#WHY ARE HIS ARMS NOT COVERED UP UHHH POLICE | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

reniqt · 3 years ago

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IN ANOTHER LIFE; N.JAEMIN

“are you still up to watching the sunset together?”

synopsis; each and every person must go through death before their reincarnation. this also means, your memories would slowly be erased the moment you enter your new dimension that holds a different body of your lover. Na Jaemin.

alternatively; After your significant other’s death, you decide to transfer, hoping you could have your memories erased before falling in love with a different guy who appears to look like your deceased lover.

pairings; idol!NaJae x stranger!fem.reader , bestie!haechan x bestie!mark ?? boyfriend!Na Jaemin x girlfriend!fem.reader

genre; big moments of mutual pinning, small injuries, friends to lovers, reincarnated au with memory loss, main character upcoming death, dark angst, uhhh idol and stranger maybe ??

warnings; ! SELF HARM ! please do not continue if sensitive to these type of topics. I did my best to avoid the action, so apologizes !! I’ve never wrote this type of oneshot before, so please do expect many mistakes throughout the fic. Dark with lots of angst !

STATUS | NAVIGATION

wordcount: 12.4k+

You remembered the scene clearly.

Out of all days, it had to be your anniversary. Specifically, your anniversary with your lover.

And your lover was the one and only, Na Jaemin.

4:00 AM . July 3 / 2018.

You had woken up to loud sirens that sunk into your ears, causing you to sit up from your bed in panic. Due to the countless sirens that surrounded your lover's house, you were filled with many negative thoughts. Right as you opened the front door to blue and red lights, you sprinted over to the heartbreaking scene only to be greeted with many police officers.

The figures stood in front of the barricade tape that surrounded your lover’s house, guarding the area while the gurney would be taken out of the driveway. The square shaped bed was hovered over by white thin covers, only covering his body that lined to his legs. And if you took a closer look into the scene, the white covers only exposed the victim’s head, revealing it was your significant other. Na Jaemin.

An anesthesia mask was held over his mouth, his eyes falling shut once he was taken inside the vehicle. His limb body would not move an inch, but you could’ve swore you saw him take one painful glance at you before falling asleep. Jaemin would tilt his head towards you for a second, immediately transitioning to a deep sleep once the nurses hovered the blanket over his face.

You remembered how painful that day was, and being held back by the officers that kept you from reaching for your lover’s arm. Your loud screams and cries you let out once your arms were taken into theirs, eager to see him one last time.

If you knew it was the last time you two ever met eyes, you would have monitored him every night. To see him smile.

But after many inpatient days of sorrow, you were never allowed to enter Jaemin’s room at the hospital. No matter how much you pleaded to see him, they’d always find a way to shut the door on you, revealing a second of them performing surgery on your significant other.

You were left into doubt, after many days of lack of sleep, you couldn’t stop worrying about him. You understood why a heart attack this serious shouldn’t be taken this lightly, but was desperate for how the process was going, and if he was gonna make it.

You weren’t ready to see him move onto another dimension without you.

Once you took days to accept the fact he was gone, you were left with nothing. Only to be in your best friend’s arms, and be given his comfort to recover from. You never forgave yourself for being so clueless at the time, once you put together each puzzle piece you were given.

It all came together.

Over the past couple of days, Jaemin wasn’t feeling at his best. Sometimes, he’d feel nauseous and have the urge to throw up until the pain was gone. He felt weak, and wasn’t motivated to get up ‘till he was better. He could hardly breathe at certain times, and wouldn’t stop sweating.

Of course, he didn’t want you to worry. Whenever you were in his presence, he’d manage to find a way to hide his symptoms away from you. Whether he’d sprint to the bathroom out of the blue, or push you away. You noticed he was a lot more closed with you than usual, and refused to tell you anything each time you asked him what was wrong. He’d give you silent responses, or even change the topic.

You became worried.

Jaemin decided to push it away, reminding himself he probably caught a cold and thought nothing of it.

But as each day went by, he found himself constantly running to the bathroom whenever he felt the urge to. He’d start to feel dizzy, and would keep himself in bed most of the day. Whenever you’d ask him out on a date, he’d come up with some excuse to stay indoors.

In fact, you did want to check up on him and knock on his front door to see if he was okay. But after getting no response from him, you decided not too. As much as you wanted to shower him with love and affection, you respected his boundaries and remained silent until you could.

You even stopped yourself from constantly calling him, once he suddenly started to ghost you.

Knowing Jaemin, you knew he loved you more than anyone else. Normally, he’d reply in just a few seconds and expect you to say something back until you two fell asleep. You two would stay up talking to each other for hours, and take hours to say goodbye without taking the conversation somewhere else. You found it adorable, and grew attached to his lovable affection.

At one point, you were finally accepted into his room, only to be greeted with silence as you watched him slowly pass in front of you. His limb fingers had slipped out of the bed, his fluttering eyes still tightly shut with the thin covers over him. You quietly stood beside him in tears, a bouquet of roses resting in your hands before you placed them into the vase on his nightstand.

You never came to realize as each day went by, each petal the bouquet kept had fallen onto the ground, representing the days before Jaemin’s death. Petal by petal, the roses would begin to wilt beside him until it was finished.

You remembered sleeping beside him on a chair, your head resting on his lap while your arms would lay beneath it. Your eyes had grown puffy overnight, hinting you were exhausted and couldn’t keep yourself from tearing up each time you saw a second of his face.

With all the memories you kept inside of you, you weren't ready to let him leave.

Once you were woken up to the blowing curtains that released wind inside of the room, you suddenly felt pressure onto your head. More like an arm, to be exact.

While you were sleeping, you never felt Jaemin’s hand motioning onto your head, weakly stroking your hair as you slept.

This had to be one of the last moments you and Jaemin shared together. Once you glanced over at his nightstand that laid beneath the bouquet of roses, you could see that the last petal had fallen to the ground. Your eyes transitioned over to the countless petals that slipped to the ground, leaving the stem by itself as it began to wilt against it’s vase.

He was gone.

Now that you finally put each piece together, you were speechless.

From being classmates to lovers, you knew throughout the journey with him, Jaemin never deserved that type of pain. If anything, he deserved more than enough. You never expected to have your future being ruined.

You had no idea what to do with the information you were given.

In this world, one must pass before transitioning to a new dimension

9:00 AM . July 2 / 2020.

Almost 1 year has passed since the incident.

You weren’t able to find happiness ever since, once you began to isolate yourself. Jaemin’s love for you was like no other, and left a deep mark on you. Something you were sure you couldn’t wipe off.

Your lover's loss had impacted you a lot, still tearing you bit by bit as you slowly guided yourself to the kitchen. You placed your fingers on the counter with a sigh, reminding yourself of all those times you were given his meals. Even if you lacked ingredients for him to use, he never fails to make something delicious for you for breakfast.

Even if you tried to return the favor, your finger sometimes ends up getting cut in the end. Jaemin felt guilty each time you tripped or harmed yourself, always blaming himself for not looking after you. No matter what you did, he never put you at fault no matter what the case was.

In order to have your forgiveness, he ends up treating your injury each time. He’d place ointment on your cut, and wrap bandages around it with an innocent grin.

Your heart ached to his lovable smile, missing him even more than before.

The only thing you could do was thank the system for being so gentle on his heart, wishing you would see him again in your next dimension. You wished at least, he’d find a new happiness there and at one point forget you two ever happened. All you wanted to know was if he was okay.

The sorrow and sadness you kept in this world was unbearable, and hard to accept. You weren’t able to recover from the incident, when you always broke down thinking about it.

Even if you weren’t able to see him again in your next life, you wished these memories could wash away sooner or later and bring you out from the heartbreaking angst. There was nothing you could do, other than make your one last decision.

you stared at the knife.

IN ANOTHER LIFE ; N.JAEMIN

by: reniqt

1:30 PM . March 13 / 2021.

“I told you she was dead.”

“I don't think I should have brought her to the concert..”

Your head spun around, feeling a painful ache as you reached for it. You let out a small groan, hearing not one, but two blurry voices surrounding you. You felt yourself lay against a rough, firm ground once you placed your other hand over the floor, moving around to scan the area. You, at first, guessed you were at home, but soon felt your fingers slip a bit due to the slippery surface. You kept yourself from opening your eyes to refrain yourself from panicking, slowly adjusting to your new world…..and body.

Were you, perhaps, in a bathroom?

“Finally, you’re awake.” He chuckled.

After hearing a small chuckle, you began to open your eyes, adjusting to the lighting once you locked it onto the two men who kneeled down beside you. One had held a first aid kit in his hand, while the other……had toilet paper? Not just any ordinary men, but your two best friends.

“I asked for PAPER TOWELS, dumb fuck.” He scolded, grabbing the toilet paper rolls off the other’s hand. “Not TOILET PAPER.”

Mark clicked his tongue, his eyes rolling once the other had stolen the toilet paper off his hands. “I- Well- SAME THING.” He countered with a pout, watching Haechan throw his toilet paper across the room. He transitioned his eyes over to yours, suddenly flushed in embarrassment once he realized you had watched the scene.

You couldn’t help but keep your eyes locked onto the two, filled with confusion as you watched the two argue over toilet paper. You were still stuck in the past, yet the two managed to make you laugh, even the tiniest bit. “Wanna tell me why I’m in the bathroom?” You giggled.

Haechan began to clear his throat, trying to find a way to talk to you in the most calming, proper way as he released his grip off the rolls.

“Welcome to your new dimension, sleeping beauty!”

You death stared at him, frightening him into coughing out his real self.

“I mean— Y/N, or whatever.” He began to mumble under his breath, stubbornly crossing his arms while he’d gesture Mark a look, hinting he should take the lead.

Mark glanced over at you, taking time to process the system leaving an unknown reason for your death. Though he wouldn’t dare to ask, he figured it was personal. You collapsed with no evidence in your past life. “Right, um, good question. Why don’t you tell Y/N why the hell we’re in the bathroom.” He shot back, Haechan freezing in shame.

Haechan groaned in embarrassment, his hands hovering over his face. “I had no other choice. It’s not my fault, Jae has millions of fans.” He deadpanned, earning a shocked look from you.

The sound of the part of your lover’s name ached your heart a bit, reminding you, you were brought into this world for a reason. You still needed to clarify if you made it to the same world as him. But what were the fans they were mentioning? Is he suddenly an idol?

You cleared your throat, sitting up a bit to lay your back against the wall. “Who’s jae?”

Haechan took another concerning glance at Mark, slowly replying once he looked over at you. “Just some popular idol we’re friends with.” He shrugged his shoulders, finding it surprising you hadn’t acknowledged his existence.

After hearing your best friend’s words, you had some sort of hope that grew inside of you. You knew well the four of you were a trio in the past, but only hoped it was the same Jaemin who adored you as much as your lover did. If you had the chance, maybe you could ask to look more into it.

Mark nodded, watching as you transitioned against the wall in silence. “You passed out at his concert today.” He truthfully told you, wanting to exclude the fact the two of them carried you towards the bathrooms. Haechan would grip your two legs and he would hold onto your arms, barely managing to keep you off the ground.

If Mark remembered, he did know at some point at the concert, Jae suddenly stopped singing the moment you fell to the ground. He’d slowly walk forward with his microphone, a bit shy to ask if you were okay. Even the fans were shocked, speechless once it grew silent.

Once him and Haechan began to carry you to the bathroom, he resumed his performance in relief.

It was Haechan’s idea to recover in the bathroom after all, but knew it was dumb since you basically passed out into the crowd. He figured you needed professional help, but to his surprise, you woke up a lot earlier than expected.

“—I did?” You looked puzzled, questioning why it had to be a concert out of all places. Not even that, but Jae’s. After that performance, you felt a bit embarrassed to reveal yourself to the crowd once more. Suddenly, a part of you had the urge to avoid any interactions other than your best friends for the time being. “Shit, sorry you had to carry me.”

“It’s no problem, really.”

“What do you mean, no problem??” Haechan sneered, his arms crossing again. “My arms NEARLY broke.” He dramatically told him, using it as an excuse to receive more attention from Mark.

“You mean MY arms.” He countered, Mark rolling his eyes at how dramatic Haechan sounded before he glanced over at you to tap your shoulders.

“But hey, you’re okay right ? Let's show you around our new apartment first. Maybe— help us unpack extra boxes?” He suggested, giving you an awkward smile.

—

You closed the car door shut, adjusting your eyes to the sunlight that grew above you. You were relieved you were in the arms of two loyal best friends you— somewhat knew? You held your hand above your eyes to gaze at the sky, Haechan calling you over towards the trunk to unload the luggages.

Outside seemed as if it was a lot brighter than your past life, considering everything seemed to get a bit gloomy in your eyes. Your best friends now were quite energetic, when all you remembered was that they were quiet with each other in your old world.

After one breakup due to stressful studying, they never spoke to each other. It was a painful sight to see.

You were almost glad you transferred to another world, when all you could see were bright smiles from them. You missed seeing your two best friend’s teasing one another, and we're glad you made the right decision. Or at least you did.

“Be careful, I hold very valuable stuff in there.” He pointed out, Haechan handing you a box that seemed to hold a lot of random junk he packed throughout the trip. “Clothes, money, socks, blah blah blah blah.” He continued, Mark glancing at the brown box you struggled to hold. If he looked close enough, he could see red and white slippers with antlers on the edges, poking out once he gently opened the box.

It was a reindeer-looking slipper, Mark got Haechan for christmas.

“Anyways,” Haechan abruptly closed the box back from Mark’s fingers, hinting that one specific item was personal to him. “I’ve invited Jae to come over and help us unpack. He should know you’ve transferred to a new body.” He calmly told you, watching you choke on your words and merely drop the box due to shock.

“We’ll show you your room once we’re there”

You quietly nodded, a bit unsure if this was a good idea or not. Sure you felt comfortable with your best friends and all, but you were still not ready to meet eyes with the appearance of your lover. At first, you chickened out a bit, but gathered enough confidence to enter the staircase once you’d let out a shaky sigh.

Everything was happening a little too fast. You were seconds away from meeting the Jaemin of your world, and you were years away from getting your memories erased. You hoped it would die out sooner or later. Whenever you even took a second to look at the love of your life, his death was still there. It continued to follow you everywhere, and give out the most negative thoughts you weren’t ready for.

In this world, one’s new reinarication keeps it’s memories until erased.

It may take years before the system resets its body.

You were completely against the system. You came to this world to find a purpose in your life, but only found yourself being dragged towards Jaemin. You felt like a cheater when you knew your significant other died, and didn’t want to interact with any other ones. It would only remind you of him over and over again.

The three of you finally made it up the staircase after countless steps you crossed, Haechan being the first to barge into your new apartment with his arms. You managed to carry the countless boxes in your arms, Mark jogging over to help you with extra ones once you made it to the doorstep. Once haechan had shoved the door open, you took the first few seconds to examine the apartment.

The room was loaded with boxes on the floor. A few luggages towards the windows, and some uncleaned dishes on the counter. The room kept a wooden floor with very few windows that were partly opened, releasing wind into the room.

Overall, the apartment already looked as if it had been used, but there were some certain spots where it looked clean. You could already assume Mark had decided on leaving uncleaned dishes for Haechan to clean. It explained why he kept such a guilty look on ever since the three of you barged in.

“Oh, JAEEEE,” Haechan hummed into the apartment, his eyes searching for the celebrity of your dreams. Though he was nowhere in sight, he knew exactly where he was. He slipped through the hallway, finally spotting the male outside the balcony. “Dammit, he’s on the balcony again.” Groaned Haechan, knowing it wasn’t the first time he’s entered the back.

“I’ll go get him.” Mark offered, letting out a sigh once he dashed past the two.

You awkwardly placed down the boxes with the rest, raising a brow in curiosity. “Again?” You repeated, second guessing this so-called ‘Jae’ person as you released your grip off the brown item. Haechan glanced over at you, slowly nodding in embarrassment.

“He’s been checking our neighbors' roses for a while, and he won’t stop.”

He wasn’t wrong. When Jae first entered their apartment, he offered to help start unpacking a few things around the room. Everything was fine until a plant of roses had caught his eye outside the balcony, suddenly dragging him towards it to examine the beautiful plant. Ever since then, he’d help take care of it to refrain it from wilting.

Haechan didn’t mind, but was still concerned.

Haechan let out another groan, his eyes trailing over to the unclean dishes that were left onto the marble counter. A bit bothered, he walked over to you, kneeling down beside you to help unpack. “Y/N, right? You reincarnated earlier than I expected. ” He questioned, opening the extra boxes that exposed the countless pieces of random junk. The male took out a snowglobe afterwards, gently propping it onto the ground. “Can’t forget this.”

You watched as Haechan walked over to you with a sigh, nodding as you helped place the other items down. “Yeah, it’s a funny story.” you joked, a painful laugh escaping your lips before you’d get caught in Mark and Jae’s presence. You darted your head towards the two, your heart aching once more.

“Y/N?”

You slowly trailed your eyes over to Jae’s, examining him from head to toe. From his blue colored jeans to his mint colored sweatshirt, you froze. He had blueish hair, with the tips of gray on each strand that seemed to be noticeable once you took a closer look. The wave of his nostalgic beauty ran past you, capturing you into his familiar face. With his gentle shaped eyes, and his dark pupils, you were brought back into a lovable appearance.

He had the look of Jaemin. Your deceased lover in the past. He looked a bit older, but never failed to keep his sweater on whenever he could. Ever since the two of you had met eyes, you never wanted to hug him more than your life. You wanted to run up to him and wrap your arms around his body and tell him how much he meant to you.

But he wasn’t him.

You blinked back into reality, fixing your eyes towards Jae who was jogging towards you. You could’ve sworn his smile expanded on the way, as he immediately wrapped his arms around you. He began to close his eyes, suddenly covering you with warmth.

He was relieved you were able to recover from the heat. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay.” He calmly told you, soon releasing his arms to see if you were okay. He gently reached for your hand, examining it for any bruises. “You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”

You stepped back a bit in hesitating to find the male immediately wrapping his arms around you with a comforting smile, giving you the warmth you wished you could have again. With all the swarming memories that gathered in your head, you weren’t able to run from it once more.

“I’m fine, thanks—” you mumbled under your breath, abruptly tugging your arm back from his fingertips in fear.

Jae paused, releasing his hand off of yours in shock. “Oh— right, my bad.” He awkwardly responded, slowly lowering his hand to take a few steps back. Clearly, it was obvious you weren’t interested and wanted to avoid him for the time being. He pursed his lips a bit, the silence slowly sinking in once Mark and Haechan froze in silence.

“….”

“Uhm, well, I finished unloading in the back right? ...I’ll be at the practice rooms.” He glanced over at the two for a bit, waving before he’d start heading towards the front, pushing open the door to leave.

You froze a bit, reaching to hold your hands together once Jae brushed past the three of you, leaving you in silence. You felt pretty guilty for making the atmosphere dry, but had to admit to your mistakes.

“..Is there something I’m missing?” Haechan frowned.

“Let’s just say things didn’t go well with me and him in the past.”

You quietly responded, watching the two tense up a bit as you kneeled down towards the luggages. You claimed the maroon one, propping it up into the palm of your hands with a sigh.

“This one’s mine, right?” you confirmed, Mark nodding before you dragged it across the wooden halls, the male pointing to your soon to be bedroom.

The two sat in silence for a while, Mark being the first to break it.

“I know it’s her first day..” He slowly spoke, raising a brow in concern once he watched you shut the door afterwards. He found it a bit odd, but didn’t bother to interfere with your past once he stood off the ground. He walked over to reach the unclean dishes with a visible pout. “But— I’m becoming worried.” He truthfully told him, Haechan intentionally grabbing the dishes from his hands.

“I think it’s better to give her space.” Haechan sighed, pressing his arms against the counter as he threw his head back in confusion. Though he was concerned himself, a part of him was curious if you were willing to open up about it. “Also, give me that.” He reached to unexpectedly grab the dirty dishes off Mark’s hands, earning a dramatic gasp from him.

“Don’t you hate washing the dishes?”

Haechan began to feel his cheeks heat up.

“I kind of want to do it today.”

—

10:15 PM . March 13 / 2021.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. I should’ve told you sooner, but I couldn't bring myself to.” Jae’s eyes softened, the male continuously ruffling his hair with a towel as he held his phone to his ear with a sigh. He had just left the practice rooms not too long ago, already worn out from dancing once he had left to use the restroom. He pressed his fingertips against the sink, the male fixing his eyes towards the foggy mirror that held his blurry face. “Fine, but promise me you won’t tell her.” He quietly spoke, the humid air beginning to hover over each mirror. He used this opportunity to draw a bunny, his fingers slowly tracing across.

“Alright, thanks Haechan.” He finished, the male finishing the animal once he drew a nose onto it. After receiving a goodbye from the call, he lowered his cell to hang up. After exhaling a large amount of air, he released his hands off to the edge to get back to cleaning his hair. “Man, something tells me he won’t keep it.” Jae frowned, returning back to talking to himself once he headed towards the backdoor. He pressed his arm against it, pushing the door open to be covered in darkness.

He glanced over to the left, squinting his eyes towards the figure who was running towards him at a face pace. It seemed to be holding a few grocery bags in each hand, sprinting towards his direction before you would slowly reveal yourself due to the alleyway’s light. After being exposed to the brightness, it causes you to slow down a bit before you’d get caught in Jae’s presence. And at the right time, he managed to shift himself to stand in front of you with a raised brow.

You frowned.

“Do you need something?”

“Why are you out here?”

As much as you wanted to leave, it was quite weird to find some person outside with groceries. You couldn’t blame him. You were mainly just going out for a jog, and figured the others needed to restock on a few ingredients.

You were certain the two hadn’t found out you left the apartments, considering you tiptoed past the two figures who were sleeping on the couch. You could’ve sworn one of them left their heads on the other’s shoulder, merely stopping you to stare in confusion.

You didn’t see a problem with going out, but needed to sort out your thoughts after what happened today.

Attempting to escape from his trap, you moved to the left.

And to your surprise, he moved to the left too.

You scoffed, immediately swerving to the right.

He moved to the right too.

A heavy groan escaped your lips, stepping back a few steps in defeat before you’d throw your head back a bit. “Alright, fine. You got me,” You mumbled, your hands digging through the groceries to see if you could bribe him with some random ingredient. While you did, you suddenly heard a faint of laughter coming in front of you.

You quickly transitioned your eyes over to Jae’s to find him letting out nothing but small bits of laughter. Your lips began to unpurse themselves in shock, your cheeks beginning to burn. “W-What are you laughing at??”

After stopping you from left to right, Jae couldn’t stop himself from bursting into laughter at the sight of you struggling. He reached to dramatically wipe his tears, shaking his head at your embarrassed face. “Nothing. Am I not allowed to laugh?” He chuckled, his eyes catching another black figure who was coming towards the two of you.

With a look of shock, Jae immediately reached to grab your hand, pulling you into the bushes with him.

You immediately got dragged towards the plants, stumbling over the soil. “What the? let go-” you stuttered, trying to break free from his grip once you were caught inside the crowded plants. You were covered in leaves, the two of you beginning to hide between each bush.

You struggled to stand up, the male having to place his hand over your mouth to tape your mouth shut. You’d slowly feel your cheek’s burn again.

“Shh.”

He continued to keep his hand over you, Jae slowly poking his head out of the bushes to scan the area. His eyes trailed down from the road, in relief after realizing the blurry figure had disappeared. Though he wasn’t sure if they were fully away from danger, he cautiously released his hand off of your mouth.

Before you could even say anything, he gestured his finger to signal you it was now safe.

“I told my manager I was gonna head back to the dorms after practice.” Jae quietly sighed, confessing he was supposed to be there a few minutes ago. And what’s worse, if his fans catch him hanging out with some stranger, of course they’re gonna assume the two of you are dating.

He wasn’t even sure if he was at risk, considering this was his first time merely getting caught in your presence. He tried to keep himself out of trouble, otherwise this would have ruined his career by now. “If they catch me, it’s over.”

“God, I keep forgetting you're an idol.” You groaned, giving a gentle punch into Jae’s shoulder.

In all honesty, you did not want him to be blamed for the situation and wanted to stay out of it before it would get worse. This was scarier than it is, and somehow you were worried only after you two JUST met. It hurts to even think about it.

Jae winced in return after getting his shoulder punched, being the first to stand out of the bushes after confirming no one was there. He began to brush the leaves off his clothes, attempting to leave no evidence even if it was obvious he fell somewhere. “Sorry, I just- I never had this much fun in awhile.” He turned himself to face you, offering to help you up with his hand out.

You raised a brow, the atmosphere becoming a bit awkward once you refused to take his hand, gently slapping it aside. You stood up to brush the dirt off your clothes. “You call this fun? We literally dived into the bushes together.” You clicked your tongue, slowly shaking your head in disappointment.

Jae shrugged his shoulders, his hand getting pushed aside. “Look, it’s not something you would expect from an idol, you know.” He scoffed, the male crossing his arms in front of you with a frown.

He shifted his eyes over to your hair, a piece of branch being caught into your strands of hair. “Also, you have a little something-” He gestured his hand over his head, hinting there was something on you.

“Oh, do I?” You reached to grab it, swiping it off of you in embarrassment.

“…..”

You glanced down at the torn apart grocery bag that held the ingredients, kneeling down a bit to hold it in your hands. You began to search for one specific item, your hands digging through the crowd. “Well, before you go,” You started, struggling to find it. You managed to grab hold onto a square shaped case, gripping it out of the ripped bag. “Take this.”

You held out a closed bag of rose seeds.

Jae’s lips parted themselves in shock, hesitating on grabbing the delicate bag from your fingers.

Your two fingers held onto the bag, swaying it back and forth for him to take. You couldn’t help but feel the ends of your lips curve, automatically grinning at his reaction. “You like roses, right? Here.” You smiled, Jae still speechless from your sudden sweetness.

“What’s this for?” He softly spoke, finally reaching to grab the seeds off your hands. Though he was grateful, he had no idea how you found out he was a fan of them. Specifically roses. “This is sweet of you but—” His words were suddenly caught off by your disappearance, Jae raising his head to find you sprinting away with the torn bag in your hands.

You were running into the distance with a noticeable smile.

“TAKE IT AS AN APOLOGY!” You shouted from behind, running backwards to wave at him with a grin.

It felt wrong to do such a thing, but you couldn’t help it. You reminded yourself to stay away from him after today, but couldn’t help but not think about that one specific moment. After apologizing to him with a gift, you couldn’t help but notice Jae’s personality was familiar to you. He was childish, and enjoyed any simple moment you two did together. The funny thing was, he didn’t seem to be entertained easily when it came to his other friends. Sure, he could smile once or twice, but a part of you felt as if it wasn’t sincere.

Ever since today, his smile was possibly one of the prettiest things you’ve ever seen. You missed seeing such a thing, each smile he gave reminding you of Jaemins. His loveable smile never fails to make you feel at ease.

You didn’t wanna seem selfish and compare the two, but you didn’t wanna be stuck in your comfort spot forever. You knew at one point you had to open up to the two about your past before time would run out. It didn’t bother you that much, considering you had lots of time before your memories would erase. You decided to take it slow for a bit, and adjust to your new friends. Even Jae.

You admit, Jae was a gentleman and probably one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. Along with the other two, you found yourself becoming attached to the three in just a few months. You became a lot more open with the two, and we're looking forward to your future with just the three. You were regaining your happiness again.

Although, you were getting to become worried for Jae and his career. Ever since the two of you had begun to hang out together, you seemed to notice the littlest things. Whether it would be being given questions, such as if the two of you were dating or even spreading rumors around about the two of you.

No matter how much you told yourself to avoid Jae for the sake of his career, he’d always find himself running back to you to ask if you were free.

And as much as you wanted to reject his offer, you couldn’t say no to his pleading eyes. You were starting to risk it each time.

You just never realized it was becoming a problem.

-1 Petal

—

17:05 PM. June 30 / 2021.

Photos were probably one of things Jae cherished. Specifically, ones that carry memories.

You, two, were also a fan of photography and had the love for taking photos. Whenever the two of you would hangout, you’d always find yourself pausing to take a picture of Jae doing something special. Whether it would be him doing something stupid, such as, tripping over a his own feet at practice or even accidentally dropping his microphone on stage, you’d take your camera out.

Most of the photos were just random photos of you three doing ridiculous things together. You confessed most of them were Jae, but a lot of them include him blushing out of embarrassment. You found it quite dumb and adorable for a person like him, using every chance you had to keep memories inside of your camera. You’d make sure to look after them for comfort before it was too late.

It had only been a few months, and your storage was running low. You planned on asking Jae for a new camera, but planned on using it ‘till it’s fullest.

A few days ago, Jae had asked you if he could borrow your camera. He never gave you a specific reason why, other than saying it was ‘a little something.’ You didn’t think too much of it, considering you basically put your full trust on him by now. You still wondered why he was so desperate for it, now that it had been a lot quieter these days. There was a lot less socializing between the three of you, Jae ending up rejecting your offers for the sake of practice and other unknown reasons.

Now that he finally finished practicing his last performance, he was given permission to hang at the three of your apartments for the night. Though it was a surprise he had unexpectedly shown up on your front door step, you couldn’t be mad at the wrapped box he held in his arms. With the innocent grin he held, you were certain it had to do something with the photos.

“You didn’t delete any, right?” You began to examine the camera in your room after being given it, wanting to make sure there were no scratches or marks around it. “I don't know, it looks messed up.” You teased, opening your cabinet to gently place it inside.

Jae rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he propped the wrapped gift onto your bed. “Nope, I swear.” He truthfully told you, walking over to glance over your shoulder. He didn’t think there would be any marks, when he didn’t really do much with it. “Wait, really?? Where—” he stuttered, desperately looking around for it.

You stared into his eyes, breaking into laughter at his gullibleness. You placed your hand on top of his head, gently ruffling his hair for forgiveness.

“I’m just teasing, Jaemin—”

“Jaemin?”

You immediately paused, your hand quickly releasing itself off his hair in realization. Your heart ached at the sound of his name. You didn’t mean to mix the two up, regretting saying such things right as silence fell between you two.

You kept forgetting he wasn’t him.

You stuttered. “Jae. My bad,” you quickly responded, trying to escape the awkward tension as you lowered your head in disappointment. His reaction was pretty bland, but confused once the two of you freezed up a bit.

“……”

“Well— you said you brought something over, right?” You broke the silence, your cheeks burning in embarrassment after how awkward it became.

He blinked back into reality with a quick nod, guiding you over towards the gift that laid against your covers. After patting the sheets for you to sit down beside him, he happily handed you a rectangular shaped gift with a grin. “Here. It’s for you.”

You glanced over at the rectangular gift, taking time to process Jae didn’t use any ordinary gifting paper, but a Christmas one. It had countless snowmans that scattered across the package, and a small red bow that was glued onto its surface. You hesitated to reach for it, slowly grabbing it from his hands in shock.

“What’s up with the Christmas wrapping paper?”

“…I had no other wrapping paper, okay??”

You laughed, leaning over to take the small package into your arms. You confessed the packaging was beautifully done, and left no messy marks in any spot.

You admired the amount of effort that was put into this. You were even impressed at how proper it looked after examining it, spotting a card attached to the red bow. Due to the tape that folded the card together, you were unable to read it.

As you reached to tear one part of the package, you’d feel Jae gently slap your arm aside.

“I want you to open it on my birthday, stupid. Not now,”

You winced in return, your arm getting slapped to the side. You began to fix your eyes over at him with confused eyes, slowly placing the packaging back onto your lap. “It’s not my birthday, Jae.” You reminded, wondering why he’d choose to give you something when it was HIS birthday.

Though it was sweet of him, you planned on giving him lots of gifts. “Plus, I wanna make yours extra special.”

Jae paused, a blush of red appearing across his cheeks. “But this is what I want, Y/N.” He whined, making a pleading pose with his fists. “Pleaseeeee,” He pleaded, attempting to convince you with his noticeable pout and desperate eyes. You sighed in defeat.

“Fine. Only for you.”

-1 Petal

20:05 PM. July 2 / 2021.

“Wonder what Haechans gonna make tonight.”

“Who knows, it’s probably gonna be good.”

You agreed with Jae’s statement, nodding as the two of you walked through the sidewalk. You managed to offer the male your black cap in case anyone would suspect you two, and forced him to wear a mask out in public just in case.

In your eyes, he just looked like any average normal teenager with blue hair. You knew how strict his fans were when it came to dating, so you were extra careful when it came to dressing him.

He paused for a bit, turning his head over to you. “Oh, you want me to show you the rose I planted?” He grinned behind the mask, catching up to you to tap your shoulder.

If he remembered, he had been properly caring for it at the apartment. There, left a single rose in a vase that was comfortable sitting at the corners of his balcony. With the seeds you gave him a few months ago, he couldn’t be more than happy to plant it once he made it back.

And ever since then, he’s been eager to show you the view, and his progress.

“With the seeds I gave you?”

After Jae nodded, he reached to grab your hand, immediately taking the lead as he guided you towards his small apartment that seemed to be close by. The balcony held a hidden spot that was out of sight, but possibly had one of the best views from afar. From his perspective, he was certain that you’d enjoy it as well.

Once the two of you jogged through the small crowds, the two of you met eyes with a nearby apartment that had not too many cars parked up front. He gently tugged you aside, slowly siding to the side of the building where countless windows were aligned. Each part held a balcony, leading up to the top.

And one of them was Jae’s.

“Why are we going through the side?”

“You’ll see why.”

“Tell me if you need a hand, there’s a lot of steps.” He offered, referring to the fire escape ladders that sat in front of you two. He was the first to place his hands on the edge, slowly climbing up the ladder to reach the right one.

Each ladder led to countless apartments from above, one of them holding a fully grown rose on the edge.

You could’ve swore you saw Jae take a few glances over his shoulder to confirm you’re okay, making you shy.

You continued to follow after him, already enjoying the view once you took small glances to the side. It was something you never really experienced, unless it was an emergency. Having to climb up to the balconies was enjoyable, yet a new experience for you. After watching each move Jae took, you were certain it wasn’t his first time entering his apartment through the back. You admired him for it.

Once Jae finally made it to the last ladder, he turned himself around to find you following after him. He took his hand out, reaching to grab your hand to pull you up. “Now you see why I chose to have the apartment near the top?” He grinned, your hand being taken into his before he’d gently tug you onto the balcony with him.

“Hold on, close your eyes.” He snickered, walking behind you to cautiously place his hands over your eyes. You were a bit startled at first, but felt yourself being guided slowly towards the front.

As told, you closed your eyes before feeling the palm of Jae’s hands hover over your eyes. You began to slowly walk forward, your hands raising to hold his hands as well. “If this is a joke, I’m leaving you.” you threatened with a hidden eye roll, hearing him scoff in return before he slowly released his hands off of you, revealing a mesmerizing view.

He laughed at your unexpected reaction, Jae kneeling down to grasp the planted rose off the ground. He held it in his arms, patiently waiting till he caught your attention.

“You see that?” He pointed his index finger over at the hill of grass, leading to an unknown path of darkness. “I always wanted to go there and watch the sunset.” He dreamily told you, adoring how peaceful and calm the atmosphere looked. Despite the noisy crowds and flashing lights, he needed his time and space.

“How about on your birthday, I’ll take you.”

“…Rigghttt, on my birthday.”

“I’m serious!” You playfully shouted, reaching to gently slap your arm across his shoulder. You almost heard him let out an evil laugh in return, the male reaching to rub his shoulder in pain. “It’ll be a part of your gift, Jae.”

“I promise.”

You took the opportunity to stare back into the distance, taking time to take in how gorgeous the view was. From afar, it was one of the best angles you’ve stood up from.

You were in denial. Jae had the chance to see such a beautiful sight each night, and open the door to a starry sky, making you jealous each time you thought about it. You were convinced you could practically release any anger you had and be taken in by it’s calming presence. It definitely puts you at ease.

You slowly moved to the side, spotting a single rose being held in his arms. It was sitting comfortably in a vase, it’s beauty bringing you closer.

“Is this the rose?” You pointed to it.

“Yup.” He nodded, gently handing the vase over to you with a grin.

You happily took it from his arms to examine the plant, noticing a few petals that were buried into the ground.

Your eyes widened in surprise at the plant, filled with awe and sadness. “It’s lost a few petals, already?” You softly spoke, your tone softening once you scanned the beautiful plant. It seemed to have lost a few, your eyes fixing towards the fallen petals that seemed to be dreadfully laying against the soil.

Despite the disappearance of the dried petals, the flower was still gorgeous.

Jae slowly nodded in disappointment. “Probably because of my schedules. I haven’t been taking care of it that much lately.” He confessed with a groan as he watched you caress the flower with a small grin, handing it back to him afterwards.

“Didn’t you want more of them? Why plant only one?”

“Don’t know. Probably just a feeling.”

You awkwardly laughed in return, avoiding his gaze to keep your eyes in front. The two of you went back to leaning across the balcony, the tension growing silent.

Jae began to lean closer to the balcony with a sigh, continuing to watch as the countless trees that lined across the sidewalk began to flow. He transitioned himself to leave his head onto the palm of his hand, trying to refrain himself to look at you. And whenever he had the intention too, he couldn’t help but notice the visible frown you kept upon your lips, almost as if you needed the reassurance.

He stared at you.

“What’s the face?”

“What face?”

Jae frowned, his fingers reaching to gently pinch your cheeks. You winced a bit, your lips pursing as he leaned closer to you. “That face, Y/N. This isn’t you,” He sighed, releasing his fingertips off of you before you painfully rubbed your cheek. “What’s wrong?”

You hate to admit you were too caught up in your thoughts, overwhelmed by everything. You could feel yourself still stuck in the past, still reaching for reassurance and the love you missed. You could feel as if the mark Jaemin gave you was still there, and was unable to erase no matter what you did. You weren’t able to escape from reality after looking back, missing him even more.

You lowered your head in sadness. “It’s just—” you hesitated, trying to choke out the right words. It was hard for you to explain to Jae the pain you went through. “I-….my anniversary with my boyfriend is tomorrow.” You confessed, your voice turning into gentle mumbles.

You completely forgot about your anniversary with your deceased boyfriend. You felt hurt to think your first anniversary with Jaemin was wasted, ever since the chain between you two broke. You remembered how you were desperately searching for gifts, preparing a celebration for him once it arrived.

You were so excited to see his reaction. To see him walk through that door, and surprise him with gifts.

You just felt so lost after taking months to get out of your comfort spot, every inch of you wanting to run back into his arms and let him know you love everything about him. You didn’t want to accept the fact he disappeared on you.

You took a deep breath. “He’s— he’s not here anymore.” You blandly told him, a shaky sigh escaping your lips as you continued to avoid his gaze.

You didn’t regret leaving your old body one bit. In fact, you were glad. You found happiness here, and enjoyed every moment you had with the three of them. You felt as if it was calling you, bringing you back into your normal self each time.

You were relieved to say you were healing from the past, but your heart wouldn’t let you.

You weren’t ready to let him go.

“Y/N—”

Jae darted his head towards you, tugging your arm and bringing you into a comforting hug. He began to hear quiet sobs against his shoulder, feeling your tears run down his jacket. He began to stroke your hair silently, bringing warmth onto you as you cried. The two of you stood in silence as he listened to your painful cries, the male’s eyes softening in sadness.

The amount of guilt he held was unbearable.

“I miss him, Jae.”

-1 Petal

“What was he like?”

“One of the sweetest, bravest, kind hearted people I know.”

“Someone I could never replace.”

2:33 PM. August 7 / 2021.

“What happened??”

You barged through the door in panic, panting as you desperately searched the room in worry.

After the small incident that occurred during Jae’s performance, Haechan had quickly given you a phone call, immediately explaining to you the details of what happened. You remembered dropping your grocery bags as you held the phone close to your ear, your voice becoming shaky as you gritted your teeth in shock.

In reality, you didn’t understand why you cared so much. ‘Till this day, you remembered how rude you were when you two met eyes. How distant you were with the three, and how secretive you became. It had only been a few months, and you never thought you’d worry this much to the point you’d sprint back home, leaving your bags behind.

Haechan’s simple words had done nothing but make you panic, triggering you into returning back to the apartments in a small amount of seconds.

Haechan knew how much you cared for him, but never expected you to run back.

You stood in silence, your lips parting once you spotted Mark treating Jae in the living room. If you looked close enough, there was a folded, wet towel that was laying against his forehead. The male was sleeping comfortably on the couch, his softened eyes tightly closing as he continued to rest. Lined to his chest, appeared a thin blanket that was hovered over his body, giving him warmth.

Without hesitation, you dashed over to the two, kneeling down beside the couch. You were relieved Jae was calmly sleeping beneath the covers once you scanned his body, glad no Marks were created. It hurt to see him have an expressionless look across his face, worried if he was going to be okay or not.

“It’s his memories.”

Mark finally spoke, exhaling a small amount of air as he began to narrow his eyes. He refused to admit the system was eating up his old ones, leaving him in many accidents, and soon, a new life. He was well aware he may not be able to be given the opportunity to be his best friend again, if the reincarnation ruins his body.

Unexpected accidents like this, left off hints it was only the beginning of it. “I don’t know how much time we have left.”

“Y/N— listen to me,” he began, turning himself to face you and your heartbroken expression. He released his hand off the towel. “He’s— he’s not the bad guy you think he is.” He painfully sighed, fixing his eyes towards the sleeping younger. “..You have no idea how painful it was to see Jae break down the moment he transferred.”

The memory was clear to him, and a memory him and Haechan will never forget.

The memory of Jae bursting out with tears was locked into his head. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and painful cries had echoed through the door while he began to hide himself in his apartment. The painful ache in his chest was there, and he couldn’t do anything to heal it.

The moment he woke up from collapsing, he couldn’t stop himself from having tears trail down to his chin. No matter how much he wiped his face, it managed to make its way out of his puffy eyes. He became sick of it, and had a hard time adjusting to his new life. The two felt heartbroken to hear him struggle in each performance he had, being forced to be held under care until he was prepared.

The two were confused, wondering what was causing him to break down this much. It hurt them to see him struggle in the most simplest things, Jae always having to refuse to sleep until he finished crying. It was hard to admit it took a year for him to get out of his room, and start preparing himself to work again. To be the idol he grew into.

But no matter what Mark and Haechan did, they were never given an answer. Jae never bothered to open up to the two about it until he was ready, but nothing seemed to work. Night after night, he became mentally exhausted and was tired of becoming selfish over almost everything he didn’t want to accept.

But after preparing himself to become productive again, the two couldn’t be happier after seeing his sudden progress.

They were happy for him, and became known as Jae’s two best friends.

The two idiots who promised to have Jae by their sides until he was willing to let go.

Jae began to practice more, and started to attend his delayed performances after disappearing from his fans. He trained himself to get back up again, and learn to move on. Thankfully, he was beginning to adjust into his new life and regain his confidence to start over.

But inside, Mark was still worried about him. If he was okay with getting his memories removed, and if he was willing to forget the three of you.

Most importantly, you.

“But I can tell he loves you a lot.” He confessed, reaching to wipe the formed tears in his eyes.

He was telling the truth. The moment you appeared in his presence, he couldn’t help but notice the way Jae had been acting towards you. He seemed like himself, and held one of the most sincere grins ever. After watching each move he took, Mark came to realize he was happier than before.

The two noticed his sudden behavior, whether it would be Jaemin begging the two if he could come over or even him rushing to swallow up his food only to see you.

They found it quite adorable, actually. In your eyes, he may be a tough, sweet gentleman when in reality, Jae would be risking it all for you. He’d possibly do anything to make you happy.

Mark came to realize You represented his happiness in this world.

He never wanted to thank you enough for being the light he needed.

The light that guided him.

“Please, take care of him.”

-1 Petal

—

1:45 PM. August 12 / 2021.

“..Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jae tensed up a bit in guilt as he watched you turn your back on him. You turned to grit your teeth in pain, your arms crossing themselves while you forcefully stared onto the floor. Surprisingly, you found it hard to believe he was days away from getting his memories erased.

The worst part was, you never knew when.

You were filled with questions, wanting to ask him if all his memories will be erased and if they’ll remember each other.

It was obvious he was getting closer and closer to getting his memories erased, each accident hinting he was days away from leaving. Ever since he passed out on stage, the memory system wouldn’t leave him be.

Days later, he began to pass out more than once throughout the day, or even develop with a fever without a reason. Whether it would be him struggling to focus his eyes, or even have trouble remembering bits of the past. He’d even unexpectedly zone out at practice, pausing to hold his head in pain until it was over.

How could you not worry?

“Y/N, listen to me—” Jae stuttered, the male walking forward to reach for your arm. You pulled your arm out of his reach in anger, stepping back. “I don’t know how many days I have left, but—” you stopped him.

“What is there to listen to, Jae??” You countered, beginning to clench your fists in pain as you continued to avoid his gaze. It hurt to argue with him after you and Mark spoke, but felt furious once you found out he kept a secret from you this entire time. From someone you trusted.

“You knew this entire time, you’ll be getting them erased.”

“Y/N, I’m sorry, I-”

“I trusted you, you know.” Your voice became shaky, tears beginning to form in your eyes as you watched him hesitate to reach for your hands. “I didn’t be your friend just to see you hide THIS from me.” You snapped, your nails digging into your skin.

You were too lost in anger that you hadn’t realized commotion was created.

A crowd began to gather around the sidewalk, your raised voice luring people towards the two of you. They began to look around the area, some of them holding their cameras high to record the scene. After Jae had taken his mask off, exposing his identity, he began to drag fans forward in curiosity.

The crowd shoved and pushed, creating a round boundary between the two of you. It was clear they were angry, countless people beginning to take pictures at you two.

“Y/N, this is not what I wanted.” Jae countered with a single tear, watching as you faced him with your back once more. You didn’t want to interact with him anymore. “I didn’t mean to tell you so soon. I just—”

He grunted.

You paused in motion, slowly turning yourself around to find him grabbing onto his head in pain.

His symptoms were back, and you could tell the pain was getting worse. Jae frowned, trying to break into words as tears ran from his eyes. “It really isn’t.” He winced, the ringing in his head beginning to grow.

You watched in regret, your hands starting to fiddle with themselves. “Then what is it that you want, Jae??” You responded, your voice raising before you looked away.

The crowd continued to shove others aside, some of them struggling to reach the front to ask you two a question.

Specifically Jae.

“What seems to be the problem, Mr. Na?” They shouted, their cameras out to capture the moment.

The reporters were back, attempting to shove the microphone towards you two. “Is this possibly the woman you’ve been sneaking out with all along?” They chirped, cameras clicking.

You purse your lips, being the first to step away. “Yeah, why don’t you tell them if I am??” You sneered with an eyeroll, walking towards the crowd to angrily shove your way through. They managed to create space for you, easily letting you exit.

“..Y/N, wait!”

“Goodbye, Jae.”

-100%

……

System reset, complete!

He fell to the ground.

9:04 AM. August 13 / 2021.

There you were, silently sitting on your bed, the square shaped gift resting into the palm of your hands.

It was Jae’s birthday.

You weren’t able to get to sleep last night. After what happened yesterday, it forced you not to. You felt guilty for not being able to say anything to Jae ever since, your phone sitting on your front desk, almost as if it was waiting for you to pick it up. Of course, you fought the urge too, considering the anger you had for him was still there. You didn’t wanna face him after regretting the rude things you’ve said to him. He didn’t deserve it.

You missed him so much. Though you couldn’t figure out why, you missed and needed his presence again. The amount of guilt you felt throughout the night was more than enough, making you hesitate on checking up on him. You didn’t mean to shout at him, regretting every little thing you said. You didn’t want to picture the tears that ran from his face, making you feel hurt each time you imagined it.

You wished you'd given Jae the chance to talk.

Surprisingly, you hadn’t felt your phone vibrate since then. Despite the amount of missed calls you received from Mark and Haechan, your phone went silent. Right as you returned home last night, the two weren’t there. You thought nothing of it at the time, assuming they were probably out getting things. The thing was, they never returned this morning, which seemed to worry you.

You hesitated to call them back, wanting to ask where they were, but kept your distance. You didn’t seem to have the energy to socialize since then, wanting to sort your thoughts out before getting out again.

You glanced down at the beautiful gift with your exhausted eyes, your fingers reaching to tore the gifting paper. You painfully tore it, bit by bit, watching as it would slowly expose a black item.

As you tore to the last bit of wrapping paper, the black item appeared as a tape video. There, laid a small note that was glued to the recorder. You read it.

‘For, Y/N :)’

You softened your eyes, pursing your lips together once you fixed your eyes towards your television that laid beside your bed. You slowly stood up from the edge, making your way towards the closed slot that rested beneath your tv. You could merely feel yourself smile at his sweetness, already wanting to apologize to him.

It felt wrong to be opening a gift on his birthday, but promised him you’d be opening it the moment you wake up. You found it hard to believe he’s fixed up a video tape for you, wondering why he’d ask you to open it today out of all days. You didn’t think too much of it, kneeling down to place the video tape inside the slot.

You slowly glanced at the screen that appeared to be blurry at first, but slowly transitioned into clear footage after a few seconds. You’d plan on reading the card while the video played, reaching to detach the white card off the red bow.

The footage started off black, but slowly revealed each and every part.

Your heart dropped.

Dear Y/N,

Yayyyy! It’s my birthday! Can’t believe I’m turning twenty two already. Time flies, doesn’t it? Haha, thank you for opening up my gift. Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to your precious camera. I only used the footage for the gift, silly. Are you watching it right now? Or are you, perhaps, reading this right now? you must be wondering why I made this for you. I’ll tell you why. BUT ONLYYY, if you promise not to get mad, okay? Alright, drum roll please! bam bam bam bam, BOOM. You probably haven’t noticed, but I’ve kept a bigger secret from you.

You dumbass, it’s me. Jaemin. Maybe you haven’t realized, but I was by your side all along. The moment I knew it was you, my world seemed to get a lot brighter than before. Is it too late to say you’ve basically been my first love this entire time? Haha, it sounds cheesy, but I miss you. The whole entire reason why I decided to keep this hidden from you was because I was afraid of hurting you. I was afraid that, if I tell you, I’d end up hurting you again. Anddddd, I don’t want that. :( On the bright side, maybe I am that sweetest, bravest, kindhearted guy you once loved.

I knew I had to tell you at some point, but couldn’t bring myself to ask you out again. To reclaim you as my one and only girlfriend. Please don’t get mad, but I’m running out of time. I don’t have enough time to tell you how much you mean to me, sooooooo here we are. I decided to express it through this letter, so you won’t kill me during the process.

LMRO did I do it right? Can’t remember if it’s lmao or lmro. Lol you texted it to me and It was one of those, I thinkk. Anyways, you better be treating yourself well. You better be eating healthy! By now, I don’t think I can be by your side any longer. :( by the time you're reading this, my memories will probably be damaged by now.

Memories don’t last, do they?

This is just a daily reminder for you to keep going, and trying your best. But without me. Maybe you can learn to be friends with my new self, and start a new life together. Who knows? It’s the least I could do to make you happy. But hey hey, if you can, are you still up to watching the sunset together?

xxoxoxooxoxxoxooxxooxoxoxoxoxoxooxxo

rooting for you! —Jaemin

—

EPILOGUE

—

You desperately dashed up the ladders, tripping over a few steps that created a few bruises on your arms. You managed to catch your breath on the way there, finally reaching the last step to his balcony.

Dear, Na Jaemin.

You immediately searched the area, tears streaming down your cheeks with your fists clenching. You turned left and right, scanning for his planted rose you assumed was sitting on the corners. It wasn’t.

After heavily searching the area with no result, you suddenly laid eyes on the red colored flower that was hiding behind a chair. Though you questioned why he’d leave it to wilt at such a dark spot, you now knew why.

Was it you all along? God, there's so much I want to say. How am I supposed to say this all in words?

The flower had wilted already, it’s stem turning dry as it visibly tilted to the side. The petals? Gone. Each petal you thought had stayed had fallen onto the ground, leaving pieces of evidence once you stared down to the ground. Each petal was there, painfully sitting against the ground until it cracked.

Thank you for being so caring about it. :( Your gift was emotional, yet sweet. You didn’t have to hurt me like that, stupid.

—

You shoved your way through the crowd of reporters, shoving their microphones in Jaemin’s face after the small accident. They demanded answers, and wanted to know the REAL reason behind who you were to him.

Cameras continued to click, Jaemin continuously blinking his eyes at the nonstop flashing.

I’m not mad at you, Jaemin. It feels very weird to be calling you that, but it’s okay. I’m glad I’ve been talking to the right person this whole time.

You watched in panic, your eyes getting caught at the male who seemed to be moving back in confusion. It was obvious he didn’t want to answer, and had no clue what they wanted out of him.

“Y/N?….who’s that?”

You felt your heart ache once more, realization slowly sinking in at his memory loss. The moment he spoke, revealing he never knew you, broke you. After everything you two went through, you never wanted to run away so badly.

But Jaemin was right. There’s always a chance you’ll be friends with him again.

You decided to bring yourself out of the crowd, immediately shoving the reporters and microphones out of his face in anger.

“Leave. Can’t you see he doesn’t want you here?” You snapped, triggering the crowd into gathering space for you two. All of them looked shocked, making puzzled faces at one another.

I’m sorry I’ve been so rude to you from the start. I was too caught up in the past, I never realized you were in front of me. Though, I had my suspicions, I can’t believe you’re telling me this now. >:(

“And you are?” Jaemin peered at you, eyebrows furrowed as he watched you protectively stand in front of him. He felt his heart flutter at the sight, your head turning to face him with the most innocent, painful grin ever.

“Y/N, sir.”

The footage was amazing! You never told me you could edit that well. Maybe teach me one day? You might wanna show your girlfriend the ropes, so I could make you one like that too. :)

—

“Haechan, Mark!”

You barged open the door in shock, speechless to see the two gathering towards the front door, luggages in their arms. You looked over at the patched up boxes that sat on your front door step, almost as if it was waiting for you to pick it up.

And for the last time, Jaemin, it’s LMAO. Okay? I don't know what the hell is LMRO, but you do you I guess lol.

Haechan glanced over at you, immediately dashing over to happily wrap his arms around you in sadness. He had so much to say, yet couldn’t break out the right words.

“We’re at higher risk now, now that everyone knows we’re Jae’s closest friends. They know you’ve been sneaking out with him almost every night.” He heavily sighed, slowly releasing his hands off of you.

“We’re gonna move to safety before any of us get hurt.”

I should be the one to say sorry. I didn’t mean to go off at you like that, when I knew you were seconds away from passing out. If I knew that would’ve happened, I would have never bailed on you like that. :(

Mark walked over to the two of you, placing his hand on your shoulder with a weak smile before he exited the room to start packing up.

“Mark, I—”

Haechan softened his eyes, sighing. “Oh, Y/N. I’m so sorry we never told you sooner.” He apologized, confessing he knew the past between you two.

The day you were getting groceries was the time Jaemin finally confessed he knew you in his past life. And the relationship. The moment the two called each other, he was surprised to see Jaemin open up to him about the two of you, and how happy he was. How happy you made him, the moment he hugged you.

You never felt so heartbroken to hear you impacted him this much.

“We’re planning on moving out today.”

I moved into a new apartment today! Good thing was, my local grocery store had rose seeds today! Do you think I should plant some when I get back?

“Do you plan on staying?”

“…Actually,”

You might be wondering where I am now, aren’t you? Wanna guess?

You wrote onto the sheet of paper, your pencil led elegantly moving itself across the lines. You tapped the eraser to your chin afterwards, taking a small glance beside the figure who was sitting right next to you.

“What are you writing?” Jaemin beamed, scooting a few inches closer to peer over your shoulder. Luckily, you managed to move it out of his sight in time, causing him to pout. “Hey! Y/NNNNNnNnNn.” He groaned, reaching for the notebook with his grabby hands.

You scooted away just in time, sticking your tongue out at the male with a mischievous grin. “Too slow, dumbass.” You teased, letting out laughter at his flushed cheeks.

You glanced over at the horizon from afar, reaching to tug Jaemin’s shoulder towards you.

“Look! The sunsets out.”

You exclaimed, raising your finger to point at the sunset that soon exposed itself to the darkness, revealing it’s brightness that seemed to lighten the area as each second went by.

The two of you sat comfortably against the hill full of grass, Jaemin confusingly glancing over at you. “And why did you take me to watch the sunset, may I ask?” He asked, interrupting your gaze as you sighed.

You smiled at him.

“Because my boyfriend wanted us too.”

In another life, Jaemin.

—Y/N

#WOO I FINALLY FINISHED #AFTER MANY DAYS OF PROCRASTINATING #everyone i give u jaemins birthday gift #IS IT SAD IDK ITS RUSHED #MESSY PLOT BUT ITS OK #what do yall think abt the edit😍#ANYWAYS #HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOML #nct dream #nct dream imagines #nct dream oneshots #nct dream x y/n #nct oneshot #jaemin na #na jaemin #nct jaemin #jaemin x y/n #SoundCloud

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ao3bronte · 4 years ago

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when chaos reigns [the sirens come to play]

A Merman AU. (Rated T with some suggestive language.) Now on AO3! READ PROLOGUE - PART 2 HERE!

[Part 3]

Covid-19 forced a lot of people to stay stuck in their homes until they inevitably went mad and uploaded cringe videos of themselves dancing to Blinding Lights on TikTok. But Adrien Agreste, having been unable to leave his underwater ivory tower since the mysterious disappearance of his mother, really doesn’t know any different.

“Final question. Who was the fifth king of the Sea of Okhotsk?”

Slumped against his seagrass cushion, Adrien sighs into his palm. “The Sea of Okhotsk doesn’t have a king. They have clans and elders.”

“Excellent,” Nathalie Sancoeur responds, wordlessly motioning for him to stop slouching. “I think that concludes political history for this evening. Onto diplomacy—”

“Can you give me a minute?” Adrien tries not to give away his intentions as he glances through a porthole. “I think Father is home and I’d like to greet him.”

Nathalie raises a brow. “He won’t change his mind, you know.”

“Didn't we just talk about erosion?” With a firm flick of his tail, Adrien makes his way towards his usually barred bedroom door. “It works on rocks, so why can’t it work on him?”

“Your father is not a rock, Adrien.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Adrien murmurs under his breath, leaving anyway. He snakes his way through the narrow halls of his palatial home towards Father’s atelier and hopes he doesn’t miss him; he rarely sees Father at all these days...sometimes it feels like Adrien hardly knows him at all.

Especially when he’d announced that Adrien was going to mate with his betrothed, whether he liked it or not!

“Good afternoon, Father.” Adrien straightens and bows his head in greeting, swallowing painfully as his father peers down at him from his pedestal. “I’m thankful that you made it back home safely.”

His father sighs. “If you’re here to argue with me once again—”

“But Father!”

“You are NOT getting out of this arrangement! I already told you!”

“Please, Father. Hear me out—”

“I have no intention of letting you leave this kingdom,” his father rages, slashing his hand through the water with enough force to shake the entire structure around them. “Everything you need is right here where I can keep an eye on you. I will not have you outside in this dangerous world.”

“It's not dangerous, Father. I'm always stuck in here by myself. Why can't I leave our home? Why can’t I explore the Ligurian Kingdom and make friends just like everyone else?”

“Because you’re not like everyone else! You are my son! You are the heir to my—” his father stops himself and pauses to gather his composure, his eyes ablaze with discontent. “Adrien, the kingdom of the Tyrrhenian Sea is relying on me to unite our families. You don’t want to disappoint an entire kingdom, do you?”

Adrien’s shoulders cave. “No.”

“Then don’t continue to disappoint me. Return to your studies immediately and do not trouble me with this matter again.” His father turns and ushers him away with a shoo of his webbed fingers. “Nathalie, where is the sentimonster you promised for the administrator? M. Damoclès has wronged me for the last time.”

“It will be finished this evening,” Nathalie responds, her fingers gently toying with the enamel brooch hanging from her neck.

“When I hired you as my assistant, you assured me that you could complete tasks on time.”

“I did.” Nathalie flicks her crimson tail in irritation. “And I will continue to serve your interests in a timely fashion. Is there anything else I can do for you at this time, sir?”

The imposing interim leader of the Ligurian Kingdom simply pinches the bridge of his nose. “That is all. Ensure Adrien’s bedroom is secured immediately. And get on land as soon as possible to finish your spellcasting; I didn’t hire a sea witch for her to rest on her laurels.”

“Of course, your Regency.”

“You’re not going to tell on me, are you?”

Nathalie tries not to smirk as her sheepish charge continues to wriggle his way through the barred porthole in his bedroom. “That depends entirely on what you plan on doing with your freedom, providing you can get your dorsal fin uncaught.”

“I’m—” Adrien grunts, desperately trying to shimmy his backside through the stone barricade. “—I want to go back to where you took me before!”

Nathalie quirks an eyebrow as he finally manages to free his dorsal fins and slither outside his bedroom relatively unscathed. “Humans are not to be trifled with.”

“Says the sea witch who can transform into one!”

“My Miraculous doesn’t exactly work underwater.” Nathalie explains, raising a sculpted brow. “I don’t suppose you plan on visiting the grotto?”

Adrien nods in earnest. “The flowers are out and I wanted to see them again! And there aren’t any humans there, so I’ll be fine!”

Flower pollen, of course, is like catnip to merpeople. One whiff of the stuff and it’s Boogie Nights for anyone with a tail and a propensity for caterwauling sea shanties.

“Be back by nightfall.” Nathalie tells him, having orchestrated this escape since the very beginning. She watches him swim away as fast as his tail will take him none the wiser, and grazes her nails down the curved edges of her Peacock Miraculous, the likes of which holds the immeasurable magic of a mermaid on a mission that will surely bring the Mediterranean to its knees.

[Part 4]

For all of Marinette’s near compulsive need to prepare for things ahead of time, it can be assumed that she is most definitely not prepared to find a merman scooching his body up on shore like a sea lion and shoving his face into an oleander bush.

And her screams of shock and horror most certainly confirm it.

“Aaaaaauuugh!!!!!” Marinette, having just crawled through a small cavern to a grotto to investigate the golden gleam, falls flat on her face yet again. “Oh my god! Oh my god!”

The merman, equally as frightened, shrieks and rolls backwards as ungainly as one can when you’ve just been caught shoving your face into an oleander bush. She catches a brief glimpse of his face — speckled and smeared with golden pollen — before he promptly flings himself back into the sea.

Marinette is horrified. Astounded. Dumbfounded! Merpeople are impossible to find and even more impossible to survive! And she just—it was right in front of her! Green and gold and—she saw it! With her very own eyeballs! It was there! Huffing flowers!

For the second time in almost as many minutes, Marinette sits down and stares dumbly at the waves.

Merpeople kill humans for fun...and she just survived! Holy crap!

Marinette keeps one eye on the watery mouth of the grotto and the other on her surroundings. She never would have spotted the grotto had she not performed the act of becoming a human pancake back out on the main beach; the entrance to this cave is so small and so hidden that Marinette wonders if anyone has ever discovered it before. It’s about the size of a lorry and covered in moss and spindly vines that meander up towards the small window of sunlight at the top. The limestone walls are strangely warm here, radiating heat and spurring the growth of the plants that are blooming as if it were summertime. Even the sand is different here; startlingly white with speckles of black and grey, the tiny shoreline creeps down into a cerulean underground cavern alight with bioluminescence.

It’s magnificent, but she’s not safe here. “Are you still there?”

Marinette nearly enters cardiac arrest when a mop of golden hair suddenly pops up from the vibrant depths. He heard her? Can he understand her?

The merman blinks. “Uhhh… I…”

“Are you waiting for me to leave? Because I can leave,” Marinette says, pointing towards the tiny crevice she’d just crawled through, “But then I’d have to take my eyes off of you and then you could drag me into the ocean and drown me and then my grandmother would be looking all over for me and then the police would have to come here and try to find my dead body and my parents, they’re stuck in Paris because of the coronavirus and—”

“—No, no! I was just trying to—” The merman disappears under the water for a moment, only to emerge at the edge of the beach. “—I didn’t mean to scare you! You scared me!”

Marinette screeches and scurries backwards to create some more distance between them. “How do you know how to speak French?!”

“How do you know how to speak Nereid?”

“I asked you first!”

“Well, I don’t speak French. I speak Nereid!”

“What’s that, merman language?”

“Yeah.” The merman cocks his head. “What’s French? Human language?”

“Well, for some humans, yes.” Marinette crosses her arms across her chest and narrows her eyes. “Wait a minute...are you making fun of me?”

The merman flashes his gleaming set of triangular teeth just long enough for Marinette to notice that he has not just one row of razor-sharp teeth in his mouth, but two. “I wouldn’t dream of causing a commocean.”

Marinette’s nose wrinkles at the pun. “Now you really are making fun of me.”

“I mean, maybe.” The merman winks. “It’s kind of fun seeing you turn pink. Is that a human thing too?”

“I’m not turning pink.” Marinette harrumphs, turning her shoulder away from him. “And humans turn pink because...because they’re warm. I’m just warm, that’s all.”

“It’s probably because of your...” The merman gestures to her raincoat and jeans. “Do you need help getting out of them?”

With all of the poise of a particularly erratic squirrel, Marinette simply splutters. “What?!”

“Well, you must be trapped in them or you would have taken them off already. We get stuck in your human garbage all the time, it’s awful.” The merman opens his mouth and taps against one of his larger teeth with his fingernail. “Here, I can cut them off for you if you want—”

“You’re not coming anywhere near me with those things!” Marinette recoils, scooching towards the oleander bushes on her bottom. “You could rip me apart!”

“I’m not going to kill you!” The merman exclaims with a huff. “Besides, if I was hungry, I’d have eaten you already!”

Marinette’s eyes nearly bulge out of her skull. “You eat people?!”

“Sometimes.” The merman shrugs as if it’s no big deal, “Haven’t you ever had human fingers before? Crunchy, yet satisfying.”

“No! That’s disgusting!”

The merman’s straight face dissolves into laughter at Marinette’s expression of utter horror. “Now, I’m actually making fun of you!”

“Well, it’s not funny!” Marinette grabs a handful of sand and hurls it at him, dusting his face and hair. He continues to giggle at her expense and Marinette has had just about enough of him. “Stop it!”

“Sorry!” The merman grapples to get himself together. “I just wanted to show you that I’m funny, I swear! I've never really been out on my own before and I've never had friends. It's all sort of new to me.”

“Joking about eating people is not how you make friends,” Marinette grumbles, still keeping a wary eye on the merman before her until the implications of his words catch up with her ears. “Wait, you don’t have any friends? How come?”

“Father doesn’t let me out of my home...ever.” The merman rubs the back of his head nervously. “I kind of escaped to come see the flowers, which is how I met you!”

“Is...is that normal for merpeople?”

“To come see the flowers? Yeah, we love flowers!”

Marinette shakes her head. “No, I meant the ‘being stuck in your house’ thing. Why don’t you...you know, swim around and, uh...talk to people?”

“It doesn’t matter.” The merman waves her off, looking a little uncomfortable before turning his attention back to her. “What does matter is that we can be friends! Would you like to be friends?” The merman shimmies forwards with excitement and thrusts his hand right under her nose. “I’m Adrien! Pleased to make your aquantance.”

Marinette looks at his outstretched hand and hesitates. “You’re not going to pull me into the water and drown me, are you?”

“I’m not a dolphin, you know, I have manners.” Adrien huffs, hoisting himself further up onto the sand bank. “See? Only my tail fins are in the water now, I couldn’t pull you in even if I tried.”

Marinette carefully reaches out and gently clasps his hand, revelling in the strange texture of his skin. He cups his other hand over hers and she mimics the gesture, smiling a little as he squeezes his fingers and then shakes once before letting go. “There. Now we’re friends!”

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette says, still keeping a wary eye on the merman in front of her. He settles back down on his elbows and Marinette’s eyes are drawn to his chest as he brushes the granules of ivory sand from his sides, his muscles clenching at the movement. “You’re a merman and I’m a human. We aren’t supposed to be friends.”

[NEXT PART]

#miraculous ladybug #mermaid au #lovesquare #adrinette #adrienette #Bronte's Mermaid AU #ml

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dearest-kibble · 4 years ago

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If ur doing korra requests too, how about Amon hcs?

Yknow now that you’ve put that thought in my mind, I uhhh love it. (Also I love Amon’s voice like Amon and Zuko/General Iroh have,,, the best voices. also take a wild guess at who doesn’t have any gifs?)

So let’s say you were an equalist.

A really devout equalist. You were born a nonbender and were more than tired of being pushed around by the triple threats. Injustice had already plagued your world and though you weren’t around for the hundred year war, you’d heard your fair share of stories from your grandmother and father. And the things you’d seen.

Metalbenders making their own money while you had to get by with whatever you earned that day.

Waterbenders who were fabled you bend people to their will.

And there was nothing you could do about that. You were one person, trying to tell others of the injustice you had seen.

So when Amon rose to guide those who have been oppressed? To knock the benders down a peg? Oh you were all for it.

You attend the first rally, then the next and the next. Revelation after revelation. Watching as Amon — the man who’d been scarred by a fire bender who’d been so wronged in the past — make everyone equal. Benders should not have more privileges than the average citizen and if the equalization or numbers was needed to illustrate that?

Well you were all for it.

Amon had even been spirit touched so your siblings-in-equality said.

“Just like Avatar Aang,” excites whispers proclaimed as you watch in satisfaction.

Of course he deserved to be equated to Aang, he was truly trying to make peace and bring balance to a still unbalanced and unjust world.

He rarely speaks with others to hear out stories.

But so your Brothers, Sisters and siblings day, he’ll speak to his followers.

It’s here where you meet him.

In the boiler room of an abandoned Sato factory.

“Thank you, you’re doing something truly amazing for this city. I’d been trying for at least,” You pause to think and stare into his mask. He has deep, blue eyes. “A year before you started to make a difference. This cause, it means a lot to me. If I can do anything to help-”

“Tell me, what have the benders done?”

His voice which you’ve heard carried by a microphone, was much quieter up close. Calculated, volume measured carefully. Words chosen with tact to glide over a silver tongue and rich voice, iced with precision. Iron gravels somewhere in his throat.

It sounds unnatural.

He truly was sent by the spirits.

“They’ve counterfeited money, firebenders - do I even have to explain? Waterbenders, bloodbenders! Yakone terrorized people! The sheer amount of power plant jobs that are given to firebenders! Earthbenders who don’t need to keep a job! And no one will say no to a waterbender after Yakone!! None of it is okay in this world, but you, you strive to make things right in the world again.”

“Join my team. Your experience will prove quite useful to our efforts.” Icy eyes bore into your own. “You are quite useful.” You dip your head in respect.

“I aspire to be of use to this cause. I will devote myself fully to helping you.”

“It will be quite beneficial, I assure you.” If you could see his face (can he even smile?) you were sure he was smirking under the mask.

“Of course Amon, I hope it will be!”

“We have much to discuss. Please, follow me.” He walks to his microphone, places his hands behind his back and speaks with authority. “Brothers and Sisters, soon we will have yet another revelation. One that will make the benders tremble. Soon, we will have true equality, just as Aang intended!” Amon steps back slowly and stands proud as the equalists cheer and roar in approval. He waits for two chi-blockers to flank his sides before beckoning you over with a flick of his wrist.

“Tonight we discuss our ideas for our campaign. Follow me.”

He leads you through a heavily guarded back door.

You suppose being hunted by the (all bender) police would give reason to having so many guards stationed. You walk through doors that part at Amon’s appearance and are greeted with the sight of motorcycles and one truck.

“After you.” He gestures to an open truck and you walk towards it with no question. The interior is bare save for two uncomfortable benches and it occurs to you, this is probably a stolen vehicle.

“So, where are we going? You have got to have a hideout or something, right?” You have no problem stealing from those who steal from you on a daily basis.

“You will see. It’s a quick drive.” There it is again. The hint of a smirk in his voice.

The ride passes in a silence. What do you say to the leader of a revolution?

“Sir, we’re here.” A man in a mask opens the front door. “We will leave you now. Our eyes are still watching your position.” The man nods as he gives a small salute in the form of a bow.

“Very well. Dismissed.”

“Thank you brother!” You give the man a bow back as he leaves the doors open.

“Make sure to return the vehicle to its rightful place.” Amon’s voice calls to the driver as you jump out of the truck.

You expect to find yourself in a dark cave or forest. Not a dark, secluded part of town.

“It makes sense that you’d be here.” It’s a little less climactic than you thought. But hiding in plain sight always did help far more than going out of your way.

“Come inside, we have much to discuss.” Somehow without your noticing, his good is down, his mask away from his face, though he was apparently prepared with a scarf.

“I suppose with your burn, a facial scar would be far too easily recognizable. They’d figure out it was you right away.”

He just nods as he fiddled with a set of keys.

He’s just like everyone else. He just happens to be leading a revolution.

You hear a click, and the door opens to a very bare, sterile room. Masks line the walls, along with various plans and writing utensils.

He waves his hand in a motion for you to enter. Stepping through the door it becomes about five degrees cooler, at least. The scarf might not just be to cover his face.

“Sit.”

“Thank you,” you look around for a place to sit. There is only one chair and you look at it for a minute before realizing Amon’s deep icebergs of eyes are looking into your back. You walk to the chair and sit. It’s uncomfortable being the only one sitting and Amon towers over you.

“I guess I shouldn’t tell other Equalists where you live, I’m sure you’d have fanatics at your doorstep,” You attempt to crack a smile and realize that, yes, He can smile despite the burn that covers his face in a diagonal stripe.

“Hey! Even the spirit touched Amon can smile!”

“Yes, he can.” He allows himself a modicum of uncalculated speech. And it’s quite drastic how much a difference it can make. He quickly shifts back to the leader of a revolution and asks you how you’ve been wronged. You two talk for the better part of two hours. The equalists are going to take away all bending they can, only a select few are allowed to keep it if any. Amon is going to highlight you as a source of what imbalance there is between benders and those who are born without the gift.

“So we are going to get my story out?”

“Yes, I believe it has great value to our cause.” Burned lips curve into a larger smile.

“I never thought I’d see this day,” You are aware of the tear that’s in your eye, but this was something you’ve long since dreamed of happening.

You deserve a good few tears.

“I hope that my story can help bring to light the reality of Republic Cities treatment of nonbenders.”

“It will. You will help me to eradicate Republic City of benders.” His voice is water smoothing rocks.

“Is there anything else I can do for the cause?”

“Indulge me in a story,” Amon turns away from where you sit, still inches taller than you as he walks towards a window you didn’t know was there. It’s been covered by a curtain.

“My brother and I grew up years ago, before the Fire Nation wiped our family out.” He takes in a breath. “We has been playing out in the rain, a good omen for a good harvest, when we smelled smoke. My younger brother started to run. I begged him not to go,” You hear another labored breath make it through his nose. “Smoke in the rain only meant one thing.” You both knew what that thing was. “Once I realized that he wasn’t going to come back, I followed him back to our house, tripping in the mud as I ran, desprate to catch up.” You’re aware you’ve shed more than a few tears. “I was too late. My family was gone, Mother and Father died at dinner and My brother had been crushed by a beam on fire. I tried to lift it but it was too much. I couldn’t and it fell on my hands. I leaned down to talk to my brother, but he was already dead. I screamed at the flames, unable to come to terms. I went numb and my face, came away like this.”

Amon turns around for emphasis, sliding the curtain on his window aside.

It’s a full moon.

“I-I’m so sorry,” You wipe a tear only to realize it wasn’t there, it must’ve fallen. “I can’t possibly imagine what that must be like to lose a family. Benders should Pag for what they’ve done. To you, to your family, to anyone.”

“Was it an effective story?”

“W-what?” His blue eyes, cold like the night sky behind him do not blink.

The blood vessels seem angry.

“I take it from your tears that my story was an effective one?”

An orb of water, hovers above his right hand.

Veins bulge from beneath his gloves.

“You’re,” tears should be falling down your face. They’re not. “You’re a waterbender. Let me-“ You’re voice is going dry and you have a good idea of why. “Let me g-” the words stop in your throat which is quickly growing patches of water. A hand moves to claw af your throat to remove the words you’re choking on before it stops midway up to your jugular. Your fingers curve and flex before your whole arm is forced to your side.

“Bloodbender.” He laughs, cruel and deep.

He plays with the orb of water - your tears.

“You look a little parched.” He gives a dark laugh and flicks his wrist again, and your arm twitches uncomfortably as you feel a rush of blood shoot through your body. Your tears move oh so slowly into your forced open mouth.

You can’t even swallow as the liquid your tears that endlessly fill your throat slides down into your stomach.

“I’m glad you offered to help the Equalists. You will be so useful.” His smirk returns, a cruel thing when not hidden by a mask. “I already feel better being able to bloodbend normally.”

He releases your mouth and you shut it closed, the ache in your jaw painfully acute.

“Please- please let me go, I won’t-” Is it better to report the man who is a bloodbender or to let him make all equal? “I won’t report you.”

“You won’t” The moon makes his smile glint. There’s something wrong in it.

“I won’t,” you try to nod but your neck is stuck in a permanent lock.

“You’re staying here with me pet. You’re too fun to let go of.”

so guess who got a little carried away? me. it was me. i’m guilty also now i love Amon. (Maybe it’s just his voice also oof... me writing only in clipped sentences oh you bet.) anyway thank you to the requester and thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoy!! also thank you to @animetrash420 for uhh beta reading my stuff,.... please ya’ll check her out she does haikyuu fluff and Free! fluff and its,,,, it’s so cute ya’ll

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fandomlurker · 4 years ago

Text

A Ponderous Rewatch: Pavlov’s Mice and Cameo

So thanks to Tumblr nerfing my ability to make an admittedly absurdly long post combining the previous episode rewatch with this one, I had to do this entry in two parts.

But at least now we’re in for the real treat: The first episode in airing order that’s animated by TMS Entertainment. And hey, even the Animaniacs show itself seems to acknowledge that this is special, because theme song rhyme is…

We're Animanie! Totally insane-y!~

Pinky and the Brainy!~

…which hasn’t been done since their debut. So this is gonna be fun.

Might as well get this out of the way, then, since this episode obviously involves Ivan Pavlov. I think most people who know of Pavlov through cultural osmosis pretty much know him as just “that one scientist who got dogs to respond to the sound of bells as if they were being offered food”. This is what happened, but it’s only part of the story. In reality, Ivan Pavlov was doing research on the physiology of digestion in dogs and he noticed one day that the dogs he was studying started to drool in the mere presence of the lab technician who regularly fed them even if the technician didn’t have food with them. Pavlov developed a way to redirect the dogs’ digestive juices outside of the body so that they could be measured, and then he ran some conditioning experiments to see if he could get them to salivate in response to external stimuli that had nothing to do with food, like ringing a bell.

The year in the title card, 1904, was the year Ivan Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize for the previously mentioned experiments, which he published the results of in “The Work of the Digestive Glands” in 1897. Basically, by 1904 he was done with his work with dogs and he moved on to experimenting with mice…at least according to this article in National Geographic by Virgina Hughes.

With that, let’s begin the episode proper.

“At the dawn of the 20th century, Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov, trained animals through his technique of conditioned reflex” says the narrator as we zoom in on a laboratory with Pavlov and our lovable mouse duo.

“Time to earn your dinner, my little mousey friends!”

It’s interesting how Pinky is the one that flinches uncomfortably at the loud sound of the gong while Brain simply snaps into his conditioned response. And that response? Uhhh…

“I’m a little teapot, short and stout.~”

“This is my handle, this is my spout.~”

(Is he…you know…?)

“When I get all steamed up, hear me shout!~”

“Tip me over and pour me out.~”

Oh no… This is a cute and funny scene and all, but when you know about Brain’s canonical issues with how he hates not being in control of a situation and all the traumas he’s endured (for those of you not in the know, yes, Brain does have a lot of trauma in his backstory that we learn about much later, both in the 90s spin-off and the reboot) regarding both general control and losing family and friends…there’s a bitter tinge to this scene.

He’s so embarrassed and humiliated.

He takes the cheese but he is positively fuming with rage, and I can’t exactly blame him from what I know about him.

This is made all the worse by Pinky’s innocent reaction to Brain’s little song and dance.

“Hahahahaha! Wonderful! Hahaha! EGAD, Brain, I could watch you do that dance all day! Haha, narf!”

For Pinky, this is harmless silliness and he gets to see Brain sing and dance and “have fun”, which is not a usual occurrence. But for Brain? Well...

“You have watched it all day, Pinky. Sixty-one times, to be exact. It’s a conditioned reflex to that infernal gong.”

“I’m powerless to stop it!”

Well, Brain, at the very least it’s not like you were a part of a more inhumane experiment like one regarding, say, learned helplessness or anything. …Oh wait. Whoops. (For those sensitive to animal abuse, I suggest refraining from clicking on the second link, and caution against clicking on the first if even more clinical text descriptions of such would upset you. The third link is spoilers for the reboot.)

All that aside, it seems like it’s Pinky’s turn. He gets the more traditional bell chime for his stimulus.

And the result is him going into an uncontrollable and very enthusiastic Slavic folk dance.

With violent results. I hope you appreciate that last screencap, as the animation goes by so quickly I had a lot of trouble isolating the part where Pinky kicks Brain and he goes flying.

Pinky is all too happy to get a reward of cheese, his favourite food, for doing something that he has no memory of.

“What’cha doin’ over there, Brain?”

“Contemplating your afterlife, Pinky.”

That’s not exactly fair, Brain, you know he has no control over this. To Brain’s credit, though, he doesn’t bop him or anything for kicking him involuntarily.

Pavlov leaves, playfully saying that he hopes the mice dream of cheese tonight, and the mice are immediately down to business.

“At last, he’s gone.”

“Now we can begin our conquest of the world!”

We’re already back to it being “our” conquest of the world, eh?

“Behold my latest creation, Pinky: The Vacuum-o-nator.”

Brain has never been good with naming things, has he? At least, not so far. I wonder if this will continue throughout the franchise?

Pinky is certainly very happy and impressed, though.

“It uses reverse air pressure to vacuum everything toward it.”

You know, I was just about to roast Brain for thinking that making a very odd version of a vacuum cleaner was such a brilliant thing, but then I remembered that this takes place in 1904. The vacuum cleaner as we know it was “invented independently by British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth and American inventor David T. Kenney” in 1901 according to Wikipedia, and portable vacuums were available to the general public starting in 1905.My apologies, Brain, that actually is very impressive.

Although, this all hinges on if the viewer considers episodes that take place in the past and/or at different locations than Acme Labs California to be mere Alternate Universe/What If? stories or Brain and Pinky using some kind of time machine to go to a different place and time for these episodes. (Before you tell me that this is just a cartoon and sicc the Please, Please Get a Life Foundation on me, I do this to have fun and maybe educate myself and the reader along the way. I promise I have a life. Barely.)

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking, Pinky?”

“Uhh… Yeah, Brain! But where are we gonna find rubber pants our size?”

Pinky, that’s… Listen, folks, don’t make the same mistake I did and google “rubber pants”. It’s not what you think it is. You will be disappointed.

BONK!

Seems like you’re enjoying yourself there, Pinky.

“No, Pinky. We’re going to use the Vacuum-o-nator to steal Russia’s crown jewels!”

Man, the animation for even this one small proclamation by Brain is so, so good. Brain standing authoritatively and holding the pen like a scepter or spear, the grand sweep of his arm as he says “no”, the serious and slightly menacing expression on his face, a violent and grabby swing of his arm on the word “steal”, and a dramatic point and look up towards the sky when he finishes. TMS does great work, folks.

“Narf! Genius, Brain!”

Look at Brain’s satisfied smile at Pinky’s simple compliment. Remember what I said earlier about Brain going through his explanations to show off to and impress Pinky? At this point I’m absolutely convinced that that’s why Brain turns up the theatrics more than necessary when going through his plans. After all, Pinky is (oddly and rather sadly) the only one in-universe who thinks Brain is a genius and a good person.

…Of course, the effect can sometimes be lessened by subsequent innocent bumbling.

“Turn it off, Pinky.”

He says this so exasperatedly yet so deadpan at the same time, it’s great.

“Oh! Right-o!”

Even Pinky immediately knows that he fucked up.

“Zort! Whew! Wild hairdo, Brain! Heh heh, I like it.”

He even pets Brain’s “hairdo”, aww. And though I personally could take or leave the ‘do, I like the pointed, sharp look this mishap’s given to his ears.

BONK!

“Now I feel cleansed.”

Okay, this one might have been a little too much, Brain.

“But Brain, aren’t the crown jewels always guarded by giant Cossacks?”

Well, Pinky, from what I know Cossacks were usually used extensively in the police force and as border guards during this time, so I guess that’s possible?

Brain picking the lock with the pen is a fun little detail.

“Don’t worry about the guards… For tonight, Pinky, at precisely 1 am, there’s a total lunar eclipse. “

Again, this is probably not a thing the average person could look up quickly and easily in the 90s and the writers most likely didn’t care about accuracy here, but there were no total lunar eclipses in 1904. There were some penumbral lunar eclipses in March and September of that year, though. Just a fun fact for you folks.

“The Earth’s shadow will completely cover the moon, blacking out all of St. Petersburg for a period of 30 seconds.”

Brain…?!? Brain, how did you get the diagram on that piece of paper to animate like that? What kind of Harry Potter-style magic bullshit is this?

I know this is a cartoon and all and I’m not truly upset but this honestly came out of nowhere and made me do a double-take.

“In that brief time, we will sneak past the Czar’s guards under the cover of darkness and steal the crown jewels…for he who controls the jewels controls Mother Russia!”

More dramatics!

“But…I thought your mother’s name was Désirée?”

I love Brain’s pose here. Very grumpy and sassy.

As for Pinky’s comment: We do get to meet Brain’s parents way later in the spin-off, though neither are addressed by any name. I’m taking this joke as canon anyway because it’s funny.

Well, well, well… Looks like we’re shaking things up a bit with an inking instead of a bonk. That’s gonna be a pain to get out of his white fur, though.

“Soon, Pinky, I will rule Russia…so from now on, call me Czar.”

Another sassy hand-on-hip pose.

“Right-o, Brain!”

“—eek! Czar Brain!”

“Come along, Pinky… Conquest awaits!”

Nice to know that despite the inking, Pinky’s still following him anyway. Plus he’s doing it with that fond look on his face again. Hmm…

What follows is a cute and ingenious sequence of Brain launching Pinky and himself through an open window via the spring force of a mousetrap. It goes by very quickly, but I just wanted to highlight a few things I managed to notice while pausing through it. Kudos to the animators again for these little details.

Pinky’s the one that wraps one arm around Brain’s shoulders so that Brain has both hands free to spring the mousetrap properly and so that they’ll be launched together.

Interestingly enough, Pinky’s the cautious one who braces for impact right away while Brain gleefully flies through the air with his arms outstretched.

The “camera” changes perspective and while Brain is still boldly flying forward with confidence, Pinky is still worried but has now opened his eyes as they fly towards the window.

Pinky’s still holding onto Brain and the Vacuum-o-nator as tight as he can. As they get closer to the window, however…

…Pinky seems to realize he’s going to smash into the wall above the window if he doesn’t let go, so he lets go of Brain. Brain doesn’t realize where his trajectory is taking him.

Pinky angles himself downward and through the open window, but it’s too late for Brain.

WHAM! RIP, Brain.

But his pain is not done! It looks like Pinky’s landing was in the soft snow. Meanwhile, Brain slides down onto the window and through the opening, only to bash into the lid of a garbage can, much to Pinky’s concern.

Then Brain falls headfirst into the snow.

And finally, Brain is clonked on the head by the same garbage can lid, which makes a loud gong noise. Someone get this poor mouse some Aspirin.

But since there was a gong noise, you all know what that means!

Cutely, Pinky joins in on the dance in the middle of it.

“Ha! Oh that was fun, Czar Brain! But let’s give it another go, right? Only this time with feeling!”

Man, that side-eye at the beginning from Brain…

Pinky’s body language is great in this episode, too. The gleeful flapping of his arms and feet and the “with feeling” gesture are fantastic examples of his more open and energetic nature coming through.

Oh hey, there’s that one shot of Brain being ticked off used in the spin-off theme song! I can’t exactly blame him for his anger here. He just went through a lot of pain in a short amount of time and was then involuntarily made to humiliate himself. Pinky doesn’t mean to be mean here—he genuinely wants to have some sing and dance fun with Brain—but it’s gotta sting to have the humiliation highlighted.

Pinky still doesn’t deserve a bonking for it, though. But it’s slapstick, so he’s fine.

Heh, “deliveries to rear” indeed.

Oh, are those jingle bells on a sleigh that I see?

Uh oh…

“No, Pinky… Not now!”

It cannot be stopped, Brain. He must dance!

Another quick detail as Brain launches himself at Pinky’s midsection to either topple him over or hold him still to get Pinky to stop.

Alas, Pinky’s dancing is too strong.

OUCH!

The face of regret.

His punishment is swiftly thwarted, though.

“…That was unpleasant.”

They take a different and more uneventful ride on a hay wagon to the palace.

I love the exaggerated perspective going on here.

Peekin’.

“We made it inside, Brain!”

“…’Czar Brain’.”

“Czar Brain.”

He says it so quietly and sweetly, aww.

“Yes, Pinky. There are fleeting moments when I even amaze myself.”

I…don’t know if it’s much of an accomplishment yet, Brain. Settle that ego down a bit.

Oh, that’s some classic Looney Tunes-style sneaking animation there.

Wait, why is the door to the treasure room just open behind them? Czar Nicolas II, what gives?

Speaking of…

Hello, Czar Nicolas II. I hope you’re enjoying your “eclipse party”. You only have another 14 years or so to live it up, after all.

“In just a few minutes, it’ll be totally dark and scary. OooOOoo!~ But don’t anyone touch me, I have cooties!”

I, uhhh. Okay, then.

Same, boys. Same. Best to get down to business.

“Behold the crown jewels of Mother Russia, Pinky. World conquest will soon be ours!”

Again, world conquest is “ours” and not just Brain’s. Also you can just tell Pinky’s thinking “I’m going to wear so much of this jewelry!”

“Now, Brain?”

“Not yet. Wait for the total eclipse.”

Speaking of…

“Complete darkness, Pinky. Start the Vacuum-o-nator…”

“NOW!”

That gonging noise is an interesting choice for a chime. Surely this ornate clock is only an omen of good things for our duo.

Pinky, you’re swooning again. And Brain…

Oh no.

Another clock! Who’d have thought Russian nobility loved clocks so much? This one has a more pleasant bell chime, though.

…Oh NO!

Well, looks like things are going to hell pretty quickly.

Goodbye, boys.

Goodbye, Czar Nicolas II! You might wanna look out for a man named Grigori Rasputin in the future, okay?

Nice hat, Brain.

“Whu--? The eclipse is over? Narf! What happened, Brain?”

BONK!

“Zort! I mean, Czar Brain.”

“We failed again, Pinky… But just wait until tomorrow night!”

“Why? What are we going to do tomorrow night, Brain?”

“What else, Pinky?: Try to take over the world!”

It was a nice try, boys, but honestly I don’t know how you were going to fit all those crown jewels into that tiny improvised vacuum bag, anyway.

One last cute little detail in this episode is our mousey duo jumping up with enthusiastic determination in front of the silhouette of the moon on the last note of the theme reprise. One day, you guys. One day…

Oh! And before I forget, have another short cameo from “Plane Pals”. It’s a tiny one.

Pinky and the Brain steal a sheep off of an airplane. For what purpose? Who knows? But that’s it. I’m kind of wondering if the writers wanted to make a running joke of them making cameos to steal random things for world conquering purposes and just sort of gave up.

Anyway, so ends our recap for this post. It sure was a long one, but what can I say? There were some very cute details that needed to be shared. Have we learned anything new this time? Well, I mean, besides historical trivia.

Brain thinks both he and Pinky are great actors, despite his own near inability to lie and keep up an innocent pretense. Oh, he can be sarcastic, sure, but he can’t seem to manage to stop himself from revealing that he’s out for world domination whenever he has an audience.

For the first time we see Brain’s annoyance and humiliation resulting from him being a lab mouse. Though it’s on the more subtle side at the moment, Brain seemed extra grumpy and violent during that last episode because of the conditioning he’s unwillingly gone through. I’m curious to see if there are any more examples of this before we reach an episode touching on his origin story. Or…one of his origin stories, at least. There’s around four of them last I checked and all but one of them can reasonably fit into the others.

Pinky is truly beginning to show how much he adores Brain, which is nice. Beforehand we knew he was down with his world domination plans for whatever reason and also that he thinks Brain’s plans are great and ingenious. Now, though, we’ve gotten to the point of him literally swooning at Brain and his plans. Something’s definitely brewing there.

Next time: We get some more substantial cameos, join our mouse duo on a Fort Knox heist, and meet a new character that is both pretty important to the “lore” of the show going forward…but also doesn’t appear in person after their introductory episode until the very end of the Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain spin-off run.

See you then!

#Pinky and the Brain #PatB #Pavlov's Mice #Plane Pals

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musicfeedsmysoul12 · 5 years ago

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Plague Rat Chapter 2

REMINDER- If People WANT to be tagged they need to MESSAGE me. I have a hard time going through notes to find people.

@kibastray, @virgil-is-a-cutie @anastasian-dreamer @thesunanditsangel, @magicalfirebird @thefoxandthewofs, @storyecho

Hospitals were sadly a breeding ground for Akuma. People angry at their diagnostics, people angry about waiting so long, doctors furious hat people were being idiots.

Often Ladybug and Chat would let some Akumas rampage a bit if they felt it was needed. One memorable one was a woman who’d lost her baby and who had needed to rip into the river who had hit their car while on the phone. She had forced everyone to see what had happened to her and her baby when they were hit.

Car accidents had dropped quickly after that.

Due to that often the news would stake out hospitals, and they had custom alarms to alert them to the fact there was trouble. The hospital would send a photo to the news quickly to warn the public.

So no one was to shocked to see a new Akuma, even if she was a bit odd-looking.

Adrien knew it was Marinette as soon as he saw it. Hawkmoth had seen her as Multimouse it seemed and was happily using it to taunt them. He felt a spark of guilt in his stomach at seeing her. Everyone knew what had happened- that Alya had exposed her to her sick sisters because of Lila. The entire class was eyeing Lila now, even as she claimed new things, that she hadn’t meant for this to happen.

Adrien felt a little sick.

He did believe in the high road, but he had tried to make sure Marinette was okay. He fought for her, told Lila off and managed to prove to Nino and a few of the others that Lila was lying about Marinette.

But it was never enough. And it wasn’t like Lila really meant harm right? She wasn’t that far gone. Maybe she had simply thought Marinette was exaggerating the issues she had with her immune system. Maybe…

Adrien didn’t want to think he could have messed up so badly- that Lila wasn’t a good person or that he was wrong and some people were just bad. He wanted to believe in the good in everyone and maybe that was naive but he did.

Still, maybe you know… taking the long route to go save Lila might be a good idea. You know to see if any civilians were hit.

Not to let Marinette’s get a few hits in of course not!

-0-

Alya had been the first hit. Plague Rat had used her IV stand like a weapon and had shot her with a dark energy that swarmed her. She had started coughing, black marks covering her arms. The akuma… Marinette had told her if she told the truth it would be her cure before she’d left, mentioning she wasn’t her target.

Alya had hesitated before confessing but the coughing was slowly getting worse and so she just started talking. Confessing she had dumped the twins on Marinette and never paid. Confessed she had been sneaking out at night. Confessed she had been jealous of Marinette. Confessed she felt like a bad friend to Marinette and she had been desperate for her to be lying so she could prove to herself she wasn’t.

She had even confessed she had been lying to herself and that she had always known that Lila’s stories were far fetched but at the time they made sense until she really started to look and then she started lying to herself because she was scared. Scared about what it meant about her that she went for them, treated her friend badly. What it meant for her blog.

When she was done her cough and black marks were gone and she felt better. Her parents looked stunned while Marinette’s had left when she started talking. Didn’t want to hear it.

She didn’t blame them.

-0-

Tikki flew around the hospital, looking for someone to help. She needed to find someone who would give the earrings back, who would be willing to fight.

She found her answer in a nurse.

“Ack!” the nurse jerked back, eyes wide upon seeing her. “What… wait, you’re a Kwami!”

“... Were you there when Queen Bee revealed herself?” asked Tikki.

“Yeah, I was… shit, was Ladybug hit? Is she… no.” the nurse shook her head. “I don’t need to know.”

“Thank you. I need your help, please! We need a ladybug!” Tikki begged. The nurse blinked, before she opened the door she was near to show a doctor standing there, eyes wide.

“Uhhh, Dr. Sole-”

“Go.” the doctor said. The nurse nodded.

“I’m Amy by the way,” she told Tikki, taking the earrings and removing her studs to put the earrings in.

“Tikki. Now, normally an adult can use the Miraculous multiple times before needing to untransform, but the Ladybug is different in it uses a lot more magical energy and you need to be in tune with it. You’re a healer, you’re in tun enough you can use me for about six minutes after using Lucky Charm.”

“...How young are the current Ladybug and Chat?” asked Amy and Tikki had to answer, wincing.

“Ladybug is fourteen. She has great magical potential and resonates incredibly strongly with me. In the future…”

“I get it.” Amy sighed. “Long term gains. Still- I’ll give you my address later. They can swing by if needed to chat or for first aid.” She nodded and asked for the transformation phrase. Tikki grinned.

She liked this girl. Maybe she would work with a Miraculous herself.

-0-

Plague Rat, most of Paris decided, was more of an annoyance then a threat. She didn’t have destructive powers, she just made you sick until you confessed your lies. Which some of the police were finding helpful as criminals were being forced to confess things and did cause a few people to get slapped when they confessed they were cheating on their partners.

Someone for fun began live streaming and following the Akuma. No one thought it was that bad, and a new station quickly managed to pay to have the stream be put on their show.

No one thought it was bad.

Until the Mayor got hit and he collapsed, covered in dark spots and vomiting blood.

“Confess or die.” Plague Rat told him. “Your lies are numerous and you will die if you do not confess.” The mayor screamed she couldn’t do this to him but as his breath became shakier and his body, in front of everyone, began breaking down, began to confess. Every bribe, lie and extortion he had done. Every single thing he had done to become mayor. The fact he had paid off the judge not to put Chloe in jail for her actions as Miracle Queen. The fact he took bribes from Hawkmoth not to have the police go after him. The fact he was cheating on his wife with a dozen women.

It kept going, and slowly the plague began slinking off him. Plague Rat simply watched as did everyone else. The Livestream kept going and all of Paris realized that while she wasn’t causing destruction, Plague Rat really was a dangerous Akuma.

Every person like the mayor felt terrified. None more so than a teenage girl who had been cornered by the first victim of Plague Rat, and through her discovered that like a true plague, the Akuma’s disease was contagious even after being cured.

Lila vomited blood in front of her mother, who had been with her, in front of her classmates who had also come to confront her, in front of Alya’s camera.

“So you are nothing more than a fucking liar,” Alya said, voice shaky as she stood there. She had begged her parents to let her confront Lila, begged them to let her Livestream this. She had just wanted the girl to be exposed. She didn’t want this. “Tell the truth, Lila, tell it!”

“I’m not-” Lila coughed and more blood came out.

“We all saw it on TV Lila, you keep lying and don’t confess…” Alya closed her eyes and then opened them. “I wouldn’t have come if I knew I would infect you. But I doubt that Marinette wouldn’t have come herself.”

“You’re right.” a voice said, and the Akuma was behind them. “I would have.” They all turned to stare at her but the Akuma was looking at Lila. “Confess or die.”

“You wouldn’t kill me,” Lila said, but she screamed as she collapsed and one of her legs looked like it was rotted away.

“Why?” The Akuma tilted her head and waited. Lila looked so lost and scared as she lay there. “You’re nothing but a liar. What power do you have over me?”

“I worked with Hawkmoth!” Lila snapped, and a tiny amount of black marks vanished from her. “He wouldn’t-”

“You’re nothing to him. You have no protection from him. You’re nothing.” Plague Rat told her and Lila looked so lost while everyone else was in shock. “Confess.”

Lila didn’t but she ended up vomiting again, this time teeth coming with it. It was enough.

“I lied about knowing Ladybug, Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale. I lied to my mother about school being closed and told everyone I was in Achu. I don’t know Prince Ali.” Lila began and it kept going. She talked and talked, telling every truth she’d lied about. About getting Marinette expelled, about lying about Marinette bullying her. She told how she had lied to Gabriel Agreste about the class and how she had been manipulating Adrien to try and force him to date her. Including her attempt to claim he had slept with her but refused to date her. Gabriel hadn’t believed it and it had caused issues with her business partnership she was trying to correct.

“... you know I never thought lies hurt people.” Remarked a voice and they looked to see Chat Noir standing there. “Her lies were so stupid I thought they weren’t worth exposing. But…”

No one knew he was kicking himself, thinking of the fact it took him hearing he was her next target to make him realize she was dangerous.

“I can’t…” Mrs. Rossi looked ill while Lila scowled at them all, almost fully cured.

“I want to know- did you know I could die when you told Alya I had to be lying? Did you purposely try to kill me?” Lila looked at the Akuma, her face screwed up. A long moment passed.

“I don’t give a single damn if you live or die. I wanted you in the hospital. If you died… I would have been happy.” Lila spat out and Alya dropped her phone, while everyone stepped away from Lila in horror.

Plague Rat nodded.

“That’s all I wanted to know.” She turned and looked as an adult in red and black landed. The woman looked like she had black armour on, with the red dots on her chest forming a red cross. “Who are you?”

“Ladybug was one of your first victims at the hospital. She couldn’t confess as her lies were about being Ladybug, so her kwami looked for someone to help. I’m a nurse there. Call me… Nurse Bug.”

“...Ok.\, that’s bad.” Chat said. “Healer Bug!”

“That’s bad too.” Nurse Bug told him while Plague Rat tilted her head and a butterfly appeared around her face. She was silent for a second before she began speaking, but this voice was different.

“I did not know the extent of Miss Rossi’s actions. I would never condone them.” Hawkmoth’s voice came from Plague Rat. “However, I still demand your Miraculous!” Nurse Bug and Chat Noir got ready to fight.

“Any combat training?” Chat asked quietly.

“Some judo training.” Nurse Bug said before they launched themselves at Plague Rat who used her IV stand to bat them away. Nurse But however dodged under it and grabbed it from her, twisting around and bringing it down to smash on the ground, releasing a butterfly she quickly used the yoyo to grab.

“...What the fuck?” Chat asked.

“Do you know how many patients try to hit us with that. That’s normal.” Nurse Bug said, purifying the Akuma.

The people watching though were more focused on Lila who still wasn’t fully cured of the plague caused by the Akuma. Meaning she had many, many more lies to say.

When Marinette stood there, shaking in her flimsy robe, Alya said in a very dark voice to Lila.

“I will gladly give this video to the police. Mrs. Rossi, are you willing to let Lila be charged?” Lila opened her mouth but her mother beat her to it.

“Yes.”

Lila’s face went pale.

#ml au #ml salt #miraculous ladybug #akumanette #tw death #tw plague #lila salt #lila exposed #alya salt #alya redemption

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shirophic · 4 years ago

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in your arms | platonic K1-B0 x reader

uhhh since i haven’t been posting at all here is one of the fics/drabbles i have been working on these past days.

y/n = your name

tw: they/them pronouns, smart(?) y/n, mentions of killing, global hazards, a little ooc Kiibo (i think lmaoao)

y/n watched as mankind killed one another.

This was all the work of the Ultimate Despairs, Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba. Of course, no one had known. The despair girls knew how to cover their tracks up well, but y/n figured it out instantly.

Their higher-up classmates “class 78” suddenly disappeared a year ago. y/n hadn’t known why but had an idea.

y/n sighed and reached in their satchel, taking out a black notepad. The notepad had been scribbled with notes about the ultimate despairs themselves and about the riots.

Day 1 - slight changes in attitude from humanity - more paranoid than ever

Day 2 - more and more deaths on the news, police seem to have no leads to how and when.

Day 3 - fires have started up fast. Almost all forests, trees, and other wildlife have been burned down. Day 4 - global hazards like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. have gone up rapidly - causing more than 100,000 deaths in the past 3 days.

Day 5 - random outbursts of anger out on each other. Mankind seems to have taken effect from these, they have started killing one another.

Ever since y/n had noticed these - they knew something was up. The random outbursts, global hazards and fires? No way that was by coincidence. And not all have been caused by the Ultimate Despairs - maybe.

y/n quietly sat on their sofa, reading their notes out loud until a knock interrupted them.

A short figure had shown up. White hair, mechanical blue eyes and metallic armored plating - carrying some coffee.

“Hey y/n? Are… are you busy right now?”

K1-B0, also known as Kiibo, was y/n’s temporary roommate. Well, not so temporary if you’ve been living together for about 2 years. Polite but serious at times, Kiibo had asked y/n to allow him to be their “temporary roommate.” y/n had obliged, taking interest in his characteristics.

The two had grown close - K1-B0 saying himself “the first human being to take interest in his robotic form.” y/n had been a bit shocked as to why and how they were the first one to be indulged in by his appearance, but was quite glad. They were considered “best friends” according to K1-B0.

“My back is aching,” y/n groaned. “I shouldn’t have spent so much time on this - especially when the world is ending anyway.”

Kiibo quietly agreed and set y/n’s coffee on their desk, then took out a newspaper.

“The papers say it’s doomsday,” Kiibo started.

“The button has been pressed, huh?” y/n said, sorrowfully. “They’re gonna nuke each other up, till satan stands impressed.”

Kiibo had shown worry on his face, then sat beside y/n, taking their hand.

“It might be our final night alive, you shouldn’t waste it by just researching what has happened.” Kiibo reassured.

y/n sighed, and then slowly nodded their head. “Yea, you’re right.”

y/n then chuckled, “With the way this is going - there might be a bomb next.”

Kiibo softly giggled, then took the remote and put the news on.

“Humans seem to be turning against one another, do not leave your home. It’s not safe. Try to stay alive as long as you ca-” The news reporter then was cut off, and the TV then shut down.

Kiibo and y/n took wary breaths, realising this day might just be their very last.

“If we’re going to die, might at well go out in style, huh?” y/n snickered darkly but quietly.

They then stood up and took Kiibo by the hand, going off onto the roof.

“Oh! I remember when it was my first month here, you brought me up here so that we could have a clear view of the stars!” Kiibo softly exclaimed, looking y/n in the eyes. “I was always fascinated by stars, still am.”

y/n smiled and lied down on the roof, while some might think it’s dangerous, y/n liked to prove them wrong.

K1-B0 then sat down beside them, and looked down upon the streets. Fires were everywhere and smoke went up, clouding the sky so that no one could see the stars this time.

y/n and Kiibo stood there in comfortable silence, until y/n spoke up.

“Arson may be bad, but it looks beautiful here.” y/n thought to themself, looking at Kiibo.

Kiibo looked at y/n confusedly, and then chuckled. “You always were intrigued by fire and arson.”

“Were? I’m still here, aren’t I?” y/n joked, nudging Kiibo in the ribs before regretting it and holding their elbow. “Ugh, i regret that - curse your mechanical structure.”

Kiibo was offended by that and opened his mouth, before realising that y/n had closed their eyes and put their hands beneath their head.

“God, you get offended by the littlest of things.” y/n giggled.

Kiibo shook his head and looked over at the sky, realising something.

“H-Hey, y/n,” Kiibo started, shaking his friend up, “D-do you see that? Up there?”

y/n looked at Kiibo, noticing the fear in his expression and looked up, seeing something falling - straight towards Earth.

“H-Holy shit, i-is that a bomb? You know I was joking when I said there would be a bomb coming…” y/n shakily said.

“I-I know that but, why? There were no signs of asteroids or anything coming to hit Earth - t-the satellites could have told the scientists, right? Right?” Kiibo looked at y/n, fear coursing through his mechanical body.

y/n then went up to Kiibo, holding him. Watching as the asteroid slowly came into contact with Earth.

Oh it’s you, that I lie with, As the atom bomb locks in. Yes It’s you that I welcome death with,

y/n squeezed their eyes shut and wrapped their arms around Kiibo, earning an arm wrapped around them too.

Kiibo put his chin on top of y/n's head, praying this was all a facade.

Of course, it wasn’t. Nothing ever goes right with them, right?

As the world caves in.

#uhh here ig #🙤 · mod tsumugi #look i did something! 🕊️ request accepted #not rly a request #but oh well #tsumugi-mikan #drv3 k1b0 #k1b0 #kiibo x reader #platonic #drv3 x reader

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uwu-shinsou · 5 years ago

Text

Stakeout

Summary: After an unexpected breakup, pro hero Ground Zero is the last person you expect to be comforting you. And also conducting a stakeout in your living room.

Warning(s): Language, themes of breakups

Pairing: Pro Hero!Bakugo Katsuki x Reader

Genre: Hurt/comfort, I guess slight angst?, light fluff, Bakugo tries to be comforting

Word Count: 2.3K

A/N: Okay first off idk about the whole legality of a hero secretly having a stakeout in your home but let’s just IGNORE that pls and thnx LOL. I was scrolling through AUs and saw one that was like “im an assassin conducting a stakeout in your house and you weren’t supposed to be home until next week” and I said okay but what if it was pro hero Bakugo and BAM HERE WE ARE!! So pls enjoy my first baku fic, I tried to make him just as fiery but also slightly more mature since he be a PRO in this 😌

You gotta be honest, the last thing you were expecting to come home to was a famous pro hero conducting a stakeout in your living room.

You hadn’t even planned to be home at all this long weekend. You and your boyfriend had planned a weekend trip together, driven all the way to the hotel, only for him to promptly break up with you and confess that he’d been seeing another girl for almost the entirety of your relationship. You’d dumped him, kicked his butt out of the car, and promptly driven two hours back home, trying your best not to cry over it.

You’d lugged your suitcase up five flights of stairs to your door, fumbling with your house key before sliding it into the lock. You tiredly stepped into the dark apartment, closing your door behind you with a sense of finality.

While locking the door, you began to mumble out the stream of consciousness that had been running through your mind since the moment you left the hotel.“If I ever see his face again I’m seriously gonna break his nose. How dare he even-”

You walked a few steps forward into the living room, only to freeze up and let out a screech as the dark outline of a person moved from your couch. Your hand shot out behind you, and the metal baseball bat that you kept near the door flew through the air and into your hand. You took a prepared stance, ready to bash the intruder’s head in with your weapon.

“You have three seconds to tell me who you are before I start swinging!” You hiss, readying the bat.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” The darkened figure said, taking a step towards.

“No! No, do not come any closer to me. I’ve had a very bad day and I will take my anger out on you!” You threaten, pointing that bat at the intruder to act as a barrier.

“Hey! Don’t do anything fucking rash! I’m just turning on the light, okay?” In a moment you were blinking into the soft light of the room, gaping at the man who you’d almost just clobbered with a bat.

Your arms slowly lowered, the tip of the bat resting on the floor as you blinked in disbelief. “...Ground Zero?” You asked dumbly.

“Yeah, that’s me,” He answered curtly. “Now what the hell are you doing here?”

You looked at light haired hero in disbelief before glancing around the room. “Uhhh, this is my apartment? We’re standing in my living room, and you were sitting on my couch. I think I’m the one who should be asking what you’re doing here.” You slung the bat over your shoulder and glared at him, trying to calm the butterflies in your stomach from the fact that one of Japan’s top pro heroes was standing in your living room.

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” He grumbled, walking back to the couch and grabbing his phone. “WHAT THE HELL?” Ground Zero yelled as his phone flew out of his hand and into yours. His eyes closed and he huffed out an angry sigh. “Fucking telekisnesis. I forgot that was your quirk.”

Your mouth opened in surprise and you clutched his phone to your chest. “How do you know what my quirk is?”

Ground Zero opened his eyes and glared harshly at you. Questioning and antagonizing the most temperamental pro hero was probably not my smartest move you thought as he began stalking towards you.

“F/n L/n, early 20s, telekisnesis quirk, barista and occasional babysitter, lives alone, has been dating her boyfriend for five months, and, most importantly, isn’t supposed to be home for four days because she was on a trip with her shitty ass boyfriend!” He finished his statement with a growl, and his red eyes felt as if they were burning a hole in your face.

You averted your gaze, shuffling your feet as you mumbled, “Well you’re right that he is a shitty ass boyfriend.”

“Listen, I don’t have tme for your drama. According to our intel, you shouldn’t be here until Monday night,” He said accusingly.

“Well I didn’t want me to be back this early either!” You said, letting go of the bat and sending it back to it’s spot by the door. Your hands tightened into fists in frustration and you pushed past the intimidating hero, making your way into the kitchen.

“Hey- don’t you fucking walk away from me!” Ground Zero stomped behind you, staring in disbelief as you started rummaging through your pantry. “I asked you a question!”

You turned around to face him, holding a full package of cookies. “Guess what, Ground Zero? I don’t care!” You exclaimed, opening the package. “Honestly? I don’t even care why you’re in my apartment! Go ahead, make yourself at home! Sit on my couch, eat my food, watch my TV, it doesn’t even matter! The past five months of my life have been a fucking lie, so please just leave me alone to cry in my room and eat my feelings away.” You shoved a cookie into your mouth and tried to step past him. The hero side stepped into your path, and no matter which way you tried to go, he was in front of you. You were just about ready to take a swing at him when he started talking.

“Y/n,” He said. Hearing him use your name startled you enough to stop you in place. He huffed out a quick sigh before speaking. “We’ve been tracking down a rising villainous organization for half a year now. Eveytime that we get close to making the bust, they pick up and move operations. This time, we’re one step ahead of them.” He gently took your arm and guided you back into the living room and over to the window. “We have to take extra precautions when dealing with them, since any sign that the police are on to them causes them to run.” He points out the window to the building next door. It was a squat, rectangular warehouse of four stories. With you apartment being on the fifth floor, it had the perfect view in through a poorly covered sky light.

The pro hero switched out the lights in the room, allowing you to see clearly out and into the other building. You crouched down to get an even better look, and Ground Zero lowered himself down next to you. He handed you a pair of binoculars and pointed to the left side of the skylight, where you could see a group of people working at a long table. Looking through the binoculars brought the figures into clearer view.

“Ground Zero, are they-”

“Bakugo,” He said, interrupting you. “Just- Bakugo is fine, okay?”

You glanced at him in surprise before looking back into the adjacent building. “Alright then, Bakugo. Are they making-” You squinted and focused harder on the objects lying on the table. “Support items?”

“Yeah that’s right,” He responded. “A black market organization for support items to supply to villains. We’ve been through hell trying to track the weapons back to them, but we had a breakthrough a few weeks ago.”

You hummed in thought, shoving a cookie in your mouth before offering one to the pro hero. Bakugo’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but he accepted it nonetheless.

“So you needed my apartment to finish getting your dirt on them, and then you planned on doing your big bust?”

“More or less, yeah. And being here,” He gestured vaguely to your apartment. “Was critical because that skylight was in the perfect place to capture incriminating photos of them doing deals earlier tonight. We’re fucking finally ready to finish this.”

“And how many heroes are on this job, exactly?”

Bakugo held up a hand, counting on his fingers as he thought through it. You hid a smile behind your hand at the gesture. “I guess a dozen or so, plus the local police force. There’s a good number of those shitty criminals in there, but we’ve faced a lot worse.”

You sighed, eating another cookie. “Well, sorry that my breakup got in the way of your important hero plans. I could leave I guess, maybe stay with a friend for the weekend-”

“Shut the hell up, I’m not gonna kick you out of your own damn apartment,” He said, rising from his spot on the floor beside you and going back to his supplies laid out on the couch. “I’m not exactly a very patient person so the bust is happening within an hour anyways. There are heroes and police stationed all around in the other buildings and streets, so I won’t be in your hair for that much longer.”

“Oh,” Was all you said, slowly putting a cookie in your mouth.

The hero stopped fiddling with his supplies and plopped onto the couch, his furrowed eyes meeting your gaze. You raised an eyebrow in question, holding out the cookie package in a silent offering.

“No that’s not- did you say ‘breakup’?”

You huffed out a humorless laugh. “Uh huh. Bastard was cheating on me for basically our entire relationship. I guess I just wasn’t good enough or something.” You bit the inside of your lip and looked down at your lap, furiously trying not to cry. I’ve already embarrassed myself enough, I definitely do not need him to see me crying right now.

“But don’t worry about me, I should just leave you to get ready to, er- arrest some criminals and- do your hero stuff.” You quickly stood up, clutching the cookie package to your chest, and tried to make your way past him while hiding you face. “I’ll just- go sit in my room so I don’t bother you.”

You’d almost made it to the hallway when you suddenly bumped into something that was definitely not your furniture.

You let out an “oof” as you collided with Bakugo’s chest, his hands landing on your shoulders to steady you. You glanced up at him, and his face showed he was just as surprised as you were. He then realized he was still touching you, and took his hands off your shoulders like it had burned him.

“Listen- it’s shitty that he did that to you, and there’s no way you deserved it,” Bakugo said, and the absolute sincerity of it made you burst into tears.

Bakugo started to panic then. “Oh shit, what’s wrong? Did I say it wrong or-” He cut himself off as you vehemently started shaking your head, trying to rub the tears away.

“No no no no,” You said, assuring him. You sniffled, desperately trying to stop your crying. “I guess that I just-” A fresh wave of tears hit you and started rolling down your face, making Bakugo hover his hands in front of him, unsure of what to do.

“I know that I’m not very good at this, but if you want I can go and beat the shit out of him or something,” He said, making you laugh as you wiped your face.

“I was trying to say that it just- meant a lot to me, that you said that,” you said as you started to calm down. “I didn’t really believe it before, that I didn’t deserve that to happen to me, but when your favorite pro hero says it to you…” You shrugged, giving him a wobbly smile. “Maybe it is true.”

He gave you an assuring smile that you could almost call a smirk. “Well you better believe it, honey, because it’s the truth.” He paused, smugly crossing his arms. “So, your favorite hero, huh?”

“Ahaha,” you felt your face go warm, and you gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorta kinda yeah.” The admission seemed to surprise him, like he didn’t know how to respond.

The beeping of Bakugo’s phone in the living room drew the two of you out of the moment. He bumped his shoulder playfully into yours as he passed. “Glad to hear that I’m your favorite.”

You scrambled to the kitchen to put away your cookies and splash a bit of water on your face as he answered the phone. You could just make out his conversation over the running water.

“What’s up, nerd?... Yeah, I know. I got all the pictures we needed... Good. Everything’s still quiet in there… Got it, I’ll see you in a few.”

He hung up his phone just as you edged into the living room, watching him glance out the window into the criminal’s headquarters. He let out a huff of a sigh as he started packing up his things.

You wandered in a little bit further. “So it’s time, then?” You asked. He looked up at you as he finished his packing.

“Yeah, time to beat some villain asses,” He said, shouldering his bag. “You gonna be alright?”

You gave him a soft smile. “I will be. I already feel a lot lighter, like the weight of a whole ass grown man has been released from my body.” Bakugo let out a snort of laughter before falling quiet. “Really, I will be.” You reassured him.

“Of course. But I was serious, if you ever need me to go and knock him around-”

You snickered at him. “Very hero-like.”

“Hell yeah it is,” He responded as you walked him towards the door, opening it for him. “Also maybe don’t go around telling people this happened, ‘cause I’ll probably get my ass kicked for sharing classified information.”

“My lips are sealed, pinky promise,” You said, holding your pinky out towards him. He scoffed but linked his pinky with yours nonetheless. “Good luck, Bakugo.” You started pulling your hand back before he grabbed it and pressed something into it.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” He said with a wink before making his way downstairs and out into the night. You slowly closed the door, leaning back against it and taking a deep breath before opening your hand.

Inside was a scrap of paper with a phone number scrawled across it, and the words “your fav hero” written below.

You may have looked out your window a little more than usual during the rest of the night.

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brattywriters-anonymous · 4 years ago

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Shoot Your Shot

I found this meme and it screamed Cray Cray Erik so I chose to try my hand at this lol

Erik Stevens x Kesia (pronounced Kee-sa) Mannor (OC)

“Baaabe you know I gotta find a new outfit for my promotion party! I must’ve looked in my closet a million times and I couldn’t find anything!” Kesia was on facetime with her boyfriend of six months, Erik Stevens. When they first got together, she didn’t know much about him, except for he was in the Navy for six years before getting out and whilst enlisted he got his bachelors and master degrees in Engineering. He kept information about himself simple with Kesia.

“Girl, you look amazing in whatever you wear! Why you gotta go up to that mall? You know that’s where all them thirsty ass niggas be at.” Erik protests. Kesia rolls her eyes, “Aye! What I tell you about rolling your eyes at me?!” Erik’s face goes stoic. It sends a chill down Kesia’s spine as she immediately responds, “Don’t do it.” He nods, “Exactly.” “I’ll only be gone for an hour, I’ll be back at my house and you can see me try it on!” “You got 59 minutes, babygirl. Make em count!”

Kesia puts the finishing touches on her makeup as Erik admires her from her bed, “Damn baby, you sure we can’t just celebrate in the crib tonight? I’d make it worth skipping your party...” He saunters over to her and attempts wraps himself around her from the back, she slivers out of his grasp, walking to the kitchen, “Mmm mm! I worked my ass off for this gig, I’m celebrating with my people, and my baaaabyy.. We can do all of that when we’re drunk and back here!” Erik curses under his breath and accepts defeat. Just as he was about to sit back down on Kesia’s bed, her phone rings. It’s an unknown Oakland number. Erik knows everything about Kesia so he knows she doesn’t leave numbers unsaved. He yells towards the kitchen, “Keeee! Who’s calling you from this unknown number?!”

Kesia freezes in her tracks, “Uhhh.. idk baby. Maybe a telemarketer.” Erik twists his lip, “Hmph.” His “spidey senses” as Kesia loved to put it, were tingling. He always knew when something wasn’t right.. She blames it on his deployments and overall lack of trust in people. He accepts the incoming call.

“Yeee, ay wassup shorty! This Dontay, dude from the mall earlier! Sorry it took me a few to call you, I had a few errands to run. But you free tonight?” Kesia scurries into her room once she hears the stranger’s voice. Erik shakes his head at her and hangs up the phone. “I told you about them thirsty ass niggas at the mall!”

DING! DING!

Her phone lights up as an incoming text pops up from the unsaved contact, Kesia reaches toward Erik for her phone, he raises it above his head and out of her reach, “Nah. You need not worry about this phone tonight. Finish getting dressed.” She pouts as she sits down to put her heels on.

Kesia has been entertaining all of her loved ones since she arrived at her promotion party Erik put together for her at a new Reggae club in downtown Oakland called New Karibbean City. Erik has purposefully been apart from her the entire time, yet he has her phone on lock. It doesn’t help that his face unlocks it as well. Kesia has seen enough of him typing away on her phone so she sneaks away from the party as she sees him heading to the restrooms.

“E!” He turns around, “Ke?” He responds in the same tone as her, “Can I have my phone back?” He looks up in the air as if he’s thinking about it, then he hands it to her from his pants pocket. She unlocks it and doesn’t see a trace of the unknown number. Not in the call history or text messages. She raises her eyebrow, “Erik Stevens.. What did you do?” he shrugs, “I didn’t do anything” He embraces his girlfriend as he congratulates her, “I’m proud of you Ke. You really did work hard for the promotion. I’ll see you when you get to the house. The key still under that plant on the porch?” Kesia looks confused, “Uh.. yeah. Where are you going?” Erik lets out a deep, yet scary laugh, “The less you know..” He gives her a long, deep kiss on her red stained lips, then leaves out the back door.

Kesia gets out of her Uber, stumbling to her door. She struggles to unlock her door and get in her dark house, thinking her boyfriend is already sleeping. “Good, I don’t gotta get yelled at tonight. I was NOT tryna hear--” “Hear what, princess?” Erik’s brassy voice comes from the far corner of her living room, Kesia jumps, “SHIT ERIK! Why you standing over there in the damn dark?” Erik ignores Kesia’s inquiry, takes a seat on the couch, whilst grabbing the remote control. “Come, sit.” Kesia does as she’s told.

Erik turns on the television then changes the channel to 2.

“Good evening Oakland! This is Noah Clark for your 10PM News on DWOL Channel 2. BREAKING NEWS from the Eastmont Hills area. Covering the story is our reporter, Rebecca Moore, Rebecca? What do ya have?”

There’s a pregnant pause as the reporter listens in for the host’s question, “Yes, I am here on the corner of 79th Avenue and Hillside Street where this home that you see behind me, has been riddled with bullets around 8:45 this evening. Police that arrived on the scene believes that two to three suspects drove past this residence and unloaded shots from tactical T-91 assault rifles. Our Oakland PD SWAT doesn’t even have these in their possession. A witness who seems to live in this home, tells us what happened.” The program transitions to an interview that was recorded slightly earlier to a familiar face, “Yeah, so.. I was waiting on this girl I just met to pull up on me. I was on the porch. Next thing I know, my dog started barking from the back yard. As soon as I turned to see what she was barking at, I hear shots. I duck down for cover! I don’t know who could’ve done this. I don’t got no enemies.” The sound fades out as Rebecca’s voice forms in the background, “Twenty nine year old Dontay Phillips lives in this southeast Oakland home with his bedridden grandmother who was stirred awake by the 57 shots let off by these military grade weapons. Luckily no one was shot in the melee of gunfire, but it sure did shake Phillips up.” Dontay’s voice pans back in, “I’m grateful to the lord above me and my granny still here.”

Kesia watches the tv in awe. She cannot believe that Erik shot up Dontay’s grandmother’s house, She looks up at her conniving boyfriend, “How did yo--” He slips his hand in between her thighs where her phone rested and holds it up, “I told you.. the less you know..” Kesia slaps his arm, “You could’ve killed them!” “Ke, you know if I wanted Dontay dead, he would’ve been dead. I ain’t know he lived in his grandma house. He flexed to m---to you that he lived alone.” “Waiit.. He did what now?” Erik explains that while you were keeping your friends and family company, he was texting Dontay telling him that you were free for the night, plans got canceled. He sent you--Erik his address and told you--him.. that he lives alone. “He’s lucky I just wanted to scare his bitch ass. If I wanted to kill him, him and his granny would’ve been gone..” Erik cuts the TV off then stares at you.. awaiting for a response. “Why are they saying there were multiple assault rifles? You got somebody to do this crazy shit with you?” Erik flashes his bottom fangs as he cheeses at her odd question, “I got three of those bad bitches! I call em Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.” Kesia rolls her eyes at his names for his guns that could’ve killed some guy you had no intentions of even getting to know. “I just switched em out every 20 or so rounds.. each one got a different serial number on the shells.. all of em are impossible to track.”

Kesia stares at him for a spell, then she bursts out laughing. “Okay so you CRAZY CRAZY? Got it!” Erik protests, “Uhh uh. I told you about them thirsty ass niggas. You had the audacity to give that sucka ass nigga yo number.. I had to regulate. Oh, and I blocked his number after I deleted the text thread and his call.” With that, Erik gets up and snatches his shirt off. That makes Kesia gasp with a hint of a moan. Erik’s ears perk up after hearing it, “So you coming to bed baby? Let’s finish celebrating that promotion.” Kesia grabs his hand and leads him to her bedroom while shaking her head at her crazy boyfriend, “Let’s.”

Hope you all like it! I know I’m rusty as shit but hopefully requests will roll in and I can get back in the swing of things.

@chaneajoyyy What my favorite librarian think about it?!

#bp fanfic #bp fanfiction #bp au #Erik Stevens #Erik Stevens x oc #erik stevens fanfic #crazy!erik #Erik Killmonger #erik killmonger x oc #erik killmonger fanfiction #erik killmonger fandom

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jenoptimist · 4 years ago

Text

request:

Can you maybe write something with Mark? ✨

ミ✭ WARNINGS: mentions blood, contains minor violence and briefly mentions injuries

✮ Pairing: mark x reader (gender neutral)

✮ Genre: angst (with a happy ending!)

✮ Word count: 5.7k

♡ Yakult says: thank you so much nonie for requesting !! 💙 admittedly, it could be waay angsty-er but, well, i’m happy with it and i sincerely hope you are too! sorry it took a while for me to upload it ://

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Hey it’s Mark– dude, shut up! Uhhh what was I saying? Oh yeah, just leave a message and I’ll get back to you whenever I can.”

“Mark? Um, Minhyung? It’s me. Y/n. Look, I know that we haven’t spoken in a long time but you said. . .”–you shake your head, as if it would miraculously banish the memory from your mind–“no, that doesn’t matter. At least probably not to you. Um, listen, if this is the Minhyung who prefers chocolate covered bananas over chocolate covered strawberries, and who told Youngho that the hideous red shirt with the blue stripes looked good on him, and who helped me count poker chips in Italy, then I really need your help. Please, please call me back.”

There were some moments that wished you could take back in your life. Meeting Lee Minhyung wasn’t one of them. Leaving him, however, was. It was nothing dramatic, nothing like those scenes in movies. There was no crying on either end but there was, however, heavy pleading from his side.

(In the years to come, his pleading would haunt you. The way his voice was small and how it trembled. Not to mention how he looked at you. God how he looked at you. He looked at you like he was being ripped apart from the seams.)

But you had to go. The life you two lead wasn’t a sustainable one, not anymore. Not since your older brother disappeared without a trace. Without you. And you were so exhausted. It was the bone deep kind of exhaustion that was built in layers by one too many brushes with death, run-ins with the police along with a hefty dose of the constant fear of living. How long had it been since you could roam the streets freely without the low thrum of unease?

It had been far too long for you to remember.

“You know what will happen once they notice your gone, right? It’s safer here! With me! Youngho might even come back!”

“I can’t keep doing this anymore.” You replied quietly, your grip tightening on the straps of your backpack that you hastily stuffed with essentials.

“But–”

“I’m tired, Minhyung, so tired,” you refused to meet his eyes as you said it, hating the expression he wore. “Please let me go.”

You would have offered him to come with you, the words were on the tip of your tongue, ready to be spoken at any moment. But you wouldn’t ask that of him. Minhyung had his parents to think about and he wouldn’t risk their lives, not even for you. And even if he had offered to join you, you would have declined for that reason alone. You weren’t going to make him choose, even as the ugly voice in the back of your told you that if you begged hard enough, he’d go with you.

“I’ll miss you.” Minhyung said as he reached for your hand and you allowed him to hold onto it, slowly meeting his eyes. His watery eyes were scanning your face as if he wanted to commit you to memory. And he probably did. You were leaving him after all. After a few more seconds of staring, he released his warm grasp on your hand and raised his own to cover his eyes. “Go,” he said before he clenched jaw tightly. “If you don’t go now, you’ll be caught.”

“I’ll miss you.” You echoed quietly and allowed yourself to look at him from head to toe, just one more time, and then you fled seamlessly into the darkness of the night.

Minhyung hasn’t asked any questions. He hasn’t asked why your hair is dirty and matted or why your clothes are grimy and discolored. He hasn’t even commented on the fact that you’re emitting a putrid stench–not that he would ever. Minhyung had always been too kind to say anything that would make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed. In fact, instead of saying anything, his grip on the steering wheel is tight enough that his knuckles are white. The speed that he’s driving at is concerning but then again you suppose that the way your entire body is aching is a large cause for concern, too.

You want to shut your eyes, maybe pretend that you are some place else. You could pretend that you are relaxing with Youngho at your side, telling you a funny anecdote that you’ve heard a thousand times before.

But you can’t do that.

There are loud warning bells in your head telling you that you aren’t safe, not yet. But you’re with Minhyung. This is the boy, man now, actually, that you know, no, used to know like the back of your hand. The man who was literally your partner in crime. And he called you back. He called you back. Even after all this time, he’s helping you. Surely that has to count for something, doesn’t it?

“Hey! Hey,” he says, a clear tinge of panic in his voice, “stay with me, y/n!”

“Safe with you, yeah?” Your voice comes out a little rough around the edges and slurred.

“Of course. Definitely. You’re always safe with me.”

“Need some sleep, Minhyung. G’na close my eyes, ‘kay?”

There’s a string of curses in reply as your eyes flutter close. You want to dream of pleasant things and the only way you can think to achieve that is to block out Minhyung and retrieve an old memory.

Youngho had Minhyung in a headlock, rubbing at his hair affectionately. You sat on the couch, laughing at their antics. The three of you were obviously still giddy from the outcome from the previous night.

It was your first job and it went smoothly. Youngho had worried tremendously and frequently spoke into your ear piece but you and Minhyung had done great. Compared to what Youngho had to do on a regular basis, it was nothing extremely dangerous. Besides, a seasoned member of the team did most of the talking so it wasn’t as if it you and Minhyung had a major role in the operation. Regardless of your role, the pay was good. Really good.

“Let’s get ice-cream!” Your brother suggested as he finally released his hold on Minhyung. His grin was wide, already making his way to the shoe rack that was positioned by the door.

You shared a pleased smile with Minhyung as you stood up and followed your brother. “Can we do a movie marathon too?”

“Absolutely!” he said once he slipped on his shoes, “we can stop by seven-eleven and by some snacks.”

Minhyung whooped loudly and you couldn’t help but beam at your brother as you looped your arm through Minhyung’s. In turn, Youngho ruffled your hair and pinched your both of your cheeks, and laughed as he dodged your lame attempt at hitting his bicep.

You can see Youngho laughing vividly, his eyes the shape of pretty crescents with his head thrown forward, while you and Minhyung throw bits of popcorn at each other. But then the vision starts to slip away and you desperately want to cling on to it, even as your eyes slowly open on their own accord. The brightness that spills into the room from the window causes a dull pain in them. You shut your eyes a moment later, trying to bring the dream back but it’s completely useless. The door opens just as you open them again. Minhyung’s expression changes to one of relief when he looks at you and is quick to sit by your side.

“What’s the damage doc?” You try for a light, playful tone but instead it comes out with a wince, your voice coarse with disuse.

“Worse than Mexico but better than Italy.”

You huff out a laugh that’s entirely too bitter. “Anything is better than Italy.”

Minhyung purses his lips together and nods in agreement. There’s a loud ‘smack’ that echoes throughout the room when he slaps his hands on his thighs.

“I’ll grab you something to eat.” He says as he stands up and makes his way to the door. With one last long look at you, he exits the room and leaves you alone with your thoughts.

Italy was as beautiful was in the movies and the pictures you have seen, and the food was incredible. You almost begged for permission to go sight seeing. Youngho would have allowed you and Minhyung to go and you knew it, however you also knew that the situation was serious. No dilly-dallying allowed, no matter how much you wanted to, or else there would be consequences.

Minhyung stealthily sent faces your way which had you clenching your hands into fists to keep you from bursting out into laughter. Your brother was doing no better, smothering his mouth with the palm of his mouth as the leader of the operation went through what needed to be prepared for the next day. The preparation and mission was relatively easy; the cash would go in the two black briefcases while the poker chips would go in the two brown briefcases. The money had to be counted numerous times, a job that was given to you and Minhyung, and the weapons would be prepared and examined by your brother and some of the others. The next day would involve going to a lush hotel where the trading of goods would occur and then you were on a flight home.

“Nine hundred and ten, nine hundred and thirty, nine hundred and forty,” Minhyung murmured as he counted the cash. You added another tally to your page once you counted another line of poker chips that equaled one thousand. “Nine hundred and ninety, one thousand!” Minhyung placed a rubber band around the cash to keep it bundled and shoved it neatly into the briefcase.

“This sucks,” you commented as he leaned back on his chair and sighed. “I keep losing count.” The tally system that you had could only help so much.

“Same,” he said, rubbing at his eyes, “should we get some gelato?”

A grin split your face, eyes twinkling. “Of course!” You answered. Then, with a frown, you added, “we should finish first.” Minhyung nodded in agreement and then the two of you began counting again, only this time with more vigor.

“Are you nervous for tomorrow?” Minhyung asked after he shoved a large spoonful of his cantucci flavored gelato into his mouth. The two of you were quick to count the money and purchase gelato before finding yourselves back in the hotel, sitting side by side on the tiled ground of the small balcony that connected to the room. Even though the door was closed, the two of you still spoke in low voices.

“A little bit,” you answered truthfully. Youngho already informed you that he would be giving you a gun, just in case, he said. The target practice that he’d given you and Minhyung was plenty but you still weren’t confident in your skills. “Aren’t you?”

Minhyung nodded, his mouth in a thin line. After a moment that had you mulling over tomorrow, thoughts as quick as lightning filtering through your mind, he rolled his shoulders back and shook himself. “We’ll be fine. It’ll go well, like it always does.” He said optimistically, knocking your shoulder with his.

The room was completely silent as the two people in charge from either side sat across from one another. The opposing leader was counting the money that was tucked neatly in one of the briefcases, the other three were being held by you and Minhyung. Your gaze swept from the table to the people surrounding the room. Everyone was standing as straight as a ruler and looked like they didn’t even dare breathe while they stared intensely at their opposing group. One of the women met your eye, a brow arched. The steely glint in her eyes made you shift your gaze and readjust your clammy grip on the briefcase. On your right, Minhyung moved the slightest bit towards you, his bicep pressing against yours.

With a nod from both of those in charge, you and Minhyung were waved over. No matter how many operations you were involved in, and it had been plenty by now, nervousness still overcame you. Being the target of several pairs of eyes made you swallow thickly, hand clenching onto the handle of the briefcase as if it was the only thing anchoring you to the room. Once you placed the briefcase on top of the table, you spun on your heel and made your way back to your designated position. When you turned to face the centre of the room, the money was being checked.

Chaos errupted not even a second after the briefcases were closed. The other side had taken out their weapons and aimed at your side, greed and malice painting their faces. Adrenaline flooded your system and you fumbled as you reached for the small gun that you tucked inside of the blazer your wore. Your eyes darted to where your brother was standing by the door. Or where he should have been standing because he was nowhere in signt. From beside you, Minhyung grabbed your elbow and hauled you to the direction of the door.

“We need to get out of here. Now.” Minhyung’s voice left no room for argument. You cocked your gun and nodded in agreement, still looking around for Youngho.

The path to the exit wasn’t an easy feat. You hadn’t even taken three steps when you felt a sharp pain in your shoulder. Minhyung turned as you stumbled into his back, quickly aimed somewhere behind you, his eyes sharp and his mouth thin, and then fired his own gun. From that point on, it progessively became worse and worse. Eventually, you and Minhyung, by some miracle, managed to escape the establishment. You were both extremely worse for wear, you more than him—with the amount of gashes and bullets your body now owned, it was a miracle that you were still concious.

“Youngho,” you slurred, slumped against Minhyung side as he lead the two of you the car. It was sheer luck that the streets were mostly empty. “Gotta find him.” You added, wincing as Minhyung carefully laid you on top of the passenger seat. He left the door open and left you, the telltale sound of the truck being opened and closed reaching your ears as you tried not to focus on the searing pain everywhere.

“He’s gone,” Minhyung replied and when your eyes snapped open to stare at him in disbelief, you found him rummaging through a first aid kit. The deep frown that he wore didn’t suit him. It sat strangely on his face, especially with the creases that imprinted themselves on his forehead–you wished that you could smooth them away, if you had the energy you would have said something funny to lighten the mood. “I’ll explain later, just– just let me fix you first, okay? I can’t– Not you too. Please, y/n.” He was frantically rummaging through the first aid kit, grabbing what he needed.

You weren’t going to deny him to begin with but the the pleading in his eyes packed an extra punch in the gut. Instead of saying: ‘of course you won’t lose me, you’ll never lose me. You’ll always have me.’ You nodded, squeezing your eyes shut and allowed him to work on you. The disinfectant stung and you had to clench your jaw as he stitched the majority of your wounds but you survived.

“Your turn,” You told him as you blinked rapidly, as if it would clear your slightly foggy vision. “C’mon, I’ll help you.”

“No it’s okay. I got it.” Minhyung replied but you ignored him and he didn’t even try to pick a fight as you helped him tend to his wounds. He probably would have been finished much quicker if had he done it himself but of course you were going to help him–the two of you were a team. A family. Even if it was just the two of you now, if he was to be believed. And you did believe him although it was difficult to ignore the part of you that raged and wanted to call him a liar.

Just as Minhyung settled into the driver’s seat, the back door opened and someone from your team slid in. She was panting heavily, dried red splotches covering her face like freckles. You and Minhyung traded looks, mouths pressed into thin lines as she demanded him to drive off. You were hoping to hear what his explanation about Youngho, but you knew that he wasn’t going to say anything while there was additional company.

It was later that you found out that Youngho and Taeyong had hatched a plan for the four of you and a couple of others to escape. They had been planning it for weeks and Youngho had only told Minhyung their plan the previous night while you were sound asleep. Initally you were outraged. You weren’t proud of it but you threw accussations at Minhyung and he did nothing to stop you. Then, you were angry at your brother because he didn’t inform you of his plan. Because he left you and Minhyung behind, and what kind of brother was he to do that? How dare he leave you behind when the three of you promised you would never do that to each other. Finally, once the anger left your body, sadness washed over you like a huge wave, drowning you in it. You moved as quick as you could when Minhyung opened his arms and sobbed, wailing about thw unfairness of it all. He cried quietly with you, your bodies trembling in sync.

The two of you slept side by side that night, gripping each other tightly, tangled together. The nights to follow were the same, until it became an unspoken nightly occurrence. The others thought that the two of you were weird but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care, and neither could he.

It’s been a almost two weeks since you called Minhyung – no, Mark - for help and neither of you have discussed, well, anything. There are questions that you have that keep piling up the longer you are here with him. Questions like how he managed to escape, how long has it been since he has been free and, most importantly, how he’s been doing. Judging by the nice, spacious house that he lives in, he has been doing really good for himself but you wonder if he has the same night terrors that you do–if he wakes up in cold sweat because of nightmares where they catch him and do what they did to you but worse. Way worse.

Your curiosity is never quenched because you are too busy befriending the people he lives with. There are six of them in total and they are all really nice; they never ask you intrusive questions, make you feel comfortable and seem to genuinely want to know you. You aren’t surprised that Minhy– Mark, has found them or vice versa because there has always been something comforting and safe about him. You aren’t sure about what he has told them about his past but it’s very obvious that they all care about him and admire him deeply. And Mark? He absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent deserves it. Of course he does. You think that he deserves the world and more. It’s just. . .when you see him with Kim ‘call me Haechan, everyone here does’ Donghyuck and how they interact with each other seamlessly, you feel a nasty case of jealousy and, maybe even worse, replaced. You are mature enough to admit to yourself that the jealousy you feel is completely ridiculous along with the whole being replaced thing. Obviously he has a new best friend. Why wouldn’t he? You are the one who left him all those years ago, not the other way around. If the roles were reversed, you probably would have gotten a new best friend too.

You suppress your feelings, try not to blatantly avoid the pair when you see them together, and instead focus on trying to fit in.

Surprisingly, it works–fitting in, that is. While the main issue is still a work in progress, you get along swimmingly with them group. You go cycling with Jeno and Jaemin, learn how to speak Mandarin thanks to Renjun and Chenle, play one-on-one soccer with Jisung and get roped into what Haechan and Mark do. Before you know it, you have slotted yourself into their lives and it has been a couple of months since Mark called you back. There is evidence of your presence in every room, from articles of clothing to little knick-knacks you have collected during your stay. You don’t have a room of your own or anything, Mark had set up a futon in his room and that was that.

It occurs to you over dinner as Haechan and Jisung fight for the last slice of garlic bread. The thought that you have been with them for that long has you dropping your cutlery on your plate and leaning back on your chair, staring at your empty plate. You should probably devise a plan to leave. You’ve overstayed your welcome and they’re all too kind and lovely to mention your long awaited departure to your face. Mark’s questioning eyes meet yours when you lift your gaze and you quirk the side of your mouth into a smile, shaking your head at him in dismissal. A small frown forms on his face at that so you tear your eyes away from him to the others. Jisung is smug as he purposefully chews slowly and exaggeratedly ‘mmm’s at the taste.

“I’m leaving,” you say lowly into the darkness as you lay on your futon, staring at up at the ceiling. They are the same words you said back then, too. Except this time you don’t want to go at all. As long overdue as it is, it’s hard to say the words confidently because you enjoy living here with them. “Tomorrow.” You add decisively before you can cave to your true feelings and end up staying with them forever.

“What?! No! You can’t!” Is Mark’s frantic reply. You hear him move around and then the lamp on his bedside locker is lighting up the room. When you turn to face him, he’s sitting up, facing you and staring at you with an expression that is a blend of disbelief and distraught. “I–” he falters, his eyes dropping from yours to his hands for a moment as he audibly exhales shakily. “I just got you back.” The words are spoken quietly, vulnerability spilling into it, and you hate yourself for doing this to him again.

“I know but Mark–”

“But what? You belong here, with us. With me. I can tell that you’re really happy here, y/n, so why are you saying this? Why do you need to go? Actually, where would you even go? And– And– Why are you leaving me again?” His voice is small. It trembles throughout the entirety of his words and cracks in the middle of the last question.

It feels like you’re nineteen all over again. Especially with the way he’s looking at you. It’s the same look that he gave you back then except it’s so much more worse. You avoid his eyes as you say, “I know I’ve stayed here way longer than I needed to and that you’re happier than I’ve ever seen you. There’s no way I’m risking your happiness in case they find me again. Besides,”–you swallow thickly, the next part of your sentence harder to say–“you don’t need me here.”

“That’s not fair,” although it’s still a whisper, Mark’s voice is stronger this time, the trembling gone, but still sounding terribly wounded. “You left me. And then my parents died and you weren’t there to see that I lost massive parts of myself.” He pauses, breathes deeply before continuing. “How could you think that I don’t need you here, or at all? Of course I do. I always have.”

“But you Haechan and all the others now, you don’t need me anymore.” You counter and there must be a sliver of something in your voice because Mark’s eyebrows furrow slightly. It’s clear when he has connected the dots because he says your name softly under his breath and looks at you tenderly. You flush, heat rising to your cheeks immediately knowing that he has found out how you have been feeling.

“It’s not the same,” he assures you firmly. “Haechan is amazing, they all are. They’ve taught me how to live again and confidently express myself. But you’re different, y’know? Just as amazing, of course! It’s just that we’ve been through a lot together and you played a really big part in molding me into the person I am today, and for the entire time that you were gone. . .I felt like I was missing my heart or my limb, or– or something.”

The sincerity in his voice soothes and untangles the knot that’s been weighing heavily in the pit of your stomach. You manage a small smile. “Your heart?” You repeat, teasingly, and there’s a snippet of a memory that unlocks in your brain–you, Mark and Youngho sitting in a small circle with Taeyong, Yongqin and Sicheng in a warm, sunlight room, listening to Sicheng intently as he read poetry aloud. You huff out a small laugh and, with mirth in your eyes as you look at him, your smile growing, you then follow up with, “I carry your heart with me.”

Mark, whose expression morphs from hurt, sincerity and concern to dazed before settling on a soft, sweet expression. He mirrors the mirth that you feel, a smile of his own adorning his face. “I carry it in my heart.”

Then, together, the two of you recite the next part. “I am never without it.”

The smile you wear hurts your cheeks but you can’t find it in yourself to care. Mark gestures you to his bed with a slight nod of his head and you waste no time climbing in under the covers with him, making yourself as comfortable as possible. The two of you don’t weave yourselves around one another, not like before, but Mark does grab your hand, his grip tight - although not tight enough to hurt - as if he were afraid that you’d run off in the middle of the night. You don’t blame him. What you do instead is give his hand a reassuring squeeze and then, gather the courage to ask the questions that you have been meaning to ask him for months. Mark tells you every little detail; he staged his death, he left almost a year after you and that for the most part, he is doing better. He admits that he has bad days and even worse night terrors but they aren’t as frequent as they were before. In turn, you answer the questions that he has for you, providing him with just as much detail as he gave you. By the time the two of you have stopped swapping stories, it’s early in the morning–you can tell by the slight brightness coming from the pale curtains.

“Hey Mark,” you call out quietly, not quite ready to sleep yet. Not with the remaining question you have for him. At this point, the two of you were spooning, your back against his sturdy chest with one of his arms thrown over your middle, your fingers laced through one another and his legs are flush against yours, copying how your legs fold. He hums, prompting you to continue. “Why did you call me back?”

“I told you didn’t I?” He murmurs sleepily, “Needed you. Missed you.” When the answer leaves his lips, you feel silly. He didn’t remember the promise he made you. It wasn’t a big deal–people break and forget promises all the time, so why wouldn’t he? “Besides,” he adds, interrupting your thoughts, “I promised you didn’t I?”

A lump forms in your throat and your lips quiver slightly as you feel the telltale signs of tears start to pool in your eyes. “Yeah,” you croak out, “you did.”

“Promise you and I will try our best to find your brother?” You give him an affirmative. “Good. G’na sleep now, ‘kay? Night”

“Good night.”

It takes a while for you to fall asleep although when you do, it’s the most comfortable and safest you have felt for a long while.

You sat glumly on the uncomfortable plastic chair, holding a bag of frozen vegetables on your swollen cheek to alleviate help the pain. Minhyung, the newbie, had rushed to give it to you the minute you limped through the door, clearly battered. That was before Youngho caught the sight of you, steered you into his room and promptly began lecturing you on the dangers of thinking you could handle certain situations on your own.

It wasn’t as if you particularly wanted to go by yourself. You would have loved if someone tagged along with you to scope out the area that you overheard some of the senior members whisper about to each other. The only problem was there was nobody here that you trusted, with the obvious exception of your older brother and his best friend, Taeyong. Unfortunately they were out doing a task that they were given so you had no choice but to quench your curiosity by yourself.

Evidently it was a mistake - which you knew now, obviously - because even with how stealthy you were, you had been caught. The ones who found you were taunting you by having a loud conversation about what they should to you. It had your heart palpitating uncomfortably, eyes wildly scanning for an exit. In the end, they tried to extract information from you by using some violent tactics–a punch or two here, a kick there and, the worst part of it all, they trailed a knife along your body, the tip of the blade extremely distinct under your clothes. When it became obvious that you weren’t going to reveal anything to them, they gave you a quick beating as a message and then let you go.

“This is why you haven’t been given any tasks yet.” Youngho said and then after a beat he added, “you’re sitting out for everything until I say so.” His tone was firm, his arms folded across his chest as he looked at you sternly.

You sputtered. “You can’t ground me! I’m totally good for action.” Your brother arched a brow at that, and even Minhyung shot you a look of disbelief. You wanted to argue but you knew it would be futile, so you gave him a quick nod.

“Good,” he walked over to you, petting your hair as he gave you a light hug so as to not bother your injuries. “Now go get some rest. Minhhyung, will you help them to their room please? I’ll grab some food.” And then he was off, leaving you with the guy you barely knew. Why couldn’t he have taken you there himself?

At first you hesistated as he stood close to you, prepared to catch you in case anything happened, but you slung an arm across Minhyung’s shoulder so that you could lean onto his side. It was an awkward walk to your room, the silence was so loud that you eventually gave in to talking to him.

“Thanks,” he hummed questioningly at you. “For the frozen veg,” you clarified, “you didn’t have to but I really appreciate it.”

You felt him shrug a shoulder, a reflex of his that you noticed while you slyly observed him conversing with the others. “It was no big deal,” he replied as he opened the door to your room and steered the two of you towards you bed. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” You answered as you tried to find a comfortable position to lay down.

“Why did you go on your own? I mean, like, why didn’t you call anyone or anything?”

“Nobody I trust was free,” you told him plainly. “And besides,” you began to say as he mulled over your answer. “No-one actually answers my calls. Except for my brother and his friends.” You felt really lame for admitting that to him but it was the truth.

There was a beat of silence that stretched long enough for your statement to hang awkwardly in the air. Just as you were about to tell him that he could leave, he spoke up. “If you called me I would have answered.”

There were a million things that you wanted to say. Out of all of them, what came out was, “I don’t have your number.”

Minhyung shrugged, slightly rocking back and forth on his heels. “I could give it to you? I mean, if you want it. It’d be nice since I’ve heard we’re the closest on age here and all. We could be, you know, partners in crime or something.”

“Literally partners in crime,” you said, a small laugh escaping you at the truth of it all. You gave him a considering once over, which he seemed to fidget under. “Alright, but this means that you’ll have to answer every call I make.”

Minhyung’s mouth curled into a bright smile, excitement lighting his eyes. “I can do that.”

“Even if it’s something silly?” It was a challenge and test all in one.

“Even if it’s something silly.” He parroted back.

You stuck out your pink finger towards him and there wasn’t an inch of hesitation in him as his hooked his own around it. “It’s a promise then.”

“It’s a promise,” he agreed. When you released your pinky from his hold, he stuffed his hands into his pockets. With the bright smile still in place, he said, “I have a really good feeling about this for some reason.”

You mirrored his smile. “Me too.”

#me rn: hey.....hey.....how yall doin?#it been a while since i’ve been here 💀#but lets ignore that and move onto my usual commentary andks #this was originally supposed to be an addams family!au but idk what happened #well no i do andks what happened was i wasnt too sure about it so i started a new draft and now here we are #will i take more resquests??? who knows #i like receiving them but im always worried that the person who sent in the request wont be satisfied :///#i have a list of vague plots so i might just pick a random one and do that??????????#but i also have wips for taeyong doyoung kunhang and sicheng 💀💀#oh and that mark addams family!au i mentioned earlier that i abandoned rip #i just double checked and i also have a draft for lucas and the start of a draft that hasnt been appointed a member yet i- am i good??????#spoiler: lucas’ is a soulmate!au and i also have engineering student!kunhang + a fic involving magic for sicheng #oh and also:#the ty is a fem!reader regency era and the dy is a fake dating!au #anyway here come the tags:#nct #nct au #nct scenarios #nct u #nct 127 #nct dream #nct imagines #nct 127 angst #nct dream angst #nct mark #mark lee #mark au #mark imagines #mark scenarios #mark angst

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