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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years ago

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Humans are Space Orcs, “Stowaway.”

A couple of you guys wanted to see this go down, and I thought it wasn’t a bad idea, so why not :)

“Certainly not, they cannot be trusted.”

“We don’t know that.”

“Even if their story is true, I have no doubt that they have other motives. No one offers peace accords if there are not ulterior motives.”

“But they already said! They want to trade with us, and they want the precious mineral compounds found in our ice.”

“They want to enslave our planet more like.”

“You saw the creature, it had no fur, and it was freezing as soon as it took its layers off. I have no doubt that it has no interest in enslaving our planet. The environment is to inhospitable for it to consider spending so much time here.”

“Your logic is backward for a scientist…. But I suppose that should be expected of someone with your pedigree.”

“....You are wrong, and your hesitation will cost us. They saved our lives, the least we can do is hear them out.”

“And at the end of the day that is my decision and not yours. You overstep your bounds, and now you will return to your place, scientist.”

Yeb stood ears plastered back against her skull, the fur on her back puffing outward to strain against the inside of her jacket, but she didn’t protest. He may have been wrong about many things,but he was right about this one, she had no power here, and to assume as much would be too presumptuous.

She did know her place.

Had known it since she was a pup.

She raised her chin stiffly at the chancellor and turned on her heels, claws digging against the ice as she trudged from the council chambers and out into the blinding sunlight of early morning. The council had debated for many hours, until unanimously making a decision that she thought would be a great mistake. They had decided not to engage with the GA, and therefore cut off any chances they would have at learning from the more advanced race.

She brushed a dusting of snow from a rock just to her right and sat down staring up at the sky. Over her head the atmosphere was a light bluish purple. The sun blazed down with white blue intensity.

She could have learned so much from them. Perhaps a way to develop better vaccines as they had clearly found the cure to the plague faster than any of them could. If it had been up to her expertise, the entire world would be dead by now.

Yeb sighed deeply.

There were so many things she could have learned from them, so many things, but now that knowledge would be lost, and they would be left to trundle along in a dark age ad never know what glorious things they could have learned.This GA governmental body has offered them transport into the stars! Who would refuse such an offer.

It was a monumental mistake.

She sat there for a long moment, contemplating her next move. The future seemed bleak in comparison to the one they had been offered. How could she just go back to her normal life knowing what was out there? Could she just sit idly by in her ice cave, eating the same bland fish and listening to the same bland propaganda of a government that “couldn’t or wouldn’t” see what a tragedy it was to lose fifty percent of their lower class? It made her sick as she pictured the beautiful images she had seen in scientific journals of the vast cold darkness of space.

She stood.

That was it, if nothing she wanted to at least see the creatures off, tell them good luck, and thank them for what they had done. Maybe they would be more likely to return one day if ‘someone’ deigned to go and say goodby to them and actually thank them for what they had done.

With her mind made up, she stood, and with renewed vigor made her way over the icy tundra and towards the alien landing sight. Government officials were crawling all over the area, keeping the curious, prying eyes of the civilians well back where they couldn’t cause trouble or get any ideas. They tried to keep her back too, but she flashed a badge at the first two and managed to dodge two more before three burly agents stepped into her path.

All three of them had deep onyx fur and glowered at her with intense black eyes.

“This area is restricted.”

“I just want to talk to them. They know me.”

“This area is restricted.” They repeated.

“I am the scientist who first came in contact with them, please, I would really just like to speak with them.” She tried moving around, but it was no good, and they continued to block her path. Behind him, she could see the shuttle that had brought the aliens down. It was of trange construction, cold silver steel in sharp angular lines. The creatures swarmed around the ship carrying boxes, a few of them collected ice and snow in small clear tubes.

The commotion must have alerted them, and she saw their leader raise his head as the agents began to push her back.

She waved a desperate hand in the creature’s direction, and it broke into a trot over the icy ground its boots cringing over the snow.

“Hold on!” It called, and its booming voice was enough to make the agents stop and back away nervously.

The only thing she could see under its mask and hood was that sharp green eye.

“Everything alright?” he wondered

She sighed but nodded, “Well…. No…. not really. I just wanted to let you know that…. Well Not all of us agree with the chancellor. Don’t…. Well just don’t forget about us.”

She watched the creature’s face wrinkle about the eyes, and the feeling she got from the expression was… one of surprising pleasure.

“Don’t worry, we won’t forget about you. We are a bit harder to ignore than all that…. In a strictly annoying sort of way and less of the tyrannical, we are going to take over your world sort of way.”

The creature made a strange repeated whirring noise deep in his chest, and she yipped her own amusement.

He held out a hand to her and she stared at it, “It's a human greeting and farewell.”

Gingerly she reached forward and took his hand feeling as he wrapped his fingers around hers in a firm grip and shook once.

It was a strange gesture, yet one that simultaneously made her feel connected to him, in a way, not altogether unpleasant.

Then he let her go, turning back to his ship and striding over the ground with the confidence of a creature that had done this sort of thing many times, that was until he slipped on the ice and staggered awkwardly, arms flailing. She yipped again in amusement and he waved a hand turning around to see if anyone had seen.

She turned and made her way back up towards the plateau watching as the ice and tundra spread out before her, white on blue purple, and just as she was reaching the top, she stopped. She could go no further.

She glanced back to where the strange creatures were beginning to load their equipment back onto their ship, and then forward to where the government agents were busy pushing back a line of curious onlookers.

No one saw her.

Yeb sat in thought for a long moment, and before she really knew what she was doing, she turned around and raced back down the hill skidding and sliding on the ice with barely controlled speed. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, or what she was going to do, but as she reached the bottom of the hill, and saw an open box resting on the ground; she made a decision.

It wasn’t a good decision, nor was it a well thought out decision, and honestly later, she would come to realize that there were easier ways to do what she was about to do, the number one being to simply ask politely, but none of that crossed her mind as she dove into the box and pulled the lid over her head.

As far as she knew, no one had seen her, and before long she felt the crate lurch upwards and wobble its way towards the shuttle, while the creatures outside grunted at its unusually heavy weight.

She was set down inside, and, she thought, strapped down.

It didn’t occur to her again, until the engines ignited, just what she had done to herself.

Her stomach lurched into her feet and she screamed in fear and shock as the ground fell out from beneath her. All she could hear was the roaring of engines and feel the battering of the atmosphere around her as they cut through the atmosphere.

And then, after just a few minutes, the rattling died away, and she found herself floating inside the box like a free droplet of water in freefall.

With her tail tucked around her she hugged herself tight, screaming internally about what she had just done.

At some point, she felt the ship lurch, and aftera moment, she dropped back to the bottomotom of the box as gravity reinstated itselfreinstateditself.

Inside her box, the air grew stiflingly hot, and she began to pant vigorously as the heat seeped into her body. She hadn’t expected it to be so hot.

She felt her crate lurch again, and her ears were filled with the echo of a large space, and strange alien voices calling out to each other. She shrunk back into her box, there must have been hundreds of them…. And now she was a stowaway.

She really hadn’t thought this through. What was she going to eat? What was she going to drink? What would happen if they found her skulking on board the ship without invitation. The creatures had seemed hospitable originally, but that didn’t really mean anything if they thought she was some kind of spy.

Her insides churned a bit as the crate was set down and the voices retreated.

The box continued to gro hotter and hotter.

She tried to wait it out as best she could, but soon, it became to much, and with a gasp of air she threw off the lid of her crate and gasped for fresh air.It was, somewhat fresher than it had been inside the crate, but the heat was still unbearable.

Panting fit to burst, she tripped off her jacket,undershirt, gloves and any other layer she could think of, tossing them into the box.

It was marginally more bearable, but still,she felt as if she could barely breathe.

This was a worse idea she had ever had.

How could she have been so stupid. The creatures were clearly very cold on her planet, what made her think that she would be comfortable in their environment.

She heard footsteps,and quietly dropped to one knee, still panting.

“You see that place. Frozen hellhole for sure.”

“I wouldn't mind the cold so much, but the place looked like a prison with ice.”

“Hmm if their government leaders knew what they were missing maybe they wouldn’t be so hasty to tell us to shove off.”

A familiar voice broke in with them, “I don’t know, i thought it was kinda cool, like Hoth from star wars.”

“Admiral, haven't we established that you are like…. The only person on this ship who knows what that means.”

“You know what it means.”

“Thats because you forced us into a star wars marathon.”

“You can thank me later.”

There was some grumbling from the group of humans as they passed by, and Yeb finally got a good look at the creatures without all their layers on. They were, surprisingly, a lot thinner than she had first thought, long and lanky in their limbs and really rather bony. The right skin of their faces extended into their arms and necks. From here she could see the small little hairs on their ams though they would be pointless for keeping anyone warm.

But they were powerfully built.

As a biologist, she would have guessed that these creatures were built for a hot desert environment rather than the cold. The thought made her rather uncomfortable. Her home planet had no deserts at all, an the environment was only theoretical based on their observation of other worlds similar in size to their own.

The humans passed by her, leaving her alone.

And, quietly, she moved forward, sneaking through the ship and the warrens of tunnels.

The tunnels were very angular, all of their construction was very angular, ninety degrees or close to ninety degrees.

It was all… odd, and alien, and she found herself lost in the corridors not sure where she was going.

Hot metal was close to burning her feet, sweltering around her.

She felt fent.

Following voice, she peered around the corner and into a large room, where many of the creatures sat together huddled in groups consuming unknown alien food. Behind them, a large viewing window stared out into blackness. She closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath. She felt sick.

It was just so hot.

When no one was looking, she slipped inside and back behind a long countertop and snuck along the side unil….. Until she felt a waft of cold air. She paused and turned her head towards a large silver door. She inched forward and pressed up against it. It was like ice, so cold. In desperation she reached up to the door and popped it open to a waft of freezing air.

In relief, she scampered inside and closed the door behind her sliding to the ground in relief as the biting air rushed through her fur.

She was feeling a little better now, and looking around her, she could see stacks and stacks of crates full of…. strange …. Food?”

She would assume it was food. WIth everything so hot here, they must need a palace to preserve their organic materials from decomposition.

She inched forward across the floor and stuck her head around through some of the crates sniffing at its contents. She would…. Probably be able to eat something here if she was careful about it. She was an omnivore like the creatures, and assumed that they were both based on the same principles of food consumption.

Either way, she was going to figure it out soon to her detriment or not.

This strange frozen storage was going to become her main base of operations, though she did find another location near the medical bay. That one was a little less pleasant though since, from the scientific equipment lying around, she made the correct assumption that they used it to store bodies when someone died aboard the ship.

A morbid thought, but it made sense.

She would stick with hiding in the freezer for the time being.

There Was food there, and no dead people.

From her vantage point sneaking in and out of her hiding space, she was able to watch the creatures from a distance, sure they weren’t putting on a show for her and knowing that their behavior was genuine. As far as she could tell they were social and relatively tame.

They sat in groups, conversed and talked like any one of her people, except maybe a bit more enthusiastically.

They ate together and played games.

And even had the same sort of reactions with other species.

There were a few fuzzy looking aliens that weren’t far off from her species, though they seemed more used to the heat.

Then there were the small scaly creatures, who were just as social, and the large beasts with six arms, towering over even their human counterparts.

From the shadows she watched them as they fought each other with sharpened sticks made from metal their ferocity scaring her as she pressed back into the shadows.

It was a strange an eclectic place of many different peoples.

She saw religion, and culture and tradition as she watched from the shadows.

But she also saw ferocity, anger, and bitterness on quiet occasions, listening in on moments she knew to be private but could not help but listen in on.

And there was something, strange, about the humans.

She wouldn’t have been able to put into words if asked but…. It seemed as if they were disconnected from themselves, like a driver pilots a machine, one with it but no in the same. It was so strange, the sudden blankness that would come over their faces as if nothing was behind the eyes, especially in quiet moments when they were alone with themselves.

She spent days like this, hours on end watching them from a distance hiding in the freezer when it was dark and spending occasion out in the heat.

She used bags of ice shoved into bags to keep herself cool on these forays as the ship always remained rather hot.

She hoped that, in this way she could survive, worried she would be punished if they found her out.

That was until one day.

One day sitting in the air ducts watching the humans pass by that she heard a sound.

A soft scraping.

She turned her head towards the end of the small maintenance tunnel, just as a figure cme around the corner.

It was small, and furry, and brightly colored, and as soon as it came around the corner it froze and locked eyes with her.

Its ears trembled.

She went to run.

“Run and die.” it said eyes narrowing, and despite how small and fluffy it was, shefroze.

She didn’t know what this thing could do, and it didn’t seem concerned with her.

So, Yeb believed it.

She believed she was going to die.

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yarasun · 5 years ago

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La Douleur Exquise 2; l.jn

• Word Count: 11.8K

• Summary: For you so loved him deeply, but all he needed from you was to satisfy his venereal desires. Lee Jeno was the painful yet ethereal lust, while Na Jaemin was your salvation. To love Lee Jeno was to endure in agony, but what could you do when his own bestfriend made you feel what true love is?

• Author's Note: This is my second one shot under the "Heir / Heiress AU". This part will mention Na Jaemin a little more, but I assure you it still revolves and is associated with Jeno and the reader's relationship. Please do go back to part one before jumping to this. Special credits to the Kdrama "The Inheritors" where I got the business school idea from and also credits to the owner of the photo used as the cover. I hope you guys Lee Donghyuck's Illicit Desire, the first book of this series. Enjoy!

La Douleur Exquise 1

"How does it feel to have Jaemin's hands all over you? Were you that desperate for attention that you had to sashay Jaemin in front of me?" Jeno growled as he bit marks onto your skin. It's been a week since his message and you've been avoiding him as much as possible. Ignoring his phone calls, and keeping him on read, this enraged Jeno even more, he was restless and he managed to get ahold of you today. As you were passing by, he grabbed your arm and pulled you into an empty classroom. He pulled you closer towards him and you could feel the anger radiate from his body. But you couldn't understand why. Jeno had no rights, and according to him, there were no strings attached to this little relationship of yours.

"Jeno." You whimpered as he placed kisses all over your neck. It was rough and full of lust, but you loved it, you indulged in all the things Jeno did to you, for he was worth all that pain. Lee Jeno was worthy enough to shatter your already damaged heart. He could do anything to you and you would never complain, for Lee Jeno was the epitome of a collision between heaven and hell. He could destroy you with his words of rejection, yet he could patch those wounds by his wet kisses.

"Baby, you are mine. Only mine." He says and pulls away from you. His eyes scanned your features thoroughly. A playful smile crept up his lips and he touched your foreheads together, his eyes staring deeply into your dark ones. "Please stay baby. I need you." Jeno whispers and you hum in response. He didn't have to tell you twice. Despite the numerous tears that stained your pillow and the countless times you had to cover your mouth for your cries to be unheard, you'd still go back to Lee Jeno. Only Lee Jeno could hurt you this way, it was an agonizing desire that burned your soul, leaving it in ashes. Yet, it was still him you see yourself falling for over and over again.

Unaware of the certain someone that stared from afar, you shared yet another rough kiss with Jeno.

"We should get going Jeno. You've skipped too many classes this month." You said and Jeno groans. He hated when you acted strict with him, Jeno did not like being told what to do. He was reckless and unruly, not even Seo Yun nor his friends could suppress that part of him. Although he might not act that way as much as before, Lee Jeno still had his reputations of ruining events and properties. Last year's gala preparations were held back due to the big fight that happened between him and Sunwoo. It ended with Jeno getting a bruised lip, Sunwoo had to get a cast since Jeno pushed him too hard and he stumbled into a pile of arranged chairs and hitting his arm against the tables. Both students were not able to participate the gala. Walking out the classroom, you immediately went to your locker to grab a few books and jogging your way to class. It was 10 minutes before the bell rang but you had to cross over to the opposite building for your class.

"I expected you to be smarter than that." Jaemin said the moment you took your seat beside him. Confused, you frowned at him and crossed your arms over your chest.

He looks over at you and combed his black hair with his fingers. "You always go back to Lee Jeno, despite the pain he brings you. How much more until you realize you and him would never work out princess?" He says and your heart froze at what he said. Na Jaemin was right, he always was. But you loved Jeno, and despite knowing that it was wrong, you couldn't help it, you already fell for Jeno. You fell and still continue falling into this bottomless pit of darkness, unsure what lies ahead.

"Jaemin-" Before you could finish your sentence, the sound of the school's speakers blared through the entire school. "Students in Class 4A to 4C, your subject teachers are unable to meet with you, so all of you are free to leave the school campus early for today." Professor Kim's voice rung in your ears.

"I just wished you'd realize that he could never love you the way I do. And, I do genuinely hope you'd change your point of view and give me a chance. But I guess not." He said and stood up to exit the classroom. With the blink of an eyes, Jaemin was gone, and what he said to you stuck like glue.

Na Jaemin liked you? What a turn of events.

___

"Tell me. Do you really like her?" Jaemin asks as Jeno types vigorously on his phone, his eyebrow raised at Jaemin's question but spared him no look at all. "Jeno, you can't always expect for her to be there to fulfill your sexual desires. Y/N is not some toy you play around with." Renjun butts in, his glasses drooping from his face as he scribbles roughly on his notes.

The group decided to stay in their hangout spot for a few hours before actually going home. Since Jeno had been ignoring his friend, Jaemin thought this was the perfect opportunity to confront him about you. And Renjun was onboard this plan too. Although you and Renjun never talk, it didn't take a genius to notice the way Jeno has been mistreating you. He knew you were a good person, you ranked above the 20 places during exams, and you were also classmates in one subject.

"Who?" Jeno asks clearly annoyed with the two interrogating him. Deep inside he crossed his fingers that Donghyuck would just shut his mouth about the situation, for Donghyuck was always a pain in the ass to talk to, let alone have a debate with. "Look, I don't know if you're stupid or heartless, but Jeno, Renjun is right." Well it seemed like the gods hated him. Donghyuck speaks up, leaning back on his chair and blowing a puff of breath.

"So, will you just keep telling me all these things, while I am clearly dumbfounded as to who you guys are talking about?" Jeno spits out, slamming his phone on the table.

"Y/N!" Both Jisung and Chenle shouts, piqued at the tension inside the room. It seems that Jaemin, Renjun and Donghyuck were not the only ones that knew about your little relationship with Jeno, the younger ones were always observant about every little detail. If only it were possible, Jeno would've just dived into the gateway to the underworld. He'd rather die in the hands of Cerberus, or even Hades himself than to discuss about what was going on between you and him to his friends.

Jaemin closed his notebook and stared intently at Jeno, "Do you really like Y/N or not?" He asked. His voice dropped an octave lower, which shocked the others at the sudden change of tone. Jaemin was never the one to be too serious about anything, he looked at things in such a cheerful perspective, but now, it seemed all the jokes drained out of his body. Jaemin was grim, and it scared his friends, especially Lee Jeno.

"No. I don't." He answered and from there, it was as if someone had poured gasoline on the already burning flames of rage in Jaemin's system. "Then why do you still mess around with her?" Donghyuck asked, setting his pen on the table and looking up at Jeno.

"Because she's naïve. She thinks we can have this happily ever after despite knowing I'll be engaged to Seo Yun after all this." That was the last strand, Jaemin lunges towards Jeno, grabbing his collar and giving him one hard punch on his face. Everyone was taken aback by his sudden action, except for Jeno, he smirked at his friend in a daring and playful way.

"Did Na Jaemin fall in love for that cheap trash that I hook around with? Do you really enjoy picking up my leftovers? You're pathetic." Jeno taunts and before Jaemin could send another blow, Jisung pulls him away. Chenle and Donghyuck held onto Jeno, trapping him in order to avoid him pouncing on Jaemin. Meanwhile, Jisung hugged Jaemin tightly, stripping him of any way to reach Jeno.

"Jeno stop it. Jaemin calm down." Renjun steps in, his hands on both Jeno and Jaemin's chest. Despite his smaller frame compared to the others, the group fears Huang Renjun for he was always the one that kept everyone in line, especially at things like this

"This is stupid. You're dumb enough to freaking play around with feelings, yet it was wrong of Jaemin to pounce on you like that. I get that neither of you agree on the ways you feel for Y/N, but will you really cause another ruckus just for her?" Renjun says, dropping his hand to his sides while the members slowly loosened their grips on the two boys. Glaring at Jeno, Jaemin grabs his bag and leaves the room before the others could stop him. Lee Jeno was heartless, and he hated that. He could never look at his friend the same way ever again. He despised Lee Jeno, and he hoped you'd hear him out.

As soon as Jaemin walked out the room, a devilish grin played on Jeno's lip. He's always known about the feelings of affection Jaemin had for you, but he was selfish. He liked playing with you, he relished in the thought of how easy it was to fool you, to simply use you for his own selfish gains. Seeing his best friend fall head over heels for you was like the cherry on top his favorite milkshake. He savored the idea of Na Jaemin going out of his way to save you from him.

"Jeno. Please stop. Not only are you hurting her, Jaemin is in pain by simply watching Y/N act stupid for you. And soon enough, your father and Seo Yun might find out about it. Her father will lose his job." Donghyuck says, his arm patting Jeno's shoulder.

Renjun sighed beside Jeno and took off his glasses, setting it on the table. "Are you that heartless? To strip away a family's source of income just so you can satisfy your sexual desires?" Renjun asked while packing his bag. Jisung and Chenle were simply listening to the conversation while they shared a can of soda.

Jeno rolled his eyes at their remarks, but he couldn't help but think, was he really that bad? Maybe he was, but he would never admit his fault, for his pride was one of the things he valued too much. Grabbing his bag and keys, he exited the room and headed to the school's parking lot. A drift around the streets of Seoul would clear his mind, he thought.

Fisting his black hair, Jaemin opens the door to his car and places his bag in the backseat. He was infuriated with the words that spilled out of Jeno's mouth; it drove him crazy. He never knew that his own friend was capable of saying such bleak claims. He understood that Jeno needed you to calm him down, but to the extent of calling you trash and treating you like you were less of a human; it was irrelevant.

"What's got you thinking so deep hm?" Your voice, it was a soothing and a warm melody to Jaemin's ears. Looking up, your eyes connect with each other's and it was as if all of his problems drained out of his body. You've always been his source of relaxation; with you he was calm and collected. Therefore, he refers to you as his lifeline. He depends on you to maintain his serenity. And you were always successful in doing so, for a simple smile from you had always worked effectively on Na Jaemin.

At a loss for words, Jaemin simply grabs your arm and pulls you into his embrace. He was warm and soft, you wrapped your arms on his torso as he wraps one hand on your waist and the other on the back of your head, pushing your head deeper into his blazer. It was a comforting gesture, an escape to all the stress you've been through the past few weeks. "I need you princess." He whispers.

Pulling away from him, you stare up into his eyes and smiled softly, "I'm here Jaemin. You can talk to me." You said and he pulls you into another embrace. A few more minutes passed and the two of you remained in the same position until you pulled away since you had to head home, in which Jaemin offered to drive you back.

___

Your eyes were burning due to the lack of sleep, so you opted to put away your notebooks and get ready for bed. Glancing at the clock, it showed 2:13 a.m. therefore, you really needed to be in bed. You sighed and stood up from the table to walk towards your bed. Your phone buzzed from your table so you grabbed it and placed the covers over your body. Surely, your father was asleep in the room opposite from yours so he wouldn't really mind if you were still awake at this hour.

"Baby. Can we talk tomorrow?" It was a message from Jeno. Shaking your head, you left him on read and tucked yourself in your bed, drifting off into a deep, and much needed slumber.

You woke up to the sound of your alarm, and you scrambled out of bed to prepare breakfast for your father. He usually woke up later than you since his shift started around 10 am. As you grabbed your phone, a notification displayed on your screen. "Meet me at the school's fountain by 7." It was another message from Lee Jeno.

You settled the device on the table and walked out your room to prepare. As soon as you were done, you knocked on the door of your father's room and bid him goodbye, with a matching kiss on his cheeks. Then, you exited the apartment to head to school.

"I didn't think you'd show up baby." His voice greeted you as soon as you took a step towards him. He pulls you into a tight embrace and you realized how much you missed Jeno acting soft with you. For the past few months, he was always on edge. Maybe it was due to the stress that was gaining on him, knowing he'd have to take over the company as soon as he graduated.

Families like Lee Jeno's and his friends, it was never that simple. Sure, they had privileges and everything they wanted, was always served on silver platters. But that would never change the fact that they experience tremendous amounts of pressure and high expectations from the people around them. Every one of them was bound to be successful, if not, they'd be humiliated and could even be the cause of the possible downfall of their family businesses. Which is the reason why you've always had high respects for students like Lee Jeno and his friends.

Especially Lee Donghyuck. He was an heir to the second biggest medicinal company all over South Korea. Of course, the biggest belonged to his best friend, or according to Na Jaemin, his girlfriend? It was a risky decision if you do say so yourself. But who were you to judge, you were also risking yourself for a wretched relationship? Huang Renjun owned the school and his mother also owns one of the best boutiques in China. Na Jaemin's family owned a bunch of hotels throughout Asia, which actually makes him one of the richest in their group. Zhong Chenle was the grandson of one of China's wealthiest entrepreneurs and even his mother opened up her own company, in which Chenle might inherit. Park Jisung's family owns one of the best dance studios in Seoul and he is a choreographer in the industry. Overall, the Dreamies were a group of wealthy, successful and well-known individuals throughout the country.

"I would always be at your beck and call, Jeno. It'll always be that way." You whispered and he hugged you tighter. You could feel his body heat radiate and it warmed you up. Jeno always had 2 sides to him; the rough and lustful one, but there was also the soft and fuzzy Jeno. He always confused you with his ever-changing approach.

"Baby, I have to attend a business gala with Seo Yun tonight. But can I count for you to be at Mark's party tomorrow night?" He asked, his chin atop your head. For the first time in months, Jeno actually felt comfortable and welcoming.

You pulled away and stared at him, "I'll try Jeno." And yet again, he flashes another beautiful smile. Jeno was sensuous, his well-proportioned body, toned abs that could be visible through his white shirt, and his sharp jawline that highlights his features.

Indeed, Jeno had the charisma of a Greek god, he was astonishing. Lee Jeno possessed the radiating beauty of the sun god Apollo but he was cursed with Ares' wrath and temper. He was an explosion caused by the collision of heaven and hell, he wreaks havoc in his wake and does not look back on those he hurt. Jeno was a whole chapter from the Greek mythology, but he could never be the whole book, for he tore pages off himself since the day his sister fled. He was missing himself, and that was the reason why he needed you. He needed you to fill in his gaping holes.

___

He's been there for weeks. Every time you walked by to head to your locker, he was always there with his head hung low and his hood covered his features, but you knew well enough who he was. Lee Jeno, he was the new heir to the Corsair Realty, one of the biggest real estate companies in South Korea. Supposedly, it was his sister that as to take over their company, but rumor has it that she fled the country to pursue her own career. It was simply a mere conclusion, but maybe that was the reason why you've seen Jeno mope around for the past weeks.

"Are you alright?" Your voice was even softer than it usually was and that made Jeno peek up, his head raising slightly as one eye stared at you. He seemed intimidating, even with just one of his eyes glued on you. You felt bad for the guy and decided that you might come up and talk to him.

As far as you knew, Lee Jeno was a part of the Dreamies. They're a small group of students in your school that had the titles of "wealthiest" and "most privileged" students. The group consisted of seven members, and they were very picky, refusing other people to join their group, wherein only the seven of them could be worthy of being a Dreamie. Somewhat, a clique if you do say so yourself.

The Dreamies were significantly popular, not only in the school but also throughout the country. For all the members were heirs of some of the biggest industries in South Korea. Mark Lee, he was the Canadian boy with jet black hair and adorable smile. He was the oldest amongst the group, being born in 1999. Mark was a senior in your school, and one of the highest achievers in their grade. His family owns a manufacturing company in both South Korea and Canada, which is the sole reason why he might leave the country after their graduation, for he will take over the company in Canada.

Next, Huang Renjun. Renjun was probably one, if not, the most well-known student in the school for his family owned the school itself. Aside from that, he originally came from China, and his mother owns one of the best boutiques there. Renjun was the smallest amongst their group, yet he was one of the most intimidating, for he always walked around the school with his sharp stares and burning gazes. It was not often to see Huang Renjun smile, unless he was with his friends. He sported this blonde hair with soft streaks of rainbow colors in pastel at the tips of it. Along with Na Jaemin and Lee Donghyuck, the three of them are some of the smartest students in your grade.

Na Jaemin, he was beautiful, like some prince charming ripped from the pages of a fairy tale. Unlike Renjun, Jaemin was always spotted smiling and greeting everyone who greeted him. He was adorable and always had this positive vibe around him. Jaemin loved to joke with his friends and make those around him laugh. He was known to be the angel of their group for he was clingy and loved to shower his friends with soft affection.

Lee Donghyuck was like a collision between Huang Renjun and Na Jaemin. He could be as frigid and sassy as Renjun yet, he had the same positive vibe just like Na Jaemin. He had such contrasting personalities, nevertheless, his friends seem to get along with him well. Maybe that was why Donghyuck stood out from his friends, all of them stood out. However, Lee Donghyuck always had this bright vibe around him, which is why he was named "Sunshine Hyuck". Aside from his playful persona, Lee Donghyuck was the smartest amongst them, which was another reason he could be easily identified amid their friend group.

Zhong Chenle was well known as the wealthiest member. He was the grandson of one of the most successful and well-off entrepreneurs in China, and his mother owned one of the largest manufacturing company in the country. Chenle was adorable, his vibes were like strawberries and marshmallows. Besides his cute and childish persona, he was often called as the "Dolphin" due to his high-pitched screams and laughs, which you only ever heard whenever he was with his friends.

Park Jisung, he was prodigious. At such a young age, he held the title of "Nation's Best Dancer" in Korea. Well, that was no surprise since his family owned one, if not the best dance studio in Seoul. Both his parents were preeminent dancers, including Jisung himself. At the age of 14, he started teaching small groups and choreographed a bunch of performances that were absolutely phenomenal.

And last but not the least was this gorgeous man I front of you. Lee Jeno. He was often distinguished as the troublemaker in the group. Jeno possessed this bad boy vibe, which suited him well - that you could never deny. Unlike his friends, he was supposedly the only one amongst them that was not an heir, and he never wanted to be. He believed that the responsibilities and expectations that came with it was not something he would enjoy. Jeno was wild, recalcitrant and he never likes the idea of people telling him what to do. He wants to do whatever he likes without any second thoughts and without the criticism weighing down on his back. But all that changed when his sister fled the country, leaving Jeno to inherit the company.

"Why are you here?" He asked, his voice was deep and hoarse - it sounded as if he was in pain. Trapped inside the mazes of his thoughts, running around, unable to find a way out, yet Jeno would never disclose that thought to his friends. He was afraid of being judged.

You smiled bitterly and extended your arm forward, offering him a cup of coffee that you bought for Heio's. IT has always crossed your mind to approach him for you felt the need to ask him if he was alright, and today seemed like a good day to do so. So, you stopped over at Heio's and ordered a caramel milkshake and some Vanilla latte, something sweet for Lee Jeno. You didn't even know if he liked coffee, but it was worth a shot.

He takes a swift glance at the cup extended towards him and narrows his eyes at you, "What is this?" He asked, clearly still confused and maybe annoyed as to why you initiated a conversation with him in the first place.

"A Vanilla latte, I figured maybe if you were not a big fan of coffee, this was something a little less strong." You answered, yet with such dulcet and baffled voice, it almost sounded like a question. Jeno brings his eyes back to the cup in your hands, and slowly reaches out for it, mumbling a thank you.

"I'll ask again, why are you here?" He asked as he took a small sip from the cup, his thin pink lips slowly leaving the cup. You took the time to stare at Lee Jeno and his enthralling features. Sharp jawline, soft pink lips and cat like eyes that disappears into thin slits whenever he smiled. He was agonizingly beautiful, like a fallen star that ripped through the sky and landed in earth. He was bewitching, however, don't let his charms blind you, for Jeno was never innocent in the first place. He was often distinguished as the troublemaker of the group.

Jeno often got into fights, and most of them end up to be a physical fight, and he has to be sent home to treat his wounds. Now, you were never classmates with Jeno, however Jaemin and Renjun were in some of your classes. With no intention to pry, you'd accidentally read the message from Donghyuck in their group messages with the quote, "He's done it again. Jeno is all bruised and was sent home." And by the end of the day, word has already spread about another fight that Lee Jeno took participation in.

"I've seen you here a lot more lately, and I knew something was wrong. So, I decided to come up and talk with you." You muttered, fiddling with your fingers for the way Lee Jeno stared at you made you feel so small. He had such a powerful and intimidating gaze, maybe that was why his friends never got in his way whenever they had arguments.

As mentioned, if Mark was not around, Huang Renjun tends to be the one to watch over the group, keeping each other in line, yet none of them had a say whenever Jeno wanted to do something that was against their will. Lee Jeno had the aura of an alpha; he was born to lead and protect his friends. However, he never acknowledged it, for despite his powerful demeanor, Jeno always had a soft spot for his friends, he could never bear the thought of having a huge fight with any of the members. For he believed, they were the only ones that could truly go with his pace.

That was until he met you, when his heart set ablaze for the first time.

"Look, thanks for your concern, but I don't need it." He answered and stood up. That was the first time you got to fully indulge in Lee Jeno's full attributes. He stood tall and proud, he resembled a young deity, and his presence was holy and powerful. Lee Jeno was ravishing, you could definitely understand why the school hallways were packed every time his group walks by the corridors. They were full of visuals, all of them were graced with such beauty that radiated gorgeously off their bodies.

And with that, Jeno left you wondering to yourself why your heart was drumming against your chest. What was this feeling? And why did you feel like this just because of Lee Jeno? Unconsciously, a smile crept up our lips as his large figure disappeared from your view. Shrugging off the weird feeling, you stood up and left the spot, heading to your classroom in time for the first class of the day.

It's been weeks since you first talked with Jeno and you still saw him by the bench beside the school's fountain, and he still had that disappointed and tired look etched on his face. "You're here again." You said as you handed him another steaming cup of vanilla latte. Jeno peeked up to meet your gaze and slowly grabbed the cup of coffee from your hand.

"You're here too." He says and moves slightly to make some space for you. You smiled slightly and took your seat beside him. He attaches his lips to the cup and takes a small sip of the latte, his eyes fluttering as the sweet taste burns his tracks and sets his body in flames. He wasn't able to get enough rest for the past months and he really needed that energy to boost him up.

"Why do you always show up here huh?" He asks, moving his head slightly to take in your features. Long black hair, soft lips and scattered freckles on your face. You had an innocent look and he never wanted to be the one to stain that part of you. Since that day you first came up to him, he was never able to get your image off his mind, it's like you were there to remind him that despite the hell he was treading, there would always be a light at the end, and that light could possibly be you.

"It just seems like you need company." You said and Jeno chuckled, it was the first time you ever heard him laugh near you. Like said before, Lee Jeno only enjoys with his friends, without them he walks around the school with such dangerous vibes, it seemed as if he held the gates to Tartarus in his hands.

"Well thanks a lot for that, but I can manage." He says, his fingers grazing the rim of the cup softly, as if his mind was drowning deeply in his own thoughts. You smiled bitterly and stared up the sky, letting the bright rays of the sunlight caress your skin.

"You know, if you're in deep pain, it's never wrong to tell your friends or someone about it. Keeping it to yourself just adds a weight on your shoulders." You said and Jeno stops midway, his finger leaving the rim of the cup and he stared up at you.

"I know that, but I would never let my friends carry that burden on their shoulders. It's my problem, and I couldn't be selfish by dragging them into it." He says firmly, his voice an octave deeper than before.

"If they really treated you as a good friend, despite how heavy that is, they will share that burden with you without complaint. Because friends will always be there to pick you up in your darkest times." You smiled at him and stood up from your spot. It was almost time for your class and you couldn't be late.

"Hey, is there a possibility that you could be that friend?" He asked and you looked back at him, flashing him your brightest smile and a small nod, before you finally disappeared from his view.

___

A bitter smile crept up your lips as you reminisced the moments of when your friendship started with Lee Jeno. Both of you were so naïve back then, none of you would've ever thought that he would be the cause of your affliction and that he would be the one to play with your emotions. How you wish you never looked back at him and flashed that smile of yours a year ago.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you fished it out to check the notification. It was a message from Na Jaemin.

"Hey princess, are you going to the party tomorrow?" Jaemin usually arrived in school at around 8 am so he probably is on his way so you typed up a reply and headed into the library. Finals were coming closer than you imagined and Jaemin decided to help you out by studying with you for the next few weeks.

"I might. It depends though." And with that, you walked all the way to the library, when you arrived it was quiet, most of the students usually arrive in school around 8 or 9 am, it pretty much depended on the schedules. But you favored heading to school early just so that it's less crowded and you could study in peace for at least an hour before others started piling in.

You took out your notebook and a book based on your topics, rewriting some terms and highlighting them, going over the notes a few times before moving on the next ones. Due to the number of lessons you had to go through, you totally lost track of time until Jaemin's name and picture popped on your phone's screen. It was an incoming call from Na Jaemin himself.

"I'm in the library, where can I find you princess?" He asked and you gave him directions to where you were seated. In less than a few seconds, Jaemin arrived with his heartwarming smile and took a seat beside you, settling his stationaries on the table.

Both of you went through the lessons a few times and helped each other in certain topics where one was confused in. Overall, it was very effective tactic since Jaemin was pretty smart and you both could learn a lot form each other. Checking the time, it was almost 9 and your classes were about to start, however Jaemin's one was at 9:30 so you decided to head out first and meet up with him after class.

As you were taking down notes, Renjun's cellphone buzzed and unconsciously, your eyes trailed on the notification. It seemed to be a message from Donghyuck.

"They're at it again. Jaemin and Jeno, in the room. I need help! Jisung and Chenle are in class." Renjun knew you read it and he glanced at you; your face depicted the emotions you were feeling. Horrified and in utter shock.

"Professor may we be excused? It's urgent." Renjun speaks up and the professor nods his head quickly. He didn't question him further for he knew who Huang Renjun was, and aside that, Renjun was not one to lie, when he says it's urgent, it is. And with that, Renjun grabs your hand and pulls you out of the classroom.

"I know only you can calm Jeno down, as soon as we arrive, you need to be on his side. We'll handle Jaemin." He says both of you zip through the never-ending hallway. After a few minutes, we arrived in front of a classroom with a sign that says "Authorized Persons Only, Dreamies Territory". Renjun gave me one last reassuring nod and he turns the knob to open the door.

"Damn it. I told you to stay away from her. You bring her nothing but pain!" You could hear Jaemin's once angelic voice turn into this intimidating growl as he grabbed Jeno's collar.

Jeno was smirking, a few stains of blood decorated his lips and Jaemin has a cut on the side of his eyebrow, probably due to the rings on Jeno's fingers when he punched him. Snapping out of your reverie, you rushed towards Jeno and pushed him away from Jaemin.

"Stop it. Jaemin that's enough." Renjun's voice echoes in the room as he tugged on Jaemin's arm while Donghyuck acted as a boundary between the two boys, his palms on both their chests. You could feel the anger radiate from both their bodies, never have you imagined that they could go to such lengths due to an argument.

"Donghyuck, get Jaemin out of here." Renjun ordered the younger boy and he nodded, dragging Jaemin out of the room, leaving you, Jeno and Renjun in the tensed room. Renjun glances at you and Jeno, your hands were in Jeno's larger ones as you stared up at his eyes.

"Will you be able to handle Jeno?" The boy asked and you nodded. With that, he left you with Jeno as he ran after the two boys. Turning back at Jeno, you cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at you. His hair was all messed up and his lips had blood on it, yet he still gave you a proud smile.

"I'm here Jeno. Breathe and talk to me." You whispered and he pulled you into a tight embrace, his chin rests on top of your head and he breathes in heavily, shaking slightly in the process. The scenario played out once more in your mind and what Jaemin said the moment you came in. Who could they be talking about? You?

"Baby, you mean so much to me. I need you." He murmurs in your hair and you closed your eyes, indulging in Jeno's words, despite knowing not 100% of it was true. Jeno could never feel that way for you, for you were simply his form of pleasure, the one who he relies on to boost his ego and make him feel better about himself. You were the one he needed to fill those holes, but you alone, isn't enough for him to be truly satisfied. You could never be enough for Lee Jeno, you were something temporary, easily replaceable.

You simply hummed in response and pulled away from him. Caressing his bruised lip, you look around the room, in search for a first aid kit. Jeno points to a shelf beside the television set and you walk over towards it, grabbing the kit and settling it on the bar table. Jeno walked towards the stool and took a seat, facing you.

You cleaned up his bruises and simply stared at him for a couple seconds. He was agonizingly beautiful. Like flowing lava, it was mesmerizing and elegant looking, yet when you touch it, it burns and leaves a mark. Lee Jeno was exactly like that; you knew it since the day you came up to him. How you wished you avoid getting in his business back then, you could've spared yourself from one excruciating heartbreak.

___

Your phone buzzed as you walked out the classroom, you weren't able to focus well in classes due to the incident with Jeno and Jaemin. The scenario just kept playing in your mind like a broken tape record, you were eager to find out what was the cause of their argument. However, you respected their privacy, so you had to tone down the curiosity and focus, even just 20%.

"I'll meet you at the school's parking lot. Wait for me by my car, I'll just drop off some of my things." It was Jaemin, both of you agreed to meet up after classes since he really wanted to go shopping with you. Since it was Mark's party tomorrow and Saturday, you obliged.

You made your way out to the parking lot and caught a glimpse of the blue Lexus in the front row. Another thing about the Dreamies, most of their cars have privileges too. It was well known that the Dreamies had their desired parking spot in the school, which was always up front. Jeno's Mercedes, Jaemin's Lexus, Donghyuck's Porsche, Renjun's Jaguar and Chenle's Bugatti were always the spotlight of the parking lot. Meanwhile, Jisung gets dropped off in his Bentley, however, after this school year, his parents are allowing him to drive for himself.

You stood in front of Jaemin's car as you flipped through some notes while waiting for him. It didn't take him long, after a few minutes, the sound of the car clicking snapped you out of your reverie and you saw Jaemin walk up to you with a soft smile on his lips. "Hi princess." He greets, grabbing your hands and intertwining your fingers together.

"Ready to go?" He asked and you nodded softly, he smiles and lets go of your hand, allowing you to walk to the passenger seat and getting in the car. He jogs over to the driver's and gets in, closing the door and revving the coupe to life. He steps on the gas pedal and pulls out of the school campus, driving off into the main road.

Jaemin was warm, he was always that way. He had this comforting vibe that engulfed you, it was as if he was always there to give you a hug. Once again, it crossed your mind, why couldn't you have fallen for Na Jaemin instead? Why did it have to be Lee Jeno and his devilish aura? You felt a hand graze your and intertwining your fingers. You look beside you to be faced with Jaemin's heartwarming smile.

"What's on your mind princess?" He asked, his gaze back on the road. Jaemin was an amazing driver, he drives fast yet in a smooth way. Unlike Jeno, who treats the road like a race track, zooming past all the cars and obstacles on the way, after the car ride every car ride, you were cursed with a throbbing pain in your head. But, Jeno enjoyed the idea of fast cars and screeching tires, he dwelled in the fantasies of being able to test the limits of his Mercedes.

"Nothing." You simply replied and leaned comfortably in his seats as he places soft kisses on the back of your hand, calming your chaotic mind. As the car ride continued, your mind wandered off once more, the argument between Jeno and Jaemin.

Who could they be talking about? Seo Yun? But, Jaemin was never close with Seo Yun, he thought of her as someone who smooches off the Dreamies and gains fame by being Jeno's girlfriend. She would often ask Jeno to accompany her shopping, and it would always end up with him spending a couple hundred thousand on her. A gold digger, as deemed by Na Jaemin himself.

___

The trip to the mall was not bad. Aside from you and Jaemin arguing half the time that you would pay for the numerous bags of clothes that he picked out for you, it was definitely a fun experience. He dragged you into a bunch of the most luxurious brands and picked out a bunch of different clothes for you. You felt bad so you offered to pay, however Jaemin insisted that it was his gift for you. And Jaemin didn't take no for an answer.

So, you entered the apartment with 3 bags in your hands, and Jaemin following behind with a few more. "Good evening sir." Jaemin greeted your father as he settled the bags on the table. Your father stood up to greet him and initiated small talks with the boy. You smiled at the sight of them getting along as you tidied the table, and placing the takeout orders of food that Jaemin bought for dinner.

"Please enjoy the food. I have to leave. I'll see you again soon sir. Y/N, I'll pick you up tomorrow." Jaemin bid goodbye and left the apartment. You turned to your father who had a questioning look on his face. He sat down on the chair and waved at you to join him.

"Is he your boyfriend?" He asked and you laughed, shaking your head in response. Your father knew Jaemin and his social status as the heir to the largest string of hotels in Asia. He had high respects for the younger boy, for he saw the generosity, kindness and humbleness that Na Jaemin possessed. Your father had an adoration for Jaemin, saying how he would've liked to have a son like him. Which was the reason why he loved to tease you with him.

"Does Lee Jeno still make your heart flutter?" He asked out of the blue and your lips formed a straight line. Unable to find the proper words to answer him, you opted to simply shut your mouth. Knowing the answer well, your father nodded and decided to just eat and let you rest.

You sat on your bed, your mind wandering off to Lee Jeno. He was divine, holy. Possessing such celestial glow that only he could sport well. Jeno was your heaven and your hell. He brought you into nirvana, where you could lose all your problems, and forget about everything that bothered you. Jeno gives you that illusion of being in utopia, as if everything was perfect and set in the right tracks. However, Jeno was hell at the same time. He dragged you down into this never-ending pit of flames that scorched your skin slowly, but surely. With every kiss you shared, and every breathy moan that escaped your lips, you knew well enough you have sinned, and there was no way you could be forgiven. For it was the devil who you sold your heart to.

Sighing, you stood up once more to pick up the bags that were on your bedroom floor. Unboxing the clothes from the bags, you settled them on the bed and scanned all the different outfits that Jaemin bought for you. There was plenty of options to choose from, he liked the idea of spoiling you, in which ended up with your wardrobe full from the numerous designer brand outfits that Jaemin purchased specially for you.

You adjusted the skirt on your waist and lifted your head to look at the mirror. You were wearing a simple semi-see-through long sleeved polo tucked into a black skirt, paired with a pair of black boots and a black ribbon hung loosely on your neck. Jaemin really wanted you to wear this outfit for the party tomorrow so you tried it on to see how it would fit, and it suited you in a chic way. Smiling at your reflection, you turned around to undress and hung the outfit on your rack to prepare for tomorrow's party.

"Hey Princess, get some sleep. I'll pick you up at 4 tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Baby, I can't pick you up since I have somewhere to go before the party, but I'll see you there? Night."

Your phone buzzed from your table, you grabbed it and checked the notifications. It was a message from Jaemin, and there was one from Jeno too. A coincidence, you thought. Typing in your replies, you settle the phone back on the table and slipped into your covers, falling asleep almost instantly.

___

Slipping your black boots on, you stood up and stared at yourself in the mirror. A smile crept up your lips as you twirled around, you looked livelier in the outfit Jaemin picked. A few minutes later, a knock was heard at the door and you walked out the room to answer the door.

As soon as you swung the door open, Jaemin's beautiful smile greeted you. He was wearing a gray t-shirt, black ripped jeans and he had a black denim jacket over it. It looked like a simple outfit, yet the cost was not as cheap as it looked, for Jaemin's clothes were all from top tier designers.

"You look spectacular princess. It hurts my heart." He teases and kisses your cheek, grabbing your hand and pulling you out into the hallway. Intertwining your fingers, both of you walk down the stairs of the building and head to his car.

"Do you like the outfit that I picked out for you princess?" He asked as soon as he pulled out of the basement's parking lot. Jaemin's eyes fixated on the road as maneuvers the car into the main road. He grabbed your hand and places it on the gear, covering it with his larger ones.

"It's really pretty." You answered and a proud smile was prominent on his lips. The car ride was comfortable and quiet, aside from the small talks between you and Jaemin. Most of the time you were just staring out into the horizon as his Lexus LC500 zips around Seoul, the tall buildings and other vehicles passing by in a blur.

Soon enough, Jaemin pulled up in front of a large gateway, it was painted black and there was an obvious carving of the word "Lee" on the metal gate. A man came up to Jaemin's window as he rolled it down. "Na Jaemin." Was all Jaemin said and the man nodded, giving a signal and the gates opened, allowing entrance for Jaemin's car to enter. So, this was Mark Lee's house?

"I thought Mark lived in an apartment?" You asked as Jaemin found a parking space, slowly backing into the empty spot. There were a heck ton of cars around. Afterall, half the school was invited. This was somewhat a farewell party to send Mark off since he would be leaving the country to supervise their company in Canada for a few months.

"Well yes, but specially for this farewell party, his parents allowed him to use their house as the hosting venue. But his parents are not home. They went for a meeting in America, leaving the house all to Mark's care while they're gone." Jaemin explains, and finally turns off the engine. Unclicking the seatbelts, Jaemin exits the car and jogs over to your door, opening it and extending his hand out to you.

Jaemin was a gentleman, he was respectable and an angel. Whenever you were with him, it was as if a cloud was coating you, for he was too soft and fuzzy. He always made you feel comfortable and you never had to hide your true identity from Jaemin, for he accepted all of you without judgement. He made you feel like you were worth the world, he treated you like you were someone special, and not just some low tier student that got a scholarship from the father of you were hooking up with.

Once again, he grabs your hand and laced your fingers together, and walking into Mark's colossal home. From the parking lot, there was a concrete path that led you into a spacious garden filled with different types of flowers and plants. In the middle of the garden, there was a water fountain and a little swing. Following the path, it led you into the mansion's patio. It was decorated with a bar and some islands that scattered all over the place. There was also a grill that served some barbecued menus with a few matching waiters and waitresses ready to serve the partygoers. Up ahead, there was a sliding glass door that served as an entrance to the house itself. You were pretty sure that the loud music came from the house, it blared through the speakers all over the mansion as everyone swung their bodies from side to side, having the time of their lives.

"Hey Jaemin. I see you brought Y/N with you." It was Donghyuck, it sounded as if he was not too pleased with seeing you here. He had his fingers intertwined with a smaller girl with beach waves and soft caramel skin. Was she the best friend and girlfriend of Donghyuck that Jaemin talked about? She was really pretty, and she had a matching friendly smile that complimented her innocent beauty.

"Yeah, I thought it was unfair if I was the only one that showed up without a date. So, I brought her here." Jaemin answered, patting the elder's back and continuing with their conversation. Your eyes wandered around Mark Lee's house, aweing the intricate designs that adorned the surroundings.

"It's beautiful right?" Donghyuck's girlfriend speaks up as she pointed to a cabinet made entirely with glass. Your eyes sparkled as it scanned the contents of the furniture. There were pictures, medals and certificates well organized and displayed.

"Those are Mark's achievements. There are numerous pictures of him and the Dreamies displayed on that cabinet. It's really adorable." She said and you smiled at her. Mark Lee was very smart; he was often used as an example of a model student in the school. During their graduation, Mark left the stage with countless amounts of medals that hung on his neck. That was what made their group even more special, aside from their wealth, good physiques and charming looks, the Dreamies were blessed with knowledge above normal. Neither of them dropped from the top 30 in the rankings of the school.

"Their friendship is incredible indeed." You answered and she nods, a pretty smile ghosting over her lips. You felt a tug on your arm and you tilt your head up slightly to look at Jaemin, he was smiling at you and adoring your features.

"Would you like anything princess?" He asked and you nodded. He then left you to fetch a bottle of beer and some red wine for you. You were not a big fan of alcohol, the smell of it irked you, it made your head hurt and you could never handle it bitter and nasty smell. A few minutes later, Jaemin comes back with 2 bottles of Sapporo's space barley and Silver Oak Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Settling the bottles on the bar table, he then pulls out 2 beer glasses and 2 wine glasses. He passes a bottle of Sapporo to Donghyuck and pops the wine open, pouring you and Hyuck's girlfriend a glass each.

The 4 of you conversed with random topics, enjoying yourselves and keeping each other busy, trying to pass the time. It was your first time to attend such a high-class party with your own schoolmates, so you didn't really know how to keep yourself busy. Luckily for you, Jaemin, Donghyuck and his girlfriend was around to keep you company. A few more minutes pass by and you noticed a figure from afar.

Lee Jeno. He was wearing a striped polo and a pair of ripped jeans. Beside him, Seo Yun had her arms wrapped on Jeno's, she was wearing a red dress that complimented her snow-white skin. Han Seo Yun was bewitching. She had long black hair that reached around 5 inches below her shoulder, skin that was as white as snow, lips as red as cherries and a perfect facial structure. She could oppose Aphrodite's title as the Greek goddess of beauty, for Seo Yun's features were unlike any other. She was an amazing match for Jeno, she was someone that you could never stand against, for Seo Yun was nigh on perfect.

Jeno and Seo Yun were well known figures in the real estate industries. Their families hold huge titles from their company, and thus making them one of the most powerful couple in school. Aside from Seo Yun's family owning a small real estate company, her mother was one of the most influential lawyers in the country. Which made her a rival of Park Jisung's little crush.

"He makes your heart go crazy huh?" Donghyuck's girlfriend says softly, a soft smile on her delicate features. You laugh and nodded your head slightly, unable to find any excuse of why you were staring intently and Lee Jeno and the girl that clung onto his arm.

"Yeah, he does in a way that it causes an excruciating pain in my chest." You admitted and she reaches out to place her hand on yours, giving it a gentles squeeze. You knew about Donghyuck's girlfriend. She was the heiress of the largest medicinal company in the country. Lee Donghyuck's family following behind. Their relationship was inspiring and risky, yet you loved the thought of how they were willing to throw everything just for it to work out. You admired the strength that they possessed, you wished you had something similar. The courage to be able to tell Jeno how you truly looked at him, how you truly felt about him. Maybe, just maybe it could work out between the both of you.

"Have you ever considered telling him how you feel? I know both of you are best friends, so what scares you?" She asked, pulling out the question you dreaded the most; what scared you? Maybe the fact that you were already expecting his rejection. Or it could be that you knew deep inside that those feelings could never be reciprocated, for you would never be enough for someone like Lee Jeno. You belonged in cramped kitchens, scrubbing the grease off the dishes and old worn out clothes. Meanwhile, Jeno belonged in mansions, fancy business parties and tuxedos. You were from opposite worlds, and you could never be together, it was impossible.

"It's useless, he belongs with Seo Yun. They're a better match, and I could never be selfish to take him away." You answered, a bitter smile on your lips. She rubbed soothing circles on your hand and simply squeezed them softly, feeling pity for you.

Both of you took another glance at the couple who was now kissing and pulling each other closer by another bar table. Your heart clenched at the sight of them, however, you had no choice but to smile the pain away. For you and Jeno could never be together.

La Douleur Exquise.

It is the exquisite pain of wanting someone that you know you can never have. You knew very well Lee Jeno could never be yours, yet you still have this strong desire of wanting him in your arms. To have him in your embrace, and make him feel protected. To lace his lips with your kisses whenever he needed it. You didn't bother about that throbbing pain in your chest whenever you whispered "I love you" to him and he nods in return. You always ignored the shattering of your heart whenever he'd tell you, "Baby, don't hurt yourself by loving me. It's not worth it." For loving Lee Jeno was painful yet you loved that pain that came along with him.

You felt warm hands cover your eyes and slowly guide your face away from the scene. Na Jaemin, you knew it was him. Retracting his hands, he smiles at you and places a chaste kiss on your lips, letting it linger for a second before pulling away. Kissing Na Jaemin was soft, fluffy and welcoming. It was not rough and breathtaking like Jeno, it didn't leave you breathless and begging for more. It didn't feel like Lee Jeno's and that alone made you disappointed. For only Lee Jeno could have that effect in your life, only he could send you high and could bring thrill into your damned soul. Nothing else, and no one could ever change that.

"I'll be right back princess. Wait for me?" He said and stood up to leave, your eyes trailed to where he was heading towards, Lee Jeno. You suddenly felt hot, not intimately, but the kind of hot that made you anxious and scared of another possible argument between the two friends. You stood up but before you could leave, Donghyuck's hand grips on your wrist and pulls you back, "Look sweetheart, I suggest you stay. You don’t want to hear whatever they have to talk about." He says, slightly loosening his hold on you.

"I do, and I need to be there in case another argument erupts." You answered, pulling your hand back and quickly following after the two boys. They were walking off to a more isolated place where there was no one around and you quietly crept up behind them, making sure not to make even a single whimper.

"You ask to see her in this party, but why are you here shoving your tongue down Seo Yun's throat? How heartless can you be?" Jaemin's voice snapped, changing his tone into a more intimidating tone. Jeno stuffed his hands in his pocket and leaned back slightly, clearly too lazy to answer his friend.

"Honestly Jaemin, why do you care? She's just a third-tier student, while you're a part of the highest-tier, so why are you stooping down to such levels just because of Y/N?" The words that left Jeno's mouth stabbed you like a cold knife. Thrusting it in and out over and over again. He was right, you were a measly third-tier student, so why were you foolish enough to think that they could ever accept you as an equal?

You heard a low grunt escape Jeno's lips when his mouth came in contact with Jaemin's fist. "Well Jeno, because unlike you, I actually love Y/N. I don't treat her like some toy in order to boost my ego and to tell me that I am worthy. I don't use Y/N the way you do, for I actually treat her as a princess. Something you would never understand." You heard Jeno chuckle at the remarks and stare intently at Jaemin.

"Why bother liking some trash? She has nothing to offer you Jaemin, not even her innocence. She's just some form of pleasure that you could get rid of easily. So why bother picking up the trash that I scatter around?" Jeno answered smugly, his finger grazing the bruise that showed up from the punch.

"I don't care about whatever you took from her Jeno. I accept her for whatever she is and that will never change. So please, stop using her. She's had enough, if you can't appreciate whatever she has, then tell her and leave her alone. I'll be the one to pick up her broken pieces." Jaemin said, and that made Jeno throw his head back in annoyance.

"Never imagined that the nation's ideal boyfriend would fall in love with someone who scrubs grease off plates at my father's company. She's pathetic, and you associating yourself with her, makes you pathetic too." That was the last strand, your tears flowed from your cheeks in hot droplets. You never knew how Jeno looked down on you, for he made it seem like he treated you in a way that made you think that you were of sentimental value to him. But, in the end, you ended up fooling yourself and causing yourself pain. You brought this upon yourself.

Hearing your soft whimpers, the two boys whipped their heads at your direction, Jeno's eyes widening in horror. Jaemin rushes over to you and crouches down to meet your eyes. "Princess, I told you to wait for me." He said and wipes your teary cheeks with his thumb. You look over his shoulders to glance at Jeno, who's expression remained unchanged.

"At least now I know that I've been lied to and used for the past year." You spat and turned your heel, walking away from the place. Jaemin hurried beside you and spun you around, his hands wrapped around your waist and your face inches away. You could feel his hot breath fanning your cheeks and your cheeks heated up from the proximity.

"Princess, I love you. That's all you need to know." He said before sealing your lips together in a passionate kiss. Your head was spinning at the scenario yet for some unknown reason, you found serenity in it. It was as if your body felt lighter and the world spun in a slower motion.

From your peripheral view, you could see Lee Jeno in the distance. His hands still stuffed in his pockets, eyebrows knitted together and a wave of rage passed his eyes. He seemed angry, pissed at the whole situation that laid out before him. But why would he feel that way? You believed that he simply looked at you as some tool, a trash that he scatters around.

___

It's been a year since Mark Lee’s party, and it’s been a year since you last spoke to Lee Jeno. He was now the heir of their real estate company. He was officially engaged to Seo Yun a few months after the graduation. You remembered that day well, it was the day you finally knew you needed to let go of Jeno and move on. That very same day was also when Jaemin asked you to be his girlfriend.

From then on, everything started falling into place. Na Jaemin took over their company, granting him the title of CEO. You graduated as the 7th rank in the whole school and with your saved-up money from the past years, you were able to secure a spot where you built a mini café. It was a small and manageable business that your father really enjoyed.

With the support of Jaemin and his friends, the business was booming and you were able to upgrade the café, and purchase a small house for your father. It was an amazing year for you, and with Jaemin as your loving and supportive boyfriend, you couldn’t have it any other way.

Your phone buzzed as you were walking, on your way to visit Jaemin at his office in one of their main hotels. You fished the phone for your bag and checked to see the notification. It was a message from Jaemin.

“Hey princess, there was an urgent meeting that I needed to attend. If you arrive sooner, simply tell the secretary to escort you to my office, I’ll get back as soon as possible.” You smiled at the message and typed in a reply, then shoving the phone back in your bag and took a turn into the nearby mall's entrance. You decided to order some coffee for Jaemin and a caramel milkshake for you.

As you were walking to your booth after placing your order, you bumped into a hard chest. Saying you’re sorry, you look up to be met with the guy that broke your heart a year ago. He didn't look so well, the glow that he once possessed somehow vanished, he no longer looked like a young deity.

"Jeno." You whispered and smiled bitterly at him. He grabs your wrist and guides you to an empty booth, taking a seat opposite from you. "I didn't think I'd meet you here." His voice sounded that of a broken man's plea. He had dark circles and bag under his eyes, and his face screamed tired.

"I just stopped by to get some coffee." You said softly. You and Jeno left off on bad terms, but you've always taught yourself never to hold grudges, therefore you've longed forgiven Lee Jeno, even though he never apologized. That day that you said yes to Jaemin, was the day you also forgave your first love.

"How are things between you and Jaemin? Is he treating you well?" He asked carefully, you noticed his fingers fumbling with one another, probably uncomfortable or anxious at the whole situation. You smiled at the thought of all Jaemin has done for you. You couldn't have asked for anything more.

"The best I've been treated so far, he makes me feel special." You said openly and you noticed the glimpse of pain and disappointment that washed over his eyes. But why? Why did those emotions pass his face? He was the one that made it clear that he didn't need anyone like you. Jeno reached out for your hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Baby, I missed you." He whispered and those words struck your heart, causing another ache that you tried desperately to forget since the past year. Yes, you accepted Jaemin's affection and got together with him. You loved him, and you were sure of that. However, you would never deny, Jeno entered your mind every once in a while. And whenever that happened, you shut yourself away from Jaemin, not wanting him to see you breakdown once more for the boy that ripped your heart into shred, rendering it almost impossible to fix.

"No Jeno, you don't. You simply miss the feeling of me being there for you. You miss the feeling of having someone by your side and someone that would fight for you. You miss having someone whom you could leave wet kisses and marks on. You miss the pleasure that lingers in your body when our tongues dance in harmony, but you don't miss me. You made that awfully clear when you spat those piercing words at Jaemin, telling him I was worthless and just some girl you hook up with."

With that, you stood up and grabbed your order from the take-out counter, not sparing a second to look back at the man whose eyes glistened in tears that were threatening to fall. For in all honesty, Lee Jeno did love you, and it was no lie that he missed you as each day passed by.

He would give up everything for you to listen to him. For Lee Jeno loved you, yet his own pride and ego won him over that night, he was too full of himself that he couldn't bring himself to admit that he truly loved you. It pissed him off seeing you and his best friend act all touchy and he hated the fact that he was not the one beside you. Therefore, he used Seo Yun to make you jealous, to garner your attention, but instead it was Jaemin that confronted him. His anger got the best of him, in which resulted him to spit out lies about you, and his feelings that were bottled in his chest.

That look on your face when you overheard their conversation, shattered his heart. Lee Jeno could never handle it whenever he saw you crying, and he went ballistic knowing it was him that caused those precious tears of yours. He wanted to run to you, and cradle you in his arms, but his own best friend beat him to that. That look of yours when Jaemin ran up to you, it was that look that made him realize, at that moment, he had lost you for real.

He lost his best friend, the only one that understood him, and the only one who could be there for him in his times of need. And that happened, because he was too stupid, scared and because he could not control his ego. He lost his one true love due to his stupidity, and that thought haunted him, and still continues to do so up until this day.

His eyes followed your figure that walked out of the café with such confidence and power, it made his heart hurt. You never possessed such vibe whenever you were with him, you used to be so shy and innocent, but it seemed that Jaemin really did take good care of you. You blossomed into this powerful and inspiring woman that he looked up to. So, with teary eyes and an aching heart, Jeno stood up and sighed, his eyes still trailing after you as your figure finally disappeared from his view. Stuffing his hands in his slacks, he exits the restaurant, burying the pain he felt deep inside his chest, and cracked a bitter smile.

Lee Jeno walked away from the café, trying desperately to forget about the throbbing in his chest, the feeling of a thousand knives piercing through his organ as thoughts of you replayed in his mind like that of a broken recorded tape. Your smiles, your twinkling eyes, and plump lips. He knew it'd take him years to recover from this emotion that he tried dreadfully to bury.

La Douleur Exquise; the exquisite pain of wanting someone that he knew he could never have.

~The End~

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eubiedrew-blog · 5 years ago

Text

Critically Examining What BLM Believes

EUBIE DREW

Facebook Note HERE

Beyond the formatting rule “_______” below is a full quote of the “What We Believe” page on the Black Lives Matter web site. The link to that page is <HERE>.

The emphasis (bold, italic) is mine, and I have arranged some of it into an itemized list, but all the words and links are theirs.

I present this as an aid in critically examining what they support. Personally, I am comfortable with all of it except item 12(a). And perhaps that is only because I do not understand it. Certainly it could be problematic for many of my dear friends, and supporters of “No Wedding, No Womb” (FB page --> NWNW).

I hope we can have a healthy discussion about 12(a), and whatever else you all would like to examine, in the comments to this Note.

____________________________

What We Believe

Four years ago, what is now known as the Black Lives Matter Global Network began to organize. It started out as a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission was to build local power and to intervene when violence was inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.

In the years since, we’ve committed to struggling together and to imagining and creating a world free of anti-Blackness, where every Black person has the social, economic, and political power to thrive.

Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state.

Enraged by the death of Trayvon Martin and the subsequent acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, and inspired by the 31-day takeover of the Florida State Capitol by POWER U and the Dream Defenders, we took to the streets. A year later, we set out together on the Black Lives Matter Freedom Ride to Ferguson, in search of justice for Mike Brown and all of those who have been torn apart by state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Forever changed, we returned home and began building the infrastructure for the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which, even in its infancy, has become a political home for many.

Ferguson helped to catalyze a movement to which we’ve all helped give life. Organizers who call this network home have ousted anti-Black politicians, won critical legislation to benefit Black lives, and changed the terms of the debate on Blackness around the world. Through movement and relationship building, we have also helped catalyze other movements and shifted culture with an eye toward the dangerous impacts of anti-Blackness.

These are the results of our collective efforts.

The Black Lives Matter Global Network is as powerful as it is because of our membership, our partners, our supporters, our staff, and you. Our continued commitment to liberation for all Black people means we are continuing the work of our ancestors and fighting for our collective freedom because it is our duty.

Every day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.

We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.

We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.

We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.

We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others.

We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world.

We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.

We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.

We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.

We ... a) make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. b) dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.

We ... a) disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement b) by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” c) that collectively care for one another, especially our children, d) to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).

We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn.

We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

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____________________________

Please share this Note on FB & various platforms.

#BLM #NWNW #black lives matter #nuclear family #no wedding no womb

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turtlepated · 5 years ago

Text

The Handbook for the Recently Married (to the Deceased)

Chapter 3 -

[TW: brief, loose description of a panic attack. Just tread lightly! Don’t wanna upset anybody!]

Tag list: @sapphic-florals , @beetlejuicebeadoll , @do-ya-hear-that-sound , @imtherain , @imsuchahobbit , @pastelnacht , @tialanderrol , @sammyskip

----

At my pronouncement Beetlejuice whipped around to face me so quickly that his head actually spun on his shoulders like a top for a moment before he stopped it by clapping both palms to either side. There was also an audible record scratch followed by complete silence. “I’m sorry, what was that?” he asked, jamming a finger into his ear and wiggling it vigorously as though a blockage may have caused him to mishear me. “I said I’ll marry you. If you want, that is.” He blinked slowly a few times, his mouth opening and then shutting again. His brow furrowed deeply, his eyes narrowing as he fixed me with a doubtful look. “This is a trick, but I’m not sure how.” Despite the complete absurdity of the situation, or maybe because of it, I laughed through my nose at the blunt certainty in his statement. “No trick, you have my word.” Beetlejuice scoffed incredulously and I recoiled from the spray of saliva, wiping the wetness off my cheek. “Nice try, dollface,” he sneered, pacing around me so that I had to turn to keep him in sight. “I’m not fallin’ for that one.”

“But I really mean it,” I insisted. “You said you wanted life, right?” Eyes still narrowed, Beetlejuice gave a jerky affirmative nod. “Yeah…?” “And the only way for you to… become alive is to marry a living person?” He turned his head, fixing me with a mistrustful side eye. “Yeah…?.” I nodded along, shrugging one shoulder as though it were the most casual suggestion possible. “So then, why not marry me?”

I could practically hear the wheels in his head turning, his expression softening from skepticism into slack-jawed surprise and back again as he debated internally. I watched, amazed and curious, as shoots of different colors flared in his hair like a neon sign: purple and red and blue and yellow. After taking a long moment to think it over, he looked back at me with eyes wide and round.

“Why?” he asked, his raspy voice so quiet it came out like a croak. My throat tightened and I had to swallow hard to force the feeling back down. No one had ever looked at me with that kind of vulnerability, no one had ever spoken to me with such bald openness, and I wondered if he was even aware of just how transparent he was in this moment.

I flashed him a lopsided smile, relieved when my lips didn’t tremble and the burning in my eyes subsided. “You said you were tired of being alone,” I explained, taking a deep breath and mustering my courage. It was my turn to be open. “I am, too. So… let’s get married.” His brows knitted together, his eyes darting back and forth as he thought, his tongue darting out to wet his parted lips. “You’re… you’re serious?” I nodded firmly. “That way, neither of us has to be alone anymore.” From above and behind us, someone cleared their throat. Beetlejuice turned to look and I leaned sideways, peering over his shoulder at the man on the platform. He was still sweating bullets and pale as milk, but he was trying to smile in a friendly way that ended up more of a grimace.

“It just so happens, I’m ordained,” he announced. “I could marry you right now!” At the podiums, Delia let out a sharp cry of alarm. “Otho!” she chastised, aghast. “What are you doing?!” “Oh, shut up, Delia!” Otho nearly shrieked, his voice ratcheting about an octave higher. “I can’t die in Connecticut! Mr. Ghost Demon, sir, if you’ll let me down I’ll gladly perform a civil ceremony!” Beetlejuice beamed, his previously serious and rather melancholy demeanor wiped away as easily dry erase marker off a board. With a snap of his fingers and a tremendous puff of brilliantly green smoke, the scaffold and gallows disappeared and left Otho standing on solid ground, his hands patting himself down all over as if to make sure it was still in one piece.

“Anything can happen in a live show, folks!” Beetlejuice said into his mic, turning once again as if addressing an audience. “We’ll be right back with the wedding of the century! Eat your hearts out, Will and Kate!” Tossing the mic carelessly over his shoulder (it landed somewhere with a shrill scream of electronic feedback) Beetlejuice reached up and began fussing with his bow tie, smoothing the ruffles down the front of his green polyester button-down shirt. “Let’s get this show on the road, Skippy! What’s first?” he asked, practically bouncing over to Otho and slinging an arm around his shoulders like they were old school friends. Jumping and uttering a tiny frightened sound, Otho cleared his throat and took a moment to compose himself before turning on a winning, charismatic smile of perfectly white teeth. While they worked out the particulars, Delia and the Maitlands converged on me like a flock of extremely concerned birds.

They all began speaking at the same time. “You don’t have to do this!” Adam insisted, whispering vehemently so Beetlejuice wouldn’t overhear. “He’s right, we can figure something out together!” Barbara agreed. “We can’t let you go through with this!” Delia tittered anxiously. “He’s a demon!” “He’s dangerous!” “His vibes are atrocious!” I raised my hands in a supplicant gesture, trying to get them to calm down when I felt a cold, clammy hand take me by the elbow. “Shake a leg, babes! It’s showtime!” Beetlejuice tugged me resolutely after him to where Otho stood with his hands clasped loosely in front of him like a very posh reverend. The specter had undergone another wardrobe change, now wearing a somewhat shabby and extraordinarily garish tuxedo of red crushed velvet, his verdant hair slicked back flat against his head. It took a very long moment for me to realize that since pulling me away from the three distraught sympathizers, Beetlejuice had been talking animatedly.

I had thought that I was making, if not a rational decision, then the only logical choice I could make. Now that the moment was upon me, I found that I wasn’t quite as at peace with the whole arrangement as I’d thought I was. Beetlejuice’s words, which were still issuing from his mouth at a startling rate, did not penetrate the cottony fluff that seemed stuffed in my ears as he steered me forward. Was this what getting cold feet felt like? I wasn’t sure, I’d never been engaged before, I’d never been anything before. What had I gotten myself into?

Beetlejuice pulled me up short beside him, turning and glancing me up and down. “Hmm,” he murmured thoughtfully to himself. “Just a sec, doll. Needs a little…” He trailed off, snapping his fingers and enveloping me in a puff of red smoke. It cleared a moment later and I looked down at myself to see that I was now clothed in a long-sleeved dressed of frilled layers with a high, lacey collar. It was also bright red to match his tux. At my right side, Beetlejuice grinned toothily and took my hand, tucking it into the crook of his left elbow and turning us both to face Otho. “All right, sunshine,” he said, grinning ear to ear and bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet. “Do your stuff!”

Otho’s eyes darted from Beetlejuice’s to mine, his mouth pulling into a thin line and his eyebrows rising marginally as if to say, “Sorry”, and then he cleared his throat and began to speak. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today before these witnesses to join this… erm…man and this woman in wedded bliss!” Behind us I heard scrambling footsteps, craning back over my shoulder to see Delia and the Maitlands rushing forward as if to put a stop to the proceedings. Without turning, Beetlejuice made a sharp, dismissive gesture with his free hand and the three of them stopped suddenly as if they’d collided with an invisible wall. “Can we just, uh, skip to the important parts?” he asked/instructed the reluctant officiant. Flustered and put on the spot, Otho’s mouth opened and closed like a fish a few times but he did as he was asked.

“If you’ll both just sign your full names to this marriage certificate,” he said, withdrawing a flat leather pouch from an interior pocket of his jacket. He opened it, rifled through for a moment, and pulled out a single slip. “Got a pen, pal?” Beetlejuice asked, plucking it deftly from Otho’s fingers as he dove into another pocket in search of a pen. When Otho produced a pen, Beetlejuice gestured for him to turn around and pressed the certificate to the man’s back, signing his name on a line at the bottom of the document before presenting the pen to me with a flourish. “M’dear,” he said with an enormous rakish grin. I watched my hand reach mechanically forward and take it from him but it wasn’t acting on any conscious input from me. I raised the pen to the paper and wrote my name on the dotted line. Otho spun back around, Beetlejuice insistently stuffing the paper back into his hands. He read the document carefully, shot one last sorrowful look at me, and added his own signature to the final line before shoving the pen back into his pocket without replacing its cap. “Very well then. Lawrence Betelgeuse Shoggoth; do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, and forsaking all others for as long as you both shall live?” Beetlejuice was beaming at me, his hair such a vibrant shade of green it was practically glowing. “I do!”

I blinked dumbly, momentarily thrown by the unexpected normalcy of at least part of his full name as Otho turned at last to me. “And do you… yada yada yada, so long as you both shall live?” he asked, cutting an anxious glance to Beetlejuice who was making an impatient “hurry it up!” gesture. I opened my mouth but couldn’t make a sound, my mind going totally blank. I could hear muffled thumps and voices behind us, as if Barbara, Adam and Delia were trying to get through whatever invisible barrier Beetlejuice had erected between them and us. My eyes turned to the expectant face of the man beside me. Beetlejuice’s eyes were fixed on me, his grin slipping slightly as I kept my silence. I heard myself say the words in my head before they made it to my lips: “I do.”

Exhaling quietly, Otho concluded, “Then by the power vested in me by the state of whatever, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Without further adieu, Beetlejuice slipped one arm around my waist, grasped the back of my head with the other hand and crushed his mouth against mine as he spun me dizzyingly around, dipping me so severely I gasped against his lips, sure that I was about to hit the floor. But he held me up with apparent ease, cantilevered at a steep angle to the floor, and took my gasp as an opportunity to slip his chilly tongue into my mouth. The scent and taste of him flooded my senses; damp soil and stagnant, mildewy water, dead leaves and the sickly-sweet odor of long-wilted flowers. It was wet and melodramatic, slightly musty and interspersed with an almost painful press of teeth. He was also making no attempt to be quiet about it, moaning lewdly against my mouth.

How much longer was he planning this to go on, I wondered? Laughing softly through my nose, I figured I might as well play along and raised my hands to his face, cupping his jaw. His bristly scruff was rough against my thumbs as I ran them up and over his cheeks, my fingers coming to rest in the short, thick hair at the base of his skull. A jolt passed through him as he sucked in a sharp breath through his nose and his eyes snapped wide open. Just as quickly and easily as I’d gone down he swung me upright, separating from me with a sound like a plunger being pulled from a sink. We looked at one another in silence for a beat, my eyes rising to the top of his head where I could swear strands of his hair were turning a soft cotton candy pink. Clearing his throat and averting his gaze, Beetlejuice lifted his hands up to his face. He spread and wiggled his fingers, rotating them at the wrist to scrutinize the front and back of his palms. “Huh,” he grunted, underwhelmed. “That seems pretty anticlimactic.” “Was something supposed to happen?” I asked. He gave a noncommittal, one-shouldered shrug. “I mean, I thought so, but maybe-”

Beetlejuice cut himself off with a sharp cry, doubling over, his face crinkling as if in pain and his hands pressed flat against his chest. All of us jumped back, alarmed, unsure what to do as he let out a strangled gasp, curling further in on himself, staggering unsteadily and grunting, his eyes pinched tightly shut and his teeth bared. After a moment he relaxed, head hanging down, trembling arms braced against his thighs as his back rose and fell in deep, shuddering breaths. “Wow,” he said, somehow even raspier than before. “That was a thing.” Blowing out one last hard exhale he righted himself, hands on his hips. “So! When do we eat the cake – oh….” Beetlejuice froze in place, his mouth a tiny o, his eyes the size of saucers. “What was…? There it is again!” He dashed the few feet over to me, so fast I thought he might bowl me right over, seizing one of my hands in both of his and mashing my palm firmly against his chest. “Do you feel that?!”

I stiffened at the unexpected closeness and contact, but I tried to figure out what he was talking about. Truthfully, I didn’t feel anything at all at first, but when I concentrated I did indeed distinguish a rhythmic thump. “Your… your heartbeat?” I asked. A harsh gasp tore from him, his face going totally slack in shock. “I have a heartbeat?” he repeated numbly. “I’m… alive?” He let out a bark of laughter, then another, then launched into a full-on bout of hysterics ranging from deep belly laughter to high, tittering giggles as he flung both arms around my waist, lifted me up and spun me around, so overcome by his elation. “I’m alive! I’m aliiiiive! Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I’ve never been so happy!” With another loud gasp he stopped again, the skirt of my dress swinging around us as he plopped me unceremoniously back on my feet. “I’m happy!” he said, the word coming out as a reedy squeak.

His joy was so contagious I couldn’t help smiling myself. Even the others, glancing uncertainly to me and one another, were looking at the very least hopeful that maybe it was smooth sailing from here on out.

It was not.

“Oh God, what if it doesn’t last?” he whined, twisting his hands together anxiously. “Oh God, it’s gone! The happiness is gone! What if it never comes back?! Now I feel bad! Ugh, why does it feel like I swallowed a bowling ball? And like somebody melon-balled out my heart?! That’s not fair, those feelings don’t even go together! Now I’m mad!” We all stood stupefied by the intensity and speed of his emotional 180. He rounded on us in a fury, charging towards no one in particular and raving about how society failed to teach men how to properly process their anger. The others clustered loosely together, safety in numbers after all, and I stepped toward him, laying a hand lightly on his arm and making a soft shushing motion with the other. He stopped when I touched him, chest heaving, jaw clenched, eying me hard. “Just take a deep breath,” I urged, taking care to keep my voice as calm as possible, demonstrating for him the long slow inhale through the nose, the long slow exhale through the mouth. “Try it,” I said when he looked doubtful, still practically panting but at my insistence he begrudgingly copied me, sucking in a huge lungful of air and puffing his cheeks out. We exhaled at the same time and repeated the exercise and I was relieved to note the tension draining out of the set of his shoulders and the forearm which I still had my hand curled loosely around.

“Better?” I asked. He grumbled something under his breath. All eyes turned in the same direction then as a door opened in the wall, emitting drifting mist that glowed faintly green. Lydia emerged from the murk, followed closely by the tall man who had run through after her, presumably her father. Both of them stopped dead, faces freezing into nearly identical masks of confusion as they took in the scene before them: Delia and the Maitlands huddled, Otho hiding behind them, while Beetlejuice and I stood together in ostentatious red wedding apparel. “What the hell?” said Lydia, her father too befuddled to reprimand her for the swear. The door swung silently closed of its own accord behind them, awkward silence filling the room until I cleared my throat. “Are you Charles Deetz?” I asked. Charles Deetz nodded mutely. I raised my hand in a half-hearted wave. “Hi. I’m your neighbor. I brought your mail.”

Delia raced forward then to Charles and Lydia, flinging her arms around them while the Maitlands kept their distance for the time being, turning their attention to myself. “What’re you gonna do now?” Barbara asked, trying not to make it obvious that she was talking about the now no-longer-dead demon standing next to me. I raised my eyebrows. I hadn’t even stopped long enough yet to think about what would happen now. “I… have absolutely no idea,” I admitted, turning to see that Lydia had pried herself free from Delia and had marched over to Beetlejuice. She stopped right in front of him, glaring defiantly, arms crossed over her chest. “That was a crappy stunt you pulled,” she said matter of factly. Beetlejuice, unimpressed by her demeanor, held his ground. “Don’t gimme that, half pint. You started it!” he growled back. Lydia’s glower faltered, replaced with total incomprehension. “What? What are you talking about?” Beetlejuice pointed triumphantly, nearly poking her in the face as he said, “See! There you go again!” She batted his hand away and considering his shaky handle on the whole emotions thing, I thought it best to intervene before things got out of control. I looped my arm through Beetlejuice’s and steered him purposefully away from the irate teen and towards the door. “Come on, honey, we don’t want to overstay our welcome.” Charles and Delia, who’d been cooing and fussing at one another, seemed to remember their unexpected guest at that point and called after me. “Wait!” Charles began, bringing himself up short, unsure of what to say. “Will you… be all right?” He shot a quick glance at Beetlejuice as if to add “with him?” I felt Beetlejuice tensing again next to me, leaning into him and laying my other hand against his bicep. “We’ll be just fine. It was, er… very nice to meet you all!”

With that, I opened the front door and walked out with a husband in tow. As we descended the steps, from inside I heard someone, it sounded like Delia, shout, “Congratulations!”

-----

Ah, weddings. Tears, emotions, full blown meltdowns and threats of physical violence...

Thanks for reading! Up next, domestic bliss with the Juice man! PFT!

If you’d like to be tagged, gimme a shout!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

#beetlejuice #beetlejuice the musical #beetlejuice broadway #beetlejuice x reader #beetlejuice x self insert #my writing #Pate writes #The Handbook

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21stcenturyhope · 6 years ago

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BTS Imagine // Royalty!AU with Jin

Kim Seokjin

summary: Your marriage to Prince Seokjin had been arranged since you were young. You were irrevocably in love with him but did he feel the same about you?

genre: angst, fluff ending

length: 2.1k words

At eight years old, you were introduced to Kim Seokjin.

You had been a sickly child and often couldn’t partake in physically vigorous activities. All the other children in the palace didn’t have the patience to stay behind and play with you when they would rather be running up the hills or riding horses.

Jin was a prince from a neighbouring kingdom. His mother was an old friend of your mother’s and they had arranged a play date between the two of you. He was different from everyone else, almost like a well of endless patience and not to mention notoriously funny.

Jin didn’t mind staying behind to read books with you in the library. The two of you would take slow walks along the forest edge where he would point out different plants. Jin would always be holding a parasol above your head to protect you from the sun. When you began to slow down, he would grasp your hand tightly in his so you wouldn’t be left behind.

For the first time in your life, you felt like you finally had friend.

At thirteen years old, you knew you were in love with him.

The two of you exchanged letters often. Even if you wrote about the most mundane things going on with your life, Jin’s response always seemed enthusiastic. Your exchanges were pages in length and each letter had you anticipating for the next one.

You couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal when one of his letters informed you of his upcoming visit. It had been a few months since you last saw Jin and it was by far the longest stretch the two of you had gone without each other’s company.

The day he was set to arrive had you waiting anxiously in front of the castle doors, constantly checking for any sight of a carriage making its way up the path. When Jin finally did arrive, you launched yourself down the front steps and into his arms.

“Jin! You’re finally here!”

Laughter filled the front courtyard as the servants looked on fondly while he lifted you up in the air and twirled you around. Butterflies formed in your stomach when Jin finally set you down and he looked down at you with that bright smile of his.

“I’ve missed you, Y/N,” Jin said, reaching out to ruffle your hair. “Come on, let’s go say hello to your parents and then you can show me your encyclopedia collection.”

Jin grabbed your hand as he hurried into the castle that he considered his second home. If he had looked behind him, he probably would have noticed the bright blush that had appeared across your face.

At sixteen years old, your dream was coming true.

The thing your father valued most in his life was family. Despite being the king, he would make sure to have dinner alone with just you and your mother from time to time. It was his way of having quality time with his loved ones.

It was by complete accident that you had overheard your parents talking. You had arrived early for dinner at your father’s private chambers and your parents were already seated. They hadn’t thought to keep their voices down.

“It’s nice to see Y/N and Jin so close these days, they are going to make such a lovely couple,” your mother cooed.

“You’re right, my dear. I think they’ll be quite receptive when we announce the marriage arrangement.”

Your gasp alerted your parents to your presence.

“Mom? Dad? Is it true? Will I really be marrying Jin?”

“Oh, honey, we didn’t mean for you to find out this way. If this makes you unhappy…”

The large smile on your face was an indication of how ecstatic you were. You ran to hug your mother tightly before you she could finish your sentence.

“Unhappy? Impossible! I think I’m the happiest girl in the world now!”

“I told you so, dear. Our daughter seems quite receptive,” your father teased before turning serious for a moment. “But if you ever change your mind, Y/N, you just say the word. Even if I have to wage war, I will end this arrangement if that’s what you wish for. We love you and your happiness will always be your own choice.”

At eighteen years old, your heart was broken.

Your parents had arranged for you to visit Jin for the summer. Showing up a few days early, you had planned on surprising him. Unable to find him in the kitchens or the stables, you finally stumbled upon him in the library. You realized he was with a friend before you could interrupt so you remained hidden just outside the door.

“What am I supposed to do, Namjoon? I’m so in love with her.”

Familiar butterflies erupted in your stomach. You had always hoped that Jin would return your feelings and now you had your answer. But why did it sound like it pained Jin to make such an admission?

“Jin, you’re young…”

“No, I know this isn’t puppy love. She’s the one for me but it kills me when I think about how I’ll never get the chance to be with her in this lifetime.”

Now you were confused. Jin’s love wasn’t in any way unrequited – you loved him with all of your heart. And the arrangement between the two of you was the worst kept secret in both kingdoms. Everyone knew the two of you would one day be wedded.

“What about Y/N? You know how she feels about you,” Namjoon asked. Your breath hitched as you waited for Jin to answer.

“I could never love Y/N the way I love her, Namjoon. I would give up my crown if it meant we could be together.”

Your heart shattered when you realized that Jin was never talking about you. He was in love with someone and it wasn’t you. You willed the tears to not fall as you silently made your way back to your own quarters.

Oh, how you wished you had never overheard him.

At nineteen years old, you began to lose hope.

Since you had found out about Jin’s love interest, you had become obsessed with learning everything and anything you could about her.

Her name was Jiyoo and she was the youngest daughter of a prominent duke. Despite her noble upbringing, you learned that she had a kind heart and volunteered her free time to many notable causes. She was talented in music, cooking and debate among other things. You found yourself lacking in many ways compared to her. Besides your royal title, which you had inherited, what had you even really accomplished in life?

You found out that Jin had cut off all contact with Jiyoo since the day you had overheard him a year ago. In the end, you supposed his sense of obligation to his parents and to his kingdom had won out. But your paths often crossed with Jiyoo’s and it hurt you deeply each time you noticed the seemingly longing looks Jin still sent her way.

The same day Jiyoo had announced her engagement to some other nobleman was the day Jin first kissed you. It was quick and chaste but you could have sworn you saw stars. The two of you never talked about what it meant but you couldn’t help but think maybe it had something to do with Jiyoo. But when Jin continued to steal kisses from you here and there, that was enough for you to believe that maybe Jin would eventually learn to love you back.

At twenty years old, you made the hardest decision of your life.

You had held onto Jin selfishly up until this point, refusing to break off your engagement despite what you knew. You had even accepted coming in second place when it came to matters of Jin’s heart.

You had committed every one of his smiles to memory. The sound of his squeaky laughter was like music to your ears. When Jin held your hand or placed a sweet kiss on your lips, your skin burned and you began to crave his touch even more.

You kept telling yourself that these small moments were enough as long as you could be with Jin.

But at some point, it had all become too much. Truthfully, Jin hadn’t done anything to wrong you at all. He was still the same Jin you always knew – kind, patient and possibly even more charming. However, deep down, you couldn’t help but feel like Jin had settled for you when he realized he could no longer be with Jiyoo. Would Jin eventually begin to resent you for being the one thing that got in the way of his one true love?

Last night, you had finally broken down in front of your parents, begging them to cancel the arrangement as sobs racked your entire body. It was too painful to hold on anymore. The wedding ceremony was set to take place in just a few days and the preparations had been well underway at Jin’s castle. Your parents were confused but there wasn’t anything your mother and father were unwilling to do for you.

Which was how you found yourself waiting by the carriage that would take you home, all of your belongings neatly packed in the back. The doors of the castle swung open with a thud and Jin came storming down the steps, his angry gaze entirely focused on you.

“Y/N! What the hell is going on? We’re getting married in three days and all of a sudden your parents are calling off the wedding!”

“I’m sorry, Jin. Our parents are good friends, they won’t let this turn into a big misunderstanding. Our kingdoms will still be able to trade freely and have good relations.”

“Y/N, I could care less about fucking trade relations.” This was the first time you had ever heard Jin swear and you were surprised at the amount of frustration in his voice. “What I want to know is why you’re leaving me?”

“P-pardon?” you sputtered, at a loss for words. Jin took several steps towards you and placed a hand on either side of your head, effectively trapping you up against the carriage.

“I won’t ask again. Why are you leaving me, Y/N?”

“Jin… it’s for your own good! This was always supposed to be a marriage of convenience. I thought you would be happy to have your freedom back so you could marry someone you love.”

“A marriage of convenience? Was that all this was to you? How do you know I wasn’t already happy? That I wasn’t already marrying someone I love?”

“But, Jiyoo…”

“Jiyoo?” Jin was flabbergasted. “What the hell does she have to do with this?”

“I see the way you look at her.”

“You mean with complete and utter disdain?”

“Please don’t lie to me… I overheard you, Jin. You told Namjoon that you loved her and that you were willing to give up your crown for her.”

His sudden laughter shocked you and you weren’t quite sure what was going on anymore.

“Jin?”

“Oh my god… Y/N, Jiyoo tried to trap me into marriage by setting me up in a compromising situation while I was asleep. Thank god it was only Namjoon who walked in. He was right, it was only puppy love. Jiyoo only wanted me for my title and I stopped contacting her after that.”

Jin let out a big sigh and softly cradled your face between his hands, resting his forehead against yours.

“This is all my fault. I never told you outright how I feel and I let all these crazy doubts and ideas form in your head. So, here I go. You are it for me. You are the one that I love, Y/N. Please don’t leave me.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as your processed what Jin said – the person he loved was you.

“I must be really bad at confessing my love because it seems to have made you cry.”

You shake your head as you let out a shaky laugh.

“These are happy tears. I love you too, Jin.”

You briefly saw a flash of Jin’s bright smile before he leaned in to capture your lips in a sweet kiss.

At twenty years old, you finally got your happily ever after.

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kmindset · 6 years ago

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Grief & Hybrids: Chapter Two

Word Count: 3,319

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Synopsis: Ready to begin healing from the death of your boyfriend, you become a volunteer at the local hybrid home. When you catch the attention of seven hybrids you begin to open your heart again. But are you ready to move on?

On AO3

“____! Would you mind waking up the felines?”

You nodded.

Two weeks of working here and you have effectively kept your distance from as many male hybrids as possible. Especially the one you encountered in the cafeteria. Happiness at interacting with the felines was growing, however. Personally, you loved all hybrids but easing into this was key. This was only your third day working with the felines but you loved it because you were assigned to female tigers. Typically, all male and female sleeping quarters were separated for many reasons. The main reason being the inevitable pain of their heat. That was a nightmare according to the day manager, Sulji.

“Alana, Naeun.” You called, recognizing the occupied beds of the two older hybrids. Whenever possible you wanted to allow them to sleep as they had a hard time before entering the home.

The familiar black and white ears of Naeun came into view as she slowly rose from the bed, waving sleepily at you as she passed. You slowly approached Alana’s bed not wanting to startle her.

“Unnieeee” you sang.

A deep voice caught you off guard. “I’m not your unnie, now shut up.”

You flung the covers back to reveal a male hybrid looking rather comfy in a bed that was definitely not his. “What are you doing in Alana’s bed?”

He peeked from where he was balled into himself. “If I tell you will you put the covers back?” In response, you flung them fully off of the mattress.

“Ok then.” He sat up with slightly widened eyes and a hint of an amused smile. “Alana was “embraced” yesterday.” He informed you, grumbling “fucking adopted” under his breath.

“That doesn’t explain why you are in the female quarters.”

“It actually does. I fucking hate the male quarters and now there is a free bed in the quiet, better smelling area.’

“Either way you have to get up, they’re cleaning in 5.”

That got him up. “Shit!” He didn’t have to say it for you to know the threat of multiple vacuums was not something he was excited for. You followed behind as the hybrid scurried out.

The way to the cafeteria was quiet, most of the other hybrids already indulging in lunch.

“Why do you hate the male wing?”

He snorted. “Have you not been in there?” He looked over and could tell by the confused look that you hadn’t. “Wait have you actually not?”

You shook your head.

“It’s… too much sometimes.” A thoughtful look painted his features as he contemplated how to explain. “Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful more than I can express for this home. I just…”

“You wish there was somewhere better for you.”

He glanced at you, briefly showing his surprise before looking away. “Yes, exactly. I’ve been to worse places though.”

You wanted him to elaborate however he jogged away to a group of men, one with a familiar tuft of hair that seemed excited to see him.

One more reason to steer clear of the male quarters.

An endless string of curses went through your head as you vigorously scrubbed the wide hybrid home sign. The night before, a small group of people that seemed way too angry about nothing came and trashed the front of the center. Your manager informed you it was most likely a group the volunteers had come in contact with before. The group was known to be outspoken in their distaste for hybrid rights. Often they complained that hybrids should be grouped together with animals in pet stores.They were few in number but worryingly aggressive.

It took what felt like an eternity but once you finished you returned to the building to see a debate already in progress inside the volunteer break room.

“Everyone with a brain to think about other species knows that hybrids can’t be grouped in quarters like this with full blooded animals without risk of further cross species contamination.*

“It sounds like inbreeding and experimentation in one.”

“I don’t understand it all truthfully. They are part animal, seems to me that would be healthy. The poor things are already the result of experiments anyway.”

You made eye contact with Barbara and tried not to roll your eyes. “Sulji, animals and hybrids can interact safely. The problem is similar to why male and female hybrids living quarters are kept separate. Natural instincts take over too heavily making for high risk for either one or sometimes both.”

“Not to mention, most hybrids are more in tune with their human side, not wanting to mate with a full animal or shit wherever. Their animalistic qualities and form are a byproduct of what they are not who they are,” you added.

“Ehh maybe I am old fashioned but animals are animals.”

Another volunteer began to respond but you had had enough. With thirty minutes left on your break, you opted to go to the library. The cleaning crew was finishing up, ensuring no hybrid was there and with Sulji’s ignorance you were sure all working volunteers were engaged in the increasingly intense debate against “old fashioned’ ideas about basic rights. Fun for sure.

You smiled at the last vacuuming janitor as you took a seat behind the first computer. There was nothing you were interested in looking at but the monitor blocked you from view of the entrance, allowing you to drift into your own thoughts without being spotted easily. Five minutes of listening to music, the last janitor was finished. You paused your music and looked around. The library was well organized and thoroughly cleaned but staring long enough you can see signs of aging. The walls were a beautiful muted golden but in the corners and crevices, there were chips and uneven areas where the old color was visible. The most noticeable was the old mural rather poorly covered up behind the volunteer desk. You remember seeing a picture of the mural in its glory days and while it was beautiful it represented the “old fashioned” way of thinking Sulji spoke of. It depicted hybrids as companions but it was clear it was thinking of them as pets, not people. Thirty years outdated for sure.

As you drifted further into your thoughts you had to admit that was part of the reason this place was bittersweet. The love radiating from everyone there created positive energy in every way but there were still reminders of the past. Not only the unequal past of all hybrids but his past. So many things reminded you of what he told you. His early life was heartbreaking. No one deserves to be in a volatile environment. It was beautiful though that despite his situation he still became loving with an affinity for kindness beyond belief. It brought a smile to your face but as you spotted a hybrid rights book you grimaced. The photo on the front of an angry man yelling at a cowering canine hybrid reminded you that no matter how brilliant and warm he was, it was repaid constantly with aggression and prejudice. Even in the end.

There was a whimper. But it didn’t come from you.

It took a moment to realize before you were looking around. You almost didn’t notice the black tail barely sticking out from the computer desk across from you. Carefully, you walked around to see a sad figure huddled into the corner under the desk.

“Are you alright?”

He sniffs and quickly crawls up to where you are kneeling to see him. “Are you?”

For a moment you’re shocked because of course you weren’t but that’s not his concern as you’re there to help all hybrids. With him in better view now, you notice right away he is a beagle. Their increased empathy often made it easy for them to pick up on the emotions of those around them.

“Shouldn’t you be in the cafeteria? Lunch was just put out. Or at the gym? Or anywhere else but under a desk?”

He pouted at his ignored question. “There were too many people in the cafeteria right now and Ms. Kim says I spend too much time in the gym.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

He was quiet this time, opting to scan your face. You grew insecure under his gaze. “Who was it?”

“Chef Bae I think. Either way, it smells goo-”

“No, who died?”

This time you were dumbfounded. After a moment of silence, you moved to leave but he whimpered again, his ears hanging lower in dejection.

“My boyfriend.” was all your offered before once again escaping the personal questions from strange hybrids.

You’d done your best.

After the last interaction with a nosy hybrid, you began helping out more in the kitchen. It was a job you wished you’d taken before. There was minimal interaction with non-volunteers and any opportunity to cook was welcome. Cooking calmed you which is why you were currently enjoying the music you were playing as you prepped ingredients for the day’s next meal. Until you turned around and met face to face with both hybrids of the hybrids you were mainly avoiding.

“You.”

“You remember me!”

“Why are you back here?”

“We got into a fight with an idiot.”

“ You got into a fight. I was having a conversion.” The shorter one corrected.

“No, you were being harassed.”

“Whatever.”

The taller one shook his head. “Either way we were put on food duty as punishment.”

With a hesitant nod, you bit your lip. “Put on a hair net, wash your hands, put on gloves and an apron.”

They stood staring at you for a moment.

“Now!”

The smaller one jumped a bit as they both did as you instructed. Taking on the manager role while Chef Bae was on the phone, you efficiently prepared lunch and avoided conversation with the two.

You could feel them staring at you every now and then along with whispers but you choose not to say anything.

Burning.

Everything and everyone is burning.

He’s somewhere in here but all you see is flames and unbothered neighbors. They sit as if their skin isn’t being charred off. The boiling flesh turning your stomach.

Then you hear his voice. He’s calling your name. Screaming it.

Finally, he is standing in the doorway of your apartment. His back is to you. The soft grey tail a flame and moving towards the top like a lit stick of dynamite.

Part of you doesn’t want to call out in fear of the horrific scene.

Then he calls out your name. But it isn’t right. The voice was demonic and taunting.

“It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream.” You chanted over and over. Eyes shut tight and begging for true consciousness. He was next to you, you could feel him.

“Accept.”

You popped your eyes open.

The next morning, you made an impromptu decision. The whole drive to the Hybrid Home was a blur as you spent the entire time thinking about your decision and trying not to think anymore about your dream.

Nothing was going to stop you from quitting. Until you saw the fire trucks. For a moment, it spooked you. The intense fear of still being in that horrible nightmare sped up your heart rate. Thankfully you were awake but unfortunately, that meant the lost looking hybrids in the street were real.

The road was littered with overnight and morning volunteers trying to comfort scared hybrids. You parked at the playground across the street. After a few minutes of search, you approached panic-stricken Sulji and Barbara speaking with whom you assume to be the fire captain.

“______!” Barbara’s panicked eyes found some relief in spotting you.

“What in the hell is happening?” The question seemed obvious in a way but you wanted something specific. The whole damn home was in the road.

“Someone started a fire in the male wing.”

“One of the hybrids?”

She shook head. “One of those anti group jerks. They think he didn’t mean to do this much damage but regardless it’s a mess.”

She informed you the whole home is burned to different extents. Parts are nothing but ashes others are only singed.

Sulji and Barbara gathered some of you who were not tending to the hybrids. ” ”We have just been informed the building is uninhabitable. Thankfully there is a hybrid shelter nearby able to help. The only problem is, it is a female shelter. They are willing to take all misplaced females but males are another story.”

Worried gasps sounded from the crowd. “What about the male shelter in Gwangju?”

“We can possibly arrange for travel for some but not all. We will still have about 20-25 hybrids displaced. That number is being very optimistic.”

Barbara spoke up. “We will be moving next door for an emergency embrace event. Some of you will go back with the females to inform them of the move. They are still going to be involved in the embrace event as we need to thin out our numbers. They are encouraged to stay together while we organize.”

Everyone nodded along in understanding. “The news is running the incident as we speak and asking for temporary volunteers and families willing to adopt or at the very least foster any of them.”

Sulji cleared her throat. “With that being said if any of you have room please considering taking in some of them.” It was silent but you couldn’t blame them. Many of your fellow volunteers were single parents needing this job, though low paid, with no time, money, or room to foster. Others were financially not able to do so.

Sulji nodded somberly. “Ok then. We need to begin setting up in the rec center.”

The small crowd breaks to get into action.

You get swept up in the chaos not long after. People in every direction. It isn’t helping your anxiety but the sympathy for the now homeless hybrids keeps you grounded.

Something crashes behind you. You whip around to see a tall man with fluffy ears almost blended into his brown hair. He is trying to set the water bottles he knocked down right side up until another volunteer tells him to leave. The tall man tries to get a water bottle but the volunteer smacks his hands and points for him to leave. As he walks away, she notices you staring. “The hybrid of destruction strikes again.”

The snort she lets out hints at a joke you clearly aren’t in on. Either way, you feel bad for the man.

Soon the adoption event is in full swing. All hybrids mingled with families and one another. Some opted to play amongst themselves. Two of which you noticed were the two you saw many times. It wasn’t until their “playing” got too rough that you interfered.

“It’s you!” the one with pouty lips spoke excitedly. You made a noise in confirmation, taking the chance to look at the hybrid ID tag to finally see his name.

“We know we won’t be fostered. It’s better to not get our hopes.” Taehyung spoke matter-a-factly. His words didn’t appear to have much emotion, but Jimin deflated a bit at the statement.

“Do you feel the same, Jimin?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know but if Taehyung isn’t there I won’t go anyway.”

You frowned at their somber words. There was so little hope in them. A nagging feeling began to grow. They didn’t mind as during your internal emotional battle Taehyung roughly hit Jimin’s shoulder and took off. The smaller male took off behind him.

You took your bottom lip between your teeth nervously as you eased over to the outgoing form and wrote down both names.

The nagging feeling ceased but a wave of anxiety threatened your sanity. Thankfully, a fellow volunteer asked you for a hand with the snacks.

Not long after, the feelings were pushed down momentarily to focus on the matter at hand. This was working until you went in search of a janitor. A younger hybrid came with a family interested in helping out but was spooked by the activity. He had an accident. You assured him gently you would find someone to clean it while the family apologized. You spotted the janitor coming from the supply closet. “Ma’am! There was a little accident on the court.”

She nodded mop already in hand. “Can you reach that spray bottle for me, love?”

You looked to where she pointed. It was a higher shelf but not too high for you. You paused for a moment then handed the bottle to her and waited for her to walk away before turning back to the closet. “Come out.”

“No.”

You felt his presence before you even spotted the cat eyes. You weren’t sure if he would be chastised for being in there so you didn’t inform the janitor.

“How did you know? She didn’t even glance my way.” The dark-haired feline emerged from the darkness of the corner.

“I have experience with a hybrid wanting to hide.”

He examined your face. From the look on his own, he found the answer to the question in his head but kept it to himself. “Ignoring the overwhelming aroma of cleaning products, this was the only place to get away from everyone.”

“Everyone?”

“ Everyone .”

You smiled, holding back a laugh and he looked as though he was doing the same. Though his smile was smaller and gone much quicker you felt something. An understanding of disdain for a crowd and the mix of people in it made you feel like you feel mutually accepted. With a small wave of your hand, you ushered him back to his corner, sure to catch the name on his ID tag you did. “I’ll bring you a snack. Maybe it will make the smells more tolerable.”

“Doubt it.” he scoffed but you could see another smile as you closed the door. You turned away to get him a snack.

And write his name down.

To your surprise, the community showed up in aspiring numbers. Many came to help with the event and transportation while many took advantage of the embrace opportunity.

Typically, home and background checks were done to ensure the safety of the hybrids however Barbara informed all embracers that an inspection and evaluation would be done a week from the event “When we have our bearings.” she had stated exasperatingly. The outpour of support helped thin the number of misplaced hybrids.

“The list of secured hybrids was much longer than expected,” Barbara announced happily at the end of the day. All volunteers and remained hybrids were crowded around. The volunteers all appeared worn out but proud. Some of the hybrids appeared sad while others couldn’t care less. A chunk of them were waiting to be transferred to the partnering shelter. Some were already on the way there but there wasn’t room for everyone. “Although, I see Taehyung, Jimin, and Yoongi‘s names written but they are still here.”

A stiff silence fell. Four long seconds pass before you bashfully speak up. “That was my doing. I can foster them for the time being.”

You dare not look at the men as you could feel their shocked gazes.

“Oh, that's wonderful! That only leaves these four.”

You don’t really want to but something keeps pushing you, the nagging feeling from earlier. The words tumble out before you can catch them. ”I have room for them.”

Barbara is taken aback. “Really?”

You nod reluctantly. “My home was originally built for a nine-person family. They will have to share rooms but nothing too crowded.”

Sulji spoke up. “____, that is truly amazing! Of course with your number embraced we will make your inspection priority as a precaution for them but until then thank you!”

An absentminded nod was all you could give. The true reality of your charitable act not hitting you until everyone else dispersed and only seven pairs of eyes remained on you.

#poly bts #hybrid bts #bts fanfic #bts fluff #bts angst

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years ago

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#1yrago Using information security to explain why disinformation makes autocracies stronger and democracies weaker

The same disinformation campaigns that epitomize the divisions in US society -- beliefs in voter fraud, vaccine conspiracies, and racist conspiracies about migrants, George Soros and Black Lives Matter, to name a few -- are a source of strength for autocracies like Russia, where the lack of a consensus on which groups and views are real and which are manufactured by the state strengthens the hand of Putin and his clutch of oligarchs.

In a new Harvard Berkman Center paper, Common -Knowledge Attacks on Democracy, political scientist Henry Farrell (previously and security expert Bruce Schneier (previously) team up to explore this subject by using information security techniques, and come to a very plausible-seeming explanation and a set of policy recommendations to address the issue.

Farrell and Schneier start by exploring the failures of both national security and information security paradigms to come to grips with the issue: Cold War-style national security is oriented around Cold War ideas like "offense–defense balance, conventional deterrence theory, and deterrence by denial," none of which are very useful for thinking about disinformation attacks; meanwhile, information security limits itself to thinking about "servers and individual networks" and not "the consequences of attacks for the broader fabric of democratic societies."

Despite these limits, the authors say that there is a way to use the tools of information security to unpick these kinds of "information attacks" on democracies: treat "the entire polity as an information system with associated attack surfaces and threat models" -- that is, to think about the democracy itself as the thing to be defended, rather than networks or computers.

From there, they revisit the different disinformation styles of various autocracies and autocratic movements, particularly the Russian style of sowing doubt about what truth is and where it can be found (infamously, Russia's leading political strategist admits that he secretly funds some opposition groups, but won't say which ones, leaving everyone to wonder whether a given group is genuine or manufactured -- there's some excellent scholarship contrasting this with the style used by the Chinese state and also with techniques used by authoritarian insurgents inside of democracies, like Milo Yiannopoulos).

In the paper's framework, the stability of autocrats' power requires that the public not know how other people feel -- for there to be constant confusion about which institutions, groups and views are genuine and which ones are conspiracies, frauds, or power-grabs. Once members of the public discover how many of their neighbors agree that the ruling autocracy is garbage, they are emboldened to rise up against it. Tunisia's dictatorship was stable so long as the law banning dissent could be enforced, but the lack of enforcement on Facebook allowed Tunisians to gain insight into their neighbors' discontent, leading to the collapse of the regime.

By contrast, democracies rely on good knowledge about the views of other people, most notably embodied by things like free and fair elections, where citizens get a sense of their neighbors' views, and are thus motivated to find solutions that they know will be widely viewed as legitimate and will therefore be sustainable.

So when information attacks against democracies sow doubt about the genuineness of movements and views -- when Soros is accused of funding left-wing movements, when Koch Industries' name is all over the funding sources of right-wing think-tanks, when politicians depend on big money, and when Facebook ads and its engagement algorithm pushes people to hoaxes and conspiracies -- it weakens democracy in exactly the same way that it strengthens autocracy. Without a sense of which political views are genuine and which are disinformation, all debate degenerates into people calling each other shills or bots, and never arriving at compromises with the stamp of broad legitimacy.

It's not a coincidence that the right's political playbook is so intertwined with this kind of disinformation and weakening of democracy. A widely held belief on the political right is that the most important "freedom" is private property rights, and since rich people are always outnumbered by poor people, subscribers to this ideology hold that "freedom is incompatible with democracy," because in a fair vote, the majority 99% will vote to redistribute the fortunes of the minority 1%. In this conception, the rich are the only "oppressed minority" who can't be defended by democracy.

This gives rise to the right's belief in natural hierarchies, which are sorted out by markets, with the best people rising to the top (Boris Johnson: "As many as 16 per cent of our species have an IQ below 85, while about 2 per cent have an IQ above 130. The harder you shake the pack, the easier it will be for some cornflakes to get to the top.").

The right's position, fundamentally, is that the "best" people should boss everyone else around for their own good: kings should boss around commoners (monarchists); slavers should boss around enslaved people (white nationalists); husbands should boss around wives and kids (Dominionists); America should boss around the world (imperialists); and rich people should boss around workers (capitalists).

So when Reagan started cracking wise about "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help,'" he was kicking off a long project to discredit the US and its institutions in favor of autocrats, the mythological heroes of Ayn Rand novels whose singular vision was so true and right that it didn't need peer review, checks and balances, or anyone who might speak truth to power. He was initiating the process that led the Trump administration's army of think-tankies to dismantle the US government's multibillion-dollar institutions charged with defending us from food poisoning, plutonium spills, unsafe workplaces, tornadoes and starvation: in the autocrat's view of the world, these institutions' word cannot be taken at face value, because every institution is just a pawn for its bosses' and workers' personal ambitions, featherbedding and pocket-lining.

Unsurprisingly then, Farrell and Schneier's recommended countermeasures for disinformation campaigns cut directly against the right's most cherished policies: get rid of Citizens United and the idea that secret money can fund US political campaigns; limit financial secrecy and make it harder for anyone to claim that US political movements are the inauthentic expression of manipulative foreign disinformation campaigns.

Alongside financial transparency, the authors suggest that vigorous antitrust enforcement, possibly with reclassification of online services as public utilities, would help curb the deployment of ranking algorithms that elevate "engagement" over all else, leading to spirals that drive users to ever-more-extreme and unfounded views and communities (weirdly, this is the one highly selective instance in which the right is calling for a return to pre-Reagan antitrust fundamentals).

https://boingboing.net/2018/11/27/autocracy-loves-confusion.html

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blacklivesmattergifs · 5 years ago

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Black Lives Matter Explained