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onlyswan · 7 months ago

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dreamboat | jjk (1)

summary: aboard the dreamboat, jungkook finds himself drawn to a beautiful stranger who appears to be drowning in melancholy. weeks later, he sees her face on the other side of the aquarium at his apartment building’s lobby. he soon learns that it’s not fate’s grand romantic plans that brought you back to his life. / (alt.) / a shipwreck and a dreamboat form an unusual bond in an aquarium.

non!idoljk x f!reader (jk is a business major who works at the amusement park ; oc works at the call center) / strangers to lovers / fluff, angst, suggestive / chapter wc: 14.9k / total fic wc: 30.8k

warnings/content (for full fic): is it an onlyswan fic if nobody cries? ; smoking ; making out ; mention of nude art ; mention of flashing ; panic attack ; a ghost cameo lol ; s*x scandal ; abuse of authority ; harrassment ; jk throws a punch once ; oc drives a motorbike without a helmet once ; vminjin + yeontan cameos :3 ; tae and jk are the same age tho

-> part two (wc: 15.9k) | spotify playlist (open to song recs <3)

note: my not so little summer project <3 i thought i wouldn’t have the opportunity to dedicate this much time to writing again in the near future so here we are! finishing this story alone felt fulfilling but even more so that i get to share it with you. pls treat it with gentle care 🫂 reblogs and feedback r very much appreciated i love talking to you guys�� special thanks to my lovely rio for proofreading and being the sweetest friend :") ilyily

࿐ for those who yearn <3

—

“wait! wait for me! don’t close it yet!”

jungkook’s whole life has led up to this moment.

from running away from his neighbor’s large snobby dogs during childhood— to participating in run for charity marathons mostly, only mostly, to appease his ex-girlfriend by being interested in her interests.

he successfully escaped from his uneventful class today by faking dizziness. half an hour later, he is racing towards one of the few places in this city where he feels something.

his best friend’s face is still blurry given the distance, but jungkook doesn’t need to clearly see taehyung’s face to know that he is looking at him unimpressed.

“why are you here? do you even have a ticket?!” taehyung interrogates him once he reaches the gate.

“do i have a ticket? really?” jungkook smirks, tossing his backpack to the ground.

he crosses over to the other side, and with ease, sneaks his hand in between the bars to push the lock into place.

“what do you think i work here for?”

taehyung sighs and mumbles to himself. “fine, my bad. thought we worked to pay for our bills.”

he picks up the backpack and swings it over his shoulder, heading to the control booth. on the other hand, jungkook climbs on the ship the amusement park owner lovingly named the dreamboat. he places his grip on one of the many vines curiously large butterflies are attached to, fully ignoring the existence of the steps. he hoists himself up onto the wooden floor with ease.

unhappy faces with blank stares.

he smiles at them cheerfully.

“i apologize for the hold-up. i’m your captain!”

“jungkook! sit!”

“wouldn’t he be the captain?” a high school boy at the very front quips, eyes pointing downwards at taehyung.

“eh, more like the wind behind our sails.” he ruffles the boy’s head in passing as he trudges over to his desired seat.

“what?”

his spot, a more suitable better term. the farthest row which most first timers do not dare to sit at; the part of the ship closest to the sky when it swings back and forth, higher and higher, until it feels like he’s going to fall off— but he doesn’t. for short bursts of moments, he’s flying.

the passengers are erupting in ear-splitting screams, curses, and laughter. the wide smile plastered on his face could probably be described as sadistic as he observes their reactions. most would find this ride as a nauseating, life-threatening ordeal and its name ridiculously ironic. however, to jungkook, this is what it means to be alive.

he imagined he would be alone here again today.

but as he is brought higher into the air, he discovers one person strapped to the last row of the other side of the ship.

the earth begins to move in slow motion.

they have their face buried in their palms, body shaking with what he can only guess is intense sobbing.

gone is the smile on his face.

jungkook has witnessed a few criers, sure, but not to this degree. a wave of sadness washes over him. he feels guilty and he doesn’t know why. why the hell would he be? he doesn’t even know who you are.

are you that scared? if you’re scared, why would you volunteer to go here alone? if not, then why is your heart breaking?

for a few seconds, the noises cease and his focus on you becomes amplified.

and why is his breaking too?

your sobs and gasps for air are once more drowned out by the fear and adrenaline of the majority. nevertheless, the ache they caused in his chest stays.

what could it be? the reason you’re crying like this at an amusement park? wouldn’t it be because you got stood up by your date?

lost in thought, he’s been unblinking. the wind blows as the speed of the boat picks up and he groans when dirt gets into his eye. he harshly rubs and rubs and he stops to check if it’s gone… he knows it’s gone because now he can see clearly— one of the most beautiful people he has laid his eyes upon.

the wind blows into your hair and it finally grants him a good view of your face. red, swollen eyes and mascara running. you wipe your tears away, distant eyes falling on your lap, and you take a sharp inhale. you’re a tragedy and so gorgeous still that the aching of his heart doubles due to its intensified pounding.

there’s no way… he debunks his theory. there’s no way a man could ever waste the opportunity of going on a date with you. only a fool.

slow motion comes to a full stop.

shit, shit, shit.

why can’t he look away?

you’ve made eye-contact and you’re not breaking it.

he nervously swallows the lump in his throat.

“huh?”

the ringing of the bell snaps him out of… whatever that experience was. he looks around and it is revealed to him that the ship has returned to its neutral position. passengers are already hopping off, including you.

wait, including you…

when did you get a cap?!

“fuck!” he curses, kicking his feet in annoyance.

he then proceeds to break the promise he swore to himself: never run after a girl again.

“yah, jungkook! where are you going?! you need to clock in!”

taehyung releases yet another sigh as he loses his best friend among the crowd. nearly at the same time, he hears a thud that originates from the control booth. he blankly stares at the backpack that mysteriously fell off the chair.

“does he have snacks in here at least?”

—

blue tube top and black baseball cap worn backwards. blue top and black cap. blue top and black cap. jungkook chants in his head like a maniac as he navigates the grounds, trying his best not to lose sight of your back. sweat has started to form as beads on his forehead. he squeezes one eye shut, wary of the sting, before wiping them away with the back of his hand.

he ran with all his might, but now that you’re almost within reach, he’s suddenly nervous.

“miss- miss! you dropped this!”

you turn around abruptly so his fingers end up only grazing your arm. the first thing he notices is your knitted eyebrows. he doesn’t know whether it mostly indicates annoyance or confusion.

you merely glance at the handkerchief on his open palm. “it’s not mine.”

you walk away from him and you are a magnet he is curiously drawn to.

he stands in front of you, sweaty and stuttering like a student introducing himself to a class for the very first time.

“but are you okay? i-i couldn’t help but to notice that you were cry- uh, uhm… you-you seem to have troubles.”

he clears his throat, turning his cheek for a second as to avoid melting under your intense gaze. he marvels at your beauty but he can’t pull himself together to admire it from a close distance.

“sorry, i don’t mean to pry. i’m just concerned.”

seconds pass and he doesn’t receive any sort of answer. no affirmative nod; not even a roll of the eyes. you stare at his face blankly as your feet become rooted into the ground. strands of your hair dance with gusts of the wind. it could be a haunting sight. your glossy eyes are reminiscent of deep, turbulent waters. there was a twinge of doubt on the accuracy of his words before, however, it now seems to ring true.

could it really be because of a boy?

a bicycle enters his line of vision.

a little too close not to cause an accident.

“move!” he yells out the warning, but he still takes matters into his own hands by pushing you over to the side and using his own body as a shield.

the bicycle speeds past and the rider screams something unintelligible.

jungkook’s nostrils flare. “kid, that’s not allowed in here! where did you come from?!”

the security guard running after the rule-breaker moves past him, but not before hitting his back with the baton.

“jungkook! why didn’t you stop him?!”

“yah! what was that for?!”

he scoffs, glaring towards the direction of the intruder and his co-staff, who has an entirely different job from him. why didn’t he stop him?!

while he was distracted by the commotion, he was also unaware that you managed to swipe the handkerchief loosely hanging from his grip around your arm.

his angry expression softens.

you wipe away your tears that are freely flowing against your will. earlier, you were sobbing. right now, your face is devoid of any expression. he can’t decide which is more heartbreaking.

“are you okay?” he carries on to ask again despite the both of you knowing the answer, but he just doesn’t know what else to do.

“i’m okay,” you say. “thanks for finding my handkerchief… and for saving me from the- the, yeah…”

you’re about to walk out of his life until his mouth blurts out- “wait! take this!”

he wishes the ground would swallow him whole. you blink at the small packet of sour gummies on his open palm and he wishes the ground would swallow him whole.

even he thinks this is ridiculous. he had a handkerchief in the left pocket of his jacket and now it’s yours. he had gummy worms in the right and for some reason he also wants you to have it.

“why?”

he has the same question.

“just because…”

no, that won’t do it.

“maybe it could make you feel better.”

oh my god.

“if you decide to ride the spinning top… it helps when you’re nauseated.”

still with the unreadable expression, you probe no further and accept his edible remedy.

“thank you.” you politely bow before taking your leave.

he doesn’t run after you this time. after all, his pockets are empty.

meeting you— this is probably the first and last time.

he exhales through his mouth. disappointed. he turns around and tries to look for you again.

blue top and black cap…

there you are.

leaving-

wait.

the spark of hope quickly fizzles out. you pull your hand out of your pocket, tossing something into one of the trash bins. he’s too far away to identify the item, but it couldn’t be… right?

he huffs in sheer disbelief.

“huh, she’s pretty and rude.”

—

if he’s being honest, jungkook doesn’t like this job much. graphic design is there, and it’s been a pretty sweet gig especially when he’s desperate for extra cash. anyway, taehyung got this job first, which took away time from their regular hangouts, so he would often visit his best friend during his free periods at the university. long story short, one of the managers scolded them both for playing around throughout taehyung’s shift, and as a punishment, she employed jungkook.

she is the reason why he is spending his sunday morning putting on strangers’ seatbelts and lap bars so they won’t fall off the rollercoaster and die. he was trained to double-check everything, but he is a bit more paranoid about lawsuits than the management, so despite the extra waiting time some passengers aren’t happy about, he makes that triple.

as fast as he can, while maintaining meticulousness, he does his final round of checking. so far, everyone is safely strapped to their seats. until he reaches the last row and finds the only person there with their lap bar unlocked. how did he miss that?

“ma’am, your lap bar isn’t secured. do you mind if i-”

the woman shakes her head without a word. as he gets to work, his eyes can’t help but to stray. most of her face is hidden by a face mask and sunglasses. it’s kind of funny because it’s actually been a gloomy day.

“ah, there you go. safe and sound!”

“thanks,”

he flashes her a bright smile. the last and apparently most important employee rule.

“you’re welcome!”

—

“why aren’t you eating?” taehyung asks with a mouthful of corndog.

jungkook lifts his head up from the table, sends him a glare, then drops it again. he didn’t get much sleep last night studying for their upcoming tests. he’d much rather spend his whole lunch break with his eyes closed. he’d go as far as saying that moving his jaw to chew food sounds like exerting too much energy and he couldn’t be bothered.

“change shifts with me. i fucking hate sundays.”

“depends…” taehyung pretends to be in deep thought. “will you buy me a meal everyday until our shifts rotate again?”

“do you want to die?”

“no, but it looks like you will before me.”

jungkook yawns, sleepy tears flowing down his temple. “you might be right…”

“were you up all night thinking of that girl?”

“huh? no.”

“you’re lying.”

“shut up,” he groans, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position.

so a beautiful stranger has been plaguing his mind. big deal! happens to the best of us.

taehyung cackles at his demise, thoroughly amused. “why? didn’t she throw away your gift?”

“it wasn’t a gift.” he argues. “and i know, she’s exactly my type.”

“bro, you’re fucking hopeless.”

“i know that too,” he calmly replies. “i kind of miss her.”

“at least it’s not your ex anymore, i guess.” taehyung mutters before obnoxiously sipping on his strawberry lemonade. “want to sneak into the security camera room? i’m curious. i want to see her.”

“can’t you just let me sleep?!”

“wow, you’re so grumpy today.”

took him long enough to deduce.

“then should we go after your nap?”

“i need to work!” jungkook snaps. he straightens his back, rubbing his face in frustration. “go- go do whatever you want!”

taehyung’s chewing slows down, appearing almost scared at his best friend’s outburst, but everything is a game with the two of them. “but i don’t know what she looks like.”

jungkook sighs, squeezing his eyes shut.

“okay, fine!”

in a state of exaggerated panic, taehyung gathers his things in one clean sweep, cradling them in his arms.

“i’m leaving!” he dashes out of the break room as if he’s running for his life.

jungkook huffs out a laugh at the comedic scene. as soon as his smile drops, so does his head.

—

it’s past midnight, which means it’s already friday. jungkook has been glued to the computer for the past three hours, working on a brochure he was commissioned to make. this task would go along smoothly if only his client didn’t have such a long list of demands, but alas, he is desperate for a good review after his past client’s four paragraph-long criticism. a boomer’s opinions hardly matter to him, but he knows how a single bad review alone can negatively affect reputation.

one thing’s for sure, everyone’s making it hard for him to fucking quit energy drinks.

he tosses the empty can into the trash bin beside his desk. away with his anti-radiation glasses, too. it lands in an awkward position over his keyboard. he couldn’t care less. everything hurts.

he keeps his eyes closed as he stretches his fingers, neck, and back with strained moans and grunts. the sweet relief causes him to slump lazily on his chair. at that moment, an internal battle starts. should he do the responsible thing and continue working? or should he just say fuck it and go to bed?

“no but seriously! why would she throw them away?!”

completely unrelated.

a thousand miles away from the topic at hand.

“jungkook!” taehyung growls from the bed, furiously pressing at the buttons of the controller. “it’s been two weeks! when are you going to move on?”

jungkook spins the chair to face him with a deadpan expression. the ps5 hogger is too focused on the television screen to even notice.

“you wouldn’t expect it but those aren’t cheap.”

“then maybe you shouldn’t have given it away to a stranger.” taehyung shrugs. “but that’s just me.”

“that was out of my control.” jungkook defends. “you should’ve seen her.”

“well, you wouldn’t let me.” taehyung mumbles, but he obviously wanted him to hear. “no thanks. crying at the amusement park? she’s got to have some real issues.”

“so what? we all got issues.”

“not me,” he sends jungkook a smirk. “if i don’t acknowledge them, they’re not there.”

“and that, my friend…” jungkook has decided to retire from his work area tonight. he pats taehyung’s shoulder as a display of faux sympathy. “is your biggest issue.”

wearing a childish grin, he grabs the other controller from the floor.

“now, shall we rank up?”

—

it’s been a few days since summer vacation started. he normally comes home to busan during the school breaks for a temporary taste of childhood bliss. he spends the entire day watching television, eating home-cooked meals, and not thinking about requirements at all.

too bad his vacation is suspended due to his adult responsibilities.

at least that’s the excuse he used.

his family has been staying with relatives for the past month because their home is currently under renovation. and well, jungkook’s dorm is suffocating enough on his own. staying under one roof with nine other people? hard. pass.

he may or may not be regretting that decision now, however. all of a sudden, coming home from work with a bag full of ramyeon and beer feels too depressing. even more so that he has no one to share them with. all of his friends have gone home. taehyung, too. he found someone who could temporarily fill in his place and did not think twice about leaving jungkook behind. he can’t blame him.

jungkook enters the apartment building. as always, quiet and dim. he gets that the owner is trying to save money, but isn’t it a bit too early to start turning off the lights? he rolls his eyes despite the lack of a witness.

they are very lucky that he has grown somewhat fond of this place.

jungkook allows himself to be roped in by the only source of warm light in the lobby. he finds himself incredibly silly for being entertained by goldfishes swimming around in an aquarium, but after a hectic day, this is where his brain cools down.

“hello everyone,” he coos at them.

do fishes even react to baby talk? he wouldn’t know. the only pet that lasted him years and is still alive is their family dog, gureum.

“how was your day? i hope it was better than mine.”

—

on the other side of the aquarium stands you, watching a boy talk to the fishes while he is blissfully unaware of your presence. an endeared smile graces your face unbeknownst to you.

eventually, there arrives a moment when most of the fishes favor a certain side and they clear out before his eyes.

that is when he finally notices you.

your heart begins to race, but he appears to be more shocked than you are. you stand up straight nearly at the same time.

despite the dark, they’re impossible to miss. his breathtaking eyes— which were filled with pure wonder and adoration only seconds ago— growing in size as soon as they saw yours.

“i know you…”

a bucket of ice cold water is dumped over your head.

“the girl who cried at the dreamboat!”

and while you do not appreciate the rather ungentlemanly pointing of finger, you’re glad to be able to breathe out a sigh of relief.

well, and there’s also the crippling shame.

you didn’t want your first impression on anyone to be the most pitiful version of yourself.

it’s been over a month for fuck’s sake. how does he remember your face so well?

“wow,” he gapes. “you changed your hair.”

you touch your hair, feeling a little conscious.

is that a good thing or a bad thing?

it’s your first time changing your hair color; plus, the last time you had bangs was in middle school. it’s been weeks since you had the big transformation, but you’re not quite sure how you feel about it yet.

“yeah, light pink…”

“it suits you well.”

“thanks,” is all you manage to respond with.

a gust of awkward silence passes by. there’s the instinct to run away— knocking at your brain, pulling at your limbs. but you can’t think of an excuse. your feet won’t move… eventually you stop minding that. the goldfishes are too beautiful to look away from. they work as the perfect distraction from the other soul standing across.

“so, um- i’ve never seen you around here.”

“i moved in today.”

“oh, i see… that makes sense.”

you hum to fill the quietness that follows, thinking of what else you could say, but he beats you to it.

“i live at the 13th floor.“

what did he say? do you live on the same floor? that’s impossible.

“how about you?”

“hm, 10!”

you blurt out the first number that pops into your mind. you quickly pretend like you’re not freaking out inside by shifting the topic.

“do they-” you gesture to the aquarium. “do they have names?”

“names?”

the random question seems to catch him off guard.

“none that i’m aware of.” he shakes his head. “i don’t think so- no.”

“oh…” your shoulders sag in disappointment. “that’s sad.”

but then again, you should’ve lowered your expectations and reminded yourself where you are. they were not bought as pets. they were bought for display.

—

the last time jungkook saw you was over a month ago. maybe your face is a tad different because you’re not crying. the new color of your hair compliments you in a way unlike before’s yet just as beautiful. the bangs make much of the difference too. he doesn’t know how old you are, but you look younger somehow. from his point-of-view, he could say that much has changed. but not the melancholia.

he watches you gaze into the aquarium in fascination; the lights reflect on your eyes as little twinkling stars. you’re not crying, but why can he still feel your sadness?

he once told taehyung that if you meet again, he’d give you hell for throwing his sour gummies away.

funny enough, that plan went out the window the second he laid his eyes on you again.

“do you want to feed them?” he offers.

“i already did.”

“you did?”

“i did,” you look up at him innocently, nodding. “i asked the guard.”

“aish, he didn’t tell me.” he throws his arms up with a groan. “i almost overfed them.”

you perk up with interest. “do you always feed them?”

“when i come home from work.”

“that’s nice…”

the soft smile you give him makes his heart skip a beat, but he doesn’t know it yet.

“sorry, um-” you begin smoothing out your clothes, also tucking your hair behind your ears. “i need to get to work. it was nice meeting you.”

“work?” he exclaims. “at this time?”

“graveyard shift,” you simply answer.

pictures of the dark alleyways immediately flash in his mind.

“but it’s dangerous to be roaming around here at this time.”

his radar doesn’t detect crimes being reported around the neighborhood, but with the majority of the building’s occupants being young adults, the streets are often littered with drunkards who have many things to be angry about.

“oh, i don’t walk. i’ve got a bike.”

he hasn’t known you long, but this is the most enthusiastic he has seen you. your face lit up as soon as you mentioned your mode of transportation.

however, he is a tiny bit confused.

it shows on his face, apparently.

“the motor kind,” you clarify.

“ah, the motor kind-” he claps once as soon as the realization dawns on him. he chuckles to himself. “of course!”

it was important for you to clarify, jungkook concludes from your tone. the fact that you own a bike is sexy, but you look adorable right now and it is so amusing to him.

“anyway, i need to go. it was nice to meet you!”

your heels click against the floor as you head towards the same door he walked in from.

“see you around!” he yells, still wearing a wide grin.

he remains standing there even though you’re already gone from sight.

hit with a useless yet concerning epiphany, he blinks.

“she rides the motorbike wearing heels?”

—

jungkook’s misery has been pushed to the back of his mind, replaced by an overwhelming giddiness that causes him to drop everything on the floor and jump on his bed. he buries his head into the pillow, but it does nothing to erase the happy grin that’s threatening to make his cheeks sore.

what a small world, huh?

what is this if not fate?

he flips over and stares at the ceiling as if it’s the starry night sky.

this might just become the best summer of his life.

—

jungkook comes out fresh from the shower clad only in a pair of black boxer shorts. he hangs the towel he was drying his hair with over his nape, heading to the kitchen to prepare his dinner. he rips the lid of the cup ramyeon halfway, and as he pours hot water into it from the electric kettle, your face appears on his mind again.

wait, there’s something wrong…

he tilts his head to the side, eyebrows knitting together as he tries to figure out what it is he forgot.

“ah, i’m so stupid!”

he totally forgot to ask your name!

“shit!” he shouts in higher volume when he realizes that the water has overflowed and is now dripping to the floor.

he puts the kettle down, taking a few steps back from the mess he made. praise heavens the water wasn’t hot enough for his toes to suffer anything more than a first-degree burn.

he starts to look around for anything he can wipe the floor with, his tongue poking his inner cheek.

“still having a bad day.”

—

but a bad day isn’t enough to break down jungkook’s spirit. he knows there will always come a tomorrow, so he seizes that tomorrow and comes home from work as fast as he can. there’s a big chance that you leave for work around the same time, right?

so he sits down on the sofa facing the aquarium, and he waits.

his head turns to the elevator each time it dings.

he taps his foot on the floor.

he checks tomorrow’s weather forecast on the app. clear skies. no chance of rain. high humidity levels.

he goes through the magazines laid out on the coffee table. he learns five ways to get over heartbreak. according to the quiz, he has a sweet and passionate personality based on the flavor of his lip balm. he thinks it’s pretty accurate. strawberry, he strokes his non-existent beard. could never go wrong with it.

next thing he knows, the clock strikes twelve.

he can no longer control his excessive yawning but his stomach is just screaming for the pack of jjajangmyeon in his cupboard.

he presses the elevator button with a tight-lipped smile. he’s disappointed that he didn’t see you at all today, but he was raised to have a positive outlook in life. you live in the same building. you have to run into each other again one of these days.

—

what does jungkook hate more than normal sundays? sundays when he didn’t get enough sleep.

for some reason, he’s still tragically stuck with working on the worst day of the week despite his repeated objections. the only upside to this particular sunday is that he is assigned to the ferris wheel. in exchange for thrice the amount of his daily wage in discreet tips, what happens in some of those cabins are none of his business.

if he ends up getting reassigned, he would be pretty fucking pissed off.

he’s restless as the elevator descends to the ground floor. he’s munching on a protein bar, jogging in place as to warm up his body for a race to the bus stop.

he can’t be the one manning the bump cars. bump cars are the worst. those kids hit you on purpose, he swears.

the elevator dings and he runs.

until an eye-catching color forces him to pull the brakes. his sneakers squeak against the tiled floor.

your back may be facing him, but he can recognize you from that cotton candy hair even from a mile away. you’re right where he was hoping you’d be last night, conversing with one of the janitors. this really isn’t the best time for your paths to cross again, given the reasons he was just grouching about, but his feet refuse to move.

you go on your tiptoes to sprinkle fish feed into the aquarium. you’re so adorable in your pajamas; you’re almost drowning in the black and white checkered cloth. are those yours in the first place?

“everything you need to know is written here… how much- how often you should feed them depending on the seasons, depending on how big they’ve gotten… jungkook worked really hard in researching. impressive, don’t you think?”

“i see…” he is finally granted his wish to hear your soft voice. “but why don’t they have names?”

the janitor scratches his head at your question. “they look too alike to have names.”

“hello! i heard my name!” jungkook pops in without a warning, causing mister park to flinch and slap a hand over his chest in shock.

“jungkook! i’m 71 years old! you could’ve killed me!”

“oh, that’s right-” he gasps. “grandpa, i’m sorry!”

jungkook attacks him with a bear hug, playfully rocking their bodies back and forth hoping that would calm down his vulnerable heart. for a brief moment, he feels like a child again.

“this is jungkook.”

the introduction was already made for him. that’s one less thing he has to overthink.

“____ here wants to feed the fishes every morning from now on. i told her it’s perfectly alright with me.” the janitor laughs. “with my age, you know how forgetful i’ve become.”

“really?” he breaks away, surprised by what he just learned. “that’s so nice!”

“it’s nothing. i’m happy to do it.” you smile and make eye-contact with him, but you soon break it, opting to glance at the aquarium.

you must like fishes a lot. he only felt bad for them because the janitor on night shift doesn’t give a single fuck about them; that’s why he did all that research hoping it would help with committing to the responsibility, which jungkook ended up shouldering in the end anyway. but you… you’ve been here for what? two? three days?

“tell you what…” he brings out the pen he keeps in the side pocket of his backpack. “this- this is my phone number. if you need anything, or incase you need someone else to feed them, contact me!”

he scribbles down his phone number on the notepad grandpa was showing you before his rude interruption.

“by the way, my unit is 1311. you can also just-” he knocks on the thin air, clicking his tongue to mimic the sound. “knock on my door.”

jungkook’s watch beeps twice everyday, once at 8:50am and then at 11pm sharp. the sun is burning bright and his shift starts at 9am. yes, he is nervous infront of a girl who is drop-dead gorgeous, but he should also be very much nervous about the (unfair) deduction from his measly salary.

“okay, i need to run to work! goodbye!”

—

so, his name is jungkook…

you crane your head to watch him rush out of the building. the uncomfortable sound of his sneakers squeaking against the floor makes you grimace.

the page he wrote his number on is ripped off from the notepad and handed to you.

“he’s a good kid.”

you force yourself to smile, and it slowly fades as you tilt down your chin and stare at the string of numbers in blue ink.

long after the janitor has left to fulfill his long list of tasks, you remain standing by the aquarium.

“you do have someone taking good care of you.” you whisper to the clueless fishes, caressing the glass. a genuine smile appears when two of them swim towards you, beady eyes trying to make sense of the stranger loitering around their homey cage. “you can breathe well and you’re warm in the winter. that’s a relief.”

after feeding them, next on the agenda is to cook your own breakfast. you head for the elevator, tossing the crumpled up paper into the trash bin before pressing the arrow pointing towards north.

—

“hyung…”

“why?”

jungkook sighs. “can you text me?”

“text you what?” seokjin’s forehead creases in confusion.

“anything. i just need to make sure my phone still works.”

thursday has been a slow day at the amusement park despite the school vacation and no one has tried to win a teddy bear since the place opened. seokjin is more than happy to spend his free time playing games on his phone in his own little corner at the amusement park.

well, that was before jungkook got bored at the ping pong toss booth and decided to hang out at the other side of the wall.

he shrugs and texts his younger friend the word ‘anything’ just to get him off his back. he goes back to playing his game, not curious enough to interrogate him with additional questions.

jungkook’s text tone rings at max volume.

“it does work!” he yells in exasperation, flopping down at his seat. “why hasn’t she texted me?”

“you were whining about the same thing the other day.” seokjin muses as his car crosses the finish line. second place. “you fool, just text her first.”

“i don’t have her number.”

“what do you mean you don’t have her number?”

“i gave her mine.” jungkook says quietly. “we live in the same building and i told her to contact me if she needs anything.”

“then i guess it’s safe to say that she doesn’t need anything from you.”

“seriously, why can’t i have friends that are nice to me?!”

seokjin bursts out laughing, definitely not a stranger to jungkook and taehyung’s bickering at the break room.

“you did this one to yourself! jungkook, flirt better!”

“easier said than done,” jungkook pouts.

you make him nervous. his brain goes blank when you’re around. in addition to that, he doesn’t know what you’re going through and he’s scared that you’d end up pushing him away if he oversteps.

“i gave her candy when we first met and she threw them away.”

“oh, that’s right,” seokjin loads a new game, snorting. “taehyung told me about that.”

jungkook’s jaw drops. “is he backstabbing me?”

—

jungkook enters the break room with yet another item from the lost-and-found. it’s been over two weeks since he found this orange beanie on the ground. must’ve fallen from the rollercoaster, that’s his best guess.

since no one has claimed it— “finders keepers,” he grins as he stuffs it into his backpack.

“thief,” seokjin jokingly accuses him from the other side of the table. “that’s how you were raised?”

“says the one who took the sony headphones yesterday.”

“i won it fair and square!”

he’d argue with the older man again, but his phone vibrating has stolen his full attention. he is hit with disappointment at the same moment that he snatches it from the table. it’s his mom, again, asking him when he’s coming home.

“you need to stop doing that. it’s getting sad.”

he sighs, hugging his backpack to hide his pitiful face. “i am sad.”

—

his walks home from the bus stop have always been a period for reflection and pondering. the streets of seoul are scattered with his indecision, worries, and anger. since his mother has been asking him for months, should he just go home and endure their living situation? maybe it’s better to be annoyed with the presence of people instead of being blue with a lack thereof.

so much for being independent. he spent most of high school anticipating the day he gets to move out, now he wants nothing but to go home. he can’t help but to think that life is but a vicious cycle of wanting and losing.

too lost in thought, he fails to realize right away that he has entered his apartment building’s vicinity. it’s the smell of cigarette smoke that brings him back to reality. the alley is dark, but he can make out the silhouette of a figure crouched down on the ground. assuming that it’s one of the guards hiding to smoke, he soundlessly enters the confined space with mischief up his sleeve.

when he gets close enough, the first thing he sees is the tip of the cigarette still burning red as the smoker takes a puff.

a car with blinding headlights zooms past.

it becomes unmistakable then— the identity of the person ten feet away from him.

there’s no one around here with same hair color.

none that he knows of anyway.

he is motionless; clueless as to what he should do. he should probably turn his back and leave. pretend this never happened. he never saw anything.

he can’t even be hung up on the fact that you smoke. if he thinks back on his past experiences with dating, this would’ve been a turn-off, but he loses the ability to care. the smoke in his lungs is negligible when your wounded sobs are breaking his heart. it’s ridiculous that the urge to also cry is spreading fast in his system, but he had a long day and he feels really fucking shitty.

you were going to notice his presence eventually.

he doesn’t know what he was expecting.

you lift your head, and eye-contact is made. none of you chooses to speak a word.

you’re as beautiful as the day he first met you.

you stand on your feet and you step on the cigarette, on the emotional connection he swore you had, crushing it under the weight of your boot.

he blinks away the tears threatening to escape his eyes. he should say something; offer an apology for intruding on a vulnerable moment, but you walk past him before he could form the words, shoulder harshly bumping against him.

could have it been on purpose?

“____!” he says your name for the first time, for what sounds like a plea. he follows you home like a lost puppy. “i’m sorry, i-i wasn’t… i thought you were another person… are you okay?”

“what do you think?” you spit out. the delicate voice he knows isn’t there, gone harsh and hoarse.

“is there anything i can do?”

no response.

he tries again. “anything at all?”

“oh my god, can’t you take a hint? leave me alone!”

your sudden outburst sends him stumbling backwards, the sensation of your hands on his chest still lingering despite the distance that was forcefully created between the two of you.

“i don’t know you! stay away from me!”

your infuriated voice echoes throughout the lobby. he is shocked. dumbfounded. his eyes, out of focus, seek your face, and he finds you heaving with tearful eyes.

he makes an attempt to speak, something to defend himself with, but in the end, he still says, “i’m sorry.”

a woman walks out of the elevator, and you immediately enter without looking back. jungkook remains standing where he is, with strangers’ eyes on him as if he has committed a grave crime.

—

you slam the door shut, hand still covering your mouth shut despite no one being around to hear your cries. you don’t bother turning on the lights. your shoulder bag falls somewhere on the floor and you collapse on the bed, still in your jeans and your heels hanging off your feet.

nothing matters anymore.

you’re suffering the punishment of somebody else’s crime. you’ve been casted out, stripped away of your dreams and your dignity. your life is over and you’ve accepted that, but maybe you haven’t. all is unfair. you’re so fucking angry but you’re too tired to feel it. and you’re alone. so alone. no one is on your side and it’s not fair.

you try to scream out, anything to release your pent-up rage, but it doesn’t happen. apparently, that’s what happens when enough people tell you to bite your tongue raw.

they say we curl up into the fetal position as a natural response to stress and anxiety because it mimics the sense of security we had when we were in our mother’s womb. the way you see it, your body will always be yours and it is the only one that you need.

so you curl up and you put your arms around yourself. you pat your own back until your wrist falls limp from exhaustion, and you keep your eyes closed until you fall into a deep sleep.

you pray to god that you never wake up.

—

you fail to achieve peace even in your dreams. in what is supposedly an imaginary land, you were being chased by faceless agitators with torches and pitchforks. you were crying and screaming, running on bare and bloody feet, tripping on branches and the stones they were throwing.

you open your eyes to darkness.

just as you predicted; nobody listens.

you feel nothing anymore and you hope it stays that way. if you can’t escape it, then perhaps, you can be desensitized to its horrors.

you force yourself to sit up on the bed, spending an unknown length of time staring into the void.

the first coherent thought formed in your head… no, not a thought… a person.

your bare feet brave the cold floor. the switch of the desk lamp is flicked as you sit at your desk. you grab a pen to write something on the free space of your opened journal pages.

under those numbers, you note down the name of the owner in cursive.

—

after the shitshow that transpired earlier, sleep became impossible for jungkook.

he doesn’t quite understand how he feels about you. however, it’s currently clear that there’s a part of him that’s pissed off. you made yourself very clear. he should maintain distance from now on. that’s the sensible, respectable thing to do. at this point, attempts at initiating any form of relationship with you appear to be futile. you’re a stranger to him, as you emphasized. this shouldn’t be as complicated as it is in his head… but fuck, the memories of your tear-stained face is corrupting his ability to rationalize.

it’s 2:33am. he’s been playing the guitar infront of the camera for an hour and a half already. the comment section is flooded by sleep-deprived people like him, sending song requests and questions about his personal life.

yes, he’s about to be in third year college.

no, he doesn’t have a girlfriend.

no, he can’t mention where he lives… but sure, he can sing ‘beautiful’ by crush.

“what do you mean? i just finished playing it ten seconds ago!” he squints as he scrolls through the new wave of comments. “sorry, art commissions are still closed. i’m behind on my workload… no, i’m not sleepy! don’t send me to bed yet… knees by iu? i love that song. should i play that next?”

his phone vibrates with a new text message, nearly causing it to fall from the stack of books he set it up on.

“oh- what was tha- what do i do? wait, everyone. i need to check on something!”

the live is temporarily put on pause.

“who is this?”

his eyebrows knit in confusion when he is greeted by an unregistered phone number.

2:45am

hi, jungkook. this is ____. i wanted to apologize for my behavior at the lobby earlier. i understand you were only concerned. i’m so sorry. i’d love to buy you coffee some time to make it up to you, if that’s ok.

this is real, right? he’s awake. he’s not hallucinating. the text message indicates your name and it says that you’d love to buy him coffee some time.

a gasp leaves his mouth, his hand flying up to seal his lips.

you texted him. you finally texted him.

he was starting to get convinced that you also threw away his number, but you didn’t!

he weakly sets down the phone, brain still processing the message you sent. does this make sense?

“i shouldn’t reply right away… maybe in the morning…” he nods to affirm myself. “that’s right.”

he begins chuckling out of nowhere. soon enough, those chuckles become chortles. he must be going insane. he picks up the phone and reads the message again.

“she sounds pretty even in chat. how is that possible?” he spins on his chair, so carefree. “but honestly, is one coffee enough for what she did?”

he shakes his head with a click his tongue.

“i don’t think so…”

hold on…

it feels like he’s forgetting something…

“ah, the live!” he jumps on his seat in panic.

he swipes out of the text message to go back to the app where he abandoned his thousand viewers.

“sorry, i made money.” he mumbles to himself. “i should end it now.”

—

his mood has done a 180. his routine consists of feeding the fishes dinner, and then himself, but he decided to skip the second part earlier for reasons that he has forgotten by now.

his stomach growls at his selfish decision.

given the time, he considered food delivery, but the fee made him exit the app immediately. he hasn’t gone to the grocery store as of recent either. the fridge has been wasting electricity, but his pride won’t let him turn it off.

how did people live without convenience stores before? that is what jungkook marvels about as he crosses the long hallway to reach the elevator.

a door ahead opens, and he would ignore it if not for one of the two people who comes out from the other side of it.

there is a man in his late 20’s, and then there is… you.

you are the deer and jungkook is the blinding headlights.

—

the coffee you originally offered jungkook has turned into a full meal. when you arrived at the convenience store, he knew what he wanted right away. he grabbed the biggest cup of ramyeon and tteokbokki, an egg, sausage, and cheese. he refused to let you pay for them at first, but there was nothing left to do after you handed the cashier the money.

the action was done out of obligation rather than will, but seeing how much he’s enjoying the food, you’re a little less displeased with the circumstances.

“is that all you’re eating? we can share mine.”

“it’s okay. i’m not that hungry.”

with the money you had left, you were able to afford a roll of gimbap. maybe it’s not enough to make you full, but it’s enough to satiate your hunger. you slowly chew the food in your mouth, an effort to hide your smile as you discretely observe jungkook devour his rabokki.

“the man from earlier, is he your brother?”

your chewing is put on pause. “how did you know?”

“how? it’s easy!”

he cheekily points at his nose using his chopsticks.

“you have the exact same nose.”

“ugh,” you grimace. “i’m tired of hearing that.”

your list of similarities ends there. he’s the golden child and you’re the black sheep. if your parents find out that he comes to visit you and he sends you money, they’d only see you in worse light.

“i know,” jungkook scrunches his nose. “i have an older brother too.”

cute.

“so… why did you lie?”

he’s seriously asking you like this? so casually?

you awkwardly set down your food on the table and you take your time sipping at your coffee to buy yourself some time.

—

“i was embarrassed with what happened before… me crying at the boat and everything…”

you’re having a hard time looking at jungkook in the eye. sensing your discomfort, he wants to punch himself for being so careless with his tone. until moments before, he felt too offended to consider the fact that you never owed him an explanation.

“you don’t have to be. it’s okay.” he reassures you. “we all have bad days.”

it doesn’t work the way that he thought it would. when you start laughing, he is lost.

“did i say something funny?” he chuckles along nervously.

“that quote, ‘it’s just a bad day, not a bad life.’”

“yeah?”

“it’s the opposite for me. it’s not just a bad day; it’s a bad life.”

you speak with such endearing humor and it works like a charm in making the atmosphere lighter. he’d pass it off as a self-deprecating joke, but based on your few yet impactful encounters so far, he doesn’t think you’re stretching the truth far. if he’s being honest, if your first meeting happened differently, he’d assume that you’re living a perfectly comfortable life based on your appearance alone.

“even now, i’m too embarrassed to show my face to you. but we’re neighbors, so i’ll try to get over it.”

“tell you what, let’s start with a clean slate.” he eagerly makes a proposal. “you can erase all the embarrassing memories of you from my brain.”

“h-how do i do that?”

“flick my forehead!”

you blink, eyes darting around as you try to make sense of what he said. “i was expecting some sort of stupid hypnosis.”

“or that,” he switches up, slapping the table as if you just came up with something revolutionary.

why did he say flick his forehead anyway? he knows you gotta have an overwhelming amount of pent-up emotions. you could go deku on him and blow his head off.

“let’s do that!”

“no, i like it.” you almost interrupt him. “i’ll flick your forehead.”

but he did suggest it… and you act so gentle and sophisticated. he doubts that you would make it hurt.

“here i go!”

he gets his bangs out of the way. “okay!”

he squeezes his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact. “please have mercy.”

son of a bitch. that hurt.

“ow!” he rubs the affected area, face twisting in pain. his eyes flicker to you in disbelief. “you didn’t hold back, huh?!”

you smile at him sweetly. “did it work?”

—

“you fed them, right?”

“of course i did. you?”

“yes, this morning.”

“okay, that’s good.”

you and jungkook sit in silence after that, eyes twinkling with wonder as they follow the stunning movements of the goldfishes.

deep inside, he’s feeling restless. you make him nervous, and he’s also nervous about you noticing that he’s nervous. it’s been a tireless cycle.

he sneaks a glance at you.

perhaps he’s overthinking again. it seems like you don’t even care that he’s less than an arm’s length from you.

he doesn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed.

he sighs without a sound, comfortably leaning all of his weight on the couch.

“it’s called the dreamboat.”

“what is?”

the boat you cried in— can’t say that. you might flick his forehead again.

“at the amusement park.”

“oh…”

it falls silent.

jungkook is thankful when you have a follow-up question because he hasn’t thought of a new topic yet.

“i wonder why they called it that.”

“oh, because the owner’s daughter loves boats!” he shares one of the few fun facts he learned over the past year. “that’s why it was designed like it came from a fairy tale too.”

a mirthful smile forms on your face “my guess was too far off.”

“what was it?”

“mhmm,” you hum, folding your arms over your chest. “dreamboat is a word used to describe a handsome man, right?”

jungkook nods his head like he knew that all along. no, he didn’t.

“so i imagined the owner met their handsome partner on a boat- no, or a ship,” the epiphany hits you in the middle of your sentence. “they have to be rich since they built an amusement park.”

a romantic. you imagined a love story based on a word alone. jungkook’s teeth dig into his lower lip as he tries to tame his wide grin.

“that does sound like a good theory.” he casually bends over, resting his elbows over his spread thighs. “i think i like it better than the truth.”

“how did you know that though? the truth?”

he shrugs. “i work there.”

“you work there?” your voice goes up a pitch. “i didn’t know…”

“you? do you study or work?”

“call center,” you answer to get it over with. to his surprise, your body language shifts and you’re now facing him. “what’s it like working there? is it fun?”

apparently, a job at the amusement park is now joining his very short list of your interests: after motorbikes, smoking, and fishes.

“it has good days and bad days…” he trails off. he hasn’t truly given this much thought, so he’s also learning about himself. “but i didn’t expect it to be as fun as it is. sometimes it’s boring, but when it’s fun, it’s really fun.”

you scoot closer. “do you get to ride for free?”

ah, yes, the deciding factor when he was offered the job.

“there’s an employee discount, actually! but i do it for free anyway…” he shyly scratches his head. “don’t tell anyone i said that.”

“i don’t have anyone to tell.”

his heart skips a beat when he hears your laugh genuinely for the first time. quiet and delicate and airy— you grace this blue summer night like a spring breeze that takes away with it everything that burdens your mind and heart.

once again, the aquarium becomes the most interesting collection of atoms in the building. as for him, he is still unable to keep his eyes off you.

“did you have a pet fish growing up? you really like them a lot.”

“no,” you reply. “i didn’t care about them until now.”

“really?” his eyes grow wide. “wow, i seriously thought you were a marine life enthusiast, or something like that.”

you give him a look. “i thought you were a marine life enthusiast.”

“we were both wrong.” he shrugs. “but what made you care about them so much now?”

“i don’t know. i just thought of something when i was looking at them.”

he feels your hesitance to continue. your eyes connect briefly and he communicates that he’s listening with an open mind.

“they’re different from other pets, you know, like cats and dogs. they can’t make a sound when they’re in pain.”

in the dark room, he sees the melancholy seeping from the cracked edges of you. although you act relaxed, your spoken thoughts paint the picture of a person whose sensitivity and sympathy touch upon everything.

“there should at least be somebody who cares enough to check up on them and make sure that they’re alive and well.”

“…and you wanted to be that somebody for them.” he concludes with a hushed voice, more to himself than you.

“but it turns out they have you already.”

“it’s not just me now.”

he mirrors your soft smile. it’s nice to see your frown turned upside down for a change. what was weighing down on him has become lighter, and he hopes it’s the same for you.

“the sun is about to rise.” you announce after a peek at the grandfather clock. “we should go home.”

jungkook isn’t a big fan of comfortable silence, but he can get used to it. he maintains a respectable distance from you in the elevator, engaging himself with the ascending number of floors on the screen. when the door opens, you’re the first to step out and he follows suit.

your destination isn’t far. you pause in front of unit 1303.

“uhm, this is me.”

yup, the same door he saw you come out of.

“i’m not far, just at the end of the hall. 1311, if you ever need anything.”

your eyes trace the direction of where he’s pointing before you nod in understanding. with a hand gripping the door handle, you offer him one final smile.

“goodnight, jungkook.”

—

if others cheese over good morning texts first thing after opening their eyes, then jungkook’s case is one of a kind.

he rolls over to his side, puffy eyes from sleep forming thinner crescent moons as he zooms in on your reflection on the glass.

10:08am

[attached image]

they’re happy and fed :)

10:10am

[attached image]

babies are getting bigger

this is how his mornings have been going for the past two weeks. he wakes up and he checks his phone for fish breakfast updates from you. in return, he sends fish dinner updates to you at night. he was the first one to send you a picture following the night you awkwardly bumped into each other. he didn’t want to wait around anymore.

were his palms sweaty? did he throw his phone on the bed after?

no longer relevant.

he now knows that your favorite color is blue and you have wednesdays and fridays off for the next month. that’s pretty cool.

another thing he’s taken notice of is that you don’t use emojis or emoticons aside from the smiley face.

although, there was once a miracle.

he scrolls up until he reaches your conversation from four days ago.

11:59pm

LOL i’m actually allergic to seafood ㅜㅜ

😭😭😭

“ah, i’m annoyed!” he kicks his feet; half of the blanket falls to the floor. “she’s so cute!”

things are indeed going great, greater than he imagined, but if he has to complain, he wishes he could see you in person more. he’s at work when you’re home and vice versa, so you don’t cross paths despite living on the same apartment floor. that 3am encounter was a rare phenomenon, it turns out. he chanced upon you a few times while running to work and you were feeding the fishes breakfast, but those conversations were barely conversations.

‘i just thought of something when i was looking at them… they can’t make a sound when they’re in pain.’

he hasn’t stopped thinking about that.

—

“when are you asking her out on a date?”

taehyung is on a mission to tease him for life even from daegu. he’s only thankful that his best friend isn’t video calling him from the toilet again because he’s currently having his lunch.

“i don’t know.” he grouches. “it doesn’t feel like the right time. i don’t want to scare her off.”

“when’s that ‘right time’?”

“i’ll figure it out…” he sighs, setting down the half-eaten sandwich on the table. “how do i say it…? i feel like- hm, she’s no- she’s not in the best emotional state right now.”

“so you admit it,” taehyung raises an eyebrow, smirking. “she has issues.”

that didn’t sit right with jungkook at all. he feels obligated to defend your honor.

“hey, stop being rude. you haven’t even met her yet.”

“come on, bro! i’m only looking out for you.”

the atmosphere shifts into a more serious tone.

“i don’t want you to get hurt trying to fix another person again. it was hard to watch.”

he moved on and learned his lesson— he wants to spit out as a rebuttal, but his best friend gave him much to think about. would it make sense to say that he’s moved on but he hasn’t healed?

“i know,” is what he ends up saying absentmindedly, distracted by thoughts that he isn’t keen on sharing.

and as if he’s been slapped back into reality, he fixes his posture and picks up his sandwich. “so, what’s up? have you even slept yet?”

“no,” taehyung responds nonchalantly. between the two of them, he absolutely has the more fucked up sleeping schedule. “i’ve been awake since 12am.”

“didn’t you say you’d spend the entire vacation sleeping?”

“this vacation was a trap.”

the camera darts to the abandoned mop on the floor.

“my mom makes me do all the chores everyday. this is worse than my actual job!”

a devilish grin is drawn on jungkook’s face. ah, the grass is always greener on the other side.

—

“mondays stay to be a pain in the ass.”

does it look like he’s exhausted and dirty from chasing around children all day? jungkook is stressed as he checks himself out on his front camera. he’s walking home from the bus stop after clocking out of work.

the street is mostly quiet, until a roaring engine approaches and he cringes at the raucous sound assaulting his eardrums. he’s already at the sidewalk for his safety and in accordance with the law, but he feels compelled to stay further back and wait for the vehicle to pass by.

seconds later, a black harley races past.

jungkook is dumbfounded as he tries to piece the puzzle together.

the lights are bright, and your pink hair blowing with the wind is even brighter.

“w-was that…?”

—

he was going to bring it up over text last night, but he decided to reserve it for physical conversation because he wants to see your face light up again.

you’re so fucking cool.

he’s both amazed and envious.

also, he’s pretty damn sure that you’re rich. he doesn’t understand why you’re living in this place and enduring the graveyard shift at the call center.

a foolish smile is permanently plastered on his face as he sketches a commissioned digital portrait. he really should focus, or else he might end up drawing you instead of his client.

he spins on his chair, pushing the wheels towards the bed, where he comfortably extends his feet over. almost missed it. the power has been out for an hour and he doesn’t expect it to come back until dawn. he was pissed about this being a normal occurrence during the first year of his stay here, but he’s gotten quite used to it. invested in a powerbank that almost looks like it can charge a car’s battery and he’s all set.

the aggressive pounding at the door drowns out the pop ballad he’s listening to.

“what? who could it be at this hour?”

he pauses the song, turning up the brightness of his ipad to use it as a makeshift flashlight.

the last person he expected to appear at his door says the last thing he expected them to say.

“jungkook, i think there’s a ghost in my apartment.”

—

jungkook sets down a hot cup of tea infront of you. in his mind, he thanks himself for keeping everything his mom sends him, even the things he do not like.

“thanks,” you mumble, picking it up by the handle.

he patiently sits on the other side of the table for two, giving you the time to calm yourself down from the horror that you witnessed. he has his emergency light propped up on the kitchen counter. he was saving it for when he finds himself in a grave situation, like a total blackout or an apocalypse. he didn’t imagine he’d end up using it for an unusual night like this.

“are you feeling better?” he asks worriedly.

you nod. “yeah, i just don’t want to be alone right now.”

“i’m here. you can stay until whenever you want.”

“thank you.”

you sigh with your eyes closed. you look like life has been drained out of you.

“i’m really scared, jungkook.”

“are you sure about what you saw? i mean, it’s dark. your mind could’ve been playing tricks on you.”

“i saw him. i really him saw him!” you frantically defend yourself. “i was washing my hands then i turned around and i saw him, sitting at the edge of my bed! he looked at me!”

his heart drops to his stomach when your chin begins to wobble and he sees your eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“and his skin was burnt off, jungkook.” you enunciate the words to emphasize the severity of what you experienced. “it’s so horrifying, i had to run.”

“hey hey hey- it’s okay. i believe you.” he squeezes your cold, trembling hands. “you’re safe now. it’s only us here. no spirits- i promise.”

he’s losing his mind a little bit. he’s holding the hands of the girl he likes and her pinky is wrapped around his. you’ve been putting him through a rollercoaster that, for once, he is terrified of. he wants to bask in this moment… but the specific detail you revealed is bothering him.

“and you said… he was burnt?”

“yeah, why?”

he presses his lips in a thin line, shaking his head. “no, it’s nothing.”

“there’s something.” you stop crying. “i see it on your face.”

“i swear, it's nothing!”

“you’re lying!” you accuse him. “what is it?”

“forget it, ____.”

“jungkook,” you say his name sternly. “tell me.”

shit, he’s done for. you can’t do this to him when he’s trying to protect you.

he swallows nervously. “but i don’t want to scare you.”

“i saw a ghost. what else can scare me?”

“the truth is…” he pauses, still weighed down by hesitance. but he realizes he has reached the point of no return. also, you’re squeezing his hands a little too tight. “this building had to be restored. it burned down a decade ago. people suspect there was foul play, but the firemen said it was faulty wiring.”

he’s the one telling the story, but he also feels chills run down his spine.

“oh… so you’re saying…”

“i… believe so?” he winces with a mix of guilt and fear. “but it’s the first time i’m hearing of a ghost story here. i haven’t had any encounter either.”

“i need to move.” you declare, not an ounce of humor in your voice.

“don’t!” he protests.

perhaps a little too passionately. could he be any more obvious?

“what do you mean? you need to leave too!”

“i can’t,” he fakes a pained expression. “who’s going to take care of the fishes?”

that works like a charm.

you untangle your hands and lean against the chair, transforming into a pensive state.

if he wasn’t going to convince you to stay, the fishes would.

“fuck,” you curse in a low whisper, sipping on your tea.

—

“i’m not the spoiled brat you think i am.” you frown, dangling your feet from the bed. “i sleep on the floor too.”

“i’d be rude if i let you do that.” jungkook insists as he fluffs his pillow. “i’m comfortable right here. i’m used to it.”

he was relieved that you weren’t stubborn enough to go back to your place and force yourself to sleep there. after seeing how terrified you were, it would’ve been impossible for him to close his eyes and shut down his brain from worrying. he hasn’t seen a ghost, but they have to be real. he likes to believe that we do not cease to exist and we have some place to go when we die. however, that does co-exist with being alarmed by a ghost of a burnt body sitting on your bed. he isn’t going to let you go back in there tonight. no way.

“you should get some rest. just tell me if you need anything, okay?”

“thank you, jungkook.”

“it’s no problem!”

his name sounds so sweet when it comes from your lips. he can’t help but to feel giddy every time he hears it.

you lie down on the bed, facing the portable fan strategically set up on jungkook’s gaming chair. on the other hand, the emergency light is at the nightstand, acting as a night lamp.

he checks the time on his ipad: 1:48am. his battery percentage: 55%. he’s not yet sleepy, so he decides to continue working until he gets the low battery warning for 20%.

sitting down without back support becomes too uncomfortable after a while, especially when drawing. he doesn’t realize it when he changes positions, too focused on drawing the intricate floral patterns on the client’s blouse.

“is that your girlfriend?”

jungkook turns his head towards the voice and your face is only inches away from his. the word stops for a moment.

“is she okay with me sleeping here?”

he scoots a little further away to grant his racing heart some mercy. “u-uhmm, no.”

“no…?” you repeat slowly, sounding concerned.

“no, as in she’s not my girlfriend!” he further elaborates in distress. “i don’t have a girlfriend.”

“okay, cool. you scared me.” you huff out a chuckle. “i don’t like being the girl who causes problems.”

“no, you’re safe.” he manages to also laugh. “no one’s coming to pull your hair.”

“then who is she?” you point at the screen with your pouted lips, particularly the reference photo that’s been burnt to his memory.

“a client. people pay me to draw them.”

“oh, so she’s one of your french girls?” you crack a humorous remark.

the reference catches him off guard, even though he should’ve totally seen it coming.

he squints. “mhmmm, i guess? kind of like that… except they’re not, you know, naked.”

“i see,” you hum in interest. “you don’t like doing nude drawings?”

“honestly? i don’t know. i’ve never done it before.”

“no one’s asked you?”

he shakes his head. “no one,”

“would you do mine if i ask you to?”

he secretly pinches his thigh to prove that he’s not dreaming.

what the fuck?

did he hear you right?

it sounded like such a genuine and casual question in the name of art, but the worst thing he could do while his crush is sleeping over is to imagine her naked. he feels the warmth spread across his cheeks, possibly reaching his ears.

“hey, breathe!” you giggle with a push of his shoulder. “you don’t have to answer that. sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“sorry, i was just surprised.”

he forces himself to laugh and act like the question isn’t putting him through a crisis in so many levels.

“i’ll let you finish your work.” you smile at him, pulling up the blanket.

please do and stop shaking up my heart.

“goodnight.”

“goodnight, ____.”

—

jungkook is still flustered by the conversation. since you opened up the topic, he did give it some serious thought. he thinks he wouldn’t mind if someone asked him to do it. he makes all of his negotiations and transactions online so everyone so far have been a stranger. as for the people he personally know, unless it’s his significant other, wouldn’t it be awkward?

anyway, the chances of it happening are low. stressing over it is pointless.

he needs to finish this commission and move on to the next, or else he’d be encumbered by the pile of deadlines. he’s making the most out of this vacation so he can save more money and work won’t have to interfere so often with his studies.

sometimes he doesn’t understand why he works so hard either. his family isn’t struggling financially. in fact, he’s studying to take over their businesses. his parents have been nothing but kind and supportive, but he is never compelled to ask them for money. he feels this strong and all-consuming need to prove himself as capable and independent. nothing compares to the gratification of buying his wants and needs with the money he sacrificed his blood, sweat, and tears for. he can’t stop himself.

“i can’t sleep…” a quiet murmur reaches his ears. “may i watch you draw?”

oh, he thought you’ve fallen asleep twenty minutes ago.

“of course,”

he is more than happy to move closer to give you a good view of his progress.

if there’s one thing he isn’t ashamed to boast about— it’s this.

it’s silent except for your breathing and the taps of his pen on the screen. he’s a tad self-conscious with the presence of engrossed eyes, but he would describe the atmosphere as peaceful.

“you’re such a great artist.” you whisper in awe.

jungkook can’t recall the last time he felt this simple yet profound type of joy.

—

true to your words, you did move as morning came.

jungkook wakes up to an empty bed and a commotion outside.

“____?”

he knocks on the bathroom door, not expecting it to swing open from the action. he takes his chances and peeks inside with another call of your name, but you’re still nowhere to be seen.

did you really leave without saying goodbye?

he sighs in disappointment. he was planning on buying you breakfast, too. he knew it. he should’ve made the invitation last night.

a series of loud thumps prompts him to scratch his head in irritation. he’s tired and sleep-deprived and he didn’t see his crush’s face first thing in the morning. the day has barely started and it’s already a bad one.

he opens the door with a considerable force, mouth running before his eyes could perceive his surroundings.

“could you guys turn it down? people are still slee-”

“jungkook! you’re awake.”

you jog over to him with a more cheery expression than last night’s. there’s no windows but the sun is shining over his face.

“sorry about the noise. i’m moving to a new unit.”

he can see that, but his brain remains in a muddled state. how did you make the arrangements overnight? he gapes at the men hauling your things to your new apartment.

“1309?” he exclaims.

“yeah,” you shyly reply. “it’s the only vacant one left.”

almost but not quite. does he have the right to complain? you’d be one door away.

he’s fucking ecstatic.

if he just sets aside the fact that it took a ghastly ghost encounter for the stars to align.

the wrinkles on his forehead disappear and become crinkles by his eyes, accompanied by an excited beam.

“should we feed them together then grab breakfast after?”

—

time passes by too fast for jungkook’s liking. summer vacation ended a month ago and he’s back to busting his ass off at the university. he misses the days and nights when the only thing he was going insane about is you.

what’s taking you so long to reply? did he say something stupid? does he look nice? smell nice? are you crying again? that ghost isn’t bothering you again, is he?

now that he needs to focus on something less interesting, say studying taxation and business law for subsequent long quizzes tomorrow, he’s back to crushing cans of energy drinks.

fuck, he misses you.

your purple hair tie is still wrapped around the knob of his bathroom sink faucet and he keeps forgetting to give it back to you. you make him nervous but he forgets he ever felt that way after five minutes with you. he craves to be connected with you on a more intimate level. he wants to be more than just a neighbor you make small talk with, over text. he wants to be more than a friend you sometimes eat with, on your days off. but he likes you so much that he can be content with the way things are, so long as it means you won’t go further away.

he’s absolutely pumped to hear his friends berate him for being stupid enough to enjoy the bare minimum from a woman.

an email notification interrupts his intense cramming session with his ipad and his illegally downloaded ebooks.

No Name

Subject: IMPORTANT! READ ME!

snack break at the aquarium?

he already has a strong inkling on who the sender could be; he clicks the email address and unsurprisingly, it says that it’s you.

did you seriously go out of your way to email him because he told you that he was going to keep his phone turned off while studying?

ridiculous.

so cute and ridiculous.

—

“i brought your favorite.” you meekly present your gift to jungkook. “uh, actually i’m not sure if it’s your favorite. but it’s become mine since you gave it to me.”

jungkook gapes at the bag of his favorite gummies sitting on his lap. just for comparison, the packet he gave you that day you first met came from his pocket. this one is almost as wide as his thighs slightly spread apart.

but most importantly, what did you just say?

“y-you didn’t throw it away?”

“what are you saying?” you pout, a little hurt by the question. “why would i throw it away?”

“you should’ve. you can’t just accept food from strangers!”

he was being pretty before. he humbly admits that. he just wanted an excuse to bring you up so he whined about it for weeks, but he was never genuinely upset. not specifically about that, anyway.

“why are you so upset?” you match the rise of his voice. “i’m fine and we ended up being friends. now say ‘thank you’ and open it!”

“ah, sure-” he panics, fumbling with the zigzag edges of the packaging. you were kind of hot for that. “thank you! this was seriously so thoughtful of you.”

you nod in satisfaction, stealing a gummy worm the second that the plastic is torn open. “you’re welcome!”

—

“i should stop eating.” jungkook mumbles to himself, chewing the other half of his nth gummy worm of the night.

“yeah,” you agree, pulling your hand away from the bag with an impressive show of restraint. “we should.”

the two of you probably look bizarre in the eyes of strangers, particularly those who have seen you one too many nights admire the golden creatures like you’re being hypnotized and nothing else in the world matters. jungkook never knows what’s running in your head, but to him, these moments are all about being beside you. the loud beating of his heart could be attributed to the caffeine, or the bare skin of your knees touching and no one daring to move.

“the tank feels…” there is a delay as you search for the appropriate word. “dull. can’t there be more variety of plants?”

“i tried,” he laughs at the funny memory you evoked. “when i came back the next day, two of them already ate everything.”

you gasp. “everything? is that normal?”

he opens his mouth to speak, but you unknowingly interrupt him with a raise of your hand.

“okay, i’m searching on naver.”

jungkook behaves for the fifteen minutes that follow, sneaking a peek at your phone screen every now and then with squinted eyes. you read fast, and your knees shake when you have to think hard. they’re small things. they don’t matter that much. but they’re still parts of your entirety which he is to be well-aquainted with.

“according to this person, we can try giving them marimo moss balls to play with… and hmmm-” you hum, lips puckering into a pout. “then for plants, anubias and java ferns?”

“i still know the address of the place i bought the plants from before. we can go when you’re free.” he offers, jumping on the opportunity to spend time with you outside of this building.

“you free sunday?”

“is the afternoon alright? i have to go to uni in the morning.”

please say yes.

“sure, that works.”

he breaks into a triumphant smile.

yes!

—

jungkook has been looking forward to this day all week. he breezed through work and college, motivated to finish all his tasks so he could enjoy his time with you without any worries. he knows it’s not a date, but anyone can be excited to meet up with a friend.

“you look pretty.” he smiles, breaking the silence in the elevator.

“you can barely see my face.”

“i see it!”

your nonchalance slowly fades, seemingly replaced by unease, which confuses jungkook. you put on a white face mask from the pocket of your hoodie before facing him.

“now you don’t!” you banter with him playfully.

“too late,” he sticks his tongue out. “i can draw it from memory.”

this is your usual day outfit, a basic classic. a hoodie paired with shorts and sneakers. the face mask is part of it too. in a crowd, you could be anyone, even him, if only your hair doesn’t stand out among the neutrals. he likes it. he likes how you match outfits without trying to. you get more dressed up at night, which makes sense since you go to work.

“so you can draw me even if i flash you just once?”

scandalized, he almost chokes on his own spit. “____!”

“i’m joking!” you giggle.

“no, please do it.” he encourages you in jest.

that earns him a slap on the face. he touches the affected area. it didn’t hurt at all, you did it with a light hand, but he gapes at you dumbstruck.

“you can joke about it but i can’t?!”

you only laugh at his reaction. he also imagines that he looks funny. not long after, the elevator opens and you drag him out by his hand.

—

the cashier pushes back your extended hand. “sorry, we don’t accept card payments.”

while you pout sadly at the rejection, jungkook rushes to grab the wallet that you made him hide because this was your ‘idea.’

“here,” he puts down the paper bills on the counter.

“i’ll pay you back.”

“no, it’s fine. my treat for the fishes since they’d probably eat them anyway.” he jokes to comfort you.

“yeah, okay,” you respond listlessly. “then i’ll buy our dinner. samgyupsal?”

“call!”

jungkook guesses you have come to know him well too.

“okay, let’s go.”

he invites you to leave after the cashier gives him the paper bag. as you walk out together, your shoulders brush, and for a brief moment, he assumes that you would cling to him. he doesn’t know why he keeps doing that. you never do. he continues walking and he doesn’t even notice that he has left you behind.

the door is half-open and he’s stood in place, eyes scanning the store like he just lost a child at the mall.

of course, he finds you hunched over infront of an aquarium inhabited by a betta fish.

“do you want to get it?” he whispers, mindful of scaring away the little creature. “i don’t think i’ve seen a purple fish before.”

not even in art or television. it’s strange.

he feels your eyes glued to him. persuaded by curiosity, he turns his cheek.

his breathing stops when he sees your face so close.

he doesn’t know you removed your mask. you’re staring at him so intensely with those beautiful eyes, sparkling with the reflections of light. you’re dazzling, and intimidating, and it’s doing dangerous things to his heart.

a little nudge and he’d give you an eskimo kiss.

if there’s a perfect romantic moment to kiss your lips, he’d say it’s right now.

“it’s not the fish i want.”

he doesn’t hear you.

do you see how entranced he is by your lips?

“the shipwreck, it’s beautiful.”

his eyes chase the sight of them when you return your gaze to the aquarium.

“like you,” the words slip out without thought.

—

a soft smile tugs at the corner of your lips. you blink away the tears and you stomach the heavy in your chest. you know jungkook is still staring at you with those bedroom eyes and there was no deep thought behind his compliment. will he still find you beautiful when he sees who you are beyond the surface?

“like me…”

—

after dinner, you and jungkook planted the plants and installed the shipwreck you wanted. it was not cheap, but it was worth it, if it meant seeing your priceless joy. he carries around more cash than necessary when he goes out with you. he’s praying that you didn’t see his sigh of relief when the waiter said the restaurant accepts card. he doesn’t know much about your circumstances, why you stopped going to school and why you opted to work instead, but he knows you lead a lifestyle different from his. he’s not ignorant. he estimates your bag is five times more expensive than his ipad. but with how you’re soundly sleeping on his shoulder, he can say that it’s justified.

he learns that you’ve been working straight for fifteen days, with 10-20 hours of overtime per week. you practically live there. he can feel the weight of your shoulders on him, which is why he doesn’t have the heart to wake you up despite his bladder’s need of the bathroom. this is probably the closest he will ever be to you. he can’t be the one to walk away in this memory.

the humming noise of the aquarium’s filter fills the silence.

it always feels like he’s dreaming when he’s with you.

“after all that money we spent, we should really name them now.”

you release the yawn you were holding back while speaking, head dropping on his shoulder. jungkook stiffens at the suddenness of the physical contact, but then relaxes thanks to the tranquilizing scent of your shampoo— it has to be coconut, with some sort of flowers that perfectly compliment it.

“have any ideas?”

“yes,” he hears the smile in your voice. “you know those two who have similar hues?”

he hums, body vibrating underneath your soft cheek.

“tangerine, and then clementine for the smaller one.”

“those are cute names.”

“you like them?”

“yes, they really sound like siblings!”

“okay, i won.” you shrug your shoulders as far as they can go, as if you’re so pleased you could burst. “that’s settled. your turn!”

“hmmm…”

he unconsciously bounces his knee as he racks his brain, which you swat with a disapproving noise, mumbling “making me dizzy!”

“sorry,” he winces.

your giggles are infectious, bringing tickles somewhere deep inside of him, butterflies in his stomach coming alive like spring only arrived.

“shouldn’t we at least have one named after a flower?” he suggests. “hold on, i’ll search for good ones.”

“let’s give the flower name to the yellow one. she stands out, like a flower.”

you blink wearily, a soft smile amidst the haze, sent to the yellow fish who swam closer as if it heard itself being called.

he reads the list of yellow flower names out loud.

“sunflower, daisy, azalea… for-forthysia? lily, cosmos, dahlia-”

“dahlia-” you quietly repeat the name in awe, clinging to his arm to steal his attention.

“dahlia it is!”

“i wish dahlia would live forever.” you sigh, haunted by the inevitable.

“dahlia will outlive us.” he chuckles.

“i’ll protect her from the afterlife.”

he squeezes your hand tenderly. “i’ll be right there with you.”

and with unspoken mutual understanding, your fingers intertwine. neither one of you wants to let go, he feels it strongly and he is sure of it. his cheeks may very well begin to ache with how elated he is.

“that’s three… you know, i saw someone on youtube who named their fish coral. i thought it was a very pretty name. how about that?”

“i like it,” you chirp. “i kind of wish it was my name.”

“should i just give it to you?”

you lift your head a little, sleepy eyes connecting with his. “do you know someone who has the same name as me?”

“no,” he slowly shakes his head. “you’re the only one.”

“let’s give it to the one with the longest tail.”

your head drops on his shoulder, as if it’s where it belongs.

“i like being the only one.”

you fell asleep seconds after that.

he found entertainment in watching as much as the goldfishes playing around with the shipwreck. it’s a wooden ship split in two, with cracks and holes big enough for them to swim in and out of. even the sails have holes. the drawings on them are unrecognizable beyond his imagination.

it’s quite charming, but he doesn’t understand what’s special about it the way you do.

a teardrop drips from the tip of your nose and crashes on his arm, but he doesn’t feel it.

eventually, it dries, and is erased from history.

#jungkook au #jungkook one shot #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #jungkook drabble #jungkook scenario #jungkook imagine #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook smut #bts fluff #bts reaction

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jenchan-writingmultis · 7 months ago

Text

Twisted Wonderland Boys x Fem Reader in their respective Fairytales (Series)

Malleus Part ⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

A/n: Malleus <3 Enjoy reading! I had fun on this one

A few fun facts AFTER you read: - Maleficent Malleus did indeed, kill you, that’s the reason why your soul was transported to his realm in the first place. - I was planning on three endings, but settled for the fluffy scenario, I’ll tell you about the two. - Reader (you) was going to meet your original Malleus in the realm of subconscious where Maleficent Malleus trapped you in, while I liked this idea, I didn't know how to properly execute it, so it stayed in drafts. Original Malleus fighting off/saving you from Maleficent Malleus. - Second one was mindbreak, I was going to make Malleus more merciless here cause to him, in Fae, if their fated pair rejected them, then he will force his way into your heart, carving his love for you by any means possible. - Third ending was, you get to go back to your original Malleus by the sacrifices of the Maleficent Malleus' retainers and father, (Sebek, Baur, Silver and Lilia) but I didn't like this much. - I also mixed both Maleficent and Malleus' personality so if he's OOC, it's most likely cause I wanted to make it accurate to the fairytale classic too. Honestly this one had SO much potential to be a full au aside from being a oneshot really, If I have the time, I'd delve deeper in the idea.

Warning: Possibly OOC, possessiveness, I haven’t finished Tartarus, so expect a lot of mischaracterizations, Blood mention, Cussing, imprisonment, possible mention of former death of your original body (reader)

List of Villains interconnecting with each character:

Malleus - Maleficent

Vil - Evil Queen

Credits: Kaomoji for line dividers, Official Twisted Wonderland Cards on the arts.

Masterlist

Previous Part (Idia)

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Malleus:

"The great Malleus, Sebek would have scolded you multiple times for not addressing Malleus as 'Your Royal Highness.' If it weren’t for the fact that you were stuck and imprisoned somewhere in the dark, cold basement, you would have listened to him. Where the hell were you?"

You woke up to Sebek’s rigorous screaming and Silver’s blurry figure. You were chained, and blinking your dizziness away, you looked up to see the two of them. However, they were wearing something different: a knight-like outfit in Diasomnia’s colors.

“How dare you try to infiltrate the Young Master’s territory!” Sebek shouted, almost making your ears ring cause he screamed in your ear, his hand gripping your hair to make you stare into him. Silver grabbed Sebek's arm and shook his head. “Sebek, that’s enough. We shouldn’t roughhouse the suspect.” As always, Silver sounded like a pacifist to you.

But none of that right now, you didn’t know why you were wearing some kind of princely outfit either, a tan-colored tunic with a crimson robe draped behind your back, it seemed like your “arrest” was just recent.

“What’s going on?” you managed to speak, your throat incredibly dry. You coughed and pushed yourself to pull away from Sebek. “I don’t know why you guys locked me up, but this isn’t funny.”

“What kind of ignorance-!” Sebek was more than fuming now, he wanted to teach you a lesson, but he decided to go against it, relaxing himself before he did something bad to you. “You were locked here because you tried to harm Young Master,” Silver, who remained silent throughout the whole ordeal, nodded in agreement. “You didn’t succeed, of course, but you are still considered a threat to the land, and the king himself.”

“What? That’s absurd!” you exclaimed, finding it surprising that you out of all people could hurt Malleus, trying to tug away from those chains that were grinding on your skin, “I’m magicless, I can’t possibly harm Hornton!” “Address Young Master Properly! You WILL call him Your Highness!” Sebek corrected, hand resting on his hip, dangerously close to the sword holstered there.

“Sebek, don’t you recognize me?” You were starting to get frustrated, along with the confusion, frustration was seeping in your mind as both of them weren’t listening, Silver was looking at you like you were an enemy, despite stopping Sebek from hurting you.

“You two are certainly rowdy” A rather rough voice emerged from the darkness. A smaller man with red highlights in his dark hair stepped forward. He had a mask hanging from his hip and looked quite intimidating. Wait, was that Lilia?

“Lilia!” You called out, feeling a bit happy to see someone you know that might listen to reasoning. “I expect you to address me as general, at least that’s what you humans could do.”

The moment Lilia showed up, Sebek went silent, backing away from you. Now Lilia approached where you were seated. "Did you hit your head? I heard everything. Acting ignorant won't help you, princess," his voice carried a hint of mockery, causing you to sigh in frustration.

“I swear on the sevens, I’m not lying! I don’t remember hurting Mal- Your Highness like that” you denied once again. It was starting to hurt your back, being forced into this bent position. You decided to rest against the cold wall, shuddering at its chilliness. Had it always been this cold in Briar Valley?

“Enough, I despise hearing repeated excuses, If you want to convince any of us, it’s better if you talk in front of the court then” Lilia stood up, walking behind you he undid the chains but not your handcuffs, grabbing you by the cuffs he pulls you up swiftly, causing you to stumble a bit. “Ouch…” you mutter as you’re pushed out, the door opening, and as you guessed, you are down the basement.

The steps were incredibly grueling, with Lilia pushing you and causing you to stumble. What kind of sadistic torture was this?! The clothes you were wearing, meant for traveling long distances, now felt like a heavy burden, dragging you down further.

After a few minutes of walking up to about a thousand steps, your legs finally gave up, causing you to collapse on the floor, but instead of feeling pain, you felt a pair of hands grab your shoulders, pulling you up.

“Are you alright?” Silver asked, you nodded staring into his eyes, you can tell he lost the image of you being an enemy, with the way you’re already tired from walking up stairs made you seem like a helpless maiden.

“We’re almost close, don’t worry” he reassured you, helping you to your feet before Sebek or Lilia grew impatient.

Reaching the end of the stairway with a faint light outside, Silver went up first, and you were happy reaching outside, walking with more effort since you desperately wanted to go out, embracing the light that was emitting outside.

The bright light gradually faded as you adjusted your eyesight to it, wow, while it was brighter than the basement you were under, it certainly didn’t have much lighting, it only had little glowing orbs that provided light.

"Is this the princess who attempted to assassinate me?” Malleus himself was seen sitting down on the throne. Sebek forced your head down, making you kneel, while Lilia and Silver did the same. "Yes, young master!" Sebek replied, while you were magicless, yes, but you could feel the tension of the magic seeping throughout the air, it was making you breathless.

“Interesting, it was commendable that you went to Briar Valley alone to try to duel me” he says almost nonchalantly, you try to look up, but Sebek was keeping your head down, which caused you to get pissed. “your pride seems to have bitten more than you can chew.” Noticing your agitation, he ordered Sebek to release your head, making him let your head go as you looked up to the throne.

“Malleus, please, I don’t recall anything here! I didn’t do anything- “

“I know”

That took you by surprise, causing you to stiffen as the discomfort in your knees grew from kneeling. “What?”

Instead of answering you, he rose from his seat, his robes cascading gracefully to the floor with each purposeful step. His gaze, glowing with a fierce green intensity, exuded authority. The sight would have struck you as ethereal, especially considering this was Malleus, the man you had fallen for in your real life.

"I always envied how my other self seemed to dote on you,"finally answering, his magic swiftly uncuffed you from the handcuffs that had been grinding against your wrists. “I find myself wanting you in this world, my very own child of man” his smile was scaring you, even Sebek, Silver and Lillia seemed confused.

“Hold on, Malleus” Lilia interrupted him, keeping himself respectful of the new king, “What do you mean other you?” he asked, confusion evident in his expression as Malleus rubbed the markings of the handcuffs on your wrist. “I transported the soul of another into the princess’ body.”

Malleus seemed to not understand the gravity of the situation, he kidnapped a soul, and worst off, he might have killed off the original body’s owner.

“What’s going on” you asked, wanting to pull away from Malleus’ gentle hands but he kept his grip on you firm. “You know that’s the opposite of what Meleanor wanted!” He said, grabbing your shoulders, trying to pull you away but the touch on your skin seemed to ignite fury in Malleus, his magic fluctuating as he pushes Lilia off, causing the man to fly back to the wall.

“Lilia! /Father!” both soldiers called out, alarmed as Malleus wrapped his arm around your waist, pulling you to stand up, his touches on you didn’t hurt but you were terrified, looking at where Lilia flew off, he seemed fine, gripping on his stomach as he coughed, his eyes zeroing on Malleus and you. “MALLEUS!” his voice boomed out as a portal seemed to open from behind Malleus.

“You don’t seem to see me as the ruler, Lilia Vanrouge” he declared, rather heartlessly, his blackened hand pointing at Lilia, “I’ll be willing to let go of your insubordination but be prepared for thorough punishment for touching what is mine,” he says as he walks back, you on hold.

You could see the worry flash across Lilia’s face as he reached out to grab your hand, just as you unconsciously extended it towards him. "Lilia—"

And just like that, you were gone. Lilia fell smoothly to the floor, and Silver and Sebek rushed to his aid. Though he wasn't seriously hurt, it felt like he had been punched in the gut. It became clear that Malleus hadn't intended to harm him; rather, he simply wanted to keep Lilia from touching you.

“What happened?! I don’t understand why would Young master-“Sebek seemed torn, between the fight of Lilia and Malleus. He admired the young master, but what he did to Lilia, the man who stood up to be the one who took care of Malleus caused him to have conflicting emotions

"Enough talk. We're going to catch him," Lilia declared, his gaze icy as he looked between them. “If you have enough energy to speak, then you have enough energy to trike the whole Briar Valley, he added dismissively, waving off his pain. "Find Baur. Inform him that Your Highness has escaped with the prisoner in tow."

“Yes, General” Silver immediately went out, feeling his worry grow for both Malleus and you.

"Release me, Malleus!" You struggled against his iron grip, attempting to push and pull away. You didn’t even notice that you were up in the air, with Malleus calmly walking as if he was on solid ground, your attention fixed on him to even notice.

Unaware of the faint smile on Malleus's face, you suddenly felt yourself get released, eyes widening as you began to descend, realizing too late that he had let go of your last tether.

As you plummeted downward at full speed, panic seized you, tears streaming as Malleus's figure grew smaller above you. "HELP! MALLEUS!" you screamed in terror, arms flailing desperately, trying anything to avoid the imminent fall to what seemed like immediate death.

Glancing downward, you saw the ground rapidly approaching. Closing your eyes, resigned to your fate, instead of impact, you felt arms encircle your waist and heard soft laughter emanating from someone's chest.

“You were crying and screaming for my name Child of man, that was entertaining” he said as he pulls you up, floating once again as you were shaking like a leaf, your hands gripping on Malleus’ sleeves, you buried yourself into his embrace.

Malleus felt a bit bad as he hugs you, ascending into the air once again. “I apologize, he rubs your back gently. "Your constant screaming was hurting my ears, so I thought to heed your plea." He tried to explain himself, but you were too terrified to comprehend. Only faint sniffling and whimpering could be heard from you.

Malleus sighed as he floats down the top of a mountain, gently ushering you off him “Are you alright?” he asked, tenderly caressing your cheek. After a few minutes of helping you calm down, guiding your breathing, he lets you grip on his arm, despite your nails digging into his skin. Regaining your senses and not feeling like you were at your impending doom, you slapped him, glaring at him despite the tears building up in your eyes.

“What was that for!” you screeched, hands flailing as Malleus rubbed his reddening cheek, how amusing, you slapped the king of Briar Valley as if he was just some impertinent being. That was fine by him though, it was his fault entirely.

"I apologize, Child of Man. I didn't expect you to take that kind of Joke seriously—" Malleus began, but you cut him off.

"Joke?! Does it look like I find near-death experiences funny!?" you retorted aggressively, hissing and glaring at him like an angry kitten.

"My apologies," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "I didn't expect you to believe I would ever let you perish, especially after employing such a risky magic to bring your soul here" he explained, backing away from you and settling comfortably into a milky white chair. He had this renovated for his midnight tea endeavors.

“Risky magic?” you asked, finally calming down a bit as you sat on the opposite side, Malleus used his magic to pour a cup of tea to you, giving the cup to you using magic as it floats to your hand. “What do you mean?” you asked.

“You’re currently in an alternate reality,” he said almost casually, taking a sip of his tea. he added, observing your expression as well as your body language, while he was not used to how humans operate, he had read enough books to understand what human body language can say, especially since they’re more honest than words, which is unlike faes.

Gripping on your sleeve a bit you tried to wrack up your brain, for what? Why did he do this? You might have accidentally asked your thought outloud.

“Why?” Malleus seemed disappointed; he expected you to be more attentive with what was happening earlier. “I already told you earlier,” he said, nonetheless even if he was disappointed, if you managed to make his other self happy, he is willing to take risk on your odd humanly behavior, it wasn’t befitting for the next queen of Briar Valley, so he might have his servants teach you proper etiquette. “I was jealous of how happy seeing the other Malleus Draconia was, while I’m stuck here, queenless”

he crosses his arms, “While I don’t need an heir yet, I do wish to have someone by my side to accompany me” You didn’t know how to feel, you got forcibly taken away from your body, put in some woman’s body.

“Malleus, this isn’t right” you said, frowning, “This isn’t how you make yourself happy, just because the Malleus in my original timeline is happy because of me hypothetically,” you said, placing the cup of tea on the table. “doesn’t mean I could make you happy the same.”

“Do not sell yourself short, Child of man” he says, black smoke touching your cheek as he didn’t bother going near you, instead using his magic to touch your cheek, it looked romantic if it weren’t for the fact that you felt trapped here. "I've seen how he looks at you. I desire that kind of intimacy with you as well, so please,” he sounded so perfectly human, it made your heart ache. “I can’t, Malleus we can’t” you looked away, far from his touch and away from his gaze, you refused his love.

“Child of man…” he frowned, his heart breaks, you rejected him. He knew better not to push you, but at the same time, his heart yearns for you, even if you were the love of his other version. To each their own.

“If that is what you wish,” he stood up, black smoke diminishing as you stare at him once again. “You’re going to bring me back?” you asked, almost hopefully, but malleus laughs, a bitter edge to his amusement.

“If I can’t have your heart, I will at least possess your soul, till you accept me” he says, as you felt hands grab you down, stiffening up as you try to fight it, “till you love me”

“Malleus!” you cried out as Malleus stared at you before turning away, walking down the mountain that you two were drinking tea on, a black portal opening as it eats you up, swallowing you into its cold darkness once again.

“Have you found them?” Baur gruffed out, looking around the mountains as he scans the area, nothing out of the ordinary.

“I haven’t found anything,” Silver sighs, he had been on guard, in case Malleus popped out, he could try talking some sense into the king, but knowing how the Draconians are, he has to admit that sometimes, their refusal to see reasoning is frustrating, their perseverance once they lock on a certain object or person would be hard to stop.

It’s been a few days and the soldiers of Lilia and Baur were stationed in the middle of the forest, trying to find any source of magic that Malleus might have left but there’s nothing. It was starting to make the living beings of Briar Valley uneasy. An absent king is an easy target for enemy regions.

Sebek was starting to develop eyebags, trying to spot Malleus. On the verge of tears, Silver patted his back reassuringly. "We'll find them," he said calmly, but Sebek glared at him, blinking back tears. "Of course we will! Malleus-sama always comes back!” he said, voice cracking as now he was starting to doubt if the king will ever come back.

Lilia on the other hand was sitting on top of a branch, watching over the coastal view of the whole area. He suddenly heard grunts from down below, turns out that Baur was trying to get up, Lilia watches as the old man tried to go up just by crawling, he found it rather amusing. “Took you 50 years to come here” he teases as Baur growls, sitting down on the thicker side of the branch. “Shut up, you’re a damned bat you have it easier, let’s take this challenge to water if you’re so smug” Baur retorted, easily riled up as he crossed his arms. “So, any news?” he continued, which made Lilia peel his eyes off the man before staring at the mountain where Malleus took his usual tea routines. “No, I was able to detect the human’s presence, but it vanished abruptly,” he says, air making his hair sway to the side as his eyes narrows. “I’m not even sure if she’s still alive”

he said, he didn’t like humans, but that was the princess of those human pests that kept trying to infiltrate their area.

“Malleus isn’t stupid” Baur declares, resting his back on the side as he lifts his leg up, finally resting his whole body on the thick branch. “Plus, you informed me that Malleus seemed to have taken a liking to this human you speak of” "Yeah," he nods, crossing his legs. "Seems like possessiveness runs in Draconia's blood," he jokes, eliciting laughter from both of them. "I agree. I just hope Malleus isn't as overprotective as Meleanor used to be," Baur says, "Always fussing over you and Levan."

Everything was cold, something was covering your mouth while other dark hands seemed to grip on your waist, arms, and legs, keeping you still. You tried to struggle but to no avail, you can’t even see anything.

Where are you exactly? You’re not even sure what place this was as you blink, trying to see anything but darkness. Despite being restrained, you're relieved not to feel any pain, unlike the discomfort caused by tight handcuffs that once dug into your skin.

Suddenly, a portal opened before you, causing you to squint at the faint light emanating from it. Through the portal stepped Malleus, carrying food that seemed to appear from nowhere.

“Are you done reflecting?” He questioned, having the darkness lift the food and spoon feed you to it, you were already incredibly hungry, you didn’t notice that, automatically accepting the food regardless of your distaste for what he’s doing.

You didn’t answer his first question as you ate, yet here he was already adding another question. “Do you like the food?” he asked, hoping you answer him again.

“Why are you doing this?” You glared at him as the shadow made you drink water; you had the energy to talk (argue) with him now.

“Doing what?” he asked as a makeshift seat appears behind him, letting him sit down, prick, while you were suspended up in the air, he on the other hand was sitting down, you guess it’s normal king attitudes.

“I don’t know, all of this, kidnapping me, trapping me here just cause I disagreed with your actions” you continued as you still tried to squirm off but the darkness had you at their mercy.

“I already told you- “cutting him off by a laugh, “I’m not asking you to explain your reason, I’m asking if you think that the version of me would love you for doing this” you pointed out, frowning. “I’m not yours, Malleus, and if I were, I would have loved my Malleus more than you”

Malleus stiffened at your resolve, his hand fidgeting—a humanistic habit he had developed since encountering humans. “Sure, I made your original version happy, but I told you so many times, I can’t do that with you” you pushed through, feeling the smoke constricting your throat, causing you to gasp. "Fuck" you groaned, squirming as you struggled to breathe.

“You truly are fascinating” he laughs to himself, “You see, I did try to find a version of you in my timeline” he stood up, lifting his hand to stop the smoke from squeezing you. “Yet, here we are, you simply don’t exist here,”

“What?” you gasp, feeling that little squeeze took all of your energy. “What do you mean I don’t exist? There must be some way I do!” you argued frustration creeping into your voice.

“If my soulmate existed in this timeline,” it seemed like you got him a bit upset, his nail grazing the softness of your cheek, inadvertently cutting your skin and causing a drop of blood to fall onto his hand. “I wouldn’t be doing this much effort in keeping you here, right?” he added, voice filled with venom.

“Malleus, you’ve gone insane!” you said, flinching at the new wound you got.

“Insane, maybe” he muses, as he watches your blood stain his nails, how pretty human blood is truly so beautiful. "But you see, Child of Man, wouldn't a true fae in love react similarly if their destined partner rejected them?"

He was sick of your repeated rejection, despite his amusement at how you react to his “love” he does have his limit. He turns around, just like what he did earlier, with you being engulfed further by darkness, a small squeak of protest could only be heard as his magic sends you into a slumber.

As soon as he stepped out, he found himself surrounded by his underlings. Among them, Lilia stared at him with a determined expression. He wasn't surprised; after all, he had been absent from his duties for a few days.

“Lilia” he greets as he noticed Baur, Sebek and Silver were around, along with other soldiers who immediately kneeled before him. “Fancy seeing everyone here” he chimed, looking at the sunset, realizing that dusk has arrived.

“Malleus, where are they?” Lilia asked, as Malleus’ eyes flickered back to him, a soft expression on his face, he didn’t really want to hurt Lilia at all. “Back in my realm of subconsciousness” he answered truthfully which caused Baur and Lilia’s expression turn into confusion.

“Why? What’s so interesting about some human for you to go crazy for?” Baur says casually going near Malleus as he looks at the king. “Come on Kid, there are plenty of fish in the sea.”

Lilia appeared displeased with how Baur was handling the situation, grabbing the old man by the collar. "I apologize for his directness, Malleus. What he's asking is, why are you so fixated on the princess?" Lilia rephrased the question, hoping to avoid provoking Malleus into unleashing lightning on the entire team.

Malleus goes to sit down on the chair once again as he uses his magic to pour tea for everyone. “Sit down” he orders as more chairs were bought by his dark magic.

Sebek looked happy though, “I could never-! Let me handle it Young master!” but Silver stopped him grabbing the other by the collar as Sebek gives Silver a nasty glare. “We shouldn’t stop your highness from showing us hospitality, it’s rude Sebek”

Lilia noticed the two bickering, a faint smile plastered on his face as he sat down, eagerly drinking the tea that Malleus had given them. “Will you answer the question now? Malleus?”

He wasn't that crazy enough to harm his comrades. Watching as everyone fell silent and focused on him, he sighed. "The human..."

Explaining his side of the story, Lilia remained on the opposing side of Malleus. Yes, while that is true that a fated pair rejecting you would hurt a lot, it still doesn’t give Malleus a reason to kidnap you. Baur seemed to think the same as his eyebrows furrowed, crossing his arms.

“That’s stupid” Baur remarked bluntly, prompting an earnest gasp from his grandchild. Sebek appeared conflicted and confused, torn between supporting his young master or his grandfather.

Malleus, however, seemed intrigued, resting his chin on his hand as he asked, “Why so?”

“Listen kid, you’re starting to sound like those obsessive men who can’t take no for an answer” he scratches the back of his neck, not knowing how to properly convey his opinion to the king. “It’s just wrong, fated pairs are supposed to work together, not force each other.”

Malleus took Baur’s word into heart as he placed his fingers on his lips, as if he’s in deep thought, it was true that it was a coward’s way what he did, kidnapping your soul and forcing you inside the chambers of his subconscious.

“What do you propose I do? Baur?” he asked, attention going back to the old man.

“Court like a man” he answered, as If that’s the most stupidest question Malleus asked, “Don’t be like Lilia here, couldn’t even confess to both your parents- “A sudden slap silenced Baur mid-sentence as Lilia hissed, glaring at the idiot.

“Shut it!” Lilia warns Baur glaring at him as he grabs his hand off. “Shit that hurt, you slap like a bitch” he groans out as he uncrosses his arms. “Anyways, release the princess Malleus, try to be kind, patient, you kidnapped her out of nowhere, don’t expect her to love you for that” he pointed out.

That might have helped Malleus snap out of his possessive and obsessive streak as his eyes twinkle. “Alright”

As the darkness that enveloped you began to fade, you found yourself being carried, unsure of your surroundings. you had your head on someone’s chest, a soft beating of their heart evident in your ears and it was oddly comforting.

It reminded you of those sleepless nights where Malleus would cuddle you when you couldn’t sleep, placing your head on his chest while he rubbed gentle circles around your back, after the repeated overblots you’ve been forced into, you developed PTSD, causing you to not sleep well. And that’s where your Hornton came to help, almost every night, he was outside of your dormitory, admiring the silence while you admire the moon, so it was perfect.

Sometimes, it reached a point where no words were exchanged. He would see you restless once again, and as soon as he opened his arms, you would leap into them, seeking comfort. He’d carry you back inside, placing himself on the couch as he cuddles you, a special type of kinship that you two share.

"Child of Man?" A soft voice nudges you awake, and as you blink your sleepy eyes open, you see Malleus—but not your Malleus. "Your Highness?" you mumble, groggily waking up. you touched your cheek, expecting a wound but there was none.

“None of that Child of Man, call me Malleus” he said, he places you on the soft cushions of a big couch, there were Lilia, Silver, Sebek, and a … Older Sebek Infront of you.

“What happened?” she rubbed the healed markings from the handcuffs a few days ago. Lilia seemed to go nonverbal as Malleus brushes his hand on yours, intertwining his fingers on yours.

No matter what, you truly couldn’t hate Malleus, your hand automatically wrapping around his as if it’s a fitting puzzle piece.

“I apologize for dragging you in a body that isn’t yours.” He says as he rubs your palm, regret plastered on his face as Sebek huffs visibly, crossing his arms and looking away, clearly displeased to see his king showing any form of submission, especially to you.

“It’s fine, I just-” you stop yourself, frowning. “can’t I go back?” you asked, hoping that there’s still a way for you to go back, despite the whole shenanigans of being possessive and going crazy to the point you got imprisoned.

“Unfortunately, no” Lilia says, closing his eyes as he leans on the wall. “I tried to find any type of way to bring you back, even asking Malleus here,” he says, looking at his child who seemed to regret his actions, good. “I’m sorry but, it might take awhile or even a lifetime for you to go back”

“Oh” you frown, almost drooping.

“It’ll be okay Child of man” he says as he brushes away the hair that covered your face, tracing his fingers on your cheek, “For as long as I can provide, I will keep you happy here. Whatever you wish, shall be granted.

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alienpossession · 8 months ago

Text

Mode of Infiltration: Consumables

Eating and drinking are part of daily human activities. You cannot just suddenly decided to not eat. Well....you can, but you cannot do that forever. You have to eat and drink, whether it's home-made, to-go from a quick fast-food chain or some local diner and even fancy restaurant. That's just the reality

So, it is very convenient for these extraterrestrial being to slip itself in between human daily intake.

They simply played the long game, waiting for the unaware human to consume them instead without knowing that something sinister is already hiding inside their carton of milk, crawling inside their salad bowl, mixed in with the pancake batter previously made by infected individuals or tub of protein powder already tainted with extraterrestrial being that can break themselves down into tiny particles that finely integrated itself with the powder.

The possibilities are endless, which means human are very vulnerable from all angles when it comes to this mode of infiltration and the alien tend to be very swift at adapting to their human vessels, even smoothly stepping up to the role the real one left behind

And with these kinds of infiltration, it usually leads to a domino effect of widespread infiltration as the alien merged themselves into a whole batch of cooking or worse, an entire diner, and even worse than that, a whole production line.

For a simple case, Rodney here just prepared himself for a packed day filled with gym sesh and his overtime work session in the office. Clearly he needs breakfast, so his girlfriend for 3 years, Nikki, stepped into the kitchen and prepared something simple.

Several spoonful of omelette with a rather weird taste made by Rodney's lovely girlfriend to fuel his day suddenly choked him to the point of asphyxiation. Turns out, she didn't just made it with love, but also with fine dusting of black speck which already infected her brain when she went out with her girls for some brunch in the up-and-coming yet-infected local joint.

Rodney would be gasping for breath, fighting for his life, but his partner just smiled eerily at him instead of calling 9-1-1, waiting for "her" friend to take control of his body

In other cases, Cal might noticed that something is wrong with his protein powder once he tasted it. But, it's a little too late to reverse anything as instead of opening his mouth to spit out the shake, the alien that blended into the protein powder froze his lips and forced its way into his throat and nose.

Unable to scream for help, he can only endure his fate as he can sense the invading presence crawling to his brain. Mere minutes later, he's excitedly make another batch of protein shakes that he will give to his fellow gym-mate.

The closest mate, Jack, literally waited for Cal in the backyard and supposedly witnessed the whole ordeal. Yet Jack is a little bit distracted with the sultry chat from his girlfriend, his eyes focused to his phone instead to his flailing friend. Needless to say, when Cal offered his shake to Jack while trying to hide his mischievous smirk, the thirsty Jack eagerly accepted the offer and chugged the whole drink, his body instantly convulsed in the process as he managed to slightly opened his mouth to scream for help only for his hand already taken over by the alien to betray him as it dunked out more liquid as more of the infiltrator literally filled his mouth and throat to the brim. When the alien seized full bodily control, Jack smirked back at Cal as both of them eyed to go back to the gym and infect any unlucky attendant that they can take control

As it turns out, the whole batch of the powder is infected because one of the product mixer, a chemist, created the formulation with a whole colony of slimy alien from outer space mixed in to the other ingredients as part of the base formula of the eventual powder. He was taken over during his hiking trip and from then on, his goal is to just simply ensured the readiness of the new settlement for his species. And lucky for it, the young hunk worked for a company that certainly can help his new extraterrestrial friends to blend into human society. After all, not like anyone would expect a surprise from inside their sealed protein powder......

#alien possession #male possession #alien takeover #alien expansion #male puppet #male takeover #mode of infiltration

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novankenn · 4 months ago

Note

What kind of drunk do you think Salem is?

Interesting... I wonder? MWHAHAHAHAHA let my brain CREATE!!!

/==/

Cinder's face was ashen with dread. She had just received a notice from Watts, that their Queen... Salem would be visiting to "inspect" Cinder's operations in Vale. Only one problem, aside from the fact that evil incarnate was going to be dropping in for a friendly visit... Salem apparently had arrive and has been in Vale for a full fourteen hours!

Cinder pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, trying to calm herself down as she picture whether she was going to immolate Watt's balls or his hair first. The sound of her scroll ringing, drew her from her pleasant plotting of Arthur Watts demise.

Cinder: Roman? What are you...

Roman: I found your boss lady...

Cinder: What? Where? How? WHERE?

Roman: Ah... which of those questions do you really want answered first?

Cinder: WHERE?

Roman: Junior's Club.

Cinder: Say what?!?

Roman: She's at Junior's Club... (hung up on)

Cinder: EMERALD! MERCURY! TO JUNIOR'S NOW!!!

/==/

It took the trio ten minutes to get from the safe house to Junior's. The bouncers well aware of who they were stepped aside instantly to let them enter. Inside they found the place packed with costumed party goers...

Mercury: Well that accounts for the lack of city wide panic...

Cinder: Just find her and start BEGGING as soo as you do!

Emerald: Uh... um... Cinder?

Cinder: WHAT?!?

Emerald: Over there...

Cinder followed the direction of Emerald's outstretched hand and blanched. There straddling the knees of a young blond man was her boss... the Queen of the Grimm.

Mercury: Is she letting him do body shots?

Cinder: Preposterous! She would never...

Emerald: Yep! That was a booby-shot if I ever saw one.

Cinder: Ah... urkk... arrrr... let's... let's go.

The trio shouldered their way through those party goers that stood, or rather danced between them and their destination. Cinder ground her teeth as the closer they became the more truthful Mercury's observation was. Salem, the Queen of the Grimm. Evil Incarnate, an Immortal Witch of unparalleled power was allowing some blond haired buffoon to pluck shot glasses from between her breasts with his... mouth.

Salem: (hic) Soooo... much (hic) funny! (hic)

????: (hic) you... you... (hic) is beau... beauti... beautiful! (hic)

Cinder: Ahem! Miss...

Salem: CINDY! (hic)

Cinder: ...

Mercury: ...

Emerald: ...

Cinder and her associates watches as Salem, Evil Incarnate struggled to rise from her perch on the young man's lap, only to stumble and pull the young man from his seat and send them both crashing to the floor... and erupt in a fit of giggles and laughter.

Cinder: Cindy?

Mercury: ...

Emerald: ...

Salem: (hic) you... you... (hic) were... were... um (hic)... um...

????: right? (hic)

Salem: (hic) Yeppers! (hic)

The highly intoxicated pair struggled to their feet, and stood there grinning drunkenly at each other as they weaved, totally ignoring the presence of Cinder, Emerald and Mercury.

Salem: Dances (hic) Jauney? (hic)

Jaune: (hic) Okay! (hic)

Cinder: ...

Emerald: ...

Mercury: ...

The pair vanished into the crowd on the dance floor.

/==/

Seventeen hours later, Cinder and her team were forced to exfil Salem from not only the motel room she had shacked up in, but also Vale's proper. The whole ordeal throwing Cinder's careful preparations out the window.

/== 3 Months Later ==/

Mercury is sitting with Jaune at a "Noodles are Us" stall. The two having become fast friends after the events of that fated night.

Mercury: So how was she when you met her?

Jaune: Sad, lonely. She needed someone to talk to, and cheer her up.

Mercury: Oh... cheer her up? Is that what you kids are calling it?

Jaune: (blushing) I said I was...

The clatter of a something plastic landing on the counter interrupted Jaune's rebuttal. He turned his head and smiled.

Jaune: Cindy! Would you like to...

Cinder said nothing but pointed to the counter and the plastic object she had tossed there. Confused Jaune picked it up... and then fainted.

Cinder: Please pick him up, and bring him with you. We're leaving.

Mercury: Huh? What's going on? What about the plan?

Cinder: Cancelled. Now please pick up the Queen's "Baby-Daddy" and let's get out of here.

Mercury: ...

/==/

Utter & Complete Insanity Story Collection

/==/

A/N So I think I went off the rails here... and missed the mark... but ENJOY!

#reader ask #response to reader ask #my answer #rwby #salem #jaune arc #grimm knight #cinder fall #mercury black #emerald sustrai #roman torchwick

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sserrafeim · 5 months ago

Text

People that are mad Feyre had a child will always be weird to me.

“She said she didn’t want a child!”

Yeah. And she changed her mind. It’s something people do but judging by how most of you behave in this fandom I’m confident you believe that something like that can’t happen and it should be punishable by law.

“Her whole arc in acomaf was about how she didn’t want to be a breeding mare for Tamlin only to become Rhysand’s in the end.”

I need you pro-Tamlins and anti-Rhysands to step back for a moment. She had one child. ONE. If she had stayed with Tamlin in Spring, having kids & hosting parties would be all that she would be able to do. Look at Lady of Autumn who had seven (six, technically) kids with Beron and tell me that that wouldn’t be Feyre’s fate with Tamlin - you can’t. She chose to have a child after thinking about it and having a conversation with Rhys. It wasn’t seen as her “wife duties” or her “duty to her court and husband”. It was her choice through and through.

I understand that you wanted her to remain a one-dimensional badass female warrior and you’re upset that she made her own decision to have a baby but bffr.

“She was sidelined because she was pregnant/had a baby.”

We learn in acosf that her pregnancy is already dangerous due to the baby having wings and yet you wanted her to go search for the trove and put herself and her baby in even more danger? The IC hiding the severity of the situation from her wasn’t a good idea, yes, but it wasn’t an unreasonable decision to make on their part and we’re literally told why they did it - you just love to hate them and turn them into the bad guys every chance you get.

Hofas takes place, what, 3 months after acosf? Five? Nyx isn’t even one year old and you wanted Feyre and Rhys to leave him with a nanny so they could deal with the girl that fell from the sky? What if they died? They’d leave a baby behind all alone. But you don’t care about that. You don’t want to realise that they aren’t just rulers now, they are parents too and they went through an ordeal not that long ago. Of course they’re going to send two of their most powerful people to deal with the problem instead of going themselves - it’s what rulers do.

I love that we’re treating child-free people with more respect and kindness as a society but that doesn’t mean that we should hate and shit on people that choose to have kids. Calling a fictional character a breeding mule because she had a kid… what kind of message does that give to young women in this fandom who are also mothers? You’re supposed to be a grown adult, act like it.

Also, we’ve seen so many posts and headcanons about how great of a dad Rhys would be but Feyre gets all this hate and criticism? It’s reeking of double standards and misogyny in here.

#acotar #feyre archeron #feyre cursebreaker #rhysand #feysand #you want complicated multi-faceted morally grey characters until you get them #then you hate them because they are and act like that

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seeingivy · 1 year ago

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Omg can u do a one shot where reader goes to the eras tour with Gojo??

miss americana and the heartbreak prince

satoru gojo x f!reader

an: this didn't mesh well as a one shot when I wrote it, so i hope this mix of blurbs and headcanons is ok <3 also, this is for a very specific audience, feel free to ignore on your dash!!!

satoru gojo, in his infinite knowledge and wisdom, is first exposed to the eras tour when you ask him to sign up for a presale code

“wait, so. you just want me to sign up for all the dates?” satoru asks, voice echoing through your phone speaker. “yes, make sure that you verify your ticketmaster account and everything now. and then when you do that, send me a picture so i can make sure you did it right.” you respond. “it’s not rocket science, babe. i’m sure i can figure out how to do it.” satoru grumbles, as you hear typing on the other end of the line. “just take the picture when you’re done.” “was this that important that you had to call me while I was at work?” “babe. this is taylor swift. of course it was.” “right.”

the fated day of buying tickets come and you and satoru are literally hiding from your bosses in the corner of your office - laptops pulled up and anxiously watching the queue

you're both nervously watching the numbers get smaller and smaller, nervous hands open on a twitter tab that's talking about people getting kicked out of the line, locked out, or being told that the tickets are already all gone

but by the grace of god, satoru's laptop goes through first and he manages to bag the two of you floor tickets and you're in

you climb into bed, pushing the hair off of satoru’s head to give him a kiss on the forehead, before you tuck yourself into the sheets and nestle into his arms. “sweetheart.” “hm?” “can i ask you a question? you don’t have to say yes.” he asks, voice all uncharacteristically shy. you prop yourself up on his bare chest, trying to discern the look on his face in the dark, as you nod. “can i go to the concert with you?” and when you see the little frowny face he has on, you can’t help but laugh at the entire ordeal, at the satoru gojo begging you to take him to a taylor swift concert. and when you start laughing, he starts grumbling, turning his surely pink face away from you. “shut up.” “oh my god, toru. you’re so cute, you know that?” “i’m glad my misery is adorable to you.” “I’d love if you would come to the concert with me. on one condition.” “what’s that?” “you have to learn all the lore and listen to the songs before we go. i’m not about to be that girl standing next to the guy who doesn’t know the surprise songs on the floor.” “okay. what’s a surprise song?” you press your fingers against his lips and place a kiss on his cheek. “all in good time.”

you make a game plan for satoru, color coded and planned out, for him to learn everything you want him to know

you break it down for him era by era, asking him to first listen to the album and send you his reviews - and then explaining important key details that he would need to know

and it evolves so fast, because he gets more and more excited as he goes on, texting you his thoughts at work

he just needs a reason to not do work, but he gets REALLY REALLY INTO IT

satoru: YOU’RE GAY. you: no? i don’t think so satoru: i’m singing picture to burn babe, be quiet satoru: if the way i loved you is country music, slap a flannel and a cowboy hat on me because i am FLOORED. ABSOLUTE BANGER. you: PLEASE ARE YOU LISTENING AT WORK??? satoru: mind your own business. satoru: also, who is mr. perfectly fine about? you: joe jonas. satoru: she dated joe jonas? you: no satoru, she dated barack obama. yes, she dated joe jonas. satoru: well now i hate him. he’s so rude. satoru: THIS IS ME SWALLOWING MY PRIDE STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU SAYING IM SORRY FOR THATTTT NIGHT you: last night when you ate my leftovers? satoru: that wasn’t me you: sure. satoru: is dear john about john mayer? you: yes. we don’t like him. satoru: fuck yeah we don’t. SHINING LIKE FIREWORKS OVER YOUR SAD EMPTY TOWN??? JOHN, JOHN WHEN I CATCH YOU satoru: babe if you ever break up with me ill go sleep on the highway you: ok?? I wasn’t planning on it satoru: do not EVER give me a reason to relate to last kiss i will actually do something dangerous you: why did shoko just send me a picture of you with your head down on your desk at work? satoru: babe please don’t talk to me rn. i just listened to all too well and i am inconsolable. you: wait till you watch the short film. satoru: PLEASE I CAN’T HANDLE THIS. JAKE GYLLENHAL ALEX THE LION FROM MADAGASCAR WHEN I GET YOU. you: ok satoru. pipe down. satoru: ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET ARE WE OUT OF THE WOODS YET you: i feel like im creating a monster. satoru: I WANT YOU FOR WORSE OR FOR BETTER BROKE YOUR HEART ILL PUT IT BACK TOGETHER satoru: just finished reputation. many thoughts you: oh??? satoru: one. can we get frisky to dress? two. I am buying you a necklace with my initial on it. three. king of my heart is my favorite song so far. four. CAN WE GET FRISKY TO DRESS. five. kanye west, when I get you. you: satoru. you are at work. please focus. satoru: i know that’s a yes. satoru: just listened to lover. I am inconsolable and i love this white woman. DAYLIGHT??? THAT’S SO ME AND YOU. LOVER??? THAT’S SO ME AND YOU. PAPER RINGS??? ME AND YOU. you: do not take paper rings as an excuse to not buy me a real ring. I am expecting a nice six pronged gold band circular cut diamond. satoru: also can we get frisky to false god. you: satoru gojo. satoru: babe. urgent. 911. you: what. satoru: am i augustine or am i betty?? you: you’re inez. nosy gossiping ass bitch. satoru: EXCUSE ME. also invisible string is so us. joe alwyn, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS. you: well. satoru: is she ok. like seriously, is taylor ok??? if she has happily been in a relationship for six years why did she write tolerate it? doesn’t she know my mental health is fragile? you: why tf are YOU crying about tolerate it? we’ve been in a stable relationship for four years satoru: i was imaging you being mean to me. it really hurt my feelings you: ok. satoru: long story short, the masterpiece that you are. JOE AND TAYLOR YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS. satoru: what is their name combined you: toe. satoru: ok… satoru: MEET ME AT MIDNIGHT you: oh god. you’re at the end. let’s hear it. satoru: one. can we get frisky to maroon? two. you’re on your own kid changed my life. three. sweet nothing is us. four. can we get frisky to maroon. five. john mayer i will KILL YOU. six. also is like scooter braun a crack head or something like what is vigilante shit even about satoru: babe. satoru: no. satoru: YOU’RE LOSING ME???? JOE???? JOE ALWYN MY BROTHER JOE ALWYN???? NO. you: yes. satoru: Y/N. HE WON’T MARRY HER?????? IM GOING TO KILL HIM. THE GUY WHO LOVER IS ABOUT??? WHO MASTERMIND SWEET NOTHING INVISIBLE STRING IS ABOUT??? satoru: do not talk to me. I hate you. you: WHAT DID I DO

satoru gets more and more excited about the entire thing as it goes on, telling YOU that you need to start planning outfits and making bracelets like you weren't the one who got him into this

satoru cannot make friendship bracelets. but he likes watching you make them and asking you all the little things you like about the music

“ok. what do i make the next one?” “hm. did you do style yet?” “no.” you start collecting all the beads as satoru props his phone up against the table, to the live stream of the concert. every night, the two of you watch the surprise songs together and make a note of which ones you lose from your drafted list of picks - a mix of yours and satoru’s favorite songs that aren’t on the setlist. “open.” satoru holds the spoon of noodles right over your lips as you focus on finishing the bracelet, his eyes focused on the live stream. “satoru.” “hm?” “can i ask a weird question?” “sure.” “you seem like you’re like really into this. like actually.” “well, i am. this is serious - i cannot lose clean for a second time or i will break something.” “not that. I just mean, the entire thing. like the songs and the music and all that. you…are really into it.” “well, why wouldn’t i be? it’s something you like. and it clearly means a lot to you, so it does to me too.” you can feel your cheeks burning at how blunt he is about the entire thing, like it’s something so obvious, like him putting in all this effort to like something you do is a given. you lean forward and press a kiss to his cheek, which he smiles at before focusing back on the live stream. “BABE. NO.” “OH MY GOD." “ITS CLEAN.” “TORU HOW DID WE LOSE A SONG TWICE.”

satoru decides that the two of you are going to go as miss americana and the heartbreak prince - and watches you meticulously collect fabrics and threads to make the pink dress you had in mind

you made it a point to also sew on the little broken heart for satoru's light pink shirt and white slacks that he was going to wear to the concert and buy the two of you matching gold crowns to wear together

“something is missing from my outfit, y/n.” you frown, looking over at him as he fixes the little gold crown you got him on his white hair. “what are you talking about? you look fine.” satoru digs through your makeup box, rummaging around till he pulls out a tube of your red lipstick. “you want to wear it, toru?” “what? no. you put it on and then plant a bunch of kisses on my cheeks. so it leaves a mark.” “oh?” “IT’LL LOOK BETTER THAT WAY. I SAW SOMEONE ON TIK TOK DO IT.” you roll your eyes as you lean forward in the mirror, blotting the buttery product on your lips and ignoring the devilish smile that satoru’s giving you in the mirror. and then you turn around and cup his face in your hands, making it a point to pepper long kisses on his cheeks and the side of his neck, making sure the full mark of your lips is left on his skin. and when you’re done, he turns in the mirror and gives you a satisfied smile. “perfect.” “you’re so lame, satoru. if you wanted me to kiss you, you should have just asked.” “can i have a kiss?” “no.” he leans forward and wraps his arms around your waist, it being his turn to smother you in kisses, eliciting a laugh from you when his breath tickles your neck. “shut up.”

type of mf to take BILLIONS OF PICTURES of you outside the concert and even more with you, until you both get ones you like

also, totally wears a stack of friendship bracelets that you made together, but only trades with other boyfriends and dads in solidarity

man stands for the entire concert with you, except during the man. because he knows his place.

you start SOBBING during lover and he's there just smiling at how SILLY you are and wiping your little tears away. you both sway to the song together and scream the bridge together.

he takes a picture of you doing the fearless heart with taylor in the back. bc duh.

speaking of, this dude is NOT recording taylor AT ALL he is recording you and taking pictures of you and it's literally the most wholesome thing ever

like you're just so excited and jumpy that he thinks its cute and he wants to document it

but then he's so inconsolable during tis the damn season and tolerate it that he's SCREAMING THE LYRICS with the passion of ten suns (he is an evermore stan, fight with the wall)

takes a video of you singing during enchanted (which he later makes his lockscreen)

fighting for his life during all too well. like everyone else.

your surprise songs are dear john and daylight - which you're both screaming together on the floor.

satoru is giving YOU the side eye when you scream DATE ME TAYLOR during vigilante shit chair moment.

mister man is blushing when you point at him when taylor sings karma is my boyfriend

carries you out of the concert bc he knows your feet are killing you.

and feeds you after. bc duh. post concert munchies at a fast food drive thru.

an, again: tee hee this was so silly but so fun to think about. and for a very niche audience AHAHHAHA. also it feels weird to use my taglist when this is for a VERY specific audience so I will ignore.

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keeper-of-gates · 1 year ago

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i really like how chapter 3 is just literally saying that "hey, dead kids. traumatic events happened here and the effects are still here" by literally showing you the horrors through the auditory and the physicality of what chapter 3 has to offer.

Chapter 1 gave us a "yeah, something happened" but nothing substantial to grasp on other than what remains of posters and vhs tapes. Chapter 2 managed to at least expand on the orphan program by introducing the games station and it's true purpose of progression of tests on the mind through child-friendly means. Even the literal videos mob ent. gave us only a small bit of information about what happened before the Hour of Joy, such as the consent of a terminally ill worker being put into a toy.

Chapter 3 just gives us the bigger scale on everything the game gave us as snacks.

We see empty beds, empty cots, picture frames of children whose fates are left between 2-3 outcomes with one with them actually being adopted before even being pulled from the choice altogether simply because they had the ability to be good at reacting to colours. We see an actual system on how these children get treated and how everything works, from the titual nanny in Home Sweet Home, to the teachers of the school to even the scientists overviewing everything.

We know that actual adoptions do take place also, even if the potential parent/s are just the employees. But we know that Playcare's purpose isn't that straightforward, because the children are monitored as potential candidates for the experiments and are picked with the reason being that they're "sick" to whoever asks, child or otherwise.

And it appears that most of the workers in playcare are left in the dark, much like the factory workers if the woman who was left to care for a certain room of children was absolutely distraught of one child getting a nightmare to the point where the child had to be taken away and has to be interviewed by a person who seems to not be in the same emotional wave about the ordeal in the first place. Any mention of the children directly in both the interview and the report seems to call them directly, affectionately or otherwise, son or daughter, either from overattachment or as a professional act.

The experiments themselves are the unwilling second hand, created as sentient, yet obedient tools for entertainment, care and labour by any unfortunate human chosen, and it is obvious that Playtime Co, shown in teasers, aren't really picky when it comes to it. I even have doubts that they only use one singular person, child or adult, alone to create a bigger body considering how, y'know, big they are.

Playtime Co. literally died from the inside during the Hour of Joy, when the toys finally had enough. Exactly how many people died is unknown but in comparison to death in any medium, watching it in game as the toys the player faced had killed everyone who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, with no one surviving and being taken into consideration. were they considered missing? Did anyone try to investigate everything? or did it all get swept under the rug by whoever was still alive and representing the company?

Then, the decade after everything, it still continued. Soon there was no food. factions started to form between factory floors, with each territory and domain being barren of mercy and food. Any toy was fair game in consideration. Even if that fair game was who you considered your own kin or your friends.

I think Poppy Playtime is getting closer to breaking the mascot horror mould that Fnaf had set in stone for nearly a decade. Would that be good or better for the market? I'm not sure, but at least, it's going to be part of the pillar that will be looked back on.

#poppy playtime #poppy playtime chapter 3 #ppt #chapter 3

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wanderingmind867 · 2 months ago

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My definitive interpretation on Martian Manhunter:

Martian Manhunter/J'onn J'onzz and his younger brother Ma'alefa'ak were from Mars, a civilization built by and worshipful of the Roman deity of Mars. J'onn was a Manhunter, the equivalent of a police officer in martian society. He had a wife and a young daughter and all was peaceful and content for him. Ma'alefa'ak meanwhile was a recluse, shunned because he was the only Martian without telepathy. He grew bitter towards his people because of this, but it actually ended up becoming a great boon for him.

You see, the Martians have a natural enemy in the Saturnians. The Saturnians are the natural enemy of everyone in the solar system, in fact. That's because they're the chosen people of Saturn/Kronos, the evil titan who oppressed humanity back in antiquity. Although Saturn/Kronos is rotting in Tartarus, his chosen people continue to worship him and pray to him. And when he spoke to his people and told them they had to raise an army and enslave the chosen peoples of the other olympians, the saturnians answered the call.

Assembling an army, the Saturnians pillaged the Solar System.They enslaved the people of Mars (as well as the people of every planet in the solar system besides Jupiter and Neptune and Pluto), and planned to bend them to their will. Being a very militaristic but dignified society (as befitting their patron god), the martians fought back. J'onn was on the frontlines for some of it. The war was bloody, and horrifying. This is when J'onn was first pulled away from Mars.

You see, back on earth, Dr. Mark Erdel of Colorado was attempting to make contact with alien life. And by a strange twist of fate, he did. Except he didn't merely build a communication device. No, instead he built a virtual magnet for brain waves. To a telepath like J'onn, the pull of the machine was irresistible. He went from mars to earth in the blink of an eye, leaving his people and family all alone back on mars, to be enslaved by the cruel and savage saturnians. Shocked that he summoned up a real, live alien (and one who even shapeshifts to look more humanoid in apperance), Dr. Erdel suffers a fatal heart attack and dies.

J'onn ends up now on earth, stuck recovering from landing in a strange place and watching a man die. After a month or two of recovery from that ordeal (a month in which J'onn begins to blame himself for the death of Doctor Erdel), J'onn prepares to leave for Mars again. But before he gets the chance, he discovers a Saturnian plot to invade earth the same way they tried to invade mars. Using his telepathy and shapeshifting powers, J'onn manages to assemble a team of 6 earth heroes to help him repel the Saturnian invasion. After the invasion, the Justice League is born, it's members the 7 defenders of earth.

So while the demigods of earth dealt with the actual titans and saved olympus, J'onn and the League was saving the cosmos. This is my way of outright telling you: this universe is the same universe as Percy Jackson. We're never gonna have anyone comment on that, but it allows us to show a third front in the Titan War: the space front.

Anyways, J'onn gets permission from his fellow martians to go and study earth by living there for a few years. He blends in on earth society by taking the name of John Jones and renting an apartment home for himself. Posing as a police detective in Middleton, Colorado, he has many adventures with his detective co-worker Diane Meade and his interdimensional sidekick Zook. For around 2-3 years, he stayed as John Jones like this, having superheroic adventures on earth both solo and with the Justice League.

But then J'onn had to deal with the Idol Head of Diabolu. This evil statue expelled toxic gas, which John Jones heroically jumped in front of to save a young child's life. But since John Jones was a human, everyone assumed he had died there that day. And J'onn was getting tired of leading this double life as a martian and as an ordinary earthman, so he willingly faked his death. Diane Meade and his friends on the force were all lead to believe he'd died. The only one he actually told the truth to was Zook.

From here, Martian Manhunter and Zook worked to destroy the Idol Head of Diabolu. For almost a year they fought the monsters released by that menacing Idol, but eventually they managed to destroy the Idol Head and clear up all their earthly loose ends. With the Idol Head that killed his human persona of "John Jones" gone, J'onn should have been able to go back to Mars. He wanted to. But fate wouldn't let him.

You see, J'onn and Zook end up getting wrapped into one final earthly adventure: they had to infiltrate and take down an international criminal organization known as Vulture. To combat Vulture, J'onn takes the secret identity of Marco Xavier, a multi-millionaire with reported ties to Vulture who died in a fatal car crash in France. From here, J'onn completely infiltrates the organization of Vulture, and eventually unmasks their ringmaster.

And here's the big twist in our story: the ringmaster of Vulture was the Marco Xavier! He faked his death in that car crash, and merely allowed J'onn to continue taking his identity so he could lure him into a trap. On that note, the trap Marco Xavier set for J'onn ends up levelling the building, and killing everyone but Martian Manhunter. Sickened and repulsed by what the past few months infiltrating Vulture has shown him, J'onn decides he needs to leave earth and finally go back to Mars.

While J'onn was handling all of his solo adventures, such as dealing with the Idol Head of Diabolu and with infiltrating Vulture, he was also an active member of the Justice League of America. He had pretty good relationships with almost every member of the team, although there were some people he was closer to than others. Him and Superman got along really well, for example. Being two aliens, they could relate to feeling sometimes out of place on earth. J'onn more than Clark (since J'onn actually has a living family on Mars), but still.

Whereas him and Wonder Woman had a more contentious relationship, initially (he was a patron of Mars, while Ares/Mars was one of Wonder Woman's biggest enemies). The Roman in J'onn vs the Greek in Diana made for some very icy relations, initially. Eventually they learned to work past it. But there's still a sort of lighthearted rivalry that exists between them, even now.

Another member of the team J'onn became really close to: Green Arrow. After their first few missions together, they became inseparable. Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter and Speedy were like an inseparable trio. Like Batman and Superman, except with more of a mutual trust. J'onn became just as much a father to Roy as Oliver. J'onn even began to see Roy like one of his own kids back home on mars. And Zook was like the weird family pet, even accompanying Roy on a solo mission or two.

In short, J'onn was the heart of the team. He was the one responsible for it's founding, he was the one who was always on call, he was just the one really holding the team together. So when he left to go back to Mars, it really devastated the team dynamics. They managed to survive, but as i'll show later: things really went to hell without J'onn around.

But J'onn finally heads back to Mars, homesick after years on earth. He can't wait to get back to M'yri'ah and the kids. And to introduce them to Zook, his new interdimensional sidekick. He was in really good spirits as he flew back to mars, anticipating nothing but happy things. But what he finds there on Mars is enough to haunt him for the rest of his years.

In his absence, Mars has been completely razed to the ground. The Saturnians came back, slighted by J'onn repelling their invasion of the solar system. As punishment, they used the martian's genetic weakness to fire, and burned everything and everyone to the ground. The martians fought valiantly, and managed to kill most of the Saturnian forces. But the end result was the same: a bloodbath. J'onn's wife and two kids were murdered in cold blood, and he could have saved them. If he wasn't on earth, he could've saved them…and that's what finally breaks him.

Almost everyone died in that war, beyond one Martian and one Saturnian. J'onn's brother Ma'alefa'ak managed to survive, mostly because ma'alefa'ak was such a hermit that the saturnians didn't even know where he was. He survived because his people shunned him. And one Saturnian survived the wars: K'os'che'i, the deathless one. He couped the rightful ruler of Saturn by declaring him too weak to get revenge on Mars, and he then led the charge to massacre every martian in existence.

These two brothers were then left on an abandoned planet to grieve. Seeing red at the death of his wife and two children, J'onn loses it and goes on a revenge quest with Ma'alefa'ak' and Zook. The quest takes them to the farthest ends of the galaxy hunting for K'os'che'i and the secrets to his immortality. It even leads them to discovering the true heir to Saturn, Prince Jemm. Jemm was the adopted child of the Emperor of Saturn. But when K'os'che'i led his coup, Jemm's adopted mother spirited him away to a distant star system to be raised to fight and reclaim his throne.

Now, Jemm joins our trio in hunting down K'os'che'i, and we eventually have a dramatic confrontation scene at the edge of all the known galaxies. Martian Manhunter, Ma'alefa'ak, Zook and Jemm have already destroyed the artifact keeping K'os'che'i alive. And with sorrow and righteous anger welling up within, J'onn and Jemm kill K'os'che'i and burn his ashes to dust.

Now depressed and miserable, J'onn, Ma'alefa'ak, Zook and Jemm go their separate ways once again. J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak are going to go back to Mars, try to process their loss and grief. Meanwhile, Jemm decides he's going to explore the galaxies, try and see if he can't rebuild the legacy of the good Saturnians elsewhere in space. Zook decides to accompany Jemm, knowing it's probably best he give J'onn time to himself, after this tragedy.

From here, J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak end up spending time on Mars again for a whole period of years. They just end up exploring space together, always returning to their little makeshift village on mars just for the two of them. It's a very peaceful and tranquil life. The most peace J'onn's known in a long, long time, honestly. But like all things in J'onn's life, this peace doesn't last.

After 5-6 years in space with his brother, J'onn is summoned back to earth by the Justice League. He has to stop Batman's coup attempt on the league, which finally brings J'onn back to earth. He manages to stop batman just in the nick of time, and then he heads back to mars to resume his vigil. But once back on Mars, a nagging feeling of dread never quite leaves him alone. So about a month or two after all this, he returns to earth. And that's when he finds the Justice League has disbanded in his absence. And that they inducted about half a dozen new members in his absence. And that they apparently kicked Snapper Carr out!?

J'onn is devastated by all the idiotic changes the league made in his absence. But he knows that he can't abandon the legacy of this team he helped create, so he decides it's time for him to come back to earth once more. And this time on a more permanent basis. So he goes back to space and convinces his brother Ma'alefa'ak to come to earth with him. Together they move to Detroit and set up a detective agency. This is around when J'onn sets up the Justice League Detroit. But that's a topic for my Justice League interpretation post.

I cover most of J'onn and Ma'alefa'ak's adventures on earth in my Justice League interpretation posts. But let's pick up where that one left off. Ma'alefa'ak' went on a rampage because he felt the earthmen were being prejudicial to him, and he had to be stopped by every member of the Justice League working together. But before they can capture him, Ma'alefa'ak escapes. Nobody knows where he went and nobody has the time to track him down, since the Justice League Detroit begins collapsing like a house of cards shortly after this.

J'onn then heads up to Ottawa to help found the Justice League Canada. But all the while that he's in Ottawa, he can't help thinking of his brother. He misses Ma'alefa'ak', and so he's constantly trying to find his brother at the same time he's trying to lead the Justice League Canada.

After around a year of searching as the Justice League Canada builds itself up, J'onn gets a report that his brother was spotted heading towards Colorado in the company of characters like Captain Cold and Harley Quinn. Concerned by all of this, J'onn heads off for Colorado all on his own, leaving the rest of the league to try and deal with a threat in his absence. Since he was the stabilizing force on the team, his absence is felt immensely. But they survive.

Anyways, let's check in on Ma'alefa'ak'. As mentioned previously, he ran away from the league after his rampaging attack on humanity. Knowing he needed to lie low and settle down, he shapeshifts and takes a new identity as an ordinary citizen in St. Louis, Missouri. For like 2-3 months he laid low here, just trying to lose himself in the crowd. But at some point, he accidentally runs into a group of criminals. Captain Cold and Harley Quinn had been planning on founding a team of reformed supervillians, and they chose St Louis as the perfect midway point between their locations in which to meet up and discuss it. And Ma'alefa'ak just so happens to be there observing them.

After eavesdropping on their conversation, he worms his way into the discussion and persuades them to let him join their group. He shapeshifts and pretends to be some common thug looking to go straight. He manages to work his way into their organization, and helps them plan their first activities as reformed villians. And when the other members of the team hear about a smuggling ring in Colorado and agree to head out there to bust it and showcase their new ways, Ma'alefa'ak' tags along. Some normal citizens accidentally see him transform back into his martian apperance (one even takes a screenshot), and that's how J'onn finally learns where his brother is.

J'onn ends up going down to Colorado to talk some sense into his brother, but after a brief fight with this supervillian team J'onn realizes that they're actually all looking to go straight, Ma'alefa'ak' included. He hadn't told any of them he was a martian (he was still afraid of facing humanity's scorn), but he was hoping to use them to make some form of amends for what he did. So then Martian Manhunter helps this team bust the Colorado smuggling operation.

After this, J'onn realizes that he wants to help this team of reformed villians gain legitimacy. They deserve to get the respect they deserve for making an effort at going straight. J'onn also realizes that he's now in Middleton, the same place he used to work as a Police Detective, all those many years ago. The place where John Jones died…the place where he killed Professor Mark Erdel….

Devastated by the memories of what happened, J'onn goes to the Middleton graveyard, where he spots his own grave from way back when. But he also spots the grave of Doctor Mark Erdel, who died at 70 years old of a fatal heart attack. A heart attack J'onn feels sure he caused. So in his shapeshifted form, J'onn stops to pay his respects at the grave. And that's when he realises two others are there, paying their respects too.

Turns out Doctor Erdel had a family. His grandson, Saul Erdel, followed him into the field of scientific research, and he now lives in Middleton to be close to his grandfather. And Saul Erdel has a daughter of his own, an 8-9 year old girl. Feeling even more guilty than ever, J'onn tries to run. But they discover him, and he's startled that he accidentally shapeshifts back to his true form.

As J'onn begins begging for forgiveness, Saul has to calm him down by assuring him it wasn't his fault. Hawkman and Hawkwoman figured out that J'onn wasn't the real killer years ago. J'onn just never had time to learn that, because he was busy on Mars. Relieved by this information (but still burdened with the trauma of untold millions) J'onn collapses in front of Saul, telling him everything.

But in a shockingly pure act of hospitality, Doctor Erdel invites J'onn to live with him. He doesn't have to be alone on earth, this time around. He can let himself open up to people. He can finally find a home on earth. So after like 10 years away from Colorado, J'onn's story ends the way it began: with him back in Colorado. Except this time he actually embraces humanity and settles down here.

J'onn becomes a private detective in Colorado, while also helping to mentor his brother and the other reformed supervillians (who are also now based out of Colorado to be close to him). He works on that for like a year, before eventually getting dragged into the creation of The Protectors (my DC version of The Defenders) when Doctor Fate summons him alongside Solomon Grundy and Ocean-Master. But I'll discuss that more in a note about The Protectors.

J'onn also now has a support system of humans around him in Colorado. Or at least, he's got 2-3 human friends there now. He's got the Erdel family, who him and ma'alefa'ak still live with. He's also got Diane Meade again, who's become a police commissioner in the time since J'onn's been away. But she still remembers him, and it's touching for both of them to be able to reconnect. And he's got his extended friend group up in space and abroad. Jemm and Zook occasionally stop by for visits, to catch back up with J'onn and Mal. And Green Arrow and Speedy waste no time reaching back out to their old crime fighting partner again.

So for now, J'onn J'onzz can finally say he's happy on earth. He's found new family and friends. A new job. A new life. Finally, he feels like he's home again. The death and trauma of his past is behind him. And he can finally be at peace.

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alpaca-clouds · 1 year ago

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Let me talk about Women in Refrigerators

You know what? This is a thing that is kinda annoying me in the Castlevania fandom. How everyone is screaming about Women in Refrigerators, while folks so clearly do not understand what the trope actually is about and why it is a bad trope.

Like, there is not a single death of a named woman in Castlevania, that not at least someone has called "fridged". Alright, maybe Drolta. But other than that... yeah, folks definitely have called Lenore and Carmilla fridged. And... No, people, you misunderstand the trope.

The name of the trope was coined based on Green Lantern vol. 3 #54 (from the 90s), in which Green Lantern finds his death girlfriend stuffed in a refrigerator - mostly for shock value in the reader. Mind you, this was the 90s, when superhero comics were really, really edgy and stuff. And in fact the kind of story happened a lot of times during this time. Female characters being killed, raped and tortured for pure shock value, with the story not featuring any idea of what this did to the female character, but rather focusing on what this does to the male characters. (And mind you: Yes, a woman can be considered fridged and still survive the ordeal. A lot of folks do consider Barbara in The Killing Joke fridged as well.)

So, what does "Fridging" in terms of the trope mean? Basically it means that a female character suffers a horrible fate just so that another (most probably male) character can be motivated to do something and react to this thing happening, setting in motion a character arc for the surviving character - or even setting into motion the plot.

In many examples it should also be noticed that at times the female characters mostly just exist to meet their horrible end. Supernatural as a show is really bad in this regard. Like, within the first episode of the show THREE FUCKING WOMEN get fridged, just so that the brothers can travel together and start the plot.

So, let's move back to Castlevania.

Lisa is fridged. There is no way around it. Yes, it does not feel like it, because they still managed to make her a character of sorts, but yeah, she definitely is fridged. She dies a horrible death and that death is what motivates the plot, as well as what motivates both Alucard and Dracula. That is very classical fridging no way around it.

Carmilla and Lenore, though? Yeah, they are not fridged. They are characters who just die. Their death is not used to motivate another character. Their death is also not random, like most fridging deaths. Especially Carmilla is basically asking for her death, of course. She is a villain and gets the same death as all other villains. And while it is a bit different with Lenore, she definitely is not fridged either, giving that she literally dies in the last episode with no plot or development happening because of her death.

In Nocturne it gets a bit more complicated. Is Julia fridged? In a way, I would argue, she is, mostly on the value that she exists as a character to die and for her death to be the basis for Richter's character arc, giving him the trauma he needs to overcome.

Esther meanwhile does not feel fridged to me. Because Annette's trauma is not deeply linked to her death, rather than the entire slavery experience in general.

Tera? Well, for Tera it is too early to tell. I still assume that her change into a vampire is going to be used to have the characters realize, that vampires are not inherently evil, and to give us a view into what vampire society looks like. At least that is what I assume.

By the way: The fridging of female characters is my big issue with the PS2 Castlevania games. Like, in Lament of Innocence both Sara and Elisabetha are getting fridged to motivate Leon and Mathias. And the same is true for Rosalie in Curse of Darkness, who as a character only exists to motivate Hector. I mean, she is so replacable as a character, that Hector fucking replaces her by the end of the game.

#castlevania #castlevania netflix #castlevania nocturne #refrigerated women #women in refrigerators #fridging #feminism #women in media #julia belmont #castlevania lisa #castlevania tera

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onlyswan · 8 months ago

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dreamboat | jjk (teaser)

sypnosis: aboard the dreamboat, jungkook finds himself drawn to a beautiful stranger who appears to be drowning in melancholy. weeks later, he sees her face on the other side of the aquarium at his apartment building’s lobby. he soon learns that it’s not fate’s grand romantic plans that brought you back to his life. / (alt.) / a shipwreck and a dreamboat form an unusual bond in an aquarium.

non!idoljk x f!reader (jk is a business major who works at the amusement park ; oc works at the call center) / strangers to lovers / fluff, angst, suggestive

teaser word count: 0.5k / full fic word count: 30.8k :3

teaser warnings: is it an onlyswan fic if nobody cries? (full list of warnings to be released w the fic!)

release date: sometime in july (oh wait it’s july already)

spotify playlist ♫ (still in progress and will be open to recs after release hehe)

PART ONE AND TWO ARE OUT!

note: drop a comment/send an ask if you want to be tagged (pls make sure that you’re taggable 🥺) thank you and i hope you look forward to it <3

—

“why are you here? do you even have a ticket?!” taehyung interrogates him once he reaches the gate.

“do i have a ticket? really?” jungkook smirks, tossing his backpack to the ground.

he crosses over to the other side, and with ease, sneaks his hand in between the bars to push the lock into place.

“what do you think i work here for?”

taehyung sighs and mumbles to himself. “fine, my bad. thought we worked to pay for our bills.”

unhappy faces with blank stares.

he smiles at them cheerfully.

“i apologize for the hold-up. i’m your captain, jeon jungkook!”

“jungkook! sit!”

“wouldn’t he be the captain?” a high school boy at the very front quips, eyes pointing downwards at taehyung.

“eh, more like the wind beneath our sails.” he ruffles the boy’s head in passing as he trudges over to his desired seat.

“what?”

he imagined he would be alone here again today.

but as he is brought higher into the air, he discovers one person strapped to the last row of the other side of the ship.

the earth begins to move in slow motion.

they have their face buried in their palms, body shaking with what he can only guess is intense sobbing.

gone is the smile on his face.

are you that scared? if you’re scared, why would you volunteer to go here alone? if not, then why is your heart breaking?

for a few seconds, the noises cease and his focus on you becomes amplified.

and why is his breaking too?

—

#jungkook #jungkook one shot #jungkook drabble #jungkook scenario #jungkook imagine #jungkook au #jungkook fic #jungkook fanfic #bts fluff #bts reaction #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #jungkook smut

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mochaintherain · 1 year ago

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Accismus

Summary: You're a treasure hoarder who's stolen the most precious thing in Inazuma: the crown prince, Scaramouche. (GN! Reader)

Word Count: 2.4k

CW: VIOLENCE!!!!! Mutual violence, but like. there's undertones. idk. Reader isn't a good person, Criminal Reader, Antagonist reader, unestablished relationship, a little toxic (given the circumstances), blood, Royalty AU, (Scaramouche whoops your ass.)

A/N: Formatted on Mobile ♡. Sorry I've been away! This was originally meant to be for a larger story but my ass Did NOT finish it so I'm just going to post this lolz...plus, with Fontaine, there is so much potential ( ☆∀☆) BUT FINALLY SCARA FIC! posted at. 3 in the morning :')

Silver to gold.

The raven insignia colored like the brilliant sun would finally, finally, be yours to claim—tangible, indisputable proof of your convictions, ambitions, and desires. If the gods gifted conduits to those they considered worthy, then this coin was more than divine acknowledgment.

This insignia was your Vision, bestowed by fellow mortals.

Because today, you have captured a trophy.

Prince Scaramouche glowered in the chair he was untenderly pinioned to, indigo eyes never once breaking from your figure. He hadn't spoken once since his fateful acquisition, instead redirecting what would usually be a flurry of insults into a piercing gaze, sharp enough to cut flesh.

His yukata—the layers of purple and red silks, once draping his form in nobility, status, royalty—laid disheveled across the ground. The only things remaining before his abduction were the dark juban slipping over his body, along with the necklace made of black and red string, harboring a single, golden feather. The man in front of you, now a mere ghost of what he used to be.

You nodded to your men as they finished the last knots on his wrists, nodding to you, before departing the tent. He tugged at the restraints, grimacing.

"Wipe that damn smile off your lips," he sneered, red eyeliner melting in the crinkles of porcelain skin.

"Oh? So he finally speaks. Hello, your Highness—" you bowed lightly, though in no part due to deference—"how did you know? Was my excitement truly that obvious?"

"Tch. Not even that rag you call a mask can hide your ugly face."

"...wow." A soft laugh bubbled from your throat, and the corners of your lips twitched—up close, he couldn't escape scrutiny. The rumors were entirely true.

His infamous, hot-headed temperament juxtaposed his delicate features.

Even through anger, he was beautiful.

"Get away from me, worm," he jeered, narrowing his gaze.

"I suggest you mind your manners," you chastised, closing the distance between the two of you, much to his dismay, "you have no authority here, and your mother isn't here to protect you. So know your place, Prince." You spat the last syllable, honeyed in vitriol. The feather accessory almost crumbled in your grip as you jerked it forward, ripping a strangled gasp from the man.

"Here, you're as insignificant as the rest of us, got it? Your blood is just as red as mine when spilled."

With your thumb and forefinger, you pulled a little more, the strings protesting by digging themselves into the skin of his neck.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Scaramouche wheezed out, his head craning forward, coughs and laughs mixing into raspy drawls, "please. One blemish on me and your head will be on a pike."

"Hah." Your free hand trailed up the plush of his cheek, fingers resting on the crease of his eye.

"Get your filthy hands off—"

"If that were really the case, if you were so precious—" you smeared the pristine makeup onto his temple, and Scaramouche let out a guttural hiss, "—it wouldn't have been so easy to pluck you out Tenshukaku."

"You—!"

And the necklace snapped.

At that instant, his body tensed and his face contorted into a snarl, teeth ready to snap at your limbs. What little poise he managed to conjure for this ordeal dissipated in a matter of seconds.

How amusing.

"You have no idea what you've just done."

"Why so riled up? I'm sure your mother will get you a new one, you spoiled heir," you hummed, stepping away before his teeth could find your arms, "of course, unless the rumors are true?"

Infuriation overtook his indigo eyes, along with a flicker of hurt…or pain?

"Enough," he barked, "one more word and I'll rip your tongue out myself." The remark appeared almost funny, the way his shoulders shook like a petulant child.

If only you saw past the hilarity, and caught the screech of nail to cotton fiber.

"Tell me," you continued your taunt, waving the feather haphazardly in the air. At that moment, he was more hilichurlian than prince, "is it true you’re nothing more than a prince in name? How much of a brat are you, to be denied your birthright on the throne?"

"You'll regret that," Scaramouche seethed, "do you know who I am? Do you know who you're dealing with?" Every passing word accompanied another shake of his arms. "I'll have you beg for mercy."

"I think you're overestimating yourself," you said, rolling your eyes. "I don't think someone who fell victim to treasure hoarders, of all groups, has any—"

"You talk too much."

A small, misplaced half-smile spread across his countenance as the rope fell behind the chair with a soft thud.

The rope tethering him in place.

The rope with red-tinged ends, allowing him an opportunity to lunge.

You narrowly barreled out the way, too busy swallowing down shock.

“Give that back!” Scaramouche hissed, “that’s mine!”

You clenched the aureate pinion in your fist, ramming your elbow into his side.

“Tch!”

He staggered back, glaring you down. Moonlight peeked from the tent’s entrance, and illuminated his back in a way that made him seem almost holy.

But surely, no angel would be stupid enough to stay where their wings would be clipped. His aggression outweighed his rationality, you deduced, as instead of fleeing, weak sparks of electro spat from his bloodied fingertips.

“Huh. You sawed through your bindings using nothing but your bare hands and energy. That’s kind of impressive.”

“That’s mine,” he repeated, “that’s mine.”

“Is it now? I don’t see your name on it.”

Now on adjacent sides of the tent, the two of you locked into a waltz of frenzied attacks and defenses.

Despite not having a sword, the eventual successor of the Musou no Hitotachi fought as if he embodied the blade. Nimble fists like the wind, he slashed at your frame. He moved with deadly, facile, precision, adorning your skin in small, blooming bruises. Your only saving grace to avoid anything greater was your own adeptness to combat. Each swipe was blockaded by a feint on your end, each kick met with a parry, two adversaries encompassing the other in a cramped space, both sparring for purchase in a hopeless impasse. Static blanketed the air as the assault droned on.

This unnecessary long-winded fight could end the moment your men came to your aid. Is that why he guarded the entrance so fervently?

“You know, one scream from me and you’re done for,” you quipped.

“Hah. I’m not that weak.”

You bit your tongue to avoid spilling out the thought that, no, he wasn’t, and you respected his strength.

“There’s fifteen of us and one of you. Don’t be an idiot, now,” you said, laughing softly, taking a step forward, “we overpowered you once, and—oh, history has a habit of repeating itself.”

His brows furrowed, and he glared at you. “Do it then. I don’t care,” he sneered, a sardonic smile threatening to overtake his face, “I’m sure you’ll sound lovely.” The prince matched your footwork; he was hellbent on taking you down.

You knew that if he was afforded any advantage, you'd succumb.

So began the reprise.

Each hit on your forearms, each returned in equal fervor, each swerve you employed to avoid his kicks, your lungs heaved with short-lived air, the deadlock turning evermore in his favor.

As the dance raged on, your composure waned. Imbalance. Sloppiness. Exponentially labored breaths—in, out, in...in, in, in....

“Hehe. Surely you can do better than that, thief.”

This wasn't just a difference in ability. No, how could someone not grow weary after this long? Scaramouche maintained an imperious grin on his face, never once faltering. It was as if he was inhumane.

Maybe this was the effect of royal blood.

Another stumble meant another loss, another small victory awarded to your enemy...

"Why are you even here? Just give up," he spat, aiming a particularly strong punch to your ribs.

Was he getting faster, or were you slowing down?

You saw it coming. You watched how his painted nails—crimson, bloody—clenched together, how sadism bled into his smile, how it traversed through the air...

It was most certainly the latter.

Air knocked from your system, it was your turn to stagger.

"You're weaker than I thought. How pathetic," he said flatly, shaking his hand off, "how disappointing."

You couldn't breathe. Every attempt to reach for air ended in sharp pains and the dispelling of oxygen in your lungs. That damned rag. There was no point in trying to hide your identity at this point. Already too deep in, the crime too far gone…

You clawed the mask off your face, glaring at your opponent.

"You're the one that talks too much," you gasped out between shuddering breaths, your lips contorted into a twisted grimace.

Amidst your blurring vision and preoccupation with beating the man in front of you into submission, you weren't privy to the shift in his visage.

How his eyes widened, taking in every one of your features.

Disbelief casted onto his expression.

Awe.

That too, unfortunately, left him unguarded.

Scaramouche, for all his capabilities, likely lost the battle when your mask fell, and he caught a glimpse of your true face.

Your desperation drew an epiphany; you didn't want to kill him, but you had to fight back. But what if it killed him? What good was a sale if you had no product? Worthless. But what good was a ransom if no one could sell?

Fuck. It didn’t matter. You were a treasure hoarder. A thief. Bound to scrounge Teyvat for leftovers.

And this Prince, right in front of you?

His life was a prize, and you've always had a propensity for stealing.

That was your ambition. Your talent. Your worth.

You were not going to let that gold insignia slip from your grasp.

Not that easily.

Your fingers ghosted your sash. The miniscule glass buzzed with elemental energy.

“I’ll give you one chance, prince,” you murmured. “Stop this ceaseless fight or else.”

“No,” came his immediate response, eyes flickering from your face to your fist, “I’d be a fool to give up when I’m winning.”

“Then stop while you’re ahead,” you snapped sweetly.

With only another laugh escaping his lips, he suddenly burst forward once more. You squeezed your eyes shut, his form like a bullet in your path.

His skillful fighting captivated your senses, yet you had to resort to playing dirty.

As he drew closer, close enough to touch, he took you off your feet, and you grappled at his robes. The feather fell to the wayside, and the prince jerked his head to follow its descent.

Squeezing the pyro potion with your free hand, you could not keep down your thoughts this time.

“Sorry,” you whispered.

The bottle effortlessly smashed against the small of his hip, the unleashed fire focusing its fury on his defenseless muscles.

You winced, the crackle in the air running up your exposed skin in droves. Pyro and the Electro within him swirled and exploded in tandem.

Scaramouche gasped, breath hitching, shoving you away as he convulsed onto the dirt, sudden twitches of protesting muscles exacerbating his agony. His skin stained with sweat—waves of fire rolled over each pore—and shards embedded into his now bloodstained robes—all while folded on his knees--a pitiful display.

You rose on shaky legs, picking the gold ornament back into your palm. At the very least, you could sell this. His carcass would easily hide underneath the sands of Nazuchi beach.

…

No.

No, something was wrong.

“How…how are you still conscious?”

Although he was clearly affected, and you witnessed his body overloading, the way his head snapped in your direction, and managed an irate expression, devoid of obvious pain that was there mere seconds ago—fascination erupted inside your chest.

“That’s….that’s mine. Give it back!” The demand lacked the vitriol you expected. Instead, it was coated in a breathy plea. “Please! My...my heart...”

“I…” you were at a loss for words. “T-this?” You opened your hand, and his arm—like an instinct awakened within him—darted out to wrench it from your grasp. But, without the support, his body weight lost to gravity.

“Agh-!” He fell, wincing but his arm never went down. “Anything…anything, but that feather.”

Moonlight flooded in as you stared down at your handiwork. And your subordinates, who carried in the odor of sake, who finally noticed that you hadn’t joined in on their hasty celebrations, ran to pin Scaramouche, yanking his arms behind his back, with metal cuffs this time.

“Boss! Are you okay?”

You only hummed at their concern.

"I don't need attention. Our prize does."

Scaramouche, in his hazed state, did not register the moniker. His body forced into rigidness, exhaustion eating at his strength, he only groaned.

Ambling toward the crumpled man, you kneeled, ignoring how the dull ache of your ribs made itself known. Your men, perplexed, slowly backed away, giving you and him some space. He sighed softly as you pulled him into your lap, knees a pillow for his weary head. Taking his face in your hands, you inspected his pulse.

Nothing. Perhaps it was too weak, or too erratic, and yet he continued breathing; clearly alive. How? You wondered. Expected from someone who came from the Raiden herself. Brushing a stray hair sticking to his face, you smiled down at him. What a precious thing he was.

His pupils dilated at your touch, a shudder ravaging through his body. It ached.

"I'm glad you survived. It would have been a shame," you hummed, engulfing him in your gaze. “Out of everyone I’ve come across, you’re the most interesting.”

“You'll pay for this," he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut as he clenched his teeth. His words hardly stung. They held no edge.

"Perhaps," you whispered, parting his fist to place the feather into his grasp. "But for now, I win. I dont need this anymore, since I have you."

"You-"

"Hey, has anyone ever told you?"

"H-huh?" Scaramouche coughed again, too weak to do anything but softly huff.

You began to carefully unwrap his juban away.

"What do you think you're—" the Prince gasped, but was silenced with a finger to his lips.

The robe now discarded, you examined the blood painting over his complexion, the glass a mosaic on his figure.

"My Lord, you really do look beautiful in red."

You carefully started removing the shards out of his figure. His blood stained your skin. But he didn't squirm.

Instead, he whispered a promise under his breath, only for his ears.

"When I get my hands on you, and I win..." Scaramouche muttered, clutching his feather in his palm.

"I'm sure you will too."

#genshin fanfic #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x you #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #kunikuzushi #There was so much more. this was an opener.#But like . i have so many hobbies #also i play genshin an unhealthy amount so theres that #one day ill write the daydreams in my head in a coherent way #and my insanity will be broadcasted to the world #and the world will echo back.#kunikuzushi x reader

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lovejosephquinn · 2 years ago

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Authors Note: I got in the mood to write Part 3 pretty much straight away, needing to sort this entitled son of a bitch out and see what's up. Hope you're all enjoying it so far, I know I am! I'm enjoying writing Joe in a whole different way, it's refreshing to say the least 🥵 Thanks for reading, please reblog if you enjoy it or leave a comment if you wish to kept up to date with future parts! 🥰

Summary: You’d set your sights on him and he on you. It all started with a visit to a newly talked about bar which kept you coming more regularly, in the end not just for a drink but yet the inevitability of a creeping flame set alight by a stare which kept dragging you back. After all, lust shouts and love whispers and in the end, only the heart knows the difference.

Under 18's DNI. Warnings: All the angst. All the smut. All the fluff. Word Count: 3.6k

Taglist: @eddiemunson-mylove @joeschains @daleyeahson @itsfreakingbats @etherealglimmer @xlilithb @live-love-be-unique @lma1986 @shawnamae87 @fluffysmutmnstr @ches-86 @aysheashea @definitionwanderlust @palomahasenteredthechat @figmentofquinn @harringtonfan4 @chrissy-mj-stan @lovelyblueness @tlclick73 @mybffjoe

Part 1 ✨ Part 2 ✨ Part 3 ✨ Part 4

It didn't matter that a week had past since that god awful day you had felt played by someone you didn't even know. But god knows after an encounter like that and thinking about him for days solid it's still bound to hurt your feelings. You'd told one of your friends about the whole ordeal, the one you originally went to the bar during the fateful evening of regular traditions, she was first of all gobsmacked that you'd even slept with someone so quickly, but then brought on to full on fuming levels when you'd told him about the woman looking shady as she pretty much fell through the door and you're also sure to Joe's feet as you did.

She'd come up with a solution, not one you particularly wanted to hear, when she'd heard you'd blocked his number and went through the whole rigmarole of never wanting to cross paths with him again, she did what most friends would say. Confront him.

That wasn't an option to you in the slightest, though she'd mentioned a night out to let your hair down and you quite enjoyed the sound of it. She'd convinced you quickly that this was the best option to forget about him for at least one night, also mentioning that you're not to give him all doubt because it could've in fact not been his next booty call, it could well have been an employee, a friend, family. Worst case scenario, his girlfriend... You knew next to nothing about Joe, it could've been that he wasn't single, which would make you the victim of helping a cheat; you didn't want to believe it but it was definitely something that remained in the back of your mind.

The weekend came all to fast and here it was, time to get ready.

"But what if I get too drunk and want to face him, then what do I do? Oh yeah great fuck but you forgot one little detail, the blonde bitch which arrived shortly after!" You sat by your vanity mirror, sipping on the wine bottle, not in the mood to even grab a glass.

"Then he has to tell you the truth and then you'll know. What if you jumped to conclusions?" Your friend tilted her head to the side, offering you a sympathetic smile. She was in mad attempt to try and get you to that bar whether you liked it or not.

"Then I'm going to look like the dick. But I hardly know him, there's just something about him that makes me want him." You sighed deeply, fighting the urge to cancel your plans.

"Maybe it was the sex." She shot a wink at you and you threw the nearest thing you could find at her, the first time you'd laughed properly in a hot minute.

"There's more to him than that, he just needs to stop putting on this bad boy act, there's a soft part I saw briefly of him, I know he keeps his guard up that way..."

"Either that or he's just the dick like you're insinuating." You downed a few gulps more of wine, feeling the alcohol rushing to your head and adding a slight flush appearing on your features already matching blush blended into your cheekbones.

You seriously couldn't make your mind up even more now, had you made a mistake yourself in assuming the worst or was he really just another attractive fuck boy who knew his way around women, you guessed there was only one way to find out. All guns blazing or not, you'd get the truth out of him tonight, ending with an apology from either Joe or you.

It was Saturday night, London was booming, the weekend had well and truly begun for the working week citizens, people dressed up to the nines, friends laughing around you, drunk stumblers who were being kicked out of various bars from either starting fights or having way too much. You loved to people watch, it was one of your favourite past times. You sat outside one of the local bars to you sharing cocktails with your friend, breathing in every ounce of oxygen that you could before the moment was to inevitably arrive.

The bar was only a street or two away from here, Joe was getting to close for comfort for you once more and he didn't even know it. You'd had dream after dream about him, whether it be sexual or not, he'd still be the first thought on your mind when you woke up and then the last thought when you went to bed; you'd still got him blocked in your contacts and you'd stare endlessly for a while at your phone, contemplating whether to unblock him or not. But after a couple of days later, you'd already enlightened your friend on the situation and this is where you've ended up.

You necked a couple of shots, sharing a few hearty conversations with strangers who were sat by a nearby bench, two guys who decided to join you for one last drink before you moved on. You hit it off with one of them straight away, he even bought you and your friend a round of drinks, insisting that it was on him for such natural beauty. Flattering of course, which it tends to work with you quite easily, if it weren't for Joe being inhabited in your brain then you'd of swiftly swooned for him without a hitch.

He flirted with you almost as well as Joe did. This is what you were hating so much, how can one person have such a hold on you over the course of just a few days of meeting him? All of which have been brief encounters, you could even class going to the bar and getting fucked over as one. Your friend shot you a look, a raised eyebrow on her devious face as she beckoned you to the toilets, letting the guys know you'd be back in a minute. She pulled you through the busy bar, taking you through the ladies door and halting you against the wall.

"Why're you looking at me like that?" You asked, blinking rather hard so you didn't see two of her anymore.

"We take them to Joe's bar, we find Joe, you stay oblivious, then flirt with this guy in front of him, maybe even a cheeky kiss or two, grind Joe's gears, get his blood boiling and then let's find out his real reaction under his bad boy get up and maybe that'll get you a step further to the truth." She stuck out her hand for a high five and you shot her down by tapping at her wrist.

"I can't just use this random guy like that..."

"To hell you can and you will. It's genius! Think about it. He doesn't have to know a thing." She threw her hand up again, grabbing a hold of your own wrist and pulling it up to high five her back, an almighty slap in it's wake.

"Are you with me girl?" She grinned at you maliciously with true intent that this was set in stone and was going to happen immediately.

"I'm with you. One more shot?"

"You got it." You linked arms, leaving the bathroom and headed over to the bar to get another round of shots for you and the guys who still sat outside in the cool summer air, heartily laughing at something the other just said.

"Tequila?" Your friend shouted as she announced herself out of the door, they swerved their heads to look at her in enthusiastic cheers.

You clinked your glasses together and necked the shot down, getting up to leave and head to what felt the forbidden space of Joe's bar. The last time you'd been in there you were fully naked, bent over between the space in which you usually sat, Joe behind you making you feel on cloud nine, it was going to be a blessing or a curse to be back in that building; you were hoping for the second choice.

The music from the juke box blasted through as soon as you walked through the doors, the whole place packed. Word of mouth really worked its magic when this was a fairly new business compared to the regular bars people usually attended. The lights were dim and every one was in high spirits. The guy grabbed at your hand pulling you through the groups of people dancing and shouting over to one another, you pulled your friends hand in turn and she held onto the other guy. You managed to get through to the bar, throwing your arms up on it, scouting for Joe from side to side, no sign.

The guy whose name you'd not even learnt at this point glided around you, putting his arm around your shoulder.

"So what're we drinking?" He practically yelled over the top of the sound system, vibrating and probably wrecking your ear drum.

"Surprise me!" You giggled.

You continued to bob your head to the music whilst he ordered, shaking your body from side to side all to rhythmically. Your friend elbowed you in the side. Once. Then again. Then again. Catching your attention, you shot a look at her, giving her a smirk followed by a dead eye. She moved her head to the side as a signal and you glanced over quickly, not making too much hasty eye contact just in case. Joe stood talking to one of his staff members, directing them to the other end of the bar to serve the group of people who had been waiting a while. In an instant, you felt as if the ground could have swallowed you whole, you didn't know whether to run or to keep going, your friend held onto your pinkie finger, giving you a surge of encouragement to continue as she could see you were clearly ready to have a nervous break down at any given moment.

Just as you looked away, Joe caught sight of you. His eyes wide and making a bee line straight for your face. He watched as the guy talked on with you, you clinked glasses and downed your drinks together, laughing and smiling at him just like the way you did when you were with him. Your friend bit her cheek, watching Joe like a hawk through her field of vision.

"Let's go dance!" You announced, pulling the guy out into the dance floor, intertwining your hands together you moved to the music, swaying your hips and being spun around until you were dizzy. He pulled you closer, his hands moving down the small of your back and to the brief curve of where your ass started. You pushed away and began jumping around like a crazed lunatic. Your friend made a subtle point over at Joe who was still finding the time to watch you intensely, you managed to avoid looking right over his way but enjoyed the show you were putting on for him. Ready and waiting to see if he was to make a move toward you or not.

"Can I tell you something?" The guy uttered, moving from your cheek to brushing his lips through your ear.

You nodded intermittently.

"You're beautiful." He moved back to your cheek, planting a peck straight onto it, making you sigh sweetly. Your vision coming back into focus when he moved back to the centre of you.

"Thank you." You put your hand over your eyes in an attempt to pretend you were shy, but he grabbed a hold of them, putting them around his neck and bringing you closer, his face inches away from yours.

"Would you prefer another drink or maybe a cheeky kiss?" You lifted yourself up to push your mouth onto his, kissing him rapidly, no messing around, tongue straight into his mouth as you made out in the middle of the dance floor. Your friends cheered on to the both of you as they continued to dance. As short lived as it was, your plan worked. Joe moved up in a flash to come up behind you, biting down onto his lip, he looked as though he was seething. Patting onto your shoulder, you broke the kiss, turning around to come face to face with you could only describe as your demons.

"Can I steal her for a minute?" Joe looked up to the guy who was feeling pretty forlorn that your moment together had been interrupted.

The guy put his hands up, wandering whether it was someone you knew, nodding over at Joe, you looked over to your friend who gave you a half hearted sign in her eyes of good fucking luck.

You followed Joe into the back room of the bar, out of one door and in through another as he pulled you into what you could only assume was his office, he locked the door behind him.

"So what the fuck is going on?" Joe raised his voice, there was no music to be heard in the room, so why was he shouting?

"I could ask you the same fucking thing." All guns blazing it was. If he wanted to play this game, then you would too.

"So you come into MY bar? Drink MY stock? And then proceed to fucking snog a guy in front of ME. After ignoring me for a week? I'm pretty sure you blocked my number because my calls or texts weren't connecting. What is your deal, are you some sort of psychopath?"

"I did exactly that. Maybe even intended to fool around with him on YOUR dance floor." You folded your arms, leaning against his desk. Joe however was on the opposite side of the room, looking like he was about to go out and challenge this guy to an old fashioned duel.

"What have I done?" Joe snarled.

"You tell me. Fuck me and then move onto the next? Is that who you really are?" Joe scoffed a grunt at you, brushing his hands through his curls.

"What the fuck are you talking about Y/N? I literally saw nobody but my-"

"Yeah, her." You tapped your fingers against the side of the desk now, shooting a full on death stare his way.

"Fucking hell You're on about someone who I wouldn't touch with a ten foot bargepole. She's a friend of mine, she owed me some money that I borrowed her, she was coming to pay me back."

"Pay you back by sucking your cock maybe?" Joe moved forward to you, you pushed back so far that you almost flipped yourself over the desk.

"Give it up. You did this shit to make me jealous?"

"So what if I did?" You looked to the ground now, you were eating your words and you could tell.

"I told you I didn't just want you for sex and I meant it." Joe shot over to you, gripping at your arms and picking you up to sit you on the desk.

"Who the fuck are you to use me like this?"

"I've not used you for anything! I don't even know you Y/N! Nor you me!"

"Let me know you then!" Your sarcastic response ended in Joe crashing his lips sharply onto yours, gripping at your hair and tugging it back, the type of open mouth sloppy kiss you only see in pornographic films. His tongue fought with yours, tasting the alcohol which stained the insides of your mouth, gasping for air you pushed Joe back with brute force making him stumble back.

"You can't just do that and expect it all to be okay Joe."

"You want me, you really fucking want me?" Joe's pupils had dilated angrily, desire fully taking over him.

"I thought I- Yes. I do. So what?" You were being stubborn now, you ultimately had to make the choice of believing what he was saying and let him prove himself worthy, or to just make him let you leave. He was right, you didn't know one another at all, so what had you got to lose?

"Then I'm going to fuck this stupid anger out of you and we're going to continue what we started." You leapt off of the desk, grasping at Joe's shirt and moving him around to sit behind the desk on the chair.

"Watch what happens when you do." You rolled your eyes much to his dismay, the smirk reappeared and you quickly felt a spark of temptation. You fell to your knees as Joe took the hint and unbuckled his belt, pulling his trousers and underwear down, springing his cock free. You immediately licked from his sack straight up to the tip, wrapping your lips around it and taking inch by inch, right down as far as you could go until you choked. Your eyes immediately began to seep out tears, his hand came over your head, urging you to go deeper, moans flying out of him, bouncing off the echoing walls of the square shaped office.

"F-fuck, y-you trying to teach me a l-lesson here?" Joe stuttered, pulling your hair up into an updo so he could manoeuvre you into a steadier pace, you tried your hardest to push down more, but he'd keep bringing you back up, breathless and in full demand you took a hold of his balls, squeezing them tight, massaging them one by one, your tongue circling around where it could reach.

"I don't think so." Joe yanked you up, making you let go of the way you were almost latching down. Getting up from the chair, he lifted up your dress, ripping your underwear from the side, tearing it straight off of you and launching it to the side of the desk.

"You don't get to do that." Joe picked you up, slamming you against the nearest wall, your legs and arms automatically hugged him to keep you steady, his cock plunging straight inside your cunt, no time to get you ready, no time to adjust, he supported you against the wall, bouncing you along, tapping your cervix and making you cry out.

"See this is what happens when you're not a good fucking girl. You get fucking rammed by this cock." Joe bit down on your neck, his tongue moving over the marks he was making along it, teeth gliding in the softest of parts, your head falling back to let him.

"I fucking hate you." You muttered under your breath.

"The feelings mutual darling." Joe thrusted his hips up, hitting a spot inside of you which had you cumming on the spot. Your orgasm so violently angry that your whole body spasmed and you gasped out his name in a cursive prayer.

Joe claimed you as his own, leaking his seed inside of you, pushing it deeper and burying it in a safe place; a place only you could feel. A loud groan erupted from his throat, his face falling into the crook of your neck as he left one brief little kiss on it. As lustful as that was, you couldn't find it in your own heart to follow your words of hate, you liked him. You really did.

Joe put you down to the ground, steadying you before your legs attempted to give way on their own. Joe offered you a box of tissues to rid of any leakage that came out, he sat down onto his chair once more, rubbing his hands over his face, lungs still heavy.

"Come here." He patted onto his lap. You moved over, indistinctly worried about his next move, seeing as the last time didn't end so smoothly. You sat down where his hand signalled, crossing your legs over him to feel the slightest bit more comfortable.

"I asked you once Joe, I'll ask you again. Am I just a fuck to you? Is that all I'll ever be?"

"Who knows what you'll be to me. But I mean it when I say, you are not just a fuck." His hands moved to the air like quotations on the last word, making you nod slowly to his response.

"So what happens now?"

"Well, I suggest you start by unblocking my number. Maybe I could find it in my heart to spoil you over dinner? Talk things through, maybe actually get to know the pretty girl herself." That made you smile, you were a sucker for him, even more so for the soft boy he hid so well.

"Then what?" You whispered, looking at him with sweet eyes.

"Then I take you back to my place, we could watch a movie, then I could think about eating your sweet little pussy all night long." His smirk returned and your eye roll made it's comeback.

"Ever the optimist." You shook your head.

"So do I get to at least take you out?" Joe wrapped his arm around you, his finger stroking the small of your back.

"I can make time for you." You smiled and so did he, not the type of smile he usually does, there was a longing sort of twinkle in this one, one that made you almost light headed.

"That's all I ask." Joe brushed your hair out of your face, leaning up to put his opposite hand to your jaw, pulling you in for a daringly gratifying peck on the lips.

Maybe this could be something yet.

#joseph quinn fluff #joseph quinn smut #joseph quinn angst #joseph quinn x reader

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