#ask me about my landlord ravi idea

[likeshipsonthesea]

tw minor character death okay i saw this post and remembered my dream opening episode for season 8 and while i wholeheartedly agree w the point being made in the post i linked i think that we all deserve this idea so here:

the show opens up with a funeral. we get a bunch of people in firefighter dress blues, solemn tone, and then a speech from the head of the LAFD (guy that bobby gave his resignation to) giving a speech about the impact and life of the firefighter whose life they mourn today. we don't see any of the main cast.

we get this line: "the 118 will forever feel the loss of this dedicated firefighter."

cut to black. one week prior.

there's a giant disaster (a la earthquake, tsunami, etc.) the team gets split up, at least three different groups to follow through this harrowing journey. every other scene is a near-death experience. we're all on edge. who dies? is it hen, is it chim, is it buck??? we don't know. we're gripped w tension the entire time.

second to last scene there's a big shift in the building or whatever they're all inside. everyone's rushing to get out. we go between each group, dodging debris, narrowly avoiding falling, there's one last big shift and--

everyone's outside. they're all looking around, checking on their team, but everyone's okay. we're all in disbelieving relief. everyone's okay!!

(maybe we got a moment like the above post, where gerrard almost died but the 118 saved him even though he's a giant dickbag bc that's who they are, and gerrard is still awful bc he's fucking gerrard but it doesn't matter bc everyone's alive!!!)

then we cut to a dimly lit, barely decorated apartment. we watch gerard grab a drink from his fridge, pop the top of the beer and let the cap fall to the floor uncaring as he takes several long gulps. he turns to leave the kitchen and slips on the stupid cap, bangs his head on the corner of his counter, and dies alone on the floor of the shit apartment he got after his third wife divorced him and took the house.

the post-funeral reception we see all of the 118 in their dress uniforms and hen gets to make a comment about reaping what you sow and we all feel great that a (fictional) bigot is dead.

[lulucarrington]

The Black Out Job

 Chapter 1, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

Chapter 2: HERE

 There are times, and places, beyond our knowing. One such place, Hybras, was a place of magic and wonder. At least, to those who did not live there. The city lived in two- a world like ours, of 9-5 human bustle and activity, and a world filled with fae and elementals, and humans who had the sight. Humans are distrustful at the best of times, so the two sides have always stood apart, but with the rise of new leaders and politicians, the divide is sharper than ever, and consequences begin to pile up on both sides. Humans driven into stupid animal fear, and the Folk, as the media termed them, were driven into the shadows, living on the fringe, and in resentful silence.

                                           *     *      *

Taekwoon sat down heavily on his friend Hakyeon’s couch and sighed. It had happened again. He’d lost another job. He’d been so good- he’d minded his own business, been friendly enough, and always done all the work assigned to him. He’d agreed to lunch with some coworkers, and they’d walked past the pet store. Until he passed, the animals had been playful and sweet; but his presence had made them all sit or stand at attention, eyes on him, before the howling and screaming had begun. The news that day had played over the office, letting them know the signs of the Folk, including ones like Taekwoon.

He’d been fired for ‘showing up late too often’ by 5pm.

He wasn’t even going to fight this one. He was done with it all.

“Rough one?” Hakyeon’s voice floated in from his room.

“Worse. I got fired again,” “How’d it happen this time?”

“The pet place on 191st.” Taekwoon rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in a couch cushion. He was sure his landlord would want him out after this, too. He hadn’t even taken anything out of his storage locker this time, so at least he was already packed.

“I hate pet stores.” Hakyeon’s voice let Taekwoon know his friend had returned. “I don’t know why you bother trying to fit in anymore. Things are getting worse everywhere, honestly. I mean, look at the city- east and west are now an absolute divide in species. Stay here on this side with me, stop trying to fit in with the humans.”

“I AM a human.”

“True, but one who is capable of interspecies communication, and mastery of beasts, and that makes the rest of them nervous.” Hakyeon sat down on a sliver of couch and put a soft hand on Taekwoon’s shoulder. “I could get you a job with my people. I’m sure Ravi would love to have you in the crew. And you won’t even have to move!”

“I’m sure my boss already called my landlord about me.” Taekwoon moaned. “I’ll be out by the end of the week!”

“Lee Jaehwan owns the club under your building, not just the apartments, you know.”

“So?”

“So, if he’s got real estate in the middle of Hybras West that caters to the Folk, I doubt your dumb boss is going to bother him, and even if he does, why would a man with a Folk-friendly club not rent to Folk too?” Leo nodded, but privately stuck to his original opinion. Hakyeon squeezed his shoulder gently and got up. “Now, I’m making myself some dinner. Do you want to stay, or is it still time for you to moan all the way home?”

“Can I stay? I don’t think being alone right now is a good idea.” “And you’re scared of Jaehwan talking to you.” Maybe Taekwoon would go home, if Hakyeon was going to insist on acting like this instead of joining Taekwoon’s pity party.

“I don’t even want to talk to you right now.” Taekwoon sniped, still face-down in the cushion.

“If you’re going to be this broody, at least make yourself useful and go sit on some eggs.” Hakyeon’s voice got fainter, and Taekwoon tried to stifle his laugh. Hakyeon really was good at ruining a good sulk. “Now, I’m just heating up leftovers, so don’t expect anything fancy.”

Taekwoon never minded the state of the food, as long as he got to eat it, he would be fine. He sat and listened to Hakyeon chatter on about a new crush of his- name currently redacted- and how Ravi was thinking of expanding the Fae exports (mostly drugs, various potions, elixirs, and charmed items) to include things Extrasensory Humans, like Taekwoon, could use. He let all the information wash over him, concentrating more on the taste of the dumplings. Hakyeon probably knew he did it, but it was a routine of theirs, so he’d let it be.

“Ravi is looking for an Omnilingual, if you’re interested?” The question shook Taekwoon from a fantasy of never-ending dumplings.

“What?” “My boss, Ravi. He needs an Omnilingual. And since your calendar is free… Do you want to join us?”

“You know I don’t want to do that.” Taekwoon sighed. They’d had this fight one hundred times. Hakyeon would suggest working with other… Folk. Other people like himself and Taekwoon. Then Taekwoon would reply he didn’t want to be a criminal. Hakyeon would insist it was legit. Taekwoon would stare him down. Hakyeon would pout. Taekwoon would not get dessert.

“I know. Is it because you think we’re all criminals, or because you don’t want to admit you’re like me?” Taekwoon’s argument was stopped cold.

“What?” “You sound like your parents- all Folk are criminals, I don’t want to associate with the Folk publicly, I refuse to change my views.” Hakyeon mimicked.

“No, it’s not-“ “Look, I’m actually getting sick of this. I know you still want to be accepted by normal humans, but you just aren’t one. And if I keep getting this attitude from you, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Hakyeon’s normally cheerful expression was icy. “It’s like skin colour- we can’t change it, but we can stop being dicks about it.” He held Taekwoon’s gaze for an uncomfortable minute. “Now, I’m saying it one last time: Ravi needs an Omnilingual. The pay will be a lump sum of seven thousand dollars. Paid half on the first day, half on the last. It’s legal- he wants to make a deal with some elves. Metalwork exports, if I remember correctly. The job is yours if you want it. Seven thousand dollars. I’ll give you two days to think about it.”

Leo had agreed to think about it, and eventually Hakyeon had talked him into facing Jaehwan and sent him home with extra dessert. Now he stood in his kitchen, dessert still in his hand, staring at his phone. He knew putting off calling Jaehwan would just make it worse, in the end. That thought didn’t make it any easier for him, though. Eventually he sighed, and put the dessert in the fridge. He was going to go down to the shelter first, and then call Jaehwan in the morning and get it over with. It didn’t take long for him to get ready and begin the short trip to his favourite place. The shelter was friendly to him, the discovery of his skills made him an asset as a volunteer, not an object of fear there. It also meant he could pet as many dogs and as he wanted without getting looks from others. He had never felt more at home anywhere else.

“Taekwoonie!” A familiar chirp interrupted him on the third floor. Jaehwan, wearing what Taekwoon guessed was a shirt that had undergone the world’s most invasive threadectomy. Or some netting-turned-lingerie from Victoria Secret’s “Fishing for Dicks” nautical-themed line. It was hard to tell with Jaehwan sometimes.

“Hello,” Taekwoon smiled, allowing Jaehwan to join him on the stairs.

“You look tense. Is everything okay, Woonie?” Taekwoon didn’t particularly like the nickname, but somehow he’d never gotten around to telling Jaehwan that.

“Um… I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

“Did something happen? Are you okay?” Jaehwan had a way of making Taekwoon feel warm that he couldn’t figure out. Moments ago he’d been terrified of seeing the man, but now, with Jaehwan’s hand on his arm, he felt silly. He knew he couldn’t be scared of Jaehwan- the man was too pleasant to be terrible. He wouldn’t harm Taekwoon.

“I… Lost my job. I might not be able to make rent on time this month.”

“Oh, Taekwoon, that’s fine. You’ve been a good tenant so far, I don’t mind if you-“

“I… Don’t know how long it could take me to get another one.”

“Sweetie-“

“I got… I’m a… I���m of the Folk and I got found out. My boss will probably call you and tell you. And I might not have that job for a long time, if he calls anyone else.” The words tumbled out, leaving Taekwoon feeling exposed and scared, but the warmth of Jaehwan’s hand cut through it like a watery sun through the rain clouds. Jaehwan was a nice man, the warmth reminded him. He wouldn’t- he COULDN’T be like the others.

Jaehwan’s expression rippled with surprise, then suddenly Taekwoon was enveloped in a warm embrace. The warmth of his hand was nothing compared to the calm the brief hug Jaehwan bestowed on him. Taekwoon felt as if he’d been emptied of all his fear and was being filled with champagne. Bubbly warmth and giddiness buzzed right up his spine to his hair, bypassing his brain and spreading through every cell as Jaehwan stepped back and grinned.

“You take all the time you need, don’t worry about it for a second. And, if your boss calls, I’ll just hang up on him.”

“You don’t-“

“Us folk have to stick together.” Jaehwan’s grin grew by several teeth. “And if you need help looking for work, just let me know. I always know a guy who knows a guy.” It must have been the giddiness at work, Taekwoon thought later, as he hugged Jaehwan and gave him cheerful and sincere thanks for his understanding, and the offer. Jaehwan, looking a little confused as well, waved Taekwoon off, saying he would always be in the club if Taekwoon needed to find him.

Taekwoon nearly ran all the way to the shelter, where he smiled at everyone widely, before settling in to bathe some of the dogs. The odd warmth Jaehwan had inspired stuck around, and it had Taekwoon thinking as he scrubbed and brushed a very affectionate puppy’s fur. He knew Hakyeon’s offer was solid- and with seven thousand dollars he could shop around for more work with a bit of a safety net- and whatever he ended up not using could go to the shelter! They always needed donations. As he unsuccessfully tried to wrangle the puppy into a position to wash its back legs, he realised that it hadn’t even entered his mind to turn down the offer. Everything had been such a whirlwind, he hadn’t had time to settle on a feeling, and now that he had to land somewhere, he felt like a snow globe after a massive shake. He wanted to claim he was sad or angry, but both Hakyeon’s offer and Jaehwan’s little confession had sapped that. Hakyeon was nicer to him that he deserved, sometimes. And Jaehwan… The man so boldly admitted he was of the Folk too. With a smile and pride, he’d just accepted Taekwoon’s admission. That was a heady feeling that was hard to put a dent in.

A small, niggling part of him still craved approval from his family- still screamed that if only he tried hard enough he could be like them. It was screaming quieter and quieter now, with Hakyeon’s observations still fresh in his mind. He wasn’t welcome with his family much, but the shelter, and Hakyeon, and now Jaehwan… They all accepted him just fine. Maybe, if he took the work for Ravi, he’d look into what Jaehwan had in mind, and just disappear into this side of the city. He had occasional lunches with his fellow shelter volunteers, and he could always take up his favourite hobby (pretending tonight would be the night he’d finally talk to the tall, exquisite blonde man he often passed in the street and in the corner store some nights. The one who always smiled at him) full-time.

“Stop squirming, little missy,” He paused his thoughts to softly scold his squirming bath buddy. “I just want to clean your feet.” She turned and stared at him, and Taekwoon realised he must have surprised her. A lot of animals were surprised when a human talked to them for the first time. “Yes you,” he tickled her ears a little. “I just need to do your feet and you can go back to the play area.” Obedient instantly at the mention of the play area, the little dog allowed him to finish washing her, then shift her to another volunteer.

“You’re in a good mood today,” he realised the other volunteer was Arzu, one of the elves. Generally, she was only here during the day- elves preferring to be out at night and indoors during the sunny hours.

“I lost my job, but I didn’t get evicted.” He realised too late how strange it sounded.

“I know that feeling.” She nodded. “Any plans yet?”

“My friend has a job I’m considering. I’ll even have enough left over to give to the shelter!”

“What, not going to buy a hundred cakes first?” She teased. Taekwoon’s cheeks burned a little as he turned to accept his next puppy. “And don’t look sour- I remember watching you at lunch last week. I’ve never seen anyone eat like that. I was impressed.” She smiled, revealing her unusually long teeth. Taekwoon liked her smile- elves looked almost cat-like, with their long teeth, slit pupils, and pointed ears- and that set him at ease compared to other humanoids. They were cat-like in other ways too- people thought of them as graceful, serene, and elegant creatures despite the thousands of videos of them doing ridiculous things. He’d seen Arzu get her foot stuck in a bucket, swear a blue streak across the whole compound, then snobbishly insist everyone had hallucinated it once she was freed. Definitely catlike, and very easy to get along with.

“I like cake.” He defended weakly.

“I know.”

                                             *          *           *

Ravi was seated in his usual back room angrily tapping various words into a translator that, in his opinion, only translated things into bullshit. He was struggling with this- the deal with the elves for metalworks like cauldrons and their charmable jewellery was going to make it so much easier to deal with the other wizards. But this damn contract… He could read elvish well enough to order food or cast a hex, but he was nowhere near the level he needed to figure out if there were any loopholes or sub-clauses snuck in.

“Hey boss!” The yell both startled Ravi, and let him know his Fae friend N was in an unusually chipper state. “Guess what I’ve got?” N threw himself into a chair near Ravi and grinned. Ravi was never sure about that grin, it was more of a predatory teeth-baring than a grin. It usually heralded an adventure, though, so Ravi nodded at N as he tapped away. “I found us a translator.”

“Really, who? I thought your last contact was-“

“Oh, not her. A friend of mine. He’s recently been outed, needs some money and a nice place indoors to sit for a while.”

“He’s a human? What languages did he study?” Ravi paused in his tapping to watch N.

“He’s an Omnilingual, not a translator. I’ve even seen him talk to animals like dogs, so I will personally vouch for him.”

“On your wings?” Fae had wings, though Ravi had rarely seen them, and swearing on them was serious business.

“On my mother’s wings.” N put a hand on his chest. “He’s a nice kid too. He’s had a rough go of it, but I know he’ll take the offer I made for you. I’ll bring him in once I get a formal yes out of him.” Ravi nodded at this. N wasn’t one to fuss around when business was running. Ravi admired that- he found himself staying up late and wanting to hex his more irritating coworkers when business took off. While N seemed to jump right in and swim through everything without a care.

“Good. That cuts out one worry of mine. The other though- I need a crew for the retrieval you suggested. I still need an animal specialist, a siren, and Hongbin if I can wrangle him out of his latest psychic drama.”

“Well, my friend might do that if you mention the animals… After we do this job first, though. He’s skittish about the whole thing. But if he likes us, he’ll be in. And, based on what he tells me, he’s seen Hyuk around town, so I’m sure he’d stay just to moon over Hyuk forever…” N’s laughter was full of fondness for this friend, Ravi noted. That was interesting, as N rarely mentioned having a personal life, let alone any of the persons in it. “The siren though- aren’t we in a club full of them?”

“Would you trust any of them to work with us on something this delicate?” “Well, Xiumin is good for-“

“Without seducing anyone and without taking off his shirt at any point?” Ravi peered over his glasses a N.

“In Xiumin’s defense, he pulls off Baekhyun’s shirt more than his own these days.” N pointed out.

“Not exactly a point in his favour,” Ravi rolled his eyes. “I’ll just ask Ken. Sometimes I feel like he knows everyone in this city, so he’ll be able to find me someone.” Ravi pushed his glasses up his face and rubbed his eyes.

“Look, until my friend agrees, we’re sitting on this, so just pack up and go home. You’ll have a nice day off, maybe you’ll finally call Ken daddy, and then we’ll pull a heist just like in the movies.”

“I do not want to call Ken daddy.”

“Or mommy. I don’t know what you two skeezes are into.” N grinned again, and stood. “Where’s Hyuk? Normally he’s got something rude to add by now.”

“I had to send him after someone. They didn’t want to pay up, so right now he’s probably explaining very nicely to them that they’re paying up in twenty-four hours, or he breaks their other arm too.”

“Well, I do not envy them.” N started towards the door. “Jokes aside, please at least take the night off. You look like you’re about to drop.”

Ravi waved him off, but as he stood to stretch, he realised he felt exhausted. Checking his watch, he’d been working for the last 5 hours without stopping. It was nearly 1am, and he hadn’t realised it. He gathered up his things and crammed them into his bag, and with a last glance around, he started out into the hallway. It didn’t take him long to attract Ken, who always seemed to know when Ravi surfaced from the back Ravi!” Ken appeared from the sea of moving bodies. “You finally up for a drink with me?”

“It’s late, Jaehwan,” Ravi scolded Ken, using his real name as emphasis, but made no move to stop the other man’s approach. “I do have a job, you know. I don’t party all night like you.”

“But you know you want to.” Jaehwan said, and shimmied a little in emphasis.

“You know I’d love to dress like a seaside hooker and shake it with the rest of the girls, but I don’t have your flair. Or Xiumin’s shirt allergy.”

“It’s a tragedy,” Jaehwan pouted solemnly. “The poor boy just can’t handle his shirts.”

“Neither can you by the look of this.” Ravi plucked at the mesh on Ken’s chest, a little thrill of heat racing up his arm when his finger brushed Jaehwan’s collarbone. “It must be contagious.”

“Here’s hoping it’s catching. I’d love to see what that tattoo of yours says.” Jaehwan pressed suggestively against Ravi for a moment, before slipping off into the crowd. Ravi wanted to make a clever comment, or say something back, but the heat burning in him made it come out as an awkward grunt.

His thoughts of Jaehwan were cut short by his phone buzzing in his pocket. He strode out of the club and answered it. “Ravi speaking.”

“It’s me. Hyuk. I got the artifact, what do you want me to do with it?”

“Bring it to my place. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Will do.” He wasn’t much one to chat today, that boy, Ravi thought as he pocketed his phone. That meant Hyuk had probably encountered his family again. As an elemental, Hyuk was sought after by many people- they were used for industrial work of all kinds, magic, even entertainment- but like many of his kind, he was not often paid well for it, and abused without a second thought. He’d followed in the footsteps of his family, and ended up as a fighter in some less respectable parts of the circuits. He was a fire elemental, and therefore prized even above his siblings, so when Ravi first met him, he had actually been chained with water cuffs and locked up when he wasn’t fighting. Ravi had freed him on a whim, and accidentally earned himself a constant companion. This was somehow viewed as a betrayal of Family Tradition, and Hyuk had several encounters with his siblings over the years that had led to bloodshed and possibly death. Ravi hadn’t asked, and he knew Hyuk would likely not elaborate if confronted. Despite his past (of which Ravi admittedly knew little), Hyuk maintained an easygoing demeanour, except when members of his family popped up. Then he was sullen for days, and even seeing the serious dark-haired man from the corner store would not cheer him up.

His thoughts still full of his giant protector, Ravi let himself into his apartment. He could hear his dog’s little paws scrabbling across the floor as he kicked his shoes off and abandoned his bag next to the couch. His dog, Butt, came charging into the room and made a beeline for his shins, yapping the whole way. It cheered Ravi immensely, and the weight of the contract seemed to lift. He scooped Butt up under one arm and kissed the top of his head.

“Daddy missed you.” He cooed. “Yes, I did.” Butt wiggled happily, and Ravi slumped down on the couch, still muttering to Butt. “Daddy’s finally got the gems he needs for his big heist. Aren’t you proud of me?”

Any response Butt might have had was cut short by the sound of a key in the lock.

“Wonsik?” Only Hyuk knew his actual name.

“Over here.” He let Butt down on the floor, and the little dog took off, happily cannoning into Hyuk’s shins.

“Butt!” Hyuk’s child-like glee nearly matched Butt’s enthusiasm. “How are you?”

“He’s probably mad I didn’t get home earlier.” Ravi answered. “But good news, N found us a translator.”

“I thought Hwasa was out of town with her wife?” Hyuk came into Ravi’s line of vision.

“She is. Apparently N has a friend who’s an Omnilingual- says he can even talk to animals.” Ravi didn’t bother sitting up, only shifting his feet as Hyuk sat down at the other end of the couch. “He’s going to find out from his friend in the next day or two what the guy thinks of the job.”

“Good.” Hyuk nodded seriously, even as his fingers twirled over Butt, creating a small wispy tendril of smoke where Butt’s tail should be. Butt took off chasing it in a wide circle while Hyuk smiled. “I got the gems.” He stuck a hand into his pockets, and withdrew a velvet sack. “What do we need them for anyway?” “If we want to get into… Into the compound, I need to do some spell work, and the gems are involved. Mostly so I don’t have to use you as a makeshift amplifier again. I don’t think either of us enjoyed that much.”

“No, we did not.” Hyuk shook his head vigorously.

“Speaking of enjoying things- where’s the static prince Hyuk gone? You haven’t zapped a single person today. Even Ken has noticed.”

“I hadn’t realised it was that obvious.”

“What’s up? Was it your family again?”

“No. I just… You’ll think I’m silly.” Hyuk was keeping his eyes firmly on the dog, resolutely avoiding Ravi’s gaze.

“I once watched you shuffle across a professional setting in your socks so you could zap Hongbin while he was flirting with a girl. And you did that because he didn’t think your singing the food song was a masterpiece. There is not ‘too silly’ with us.”

“Well, you know the guy from the corner store? The really serious and mysterious one? I want to talk to him, but I don’t know what to do! It’s driving me crazy!”

“Dress up like a dessert? I remember his basket had 6 cakes in it when you pointed him out to me.” That got a laugh out of Hyuk.

“What I mean is, he looks human- what if he’s not one of us?” “I look human. In fact, I am one.” Ravi pointed out. “And there’s tons of humans with extra talents. He clearly lives around here, and it’s a high-Folk area. That means he’s probably at least friendly to the Folk.”

“But still…”

“Just march up to him and ask him out. Worst happens, he says no, then you can start getting over him. Best case, I hope I’m the best man at your wedding.” “So… Just march up and ask him out?” “It’s not that hard.”

“Just like you and Ken?”

Ravi jolted upright and stared at Hyuk. “That’s completely different!” Shame flushed his cheeks red.

“How?”

“I work with Ken, for starters.” He defended, though Hyuk’s expression said he wasn’t buying it. “And he’s… Ken! He flirts with the world! How am I supposed to know if he’s flirting with me or flirting with me?”

“Just march up and ask him?” Hyuk’s expression was innocent as he parroted Ravi’s advice back at him.

“I am going to bed.” Ravi ignored Hyuk’s snort. “I will see you in the morning.”