#is it detecting 'ho' ???? seriously???

[wheeboo]

it started with a dare | yoon jeonghan

SYNOPSIS. in which you get dared to stand under the mistletoe. PAIRING. yoon jeonghan x gn!reader (ft. seungcheol as reader's older brother, implied other members are there too) GENRE. fluff, brother's best friend to lovers WARNINGS. mild swearing, booseoksoon are menaces, light kissing WORD COUNT. 1.5k

notes: for the "a very seventeen christmas" secret santa event by @camandemstudios! ho ho ho! this is your secret santa wheeboo speaking, and this fic is to be delivered to @soo0hee <3 i hope you enjoy hehe and have a wonderful christmas of your own!!!

"I dare Y/N to pick the most attractive person in the room and stand with them under the mistletoe."

Silence.

Utter silence at that.

Then a choked laugh rings out from someone𑁋probably Seokmin𑁋and you can feel fire burst out of your ears and swallow you whole. Your body sinks into the couch as the moments pass, feeling as if a million different pairs of eyes were all staring at you, waiting for you to do something.

"Are you serious right now?" You somehow muster up a chance to shoot a daggered glare right at Soonyoung, who was staring at you back so innocently.

You should have expected this, should have known better than to agree to join your friends' ridiculous game of truth or dare. But now, here you were. And as if the whole situation wasn't embarrassing enough, your eyes instinctively drift to Jeonghan across the room.

He was doing everything but being interested in the game, sitting on the couch right next to Seungcheol𑁋your older brother𑁋with his feet up on the coffee table and his arms crossed, rolling his eyes jokingly at whatever Seungcheol was saying.

Yoon Jeonghan, the boy who caught your eyes years ago when your brother brought him home for the first time. Yoon Jeonghan, the boy who used to ruffle your hair in the hallways back in high school and tease you about bombing your math exams, not realising how those little interactions meant to you. Yoon Jeonghan, the boy who never seemed to notice how much you'd grown since then, how much more you wanted him now.

Yoon Jeonghan, the boy who had always been lurking in the corners of your heart, but never fully in your reach. And you've accepted that fate a long time ago.

A lump forms in your throat. You already know this is going to be a disaster, especially with your friends staring at you like hawks, but it's not like you can choose someone else.

No, your eyes just had to gravitate straight to Jeonghan. Your brother's best friend.

Taking a deep breath, you find your feet begin to move on their own, dragging you across the room to where Seungcheol and Jeonghan were sitting.

You notice how calm Jeonghan is, how effortlessly relaxed he looks simply minding his own business, and it only seems to make everything worse, because you're about to do something that might just haunt you for the rest of your life.

When you approach closer, you hear the whispers of your friends behind your back. Jeonghan glances up from his spot on the couch, his brow raising upon your presence.

"Um..." You croak out nervously. "Hi."

It's just a game, You remind yourself. Just a game.

Jeonghan looks at you quizzically for a moment, and then his lips curl into a faint smile. But you don't detect any amusement in his features, any hint he might tease you senseless𑁋just a warm, easygoing expression that almost makes you forget why you're standing here.

"What's up?" he simply asks, and it's enough for you to beg the world to crush you.

"I, uh..." You seriously want to slap yourself in the face right now. "I pick you."

His eyes widen slightly, and your stomach ties itself into a knot.

"Me?" he questions.

"Uh, yeah." You nod quickly, dipping your head down guiltily. "We're supposed to... stand under the, um... mistletoe?"

Jeonghan doesn't answer right away, just glancing between Seungcheol's suspicious eyes towards the two of you and the mistletoe that stands proudly above the doorway to the living room.

Then he just fucking smirks.

"Well then," He takes his feet off the coffee table and stands up. "Lead the way."

Seungcheol opens his mouth to say something, but you're already walking away before he could get a word out. Each step feels heavier than the last as you trudge towards the stupid mistletoe, with Jeonghan casually following behind you.

When you reach the spot beneath the mistletoe, you stand there awkwardly, unsure of where to go from there. Jeonghan stands right in front of you, way closer than you anticipated, and you have to fight the urge to meet his eyes.

"So..." You turn back towards your friends. "Game over, right?"

"Of course not!" Seungkwan chimes in, shaking his head. "You still have to kiss, duh."

You're this close to kicking every single one of your friends in the shin.

"I𑁋That was not part of the dare!" You protest, face reddening. "You can't just𑁋"

"No takesie backsies!" Seokmin exclaims, and you give him your friendliest death glare.

You want to die. Or at least crawl into a hole and never come out. That would be nice right now.

"Y/N," he calls out to you, so quietly only you can hear. "It's okay. It's just a stupid dare, right?"

All the words that ache to tumble out of you immediately disperse when you meet his soft eyes. The way he's gazing at you has your legs feeling like jelly, your heart running marathons, your nervous façade crumbling just slightly. You almost forget about how your entire situation is put on display for everyone to watch.

"I won't bite, you know," Jeonghan muses playfully, yet when he catches the worried look on your face, his smirk fades away. "Y/N? Look at me."

You hesitate for a moment, before torturously lifting your head to look up at him. He's so pretty, especially up close, so close you can't help but flicker down to his lips for a second𑁋

"We can just get this over with, yeah?" His eyes hold yours even as he inches closer. "It'll be quick."

It's just a kiss, You tell yourself. Just a kiss.

"Okay," You murmur, feeling your feet root into the floor. "Okay."

Then when he gives you that smile again, you suddenly can't move. Jeonghan places one hand on your shoulder, another one coming up to hover closer to your cheek, though his warmth still seeps within even when he isn't fully touching you.

"Don't worry." He leans in more, his breath ghosting against your skin, and your eyelids flutter to a close. "It's just me."

Your heart pounds so loudly you're sure he can hear it. You can't see his face, but you know he's just a breath away from your mouth.

However, you also don't see the way he pauses right before your quivering lips, how his gaze roams over your face like he's studying you. You hear a chuckle.

"Cute."

Then before you can fully process, the softest touch of his lips land right at the corner of your mouth. It's gentle, light, lingering a few beats longer than necessary, and it's somehow more intimate than a kiss on the lips.

And then like a snap, it's over. Jeonghan pulls away from you slowly, the warmth from his touch spreading through your body like a wildfire. The room erupts into an obnoxious round of applause. You only stand there like a lost child, because the world and your damn brother now all know that you're hopelessly in love with Yoon Jeonghan.

And the worst part? It wasn't just a kiss in front of everyone𑁋he made it feel real.

"I..." You clear your throat, pursing your lips together. "I need a drink."

You're quick to dash towards the kitchen, away from your friends and Jeonghan.

Stepping into the kitchen, the cool air calms your flushed skin. You lean against the counter and let out a groan, burying your face in your hands, willing the heat to leave your face.

"Y/N?"

Shit.

"You okay?"

"No." You give a half-hearted laugh. "because now everyone and my brother knows I have a crush on you."

Jeonghan stands right next to you by the counter, tilting his head to get a better view of your face as he smirks amusedly. You roll your eyes, unable to grasp how much he seems to enjoy seeing you flustered.

"Seriously?" You frown. "You think this is funny? You𑁋"

"I think it's cute," Jeonghan interrupts confidently. "You're cute, and I'd rather kiss you properly than have it be from a stupid dare."

Your jaw drops to the floor, your brain short-circuiting, and you stare at him like he's just told you the most absurd thing in the world. And in a way, it is.

"Don't mess with me, Yoon Jeonghan."

"I'm not," Jeonghan responds affirmatively. "but it's fun watching you squirm."

You groan helplessly. "I hate you."

"No, you don't." He grins, the smugness oozing off him, and it's so infectious that you also smile, because he's right𑁋you don't. "Your brother can kill me for all I care, but..."

Jeonghan steps up to you until there's barely any space left between you two, reaching out to push back a strand of hair behind your ear. This time, when his lips meet yours, it's not a dare; not rushed or pressured, nor a product of your ridiculous friends’ antics. Though brief, it's deliberate, soft, like he's been waiting for this moment as long as you have.

When he pulls back, he shoots you a wink. "...I'll make this worth it for you."

And just like that, Yoon Jeonghan has you completely, hopelessly, irrevocably smitten. You can't decide if you want to slap him or kiss him again.

Before you could remotely question what the hell you just got yourself into, Seungcheol's unmistakable voice booms from the living room.

"Y/N! Jeonghan! Get your asses out here right now!"

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[wtfaniii]

Hi! I bring you this final part! Thank you for your support, readings and love.🤎

N/A: I have pending orders and I hope to complete them as soon as possible. I will upload one of them this afternoon. Thanks for your support!!

PAPARAZZI

Hwang In-ho x reader

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Summary: A private detective that Gi-hun had hired to investigate those games he participated in three years ago, is taken against her will without knowing that a certain man with power and money knew absolutely every detail about her.

Warning: Blood, violence, kidnapping and some romance, I was listening to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance while writing this, sorry not sorry

Note: This would be the last part, if were to resume it I would do so when the third season comes out, thank you for your love!

The plan to escape through the ventilation ducts would be carried out that night, after playing the third game.

"Players, the third game is about to begin, everyone is asked to wake up and prepare" the female robotic voice spoke from the speaker.

The girl smiled as she saw that the piece of metal had in his hands had finally taken the shape that would be quite useful to her.

—I did it... —Her murmur with a radiant smile.

—¿You did what? —001 asked, approaching her with curiosity, as if he hadn't heard anything of the conversation she had with 388 during the night.

—The key to get out of here —She said proudly, showing off the piece of metal.

In-ho put on a confused expression, but deep down he was more than fascinated and intrigued, as well as anxious for night to come and for her to execute the "escape."

—Trust me, we will get out of here.

He gave her a silent smile.

As they left the room to be taken to the next game, In-ho stayed behind to talk to one of the guards with the triangle symbol. —455 will try to escape tonight through the ventilation ducts, keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't, then she'll be taken out of the game, ¿understood?

—Yes sir —replied, giving a brief reference, then he left to catch up with the group.

The next game would be called "mingle" and it was for groups.

The game consisted of grouping up every time the robotic voice said the number of players that had to get together and take one of the small rooms that were scattered around the place, the platform would spin before this so you are probably a little dizzy.

—If the number is more than six, we'll take the other players —Gi-hun said.

—¿What if the number is less than six? —Dae-ho asked with some uncertainty.

—We're split up, but we mustn't lose our patience— Young-il said seriously. —You two try not to get away from us —added looking at Jun-hee and the girl, who both nodded.

When the platform began to spin and the children's song started to play, the tension in the atmosphere was present, once again the girl was afraid of dying so inevitably her hands trembled, In-ho noticed this and without thinking much he took one of her hands with his.

—Trust me, we'll get out of here —He repeated the same words she had told him, making her smile.

The first stop was ten, that was easy, they met up with another group of four with players 120, 007, 149 and 097

The second was four, In-ho never let go of the girl's hand. —You four go, we two will look for others —He stated confidently.

She felt pretty safe with him so she didn't refuse, once again it was easy to find another partner and get to a room on time.

The third was three participants per room, once again it was simple, the girl was Gi-hun and Young-il but when they were dividing she was knocked down by another player.

In-ho opened his eyes searching for her in the crowd as Gi-hun called out to her but seeing that the timer was about to end they had no choice but to run and carry player 149 who was standing alone in the middle of all the chaos.

Meanwhile, the girl was stunned, looking for someone to go with to save her life when suddenly someone arrived and practically pulled her by the arm with brute force straight into a room. When the timer came to an end, she saw both players.

—Thank you very much.

Player 333 nodded, taking deep breaths.

She would remember him number, he had practically saved her life and she would make sure to do the same once she managed to get out of there for help.

Coming out of the cubicles, the first thing In-ho did was look for her with his eyes and when he saw her coming towards them, a sigh of relief left his lips, a reaction he never thought would have in a long time.

It felt strange to feel the anguish of another person's life again, especially that of a girl he knew as well as the back of his hand but hadn't spent enough time with, it was as if she had gotten into his head and heart without him realizing it.

When least expected it, he was already hugging her.

—Sorry for letting go of your hand.

—I'm fine... —The girl sighed, gladly receiving the gesture —He saved me —She added turning to see 333 who was a short distance away, watching them in silence.

He didn't care who had done it, he was just grateful that she was still there, although his triangle team had orders not to kill her, it was impossible to deny the immense concern he felt.

Finally, teams of two had to be formed, the participants fought to survive and this time, In-ho made sure not to lose the girl at his side.

In-ho grabbed a man who was about to enter the empty cubicle and pushed him back, allowing her to pass through, but she froze when she saw another player there.

—Get out —Young-il demanded firmly, staring at the man.

But seeing that the player refused, he rushed towards him, the girl stayed at the door preventing anyone else from entering.

When the timer was coming to an end, the only sound of a 'crack' reached the young woman's ears, she turned around in fear, but when she saw Young-il alive sighed and dropped to the ground tiredly.

She didn't judge him, her knew that humans naturally attacked when felt in danger.

[...]

The third vote had concluded, the circles and crosses had been tied so the elections would be repeated the following day.

But she couldn't bear another day, these games changed people, she saw it in Young-il and her didn't want someone good to get his hands dirty like that again.

Or at least that was the image she had of the man.

She couldn't stop watching him intently as chatted with Gi-hun, he was a gentleman, kind and sociable man but seeing him in that cubicle killing a man by breaking his neck in one move to save them both made her heart beat like never before.

She was fascinated by riddles and had a hunch that this man was one that needed to be solved. She didn't know, but her intuition told that Young-il was a poker face.

But for now, her needed to execute his plan.

She got up from where was and walked to the bathroom, there were only a couple of hours left until nightfall and she didn't want to walk around that island in the dark.

—Oh no, she's going to do it —Dae-ho muttered nervously as he watched her walk away.

—¿What is she going to do? —Gi-hun asked.

—Will try to escape and go for help.

The group looked at her with concern as she entered the bathroom and the two guards continued to guard the entrance.

She walked over to the toilet, pulled down the lid and stood on it to reach where the vent was, using the deformed piece of metal to remove the screws.

A proud smile formed on her lips as she was able to remove the lid and push herself up with his feet to begin climbing through the duct. ¿Could this be a dream? Judging by the fresh air she perceived in his nose these ducts would lead her to an exit to the outside.

But before she could declare victory and move forward faster, she felt two hands grab her by the ankles and pull back, back to his nightmare.

—¡No! ¡Please no! —She screamed, digging her nails into the metal of the duct as if that would stop, but she only managed to hurt own fingers a little.

When the guard with the triangle mask had her in hin arms and held tightly, she hit him in the stomach with his elbow to free herself.

She ran to the bathroom door to get out of there but as soon as touched the handle she was shot in the leg causing to fall and scream in pain.

Her scream mixed with the gunshot caught the attention of the players outside, it caught In-ho's attention, they weren't supposed to shoot her.

Meanwhile inside the bathroom she was bleeding and crying in pain and fear, she believed that this was end but another guard entered the bathroom and stuck a needle in her neck forcing her to fall into the subconscious.

"Player 455, eliminated" said the robotic voice over the speaker, leaving her fellow players bewildered and sad.

Gi-hun stood up and walked towards the guard guarding the bathroom and shouted angrily, followed by In-ho.

—¿What did you do to her? She wasn't playing! ¡You killed her!

The triangle raised his gun and pointed it at him to get to back off.

—She tried to escape and that will not be tolerated.

—¡That's not fair! You're only eliminated if you lose one of these games —Young-il yelled at them, putting on a little drama show just enough for the guards to get him out of there too so could see the girl.

When the doors opened and more guards entered carrying a black box with a huge pink bow through the door In-ho paled, he had given a specific order, it was just to take her out of the games, not kill her.

—¡You killed her! —he shouted at them this time a little more excitedly as watched the triangles take the girl out of the bathroom and place her in the box to later close it —¡These weren't the rules! ¡I demand to see your leader!

The guard nodded and asked him to follow him, once out of sight of the other players In-ho glared at his worker waiting for an explanation.

—She's alive, just sedated, we thought this was the best way to get her out without raising suspicion.

The feeling he had a few moments ago was like torture but also a small flash in his dark heart, after so long he had not felt such a whirlwind of emotions since his wife.

[...]

In him golden room, in the middle of the bed, the girl rested, with a bandage on her leg and wearing more comfortable clothes, a white blouse and grey pants.

The front man walked through the door and sighed at the sight of her there, leaving the gun he had used against the guard who dared to shoot her disobeying his orders on the table by the entrance and walking cautiously towards her.

He knew was breaking the rules by taking her out of there but he couldn't let her die, she had made him feel so many things again in such a short time that it was terrifying to a certain extent.

With his hand he moved a couple of strands of hair away from her face.

The girl gently opened her eyes and seeing a masked stranger near her, she tensed up because was still a little dazed to react otherwise.

—Calm down —he said under the mask with the voice modifier —I won't hurt you, we already fixed your wound and you'll be fully conscious in a few hours.

—You... you are... the front man... —She said trying to clear her mind and focus his vision.

—¿How much do you know about me? —He asked curiously, sitting on the edge of the bed without stopping to observe her under the mask.

—I know as much about you as you know about me... —She smiled at him with a hint of arrogance —You sent your employees to follow me for a while... They're not as stealthy as you thought.

He smiled under the mask, he knew for sure that she was intelligent, she was extremely afraid of death but had strategies and a brain to know when being stalked.

—¿Do you want to take off your mask?... I want to know if right about something.

—¿About what?

—You’re Young-il —that took him by surprise —¿Or should I say In-ho? You’re a man of many riddles.

He took off the mask, not just physically, he was also going to let her enter his soul.

—¿Since when did you find out?

—Oh not as quickly as I would have liked, I figured it out now that you sat up in bed.

From him posture, carefree and passive, and the way he stroked her hair, she deduced that he was someone who had already had contact with her.

Moreover, she had read a long history about the front man, the man in front of her was more than just that, more than just a cold-blooded assassin and leader who controlled these games, he was now showing his more "Young-il" side.

—¿Like Sherlock Holmes? —In-ho asked, half amused and half curious.

—That's my job... —She sighed tiredly, closing her eyes again.

They both knew they had many things to talk about and clarify but now was not the time, she longed for some peace and rest and he had to return to the games or he would raise suspicions.

They had a pending conversation but first, In-ho had to put an end to all this and put everything back in its respective place, after all, the girl was no longer in the crossfire, with her safely in him room, it was time to act.

N/A: This is the last part! Maybe I'll pick it up again when the third season comes out, I wanted to do something like Joe and Love only without the killer and crazy stuff.

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[insidekatmind]

Professional-Hwang Jun-ho

The sharp night wind sweeps through the alleys of Seoul as you walk briskly toward the squad car parked behind the police precinct. The lit cigarette between your fingers burns slowly, while you watch the neon lights reflect in the dirty puddles. You've always been like this—cold, distant, untouchable. Not because you like it, but because it's necessary. In this world, showing weakness means you're done for.

"Are you planning to ignore me forever?"

Hwang Jun-ho’s deep voice cuts through the silence. He’s leaning against the car door, arms crossed, that piercing gaze studying you like he can read every secret you keep.

"Interesting attempt," you reply with a mocking half-smile, flicking away the cigarette and crushing it under your boot. "But you should know I’m not the type to get easily distracted."

"Could’ve fooled me, considering you were the one who asked for my help on this case." His voice drops lower now, almost a whisper, like he's daring you.

You don’t give him the satisfaction of reacting. You’re the best detective on the narcotics squad, and you don’t have time for stupid games. But him… he's different. Stubborn. Sharp. Suspiciously attuned to your every move.

"Don’t mistake work for something else, Jun-ho." You step closer, locking eyes with him. You're near enough to catch his scent a mix of coffee and prefume. "I’m not one of those women who fall at your feet."

He smirks, that smirk that makes you want to either punch him or kiss him—and that’s the problem. Because Hwang Jun-ho is dangerous. Not just as a colleague, but as a man. Because he sees past your mask, senses the cracks in your icy walls.

"I know," he murmurs, leaning in slightly, his face just inches from yours. "And that’s exactly why I like you."

Your breath catches for a second. You shouldn’t let him get this close. You shouldn’t allow him to see that beneath all this armor, there’s something fragile. But it’s too late.

Because deep down, you already know.You’re screwed.

“Come on now, we have work to do” you say coldly as you put your hands in the pockets of your leather jacket.

Jun-ho chuckles, the sound almost like a throaty purr that wraps around your senses. He pushes off the car, closing the distance between you in a few effortless strides. His lips curve into the kind of smirk that says he knows exactly what effect he's having on you."Always business first, huh?"

You cross your arms looking at him seriously. ��Are you seriously trying to waste time when we have something important to do?”

Jun-ho raises a mocking eyebrow, clearly amused by your reaction. He knows you’re trying to hold your ground, to keep up appearances. But the spark in his eyes suggests otherwise. “Waste time? No, never. I just happen to believe multitasking is a skill.”He takes another step closer, his gaze never leaving yours. “And a little distraction now and then isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Detective.”

You try to maintain your composure, but the way he says those words,a hint of mockery, yet filled with a deeper meaning,makes your heart flutter betraying your stoicism. “We have a suspect to tail.” Your tone is sharp, but it does nothing to diminish the heat radiating between you. Jun-ho simply smiles, a smirk that feels almost predatory. He leans in, his breath whispering against your ear.

“I know a thing or two about tailing,” he murmurs, the low timbre of his voice sending a shiver down your spine. “But I was thinking of a different kind of tailing.”You can feel the heat rising in your cheeks, despite your best efforts to contain it. You clear your throat, attempting to regain control. This man is too damn confident.

“Focus, Jun-ho,” you snap, trying to keep things professional. “This isn't a joke. Our case is serious.”

He straightens up, a hint of mockery still lingering in his smirk. “Oh, I am focused,” he says, his gaze dropping to your lips for a moment before meeting your eyes again. “But I can't help but notice you're a little... distracted.”You glower at him, knowing damn well he sees straight through you. He's pushing your buttons, enjoying watching you squirm.

Jun-ho leans in closer, his face mere inches from yours. He reaches up, tracing a finger lightly along your cheek. You try to swat his hand away, but he catches it effortlessly, holding onto it. His thumb grazes over your knuckles, the gentle touch sending electric sparks through your veins."You’re cute when you’re irritated," he murmurs, amusement glittering in his eyes. "But I prefer the look on your face when you’re flustered."

"Let. Me. Go." The words come out in an irritated hiss, but it does nothing to dispel the tension hanging in the air. Instead, it just makes Jun-ho's smirk widen.He leans even closer, his body almost touching yours. You can feel the heat radiating from him, his breaths mingling with your own. “No.”

His answer sends a shiver down your spine, but you try to hide it. Even as his touch ignites a fire beneath your skin, you refuse to give him the satisfaction of knowing he's gotten under your skin. You try to pull your hand away, but his grip tightens. He steps even closer, his breath warm on your neck. You can feel your heart hammering in your chest, pounding against your ribcage as if it’s desperate to break free. You’re a detective, for crying out loud. You’re supposed to be strong, aloof. But here you are, struggling to keep your cool while your colleague,your friend,is driving you insane.

"What's the matter, Detective?" His voice is a soft purr, his body pressed against yours now. He knows he's pushing all the right buttons, knows he's getting exactly the reaction he wanted. "Can't handle a little distraction?"His free hand drifts up to your chin, tilting your face towards his. His gaze is intense, almost predatory. You feel like prey.

"We have a case to solve" you repeated, trying to maintain your cool facade, but you didn't seem very convinced by what you were saying. You were hating yourself for being so weak, you're not like that. You've always been cold and closed.

"Oh, come on," Jun-ho whispers, his fingers tracing a path down your jawline, "we both know work isn’t the only thing on your mind right now."He’s so damn infuriatingly smug. You’re trying to keep your cool, to keep things professional, but he’s making it impossible. Every look, every touch feels like it’s designed to unravel your defenses.

"You're reading too much into things," you manage to respond, though your voice lacks the usual conviction. Jun-ho gives you a knowing smile, his eyes never leaving yours."Am I?" He murmurs, his breath now hot on your ear. "Or am I just seeing what’s right in front of me?"He's too close, too confident, and it's driving you crazy. Your heart is pounding like a drum, a maddening rhythm that's threatening to drown out your rational thoughts.

Jun-ho senses your internal battle. He steps even closer, his body now flush against yours. You can feel the heat of him, the subtle pressure as he pins you against the car."Just admit it," he whispers, his voice low and intense, "you're not thinking about the case right now. You're thinking about me."

“I hate you so much right now,” you whisper, looking at his lips. Jun-ho's smirk widens, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of satisfaction and arrogance. He knows he's got you right where he wants you, and he's reveling in it.

“You don’t hate me,” he murmurs, his voice lowering into a sultry purr. “You just hate that you can’t resist me.” With a swift motion, he captures your chin between his fingers, tilting your face up towards his. He's so close now that you can feel the heat radiating from his body. He leans in, his lips skimming the shell of your ear.

"Admit it," he whispers, his breath hot on your skin. “You want me just as much as I want you. Stop fighting it. Let yourself go." The urge to surrender is strong, but you stubbornly cling to the last vestiges of your composure. You can't let him win so easily. You're not some helpless damsel in distress.

You push against his chest, trying to create some distance between you two. "You're cocky, you know that?" Jun-ho chuckles at the feeble attempt to regain control, catching your wrists in his hands. "And you love it," he retorts, his grip tightening slightly. "Admit it. My cocky attitude drives you crazy."

You hate that he knows he's right. His arrogant confidence is infuriating, but it's also strangely alluring. It's as if he knows exactly how to push your buttons, how to make you crumble."You're a jerk," you mutter, but the lack of conviction in your voice betrays you.

"Mmhmm." That cocky smirk again. He's enjoying this far too much. He takes a step closer, his body now pressed against yours. You can feel the solid planes of his chest against your back, the heat of him seeping through your clothes."You can call me all the names you want, but I know the truth," he murmurs, his lips brushing against your jawline. "You're craving this just as much as I am."

The speed and ease with which he pins you against the car takes your breath away. In an instant, you're backed up against the cold metal, your wrists caught in his firm grip. Jun-ho's body presses against yours, his hands pinning your wrists above your head, leaving you completely at his mercy. Every part of you is hyper-aware of his presence:the heat of his body, the strength in his grip, the spicy scent of his cologne. His gaze is intense, his eyes dark with a desire that's making your heart race."You’re so stubborn," he murmurs, his voice low and gravelly. "You just can't help but push my buttons, can you?"

He leans in, his lips brushing against the hollow of your neck. The touch is light, barely there, but it sends a shiver down your spine. His breath is hot on your skin, making you feel strangely vulnerable."You know I have a weakness for stubbornness," he whispers, his lips finding the sensitive spot beneath your ear. "But you're really testing my patience."

You try to stay composed, to act like his touch doesn't affect you, but it's a losing battle. Your body betrays you, melting into his touch, seeking more. With a low chuckle, Jun-ho notices the change in your demeanor."You can act tough all you want," he murmurs, his lips now on your jawline, "but I can feel the way your pulse quickens when I touch you."

Jun-ho's gaze locks with yours, his eyes studying your conflicted expression. He's enjoying this,the way you're fighting to hide your feelings, the way your eyes betray your true emotions. He lets out a low chuckle, his grip on your wrists loosening slightly."You're struggling, aren't you?" He murmurs, his lips hovering just millimeters from your own. "Trying to decide whether you want to punch me or kiss me."

His words hit too close to the truth. The mix of anger and desire bubbling inside you is driving you crazy. You want to push him away, to tell him to back off. But the way he's looking at you,with that arrogant smirk and those intense, dark eyes,makes it damn near impossible to resist.

His lips capture yours with an intensity that takes you by surprise. The kiss is hard and hungry, his mouth claiming yours as if he's been craving this moment. He's still pinning you down, his body pressed against yours, his grip on your wrists now loose but possessive.He deepens the kiss, his tongue delving into your mouth, and your resistance falter.

You kiss back and moan softly as you cling to him. Your response emboldens him, his kiss growing more possessive, more intense. He releases your wrists, his hands now roaming over your body, exploring every curve with an expert touch. He knows exactly how to drive you crazy.He breaks the kiss, his lips leaving yours to trail down your neck, sucking and nipping at your skin. His hands slip under your shirt, his touch searing against your bare flesh.

You moan softly. “Jun-ho,” you whisper, holding onto him. Jun-ho responds to the sound of his name coming from your lips, a low growl rumbling in his chest. He continues his assault on your neck, his tongue grazing the sensitive skin below your ear.

"Say my name again," he whispers, his voice huskier than before. "Louder."

You try to cling to your remaining shreds of control, but your resolve is crumbling under his touch. The way he's commanding you, the way he's making you feel, it's all too intoxicating.You let out another soft moan, his name tumbling from your lips. "Jun-ho." It almost sounds like a plea.

Jun-ho lets out a possessive growl, the sound low and primal. He captures your lips again, his kiss rougher this time, more desperate. His hands explore your body with fervor, slipping beneath your shirt to touch skin. His touch is electric, setting your senses ablaze.

He grabs your waist, hoisting you onto the hood of the car with ease. He steps between your legs, his body pressing against yours, trapping you in his embrace. The heat between you is palpable, the tension almost unbearable. Jun-ho's hands slide down your thighs, his touch leaving a trail of heat in their wake. He breaks the kiss, his lips moving to your neck once more. "You have no idea the things you do to me," he murmurs, his voice rough and laced with desire.

His lips move lower, towards your collarbone, leaving a trail of hot kisses along the way. You're melting under his touch, unable to resist the fire he's igniting within you. His hands grip your thighs, his fingers digging into your flesh as if he's trying to brand you as his.

The sharp crackle of the radio breaks through the heated atmosphere, jolting both of you back to reality. Jun-ho's eyes dart towards the sound, his gaze sharpening. He mutters a curse under his breath.He looks back at you, conflicted. He's clearly torn between duty and desire, the moment shattered by the reminder of their job.

You give him one last kiss and walk away to the car. "You drive" you say, adjusting your jacket and returning to your detached attitude.

Jun-ho watches you as you compose yourself, his eyes still dark with unspoken desire. He can't help but feel a pang of disappointment as you put up your detached and professional front again. But he knows that the moment has passed, that the job takes precedence now.

He takes a deep breath, composing himself, and heads to the driver's seat. "Right. Let's focus on the target," he says, his voice cool and business-like.

[mocchii-writes]

hey, saw your requests were open. could you do a fic with Jun Ho (squid game) where it's set in the start of the second season and the reader is like friends with choi woo-seok and Jun ho doesn't take her seriously cause she's kind of goofy and a criminal. then during the mission she saves him and shows her strength, and he kinda just falls in love. idk if that's cringe but thanks :)

Ever since I was a kid, I've been legit

Paring: Hwang Jun Ho x fem!reader Summary: Jun Ho thinks you're too unserious for this mission. Words: 850 Warnings: Guns, Swearing, Written on mobile :<

A/n: Hi Anon!! It's not cringe (to me, at least), and I hope I did your req justice, I wasn't entirely sure if I understood it right ♡

~🍡🍡

Choi Woo-Seok's voice comes with a crash on the glass door of the motel bathroom. "Mr. Seong, you can't trust cops!" He says, listening in to the tense conversation between Gi Hun and an officer. You're seen soon after next to him.

"I've never seen cops helping people like us," you say, less urgently but with a firmness in your voice. You hadn't gotten a chance to look at the detective until now, being so busy knocking him out. He was cute. He looked disheveled currently, but you weren't complaining. "You un-cuff him, and he'll cross you as soon as possible." You were hoping you were wrong, but your past didn't fight against your word.

Gi Hun looks back to the cop, and he almost walks away, but they continue talking. You groan dramatically and turn to the messy room before you. Eventually, they emerge with peace, and you all set off.

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

A few days later, some ex-military men had been gathered, and you and they were trying out the weapons Mr. Seong had acquired. Woo-Seok is introducing them all, and then he gets to you.

"She... She's good with guns! She's got a criminal record and -" He groans as he feels an elbow to his ribcage as you laugh.

"And he's just an ex-cop," you tilt your head to Jun Ho, feeling his disapproving gaze when you turn back to your target, laughing.

You later pause and listen to the 3 of them discuss entering the club on Halloween. "I can go with you," you say, "into the club?" Seong looks at you for a minute, and then another voice is heard.

"I'll go with you." Jun Ho says, breaking the silence. "She probably can't handle herself, let alone a guard." He says. You scoff and look elsewhere.

"Neither of you are coming," Gi Hun says, "The guards have seen you before. They might recognize you." He looks to Jun Ho, who looks a little disappointed. "You… I just think you would be more useful outside." He says to you, trying to be nice. You roll your eyes as you continue shooting with precise aim.

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

The night of the meet-up, you 4 sit in the car as Mr. Seong and Woo-Seok leave for the club. Silence follows, and you and Jun Ho avoid conversation. Luckily, Woo-Seok's voice is heard, checking the tracker and earpiece.

You both soak into the quiet again, but you soon see 3 guards outside the club. You look to Jun Ho, who is already looking at the guards. He tries to contact Mr. Seong, but he's not heard. In a split-second decision, you bolt out of the car, and he's soon following.

You approach the entrance but are stopped. You feel a hand push you back as Jun Ho settles the bouncer with a gun. You scoff at him as he mutters, "Stay out of the way" as you both enter the club.

"Glad to know you can handle a situation peacefully." You say, knowing he's not listening anyway. As you see Seong Gi Hun leaving, Jun Ho finds your partner tased on the bar.

He calls for the soldiers as you both make it to an alleyway. However, you see one guard waiting for you in the alley with a gun, as a white limo drives away. "Shit," you mutter, feeling Jun Ho push you back again and grab his weapon.

"Let me." He demands but is soon humbled when the gun is knocked out of his hand by the fast-moving guard. You take this opportunity to lift a hard kick to the hand of the guard, grabbing his jacket and kneeing him for good measure. The guard, briefly stunned, looks around for his gun, only to see it pointed at his face.

"Where is that limo going?" You ask, a sense of strength in your voice, unfamiliar to Jun Ho. After the guard tries to grab your gun, you don't hesitate to pull the trigger as you put away your weapon and look at Jun Ho. It's only now that you notice the way he's staring at you. "… What?" You scoff, knowing the answer.

"Let's go." He says, running to his car to catch up with the group. You follow, and he swings open the back door for you, something that didn't go unnoticed, but you didn't point out. You could tell he was distracted as he kept in touch with the soldiers.

You hop to the front seat as the cars are shot at. Jun Ho begins trailing the limo but is soon victim to a shot at his tires, causing him to skid into a, thankfully empty, intersection, losing the limo.

It isn't until you both calm down that you feel him let go of your hand and reach for his phone. You both exit the vehicle as you listen to Gi Hun volunteer for the games.

You sit in silence again as he calls for "Plan B" and you look around awkwardly. Soon, you hear him again. "Sorry. For being rude. I should've given you a chance." He says, avoiding your eyes. You smile and walk around to his side of the car.

"You owe me." You smile, looking into his eyes, probably for the first time. He looks at you and laughs, nodding.

"Alright," he smiles, looking back at you in a way you hadn't seen before, "Deal."

I hope this was kinda what you meant! I wasn't sure what you meant by "saves him," but let me know if you need any changes ♡

~🍡🍡

[gyaruhana]

this may be a bit random, but could you write something for Choi Wook-Seok (the guy who plays rock, paper, scissors, minus one + helps with the search)

I’ve seen nothing about him online at all but I really liked him (maybe I’m just delusional)

It would be amazing if you could do something where the reader was an ex coworker (or just a friend) of Jun Ho and gets pulled into the little take down mission from episode 2. There she meets Wook-Seok and he gets really flustered around her or something.

thank you so much and good work on all your fics

Woo-Seok - Flustered

Synopsis: Woo-seok thinks you're really pretty and gets quite shy

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post i've been drowning in requests!!

Warnings: none

“So, just to clarify, you want me to join you to kidnap some guy who is apparently hosting death games and killing hundreds of people yearly on an unknown island?” you speak as you look at Jun-ho. When your old friend texted you asking to meet, you thought he had wanted to go out for a coffee and catch up - not try to convince you to help him find some guy running some deadly game on an island he's been trying (and failing) to find for two years now.

“I know how it sounds but I’m not making this up,” he says as he looks at you with a serious look. Jun-ho was well aware that his story sounded like the words of a mad man but there was really no way to not sound crazy talking about something like this. He was hoping that you'd just trust him and agree to this because your help would be valuable to getting this done.

You could see the look on his face that showed he clearly wasn't joking around and was dead serious about needing your help with this. However, as much as you did want to help him, you weren’t a police detective anymore. You had quit long ago and taken up a different job that didn’t put you in any danger. Something like this could be seriously dangerous and result in the harm of a lot of people. You let out a sigh as you ran a hand through your hair.

“Jun-ho. As much as I want to help, you know I don’t do that stuff anymore. I left it behind me years ago,” you say as you look at him with an apologetic look. You weren’t confident that you could just jump back into work like this. After all, if he was telling the truth, this would be a lot more than just a simple kidnapping and arrest. It’d be an all-out war - the one thing you wanted to avoid.

Jun-ho understood where you were coming from but he didn’t want to give up on you. When you used to work together in the police department, you were an excellent detective. You had a talent and it was being wasted for things that didn’t matter. This mattered. “Just keep watch then. You don’t have to come with us inside. I just need the skill I know you have to help us,” He says as he puts a comforting hand on your shoulder.

You stayed quiet for a few moments as you just looked at him, analyzing him to figure out whether you should listen to him. Were you really going to join him on a mission to kidnap some potentially dangerous guy? You let out a sigh before looking off to the side with slight annoyance. You took a deep breath before looking at him again. “I’ll help,” you say and Jun-ho immediately smiles, glad to have you on his side. He trusted you with his life and he knew you would prove a great help.

He pats your shoulder twice before pulling his hand away. “Good. We're meeting here tomorrow,” he says as he hands you a small piece of paper with an address. You looked down at it and nodded your head slowly. “Time is valuable so be here early,” he adds as he puts his hands into his pockets. 

“Got it. I'll be there first thing tomorrow morning,” you say as you shove the piece of paper into your pocket and look up at him. Jun-ho nods his head in approval before swiftly walking away and leaving you on your own to think. If Jun-ho hadn't been such a good ally when you worked in the force together, you would've never agreed to this wild goose chase. But, unfortunately, he had done you a favor one too many times so saying no was off the table.

You let out another sigh as you looked to the horizon and thought about what tomorrow might bring. 

“They better have guns,” 

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ:

The next day, you arrived at the rather strange choice of a meet up place. It looked like a run down motel that offers its rooms for ridiculously cheap to those who couldn't afford anything better. You stare at it for a few moments before heading towards the door. When you went to open it, it didn't budge, so you looked around to see if there was something you could open it with.

Your eyes quickly landed on a camera watching you from above which you decide to wave at in hopes that the door would open for you. Thankfully, it did as you heard a buzz indicating it was now opened. You quickly walked in and began to climb the stairs to the correct floor written on the paper. You could hear the faint sounds of gunshots - something that made you more relaxed because thank god they do have guns in case this goes south.

When you arrived at the correct floor, you could already see Jun-ho waiting outside a room for you. He seemed anything but relaxed and you couldn't blame him. Something like this was a whole other level of dangerous. They pretty much only had one shot at getting this right or else it'd be all over. 

“This way. The rest of the team is in here,” Jun-ho speaks as he leads you down the hallway and into a room. When you walk in, the first thing you notice is the shit ton of won lying on a bed. Your eyes widen at the sight as Jun-ho leads you past into the bathroom which was filled with a shit ton of guns. You looked around the small bathroom in slight shock at how prepared they happened to be. You weren't going to ask where they got all these guns from but you could guess they were all illegally obtained from the black market. There was also a lot of ammo for the guns too. 

Finally, Jun-ho pushes back a blue curtain revealing a hole in the wall that led to a giant space which seemed like it used to be separate rooms before the walls were removed. There were three guys  shooting at the targets all the way on the back wall while three other guys stood behind them. They clearly meant business.

Woo-seok noticed the presence of Jun-ho and immediately looked at him. He had yet to notice you standing right behind Jun-ho. “These guys were in the marine corps!” he shouts out as he looks over at Gi-hun with wide eyes. He was rather impressed with himself for managing to make a team with professionals.

“These guys were in the UDT,” he shouts again while walking forward and gesturing to two other guys. “and these guys were in the ROK Special Forces,” he finishes as he gestures to the last two guys. “Oh, and this guy is just a former cop,” he says as he points at Jun-ho. 

“Me too,” you say, making Woo-seok snap his head towards you. He immediately froze up. He recalled Jun-ho saying that he'd bring an old coworker and friend but he didn't think that he'd bring someone as pretty as you. You had him rendered speechless so quickly and suddenly, he was very aware of the people looking at him. 

“This is my co-worker. I told you about her,” Jun-ho says as he steps back a little so you could have some space to reveal yourself. “She was great at her job when we worked together so she'll be a big help,” he adds. Gi-hun seems to nod his head before looking back at the men shooting but Woo-seok couldn't tear his eyes away from you.

“..Is there something on my face?” you ask as you rub your face once-over just in case. You didn't know what he was staring at you for but it was kind of endearing in an odd way. “no! Sorry. I'm Woo-seok,” he quickly introduced himself as he tried to calm down and not grin like an idiot. God, he could feel himself start to sweat.

“Glad to be on the same team,” you say as you hold your hand out for him to shake it. He quickly grabs your hand and shakes it vigorously, taking you by surprise at the suddenness and aggressiveness. “uhm- me too,” he stutters out before quickly pulling his hand back after realizing he was holding yours for a little too long. 

You stare at him with slight confusion as you couldn't tell what brought along this behavior. He seemed awfully sweaty all of a sudden and his face seemed to flush a reddish color. He could also barely get a word out without stuttering. Usually people only acted like when they had a crush-

Wait. Did he have a crush on you?? He certainly seemed to display all the signs of a potential crush. Maybe you could just ask. Would that be too straightforward? You didn't want to embarrass him, you just genuinely wanted to know if he liked you but asking him out right might be a little much.

“uh- so you used to be in the police department?” He questioned, making an attempt at small talk with you in hopes to hide how nervous he was. He really didn't want to give a bad first impression to a girl so pretty. You nodded your head and started to talk about it but he could barely focus. He was suddenly hyper-aware of everything about him including his mannerisms. 

Was he smiling too much? Was his stance weird? Did you feel uncomfortable with him looking at you? His mind was too consumed by the thoughts of what you thought about him. He thought about making a joke but maybe you wouldn't find it funny at all and there would be an awkward silence. It was just too much for him to handle. He'd much like to disappear now just to avoid doing something embarrassing in front of you.

“..woo-seok?” You call out as you look at him weirdly. He seemed to be in his own world right now. Something was evidently stuck on his mind. You, probably. You could easily tell how he felt about you. You did use to work as a detective after all. Reading people is what you do. You sigh and shake your head at his nervous behavior before speaking up.

“If you like me, just ask me out,” you say, making his eyes widen as he snaps out of his trance. He looked at you in disbelief, not entirely sure that he actually heard you correctly. “What?” He says as he feels his heart race a million times faster than it had been previously.

“If you like me, ask me out,” you repeat seriously. You found his shyness quite cute honestly and you actually didn't think you'd be against the idea of going out with him. He really just seemed like a sweetheart.

“..really?” He said as he nervously smiled. He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck with his hand before looking around at the other's. “well.. if you don't mind..” he says as he looks at you with a hopeful look.

“You gotta ask me like a man, c’mon,” you say playfully as you push his shoulder gently with a smirk. He laughed shyly before taking a deep breath. “Okay,” he says as he composes himself before looking down at you.

“Would you maybe like to go out sometime?”

[starl0rds]

Theory of Desire

Hwang In-ho x Fem! Reader ୨୧ · ♡ · ୨୧

Pt. 6 in a multi-chapter series!

“It wasn’t real. Any of it?” The words were less of a question, more of a truth you refused to accept.

The past has always been a part of you, and that includes In-ho. It only worsens the sting of betrayal.

Warnings: minors dni! smut, mentions of sex, masturbation, wet dream, fingering, oral sex, blood, dirty talk, dom!in-ho, praise kink, basically plot with porn/porn with plot

Author's Note: thank you so much for all the love and feedback on the fic!! I'm overjoyed to hear how many of you are liking it. chapters will be updated every few days on ao3 <3

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶

Chapter 6: it finds a way to live in you

What you're given, what you live in 

Darlin', it finds a way to live in you 

And your heart, love, has such darkness 

I feel it in the corners of the room 

- “De Selby (Part 2),” by Hozier

In-ho remembered those last days clearly. He sweltered in the heat of the urban summer, all those years ago, spent almost every day he could at the precinct. His life had shrunk to going between work and the hospital. Sometimes, he slept at either place. Today was no different. 

He arrived at 7:00 on the dot. After downing a cup of black coffee, he continued work on his open cases, throwing himself into this job like it was a life-line keeping him from sinking. And he was, sinking, quickly. This time was the longest she’d ever been in the hospital. And they had discovered she was pregnant. God, she was—

In his daze, his shoulder collided with someone else’s.

“Hey!” the detective scoffed as he adjusted his folders. “Watch that.”

“Pardon me. Detective Kang.”

“Detective Hwang. Still uptight as ever?”

“If that’s how you perceive me.”

“Would it kill you to lighten up? I’m really not going to miss you when you’re gone, Detective.” 

In-ho froze. “What do you mean by that?”

“Seriously?” The other detective laughed. “The captain’s assistant let it slip to Min-gi, and he told everyone else in the precinct. They all know.”

“Know of…”

“Oh, I see. Denial might work with the captain, but it won’t on me.”

Though his voice was even, a nagging worry began to grow in In-ho’s mind. “I assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Moonrise Capital. Gwang-jo Ventures. Out of the few.” Detective Kang sneered now. “Sound familiar?”

The loans.

Sensing he’d hit a nerve, the other detective leaned in, emboldened. “I suggest you enjoy your last week. You’re fucked, golden boy,” he grinned. In-ho felt the pit of despair opening up in his stomach.

The smoke from his last cigarette curled into the afternoon sky. In-ho had never really been a smoker, but these days it was easier to indulge a few cigarettes during work rather than down a bottle of whiskey in his dwindling private time. He knew she would disapprove. Maybe he would stop if she would only get better.

The rest of the morning after his conversation with Detective Kang had passed in a blur. At lunchtime, he had stared down at the scant leftovers he had packed for himself, bulgogi over rice, and placed the lid back on top of the tupperware. It had felt too much like a prisoner’s last meal.

His mind drifted back to the open cases, sitting on his desk. He had work to do, undoubtedly. But after he was gone, they’d likely be reassigned to one of the other detectives. He pursed his lips at the thought of someone like Detective Kang going through his cases. 

And then there was that woman. 

In-ho thought of what he had read in her file—the words from her testimony, filling pages upon pages worth of notes, contrasted against the paucity of the rest of her file. He felt a pang of empathy for her. Firefighters fight fires with water. The police fight crimes with evidence, he heard Chief Kim say in his head. 

His mind turned. Below, the bustle of cars and motorbikes cut through the rippling heat of late summer. The sun beat down on his face.

He put his cigarette out on the balcony and grabbed his keys.

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶

(chapter cont. here on ao3!)

taglist: @k1ra-park3r, @fries11, @orihime188

[loservillepopulationtwo]

DCMK AU - APTX Kaito Kid au

-

Eight years ago, Kuroba Chikage showed up with a sickly child no one had heard of before.

Soon after, Kuroba Toichi was legally declared dead.

Snake was right about Kaito being the original Kaito Kid, in a certain way.

-

Shinichi is a believer of logic. Naturally, immortality sounded insane to him. Time was just one of those constants, like a river running to the ocean. It’s flow doesn’t stop and it definitely reverse.

And then he encountered a poison capable of such things.

So it wasn’t Shinichi who ever paid to the certain smaller details that didn’t add up about Kaito Kid, it was Conan.

Kid always knew more than his experience implied.

Kid was undeniably an amateur, but somehow had the skills of a master (even if used childishly)

Kid has some odd, old habits

Kid was the son of Kuroba Toichi but he could never remember meeting him in his childhood (and Shinichi has a good memory)

Conan didn’t dig into those details as he usually would, as he deemed the thief a public nuisance but not harmful. It was a nice change of pace, dealing with a relatively harmless criminal, compared to his usual murders.

He was really annoying, dressing up as him constantly. But when it came down to it his motto of ‘no one gets hurt’ at a heist has saved Conan a few times. So maybe that’s why he let’s him go so often.

And he saved Haibara, on that train. So maybe that’s why he went out of his way to save him in turn.

Seriously- what kind of criminal would jump in front of a bullet for a detective?!?

It’s not looking good he’s losing a lot of blood-!

“No hos-hospital-“

“I know!” At least that got the thief to stop struggling.

Conan took him back to Professor Agasa’s house, and the fact that the thief made no quip about it was concerning.

Kid was in no position to even say his blood type let alone protest when Haibara took some to test.

In the end Kid got out of the danger zone. His face was pale and sick with sweat and he had at least 5 stitches in his body but his condition stabilized.

Conan let himself breathe a sigh of relief but he noticed Haibara biting her nails, signs of anxiety still present as she wen’t over the blood results for the thousandth time.

Kid wouldn’t have to worry about them using his blood against him- the same thing could easily be done to them- what, with the APTX in their systems. He knows Haibara agrees with this so why is she so…

“What’s wrong?”

Haibara pursed her lips, eyes darting back to the blood work quickly.

“Is there something wrong with Kid?”

“There is APTX in his system.”

Conan felt his blood freeze. “What? How does he have traces?”

“No that’s the thing- not traces”

“How is he still big?” Does he have an antidote? Is there a cure-

“It’s not the APTX I made.”

Conan tensed, not liking where this was going.

“It’s a complete version.” Haibara bit her lip in thought, a storm brewing behind her eyes.

“Your parents…”

“We need to find out what Kid knows.”

Conan nodded, thought there was one thing tugging at his mind, “Can… can you make an antidote with it?”

Haibara didn’t answer, but he could see the tenseness holding her in place. Grim thoughts crept their way into his head. If it’s been this long after Kid consumed the APTX… is it even possible to make an antidote?

-

Kaito is in for a world of surprise when he finally becomes coherent! He has no idea what to make of the weird interrogation.

“Wh, huh? HUUUUUUH???” was Kaito’s elegant response.

He has no idea why they think he got shrunk! He’s still perfectly 16, thanks!

He has no idea how to answer the starting to get weirdly pointed questions about his childhood.

Kaito doesn’t actually remember anything from his childhood- back when he was sick. His first real memory is waking up in his ‘Mom’s’ arms, in a small, chubby, child’s body, in his bedroom. When he tries to think of before that all he can remember is blurry feelings of intense pain which he chalks up to his childhood sickness

Huh. Conan and Haibara are making the funniest face right now. They should invest in a poker face, like him.

Wait is he like diseased in a HouseMD way? Is a random tidbit of information going to reveal it wasn’t lupus all along?!?

Unbeknownst to him, the pain he described was of APTX activating. Something both Conan and Haibara know intimately.

Kaito is, naturally, the last person to learn of this entire thing

Besides, who would he even be? The only people he knew from Before were his Mom and Dad. Not even Jii-chan had met him!

…not that he’s actually remembers his Dad…

He knows he’s a Daddy’s boy! Mom would tell anyone who listened that he learned all the magic from his Dad. And got his demeanour from his Dad. And got his Dad’s face. Because he’s just that much of a Daddy’s boy from birth!

But the tapes of Dad he found in the Kid Room weren’t exactly aimed at him, or even acknowledged his existence. No, “Kaito would love this” or anything. They were just regular magician tricks, almost like a journal. It felt oddly nostalgic to listen to them. Mom played a few for him when he was a kid and then start crying from grief…

Besides, Mom would tell him something that important, wouldn’t she?

…

She absolutely wouldn’t who is he kidding.

The “hehe i forgot (^-^’)\” won’t work this time!!!

Part of him wishes Mom (should he call her that?) would deny it- or even just respond with undeterred cheer but she just looked solemn when he confronted her.

Basically through scientific investigations, deductions, and connections they figure out this:

The Miyano’s wanted to create a miracle drug that could restore tissue to its younger form. A potential cure to Alzheimers, Parkinsons, Age-related Heart failure. The possibilities were endless! Maybe not a cure- not yet, at least- but it would buy the patients time. Time they desperately needed. Not many were willing to fund such a hail mary, and even fewer had good intentions.

But, in classic APTX fashion, it didn’t work as intended. It didn’t listen to any commands- it didn’t attack the faulty tissue they in small doses as they intended. It was a full, factory reset.

They knew what havoc this would cause the world if it got out- even just to their employers and destroyed their research, claiming it was a dead-end. They couldn’t find the cure no matter what.

At least Haibara can finally rest knowing what happened to her parents, even if she regrets her hand in creating APTX more than ever now.

-

Chikage comes to Japan to explain, not something she can do on call like before, no matter the encryption.

Kid fought a world class assassin group. The three headed hydra… each one of the brothers was another head of this monster. They worked in tandem- the greatest threat he had faced. Phantom Lady had to join to take them down. He managed to take them down but he got hit as well…

Toichi was poisoned and he was going to die. Toichi found it hysterical, he was poisoned and snake was going to get his wish but it wasn’t going to be Snake who did it. A snake without poison a poison without Snake.

Chikage wasn’t just going to let him die- he had so many connections and the poison was slow acting there had to be something.

Their friends had a experimental drug that if used correctly should heal the tissue. They still hadn’t refined it to only attack certain area but in this case, with the poison going through his entire bloodstream, that was better.

It worked at first, draining the poison and healing the damage it caused with a low dosage of APTX. It was slow but steady and Toichi was looking better by each passing hour. She isn’t sure what happened- it might have been the poison or maybe it was the medicine- but he had a seizure and his vitals were going down again.

They frantically tried everything to save him.

Have you ever heard the age old saying? “All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.”

She didn’t know how old the body was so she decided he was 8. She really has no idea how children work she can’t be held liable for this if its wrong. No one has anyway of confirming so they all go with it. But the important part is that Chikage really doesn’t know shit ab kids lol. Only Kids.

Chikage made a new identity for him. It was a temporary cover to buy time while the Miyano’s fixed this. It was supposed to be temporary.

Chikage told everyone including Kaito that Kaito was just a sickly child who had spent so long sequestered away due to his health scares. Kaito was an odd enough child for everyone to believe this.

Soon enough, it became obvious the true danger lurking underneath the surface of APTX. The Miyano’s destroyed the ending to their life’s work to keep it out of the wrong hands.

Chikage arranged an ‘accident’ to misdirect everyone from the fact that Toichi had dissapeared.

No one could know he was still alive, for his own safety. (Though she’s positive some of their old friends, like the Kudo’s, realized- there’s no way Yukiko didn’t realize the instant she saw little Kaito)

Chikage has spent the years since looking for a cure.

Chikage looked at Kaito sadly and apologized. She never had any idea how to act with him. At first she thought it’d be over quickly if she spent enough time at it.

Chikage hoped that with him retaining his skills and base self he’d be able to regain other things as well. Despite this, To- Kaito would never react to anything she’d try.

Then the years grew and so did ‘Kaito’. A kid who genuinely believed she was his mother. A kid whose eyes she couldn’t look at without feeling an intense loss for someone whose technically still alive.

If she just found the cure, then everything could just go back to the way they were and none of this would even matter.

By the time Kaito had found out about Kaito Kid…

He didn’t have an ounce of recognition, even as he donned the costume. Chikage didn’t have much hope as she regaled all the tales she had been holding back. It felt like half assed attempts by then.

Kaito had nothing but adorable childish annoyance when she said her tale of meeting Toichi. And despite herself, she felt like a mother teasing her child

She wasn’t surprised when the apparent recreation of the night, and her giving him her stash did nothing but have Kaito whine about having to do chores and dealing with her problems.

That’s when it really started hitting her that he’s truly gone and this is practically a separate person now.

And then, it was so awkward. She had no idea what to do with this. She can’t suddenly change her tune can she?

She used her own Phantom Thief persona, she had been using for finding a cure, to instead test Kaito. To see if he could truly handle it. He isn’t Toichi so she needs to stop expecting things to work out like they did with Toichi, who had so much more experience.

“MOM THAT WAS YOU??? DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH STRESS I WAS UNDER THOSE DAYS?!? MOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!! YOU’RE SO ANNOYING!”

Chikage laughed.

Kaito gave her the stink eye.

“So, I’m Mom?”

“What else would you be? That’s a dumb question. I mean apparently I’m also my dad but I already had an identity crisis. Or 3. It’s been an eventful year.”

“Maybe, it’s like reincarnation.”

“Mom, please, I don’t want to increase the number to 4- clearly I’m an asexual reproduction.”

-

And so, it became clear for the Kurobas. Chikage learned to let go of the past and Kaito finally got to have a parent who was around. Chikage and Kaito proceeded to have a weirdly normal mother-son relationship. Well, normal for Phantom thieves anyways. (what better bonding activity after having a strained relationship than working to take down evil orgs together!)

Conan and Haibara realized that alcohal has no effect on Kaito aka on the complete APTX, his version destroyed everything before saving it. Theirs is incomplete, thus retaining their memories and the temporary cures. They still had a chance.

Kaito couldn’t be cured and he’s happy with that. Haibara chose not to, preferring her new life. Conan went back to his life as Shinichi in the end.

APTX trio 🔥🔥🔥

[midnight--sadness]

How about prisoner gi-hun(not for heavy gang related crime tho. Stealing maybe?) and prison guard in-ho. It feels more canon-y becasue it reminds s1 poor and pathetic gi-hun

S1 gi-hun truthers rise!

oh my god inhun with s1 gihun is so delicious 😫

maybe, gihun stole something to pay back the loansharks and got caught and his ass was sent jail obvi. and inho was tranfered out of detective to prison guard for some reason (his wife died and he wanted a change?).

and they meet, and inho can't take gihun seriously bc that man literally took two steps out of his cell and tripped on his shoes 😐 but he's cute and his ass is 10/10 and inho has seen the way that thug deoksu looks at gihun so he tries to subtly protect him

gihun is definitely into this prison guard - the guy put deoksu in his place in 3 secs (imagine the thanos and namgyu beat down) and he is attentive and caring

sangwoo and jungbae visit gihun and inho is not jealous at all 😤

[everwhovian]

what remains. | Hwang brothers

Part 1 | next part | masterlist

Part 12: In-ho and Jun-ho working together at the same precinct

Jun-ho stood in front of him, shifting slightly in his first uniform. The fabric was still stiff, the badge gleaming under the light. A police officer. He had graduated from the academy, put in the work, and now, standing here in his full uniform, he looked both proud and a little nervous.

In-ho reached out, fixing the collar with practiced ease. “You look good,” he murmured, smoothing out the fabric. “A little too neat, though.”

Before Jun-ho could react, he grabbed the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his face.

“Hyung –” Jun-ho swatted at him, pushing the hat back up, scowling as In-ho smirked. “You are so annoying.”

“Yeah, yeah.” In-ho crossed his arms, looking him over again, this time with something warmer in his chest. Pride.

His baby brother had made it.

Before he could say anything else, there was a sharp click behind him.

He turned, raising an eyebrow as he spotted Yuna standing a few steps away, camera in hand, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

“Really?” he asked, deadpan.

She shrugged, lowering the camera just enough to smirk at him. “You looked cute.”

Jun-ho groaned. “Please do not use that word while I’m wearing a badge.”

“Too late,” Yuna said cheerfully, already snapping another picture.

In-ho shook his head, chuckling, before looking back at Jun-ho. “Better get used to it, kid. First day on the job and already embarrassing photos exist.”

Jun-ho groaned louder, but even through his dramatics, he was smiling.

And as In-ho looked at him – standing tall, standing proud, standing in a uniform just like his own – he felt something settle inside him.

His baby brother had grown up.

And damn, he was proud.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ○△□ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

Though, working at the same precinct as Jun-ho wasn’t something In-ho had ever planned, but somehow, it had happened.

At work, Jun-ho was professional. Respectful. He called him “Detective Hwang” in front of their colleagues, never “Hyung.” He followed protocol, did his job well, and earned respect on his own merits, not just as In-ho’s little brother.

But the second they were behind closed doors?

Annoying little shit mode: activated.

Like now, for example.

In-ho sat at his desk, half-buried in reports, when his office door swung open without warning.

Jun-ho leaned against the frame, arms crossed, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Wow, must be nice having your own office, Detective Hwang.”

Without looking up, In-ho muttered, “Get out.”

“Nope.” Jun-ho stepped inside, plopped into the chair across from him, and propped his feet up on the desk.

In-ho immediately kicked them off.

“Seriously?”

“You think because you’re a cop now, you can act like a punk in my office?”

“I mean, yeah,” Jun-ho said, completely unbothered. “What’s the point of having an older brother in charge if I can’t abuse my power a little?”

“You don’t have power here.”

“Debatable.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“Probably,” Jun-ho admitted, but this time, he didn’t push. Instead, he just sighed, leaned back in the chair, and let himself settle. Then, a tiny smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. “This is more fun, you know.”

In-ho pinched the bridge of his nose. This little shit. He levelled his brother with a stare, but when Jun-ho made no other comments and just shrugged at him, In-ho went back to his reports.

And so, for a while, it was quiet. Not uncomfortable, not forced – just quiet.

Jun-ho stretched out his legs, arms resting lazily behind his head, but he wasn’t just sitting there doing nothing. His hands started fidgeting.

First, he rearranged the pens on In-ho’s desk. Lined them up. Color-coordinated them. Then rearranged them again.

Then, he started making paper cranes out of post-it notes. One. Two. Three. A whole neat little row of them.

In-ho saw it out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. Let him be.

It was nice, in a way. Familiar. It reminded In-ho of his university days, when Jun-ho would slip into his room and curl up somewhere nearby while In-ho studied.

Before he could tell Jun-ho to get back to work again, his phone buzzed on his desk.

A text from Yuna. ‘Staying late again?’

He sighed, typing out a quick response. ‘Yeah. Don’t wait up.’

A few seconds later, another message popped up. ‘Did you eat?’

He had not. But she didn’t need to know that. ‘I’ll grab something later.’

This time, she didn’t reply. Which, if he knew his wife, meant she was already on her way. Half an hour later, the door clicked open again. They both looked up to see Yuna standing there, balancing two takeout bags in one hand and – of course – her camera slung over her shoulder.

“Dinner delivery,” she announced, setting the bags down on the desk. “Before you forget to eat again.”

Jun-ho straightened up immediately. “Oh, sick, food.”

“I wasn’t going to forget,” In-ho muttered, placing his pen down and closing the file.

She raised an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

Before he could argue, Jun-ho snatched one of the bags off the desk, already digging in.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Yuna said dryly.

Jun-ho grinned. “Thanks, Noona. What would we do without you?”

“Starve,” she said, deadpan.

In-ho sighed, already exasperated. “Can we not turn my office into a dinner table?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Detective Hwang,” Jun-ho said, voice dripping with mock professionalism. “Did you have an important meeting scheduled in your very fancy office?”

“Yeah,” In-ho said. “With my peace and quiet.”

“Sounds boring,” Jun-ho said through a mouthful of food.

Yuna, who had been waiting for the perfect moment, suddenly lifted her camera.

Click.

In-ho’s head snapped up, eyes narrowing. “No.”

Yuna smirked. “Oh, absolutely.”

Jun-ho, of course, posed.

Click.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” In-ho groaned.

“This one’s going in the family album,” Yuna said, already inspecting the shots.

“Delete it,” In-ho demanded.

“Absolutely not.”

Jun-ho, clearly enjoying himself, leaned back in his chair, grinning at his sister-in-law. “She gets it.”

“She enables you,” In-ho corrected, stabbing his food with his chopsticks.

Yuna just smiled innocently. And, despite himself, In-ho smiled, too.

Because as annoying as they were, as much as Jun-ho drove him insane sometimes, this? This was home.

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ○△□ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

(A/N: I think that's a wrap for the first act! Next act will focus on In-ho and his wife (Hwang bros too obviously!), and we are slowly creeping towards In-ho's games)

Part 1 | next part | masterlist

[motionjames]

let me shill you japanese columbo

Do you like Columbo? Do you like police procedurals starring grumbly, slightly eccentric ossans? Do you believe in the power of shoujo manga?! Well, do I have the show for you!

Introducing....Furuhata Ninzaburō!

Written by genius playwright Koki Mitani and starring the extremely charismatic jidaigeki star Masakazu Tamura, Furuhata Ninzaburo is a detective drama directly inspired by Columbo (not to be confused with...Shinano no Columbo, which yes, exists). Its got the murders, its got the mystery, its got an unreasonably good theme song, and there's middle aged man with the mannerisms you love to see. The formula usually goes as follows:

Furuhata-san stands in the dark void, talking about riding bicycles or something or another to setup the theme of the story.

You see the baddie do the murder and try to cover it up. Yesiree, you see the murder-- because the fun comes from watching it all unravel!

Furuhata-san appears (possibly struggling with a vending machine, or bicycling with some half-price daikon) and catches a whiff of something funny ahead of time.

Cue the game of psychological cat-n-mouse as Furuhata-san slowly deconstructs the whole thing.

Furuhata-san looks directly into the camera like it's the office to ask the audience what the final piece of the mystery is (this is briefly addressed)

The killer spirals ace attorney style as the audience screams GOT THE BITCH! and Furuhata-san escorts them off screen to purgatory... or, you know, prison.

Yup, it's pretty standard fair detective drama stuff, but the writer Mitani is able to construct some seriously compelling, twisty mysteries that keep you on the edge of your seat. By the end of first season, the direction finds its style and you'll get plenty of jaw-dropping musical cues and camera cuts that make you feel like you're full immersed in some deluxe, spicy juicy awesome mystery fiction action!

Okay... but who is the man of the hour? A good mystery needs a good detective, and there is hardly anyone as wonderful to watch as the black-clad oyajisan.

Tamura aces the role of Furuhata. It's just too good. As he's based off of Columbo he's of course a disarmingly scrungly genius with terrible posture and a grumbling-mumbling way or speaking, but he was plenty of other traits to set him apart. He's a fan of shoujo manga; he's an excellent chef but only knows how to prepare three mismatched dishes; he loves konbinis but is cursed by vending machines; he's terrible at baseball and is totally unsportmanlike; he is often seen on his beloved bike CELINE (since he was in the area anyhow)... I could go on, but the character is well realized and so fun to watch. His head tilts, forehead taps, and drawn out ええと。。。are perfectly captured, and all do a great job at annoying his victims. A stand out trait of Columbo is his unique relationship to the culprits; he's described as being very buddy-buddy or even respectful, using his friendly ho-hum manner to weedle his way to the truth. Furuhata-san is similar, but more... salty? Bitchy? The man frequently makes underhanded remarks towards the culprit or acts offensively relaxed until he find a contradiction in their words, in which he will then pursue to the ends of the earth. It gives a kind of "c'mon, can't you do better?" attitude reminiscent of a disappointed teacher.

But even with all his sass (which he has in spades), Furuhata-san will always sit down with the killer and offer a smile and a bit of light conversation before the credits roll. The killers are usually afforded a bit of dignity. Most famously a radio show host tells the detective "the funniest joke there ever was"-- but as a small revenge, she refuses to tell him the punchline. Credits roll, theme plays, it's just another day on the job.

Oh, there's also Imaizumi. Imaizumi is a big dummy and always falls for the red herrings the killers leave behind. Because of this, Furuhata-san is relentlessly mean to him and slaps him on the forehead as punishment. He forces the guy to do menial tasks and be victim to his many tests. Imaizumi, however, is just happy to be here. His special skills include knitting, flower arrangement, not reading the room, and having hemorrhoids.

Okay, now have some Furuhata-san crying and reading shoujo manga.

Truly the guy of all time.

You're probably totally in love with this show because I've described it so beautifully, right? Right? So you wanna watch it, riiiiight? Well lucky for you it's all totally subbed on internet archive!

Watch this awesome show ENGLISH SUBBED and FOR FREE you won't regret it! This link is so full of oyajisans! Please! Join me in Japanese crime fiction hell!

(Personally speaking, the first episode pilot thingy is a bit slow and does not represent the rest of the show very well, I would suggest skipping to the second episode "The Kabuki Murder" to get a real taste and then maybe return to the previous one later. Just my thoughts!)

Also, there was a really awesome remix of the main theme made for DDR. Here's that, but with Haruka Amami from the idolm@ster dancing over it.

Ah yes.... I have spilled my love... I suppose I should go now. Please enjoy this wonderful show, and remember: Don't you ever fuck up ever or else Furuhata-san WILL get you and you WILL go to super hell! Bye!

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

POLL TAG- FIVE FAVORITE CHARACTERS

tagged by @wen-kexing-apologist.

Challenge: make a poll with five of your all time favorite characters, and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite.

I am choosing to limit myself to BL characters because otherwise we'd have a Will Graham (an unhinged FBI profiler in Hannibal) vs Yu Ji Ho (the boundary-respecting pharmacist single dad in One Spring Night) vs Bart (the Universe-appointed holistic assassin in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency) vs Benjamin Sisko (the legendary single dad and captain of the space station in Star Trek Deep Space Nine) type of situation going on.

The Spiel - IN DEFENSE OF MY FAVES

Nozue (Old Fashion Cupcake)

Everyone's favorite boss with a heart of gold, this 39yo repressed hottie could flirt like a pro. My favorite thing about him is that he experienced utterly transformative character growth without having to experience severe pain (a breakup, a loved one's death, job loss, rejection, etc). He just looked at where he was standing and... stepped left.

Kakeru (I Cannot Reach You)

My boy learned his childhood bestie had a crush on him and did not flee in terror. Instead he faced it and asked for patience and examined his feelings and treated the potential change in their relationship as seriously as it deserved to be treated because the request came from someone he loved. Clearly, this is a boy who knows how to spell R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Wei Qian (Unknown)

He stepped up and raised his younger sibling when their druggie mother died, then added an adoptee into the mix. And he cared for them so profoundly that they had relatively normal childhoods despite being orphans. Yet this softie was tough enough to be a gang enforcer, and then smart enough to get a college degree, and then competent enough to co-create a successful startup. Like what kind of super hero bullshit is he on?

Karan (Cherry Magic, Thailand)

A competent and talented employee, and he's a total simp who looks great in or out of a suit? Sign me up for his tender loving care, y'all. I literally melted into a puddle of goo every time we saw a glimpse of his very earnest yet sweet fantasies. He just wants to take care of his boo!

Iwanaga (Love Is Better The Second Time Around)

I confess he's here mostly because he's eye candy. (Well that and recency bias, because if we're really talking about my favorite eye candy, it'd be Porsche from Kinnporsche without a second's hesitation.) But roll with me here, please? This man can fuck! And fuck so well he pissed off the love of his life! And all the men in town are dropping for him like flies. They get one hint of a taste of his juice and they're down bad! They're hooked. They're his. He is legendary. He is epic. He knows how to work his angles and his puppy dog eyes! And he's also talented and wealthy and considerate to boot.

***

Most of my mutuals have probably played already, but if you care to go again or want an excuse to play by different rules, please consider yourself tagged. Also I'm tagging some of you just in case you haven't done it yet because tbh I haven't been paying that close of attention to my dash this week: @absolutebl, @syrinth, @dean-you-assbutt-cas-loves-you, @lurkingshan, @bengiyo, @chickenstrangers, @thequeenofsastiel, @tiggymalvern, @spicyvampire, @my-rose-tinted-glasses, @wanderlust-in-my-soul, @twig-tea, @telomeke, @guzhu-furen, @gunsatthaphan, @lymeandcoconut, @itwoodbeprefect, @shortpplfedup

[cinematicendevaourz]

It's a rarity for me to actually walk out of a film, so Bong Joon-ho must have Allat on speed dial because he brought out a full blue moon with "Mickey 17". I even purchased a damn premium format ticket ! But here goes Robert Pattinson again putting his grubby paws all over yet another Western Bedwench. If it's not Zoe Kravitz, then it's Naomi Ackie. Seriously, how does Pattinson go from Kristen Stewart to this? It's starting to look like that relationship was just a humiliation ritual. Yet, this miscegenial plot point wasn't the main reason why I walked out though. It was only a catalyst to the overall plot of the film being depop. agenda propaganda as a whole. Joon-Ho has a strangely childish Mark Ruffalo delivering the depop message as an elitist who sends Earthbound workers out to colonize a planet. Mickey (Pattinson) gets stuck as a disposable, who essentially goes out to these outer realms to test if they are hospitable for his group of colonizers. These rigorous tests often involve death, giving "Mickey 17" an "Edge of Tomorrow" scenario with a script that was lifted off last year's "Transformers One" topped off with unnecessary interracial sex to inject a plotline of betrayal (Ackie plays some law enforcement officer in the film that is obviously Mickey's handler) that the trained eye can see a mile away. Due to my position in a rigged caste system as a Nubian male in my European country of origin, I work in a low rung of society - a sanitation worker at best. I used that money that I earn as a temp service laborer to cop a ticket for "Mickey 17". To have to be reminded by Joon-Ho's picture that broke people in a capitalist country should not procreate done in a way that was advertised as comedic, yet was anything but. And on top of that to piggyback off the merit of Joon-Ho's 2019 crossover classic "Parasite", made it to where I had to have some respect for myself and walk out of "Mickey 17". It's one thing to be actively culled in a country, but then to support that country's media that pushes just how obsolete the country wants you to believe you are is another thing. Last year, Ariana Debose starred in "Kraven The Hunter" as Calypso. In the source material ("Spider-Man, Spider-Man"), she's a bedwench from Wakanda. All the film did was change her nationality to originate from Ghana. "Kraven" became the only comic book based movie I ever walked out of and I've seen plenty of shitty comic book flicks in my nearly three decades on this planet. One such film being "The Batman" where Zoe Kravitz bedwenched for Pattinson like her name was Eartha Kitt. I fell asleep on that film in theaters and never revisited it. It's no mystery for even The World's Greatest Detective to crack as to why. My point is, I can be insulted as long as it's tasteful. Especially when it comes to touchy subjects like class issues. It looks like Joon-Ho can only accomplish this when he's dealing with a cast of his own ethnic group.

This guy is no Guadagnino, and "Mickey 17" belongs in a garbage can waiting for me the next time my next local temp service puts in an order for me to make a trash run.

-

V.V. 23rd/Mar.2k25

[betabravo]

Snippet: Homeroom Miruko x Red Flag (Deus MHA AU) Part 12

It took some convincing, but after Rumi took off the beanie and showed her Hero License (and maybe a bit of screaming convincing at the cops and paramedics), the kid was allowed to accompany her to the police station. They had to answer some questions since they took down a villain anyways, and the medics already gave them the all clear to leave.

(She hopes she could get him to open up to the cops about the suicide baiting. The detective Naomasa could help arrest the explosive brat with his Quirk.)

They were in the waiting room for a while, Rumi still in her civilian clothes and munching on a carrot when Izuku (how did she forget his name?) finally spoke up.

“So to continue where we left off, why were you stalking me?”

Rumi sighed, thinking of a good way to answer him. She couldn’t say anything about U.A., but there was no other choice. Might as well bite the bullet.

“You applied to U.A. right?” A nod. “Well, Nezu asked me to check on some of the applicants for the Hero Course this year, and your school came up.”

“Wait wha- why would he get you, A TOP-RANKING HERO, to check this?” Inside his head though, Izuku was panicking. There’s no way she found out about Momma. Or the other "remedial" school. But if Nezu’s in the equation, then there’s no guarantee that she’s involved.

“Listen kid, what I’m going to say next has to be kept secret. Like Top Secret, more important than dibs and pinkie promises secret. Else Nezu will come down on both of us like a shitton of angry bricks. And probably his favorite wrecking ball.  Okay?” Seriously, that might be an understatement. Nezu would probably whistleblow the Table just as a small act of revenge.

Izuku though was looking at Miruko with confusion. “Why would Nezu do that? All I did was apply to U.A.’s Hero Course? Is it because of my school record? Or my Quirklessness? Nezu could have just asked the school for that, I mean its U.A! They won’t refuse! Ormaybeithassomethingtodowith…”

 …Yeah, Rumi was NOT going to try to understand that mutter storm. But she needs a way to stop him, or the kid was going to pass out from oxygen deprivation. What could she…

“Hello, sorry to interrupt. I’m Detective Naomasa and I’m here to take your statements about the villain attack earlier.”

///

First/Last/Next

Looks like I'm giving Izuku more secrets than normal. I'm only realized now that I'm actually still at the 'intro' part of my fic. Over 10 snippets in. Ho boy.

[somereaderinblue]

Trigun Teen Titans AU

Meryl Stryfe aka Shrike, The Girl Wonder

-Former sidekick to Julai’s vigilante Derringer (Roberto).

-Chose a shrike instead of a robin bcz its size, ferocity & feather colours suit her more.

-Parents were a wealthy couple who stuck their nose in the wrong place & got killed for it.

-Was adopted by her investigative journalist idol, Roberto who was also her vigilante idol.

-Although og TT featured Dick Grayson, she’s more like Tim Drake in the sense that she deduced Roberto’s secret ID, stalked him with her camera & emailed him 999+ powerpoint slides titled ‘Why You Need A Sidekick (Like Me)’ until he gave in.

(-Also, she noticed Roberto’s alcoholism & his less than stellar coping mechanisms. Julai needs Derringer, but Roberto needed an actual person by his side, not just a mass of faces to protect.)

-Eventually got tired of being stuck in his shadow & struck out on her own.

-Then she met a tall hot alien princess, a guy who could shapeshift into the animal kingdom, his cyborg brother & a half-biblically accurate angel and persuaded them into forming a superhero team called the Teen Titans.

-Takes her position as leader (& the only non-superpowered individual) seriously but shows a softer side overtime, especially to Milly.

-The newspaper clippings in her room aren’t strictly for detective work. (Most) Some of them are for sentimental value.

Milly Thompson aka Stunfire, Tamaran’s Princess

-The youngest of 12 siblings in the Tamaranean monarchy.

-Powers are similar to Starfire’s, only her beams are yellow & can stun opponents.

-Gordanians kidnapped her as a bargaining chip against her family. As the youngest, they had no choice but to leave her on her own & prioritize their planet.

-Milly already knew this (because contrary to what many believe, she wasn’t stupid) & escaped on her own.

-Unfortunately, her attempts to remove the handcuffs caused a LOT of collateral damage & misunderstandings.

-A tiny but feisty human warrior talked her down & removed her bindings. Milly kissed her so she could thank her, though that might be difficult since she’s unmoving & her face is now red for some reason??

-Has a huge crush on Meryl but is a bit intimidated by her professionalism. Still, it’s even harder to NOT fall in love with the woman’s strong sense of justice & compassion.

-Visits cafes & goes on long flights with Vash, coaxes WW to try smaller cuter animals she can cuddle with & empathizes with fellow gentle-giant youngest sibling Livio's struggles to fit in/not be a burden.

-Loves to eat her pudding with mustard.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood aka Punisher, The Hunter

-Although every kid at the orphanage was a younger sibling to him, he felt a kinship to the strays, have it be cats, dogs or birds.

-One day, someone swung by, offering apprenticeships for some kinda fancy animal research school. WW liked animals & jobs like that sounded like they paid well, so why not?

-He instantly regretted this decision when he realized he was the ‘animal’ they planned to research.

(-The Eye of Michael is more or less this AU’s H.I.V.E. Academy.)

-Despite his rebelliousness, he was their top (specimen) student. Livio was also ‘enrolled’ to keep him in check.

-Both of them were assigned to the Gung-Ho Guns & sent on a mission to properly ‘graduate’. Instead, they ditched at the first chance.

-Wanted to hide but couldn’t resist lingering around the orphanage. After stopping someone from robbing the place, he realized maybe, just maybe, these powers he never asked for could be used for something other than senseless violence.

-Also, becoming a ‘hero’ was the biggest middle finger he could give to Chapel.

-The EoM constantly pressured him into using ‘strong animals’ but his teammates have slowly coaxed him into expanding, i.e. a cute cate for recon & a mole for hiding.

-Realizes he has feelings for Vash after getting to know him but feels unworthy of reciprocation. Still, that doesn’t stop him from plopping into his lap for emotional support.

Livio/Razlo Wolfwood aka Double-Fang, The Tri-Punisher

-Has always dreamed of being a hero but knew the best he could be was a doctor or firefighter or something.

-When the EoM returned with an empty slot, he jumped at the chance (even though Razlo said he shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t, you can’t trust them-).

-Wasn’t suitable for the animal genes, but his body adapted to the cybernetic modifications. They kept him around for Razlo & to ensure WW behaves.

-Eventually, they managed to escape. Livio was still optimistic about becoming a hero, but WW & Razlo were very reluctant.

-Once, Livio wandered too close to the orphanage & accidentally scared a younger kid who called him a monster. He went nonverbal & let Razlo front for a week.

-Returned after he helped WW stop someone from breaking into the orphanage. Both of them realized that their powers could be blessings. Thus, they became a crime-fighting duo.

-After a series of chance encounters, they’re now part of a team.

-Livio is very self-conscious about his cyborg nature, well-aware that out of everyone, the public finds him to be the most intimidating. Luckily, any tabloids who try to slander him mysteriously find themselves socially & financially ruined overnight.

-He’s aware of Vashwood & MillyMeryl. He has front row seats to 2 live slow-burn romances & a betting pool with Razlo on who’ll confess first.

Vash Saverem aka Stampede, The Rebel Angel Humanoid Typhoon

-He & Nai were raised by Rem, a pacifist priestess that worshipped angels called Plants.

-Their blissful childhood was shattered the day they discovered the remains of their older sister, Tesla, the Plant that came to the temple before them as a blessing only for the priests to treat her with less dignity than a sacrifice.

-Nai slaughtered the entire order, including Rem, in a fit of rage & fear. He established a new cult solely devoted to him & Vash. Overtime, his possessiveness & wrath became uncontrollable.

-While attempting to smuggle a group of innocent human sacrifices, Vash got into a fight with Nai that resulted in the loss of his arm.

-It was the final straw, he fled to Earth.

-Briefly, he was taken under the wing of Luida & Brad, the last two survivors of the original temple, who taught him human culture and how to regulate his emotions to have better control over his powers.

-An encounter with a group of heroes & an offer to join their new team had to be a sign. This was it, his chance to atone for his twin’s sins.

-Tries to be the best hero & the bestest ally possible (so the prophecy never comes true). It’s a bit ironic, he wields dark magic but his sunny attitude wouldn’t be out of place in a kids’ fairy cartoon.

-Deeply admires everyone’s kindness, especially WW’s but is terrified of loving him because of his true nature.

-Aside from dark matter-esque energy, his powers sometimes materialize in the form of his Tristamp branches & flowers. Has Plant markings but also Trimax’s biblical feathers & wings.

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 42: Mission: Omega

''E-123, you didn't know – now I'm gonna show you the power that is me. You try to take me down- stop the show, seems you've never tasted fear- or loss of control. The power lives in me- The power that is me!''

– This Machine by Sonic Heroes (Team Dark Theme Song)

xXxXxXx

''Seriously?! He wants you to do that!'' Minami exclaimed in surprise.

''We were just as surprised,'' Touka said.

''I wonder what Egghead is going to say about this,'' Sonic said with a devious smirk on his expression.

Touka, Shadow and Rouge had earlier in the day a briefing with the Commander in regards to their mission, and once they were done with it, they quickly went to Touka and Shadow's room to call Team Neos about it. They were told that ARMS had found one of Eggman's bases and wanted to send the three for a recon mission, clearly seeing the Doctor as a huge threat. Team Neos' reaction to this was… strangely positive, with Sonic even looking excited. The three ARMS Agents figured that this was because they would be dealing with a familiar foe rather than some random Irregular. Not to mention, Dr. Eggman was currently their ally until they resolved this situation with ARMS, so they could discuss their next move.

''I hope you better have some good news if you're calling me!'' Dr. Eggman finally appeared on the screen, looking as irritated as ever.

''It depends on what you define as good news, Doctor,'' Rouge said, pressing a button on the holographic screen, opening a map with coordinates. ''ARMS is targeting one of your bases, specifically the one located here.''

''What?!'' Dr. Eggman said, less in disbelief and more because he couldn't believe the audacity of the organization to go after one of his bases. He looked at the location, a bit lost in thought as he tried to recall which one of his bases this one was. ''Huh, never expected they'd find this one.''

''Is it important?'' Lucas asked, with the whole of Team Neos staring at him in curiosity and anticipation. Dr. Eggman just waved him off.

''It is actually a storage facility for my E-100 Series of robots. I haven't used it in ages. As a matter of fact, I had discontinued it a while ago,'' he explained.

''Why would you discontinue them?'' Tails asked.

''I moved on to different projects, but I might revisit this one,'' Dr. Eggman said, suddenly grinning deviously as he turned to the ARMS Agents. ''You said that ARMS is targeting this Egg Base?''

''That's correct,'' Shadow answered, not liking the look the Doctor was giving them. ''This is supposed to be a recon mission.''

''Ho ho ho, that's excellent! Let me guess, they're hoping to steal some information from me,'' Dr. Eggman said, with the ARMS Agents nodding, slowly starting to regret their alliance with the mad Doctor. ''Then, I have the perfect answer for this situation.''

''Which is…?'' Makoto trailed off.

''I recall that your idea was to blackmail ARMS, wasn't it, Kinomoto?'' Dr. Eggman turned to Lucas, who just nodded in response, furrowing a brow as he wondered where this was going. ''Well, let's just say that I had been inspired and had been working on a special virus that cannot be detected, and once it enters the ARMS network system, it would start to download all of their sensitive data to the EggNet, and eventually delete itself once it is done.''

''That's… Is that even possible to be done?'' Silver asked.

''Of course it is! Don't question my genius!'' Dr. Eggman shouted back in indignation, getting several eye-rolls in response. He groaned, but decided to continue, ''Regardless, I will leave the virus at the computer within the Egg Base Omega, along with some dummy data that will send ARMS on a wild goose chase. All you have to do is to download it and make sure it is uploaded into the ARMS systems. The virus will take care of the rest. Understood?''

''Loud and clear, Doctor,'' Touka responded in a snarky tone. Dr. Eggman shot her a glare, with Touka sighing. ''I suppose this shouldn't be too difficult then. We'll be in and out in no time.''

''That's what you think.'' Dr. Eggman's comment caused everyone to stare at him suspiciously. ''I don't plan to make this easy for you just because we're in an alliance. As a matter of fact, since you'll be breaking into my property, I'll make sure that all of the defenses are activated.''

''I guess we should've expected that,'' Lily suddenly said. ''Not to mention, if ARMS keeps tabs on the Egg Base, they would get suspicious if there isn't some kind of retaliation.''

''Lily's right,'' Amy said. ''If things are too easy, they might want to know why.''

''Tch, do I look like care about that?'' Dr. Eggman interrupted her, grinning. ''While having your teammates succeed would benefit me in the long run, that doesn't mean that I wouldn't relish in them being beaten by my robots.''

''No one is surprised by that,'' Lucas commented. Dr. Eggman just narrowed his eyes, but then disconnected, figuring this was enough information he had provided them with.

''I don't trust him,'' Knuckles said once the Doctor was disconnected.

''None of us does, Knux, but we all have the same goal now,'' Sonic said.

''Honestly, while I agree with Dr. Eggman's plan, I don't like the idea that he would be the one who have full access to such sensitive information,'' Lucas said.

''Well, if we knew where exactly this information is being uploaded to, I suppose we could create an encrypted file that Eggman wouldn't be able to access,'' Warren said. ''Actually, I'm sure that a file protected by a password or several of them would be enough to ensure that Eggman wouldn't be able to get through it, considering the poor security of his own network.''

This caused several of his teammates to chuckle in amusement, with Tails adding, ''Unfortunately, we won't be able to do this from here, as we would need a more direct access to the EggNet and the virus itself, but you guys could do that.''

''What do we have to do?'' Rouge asked.

''Once you have access to the computer at the Egg Base, you'll use the program we sent you and follow the instructions we've written down. If everything goes well, the program will trace down the location of the file, and you'll be able to encrypt it,'' Tails explained.

''No problem,'' Rouge said, glancing at Touka and Shadow, who just nodded in acknowledgement.

xXx

Shadow's ears flicked as he heard soft buzzing and opened his eyes, reaching underneath his pillow and taking out the AR Visor he kept hidden there. He turned to the bed on the other side of the room, taking note of Touka being fast asleep, her back turned to him and then sat up, throwing the blanket over his head before answering the call.

''Sonic, why are you calling me at 2AM?'' Shadow stared at the small screen that was showing Sonic, who was lying in his bed. Sonic, in turn, gave him a sheepish smile.

''I couldn't really sleep, so I wanted to check on you,'' Sonic replied innocently, having realized the moment he saw Shadow's annoyed expression that he really shouldn't have called his rival this late. However, he spent most of the night tossing and turning in his bed, until he decided to call Shadow for his own peace of mind.

''Well, I can sleep and you just saw me a few hours ago during the team meeting,'' Shadow replied in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes narrowed as he wondered whether there was something more to this conversation. ''Is there anything you want to talk about? I sincerely doubt that's the only reason you had called me.''

Sonic fell silent for a moment, then sighed, a small smile forming on his lips, as he should've known that Shadow would be blunt about this. ''It is really dull without you.''

''I suppose you just got used to us having our daily sparring matches, so it is not surprising that you would feel like that,'' Shadow replied, keeping his voice in a whisper to make sure that Touka doesn't wake up.

''Yeah, you're right…'' Sonic trailed off, wondering if he really should continue the conversation. He knew that Shadow had a mission tomorrow and he probably shouldn't interrupt him like this, but on the other hand, he was genuinely happy to see him and hear him.

''Sonic?''

''Huh, yeah?''

''You're staring at me.''

''Oh, sorry.'' Sonic was flustered to be caught like this. Was it really that obvious?

Shadow sighed, wondering what this situation even was. His mind was still occupied with the mission, so having Sonic call him out of nowhere to talk to him was a bit jarring, albeit not unwelcome. Perhaps having someone to take his mind off the things that troubled him would put him at ease, if only a little bit. ''How was your day?''

''My day? Well…'' Sonic had to admit that he was genuinely surprised that Shadow would initiate small talk. ''Lucas, Warren, Tails and I had talked to Loki, the wolf Commander of the Hunters, and he knows about ARMS, but doesn't trust them because of an accident where an Irregular like us was taken by them and never appeared again. I don't think that the Hunters are too familiar with ARMS.''

''I wouldn't be surprised,'' Shadow said, narrowing his eyes. ''After all, ARMS treats Irregulars like dangerous weapons. They even wanted me to absorb as much of Touka's BioEnergy as possible, so I was forced to use Chaos Surge to stop it.''

''Are you okay?'' Sonic asked worriedly. ''I know that you're not to keen on using BioEnergy, even if it's for a Chaos Surge.''

''I'm fine, since Touka has also recovered from the ordeal. I'm concerned what ARMS might do if they attempt to investigate my Chaos Surge ability. They might go after the rest of Team Neos,'' Shadow told him, rubbing his temple as he felt an oncoming headache.

''Don't worry about us, worry about yourself,'' Sonic told him, giving him a confident smile. ''I wish I could just bust into ARMS HQ to get you out.''

''If it weren't for the current circumstances, I would've done it by myself,'' Shadow told him. Sonic gave him a sympathetic look.

''You know, I am a bit jealous that you get break into Eggman's base,'' he said, smiling cheekily. ''I bet it's going to be exciting.''

''You could join us,'' Shadow suggested. Sonic sighed.

''I wish I could, but you know, that would blow up our cover. I also don't want to get my friends into trouble by doing something stupid,'' Sonic told him. Shadow rose an eyebrow, giving Sonic a scrutinizing look, leaving the latter confused. ''Uh, Shadow? Is something wrong?''

''I believe that's the first time I heard you say something sensible. Maybe you aren't the real Sonic and were replaced by a look-a-like,'' Shadow told him. He couldn't help but smile when he heard Sonic groan in annoyance and saw him roll his eyes.

''I know I can be reckless, but this situation is different,'' he said in an exasperated tone, then muttered, ''I also talked to Lucas about there being a possibility to break in, and he told me that we can't do that.''

''There is a reason Lucas is the leader and you aren't,'' Shadow said in a teasing tone, only to add in a more resolute tone. ''Not many would have enough sense to admit that.''

''Not many have the humility to admit that,'' Sonic said proudly.

''Humility? Your ego is the size of a skyscraper,'' Shadow said, with Sonic snorting in amusement.

''Right back at you, Shads. You aren't better than me, Mr. Ultimate Lifeform,'' Sonic told him. Shadow rolled his eyes, but Sonic could see the faint smile on his lips, making it clear that the dark hedgehog was amused by their banter. It made him feel quite happy to see his rival being this relaxed. ''In any case, you have to tell me what happened once you return from the mission. I want to hear all of the details.''

''I will, because knowing you, you'll probably spam my inbox with questions about what had happened,'' Shadow told him in a dry tone. Sonic gave him a sheepish smile.

''Sorry about that,'' he said, knowing well that Shadow was referring to the event right after their meeting with Mephiles and Toshiro, where Sonic just wouldn't leave him alone. ''I guess I should let you sleep now.''

''I didn't mind having a conversation with you, even if it was this late,'' Shadow said, surprising Sonic, who smiled back warmly as he looked at the screen. ''Good night, Sonic.''

''Good night, Shads. I miss you,'' Sonic said, the holographic screen before him turning black. Sonic then lied back down on his back, taking a deep breath, only for his brain to finally process what he just said to Shadow. He turned on his side, a faint tint of red spreading across his fawn muzzle, his emerald green eyes wide as he placed his gloved hand on his chest, feeling his heart race as if he just returned from his nightly run. Wait! Why did I tell him that? I mean, I do miss him, but that wasn't necessary! I just hope Shadow hasn't noticed anything, because that was just weird.

Meanwhile, Shadow placed the AR Visor back under his pillow and lied down, pulling the blanket over his shoulder, turning on his side and staring at the wall, his mind in a disarray. Unfortunately for him, the image of Sonic giving him a soft and kind smile just wouldn't get out of his head, and he groaned, furrowing a brow as he tried to fall asleep.

''Of course that idiot misses me,'' he grumbled under his breath, trying to ignore the wave of warmth that spread through his body and the tint of red appearing on his tan muzzle. ''Who else is going to be his rival?''

xXx

''We are at our location, but I can't find a place to land.''

''Then, we'll get out here!''

''W-What?!''

The pilot of the ARMS helicopter turned his head around, stunned to see Touka, Shadow and Rouge get up and stand in front of the open cabin door. Before he could even say anything, Rouge leapt out of the helicopter, spreading her wings and flying down. Shadow was the next one out, using his air shoes and nearby trees to cushion his fall. Touka was the last one to leave, taking off the hoverboard that was attached to the strap on her back and jumping out, placing the hoverboard under her feet and descending down to the ground safely. The pilot just shook his head, flying the helicopter away from the dense woods he couldn't land in. Touka, Shadow and Rouge observed the helicopter as it left, with the three exchanging glances.

''I guess we're on our own now. Let's go!'' Rouge said, flying up and through the woods. Touka and Shadow followed her on the hoverboard and skating via air shoes respectively until they had reached what appeared to be a building built into a hillside. It had a steel gate with an Eggman Empire insignia on the front, with Egg Pawns patrolling the area. Touka took out a pair of binoculars from her waist bag, carefully observing the area.

''From what I can see, there are at least five Badniks on patrol,'' she said, giving the binoculars to Rouge, who hummed in interest.

''Eggman did say he won't make it easy, but this still feels a little disappointing,'' she said, offering the binoculars to Shadow, who shook his head, declining the offer.

''We should still be careful. We don't know what the Doctor has in store for us,'' Shadow told the two. Touka and Rouge nodded, with Shadow suddenly dashing forward, drawing the attention of the Egg Pawns. Touka and Rouge then followed closely and split up, with Rouge joining Shadow in fighting the Egg Pawns, while Touka went to the keypad panel at the front gate to type in the passcode Dr. Eggman had sent them to enter the Egg Base Omega. When she turned back around, she only saw scrapped robots lying on the ground, some being smashed to pieces and others having visible scorch marks.

''That was easy,'' Rouge said in a confident tone, grinning at Shadow.

''We're not done yet,'' Shadow reminded her, joining Touka at the entrance. Rouge shrugged, following the two into the Egg Base.

''Considering what Dr. Eggman had told us, this place is probably filled with Badniks,'' Touka commented as they walked down a narrow corridor.

''You know, I wouldn't mind exploring this place a bit more once we're done with our mission. Eggman said that this is a storage, so he might be hiding something more than just robots here,'' Rouge said, smiling at the thought of there being a secret treasure inside the Egg Base.''

''Don't lose your focus,'' Shadow told both of them, walking a bit ahead of the two and keeping an eye out for any enemy Badnik. However, as they walked deeper and deeper into the Egg Base, they came to a chilling realization that they hadn't seen any Badnik aside from some scrapped parts.

''What happened here?'' Rouge asked as they stopped at a pile of robot parts, with Shadow examining it, lifting a piece of the broken torso.

''It looks like something or someone had blasted them apart,'' he said.

''So, someone had been here before us? But, that shouldn't be possible,'' Touka said. ''We know that ARMS was just observing this area before they sent us here.''

''You're right,'' Rouge said, narrowing her eyes. ''It is possible that whoever had done this is not affiliated with ARMS, and it is also possible that they're still here. Although, if they destroyed the Badniks inside the base, why not destroy the ones who were patrolling outside?''

''I don't know,'' Touka said. ''However, I believe we'll find out soon.''

The three continued walking through the base, finding more and more destroyed robots, like some kind of macabre marking that led them towards their destination – the control room with the main computer. However, just as the door to the room had opened, they heard gunfire coming from it and hid behind the entrance so they wouldn't get hit by a stray bullet.

''Worthless consumer models!''

As Touka, Shadow and Rouge peered inside the room, they saw a sturdy black and red robot with red eyes, a yellow head casing and wristbands studded with large spikes, and a large red ''Ω'' on the front of the left and back of the right shoulderpad, a jetpack on his back, destroying the Egg Pawns that were inside the room with the rotary cannons his arms had turned into.

''I guess that's one of those E-100 Series robots Eggman was talking about. At least this solves the mystery of the destroyed Badniks,'' Rouge said, exchanging glances with Shadow and Touka.

''You two try to get to the computer. I'll deal with this one,'' Shadow said.

''Okay, but be quick. I have a bad feeling that this berserk robot is going to tear the whole place apart,'' Rouge told him. Shadow nodded, getting quickly inside the room and taking advantage of the robot being distracted to attack him, while Touka and Rouge sneaked inside, trying to get to the computer. Unfortunately for them, even though Shadow kept the robot distracted, he kept blasting his weapons around wildly, trying to hit the elusive dark hedgehog and forcing Touka and Rouge to crawl behind some machinery to not get hit.

''Must eradicate all Eggman's robots!''

''Huh, this one is committed…'' Rouge commented, only for Touka to quickly grab her by the shoulder and pull her away when a loose missile hit the machinery before them, causing it to explode.

''Are you okay?'' Touka asked her.

''Yeah, I am, but that one was close!'' Rouge replied, glancing back at Shadow, who tried to distract the robot, spin-dashing into him to knock him back. Rouge narrowed her eyes. ''Something's not right…'' She turned to Touka. ''Make sure that the computer didn't get damaged. I'll try to stop these two from blowing us up.''

''Got it!'' Touka nodded, and once there was an opening, she dashed towards the computer, while Rouge flew towards Shadow and the robot.

''Hey, hold up!'' Just as they were about to clash again, Rouge suddenly appeared between them and intercepted the attack, pushing both apart to break up the fight and breathing heavily as her gaze shifted from one to the other. ''I think we have a misunderstanding here!''

''My name is E-123 Omega. I am the ultimate robot. All who get in my path will be crushed!''

E-123 Omega pointed his cannon arms at Rouge, with Shadow stepping in front of her in a protective manner.

''Stay back!'' he said, but Rouge pushed past him.

''My name is Rouge and this is Shadow, and the girl over there is Touka. From what I've seen, you want to destroy all of Eggman's robots, right?'' she asked, with Shadow giving her a questioning look.

''Affirmative!'' Omega responded.

''Fortunately, none of us are Eggman robots, so how about we all calm down now and discuss the situation,'' Rouge suggested. Shadow shifted his gaze from Rouge to Omega, at whom he glared apprehensively, while Omega just stared back at them intently.

''Registering the presence of a human and two biodigital lifeforms. My sensors are overdue for a maintenance,'' Omega said, turning his arm cannons into arms with four-fingered silver claws.

''Is that supposed to be an apology?'' Rouge asked, a little confused. Shadow remained silent, still wary of Omega, considering how the robot had no issues fighting him just a moment earlier.

''Guys, I'm in!'' Touka called out, drawing their attention. Fortunately, the computer had survived the onslaught, with Touka placing an USB stick inside that the Commander had given her and started downloading the dummy data and the virus Dr. Eggman had sent. Shadow, Rouge and Omega had joined her, looking at the monitor. ''Okay, I think we should use now the program Tails had sent us.'' Shadow took out the AR Visor, with Touka connecting it to the computer and activating the program, following the instructions that were in it. Soon, a file had opened and she opened another window that enabled her to password-lock the file. She turned towards the three. ''So, what kind of password should we use?''

''I believe that we agreed that there would be multiple passwords,'' Shadow said.

''What do you plan to do with the data?'' Omega asked.

''It's a long story, but we currently have a temporary alliance with Eggman so we can deal with a different organization named ARMS. Once we're done with that, we'll go right back to being enemies with the Doctor,'' Rouge explained, her arms folded across her chest.

''You are enemies of Eggman?'' Omega asked, clearly wanting a proper confirmation.

''Correct,'' Rouge replied, tilting her head. ''Why are you so mad at Eggman?''

''Dr. Eggman has sealed me inside this base and abandoned me. I desire revenge!'' Omega said firmly, with Rouge, Shadow and Touka exchanging glances, all of them having the same thought on their mind.

''You know, you could come with us. Once we're done with ARMS, you'd be free to go after Eggman instead of wasting away at this base,'' Touka suddenly voiced their thoughts. There was a moment of silence as they all processed what she just said, only for Rouge to break it.

''Then it's settled! Now you two make up so we can finish our mission,'' Rouge said, pulling the wary Shadow and Omega closer, and placing Shadow's hand over Omega's and then motioning for Touka to do the same, as she placed her hand over their. ''Aw yeah, baby, this makes us a team! Now, all we need is a team name.''

Shadow and Touka exchanged glances, both of them feeling somewhat familiar with this scenario, as if they were experiencing some kind of déjà-vu. Shadow then sighed, feeling as if he was about to say something he was going to regret. ''How about Team Dark?''

''Team Dark, eh? I like the sound of that,'' Rouge said, elbowing Omega. ''What do you say, Omega?''

''Team name is acceptable,'' Omega replied. Touka just smiled at the trio.

''The only thing that remains is to explain the Commander why we have returned with a rebellious Eggman robot. However, I think this might get interesting,'' she said.

xXx

''Boss, we've got activity at Egg Base Omega,'' Orbot said, reporting to Dr. Eggman.

''Good, that must mean that Kageura, Shadow and Rouge have gotten inside,'' Eggman replied, smirking. ''What about the defenses? I hope they had a lot of trouble passing through.''

''Actually, someone else had destroyed your robots before they had even arrived,'' Cubot said, only to get startled when Eggman suddenly turned towards him.

''What?! And you're telling me this now?!'' he yelled at the cube-shaped robot assistant.

''Well, you never asked,'' Cubot replied, shrugging. Eggman groaned.

''Orbot, pull up the footage from Egg Base Omega,'' he said, with the orb-shaped robot assistant doing as he was told.

''This is footage from a few hours ago,'' Orbot said, with the three observing the huge computer screen before them. Eggman narrowed his eyes as he saw one of his robots, recognizing the individual as E-123 Omega, booting up and starting to tear through the facility. The Egg Pawns that were stationed around attacked back, but they were easily destroyed.

''Eh, I think this E-100 Series robot is really angry at you, Boss,'' Cubot added as they listening to Omega's declaration about destroying Eggman.

''I know that!'' Eggman growled, turning his attention back to the screen, with the footage now showing him Touka, Shadow and Rouge getting inside and meeting Omega. ''Why did I even create- Ah, right… It was all part of the game.'' He leaned back in his seat, leaning his chin against his hand in thought. ''I suppose this is what happens when you are an evil genius with the memories of your other self. While it is insightful, it is also incredibly troublesome...''

While Dr. Eggman was musing over the situation, Dr. Starline was standing at the entrance, peering silently into the room. While he would usually fawn over his idol, he did feel a slight sense of concern in regard to this situation. He certainly wasn't happy about the alliance with Team Neos, let alone allowing them inside one of the Egg Bases, as he felt that this was giving them too much freedom. Why should they even sacrifice their own forces to aid his enemies? It just didn't make sense.

Starline turned on his heel, walking away. ''Still, I have great faith in the Doctor. I assume that his mindset is that there need to be sacrifices to achieve a greater goal, but an alliance with the enemy is still too much. There had to have been a different way to get this done.''

''You're being really loud, you know.''

Starline was startled by a familiar voice and quickly turned around, only to see Ferra being leaned against a wall, her arms folded across her chest. Metal Sonic was standing next to her.

''Don't you have something better to do than scaring people?!'' Starline shouted at her. Ferra just smirked back.

''It wasn't my intention to scare you like that,'' she told him, with Starline wondering if she was being genuinely apologetic. ''Not gonna lie, it was fun to see you make that expression.''

''Tch, you have absolutely no manners,'' Starline responded, continuing to antagonize her. He didn't even see Metal Sonic's red eyes flaring up and him glancing at Ferra, who just shook her head in response. Unfortunately, Starline was their ally, meaning that he couldn't beat up the platypus for insulting Ferra… yet.

''You shouldn't be talking so loud like this, especially when voicing your concerns. People might think you're conspiring against the Doctor,'' Ferra told him. Starline gasped dramatically.

''Conspiring against Dr. Eggman? How dare you to suggest even something like that?! I live to serve him!'' Starline responded angrily. Ferra shrugged.

''If that's the case, then you'd follow him every step of the way, right? No matter how nonsensical the plan is,'' she said.

''Well, of course-'' Starline cut himself off, a sense of doubt creeping into his mind. He certainly admired Dr. Eggman, but he had to admit that he felt that he believed that there was always a different approach to a certain situation, one that required… a different way of thinking, to put it simply. Or, to make it precise – his way of thinking. He then huffed, walking away. ''I will not discuss this any further. You are simply trying to get a raise out of me.''

Starline then walked away, lifting his head proudly, while Ferra kept an eye on him until he was out of her sight. ''Dr. Starline is going to get kicked out of the Eggman Empire if he doesn't keep that beak shut.''

'Indeed. I hope I get the honors of kicking him out,' Metal Sonic replied, causing Ferra to snort in amusement.

xXx

''Ugh, this place is awful,'' Shiro muttered under her breath, entering an old warehouse. ''A proper lady like me deserves to be at a place much more luxurious than this.''

''You're absolutely correct, Shiro.'' The kitsune Irregular suddenly turned around, spotting a teenager sitting on one of the crates stored inside the warehouse, one of his elbows propped on his knee as he gave her a mischievous grin. ''After all, most parasites in society tend to be high up on the hierarchy ladder.''

Shiro gritted her teeth and lifted her fan to attack the teenager, only to get immobilized by a bunch of purple and light pink crystals that shoot out from the ground. She felt her heart racing as she realized that the sharp tips missed her only barely, else she would've been impaled on them. She looked up at the teenager, whose eyes were now glowing in a dark periwinkle purple colour, realizing that he was the one who had summoned the crystals.

''Let me guess, you had no luck in finding more victims so you decided to turn on me,'' Toshiro said, sounding quite amused. Shiro didn't respond, instead just glaring at him. ''I'll take that as a positive answer.''

''It is your fault that there are so many Hunters patrolling the city!'' Shiro yelled at him. ''You had forced me to lure them out and now my own life is at stake!''

''Yet, you still failed at your mission.'' Shiro suddenly turned to the other person in the building, a shadow-like figure whose eyes were glowing in the same dark periwinkle purple colour as Toshiro's, and his body was crackling with energy. ''The Irregular Hunters were never our target.''

''Then all of this was for nothing?!'' Shiro screamed, only to quickly shut up when one of the crystals' sharp tips touched her neck. She knew that if she moved, she was dead.

''Fortunately for you, it wasn't a complete failure,'' Mephiles said. ''The Hunters can reach their breaking point if a powerful Irregular causes enough chaos within Neos City.''

''If that's all you wanted, then you can let me go now…'' Shiro hissed, holding her head up to avoid being impaled by the crystal through her lower jaw. Toshiro leapt down from the crate, glancing at his partner.

''I don't know, Mephiles… Should we really spare her life?'' he asked, a smile of pure malice appearing on his expression. ''After all, she had hurt many people.''

''At your request!'' Shiro yelled in protest.

''You could've simply refused and we would've been merciful enough to make your demise as swift as possible,'' Mephiles pointed out. ''Besides, you would be lying if you claimed you didn't enjoy at least part of your task.''

Shiro suddenly felt a chill flowing down her spine. She had no idea how she had managed to get herself involved with these two, but she remembered how she believed that she could manipulate them similarly to Ao. Unfortunately for her, Mephiles proved himself to be way more dangerous than she had anticipated.

''On the other hand, it would be an act of cruel mercy to let you live,'' Toshiro said. ''You have enemies everywhere, and the Hunters know what you have done. Your life, which had been so comfortable at this point because you had others working for you, had become a game of survival. I suppose we could let your someone else decide your fate… someone who has a more personal connection to you.''

Toshiro then waved his hand, the crystals disappearing and Shiro fell down her knees, shaking and her eyes were wide in horror. Toshiro and Mephiles just walked past her, leaving her in the warehouse.

''This was quite disappointing,'' Mephiles commented.

''She won't last long, that's for certain. Besides, we currently have more pressing matters to focus on,'' Toshiro told him. ''We need to force ARMS to finally reveal themselves to the public, and to do that, they need to have a target that can challenge them properly.''

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[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @happypup-kitcat24! This looks fun!

Askbox Suggestion Tag

Rules: Send me a short prompt for some of my characters, and I'll write out a little scene for you :)

Feel free to send in anything except heavy NSFW. Fight scenes, interactions, fluff, angst - anything you like! Feel free to pick from any of my characters. Their big intros are pinned in my bio, but I'll put little blurbs for them under the cut.

I'll tag @watermeezer @kaylinalexanderbooks @somethingclevermahogony @mk-writes-stuff @mysticstarlightduck and anyone else who wants to jump on!

I'll just keep these to the HO and MG casts because I'm not super confident with the Starbreaker crew's POVs yet, but take your pick!

Izjik is a brawny, determined catfish selkie with a caring heart despite her scarred exterior. She's close with Twenari (basically her adopted child), Sepo (wildly codependent QPR), and Djek (combined braincells of -1). She is also cursed to be the living embodiment of a godkiller.

Sepo is a grouchy, highstrung siren who has Opinions on music and will cut a bitch for any reason. His found family consists of Izjik (his other half), Twenari (his fellow introvert and ward), and Djek (annoying little brother figure). He had his tongue cut out for heresy when he was seventeen and has never looked back since.

Twenari is a twelve-year-old sorcery prodigy and professional old soul. She has the cunning and pragmatism of a premier smuggler, which, of course, is who she was raised by. This was an unhappy childhood though, so she ran away and was taken in by Izjik (her confused but supportive big sister), Sepo (her closest confidant and protective big brother), and Djek (her coolest found family member)

Djek is a terrible sorcerer, but a great thief. He covers his deep abandonment issues with humor, and his sensitive heart with a shell of bravado. When he had a falling out with the gang he was a part of, he was taken in by Izjik (his role model, even if she's a little stupid), Sepo (his favorite person to annoy), and Twenari (the coolest, weirdest little sorcerer he's ever met)

Astra is a braggart of a rune mage who can't keep from helping the downtrodden no matter what. Her prickly shell of overconfidence comes from a deep sense of inferiority due to how she was treated for her low birth. Her friends and allies include Mashal (she's so in love with him, but woefully oblivious), Ivander (she loves to hate his guts), Elsind (honestly, they're mostly Mashal's friend), and Avymere (scary former boss).

Mashal is a former human knight trapped in the body of a robot after some unwilling experiments, his memories removed along with his flesh. He has a kind heart contrasted by an almost inhuman desire for revenge. He is the type to give someone the shirt off his back. Among his friends are Astra (he's in love with her, but too self-conscious to say), Ivander (he's certain the guy has a soft heart in there somewhere), Elsind (highly protective and sees a lot of himself in them), and Avymere (scary, but very damaged)

Ivander is a gossiping, selfish detective with a curse that slowly and painfully turns his flesh into mist as a result of violating the divine contact his family is all signed to. He's got expensive taste and crippling intimacy issues. Among his friends are Astra (she's rube and annoying, but funny) and Mashal (that poor idealist is going to get eaten alive). I can't honestly say he's ever met Elsind and Avymere.

Elsind is a changeling who went from an abused jester to a revolutionary. They're a bit of a chatterbox, very nervous, and highly empathetic. Their friends include Astra (mostly knows her as the cool lady they're trying to set Mashal up with), Mashal (everything they could live up to, but also someone who needs help), and Avymere (evil noble, but maybe not so bad)

Avymere is the heir to the elven city of Salis and takes this duty very seriously. They're a skilled spy and rarely show an honest face. They also enjoy martial arts. Allies include Astra (that witch who used to work for them), Mashal (sweet, but there's something suspicious there), and Elsind (misguided rebel, but maybe they have a point)

Have at it :)