#i have another absolutely hilarious one in my head between dust horror and horror's drawings

[triglycercule]

they're a bit dumb

[haveanotherkpopblog]

Exquisite Horror

Part One of the Wild, Wild West

Pairing: Matador!Lee Hyukjae x Best Friend!You

Genre: Angst, Comedy, Fluff, Old West!AU

Word Count: 7k

Warnings: Animal Cruelty/Murder, Unwanted Sexual Advances

A/N: Everything about bullfighting is provided by my Spanish class and the movie “The Book of Life”. I also know when Sabor A Mi came out, but I like it too much to care, so if it really, really bothers you, skip over it. :)

The sun beat down against the dusty field of a small town in Mexico. In the middle of the town was a giant arena. Inside the arena sat hundreds of Mexican citizens--gathered to watch the only past time they had in 1832: bullfighting. Men drank and cheered as the matador angered and tested the bull. Women fanned themselves as the sun caused sweat to drip down their foreheads. They watched in growing anticipation for the brave matador. Children ran through the stands, giggling and waiting for the event to be over.

In the middle of the arena stood Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible, one of the country’s up and coming matadors. Already his fanbase was huge, men and women alike cheered for him as he easily dodged the charging bull. He waved the muleta around, doing a dance where one wrong move could cost him his life. He didn’t worry though, he thrived on the adrenaline. His heart was pumping in time to the chants of his name. He smirked, doing a quick turn to wave at his adoring fans.

On the opposite of the arena stood the bull. Multiple banderillas were already lodged in the bull. All he had to do was successfully stick his sword between the bull’s shoulder blades. Taking a deep breath, sweat trickling down his forehead, he called the bull forth towards him. The bull, weak and angry, made one final charge.

Exhaling slowly, he lifted his sword before plunging it into the bull. The bull let out a loud groan before collapsing onto the dust covered ground of the arena. The arena fell silent.

Then Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible turned around, throwing his arms in the air. The arena erupted with cheers. Roses were thrown by young women, hoping to catch his eye. He picked one up, blowing kisses to his adoring fans.  He waved and grinned as he exited the main arena. Once he was away from the eyes of the spectators, he let out a long breath. He took his sleeve and wiped away the sweat from the sun and the adrenaline of the fight.

“That was quite a show you put on.” To his left was his best friend of many years: Y/N. She was leaning against the wall opposite of him, her face half hidden behind her fan. She was a young, beautiful woman. She wore a dress the same color of his brightly colored costume. Her hair is braided with flowers woven into it. She was a real beauty to behold, but to him, she was simply Y/N.

“You were watching?” he asked, although he knew she was. She had been by his side throughout his entire career, attending every bullfight and keeping a close eye on him for his dear mother. With her, he wasn’t Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible. With her, he was Lee Hyukjae, a silly fool who was a literal ray of sunshine in her life.

“Don’t I always?” she said, standing up. He smiled, not the smirk he gave his fans to woo them, but a smile he saved just for her.

Before more could be said, his manager appeared from one of the arena rooms. He was a short, burly man with absolutely no regard for Hyukjae’s health and wellbeing. Y/N didn’t care much for him, especially with his unwanted, much dreaded and disgusting advances. She fanned herself, hiding her disgust behind her fan.

“Eunhyuk! Tu fuiste fantastico! You were perfecto! This is only the start! Soon you’ll be traveling to España! Selling out arenas of thousands!” his manager said. Y/N could see the peso signs in his eyes. It disgusted her, but the look of unbridled joy on Hyukjae’s face forced her to bite her tongue.

“Do you really think so, Julio?” he asked. He stared at his manager with wide eyes. Y/N couldn’t bring herself to crush his dreams.

“Yes, Mijo. You’re a star!” he said. He patted Hyukjae on the back. “Get changed. There’s a big party to celebrate your big success. Don’t worry, drinks are all on you tonight.” He laughed, leaning back as if he told the most hilarious joke. Hyukjae chuckled while Y/N rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t they always?” Y/N chuckled at Hyukjae’s comment, drawing Julio’s attention to her.

“You should come too, Señorita. It could do you some good. You may even find yourself a nice man, no?” Julio checked Y/N out, his intent clear in his dark eyes.

“I’ll go,” she said, willing herself to remain calm. “I’ll go to support Hyukjae. Just as I always have.” She knew Julio wasn’t listening, but she wanted Hyukjae to know that someone would be there to celebrate him.

“Sí, sí, perfecto. I’ll see you soon.” Julio left and Y/N let out a breath of relief. She ushered Hyukjae into one of the rooms before Julio could come back and bother them more.

“Can you believe the size of that crowd?” Hyukjae said, moving to rest on the couch. The cool leather felt amazing against his burning skin. Y/N set her fan down and grabbed a cloth to dip into the bucket of cold water she had prepared before the fight. She wrung the excess water out before taking a seat next to Hyukjae. Cold droplets of water ran down her wrist as she began to gently rub his forehead.

The cloth felt amazing against his skin. Hyukjae let out a content sigh, letting her cool him down. This was how it always went. He knew that he could always count on her to be there to take care of him. Ever since they were kids, she had taken care of him. Their parents used to coo over them, convinced they’d be married one day. But after decades of their friendship, and with his career starting to take off, settling down was the furthest thing from his mind.

“All there to cheer you on as you dance with La Muerte. Me worrying over you is going to be the death of me one of these days,” she said. He smiled. He turned to his side, wrapping his arms around her middle and nestling his face into her lap.

“Mmm, but I’ll always come back safe to you,” he said, his voice muffled by the skirt of her dress. She sighed, running a hand through his incredibly soft hair. How she wished that truly was the case.

“If only it was just to me,” she whispered. He didn’t hear her and proceeded to fall fast asleep.

She woke him up a bit later to get ready for the party. She stood before him, already dressed with her hands on her hips. Her skirt was red with white flowers embroidered along the bottom. Her bodice was white with sleeves that exposed her shoulders. Her shawl was red with the same while flowers embroidered on it. Her hair was pulled back into a bun with red and white flowers artfully placed in it.

“How long was I asleep?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Two hours,” she replied. He let out a low whistle, taking in the amount of concentrated effort she put into her outfit. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, now get up. Unless you want Julio coming in and getting you dressed.” He made a disgusted face, making her giggle. She gestured to the suit she laid out before stepping out of the room to give him privacy. She held her hand to her chest, her cheeks burning. She bit her lip, bringing her hands to her cheeks in a futile attempt to cool them down.

Inside the room, Hyukjae was putting on his suit, thinking how cute it was that his suit complimented Y/N’s. White slacks paired with a red buttoned shirt. Along the seam of the slacks were red flowers that matched the ones on her skirt. She was always doing cute stuff like that and he loved their matching best friends outfits. He stepped out once he was finished getting ready, offering her his arm.

Surprise, surprise when they walked into the bar and everyone greeted them with a loud cheer. The bar had a musty smell to it and chipped tables and countertops. The stools were covered in leather that was cracked. Outside of the musty smell, it also was heavy in the scent of alcohol, making Y/N gag behind her fan.

Julio greeted them by stumbling from the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand, its content sloshing all over the place. “Eunhyuk! El Matador! Incredible!” he shouted, stumbling in a zigzag line. Hyukjae embraced his manager, patting his back. “You. Are. Amazing! You are fantastico!” He pulled Hyukjae down to his level, singing a tune too old for either Y/N or Hyukjae to know. He pulled him away from Y/N, dragging him into the crowd of people. Y/N watched with a sad look on her face.

Hyukjae stood in the middle of the crowd, waving and smiling as everyone called his name. Glass after glass filled with top shelf whiskey was thrusted into his hand. The burning liquid traveled down his throat and set a fire in his stomach. Gorgeous women surrounded him, their breasts popping out of their corsets as they leaned in close to him, giggling and batting their eyelashes.

Y/N sat at the bar, sipping on a glass of water and keeping a sharp eye on Hyukjae. She watched in disgust and anguish as he flirted with the women who surrounded him, captivated by their voluptuous assets. She let out a sigh, staring into her clear glass and seeing a blurry reflection of herself.

“Why so blue, Señorita?” She had to physically restrain himself from rolling her eyes into the back of her head. “You should be having fun,” Julio said. He sat on the stool next to her, leaning in far too close for her comfort. His breath reeked of alcohol, making vomit rise to the back of her throat.

“Forgive me Señor, but this isn’t exactly my type of fun,” she said. She glanced back over to Hyukjae who was still preoccupied with the dozens of women that surrounded him. She bit her tongue, turning to face the bar.

“No. Of course not. You prefer… more private fun,” he slurred. He placed a hand on her knee, making her jump. “You know, I’m more fun in private too.”

From his seat, Hyukjae noticed the girls around giggling and not hanging onto his every word. “What’s so funny?” he asked, taking a sip from another whiskey that had been handed to him. “Pay attention to Oppa.” They pointed to the bar where Y/N was currently sitting. Julio was next to her, dangerously close. She seemed severely uncomfortable

“The poor thing. Imagine only attracting men when they’re drunk,” the girls laughed. He ignored the girls, keeping a narrowed gaze on them and watching as Julio placed his hand on Y/N’s knee. Standing up, the girls began to whine about where he was going. They grabbed onto his hand, desperate to keep him with them. He brushed them off, making a beeline for Y/N.

He moved into the small space between her stool and Julio’s. He knocked his manager’s hand off her knee, startling both her and Julio. He towered over her protectively, his body incredibly close to hers. She stared up at Hyukjae, thoroughly confused. He ran a hand through his hair, offering her a lopsided grin.

“Wanna get outta here?” he asked. Immediately she smiled, holding out her hand.

“I thought you’d never ask.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bar and away from a drunk Julio and quite a few peeved women. They ran through the town, laughing all the way. The roads were empty for the night. They didn’t stop until they were in a field far away from the noise of the town. Both of them collapsed onto the soft grass, giggling like a couple of children.

A cool breeze passed through the field. Y/N wrapped her shawl around her tighter, shivering slightly. Hyukjae scooted closer to her, pulling her into his side. They laid in complete silence, staring up at the twinkling stars.

“Tell me a story,” he whispered into her hair. She smelled like the flowers that had fallen out of her hair when they ran. She pointed to the stars above her.

“Do you see the three stars that form a sort of straight line?” she asked. He hummed, pulling her closer to him and snuggling against her.. He was always a cuddly drunk. “Well, that forms the belt of Orion. And the legend behind him starts with his birth.

“He was the son of the god Poseidon and Euryale, daughter of King Minos of Crete. Thanks to his father, Orion had the ability to walk on water, which is how he reached the island of Chios. There, after drinking too much, he made sexual advances to Merope, the daughter of the local king. King Oenopion had him blinded and removed from the island. Blind Orion reached the island of Lemnos, which was the place where god Hephaestus had his forge. Helped by Hephaestus and his servant Cedalion, Orion reached the East where the sun god Helios restored his eyesight.

“However, his lesson was not learned. He ended up falling in love with the fertility goddess Artemis. He challenged her archery skills and even attempted to rape her. For his crimes, she sent a scorpion to kill him. Successful in his feat, he was killed as well. Poseidon placed his son in the sky and Artemis placed the Scorpion on the other side as a reminder to humans to be wary of their arrogance and pride. As the hunter sets in the west, thus rises the scorpion from the east.”

From beside her, she could hear Hyukjae’s soft snores. Giggling softly, she threw her shawl over him as well, staring at the face she could slightly make out in the dark. Carefully she let her hand gently caress his face, outlining the features she saw often in her dreams. Letting out a sigh, she rested her head atop of his, feeling his soft breathing tickle her neck. She closed her eyes, savoring the soft, quiet moment.

The next morning, Hyukjae awoke in his inn room. He didn’t remember how he got there, or much of the night for that matter. The last thing he remembered was being surrounded by a bunch of people at the bar, then everything goes fuzzy. What wasn’t fuzzy was the pounding headache in his skull. He groaned, rubbing his throbbing temples. He noticed a tall glass of water next to his bed along with a note written in what he recognizes as Y/N’s handwriting.

“Good Morning Sunshine,

I hope you slept well. If I’m correct, which I usually am, you should be waking up just before noon. Lunch will be delivered to the room shortly. Eat quickly and come to the ring. You have to practice before your big night tomorrow! I’ll be in town if you need anything, or want to ditch practice. (Don’t. This is your dream. Even if it’s murder.)

Love,

Y/N”

Hyukjae didn’t bother trying to read the scratched out line. If it had been important, she would have rewritten it. And just as she predicted, outside the clock struck noon. There was a soft knock on his door and a young boy entered carrying a tray. He set the tray down and quickly left. Hyukjae couldn’t help but smile. She knew him so well.

He quickly ate his lunch before making his way to the arena. Julio was already there, nursing a hangover. He glanced up, eyes squinted as he stared at Hyukjae. Hyukjae nodded, staring around the arena. It was completely empty, save for him and Julio. He held onto his muleta, pretending the arena was full and there was an angry bull ready to end his life. He chuckled at that thought, Y/N was starting to rub off on him. He began practicing, trying different lunging styles and hypothetical moves he could use.

Time seemed to be suspended around him as he lost himself in his practice. The sun began to set, painting the sky in darker hues of orange and yellow. Perspiration trickled down his face as he continued to practice, perfecting the moves he’d done a thousand times and incorporating his new ones. Only when he stopped for a break did he realize Julio had left.

Y/N had replaced him. She had ditched the traditional dresses she usually wore, opting for loose trousers and a loose shirt. One of his, he noticed. It’s the same type of outfit she wore when they traveled around. Her hair was loose, the wind whipping strands around her face. The setting sun gave her a golden hue.

He smiled, jogging over to her.

“Hola, how was your day?” he asked. She handed him a glass of water, a playful smirk on her face.

“Oh you know, I spent most of it out in a field. Exploring, enjoying the fresh air, seeing the wild animals. I found a free range farm nearby,” she said. “Scared a family and was almost shot.” He shook his head as she grinned. He took a gulp of the water before dumping the rest onto his face and hair. He welcomed the cool water, letting out a satisfied sigh. He used his sleeve to dry his eyes before looking at Y/N with a pointed look.

She stared at him in awe. The water glistened off his skin and hair as he stared at her with concern. Her heart beat widely in her chest, pounding like thunder and causing heat to rise to her cheeks. She turned her head away, trying to steady herself.

He grabbed her chin gently, forcing her to look at him. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him. “You need to be careful,” he said. He gave her a smirk. “You can’t yell at me for almost dying then get yourself killed.” She swatted his hand away, sticking her tongue out.

“Yeah, well, I’m smarter than you,” she said. His jaw dropped. An evil grin took over his face. “I don’t like that look on your face.” She eyed him wearily.

“What look? I don’t have a look,” he responded, slowly moving closer. She watched him take three more steps before she started running. He chased after her, laughing hysterically. She ran around the ring with him chasing her. She used the moves he used during his fights to dodge him. Only, she forgot that he used those moves and knows all the tricks. It wasn’t long before he tackled her. They both fell to the ground, but Hyukjae made sure Y/N fell on him so he wouldn’t accidently crush her. He was laughing uncontrollably.

“You’re the absolute worst,” she groaned. He giggled, lifting his head to stare at her. Their faces were centimeters apart. She stared back at him, her eyes wide and unblinking. He stared back, confused as to why she was so quiet. He sat up further, moving her so their heads wouldn’t hit each other. She coughed awkwardly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“There’s supposed to be another party tonight,” she said, staring at the dirt.

“Jinjjah?” he said, not paying much attention to her weird behavior. She hummed. “What for?”

“To welcome the other Matadors for tomorrow.” He pursed his lips, looking up at the sky. It was now a pinkish/violet shade. “I don’t need to be looking at you to know you’re pouting.” Her comment made him pout harder. She glanced up at him, chuckling. “So, are you going to the party?” He shrugged.

“Probably. I can’t practice anymore today,” he told her. She nodded. “Are you going to go?” She shook her head.

“You know I don’t like parties,” she said. “Besides, I want to be well rested for your big fight tomorrow. So I’m trusting you not to get wasted. Please get back to the Inn at a decent time to get some sleep. If you don’t, an angry bull will be the least of your worries.” He scoffed, shaking his head. He looked over to her smiling. She smiled back, her head resting on her knees.

He walked her back to the Inn, biding her a goodnight before he changed for the party. His outfit was more relaxed than usual. He wasn’t going with Y/N, so there was no need for him to wear anything special, even more so since it was a casual event. He pulled on black slacks and a black button up. He grabbed a jacket and a headband to hold his hair back. Once his boots were laced up, he made his way to the party.

When he arrived, he found a crowd of people standing outside, shuffling around. They spotted him and began to yell hurtful, cruel, and hateful comments at him. They called him a murderer, a disgrace, scum of the Earth. He pushed past them as they continued to yell at him and insult his integrity. Once he was in the safety of the bar, he brushed himself off.

The party felt different, Hyukjae noticed. He couldn’t seem to place why it felt different though. Maybe it was because everything wasn’t loud and outrageous, or maybe it was because of those assholes outside, or maybe, just maybe, it was because Y/N was back at the Inn fast asleep.

Swallowing thickly, he made his way to the bar where multiple matadors he recognized were seated. Trying to keep his wit about him, he took a seat near them. They waved him over, greeting him cheerfully. They engaged in blissful conversation about bullfighting, and Hyukjae felt his previous tension melt away. They gave him a shot of tequila. He promised Y/N he wouldn’t over do it, but he couldn’t very well turn it down.

A pretty young girl shyly approached him at one point, confessing of being a big fan. He smirked, offering her hand a kiss and wishing her a goodnight. She left blushing and giggling. The other matadors laughed, patting his back and making obscene comments. Then another girl approached. Then another. Then another. At this point the other matadors had stopped congratulating. Instead, they glared at him as women clung onto his arm, some as bold as to whisper their secret wishes to him. He amused each and everyone of them with winks and promises of visiting them.

Once his little crowd diminished, he glanced at the other matadors, eager to continue their talk about bullfighting. They were staring at him in disgust, hate very much evident in their eyes. Uncomfortable, he looked around the bar.

That was when he spotted his manager talking with a young guy he’d never seen before. Curious, he made his way over there. He took a seat at a nearby table, his back to his manager. He kept an ear open to hear what they were talking about.

“Are you sure I can be as great as Eunhyuk?” the young guy asked. Hyukjae smirked, taking a sip of his tequila. The kid reminded him of, well, him. He remembered almost saying the exact same thing.

“That guy? He’s a good kid, but he’s cocky. You--you are perfecto. You’re humble. You’re adorable. Women will fall at your feet for a chance to even talk to you. I’m telling you Mijo, you’re gonna be bigger than what’s-his-name. That I can guarantee,” Julio said.

Hyukjae clutched his glass in his hand. Tears pricked his eyes as he glared at the table. He slammed his glass down onto the table, storming out of the bar. He angrily stormed past the protestors, shoving past them. He ignored their yelling, storming out of town as tears fell down his face despite his efforts not to cry. He wiped them away angrily, glaring as he walked somewhere. He didn’t know where he was going, he just knew that he needed to leave that stupid town behind him.

The crisp night air nipped at his skin and dried his salty tears as he wandered the open grasslands that laid just outside the town. Everything out here was so nice and peaceful. He let the wind cool him down as his pace began to slow. He looked up at the stars. He watched as they twinkled above him, and immediately he spotted a row of three. Orion. Killed by a scorpion because of his arrogance and pride. Hyukjae let out a bitter laugh. Arrogance, pride, everything he had. Maybe this was his scorpion. Maybe this was the universe telling him he was arrogant and cocky and everything was going bad because he was bad.

He hadn’t meant to be arrogant. He had only tried to be the best he could. Maybe he deserved this. He left his best friend in a town that was awful and full of crappy people, and now he didn’t know how to get back. He sat on the ground, burying his head in his hands. He wallowed in self-pity in the silent night.

“Tanto tiempo disfrutamos de este amor.

Nuestras almas se acercaron tanto así.

Que yo guardo tu sabor.

Pero tú llevas también.

Sabor a mí.”

He lifted his head up from his hands, looking around the field. He could have sworn he had heard someone singing. He listened closely to try hear where it was coming from.

“Si negaras mi presencia en tu vivir.

Bastaría con abrazarte y conversar.

Tanta vida yo te di.

Que por fuerza tienes ya.

Sabor a mí.”

He stood up, wiping his eyes. He began walking towards where he thought the voice was coming from. He didn’t know who he’d find, but maybe they could lead him back to town.

“No pretendo ser tu dueño.

No soy nada yo no tengo vanidad.

De mi vida doy lo bueno.

Soy tan pobre, qué otra cosa puedo dar.”

Up ahead he spotted a figure surrounded by what seemed to be bulls. The bulls were laying next to the singing voice, a woman he’s deduced. The woman was sitting there, singing to them. He slowed his pace, curious as to what she was doing.

“Pasarán más de mil años, muchos más.

Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad.

Pero allá, tal como aquí.

En la boca llevarás.

Sabor a mí.”

He stopped a few meters back, watching her curiously. She was petting the bulls, singing to them as they drifted off to sleep. Her voice was pretty and Hyukjae felt himself beginning to calm down as well.

“No pretendo ser tu dueño.

No soy nada yo no tengo vanidad.

De mi vida doy lo bueno.

Soy tan pobre, qué otra cosa puedo dar.

Pasarán más de mil años, muchos más.

Yo no sé si tenga amor la eternidad.

Pero allá, tal como aquí.

En la boca llevarás.

Sabor a mí.”

She stopped singing but continued to hum, gently stroking the bull’s head. Hyukjae stared at her amazed, how she managed to calm such dangerous creatures was truly amazing. He cleared his throat so as to not startle her, but it was she who startled him. For she wasn’t the stranger he had been expecting to meet.

She was Y/N. She turned to stare at Hyukjae. He was in absolute shock. His best friend, his number one supporter, was sitting alone in the middle of a field, surrounded by bulls--not just surrounded by them, but singing them songs?

“Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she said. She didn’t get up, instead, she continued to pet the bulls. One rested its head on her lap, staring up at her with big, dark eyes. She smiled, petting him gently and tenderly. “I thought you were at a party.”

“Yeah, well, the company wasn’t what I thought they’d be,” he said, a sharp edge to his tone. Y/N didn’t say anything. She patted a spot next to her and Hyukjae took a seat. She waited for him to explain at his own pace. He reached over to pet the bull resting in her lap. It let out a huff of breath, making him pull his hand back. She grabbed his hand back, guiding it along the bull’s head. The bull let out another huff, its eyes falling shut. “Julio is a jerk. He doesn’t care about me. All he cares about is how many pesos he can make off me.”

“When’d you figure that out?” she asked. She was agitated with that fool. She knew he’d mess up, she was just glad it hadn't cost Hyukjae his life like she had always feared.

“When he told some newbie kid that I was cocky and arrogant, and that he’d be bigger than me.” Y/N bit her tongue, willing herself not to go find him and cuss him out in every language she knew. “I don’t know why I’m so surprised. I’m such a babo.”

“Stop it.” Hyukjae turned to look at Y/N. She was staring directly at him. The look of distraught on his face broke her heart. “You’re not a babo. If anything, he’s the babo. You’re a smart, caring, passionate guy. You’re not cocky or arrogant. You’re confident, and why shouldn’t you be? You’re Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible. People travel from all over the country to see you.” He stared at her as she told him this. She was telling him he was amazin for killing bulls, as she sang to them.

“Why do you support me?” he asked. She looked at him surprised. Why would he ever ask such a ridiculous question? “You obviously care for these beasts. Why would you support their murder?” She chuckled and shook her head.

“Just like you aren’t a babo, they aren’t beasts. Like you, they’re living, breathing creatures. They have feelings and hearts that beat--just like you. Just because they aren’t human doesn’t make them ‘beasts’. But you’re wrong, I don’t support their slaughter for sport. I hate bullfighting, animals shouldn’t be murdered simply because they can be.

“But it was never about the bulls, it was about you. I support you. This is what you’ve dreamt of your whole life. I couldn’t and didn’t want to take that away from you. That’s why I attend the fights, that’s why I go to the parties, that’s why I followed you. Because you needed someone to support you.”

“You know, you’re kind of amazing,” he told her, a look of complete awe on his face. She let out a snort.

“Only kind of?” she teased. He watched her carefully. She wasn’t looking at him anymore. Instead she was staring up at the stars, watching as they twinkled and finding every constellation she could. She glanced over to him, their eyes meeting in an intense gaze. He felt himself leaning in, eyes gauging her reaction. She didn’t move towards him or away from him. She waited for him to move, watching him as he watched her.

Her eyes fell shut just before their lips met. He lost himself in her touch, her lips soft and delicate against his. After all the years they spent together, how had he never once kissed her? Why did he enjoy it so much? So many questions ran through his head. He grabbed the back of her hair, tangling his finger into her soft locks. She let out a gasp and he jumped back, worried he’d done something wrong.

Her eyes were wide as she stared at him. She didn’t know what to make of the situation. And quite truthfully, neither did he.

“I’m sorry.” He jumped up and ran away from her. Y/N tried to move with him, but the bull’s head in her lap made her struggle. By the time she stood up, he was long gone. She didn’t chase him, knowing it wouldn’t do either of them any good.

Hyukjae ran until he found himself back in town. He went straight to his room at the inn. He laid down on his bed as hundreds of questions ran through his head. Why had he kissed her? Why had she kissed him back? What did it mean? What was she thinking?

He rolled to his side to try and sleep, but sleep didn’t come easy for him. He laid flat on his back, his arm tucked underneath his head as the kiss replayed in his head over and over again. No matter how hard he tried to push his thoughts out of his mind, he simply couldn’t. And when the sun began peaking over the horizon, filtering through his dusty window, he gave up any hope of trying to sleep.

He splashed cold water onto his face, desperately trying to bring some type of life to his face. There was a knock at his door, startling him. He turned to it anxiously, beckoning the person in. There was a slight disappointment when a young boy opened the door, carrying a silver tray with a cup on it. The boy set the tray on the nightstand and left quickly. Hyukjae sighed, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. He stopped, staring down at the cup. It was coffee. Coffee that was made just how his mother used to make it.

On the tray sat a note. On the note was handwriting he knew all too well. He couldn’t bring himself to read the note, and instead set the coffee down. On a nearby chair was his outfit. It was dark blue with gold designs sewn into the suit. It was Y/N’s favorite and he promised to wear it today. Biting back a sigh, he began getting ready for his fight.

The arena was packed. Hundreds of Mexican citizens gathered to watch the bullfight. Hyukjae stood out of their view, but he could hear them screaming and chanting and cheering. He listened as they chanted his name, but it didn’t fill him with excitement like it used to. It didn’t amp him up and get  his adrenaline pumping. Instead it filled him with a sense of dread.

Julio came barreling down the hallway, a bounce in his step as he approached Hyukjae. It took all of Hyukjae’s might not to punch his bastard of a manager square in the face. Julio paid no mind to his rigid stance, instead going over to look out over the crowd.

“This is it Mijo. If you do well in this fight, your next fight could be in Espana!” Julio said. While a couple of days ago, this would have made his heart soar, it now left a bad feeling in the pit of Hyukjae’s stomach. “Come on Mijo! Listen to the crowd! They love you! Now go out there and wow them!” Julio patted his back before he shoved Hyukjae into the arena.

The fans went wild. Men drank and cheered when he began to anger the bull. Women fanned themselves as the sun beat down on them, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they called for him. On the sides were the other matadors, curious to see why his fanbase was so big.

In the middle of the arena stood Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible, one of the country’s best matadors. Everyone was cheering for him as he easily dodged the charging bull. He waved his muleta around, doing a dance where one wrong move could cost him his life. As his fans chanted his name, he found his heart was not in the arena.

He did a quick turn and his breath caught in his throat. In the stand was the only and last person he wanted to see. Y/N sat in the middle, surrounded by random citizens. Her eyes were on Hyukjae, the rest of her face hidden behind her fan. The sun cast a golden halo over her, and Hyukjae wondered if she’d always been this gorgeous. She brought her fan down from her face, offering him a small smile.

He turned back to face the bull. Multiple banderillas were already lodged in the bull. All he had to do was successfully stick his sword between the bull’s shoulder blades and he’d be famous. He’d be in Spain doing the one thing he’s been dreaming of for years. Taking a deep breath, sweat trickling down his forehead, he called the bull forth to him. The bull stared at him with big, brown eyes, and he knew what he had to do.

The bull charged and Hyukjae moved to the side, letting it crash into the side of the arena. It shook its head and went to kneal, resting its head on the floor of the arena. There was a collective gasp from the audience. He threw the muleta down, turning to look at the crowd. They were staring at him in complete shock.

“Killing the bull is wrong!” he shouted. Everyone was silent as Hyukjae scanned the crowd. He found Y/N easily and looked at her. She was ginning at him. She stood and began to cheer loudly, earning a few disgruntled looks.

That was when everyone else started to boo. They threw their drinks at him and yelled curses at him. The other matadors snickered and pointed at him while Julio shook his fist from the side. He hung his head and left the arena. This was no longer a place for him.

He sat outside the arena, his head resting against the building as he watched the clouds above him. There were no thoughts in his head as the clouds slowly moved across the vast blue sky. He didn’t want to think. He wanted to be completely numb and sit here with nothing but the dirt under him.

“That was very brave of you to do.” As always, there was Y/N to comfort him when he needed it most. She’s always been caring and sweet to him, taking care of him when no one else would. A weird feeling bloomed in his chest at that thought. Was this… affection? Adoration? Dare I say, love?

“Yeah, well, now I’m out of a job, and the whole town hates me,” he said, pushing those dangerous thoughts from his mind. She moved to sit next to him, her skirt, the same color as his suit he noticed, spreading out over the ground.

“I don’t hate you,” she told him quietly. He let out a deep sigh, running a hand over his face.

“Y/N--”

“Listen,” she interrupted. She took a deep breath, going over the speech she had practiced a thousand times last night when she couldn’t sleep. “I know that a lot of things can happen while you’re ‘in-the-moment’, and I want you to know, you don’t have to stress about the kiss. We don’t have to talk about it or even acknowledge that it happened.”

Two hearts broke at that. Hyukjae looked down at the ground, flicking the small pebbles of dirt around. Y/N watched him intently, desperately trying to gauge his reaction. After a while he nodded, pushing down his own agony and putting her first.

“Yeah. That sounds like a plan,” he said. Y/N forced a smile, her heart shattering a million times over.

“YOU!” they both jumped at the sudden intrusion. Julio stood there, his fists clenched at his sides. “YOU SON OF A BITCH!” He stomped towards them with pure rage in his eyes. He raised his fists, screaming curses as Hyukjae in Spanish. He was quick to get to him, but Y/N was quicker. She stood and landed a punch square across his jaw. He spun in a circle before falling to the ground. He laid there unmoving, and Hyukjae sat there stunned and amazed.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do that,” she said as she shook her hand. She turned to Hyukjae and held out her hand. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.” Hyukjae took her hand, pushing himself up from the ground.

“Where are we going?” he inquired as he stepped over Julio’s, hopefully, unconscious body.

“Anywhere but here. You know, I’ve heard some interesting tales about the American west,” she said. He raised his brows. “A dangerous and wild place, waiting to be tamed.” She grinned at him as she pulled him along.

And that was exactly what they did. They “borrowed” two horses and started their journey up north to America. They traveled through many towns and were welcomed with warm arms. Many had heard of Eunhyuk el Matador Incredible and were excited to meet him. He reveled in the attention, but his heart simply there. For, unbeknownst to her, it laid in the hands of his best friend.

They rode until they came to a small town called Heartsease. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere. Nothing but dirt surrounded the town for miles. The sun sat high in the sky, beating them down with merciless heat. Sweat dripped down their faces and necks as they stopped at a nearby “saloon”.

“Can I help you?” A man with a cowboy hat and a shiny badge approached them, a hand resting on his holster. He paused when his eyes met Y/N’s, eyes glazing over slightly. Hyukjae clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to roll his eyes to the back of his head.

“Hola,” Y/N greeted. “My name is Y/N, and this is my friend, Hyukjae. We’ve been traveling for many days from our home country of Mexico. We were hoping you’d be so generous as to let us rest and refuel for a few days.” The man offered her a sweet smile.

“Of course! Please, make yourselves at home. I’m Sheriff Siwon. We have plenty of refreshments for you and an inn where you’ll be more than comfortable. Hae-won! Come here please! Allow me to introduce my sister,” he said. A young woman came forward. Her dark hair was pulled to the side to sit on her shoulder. She wore a black dress with a black corset tied to give her a desirable body shape.

“I’m Choi Hae-won. It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she said, offering Y/N and Hyukjae a warm smile. If you have any questions, please don’t be shy in asking. I’ll gladly help in any way I’m able. Welcome to Heartsease, New Mexico.”

Tagged: @lavellanfriendliness​ 

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #369

Top Ten Favourite Things About Teen Titans Go!

One of the funny things about life is observing elements of circularity. For instance, nearly twenty years ago, my younger brother really got into the original Teen Titans cartoon, and I sort of got into it with him (having a brother ten years younger than yourself is very good for keeping your oar in with kids’ content when you’re supposed to be too old for that sort of thing; as a result, I got to thoroughly enjoy Justice League, Samurai Jack, Harry Potter and lots more stuff that may have otherwise passed me by). I knew who the Titans were but hadn’t read a lot of their comics; the cartoon was my introduction to most of those characters. It was really good, benefited from a tremendous theme tune, and – for its time – quietly revolutionary in how it incorporated anime aesthetics into a western cartoon. Plus it had a cracking voice cast, which – not that I knew it at the time – would become as synonymous with those characters as Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, and Kevin Conroy had done with cartoons I’d watched as a child.

(that’s Optimus, Megatron, and Batman, in case you’re wondering)

Anyway, here we are, eighteen-or-so years later, and Teen Titans is just a beloved long-gone cult classic but bizarre comedic spin-off Teen Titans Go! is a minor phenomenon. The same characters, the same actors, but wilder, weirder, funnier, crazier, way more violent, and – bizarrely – far more integrated into the wider DC Universe. And my kids – especially my eldest daughter – bloody love the show. It is huge in our house. We’ve seen the film, we listen to the songs, they draw their own comics, they roleplay the characters; we have a home-made Raven costume, for god’s sake. I have a six-year-old who knows who Tara Strong is. This is incredible.

As a result, I’ve seen an awful lot (not quite every episode) of Teen Titans Go!. It’s fortunate, then, that it’s fantastic, easily one of the best comic-book cartoon adaptations ever made. It’s not just how funny it is; it’s madcap and self-referential and full of many (many) MANY DC comics references. And great, great songs. And – like I said before – tremendous performances. Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a great, great movie with great, great songs and many great, great gags, and it’s a mixed blessing that it ended up being released in what may well be Annus Mirabilis for superhero movies: it’s great that it’s mixing it up with Infinity War, Black Panther, and Spider-Verse, but I feel it got overshadowed a bit. Say what you will for the slightly more “serious” original Teen Titans series, but it was the barmy chibi-inspired stepchild that got a movie.

So this week, I’m celebrating what has become my second-favourite superhero cartoon of all time (after Batman: The Animated Series, natch). My ten favourite things about Teen Titans Go!. Enjoy!

The Songs: I tried to pick a song, or some reference or line or scene, but really it’s impossible. The songs are sublime. So great, in fact, that I’ll probably do another Top Ten at some point listing my favourite TTG songs. Really catchy, great lyrics, supremely diverse, and full of references not just to DC but to, well, everything. There’s a song about America that includes the line “Samuel L. Jackson on the stamp”, which makes no sense as far as I can figure, but is just wonderful.

Deep, Deep (DEEP) Cut DC References: it started with the Darkseid doll. A little plush Darkseid doll that’s always leaning against the couch. How cute, how funny; Darkseid, the literal embodiment of evil, but as an adorable snuggly. And then it got deeper, and weirder, and more wild. B’wana Beast. Alternate universe Robins. “That movie where their moms are both called Martha”. The Haunted Tank. The Haunted Tank! What kind of kids’ show references The Haunted Tank?! And then there’s the fact that The Comedian’s blood-stained smiley face badge is on display in the Batcave. Let’s go back over that one: there are Watchmen references in this cartoon for six-year-olds.

Batman and Gordon: the original Teen Titans cartoon pretty much never mentioned any aspect of the universe outside of the five characters, barring one fleeting visual reference to the Batcave and the episode where you meet the Doom Patrol. TTG has no qualms about explaining that, yes, Robin is Batman’s sidekick. So we see the Batcave, and Wayne Manor, and Alfred. But it’s Batman’s relationship with Gordon that’s golden. Not just stoic men’s men who diligently work alongside one another, never questioning, never needing to; no, they’re best mates, giggling schoolkids who want to shirk off all work and just sit in their PJs watching crap on the telly. Like a superheroic version of Beavis and Butt-Head, they’re often there, in the background, goofing off, playing games, undercutting the narrative. It’s such a perfect inversion of Batman’s usual persona and a great way of referencing – in supremely silly terms – the deep bond of affection between the two men in most Batman fiction. I especially like when Superman gives Gordon to Batman as a birthday present.

The Night Begins to Shine: I know I said I wouldn’t single out one song, but we do need to talk about The Night Begins to Shine. More than just a cool song in one episode, it blossomed into a whole weird parallel universe filled with bizarre references to ‘80s heavy metal and, well, Heavy Metal. Almost coming off like a primary school version of Mandy, the multi-part epic about Cyborg fighting a giant dragon in the “Night” universe, complete with cameos from people like CeeLo Green and Fall Out Boy (as Transformers!), is just a thing of absolute beauty. Truly, the level of reference and artistry on display in terms of writing, composition, and animation won’t be understood by the kids watching now until they’re quite a bit older. They’ll come back to this in ten, fifteen, twenty years and think “wow, now I see what they were doing; that’s so, so weird”.

The Holiday Mascots: belligerent Santa is the king (“you garbage kids!”), a fat psychopath trying to take over every other holiday, but let’s spare a thought for the other representations of holidays, too. The creepy Tooth Fairy, who eats teeth. The turkey from Thanksgiving who is horribly mutilated. Uncle Sam. And the Easter Bunny. Oh my god, the Easter Bunny. Genuinely unsettling. Words can’t describe. Seriously, check it out, it’s some Babadook-level freaky shit.

Raven’s Legs: a little bit worrying when you’ve got two kids under seven watching it, but the fact that Raven is not just hiding very, very sexy legs underneath her cloak, but is also capable of becoming an entirely other superhero who uses her legs as weapons, is very, very funny. Watching Beast Boy go full Tex Avery when he sees Raven’s legs is one of those gags that, I guess, works on different levels if you’re a child or an adult. Regardless, turning snarky sourpuss Raven into golden-costumed Lady Legasus is a nice move.

Breaking the Fourth Wall: they only really do this explicitly once or twice, I think, but overall the show is incredibly self-referential. From Control Freak trying to get them rebooted or cancelled, to jokes about the animation or the writing, it’s beautifully self-deprecating. This reaches its apex in the 200th episode specials, when the Titans journey into “our” world. It’s hilarious to see them interact with their own voice actors, but for me it’s the note-perfect representation of directing voice actors that’s really funny, almost as good as Toast of London in its depiction. Plus the gag about everyone who works on the show being ultimately replaceable. A scathing indictment of the animation industry, wrapped up in an animation; like The Simpsons in its heyday.

Genuinely Quite Upsetting Violence: I don’t think I’d ever seen a cartoon for small children before that quite regularly featured its main characters having their bones visibly broken. And by “visibly” I mean “cutting to an X-ray of their limb to show the bone shearing in half or crumpling to dust”. It’s almost rare for an episode to go by without one or more of the Titans experiencing life-altering injuries. I’m honestly not sure how they get away with it. but it is funny. Apex moment? Oh, undoubtedly them beating the shit out of Shia LaBeouf in the movie.

Real-World References: clearly the people who make Teen Titans Go! are in their late thirties or early forties; people who grew up in the ‘80s and absorbed ‘80s culture. People who liked Transformers and Star Wars and Back to the Future, who listened to rock music, who liked toys and videogames. They probably grew into teenagers who were fans of obscure animations, cult movies, sci-fi, fantasy, horror. They are, basically, me. I think I would get on quite well with the creators of TTG, based on the things they reference. But beyond cultural appropriation, it’s the references to daylight saving’s time, “shareconomics”, American politics and history, “The Man”, and more, that is so wild and weird to see in a cartoon for young kids. They handle these topics beautifully (I’m honestly not sure if my kids think the things the Titans are talking about are real or not), but as a grown-up it’s really funny to see these gags in a kids’ cartoon. I mean, the Titans fight the Illuminati in one episode. They reference “lizard men in Congress”. It’s bonkers.

Nicolas Cage: in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, Nicolas Cage plays Superman. That’s it. I mean, what more do you want? The guy whose whole career almost seems to have hinged on playing Superman finally gets to be Superman. The guy who was nearly – oh so nearly – Superman for Tim Burton is now, at last, Superman. The guy who named his kid Kal-El is now Superman. The guy who was namechecked in The Ultimates about eighteen years ago (“this guy wants to be a superhero almost as much as Nicolas Cage”) is now Superman. It’s such a meta-gag, such a high-level gag. Stunt casting taken to its nth degree. It’s even funnier than Billy Dee Williams playing Two-Face in LEGO Batman. And it got better – this part, I concede, beyond the purview of the TTG creators – because the same year he played Superman, Nicolas Cage also played (an alternate universe version of) Spider-Man in Into the Spider-Verse. And, as I alluded to above, starred in his own version of The Night Begins to Shine when he made Mandy. It all links!  

There we go. my favourite things. This was tough, I had to leave a lot out. I’m particularly saddened by not finding room for Cyborg’s tiny body made up of wires whenever he removes his head. And The Jeff; gutted I missed The Jeff. Or the episode that references all the movie incarnations of Batman, including a dumpster full of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin stuff (I’ll save my argument that TTG serves as an even better comic analysis and deconstruction of the meta-character of Batman, and of Robin, than the much-ballyhooed LEGO incarnations for another day). It’s really a great show. I love it to bits. Go watch it.