#Off topic I just like dropping lore about him

[colossrat]

Is the captain insane or just brain rot?

Batman has several children, and even so it is very difficult for him to keep up with the new slang or memes of the generation. So the fact that Captain Marvel, a guy who appears to be between 25-30 years old (but theoretically has bazillions) stupidly knows a lot of these jokes, doesn't enter his mind and he finds himself constantly just questioning the sanity of his co-worker.

Because it's all so absurd, he can't tell anymore when the captain is just being himself and dropping the most meaningless piece of lore in the world, or if he's reciting a tiktok meme

several league members don't really know, at least not the older ones

After a mission, Marvel is talking to cyborg. Is the topic about dating? teachers? Superman is listening in the background while he has his own conversation with Batman a little away, so he's not really listening.

But something catches his attention, and it's the captain's choked tone of voice, almost as if he were crying

Marvel: oh my god, oh my shayla, no... ;(

Supes go pale and tune off from the conversation that he is not part of, feeling that he has just invaded the privacy of his colleagues

Batman: superman? whats wrong?

Superman: I-- I think I just overheard the captain lamenting about an date he had with a teacher called Shayla… he was crying, i think… I feel horrible, I didn't listen on purpose---

Batman:

Batman: who that fuck is shayla?

billy was just joking, because actually his teacher made him change seats in the class so he wouldn't be sitting next to freddy anymore, since they talk like hell, and he was demonstrating to cyborg how shaken he was by reciting "oh my shayla"

Then there's that time where Voltage (Freddy or Lieutenant Junior) is with them during a magical mission, and out of nowhere the two start communicating using "u i a", in rhythms that resemble morse or binary code…

Marvel: u i a i u i-i a-i?

Voltage: u i a i u-u i i a-i.

and they both start laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world

Zatana: Is this an extinct language or something?

Dr. Fate: I would also like to know… I think I'll have to do some research, but maybe it's an ancient, witchy language. I didn't know that the captain was teaching witchcraft to his apprentice.

And then there's Batman discreetly writing down all the lyrics they say. he will question constantine or jason blood later to see if it mean something to them

everything gets more confusing when these codes start to have pop music melodies, not that they recognize these songs at first

And a time when John Constantine is explaining something at a meeting for the league, something about fusing magical objects that were stolen. and the captain is almost combusting to keep from laughing.

Constantine: So in theory, the thieves took the hyperball staff and put it together with the cursed sapphire stones, and put that together with what they gathered from the cord wand and sickle feathers--

Marvel: and then they became hyperphires-corckle? like, HPCK?

Constantine: what in the bloody hell is this?

Marvel: -- nothing… no, no, I confused the objects-- it's nothing. it was from-- another category of magical objects, there is no correlation, you can continue.

He simply couldn't get the PPAP thing out of his head, and the gestures that John made to symbolize the objects coming together reminded him of that iconic clip (pen pineapple apple pen)

the magicians' heads are racing to understand what a hyperphires-corckle is, and so is the heads of everyone in that room. except for Barry who is shaking to keep from laughing since he understands where the captain really came from with that.

Hal is looking at him confused. He was off Earth for so long that they created a whole system of new magical objects? Not that he was already aware of the old ones. fucking magic.

and sometimes there is no context at all, marvel will simply drop one:

Marvel: gegagedigedagedago...

Wonder woman: What did you say, brother??

Marvel, completely seriously: Abin mery alongtameago...

Hal: Is he insulting us...? wait marry? married?!?

Marvel: wede wude--

Flash: I think he's possessed, I'm going to call John and Batman!!

One day, there is an alien invasion. they are green, thin and bald. Billy can't help but say:

Marvel: Oh my Olympian gods, they are of the "dame tu cosita" kinda alien no way!!

Hal: Now you HAVE to be kidding me. Ring, what the fuck is he talking about?

and the ring responds by saying that they are aliens X from planet Y with characteristics of being tall, thin, green and friendly

Flash: friendly? they are invading the earth!

Marvel, joking: maybe they just want to dance and have "nossas cositas"? lol, you know their stuff

Green Lantern's ring glows and says "this species is known to visit other planets in search of dance partners for entertainment"

Marvel: oh.

And then Marvel is pushed to dance with them next to Green Lantern since apparently they both have knowledge about the race and how to entertain them?

Marvel is a horrible dancer, the movements he makes are humiliating (yes, the moves in the meme), but it doesn't take long for the aliens to ignore the green lantern and imitate the captain, completely amazed by his dance. forgetting the invasion and forming a dance circle around him

Batman: I think I'm having a stroke.

Flash: I don't know how I'm going to look at his face after this…

Hal: I can't believe they didn't even care about my dancing…

Wonder woman: I thought your dance moves were very good, green warrior.

Hal: thanks Di...

Voltage, who for some reason is there, recording: this is going to be a hit on my tiktok.

Shayera: this is too humiliating to see, I'm going back to the watchtower.

Martian Manhunter at some point joined the dance circle. he is not part of that race, despite strangely having certain physical similarities. he just found it very entertaining

Marvel was very happy to have him there, he doesn't like to be embarrassed alone. The gods in his mind are giving him migraines cause they're laughing so hard

And also, the Martian is someone who can understand the captain's jokes, since he has a lot of access to watchtower technology and he doesn't do much when he's not in action, so he ended up becoming an iPad kid

but he avoids showing that he understands because despite recognizing it, he is very very shy

Cyborg also understands since he is literally connected to the internet 24/7, but he plays dumb because he doesn't want to look unprofessional and childish, not in front of his bosses at least

There was a time when Marvel came out talking about a toilet monster eating people in Chicago. flash thought he was talking about that skibidi toilet meme or something and commented about it with the league. It took a good few minutes for Marvel to convince them that it was true and that he needed help.

In the end it really was a giant toilet monster that was eating people and teleporting them to random sewers around the world.

One day, Marvel spends hours talking about a magical bipedal tiger that drinks tea. he actually spent HOURS talking about interesting facts about this tiger. No one was paying much attention, thinking it was some meme or joke that they weren't aware of.

He said that the tiger was a stuffed animal, an attraction at the zoo, a zoo employee, a super old cartoon icon, an explorer from another dimension and a lot of other things at the same time. Obviously they thought it was a lie?? or just not real

Several times at other times, days or weeks, Marvel commented on this tiger. Did they start to think it was some kind of series? maybe

until a moment came when the fucking tiger appeared at the watchtower, having tea with the captain. He had a green plaid suit and a posture fit for royalty. He greeted all the heroes who passed by with great respect and grace. They no longer know what to believe coming from the captain

But how the fuck were they supposed to know that a tiger named Mister Tawky Tawny was real and was the captain's best bestie friend forever ever?

[loverboysturn]

⸝⸝ a tipsy walk home with the triplets, birdie & lucky ꒱

OR everyone’s tipsy, nick is over it, chris is in trouble, matt & lucky are a little more obvious than they realise and birdie is growing suspicious.

please note: just want to drop some lore and show the group dynamic when they are all together all cutely before i start to up the angst oops. this is written from soulmate!reader (birdie’s) perspective.

warnings: mentions of alcohol, smoking and sex.

“this is always our most stupid fuckin’ idea after every night out,” nick mutters, tugging the hoodie under his jacket up over his head. “why do we always do this? uber exists for a fuckin’ reason.”

it’s two am, and you’re all tipsy, walking home from a big house party that nate had got you all invited to like this was a good idea, like your feet aren’t already hurting, like you won’t regret this decision in the morning when they’re battered and bruised from your new knee high boots that you insisted on wearing tonight, and then insisted on keeping on for the walk home. 

you’re giggling at nick as he continues to rant, the topic now shifting to the boy he met tonight when you accidentally stumble on the pavement, catching yourself on chris’s arm and although he’s drunk himself, he’s steadying you straight away with one hand, as the other searches for something in his jacket pocket.

you glance up at him, frowning. “really? i thought you’d quit.”

he doesn’t answer your question, just grins at you as he pulls a pack of marlboro reds from the back pocket of his jeans, changing his position so he’s walking backwards to face you.

he rests a cigarette between his lips and lights it, smirking at you as he winks in your direction.

“you’re actually gross.” you say, nose wrinkling. “you know that, right?”

he exhales the smoke in your direction, deliberately as another shameless smirk creeps onto his face. “weren’t sayin’ that earlier when ya mouth was full of my coc—“

you’re already giggling before he finishes the sentence, your face warm as you tuck further into chris’s side. he says nothing more, just slips his hand into yours instead, intertwining your fingers with his, as he brushes his thumb over your knuckles, lifting them to his lips to press a soft, gentle kiss there as he whispers that he loves you.

it’s surprisingly sweet of him considering you’d both just spent the last hour of the party letting him ruin you in someone’s parents’ guest bathroom.

you walk like that for a few minutes, hand in hand, chris close to you as nick still mumbles beside you about the same guy from tonight. matt is also by your side too now, his hands stuffed in his pocket, walking quietly with his head down.

“i’m not walking any further in these heels,” lucky announces suddenly from behind you, stopping dead in the middle of the empty road like the drama queen she’s always been known to be, “and i’m not walking barefoot either.”

you let go of chris’s hand, giggling again as you turn to glance back at her. she’s got her arms crossed, heels already off swinging from one hand, her sparkly sequined skirt shimmering as it reflects off of a nearby streetlight. 

you glance sideways at matt who exhales like he’s ticking over his decision in his brain but he doesn’t say a word. he just walks over and crouches in front of her with a pretend huff. 

“c’mon.” he says, glancing at her over his shoulder. “not waitin’ all night for you to get on.”

she laughs at him and jumps up, her legs wrapping around his waist, arms placed loosely around his neck. they catch up to you, nick and chris quickly as they walk in front. you catch the way lucky leans in to whisper something in matt’s ear that makes his mouth twitch into a smirk and then her skirt rides up slightly, and you also catch the way he reaches back, first to tug it down. then, instinctively his hand lingers and he squeezes her ass so casually, almost like muscle memory to him.

you pause mid step, eyes narrowing slightly to check you’re seeing what you think you’re seeing. she’s still talking in his ear, and he’s nodding and laughing at whatever it is she’s saying like none of this is slightly out of the ordinary. 

“oh my god,” you whisper, leaning in towards chris as you continue to walk. “do you see them?” 

chris doesn’t even glance up from his phone now in his hand. “see what, baby?”

“matt and lucky.”

“what about them?”

“what do you mean what about them?” you roll your eyes, mimicking his tone of voice. “they’re all over each other.” 

chris finally looks up, then over to them, then back to you. “they’ve always been like that, birdie.”

“no they haven’t,” you huff at him, knowing that he’s not really listening to you, “never like that.”

but before he can respond, matt turns in your direction calling chris’s name, lucky still on his back. “apartment’s there.” he points, a smirk on his face as your final destination is finally in view after what feels like forever. “race you.” 

chris tosses his cigarette and turns to you with a grin, that look on his face that you know all too well and before you can even say another word, he’s scooping you up in his arms bridal style, taking off in a sprint after matt.

nick joins in racing past all of you, laughing as he shouts, “last one to the apartment pays for brunch tomorrow.”

[mimimoou]

Breakin' Dishes II

Pairing: Nate Jacobs x Reader

Summary: You get sent to Cal Jacobs' house after your mom finally manages to get a hold of him after years of trying to send you back to your father. "He's shit, but you don't got no other choice kid, get the hell outta here." There you meet your not so shit Dad..? A resentful step-mom. An older step-brother who doesn't give a shit about you. And another step-bro who absolutely hates your guts.

Content Warning: Incest {at first, but becomes stepcest w absolutely no blood relation cuz lore, cuz real incest is a nono. Promise there's sum lore between Cal and your supposed mother.}⌇ Alcohol⌇ Drugs⌇ Smoking⌇ 18+⌇ Bullying⌇ Toxic⌇ Blackmail⌇ Very strong language⌇ Nate⌇

Notes: Don't Like, Don't Read Policy. As said in the warnings, there is incest here, if you're uncomfortable reading or even looking at this, please refrain from interacting. With that said, I hope I can finish this series cuz I'm hella itching to write one like this. Enjoy!

Masterlist

What surprised you was how peacefully they ate after that. Marsha offered you steak which you reluctantly accepted on your plate. Cal was talking about his newest project to Marsha while Aaron was hunched on his plate.

Then the topic changed to you and school quickly. East Highland High School was where you were going, along with Nate.

You almost had a hard time swallowing the piece of steak in your mouth, recalling his crash out not long ago.

You just can't get it out of your mind. Because how could you? No. How could they act like nothing happened? Assuming this was normal for them and unnecessary, it was such a terrifying experience for you, an uncanny valley.

"Right?" You accidentally drop your fork on your plate, the loud noise making everyone snap their heads to you.

Cal raises his eyebrows, waiting for your answer. "Oh, uh— Sorry, what was that?"

"Cal said you wouldn't mind taking the bus right?" Marsha pauses, her eyes flicking to Aaron then back to you.

"Oh, uhm, yeah. Why not?"

"Well Nate usually uses his car.. but," Marsha clicks her teeth. "Well, you see.."

She pauses, leaving an awkward silence to fill the room. She almost takes too long to find an answer so you decide to interject and get it over with.

"No I'm uh, alright with the bus thank you."

"Oh thank you for understanding, Nate—"

"Nate drives his girlfriend to school and mom doesn't want you near her cuz she thinks you'll rub something bad off of her."

"Aaron!" She hisses. "That is not what I meant. What I wanted was to—"

"Enough. It's dinner," Cal successfully shuts everyone up, you can feel anger simmering underneath. You hear Aaron scoff beside you, quiet, but loud enough for you to hear. "And we're gonna have one like a normal family."

This time Aaron's snort was loud for everyone to hear.

"What're you laughing at, son?"

"Nothing," you can hear him trying to stifle his laugh, he shoves a mouthful and covers his mouth but to no avail, he spits everything out of his mouth and unto the table.

"Fucking— Aaron!" It was Cal's time to slam the table, he stood up, the chair screeching on the ground. "What the fuck do you think your doing?!"

"I-I'm sorry, I—" he doesn't stop laughing, some of his spit landed in your arm which you hurriedly wiped your arm from, you abruptly stood up from your chair to make space between you and Aaron. You swear you're about to actually convulse at the mess on the table.

You wanted earth to swallow you whole, the dinner table was a mess, Cal was shouting at Aaron, Marsha having to physically stop Cal from going near their son.

"Are you out of your mind Aaron?!"

Aaron was pissed, he scoffs and rolls his eyes at his father.

"Really dad? A normal family? Since when have we—"

"Don't you fucking finish that or I swear you are gone from this house."

"Cal! Stop it!" Marsha begs, you can see her eyes glistening, but the tears won't fall. Marsha leans near Cal's ear, whispering something before letting go. Cal huffs and steps back, you see him approach you, putting his hand on your shoulder.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry—"

"I'm okay." You say, fiddling with your fingers. You're eyes flicker behind Cal, you see Marsha comforting Aaron who looked like he was about to cry, Marsha wraps her arms around her son's head, pulling him close.

Then your eyes flicker back to Cal, you gave you a worried look. "Really. I am."

He chuckles. "Alright, alright. Didn't need a confirmation though."

You grin. "You should go rest in your room okay?"

"Okay," you nod, but before you could take another step back, Cal pulls you in for a kiss on the forehead, then he lets you go. "Now you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Cal."

Without wasting a second, you half jog half sprint upstairs and into your bedroom.

Days pass by without a hitch since that night. You woke up early since you didn't wanna be late on the first day of school, especially when you're a newcomer.

The whole week of staying in the Jacobs house consisted of being ignored by Aaron and Nate. Mostly by Nate. Aaron only talks to you only when needed but not so kindly. Marsha is good, small talks and all, and Cal.. well he isn't the asshole your mom told you about, maybe some anger issues but nonetheless good to you.

Aside from that nothing bad happened, except for the fact that you're anxious for school. You're new, no friends, a high schooler, what's the worse that can happen?

You hear the bus honking outside the house, you hurriedly grab your things and sprinted downstairs, plucking a banana from the table and skipping in a hurry for the bus.

When you climbed up, the seats were already filled, save for the ones beside the weirdo looking ones. You gulp, you're standing awkwardly at the center of the bus, feeling like everyone was looking at you, then you heard whispering.

"There's a new girl!?"

"Dibs!"

"Boohoo"

Gosh, was that hard to whisper? If you want to gossip, then gossip better!

Your eyes scan in a panic then it lands on an empty seat, you don't spare a glance at the person beside it, you're just relieved to finally hide from all the stares.

You yelp as the body beside you jerks. She stares at the ceiling with her mouth open, her frizzy hair tickles your face, you scoot a bit to the left.

"Ughhh," she clutches her head, groaning and massaging her neck and shoulders. You know it's rude to stare but you're genuinely worried about her, she either looks like she's about to explode or pull out a machine gun.

"Are you.. alright?" You can't help but ask. For a second you think she didn't hear you because she remained in her position with her elbows on her knees, her hands on her head.

"Hey. Are—"

"Suup. Names Rue," you take her outstretched hand as you mumble your name.

"Nice. You new here?"

"Yeah. I just moved with," you pause. "With my dad."

"Uh-huh. That's nice. How 'bout mom?"

"Well, yeah her too, step-mom,"

"Ohhhh," she pauses as she sits upright. "Sorry— didn't mean to ya know.."

"It's alright, no biggie." You say, a pregnant pause filling the air. After a minute, she speaks up.

"Soo, ya got anyone here?" She sighs into her seat, her arms folding behind her head. "L-like a what?"

"Pfft, a friend duh," She laughs, loud. Is she high or sum?

"Yeah, no. I've never been here before."

"Shit?! You seryose?" Her eyes widen, you can see her blown pupils in 4k. Uh-huh, high.

"Are you high, Rue?" You gasp, but whispering it. "W-what?! No, nooo"

You chuckle. "Liar."

"Hey. No noob is gon' harass me like this," your chuckling turns to laughing, then she laughs with you too.

"Noob, really? O. M. G, you play roblox or sum?"

"The fuck is roblox, bitch,"

"No way you don't play roblox bro," you scoff. "I'm telling you, I ain't know no roblox or high"

"You're funny, Rue,"

She bows, tipping her imaginary hat. "Gracias, mademoiselle."

You grin, then turn your attention outside the window. "So how far is the school? We've been driving for like forever."

"Not that far, 'sides we'd have more time to talk, you're very weird yourself, noob."

"Noob?"

"That's what you are."

"You're def playing roblox,"

"em not!"

"You are," you roll your eyes, crossing your arms. "Who cares, nooblet. I'm like, your only friend here."

"So you're my friend now?" You smile. "Why not? I know your name, you know my name. Fair trade."

"Well, I'm grateful to have a crackhead for a friend."

"Hey! I'm not a crackhead!"

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"You're high. You wouldn't even be talking to me if you're not. You actually look unapproachable from afar."

"But you're beside me."

You stifle a laugh. "Shut up."

"Eyyy, she's laughing. You're laughing. C'mon, laugh at my joke."

"You're the joke,"

"Ouchie! That hit..me..aghhh," she feigns an arrow hitting her chest, you snort and hit her arm.

"Thy highness might think to spare thee."

"And prayeth bid wherefore shouldst i spareth thee?"

"Hoooly shit. You speak Will?"

"Speak will?

"Yeah. Willson Shakespeare."

"Wilson?" You snort. "Yea! Not only does you play roblox, you're also a nerd."

"It's William Shakespeare,"

"Yea, yea, willhim whatever."

[crazylittlejester]

the headcanon that Legend is royalty will never not be funny to me, I love it so much /gen

Like he has the vibe of an art kid, a hot topic employee, a twitch streamer, and a cottage core bisexual all put in a blender /pos, and the funniest part about all of that is that you CAN see him as royalty. Absolutely!! It is not at all hard to picture him as a prince despite the fact that his whole vibe kinda screams “guy who comes off as a bit edgy and closed off” and people who don’t know him well at all might assume he’s snappy or overly sarcastic to the point of being rude. (Which is not the case at all, he’s definitely one of the nicest members of the whole damn chain. Absolute sweetheart and I’ll die on this hill)

The others would be shocked to learn he was royalty, sure, but I feel like they’d be more surprised that Legend just didn’t lore drop that rather than the fact they find it impossible to see him as a prince. I’m just obsessed with the idea that he could absolutely whip around at a moments notice, change his aesthetic and demeanor to be slightly more court appropriate while still being very much him, and oh yep there he is, the prince of hyrule

i need to write more Legend fics

[antimony-medusa]

Someone asked me for notes on writing technoblade so:

this is how I do characterization, just in random order.

deadpan or "dry" but not monotone— he's often quite expressive just in a deadpan way.

FUNNY. Humour is hard though so you can skate by on just being sarcastic and deadpan.

Sarcastic.

doesn't often say that someone is important to him in words, not in a literal fashion— the reason why things like "for you the world" or "my best friend" or "bro" or "good friend and disciple" gets celebrated is because he wouldn't say that sort of thing often. He is not out here calling people sunshine. Techno's out here saying "oh I'm not endeared" and "there's a RACCOON in my basement" and "that's what I'd expect from you, old man", but at the same time in actions he's very clearly showing that he cares— fight alongside someone, give them gifts, invite them to stay. Complaining about being woken up and how he needs his beauty sleep and how he's gonna wither to ashes while he makes you supper and won't let you apologize and sets up the guest room for you. And then says of course he's doing it he values this friendship. and then tells you how you could make anything you want for breakfast don't wake him before ten or he'll crumble to dust

especially with phil, very rarely MEAN/cutting, even while bantering and complaining— he'll call him an old man who's fallen off but he won't make fun of how he talks or call him stupid or a burden or tell him to shut up. He will tell tommy to stop talking but that would be because tommy was yelling his opinions at people like a grackle

anxiety— he wins fights because he overprepares. the beginning of every stream is so much brewing and armour and grinding. The world is dangerous and the only way to face it is to Git Gud. HE WILL BE GRINDING.

loves animals.

general-purpose nerd. people boil this down to english-major a lot, but things I have heard technoblade go on tangents about include math, psychology, greek mythology, metaphor, and How To Balance The Game

canonically into golf? I don't use that but yeah.

it's fair if I can grind the game sufficiently to make it work. will use exploits and edge cases and also expects them to be used against him cause that's just the game we're playing, right?

dark humour. this is a guy who made jokes about his execution and then his cancer. If he is in peril or something terrible is happening he will be joking about it. Most of the time however that is very carefully dark humour that is about, in the metaphor, him on the gallows, not being part of the crowd at a public execution.

Neurodivergent. This Man Has ADHD. in-game he had the zoomies a lot, he jumped conversational topics, he got distracted and missed stuff.

socially uncomfortable but has social skills— you see the discomfort especially on places like SMPearth or when he's not in a highly scripted lore call. He'll be falling back on silence or falling out of the conversation unless he's comfortable with people, and then you see WAY more of the fast joking, on a sliding scale of how comfortable he was with people. You can absolutely tell if he's comfortable with people and it correlates to how much company manners he's putting on. Like he'll make the effort socially, but you can tell he's plotting his escape from this conversation most of the time on SMPearth unless with his allies.

you can get an incredibly long way with dropping your gs, "bruh", and deadpan sarcasm.

kinda guy to use "wanna" and "soporific" in the same sentence. Big vocabulary, informal mode of speaking unless he's giving a prepared speech.

On SMPearth jokes about world conquest and domination, on DSMP jokes about being the bad guy/withers/terrorism, on origins jokes about cancer.

Will talk himself up as the best and powerful while also in a way that implies he doesn't really believe that or think it's important. First Try, Chat, he'll say, while very clearly and obviously going for the sixth try. Didn't even sweat, while a moment ago he was audibly panicking down the mic. Kinda guy to talk about his enormous clout and then turn the conversation around to how Ranboo has higher viewership and he personally has fallen off and is dying and being flattened— not in a complaining way, but in a "you're doing so awesome you beat me so good great game" way.

does not swear while on stream. We know he swore off-stream but those clips are few and far between. You will get people twitch if you have techno swearing though.

I've run out of thoughts, does anyone else have more ideas for Techno characterization?

[oneforthemunny]

🧸🍯🎸 this is mine

for your blurb, rockstar!eddie, fluff, lore/flashback. set during the sneaking around phase, like a month before the engagement for timeline purposes.

"You're going back to the hotel room?" Jeff gawked, mouth nearly dropping at the words he was sure he was hallucinating.

"Yeah," Eddie flicked the lighter, bringing it to his usual post show joint. "Not really feelin' it."

"Not- Ed, we're in Amsterdam." Jeff scoffed.

"And?"

"You fuckin' love Amsterdam." Jeff blinked in awe, partial confusion.

"Yeah, I used to. Kinda boring now. Seen it, done it, need somethin' more exciting than hookers and weed." Eddie shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, his hands twitching with irritation, anxious to get into the car and back to the hotel.

"Lemme know if it's somethin' good, though. Maybe I'll stop by later." Ducking into the black car, Eddie nodded at the rest of his bandmates, shutting the door quickly.

His knee bounced the entire car ride, all seven minutes of it, ringed fingers tapping on the edge of his torn jeans. The car had barely slowed to a stop before Eddie was out, throwing a wad of Euros his tour manager had given him towards the driver, practically sprinting towards the private elevator entrance.

"Hey, uh, you don't happen to know what time it is in Los Angeles right now, do you?" Eddie turned towards the hotel manager accompanying him on the ride to the penthouse.

"No, sir, but I can get the front desk to call and-"

"-That's alright. Thank you." Eddie nodded, stepping towards the door before it opened, sliding through the opening gap.

"Looks great!" He turned, giving a half grin and a thumbs up, jamming the key into the lock.

"Uh, if you need anything, Mr. Munson-"

"-I won't even hesitate to let you know. I promise." Eddie cut off the nervous hotel manager, too familiar with the schtick- too many hotel rooms, all saying the same thing. Normally, he'd be less pushy and in a rush, on his best behavior with the staff because- "Fuck it, they're just doing their job. Why would I be an asshole about it?"

But tonight, he had bigger plans. He'd timed the closing number just right, no off topic rants or mid song chaos like usual- his tour manager should be thankful. No, he'd timed it all perfectly, striding over to the phone, dialing out for an international number.

The phone rang once, twice- Eddie's leg hadn't stopped bouncing until,

"I thought you said you'd call me at four." The familiar playful purr in your tone had his heart skipping, a nearly boyish grin spreading across his face. "It's almost five, here."

"I'm sorry, baby. Had to wrap a few things up at the venue. Didn't plan on it being late." Eddie cradled the phone to his ear, leaning back on the pristine bed. "What are you up to?"

"Hm, about to go out to dinner with a few friends." You sighed, nearly bored, like your heart wasn't fluttering the same way his was.

"Friends? Any I should be worried about?" Eddie's voice dropped, a low gravel in his tone that made heat rush through your veins.

"I think I should be asking you that, rockstar." You teased back. "You're the one in Amsterdam, and who called me late. Too busy with the hookers?"

"Psh, you caught me." Eddie snorted sarcastically. "Got one here with me right now if you wanna talk to her."

"You better not." Your tone clipped, teetering away from playful and towards possessive. "I'd hate to have to catch a flight down there."

"Well, in that case..." Eddie teased, rolling over on the bed, the phone chord stretching with him.

"Eddie,"

"'M just messin' with you. No hookers here. Just me." Eddie muttered, the silence of the room falling around him. "Wouldn't be mad if you did catch a flight, though. I've missed you, baby."

Your cheeks pricked with excited heat, swaying with the phone pressed to your ear. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I've missed you too." You whispered, like it was a secret. Maybe it was, to everyone else. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Smokin'." Eddie hummed, patting his bedside table, looking for the pre-rolled joints he'd requested. "Sleepin'."

"That doesn't sound like much fun." Eddie could practically hear your pout through the phone.

"Eh, it's not bad. A little lonely though." Eddie sighed. "Wish I had someone here with me to keep me company."

"You better be talking about me, Munson." You clipped.

Eddie grinned, a huff of laughter floating though the other end. "You know I'm talking about you. Everyone else is boring t'me now, baby. You ruined them, ruined me."

You bit back a giggle, lips curing in a grin. "Where's your next stop?"

"Uh, Berlin." Eddie muttered. "Leave tomorrow."

"Maybe... Maybe I'll stop in and see you." Your heart skipped when you suggested it. "Maybe we can go back to that cafe."

"You're too good to me." Eddie grinned, lazy and silly. "I'll pick you up at the airport."

"No, just send a car-"

"-I'll pick you up." Eddie insisted. "Don't worry, baby, I'll keep it hush-hush. Very low profile." He could practically hear your smile. "I don't wanna keep you from your friends tonight, so I'll get off the-"

"-You're not." You shook your head. "But I should probably go before Farrah kills me... and I need to call Jaques and let him know I'll need the plane tomorrow."

"I can't wait to see you." Eddie grinned into the receiver.

"You too." You squeaked, a giggly blush practically spilling through the phone. "I'll call you with the times."

"Alright, sweetheart. Have fun tonight. I'll see you soon." Eddie paused, his tongue running over his bottom lip. "Love you, baby."

"I love you." You sighed sweetly. "Don't party too hard. I'll see you tomorrow."

[rubra-wav]

Hello! I saw asks were open and I wanted to drop a request! What if Husk, Angeldust, and Alastor (separate) had a s/o who revealed that they could break deals on their (the collared's) end given some time?

Husk, Angel Dust and Alastor with a Dealbreaker S/O

[Part 2]

A/N: Alastor's is written as purely platonic tho per my personal boundaries

My Hazbin OC actually is a powerful Dealbreaker, so I'm going off of the lore I've thought up on this topic for him haha

I will maybe write a part 2 where reader actually manages to break the contracts rather than just saying they could.

CW: Sfw, angsty asf in places, reference to addiction, mention/reference to violence, Angel's touches a bit more on abuse response/trauma response type stuff, body/ horror imagery in Alastor's (Alastor being the creature he is basically)

Husk

- Husk would not believe you at all at first.

- He would be tending the bar and then stop mid-drying a glass as a heartbreaking hint of hope (the first hope he'd felt in centuries) passes over his face for a second before crumpling and turning to extreme bitterness.

- "That's not funny." He'd growl through grit teeth at you, thinking it was some kind of cruel joke.

- When reassured that you are absolutely serious, he gives you more of a look of almost pity, sighing as if deeply tired.

- He tells you that multiple people have told him the same thing over the years, and that they have all failed just the same.

- All skilled people who were known to be able to break even soul ownership deals wide open.

- The leash Alastor had on him was air-tight.

- He basically tells you it would be a giant waste of time and that you should give up and focus your time on something better then a poor old sinner like himself.

- When you don't back down from the discouragement, he sighs again, but feels warmth burning in his chest at the fact you wanted to help him so badly.

- He's not hopeful, but he wants to have faith in you even if he's trying to discourage you and scare you straight as much as possible.

- He wants so badly to be free so he can be with you without any limits of his commitment to you and only you. To not have to think about whether he's going to be summoned to some bullshit getup again whenever Alastor gets bored of the Hazbin Hotel.

- Deep down he's absolutely desperate for you to succeed in your mission.

- He wants the catalyst for his alcohol problem to go away so he can live and finally actually be happy without the heaviness of his deal weighing on him at all times, making him desperately need the escape.

- He absolutely will tell you very very seriously to not to let this slip that you're doing this to anybody though - or talk about this in a place you aren't absolutely confident doesn't have any certain member of the hotel listening in.

- Husk doesn't think that Alastor would harm you physically over this, that asshole would probably just find it amusing. However.

- Husk's worst fear would be you trying to get him his soul back by signing away yours, something very possible Alastor would offer as a trick.

- He'd be skeptical, fearful of you succumbing to a deal with Alastor, and not very hopeful at all as he's tried time and time again to break the contract on his soul. You are so... optimistic that you'll find a way, but again, his collar is air-tight. You'll have your work cut out for you breaking the deal of someone who's notoriously a dealmaker.

Angel Dust

- When you tell him that, he tenses up with a sharp inhale of breath, a complete 180 from how he just was seconds before, winding down from his night in his hotel room with you.

- Angel's deal would be logically way more easier to break. However, what Valentino's deal doesn't directly hold of Angel, the moth's manipulation keeps him stuck imprisoned under him.

- Angel absolutely would have thought of contacting a dealbreaker, however never actually would due to how terrified he is. If it turned out one of those people were a mole for Val trying to catch him out, Angel would be in so much pain from the punishment that that would entail. You cannot trust someone claiming to be a dealbreaker in hell isn't lying to you through their teeth.

- When he realises you are absolutely serious though, and obviously confident in your abilities, a myriad of harsh emotions pass across Angel's face. Fear (for both his and your safety), and hope made themselves the most apparent.

- Fear of what Val would do to him if he ever found out about this conversation. What he'd do to you.

- Valentino was certainly not above hurting people to get his way. Angel knew that better then anybody. But if Val ever caught wind that Angel's secret lover behind the scenes was trying to steal away Val's biggest money maker and favourite toy, he'd kill you. Straight up.

- That fear was there and was deeply terrifying to him. But so was the hope. A flurry of hope that fills him with relief and brings tears pricking at his eyes at the idea that he could actually be free of his captor and go do whatever you two decide and be fully happy without fear of Val.

- Live with you not as Angel Dust, but as Anthony. Completely his real, authentic self.

- "How." He whispers breathlessly.

- You tell him that you need to see the contract itself, analyse all the ins and outs and come up with a counter-contract.

- There would be a few ways you could actually break the deal from there, and although they would be time consuming and possibly (very much probably) dangerous, you were confident you could break him out.

- Angel would be extremely fearful, but also hopeful. You seem confident in your ability as his contract is messy and poorly crafted. He's reassured as you say that what's mostly chaining him down is the psychological control Val has over him.

Alastor

- When you tell Alastor this, I feel he could respond two ways depending on how you've learnt that information.

If he hasn't told you himself:

- If he hasn't told you this or doesn't know how you've found out, he's going to be absolutely pissed. At you and probably Husk (assuming Husk told you)

- He'd turn towards you with jerky, unnatural movements, bones and joints cracking loudly in a cringe worthy way. Overhead, the lights would be flickering as static begins to fill your head.

- Towering over you, he'd be still bent in that weird position as he grips sharpened claws into your shoulders. Your friendship is the only thing keeping him from making you nothing more then a stain on the wall.

- "Who told you about that."

- When you tell how you've found out, he likely let's out a chuckle dripping with anger that makes you want to cover your ears as the sound scrapes into them. "And what makes you think you could do what even I cannot?"

- He has analysed every single last clause, letter, meaning of the words used, every possible loophole in his contract to the point it's driven him to have multiple psychological breakdowns. To him there is no doubt in his mind at all that he's completely fucked by the contract he was tricked into and there's no chance in hell that you would ever be able to even assist.

- When you push and say that you want to do this for him, he's not even a little flattered at all, in fact, it bruises his ego massively that you'd have the audacity to confidently imply you could do what he's worked so hard to for 7 years.

- In instance one, he's incredibly pissed off at you for claiming you could ever undo his contract after learning about it from someone other then him, so angry he almost kills you. Leaves you alone shaking and afraid in the hall telling you not to say anything to anybody else about his deal, and to never so flagrantly exaggerate your own worth so massively again. Your prior confidence stamped down to embers.

If you are close enough of a person to him that he's confided in you about his collar however:

- He'd just chuckle, calling it cute that you thought you could do that while walking away.

- You miss the way his eye twitches.

- He'd still be incredibly angry about it, but due to not being surprised you knew of his biggest secret, he'd hide it much better.

- Continues to laugh when you insist you can do it, and would passive aggressively respond about how you should not overestimate your abilities and mind your own business essentially.

- Again, he's pissed off and his ego is bruised about it. But this time, he's hiding it behind his smile and is passive aggressive as fuck about it rather then outwardly aggressive. He won't let you know how much you've actually gotten to him even though he would have let his walls down to some extent to ever tell you that.

A/N I was actually already planning a fully written x reader fic that's not just the dot points with Angel at some point where reader saves him from his contract, so like... Maybe I'll do full fics for dealbreaking Husk and Alastor's contracts as well because I'm kind of interested in exploring a fic w them after writing this now

(I'm probably gonna say this then eat shit via the universe straight after lmfao 💀)

[winedarkthoughts]

house of addams (6)

— 🌖 pairing: ot7 x fem.reader

— 🕷️ genre: mystery, angst + fluff + smut

— 🗝️ word count: 5.5k

— 🍄 summary: desperate times call for morally grey measures.

— ☕ content warnings: stalking (but it's mutual??), taking photos without consent (also mutual), slight lore dump, mentions of death/decomposition/missing persons

— 🕸️ a/n: thank you so much to everyone who continues to share their thoughts i love y'all so much!!

previous chapter ← series m.list → next chapter

chpt. 6: don't stalk, investigate

october 19, 2004

The trees surrounding the university are starting to brown at the edges. Fall has begun its descent.

The click of the camera shutter has become white noise to you. Through the viewfinder, you follow the motion of the mop of black hair.

You've found that that's how he starts almost all of his mornings: messily, sleepily. More often than not, his hair is just-rolled-out-of-bed fluffy, the lower half of his face covered with a black mask so you can only see his cat-like eyes.

He looks good today, wearing a loose white button-up and silver jewelry. He approaches the university with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, still clearly half-asleep.

Yoongi is not a morning person, you've learned. You know because you've been watching him.

Listen, you never claimed to be a saint. And yes, maybe half the reason that you're a damn good private investigator is because you're willing (and perfectly capable) of doing the things that others would rather not.

So be it. You've witnessed others commit far worse evils than the one you're currently undertaking.

Long story short, your mental blockade with the case (and whatever the fuck happened at the lake) may or may not have caused you to look into some of the strange characters frequenting Farrow's End. Starting with the shy, antisocial botanist.

The fact that he supposedly lived in the Addams house (according to the commentary from the college students) wasn't the thing that made you suspicious, it was the fact that he lied about living in the Addams house. Pretended to know absolutely nothing about it, to boot.

As a human being, you can respect someone keeping their secrets. As a private investigator, your job is to dig up any secrets that prove relevant to your investigation.

Half of you wants to believe that he's nothing but a good guy. You can admit that you like him, that you relate to his aura as the token "weirdo." But the cynical part of you, it whispers in your ear that he shouldn't be trusted.

No one should. Your job has taught you that much.

Therefore, you have to exhaust each point of view until you find out who's guilty, and who's less guilty. Because pure innocence is impractical.

And after what you saw (or think you saw) at the lake, you're going to have to gear your research towards less "scientific" topics. And try to avoid the woods at all costs. For the time being, at least.

On most days, Yoongi begins his days early, and mostly on-campus. It didn't take long to witness him being transported by the same black Mercedes that you saw outside the cafe, the one supposedly belonging to one of the mysterious Jungs.

Though Yoongi never enters the car in heavily populated areas. He usually walks a short distance to a more private spot, and then the car pulls up like clockwork.

You can never get a good look at the driver, thanks to the tinted windows.

So far, the only suspicious thing about the botanist is the fact that he lied about living in the Addams house. He goes to class, goes to his labs, gets coffee, goes home, with very little in-between.

Well, that plus spending a large amount of his time on campus with one specific chemist. And it doesn't take much longer to realize that he lives at the Addams house too.

Jimin, unlike Yoongi, is often late. He gets dropped off by the same sleek car, a short distance away from his destination, then he power walks to wherever he's going, fluffing and preening himself along the way.

Whether it's a hand brushing through his hair, or a knuckle pushing up the bridge of his glasses (which he never leaves the house without), or him adjusting the collar of his shirt, he's almost always fixing himself.

Sometimes, you get the impression that he isn't comfortable in his own skin.

He has a few other signatures: those heeled boots, pants that are almost always too tight for your liking, glasses (either tinted or completely dark), and always a mask covering his mouth. That, or sometimes an oversized scarf pulled up to just under his nose when it's particularly chilly outside, the wind rustling his hair and it's oddly shifting color.

You've taken to wearing one of your smaller cameras around your neck at all times, just in case you run into anything suspicious and need to snap a picture.

The morning mist has deepened into a constant drizzle most mornings, and that leather jacket you bought at Magic Shop has come in particularly handy. The garment is warm and cozy, and it always gives you a feeling of comfort whenever you wear it.

Fine, so maybe following Yoongi and Jimin didn't yield the results you wanted, though you'll admit it was fun. Still, something is telling you that there's something suspicious about that house and those who reside in it.

So you move on to another lead: Kim Taehyung.

He rarely leaves the house, you've found. So you have to conclude that he lives there as well as works there. When he does leave, it's on official business. Either to go to the police station to pick up documents or out of town to examine a body.

He doesn't ride in the Mercedes, though. Rather, he drives a classic black hearse. Again, peak dedication to the aesthetic, which you can appreciate.

And fine, maybe you snapped a few pictures of him on the rare times you caught him out of the house, but it's all for the sake of the investigation.

At first, you were quite hesitant to get too close to the house on the hill, with its looming trees and black birds hovering all about the roof.

But one day, when you creep up the path, the front gate opens on its own to welcome you. You were planning on scraping along the outside of the gate, peering into the yard through the iron bars. You weren't expecting it to actually open for you.

A gust of wind surges through the air, pulling you towards the house. The rustle of the trees practically whispers come closer.

It takes you a little bit aback, but you don't show it. Just in case someone is watching. In fact, you barely react to it, simply sidestepping the gate entrance and continuing along the path as if you were on a morning walk.

You walk along the entire perimeter of the gated yard, which is much, much larger than you anticipated. There are a number of gardens, a small hedge maze, a swamp even, and at the very edge of the property, a graveyard.

The tombstones are dotted throughout the wooded grove, a thick layer of ivy covering the ground like a burial shroud, and an air of calm hangs about the place.

But it isn't until you circle back to the other side of the house that you see something you truly weren't expecting: Jin, your favorite barista, strolling through the garden with a cup and saucer in his hands.

Wearing a turtleneck under a black coat, his hair blowing picturesquely in the chill wind, he meanders past the crumbling stone statues and trickling fountains.

You quickly duck behind a tree, reaching into your jacket to grab the small binoculars that you typically carry when you're in the..."observation" phase of the investigation. No, this isn’t the first time you’ve done this sort of thing.

Jin leisurely walks over the cobblestone pathway, sipping from his cup with a satisfied expression. He'll run a hand through his hair or lean against one of the stone garden walls, looking over his shoulder every once in a while.

And maybe it's just a hunch, but you get the sense that he knows that he's being watched. The weird thing is that he doesn't seem bothered by the fact at all. In fact, it almost looks like he's...posing.

An itch at the back of your neck. A glance back at Jin tells you that he's not looking at you, nor has he realized that you're there. But still, now you feel eyes on you.

You look around but find nothing but white-barked trees. And maybe if you looked a little closer you would've noticed that the knots in said trees look a little too much like eyes, open and alert.

Even if you had noticed such a thing, your conscience would tell you that obviously that's not the case. Trees can't watch people.

You'd be wrong, of course, but how could you have known that then?

october 23, 2004

He only ever works nights. The graveyard shift, to be specific. His shift always starts after the sun has set, and it ends just before it rises again.

Normally, you'd split your time between the cafe and the bookshop, but recently you've dedicated almost the entirety of your days to watching the barista and learning his habits. And in that time, you've hardly seen him eat.

In all the time you've spent watching him combined, the only things you've seen him eat include: a handful of olives, a few slices of bread and cheese, and the occasional spoonful of honey. Coffee and the offhand glass of red wine (which he pours into a teacup with a charming wink when he catches you watching him) is all you ever see him drink.

The only time he leaves the Addams house, besides to go to work, is on Saturday mornings when the Farmer's Market takes up the town square.

Sporting a checkered coat with the collar turned up to shield the lower half of his face, sunglasses (even though it's utterly cloudy), and an umbrella held over his head (even though it's not even drizzling), Jin scours the aisles, scrutinizing each booth's wares to find only the freshest and best quality produce, meats, and bread. He also procures some fancy cheese and preserves, his tastes expensive and well-refined.

The only other time you see him deviate from his routine is to visit the nearest hospital one afternoon. You're expecting him to enter into the waiting room, but he circles around the back, waiting by a STAFF ONLY door.

That same tickle from somewhere in your brain, the one that makes your eyes a little blurry. You take a moment to refocus them, and then you see the door crack open.

The person behind the door hands Jin an object that he quickly conceals in his coat, and the interaction is too quick for you to see what exactly it is.

But not quick enough for you to miss taking a picture. Because you've learned that it's always best to prioritize the camera before your eyes.

You take it to the dark room that same day. And the film reveals that the object appears to be a plain white box. Your guess is that it's a thermal container, the ones used to transport samples or the like.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit that it takes another day to put two and two together.

You're sitting in the cafe, skimming through the files of the five missing persons, when Jin approaches your booth and silently places a pastry on the table.

It's another one of his habits, you've noticed. Whenever you're in the cafe and have gone a long time without ordering any food, he'll subtly bring you something without a word, and you're usually too focused on your research to notice until some time has passed and it's too late to reject the offer.

You've told him several times that though the gesture is appreciated, he doesn't need to provide you with any freebies just because you're in here all the time. But he just brushes you off and claims that he needs a taste tester for his new recipes.

You let it slide after telling yourself that he probably does the same to a number of other customers given his charming nature (though in all the time you've observed him he's never done it for any other patron, but that you conveniently ignore).

This time it's a little cake, topped with a strawberry and absolutely smothered in fresh cream. When you cut into it, red jam spills from the inside of the cake like blood from a wound.

Then it finally clicks.

...Blood.

Like a slideshow in fast motion, all of the little details spring back into the forefront of your mind. The time when you noticed his shirtsleeve riding up, revealing a faded scar distinctly resembling a bite mark on the inside of his wrist. The time you noticed him drinking from a to-go coffee cup, but with a ring of red surrounding the opening in the lid.

And at the hospital, a thermal container used to transport samples such as blood bags, or even human organs.

Fuck.

You push the dessert away at the realization, scrambling to gather your things and leave the cafe as quickly as possible.

Of course, that means you miss the concerned and slightly disappointed look on Jin's face as he watches you go.

october 24, 2004

You don't know what makes you more of an idiot, the fact that you're actually close to believing that Jin is some sort of blood-sucking creature of the night, or the fact that it took you this long to consider the fact based on all the warning signs.

Unfortunately, nothing is impossible. And though none of your investigations so far have pointed to something so overtly "supernatural," you have to entertain the possibility.

Because it's possible that something about it could trace back to one or more of the victims, since clearly this case has proven to be far from normal.

Though the internet is a great resource, currently all you can find is blog posts, and you'd prefer not to cite those when it comes to professional matters. So you turn to local folklore, urban legends, and the security of the written word.

When you enter the bookshop the next day, you realize just how broad of a topic it is. There are hundreds, even thousands of mythical creatures across different cultures. It's going to take a long time to factor out one with the right features and track it's roots.

Then you remember the man behind the counter. Namjoon is currently staring at the mass of papers on his desk, looking confused and frustrated.

"What's all that?" you ask as you approach the counter.

"My accounts. Balancing my checkbook," he replies without looking up from the mess.

"Ah," you say in understanding, in pity.

A pause.

"Want a distraction?" you finally ask, and his head whips up almost instantly.

"Dear God, yes."

You chuckle, moving to lean against the desk.

"You're a writer, right?"

"Yes," he answers with a nod.

"What kind of things do you write?"

"Mostly research papers, some articles here and there, a few field guides."

Hmm, so he's more of a scholar, then. Interesting.

"In what area of study?"

Namjoon's mouth twitches like he's trying to find the right words.

"Folklore," he finally answers, but obviously there's a little more to it.

Perfect. You bite back the urge to rock on your toes with excitement.

"Can I ask you a few questions?"

He smiles at that, dimples and all, like nothing would delight him more.

"Of course, anything you want," he answers, voice curling around the edges.

And you don't know it, but he means it sincerely. He would tell you anything and everything about him and his little family if you would only ask.

Any of them would, really. Technically, none of them have ever lied to you, they just haven't share all the information.

And if Namjoon is being honest, all of them are quite eager for you to get a little more invasive and figure them out for yourself.

"What do you know about mythological creatures that feed on life energy?"

You didn't mean for it to come out so specific, so incriminating. But you're getting a little tired of questions without a ghost of an answer.

His eyebrows raise a bit.

"To be honest with you, my knowledge is limited mainly to the folklore of this region," he admits, sounding apologetic.

Even more perfect. You try not to give away too much of your excitement, despite the fact that every time you encounter him he only seems to get better and better.

"Pray tell," you urge, leaning forward slightly with open ears.

A little bashful expression crosses his face as he settles deeper in his chair, all thoughts of taxes abruptly thrust aside.

"Well, vampiric creatures are quite common across folklore in many cultures. They're usually associated with outbreaks of disease, and vampire hunts are mostly accompanied with epidemics..."

You let him talk for as long as he wants, listening eagerly and only looking away to scribble a few notes from time to time. It's clear that he's passionate about what he studies, speaking about it like a lover would.

He tells you that even the word "vampire" is shrouded in mystery, as linguists do not know the precise etymological origin. Apparently, the folklore of this region is steeped in Slavic roots, so that's what he focuses on to narrow it down for you.

From the Old East Slavic language, the term "vampire" hails from the word "upir," which is speculated to translate as "someone who bites" or "the thing at the feast/sacrifice," though the word has no definite origin.

Namjoon tells you that scholars agree that the term was used as a stand-in, since they were too afraid to say the creature's true name.

"An upir needs to feed on life essence to survive. In literature, this is usually represented by drinking blood, since it represents life," Namjoon explains.

"Usually?"

He shrugs.

"The "opir" in Ukraine consumes large amounts of fish as their source of sustenance, preferences vary across cultures."

"You speak of it like they're real," you say with a chuckle, watching closely for his reaction.

Another shrug, this one more uncomfortable.

"To the Slavs, they were. The universal belief in supernatural beings was common. Unseen entities were part of the way they understood the world," he says.

"Hmm," you mumble, scanning him up and down. You try not to delight in the way he squirms slightly under your scrutiny.

"Most of the traits attributed to vampires these days are based on myths, or downright misunderstandings," Namjoon blurts out. "Like how the outbreak of rabies in Europe led to the belief that the upir are afraid of light, which is ridiculous. Many of the symptoms of rabies, which is spread through biting, coincide with the supposed traits of vampires, like the fear of light and altered sleep patterns."

He says it all like he's slightly annoyed.

"Or how they assumed that the upir are undead because during decomposition, built up pressure can push the blood into a corpse's mouth," he continues.

"So the upir aren't undead at all?" you probe.

"No, it's just a misconception," Namjoon replies like he's in the throes of a heated debate.

He seems to notice, since the next moment he's clearing his throat awkwardly and slumping in his seat.

There's a moment of silence as you jot down some more notes.

"They're not evil," he blurts out like he can't help it, and the look on his face implores you to believe him.

You look up at him.

"Across the centuries, they've always been used as the scapegoat for things humans can't understand," he adds softly.

Hmm, yes that seems to be a recurrent theme in human history.

You close your notebook and straighten up from leaning on the desk.

"Very interesting. Thank you, Namjoon," you say and mean it.

He smiles and nods as if to say of course, but after your back is turned, his face falls a bit, wondering if he let a little too much slip.

"Too much? In my opinion, you didn't tell her enough," Jimin quips.

Namjoon rolls his eyes, but he's mainly focused on Jin. The older man only smiles at him, pressing a comforting hand to Namjoon's cheek.

"Don't worry, love. I don't mind at all," he says. Because yes, he too is eager for you to realize just what they all are.

"I just don't want her to think we're the ones behind all this," Namjoon admits.

"If she's as smart as she appears, then she'll figure that out for herself soon enough," Hoseok replies, slowly circling the room with his arms crossed.

He approaches the elegant leather couch that Namjoon and Jin are occupying.

"Joonie," he says, running a hand down the younger man's neck.

"I don't think it would hurt to drop her a few more hints, hm?" And everyone notices the smirk on Hoseok's face.

"I'm tired of waitiiiiing," Jimin whines.

"She's still a skeptic, Minie," Yoongi supplies from where he's watering the plants against the window. "She needs to be eased in."

Jimin just rolls his eyes.

"We could just kidnap her," he suggests.

"No." The reply comes instantly from Namjoon, Jungkook, and Yoongi simultaneously.

Jimin laughs high and bright.

"Come now, Jimin," Hoseok says with a sharp smile of his own. "Everyone knows it's more fun when they consent to it first."

october 25, 2004

The next time you enter the bookshop, Namjoon immediately mentions that he put together a little collection of texts for you to look over, saying they might be interesting to you. Maybe even aid in the investigation.

You thank him earnestly. And no, your face doesn't heat up at the fact that someone has gone out of their way to make your life easier.

When you slip into your usual nook, you notice that one of the drawers in the desk is adorned with a little pink ribbon around the handle, almost like it's gift-wrapped. And when you open it, you see several books, articles, and newspaper clippings, all of which seem very promising.

Something stirs in your stomach at the sight, but it's quickly set aside as you lock in and dive headfirst into the new research endeavor.

There's the notice for each of the missing persons, all the mentions of them so far in the newspapers, including one article from a publisher you've never heard of.

With the headline simple reading DISAPPEARED, the short snippet describes each missing person and the details of their last eyewitness account. The strange thing is that the article includes far more details than the big-name publishers, making you wonder why you haven't heard of it before.

The Periscope Press. You don't recall seeing it in any of the corner stores around town, but you do recall some of the people you interviewed mentioning details from "the newspaper" that you hadn't heard previously. Maybe this is the publisher they were referring to.

When you ask Namjoon about it though, he is surprisingly unhelpful. He claims that he can't remember where he came across the article, saying that he often picks up stray newspapers for wrapping and packing purposes for the shop.

Well, you suppose you'll have to save it for later then.

Also among the pile of papers in the drawer, there's a short blurb announcing the opening of the Kim Morgue and Crematorium. Taking a closer look at the date tells you that Taehyung's practice has actually been passed down through nearly three generations.

Technically, Taehyung is actually Taehyung III, taking the same name as his father and grandfather and great-grandfather before him.

But it's the photo you stumble upon that really stalls your breath.

A portrait, faded and yellowing, dated almost seventy-five years ago. The subject is a man dressed in a brown suit and tie, his hair dark and curly, except it looks exactly like him. From the Roman slant of his nose, down to the way he positions his shoulders, it looks almost indistinguishable from the Taehyung of today. The family resemblance is apparently very strong.

And again, it's a little embarrassing how long it takes you to reach the conclusion that to others, especially to the supernaturally-inclined, might seem obvious.

But you've already mentioned that you're a bit of a skeptic.

october 28, 2004

You fear that you may be going a bit crazy.

The dreams are getting worse. They've escalated from simple images and sounds to corporeal sensations. You feel the water so sharply, the cold, the current, even the vibrations. You can see hands reaching towards you, and sometimes you are compelled to reach back. Sometimes you swear you wake up smelling of seawater.

And the itchy feeling of being watched has only gotten stronger. You feel as though you're always looking over your shoulder, always listening for following footsteps.

In the past few days, you've used your research as an effective distraction.

You've found that the Kim family has run the morgue out of the Addams house for almost as long as the Jung family has owned it, Taehyung hailing from a long line of coroners and forensic pathologists rooted in Farrow's End.

With a little digging, you discovered that the Jungs have been business tycoons for decades, buying and selling and trading their vast number of industries to generate a near endless stream of income that they then hand down to their children and children's children.

Unfortunately, most of the knowledge on the Jung family is circulated through the townsfolk, so you have to ask around a bit to get a more solid basis.

The current owner of the Addams house is one Jung Hoseok. Young, beautiful, and filthy rich, according to those you spoke with on the streets. But, apparently he spent most of his youth in a mental hospital. Not only a mental hospital, a high-security facility for the criminally insane.

Now, you're not sure how much of that you believe, but you still have to entertain the possibility.

And one day, you even catch sight of him. A small crowd tends to gather whenever the black Mercedes pulls into town, curious eyes prying into the tinted windows.

You're lingering outside the bookshop one afternoon, making sure you didn't leave anything behind after a four-hour-long research session, when the car rolls through the streets like a slinky black cat.

Whispers immediately fill the air, causing you to look up from your bag, which is bursting at the seams these days from all the papers you have to carry around.

The car stops at the curb in front of the cafe, the driver soon killing the engine. Then, the driver's side door opens, and a black-booted foot steps onto the sidewalk.

The man is handsome, you have to admit, with long black hair that curls at the nape of his neck. His face is sharp and angular, with a softly heart-shaped mouth and surprisingly bright eyes.

He's dressed in pressed pants and jacket, thin and elegant. The man walks into the cafe and picks up a to-go order, gets back into his car, and drives away without so much as a glance at all the people who have stopped to stare at him.

You being one of them, but you're fairly certain that you're the only one who takes a few pictures.

But it wasn't until yesterday that you started to really feel like you were losing your marbles.

As you're asking around town, you breach the subject of the town's forensic pathologist. Everyone you speak to has nothing but good things to say about the young coroner, except for the fact that he isn't as young as you thought he was.

You ask a woman you struck up a conversation with outside the grocery store about the Kim family, and she says that Taehyung did a fantastic job taking care of her nephew for his funeral.

You agree, mentioning your admiration for how educated he is for someone so young.

That's when the woman's face turns puzzled. "Young?" she says, raising an eyebrow. She goes on to say that the most recent Kim Taehyung has been running the morgue for the last twenty years.

"Taehyung III?" you ask. "Thin, dark eyes, looks a bit like a Roman statue?"

"Yes, that's the one. Took over the family business after his father died. But no children, I hear he's training a young apprentice that will likely take over when he retires."

You mention that surely Taehyung has time to have children, but that same confused expression crosses her face.

"Isn't he nearly seventy though?"

A squirmy feeling in the pit of your stomach. You awkwardly brush off the woman, apologizing for the confusion.

You ask almost every other passerby you see on the street that evening about the town coroner, and they all say the same thing. A kind man, very good at his job, and most definitely in his late sixties.

They all insist that there hasn't been a young Kim in the business since Taehyung was a trainee nearly thirty years prior.

So you do a little more digging, and turns out it's true. If you'd have looked a little closer at the dates on all of Taehyung's degrees and certificates, you'd find that he acquired them all between fifteen and twenty-five years ago.

You're tailing him the next morning. You got lucky, today being one of the rare days when he leaves the Addams house to go into town.

He steps out of the hearse in leather shoes and a sweater vest under his trenchcoat. You suppose he dresses like he's older, from the way he tucks in his shirt and cuffs his pants, but he also sports a crossbody bag over his shoulder that others would most likely consider feminine, but he pulls it off effortlessly.

The clouds are letting down a light rain, leaving dewdrops on your jacket and making Taehyung's hair appear just a bit fluffier.

There's that same streak of gray from his hairline. The only indicator that he possibly isn't an attractive man in his late twenties/early thirties.

But that's exactly what you're looking at. Not an older man with aged skin and silver hair, rather more like a bronze god with a mop of black curls. And the only sign of age from knowledge or experience is deep in his eyes.

You begin to follow him down the street, sneaking pictures occasionally, curious what would happen if you were to show said pictures to others. Would they still see an old man? Or would they see the young one you've been seeing from the beginning?

You get the odd sensation that you're being watched, but from a source you can't name, since you're fairly certain Taehyung hasn't noticed you.

It's as you're nearing the end of the sidewalk, slipping in-between a cluster of people, that he suddenly stops dead in his tracks.

You stop too, a cold chill latching onto your spine. He stands there for a moment, perfectly still.

Then, he turns over his shoulder and looks right at you.

There haven't been many times in your career where you're genuinely shocked speechless. And even fewer when your target is not only fully aware of the fact that you're trailing them, but apparently isn't bothered in the slightest by it.

Because then a smirk is creeping onto his face. Those tiger eyes turn a shade darker, and he nods his head slightly as if to greet you.

He knew you were watching him, they all did.

The ice under your skin only intensifies when you hear the click of a camera shutter from behind you.

Whipping around, you see Jung Hoseok standing just a few feet away, a camera held up to his face and the brim of his hat tilted down, but you know it's him.

And the lens is pointed at you.

What's strange is that no one else seems to notice him. Every other time you've seen him in town, everyone stops to stare, but now they slide around him like he isn't even there, their eyes looking right through him.

Something weird is definitely going on.

You dissolve back into the crowd like a ghost.

october 29, 2004

A letter appears on your doorstep. The stationary is soft and expensive-looking, with your name scrawled on the front in curling script. With no return address.

It's enclosed with a red wax seal, stamped with the image of a crow.

You debate on whether or not to open it for approximately three minutes.

Dearest _______,

We cordially invite you to the Addams House for dinner, dancing, and drinks on October 30 at 6:00 p.m. sharp. Please bring your case notes for discussion.

Dress code: semi-formal.

Fondly,

Jung Hoseok

The back of the paper reads:

How do you accept this invitation?

➳ With enthusiasm

➳ With excitement

You think about it for about thirty seconds. Circling "with enthusiasm," you slip the paper back into the envelope and set it back outside where you found it.

It's gone the next morning.

a/n: thanks so much for reading!! i would absolutely love to hear any of your thoughts! 👉👈

[princessofgotham777]

Dating Jason Todd (Part Eighteen: want to want you)

Jason Todd x Reader

fanfic type: angst, fluff, comfort (ongoing)

If you liked the Titans show but wish they handled Jason’s story line differently you might like this fic!

Heyyyyyy, long time no see. I fear I pulled a Jason and disappeared for a bit but hey whatever I’m back now. I lowkey like how this part came out so I hope you enjoy!

So story line, this doesn’t really take place in any specific universe but I’m gonna be pulling concepts from Titans, Arkham Knight, The Batman, Under the Red Hood, and whatever lore I remember from the CW shows cause I grew up watching those, then just my imagination of course. Reader is referred to as she/her btw. Of course I don’t own any DC characters this is purely fanfiction.

Warnings: talking about death, suicide, depression, torture (it’s not graphic I hate gore it’s just sad), talking about intimacy (not graphic), struggling with eating, topics of grief, violence, panic attacks, PTSD

Part Nineteen: want to want you

It had been two hours since you found out Jason was alive. He’s currently, passed out, handcuffed to a medical bed in the batcave. You’re sitting beside him and beside you is Alfred. Bruce and Dick are standing across the room. Everyone is quiet aside from the whispers between Gar and Rachel. The DNA test has a few more minutes on it. Bruce and Dick finished digging up the coffin, inside was a dummy. Gar, Rachel and Kori are in the batcave. Every few minutes you look up to see Dick staring at you with anger. Under his scowl though you see something deeper, fear. You knew he was afraid of losing you and losing himself to his old habits. That moment back in titans tower after Jason went missing you saw a switch flip in Dick. He lost his Nightwing, titans leader persona and fell back into the violent tendencies he’d become numb to as Robin. The DNA testing machine buzzes and Alfred gets up to check it. It’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone holds their breath and finally Alfred says, “it’s Jason.” Dicks facial expression changes, he knows he’s fucked up, it’s just a question of if he’ll try to defend himself or accept defeat.

Gar pokes his head in the room, “we heard the ring, what’s it say?” He asks, looking at Dick. Dick gives him no response instead just staring at Jason.

“It’s Jason,” Bruce says.

Gar smiles widely and then goes and yells to Kori and Rachel, “it’s him!”

“The cuffs can come off now,” you say. Dick and Bruce look at each other. “You two are impossible!” You say angrily.

“Y/N,” Bruce says. “We still don’t know how much the pit has affected him.” Dick is silent.

“And you!” You yell at Dick. “Are you gonna say anything!” You hear something and turn to see that while you, Bruce, and Dick were arguing Alfred had undone Jason’s cuffs and woken him up. He quickly sits up straight, fully alert. He rips the iv Alfred had previously put in out and jumps up. It’s like an eternity passes before anyone speaks.

“Jason,” Bruce says.

“You…” Jason begins to say angrily. “You let that evil death worshipping piece of trash live!” He yells at Bruce. He walks over to Bruce so he’s just inches away from his face, nobody dares to stop him. “He beat me, electrocuted me, starved, cut and mentally tortured me for days till I died and when I wake up I find he’s still breathing,” “you are no better than the joker, you claim to be working to stop him but you never actually do.” He says. You walk over to Jason. You gently place a hand on his shoulder and he flinches. Dick takes a step forward but you shoot him a glare.

“Let’s go,” you whisper. “We can leave,” you say. He stares at Bruce for another moment then you feel him take your hand. As you follow Jason’s lead out of the room, you and Dick lock eyes.

You and Jason race upstairs to his old room. He begins using a pocket knife to rip up a couple floor boards. “Before you follow me to the ends of the Earth and leave all your friends you should know I killed him,” Jason says.

“Who?” You ask.

“Riley Larson,” he says. The guy who stalked you.

“Why?” You ask. “I thought he wasn’t gonna be a problem anymore.”

“All those years ago I broke his leg to teach him a lesson but when we moved out of the tower I noticed he started keeping tabs on you again. I had planned to frame him for murder or something but then…everything happened. And so when I…when I…” he paused. “When I got back I took care of him for good,” he says.

“Do you regret it?” You ask.

Jason reaches into the floor and grabs a black backpack. He looks you dead in the eyes and says, “no.” “Sure I’m not happy about it but I’d do it again,” he says. He freezes till you finally exhale, processing his answer. He walks over to the desk and throws a couple things into the bag. You think about what he said and the look on his face. Dick and Bruce were partially right, Jason had changed. Though maybe he hadn’t maybe this was the real him finally revealed. You grabbed your bag and waited, set on your plan to go with him. Jason began to walk over to you but he paused. He looked around the room. All your clothes everywhere, his clothes everywhere, dirty cups and places, miscellaneous tissues, he saw everything you’d went through after his death. He ran his hand over his face as if he was trying to wipe the thoughts away, he put his tough persona back on. Jason wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you close and softly said, “let’s go.”

You and Jason made it outside without running into anyone. Then you two saw Dick quickly walking over. “The back of the pool house. Go get the bike,” Jason says as he hands you the keys. You take them and head off to the pool house.

“Jason you know this is a bad idea,” Dick says.

“Says who? You?” He says. “You don’t know shit about resurrection. There is no “pit madness” that’s bullshit, I killed those dealers and that guy cause they’re monsters.”

“Then what does that make you,” Dick snaps.

Jason brushes it off, “you’re just pissed because after everything she still wants to be with me, not you. And it’s crazy cause according to her you don’t even love her romantically who knows if that’s true but romantic or not you like the control. You need people to need you. You did it with me, Y/N, Rachel, Kori, Jericho, Gar, hell even Bruce and the list goes on,” he says.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Dick says.

“No I think I do, and the fact that you asked me to not let her come with me instead of asking her to stay with you yourself proves it,” Jason says. “If you want her to stay, ask her yourself.”

“Every fucking time I look at you I remember I failed,” Dick spits out.

“I’m sorry,” is all Jason says. Though it’s a simple sentence it holds much meaning.

You drove over on Jason’s red motorcycle. You got off and said, “everything good?” Jason got on the bike.

“Y/N you can’t be serious about leaving with him,” Dick says as he pulls you to the side.

“Watch it!” Jason yells to Dick who flips him off in response.

“Why wouldn’t I be serious,” you say.

“Look at what he’s done…the people he’s killed,” Dick says.

“You mean the people dealing to kids? The guy who stalked me for years?” You ask.

“You don’t know if he’s the same Jason. We don’t know what he’s capable of,” Dick says.

“Capable of?” You say with sadness in your eyes. “The only and I mean only time he’s ever done anything against me was when he went after Joker and that was in attempt to keep me safe. All he’s ever cared about was me being safe and happy,” you say.

“Maybe the safest place to be isn’t with a guy who just took a swim in the Lazarus pit,” Dick argues.

“You’re impossible,” you say. “Thea’s been in the pit, Sara, Roy, Oliver and the list goes on, you’re only saying this because it’s Jason,” you say.

“I’m saying this cause I can’t see you get hurt,” he says.

“Jason wouldn’t hurt me,” you say.

“He might not even mean to…the pit can mess people up,” Dick says.

“Dick I’ll be fine, I’m leaving with him and…and you can’t stop me,” you say.

“Y/N,” he says desperately.

“Goodbye Dick,” you say quietly.

“You’re just gonna walk away! After everything we’ve been through,” he yells.

“I have to,” you say with tears in your eyes.

“For him,” he says with resentment.

“For myself,” you correct.

“Please,” he said in defeat.

“We’ve had this conversation before Dick, when I left the titans. My answers the same as it was back then, I’m going with Jason,” you say. Dick watched as you walked away. You weren’t his dream girl. Hell he didn’t even love you romantically, but it wasn’t exactly platonic either. You were a flame and he was a moth. The past few years you’d been a constant in his life even when you were being assholes to each other or messing with each others emotions at least you were there; at least he had you and at least you had him. Now things would be different. He knew that for a fact. There would be no more secrets kept just between you two. No more wondering if real feelings of romance or attraction would ever develop. No more angry glances or three am phone calls. He knew Jason was right, he needed you to need him and you didn’t, not anymore. He knew that’s one of the reasons you loved Jason sure he protected you like Dick but Jason also taught you how to fight for yourself. Dick let you depend on him but Jason taught you how to stand on your own two feet with the knowledge that he’d be there if you needed him. Dick had lost you for good, and he believed it was his own doing. The feeling you two would turn into strangers lingered in his mind. He wanted to go back to that night on the rooftop in Chicago when you two forgave each other. It seems like every decision he makes regarding you is the wrong one. Convincing each other you had feelings, always putting his baggage on you, how he treated you like a stranger at titans tower, how he wished he stopped you when you left with Jason, how he regretted not saving him after he’d promised you to, and how he couldn’t save you from yourself after Jason died.

You and Jason drove for at least an hour and a half. You two left Gotham. You stopped at a run down gas station right outside the city. Being out of Gotham felt good, it was almost like the feeling you got when you first left Gotham to join the Titans. It wasn’t quite the same though, this one was bittersweet. New chapters are always bittersweet. You’d finally burned your tether to the titans, to Dick.

“When I woke up at the league I was completely lost,” Jason begins to say. “I didn’t know where I was or how I got there all I could remember was the sheer pain and terror of death. But then I found the Polaroids you buried me with, and my bracelets,” he says. You remembered, the Polaroids of you and Jason and Rachel and Gar. When you’d tucked those in his jacket at the funeral you’d never imagined he’d get the chance to actually look at them again. But now here he was. It was just you, him, and the possibilities of what was next. “I love you, Y/N” he says.

“I love you too Jason,” you say.

Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this part. If you did remember to check out my Masterlist for the other parts. Any feedback really helps and keeps me motivated, it’s always appreciated! This might be the last part to this fic for a bit we’ll see I might have more ideas tho. But for now I’m gonna focus on FINALLY starting the “The Other Titan” fic. It will also be Jason Todd x Reader with some Dick Grayson angst and such as well. It’s a backstory for this fic so maybe check it out if you enjoyed this one. Thanks for reading!

Masterlist

[starflungwaddledee]

Ahoi, in being normal about your content, I came up with a couple of questions! (From answer answers, in fact!)

One...ah, less a question and more expressing interest in why Elfilin is ALSO uncomfortable with Starstruck, along with, y'know, the Waddle Dee... (I know you've got a whole platter on your plate, I'm just curious and I'll bet Elfy looks really cute in your style if you wanted to draw a thing about this!!!!)

Two...you mentioned in an answer that Starstruck knows some languages already, has...anyone figured that out, in canon? Has Magolor shown her some ancient texts or used a loanword and stumbled into yet another way she is Perfectly Normal?

(Actually...if you don't mind a third, what does Magolor think of the Ancients in general? Given they sound, um...like QUITE a topic to unearth, in your AUs! And if I'm remembering my Magolore right he's a big nerd for the ancients.)

(Please answer as much or as little as you like!!!!! Whenever you like!!!!!!!!!!!)

helloooo graycoin!! more Keen Eye'd questions!! 👀 i'll answer each of these in order and link to any relevant info! there's a little comic of magolor and starstruck towards the end, for folks who want to skip the text!

regarding elfilin being uncomfortable around starstruck, it's very much to do with her magic signature, which is why i compared it to how waddle dees are uncomfortable around her. i'll still do a full comic for this- i know i said i'd have it done for february, and i'm sorry for the delay, but it is actually a key lore drop so i won't be skipping it! personality wise i think starstruck and elfilin could get along totally okay, especially with kirby as a mediator, but as it stands elfilin can't quite bridge the gap of trusting her.

with magolor's interests; i absolutely think of him as someone who is very much a big nerd for the Ancients!!! of the ancient races, he would be (of course) most interested in the ancient mages, but he's one of the few folks out there who recognise meta knight for what he is; not that meta knight knows this. magolor is smarter and better travelled and harder working than most, but i'm not sure spending a decade or two isolated on a planet of dust and fire was what we'd call "super great!" for his overall morality when it comes to accessing the flaws and failings of his beloved Ancients.

as for starstruck's knowledge of languages, while no one in starstruck's core friend-group has figured this out yet in her canon timeline, i do think magolor would be a fantastic candidate for it, for all the reasons you mentioned.

he would also, i think, keep completely tight-lipped about anything he learned or suspected about starstruck. language, or otherwise.

mostly because he'd assume she picked it up somewhere ordinary, like from a friend. or maybe she is-or had been- similarly passionate about history as him; and that's something they could nerd out about privately, if he can spark the memory!

and on the off chance he did assume anything more serious about the languages she's fluent in, he wouldn't want to risk getting on her bad side.

[legendofmorons]

Criminal

Yes, this is that Dink x Dark! reader work. Yes, I did listen to Brittany Spears' Criminal, no I am not sorry.

Pairing: Dark Link x Dark reader

Rating: T? M? (dark topics, toxic behavior, I don't know, I've read way darker but MIND THE WARNINGs))

Summary: Dink is many many things, but he is made in the image (dark) of the hero, and that means he ends up with his own soulmate. He loves them dearly, but unfortunately, they die every time the Hero's soulmate dies, which leave him without them for decades at a time. Reunions are always a pleasure though.

Warnings: unhealthy coping mechanisms, concerningly possessive thoughts, toxic relationships, enabling, obsession

Other: Hi! There's no graphic content, but I would NOT suggest behaving the way Dink and D!reader do. The relationship they have works for them, but that does NOT make it less toxic. Any lore dropped here will be dropped in the main story, too, so don't worry about missing anything if you choose not to read.

Dark Link, or Dark as he prefers in his own head, finds himself pacing the floors of a dungeon he has just finished making more difficult. He has things to do, but his mind won't cease the tornado it has become.

He saw the Hero's soulmate, who is nothing but a weaker version of his darling lamb. However, he had worked so hard to get both his darling lamb and the Hero's soulmate out of this damnable curse cycle by sending them to a separate realm.

Seeing the Hero's soulmate in danger was infuriating, knowing the heroes would send their partner off with no protection but a horse and no ability to fight from atop the horse -... well that's the kind of thing that costs the Hero's soulmate dearly, isn't it?

He supposes his fondness for the Heroes soulmate makes sense, if only because their life force is tied to Dark's darling lamb's life force and his lover dies when the Hero's soulmate dies... Perhaps it even makes sense that he is vaugley fond of the do good counterpart, they have pieces of his lover in thier being after all.

Sometimes, he wonders if his darling lamb and the Hero's soulmate are siblings in a way, but he never entertains the thought for long. If he did... he might have to consider those useless heroes his siblings, and he will not do that.

Even though he fought those damnable lizafos off of the Hero's soulmate, he has yet to see his sweetheart. He can't imagine why, but it matters not.

After all... Dark knows he is the only one his darling lamb could ever love so deeply, which means it is only a matter of time until he sees his lover again.

He had faintly felt their presence but that is all.

They're going to be so mad at him for this. They'll be livid at the way he sealed them in a magicless realm.

But he- he is so sick of losing them. He loves them so much he'd do anything for them... even let them go and keep them safe by casting a spell to separate them from him.

Anything means... Anything for them.

There's footsteps behind him.

Dark whips around and sucks in a breath at the sight of the person he has been longing to see.

They are a stunning masterpiece of shadow and wrath, eyes burning an effervescent silver.

They look exhuasted, though, leaning heavily against the wall.

"You are the biggest fucking asshole I've ever known." Their voice cuts weakly, shaking as they stride forwards on weak legs.

Dark catches them when they stumble, "Oh, my darling lamb, you look as ethereal as last time."

They cling to him as they shake. Their magic is weak as it tries to interact with his.

Oh.

Dark really did hurt them... didn't he?

He didn't mean to.

"I know you would." Dark says with far more fondness than he should have foor anyone threatening him. "My spiteful sweetheart."

"If you ever send me away like that again, I will stay gone." They inform him sharply.

He believes them, spiteful and angry as they can be... he is loved enough by them to be warned. A privilege he has never seen his darling lamb extend anyone else.

"I am so mad at you."

"I am sure you are."

"Those heroes are fucking obnoxious. I should have stabbed them." They mutter darkly as their hands grip the back of his shadowy tunic.

"Why didn't you?"

"I was... too weak to move. All that light magic was terrible. Even the dark tinged heroes have too much light... By the time I could move again... Well, I just came here."

"You missed me!" Dark grins with utter delight.

"Who says that?"

"You came to see me." He points out.

They hum once, settling into his arms a little more. "You missed me too."

"Perhaps."

"You're carrying me as a way to start making up for sending me away to a world without magic."

"I suppose." Dark says, shifting until he is able to life them into a princess carry.

He moves them so they're able to be the most comfortable in his arms. He's missed this, having them within his arms... after all, that's where they belong.

"We should kick the heroes next time we see them. They're so fucking stupid." They murmur bitterly.

They lean against him, letting their eyes close as they lean into him. They all but melt into his arms as if they are finally at peace.

They relax into him as if he is the only person they trust.

Dark chuckles, beginning to leave the dungeon. "Has something prompted that or is it merely observation?"

"They don't know that their soulmate is literally right there, and they're treating their soulmate like utter shit. Everyone but that pirate, and bird boy."

"You saved us though."

They sound livid, voice sharp as tacks and dripping with poison. Wrathful and cruel, a beauty of conviction settles in them.

Dark always loved how passionate their anger can be. "So I saw. They sent them away during an attack right into an ambush."

He glances at his sweetheart and finds them smiling sharply up at him.

"I'll always save you."

"My hero." They snicker.

"No. But you're mine." They say as they playfully bat their lashes.

"I am no hero." He growls lowly, the very idea burns his pride.

If anyone else dared say such things to him, he'd have their blood as payment... but as usual, his darling lamb is an exception because he knows they see him outside being the shadow of a hero.

"As long as I live, but you are mine too."

"I suppose." They sigh, sounding far more content than they should in the arms of a villain.

Dark makes it out of the dungeon, and he accepts that this is his fate. He will have his lover forever, but he will always lose them. Over and over.

Damn those heroes and their inability to ever save their own soulmate.

Dark has to protect his darling lamb and their counter oart because the heroes fail. He isn't supposed to help the heroes at all, their his enemies and they cost him everything!

But...

For his lover, he would even become a good two shoes hero.

It's too bad there's nothing Dark can do to end this all. He'll just focus on enjoying the time he has.

The sun casts his darling lamb in a glow that shouldn't be possible. Stunning as they are, he should really get them out of the sun.

Shadows will help them.

[sn0w-games]

Thoughts of Tokyo Debunker Ch15

Hello hello~ have finished the recent chapters and wanted to share my thoughts on the chapter.

This does contains spoilers from Chapter 15 these are just my thoughts and rambles for the chapter.

This is my first time writing something like this, so please handle with me with some repeating things or just mindless rambles, I am typing five minutes after I just finished the chapter

SPOILERS BELOW:

First off I want to say, I am so happy they added in some Rui and Haku lore together, even if was for a short while.

Also I am not sure where it was theory at, but I do recall there being theories about Haku being from Frosthiem before going to Hotarubi. I do wish they would have added why Haku transferred out, what is so bad about Frosthiem than it being some winter wonderland where BOTH Haku and Yuri both transferred out, in different years. But Haku being the one confirmed in the canon characters who has transfer dorms the most ( Been in three different dorms) if he is a third year does that make it where he switches every year? I know Clementia might have had a different case due to the clash most likely, but who is to say if there is another year (like a fourth year) in the academy who is to say he won't transfer out of Hotarubi?

I do want to talk more about Subaru Kagami as well. There was another name that he could have mentioned in the chapter called Kagami Fujino. Sure this could have been a false name but could it also be someone in his old troupe group. I know there was a mention of a name, Koki Arisu who is confirmed on a hiatus due to an incident. But there is something in the air that could have someone named Fuijino under a different last name or same. Maybe someone related to Subaru's family? Really could have been a false name since Subaru was a previous actor being undercover, and with rumors like that I would not blame him not wanting it to resurface in front of the director, on a mission for Darkwick! But this is Tokyo Debunker, anything is possible in this game.

There is now something about Subaru before Darkwick in his old troupe group the reason they are on hiatus because of said incident. The stranger lady's voice called Subaru an 'abuser'. Now, looking at Subaru I could not believe it at first.

I hope they press more on both topics for both Subaru and Haru's sake.

But the last panel at the end of Chapter 15:

Yeah Subaru you are not helping your case here sweetie.

He either is possessed or he might be some sadistic person that we haven't seen yet -

I have always been someone who was not a fan of Subaru and had hell beef with him over a fic.

But I can say this, I do have some interest of him. He is one of the most secretive characters in the cast and I do wish the game didn't just drop this in and breeze over.

It has been a bit of a bad habit of the game recently, I don't know if it is intentional or so they can continue it in a different chapter.

It is the same thing when it came to Haru's hand reveal. A casual drop at the end of Chapter I forgot,,, I am typing this and I really don't feel like looking back on the previous chapters at the moment but if you know you know.

Also I won't lie, I have been under the assumption that the Honor Roll was a first year, even though their case is special I really thought they were a first year, but it turns out the Honor Roll is a second year along with Kaito and Lucas so it does make me happy that the Honor Roll is in the same year with their buddies (I know I am a little dumb because we do have some classes with them but shhhhh) I am just happy they did confirm their year.

Last thing,

HOTARUBI CAME IN CLUTCH WITH THE HORROR EFFECTS!!!!

I have not got a scare from the game in such a bit since chapter 2 that made me cover my phone. But when the sprites for Hanae Numata ( Red Woman ) and Hanao Numata ( Little Ghost Boy ) came on screen, I have a little scream - not in like a jump scare way but in a way where I was happy we got that horror effect like the one with Takeru in Chapter 2 and the ghost boy in Chapter 5. I missed the little thing like that. I wish they kept those themes since the game was a horror game.

I downloaded the game due to the ad I saw on Tumblr

of a pixelated man. But again, this game with it's ads... It's always a miss, since they are never about what the game is about - So I was ready for some horror, I got a bit sad with previous chapter since they weren't on a level like Chapter 2. I also do miss the longer chapter, but also I don't.... I think they are trying to find a middle ground since recently we have only got to like Chapter 25-28 but now we are hitting into the 30. Now this doesn't mean Chapter 16 with Sinostra could be shorter or they might make it longer, I only wish they make it longer so they can actually add in the lore they need and not drop a brief on us and move on and not mention it until a later chapter. I cannot take the suspense ;-; but I don't mind short one since it does save me a search for screen shots for the drive.

Last thing ( this time I swear), very small,

I wish they talked more on Zenji's death.

All we know was that he is dead. Both chapters didn't really provide us anything on how he died. Could he have been the victim of the Killer Case that some of the casts are suspects in? If so, that could have mean someone in the cast killed Zenji -

I hope that is not the case, but would it be interesting,,,, Yes -

Now some small mentions that I am not going to provide a lot of talk on:

SUBARU LYCA CONTENT

SUBARU HAKU MOMENTS DKJKLJD

MAMA ZENJI MOOD

Haku's little 'ahhh' in the chapter where they are talking about the ghost stories and it was his turn to tell a tale -

SINOSTRA IS THE NEXT CHAPTER

Thank you for taking your time to read this, I will be updating the drive here shortly with the photos!

[meistwentyinchheels]

having many thoughts about percy (he drives me insane) idk what the kf devs put into this man, but i swear i'm addicted. like the more i learn about him the more obsessed i become,,,i think i'm mentally ill

anyways since i think a lot about him (and my kf mc, may. might actually drop a lore post on her at some point) i will now be sharing some of those thoughts. also have a strong feeling this post is gonna end up pretty long just as a heads up lmfao

also a lot of this is just speculation on my part and me trying my best to analyze the little amount of information we have as of the moment. just as a disclaimer, anyways!

out of the three love interests i genuinely think percy might be the angstiest route for the following reasons (under the cut):

like first off, the devs have mentioned in the past that one of the routes will have a forced breakup to serve the greater narrative (this was mentioned a really long time ago tho so it might've been subject to change, but since we have nothing that proves otherwise i am running with it.) and i do not believe in any way that it could be elio,,,unless the devs decide to throw us a curveball lmao jamie is still an option and he was my first thought when i found out about the breakup route, butttt i doubt it'd be him. so from process of elimination that only leaves percy. he's also the only one out of the lis that has been in relationships before and judging from past asks i'm assumingggg that those past experiences most likely still affect him.

second, every single mention of his family has been vague at best and there's been ZERO mention of his mother. in the asks only his dad has ever been mentioned and also in the studying event if u go off with percy and elio, go to check out the polo club and choose to stay back with percy he'll mention that he moved to the states with his dad. normally people would mention both parents, but percy didn't so it's likely his parents divorced at some point? also i had a whole ass supposedly sound argument here, but it got disproven bc apparently his step-dad also came with them to the states??? like yes it does still prove that his parents r divorced, but it can also imply he has 2 dads. that's so funny i love it. okay moving onto my actual point!!! since percy is a child of divorce it's likely also affected his view of love and romantic relationships. possibly in a skewed way, but who knows so that does add to the angst factor QUITE a bit

finally, percy's avoidant and deferring nature. during the festival event if you split up and then go to check out the festival games you end up running into percy, which is when the game tells you that he tends to defer to what others want and seems to be perkier exploring the games by himself. there's also a few occasions in-game where if the mc tries to ask percy about himself he tends to either A. brush the topic off or B. push the attention onto someone else (usually elio?). so i'd assume that he dislikes talking about himself? which would mean it would take him a good while to open up. which isn't inherently a bad thing, but it can also cause communication issues so. sigh.

is this flimsy evidence? yes! but do i care? no! also i would do a deeper dive into this if i was actually good at analyzing character behaviors,,,and if not for the fact that at the time i'm writing this it's 1am on a school night. there's also so many other things i could have talked about!!! like his name!!! maybe some other day. so like. do with all this information what you will. bc i certainly will!!! i have so many ideas!! many angsty notes!!! be prepared.

[plushiesssforcrying]

i actually haven't pass year three yet nor have i played through all the seasons but i read some spoiler on elliot and he sounds like a manipulative prick so far.

my original caption for this was gonna be " i hope mc decks someone in the face at one point " unbeknownst to me that they did canonically punch wenshi to wake him up. jaw dropped and giggled when i read the text tbh.

anyway i got a terrible headache when i made this so here's some info on c.c. so the ones that are interested will be fed for a while.

she's a muggleborn but her magical heritage isn't too far off tbh, here's a ,,, family tree for reference.

anyways, here's some details for her;

her house is slytherin and she actually shares a dorm with lottie and cassandra + a random unnamed student, even befriended cassandra first before daniel and ivy. [ daniel is in hufflepuff and ivy is in ravenclaw in this ,, scenario? universe? something like that. ]

she turned 12 around her first year in hogwarts. ended up making her the older one of the trio, ivy being the youngest in this.

her favorite classes are care for magical creatures and defense against the dark arts, and it's not a class but she does like the dance club too. even though she's close to having two left feet.

as her house implies, she's pretty cunning and charming. very good at convincing other people to do what she wants them to do too.

in terms of personality, it's pretty close to the actual mc just some tweaks here and there.

her parents aren't in the picture so she lived with her grandparents instead, her grandmother mostly doesn't speak english but her grandfather does and he's also a war veteran.

the reason her pupils are strangely colored is actually not because she's blind but the opposite, she has a much better eyesight compared to most people. this makes her a very good observer and a quick learner when it comes to charms or such.

also, as i've implied in another post, she did used to work out sometimes before going to hogwarts. it was more that she plays around with her grandfather's equipments when she's bored though.

overall pretty friendly !! likes to assume the best in people until optimism can no longer be applied.

she does not fuck around when it comes to her friends. she's french, if you cross her or her friends, pray. ← almost debated hexing cassandra one time.

her relationships are actually a bit more complicated than just these but it'll do for now. left some out because like i said, i haven't past year three yet.

i probably missed some stuff so feel free to ask questions about her.

i'll talk about her lore another time, but also kinda a warning in advance that it'll cover some heavy topics. why? i'm fucked up in the head that all my kids need to suffer in some shape, form or way.

since you made it this far, here's a singular unfinished frame that didn't make it to the original vid.

yeah, she was gonna annihilate him.

[s0s1mple]

BLOSSOM — Yan!Idol!Enha x Reader

Part 8 — Onset

TW: Unhealthy fixation/dependance, possessive behavior, minor panic attack, anxiety (reader is gendered and named)

Masterlist — Part 1 -- Next Part

‘ding dong’ 

‘wdym ding dong’

‘look out ur window :)’

‘u look like a creep’

‘:(‘ I huffed out a quiet laugh, waving at the male outside my apartment complex. Jungwon was standing under the tree just across the street, all suited up in his jacket and mask and hat camouflage. He waved back dorkily though, and I began making my way down. As soon as I reached him outside, his eyes crinkled happily.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked, bumping shoulders with him as I began to walk down the street. Jungwon walked in pace, bumping his shoulder back against mine.

“Wanted to walk you to work, that’s all. Figured you might like some company.” He hummed. My slight smile stretched wider and I cooed a bit under my breath, touched by the sentiment. How sweet of him! 

“Oh really? Thanks. I’m surprised you remembered when my shift started, actually.”

Jungwon shrugged, maneuvering himself as we walked to be on my opposite side. The cars rushed by him on the road, kicking up leaves to swirl around us. “Can’t be a leader if you forget important things, right?”

“Yeah, because my job schedule is so important.” I snickered back. 

“Of course it is. I have to know it so I can see you, don’t I?” He said simply. I paused for a moment, a little taken aback by how earnest he sounded, before Jungwon giggled a bit. “I think the others would throw a fit if they didn’t get their Haneul fix, anyways. You’re integral to our schedule too, really.”

“You’re buttering me up. Don’t over exaggerate.” I scoffed, laughing a bit alongside him. We turned down a small line of shops leading up to my convenience store, and as always my eyes darted about to see what was on sale. I needed new shoes, now that I thought about it…

“Mmm…” he hummed noncommittally. Then he shifted topic. “Speaking of which, when are you free this week?” 

“Huh? Oh. I’m free Saturday this time around.” Immediately the crinkle in Jungwon’s eyes smoothed, and he sighed. “What, are you busy that day?”

“Yeah, we’ve got this movie thing to film…” Jungwon sounded put out by the idea, but my eyes widened and I grabbed his shoulder slightly. He seemed a bit startled by the move, eyes widening as he peered at my hand. I couldn’t quite tell the emotion given his mask, so I dropped my hand shyly. But still I gushed.

“Movie thing? What? That sounds so cool!” I cheered. “Are you guys going to cameo on something? Or is Hybe actually making a movie? I wouldn’t be surprised with how much money they have.” 

Man, to be able to do something like that? I wasn’t interested in being on camera, but the idea of being behind it? Of seeing all the lighting teams and set designers and more running around making magic? That was a dream come true. Once upon a time, when I was younger and more unrealistic about my life, I wanted to be a prop maker. In my small town we hadn’t had much in the way of extracurricularlies, but we did have a good few plays we would put on for harvest and food festivals. The memory of such a thing still stayed with me, of the way the play came to life with the simple backdrops I made and rigged. 

So when Sunghoon or the others sent me photos of that world, it made me irrationally happy. And the notion that they actually went to the next level in production to make mini films? That was crazy to me. Crazy cool.

Jungwon shook his head. “Oh no, nothing like that. We do these mini concept films sometimes, less than ten minutes long, to promote our albums.” I nodded. “Vampire lore stuff.” 

“Vampire lore stuff,” I repeated. “But you still have a director. And cast, and crew, and all of that, right? How fun is it being on set?” I couldn’t keep the intrigued smile off my face, my words a bit more than excited. Jungwon’s gaze cut to mine, and he paused a moment before responding. 

“It’s tiring, to tell the truth, but it’s interesting too. I feel like you’d enjoy it a whole lot more than we would, at least.” He chuckled lightly. Then his eyes widened, and he turned more fully to me as he gently grasped my arm. I could practically see him beaming beneath his mask,  “Wait a minute, would you like to come on set on Saturday? We could hang out there!”

“Huh?” for a moment I didn’t process what he’d said.

“You like films and the process, don’t you? So how about you come and see it first hand?” Immediately my cheeks flushed a bit and I waved my arms around, shaking my head.

“Oh no, no. I’m not gonna interrupt your work-”

“But work is boring, Haneul! You’d be doing us a favor, really.”

“Yeah but the crew would be annoyed at me distracting you-”

“They won’t care, promise! Besides, don’t you trust us to be professional enough to know when to swap from play back to work-mode?” The look I was being given was nothing short of pathetic, Jungwon’s fingers gingerly holding my sleeve, shoulders hunched and tense as he peered at me with wide eyes. Was he really trying to do puppy eyes? He looked more like a cute, sad, kitten instead. I nibbled on my lip, debating, but with him looking so hopeful I could feel myself giving in.

Totally not because I also wanted to see a real set or anything. Yeah, totally not.

“You’re sure they wouldn’t be upset? Have you guys even told management about me? I can’t just go and show up when nobody knows who I am…” the thought of such a thing sent shivers down my spine. I wasn’t an overly anxious person, in fact being pretty confident once I felt comfortable in an environment, but that was the key thing: once I felt comfortable. If I was an intruder, that would most certainly not be the case, and that was my worst nightmare.

Jungwon hummed. “Uh… we didn’t tell him but… how about we smuggle you in?”

“Woah, no way!” I began walking again upon checking my watch and seeing I was cutting it close when it came to work. Jungwon bounded up to easily match pace with my quick strides.

“No, no, listen! There are so many people on set all the time that if you just cover up and we move you in with us through the security gate, people will just assume you work there. Trust me, it’ll be fine.” I shot him a side glance and furrowed my brows.

“Jungwon, that’s risky. You guys could get in trouble.” I couldn’t believe the leader, who had seemed so put together and responsible when it came to group matters up until this point, was trying to essentially get me to break in. 

“They’re not going to do anything to us, don’t worry.” He seemed slightly amused, chuckling. As if the notion of me worrying over such a thing was endearing.

“Jungwon-“

“Haneul-noona…” and there, all of a sudden, was a whiny tone I’ve only heard a few times from Riki of all people. It occurred to me then how childish this all was. Usually in such a case, I would put an end to the nonsense immediately upon realizing that sort of thing, but this time…? It actually made my heart swell with a slight fondness because I understood that Jungwon would hardly be acting in such a way if it didn’t mean a lot to him.

If I didn’t mean a lot to him.

“Ok. Fine.” The conformation tumbled out suddenly, my voice still anxious but betrayed by the fond smile on my lips. Jungwon brightened instantly, hands going right back to my arm as he bounced a little. 

“Really? Awesome! Well text you about it and let you into the building on Saturday! This is gonna be so great.” And just like that, for the remaining two blocks to my work, Jungwon’s arm hooked into mine and he chattered my ear off talking about some of the scenes they would be doing and whatnot. It was probably the most I’d heard Jungwon spiel on about something, and somehow I got the impression it wasn’t because he was excited about the shoot itself.

Oh yeah, because he told me so.

So seeing him so happy now, so enthused, made my heart warm considerably. We stopped outside of the convenience store, and I pulled my arm from his. Jungwon’s arm held in position for a moment, before he dropped it and seemed to relax just a little. Like he was remembering to breathe or something after finally slowing his ramble, I would assume. “Alright then. Just give me the details, and I sort of promise that I won’t chicken out.”

“Better not.” Jungwon chuckled.

“Sort of…”

“Noona…” 

“Fine, I promise.” Jungwon grinned so wide I could see his cheeks puffing up at the edge of his mask, dimples slightly visible. His arms fluttered like he wanted to do something with them, then he simply waved goodbye.

“Good luck on your shift! Text me if you get bored!” I rolled my eyes playfully, saluted the male, and disappeared into the store the millisecond the clock hit time. 

My coworker, so used to me being there five minutes early at the latest, instantly asked if everything was alright. I soothed her worries, bought her a milk for making her worry and wait, and sent her on her way. Then it was right to my place behind the counter, where I’d probably begun to wear a hole into the floor in the exact size and shape of my feet. Screw dental records, they’d be able to ID me through that alone. 

My gaze drifted to the little fox sitting below the counter and I grabbed it and set it off to the side under the gum stand. Sunny stared at me with its cute little beady eyes, and I stared back before sighing.

“Just you and me in the trenches again, huh?”

“Here, here, and here.” Jake shoved a mask, some eyeglasses, and a ball cap into my hands. “Operation is a go once you’re all disguised.” His tone was excited, his smile wide, but he was nodding and behaving like this was some covert military mission at the same time. Frankly, it was dorky and adorable. But I couldn't really appreciate that fact right now considering the nerves gnawing at me like crazy. I put on the eyeglasses- luckily not prescription otherwise I might trip and ruin something- before staring at the ball cap apprehensively.

“Won’t wearing a ball cap inside be suspicious? Besides, that’s more of an American thing isn’t it?” I mumbled, trying to hand it back.

“Good point…” Sunghoon murmured. Jake visibly deflated a little, and Jay stepped up to the plate by leaning in to grab the cap. 

“Here, I’ll do it. You’ll look natural if the purpose of the cap is to keep the hair out of your face. Besides, plenty of the crew wears hats when bringing props inside.” He leaned in and groomed my hair back against my scalp, making me tense a little in surprise as his face loomed before me. His lips were pursed as he focused, and I couldn’t stop my slight smile. Jay noted it and huffed lightly, but his eyes were soft. On came the hat, pulled snuggly and tightly down to keep all my locks in place. He spent some time brushing the stragglers behind my ear before Sunoo cleared his voice and interrupted.

“You should wear glasses more! You look so cute…”

“But I don’t need glasses…” I mimicked Sunoo’s whine and pout, resulting in a giggle alongside a playfully stern look.

“So?” He handed me the mask, and I reached up to grab it, but he was already looping the strings around my ears and pulling it up to my chin. My hands hovered awkwardly for a moment as I was again a little startled by how close and touchy the males were being today as I got ready, but I figured it was probably for the best considering they knew how their own staff looked. Sunoo clasped one of my hovering hands in his, cooing all over again. “We should really get you your own stylist or something. You’d fit right in as an idol! I’d bet people would fight over photocards of you like this…”

“Pfft.” I rolled my eyes, well aware that with my haphazard makeup today- had to look under the radar, after all- that was hardly the case. “Lying is a sin, you know.”

“He’s not lying.” Jay hummed, eyes scanning me up and down. But Jay just adjusted the sleeve of my hoodie appraisingly, normally, before deciding it was good enough. God, what was going on today? My cheeks felt warm, all the eyes on me for once feeling kind of oppressive. Not a bad oppressive, not a suffocating oppressive, but a sort of pressure over me. Like a weighted blanket.

“Cute.” Sunghoon muttered before going right back to adjusting his tie in the van’s front mirror, face even. I flushed a bit more at how earnest he sounded, my brows furrowing in confusion at the nonchalant comment, before Riki piped up and eased my nerves. He threw an arm around me, pulling up my mask so I was covered before miming taking a photo with his fingers. His tongue stuck out in mock concentration.

“I’d buy out thousands of albums just to see that face!” He made a vague motion at my covered face, and I tilted my head with an exasperated sigh even as I was sure my crinkled eyes were showing just how amused I was. 

“I should do an ending fairy like this. My sister says people like that sort of stuff, right?” 

“Oh yeah, for sure.” Riki grinned right back, arm tightening around my shoulders, before Heeseung was waltzing over and gently dislodging me to begin our walk towards the big concrete shooting studio. Instantly I was tense, but his relaxed gait and the easy-going way he smiled at me made me relax just a tad. 

“Still can’t believe I’m doing this…” I mumbled as I spotted a too-pleased looking Jungwon by the door various staff were flitting in and out of. My steps slowed, like my subconscious was trying to stop me, but Heeseung’s body was angled slightly behind me and I had little choice but to keep moving forwards.

“I can’t either. I’m so glad you decided to come with us. It was going to be torture otherwise.” Heeseung grinned a bit, and I fidgeted with my fingers as I tried to match how calm he was. 

“Jungwon is scarily persuasive…”

“Yeah, he knows just how to get everyone he meets to do what he wants. Can’t tell if that’s because he’s the leader, or because he’s one of the youngest and spoiled rotten…” Heeseung mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. I couldn’t help but giggle at that, bumping shoulders with the male and earning a chuckle right back.  

“I heard that.” We’d reached Jungwon, and he narrowed his eyes slightly at his elder. Heeseung smiled back innocently.

“Heard what?”

“Mmm… already, you ready noona?” Jungwon shifted his attention to me, eyeing the crowd of staff walking in with lights to set up. I, on the other hand, was momentarily distracted as I pointed to his hair. It was… blond. A very beautiful blond, in my opinion.

“You changed your hair.” I commented dumbly. He just grinned a dimpled smile at me.

“I did. Do you like it?” At that, I immediately nodded. Jungwon’s grin stretched wider, eyes crinkling. Then he cleared his throat and patted my shoulder, speaking up loudly. “Here, just go help them out with setting up. I know it’s easy to get lost on your first day. Thank you for your help!” Then, with a discreet push from Heeseung on my upper back, I stumbled into line with the rest of the staff.

For an instant time slowed down as their eyes landed on me. I half expected an alarm to go off and for their gaze to disintegrate me on the spot, and the urge to run right back to Heeseung and Jungwon and hide behind them was incredibly intense. But instead a woman at the back of the line spoke up, voice a little strained. “This way. Here, you can help me carry this.” Her box was practically overflowing, so I jumped at the chance and grabbed some parts out of the top to carry. Instantly she sighed in relief, introducing herself. “I’m Jiyeon. Did you accidentally go in through the wrong door?”

“Oh, uh-” My eyes slid to Jungwon and Heeseung, who were already returning to the loading area where the rest of the boys were getting their jackets all fixed up. “Yeah, my mistake. I was just nervous for my first day, I think. I’m Haneul.” I didn’t hesitate giving my name, a fact that made me wince a bit internally, but Jiyeon greeted me all the same. 

“Nice to meet you, Haneul-ssi. I’ll show you around in that case, since we’re matching.” She chuckled as we entered the building, walking right past the guards as Jiyeon nodded to them. I blinked in slight surprise before realizing she was right. I’d been too nervous to even process it. My eyes slid over her mask, to the backwards ballpark cap she was wearing, and in that moment I was incredibly thankful to Jake and the others for dressing me accordingly. 

“Ah, we are! Thank you…” I bowed lightly as we set down the equipment near a filming station. I peeked over, intrigued by the setup they were building. It was almost like… an american talk-show set? Oh yeah, Jungwon did mention something about that during our walk, didn’t he? “Um, what else can I help you with then?”

“Just help me set up this light. You were briefed on it in the training, right?”

For a moment, panic hit me. My eyes darted down to the pieces we’d carried as Jiyeon began taking them from the box. But then, to my surprise, the pieces looked familiar. Hadn’t the technical students in my school used the same thing? I would have thought they had super advanced lighting, but here was something I’d helped with before. With a sigh of relief, I bent down and helped her again. “Yeah, of course.” And as I worked alongside her, my nerves slowly left. This was something I was familiar with, something I could definitely impress with. My limbs moved automatically, memories flooding back, and in no time we had things set up.

“Come on, let’s go see who else needs help.” Jiyeon pulled us over to various other crew members, introducing us to each other, before I finally noticed that the boys had arrived. Jake, Jay, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Sunghoon were all getting their makeup done, and it looked like they’d already been there for a while. I must not have been paying attention. I tried to shoot them a quick smile as I passed, but remembered my mask and felt a bit silly. Jungwon at least caught my eye and smiled back, waving and bowing his head in time with the staff I was with. I didn’t risk any further interaction than that, and just followed along with the staff.

Honestly, it was more interesting to me than their makeup and costuming anyways. 

Camera dollies, hanging lights, boom mics, and more… I was swiveling my head this way and that, curiously studying everything. Jiyeon and her friend pulled me over to move some bleachers, and in the next thirty minutes I was already joking around with the crew like we’d been friends for ages. 

Which was surprising for me, really, considering I was generally pretty quiet. Not shy, but quiet. Calm. So to find myself giggling as fellow ex-theater students told stories, I was all too happy. “Alright, everyone please gather around so we can get started. Quickly, quickly!” And I waddled after the others like a little duckling, hiding half behind Jiyeon as I watched the director and producer step up. “Hello everyone! Let’s work hard today, alright? Would our stars we’re helping today like to introduce themselves?”

Jungwon greeted with a friendly smile, then struck an odd hand sign. The other males made the same sign, and in unison they declared, “One, two, connect! Hello, we are Enhypen!” I blinked in surprise. They had an introduction? Cool. Jungwon spoke up, taking up his role as leader, and bowed to us all. “I’m Enhypen’s leader, Jungwon. Thank you for helping us today.” He looked up, eyes scanning over the crowd, before his eyes settled on me for a fraction of a second longer. 

“Hello, I’m Sunoo.” Sunoo stepped forward next, voice quiet yet enthused. He looked so different from what I was used to, makeup making his eyes all the sharper and his skin porcelain pale. 

“I’m Jake!” Jake grinned earnestly, and I was truthfully a bit surprised by the sight of his slicked back hair. It made his face look different, more angular and powerful. His styling was definitely at odds with his sunny disposition as he greeted the staff.

“Thanks for working with us. I’m Jay.” Jay greeted with a polite bow. His hair was dusted across his forehead, his features painted in such a mature, angular manner- even more so than before, which just made me think of how soft he really looked when compared to this carefully crafted view.

“I’m Sunghoon.” Sunghoon, as per usual, was muted but polite. And wow, he’d always looked the most like the quintessential k-pop idol, but now? I could very easily see him in the role of a drama, more than likely as a wealthy CEO or something with how his hair was elegantly pulled back.

But where were Heeseung and Riki? Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t seen them getting ready today at all. I had assumed they were maybe off in another room getting ready due to lack of space or something, but now I didn’t see them at all. Were they not filming today? Then why were they out in the lot? I furrowed my brows, then tuned back in as the producer began delegating some more tasks. As he got to me, Sunoo suddenly walked over.

“Ah, sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you could help me out?” He gently got the director’s attention. 

“Hm? Of course.”

“Can I have someone help us keep track of our phones and some of our belongings? I know most of our things are back in the car, but we can’t really leave some of this stuff, and we want to make sure it doesn’t get taken…” Sunoo began shyly. I stood off to the side awkwardly, hiding a smile- not that I needed to- as Sunoo worked whatever plan he and the boys had more than likely concocted to get me over to them. It was cute, actually, the way this really felt like some sort of undercover mission. “It would be best to have someone specific in charge of them so if one goes missing, we know who to approach. If that’s alright, of course…” The producer nodded immediately, seemingly more than happy to accommodate the young star before him, and even more so to avoid being held liable for lost property.

“Ah, of course! Good thinking. Let me see…” His head swiveled around, scanning his employees, gaze drifting over my head and missing me entirely. I arched a brow. I was right there. Sunoo seemed to agree, as he piped up again.

“Producer-nim, could I just take her aside since she’s already here? Unless you already have something in mind.” Instantly the male nodded, practically ushering me off with Sunoo. Just like that, it was mission accomplished. As we walked off towards the chairs for the actors, Sunoo giggled to me and bumped my shoulder lightly. I giggled discreetly right back.

“Nice one!”

“Obviously.” Sunoo scoffed back playfully. 

As soon as we reached the chairs, I was handed a basket of their belongings and given a seat right next to their chairs for ease of access. Jake grinned at me, leaning over his chair’s arm-rest to peer at my smaller chair. “Look at that! Now you don’t have to be standing all day. Great cover-story, huh?”

“Perfect.” I hummed back. “You know, I was so skeptical about coming here, but now that I’m here? This is like… a dream come true or something.” I trailed off a bit, suddenly a little shy at expressing my thanks so genuinely. I usually avoided doing such things verbally, instead opting to show my gratitude in other ways, but it was worth the discomfort for the bright look that spread over Jake and Sunoo’s features.

“I’m so glad!” Sunoo clapped his hands slightly, the mere idea that I was pleased seeming to make him giddy. It was infectious.

“Which part is the dream? Getting to see the cameras, or getting to be with us?” A sudden voice right next to my ear had me startling, jumping in my seat and making my ears flame. I yelped, jerking my head to the side, and turned to see Heeseung’s grinning face. He had a beanie on, and was still in casual clothes. He laughed at my reaction and straightened up to his full height, sipping on his coffee. 

Fingers suddenly corded through my hair, and yet again I was startled. I quickly registered what the movement was. Heeseung had absentmindedly ruffled my hair. Not to the extreme, but just under the back of the hat, rearranging the hair there so it was nice and groomed again. I swallowed down the confusion at the sudden contact, never having taken Heeseung for a touchy type, and just glared playfully back. “Don’t mess up my hair.” I huffed. “And the cameras, obviously.”

“Mmhmm?” Heeseung smiled slightly, watching as an american male was guided in his lines on stage, and just kept fiddling with the ends of my hair. I sighed and let it be.

“I’m wounded! So mean…” Jake mock pouted at me.

“Oh, ok then. Which part is the dream, huh? Getting to see your fans, or getting to see me?” I fired back, tone just as playful. Before I could laugh and say, ‘thought so!’ or something of the like, the three of them spoke in messy unison. “You.”

“You!”

“You.” I paused, brows furrowing in disbelief, and when I registered what seemed to be completely serious expressions on their faces I laughed awkwardly. Would my ears ever stop burning? Why were they being so strange today? They didn’t even have the excuse of trying to get me disguised any more, and if anything were behaving too suspiciously as a whole. What if someone came over right now? Saw us chatting and touching each other? I wasn’t exactly permitted to be here after all…

My mind racing, spurring nervous thoughts, seemed to register to Jay as he passed by with a script in hand. He swatted at Heeseung’s hand, ushering the males who were acting today to each sit in their respective seats. “Hey, our manager is just over there. Relax a little. You’re making her nervous anyways, hovering around her like a bunch of vultures or something.” His voice was light but stern, and with a pout Sunoo returned to his seat. How he could tell I was nervous when I had glasses and a hat and a mask on to cover me, I couldn’t quite tell. But either way, Heeseung shrugged and grabbed an identical seat to mine. He set it right next to my chair and sat down. Just enough distance to look correct, but way closer than I knew he would sit next to another staff member. Jake, in that high chair on my other side, crossed his arms and bounced his leg. His eyes kept darting to me like he wanted to say something, before he would nervously look around and refrain. 

I nodded to Jay, a silent appreciation. Jay’s lips curved at the edges, a half-smile and half-smirk, before he was suddenly called off towards the stage to take his place. “Wish me luck, Haneul.” He threw over his shoulder before heading over to the edge of the frame. I gave him a double thumbs up even if he couldn’t see it as the director began talking with him.

“So how long do these things last? I’ve heard some movie scenes can take hours…” I leaned over and asked Heeseung. He shrugged and swirled his drink.

“Really depends. With this? Today’s shoot will probably be decently short since it’s dialogue mostly and not much spectacle.” 

“Oh, ok.” I couldn’t stop the slight disappointment in my voice. He seemed immediately bewildered, which I supposed was fair. Jake made a similarly confused noise, seemingly listening from above. 

“You want to stay here the whole day?” Jake’s brows raised in disbelief. I chuckled, fiddling with the edges of the box of phones in my lap.

“Well, it’s not like I want to be here that long or anything. It’s more like… I know that when I leave, I probably won’t get the opportunity to see all of this again.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Sunghoon until this point hadn’t spoken much, perhaps zoning out as I had discovered was somewhat common for the male. But now he leaned forwards a bit, enough to peek out from his place beside Jake and look at me. It was my turn to be confused.

“Well, because-” I cut myself off, trying to think of the right words. This wasn’t my world, this wasn’t where I belonged, you probably aren’t going to invite me again since it’s been such a hassle, what if you get caught? All these thoughts and more, and Jake broke back into the conversation with a scoff.

“What, you think we’re just going to stop being your friend or something after this? So long as you’re with us, we’re gonna take you places that make you happy.” He chuckled, like the idea of not entertaining my little childhood dreams was unfathomable.

“You keep acting like you’re not worth us spending time with you, or doing interesting things with you.” Heeseung tilted his head. I felt too studied all of a sudden, the male peering at me from under cherry bangs like I was some unique creature he didn’t quite understand. “But you also don’t act like we’re above you either. It’s confusing.”

“I’m just trying to be considerate.”

“Put yourself first sometimes. We all have busy schedules, and yet you’re the one always acting like everything is good and happy and fine. It’s ok to take time and do fun or immature things, you know.”

“Agreed.” Sunghoon hummed, gaze intense. He seemed to be on the same wave-length as Heeseung. I felt like his eyes were x-raying down to my very soul in that moment. Why was this conversation getting so personal again? So deep? I laughed awkwardly, swallowing the lump in the back of my throat at being called out so blatantly. I wasn’t a people pleaser, but they were certainly right. I put others concerns and wellbeing before myself, signing on for too many things at a time in the past just to make sure someone else had more time to do what they wanted. So many sacrifices just to make ends meet, so many sacrifices I didn’t need to take just to make loved ones feel and live better.

I didn’t need reminders of what I was putting myself through.

“Jay said not to hover, didn’t he? Besides, I think the director wants you for something, Jake.” I managed to say. Jake’s attention shifted to the director. I hadn’t lied, the director waving him over the second he caught his gaze. Jake sighed, casting me a last glance before leaving.

It was softer, more understanding, and made my insides twist uncomfortably. I didn’t know how I felt about people seeing me. Seeing that self that was below all those other things I put out there. The struggles. And god, the others had that exact same look. Not pitying, but understanding, which at the very least I was grateful for. 

And, as if to slice the tension, Jake’s chair was suddenly occupied again. I blinked in surprise when a bag of Banana Kicks was waved in front of my face. Riki had appeared. Dressed in his casual hoodie from before, he looked cozy as he grinned at me. “I got us some snacks! Your favorite, noona~” The way he was waggling the bag, like he was trying to lure some elusive animal, broke some of the seriousness. I laughed, moving to snatch it from his hands, but Riki pulled it out of the way just in time. “Nuh uh. Staff don’t eat on the job, remember?” 

“Wow, cruel. Just taunting me then?” I looked around, trying to see if people were watching, before swatting playfully at his arm. Riki just giggled, elated, and pulled the back open before chomping on one obnoxiously. I rolled my eyes so hard I probably saw the back of my skull. “Aish, this kid…”

“Say please and I’ll share.”

“Bite me.”

“Come over and bite me…” I heard Sunghoon mumble something off to the side, but I was distracted by Riki leaning down and holding a banana kick in front of my face. 

“Rude, but I’ll cut you slack since you won me that prize. Open wide.” His fingers were already brushing the side of my cheek, trying to gently slip the mask down. My eyes widened and I reached up to hold it in place. 

“Hey, you guys gave me this for a reason!”

“Well how else am I going to feed you if you have it on, huh?” He rolled his eyes right back at me, grinning slightly. I furrowed my brows at him. What a weirdo. But it seemed he was set on this idea, just a tad too eager about it for some bizarre reason- I chalked it up to too much sugar, personally- so I put an end to it by snatching the treat from his grasp. Down came my mask in a flash, in went the puff, and the mask was right back up. “Wha- hey!” 

“Mm, delicious, thanks!” And then, before he could respond and give me some smartass or bratty remark, it was all quiet on set. 

If there was an award for the quietest person alive, I might have been a candidate in that moment. I sat still, tense, eager as I watched them call the scene and watched Jay walk up to his place. A slow walk, a calm sit down. That american playing the talk show host talked, and Jay ran through some lines in return. His voice was low, soothing, deliberate. Different than I was used to. I couldn’t understand what was being said, but I personally thought he was doing a great job.

Evidently the director didn’t think the same, because while he was polite he requested another run through. And then a third. “More… intensity. You’ve got the charisma and the tone, but something in your face doesn’t feel like what we’re going for. This is about desire, remember? Try to focus on that idea and keep it in the back of your mind.” Back to the directors chair. “And, rolling!”

Again Jay went through the same lines, back and forth, but… 

His eyes landed on me. 

Never, never had I felt like Jay’s eyes were piercing. When I first met him, I’d thought him maybe a bit sharp around the edges. Certainly in looks, at least. Then I found that he was actually sweet. His gaze was soft, his disposition full of warmth. But this look?

If he was supposed to be channeling desire, he was doing a phenomenal job. Like a razor, sharp and dissecting. Like I was something that already belonged to him. There was some sort of silent promise just below the composed ghost of a smile on his face, something that felt dark and heavy like a weighted blanket. A vow, maybe. 

Were all of them such good actors?

“That’s perfect! Excellent job, Jay!” The director clapped, signalling the end of the scene, and there was a polite round of clapping. But Jay’s gaze lingered for a heartbeat longer. It felt like an eternity, but he finally blinked and there it was again. His gentle eyes, the shyness of a job well-done as he stepped off the stage and Jake prepared to do his scenes as well. Had I been holding my breath? I couldn’t tell until the air wooshed out of me in a long sigh. I clapped lightly, belatedly, and cheered him on softly as he returned to his seat next to Sunghoon.

“Good job!” I breathed as he passed me. Jay shot me a soft smile then, that sort of stupid gecko-smile that made me giggle, and Jake went up on stage instead.

Jake was a bit more nervous than Jay going on, especially since there was someone in a strange monster costume who would be sitting beside him. It was an odd cross between ridiculous and creepy, but Jake seemed to be having fun talking to the person beneath the mask. Then it was time to shoot, and Jake’s nerves were right back. He said his lines, but I could read the insecurity below the surface as he got into the lines were he was supposed to be expressing that hidden desire. The director sighed, putting a stop to it, and spoke up. “You’re having the same problem Jay-ssi was having. Try to pull from deep inside, think of somebody you like or even some food you want, anything that you crave. Ok? And… action.”

Jake took a deep breath, tilting his head to watch the american man- Jimmy, according to his role- before sliding his eyes and body front towards the camera. As I stole another Banana Kick from Riki’s fingers and ignored his soft protests, his eyes too came to rest on me. Again, I was struck frozen as Jake’s whole being seemed to shift. Not like Jay’s did, not sharp or inevitable, but something else. A yearning below the flesh, eyes intense and direct like he wasn’t just passively looking my way, but really seeing me. He wet his lips, fingers folding together and causing his knuckles to bloom white as he gripped hard. As if self-control was all he could cling to.

And then, right when the scene was over, it was just like Jay again. Right back to normal, all smiles and bowing as his take was approved and given praise. The difference was that his gaze lingered, that he made an instant beeline over to where I was and bounced lightly on his heels before me. “Haneul! Didn’t I do great? Isn’t that costume so cool?” He quickly fired, waving over to his new buddy beneath the mask.

I cleared my throat, shaking the odd crawling, invasive feeling created by his performance off, and grinned easily below my mask. “You did awesome.” I giggled. He leaned forward, down to my level, and it was now my turn to have my snack plucked from my hands. I slapped at his hands, but he just laughed, sticking out his tongue, and munched away. Then it was time for the interactions between Sunoo, Jungwon, Sunghoon, and Jay, and I was just left with Heeseung, Riki, and Jake. 

“Cards? Didn’t you bring cards, Heeseung-hyung?” Riki asked as Jake tried to shove him from his chair. The younger male just pushed Jake away easily, grinning as Jake cursed him out for taking his seat.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I did!” Heeseung perked up, reaching into his back pocket. Out came the cards. Out they came, and he tried to shuffle them in a bridge. Did a cool flip of the card, eyes flickering up to mine to see if I was watching, and he pulled them into the correct position. Then they fell all over the floor and his expression collapsed, an embarrassed look passing over his face. Riki and Jake burst out into laughs. I set the box of phones aside and left my chair to help him pick them up. 

“Here, I’m really good at shuffling. Let me.” I swiped some cards from his hands, our fingers brushing, and he paused his movements to retrieve the cards. I felt his eyes on me as I finished gathering them, pushing them into the right place and straighting up to sit back down in my chair. 

And then the cards dropped all over the floor again in my surprise. 

Jake seemed to have convinced Riki to leave his chair, because suddenly Riki was sitting in my chair. Legs all sprawled out like the string bean he was, he was leaning back, and I’d accidentally sat in his lap. I squeaked, cheeks flaming behind my mask, and instantly jumped right back to my feet. Bizarrely, Riki just made grabby hands at me, trying to swipe me back into place as I stood up off of him. “Aw, come back! We can share so none of us have to sit on the ground.” He had the nerve to pout, in fact, like doing such a thing wasn’t inappropriate. I stammered for a moment, eyes darting around to see if anyone saw.

“A-Ah, um, I can just stand. A staff member can’t sit in- can’t sit that close.” I stammered. Riki’s pout deepened, brows furrowing behind his bangs. His head tilted, eyes studying me like I was saying something silly. But there was something heavier there, almost disapproving. It was gone so fast I could hardly say I was certain I saw it.

“But you’re not staff, noona.”

“Riki, leave it alone.” Heeseung finally came to my rescue and the cards were placed back into my palms. I swallowed thickly, nodding to him. Riki shot Heeseung an oddly venomous look before he was right back to asking me to give him the best cards with a mischievous grin. I relaxed as the mood shifted back to normal and dealt the cards out.

It wasn’t long before Riki was cheating, peeking at Jake’s cards in particular and then grinning like he’d won the lottery when Jake shrieked and hid his cards away. We didn’t have too much time to play given the fact that the others were wrapping up decently quickly, but the first game went to Riki, and the second went to Heeseung. Probably because I slipped him some cards just to combat Riki and get Jake some justice.

Then Jay was back, and Jake had to shoot a group shot. I watched curiously as they painted some blood onto his lip. “Can I join?” Jay leaned in and asked. I startled, taken out of my curious staring, and immediately dealt him into the game. The next game went to me, a fact that made me shift around happily where I stood. Oddly, none of the three males seemed too put out by the notion, a stark contrast to their reactions whenever another member won. I chalked it up to their familiarity with each other. By the time the others returned, we’d just hit a point where it was Jay and Riki dueling things out. Jungwon appeared behind Jay, shaking his shoulders in encouragement, and Sunoo took his side. All the others sided with Riki, Heeseung leaning in to coach the younger male. I giggled at how serious they were making the matter.

“No, no, play that one! You can’t let Jay win.” Heeseung murmured. I heard Jay scoff.

“He’ll never let us hear the end of it.” Sunghoon agreed, tone grave. That just made me laugh harder, especially when combined with the way Jay furrowed his brows and glared over the tops of his cards. 

“You’re totally done, Ni-ki, he’s got the best-” Sunoo began. But abruptly, he was cut off. In our fun, we hadn’t noticed that most of the crew had already packed up much of the equipment. And so, with that done, the producer had wandered over to discuss something with one of the members. 

“The box of phones. Where is it?” He asked suddenly. Everyone went quiet, confused momentarily. But I just paled as horror hit me like a train. I looked around my feet frantically, searching for the box that I’d been trusted with. Fake staff or not, I’d been given a duty. Did I seriously just lose my friends’ phones? Oh god, they were going to be upset, weren’t they? Guilt was already spreading over me. When I was trusted with something, the idea of breaking that trust whether intentionally or not was a horrific possibility. 

“I- I don’t-” I stammered, confused and frantic. The boys also looked around, peeking under their chairs to try and help, but it was quickly obvious that the thing I was supposed to take care of was not here. 

The producer inhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “One job. You had one job.”

“Hey, it’s not her fault, alright? We were distracting her.” Jungwon immediately said, hands held out placatingly. But the producer just shot him a tired look.

“Distraction or not, it’s her job. She should know better than to get starstruck by the idols she works with and forget how to do that job.” His tone became more and more harsh, turning to that tone I was all too familiar with in my years of retail. Disapproval, harsh and unyielding, that view of me as a useless tool. I didn’t often hear such a tone, but I certainly remembered it when I did. With how much pride I put into my work, into my ability to be helpful and supportive and be there on time, it hurt like a knife being twisted in my gut when someone got onto me for my work. Maybe it was stupid, probably because of the combination of failing a task and failing my friends simultaneously, but I couldn’t stop the pressure from building behind my eyes. He just continued, his eyes narrowing. “Speaking of jobs, if we don’t find those phones you can count yours lost. What’s your name, hm?” 

Only then did I remember that I wasn’t really supposed to be there.

“Uh- it’s- um-” my hesitation had some of the members trying to speak up, likely to cover for me further, but the producer had already smelled blood and was leaning into my space to peer at me. “It’s Haneul!” For the second time that day, I stressed out and bleated my real name. He clicked his tongue.

“I don’t recognize you, and I definitely don’t recognize that name. Take your mask off.”

It was then that Jiyeon ran over, most of the cast having caught onto the ordeal and bringing even more eyes. She settled off to the side of the producer, nervously trying to get his attention. “Producer-nim, she’s helped us with camera and setup all day. She knows what she’s doing. I don’t think this is a sasaeng-”

“Mask off. Someone get me a list of our employees right now.” He cut her off with a wave of his hand, looming over me, and the pressure and stress built up higher.

“She didn’t do anything wrong-”

“The shooting day is almost done, let’s just let it be-”

“She’s not a sasaeng!” Everyone was talking. The producer, the crew looking for the phones, the assistant running over with the crew list, the boys trying to defend me helplessly. God, I should have never come here. How stupid was I? I didn’t belong here, and yet I’d let myself believe that there would be no consequences. And I’d even lost the belongings of my friends in the process.

Useless. Useless, useless, useless.

“Ah, producer-nim, the phones are over here! Looks like one of the crew moved them so they could bring some lighting through here!” Someone called out. A rush of relief hit me. I’d still messed up, but at least they didn’t have to pay for it. 

“See? She didn’t mean for it to happen. There’s no need to keep interrogating her.” Jay chimed. His smile was disarming, placating, but there was a sort of edge to his voice. The producer scoffed and took the list of employees from his assistant.

“That’s not what this is about any more. I make a point to learn who I employ, and I do not recognize- aha!” He cut himself off and turned the paper around to face me. His finger pulled down the list, down all of the names, and somehow in all of that entire list…

There was nobody named Haneul. 

I paled, body locking up. Things blurred around me. All of a sudden, there were hands on my arms. Security, I realized dimly. They weren’t wasting any time dragging me from the premises, and my feet skittered over the ground as I stumbled along with them. I winced as their grip sunk in, and then winced even further when the guard’s grip slipped off. A pale hand had intervened, grabbing at the hand on my right shoulder and pulling it away sharply. Those same hands shifted to my biceps and I was pulled backwards, shifted around gently to be positioned behind someone’s shoulders. 

Sunghoon, I registered. His shoulders were set, angled in front of me, body tense. “Don’t touch her like that.” His voice wasn’t aggressive, a stark contrast to the way his body language registered in my mind. 

But maybe that was just my stress talking…

No, his voice was quiet and final, a tinge of something I couldn’t quite put a name to without seeing his expression just below it. I blinked, staring past his shoulder. In the commotion I’d been numb to, somehow Riki and Heeseung had crowded around the guard. I could only see Riki’s face from this angle, and it had me slightly confused. What was that look in his eyes? That indignation, like the guard had done some sin or wronged him to some great extent. Jungwon and Jay were off to the side saying something to the producer. Jungwon seemed serious, serious to an extent I hadn’t seen him, and Jay? He hovered behind Jungwon’s shoulder, occasionally chiming in with some short, choppy words that illustrated exactly how upset he was. 

God, everything felt like it was ringing, that anxiety spike finally crashing right back down. Sunoo and Jake were there to catch me, their hands fleeting as they asked if I was alright or needed anything. Jake tugged my mask down so he could get a better look at me, and Sunoo’s arms twitched about like he wanted to hug me but was unsure with all that was going on around us. I mumbled something I didn’t quite remember, probably reassuring them.

Sunghoon stood like a barrier, wide shoulders and more bulky frame a strange sort of comfort. But even that comfort couldn’t stop the guilt and worry that washed over me when I heard Sunoo murmur something to Jake.

“We’re going to have to sort this out with management now, won’t we?”

[wombywoo]

It occurred to me the other day that during Quinn's super turbo trauma story, his neck probably wasn't slashed but choked. And now I have more questions, because somehow I can't stop thinking about your characters. So:

Did Quinn end up having a vision during that event? (Does he get them during every near-death event, or is it more rare than that?)

How the hell did he cope being with Marc? 'Cause I'm about 90% sure that guy would have got off on choking him.

When the taskforce was created, was Quinn still in his relapse where he thought he needed his visions? Did Liz find out? How does he feel about her trying to get him to have more visions? D=

Does Vincent find out Liz is using Quinn like that, and how does he feel about it? (Does Danny find out??)

In fact, how does Vincent feel about the fact an evil vampire caused a mass dragon killing spree and this was Quinn's first vision? I get the feeling that, while Quinn tries to shrug off these coincidences, Vincent is a little more concerned. XD

Also, in your art of Quinn with Marc, the wall says 196 people will die in an ungodly tragedy. Was that the dragon killing spree or another event we have yet to hear of?

Oops. 🙈 Sorry for so many questions! I just want to know all the things. And I can't help but love all your lore drops. <3

Ok!! OK!!!!! You are feeding me so well with these tasty questions auughhh thank you for finding interest in my dumb ramblings !!!!!

There are answers under the cut (warning for some heavy topics, discussion of injuries, domestic abuse, self harm, spoilers for a story that doesn't even exist, etc)

So.

Quinn's throat was slashed. It was cut with a knife, kind of a shaky first slice, but it got deeper and went all the way across; enough force to puncture his trachea, though it didn't sever the vocal cords; he was lying on his back and couldn't move, and honestly..he didn't really feel it at the time. It was all just a very numb, surreal feeling. I won't go into suuuper specifics, but thankfully some pressure was applied to the wound right away, he was resuscitated with cpr, and he was still able to breathe despite some complications to his airway, long enough for him to receive medical treatment.

But he did black out. And he might have seen things.

It's the only vision he's had that he can't remember...

~*waves hands all vague and mysterious like~*oohooohoo

Ok! Visions! So, for the most part, Quinn needs to be medically dead, albeit temporarily, for him to have a vision. Usually, his heart has to stop for one to happen, and he's just lying there, unmoving. Like..dead, dead. This should be a rare event, but uh...he's had more than a dozen visions, I'd say....

The thing is--he always comes back. Even in the worst scenarios (ie. not breathing for more than 5 minutes) he somehow always miraculously revives with minimal repercussions (sure, there's probable brain/heart damage, but it should be way waaay worse) So, he's kind of chalked up this vague 'immortality' thing as a byproduct of the visions...more mystery...

With Marc--yeah. That was just a bad situation all around. A lot of Marc and Quinn's physical relationship revolved around their dangerous power dynamic, so um. yeah. choking was one of the things they messed around with. Quinn actually requested it at the time, out of this twisted self-harm kink he'd developed. (he's, regrettably, the worst at coping with his trauma, so uhhh he feels like he needs to push himself to that same sensation of near death just feel anything at all and uhhh it's not good, you should not do this at home kids, but he feels like strangulation is the closest he can come to feeling alive just for a brief second and yeah he's fucked up he's not good I know..)

It was consensual stuff at first, but after one of their..sessions...Marc pushed it too far, he wouldn't let go and uh. Quinn suffocated and passed out. Marc did manage to revive him, but he...died for a second there. And he had a vision--one of the first dragon attacks in France that would later lead to its occupation by [insert evil vampire terrorist group]. Marc was actually comforting him after, he was just...rubbing him and telling him he was sorry and it was ok, so in the midst of a mental and physical breakdown, Quinn divulged what he saw. And Marc took him seriously, which was also rare. And they talked about it, and...it seemed ok for once.

It was only after that he realized how Marc wanted specific details, stuff he could use to harvest information and push numbers and invest in whatever type of bullshit could make a profit out of tragedy. They carried on with their relationship, but when it came to testing their limits in the bedroom....Marc took it too far again. And Quinn had another vision--a vampire massacre in [specific french location] and 196 people died, and he was crying as he told him how he saw it all from the perspective of a child. Marc seemed eager. He asked him even more questions. But...it was fine. He was still rubbing him, being calm. And Quinn had agreed to the choking. He wanted this. It was actually helping other people if he was able to use this information somehow.

But it happened again. And again. More times... Until eventually Quinn realized he had no say in the matter anymore.

The sad thing was that he convinced himself it was out of love; Marc was very passionate, this was just his way of showing him he loved him....

It became too much...after a while....

ANyway!

So, now we're in the present when Quinn joins the task force with Vincent~

At this point in time, he's gotten help with his mental state so he no longer feels the desperate urge to harm himself and induce his visions (for the most part), and is relatively stable (sure!)

Miss Major Liz is aware of his visions, to a degree. She had mistakenly thought Quinn developed a narcotic problem when she was his CO at some point (yes, he used drugs a few times to induce visions (it was about 50/50 successful)) Most of her awareness had come from Danny, who divulged his part in Quinn's #BFF-bonding-moment4lyfe (ie, forcing his friend to assist in drowning himself. twice) So she does have knowledge of some of the...wackiness.

At this point in our tale, she hasn't done anything about it. Yet. It's a testament to how off the books she works that she hasn't forced Quinn into a psych eval that will surely bench him for the next foreseeable uuhh forever. So she's keeping that on lock.

I do think that [at some point in this potential story of mine] she will consider using Quinn's 'talents' to their benefit. She's a hard lady, not afraid to trade dirty hands for even dirtier handshakes, so there will probably be a time when she wants to take advantage of potential knowledge that can influence her agenda....

Vincent...will not take this lightly.

Honestly, this whole scenario is rife with delicious drama, so I will simmer it on low and ponder it for future conflict in the [insert novel series teehee] to come

Vincent has a lot of feelings about Quinn !!!! and his visions !!! and the evil vampire agenda !!!! Too many feelings!! But all he wants is for his boy to understand that his safety and wellbeing and life are the most important things to him, and none of that is worth trading for a small glimpse at a future that will happen anyway. Quinn...disagrees. This is also teeming with potential drama, you see...

I have a LOT more of this type of speculation, but for now, I will leave you with this dump of lore and trauma for you to sink your teeth into~

Thanks for the saucy and delicious questions <3