#lol typing this was a nightmare i kept thinking oh will they kill me for saying this. also this. will they kill me with hammers.

[woniedarlin]

can you, perhaps, do an idol! jungwon x reader fanfic? the setting would be reader accidentally texting jungwon and the reader is an engene as well, actually, but then reader and won keep talking but he doesn't reveal he is an idol until later!! reader could be in the industry as like a staff or smth!

Sent, Delivered, Loved

pairing: idol! Jungwon x staff! reader

synopsis: As a hardworking staff member at HYBE, the last thing you expected was to accidentally text the wrong number in the middle of a busy day. But instead of a confused reply, the person on the other end kept the conversation going. He was funny, easy to talk to, and somehow, you found yourself looking forward to his messages. You didn’t know his name, his face, or even his voice but you liked him. Which was ridiculous, right?

Oh, and the person you were texting? Yeah. It was Jungwon. THE Jungwon from enhypen.

author's note: Thank you for the amazing request, Anonie! I must say, it took me a whole month to finish this, but it was definitely worth it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Happy reading, everyone! 💖

warning: This is just for the plot and should never be taken seriously. Do NOT text random strangers 😭 and don’t ever fall for someone just through texting. Mentions of cursing and also slight angst.

permanent tag list: @sol3chu @chlorinecake @13tter @jung1w0n @layzfy

You: bro wtf where r u???

You angrily jabbed at your screen. It was late, you were exhausted, and your friend, your so-called reliable colleague, was missing in action when you needed them most.

You: i swear to god if u left me to deal with this alone i’m blocking u forever.

A few seconds passed, and then-

Unknown Number: uh… hi??

You frowned. That wasn’t the reaction you were expecting.

You: ???

You: don’t play dumb. u know what u did.

Unknown Number: i actually don’t. i think u have the wrong number??

Your eyes widened.

Oh.

OH.

You immediately scrolled up, checking the number you had just texted, only to realize that you had completely messed up one digit in your rush.

You: …omg wait. ur not Jiho?

Unknown Number: pretty sure i’m not.

You: oh my god kill me now. i’m so sorry.

Unknown Number: lmao it’s cool. what did this guy do to deserve ur wrath tho??

You sighed and debated whether or not to answer. But at this point, you’d already embarrassed yourself. Might as well go all in.

You: he bailed on me. we were supposed to finish this event setup for work but guess who’s suddenly “busy” 🙄

Unknown Number: damn. fake friend behavior.

You: RIGHT?? like i love him but i will fight him.

The typing bubble appeared, then disappeared. Then, it appeared again.

Unknown Number: sounds like a rough job. must be intense working in the industry.

You blinked at your screen. That was… a little specific.

You: wait, how’d u know it’s the industry??

Unknown Number: u mentioned an event setup. unless ur hosting birthday parties on a tuesday night, i figured.

You: touché.

Unknown Number: so what do u do?

You hesitated for a moment. It wasn’t like this was confidential information, but still…should you be talking about work with a total stranger? Then again, you had already gone on a rant about your missing-in-action coworker, so what harm would a little more do?

You: just staff stuff. event coordination, assisting with schedules, making sure idols don’t get lost on the way to their own stages. u know. the usual.

Unknown Number: sounds like a nightmare.

You: it is <3

You chuckled, shaking your head at how easy it was to talk to this person.

Unknown Number: u must meet a lot of idols then.

You sighed.

You: yeah but it’s not as exciting as u think. they’re just people. some r nice, some r annoying, some act like they don’t know what a clock is.

Unknown Number: LOL. any favorites?

You raised an eyebrow at that.

You: what, r u an idol fan?

Unknown Number: maybe.

You: ok mysterious.

Unknown Number: u didn’t answer tho.

You hummed and think.

You: idk. if i had to pick… maybe enhypen? they’re cool.

A beat of silence. Then,

Unknown Number: good taste.

Weird. Before you could think too much about it, another message popped up.

Unknown Number: anyway, u still mad at ur friend or did u forgive him?

You rolled your eyes.

You: still mad. he better buy me food.

Unknown Number: solid plan. u deserve compensation.

You: exactly!! u get it.

And just like that, the conversation flowed on, stretching far past the frustration that started it. You didn’t know who this person was, but they were easy to talk to, and for some reason, you didn’t mind keeping the conversation going.

🫐

Over the next few weeks, your accidental text became a daily habit. You didn’t know why, but talking to this stranger was easy. Maybe it was because he had no expectations of you. He wasn’t a coworker, a superior, or an idol to impress. He was just some guy who sent back sarcastic texts and asked surprisingly thoughtful questions.

And for Jungwon, it was the opposite.

For the first time in a long while, he got to be a normal person. Not Jungwon, leader of Enhypen. Just some random guy in your messages. He didn’t have to worry about his image or if he was saying the right thing. You didn’t treat him differently. You teased him, called him bro, and sent blurry dinner photos.

And he liked it.

Maybe he never corrected you when you called him a nobody. Perhaps he looked forward to your messages more than he should.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t tell you the truth.

🫐

You groaned as you dropped onto a chair in the break room. You are completely drained, and the past few hours have been horrible. Running back and forth between different rooms, handling last-minute requests, and nearly getting run over by a staff member pushing a cart too fast. At this point, your legs were made of jelly, your back ached, and your only source of comfort was-

You: listen here, u lil gremlin. i am suffering.

Unknown Number: ???

Unknown Number: what did i do this time 😭

You: EXIST. why am i here working my ass off while u get to sit there and breathe??

Unknown Number: maybe bc u have a job and i’m just a mysterious, incredibly cool stranger on the internet

You: mysterious, incredibly cool GREMLIN.

You: actually no. goblin. u give goblin energy.

Jungwon almost choked on his water. Goblin??

Unknown Number: EXCUSE ME.

Unknown Number: what part of me gives goblin energy???

You: idk. just a vibe. like a smug little goblin who laughs at my suffering.

Jungwon did, in fact, laugh at that. He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.

Unknown Number: ok but real talk. what’s making u suffer this time

You: running around hybe like a headless chicken. setting up for another event. also why do idols need so many rooms. just share a table or smth smh.

Jungwon raised a brow.

Hybe.

So, you worked at Hybe. That confirmed it. You were in the same building as him, probably passing by his team without even realizing it.

Unknown Number: sounds rough. u need a raise tbh.

You: RIGHT?? finally someone with common sense.

Unknown Number: goblin says u should go get a snack or smth before u pass out.

You sighed before standing up and walking toward the nearest vending machine.

You: fine. but only bc goblin said so.

Jungwon grinned. He could get used to this nickname.

🫐

You still didn’t know his real name, and he still hadn’t told you what he did for a living. But weirdly enough, you didn’t mind.

One evening, after another long day of work, you flopped onto your bed and grabbed your phone.

You: goblin. tell me something random about u.

Unknown Number: hmm. i like cats.

You: ok well that’s basic. try again.

Unknown Number: wow ok. rude.

Unknown Number: fine. i used to do taekwondo when i was younger.

You: woah. that’s kinda cool. do u still remember any moves?

Unknown Number: maybe. depends. why? u planning to fight me?

You: depends. are u annoying today?

Unknown Number: always.

You rolled your eyes and smiled to yourself.

Unknown Number: ok my turn. tell me something random about u.

You: hmm. i can survive on just ramen and coffee for a whole week.

Unknown Number: that is not something to brag about.

You: shh. survival skills.

Unknown Number: more like self-destruction skills.

You laughed.

It was weird how easy it was to talk to him. Even without knowing what he looked like or what he did, you felt like you could tell him anything.

And somehow, you got the feeling that he felt the same way.

As you continued texting, an idea popped into your head.

You: btw. i’m giving u a nickname.

Unknown Number: oh? should i be concerned?

You: yes. but it’s happening anyway.

You changed his contact name and took a screenshot.

You: congrats. ur now “goblin” in my phone. [image attached]

Goblin: goblin again???? why.

You: idk u give me goblin vibes.

Goblin: i don’t know if i should be honored or offended.

You: both.

Goblin: …fair.

You grinned to yourself. Yeah, “Goblin” suited him just fine.

🫐

It was ridiculous.

You groaned and buried your face in your hands. This was getting out of control and liking someone you’d never seen. Someone you only knew through text? It was wild. But talking to Goblin had somehow become the best part of your day.

It wasn’t just his humor or the way he matched your sarcasm. It was the way he listened. The way he remembered small details. He never made you feel like you were talking too much, even when you went on long-winded rants about work.

And that was the problem.

Because now, you were catching feelings for someone who was like a ghost. What the fuck?

You sighed and stared at your phone.

You: goblin. tell me something.

Goblin: what kind of something?

You: something about you. anything.

Goblin: hmm. okay. i like late-night drives.

You: oh? fancy. what else?

Goblin: i sing a lot, but only when i’m alone.

You smiled.

You: what if ur actually really good but no one knows?

Goblin: oh, people know.

You paused, eyebrows furrowing.

You: ?? do u perform or smth?

There was a long pause.

Goblin: nah… let’s say i’ve had some practice.

You stared at the screen. You felt an odd feeling. But before you could ask more, he changed the subject.

And this was the pattern.

You’d ask about him, he’d give vague answers. It wasn’t like he was lying. He wasn’t telling you everything.

Meanwhile, Jungwon was losing his mind.

He liked you. Way more than he should.

He knew he should tell you the truth…that he wasn’t just some random guy but an idol, an Enhypen member, someone you admired without realizing he was the same person you texted every day.

But how was he supposed to do that without making you feel betrayed?

It didn’t help that you unknowingly talked about him all the time.

You: work was chaos today. my team had to set up for an engene event, and guess what? i had to carry a life-sized jungwon cutout.

Goblin: oh? lucky u. he’s pretty cool.

You: pls. i had to carry his smug face up three flights of stairs. not fun.

Goblin: bet he was judging u the whole way.

You: EXACTLY. i could hear him in my head like “hurry up, bitch.”

Jungwon nearly choked on his drink.

You: i mean, i love him, but he def gives rich, spoiled cat vibes.

Goblin: wow. tell me how u really feel.

You: LMAO SORRY. no but fr, i respect him a lot. he works so hard.

Goblin: yeah… he really does.

Jungwon smiled to himself.

But the longer he kept the truth from you, the worse it felt.

One day, he was going to have to tell you.

He just didn’t know how.

🫐

You had one job. Just one.

Don’t freak out. Don’t stare. Be professional.

Yet, here you were, standing in the same hallway as enhypen. Your heart was racing.

You hadn’t even meant to run into them. You were trying to deliver some documents to another department when you turned a corner, and bam! almost crashed straight into Jungwon himself.

“Ah, sorry!” You quickly stepped back and bowed.

“It’s okay,” he replied casually.

You kept your head down, gripping the files in your hands. You knew the rules. Staff weren’t supposed to interact too much with idols unless necessary. So, you did what you always did. You kept moving, not making eye contact.

But the moment you were out of sight, you whipped out your phone.

You: BRO WTF I JUST BUMPED INTO ENHYPEN HELP

Goblin: oh? ur alive?

You: BARELY. I almost DIED. I ran straight into Jungwon.

Goblin: sounds like a skill issue tbh.

You: SHUT UP. Anyway, I had to act normal and not fangirl. Pain.

Goblin: so u saw Jungwon up close, huh? thoughts?

You: he’s… really handsome actually like stupidly handsome.

Jungwon, reading the text, blinked.

Wait.

Something clicked in his head.

You just said you bumped into Enhypen.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought back to earlier.

A staff member had walked past them, avoiding eye contact. He hadn’t paid much attention, but now that he thought about it…

That had been you.

Jungwon’s breath hitched.

Holy shit.

You were the staff member he had occasionally seen around the company. He’d thought you were pretty before, but it never crossed his mind that you were you.

Now, everything made sense. The things you ranted about, your schedule, and the way you always seemed to know too much about his events.

He grinned to himself.

Goblin: so… if u had to rank the members by looks, where would jungwon be?

You: pls don’t expose me but top 1 actually. his visuals are insane irl.

Jungwon nearly dropped his phone.

🫐

Ever since Jungwon pieced together your identity, he couldn’t help but pay more attention whenever he saw you at the company.

It wasn’t full-on stalking. No, he wasn’t that creepy. But he started noticing little things.

Like how you always ran around, papers in hand, sometimes looking stressed and sometimes smiling at your coworkers. How you always carried an energy drink in the morning, eyes barely open as you dragged yourself through the halls. How you always pulled out your phone at random moments to text him.

And, most of all, how you never once looked at him.

Jungwon found it amusing. You had no idea that the same person you were texting as “Goblin” was now actively looking for you in a crowd.

He casually walked by your usual routes, trying to confirm his suspicions. If you were near, he’d glance discreetly, watching your reactions. You were always professional, always busy, always avoiding unnecessary attention.

But then, one day, he decided to test his theory.

Exhausted, you were standing near the entrance, rubbing your temples as another staff member spoke to you. You were frustrated, probably from another long day of work.

Jungwon, a few steps away, discreetly pulled out his phone and typed.

Goblin: u alive?

A second later, your phone vibrated in your pocket.

Jungwon didn’t even need to guess. The way your entire demeanor changed was all the confirmation he needed. Your tired frown softened. Your lips curled into a small smile.

Bingo.

Now he knew it was 100% you.

Later that night, he picked up his phone again.

Goblin: so, when’s ur funeral?

You: idk but work is definitely killing me first.

Goblin: want me to fight ur boss?

You: pls. throw hands.

Jungwon chuckled to himself. Oh, if only you knew.

🫐

It was late. You sat on your bed, staring at your phone screen. Without thinking too much about it, you opened your messages.

You: Goblin, you up?

A few seconds passed before the typing bubble appeared.

Goblin: For you? Always. What’s up?

You hesitated. You weren’t usually the type to unload your emotions onto others, but something about him…about this…felt safe.

You: I’m just tired. Really tired.

You: Sometimes I feel like no matter how hard I work, no one actually sees it.

You: Like, I put in all this effort, and it’s just… expected. Nothing special. And if I mess up even a little, suddenly it’s a big deal.

You stared at your screen, debating if you should delete the message, but a reply came in before you could.

Goblin: I know exactly how that feels.

That made you pause.

You: You do?

Goblin: Yeah.

Goblin: It’s like… the pressure never stops. People only see the results, not the work behind it. And when you succeed, it’s just “as expected.” But when you fail? That’s when they notice.

That was oddly specific.

You: Exactly. Like, can someone just acknowledge how exhausting it is??

Goblin: You deserve that acknowledgment. Even if no one else says it, I will: You’re doing amazing. And I mean that.

A small smile tugged at your lips despite the frustration.

You: Thanks, Goblin. That means a lot.

Goblin: Anytime.

A comfortable silence settled between you two. Then,

Goblin: Can I tell you something too?

You sat up a little straighter.

You: Of course.

A few seconds passed before he responded.

Goblin: Sometimes I feel like people don’t actually know me. They see what they want to see. They have all these expectations, and I try to meet them, but at the end of the day… I wonder if anyone would still like me if I wasn’t what they expected.

You stared at the message, something about it making your heart ache a little.

You: That sounds lonely.

Goblin: It is. But I guess I’ve gotten used to it.

Your fingers hovered over the screen keyboard before you started typing.

You: Well, I don’t know about them, but I like you. Just as you are. Even if you’re secretly a weirdo who texts strangers in the middle of the night.

There was a pause, then-

Goblin: Wow. I was about to be all deep and emotional, and you just had to call me a weirdo.

You laughed softly.

You: I’m just saying, you’re pretty cool. Whoever you are.

You didn’t realize it, but on the other side of the screen, Jungwon stared at your message for a long time. He felt something that was terrifying.

Because for the first time in a long while, he felt seen. And he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that.

🫐

It’s late at night again, and you’re sitting at home, exhausted after another grueling day at work. Your feet ache, and your body feels heavy, but despite your exhaustion, you’re still awake because of him.

Your phone is open to your messages with Goblin, and you hesitate before typing.

You: be honest. do you ever think about what it’d be like if we met irl?

Jungwon, who was lying in bed, staring at his screen, felt his stomach drop.

Oh no.

Jungwon’s fingers hovered over his screen. His heart pounded as he read your message over and over again. Of course, he had thought about it every single day since realizing who you were. But if you knew who he really was… would you still want to meet?

After a long pause, he finally replied.

Goblin: hmm, maybe… but what if we meet and you’re disappointed?

He winced after sending it. That was a cowardly response, dodging the real issue.

Your reply came almost instantly.

You: lmao please. i bet ur like a middle-aged man with a receding hairline

You: but honestly. i do wonder. it’s weird, right? liking someone u never met??

Jungwon’s stomach flipped. Liking?

Before he could stop himself, his lips curled into a small smile. Did you really mean that? Or was it just a casual way of speaking? He needed to be careful.

Goblin: do u? like me, i mean

The second he sent it, he regretted it. It felt too direct. What if you got weirded out? He considered sending a follow-up message to downplay it, but before he could, his phone vibrated.

You: idk. maybe?

Jungwon stared at the screen, his ears burning. You liked him? But you didn’t even know who he was.

And that was the problem.

He couldn’t keep lying to you.

Taking a deep breath, Jungwon sat up in bed. His fingers moved over his keyboard, hesitating for a long moment before he typed-

Goblin: Hey, can I call you?

🫐

Your phone buzzed in your hand. An incoming call. From Goblin.

Your stomach flipped. He had never called before. Hesitating for a second, you stared at the screen before finally answering.

“Hello?”

There was a pause, then-

“Hey.”

Your breath hitched. His voice was… smooth. Gentle. Familiar in a way. You sat up straighter.

“Wow. So you do have a voice,” you teased trying to mask your nervousness.

He let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah… I figured it was time.”

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, this time more serious.

“I have to tell you something.”

Your heart pounded. “What is it?”

Jungwon took a deep breath on the other end. His hands clenched into fists, but this was it. No more hiding.

“I know who you are.”

Your brows furrowed. “Huh?”

“we’ve met before. A lot of times.”

“Wait—what are you saying?”

Jungwon hesitated. “I’m not just some random guy.”

“I’m Jungwon.”

Silence.

Your mind raced. Jungwon? Only one Jungwon immediately came to mind, but that was impossible.

“Jungwon…?” Your voice came out weaker than you wanted.

“Yeah.” Another pause. “Yang Jungwon.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

No.

No way.

The leader of Enhypen. The same Jungwon you had bumped into at the company a few times. The same Jungwon whose songs you had on your playlist.

The same Jungwon you had been texting for months.

You felt your whole world tilt.

“You’re kidding.” You whispered.

“I’m not.” His voice was cautious. “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was scared. I liked talking to you like this. Just as… me.”

Your grip on the phone tightened. You were shocked, confused, and something dangerously close to betrayal.

You had confided in him and talked about your job, talked about him, without knowing it was actually him.

Your mind was spinning.

“I—” You swallowed hard. “I need a minute.”

Jungwon’s heart sank. He could hear the sadness in your voice.

“I get it.” His voice was soft. “Take your time.”

But as the call ended, a heavy silence settled between you.

And Jungwon could only hope he hadn’t just lost you forever.

🫐

You had deleted his contact the second you found out the truth. It was impulsive, but even now, you felt guilty.

You never gave him a chance to explain.

Not that you owed him one. He had lied to you for months. He let you vent about work, about idols, about him. All while hiding that he was the person you were unknowingly talking about. Still, a small part of you wondered what he would have said if you had stayed long enough to hear him out. But it was too late now. You had cut him off, and life had to move on.

So you threw yourself into work, acting like nothing happened. But something felt… different.

For one, your workload, usually overwhelming, had mysteriously lightened. Tasks you had been dreading were suddenly reassigned. Even the small mistakes you made generally earned you a scolding and seemed to go unnoticed.

At first, you thought it was just luck. But then, little things started to stand out.

One evening, after a long day, you dragged yourself into a break room, exhausted. You had been assigned to help with an event that had left you completely drained. As you slumped into a chair, your coworker sighed beside you.

“Lucky you,” she muttered and stretched her arms. “I heard you were supposed to be on cleanup duty tonight, but someone switched it at the last minute.”

You blinked. “Wait… what?”

Your coworker shrugged. “Dunno. Some higher-up pulled some strings, I guess. Maybe you’ve got a guardian angel or something.”

You let out a disbelieving laugh. A guardian angel? Yeah, right.

Meanwhile, Jungwon watched from the shadows, unseen. He knew he had no right to interfere. Not after what he had done, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

So he helped in the only way he could.

He stayed silent and watched from a distance. Making sure you were okay. Doing whatever he could to ease your burden, even if you never found out.

Because if he couldn’t have you back in his life… this was the least he could do.

🫐

Your phone buzzed on your nightstand just as you were about to go to bed.

You groaned, rolling over to grab it, eyes squinting at the screen. Unknown Number.

For a second, you debated letting it ring, but curiosity got the better of you. With a sigh, you swiped to accept the call and pressed the phone to your ear.

“Hello?”

Silence.

You frowned. “Uh… hello?”

Finally, a voice. “Hey… it’s me.”

You pulled the phone away, staring at the number. It was definitely not saved in your contacts.

“…Sorry, who is this?” you asked cautiously.

A pause. Then, a chuckle. “Did you delete my number that fast?”

Your stomach dropped.

That laugh. That tone.

It hit you all at once.

Your fingers clenched around the phone. “Jungwon.”

Another silence. Then, softly-“Yeah.”

You swallowed, suddenly feeling like you couldn’t breathe.

Your brain scrambled to find something to say, but you could only stare blankly at your ceiling.

“I—What do you want?” Your voice came out smaller than you intended.

Jungwon exhaled as if he had been holding his breath. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just… I just needed to hear your voice.”

Your grip on the phone tightened.

“You shouldn’t have called,” you muttered. “You shouldn’t—”

“I know,” he cut in. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I couldn’t help it.”

You shut your eyes. “Jungwon, I—”

“I should’ve told you sooner,” he rushed out. “I should’ve told you a lot of things.”

Your chest ached.

“I knew it was you,” he continued. “I figured it out early. But I didn’t say anything because I was selfish. I didn’t want you to treat me differently. I didn’t want to lose what we had. I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t pretending,” he said softer now. “Everything I said to you was real.”

You pressed your palm against your forehead. You were overwhelmed.

“I know I don’t deserve it, but…” Jungwon hesitated. “Can I see you?”

Your heart pounded.

Could you face him? After everything?

🫐

You didn’t know why you said yes.

Maybe it was curiosity. Perhaps because you missed the feeling of something that had once felt so real. Or perhaps you weren’t as ready to let him go as you told yourself. So now, here you were. Your jacket covered your pj’s underneath. The air was cold, but not nearly as cold as the tension between you and the boy standing a few feet away. For a moment, neither of you spoke. He was wearing a hoodie, hands tucked into the pockets, eyes looking from you to the ground because he didn’t know where to start.

Seeing him now, after everything, felt surreal.

You swallowed. “So… you changed your number just to call me?”

Jungwon let out a soft laugh. “Yeah.”

You shook your head. “That’s insane.”

“I know.” His lips quirked, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I tried to leave you alone. I did. But I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

You clenched your jaw, “You lied to me.”

Jungwon’s expression fell. “I know.”

“You let me embarrass myself. You let me tell you things…things I wouldn’t have said if I knew who you were.” Your voice was with frustration and hurt. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?”

“I do,” Jungwon said quietly. “And I hate myself for it.”

There was silence again. Then, Jungwon decided to take a slow step closer.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” he said. “I swear. I liked talking to you. I liked that you didn’t see me as an idol. You treated me like a normal person. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like one.”

You exhaled sharply and looked away.

“I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” Jungwon continued. “But if any part of you still wants this, still wants me, then I’ll do anything to fix this.”

Your fingers tightened around the sleeves of your jacket.

Do you still want this?

Did you still want him?

You let out a bitter laugh while shaking your head. “You know what’s funny?”

Jungwon stayed quiet.

“I used to think it was ridiculous,” you admitted. “Liking someone you’ve never even met. Someone you only talked to through a screen.” You let out a breath. “But then… it happened.”

Jungwon’s expression softened, but he didn’t say anything.

“I told myself it wasn’t real,” you continued. “That it was just the comfort of having someone to talk to. It was easy to fall for someone when all you had were words and late-night conversations.” You swallowed. “But it felt real. And when everything came crashing down, it hurt like it was real.”

“I didn’t mean to fall for you,” you admitted. “But I did.”

Jungwon’s breath hitched. “You…”

“I liked you,” you said firmly this time. “I liked Goblin. Not Jungwon, not an idol. Just you.”

His hands twitched like he wanted to reach for you, but he held himself back.

“I ruined it,” he murmured. “Didn’t I?”

You hesitated. “I don’t know.”

It was the truth.

Jungwon was bracing himself for the worst.

You sighed and looked down at your feet. “I forgive you.”

He sucked in a breath. “You do?”

You nodded, “But…”

The relief that had started to settle in his features quickly faded.

“I want to take it slow,” you said carefully. “I want to learn more about you. You, not just the person I texted late at night.” You exhaled. “And I don’t know what to do, Jungwon. Even just meeting you here feels like I’m walking on thin ice.”

Jungwon pressed his lips together. He understood.

“If anyone finds out…” you hesitated as you glanced around as if someone could be listening. “I could lose my job. You could ruin everything you’ve worked for.”

“I know,” he murmured.

You let out a small, breathy laugh, “Then why are you even here?”

“Because you’re worth the risk.”

Your heart stuttered.

“I don’t want to let you go,” he said. “But I also don’t want to rush you. If you want to take it slow, we will.” He smiled. “I can wait. I mean, we already spent months texting. I think I can handle a little more patience.”

You rolled your eyes, but a small smile tugged at your lips.

“Okay,” you said softly. “Then let’s take it slow

🫐

Months Later

You were swamped with work, running from one task to another, barely catching a break. The office was hectic as usual, with staff members moving in and out, handling schedules, coordinating events, and making sure everything for the idols ran smoothly. You had settled into a routine again, though now and then, you’d catch yourself glancing at your phone, wondering if he would first text.

Your relationship with Jungwon had been… complicated. Ever since that night, you had both taken slow but careful texts, occasional calls, and a few fleeting encounters in the company's hallways. He was still an idol, and you were still a staff member. Even though no one knew about the two of you, there was always a risk.

As you finished organizing some paperwork, your phone vibrated in your pocket.

Goblin: Come outside.

Your brows furrowed.

You: I’m working??

Goblin: Just for a second.

You sighed. But curiosity got the best of you, and you slipped out of the office, making your way toward the quieter side of the building. As soon as you stepped outside, you spotted him. Jungwon, standing near one of the company vans, dressed in casual clothes, a cap pulled low over his face. Even with his attempt to stay hidden, you could still recognize him.`

“What are you doing here?” you asked, crossing your arms.

Jungwon smiled, “I wanted to see you.”

You rolled your eyes. “We texted last night.”

“Yeah, but that’s not the same,” he replied smoothly. “And I figured you could use a little break.”

You sighed. “Jungwon—”

Before you could argue, he held up a small bag. “I got you coffee.”

You blinked. “What?”

“And a snack.” He grinned, holding it out to you. “Figured you’d be too busy to get one yourself.”

You took the coffee from his hands, fingers brushing his for a fleeting second. “…Thanks, Goblin.”

Jungwon smirked. “You really won’t change that nickname, huh?”

“Nope,” you said and took a sip.

He huffed out a laugh.

You gave him a look. “What? You don’t like it?”

Jungwon stepped closer. “I don’t hate it,” he admitted before he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to your mouth.

You barely had time to process it before he pulled away, grinning. “But I’d rather you call me something else.”

Your brain is short-circuited. “Like what?”

He shrugged, walking away with a smug face. “I don’t know. Maybe boyfriend?”

Your face burned as you gaped at him. “Jungwon!”

He only laughed, waving over his shoulder. “See you later, pretty.”

And just like that, he left you standing there, speechless.

You stared after him, then scoffed to yourself with a small smile.

“Guess ‘Goblin’ wasn’t so bad after all.”

[the-cookie-of-doom]

🥺🎯👀✅

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Any type of brotherly bonding, with any of the KP brothers ;_; I'm a middle child and I don't have a good relationship with either of my brothers, so that always gets to me. As for good feels, I love it when Kim is allowed to just be a kid, and for he and Chay to interact as friends, not just boyfriends. Everything about their relationship is so intense all the time, I love it when they get to goof off and play videogames and just enjoy each other's time. Kim is younger than me! He's a baby!

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

Yes they have. Unfortunately, outside of Out of the Shadows, I don't have any plot-heavy fics posted, and that one is still in the set-up stage, so there's no real plot to guess on. But back in my teen wolf days, I remember getting so excited whenever someone would predict the plot for Estranged. I legit kept track of users and would dedicate chapters to them when we got to the reveals that they guessed.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

wouldn't you like to know 👀 Idk what to talk about that 1. you don't already know, and 2. that I haven't already gushed about on here. Bc! I! am a wordy bitch! In need of constant validation! Hmmm. I will say... I do have that AU based on the Dum Dum unchained BTS. I've hit somewhat of a block on it so idk when I'll get it finished and posted, but that one is heating up! Kim is nearly-feral and mostly nonverbal after being... kind of trafficked? For a while?? He was kidnapped to use as leverage against his father, however by that point has just left the family, and is no longer useful/wanted. Letting him go was never an option, especially since Korn refused to trade, that would show weakness. And it would be a waste just to kill him... so. Bad times are had. But it's alright, Chay has a thing for lost and wounded strays, he's all too happy to take care of Kim. Too bad Kim can't trust him enough to let him. I also have a PWP cropping up that just needs a few finishing touches. Nothing dramatic there, just a KimChay sex scene instead of their very adorable couch cuddles.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Depression. I have no idea, I've suddenly forgotten anything I've ever written. No but really, when it comes to long fics, I think I almost always write a nightmare/comfort scene. They're just *clenches fist* so good. Oh, and I'm incapable of writing something purely happy/fluffy. I always wind up working some angst in there somewhere lol . I've given up and accepted my fate

Send me a fic writer ask!

[dottielovegood]

ASMR - Chapter 4

Elriel fanfiction

About this fic:

Azriel can’t sleep Elain has an ASMR channel Match made in heaven (or you know, on youtube..)

_______________________________________

You can find chapter 1 here, chapter 2 here and chapter 3 here

Read this fic on AO3

_______________________________________

The following week, Azriel read Elain’s messages too many times to admit. He had answered her that “meat banjo” was, indeed, a vile word, and after that, they hadn’t really talked or texted.

He had saved her number as “Elain”, which had felt weirdly private. As if they were friends, which they were not. He was just her friendly helper, and she was his remedy for nightmares.

However, even though they didn’t know each other, Azriel felt an odd sensation in his chest when he thought about her. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that he was missing her, which was absurd. But the tight little knot in his chest felt very much like longing. He tried to tell himself that this was weird and stupid. He knew that he had a crush on her (even though he hated to admit it), but he could also see that it was a pointless crush. She was an internet sensation, he was a boring IT guy. She was light and happiness and flowers, he was dark and brooding. She made people smile, he made people uncomfortable. And then there was the practical side of things. They had met on the internet. She probably lived on the other side of the country. Hell, she could even live in a different country for all he knew. She might have a partner already - it’s not like he asked. And, last but not least, she probably didn’t have a crush on him.

Before talking to her on the phone, he had just thought that she was a pretty girl that deserved kindness. But after their phone call, he had definitely developed a crush. Which was another reason why he hadn’t texted her. He didn’t want to bother her and he didn’t want to have this crush. He wanted to stop feeling like this for a girl he would never see in real life. Yet, every night before bed, he found himself on her youtube page, watching one of her many videos.

She uploaded a new video to Youtube every Friday, so when Friday came around, Azriel was itching to get home so he could go to sleep (he told himself that he was looking forward to sleeping and not to seeing her face).

However, he had an entire workday to get through first. The office was mostly an open landscape and Azriel’s desk was next to Cassian’s. The only person with his own office was Rhysand, which was fair since he was the owner of the company. At two in the afternoon, Rhys poked his head out of his office.

“You guys are still coming for dinner this weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Azriel and Cassian answered in unison.

“I told Feyre that I would help her with the food,” Azriel continued.

Rhys looked like he was going to kiss Azriel. “Oh, god. Thank you, man. I was scared that we would have to repeat the Christmas dinner,” he said and shuddered.

Feyre hated to cook and Rhys did most of the cooking at home, but for some inexplicable reason, she always wanted to cook for holidays or family dinners. To everyone’s dismay. Christmas had been no exception. She had burned the turkey, added salt instead of sugar to the dessert and somehow managed to buy the wrong berries for her cranberry sauce. Luckily, Rhys had been prepared and bought a few frozen pizzas and some ice cream, so the day wasn’t that much of a disaster, but nobody wanted to brave Feyre’s cooking again.

“Why don’t you just cook?” Cassian asked without looking up from his screen.

“You know that she kicks me out if I so much as go near the kitchen when we have these family dinners. And since she started the hormone treatment, she has been a bit bitchy when she gets mad, so I’ll just do whatever she says.”

Azriel chuckled. He could tell from Rhysand’s tone that Feyre had been more than “a bit” bitchy.

“I don’t understand why she lets Azriel help, though…”

“Maybe because she knows that I’ll tell her to sit down with a glass of wine and a magazine, and then she can take all of the credit for the food?”

“Fair enough.” Rhys shrugged. “Just burn the food a little bit, or it won’t be believable.”

Cassian snorted. “No one would believe that something edible was made by your wife. Sorry.”

“She does make a great green smoothie, though,” Rhys grinned and held up his glass.

Azriel and Cassian looked at each other and had to bite their tongues to keep from laughing. The smoothie looked vile and smelled even worse.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Rhys went back to his office for an important phone call. “See you on Saturday,” he reminded them before closing the door.

Azriel and Cassian worked in silence for the remainder of the day.

When Azriel came home that evening, he made a quick pasta carbonara to eat in front of the TV. He was re-watching New Girl. It was his comfort show and absolutely nobody knew that he watched it (and had watched it multiple times). He would take that information with him to the grave. But it was fun and cute and sometimes he liked to imagine his friends as characters in the show. Cassian was probably Schmidt, because Nesta was one hundred percent Cece. Feyre was Jess, which meant that Rhys was Nick. And then there was Azriel. He wanted to say that he was a very cool character, but most characters on this show weren’t cool, and also, he was definitely Winston. Alone with a cat - sounds about right , Azriel thought to himself as he finished his bowl of pasta.

When the episode ended he just waited for the next to start. He didn’t have any plans for the night and nowhere to be. His phone vibrated where he had left it on the kitchen counter. He ignored it, feeling too lazy to get up. But then it vibrated again. With a sigh, he got up. He expected to see a text from Mor telling him to bring wine tomorrow, or maybe a strange meme from Cassian. What he didn’t expect was to see Elain’s name on his screen.

He could feel his heart in his throat as he read her messages.

Elain Hey, Shadowsinger. I’m uploading a new video soon. You should watch it!

Elain I hope that message didn’t sound creepy? I just meant that I think you might like it.

Azriel’s hands were sweaty.

Azriel You didn’t sound creepy at all. Of course, I’ll watch your video. May I ask what I can expect from it?

Just seconds later, Elain answered.

Elain You can ask, but I might not tell ;)

Azriel Should I be worried?

Elain Haha, no! I think it turned out great. You were my inspiration :)

Azriel could feel himself blush. He had never been someone’s inspiration before.

Azriel So, I’m your muse? ;)

Oh god, was that too flirty? Was the winky-face too much? He wished that he could take back the message.

Elain For tonight, yes!

Azriel stared at his phone, unsure of what to answer. Luckily, Elain wrote to him again.

Elain What are you doing tonight?

Azriel Nothing. Just eating pasta and watching TV. How about you?

Elain That sounds amazing. I have been editing this video for hours so I’m just tired and cranky, haha. I have just ordered a pizza and I think I’ll just eat it in bed as soon as this video has finished uploading. What did you watch?

Azriel If I told you, I would have to kill you.

Elain Oh, intriguing! Is it trashy drama? I bet it’s Grey’s anatomy! Or maybe… Love Island?

Azriel stared at his phone. Did she really think that he would watch something like Love Island?

Azriel I watched New Girl, okay. Don’t tell anyone.

Elain Your secret is safe with me! Also, I love New Girl! Especially Winston!

It felt as if someone was squeezing Azriel’s heart.

Azriel Really? Which character would you be?

Elain My pizza is here so I am going to put all of my electronics in a different room and eat my pizza while reading a good book. It was great talking to you, Azriel! Please tell me what you thought of the video when you have watched it.

Elain Oh, and I would probably be Winston’s cat. lol

Azriel almost dropped his phone. If he had to be alone with a cat for the rest of his life, he would definitely want Elain to be his cat , he thought to himself. Which was a weird thing to think about someone you didn’t know. Azriel dropped his head to his kitchen counter and took a deep breath before replying.

Azriel It was great talking to you too, Elain. Enjoy your dinner and your book :)

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Azriel was going to be thinking about her for the rest of the night anyway.

30 minutes later, he got a notification telling him that Flower Girl ASMR had uploaded a new video. The video was called “ASMR for IT-guys”, which made him chuckle. He clicked the video and Elain’s beautiful face filled his screen again.

“Hello, my lovelies, lovelies, lovelies,” she whispered in her microphone. “This week’s video will be a bit different,” she continued, slowly moving her hands in front of the camera. “This video was inspired by my friend who recently helped me with some computer-related issues, issues, issues.”

Azriel loved it when she repeated words like that. And he liked that he somehow was a part of this video. It was something that connected them. Azriel paused the video and got into bed, knowing fully well that he would probably fall asleep soon if he kept watching this.

He pressed play again. “So, today, I thought that we would try a few computer-related triggers. I have a keyboard here,” she said and started typing on a keyboard that was out of view. “I thought that I would say a few trigger words while typing them.”

She smiled at the camera and pressed a few more keys. “I just wrote my friend’s name, but you won’t get to know who he is. But you know who you are. Thank you for your help!”

Azriel felt all warm inside.

She continued the video. “The first trigger word is IP address ”. Azriel laughed as she repeated the word multiple times while typing quickly.

“And then we have, laptop, laptop, laptop,” she continued, and Azriel felt shivers go down his spine when she popped the p’s.

Azriel had never thought that he would fall asleep to someone whispering “HTML coding” in his ears, but here he was. Relaxed and ready to sleep.

All thanks to Flower Girl ASMR.

━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━

The next day, Azriel texted Elain that he had loved the video. He waited for hours, but no reply came. Maybe she just wanted to repay me for helping her? Azriel thought. Maybe she would stop talking to him now that he had seen the video.

The thought of never talking to Elain again made him feel a new kind of ache in his chest. An ache he didn’t want to feel. This stupid crush needs to end, he muttered to himself as he started to scrub his kitchen counter. He tried to ignore the feeling by keeping busy. He cleaned his apartment and did some laundry before heading over to his friends’ house.

Rhys greeted him by the door and ushered him inside.

“She started cooking like 15 minutes ago, please save whatever can be saved,” he whispered to Azriel. Azriel chuckled and made his way to the kitchen. On the way there, he passed the living room and stopped to greet his friends. He saw most of them on a daily basis because of work, but he was still happy to see them. Cassian and his fiancée Nesta sat close together on one of the green velvet couches. On the opposite couch sat Mor and Amren. Mor was one of the journalists at Velaris News, and Amren was an editor. They had known each other for years. Amren and Rhys had studied together at university, and Mor was Rhysand’s cousin. Once upon a time, Azriel had a crush on Mor. One night after one too many glasses at Rita’s he confessed his feelings to her and she had looked horrified. He had expected her to tell him that she didn’t fancy him and leave it at that, but instead, she had blurted “I like girls!”

Azriel was the first person she ever came out to, and he had felt honored. He also knew now that they wouldn’t have worked out together in the long run (even if Mor had been straight). They were just too different. She was energetic and outgoing and fun, he needed peace and quiet. But she was still one of his very best friends.

Amren on the other hand, he didn’t know as well. She had always been very private, but she was damn good at her job.

“Where’s Varian tonight?” Azriel asked Amren, trying to make small talk.

“How should I know?” she answered quickly. “I’m not his mother.”

Cassian stared at her. “But you are his girlfriend?”

She shrugged. “I don’t like to label things.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. Amren had lived with Varian for the past two years, but she was still reluctant to tell anyone about their relationship.

Azriel made his way into the kitchen, and from what he could tell, he made it just in time.

“What are you making, Feyre?” he asked, because truthfully, he couldn’t tell.

Feyre turned around quickly as if he had startled her. “Oh, hi Az,” she said and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand.

Something was burning.

“I was trying to make lamb chops with glazed carrots, roasted potatoes, and salsa verde, but…” she gestured to the stove, which looked like a disaster.

Azriel chuckled. “That’s ambitious.” He lifted the lid from one of the pots and could clearly see that she had overcooked the lamb 10 minutes ago. Also, why had she made them in a pot, and not a frying pan? It would be inedible.

The potatoes were still in the sink, unpeeled.

She gave him a strained smile. “Will you help me?”

“Of course.” Azriel put the grocery bag he had brought with him on the kitchen island. “On one condition.”

“Anything.” She sounded desperate.

“Please, for the love of god, let Rhys cook when we come over. You really don’t have to show off. You are good at many things, Feyre. But cooking is unfortunately not one of them.”

She nodded. “I know,” she sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island and buried her face in her hand. “I just...I need to be able to cook when I become a mother.”

Azriel took her hand in his. “You really don’t. Nobody expect fathers to be good at cooking, so why should every mother be good at it? Honestly, just let Rhys cook while you play with the kids.”

She smiled at him. “That actually sounds amazing,” she sighed.

“Right?”

Azriel started to pull out some ingredients from the bag on the kitchen island. He held up the tomatoes and the spaghetti, “How about some pasta arrabbiata with burrata?”

“Sounds fancy.”

He shrugged. “Everything sounds fancier in a different language. It’s just pasta with a spicy tomato sauce, and burrata on top.”

“Whatever you make will probably be better than that mess,” she said and glanced towards the stove. Azriel couldn’t disagree.

“Probably,” he laughed and got to work. Azriel placed all the pots and pans in the sink and started chopping the vegetables for the sauce, and in just 30 minutes, dinner was served.

“You are my hero,” Feyre said and kissed his cheek as she carried the big bowl of pasta to the dining room.

Everyone had already gathered around the table, wine glasses in hand. As Azriel sat down, Mor poured him some wine.

“This looks amazing,” Nesta said and Cassian nodded in agreement.

“Thanks, Az helped a little,” Feyre said and winked at Azriel.

“Just a bit,” Azriel said and took a sip of wine.

The conversation (and wine) flowed freely, as it always did. Cassian and Nesta told them about their wedding plans, Mor gushed about Emerie, a girl she was dating, and Feyre told them about life as a high school art teacher. Azriel would never understand how anyone could choose to spend their days with teenagers, but Feyre loved it.

After two bottles of wine, Nesta and Mor were in an argument about which animal was the cutest.

“No, I am telling you, Sloths are cuter than any animal ever,” Mor exclaimed. “Have you seen their dopey little faces?”

“Sloths? Really?” Nesta looked at her as if she had suggested that the sky was green. “Red pandas are way cuter! They are cute and cuddly, Sloths just look like every single stoner I went to high school with.”

They had been at it for 10 minutes, which Azriel found to be quite impressive.

“Can you both just shut up?” Amren gritted out. “The cutest animals are koalas. They’re even cute when they fight. I am right, you are wrong. Please stop this meaningless discussion before I die from boredom.”

Nesta and Mor looked at Amren, and then at each other.

“We obviously have to see Koalas fight if you want us to end this conversation,” Mor said.

Nesta nodded. “Obviously. Give me your phone, Az,” she said and reached for his phone.

“Why do you need my phone?”

“Because mine is dead and yours is right there on the table. Also, your screen is big and we need to watch this in full HD, for obvious reasons.”

Azriel huffed a laugh, unlocked his phone, and handed it to Nesta.

She clicked the Youtube app, and then her face fell. She looked at Azriel as if he was an alien, and then she showed the phone to Cassian who looked at him with the same facial expression.

What the hell had they found?

He didn’t have anything weird on his phone. And he sure as hell didn’t watch porn on it.

“What?” Azriel asked, and Nesta turned the phone.

Fuck. The last video he had watched was still loaded on Youtube, and of course, it was Elain’s latest video.

“What the hell is this?” Nesta asked, almost looking angry.

Azriel didn’t understand why she found ASMR so wrong, but he desperately wanted to explain himself.

“Well, it’s ASMR. It’s kind of… well, it’s hard to explain, but it helps me sleep and– “

Nesta interrupted him before he could finish. “I know what ASMR is. I am wondering why you are watching Elain?”

Azriel stared at Nesta in shock. Did she also like Elain’s videos? But that wouldn’t explain the anger and confusion.

“Do you...know her?” Azriel asked.

“Yes, we went to university together. She’s our florist for the wedding. She was the florist at their wedding, too,” Nesta answered and gestured towards Rhys and Feyre. “Surely you have met her?”

Azriel could do nothing but shake his head in confusion. If he had ever met Elain, he would have known. You didn’t forget a face like hers.

“Please tell me you’re not stalking her like some creep, Az. Honestly, her last boyfriend was the world’s biggest asshat.”

“I’m not stalking her,” Azriel blurted out. “I’m just watching her videos to fall asleep, I promise. I– I didn’t know that you knew her.”

Nesta eyed him suspiciously. “So, is this just a coincidence?”

He nodded. “Weirder things have happened,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Nesta glanced at Cassian, and then back at Azriel. “Fine,” she said after a small eternity. “You would probably be cute together anyway. Sorry for insinuating that you would be a stalker.” She really did look remorseful. “That wasn’t fair. I’m just very protective of her. She’s the nicest girl, but she has horrendous taste in men.”

Azriel couldn’t answer, because his mind was still stuck on the fact that Nesta said that they would be cute together. He wanted to ask Nesta why she thought that. He kind of also wanted to ask her if Elain lived here in Velaris, and what her favorite movie was, and if she, by any chance, had a boyfriend. But he refrained, he didn’t want to sound like a stalker.

“So, what the fuck is ASMR?” Cassian asked. “Is it like porn?”

Before Azriel could answer, Rhys said “It’s like porn for your ears, I guess,” and then the entire table was laughing.

“Nesta,” Feyre said when the laughter had died down. “Does Elain still have that cute, little shop on River Street?”

“Mhm,” Nesta answered and took a sip of her wine.

Azriel could kiss Feyre for asking. And if he wasn’t mistaken, he could see her wink in his direction before raising her water glass to her lips.

Azriel walked home that evening with a million thoughts in his head.

He made a list in his head:

Elain lived in Velaris

River Street was literally a 10-minute walk from his home.

Nesta thought that they would be cute together

This meant nothing

She probably didn’t even like him back

Just because they were in the same city, it didn’t mean that they would ever meet.

This was still just a crush

And it was probably one-sided

She hadn’t even answered his latest text message.

And as if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Elain I’m sorry that I didn’t answer you earlier. I’ve been at work all day. We had a leak in the basement and everything was just chaos. I haven’t even checked my phone until now.

He mentally scratched number 9 from his list.

Azriel No worries! Did you fix the leak?

Azriel checked the time on his phone: 23.30

Had she dealt with this leak until now?

Elain Yes! But so many flowers were ruined (I’m a florist) and I had to remake a few arrangements for a wedding that’s coming up.

Elain I’m sorry. You probably don’t care. I’m happy that you liked the video :)

Azriel wanted to tell her that he did care. That everything she said was interesting to him. He would probably even find her Starbucks order fascinating. But that bordered on stalker behavior.

Azriel Again, no worries! Sometimes when you’ve had a bad day, you just need someone to vent to.

Elain Exactly! Thank you for letting me vent :) This day is finally over!

There was a selfie attached to the last message.

Elain was standing in front of a big window surrounded by flowers. She was wearing a white, oversized shirt and her hair was in a messy bun. She looked tired but happy. She was giving him ‘thumbs up’ in the photo and through the window, he could see the Sidra. They were indeed in the same city. It made him both happy and nervous.

Elain Sweaty but happy to be heading home :)

Azriel received that last message when he walked through the door to his apartment. What the hell was he supposed to answer?

But then he thought back to Nesta’s words.

You would probably be cute together.

So he took a deep breath and gathered all his courage.

Azriel You still look beautiful though

He stared at his phone. Would she answer? Would she block him? Would she tell him to stop being a creep?

Elain Thank you :) What do you look like? I might have forgotten ;)

Okay. That was flirty. Even Azriel could tell that that was a flirty text message, and he was usually oblivious to such things. He quickly walked to his bathroom (it was the room with the best lighting). He checked his shirt (no stains) and mussed with his hair.

“Good enough,” he muttered, and snapped a selfie.

Before he could chicken out, he sent it to her.

Within seconds, he received a reply.

Elain Beautiful!

[emitheduck]

So. We're Soulmates? (Bucky x Reader)

A/N: my first soulmate AU, and I figured it was finally time, and bucky deserved one lol. no spoilers whatsoever

Soulmate AU where you have your soulmate’s birthday tattooed on your arm ---

March 10th, 1917.

(Y/n) had always thought, there was no possible way that the universe had ever, ever gotten her soulmate’s birthday right. When everyone was celebrating that their soulmate was around the same age as them, she got to look down in horror as she could practically see her soulmate’s life fly by. There was legitimately no possible way that her soulmate would even still be alive.

The rules of the soulmate were strange, and no one ever understood them or questioned them. It was found out sometime in the 80s that the dates on peoples forearms weren’t random--but the birthday of their soulmate. Because the universe was a cosmic nightmare, when someone’s soulmate died, the numbers went with them.

That’s what made this so strange.

Either (Y/n)’s soulmate was hanging onto life support, or the universe had fucked up and decided it was going to trick her into thinking she could find happiness like everyone else.

She had these feelings up until she got the faithful call one day, that she had landed the job with SHIELD and found out that she would be working in the helicarrier during the attack on New York. And that’s how she met Steve Rogers.

“You know, it’s kind of funny.” Steve sighed with a chuckle, shaking his head as he followed (Y/n) who was leading him to where he would be staying.

“What is?” She asked as she typed in the access code for one of the doors as they walked.

“The number on your arm. That’s my friend’s birthday.” Steve was smirking as he walked into his room. “I mean, it was his birthday.”

(Y/n) looked down at the date on her arm and sighed, her hand instinctively covering the date. “You sure he’s dead? Not some hundred-year-old veteran in a nursing home that you haven’t checked in on or something?” She was trying her best to not sound horrible for joking about his friend's death, but he seemed almost amused by her banter.

“Last I checked, he’s dead. I watched him fall off the train and everything.” He told her as he sat down on the edge of his bed. “His name was Bucky.” He told her as she turned around to leave, watching her stop for a moment to listen before she left.

Steve’s words always lingered in the back of her mind ever since that day on the helicarrier. She had seen the Bucky memorial spot in the museum, and the day she found out that he was alive, she would never forget (mostly because when it happened, she had dropped the bottle of wine she was holding on the floor and spent hours picking up tiny shards of glass).

The year was now 2023. Five years after the blip, and (Y/n) now fully retired from SHIELD. She left on good terms, but the years of working were just exhausting. Especially now that she came back after vanishing for five years and had to rebuild her life all over again. At least they were respectful, and were happy to give her the pay that she had missed out on.

It was hard enough having to deal with knowing all your close friends sacrificed themselves for the whole world, and not being able to do anything about it. That was the reason that kept her up most nights. The guilt of feeling like she could have done something, but never got the chance to, was the hardest feeling.

That’s what led (Y/n) to walking aimlessly around the grocery store at almost 2am. When she couldn’t sleep, sometimes the best thing to do was walk around pushing the cart and praying that the LED lights would calm her down enough to go home and face the empty apartment.

What she didn’t expect was turning the corner of the frozen section and crashing her cart into someone elses. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry I wasn’t paying attention.” (Y/n) apologize as she looked at the man in front of her. “I should have been looking. I guess I’m just tired.”

“I’m probably just tired too.” He chuckled, pulling his cart away from hers. Both the carts were empty anway. “You come here to walk around at night too?”

“How could you tell?” (Y/n) laughed, running a hand through her hair as she looked him over. He looked familiar, and knowing her luck he was some assassin that was stalking her, and came here to finish the job.

He motioned to their empty carts with a bob of his head. “Something about just pushing the carts around and listening to the crappy music makes me feel better too.” He smirked as he never broke eye contact. “Also, people normally buy food when they’re shopping.”

(Y/n) sighed, nodding. “You caught me. I’m just here to wander.”

“It’s okay. I am too. Sometimes staring at the TV isn’t enough.” He mumbled, shaking his head as he broke eye contact to look where his hands were gripping the handle of the cart. “Sorry, I’m just rambling I guess.”

“No, I get it.” She laughed it off, knowing it was late and sometimes people just kept talking when they were tired. “My names (Y/n).” She smiled, holding out her hand for him to shake.

He seemed to hesitate, but reached out and shook her hand. “My name’s Bucky.”

She could feel her mouth go dry. “Bucky?” There was just no, possible way that this was the man who has been in the back of her mind for years on end.

“I’m guessing you know who I am.” He muttered, already preparing himself to turn around and forget this interaction never happened. “Sorry, I should go.”

“Wait! No, I didn’t mean it like that.” (Y/n) exclaimed as she held her hands out to stop him from leaving. “I just have heard so much about you--not the way you think, it sounds so weird. I talked to Steve about you once, way back before the battle of New York.”

She peaked his interest at the mention of Steve. “You knew Steve?”

(Y/n) nodded. “He told me all about you. Look, I even have your birthday on my arm.” She told him, lifting up her sleeve to show him the date on her arm, watching his eyes go wide out of shock. “Steve liked to always tease me that I had your birthday, and I always told him that I probably had some old man, sitting in some hospital bed, decaying before our eyes. Wow, I am rambling, I am so sorry. I should leave.” She was bright red as she decided to just leave her cart where it was and accept the humiliation and leave.

“No, you don’t have to go.” Bucky told her, gently grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. “I guess now that you showed me yours, I’ll show you mine.” He grinned as he let go of her arm, using his left hand to pull up his long sleeve. There on his arm, in bold black numbers was (Y/n)’s birthday clear as day.

“Do you maybe want to go get coffee at that 24 hour place across the street? We might have a bit we need to talk about.” She was dumbfounded. Steve would always tease and joke, telling her that Bucky was her soulmate just because it was the same birthday on her arm. But due to the fact that he was presumed dead for so long, (Y/n) never thought anything of it.

“Are you going to come inside? I’ve been holding the door open for almost a minute.” Bucky asked, laughing a little uncomfortably as he watched the woman just stand at the door of the diner. She didn’t even remember the walk to get there.

(Y/n) blinked, rubbing her eyes as she nodded and walked inside. The sign said seat yourself, and she found a nice seat by the window for the two of them. “Sorry. I guess I’m just a little speechless.”

He chuckled as he shifted in the booth. “I’ll be honest. Me too.”

“So. We’re soulmates.” She shrugged, feeling uncertain of herself. Finding her soulmate was never the first thing on her mind, because she never actually thought that she would find him. Sure, the universe also had a way of making the two cross paths at some point, but because of the age, she never cared.

“When I used to see the date on my arm, I thought it was a joke.” He told her, mumbling that he wanted a coffee when the waiter walked over and asked what they wanted. “She wants a coffee. Two cream, one sugar.” He said as the other man nodded and walked away.

“How did you know my coffee order?” She asked with a raise of her eyebrow.

Bucky opened his mouth like he was about to speak but sighed. “I legit have no idea. My brain was working for me, and it just came out.”

(Y/n) laughed. “I mean, we’re cosmically linked so it does make sense.” The coffee was set down in front of them and she smiled as she held onto the mug. “Is this when I ask if you can tell me about yourself?”

“Where do I start?” He asked as he set his coffee down after taking a sip. “My name is James Buchanan Barnes, but I go by Bucky. James is only for when shit hits the fan I guess.”

“I think I prefer Bucky.” She smiled, watching as his cheeks turned red for a moment.

“What about you Doll? What fun thing do you have to tell me?” Bucky asked her with a smirk, making it her turn to blush.

“I worked for SHIELD, that’s where I met Steve. But then there was that time we found out that Hydra was inside of SHIELD, and technically you tried to kill me.” She pointed out, watching as he put his head down in shame. “But that’s all in the past now. I’m not that person anymore.”

He took a sip of his coffee before he spoke. “What changed?”

(Y/n) sighed, shaking her head as she held onto her coffee mug for warmth. “I was pretty close with Steve and Natasha. Tony helped me get the job at SHIELD, too. Three people that I looked up to more than anything, were gone before I ever got a chance to say goodbye.” She told him, knowing that there would be no more tears left to cry. Her tear-ducts seemed to stop working after she had cried for days straight that they were gone.

“I wasn’t very close to anyone but Steve, but I do understand how you feel.” He told her, leaning across the table to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Do you live in the city?”

“I live pretty close to Hell’s Kitchen.” She told him, watching as he nodded. “I’m guessing you live in Brooklyn?”

He looked a little surprised, but still smiled. “How could you tell?”

She smiled back, a little shy. “Some part of me just knew, but the other part of me heard Steve talk about Brooklyn all the time. He loved it there, and I guess I thought you did too.”

“It’s definitely still amazing, but a lot has changed. I’m still getting used to it all.” Bucky confessed, putting down some money for the coffee as they both finished and stood up from the table.

(Y/n) checked her phone and sighed at the time. 3:30 in the morning, and there was no way she was going to sleep now. Now, she was going to ride the train and hope that the rocking of the subway would be enough to turn her mind off for a while. “I should get going. It’s getting late, and I’m taking the train back.”

He nodded, seeming a little uneasy that she was about to leave. “Do you maybe want my number? We could meet up someday, maybe get to know eachother better?”

She grinned as she handed him her phone. “Put your number in.” She told him as they traded phones, smirking as she put in her contact. “I put my information as (Y/n)-Soulmate, just in case you seemed to forget.”

“Oh trust me, I don’t think I’ll ever forget.” Bucky chuckled as he looked at her contact. “Promise you’ll call?”

“Considering the fact I’ve known you for a few hours, and I’m already completely head-over-heels for you, I don’t think you have to worry.” (Y/n) told him, leaning up and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “Bye for now, but not bye forever.”

Bucky was grinning like an idiot, and he knew it. “I like the sound of that. I still just can’t believe I found you after all these years.”

“You better believe it, because you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me from now on.”

MASTERLIST

[lavishedinjimin]

Room 109 -> jjk (m)

↳ Pairing: jungkook x reader ↳ genre: werewolf!au ↳ word count: 6.7k ↳ warnings: alpha!jungkook, omega!reader, omega is in heat, mating, knotting, dirty talk, female solo masturbation, unprotected sex (stay safe!), jk is proud of his size lol, multiple orgasms, pregnancy kink — synopsis: Having Jungkook as your apartment buddy was a lot to get used to. But with one early day, your heat comes up much stronger than usual, and you were desperate for an alpha’s touch. 

A/N: I hope this oneshot can heal all of your thirsty, sexually frustrated souls. Also, this is my first time writing about a/b/o fics so please go easy on me. Please enjoy! 

Let’s face it, your college entrance exams were hard enough but finding a decent apartment that was close to your university and wasn’t gender-neutral was harder.

Almost all of the closest residencies were full and booked of students that were about to experience a new chapter of their life. College. You get stressed very easily, and the fact that there are almost no more apartments that accepts only girls freaks you out. You are not going to share a goddamn room with a boy. Hell no.

“Mom…” you mewl as you cradled closer to your mother’s side with your laptop in front of you, “They’re all full.” You whimpered when the words ‘Sorry! We are fully booked right now! Try searching for other apartments that attain your satisfaction.’

“No baby,” she hushes you sweetly, wrapping an arm around your small body while caressing your arm. “Don’t give up just yet.”

Trust me, you were close to giving up.

It wasn’t about the point that you hate boys – you don’t. You just don’t trust them. It’s hard to earn your trust, and your parents raised you like that. Your pack had a history of betrayal and treachery from other wolves, and was once a powerful pack was now fragile and weak. Most of your friends were Omegas like you, but they have Alphas to look after them.

The only Alpha friend… well – he’s not necessarily a friend was a guy from your high school, Hyejun.  

He once was a part of the pack but with the influence of his father, they left, leaving everyone in a state of confusion. Packs were always there for each other, it was their sole promise. They were the first ones to leave the group. It was surprising that your father didn’t go to try and kill them instantly. Strangely enough, Hyejun never stopped looking after you. Whenever an Alpha tries to make a move on you, Hyejun would somehow pop in and protect you. That was in high school, though. And now you were in college and you had no idea where he is now.

Just the thought of sharing a whole residence with an Alpha creates creepy tingles down your spine.

It was now a week before school starts and you still have no place to live. Without further thinking, you huffed and opened your laptop.

‘Gender neutral apartments near me’

Your eyes widened when you opened a website that was full of apartments that were still available. “Mom,” you called out, and within no more than five seconds she was right behind you, bending down as she rests her hands on the couch.

“Oh, darling! You’ve finally found a – oh.”

“Mom, I know, it’s the only ones that aren’t fully booked.” You spoke desperately.

“Y/n, daughter,” she sighs and walks around to sit on the space beside you. “If there’s no more choice then I guess we have to take the chances.”

“T-Take the chances of what?”

You mother smiles at you, “You know what. It’s better than to live so far away from your school, yeah?”

You look down, “I guess so…”

“Hey, liven up, baby,” she giggles, ���Let’s not worry too much. There’s still a chance that you’ll have a nice young lady as your roommate.”

You pursed your lips, nodding. There was no time to hold up a grudge, you need to do what you had to do.

~

“Y/l/n Y/n.” You told the clerk behind the glass countertop, gripping your backpack and your suitcase tightly. She nods and starts typing on her computer whilst readjusting the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose.

“Room 109. Shared with Mr. Jeon Jungkook, am I right?”

“Yeah,” you sighed, slumping your shoulders.

“Great! Here are your keys,” she hands you two keys, “and please let Mrs. Han over here take you to your room.” A middle-aged woman appears in your vision, wearing a clean blazer uniform. ‘A beta’, you spoke to yourself, smelling her scent.

“Follow me, miss Y/l/n.”

She leads you to an elevator and presses the fourth floor. It was a very awkward silence, and you didn’t know what to do but to just stay put in a corner. You know she can smell you. And you wished that she was just another human, just like the woman behind the counter.  

She suddenly grabs a hold of your suitcase before you could even touch it, and it made you surprised. She smiles politely, “Let me help you.”

Following right behind her, you both walk along clean white hallways. The floor was glossy black tiles, and the sounds of her heels clicking was the only noise that you could hear – except for the harsh beating of your heart. You were so nervous to meet this Jungkook man, and there were so many questions running through your mind.

‘Was he a normal human? Was he a werewolf too? Is he perhaps an Alpha? Beta? Oh, please, be an Omega. Is he nice? Or would he be loud? I wish he doesn’t smoke – I swear to God if he smokes I’m going to leave this place in a flash.’

“Excuse me miss, we’re here.”

Mrs. Han’s voice departed you from your thoughts and you immediately straightened yourself up. “Oh, s-sorry,” you smile pathetically, readjusting your straps.

The woman just grins and lends you your suitcase back. “Well, I’ll be leaving you here. Please, if you have any questions, you are free to go down the lobby. Other information is stated on the documents we gave you. Have a nice day –”

“Do you know who Jeon Jungkook is?”

Your eyes were wide as you spoke, frantically wanting an answer. Mrs. Han knows what you mean, and she sighs.

“Jeon Jungkook, sweetie, is an Alpha.”

Oh, of course he is.

You were about to throw another tantrum, hell – you wanted to throw up, but she quickly places her hands on your shoulders reassuringly. “Y/n, I just want you to keep safe. He can be a little too much sometimes, but try to make an alliance with him. Don’t get into his bad side, okay?”

You shake your head vigorously, “I won’t.”

“Good, now go in there. We don’t have all day.” She leaves you with a final smile and turns away, heels clicking.

You shut your eyes, throwing your head back. ‘This is my worst nightmare’.

With sweaty hands, you use the keys on the lock and turned the doorknob. You pushed the door slightly, peeking to see if anyone’s inside. You opened the door halfway, and you sigh in relief when you saw no one. “Thank God.”

You pulled your large pink suitcase in and shut the door behind you. Ahead of you were a kitchen and a living room – a decent size for two people. The walls were painted in beige with white trims. ‘I could get used to this’, you thought.

You take a look around, noticing that there were things already placed on some shelves. You cringed when you saw how disorganized the cupboards were. Empty jars of Nutella and peanut butter, expired milk, and many more. Great job, Jungkook.

Speaking of Jungkook – your eyes expand when you see a man who just walked out from a bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his lower body.

You shrieked as you covered your eyes, instantly turning around. You mentally cursed yourself that you know have the image of his half-naked body engraved in your mind. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t m-mean to!” You stumbled on your words, panting heavily from shame.  

Jungkook, on the other hand, clenches his jaw from your sweet and heavenly scent. ‘She’s an omega’, he thinks, and a smirk slowly crept up his lips. ‘Maybe having a roommate wouldn’t be bad after all’.

Jungkook releases a deep chuckle as he stares at your small figure. He doesn’t try to walk closer to you, knowing that it might scare you. He knows he can radiate a strong aura for new people.

“It’s alright, you can turn around.”

His statement shocks you and you shake your head side to side. Funny enough, you still kept your eyes closed with your hands, even though you were already facing away from him. “I-I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

“But why?” Jungkook pushes, loving your cute reaction, “We’re roommates now, dear, you’ll have to get used to seeing me shirtless.”

You gulp at his words, suddenly feeling your blood rush into your cheeks. Jungkook smirks when he feels the air in the room change, he knows what he’s doing to you. The wolf in him smells your lovely scent, and he indulges himself in it. He slowly walks closer to your body until there’s a one-foot distance. Your breath hitches up, afraid to breathe. ‘I need to calm down…’

“I’m sorry if I react like this, sweetheart. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered a female omega. I forgot how addicting their scent can be…” he trails off, the last sentence spoke in a mutter as he leans his head down to the crook of your neck. You flinch when you felt his hot breath on your skin, goosebumps arising.

“You don’t have to be nervous. I don’t bite.” He says smugly and you can practically feel the smirk wearing on his face. You jump when he places both of his hands on your hips. “H-hey—”

He swiftly turns you around so you were now facing him. His hair was still damp, some of it covering his eyes. You couldn’t even dare to look down, yet you can see how muscular he was on the very bottom of your eyes. Your stare wavered when he made eye contact with you, his eyes holding so much authority and control.

“May I get your name, pretty girl?”

You chew on your bottom lip with the petname he gave for you, eyes blinking twice – three times.

“Y/n.”

“Y/n,” your name rolls out of his tongue so perfectly, his voice so pleasing. “Nice to meet you, I’m Jungkook.” He smiles, showing off his pearly whites. That smile that probably makes a lot of girls – and boys – heart to flutter. Every word you knew was stripped out of your head as you didn’t know what to reply.

Realizing that you were still on his grip, you held onto his wrists and pushed them away from your body.

“U-Umm, nice t-to meet you.” You force an awkward smile, gripping the handle of your suitcase tightly to ensure your balance.

Stepping back, you finally see a clearer vision of his appearance. He was tall – really tall, probably a head and a half taller than you. He was built really nicely, his figure strong to protect his pack as he was born to do.

Jungkook cocks his head to the side, smiling smugly when he notices you staring at him for far too long.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry… I better get to my room now.” You mumble, proceeding to go…actually—you didn’t know where you were going.

“Here,” he chuckles as he moves your hand away from your suitcase and he grabs a hold of it instead, “I’ll show you your room.”

You follow Jungkook behind him and let me tell you, his back muscles were unbelievably impressive. ‘Why isn’t he ashamed by all this? He’s only wearing a towel, for god’s sake!’

“I’m sorry I didn’t clean the area, I wasn’t told that you were coming today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. But it’s okay though.” You replied, smiling politely even though he can’t see you.

He leads you to a white door and stops in front of it. “After you,” he smiles and you thank him quietly, the blush on your face still clear and evident. You open the door and you smile brightly when you see how spacious it was. You walk further inside and notice the neat, twin-sized bed.

“I promise you that this room was locked when I got here. The management only opened this when you booked it.”

You ran your hands on the soft mattress of the bed, “Did they clean it?”

“Of course they did, sweetheart.” He chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest.

Your eyes widened for a split second before you clench your jaw. “Stop calling me that,” you fight the urge of blushing once again, not making any eye contact with his own burning irises. You didn’t like what you were feeling – you didn’t like that you felt so frail under his overwhelming watch.

“You’re body’s telling me something else though, Y/n.” he walks around to face you with a sly smile plastered on his face. You didn’t look directly at his face, but you were faced right in front of his built arms. Some beads of water were still tripling down his skin and cause you to gulp. His biceps flex involuntarily, beautifully-toned abs right in front of your view. It was mouthwatering. You tried to fix your direction somewhere else, but his body was just begging to be seen.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You mumbled. Jungkook doesn’t say anything else – thankfully – and he smiles at you.

“Well, I guess I’ll be leaving you here. Please make yourself at home,” he steps back with a handsome grin, shaking his wet hair away from his eyes. “You’re free to do anything, just don’t eat my food, okay?”

You crease your brows together, wanting to chuckle at his statement, “I wasn’t planning to.”

“Good.” He proceeds to walk to the door, “See you around, Y/n.”

~

“Must you always stay quiet all the time?” Jungkook suddenly plops beside you on the couch, interrupting your daily reading session. You can see his face close to your left shoulder on the corner of your eyes, trying to analyze whatever you’re reading.

“Well, a person doesn’t blabber around when they’re reading, huh, Jungkook?” You snap, clearly annoyed at him. You were just about to enter the goddamned war scene of the story. “I’m sorry that I don’t give you the attention you always want.” You roll your eyes, fixing your gaze back on your book.

Jungkook looks taken aback from your words, causing him to raise a single brow up. “Hmm, someone’s got a sharp tongue.” He leans closer to you, making you feel timid. His mouth was so close to your ear, and his breathing sent shivers all over your system. “I never would’ve thought that you can be so bratty,” he growls the last few words in a deep voice.

Bratty? You shifted in your seat, feeling a little bit weird. You didn’t like to be called a brat, it makes you feel degraded.

“I’m sorry,” you ended up saying that in a whisper, cautiously lifting your head to look back up at him. Jungkook’s heart beats faster on his chest, seeing your big eyes staring at him so innocently and so cutely.

Oh, the things he wanted to do to you.

Jungkook chuckles, “It’s okay, sweetheart. How’s abooouuut…” he drags, scooting closer to you, “How’s about I treat you to lunch? You know, get to know each other a bit more. I’ll pay.”

You didn’t hesitate to nod your head, agreeing to his offer. You instantly placed your bookmark and closed the book as you sprinted back to your room to get ready. Anything for free food.

Jungkook laughs at your adorability, watching you shuffle excitedly. He brings his hand up to his lip, playing with it. He was just as eager as you are – but for different reasons.

~

It’s been approximately nine days since you’ve been living with Jungkook, and let me tell you, it was a tough nine days.

You would’ve thought that he would lose this sultry and sensual attitude of his around you after a few days but no. It stayed with him. Sometimes it would get very tiring with all of his teasing and suggestive comments but you held your guard up.

Unfortunately, Jungkook found your weak spots. Jungkook knows what words to say to get you all riled up. He just knows what to do just to make you weak in the knees, and knows what to say to have goosebumps raise on your skin.

Yet thankfully, he never touched you. It was because of the way he presents himself, the aura that he carries with him makes it feel like he owns every place he walks into. But then again, he’s an alpha, and they can take whatever they want in just a loud growl.

But there was no lie that he’s really handsome. He had a perfectly sculpted face, not a single flaw ever to be spotted. His long hair that would go past his ears always looked breathtaking on him, especially when wet.

You would be blind if you said that he wasn’t attractive and fine.

~

You woke up drastically with your chest heaving up and down, your breathing not normal than it should be. You can feel sweat trickling down your spine, all over your neck and your forehead. You felt hot.

Immediately springing into action, you throw the covers away from your body and you remove your pajamas, leaving you in your shirt and underwear. You nervously bite on your lip as you step your foot on the cold floor and made your way through the darkness of your room into the bathroom.

“Oh my god,” you gasp, eyes expanding in utter horror when you see that your pill bottle was empty. “No, no, no, no, no!” You immediately shuffled through every drawer and cupboards and prayed that you’ll find an extra bottle somewhere. “Did I not pack extra heat suppressants?!” you whisper-shouted to yourself, eyebrows joining together in frustration.

How stupid can you be?

“Okay, okay, calm down,” you paced back and forth, combing your hands through your sweaty hair. Your first instinct was to call your mom, but god it was 5 am in the morning and you didn’t want to wake her up, especially on a Monday where she goes to work. What the fuck were you going to do?

You definitely weren’t going to risk the chances of going outside of your room. You don’t want Jungkook to see you, not at this state. You mentally cursed yourself when you can feel your slick slowly dripping down your thighs, making you whimper involuntarily.

You closed your eyes tight, taking a deep breath. Walking out of the bathroom, you instantly made your way to the door of your bedroom and locked it. You just have to lock yourself inside your room until your heat is over.

Laying yourself back on the bed, you wondered if the pills you took yesterday didn’t work. You started your heat two days ago, and you even made sure that you’ve scheduled your pills.

But as time passes, the feeling never went away. You couldn’t sleep. You could feel yourself getting hotter and hotter as each second passes as hair was stuck on your neck and forehead. You tossed and turned all over your mattress, feeling frustrated and needy.

This scared you, not going to lie. It was your first time witnessing yourself in heat without the suppressants, and you didn’t know what to expect. You emitted loud whines and penurious whimpers, calling for some release. You wanted something, you wanted someone.

~

Jungkook groaned when he wakes up and hears the alarm from his phone. He reaches his arm out to grab the device and shuts off the annoying sound with his eyes half-open.

5:30 AM, it reads.

He gets up and switches on the light, blinding him for a couple of seconds before he rubs both of his eyes with a yawn. It was time for his Monday workout session. He prepares himself and changes his clothes to some black gym shorts and a black cut-off sleeve shirt, paired with his usual sneakers. He takes his phone and advances out to the kitchen.

Jungkook was humming softly to himself, filling his large bottle up with warm water from the dispenser.

“Oh, I forgot my headphones,” he said to himself and proceeded to turn around, but a strong scent hit his nose like a truck.

‘What?’

‘Umm…’

‘What the fuck?’

Jungkook’s eyes expanded ten times bigger when a sweet and savory scent filled up the air. He walks closer, sniffing the air until it leads him right in front of your door. Jungkook was now breathing heavily. It was his first time in a very long time to smell an omega in heat, and he doesn’t know if he can control himself any further.

“A-alpha…”

Jungkook’s irises turn red right after he hears your soft but desperate whimper. He growls when he felt his blood rush down to his cock. Jungkook wanted to burst right in, to help you through your heat. You were desiring for an alpha, and he was right there, but he didn’t know that your room was locked not before he tried to open your door.

This brought him back to his senses.

He immediately steps back before anything gets more carried away. He rushes to grab his water bottle – ditching the headphones and immediately runs out of the room with a heavy breath.

“Shit shit shit shit shit!” the half-wolf chants as he makes his way towards the elevator with heavy steps. His breathing was rapid, almost making it look like that he was about to faint. He was going mad; he has never smelled an omega that sweet and delicious. It was like a new smell for him. His hormones were going crazy, his mind in a state of lust and desire.

He sighs in relief when he sees no one inside the elevator. Once he pressed the correct floor and the door closed shut, he couldn’t help but grip his hand tightly to the metal rails, knuckles almost turning white. Jungkook usually knows how to keep his control, but something about you just makes him mad.

He growls deeply as the sound of your sweet whimper fills his mind, replaying over and over again. He imagines you, looking so needy and in need of a release below him. He wants to help you, help you release that sexual frustration out of you. He craves to dominate you; your cute, little body. Your voice sounded so cute, so delicate that turns Jungkook on to the max. The word ‘alpha’ rolled down your tongue so smoothly, and he wanted to hear it again and again.

Jungkook tries his absolute best to calm himself down, closing his eyes as he takes several breaths.

~

“A-alpha…” the word came out in an eager tone, desperate for something. Your body was drenched in sweat and you felt slick frantically dripping down your thighs.

Your body took over your mind. All you can ever do was to dread for a mate while your hands teased your hardened nipples through your shirt.

You wanted an alpha. You wanted Jungkook.

As messed up as it was, you were dreading for your roommate to touch you. You were dreading him to mate with you, feel his big member inside of you.

“A-aahh, puh-please,” you mewled into the darkness, bucking your hips into nothing. Your body shivered when you snuck your hands under your shirt and tweaked your hard buds. “I c-cant…” you threw your head agitatedly from side to side, your skin itching from the desperate need of contact.

“Oh, whatever,” you spoke in gritted teeth while sliding your right hand down, cupping your dripping wet core. You immediately shivered from the oh-so-delicate touch, closing your eyes tight. You carefully rubbed your clothed cunt, your fingers immediately dampening as your slick transferred to your fingers.

With your other hand massaging your boob, you hesitantly slipped your hand inside your underwear, biting your lip.

“Mmnggf, my god,” you gasped when your fingers touched your sensitive clit. Without waiting any further, you rubbed the bud hastily as waves and waves of pleasure shoots through your system. You ran your digits down your folds, teasing your pulsing hole by poking the tip of your finger in. “I… a-aaah,” multiples mewls escaped your swollen lips when you rubbed your clit even faster, applying more pressure to escort you to a release.

“I wanna cum…” you begged to no one, “I wanna cum so badly.” You almost wanted to cry with the hopelessness in your body. You arch your back in an uncomfortable way when you pinched your rock-hard nipples once again.

“Please… make me cum, Jungkook.” You whispered.

You imagine that it’s him. You imagine that it’s him doing all of the work for you. His long, slender fingers that can unambiguously do more than your own can. You imagine his big, well-built body hovering over you, controlling your body and making it his.

“Alpha…” you can feel a heavy knot forming inside of your stomach, signaling that you were close. You didn’t hold back your cries of pleasure as your hips buck into the air, your fingers moving faster on your pussy. “Please please please…”

A loud moan escaped your lips when you felt hot cum running down from your drenched cunt, and you didn’t stop to make sure everything didn’t go to waste. Your thoughts were clouded with immense pleasure, your body going into a series of quick trembles and shudders.

‘One more time.’

~

Jungkook kept clenching his jaw, his grip on the exercise bike tight. He should be focusing on his workout routine, yet all he could ever think about was you.

‘Were you going through your heat?’

He’d praise you for actually being considerate and locking the door; because if you didn’t, all hell would break loose.

But if he did walk in, would you accept him? Would you let him touch you, let him take over you?

He couldn’t help but ponder that maybe it was all just the pleasure that was speaking for you, and not Y/n herself. He wouldn’t like it if you’ll regret everything when you get back to your normal state.

These thoughts were circulating Jungkook’s head, not until an hour later when he’s officially calmed down. He hesitates to go back inside the room, but he has no other choice.

~

Jungkook.

You can smell him.

Without thinking any further, you jumped out of your bed and ran outside to the living room where your eyes set on a messy-haired Jungkook, shirt stained with sweat while he was downing his water bottle.

“Y-Y/n?” he asks carefully, eyeing you with caution.

You abruptly forgot that you weren’t wearing any underwear, and he can easily smell your arousal from a distance. He notices how your face was so flushed, hair in tangles and you breathing was uneven.

“Jungkook—” you whimpered quietly, pleading him as you walked closer to his frame. Jungkook shakes his head as he steps away from you, noticing his adam’s apple bob as he goes to the very corner of the room.

“Distance, Y/n. I-I don’t wanna do anything you don’t want.” Jungkook rasps, trying his fucking hardest not to pounce on you.

The shirt that you wore only covered a little bit of your wet pussy and your sweet scent filled the entire room in a flash. Jungkook was losing his mind, eyes threatening to roll back from your smell.

“No, please,” your eyes drooped, tugging at the hem of your shirt frustratingly, “I want it, I really, really do.” You sigh. When Jungkook didn’t respond, you took the chance to continue. “I-I ran out of heat suppressants. My heat is too strong today a-and I can’t take it any further.”

Jungkook clenches his jaw. He notices the glistening slick that was slowly creeping down your thighs, and he wanted to punch a wall. He growls lowly to himself, feeling his dick harden again.

“I’ve already cummed t-three times today, but I need more.”

The alpha raises his eyebrows from your statement, “Three?” he chuckles, crossing his muscular arms together in front of his chest, “That’s quite a lot, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

There he goes. There he decides to tease you. You’ve learned that you quite love his teasing, and it makes you even hornier.

“I know, but all this time I was thinking about you, Jungkook.” You spoke quietly as you walked closer to him.

“Y-Y/n, are you – oh fuck, are you sure about this?” he tries to say, but your smell was overflowing his mind and it was difficult for him to formulate words. “Do you know what you’re about to do? Hmm?”

“Yes, I’ve never been surer. Please,” you were now right in front of him, and you heard him growl dominantly as he towers over your height. “Please mate with me.”

Without wasting any more time, he suddenly lifts your little body and carries you to his room, shutting the door behind him. He drops you onto the soft bed and you crawl up to rest your head on his pillows. Jungkook smirks down at you while he removes his shirt, revealing his beautifully-toned abs that had just the workout earlier.

“My little, desperate omega,” he scoffs, “begging for another release, aren’t you?” he hovers over you and leans down to lick a bold stripe on your neck. You croon your head to the side, allowing him more access. You let out a moan when he starts to suck on your delicate skin.

“You just want an alpha’s cock to satisfy you, huh?”

You nod briefly, followed by a quiet mewl when he removes your shirt, revealing your breasts to him. “Hmm? Is that what you want? Want this little pussy to be filled up with some big cock?”

“Hnngf, yes, yes, please,” he starts to suck on your hard nipples, biting on it playfully which makes you arch your back. He removes his mouth with a loud pop, “Filthy little girl.”

Your nerves were firing, feeling blazing hot and excited. You were fantasizing about this for so many hours now, after all of the unsatisfying releases – you have finally got what you truly wanted. Your hands were clammy and your mind was in a blissful mess, but you didn’t care. All you wanted was him; right now, at this moment.

“Let me have a taste of you, baby girl,” he growls as he hovers down to your core. He inhales your savory scent and his dick twitches. Your pussy was so wet, dripping in juices and stained with cum from your previous orgasms. Jungkook’s arms sling around and under your thighs, parting them together to give him a better view.

“Fucking hell, you’re drenched, sweetheart. Is this all for me, hmm?” he doesn’t even give you the time to respond when he abruptly licks a heavy stripe from your clenching hole to your clit. The sudden feeling sent electrifying currents all throughout your body, “Oohhh, yes. I-It’s all for you, Jungkook.”

“You don’t know how much I’ve been thinking about this sweet little cunt, baby. I’ve been wanting to have a taste of you since you’ve first stepped inside this apartment.”

He drives his tongue back, this time alternating between licking numbers on your folds and sucking on your swollen clit. His tongue worked wonders on you, causing your hands to fly down to tug on his long and wavy hair. You try to shove his bangs away to have a better view of his mouth on your pussy.

“Ohh my god! Like that, keep doing that, please,” you breathlessly moaned, shutting your eyes from the pleasure. You felt him smirk between your pussy which made you clench onto nothing.

You whimper from the loss of contact when he leans back, wiping his lips with the back of his hands. “I’m going fucking mad on you, baby. You drive me wild.”

Your eyes fly to where his right hand is as he cups his hard length beneath his shorts. He proceeds to rub it firmly, teasing you as he makes direct eye contact. “You want this, huh?”

You nod desperately, bringing your fingers up to your lips to give them a suck.

Jungkook chuckles sinisterly and finally pulls the clothing down, and your mouth immediately waters from the sight.

He was nice and long, his girth impressive as precum dripped down the tip of his dick. He strokes his length a couple of times as he carefully examined your expression. “You like it?” he smirks, “You want it inside you, huh?”

He chucks the clothing to the floor and hovers above you, his dick now right in front of your entrance. “Are you sure you want this, Y/n?” his eyes suddenly turn soft after being invaded with lust, “Are you sure you want me to be your mate?”

You try to smile at his question, “Yes, yes I do, Jungkook. I want it to be you.” His heart swells up, but he feels like melting into a puddle after you’ve continued: “Do you?”

Jungkook laughs quietly as he strokes your hair with his hands reassuringly, his gaze looking so caring and loving. “Of course I do, Y/n. I’ve always thought that you were the most beautiful girl that ever existed, even if we only met a couple of days ago,” he chuckles. “The most precious, kind, sweet, and delicate girl I’ve ever seen. I wanted to be yours so bad. I want to protect you, wanna take care of you forever.”

He nuzzles his nose close to the crook of your neck, shaking his head which causes his hair to tickle you. You giggle and Jungkook smiles, pressing a delicate kiss on your lips. “You don’t know how much I need you.”

“You can have me, Jungkook. Claim me as yours.”

And with that statement, he was quick to growl as his cock twitches in desperate need. He tugs on in a couple of times before aligning it on your entrance. “I’ll go slow, okay little one?”

You obey his words as you nod. You felt the tip of his dick pushing inside your hole, slowly and carefully filling you with his thick cock. He was even bigger than you were expecting, filling you up in all the right places. “O-ohh my god!” you moaned out, lips open in pleasure as you felt your thighs quiver.

“Mhmm, your pussy’s squeezing my cock so good, baby.” He places his big hands on your hips as he pushes further, his eyes rolling back from how tight you are. “You feel so fucking good.”

He wasn’t even halfway in before you felt yourself close to an orgasm. You wrap your legs around his hips, pushing him deeper inside of you. “I-I…a-aaaahhh!”

Your fourth orgasm of the day hit you like a huge train, covering Jungkook’s cock with your cum. You were clenching uncontrollably around him and he couldn’t help but shove the rest of his length in without any warning. “Fuck! B-baby, you’re gonna make me lose my shit.”

He stays still inside of you, letting you calm down from your previous high. But you can’t help but notice his heavy and ragged breath, growling every now and then. “J-Jungkook, you can move now.”

“Y/n,” his voice suddenly becomes deeper and raspier, “I-I might not be able to hold myself ba—oh s-shit—back.” He closes his eyes tight, moving his hips very slightly. “Please tell me that you’re a hundred percent okay with this. I don’t want you to r-regret anything.” He said in a heavy pant, pleasure for sure taking the best of him. Jungkook was overwhelmed with all of the waves of senses being thrown at him all at once. Fuck, just the thought of your cute little tummy carrying all of his pups makes him want to fuck your brains out.

“Please, Kook,” the alpha smiles at the nickname, “I really, really want this. I don’t regret any of this. I want you too as much as you do, so please, just fuck me already. Be my mate, please.”

Jungkook chuckles, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip, “If you say so, baby.”

Immediately, he starts fucking you with a deep and hard pace. Your eyes instantly roll back to your head as you start seeing stars. He was literally trying to fuck your brains out.

Your fingers claw on his back, scratching his skin which made him hiss, probably from the pain plus pleasure it brought. This only encouraged him to go even faster and even harder than before.

“Such a slut for this big cock, aren’t you? You wanna be filled with my cum, huh? Wanna carry my pups?”

You moan delightfully from his words, clenching around him from the thought of having his puppies. “Yes, yes. Give me your pups, Jungkook,” you whimpered.

“You want it, huh?” He snarls, smirking down at you. Suddenly, his right hand flies to your neck and he wraps his whole palm around it, choking you. You whimper, not expecting to be so turned on from this action. He presses firmly on your neck, his dominant and assertive side coming out.

You feel so nice and full around him, his cock hitting so deep inside of you. His balls were fervently slapping on your pussy, making wet lewd noises that resonated throughout the room. He was growling on top of you, bruising your thighs as he continues to pound on your sore, little cunt.

He finally releases your neck but only to grab your hips with both of his hands, flipping you around so that you were on fours. “Face down, ass up, baby girl.”

You mewled as you did as you were told, burying your face on his pillows. His hand spanks your ass cheek once, twice, three times, making you whimper loudly. His smacks were hard and sharp, and you were sure that your skin will turn red in no time.

Jungkook continues thrusting in and out of your sopping cunt, pulling all the way until just the tip for him to slam his whole length in you. Your body jolts forward, as he does this action again and again. “Hmm, such a nice, tight pussy you’ve got.” He teases your cunt by gliding the tip of his dick up and down your soaked folds, collecting more of your wetness. “This is all mine, right sweetheart?”

He firmly slaps his dick on your clit a couple of times to get an answer from you. “Answer me, Y/n,” he groans.

“Y-Yes, yes, it’s all yours, Kook.”

“That’s my good girl.”

Jungkook only had one goal, and that was to fuck you into another mind-blowing orgasm. His hips move faster and his cock was deeper with the new position, allowing him to hit your sweet spot. “O-oh! Right there! R-right there,” you moaned, tears brimming in your eyes from how good it all feels. Your hard nipples were rubbing on the sheets, helping you and providing more pleasure.

“Right here?” He gives one particular hard thrust on that same spot, making you moan out his name.

“Are you gonna come for me, baby? Make your body tremble, your pussy clenching on my big dick, hmm?” He keeps pounding on your g-spot, bringing you closer to the edge yet again. “That’s it, baby. C’mon, come for me.” With his last words, you instantly release around his length, squeezing him up as you shake. It was all so much for you to handle, yet Jungkook still holds your body so tenderly as you cummed.

“Y-Yeah, fuck,” Jungkook pants, “so good, m’gonna cum inside you, sweetheart. Gonna fill those walls with my cum and you’re gonna keep it there baby.”

Jungkook chases his high and before you knew it, his cum was spurting inside of you, hot and long strokes of his seed shooting on your walls. He gasps and leans down, your back pressed firmly against his chest as he holds you close.

“Take it, baby, take it.” He grunts, and he doesn’t hold back the loud moan that escapes his lips when he feels his knot getting bigger and bigger. Your eyes suddenly go wide from the feeling. It felt like someone was blowing a balloon inside of you.

“Jungkook… wh-what’s happening?” You asked quietly, trying to push yourself away but he just groans and pulls you back firmly.

“J-Just stay here, baby. You’re safe, you’re okay.” He reassures you as he tries to calm his breathing down.

“How long will this last?”

“A couple of minutes,” he laughs quietly, “can last about an hour or two. We don’t know.”

You giggled, “Now we’re closer than ever, huh?”

“Yes, baby,” he leans down to kiss your lips tenderly, full of love and affection. “Quite literally.”

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian Chapter 11 reactions; the ‘the sea is a harsh mistress’ edition

- on first watch this wasn’t really one of my favorite episodes. I think it’s something to do with... one of the many things I love about the mandalorian is how it made the star wars universe feel HUGE. big and surprising and unknowable, there could be fucking anything out there man we don’t know. so having first bo katan show up and then ahsoka being set up right after (quite aside from who’s rumoured to play her, which is an entirely different can of wormy beans) in additon to opening the season on tatooine... eh. I’m not that into it, it feels like shrinking the world. we haven’t even gotten to see any other type of force user yet. it is only early/mid season tho so they’re probably going to pull some unexpected twists on us 

my opinion might change with rewatches too, that happens quite a bit with this show!

- 

🎶I’VE COME TO TALK WITH YOU AGAIN🎶

honestly I had kind of a hard day yesterday and watched this the next morning and kept pointing tiredly to the crest like ‘it me tho’ 

- I was unreasonably happy about seeing the calamari flan again hahaha he’s been keeping that shit in his pockets for a season and a half now (didn’t he pay with some at one other point too?)! also the sound effects for them are SO EXCELLENT, I keep thinking about how well this show does texture which is wild considering how it’s filmed 

- the warm pat din gave frog lady’s arm when he thanked her and said goodbye 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I love the small ways he’s thawing 

-

my heart ached so much for him at this point, he just looks so small and tense and lost, like a kid who’s lost his parents in a supermarket

(he keeps his hand on the blaster the whole time too so he knows this is a bad scene but now they’re right out in the middle of the ocean already soooo) 

- din’s very very very dry sense of humour is so blessed. ‘a bowl of chowder for my friend’ faklhfsadkjlfhsadkjhfsd

the baby’s look when he poked the squid thing with his knife too -- yodito’s like ‘dad is a wizard??’ haha. some good baby & dad stuff in this one 

- oh din... side quest boy, side quest booooooyyy

- the shot when bo katan helped him out of the water is perfectly mirroring the scene of bb!din being pulled up to safety by the mandalorian in the flashback, which seems Very Intentional

I Extremely Do Not Trust Her in the larger scale tho. I think it’s important that din knows now that he was raised in a very specific offshoot of the mandalorians ant that there’s some Stuff he hasn’t been told, but I also think it’s crucial to remember that her pov is not unbiased either and she, in fact, already has an established tendency to selectively share information with him to manipulate him into fulfilling her goals. (which he realizes because he keeps saying ‘that is not my mission, my mission is the child’ and I could not love him more). hell, I’m not sure exactly how ‘the children of the watch’ were positioned within death watch, but she was fucking death watch too for the longest time! and she hardly left for particularly noble reasons, she just didn’t like maul! she already lost mandalore like twice, do we just have to trust that third time’s the charm or what! 

she lied to him about the scope of the mission to force him into a position to do what she wanted (fully knowing he’s responsible for a child!!) and she called that ‘the way’ just as easily as the thing about not letting his bravery be forgotten! big red warning lights, NO! I think the thing is that din is having to find his own ‘way’ of being mandalorian (/how does one be a person exactly help?? relatable content, and he’ll get there in the end I’m sure he’s so good), but her way is no less fucked up to me than the children of the watch from what we’ve seen so far. she’s good at killing imperials though which is of course a mark in her favour

(considering that the episode gives her the epithet ‘the heiress’... yeah that’s probably a hint that she’s loyal first and foremost to her entitlement, getting the position she considers hers by right of inheritance. guess we’ll see if the text agrees with her)  

- ‘mandalorians are stronger together’ yeah that’s probably why the cosmic balance makes sure they’re mostly engaged in being at each other’s throats lol 

- so I might be feeling kind of sketch about these guys but on the other hand... when that one lady saved the baby and then promptly took off her helmet to reveal she looks like t h i s ?

you better BELIEVE I was ready to fall down on one knee and propose right then and there holy shit

- ...wow if he didn’t have the jet pack din probably would have just sunk like a rock and drowned there huh 😨 that armour’s pretty heavy, turns out

- in happier news: din has become so good at reading what the child is expressing and responding/labeling the feeling for him! that’s so important to his development! ‘I know you’re hungry’ and both telling and showing him there’s a solution! still a bit of an issue that he thinks he can inform the baby of things like it’s a reasoned adult and have it understand, but we’re getting there we’re getting there lol

- that poor lady guiding them in for landing and sounding more and more worried fhkasjdlhfkjsdlahf (and he fucking TURNS OFF THE RADIO or whatever he’s using to talk to her through sdkfhaksdfhjs he takes a precious split second just to cut her off asfdjhaslkdfsdfhsda I love my salty dad) 

- when the fisherman asshole tells mando he knows where to find more of his people there’s the tinkling bell sound in the background music, I think it’s meant to convey almost childlike longing for belonging and connection, for finding someone who’ll know what to do? 

- when they took off their helmets and baby looked up at din like ‘???dad what the fuck? can you do that???’. (or like he just sensed his father taking a shitload of psychic damage all in one go)

- the way din didn’t start breathing again until they got the baby up from the water and he had him in his arms... the way he held him... sladfhasdklfhsjakdhfjsakldhfsakjldhfsjkadhfjaskdhfskajdhfjsdakhfslakhfskladhfsakljdhfjskadlhfkjsld

that whole scene was like a nightmare, so desperately unpleasant, in a way it mirrors the way the mandalorians have been hunted down and pummeled these last few generations, this must sort of be what it feels like to him subconsciously 

- din isn’t particularly inflexible as a person, after the initial kneejerk rejection he did listen to what they said and is carefully considering it (he did say ‘this is the way’ back at the end!)   

- the baby’s babbling when he wakes up and looks around in the beginning sounds half like ‘baba?’ and I almost had a heart attack

- loved how greasy and awful and dumb all the empire dudes were (and the comedy on board the ship too it was good for me) 

- the boob plates huh. shit they’ve shown with the armorer that they don’t have to do that in any way shape or form and they still brought the boob plates back :/ I guess it’s so they match up with the rebels/clone wars look, evoking that ~*era*~ and everything, but I don’t have to like it lol  

- I feel so validated in my theory that the razor crest is symbolic of din’s sense of self  (now with beautifully added commentary!) after this haha (and also so so scared now they might be ditching it for a new ship eventually). it’s in pieces, his world view is going to pieces and can’t be patched together the way it was before, from what he knows he’s about to deliver the baby to someone else who’ll understand/love/deserve him better (I do think that feeling is still in him) and he doesn’t even have the certainty of the code anymore to fill the void. oh buddy. 

the discomfort I felt when we got back into the cockpit -- into where it’s supposed to be familiar and safe! -- and saw all the ocean junk lying around, making it feel weird and changed and dirty (it probably smells like rotten seaweed in there now :( no likey)... I mean it was also very funny to see the pilot’s chair held together with a literal fishing net, but please favreau leave my dad’s car/ego alooooone 

- baby laughing his little bum off at din catching the small sea monster before it got him and then munching it......... the ‘there’s nothing in this world my dad can’t fix’ safe energy.......... I’m so scared we’re coming up on something din can’t fix 

- knitwear in star wars: I didn’t know I wanted it, but I am ELATED with having been given it

- moff gideon’s amazing evil voice... back in our ears, in our hearts, I gleefully hate him 

- at least din’s armour is clean again after that (awful) swim? one must appreciate some silver linings along the way I suppose

- din goes straight for the main pilot’s seat once they get the imperial out of it, so he must feel really secure that he’s probably the best man for the job; he is genuinely a good pilot! (and after this I am wondering even MORE who taught him. who raised you within the mandos din??)

- even while everything is new and scary and falling apart we can live safe in the knowledge that at least frog lady and frog husband had a good day and will have a good and happy frog life together with their frog children

couple goals tbh 

(I don’t necessarily know how it works for frog people but I uh. guess they got busy quickly huh hahaha good thing mando didn’t turn up again until later)

[hallowxiu]

Wasted Time

pairing: barbatos & gn!mc

word count: 1.6k

summary: As expected, Barbatos saw right through your plan. Literally.

a/n: this is part ten of the mc isn’t good at pick up lines series lol

if you’re ever too shy to ask for a request, you can always go to my ao3 account, kainess, i post the same stories there and also take requests there :)

part six | part seven | part eight | part nine

“Oh my devil, oh my devil, Mammon, is this really a good idea?” You’re pacing around Lord Diavolo’s guest bathroom, clutching the walkie-talkie in your hands. “How did you manage to convince me to do this? I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Relax. Ya haven’t even done anythin’ yet.” Mammon responded from the other side of the walkie-talkie. If you had to guess, you could assume that he was somewhere snooping around in the castle, looking for something he could pawn that Lord Diavolo hopefully wouldn’t notice missing. Getting it past Lucifer or Barbatos however, would be a different story. “And what’s the worst that could happen, huh? I already told ya if he tries anythin’ sketchy that I’ll be there to protect ya.” Your eyebrow twitched from how casual Mammon was at times like this. “Lord Diavolo invited everyone to the castle for a fancy lunch, it’s the perfect opportunity to try out your charms on Barbatos!”

“Okay, look,” your hand ran over the front of your shirt, smoothing the fabric down, “it’s one thing to hand out pick up lines to your brothers, right? And even Solomon and Simeon, but don’t you feel like it’s crossing a line with Barbatos and Lord Diavolo? I feel like Lucifer might actually punish me for it. Honestly, I’m more scared about Lucifer than Barbatos.” You were in a dilemma; Mammon had been scheming away on ways for you to improve your pick up lines and he was currently convinced that if you managed to successfully lay one out on Lord Diavolo’s butler, Barbatos, that you would be practically invincible. You’re not sure how that works, but questioning it would only give you a headache. “If I fail, I’m going to embarrass myself in front of everyone.”

“Ya won’t fail, not if ya have me there with ya. So please, just relax. Barbatos is not some big scary monster.”

“You’re also not a human.”

“Touché. Anyway, get outta the bathroom. If ya hole yourself up in there the entire time Lord Diavolo is goin’ to become suspicious of ya.” With Mammon’s reasoning coming through the walkie-talkie, you sighed and unlocked the bathroom door. How did he even manage to convince you to bring a walkie-talkie to the castle? What would be more embarrassing you wonder, failing a pick up line with Barbatos or having people see you walking around with a walkie-talkie?

You needed to figure out how to get Barbatos alone from prying eyes, especially from Lucifer, you wouldn’t be able to muster up any courage with the eldest brother watching. However, getting Lord Diavolo’s butler alone at a lunch hosted by said Lord of the Devildom would be no easy task. If you had to guess, you’d assume that Barbatos was running around making sure everything was perfect, as well as keeping a watchful eye on Mammon. Your eyes scanned the empty hallway, a sigh of relief escaping you when you didn’t spot the butler. It wouldn’t matter; you would still have plenty of time. Before you could turn around and make your way toward the dining hall, a familiar voice called out to you, making you pause.

“You’re rather far from the dining hall, aren’t you?” You inhaled deeply before turning around to lock gazes with Barbatos. Realistically, you should be happy that you ran into him now, where the two of you are completely alone, but yet you couldn’t find yourself to be. If you kept this up, you’re sure you’ll have sweat stains on your shirt. “Did you get lost?” His gentle voice met your ears and you felt heat creeping up your neck. “I could escort you back to the main room.”

“I, uh-- no. I’m not lost.” Was it hot in the room or was it just you? There’s a slight mischievous glint dancing around in Barbatos’ eyes and it almost unnerves you. You’re used to that look with Mammon, and that look has never brought you anything good. You watched as his lips curved upwards slightly to form a small smirk, and just like that, you felt the little confidence you had dwindle completely.  “Gee, look at the time, I should probably head back to the main room--”

“Why do you possess a walkie-talkie?”

Your eyes dropped to the old walkie-talkie gripped in your hand and you felt a cold sweat break out across your skin. You decided that being caught with a walkie-talkie was in fact more embarrassing. Your mind ran blank as you tried to think of excuses; it was hard to think up anything when you had Barbatos staring at you expectedly. “Mammon.” You figured that would explain itself.

That seemed to work, the green-haired demon nodding his head once. “That explains it. I decided that I would rather not know.” Just when you thought that Barbatos was going to drop the subject and let you go, his gaze locked with yours once again and you felt yourself backed into a corner. Perhaps it was foolish to play games with a demon who could control time? “You’re not being honest with me.”

“What?” Your voice naturally raised and you felt yourself flush from the way you squeaked. “The walkie-talkie really is from Mammon!” You held it up lamely as if surrendering, though you were not entirely sure what you’re surrendering for.

“What are you really doing down here?” Oh shit, he probably thought you were snooping around or participating in one of Mammon’s schemes. Your face lost some of its color when realizing the predicament you were in. If Barbatos seriously suspected you of something in Lord Diavolo’s castle, you could end up in a lot of trouble with a lot of people. Would it be best to just outright defend yourself, explaining that you’re not doing anything suspicious, or would that make you look even more suspicious in his eyes?

“Relax. You look like I’m about to kill you.” There’s no malice to his voice, but that did little to soothe your frayed nerves. “You were looking for me, weren’t you?” Your eyes squeezed shut when seeing the demon lift his hand, not sure what to expect. However, they snapped back open when you felt his gloved hand cup your chin delicately. “Will you answer me if I ask why you were looking for me?”

“Uh…”

“I lost an hour of time.” Barbatos stated plainly, eyes never leaving yours. “Can I borrow one of yours?” Your eyes widened when realizing what was happening, and you quickly pushed away from Barbatos.

“Did you just steal the pick up line I was going to use on you?” A soft laugh left Barbatos as you scrambled to your feet. “I even specifically looked up ones involving time for you!”

“I set my clock two hours ahead so I could see a future with you in it.”

“Barbatos! Stop using the pick up lines I was going to use on you!” Similarly to a child, you stomped your foot on the floor with a pout on your lips. “I only had a few ready!”

“You weren’t using them, so I decided to use them for you. You really looked as if you’d seen a ghost for a minute back there.” He smoothed out the front of his uniform, the small smirk still clinging to his lips. “Did you forget that I can see into the future? I already knew your intentions for coming today, so I purposely made sure that I was easily approachable for your task.” The more he talked, the more you wanted to bury yourself in a hole. “But you never approached me, so I figured I looked into the wrong timeline, and that maybe in this one you got scared and backed out. In the one I saw, you approached me confidently with the pick up lines, although I suppose I should have been suspicious. You’ve never striked anyone as the confident type, have you?” You felt your eyes narrow as he continued on; you couldn’t believe he just dragged you like that.

You stood straighter as you desperately tried to think of a new pick up line. You would not let Barbatos beat you at your own game. It’s as if a lightbulb popped up over your head and you snapped your fingers eagerly. “Don’t your feet hurt? You’ve been running around my mind all day.”

Barbatos looked completely unfazed by your sudden pick up line, however, leaving you uncertain if he already knew you’d be using one against him. “They do; it’s quite tiring to chase people around in their nightmares all the time.” You awkwardly took a step away from him.

“There must be something wrong with my eyes!” You quickly blurted out, leaning forward and staring at him with wide eyes. “I can’t seem to take them off you!”

“You could end up with a restraining order if you tried that on the wrong person.” His arms were tucked behind his back, his smile slightly bigger as he looked at you. “Oh dear, what was that?” He asked just as you winked at him. “Were you attempting to wink or was that a blink? Or perhaps you actually have something wrong with your eyes? Maybe you’re actually voicing your concerns to me.”

You sighed in annoyance as you threw your head back. “You’re impossible.”

“Maybe.” There’s a cheeky smile on his lips when he takes a step toward you. You watched him cautiously, an eyebrow quivering as you anticipated his next action. “But if you’d like, I could let you in on a little secret.” The shock must have been evident on your face, because Barbatos let out another laugh. “You’ll have better luck with Lord Diavolo.”

[prairiedust]

The Further Folklore of Supernatural

Here’s a little more folklore meta in light of how season 15 has been playing out if anyone is game. I genuinely thought that Moriah would be the end of the folklore stuff and tossed out “Folk the Author” as an “epilogue,” so this is probably less of an addendum than it is a waymarker as I try to continue to parse these themes into the last seven episodes.

Welp. *waves hands at everything* THIS is not how anyone expected 2020 to go. Things got a little bit big and I stopped thinking about Spn in light of needing that energy elsewhere. But I also don’t want this crapfest to ruin how I fan my favorite show, so here I go again. I will attempt a TL;DR, too!

If you’ve read my old “folklore” analysis here about how I think fairy tales and all their baggage fit into Supernatural season 14, you know that I believe Castiel has stepped into a Sleeping Beauty type story, and that coincidentally a few themes and symbolism from Snow White kept popping up around Dean. (I hold Sam to be a Protagonist in the modern “literary fiction” sense of the word, but emotionally, thematically, and narratively he’s always been a little inaccessible to me. I finally understood him when the death-of-the-author plot surfaced, and I’ll get to Sam eventually here. And Jack, there’s a little Jack in here, too.) 

If you would rather have the TL;DR than read several thousands of words about how folklore and myth *might* be abstractly connected to an American genre show, all I can say is that I tried. The textual support is all in the folklore posts. This is as succinct a summary as I could fabricate. At least I’m not gonna talk about Sam and bricolage and freeplay! This is an almost completely theory-free post! If you don’t want to read or don’t need a refresher and just want to know how this has been working in 15, you can scroll down to “END OF TL;DR”.

So, to catch up, I’m not talking about the folklore and mythology that this show has always relied on for plot and MOTWs. I wasn’t drilling down into urban legends like Hook Man or world folk monsters like shtrigas or pishtacos. By “folklore” I mean the study of storytelling tropes and tale types that have been with us for ages. One of the many subtexts of the end of the series. I’ve been tracking this because I think it’s fun to see how fairy tale imagery and mythology might layer preconscious suggestions into the text of the show. I personally think it was loud enough to be seen easily, but more than likely viewers felt unsettled, felt cheered, or felt like they knew what was coming? I’m curious to know. Anyway.

When we found out that Kelly Kline was going to name her baby “Jack” waaaaay back in season 12, things started chiming. Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack the Giant Killer. Jack Tales. Jack is a powerful Western character, sort of a cross between a noble hero and a trickster, featuring in stories that often blur lines and boundaries. He is both the poor man’s youngest son and the equal to King Arthur’s heir. Jack is both everyman and extraordinary. Jack is so cool, I wish I had more time to parse that but his qualities are not subtle in the text/subtext, anyway.

But back to my half-crack reading of seasons 14 and 15. 

Once upon a time in Supernatural, there were two fairy tales being told. Both fairy tales are found all over the world and in many forms, but they all can be grouped together because they all contain shared elements of the same basic plot or shared themes, and these two in particular are sister stories. So when I mention “Sleeping Beauty,” I’m talking about lots of different versions of the folk tale, and the same for “Snow White,” which can be found in one form or another in storytelling traditions all over the place. It is both helpful and irritating that these are both Disney movies, too.

Jack makes an allusion to Sleeping Beauty in 14x03 The Scar while talking to Castiel-- it’s the kind of subtextual flash that in and of itself means little and proves nothing, but then beginning with The Scar we got three stories in a row that dealt with “sleepers” of some sort-- Lora in 14x03 doomed to die because of a witch’s spell, Stuart in 14x04 Mint Condition in a coma because of a ghost attack, and Sasha’s father in 14x05 Nightmare Logic under the spell of a clever djinn. It’s powerful subtext, like a soft light that bathes these episodes in the color of fairy tale and makes Jack’s Dramatic Swoon at the end of Optimism all the more Dramatic-- subtext amplifying the plot. Jack goes to Heaven, but is eventually cornered by the Shadow, who wants him in the Empty where he will sleep forever-- the Shadow being an entity who has claimed the husks of dead angels since their inception and thus implies a “curse” laid on Jack from the moment he came into being-- but Castiel, who is ever a thief in oh so many ways, makes a bargain with the Shadow and essentially takes over the consequences of Jack’s Sleeping Beauty story (hence my rarely used but hilarious tag “Castiel Thief of Endings.”)

Now that we know from 14x20 Moriah that the Shadow and Billie the Reaper are, if not allies, at least working together when Jack is awakened in the Empty, does that mean that Castiel’s deal is still on the table, or has that fate been thwarted? *pounds table* Was Jack’s death and Chuck’s rise as a “greater threat” in 14x20 enough to shift Castiel’s ending? It’s the kind of subtextual question that lends tension to the narrative and it’s what I am here for. 

Well, speaking of thwarted expectations, Dean’s arc was being shadowed by a Snow White tale type. We all know Snow White but why don’t I sum it up anyway, since Disney messed up the folktale ending lol. Snow White is cast out of her home by her jealous stepmother (and echoes of the stepmother’s magic mirror show up in 15x02 Gods and Monsters) who sends her huntsman to kill her; the dude can’t do it and turns the girl loose in the forest instead. Snow White joins a band of outsiders who live in the forest-- in the Disney movie and the Grimms’ tale they are dwarfs, in some versions she happens upon a band of robbers-- and they love her very much and we presume she’s safe for the rest of her life; Michael mysteriously turns Dean loose to join Sam’s gathering of hunters, however we know, like Stepmom, Michael is still out there. The stepmother finds out that Snow White is actually alive and contrives to kill her herself. Eventually succeeding, Snow White appears to die and is usually laid to rest in a crystal casket/glass coffin. Her stepmother’s machinations have _stolen her agency_ (further paralleling Dean’s possession by AU!Michael.) A Handsome Prince stumbles upon Snow White, is besmitten with her, and he asks her protectors if he can have her, as one does. Leaving the Disney adaptation aside, Snow White awakens when whatever item that has caused her death-like state is dislodged (piece of apple in her throat) or removed (magic corset) or withdrawn (poisoned hairpin) by her protectors. Snow White is a story about the community of the dwarves of band of robbers or adopted family caring deeply for her, and when Dean starts making his own crystal casket, the ma’lak box, in which he will ride out eternity in tormented symbiosis with Apocalypse Michael, he has to rely on his family to help him see the plan through. However, here’s where Jack-- who is as much a chaos engine as his surrogate father Castiel if not more so-- steps in and ruins the ending. Jack smites Michael. Dean Winchester is saved. Again. To put the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, Jack later destroys the ma’lek box entirely. 

That was quite the surprise ending… for one of the stories.

Was the end of season 14 the end of the Sleeping Beauty theme, also?

END OF TL;DR

I quit writing about “folklore” for a while, but that doesn’t mean it stopped being a theme. It just stopped being fun to write about as the story got more and more dark, and when it transmuted into two parallel themes of “folklore” or storytelling by the people versus Death of the Author--or storytelling by a lauded authority-- and there was so much angst about the boundaries of Chuck’s powers, I just wanted to sit back and enjoy that. I did distill my thoughts about Sam’s new arc in the DotA plot, which I thought would subsume the folktale themes but hey, we still have folktales around, too. I mean, we have Sam and we have Dean, and we have two “literary” subtexts, or maybe rather two subjects about the nature of story, something that I thought was a little bit of a surprise.

Storytelling was a Feature of 15x07 Last Call, both in the sense that Lee and Dean swap new stories and tell old tales of their adventures together as they catch up, but also in the sense that we got additional “text”-- hints of a backstory where John and Dean hunted with Lee in that swampy long-ago “Stanford era,” and again we get storytelling when _Lee recounts how he ended up keeping a marid in his basement_. There is also an allusion to the Thousand and One Arabian Nights in that episode that I yelled about in a meta that I never put on the interwebs, but the “marid” is in a specific tale in many editions of that collection, and thus calls in not only a different folktale tradition but the concept of a framed/nested narrative, which I believe will be important to understanding the last episodes of the series, but that’s an aside. In 15x08 Our Father Who Aren’t In Heaven, Castiel _tells Michael the story_ of how everyone ended up where they are now to convince him to help. And Michael and Adam’s allyship, if not friendship, was probably the best subversion of any “storytelling” expectation we’ve ever had on this show. Belphagor set us up for “room full of crazy” or something, but, no. We got symbiosis. 

That almost sums up how I’ve been viewing the last “era” of spn. This wasn’t in the master post, but I shouted a lot about underworlds before 15x09 Purgatory 2: Return to Purgatory, and then stopped shouting because I had to ferment for a while. Also, as has been mentioned, the world turned to crap. But talking to other meta writers during the ramp up to the resumption of the season helped me realize just why this reading of myth to folktales to literature feels so right.

Underworlds and Otherworlds…. Everybody has crossed into an “underworld” or three in Supernatural, it’s really nbd. It was actually surface-level plot in season 13. By the time 15x09 rolled around, our heroes are just, like, strolling in and out of “sealed off” Hell after doing a level one spell and chilling with Billie in the Empty and even that Purgatory trip didn’t have the same feeling of danger that, say, crossing into the AU did. But also, we’re at the point where subtext is leading us to a _satisfactory_ ending. Where before we had serial text, like a cumulative tale type-- “The House that Jack Built”-- which just kept adding more and more plot, we’re hurtling o’er the apex of Freytag’s pyramid now and things are getting loud.

But they’re also getting very shifty.

I wrote a little bit about Sam Winchester successfully reviving Eileen in 15x06 Golden Time and the “Orpheus and Eurydice” symbolism of him keeping his back to her. (I’m not linking it because it’s so, so rough.) But because Sam is not an underworld hero, not completely-- I see him as a modern Protagonist coming to terms in a psychoanalytical model with things like mortality, fallibility, and mastery-- maybe bildungsroman, even -- he was able to subvert the tragic ending of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice because it is not “his” story. But if I were pressed to find a mythic or folk tale type to measure Sam against, I could. I would probably sideye “the sorcerer’s apprentice” trope (ATU 325-The Magician and his Pupil :D ) which began as a poem that entered European folklore on different fronts. (and weirdly, that story was also Disnified in Fantasia. That’s probably more my own limitation as a gen x american lol than anything coming from the writer’s room.)

Dean got his moment in Purgatory where he was able to finally come to grips with his anger and heal the rift between himself and Castiel because Purgatory is a different kind of underworld. Dean is a successful threshold-crosser, having crossed that boundary out of Purgatory before, but in 15x09, his prayer to Castiel is all a subtextual evocation of doing the emotional and mental work of therapy, which Sam, as a modern protagonist, is usually caught up in. The mythic hero also deals with mortality, failibilty, and mastery, but in different terms. I hope I’m doing an okay job peeling apart these nuances that I’m seeing.

Since Castiel accompanied Dean to Purgatory, and in the past made his own wildly successful incursion into and out of Hell with Dean’s soul, and was the one in The Trap who actually retrieved the Leviathan blossom, Castiel counts as an underworld hero, too, but you can pull the lever and send the tumblers spinning again and make him a fairy tale character in that he has made this Bargain with the Empty which is both in the “modern” tradition of subverting a fairy tale, and the tale type “deal with the devil.” Or he could be seen as a modern protagonist in that he’s lowkey grappling with questions of selfhood and identification. “I am an angel of the lord.” “I am no one.” “It’s Steve, now.” “You are nothing.” “I am an angel.”

We even got an episode that playfully explored the concept of “hero” by subverting our expectations (Sam and Dean were rescued by, of all people, an upgraded Garth.) It was called The Hero’s Journey, after the Joseph Campbell book about mythic heroes.... !!! Like, what??? !!!! I didn’t even have anything to say about that episode, it just rocked. The “meta” was just all out there in plot, like the olives and boiled eggs in a 1950’s gelatin recipe. 

Some of this slipperiness in the subtext points right at the study of folklore and the (admittedly Eurocentric at first) efforts to transform a “soft science” into something approaching scientific rigor. The Aarne-Thompson-Uther folktale index is today a codifying or cataloguing tool, with which anthropologists and literature scholars can line up stories based on the motifs found within them-- it is useful for cataloguing tales, making comparative studies, and for trying to trace these stories back through human history to find the One First Story of that type, for instance the ur-story that led to Snow White. When did people first start telling that tale, where, how did it spread, and why are we still telling it today? The danger in using the ATU index is that by stripping a story down to it’s bones, we lose the story, if that makes sense. The beauty of using the ATU index is that you find many, many more interconnected stories. It’s sort of a paradox. Some scholars criticize the ATU, claiming that one could take a random selection of these motifs and shuffle them to create a story and, you sort of could? That’s the beauty of the system. 

So that brings us to Jack. I feel like Jack, as in Jack of all Trades, is anything that the narrative needs him to be. As far as I can find, “Jack” is not a “tale type.” He shows up alongside any number of them-- sometimes as a trickster, sometimes as a hero, almost always as a kind of slippery character. In the first folklore post, I invested many words in exploring Dabb’s obsession with threes-- AU Michael asks three beings what they desire, asks his human victim to guess his name three times, then we follow three sleeper stories, and so on. The original TFW was three people. But Jack makes four. 

What is Jack’s story going to be?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And speaking for a sec about the origins of myth and folklore-- what about ALL OF THE OTHER PEOPLE in the world? Are they lowkey churning the matrix of reality on their own and generating their own content, like Becky and her AO3 stories and mackettes? 

*¯\_(ツ)_/¯ intensifies*

It all just feels so good at this point, even the peril that I feel surrounding Castiel.

I *think* this will be the last of the longform metas before the end of the series. I mean, I can only hope so. I’ll drop some stuff about individual episodes that might be applicable as I rewatch, and I might clean up my post about Last Call and drop it on here, but I just wanted to kind of hold this up as a mile marker before the Final Seven air.

[saturno-sol]

Ok Here’s that Hollow Knight Four Swords AU heehee

So basic gist of this is what the Four Swords crew would be like if they were bugs in Hallownest! (This AU would lie just before the infection starts up, and then cut to in-game) I’ll put this under a read more because whew boy did I pour out my soul into this

First lets start off with Green!

 I’m thinking that he’d either be a Mantis, or a leafbug, def something green (but lets go with leafbug for now)

I think he’d live in Greenpath (heh) helping out the Mosskins just to make sure that the pilgrims traveling to the City of Tears don’t go where they’re not supposed to

He’s helpful though! offering up his services as a guide if anyone got lost

He’s loyal to Unn, because he got separated from his parents when they were travelling to the City and a few Mosskins adopted him instead. So they taught him to be wary of Hallownest and its King

He learned how to wield a Nail from them and also uses a shellwood sheild.

Once the Infection starts up, he and the Mosskin family that adopted him decided to try to travel deeper into Greenpath, thinking that the Infection was caused by contact with other bugs, not dreams

Sadly, the Mosskins he was with ultimately fell to the Light, and left him alone to fend for himself.

He then keeps to himself, thinking that he’s better alone (Kinda like the start of the Manga when he’s just Link) until he ventures out of Greenpath and stumbles into Blue! They fight until they both realize that neither of them are infected. 

He tries to stick with Blue, because he really doesn’t know the biomes of Hallownest that well, but they butt heads often. 

Now onto Blue!

Blue in this AU is a Blue Mud Dauber

He lived in the Hive, then later in Kingdom’s Edge where he would test his strength in the Coliseum of Fools

He’s still arrogant and a bit hot headed, so he decided to leave the Hive since he kept butting heads with Hive Knight on how to be a better guard.

He first trained in the Hive using a stinger weapon (Like Hive Knight) before picking up a club when one of the challengers from CoF died

I feel like he and Oro would get along somewhat, though Blue doesn’t appreciate how training is behind a pay wall of Geo that he just doesn’t have. 

He would occasionally fight in the CoF just to prove that he’s strong, but he’s stopped at the first trial (He’s still young and a lil bit scared of what would happen if he lost)

Once the Infection started up, Blue decides to steer clear of the CoF due to the fact that more Fools started being hyper-aggressive in the fights, so he looked for a better place to go that wouldn’t kill him (He doesn’t know where to go though, so he decides he’s going to leave Hallownest entirely to go look for another fight ring)

He found a way into the Royal Waterways through Isma’s Grove (Though it wasn’t called that just yet) and into the Fungal Wastes near Mantis Territory

 He skirted the Mantis Village (This would be the time that the Traitor Lord split from the other Mantises) and found himself at the entrance to Greenpath from Fog Canyon

That’s where he stumbles into Green and they spar, he then tells Green to get lost before continuing his travels (With Green following behind lol)

Next up we got Red! 

Red is a ladybug (I couldn’t find a better bug but if anyone else has a better idea for Red please let me know!)

He grew up in Dirtmouth as an orphan due to a mining accident killing his parents as they worked in Crystal Peaks

Luckily he was taken care of by the town and he became a baker’s apprentice

(Ok I like to think that the Grimm Troupe came to Hallownest before the Knight summoned them since Grimm knows about the vessel plan)

When Grimm and his Troupe pay a visit to Hallownest, Red was one of the only bugs brave enough to see one of their shows.

He became absolutely enchanted by the circus and it left an impression on him

When the infection hits his mentor and kills them, leaving Red without a job or a home, he decided to join the Grimm Troupe

When he does, he’s given a mask and a new name “Rouge” and learns how to be a fire dancer. 

Rouge is a bit more daring that Red was, trying out highly dangerous stunts, but he’s still a kind soul, helping out to pitch tents or help mend costumes or cook food for the Troupe.

His primary weapon as Rouge is a Flame Staff

Once the Grimm Troupe is summoned by the Knight, Rouge is tasked with collecting Nightmare Flames for the Ritual. 

(This is going to go through the Banishment Route just so that there’s an excuse for why Red stays behind) When the Knight banishes the Grimm Troupe, both Brumm and Rouge stay behind in Hallownest as Nymm and Red because of Red’s attachment to Dirtmouth (Ig? Idk I just need Red to stay)

As he now has no memories of either his past or his time with the Troupe, he decides to stay in Dirtmouth and sometimes wander into the Forgotten Crossroads before it gets infected. 

He meets up with Blue and Green when they make it up to Dirtmouth for a supply run, and he decides to travel with them (much to Blue’s chagrin)

He’s still a capable fighter! Now he wields a staff he made from the metal scraps from ruins of the old village in the Crossroads

Now for Vio!

Vio is a Purple Emperor Butterfly

He lived in the City of Tears as a burgeoning scholar, planning to work for Monomon’s Archives once he was done with his studies. 

He prefers being alone, holed up in a library pouring over the history of Hallownest. 

When the infection starts up and the City is blocked off from the rest of Hallownest, Vio panics and decides to hole up in his apartment until the hysteria calms down.

Once most of the panic dies down, there’s a big struggle over finding supplies and food among the citizens of the City, with the nobility hogging most of it

 In the scuffles, Vio stumbles into the Soul Sanctum, hoping that the Sanctum has food/supplies

He instead finds a container, and in that container is a Shade, a near to melting Shade

He decides to break it out of the container it was in as a sort of act of pity, and gets the hell out of the Sanctum, not knowing that he was followed...

(I’ll explain why Shadow can do all this stuff once we get to them but) It turns out that the Shade he freed now resided in his shadow as he traveled into to the Ancient Basin after stealing a Tram Pass and traveling to Kingdom’s Edge

He finally notices Shadow and promptly freaks out but slowly learns that Shadow is just chillin, and he tries to communicate with them to an extent of charades 

They soon become good friends, with Vio telling them stories about the different subjects he learned about and Shadow trying to mime out what had happened to them, causing Vio to learn that their shell had split open and they needed a new mask to keep staying alive outside of their container

Not to mention that Vio started experiencing Void exposure due to Shadow leeching off of his life force to stay corporeal (Like the Bug from the Queen’s Garden, the “Too long spent together we became as one”)

So now with the both of them up against the clock, Vio decides to do something hella risky, head to Deepnest where the supposed “Mask Maker” lived and hoped that a new mask would save the both of them

They head to Deepnest, almost die, but make it to the Mask Maker where it seemed that he was already expecting them. 

Bada-bing bada-boom, Shadow now has a new mask and a new form, and Vio stops feeling the effects of Void exposure

They both decide to go up and out exploring, hoping to leave Hallownest behind

So they travel together, and actually run into Blue, Green and Red in Dirtmouth, and decide to stay for a bit to at least advise them of the dangers deeper below. 

Oh before I forget, Vio wields a crossbow, and practiced target shooting on the Primal Aspids in Kingdom’s Edge (hehe)  

They join the little band of travelers and wham! Four Swords Squad is united 

Now onto our final character, Shadow!

Shadow is a vessel! They have two horns on their head that curve in a wave behind (Like his hat in the Manga)

Shadow actually escaped the Abyss after it was sealed, since they hatched after the Pure Vessel ascended, they along with a few others took the tunnels out into Deepnest.

They encountered Nosk before simply running out of its lair, not looking back to see if their siblings needed help (It’s not because they’re cruel, it was simply a flight reflex taking over before helping type thing) 

They somehow slipped into the tram and ended up in the Ancient Basin and into the City of Tears.

None paid them any mind because no one knew what Vessels were except for the Dreamers. So they slunk around the City just marveling at all the new senses they were experiencing 

But there's a reason that Vio finds them as a Shade. They had just so happened to be near the Soul Sanctum when they were captured by its denizens

Vaati (Yes he’s here but he succumbs to the infection real quick) is one of the Soul Twisters that tries out a new experiment in hopes of gaining favor from Soul Master.

He decides to try to leech Soul off of Shadow without turning them into a husk, thing is, Shadow didn’t have any Soul to begin with, so the process breaks their shell and their Shade pops out 

But due to the nature of the container being able to hold intangible things like Soul, and Shadow’s will to live being super strong, Shadow’s Shade stays trapped in the container

Vaati decides to keep them in there and simply monitor how they react to Soul, and even Infection exposure 

It goes like this for a while before the City shuts down and chaos erupts, with the Soul Master instructing his minions to capture more bugs for more Soul, leaving the Sanctum pretty empty....and thats when Vio shows up

Vio breaks the container, and with no where else to go (unless you count the Abyss but Shadow did not want to rest) Shadow dives into Vio’s shadow as a last ditch effort, being able to cling to Vio’s soul reserves to keep them from truly fading

You know what happens next, they both live in Kingdom’s Edge for a while, and Shadow used miming through the shadows reflected on the walls to try to puppet out what had happened to them when asked by Vio.

Once they make it to the Mask Maker and get they’re new mask, they finally are able to experience the world again, this time with someone trusted by their side. Vio promises to try to learn sign to help teach them so that they can communicate now that they actually have hands

Due to the fact that they had been in Vio’s shadow for a good while, they’re naturally clingy to him, either by leaning against him, or holding his hand (with Vio being a bit flustered at the contact) and they’re very wary of the other Four Swords at the start, but soon warm up to them little by little

Now it’s canon that all Vessels are genderless, so Shadow in this AU goes by they/them, later on once they’ve been with Vio and the Gang long enough, they decide that they like He/Him pronouns too, so Shadow does go by They/He 

Shadow has no weapon, but they do know Shade Soul and Desolate Dive from being experimented on in the Soul Sanctum so cool spell combos along with the Gang’s fighting style

And there you have it folks! If you have any questions or any suggestions please don’t be afraid to send me an ask! I love interacting with people who share my interests! 

[eugenesmorphine]

Hiya! can i get a speirs imagine, and like the girl is just a straight laced, i iron my skirts every night so they're like crisp in the morning kinda thing, and it's like post war, and he's just like not a mess, but like he's definitely a mess. idk. take literally any creative liberties lol.

Pleated Skirt And White Ribbon // Ronald Speirs Imagine

AN: I loved this request so much! I tried my best to make it what was wished for it. I hope you enjoy it.

Taglist: @alienoresimagines @hihosilvers @floydtab

Words: 2,453

There he lay, in a knot of blankets and sheets as his sleeping body tossed and turned. Sweat dripped down his forehead as shined off the rest of his body. His brown hair sticking to his soaked forehead. Small grunts and low whines escaped his lips as the horrors of the war he had just left replayed throughout his mind. His fingers dug into the sheets, gripping them tight enough that it created small tears in the fabric. 

  Ronald's eyes shot open as he let out a loud and exasperated gasp. His body lurched upwards as his chest heaved. Sweat slowly dripping down his bare and now exposed skin. He ran a hand through his sopping hair and tried to regulate his breathing. 

  Ronald Speirs wasn't one for letting his emotions show. Well, besides anger and his threat of authority. Especially back in the war. He was a legend among every man in the Army Paratroopers. He was terrifying none the least. Rumors had gone around the companies about how he murdered a group of German soldiers that had surrendered themselves over to them. Offering them each a cigarette and lighting them for them. Just to go off into a shooting spree and killing at least twenty of them. Or was it forty? Hell, nobody really knew if it was true or not. There had been rumors that he shot some sergeant, or was he a private. Though, the truth was that Ronald was a ruthless man. He was mean, tough, and wasn't afraid of dying. He had beaten a Replacement nearly to death with the rest of Easy Company after the Replacement had shot an NCO.  

  Now here the Veteran was. Lying in his bed, in a pool of sweat, tears welled in his eyes after another night of being awoken from all the things he put himself through throughout the war. Ronald's eyes darted to the small clock that rested on his nightstand within his small room. It was just big enough for him. Which he didn't mind. It wasn't like he had anyone to share it with.

  The clock read '5:43 AM' . Ronald sighed heavily as he threw the already sprawled blankets and sheets to the side. Throwing his legs to one side of the mattress, planting his hands at either side of him. His head hanging low as his breathing was now at a normal pace. Only a few droplets of sweat now dropped onto the hardwood floor that his feet rested on. 'Might as well start the day, Right?' he thought to himself as his pushed himself up to stand. The cold air that came in through his his slightly cracked window, sending a shiver down his spine. Ronald closed his eyes for a moment, collecting his thoughts, and opening them. Going over to his dresser and digging out a pair of pants and a shirt. Pulling the pants over his long legs and over his boxers. Pulling the shirt over his head and pushing his arms through the holes. With another heavy sigh he ran his hands over his face and through his knotted hair. Walking to the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror. Placing his hands on the rim of the bathroom sink, resting his weight down on it as he stared into the mirror. 

  Deep purple bags rested beneath his eyes. Ronald's eyes a light red from both not sleeping and the common acts of crying. He just huffed and pushed himself off the sick. Turning around to exit and walk into the main area of his home. His lips pressed together tightly as he walked over to the front door. Grabbing his jacket and slipping it over his arms. His eyes went up to the clock that hung up on a wall. The time now was 6:57. The sun was already almost completely up by now. Ron went and slipped on his shoes. Deciding that maybe a cup of coffee at a local diner would cheer him up and help him wake up for the day.

  As he walked out of his house and shut the door behind him, he let the cool morning air hit him. Rushing over his body. Ronald inhaled the fresh air deeply, letting it flow around within his lungs for a few seconds before exhaling it back into the air. He immediately felt his tense muscles loosen. He looked forward down the sidewalk and took one more deep breath and shoving his permanent scarred and calloused hands  deep into his jacket pockets. Making his way down the pavement, keeping his gaze slightly down and avoiding everyone's view.

///

  The small bell attached to the top of the diner's main door chimed as Ronald pushed it open with one hand. A waitress turned and looked at him, a warm smile on her lips. Her red lipstick popping as she immediately pulled out a small notepad and pen when seeing Ronald's appearance. She brought him over to a small booth that was open. He ordered a cup of straight black coffee and the waitress darted into the kitchen. Leaving Ronald to sit alone, fiddling his thumbs as he waited in silence. 

  His mind had been raising as he just staring off at the table he was sitting at. That was until the diner's door chimed once more. Snagging his attention and his eyes darted upwards. His gaze landing on a woman with a light pink dress. It was sleeveless and the hems were lace. The skirt obviously ironed neatly. Her hair was pulled back with a white ribbon tied into a bow. A white headband to push her bangs back. Pink lipstick on her lips and rosy cheeks on her S/C skin. A smile on her lips as she spoke with another waitress. Ronald's eyes were glued to her. So much so that he didn't realize his waitress place his mug of coffee.

  "She's a doll, ain't she?" asked the Waitress. A small smile on her face as Ronald awkwardly coughed, knowing he was caught staring. Warmth came to his cheeks as he smoothed down his hair, grabbing his hot mug of coffee and holding it between his palms. 

  "Yeah, sure," he mumbled, looking out the window. The kind waitress lady chuckled as she turned around.

  "Her name is Y/N L/N, let me know if you want anything else Hun," her voice was smooth as she walked back into the kitchen. Ronald's eyes traveled back up to the young woman. She looked so neat and proper. She went and sat down in a booth in front of Ronald. Facing him, she looked up catching his eye. Y/N smiled at him, making Ronald's focus quickly going to whatever was going on outside the window. His cheeks now gaining a darker tint of red. 

  Ronald definitely changed when he got back to the states. He wasn't as dark or mysterious or mean, now he was kind of quiet. Still keeping the thousand yard stare that could kill, but now he was just by himself. He kind if kept in touch with his old fellow officers, but it wasn't a lot. He wasn't okay in the most part. But, he wasn't the type of man to talk about his nightmares and issues. I mean hell, he was Ronald Speirs, he was supposed to be terrifying and tough. Not broken and as mentally drained as he was. 

  Y/N studied him closely. She had heard about Speirs, it was a small town after all. And of course, he was a war hero. Word travels fast. She worked with War Veterans before, she knew how much they went through after the Wars. Her father had served in the first World War, she knew that when he left and when he got back, he wasn't the same. And he never was the same. So seeing the dark circles beneath his eyes and the bloodshot redness in the whites of his eyes, she knew what was up. Y/N knew that maybe she could talk to him. Plus, she thought he was kind of cute.

  She stood and walked over to the table, standing there for a second. Seeing if the man would notice her presence. But, when he didn't she licked her lip and put her hands behind her back. "Hey, is this seat taken?" she asked sweetly. 

  Ronald's head turned around quickly to look up at the woman. A toothy grin was being shined down onto him. He swallowed  as his mind darted in search for words. He was stuck like a teenage boy drooling over a crush. Ronald was wrong. He was a mess.

  "Oh, yeah. I mean no. You can sit there," he stumbled as he looked away. Mentally cursing at himself on how he was acting so foolish. Y/N sat down and placed her elbows on the table, resting her head on her palms. Fingers cupping her cheeks. A smile still on her lips. Ronald sat there awkwardly, it had been a long time since he had last flirted or really had a conversation with a pretty woman. And a woman like Y/N was so much different compared to him right of the bat. Politer, pristine, neat. Almost like a goddamn princess. Whilst Ronald was rough Paratrooper in Europe just months ago. He was used to the grunt life style. In fact, he kind of liked it. He stole, he was rude and coarse most of the time. And usually he just wore whatever he was comfortable with. Ron had lost most of his confidence after the war, he just wasn't the man he was during the war. He was lost. And now with this beautiful woman asking to sit with him, and he had no idea on what to say or do, he was realizing the truth of it.

  "So you're the infamous Ronald Speirs? I've heard a lot about you," she spoke as she Waistress came with a steaming cup of tea and place it in front of her. Giving Ronald a cheeky wink before turning and walking away. Y/N reached for her cup and lifted it to her mouth. She even rose her pinkie when she took a sip! Ron thought they only did that in movies! Though, he looked at her confused. What had she heard about him, he didn't know anything was going around about him. She noticed the confused look on his features and places her tea cup down softly.

  "The entire town knows about you, your a war Veteran! It's a small town Mr. Speirs, word gets around," she smiled as Ron just nodded, his lips pressed into a think line. She  extended her hand towards him. "I'm Y/N L/N, nice to meet you."

  Ron looked at her hand and took it within his. Her hands felt so soft against his rough and scarred ones. He shook her hand, not really wanting to let go. "Nice to meet you," his words were low but clear. He released her hand and she pulled it back, lightly lying it on the table. He already missed the feeling of her hand in his. Ronald Speirs would never admit it, but he was starved of a woman's touch. Starved of the feeling of love. With him being in war for three years, where all he saw was pure hatred, anger, and death for so long. Day after day. He forgot what it was like. But he yearned for it. And once he laid his eyes on this.. this princess of a woman, a strange and unique feeling exploded into his chest.

  For a few about a minute or so, they sat in silence. It was quite the awkward experience. Y/N felt that maybe he didn't wish for her to stay or to talk to her. 'Well it was worth a try,' she thought as she finished her last sip of tea. "I guess I should be going, it was nice to meet you Mr. Ronald Speirs. I apologize if I intruded in anyway," her words had a hint of disappointment and sadness as she began to stand up. Ronald's head darted up. Feeling bad after hearing her tone of voice. And there was no way in God's green Earth that he would pass up the oppurtunity that he had at this moment, with this perfect woman. He quickly reached for Y/N's wrist, his fingers wrapping around it. 

  Y/N's focus went down to the hand that grabbed at her wrist. Her eyes followed the wrist and arm to Ronald. Whose eyes were big and practically screamed out how much he wanted her to stay. "No, I'm sorry. It's just.. just.. Jesus Christ why is it so hard for me to just speak to you! You're just really pretty, and so nice, and so different than me. I'm so used to people being scared of me and I'm so tired and... and lost. I'm a mess, but I'm not. Ugh. I got this feeling when I first saw you walk in, I don't know what it was so different, and I don't think I ever felt it before. And I just.. I want to get to know you. And I don't want to be alone, so please stay," his cheeks reddened with embarrassment. Never really having to voice his emotions like he did just then. If any men from Easy saw him like this. So vulnerable, so weak, almost broken. They probably wouldn't even think it was the same man that they heard murderous rumors about and ultimately feared.

  Y/N smiled down at him, feeling the rush of heat go to her face and ears. Ron pulled his hand off her wrist and pealed it back and placed it on the table. His lips pressed into a thin line as his leg bounced up in down from the anxiety that flowed through his veins. The little lady sat down and reached for the man's hand. Ronald's body was now shaky slightly as he just did something he never really had down before. He was hesitant when her hand interlocked with his. Just thirty minutes ago they were strangers. Now they were this. This woman had to been a princess from a storybook come to life. There was no way she wasn't. He sheepishly looked up at her, some of his brown locks falling in front of his eyes.

   "Alright Ronald,you handsome devil, I'll stay. Tell me a bit about yourself," She was so filled with life, joy, and just straight sunshine. Ronald's ends of his lips quirked up into a small smile as he realized that maybe coming to get a cup of coffee this morning did actually fix him after all

[bbrandy2002]

My Love

Chapter Four-Please Remember

Book: TRH

Pairing: Liam and Riley

A/N: Thank you @burnsoslow who edited the hell out of this and did so masterfully and just for all your support with everything. Also, @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore and @romanticatheart-posts I stole your words from your comments on the previous chapter. It was just two sentences but wanted to give credit where it was due. Keep your comments coming and you two will have this thing written for me..lol. And lastly, @dcbbw who sent me the perfect song for inspiration found here:

 https://youtu.be/3Ru1euNUN2s

Warning: Physical altercation and MC death mentioned.

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Silence fell on Liam’s lips as he held in his hand the first missing piece to Riley’s death. It had been exactly 12 hours since she departed this earth and his life,  taking with her the best parts of himself. Every second since had felt like thousands of painful stings throughout his entire body that he wanted nothing more than to numb.  Would this report provide him with all the answers he sought to why her life was taken from her? Would it make his heart hurt any less knowing what happened? Or would it simply open Pandora’s box, leaving him with more questions?  He knew it wouldn’t heal the pain he felt, but perhaps it would clue him into why she was gone.

Ignoring Bastien’s suggestion to sit, he turned away from his head guard and pinched the clasp of the manila envelope. With his heart thundering in his chest, he reached inside and slid the report from its enclosure. Pacing nervously, his eyes scrutinized every single word, line by line, from her name to how the exam was conducted. Nothing was abnormal.

He licked his thumb and turned to the second page. His eyes immediately caught sight of the bold type at the bottom of the page, and he couldn’t help but skip straight to it.

The cause of death is acute respiratory distress from potassium cyanide-induced histotoxic hypoxia. 

Manner of death: Homicide.

Liam read those words over and over again, unsure he really believed them. His stomach wrenched as thoughts of his own mother's murder began to haunt him; how could this happen again?  Riley, his love, the one who made him complete, who turned his world upside-down in the very best ways possible, succumbed to the same death his mother had over 20 years ago. Poisoned.

He had spent the last several hours contemplating whether he had done something to hurt her, thinking perhaps she hadn't been physically ready to be intimate the prior evening. As ominous as that thought was, knowing now that she was murdered, that he risked her life to marry for love after his father warned him of the pain of losing Liam’s mother, made him feel every bit as culpable of her demise. It was why he hadn’t chosen her at his coronation; he knew she was set up, but he had to protect her, even if it meant they couldn’t be together. 

Liam turned to Bastien with a remorseful look. “I killed her, Bas.”

“Sir, you did no such thing.”

He held up the report. “Then explain this … he warned me, Bastien; my father told me my love for her made me weak, that I put everyone at risk by choosing her. He was right.”

“Your Majesty, regardless of what the late King said, the same poison that killed your mother was found in the Queen. We need to proceed with an investigation and find out who really committed this atrocious act.”

Liam ran a hand down his face. “Yes, we need another damn investigation that will take you 20 years to figure out-except you didn’t figure out who killed my mother! my friends and I did that!” he spat.

“Sir, with all due respect, I wasn’t the Head Guard when your mother passed.”

Liam yanks Bastien by the collar, nearly nose to nose with him. “YOU ARE FOR THIS ONE!”

The guard attempted to loosen the grip, feeling the weight of his King’s words. “Please, sir. I understand the anger directed at me …”

“Oh, I don’t believe you can even begin to understand the anger I have for you, Mr. Lykel.” Liam stepped back. “You are charged with protecting my family, and so far two members of the royal family have been murdered on your watch:my father and my wife..So help me God, if I find out you could have prevented this and failed again …”

“What’s going on?” Drake asked, having heard the commotion and stepped around the corner to make sure everything was okay.

Liam continued to eye Bastien with a steely glare. “Drake, can you stay with Ellie while I take care of some business? I need someone I can trust to actually protect her.”

__________

In the lowest reaches of the palace, Liam placed two cold hands on the cell bars of the former Duke of Karlington. Godfrey had been imprisoned for the last six weeks, awaiting trial for his part in Eleanor’s death. The elderly man was lying down on his cot, stewing in boredom and oppressive thoughts, when he heard the familiar sound of keys clanking and the creaking of the door swinging open. Before he had time to lower the arm that rested over his eyes, he was jerked from his peaceful doldrums on the bed and brought to his feet. His aging body was thrust against the icy concrete of his prison walls, causing him to bounce off and stumble harshly to the ground.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Liam crouched down beside him, grabbing a fistful of Godfrey’s silver mane in one hand and his feeble neck with the other. “You son of a bitch. I will give you one chance and one chance only to rectify your miserable life before I strangle you with my bare hands!"

"This is preposterous," he gagged slightly as Liam's hand constricted tighter around his neck. Godfrey instinctively began tugging on the King's arm, desperate for breath.

"Did you kill my wife?" His tone became sharper.

The Duke gasped for air after the grasp on his neck was loosened. He furrowed his brows as he stared straight into the unforgiving eyes of his captor, unsure whether the lack of oxygen caused him to misunderstand.

"Did I hear you correctly? The Queen … is dead?"

Liam released his hold on Karlington's neck but kept the other bound to the back of his hair. "Did.you.do.it?'' he seethed.

"I haven't the faintest idea what the bloody hell you speak of!'' he replied contemptuously. "I'm facing death for what happened to Eleanor; what possible reason would I have for harming the Queen now?"

"Because you have a track record, Your Grace. The same poison you used to end my mother’s life was found in Riley’s body. I don’t believe this is just some coincidence.  You had nothing to lose."

"I would have nothing to gain either," he replied succinctly.

Liam let out a heavy sigh and stood, towering over the man whose deception and thirst for power had cost him years of anguish and emotional turmoil as a child. He searched Godfrey’s malevolent face for any indication of guilt or responsibility, yet none was detected. Feeling overcome by mental and physical exhaustion, he turned and walked toward the prison doors, where a guard stood nearby watching the encounter. “I’m ready.”

The guard pulled his keys from the clip on his belt and opened the door. As he exited and the lock was secured behind him, Godfrey pushed himself up from the ground and called out to him.

“Your Majesty!”

Liam stopped just out of view but did not face him. "What is it, Godfrey?"

Godfrey grabbed the bars of his cell and pressed his withered face against them.

“Sometimes we have no one to blame but ourselves. Are you really surprised this has happened, considering that from the moment you announced your engagement to the puckish American, our country has suffered one attack after another? Perhaps you’ll think wisely when choosing your next queen, because this lies squarely on your shoulders, Rhys."

Liam hung his head low Godfrey’s words were doing exactly what he intended them to do, getting under his skin and inside his heart. He did blame himself; he knew he always would. The guilt was eating him up inside because he thought the two of them together were unstoppable. They had encountered every possible danger together and always came out victoriously, but somehow he failed her this time. He turned on his heels, motioning for the guard to reopen Godfrey’s cell door.

“Take care of him.”

The guard nodded and lifted the pommel of his club from the holster at his side.

_____________

That evening, Hana would return to Valtoria. She had offered to stay, but Liam insisted he and Ellie would be fine. Maxwell and Bertrand returned to Ramsford soon after, and Drake retired to his room.

Liam stood just outside his bedroom after putting Ellie in her crib for the night. Fear of being in their room without Riley, sleeping in their bed alone for the first time and knowing that was the last place he saw her alive, prevented him from stepping inside. He placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it, then let go. 

With the baby monitor still in his hand, he headed back downstairs and stepped out onto the balcony just off the living room. Liam placed both hands on the balcony railing and leaned into it. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the cool, spring wind that carried just a hint of honeysuckle to refresh his mind and relax his worn and weary body. 

“My love,” he began, peering down towards the entrance of the hedge maze. “I keep expecting to wake up and see that beautiful face of yours looking back at me, telling me this has all been just one horrible nightmare.” His throat began to tighten as his emotions started to resurface. “I have all of our wonderful friends, I have Ellie, but I don’t have you … and I’m so lonely, Riley,” he choked out. “I’m so lonely.”

Liam swiped away the tears that began to surface and roll down his cheeks like a torrential downpour. “Everyone keeps telling me that we will find out who did this to you - and I swear I will - but in the end, it won’t bring you back to me ... and our little girl will never know her mother, Ri. How do I even begin to tell her about you?... about us?” 

Liam pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and washed it over his teary face. His gaze turned to a small apple tree that he and Riley planted just outside the hedge maze shortly after finding out they were expecting a baby. Liam recalled she wanted something to represent the three of them: her being from the Big Apple, him being from the Land of Apples and their baby referred to by the people of Cordonia as “the Little Apple.” A thought crossed his mind, and he knew it was the right decision.  “Love, if it’s okay, I would like to lay you to rest under that tree.” He sniffles, “I think you would have wanted that.”

Feeling his eyelids growing heavier than he could withstand any longer, he said a quick good night, hoping it reached the heavens, before returning to the warmth of the indoors. 

Liam walked back upstairs and grabbed two blankets and a pillow from a hall closet. He entered Ellie’s room. Even with a guest bedroom, he didn’t want to be alone tonight, opting to sleep on the floor next to his daughter’s crib. 

______________

It had been one week since Riley died, and there were no leads, no suspects, no evidence other than the cyanide found in her body. No one who had spoken with or saw her in the days prior to the tragedy noticed anything that suggested she was sick. Cyanide poisoning kills quickly, though, and Liam, as the last person to see her alive, couldn’t explain how she ingested it. Their quarters had been swept, and no traces of suspicious activity was found anywhere. As frustrating as all of this was to Liam, he had something else on his mind today.

It had taken him three days to finally re-enter his bedroom, yet he still slept in Ellie’s nursery where the staff prepared a small bed for him there. He knew it was nonsensical, but he just couldn’t bring himself to be alone in bed without Riley.

Today, all businesses were closed, flags lined the streets of the Capital, and a frenzy of press and people were already gathering along the funeral procession route to pay homage to their beloved queen. At the palace, Liam stood before the vanity, adjusting his tie, smoothing out his suit jacket, and locking the emerald  cufflinks Riley gave him in place. He glanced over himself once more in the mirror before peeking down at Ellie, who was sitting in a bouncer on the vanity beside him, watching his every move. 

“All right, Princess, this is where your mother would tell me my tie is crooked or I have a hair standing up in the back. It’s up to you now; what’s the verdict?”

Ellie’s lips curved into a large smile, completely enamored by the attention she was getting from her father. “I will take that to mean the Princess approves,” he smiled back.

Liam gathered a baby cloth and slung it over his shoulder then lifted the baby from her bouncer. With a kiss to her forehead, he moved downstairs, where Bertrand and Maxwell were waiting for him at the door. Both brothers’ grim faces perked up at the sight of the approaching baby, who was almost a mirror image of Riley. Miss Talbert, who had served as Riley’s personal assistant, agreed to stay on as Ellie’s nanny, having helped care for her in one way or another since her birth.

“Amanda, she’s been changed and fed recently and will most likely take a nap within the hour.”

“Come here, sweetheart.” Amanda took Ellie from Liam’s arms. “We’ll be fine, Your Majesty; I’ll take good care of this little peanut.”

Liam kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Daddy loves you, sweet girl; I’ll be home soon.”

He looked down at his watch and then to Bertrand and Maxwell. “We should probably go.”

Stepping outside the front doors of the Palace, Liam took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally for what he thought would be some of the most difficult hours of his life. The eyes of the world would be watching his every move, every expression, and every shed tear. It wasn’t fair that he had to be strong; he detested the expectations he was burdened with on today of all days, yet it was what was conventional of a monarch during a time like this. Any sign of weakness could be detrimental to his country, or so he had been led to believe. He wondered why grieving the loss of your wife, your best friend, could be misconstrued as a sign of vulnerability ... but then, perhaps, today, he was vulnerable.

The sun was high, and the warmth it rained down was quite welcoming. With Maxwell on Liam’s left side and Bertrand on his right, they stopped at the end of the cobblestone walkway that led to the drive in front of the palace, and there they waited. The silence that commenced for the next minute was finally broken by the advancing sound of a horse’s trot. 

Drake was riding Maribelle’s Dream and pulled a wooden caisson bearing the casket of Riley Brooks. Draped over her coffin were the flags of Valtoria, Cordonia, and Ramsford, as well as a bouquet of her favorite flower, purple lilies perched in the center.

Maxwell lost all control of his emotions as she passed by, while Liam and Bertrand bowed their heads in deference. Once the carriage had cleared, the three men stepped forward and followed behind on foot, out the gates and to the cathedral. 

The service was a traditional, royal funeral. Liam wasn’t sure she would have liked it, considering she was anything but traditional. Sitting in the front row, he maintained his stoic facade as everyone around him wept and sniffled, yet inside, he was completely destroyed. He was devastated in his grief and the realization that the last time he was in this building, he was beginning his life with her; now, one year later, he was here once again, for its ending.

“King Liam of Cordonia, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you vow to love her, comfort her, and cherish her, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in times of joy and times of trial, til death do you part?”

“I do.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony and after all guests in the cathedral had exited, Liam, Drake, Hana, Maxwell, and Bertrand each gathered around Riley with heavy hearts. It had been decided they would each place a sentimental item with her and say their final goodbyes, away from rolling cameras and the eyes of the public. This would be their final time together as “The Gang” and wasn’t something they wanted to share with anyone else. 

Bertrand, never one for words, gave her a copy of the bill for the Applewood dress she never returned, knowing she would have found it hilarious and so perfectly him. His throat tight with emotion.  “Goodbye, Lady Riley, until we meet again.”

Hana stepped forward. “Riley, you gave me the confidence to be me, to follow my own path, to have fun, to laugh, to be wild and free. You’ve always been there for me, and I will never forget you.” She gave Riley the recipe for her hot cocoa that they had spent so much time bonding over. It reminded her of all their best times together. She placed a hand on her friend’s cheek.

Maxwell held out a small white box and placed it next to her. “I wanted to give you a box of cronuts because it was one of the funnest nights I ever remember with you … I assume you would appreciate the fact that I’ve already eaten half of them.” he chuckled through tears. “I’ll never forget you, Riley … I … I … I can’t do this.” Maxwell turned and fell into Bertrand and Hana’s embrace.

Drake inhaled deeply. “Uh … hey, Brooks. You already know what I got you.” He slipped a bag of marshmallows inside. “I can hear you laughing now and telling me how gooey I am on the inside. I like to think you had a little something to do that with, but don’t go getting all boastful about it.” He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair. “Damn, this hurts, Brooks … but I want you to know, I’ll take care of Liam and Ellie and … maybe you can save me a seat at that bar in heaven.” He smirked, “Yeah, my heaven has a bar, and all the whiskey I can drink.”

The four friends stood back, their arms around each other as Liam prepared to say goodbye. His thumb caressed her temple as he looked down at the face of his angel.

He cleared his throat and reached inside his breast pocket, pulling out several things. “Love … I have a few things to take with you, just some photos of us together and Ellie … and because you know me better than anyone, you would know I spent last night writing this letter to you … you always said I have a letter to write for every occasion. I won’t read it to you, but --” his lips began to quiver and his shoulders shook -- “I wanted you to know how proud I am of you … how proud I’ve always been of you. You possessed a strength I never had and without you, never will. All those dreams we won’t be able to fulfill -  yet we lived every dream we had to the fullest. We sure had one hell of an adventure, didn’t we?” He sobbed passionately, “We just ran out of time.” 

Liam leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Riley’s lips, lingering for just a moment. “I always loved you … I always will.”

With that, “the gang” left together and returned to the gardens of the Palace. They gathered together for a private burial under that apple tree she planted, while the birds soared, the butterflies flew, and the squirrels ran across the lush palace lawn. The five of them held each other, cried and laughed, remembering times and a life they would never know again.

[takonei]

Beta AU - Main story, Chapter 5, daily life (Part 1)

Note of the author: Back to the shitshow, my dudes

I’m very sorry for the long wait! However this chapter is twice as long as a normal daily life chapter. Have fun with this 13k word long chapter lol

Chapter 5: An oath to one’s lost humanity - Daily life

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"Who..."

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"Who am I...?"

...

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Day 17 since the beginning of the game.

4:40 AM.

Shuichi stared at the ceiling of his room, laying on his bed.

He almost hasn't slept at all.

Each time he tried to close his eyes, each time he tried to sleep, it was a different vision haunting his mind.

The first was back at the warehouse. Then Himiko's corpse. Then the exisal blasting Tsumugi. Then the warehouse again. Then Korekiyo's execution.

Now he was afraid to even close his eyes.

The ceiling was perhaps the most comforting vision he had in hours.

...

He looked at the clock in his room.

At least this one didn't make any sound.

He bitterly chuckled at the thought. Every single insignificant thing was starting to haunt him in some way as this game went on and on.

The violinist sat up, his head spinning from the tiredness.

But he still had to gain back enough energy for the day. They were going to explore the new labs, the new places, and more importantly, they had to investigate Keebo's death.

... But perhaps he could take a walk outside. He would not be able to close his eyes even if he tried to. Not now, at least.

After a long shower, he got dressed up. However, he didn't feel like putting on his vest and tie. Just the shirt and pants would be enough.

Looking at the window, he could see the first rays of sunlight illuminating the sky.

At least that was better than walking in the dark of the night.

Shuichi gently pushed the door of his room. The dormitories were silent. Surprisingly, the food, the medical supplies, and the cutlery they had brought disappeared. Monokuma must have brought them back.

At least they wouldn't have to do it themselves.

Speaking of the motive, he hadn't seen the sanzu key in his room either. At least that meant the motive was truly over.

Although he would have preferred Monokuma not to go in his room for this.

He quietly got out of the building and closed the door.

It felt nice to walk without worrying about being impaled by a spear nor having to run for his life.

Shuichi took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh breeze.

But after he took the first few steps, his eyes landed on the wisterias.

Something was on the pergola. Or rather, someone.

Upon closer inspection, he realized Kirumi was sitting on top of the structure.

... Perhaps she had trouble sleeping as well. Maybe he could try to talk to her.

He approached the place, and the mercenary turned around to look at him.

"Oh. You're awake as well."

Shuichi blinked. "How... did you get up there?"

She huffed, although she didn't look mad. "You underestimate me, Shuichi. I am a mercenary. I can easily climb this."

If she was in her normal outfit, then sure, but... She was clearly in her pajamas -simple grey shorts, a loose white top, and a black chest band- and bare feet.

"... Do you want me to help you get up?" she asked him.

He glanced away. "That looks high, though..."

She pointed at a small tree next to one of the pillars. "If you climb this, I'll be able to reach you."

"No, it's just..."

He was afraid of heights. But perhaps he could try to surpass this fear.

Even though Kiyo had told him that no matter what, he was not useless nor not enough, he could still try.

He approached the tree to climb it. It wasn't that hard, actually. When he managed to get to the highest point possible, Kirumi extended her hand.

After he managed to grab it, she helped him get on the wooden planks.

Even though it wasn't the most comfortable here, it was still a nice view.

Kirumi sat back on one of the planks. "There's more than enough space. I don't think this structure is going to break that easily."

The two made themselves as comfortable as they could.

He noticed she had eyebags -smaller than his, but still here anyway-, but more importantly, he noticed the white patch on her shoulder.

He forgot about her injury.

"Wait- your shoulder! Was it okay for you to help me?"

She waved a hand. "It's fine. The wound healed enough not to be dangerous for me anymore."

...

The sun was slowly rising. Perhaps this wasn't as bad as he expected it to be.

(BGM)

The two stared at the horizon for a while, in silence.

It was relaxing, in some way. Definitely more than staying in his room in the dark, haunted by the visions of the killing game.

At least, he wasn't alone right now. He had Kirumi at his side.

...

"How long have you been here anyway?" Shuichi broke the silence.

She hummed. "I would say 30 minutes."

About the same time he decided to get out of bed, then.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Not that much. It doesn't bother me."

He was bad at small talk, wasn't he?

But perhaps silence was great too.

...

"How are you holding up? It is unusual for you to be up this early." she asked.

He perked up. "I... I couldn't sleep. I kept getting nightmares. What about you?"

She stayed silent for a moment. "... I just had trouble sleeping. I don't get nightmares, but when I get in those types of situations, where anyone could potentially harm me, I tend to stay on guard. It's more of a natural reaction for me at this point."

He nodded.

"You say you keep getting nightmares. Is there something on your mind?" she slightly turned to him.

It was odd for her to say that. But then again, she did tell him he should talk to people if he had worries back after the third trial.

The deaths were still lingering on his mind but something else was making him more uncomfortable.

Or rather, someone.

"This... isn't worth the trouble, don't worry."

She looked at him, a hint of regret on her face. "... I am not Kiyo, I am no therapist and I probably am the last person here to ask for advice but... If you get nightmares from this, perhaps it would be better to talk about it with someone."

Shuichi pondered.

Kirumi was a mercenary. She had experience in killing and was used to dangerous situations. Even though she claims not to be the best person to talk to, perhaps she would be, considering the situation.

"It's... About Rantaro."

He didn't know if to talk about the incident in the warehouse would be a good idea but he had kept the secret for too long. And with his attitude getting stranger and stranger, his worry could only grow.

"About the trial?"

He shook his head. "No, it's something that happened before."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I think it was two days ago, the day we learned about Kaito's leg. We were in the same group for the afternoon locks, I got mine alone since you went back to the dorms because of your injury. I wanted to help Ryoma by getting some tools to help."

She slightly tilted her head to the side. "Didn't you say they were all organized in boxes and you didn't want to disturb it?"

Shit. He forgot about that part.

He hadn't checked anything because of the message on the ground and Rantaro going to get it.

Perhaps he should keep this part to himself.

"Oh, it's just... I thought that by the time I went back, Ryoma or Rantaro would be here..." he lied.

Kirumi paused for a moment. "I see."

"Well... When I went back to the warehouse, I saw Rantaro rummaging through one of the boxes, and when I approached him to ask what I could take, he..."

Shuichi trailed off, the memory of the moment very clear in his mind.

He approached his hand to his neck. "He... He pinned me to the ground without a warning and almost sliced my throat with a scalpel."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "... I wanted to say I was surprised but somehow... I'm not. Not after the last trial."

He looked at her. "Really?"

She paused. "Considering what he probably went through during his missions, I am not surprised. We tend to forget it because he makes it look like it doesn't affect him but I doubt that is really the case."

Shuichi thought about everything that happened the day before. How mad he was at Ryoma, and how mad he was at himself for failing Tsumugi.

Even when they stepped into his lab during the investigation.

The feeling of guilt on his face was stronger than he ever saw him feel- if he didn't count the trial.

"The more I think about it, the more I'm starting to see the big picture."

The violinist turned to her.

"In some way, we can consider this killing game a war, Rantaro said so himself. And thus he started acting like it was his duty to save each and every one of us like we were crewmates."

"He probably thought this would be easier than his usual missions, but it turned out not to be the case."

"By seeing us die one by one, I have a feeling he started to think he was failing us. And that probably weighs a lot on his mind."

She narrowed her eyes. "But that much? It feels odd. I don't think anyone would react that strongly without having experienced something similar in the past."

Shuichi thought about the notebook Korekiyo had given him. Perhaps he could try to see if he talked to him about it.

"But of course that doesn't excuse what he almost did to you. Has he apologized?"

He nodded. "Briefly... But we never spoke of this again."

She hummed. "... I see. While I admit I am starting to get worried about him, perhaps we should let Ryoma talk to him first."

Even though that moment still flashed in his mind... Deep down he felt the same. His attitude in the trial clearly proved something was wrong, and he didn't want to demonize him before hearing the full story.

Was he even going to hear it?

... He should change the subject. The more he thought about this, the bigger the headache got.

"Hey, Kirumi..."

She slightly turned to him.

"What do you think of... You know... Keebo's death?"

She pondered for a moment. "I was about to say that Monokuma giving the wrong judgment was odd but... Is it?"

They all said Monokuma was adamant about the rules but the more they went through those trials, the less it was the case. He was pretty sure the only reason Kiyo was the blackened was so he could have a trial to watch.

And he didn't hesitate to render a wrong judgment and declared Kaito guilty.

What were even the rules of this game?

It didn't feel like an organized killing game.

But a chaotic massacre he cheated at every single instance.

He sighed. "I'm just glad Kaito wasn't executed..."

She stayed silent for a moment. "We should wait until everyone is in a proper mental and physical state to investigate. If the culprit is whoever keeps up trapped here, we can't afford any mistakes."

Shuichi nodded. He himself needed some good rest.

A rest he couldn't get even if he tried.

He hoped things would not be too disastrous today. He did not have the energy nor the will to deal with Monokuma.

Kirumi stood up. "I'll go to Rantaro's lab to search for a replacement for my bandage. This one is getting old and I do not wish to disturb Rantaro for this."

Shuichi looked down. How will he even get off?

He observed Kirumi walking on the wooden planks to reach for the tree and climbed down like it was nothing.

"Do you need some help?"

He carefully approached the same tree she used. "I'll... try..."

He took a deep breath and started climbing down.

The tree wasn't that stable but he somehow managed to get down.

He brushed the dust off his pants. "I'm good."

She smiled. "Let's go, then."

"W-Wait..."

He blinked. "Are you really planning to go bare feet?"

She looked down, almost as if she forgot she wasn't wearing any shoes. "I'll be fine."

"At least put some slippers on!"

Seeing the look on his face, Kirumi sighed. "If you insist."

The two went back to the dorms, Shuichi waiting outside. A few minutes later, the mercenary came back with a pair of plain black slippers.

"Satisfied?"

"Yes."

The two made their way to the main building. It felt nice to walk around carefreely, although the circumstances were not the best.

But the moment they stepped foot inside the building, they saw it.

On the ground was the red monokub, his head smashed to pieces.

... This was not what Shuichi wanted to see right now.

"Boohoo! My sweet... What was his name, again?" a robotic voice appeared from behind.

The two glared at him, not saying anything. The tired eyes told a lot more than they needed to say.

"Still not warming up to them, aren't ya? Show some empathy!"

Kirumi continued her way, not bothering to look at him. "I'll show empathy when you stop making us kill each other for your own entertainment."

Shuichi followed her, not wanting any more business with Monokuma. 

"How rude!" he yelled, then tapped his cheek. "Perhaps I should add a rule that it should be mandatory to grieve for my sweet monokubs..."

However, Shuichi wasn't listening anymore. He simply made his way to the stairs.

Once they were on the second floor, Kirumi sighed. "I can't stand this bear anymore. Good thing I don't have a weapon on me right now."

"Agreed."

They made their way to the third floor, approaching the medic's lab. They noticed the door was slightly open.

They quickly glanced at each other. Considering the state it was in yesterday, Monokuma probably had to repair it but shouldn't he leave the door closed?

The two hesitantly went in. Shuichi's eyes immediately widened.

Even though the lab was back to the state it was in before yesterday, someone definitely went in here.

There were several shattered bottles on the floor, liquid staining the ground and pills scattered around. There was also an empty broken plastic cup on the table near the sink. But what made him shiver were the few specks of dried blood on the floor.

It was like someone rushed in here to take what they wanted without bothering to clean.

Kirumi put a knee down to take a look at the bottles and the pills. "... Those are painkillers. It's written on the etiquette." she started regrouping them.

Shuichi approached the sink. The cup was one of those single-use white plastic ones you could easily break by slamming them on a table.

But considering its state, it was safe to say the person smashed it with their hand alone.

"... What happened here?" he muttered with a shaky voice.

She shook her head. "I don't know, Shuichi. I really don't."

She stood back up, a worrying amount of pills in her hand and an empty bottle in the other.

Her eyes turned to the faint bloodstain on the ground.

"I feel like whoever went in there clearly doesn't fear-"

She abruptly stopped.

Shuichi blinked, seeing her expression growing more worried by the second.

She looked around one more time.

"Is something wrong?"

"I was about to say that whoever went in this lab clearly doesn't fear Rantaro but... We cannot exclude the possibility Rantaro went in there himself."

The violinist perked up. "You think Rantaro did this??"

"I don't know, I just said we shouldn't exclude the possibility."

The two looked around the messy room. "... This is something we're going to keep to ourselves for now if we want answers."

They started cleaning up the room in silence. It's not like they had much to do after all.

Cleaning up a medical lab at 5:30 in the morning was not something Shuichi ever expected to do.

It felt both relaxing and very unsettling. They didn't know who went in here, desperately looking for painkillers, also leaving blood on the floor and they were here cleaning up the mess.

At least it was better than having nightmares, Shuichi thought.

...

Once they were done, Shuichi let out a sigh. "How are we even going to investigate this?"

She pondered for a moment. "For now let's just wait for everyone to wake up."

Kirumi took the bandage she was supposed to get, gave one last look at the now clean room, and left with Shuichi.

The walk back to the dorms was silent for some time.

"... What do you plan on doing, now?"

Shuichi looked at his Monopad. 6:00 AM. The sun was still slowly rising in the distance. "I don't know. I don't feel like going back to sleep. Perhaps I'll play some violin in my lab."

As if on cue, the door of the dormitories opened before they could reach for the handle. And out came... Kaito?

He looked as tired as them. But what surprised Shuichi was the absence of his belt-chain and the lack of hair gel. He instead left his hair into a low ponytail.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"So... You guys are awake too?"

"For about two hours for me." Kirumi replied.

"I would say an hour and a half..." Shuichi muttered.

There was an uncomfortable silence between them.

"Wait, were you guys planning to go back to sleep?" the biker went out of the way to let them pass. "Shit, sorry."

The mercenary waved a hand. "I was mostly planning to take a shower. I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep at this point."

"Me neither..."

"Oh."

Kirumi entered the dorms building. "... Now that I think about it, there is something I would like to ask you, Kaito."

He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"May I try your jacket on for a moment, please?"

He almost jumped. "H-Huh?"

She sighed. "Do not take this the wrong way, please. I just want to check something."

He took it off, a bit unsure, but gave it to Kirumi. She put it on and it fit her surprisingly well. "That'll do."

"Hey, that's my jacket! If you really want it, I can fetch you another considering I got about ten of them in my room!"

"That's what I was planning to ask you, actually."

"What?"

She took off the jacket. "You see, everyone knows my real talent at this point. Dressing up as a maid isn't going to help me much. Which is why I wanted to wear something a bit more comfortable."

Oh.

"But isn't there a rule we have to wear uniforms or something?" Kaito asked.

"I already checked. It isn't mandatory."

Shuichi had been wearing the same uniform since the beginning. Perhaps he could try to change it a little as well.

... And even if Monokuma wanted them to wear their uniforms properly, it would feel good to mildly inconvenience him.

"So... Should I fetch one of my jackets for you?"

"Do you have other colors or are they all the same?"

He thought for a moment. "I think I have dark purple and black. You wanna check?"

She shrugged. "If it doesn't bother you."

The three headed to the biker's room. "Just give me a sec-"

He entered the room and closed the door behind him. A few minutes later he reopened it. "Sorry, I tried to at least clean up a little."

"It's fine."

Kaito's room was a bit messy and it was easy to tell he hastily tried to make it look nicer. But that's the thought that counts.

He opened the closet to reveal a bunch of the same jacket in several hues from purple to black.

He gave a black one to Kirumi, who put it on. "It has its charm. Do you mind if I borrow it?"

The biker waved a hand. "It's just a jacket, don't sweat it. Besides I wear the purple ones, not the black ones."

She smiled. "Thank you. I'll make sure not to ruin it."

They left the room and Kirumi started heading back to hers, jacket in hand. "What are you two planning to do?"

Shuichi shrugged. "I did say I would play the violin but since Kaito's there too then perhaps we'll do something else."

He thought for a moment. "Card games? We can take one and go to the tables in front of the dining hall."

That sounded nicer than whatever he had planned. "Sure! You'll join us later, right?"

She nodded. "Alright."

The two boys left the dorms, heading to the main building.

Considering how Kaito took painkillers for his phantom pains, perhaps he was the one who went to Rantaro's lab last night.

He could try to subtly ask him.

"How is your leg? You did mention having phantom pains, right?"

He shrugged. "I did have my usual dose this morning. But I can't exactly predict when I'll be limping like a freakin' pirate."

... Kaito didn't look like he was lying. Besides, even if he had phantom pains, that didn't explain the blood.

Better luck next time.

After getting the cards, the two headed back outside.

He started shuffling the cards. "Same game as ever?"

Shuichi looked down. "To be honest I'm not exactly in the mood to think..."

The biker thought for a moment. "War it is, then."

The violinist frowned, already not liking the name. "War?"

His friend blinked. "Please tell me you at least know this game."

"Uh..."

Kaito sighed. "Just go along with me. It's pretty simple."

The two played this game for a while. It was mostly luck-based. Put a card in front of you and see which one is the strongest.

At least this brought him back a faint smile.

Between two rounds, Shuichi noticed Kaito staring at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"What were you two even doing outside at 5 in the morning?"

... He really hoped he didn't take this the wrong way.

"I uh... I couldn't sleep and I saw her outside the dorms so I joined her."

He looked skeptical. "Yeah, sure."

Shuichi didn't know what to say. He couldn't win, could he?

The biker scoffed. "Can you believe it? We got a freakin' mercenary in our group. I still have trouble believing that. How many has she killed?"

That was not a question Shuichi wanted to think about. "I don't know... But she never showed any sign of hostility against any of us."

"Yeah, but still..."

It's true that despite her talent, they had included her quite quickly in the group. Was Kaito hinting at the fact that they shouldn't have?

"Do you... have a problem with her?"

"Nah it's just..." he scratched his neck. "How do I put it."

"It feels weird to say we accepted a killer among our group."

He bitterly chuckled. "Not that I've got room to talk. For a while, I thought I had killed Keebo."

Was it the context of the killing game that made them act this way? Surely he wouldn't have approached her if there were more than seven of them.

"But then again... Almost everyone here is guilty of something, huh..."

... Not himself, though. But perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say.

"Perhaps for now... It's for the best." he muttered.

"I guess you're right..." Kaito replied.

They played in silence for some time before the biker perked his head up. "Hm?"

Shuichi looked behind him. Kirumi approached them, Kokichi accompanying her.

She was wearing her usual skirt, boots, necklace, and pair of tights, but instead of her maid uniform, she had put on a white shirt and Kaito's black leather jacket. She almost looked like a biker herself, now.

As for Kokichi, he was wearing the same outfit as usual except for the fact that...

... He wasn't wearing the hood of his jacket.

He had never seen his full head before. It was always covered by his hoodie. He never actually knew why he covered his face in the first place.

"Oh, Kokichi!"

The boy slightly jumped. "Y-Yeah I... I wanted to try to take it off for once... But if it bothers you I can put it back-"

Kaito shook his head. "No, that's great! It's just rare to see your face in its entirety."

He gripped the base of his hood. "T-Thanks..."

There was still a lot of effort to make, but it was clear he was trying his best.

Shuichi slightly moved to the side to let one of them sit down, and Kaito doing the same.

Kirumi moved next to the violinist, and Kokichi next to the biker.

"What were you two playing?"

Kaito shrugged. "A game of war, but since it's a 2-person game we'll switch to something else, I guess."

Kokichi bitterly chuckled, eyeing him. "You don't like luck-based games with me, don't you?"

He narrowed his eyes at him. "Listen, I just want a fair game. Got it?"

Shuichi giggled, remembering the last time they played cards with him.

"I am not familiar with any card games, unfortunately. What do you suggest?" Kirumi asked.

Kaito pondered, looking at the three. "Kemps is usually by six but it's doable by four."

Kokichi's eyes widened. "You mean the game by teams of two?"

"You got me! Wait, where did you learn that?"

He sighed. "When the only source of entertainment you have in an orphanage is a card deck with three missing cards, you tend to learn every single game you could possibly play."

"Oh... Sorry..."

"That and you learn how to scam people."

...

Shuichi froze. "S-Scamming people?"

He looked at him, unimpressed. "How did you think we managed to get money?"

"I-I don't know! I just didn't know how you did it!"

Kaito laughed. "Come on! Teach-

"No." he interrupted him. "I am not teaching any of you how to do scams. I can do a demonstration, but I am not teaching you how to do illegal things."

Right... The karma could still impact them.

Kirumi snickered. "I want to see if I manage to get the trick."

Kokichi thought for a moment. "It should be fine if it's just a demonstration. But I haven't done this in a long time, though. I'm still going to need an accomplice."

Kirumi raised an eyebrow. "An accomplice, huh?"

He nodded. "We always did this by two."

"I can be the accomplice!" Kaito exclaimed.

Kokichi smiled. "Very well! Give us a moment, alright?"

The two left.

Kokichi was explaining everything to Kaito in the distance when Kirumi tapped Shuichi's shoulder. He turned around.

"I do not think Kokichi's the one who went to Rantaro's lab. I tried to ask him some things before we came here and I do not think that is the case."

He shook his head. "I tried to ask Kaito if he had phantom pains last night and he said no... He didn't look like he was lying."

She hummed. "... So it's either Miu, Ryoma, or Rantaro."

The mercenary eyed him. "Or you if you lied to me."

Shuichi jumped. "I-I didn't, I swear!"

At that moment, she looked behind him. "... We'll talk about that later."

The two other boys came back.

He would have to talk to Kirumi as well.

After all, there is a possibility she lied to him.

... But that didn't make any sense for her to take painkillers, so he gave up on the idea.

Kokichi took the card deck and started shuffling. His movements were precise, it was almost hypnotizing.

He spread the cards and presented them to Kirumi. "Choose five."

The mercenary looked at the cards and did as told.

"Place them in front of you."

He eyed Kaito, who was slightly behind Kirumi. The mercenary continued paying attention to Kokichi.

"Now choose one and look at it."

He closed his eyes, letting her choose.

She thought for a moment, then picked one of them. It was the queen of spades. She placed it back where it was. "Done."

He took back the five cards with a swift hand movement and grouped them. "I may be taking these cards but I don't have a slight clue what any of these are."

He took the rest of the deck and spread it in front of him, glancing at the others. "And even if I managed to get a look at the rest of the deck, there's no way I would guess that quickly which cards are missing." Kirumi noticed he glanced at Kaito a bit too much, side-eyeing him as well.

He grouped back the rest of the deck and placed it aside.

He looked at the cards for a moment.

"From my sharp ears, I heard you took a card that was on my left, so let's take off this one."

"From my gloved hands, I sensed a lack of touch on this one."

"From my blind eyes, I saw that those two were not the chosen ones."

"And from the eyes of the world..." He pointed at the card in the middle. "... I foresaw a queen of spades."

He turned the card around to reveal the one Kirumi chose.

Shuichi's eyes widened. "Woah.."

Kirumi pondered. "We know Kaito is an accomplice, so I'm guessing he signed something to you."

The violinist looked at the biker. "I saw he was eyeing on his left and doing some hand gestures but... I didn't see what it meant."

Kokichi laughed, along with Kaito. "This was always a challenge not to laugh when I was doing this."

Shuichi frowned. "What do you mean? I didn't see anything?"

Kirumi sighed. "And my back was turned to him. My vision is limited."

"Well, you see..." Kokichi grouped back the cards. "Kaito never signed anything to me."

Shuichi perked up. "Huh?"

The biker laughed. "Man, I didn't think your thing would work! Seriously, how did you invent this?"

"Alright, I'll explain the trick." Kokichi said.

"The goal is to make sure the audience thinks you have an accomplice. Someone who makes gestures odd enough to get the attention. And with only half the attention focused on me, I can do a lot more." He explained.

"While you were focused on Kaito, I did have the time to check which card was yours."

Shuichi frowned. "Wait, really? She still had her attention on you though..."

"You're right, I barely had time to check a second time since Kirumi was mainly focused on me. But you're forgetting one thing."

He moved away the hair covering his left eye. "I can see through here. When I asked her to choose a card, I had only one eye closed."

... Was that it? Was it that simple?

Kirumi stared at him for a moment. "... I can't believe I was fooled by a trick that stupid."

Kokichi chuckled. "It's actually more interesting in the long run since most people tried to guess the trick. They tried to position themselves in front of a supposed accomplice, but it never did anything. Because there was never an accomplice in the first place."

That was actually a smart trick. Who knows how many people got scammed like this.

After that, Kaito taught them the game they were supposed to play. It ended up being Kokichi and Shuichi versus the other two.

They played like that for quite some time. Perhaps a part of them wanted them to be kids again. To forget. To free their minds. To live normally.

But all of this got interrupted when the morning announcement played, with Monokuma doing his usual speech.

"I didn't realize we played that long..." Shuichi admitted.

"Perhaps we could finish this game and then prepare breakfast." Kirumi suggested.

The others agreed.

After the final game, they headed to the dining hall. Kirumi started preparing the basics, with the help of the others.

For a moment, only she and Shuichi were in the kitchen. She rummaged through one of the drawers.

"Hm?"

He turned to her. "What is it?"

"Remember, the morning after the third trial, when a knife was missing?"

He frowned. "... Yes?"

"It's back."

He looked at the set of knives, that was indeed full.

For some reason, that felt... reassuring. He didn't know why.

Perhaps it was the thought that it was back without being used that made him relax.

Once the breakfast was ready, the two went back to the dining hall.

They started eating in silence. No one had a real conversation topic, unfortunately. The deaths of their friends were still lingering on their minds.

It was easy to be distracted when they were playing cards, but eating didn't grant them the same luxury.

Shuichi perked up when the door suddenly opened, revealing Miu, looking as tired as the others. "G'morning..."

"Sup."

"Hey..."

"Hello."

"H-Hey..."

She approached them and took a seat, immediately putting her head in her palms, rubbing her eyes. "I feel like I didn't sleep at all."

Kirumi sighed. "I think that is the case for everyone here."

The street artist looked at her for a moment, like lost in thoughts.

"Is everything alright?"

She suddenly stood up, pointing at her. "Where did you get that jacket??"

The mercenary stared at her for a moment, then pointed at Kaito. "He let me borrow one since I didn't feel like putting my whole uniform on."

Her bright blue eyes immediately turned to him.

"... You want one?"

"Absolutely."

He chuckled, getting up from his chair. "Alright, alright. Back to the dorms, it is."

The two left without adding anything.

"I didn't realize Kaito's jackets were that successful." Shuichi broke the silence.

"I'll pass. I like my hoodie." Kokichi said.

"Would you like a black leather jacket, Shuichi?" Kirumi asked him, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"No thanks, I'm good."

They continued eating until the door opened again, this time revealing Ryoma, who instead of his striped blue and white top, had a plain white shirt.

"It's quiet in here. Not that I'm complaining."

He took a seat.

Shuichi looked at him for a moment. "Did you also decide to wear something else?"

Ryoma glanced at the three others, noticing the changes. "This shirt is more comfortable. Don't have any reason not to put it on."

He leaned back into his chair, a piece of toast in his hand. "So Kirumi got Kaito's jacket, Shuichi stopped wearing his vest and tie and Kokichi stopped with the hood, huh."

"I also saw Kaito dropping the hair gel and Miu wanting a leather jacket on my way here." he added.

Kirumi shrugged. "I don't really know why everyone decided to dress up differently today, but it's their choice. I will probably continue wearing this, though. It feels comfortable enough."

Kokichi gripped his hood. "I said I was going to try not to wear it anymore... I want to feel more open but I'm still nervous about this..."

Shuichi faintly smiled. "If you don't want to take it off right now, don't force yourself to."

"No I'll... I'll try. I want to make an effort for this."

The weapons maker shrugged. "Didn't say it as an insult. Do what you want, I'm in no position to judge."

He smiled. "Thank you, Ryoma."

As for Shuichi, it was mostly because he wasn't in the mood to put on his tie and vest at five in the morning. But now that everyone started changing their outfits, perhaps he could keep his outfit this way.

Shortly after, Kaito and Miu came back, the latter having her overall's straps dropped down and a black leather jacket covering her.

"You!" she pointed at Kokichi. "I didn't even notice you dropped the hood!"

He jumped at the accusation. "I- It's nothing, really..."

She approached him, ruffling his hair. "I'm proud of you, you know that?"

He stuttered, not knowing how to react. "I-I guess? Thank you?"

She laughed. "Don't sweat it. It's the first step!"

Looking at those two made Shuichi smile. It was like Miu adopted him. And that just seeing him make efforts to change was enough to make her happy.

They continued eating, the mood brightened up by Miu.

But something was... amiss.

The violinist looked around the room.

Someone was missing.

And it was none other than Rantaro.

The medic hadn't shown up at all.

Ryoma also seemed to have noticed this, judging by how much he glanced at the door.

"Where is he?" the violinist heard him mutter.

"You... haven't seen Rantaro since the trial?"

The smaller man must have just realized Shuichi heard him talking.

"... I told him about Keebo yesterday. But he refused to talk any further, saying he had 'stuff to think about'."

Right after an emotionally exhausting trial... Does this guy ever take breaks?

"I'm just hoping he managed to calm himself down." Ryoma sighed.

As if on cue, the door opened.

Shuichi felt his heart skip a beat when Rantaro came into view.

If the others looked tired, this was nothing compared to him.

His hair was messy, he had rather huge eyebags and his gaze felt devoid of life.

He looked terrible, to say the least.

The others turned to him, all visibly worried.

He didn't even pay attention to them and started walking towards the kitchen.

Was he limping?

The others exchanged concerned glances. Miu stood up and followed him.

Shuichi could barely hear Miu's voice. Rantaro didn't talk, judging by the pitch of the voices. Miu sounded panicked.

Shortly after, he came back to the dining hall with a thermostat, not even glancing at anyone else, simply heading to the door.

"Rantaro, please just-" Miu got back to the room.

The medic stopped, his back turned to the rest of them.

"What... Is going on with you?" her voice cracked.

He stayed silent for a moment. All eyes on him.

"... I'm fine. I'll join you guys later."

Ryoma pushed back his chair and stood up. "Rantaro, please don't go down that path. I'm begging you."

He paused for a moment. "... I. am. fine."

"You're shaking." Kirumi added. "You don't sound nor look fine."

He stared at his empty hand for a moment, clearly shivering like a leaf.

Miu took a step forward. "Ran-

* S L A M *

He suddenly punched the wall, startling everyone.

"... I said I'm fine, didn't I? I'll join you guys when we'll have to explore the new places."

He left the room without a word, leaving the others in awe.

Miu was in shock. She looked like she was holding back tears. "What... What happened to him...? I-I can't..."

Ryoma was staring at the now closed door. "... This isn't like him. At all."

Shuichi quietly glanced at Kirumi, who did the same.

They would have to ask him a lot of questions.

"D-Did he tell you anything in the kitchen?" Kokichi hesitantly asked.

The street artist shook her head. "No, he just... He just poured a litter of coffee into a thermostat, added about ten sugar cubes, and left."

She put both of her hands on her mouth. "What... What happened...?"

No one knew. They had never seen him like this.

Yesterday's trial was already hard for him, they all had thought he would get better by the morning, but...

... That was not the case. If anything, he was in an even worse state than before.

The mood had severely dropped.

Shuichi looked back at his toast. He didn't know what to say. What to do. What to think.

The deafening silence was strengthening the heavy atmosphere.

He wanted to puke.

But of course, that was the moment Monokuma and his green monokub chose to pop up.

"Sheesh! What a mood!"

He didn't even have the strength to argue. Even less than when he saw him in the main hallway earlier.

"Get out." Miu spat.

"My! My! That isn't a way to talk to-

"GET OUT!!"

She threw a glass at him full force, tears in her eyes, but missed her target.

The sound of broken glass echoed through the room as it exploded on the floor.

"It's your fault everyone is like this! It's your fault everyone is turning crazy! Just fucking get out of my sight already!"

"Oh~ You should know violence against the headmaster is prohi-

"I don't care anymore!"

Shuichi's eyes widened.

"I don't care if it's against the rules! I'm sick of you and your bullshit! We've been watching you torment us over, and over, and over again, is that not enough for you??"

"I don't..."

She fell to her knees.

"I don't care anymore, just..."

"... Just get out."

The room fell silent.

Even Monokuma looked like he was thinking his words through.

"... You kids don't even have a sense of humor anymore! I'm not even entertained at this point. Plus, I have better businesses to attend to!"

He left, surprisingly enough.

Monodam, however, kept staring at the girl.

"..."

"HERE-ARE-YOUR-PRIZES. THIS-ONE-IS-THE-LAST-REAL-KEY. AND-THIS-ONE-IS-THE-REAL-LAST-KEY.*"

He put two keys on the table. One looked futuristic, one traditional.

Before they could object to anything, the second bear left.

Kaito stood up and approached Miu, gesturing to them that perhaps they should be left alone for now.

Everyone was on the verge of losing it, whether they were showing it or not.

Shuichi grabbed the keys and the rest of them left the dining hall.

Now it was just Ryoma, Kokichi, Kirumi, and himself.

"Do we... start the investigation?"

Kirumi thought for a moment. "Perhaps it would be for the best."

"Before that, I want to check on Rantaro." Ryoma declared. "There's no way I'm leaving him alone right now."

He nodded. Even if the bare thought of looking at him hurt, they had to, for his sake. As payment for all the times he helped them.

The four started making their way to the third floor, where Rantaro's lab was. According to Ryoma, this was the most plausible place for him to be.

"Stay behind, I don't think the four of us entering will do any good."

They all kept their distance from the lab.

Shuichi heard Ryoma knocking.

After a few seconds, the door opened. He actually hoped to get a grasp on the situation but realized eavesdropping on the conversation would not be possible as Ryoma closed the door behind him.

They could only wait.

Shuichi started examining the keys to distract himself. But every single one of his thoughts was plagued by the current state of the medic.

He was the first person he met in the killing game after stepping out of the locker.

He was the one to help Shuichi calm down at rough times, the one to give advice.

He was the one who gave them the greatest clues during the trials.

He was the one suggesting the best strategies possible to get through the motives.

But the more they went through this killing game, the more his vision of him was tainted by madness.

...

He missed the old Rantaro, if he ever existed. Even if it was just a facade, he missed it.

Shuichi felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kirumi. Ryoma and Rantaro had joined them and they were ready to go.

"... Are you okay?"

He nodded.

They made their way to the fifth floor, upon Ryoma's request. He had insisted to go there since there was a chance his lab opened.

The walk in the large corridors was silent, their footsteps echoing through the room.

Shuichi glanced at Rantaro. He seemed to have calmed down a bit but the tiredness on his face still showed.

They approached the door, which of course had a lock.

The violinist inspected the keys to see which one looked more appropriate, then handed the traditional key to Ryoma.

"Thanks."

He turned it to unlock the door.

When he pushed it, the lab was finally in view.

It looked like an ancient military warehouse, with an appearance very different from the one of the first floor. This one had giant wooden boxes in some places, and by looking at the ceiling, he noticed several crane hooks hanged up by iron chains.

The light from the bulbs was faint, but still enough for them to see most of the lab. It was even bigger than any other, actually. They started going around to explore, and finally noticed the part in the back, behind the boxes. It had a giant workbench with an important amount of tools.

This was definitely Ryoma's lab.

The two soldiers approached the workbench.

"Think you can do stuff with this?" Rantaro asked.

"Absolutely. I just need the materials, but I'm guessing that's what those boxes are for."

Kirumi approached one of them. However, no opening was visible. "And how are you supposed to open this?"

Ryoma looked around. He approached what seemed to be a control panel. He pressed a button and the machine came to life.

He paused for a moment, then started pressing several other buttons.

Shuichi looked behind him, and from what he understood, the panel controlled the cranes. However, Ryoma didn't look like he wanted to grab something. He positioned the hook next to a box, almost on the floor.

He approached the chain and to Shuichi's surprise, climbed it up with extreme agility. He made his way to the top of a box with relative ease.

Ryoma inspected the box from above, and after some rummaging the violinist couldn't see quite well, he saw him disappearing into the container.

He came back a few seconds after with a bunch of wires.

"Figured it was something like that."

He put them back and climbed down the chain.

"There's a trap above the box to access the materials. I'll have to investigate further but since those boxes are labeled it should be fine."

... The box with the label "DANGER" on it definitely didn't sound safe, though.

What kind of materials was he working with?

Actually, since he was a military engineer, it was quite normal he worked with dangerous materials.

He thought for a moment. "... I'll probably have to fetch Kaito so I can repair his leg properly. I got the proper tools, now."

"Do you want me to bring him here?" Kirumi asked.

"If you guys are fine investigating the rest by yourselves, then sure."

Shuichi glanced at Rantaro, who didn't seem to react at first. "... I'm fine with it."

Ryoma looked at the others for a moment. "Tell him I'll be waiting here."

The group started making their way out.

The walk was silent until Miu and Kaito themselves showed up. The street artist seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she visibly perked up when she saw Rantaro.

Kirumi didn't waste any time. "Ryoma is waiting for you on the fifth floor to repair your leg. The rest of us will explore what's left."

"Oh, his lab opened? Neat!"

Miu tapped him on the shoulder. "I'll see ya later, alright?"

He gave her a thumbs-up as he made his way to the fifth floor.

The others continued climbing down the stairs to the first floor.

"... I need to check something." Rantaro said as he walked through the corridors.

The rest of them glanced at each other for a moment before deciding to follow him.

He had stopped in front of a door in the hallway in the back, decorated with black and white squares.

The door actually opened with a simple pull, unlike every other time they tried to.

They walked through a corridor before their eyes landed on a spiral staircase. Shuichi looked up to see that the top probably reached above the fifth floor.

"... That's going to be a long way." Kirumi sighed.

But they had to.

Climbing up the stairs was a bit exhausting to him, but then realized neither Rantaro, Kirumi nor Kokichi complained.

... Good thing Kaito wasn't there with them.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the top of the staircase.

Kokichi's eyes widened when he looked at the door in front of him. It was decorated with stars and planets.

This was Himiko's lab.

He glanced at him for a moment. "Do you... Are you sure you want to go?"

The boy took a deep breath. "... Yes."

Rantaro opened the door.

The lab was quite impressive. There were different machines and desks on the sides, and what looked like a giant telescope in the middle. The lab had an almost magical atmosphere. The black floor had some small white spots emitting light. The walls on the sides looked either grey or white. Shuichi didn't know since it was quite dark in here.

But the most impressive was the dome above. Even if it didn't have any pattern on it, just looking at the metal structure was enough to leave him in awe.

Kokichi approached the telescope. But that's when they realized the footsteps he left emitted a white light for a moment before disappearing. That was actually a really nice touch.

Shuichi tried it for himself. This lab was truly fantastic.

Kirumi went to one side and pressed a button on the wall, which was actually the one turning the lights on.

He realized the walls were indeed white as everything came to view.

This was less impressive this way, but still let them appreciate the room in its entirety.

The mercenary pressed another button, and this time the dome above them slowly opened, revealing the bright blue sky.

Shuichi approached the telescope as well. He didn't have any knowledge of how to use it. No one did, unfortunately.

Looking at the room, he immediately understood why Himiko was so fascinated by astronomy.

But she wasn't there to enjoy it, unfortunately. She would have loved it for sure.

"Kokichi."

Rantaro's voice called the small boy.

"Do you wish to be alone for now?"

The smaller boy stayed silent for a moment. "... Yes, please."

"I'll join you guys later if you find something else but... I want to stay here for a while."

Kokichi didn't look upset. Just pensive.

Perhaps it was better to leave him be for now.

"Alright, just tell us if something's wrong, okay?" Miu grinned at him.

He looked at her for a moment, then glanced away. "Actually... Can you... stay too, please?"

She blinked a few times, surprised. "Sure, of course!"

The street artist glanced at the other three. Shuichi smiled as he made his way out with the two others.

The young woman closed the door behind her.

Now it was just him, Rantaro, and Kirumi.

"Let's go."

Rantaro didn't waste any time and immediately started climbing down the stairs.

The walk was silent, Shuichi was making sure he didn't trip down.

After reaching the first floor, Kirumi spoke up. "Rantaro, I do not wish to force you to do anything, but Ryoma is right. Going down the path of isolation is not going to help you."

He quickly glanced back at her. "I told you I'm fine, didn't I? Besides now is not the time. We have an academy to explore, we have to find out who killed Keebo, we have to defeat the mastermind, we have to get out of here-

"Calm down for a minute, alright? You're one of us, Rantaro. Not some kind of pawn to use however we like."

"You think I got a goddamn choice?" he stopped, approaching the mercenary, staring at her with his now signature glare. "We've lost way too much time doing nothing. If we continue like this there's gonna be none of us left. You saw how easy it is for the mastermind to manipulate one of us into killing, right? I don't want to take more time and risks. We've been through enough."

"That's not the point, we'll not ever get out if we don't think rationally. For now, there are issues you need to address, and that's coming from me."

"You're missing the real problem here." He looked at her dead in the eyes. "I swore to myself that I would get you guys out of here. And if I see one more person dying, I'll never forgive myself for this. So at least let me do the one thing I was supposed to do in this cursed academy."

"If I can't save anyone from this absurd war, then I have no right to call myself a soldier, and I have even less the right to call myself Rantaro Amami, ultimate war medic."

She paused for a moment, the two pairs of green eyes intensely looking at each other.

"Soldier or not, you are no less human than any of us, Rantaro."

"If I'm no soldier, if I can't even accomplish that one damn task, then I'm nothing. I have a duty, and if you got a problem with that, you can give me the key so I can look around for myself."

Shuichi's grip on the item strengthened.

The two stared at him. He didn't know what to do. He was frozen in place.

"I-I..."

The words were stuck in his throat.

"L-Let's just look around together like we first planned to...?"

He was bad at this. He cringed at his own reaction.

"Then let's just go."

Rantaro started walking away.

Shuichi felt guilty. But he had no clue what to say.

When he was far enough, Kirumi turned to him. "... I don't know why he started acting like this all of a sudden, but that's not something I'll turn my back to. We'll have to tell Ryoma about this and ask him for explanations."

"... Agreed."

Just when the two started to move, Rantaro went back to get them. "... I thought you two were following me."

"We're coming."

They got out of the building since there was nothing left to see here. Perhaps another one opened?

They went outside and started walking towards the set of stairs.

Shuichi saw Rantaro reaching for something in his inner pockets and put it in the ones on the outside. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around his waist. He also rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt.

He had never noticed it before, but Rantaro did have scars on his arms. They didn't look like clean cuts, more like old serious injuries.

Rantaro didn't seem to care as he continued walking.

He saw Kirumi narrowing her eyes. She was paying close attention to him.

After going down the stairs, Rantaro's eyes landed on the giant grey building on the right.

Maybe that was the one needing to be opened? There was what looked like one of the locks from the previous motive next to it, but different. A blue keyhole symbol was cut on it. Maybe that's where the second key belonged.

The moment he put the key, the building made a strange noise.

"... Is it open, now?" He asked.

Kirumi approached the door and pushed it. It opened, just like he thought.

The trio entered the building. It had a sci-fi vibe to it. Both futuristic and abandoned.

The corridors were empty. It didn't look like anything was worth looking at, so they continued walking.

They noticed a room that didn't look any different from the corridors. It looked like it had three empty spaces in the walls, giving the room a strange shape. But nothing was worth inspecting here.

They left the room to continue walking through the corridors.

They reached an intersection. The left side was a dead end, but they noticed something odd. There was a small window here.

Kirumi stepped on the pipe to get a better look. "There's a bathroom in here."

"A bathroom?"

He stepped forward to look and it was indeed a futuristic-looking bathroom. Strange.

The window was way too small for them to pass anything but their heads. Ryoma probably could try to pass through it, but they were not sure about whether or not this would work.

They went the other way, hoping they would see something more interesting.

The three of them finally reached the end of the corridor, but what awaited them was a huge shutter, blocking the access to what was supposedly behind.

Kirumi narrowed her eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this. We should be careful."

Rantaro carefully approached the shutter, but the moment he was a tiny bit too close to the door, an alarm started ringing.

Shuichi slammed his hands against his ears. Sometimes he regretted having better hearing.

"W-What's going on?"

Rantaro walked away from the shutter, his also on his ears.

Monokuma appeared right after. "Oh my! Tsk, tsk, tsk! Don't you go setting off the alarm now! C'mon, c'mon, outta the way so I can turn off that alarm."

After a moment, the noise finally stopped.

"Geez! You guys gotta be more careful!"

Kirumi glared at him. "Explain yourself."

Monokuma proceeded to talk about the mechanism of the door, and how that area had to be secured. There was also a digital code that was too long to remember, but he let them go inside anyway.

Although they didn't know what was the point of visiting this room if they couldn't ever come back here.

But when they entered, their eyes immediately landed on what was on the left.

The five exisals were here, sitting in the room.

"T-The exisals??"

Rantaro immediately took a scalpel and a pair of scissors out from the pockets of his jacket, on guard, and his eyes locked on the exisals. "I'm not letting them act twice."

Kirumi raised a hand. "Calm down. They do not look active."

Shuichi didn't know if he should feel terrified or reassured these two had weapons on them at all times.

At that moment, Monokuma joined them once again.

"Ah-hahaha! Surprised? This is actually the Exisal hangar! Yep, this is where the Exisals are stored!"

That... made sense, considering what this place looked like.

"But..." he sighed. "It's almost pointless now."

Rantaro bitterly chuckled. "What, because you have only one of your minions left so you can't control them anymore?"

The black and white bear started sweating, somehow. "What!? No one can control them anymore!?"

"So he's right." Kirumi narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, don't worry about my reaction just now. I thought a somewhat over-the-top reaction would put you guys on the defensive."

The two pairs of green eyes glared at him.

"W-Whatever, have fun visiting!"

He left without another word.

Rantaro put the medical tools back into his pockets. However, Shuichi noticed something odd.

There was a faint pink stain on the scalpel.

"Rantaro, could you please take back the scalpel you just put in your pocket?" the mercenary eyed him.

"Hm?"

"The scalpel."

He sighed as he took it out.

"That's blood, isn't it?"

"... I was treating an injury and forgot to wash it. No big deal."

Kirumi wasn't buying it. Neither was Shuichi.

"Go on. What was the injury?"

He stayed silent for a moment.

"... None of your business. Besides we have this room to explore." he put the scalpel away.

"You're not getting away that easily. Who did you use that on."

"Myself, sheesh! Will you quit it already??" 

"Then prove it!" The mercenary yelled. "At least prove to us you did use it for medical purposes!"

It was the first time he had heard Kirumi lose her calm. Shuichi felt chills just hearing her.

"You want me to prove it? Fine."

To both's surprise, he started taking his shirt off.

"What are you-"

But before any of them could protest, he was already bare chest, shirt in his hand.

"I got an old scar that reopened and I had to take care of it. Is that enough for you??"

The two stared at him in awe. Shuichi had never seen a wound that horrible.

He had more scars on his arms than he thought. But more importantly, the one on his chest made him shiver. The stitches looked almost hastily put back on, but if Rantaro did it himself then perhaps it was normal.

There was a long silence between them.

After glancing a few times between the two, the medic finally put his shirt back on.

"As I was saying, we have this place to explore. Let's just see if something is worth investigating here."

He turned his back on them and approached what looked like a giant hydraulic press.

Kirumi and Shuichi glanced at each other.

It was the look that meant "We'll talk about it later."

The violinist approached the exisals. They were unmoving, but that was to be expected since only one of the cubs remained.

... Perhaps now they were less of a danger than they were at the beginning.

Even if the hangar was almost pointless for Monokuma now, why would he give them access to those exisals?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kirumi trying to handle one of the machines.

"W-What are you doing?"

She turned to him. "I want to see if they're usable for us."

However, she was unable to even open the thing.

Which meant that plan was out of the window.

There was also a washing machine and a spray painter for the exisals, from what they had guessed.

... If they had the possibility to move the exisals, then Miu would have had fun with this, probably.

Shuichi turned to Rantaro, who was inspecting the safety notice of the hydraulic press.

Apparently, there was a safety function forbidding from fully going down when a living organism was on it.

But then again, it wasn't like they were ever going to use it.

As Rantaro went to inspect the exisals, Shuichi went to the door in the back. Perhaps something interesting was in there?

After opening the door, he realized that...

... It was only the bathroom they had seen from the window in the corridor.

Why even have a bathroom here? It wasn't like the bear could use it. And they were probably not going to be in this room ever again.

So it was useless for absolutely everyone.

Great.

Since there was nothing else to investigate, they left.

Now that he thought about it, they hadn't seen any flashback lights.

Was it normal?

Either way, the only thing they could do was to go back to the main building and tell the others about their discovery, even though now it was pretty useless.

The walk was as silent as ever, none of them in the mood to talk.

But both the mercenary and the violinist knew they had to inform Ryoma about how Rantaro acted.

They went back to the dining hall. Only Miu and Kokichi were here.

"Oh- did you guys discover anything?" the street artist asked, trying to hide her obvious nervousness.

"Perhaps we should wait until Ryoma and Kaito come back?" Shuichi suggested.

She paused. "Hm... I don't even know how much time it will take for Ryoma to repair Kaito's leg... And it's not like he can walk four sets of stairs without it."

Good point.

"At least for now we should just give them a quick sum-up of what we found." Kirumi added.

They explained everything they had discovered in the exisal hangar, but that it would be pretty useless for them since a code was needed to enter, that they had no possible way to remember.

Miu was rather disappointed not to be able to paint the exisals. According to her, it would have been quite an experience.

Since it was almost noon, Miu and Kirumi decided to prepare lunch.

Kokichi joined them as well.

Now it was just him and Rantaro, sitting in uncomfortable silence.

"Do you... Wanna check on Ryoma and Kaito?" he suggested.

Rantaro stood up. "Sure."

After telling the kitchen trio, the two made their way to the fifth floor.

Shuichi wanted to say something. He was never the best at comforting, but he could still try.

"H-Hey..."

The medic briefly turned around. "Hm?"

"I uh..." He trailed off. "I... didn't know you had those scars... I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable back then."

He was silent for a moment. "... It's fine. Those are old scars. I don't pay attention to them anymore."

That was clearly a lie.

"Please just... I know you probably don't want to talk to me about it but... You're friends with Ryoma, right? He doesn't think any less of you because of the trial... I know he'll talk to you if you ask him."

The violinist saw him narrowing his eyes a bit. "... I'll think about it."

So that was the best he could get out of him.

They reached the lab and Shuichi knocked on the door before entering.

The two made their way to the back. Kaito was sitting on one of the wooden boxes, watching Ryoma working on the prosthetic leg.

"Oh, hey there."

Ryoma perked his head up, taking off his safety glasses. "You're back."

"We wanted to check on you both... How is work going?" Shuichi asked.

He took the prosthetic leg in his hands. "I'm almost done. It wasn't exactly a hard task, it just took time for me to identify the correct materials and get them. It isn't easy when your partner is a one-legged man."

Kaito groaned. "Sorry, sorry... I can't exactly help it, y'know?"

"Never said you could."

The three stayed there as Ryoma kept working.

After some time, he was finally done.

"Here. I did my best."

Kaito examined the leg. "It's as good as new! Thanks!"

The weapons maker snickered. "Don't sweat it. Just don't get another spear or something in the leg, okay?"

He laughed. "I'll try, I'll try."

Kaito put his leg back on and the four finally left the lab to go back to the dining hall.

The three had just finished preparing lunch.

It was nice to eat a real meal after days of bland rice and crackers.

They ate in silence since there was no possible way to make a nice conversation. The atmosphere was tense, Shuichi could sense it.

"So... No flashback light this time?" Kokichi hesitantly asked.

Miu hummed. "That's odd... Monokuma always gives us one after a trial..."

Kirumi sighed. "So we're no further ahead, then."

Too bad. They thought they could at least get a better idea of what was going on, where they were, why they were here, but Monokuma decided not to help them.

Was it because they already knew too much?

After all, they learned that Kaito was not Keebo's killer, they had Tsumugi's notebook to read, Kiyo's notebook would perhaps give him more information on the others...

Was there enough information in there for them to figure out the rest?

He would have to take a look at the notebooks, then.

But right now, he just felt tired.

He wanted to be alone.

After that, everyone parted their ways, agreeing to investigate the rest when they would be in a better mental state.

Kokichi wanted to go back to Himiko's lab, alone this time.

Miu and Kaito were together in the street artist's lab.

Kirumi was not in the mood to be with anyone, which was more than understandable.

And to his relief, Ryoma and Rantaro were hanging out together.

Shuichi didn't know what to do. He simply felt tired from this morning's events.

... Perhaps he could try to get some rest.

He went back to his room and laid on his bed.

He closed his eyes, desperately hoping that he would not be haunted by nightmarish visions this time.

...

--

5 PM.

Shuichi slowly opened his eyes. He had managed to sleep peacefully, for once.

He sat up, rubbing his face.

Taking a look at his monopad, he tried to see where everyone was.

Ryoma and Rantaro had moved to the casino, for some reason.

Kokichi was still in Himiko's lab.

As for Kirumi, Kaito, and Miu, they were all in the street artist's lab.

... Perhaps he could try to talk to Kokichi. He hadn't spoken to him alone for a long time.

Hopefully, he would accept his visit.

After getting to the astronomer's lab and climbing the huge amount of steps, he knocked on the door.

A few moments later, Kokichi opened. "Shuichi?"

He didn't look mad, thankfully.

"Do you mind if I come in?"

Kokichi nodded as he let the violinist into the lab.

There were open books and papers scattered around the telescope.

"What were you doing?" he asked.

Kokichi reached for one of the books. "I wanted to see what got Himiko so passionate about space... Miu told me I could try to read some books about astronomy, and now I'm trying to look at the stars and constellations."

Carrying Himiko's legacy... That was a nice thought.

"But to be honest... There's something I'm trying to do, but it will take time, I think."

"What is it?"

He took a piece of paper. "I'm trying to retrace what I can find with the telescope, the constellations visible from here and everything. But more importantly..."

He narrowed his eyes at the sky map from one of the books.

"... I'm trying to figure out where we are on this planet."

Shuichi's eyes widened. That was actually a smart idea. Considering how there was a possibility they were thousands of kilometers away from their home, using the stars as a way to locate themselves was a great plan.

"For now I'm mostly trying to figure out how this telescope works... But if I do manage to use it there's a possibility we figure out where we are and which season we are currently in!"

Shuichi grinned. "That's great! I don't know much about astronomy but if it can help us then I'm all for it."

Kokichi smiled, but he quickly dropped it. "T-Thanks... Although I'm sure Himiko would have gladly done it instead of me..."

The violinist put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure Himiko would have been proud to see you getting interested in astronomy."

"... Maybe you're right."

The two tried to understand how the telescope worked.

Kokichi was reading one of the manuals while Shuichi tried to move the machine.

It took them a while, but after some time they managed to completely figure out the telescope's basic aspects.

But looking at the time on the clock, perhaps it was better to just go downstairs for now.

That may have been a small step for them, but that could be one giant leap for the group.

The two went back to the first floor. The trio that was in the street artist's lab was now preparing dinner.

"Oh, hey there!" Miu called them.

Shuichi approached the group. "What are you guys preparing?"

"The classic beef ramen, baby!" Kaito exclaimed. "... It's the only recipe I know."

He giggled. "Do you guys need any help?"

"Eh, just set the table. It's not like you can do much right now." Miu shrugged.

The two did as told. While they were doing so, the other two boys came in as well.

They ate in silence. Kokichi explained his plan to find their location, and that he would perhaps try this evening.

Shuichi thought about the two notebooks. He didn't have the energy to read them, but he would surely have to do so at some point.

But just as they were about to leave, the screen of the monitor turned on.

"Ahem! This is a school announcement!"

The others turned to the screen, showing Monokuma stirring a glass.

"Everyone, please gather at the gym immediately!"

They all looked at each other.

What kind of announcement did Monokuma want to make?

They made their way here, Shuichi's heart pounding in his chest.

When everyone arrived, the bear wasn't there.

"... Where is he?" Kaito asked.

As if on cue, the black and white robot popped up, along with his green cub.

"My, my! I have waited wayyy too long for you guys to show up! Don't ever make your headmaster wait that much ever again!"

Miu rolled her eyes. "We are the ones who waited for you, though."

"Cut that shit out." Rantaro took a step forward. "What do you want from us?"

The bear pouted. "Quit being so impatient! Besides..."

He took a look at all of them. "Who told you that you were allowed not to wear your uniforms properly??"

Ryoma shrugged. "Not in the rules, chief."

His passive tone almost made Shuichi snicker.

The bear grunted. "Whatever. I'm here to give you what you all have been waiting for!"

Kokichi raised an eyebrow. "The flashback light?"

"No." Rantaro interrupted him. "If he wanted to give us a flashback light, he would have done so during the explorations."

"Oh~ Perspective, aren't we?" Monokuma put his paws on his mouth. "You are right! There's no flashback light this time!"

"I reunited all of you here to announce the new motive!"

Huh? Already? Monokuma always waited the day after the explorations to announce the new motive. Why the sudden change?

"You see, I was planning another motive, but I am going to put it aside for now. I mean, someone gave me an excellent idea!"

Someone? Who would even give ideas to him?

"Stop the nonsense." Ryoma glared at him. "We already know who you're talking about. And I don't think he suggested you anything."

... Nope. No idea.

"Well, well. Inspired, gave me ideas, same thing!"

Kirumi crossed her arms. "I am supposing this is about Korekiyo, right?"

Shuichi turned to her. "Wh-"

"Ding ding ding! You are absolutely right!"

Korekiyo... Inspired him?

"Your dear friend had a deal with me. He had to make sure the trial went on for at least one hour, and then he was free to do whatever he wanted!"

"So I decided to give you guys the motive you all love from the bottom of your hearts..."

"... A time limit!"

What? Again? But... Why? What did it have to do with Kiyo?

"And since he made the trial last for four long hours, your time limit will be in four days!"

So that's why Kiyo kept on fighting... It was to buy them more time to end the game by themselves.

"That's right! From this moment, you have exactly 96 hours to kill the person of your choice!"

The others looked at the bear in shock.

"Soooo... Do what you want with this, but if no one is dead by the limit, consider yourselves as dead as good ol' Tsumugi!"

He flinched at those words.

And he was not the only one.

The black bear left before they could add anything, leaving the green cub alone.

"..."

"GOOD-LUCK. MAY-THE-ODDS-BE-IN-YOUR-FAVOR."

He left.

Shuichi could only stare at the spot where Monokuma was.

They had thought he wouldn't put another time limit but... They were sorely mistaken.

Did that mean it was never supposed to be the motive until Kiyo acted on his own?

What was the original motive, then?

He glanced at Rantaro, who had his fists clenched, but was silent, like deep in thought.

"... Ryoma."

The weapons maker perked up. "Yes?"

"You have more than enough materials to create whatever machine you desire, right?"

He put his hands in his pockets. "... What are you planning?"

Rantaro let out a chuckle. "Isn't it obvious?"

"We're getting out of here."

Shuichi perked up. The only way to get out was through the...

... Death road of ...

...

That... That was his plan?

To create weapons to go through the death road of despair?

"You want me to create the proper equipment to go through the tunnels?"

"Exactly."

They now had the engineer's lab open, and all the possibilities with it.

Now was their chance. They could do it.

They could escape.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Miu approached Rantaro. "You want us to go through the death road of despair, again?"

"That's our only solution." he replied. "If we can disable the traps in the tunnels, we can get out."

"R-Really??" Kaito exclaimed. "So we actually have a chance?"

"Listen well."

Rantaro raised his voice, stepping forward to make sure everyone could see him.

"Tonight, Ryoma will be making the equipment for the tunnels. I will be preparing medical stuff for if things go wrong."

"If we can get through the tunnels, we can get out of this place for good."

"I'm gonna have to ask you to get some food and water just in case we need it outside."

"We're in the endgame now. If this mission succeeds, we can go back to the outside world without having to worry about a time limit nor a killing game anymore."

"I'm counting on you all. Get some rest tonight, because tomorrow, we're out."

"Did I make myself clear!?"

Shuichi could finally sense some hope. Even though Rantaro looked furious at Monokuma for reminding him about his past mistakes, he could sense his fighting spirit.

The will to end the game, growling from deep inside him.

"Alright!" Miu yelled. "It's decided! We're out!"

"Y-Yeah! We have to do this!" Kokichi added.

"It's about damn time." Kirumi sighed in relief. "The atmosphere here may have been better than before the game for me, but I'm getting tired of Monokuma's nonsense."

"Then we'll fight! We're going to make it!" Kaito exclaimed.

Shuichi was impressed by everyone's sudden will to fight. "Then I'll fight too!"

Ryoma chuckled. "You can count on me for the weapons, boss. It's nice to see the fighting spirit of our medic."

Rantaro looked at them, a determined look on his face.

A determination that was filled with the rage accumulated these past two weeks.

A determination fueled by the shining hope, rising from deep inside their hearts.

"... Let's do this."

The group separated. Ryoma went to his lab, Rantaro went to his own and Miu volunteered to get the food from the dining hall.

They were going to get out of here.

For Gonta. For Tenko. For Kaede. For Maki. For Himiko. For Keebo. For Angie. For Tsumugi. And for Korekiyo.

Tomorrow would be a big day.

The day where this killing game ends.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #356

“i’m just a painting that’s still wet: if you touch me, i’ll be smeared, you’ll be stained, stained for the rest of your life”

Have you ever used emotional blackmail to get your own way? WOW, no. What a starter. Has anybody ever used emotional blackmail on you? Not to my memory. Who did you last worry about and why? Honestly? Myself. My physical health just isn't very good right now. When are you next at work? Do you enjoy your work? N/A When was the last time you ate/drank something gross just to be polite? I'm not sure; I'm honestly very, very bad at this. I struggle big time hiding if I don't like something. Last time you heard a growl, who or what did it come from? My stomach. When did you last make up a baby’s bottle? Never. Do you have a mouse for your laptop? (Assuming you have a laptop) I use a mouse. I'm not a big trackpad fan. Do you have the right time set on your microwave? Yeah. What is your most expensive bill? I don't have any bills that I pay myself, because I can't. Do you have a big yard? No. Is there someone you would love to punch right now? Myself lol. Does the water in your shower take a long time to get warm? Yeah, it does. Song playing? I have "Leave A Scar" by Marilyn Manson on. Are you tired? I'm always tired. If you had the power to instantly transform someone’s life (for the better), who would you choose to use this on? My mom. Her entire life has been so fucking unfair, and she doesn't deserve it whatsoever. Just one day of her being perfectly happy would make my entire life. You wake up to a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. Your family is safe, but most of your city is zombified. You need weapons and various other supplies. What is your first general course of action? I seriously cannot even begin to imagine what I would do besides panic and be one of the first to die, honestly. If a family member (or boyfriend/girlfriend, if you have one) happened to be infected by one of these undead creatures, how would you go about dealing with that situation? It would tear me to shreds, but shoot them in the head to hopefully prevent them from turning. I couldn't let them suffer. Does someone’s view on homosexuality affect how you feel about them in any way? Sure as hell does. How about someone’s view on religion? This one depends on what their beliefs entail and to what intensity. If you were paralyzed from the neck down, would you still want to continue living? Why or why not? NO. NO. NO. This is seriously one of my biggest fears. Just fucking kill me. That sounds like very legitimate torture to me. Has any medication you’ve taken ever made you sick? How so? Three, to my memory. When I started Latuda, it made me throw up semi-frequently, BUT its effectiveness made me stay on it. My body eventually adjusted. The same thing happened with my current mood stabilizer, Vraylar. I was also on another, Trintellix I think, and that one did nothing but consistently make me puke, so I stopped it. Would you ever consider being a foster parent? No. Would you rather drink alone or with friends? With friends. Do you have too much time on your hands? WAY too much time. And yet I do nothing productive with it. Have you ever thought about hurting someone? Not seriously, no. Do you thank people for helping you? Always. Have you ever seen a zebra up close? Yeah, a few. Do you freak out if you see blood? Nah, it doesn't bother me. Have you ever complained to a manager about anything? What was it? No. Are there any songs that make you feel angry inside when you hear them? "Eternally Yours" by Motionless In White makes me feel that, among a thousand other emotions that are way too strong for me to handle, so I just don't listen to it. Have you ever been in a building that was on fire? YIKES, no. Are you in an argument with anyone right now? No. Have you ever written a poem for someone? Numerous times. Who’s the last person who cussed you out in anger? I think only my grandmother has done that. Who is the person you are closest to that you’ve meet online? Sara. (: Have you friended your parents on FB? I have my mom on there, but Dad doesn't have a FB. Where do you go out to eat for a special occasion? It depends on what we're in the mood for and what the occasion is. When someone sneezes, do you say “Bless you,” or “God Bless you?” Just "bless you." Have you ever seen the movie A Walk to Remember? Cliche or worth watching? Yeah, it's a wonderful movie. Do you live in a house, apartment, or another type of arrangement? House. Are you one of those people who like to spell out numbers? Grammatically speaking, any number below ten should be spelled out. I obviously spell out "ten," but w/e. Did you or do you still have a Furby? Was/is it annoying? I did as a kid. It didn't annoy me then, but as an adult I know they're creepy as shit lol. What's one event your town has that you don’t like to participate in? I don’t participate in any town events. Are any of your siblings married? What are their spouse’s names? Yeah. There's Nick, Josh, and Franky. Do you know how to sew? What's your favorite thing to sew? No. Have you ever owned a turtle? Did it ever bite you when you owned it? It's so awful looking back on, but my sisters and I kept a box turtle that wondered into our yard once as kids. No proper husbandry or anything; it was just in the kiddie pool. Thankfully, we were smart enough to not actually keep it forever (or rather, until it probably died from improper care); we wound up releasing it into the pond near our house, from which we assume it came from. Do you have Photoshop? If so, how often a day do you use it? I do; it comes with the Adobe photography bundle I have. I definitely don't use it daily, or even weekly. Has your school ever had a lockdown? If so, for what reason exactly? No, only drills. Do you enjoy it when your school has drills? (ex/fire or tornado drill?) I didn't, no, because I didn't like imagining the real situation. Do you watch any shows that you know your parents wouldn’t approve of? I'm an adult, for one. But anyway, I've never watched shows they'd have a problem with. If you have any pets, how would you describe their personalities? The cat, Roman: very, very affectionate, boisterous, demanding, playful, smart as fuck, and shy when it comes to strangers. The snake, Venus: curious, chill, and a bit timid. Do you have any friends that own a private lake? Not to my knowledge. Do you have a drone? No. Who is your favorite comedian? It was John Pinette, but following his death, probably Gabriel Iglesias. Where were you the last time you stayed in a hotel? I think at a dance competition? Do you know anyone with Crohn’s disease? Yeah. Out of all of the shows, movies, and books you love, who is your OTP (one true pairing)? Probably Spyro and Cynder from The Legend of Spyro trilogy. I love them. But I honestly don't have like, intense OTP feelings for any fictional characters? No real reasons, I just don't. Rhett and Link are my *true* OTP haha, but I didn't know if they counted since they're obviously real. Have you ever written a fanfiction? Did people actually like it? Nah. Have you ever liked playing dollmakers or online dress-up games? OH MY GOD my little sister and I would do that together ALL the time. Have you ever sent any celeb fan mail? No. Have you ever gotten a serious injury at school? What happened? No. Do your pets follow you when you walk around the house? Oh yes, he's my shadow. What was the very first social media site you signed up for? Myspace. Are you the type of person who knows exactly what they want in life? I mean, I know what I want, I just don't know if it's achievable for me. Do you have commitment issues? Nope. If you were to start a business, what kind would it be? I'd love to have like my own facility for boudoir photography. I've only shot boudoir once, but it immediately became a passion because of how empowering it was for my then-friend. I could go on a real ramble as to why I love it. What’s something you’ve done that sounds too crazy to be true? Been to psychiatric hospitals like six times. I honestly did lose count. Are there any flowers planted outside your house? No. What was the last thing you drank? Water. Truly incredible, I know. What’s the weirdest decoration you’ve seen in someone else’s home? *shrug* Did you have your own bathroom when you were growing up? No. Does anyone in your family smoke? My dad and his wife. What’s an opinion you find impossible to take seriously? That dinosaurs never existed. What was the very first election you voted in? This past one, actually. Do you feel positive and optimistic about your future? I don't want to think about this. What exes do you still associate with? Just Sara and Girt. Who told you they loved you last? My mom. Your worst enemy? I don't say I have any enemies. People who don't like me or I don't like them, but "enemy" isn't the proper word. What was your last dream about? Ugh. What a fucking question to ask, considering what I dreamt last night. I had both a nightmare and a normal dream; in the nightmare, I was sucked up into a tornado and carried away, and it felt so, so real. I was terrified. The dream is more vague in my memory, but I know I was at Jason's house (which wasn't actually his house) and his mom was still alive. I was hanging out with her and just chatting. It made me wake up in a really somber mood. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? Psych hospitals, yes. Have you ever built a snowman? Yeah. What is your favorite milkshake flavor? Chocolate. Do you have any scars? I have a lot, but most are from negligible instances that just won't go away for some reason. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? Putting all impossibilities aside as well as any potential health repercussions, maybe a meerkat and an opossum? Just in general a meerkat with a marsupial tail would be SO cute. Plus imagine the pattern. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? Oh I don't know. Can you do any accents other than your own? I can pull off a really convincing British one. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. No. I just get clean, get out. I've always hated showering (the process anyway, I obviously enjoy feeling clean), so I get my business done adequately and then I'm done. Do you believe in aliens? Eh, maybe. It does seem pretty questionable to believe NOTHING else can exist in an infinite space. I doubt they're little green men, though. What do you think about babies? WAY too much work and WAY too much responsibility. Keeping another life safe, healthy, happy... the idea alone is terrifying. No thanks.

[obsidianfr3sk]

Beginnings and Endings (Part 2)

@renegadesnet event 2: august of anarchy

↪ [The Artino Brothers]

Summary: In the beginning, it was just the two of them: David and Alec, the Artino Brothers. Then, they brought anarchy into the world. Now, David is not sure if there would be enough of themselves by the end of it. "Don't call me Alec anymore. Now I am Ace. Ace Anarchy."

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25686343/chapters/62997898

With this part ends my contribution to August of Anarchy:) I love participating and I hope we got more events in the future!! Writing David and Ace was painfully wonderful and I’m not saying I will write more fics about them someday... but I will lol I hope you like this chapter as much as you like the first one <3

Also i wrote this from my mom’s pc because my laptop is a little bitch and broke down and it’s fucking difficult to type on this keyboard like wtf this pc is old as fuck it has like 12 years do yall realize that if this pc was a child she would be having her first period??? but like my laptop has only three years and she fucking dead-

The finale of the ending

Age of Anarchy

Year 11

David had never left Tala's house feeling angry. Never. Tala never made him angry. How could he be mad at the kindest, funniest, and most talkative person who inhabited the entire galaxy? He could spend hours listening to her rants, reading old magazines with her, and laughing at her bad jokes. Her hair smelled like yeast and cherries. (David surely smelled like crap.)

Tala Ong made him wish the nights were eternal, but this time David was doing nothing but longing the day would come soon.

She knew very well they never spoke of his family, and she had dared to mention it anyway.

David entered the cathedral through the back door. He still had Tala's words inside his head.

“You can't let him tell you what to do, David. Don't you realize that he is only manipulating you? He's using you for his evil ends, David, because yes, that what they are, evil ends.”

Evil ends. How old was she, seven?

“You no longer depend on him. You are an adult, David. A very handsome, smart, and powerful adult. I've seen the things you can do with your powers, and it's… it's beautiful, David, it's very beautiful.”

Talanever wore jewelry. She said it contrasted a lot with the old clothes she wore all the time. However, when David made that bracelet for her on her birthday, Talaassured him she would always wear it. And up to that point, she had kept her promise.

“David, I like you. A lot, a lot, a lot. You honestly have no idea how much I like you. If it were up to me, we would spend the rest of our days together.” She walked over to him and put her hands on his chest. Talawas short, curvy, and her eyes were so beautiful... “You are special. And not because you're a prodigy, David, God no. You are special, but because you are you, David, and that is more than enough.”

And David was about to tell her the truth. Tell her that he also liked her very, very, very much and that he agreed to spend the rest of his days with her. But then, Tala caressed his cheek and whispered, “Ace won’t hurt you anymore.”

He pulled away from her with outrage burning him inside. 

Tala didn't know Ace as he did. She didn't know what she was talking about.

David entered the chapel where he slept. It was dark and small compared to other chapels in the cathedral, but he liked it. He reached out to turn on the light, and—

He froze. Ace was there, staring at the marble statue dedicated to the Holy Family. He lit a candle for them, murmuring some words in italian. Then he crossed himself. Nel nome del Padre, del Figlio e dello Spirito Santo.

When Ace prayed and David was in trouble, he couldn't tell if he was talking to the good Ace or the bad Ace. Both Ace were deeply devoted. 

But the bad Ace was scary when David did something he didn't like.

“Of all the sculptures in this cathedral, this must be one of my favorites, David,” Ace said without looking at him. “You know why?”

David could only ask, "Why, Ace?”

“Because it shows Jesus in his most vulnerable form,” he replied. “This child is— was the Savior of all mankind. He was the most powerful being on Earth, yet he loved and respected his family like any other mere mortal. And in that, we are alike.”

You are not God, Ace. Stop comparing yourself to him.

Ace turned around. He was wearing his helmet, but was on his pajamas. In another context, David would be laughing. “Where were you?” he asked.

“I was—”

“With Tala.”

There was no point lying to him. “Yes. With Tala.”

Ace leaned against a column. “And how is she? What's new?”

“Actually— we argued.”

“Did you argue? That’s terrible.”

If Tala had been there, she probably wouldn't have noticed the suffocating atmosphere. She would not have a cold sweat all over her body, nor would the blood have gone to her feet.

Because she was brave.

“You are brave, David!” she exclaimed trying to take his hand again. “You are as brave as—”

“As brave as you?” David asked, his face flushed with anger. “No, I am not! We both know I'm not! Forgive me for being a freaking disappointment to you!”

When he heard Tala's first sob, he was so scared, so sorry for his actions, that he ran. He left his crush crying, in the middle of the hot, starless night.

David was not brave. David was a coward.

“It is,” he whispered.

“Why did you argue?”

Because of you.

David leaned against the spine next to Ace, his hands in his pockets. “She likes me. A lot,” he replied.

Ace moved to lean on the same column as David. His clothes were infused with a smell of humidity and incense. It was familiar, sure, but it was never going to be as pleasant and comforting as Tala's. Never.

“And did she just say it like that?” he asked with a sly smile. “Wow. She must be crazy for you, David.”

He nudged him gently on the shoulder. David dared to smile.

He was talking to the good Ace.

“Yes, I thought we were just good friends,” David replied, throwing himself on his cot, “but the truth is that... I like her too.”

“Why?” Ace asked, laughing out loud.

“Why not?” David said with a shrug. “She is cute. And ingenious. Very funny.”

Ace sat next to him on the cot. “But she isn’t a prodigy,” he reminded him.

David rolled his eyes. “Are we going back to that? There is nothing wrong with it.”

“There's nothing wrong with just being friends, sure,” agreed his brother, “but when it comes to starting a family, it can be a problem.”

“No, no one is talking about starting a family,” David said. “I just think she's cute. That's it.”

“Don't lie to me, little nightmare," he whispered, "you know I don't like you lying to me.”

Ace stood up, blocking the light that was hitting David's face.

His smile disappeared. He was wrong. David was talking to the bad Ace.

Idiot. He should have known better.

“I’m aware you have a very strong attachment to her,” he told him. “I see it in your eyes every time you return from visiting her.”

“You notice when I arrive?” he muttered.

“Oh, all the time, David, all the time,” he replied with a nod. “You're so in love. But what tells you that she corresponds to your feelings with the same intensity?”

The cold sweat returned. “She told me,” he replied quietly. “She told me I was special.”

“Special?” Ace rolled his eyes. “David, women will say anything to seduce a man and get what they want out of him.”

“But I have nothing, Ace. What could she want from me?”

“You have nothing, that's right,” he agreed. “But we—” he threw the helmet at him violently, “—we have this.”

David's hands squeezed it. He hoped it exploded. Or burst into flames. Or both. “Your helmet?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“It is evident that she is working with the Renegades,” Ace explained. “They are probably the ones who gave her the idea of exactly what she had to say to make you believe her and fall in love.” He brushed a lock of hair from David’s face, with those long, cold fingers that gave him chills. That lock could never stay in place. “I don't blame you, little nightmare. You wouldn't be the first to fall for a pretty face.”

David fixed his gaze on the helmet. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph— he hated that freaking helmet.

“Why should she like you anyway? Why would such a pretty girl notice you if not for our power?”

Our power, Ace? Or your power?

David started to tear up. Was it because of his sadness? His anger? Or was it because of the pain he felt in his hands from crushing the helmet?

“The world is full of people who will tell even the vilest of lies just to get what they want,” Ace continued. The unruly lock covered her face again. Ace extended his hand slowly. “Believe me when I tell you that Tala is not so different from them.”

Tala could be many things. But if there was one thing David was sure of, it was that she was not a liar.

“No.”

Ace's hand stopped. “No?”

David stood up and tossed the helmet at Ace. “No! Talais not what you say. She's not a liar,” he exclaimed, pointing at his brother with his finger. “And do you know how I know that? Because I know her! I know her better than you ever will because I'm not obsessed with the idea of someone coming in and taking away the power I have! I am sure of how powerful I am. No one can take from me what is truly mine. Not even you.”

Ace put his helmet back on, and looked David up and down.

Crap.

Suddenly, a force lifted him off the ground and smashed David into a pillar. He stifled a groan of pain as Ace walked over to him, looking him in the eyes, and retaining David’s extremities with his powers.

He was going to kill him. He truly believed that he was going to kill him right there.

But Ace did not.

He tucked his younger brother's unruly lock back behind his ears.

His hands were still cold. But David was no longer afraid.

Ace sighed. “I'm just trying to protect you, my little nightmare.”

David had never felt so grossed out hearing his nickname. He hated it even more than he hated the helmet. Little nightmare. My little nightmare.

He could throw up just thinking about it.

Without him noticing at first, golden threads began to sprout from his fingertips, moving in strange directions. David wasn't even moving a single muscle. His brother clenched his jaw and frowned. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He had never seen him having so much difficulty controlling his telekinesis. 

Then, he realized what was going on. Their powers were in a fight, neck to neck. And David's seemed to have a chance.

Finally, David's powers won out, and he fell to the ground on his feet. A little shaky, a little confused about what had just happened— but free.

“I can take care of myself, Alec,” he said. “And I'm not your little nightmare anymore.”

Without answering, Alec picked him up off the ground again. This time, David's powers did not come to his rescue. He levitated him all the way to the main entrance of the cathedral. With a wave of his hand, he opened the doors wide and threw him to the sidewalk with violence.

David fell backward. Dazed, he raised his head. His gaze was slightly blurred, but he could clearly see Alec was smiling at him.

Maliciously. Tenderly. With a terrifying mix of both.

“I know you'll come back. I will be waiting.”

As soon as the doors closed again, David stood up and walked away from the cathedral. Alec was wrong. He was never coming back.

The nightmare had come to an end.

[argonaut--keene]

If you're up for it, I'd love something h/c with taakitz, with Kravitz as the one needing comfort. Either emotional or physical is fine! Thank you :)

This forced me to actually figure out how I want to write Taakitz, so thank you!!!!! Sorry it took so long, I was struggling to end it, lol. <3

Word count: 1,416

Warnings: food, discussion around Death Crimes, mention of off-page child death and of off-page suicide attempt (not named characters), having a Bad Day™️

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Taako was puttering around the kitchen when the stone of farspeech around his neck beeped and his sister’s voice came through.��

“Hey, Taako? You around?” She sounded tired and a little bit sad.

He grabbed the stone and answered. “Yeah, course I’m around, sis. Something wrong?”

“No…well, yeah. But not with me, at least, um…not really. Has, uh, has Kravitz gotten home yet?”

Taako frowned. “No…I thought y’all were all working until this evening. Did something happen?”

Lup sighed into the stone, and it gave a loud crackling sound in protest. “Yeah. It’s going to be okay, nobody’s like, hurt, or anything. Kravitz said he was taking the long way home, no rifting. So I guess it could be another hour or so? Anyway, I was calling to warn you that he’s not doing so hot.”

“What happened?” Taako demanded.

“Um, if he wants to talk about it, he will. Sorry, Koko, I know that’s not helpful, I just…he looked so sad.”

“Is it like, ‘make him some cookies and give him a hug’ type of sad? Or like, 'expect him to collapse into bed crying and stay there for a week’ type of sad?” Taako wanted to know.

She hesitated. “Somewhere in the middle.”

“Cool. I will make cookies and also have a blanket nest prepared. Will you and Barry be home anytime soon?”

“Hold on–” Her voice got quieter. “Babe, how long do you think this is gonna take?”

Muffled in the background, Barry said something that Taako couldn’t quite hear.

“Not until late tonight, we think. We’ve got a bit of a mess to clean up. Not much of a physical mess, more of a metaphysical mess. Well. Anyway, gotta go, Koko. Try and cheer your boyfriend up. Love you!”

“Love ya, Lulu.” The stone went silent. Taako got started on the cookies.

The thing was, there wasn’t much that could make Kravitz really upset anymore. He had been around for a long time in a pretty demanding and depressing line of work. He wasn’t numb to the horrible things he saw, he had just…well, they didn’t shock him anymore. Whatever had happened today, it must have been bad.

When the front door opened, Taako was just taking the cookies out of the oven. He heard footsteps in the front hall and decided to let Kravitz come to him. After a few minutes, Kravitz stepped into the kitchen. “Wanna talk about it?” was all Taako said as he turned around.

Kravitz looked so tired. “How did you…?”

“Lup called,” Taako said simply.

“She told you what happened?”

“Well, she told me something happened. The unspecific nature of that remark did nothing to appease my tendency to worry, so you should be very impressed by the amount I am not freaking out right now.” Taako held out a small plate. “Cookie?”

“Not…um, not right now, love. Sorry.”

“All good, I have multiple options prepared. Would you rather curl up in a nest of blankets until you’re ready to talk about it?” he offered.

“I…yeah. Yeah, that one sounds nice.” Kravitz let Taako take him into the bedroom, get him into pajamas, and pull him down into the blanket pile on the bed. He curled up on his side. His breathing was a little unsteady.

Taako rubbed his shoulder gently. “Just let me know when you’re ready to chat,” he murmured.

“I’m alright, Taako, I’ll be alright.”

“I know, course you will. But y'know how you always tell me that it’s better to talk about it? That goes both ways. But not until you’re ready,” Taako said. “Okay?”

Kravitz was going to answer, but no words came out. He just nodded.

Patiently, Taako sat with him and held his hand for almost two hours before Kravitz spoke again. He mumbled something so quietly that Taako couldn’t hear it. “What was that, pumpkin?”

“My job isn’t to be fair,” Kravitz repeated a little more loudly. “I can’t…I’m responsible for keeping the planar system in order. Not to make it fair. If I make exceptions, things go wrong. It’s not always fair.”

“Um…yeah, that makes sense.” Taako wished that he knew what had happened. It would make it a lot easier to make sure he wasn’t going to say the wrong thing.

“I’ve been doing this for so long that I can’t even remember how long I’ve been doing it for, Taako, and I still can’t get used to that. It…it’s not usually like this, though. Most of my bounties are doing something wrong, something harmful, not…”

Taako put his hand on Kravitz’s cheek and carefully tilted his face up. “Look at me? Hey. Whatever happened, it’s not your fault. You’re doing your job. And you do it damn well.”

“Doesn’t mean it isn’t awful.” Kravitz reached up and wiped at his eyes, although he wasn’t really crying.

“No, I know that. Or at least, I can see that. Do y'think you’re gonna be able to tell me what happened, darlin’? I wanna help, but it’s hard when I don’t know what’s got you upset,” Taako requested.

Hesitantly, Kravitz explained that he had been assigned a bounty on an older halfling woman and the spirit of a six-year-old halfling boy who had drowned in a river a week before the woman, his grandmother, had desperately turned to necromancy to bring him back to life. Although Kravitz had been able to offer the woman a second chance, the child’s spirit had been taken back to the astral plane. His grandmother had pleaded for an exception to the rule and eventually begged to be guided to the astral plane alongside the boy, who was her only living relative. Kravitz had apologized and offered to bring her to people who would understand and might be able to help. She hadn’t accepted his offer.

“What…um, what did she do?” Taako asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

“She tried to kill herself with magic,” Kravitz stated. “She didn’t succeed–I was too shocked to do anything, but Lup and Barry had arrived by then and they made sure she didn’t succeed. We left her in the care of one of her neighbors and…hoped for the best.”

“Oh. Shit, Krav, wow.”

“It’s just, they usually don’t do that, Taako. It’s not like I haven’t seen plenty of people who turned to necromancy when they’ve lost something they think they can’t bear to lose, but they usually have something worth living for when I tell them that they can’t have the person back. She just didn’t think she did. Maybe she’ll find one again, but she didn’t seem to think so.” Kravitz rolled over, situating himself in Taako’s lap and hiding his face in his side. He was silently asking for comfort and Taako obliged, stroking his hair and his back as Kravitz trembled.

“This really shook you up good, huh, pumpkin?” sighed Taako. “Alright. Alright, I’ve gotcha. You’re gonna be fine. I’ve gotcha.”

“I love you, Taako,” he mumbled. “I love you, and…and I’m really grateful for you. You know that?”

Taako couldn’t help but smile a little bit. “I know, darlin’. I love you, too.”

“Thank you for putting up with this, I’m sorry for being so depressing.”

Now Taako laughed. “Oh–I’m sorry for laughing, sweetheart, but honey, you deal with enough of my panic attacks and nightmares and crying fits that if I was annoyed by you having a bad day, I’d be a pretty big asshole. You’re just fine.” He felt Kravitz shudder. “Krav? Are you crying?”

“A little,” he said, muffled against Taako’s shirt.

Taako leaned down and wrapped him in a tight embrace. “Alright, it’s okay. It’s okay. You go ahead and cry, it’s okay. It’s alright, pumpkin, you’re all good." 

Kravitz was a quiet crier. It was only because the tiny shakes of his shoulders calmed down that Taako could tell he had stopped. "Thank you,” he whispered.

“No need to thank me, zeekseit, hey. I’ve gotcha.” Taako kept hugging him until he sat up on his own. He cupped his hand around Kravitz’s cheek. “How ya doing?”

He took a deep breath. “Better,” he said. “Much…much better.”

Taako smiled and bumped their foreheads together gently. “So…want that cookie now?”

“I…” Kravitz kissed him. 

“Of course, I’m much sweeter than any cookie,” Taako teased. He was thrilled when Kravitz let out a quiet but genuine laugh.

“You certainly are,” he acknowledged. “That you certainly are.”

[isa-ghost]

Corruption AU

*Galaxy brains*

Catch me tempted to start a whole AU based off my theory that Chase got corrupted at the end of Dark Silence and is living through slowly changing and growing sick and discovering freaky powers he didn’t have before and realizing this is what his comatose best friend went through before the August 3rd/March 5th operation was hijacked by Anti.

Oh god this might be a temporary muse but god am I about to blow it up real quick anyway. There’s details on it below the cut.

Henrik is the one who put Jack in the coma and regrets it deeply. Half-possessed by Anti in the moment he did it, he knew Jack would die unless he induced a coma to stabilize him easier than blindly trying to figure out how Anti his possessed self was killing him.

He wasn’t gone for 9 months but rather 2. In-game the time Jack flatlined was March 5th, 2018 and Henrik reappeared May 3rd, 2018. He has barely revealed any info about what happened in that time, but any time he’s opened up about it to the other egos, Jack’s comatose body, or in vlogs on the channel, he gets extremely anxious and can’t elaborate. He’s trying to coach himself into healing enough to tell the story so it won’t happen to others.

It wasn’t one big operation from August 3rd, 2017 to March 5th, 2018. Jack was in the hospital on and off suffering severe affects from Anti’s constant assaults on him. Anti hijacked the August 3rd operation and March 5th operations. He might’ve hijacked a few in-between but nowhere near the level of chaos and damage on those two days. (I haven’t decided yet lol).

Henrik saved Chase’s life after a suicide attempt soon after his divorce was filed (Bro Average) and is very protective of him, but stretches himself incredibly thin between caring for Jack, watching over Chase, and dealing with his own trauma.

Obviously Chase took over the channel for Jack in his place. The community is suspecting he’s him and not Jack slowly, which he’s somewhat worried about, but hasn’t seen any anger about it yet so he feels like it won’t be a big horrific reveal if he ever gives up the facade and comes clean. It was hard enough watching Henrik’s vlog announcing Jack’s coma.

Being that he’s running the channel in Jack’s place when that’s (one of many things?) what Anti wants to do in order to gain more power, Anti attacked him (Dark Silence) and this is how/why Chase is slowly suffering the slow corruption Jack did from October 2016 to now.

Chase blacked out for a very long time after Dark Silence but beelined for Henrik when he came to his senses. When he found Henrik, he started to grow unstable again and broke down about being cornered by Anti and not knowing what was happening to him now before completely snapping again. Henrik had to fend him off, restrain him, and then had a minor trauma-related meltdown because his best friend is going through what he did on August 3rd and March 5th. Little does he know, this is going to progress far beyond just two one-off traumatic possessions and a two month kidnapping.

Anti lurks around constantly in between times harassing the community or toying with Jack’s comatose body on occasion. He’s watching and very much savoring the downward spiral Chase is in. A majority of what’s happened since May 2018 has been Chase glitching and acting strange rather than Anti, hence the camera/screen glitching more often than his physical body. The remaining fractions of cryptic/glitchy videos has been Anti hacking into the channel and reminding the community he’s lurking. After each time he’s done this, Henrik and Chase have had to reset all passwords to Jack’s social media that they’ve been using to make sure he’s kept out.

Sometimes Chase doesn’t feel/realize/see the recording getting meddled with by himself until well after its uploaded and he sees the community panicking about it, other times he’s well aware it’s going on and is acting that way on camera on purpose because he’s experiencing corruption affects or having blackouts. He‘s ashamed of himself for letting the community see what’s happening to him. Little did he know Anti had cameras record what he did to Chase and uploaded it to the channel so they all already know something is deeply wrong with Chase. He doesn’t have the will to go into detail about everything and clarify, so even though he’s upset about all the different speculations and theories about what’s going on because most of them are incorrect, he’d rather leave them to their own devices because the truth is complicated and messy and would be way too much to explain in a video or post.

Not only Chase, but Henrik keeps in close communication with the community. He keeps them up to date on Jack’s condition, how he personally is doing, how anniversaries and birthdays go, if Anti makes any appearances off-screen around them, his progress with finding Marvin and small updates from Jackie.

Jackie and Marvin are Henrik’s best friends since before Henrik met Chase. They all met through Jack. The coma struck all three of them with different kinds of grief. Jackie stopped heroing for a while and has kept a pretty low profile. He’s too distraught to fight as hard as he usually does and he’s also terrified he’s next on Anti’s list. He Probably Is. Marvin has completely vanished and nobody has heard from him. The truth is, he’s wiped himself off the radar to practice every type of magic he can find a way to learn about. He’s relentlessly training himself to avenge Jack and keep Anti away from the others.

Jameson is a sort of wild card buzzing around wherever needed. He typically hangs around Henrik, who saved him between operations on Jack. Anti attacked him the moment he was created to get him either on his side or out of the picture so he had less loose ends to tie up. He mutilated Jameson’s throat and left him for dead (though Jameson was created mute, the subtle throat scar he has is a common misconception people have when they first meet him). Jackie and Marvin found him, brought him to Henrik, and he was saved. Now recovered, he’s slowly taught Jackie, Marvin, and Chase BSL (Henrik already knew it in case of disabled patients), and floats between places doing whatever he can to help. He knows minor medical assistance from Henrik and helps him with Jack sometimes, he guards Jack’s hospital room (he’s got rapidly developing time powers and he’s not afraid to use them), practices said developing powers on his down time, and just generally does whatever small things he can to make life easier on the other four.

Jackie and Marvin had no idea Dark Silence happened until they both (at separate times on their own) found Anti’s footage on the channel. They’ve sunken even deeper into the grieving/coping methods they developed after Jack went into a coma.

Quit the Game to Win, most (if not all) of the X Scary Games, 1 Video series, any other videos we’ve had random, strange, fiery panic-worthy behavior and glitches from since May 2018 are all Chase. If someone were to watch the videos consecutively, Chase’s deterioration would be a lot more clear, a lot more scary, and a lot more heartbreaking.

So far Chase’s side affects are small glitches, mood swings, nose bleeds, ears ringing, nightmares, random blackouts (usually in which he does cryptic shit or uncharacteristic and unnerving behavior during), headaches, paranoia, and several other (mostly mental) symptoms.

For now, Henrik and Chase are waiting things out. Both of them are very stressed, scared, and tired.

Might edit this (will reblog if I do) or just straight up reblog it with more info if I think up more,,,, if I ever touch this AU again?? Idk it was spontaneous and usually my muses like that don’t last long. XD But I’d be happy to keep this an occasional writing prompt thing or something... Hmmmmm...

Also if you wanna send me asks/write/draw about this AU ever, feel free! Just tell me and tag me! :0