#in his life as a big scary gang boss

[softquietsteadylove]

Can you do another wholesome moment with the contract marriage? Maybe Gil having an extra hard day and Thena finds him very exhausted in his office?

Gil startled at the sound of his office door opening. He had dozed off at his desk, like some old retiree. His body flooded with adrenaline, ready to combat whomever was stupid enough to break into his home office.

But it wasn't an enemy, it was his wife.

Of course it was Thena. He had been in here for hours after telling her it would just be one phone call. Usually, he avoided taking work calls when he was at home in the first place. But it had been urgent. And one phone call had become two, then three.

It was dark in the office. The window behind his chair offered some illumination, spilling in from the garden lighting outside. Thena was walking light as a feline, wearing a white nightdress and a light robe billowing behind her.

Gil closed his eyes again. He didn't need the temptation of his wife's beauty right now. He needed a bed time beer and to lie down on the floor and sleep.

Thena moved closer, inspecting if he was awake or asleep. She had been told to stay out of his office; he had to admit he was surprised she was in here.

But if she was breaking a rule here or there, maybe that was a good thing. So long as nothing got her hurt. She was probably bored, spending all her days in the house or waiting for him to be available to go to a market or a library with her.

"Gil?" she whispered, testing the deepness of his sleep.

He remained still atop his desk (just for fun).

"Gil!" she whispered just a little louder. She came closer, enough to put her hand on his arm. She didn't even really shake him, so much as gently push his arm a little.

He kept his smile directed down at the desk. She was so cute sometimes it was hard to keep it to himself.

"Hm," he heard her make an unhappy little grumble. He did feel bad for probably having made her wait for him to come back out all this time. "I could just wake you."

She could. It wasn't like he would get mad at her for it.

A few of his boys had asked him: "Boss, why do you have her?"

He had everything he needed already, and if he wanted women, he didn't need to have a 'wife' of all things. There were other ways to enjoy the company of a woman, to put it politely, without having one live in his own home.

But he liked having someone at home. He liked indulging Thena, and he liked even more when she refused to indulge him in return. Thena kept him feeling lively and challenged, in a way no one else did.

And, despite him telling her she could leave at any time, she hadn't yet.

"But that seems a little cruel," Thena sighed, leaving him be for the moment. She crossed her arms around herself. She had never struck him as the type to talk to herself; she really did need to get out more. Maybe he should get her a car of her own (confidential plates and tinted windows, of course).

Thena rounded the other side of his chair to continue her snooping. His head was tilted a little more in this direction, but if he kept his eyes mostly closed, she would still believe he was asleep.

"What could have possibly occupied you all night?" she huffed, indeed unhappy she had been made to eat dinner and spend her evening alone. "Your food is in the fridge, in any case."

He bit back a smile again. His wife really was a sweet one. She didn't have to save him any food. She could have just left him to order in for himself at this late hour.

Thena tilted her head at him, her long, blonde locks collecting on the top of the desk. She even reached out, just barely touching some of his hair before snapping her hand back to herself. "Handsome thing--unfortunately."

He would have to remember this for another time. He inhaled, just showing some signs of stirring.

Thena nearly jumped, hurrying to take a massive step away from him and pull her robe around herself.

"Thena?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "What are you doing in here?"

She cleared her throat faintly as he ruffled his hair. "I was just heading to bed when I noticed you were still in here."

He just nodded.

"Was it-"

He looked at her. He was admittedly surprised she was asking more. She - rightfully - had no interest in what he did for work. Pulling teeth and cutting off limbs was the last, deeply sardonic guess she had offered on the matter.

"Was it bad?" she managed to squeak out, her brows drawn together in concern. "I never imagined it would exhaust you so much you would sleep in here."

He inhaled. Falling asleep was an unforseen and unfortunate outcome. He was getting too old to fall asleep on the job. "It's okay, hon. Just some sudden changes the guys needed help resolving."

That was a polite enough way to put it, he thought.

Still, Thena hovered. She shifted her weight between her feet, visibly debating turning and leaving and staying with him. "But it's sorted now?"

"Uh," he blinked, curious as to what had her so determined to stand around with him. "Yeah."

She continued, too, rooted to the spot as he patted the rumpled sleeves of his suit. Her robe swayed around her legs until, finally, she stepped closer to him again. "Come on."

His eyebrows shot up as she held her hand out to him. He followed, though, because it was too tempting not to. "Isn't that my line, sweetheart?"

She rolled her eyes at him, assuring him she was indeed still Thena.

But she held his hand gently, leading him out of his office and away from his self-made dungeon/empire. She led him out of his office and towards the stairs.

"Uh, Thena?" he inquired, but she continued leading. She had never come anywhere near his room, either. At least as far as he knew.

Not even his room was off-limits to her; only his office was. But he was pretty sure she had wanted so little to do with him upon first arriving that she didn't even know where in the house his room was.

"Sleeping like that will kill your back. I know damn well," she muttered as she padded up the stair ahead of him.

He averted his eyes from the swaying of her hips, focusing on how softly her hair shifted on her shoulders. "Yeah?"

"I had a job in reception for a time," she confessed. This marked something she had told him of her own volition--that he hadn't learned from research or observation. "Call it keeping an eye on my father, for a time."

Now, that was a surprise. "Didn't stick?"

She snorted, a sound he didn't hear her make often. But the change from her usual reserved elegance was funny. It suited her, in a way. "Long hours, little pay, and I should have known my father wasn't capable of professionalism in the work place."

Gil skipped a step so he could walk more alongside her and not behind her. That was enough about her rat bastard of a dad. "Well, what job would you wanna work instead?"

She eyed him in the low lights installed close to the steps and flush with the ceiling. "I thought I didn't have to work."

"You don't," he grinned, echoing the words he had first told her upon the signing of their contract. "You never have to work a day in your life and you'll want for nothing. But I know you're bored."

Now she was the one surprised.

"You're bored here on your own, right?" he shrugged, giving her hand a squeeze as they continued on at a snail's pace. "Probably want something to do in the day?"

"Hm," she agreed, but kept the details of what and where and how to herself. That was okay with him, so long as she told him what she needed from him eventually.

"Name the time and place," he left it at that, bringing her hand up to his lips. Not that she needed him to gift her a job for the fun of it. He was pretty sure she hadn't even liked any of his other gifts.

Except that dress from their shopping trip; he knew that one was in the back of her closet.

His room was upstairs. He had considered having her room next to his, but he hadn't wanted her to feel like he was listening to her through the walls or anything. Not that he could; the walls were reinforced stone. He hadn't built this big, beautiful house just to cheap out on the architecture.

Thena didn't just drop him off at the top of the stairs and say 'see ya', though. She walked right over to his room and opened the door for herself.

Gil grinned, following her inside. "You gonna make sure I get to bed on time and everything?"

She gave him a withering look over her shoulder, leading and leaving him to the foot of his massive king sized bed. "At least change out of that suit."

It was uncomfortable to sleep in. The heavy fabric of the sleeves was still bent and wrinkled, scratching at the insides of his elbows. He shrugged the jacket off, at least. "You don't have to help me."

"No," she walked out of his closet with a clothes hanger. "I don't. You can manage it yourself like a big boy, I'm sure."

He chuckled; man, his wife was cool. He raised an eyebrow as she tossed it at him. She looked around the room, though, shamelessly examining it for her own purposes. "What do you think?"

"It looks like it does in your office." That was true. The house and even Thena's room he'd let an interior designer handle. Everything was fairly modern in a way that he hoped wouldn't look dated in a year and a half. His room and office, though, had old dark wood fixtures and black accents. "A bit grim, don't you think?"

He laughed at that. "You know what I do for work, right?"

"Doesn't mean you have to-"

She paused, and he looked at her for the reason. She didn't seem to have one, her eyes trailing over him as he unbuttoned his shirt. Their eyes met and, charmingly, she rushed to avert her eyes from him. "I thought you didn't need my help for that."

"Sorry, princess," he puffed, continuing to pull his shirt off anyway. "I thought you didn't care if you got treated like a lady."

"I said you didn't have to treat me like a maiden in a tower," she corrected with a certain bite to it. But still, she rotated herself so he could walk into his closet without her eyes on him.

"Relax, sweetheart," he called out from inside, hanging up his suit that had to be ironed anyway. "I'm not gonna strip naked in front of you."

"That's not-!" a half baked protest warbled out of her.

He shook his head to himself as he retrieved some sweatpants and a t-shirt for himself. Really, he didn't need the shirt, but this was for his wife's sake, he snickered.

Thena just barely dashed her eyes over to him as he emerged. She could play it cool as she liked, he could see how flustered she was. "I trust you can manage from here."

"Hey," he reached out before she could scurry away in horror. He pressed his thumb into her palm. "Thanks for pulling me out."

She had no idea what he meant so deeply in that simple phrase. She wasn't in the business he was in; she didn't know that pulling him out was saving him in more ways than one. So she just nodded.

He grinned, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. "Get some sleep."

"Hm." Her eyes did one last sweep of him, unsure of where exactly to land. She reached for the doorknob blindly, missing a few times before she turned and hurried out of his room and downstairs again.

The sweet scent of her shampoo trailed behind her--not the expensive stuff he'd left her in her attached bathroom, some normal stuff she had bought because she already liked and used it before.

Maybe he would get some of that food from the fridge and bring it up here for himself. Or maybe he would sink into bed already. He could dream of Thena feeding it to him. He laughed at himself.

He was cooked--totally and completely done for. That was okay, though. He didn't think it was a bad thing to have a wife who made sure he didn't put out his back and slept in a proper bed.

[sorryimananti-romantic]

The Leaders | Chapter III

"this is the underworld that no one escapes from."

masterlist

ot8!ateez x f!reader, mafia au

chapter warnings: drinking, illegal businesses, mentions of violence, war/military and weapons, the designated assholes be warming up now, yunho is trying his utmost best to confuse tf out of you.

chapter wc: 11.8k

chapter synopsis: yunho verifies with kihyun that secretary park is not the man for their new deal and hongjoong makes the connection, finding out who your father is. no longer having to hide your identity, you candidly discuss what you know about the strictland nuclear base and who might be involved other than secretary park. you save yunho from an attack which shifts your relationship with him. overwhelmed, you find yeosang at the crescent bar who hears you out and comforts you.

prev chapter recap: you learn more about the crescent’s past– as ateez, the gang, and their accomplishments in the war that earned them respect. while you get familiar with your job at the main office, you meet the young informant jaemin who refers to the boss as ‘the captain’. seonghwa continues to question your background but you only warn him to be careful making deals with secretary park. you finally meet the boss hongjoong who barely acknowledges you, and you complain about the recent events to san at the bar who assures you that your new bosses are just human if you look past their big, scary titles. convinced, you make a decision and warn the bosses directly to not make the deal with secretary park and reveal his connection with strictland. however, they have trouble taking your word for it and hongjoong reminds you that you are just a bookkeeper, though he instructs yunho and seonghwa to look into your connection with secretary park.

You had never dreaded a shift as much as you were dreading the night shift the day after Kim Hongjoong showed you your place by reminding you that you were just a bookkeeper. His words still rang in your head over and over, asserting that you were no one of importance. 

“You have a lot of audacity to come in here and make claims about a business you are not a part of, and people you don’t know enough about. Possessing such audacity is what almost cost you your life that night, and what is tempting me to retract the deal my partners made behind my back.”

Hongjoong had made it clear that he wanted you to stop interfering in their deals and it was honestly a surprise that the man didn’t shoot you in the head last night. He wasn’t known to be merciful, so you had probably used up a good bit of your luck considering how you weren’t fired from your job. If he was going to keep you still, he would definitely be digging into your past and you were preparing yourself to deal with the consequences of your actions. If they found out that you were Secretary Park’s daughter and told him about what you said… you would be in huge, huge trouble.

You should not have blindly trusted the Crescents. If they were just a mere business organisation, maybe they would have believed you but they were Ateez too– a gang who clawed their way up, fighting tooth and nail for a place in this world which they eventually and rightfully earned. Yeosang and San may have told you that the Crescents were good people at heart but Kihyun was also right– they were children of war, and they could fight their own battles. They did not need a mere bookkeeper with a shady past to help them out and save them from deals that could go wrong in the future.

In the midst of this hopelessness, the feelings of guilt over keeping state secrets to yourself were eating you up. You wished you could share those secrets with someone who actually cared for their land rather than wielding that secret like a threat to satisfy their selfish desires. What you carried with yourself was a burden too heavy for your shoulders and you didn’t know how long you could last before you would get crushed under it. Perhaps, what drove you mad was the fact that no one could be trusted. You had no idea who was involved in that sick scheme– it could be anyone. 

No one would take your word for it. You had been at the wrong place, at the wrong time, hearing something that should have never passed anywhere near your ears. You saw your father engage in discussion with a man that you did not recognise, but what you heard was enough to make you lose your footing and trip on the ground with a loud thud, unable to function properly because of the gravity of those words.

Your father discovered you eavesdropping on him and that was when things took an ugly turn for you. If Kihyun hadn’t been present in another room, waiting for your father at that time, there would have been no one to stop the man from trying to wring the truth out of his own daughter in the most despicable, threatening manner. You would have met a fate much worse than him wiping your name off the family registers and sending you to Wonderland. 

You shivered involuntarily at the thought, glad you were alone in the office and no one had noticed you staring into the distance and picking on the skin near your nails. The words you had heard years ago replayed in your head, the memory as clear as day even after all this time, refusing to be forgotten.

“Halaland knew we had joined hands with Strictland’s nuclear operation officials so they did what they had to protect themselves.”

Strictland was a piece of land that had always been a part of Halaland, but had also always fought for independence. For a good few decades now, it had earned itself the status of an occupied nation under Halaland’s military control. It was always a sensitive matter, for Strictland was home to a nuclear base that had once been functional but long since shut down on the basis of the amended international peace laws that made sure that no country on this continent created or owned nuclear weapons. So why was there talk about Strictland’s nuclear operation officials going on if the base was supposed to be shut for a good thirty years now? And most importantly–

What exactly did Halaland do to protect itself? Was it the long, bloody war that lasted four years during President Son’s second presidential term, beginning from 1958? The war was triggered by bombing in Halaland near Strictland, and Halaland had accused Eden and sent forces soon after. The war came to a sudden end after President Son proposed the Treaty of the Eight Hills, ensuring peace. Post-treaty, things with Halaland were strained, sure, but nothing has been amiss so far. 

Strictland’s nuclear base could not be active and not cause a stir in the continent, so why did it seem like something was happening under wraps? Could the base be functional and be the reason why Halaland refused to grant Strictland the status of an independent nation? 

And just who was aware of this information? Your father was a secretary to Mr. Lee Jinwook who was just an assemblyman at that time. Today, he was the current president of Eden with your father still as his secretary. Was there a chance that President Lee knew what your father was up to? 

“Luna?”

You looked up to find Yunho, of all the people, standing not too far, leaning against the wall. His watchful gaze travelled from your zoned-out eyes to the marred skin on your thumb, taking notice of all the picking that you had been doing while thinking.

“Are you… alright?”

“Sorry, I’m alright, I was just… thinking,” you said, straightening and arranging your desk. “How can I help you, Mr. Jeong?”

Yunho frowned at your very formal tone, waiting for you to say something but you kept a straight face. “I just… saw you zoning out and called to make sure that you were alright.”

Oh. You licked your lips, looking at your thumb– yikes. “Thank you, Mr. Jeong. I was just taking a little breather. I will get back to work now.”

“That’s not why I–” Yunho began but paused when you picked up a page and started scribbling on it. You were ignoring him on purpose. You were being professional, he thought, probably a bit hurt by how Hongjoong had dealt with you last night. He had heard about it, but he wished he could tell you that they did take your words into consideration.

However, you would probably learn from Hongjoong and Seonghwa themselves after they would be back from their meeting with Secretary Park– which would be in about an hour. Yunho sighed deeply and went back to his room, shutting the door with a bit of an unintentional slam. He sagged into the chair, rubbing his face.

Maybe he should have told you that he called your name twice before you answered. He would have been on his way unnoticed by you but he caught you staring intently into the distance and thought something was wrong. 

He had just come back to the office after meeting with Hongjoong and Seonghwa and telling them about his meeting with Kihyun earlier in the morning, where he finally briefed him about the potential deal with Secretary Park as someone who would fund their project and approve the launch of their new drug in the pharmaworld. 

“That man is not a good choice, Yunho.” Kihyun said with an adamant shake after Yunho finished telling him the details.

“Why?” Yunho asked. “He is going to become the next Minister of Health. I can’t think of a better choice.”

“People are not all that they seem to be, as you must know by now,” Kihyun spun the pen between his fingers as he said. “Secretary Park… he treads a dangerous path. If you involve yourself with him now, he will take what you have to offer, wring you dry and abolish any remains of your business. As someone who has been acquainted with him in the past, can’t you take my word for it?”

Yunho believed Kihyun– he was one of his closest friends and his gang had helped Ateez become who they were today. So, he decided to ask something a bit personal instead.

“Jeon y/n… she warned us about Secretary Park. She said he is conspiring with Strictland officials to do something illegal and immoral. She offered better options like ex-president Mr. Son or Assemblyman Kim Jooheon.”

“You know,” Kihyun chuckled at that. “She has a knack for these things, she does. And what she has to offer to you is credible, if you can believe it. It’s only a shame that we’re close to retiring and aren’t as ambitious as you, otherwise we would have kept her all to ourselves.”

Somehow, Yunho felt both pride and jealousy to hear that. Pride that you were a part of the Crescents, and jealousy because Kihyun knew you better than he did.

“Who is she really, Kihyun? And why is she helping us?”

“Didn’t she tell you already?” Kihyun smiled in answer. “She only wants you to help her and when it’s time, she’ll use the power you have to take her revenge.”

Unfinished business. Yunho recalled what you had said that night when you made a deal with them for your life. 

“I’ll only ask this of you, Yunho,” Kihyun’s smile fell and he leaned forward. “A favour, if you want to call it that, but… don’t hurt her. Protect her. Use her if you have to– she has a lot to offer, and she is well-educated and sharp. She possesses information that could shake not only Eden but the entire continent. She can help you navigate through the dark waters of the underworld. You’ll only have to trust her a little and allow her to trust you back.”

Those words stuck with Yunho for the next hour until the boss and the underboss arrived back from the meeting with Secretary Park. The room filled with silence and palpable tension as Hongjoong and Seonghwa settled down on the sofas, each absently staring at the ceiling or the plant that was in dire need of watering.

“Well?” Yunho decided one minute was enough for them to sort their thoughts out. “Did you end up shaking hands with Secretary Park?”

“Of course not,” Hongjoong took a deep breath. “Not after what Kihyun had to say about our little bookkeeper.”

“Her name’s Luna,” Yunho scoffed at the term Hongjoong kept using to address you and Hongjoong grinned at Yunho’s immediate correction. “It’s just funny that you refuse to say her name when you literally address everyone by their surnames. You don’t even call her Jeon.”

“She’s not even a Jeon,” Seonghwa sighed. “I contacted the RV spies today– Wendy. She refuses to talk about her and told me to save my time and not look for her family. Do you know what that means?”

“That that is exactly what we need to find out?” Hongjoong quipped.

“That her family must be someone influential in Eden. Considering what she knows… she sounds like an insider. A citizen of Edenary, if I have to make a wild guess because no one from the eight sectors could have possessed so much information only to hide in the shadows.”

“Or that,” Hongjoong scoffed, agreeing with Seonghwa. “If she really is from Edenary, she would have either worked there long enough to know these things or… she has family there.”

“I can’t find any information on her– no one in Sector 1 knows her from before 1966, when she came back from Wonderland,” Seonghwa said. “And Secretary Park reacted strangely when we mentioned that we’re reluctant to make a deal with him because of his connection with foreigners.”

“How so?” Yunho asked.

“He wasn’t fazed at all. It was as if he saw it coming, which can only mean one thing…”

The heavy implications of what Seonghwa said filled the room as the three struggled to make sense of it. 

“Is there a chance Secretary Park didn’t react because he didn’t know what you were talking about?” Yunho asked cautiously, willing to entertain every possibility right now.

“No,” Hongjoong said, sure about this. “The look in his eyes wasn’t of surprise, it was more of an acceptance. That can only mean that he knew that there was a chance we would be aware of his dealing with Strictland. He can’t have gone and told every other person that he was involved with Strictland, right?”

“Which means he somehow knows that Luna is aware of this knowledge, or he personally knows her– isn’t Kihyun acquainted with Secretary Park? And he refuses to talk about her too?” Seonghwa asked.

Yunho nodded. “And you’re saying the RV spies refused to reveal her identity?”

“Then we have no choice but to ask her,” Hongjoong clapped his hands in conclusion. “Call her.”

“Are you sure?” Seonghwa straightened. “You made it pretty clear last night that she should just stick to her desk.”

“You know that was necessary,” Hongjoong folded his arms. “Things have changed now.”

Yunho got up slowly, footsteps heavy with thought. “I’ll call her inside, but can you both let me do the talking this time?”

While Hongjoong looked surprised, Seonghwa merely smiled knowingly. “Don’t tell me you’ve already taken a liking to her, Yunho.”

Yunho rolled his eyes in amusement before walking outside. Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa in disbelief. “He didn’t deny it. What have you all been doing with her behind my back?”

“Nothing,” Seonghwa chuckled. “But the boys seemed to have taken a liking for our bookkeeper.”

“And you?” Hongjoong cocked his head in curiosity but Seonghwa’s smile revealed nothing to him. Even after all these years, Hongjoong wondered how Seonghwa could hide his feelings from him when he wanted to. Even when he was the one who knew Seonghwa the best.

“Let’s talk about it later,” Seonghwa promised in a whisper.

You entered the room behind Yunho, preparing yourself for whatever was about to happen– for once, you have no idea what. Yunho had been pretty calm when he told you that the boss would like to see you, even waiting for you to follow him which you thought was a bit odd. You greeted the men with a ‘good evening’ and the boss motioned for you to sit next to Seonghwa. It was oddly relieving to have him by your side.

Hongjoong was about to say something but Yunho rested a hand on his thigh, making him pause and relax back instead. You noted the little exchange– it was strange to see the boss submit under someone who was third-in-command. Yunho looked at you, offering a small smile before starting.

“We did not sign the deal with Secretary Park. We only mentioned that we intended to keep our business out of the spotlight for now and it would not be beneficial for us to involve ourselves with someone who was dealing with foreigners.”

You exhaled deeply after hearing that– a bit in relief and a bit in grim acceptance. “Thank you for letting me know.”

“We also noted that he didn’t react when we told him our reasons. Secretary Park… you know him personally, don’t you?”

This time, you chose not to run your mouth, opting for silence. Yunho played with the silver button of his black form-fitting waistcoat, and you fixated your gaze over the silver ring that he wore on his index finger with infinity signs, a ring that all of Ateez wore. They seemed to have a lot of staple jewellery and accessories, like the gold pocket watch the boss had on him at all times, even tonight in his dark brown three-piece. 

“I met with Kihyun today, Luna,” Yunho continued and your eyes widened a little– whatever did Kihyun say? “He’s one of our mentors and I take his words seriously. He confirmed Secretary Park was not the man to make such a deal with, and he also said that you had a lot to offer.”

You stifled a smile at that. “What is this really about, Mr. Jeong?”

“Secretary Park… you’re acquainted or even related to him in some way, aren’t you?”

Your smile visibly fell which didn’t go unnoticed. This time, Seonghwa shifted closer, keeping a respectable distance from you as he said, “We’re willing to trust you and involve you in future business dealings if you’re willing to share some information that we should be aware of, before we make this deal with you.”

“I appreciate your kind offer, but I really am only a bookkeeper,” you said, an intentional jab towards the boss himself. 

Hongjoong poked his tongue inside his cheek, clearly amused at your challenge. Did you want him to beg? To say please?

“You are also a part of Crescent now, and that means you’re not just a bookkeeper, like Hongjoong might have said last night,” Yunho insisted. “We could find out what your relationship with Secretary Park is through other means but we decided to ask you instead.”

“Then use your other means,” you said with immense effort, tired of this little game. “I belong to the shadows and I will remain there.”

You got up to leave, straightening your maroon skirt. You only took a few steps when you heard the boss’ voice. 

“You don’t happen to be the illegitimate daughter of Secretary Park, eh? The one he liked to pretend was his niece instead?”

You didn’t simply stop in your tracks but every muscle in your body tensed. With dread creeping through your nerves, you turned to look at the boss, finding the others equally as surprised at his deduction. Hongjoong’s smirk widened and his eyes gleamed dangerously at the fear in your eyes. 

He got up, approaching you slowly. “I’ve been to his house only once, towards the end of the war. Year 1962. He was looking for workers and I was only a colonel at that time, yet to be honoured. I saw his family portrait– he has a son that looks just like him. And then I saw a glimpse of a girl who was looking for her father. Upon asking a servant if the man had other children, they let me know that she was his illegitimate daughter and he pretended that she was his niece.”

Hongjoong noted the way that you gulped and your eyes darted among the three men as if gauging their reactions and trying to find a way out. He continued. 

“They said it was understandable because other than the fact that illegitimate kids aren’t treated with respect around here, he was a striving politician and she would only hinder his career. I didn’t realise the little bird left its cage, though…”

“I– I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” you tried but he shook his head.

“We’re going to find one way or another. It’s better if we just hear it from you so we can move on and address the more important matters… Luna.”

You looked at the boss– while he didn’t tower over you like Yunho did, he certainly was more intimidating. His gaze was sharper, his stance more confident and almost bordering on arrogance and his presence was consuming, almost luring.

You could not win.

“Alright, fine,” you gave in, walking back to your seat next to Seonghwa who looked thoroughly amused even though he tried not to appear so. “Yes. I am his daughter– illegitimate daughter. Don’t ask me who the mother is– I don’t know.”

Yunho sucked in his breath in disbelief. “Is that who you’re so scared of?”

“Not just him,” you shook your head. “There are other forces at play. He was just a pharmaceutical business owner at that time– he could not have dealt with Strictland on his own.”

Seonghwa agreed. “Is there anyone you suspect?”

“I don’t know. President Lee seems like the likelier suspect but he’s far too clean for that, which is a bit suspicious. It could be anyone from Eden Hall– another assemblyman or some existing minister or cabinet members. All I know is that what they’re doing is very dangerous. I know more, but I really need to confirm a few things before I can confide in you.”

“Well,” Hongjoong shifted his weight on one leg, thinking. “This certainly changes things. I still need to check a few things about you,” he looked pointedly at you, “but you can continue your bookkeeping duties for now. I’ll see what I’ll do with you later.” 

“If you feel like you should share a warning with us at any time, since you know exactly what deals we make on a daily business,” Seonghwa said, his tone unexpectedly warm, “you can let us know. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have asked for Kihyun’s opinion and proceeded with the deal and suffered damage. We owe you one.”

“That’s alright,” you said but he shook his head, insistent. “Can you just keep this a secret? As you must realise now, Secretary Park has gone to great lengths to hide my identity from the world. The fact that he even let me come back to Eden… he might be regretting it now. I can only warn you that he might try to attack me in the future which means someone else could get hurt too.”

“That’s unfortunate. Thank you for letting us know,” Hongjoong gave you a nod and you felt almost reassured. You looked at Yunho who was simply watching you with eyes full of curiosity.

“I’ll go back to the desk now and finish compiling today’s reports,” you said. 

“Great, you can leave them with Yunho later,” Seonghwa said. “I have somewhere to be with Hongjoong. Let’s go.”

You had half an hour to complete that report and you came back to that room, knocking before entering. Yunho was still where he sat before and you discussed the report with him before getting up to put it in the cupboard and preparing to go home.

You were putting on your coat and gathering your belongings when Yunho joined you at your desk, his own overcoat in hand. “Care for a stroll?”

You looked at him in surprise but nodded, following him downstairs– he must have a lot of questions. He locked the office behind him and greeted the guard, nudging you towards the main street. Since it was past midnight and this was a business street, it was pretty empty. The offices were shut with only the guards stationed outside trying to keep awake in the lonely hours, or keeping each other company over a little fire in the tub. 

You walked in silence for a few moments with only the sound of the cackling of fire and your footsteps accompanying you before he finally asked if you had ever felt targeted while working for the Crescents. 

“Up until now, no,” you told him. “But after my father wiped my name off the registers of Eden and gave me a new identity… sometimes it feels like I’m being watched. He wasn’t surprised to hear that you knew about his deal with Strictland, was he?”

“We never explicitly mentioned Strictland but yes, he wasn’t surprised in the least,” Yunho said. “He must have known that you are working here.”

“He probably knew about my job at the bar, at least,” you said. “He has always made sure that I never interacted with someone of power. It’s only a shame that Kihyun took me in and he could do nothing about it.”

“Do you have any suspicions about what he might be doing in Strictland?”

“I only ever heard a bit of it, and I’m not sure exactly what he was referring to, but this might be my chance to confirm if what I heard holds any value,” you said, pausing in the middle of the crossroads in front of the canal, looking around for any passersby but finding none. “Do you know about the nuclear base in Strictland?”

“Everyone knows about it,” Yunho said, putting his hands in the pockets of his coat. “It is suspected that Halaland wants to take over Strictland because they want to resume the operations at the nuclear base and become a nuclear power. That would violate the international arms law which is why they are resorting to playing dirty instead.”

“And the base has been inactive for a while, right?”

“For about thirty years now, yes,” Yunho confirmed.

“I have no idea how much truth this information holds, but I once heard my father talk about something regarding the nuclear base,” you whispered. “He said something about how Halaland knows that Eden has joined hands with Strictland’s nuclear operation officials. I don’t know who in Eden, but he also claimed whatever Halaland was doing– or would be doing– will be in order to protect itself.”

Yunho’s mouth parted in disbelief, his eyes boring into you. “That… that can’t be true.”

“Right?” you wrapped your arms around yourself, looking sideways to the canal. Its murky waters seemed to be reflecting your mood. “That should not be true, but… Mr. Kim said my father– Secretary Park did not react when you mentioned his dealings with foreigners. What other dealings might he have?”

“I hope something else, because if there’s even a slight chance that what you said is true,” Yunho grunted in discomfort. “I can’t imagine the consequences. Does he know that you are aware of this knowledge? Your father?”

“He knows I heard something,” you confirmed. “That’s when things started going downhill for me. He had always made it clear that once I was independent, he was going to change my surname and cut ties with me. But after that day, he just sped up the process, changed my surname to Jeon and sent me to Wonderland to an acquaintance of his.”

Just like that, you wanted to add, recalling how easy it was for the man that claimed to be your father.

“I don’t know if he did that so I would not speak about this or if he had some ounce of guilt for me,” you continued with a scoff, shaking your head. “But he kept tabs on me. He made sure I got a good education and once I was done, he allowed me to come back. I had to beg a little, but he let me come back on the condition that I stay low.”

“Too late for that, isn’t it?” Yunho commented and you looked at him, a smirk creeping on your lips.

“Well, I always planned about how to get back at him. Just because he made a mistake doesn’t mean I get to suffer for it for the rest of my life.”

“That’s right,” Yunho stepped closer to you, facing the canal just like you. For a moment, you shared a comfortable silence, thinking about the implications of your admittance. Yunho cleared his throat as he looked at you. “You must be from Edenary then. Was it tough to adjust in Sector 1?”

Edenary was not just the capital of Eden– it was like a safe haven for the elite class of Eden where they did not have to encounter a common man. Everyone who lived in Edenary was someone who possessed at least one of the three things– wealth, power, or connections. Before the monarchy was abolished in Eden, the royalty resided in Edenary. Now it was home to government officials, politicians, business owners and influencers. 

Your heart twisted as you recalled your time in Edenary. Though you had lived in the shadows in Edenary too, there was a point in your life when your father had taken you around with him, introducing you as his niece but still letting you know the ins-and-outs of business in Eden. It was his dream that his child carry on in his footsteps, but his son and your half-brother, Park Sunghoon, had always been incompetent. You suspected he might let you take over his business instead but the fear of his tarnishing his reputation must have outweighed the fear of passing his legacy to someone who was useless. Sunghoon had always been far too short-tempered and reckless. Your father was not proud of him.

“Do you also dream of living in Edenary one day?” You asked, fiddling with your pearl ring.

“We dream of opening an office there, maybe a branch of the Crescent Bar if we’re lucky,” Yunho admitted. “But our home will always be in Sector 1.”

You smiled at that– his admission was unexpected. You outstretched your hand. “This ring is the only symbol of Edenary that I possess. A reminder that I may have found a place somewhere else but my roots remain in Edenary. I don’t miss the life I had, though. It wasn’t much.”

“It must have been better than this?” Yunho asked. You shook your head. 

“I’ve only ever felt at home here, in my little apartment that I share with a person who cares about me a lot,” you said. “At the Crescent Bar where I got more respect than I ever got in Edenary.”

“And at the office?” Yunho said and you looked at him, finding an amused look on his face.

“Not yet, and you know that,” you said. 

“That could change,” he suggested.

“Definitely,” you nodded. “But for that… you would have to make a little effort.”

“Well, I’m here now, with you, aren’t I?” Yunho said, cocking his head challengingly and you realised that this was his effort. “Tell me how to verify the information you just gave me tonight.”

You took a deep breath. “I’ve thought about it long and hard. I don’t think anyone who is not involved would know, so if you’re a fan of taking someone hostage and interrogating them…”

“We’re really trying to do things the right way, Luna,” he chuckled. “We’ve left that life behind.”

“Yunho, you shot ten men in two minutes just a few months ago, without hesitation,” you reminded him and his brows rose a little in surprise. You thought he was shocked to hear that you finally confronted him about it, but then you realised–

You had called him Yunho.

You were an absolute fool–

“I can do anything to protect the people I care about,” Yunho decided not to point out your informal use of his name, though he couldn’t complain– he had to admit that it was nice to hear his name from your lips. “But any other ideas?”

“Well… you can give someone else a tip and let them do the dirty work for you?” You suggested. “Now might be a nice opportunity to use Assemblyman General Wi. He has been trying to get dirt on President Lee because his term is almost over and he is pretty sure President Lee will be running for presidency again. If you give him a tip, he can verify all of this for you. Plus, if word gets out, Secretary Park will be in big trouble. It could confirm if President Lee is a part of this Strictland business or not, though it’s hard to believe that such a saint of a man could be.”

You often considered confronting President Lee about your father– if he really wasn’t aware of your father’s dealing with Strictland, he was probably the only person who could make things right once and for all. Lee Jinwook had always been in the political scene but he only stepped up as a presidential candidate after his wife, President Han Hyojoo, was assassinated three years into her term. She had ruled Eden right after the Treaty of the Eight Hills when President Son’s term ended, and the way she strengthened Eden’s defence and helped rebuild the land was an admirable feat but also earned her enemies. 

President Lee always had a clean and morally upright image and though his succession was quick and easy, he continued his wife’s legacy and boosted Eden’s morale. He was a good president and Eden was flourishing in his reign just as it had in his wife’s reign. Days after his wife was assassinated, he laid the foundations of a hospital in his late wife’s memory. You recalled reading an article about it– that was in 1963, right after you came back from Wonderland. In his interview, he said that his wife had always dreamed about making a hospital in Eden that would focus on maternity services and advancements ever since they lost their child a couple of months after birth, and that it was a shame she couldn’t live long enough to see the hospital functioning. 

It was thoughtful how he was fulfilling his late wife’s dreams even after her death. Such a man couldn’t be capable of such sinister actions, could he?

“If President Lee is a part of this, he could end up having your father killed to protect himself,” Yunho said and you sucked in a breath. “That’s how these people operate. Are you sure you want that? And even before that, Secretary Park would try to get at you for leaking that information. Your life could be in danger too.”

“It already is,” you shrugged. “An anonymous tip to General Wi– he’s a military man and Strictland is under military control. It would make sense that General Wi stumbled upon this information himself.”

Yunho hummed in agreement. “Shall I walk you home?”

Your heart did a little flip at his offer and that had you wondering… just how much should you involve yourself with the Crescents? 

“Thank you for the offer… Mr. Jeong,” you said and Yunho noted the formality in your tone, “but I would rather walk myself home. Goodnight, and… thank you for tonight.”

Yunho considered insisting but he knew it would be too much for you, for now. Though he liked spending time in your company and wished to find out more about you or simply talk with you, this was not the time, and you had made your stance clear– he was only Mr. Jeong of Crescent to you, as he should be, but…

Did he wish to be more?

“Goodnight, and… I’m only carrying out my duty,” he said, confirming the distance between the two of you. “If you ever feel like you’re under threat or need some assistance, you can let us know. You are a part of our company and it is our obligation to protect you.”

Well. What a way to put it, you thought. With another thanks, you separated your paths for the remainder of the night.

Over the next few days, things at work became just a bit less overwhelming and you found yourself almost adapting to the new routine. Eunha and Jihoon noticed that you were competent and efficient and even Jihoon complimented you over handling a task that he was having a tough time with. 

Every day after the midday slot, Eunha and you would go for lunch in one of the nearby cafes. Eunha told you that she used to have lunch with Jihoon almost everyday but with the shift in schedules, they couldn’t eat lunch together anymore and she admitted that surprisingly, she missed that. You asked what exactly did she miss about having lunch with Jihoon and got your answer later that day when he finally joined the two of you– a first for you. You were having sandwiches for lunch and while you both chattered about trivial stuff, he complained about the weather, the cucumbers in his sandwich, his milkshake being too bland and you knew then.

It was his way of contributing to the conversation, and the fact that he had joined you for lunch was enough. You told him that you hoped he would join you both often from now on and he just shrugged awkwardly though you caught him smiling to himself afterwards. He also made a point to scold you both for wasting too much time deciding on a spot and you both just retorted with a crude gesture (Eunha) and assigning him with the responsibility of picking lunch spots moving forwards (you).

It was just another day in the month of May with the shift of seasons bringing about rain and prompting you to dress up warmly. The weather in this part of the continent didn’t change much throughout the year, remaining a sticky cold in the summers with the rain and freezing towards the end of the year. You started to keep an umbrella on you and switched to boots and warm gloves, though you kept your net gloves in your purse in case you needed to wear them to a formal meeting. Just like the change in the colour saturation of Eden and its hues, your ensembles shifted to darker, moodier tones. The only constant would always be the pearl ring from home, often the only glimmer on you. 

You reached ten minutes before 6pm and Eunha, just like every other day, sighed happily at the sight of you. Really, the sigh came out of sheer relief that she could go home now. With a kiss blown in your direction, she hurried off, her light pink hair very much like cotton candy as they fluffed up with every happy skip she made down the stairs.

You shook your head in amusement at her fading figure and straightened your back before assessing the reports and the latest updates. When the boss had called off the deal with Secretary Park just a few days ago, rumours of it went around town and some called it ‘a rejection to the president himself’ since it was known that a secretary basically did all of the president’s work. Others admired the fact that the Crescents didn’t bend to the secretary’s will like everyone else did, without knowing the context. 

While it infuriated you how people were so quick to make something out of nothing– nothing that they knew about– you also noticed how the Crescents started getting more offers for collaboration by different businessmen and government officials. Yunho provided you with a list of people that they were considering for their new project. No one was aware of what exactly was the Crescent’s new project and you were almost still in the dark too– nothing confirmed and nothing denied. You told yourself that you did not need to ask just what this project was about and you could let them know your opinion anyway, but your achilles heel had always been your curiosity and your adventurous spark, a deadly combination. You would do just about anything to silence the buzzing in your brain.

About two hours passed when you heard light footsteps and the familiar scrawny figure of the young informant entered your vision. You set your pen down, a satisfied exhale leaving your mouth at the way your joints cracked when you stretched.

“Is the Captain inside?”

“Good evening to you too, kid,” you shook your head. “Yes, he’s inside.”

Jaemin smirked and you made a face at him. “Nice hair today.”

“Really?” You blinked in surprise. “I wear it like this every day though?”

The question was directed more to yourself. Jaemin went towards the boss’ room and knocked, entering a moment later. You dug the compact mirror out of your purse and checked your hair–

And sure enough, a tuft of hair was sticking out near your temple on the right side. You groaned loudly, fixing it and groaned even louder when you realised why Hongjoong had looked at you for a moment longer than usual when he greeted you today, and why he had a little smile on his face when he went to his room.

Damn it.

You waited for Jaemin to come out and you called him over. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure, madame,” he bowed dramatically.

“Why do you call Mr. Kim the Captain?”

“Well… he is the boss, the leader, so captain is just another word to address him, right?” he grinned. “I like the sound of it.”

“Fair enough,” you said. “How did you become an informant?”

“Your question of the day has been used up. Adios!” Jaemin saluted mockingly and ran away before you could call his name or chuck something at him– you just sat there watching with your hand awkwardly stretched in the air as if you could have grabbed him from across the desk.

Menace.

You went back to focusing on the monthly budget report that you had been studying, trying to spot any discrepancies. This time, you were in charge of presenting the monthly report to the boss and you wanted to make sure everything looked okay, especially with their new deal. Whoever was in charge of handling the tracking of their money was doing a pretty damn good job. On the surface, the Crescents were exchanging Black Shadow with the latest machine parts– the produce from Pledis Manufacturers which was a cover for the actual export that was the weapons– with Utopia. 

Black Shadow was a very strong red wine, a staple of Utopia, the land known for its wineries and extensive collection of all sorts of wines. While the Crescents were still a gang, they became acquainted with some of the winemakers, got mentored and secured a deal so that their business began with the Crescent Bar. Now the Crescent Bar was the only spot in all of Eden where this fine wine was available. You thought that was an admirable feat– it must not have been easy to convince the Utopians to export their wine. You supposed Utopia must really be in dire need of weapons as well to share their best wine with Eden.

On the sidelines, though, Black Shadow and other liquor was being smuggled to Mist Island in exchange for raw metal that was required in the production of those machine parts and weapons by Pledis. Simply sending wine in exchange for metal did not cover the discrepancy in costs, so you made a mental note to bring this to light in the meeting later this week. It had gone unnoticed the past few months but from your experience from the time in Wonderland when you had a part time job at a bank, you knew that someone was bound to raise suspicions of where the Crescents were spending all that money. 

You did not realise how much time passed when you heard Yunho’s office door open and you looked at him, finding him wearing his overcoat. There was still an hour until your shift would be over so Yunho must have some engagement. He approached you and asked if you were done compiling the report.

“Yeah, I was just wrapping up. Do you want me to put it in your office later?”

Yunho pursed his lips in thought. “Actually, you know what? If you’re done for tonight, you can leave as well. No point staying until midnight. Seonghwa won’t be here tonight either.”

“Oh, well, sure,” you tried not to show how happy you were to leave early. “Let me put this away before you lock your room then.”

Yunho nodded and waited for you and when you came back, you found him with your coat in his hands and he offered to help you wear it. You stood still.

“Mr. Jeong. I can wear my coat on my own.”

“I know,” he shrugged, not letting go of it. “Are you going to keep me waiting though?”

You looked at him pointedly before giving in,  going to grab your purse before he would try to do that for you too. “How very gentlemanly of you.”

Yunho scoffed, outstretching his arm. “After you.”

In the past few days, Yunho’s behaviour towards you had been nothing short of odd. Sometimes, he was the Mr. Jeong that you had always known– unapproachable, reserved and a man of few but meaningful words.

And the other times, well… you weren’t sure if this was just how he had always been, but it was strange to experience it firsthand. He was considerate, just like tonight. He would make sure you’d had dinner. He would ask if you were faring well when you would go to discuss the reports with him. He would make a casual remark or even a joke if he felt like it. Overall, you were sure that he knew the difference between being professional and casual very well–

And boy, was he tiptoeing right at the borderline. 

He held the door for you and you told him the guard would have done it anyway but he only smiled. And then he mockingly saluted because you had made it a point of calling him ‘lieutenant’ whenever you needed to get a point across. That made you laugh a little and you said goodnight, going in opposite directions.

You were only a few steps down your road when you thought you could just walk with him and discuss the details about the Mist Island finances that had been nagging you all this time. You turned, speed-walking towards him in the dark street and were about to call his name when you stopped in your tracks.

There was a man who had slipped right behind him from an alley and you were half sure Yunho hadn’t noticed his presence. The man was walking quite awkwardly, tense and fidgeting, almost–

Almost as if he was about to attack Yunho.

And sure enough, you saw his hand resting right above his hip where he would be hiding a gun under his jacket. 

With all your senses heightening, you willed yourself to remain calm and think– if you screamed, it would probably end badly. You could go back and alert the guard or find someone, anyone, but it might be too late–

And then you remembered that you had a gun in your purse.

You switched to the street on your right, rushing through the alleys as silently as you could, gun in hand and a scream lodged in your throat that threatened to escape at any second. You spotted Yunho whenever the alley opened into the street and every time, relief and urgency clashed. With pure adrenaline fueling you, you waited for Yunho to turn right at the crossroads– if he turned left, you would have to step in and you hoped that would not be the case. 

As soon as Yunho turned right, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the alley, a surprised exhale exiting his mouth. You rushed to hide, finding a spot to squeeze into which was covered by abandoned boards that would hopefully help conceal your figures. You aimed the gun at the street, hoping to get a visual of the man, the sounds of your breaths and Yunho’s gun being loaded feeling too loud. He tried lowering your gun, intending to take care of the situation but you shook your head, gently pushing him aside despite the lack of space, as if you could cover him.

“I need to see if it is someone I recognise,” you whispered. “And you really don’t need to kill tonight.”

“I rarely ever kill, y/n,” he said, “Only immobilise.”

You didn’t respond, and if you hadn’t been worrying about your lives, maybe you would have noticed that he called you by your name instead of Luna. Your gaze remained focused on the street, aiming to identify the man.

“Is that someone you recognise?”

“Never seen him before,” Yunho bent down a little into the light to get a clearer vision. “Might just be a thug.”

You remained in your position with your gun aimed at the confused man who looked around warily before tracing his steps back. However, you kept the gun trained where you last spotted him and it wasn’t until Yunho put a hand over yours and gently lowered it that you let out the breath that you had been holding.

You made the mistake of looking at him, the realisation that you both were okay crashing on you like a fierce, cold wave. You took a shaky breath, resting your back against the wall and gripping the edge of a box nearby to hold yourself steady. Yunho looked quite alright, casually resting his back against the wall in front of you. You realised how narrow the alley was because his knees brushed against your legs.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, just… catching my breath,” you whispered. “Does this happen often?”

“Not that often– not like this, at least,” Yunho looked for any signs of the man in the street. “Usually it’s a gang targeting us, not an individual.”

You nodded, thinking about the attack that night at the bar. This was different. Had this man intended to shoot Yunho or just take him hostage?

“I’ll go do a quick scan of the area and see if there are more men–”

You grabbed his arm as he tried to exit the alley and pulled him back to his original spot. Yunho shook his head. “I need to check if there are more men, and if anyone else was hurt–”

“No,” you insisted, tightening the grip on his arm. “It’s dangerous.”

“You’re telling that to me?” Yunho asked, reminding you that he was an honoured lieutenant colonel and knew how to deal with situations like these, but you weren’t having any of it. You shook your head adamantly. 

“We will leave together, after a few minutes.”

And then, with a crashing realisation, Yunho understood that you were not just scared for yourself. You were scared for him too. 

He didn’t know why but your words, spoken and unspoken, wrapped around his heart like an embrace. With a shaky sigh of his own, he resigned to his previous position, though this time he stood just a little closer to you. He noticed how you were still holding the gun while your hand trembled– you had obviously never actually used it. 

“You’re a fool,” Yunho said in a low voice. “You should not have come after me. I could have dealt with that on my own. I would have gotten answers out of him–”

“He meant to shoot you, Yunho,” you said, and this time you called his name on purpose. “I did what I had to.”

“You could have gotten hurt, Luna,” Yunho leaned forward to be at your eye level. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger.”

“I have a gun–”

“A gun you’ve clearly never used before, at least not on a real person,” Yunho reproached, grabbing your shaky hand to prove his point. “Would you have used it tonight? If things went wrong?”

You didn’t answer that, too focused on the way his hand intertwined with yours and even with the weapon preventing full contact, you felt the comfort of his touch seep through your skin and slowly, but surely, calm your nerves. 

“Shall I teach you how to use a gun some day?” Yunho’s low voice almost reverberated in your skull and you looked at him in shock, finding him a bit too close– you could see the excited glimmer in his pupils. 

“I can protect myself without using a gun too,” you managed to say, wincing inside at the weak retort. You clearly couldn’t. 

“But you can protect me too if you know how to use a gun,” Yunho said teasingly, a smirk creeping on his lips. You rolled your eyes briefly but he wasn’t backing away and neither did you want him to. His fingers caressing the skin on your hand was something you didn’t want to stop anytime soon.

“I’m pretty sure you can take good care of yourself, Lieutenant,” you challenged. “You definitely had it under control tonight.”

Yunho laughed then, a bit embarrassed because he clearly had not noticed anything amiss and if it weren’t for you, it might have gone very wrong. You laughed along because wow. You made Jeong Yunho laugh for the first time. The sound of his sweet, shy chuckle went straight to your brain, making you dizzy for a hot second. You broke out of your trance, pushing him away with immense effort. He took it as teasing, thankfully, not knowing that you wanted to do anything but put distance between you two at that moment. 

God, you thought. You needed a drink.

Yunho squeezed your hand once before letting it go, perhaps realising how casual he just had been. This time, you let him survey the area you were already sure was clear. He came back and signalled for you to come outside, walking with you back to the path you should have been on in the first place.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” You asked. “You left early tonight.”

“Just home,” Yunho said. “The maknaes were going to drop by.”

You hummed– he must mean the warehouse boys– Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. You often caught them at the Crescent Bar when you worked there, and it was always very lively when they dropped by. Wooyoung, in particular, always added life to the bar.

“You can be on your way then. I’ll walk home–”

“No chance,” he shook his head. “I’m walking you home tonight, whether you like it or not.”

You knew you had no choice and surrendered. It wasn’t a long walk so you decided to tell him about how you had spotted some discrepancies in their finances and wanted to discuss them with the boss. He told you to run over them with Seonghwa first before Hongjoong and you agreed.

“This is me,” you told him when you reached Regulus Street, pointing at your apartment. “I would invite you in for a drink or something, but I have a roommate and I’m not sure if she would like it...”

“Thanks for the offer. I’ll accept the gesture,” Yunho placed his hand over his heart, taking a few steps backward while maintaining eye contact. You watched him with a smile creeping on your lips– he was unexpectedly goofy at times.

“Goodnight then?” You laughed, unsure what he was doing.

“Thank you, Luna,” he finally said and you scoffed. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me two,” you told him. “You owe me one for stopping the deal with Secretary Park too.”

“Ah, is that so?” He raised a brow. “How would you like me to pay you back?”

Maybe he hadn’t meant it like that, but the implications of those words sent a wave of warmth coursing throughout your body. It didn’t help that he was smirking, probably understanding why you were rendered speechless.

“Well…” you managed to say, clearing your throat. “We’ll burn that bridge when we have to cross it.”

“Fair enough. Goodnight, Luna.”

Something had changed indefinitely between you and Yunho.

Perhaps, you wondered, it would still have come to this even if you hadn’t shared those moments a few nights ago. You would like to believe that. You were not complaining about the change– it wasn’t much. He was just more friendlier and casual towards you now, but…

It was as if he wanted to see you break. 

You appreciated the change in his manners, yes. He wasn’t cold towards you anymore, even when he maintained a professional stance. It kind of reminded you of Seonghwa– he had always been kind and gentle towards you and something about him had always been comforting, even when he had put death on the table between you two. It was a dangerous trait, you supposed. It was Seonghwa’s weapon, but–

Gentleness seemed to be Yunho’s gift. If someone cared to look past his rough edges and mannerism, they would be rewarded with a nature so gentle that it would make them wonder how such contrasting traits could coexist within the same person. 

And it wasn’t the gentleness that was killing you, no. Such was a trait that every man should possess. 

It was the way he wielded it to rile you up– there was no other explanation. You kept placing walls between the two of you even with the change and he kept scaling them effortlessly with just a casual brush of his fingers against yours, an assuring or encouraging touch on your shoulder, or even–

God, even the way he tucked your hair behind your ears the other day when you had come back from the storage with a big pile of files in your arms, the front strands of your hair having escaped the hold of the pins. And the first thing Yunho thought to do was not to take some obvious weight off your shoulders but to tuck your hair behind your ears with his brows furrowed in concentration, those damned big brown eyes almost unrecognisable in that moment. 

Perhaps, he didn’t even realise he had done that. 

And you wished you could ask him if that was true. 

“Luna?” Seonghwa’s voice called and you found him peeking out of Yunho’s room. “You can come in to brief me now.”

“Alright,” you said, the report already in your hands as you got up. You straightened your clothes before you entered the room, taking a seat in front of him and opening the files to show him the numbers. You briefed him about what you had done so far before getting to the point. 

“The net cash exchange between the wine and the metal is 74.27 percent, which includes all the expenses including necessary licences and fragile care. 25.73 percent of the amount is completely unaccounted for– we’re paying Mist Island but on papers and bank statements, it’s not exactly clear what this amount of money is being used for. For personal purposes, maybe, but one day they’re going to notice it and make a big deal out of it. It’s better if we have a cover for this too. No matter how small the amount is.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Seonghwa took a deep breath, resigning back on the sofa. “Any suggestions?”

“Well,” you thought about it. “We’ll have to manipulate a few documents if we want to adjust this amount in pre-existing channels. That, or have something to prove the money has been put to use– like donations or artwork.”

“Hmm, sounds like a good idea. I’ll discuss it with Hongjoong and get back on that, yeah?”

The door opened and Yunho entered, having come back from one of his meetings. You nodded at Seonghwa, saying you would wait for a heads-up before drafting the monthly report. 

And at that moment, Yunho, who had been standing behind your sofa and looking at the documents on the table, decided to not disturb your conversation with Seonghwa and take the matters into his own hands, resting a hand on your upper back for support as he leaned forward to take the file from the table. 

Your breath hitched and you were glad you had just finished a sentence– he was too close, and you were reminded once again that you were only reacting to such casual actions because this was Jeong Yunho. 

And you wanted to kill him a little when he stayed there and asked if this was the report you had mentioned to him. You nodded and only then did he back away to go sit at his desk. You looked at Seonghwa whose expressions betrayed nothing. 

“Well then, I’ll be on my way,” you told him and he nodded, praising you with the usual ‘good job’ and watching you fumble with the folders before you left the room. Seonghwa chuckled to himself and turned his gaze to the consigliere.

“Lieutenant Colonel Jeong Yunho,” he called, making Yunho drop the file on the table to look at him.

“Why are you suddenly calling my rank?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, thoroughly amused. 

“What do you mean?”

“Luna,” Seonghwa said, running a hand through his long hair. “I’m not blind, Yunho.”

“Yeah, but you’re an idiot,” Yunho went back to looking at his file.

“You haven’t shown interest like that in quite a while. Is it wrong to be curious?” Seonghwa asked.

“Well,” Yunho looked at his hyung. “She’s… interesting.”

“Interesting,” Seonghwa repeated but in a different context. “I’ll be damned.”

“Don’t you like her, just a little bit, too?” Yunho asked, smirking. “You’ve never taken someone this seriously, like, ever.”

“I have to take her seriously when she talks like she already belongs here,” Seonghwa said. “And you know what? I think she could be more than just our little bookkeeper.”

Yunho noted the term Seonghwa had used though he decided not to comment on it yet. “What do you plan to do? Are you really going to involve her in the full business?”

Seonghwa smiled knowingly, already having planned out details that none of the others might have considered.

That night, you found yourself outside the Crescent Bar again. You stood thinking for a few moments before you entered, making your way towards the office that had once been your little safe haven– an escape from the boisterous outside world. You knocked at the door but no one answered. You pushed the door just a fraction, finding it unlocked which meant Yeosang must be around. You decided to just make yourself at home, damned be the consequences, and went inside to sit on the couch and curl in on yourself.

There was too much going on. There was too much you were feeling, and you had no one to share these thoughts with. You weren’t even sure if you should be sharing these thoughts. You were an anomaly, you always had been–

The door opened and you were met with a deadly silence instead of a greeting. You looked up to see Yeosang clutching his chest.

“Shit, I thought I was seeing things. You scared me, Luna,” he said, shutting the door and sitting on his chair. “What’s up with you?”

“I missed you too,” you laughed. “How have you been?”

“As good as ever, I suppose. Better now that you’re not nagging me on a daily basis. Thriving, as some might say–”

You chucked a cushion at him which he caught and rested on his lap. “What are you really doing here?”

“Am I not welcome here?”

“Of course you are, this will always be your office,” Yeosang said, making you smile. “But I’d rather know what’s up so I can order an appropriate drink.”

“Bring me your strongest.”

“On it,” he grinned, going out to get the drink himself, returning with two glasses. Amused, you watched him pop the cork dramatically and fill the glasses a little more than average, swirling the wine just enough before he handed you one. 

“It’s an honour,” you said, truly meaning it. “You’ve never served me like this. You’ve only ever served the boys.”

“I’ve heard rumours that you act too much like a Crescent yourself,” he said, sipping his drink and sitting on the desk. “You’ve got guns and big reports up your sleeves now.”

“Yikes,” you downed the drink and Yeosang filled your glass again. “Am I not supposed to? Not that I’m trying to be one of you.”

“Sounds insulting for some reason,” he commented. “But good words only, Luna. I’ve only heard good things about you. Makes me wonder what kind of a boss I was to not realise your potential.”

“You did. I became your bookkeeper. I was also your best employee for two months straight, wasn’t I?” 

“And then you told me I was clumsy and I put you on my blacklist,” Yeosang huffed. 

“You broke your most expensive tray. I wanted to kill you,” you almost cried as you recalled that chaotic night at the bar a few months ago. “That tray was the prettiest one we had.”

“And you’re already drunk,” Yeosang chuckled at the way you ran your mouth so freely– perhaps, it was also because you were no longer boss and employee. “Now tell me… why did you come here?”

“Why do you all want me to say everything out loud?” You groaned in frustration. “I wanted to be here, obviously. You know this office was like my safe haven. I always come here when I am overwhelmed.”

“And what’s got you so overwhelmed, love?” Yeosang asked gently and your heart fluttered at the change in his tone.

“You,” you muttered, surprising him. “And Mr. Jeong. And Mr. Park. And your boss but I tend to avoid him so I won’t complain yet. And San!”

“San?” Yeosang laughed. “What did he do?”

“Nothing, I’m just dragging him into this,” you rested your head on your knees, hugging them to your chest. “It’s just… you’re all confusing me and I don’t like it. I don’t like being in unexpected situations.”

Yeosang hummed in thought. He knew what was up with you and Seonghwa, and you and Yunho. The boys– none of them hid anything from anyone. They had always been bare with each other, so he knew that Yunho was a little into you even though he never said it. Yeosang wasn’t oblivious to the way Yunho’s eyes lit up or the way his attention shifted any time someone mentioned you. 

Yeosang also wasn’t oblivious to how much you occupied Seonghwa’s headspace even though he pretended to be unfazed. He could tell that Seonghwa was bordering on the lines between admiration and adoration for you. 

And while Hongjoong himself hadn’t expressed any personal feelings about you, he knew that once you would properly interact with him, you would find yourself charmed by him too– Hongjoong was like that. And San… he had seen you that night opening up to San and watched fondly from the distance.

But it kind of blew him a little that he was the source of your confusion too. Perhaps, it was because you had worked with him so long. You were friends, that was for sure. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here right now. But why were you overwhelmed because of him? It wasn’t the proximity– you two had shared a lot of time in this office in the past. A lack of proximity then? Did you actually, truly miss him? Did the distance really make you fonder of each other?

With caution, he settled down in front of you and took your glass from your hands. “That is enough drinking.”

“It’s not,” you whispered, not looking at him. 

“Just say what’s on your mind, Luna,” Yeosang said, turning his full attention to you. “You know I’ve never judged you and never will.”

You smiled at that. Even with the lack of explanations you gave for your actions or your behaviour, Yeosang always tried to understand you, and that was what you liked about him. Sometimes, you couldn’t quite believe that he had ever been anything else other than a bar manager. How could this man have gone to the war at such a young age and intercepted multiple messages, saving countless lives? How could he be a part of the gang that had a repute like none other?

“It’s hard to put it into words,” you sighed deeply. “And I don’t even know what I would say anyway. Nothing makes sense, yet everything does. Now that I don’t have to hide who I am from you… it’s like I’m living a new life all over again.”

“Yet you’re still the same old Luna that we all adore.”

“So you adore me then?”

“Did hearing that make you feel better?” Yeosang shook his head and you grinned. “I’ve always adored you, Luna, in my own ways. Does that help?”

“I thought you hated– okay, not hated, but… only tolerated me. Maximum liked me a little. But you’re saying you adore me.”

“I do,” he pinched your nose. “Especially when you’re tipsy.”

“Gee, thanks,” you said, uncurling and sitting properly, still facing him. “Can I ask you something… strange? You can blame it on me being tipsy later.”

“Go ahead,” Yeosang grabbed the glasses and filled them again, handing you yours. “Let’s blame tonight on being drunk.”

“Hmm, I knew coming here tonight was a good idea,” you downed the drink in one go, setting the glass aside and looking at your former boss. “Have you ever liked someone? Like really, really like someone?”

“I have,” Yeosang said and your brows rose momentarily in surprise.

“How do you know you don’t like them like you would just another person?” You asked. “Is there something I’m supposed to feel?”

“Let’s test that out,” Yeosang said in such a low voice that you almost missed it. He leaned forward a bit more than he should have, twirling a few strands of your hair between his fingers. You got a good look at that heartbreakingly gorgeous face– it was a crime to be this beautiful and stay inside the bar almost all the time, you often thought. Your breath hitched when Yeosang’s finger traced the vein along your neck and then he locked eyes with you.

“Who is it that you like so much, y/n?”

“That’s the thing,” you whispered, kneeling into his touch when his hand went to cup your face. “I don’t know.”

Yeosang smiled knowingly though, his eyes travelling all over your face, stopping at your parted lips a few times– he was too obvious. Your heart was beating frantically and for once, you did not know what to do. You may have come here because of another man (or two) but now you were almost in the arms of someone else entirely. His other hand was holding yours– when did that happen? And bringing you closer. 

Your eyes fluttered shut and you felt his warm breath on your cheek before he kissed it lightly. You drew back, a bit surprised but wanting more. 

“You can sort your thoughts out when you’re sober,” Yeosang said. “You should rest, for now. It must have been a long day.”

Before he could draw his hand away, you scooted closer and he chuckled when you rested your head against his shoulder. “It’s because I’m tired.”

“Whatever you say, Luna,” he patted your arm. “It’s certainly not because you miss me.”

“Certainly not,” you confirmed, the both of you laughing at the obvious lie. “And definitely not because I may like you a little too much.”

“Oh,” Yeosang pulled you closer in the half embrace. “Definitely not.”

next chapter

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[tossawary]

The Abbey of the Everyman in "Dishonored" is generally, as depicted in the games specifically, almost as two-dimensional as it gets with corrupt and oppressive fantasy religions. As enemy NPCs, the Overseers are nearly all witch-hunting thugs who want power at any price or just enjoy hurting people, so the player doesn't have to feel bad about hurting them. The "Dishonored" games also tend to take place in particularly miserable locations during particularly miserable times, so there's just not a lot of opportunity to see an alternate side to this strict and brutal organization where it might actually bring joy and comfort and community to people, instead of just being an arm of murderous governments.

Nevertheless, I do really enjoy the setup of the divine and religious institution here. The only god this religion has isn't a creator, he's (in the Abbey's eyes) an evil tempter who apparently makes people go insane. There are no heavens, only a hell of sorts, and the hell itself is definitely the weightier divine "entity" between it and the god. It's called the Void and it's made of magic and fucking with it for power blindly will almost certainly make you go mad in the long run. (It's also full of demon whales who are also kind of godly, but they're pretty much just chilling there.) There's no "good" god as a counterpart here, just the "evil" one.

So, the religion has the the usual "follow our strictures for a good life" setup, but it's coming at it from a "ignore the god as hard as possible, if you heard him talking to you, no, you didn't" perspective.

Which is, admittedly, not an unreasonable take on the situation, seeing as interacting with the Void apparently DOES regularly cause people to start writing on the walls in their own blood, if not worse. There are a few Overseers here and there (Khulan, Byrne) within a generally cruel and corrupt organization who seem to be acting out of some genuine concern for public safety and the greater good, and when you look at some of the shit Delilah's witches are doing for funsies, you can kind of go, "Okay, I understand why you might be fanatical about trying to keep this from happening, and you're working off of the teachings that you have."

It's just funny to me that "Dishonored" has the typical "evil worshippers of an evil god" fantasy setup in the form of Delilah's witches and Granny Rags and so on, but then the actual religious institution is built on rules and lore of "don't talk to the evil god or we'll kill you" and "don't use the evil hell magic or we'll kill you" without any kind of good counterpart. And then you have gangs like the Whalers where the general take seems to be, "Our boss has a direct connection to the evil god and it gives us all magic, but idk, I just work here."

And meanwhile the big, scary "evil god" everyone freaks out over is just some guy who got murdered by a cult a few thousand years ago and was forced to become the face of hell, and his main power honestly seems to be giving other people powers in a way that makes himself really vulnerable, actually, and he's doing that apparently mostly because he's bored and suicidal. And maybe also because he still cares about the world in his own way.

[jweekgoji]

kind of headcannons about yanderes, so basic warnings about kidnapping, manipulation, unhealthy dynamics, obsession, overprotective behavior.

I kind of lied about Fern being the best yandere of AT, IMO Betty would be the best choice, girl freaking holds her man like her wifey, punches weird magical creatures she saw for the first time and she doesn't give a F about some big ass red boss baby , ALL FOR A MAN!!!

as for yandere potential, I would have ranked them like this. ↓

Betty/Golbetty is a really dedicated, ruthless and determined person when it comes to saving and protecting people she loves, even as a regular human she does really scary stuff against some powerful beings, all for beloved! I also really like Magicwoman Betty, I like insane yanderes losing their mind over how to save s/o , especially if they were really sweet and caring before all the crazy stuff happened.

Lich is kind of underrated tho, his voice actor really serves, a good villain which would give me god-like yandere villain/human beloved vibes which would be like a pet for Lich. The power difference is tasty, not to mention the size difference. Would wish to extinct all the life in the universe only for you to be all alone with him :P

Simon is not like Betty, even though he totally would do the same as her, sacrifice everything he has only for his s/o, without them he is nothing and pathetic to watch. but I see him as some kind of father figure with fucked up mind. Hates himself for it, thinks he's too old for you, you totally deserve better than someone like him, but not like he is against the idea of you being around him.

Scarab, The Star somehow like Lich, if you are human or just weaker than them, they would treat you as some sort of pet too. Maybe Scarab would taunt you more, calling you pathetic, ugly and disgusting, at the same time he would be the one who bathes you all the time. He thinks he is superior, but actually freak deep inside. But I would give bonus points for the reverse dynamic, s/o who treats Scarab as a bug he is, not caring about him begging for a job as a wishmaster. step on him, squish him like a bug, but he would run to you for more.

Ooo Finn is himbo, funny guy, actually average yandere, but Jake's death really changes his view on life. It's canon that he waits for the day he dies just to see his brother again. I think he would be a really overprotective one, always on your side whenever you go, helping you with whatever you have to do even if it's something simple. I love the idea of the good loyal hero being a little too protective towards their s/o. Most of the time Finn actually can't understand what he is doing wrong, so if you tell them about it, he would laugh it off.

FW Finn is such a cherry. I would pick Ice Finn and adult FW Finn for this. Ice Finn is scary, before he goes crazy, he is a polite and cute young man, but like other crown users, he has a really deep sense of love for the one he loves enough to put that cursed thing on his head just to save them. I see him more like a creepy guy, not like Ice King tho, Ice Finn would be kind of scarier since all those buildings made of frozen people would scare off everyone. He would be a clingy guy seeking human warmth since his body temperature is too low, but don't run away from him or you will add to his frozen collection.

Adult FW Finn are much cooler in both senses, like Ooo Finn he is overprotective, might be even more since Destiny Gang is always around and he can't let his s/o to be killed by them, he already had to lose his wife, so you would be guarded 24/7. Canonically, Finn would totally hear you once you try to leave him, so don't try it. He won't hurt you, but you would lose your privilege to walk.

Minerva just like her son is the one who wants to help people all the time. Even though they don't really want her help. It will be short here, but like I said about Finn before, she is an overprotective one, and her being everywhere literally would make your life a living nightmare since it would be hard as hell to leave her.

I already made headcannons about Fern, so will be short here too. Fern>Finn in yandere behavior, Fern is violent due to grass demon influence, he has low self-esteem, he doesn't think he deserves you since Finn would be much better at protecting you from harm. But his mind is constantly changing, so in the moment of trying to prove himself, he will kidnap or kill whoever stays on his way to get you, not to mention that if you are the person who's in good relationships with Finn, he would not hesitate to take care of Finn and take his place.

Winter King is a weirdo who has too much power. He is affectionate and could mess with the brains of everyone with his charm. Look at him, such a nice and powerful King! How could you not love him, dude?? Money, knowledge, power, love, all he has and he will give it to you. Well, if you are smart enough to see him playing, his mood will turn into a more angry one, showing some traits of the Ice King. So yeah, same old kidnapping Ice King stuff...

For PB&Candy Queen it's obvious, just like Ice Kings, she is a crazy girl, the definition of yandere, but her blender thingie is actually impressive. I don't think she will be all lovey dovey with her s/o, like she could play her songs for you, keeping you trapped, but one day you will be mixed with her together. PB from the vampire world is kind of like a much cooler version of OG PB, I like her character design and how she is portrayed, I just like strong women who would dominate you, that's all.

Can't say much about Hunter, Fionna, PB, Marceline or Phoebe for now. They're kind of chill and too cute, I can't see them doing crazy stuff (for now). For Huntress Wizard, my love, I see her cool and chill too, but this girl would give you some wild presents like when she gave Finn an animal's heart 😭 well, she is a lonely wolf type, kind of don't know what couples are supposed to do and would try to express herself in her own style which would weird you out a little but she still tries!

Peppermint Butler is kind of underrated too, he's a freaking funny guy, no one would actually believe you if you say that this candy guy would do some creepy shit. I mean look at him! Kind of like more the idea where his s/o is some really powerful entity like Death or Vampire King, he would daydream about you, giggling and kicking his feet making weird fanfics about you in his journal~~~

For Uncle Gambald and Patience, I would say they're pretty strong and violent. Don't disobey those two unless you want to die or something, are you stupid?? Patience at least would try to appear like she's actually trying to be good, she wants to know you more and teach some stuff, or tell stories about the past, just don't ignore her. Uncle Gambald is a creep, stay away from him!! He's gonna make you dumb candy citizen too!!

I actually love Prismo so much, but as for yandere he would be really tied up to his work. I mean, he can't do anything with you when you are outside his time room. He is helpless. He can't touch you or feel you like others would, he can't be around you 24/7 like them, he can't give you what most people need from their partners and it is really sad. Of course, he can make you appear in his time room whenever he wants, he can make everything you wish for, hoping that maybe you will stay with him a little longer. I don't think he would appear angry or annoyed by you, he's too sweet and caring. If you want to leave just go, but he would feel like shit without you around, his work is boring as hell, people who came for making a wish are annoying him, his time room is full of garbage. But Prismo's attention focused totally on videos of you from different universes, the only thing keeping him entertained.

[malereadermaniac]

Mob Boss Mondo Owada x Mob Husband Male Reader Headcannons

Being Mondo's mob husband, sitting in on bikergang meetings and getting dicked down by the cornhead CW: Musk/scent kinks, armpit & crotch smelling, spit, manhandling Top!Mondo x Bottom!Reader word count: 1.7k Sfw & Nsfw / MDNI ~ amab m!reader / FDNI

How you met

You were both in the same class at Hope's Peak

Mondo was immediately interested in you, he liked how you took no-ones bullshit- not even his!

You were, for lack of a better word, snappy

Long story short, the two of you started hanging out, and Mondo just kept falling for you more and more - by the time you two left Hopes Peak, you had made it official

And while you do indulge in your talent as a hobby, sometimes making money off of it, you really have no need to!

Mondo's biker gang developed into a whole as mob - not exactly the super scary kind, but shady stuff does happen

You weren't the biggest fan of it to begin with, but Mondo hasn't changed as a person - and he promised to stop if you deem it goes too far

In private

Mondo fell for you because you're one of the few people who isn't scared of him at all, you aren't afraid to voice your opinions and argue with the mob boss

And that translates into your private relationship

While everyone in Mondo's gang and most people in your city would agree that the Pompadour man is a dominant, scary, powerful man, you would beg to differ

If his public image isn't on the line, Mondo is wrapped around your pinky finger - if he even raises his voice at you, you argue back with a sass that makes Mondo apologise in seconds

"Who do you think you are? Shouting at me like that, do you want to rephrase that, Owada?" You ask with your arms crossed, not breaking eye contact

"I'm sorry, baby... I got ahead of myself" The man's ego and dignity being dragged through the dirt

Outside of the occasional arguments (usually caused by stress from being one of the countries' most prominent mob boss) your relationship is gold-standard

Mondo is fucking smitten for you, and with the large sums of money he has, he can afford to show you his adoration

Dates are an almost nightly thing, going out for expensive meals which are arrived to by Mondo's limousine

The mob boss spares no expense to have you looking your best and for you to be feeling as comfortable as can be

You do let him know that he's doing too much and that your love for him isn't something he has to buy - but man does this lavish life fit you like a glove!

Also. on every occasion, no matter how small, Mondo buys you a gift - he's quite thoughtful surprisingly, so it's either something meaningful or something to facilitate one way or another in the bedroom

As any all-powerful gang leader, Mondo has his jealousy issues - however, they manifest in simple possessiveness

So his strong hands are always on you, either holding your hand or your waist or his arm dangling around your shoulder

Spooning at night is a must! Mondo starts the night off as the big spoon he insists he is, however by the morning you end up with your arms around his muscular waist and your one leg over his thick thighs

In public

Your dynamic is a little more different with other people around - Mondo is a well-known mob boss, so of course he cares about keeping up his tough-guy facade!

But while Mondo does care about his image, he can't hide how captivated he is by you

The gang leader likes to show you off a lot, especially to his lackeys

So Mondo will have you sit in on meetings with you on his lap, one buff arm around your waist holding your back to his chest and his other hand tight on your thigh

But the sappy man makes sure to whisper "are you okay"'s in your ear every five minutes - making sure that his darling mob husband isn't uncomfortable

The image you two portray is very much, mob boss and mob husband - and while Mondo doesn't like belittling you to a piece of candy on his arm, it strangely results in respects from others

The muscular man has asked you if you mind before, but you've assured him many times that you don't care that much

There's also a sexual nature to your public relationship - one which doesn't really show up on your private life

You put on an act as if you were Mondo's sex toy - always wearing slightly showing or tight clothing and behaving in a sultry manner

You're always touching Mondo when there's others around, and he mirrors the behaviour - your dynamic is very evident and feels awkward to comment on or disrupt but so interesting to look at

Mondo can tell that you make his members and even his competing gang's jealous - and simply for that, he keeps your image the way it is

Spice

In the bedroom, Mondo and you are the complete opposite to your more sfw selves

Your relationship in the bedroom is more similar to the act you put on in public - Mondo fucks you within an inch in your life, indulging himself fully while you become a 'second' thought

In reality, all Mondo is thinking about is making you feel good - but acting and behaving as if he isn't is what turns you the fuck on!

Mondo knows you're a slut for his body, so he makes sure to show it off to you as much as he casually can

The muscular man likes to tower over you, flexing his arms and abs and chest like some sort of gym bro while your eyes ogle his body up, making your dick twitch like mad

The two of you aren't very pedantic about what potion you two fuck in or where, but you prefer to see each other easily, and Mondo likes to be as close to you as possible

Most of the time, you're riding him on his lap, Mondo sitting up with his chest against yours - one hand helping you ride him on your waist and his other veiny hand gripping your face tightly to force you to look down into his sex-crazed eyes

If you two are fucking in his office, Doggy style on his desk, Mondo fucking loves having one hand pushing your head against the desk while his other hand is wrapped around your body - bringing his own, huge body against yours to feel closer to you while he fucks your brains out

Mondo takes control of your body, making you look wherever he wants you to look and making your body contort into whichever shape he desires - this guy man handles you at any given moment

He's rough with you in a gentler way. The man never actually hurts you, but the pressure he puts on your body just hits the spot for you - his veiny, huge, rough hands dragging over your body and holding you in place while he drills his cock into you

Mondo's also really fucking verbal with you, degrading you slightly (in as mean a way as the beguiled man can), and letting you know how fucking good you make him feel with his loud moans

His dick feels so good inside your ass, fucking massive in size but not as big as to puncture something. His veins are your favourite to play with, with either your tongue or fingers, when you blow him off

And when Mondo face fucks you, his pubes roughly stuffing your nose as Mondo's manly scent consumes you, it actually feels like heaven - for the both of you!

Special mentions: Kinks

Armpits - fuck does Mondo love to flex his arm behind his head, showing off his built arm and hairy, sweaty pit. The muscular man uses his free hand to push your head into his armpit, making you smell his strong, manly musk until you get drunk off of it

Crotch sniffing - Similarly to his armpits, Mondo fucking loves to watch you go crazy on his forest of a crotch; his balls and base of his cock absolutely covered in dirty blonde, thick pubes. The man stinks so good, his scent like that of an "Alpha male", just sex in an aroma. Mondo will make you smell his dick n balls through his musky underwear and then some after he reveals his manly cock - getting you drunk on his dick and smell gives the man a massive ego boost

Exhibitionism - Public shit really gets the both of you going. While your sexual dynamic is mainly an act in public, Mondo and you can't deny that getting frisky in front of his gang gets you both going. When Mondo sits you on his lap, you like to 'make yourself comfortable' by grinding your ass against your husband's dick - which then develops into him 'punishing you' by either having you pathetically grind against his knee or his foot (depending on which one is more easily visible to his gang) or Mondo even whips his cock out and has you service him in front of everyone

Spit - it's the hottest thing ever when mid-sex, your brain hella fuzzy from Mondo's girthy cock pounding your prostate to high heaven, Mondo grabs your face, squishing your mouth open, and he spits on your face and into your mouth - making you swallow a thick glob of his saliva as he laughs maniacally as he fucks your hole hard. He calls it "literally swapping spit", especially when you do it do him - but you do it in a more romantic, nymphomaniac typa way. You like to sit in Mondo's lap, making out with him like your life depends on it - your hands on both sides of Mondo's face holding onto him lovingly, you break the kiss and sit up, looking down into Mondo's eyes half-lidded as your tongue dangles out of your mouth and a long string of your thick spit trails down and onto Mondo's tongue. FUCK IT GETS HIM SO HARD!!

[gabessquishytum]

Hob Gadling is good looking, fun-loving, and has a certain charm of his own, but he's never been the smartest. One day, he ends up - through no fault of his own -

In jail.

(the real murderer needed a fall guy, and Hob was just too trusting, risk-confident and convenient.)

Hob is stunned by his misfortune, but there's no time to mope. He's by no means a hardened criminal, and he's heard enough horror stories about life in prison for softies like him. He needs to find a way to survive, stat.

He gets into prison and immediately starts asking around for the gang leader in here. If he can offer his services, the gang leader might find him useful enough to keep him untouched. He figures that it's probably the only way to get some protection in here. But from the way several people eye him up and down, top to bottom, lingering as if assessing him for themselves before they shrug and offer up the name, Hob gets a bad feeling about exactly what it is the gang leader might want from him.

There's no dispute over who's on top - there's not even a second runner-up. Hob hears the same name over and over again, each time in that hushed, fearful tone that borders on reverence. Apparently even the most brutal guards are civil with him. And although Hob starts to get second thoughts through second hand fear alone, his overzealous cell mate Matthew, probably hoping to get some spillover protection, all but shoves him into an introductory meeting before he can clarify his plan. Hob ends up staring mutely at a tall, very handsome man with golden hair and a smile like a knife. Hob swallows hard and the words stick in his throat. The fucker's wearing sunglasses in prison, for god's sake. He's scary enough, but then Matthew clears his throat and clarifies that that's not the top guy. That's just the Corinthian. Hob needs his approval if he wants to meet the boss.

"Hey there, little cow. Heard you were trying to get a meeting with Dream of the Endless."

Hob nods mutely, not trusting himself to speak. Hopefully it's the Corinthian who's actually the scary one, and not Dream.

---

Dreamling prison AU because I can't help thinking that shot-caller Dream would be a fantastic spin on his canon imprisonment!

I'm now completely and totally obsessed with this anon, thank you so much.

The Corinthian gives Hob a proper once over. Walks around him in a circle, feels him up through his assigned prison uniform. At last he hums, considering, and tilts his head on one side. He can see that Hob is fresh meat, that he probably won't last long without protection. And that's a good thing - it'll make him so much more grateful and easy to manipulate. So he agrees to let Hob see Dream for a little tete-a-tete.

Dream has his own cell, of course. It's full of contraband items. He's smoking a cigarette when Hob comes in, and scrolling on a phone. He gives Hob this long, cool look, like he's just a spek of dirt. Hob takes the hint and gets on his knees. This makes Dream smile slightly. Usually those who come to him for protection are not so pretty, or so willing to submit.

Hob desperately tries to wrack his brains for a way that he could be useful to this powerful, beautiful creature. But... he's not scary or big enough to be muscle, like the Corinthian. He's not clever enough to help Dream’s "business" inside the prison. He can only resign himself to offering up his body. Which doesn't seem like such a terrible thing. Dream is gorgeous, sitting like a king in his cloud of cigarette smoke.

Now he's known to be Dream’s "wife", nobody bothers Hob - in fact, they avoid him. It's a relief to know that he'll eventually make it out with his pretty face intact. A life sentence of bouncing on Dream’s cock doesn't sound so bad either... its a very nice cock, and Dream himself has a beautiful heart under his slightly terrifying exterior. Of course it would be terribly stupid to fall in love with him, but... Hob has never been the smartest. That's why he's there in the first place.

One thing's for sure - if Dream ever manages to escape prison, he's definitely taking Hob with him.

[silverryuan]

Lookism with a Daki reader

Daki was an antagonist in Demon Slayer's Entertainment District Arc and was one of the 12 Kizuki, specifically sharing the rank of upper moon 6 with her brother Gyutaro. She disguised as an Oiran but is actually a demon. She and her brother were slain by Demon Hunters.

• You are part of this gang called the Twelve Kizuki, a gang made up of rich and talented people that are actually fighters who are mostly active around nighttime. You and your older brother swore loyalty to the leader of the gang after upper moon 2 took you guys in when you were left homeless. You address yourself as Ume Shabana at public places and Daki when you're in fighter mode. You also have a side job as a model while attending high school. You hide your flower tattoos on your face with makeup.

• Born as a very rare beauty, you have lots of men that would obey your every word at your disposal and your charm fooled all of them. You also have your brother that will protect you from the other gangs and annoying suitors. The only man that you adore was Muzan, the leader of the Twelve Kizuki.

• I'm gonna be honest here, you probably were a bully at either Daniel's old school or Jaewon High. You are a member at the beauty department since you despise being near unattractive people but Gyutaro's an exception. People definitely did a double take when you just casually say that the creepy, gross, and horrific man with syphilis is actually your brother.

• You bullied lots of students... Duke Pyeon or Jiho Park, you don't care, they're both pushovers anyway. You can't stand Yui Kim because that fake-ass bitch thinks she's hot shit. Your beauty and strength far exceeds that of the other girls in school and made a reputation of yourself as the most beautiful and strongest female in Jaewon High.

• Speaking of your strength, you're scary AF... Like, one time Vin demanded asked that you give him your number and go out with him. And what did you do? You fucking uppercut punched him so hard his sunglasses shattered. When Duke refused to do something for you, she pulled on his ear until it bleed. Vasco saw that and confronted you at the cafeteria...

Vasco: "Hey you."

Ume: "Hah?"

Vasco: "The way you're bossing around the weak... I won't stand for it. Go and apologize-"

Ume: *Punches table* "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO, MORON?! AN UGLY MUSCLE HEAD LIKE YOU CAN'T ORDER ME AROUND! I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET THAT--"

Gyutaro: "UME! You don't wanna fight him here. Let's just settle this at the back"

Ume: "WHO CARES?! I WANT TO PULVERIZE THIS SORRY EXCUSE OF A MEAT SACK RIGHT NOW!"

Gyutaro: "UME! YOU BROKE THE TABLE! AT LEAST EAT BEFORE FIGHTING HIM!"

• ....This is why no one wants to put up a fight with you. Just one punch and that steel table was destroyed. Both students and teachers find your short-tempered attitude intimidating and troublesome. The teachers just turned blind eyes when it involves you or anyone in Lookism as to not get on your bad side. The students have a very hard time interacting with you despite your reputation as the most beautiful girl in the school.

• When Big Daniel came in the picture, your life just took a sharp turn. You thought of him as naive but handsome when first introduced. You tried charming him after Zoe failed her attempt, however, he just kept quiet and avoids eye contact no matter how many times you tried asking him to come with you. Just like Vasco, he also called you out on your cruelty with others. Gyutaro found his goody-two-shoes personality foolish and you guys did not meet him again after that.

• Somewhere in the Arcs, he wanted to be allies with you and Gyutaro so he asked if you could join them. Gyutaro was pissed and decided to fight him while you fight Vasco, Zack, and Jay..... Daniel...won?.... Then that means your brother is-- You panicked and ran to your brother, hoping that he's not dead... He's...fine?... What do you mean he's fine?... Are you taking pity on us?! WE ARE NOT WEAKLINGS TO BE GROVELING AT YOUR FEET!!!--

• Daniel and co. decided to give you two a choice if you want to join them or not. In time you gave more thought about it... By the rules of the Twelve Kizuki, if a member is defeated, then their lives shall be taken by the winner that in order to become one of the members... And this Daniel Park just wants you to reconsider???

• Hahaha... He's so odd, so weird... so foolish. Oh well, I guess you and your brother are now one of them... It's time to quit ties with the Twelve Kizuki and say goodbye to your dear leader. You became allies with Daniel.

• Remember Duke Pyeon? Yeah, he told you to apologize to him...

Duke: *Hears a knock from the door* "O-oh! Don't worry grandma, I'll get it! Who could be the knocking so late at night?--" *Opens door*

Duke: "!!!.... M-m-miss Shabana?! ....U-um, wha--"

Ume: "I... I don't know how this works SO DON'T GET ANY IDEAS, FAT-ASS."

Ume: *Bows deeply* "I...I... Ugh... I'm sorry!"

Duke: "..."

Ume: ".... Well?! Aren't you gonna say anything?"

Duke: "How did you get my address--"

• Anyways! You and Duke settled your bully and pushover conflict with the watchful eyes of Gyutaro. You still hate Jiho though. You and Gyutaro were actually tempted to accept Gun's offer to be the strongest but brushed it off and fought him. Goo is annoying as hell, basically the same level of cockiness as Vin. You managed to have friends of your own like Mira, Zoe, and that that fake-ass bitch Yui is not so bad...

• One thing the guys are actually thankful for is that you treat everybody the same. Wether they being beautiful or ugly, you'll still kick their ass.

[magicaltickles]

See bc I originally wasn't planning on this howmstever, a certain two individuals convinced me of others SO love and deepspace tickle hcs enjoy 🥰

Dorks all of them (including mc) <3 okay hcs now promise

🪶 Sylus 🪶

- doesn't admit he's ticklish. will never admit he's ticklish. that being said-

- since he has some scars n stuffs from his ahem 'accidents', he's come to learn that they are actually very sensitive to light touches. at first didn't mind when you crawled into his lap to trace the lines and dots left from his tussles, but then your beautifully soft hands touched his skin and his life flashed before his eyes as he found himself having to suppress his reactions

- speaking of reactions, it takes a lot to get much out him. he's supposed to be the big scary boss, a few tickles can't be enough to take him down. his laugh is more like a deep chuckle and soft snickers

- you had to recruit Luke and Kieran once to lure Sylus into a tough spot and then you took charge to wreck him. he only forgave you after you kept your word on a promise to wash dishes for the next two weeks (he told the chef to take two weeks off and cooked for you as much as he could <3)

- ruthless ler most times. loves to chase you around the house, following you into rooms and under beds to wreck your shit

- sometimes he's soft tho, like when you're in bed. since he's a night owl and you aren't, he'll sometimes give you soft tickles to get you to sleep instead of staying up with him. will take that time to shower you in praise. his pretty crow<3

👾 Xavier 👾

- space man, hasn't been tickled in so long bc of his circumstances nor tickled anyone else. he almost forgot it was a thing, had he not seen others do it

- he's pretty ticklish himself, and has no trouble admitting it. he'll indulge in a tickle fight every so often with you if he's up to it

- most often tickles you when you guys are sparring. he'll make it his mission to pin you down and tickle you until you say he wins

- and if you manage to pin him first? expect him to squeeze your sides and thighs until he can flip you two over and give you the tickling you deserve<3

- he does it a lot as a way to cheer you up and get you to rest after fighting wanderers

- he wants his favorite person happy and relaxed as much as he can help it and is so super sweet about it

🐟 Rafayel 🐟

- is canonically the most ticklish one out of the gang. we even tease his about it a bit and it's absolutely adorable

- has canonically ticklish palms which makes my brain go brr bc he's an artist with ticklish palms and sometimes he won't think before absentmindedly running a brush over his palms for various reasons and tickling himself bc of it and LET ME GET MY HANDS ON THIS MAN PLS PLS PLS

- rafa is so playful and cute pls. constant tickle fights for any and all reasons

- bratty? tickles. won't look at his paintings? tickles. late to a meet up? tickles. forgot to call/text him back? tickles.

- and it goes both ways too, you can find any and all reasons to wreck his ass

- tbh, he's the love interest I can imagine being in the community if ykyk. he'd be a ler-leaning switch with big lee moods when he gets them. other than that, he's a big, playful tickle monster

- omg omg cute idea came to head he'd have you sit and tell you to start painting and then stand behind you and tickle you the whole time until you're both covered in paint and the canvas is filled with random lines and swirls bc it's all you could get down and fuhdhdnsn GOD THIS FISH MAN

- he makes the switch mood go dudhudbdushdn

❄️ Zayne ❄️

- baby zayne, the doctor of all doctor's stOP SACRIFICING YOURSELF TO SAVE US TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF PLS I LOVE YOU

- he's a heart doctor but that won't stop him from giving you, his favorite patient, an examination. which includes *that* part where he lightly presses on your tummy. he'll act like he has no idea what you're talking about

- cold hands syndrome. ends up tickling you slightly anytime he touches you as a result, or at least makes you jump

- he finds it amusing, loving to pretend he has no idea why you jump or squeak.

- loves to tease you for it tho, he'll lean in and whisper how cute you are and stuff

- will fluster you with his words ages before even laying a hand on you. zayne has an extensive vocabulary, and uses it well

- counts anything he can possibly count, using the excuse that he has to as your primary care physician

- this one isn't tickle themed, but I love the idea of him making it snow for you any and everywhere just bc he knows it makes you smile

[cipher-legal-and-ethics-dept]

Heyo! Its me again^^

I know team snagem isnt mostly part of your blog but i'd like to hear about your take on gonzap and what relationships you'd think he'd have with members of team cipher 🫎🌸

Much love (oh and im not sure if it was you but if it was thanks for the bouqette of flowers🫶 means alot!)

Heyy! Thanks for the ask, I do always love to ramble about my takes when people trigger my unskippable dialogue >:D

(Oh and yes, that was me with the bouquet. Ehehe. Glad you liked it, I just loved the idea and had to send one💜)

So! My man Gonzap. I don't have the most extensive lore for him specifically, but I have some ideas and some plot stuff he's involved in. I'll try to write it out without dumping too many unnecessary details regarding the history of the Orrean mob within the last century in general xd

Basically, in my verse, Gonzap is an old school gangster and mob boss. In that sense, he's similar to Evice out of all people. Unlike him, however, Gonzap didn't come from a rich, prestigious family or anything; he came, like many if not most children in Orre, from a not-so-great background. Barely scraping by, if not outright poor. So, again very much like many Orreans back then and still today, young Gonzap didn't have the kind of opportunity that would allow him to create a better life for himself, as a trainer or otherwise - at least not in the legal world. The Orrean crime scene is the main perspective for many young people who either want more or desperately need money.

Some miscellaneous Gonzap takes include that, while he's all rough and scary and loud on the outside, he does have a tiny, hidden soft side; said side of him still holds Wes dear, despite everything. I also recently considered this semi-serious headcanon that Gonzap's mom lives in Agate Village. She knows full well what kind of work her son does, but is on board because it's just so normalized in Orre. My good friend @desertsportshipping suggested it could be the old lady with the Mightyena which would be hilarious.

Anyway, back to the serious business: Nowadays, the main "player" in the scene and the (by far) most powerful faction is Cipher. Back in Gonzap's youth, however, things looked different: Many gangs existed, with Cipher being just one of many (certainly among the better and stronger ones, but not in a position of hegemony... yet). Gonzap was too proud to join any other gang and, as we all know, has a lot of faith in his own strength, so he founded his own: Team Snagem. They dealt in theft and illegal Pokémon trade, much like today. Thanks to his strength, grit, abilities as a trainer and not being stupid either, Gonzap made a name for himself, amassed followers and they all got by just fine.

Unfortunately for him, things eventually changed when Cipher decided they had gathered enough resources of their own and now want to be a big, fancy crime syndicate and take over the entire region. What followed is now known as the Orrean Gang Wars, though those who know the deep lore behind the scenes also call it the Second Cipher Purge. The first was more or less just Greevil busting unions for reasons that are beyond the scope of this post, and the second was all about dealing with the other Orrean gangs - either force them to cooperate or wipe them out.

This is how Gonzap met a young Nascour (who technically wasn't even of age yet, but Evice had been training him so he could do all the killing and fighting in the streets for him while he, Evice, maintained the Es Cade disguise). Needless to say, Gonzap was a) pissed off by the mere suggestion that he should submit to another gang and b) not impressed by some teenager who looks like a creepy porcelain doll and likes wearing skirts telling him to surrender or die. And so Gonzap told Nascour to go fuck himself and that turned out to be a big mistake.

I imagine there was at least one big, if not several fights between Team Snagem and Cipher, and even if Snagem hadn't already been at a disadvantage due to Cipher's apparently crazy resources, they were losing in numbers. My guess is that Gonzap lost about a third to half of his people and ended up having to flee, getting chased across the desert until he learned the hard way that Nascour's mastery of psychic types also lends itself to tracking people down.

The "offer" was repeated, and this time Gonzap accepted to save his people and himself. Team Snagem was allowed to survive for the small price of doing Cipher's dirty work from then on; and this is why Gonzap calls Nascour "master" and does his bidding. He's not risking the angry ribbons coming after him again - until the events of XD, it seems, at which point he assumes Nascour is out of the picture. Sadly, Gonzap will be wrong again as far as my verse is concerned, and he better think of a good excuse why he was caught talking about wrecking Cipher. He isn't fond of them, of course, and deep down he wants revenge, but this one time he's simply too scared (and for good reasons).

As for the other Cipher members, Gonzap doesn't have too much to do with them, so his opinions depend a lot on whether they're part of the Orrean criminal scene and what their reputations are. I'll just list my spontaneous thoughts on that (never considered this much before x)):

𖦏 Venus: By the time of the Orrean Gang Wars, my Venus had already succeeded Agnol as the "de facto ruler" of The Under (more on that here) and was with Cipher. If Gonzap had any dealings down in The Under, he would've already known not to mess with her and he definitely knows now that she may or may not have been involved in nearly destroying Team Snagem. Similar to Nascour, he may not exactly like her, but fears her.

𖦏 Ein: In my verse, Ein is neither Orrean nor a criminal by trade, so to Gonzap he's "just some foreigner". Since I doubt Gonzap is a man who has the patience for endless scientific yapping and experimenting, he most likely has zero respect for Ein, but with Ein being Ein the feeling is mutual. It may be that Gonzap will be forced to change his mind if he ever has to find out just how mean Ein can be, but for now that's how things are.

𖦏 Dakim: Dakim was never too deep into the Orrean crime scene before he joined Cipher (more Nascour shenanigans, though a far more amicable test of strength), but is about as Orrean as they come. Maybe he and Gonzap crossed paths a few times while engaging in illegal street battles to make some money. I would say that Gonzap has some respect for Dakim, hell, I could even see them getting along if the circumstances were a bit different (with Gonzap holding a grudge for understandable reasons, whereas Dakim is genuinely loyal to Nascour who can do no wrong in his eyes),

𖦏 Miror B.: He's very much from the same scene as Gonzap, but I doubt Gonzap is much into dancing. He probably sees Miror as a bit of an "odd" rival, since they both enjoy stealing a Pokémon here and there, but never took him seriously. This might have changed slightly once Miror became a Cipher Admin and briefly took over Pyrite Town, but I feel like Gonzap is a decent-ish judge of character when it comes to other criminals and his pride doesn't get in the way, and so he may have caught on to the fact that Miror is not really serious about the whole Cipher thing and still just wants to dance.

𖦏 Evice: Evice has likely never dealt with Gonzap personally and considers himself above that; though all arrogance aside, he also has to maintain his disguise. I feel that Gonzap might actually know that Nascour is acting as a "decoy boss" on someone else's behalf and even that it's Evice or have some idea at least, but I doubt he was properly informed.

As far as the XD Admins are concerned, I think Gonzap doesn't know them well, if at all, due to breaking away from Cipher, but I would say:

𖦏 Gorigan: Gonzap may have met him before, but Gorigan was never really involved in the crime scene either; he worked as a mechanic for Greevil's mining company and later got transferred. They could have a fun night out under different circumstances, but with Cipher in the picture... yeah.

𖦏 Snattle: I doubt any Orrean criminal likes politicians, and Gonzap would be no exception. He would attempt to punch Snattle and then probably end up with his hideout getting blown up again by explosion strats, which... yeah. They're not getting along for sure.

𖦏 Lovrina: Similar to how things are with Ein, though Gonzap would ironically respect her more since she's not some fancy-pants nerd from university; in my verse, she actually has a very similar background as him.

𖦏 Ardos & Eldes: Gonzap probably hates rich kids too and wouldn't even consider them "proper criminals", since they don't do the dirty work and just hang out with their father all day. In my verse, it's currently Ardos who later snitches informs Nascour about Gonzap's "betrayal", sooo... that's fun :)

𖦏 Greevil: Gonzap would like to be best friends with Greevil's credit card actually. Jokes aside, I think Gonzap may or may not even know Greevil exists, and if he does have some idea, he probably doesn't have much respect for some rich guy who got in on a crime syndicate.

So yeah, those are my random incoherent thoughts, hope you enjoyed ^^

[deadstoats]

more old drawings today! even if no one realy interesed in it

so! as i am really into clowns and jesters, today's hot take is my clown gang!!! they all from the same circus and working together

sweet popcorn (they/she/it)

they're like a boss for whole gang, but actually she doesn't appear at the circus very often because they have other work to do! like... save the world! or destroy it! because they're friends/enemies/rivals with some local detective and always trying to stop them or help them. but of course she still loves circuis and everyone there. popcorn is a true trickster of them all.

sour candy and salty caramel (they/it)

a duo that you'll never see apart. they're always together, not only at the stage but in a daily life too! candy is a calm, lazy and positive; and caramel is just a small weepie and crybaby. and candy is the only one who can calm caramel down! but at the other hand, caramel also a little scared by candy because they have this hidden risky nature, loves scary things, and their pranks sometimes are too much. but candy don't want to offend caramel or hurt them! they do really love them, it's just their strange nature

cherry bomb (they/it)

the youngest one and the craziest one, not in an evil way tho, just for fun! their hunger for fun, tricks and pranks is immeasurable. they don't fear ANYTHING and will do anything to make audience or their friends laugh. and yeah, sometimes it's too much, like for sour candy. don't blame them, they have a brain of 6 years old. and a cannon! a giant cannon that no one else can lift up and that can shoot anything from ballons with water to a real lions.

minty (she/they/it)

a dog. not in a furry way, it's LITERALLY a dog. a dog that can talk, but a real dog. someone just threw her away, and clowns were the ones to find her. they taught her to walk on two legs and even made her a costume! and a little hat!!! she's a shy doggy, but kind and curious, she likes to talk to people and learn things. she knows some tricks and really really wants to learn magic ones!

liquorice (he/they/it)

a cat, but in a furry way now. he's a mime and also a magician. he never talks, usually using sign language, pantomime, writing and any other way to communicate, and everyone just. understand him. but minty says that he CAN talk, it's just others can't hear him. he has this typical cat nature for sure, and he's also a big cheese lover. liquorice is actually a 100% white cat, he just paints his ears, nose and tail with black. he also has an assistant named meringue, but she's my friend's character so i can't show her here

and that's all for today

[namig42]

So this is a bit of my own original story that I wrote months ago and finally got around to editing. Please enjoy!

Fated Encounters (Ch. 2)

< Previous Chapter

Read it on Ao3

Summary: I have quite a few OCs, and over the past few months, I've learned how they would all meet and interact in a story of their own. This is a collection of those stories, how they all will meet in time, and the development of their own bonds.

---

Gods, what a day Wyndolyn thought to herself as she lugged the last of the new barrels down the narrow alleys of Alabaster. It really was a chore when new supplies came in. The streets in this part of town are too narrow for a cart, so she and her mercenary group had to carry each and every crate and barrel by hand down each twist and turn to reach the storage room that was hidden away in a dead end alley. Everyone liked to leave the heaviest boxes to Wyndolyn since “Wyndolyn’s so big, she’s can take care of it,” or even more annoying, “Rock Brain? She’s better off doing the heavy lifting.” As much as her gang annoyed her, Wyndolyn stuck around with them. The jobs she took paid well enough, but Wyndolyn cared more about her boss than the little bit of money.

Firene had roped Wyndolyn into the Builders back when Wyndolyn was still only a teen. She was never the most articulate person, so everybody chalked up her quiet nature to that non-existent half-orc intelligence. Unlike everyone else though, Firene would tell Wyndolyn that if she never talked, people would find her scary rather than unintelligent. The idea seemed sound to Wyndolyn, and Firene was the only one who had ever spoken to Wyndolyn on her level. After that day, Wyndolyn’s voice became a rarity to the other mercenaries.

Despite her newfound intimidation though, Wyndolyn’s love of stones and quiet demeanor earned her a juvenile nickname amongst her crew: Rock Brain. One dribbling dwarf made a stupid joke one night at camp, and then suddenly no one would leave it alone. The idiot dwarf Dalsi saw Wyndolyn empty her pockets of some new finds for her stone collection while they made camp on one job, and thus, the nickname was born. Wyndolyn didn’t know if it was an upgrade from Stoneskin or not, but she didn’t take kindly to it. The worst part was that over time with newer members, they all assumed the nickname meant Wyndolyn was just plain stupid. None of the pre-existing members ever bothered to say otherwise, and neither did Wyndolyn. It wasn’t worth the effort.

It’s been over a decade now since she took on that label, and it was still as prominent as ever. Wyndolyn ignored it as much as anything else and kept to herself instead. She was known in the guild as the strong, silent type, the one that the crew could count on for support, but would never be assigned as a leader for a mission. After all, no one would trust a half-orc to make a decision on their behalf if they weren’t ready to destroy everything in sight, obviously. Wyndolyn was only the muscle of the guild. She was a follower and Firene’s favorite dog. That was all.

Her reputation used to bug her, but Wyndolyn’s grown accustomed to this life of hers. At least she’s comfortable enough. She has friends in a sense, a mentor, and a job. That’s all she needed.

“After you drop that off, you can turn in for the night, Wyn. Be back at the hall early tomorrow. Firene says she’s got something else already lined up for you,” one of Wyndolyn’s shorter colleagues delegated. Yan was a halfling that loved bossing people around, especially his taller coworkers. Wyndolyn nodded at the order from the stout little man as she took the last barrel and went down the alley, leaving Yan to deal with the empty cart by himself.

Down the twists and turns of Alabaster’s lower city streets and into the only door that lined their alley. The storage room was nothing sensational, just a dusty room stacked with all sorts of things. There was some food for missions, weapons, some potions, clothes, and armor. Nothing too exciting, but all of it was essential for the Builders and their missions. The mercenary group took whatever job Firene found near Alabaster and assigned her crew. She always claimed that they were helping people build a better life with each of their jobs. In reality though, they destroyed so many people and things along the way that it felt more like a destruction crew, but that wasn’t Wyndolyn’s business. Like Firene said, “sometimes you have to tear some things down in order to build a better future.”

She dropped the last barrel of smokepowder in the storage room and wiped her brow. Gods, she was ready to call it a night. She might be strong, but lugging inventory all day still took a lot out of her. She could use a good, meaty meal after a long day’s work. Maybe the nearby tavern would still have some of her favorite roasted chicken left at this late hour. The thought of the tender, flavorful fowl made her mouth water as Wyndolyn opened the door back into the alley. Yes, a nice bird and maybe a pint if she really wanted to splurge the last of her copper pieces. That sounded perfect right about now.

Unfortunately though, Wyndolyn was brought back from her delicious fantasy when someone roughly shoved past her and ran into the storage room. She barely got a look at the lanky tiefling, but they were certainly tall with blue skin and a set of curly black horns.

“Hey!” Wyndolyn shouted, surprised at how fast the tiefling had been. She was getting ready to storm back into the storage room and tell the intruder to get the hells out of there, but then Wyndolyn heard someone else approaching the alley. She heard the metallic clank of armored footsteps coming closer and waited patiently. When the four men rounded the corner, she noted the fine armor and the detailed work of it. Verikovs.

“Excuse me, stoneskin!” One of the guards shouted. Wyndolyn crossed her arms and glared down at the elven guard with an unimpressed sneer as they approached. Her massive build and extra foot of height allowed her natural intimidation to shine as she loomed over the Verikov guards. “Have you seen a blue tiefling run through here?”

“No, I haven’t,” Wyndolyn responded curtly. “What’d they do that has guards running around searching for them?”

“They’re a thief. They stole from the heiress of the Verikov family and must be caught to be brought to justice.”

Justice? Yeah, okay. Wyndolyn knew how these guards doled out “justice.” What they inflicted wasn’t justice. It was suffering for the sake for a vain, pompous family that couldn’t stand to have even the smallest stain on their flawless image.

“Of course,” Wyndolyn said with a terribly forced grin. It came off more menacing than friendly thanks to her tusks. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

The guard nodded in acknowledgment, then ran back out of the alley and continued down the street with the other three guards. Wyndolyn let the false grin drop with an annoyed sigh as she opened the door back into the storage space. She came in and was surprised to see the tiefling nowhere in sight and not a speck of dust out of place. The room looked just as she left it, but there was only one way in and out.

“Alright little thief, I know you’re in here.”

Silence.

Wyndolyn sighed and began to move around the room and investigate the nooks and crannies between the Builders’ supplies. “The guards are gone. It’s just me. Could you come out so we could talk?”

Not a sound besides Wyndolyn’s own heavy footsteps.

Wyndolyn continued her search until eventually she lifted a tarp and found the tall, lanky thief curled up in a tight ball underneath it, shaking violently and hyperventilating. The tiefling’s eyes snapped up when the tarp was removed and met Wyndolyn’s grey ones. Wyndolyn immediately felt a bit of guilt at seeing how much distress the thief was in and took a step back. “Hey, hey, you’re okay,” she said, moving one of the barrels to give the tiefling more space to breathe. The new exposure seemed to make them shrink in even more on themselves. Wyndolyn took another step back and kneeled down on one knee. She lowered her head a bit and put her hands up in a sign of peace. “I’m not here to turn you in. You’re gonna be fine. Just take a deep breath.”

The thief’s wide eyes focused on Wyndolyn, and even though it didn’t seem like it, Wyndolyn could’ve sworn that they were trying to do as they were told. Their breaths were shallow, but it seemed like they were trying to slow their breathing down, even if it was incredibly ragged. Wyndolyn took a few slow breaths as well, trying to help by being a mirror.

After a few minutes, it seemed like the tiefling’s panic was beginning to subside. They still seemed to shake violently, but their breathing wasn’t nearly as rapid as before. “I’m Wyndolyn. What’s your name?”

“He… Helena…”

“Okay Helena, did you steal something to get in trouble with those guards?”

Helena timidly nodded once, then suddenly started to weep quietly. Wyndolyn sat there and watched while her hand fidgeted nervously. “Was it something big?” she asked.

Helena shook her head, tears still welling up in her teal eyes. “Jewels…” was all she managed to get out in a small voice. She wiped at the tears with the palms of her hands before they could start falling down her face. Her thin frame, her skittish presence, it was like Helena was a small, terrified child. She couldn’t have been younger than sixteen, but she didn’t seem anywhere near an adult right now.

“Well, why not return them? You could leave them somewhere and run away, right?”

“No!” Helena shouted so quickly she almost cut Wyndolyn off. She seemed angry and desperate, a resolve that Wyndolyn wasn’t expecting from someone so scared just a moment ago. “They’re mine now… They don’t deserve it…”

Wyndolyn sighed, then the two sat in silence for a moment. Wyndolyn couldn’t just leave this reckless idiot on their own. Anyone who was foolish enough to think they could steal from the Verikovs and get away with it needed some serious help. “Okay then, then what about leaving the city? The Verikovs aren’t going to rest until you’re caught.”

Helena’s eyes shot wide open again. After a long moment of hesitation, Helena managed to speak. “I… I’ve never been outside the city. I d-don’t even know where I’d go…”

Wyndolyn pitied this foolish rogue. She was lost and all alone, like a feral cat that was scared to be beaten. Maybe… maybe she could help. Escorting someone outside the city and pointing her in the direction of a nearby town shouldn’t take too long, right? She could be back at the guild hall by morning easily enough to get her next job from Firene… probably. Whatever Firene had in mind for Wyndolyn, it probably would involve smashing something or standing intimidatingly as Firene or someone else did the actual work. As long as she was back in time, that was all that mattered to the guild.

“I’ve traveled around a fair bit. How about I show you to the next town, help you get out of here and get started?” Wyndolyn offered out her hand to Helena. The tiefling saw the offer and looked at it in terror. She shrank back a bit, but Wyndolyn sat there patiently with a warm smile on her face. The idea of helping someone on her own terms, it just seemed like the right thing to do. Firene would understand.

Wyndolyn sat in place and waited to see what Helena would do next. After a minute of stillness, Helena seemed to slowly make her way out of her corner and reach out for Wyndolyn’s hand. Wyndolyn helped the tiefling stand up and realized they were just about the same height, though you’d never guess from Helena’s demeanor. She was thin and gangly, looking fairly hungry, but there was muscle on those bones. It was very lean and sinewy, but definitely there. Wyndolyn cracked open one of the crates at the edge of the room, pulled out some jerky, and offered it to Helena. “Hungry?”

Helena took it hesitantly with a shaky hand, and when Wyndolyn turned around to search through another crate, Helena devoured the beef in a matter of seconds. After having a taste, Helena’s eyes lingered on the crate full of jerky and she had to swallow the drool pooling in her mouth.

Wyndolyn opened another crate while Helena salivated and saw that it was full of the clothes and armor she was looking for. She motioned Helena over and told her, “pick whatever you like, then we can get going.”

Helena nodded softly and approached the box. Wyndolyn turned to give her a bit of privacy, and when Helena finished, she had decided on a dark blue cloak and some light, simple leather armor. “Ready?” Wyndolyn asked. Helena put up the hood of her cloak and asked, “could I have a bit more…?” Her eyes pointed towards the jerky crate. Wyndolyn nodded, filled a small bag full of jerky, and handed Helena one more piece. The jerky in Helena’s hands vanished before Wyndolyn opened the door leading outside the storage room and into the early night air.

[chaos-event-horizon]

Love is Scary

Flashback!

} WARNING: knife work and yandere tendencies. {

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I actually don't think I consider you the scariest person here anymore, All Might."

The blonde bruiser quirked an eyebrow, glancing down at Izuku Midoriya-- his apprentice of roughly six months. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well..." Midoriya murmured, glancing back up. "...I know what you're capable of. But I didn't know Rian could do that."

All Might looked to where the kid was watching Rian slowly drag his knife down someone's cheek, slicing open a line of red. His victim, who All Might was pleased to see was sobbing, was a guy they caught snooping around one of the bar's offices in an attempt to get dirt. Rian had been the one to catch him, as the guy had thought that someone as unassuming and cute as the queer barkeeper couldn't possibly be a threat.

The thief didn't stand a chance.

"You got me there," the big villain said fondly. "Kitten's more than meets the eye. I barely even had to train him at all... The knife work is all him."

They watched as the brunette growled something in the happless thief's ear, and the man screamed and struggled before Rian stabbed him in the shoulder.

"I said 'quiet'!" Rian said, an edge to his voice as he gripped his victim's throat. "You think this is bad? Because I can make it worse! Nobody tries to hurt my honeybunny while I'm around..."

"'Honeybunny'...?" Izuku whispered incredulously, and All Might gave an embarrassed chuckle.

"Yeah... Pet names, y'know? He's my Kitten, I'm his honeybunny. Though I wish he wouldn't call me that while we're working."

Izuku swallowed. "Remind me to never upset him. Ever."

"You won't," the blonde said, clapping the green-haired teen on the shoulder. "You're considered his now. One of the people he's chosen to care about and protect. Pretty sure he'd do this same thing if the guy was hunting for shit on you too... In fact, it might be even worse, considering you can't defend yourself like I can."

"ALRIGHT!!! I'LL TALK!!! ALL MIGHT I'LL TALK!!! PLEASE!!!"

Izuku looked on in disbelief as All Might approached Rian and his victim. "You heard the man, Event Horizon. Knife down," he ordered. Instantly, Rian's knife was twirled back into it's closed position and being stuck in his pocket. He had carved the offender up rather nicely, with several fine cuts that didn't bleed much, but definitely would have stung; the stab wounds were also in spots that would be painful, rather than deadly. And those weren't counting what Rian did to knock the dumb bastard out cold. The blonde smiled, petting the younger man's hair. "Good boy."

Rian practically purred, nuzzling into the larger man's hand. "Anything else I can do for you, darling?"

Having a small yandere around certainly does make life interesting.

"You've already done perfectly, Kitten. Go stand by our young friend while I finish up."

"Yes sir!" Rian said with a chuckle, grinning as he walked back and stood next to Izuku, who looked a little nervous until the brunette hugged him around the shoulder. "Sorry you had to see that, little buddy. I got a little angrier than I intended..."

"Start talking," All Might said, grabbing the man by the hair and leaving Rian to soothe the teenager. "Was it cops that bought you? Or someone else?"

"No! No no no no! It's just the gang I'm in...! Boss was trying to figure out who owned the bar before he stole from it! I'm sorry! All Might please we had no idea it was you! We only just moved in from Kyoto! We didn't know!!!"

"Actually, I'm inclined to believe you. I have a few boys watching your little street gang... I let you come in here," the villain said, smirking. "I'm glad you fessed up. That makes things easier."

All Might used his own knife to cut the rope keeping the man tied to the wooden chair, then jostled it to get the thief on the ground.

"I'll let you live... But tell your boss this: The bar is safe, but the staff is not. I demand a tribute of 25% for the next three months... And I won't ask twice."

"Yes! Anything!"

"Good... Now get your ass out of here."

"Yes sir!!!"

All Might almost laughed at how quickly the guy ran out, darting past the audience of two and out the heavy door that separated this concrete room from the rest of the bar. Walking back to Izuku and Rian, he grinned at the kid while petting his boyfriend's hair. "You understand why I played it like this, kid?"

"Of course, All Might!" The teen said, nodding emphatically. "You sent him back to his group with his life, injuries, and a message. A gang from an old city like Kyoto is likely to care about the lives of its people, and with those injuries and his story, there won't be a counter-attack. The biggest danger is that they might skip town without paying the tribute to you."

"Good, you're learning. That's why the second he ran out of here, Nighteye will have grabbed him and checked his next course of action. He can tell us if they plan to run, and we'll act accordingly..."

"Acting won't be necessary," the lanky foreteller said, opening the slightly cracked door more fully and looking in. "They send their first payment tonight, and the leader is coming personally. The man you roughed up is his younger cousin, and he's truly grateful that our great All Might spared his life. This first payment will actually be at 30% of their monthly revenue, to show appreciation. There is opportunity here for a few loyal dogs."

The blonde nodded, then looked at his young protogé. "There you go."

"Damn..." Rian mumbled. "I kinda wanted to play some more..."

"Don't worry Kitten, you'll have more chances."

The brunette looked up, hugging his arm, cute hazel eyes full of love tinged with a sharpened edge. Toshinori broke out into a wide grin.

Fuck... I love this kid so much.

[iridiss]

So, I came here from artfight and I just wanted to say I LOVE your ocs!!!! They're all super cool and I really hope I can get to a few of them as attacks on artfight this year..

But on another note! I really like the set of ocs you used♦️by on your artfight page.. Do they have a story and lore? I'd love to hear all about them!

Oh goodness thank you so much!! <3 I hope to see you there once July starts! :D

And, funnily enough, pretty much all of the characters I have listed BUT the ♦️ ones have story to them lol. The ♦️ characters are all very new and still in early pre-pre development! I wanted to make a whole bunch of brightly colorful cat character designs in hopes of eventually doing something with them, but for the large part they were made just to make character designs ^^:

Currently, what I have written down for them is that they all live in the same small town on the shore of a lake, a cove, or an ocean. Mirabelle might be an exception, since she’s likely a famous touring popstar singer, but she’d at least have been born there. I think Dr. Skye Baye would work at the local aquarium, and Lemon Wash would help out and volunteer there whenever he wasn’t working down by the docks. Brackish Beat is likely some sort of vigilante gang leader, who works to “keep the streets clean” with his boys and his girlboss girlfriend. Beat stops by the docks every now and then to help Lemon with any manual labor he has to do, which is likely where he’d meet Dollop O’ Sunshine. Dollop is Lemon’s best friend and he’s the owner of the town’s ice cream parlor! He’s pals with just about everybody in town because of his job, serving everyone ice cream and tasty homemade treats all day every day. Wine Tart does…something, I’m sure. Lemon’s friends with Skye. Brackish is also buds with Lemon. Dollop is very intimidated by his best friend’s bud, but Dollop ends up learning that Beat is just as much a good and generous man as he is, and though he’s a big scary gang boss with claws and fangs the size of his finger, Beat would never hurt him. Beat protects anyone that he considers to be either a friend or a good, positive influence on the community, and Dollop learns that that very much includes him too, so he serves Beat free ice cream after a long day of work on Lemon’s ship and it’s a good day for the 3 of them. It’s all very cute & Slice Of Life-y so far.

That’s all I’ve got down about them so far! Maybe come back to me in a year or so and I’ll have more info to give you lol. I’m so glad that you’re invested in them though! It’s a real compliment to see ppl invested in my little guys even so early on in their conception, tysm <3 <3

(for followers only on tumblr, these are the aforementioned characters)

[j0kers-light]

Can we learn more about the three main goons? Their backstories, thoughts about Joker, motives, a detailed description on them etc. unless you can’t cuz spoiler territory

Joker's Loyal Three: Backstory

Heyy hi anon!! 🖤✨

You requested some lore on Joker’s top goons? Of course I can explain and I’ll omit any spoilers! To get to the clown you have to get through his top three which are Frost, Mac, and Neo; his most loyal henchmen. Enjoy some lore!

Let’s begin with Joker’s right hand man; Frost!

He’s Joker’s first employee and by default the only person that Joker truly trusts (besides you of course).

Frost will get his own separate oneshot but I envisioned him to loosely reflect the same Frost depicted in the comics. His description is as follows: Frost is at least 6’3, a very scary looking guy, who’s super tough with an attitude befitting his nickname. He’s the brawn of the three. Definitely ex-military so he’s assertive, with a no nonsense demeanor, and he never smiles. He’s the oldest of the top three and undoubtedly the leader. He’s number one for a reason.

Frost is African American with a buzzcut from his military days, deep brown eyes, and he has a face scar running up his cheek. No one knows anything else about him. He’s just as mysterious as Joker regarding any previous history.

He prefers fighting with his hands but give him a gun and he’s an excellent shot. Joker respects Frost and vice versa. There’s an unspoken bond between the two. Could Joker be an old army pal of Frost’s? Who knows, but no one questions the connection they share. You cross Frost and you cross Joker. Simple.

Frost can essentially take over and run the gang during Joker’s absence. Frost doesn’t like being in charge and his famous slogan, “I don’t get paid enough for this” is said sarcastically because Frost would do anything for his long time friend and boss. I don’t wanna go too into much detail here since he’s getting his own oneshot that will include more lore on his backstory and etc.

Up next we have Mac! Number two!

Most people under Joker’s employ blend in appearance wise but not Mac. He’s got the face and attitude of a frat boy yet he willingly works for Joker.

Mac was originally a Gotham University undergrad but found himself in some trouble after a wild party and one big misunderstanding. His only choice was to beg Joker of all people to save him. Mac paid his debt off twice over but fell in love with the criminal underworld and joined the gang after graduating.

He cut ties with his family and he’s been under J’s employ ever since. Of course he conned his way out of paying student loans. He uses his business major to help Joker’s illegal businesses prosper. Mac also handles the gang's finances/bookkeeping since he knows everything about the corporate world. If there’s a legal mess that Joker needs fixing, Mac is the one to call.

His description is as follows. Mac is a naturally blond Caucasian with calculating blue eyes. Not too tall but he’s giving pretty boy. Even though he cut ties with his family, Mac is still arrogant and snooty; he reeks of new money. His greatest weapon is his mouth. He can talk himself out of any situation, (he paid extra attention in debate class) yet the blond loves to crush his opponents where it really hurts; their wallet.

Because of his frat boy personality, most of Joker’s crew doesn't take the blond seriously until he gets serious and shows them why he’s ranked number two. His loyalty is unwavering since Joker quite literally saved his life.

Mac brings a fresh, younger experience to the gang and his paid education doesn’t hurt either. If Joker asks Mac to do something, the businessman will sigh or roll his eyes in a playful show of annoyance, but it’ll get done immediately. Fun fact: Mac’s phone is constantly in his hand since he’s running the business/legal side of things. He’s the brains out of the three.

Which leaves us with….. Neo. Number three.

Oh this sweet summer child. I had high hopes when I originally created his character. He is the newest of the three but earned his rank for his more hands-on approach at loyalty. His actions show why he’s number three.

Neo is a charmer, a flirt, very charismatic, super cocky, and he is also a mercenary. When Joker wants someone professionally killed, he calls Neo. For a young man, his body count is ridiculously high— both in kills and sexual partners. If he marks you as his target, you’re dying one way or another. Did I mention he’s hot?

Neo’s description is as follows: Lightskin, a traditional tall f__k boy with endless drip. A walking red flag. Neo is originally from Atlanta, GA (and modeled after one of my ex’s pls don’t judge me) He owns multiple clubs in the Georgia Peach area and already had a reputation when Joker recruited the hitman for his payroll. One look into Neo’s hazel eyes and you’re bound for heartbreak or a swift death. Whichever you prefer. He’s got long natural hair and is one of Florence’s clients because he likes it artistically braided. Is it a coincidence that your childhood friend is dating your current lover’s hired hitman?👀

When Neo isn’t charming the ladies and keeping Joker’s clubs and other nightly entertainment business running, he has a gun in his hand– eliminating Joker’s targets with ease. Clean and precise, Neo hates a messy kill and rarely gets his hands dirty with actual blood.

Unfortunately…. Neo is in the dog house for stepping out of line. He let his rank get to his head. Neo inserted himself into your life and exposed himself to your friends and family. Plus he’s one of the variables to the whole, Flo finding out that you’re dating The Joker fiasco. Yeah not good. Neo mixed business with pleasure and now he’s suffering the consequences.

I can’t go into detail with his character since SPOILERS! but Neo will redeem himself and prove his loyalty to Joker again very soon.

Omg this was so much fun to fill!! I love these three and love adding them in oneshots and head canons! They really are Joker's friends even if he doesn't know the meaning of the word.

[amusedbouche26]

The terrible nightmares are here again. This time I dreamt I was in this park where I witnessed a stabbing . I tried telling my dad what had happened in fear f my life as I knew this dangerous local gangster was behind it. It had something to do with squid games. Like the guy cheated in a game. Then this local celebrity I have a crush on, DJ Kaz messages me threatening me as part of the gang. I panic and run to my friends, explain what happened then try and hide out it this Internet cafe.

They see me (kaz and some of the heavies) and run after me and tackle me to the ground. They had scimitar and machetes and I tried putting my arms up to defend myself and got badly cut. I managed to get away and escape to hospital where a few of their intimidators tracked me down and we fought again.

I did a lot better this time but still got dragged back to the park, biting and scratching. The gang boss almost liked that and looked impressed with my bravery, so just before he beheaded me I kissed his feet and begged to work for him. He hesitated but agreed . Doing a ritual where he cut my arms in a pattern to show i was with them and smeared the blood onto my face like war paint.

To test my loyalty he sent me out on some jobs for him. My friends were horrified and asked if I was still in their gang which was a lot less dangerous. I said I was but they have their meetings at the same time so I'd hop from one to the other as to not get in trouble. Our gang essentially came under the big dogs protection. I did some armed robberies and threatened some people who were causing us trouble and Started making a name for myself as the only female heavy in the gang. (Kaz was lower in the ranks)

I became almost fearless, moving up the ranks and some of my friends starting trying to distance themselves from me. I said I was protecting them so you don't wanna do that, so despite a few hesitations in my OG group, we carried on hanging out, using our powers for mischief but not really getting into any serious trouble. I think I was doing a lot of drugs too, I could now get the best weed and purest coke around. My powers were getting stronger and I could slash throats with just a slice of my claw-like nails.

I started sleeping with the big boss and eventually ended up pregnant. The other gang members noticed me getting morning sickness and my stomache growing and I admitted to my friend that it was big boss's. She was shocked and accidentally let it slip to the other girls in my OG gang. The squid games gang were nearby and heard. I thought I'd get in trouble coz I wasn't supposed to admit to the relationship, but the boss heard and was delighted. I still did the intimidation jobs and some other work but after that I basically lived a life of luxury. I didn't have to fly, didn't have to party with everyone else, didn't have to kill, and I became even more beloved in the local area. I even got to make out with the gorgeous DJ Kaz.

I don't know about this dream. As scary as parts were I kinda loved the outcome. Especially getting to meet, befriend, kiss and even become more popular than gorgeous local DJ , Kaz 😍❤️ and I got the best weed, best coke... treated like a damn queen. And protected my friends probably saving their lives.

Can I call this one a nightmare even? Nah I dunno

#dream #strange dream

[dunnoifits42]

life of cat 3

cat fell at night, and ran off to the little forest next to our house to hide. we searched and called her but she would not dare to come out because everything was big and scary. i thought i had seen her at night and went out to wait for her but a fox came along and scared her off. mom and daughter found her after 2 days and brought her home. cat had collected at least 30 ticks, quite a challenge to pick them all. cat fell again a few months later, but this time we heard it and i climbed up the facade to where she was sitting, put her into her carrier and climbed down again. cat did not fall again.

i have put cat's bowls back where they belong. freaked me out to think about why those bowls aren't there when i'm in the kitchen.

one evening, cat wouldn't come in. went to check, cat was sitting on the railing staring down at something i couldn't see. so i pointed my phone's flashlight in the direction cat was staring and two eyes were staring up to us. boss. boss was the biggest meanest tomcat around. he ruled over an empire of at least 4 square km. and he came over every evening to serenade cat, just like in the old book. a few months later we waited for boss to make his way up our driveway. i had seen him further down the street before and he should arrive any moment now. but. boss did not come. so i checked and saw him sitting under a car, he didn't dare to go further, because near our driveway a young tomcat was waiting. the new boss. new boss had taken over the empire and old boss never returned to our driveway to serenade cat. i saw old boss in his garden a few times, he was limping and he probably died some time later. new boss and friends were a gang of assholes and cat never again liked another cat.

strange, no one is sitting in the window when i come home, no one is waiting behind the door, no one brrrts when we cross paths. i am alone for the first time in 57 years. i've been alone before, sure, but there was always someone waiting for me. no more.

cat was a passionate hunter, catching butterflies and moths on end, eating them on the spot. different story with birds and bats who were stupid enough to fly low over the railing. they had to be eaten in the safety of the bedroom. so the task was to catch cat before she could vanish under the bed to eat her prey in peace. if successful, the half dead birds and bats were to be thrown out. some managed to fly away - catch and release - others fell and were to be eaten by the cats or raccoons on the ground.

in her prime cat managed to kill a blackbird in less than 20 seconds. when she was old and already weak she grabbed a magpie but it just flew away. she once chased off two racoons. one ran away down the hill, the other climbed up a pine. couldn't let cat follow him, would have ruined her fur.

12 years ago christmas was a really important event. lots of decoration, fairy lights, candles, a tree and a winter village. the village was situated on a big mountain made of styrofoam, the houses had tiny lights, people were skiing on the slopes of the mountain, or skating on the frozen pond, others were buying chestnuts or almonds. we had taped down all the wiring, because cat was very much in the middle of everything, playing catzilla in the village, felling trees and stomping skiers into the ground. the christmas tree she left alone. but the preparation and unpacking of the presents was very much to her liking, construction - or deconstruction - was one of cat's passions. and for dinner on christmas eve, when everyone was sitting around the big table, cat was right in the middle of the action, later ending up between the unpacked presents.

last christmas cat did not participate in the preparation of the presents, just a short look, and that was it. there had not been christmas dinners for years, no decoration, no nothing. so cat's last christmas was a non-event.

in summer 2013 we went on vacation, wanted to spend some time on the beach. cat was to come with us, so mom booked an apartment that allowed pets. the car was stuffed with toys for kid and cat. we brought lots of blankets, a scratching post, the litter box and lots of toys.

the road trip itself was uneventful. cat slept behind the driver's seat most of the time. the apartment right at the beach was a real eye opener for cat. the sea, sand, lots of people, those annoying, loud seagulls, lots of things to see and process.

with all the stuff we brought from home the apartment was enough like home for cat to be comfortable. we did not leave her alone for too long, though.

later i got cat a passport for international travel, never happened for lack of time and money.