#he’s in network and accepting new patients

[jennhoney]

I rescheduled my only outside obligation this week, a checkup with my podiatrist. There was a scheduling snafu and I wasn’t going to have the car when I needed it or I was going to mess up everything that Murble needed to do, so I moved my thing. It felt like a relief. It gives me more time to make sure I’m actually better so I don’t have to worry about making my favorite person in town and his entire office sick. Fafner goes to puppycamp tomorrow.

[teliphone]

Rank F

Summary: Baekyeon Girls High School isn’t your typical day-to-day high school. We run in a voting game system of A - F rank where the students get to vote for their classmates on an app called Pyramid Game. The more votes you get, the higher you will rank. Level A students have power over students while F is the opposite. I accepted the offer letter to go to this school without thinking deeply. Level A student, Baek Harin is there to protect me in exchange for myself. Would I be able to escape this messed-up game or fall helplessly?

Warning(s): Bullying, Hitting, Threats, Guilt, Emotional Manipulation, Overstimulation, Smut, Fingering, Oral, Sub!Reader, slight exhibitionism, slight praise kink 

Word Count: 7.2k

-

I shift uncomfortably on the single-cushion couch. I glance around the office, examining the architecture and interior. Compared to my current school, this one is much better. It is clear that whoever owns this school is rich. I clench onto my offer letter. 

“Ahem,” The head chief clears her throat. I snap my attention back to her. She holds her hands together on the desk and smiles. 

“Thank you for being patient with our meeting time. My schedule has been hectic, but I am glad we agreed on a day. Now, what is the question you have been asking?” She questions. I unfold the letter and place it on her desk. She tilts her head to the side as she reads the message. Her eyebrows lift with a delighted hum.

“You have been offered to go to Baekyeon Girl’s High School,” She beams. I blink at her in confusion. She continues smiling as she waits for me to speak. 

“But I didn’t do anything to get this offer,” I explain. She purses and puckers her lips. 

“Well, you see… This is a special offer letter,” She points at the signature on the bottom of the letter, “The president must have heard good things about you which resulted in you receiving an offer letter.”

“Who would tell the president about me? I don’t know anyone who goes here,” I try not to sound tense. 

“There are many students that go to this school, I am afraid I can’t figure that out. But whoever requested for you must have done a good job influencing the president,” She chirps. She brings her hands over to the cup of pens. She plays around with it a little. 

“Are you interested in taking the offer?” She asks with a calm voice. I look down at the letter, deep in thought. I have heard good things about Baekyeon Girls High School. Most of the high-power parent’s daughter goes here. If I go to this school, I may have a chance to become friends with them. It sounds selfish, but this is where I can network. What if I meet one of their parents? My mind buzzes with future opportunities that I might receive. 

“Yes.”

-

I nervously brush my uniform: classic white button-up, black tie, and a long black skirt. Today is the first day of attending this school. The head chief offers to walk me to my classroom. The walk is quite longer than I expected. The classroom is on the far left of the building. I glance around and notice how quiet the halls are. She stops in front of a door and turns to face me. 

“This is the room. You know where to find me if you have any more questions. Welcome to Baekyeon Girls High Y/n,” She smiles and leaves me. I nervously gulp while staring at the door. I feel small compared to the door all of a sudden. I slide the door open which causes all the students to pause and stare. I anxiously walk over to the professor. I give him the slip of paper. As he reads the paper, I quickly glance around the room. My eyes stop at a figure I recognize. I widen my eyes. It’s Baek Harin. Our history is not much. She’s a regular customer at a restaurant I worked at. I quit a few months ago. 

“New student huh?” The professor says. I nod my head. He gestures toward the girls and looks at me bored. 

“Well, introduce yourself,” He sighs. I lift my head higher and clench my fist. 

“Hello everyone. My name is Y/n L/n. Please treat me well,” I announce while bowing my head. He looks around the room and hums. 

“I guess you can sit in the back with Sooji-”

“She can sit with me,” Harin cuts. I look at her confused. There is already another girl sitting next to her. The girl looks at Harin in shock, but Harin remains emotionless. She turns her head to face the girl. 

“Move,” She snaps. 

“B-but,”

“Do I have to repeat myself?” Harin smiles coldly. The girl looks like she’s about to cry as she gets up from her seat. The classroom remains silent beside the sound of the girl gathering all her stuff in a hurry. I wonder how Harin has so much authority over the students. Is there a power system happening in class? Once she leaves to sit in the back, Harin turns her attention to me. 

“You can sit with me,” She suggests, but it sounds more like a demand. My feet automatically move in her direction and she smiles brightly. I take a seat next to her and I get a sniff of her perfume. She smells good. There is also a hint of something I can’t place my finger on. Maybe cigarettes? That’s not possible though. How can a pretty angel-looking girl like her smoke?

“Thank you,” I whisper to her. She nods her head happily and then returns her attention to the professor. I look around the room and notice all the students staring at me besides Harin. I snap my neck away from them. From the corner of my eyes, I can observe her more. Her brushed and slightly curled hair catches my attention. It looks so soft. My eyes lowered to look at her long and black eyelashes. She flutters them slowly, expressing she's paying close attention to the lesson. My eyes dip to her lips. They are so plump, glossy, and pink. Her lips curve into a small smile suddenly. I glance up to catch her looking at me in the corner of her eye.  Embarrassment blossoms on my cheeks and I avert my attention to my textbooks.  

It took a while, but the lesson finally ended. I lean back onto my chair to stretch a little. Harin turns her body to me and rests her chin on the palm of her hand. Her eyes glint with muse. 

“I placed you as grade A,” She starts. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

“A?” 

“Yes. You are welcome. No one is going to hurt you as long as you’re here with me,” She explains. I decide not to question. I didn’t understand, but as long as I’m with her I would be okay. I slowly nod my head. She giggles and leans closer to my bubble like she’s testing how far she can go. I notice but I don’t move. She drags her tongue on her lips and I foolishly watch. She puckers her lips out in expression. 

“How did you hear about this school?” She asks. 

“I got an offer letter… and I accepted it,” I cut it short. She nods her head playfully. 

“Who do you think requested you to come?” She teases. It didn’t take long for me to realize she was the one who requested me. My eyebrows arch up in confusion. I didn’t understand why Harin would request me to come to her school. Why is it now that she wants to get close? I hear her chuckle which brings me out of my thoughts.

“Why would you do that?” I question. She bursts my bubble by leaning into my ear. 

“Because I think you’re cute. Have I ever told you that?”  Her mouth brushes lightly against my earlobe. My hands clench. I avert my eyes down and feel my cheeks blushing shamefully. I hate how much she makes me react with little knowledge of her. The way my stomach feels makes me shaky. I tap my feet anxiously. She notices my obvious reaction and smiles. 

“When you quit your job I got so sad. I searched everywhere for you. Once I found you I wanted you to go to the best school there is… which is here. Will you show your gratitude to me?” She hums. She places her cold hand on my upper thigh, halting my movement. I snap my head towards her with widen eyes. She beams happily with a curious glare in her eyes. I shake my head no. She dares by moving her hands higher, nearly touching my panties. I abruptly stand from my seat, squeaking my chair backward. My breathing is heavy as if I am a mad woman. My classmates stare at me in surprise while Harin smirks and leans back in her chair. I avert my eyes to the door. I need to escape. The only place to excuse myself is the bathroom. I shuffle my feet quickly to get out. I made a mistake by accepting the letter. Harin sighs and tilts her head towards the window. The blue sky is clear. 

“Fun,” She grins. 

-

It has been a week since that happened and Harin always wants me near her.

There was a time when I heard a loud slam from the back of the room. I flinched and turned to look. I watched as rank B students kicked rank F students in the stomach. My eyes widen and I freeze. How is no one in this room helping her? Why is everyone just continuing their day like nothing? I got up to help, but Harin grabbed my arm. She smiled and shook her head. 

“Don’t get involved. It’s just part of the game,” She beamed. I stared at her in shock. She tugged my arm harder causing me to sit down. 

“It’s okay. As long as you’re with me… that will never happen to you!” She chirped and returned her attention to her assignment. I am speechless. I hear student F begging for them to stop. I shudder in fear. 

-

Harin drags me by my arm to her secret hideout during break time. I sit on the high wooden crates and watch her light up her cigarettes. I widen my eyes in shock. So the hint of cigarette smell did come from her. How does a beautiful angelic face like her enjoy smoking? One of her hands holds her white and gold lighter, while the other grips a cigarette between two fingers. She sucks in the stick and breathes out. The smoke bothers me, but I watch her in awe. She looks at me with a playful glint in her eyes.

“Why are you staring at me like that? Are you shocked I smoke?” She laughs. I shake my head no. She walks closer to me til she can sneak her body between my legs and blows smoke into my face. I grimace at the scent. She chuckles and places her free hand on my chin. Her thumb gently grazes my button lip curiously before she pulls it down. She places her cigarette between my lips and nods her head. 

“Suck.” She orders. I shake my head no which results in her gripping my chin harder. I wince in pain, but her face remains blank. Her wide dilated eyes stare back. 

“Suck,” She repeats more sternly. I try to find a way to refuse, but with the way she looks… I decided to submit. My eyes gloss as I obey her. I wrap my lips around the tip of the cigarette while looking at her. I realize that something stirs in her every time I listen to her. She becomes flustered and watches closely as I suck in the deadly fumes. The smoke burns the back of my throat and I start coughing. Yanking the cig out, she places it back into her mouth and takes a short drag. She smiles with her dull eyes. Tears gather on the surface of my eyes as I come out of the cough. She places her free on top of my black skirt. She brings her face close to mine.

“I want to kiss you,” She hums. I immediately lean my face to the side to avoid her glossy lips. She grips my skirt in anger, her face remains emotionless, but her eyes express so much disappointment. After composing herself she fakes a smile. 

“The harder you deny me, the more I want to break you,” She admits. My heart rate picks up at her confession. I gulp nervously. She decides to stop her action and removes herself from me. I suddenly feel guilty. I didn’t want to disappoint her. I didn’t want her to lose interest in me. 

“I’m sorry,” I apologize. She crosses her free hand and waves her other hand that holds the cig. 

“Get lost,” She concludes. I slide off the wooden crates and onto my feet. I wanted to say more, but with her back to my face, I couldn’t utter a sound. I lower my head and walk away. When I get close to the classroom door I accidentally bump into someone. I turn my head up to see who. It’s Sooji. She looks emotionless til she furrows her eyebrows at me. I feel guilty again. 

“Sorry. I should’ve watched where I was going-“

“You smoke?” She questions. I widen my eyes and wave my hands timidly. I didn’t realize how the scent of cigarettes had stuck itself onto my clothes. 

“N-no. It’s-“ I stop myself. I shouldn’t reveal Harin’s secret. It will ruin her image. 

“These guys were smoking near my bus stop,” I lie. Sooji nods her head slowly. I smile at her because she took the lie. She takes a step towards the door but I stop her by holding her arm. She looks at me curiously. Her deep and emotionless stare reminds me of Harin. I lick my lips and avert my eyes to the ground. 

“How do you feel about the game?” I ask, looking back up. Sooji grips her fist. 

“...I hate the game. Whoever made the game is a psychopath,” She reveals. As she answers me I notice she’s staring past my head. I follow her gaze and see Harin walking over. She eyes my hand on Sooji’s arm and I self-cautiously return my hand to my side. 

“Hi, Sooji!” She beams sweetly. Sooji doesn’t respond. Harin smiles widely with her teeth showing. A fake and numbing smile which I’ve seen many times before. She turns her attention to me and it makes me halt my thoughts. 

“Hi, Y/N… Ready for class?” She chirps. 

“Y-yes,” I reply, rubbing my thumb across my knuckles. She stares at me carefully before placing her hand on the door behind me. I cowardly under her pressure. Her body and the door trap me in between. I blush at her body heat against mine. I glance over at Sooji who is examining our interaction. I feel a wave of embarrassment run down my spine. Why is Harin doing this in front of her? It’s making me shy and… greedy. Harin chuckles darkly. She slides the door open and leaves me breathless. Sooji watches me silently with an unexplainable look. I turn to walk in the door without looking back. 

-

I have rejected Harin’s kiss over and over and it has finally ticked her off.

“Aren’t you grateful you’re in grade A? If it weren’t for me, you would be in F,” She hisses, “Is this how you thank me? Do you need to learn your place?” Tears threaten to fall down my cheekbones. I can’t bear to look at her further. She looks evil. Her eyes are dilated and blank. She takes small steps forward which results in me walking backwards. She grabs my tie and slams me against the wall. I wince at the pain that spread across my back. She leans her lips to my ears. I push her shoulders, but she remains taking up my space and mind. 

“Since you’re making yourself difficult for me… I have no choice but to make you rank F,” She sighs, “So that I can do anything I want to you.” I halt my movement to stare at her in fear. I am lost for words. Her true nature is revealing and it frightens me. She looks down to my lips and a sigh escapes hers. She looks back into my eyes. Lust clouds her mind. 

“Stop,” I beg. She begins to lean her face in. I close my eyes as tears roll down. I hate it. I don’t want it. The classroom door suddenly slams open. Harin removes herself from me and I weakly collapse onto the ground. I look up to see Soojin walking in. She spares me one glance before walking to her seat. Ignoring us, she starts placing her notebooks and pens on the table. I wanted to get up and thank her for saving me from that, but I remained seated at the bottom of Harin’s feet. Harin remains emotionless and returns to her seat. She pulls out her phone and types something. Her posture is straight. I let out a sound of disbelief. She did all of that and can still act normal?

“What are you doing on the ground?” My classmates ask as they start flooding in. 

“I dropped a pencil. It’s gone now,” I lie. They help me stand to my feet. I shuffle over to my seat. Harin ignores my presence and I feel a pain in my heart. I sit down quietly. I glance over her to see her emotionlessly staring at the board. Seo Doah, our class president, stands in front of the class.

“Today is the last Thursday of the month,” She says. I widen my eyes. Already? How is it already the end of the month? I look at Harin to see her lips curl into a small smile. Memories of her threatening my rank flood my mind.

“The 13th Pyramid game…starts now,” Doah announces. Shuffling sounds of students getting out the phones start. I reach for my phone with shaky hands. I press on the pyramid app and freeze. I have always placed Harin as my first vote and I assume she would do the same to me. There’s no way she would switch up now right? Just because I didn’t let her kiss me? I type down Baek Harin as my first. I look over to see that Harin had already finished. Her phone rests on the table as she crosses her arms. I quickly finish up my votes. After a couple more minutes, the voting officially ended. Doah looks at the results and hesitates. Her eyes glance at me for a second before she looks down again. 

“The results are up. Please refresh,” She says. I hover my finger over the refresh button. Sounds of students mumbling amongst each other start getting louder. I press it. My eyes gloss in fear as I lift my head to look at Harin. I am grade F just like she said I would be. Suddenly I hear a loud whistle which makes me flinch. Three students grades B, C and D surround me like predators. 

“I am surprised to see Harin’s pet drop from A to F!” Student B laughs. She strokes my hair like I am a dog. Student D pushes my textbooks onto the ground so she can sit on my desk. She tugs my chin and forces me to look at her. 

“This is exciting. I always wanted to play with you,” She chuckles. Harin gently gets up from her seat and I beg her with my eyes to help me. She looks at the three students with a fake happy look. 

“I don’t want to see any bruises or cuts on her, remember the rules,” She says. Student B giggles and pulls my head into her chest. 

“Of course~” She chirps. Tears threaten to fall down my cheek. I feel so betrayed. I feel so lost. Harin’s talking about me as if it didn’t matter if they bully me. Did she not care? Am I just another toy? I clench my fist and try pushing the student's hands away from me. 

“Harin please,” I beg. She ignores me and walks away from her desk. I am abandoned.

-

I grunt in pain as student D throws me against the basketball metal cart. She places her shoes against my stomach and leans her weight onto me. The softness of my stomach feels crushed under her feet. I claw at her ankles.

“Please stop,” I cry out. They have been bullying me for the past fifteen minutes since it was announced that I am ranked F. Student C laughs and leans down to level with my face. She brushes her thumb against my cheeks to wipe my tears.

“Awh is Y/N begging?” She pouts. She stands up and kicks the side of my stomach multiple times.  

“Hey wait. Harin told us not to get her bruised,” Student B remembers. They stop their movement which allows me to suck in a breath. I groan in pain and roll aside in an attempt to run away from them. 

“Oh shoot you’re right,” Student D worries.

“What are we going to do?”

“If Harin finds out… We’ll be in big trouble,”

“How about we-”

As they discuss amongst themselves, I pull myself to my feet using the metal cart. I bite my lips in pain to avoid making noises. I quietly walk myself towards the door. Suddenly a hand grabs my hair and pulls me back onto the ground. I let out a yelp. 

“You thought you could just sneak past us?” Student B chuckles. She tugs my tie and slaps me across the face. 

The bullying continued for another five minutes until they got tired and left me on the floor of the gym storage room. Finally, it is silent. I let out a shaky breath. Tears continue to roll down. I cry, but no sound comes out. I clench my jaw and pull myself off the ground. I drag myself to the door. 

I bump into Sooji first in the middle of the soccer field. She has a notepad in her hands which indicates she’s running an errand for the professor. Her eyes soften when she notices my watery eyes. 

“Sooji,” I start to sob. I face down to the ground in humiliation. My fist clenches to my sides and my body shakes uncontrollably. She drops the notepad and walks over. She places her fingers over the buttons on my shirt which have gotten loose during the bullying session. She fixes it as I continue to cry. 

“T-thank you,” I sniff. 

“I can help you. We can get rid of this game once and for all. If you want to join me… give me your phone,” She explains. With shaky hands, I grasp and pull out my phone. I wipe my tears with my sleeves. 

“Can you really get rid of it?” I whimper. She looks deep into my eyes.

“Do you trust me?” She asks. The wind blows past my shoulders. I pause deep in thought. I would do anything to get rid of the F rank from my name. Desperation floods my veins. Without answering her vocally, I hand her my device and watch her type in her number. She hands it back to me.

“We’ll keep in contact secretly. I still don’t know who is running this game, but I have a hunch,” She discusses. She picks up the notepad. 

“I’m going to leave so that people won’t get suspicious. I’ll message you soon,” She says before walking past me. I smile sadly and continue dragging myself to class. The pain in my stomach is starting to throb. As I walk up the stairs of the school building, I wince at each step. Sweat starts collecting on my neck. I take a break to catch my breath. This can’t be the reality I live in… I refuse. I hear footsteps which causes me to look over. 

Harin. 

She wears a beige sweater over the school's white button-up. Her neatly brushed hair rests on her shoulders. She has a bright smile on her face. She walks over and scans my body carefully. I feel small and dirty under her gaze. My white button-up has patches of dirt and shoe marks. My hair is messy and tangled. Her nose scrunches in disgust and my stomach flips. Do I look that bad?

“I’m sorry,” I don’t know why those words came out of my mouth. I don’t even know what I am apologizing for. My lips quiver in shame. She fakes a pout and leans close to my ears. 

“Hang in there. It’s not your fault,” She whispers in venom. She takes a step away from me, but I clench onto her arm. She gasps in shock. 

“Please help me, Harin. I will do anything,” I cry. She leans her face down and chuckles darkly. She tugs her arm away from me and my hand falls to my side. I stare up at her between my water eyelashes. She places her shoes on top of mine and presses down. An act of power. 

“I’ll think about it. For now, I need to break you more,” She shrugs and walks away. Leaving me sobbing. As she walks away I feel my life crashing. No! Why is she leaving me? I need her! She is the answer to my escape!

“There you are~” I hear student B tease. I freeze in fear. 

-

The bullying continues for five more days. Harin continues to ignore me. I watch as she laughs joyfully with her friends. I worry she has truly forgotten about me. I’ve started to accept my fate. The bruises and cuts on my body have gotten more intense. 

I stare at myself in front of the PE locker room mirror. My button shirt is unbuttoned, exposing my bra and stomach. The bruises and cuts have started to become more visible. I rub my fingers across the bruise on my hip and hiss in pain. My under-eye bag has gotten darker. I have started to lose weight. I hug my body tight. The door swings open and I quickly cover my chest with my arms. I watch the culprit walk over using the mirror. 

“What are you doing here?” Harin asks. I shake my head, unable to speak. She examines my exposed stomach and I see her eyes widen.

“What is that?” She points at my bruises. I stay quiet. She tugs my shirt and I try to push her hands away. She doesn’t stop til she successfully removes the shirt from my body. The cold air makes my skin prickle. She stares at my body and I blush in embarrassment. I have cuts and bruises all over. I feel ugly. I don’t want her to see me like this. She gently puts her hand over my cut and I hiss as she scraps her fingernail across it. 

“Those fools… I told them not to leave a bruise or cut on you,” She fumes. She looks up to my watery eyes. 

“I’ll fix this,” She promises. She picks up my shirt and helps me get into it. Then she hugs me. Her gentle and warm touches make me sob. I have not felt this in so long. She successfully broke me. I nervously clench my hands on her sweater. I want to hold onto her. I want to be in her arms forever. I feel safe. She removes herself from the hug. She smiles and cups my face. She brings her face close. 

“Do you agree with everything I say? I can help you with this,” She asks. 

“Yes. Please help me,” I beg. Her eyes dilate and she places a kiss on my forehead. 

“Let's get you clean up.” Her gentle fingers help me the whole way. Once she sees that I am good, she tells me to come back to class. 

I walk behind her as we enter the classroom. The room grows quiet and they stare at us. Harin looks around till she sees the three students that have been bullying me. She calls them over with a smile which they gladly obey. She suddenly pulls me forward with her hand on the back of my neck and rips the top of my shirt open. My collarbone is exposed, revealing a bruise. I blush at the stares of students on my skin. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to leave a bruise on her?” Harin hums. The three students' eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights. Harin waits patiently with her fingers rubbing my neck. She waits to see what kind of lame excuse they are going to come up with.

“We left a bruise?! Oh my goodness I did not know! I promise we didn’t go hard. She must have done that to herself!” Student B urges. 

“Is that true? Did you do this to yourself?” Harin asks me. Why is the attention back on me? I turn to look at the three students who stare at me with anger. I can tell they want me to lie or I would get punished worse. My fist clenches in frustration. All the days they have tortured me. They deserve to rot. 

“They did this to me,” I fum. They stare at me in shock. 

“I see,” Harin breathes. The three girls quickly bow down to our feet. I feel a sense of power seeing them at my feet. 

“I order no one to touch Y/n from now on even though she’s an F. She’s mine,” Harin announces. I feel a gush of love flood all over my body. I’m hers. She told the whole classroom. I am not a secret. She saved me. I watch as she places her foot onto Student B’s hand. She applies pressure, causing the student to wince. 

“As for you three. I have exposed your family's dirty company secrets to the world. This is what happens when you don’t listen to me,” She chuckles. The three students gasps and cry out, but Harin turns her attention to me. She buttons up my shirt and pats my cheeks. 

“Let’s go to our seat Y/n,” She chirps. Her hands never leave my upper thighs the whole class time. Rubbing her thumb against the flesh of my inner thigh. She gives it a squish a couple of times and bites her bottom lip. Embarrassingly enough, I ignore the wetness that has built up between my legs. I am addicted to being hers. 

“Come home with me today,” She whispers. 

“Okay,” I breathe. She gives my thighs another squeeze. My body humiliatingly jerks up. I gently place a hand on top of hers. She raises an eyebrow. She wonders if I am planning to remove her hand, but I wasn’t planning that. In fact I start playing with her fingers. In awe at how smooth and long her fingers are. She allows me to play with her fingers.

-

“Ready to come home?” She asks me as she puts on her backpack. I put mine on and nod my head. I don’t know what she has planned, but I trust her. I want her to do anything to me and I would be thankful for it. She holds my hands and I feel my cheeks burn up. During the whole walk, she never let go. Students would stare, but I am glad they are. They need to know I am hers and, hopefully, in some way, she is mine. We wait by the road of the school and a black Mercedes pulls up. The driver comes out and opens the door for us. I agape in amazement. She is super rich. During the car ride, she distanced herself. She focuses her attention on her phone. I stay quiet, but I deeply crave her attention and touch. I distract myself by staring out the window. Twenty minutes pass and we start pulling up at a mansion. I gulp nervously. 

“You live here?” I gasp. She laughs and pulls out a cigarette. In a quick motion, she flicks the lighter and lights the end of the cig. She smokes it and continues walking. I follow behind like a lost dog. She finishes about halfway before flicking it to the ground. She continues walking, I turn around to see a maid picking up the cig. The doors of the mansion open as she approaches. A few maid bows to greet us. 

“Leave us alone for the rest of the day,” Harin orders. They quietly nod their heads and turn to exit. I stare around the building. The ceilings are tall and the windows expose large amounts of light in. The walls are pearl white and the chandelier glow. We end up in her room. I can tell by the scent that engulfed me when I entered. I stand awkwardly at the door, not knowing what to do. Harin walks to her closet and pulls out a pink bathrobe. She hands it to me and I blush. 

“Go use my shower. I’ll be next door showering as well,” She explains. I stare at the robe. 

“What? Do you not want to?” She questions slowly. I immediately shake my head.

“I do! I will do anything you ask,” I promise. She chuckles, her eyes dilating. She licks her lips and crosses her arms. She turns her body to the door and exits. I stand like a fool in the middle of her room. I enter her bathroom and bite my lips. I slowly pull the black tie from my collar. I stare at myself in her mirror; watching my fingers unbutton each button on my white shirt. I tug my black skirt down til it falls to my ankle. I stare at my body that only has a bra and underwear. I blush. I turn my face away from the mirror and remove my underclothes. I step into the shower and turn on the water. Once the water touches my skin I relax. I hum and close my eyes. The water relaxes my tense body. 

Once I was done I walked out and wrapped myself in the pink bathrobe. I explore all her skin care products. With curiosity, I apply some to my face. The moisturizer sinks into my skin. I feel refreshed and clean. I walk out of the bathroom and see her sitting on her bed typing on her phone. With close inspection, it’s my phone she’s looking at. She’s in a white bathrobe. Her face lightens up when she sees me. She pats the empty side of the bed next to her. I shyly obey and crawl onto the bed. My knees feel the soft and smooth textures of her bed sheets. I sit next to her and play with my fingers. She places my phone on her bed desk and turns her attention to me. My face is already flustered red. She draws her fingers along my face. She drags her thumb across my bottom lip. 

“I’ve been waiting to kiss you for so long,” She sighs. She tilts her head to stare at my eyes as she continues to play with my lips. My eyes feel heavy with lust. She gets in between my legs, her skin brushes against mine. She places her hands beside my head and leans in. She doesn’t ask for permission as she grazes her lips against mine as a test. Her lips are so soft and plump. I crave more. She returns to kissing me. I sigh in pleasure as her tongue brushes against mine. I wrap my arms around her neck to pull her closer. My mind is clouded with lust, I forget to breathe. She pulls away, leaving a trail of spit that connects us. She smiles sinfully. She bends to my ear as her hands explore my body underneath the robe. 

“I broke you,” She chuckles. She nips my ear and I yelp. She laughs and brushes her tongue against the shell of my ear. She dips her face against my neck and grazes her teeth against it. She bites and I shut my eyes while wincing. 

“Please be gentle,” I choke. She tugs my bathrobe open and cups her cold fingers around my chest. She pinches my nub harshly. My body thrashes and arches. 

“I don’t want to,” She purrs. She starts sucking on my nibble. Her tongue rolls around it, coating her wet saliva all over. Every time she bites down I cry out. Tears start collecting in the corner of my eye. She glances at my teary eyes and her eyes soften. She leans up to gently kiss my temple. Her other hand sneaks between my legs. 

“W-wait!” I gasp. She quiets me by leaving sloppy kisses on my lips. Her fingers play with my inner thigh, not touching my core. She pulls away, her eyes heavy and cheeks red. I stare at her between my legs. Her white robe fell off her shoulders, exposing her body.  My thighs forcefully open between her hips. She leans back to look at me. My hair is displaced all over her pillow. My chest rose up and down fast. My cunt glistens and her mouth waters. 

‘Let me in,” She blushes. I reach down to cover my cunt, but she jerks my hand above my head. Her skin rubs against my core and I grunt in embarrassment. She pepper kisses around my neck and ear. 

“Let me make you feel good,” She purrs. I gasp for air when I feel her middle finger graze my wet cunt. She touches just the surface area and it leaves me sighing. She brings the finger to my face with a proud smile. 

“You’re wet,” She breathes. She returns her fingers to the top of my cunt and refuses to move. She leans in. 

“I am going to ask just one more time. Will you let me in?” Her eyes are dark. My train of thought is messed up. I can’t think clearly. She clouds my mind. 

“Yes,” I finally choke out. She immediately rubs her two fingers against my clit. I arch my back and let out a cry. The humiliating sound of my wet core being played by her finger starts to sound louder. Suddenly she removes her fingers, allowing me to breathe. She kneels back. 

“Take the bathrobe off,” She demands. I rub my wet eyes before obeying her. I tug the pink robe off me completely and the cold air tickles me. She takes off her white rub and I stare lustfully at her body. Her smooth skin and curves look so biteable. She places two hands on both my thighs and splits them apart wider. I widen my eyes when I see her lowering her face to my core. Her bare butt lifts up. 

“H-harin!” I blush. She sticks out her tongue and licks a long drag up. I moan, putting the back of my hand against my mouth. She spreads my wetness and her saliva around my clit. She licks and sucks. My thighs shake around her head. I moan loudly. My hands go down to touch her head. She looks up at me between my thighs. I see her mouth glisten with my wetness. I breathe heavily. My hair sticks against my sweaty forehead and neck. She pushes my thighs apart further and licks harshly.

“W-wait! I- I am,” I can’t continue my sentence without moaning. Her tongue is so good against my core. I shove my hand against her head to push her away. I am too stimulated. I don’t know how much longer I can last. She leans away with a hard look on her features. She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. She shoves her two fingers into my core. I cry out and thrash my body. 

“Don’t push me away ever again,” She grunts between each thrust. Tears roll down my cheeks. Her long and skillful fingers plunge into me deep. I lean my head back into the pillow. I moan loudly which makes her smile. My legs fall onto her shoulders and she leans her body forward. She watches my features carefully; examining how my eyes close and my mouth opens wide to release sighs and moans. 

“Harin.. Ah!” I cry. She continues abusing her fingers into me. Deep and fast. I knew I wasn’t going to last longer. I feel my walls clenching around her digits. My stomach feels funny. 

“Agh! I am close!” She kisses my forehead. With a few more thrusts, I come to her hand. She lets me catch my breath against her ear. She removes her soaking fingers from my core. As she examines the wetness coating her finger, my phone rings. She looks at my phone on her side desk and watches how it vibrates against the wood. I turn my head over to see who is calling me. My heart drops. 

Sooji is calling me.

Harin laughs bitterly, her eyes glinting with jealousy. I turn my body over and reach for my phone. My bare butt facing Harin. I fumble as I try to decline the call, but Harin presses her body against my back. She leans her mouth onto my ear. 

“Answer it,” She hisses. She kisses my shoulders. 

“What?” I blush. Harin rubs her hand down my back. She stops at my butt and slaps it. I flinch forward. 

“Answer it and don’t moan,” I let out a breathy sigh.  With shaky fingers, I click on the green answer button. 

“Hello?” I ask. Harin plunges her fingers into me. I fall onto the bed with my ass up. 

“Y/n, I am glad you answered. Are you free for the next five minutes?” Sooji asks. Harin thrusts harder as if she wants me to fail. I muffle my moans into the bed. 

“Y-yes,” I choke out. Harin bites my shoulders and I let out a wince. 

“Are you okay?” Sooji questions. 

“Yes! Yes- Ah! I am okay,” I could feel myself losing control. I don’t know if I could keep my moans down with how Harin is abusing my cunt. 

“Okay… I am wondering if you’re still on the same side as me. Do you want to take down the pyramid game?” Harin halts her movement which allows me to answer. 

“I am not sure,” I breathe out. My mind is foggy. 

“I found out that Harin is the creator of the game,” Sooji reveals. I freeze. I am lying here with Harin’s finger in me. The creator of this fucked up game. The game that broke me down til I am nothing but Harin’s submissive friend.

“I- I see…” I blurt. I can feel Harin breathing against my ear. I wish I could see her face. 

“To remove the game, we must take down Baek Harin,” The clock ticks and I repeat the sentence in my head. Am I willing to take down Harin? The girl who saved me? The girl who would destroy the world for me? The girl who has her fingers resting in my soaking cunt? My wetness runs down my thighs. 

“I can’t do that to Harin,” I finally answer. Harin feels her heart flutter. 

“What? Why? This game caused you to-” Sooji’s voice gets muffled out by Harins.

“Good girl,” She purrs. I moan shamelessly. She starts to gradually increase her speed again. I buckle my hips against her finger. I sigh and pant against the bed sheets. Harin picks up the phone. She places it against her ear and smiles. 

“Hi Sooji. Sorry, Y/n’s busy right now,” She chuckles before ending the call. She tosses the phone to the side, her eyes not leaving my body. She loves how my body chases after her digits. She loves hearing how I moan her name. She has broken me, but I have never felt more alive because of her. 

[dinossaurz]

Somethings really wrong

Masterlist

Pairing: Idol!Mingi; ballerina!reader; female!reader

Genre: College au, idol au, romance, slow burn, suggestive content, MDNI

Synopsis: what if you switch bodies with your favorite idol?

Warnings: age gap (6 years difference. She's 19 and he's 25), fluff, angst if you squint, suggestive content, mean Mingi. More warnings in the chapters.

Characters: Female reader, Mingi, Hongjoong, Jongho is cited, Wooyoung, Seraphine (the best friend).

WC: 1.249

Networks: @mirohs-aurora-society @k-labels

Taglist is open

@bethelighthalazia

Chapter 1

Mingi

I'm a well told lie.

While on stage, practicing everything I worked hard the last two years, since I was just a trainee until I debuted, no one could ever imagine that behind my features, there's someone broken.

We are used to look to our idols and imagine how their lives are perfect.

They're all wrong.

There are moments that not even the music is capable to enter out guts and push all the pain out; everything is just a mess of senseless strings with rehearsed phrases.

We're now in the local TV, an well known ambient, but it sounded wrong that moment. My new MV just released and the news were full of compliments and impressive numbers. It was my solo debut, where I would start my journey without Ateez, where everything began.

Amongst all atiny euphoria, between claps and screams, I felt my heart heavy. Singing the song _Turbulence_ is like taking all my once buried moments, principally the last time I fought with my father, and all mean words thrown with no regret.

_I hope you accept your son died to you_

While I think about that, my mind was in the past, the last days my mother passed in the hospital, she was so fragile that I could think that her bones would tear apart if I didn't hold her properly.

"Be patient with your father, his love language is different"

I laughed dryly.

"How many love languages exists?"

"It depends on your point of view." she wet her dry lips and forced a smile. "There are people who have difficulty of showing affection and there's some people that are capable to show it just with their eyes"

The light shift brought me back to the TV show, where I was wearing a black pair of clothes, projected to sustain big black wings. That song have been one of the greatest Ateez's successes and even two years later, it was still the favorite.

I force a smile, giving my best, remembering that there are many people who cares and lead us to where we are today. Not like steps, but like outstretched hands to pull us up.

Each phrase I sing has a part of me held, principally the ones that kept all the fights. The way people connect their voices, kept me aware of why I had chosen that life.

The music is my way to express myself where I usually don't put in words. A soft silence to my wounds that never healed properly.

When the lights turned off and the screams were louder than ever, Wooyoung put his arm around my shoulders and said something I'm used to listen after all concerts.

"Hyung, good job"

He's like a brother to me, more than the others.

I followed them through the door to a corridor with many similar doors, but my manager stopped me, putting his hand in my shoulder.

"We need to talk"

Normally, when this kind of conversation happens, it never were about schedules or something related to my career.

I followed him to an office. The couch looked almost untouched, and if I smelled properly, it still has it leather smell.

My manager, Dohwa, has approximately thirty two years; his personal life was unknown to me, just like to the other members. We didn't know if he has children, wife or if he have any other profession than... manager.

He rises his eyes to the roof, as if looking to proper words in it's details.

"Your father called me." he said, making me frown.

"We don't have nothing to talk about that." I used my normal tone. Even if I'm younger than him, I've always treated him informally.

"I have no idea of what happened between you and him, but Mingi..." he scratched his nape, sighing. "he's your father."

"I don't consider a father the man who wanted to screw his own family." I murmured, taking off part of my clothing, staying just with a black shirt.

"It was all a misunderstood, you just need to apologize him." he insisted.

I sighed.

"You have no idea of what you're talking about." I said, leaving the office.

He didn't followed me.

Great.

I walked through the large corridor, looking inside door by door, until I founded a temporary plate, Ateez written on it.

Hongjoong was the first to see me, wearing his normal clothes: pants, dark shades with long sleeve shirt and buttons.

"Mingi, we..." Wooyoung stopped his words when he saw me wearing my hoodie. "Where are you going?"

Wooyoung just seen like a dumb, but he isn't; he could read my expression better than anyone.

"See you later" was everything he said.

My challenge now were found the exit of this place. The corridors were almost the same, just like a maze, and not even one door has a signal. The only way to guide myself were the stairs. I finally founded the entrance, just as large as a hotel lobby.

Photographers and some journalists punched each other in the entrance just to get a good angle and to not lost the opportunity to corner the members like rats in a trap.

Even if I rise my hood and runs a bit faster with my head low, my hair color would probably be seen, so with my body pressed against the wall, I searched the place with my eyes, trying to find the exit.

An employee passed by me, and looked at me, surprised.

"Where's the back exit?" I asked in a low tone, expecting a simple answer.

He just pointed another door, it doesn't looked like the door I was searching, but it should be the door that would guide me to the right one.

I fastened my steps and pushed the door with a green sign. A whiff of cold air fanned my face. Heavy clouds painted the sky, making it look dark and gray, rain drops fallen to my face when I continued my track, listening some pebbles against my boots.

I had no idea where I was going.

I just knew I needed somewhere to go, somewhere I could breath and ease my mind for a moment. I knew Dohwa's intentions weren't meant to hurt me, and being related to my father made it easier for him to keep in contact with him, even if I changed my number frequently.

I was running away simply because I didn't wanted to live that hell all again.

I didn't know how long I kept walking, but the wind and the pain in my ankle made me stop. There were a house right in front of me, it looked like were lost in time, the painting in the walls was tearing apart, revealing the original red color. In the entrance, had a wooden door, partially covered by the nature to the windows. The windows, in colorful stained glass, forming a siren draw in a lonely wall, broken by its corners. The rust and mold smell made me hold my breath for a moment.

I had no choice; at any moment it would start raining and I wasn't willing to receive it, because a cold would made the CEO go crazy.

I passed through the yellow stripe and went through the garden. My boots made a fun noise in the puddles. I pushed the front door, and it opened with no difficulty. Even if the place were dark and cold, I had no option if not waiting the rain.

[deliciousangelfestival]

Nero Rose || Mob!Steve Rogers

Character: Mob!Steve Rogers x Detective!Reader

Warning: None

Words Count: 1,539

Summary: She has bad blood towards the famous gangster leader called Steve Rogers. With his influences, he sent her to the outskirts city. Then one day, you received a called that said Steve Rogers wanted to talk to you. When you come back and meet him again, something terrible happens. 

This is the story of the enemy-to-lovers.

A/N: Reblog and any feedback are much appreciated. I love reading all your comments. 💖😘

Main Masterlist || Buy me Ko-fi please 🥹

A crowded street, sounds of car horns, smell of piss. All the little things made you miss New York.

It's been 8 months since you left the city. It wasn't your choice to be exact. You left because the head of the police demoted you from detective to traffic police. 

You want to protest but it's impossible since your opponent is the powerful mob in the city. 

Steve Rogers is the king of the mafia. His power in business, politics and network in the underworld made him unbeatable. No one can bring him down. 

Until you did. 

You found the drugs and weapons that connected to Rogers. You got him good. And the media and citizens also support you. 

But you have no support when it comes to law and politics. The almighty Steve Rogers has given money to the judge and governor that could give them a third family. He also paid the best lawyer. 

In the end, he only spent 3 nights in jail and went home. While you got sent to the outskirts city. You hate your boss and everyone. It took a while for you to accept the new life you have.

When you started to let it go, you suddenly got a call from the chief of police. 

-Flashback Start-

He said, "Steve Rogers got stabbed."

You don't understand what's the point he told you this "Cheers for me. You want me to attend his funeral? I will wear white."

"He's still alive."

You scoffed "Too bad."

"He's a victim but he doesn't want to talk. He said that he only wants to talk to you."

-Flashback End-

That's why you return to New York. You want to see the look on his face, being pale and weak after getting hurt.

But before that, you're going to buy flowers. A gift for sick patients. You picked a perfect one for him. At the flower shop, you pointed at one flower. "I want that one."

The shop employee is an elderly woman. Her name is Sienna. You've known her since you were a kid. She's a joyful and funny grandma. 

Sienna raised her eyebrows and looked at the flower you chose. She picked the flowers one by one. "That's an odd choice to visit a sick person. It means 'You're dead to me.'"

You smirked "Is that what it means? Even better." 

You gave her the money after you received the flower bucket. "You're the best Sienna. I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave a warm smile "Bye, Y/N ."

You arrived at the hospital and immediately saw one of his trusted right hands. Bucky Barnes. He's standing outside while smoking. 

He put out his cigarette when he saw you "Detective Y/N."

You rolled your eyes "Fuck off. Where is he?"

Bucky scoffed and brought you to the VIP room. Before he opened the door, you could hear people talking, and laughing from inside the room. 

When the door got open, and you walked inside, everyone turned silent and looked at you. All of them are wearing black suits. 

8 months without seeing any mafia made you forget that you just entered enemy territory.

You gathered any courage that you had and walked towards the patient. You expect Steve to be pale, weak, and lying motionless on his bed since he got stabbed.

But your expectations betrayed you. In front of you, Steve Rogers is sitting like a boss with a half robe opened that shows his torsos tattoos. His hair even got combed to the back. He doesn't look sick.

"Aww, you bring me a gift. Thank you detective Y/N."

There it is. He always finds a way to make you angry. He knew you're not a detective anymore. You hate to admit it, even though he's a jerk, gangster, and narcissist. His face and his body are your type. 

Many fish in the sea but why do you have to like a man like him?

You clicked your tongue and then gave the flower to him "I ordered this for your funeral to be honest."

"Thank you doll." He handed the flower to his subordinate. "Did you buy this from the Sienna flower shop?"

"How did you know?"

"From the wrapping paper, the ribbon. I'm her loyal customer." He winked at you.

Well, that's something you learned from him. Perhaps he bought flowers for his girlfriend. 

You cleared your throat then grabbed a note and pencil from the pocket of your leather jacket.

"So what kind of person would dare to stab the gangster leader? That culprit must be crazy or a serial killer."

Suddenly the room turned quiet. Everyone is looking at you, including Steve. 

"You're right. Not even my rival dared to pick a fight with me. I could feel it. It's not them."

You crossed your arms "Why did you ask me to come here?"

"Since you left the city is not safe anymore. See? I got hurt. And, perhaps I missed the time we spent together."

You gritted your teeth. Geez, his words could make anyone misunderstood. The moment you spend with him is at the court or police station. 

The police station became an event. Paparazzi is always there, the media, he even invites a private chef to bring his lunch and dinner.

When you interrogate him, he always has wine beside him. It's impossible to make him stop since he got the best lawyer Matt Murdock. The famous lawyer who defends crooked people and always wins. 

You should've known that you have lost. 

"Enough with the jokes. What do you want?"

"I'm offering you a chance to come back. I want you to investigate my case."

"Why?"

Steve tilted his head a bit  "Because… I don't know. Maybe because I like playing with you."

You raised your voice "So you made me fly 4 hours to come here just for this?!!!"

Steve nodded. 

Oh, how he loves to see you being mad. That's his plan from the beginning. He still holds the grudge for you to make him stay in jail for three nights. 

-Flashback Start-

Steve was furious for sure when he got the letter from the court. He is the mobster leader in the city. How come a newcomer detective like you has the guts to put him to jail?

The audacity of ungrateful people. What's the point of bribing the police every month? They should've put a good leash on their member. 

Every second and every minute all he can think about is what he should do with you if both of you meet. Quick death or slow death. 

But he thinks of another plan when he finally meets you face to face. You're a new sheriff in the town. He wonders what kind of brilliant mind you have that made you able to catch him. 

When you interrogated him, you were fierce and fearless. Even the chief of the police told you to calm down but you wouldn't listen. 

Since that moment you got him interested. 

-Flashback End-

You suddenly stood up and sighed "If I had my gun, you would be bleeding right now."

"Is that a threat detective? Because I'm scared."

Bucky shook his head by looking at both of you. He turned his head to watch the TV. He widened his eyes when he saw the headline news. 

He turned up the volume "Steve, you should see this."

Both of you stopped arguing and looked at the TV. 

"Breaking news. Another stabbed victim at the well known flower shop called Sienna Flower's. The victim is a 77 years old female. Witnesses said the victim was closing the shop when she got stabbed. The paramedics informed us that the victim got stabbed on the chest and lost her life on the way to the hospital."

You gasped. "Sienna." You couldn't believe it. You just left the shop for an hour and something terrible happened. You lost your old friend. 

On your left, Steve only sees red. He clenched his fist. Sienna is a sweet old lady. His mother always went there and he always bought flowers from that shop for his mother.  

What kind of heartless person wants to hurt a kind person like Sienna? He will chase the culprit until the end of the earth.

"Boys."

"YES BOSS!!!"

"Gather everyone to check on that area. Everyone gathered all the information. I will kill that person by myself."

All his subordinates left the room after they got the order. 

After they left, Steve tried to stand up from his bed "Urgh." 

When he touches his left waist, you finally see his wound. It's still bleeding.

"Are you crazy? You can't move yet."

You're right. The stabbed wound was deep. If the painkiller runs out, this wound will be painful. The doctor told Steve that couldn't move his body freely for a week. And he doesn't want to get another stitch. 

Suddenly he got an idea. 

Steve leaned his body towards you and whispered in your ear, "Detective do you want to work together to catch who killed Sienna?"

You looked at his eyes. It never crossed your mind to work together with gangster leaders like Steve Rogers. But with his mafia connections, you could catch the culprits quicker. 

"Heck yeah."

A/N: Reblog and any feedback are much appreciated. I love reading all your comments. 💖😘

Main Masterlist || Buy me Ko-fi please 🥹

[supercalime]

all those interviews are fun even with hardcore stans speculation but god i wish they kinda stopped.

like, stop having stans interviewing actors in the first place, what do you mean they talk about couch theory? are we even serious right now? it’s obvious people are going to create even weirder hc after all these interviews.

I understand the interviewers (to a degree) bringing up b*ddie and baiting Oliver and Ryan to “leak” information or address how they are defenders of the ship, as it obviously makes dramatic headlines, which causes engagement, which advertises the show and by extent the website/reporter that did the interview.

Just a bit off topic but it has to be said: most of the interviews are borderline unprofessional. Not just with the aspect of bringing up b*ddie when the recent storyline has nothing to do with eddie but also relying their questions on stereotypes about the queer community (someone unironically asked Oliver who’s buck’s favorite pop diva now that he’s queer. Like wtf).

Anyway, going back to the mess haha. I’m not surprised the stans are acting this way (I’m very new to this fandom but not to fandoms and their discourses). I’m sometimes very invested in media and there are times I do extrapolate and need to touch grass. Sometimes I feel like people who are this invested in a fictional relationship that’s not even canon just need to find a different outlet for intense feelings, and not rely on things that are out of their control.

Of course fan reaction can influence a story being told, however fans have to also know how to approach it while being respectful. In all honesty, if I were writing a show and I finally went with a storyline I wasn’t allowed to write before because the network previously denied, and that was how the fans of a ship reacted, I would be pissed. I think I would not have b*ddie be a thing out of spite.

The bi!buck/bucktommy storyline is a huge step forward for a tv show in this scale. In fact, I can’t remember other procedurals that have as many queer main characters as 911/911 lone star. It’s been said, but a story about this very masculine man that has been known as a womanizer figuring out he’s bisexual well into his thirties and in the seventh season of a very popular show that is not part of a specific niche is important and should be celebrated on its own, regardless of ships or whatever the fans have to say about the partner choice.

But let’s be real for a second as I end my little essay here. If you know a single thing about writing, you know you can’t just throw a love story without buildup and as hard as it is to accept, the interactions between buck and eddie seemed to have always been ambiguous on purpose, and buck being maybe into guys was more played off as a joke. I know the fans want the ship to happen, but if they want this love story to happen, they gotta be patient. Just commenting “we don’t like this. We want buddie!” on an ig post about tevan won’t make the story suddenly turn into that direction.

What I’m saying won’t change anyone’s mind but whoever reads until the end, I want yall to know that unfortunately every fandom is like this and we gotta try our best to stay out of the discourse cause in all seriousness: none of this matters. It’s a show and arguing about it, bothering the actors, commenting annoying things on ig won’t change anything.

[photogirl894]

@clonexreaderbingo

Square: Echo

Fun fact about this bingo one-shot...it is actually a sequel to another fic!! That fic is the Fives x reader fic "AWOL" by @l-lend 😆 We both figured out what bingo fics we were doing next and it happened to work out that she got Fives and I got Echo...then before we knew it, we were tag-teaming and came up with story ideas for both our fics together that would work as one cohesive story! There were a lot of people who loved her fic and now, in this one, you'll see more of the story of Fives and reader...and a reunion I know we all wish could've happened 🥹 Go read K's fic first if you haven't (cuz it's amazing) and then I hope you all enjoy this one, as well 😊

"Captain Rex…we found him."

The former Captain of the 501st moved over to the screen where his fellow Clone colleague was pointing at a planet on a galaxy map, one way out in the Outer Rim.

"Finally…there you are, Fives," Rex thought to himself.

Over a year prior, his brother, Fives, had gone off the grid after discovering a conspiracy with the Clones that would've put his life in danger. He'd faked his death and escaped to the Outer Rim with the medic he loved to start a new life together, away from anything that could threaten them. At first, Rex hadn't even known that Fives was alive, but Commander Tano later informed him of the situation, which had been shocking to say the least. However, after the events of Order 66, Fives and his medic suddenly went radio silent and disappeared. While building an underground Clone network to fight against the Empire over the course of many months, Rex had also been having some of his contacts trying to locate Fives…and now, he'd finally been found.

"Who's been found, Rex?"

The Captain looked over his shoulder to his other brother he was close to; one who'd recently joined in his efforts: Echo. He'd temporarily left his squad to help Rex find other Clones who needed help in the galaxy. Echo had been Fives' best friend who was also once believed dead in an explosion a long time ago and, in Rex's mind, the timing of Echo joining and the locating of Fives couldn't be more perfect.

Rex went up to Echo, laid a hand on his shoulder and simply stated in reply, "Echo...you're coming with me for this one."

Echo gave him a nod. "Is it another Clone?"

"Yeah, it is…a very important one I've been looking for, for a long time."

"Babe, I'm home!"

You heard the one voice you loved most call to you from the front of your home and a smile crossed your face. "I'm in the kitchen!" you said back, raising your voice so he could hear you.

While you continued stirring the soup you were preparing, you soon felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist and a warm chest pressed against your back. A pair of soft lips made loving contact with your cheek and a deep voice greeted you in your ear, "Hello, beautiful."

"Hey, handsome," you said back, turning your face so you could kiss him on the lips.

"Did you have many patients today?" he asked you, removing his arms from you.

You added a pinch of salt to your soup. "Just a couple," you answered. "One man got bit by a tooka on the hand and then a little boy fell from a tree and broke his arm."

"Was it Alby?" Fives inquired.

You chuckled. "Yeah, it was. Same kid who sprained his ankle last month."

"That is one accident-prone boy," he commented.

Since you and Fives had arrived on this planet, you'd already made a name for yourself here as a medic for the nearby villages. Luckily, this planet was far enough in the Outer Rim that no one recognized Fives as a Clone soldier, so that made things a lot easier for the both of you. While you accepted medical patients in your own at-home clinic, Fives worked at a nearby shipyard. You both had managed to make an enjoyable, peaceful new life for yourselves here and you couldn't be happier.

"By the way, you didn't clean up your hair in the sink from trimming your goatee again this morning," you chided him, raising your eyebrows at him.

In response, he purposefully averted his gaze, sniffed loudly and said, looking at the pot in front of you, "Mmm, the soup smells delicious, babe."

"Uh-uh, don't try and change the subject," you said, though you couldn't help but smirk at him. At one point in time, when you'd thought he was dead, you would've given anything to see those annoying hairs in your sink again. Guess all it took was him miraculously "returning from the dead" and running away together to a faraway planet for you to get that again.

He put an arm around your shoulders and kissed your temple. "I'm sorry, I'll do better next time," he promised. "I'm going to go change out of my work clothes and then I'll be down for dinner, okay?"

"Sounds good," you said as he left and went upstairs.

You got two bowls out and carefully ladled out hot soup into both of them. As you set them onto the table, there was a knock at your door. You were curious, you weren't expecting any visitors. You went to the door and pressed the button to open it. The door slid open with a swish and the face you saw was one you weren't expecting.

"Captain Rex!"

Dressed in dark blue and gray civvie clothes stood before you the Clone Captain you hadn't seen in a long time; not since before you ran off with Fives. You could tell there was someone else standing directly behind him, but you couldn't see their face.

"Good to see you again, (Y/N)," he said to you with a pleasant grin.

"How did you…how did you find us?" you asked.

"It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that," he told you.

Then he stepped to the side to reveal who was behind him: another Clone with pale, sunken skin, dressed in red and white as well as dark leather armor. He had a cybernetic headpiece wrapped around the back of his head and his arm was a scomp link, which you'd never seen before. However, something about this Clone seemed familiar to you. Having worked with so many of them, you picked up on smaller details that helped make each of them distinct in your eyes, apart from their normal distinctive features like hair, tattoos or armor. There was something about this Clone that your mind was telling you that you knew him well.

He recognized you the moment he saw you and his eyes went wide. "It's you!" he exclaimed.

You gazed at him thoughtfully, trying to figure out who this Clone was. You'd never seen any that looked like him yet you were positive you knew him. Why did Rex bring this one here to find you and Fives?

Once you thought about Fives, it clicked in your mind almost immediately. There could only be one Clone that would matter this much for Rex to painstakingly find you both and bring the Clone to you; a Clone that had missing limbs…most likely from a fight or explosion.

It couldn't be!

"Echo…?" you asked aloud, holding to the hope you were right.

He grinned. "You do remember me."

You gasped in shock and your hands flew up to your mouth. "I don't believe it! You're alive!" You stepped forward and placed your hands on his shoulders, taking a good look at him. "You look different, but I can still see that glint of hope in your eyes that you always had before. I can't believe it's you. It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too," he said back.

Waving your hand, you gestured for them to come inside and stated, "Come in and wait just a moment. I'll go get my husband." Then you took off quickly up the stairs.

"Husband?" Echo repeated, looking at Rex. "Is this another Clone deserter with a family like Cut?"

"Not a deserter, no," answered Rex. "This Clone's life was in danger for specific reasons, so he's been in hiding for a while. It's likely he'll have to stay in hiding even longer now that the Empire is phasing out Clones."

There were footsteps coming down the stairs and Fives suddenly appeared, wearing a set of gray and green civvies. He was just as surprised to see Rex, too. You appeared on the stairs behind him, where you stayed, watching what was about to unfold.

"Rex!" Fives exclaimed. He opened his mouth to say something more, but then his eyes found the other person in the room and any words he had failed him in the moment.

Echo's eyes grew large at who now came into the room and he quietly gasped. The goatee, the Aurebesh "5" tattoo…a face he never thought he'd see again.

"Fives…," he spoke softly, a faint tremor in his voice.

Even though it had taken you a moment to figure out who it was, Fives recognized his brother and best friend immediately, even in the state he was in with cybernetic limbs. Fives felt numb for a moment and was sure he had to be in the middle of a dream. Echo was dead; he'd watched him die. The anguished scream of Echo's name that had left his lips in that awful moment sounded in his mind. It had been real, he'd seen it…yet Echo was standing in front of him in his home in the flesh.

He slowly stepped closer to Echo and Rex moved back a bit to give them some space. Fives couldn't tear his eyes away from the now gaunt face of his long-lost brother, expecting to blink and see him disappear, but he never did.

"Echo…!" he gasped, his eyes looking his brother over.

Timidly, Echo said back to him, "Yeah, I…I've been through some things."

Fives smirked slightly and a quiet snicker left his mouth as he replied, "I'll say…you got taller."

Echo chuckled, not entirely expecting that response. "I…I thought you were dead," he said.

"I thought you were dead," Fives said, gesturing to him. Then with a small grin, he shook his head and asked, "I guess the galaxy just can't get rid of us, can it?"

"No…I guess it can't," Echo agreed.

Finally, the two of them couldn't hold back anymore and Fives pulled Echo into his arms, embracing him tighter than ever. The one good hand Echo had clung to Fives' collar for dear life, burying his head into his brother's shoulder.

"I've missed you, brother," Fives told him.

"I've missed you, too, brother," Echo replied.

Rex had moved over by you on the stairs and the two of you exchanged happy smiles at seeing Echo and Fives finally being reunited after so long apart.

Then you remembered something very important and you whispered to Rex, "I'll be right back." Then without waiting, you took off back upstairs.

Finally, Fives pulled back and placed his hands on Echo's shoulders. "Look at you! You look so tough now with the scomp arm and the headpiece…you've grown."

"You wouldn't believe how much I've changed," said Echo with a grin. Then he spotted Rex standing by the stairs and, peering around Fives, he stated, "Rex, you told me Fives was dead."

"At the time, I thought he was, too," Rex explained. "It wasn't until recently I learned otherwise, but I had to keep it a secret for Fives' safety."

Just then, you came down the stairs and you announced, "Echo, Rex…there's someone we'd like you to meet."

Then you emerged into the room, carrying a small bundle in your arms. When you pulled back part of the blanket that wrapped it, you revealed the small, sleeping face of a baby.

"You…you have a child?" Echo asked, astonished.

"We sure do. Echo, Rex, this is our son," Fives stated with pride as he came up beside you, smoothing back the boy's dark hair.

"What's his name?" inquired Rex.

You and Fives looked at each other, the weight of that question now hitting the both of you. You both thought no one would ever get to know, let alone these two now in your home, and it made you both smile.

"His name…is Echo," you answered, your eyes finding your son's namesake.

Rex looked to Echo in surprise and Echo's eyes flashed wider in happy shock. Then he stepped closer and glanced down at the little one that bore his name, feeling as though his heart could burst with joy.

"Hey there, little one," he said.

Just then, the baby stirred in his sleep and his eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal a pair of golden brown eyes looking up at him; eyes that matched both Fives' and Echo's.

You and Fives both gasped in delight. "Look at that! He knows you," you said gleefully.

"I would hope so after all the stories I've told him," commented Fives, tapping his son's nose. "He's got Clone blood in him. He recognizes a fellow brother…or in this case, his uncle we named him in honor of."

Echo smiled at him warmly.

Looking between Rex and Echo, you asked them, "You'll both stay for dinner, won't you? I've made plenty of soup to feed all of us."

Rex and Echo exchanged glances and Rex answered, "Of course, we will."

Through dinner, you and Fives explained everything that had happened in your lives over the past long while since Echo's "death". You both explained how Fives uncovered the conspiracy of the Clones' inhibitor chips the Kaminoans put in them after something that had happened to his fellow soldier and friend, Tup, which led to both Echo and Rex explaining how his discovery led to both of them getting their own chips out as well as the Bad Batch, the group of Clones Echo had joined. Knowing what he'd done had helped his two closest brothers made Fives glad and he was incredibly grateful. Then you both talked about how, after Order 66, someone in the city you'd been staying in recognized Fives as a Clone and you both knew he'd be in trouble if you stayed, so you packed up and disappeared, thinking it would be easier if no one knew where you were at all, not even the Jedi who had helped find your first hiding place to begin with. That was why no one had been able to find you two until now.

After dinner, Rex offered to help you collect the dishes while you ushered Fives and Echo out back so they could have some time with just the two of them.

"I don't think I've seen Fives this happy since the day we ran away together," you commented to Rex as you washed one of the bowls.

"I agree. I knew once we found Fives, I needed to bring Echo with me. The timing worked out well," Rex said.

"If it had been anyone else, I might've been annoyed that we'd been found, but I'm glad it was you two," you said.

Rex grinned. "I'm just glad you both are still safe."

"As am I."

Outside the house, Fives was being regaled with Echo's stories of how he survived the explosion at the Citadel, being captured by the Techno Union then held captive at Skako Minor and then how he was rescued by the Bad Batch as well as all of the events that had followed the rise of Empire.

Fives commented to Echo in amusement, "So you're telling me that you, the soldier who was always on our squad about following orders, actually joined another Clone squad that's notorious for not following orders? You're joking, right?"

Echo snickered. "I told you you'd be surprised how much I've changed."

"Yeah, you weren't kidding," said Fives. Then he sighed contentedly. "I can't believe everything you've been through and yet, you're still here stronger than ever. You always were stronger than me."

"That's not true," said Echo.

"Agree to disagree," Fives relented. Then he grinned and shook his head. "Look at us...Echo and Fives, back together. The last two Dominoes standing."

Echo's expression turned solemn at the mention of their former squad as cadets. "Yeah…do you ever think about them? Cutup, Droidbait and Hevy?"

With a nod, Fives answered, "All the time. And Tup, too. Sometimes, I wonder how different things might've been had they all made it."

"That's why I'm with Rex right now," Echo said. "You and I couldn't save our squad back at the Rishi moon outpost nor were you able to save Tup, but there are plenty of other Clones throughout the galaxy that I can save in helping Rex. That's why I'm still fighting: for my brothers I've lost and for the many that are still out there being threatened by the Empire."

Fives looked on at his brother with pride. This was the Echo he'd always known and gladly fought beside since their cadet days; the one who fought for Kamino alongside him forever ago. It had pained him to learn of the recent downfall of Kamino, knowing what they had done to try and protect it before.

With a small chuckle, Fives asked, "When did you get so wise?"

"Being trapped in a stasis chamber gives you a lot of time to think," replied Echo.

Then Fives laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Echo. I really am."

Echo smiled at him. "I'm proud of you, too. You've made a great life for yourself here. You married an amazing woman and you have a kid…you're a husband and a father, something I'm sure neither of us ever expected."

"You don't think of me as a deserter, do you?" asked Fives hesitantly.

"I'd never think that of you, especially knowing what you've done to help the Clones," Echo reassured him.

"Then you understand that…I can't go back with you and Rex," said Fives sadly. "I have my wife and my son here who need me. As much as I would love to fight at your side again--"

"I'd never ask you to leave your family, brother," Echo interrupted him. "I'm going where I'm needed…and you'll be where you're needed. That's all that matters."

They both then heard you and Rex coming over to them, you with little Echo in your arms.

"I'm afraid…we need to go," Rex stated, his face and voice full of regret.

Echo gave him a nod and then faced Fives once more. There was melancholy in both their expressions, not wanting to say goodbye and wondering if this would be the last time they'd be together.

However, Fives put on a positive grin, like he always did, grasped Echo's shoulder and declared, "This isn't goodbye, brother. We'll see each other again."

Echo nodded and reached across with his good hand to grasp Fives' shoulder in turn. "We will," he promised. Then he turned to face you and asked of you, "Keep taking care of him for me, will you?"

"You know I will," you vowed to him, "as long as you help take down the Empire and show them who's boss!"

"I can do that," he said, snickering. He looked down at his nephew, who was making small baby sounds at him. "And you, little Echo...you need to look after both your mom and your dad while I'm gone. Get big and strong like the little soldier you are." He slipped his finger into the baby's hand, which grasped it tightly. "Now that I know you, I need to come back and see you grow up…so I'm going to fight as hard as I can to make the galaxy a safe place for you. That's a promise from your Uncle Echo."

There were tears in your eyes listening to Echo's heartfelt oath to your son. In that moment, you knew you and Fives had made the perfect choice in naming your child after him.

You both bade a final farewell for now to both Echo and Rex and before long, you saw their ship take off into the evening sky. Fives had his arm around your shoulders and you leaned your head into the crook of his neck.

"Do you really think we'll see them again?" you asked your husband.

Running his hand up and down your arm, he answered you, "Echo and I have both beaten incredible odds and we've never been ones to give up easily. If he promised to come back and be in our son's life…then he'll keep that promise and Rex will help him do just that. We'll see them again, babe…I know it."

Clone x Reader Bingo 2023

[doctor-badadvice]

Let's talk about Fast Forward for a bit.

Specifically I want to talk about the main theme of that season: why? Why did the art style deteriorate so much? Why did the writing get so bad? Why did this come out before season 5 but also supposedly happens after season 5 and at the same time only occasionally acknowledges its events? Why is there a kid now? Why am I watching this when I only really care about maybe three episodes at best?

Because I was bored. But let's go with order.

I'm going to say it now, I'm still going to claim there is no season 6 in Ba Sing Se. But at the same time, it isn't all that bad actually?

Here's the thing. FF was inevitable for many reasons. TMNT, with its aliens and magic, has the potential to go on forever. However, at some point "turtle fatigue" will set in. In the 80s, this happened around season 7 which yeah, it's about 150 episodes in. For the 2003 show it happens around season 5 but this doesn't mean the higher-ups will try stupid changes to bring back the old glory.

Moreover, the show brought it upon itself. The main culprits, so to speak, are the writing's insistence on portraying consequences as much as possible (see: Leo's scarred shell for instance), as well as season 4 with its funny gory shift (see: that one episode where Baxter watches his own body fall apart which wow).

So it isn't unexpected that the higher-ups and especially the toy maker went "Kids, could you lighten up a little?" and messed up everything that was good about the show.

So this is basically why I don’t like FF. Five seasons are a long commitment. You have to sit through the ninja tribunal arc which is boring as hell, then have to be really patient and accept that there are just dragons now for some reason. Then FF comes up and it has nothing of what you previously enjoyed. The style is different, too flat and kinda clunky and ugly in some spots, nothing that happened before matters and now Cody is there.

Remember networks, kids don't want to watch other kids go on adventures in their place and it doesn't get better with age. But you do you.

So I despised FF but after rewatching the season on its own, I have to make amends in some spots.

The general impression when you watch FF on its own, without the better stuff still fresh in mind and with something to do during the dull parts, is that of good background noise.

It takes many steps backwards. The turtles are suddenly less competent at fighting where it's convenient, their personalities are more one dimensional depending on the plot and they're kinda shitty to each other for no reason. They really suffer from that serial effect where the reset button is hit as soon as the credits roll. They used to go out to murder the Shredder knowing they might die and now it's "Today Mikey really wants a new video game and next episode we're going to a fancy party with the kid dressed in the dumbest suits ever and a silly happens :)"

Splinter also gets sidetracked a lot and he's more there to occasionally call the turtles whippersnappers but again, there isn't much of a reason for him to step in anymore.

And this brings me to the villains. I feel like the turtles only work as well as their villains. They work when they're getting into a fight with a local street gang, or trying to kick an alien empire out of the planet before everyone dies. They work when the Shredder actually does something meaningful and generally speaking are going against someone actually dangerous.

The first five seasons had Shredder, the Foot, Hun, the Triceratons and Bishop. FF has an annoying wrestler whose main priority is property damage, a gang of netrunners who I wish got up to more interesting things than scalping and quoting the Matrix, literal evil twins from the tv trope literal evil twins, and the idiots in charge.

The idiots in charge are of course beloved uncle Darius and Sh'Okanabo.

These two really are something. Darius is essentially that guy from the first Iron Man movie. He's the acting CEO because the owner is a literal child. He smiles and preaches big keeping up the facade of benevolent company of the shiny Earth utopia but he has a dark secret which is that he's making guns and a mecha suit for himself and Cody takes several episodes to realize this for some reason.

You'd think Darius would stop being a threat the moment his dark deeds are uncovered since his whole thing is "evil capitalist guy is evil". But no, he's gonna go higher, he's going to ally with Shittibobo because he needs new genetically modified minions he can badmouth while fucking around all day in his sewers loft and we don't even get the payoff of Darius realizing that he's being fucked over by an alien during the Day of Awakening.

Plus because of how afraid FF is to explore anything heavier than Mikey insisting they go out to achieve explosive diarrhea from questionable junk food, even the fact that Darius is an abusive father figure for Cody has no real importance because Cody is only allowed to look sad on screen for five seconds. Remove Darius and the overall season arc remains the same.

What about the other guy? Well, Sushibooboo is the supposed big bad of the season. He's an alien who wants to kill life on Earth to steal resources. He's something beloved President Bishop goes out of his way to personally murder. But the only thing he achieves is to confirm that he's just offensively stupid.

Sh'Okanabo is supposedly an alien boogeyman who's so evil he just can't be real, right? Unfortunately, he's the literal cause of his own demise.

Since the turtles are more than content with babysitting Cody and going around complaining about historical accuracies like that one Futurama episode, they don't know who Sh'Okanabo is and after talking to Bishop they don't care to find out. Great. This means he can operate in the dark, grow his eggs and prepare to kill everyone, right? No way. In pure Sasalele style, he goes out of his way to attack the turtles, tell them what he’s up to and scare them enough to start to actively prepare to fight him.

And on top of that he wastes time to build a time machine because somehow Shredder had to return for one episode which in turn almost fucks up his plan entirely since his ship almost explodes.

So I still don't like FF because of the way the writing plummeted. A lot of stuff happens because it's convenient and often falls back into exquisitely 90s/2000s tropes (see: the obviously evil guy gets away with evil deeds because the parents/cops/people with power are blind and children are stupid, that one car race episode which is a repeat of the previous car race episode from earlier in the show, a female character who's only there to be a love interest and is allowed to be smart and cute because Cody likes them smart and cute, just to name a few). The turtles get dumber depending on the episode and there are some attempts at comedy like Starlee's shitty family that give out levels of second hand embarrassment not seen since Star Trek TNG.

But I don't hate this season entirely either. FF is just very mid and it makes me think that it could have worked as a standalone show for a while because you can watch it more or less. I'm just this isn't what we got in place of the actual show because it wouldn’t have lasted.

Still I did enjoy some things:

Torbin Zixx is fun. He has some interesting tricks, even though 60% of them only work because the turtles are written especially stupid in his episodes. Plus he steals Bishop's space shuttle which is glorious

I ended up liking Sterling a little towards the end. I still feel like his humor is a sanitized version of Baxter's but I like that he collects clips of the turtles getting hurt to watch to calm down and that he's actually always ready to throw hands

President Bishop is so stupid, yet brilliant (and I'm going to talk about him in a separate post because the worldbuilding is really something and I have OPINIONS)

Raph commenting that power armors are so last season while fighting Darius made me chuckle even though I won't tolerate this supersuit slander

This moment:

[loveinthetimeofanarchy]

“you cant feel supported by your partner unless you let them in and ask for help 😊😘😌”

ok so. I asked my partner to help me find a therapist. “Please, if you aren’t going to be busy later today, can you just make a list of phone numbers of therapists accepting new patients? I just can’t do it.” I’m incredibly uncomfortable asking this, I can’t even make eye contact. But he’s been stopping work to [do niche hobby] after about 1pm, and he claims that “15 minute” tasks like this are easy for him.

“Sure :) But I’ll need your login!”

“You don’t need a login, you only need the first 3 letters of my insurance card, which I’ll send you a picture of.”

An hour later, I’m summoned to his office to help. He’s on a random [insurer] webpage. “What do I do?”

I suppose I’m the expert on finding an in-network doctor, though I’m unclear how I earned that distinction. “You need the ‘find a doctor’ webpage.”

He clicks back to Google and ends up on [state we do not live in]’s [insurer] webpage, but they do have a ‘find a doctor’ button. It’s immediately fucked because I don’t know if I want to search for ‘doctors’ or ‘behavioral specialists’ due to I don’t even know what a behavioral specialist is. I remember why I hate doing this and never make it very far. We soldier on. Input our zipcode. Input my card number.

Zero results. (Recall that this webpage is for a state we don’t live in.)

I can tell he’s impatient, because he’s been impatient from the beginning. He wouldn’t have asked for my help immediately otherwise. “I’ll just do it myself later, it’s no big deal.”

I don’t do it myself later.

[stingslikeabee]

Hannibal cultivated his social circles, primarily consisting of individuals who were aware of his profession and shared his interests, using these connections for networking. While he was not particularly engaged in golfing—a setting where many social elites gather to exchange pleasantries and business cards—Hannibal preferred to establish connections by attending various events.

Upon the arrival of Melissa, Hannibal opened a part of his social network to her. She thrived in this environment, building her own connections, although some whispers of speculation regarding her relationship with Hannibal continued to circulate.

One individual in particular harbored resentment towards Melissa. Previously a favored companion of Hannibal, she perceived herself as a rival. It was only when she noticed that Hannibal often attended the events with Melissa by his side that she began to investigate the nature of their relationship.

"May I inquire," she began, her dark hair styled in a chic bob and her velvet dress elegantly draping her figure, "What is your connection to Hannibal? I believe many of us would be interested to learn." Her expression was composed and she offered a superficial smile that was met on her bright red-painted lips.

unscripted asks . always accepting

It was a charity event - one organized by a Baltimore hospital for funding for innovative research and treatment for mental health issues. A new paradigm for doctors and medicine practitioners all over the world, or so it was stated in the invitations shared with the prominent figures that were expected to attend.

Melissa received one of these - unsurprisingly given the prior generosity displayed a couple of months before when another fundraiser was organized for a new wing to treat cancer patients. The countess had an interesting reputation, to put it mildly - but the depths of her coin purse ended up demolishing certain barriers. At the end of the day - and in no doubt thanks to Hannibal's initial intermediation - the brunette had managed to establish herself as any other wealthy member of the Baltimore scene had.

But the precise terms of the relationship between Hannibal and Melissa remained elusive - even to the countess' staff. Clearly Melissa regarded the doctor differently given the privileges afforded to him alone, and the trust the employees had in him (to the point of calling the man over first than the authorities when there was an incident) was undeniable. The fact that she spent a significant number of nights at his home also did not go unnoticed when her schedule was carefully planned and arranged by others, but none under Forteguerri employment gossiped about Melissa.

The rumor mill was at work not thanks to the servants and help hired for these events and homes, but the high echelons of the Baltimore so-called 'society'.

The psychiatrist had separated from Melissa at some point to talk with fellow doctors - even if he was not actively working as a surgeon, he still had much to discuss in relation to his professional field. The countess had gone away to meet with her own acquaintances and connections, a warmer smile or a tighter embrace being gifted to those she regularly welcomed at her parties - and thus shared their secrets with her.

The news of an engagement between two individuals who met on Forteguerri grounds had just been disclosed to her - and the brunette had left the happy couple for refreshments when another woman intercepted the brunette. The other female was not immediately familiar - therefore not one of Melissa's usual guests - but the words that were spoken shortly afterwards were enough to identify her.

A friend of Hannibal's, then - of course.

"Many of you? Am I to assume they are busy elsewhere and you are the sole representative then?" the countess queried with a cheerful tone, holding the empty flute like some sort of toy. There was nothing that denounced any displeasure in Melissa - not even annoyance at being suddenly hounded at a social event without such much as an introduction or a name (which obliterated basic etiquette).

"But that is a complex question - I am not quite sure I have a single word for that," Melissa mused, with a hint of introspection blooming on her face... Even if it was all part of an act, of course. With the free hand smoothing the sapphire fabric of her dress, the countess replied, "He paints, while I collect art; he plays the harpsichord, whereas I am a singer. He cooks these delightful banquets and I am happy to supply the wine from the best importers. He heals people with his practice, and I offer them a escape from their worries through other means."

It was hardly an answer - but a summary of the many things they did together. For Melissa, Hannibal had an unique role in her life: the one of a partner. Not only in times of duress, but also for pleasure; not solely relegated to hobbies, but also covering certain dark secrets that were best kept away from the public. There was an invigorating complementary aspect there - they brought matching contributions to the table, and quite frankly, Melissa had never met someone like that.

Another man she didn't look down at or feared; simply put, a leading man to accompany her own act on a shared stage. The countess was happy to be at his side - like a partner under equal terms, although Hannibal himself could have a different opinion of that arrangement.

The look on the other woman's face was hard to describe - the smile faltered and the frustration showed in her eyes, as if she felt Melissa mocked her. The countess laughed merrily, twirling the empty glass on her hand for added flair, and then spoke up once more.

"Do not worry, my dear. I will never take Hannibal as a husband - he is too brilliant of a man to suffer the horrible fate that seems to follow my spouses," a mischievous smile on equally painted lips followed, and Melissa bowed discreetly to the woman who had rudely intervened before, "I hope I have offered you - and those you represent - enough connection labels to pick from."

[thunderclaw100]

Favorite color: Midnight blue

Personalities:Charming,Caring,Resourceful,Efficient,Dedicated,Hardworking,Reliable,Wise,Principled.

Cause of Death: Sickness.

Zork is part of the medic team. Working at the military base. He wants to study an unknown illness that has claimed many Irken lives recently. A sickness that has started during tallest’s Drex’s reign. Zork is tasked in finding a cure or at least the cause of this. He’s had many patients come to him with the same problem. Trouble breathing, quivering antennas, low energy, unable to walk sometimes. Most would just drop dead right then and there. Zork wonders if this is affecting the other hives, and it turns out that the sickness has spread towards their allies as well. All accept one, which is rival to his own.

Zork is a workaholic. If he doesn’t get something done right and on time for his next report. He’ll punish himself for it. Many of his colleagues try to understand the reason for his madness, but left it as him being a perfectionist. Tallest Drex notice this and has made Zork his personal medic, which excited the drone. He gets to work close to his leader and get all the file information for his research. He spend the last hundred years on it.

Zork attended a meeting between hive leaders and listened in on the other medics as they too have the same problem with the sickness. Collaborating with them to find a cure and the cause of the illness. Zork has kept tabs on the citizens of his hive, even more so on the soldiers. Since they go out and may have caught the sickness while on patrol or something. There came a time where tallest Drex has fallen to this sickness and Zork took it upon himself to stand in for him as acting tallest for a while. Due to his height, most can see why, while others don’t like this idea and comment that he should stay in his place.

While Drex is recovering, Zork sort out all of the leader’s schedule duties, concerning the hive. Partaking in meetings with the generals. Greeting the ambassador from neighboring hives. Overseeing the progress in the technology advancement section. He’s done it all without worry of being overwhelmed with the responsibility. A little over a decade has passed and the irkens have made a vaccine to keep the unknown sickness away. Sharing it with their allies. Once Drex was killed later in the year, it was the elder councils who’ve made Zork the next tallest. the guy loves being a medical drone, but if destiny calls for it, he will listen. After being measured, the first thing he did was monitor his citizens health.

Though he now has to appoint his own personal medic, Zork kept up the routine for a while longer. He ordered for some more scientists and researchers, and technicians. One of the things noticeable is the decline of new sworms. Some irkens came to the tallest with this concern, and it’s not that some can’t have any. It’s the thought of that sickness coming back and effecting the smeets.

Tallest Zork took notes of this and even got the same worry from his allies. He came up with the idea that there’s a way for his hive to keep the population up, and that’s to have a once a year breeding event. Involving anyone who wants to attend and contribute to repopulate the hive. This was a successful one that helped Zork’s people and those of his allies.

Spending the next few centuries with this same idea. He even created a network system to keep ties with everything. He got himself involved with some arms dealers at some point in his life, that did spark some controversy. Tallest Zork final days was after he found out what caused the unknown sickness to fall on his hive. It was during a meeting with the other hive leaders. This time it was in enemy territory, instead of one of their usual neutral spot. Zork went snooping and found documents, records of his hives health during the sickness spread.

He questioned himself why haven’t this hive been infected while the others have? Then it hit him once he peeked into one of the science rooms and learned that this was nothing natural. The death of may irkens was caused by this hive alone. They created a bio weapon that was killing others of their kind. A war strategy but a deadly once that can destroy a whole populace if not gone unchecked.

Tallest Zork was furious and brought this up to the rest of the hive leaders. He demanded the stop of this evil project and punishment for the hive responsible. A fight broke out right then and there. Then Zork stormed out of the meeting room, and returned to home. He only started to feel sick after a day. He told everyone what had happened already but for some reason he’s getting sicker.

Not even his own medical drone could save him from this fate. All they could do is make the best of it for him. Tallest Zork gave the intel to his medics, so they will give that to the head of council members to look at before he died in the medical room table. His hive mourns for him and kept his memory fresh by reciting some of his ceremonial rites that he used to give when he was still medical drone.

*EXTRA*

•Zork applied twice to get into medical training because he was rejected the first time, due to an error in the system reboot.

•He has a thing for dissecting bodies. Autopsy used to be his hidden gore fear but now it’s his favorite thing he was allowed to do.

•His favorite drink and sweets is soda and pie.

•He gets crick in his neck more than back pains. That’s why he’s seen with neck pillows.

•Zork possesses great memory of each equipment used and the vital parts of an Irken’s body. How to disable their movements, speech, hearing. Turning off nerve systems. It’s scary and few would call him a mad scientist.

•Zork is the first tallest who’s hive create a vaccine for the sickness that killed many.

•His DNA was gathered and stored with some of the other Irken of great importance.

•As his first decree as tallest, Zork wanted all head of medics, morgue drones and head of science research to always have an assistant with them. Zork lost his mate because the drone in charge of the medical bay, had no one to assist them. She died because of that.

•He’s more comfortable in loose tallest gowns than the armor ones. He wears them in and out of his chambers. Despite old traditions.

•Zork had a mate but she died in his arms after she fell from a height point, during their trainee days. The medics then couldn’t save her in time. This is also the reason why Zork wants to be a medical drone in the first place.

*DIALOGUE*

“I let the rain down on me, so no one could see my tears.”

“There are so many sad eyes on happy faces”

“I miss the days where my smile was real”

“Destroy your enemies by making them your friend.”

“A real warrior doesn’t back down from a fight. Even if the odds are against them!”

“You have no choice. I’m ordering you to hand over that ring or I’ll snap your finger off with it.”

[fearfully-fiction]

Ashmore Estates pt.3- Alex Schroeder x Reader

word count:3566

warnings: language, fluff, I think that's it

summary: based on season 4, episode 6 of DF. so all credit goes to the crew, the show, and the channel/network. The packet is read, and it's time to start the investigation.

(gif not mine!)

“Sequestered within the never-ending cornfields of eastern Illinois, can be found the decaying remains of Ashmore Estates,” Dakota started. “Opened in 1857 as the Coles county poor farm, it had 30 buildings spread across 260 acres,” He continued. “The day-to-day operation of the poor farm was unmonitored leading to unhygienic and unsafe living conditions. In the 1870s alone 12% of the residents passed away. One such inmate was Joe, a maintenance man for the almshouse. He had been walking back from town when he was hit by an oncoming train. Though a good samaritan carried him back home his injuries were too grave and he passed away,” Dakota explained and your heart sank. It always made you sad, when you heard stories like that, life truly was just unfair and unkind sometimes. “That’s so sad,” Chelsea said. “I was just thinking the same thing. I couldn’t even imagine,” you said and leaned your head against Alex’s shoulder. He squeezed your waist as Dakota read on. 

“But perhaps the most tragic death to occur was that of 5-year-old Elva Skinner in 1880 in a building previously on site. She had been left alone inside while the adults went out to work the farm,” He said and your heart dropped. You knew this was going to be terrible, and it was. 

She had passed away after her dress had caught on fire despite them doing everything they could to help her. Everyone at the table was horrified by the way she died. “What a terrible way to die,” Chelsea said and you couldn’t help but nod. There had been accounts of seeing her and hearing giggling. 

“Dude when we were here last time and we were all in our sleeping arrangements there was a girl giggling that was captured on camera,” Dakota brought up. It all came back to you, you remember watching the footage back and it scared the hell out of you. 

“That, like, puts validation to what happened to us,” Dakota said. “And now going back we have a name to go off of,” Alex spoke. “Elva Skinner,” you repeated the little girl's name out loud. 

The packet was handed to Chelsea and she began to read. “Those lucky enough to stay alive had to contend with truly atrocious conditions. Flies reportedly swarmed everywhere and there was noticeably rotten food prepared for dinner,” she explained and you shivered at the thought. “That’s disgusting,” you said and shook your head. 

“By 1916, the conditions were so appalling that the original buildings were torn down and a new one was built in their place, operating for the next 40 years. It then transitioned to a private psychiatric hospital. Allegedly the most violent patients received electroshock treatments. It closed its doors in 1986,” Chelsea stopped. 

“I forgot how layered this place is,” Dakota said. 

The packet was then handed over to Alex. “The most active areas include The first floor. This floor is active with every kind of paranormal activity imaginable,” he said before holding the packet in front of you. You accepted it from him and began to read. 

“The second-floor green room. A former poor house resident named Mary can be found in this room. People have heard her raspy breaths follow them through the building. She’s known for throwing and knocking over items,” You finished and passed it to Tanner. 

“The boiler room. Joe. the former maintenance man is found here. While he is normally friendly if he feels disrespected, he can become quite agitated,” Tanner read. He was known to not like females in the boiler room, they would get shoved, grabbed, and even have their hair pulled. 

You reached for Alex’s hand and he held yours tightly. He knew you didn’t fare well with that kind of information when it came to an overnight. It made you impossibly nervous, and he always made sure that you were ok before, during, and after. 

There was a man who had actually been thrown across the room after defending the girls he was investigating with. 

Alex held you tighter. He knew how much worry you held for your friends and so hearing that was something that made you very uneasy. You got protective easily, and so it was something you didn’t like to hear. 

Alex picked up the packet and began again. “The third floor. This entire floor is incredibly active, especially by the former electroshock therapy room. Though Elva, the five-year-old who passed away on site is known to play up here there is another unknown entity that grabs people appearing as a phantom mist before disappearing completely,” Alex described. That entity was known to cause scratches and hurt anyone who may be vulnerable when up on that floor. It’s like he can sense it and preys on the more sensitive and weak. 

“We did not know about that phantom mist on the third floor, reaching out and grabbing people,” Dakota said. “What I captured on film looked exactly like that description,” Tanner pointed out and it immediately took you back to that night, and what you had seen on camera. It was terrifying, especially back then when you were completely new to all of this. 

“So creepy, like I have the chills right now,” Dakota said and you nodded your head. “I do too, I remember that so well,” you added. 

���To be honest what you caught there was the reason I wanted to see this location so badly,” Alex admitted. “I have to see this for myself,” He added. 

“I think it’s going to be a jam-packed night. What do you say we load some gear and get going,” Alex suggested and you internally cringed at the thought of staying there again. 

“Let’s do it, dude,” Dakota said and Alex replied, “let’s start this night,” 

You all got up and walked back to the RV to get your gear. “I cannot believe we are back here,” You said to yourself as you looked at the building over your shoulder. “It’s been so long, I wonder if they will remember us?” Chelsea wondered aloud. “I bet they will,” you said and shook your head. You headed into the building for the first time in almost 7 years and it took your breath away. It was like taking a step into the past. You remembered your exact words when you first stepped into the building. 

“Guys I think we’re screwed,” you repeated yourself from 7 years ago. “That’s exactly what you said when we first stepped into this place,” Tanner recalled and you chuckled. “Well, it’s equally as true now as it was then,” you said. Everyone chuckled, and Alex walked over to wrap his arms around you. “Everything is going to be just fine, I promise you. I won’t let anything happen to you. I know you can do it, babe,” he said softly and kissed your head. 

“I hate solos, Al,” you spoke quietly. “I know, but just think when it’s over we won’t have to come back. I know you’re nervous, but I also know how strong you are. You have so much more experience than you did last time, I have full confidence that you can handle this. And if anything happens I’m right here, I’m gonna be right here,” he tried to put you at ease. “Ok,” you breathed out and wrapped your arms around him tightly. You pulled away the slightest bit so that you could lean up on your toes to place a kiss on his lips. Your hands clutched the fabric of his shirt tightly and his rested firmly on your hips. 

You pulled away and softly smiled at him. He smiled back before pressing a lingering kiss on your forehead for good measure. 

“You guys ready to start?” Dakota asked and you looked over at him before sighing. “I’m ready when you guys are,” you said and looked up at Alex as if asking him the same question. He just nodded his head. “I’m ready, let’s go,” he said and grabbed your hand in his. 

“So we just got done setting up the gear room, we are about to jump into solos,” Alex announced and you shifted your weight nervously. “Who’s ready?” He asked. “I am never ready for solos,” you told him. “I’m not ready either,” Dakota followed up. Everyone else agreed, and you chuckled. “See, this is not a good idea Alex,” you said and softly glared at him. “You guys will be fine,” he playfully brushed it off and you rolled your eyes. “This is the worst. And we have no flashlights,” Tanner reminded everyone. Your heart dropped. 

“Tanner!” Alex spoke up. “Yeah?” he asked. You could tell he was not excited at all, and you couldn’t help but feel the exact same way. “Since you won the contest today, and you are a superior athlete, and a strong man,” Alex continued. “Yup,” Tanner said as if telling him to continue. “You win the privilege…” Alex paused. “The privilege,” Tanner repeated. “Of going into Ashmore Estates, first,” Alex finished and your jaw dropped. “What?” he asked incredulously. You could hear Dakota snickering beside you and you slapped his arm. “Why?” Tanner questioned again. “You won the contest. You get to go in first,” Alex shrugged his shoulders like it was obvious. “That’s not a prize, that’s losing,” Tanner said. “Alex that’s just mean,” you said and glared at him. “Well first place goes first right?” he shrugged again and you shook your head. 

“It’s so mean, to let him go in first,” Dakota joked. “You wanna take his place?” Alex asked and looked at him, “No,” Dakota admitted and you chuckled. “This is a crappy prize,” Tanner said and you agreed. “Then pride is your prize,” Alex suggested and you once again rolled your eyes. “Pride is my prize?” He asked quizically. “You are a sore winner,” Alex told him. 

“This literally makes no sense. Did you put any thought into this?” Tanner questioned your boyfriend. “You know-you know what?” Alex slightly stammers. “Go for it,” Tanner encouraged him. “How about, oh, I don’t know maybe you’re wearing the enhanced recorder the entire time,” Alex spat out. “Oh no! I’m so scared. Not!” Tanner mockingly said. “Alright, this is good!” Alex said back. “Perfect,” Tanner retorted. “This is good,” Alex reiterated. “Cool,” Tanner said one last time. “Whatever, you know I’ll just go in there first,” Tanner said and you shook your head. “Stir it all up,” He told you and you sighed heavily. “I mean there you go, that’s super positive of you,” Alex said in mock positivity. 

“Alright, let’s get going,” Tanner breathed out heavily. Before he walked away you went over and wrapped him in a hug. “You got this Tanner,” you said and he smiled softly and kissed your head. “Thanks, (n/n),” he said before taking a deep breath and making his way into the building. “Remember, you’re a winner,” Chelsea called after him. “Biggest winner out there,” Alex reiterated. “Doesn’t feel like a winner,” Tanner spoke up. “You’ve got this!” you tried to encourage him. 

As soon as he was in the building you walked over and smacked your boyfriend's arm. “That was no prize Alex,” you said with a slight look of annoyance. “It was for us,” he shrugged and smiled down at you smugly. You rolled your eyes. “You’re gonna be the death of me Alex, I swear it,” you mumbled and he chuckled before tossing an arm around you and pulling you into his chest. “You love me,” he whispered before kissing your head. “You’re lucky I do,” you said and held his arm that was around you. 

“That I am,” he said and leaned forward to kiss your cheek. 

“Hey, what about us?” Dakota asked with his arms out in mock hurt. “Aww, I love you guys too,” you said and walked over to hug Dakota before kissing his cheek and doing the same with Chelsea. 

“They’re such babies,” she said and you laughed. “They really are, honestly. I don’t know how I put up with him sometimes,” you nudged her shoulder and she chuckled. You all sat at the table once again. You set your camera down so you could grab his free hand and hold it in your lap. Just to hold him in some way. It eased your nerves. 

“That was kinda mean, not gonna lie,” Dakota said and you nodded your head. “He’s right Al,” you said and looked at him. “Are you like mad at him?” Chelsea asked softly. “No. He just won. The prize was not a good one at all,” Alex explained it simply. “Obviously Alex,” you said and nudged his shoulder. “What’s the moral of this story? Don’t win? Don’t try?” Dakota asked curiously. “Just be cautious. Watch your back,” Alex told you. “Oh wow, that’s nice,” your sarcasm practically dripping from your words. “A prize can turn into a surprise, real fast,” Chelsea spoke up and you gave her a tight-lipped smile. “True, true,” Dakota agreed with her. 

“Do you think he’s ok up there?” you asked nervously. “He’s Tanner, I’m sure he’s ok why don’t you check on him if you’re worried?” Chelsea asked and smirked playfully as she handed you the walkie. You rolled your eyes and took it, “I’m not trying to scare him I’m just gonna check on him. But if it does scare him then that’s what happens,” you shrugged and softly smiled. They all chuckled. “You’re too good of a person,” Dakota shook his head and you laughed. “Sure, ok,” you said and stuck your tongue out at him playfully. 

You held down the button for a few seconds before speaking, knowing that it might not scare him since he would hear that. “Hey, Tanner,” you said. “Shit,” you heard him curse and you internally cringed. “Yeah, go for Tanner,” you heard him say and you could tell he was already a bit drained from being in there. “I’m sorry to scare you, I just wanted to check in and make sure that you were ok,” you spoke. “It’s ok, I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s freaky up here honestly,” he told you and you nodded despite him not being able to see you. “Are you ok?” you asked sweetly. “Yeah, I’m ok, just a bit freaked out. I’ll see you in a bit ok?” he asked and you just sighed. “Alright, We’re here if you need us at all,” you said genuinely hoping to ease his nerves. “Thanks (n/n),” that was the last you heard. 

“Are you ok?” Alex asked and pulled you closer to his side. You rested your head on his shoulder and nodded. “I’m ok, just uneasy,” you said and sighed. “I know this may sound weird, but why don't you go next?” Chelsea suggested with a small smile. You looked at her with wide eyes. “What? You want me to pee myself?” you asked in disbelief. Everyone chuckled, “No, I just thought it would be a good idea to get it over with and not have to wait and let anxiety build up even more,” She explained and you let your shoulders fall. 

“You’re probably right, it would just be easier for me to go and get it over with. Gosh, this really sucks Alex,” you said and nudged him. He kissed the top of your head and smiled down at you. 

“Can I talk to you before I go in Al?” you asked him and he looked down at you in concern. “Yeah, of course, babe,” he said and you began to get off of your seat. They all looked at you in worry. “Is everything ok,(y/n)?” Dakota asked and you just nodded. “Yeah, I just wanted to talk to him for a second. “We’ll be right back,” you said and grabbed Alex’s hand. You both set your cameras down before walking away a bit.

“Is everything ok?” Alex asked as he placed his arms around you. “I really am scared Al, what if they do recognize us and something bad happens?” you told him. “What if something grabs Chelsea if she’s in the basement or something and she gets hurt? What if one of you gets hurt? There are just so many what-ifs and I’m scared,” you relayed your fears to him. He looked down at you with a soft gaze. “Hey, hey, don’t think like that. I know you’re scared but nothing will happen. And even if something does, we have each other. All of us have each other's backs, that’s the way it’s always been and I’m sure that’s the way it will always be. So if you need to break down or fall apart, we’re right here. I’m right here,” he said and pulled you in close. 

You wrapped your arms around him and held onto him tightly not wanting to let go. “I just want us all to be ok,” you spoke softly and he leaned down to kiss your head. “We will be,” he said and pulled away from you slightly so he could look at you. 

You moved your arms up and around his neck to pull him down and place a kiss on his lips. He reached up to place a hand on your cheek and you leaned into his touch. He couldn’t help but always want you closer, he could never put his finger on it but something about you was just so endearing. Maybe it was everything?

Just like that, he made you forget where you were, and what you were about to do. He made you feel at home, and secure. That was always the case, he took the fear away even if only for a few seconds. It was just gone. 

Before you knew it you had to pull away, and for a few seconds, you felt like you could breathe. He smiled down at you and pushed a strand of hair away from your face. “Promise, you’ll be here when I get back?” you asked looking up at him with a worried gaze. “I promise you,” he reassured and kissed your forehead. “Ok, ok I’m fine,” you said trying to be sure of yourself. “You ready?” he asked and placed his arm around your shoulders. You nodded your head curtly and took a deep breath. “I’m ready,” you said and he guided you back towards your friends. 

“Hey, you ok?” Chelsea asked when you sat back down.” Yeah, I’m ok,” you smiled softly at her. Before Dakota got to speak Tanner came rushing out of the building. “Woah, Tanner are you ok?” You asked as he quickly made his way over to the table. “I just heard whistling,” he told you, you could hear the shock in his voice. “What? A whistle?” Dakota asked incredulously. “Like on the second floor, I started to hear this faint whistling. There’s no way if I didn’t have this device that I’d have heard it,” Tanner explained and your heart rate picked up. “That’s crazy, Tanner,” you expressed. Alex and Dakota let out a simultaneous ‘what?’. 

“Yes, it was the second floor,” he informed you. “That’s freaking terrifying,” Chelsea said. 

“Dude, I heard it multiple times,” He told you. “Whistling, for sure?” Dakota asked. “100%” Tanner assured him. “Like, it, enough to where it, it, froze me,” He described his experience. 

“That’s super weird because there’s supposed to be a woman, Mary, on that floor. She’s a poltergeist on that floor, she’ll move things around, and other claims are that there is raspy, like, whispering and breathing,” Alex explained some claims from that floor. “Did you go like, approach where it came from?” Dakota asked. “Fuck that,” Tanner stated and you chuckled. “I concur,” you agreed. “See, thank you,” Tanner said and gestured to you and you just nodded at him. “You didn’t go towards it?” Dakota asked again. “I am not exploring this place by myself the entire night. Someone else can take that second floor and do the follow-up,” Tanner said. “I’m proud of myself. I’m calling it quits,” he said and you just nodded. “I’m proud of you too Tanner,” you said and got up to give him a high-five. He instead wrapped his arm around your shoulder and brought you into a big side hug. “Alright, (y/n), It’s your turn. You’re next up,” Alex said and you sighed heavily. 

“This is great, I’m so excited,” you said sarcastically and threw your arms up in mock excitement. They all chuckled. “You’ve got this,” Tanner said and squeezed your shoulder. “Alright, alright fine. I’m going,” you sighed and you got handed the Ovilus. “Bye guys,” you waved and as you walked away you felt someone come up behind you. You turned around to see Alex and smiled. “What? Did I forget something?” you asked. He just leaned down and pressed his lips to yours for a few seconds before pulling away. “Just that,” he said and smiled back at you. You shook your head, “You’re too much sometimes Al, now go on, I have to get this over with,” you said and shooed him away. “If I die, I love you guys!” you called over your shoulder. “We love you too!” you heard them call back. 

“Alright guys, let’s do this,” you spoke and opened the door. 

Taglist:

@jaziona92

@beautybyfire

@thefandomthings

@kippykasey

@kristin813

@katelynanna

@nyx2021

[jennhoney]

Me: they’re so…shiny…new looking.

MyPodiatrist: you got a lot of wear out of the old ones! Are you just going to use the new ones for formal occasions?

[diverseinsertknet]

diverseinsertknet's pride month 2023 writing challenge!

happy pride month everyone!

diversity is the name of our game here, and what better time to encourage it than during pride month? to celebrate, we're calling all k-pop fic writers to write, reblog, or recommend any fics centered around the theme of pride with the hashtag #divnet pride 2023 ! (or, just submit it to our ask box!)

for this challenge, there is no restrictions on the type of reader written, if even containing a reader at all - so long as the story's central theme is to do with LGBTQ+ pride and follows our network guidelines, we will include it in the round-up at the end of the month and reblog it to the network! the round-up post will then replace our pinned post for the rest of july.

we encourage writers who've never written for diverse readers and/or idols to use this as a chance to try something new and write something outside their comfort zone! if you're worried about how to write for demographics you aren't a part of, or how to make things gender neutral, feel free to browse our #writing advice tag here on the net, and/or send in an ask and we will be happy to help you.

to help jog some inspiration, here's an assorted prompt list to write off, feel free to take interpret them however you like, or not use them at all!

dialogue prompts:

"Fellas, is it gay-"

"Coming out? If you see a cishet person when you look at me, that one's on you."

"This is kind of hard for me to say, so... please be patient with me."

"You know what they say, sexy attracts sexy..."

"Are you, y'know..."

"Wait, you thought I was what now?"

"I don't think this is really me."

"I'm fucking sick of hiding in the closet."

"Is this like... weird, or something-"

"If you want to experiment with that, I'm right here."

"Just saying, I've never heard a [cis/straight] person say that."

"Yeah, I'm [label], got a problem with that?"

"This is who I really am."

"I love you no matter what labels you use."

"If they got some shit to say about that, then I'll deal with them myself."

content prompts:

going to a pride event

coming out to oneself / queer self discovery

coming out to other people

being outwardly queer as possible on purpose to make a statement

being outed against their will (i shouldn't have to say this but obviously this is not something you should do irl ever.)

struggles + reassurance with self acceptance

the specific moment a character realised they were queer

a trans character going on hrt or getting a major surgery

trying out a new look/form of self expression

anything to do with drag

gay clubs

escaping or fighting back against bigotry

first queer experiences with another

switching between labels trying to find one that fits

finding a queer safe space

we look forward to everything you will show us or create! happy writing, and most importantly, happy pride! ✨

-mod rascal (he/they)

[swldx]

Voice of America 0406 8 Jan 2024

9775Khz 0358 8 JAN 2024 - VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in ENGLISH from MOPENG HILL. SINPO = 55434. English, "International Edition" in progress. @0400z "Worldwide News Update" anchored by Joe Ramsey. § Rescuers searched for survivors Tuesday after a strong earthquake shook a high-altitude region of western China and areas of Nepal, damaging hundreds of houses, littering streets with rubble and killing at least 126 people in Tibet. Many others were believed to be trapped as dozens of aftershocks shook the remote region. Earth’s tallest peak, on Mount Everest, is about 75 kilometers southwest of the quake’s epicenter. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 7.1 and was relatively shallow at a depth of about 10 kilometers. China's Earthquake Networks Center recorded the magnitude as 6.8. Shallow earthquakes often cause more damage. § The Biden administration on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to block a plea agreement for accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants that would spare them the risk of the death penalty. The Justice Department argued in a brief filed with a federal appeals court in the District of Columbia that the government would be irreparably harmed if the guilty pleas were accepted. It said the government would be denied a chance for a public trial and the opportunity to "seek capital punishment against three men charged with a heinous act of mass murder that caused the death of thousands of people and shocked the nation and the world." § President-elect Donald Trump is still set to be sentenced in his hush money case this week after a New York appeals court judge on Tuesday swiftly rejected his second attempt to get it called off. Judge Ellen Gesmer, of the state’s mid-level appellate court, denied Trump’s request for an order that would have indefinitely postponed sentencing and halted the case while he appeals a decision last week upholding the verdict. § The risk to the general population from H5N1 bird flu remains low, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States. The patient, who was over 65 and had underlying medical conditions, was hospitalised with the virus in December after exposure to a combination of backyard chickens and wild birds, Louisiana health officials said. § Meta is ending its fact-checking program in the U.S. and replacing it with a "Community Notes" system similar to that on Elon Musk-owned X, the Facebook parent said on Tuesday. The Community Notes model will allow users on Meta's social media sites Facebook, Instagram and Threads to call out posts that are potentially misleading and need more context, rather than placing the responsibility on independent fact checking organizations and experts. @0405z "Daybreak Africa" begins presented by James Butty (w/African accent). 100' (30m) of Kev-Flex wire feeding "Magic Wand" antenna hanging in backyard tree w/MFJ-1020C active antenna (used as a preamplifier/preselector), JRC NRD-535D. 100kW, beamAz 350°, bearing 84°. Received at Plymouth, MN, United States, 14087KM from transmitter at Mopeng Hill. Local time: 2158.

[qnewsau]

Queensland government stops expansion of Gender Service

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/queensland-government-stops-expansion-of-gender-service/

Queensland government stops expansion of Gender Service

Queensland’s Health Minister has instructed the state’s Health Department to “halt” a recommended expansion of Queensland Children’s Gender Service.

Last July, an independent review into Queensland Children’s Gender Service (QCGS) recommended boosting staffing and expanding statewide to address waiting lists.

It found the service provided “effective care from referral to discharge” consistent with national and international guidelines.

The review refuted allegations at that time that patients or families were “hurried or coerced” into medical treatment.

Instead, the review recommended a significant boost in staffing to help reduce lengthy waiting lists and allow young people to access care sooner.

Mid-last year, the QCGS was providing direct care to 547 children and adolescents across Queensland. Approximately 40 per cent of those were from regional areas.

Only a third of the children assessed by the QCGS team were prescribed medical treatment. Another 491 young people were on waiting lists that stretched 12 months or longer.

As well as more staff, the review also recommended Queensland Health consider a statewide network of regional clinics to provide care to gender-diverse children closer to home.

LNP ‘do not support the expansion of gender services’

Last year, the previous Labor government accepted all 25 of the recommendations, before the conservative LNP was elected in October.

On Saturday, LNP Health Minister Tim Nicholls was asked by the The Courier-Mail about the gender service review’s recommendations and said “no decision has been made”.

But a day later, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and Nicholls told a press conference a decision had been made: the government was “halting” implementation of all the recommendations.

In the comments excerpted and posted to social media, Bleijie said that Health Minister Tim Nicholls had “directed his department to halt any further delivery on the recommendations produced by that report.”

“We do not support the expansion of gender services for children in Queensland,” Bleijie said.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said, “The concerns have been raised, and were raised by me, in debate in Parliament back in 2023 about the delivery of the Children’s Gender Service, and particularly the use of puberty blockers.”

During the election campaign last October, the LNP declined to comment on their party’s plans for gender-affirming care, including support for a ban on puberty-blocking medication for children experiencing gender dysphoria.

Earlier in the year, LNP party members had voted in support of such a ban at the party’s national conference.

‘There are young people suffering’

Queensland psychiatrist and associate professor John Allan led the panel of Australian experts in last year’s review of the QCGS.

His review found staff within the service had a “commendable level” of dedication and commitment to patient outcomes.

But high demand and public debates around gender-affirming healthcare meant staff “often felt isolated, overworked and in some cases feared for their personal safety”.

At the same time, he emphasised the risks of denying gender-diverse youth access to appropriate care.

“There’s quite a lot of risks in not giving [young people] opportunity to express themselves and find some way that they can move forward,” he told ABC News in July.

“For this particular group, there are lots of things like how they’re seen in society, things like bullying at school, their own self-worth, their own self-evaluation, their own image of themselves as well. Those can lead to things like anxiety, depression, even suicidal thoughts.

“There are young people suffering. We need to give them services. We need to think very carefully about what we do and to make sure that it is evidence-based and appropriate to their situation.”

If you need support, help is available from QLife on 1800 184 527 or online at QLife.org.au, Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[yourreddancer]

By Melissa Davis -Seattle Times deputy opinion editor

My email inbox, like that of most journalists, contains the funny, the beautifully written, the occasional “get me out of jail” plea and a dose of snark. Emailers want a piece of my time, or occasionally, my hide.

But I don’t think I’ve ever received a message as gut-wrenching as the one that dropped last week. The email writer not only asserted we don’t need vaccines anymore because of falling death rates, but that terrifying illnesses like diphtheria and meningitis usually “have a corresponding vitamin deficiency.”

The part that made my blood run slightly colder was this plea at the end: “Please feel free to share widely, especially on social media, to combat the ‘vaccines save lives’ rhetoric (rhetoric which rarely includes any evidence, science, or valid graphs whatsoever).”

This has gone beyond the vaccine skepticism we usually hear. This is, “I refuse to accept and understand settled science and overwhelming evidence,” not “prove it works” or “the government can’t tell me what to put in my body.” This is not asking a few questions. This is dangerous.

The email came from a group benignly named the Informed Consent Action Network. And that group is now very, very close to federal policy-making. ICAN is a client of attorney Aaron Siri, an adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to helm Health and Human Services. Siri is helping Kennedy select federal health officials. He is also known for filing a string of lawsuits around vaccines and vaccine mandates, which could bolster arguments against their use and sow doubt.

According to The New York Times, Siri has tried to pause the distribution of 13 vaccines and has raised questions about the safety of one polio vaccine that has long been proven safe. (Kennedy once said the original polio vaccine trials caused cancer and that the idea the vaccine had helped eradicate the virus was a myth. So they’re a perfect match.)

But for those who still aren’t as appalled as I am, please listen to Dr. Lauren Jatt, an infectious disease fellow at the University of Washington: “The Salk inactivated polio vaccine trials were some of the largest vaccine trials we’ve had in the history of vaccinology,” Jatt said by phone on Wednesday, referring to Jonas Salk, who developed and implemented a vaccine for poliomyelitis. More than 500,000 children were given either the vaccine or a placebo during testing. “I’d say we have some of the best safety and efficacy information (for the polio vaccine) we’ve had for any vaccine,” she added.

According to the National Institutes of Health, over the last 20 years, mass polio vaccination campaigns have delivered around 20 billion doses of polio vaccine to children across the globe. Siri is now poking around already-approved vaccines amid his Freedom of Information requests and depositions. That’s what has brought polio back into the spotlight.

Jatt explained the polio vaccines we use in clear terms: There are six vaccines licensed by the FDA that contain the inactivated polio vaccine. Five of these vaccines are combination vaccines. One is a standalone vaccine, called IPOL. A lawsuit filed by Siri requested the FDA withdraw or suspend the approval for the IPOL vaccine for infants, toddlers and children.

However, all of the inactivated polio vaccines the FDA has approved have undergone rigorous safety testing, she said. The vaccines are very similar to the inactivated polio vaccine initially approved in 1955, but over the years, there have been slight improvements to the manufacturing process to increase efficiency. The basic concept of the vaccine — the deactivation of the poliovirus with formalin — has not changed, she added. “It makes no sense to single out the IPOL vaccine as lacking safety data.”

So much for “rarely including evidence,” as ICAN states.

Probably the most famous polio patient was President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used leg braces and a wheelchair. A “big chunk” of people who contract polio are asymptomatic, Jatt said; some have mild gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Unfortunately, others’ nervous systems become infected, causing limb weakness or paralysis, or even paralysis of the diaphragm, meaning they need a machine to breathe for them — hence the heartbreaking photos of children encased in iron lungs. Some recovered, some were affected, like Roosevelt, and still others died during the outbreaks in the 1940s and ’50s that doctors and parents were powerless to stop.

How could the cold hand of doubt land on the vaccine that eradicated polio, one of this country’s greatest achievements? “Vaccine hesitancy isn’t a new phenomenon. It’s been around for as long as vaccines have existed,” Jatt said. Even back when variolation — intentionally infecting someone with smallpox to render protection — was emerging as a defense against that scourge, people were hesitant.

Jatt acknowledges there are questions. “When you give a medical product to healthy people – that’s a big deal, and people have the right to make sure these products are safe and effective,” she said. “That is why we rigorously evaluate these products. After we do that, we need to explain to the public why we think the benefits outweigh any potential risks. We also need to know what our vaccines can and can’t do and be very honest about that.”

This ramp-up against vaccines, polio in particular, is a little personal. I grew up in a small town in Oregon where vestiges of polio remained. My dad contracted it and fortunately experienced only temporary effects — a bad leg — but one of his cousins spent time in an iron lung, and yet another died. Before the vaccine, about 16,000 people a year were paralyzed by the poliomyelitis virus, the Mayo Clinic estimates. Countless others lived with disabling aftereffects. Then there are those older adults who have post-polio syndrome, muscles weakened and nerves damaged by a virus that won’t let go.

The polio vaccine is a triumph that Americans achieved together — hoping for it, then embracing it after seeing the evidence. Like other vaccines, it has granted us longer and better lives. We don’t have to endure the grim wait-and-see with diphtheria, which had a mortality rate of 52% during the epidemics of the 1880s, or the grisly symptoms of tetanus, or rubella, which is so dangerous to pregnant women and their babies. That sense of safety, and the unchecked information flowing past social media users, has led to a wreck at the intersection of this good fortune and those who would manipulate it for their own ends. This is not the time to sit and ponder whether it’s “safe” to go back on some of our commitments to public health. It is safe because we have made it so.

We know vaccine vigilance is slipping because 27 of Washington’s 39 counties recorded cases of whooping cough this year. As of Dec. 5, nearly 300 cases of measles have been reported across the U.S., including a few in Washington. Should those sick folks encounter babies too young to receive vaccines, or people with weakened immune systems, well, you do the math. The “I” suddenly carries more weight than “the many.”

We do indeed have evidence vaccines are safe and they do save lives. Feel free to share that widely.