#and now i have all these pretty pictures fromt he movie?

[nothingwronghere]

[calliecat93]

Top 15 Star Trek TOS Episodes (Part Two)

(Part One)

Continuing from the last post, here are the remaining seven episodes~! Also picking Number One was SUPER hard. I was stuck between it and two for a long while. But I finally picked, so here we go!

#7. The Trouble With Tribbles

Up to this point, I hadn’t been crazy over some of the goofier episodes of Star Trek. Shore Leave was a mindscrew that left me uncertain about what was even happening by the end, though my opinion has lightened up upon looking back. The Squire of Gothos had a villain that I found far more annoying than entertaining and it remains one of my least favorite episodes. The only more silly one I did like was I, Mudd which remains an utter laugh riot once everyone acts as illogical as possible, including Spock. But then this episode came along, and Dear Lord it is hilarious. Our heroes stop at a space station, but it’s also occupied by Klingons. But wait, it gets better! A sleezy guy convinces Uhura to buy a Tribble, these little puff ball things that are kind of cute... until they begin to reproduce so rapidly that they infest the ship and base. To put it simply, it’s not a good time for Kirk. Honestly Kirk is the best part just because of how much he LOATHES every single thing about this episode. The scene where a whole bunch of Tribbles just topple over him and he just resigns himself to his fate and later his epic death glare at Bones when he orders him to figure out what killed the things. And then there’s what makes him come aorund to them, their shared hatred of Klingons. Seriosuly, Kirk is just So Done in this episode and it is amazing~

But seriously, it’s a very entertianing episode. Far more than I thought it was going to be when I read the description. It’s not an episode taken seriosuly, but not in the ‘they just gave up’ kind of way like in certain S3 episodes. The cast seem to be legit having a fun time with this one. The brawl between Scotty, Chekov, and a few other guys against the Klingons was super fun as was Kirk sulking when Scotty revelas that he got provoked over the Enteprise being insulted and not the captain. Poor Jim XD Cyrano Jones was also just a fun delight with how scummy yet amusing he is. The scene with him and the drinks during the brawl had me laughing so much XD Seriosuly there’s just so many good moments. Spock not being immune to the Tribble’s comforting effect and being embarassed at this revelaiton, Spock and McCoy’s snark, the Klingons utter horror at the tiny little furballs, it’s just an entertaining ride from beginning to end.

Not anything to really note flaws wise to justify the ranking. It doesn’t have that emotional or philosophical umph that I normally seek out in shows like this, so it’s here at seven. But that ain’t a bad thing at all. Not every episode has to have deep meanings or complex stories. Sometimes it can just be something fun and amusing, and the effort was still there to make it entertaining. It’s one of those episodes that I would watch above the others on a bad day just so I can laugh. Probably the most fun episode I have on this list, and that’s nothing to snuff at~!

#6. The Doomsday Machine

Our heroes find a Starship where the only survivor is Commadore Decker, his crew having all been killed when he beamed them to a planet that a planet destroyer... well, destroyed shortly after. The destroyer is still active and now the Enterprise is in danger. As Kirk remains on that ship, Decker is determined to destroyt he doomsday machine once and for all, including taking command of the Enteprrise and risking their lives to do so. Yeah, this is a pretty intense one. Decker, while his sucicdal actions were wrong, is VERY sympathetic. His crew was killed through no fault of his own, the machine that did it is still loose, and the losses have left him utterly broken. He’s very much traumatized but as he is the highest ranking officer and they can’t officially prove that he’s too mentlaly unfit to be relieved (which imo is idiotic cause even someone who isn’t a psycologist can tell he’s mentally unfit, but whatever), they can’t do much to stop him. Spock DOES finally manage to do so, and it leads to Decker’s ultimate choice that leads to his tragic end.

This one really gripped me. There’s this tension throughout. We have an unstable, suicidal man taking control of the Enterprise and willing to get them all killed to stop the doomsday machine. It’s scary to see how broken the man is. Again, he’s wrong to be willing to sacrifice everyone on The Enterprise to destroy the thing even though none of them want to die, but you understand why. I mean imagine if that happened to Kirk, he’d probably snap too if his actions in Obsession is any indication of how he handles major losses like that. Then we have Decker’s final act. Once relieved of command, he steals a shuttle and goes at the machine himself. He knows that he’s going to die and accepts that fact if it means some chance, any chance of destroying the machine once and for all. While he fails to destory it, he DOES give Kirk the opprotunity needed to do so with the ruined ship. A move that almost gets Kirk killed, but still Decker’s act was not in vain. It’s a very interesting character study with themes of guilt, trauma, and desperation. Kind of like in Obsession in a way, only Kirk manages to survive and pull himself together before it was too late. Decker’s only goal was to take down the machine that took his crew’s lives, even if that meant losing his own.

As I said, these are the kinds of episodes I live for. I guess self-sacrifice is also genetic consideirng what happened with his son in The Motion Picture, haha. Flaws... ugh... I guess McCoy disappeairng after the first half sucked? But that’s a me thing that doesn’t affect anything. I just remember watching it wide-eyed despite fully well knowing that everyone I cared about were going to be perfectly fine. It really gripped me! A great episode with great character exploration and themes which for a one off character, is pretty dang impressive!

#5. Journey to Babel

Meet the parents epidsode! Yay! The Enteprise is transporting various ambassadors of various planets to the Babel Conference. This includes the Vulcan Ambassador Sarek and his human wife Amanda, aka Spock’s parents. Yep, it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned family issues! Sarek wasn’t exactly happy with Spock choosing Starfleet and their relationship has been strained ever since. But when Sarek has severe heart problems, the only way to save him is via blood transfusion with Spock the only one compatible. But to make it worse, Kirk gets stabbed and put out of comission, forcing Spock to take command... at the same time that his father needs the surgery. Yeah... it sucks to be Spock in this episode. I know that Sarek is a bit divisive, but I like Spock’s parents. Sarek comes off as good at his job, but not great as a parent. He’s far fromt he worst and we do see that he does seem to still care about his son, he’s just God awful at admitting it and his previous mistakes. Like father, like son I guess. Amanda was a delight, especially when she tells McCoy about the sehlat aka giant teddy bear. Anyone who can make Bones smile that big deserves our thanks. Spock trying to make it less embarassing only made it funnier XD But back on topic, they come off as interesitng characters. They ain’t ideal, but they seem to genuinely be in love, which is nice.

Spock was just great here as we see him in one of the roughest spots he’s been in. He’s naturally not happy about being around the father that cast him aside again, though after his heart issues it’s clear that he IS concerned. Leonard Nimoy once again does such a fantastic job at having Spock express so much but without breaking character. It’s all in the eyes and the strained tone of voice. Then when Spock is more than willing to go through with the tranfusion, Kirk is injured. He has no choice but to take command, knowing that in doing so his father will die. While he COULD give command to Scotty, with the VERY intense circumstances of an assaliant on board and a ship ready to attack wit a number of ambassadors on board, he’s the best bet in handling it. Amanda is of course upset and even smacks him which IS overly harsh, but she’s about to lose her husband and her son, despite clealry hating the fact, has to place his duty above all else. Sarek dying is the least worst outcome to everyone else being killed. It’s the most logical route. Fortunately Kirk is able to pull himself together long enough to take over and the transfusion goes through perfectly despite the fight making it more difficult. Which again, McCoy is the true MVP here for managing to pull that off successfully under those conditions and Thank God that the episode rewarded him by letting him finally get the last word. He earned that one!

It’s such a great episode for me. Family drama, Spock conflict, political tensions, and just some relaly fun bits. Seriosuly, the teddy bear bit will NEVER stop being funny. Hoenstly these last five were all pretty tight and this ende dup here cause the other four had just a little bit mroe to keep me invested for reasons. Spock and Sarek don’t really reach a resolution but we do see that it has the chance to improve, and the movies do show that Sarek DOES truly care about his son and even admits that he had been wrong. It takes a lot for a man, even a Vulcan man, to do that. Although I DID double take when I realized that Sarek is played by the same guy who did the Romulan Captain in Balance of Terror. Guess he was that good XD. But yeah, a really great episode and very much my favorite Spock-centric episode.

#4. The Empath

TRIUMVIRATE FEELS BABY~! Our heroes end up trapped by a duo of aliens and encounter a mute empath woman that McCoy names Gem. They try to figure out how to escape as the aliens known as Vians plan to use them for an experiment as they have others. Shenanigains happen while elad to Kirk getting totured p, and then given the ultimate sadistic choice in having to decide if either Spock or McCoy get tortured to the point of either death (McCoy) or permenant brain damage (Spock). Now the episode has it’s issues, like why the Vians needed to do this to decide that Gem’s people were worth saivng is..l really baffling. But I’m also not a Vian so what do I know anout their mindset? But due to those kinds of plot holes, it landed here at four. It also kind of reads like a hurt/comfort fanfic, which isn’t a surprise when you find out that this was written and submitted by a fan. Which is freakin’ awesome and I can’t complain tbh cause it’s a good hurt/comfort fic. What it fails in some plot tightning it succeeds at in emphasizing the relationship between the main trio and it’s themes of emotion and self-sacrifice. Because OF COURSE that would be relevant for these three numbskulls at some point!

The second half is really what sells it. Kirk of course can’t make a choice like that, so Bones hypos him so that he’ll be spared of it. But that means that Spock is in command and he fully intends to hand himself over to the Vians to spare the two. Just the scene where he looks at Kirk, knowing that it’ll likely be the last time he sees him and Gem touching him to feel his emotions. Her smile sums it sll up. Which sidenote, the actress for Gem was freakin’ fantastic in how she displayed so much emotion and character without saying one word. Excellent acting. Anyways, Spock’s plan seems full-proof... except that he forgot that he’s dealing with McCoy, who promptly hypos him as well and sacrifices himself to the Vians. That was when McCoy became my favorite character, the moment he chose to be tortured to near death to save his two best friends and an innocent woman and even took the time to try and comfort her before being taken away. When we see the ifnal result and are greeted to DeForest Kelley looking at the camera with the most dead expression that he can muster... yeah the image STILL haunts me. Then Bones is dying with the two unable to do anything but try to give him some comfort and Gem is just so distraught and... heah this episode mad eit this high simply because it hit the emotional beats perfectly. That’s not even going into Gem trying to heal him to drive home the themes of the episode, also done VERY well.

This episode really shows how much the three care for one another. They’re all willing to be tortured and die to spare the other two. Ultimately McCoy gets the ‘honor’, but Kirk and Spock were absolutely ready to throw themselves to the fire. The characterization, interactions, and dynamic are just done so well that it’s why I can forgive the plot issues. I’m a sucker for feelings okay?! So yeah it’s not perfect but what it got right it got right. As such, it managed to land here at Number Four with only those plot holes keeping it from Number One. And trust me, I was tempted.

#3. The Tholian Web

Season 3 hadn’t been doing it for me with only one or two episodes really getitng my attention up to that point. This one though? This was the best episode in the seaosn bar none. Our heroes end up in a subspace where they find a starship and it’s crew all dead. Whien they teleport back to The Enterprise, it disappears... and takes Kirk with it. Okay, doesn’t sound liek anythignt hat new right? Kirk goes missing, the crew have to deal without him and find him as quickly as posisble. But this one has a bit of a twist... they cut Kirk out completely. Yeah, from the moment he vanishes in the first act to the very end he is out of the episode. Not only does the crew not know what happened to him, but neither does the audience, this ramps up the fear and emotional weight big time as the longer the crew is int hat space, the influence of it drives them to insanity. Bones wants to get out because of this, while Spock is unwilling to leave Kirk if he is alive. Needles to say, things go off the rails quickly.

With Kirk out of the equation, we keep our focus on Spock and McCoy. Their arguing is probably at the most personal it’s ever been with Kirk seming dead, the crew losing their minds, and it looking more and more uncertain that they can both treat the crew and ge tout alive. While one can say that McCoy may be too harsh here, I think along with the space affecting him in a less intense way, he’s also stressed from all the patients as well as his grief about Jim. Spock is the only one that he can take it out on, especially since his chocie to not leave is why they’re now int he mess that they’re in. Spock is trying to perform his duties despite the hostilities and his own grief that he’s trying to keep a grip on with all the responsibility of the crew and whatever happens due to his choice firmly sititng on his shoulders. What finally starts to get them to resolve this? A tape that Kirk made for them in the event of his death. He gives them his confidence that they can perform their duties withiut him, but that they need to lsiten to and support each other. They CAN go on without him. It’ll hurt but they’re now all that they each have and they need to work together now more than ever. It’s a sobering moment for both with McCoy realizng how ovelry harsh he had been and Spock expressing genuine grief. They do still bicke rone more time, but McCoy catches himself before it goes too far, apologizes, and Spock simply says what Jim would: “Forget it, Bones”. Cue Bones fainting like the Southern Bell that he is, haha!

Now of course Kirk is alive and they manage to save him and get out of the situation fine. But I just loved this because of the focus on Spock and McCoy without Kirk. Why? Because Kirk is the one thing that can unite them. It’s not the only thing, but if anything can make them get over their disagreements quickly, it’s Kirk. So what happens when it looks like he’s gone and never coming back? How will the two deal with it now that that balance is gone? They don’t deal with it well, being at each other’s throats until they see that tape. But it DOES show that if they did lose Kirk, they CAN work together and go on. Like I said, I adore these two’s relationship and while not as slashy as All Our Yesterdays, this is such an excellent one for that relationship as we see that yes, they will bicker but they will also be there for each other when it all comes down to it. It’s such a great episode for that reason and the plot was just well done. Like I said, casitng out Jim and leaving us unsure of what happened to him was an excellent move for this one and I enjoyed the exploration that it allowed.

#2. The Immunity Syndrome

Out heroes are scent to investigate what caused a whole solar system to disappear just as they also receive a message from a Vulcan science vessel. Unfortunately, Spock senses he vessel’s destruction and the Enterprise finds itself against a giant space amoeba that will devour everything unless stopped. That may not sound like much, but it leads into what I think was the most intense situation that the Enterprise has been in. Everything, and I mean everything, is pushed to their limits here. This amoeba can outright destroy galaxies and utterly mindless, so there’s no reasoning with it. But it gets especially tense when, in order to understand exactly what’s going on, Kirk has to send someone in the space shuttle to observe, but in doing so, he’s sending someone to most likely die. And his choices? Either Spock or Bones... yeah.

This is what makes this episode great. Spock and Bones are already on rockier than usual terms due to McCoy treating the Vulcan deaths more like a statistic while Spock sensed all of it outright. That itself is an interesting observation on how we treat these kinds of things, not really understanding how horrific it is unless we’re involved in it outright, otherwise it’s sad and unfortunate but just another number. But then we have the suicide mission. Bones originally volunteers himself, after all he’s a doctor and would have the knowledge to make the necessary observaitons and likely the most fit for it. But Spock is not only also perfectly capable even if not specialized in medical science, but he’s also more fit physically and emotionally to undergo the risk and come out alive. In the end, Kirk picks Spock and McCoy ain’t happy about it. The scene with Spock about ready to go with McCoy still unhappy even when Spock asks him to wish him luck. He does... once the doors have shut and Spock can’t hear him anymore. It’s a very strong scene and it only gets more painful when it looks like Spock is truly going to die and his final words are that McCoy should have wished him luck. Bones’ face says everything.

The episode is just excellent. Great character moments. Great emotional weight. Great stakes that keep going up and up and it truly feels like the darkest hour for the crew. Kirk and Spock outright begin to record their respective final words. Even they’re convinced that this is most likely the end, which is just... dang man. I couldn’t look away during this one. They hit everything perfectly with pretty much everything. If I have any issues, none of them come to mind. It’s just an excellent episode and the best of Season 2. I had a REALLY hard time picking between this and my Number One for the top slot. The top one just had a little bit more emotional impact to get it, but it just barely topped this one. Regardless, it is still an excellent episode and one of the best by far. But what is Number One? Well...

#1. The City on the Edge of Forever

Yeah, yeah, obvious pick I know. I normally don’t go wth popular opinion... but sometimes it’s that way for a reason, and this one I can’t argue about. When McCoy gets badly drugged on accident, he goes into a derranged state and beams onto a planet. The crew is unable to stop him from entering a portal known as the Guardian of Forever that sends him into the distant past where he does something to change histry. In order to figure out what changed and to stop McCoy, Kirk and Spock travel into the 1930’s a few days earlier to cut him off and must now navigate their way though the time period where they end up at a soup kitchen run by a woman named Edith Keller. Which Edith is an excellent character. She’s kind, optimistic, charming, hard-working, ad caring towards those who need it. Kirk ends up falling for her, and... it’s legit really cute. Kirk isn’t being forced to make out with a woman or doing so for information. We see how Kirk is when he genunely likes someone, having been drawn to Edith’s optimism and hopes for a better future. A future that he is from and knows will be reality. He’s really sweet and it’s just cute... which makes what happens at the end all the more tragic.

The 1930’s were fun with Kirk trying to come up with an excuse for Spock’s ears having me dying from laughter. The acting was excellent with DeForest Kelley as drugged!Bones especially being both crazy and scary. I quit doubting that he played villains in Westerns after this episode, haha. But of course Spock soon discovers that the change that McCoy is to make is saving Edith form death, and in doing so she leads a pacifist campaign that delays America’s entry into World War II and... well, things go badly. They are in a time where sadly optimism and peace are simply not options, which is even crueler. In order for time to be restored, they have to let Edith die. Kirk is horrified by this and when the time comes (sidenote, the Triumvirate reunion is utterly adorable), he just grabs Bones, keeps his back turned, and can only listen as Edith screams and is killed via car colission. Whatever grievances I have about William Shatner, he absoluteley nailed Kirk’s utter heartbreak and pain as Kirk just looks utterly boken. His final wordds after they return to the 23rd Century simply being a bitter “Let’s get the Hell out of here” sums it all up perfectly. Bones’ horror at it, especially since he DID have to watch it and him being upset at Kirk is also heartbreaking as he asks him if he knows what he just did. Spock can only somberly inform him that yes, he does.

It’s one of those cases where I wish serialization was more of a thign cause DAMN this is some major emotional baggage for everyone but as per usual. It happens and they go on from there with no lingering development. I guess if I had to complain, that would be it but that’s jut the nature of these shows at the time. Kind of feel like Bones getting as bady overdosed as he did pretty much got forgotten after they enter the 1930’s, but I also know nothing about 23rd Century drugs so... ah well. But the rest of the episode is so good that I can forgive those issues and they clealry did nothing to impact the placing. It had a storgn story, great emotion, great acting, great pacing, and a heartbreaking but fitting ending. The episode has a LOT of history behind it’s making that could be a post all it’s own, but no mater how this episode came to be, it is very much the best of Star Trek TOS. It was fun yet sad and had me gripped form beginning to ed and just htinkign about it now still makes me sad. Thus, it earns it’s place as my favorite episode of Star Trek TOS.

And we are done! There were a lot of really good episodes and some i REALLY did consider. A Piece of the Action, The Enemy Within (that was skipped for... certian reasons), Is There in Truth No Beauty?, This Side of Paradise, and plenty of others that I enjoyed. There were others I.. well, didn’t, but I can’t recall outright hating anything. Regardless I came in apathetic at best, and I left a fan for it’s characters, interesting ideas, and I just had a lot of fun. It’s outdated in many ways, but still relevant in others. Overall, I’m glad to have finally watched it, and I hope that I enjoy TNG just as much. But if not, I’ll always have this~!

(Image Source: TrekCore TOS Gallery)

[namjoonchronicles]

Triggered - [BTS] Taehyung!Au

[A/N] He’s so pretty I’m-- *sobs*

Soulful. It makes your heart sing along with him. His high notes, the way he potrays the identity of the song so majestically, it's ethereal.

Kim Tae.

He sings behind closed curtains. Sings when no one is looking. No one had ever seen his face. "I only know his voice." You wrote in your iPad. Accompanined by jazz instruments in the bistro KimTae frequently perform in. You decided that this month, you wanted to share the world, the voice that this men had.

He had a unique and sorrowful voice in him that just delve into the soul of anyone listening. An effective remedy for aching hearts, that heals and and mend, despite never having to show his face to people. You wondered if the article you're writing will make him upset.. Should you be asking permissions first?

Will he see you?

He had turn away all interviewers. All good ones too. Those are all chances to expose him more and he just... reject them. A foolish move for such a talented voice. You glanced to your wrist watch and hurried to shove your iPad into your bag. It's a class you hated.

Applied Mathematics and Calculus.

You had a minor slip-up last semester, and that's why you had to retake this paper. Your fault, entirely. The writing competition was around the same time and naturally, you disregarded maths of course. You weren't in the mood to study. The lecturer handed an assignment. To which you groaned at. And suddenly, you had an idea.

Taehyung can help.

He's probably sleeping in the library right now. And you headed there first thing, after the boring lecture ends. You were right. Girls were taking pictures of him sleeping. He had his mouth wide open, tilted back, and although it was a repulsive view for you, these girls thought otherwise. Well, he does look good.

He slapped his mouth shut and straightened up before, crossing his arm, and slept face down. When you came, he had his face tilted to the side a little. So you decided to poke his face with your finger. Touching his chin and pinching the skin underneath his jawline, trying to get some responds. Taehyung was in deep sleep. "You stayed up all night to play games, didn't you." You scolded him.

Rubbing his under chin, like you would a puppy. "How do you that. How can you be such a geek and nerd and look good at the same time. That's unfair. Yo. Wake the fuck up..." you hissed, pulling the chair next to him. "I'm not supposed to tell you this but I needed an outside opinion apart of my perfect own... and because I lack true friends, I decide to come to your ass." You set your books down loud. But still, Taehyung wouldn't wake up.

"I'm writing about KimTae." You dropped. And Taehyung spring awake. "What. Who? Why?" He shot. He always acts like this whenever two names come up. Namjoon. And KimTae. "Wow. That reaction is faster than when I called out Namjoon's name... I'm going to use it from now on to wake you up," you danced in your chair and unfold the assignment you had.

"I...have something to do. An article about KimTae's music and you will help me do this shit." You pointed to the assignment as Taehyung sat up, shaking his head to wake himself up. "...I'll pay you." You took out your purse and took out some bills. "And that's the deposit. You'll have the rest when it's done." You scrunched your nose at Taehyung. Clicking your tongue and zipping your purse.

You didn't even wait for his answer. You just resumed writing on your iPad. "Also, Taehyung. The lecturer says he remembers previous students' assignments. So I think you should change a few words. And don't use nerd terms. Use literary kinds. Literature is kind of my identity you know." You reminded him.

Taehyung blinks at your iPad and, "Did you ask permission?"

You scoffed. "What do you think his answers would be?"

Taehyung blinks rapidly. Biting his lips. His eyes searching wildly. It seems like he didn't want that article to be published. "Why do you think he kept his beautiful voice behind curtains...? Is he, ashamed of his looks? Is he shy? Is he... just. Doing it because it's different. Or is he, immitating SIA?" You asked Taehyung.

He was just grabbing his pen from his bag and calculators. "Can you not write that article." He somberly asked. "I don't understand why he would choose this as a platform. Surely he'll want to see his fans, no?" You completely disregarded his pleas. You knew what you wanted and how to get it. "Maybe. Some artist does singing for the love of it. And not the fame." He stammered, starting to do your assignment.

"Cute." You commented. Feeling slightly sleepy, you lay your head on his shoulder and Taehyung bit his smile before clearing his throat.

I can't be too happy about this. - Taehyung.

"KimTae has taken over my life. I'm starting to hear his voice in my sleep now. Last night... I imagined his deep voice moaning underneath me as I–" Taehyung starts choking on air. People in the library starting to harshly shush you. Alarmed, you gave him bottled water of your own. He drinks from it, gulping half of the bottle when he placed them down. "Best wet dream I have ever had." You shake your shoulders and Taehyung picks the bottle water up and have it poured down on his head.

Gasps, everywhere. "He's lost his mind." You covered your mouth. Not even noticing what you did to the poor boy. "I need to dry myself. Excuse me." He was abnormally calm as he push his chair back and took his bag from the ground. You were left, confused of everything, and you hurried to gather his things, your assignments and iPad.

How do you explain the relationships you share with Taehyung? Casual friends?

He fetch you up to class. Buys you lunch. Takes you to the movies you want to watch and gives you shoulder massages. The only thing you don't do with him is going to the bistro together. Some classes, you had to take separately. Because he is an over-achiever, even though he looks like a bum. And you, you never over-estimate yourself.

That's what you get if you force your children to be a mathematician when she wanted to  docreative writing. She just can't perform. Fortunately, she had a fool called Taehyung. Who is insanely in love with her. And he didn't even know it.

"Don't write that article." Taehyung recovers from the violent coughing. He took off his jacket and shirt in front of his locket. For a nerd, he had quite a confidence with his body to strip in public. And you must admit, he had a good body. "You always do this whenever I want to write about guys." You rolled your eyes. "This time, its not Namjoon. And still..." you crossed your arm, hugging your iPad after putting his calculator and your assignment in his bag.

"Namjoon appears on every news. He didn't have to appear on your blogs too. People will get sick." Taehyung was really against Namjoon for some reason. Namjoon is the only guy on campus comparable to Taehyung's intelligence. They had a beef back then, and no one would tell you what it was about. Not that you were curious anyways.

"But I love KimTae. I want him to get recognition..." you pouted, you hand him the bills you set as deposits for him to finish your assignments. "Don't forget these." Taehyung hung on his locker door after putting on his new grey shark sweater. He slams the locker door shut.

"KimTae didn't sing for the audience. KimTae sings because of the girl he loves. KimTae doesn't move to bigger stage even when he can because he doesn't want the fame. KimTae doesn't show his face because KimTae wants to be appreciated by his voice. Not his good looks...." Taehyung said, in one breath. You were still holding out the cash money at Taehyung, puzzled.

"KimTae is me. Keep the money. I would do it regardless of being paid. But for your own good, I'm not going to. Because I like you. And actually want you to succeed. There, I said it. Up to you, what you want to do with that information. But that article won't be posted." Taehyung shoved the cash back into your hand and turned away.

He looks ahead, and blew hot air to his forehead before heading to the right, disappearing from your sight.

Thunder rolled in the sky signifies the storm that's about to come and the the storm in your heart. Taehyung said it so effortlessly. KimTae is Taehyung. You remembered him jokingly say, "The possibilities of me being KimTae, I mean, Kim Taehyung, me. Short, KimTae... funny right?"

You also remembered the time he hummed a song sung by KimTae, despite never attending KimTae's sing stage. Or the way KimTae sighs tiredly to the microphone when he entertains his audience during breaks. was the same way Taehyung would sigh when you talk about Namjoon. Or that one time, a weekend, when he giggled low on a meme you shared through messenger, the same way KimTae would giggle at the praise you give him through the curtain.

"Shit." You breathed. Holding the wall next to you. And the suddenly remembering about the assignment you had to submit, letting out an even exasperated, "Shit." It started to drizzle. Taehyung probably had already left with the car so you walked in the rain, calmly.

You stood in fromt of his dorms. Gifted students don't have to pay to stay here. You had to live off-campus because of your horrible results. You were standing in front of his dorm, in the heavy rain. Taehyung opens his windows, looking at you and then yelling, "Go to a shelter!"

He roared and you shook your head. "No!"

"You have class tomorrow, you want to be ill!?" He roared. He left the window and you knew he was coming down the stairs to get to you. He did. He covered his head with a hoodie and brought a pink umbrella. He took your wrist but you yank out of it. "I have to tell you that I am in love with you. Not just as KimTae. But as Taehyung." You were shivering from the cold.

"I get it. Now let's go inside..." Taehyung would say anything to make you follow him to the sheltered building. "Listen! You don't have to hide anymore. I want people to know your voice." You hugged your bag. "The iPad inside is probably already ruined because of the rain... but I want you to perform boldly..." you asked him.

Taehyung gave you a ridiculed look. "Don't you understand? I want to only sing because of you. I want your recognition. What others think about me is not important." Taehyung decide that it was time to take matters into his hands. He carried you over his shoulders and ran inside the dorm.

"Maybe KimTae can show me how sinful his moans are...?" You said, upon standing on your feet. Taehyung hugged himself, "Stay away from me." You start poking his sides in an attempt to tickle him.. He starts giggling on his side, cowering. "How dare you kept this as a secret... you must be enjoying how much I was admiring him, knowing that it was you... I will torture you for this. You will never see the end of it."

Taehyung was in for a very satisfying and long, steamy...night.

[miss-zei]

Every Second Counts

Pair: GaLu (Gajeel x Lucy)

Word Count: 9,477

AN: A Halloween-y fic for the lovely @mistye-dawne, I hope it spoops you!

It had been about six months since Lucy had started to IM with Gajeel before she finally asked for his number. She remembered just how shocked he had seemed at her request—it had actually been quite humorous.

Irondeath: Shut up! You just took me by surprise, that’s all.

Starryeyedbunny: So… is this a rejection? I’m hurt!

Irondeath: No just… dammit bunny you are embarrassing me. 521-7001

Starryeyedbunny: How am I embarrassing you?! I should be the one who is embarrassed!

Irondeath: Just text me so I have your number too all right? Damn.

Starryeyedbunny: lol yes sir!

They’d texted all through the night after that. Something that might seem silly to get excited about, but then… It had been a long time since anybody had actually managed to catch Lucy’s attention.

She’d met Gajeel on a dating app for locals in her area. He’d been the first guy who hadn’t asked for more pictures than the ones that she had posted. Or hadn’t sent any…unrequested pictures of his own.

She also had liked the fact that he didn’t ask for her number right off the bat. Lucy kind of liked to use the app’s messenger for a while, just to be sure that she only gave her cell phone number to guys who she was actually interested in. It made her feel safer that way.

One of her good friends, Cana Alberona, had been a bit on the careless side and gave out her number somewhat haphazardly. Because of that, she wound up with quite a few stalkers, one of which actually warranted obtaining a restraining order. It had been terrifying to everybody involved.

Lucy had let Cana stay with her for a couple weeks during that time.

It had been somewhat daunting to see the normally confident young woman to be so…scared. In all the years that she had known Cana, Lucy had never seen her in the state that she had been then. Which, of course, was entirely understandable.

The guy—they’d later found out—had been an escaped institutionee. He’d been locked back up the moment the police caught him creeping outside of Lucy’s apartment complex.

So even though all of that was done and over with, Lucy was extra cautious when it came to online dating. Truthfully, if it weren’t for the fact that Lucy didn’t have any other means to meet men, Lucy probably wouldn’t have even considered the option.

Presently, Lucy was working at a call center. While it allowed her plenty of time to work on her stories, it did cut into her socializing skills quite a bit. It wasn’t until her co-worker, Levy, suggested trying out a dating site that she had been using. She’d said that it was pretty good. And that it was even how she’d met her current boyfriend, Freed Justine.

“You just need to know when to say ‘no.’ Because some of the guys on there are a bit…off.” Levy had given Lucy plenty of tips before helping the blonde to set up an account. She’d certainly appreciated the assistance.

Gajeel had actually been one of the first people to start talking with her. At first, Lucy had been hesitant , because it seemed strange to talk to a complete stranger with the intention to become…involved romantically.

Apparently, Gajeel had felt just as weirded out about the whole thing as she was. Which had been surprisingly reassuring to Lucy. They texted throughout the day, pretty much everyday since they first started messaging.

Lucy realized what it was like to fall in love with somebody before even meeting them. So Lucy had worked up the courage to try to push their relationship to the next level, in a way. How Lucy saw it was, if they trusted each other enough to share their phone numbers…then perhaps they could trust each other to meet in person.

It was interesting though, because despite how they would text, Gajeel also seemed partial to using the messenger on the dating app that they’d met on. Lucy didn’t really think all that much of it. Perhaps he enjoyed the layout on the app more.

Irondeath: Let’s go see a movie, or get something to eat.

Starryeyedbunny: lol okay, you could have texted me that you know

Irondeath: Is this you…rejecting me?

Starryeyedbunny: I can’t believe you! Yes. Let’s do both! I heard that new Fairy Tail movie is finally in theaters, so we could go see that and maybe get something to eat after?

Irondeath: sounds good to me bunny, should I pick you up or do you want to meet there?

Starryeyedbunny: I can meet you there! Wear something in one of your pictures so I know it’s you!

Irondeath: The piercings won't be enough?

Starryeyedbunny: …. Good point… I will see you at the AMC around 8? I just checked the times.

Irondeath: Sounds good to me, see you in a bit.

Lucy’s heart had been racing after that conversation, it had just about beaten out of her chest actually. For they had finally set a time and a place to meet. Lucy was excited and had immediately called Levy over for outfit help.

“Lucy Heartfilia needs help picking out a dress? When did pigs learn how to fly?!” Levy had joked, but of course she came over to help.

Lucy had looked breathtaking during their first date. While the blonde hadn’t left the apartment without being certain that this would be the case, seeing the look on Gajeel’s face when he first caught sight of her had been enough to take her breath away as well.

Their following dates all went well, and soon they were hanging out on a regular basis. Lucy couldn’t help but notice that nearly every time they made plans, it was through the dating app.

Until now.

For the first time since they’d started texting… Gajeel texted her, saying that he would be over that night.

It hadn’t really taken Lucy by surprise when he switched to messaging her on the dating app soon after that. She was going to have to actually ask him about that one day. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it didn’t eat up so much of her data while she was at work.

She decided that she would cook dinner for him. At this point in their relationship, they had actually been seeing each other for close to four months. Yet during all that time…she hadn’t made him dinner once. Usually they ordered takeout or pizza. Then one night he had even made her dinner, so she supposed it was time to break out the frying pan and wash off all the cobwebs. Lucy couldn’t remember the last time she had cooked for even herself.

By the time nine p.m. rolled around, Lucy finished making dinner. She sighed before walking to the island where her touchscreen laptop sat. She pulled up the dating app’s video chat and poked Gajeel’s face with her only non-grimy finger. She walked away fromt he computer so that she could wash her hands.

“Yo, Bunny—nice ass.” Lucy rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she swayed her hips enticingly. “What did I do to deserve this show?” he asked after a moment.

Lucy turned, wiping her hands dry on a clean dishrag. “When are you going to get here? Dinner will get cold! I figured you would be on your way by now. I wasn’t really expecting you to answer.” Lucy watched as the sly grin fell from Gajeel’s face.

“What do you mean, Bunny?” he asked, frowning. “You should have told me if you wanted me to come over. I was kind of just planning on staying in tonight.”

This confused Lucy. “Do you need to see a doctor?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “You are the one who asked to hang out tonight, remember?” Lucy groaned. “I made dinner and everything!”

“Bunny? When did I ask that? We’ve only messaged a little bit today.”

Leaning against the counter, Lucy tried to remember an exact time.

“Well, you texted me about it around noon.” She folded her arms across her chest and sent him a pointed look. “The reason I remember it so vividly and am so certain that you definitely wanted to is because you never ask to hang out over text—it’s always on the app.”

Lucy watched as Gajeel’s confusion shifted into complete perplexity.

“Lucy, I don’t have your phone number”—his voice was serious—“I thought that I had put it in my phone, but when I went to text you a day after that first…your number was gone. And so were all the text messages. I was too embarrassed to tell you what happened, so I stuck with messaging you on the dating app.”

All through Gajeel’s explanation, Lucy felt her blood gradually run cold as gooseflesh rose on her arms.

“Bunny… I’m not the one who texted you!” Gajeel shouted, now standing up, showing Lucy that he was only wearing boxers. “Fuck, call the police, I’m coming over right now!”

Before Gajeel had even finished talking, there was a knock on the door, and Lucy jumped. She moved so quickly to the door. She always left the door unlocked when she knew that Gajeel would be coming over; she’d been meaning to make him a copy of her key…but had never gotten around to it. She slammed both the lock on the door and then the deadbolt into place. Shortly after that, she could hear heavy banging, as though whoever it was outside had begun to slam their body against the door in an attempt to break through.

Judging by the weak sounds the door was making…the unknown person would win that fight.

Lucy’s breathing became erratic as she ran back into the kitchen so she could grab a knife and her phone. A quick glance at her computer showed her that Gajeel was in his car. His phone must have been tossed onto the passenger seat of his car.

Lucy couldn’t waste time looking at her boyfriend though—she needed to call the police.

She could now hear the sound of banging even more clearly, and she shoved the phone to her ear after dialing three numbers and pressing send.

“Magnolia—”

“Somebody is trying to break into my apartment!” Lucy whispered frantically. She then spat out the exact location of her apartment. The person on the other line was saying something, but Lucy was having a difficult time understanding what it was they were trying to communicate with her.

“They are trying to break my door open!”

“Ma’am, is there anywhere you can hide?” the person asked.

“I… I don’t have any good spots.” Tears pricked at the corners of Lucy’s eyes when wood exploded from where the door had once stood.

A man, a very tall man, stood in the doorway. From the way his shoulders rose and fell, Lucy could guess that he was breathing pretty hard. He wore a plastic mask. One of those plastic masks that distorted ones facial features in an extremely terrifying way. He also wore a red wig. The spiky hair was long and slightly off center.

Lucy ducked behind her kitchen counter. The man hadn’t seen her yet—she hoped.

With the speed at which Lucy’s heart was racing, she wouldn’t be surprised if she simply died of a heart attack before the guy managed to find her.

Lucy absolutely despised how weak she was acting. She wanted to be brave… God, she wanted to be brave. But she was terrified. The fear easily surpassed any other fear she’d experienced in her short lifetime.

She wanted her mother. She wanted to hide under her blankets until the Scary Thing(™)  went away.

She wished that Gajeel was there.

“Oh Lucy,” a deep and terrifying voice called in a horrifying attempt at “alluring”.

Lucy’s heart dropped into her stomach as chills ran down her spine.

This was very real. Lucy was actually in this situation. She almost couldn’t believe it. It felt like one of those stupid horror films that Gajeel was always getting her to watch despite her…paranoia.

As a writer, Lucy tended to have a bit of an overactive imagination. This definitely included, but was not limited to, worrying about situations exactly like the one that was happening to her right in that moment.

Horror films and stories definitely fed her paranoia.

“I’m surprised you didn’t leave the door unlocked like you usually do when you know that somebody is coming over.” A pause. “Dinner smells incredible. Did you do all of this for me?” His voice was getting closer, and Lucy could hear the sound of boots on her hardwood floor. He was approaching the kitchen. The man was moving at such a slow pace, she couldn’t help but think about a cat that was stalking its prey.

That’s exactly what she was, wasn’t it? Prey?

Her grip on the knife tightened, and she tensed. No. She refused to be somebody’s prey. She refused.

“I know you’re here, Lulu… You’re making me sad by not coming out to say hi. You don’t want to make me sad, do you?”

Maybe if he got close enough, she could stab him in the leg and make a break for the door before he could even spot her.

Preparing the knife, Lucy waited.

The man was wearing dark green cargo pants, but they were just out of her reach. She didn’t want to go for it unless she was absolutely certain that she would make contact.

“Hey!” Lucy’s heart jumped into her throat when she remembered that Gajeel was still on her laptop, and it seemed to take the intruder by surprise as well. He took a step back, and Lucy would bet her left lung that the guy was looking around in an attempt to find the source of her boyfriend's voice.

“You better get the fuck out of there before I show up. I’m right around the corner, asshole! I will fuck you up if you so much as touch a single hair on her head!”

Lucy knew that it was physically impossible for Gajeel to be so close already, but this guy didn’t.

Gajeel lived on the other side of town. Even if he broke every traffic law, it would take Gajeel at least another ten minutes before he would arrive at her apartment complex. Hopefully the police would get here by then though.

Hopefully… Lucy would be out of there before even then though.

“I’m afraid you will never have the chance to see your girlfriend again, Redfox.” The man laughed loudly, a crude sound. “Well…”

Without warning, Lucy was being jerked up by her hair. She screamed as her head banged against the edge of the island, and she accidentally dropped the knife due to the sheer shock of what had happened.

“Lucy!” Gajeel shouted. It was clear that he was now holding his phone in one hand while he held the steering wheel with the other. Through Lucy’s tear blurred vision, she could see the pain written across Gajeel’s face. Pain as well as pure, unadulterated rage.

“At least…” The man put his face close to Lucy’s. So close, the edge of his plastic mask pressed against her cheek almost painfully. “You will never see her again in person. Not warm and breathing anyway.” Something about this man seemed…familiar. But Lucy couldn’t quite figure out what made her feel that way. She usually could remember somebody's voice pretty well, and she did recognize his.

But from where?

She couldn’t figure it out.

“I will fucking kill you.” Gajeel’s voice was dangerously low. Lucy had never heard it like that before. She’d always had a feeling that Gajeel could be scary, though she’d never actually had the opportunity to witness that side of him herself.

Finally, Lucy could hear sirens approaching, but… so could the man.

“Happy Halloween!” The guy laughed again before slamming the laptop shut and throwing it onto the ground. Then, his fingers curled around her neck. “Sorry it has to be this way, my love.” He slammed her head against the island, and everything went black. As though somebody had flicked a light switch off.

--

When Lucy came to, the pain that she felt from her head was what caught her immediate attention. After that…it was the damp darkness. Was she blind? Lucy blinked a few times just to make sure that her eyes were even open.

There was a distinct dripping sound that occurred every five seconds or so, the only indicator Lucy had to tell her that she was not deaf.

Where was she?

Just that one question was enough to bring back some memories as to what had happened to get her in this position.

Fear wrapped itself around Lucy, and she began to move. Or at least, she tried to. The sound of chains rattling against a hard surface reached her ears, and she knew that she was restrained. She could feel the cool of metal against her wrists, ankles, and neck.

No. No no no no. The single word repeated itself in her mind, and she might have even been speaking. It was difficult for Lucy to really think of anything besides the fact she was in somebody's torture dungeon. At least…that was the assumption that Lucy had. She couldn’t even imagine any other reason as to why she would be kidnapped and trapped somewhere dark.

Assuming that she wasn’t actually blind.

“Help!” Lucy shouted, her voice cracking with desperation. “Someone please! Help me!” She knew that the chances of somebody hearing her were—

“Would you shut up? We don’t want him coming back down here earlier than expected.” Somebody easily sliced through Lucy’s thoughts.

The blonde flinched. Somebody else was very close to her. She sounded… “Cana…?” Lucy asked slowly, and she could hear the other person breathe in quickly.

“Lucy? No. Please tell me that isn’t you, Lucy.” Lucy’s throat dried up, and she gritted her teeth.

“Y-yeah… Don’t tell me this is the guy from last year…”

“It is.” Cana’s voice sounded strained. “But I’m guessing that he escaped again or something. I was told that I would be notified the moment he was released. Actually, I’m pretty sure they told me that I would be notified beforehand. Though I wasn’t given the impression that it would be likely for him to be released at all.  It also looks like he has done some…self improvement.” A few moments of silence filled the air before Cana continued. “He wasn’t nearly as strong back then as he is now. It is honestly a little bit impressive, to go through that much change in just one year? I feel like most people would have taken much longer to become this strong.”

Lucy sighed. “That’s why I couldn’t figure out why he seemed so familiar. The guy from last year was so squirrely.” Granted, Lucy had only seen a very pixelated picture of the man.

“Fucking determination to be a freak… I just don’t know why you are here too, Lucy. I’m so sorry. He wouldn’t even know who you were if you hadn’t let me stay with you that time.”

“It’s…it’s okay. You couldn’t have known this would happen. How long have you been down here? What does he want with us?” Lucy was afraid of the answer to both questions. Admittedly, since she had started to date Gajeel, Lucy hadn't been very good at keeping in touch with a few of her other friends. Cana being one of those friends.

“It’s hard to tell. I honestly lost track of time. It feels like it has been a really long time though. Lucy, you need to get out of here, as soon as you possibly can. This guy doesn’t have any resignations. He probably brought you here because he is tired of playing with me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets rid of me when he comes back.” Cana scoffed, but there was no mirth in the sound.

“Don’t say that, Cana!” Lucy jerked against her chains, though they seemed to be firmly in place. She doubted that she would be capable of breaking out on her own. “That isn’t going to happen, you are not going anywhere. Do you hear me?”

“Lucy, I wish I had your confidence.” Another hollow laugh, and Lucy knew that Cana had to have gone through some kind of hell down there. A hell that Lucy would likely come to understand if the two of them didn’t manage to escape sometime soon.

“My boyfriend knows what happened. He will look for us. The police too. We are going to be found, I promise.” Lucy didn’t make promises that she couldn’t absolutely make good on usually, but she needed to do what she could to keep Cana from giving up. The blonde couldn’t even begin to imagine what she would do if anything were to happen to Cana while Lucy was right there. While she couldn’t even raise her arms more than an inch from the cold, concrete floor.

The writer would absolutely shatter.

“He will probably come down here soon. I’m so sorry, Lucy.” Cana apologized again, and Lucy could tell that her friend was likely trying not to cry. Or at least, trying to keep her voice from breaking. Lucy once more reminded Cana that she didn’t blame her before she began to mentally prepare herself for whatever she was going to have to go through.

The two sat—or rather, lay—in silence for a long time before Lucy could hear footsteps above them. Then, a crack of light appeared seemingly out of nowhere in the ceiling a little ways away from where the girls were chained. Then, a square of light illuminated the darkness she had begun to finally get used to. Just below that golden square of life was a set of old stairs. They looked to be extremely old and even rotted. But before she could get a good look at the basement itself, a pair of boots became visible.

There were those cargo pants. Was it still the day before Halloween? Time seemed to flow so much more slowly in that basement. Or wherever they were. Part of her was expecting to see that plastic mask and red wig. But with his back to the light behind him, it was impossible to really see his descriptive features. He was almost entirely shadowed over, though she could tell that his hair was...some shade of brown?

“You’re awake! Sorry I hit you so hard. I guess I don’t know my own strength.” The man laughed as he hurried the rest of the way down the stairs. Lucy glared. “Wow, you are so much more beautiful when you are looking at me directly.” He was standing just a few feet away from her now, and it hurt a little to strain her eyes so much. She likely would have gagged at his backhanded compliment if it weren’t for the fact that she was practically paralyzed with fear.

“Let us go,” Lucy finally managed through her clenched teeth. “You can’t just keep people like this; we are not animals!”

“Oh, I like them feisty.” The man almost growled his approval. “I was getting kind of sad when sweet, sweet Cana stopped fighting so much.” He sighed, and Lucy was glad she couldn’t see the look on his presumably disgusting face.

“Just let us go.” Lucy tried to keep from outright begging. “We won’t tell anybody, just let us go!”

Another laugh, and Lucy began to tremble.

“Why would I trust that?” Lucy bit her lip. “I think the second you have the chance you would go to the police. I’d be stupid to let you go, even if I wanted to.”

“No!” Lucy denied immediately. “I don’t even know what you look like, so what would I say that could be traced back to you?”

“Oh, right. It is pretty dark down here.” The man seemed thoughtful, and for a split second…Lucy began to hope.

Then, a bright, near blinding light assaulted Lucy’s eyes.

It took a few long moments before her eyes were able to adjust to the crudely bright fluorescent lights. She could see everything, and suddenly any prior bravery that she may have had was gone. So far gone, Lucy couldn’t be sure it had ever truly been there in the first place.

Rust-colored eyes met with chocolate brown, and Lucy’s tremors transformed into full-blown shaking with fear.

“Is that better?” he asked with a grin.

“If you hear from your girlfriend or remember anything else…you contact us. Immediately.” Gajeel rubbed the back of his head as he nodded slowly.

Then, he left. Lucy’s apartment was a crime scene, and the police didn’t want him contaminating any of the potential evidence. As if he could. He spent so much time at that apartment, there was likely just as much of his DNA and fingerprints as there were Lucy’s.

Because Gajeel had an alibi, he hadn’t been asked to stick around for the moment.

Gajeel was more than ready to get the fuck out of there and start looking for his girlfriend himself. While the police were doing their job, the raven-haired man didn’t believe that they were doing enough to find Lucy. They hadn’t seen the look on her face before the call had been forcefully ended.

“Gajeel!”

Great. Just what he didn’t need.

Levy’s eyes were wild when she approached him from the entrance to the apartment complex, “Is it true?! Is Lucy gone?!” Her green-haired boyfriend placed a hand on the shrimp’s shoulder, but she shrugged it off immediately.

“I can’t talk right now,” Gajeel grumbled before moving to walk around the couple, but Levy was determined to be a pain in his ass.

“This is serious, Gajeel! I want to know what happened to my best friend!”

“Levy,” Freed began, but the bluenette just stared at Gajeel.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Gajeel snapped before bending down so that he could look the young woman straight in the eyes. “I just watched my girlfriend's head get slammed onto the counter. And this psycho has her now, because there was nothing that I could do about it.”

Levy looked like she would be sick as her hands flew to her mouth and tears fell down her cheeks. But Gajeel was numb. He didn’t feel any guilt as his girlfriend’s best friend began to sob. He’d tried to avoid subjecting her to the details, and Gajeel really wasn’t in the mood to sugar coat his girlfriend’s kidnapping. It must have been his roommate, Rogue, who had reached out to Levy. Though, really, Gajeel couldn’t even bring himself to get angry about that either. All of his actual anger was reserved for the man who took Lucy.

Walking around the couple, Gajeel headed to his truck, which was still warm from his race there twenty minutes prior.

How could somebody disappear in such a short period of time? It was daunting to think about.

He hadn’t beaten the cops to Lucy’s apartment, though he supposed that was probably a good thing. He would have looked a lot more suspicious at the scene of the crime if he’d gotten there first.

Gajeel climbed into his truck and sat there for a long time. He stared at the picture strip he had of himself and Lucy that they’d taken at the town's summer festival. He had stuck it right on his dash so that he could see Lucy, even while he was at work.

Though seeing her smiling face seemed more like a lie.

“Dammit!” Gajeel wanted to punch something, someone. But he knew what little effect that would have. He was so angry. But mostly, he was afraid. Something horrible had happened to Lucy, something horrible could very well still be happening. And there was nothing that he could do about it.

He’d never felt so powerless in his entire life. He’d pretty much always had some kind of control. His adoptive father had just about let him do whatever he wanted, so long as he wasn’t a danger to himself or others. And managed to keep his grades up in school.

His cell phone vibrated, and he was tempted to simply roll down the window and toss the device outside. He didn’t want to deal with anybody. But…he pulled out his phone out of his jacket pocket and squinted at the unfamiliar phone number that the text message had been sent from. It was a picture message. Gajeel wasn’t typically one who got random messages like that, so he decided to give it a look, his curiosity winning out in the end.

And he nearly dropped his phone.

There she was, his Lucy. She was chained down to a bed and he could see that she’d been bleeding on her head. She looked absolutely terrified.

Heads or Tails?

Gajeel didn’t even know what to think at first. Another text message appeared. A message that got his brain functioning at high speed.

Go to the police and you will see Lucy much sooner than you think. But I can’t promise it will all be in one piece.

His grip tightened on the cell phone, and Gajeel actually had to force himself to relax before he texted back.

What do you want?

It only took a few moments before another text message came in.

I want you to remember this feeling that you have right now. I want you to feel jealous. I want you to loathe the man who has his hands on your girlfriend. Then…I’m going to give you a time limit. If you don’t find your precious girl by then, she will lose a piece of herself. A piece that she can never get back.

His frozen fingers were moving faster than the actual words were forming in his mind.

Give me some fucking clues, you asshole! He swallowed anxiously while he waited for a reply to come.

Only, it didn’t. Gajeel stared at his phone until it shut down on its own because the battery had died. Something which at least threw the man into action.

Turning the key in the ignition, Gajeel made it back to his apartment in record time. He ignored his roommate's questions as he rushed into his room and plugged in his phone. Impatiently, Gajeel drummed his fingers against his desk.

“Gajeel… It’s already being reported on, are you…” Rogue didn’t move from where he stood in the doorway. He also didn’t bother to finish asking the question he already knew the answer to. “Gajeel, if you need anything, I’m here okay? I’m not really sure what you might need, but I want you to know that I’m here.”

Gajeel only continued to stare at his phone, and Rogue backed up. “I’ll send Yukino home now. I’ll be in my room okay?” When Gajeel again didn’t respond, Rogue disappeared from his doorway.

When Gajeel’s phone turned back on, he groaned with annoyance. He still hadn’t gotten another message. Was this psycho actually asking him to find Lucy without any kind of clue?

He wanted to just go to the police, but what could they do before the psycho did something to hurt Lucy? Gajeel was beginning to feel panicked.

Then, his phone buzzed, shocking Gajeel into motion as he practically dove for his phone.

Return to Lucy’s apartment in four hours.

--

Against his better judgment, Gajeel did as his girlfriend’s kidnapper asked. He went to Lucy’s apartment. The doorway had yellow police tape across it. Clearly the police had gotten all that they needed. But he knew that they very well could revisit the scene of the crime if they felt that they needed to.

So he would have to be in and out as quickly as possible.

The place still smelled of the food that Lucy had made with the intention of feeding him. Gajeel felt so much frustration towards himself—he should have kicked his ego to the curb and asked for her number again. Then they would have realized what was going on much sooner. Before any of this could have even happened.

Shaking his head, Gajeel ducked under the tape and contemplated turning on a light. At this point, it was nearing midnight. It was nearly Halloween. Lucy’s favorite holiday, though perhaps that would change after what had happened that day.

The thought made Gajeel’s heart ache.

Instead of turning on a light, Gajeel pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket—he’d managed to put some actual clothes on before heading out this time—and activated the flashlight app he’d downloaded a while back. Though even that seemed a bit too bright for his tastes. It took a minute of playing around with the app settings before he was comfortable with the amount of light that it was casting off. He didn’t want anybody to see the light and wind up calling the police. The last thing Gajeel needed was to be arrested.

“All right, what the fuck am I supposed to be looking for?” he muttered to himself as he began to look around. Nothing really seemed to be out of place save for the broken door. Gajeel was guessing that the police had taken Lucy’s laptop as well as the cell phone that he’d watched them bag.

All the food was still laid out on the counter. Gajeel supposed it wasn’t the police’s job to clean all of that up, though it made him uncomfortable to know that the food would just sit out until somebody eventually came around to clean it up. Hell, he would have if it weren’t for the fact that he wasn’t even supposed to be there.

And he did have a time limit to worry about.

Gajeel had to have looked around the small apartment for an hour before he found anything that even remotely resembled a clue that he could use to find where Lucy was.

He felt strange being there, knowing that Lucy wouldn’t be returning shortly.

Going through her stuff didn’t really make him feel any better either, but he knew that it was the only way he would have a chance at getting her back. When he had the young woman in his arms again, he wasn’t ever going to let her go.

He would get her to move in with him. He was sure that Rogue wouldn’t mind since his girlfriend was over quite a bit of the time as well. They certainly had a large enough apartment to accommodate for Lucy.

A notification popped up on his phone’s screen, catching his eye. A text message, perhaps another clue? He quickly poked the notification and grimaced at the words he read.

Tick tock, don’t you know every second counts?

It was not what Gajeel needed right then, to be taunted. As though the situation already wasn’t bad enough. Grinding his teeth, Gajeel continued his search, deciding that he couldn’t let the text message affect his judgment.

What Gajeel found was a small piece of paper that had been well hidden inside a heavily worn book. A Stephen King novel titled Misery that Lucy had on her bookshelf. Had it always been there?

Even then, it was difficult to tell if it was a clue. An address was scrawled sloppily in red ink. Certainly not Lucy’s penmanship. He would look around a little bit more before going to check things out at the address. It would look strange if Gajeel wound up having to return to the apartment if it was a dead end, so he wanted to make sure that he’d gotten a good amount of searching done before leaving. He made damn sure that everything was exactly as he had found it.

When he made it back to his truck however…

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Gajeel demanded, having opened his driver’s side door to find that Levy was promptly sitting in his passenger seat. She was dressed in all black and even wore a black hat and gloves. When she didn’t turn her attention from the windshield to him, Gajeel almost growled when he repeated the question.

“I figured I would stay to see if Lucy made it home on her own,” Levy began. “I know the chances of that happening are almost non-existent. But it’s the most I can do at this point. But when I saw you pull up and head into the complex, I figured you knew more than you were letting on earlier, so I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why the hell you snuck into Lucy’s apartment and were in there for over an hour.”

Levy was lucky that she meant so much to Lucy, otherwise Gajeel might have snapped.

He first thought about the text message that he had received—it hadn’t said anything about not telling a little blue-haired shrimp. And even if it had…there was no way the guy could have known.

Climbing into the truck for the hundredth time that night, he closed the door and poked at his phone for a few moments before handing it over to the eager midget. He watched as her eyes filled with tears, again.

“In or out,” Gajeel said after a few minutes of silence passed. A statement that had more than one meaning, and Levy knew it. “Decide right fucking now. I don’t want to waste more time because of you.”

Swiftly wiping away her tears, Levy looked forward once more. “I’m going to help you. I’m in. Let’s get going.”

Gajeel nodded before he started up the truck and set on route. He knew the roads of Magnolia well enough to not need the GPS to get there.

He was relieved when Levy didn’t try to talk more and despite the way he was acting, Gajeel was actually a little bit glad to have her along. Levy was very smart. Having her there would probably increase the chances of finding Lucy.

“You didn’t know her…but Cana is also in this picture that you were sent.” Levy was looking down at  his phone. “I think this is probably about the guy who was stalking her over a year ago.”

It was definitely good to have her along, Gajeel decided.

“I didn’t even see another person in that picture,” Gajeel admitted. His attention had certainly been taken completely by his injured blond girlfriend. He hadn’t been able to notice much but her clear fear and the chains.

“Yeah, if I didn’t stare at the image for a couple minutes, I might have missed it as well.” Levy nodded. “The background is pretty dark because of the flash that had come from the—” Levy cut herself off before swiftly pulling the phone closer to her face.

“What?” Gajeel asked, glancing over at her for a second before returning his attention to the road. “Did another text message come?”

“No… I…” Levy was then digging through her pockets before pulling out her own phone. “I think this number is Lucy’s.”

“What? Really? I saw the police bagging up a cell phone when I got there before.”

“Yes, it’s the same as the one I have in my phone!” Levy seemed way too excited by the revelation.

“The bastard must have taken Lucy’s phone when he took her, and decided that it would be funny to use her phone to communicate to me like this. Sick bastard.”

“No, you don’t understand!” Levy was smiling, Gajeel could hear it in her voice. “If Lucy’s phone is on, I can see where she is on mine! It’s a feature that all the newest iPhones have.”

Gajeel’s jaw dropped.

“Should I pull over?”

“No. I think you should still go to the address. We need to make it seem like we aren’t onto him. He needs to think that he is the one in charge of the situation.”

Gajeel was going to have to treat the nerd to a new book when all of this was over.

“Where does your phone say that Lucy is?” Gajeel demanded.

“It’s going to take a minute. I should have gotten the latest iPhone, this one is from last year’s release. Just give me a minute.”

“Then you stay in the car. We’re here. I’m going to go in and see what’s inside.”

Gajeel had nearly passed their destination it was so odd. There was only a mailbox, and no building.

“Where are you going in?” Levy asked, judgment clear in her tone.

“I’m going to open the mailbox—that should have been obvious.”

Levy rolled her eyes before returning her attention to the phones. Gajeel approached the mailbox with caution—he didn’t really know what to expect. He wasn’t sure whether or not to be glad when he saw another piece of paper. Paper with that same scarlet ink.

“Good job,” it read. “You’ve just extended Lulu’s time! Can you keep up the good work? Next, go to the place where you and Lulu shared your first kiss.”

This asshole had been watching them for a really long time if he knew where he and Lucy had shared their first kiss. It made him absolutely furious. He hopped back in the truck, the piece of paper crumpled in his fist.

Levy was pale and even appeared to be shaking a bit.

“What’s the matter with you?” he asked, uncertain if he wanted to know the answer.

Wordlessly, Levy gave Gajeel back his phone, and he swallowed back bile when the text message registered.

So what is your piece of Lucy? I’ll take a request on which part to have removed first.

“Come on, how much longer?! I don’t want this guy to have her even another minute!”

“Almost… A-ha!” Levy shouted. “I’ve got it! I’ve…” Levy squinted at her phone as if she wasn’t sure she had been reading it correctly. “This... It’s saying that she is in the building right beside her apartment. But that can’t be right.”

A memory flashed into Gajeel’s mind at those words.

-- Flashback --

“What a cute idea!” Lucy was clearly excited over the new shop that would be opening right next to her apartment.

“You know there are parchment stores in town, right? It’s not all that uncommon.” Gajeel was amused by how excited Lucy seemed to be over the store.

“I know that!” Lucy elbowed Gajeel in the side as she laughed. “But it’s so close to home! All I’d have to do is walk next door when I run out of paper instead of having to go into town! Just let me have this.” Gajeel laughed.

“Potential customers?” Both Lucy and Gajeel turned to see a young man with brown-red hair standing there with a large crate in his arms. He’d asked the question as though it had been directed at both Gajeel and Lucy, though the guy’s attention was definitely on Lucy alone.

“Oh, absolutely! I love writing on all kinds of paper! I’m a little bit sad that you aren’t opening sooner!” Lucy appeared to be attempting to conceal her enthusiasm.

“Yeah, I just moved here. So I’ve got a little bit of preparing to do before it will be ready for you.” He laughed, and Lucy laughed…while Gajeel glared. Was this guy actually flirting with his girlfriend right in front of him?

Lucy was beautiful, friendly, and an exceptional conversationalist. So it wasn’t surprising that she drew the attention of other guys. Even sometimes other girls.

But always, Gajeel was able to give off strong enough “boyfriend” vibes so that other people typically avoided flirting while he was there with her.

This guy hadn’t even spared Gajeel a single glance though.

“I’ll make sure to get this place up. I hope you will be able to stop by when I do open up shop.”

“Oh, I definitely will. I live close enough.” Lucy laughed again, and Gajeel could have sworn that something flashed in that man’s eyes, but whatever it was…was gone a second later.

“Come on, babe.” Gajeel draped his arm across Lucy’s shoulders. “The ice cream is going to melt if we don’t get it into the freezer.”

“Oh! I forgot about the ice cream.” Lucy took Gajeel’s free hand and offered a small smile at the paper man before the couple headed off.

-- End Flashback--

That stare, that man. Had he been the one who had taken Lucy?

To think he and the police had been so close to her the entire time.

He peeled out of there and raced towards where he knew that Lucy was.

“Oh no…” Levy tapped her phone desperately. “It’s… He knows that I was looking for her location. He knows, Gajeel!”

“Shit.” Gajeel pushed the pedal to the floor of his truck.

They got back to Lucy’s apartment complex in under five minutes.

“Call the police,” Gajeel ordered as he hopped out of the truck. “This game is over.”

Levy nodded before swiftly dialing while Gajeel ran to the front of the shop that Lucy had been so excited for. When the door proved to be locked, Gajeel didn’t even hesitate to beat a large rock against it until it shattered.

When he managed to get inside, he wasn’t sure what he should do next.

The inside of the building was all but empty. This guy clearly had no intentions of actually opening up a store. There were scraps laying around that told him that the man likely spent a lot of his time hunkering down in there. WcDonalds wrappers, empty soda cans. Gajeel even found several pictures of Lucy and the brunette—whose name was escaping him right that moment—it made him sick.

Ripping his shirt off, Gajeel returned to where he’d broken through the glass door and wrapped it around one of the larger pieces of shattered glass, a sharp piece that he deemed sturdy enough to use as a weapon. He wished that he hadn’t stopped carrying around his switchblade. He hadn’t wanted Lucy to think poorly of him. He couldn’t believe the situation that was playing out.

For a moment, Gajeel listened for any indication of where Lucy might be. Then, he remembered just how dark it had been in that picture. While it was certainly dark where he stood, he could still see pretty well thanks to the street lamps just outside the storefront.

Down?

Gajeel pulled out his phone to use as a source of light for the second time that night. He needed to hurry. Who knew what that guy was doing right that moment. He must be panicking if he’d seen that somebody had pinned the location of Lucy’s cell phone.

He couldn’t hear anything though. There was no way that the bastard had managed to get both Lucy and Cana out of there before Gajeel had arrived.

Walking further, Gajeel eventually froze, noticing the change in the sound of his footsteps that had been echoing up until that moment. Stomping a couple times, Gajeel looked down.

Hollow.

There was a rug that looked extremely out of place in the middle of the linoleum flooring. It was only partially covering what appeared to be a hutch of sorts.

Opening it up, Gajeel shone the light of his phone downwards. It was pitch black down there. He knew how risky it would be to go down, but he couldn’t wait for the cops to show up, he couldn’t risk something happening to Lucy while he waited.

When he saw that the stairs were hollow, Gajeel ran down them as quickly as he could, unwilling to have somebody poke through one of the gaps between the stairs with a knife or something of the like.

When he made it to the bottom, he wrinkled his nose at the multitude of different stenches that greeted his nose. He’d never been around enough of it to really be able to say that he was familiar with the scent, though if he had to guess, the metallic smell was blood.

But Gajeel knew that Lucy was alive, so there was no way that she could have been the cause for the latter. But that didn’t necessarily calm his nerves in the slightest

That almost overbearing scent of blood mixed with what he could only assume was the smell of human waste was nearly dizzying. He’d been down there not even a full  minute, and his nose was already begging him for some fresh air.

“Gajeel?!” Lucy’s voice sounded strained, and he spun around, waving his phone around, trying to see where her voice had come from.

“Don’t move.”

Gajeel froze when the light not only found Lucy, but also the man who had taken her. He held a knife to her throat.

Gajeel dropped his makeshift weapon immediately. “Hey, man, don’t.”

“You’re forcing my hand, Gajeel.” The guy shook his head. “It’s such a shame. Look at how beautiful she is. What a waste for her to have to die so young.”

Lucy began to cry, and Gajeel’s face twisted as a thousand different emotions raced through him in that fraction of a second.

Lucy’s eyes were wild as she tried to pull the guy’s hand away from her throat.

“It’s a shame that you were born so beautiful and with a heart of gold, you know? That is where things really started to go wrong for you, sweetie. You should know better than to be so nice to strangers. You never know what is going through their heads.”

Sirens could be heard in the distance, and Gajeel knew that it wouldn’t be long before they’d pull up to the building. But it wasn’t fast enough. They weren’t going to be fast enough.

A flash of rage flickered in the man's eyes.

“I told you not to involve the police.” His grip on the knife changed, and Lucy cried out as the knife cut into the tender flesh at her throat.

“You didn’t really leave me much of a choice.” Gajeel gestured around, trying hard to not simply leap towards the two, knowing full well that it probably wouldn’t do anything but ensure Lucy’s death.

“You were supposed to play the game,” the man growled. “You weren’t supposed to cheat.”

“You really are crazy if you thought for one second I wouldn’t take the first shortcut that I found.”

The sirens were louder now. They must have arrived. Levy was probably talking with an officer as they stood there. Gajeel had to keep the guy talking, had to keep him from doing anything drastic.

But how?

“I can’t believe you would risk Lulu’s life like that. I’m so shocked.”

“Police! Don’t move!” a man's voice exclaimed as the light of a flashlight found Lucy and her captor almost too easily.

Time almost seemed to move slowly after that. The look in the man's eyes spoke volumes, and Gajeel was shouting as the knife sliced at Lucy’s throat. Blood sprayed out like a fountain, and Lucy dropped like a weighted ball as the man took off.

“Lucy!” Gajeel screamed as he dove for her.

She gurgled as she stared up at him with wide, terrified eyes.

The police officer ran past them, using his radio to inform that immediate medical assistance was required and that he was giving chase to the suspect.

Gajeel’s hands were on Lucy’s throat, attempting to slow the blood flow. Her eyelids fluttered once, twice…before she closed her eyes.

Everything after that was a blur; Gajeel couldn’t recount all of the events even if he wanted to.

The brunette, Cana, was unconscious when the paramedics got down there, one person tended to her, but most of the immediate concern was for Lucy. Who was bleeding out fast.

One man placed a hand on Gajeel’s shoulder, causing him to flinch in response.

Lucy was rushed to the hospital, and Gajeel was taken to the police station. They needed his full statement.

He told the police everything that he knew and was taken to the hospital when everything that could be said…was said.

Levy was already there by the time he arrived. Her face was blotchy, and it was clear that she’d spent the last few hours bawling her eyes out.

“She is in critical condition,” she explained as he dropped into the chair beside her. “They aren’t making any promises right now. She… Things aren’t looking good, Gajeel. I called Aquarius. She hopped on the first flight that she could.”

Gajeel didn’t say anything. He simply sat there with his face in his hands.

He couldn’t protect her, even when she’d been just a few feet away from him.

“Dammit,” Gajeel cursed as he fought the sob that wanted to escape his tight throat.

For a long time they sat there. For a long time, they didn’t receive any kind of news.

When a white coat finally walked into the room with a clipboard, Levy had fallen asleep, and it had to have been fairly early in the morning.

Gajeel elbowed Levy in the side, which jostled Freed, who she had been leaning on. Her boyfriend had shown up an hour or so prior.

“Are you friends or relatives of Lucy Heartfilia?” the doctor asked, though it seemed clear that he already knew the answer to that question.

Gajeel, Levy, and Freed all stood up.

“She’s lucky,” the doctor began. “The cut was shallow, likely due to the fact that the attacker was panicked. We were able to stabilize Miss Heartfilia, but she will require a lot of rest before she will be able to go home.”

Levy sagged with relief, and Freed tightened his arms around her so that she wouldn’t fall to the ground.

Gajeel’s shoulders remained stiff. “Can I see her?” he asked.

“She is still unconscious, but yes. One person at a time please.”

Gajeel, of course, was the first to walk into that room. The sound of machines beeping steadily probably should have been reassuring, but it didn’t do anything but make the raven-haired man feel guilty.

Pulling up a chair, Gajeel took Lucy’s hand and held it to his cheek. She felt cold, likely due to the fact that she had lost a lot of blood. Her throat was bandaged up, covering up any stitches that she may have needed. There were also bandages around her head, on her wrists and even around her neck.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “I will never let anything like this happen again, I swear it.”

He must have fallen asleep, because when he awoke, there was a small blanket over his shoulders and his neck was awfully stiff from sleeping at an awkward angle.

Lucy was awake, and her eyes fell onto him when he jerked into an upright position.

She smiled before turning her gaze onto her lap, her hand was moving and he could see that she was holding a pen. Moments later, she held up a spiral notebook with the words good morning, happy halloween! Written across it.

Gajeel had to force a smile on his lips as well as a pitiful laugh. “Some Halloween, huh? Do you think they will let me decorate the room for you?”

Lucy’s eyes looked sad as she watched Gajeel speak before she began to write again.

Think I’ll pass as a mummy?  She grinned, and Gajeel had to look away.

“That’s not funny, Bunny,” Gajeel whispered as he stared at his clenched hands, which were still stained with a bit of red from the blood that had covered them less than twelve hours prior.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up.

I’m going to be okay.

“How can you be so positive right now? After all that happened to you?” She had been put through so much, gone through way too much in just a few hours. It hurt his heart in ways he hadn’t known were possible.

Because I’m alive, Cana is alive… You saved us, Gajeel.

Gajeel shook his head. “It was the midget that did most of the work. If it wasn’t for her…”

“Oh, stop it.” Gajeel jumped at the new voice and turned his head to see that Levy had been sitting in the room the whole time. “You were the one who came back to try to find Lucy yourself, remember? If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have known that the police didn’t have Lucy’s phone.”

The two went back and forth for a while before Gajeel turned his slightly damp eyes toward his girlfriend.

“I love you,” he whispered, giving her hand a squeeze.

I love you too.