#and of course there's like. way out-of-anyones-control supernatural shit going on
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imo middle grade horror is scarier as an adult not (just) because it involves a lot of child endangerment but because you have a more grounded understanding of just how much the adults in the kids’ lives are failing to help (regardless of their intention/investment)
like, reading a spooky story as a kid and recognizing how scary the world can be and how misunderstood you feel is one thing. reading it as an adult and seeing yourself in the other adults in the story failing to help or even actively perpetuating harm unlocks whole new layers of existential terror
#creature.txt#im listening to the audiobook for kenneth oppel's The Nest#and while the Actual Horror parts are certainly unnerving#the parts that had me lying awake last night were the scenes with the main character's well-meaning parents#who are trying their best and how their best is still failing their child and his needs#and of course there's like. way out-of-anyones-control supernatural shit going on#but what is a child with a mental illness but a haunted child#((the personal thing that hurts with this story is deeply relating to the mc's childhood anxiety and nightmares#and realizing how little any adult in my life helped me as a kid#like the scene where he tells his parents about his nightmares and they take him to a therapist#had me spiraling a little bit cuz i realized as a kid when i tried to tell my parents about my nightmares#i got told it's cuz i wasn't believing in god enough and was told to read whatever book in the bible#and if my nightmares started being about any specific thing (a book. a movie. a tv show) then it got banned#so seeing this kid have An Issue and his parents reacting like normal decent people really threw me through a loop lmao#such is growing up in a religious household i guess lmao))#anyways#book good big recommend so far
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21.5k, Maestro AU, dystopia, advanced technology, robots, kidnapping, manipulation, mind control, hypnosis, assault, physical assault, violence, hacking, supernatural elements, restraints, collars, mental abuse, electrocution, hallucinations, reader is a minor character, I don't know who the main character is either
“Do you hear the piano?”
“Huh?”
“The piano. It’s playing in the distance.”
“I don’t hear anything, y/n.”
“It sounds so pretty.”
“And you know music isn’t really a good thing around here.”
“Yeah…”
You could definitely hear a piano, even if it was quite faint, but there was no way you were gonna be able to find the source. Mingyu was right though, music wasn’t much of a thing around here. The world itself was quite depressing, and everyone worked to stay alive, even if the job was shit. You were lucky to work as a delivery person, one of the simpler jobs, but it had its cons too. You’d drive all over the city, even to the more dangerous parts. So far nothing bad had happened to you, but there was no guarantee that would always be the case. Still, you made money, and you could pay your part of the bills.
You lived in an apartment with three other guys, who were all like brothers to you. It was a decent size place, and you all had your own space too. Most of the apartment was littered with electronic parts as Vernon was a technician that worked from home. He was a freelancer, fixing things in what he considered his work space, which was everywhere that wasn’t a bedroom. Wonwoo worked construction, getting up early and coming back late, but he always said he had enough down time to rest and recover. Mingyu worked as a mechanic at an auto shop not so far from the apartment.
Between the four of you there was a car, but on most days Wonwoo would take it. You had your work van, so if Vernon ever needed to get somewhere, or some items needed to be picked up, that job usually fell on you. At least your office was nearby so it wasn’t a hassle to get to and from work without a vehicle. Today though was a rare treat as you were all off and could do somethings together. You had all gone out to get some groceries, as well as other necessities for the apartment. As you were loading up the trunk that’s when you began to hear the piano, instantly entranced by the melody. In this world music was scarce and unfortunately not encouraged. If anything it was frowned upon.
The peacekeepers maintained order, and many times you had seen them beat those for causing a ruckus or playing music. You weren’t entirely sure why such a thing seemed to be a problem, but it made you appreciate whenever you heard a nice tune. Besides the peacekeepers there were robots around the city. Some worked alongside humans in certain labor-intensive fields, others had simpler tasks, and some freely walked around available to help anyone who needed assistance with anything. Then there were the roaming CCTV robots, the robo-dogs as people called them. They were all over the place,watching everything. Of course there were still normal CCTV cameras around too, so safety and peace were maintained well on multiple levels.
“Let’s go.”
Mingyu shut the trunk and you followed him to the front. You got into the passenger seat, Mingyu hopping behind the wheel. You glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Vernon on his tablet, headphones on, clearly engrossed in work. Whereas Wonwoo had his head back against the headrest, eyes closed, using this time to wind down. You couldn’t help the small smile on your face. They were all great company. When you got to the apartment everyone helped bring things up, allowing it to be done in one trip. You put things away and then collapsed on the couch, turning on the TV and half listening to the news.
“Y’all better not stay up late.” Vernon commented. “You guys have work in the morning.”
“And you?” Wonwoo mumbled. “All you do is stay home.”
“I pay my bills.”
“Uh huh.”
“I’m a technician, or did you forget where you got such a dope phone?”
“Well you better not stay up late making a bunch of noise!”
“I won’t.”
“You say that a lot.” You added. “You should soundproof your room.”
“I don’t wanna work in my room.”
“Obviously.” Mingyu mentioned. “Your shit is everywhere in this apartment.”
“You’re just jealous I get to work from home.”
“Only sometimes.” Wonwoo added. “Or so you say.”
“Whatever.”
Most days were the same, but you each kept each other entertained, making every sundown and sunrise worth seeing. On slow days when you’d get home first you tended to sit out on the balcony, enjoying the cool breeze of the night air. While sitting out there one day you began to hear the sounds of a piano. Just like before, it was a beautiful melody, and you could hear it better this time. You closed your eyes and let the music take over, softly nodding your head along to the beat, tuning out the rest of the world.
As Wonwoo walked in he was careful not to make too much noise. It was pretty late and he was certain everyone else was already sleeping. He was sneaking back to his room when he heard a soft hum, suddenly realizing how cold the living room was. He looked around, realizing the balcony door was slightly open. Wonwoo made his way over, realizing the humming was getting louder. He slowly slid the door open, seeing you hugging your knees to your chest, eyes closed and rocking to the sides as you hummed. You seemed rather content but he was concerned by all of this.
“Y/n?”
“Hm?”
You opened your eyes, smiling when you saw Wonwoo, although he seemed very worried. Which you didn’t understand.
“You’re home.”
“How long have you been out here? It’s really late, you know.”
“Is it? I didn’t realize…”
“What were you doing?”
“Just listening to the piano, can’t you hear it?”
“Y/n, I don’t think anyone is playing a piano at these hours.”
“I heard it. I swear. It was coming from over there.”
You didn’t have an exact location, but you had a good idea which direction the sound had been coming from. You got up, although now that the music was gone the exhaustion was starting to hit you. A yawn escaped your lips and you pointed off into the distance mindlessly, leaning against Wonwoo. He wrapped his arms around you, feeling how cold you were. Before he could comment his gaze followed your gesture, and his concern for you only got worse. You were pointing towards the Metronome Theater.
“Let’s get you inside. You need to get some sleep.”
Wonwoo led a sleepy you down the hall and towards your bedroom, helping you get under the covers and tucking you in. He made sure your alarm was set so you wouldn’t be late for work. He quietly stepped out and shut the door behind him. He stood outside your room for a moment, his thoughts lingering on what had just happened. It wasn’t necessarily something to worry about, but it still bothered him. He barely managed to sleep that night, and next thing he knew it was time to get up again. As he was about to head out he stopped himself, going over to Vernon’s room and knocking on the door before opening it. Unsurprisingly the boy was awake.
“Are you working outside the apartment today?”
“No. Why?”
“Could you do me a favor and look after y/n today.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know but could you just tag along with her today and keep her out of trouble.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thanks.”
Despite the unspoken outlaw of music, the Metronome Theater still stood. It looked exactly like the name described, a giant metronome amongst the buildings that made up the city. Most of the time the pendulum remained still, glowing an ominous red, but on occasion it would glow blue and move from side to side, creating a low ticking in the air. No one really understood the purpose of that structure, and for fear of getting into trouble many avoided the area. Regardless of what went on everyone understood one thing, the Metronome Theater was a dangerous place. Wonwoo stared at it before getting into the car. He never paid the theater any attention, but he might have to going forward.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
You woke to the beeps of your alarm, groaning and rolling over in bed. You hadn’t slept much last night, but you weren’t all that tired. After a moment you got up and began to get ready for the day. Once you were dressed you got yourself a quick breakfast, ready to head out.
“Morning, y/n.” Vernon greeted you. “How you feeling?”
“Good. Just getting ready for work.”
“Cool. Mind if I come along with you today?”
“Why? Do you need me to drop you off somewhere?”
“No, no, just wanna get out of the apartment, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. I could use the company.”
“Awesome.”
Vernon walked with you to the office, letting you go off on your own to clock in and then come around for him in the delivery van. He happily hopped into the passenger seat.
“Lunch is on me.”
“Obviously.”
“What?”
“You think you just get to ride around for free?”
“But you enjoy my company.”
“And free food.”
“Fine. Whatever you want.”
“Excellent.”
Of course Vernon was just coming along for fun, not actually helping you with the job cause he didn’t want to do anything wrong and get you in trouble. He tried that once before and it did not go well. So it’s more accurate to say he doesn’t help so you don’t wind up in trouble again because of him. When he went with you nowadays he was more like your guardian angel, and today was no different for him. He stayed in the van, saving you the trouble of rushing and hoping it wasn’t stolen while you did your deliveries.
“Oh, why hello there.”
The robo-dogs could be found anywhere in the city, both high and low, and in very unlikely places. You were used to seeing them in the buildings you delivered to, and it was great their programming had them act very friendly, like real dogs.
“I’m just doing some deliveries, little guy.”
You held up your badge, showing proof you could be there. You didn’t have to, but you liked to do so whenever you ran into these guys. That way if anything ever happened in the building you’d be recognized as a delivery employee who’s just passing through. It was your own insurance, and there was no real reason to hide your purpose here. You gave the little robot a pat, and it seemed to enjoy that. Soon enough you started to hear a soft melody. You thought you were imagining things, but the sound slowly got louder and then you realized it was coming from the robot.
“You got a song for me, little guy?”
You didn’t know the robo-dogs had speakers in them, let alone that they would play music. It was a nice treat, and you couldn’t help but follow the little guy when he started walking off. You could use a break anyway.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
While waiting Vernon would be on his phone, going over his list of things to do and figuring out how to prioritize. Although at a particular stop he felt like you were taking too long, especially since you had walked in with like two boxes. He was about to go check on you when he saw you walk out, immediately feeling relief. Then again he noticed you weren’t walking towards the van, and instead seemed to be following one of the robo-dogs. It was very strange, and he wasn’t just gonna watch. He got out of the van and called out to you, but you didn’t respond. When he caught up to you he grabbed your arm and turned you around, seeing a dazed look on your face before you seemed to come back to your senses.
“Vernon?”
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”
“What were you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Just now.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know. You were like sleep walking or something.”
“Oh, I guess maybe I’m just tired.”
“Did you sleep enough last night?”
“I think so. I’m alright though, I promise.”
“Okay, but you let me know if anything’s wrong.”
“I will. Let’s go now.”
Vernon wasn’t entirely convinced, but he wasn’t going to push it right now. Instead he was starting to get an idea as to why Wonwoo wanted him to go out with you today. Something certainly felt wrong here, but he wasn’t entirely sure what. At one point his eyes landed on the Metronome Theater, staring at it as you drove along. That whole place was just an eyesore, and it always gave him the creeps.
“Okay. This might take a few since I gotta deliver on multiple floors.”
“Alright, just be safe and come back.”
“That’s a given.”
You grabbed what you needed from the back, making your way into the building. You started from the top and made your way down. For the most part you just left packages at doors, but on occasion you’d knock to get a signature. You were a bit tired when you dropped off the last one, but at least you were done here.
“Do you require assistance?”
You jumped when you heard a robot, looking back to see it on the steps leading to the basement floor. In a bigger building like this it was more common for there to be robots to help tenants when needed.
“I’m alright, thank you. I’m just doing deliveries.”
You showed your badge once more, definitely needing to identify yourself as these robots tended to have records of who lived here and would call the authorities on any unauthorized visitors. You waited for the robot to accept your reason for being there, but it was eerily quiet.
“Uh… I’m going to be taking my leave now.”
As you stepped away the robot suddenly grabbed your arm. Then the blank face plate began to glow red, swallowing you up and cutting your world to black.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
Vernon stepped out of the van, stretching his limbs. He stared at the building you had gone into, getting this uneasy feeling. He checked the time, seeing that you had been gone for about twenty minutes now. That wasn’t too long, but something just didn’t feel right. It probably wasn’t best to just dwell on it, so he locked the van and took the keys, heading into the building. The place seemed quiet, so he went around calling your name, getting no response. Every second that went by was making him nervous. As he was about to head out a gleam of light caught his attention. He walked over to the source and picked up your badge off the floor. Now he was very concerned.
“Shit…”
He called out your name again, stepping down towards the basement. It seemed very dark down here, but that was the least of his worries. He called out to you again and again but there was no response. Then he wound up bumping into something and falling to the ground. He looked up to see a robot standing in his way. Before saying something he noticed some light down the hall, realizing there was a door that led out, another exit. Vernon quickly scrambled to his feet, but the robot moved to stand in his way.
“Do you require assistance?”
“No, no, I-”
“Do you require assistance?”
“No! I’m a delivery person.”
Vernon held up your badge, covering your face and name, hoping the robot would accept that and leave him alone. It didn’t work, and the machine still stood in his way. Vernon tried to get past once more, yet he was blocked. He intended to push his way through only to be grabbed and shoved to the floor. He groaned as he hit the ground, partially out of breath. He looked back up to see a red glow emanating from the robot’s faceplate, telling him that something was very wrong here.
“You… you intentionally stopped me… you hurt me… you hurt a human…” Vernon got up, making note of the number on the robot’s chestplate. “Robot model S-009588, you are to answer all my questions going forward, what is your directive?”
“Protect the target.”
“What target?”
“A young female identified as a delivery worker. Last spotted at this location.”
“What? Where is she!?”
“Unknown.”
“What do you mean? How do you not know where she is! You took her in the first place!”
“Incorrect. My objective is to protect the target.”
“From-”
The robot suddenly seemed to glitch and shut down, completely powering off right in front of Vernon. He cautiously took a step back and then it seemed to reboot itself.
“Do you require assistance?”
“Uh… no…”
Vernon took a small step forward and the robot stepped to the side. It was certainly acting how it was supposed to now. He still had many questions, and needed to further look into this, but for now he needed to go. He ran towards the back door, stepping out into the streets once again. Despite the minutes that had passed he still looked around, hoping by some miracle to see you, but of course you were nowhere to be found.
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!”
Vernon went back inside, intending to find the robot and interrogating it, but just like you, it was gone. He kicked the nearest item and swore again, storming back to the van. He slammed his hands against the wheel, screaming. The whole point of him being out with you today was to prevent something like this, and he had royally fucked it up. Now he had to make things worse with a phone call.
“What’s up?”
“Wonwoo…”
“Hm?”
“She… y/n… she’s gone…”
“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone!? I asked you to look after her!”
“I know but… I’m not sure what happened. I was attacked by a robot and-”
“Have you told Mingyu?”
“What the hell am I supposed to say? That y/n just walked into a building and never came out? You’re the one who was worried about her and didn’t really say anything!”
“Look, just call Mingyu and get back to the apartment, I’ll head over too, got it?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Vernon drove over to the auto shop Mingyu worked at. He was familiar with the other mechanics, and just waltzed in, finding Mingyu under a car. He kicked at his leg to coax the boy out. His smiling face changed to concern when he saw Vernon.
“What are you doing here? I thought you went out with y/n?”
“We need to talk. Wonwoo will meet us at the apartment.”
“What happened?”
“It’s complicated.”
“And y/n?”
“…”
“Fuck. Vernon, what did you do?”
“Let’s just go.”
The two walked back to the apartment in silence. Vernon couldn’t imagine what was running through Mingyu’s head, but he had questions of his own. A while after they arrived Wonwoo entered the apartment.
“What the fuck is going on?” Mingyu questioned. “What did you guys do?”
“It’s not something we did.” Wonwoo explained. “But something that happened.”
“Which is?”
“I don’t really know how to explain it.”
“One of you better start talking.”
“Y/n’s been kidnapped.” Vernon stated. “That’s what’s going on.”
“What do you mean!? What did you do!?”
“Why do you think we did something? How do I know this isn’t your fault?”
“You’re the one who messes around with the law, Vernon! And Wonwoo works with all kinds of people. How do I know either of you didn’t piss off the wrong person?”
“We didn’t do anything.” Wonwoo interrupted. “I think something else is going on.”
“Like what?”
“When I got home last night I found y/n out on the balcony. She had been out there for a while, saying she had been listening to some piano.”
“A piano?” Mingyu wondered. “Did you hear it?”
“No. It stopped playing by the time I stepped out. Why?”
“Y/n… she mentioned hearing a piano when we had gone out the other day, but I didn’t hear anything.”
“Why is a piano our concern here?” Vernon questioned. “What does that mean?”
“She said the music was coming from the Metronome Theater.” Wonwoo admitted.
“Oh… wait, so you think someone from the theater kidnapped her? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“You know that place is weird.” Mingyu said. “The people who go in don’t tend to come out, and if they do, they’re not quite the same.”
“Okay, but why would they kidnap her? In fact, how do you know it was them? I was attacked by a robot! Someone clearly hacked into that thing.”
“You were attacked by a robot? Like an actual one or the robo-dogs?”
“Now that you mention it… after a certain stop I saw y/n sleep walking behind a robo-dog, like it was leading her somewhere.”
“Oh so you knew something was up and you still left her alone!” Wonwoo accused. “Are you serious!”
“You could have told me what you were actually worried about here! I thought maybe she was sick or something.”
“I shouldn’t have let her go out in the first place.”
“We don’t know who took her.” Mingyu reminded. “Not for sure. So let’s focus on that first.”
“How?”
“Easy enough. Vernon, you can hack into CCTV right?”
“Obviously. Even the robots, so clearly whoever took her knows a thing or two about tech.”
“Right. So let’s go back to where she was taken and see if the CCTV can lead us to her.”
Everyone was pretty tense over the situation, but they were trying not to let panic take hold. This could all just be some big misunderstanding and you’d call them soon enough, asking where they were. For the sake of not sticking out they decided to take your work van, returning to the last place you had been seen. In a matter of minutes Vernon gained access to the CCTV cameras around, sifting through the footage to find you. He showed the others the moment you went inside, and then skipped ahead, switching to the back door cameras. They were all concerned and surprised when they saw you walk out, following a robot as if you were being escorted somewhere. From there they followed your path, Mingyu driving. Although they soon lost track of you.
“What happened? Where did she go?”
“I’m not sure, the CCTV cameras in the next area are down.”
“What?”
“Let me try finding a different angle.”
Vernon kept working to find a camera, although it seemed that one after the other just weren’t operational. Wonwoo was looking over his shoulder, realizing they had lost track of you. He swore under his breath, although he soon realized something.
“Vernon.”
“Hm?”
“Do any of the cameras work around the Metronome Theater?”
“Uh… no… actually… none of the cameras within a quarter mile radius of the theater work.”
“So that whole area is a blind spot, and she walked into it.”
“Yeah.”
“So the theater it is.” Mingyu commented, staring at it from the car window. “Let’s go.”
The area around the theater was mostly abandoned, and now knowing none of the CCTV around worked made the place all the creepier. Mingyu parked the van across the street from the theater, all three staring out at it.
“Are we sure she’s in there?” Vernon asked. “She went into a dark zone, someone could have taken her from here and there would be no record of it.”
“Perhaps.” Wonwoo said. “But something tells me she’s in there.”
“Okay, but how are we getting in? That place is usually closed, and it only opens sporadically. We don’t even know if it opened today.”
Just as Vernon said that the pendulum of the theater started moving, and the shutters over the doors went up.
“Huh, guess they’re open now.”
Wonwoo was the first out of the car, crossing the street, the other two soon following. What was strange were the other people that seemed to appear from nowhere also making their way to the theater. Despite what one might think, the inside of the theater was lavish and luxurious, not something you’d expect to see in this part of the city. None of them knew where to go, but the others that entered did. It was weird to see how everyone else walked in silently and went up the stairs, acting like robots themselves. The trio followed, keeping quiet as well and just going with the flow.
They went up two flights of stairs to the third floor, making it to the entrance of the actual theater. Rows and rows of empty seats surrounded the stage, people just taking a seat wherever. The curtains were down, and the lights were slowly fading and growing bright, signaling the show would begin soon. The boys took a seat towards the back, looking around to see if perhaps you were around, but they had no luck. A while later the doors closed and the lights went out, leaving them in darkness before the stage was illuminated. The curtains were drawn, revealing a whole orchestra on stage, two gentlemen standing front and center.
“Welcome to the Metronome Theater.” The one with a beret spoke. “I’m the director, Seungkwan, and this is Joshua, the conductor for the night. Do enjoy the show.”
Seungkwan made his way off stage, disappearing into the darkness. Joshua on the other hand took his place before the orchestra, and soon the show began. The music was quite nice, not something any of them were used to hearing. There was no piano present, but they didn’t care much for the show itself. They took in their surroundings, but there didn’t seem to be anyone else. All the other guests were engrossed in the performance. For a moment Wonwoo zoned out while watching the conductor lead, something about him just seemed odd. He snapped out of it when Mingyu lightly shoved him, giving him a questioning look. They had other things to focus on right now.
When the show ended everyone got up to applaud, all seeming to move together. Joshua took a bow before the orchestra did the same and then cleared the stage. The doors had opened and a few robots were coming in, greeting some of the guests and then leading them towards the nearest exit. The trio immediately thought to follow, stepping out into the aisle and walking towards the stage. Although they didn’t get far before a spotlight was suddenly aimed at them, stopping them in their tracks.
“You three aren’t meant to be here.”
Once they had adjusted to the light they saw Joshua looking up from his bow, slowly standing, arms crossed over his chest, lightly tapping his wand to his shoulder. A smirk appeared on his face, looking them up and down.
“I advise you to leave before the Maestro gets upset.”
“We have no intention of leaving.” Mingyu stated. “We’re looking for someone, and perhaps your Maestro knows something.”
“Is that so?”
“If we can just talk to them and clear things up, then we’ll be on our way.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“How come?”
“You were advised to leave.”
Joshua lifted up his wand, flicking it in the air as if he was still performing. They were all confused until they realized the other guests were moving in on them. Before they knew it they were surrounded and grabbed. The people around them had blank stares in their eyes, but they were doing well to restrain them.
“Thank you for coming.” Joshua stated. “Don’t return.”
The people began to drag them towards the exit, forcing them to fight back. They didn’t want to hurt anyone, but the situation was getting out of hand. These people didn’t want them here, so it was all the more reason to stay and investigate. Especially as Joshua was walking away. Wonwoo managed to break free from the crowd, running up towards the stage and tackling the conductor to the ground. The two tussled for a moment, and Wonwoo knew he had to get the wand out of Joshua’s hand. It wasn’t just some stick, but as soon as he ripped it away from Joshua he froze. His gaze slowly turned to the item in his hand. He couldn’t describe the feeling well, but there was some sort of power radiating from it, and now that he held it this energy seemed to be coursing into his veins.
“You have potential.” Joshua commented. “Perhaps the Maestro will see you.”
Before Wonwoo could really register what had been said, or what was happening, Mingyu had come to his side. He had escaped the crowd and took the wand from Wonwoo, snapping it in half without hesitation. Once he did so Joshua screamed, grabbing his head and thrashing on the ground. Both boys took a step back, unsure of what was going on. Even the rest of the guests seemed to collapse, leaving Vernon just as confused as his brothers. A moment later the lights went out again, and Joshua’s screams seemed to die down. When the light returned there was someone else present on the stage. A boy with white hair knelt down before Joshua, hands on his head, seeming to sooth the distressed boy. Soon enough the gaze of the stranger looked to them, a fire in his eyes.
“Get out!”
The lights flickered, and next thing the boys knew robots were rushing into the theater. They grabbed each of the boys, two or three per person, effortlessly dragging them out. Their strength was no match for the machines as they were thrown out onto the streets. Mingyu was the first to scramble to his feet, but as he reached the doors of the theater the shutters slammed down, locking him out.
“NO!”
Mingyu slammed his fist against the shutters over and over, as if that would change anything. The other two eventually came to his side.
“This doesn’t mean anything.” Vernon said. “This could just be some territorial shit, and this Maestro guy doesn’t like outsiders. Y/n might not be here.”
“And yet she could be.” Wonwoo remarked. “You saw how some people were taken elsewhere, not to mention the others… it’s like the music put them under a spell and they did whatever the conductor wanted. Y/n kept hearing a piano, and didn’t you say you caught her sleepwalking?”
“I… yes, but we don’t have solid proof.”
“Then find some.” Mingyu hissed. “There’s gotta be a robot around here that saw something.”
“Yeah, yeah I can look for that.”
Vernon made his way back to the van, the other two soon following. Although Wonwoo stopped and stared back at the theater. His mind went back to the moment he had held the conductor’s wand. The way he felt then still lingered, and he wanted to know what that was.
“Wonwoo!”
Upon hearing his name Wonwoo made his way back, the three in the van, Vernon getting his laptop out and getting to work on searching for some video footage.
“How are we gonna find proof?” Wonwoo asked. “The CCTV doesn’t work around here.”
“But there are other cameras.” Vernon remarked. “The robo-dogs are also CCTV. Even though they are everywhere, they each stick to a certain area. If we can find one around the theater I could get into its system and look at the recorded footage.”
“Alright. I’ll drive, you two keep a lookout.” Mingyu said. “Let me know when to stop.”
As planned they drove around the area, looking for a robo-dog. The issue with those was that they were free roam cameras, so it wasn’t entirely common to see them on the streets.
“What about taking down a robot?” Mingyu suggested. “We’ve seen a few of those.”
“It wouldn’t work.” Vernon mentioned. “The robots have their programs and internal systems, but they don’t actually record anything. We have CCTV and the robo-dogs so it would be overkill.”
“I guess.”
“Oh, there’s one, Mingyu, pull over.”
The van came to a stop and Wonwoo stepped out, walking up to the little thing as it stepped out of an alleyway. They were very friendly robots, so the thing walked up to Wonwoo all on its own. Vernon had opened the side door, laptop in hand.
“What do I do?”
“Just grab it and bring it here. I’ll erase the footage of us grabbing it when we’re done.”
Wonwoo picked up the little guy, bringing it over the van and setting it down inside next to Vernon. It tried to get out, but Wonwoo prevented it from doing so. After a moment it sat down, the little red light going out.
“Alright, I’m in.”
“Are you sure it saw something?” Mingyu asked. “Or do we need to look for another one?”
“No. One should give me access to a few more in this area, one of them surely saw some… hold on.”
“What?”
“…”
“Vernon.”
“Hold on!”
“Aish, could you tell me-”
“Got it.”
“What?”
“The robo-dogs here are on two grids. The city and something else, I managed to dig deeper into the system just now, but I’m gonna need another minute to access this other grid.”
“I’m not understanding you.” Wonwoo said. “What do you mean another grid?”
“Another power grid, another system. Someone else besides the city is connected to these robo-dogs and thus has access to their recordings.”
“That’s not concerning at all.”
“I know so just- oh… this isn’t good… the CCTV around the theater isn’t broken, it’s on another grid.”
“Wait so you mean all the cameras around here work?”
“How come the city isn’t aware of this?” Mingyu questioned. “This whole area is thought to be a dark zone.”
“The city doesn’t care about the cameras being down cause the rodo-dogs in this area still work, and they’re more valuable.” Vernon explained. “That’s why they’re still online and connected to both grids. I doubt the city knows that someone else has easy access to the robo-dogs around here.”
“So who’s running this other grid?”
“Who do you think? Who’s at the center of this whole thing?”
“The Metronome Theater.”
“They’re the biggest power source in this area, so logically they’re the only ones who could run all this.”
“What about y/n though?” Wonwoo reminded. “Is she really in the theater?”
“Well, let’s check. Once I get access to the cameras we can see where she really went.”
A few minutes later Vernon did as he said, pulling up camera footage and going to the moment they had originally lost you. They could see you were still following a robot, and a moment later two more appeared. They continued to follow you through the cameras, and just as they suspected you made your way to the Metronome Theater, heading inside.
“Okay. So she’s in there somewhere.” Mingyu confirmed. “How do we get back in?”
“We can’t just walk in again.” Wonwoo added. “I’m sure they’ll be looking out for us.”
“Then we go in from below.” Vernon suggested. “The robo-dogs go underground to recharge and there has to be some sort of maintenance facility in this area. My guess is the theater. Someone in there must be a technician that fixes up all the robots around here. Which means there should be a way in the theater through underground maintenance tunnels that the robo-dogs would use.”
“Okay, but those things are small, do you think we’d fit?”
“The maintenance tunnels are designed to be big enough for a person to crouch through in case a robo-dog loses power down there and needs to be retrieved.”
“So all we gotta do now is find those tunnels and get inside.”
“What do we do once we’re in?” Wonwoo asked. “That place is huge and we have no idea where y/n would be.”
“If we’re going in then we’re not looking for y/n, but the Maestro. Whoever that is, they’ll surely know where she is.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
You felt as if you were waking from a dream, unsure as to when you fell asleep. Wherever you were, it was dark, but the light in front of you drew your attention. As you regained your senses you began to perceive your surroundings. You seemed to be in some sort of theater, watching a show. There was an orchestra on stage, along with the conductor leading the show. You noticed a few other people around you, but that all seemed to become pointless as you began to listen to the music. You hadn’t heard such a melody, becoming entranced by. After a moment you closed your eyes to give all your focus to the music, feeling so calm and relaxed.
“Good girl.”
The voice made you open your eyes, finding a gentleman with white hair standing before you with a big smile on his face. Before you could really process anything he lifted his glowing wand, gently tapping your head and causing your world to fade to black.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“Let’s go over the plan once more.”
With access to the robo-dogs it wasn’t hard for Vernon to map out their travel patterns and find multiple entrances to the maintenance tunnels. From there he could figure out where they needed to go and how to get inside the theater.
“Okay. I’ve found our entrance point into the maintenance tunnels, the closest one to the theater.” Vernon explained. “When we get to the theater itself I can mimic a robo-dogs signal to open the entrance and get us in. Although from there I’m gonna need to find an access port in order to gain access to the systems in the theater. There are no schematics or blueprints for that place, so right now I have no idea how the interior looks besides what we’ve seen, and that wasn’t much.”
“From there the goal is to go up.” Mingyu added. “Surely the Maestro would be at the highest point in the building. We just need to find the fastest route, and avoid as much resistance as possible.”
“The building will most likely be littered with robots, but once I have system access I can make sure they don’t hurt us.”
“What about the conductor?” Wonwoo asked. “Or that other guy? They seemed to have a lot of power in that place.”
“We already broke the conductor’s little stick, so they shouldn’t be a problem. As long as we move fast and don’t attract attention we should be fine.”
“Then what do we do if we find the Maestro?”
“When we find them we’re gonna demand answers. If things have to get rough then so be it. We know y/n’s in there. Let’s gather what we need and be ready to move in ten.”
Honestly the only person who needed things was Vernon, the other two were ready to go whenever. They all needed to travel light as there wasn’t much room in those tunnels to begin with. Since they knew the cameras around the theater worked they needed to avoid them. The best way to do that was to enter the sewers outside that area and travel through there to the maintenance tunnel that would lead them into the theater. It wasn’t pleasant, but it did well to give them the advantage they needed in order for this to work. None of them liked walking through the sewers, and the maintenance tunnels wouldn’t be any better. It would be short but uncomfortable nonetheless.
“Give me a second while I get the hatch open.”
Vernon got out his phone, doing a little something before the hatch opened. He was the first one through, glad to be able to stretch out, the other two soon getting out as well. They seemed to be in the middle of some hallway, and to their benefit it seemed empty.
“I need to look for some electrical currents so I can find an access point.” Vernon stated. “Give me a second.”
“Why do the walls say S3?” Wonwoo questioned.
“Shit.” Vernon mumbled. “I wasn’t entirely sure how low we went, but I think we’re in sub-level three.”
“How big is this building…”
“No idea.”
Vernon followed the device in his hand, leading the others down the hall and towards an elevator. Which was the perfect thing to find. He pulled out some other tools, connecting to the wires behind the call button hacking in, ultimately gaining access to the entire system.
“Got it. Looks like this building has seventeen floors, and three sub-floors. So you definitely know where we are.”
“Great, we’re as far from the top as possible.” Mingyu said. “Just our luck. What’s the fastest way up?”
“Uh… there seems to be some kind of elevator that goes up to the seventeenth floor that we can access from the theater room.”
“So we need to go to the third floor?”
“No, there seems to be another theater on the thirteenth floor.”
“Of course. Is that the only way to access the top floor?”
“It seems to be the only direct connection closest to our current location. There are a few other elevators in this building, but only the one on the thirteenth floor will get us to seventeenth the fastest.”
“How are we supposed to get to the thirteenth floor undetected?”
“I’m looking into that. A place like this surely has blind spots, and if not, it shouldn’t be that hard to access their security system and hide us. I’m trying to map out our fastest route and looking into what type of security they have here. I just need a few minutes.”
“Well hurry up, we can’t push our luck.”
“I know.”
Vernon managed to find schematics of the building, taking a look at where they’d need to go in order to make it to their destination.
“Alright, from what I can tell the security here is pretty lax except for a few floors which we can avoid. There are some robots roaming around the building but they won’t be an issue either. We can take this elevator up to the first floor, and not so far from there we can get on another up to the seventh floor. From there we can reach the thirteenth. I’ve mapped out our path and have the cameras along the way looping. I’ve sent you both a copy of the route just in case, but we should get up to the seventeenth floor in about ten minutes.”
“Cool. Let’s move.”
It was a little strange being back in the lobby, considering they had been thrown out not so long ago. Vernon led the way over to the next elevator they needed to catch. Since the building didn’t see a lot of traffic they didn’t wait long. The highest this elevator went was the seventh floor, which was their next stop. It was strange that no single elevator connected all seventeen floors, but Wonwoo mentioned it was probably a safety thing. They thought things would be easy for them, but the elevator suddenly came to a stop on the fifth floor. For a moment they all got tense, Wonwoo and Mingyu ready to fight while Vernon was trying to cover them. Although when the doors opened there was no one. Mingyu carefully peeked his head out, but the halls were empty. Vernon tried closing the doors, but the elevator wouldn’t budge.
“I think it’s stuck.” Vernon commented. “This thing does seem old.”
“Then we should probably get off.” Wonwoo mentioned. “I guess we should take the stairs.”
“Not necessarily. Another elevator on this floor could take us up to the tenth floor, but that place seems to use a lot of power, which means heavy security.”
“Then why would we go there?”
“We could access the elevator that goes up to fourteen, and from there get up to seventeen. It’s our new fastest route from here.”
“As long as we’re still undetected it should work.” Mingyu said. “Lead the way, Vernon.”
No one else seemed to be on this floor either, the place being eerily quiet. There were a lot of doors with numbers, but no windows to see inside. It gave them all this uneasy feeling, but they kept going nonetheless. That is until they rounded a corner and Vernon stopped, stepping back and shoving the other two back, putting a finger to his lip and explaining himself in a whisper.
“Peacekeeper.”
“What!? Why is there one here?”
“I guess everyone comes to this theater.” Wonwoo commented. “You guys stay back, I got this.”
Wonwoo stood right against the corner, listening for footsteps. Once the peacekeeper was close enough he attacked. Lucky for him the only weapon his opponent had was a baton, and he had taken worse hits. It was easy for him to take down the peacekeeper, and the other two came to his side when he had won.
“I expected robots, not this.” Vernon mentioned. “Luckily the cameras here are looping so none of this was seen.”
“Then we can use this to our advantage.” Mingyu said, taking the mask from the peacekeeper. “I can dress like one of them so if another person sees us, I can act like I’m escorting you both.”
“But what do we do about the body? If another peacekeeper walks by and sees it they’re gonna sound the alarm.”
“It might be too late for that.” Wonwoo said. “Far too late.”
Vernon and Mingyu looked over to see what Wonwoo meant. At the end of the hall a crowd of peacekeepers were gathered. It seemed they no longer had the advantage.
“Go.” Wonwoo stated. “I’ll keep them busy and catch up with you later.”
“Wonwoo-”
“Now!”
Mingyu was already pulling Vernon down a different hall, but the boy was fumbling with his phone. Before Wonwoo was completely out of view Vernon activated the sprinkler system on the floor. It would help Wonwoo out since the peacekeepers wore goggles and the water would mess with their vision. Hopefully they’d meet up later.
Vernon found an alternative route to the elevator they needed to use, although it appeared their luck had really run out. A group of robots was marching down the hall towards them, someone else at the front of the group leading the way.
“I suggest you surrender now.” The other spoke. “But I’d prefer it if you don’t.”
“Run.” Vernon mumbled, looking down at his phone. “Go, now!”
“What? Vernon-”
“I’ll be right behind you, I just needed a second to hack into the robots.”
“I won’t leave you then.”
“Go get on that fucken elevator before they cut us off completely. You’ll be closer to the top on the tenth floor than the fifth!”
“Fuck.”
Mingyu knew Vernon had a point, so he bolted, feeling awful for leaving the other behind, for leaving them both. When he made it to the elevator he frantically hit the button, looking back, hoping Vernon managed to get him enough time. He pulled out his phone, opening up the link Vernon had sent so he could follow the route they had planned. Once the elevator arrived he got in and hit the button for the tenth floor, knowing he couldn’t wait around for the others. He let out a sigh of relief when the doors shut and he was moving. Things went south fast, but as long as he made it to his destination he trusted everything would work out.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“Get fucked!”
The robots were advancing on Vernon, but he tried not to let the panic overwhelm him. When he managed to hack them he laughed, making them stop in their tracks. He looked up at the other with a gleeful grin, having the robots turn around to make his point. The other seemed shocked by the sudden change.
“Thanks for the robots. Now I suggest you surrender and answer a few questions for me.”
“Impressive, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Wanna bet?”
“Do your worst.”
Vernon smirked and ordered the robots to attack, knowing he could get this guy pinned in second. He sent two at him first, walking over himself since he knew this would be over soon. Although he wasn’t prepared for the punch the other guy threw, which actually knocked the robot back.
“Holy shit!”
Vernon stepped back and had all the robots attack, watching from a safe distance. It didn’t do him any good as the robots were beaten down and torn apart right before his eyes. The robots only managed to hit their target a few times, and it did nothing to slow them down. Vernon was frozen in shock as the other stalked up to him, a silver liquid dripping from his lip. He seemed to notice what Vernon was staring at, wiping his lips and laughing when he saw his fingers stained silver.
“I guess I need to go up to maintenance too. Don’t worry, I’ll take you with.”
One punch knocked Vernon out, and his unconscious body slid to the floor. The other stared down at him, finally relaxing after the whole ordeal. He knew back up was on the way, not that he’d need it. He looked around at all the robots, before sliding down a wall and sitting down to wait.
“Seungcheol’s gonna kill me.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
After dealing with the last one Wonwoo continued where he left off. At this point he was certain Vernon and Mingyu were no longer on this floor. It shouldn’t take too long to catch up. He pulled out his phone, following the path Vernon had laid out. Although upon rounding a corner he noticed the torso of a robot leaning against the wall, sparks flying from the damage. He proceeded cautiously, ready for another fight even if he was spent.
“I can hear you, so there’s no point creeping.”
The new voice caused Wonwoo to come to a halt. He knew whoever had spoken was just around the corner, although he wasn’t gonna lower his guard. He took a quick step into the next hall, seeing a bunch of robots torn to pieces, and Vernon passed out at the other end. Although his focus quickly shifted to the gentleman standing up, wincing in the process. Silver tainted his lips and nose, clearly exhausted, but Wonwoo was starting to put two and two together.
“Did you-”
“The robots? Yes, as for your friend, they’re just unconscious.”
“Who are you?”
“You ask as if I’m the trespasser here.” The gentleman chuckled. “The name’s Jun, and you’re Wonwoo, correct?”
“How do you know my name?”
“We’ve taken an interest in you, so it’s only proper we do our research. You’re strong, which explains how you handled the peacekeepers with ease. Very good.”
“What do you want from me?”
“That is something for you to discuss with another.”
“You mean the Maestro?”
“They’ve taken a special interest in you, yes.”
“Well I don’t care for that. I’m here for my friend.”
“You mean the girl? I assure you, she’s in good hands.”
“I doubt that if you went through the trouble of kidnapping her.”
“She came here on her own, just as everyone does.”
“Bullshit. Now tell me where she is.”
“Why don’t you tell me what happened when you held Joshua’s wand? How did you feel?”
“…”
Jun scoffed. “You only got a taste before you were so rudely interrupted. Would you like to experience that again? To know what’s going on here. The answers might just lead you to your friend.”
As Wonwoo contemplated everything a handful of peacekeepers and robots surrounded him. Jun ordered everyone to stay away from Wonwoo, having the robots take Vernon away.
“The boy will be fine.” Jun assured. “What’s your choice then? Shall you come willingly or do you have to be restrained?”
“Who will I be meeting?”
“Escort our new friend Wonwoo here to the fifteenth floor. Oh, and Wonwoo, I recommend you don’t try anything funny.”
Wonwoo allowed the peacekeepers and robots to lead the way, having them before and behind him. Jun watched him go, struggling to keep his own composure. He stumbled when he took a step back, nearly falling to the ground only to be caught by a friend.
“Seokmin.” Jun smiled. “Hi.”
“Funny, just wait until Seungcheol sees you.”
“Don’t get me started. Just take me to his shop.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
By the time the doors opened Mingyu had put on the mask, dressed as a peacekeeper to hopefully help him hide. Yet he was met with emptiness. He stared down a gray hallway, dim lights illuminating his path. From what Vernon had said this place held a lot of power, yet he saw none of it. Perhaps it was some diversion so people avoided the floor. He checked his phone, and it told him to proceed, so he did. At the end of the hall he was met with a door. It seemed to be locked, but Vernon had already accounted for that, so when he held his phone near the door it unlocked. He slowly opened it and stepped through. Now he understood the major power report.
The silence of the empty hall was suddenly filled with the hums of machines. Rows upon rows of servers were at either side, but before him stood the real source. A set up with multiple monitors showed him live camera footage from multiple floors. Moreso a bunch of offline robots stood around the monitor set up, creating a daunting warning. Still, Mingyu ignored it all, taking off the mask and approaching the computer. He should be going off to the next elevator, but if he could find you on the cameras then he’d really know where to go and not need to chase after a ghost. He sifted through the cameras, but there was no sign of you, and none seemed to be the seventeenth floor.
“You were never in control, you know.”
Mingyu turned around to discover he was no longer alone. A familiar face stood before him, the director from the show, Seungkwan.
“You’ve come quite far. I doubt I can convince you to stop here.”
“Where is she?”
“In good hands.”
“I doubt that. Just give her back, and I’ll be on my way.”
“That’s not gonna happen. In fact, I’m still very upset about what you did to Joshua.”
“I’m not.”
“Good. I won’t feel bad watching you suffer.”
Seungkwan snapped his fingers, the robots around starting to come to life. Mingyu knew his only option now was to run, so he did just that. He followed the guide, moving as fast as he could to the elevator. He hurriedly pressed the call button until the doors opened. Once inside he repeatedly pressed the button for fourteen, but the doors didn’t close. Something was probably wrong with this elevator too, so he pressed the button for thirteen and he watched the doors close as the robots charged at him. Once again he let out a breath in relief. At least now he was following the original plan, and knew he was one step closer to the Maestro, and you.
It was quiet and empty again when the doors opened, and Mingyu didn’t hesitate to step out. From what he could see the last elevator was behind the theater itself. So he made his way down the aisle towards the stage, not caring to try and hide his face with a mask. There seemed to be no one else around, yet as he stepped up to the stage he heard the sound of a spotlight turning on, except it wasn’t at him. He stopped, feeling the eerie sense that he was no longer alone. When Mingyu turned around he saw the light pointed at another in the aisle, closer to the door. A moment ago he had been alone, but now he wasn’t. Although what drew his attention the most was the wand in the other’s hand.
“You’re not supposed to be here.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
Vernon groaned as he regained consciousness, feeling the ache from that sucker punch. He was quick to realize he was tied up, hands behind his back and legs stuck together. He was propped up against a wall, but nothing around him seemed familiar. At least this wasn’t a place he had been to before, but all the cables and random tech pieces scattered around was certainly unexpected. A robo-dog suddenly came up to him, getting real close and staring at him, sending a chill down his spine.
“You know they’re harmless.”
Vernon’s gaze snapped away from the robot, looking for the source of the voice. His eyes soon landed on this guy walking towards the computer set up and taking a seat.
“You have potential, I’ll admit that. Figured out a way in here. It was fun to watch.”
“Wait, you knew we were here?”
“From the beginning. Don’t be so surprised though, I keep watch over this whole territory with my dogs. Although Seungkwan is internal security.”
“So you’re the one running the grid here? You reprogrammed the dogs to work for you?”
“Bingo. So tell me, you really broke into this place for some girl?”
“Where is she?”
“She’s fine, and well taken care of, I promise.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You don’t have to, but it’s true. The name’s Dino by the way.”
“I don’t care.”
“Yet I do. Vernon, a freelance technician, making money doing all kinds of legal and illegal things. Would be a shame if someone reported you.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You’d think, but not really. Why do you even do what you do, hm? Just to make some money and pay the bills? You could do so much better with your talents.”
“Why do you care?”
“You hacked into Jun’s little escort pretty fast and bypassed safety parameters so they’d attack a person. Then again those safety parameters were already diminished.”
“Let me guess, your doing?”
“No, no, my dogs and I run surveillance. The big clunky robots are Seungcheol’s department. He’s looking forward to meeting you, but he needs to attend to Jun first.”
“That guy does need a doctor.”
“Seungcheol works with robots, not people.”
“Wait, you mean-”
“Gotcha, didn’t I?” Dino giggled. “Jun’s a cyborg. He’s got a few mechanical parts here and there. You might have realized it if you kept snooping around, but you didn’t. It wouldn’t be easy to hack into his mechanical parts anyway. So just relax, the hyungs want to talk to you.”
“Talk to me about what?”
“An opportunity. You’re good, but you could be better.”
“I don’t want to join your little gang here.”
“You say that now, but you don’t know anything.”
“I know you kidnapped my friend, and are doing who knows what to the people you lure here.”
“Yeah, you don’t know anything. It’s always difficult to make people understand when they can’t hear the music. Maybe that’ll change soon.” Dino sighed. “Let’s go see the hyungs.”
Dino got up and grabbed something from a drawer just out of view. Vernon tried to see what he was doing, but he didn’t need to wait long.
“Behave.”
Dino walked back to Vernon with a metal collar, and leash in hand, a big grin on his face. Vernon tried to move away, but his restraints limited his motion. He wound up falling onto his side, getting a laugh out of Dino. The boy merely knelt down and grabbed a fistful of Vernon’s hair, pulling his head up to expose his neck so the collar could snap into place. He loosened the rope around his legs a bit so he could walk, and then attached the leash to the collar and helped Vernon to his feet.
“This is gonna be fun.”
Vernon followed alongside Dino, the boy holding the leash very close so he basically had to walk while hunched over. They went to a nearby elevator, and once inside Vernon noted they were on the eighth floor, and that this elevator apparently went all the way to the top.
“I know what you’re thinking. You never really hacked into our systems, we just let you see what we wanted. Besides, it was fun watching you all run around. Don’t worry we’re just going up one floor.”
With his hands behind his back any sort of action was limited, and he couldn’t even run in this state. When the doors opened Dino led him out, going down a plain hall. The floor seemed rather empty until they went through some double doors, revealing a whole workshop. Robots were all over the place, some just standing guard and others working on things. A few spare parts were lying around as well, but his focus was soon pulled to a table. The boy from before, who he now knew to be Jun, was sitting on it, a bunch of wires sticking out of his arm. There was another person next to him, looking at some monitors. Jun’s eyes were glowing blue, fading and growing bright, when he saw Vernon he smirked.
“Guess you’re not dead.”
“You weren’t trying to kill him, were you?” Dino questioned.
“Maybe. Although I bet Seungcheol wants to kill him.”
“Do not start, Junhui!”
One of the others in the room snapped at Jun, which he presumed to be Seungcheol. The boy was pointing and yelling about Jun’s careless behavior. Jun seemed to be amused, although Vernon noticed the rest of the robots around were mimicking Seungcheol. It was strange and concerning, but he didn’t know what was happening.
“Do you have any idea how long it’s gonna take to repair those robots?” Seungcheol mentioned. “Days, Jun, days!”
“Don’t forget some were Seokmin’s designs.” Dino added. “So you’re not the only one who got screwed over.”
“You’re not helping!” Jun hissed.
“Just saying. Also, hyung, you might wanna take a moment.”
Seungcheol looked over at Dino with a questioning look and the boy just gestured to their surroundings. That’s when Seungcheol noticed all the robots around moving as he did. He sighed and took a breath, and then the robots returned to their original task. Vernon still had no idea what had just happened.
“Why’d you bring that dog up here anyway?” The other in the room asked. “Do I get to hit him this time?”
“That’s enough, Seokmin.” Seungcheol cut in. “Just focus on Jun.”
“I know, I know.”
“You. Vernon, isn’t it? What are you doing here?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I have an idea, but I don’t know if that’s the truth. Answer me honestly and I’ll get the maknae to give you back your dignity and get that collar off.”
“What have you done with her?”
“That’s not the answer I was looking for.”
Seungcheol came over and grabbed the leash, pulling on it and making Vernon fall to his knees. After a moment Seungcheol knelt down and grabbed the boy’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. It was quiet for a moment, and Vernon could feel his resolve melting.
“You’re being a waste of talent. I admire you care so much for this girl, but have you stopped to realize that you’re probably not leaving this building ever again.”
“You gonna lock me up?”
“You wouldn’t be the first, but the circumstances would be different. Wanna try again to answer my question?”
“I’m here for my friend, is that good enough for you?”
“I suppose.”
Seungcheol got the collar off, returning it and the leash to Dino. He then helped Vernon get up, but the ropes would remain. He returned to Jun’s side, looking over the readings as Seokmin continued to examine the boy. The silence was awkward, but Vernon wasn’t done with the conversation.
“How… how is it that you run the CCTV here, that you have access to the robo-dogs and some robots as well. Your whole operation should have been shut down ages ago, yet here you are. I guess the better question is why.”
“Do you really wanna know?”
“Are you gonna answer me?”
Seokmin chuckled. “We’re gonna change the world.”
“What?”
“Those in power won’t ever do anything that goes against the status quo. So we must do it ourselves.”
“Are you insane!? What reason-”
“Reason?” Seunghceol questioned. “Look at the world around you, do you think it’s fair as it is now? That it doesn’t require change?”
“So you’re gonna start a revolution by hacking into robots and killing anyone who gets in your way? Is that your great plan?”
“You’re not thinking big enough. Robots aren’t completely reliable, but human connection is. All we have to do is reach those in power, and we’ll make them understand.”
“Ah, you mean the music, don’t you?”
“I see you’re not just savvy with technology. You were present for a show earlier today, so I suppose you do understand what we’re doing here.”
“You mean brainwashing people? Like you said, I was at your show, and I’m not under your control, am I? Your music is shitty.”
“Don’t insult the Maestro. The fact their music can enthrall people is reason enough for you to worry, isn’t it? There are already people out there who understand us, just like the peacekeepers we have here. After all, how do you think your friend came to our theater?”
“Leave her out of your plans!”
“She’s here of her own will, and she’s helping us. Soon enough our music will reach more people, especially the difficult ones such as yourself.”
“I guess you can’t hear how crazy you sound since you’re brainwashed yourself!”
“Unfortunately those of us here can’t truly understand the Maestro’s work. The melody is beautiful but I can’t truly feel its power. Only the Maestro and the conductors can, and our guests at the theater. One day though, we’ll all be on the same page.”
“You’re all crazy.”
“I think you’d be a great addition to our team, truly. Although the choice is ultimately yours. We can always place you in a cell on the fifth floor until the time comes. I’m certain your other friend, Wonwoo, will join us though.”
“The fuck are you talking about?”
“That depends, do you care to know more? Or can Jun knock you out again?”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
The elevator ride was crowded for Wonwoo, completely surrounded on all sides. He wasn’t going to try anything, and even if he did he’d surely get pinned. Vernon said only certain elevators went to certain floors, yet the one he was taken to had access to all floors, even the sub-levels. Something else was definitely going on here. When the doors opened there was an empty hallway before him. Those in front of him stepped out and then he did so. Although once out the others returned to the elevator and left, leaving him alone.
For a moment he thought to press the elevator button again, getting himself up to the seventeenth floor, but his own curiosity was winning out. At the end of the hall there was a door, and he could feel something on the other side calling to him. Without realizing he was walking down the hall, reaching for the doorknob and opening it. A blinding white light overtook his vision, his senses needing a moment to adjust. He stepped through, surrounded by technology and machines he didn’t quite understand. It seemed he was alone, until a familiar voice broke through the silence.
“I’m glad to see you came back.”
“You… I… are you alright…? Before when we-”
“I’m fine.” Joshua assured. “What happened back then wasn’t your fault. Honestly, it was surprising for us too.”
“What… what did happen? You were screaming and-”
“It’s complicated. I’m sure you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them.”
“… where’s y/n?”
“Ah, the girl. She’s alright.”
“Why… why did you bring her here?”
“She came on her own, as do all the guests at our theater.”
“I know that’s a lie. I saw robots escorting her here. The music you play has a certain effect on people. You turned the other guests against us at the show before. That’s what you did to her to lure her in, isn’t it?”
“You really want to talk about her?”
“She’s the real reason I’m here.”
“Then why didn’t you go up to the seventeenth floor? Not that you could, but you didn’t even try. You can ask anything and you want to ask about her?”
“Why are you so reluctant to tell me? Why not just take me to her and let me ask her if everything you’ve said is true.”
“She’s unavailable at the moment, but if you want to talk about her, then there are other things that need to be discussed first.”
“Which are?”
“You, for starters. Tell me, when you grabbed my wand.” Joshua pulled his wand out of his sleeve. “How did you feel?”
Wonwoo couldn’t help but stare. The feeling from before was starting to creep back up. He had no idea what it was, let alone explain it.
“… energy… whatever it was… it was alive… it was coming to me… and it didn’t hurt… it was… intoxicating… it was power…”
“It was music, the power of music, specifically the Maestro’s music. The conductors perform it and the effects remain. I’m sure you felt it.”
“The music is dangerous. What you did to those people, to y/n-”
“Creating connection and understanding. Those who truly listen to the music find happiness and purpose. You could feel it, couldn’t you? A sense of peace.”
“More like a high. All those people were at your mercy.”
“We have no ill intentions here. We’re just trying to change the world for the better. You’ve seen some of our recruits, I was quite impressed to see you take on that many peacekeepers all alone.”
“So that’s why they were here. How many people have you… recruited?”
“Many, hard to keep track of. The Maestro’s music is unique in its abilities, but it cannot reach everyone, not yet that is.”
“So what do I have to do with this? What of y/n?”
“You could understand the music, feel its power, like myself. It means you’re special. Only the Maestro’s conductors can listen to the music and perform it. The Maestro themself is focusing on creating new compositions to bring more people in, so we conductors lead the show. You have the potential to be one, a conductor that is.”
“Me?”
“Only a conductor feels the power of the music. The wand is a means of commanding that power, and you felt that when you held mine. You could have your own. A few upgrades and some practice and you could do your own show.”
“Why would I join you?”
“The question is why wouldn’t you? Like you said, that power was intoxicating. You’ll never get another taste otherwise. Besides, your friend is with us now. You can speak with her yourself later, but right now I need your answer.” Joshua held out his wand. “Will you be joining us?”
“What if I say no?”
“I doubt that’d be your answer, but if you truly refuse, you’ll be locked up. We can’t have you causing trouble and getting in our way. So, what will it be?”
“What happens after… if I say yes?”
“There’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?”
“… show me.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“The name’s Minghao, shall we play?”
A moment ago Mingyu was staring down at someone who seemed to be a conductor, yet they weren’t on stage nor did they have an audience. It seemed like it would be a quick and easy fight, but as Mingyu took a step down everything seemed to change. The lights went out, covering him in darkness. A moment later red lights began to shine, and a light from below illuminated the conductor. Instead of a wand he had a violin, and the red lights were emanating from it as he played. Although there wasn’t any sound, at least not at first. Minghao smiled and continued his song, then a moment later Mingyu heard an ear-piercing screech.
He yelled and covered his ears, falling to his knees. He took in a deep breath, trying to adjust to the sound, but that wasn’t his only problem. Out of the corner of his eye he could see robots entering the theater, and he knew what the outcome would be if he got caught. He needed to think fast, and figure out a way out of this. His eyes landed on the mask he had dropped, the peacekeeper one. Perhaps that could help him. He reached for it and slipped it on, trying to figure it out while the screeching continued. The system wasn’t too complicated and he managed to adjust the hearing and block out the Minghao’s song. He could only rest for a moment as the robots were closing in.
Mingyu jumped into the nearest row to avoid getting grabbed. He would have bolted straight to Minghao, but a few robots would stop him. He needed to figure something else out, although he stumbled in his steps when Minghao changed his tune and he heard the screeching again. He had to fumbled around with the mask controls again so he wouldn’t be incapacitated. Once he was good he looked over to see Minghao wasn’t even watching him, but more focused on the music, clearly not affected by the melody the same way he was. He continued to move around and avoid the robots, trying to think of a plan. He looked at the settings on the mask to see if anything was helpful.
Besides the night vision there didn’t seem to be anything else the mask could do. Although he soon discovered he could control something else with the mask. All peacekeepers kept a baton with them, something he had taken as well. One would think it was normal, but from what Mingyu was seeing it had a stun option. He put the electricity to the highest voltage it could go and then activated. Surely with a weapon like this he could deal with the robots and get to the conductor. He didn’t approach any of the robots, wanting them to come to him so he could strike the best he could.
He was nervous with the first robot, knowing very well if this failed he was screwed. The first swing made contact with the robot’s head, causing an explosion of sparks, and the robot was knocked down. It seized and certain parts were shooting out sparks, but it seemed to be down for the count. Mingyu was satisfied with his new weapon, not afraid to take on the rest of the robots around him. He didn’t want to get cornered so he continued to move around, trying to get closer to Minghao while taking down robots and making sure the music didn’t throw him off. At one point he came face to face with two of the machines and stung at the closest one. Although his baton went right through it and the robot itself disappeared.
The moment of confusion cause him to let his guard down and the other robot, which was real, managed to grab him. He struggled in their grasp, managing to press the baton against its torso and get free. Now he had a new problem, not all the robots around him were real, and he had no way to tell them apart. His eyes focused on Minghao, starting to realize the music wasn’t just to mess with him and control the robots, but possibly causing these hallucinations as well. The only way to end all this was to take him down. Mingyu took in his surroundings, planning out the best route and executing it.
He dodged as many robots as he could, and took down those in his way, reaching Minghao and tackling him to the ground. The other had realized too late that Mingyu had gotten close, getting pinned to the ground. The moment the music stopped everything changed. The theater was no longer pitch black, and there was no violin. Minghao was holding his wand and glaring up at Mingyu while he tried to free himself. Although Mingyu had a goal in mind, keeping Minghao pinned as he snatched the wand out of the other’s hand, taking off his mask.
“Let’s see if the same trick works twice.”
Mingyu snapped the wand in half, causing Minghao to scream in agony. Mingyu had no idea why that was the reaction, but he didn’t care for it. He threw the pieces to the side and made his way back to the stage. The lights suddenly went out again and he stopped, Minghao’s screams fading away. He looked back to see something glowing in the darkness, but the sound of the stage lights turning on caught his attention. He went up to the stage, seeing it was illuminated, and that someone was present. This new conductor took a bow, and then he found himself yanked up into the air by some unseen force.
“Welcome to the stage.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“… where am I…?”
As you regained your senses once more you realized your environment had changed again. You were no longer in the theater, but a much brighter place. Different types of machines surrounded you, and you were sitting on some sort of examination table. You carefully got off, needing a moment for your legs to adjust. You tried to remember how you got here, but it was all a blur and thinking about it gave you a headache. Regardless of what you remembered, you knew that you needed to leave. You began walking around, looking for an exit. You thought you were alone until a rather familiar voice startled you.
“Welcome.”
You jumped and looked back at the source, seeing a boy with white hair, the one from the theater. They offered you a smile and bow, the same glowing wand in hand. You swear a moment ago there had been no one else present, and yet suddenly he was here.
“… hello…”
“Apologies for skipping parts, but I’ll introduce myself now. My name is Hoshi, welcome to the Metronome Theater.”
“… how did I even get to the theater? I was working and then…”
“We had some of our robots escort you here. The Maestro is eager to meet you.”
“The Maestro? Who’s that? Why… why me…?”
“You’ve heard them play the piano before, haven’t you?”
“… piano… you mean that was coming from here?”
“Yes. Not many can hear the Maestro play the piano, which is why they brought you here.”
“I don’t understand…”
“I assure you there’s nothing to be afraid of. Come, they’re waiting for you.”
Hoshi gestured for you to follow them, and you hesitantly took a step forward. You should have asked to leave, yet those words never came from your mouth. You were more curious about this Maestro and the piano you had heard. Many times when you told the others they had no idea what you were talking about, and this was proof you weren’t hearing things. So you followed Hoshi, wanting to know more. You came over to an elevator, stepping inside and seeing the button for seventeen light up. Hoshi merely smiled at you.
“You… you said not many can hear the piano… who else can hear it?”
“As far as we know, it’s just you and me.”
“You hear the piano too?”
“I’ve been the only one for a long time. It’s why the Maestro was so eager to meet you.”
“But how did you find me?”
“We have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“But down in the theater… what happened?”
“I assure you the Maestro will explain this all to you.”
When the elevator doors opened Hoshi gestured for you to step out, and then led you down another hall. You came to some double doors and then they opened on their own inviting you in. The room was grand, and quite empty, with no real furniture around, but what stood out was the piano. A gentleman was playing, the melody instantly captivating you. Your feet moved on their own, walking closer and closer to the piano, only stopping when the music did too. The gentleman stood up, greeting you with a smile.
“Hello, I’m the Maestro of the theater, but you may call me Woozi.”
“It’s… it’s a pleasure to meet you…”
“Likewise. I’ve been looking for someone like you for a long time.”
“Like me?”
“You’re very special my dear, come, would you like me to play for you?”
Woozi came over to you and took your hand, leading you over to the piano. He had you sit, taking a seat next to you. He let you run your fingers along the keys before he started playing. There was something incredible about hearing the music so up close and personal. Your body swayed from side to side a bit, watching his fingers work. Occasionally Woozi would glance your way, able to play without fully seeing the keys. You didn’t know how much time passed as you listened to the beautiful melody, but it was suddenly rudely interrupted.
A screeching, feedback loop, type sound snapped you out of your daze, causing you to place your hands over your ears. You screamed, doubling over and falling to the ground. Despite the pain you became aware of something else, feeling this small metal disc against your head, and ripping it off. The pain immediately began to subside, allowing you to breathe. Although you couldn’t say the same for the other. Woozi was still in pain, stumbling around but ultimately falling to his knees.
“Hoshi! Find Joshua, now!”
A moment later Woozi seemed to calm down, getting back on his feet. You on the other hand remained where you were, unsure of what had just happened. When Woozi noticed you he put on a smile and made his way over, although you crawled back and he stopped.
“You have nothing to be afraid of. Are you alright?”
“What just happened… who are you… what’s going on…?”
“Take it easy. I can explain everything.”
Woozi reached out his hand to help you up, but you were reluctant to take it. He seemed to understand and knelt down, grabbing the little disc off the floor. He examined it before reaching over to put it back on your head but you swatted his hand away.
“What are you doing?”
“Truth is, I need your help, y/n.”
“Me? For what?”
“To change the world, to save it.”
“What?”
“There’s no music out there, no passion, no joy… I want to change that.”
“How?”
“Maestro.”
Hoshi interrupted, seeming to have appeared from nowhere. Woozi gave you a smile and went over to the other.
“What happened?”
“Some intruders in the theater rushed the stage and broke Joshua’s wand. He’s stable now and is being taken to the medical floor. As for the intruders, they’ve been thrown out, and the theater is currently locked down.”
“Good. Keep an eye on the situation.”
Woozi dismissed Hoshi and turned his attention back towards you. Before you could say or do anything you heard the sounds of a piano, a recording that is. You began to feel at ease, the melody washing away your tension and worries. Woozi came to your side, placing the disc back on your head and you felt a little spark of electricity coarse through you. Then he helped you to your feet and brought you back over to the piano.
“As I was saying before, my music is special, able to reach a person in a way nothing else can.” The music stopped, giving you a moment to regain your senses. “But it can’t reach everyone, not yet that is.”
“What did you do to me…”
“It’s rather difficult to explain, but my musical composition is able to lull people into a sort of trance, like putting them under a spell. Although it doesn’t work on everyone.”
“I… I still don’t understand what this has to do with me…”
“The piano is one of my greatest instruments. Yet for the longest of time it seemed that no one could truly hear the melody besides Hoshi, then you came along. I need your help in understanding what it is that draws you in. Specifically your brain waves, and how they react to my music.”
“Then… the device on my head…” You slowly reached up to it. “It’s monitoring my brain waves?”
“Recording them, yes, with your help I’ll be able to share my music with the world.”
“But if you’re… putting people… under your control then-”
“I don’t have any ill intentions. I just want to bring music back to the world, to bring peace.”
“… what if I refuse to help…”
“I’ll be honest, you don’t have a choice. You won’t find a way out of this theater, and as you know my music can start playing at any moment. Many of the robots and robo-dogs have been modified with speakers. You can’t escape.”
“… oh…”
“I want your help willingly, but I won’t let you leave either.”
“I understand…”
“You don’t have to be mentally present if you don’t want to.”
“I’m sure things will be better if I am. I also want to know what’s truly going on.”
“Thank you.” Woozi took your hand and kissed it. “I’ll continue playing now.”
There was still a lot on your mind. You were worried about your friends, but Woozi made it very clear you were stuck here, at least for the time being. Of course all your concerns were washed away when the music started playing. You were helpless to resist, finding yourself on cloud nine while you listened, the time passing by without meaning. When you finally had a chance to regain your senses you found yourself alone at the piano. You could vaguely make out voices around you, but you were focusing on getting your head on straight.
“Dino is monitoring the situation.”
“Thank you, Hoshi.”
Once your head wasn’t spinning you got up, looking over to see Woozi by himself. You swore you heard Hoshi before, but it was just the two of you in the room.
“You back with us?” Woozi questioned. “How about a tour? The others would like to meet you.”
“Others?”
“I don’t do this alone.”
Woozi hooked his arm around yours and led you back the way you came, or at least that’s what you thought, there was no way to tell. You came to an elevator, Woozi hitting the button for the eighth floor. It was a quick trip and once you arrived Woozi led you down a hall. You came to a huge room full of monitors, seeing the outside world, some still images and others in motion. There was a gentleman at a desk, browsing through some of the screens, but upon hearing you two he stood up to greet you.
“Maestro, what brings you down here? I see you have a friend.”
“This is the girl I was telling you all about. Y/n this is Dino, our eyes and ears.”
“Ah, nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
“So you… like, run security here?”
“No, that would be Seungkwan. I keep an eye on things outside the theater. I was the one who found you, fascinated by a piano that no one else could hear. I’m quite jealous, I’ve always wanted to hear the Maestro’s music.”
“It doesn’t affect you?”
“Unfortunately not, but you’ll be able to change that.”
“You really think so?”
“I believe so.”
“Hoshi told me what you were up to earlier.” Woozi mentioned. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, although we might have some guests soon.”
“Prepare for them.”
“Will do.”
“Let’s go meet some of the others.” Woozi said. “Come now.”
You merely went up one more floor, to the ninth, coming to a much different area. There were parts and machinery all around, kinda like some workshop. Many robots were around as well, seeming to be working on different things. You were quite fascinated as this reminded you of home, and the mess of electronics Vernon always left lying around. There were two gentlemen in the room talking, but their conversation ceased when you two entered, both greeting Woozi.
“It’s nice to see you as well. This is y/n, our special guest, y/n, this is Seungcheol and Seungkwan.”
“Hello…”
“Seungcheol works with the robots we have here, and with Seungkwan, who is in charge of security here.”
“I… I think I saw Seungkwan earlier… at the theater.”
“Yes. I’m also the director. I hope you enjoyed the show.”
“I did. May I ask what goes on here? This is a shop, isn’t it?”
“It’s my shop.” Seungcheol explained. “I work on some robots, a bit of cosmetic work but mostly programming. I have an implant that connects me to the robots in our network which makes it easier to do my job.”
“So you build robots here? I thought only the government did that.”
“I don’t make them, just some modifications, but Seokmin does create some pretty unique robots. You’ll like his workshop.”
“Speaking of.” Woozi interrupted. “Why don’t we go see him.”
Another elevator trip, this time going up to the twelfth floor. Just as Seungcheol said, this place was another workshop, although there were far more robot pieces lying around. You thought maybe other robots would be around, but there were only a few. If you didn’t know any better you’d think the floor was abandoned, but Woozi led you through everything with purpose, knowing exactly where to go. It wasn’t long before you came across another person, another two. One was lying on a table, and the other at the side looking at a computer screen. Without saying anything the one at the computer stopped and looked back, smiling at Woozi.
“Maestro, what brings you here?”
Then the person lying on the table sat up, startling you a bit, but they quickly apologized. You assured them you were fine, and apologized yourself as you didn’t mean to intrude on whatever they were doing.
“So this must be the girl you mentioned before.”
“It is. Y/n, meet Seokmin, and Jun.”
“Hello…”
“You’re very pretty.” One commented. “I’m Seokmin, and this is my shop.”
“Yes, Seungcheol mentioned it to me, he said you build robots.”
“I do. The Maestro is kind enough to let my imagination run wild.”
“What do you make robots for?”
“No real reason at all, it’s just fun. Besides, my skill set is very helpful for Jun.”
“Jun? Why?”
“I have a few robotic parts myself.” Jun explained. “So that leaves Seokmin, and Seungcheol, as my doctors.”
“Oh, that’s interesting.”
“Just doing some routine maintenance now.”
“I never would have thought you were a cyborg.”
“My handsome face hides it well, right?”
“I worked on that face so I can take partial credit.” Seokmin joked. “I used myself as inspiration.”
“Oh shut up.”
“Since you two are busy, we’ll leave you then.” Woozi said. “Shall we.”
Everyone you had met so far was interesting, and it made you wonder how they all wound up here. Although now you were very curious about one in particular. So you decided to ask as you made your way to the next floor.
“May I ask something?”
“Hm?”
“What happened to Jun?”
“Peacekeepers. He stole something and they hunted him down, beat him to a pulp and left him for dead. It happened in my area, and I wasn’t just going to watch the boy die. My people brought him here and fixed him up. He had some severe wounds which required different treatment, with his consent of course.”
“So… those that are here… they know what you’re doing, right?”
“Of course.”
“And they’re okay with it? They’re on board?”
“Yes. They understand what I’m trying to do here and believe in my cause. They’re here to help me, and I appreciate them.”
“They’re here because they want to be, yet I can’t leave.”
Woozi chuckled. “You’re a special case.”
The doors opened and you arrived to the fifteenth floor, where you had originally woken up. It made you a bit nervous to be back here, but Woozi seemed calm as usual. Last time you were here it was quiet and felt abandoned, but now you could hear machines operating, and a few muffled voices here and there. It seemed that you were heading towards those voices as they got louder and louder. You came over to a group of people, seeing a gentleman lying in bed, two others at his side and Hoshi looking at the monitor.
“Maestro, you’re here.”
“How is he?”
“Stable and recovering.”
“And the rest of you?”
“Fine. Although we should be asking you. The sudden disruption-”
“I’m alright.”
“And her?”
All eyes suddenly turned to you, making you nervous. Although now that you had their attention you realized the gentleman dressed in black seemed familiar.
“I’m okay… but what… what are you talking about…?”
“I haven’t explained all that yet.” Woozi admitted. “We can do so now while you get examined.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You can have a seat over here.”
You were led over to one of the beds nearby, taking a seat and having Woozi remove that little chip on your head. While that happened the gentleman in black asked a question.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
“Ah, yes, it was lovely… uh… I hate to ask… but have we met before?”
“I would say so. I’m Jeonghan, I was the conductor for your show. This is Minghao, and our friend who is recovering is Joshua. You’ve met Hoshi, right?”
“I have. Then, are you all conductors?”
“We are.”
“So what happened to Joshua?”
“You felt it earlier.” Minghao commented. “That shrieking. Some bastard broke Joshua’s wand.”
“The conductor wand?”
“Yes. They’re much more than they seem.”
“But why would breaking that hurt him?”
“We’re all connected here.” Hoshi mentioned. “Through this neural network and the Maestro’s music. The conductor’s wand serves as a way to keep them connected, while also allowing them to access the true power of the music.”
“It’s more like it flows through us.” Jeonghan explained. “And we can manipulate it from there.”
“You mean control people.”
“One can do much more with lots of practice and patience.”
“Like what?”
“You’ll see.”
From what you could tell Woozi was downloading the contents from the chip, your brainwave readings. Your eyes lingered on Joshua as he laid in bed. You remembered the headache from before, so you couldn’t imagine what he had felt if he wound up unconscious. Although a moment later the boy jumped up from the bed, clearly panicked. The others held him down, hoping to keep him from hurting himself. Hoshi gently placed his hand behind Joshua’s head and the boy seemed to calm down.
“You’re alright.” Jeonghan assured. “The others are fixing your wand and Hoshi is keeping the connection stable.”
“Where are they…”
“Gone. So don’t worry about them.”
“They were looking for-”
“We know. You can say hello.”
“Huh?”
Jeonghan gestured over to you, and Joshua’s eyes followed, seeming to be surprised. He offered you a weak smile, trying to figure out some words.
“Hello… you doing okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Are you?”
“I’m fine. How do you feel though? How was the music?”
“Beautiful. It lingers in the back of my mind.”
“You should let me perform for you sometime.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
“I’ll give you a show as well.” Minghao added. “So look forward to that too.”
“Alright. I will.”
“The data looks promising.” Woozi stated. “Shall we move on to the next phase?”
“Next phase? What’s that?”
“It will be much easier to monitor you when you’re directly connected to our network.”
“Wait, you want to put something in my head? Like an-”
“It won’t hurt at all. Honestly you’ll be-”
“No, no I said I’d help you with this but-”
“This is part of it.”
“But… I…”
Minghao came over to your side and held out his wand. You stared at it confused, not sure what he was implying.
“Since you’re the Maestro’s special girl, you’ll be able to feel the power before you’re fully connected. Go on, grab it, tell me how you feel.”
You hesitantly grabbed the wand, not feeling anything at first and then it slowly began to hit. You felt this warmth starting to grow inside you, to spread and open up your senses. The melody in the back of your mind was starting to become clearer and you could remember its beauty. Perhaps this feeling was like getting high, and you couldn’t help but giggle. Although the feeling didn’t last long as Minghao took the wand back, quickly leaving you feeling cold.
“Wait-”
“Sorry, but since you’re not in our network it’s dangerous for you to hold a wand for too long. But I’ll tell you this, that feeling will only be better once you join us.”
“This is all really starting to sound like a cult…”
Minghao chuckled. “If you want to see it that way, but the Maestro is right, we need you.”
“And I can’t refuse…”
“Do you want to? Leave that is. Do you think you could walk away now? You’d probably still hear the Maestro’s music playing out in the streets. Could you resist the urge to come back?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“I do.” Jeonghan admitted. “I tried walking away, but you can see how that turned out.”
“What… what’s gonna happen to me?”
“Right now I need to administer a sedative.” Woozi explained. “You need to be in a relaxed state both physically and mentally before we can begin the procedure. Then you’ll just sleep. When you wake, well, I can’t really describe the sensation since it’s always been with me. Although I’m sure one of my conductors can.”
“It feels like truly waking up.” Joshua recounted. “You realize that you were never actually awake until that moment. Your senses are heightened, and you can feel this energy in the air. The feeling only grows stronger when there’s music and it creates this harmony within you. It might not be easy to understand the Maestro’s music or intentions, but once you reach this deeper level of connection it all makes sense. You feel bits of it now, and that’s what draws people to the theater. It’s what ultimately brought you here.”
“Oh…”
“May we begin?” Woozi asked. “Or do you need a moment?”
“No… you can start.”
Woozi gave you a smile and stepped over to a table near the bed. He grabbed a needle and vial, filling the needle. You watched intently, starting to feel a bit nervous. He asked for your arm, which you gave, watching as he stuck the needle in you and emptied out its contents. Afterwards he had you lay down, telling you that you’d feel the effects soon.
“I’ll go get Seokmin, I’ll return shortly.”
Minghao offered to go with Woozi, needing to talk to him about something. Jeonghan took over from there, attaching some patches and wires to you. Hoshi came to the other side, looking over the monitor. All this was making you more uneasy.
“Wait… wait-”
You reached over to grab Hoshi’s arm, only for your hand to go right through him like he was some sort of ghost. You looked up at him with wide eyes, glancing at your hand as if something would change.
“… you… you’re not real…”
“I am.” Hoshi assured with a smile. “I’m just not physically here.”
“… what… what happened?” You asked. “I… I’ve been curious about you… with everything Woozi said…”
“Hm. Shall I tell you a story while you drift off?”
“Okay…”
Hoshi glanced back at the monitors, making sure everything was alright. Then you noticed a chair roll over to your bedside, Hoshi taking a seat. You knew he wasn’t physically present but he was trying to seem as normal as possible.
“I’ve known the Maestro since we were kids, we grew up together. He always had an affinity for music, and we’d do our best to scavenge for instruments or parts to make our own. Neither of us realized at first, but when he played, he drew me in. This energy surrounded him, making it seem like the world wasn’t such a bad place. Eventually the Maestro became aware of how I’d get when he played, he was worried but I assured him I was fine and wanted to hear more. That’s when he started performing for others. Many who heard his music had a smile on their face, and the world seemed like a better place. I believe he would have been content just playing on the streets for random strangers, but you know the city. One day peacekeepers came, and I couldn’t let the Maestro get hurt. I told him to run and I took the fall.”
“I was hurt badly and left for dead. When the Maestro found me again he feared he would lose me. Everything was hazy, but somehow the Maestro got help, and that’s how he met Seokmin. They stabilized me, but I wasn’t exactly conscious. I wasn’t very responsive, but apparently I still reacted to the Maestro’s music. It gave him hope, and so they tried something else to help me. The Maestro met Seokmin’s friends, Seungcheol and Dino, and they put something in my head, letting me project my consciousness outside my body. The guys did a bit of adjustments and here I am.”
Despite everything you had been told you couldn’t help but reach up, wanting to touch Hoshi’s face, but once again your hand just went through him. Hoshi chuckled, giving you an amused look.
“Sorry.”
“… where… where is your body?”
“Somewhere in this building.”
“… are you okay?”
“Yeah. It’s been a while but I’m making progress. I’ll be up on my feet soon.”
“Woozi really cares about you…”
“He does.”
“Because… your situation… is that why he needs me?”
“Yes. Although I know you would have come here eventually. The music is so beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…”
“You should close your eyes and sleep. I’ll have a surprise for you when you wake up.”
A small smile appeared on your lips, and you gave a little nod. It was already a bit of a struggle to stay awake, so you closed your eyes and let yourself sink into the darkness. You were still nervous, not knowing what would happen, but by now it was far too late to object.
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“If I agree… do I get to see y/n?”
“That could be arranged.”
“Fine. I’ll see what’s going on with your cult.”
“Not a cult but-”
Seungcheol groaned and grabbed his head, falling to his knees. Jun also screamed and fell back on the table, thrashing around a bit. Even the other two seemed to be suffering from some sudden headache. Vernon was left unaffected, and he had seen this scene before, back at the theater. Although he had no idea what was going on. He thought to use this chance to get out of his restraints and try to escape, but Dino wasn’t affected as badly, so he knocked Vernon down to the ground. A moment later it seemed the headaches had passed, and they were all recovering.
“I should probably go check on our guest after this.” Seokmin commented. “Take care of Jun.”
“Yeah. We’ll follow shortly.” Seungcheol assured.
“Wait, guest?” Vernon questioned. “You mean y/n?”
“Maybe.”
Seungcheol checked in on Jun, seeing the boy was just catching his breath. He looked over his vitals again, assuring the boy he was fine. They all were.
“What happened to you all just now?”
“It’s complicated, but we’re fine.”
“Are you? I saw this before with Joshua, the conductor, when his wand broke. Why the hell does that hurt, why does it hurt all of you?”
“We’re connected.” Seungcheol admitted. “And you’ve been interfering with it, but if you’re truly on our side, you won’t be a problem anymore. I can’t say the same for your friend.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ll see.”
Vernon was still uncertain about everything, but he knew he had to go along with this to see you. By now his own personal curiosity had also taken hold and he wanted to know what was really going on in this theater.
“Our presence is requested at the theater. Let’s go.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
Wonwoo felt the pull of the wand, but despite Joshua holding it out for him, he was not allowed to touch it. There was some disappointment, but he wasn’t going to voice that. He had made his choice, and he wanted to see what came of it. Joshua smiled, glad by his decision and then led the way further into the lab. Wonwoo followed, not sure if he should speak, although he soon rushed past his guide. He came to another room lined with beds and noticed one was occupied, seeing you. He ran over to the bedside, taking your hand and calling your name, but there was no response.
“What did you do to her!”
“She’s fine. She’s merely resting after the procedure.”
“What procedure? What are you talking about?”
“She chose to join us, and thus became part of our connection. It’s a painless procedure. One you’d surely participate in if you’re serious about your choice.”
“When will she wake?”
“Soon. Hoshi should be by momentarily to check on her.”
“Who?”
“You’ve seen him before.”
Wonwoo still didn’t really understand, but you were the bigger concern. He was mostly glad to have found you again, although this wasn’t the state he was hoping to see you in. A moment later he saw someone else approach the bed. He looked up to see another boy at your side, white hair, looking at the screens, and very familiar to Wonwoo.
“It’s you…”
“Hello. You won’t attack Joshua again, will you?”
“No… no… but you… how… how is she?”
“Stable. She took everything well, and should wake soon.”
“Are… are you the Maestro?”
“No, but I’m flattered. My name is Hoshi, and I’m the internal conductor.”
“Internal conductor?”
“The Maestro has a multitude of conductors to spread their music, but I do not leave the theater, and I keep everyone connected. I’m actually very glad to properly meet you. I have a proposal for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes. You have a strong connection to the Maestro’s music. You felt it during the show, moreso when you held Joshua’s wand. You have the potential to be a conductor, and your ideal physical state would make you a great one.”
“You want me to be a conductor?”
“You’ll come to truly understand what we do here, and wield power unlike anything you could imagine.”
“And why would I accept? You kidnapped my friend, and hurt the others.”
“I saw your little trio trespassing into the theater. We could have thrown you out, but we didn’t. In fact you would have come back on your own, the pull of the Maestro’s music is very strong. You came all the way here. Do you really think you can walk away now?”
“You-”
Wonwoo’s words were cut short as he heard a groan, looking over to see you moving and whimpering. He was excited to see you waking up, holding your hand tightly.
“Y/n, it’s me, can you hear me?”
It took a moment for your eyes to adjust to the light, but you thought you were dreaming when you saw Wonwoo. His familiar smile made you feel warm, and then you felt his hand, realizing this wasn’t a dream.
“Wonwoo… how…?”
“Hey, how are you feeling? Are you alright?”
“I… I’m fine… but… when did you… get here?”
“Your friends came looking for you.” Hoshi stated. “And I wanted to speak with Wonwoo.”
“Oh… is everything okay?”
“You tell me. How do you really feel?”
“I…”
Your senses were starting to come back to you, but it was certainly different this time. You could feel this energy in the air, but more importantly you could sense others. Joshua had this glow around him, as did Hoshi, but Wonwoo didn’t. You could sense the presence of the two, and then had a feeling in the back of your head of others close by. As you were lost in thought you saw Hoshi reach over to caress your cheek, and to your surprise you felt the warmth of his touch. You looked at him with wide eyes, reaching over to take his hand in yours. It didn’t feel like Wonwoo’s hand, but different. Almost like a ghost, just on the edge of physicality, like the flow of water or a cool breeze.
“How…?”
“You’re part of our network now, you’re connected to the rest of us so my essence is that much stronger for you to pick up on. Strong enough to be physical, even if just a bit.”
“It’s incredible.”
Wonwoo had been quietly watching the whole time, not really liking the situation. He reached over to move Hoshi’s hand, but he couldn’t touch the boy. His hand passed right through the other, confusing him as you appeared to be able to make contact.
“What is this…”
“Power.” You mumbled. “It’s in the air and everywhere. Only when you’re connected does it manifest into something more. Like the music. When you really listen to it, you open your eyes to a whole other world.”
“Very poetic.” Hoshi chuckled. “You’re very good with words.”
“I guess… but what did you want to talk to Wonwoo about?”
“The Maestro would like for him to be a conductor.”
“Really?”
“He has great potential.”
“That’s incredible Wonwoo.”
“I don’t know what any of this means, y/n.” Wonwoo reminded. “I only came here looking for you.”
“I’m sorry… I really wouldn’t have wanted to worry you, but things were out of my hands.”
“I’m sure they were, but we should get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving Wonwoo, I can’t.”
“What do you mean? What did they say to you?”
“They just told me about the Maestro, and what he’s doing. I want to help him.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Not truly, not yet, but I’ve seen enough to know that I want to help. There’s this energy, this warmth inside of me because of the Maestro and I know the world would be a better place if everyone could experience this. They’re not evil, Wonwoo. You should stay too actually. The things we could do.”
“I’m not so sure I understand what they’re talking about.”
“All the more reason to stay and find out. Together we-”
Your words were cut off as a searing pain overtook you. Wonwoo could only watch as you suddenly began to scream and thrash. He tried holding you down, hearing similar cries of anguish from Joshua. The boy had collapsed to the ground. Hoshi wasn’t as affected, seeming more irritated than anything else.
“What’s happening!?” Wonwoo yelled. “What did you do!?”
“It’s your friend who did this!”
Hoshi seemed to glitch out of existence, leaving Wonwoo alone to worry about you. He didn’t know what to do in order to help you, but the pain didn’t last too long. After a moment you seemed to calm down, although you were whimpering and seemed very out of it. Joshua stumbled to his feet, not in a good condition himself, but he was worried about you. He looked over at the machines, making sure all the readings were well.
“What happened?” Wonwoo asked again. “What was that?”
“Your friend broke another wand.”
“I don’t understand, will y/n be okay?”
“Yes. I’m sure Seokmin and Hoshi will be here any moment now.”
“Why are you on your feet?!”
Another boy suddenly came rushing into the room. He grabbed Joshua and sat him down on the nearest bed, getting him to lie down.
“I’m fine, Seokmin.”
“Sure you are. Not like you’re still recovering from the last incident.”
“I was checking on y/n.”
“I’ll do that, you just relax.”
Seokmin went over to the monitors, completely ignoring the other. A while later another rather familiar face showed up. The director, Seungkwan, came up, and Seokmin told him to look over Joshua. Wonwoo stayed quiet and watched Seokmin like a hawk, remaining silent until a needle was pulled out.
“What’s that for?”
“A minor sedative. She’s gonna need it in order to stabilize.”
“Where’s Hoshi?”
“Dealing with Minghao. I’m sure he’ll be back momentarily.”
“Are you sure she’ll be okay?”
“Have a little faith.”
It was good to see you at ease with the sedative. You weren’t unconscious, but you certainly weren’t all there. Wonwoo was glad to keep you company, listening to you tell him about the theater and the Maestro. He wasn’t sure if any of it was real, or just propaganda you had been fed. Still, he just wanted to make sure you were alright. Although you were asking him to stay, to take on the roll he had been offered, but it wasn’t that simple.
“You know Vernon and Mingyu are here too. We got separated and-”
“Vernon is with the others down on the ninth floor.” Seokmin interrupted. “As for Mingyu, who do you think is causing all this?”
“Oh…”
“He’s made it far enough.” Seungkwan added. “Jeonghan will deal with him.”
“Jeonghan?” You questioned. “What is he gonna do?”
“Nothing bad, I promise.”
“Let me talk to him. I can reason with Mingyu. He’s only here and causing trouble because he’s looking for me. Please.”
“Y/n.”
“I don’t want to be the reason something bad happens to anyone.”
“Let her.” Joshua cut in. “It would benefit all of us.”
“Fine. I’ll have the others gather around as well.”
“Where are you going?” Wonwoo asked. “Because I’m going with you.”
“To the grand theater on the thirteenth floor.”
♩. ♩. ♩. ♩. ♩ ♪ ♩ ♪ 𝅗𝅥.
“Put me down!” Mingyu screamed. “Now!”
“Why would I do that? You’ve been nothing but trouble.”
“You must be the Maestro then.”
“I’m honored, but no. My name is Jeonghan, the lead conductor. You should have stayed out, but you don’t seem all that bright. Since you didn’t learn from your past mistakes, I suppose it’s only fair to teach you properly.”
Jeonghan got into place, as if he was performing, but there was no audience, and no orchestra. He didn’t need that.
“I’ve always wanted to perform this piece. I hope you like it.”
Jeonghan took a breath and closed his eyes, beginning his performance. It seemed rather funny at first, to see him leading the air, but then Mingyu began to hear it. A slow and steady rhythm slowly becoming audible. Mingyu had an idea as to where this was going, but before he could get the mask back on it was ripped from his hands and fell off stage into darkness. In a matter of seconds the music was loud and clear, but it wasn’t this shrieking sound. Instead it felt like this pressure in his head. Mingyu screamed, there was nothing he could do to make this pain go away. The pressure was gradually increasing so it was only a matter of time before he passed out. He had to do something.
With the bits of conscious thought he had left he tried to come up with a plan. Jeonghan was engrossed in his performance, eyes closed and moving with such fluidity. The only thing Mingyu had was the stun baton. He had one shot to use it, and if he failed it’d be all over. He focused on his plan, getting the baton and figuring out how to throw it before electrifying it. The task was complicated, but he didn’t have much time, so he took his shot. He aimed for the chest and electrified the baton, throwing it with all the strength he had. The pain grew worse so he couldn’t see the outcome, but hearing a scream and falling to the floor was answer enough.
Mingyu groaned from the impact, but he forced himself up. He stumbled as his body was aching and he had yet to properly regain his senses. Still he managed to get to Jeonghan, ripping the wand from his hand. Although before he could do anything Jeonghan had gotten the stun baton and hit Mingyu with it. Now the two were down and recovering from being electrocuted. The wand fell from Mingyu’s hand and rolled away, at least it couldn’t be used against him for the moment. Since Jeonghan had been hit first, he recovered before Mingyu, managing to get back on his feet. He held his hand out and Mingyu watched as the wand returned to him.
“Clever. Maybe you’re not all that dumb, but your game ends here.”
Jeonghan walked over to Mingyu, staring down at him before placing a foot on his chest. He put pressure and watched as Mingyu squirmed, attempting to get him off. When he managed to get some movement he used it to get out from under Jeonghan, rolling away and getting onto one knee. Before he did anything else he heard another voice and looked over to see that at the other end of the stage there was a boy with white hair, and a glowing wand in his hand. The same boy he had seen before.
“Enough.”
“I had this under control.” Jeonghan stated. “I didn’t require assistance.”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“You must be the Maestro.” Mingyu breathed out. “What took you so long?”
“I’m not the Maestro, but I was sent here on their behalf. You’re not worth their time, but we’ve all had enough of you hurting us. Jeonghan.”
“I know.”
Before Mingyu realized it he was back in the air again, although not so high off the ground this time. The white haired boy walked over to him, glaring.
“Hoshi, stop!”
Despite your state you rushed onto the stage and grabbed Hoshi. Your hand slipped through him a bit, but he still moved because of your touch. His gaze shifted to you and softened. He wouldn’t act for now, you trusted that. Wonwoo stayed behind with Seungkwan, watching.
“Y/n, are you okay!?” Mingyu asked. “Did they hurt you!?”
“I’m fine. Can you put him down?” You asked Jeonghan. “Please.”
“I don’t believe that’s a good idea.”
“Jeonghan.”
“Do it.” Hoshi said. “We outnumber him anyway.”
Mingyu was gently let down, and as soon as his feet hit the ground he stepped towards you and pulled you into a hug. You were a bit amused by his actions, but didn’t mind. You hugged him back, assuring him you were alright.
“Everything’s okay. I’m sorry I made you worry.”
“I know it’s not your fault. I’m just glad you’re okay. Let’s go now.”
Mingyu took your hand and started pulling you along to step off the stage but Jeonghan got in his way.
“You’re not leaving.”
“Get out of my way.”
“Mingyu, please don’t fight. Look, I don’t want to leave this place, I’m not going to leave.”
“What?”
“I know things didn’t go so well at first, but they’re not bad people.”
“They kidnapped you.”
“Not really. I came here because of the piano, because of the Maestro, and-”
“I know what their music does to people, and it’s clear you’ve been affected.”
“It’s more complicated than that.” Wonwoo cut in. “She’s made it very clear she’s not gonna leave.”
“So then you’re gonna stay with her? We were attacked by peacekeepers and robots, not to mention Vernon is still missing.”
“Not anymore.”
Wonwoo gestured out to the crowd as he saw the doors open. Vernon and a few others entered the theater. As soon as Vernon saw you he ran up to the stage, no longer restrained in any way. He came to you and embraced you in a hug. The trio that escorted him up remained out in the aisles, watching.
“They didn’t hurt you or anything, right?”
“No, not at all.”
“Good. So we can leave now?”
“Apparently not.” Mingyu stated. “She doesn’t want to leave. The music has gotten to her head.”
“Y/n, this place-”
“I’m not brainwashed or anything! Woozi told me what he’s doing here, and what I can do to help. So I’m not leaving. I’ve already explained some things to Wonwoo. You don’t have to leave either, you guys can help too.”
“I’ve already heard the story.” Vernon mentioned. “I’m not sure I’m on board. Being involved with a revolution, we’re practically signing our death certificates.”
“A revolution?” Mingyu questioned. “Is that what these nutjobs think they’re doing?”
“They’re not crazy.” You countered. “I know what they’re doing, and I know it’s gonna work. Woozi just needs my help so his music can reach everyone, including you guys.”
“I’m not gonna leave you here to be a pawn in their game. If they want to start a revolution, they can try, but none of us are taking part in it. Wonwoo, tell her this is crazy.”
“I don’t know…”
“So they got to you too. Vernon?”
“They’re kinda scary with the tech they got here…”
Mingyu scoffed. “I cannot believe you two. Are you seriously considering this?”
“I’m not so sure we have much of a choice anymore…”
“Then I’ll leave on my own.”
It really felt like this whole thing was all for nothing, but Mingyu wasn’t going to stay where he wasn’t wanted. Although Jeonghan stayed where he was.
“Move.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Jeonghan, just let him go.” You said. “I’m not gonna make anyone stay.”
“That’s not your decision to make.”
“What?”
“The Maestro has no intention of letting any of you leave.”
Mingyu was suddenly up in the air again, Vernon as well. You glared at Jeonghan but he merely shook his head at you. This wasn’t his doing, but the Maestro’s.
“This is not what the theater is for.”
You looked back to see Woozi walking towards center stage, Minghao, Joshua, and Seungkwan at his side. Everyone was present now.
“Minghao, are you alright?” You asked. “A moment ago-”
“After the earlier incident we’ve created contingencies.” Minghao explained. “Much faster recovery time. Are you alright though?”
“Better now.”
“You should be resting.” Woozi stated. “Not down here.”
“I wanted to talk to my friends. Make them see reason.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“So it’s you then.” Mingyu cut in. “You’re the Maestro.”
“Yes, I’m the Maestro, and you’ve been trespassing.”
“I’m more than happy to leave now.”
“I’m sure you are, but that is no longer an option. You forfeit that when you set foot in my theater.”
“Look, I want nothing to do with your little revolution thing, so I’ll keep my mouth shut. You don’t have to worry.”
“But I do.”
Woozi brought Mingyu closer to him, bringing the peacekeeper mask to his hands as well. He examined it with an amused grin and then looked up at Mingyu.
“You went through a lot of trouble just to see me and now you want to leave. Kinda disappointing. If you want to play dress up though, how about I make it real. Why don’t you become one of my peacekeepers.”
“What?”
“I’m always in need of more peacekeepers. My music can only reach so many at the moment, but someone like you could lead them. You could actually embody the name they carry.”
Mingyu scoffed. “Are you seriously offering me a position when I already said I want nothing to do with you?”
“Your words are surely disappointing y/n, but I’m not asking. I know you’ll truly come around eventually. Same for Vernon.”
“What the hell are you talking about!?”
“Y/n cares about you. The last thing I want is for her to be upset.”
“Wait, Woozi, I don’t-”
“Hoshi.”
“Yes, Maestro.”
Hoshi came up behind you, placing a hand against your face. Your eyes went wide and your vision went dark. You felt this sudden warmth spread through you, calming your nerves and pulling your consciousness under into tranquility. Your eyes glazed over, starting to glow just as a few glowing veins spread around from where Hoshi’s hand made contact with you. His own eyes were glowing, completely engulfed in white.
“What the hell are you doing!?”
“Silence.”
One moment everything was normal, and then Woozi’s eyes were glowing, and the same had happened to the others. The conductors moved to the edges of the stage, silent and without emotion. Then they began moving in unison, performing a silent melody. Wonwoo felt a change in the air, something moving through the empty space, partially making him dizzy. He stumbled and took a step back, shaking his head to stay awake. Although he soon noticed Mingyu and Vernon were passed out, and dropped on the floor. The others had come to the stage, grabbing the two and removing them.
Wonwoo took a step forward, wanting to stop them, but that seemed difficult at the moment. He couldn’t reach either of his friends, and you were clearly unavailable as well. All he could do was watch, not understanding what was happening, but still being hit with this energy and staying put. Then Woozi glanced over at him, a smirk appearing on his face and walking over to the boy.
“That leaves you.”
Now Wonwoo knew he was stuck in place, those glowing eyes sending a chill down his spine. Everything in this theater had been strange from the beginning, but this was starting to let him know just how dangerous it was to be here.
“You can’t fully hear my lullaby, but you can feel it, can’t you? Only those outside my network will be affected, but you are dancing the line.” Everyone spoke as one, following the Maestro’s lead. “You don’t have to worry about y/n. I don’t want her to remember any of this and I have the means to guarantee that. So it’s just you and me now.”
Just as Woozi said that he snapped his fingers, everyone else disappearing. Now it really was just the two of them but Wonwoo could still feel the energy in the air, feel this melody in the back of his head. The others weren’t really gone, just invisible to him now. He knew that for sure as Woozi’s voice continued to boom with the echo of everyone else speaking with him.
“… what… what do you want…”
“The answer is very simple.”
Woozi held his hand out, a wand manifesting out of nowhere, glowing brightly. It was just like the one Hoshi had. Woozi seemed to examine it for a moment before holding it out to Wonwoo.
“I could use a conductor such as yourself. Someone who will be much better at guiding y/n due to a personal connection. You are free to refuse, but not many can, not an offer like this.”
“Why ask if you seem to know the answer… did I ever really have a choice? Did anyone here?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Woozi chuckled, his laughter echoing in the theater. “Does it?”
“… no…”
Wonwoo reached out to grab the wand. It wasn’t like before, this energy felt stronger, and it hit him like a crashing wave. Everything around him seemed to stabilize, and those that had disappeared were back in view. The glow of the wand traveled down to his arm like veins, and he could feel them digging deep and planting roots within him. This sensation was only growing stronger, and he knew at that moment he’d never let it go.
“What do I do now?”
“Follow the Maestro’s lead.”
#seventeen#scoups#jeonghan#joshua#jun#hoshi#wonwoo#woozi#dk#mingyu#the8#seungkwan#vernon#dino#choi seungcheol#yoon jeonghan#joshua hong#wen junhui#kwan soonyoung#jeon wonwoo#lee jihoon#lee seokmin#kim mingyu#xu minghao#boo seungkwan#hansol vernon chwe#lee chan#svt#seventeen au#svt au
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We gotta start accurately calling Sly Cooper a low fantasy universe at some point. It’s retrospectively wild how much supernatural shit is going on in front of your face that you don’t think about because it’s like… nothing to the characters that it’s happening to. People who have never played Sly Cooper have no clue how nonchalantly it grinds this rail between just “real world noire but furries” and straight up DC superpowers stuff.
• The surprising amount of undead, in hindsight
Black magic is just, you know, a thing…. and outside of when it’s the weapon of choice of the villain of the week, it’s not even really brought up. Tsao was building an army of honest to god vampires and Mz.Ruby has been fraternizing with homemade ghouls since she was a child. A second-game side quest involves descetrating a tomb, kidnapping a bunch of restless ghosts, and then unleashing them on the cops for a good prank. For Pete’s sake, Clockwerk, biggest bad of the franchise, is basically an eldritch machine possessed by the vengeful spirit of someone who became too petty and angry to die.
• There are people born with innate superpowers
So, there is no debate going on with the deal about Cooper abilities and this point, right? Sure, the Theivious Raccoonus has a lot of good pointers any thief worth their salt could gain from, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say somethings along the lines of gliding down lasers or turning invisible on command are a bit out of most readers’ capabilities. The 1st game’s humor in explaining off gameplay mechanics as in-universe phenomena had the unintended consequence of establishing that the Cooper clan members literally have a criminally inclined sort of spidey sense- literally hallucinating glowing auras and blue sparkles around anything both valuable and not nailed down. I think I also awkward appreciated the parallel to be spotted between the Cooper honer code and the self imposed limitations other media supers live by. That idea of “you have the gift of amazing power and you will choose to use it responsibly”, all the better here for the ways in which the clan’s premise subverts classic hero/villain dynamics.
• Ancient techniques of sorcery
run right alongside conventional weaponry
Some supers are born in this world, a lot of them are made. As if anyone with the time to practice and learn can just pick it up like karate. Religion has to be crazy in Sly Cooper considering there’s entire spiritualisms given demonstrable and epic power in what their followers are capable of. Murray literally can do some degree of magic from the third game and onward and there’s no telling what else he learned over the course of his Dreamtime training. Anyone with the wits and resources of the Contessa can figure out how to toy around with freaking mind controlling dark arts. Don’t get me started again on the whole “army of undead” thing which gets even weirder by the implication that the world does nothing to regulate these kind of abilities UP AND UNTIL the user starts to roleplay a cocky little warlord with their zombie friends. And Flame Fu is right there. A lot of what the panda king can do is closer to Bentley’s realm- very complicated and meticulous works of pyrotechnics, but Flame Fu is a whole something else that belongs in this discussion.
• Magical items and mythical beasts
The Mask of Dark Earth, the guru’s special stone, an entire kraken, a whole laundry list of things in The Contessa’s possession, an enormous swamp serpent, haunted trees, whatever the hell kind of ring Dimitri was wearing in the second game, a giant stone dragon statue that turns out to be AN ACTUAL FREAKING DRAGON in dormancy, a supercharged ancient bamboo forest, potentially the Cooper cane itself, and the not-to-be-overlooked every single piece of Clockwerk’s cursed body. I know I’m probably forgetting something because that was just off the cuff. It’s kind of wild that most of what we watch the Coopers focus on stealing can be stuff like museum paintings in a world where magic flying carpets are confirmed to exist. The hell. Why was I ever mocking the pirates in Bloodbath Bay for their paranoia and superstition?? Best part was always that basically none of it phased the resident smarty pants nerd character like it usually would anyone who fills that trope. Because of magic is just an accepted and normalized thing in the world, why WOULD Bentley talk about it any different than he would the history of lumberjacks or combustion physics? Instead of conflicting against his understanding of science, it just tacks onto it as more additional info, you know… the way it would if magic was just another set of rules to study and understand.
#sly cooper#sly cooper analysis#sly cooper and the thievius raccoonus#sly 2 band of thieves#sly 3 honor among thieves#scarlet talks about things
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If Charles and Edwin weren't ghosts what other supernatural creatures do you think they'd be
I think Charles would either be a werewolf or a vampire and I think Edwin would be a siren because he managed to seduce four men without even trying
Sorry for taking time to respond, I debated on answering that.
Using this ask to answer this question myself.
I personally don't agree. Edwin is more than his sexuality for me. Personally it feels reductive to me just perceived his character all about his sexuality like that, George said so himself Edwin's journey was so much more than just sexual awakening they were careful writing Edwin they wanted to show it's so much more than just the sexual part.
I personally think it would way funnier if he will be just some random fantasy creature with accidental powers of attraction, and he has no idea how that's happening. Or just like in the show randomly attracting creatures without any actual reason and has no idea how this shit keeps happening to him everyone are sure he's a siren or that he has seductive powers but he's just some random guy.
Regarding to what he would be, I want to call him a fairy for funsies but as a serious answer I would say he would be an elf. Not sure if they have elves but they have fairies and all sort of other fantasy magical creatures so far so why not.
Regarding to Charles, sorry I'm a bit uncomfortable with your answer as well. I feel like making the poc character a creature known for animalistic feral behaviour is stereotypical and harmful to brown people. Jayden is part black, making the black character/actor of the group the animalistic creature makes me feel uneasy, it's a bit problematic. Especially that it's European folklore, if anything animalistic he would be something from Indian or Jamaican folklore.
And I don't feel like those creatures are a good choice for him anyway. Werewolves and vampires are often known for being feral and intense and hard to control, but I don't feel like it's Charles. To me it feels like saying Charles is just his strong emotions and intense behaviour that are directly caused by his trauma. He was obviously at his darkest point when he beat the Night Nurse (and he justifiedly did so), but that's not necessarily his true self. He's so much more than just his trauma and I don't want to reduce him to behaviour that happened at his lowest point.
Charles doesn't have anger issues or intense behaviour, he's just traumatized kid and he let's his emotions out.
I know, in society that teaches boys to repress any emotional vulnerability it's a real shocker. But Charles is really just a sweet broken boy in my eyes. He's a very gentle and loving person.
Even though wolves are protective, they're still very possessive and known for being feral, rough, aggressive. I don't feel like it's Charles he's not that wild.
Honestly, I don't know what he would be. A fairy possibly? A nephilim (descendant of angels or something angelic whatsoever)? Maybe a dream? Like one of the dreams from Dream of the Endless realm. And then going rouge with Edwin. Maybe also an elf? He could be a lot of stuff.
Anyway yeah, sorry about that, I just had a lot of thoughts about that subject I wanted to express.
Of course anyone can have any opinion they want, unless it's directly harmful there's no right and wrong in holding opinions, I just explained why personally I feel a bit uncomfortable agreeing with those choices and I hc other stuff instead myself. It's all just personal opinions, how I perceive the characters myself since you sent me that ask probably asking for my opinion. Hope that helps!
Edit: damn I didn't notice how long it turned out sorry about that.
#dead boy detectives#dead boy detectives asks#dead boy detectives answers#charles rowland#dead boy detectives agency#the dead boy detectives#charles dead boy detectives#edwin payne#edwin and charles#edwin dead boy detectives#dbda#dbda asks
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Vampire Eddie Munson x Reader 🦇
Lil fic I wrote last night, will maybe turn this I to a full fic, idk.
Eddie adjusts to being a vampire, he also finds a rarity in the supernatural world. His soulmate. You.
Minors dni. 18+, implied smut. Soulmate au
I don't give anyone permission to copy, reuse or repost my work
❤️
Eddie tries to adjust to being a vampire as well as he can. The ability to turn into a bat isn't something he is jumping for joy about.
The little fuckers were the reason he was a vampire in the first place.
The fact he can't go out during the day takes effort in getting used to, no Hellfire or Band practice, sitting in a darkened room until the sun went down wasn't something he could just snap into.
The worst part of all was the cravings for blood, the first few weeks when he woke in that private government hospital, his throat parched and his insides aching with hunger he nearly tore the room apart to satisfy his cravings for blood.
The fact he was a vampire terrified him, at first he couldn't wrap his head around it. This was stuff of stories right?
Bad enough fucking one-dimensional monsters exist but vampires? It blew his mind.
Slowly through the help of blood bags he gained control over his cravings. Well, the use of blood bags and the ability to take blood from humans occasionally.
He'd use his power to make the humans dazed during the feeding, then forget straight after.
It wasn't exactly easy to explain to his friends and Uncle Wayne or Jim Hopper how he curbed his cravings.
They were having time adjusting to him being like this too. Not so much his little sheeples but Jeff and Gareth, they didn't understand why he could only see them at night.
One of the people who did understand was you and on a particular night, a rare night when his cravings were a little intense you had offered some of your blood to keep the bloodlust down.
Eddie had heard about vampires finding blood that tasted unlike any other, of vampires bonding with those they fed from.
It was a rarity but it happened. Eddie had been a vampire for a while now and hadent felt any of that yet.
Until he tasted your blood, until your hands tangled in his hair and little moans left your mouth.
It felt like he was in Nirvana or some shit, everything felt heightened, your body flush against him sent waves of pleasure coursing through him.
It was erotic and intense and Eddie found himself craving not only your blood but you.
He wanted to kiss and taste every inch of you
The first time your desire for each other over whelmed the both of you, Eddie had never came so hard his life, the way you clenched around him, sending spasms of pleasure through his cock.
The first time Eddie came, his eyes turned black and he sunk his teeth into your throat. You almost blacked out from how good the orgasm felt, how he was buried inside you balls deep and high on the taste of you.
It was just sex you both told yourself, sex and blood for Eddie... Yet Eddie grew protective over you, your feelings grew deeper.
The bond between you two deepened in a lot of ways, you could communicate telepathically.
Your emotions became intuned with each other, Eddie hated anybody hurting you or causing you upset.
Hated when others looked at you like you were a piece of meat, like they deserved to be in your presence. You were his and he had no problem with using his intimidating reputation to scare assholes away from you.
Well that and a flash of his fangs helped too ;)
You were his and he didn't like to share.
A vampire in love, it was poetic or some shit wasn't it? A rare twist of fate according to the research that Nancy did.
You were his mate, his soulmate and he was yours and he had no intention of ever letting you go.
💕
#eddie munson x you#eddie munson smut#eddie munson soulmate au#vampire eddie x reader#vampire eddie munson
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Dp x Dc prompt
This is an old thought that I had shared with @stealingyourbones awhile back, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately so consider this:
Steph technically didn't fake her death. At least not all the way. She did code on Doc Thompson's table, but in a twist of events the good doc got her hands on vial of green goop with revitalizing properties that, up until this point she's been testing out on small wounds. Desperate to not lose another kid to Bruce's crusade, and with nothing else working, the Doc takes the vial and injects it into Stephanie.
Girl Wonder is revived, with a few ghostly perks in tow.
Now to expand on this: At this point, it would be likely that she isn't aware of the Lazarus Pits; Bruce withholding information? It's more likely than you think, and two can play that game, ergo why she resorts to testing it on her own rather than handing it over and letting him deal with the glowing mystery goop. But then that begs the question of how did the good Doc get her hands on this stuff? Was it a gift from a rather odd ghostly stranger? Was it something she slipped off of a kooky scientist couple after overhearing a discussion about its properties? Maybe it was part of a medical trial run presented to her through DalvCo— Dealer's choice.
And then there's Steph, freshly revived, healing faster than anyone she's ever personally tended to. And she's glowing. Phasing through objects. Parts of her are turning invisible. She's even levitating in her sleep! (Talk about a heart attack walking in on that one.)
Doc Thompson was already going to convince Stephanie to go underground once she was stabilized, as part of her plan to drive a point home to Bruce, but now it's become a must with all of these new, supernatural powers coming to the forefront. And for once, Stephanie doesn't put up an argument. As much as she wants to stick around and get back into the swing of things, those few minutes where she was actually dead have put a new perspective on life for her. And now she's got powers coming in? Yeah, she needs to get that shit figured out before jumping back into the scene.
Steph's not familiar with a lot of her extended family, has barely ever stepped foot out of Gotham over the course of her life. But she sorta remembers her cousin, Star, from this middle of nowhere city out in Illinois. It's not much of a plan, but it'll be a place to stay off the radar for awhile and practice getting her new powers under her control.
Now imagine her surprise when she finds she has a lot more in common with some of the residents than she could have ever expected....
#halfa!stephanie let's GOOOOOOO#dpxdc#dpxdc crossover#dpxdc prompt#dcxdp#dcxdp crossover#dcxdp prompt
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🩸 A Steddie Big Bang Fic 🌙
Chapter 1
story by: @patchworkgargoyle || art to come by: @mcdadarts || playlist to come by: @steves-strapcollection Rating: E || Words: 3.9k || CW: graphic depictions of violence, blood drinking || Full tag list on ao3! || Posting: weekly Fic title from Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio AAAAA HERE WE GO, FOLKS!! Chapters 1 & 2 are here!!
Steve could hear it already, the pop music blasting too loud to be healthy for anyone’s ears, let alone his and Robin’s. He let out a contained sigh.
“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, you grump, you know we should,” Robin said, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Into the fray?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly.
Jaw muscles clenching and relaxing, he rolled his eyes and said, “Fine.”
The Bimmer’s doors shut behind them with finality as they walked up the long driveway of Penny Brady’s house, a group of teens spilling out of the front door and laughing loud enough to make Steve wince. He felt a bit of petty jealousy that Robin could handle it all just fine, the overwhelmed senses. It had been a year since Billy’s attack and he still struggled to tune them out, so this was part of Robin and Dustin’s plan: exposure therapy. Sounded like a shit plan if you asked him, which, of course, they didn’t. Steve was sure it was only going to expose him to a migraine but they wouldn’t relent until he agreed to go to Penny’s Halloween party, so, here they were. At least Robin agreed Dustin couldn’t come. The little twerp would draw too much attention, his pen and notepad out and pestering Steve with questions all night.
Robin led the way into the house, not even pausing, forcing Steve to keep up for appearance’s sake. The music, the people, everything felt like a viscous wall of sound as soon as he passed the threshold, clinging to and muddling his hearing. His shoulders rose as if to block it out. A few people greeted him, only the familiarity of his own name cutting through, and all Steve could manage was a thin smile and a nod, following the bobbing, scraggly white wig Robin wore to complete her Doc Brown costume. Finally she stopped in the kitchen, the door closing behind them and blocking out only some of the racket. Some couples dispersed as they entered, but another group stuck around, chatting to themselves in a corner.
Robin bumped him with her elbow. “You look like you ate a whole lemon.”
“I’d rather do that than be here,” he complained quietly, reaching for a solo cup and grabbing a generous ladle-worth of the spiked punch. He probably would have smelled the vodka even before this, and Steve hoped the strong fumes would distract him from the music at least. When Robin wiggled a cup at him, he filled it for her too.
“It’s not gonna get better unless you get used to it, Steve,” she said, at the same volume, leaning into his space.
“I know,” he grumbled. And he did. She’d gone through all of this already, years ago and way too young, and as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. She was his self-appointed Werewolf Mentor, as much as the title made him roll his eyes. At least he had someone to help him through all this werewolf shit.
Transforming into a wolf-human hybrid for the full moon as well as the day before and after, drastically intensified senses, heightened strength and speed even in human form, an increased diet of meat, and a seemingly endless well of energy; Steve had known all of this from a young age too, younger than Robin, even, but from a different perspective. Being born into one of the longest, most respected, and traditional hunter lineages, Steve Harrington had known all about werewolves and everything else that went bump in the night since he was old enough to read. His parents had trained him to hunt the supernatural, keeping it controlled and away from unknowing civilians. He was the heir to the Harrington line. And as of last year, he was also a werewolf.
It sorta put a kink in the whole hunter thing – though the heightened senses and strength did help – but while Robin taught him her werewolf ways he taught her how to avoid and fight hunters off, and went about hunts with a lot more compassion than he’d had before. Hunter code required them to only “exterminate” targets who were a danger, and Steve was already too soft-hearted by most hunters’ standards, so he stopped giving a fuck and did what he felt right instead. Steve put himself between the humans of Hawkins and its population of supernaturals, trying his best to keep a balance instead of burning and salting the earth.
Unlike the Carvers, whose son just barged into the kitchen. Jason plastered on an obviously fake smile as soon as he caught sight of Steve and Robin huddled together and Steve felt Robin stiffen beside him.
“Hey Harrington. Haven’t seen you around in a while,” Jason said, holding his hand out. Steve shook it once.
“Carver.”
“We were beginning to worry about you, if it weren’t for the stories I’ve heard around town I would’ve thought you’d skipped town.” Crossing his arms, Jason leaned on the counter closest to the door, effectively blocking their exit. Steve stifled an irritated huff. He didn’t miss this stupid posturing. The Carvers weren’t worried about him, he could guarantee that. It was more likely that they wanted the title of the only hunters in Hawkins, since Steve’s parents were gone on consultations all the time.
“Yeah, well, I’m still kicking,” Steve said with practised nonchalance.
“Good to hear!” Jason clapped Steve on the shoulder just this side of too hard, gave Robin an assessing look, and left the kitchen with a, “see you around.”
“‘See you around,’” Robin mocked, and Steve hummed, agreeing. “Was he always this much of a douche?”
“Oh yeah. A total kiss-ass too. Followed me around during hunter and basketball practice begging for attention.” Steve was glad that his fall from Hawkins High royalty had stopped Jason’s off-putting hero worship of him; he'd been tired of it since their parents forced them to socialise as kids.
Robin snorted. “That’s not surprising.”
They stood and drank their pungent drinks, trading gossip idly, until Robin asked, “Ready to brave the living room?”
Instead of answering, Steve downed the last of his punch, braced himself for the noise, and joined the party proper. Waiting in the kitchen while his senses adjusted had made a difference, he only felt like his head was being smashed by a rubber mallet instead of a sledgehammer, so he let Robin push him into the living room where most people mingled and danced.
“Alright. Tip one: distractions,” Robin whispered. “Focus on my voice, not anyone else’s, not the music.” She began to ramble, picking out costumes she recognized, or thought looked bad or lazy, occasionally picking out a girl she thought was cute for Steve to either agree or disagree, drawing him into telling embarrassing stories about the popular kids he used to hang around with. Listening to her voice was simple, easy, and before he realised it the noise faded a little more into the background.
When a guy walked by reeking of body spray Steve dug his nails into his palms to keep from recoiling, nose wrinkling, and he tried to swallow past the affront to his sinuses. Robin also winced. “Tip two: breathe through your mouth. Though I doubt that’ll help much against that.”
“Pretty sure I’d choke. That’s chemical warfare. One spray is enough, for christ’s sake,” he complained, giving the guy a nasty glare.
“We should tell him he’s violating the Geneva Convention.”
They watched from their patch of wall as he stepped up to a group of girls, trying to chat them up with a smarmy grin. When the girls each made similar queasy expressions and dispersed, Steve and Robin snickered a little meanly.
Crossing his arms with a smirk, Steve asked, “Anything else?”
Robin shrugged. “If all else fails, go outside or find a quiet room. Just don’t use it as an excuse to smoke or anything, I’ll know.” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Yeah, yeah.” He waved an unconcerned hand at her and she glared harder. He held up three fingers and said, flatly, “Scout’s honour.”
“You weren’t a Boy Scout, you ass. Now, go, spread your wolfy wings and fly from the nest like a very strange bird.”
Confused by the bizarre analogy, he let Robin shoo him into the crowd so he could mingle. Mostly, he let people come to him; old classmates, customers, kids whose parents knew his own (exclusively outside of hunter circles), still drawn in by his old reputation. Penny herself came up to talk to Steve at one point, asking how he was and what he’d been up to. Like Robin instructed, he focused on her voice instead of everything else.
The attention was nice. His dry spell had lasted longer than he wanted to admit, and he’d given up trying to pick up customers at Family Video when he struck out every time. She was pretty, he thought, with long, straight dark hair and hazel eyes, wearing some kind of subtle vanilla perfume, and when Robin waggled her eyebrows at him across the room he brushed her off with a smile that was only a little bit smug. Leaning into her space a little, Steve could hear Penny’s heart rate pick up over the bright poppy music, saw the slight pink blush in her cheeks and let himself feel just a bit accomplished. He’s still got it, he thought. But then something crashed upstairs, and Penny had to race off with panicked apologies.
Damn. He stood in the room by himself for a moment and watched, hands in his pockets, until he caught Robin’s eye and jerked his head towards the back door. When she waved him off he waded through the thinning crowd and escaped into the much calmer backyard. Skunky smoke wafted through the air, but that was something Steve could handle. He dug out his secret stash of cigarettes and lit up as he leaned over the railing of the small deck, exhaling with a heavy sigh.
The small backyard was enclosed by the forest of thin trees that surrounded half of Hawkins. Most had lost their leaves by now, littering the ground instead, and the lawn was meticulously cleared of them. A shed sat closer to the house, and a small fire pit burned a few feet away, crackling and watched over by drunken teens.
By the shed, though, two figures caught Steve's eye. A girl with a high, bouncy, blonde ponytail and Carver's letterman – Chrissy Cunningham. He often wondered why such a sweet girl was with Jason, she was always friendly with the basketball team and managed Jason's mood swings with ease, not that she should've had to. But beside her, half hidden in shadow, stood her total opposite.
Eddie Munson flicked the ash from his joint and laughed at something Chrissy said while he leaned against the metal shed with her. The distant fire caught, just barely, on the shine of his dark eyes and the curls of his hair. Steve wondered how he wasn't cold. Chrissy clutched her jacket close while Eddie's leather jacket and denim vest fell open to the cold autumn air, revealing some tee for a band Steve didn't know. He hadn't seen Eddie around since midway through his own senior year, Eddie's second attempt. But he hadn't come back to school after winter break.
The rumour mill churned out every kind of story about it – that he'd dropped out or gotten sick, or he'd died, or he stole a car and ran to the coast (whichever one seemed more dramatic). Seeing him here at Penny's party was surprising, either way. Must be back to dealing.
Steve's gaze lingered. He looked pale, but… good, smiling fondly at Chrissy as she kept speaking, something about the newest cheerleader. He had a dimple in his left cheek when he grinned, just above some intense scarring on his jaw Steve didn’t remember from school, but there was something with his teeth–
Eddie's eyes flicked up, and met Steve's instantly. Something swooped low in his gut, he couldn't name it but it made his heart kick up a couple beats faster. Adrenaline? No. All the warmth in Eddie's face faded as soon as he saw Steve staring, chased away by a hard, emotionless expression. Catching on quickly, Chrissy glanced back at Steve, then to Eddie again, leaning in to whisper. Eddie kept staring back at Steve, who couldn't look away. He felt pinned, his cigarette turning to ash, and Steve thought that maybe he shouldn't look away, like this was some kind of battle of wills. Robin would mock him for trying to be macho, but he couldn't help it. Didn't want to.
Maybe it had something to do with his heart beating faster, tricking his body into fight or flight, but Steve could feel his senses honing in on the pair. The music from the house was still too loud to hear what Chrissy was saying, but Steve could still smell something. Beyond the weed, fire, and cigarettes, the beer and sweat, cologne and perfume, there was a familiar warm, metallic tang. It was subtle, woven between and underneath the rest, and Steve had to resist sniffing at the air like a bloodhound to suss it out. Before he could place it, though, Chrissy took Eddie’s ringed hand and began to pull him away.
The muscles in Eddie's jaw jumped and his chest rose and fell with a slow, deliberate breath before, finally, he tore his magnetic gaze away and released Steve from whatever that was. Steve swallowed. He tracked Eddie and Chrissy while they walked to the side of the house. Chrissy cast one last look at Steve, giving him a small, hesitant smile before following Eddie's dark figure out of sight. Refusing to parse out whether he was disappointed or relieved, Steve stubbed out the cigarette butt and tossed it into the short bushes that bordered the deck with a quick mental apology to Penny’s parents.
That was… weird, right? He thought about what had happened, still hunched over the railing, absently digging his thumbnail into the wood grain. It was also a little strange to see Chrissy with Eddie, since he and Jason had been at each other's throats in school more often than not, and as far as Steve knew he and Chrissy were still an item. Sure looked it, since she wore his members only jacket.
Robin found him still standing there some time later, staring into the middle distance until she kicked his calf. “Ow, what the hell?” he said, glaring.
“That’s what you get for hiding out here.” She scowled. “Also you stink of smoke. I told you not to, I thought you’d quit anyway.”
“You know I didn’t.” He tried. It didn’t last, clearly.
“Yeah, well, I was waiting for you to admit that, you coward.”
Steve scoffed. “You can smell it, Rob. Figured that was enough to clue you in.”
“Still a coward,” she said loftily. “Anyway, I’m bored, drive me home.”
“Right away, your majesty.” Rolling his eyes and stifling a smile, Steve pushed off from the railing and followed Robin back through the house, only a little disappointed that he didn’t see Penny again before getting to the door. Steve did, however, fill Robin in on who he’d spotted in the backyard once they stepped outside.
“Oh wow, Jason must hate that friendship,” Robin said.
“Right?” he replied with some satisfaction, “I’m no fan of Munson’s but I’ll get behind anything that ticks Carver off.”
Robin looked thoughtful for a moment as they walked down the dark street. The Bimmer sat parked under a streetlight, burgundy paint faintly sparkling. Somehow, after all the hunts and mishaps Steve had taken her on, she was still pristine. Eventually, Robin said, “As long as he doesn’t get the shit kicked out of him, though.”
Steve shrugged at first, but an image of Eddie’s face covered in blood and bruises similar to the ones Jonathan and Billy had given him flashed through his mind’s eye and he winced internally. Yeah, he wouldn’t really wish that on someone who didn’t deserve it. “He’s survived this long, he’ll probably be fine,” he said instead.
“Maybe, but-” she cut herself off, head tilting towards the car. “Steve? You hear that?”
He did. A faint voice, crackling over the walkie Dustin gave him that he’d stuffed under the passenger seat. “Shit.”
They jogged to the car, Steve fumbling with his keys and whipping the door open, diving for the walkie under the seat as he heard Dustin loudly announcing, “Code red! Steve, goddamnit, where are you!? Code red!”
“Dustin! What’s wrong?”
“Werewolf! In the woods! It’s dead, over!”
Steve met Robin’s shocked expression, her blue eyes wide with worry. “Where are you?”
“We’re behind Forest Hills. And you have to say over, Steve! Over!”
Groaning, Steve resisted the urge to smack his head against the car door. Instead, he reached over to unlock Robin’s door so she could get in. “Why the fuck are you in the woods at night, Dustin? Over.” He emphasised the last word with every bit of frustration he felt at the moment.
“Just. Get. Here. Over!”
“Fine! Jesus christ, over and out,” Steve snapped, slammed his door shut and started the car, peeling away from the curb.
They got to the trailer park in record time, despite Steve ranting at Robin about how the brats shouldn’t even be out this late at night while Robin kept reminding him to please concentrate on the road and save the chewing-out for the kids themselves. He parked at the end of the road, which was barely more than cracked asphalt and a toppled over concrete divider, the Street Ends sign long since stolen. The dark trees loomed tall and slender, a sparse barrier at the end of the small field that was only half lit by a flickering yellow street light, but Steve could already tell that’s where the kids had gone. He could smell them in the air and saw the trampled spots where they’d walked their bikes through the tall grass. A dog barked in the distance, agitated. He nodded at their trail and looked at Robin, said, “Let’s go,” and took off.
Robin kept pace with him easily as they loped through the trees. Even with the moon almost new they could see their way without difficulty, lacking most colour but seeing every detail; each scuff in the dirt from a tire and their muddy footprints standing out in the quiet forest. Their scents grew stronger too, and alongside it, something else. Something Steve had smelled earlier. He ran faster.
Voices began to filter through the woods. The kids were, unsurprisingly, arguing. By the time Steve and Robin crashed through the underbrush and ran into the Party, who screamed.
“Holy shi– be quiet! It’s us!” Steve shouted. While the kids did shut up – thank god – they all glared at him.
“What did you think would happen, Steve?” Dustin yelled back, arms flailing, “Warn us next time! That’s what the walkie is for!”
“I forgot it in the car since you idiots told me you were in the woods with a dead werewolf. How do you even know they’re a werewolf anyway, they–” Words caught in his throat as Robin choked back a scream. Finally, Steve turned his attention to the body on the ground behind the row of kids. “They’re human when they’re dead.”
They were supposed to be, at least. Steve hadn’t killed a werewolf before, hadn’t had to. Even when Billy went feral he refused to do it. They were still people and it was the one line Steve refused to cross as a hunter. He knew, though, that when a werewolf is killed in wolf form, they shift back into a human. So why was this one still a werewolf?
The body looked like every other werewolf Steve had seen when shifted: elongated limbs tipped in blunted claws, distinctive feet, brown fur everywhere, a clear mix of human and wolf. A ripped white shirt and torn blue jeans still clung to the body in spots, like they didn’t have time to get them off before they shifted. The only difference was the head. Or lack of one.
Steve shoved the nearest kid behind him – Lucas, who he could feel was shaking slightly – and stepped forward, unable to take his eyes off the stump of a neck. Dark blood, almost dried to blackish-brown, spilled down the werewolf’s chest, worsened by gashes left by, Steve guessed, the werewolf’s own claws, which were bloodied too. The cut was disturbingly clean. Level. Whatever weapon had done this was sharp. Bile rose in Steve’s throat.
“Turn around,” he said, somehow managing to not sound sick, looking back at the Party. Lucas and Will already had, the latter standing with his arms wrapped tight around his chest, but Mike was still half-turned, like he couldn’t take his eyes off it, and Dustin stared at the body with an analytical gleam that would unsettle Steve if he didn’t already know what these kids had gone through. Still. “Dustin, turn around.”
“We’ve been looking at it for ten minutes, Steve, it’s fine,” Dustin retorted, but Steve grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to face a very pale Robin, who still had her hands over her mouth.
“You shouldn’t have seen it in the first place! What the hell were you thinking, coming out here at night?”
Mike spoke up this time, sounding like he’d swallowed something disgusting. “We were patrolling.”
With a sigh that felt much too heavy for his age, Steve dragged a hand down his face. “You’re children. You don’t patrol.”
“We’re fifteen! You were partying! We couldn’t leave the town unprotected–”
“I was at a party because you told me to go to,” he interrupted Dustin sharply, “and I told you to stay home.” These kids were going to drive him into an early grave through stress alone. When Dustin opened his mouth again to argue back, Steve hissed, “Zip it! You’re in the wrong here.” The kid crossed his arms and scowled at Steve, but gave in.
Now that they were silent, Steve cast his gaze around the scene. He couldn’t see any sign of the missing head. There were signs of a struggle, though. Claw marks scored into tree bark to the left, large paw prints and faint shoe treads that could have looked like a dance. Next to the body, though, Steve saw scraps of fabric and bent down.
They were soft and black. Nothing like what the werewolf wore. A flash of a logo, some kind of yellow-and-red lettering, stood out on the corner of a larger scrap. Steve heard Dustin whisper, “Shit.”
Steve's head whipped around. “What?”
“Nothing!” He answered too quickly, too high-pitched. Steve could hear the skip in his heart, and though that wasn’t a reliable tell it wasn’t nothing.
“Dustin, you have to tell him,” Lucas said.
“Tell me what?”
The Party didn’t speak. Eyes flitting between them, Steve caught sight of Dustin’s clenched fist stuck deep into his pocket. He raised an expectant eyebrow.
“It’s Eddie’s. Eddie’s shirt.” Will’s voice was quiet and empty.
That’s when it hit Steve. The smell. He’d known it was blood when he and Robin had run into the kids, saw the corpse. But now he knew he’d smelled it earlier – at the party. From Eddie and Chrissy.
Read chapter 2 now on ao3!!
#it's fine it's cool i'm cool everyone's cool#steddie#steve harrington#eddie munson#werewolf steve harrington#vamp!eddie#stranger things#hideous thing sbb#steddie big bang#steddie big bang 2023#niko's notes
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hello sweetie!! i wanted to ask you if you could give us your take on john winchester ? people have very different opinions on him and i’d love to hear yours.
hi!!! thanks so much for this ask. it took me a while to gather my thoughts, so there's a relatively long post ahead.
i think that people in fandom tend to go the route of woobifying a character until they can do no wrong in their eyes, or demonising a character until everything they do is wrong. this not only doesn't allow for nuanced takes, which should be possible to make for any well-written, complex character, but also leads to attempts to push blame onto characters instead of just... accepting that the circumstances themselves are shit.
maybe john and sam are similar after all, considering the way that neither of them are extended any due sympathy whatsoever by certain individuals. john, who knew nothing of the supernatural, on an otherwise normal night during which he fell peacefully asleep in front of the television, witnessed his wife be psychically pinned to the ceiling of his baby's nursery and explode in front of both him and his six-month-old. that's bound to change anyone. blaming john entirely for becoming incredibly paranoid over and controlling of his children, and not acknowledging the role of, i don't know, azazel? prince of hell? who engineered all of this?? is so ridiculous i can't even comprehend it. the circumstances are absolutely dreadful, and john wasn't left with much of a choice in the ways he could respond to it. not only would he most likely be driven partially insane by what he witnessed happen to his wife, he would also be led to worry about the safety of his children. killing azazel wasn't just about avenging mary, it was about extinguishing the threat that, for all john knew, could be out to kill his infant sons! what do you want him to do?? shrug it off and go on like nothing happened? cut his losses and get another mother for the boys?
as for how john specifically responded to this: he became a controlling douchebag, yeah. i have someone in my life who can be the same brand of peremptory dick as john, and there are times when i want nothing more than to punch john winchester in the face. it's one of the reasons i relate to sam so much. however, not once in my viewing of season 1 before i entered fandom spaces, did it occur to me that john might be an irredeemable monster and abuser. john trained his boys like soldiers rather than treating them like the children they were, but it's not like he did it for the hell of it. he thought they would literally die if they weren't prepared to fight off the supernatural threats which he was suddenly, in the worst possible way, made aware of. john was an ex-marine, which would of course influence how he would go about this. i'm not saying that john didn't do horrible things at times and that sam and dean's upbringing wasn't awful. he did, and it was. telling sam to not come back if he went to college, trying to punish him for having dreams of his own? making tween dean feel bad for not staying in a motel room 24/7 to take care of his younger brother? dick moves. the boys' childhood was claustrophobic, toxic, and miserable, and i do not blame either of them in the slightest for wanting to get out. however, it comes down to the matter of circumstance again: it's not like john did any of this for the hell of it! let me repeat myself: he thought. they were going. to be murdered. moving frequently probably wasn't just for the sake of cases, it might also have been because he was scared that they were being pursued by something.
as for some of the abuse claims that people make. ugh. please stop just making stuff up. if you want to take the idea that john was a monster and run with it, whatever. i don't care. but acting like that's actually canon? you're just shouldering your way into spaces where people who actually want to discuss canon can do so, and that's incredibly annoying. there is no canon evidence in the seasons which actually involved john as a character that he beat his children or was homophobic. they literally go out of their way in the episode 'Nightmare' to show that sam and dean know their childhood wasn't like max miller's. as some people have said, he doesn't need to have hit his kids for their childhood to have sucked; it was bad enough already! as for the homophobia claims. ughhhhhhhh. i feel like they come from a... specific sector of the fandom, who want to take any reprehensible trait of dean's and make it someone else's fault. like i said earlier, woobifying a character until they can do no wrong. "oh, dean can be a misogynistic and homophobic douchebag at times? clearly, this is all john's influence. oh, he treats sam badly at times? actually, sam is the one who abuses him!" i can somewhat get behind the idea of john expecting the boys to repress their emotions on some level; he was literally a marine in the vietnam war, and he raised his kids in the eighties and nineties. he expected them to put aside any issues they might have had about giving up an ordinary life and hunting azazel and just follow his orders. but the idea that he's some queerphobic monster who would beat dean upside the head for shedding a single tear is hilarious.
look at this fucking fruit. he never stops tearing up.
as a final point, let me just address that jdm is incredibly sexy. if you have a problem with me liking john, take it up with whichever higher power or force of nature made him so <3
#john winchester#pro john winchester#spn discussion#fandom wank#supernatural#spn#askbox#mine#ginkgo-shaw#thanks lovely <3
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"And like... it doesn't really connect with her that her actions caused it. It's like there's a disconnect and like she's putting something else in between and like not fully connecting herself to it and because of it, it's like she's not learning anything."
You mean like power corruption and addiction? Yep. That's precisely it.
That's 2 of her themes this season. There's another but we're not there yet.
Power corruption in particular is the most interesting theme for me when it comes to Willow. When you have so much power, there's always the urge to control... basically everything because you're just feeding into something that constantly makes you feel good. You don't feel like a loser. You feel important, respected and like people are paying attention to you. And then you're suddenly hit with a "No, this is wrong" from the people you want to prove your worth and value to. It's jarring. And because you're so blinded by the power you've accumulated, you don't ever think "I'm wrong". You think people are out to get you for just doing something to help the situation because you know you can. That's power corruption.
They might not get the addiction theme entirely right but they get this theme right. It's one of the best power corruption arcs I've ever seen on TV in all honesty because Hannigan NAILS it.
You feel that disconnect there because you're not going through that corruption. She is. And she doesn'tt learn anything from her bad actions because she doesn't believe she has to. Her mindset is: Why would it be a problem that I am powerful? I'm the one getting things done. She's not taking into question the flip side which is that it's precisely her "getting things done" that is what causes the problems. Her arrogance and entitlement won't let her see it that way.
In her confrontation with Tara, she's genuinely asking "Why is this wrong?" and it's because she doesn't think of it as wrong at all. Why would she? She's the good guy. It's right for a good guy to have power, isn't it? They can do more good things with it. They can save the day. Put yourself in her head and it'll click why she's doing what she's doing with abusing magic.
And of course - the Empath of the whole group would see through it first. Of course - the one that understands the risks and consequences of using magic would realize what's going on before anyone else does. The one that knows Willow's trauma flight response the best because she's always the one with her when she goes off the deep end. Until she isn't.
And it's all incredibly relatable. Frustrating and aggravating but relatable. Just take the magic out - take the supernatural power out and you have the "real shit" case of an abusive addict.
#buffy the vampire slayer#tabula rasa#willow rosenberg#alyson hannigan#tara maclay#amber benson#power corruption#addiction#abuse#alley box#buffy reaction#Youtube
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so I never learned my lesson about getting attached to supernatural characters that aren't Sam and Dean so Jack became my late in the game new favorite and I am outraged by how badly the narrative treated him!
truly the most heinous shit happens to him constantly, and it's never even about his character development or story arc because the writers don't care enough to give him his own arc. like I said on that other post season 13 is entirely about traumatizing as much as possible as fast as possible (because that's the only way they know to make characters interesting) while also using him to advance the plot with all the apocalypse world Lucifer vs. Michael round 2 stuff.
then in season 14 the overarching plot is so weak and all over the place that it barely even feels like they're using him for that so much as hurting Jack to hurt Sam and Dean and Cas. he gets sick so they have to go through the pain of losing a child. it's discussed in those terms way more than how Jack feels about it is brought up. he gets brought back with the Lilly Sunder spell so they'll have to grapple with whether risking his soul to save his life was the right call. they say they're going to let him decide but the whole situation with the empty makes it so he doesn't really have any options while also letting them set up Cas dying/destiel confession in what should be an episode about Jack.
him choosing to burn out his soul to kill Michael and save the others could have been a big moment for him, but the way they wrote him up to that point made it a little unclear if he fully understood how dangerous loosing his soul could be (which I mean is fair. his only reference for someone without a soul is Donatello who was always nice to him, Jack wasn't born yet for soulless Sam or Amara leaving a bunch of soulless people around, and he was in apocalypse world when Donatello went crazy. he's physically 18ish and chronologically 2 so as much as he's a smart person and not actually a baby you can't really expect him to have the best understanding of consequences and his own mortality. him not fully getting the risk could also be interesting for his character but they didn't commit to that either, they just had him say he got it while repeatedly using his powers and never seeming all that concerned about it.) the show focuses so much more on the Winchesters and Cas being worried and guilty about his soul than having Jack react to or deal with that loss.
and then he kills Mary. the one thing he was always afraid of, the one thing he never wanted to do, was hurt his family. and the writers made him lose control for one second and kill one of the most important people in his life and break the hearts of all the other people he loves. and again it's all about hurting Sam and Dean to drive them to try and contain or kill him, while also driving a wedge between Dean and Cas. like of course, of course, that's devastating for Sam and Dean, I'm not trying to minimize that. but even after Jack gets his soul back his trauma and grief around it are never addressed. even his guilt is only touched on so far as it's the motivation for him sacrificing himself for them again. directly afterwards when talking to Rowena and imaginary Lucifer he's horrified and maybe not sad or guilty exactly (no soul) but he obviously understands the magnitude of what he did. but then for some reason when he's talking to Sam and Dean in Jack in the Box he's very casual and dismissive, all like well it was an accident, anyway let's move on. that scene is really the only time he acts like a lot of the other soulless characters. for the most part he seems to understand emotions and morals much better than anyone else without a soul, and almost feel a little even if it's not the same as someone with a soul. (I think the angel grace mitigates some of the effects of not having a soul. angels don't have souls but do have the capacity to feel and tell right from wrong. Jack tells Donatello that he feels different but doesn't feel nothing, and I think that's because the emotions coming from the grace are different than the ones from a soul and it takes practice to identify and develop them to be as strong as what he was used to.) it feels like between Mary acting pretty out of character during her last scene and Jack being so weird about it when he talks to the boys I suspect Chuck was supposed to have been meddling before he actually showed back up, but they never outright say that. regardless they fridged Mary Winchester for the second time and forced Jack through his worse nightmare because they needed to motivate Dean with pain.
his second death was explicitly meant to punish the rest of team free will. Dean couldn't and wouldn't kill Jack, so Chuck did it to hurt his dad's. they wouldn't play his little game so Jack had to die so they'd learn their lesson about defying him. even when he was dead his corpse gets puppeted around to hurt the others. like I also like belphegor as a character, he's bitchy and funny, but narratively making him possess Jack's body was just a way to hurt Cas specifically. (Sam and Dean were way less bothered. maybe the whole casifer situation had numbed them a bit to the horror of working with something evil that has your loved ones face for the greater good.)
then when he comes back it's all "kill yourself to save the world" which is a pretty common plot point for supernatural, but it's also "die to absolve your sins, it's the only way Dean will ever forgive you" which I find significantly more fucked up. and then that plan fails, and Cas dies so Jack loses the only parent who never gave up on him, and then he becomes God.
and Jack becoming god is like...it doesn't really work any of the themes of the show, and it also is the worst way to end his story. he's always been powerful, but he's only ever cared about that in as much as his powers can help his family. when he loses them he's upset because he can't protect the people he loves anymore, not because he isn't special or whatever. all he wants is to be with the people he loves without having to worry about his powers hurting them. and the end they came up with for his story is to get a massive power boost and have to leave his family so he can "be everywhere" or whatever. it's so dumb!
this post got super long, and I'm sure that people have already said all of this better than me, but it's driving me nuts. I just love Jack so much, he's such a good character, and supernatural has so many instances of wasted potential, but Jack's story could have been amazing if there were more than three or four episodes that treated him as an actual character instead of a plot device or a prop for other characters stories.
#supernatural#jack kline#im ripping my hair out#they wouldn't just let him be happy for five minutes#but they also didn't bother to give him a real story arc#so all the suffering just feels pointless#the writers and show runners didn't care about him#but I care about him a whole lot
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more vamphunter au ideas? perhaps? if you want to keep em a secret that's fine too I'm just abnormal about em
OMFGGG NONO not at all!! i don't mind sharing about it, i want to write a fic ideally but it'll be really self indulgent and probably wouldn't be for a while. plus answering questions about them helps me flesh them out! :D
so sniper was originally a big-game hunter and helped with things like population control. wrestles crocs in his spare time etc, loves the thrill of the hunt (which medic can see in his eyes... hehe)! eventually discovered the existence of supernatural creatures and realized he could get paid big dough to deal with even scarier things than giant crocs or bears or anything else. money's money, and if the job seems honest enough (he's still got a moral code!), he'll go for it. "ah, why not!"
sniper doesn't hate supernaturals; he'll be cordial and professional to anyone as long as they don't give him a reason not to be. medic is the first vampire sniper has ever had to deal with! but sniper trusts his own instincts and knows that big vampire might seem kind enough, but is capable of way more than what he lets on! when he's hunting medic's wolves (before he knows they belong to medic), medic watches him through the eyes of his hounds and he can see the same love for the hunt in sniper's eyes that he himself has. hmmm, interesting!
medic also does not wish he was human or hate his vampire-ness; he loves every minute of it and wouldn't trade it for the world! he was glad to be made and he doesn't regret it whatsoever! in fact it annoys him when other vampires get "weepy about their humanity" to him... he thinks he's retained the best aspects of being human with all of the fun of being a vampire!
he also doesn't like covens because he's on a lot of vampire shit-lists. treason, human-stealing, vampire-slaying, to name a few! prefers to live on his own with his wolves and only seeks companionship with others when he feels like it. typically that involves people to eat (and fool around with on occasion!), but no human has caught his eye like sniper in... a very long time! at first he intends to keep his relationship with sniper professional until it ceases to benefit him, then he figured he'd eat him and drain him and be done with it. but the more time he spends around sniper.,., he realizes he wants to keep him around....... and doesn't want to harm him......
i think their relationship would start off a bit rocky since sniper doesn’t trust medic whatsoever (understandable) but there’s a certain Something about medic that sniper feels drawn to and medic feels that about sniper, too. usually humans don’t interest medic since they’re such fleeting creatures that serve little purpose other than food or entertainment for him. sniper starts out that way for him too; he’s there to do a job for medic and little else and he knows he’s not likely going to be able to persuade sniper to do anything more or less than what he was hired to do. but……… they both start getting closer..,., and closer….
sniper starts bonding with medic’s wolves… and medic can Feel through his wolves so he can feel every pet or pat that sniper gives them, any rustle of the fur etc… it feels like sniper’s touching Medic too…. it makes the hair on the back of medic’s neck stand on end… and sniper loves how medic smells… his wolves don’t smell like wolves, they smell like medic… some kind of dark scent that sniper can’t place… something that goes Beyond whatever medic uses for cologne and aftershave… it feels….. primal.,., and sniper likes it.,., and medic of course can hear sniper’s heartbeat, can hear his blood rushing… some of it is just Uncontrollable Humanness of course, but other times… he knows when he makes sniper’s heart race and at first he thinks its out of fear, but when they get closer.. it’s when their hands touch or when medic scoots in sniper’s chair in the dining hall, or when medic comes out in the snow to greet him while he’s playing with his wolves… <3 hehehehehee…
i currently have roles for some of the other mercs too....... typically cramming All Other Characters into Romance Fics is like. annoying to me if they're in every chapter SKDFKSDKFSKDF but the way i'd do it i think i COULD pull it off since they wouldn't be in every chapter or even Consistent characters really..... and each character would have a "part" ykwim... i have REALLY good ideas for spy, heavy, scout, scout's mom, and demo. the other mercs i don't have too many ideas for yet so idk if i'll try to go out of my way to include them or if i'll just leave them out entirely... grah!
#IM LITERALLY SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SOOO FUCKING LONG TO ANSWER I HAD SO MANY THOUGHTS I WANTED TO WRITE THEM ALL DOWN EOHHOEUEEEAAAAHHH#THANK YOUUUU ILYYYYYYYY ;-;#asks#dutchfoolery#vamphunter medsnip
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The young man who sat in front of the camera looked… tired. Miserably so. He always did, tired, bruised, exhausted, but this may just be a new height. This wasn’t just ‘tired’ this was ‘defeat’. This was ‘my life isn‘t in my control anymore and I’m stuck in hell’.
But nonetheless he started the recording.
“My name is Tristan Oleander Oslac, better known around Cassidy Labs as Researcher Oslac, or Ollie. I am with the spectral research department, and have made leaps and bounds in what little is known about the ways ghosts form and function since I was hired seven years ago. Of course this research does not align with my boss’ goals and therefore has been kept strictly under lock and key. Regardless my methods have given us priceless information. And one thing I’ve noticed is most supernatural creatures, not limited to spirits, gather in groups for various reasons. For some, like vampires and witches for example, it is mainly due to safety in numbers. For others such as werewolves or angels it is because they’re naturally social creatures. And then, as for specters and demons, some gain more power the more of their kind they gather near. It is no coincidence the strongest hauntings manifest in places with the most spirits.” He paused, “And that means threats to supernatural populations spread quickly. A particularly spunky group of demon slayers can wipe out an entire pit in weeks if they know the right poisons to use. Avian flu can take down entire flocks of angels just like that.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “Large concentrations of curses are one of the most deadly things for a group of supernaturals. They feed of the suffering of magical creatures like nothing else, and therefore given the chance, despite their usual hesitation to do so, will latch without hesitation. A curse latching has only one result, no matter how slow or fast: Death. It’s why witches spent so long domesticating the damn things. They’re a terrifying tool to have on your side.” He glanced at something behind the camera, maybe halfway up the wall, “My boss has recently gained a concerning fascination with them. He wants to know how they’re created, how they spread, how they gain power, everything. And he’s been getting them shipped in from anywhere they’ve been captured. The lab is crawling with the little shits and I know he’s letting them get out into the streets.” He frowned, “I have not had good experiences with the supernatural. I have the gift, a special type of clairvoyance which allows you to not only see spirits but causes you to influence the way they act near you, and my influence seems to… attract them and amplify the driving emotions in them. It’s good for research and bad for continuing to be alive, I guess… my parents are who I gained these abilities from, and their own abilities lead them to their deaths, and many of my decisions in life have been made solely so I and the people I love do not meet that fate. So if anyone can understand a fear of the supernatural it’s me. But… they still deserve to exist, just like any of us. They don’t deserve to be hunted or hurt simply for existing. Most of them are just people trying to get by the day to day. They didn’t ask to be the way they are and it’s unfair to punish them for it. But… Dr.Cassidy is powerful, and my attempts to go against him in the past have ended… less than ideally. So at this time I am unsure how to approach or counteract the problem at hand.”
One thing Kyou Oslac was learning all too well recently is that curse tamers are awful, and curses are sticky when you kill them. Literally. They explode into a pile of the most awful mush you’ve ever encountered and sure, after a few hours it dissolves as the thing loses its physical form but it’s still gross.
And she was fucking coated in the shit.
She tried not to cry as she trudged through the city, trying to think of where she could wash off at 2 am, or if she’d just have to wait it out covered in curse mush.
It started pouring.
Well. Curse mush is also highly dissolvable. So that solved one problem and caused another.
Because puffer jackets are heavy as hell soaking wet.
“I gotta get home…” Kyou took a deep breath and continued walking, ignoring the water quickly soaking into her sneakers. She had a lot of things she had to do.
She had to figure out what she was eating for dinner, if she could get dinner.
She had to try to figure out where all the curses were coming from and why so many of them were tamed but just… set lose.
And she had to figure out where the curse tamer taming them was, and how to stop them.
But for right now, getting out of the rain was a good first step on the to do list.
She tried not to think about how she shouldn’t really be worried about any of this, how she should be a normal 15 year old doing normal 15 year old things like homework or trying to figure out what colleges she wanted to apply to.
Because she didn’t have that choice.
Because everyone else seemed to either not care or not know how to make things better around here. And she did care. And she was willing to figure it out.
So it had to be her.
#writing#my ocs#i dont have a name for this yet but these two are fandomless ocs now#still deeply love them
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A Bird of Praise
Act I
Chapter IV: The Mirror Realm
Previous Chapter
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Word Count: 1975 (again I swear I’m not doing this. It’s all coincidence, I believe this was the year that Hawkins Lab first got caught being a sussy baka 😂)
Chapter warnings: Canon character death (Barb again), mentions of MK Ultra, supernatural monsters
Chapter summary: Tara and the gang find themselves in a sinister alternate dimension and discover an insidious truth about their idyllic sleepy town that changes the course of Tara’s very identity. Daniel learns something about Barb in her final moments that he will have to live with for the rest of his life.
Daniel ran in pursuit of his family, calling out for them when something tripped him.
“Shit,” he muttered, rubbing his head.
He looked to see what he had tripped over to see Barb just barely clinging to life.
“Barb!” he gasped, picking her up. “Shit… Barb!”
“Help me…” she said weakly, blood oozing from her sinuses. “Can’t… breathe…”
Daniel knew those purple cheeks anywhere. They only happened from prolonged exposure to poison gas.
“I can’t see… I can’t feel my legs…” she said weakly.
“Barb, stay with me! I’m gonna get you out of here, okay!”
“Daniel… is that you?”
“Yeah! It’s me! I’m gonna get you out of here!”
“That letter…”
“Huh?”
“The love letter… The one that you thought was from Chrissy Cunningham… and then Jason Carver beat the shit out of you… I wrote it… I forged Chrissy’s name because I was too chickenshit to tell you how I felt… the way you always looked at her… I wanted you to look at me like that…”
Daniel picked her up and began dragging her. “It’s fine! I’m gonna get you home!”
Daniel continued to drag her to the point where he came in, only to whack his head against it when he tried to cross to the other side.
Daniel turned around to feel for the entrance and noticed it was gone.
“Shit!” he muttered through clenched teeth.
When he went to tend to Barb again, he felt her face and noticed that she had stopped breathing.
“Shit… no no no no no… No! Barb!”
Daniel desperately began chest compressions.
“Come on Barb! Wake up! Please!”
It was no use.
She was gone.
Daniel held her face and cried.
After he collected himself, he stood up and continued the pursuit for the three living people he came here with.
Gabby and Sam were being dragged by vines towards what anyone could infer would be certain demise.
Suddenly, though, the vines were ripped off of them both.
Tara was standing there with her arm outstretched, hand open and fingers extended forward. Blood oozed down her upper lip.
The vines snapped backwards and were hurled away by whatever invisible force Tara was using.
Once the danger passed, Tara fell to her knees and groaned.
“Holy shit!,” Sam remarked.
“We’re trapped,” Daniel said, catching up.
“Sooo,” Sam started. “You have psychic powers. That’s cool. How long has that been a thing exactly?”
“You used your powers?” Daniel asked angrily.
“Was I supposed to just let whatever is down here just kill them?” Tara asked defensively.
“Tara! How many times do I have to keep telling you? Keep your powers private!”
“I do! But this was life or death and Sam and Gabby are family!”
Daniel let out a heavy sigh. “We have to find a way out of here… wherever ‘here’ is, anyway.”
“Okay, I’ll ask again,” Sam pressed, not letting it go. “How long have the psychic powers been a thing?”
“Since I got my first period. I got really bad headaches and a week or so later, I had psychic powers.”
“Oh, right on. So you’re like Carrie.”
Tara pondered. “I suppose that would be the most appropriate approximation.”
“I hope you don’t burn your school down,” Sam said, only half joking in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“I don’t think my powers are that grandiose…”
Beat.
“And if we’re being perfectly honest, I don’t exactly have control over them.”
Tara took another look around in the awkward silence.
“Guys, I don’t think La Llorona is the one doing this,” she finally said.
“Right,” Daniel remarked. “Excuse me for one moment.”
Daniel turned around and screamed at the top of his lungs into the darkness. “That’s better,” he said turning back around. “Anyway, why are you like this?”
“Don’t yell at me! I never meant for any of this to happen!”
“Oh okay! I guess we can just ignore the fact that we’re trapped in god knows where or what!”
“Guys!” Gabby interjected. “We’ll NEVER get out of here if we fight and argue!”
“Maybe we died and this is hell…” Daniel said after a long pause.
“No… this isn’t hell…” Tara said just as something caught her eye.
It was Castle Byers, but it was covered in webbing and monster slime and other such things.
“This must be the Mirror Realm.” she said approaching it.
“The Mirror Realm?” Sam asked in confusion.
“It’s from ‘The Snow Queen’,” Daniel said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Suddenly something reached out and grabbed her ankle causing her to gasp in shock.
She reflexively looked down to see Will grabbing her ankle.
“Will?” She asked immediately bending down.
“Help…” he cried weakly.
“Will!” Tara hugged him crying. “It’s okay! It’s okay! You’re safe now! I’ve got you! I’ve got you.”
“I’m so cold and scared.”
“I know! I know! But we’re gonna get you back home where it’s nice and warm!”
Will cried in Tara’s arms as she soothingly rocked him back and forth.
“Can you stand?” Tara asked after they both calmed down.
“No…”
“It’s okay. I’ll carry you.”
Tara struggled.
“Here,” Daniel interjected, kneeling down, back facing Will. “Climb on, little man.”
Will piggybacked onto Daniel’s back and was hoisted up.
“Shit,” Daniel said, catching his breath. “You got heavy.”
Daniel took a deep breath and refocused his attention. “Come on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
The party got barely got a few paces in when things took a hard left turn.
“So, you know that Tara has psychic powers?” Sam asked.
“Yeah,” Daniel confirmed. “When she came back home from the hospital, we got into an argument and I found myself being hoisted 10 feet into the air.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. Mom doesn’t know, though, and maybe we should keep it that way,” he said talking in Tara’s direction.
“It’s news to me, too,” Gabby finally said.
“Did you know about this place?” Sam asked.
“I didn’t even know about it until just now,” Tara interjected. “Well, I had dreams about it when Will first went missing, but I didn’t know it was real until we were dragged here.”
“Gotcha,” Sam said, trying his best to follow along.
Suddenly, the party heard growling.
“What was that?” Gabby asked, panicked.
Whack.
A blur knocked Daniel over, knocking Will off of his back and onto the ground.
“Will!” Tara called, running to his aid.
Before she could reach him, though, a vine dragged him back into the fort.
The four chased after him when the very monster from before jumped in front of it, opening its flower-like face.
“Is that the Snow Queen?” Sam asked.
“Do you see any snow?” Gabby quipped.
“No,” Tara shook her head. “If this is the mirror realm, then that must be a troll.”
The “troll” roared and hissed before charging at the party.
Tara stepped forward and threw out her hand, hurling all of the psychic energy at it that she could muster.
And that was it. The fact that Tara had only been sleeping 2-3 hours a night for the past week, the constant state of panic and anxiety and the fact that she hadn’t eaten all day finally caught up to her and everything went to black.
By the time Tara came to, she was on Sam’s back and he had been carrying her for however long she had been out. She lifted her head and took in her surroundings, running her fingers over her upper lip to see blood.
“You’re up,” Sam observed.
“How long was I out?”
“Not long.”
“What about the troll?”
“Well, I took a guess that if it was a troll, it must not like fire. Lucky for us, I still had my lighter on me AND I was right. It also helped that you hurt it pretty badly with those bad ass psychic powers that we’re just now finding out about!”
“Where’s Will?” Tara asked, noticing that Daniel was no longer carrying him.
“We had to leave him,” Daniel said stoically.
“WHAT?”
“As badly as you hurt that thing, it was still pretty adamant about keeping Will inside of his fort and away from anyone who might help him. We had to use that to our advantage to get away,” Gabby explained.
“We can’t just leave him!” Tara pleaded.
“Tara, you can barely stand! We have to regroup and come back to this!” Daniel retorted.
“There might not be time for that!”
“Look, Tara, Will has been there for the past week! If that creature wanted to kill him, it would have by now. We can take some time to get the hell out of here, regroup and come back for him.”
“Pinky swear?” Tara asked, holding out her pinky.
“We’ll come back,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Why won’t you pinky swear it, then?”
“Because that’s stupid and we’re not five anymore…” Daniel’s voice trailed off as he saw a giant gated building that definitely did not match the rest of Hawkins.
Tara’s head sprung up. “There’s a way out. In there.”
“In the Electricity Department?” Daniel asked, trying to clarify.
“Yeah. I can feel it.”
“It’s better than nothing,” Gabby said, moving to hop the fence.
Daniel noticed a giant gaping hole in said fence, perhaps that the troll had created. Upon closer inspection, the tear pointed outward, meaning the troll got outside with this hole. Not inside. This must be where the troll first came from.
“Hello!” Daniel said, gesturing to said hole.
“Oh!” Gabby exclaimed climbing back down.
The four went through the hole with practically no effort thanks to its size.
When they entered the building, that feeling that Tara had grew stronger.
“It’s down that hall.”
“You’re the boss,” Sam said.
The party went down the hall to an industrial sized elevator.
Daniel put an ear to the door. “It’s not working,” he said flatly.
“How do you know that, mijo?” Sam asked.
“There’s a hum that elevators make when they’re working and this one is totally dead silent.”
“Now that you mention it,” Gabby started, “this place seems totally pitch black.”
“So we’ll find the power, turn it on and get this bad boy up and running,” Sam said, opening the first door in sight.
The party went room to room trying to find something to turn the power back on.
One room, however, had Sam glance at something VERY interesting.
It was a bulletin board with a ton of newspaper cutouts. A few words, quotes and headlines caught his attention.
“Terry Ives Suing”
“They stole my baby!”
“MK Ultra”
On the desk was a list of names. One stood out to Sam immediately.
Eleanor Newman.
Upon further inspection, he noticed that the name “Terry Ives” was on there as well.
One thing was very clear. They were all seeing things that were not meant for their eyes and knowing things that someone likely put in effort to ensure they wouldn’t know.
Of more immediate importance, though, he noticed through his peripheral vision that Tara’s eyes were closed.
“You still with us kiddo?” he asked.
Ding.
Tara opened her eyes and blood dripped out of her nose into Sam’s shirt.
The elevator opened.
The four went inside and Tara once again used her powers to close the elevator and take them where they needed to go.
“Down that way,” Tara weakly pointed.
They went passing by rooms until Tara spoke again.
“Stop. Here.”
Daniel opened the door to what he could only assume was a room for nuclear testing, but what in the world was a sensory deprivation tank doing in it?
“There it is,” Tara said, snapping Daniel out of his thoughts.
There it was. Clear as day. The way out.
The four passed through the opening and were immediately met with drawn guns demanding that they put their hands up.
#stranger things#stranger things fanfic#stranger things season 1#stranger things 1#stranger things oc#tara newman#daniel newman#Sam ortega#Gabby Maldonado#will byers#project mk ultra#hawkins#hawkins lab#hawkinsona#Youtube
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When the light is gone.
What if after Sun revives, he was no longer the same. Like Soulless Sam from Supernatural, he will be a husk. Like he still cares about his family, but his feelings no longer be there, only purely pretend as the results of his old self.
(Sun doesn't feel love, or hate or guilt with anyone, towards anyone. His emotions become empty and hollow, because, he doesn't mind if Moon or Nexus does anything.)
Strangely, he becomes more happy, more like his old self, because now, he just realizes nothing in his control and... He just doesn't mind or suffer from his emotions.
Just like with Nexus, but because Sun only lost his emotions and not his brain, he doesn't go through Nexus cringe emo villain rebel tennage phase.
He is just the same good old Sun, with a little... Different.
I think it would be sweet angsty if Moon and maybe Nexus try to make up to Sun, try to beg for Sun forgiveness but Sun no longer needs their apologies.
He just doesn't care.
Of course Sun still appreciates it. Sun likes having brothers, and he hates being lonely, and even though his feelings become so shallow, it doesn't take Sun's care for his family out of him.
I think it would be justified and funny if this time, everyone suffers except Sun. My boy is having a great time, when he doesn't have mental breakdown from anxious or the traumatic events anymore.
Heck, even right now if Puppet wants him to do or choose whatever choice they like to, he would gladly do that for her/him.
And of course he couldn't understand why everyone around him felt sad when seeing him like that.
While Earth cries whenever she talks to him, or Lunar looks at him with nervous and sad eyes, like he couldn't stand seeing another man wearing his brother's face, but still there are some relief in his voice because Lunar knows he feels more happy that way. Moon and Nexus got it worse.
Moon - MF just got back from death, and I bet Sun's death is related directly or indirectly to him or Nexus. To see his brother, telling him how awful he was with a smile on his face, and whatever love in Sun eyes was no longer there. His brother sees him and treats him just like a stranger, a parent he has to deal with in kindergarten.
I don't know if it would be worse or hilarious, if suddenly, Moon now has to be the one who has the moral compass.
Like, he has to chase Sun around, repeatedly yelling at Sun:
"No Sun, you can't yell at the kid because it touches your barrels. "
Or
"No Sun. We can't use Lunar's power to lure Creator. I know he can handle it himself, but it is still your brother!!"
And...
"No, Sun. Do not hang out with Dark Sun just because you think he has a lot of cool stuff and he is a version of you. He is evil!!!"
"And get away from Nexus!!! I don't care if that little shit used to be me. The moment he killed you, he was just another villain we have to deal with!"
And of course some of the angst moments...
"I am sorry, I am sorry Sun... It's all my fault..."
Again. Sun wonders when is the time Moon get tired of it.
Same old routine now, Moon hugged Sun tremblingly in his breakdown, his fingers, in a desperate attempt, almost scratching Sun's metal shell. Moon's voice sounded like he was about to cry, and if it was the Sun in the past, he would feel extremely guilty and loved and try to comfort Moon.
Now, Sun just felt bored with a little uncomfortable because he had to maintain the same position, with his hand clumsily patting Moon's hat while his mind was wandering. It's not that Sun doesn't appreciate Moon's worry and concern for Sun, but it's starting to get too much out of time and it's giving Sun no time to clean up.
"There there, Moon." Sun tries to think how he used to comfort and empathy with the other. "Do you want to watch a movie? Or playing a game? I need to clean the daycare right now... And I can't stay here with you like that ..."
And don't think I forget about Nexus and Dark Sun.
Due to the situation, if Sun after revives meet Nexus and Dark Sun first or Moon have mental breakdown again and hit Sun and feeling too shamed to crawl back to apologise to Sun right now which leads to Sun is being alone when the two duo meets him.
Nexus neither feels extremely guilty about what he has done and snaps out of his phase when he sees Sun become just like this, just like him.
Or happy to see Sun still want him and no longer be limited by his moral.
(Like he likes Dark Sun, but Nexus is not an idiot. He knows Dark Sun has some hidden plans for him. Only Sun, only his brother is always loyal to him, and now he is back, and now he wants to choose him, to choose Nexus instead of that creature Moon. ) .Yeah, I love Sun and Nexus relationship so much, more than with the Old Moon. Suit me.
But... Still. Slowly but surely, Nexus will have his guilt eat him alive. Seeing how Sun becomes so not... Sun while still being him, maybe will make Nexus feel sick at the stomach.
(he feels so wrong... Seeing Sun like that. Sun is supposed to be angry at him, to disappoint at him. Not looking at him like that, like He doesn't do anything wrong or worse, like Sun doesn't care if he doesn't do anything wrong.)
And Dark Sun is just like having a buddy to play games with. (He sees everything so hilarious he goes full supportive at Sun with a glass of wine in his hand...)
I have a feeling that when Sun is killed and revived he won't recover quickly, he'd be more like Lunar but maybe even worse where instead of getting up and running around he's just quiet, broken, and doesn't speak with anyone, but that's my take either way I think he'll take it worse than the others who've died
100% true.
I mean same, dear anon. I think that Sun won't recover too quickly.
And I think that it might be for the better.. I mean that it'd give Moon a chance to finally be the better brother.. to finally try for Sun..
I mean that if Moon will take care of Sun in such a state it'll show that he cares.. no more leaving Sun in the house alone.. he'll be just there for Sun.. really showing that he cares..
I just really want to see Moon trying to be better for Sun.. showing that he cares.. not only saying that he cares but showing it..
But to say it shortly, I agree with you, dear anon.
#sun and moon show#sams sun#tsams nexus#tsams new moon#tsam dark sun#i know it would never happend#but as a bit of delulu and see tragedy as a funny show#i love to see how the nice character just living their best life while everyone goes to having metal breakdown#davis would never let my dream become true#tsams#souless!sun au
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Witch Boyfriend x Fairy Reader? Maaaybe they met in the same school that Knox and Ollie went to? What if theeeeey were like friend-of-a-friends but then the group fell apart leaving them two? After, they got to know each other a bit more and what things they did for fun. Y’know, make potions, study magic, practice spells and then create fae gates, playfully prank the werewolves, and control nature?
Also, they both like getting boba bc why not?
Sorry it took so long! But here you go!
Witch! Boyfriend x Fairy! Reader Headcanons:
Okay, so as a fairy, you had a bad reputation
Especially when it comes to witches
Fae are seen as maliciously mischievous first and friendly never so you didn't have many people of the supernatural kind willing to be your friend
How you became friends with a witch was entirely accidental
You both shared friends with a small group of local humans at your school
Humans were normal, integrated with the supernatural population
And that's how you two met
The witch was very quiet around you when the group got together. Even side eyeing you in the beginning
He already had a monotone voice, so you weren't sure at first if it was because you were fae or if he wasn't social at all
You two only interacted with small nods of acknowledgment when the group had its weekly get-together
It took maybe a few months before you spoke words towards each other
You noticed that he had a nature magic book with him, and you put your own two senses in about the complications of nature magic
At first he seemed huffy with your interruption:
"Not everyone can naturally be attune to nature. Such as yourself."
But as you talked and actually explained it in a way that helped him, the witch could only blink in surprise
He expected ridicule, or even false knowledge from a naturally mischievous being such as yourself
But you only cared about talking about the logistics of the type of magic
After that, he would bring books that boasted about being fae magic to ask your opinion on them
Most of them were hacks
As you two grew close, the friend group began to fall apart
The weekly meet ups became monthly
To every other month
Before ceasing entirely
Yet you two stayed friends
Became the best of friends, actually
You met his close friend Vinnie, and Vinnie's close friends Oliver and Knox
And you found yourself a new group of people
You and the witch started to have a lot of one on one time, though
You'd help him with potions and testing it out on unwilling subjects (all safe of course)
He'd tell you some book of shadow secrets while you tell him the real nature of the fae
You two usually did that over Boba tea, which became a once a week thing for the both of you
You both also have this running thing at the moment:
You're trying to make Knox laugh in anyone possible as it seems like the beta only knows stoic expressions and grunts
Sometimes, the dork of a vampire Vinnie joins you two with the pranks
You also help the witch practices the fae language so you both can talk shit without the wolves or Vinnie knowing
Vinnie: "Hey! No fake languages at the table!"
Oliver: "Fae language isn't real?😟"
You: "Ollie i-"
You two are practically inseparable at this point, a pair that always comes together
And well, no one needs to know that you found yourself more than fond over the witch
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Losing Control - Pt. 1
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/8b01c1fa6bc4361311d04ca1a5936037/6120d0409ef7342e-10/s540x810/ddcbece3b810c2eae6e0f1bf0a01b67fcc18df85.jpg)
❥ Pairings: Jisung x Reader, Everyone x Reader
❥ Genre: Wolf au, Omegaverse, potential smut, romance, humor, supernatural, slice of life
❥ Word Count: 4.3K
❥ Series: No Control Series
❥ 1 ・ 2 ・ 3 ・ 4 ・ 5 ・ 6 ・ 7 ・ 8 ・ 9 ・ 10 ・ 11
❥Warnings: This is a work of fiction. The members displayed in this story are not meant as an accurate portrayal of the members of Stray Kids. Everything is made up and not real!
Next ↬
![Tumblr media](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c727b301ba3108527dc933d471808953/6120d0409ef7342e-b4/s400x600/c1a89f2d88e94ecf29dbb49e343fab169d663678.jpg)
Trigger warning: Description of violence. Mentions of blood and death
The scent of copper filled your nose as you made your way into the clearing. You didn't know what compelled you to run into the forest in the first place, but something had tugged at your heart and told you to run. You wished you hadn't listened to it - ignored it like you tried to ignore most of your shifter instincts. At least then you would have been spared the sight of your dead packmates, soaked in blood. It reeked, pungent and foul - a dark crimson that seemed to just soil the beautiful lush green beneath it. Mangled bodies entangled, laying in a heap at your feet. You couldn't tell where one started and the other began, but you knew all 8 of them were there. The men who took you in, gave you a home and showed you more kindness and love than your family dared to spare you in the past.
Under the harsh rays of the sun, you could make out the rings on their fingers. A promise to you and a promise to each other of the bond you all shared. Something inside you snapped and a swell of anger coursed through you with an unbridled flare. An ominous howl echoed through the air and it took a second before you realized it came from you. Again and again, you howled in anger, in pain as your body shifted and morphed - leaving in its wake a large wolf with a thirst for blood. With one more howl, you took off running, destination unknown but one goal in mind: revenge.
----
You woke with a start, chest heaving as your eyes scanned the room quickly. The room was silent, save for the soft snores from the other bodies in the bed with you. The air was slightly chilly, more so than what it should be for the early autumn morning. Perhaps winter was coming early this year. Looking to the left, you check the time - 4:19 am - and sighed heavily, running a hand through your untamed bedhead mess of hair. Great, this was the last thing you wanted - to be awake at an ungodly time, but you really didn’t have a choice. Your brain was an utter piece of shit.
Shifting in the bed, you accidentally pushed against a firm thigh and stilled. Eyes darting down, you watched as Minho shifted and rolled, arms encircling the unsuspecting Seungmin and cuddling against him. Thank god he didn’t wake up. Minho on a good day could be scary. Minho freshly woken up was not something you wanted to see again. Or at least, as long as you weren’t the target of his grumpy mood.
More alert now, you carefully climbed out of the large bed, limbs splayed as wide as possible in order to avoid touching any of the sleeping bodies scattered around. You were still getting used to sleeping with the 8 of them and the first few nights had been very awkward. You were a singular woman - an omega at that - surrounded by young and healthy alphas and betas. As much as you didn’t want your mind to go down that road, it had plenty of times. Which was scary because while things were okay within the pack, it was still a little iffy when it came to relationships. You knew one day you would all really have to sit down and discuss the topic, but for now everything seemed to be okay and you didn’t really want to upset that balance.
Somehow - you were sure you did some sort of gymnastics - you managed to get out of the bed without disturbing anyone else and silently made your way out of the room. Creeping down the hall to the stairs, you made a quick stop to the bathroom to pee before heading downstairs to the kitchen. The silence of the house was comforting, feet slowly moving as you grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. Surrounded by the darkness, you felt a little more at ease than you did when you first woke up, but there was still that lingering terror in the back of your mind. If you thought about it, you could still vividly see the images of the dream. Just flashes of bodies and red.
Groaning, you sat the glass down on the counter with a little too much force, the clinking noise echoing loudly and making you wince. Grabbing the edge of the counter, you lowered your head, trying to will the images away with happier thoughts like kittens and puppies. Chocolate and boba tea. Anything you possibly could and eventually the images faded away.
“Good god.” You whispered, rubbing your eyes and then your head, a dull ache knocking at your temples.
“Y/n?”
You couldn’t say you weren’t surprised someone was awake. Even though you tried your hardest to not disturb anyone, it was bound to happen. Arms carefully encircled your waist and there was a hint of apprehension in the touch as well, as the person behind you brought forth feelings you wished you could keep buried for the sake of… well everyone. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Felix.” You whispered, pleased that your voice didn’t waver. You weren’t fine though, and if the way Felix held you tighter was any indication, he knew you weren’t fine either. “Why are you awake?”
“I could ask you the same question.” He muttered, chin hooking over your shoulder. “Can’t sleep?” It wasn’t really a question, or at least it didn’t feel like it. It was more like a general statement to encompass why the both of you were awake and you eagerly latched onto it.
“Yeah.” The silence that followed was almost deafening and there was an awkwardness that you didn’t really want to confront but it was staring at you like a bullseye. Being alone with any of them - with the exception of Jisung - always put you on edge. You still weren’t 100% sure of your feelings for all of them but you knew a handful of them had feelings for you and the rest were probably slowly falling. You could tell in the way they treated you.
Once standoff-ish, Changbin was now one of the more clingier members. Always wanting to be near you, touching you. And you tried to reciprocate his affection but anytime someone else was around, you felt guilty. Like you shouldn’t enjoy his touch, their touch. Just like now, even though you were alone in the middle of the night with Felix, you felt like you shouldn't be enjoying the warmth he was providing. The way he made you feel safe.
“But I think I can fall back to sleep now.” You pulled away from his embrace and for a split second you thought you smelled smoke, but shook it off. “Good night Felix.” Walking away, you headed back upstairs but instead of going back to the den, you veered off to your room. The air inside was a little stale, the sheets still perfectly made. It had been a while since you had last used the room, opting to sleep with the others and being back inside it felt strange. It felt like home - warm and familiar - but it also felt like a jail - cold and unforgiving.
Flashes of the past invaded your mind - Jisung’s lips, his touch, Chan’s disapproving face. Your knees felt weak suddenly as emotions suddenly bubbled up in your chest. Unable to hold them in, you collapsed onto the floor as a harsh sob left your lips. Covering your mouth, you looked back at the door in fear you may have woken someone, but no one came. It was a great struggle to muffle your sobs as you waited, and still no one came. You weren’t sure if that was a relief or not, your chest tightening slightly at the thought of no one caring enough to come check on you. It only fed the negative feelings inside you and as you drew your knees to your chest, you sobbed into them. The ache in your chest grew tenfold, body trembling. You wanted the pain to end, but it felt never ending, and even as fatigue started to set in, you continued to cry alone in your room, the night slowly fading.
———
“Where’s Y/n?” Seungmin asked as he rolled over in the bed, arms winding around Changbin’s neck as he snuggled against him.
“Don’t know.” Changbin yawned and stretched his limbs, jostling Seungmin around as he did so. “Think Jeongin and Minho went to look for her.”
“Or they’re eating breakfast.” Seungmin mumbled as he tilted his head and sniffed the air. His eyes finally fluttered open, taking a moment to adjust before he was looking around the room. He knew people were missing mostly based on the missing scents, but now he could confirm that there were only three of them in bed - himself, Changbin and Hyunjin who was hanging off the side of the bed, still dead asleep. Not surprising honestly.
Groaning, he stretched as well before slowly sitting up. He ran a hand through his unruly bed head, gathering his wits about him. Tossing the blanket off of his body, he started to crawl out of their large nest, stopping only when Changbin grabbed the back of his sleep shirt, whining loudly. “No, Seungminnie.” Looking back at him, Seungmin raised a brow. “Kisses.” Sighing, Seungmin rolled his eyes as he leaned back over and pressed a kiss to Changbin’s cheek.
“There.”
“ ‘s not enough.” Changbin slurred, half asleep once more. “Kisses.” Seungmin groaned, but there was no malice behind the sound. Leaning back down, he pressed a chaste kiss to the other’s lips, smiling at the pleased sound and the explosion of chocolate that filled the room. “Better.”
“Go back to sleep.” He whispered and this time pecked Changbin’s nose. The wrinkles on Changbin’s face smoothed out, breathing becoming even as he slipped back to sleep. Seungmin couldn’t help but stay a moment and admire the sleeping alpha - at how different he was like this versus when he was awake. Turning back, he climbed out of the bed and started for the door, stopping only to rub Hyunjin’s exposed stomach, laughing when he jerked and rolled over, slipping fully off the bed but never waking.
On his way to the kitchen, Seungmin stopped in his tracks as he stared at Jisung staring into an open doorway. Cocking his head, he walked over, hand reaching out to touch Jisung’s lower back, startling him. “What are you doing?” He asked, peering inside the room with a frown. “Y/n, Felix?”
“I found them here.” Jisung whispered, holding back his whine. “The room reeks and I just…” he trailed off and lowered his head. Glancing back at Jisung, he felt his heart breaking ever so slightly before turning back to the two bodies on the floor. “I just wish she would be open with us. I want to help her.”
“We all do, Ji.” Seungmin assured him. His brain was running rampant with random thoughts and ideas that he couldn’t quite make sense of, but there was one common denominator in all of them - Jisung. “Maybe you should sit down and talk with her. She responds the best to you.”
“You think?”
Seungmin nodded. “Yeah. Who knows, if you talk to her, maybe all the tension will disappear.”
Jisung snorted and shook his head. “Doubt that. I mean, with us maybe, but not all of the tension. I heard Chan and Minho talking earlier. Another shifter was found dead.” He whispered and turned to look at Seungmin. “Only a couple of miles from the house.”
Seungmin’s eyes widened at the news, fear shaking him to his core. If he thought his mind had been loud and noisy before, it was on overdrive now. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and looked back in the room. “I suppose, all the more reason to talk to her sooner rather than later.” Jisung hummed in agreement, walking into the bedroom. Sitting down next to the sleeping bodies, he laid down next to them to wait.
Seungmin watched with a knowing gaze before leaving the area. He just hoped the talk would go over well and it would help Y/n to open up and talk to the rest of them about their future.
———
The soft whispers drew you out of your dreamless sleep. The empty void of blackness began to give way to an annoying bright light and the part of your brain that was awake was telling you not to open your eyes and save you from the pain you would be put through. You only half listened, cracking your eyes open slowly. The bright rays of the morning sun filtered through your open curtains, dowsing the room in a warmth that had you keening in happiness and curling up further into a ball. The whispers that had faded into white noise stopped and the sudden quietness was startling. Opening your eyes once more, you looked around the room as best as you could without lifting your head. All you saw was your bed and desk and the open window. Confused, you lifted your head and rolled slightly on your back to look behind you, and there was Felix with Jisung perched in his lap. The two were staring at you intently and you felt like you had interrupted an intimate moment.
“Sorry.” You quickly apologized, voice horse, throat dry. “I’ll go.” Sitting up, you took a moment to gather yourself and that was all the time needed as Jisung scrambled out of Felix’s lap and tackled you back down to the ground with a startled scream. “Jisung!”
“Please don’t run away, Y/n. Please.”
You laid there, motionless, honestly unsure of what to do. Your brain was telling you to run, that this was a situation that you didn’t want to be in. But your instincts - your wolf - was telling you to stay put and for the first time in a while, you finally decided to listen to it. Relaxing your body, cautiously you brought your arms up to wrap around Jisung’s torso - a little surprised to feel solid muscle under your fingertips. Where did that come from? He moved, muscles flexing and you had to hold back a whine as your wolf decided that this was something arousing to you, which was honestly ridiculous. Muscle mass was just a normal aspect of the human, or shifter, body. There was nothing special about it and it certainly shouldn’t affect you, but it was.
“You smell so good.” Jisung whispered, turning his face towards you - hot breath fanning against your neck, sending shivers down your spine. It wasn’t the first time Jisung had said that to you, which ironically enough had been this very room as well. It was almost like history was repeating itself, only this time you both had your wits about you.
“Sungie.” He pulled back, staring down at you and all thoughts evaporated as you stared into his beautiful dark eyes. You felt yourself getting lost in them, never wanting to look away. The longer you stared, the more you thought you could see specks of gold shimmering within. It was breathtaking. It was difficult to pull your eyes away from his, but when you did you were able to take in his entire appearance and it felt like this was your first time seeing him and his beauty. Reaching up, you cupped his cheek and gently stroked it with your finger, paying close attention to the mole there. “I missed you.” You breathed out, though you weren’t sure why you said those words. There was just something about this moment that felt like a reunion. And perhaps it had everything to do with how emotionally distant you have been keeping yourself from the others. And in that moment, it felt like all the walls you had put up were crumbling down and you felt so…free.
Jisung smiled, wide and gummy as he pulled you up against him in a bone crushing hug as he buried his face into your neck. “I missed you too. So much.” The air bloomed with such a mixture of smells that it had your head swimming. From the smell of a thunderstorm, to the thick minty smell of sage, it was all so intense and you couldn’t help but let yourself drown in it. Though the smell of sage only reminded you that Felix was in the room and for a brief moment you felt the urge to push Jisung away so that there could be no “misunderstandings” but the need to have him close outweighed your fears of possibly hurting another and you clung tighter to him. You laid there like that for what felt like forever before Felix got up and excused himself. Alone, you let out a deep sigh and practically melted back into the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” You lifted your head slightly to look down at him, but Jisung refused to extract his face from your neck. “Why are you sorry, Jisung?”
“Because,” he paused, taking a shaky breath. “I feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn’t…that day…” You bit your bottom lip, willing your brain to not think back on that day and what the two of you had almost done. What had happened afterwards. Jisung really thought it was his fault?
“That wasn’t your fault. None of it was your fault.”
“Yes it was! If I just stopped for one moment, you wouldn’t have left and Chan wouldn’t have been mad and things wouldn’t be broken.”
“Broken?” You asked, frowning. “What’s broken?”
“Us! All of us!” Sitting up quickly, you could see the way Jisung’s eyes flashed gold before returning to normal. “You know how I feel and we haven’t talked about anything. You’re so distant and there’s always this hint of sourness in your smell.” he rambled on. “And it’s all because of me. If I could just turn back time-”
“Don’t.” You interrupted him, frowning as you pushed yourself up into a sitting position. “Don’t you even finish that sentence.” He closed his mouth and looked down, pouting. “Yes things are awkward between us and everyone else, but honestly,” Pausing for a moment, you mulled over thought. “After everything that has happened, I’m still glad to be here.” you confessed. “I’m just…scared.”
Looking up, Jisung cocked his head. “Scared of what?”
“Of messing everything up. Falling in love.” Sighing heavily, you ran a hand through your hair, wincing at the tangles your fingers got stuck in along the way. “I’m scared that if I let this happen, that I’ll hurt people.”
Jisung cupped your face and tilted your head up towards him. “You don’t have to love any of us in return.”
“Loving you, loving others - that’s not the problem. I can easily do that. It’s just, I’m afraid if I give someone too much attention, then the rest of you might get jealous or hurt and I don’t want that. I don’t want anyone to feel left out.” You whispered, lowering your gaze despite Jisung still holding your face. The silence in the air was heavy and thick and you were absolutely afraid that your confession had brought to fruition all of your fears. But Jisung had been so honest with you about his feelings, it was only right that you be honest as well.
“That’s not-” Jisung stopped himself, heaving a heavy sigh as he released your face. “That’s not how any of this is going to work.” he started, sitting back on his knees.
“How do you know?”
“Because things are already established between the rest of us.” It was the confirmation you had been waiting to hear. You had long since had your suspicions that one, if not many of them were dating - including Jisung. You never wanted to bring it up in fear of causing issues between established relationships, but now you were 100% certain. “We just want to add you to it.”
“We?” You raised a brow. “Like, everyone?” You found that one hard to believe. You weren’t close with many of the pack members and you avoided Chan like the plague on most days. Nothing really came of the first talk you had with them after coming back. It had covered just the basics of living in the house and nothing about relationships or possible relationships that could happen. That’s why, even though you knew Jisung had been outed for having feelings for you, you didn’t think anyone actually did like you.
“Well, I mean…” Jisung trailed off, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. “I don’t know how the others really feel, but I know they have some sort of feelings,” he shrugged. “I do.” he whispered, cheeks flushing a pretty pink. You smiled, reaching out shyly to take hold of Jisung’s hand to hold it. The surprise on his face was really endearing, and the wide smile he threw your way as he laced your fingers together had your heart melting. “I just know that we want you to be a part of what we already have.” he said once more. “Love may follow, and it may not, but that’s why we have open communication. Whenever anyone has any issues, we talk about it.”
Communication. That was definitely something you hadn’t been practicing well lately. But it wasn’t completely out of the realm of reality for you. Communication had been something drilled into your head as a child, but all of it had to do with hunting techniques and keeping your hunting group up to date on what was going on. Communicating your feelings wasn’t something taught, and even though you had a basic understanding of it and why it was important, it was still hard for you. Harder now given that your entire world had been turned on its head. But there was something in the way that Jisung talked about it that made it feel so inviting. Like, no matter what you expressed, you wouldn’t be judged and that was so appealing to you. But this was Jisung saying it, and while you knew he had no reason to lie, he was a bit biased on the whole situation. You’d rather hear this reassurance from someone like Chan or even Seungmin. Two people who, for the most part, were neutral individuals and thought with level heads, regardless of the situation.
“I want that.” You started slowly, giving Jisung’s hand a squeeze. “Want to be a part of what you have. To be with you.” Jisung’s face lit up and you couldn’t help but imagine him with a tail, wagging happily behind him. “But I really need to know how it’s all going to work. I need that reassurance from everyone, to make my heart and brain feel better.”
“We can do that!” Jisung said happily. “I’ll go talk to the other’s right now and we can have a meeting -” Jisung jumped to his feet and started for the door, forgetting that your hands were still linked together. Smiling fondly, you shook your head and pulled on his hand, yanking him back towards you. He stumbled, caught off guard, and fell back with a thud, his head just barely hitting your lap. What a lucky landing. He stared up at you, eyes wide with confusion. “Y/n?”
“Can we just stay in here for a while?”
“Sure! Is there something you wanted to do?” he asked.
“Yeah.” You flushed, heart racing as you stared into his eyes once more. “Wanted to cuddle with you.” You muttered, knowing full well that Jisung would have been able to hear you. The pros and cons to being a shifter. Jisung rolled over and sat up quickly, crowding into your space and you backed away slightly, not used to having someone so close.
“Here?”
“Well, the bed would probably be-” You didn’t get to finish your sentence as Jisung once more jumped to feet and, in a feat of strength you didn’t know betas had, hoisted you up into his arms and carried you over to your bed. You expected to be tossed or something similar given how excited he was, but he gingerly placed you down on top of the sheets before crawling into the bed next to you. Rolling onto your side, you faced him, laughing as Jisung fumbled around, trying to find a comfortable position for his arms and legs. In the end, one of his arms ended up underneath you, supporting your back while his fingers pressed into your side. The other arm was draped over your waist. Your own arms were trapped between your bodies, hands pressed against a solid chest and you really need to find out when he buffed up like this. This was not the same Jisung you remembered from your first encounter with him. You gave his left peck a teasing squeeze.
“Y/n!” He squeaked out indignantly. You giggled and did it again, laughing when he jerked and whined. Pay back was a bitch though as he started moving his fingers against your sides, tickling you.
“Jisung! No!” you squealed through your laughter. “Stop! Please! I give!” It was a very short fight, and you gave up almost instantly, but you hadn’t meant for your actions to even cause a tickle fight. You weren’t prepared for it. Jisung stilled his fingers, grinning in triumph and you wanted nothing more than to smack that smile right off his face. “I hate you.”
“No you don’t.” he countered and he was right, you didn’t hate him. Rolling your eyes, you shifted closer to him and rested your head against his chest, a content sigh leaving your lips. All the inner turmoil you had found yourself in these past few weeks also ebbed away - momentarily qualled now that you were wrapped up in Jisung’s arms. Jisung placed a tender kiss to your head, your body relaxing and enjoying the warmth of safety the other brought.
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