and held out his hand. "Uh hey, I'm Adrien. Do you care if I sit here?"  The boy next to him seemed to soften up a bit at the gesture, shaking his hand.

"Nah you can sit there dude, and the names Nino. Nice to meet ya." Nino said,turning around in his seat as arguing erupted from the back of the classroom. Everyone around them seemed to have stopped as two boys started fighting, first verbally and then the smaller one pushed the bigger one. Adrien recalled the two boys as Ivan and Kim respectively. From where he was sitting Adrien could see the look of disappointment that washed over Marinette's face as she was right in front of him when he turned around. This puzzled him but then again, he had only been here less than a day so maybe this was a usual occurrence and she was disappointed it was happening again. When the fight escalated, Ms.Bustier rushed in,sending both boys down to the principal's office, she went with them to make sure both boys made it there with no further harm coming to either of them.

Adrien glanced at Nino for an explanation but the other boy said nothing, he turned to Marinette instead and began speaking to her. "He still hasn't gotten through his head yet, has he?" Nino asked with a sympathetic look. Marinette shook her head,glancing at the door Kim and Ivan had disappeared out of. 

"No, and a part of me thinks I should have helped him work through it but. . .Kim is stubborn and needs to figure things out on his own. He can't be a jerk to others if he wants to be with me. And he'll learn that eventually I'm su-" she was cut off by a loud roar that seemed to shake the whole building. Adrien glanced over at Chloe, who was already standing up, the smirk on her face slowly fading. A girl with blonde hair - Rose, Adrien learned earlier that day - screeched. 

"There's- there's a stone monster out there!" She ran straight into Juleka's arms, the two cowering in the corner. Adrien however, perplexed and intrigued at the sight of such a being, headed out the door, hearing Marinette cry out to get him to come back, that it wasn't safe. He ignored them, and ran down the steps to the front of the building. He regretted it instantly, when a stone hand came down and picked him up. 

"Where's Mylene?!" The being shouted, causing Adrien to flinch. Which one was Mylene? Was she the girl with the link hair? No. . .Mylene had the braids that was it! Adrien opened his mouth to answer when he spotted Chloe running out of the building after him. He bit his lip and then pointed in the opposite direction, trying to avert the monsters attention away from Chloe in hopes of keeping her safe. "She went that way!" He shouted and the monster began to move in the direction he indicated.

Chloe watched the whole thing unfold, angry and upset she moved to run after the stone monster and demand he put her Adrikins down, or she'd call her father and have him deal with it. But she never got further than a step. A small old man had tapped on her arm. She pulled away, disgusted until she realized he was holding out a box to her. "I don't want whatever you're selling, old man. I've got things that are worth more than your entire savings." She flicked her hair, waiting for him to leave. When he did not however, she huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

Fu sighed as the bratty girl spoke again. She was not the intended target for this miraculous, the blond boy, Adrien Agreste, was the one he had hoped to give it to, but delivering the black cat had taken longer than he thought it would, and Adrien had been captured. This girl, Chloe Bourgeois, would have to do. She had a confrontational spirit and was ready to defend her friend, and would suit the ladybug miraculous for the time being, he just hoped she'd be as ready to defend Paris as she was Adrien. "Chloe Bourgeois, this is the miraculous of the ladybug, you will use it for the greater good." He opened the box and a small pinkish red creature flew out with a smile on its face.

"Hello! I'm Tikki! The kwami of the ladybug miraculous."

----

Adrien had lost track of time by the time the stone monster had trudged all the way across the city in search of Mylene. He was only snapped back into reality by a yo-yo slinging past his face, and a girl clad in a red bodysuit with black legs, and arms swung past. He blinked a few times, trying to get a better look. Her blonde hair was down, in loose waves that framed her face. The tips faded into black and she held an air of authority to her. Her suit was red, with black boots and elbow length gloves. The rest of the red was spotted sparsely with black polka dots, it reminded Adrien of a ladybug, and her mask was a solid red, rimmed with black. "Put him down you stone monster, or your going to have to deal with the beautiful Crimson Bliss!"

[enthralleddd0112]

[170811] Some Consolidated Kyungsoo-related Fan Accounts from The War Fansign

@hello_apriler/64bcb26595b14a2

I asked Kyungsoo what kind of pet that he raised. He said it is toy poodle, their name is Mogmool (먹물/Ink) and Hoochoo (훗추/Pepper). Mogmool is 1 year old, a black toy poodle; Hoochoo is 7 months old, a grey toy poodle. (Later “Mongmool Hoochoo” was trending on Twitter)

@hello_apriler

A fan gave Chanyeol a sparkling magic wand and Chanyeol played it with Kyungsoo. He seems to enjoy it and so bight, so cute.

@DoMelocoton

Kyungsoo played with an Ice Cream punch toy (if you pressed down the button, the Ice Cream will fly away) with Chanyeol, and Chanyeol attacked him with a bubble soap gun.

@sehun_1223

Kyungsoo, Chanyeol and Jongin went to washroom together.

@MoncherDo

Kyungsoo held and played with a soap bubble toy and another toy that looked like an ice cream that will fly off when you click/press on it.

@sehun_1223

Chanyeol attacked Kyungsoo with a soap bubble toy but then Kyungsoo kicked him and then Chanyeol collapsed.

@dyohyun9293

When Kyungsoo was doing his ment, the boys went “Almokyung, Almokyung” (it means unpredictable Kyungsoo). 

@dyohyun9293

Chanyeol said if Kyungsoo kept a brown poodle, it would probably be called Deonjang (soy bean paste).

@dyohyun9293

Sehun said Mongmool and ViVi took a photo together before and he will upload the picture! Then Sehun asked Kyungsoo hyung if he can upload it and Kyungsoo approved it. The fans below said thank you. (In the end Sehun posted it on his Instagram and “Mongmool ViVi” was trending on Twitter)

@05BH06

I asked why he’s been hanging out so well with Chanyeol recently. Kyungsoo say that’s because Chanyeol keep playing with him, so it appears that way. My hand is injured and when we had eye contact, I smiled and said, “Kyungsoo, don’t get injured.” Kyungsoo then looked at my hand and said, “I hope your wound wouldn’t hurt anymore.”

@s2ninis20114

Kyungsoo personally explained how to easily do the trick he always does with his hands/fingers.

@Only_k_s/@dyo_right_

The boys were saying “I love you (saranghae)” one by one. Kyungsoo: I love you. Bakehyun: I think it has been a while I heard Kyungsoo saying I love you.

@Dearcloi/@Only_k_s/@s__sh9412

Kyungsoo is the the cutest thing in the universe, seeing him between Chanyeol and Jongin but not paying attention to their games. He commented that the weather this morning was really nice, that on nights like these when the dust levels are low (level 9), it’s good to visit a playground or go on a walk in the park or by Han River with your loves ones. He also said “Be careful and not catch cold. Have a yummy dinner and thank you!”

@xoxo_elephant

I said to Kyungsoo “Kyungsoo-ya, you got many schedules lately so it must be hard. You seem to lose weight too”, so he asked, “I lost weight?” and I answered, “You seem to have lost a lot, your face got slimmer.” He said, “I did not do that on purpose, but seems that I got thinner.” Don’t lose weight, Kyungsoo.

@hello_apriler

Sehun sat down after finishing his ment, when it was Kyungsoo’s turn, he kept talking to Kyungsoo. Like when Kyungsoo said “Today’s weather is nice so go to Han River~” then Sehun talked to him “Let’s go together! What will you do after this?”

@neri_1227/@xiu2_xiu2

Kyungsoo said he’d like to take a walk if there was time today, so Sehun asked what he was doing after this (since Kyungsoo didn’t hear it so it was left unanswered). Kyungsoo has two more schedules and he’d come to the fansign from another thing too.

@hello_apriler/@neri_1227

Kyungsoo talked about his pets because so many people were curious. He said he’s keeping two and when EXO-L said “cute~” he asked why that was cute haha. They’re toy poodles and he named one Ink because it’s black and one Pepper because it’s grey. When he bought the grey one home, the members competed to name it. Baekhyun suggested Dust. Junmyeon then said the other should be called Fine, so when put together, it will mean “Fine Dust”.

@gr__tee

Sehun sat down after finishing with ment and while Kyungsoo was speaking, Sehun lowered his head and said into the mic, “Hyung have you eaten? What are you going to do after this end?” He was asking questions like this, it was really cute.

@veritas_9401

When Kyungsoo said he is raising toy poodles, there were a lot of applause and cheers, but he got puzzled and asked “why?” with a heart shaped smile.

@o_sehuni

I was asking Kyungsoo about the Gallaktang (baby octopus and beef rib stew) he mentioned liking during Cultwo radio show. Kyungsoo shared the restaurant’s name but not its address. I’m a little lost, Kyungsoo shared that the restaurant is at Nonhyeon-dong.

@zzyuuuxx

But you know, talking with Kyungsoo in person, his way of speaking was a lot sweeter and softer than we’ve heard.. I’m not sure how to word this, but his voice is still ringing in my ears.. It was his usual soothing and proper way of talking, but his natural voice is somehow very different.

@pooky_04

OP had Kyungsoo write: Will feel that you’re pretty after looking at you in detail, will feel that you’re cute after looking at you over a longer time. You are like this too!

@sehunin_0412

When I had finished getting Kyungsoo’s sign and wanted to move to the side, I don’t know where should I go so I asked where should I go? Kyungsoo heard it so he asked me where am I going. I then replied, “I’m going to get water” (imitating Kyungsoo in <Knowing Bros>) and Kyungsoo laughed.

@exogy0408

Me: Oppa, what pet are you raising? Kyungsoo: I have a toy poodle. Me: Please draw it. Me: Isn’t this white? Kyungsoo: It’s black.

@dyo_right_

A friend of mine went to the fansign and told him that her friend was a huge fan of his and requested a doodle on the photocard. She also asked how his shoulder muscle pain was doing but he was so absorbed in doodling that he didn’t reply haha. She asked about three times before he said “Yes..? Yes. I’m okay!” So cute ha..

@do_xoxo0112

OP requested Kyungsoo a doodle on the photocard, Do Kyungsoo emmmmmm…

@Loralie_0118

A friend of mine who’s in Korea got into today’s fansign, managed to get Kyungsoo’s autograph for me, and even conveyed my messages to him, so I’ll think this is considered half a fan account.

Because everything was very last minute, and there wasn’t enough time, I didn’t manage to buy him any present and only managed to deliver a small note to him, to which he secretly received. I believe he’ll definitely read it. He’ll then know, how much we love him. The screenshots include: - my conversation with the friend that went on my behalf. She shared that Kyungsoo is very kind and the best person. He was listening to her intently as she spoke. He’s very sincere and very cute. - the note that I wrote to Kyungsoo, telling him that there are many Kyungsoo cfans who really love him. That we hope he will put himself first in everything that he do. We will lay the red carpet for him so he just needs to go ahead to pursue whatever he wants.

My silly piglet, mummy’s (referring to herself) name is so simple and you still could have gotten it wrong. I really could laugh myself to death because of you. Kyungsoo-ah, you are the best and no one else is better than you. We’ll meet in Autumn, I love you.

Conversation between friend who attended the fansign and OP

OP: Also, the paragraph below, could you help me write it on a small piece of paper and pass it to him OP: (message in hangul, will be separately translated) Friend: To write on a note Friend: It may be confiscated Friend: But I'll try OP: Ok! OP: I've previously seen other fans who hid it. Friend: Yup OP: And they succeeded Friend: They were pretty strict with the checks the last round Friend: (Notes) were all torn up. OP: If you don't succeed, just convey the message that cfans love him OP: Just 1 statement will do Friend: Ok OP: Come back and tell me how he looks like OP: You're going to see him upclose OP: Please help me praise him more OP: He likes being praised OP: If you have a chance tomorrow, ask Kyungsoo what breed of dog he's raising Friend: 1 minute Friend: I doubt I can ask him that much Friend: I think he's the first one OP: Yes, I hope the SM staff wouldn't stop you OP: Just have him help me write Peter Pan will do Friend: Ok OP: Just thinking about him writing my name OP: I feel like crying Friend: I'm thinking about how to speak mandarin to him Friend: (sends across autograph) OP: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh OP: What did he write OP: Did he write wrongly OP: My name is so simple he wrote it wrongly... OP: My silly piglet Friend: He initially wrote your name wrongly as I wrote it on my arm and he saw it in the opposite direction. When I told him, he replied, "어?그랬구나" "Oh, it's like this", so he crossed what he wrote and re-write it again. OP: Ahhhhhhhh so cute OP: (crying emoji) OP: I am (going) crazy now. I'm in heaven Friend: And below he wrote, "Always your Peter Pan" OP: So silly, my piglet OP: Still "Oh?" (referring to his reaction when he wrote her name wrongly) OP: I want him to draw a piglet for me Friend: I forgot ㅠㅠㅠ Because your name was written wrongly, so that took up some time, but I did convey the message that you wanted me to tell him OP: Did you manage to pass him the note! Friend: Yes. I secretly pushed it to him. He took it slowly by his side in his direction. His hand was moving bit by bit. OP: Ahhhhhhhhhh my baby did he read it OP: Did he open it? OP: (anticipating emoji) Friend: Exactly if he read it, I'm not sure. But since he got it, I believe he will read it. I feel, I feel he was really sincere to me. OP: He has always been like this.... OP: Did you tell him to take care of his health. The second of this year will be challenging, and that cfans love him Friend: I told him everything. I told him that he has many cfans and he even repeated that again in Korean in a doubtful questioning tone. OP: I'm running to the neighbourhood park to cry now OP: Why was he using a doubtful tone?? Friend: So he asked me, "ah, so there's many fan? in China?" I answered yes and since he was writing and his head was bowed, I couldn't see his expression but his tone sounded pleased/touched. OP: I'm dead. Really. I'm dead. I'm f*cking dead. I'm wailing. Friend: I also conveyed about asking him to sleep well, eat well, to put himself first and to pursue whatever he wants to do. OP: wuuuuuuu (crying expression) I have a visual (of what her friend just described) OP: That he is writing my name seriously. He's looking at my name seriously and writing it. OP: I can't take it anymore. My heart has stopped. Friend: All things aside, I really want to say this. I feel that he was really very sincere to me. My other friends also said the same. The moment I went up, he looked me in the eye, his expression seemingly to take in my face, wanting to commit to memory, nodding to me. He didn't speak much, I did most of the talking, but he's really earnest. OP: (crying emoji) OP: Help me call an ambulance OP: Send me directly to the crematorium Friend: He only just wrote your name wrong ㅠㅠ he's really cute really sincere Friend: His face is really small. But his eyes are extremely?! big?! OP: He must be handsome in real life OP: When would I be able to see him that upclose Friend: His eyes were huge. Extremely huge. Really huge. Because he was looking at me so intently, I really find his eyes really huge. Friend: Anyway, he's really very earnest, when I was talking, he was listening to me intently, unlike the rest. I think he's the kindest amongst all of them today, really good. I think he's the best today.

OP's note to Kyungsoo

With the recent comeback and the dance practices, it must be very tough. Dont get sick, don't get hurt. If you feel unwell, please visit the doctors. If somewhere is hurting, be sure to voice it out instead of shouldering it alone. I love you a alot. From head to toe. Besides my father, I love you the most in the world. The most handsome, my ideal type. Also, there are many of your cfans here. More than you can imagine and we will keep doing our best to support you. We will lay the red carpet (for you) and we will work hard to give you even more/better. Go ahead and brave forward with no regrets. I hope you get to eat whatever you like to eat and do whatever you wish to do. As long as you're healthy, safe and blissful. No matter what, I will be supporting you. Love you.

Edited/Added:

@dyo_right_

Kyungsoo is signing and when Chanyeol was waiting for the next fan to come, he was staring at Kyungsoo intently, not looking away at all. 

@Sabor_a_DO

Today, Chanyeol kept showing toys to Kyungsoo, so each time Kyungsoo is done signing with one, he will turn and look at the toys. After he was done with all the signing, he actually went through and touch all the toys, and even held the toy that made noise to the side of his ears. 

@icontact_JD/@icemilk_tea

When they were role-playing and Kyungsoo was acting like an outlaw police, even when he hasn't done anything, Chanyeol already started running to the backstage, then Kyungsoo used his fingers to do a "the end" pose while slicing it across Chanyeol's waist level. 

@xiu2_xiu2

Chanyeol was teasing Kyungsoo a lot, so Kyungsoo used a bottle to fight back, Chanyeol held his tummy and let out a "ah" and pretended to have been taken down ㅋㅋㅋ after sitting back down, Chanyeol continued to attack Kyungsoo with the soap bubble toy, so Kyungsoo followed suit, stood up and used this knee to attack Chanyeol from top down, this is totally re-enactment of what happens in the dorm.

@sehun_1223

After playing around with Chanyeol for a while, Kyungsoo knelt and bowed before heading to the washroom. Chanyeol used a mini fan and soap bubbles toy and kept spraying the bubbles at Kyungsoo and even after returning from the washroom, Chanyeol is still spraying the bubbles at Kyungsoo.

@ice_xiu0326

Back story: It seemed like Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were playing around alot after finishing with the signing and according to those who were in the venue, it should be that Chanyeol kept spaying bubbles at Kyungsoo's face, and even paired it with a mini fan (to make it work better), so Kyungsoo returned the attacks by using bottle, his arm or his knee to hit Chanyeol back. 

Conversation during the fansign (in enclosed in tweet): Chanyeol: Very good very good~ Keep it coming~ Keep it coming~ Junmyeon: As expected of Kyungsoo Jongdae: Don't be alarmed everyone, this is daily life for us in the dorm~

@mana_chen

(🇯🇵 represents in Japanese) Me: May I ask what you’re raising? Kyungsoo: Toy poodle. Kyungsoo: Black and....silver white ✌🏻 (2 of them) Me: 2 of them! What’s their names? Kyungsoo 🇯🇵 : The black one is...Mogmool (in Korean), the grey one is Pepper (in Korean)! Me: Boys or girls? Kyungsoo: Girls Me: Both also? Kyungsoo: Yes Kyungsoo 🇯🇵 : ✌🏻 (2 of them) How do you say that in Japanese? Me: Ah? Er, the meaning? ｢にひき｣（2 in Japanese) 暻秀🇯🇵：にひき…にひき！Thank you (Time was up) Me: Thank you~ (On the post-in below, Kyungsoo had handwritten the names of his two puppies, “Mogmool Pepper”

@BDGZ_9293

Me: Do you know Kyungsoo’s expression? Kyungsoo: (pointing to the penguin) It’s this, it’s this. Me: Yes, can you please draw it for me? He conscientiously followed and drew. I didn’t expect him to have drawn the eyebrow. And the best part of Kyungsoo was that whatever I said, he listened to every words with a really sweet expression and replied to it...Warm-hearted Doh is the best ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ"

@Just_For都暻秀应援站

OP's friend went to the fansign yesterday, and gave Kyungsoo the support item - a kittendyo handfan - from fansite J (@Just_For都暻秀应援站), and told him it's a cfan fansite, his fansite, Kyungsoo was very pleased as he accepted the handfan, really happy, I really wanted Kyungsoo to know that there are many in China that really like him.

@matuannai

My friends help convey the news of my marriage.He gave me my blessing. Thank you.

Message from Kyungsoo: "Wish you have a pretty baby"

Cr: The War Fansign, sources as quoted above (2017.08.11) Chi Trans: weibo @都暻秀吧_DohkyungsooBar, @Nacho_都暻秀资源博, @來一杯嘟嘟加点邊白, @大眼嘟企鹅, @ChocoHun_吴世勋资源博, @Moitie, @灿嘟糖果贩卖机, @nakedplanet Eng Trans: twitter @serenadyo, @kyeongsew, @doyeolove_aya, @dyostined, @swevenode, @exonyeondan, @chocohun94, @DeeDotOhDot, @enthralleddd, tumblr @fydk-translations​ Fan Account Consolidation & In partnership with: IG @channel930112