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the-archangel · 2 years ago

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Fragile Things

Cyber Hanami event Day 2 - Delicate

The flip-side to Sense

“What are you doing here Johnny?” “Whaddya mean?” “At my house, why are you at my house?” “Oh right yeah,” Johnny replies absentmindedly lighting a cigarette, “V asked me to come.” Kerry crosses his arms, anger flashing in his eyes, “And why can’t he fucking come himself?” “Look Ker,” the pet name earns the dark-haired rocker a dirty look, Johnny plunges on regardless, “you gonna let me in or what? We can talk inside.” Kerry weighs up the possibility of just slamming the door in the other man’s face, but decides he’ll get just as much satisfaction from throwing him out after he’s heard what he has to say.

The two men sit facing each other; Kerry feigning relaxation, legs crossed, arms stretched over the back of the seat and Johnny in his usual intense, forward-leaning pose.

Kerry hadn’t seen V since that morning on the balcony of the condo, and that was nearly 5 months ago. There wasn’t a day since than that he hadn’t regretted letting him go so easily, or being so off-hand with his problems. For the first few days he was angry as fuck, there’s another thing he regretted, sending those shitty messages, then for a couple more months he was just really sad, came close a couple of times to making stupid decisions but was always pulled back with the thought that, by some miracle, V would come back to him. He got it together after a fashion, hid in the villa and finished the songs he was writing, made plans for a tour he wasn’t sure he’d really be up for doing, and then a few weeks ago he gets a call, hears a voice that he thought was lost to him over fifty years ago. “Kerry?” “Shit, Johnny? How….shit…Where are you? No, fuck… V, Where’s V?” “He’s here, he…can’t really talk yet and he’s pretty fucked up, but yeah, he’s here.” The Rockerboy leapt off the couch towards the door, “I’m coming, where are you?”

Silence on the other end, until the sound of laboured breathing and a single syllable in a broken voice, “Ker…”

For a few days after that, Kerry’s fury at Johnny’s refusal to tell Kerry where they were, was tempered by his elation at knowing V was alive. He was productive, made it out of the house even a couple of times, once to give Vik and Misty an update, once just to drive around and feel the City around him, but he was becoming increasingly frustrated. When Johnny called again, he was in no mood to be jerked around. He listened long enough to be told that V was sitting up, could manage sipping water and was looking forward to getting back… “Back from where? Shit Johnny tell me now or I swear…” “OK, OK, we’re… in Switzerland….” Kerry takes a moment to process that, “….Switzerland?… OK, fine. I’m coming over I can be there in like….” “Stop, no you’re not. V’s been too fragile to move til now, but in a couple of days they’re bringin us back over…” “Who is?” “Don’t matter…. it’s gonna be a couple of weeks til he can come home, so chill.” The cold ball of rage in Kerry’s chest is barely being contained, “Fucking chill?” he hisses, “How can I chill when the love of my life is stuck in another country with a self-centred asswipe for company and I can’t even talk to him??” A moment’s silence on the other end, “Congrats Ker, you’ve made him smile for the first time since this shit storm happened.” The absolute fury subsides somewhat at that, replaced by his earlier frustration, “I get that he can’t talk, but why hasn’t he messaged me, written an email, fuck… just anything?” Johnny sighs, “I told you Ker, he was fucked up, his fuses blew, got crisped up pretty bad – not a pretty sight…” “He just gave you the bird didn’t he?” Kerry asked, tension finally easing.

Johnny snorts, “Ha! You know him nearly as well as I do.”

For the thirteen days, seven hours and fifty-six minutes since then, Kerry felt like a ghost, drifting through the rooms of the villa, unable to make even the most basic of decisions, not remembering to eat, not even getting drunk, sleeping fitfully and surviving on uppers, downers and fizzy water. All calls were ignored, requests went unanswered while he waited for his life to be able to start again. He knew this isn’t what V would be wanting him to do, he knew he should probably find someone to talk to about what he was feeling, but the truth was, he wasn’t feeling anything at all.

“It’s good to see you,” Johnny tells his old friend, “but you look like shit. When’s the last time you showered? Ate? Fuck, have you even left this couch?” “Two weeks you said. He’ll be home in two weeks, so where the fuck is he?” Johnny looks into Kerry’s eyes, he figures he must’ve caught a dose of V’s empathy, cuz the look on Kerry’s face almost makes him cry – almost. “There’s been a, erm…setback. He’s mostly fixed, kinda anyway, but his mind it’s … dunno, broken or something. He mostly just sleeps and stares at shadows, can’t get a word out of him ‘cept for one, I guess he wants to see you.” Kerry is almost in the shower before Johnny has finished his sentence, within ten minutes they’re in a cab, moving towards the facility where V is being looked after and in under an hour they’re there. Kerry’s mind is whirling, he can’t believe that he’s finally going to see his V, the things he’s going to show him, the stuff he needs to tell him – sorry being top of the list, but Johnny has warned him not to expect too much and to brace himself for V’s appearance, he’s light-headed with the emotion of it all. The guard waves them through, a supercilious doctor in a white coat welcomes them and leads them down a warren of corridors to a sparsely furnished industrial-white room, Kerry’s breath catches in his throat as he realises that what he had taken to be a pile of blankets is in fact V, curled up at the end of the bed. He hesitates to move towards him, noting from a distance how very fragile he looks, not just because about half his bodyweight is missing what with the illness and missing chrome, but also the lost look on his face, brows knitted and eyes staring at nothing, eyes which he notices are now emerald green, instead of grey. “I told you everything blew yeah? Well that included his optical implants, he only got these like a week ago.” Kerry looks up at Johnny, devastation clear in every word, “Fuck Johnny, so on top of everything else he’s been blind for the last five months?” “Yeah, they didn’t know what to go with so I said emerald cuz I know you like green, it’s easy enough to change though if…” It’s too much to process, a sob escapes from Kerry’s throat, V’s eyes dart over towards the noise and something approaching a smile transforms his face. “Ker….” Rushing towards his man and bundling him up in a hug, Kerry’s tears flow freely. He strokes the hair now growing back in after mostly being lost and caresses the clammy skin of his back, wincing as his fingers glide over ribs previously hidden by chrome and muscle. He’s got so much to say, but can’t speak for sobbing and so buries his face in V’s neck taking deep breaths until he feels calmer. “I thought I’d lost you Vince, shit, I nearly lost my mind,” he moves back to look into V’s eyes, wiping away a tear with the pad of his thumb, “I was so scared of losing you I started pushing you away, I’m a fucking idiot, I’m so sorry….” V gives him a smile, a slight but genuine, happy smile, Kerry climbs onto the bed curling around his mainline protectively, “I’m going to be right here for as long as it takes for you to be ready to come home, I’m going to look after you.”

#cyberhanami23 #kerry is my muse #they live!#kerry eurodyne #kerry eurodyne x male v #cyberpunk kerry #kerry x male v #v cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #johnny silverhand #kerry x v #cyberpunk v #johnny and v as friends

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brunchable · 3 years ago

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Hi, I’m not sure if you listen to Joji new song “glimpse of us” and I just felt like it would such a good story of Stephen and y/n and of course it has to be angst. *sobbing*

Glimpse of Us || Doctor Strange x Reader.

Word count: 2.3K WARNINGS: Angst. Unrequited Love. Fluff. Pairings: Doctor Strange x Reader, Johnny Storm x Reader. [Request]: Dedicated to @mochuchi <3 References: Joji - Glimpse of us, Crimson Peak (Thomas Sharpe) ***Strictly do not: claim, repost, copy, translate my stories anywhere else***

“You’re very jittery tonight, are you okay?” Johnny asked you, reaching out to hold your hand. Jonathan Storm, your current boyfriend and your date for the Black Tie Gala, member of the Fantastic Four as the human torch. You exhaled deeply and shook your head while he squeezed your hand gently.

“I always get nervous at huge formal events, especially being surrounded by beautiful women.” You told him half the truth and forced yourself to smile for him. Johnny adjusted the tightness of his seatbelt before turning his body towards you.

Johnny cupped your jaw and turned your head towards him, you met his beguiling blue eyes and he stroked your jawline, saying, “(Y/N), look at me, you don’t need to feel nervous, you look beautiful.”

“God, you look beautiful.” Stephen whispered, his lips staying parted as he fixed strands of hair away from your face. His eyes spoke nothing but complete admiration of you. It was a look that made it hard for you to breathe, like your heart was going to jump out of your throat.

You placed your hand over Johnny’s and smiled at him. The real reason you felt nervous was because you knew Stephen was going to be there and you hadn’t seen him in a while—not since you mutually decided to part ways. You parted ways while still loving each other but he moved on first and there wasn’t really any form of closure for you.

When you arrived at the venue, there was a red carpet rolled up towards the hotel. The event was a mix of important people and normal civilians attending the charity event.

“Stay right there, I’ll escort you out.” Johnny got out of the car and opened the door for you. He extended his hand to assist you in exiting the vehicle while you were wearing a black dress with an a-line split, long sleeves, and a deep V-neck. Holding onto your boyfriend's hand, you took one step out in your shimmery gold heels. You were dazzled by the cameras' flashes; you hadn't yet gotten used to the fact that Johnny was a well-known figure.

Johnny had his hand around your waist, pulling your body firmly close to his while both of you posed for the cameras. You smiled, but it was never a genuine one. One camera flash really blinded you, and you shut your eyes, turning your head away from the photographers. When you opened them, you found Stephen, adjusting his well-fitted black tuxedo, and another woman clinging to his arm.

“Do we really have to do this? We barely even have space.” Stephen complained while sitting inside a photobooth with you, he kept fidgeting since his ass was barely on the seat. “It’s your fault for growing into such a big boy.” You teased with a smirk on your lips, nudging the man playfully while you set up the frames you liked. You notice Stephen suppressing a smile through the screen, “Pervert.” Stephen laughed defensively, “Excuse me? I didn’t say anything. It’s probably you.” "Please, you felt proud just now. Alright, what poses are we doing?” You looked up at him with a cute smile. “Look at the screen, you can barely even see my face. You know what, just sit on my lap.” Stephen scooted towards you, leaving you no choice but to get up and land on his lap– he placed his hands around your waist protectively, the other resting on your outer thigh.

“So, how did you guys meet?” Rosalie asked, a glass of rosé in her hands. Her voice pulled you out of your little glimpse of the past.

"Well, she’s a scientist in Reed’s labs, and I’ve always had a crush on her. When I tried asking her out, she just kept rejecting me and I thought, damn, she’s so hard to impress, I need to do better.” Never lifting his gaze away from you, Johnny summarised how you and him came to be.

“How long did you make him wait, (Y/N)?” She chuckled and turned the question to you.

“I don’t know, maybe almost a year. He’s really stubborn and won’t leave me alone until I say yes.” You joked, and Johnny’s mouth went agape.

“You mean, assertive and pertistant.” Johnny corrected you.

“Whatever you like to call it, Johnny-boy.” You flashed a sly smile at him, making him shake his head at your teasing. Johnny was about to say something but was interrupted by the host.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, tonight we shall have a little waltz competition. It is said that the true test of the perfect waltz is for it to be so swift, delicate, and smooth that a candle flame will not be extinguished in the hands of the lead dancer. But we shall have our little twist, we will be exchanging partners when the music hits the chorus. If your candle light goes out with your second partner, unfortunately, that means you’re out. Will all the participants please approach the dance floor. We shall start in three minutes.”

They announced that the ballroom dance would commence in three minutes, Johnny’s eyes lit up and you instantly knew that he had done something behind your back, “Johnny…” You started.

“I might’ve signed us up for a little ballroom dance. Don’t worry, I’m here, you can follow my lead or whoever you’ll end up with as a partner later.”

“What?!” You almost screamed and covered your mouth.

“You’ll be alright, you act as if you didn’t take dancing lessons.” He chuckled and held your hand, leading you towards the centre of the ballroom where other couples were preparing. The staff gave Johnny a lit candle, and your boyfriend winked at you.

“You’re sneaky, you know that?” You told him and playfully rolled your eyes.

“I just want to show them how talented, beautiful, and cultured you are.” Johnny’s large hands snaked across the small of your back and pulled you close. Both of you held onto the candle light while your other hand rested on his broad shoulder automatically.

“Ow!” You grimaced as Stephen stepped on your foot. You were trying to teach him how to waltz in the living room so he could impress your parents. “Sorry. I told you, I have two left feet.” Stephen clicked his tongue and your hands invited him to reposition again. “It’s fine, we can keep dancing until you get the hang of it.” You smiled through the pain and rested your delicate fingers over his shoulder, “Okay, left foot forward, right foot to the right, bring your left foot in, step back with your right foot, we move back to the left, close it in with your right foot and we do it all over again.” You instructed him while looking down at his feet, and you led him for another two cycles, “That’s it!!” You looked up at him with a beaming smile, and at that moment, Stephen knew he was head over heels for you. He leaned down and captured your lips with his sweet kiss. His lips felt like sugar on your tongue; you swung your arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

Over Johnny’s shoulder, you met Stephen’s eyes, he smiled at you first and you gave him a small smile back, quickly turning away as the orchestra began playing The Nutcracker, Act II: No. 14 Pas de Deux by Tchaikovsky.

The candlelight flickered but did not go out as you and Johnny danced so swiftly across the floor. Your thoughts were desperately hoping that you wouldn't wind up with Stephen, yet at the same time, your heart was pleading for you to find yourself in his arms.

Johnny was leading the way, and his footwork was making the two of you spin around in time with the melody, and your dress was spinning along with you. You desperately tried to maintain your eye contact with his intense ones, then he twirled you away before you could even react, you were already dancing with another man, and then another, and then another, until you fell into the arms of the man whose embrace you desired the most.

That scent. With every breath, your heart beats faster and faster. You instantly fell in step with him, allowing the rhythm to control your movements, it was like muscle memory. Being in his presence felt like all the scenery and people around you dissolved. It was you and him, alone.

You stared at Stephen’s chest, as he drew you close to his stature, wrapping your arms around his neck. Your body was overcome with feelings that were out of your control, and the tips of your fingers began to tingle with anxiety. You could feel him looking at you, but you were too scared to look up, scared to admit to yourself that he still had your heart and you were just passing time in Johnny’s arms.

“You know, I wouldn’t be dancing here tonight if it weren’t for you.” Stephen quietly said, in a low, gentle tone, “Long time, no see. (Y/N).”

When he called out your name, you felt a sharp pain in your chest, and the sudden onslaught of memories associated with him caused your eyes to moisten. You used to be able to look him in the eyes, and the lengthy eye contact that you shared resulted in the two of you beaming and laughing like a couple of dorks who were hopelessly in love.

Only you were aware of the fact that he was weird, not to mention a know-it-all, and it suited him well. He had a great sense of humour and was everything you could have asked for. You were aware at this point that there was no place for you in his life in the foreseeable future, but you managed to persuade yourself that you should feel okay with that and that all you needed was this moment together while it lasted. You would be content even if you could only have this one thing.

“I’m surprised to see you so awfully quiet.” Stephen broke the silence when you didn’t answer him, glancing every now and then at the candle that remained burning.

“I don’t know what I should say to you.” You answered honestly, because apart from not knowing, the only thing you wanted to say was that you missed him.

“You could say, how are you, Stephen? Or, please don’t step on my foot, Stephen.” He chuckled, his Adam's apple bobbing inside his throat.

You laughed softly and looked up at him, big mistake, “How are you, Stephen?”

“I’m doing genuinely well.” He answered with a gentle smile after finally getting a smile out of you, “How are you, (Y/N)?”

“Great, as long as you don’t step on my foot.” You said dead-pan, gaining a toothy grin from him and a short laugh. Both of you didn’t realise that you were one of the few couples left on the dance floor with the candle still lit.

“So, Johnny Storm?” Stephen began and glanced at the man who was now part of the audience, keeping his close eye on you.

“Yep. Long story. So, back together with Christine huh?” You asked back, and you swore you felt like your whole body was being torn apart when you mentioned her name.

“Yeah, but I swear—when we were together, it was really only you.” Stephen cast his eyes down.

The corner of your lips twitched a smile, “You don’t need to explain yourself Stephen, we broke up almost two years ago.”

“I know. I just wanted you to know that.” He paused, noticing that it was only the two of you left on the floor, “I’m going to ask her to marry me.” He announced, his smile so full while he glanced at her.

You almost got choked up, almost to the point of tears, and you nodded, “Really? That’s great. Well, I want to tell you that I’m happy for you.” You lied and stepped away from him as the music came to a stop. The flame on the cande remained lit and the guests surrounding the dance floor applauded the both of you.

After seeing the flame's fluttering, you decided to extinguish it by blowing on it. It was a reminder to yourself that the chapter he shared with you had reached its end. When Stephen finished his bow to you as a sign of respect for dancing with him, you gave him a nod and smiled. You turned back with burning eyes to see Johnny cheering, but his grin vanished as soon as he saw the sorrowful look on your face.

That was the last thing you wanted to say to him. What you actually wanted to tell him was that you had preserved each and every one of the wild flowers that he tucked behind your ears. You wanted to confess to him that you'd memorised every single one of the post-it notes he'd left you on your night stand before you left for work in the morning. Each and every one of the words. You wanted to tell him that he was your anchor and your reason to believe in love, but instead you smiled the most dishonest smile you could muster and told him that you were happy for him.

You ran to the balcony with Johnny tailing you. You took deep inhales and exhales to calm yourself. You wanted to bang your head against the wall, you were feeling guilty for Johnny.

“Baby. What’s wrong?” Johnny asked from behind you. You turned around to face him, even when worried, he looked incredibly handsome.

“I’m sorry Johnny, I-” You paused to compose yourself, “I’m still not over him.” You confessed, and the moment those words left your lips, Johnny clenched his jaw. To him, it felt like he'd been stabbed right in the chest.

“I had a hunch that you weren’t.” Johnny lifted his gaze up at you and stepped forward, resting his palm against the marble balustrade, “But you know what? I don’t care.”

Your head jerked up after he said that, you were expecting him to get angry at you.

“Call me stupid, blind, stubborn, I don’t care. I am in love with you, and I mean that. I don’t care if I have to wait a year, five years, or a decade. You won’t be able to get rid of me, (Y/N).” Johnny said firmly, wetting his lips, “Like a fly attracted to shit.”

His metaphor caught you off-guard and you burst into laughter, covering your lips with the back of your hand, “You couldn’t say like a moth to a flame?”

Johnny smiled at the sound of your laughter and said, “I’m only trying to make you smile. I get sad when you don’t.”

“Thank you, Johnny.” You pressed your lips together, and tip-toed on your heels to kiss his cheek.

“Anything for you, (Y/N).”

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#doctor strange x reader #stephen strange x reader #doctor strange x you #stephen strange x you #doctor strange #stephen strange #johnny storm x reader #johnny storm x you #benedict cumberbatch x reader #chris evans x reader #dr strange x reader #doctor strange imagine #johnny storm

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kpopcotton · 4 years ago

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The Lonely Count ~ Huang Renjun

a/n ~ Happy Halloween! I’m so happy to finally get this out since I’ve been working on it all month!

• Genre: supernatural, high school au, strangers to friends, slight romance, fluff, angst if you squint

• Warning(s): very brief mentions of (fake) blood, it’s overall very toned down

• Reader Gender: gender-neutral

• Word Count: 6.2k

==≎==

“No.”

“Are you serious?!” Haechan cries out, his hands reaching across the table to give you a good shake as he speaks. “Come on! It’ll be so much fun! Besides, everyone else wants to and I already told them you were coming so, by law, that means you have to. Plus! Jaemin said he was excited to see you since you haven’t been hanging out with us recently.”

The mere mention of his friends makes you want to crawl into a hole to hide. You blankly stare at Haechan’s overdramatic pout as he tries to guilt-trip you, his simple act makes you want to go even less. There was no way you were going to spend Halloween night with a bunch of severely good-looking people. Good-looking people meant attention, and attention meant you would be the designated person that people would come to ask for the boys’ numbers.

You could imagine it now, the random, crowded Halloween party they were probably planning on attending, and them leaving you alone to find a wall to sit against while they went out and mingled. You already felt like a clown just thinking about it. Maybe I should dress up as one, show my true colors. You remember Haechan’s friends mentioning being introverts that one time you had to take a personality quiz in Health class freshman year, but you find that hard to believe.

Sometimes, it still amazes you how you’ve stayed friends with Haechan, in all his bubbly, social, annoying glory. “Tell them my mom grounded me,” you mumble, trying to show just how uninterested you are.

“But that’s a lie! Your mom-”

“Exactly.” You snap with your gaze fierce. Haechan’s previously open mouth clamps shut, fixing an awkward silence between you two in the booth of the diner.

You angrily opt for stuffing your face with the fries from your basket instead of talking to him. Your eyes drift to the window as you chew them. Haechan watches you, his foot slowly sliding across the floor to poke at your ankle, his way of getting you to calm down and forgive him for prodding. It has the opposite effect, however, your foot shooting out to give his shin a good kick as you glare at him again. He yelps quite loudly and the waitress who was on her way to ask you if you wanted refills, flinches, turning around to pretend to help a coworker behind the counter.

Haechan’s face flushes a pale red as he brings his leg up to rub at his shin. “That hurt, you know,” he whines, his bottom lip trembling pitifully.

“Good.”

His sad expression disappears in an instant, his face now pressed into clear frustration as he drops his leg back down. “Okay, seriously, what is up with you? If it were any other time, you’d be all over hanging out.”

“Exactly. I would say yes to hanging out if it was with literally anyone else.” You stressed, sipping your drink. Haechan looks to be at his wit’s end with you.

“What do you even mean?”

“What I mean is, I don’t like your friends, Donghyuck. I mean, yes, they may be nice to me, and yes, it is cool that they want to include me in plans, but do you ever stop to think that I don’t enjoy hanging out with them? Or that I’m not a fan of the things you guys like to do? Or that maybe, when I’m with them, it’s like I’m not even there at all?” For once in his life, Haechan is speechless, staring at you with wide eyes as if all of this was surprising to him. And, maybe it was.

“Y/N, I-”

“I’m not finished.” You hold up a finger to his lips. “Listen, I get that you don’t want to leave me out of the loop or whatever, but parties and hanging out in bigger groups is not my thing. I’d rather it just be us, like when we were kids, where we ran around town past curfew on Halloween stealing candy bowls so we could get fat for winter. Hell, I’d even be down to explore those “haunted woods” we were always scared of because of that story Johnny told us when we were in first grade.”

“Did I hear that right? Exploring the haunted woods? I knew you’d come up with an amazing idea for our get together, Y/N!” Speak of the devil and he shall appear. The Na Jaemin graciously plops himself down next to you in the booth with a basket of chicken tenders and fries. Haechan’s other friends, Mark and Jeno, squish Haechan into the wall on the other side of the booth. Jaemin’s smile was almost too bright, his eyes full of childish wonder as he glanced between you and your best friend. “That’s what this is right? A planning sesh? I love those, you know!”

You ignore Jaemin, your eyes currently stabbing holes into Haechan, but the little coward is too embarrassed to even look at you. He doesn’t remain silent, however, choosing to be civil and answer Jaemin’s question. “Y-Yeah, we were planning what we wanted to do with you guys Halloween night.”

“Oh goodie,” Jaemin claps excitedly, “Count me in then, guys!”

==≎==

You were dreading Halloween by the time it came around. You had planned on avoiding them, maybe sneaking out to hang out with the dynamic duo, Jisung and Chenle, from your first-hour Psychology class. But, all hopes were dashed when your mom happily invited all four boys into the house when Haechan knocked. They were already dressed for the occasion; Haechan as an angel, Jeno and Jaemin cosplaying the spies from Spy vs. Spy, and Mark as… himself?

He must have noticed your questioning glance because he was quick to explain, “I’m dressed as Peter Parker.” He pulls his backpack around to show you the mask conveniently hanging out.

“He was too embarrassed to wear the suit,” Haechan announces, making you involuntarily let out a chuckle. Your mom coos while patting the latter’s shoulder and Mark’s ears burn bright red.

“It’s skin-tight dude!”

“And?”

Before you could say anything in response, Jaemin was dragging you up the stairs to the bathroom, his arm full of costume things. He was talking a mile a minute about how he found the perfect costume for you and how he was so excited to help you get ready. He sat you on the toilet and quickly drew out the costume bag.

“Ta-dah!” His smile is, once again, blinding. You scan the packaging.

“S-Sexy vampire?” You splutter, almost choking on your spit.

“Yes! And, I can’t wait to see you in it!” He shoves the bag into your hands before turning around and covering his eyes. “Hurry up! Get changed! We don’t have all night!”

You slowly get changed into the costume; which is a pair of black slacks, a classic frilly white top with bloodstains that has a very lowcut neckline and a deep v-cut through the back, and a black cheap cape. You stand awkwardly in your costume, it fits a bit tight, as you look at your bright pink face in the mirror. Jaemin spins around excitedly to face you when he hears you stop moving, letting out a sharp gasp.

“Oh. My. Gosh! You look amazing!” He squeals, clapping with all his might. “Now let’s get you some makeup!”

You’ve been pushed back onto the toilet in the blink of an eye, Jaemin settling himself between your legs. He can’t stop mumbling about how cute you are and how perfect the costume is. You notice movement in the corner of your eye and see Haechan trying to sneak into the bathroom. You glare at him and Jaemin turns away from dabbing fake blood onto your lip to see.

“Haechan, look! Aren’t they so hot?”

Haechan suddenly flushes, pausing halfway through the door to scan your costume. You notice his eyes linger on your exposed collarbones and you tug the thin cape to hide them. “Yeah,” He nods after his once over, reaching up to flick at the plastic golden halo on his head. “I mean, they don’t look half as good as me, but I’ll-” He cuts himself off with a scream when you stand up to go after him.

Jaemin laughs, his hands quickly grasping your hips to keep you in front of him. “Woah, tiger. Calm down, you can beat him up when I’m done!”

==≎==

You knew you were radiating the most awkward energy as you came down the stairs in your getup. Your tongue is mindlessly playing with the fake fangs Jaemin had stuck to your canines with tacky-putty, they feel foreign whenever you close your mouth. Your mom, upon seeing your costume, rushes up to gush about it, her fingers pinching your pale dusted face before she begs you all to pose for pictures. Your face feels hot under your makeup and you wonder if it showed through the stuff Jaemin caked onto it. She quickly runs to get her phone, giving Jeno and Mark a chance to compliment your look. You thank them almost silently.

She won’t stop talking when she comes back, reminiscing about the days when you were all young, fragile, and small. She doesn’t miss the chance to poke at you for being a particularly weak kid, to which you fume over. Haechan tries to add onto it but you stomp your boot on his foot, shutting him up instantly.

As she takes a few photos, the boys having fun with their poses while you try to join, she then starts to mention that this will be the last time you all go trick or treating before college. A pebble of guilt forms in your stomach when she says this, you weren’t expecting the boys to lie to her about what you were going to do tonight. You start to drift into thought when Mark, who’s standing next to you, loudly stumbles to mention he’s already in college, and that he’s taking engineering classes at the tech college in the next town over. Your mom seems embarrassed to have assumed he was younger, but she brushes it off by saying he should take care of everyone tonight as he is an adult. Haechan pouts at your mom when she says this, saying that the rest of you are technically adults since you’re all 18, and she laughs and pats his cheek which turns red at the contact.

“Alright, kids, have fun! Stay safe! And don’t be out too late, I don’t want Y/N to wake me up in the middle of the night getting home.” The boys all reply with some version of, “yes ma’am” and start down the sidewalk toward the edge of town where the haunted woods start.

Mark and Haechan lead the pack, walking side by side and cracking jokes to the duo behind them. You, on the other hand, silently take up the rear alone. You already feel out of place. It doesn’t help when a group of pretty girls call out to Jeno and you have to follow as they all take a detour to talk to them. Haechan is quick to brag about your plans to explore the haunted woods, one of the girls gasping and indulging him. She’s dressed in a bright red jumpsuit, a headband with matching demon horns protruding from her hair. How ironic.

As usual, the girls are all over the four boys, none of them even sparing a glance at you. Typical. Sometimes you wish you had the confidence Haechan possessed to strike up a conversation with them, maybe then they would notice you. It sucked, but you knew it would happen, even when Jaemin said no one would dare ignore a “sexy vampire such as yourself”.

Soon enough, Mark decides that it’s time to go and they have to pull Haechan away from the demon girl he was flirting with. Again, you all fall into the formation at the start of your journey. Your mood is completely sour, and you contemplate sneaking off. You knew Jisung and Chenle were probably out and about trick or treating, and they had invited you when you said you were forced into plans you didn’t want to partake in. You had told them it was up in the air, and that you might ditch. Jisung said he would save some candy for you and Chenle said he’d buy you a candied apple. You suddenly have a craving for a candied apple. You bet yourself ten dollars that you would have a better time with the two younger boys than with Haechan and his buddies.

As soon as you turn to make a run for it, Jaemin shouts out, startling you. “We’ve made it! Guys, guys, are you ready for this? The scare of our lives awaits us!” He enthusiastically claps. “Y/N? Y/N! Come take a picture of me in front of the trees!”

Seriously? “Coming,” You grumble, walking past everyone to wear Jaemin stands, making sure to check your shoulder into Haechan’s.

You awkwardly take Jaemin’s phone from him after he opens the camera app. His smile is so strikingly perfect, you have a hard time focusing. He skips over to just in front of the tree-line and poses. You follow and take a couple of pictures before holding out his phone to him. “No, no wait. Take a couple more over here. Please, please, please!” You hesitate, trying and failing to hide your disgust when he gets down on his knees to beg. The boys behind you laugh at the scene, mumbling some things back and forth before laughing harder. An odd feeling clenches your heart when you wonder if Haechan was laughing at you, or making fun of you. “I’ll love you forever! Y/N, please, it’s for my Instagram!”

At that, you shove the phone into his face, causing him to let out a squeak. “Have your boyfriends do it or something,” You then push past the kneeling boy and make your way into the woods. You just want to get this over with.

The boys grow silent, looking at each other in confusion as you disappear into the thick underbrush. Haechan panics when he realizes just how thick it is, he can’t see you at all through the trees. He quickly apologizes to Jaemin before running after you. Mark and Jeno help Jaemin off the ground before following as well.

Once they step through the spot you had, awe overtakes them. The area, despite having a mass of vines and bushes surrounding it, is fairly open and you can see ahead for what looks like miles. It was dark, a lot darker than it was on the sidewalk with the full moon. The trees were all thin, devoid of branches until their very top where their canopies spread and weave together to block out the sky. It was eerily silent and it seems the sounds of life couldn’t penetrate the veil that bordered the entire wood.

Haechan could see you already a little ways ahead, looking around with an expression he would have thought cute if it weren’t for the way you had been acting all night. He stumbles on his way up to you, reaching you much slower than he expected being as you didn’t seem that far in the first place. The three boys behind him let him go, opting to explore the wood together and away from the conflict they knew was about to happen.

“Y/N, what was that?” Haechan questions you once he’s close enough, his voice low and demanding like you had done something wrong. He tugs on your cape and it irks you.

“What was what, Donghyuck?” You growl, stepping up so you’re chest to chest with him, a challenge. “You better lay off, alright. I’m not doing this with you. And, in the haunted woods of all places.”

His angered expression fades instantly as he gawks at you. He isn’t stupid, he understands something has made you upset with him if your use of his real name again was anything to go by, but he isn’t smart enough to figure out why. Before he could ask what pissed you off, Jeno’s voice slices through the silence from up ahead. You both turn to see him pointing to an old, victorian style house in the distance with a smirk. A small feeling of dread pricks at your lungs, deflating them and making you suck in a shaky breath. You forget the argument with Haechan in favor of observing the house.

The house is large and looks very expensive, most definitely a grand mansion in its prime. The tallest tower’s roofing extends through the canopy and lets in a minuscule amount of moonlight which shines upon the face of the house, glinting off of the second-floor windows. The exterior could use some work, it looks like it hasn’t been properly maintained in years. The roof is missing some shingles, the wooden siding was splintered, and there were cobwebs on the front porch and in the eves of the roof. Surprisingly, even with the signs of age, everything was intact, like it was preserved by the woods itself. How you didn’t notice it before was unnerving to you.

The five of you gather around the front steps. Upon closer look, it seems like some has been maintaining the house. There’s a potted plant next to the door that looks freshly trimmed and watered, and the garden surrounding the porch is beautifully filled with thriving flowers you were sure weren’t native. You wondered how they bloomed with such minimal light. As the boys discuss a plan of action, you almost curse when you see a faint light floating around inside the house. You pretend you never saw anything, taking it as your imagination playing tricks on you, in hopes to slow your suddenly racing heartbeat.

“So, we explore it?” Haechan asks, however, it doesn’t seem like it was meant as a question as he’s already on his way to walk up the stairs before Mark’s hand shoots out and yanks him back by the collar.

“I don’t think so, dude,” Mark quickly responds, his head shaking so fast you worry he’ll give himself whiplash. “Do you want to be killed or something?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like a good idea,” Jaemin pouts, his voice whiny. “We might get arrested for trespassing or something.”

Jeno laughs, “Come on, are you guys scar-”

“Let’s do it.” You suddenly speak up, your voice surprising yourself. You had no clue what compelled you to say that, but it seemed like something inside of the house was telling you to come in.

“What?” All four boys seem dumbfounded. You don’t get why they’re so startled of you agreeing when they were the ones who suggested it in the first place.

“Okay, Y/N, you are officially insane!” Jaemin shrieks, his thoughts seem to be racing before he gasps. “Are you possessed? Is that why you’ve been acting so weird tonight?”

“I haven’t been acting weird,” You defend, already halfway up the stairs before you turn back to speak again. “You four just don’t know me. Now, we came here to get scared, didn’t we? So are you guys coming or not?”

Jeno nods almost instantly, his expression stoic but you could see faint sympathy in his eyes as he joins you in climbing the old stairs. They didn’t creak under your combined weight, despite looking like they’d cave in if one too many people were on them at once, which surprised you. Haechan was next to follow, whining about the not so subtle dig you had directed at him. Jaemin hesitated before scurrying up the steps to cling to Jeno’s arm, muttering something about Jeno being the one to protect the group if something were to attack you. Mark was last, begrudgingly trudging up the steps with heavy feet, claiming that if things went south, he would leave everyone in a heartbeat.

You rolled your eyes before turning to the grand main entry. It was a black wooden door, beautiful down to the very last detail, with a shining metal knocker in the shape of a boar with a nose ring. You gently run your fingers over the boar’s head before wrapping them around the nose ring to knock, the metal biting your hand with numbness.

“Oh, please don’t Y/N, we-”

Knock, knock, knock.

“Ah, seriously, you’re going to get us murdered!”

“Relaxed, Nana, it’s just an abandoned house. We’ll be okay.” Jeno laughed, watching the latter dig his nails into his bicep with a sweet eye smile.

“Yeah, I’m just being polite,” You turn back to glance at him and the door opens behind you with a swooshing gust of wind. It’s almost strong enough to knock you off your feet, but you only stumble as Mark reaches out to help stable you. Your styled hair is now messed up and you notice Jaemin’s disappointment under the raging fear. All of their eyes are fixed on the door behind you. “What?” You ask, glancing at Mark. “Is there something behind me?”

“No. Thank goodness. I didn’t want to have to save you,” Haechan walks up next to you, his chest puffing up as he tries to look tough while peering into the dark house. You resist smacking him upside the head for his comment. “It looks empty.”

“Just like we thought,” Jeno adds, his words meant to comfort the group, but you could tell it was mostly directed at Jaemin who was shaking in his boots. Jeno gently fixes the spy cap on Jaemin’s head before his own.

“So, we go in?” Haechan asks, again pretending he didn’t just ask a question as he starts to walk through the crack in the door. Mark, again, yanks him back by the collar, to which the former whines about choking.

“Would you stop doing things all willy nilly?” Mark stresses, fixing the wrinkles he had caused in Haechan’s button-down. Haechan shrugs and Mark sighs, using his foot to open the door the rest of the way. The darkness fades instantly when the lanterns flicker to life inside the house. “Okay, now let’s go.”

You all walk inside with you in the front for once, the door closing behind Jeno and Jaemin but you aren’t sure who closed it. There’s an ambient sound of the fire crackling softly from the lanterns. The inside of the house is a stark contrast to the exterior. It’s well maintained and neat down to the very last speck of dust, almost like a museum. The room you had all walked into was the foyer, a thin room almost like a long rectangle with stairs stretching up the right wall toward a landing with three doors. You notice everything is severely outdated, the carpet red with gold floral accents and the walls half dark wood paneling and half faded floral wallpaper. There’s a dark wood table just to the left of you between two dark archways, it holds a priceless porcelain vase filled with stunningly preserved roses and you can smell their faint aroma from where you stand. To your right, just before the stairs is another archway leading into the right side of the house, and next to it is a coat rack which holds a small, but expensive, fur coat.

“Woah, this place is-”

“Stunning,” You breathe, your feet taking you down the hall as if you were floating and Mark’s hand narrowly misses your cape. Your eyes trail along every detail. Surprisingly, Jaemin is right behind you, leaving the rest of the boys at the door. You both reach the farthest arch on the left side, practically hand in hand, and you step through it first. The lights in this room flickering to life as well, revealing a lavish living space.

You and Jaemin both gasp. Floor to ceiling bookshelves line two walls, a marble fireplace between a couple on one wall. There’s dark wood flooring in here but the couches and chairs are the same patterns as the carpet in the foyer. There’s a bearskin rug between the three couches and an antique coffee table sits on top of it. The shelves have collectibles too, dispersed between thousands of books. One of them, you note, is a Moomin figurine which is out of place in the traditional home.

You glance back at the fireplace, suddenly regarding a large portrait above it, your feet gluing themselves to your spot on the floor. The person in the portrait is beautiful, much like the house. His eyes seem to pierce your very soul as you stare into them, and his expression is that of arrogance and power. He’s dressed in black gothic clothing but he has a stark white choker with a deep red-ruby. His hair is black, pulled out of his eyes but it brushes against his forehead in a few stray strands. You felt you could stare at him for hours, he was that handsome.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Haechan chuckles into your ear, snapping you out of your daze as you flinch away from him. Your fist comes out to punch him in the shoulder before you can even process it. He yelps, catching the other boys’ attention from their spot examining the books.

“What’s wrong?” Mark asks, still on edge as his eyes scan Haechan frantically.

“Nothing, nothing,” Haechan grunts softly, rubbing his shoulder while he points to the piece of art. “Just making fun of Y/N for falling in love with a painting.”

“I wasn’t falling in love!” You protest, your cheeks flaring with heat.

“Okay, then what were you doing? Admiring the art?” Haechan asks, a little quirk to his lips. “Or that guy’s face?”

You reach out to hit him again and he flinches, running away from you to hide behind Jeno, his tongue poking out to mock you. You get ready to chase him, but you decide against it, not wanting to accidentally knock something expensive over.

“Oh, Y/N, I don’t blame you,” Jaemin gasps, his hands cupping his cheeks before one hand lowers to fan himself. You look over at him. “He’s so pretty!”

“Hey,” Jeno suddenly speaks up with a pout.

==≎==

You all spend the next hour exploring the bottom floor of the house. Jaemin follows you around to take pictures of anything he thought looked cool which was mostly you in your vampire costume doing casual things around the house. “Your vibes, Y/N! You suit this house so well!”

You didn’t pay him any attention, focusing on finding out who that boy in the painting was. You snoop through the bookshelves in the living room while the others mess around in the kitchen. Jaemin got bored of you ignoring his pose ideas and left to join the others. You found a black and white picture of a toddler in a suit, a bit blurry as it seemed the toddler would not stop moving, but it was definitely him. You barely noticed your fingers starting to trace the boy’s features, quickly withdrawing upon realization, a sharp heat scorching the apples of your cheeks as you walk around and see what other pictures you can find.

You found another of the boy, a bit older than the last picture, in the front garden you and the boys had gathered in. He was sweetly observing the flowers and a few specks that were most likely bees, and even in the poor quality, you could see the precious smile he wore. Your lips slowly curve into a smile the longer you stare at the photo. You were viciously torn from your daze when a loud shatter rang through the house, loud yelling following after and alerting you.

“Haechan you idiot!” Mark. He sounded like he was on the verge of bawling his eyes out and, when you find them in the foyer, it looks like he is. The priceless vase that once stood on the table, lay on the floor in absolute ruin. There were shards of porcelain everywhere.

“What have you done! We’re going to be cursed!” Jaemin wails, his face in his hands.

“Guys, guys, relax. Just watch out for the pieces.” Jeno’s hands stuck out between the group of boys as a means of mediation.

Before anyone could speak again, Haechan’s mouth already open to defend himself, the sound of a door opening upstairs alerts everyone. Dread fills everyone’s faces, yours included. Mark is the first to move, snatching Haechan’s collar and bolting for the door as fast as he can, pushing Jeno out of his way in his haste to get out. Haechan’s voice is pitchy as he cries out in fear. Jeno is right behind them, his arms tightly around Jaemin as he hauls him out, both of them muttering to each other what you can assume are comforting words. You try to leave as well, but a voice calls out to you, accompanied by the door slamming shut in front of you. Instantly, you hear faint banging and yelling from the other side of the door, but it seems you have other things to focus on.

“Who are you?” The voice is soft and would seem timid if it weren’t for the forceful undertone. You slowly turn to face the person addressing you, your jaw almost dropping in sheer awe.

It was the boy from the painting, standing at the top of the staircase in all his glory. He was even prettier in person, even with the flecks of paint on his cheeks and the casual clothing he sports. He has a pair of spectacles low on his nose that you can’t help but find adorable, he squints at you over the top of them. His hair is a mess, sticking up in all directions as if he was tugging at it restlessly. You notice cute little Moomin slippers on his feet as well.

“Hello? I asked you a question. Who are you?” He calls, his arms crossing and his pretty bottom lip quickly sticking out in a pout.

You gulped down the spit that had collected in your mouth. Was everyone in this town drop-dead gorgeous? “I-I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N?” He tests your name on his tongue, looking thoughtful as he cautiously steps down a few stairs. He gives you a once over, his eyes resting on your exposed collarbones and neck, where Jaemin had created fake puncture wounds, before they met yours again. “I’m Renjun. Now, I don’t usually get visitors. Ever. So, what are you doing in my house? Besides breaking expensive stuff and looking like an overly sexualized version of my friend YangYang? It’s a little rude, you know, we don’t look like that or dress like that, actually.”

You felt yourself become tense. Great, not only has he trapped me in his house to probably kill me, he’s mocking my costume which isn’t even mine! He said it - wait a minute, “W-We?”

His lips part in surprise, like he wasn’t supposed to have let that slip. You quickly take notice of a pair of little fangs protruding from under his top lip. Your face quickly flushes, your fading makeup doing little to hide it. He lets out a shy chuckle. “Well, yes, I-I’m a vampire. Do humans not think we’re real anymore?”

You’re speechless, your mouth opening and closing uselessly like a fish out of water. You can’t decide if you are afraid or in awe. You feel faint, the words almost not processing completely.

“I-I’m sorry to have dropped that bomb on you, but could we get back to the task at hand? Your friends kind of, you know, broke my favorite vase and ran.” His hand slowly stretches out to point at the collection of shards on his carpet. You shake your head to come back to Earth.

“Oh right, I am so, so sorry, Renjun.” His name feels funny coming out of your mouth and you feel like you don’t have the right to call him by his name. However, it seems you using his name softens something up in him and he looks away from you shyly.

“I guess you’ll have to pay me in some way,” He suddenly says, his eyes finding yours again. You deflate, you knew something like this was going to happen, maybe not getting stuck in a vampire’s house, but you knew you would have to pay for your friends’ stupid actions tonight in some way. It happened when they all forgot their wallets when you went out for McDonald’s at three in the morning and it was happening again, but this time you wondered if you would be paying with your life instead of spare change. “That vase was priceless.”

You close your eyes, waiting for him to finally attack you. “I understand,” You whisper.

“W-Wait,” Renjun’s soft voice sounds panicked and you furrow your brow in confusion before opening your eyes again. He seems to have an epiphany. “Ah! I’m so sorry! I’m not going to hurt you! Oh gosh, did you think I was going to kill you or something? Drink your blood?” You nod slowly, even more confused. “Oh, Y/N, I’m not like that! I don’t drink straight from humans, that’s gross.”

“What are you going to do to me then?” You ask.

“D-Do to you?” Renjun stammers, his cheeks turning a pale blue hue, and his eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. You nod again, watching him start to frantically wave his hands. “Nothing! I won’t even lay a hand on you! I was just gonna ask you to keep me company!”

“Keep you company?”

“I just - I haven’t left my house in like... years. And, YangYang actually moved to Germany so I haven’t seen him in a while and I’ve just been,” He hesitates, the conflict behind his eyes evident. “I’ve just been really lonely.”

You feel like you’ve been hit with a brick to the chest, the air leaving your lungs and turning into pain, feeling for the boy in front of you. Even with friends, you know exactly how he feels. It hurts you to know that the first social interaction he’s had with anyone in a while has been you and your friends breaking into his house.

“Oh, Renjun,” Your arms reach out to pull the boy into an embrace before you can even process it. The way you say his name makes him shudder despite not being able to feel cold. You pull away suddenly when you realize, both of you growing shy. “Wait, are you sure you want to be friends with someone who broke into your house? And someone who’s friends with an idiot who smashed your favorite vase?”

“Absolutely, I would like that more than anything” He mumbles, finding it in himself to gently take your hands. “You are really lovely -- s-so far, at least. And, I want you to introduce me to this idiot friend of yours, I want to give him a piece of my mind.”

You both share a laugh after that, and you hug him once more without even telling yourself to. “Then I would love to keep you company.”

“Th-Thank you.”

==≎==

“Y/N!” Before you could even close the door behind yourself, Haechan’s arms were suffocating you in one of the tightest hugs you had ever received from him. His face quickly buries into your shoulder and you feel the sticky wetness of his snot and tears on your bare skin. You forgo disgust in lieu of comforting your friend who seems to be more shaken up about the situation than you. You gently pet his hair while he nuzzles against you, rambling through his sobbing. “I’m so sorry! I swear, we tried to open the door, we really did! It was locked!”

You try to talk, but he hugs you tighter with the rest of the boys quickly following suit, only a puff of air passing through your lips. “We thought we had killed you!” Jaemin cries, his head taking up your other shoulder from behind. You can’t exactly tell whose arm is whose around you. The hug lasts a little longer, Haechan and Jaemin mumbling and sniveling against your neck, and even with the obvious bodily fluids you can feel spreading around, warmth spreads through you at the notion that they care.

“Was there a demon in there?” Mark asks with a trembling voice, backing away from the group hug with his eyes boring into yours as if to make sure your soul was still intact. He seems to scare himself looking back inside through the windows.

“Nothing hurt you, right?” Jeno’s hands reach over the two boys still squeezing the life out of you to cup your cheeks and turn your head side to side.

“I’m fine! I’m fine!” You rasp, “I just… can’t breathe.”

Instantly, Jaemin and Haechan let you go, apologizing to you and choosing to coddle each other instead. The boys let out a collective sigh of relief. You let a small smile spread across your face before it drops. “Wait, I just realized something!” You gasp, the boys growing tense.

“What? What? What is it?” Jaemin asks, leaving Haechan to hold both of your hands between his. His eyes worriedly scan your face.

“You guys grabbed each other and just left me!”

“Uh oh,” Haechan whispers, knowing your tone all too well. “Run!”

Instantly the boys take off, much like they did inside the house, however, this time they are laughing. You race down the stairs after them before your body stops and turns you around to look at the second-floor windows. You can faintly see Renjun smiling brightly at you through the moon’s glare, he raises his hand and yours does too. He waves, but your hand doesn’t. Mind control. “Cool,” You whisper under your breath and he laughs from inside the house. You smile and wave back before Haechan calls from the tree line and you run to catch up.

I guess I owe myself ten dollars.

#it is finished!#i hope it was worth the wait #thank you all for the love and support #nct #nct imagines #nct x male reader #nct x you #nct x reader #nct x gender neutral reader #nct dream imagines #nct dream x male reader #nct dream x reader #nct dream #huang renjun #huang renjun x reader #huang renjun imagines #kpop

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moved-attre · 4 years ago

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Here is my review of Cyberpunk 2077! It is a bullet point list of what I liked, and did not like about the game. I mean no offense in my writing, and am, of course, willing to be educated if I am wrong about anything! But please do not send me anonymous hate. I know many fans and haters of this game can be very, uh... So take it all with a grain of salt, and form your own opinions.

This is very long and likely boring so if you manage to make it to the end, I will be very impressed! Also, I may ramble or repeat myself, sorry. There’s more bad points than good, since the game is very glitchy and I couldn’t not mention the glitches I have experienced.

Obviously, this contains major spoilers! 👁👄👁

I’ll start off by saying, this is a game where you will likely not get what you expected. If you expected Cyberpunk 2077 to be a game filled with features that were never before seen, to revolutionise the gaming industry as we know it and become the most iconic video game ever made... You will not get that. If you expected it to be the worst, most irredeemable video game ever created that you’ll hate... You will not get that, either. If you expected a game that is a fairly standard RPG with some impressive graphics when played on a high spec PC, albeit with some bad glitches and a wonky story with lots of potential, then you’ve got it!

Pros:

The majority of the voice acting, such as in V, Johnny and Viktor, was very good and emotional. Viktor in particular made me tear up! And the way V manages to sound almost like Johnny with the subtle accent change was amazing!

The character’s such as Takemura, Jackie, the LIs, Johnny, Viktor, Misty (I could go on) and even many random NPCs were interesting! I wanted to know them and loved their relevant missions. The best ones were unromanceable, of course, but that’s what imagination is for.

THE ALDECALDOS! I love them! A found family, and I wish there was more to do with them other than Panam’s missions and a few side missions. I love found family, and I’m disappointed V couldn’t form their own, so I’ll take what I can get and love the Aldecaldos, even if V can’t join them until the very end. Panam had the best missions of all the LI’s, even if the last one felt very abrupt. (At least, on her friendship route.)

Night City felt alive. There was always plenty going on, it felt like a real city, and it could be beautiful.

Jackie and Corpo V’s friendship was lovely. I loved their “To this!” inside joke, and I loved how Jackie roasted V but would jump to their defence in a second. It didn’t feel forced at all.

There’s lots of environmental storytelling. The atmosphere of a city choking to death under it’s own pollution/corruption was very apparent in the areas not lived in by the rich. Lots of homeless characters, violence, drugs, absolute poverty, trash (The dump! I felt sick just looking at it, and I couldn’t even smell it! Poor V, though.) and general apathy from a lot of the residents really sold the concept.

Johnny and V’s dynamic was the best part of the story! I hated him at first, but slowly came to enjoy his commentary and advice. His interactions with V were very funny at times, and thoughtful at other times. He was an interesting perspective for the player to consider, while still being an asshole you could dislike for much of the story. He has some really emotional scenes and I played a V that viewed him as a friend, so it was really nice hearing him call V the closest person he’d ever had. They became so devoted to each other! CDPR did good with this element, but I can’t help wishing for more. The dynamic had so much more to give, and a romance/happy ending could have worked.

And to add on, the mission where Johnny takes over V’s body to go on a bender was great! I loved all the moments to play as Johnny in V’s body. All the symbolism between them was so good. Every mission matters, and you can replay to look closer at details! He also comments on other side missions with no personal relevance to him, which was neat.

All the enemies had unique names. A minor detail, but it made me feel some guilt over killing them. 🤣 I think all character’s had unique names, which is such a nice detail.

The soundtrack was incredible, I loved every original piece and radio song. I have several saved on Spotify, which is big praise coming from me! I very rarely listen to video game soundtracks.

V can adopt a cat! 🐈‍⬛ It was adorable, and Johnny’s interaction with it made me tear up!

The size of the map was good, not too big or too small. I got about 100 hours of play in by exploring, which is pretty good to me! I got lost a few times, but always found something interesting to do in the meanwhile. I loved the Badlands especially.

Some of the side missions, particularly the more mysterious ones involving investigating deaths and the cyberpsychos, were very enjoyable! I’m a big slut for mystery, and there were some interesting cases to figure out. I wish we could’ve done missions like that with River, though, especially once he becomes a PI.

I was complaining about the lack of aliens in CP2077, but I suppose we did get a couple space themed missions which was pretty fun. I still want to go experience going into orbit, though. 👽 Or the moon!

Separating voice and body in the CC was a good idea, even if it was handled a little strangely. I’ll talk about this more in the ‘Cons’ section below!

Act 2 was my favorite part of the game, but it blended weirdly with Act 3 and that put me off. I am nostalgic for Act 1, but not eager to replay it because it felt so slow... I’m not sure on this point! I liked Act 2 because the story picked up and I was excited for more, but the more I got wasn’t as I expected. So, yes, Act 2 was good.

The scenery is very beautiful, and sometimes the outside lighting is absolutely perfect. The Arasaka parade mission was lovely to look at. I always stop the car and watch the sunrise/sunset, and I like going out to the Badlands to look at the stars!

An addition to that, is the lighting in some main quest missions. Very noir! It made for some beautiful screenshots. (Of which I sadly can’t share because my game doesn’t record well on medium settings. 😳)

The motorcycles are fun to drive! Mainly because I can zoom in between cars and Jackie’s motorcycle has a lot of sentimental value, as well as other vehicles like Johnny’s Porsche and Jake’s car. You can open the trunk to dump bodies in, which was a cool detail., and each one drives differently!

There could be amazing attention to detail, such as making Jackie look like his mother. I expected his mother to be a randomly generated NPC, but she was completely unique. It’s the minor things like that which stood out to me the most.

The scanner was a fun tool and very useful! I liked being able to find alternative ways to do a mission, it felt more realistic than the standard “massacre everybody, pick up an item and get out” fetch quests normally seen in RPGs. I could sneak in a tunnel or a side door! Perhaps irritating and unnecessary to some, but I liked it. I love utilising every possible option.

The interface color changes if you have Johnny controlling V’s body. Another small but good detail! The game is good with the minor details.

The sex scenes were not... awful. I expected much, much worse! I expected fully animated first person porn. Instead, I thought they were fairly realistic and intended to be romantic. Still very awkward, though, and unnecessary.

When they didn’t glitch, the animations were very good. Not as impressive as I hoped, probably because of glitches, but in line with other AAA games like Horizon Zero Dawn, I suppose? I noticed Judy’s animations in particular as being good, and Johnny had lots of unique ones too!

The clothing options are very fun, I like the holographic items and “Bitch” clothes, hehe. Also including Hijabs! 🧕 Great idea, and more games should do that.

The diversity of the NPCs was welcome. I enjoyed seeing Native American, Asian, Black and Latinx NPCs who weren’t there just to suffer! They would occupy important roles in the story, such as Fixers or friends/romance options for V, so they were pretty much unavoidable! It felt very natural, and they helped Night City feel more realistic.

Adding to that, the different cultures included were interesting too! I liked the Haitian characters in Pacifica.

The photo mode is pretty good. Not as good as I expected, the camera angle presets were useful but the filters weren’t very good. I liked that the photo mode could be used in cutscenes, though! It was standard, and I hope more bits will be added in for it.

A lot of the glitches are hilarious, but I recognise not all will share that opinion so I’m just adding this down here. The T-Posing NPCs are a highlight for me. Call that the Skyrim effect.

Cons:

No NB gender options/No pronoun options. Would they/them have been so difficult to implement?

No body or height sliders. There’s so many fat character’s in the game! Why can I not make my V fat? Or muscular?

Gender restrictive hairstyles and clothes. Come on, guys, it’s 2020/2077! Aren’t we beyond gender restrictive appearance options?

No tattoo parlours, no plastic surgeons and no hairstylists for V to change their appearance. I don’t understand why a CC was included at all, since we spent the majority of the game in first person. It reminded me of Far Cry.

The main story started off strong, albeit slow, picked up in Act 2, then felt very rushed in Act 3. The point of no return was very abrupt!

The celebrity cameos felt very gimmicky. The one exception to this is Keanu Reeves, who did a very good job as Johnny. Genuinely brought tears to my eyes at times... but Grimes was just embarrassing! Why was she there! A talented VA could have done Lizzy Wizzy much better, giving her actual emotions instead of just monotone “boredom”.

I don’t know what the point of owning apartments is. You can only sleep in V’s bed, what is the point of looking in the mirror? V has no use for their terminal in their apartment, they never get any messages after the first time they meet Johnny. It was so unnecessary, especially when there’s several across the map. I can access the stash of weapons and clothes from my car! Why would I ever need to go home? Judy gives me her apartment and I’m like, girl, I’m never visiting unless you have a mission to give me.

Also, there are no penalties for not showering or sleeping. I wanted character’s to comment on that! Call me stinky or tell me I look exhausted!

V doing side missions makes no sense, and no explanation is given for why we can do them. Why would V, who is dying and has precious few days left to live, be driving for hours on end to deliver packages and shoot random criminals? When they could be figuring out how to survive the biochip! Who the hell would care about a some extra money or buying every available car for sale, when they’re dying of something that could be preventable?

Some side missions were either very poorly done or obviously majorly glitched, since it felt like they skipped important parts and I was often very confused at the end of them! For example, the Corpo V side mission was so short! I expected to be able to hunt down Abernathy and get revenge for V and Jenkins, but instead, I shoot some random assistant I don’t even remember? And that’s it? Done in 2 minutes! If that! What is the point of that? I didn’t even have fun! Also, what happened to Garry? I wanted to save him but V just never follows up on it.

And, I wish we got closure with T-Bug. The fact that V never bothers to find her body and give her a proper burial was just poor form.

The endings were not... good. There are technically 6 different endings, all wrapped up into 3 parts. In my opinion, the best ending is the one where V kills themselves and has a very “Arthur Morgan watching his last sunset” vibe. It made me cry. Another good ending is having Johnny take over V’s body forever, as you can really see how much Johnny has changed as a person thanks to V’s influence. But they still felt very... eh and the story just never got that boost it needed, ending before it could take off. In the “best” ending, the Nomand ending with Panam, V ”survives” but has only another few months to live. So they die off screen. Satisfying? Uh, no. Not at all. There’s no possible ending where V has any hope of survival, but I much preferred being there with V until the very end. I disagree with the people calling Johnny’s ending the “bad” ending, because it really isn’t! I ignore all of this of course, and my V is living happily ever after.

I kind of hate that CP2077 has this illusion of options when some are clearly intended to be chosen more than others. Judy and Panam have the best endings in term of romance. Why bother with River and Kerry? Kerry is more of a fling than an actual romance, and is met very late in the game at a point where you can ignore him completely and just end the game, and River’s romance is so glitched that many people can’t even do it fully, and in every ending he dumps you, so it feels like none of it mattered to him despite him being the most “domestic” of the possible LI’s...

Takemura’s ending! He died in my playthrough, because the game didn’t tell me I could save him. That really annoyed me. Also, I recognise that V is in no place to lecture him, and there is some wisdom to his quote: “You speak against corporations yet offer no valid alternative.” But, Goro, bro... anything is better than fascist mega corporations keeping most of the city in absolute poverty, while waging devastating wars against other mega corporations? I wish we could have opened his eyes a little. There’s a good, even ground between Takemura believing Corps to be doing the best for humanity and Johnny being willing to kill 12k people for a revolution. This game went a little “capitalism is bad, but the alternative is worse!” at times, in my opinion. I wish more could have been done against the corporations, instead they just kind of... exist... in the background. And I know, “Realism! “ because we live with massive corporations like Amazon in our lives and can do fuck all about them but we’re not V. V is an absolute unit who survives death multiple times... I wish there had been two paths, like do Johnny’s path and work against the system or do Takemura’s path and work with the system? Sort of like The Witcher 2?

You know how in Saints Row, The Boss has homies they can call on for help? I wanted V to have homies to help them out in fights. It felt pointless building trust with the Fixers only to not have them help out at all with fights against the NCPD/Militech/Arasaka in their territories.

The stealth mechanics are not good. They are funny! But not very good. Often, It’s better to just attack and save yourself the trouble of sneaking only to get caught by a guard who can see through the back of his head.

The fact that you cannot get arrested and have someone bust you out of jail. Maybe RDR2 set my expectations too high, but I thought this would have been included.

I’ve read about the cut content, and I’m really disappointed they weren’t included in the game. Wall running would have been amazing! And the police hiring mercs to hunt V down? I would have loved to see it! 😔

Driving cars is terrible. Just awful. Sometimes, you crash. Other times you’re flung up into the air and break through the sky into the void, spinning for all eternity.

River’s glitched romance deserves a special mention. The relationship just drops off suddenly and you cannot interact with him properly again. It does not affect the main story at all, so you wonder, what was the point? The text messages also glitch and V will sent messages that you can’t control, leading to disappointing dialogue, like with Joss.

The romances in general were just not all that impressive. I was expecting something great, considering there was only 4 and thought they’d really affect the main story, but I’d only recommend Panam and Judy. I would have played the game just as well without romances, and they felt very unnecessary but I wanted to do one to get the most possible story content. I think we should all leave romances in RPG’s as the exception, not the norm. Some studio’s can do them well, other’s cannot. CDPR cannot, in my opinion...

Obviously the many glitches and bugs, several of which are game breaking. I usually have to reload a save at least once an hour, because an NPC won’t talk to me or I can’t move the mouse to select different dialogue options! Or my gun won’t equip, so I die.

The AI in general is very bad. Sometimes cars will stop in the middle of junctions for no reason, causing you to crash or mount the sidewalk to get past, meaning you’ll likely run someone down and get a police warrant. NPCs just walk from one end of the road and back again, over and over on a loop. It’s very creepy!

The lighting, mostly inside buildings. Everything is pitch black! Why does V not own a flashlight? The amount of enemies I’ve barrelled into and alerted because I couldn’t see is too much.

The lack of dialogue choice, it was less interactive than what I’d been told to expect. There was only two or three options, with one only ever rarely being unique to one of V’s three possible background choices and most will yield the same results with a few exceptions, like avoiding combat.

V’s personality is already decided by the game, and is not really customisable. Do not expect full control over your V’s personality, as they are very much a canon character and exist outside of your (limited) choices. I didn’t expect Baldur's Gate 3 levels of customisation, but I did expect something more like Dragon Age 2’s dialogue wheel? Nice, Sarcasm and Angry? You know?

Obviously, the seizure inducing scenes were very dangerous. I get a headache whenever I have to do a braindance, and I wish it was skippable!

Accessibility as a whole is very much an afterthought in this game, I think. The subtitles are in “speaking English”, so instead of: Hey, how are you? It’s: Heyyy, how’re ya? It is often difficult to understand, and sometimes I just couldn’t work out what was being said.

It’s nitpicky but I wanted to do a pacifist route and I realised you can’t, you need to kill certain character’s...

The main “villains” such as Yorinobu and Adam Smasher were very forgettable, and V had no personal stake in taking them out. I honestly forgot all about them. Takemura was talking about revenge and I’m like, who? Who are you talking about? Why are we kidnapping Hanako Arasaka, again? Johnny, why would I bother killing Adam Smasher? If they’d personally murdered Jackie, then yeah, I’d understand! But all V needs is to remove the chip and I don’t know... I just didn’t feel anything.

So, to summarise: I think CDPR were out of their depth. The long, very long, troubled development process was an indication of this before the game was even released, and the story I’ve experienced in the game is proof enough. I don’t think they knew what they wanted from this game, and as a result, we have a game that is honestly very confusing and frustrating with a story that always got close to gripping, but never quite makes it. All in all, I found this game to be pretty average. When the bugs are ironed out, I will think better of it. But as it stands, if I had to score it, I would give it a 6.5/10 or maybe 7/10. Good concept, somewhat misguided execution. The best part of the game was the Johnny/V dynamic, but I wasn’t satisfied with how it ended. They needed more time together! Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens next.

#cp77 spoilers #cp77 critical #cyberpunk 2077 #I’ve already been vagued about a few times for my CP2077 opinions so I expect more to happen now I’m posting this hehe

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sebille · 4 years ago

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uh so my thought on cyberpunk, basically: Story wise it’s pretty good. There’s plenty of room for a post ending DLC, which is VERY good in my opinion, since the ending felt a bit lackluster to me. The story is nothing ground breaking, but it’s fun and worth experiencing. The characters in the game is what makes experiencing the story go from being a decent experience to being something extremely enjoyable. The side missions were a lot of fun as well. I was happy to see that they included Johnny in most side missions, and not just have him show up in the main quests. V is an amazing main character!!!!! I love them so much. The character creator needs better lighting though, and I wish we’d get customization in the actual world, like tattoo parlors, plastic surgery, piercers, barbers, and HONESTLY? Transmogification. (What’s the point of being a badass merc if you ain’t cute?? Let us CUSTOMIZE OUR CLOTHES!! It would be SO COOL!! ) I do however wish that we’d get some more romance options, and that the romances had been a bit..more, in general. It felt like once you agreed to be in a relationship with your LI the romances were over, which is an odd choice. ( Give me Takemura/claire/Viktor/Meredith or give me DEATH is what my heart is screaming though. ) I love the look of the game. The aesthetics are ON POINT. Night city truly feels like a futuristic hell hole, and i’m all for it. The map is huge but it feels like there’s a reason for it to be so big. ( I hope that they’ll add some more stuff to the north of the city, though. DLC DLC DLC?? ) If you’re able to play the game with RTX on, i’m so happy for you, because it’s out of this world. I will say that there are many things that we were promised that they didn’t deliver on, like smart AI. NPCs walking around the city feel stupid and more like clutter than people, and the Police/wanted system in the game’s basically not there. It kinda feels like the AI’s functions have all been turned off all together. Combat is fun, but it also suffers from the AI being absolutely stupid. Some things about it are broken/not very rewarding at all, which is a shame. I played on casual to push the story but with the AI being so stupid I felt no reason to turn the difficulty up, because they’d still be stupid, only with more health. Bug wise I’ve been extremely lucky. I’ve had some visual bugs, like characters T-posing, things not showing up and things hovering weird. Dialogue has also been a bit weird sometimes, like the audio not playing, or phone calls sounding weird, etc. I also feel that with my beast of a computer with the 3070 graphics card/screen with V-sync I should be getting more than 50 FPS when i’m in the city, but I don’t know if that should be considered a bug. I’m not gonna give it a rating bc I know nothing about that stuff. This is just me sharing my thoughts on the game since ppl have asked. TL;DR Good game at its core, great story, should allow more customization, need more content w/ side characters, looks good, combat fun, AI stupid af, kinda buggy but not game breaking. PS. Be nice to the devs, they’re people too. You not liking a fucking video game doesn’t give you the right to show off your shitty personality to them.

#Agnes plays cp2077 #cyberpunk spoilers #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #cp2077 spoilers #long post #I GUESS #This is basically me just brain farting for myself

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karkashan · 4 years ago

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Cyberpunk 2077, developed by CD Projekt Red, is an...interesting beast to talk about. Even though full development didn't start til around late 2015, a teaser trailer from a few years earlier let us know they were at least in the planning and concept stages already. Which, in retrospect, might've been a mistake as it fed into a hype machine that couldn't stand the thought of delays. Delays that kept happening and happening until it finally launched last month. Thing is, it could've probably used a couple more months in the oven cause CP2077 is like the most delicious frozen casserole you've ever eaten, but part of it was still cold after you'd taken it out. There are glitches, there are wonky AI paths, there are T poses, and worst of all there are CTDs. (keep in mind this was all played on a PS4 Pro with an internal 3rd part SSD for an internal drive instead of the stock HDD) There are, however, like 7 (8?) different autosave slots and 20 Manual save slots so I never felt like I lost a lot of progress, it was just annoying and irritating when it happened cause it always seemed to happen at the quietest moments, not the bombastic ones. Driving feels pretty good, but driving in traffic is a nightmare because everyone else on the road are literal idiots (so like real life I guess). Getting a motorcycle alleviates this problem by almost 90 percent due to being able to weave in and out of traffic and make sharper corners. The VA for the voice of female V (Makoto from Persona 5, A2 from Nier Automata) freakin' killed it, I must say. I could feel every little emotion she was feeling to a point where it didn't seem like I was directing the conversations, but she was. Keanu as Johnny Silverhand was great too (when he felt unhinged he freakin' sounded like it. When he had those contemplative moments I felt it). Side Quests are the bread and butter of this game. You never know when it's gonna be a simple 3 minute quest, or you'll start a 5 hour quest chain that feels deeper than any movie you'll watch that'll also unlock an ending choice later on in the game. I didn't 100% them though because there's just...way too many and I'd like to not get stuck on one game for too long this year (like I did in 2020). My character focused primarily on Crafting and Quickhacking, so my instinctive nature to just go everywhere and loot everything after a fight was well rewarded. I've lost my train of thought, like I usually do on these, so I'll wrap this up. I put 41 hours into this game (not counting deaths or CTDs) and highly enjoyed 94% of those minutes. I didn't spend money on this game, so perhaps that's coloring my more forgiving perception of this game (got it for Xmas), but even though I loved it I would not recommend people go out and buy it for another 3 months at the least. This Cyberpizza is still a bit frozen in the middle, and needs more time before it can be held up there with the greats.

#Cyberpunk #Cyberpunk 2077 #spoilers #Cyberpunk spoilers

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aband0ned-s0uls · 4 years ago

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A Like V - Chapter 2

Read below, or on AO3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28426680/chapters/69670191#workskin

It was like deja vu, sitting in the backstage of a seedy bar, cigarette in hand, impatiently waiting for the band playing before them to finish their set.

Except this time, Johnny was impatient for a different reason. All of Samurai's previous gigs, Johnny had been impatient to get on stage and shred the fuck out of his guitar. To spread his message of vitriol for the corpo scum, to lose himself in the music, and then lose himself in whatever hot young output made their way backstage afterwards asking for an autograph from Silverhand himself. Johnny was always happy to oblige, a carefully balanced slurry of uppers and downers – a well practiced formula – ensuring his impressive cock wouldn't let him down when he was otherwise obliterated.

Shit, he didn't even remember their names, or faces. He had never cared; they were only ever a distraction, an itch that scratched at the never ending urge to feed his ego.

Except now, there was one face that was burned in his mind, etched across his retinas everytime he closed his eyes, that he couldn't forget, that he didn't want to forget.

V...

The woman who drove him fuckin' mad. The woman who's head he'd been trapped inside, who he'd grown to know inside and out, every thought, every feeling. The woman who's raucous laugh made him secretly beam with pride when he coaxed it out with a filthy innuendo, or ridiculous quip. The woman who he admired for never giving in to his stupid shit, who would glady give him a vicious fuckin' earful, tell him he was a being a selfish prick.

The woman who had smiles reserved just for him. Johnny Silverhand, who had never cared before whether he saw a woman again or not after he'd got what he wanted, or give a flyin' fuck about how they felt, had spent more time than he would ever admit to anyone thinking of ways to get the corners of V's round, full lips to upturn.

He had memorised V's face in it's entirety; every line, every freckle, every expression. The way her left eyebrow would arch when she was about to tell someone exactly how she felt about the stupid shit that was coming out of their mouth.

The way her eyes would sparkle with mischief when she told a dirty joke. The way they would turn from grey-blue to turquoise when they were swollen with tears after she'd angry cried. The way the light danced across their surface as she laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, ruminating on the day's events, while Johnny pretended not to watch her.

V, the woman who was on the other side of the very building he was currently sat in, metres away, who thought he was still dead, his soul trapped in cyberspace forever.

His stomach twisted in knots and the ache in his chest returned as he wondered what expression she'd give him when he made his grand entrance.

What he'd said to her in the cyberspace, their happy ending... Would she want it? Johnny had always been arrogant and impulsive, only making decisions based on whether it would be beneficial for him alone, but now he found himself caring more about what V wanted.

And the ultimate question that burned in the back of his mind, could he give her that happy ending? It was true, he had changed, but an old thought whispered through his mind that he hadn't let escape from it's box for a very long time.

Was he good enough? Did he deserve a happy ending?

Shit... Johnny shook his head, ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. He finished the last half of his cigarette in one long drag, and stubbed it out underneath his boot. He felt like a fuckin' gonk.

He tried to reassure himself that Panam and the Aldecaldos wouldn't have agreed with and gone through a fuckin' insane stealth op during the initial chaos after V solo'd her way through the tower, to have Alt upload his engram to another chip, rescue his chryogenically frozen corpse from 'Saka's frozen meat library, all funded by Kerry and aided by Rogue, if V hadn't been a goddamn mess without him.

Instead of that thought reassuring him, all it did was fill him with guilt.

Fuckin' hell V, how bad did I fuck you up?

His broodings brought him back to the memory of waking up with the worst headache of his life, in a cot in the Aldecaldo camp.

To Panam glaring at him, arms crossed defensively against her chest.

Telling him that they did this for V, not him.

Panam telling him in no uncertain terms that if he used this chance at life to hurt V, she would personally remove his chip and stick it up his ass, making sure he really died this time. Then she'd cut off his cajones, just for good measure, and hang them from the bumper of her Thornton.

Mitch and Saul mirroring her pose at her side, probably trying to add some more muscle to her threat, but Johnny had experienced enough of Panam's wrath through V's eyes. He knew for a fact that the firey nomad would follow through through on her promise.

He smirked as the mental image of Panam enacting her promise flitted through his mind.

When the music stopped and the band before them exited the stage, he found himself glad to be able to busy himself with people watching. His waiting wasn't over yet though. The metal fingers of his bionic arm tapping aimlessly, impatiently, along the metal sideboard he was sat against.

He was hoping that Nancy or Denny, or hell even Kerry, would come and save him from the chaos of thoughts that wouldn't stop swirling around his head, like they had when he'd spent the latter stages of his recovery at Kerry's, drinking, smoking and reminiscing.

He knew they were busy, so he let his mind wander on the same train of thought over to more pleasant memories, reliving their reunion at Kerry's. Their disbelief at having their old friend back, and how easy it was to settle back into the same easy flow as it was before. Except this time, there was less tension. The years had eaten away at any grudges or petty arguments, and he was grateful that even if he was still stuck in this cesspit of a city, that some things hadn't changed.

Until he'd pointed out Denny's gray hairs, and the smart of Denny's slap on the back of his head made him roar with laughter.

Johnny looked up from his lounging positon as he heard Kerry barrel through the doors, and walk over to him. It was still weird, still novel, seeing his old friend from his own eyes. Kerry had changed so much, but Johnny would know his presence anywhere.

He instinctively lit another cigarette as he watched Kerry perform his restless pre-gig stretch routine. Johnny let out a low chuckle at the familiarity of it all.

"Everythin' ready to go?" Kerry asked.

Johnny took another drag. "Ready to rock and fuckin' roll."

Kerry looked down at him, his expression a mixture of amusement and empathy. He smiled wide and smacked Johnny on the shoulder.

"She's gonna fuckin' love it, Johnny. Now stop brooding, lets' go knock her dead."

Johnny scoffed and looked away, rolling his eyes, like a school boy being chastised.

"Of course she will, I'm Johnny fuckin' Silverhand." He lifted his arms up and wide, speaking around his cigarette. "What's not to love?"

Kerry laughed, Nancy catching the tail-end of the conversation as she entered from the door to the stage.

Hand on hip, she stood in front of them.

"Are we sticking to the plan, or are you gonna go 'old Johnny' and do your own thing on us?"

Johnny laughed, bringing his feet down and planting them on the floor, resting his forearms on his knees.

"Chill Nance, I know the drill." He took another long slow drag of his cigarette, smirking as he remembered some of his antics at previous Samurai shows, stealing the show with a perfectly executed guitar solo. Nevermind that it was never at the agreed time, much to his former bandmates' chagrin.

Nancy raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing him. Johnny leaned back and crossed his hands behind his neck.

"You guys start out with Chippin' In. Last chorus of A Like Supreme, I come out for the solo." Nancy's eyebrows lowered, but her hand remained firmly planted on her hip. "C'mon Nance, I'm sober for Christ's sake. Ain't skezzed, like old times."

Although, with the fury of nerves rising in his stomach, Johnny almost wished he was.

"Watchin' you, Silverhand." She said as she headed back out on stage. He caught the slight tilt of her mouth as she turned. His smirk widened. Kerry gave him one last smile and a nod before following after her.

What felt like an eternity later, Johnny heard Chippin' In begin. He rose out of his chair, and headed straight for the bottle of the tequila he'd spied earlier, tucked away behind the side of some boxes.

His mind turned to V again as he popped the top off and took a swig.

He wondered if she still looked the same, if she'd be hiding away in a booth, or standing amongst the crowd. If she was still wearing his dogtags, hand worrying them as though they'd dissapear.

He wondered about a lot of things, but Johnny wouldn't have to wonder for long.

"See you soon, Samurai."

#Johnny Silverhand / Female V #JohnnySilverhand #cyberpunk2077 #fic #spoilers

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justwinwin · 6 years ago

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Complications with love | Jung Jaehyun

Pairing: Jaehyun x Reader

Genre: Angst to fluff

Description: Being in love with your best friend is hard but when your best friend likes someone else, that’s a whole other feeling.

Word Count: 2.6k

"Okay, our turn!” Jiyoo called out grabbing Jaehyun’s elbow and dragging him towards the statue you and the rest of your friends had just taken a photo with.

“Y/N, can you please take the photo for us?” Jiyoo held out her phone towards you and you took it even though you had just wanted to walk away. You stood a meter away and held the phone up in front of your face. You watched as Jaehyun and Jiyoo smiled lovingly at the camera, posing in several positions that the rest of the group thought were cute. You wanted to scream.

This was supposed to be a night out with just you and your best friend, Jaehyun, but unfortunately, his caring nature meant he also had to invite the girl he’d been crushing on for the past month. Not only did this suck for you because you hadn’t been given much alone time with Jaehyun like you usually did, but being in love with him made things worst. This was why you had invited the rest of the boys to tag along in a way to distract you from the loved up couple. The others consisted of Mark, Taeyong, Johnny, Taeil and Jungwoo. They had been extremely great company, succeeding in distracting you from Jiyoo who was constantly clinging onto Jaehyun.

“Kiss my cheek,” Jiyoo pointed to her cheek and a blush crept up Jaehyun’s neck and ears. Your blood boiled and heart sank. Nothing hurt more than watching the one you love falling for another girl. Unfortunately, this had also been the cause of your many sleepless nights, comparing yourself to Jiyoo had been nothing but terrible. Finding different things about you to hate and more things about her to compare to you. It was very unhealthy but you were unable to stop.

Jiyoo and Jaehyun walked hand in hand towards you to check out the photos you had taken. After giggling and smiling at the photos, Jiyoo chose the one where Jaehyun had kissed her cheek and announced to everyone that she would post it later on the night and to make sure we all liked it first. You wanted to roll your eyes but held it back.

“Let’s go on the Ferris wheel,” she called out enthusiastically and pointed towards the direction of the extensively lit up circle. This was the last thing you wanted to do because it had already been a long night and your legs were aching. But no one opposed and so you were forced to join. Because of a four-per-carriage limit, you ended up on the same carriage as Jaehyun and Jiyoo along with Mark.

“Wow, the view is going to be amazing,” Mark spoke up with excitement and you couldn’t help but smile at his cute reactions. Mark was one of the only people who knew about your feelings and was usually the first person you’d speak to when things got hard. He knew at this moment that you were uncomfortable and so was trying his hardest with making jokes and converting your attention from the [almost] couple to his stupid remarks.

“Usually I’m not scared of heights, but is anyone else getting a little anxious at how slow it’s going up?” Mark piped up with a slight tremble, you cooed and rubbed his back comfortingly.

“It’s not that bad, suck it up,” Jaehyun joked.

“Shut up, this is a lot higher than I expected,” Mark retorted looking down at the ground.

“Don’t look down, Mark. You’re making it worst,” Jaehyun laughed.

“Actually, I agree with Mark, this is a lot scarier than I thought,” Jiyoo pouted her lips and scooted closer to Jaehyun. He brought an arm around Jiyoo’s shoulder and kissed her forehead. You cast your eyes away and felt stupid for feeling hurt. You felt pathetic for falling in love with your best friend and for pining for someone who quite clearly did not feel the same way. Ever since Jaehyun and Jiyoo started hanging out, especially with you included, you found yourself constantly trying to keep yourself together.

At some point you had even resented him, feeling anger and frustration that after years of pining for him, he still did not reciprocate your feelings.

Things were changing and you no longer felt like the best friend and more like the second choice. When you attempted to invite Jaehyun to hang out, his replies always depended on whether he and Jiyoo had plans. When Jiyoo would cancel, then he would ask you to hang out.

The Ferris Wheel was almost at the top and Mark’s trembling increased.

“Aw, Mark. Just think about that hotdog you had just five minutes ago,” you say in an effort to try and direct his attention away from the height.

“I feel like puking now that I think about it,” he admitted quietly. You moved your head away as a reflex and decided holding on to his hand would be a better option than speaking.

You tried your best at looking out to the view, instead of listening to Jaehyun’s cheesy conversation with Jiyoo. Sometimes it made you gag just listening to the things that left his mouth whenever he was talking to her.

“I can’t keep my eyes off of you,” he said with such adoration. You wanted to cry and puke at the same time.

Mark patted your shoulder and you looked at him in confusion, he pointed to your intertwined hands and realised that you’d been squeezing a little too hard. You apologised, but he understood. That was one thing you loved about Mark, it was his ability to read into situations with no context needed and to understand you on a level that most aren’t able to.

“Kiss me at the top, Jaehyun,” Jiyoo whispered, although not quietly enough as it was loud and clear in your ears. This caused you to feel extremely uncomfortable at the cheesiness of the situation and your heart to drop once again because you wanted Jaehyun to decline.

You wanted to look away but it was impossible. For a second Jaehyun looked slightly embarrassed but his features softened and he brought her closer to him.

Your breathing became ragged and your eyes burned from watching. Jaehyun and Jiyoo were so close that they could have probably felt each other’s breaths. Just as you reached the top and Jaehyun closed the gap, you tore your eyes away and looked out of the window. A single tear rolled down your cheeks and your lips trembled. Mark who was very much aware of the situation pulled an arm around your shoulder and squeezed you. You felt forever grateful to have such a strong anchor to rely on. Having him there made things a little less unbearable. Yet it still hurt a ton.

The ride couldn’t end any sooner and as you hopped off you excused yourself to the bathroom. The rest of the boys were teasing Jaehyun for the redness around his lips and Jiyoo looked very smug.

“So, did you hear what happened after we all left the carnival?” Mark asked you while you took a seat on the couch, you switched your phone from one ear to the other.

“No, what happened?”

“Shit went down with Jaehyun and Jiyoo. They haven’t been talking since,” he replied with a satisfied tone, you couldn’t see his face from the other side of the line but you knew he was wearing a smug look.

A part of you was confused and curious about why but another part of you was so elated that it didn’t really matter to you what happened. The past three days after the carnival, Jaehyun had kept quiet. You didn’t hear from him and that honestly impacted you a lot more than you had hoped. You craved to hear his voice and to see his handsome face. That whole time you had been so jealous and angry that he was probably spending all this time with Jiyoo. Thanks to Mark, he had proven you wrong.

“Do you know why?” you asked.

“Nope, but he hasn’t been talking to anyone so I assume it’s pretty serious.”

You now felt bad that you just had a mini celebration in your head about their possible fight and it totally didn’t occur to you that Jaehyun may be hurting. You informed Mark that you were going to call Jaehyun and possibly get some answers from him.

“Hello?” a groggy voice spoke from the other end of the call. Your heart lurched at the sound of his voice, feeling weird that you found it rather hot.

“Did I wake you up?” you asked sheepishly, you were rather surprised he’d even picked up considering he’d ignored all your other attempts to get in contact.

“No, it’s okay. I should have been awake by now. Anyway, what’s up?”

You remained quiet for a second thinking of how to start up the conversation, “I was going to ask you how you are, I heard something happened.”

“What do you mean?”

You wanted to groan, hoping that he’d catch on already so he could just explain without you having to pry it out of him.

“At the carnival?” you questioned unsurely.

“Yeah?”

Not wanting to drag it on any longer, you decided to cut to the chase and ask him what happened.

“Look, it’s nothing for you to worry about. Jiyoo and I just don’t mix well together and so we ended it there. Nothing bad happened.”

As much as you wanted to believe him, he was not convincing enough.

“Bull, you two were literally inseparable that night,” you argued back.

“Yeah, but that was before...”

“That was before what, Jaehyun?” your curiosity growing inside you every second that passed.

“Y/N, can you just drop it, please? It’s not a big deal.”

“Why are you being so secretive? We used to tell each other everything and now I feel like you’re being so distant,” you admit, though it was not what you had expected to talk to him about, it felt good to get it off your chest.

“Where’s this coming from? You’re my best friend, Y/N, I could never be distant with you” he said. This hurt you knowing that while you were suffering, he was completely oblivious to your withering friendship.

“Whatever, clearly we’re not as close as I thought considering you have been ignoring me the past few days and you won’t even tell me what’s going on with you,” you rolled your eyes. This conversation was making a turn for the worst and you wanted to end it soon before it escalated further. You could feel your blood boiling, anger seeping through your veins at his obliviousness.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’ve turned off my notifications and haven’t been checking any of my messages cause I haven’t had time. I swear I didn't mean to ignore you,” he excused. You wanted to throw your phone across the room because even though he was trying to defend himself, none of it was helping him. You called numerous times and all of them being ignored, so you knew he was ignoring you.

“Jaehyun, what is going on? I know you may not think it but I feel like you are being distant. I called you many times and you didn’t pick up. You haven’t been talking to the boys either. Something happened between you and Jiyoo and I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I really can’t talk about it,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“Because it makes me mad every time I think about it.”

“Jaehyun, please just talk to me,” you pleaded. This was your last resort before you would make the final decision to stop chasing after him, not because you were in love with him but because you wanted to salvage your friendship.

“Okay, but can I come over?”

“Yes.”

You opened the door to your apartment and allowed Jaehyun through. You couldn’t help but think of how amazing he looked, the way his hair looked soft and fluffy, making you want to run your hands through them.

It began with small talk for a few minutes until you decided that you did not want to waste time.

No amount of time in the world could have prepared you for what he was going to say. It was way out of what you were expecting.

“Jiyoo said some stuff about you when I took her home, I don’t want to repeat them because they were quite disgusting. We argued, and she said a few things that kinda opened my eyes. Even though I was angry at her, I kinda feel grateful that she said those things or I would have been completely blinded.”

“Now, I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable when I tell you but she was going on about how jealous you were of us. At first, I thought she was talking about us being best friends and you may be feeling jealous that I hang out with her more, but she kept on going and insinuating things that were messing with my head.”

“What was she saying?” you asked, your heart beating fast against your chest.

“She said you were in love with me, apparently she could see it in your eyes, and that you were jealous of her. I kinda just left her there, I blocked her on everything and I guess took I some time to just gather my thoughts, that’s why I didn’t reply to anyone”

You wanted to run, to escape and find somewhere to hide because now Jaehyun was [maybe] aware of your feelings towards him. This was the last thing you wanted, you kept your feelings hidden because you didn’t want to ruin your friendship with Jaehyun. Now that he may have been suspecting that you were in love him, you knew it was going to be the end of your friendship.

“Y/N?” he whispered your name.

“Yes?”

“Is it true? Are you in love with me?”

You sat frozen, the question ringing around in your head. Your head was spinning, this was definitely not how this was supposed to turn out in your head. You thought about all the years you had been in love with him, all the time that he’d been there for you. All the memories you shared, the laughs, the songs, the movies. Everything. You thought about the many pointless drives around your neighbourhood, listening to your playlist at full volume while driving down the highway. Then you realised, if you didn’t tell him now, then you’d be stuck in silence. You had everything to lose if you confessed but if you confessed, it would be a big weight off your shoulder. At least it will be out in the air, and even if he rejects you, you knew you were strong and capable of moving on from it.

“Yes,” you whispered with so much emotion. It was one word, but it spoke volumes. The silence was suffocating, the air became thick around you as you awaited his response. Before you could start to regret being honest with Jaehyun, a wide smile appeared on his face.

“Thank god, you have no idea how fucking happy I am to hear you say that, because I feel the same way” he revealed. Your face contorted into a look of shock and amazement causing a hearty laugh to escape Jaehyun’s mouth.

“Please tell me this is just a dream,” you spoke up in bewilderment.

“Not a dream, I fucking love you,” he exclaimed causing you to smile. Your eyes became teary and it felt like you were flying.

He continued on to repeat the same three words until you couldn’t hold it anymore. You grabbed Jaehyun’s face in your hands and finally kissed him. After years of being curious as to what it would feel like to kiss Jaehyun, the one you were in love with, it was far better than in your dreams.

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seouledbysisi · 5 years ago

Text

Something New

Chapter nine

Jaehyun

As he drove back home from the party he couldn’t wipe his big silly smile off of his face. He needed to talk to somebody and the only person he could think of to call was Brianne. After all they used to would tell each other everything and he couldn’t vent about his feelings to Sasha because that would just be too weird, right? He didn’t want her to think he was some love sick puppy even though that’s exactly what he was starting to feel like.

“Hey Siri!” He spoke in his deep tone. “Call Brianne.”

He waited for her to pick up. He figured she might be busy. On the last ring he finally heard her voice.

“Jeffrey, what a surprise!” She spoke on the other end.

He chuckled. “Why? We’re starting over on a new leaf. Get used to me calling you.”

He put his blinker on to veer onto the main highway. Sasha’s house was about thirty minutes away from his seeing as his parents lived in the suburbs of the suburbs. Yeah they were rich rich but he didn’t care. Their money was theirs not his and honestly after he graduated he couldn’t wait to get out of their grip, mainly his fathers.

“So to what do I owe this pleasure?” She spoke.

He could tell she was smiling. He could hear it in her voice. “I feel good. I needed to talk to my bestie!”

“Where are you, Jeffrey?” She asked with a giggle.

“Driving home. You know Johnny’s mom’s birthday party was tonight so me, Sasha and Ivy went. It was nice. Those people really know how to throw a party!”

Brianne sighed. “I totally forgot about that. I was planning on going but then Taeil said he needed tutoring, which he absolutely didn’t, but that’s not the point.” She rolled her eyes.

“Wait- that is the point. Why would he ask you to tutor him if he didn’t need tutoring?”

“Right! Like it was sort of a waste of time. I could’ve went to the party with y’all.” She took a deep breath.

Jaehyun chuckled. “You really are oblivious. If he actually didn’t need tutoring then he just wanted a reason to spend time with you, duh!”

“Why couldn’t he just ask me on a date?”

“Would you have said yes?!” He posed posed to her.

She giggled. “Probably not. I always think guys are playing around when it comes to me.”

“That’s why he asked you to study. I guarantee you he’s been watching your moves and he knew exactly how to approach you and look it worked.”

“Yeah and he may have asked me on another study date but he said we didn’t have to study this time around.”

“So he wants to take you on a legit date then, Bri. Keep up, he likes you!” Jae laughed as he pulled into his driveway. He cut the engine.

Brianne giggled. “Well look at there, I’ve been asked out and didn’t even notice. He is a cutie though. I should probably text him with an answer.”

“Yeah and that answer better be a yes!” He paused for a moment. “Bri, I- I really like her. Like I know you don’t want to hear it but-“

“No I do! I’m totally good off of you. We’re best friends and that’s all I ever need us to be. Tell me all about it.”

He laid his head back on the head rest. “She’s great. I see why my parents love her so much. She just understands me like no one ever has. I feel like she actually sees me even though I’m scared as shit to show her all the ugly things.”

Brianne smiled. “She’s that kind of person. I’ve been like the worst friend ever to her lately and she still has stuck around. She show compassion when most people wouldn’t. So what are you going to do about these feelings?”

That big silly smile appeared on his face again as he stepped out of his vehicle and headed to his front door. “I want her to be mine. But is it too soon to ask?”

“There’s no time like any time. Cease the day, my friend!” She approved. “Plus I overheard that Taeyong is trying to get her back so you might want to act fast.”

He opened his door and noticed suitcases in the foyer. “Mom?!” He yelled.

Brianne groaned. “Did you really have to yell in my ear?”

He had honestly forgot that quick that he was on the phone. The packed suitcases caught him off guard.

His mom appeared in view. “Your dad is gone so if you’re coming with me I need you to get you stuff right now!”

He eyed her curiously. “What are you doing?” He asked with wide eyes.

“I’m leaving your father. This is the last time I be his fool. Are you coming or not?”

“Where will we go?!” Jaehyun was taken aback.

She grabbed his face to stare into his big brown eyes, “trust me, Jeffrey! Okay?”

He nodded in silence.

Brianne didn’t know what to say. “Um- hello?” She spoke on the other end of the phone. She could tell Jae was running upstairs from his breathing and the stomps she could hear.

He gasped. “I’m so sorry I forgot you were still there, I have to go but we definitely need to talk about the whole Taeyong thing.” He cut the phone line quickly and began packing his things. The only thing he cared about was his clothes and shoes. Everything else could stay as far as he was concerned.

After about an hour he met his mom downstairs. “So where are we going?”

She smiled. It was a sad smile but a smile nonetheless. “I bought a condo outside the city. Your dad doesn’t even know about it.”

Jae simply nodded.

“Follow me in your car.”

Jaehyun pulled his things to his car and packed them in. “Mom!” He yelled as something dawned on him. “Doesn’t he have trackers on these vehicles?”

She shook her head. “He did but I removed them. Let’s go!”

He drove closely behind his mother. He felt like maybe his mom had been planning to leave for a while but she just couldn’t find the proper opportunity. Now she had one he guessed.

After about forty five minutes they pulled up to a building of condos.

He admired it. He knew she had spent a pretty penny on it. He helped her with the kids.

After they got everything in he smiled at the inside. “How long have you had this?”

“About a year. I needed my ducks in a row.” She sighed as she stared out the window.

Jaehyun rubbed her shoulder. “You deserve so much better, mom. From me and from him. I don’t want to be like him.”

She looked over to him. “Then be better. You have what it takes to be a decent man, just do it.” She rubbed his cheek.

He smiled a little. “I’ve been hiding something from you-“ he started.

She crossed her arms. “Nothing you do is ever mystery to me, Jeffrey.”

He smirked. “So you’re telling me you already know what I’m about to reveal?”

“Maybe. What is it?”

“I’ve been hanging out with Sasha and her friends lately. I’m staying out of trouble I swear.”

She smiled. “Oh I know if you’re hanging with them then you’re definitely not in any trouble. Just don’t revert back. Sasha is a good girl and she has many aspirations. Don’t mess that up for her.”

“Why did you just single her out?” He questioned.

She laughed. “I told you that nothing you do is a mystery to me. I know you like her. I knew you would before y’all met.”

“How would you even know what my type is? I’ve been away at boarding school forever. You’ve never met any of my girlfriends.” As if he had had any to begin with. Let’s just say he wasn’t the commitment type before now. He was just having fun and breaking hearts while at it but he didn’t want to be like that anymore. Sasha has changed the game. She was the main character and he was just trying to find his way in her world.

She stared at him. “How could you not fall for her? She’s amazing in so many ways. Just call it mother’s intuition.” She walked back towards the master bedroom. “Get settled in. You’ll need your rest for school tomorrow.”

Ivy

She searched through Johnny’s drawer for some comfortable clothes to wear. She quickly pulled out a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt. She noticed an unopened box of condoms. She eyed them wondering how long he had had them. Was it just in case it had he been planning for the moment. They were very comfortable with one another so they undressed and dressed freely in front of each other but they had never had sex. Or at least never went all the way.

She heard the knob turn to his door so she hurriedly stashed them back in his drawer and stepped back from the dresser. She hugged his clothes against her body. She didn’t know why she felt embarrassed now.

He eyed her for a moment then he slipped his shirt off. His gym shirts hung low off of his hips.

She could see his “V” and boy did it make her hot.

“Babe, are you okay?” He asked as he turned his covers back and jumped into the bed.

She snapped out of her trance. “Yes.” She whispered. She didn’t mean to say it like that though she was just caught up in the pure lust of him. An entire man underneath his clothes. She had seen him like this before but maybe seeing the condoms had her imagining things that she probably shouldn’t.

He patted the side of his bed. “Come lay with me.” He pleaded.

She shook her head. “I think I might need to use the bathroom?” She said as if it was a question. She ran into his bathroom. She splashed water on her face. “Get your shit together, Ivy!” She spoke to herself quietly.

He wondered what the hell was wrong with her. She was acting so awkwardly and that was one thing that she wasn’t.

Ivy grabbed her phone as she braced herself on the countertop and called Sasha. “I need you to talk me down!”

Sasha giggled. “What is it, Ivy?”

“I think I’m ready to have sex.” She whispered. She knew the walls weren’t that thick so if she didn’t want him to hear her she needed to stay quiet.

“You what?” Sasha could barely hear her.

“Sex, Sasha! I think I’m ready!” She said a bit too loud. She covered her mouth, if she could slap herself she would’ve.

Johnny had been standing by the door so he heard that. His eyes flew open wide. He had been ready but she didn’t seem so into it so he never asked.

“Are you going to tell me this is a mistake or not, Sasha?!” She stared at herself in the mirror.

Sasha sighed. “Y’all have been together since sophomore year. Who am I to tell you what to do with your body. Do you think y’all will be together after we graduate?”

“I can’t picture my life without him honestly. It scares me that we might be taking separate roads but I still want him. I love him, Sasha.” Tears formed in her eyes as she thought of the future.

Sasha smiled. She wanted a love like that. “Do what your heart tells you to do.”

“Thanks Sasha! I love you.” She hung up.

Johnny stood at the door. He wasn’t even going to try to act like he hadn’t been listening.

She opened the door and bumped into him.

He caught her in his arms and simply held her. “I love you too.” He smiled and tipped her chin up so she could see him. “I don’t care where I go in this life or any other life, I’m taking you with me.”

She let a tear escape.

He wiped it. “And also I’m ready to have you in every way possible but I want it to be special for both of us so just wait a little bit. You won’t regret the wait.” He kissed her lips softly then nipped the bottom one with a light chuckle.

-stay tuned

#nctzen #nct 127 #nct u #jaehyun #taeyong #moon taeil #nakamoto yuta #johnny suh #seo johnny #haechan #jungwoo #doyoung #mark lee #fanfic #story #stories #kpop #kpop idols #soft hours

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lyndexv · 5 years ago

Text

Sophie

So, here’s my first fic (it was supposed to be a prompt, but I made it pass through the 2000 words (2 904 words, woops) for the writing challenge by @stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale.

Some importants things before we start : -In this story, we are in a AU where Louis dated Sophie before her capture.

-Marlon doesn’t get killed by AJ, because THIS TIME Clem keeps the gun when Marlon drops it.

Hope you enjoy it.

------------------------------------------

«I love you, Lou...Since the beginning.»

Louis remembered those words, again, and again, as he played random tunes on his piano.

Everything has been so fucked those last days…

Marlon’s betrayal…He couldn’t believe it happened.

«Brody told me : Marlon was gonna give me and AJ up to raiders in exchange for safety ;

The same way he gave up Sophie and Minnie ! »

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it.

Sophie, the love of his life, she...she……

--1 year ago--

« Marlon, where’s Minnie ? » Violet was the first to notice that the twins weren’t with the hunt group.

« V-Vi, let me exp- »

«Marlon.» He remembered the despair, the fear behind the gaze of his ‘brother’.

«What the fuck happened to Soph ? » Louis felt anger starting to rise inside him.

« C-Calm down, bro...I-I know it’s hard to take, but she-- »

« WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO HER ??! » Idryssa and Violet retained Louis from throwing himself at Marlon.

He did have some anger moments in his life...But now, he felt rage, and hate. He never felt that, at anyone or anything before.

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe that...she was…

« WALKERS GOT THEM !! » Brody cried. Everyone turned to her.

« We...went outside the safe zone...We found a car, but... » Brody tried to control her panic

« Walkers appeared from nowhere….They..were too many of them. We tried our best, Lou, I swear... »

Louis gave up. He didn’t struggle against Idryssa and Vi anymore. He felt he was on verge of tears.

« No...There’s...There’s no fucking way... »

« Dude...I’m so sorr-- » Marlon walked to Louis, to soothe him , but the pianist refused his hand

« DON’T TOUCH ME ! »

The stressful silence that was occuring made the situation even more unbearable.

Louis dashed to the music room.

« Louis, come back ! »

« LOUIS !!! »

Louis didn’t even care.

As he passed the door, he sat on the piano stool.

He couldn’t contain his despair anymore.

« S-Sophie... »

His tears started to fell on his piano, as he laid his arms and his heads on it.

As he cried, he looked up at the music sheets, at one in peculiar : ‘Sophie’

It had been months since she confessed to him her love. He was so happy, and relieved, that his feelings for her were returned, shared. She loved for what he was, not just because he was the ‘happy goofy jokester’ of the kids…

« ‘Happy Goofy Jokester’ ? Seriously ? » Sophie always cracked a giggle at his nickname.

He wanted to give the best gift for his beloved ginger Irish girl, and, well, a song was a perfect gift. Both had that love for the arts, as Sophie was a genius artist, at painting (well, as much as she could do with the boarding school stuff), at drawing, and even crafting some pillows castle with him (Dear Lord he had dozens of pillows in his room, it was just hilarious)

He wanted to keep it as a surprise, to show and play that song of his once she was back from hunting.

He couldn’t now. She was dead.

After that, he changed.

The first weeks, Louis never left his room, or the music room, even for dinner.

Idryssa brought him food, but he rarely ate, not touched it.

But that was before she betrayed him too….

Surprinsingly enough (for the other kids), he found confort with Violet, as they shared their grief about their lost loves..

After some months, the scar of his heart started to heal, he’d crack some jokes again here or there, and Aasim was less reluctant to rant about his sometimes lame jokes.

But the scar never healed completly, it could open again easily, Louis knew that. The others avoided to talk about the twins, but that made it even worse to bear.

Louis never wanted to betray Sophie’s memory, so he continued to write music, to sing, to crack jokes for the sake of seeing the others smiling (or rolling their eyes, in Vi’s case).

--Months later--

Then, a new girl came into his life : Clementine.

As much as he had a good first impression of her (She let him play ‘Oh My Darling Clementine’, while all the other would have stopped him ; she kicked some walkers heads at a A+ level, while she was just recovering from a concussion, heck ! ; she was beautiful, funny...)

But he felt that it would be HELL wrong to flirt with the new girl, he just...couldn’t do that, especially at the one-year anniversary (what a happy anniversary for sure…) of Sophie’s passing. He did cracked some jokes with Clem, but that was all.

But, as life is a bitch sometimes…

« So...Um...Did you ever felt love, for someone ? »

Clem had a puzzled look at him, as Violet threw her fist on the table out of spite

« Oh-My-God... »

« What ? It is a totally valid question, instead of always talking about d-e-a-t-h things. »

« I don’t know how to explain it, but... » Clem started to explain, as Vi, Marlon and Lou looked at her.

« I met a boy, once. And we were...close, I guess ? »

« What kind of ‘close’ ? » Violet asked.

« Maybe not exactly ‘love-love’, but I definitely felt something for him. »

Then, Clem looked at Louis. « What about you ? »

Fuckfuckfuck

Marlon and Vi’s eyes went wide up, as Clem brought the WORST question she could ever asked him.

Louis started to feel his heart aching horribly, as if someone was using all its strengh and was urging it. He also felt tears starting to come...

Don’t crack up, don’t fucking crack up, not now, not in front of anyone, of her, not again--

Clem noticed it, her expression changing into concern, worry

« Louis, are you allr-- »

« Y-YES , I am ! It’s...okay, you had the right to ask..» He said as he noticed the heavy worry Vi, Marlon and Clem had in their gazes.

« It’s...becoming cold, don’t you think ? I’m...going to my dorm, goodnight. » Louis left them with that terrible excuse. He felt horribly wrong, and the pain came back again.

Stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid

« Guess I can’t shame myself more than that... » He thought.

Days passed, and Louis started to feel...strange, about Clementine.

When he looked at her, tchatted with her, even shared some jokes together…

« I am basically a ninja, master of the martial arts. » Louis joked, doing a ‘ninja pose’ as he said it.

« You too ? I thought I was the only one » said Clem, doing some ‘ninja pose’ herself.

« Me too » A.J, her ‘adoptive’ son (?) also did a ninja pose.

While Aasim grunted as usual, Louis smiled. He felt good when he was with Clem, he liked being a ‘dad’ for A.J (Well ,as much as a ‘happy goofy jokester’ can be), taking care of him.

But, like for Sophie, like for every moment he felt...himself, in a happy way, it didn’t last.

This night where, for a minute, Clem was a murderer…

« Look at her hands ! She’s covered in Brody’s blood ! »

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it.

But Marlon was his ‘brother’, and he knew Clem since, like, a week ? Why would Marlon lie ?

And...she did have blood on her hands…

«Well, FUCK. THEM. » Marlon pointed his gun at her.

« What the fuck ? » (Nice one Vi, you stole my words… he thought)

« Marlon ! »

« Jesus Christ !»

« You shoot me, and what do you offer up to your raider friends when they come knocking ? »

« What the hell is she talking about ? » Aasim asked

« He won’t do it because he needs us alive-- »

« Shut up ! » Marlon pointed his gun at Clem again.

«Brody told me : Marlon was gonna give me and AJ up to raiders in exchange for safety ;

The same way he gave up Sophie and Minnie ! »

Clem finished her quote looking at Tenn, who was shocked by this reveal.

Louis was shocked too. As he felt his heart aching again, the scar being re-opened by a sadist twist of events, he tried to not crack up.

Don’t crack up, don’t fucking crack up, not now…

He couldn’t believe it. He DIDN’T want to believe it. Why Marlon, of all people, would do something this horrible ? Why would HE lie to HIM, his best friend for years now ?!

« Raiders ? »

« Oh my gosh ! »

« Shut the fuck up, Clementine ! » Marlon still ‘only’ pointed his gun at Clem…

« Let her talk ! » Aasim said.

As Louis felt his heart aching like hell, and the expression of terror in Tenn’s face, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear more of this.

« Brody told me the truth, and THAT’s when Marlon killed her ! »

Everyone turned to Marlon with accusating looks.

Including Louis. He felt pain, but he started to feel rage again…

« Aw, come the FUCK on ! »

Marlon started to walk around Clem.

« They only met up with these ‘raiders’ because Clem insisted they go out there. »

« Quite the coincidence, isn’t it ? Shame I don’t believe in those. »

He...had a point.

« Think about how we all were when the adults left. I pulled us out of that fear. I gave us all courage again. »

« Who are y’all gonna believe, huh ? Johnny-come-lately and her little fucking lunatic ? »

That ‘lunatic’ had his dinner at the same table as Louis, Marlon and the others a few hours ago…

« Or me ? Your friend ? »

This situation is so fucked. He wanted to stand up for Clem, but that would mean he’d be against Marlon, and by that believing that...he…

« Louis, don’t let him do this ! »

What ? She was calling up for him ? Violet was a better candidate, and she seemed closer to Clem than he was now.

And again...His mind was stuck on who to stand for...

« Oh no, I am not involved. »

Seriously? Avoiding conflict, in a situation like THIS ? You coward.

« What ? » Clem sounded in distress, shocked by Louis’ answer.

« I...I like you Clem, but I.. »

You what ? Tell here you’re totally trusting your violent best friend with a gun pointed at her.

« Not me. I’m sorry. »

«You’re, uh, on your own. »

Sophie would have stepped up, you know it. She wouldn’t have ran away from conflict like you’re doing right now.

Cowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcowardcoward

«I’m sorry. »

« Then you better bury me deep. » Clem looked at him, betrayed and angered.

« Because if I come back, I’ll come for you first. »

You deserve your pain.

« Shit. »

« Marlon, come on man, »

« Drop the gun-- »

« Louis ! » Marlon cut him.

« She. Killed. Brody ! »

« We can’t let her walk away. »

Louis looked back at Clem.

« Clem, I...I gotta trust Marlon. »

coward

« I just...I gotta. »

cowardcowardcoward

« I always have. »

« Brody trusted him. And now she’s dead. » Clem said.

« And HE killed her ! »

« Take that back ! »

Louis noticed Marlon’s gaze. It was full of rage.

As he pointed his gun at Clem, he seemed determined. This time, if nobody do anything, he’s gonna shot Clem down.

Step the fuck up. For Clem. For Sophie.

Louis walked to Clem and Marlon, placing himself in the middle of them. He risked his life, he knew that.

Marlon shook his head « You don’t know what you’re doing, man. »

Louis wanted all that shit to end well, without any more deaths that this already did.

« C’mon, dude, just drop the gun. This is how adults do things. Not us. »

« Stand down, Marlon. Be reasonable. » Aasim added.

Aasim, Tenn, Louis, Violet and Omar started to corner Marlon.

« You don’t get it. » Marlon shook his head, still pointing dangerously his gun

« You-you don’t understand at all, do you ? »

Understand what ?

Louis had a bad feeling about this. A truly bad feeling.

« I’m trying TO PROTECT YOU ! » Marlon pointed the gun at everyone.

« ALL OF YOU !! »

« He’s lying to you. He can’t – or won’t – protect you ! » Clem said to the other kids.

« Look at what happened to Brody. To Sophie, Minerva... »

« You suck at protection ! »

Marlon only pointed his gun at her again and shouted. « Shut your fucking mouth ! »

No defense.

« I made the right call. »

Wait, what ? Louis hoped that didn’t mean...no. FUCK NO.

« I saved the lives of everyone in this fucking school ! »

« And if they came back...I’d do it again ! »

Louis felt his pain replaced by rage. WHAT THE FUCK ?

Marlon let the twins get taken LIKE IT WAS NOTHING ?

All those moments of pain he had after Sophie’s disappearance, and that Violet had too, were not only CAUSED by Marlon, but worse than that Marlon never told him the truth. MARLON, his brother, hid the fucking truth about the fate of the love of his life from him ?!!

The others were scandalized too.

« Excuse me ? »

« I didn’t realise we were so fucking expendable »

« You’re a dick ! »

« You told me they died ! »

Louis couldn’t contain his rage anymore.

«HOW COULD YOU DO THAT ?? »

Marlon, and all the others, turned to him, shocked by his rage.

« I THOUGHT...For years I thought you were my brother, that I could trust you over anything in this fucked world... »

« I know Louis, I...I am sorr- »

« When everyone was affraid of you, I wanted to be your friend, because I looked BEYOND your problems, like I did with everyone else here ! »

« And after everything we lived through, YOU FUCKING LET SOPHIE GET TAKEN BY RAIDERS, AND YOU HID THAT FROM ME FOR A YEAR ! »

Louis felt his heart ache, from Marlon’s betrayal. He felt he was starting to cry, but he didn’t care anymore.

« Only a pure coward betrays his friends like this. » Clem said.

--Present--

Marlon has been judged, and exiled by vote. Ironicly, that’s what happened with Shaun, Esther, and...Idryssa. And Marlon was the judge for their ‘trials’. And out of the 4 exiled kids the school had, the most guilty were Idryssa and Marlon, both leaders.

Clem was right after all, the leaders never stay long in place…

Louis absently flipped through his music sheets, when he found a song in peculiar…

‘‘Sophie’, wrote 6-21-2011’. The music he composed for her. As he thought about it, he remembers he never played it.

Louis sighed.

He prepared himself to play.

« This one’s for you, Sophie, if you can hear me. »

Louis started to play. ‘Sophie’ was his longest composition, about 7 minutes easily. It was a romantic ballad, with some ‘irish’ touches here and there, but nothing too stereotyped. The piano being a bit out of tune (If only he could find the right tools for it…) did not ruin the melody, flying out in the whole school, like in the good times…

Even the growing ache in his heart did not stop him.

On a melancholic note, he ended the music.

« That was beautiful. »

Louis suddenly turned his head to the door, only noticing Clementine’s presence now.

« Oh, uh...sorry, I just heard the music and walked to its source. »

« I don’t mind, I like having an audience. » Louis said.

« What was that music ? » Clem asked as he sat on the piano stool.

« A song. That I wrote. »

« You wrote it ? » Clem sounded surprised, not in a bad way.

Louis nodded. « I wrote it for Sophie. »

Both went silent at her mention.

« About that...I’m sorry... for what happened to her. » Clem said, looking concerned for Louis.

« Don’t. It was... » Louis just couldn’t pronounce his name, not that soon.

« his fault. I just...hope she’s okay. » Louis sighed.

Clem put a conforting hand on his shoulder. « I hope she is, too. When we will find the raiders, we’ll bring the twins back, and you’ll be together again. »

Louis smiled at Clem « Thank you, Clem. Even if you just took the rôle of the optimistic for a second, which is mine, if you hadn’t guessed it.»

Clem chuckled « Of course I guessed it, you dork. »

With Sophie’s return, with Clem, Louis felt hope, for the first time in months. Hope that his scar will heal completly.

#twdgdrabblechallenge #too long

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vegetacide · 5 years ago

Text

Whump●tober - Explosion

Veg-notables: For whumptober. This one kind wrote itself and I wrote it a$$ backwards starting with the end and filling in the rest. It ended up longer than I expected so I apologize in advance for the word spewage - The boys wanted to banter so I let ‘em.

As always, thanks to @gumnut-logic for her help hashing out the plot.

Obligatory whumptober stuff: @whumptober2019 @la-vie-en-whump

Blanket warning: Its gonna get hot.

Characters: Virgil, Alan, Scott and Johnny.

Whumptober - TaG universe

2. Explosion

Enjoy...

oOo

“Thunderbird Two to command”

“Go ahead, V. What’s your status?”

“Hey, we’re almost done on the South end of the factory but it’s slow going. The smoke and the super structure of this place is screwing with our scans so we’re having to back track.”

“I’ll see if there’s anything John can do on his end to clear it up. Find anything?”

Virgil shook his head before he realized that Scott couldn’t see him. “It’s what I haven’t found that disturbing me. What the hell happened to the fire suppression system?”

“Not sure. Both John and the GDF confirmed this facility was registered as meeting requirements on its last inspection. It’s a question I am going to be posing to the CEO once he’s done showboating for the media hounds.”

“Well, wait for me. I would love to hear the answer.”

He got a chuckle from the other end of the open comm. “I’ll see what I can do. Get back at it and check in with me in five.. Or if you find anything.”

“Will do.” The comm channel clicked off and Virgil turned as his youngest brother appeared in the doorway at his back with a tote bag full of suppression grenades.

They were making their way through what was left of a chemical manufacturing plant that had seen better days. They’d received a request for assistance in the early hours of the morning as flames has shot some fifty feet above the roof line. The noxious fumes of the burning cocktail of who knew what that wafted out had been pushed by a North Eastern to the neighbouring township. Forcing the local services to call for the immediate evacuation of the 8, 962 residents.

During the course of the evacuation Scott had been roped in to help shuttle while Virigl and Alan had stayed behind to help with containment. For the most part the fire out due to their specialized gear and a fire retardant foam that Brains had concocted for just this scenario.

Now though they had to pick their way through the smoldering remains to search for survivors who could be holed up in any of the emergency fire shelters that were scattered around the confusing maze of corridors that made up the complex.

The installation of a mobile ventilation system was doing it best to clear out the contaminants and particulates polluting the air but the smoke was still hung heavy over the hulking, burnt out husk of a factory which meant that Virgil and Alan had to do the majority of the foot work themselves.

The place had to be cleared back to the GDF before they would risk the lives of any of the local crews on clean up.

“How’s are inventory?” He asked by way of greeting and turned to focus on the holographic schematics of the building that were hovering above his wrist unit.

“Depleting but we should have enough.” Alan dropped the bag at his brother’s feet and started redistributing the spherical concussion bombs into Virgil’s bag. “We’ll have to start using these sparingly.”

Virgil rubbed a hand over his sooty visor, “Well looks like the fire is contained in this section. Should just be a matter of snuffing out hot spots to prevent flare up from here on out.

Alan nodded in understanding and pushed up to his feet. His eyebrow cocked when he noticed a look passed over Virgil’s face. He stepped closer in inquiry. “You get something?”

Virgil’s brows furrowed in concentration. “Not sure, think I saw a blip over in the North East corner, back by the biochem labs.”

“We went through there though.” His brother stated. “The area was clear.”

“We must have missed something.” Grabbing his bag off the floor, he flung it over his shoulder. “Better go back and check it out again. This place had a lot of staff and the numbers haven’t come in from the department supervisors yet. We can’t be sure everyone got out.”

Alan managed to just barely suppress a pout and Virgil bumped his shoulder brotherly as he stepped around him. “Come on, Rocket Boy. Sooner we get this done the sooner you will be back home killing Zombies and scarfing down veggie sticks.”

Virgil grinned as his brother grumbled out. “It’s Rocket Man, thank you very much.”

“Hey Squirt, when you can see over the dash of Two I’ll start referring to you as ‘Man’.. Until then, your stuck.” He dodges a swat from his baby brother. Friendly ribbing aside they had a job to do but it helped relieve some of the stress.

Back on task, they headed out back down the blackened corridor, ducking under hanging ceiling lights and stepped over fallen ceiling tiles and other assorted debris.

The track back across the rat’s maze of hallways and cross corridors, through disengaged mag-locked doors and over a rather rickety catwalk that spanned ash covered vats; their tops having blown off during the blaze, took far longer than Virgil would have liked.

He knew they were running low on time with the GDF circling outside looking for answers and the local authorities eager to start their investigation into the cause of the fire Virgil needed to find a way to pick up their pace.

Stopping to orient himself, Virgil check his wrist comm again. “This place is way too complicated for a private sector supplier.” He said this offhandedly and wasn’t expecting a response back in kind from the blonde at his six. He got one anyways.

“Maybe it’s a top secret government think tank where they brew up all sorts of crazy potions for world domination.”

Virgil snorted and nodded off to the left. “Down here.” Flicking on his shoulder mount, the high powered beam lit up the windowless corridor. “Ya right. Do you honestly think the Black Suits would let us in here if it were. Even with our affiliations with the GDF we would be lucky to get within ten miles of this place.”

“Cover up.” Alan tossed out with a shrug. “Who really knows how these government spook organizations work.”

Virgil shook his head and turned down a short set of stairs and stopped abruptly at a large set of blast doors. “You spend way too much time surfing the conspiracy sites.”

“Everyone needs a hobby.”

Rolling his eyes, he tapped his comm line open. “Scott, we got something.”

“10-4. Talk to me ”

Virgil knew his brother was following their progress from his ‘bird along with John floating around up in space. “Looks like another fire proof room but I can’t find it on the schematics.”

John’s voice cut in with no preamble. “Those were the ones that were provided to the local planning board with the factories last retrofit. They should be up to date.”

“Well, from where I am standing,” Virgil rapped a padded knuckle on the heavy door, “They are inaccurate and I can’t get a read on what’s on the other side. ”

“One moment,” John sounded a bit peeved. Virgil knew he hated inaccuracy and the ineptitude of lazy people not doing their jobs, making stupid mistake drove him bat shit crazy.

Virgil inspected the door and the surrounding area and pointed back down the corridor. “Check around the corner and see if there is an electrical closet would ya? Or a service panel? Door this big is magnetically sealed so a power relay is needed. ”

“Like it would be on this side of it? Wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?” Alan asked

“If it’s not in use it will be powered from out here for maintenance purposes. Once activated though its self sufficient and it disconnects from the external source for preventative reasons.” Like opening up to a massive blaze or a toxic chemical spill.

Alan zipped off around the corner, his comm line active so they could keep in communication with one another as per S.O.P when on site.

“What do you think is in there?” Alan’s voice sounded in his ear, he was still close enough that it echoed a bit with a tiny time delay as it went through their secure network.

Virgil tweaked the volume and went back to inspection the door and the coded palm reader that was a charred mess to the right of it. “First guess is it’s another fire room but considering its not on spec…who knows.”

Scott’s voice chimed in, “I’m done playing taxi. Last patient has been dropped at the next closest hospital. I’ll have a word with the CEO and Colonel Casey when I am back on site in ten.. Get us some answers as to what the hell is going on.”

“Roger that.”

Alan appeared back at his side. “Nothing.”

Virgil frowned at the door and ripped the charred panel from the wall to expose the mass of surprisingly undamaged wires behind it. “This isn’t adding up..”

Pulling out a network access key from his baldric, Virgil started pulling wires. “Hey Johnny, I got a hack job for you if your done angrily tearing the local civil servants a new one.”

“Patch me in.”

“Yup, working on it now. “ Stripping a few wires, he tested to see if there was power to them and hooked them up to the small device. “You find the idiot that misfiled those docs?”

“Not yet,” Came the disgruntled sign of annoyance. “Eos is working on it.”

“Ouch.. that’s gonna hurt.” Virgil could hear the evil glee in the red heads voice and almost felt sorry for the poor bastard that was going to get steam rolled once he was found.

The small device in his hand flared to life and just as suddenly the door before him hissed as the locking system released. “Wow, that was fast.”

“That wasn’t me.”

Virgil blinked and locked eyes with Alan. “Understood, keep an eye on things for me would ya? We’re going in.”

“Be careful, Thunderbird Two. Picking up weird anomalies from the other side.”

“Roger, stand by.”

It took both of them to pull the heavy door open, boots finding little purchase on the foam slicked floor. Braced against the wall with one final heave the mighty steel portal swung up just wide enough for them to pass through one at a time. Standing in the opening, Virgil peered into the space beyond, eyes narrowing when a curious distortion caused the air to waver

Virgil’s eyes widened as what he was seeing registered with the still smoldering remnants in the corridor. He only had seconds to push Alan out of the way before all hell broke loose.

The ensuing conflagration of heat knocked the breath from Virgil’s lungs as he was tossed like a rag doll through burning ozone. The sudden and abrupt stop as his body met wall caused pain to burst across his whole nervous system and left him a whimpering heap on the floor.

The world grayed out around the edges but one thing kept him just his side of blissful oblivion, the thought of his little brother.

By sheer force of will he commanded his lungs to start working again and with a reserve of energy he didn’t know he had, he lifted his torso off the floor, stars flashing across his retinas.

Coughing, he dragged himself across the floor ears straining against the buzz of a million bees as he called out for his sibling. His voice hoarse and tinny to his whirring ear drums.

“Alan!! Thunderbird Two to anyone!” He was panicking and he knew it wasn’t helping but he had to find his baby brother. “Alan, god where are you? Answer me”

The visibility was completely next to none existent as smoke billowed out from whatever the room behind the blast doors had been. Flames scorching and white hot licked with renewed strength up the previously foamed walls with a growing intensity that he could feel through the protection of his fire gear and sweat trickled down the length of his spine. He had to get them out of here.

Oh god, where was his brother?

“Scott? Scott, I can’t find Allie…” Padding around on all fours as close to the ground as he could he reached out in every direction. Pushing singed debris and refuse out to the way as he search.

Coughing again, a fine spray of blood peppered across his visor but he wouldn’t give up, he couldn’t.

The hand that landed suddenly on his shoulder had his heart stuttering to a stop in his throat. The flash of red and that grabbed at his helmet kick started it back over again.

“Allie, oh thank God.”

“I’m okay but my comms are down. We gotta get out of here.”

Virgil nodded his agreement. Pushing up to a crouch, hell fire raining down around them, he look left and right to try and gauge the best direction to take. He gave his head a shake when the world greyed out around the edges of his vision and shot a hand out to brace himself against his brother’s shoulder.

“You okay, Virg?”

An odd expression passed over Virgil’s face as time seemed to crawl to a stop. The flames of the fire all around them stilling, the heat fading away and an odd, surreal chill slowly encompassed his body, radiating up his torso and slowly suffusing his limbs.

His thoughts grew distance as the center of the chill started to thaw with an excruciating burn and he looked down. What the…?The echo of confusion cut off abruptly as his gloved hand came away dark and wet.

“Oh god. Virgil, hang on..” Were the last words he heard before Earth reared up and hit him hard.

oOo

Next part HERE

The Master List of prompts can be found HERE

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jaehyunisyoon-oh · 5 years ago

Text

Ae-jeong [ affection ] chapter 1 : The first encounter

Pairings: NCT Jaehyun X OC/You

Genre: Romance, thriller, romancethriller, best friend to lover, fluff

Haewon POV

The day of the incident, December 1st 2018

SM’s Office

I heaved a sigh of relief at successfully holding the elevator door before it closed, grimacing slightly because today I decided to go to the office with heels as high as 5cm. I exhaled annoyed and took off my heels, -the hell- with all of this I will be barefoot through the cold floor of the SM office in this winter.

"Your feet are all scratched" I turned around and Jaehyun with his black hoodie was frozen while leaning his body against the wall.

"Shit, Jaehyun, since when were you here?" I asked.

"Since a while ago, didn't the doctor say you shouldn't be carrying heavy things for a while?" Jaehyun asked then took the box I had been carrying.

"This is your v live property for today's live broadcast" I dodged, trying to avoid his sharp gaze.

"Is there no male staff in the NCT team?" Jaehyun asked coldly. If he has that look, that means I have to be careful, otherwise, he can explode in this elevator.

"There are tons of them, but you know how hectic it was. The other members just had to take off the accessories while running around, and then this box was left behind and by chance, I was still in the basement. So that's how it is," I explained at length. He remains silent, which make everything more awkward. Then silence broke out between the two of us, and if it's like this I don't know what to do. When I was little, every time Jaehyun sulked I would reluctantly have to share my weekly ice cream portion for him, and we will make it up again. But now, it would be very strange if suddenly ice cream pop up out of nowhere from my pants pocket right? Oh my god, why is going to the 5th floor take so long? Suddenly the elevator stopped on the 3rd floor and the door opened, a bearded man in a full cycling shirt looked at me while grinning like a fool. Yes, my brother. Cousin more precisely

"My sister?" Said Siwon with a dramatic pretentious face while entering the elevator. Then Siwon with his body still sticky with sweat hugged me.

"CHOI SIWON ARE YOU CRAZY ?! HOW MUCH HAVE I SAID DON'T HUG ME WHEN YOU ARE ALL SWEATY LIKE THIS?!" I shouted. More precisely, wrath. Fortunately, in this elevator, there are only three of us.

"Let your brother hug you, it won't kill you ... Soon Oppa has a schedule to Hong Kong so we won't meet again until...maybe at Christmas... Jaehyun? What's up?" Siwon hugs me and just realize that Jaehyun was behind us enjoying our lovely siblinghood moment, which I hate because I don't like it if by chance some workers see it, and start to think that I am the luckiest person on earth by coming from a rich household, being cousins to Siwon and is Jaehyun's best friend. That all happened before I was even born in this world, there is nothing I can do about it.

"How are you, Hyung? I have a V live schedule on the 6th floor" Jaehyun answered casually.

"I don't usually see you two together, you said that in the office you want to be professional with each other? Be careful later on becoming the centre of attention" Siwon raised his eyebrows with a happy smile. Look how they are chatting casually while I already want to pass out because I can't breathe in Siwon's arms.

"Compared to being afraid of being topic of the gossip, it's better to fix your drunk habits, stop rummaging through our family story," I grumbled.

"Eyy, at that time Oppa made a mistake. Seeing the two of you growing up like this, makes Oppa so emotional "Siwon increasingly tightened his arms and pressed his cheek to mine.

It's annoying to remember that again. Exactly after one year working as Entertainment manager of NCT, I am so glad that everything went peacefully because Jaehyun and I agreed to hide our relationship. But all of that was destroyed because Siwon explained everything very detailed about our 'friendship' at the Halloween Party last year. After midnight, when everyone was half-drunk (except the manager because they had to take the artist home), Siwon went onstage and made a very long speech, talking about how proud he was to see me achieving my dream - yes everyone already knew that you both are cousins since your mother married Choi family's youngest son - and suddenly reveal all the useless things about me and Jaehyun that make all the employees went awed.

"I went back to the basement because my charger was left in the practice room. Then I saw her ran around carrying a box this big" Jaehyun pointed at the large box he was carrying. More precisely like rattling me to Siwon. I gave him a cynical look that was completely ignored by him.

"Geez, Choi Haewon, you should not have carried this heavy stuff, last month you just had a Lasik surgery, what if the stitches come off? Then you... AWWW Haewon that’s hurt!" Siwon's chatter was interrupted as he grimaced in pain because I just bit his cheeks. It just so happened that the elevator opened on the 5th floor and I left those two annoying humans together.

When I arrived on the 5th floor, many employees were greeting me, a little surprised to see me barefoot while busy staring at the device in my hand. When I entered my cubicle, there were tons of unsign documents on the table. There is a placard with "Haewon Choi / Entertainment Manager of NCT" printed on it. I was just sitting down when Na-ri, the head of the artist planning department came in and brought several boxes with Louis Vuitton written on it.

"Haewon, we have a problem" Na-ri stood still, shaking her cellphone. I looked at her confused then stood up, looked at the cellphone and read the short message from Louis Vuitton who wanted their items to be returned right now.

"What? it's like 10 pm and drove to their office will take 2 hours. Oh my god, this is why I don't like it when a high-end brand asks us to do endorsements. After getting what they want, they will suddenly treat us as if we are going to steal it, "I said.

"How annoying, you should know the bracelet that Taeyong used was immediately out of stock. Taeyong's bracelets were trending all over the internet, yet they treat us like this? it seems like we have to stop doing this just to get a discount for the NCT stage outfit, can't we ask to raise the budget? 10 million won per member doesn't seem to be enough, "said Na-ri.

"Unfortunately I can't do that, the budget problem is the realm of finance and I don't want to argue with Mr Jang, our budget is at its highest now, we have to cut down a little bit because we have concert upcoming. And don't forget that we are the youngest team in this company, and I don't want to take the risk, that's kinda sensitive in Korean culture" I answered seriously. Mister Jang has been the head of finance at SM for almost 15 years, his hobby is to tell how hard the idol's of that time to have proper accommodation and now we are buying outfit that cost like one freaking car. Suddenly Na-ri's cellphone vibrates, and the owner of these box sends us a message again. I showed the message to Na-ri, with an annoyed face she posed as if to slam the box... which she couldn't possibly do because the price of one item in it could cost her entire salary.

"Alright, I'll return this right away," Na-ri said while sighing, I patted her back and put the cellphone into her backpack. Na-ri looks very adorable today, I and the other employees almost died out of laughter because Na-ri casually entered the meeting room with a rabbit-shaped backpack, short pink skirt and a white blouse. Fortunately, SM does not have strict regulations on how to dress its employees, in the end, this company is in the field of Entertainment and this type of company is famous for its concession in binding regulations that exist in Korean companies in general.

"Here, take my car. By the way, NCT's schedule will end in 2 hours, and they will immediately be taken to the dorm by the manager. So you should go straight home. " I give my car key to her.

"Thank you. Oh, by the way, Seung-ho Oppa (NCT manager) is still sick, can you please find someone to take the members home to the dorm? Today is the last day of NCT Dream's concert, maybe you should start asking anyone besides the managers." Na-ri pleaded and I replied with a happy smile. Finally, my chance came too.

"Of course I can," I replied with a smile, trying to hide my intentions from her.

"You ... don't even think about it! Just find someone else who can take the ..." Na-ri's chatter was cut off when I pushed her out and hurriedly closed the door to my room.

Jaehyun POV

10.50 PM

SM's Parking lot

We all just finished Live broadcasting on V app and now we are heading to our van to go back to the dorm. Every end of the year is tiring. No, this year is very tiring because all of us, as in 18 members, is promoting under NCT 2018 project, a Lee Soo Man's project that was finally happened because Haewon- our entertainment manager- felt that this project is going to be a very brilliant marketing step. Well, guess she was not wrong. Almost every day some members do live broadcasts, almost every week we have a schedule to appear on events or TV shows, even last week we just signed an exclusive contract with a sports clothing brand. Everything went according to plan and as artists, we are very proud to make it happens.

I, Doyoung, Haechan and Johnny had just arrived at the parking lot when I saw a woman, a girl to be exact, leaning against our van. She wears jeans with a black coat that almost sank her entire body, barefoot with heels on both of her hands. What was she thinking of not wearing any footwear in this weather? I exhaled annoyed while approaching the girl. The other members, especially Haechan gives dramatic screams and the others have put on a super horror face because our nightmares have finally happened again.

"Guess who will take you guys home today?" Haewon asked with her sweet smile while leaning in our van.

"Don't joke, where's Na-ri Noona?" Asked Doyoung while looking around.

"Na-ri is returning the sponsors' belongings and Seungho Oppa is still sick. Don't ask too many questions and get in quickly. The weather is very cold, you can't catch a cold on this super tight schedule," Haewon explained while with great difficulty trying to open our van's door.

We all decided to trust the girl and sat in the passenger seat with very tense faces. Doyoung, Haechan, Johnny and Taeyong looked very pale while watching her trying to adjust the height of the driver's chair.

"Haewon, the button is on your door," Johnny said with a sigh.

"Oh, thank you, Johnny," Haewon replied with a grin.

"Johnny Hyung, how about you just drive?" Haechan asked Johnny.

"Lee Haechan! It would be very dangerous if an idol drives alone, you understand right? Just wear your goddamn seat belt and go to sleep there!" Haewon grumbles.

"Wouldn't it be more dangerous to let Noona drive?" Grunted Haechan and checked once again the seatbelt he was wearing.

"Never mind, stop making Haewon nervous, I still want to live longer in this world" Said Taeyong who was met with Haewon's ferocious look.

During the trip to the dorm, I could not stop staring at the girl beside me. She looks very adorable when she's serious. Her petite body must try as hard as possible to drive this van, and I should be worried because I am inside it. For several times I saw her moving her legs, and that made me very uncomfortable because I'm not used to seeing Haewon with blisters on his body, if Grandpa Han sees this, he will be very angry.

In a short time, our car has entered the gate of our dormitory, and as usual, there are already Sasaeng huddled waiting for us there. I can tell because most of them wore white shirts with our names printed in it when they saw our car coming, they immediately surrounded us while pointing the camera at us.

"They all are this many?" Haewon asked, gritting her teeth.

"It's not as much as usual, considering the weather ... Some must be very smart not to freeze themself to death," Johnny replied.

"They can't go up, can they? You all close the window's curtains now!" Haewon looked back with her horror face.

"Ahjumma said that there are some Sasaeng who live in this apartment, they even wait at the dorm's front door every night" Doyoung answered as he lowered his bucket hat.

"Aish, you guys just moved here, it looks like it won't be possible to move again, especially since SM has just paid in full for this dorm. I don't want to argue with Mr Jang from the financial division," Haewon chats at length.

I could see the girl in a hurry to take her handbag and start looking for something, then after a while, she growled in frustration because the object she was looking for was located somewhere of that bag she had never tidied. I stared at the girl exasperatedly, with my impatience, I wanted to scold her, but with a situation like this, it felt like I could save my scolding for later.

Author POV

NCT 127 Dorm

After almost 30 minutes of drama with the Sasaeng, they finally arrived at their dormitory. Haewon took a deep breath seeing the condition of the 10th floor's dormitory residents, feeling grateful that Na-ri and herself managed to win the budget to hire maid services for all NCT dorms. On this floor, there are Mark, Taeil, Yuta, and Jaehyun while the other members are on the 5th floor. In the living room, Yuta is tidying up things in his suitcase. When he saw Haewon coming, Yuta immediately closed his suitcase, after all, they seem to realize that no matter how close they are with Haewonm she is a woman after all and it would be very embarrassing if he let Haewon see something that should not be shown to others especially to a woman. Haewon smiled and immediately walked towards the kitchen, checking the performance of the maid service recommended by Na-ri herself.

"here, it must be very tiring going here with all those Sasaengs.." Mark emerged from the kitchen, offered a glass of water to Haewon with half-sleepy eyes.

"It's okay, Mark. Make sure to sleep early, tomorrow morning there will be shooting for your concert's VCR" Haewon smiled at Mark and took the drink.

"I heard, better to prep my skin using some mask, right?" asked Mark while holding his cheek, Haewon laughed at Mark's behaviour. When they first met 1 year ago, Mark looked like a child and now he is taller than her.

"You already look good Mark" Haewon replied while patting his back. Mark looked a little shy and went straight to his room. Mark always admires her, and it is common knowledge that he has a little crush on Haewon. Jaehyun was very, very uncomfortable if Mark had shown it very clearly when they were together.

"Haewon, have you eaten? I want to heat Ahjumma's cooking, do you want some too?” Taeil also appeared from the kitchen while carrying piles of Tupperware from the fridge.

"No Oppa, I have to go home now" Haewon smiled and slowly left the kitchen area and walked to the front door. Haewon intends to go straight home when suddenly Jaehyun pulled her hand and opened the door to his room.

"Why?" Asked Haewon confused. Jaehyun said nothing and pushed Haewon until she sat on the edge of his bed. Haewon's eyes widened when Jaehyun suddenly squatted and she flinched to the cold sensation on her ankles.

"Don't wear anything that you don't even know how to use. For example, heels?" Jaehyun smiled mockingly in the direction of Haewon while rubbing the medicine on her blistered ankle.

It's been a long time since she has a conversation with Jaehyun, and it feels very nice to see his best friend's room again. Jaehyun's room is very minimalist, the arrangement is simpler than his bedroom in the Jung's family house. Haewon looked at Jaehyun and felt a little guilty because he often ignored Jaehyun's invitation to hang out together. Haewon was at the end of her semester when Jaehyun was announced as a member of SMRookies after that every time Haewon visited Korea, they only met at the Christmas party held by their family. And now, even though they are working at the same company, plus the fact that Haewon leading NCT projects herself doesn't mean they can freely show everyone that their relationship is this close. First, Haewon is always busy in her office on the 5th floor, while Jaehyun always practices on the basement floor and NCT's schedule is always tight. Besides, Haewon often goes abroad to attend contract signing meetings with parties who want to work with NCT.

"Sorry, I should pay more attention to Sasaeng. I didn't think they would be this brutal. It seems like I have to make an emergency meeting immediately" Haewon bowed her head looking all sad. She is gazing at Jaehyun's hand who painstakingly applied ointment all over her ankles. Jaehyun stared back at Haewon and shook his head.

"Take your time, you know that Sasaeng is a difficult matter. Even SM is seen giving up on it ”Then Jaehyun took something from under his bed, thrusting sneakers on Haewon's lap.

"Wow, apparently my shoes are here?" Haewon smiled and wore those shoes. Smiling slightly as she closed her eyes, feeling how comfortable it was to wear shoes compared to the heels.

"You have to stop leaving all your belongings in my house, Eomma is very worried, she thinks that you are senile at this age" Jaehyun laughed a little at Haewon's reddened face. And he thought that was very adorable, well that girl would always look adorable to Jaehyun.

"Isn't that our picture?" Haewon stood up and walked toward the wardrobe where Jaehyun kept all his things. Amongst all the stuff, the only thing that stunned her is a photo of Jaehyun and Haewon's family while on vacation in Disneyland.

"It was our first vacation together" Jaehyun lay down on the bed. Still looking at Haewon who smiled looking at the photo.

"Yeah and you were crying because apparently, Mickey Mouse is so big to you, oh my god you're so cute at that time" Haewon hugged the photo and looked at Jaehyun with a big smile on her face. Suddenly the memory becomes fresh again, the memory of their first encounter that leads him to the most beautiful fate of his life.

December 25, 2003

Jung’s family house

Little Jaehyun rolled his eyes in annoyance, this was the umpteenth time he was forced to be the role of a husband in the house played by his cousins. Jaehyun is an only child and all his cousins are girls, he's already fed up with all this, suddenly throws all the cutlery in front of him and runs into the backyard. The little boy was still sulking while playing with snow piled up in the yard when he could feel someone approaching him, his father with a glass of hot chocolate sitting beside him.

"Are you okay?" the man asked and Jaehyun shook his head. The man smiled, understanding that his child must feel very lonely being the only boy in this household.

"I didn't ask you guys to give me a little sister, but at least give me a friend to play basketball," Jaehyun said while staring at the long-frozen basketball hoop. Jaehyun's father smiled and wiped the chocolate that was on the corner of his son's mouth.

"Let's pray that Uncle David's next child will be a boy," said Jaehyun's father. And Jaehyun exhaled, more pessimistic that there would be more male offspring in this family besides him.

"If Uncle David's next child is a girl then I will make him a boy," his son's innocent words made the man burst into laughter. The conversation between the father and son stopped when the gate was wide open, and several people got out of a black car. A man in a suit walked towards the two of them with a big smile, behind him, there was a woman who was holding the hand of a girl who kept her head down.

Jaehyun's father stood up to the man and hugged him tightly. Jaehyun frowned in confusion. This is the first time their family has a guest at a Christmas party. He saw his father returning with a little girl on his hands. The girl was wearing a white dress, long hair flowing and looking all embarrassed. Jaehyun felt awkward when the two people were in front of him.

"Jaehyun, this is Letisha Alana Choi or Haewon, let's say hello," his father said. Jaehyun stood up and extended his hand trying to shake hand with her. A little upset because the girl is not yet returned his good intentions. Suddenly the woman who is the mother of the girl whispered something in her ear, the girl immediately looked up at Jaehyun with her bright brown eyes sparkling.

"You like basketball?" asked the girl that he replied with a small nod. Then the girl smiled very brightly and take his hand. At that time for the first time in 6 years of his life, he saw a very beautiful smile.

And until this moment Jaehyun was still stunned to see the smile that Haewon always carved. He realizes that this is not right, because his family considers Haewon their daughter. But he could not stop this feeling no matter how hard he tried to.

"Why?" Haewon lifts her eyebrows looking at Jaehyun who kept staring at him.

"No, it's just...you are very beautiful today" Jaehyun smiled and Haewon with all her strength had to hold back not to blush. If not, Jaehyun will tease her until a time limit that she can not specify. But Jaehyun's praise gave a warm feeling to her, a sign of gratefulness that having Jaehyun in this world is the best thing that ever happened in her life.

Haewon POV

11.50 PM

Location Unknown

"Yes, I just come out from the dorm," I said to Na-ri who has been calling me for a while now.

"You've made sure Haechan and Johnny don't play games, right? If they are late tomorrow I will be furious because shooting starts early in the morning" Na-ri said from the phone.

"Yes, oh my god we are not their babysitter, let the boys lived, Na-ri!" I replied quickly. Before going down I took myself to the dorm on the 5th floor. Talking briefly with the manager about tomorrow's schedule, scolding Haechan for drinking coca-cola on this cold day, and almost having a heart attack because Johnny casually came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.

"Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning. Thank you for the car, by the way. " I ended up lending my car to her because it will be uncomfortable to take a bus to Louis Vuitton's office, it's already very late and it could be a danger for her. I thought that she already ends the call but then she asked again, "with what are you going to go home now? Jaehyun?" Gosh, if he takes me home now, I can guarantee that by tomorrow our face will be all over the news.

"are you crazy? do you know how much Sasaeng are outside? I'm taking the bus" I said with a snort of annoyance. I just argued with Jaehyun because he insisted on taking me home. I have my reasons, I don't want a piece of cheap news about our relationship popped up while NCT is at its peak year.

"Do you know how to ride a bus?" I gaped in disbelief at the question.

"Really? Do you think I'm stupid?" I replied rhetorically.

"Well who knows, you're rich from birth ... eh no, before you were born you already inherited all of your family's wealth. Naturally, you never take a bus, right?" I shook my head at her babble. Of course, I know how to take the bus, back in school at SOPA Jaehyun and I always took the bus. That is the kind of topic I always try to avoid, when I arrived at the bus stop, I end the call with Na-ri and waiting for the bus to come.

There is not a single person around here considering that it's almost midnight and this place is kinda desolated because lots of idols live around here. Should I just take a taxi to go home? I waited, and wait for the bus or taxi to come but there are none of them passing by. Suddenly realize that on weekdays, bus stop working at 11 PM which was 50 minutes ago was the last bus of today. I tried to remain calm, as the coldness hit me and I tighten my coat.

At this time, all I can think of is to use my last card, the only person that is still awake and will pick me up immediately. I sigh a relieved sign and start calling the number.

"Uncle Jung? It's me Haewon... I'm sorry but can you pick me.." my words stopped as I feel something stab my shoulder, something very sharp, I can feel the hot breath flowing through my neck as the person come closer to my ear."There should not be a girl in NCT's staffing" the person said. The sharp edges leave my body and that person run immediately, I was about to chase after that person when I found myself all weak on the floor with blood flowing from my shoulder...

to be continued

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Cyberpunk 2077 Review Roundup

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Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the most highly-anticipated game of 2020, and after several delays and other controversies, it’s finally here. Fans will be able to get their hands on CD Projekt Red’s new RPG on Dec. 10 (unless you pre-ordered from Best Buy). Ahead of the global launch, here’s what critics are saying about the game so far:

Andrew Reiner, Game Informer:

“Cyberpunk 2077 is a work of awe-inspiring ambition, dazzling with its massive scale and creative vision. The world of Night City is a metropolis of futuristic art, stealing your eye with stunning neon-lit architecture and streets filled with citizens made of flesh and metal. Night City is an open world that immediately pulls you in and keeps you engaged with its dark narrative, meaningful player choice, and overwhelming amount of side content.”

Score: 9/10

Kallie Plagge, Gamespot:

“It also bears a mention: Cyberpunk 2077 is phenomenally buggy. I played a pre-release build that was updated during the review period, and there’s a day-one patch planned as well, but the scale of technical issues is too large to reasonably expect immediate fixes. I encountered some kind of bug on every mission I went on, from more common, funnier ones like characters randomly T-posing to several complete crashes. I didn’t notice much of an improvement after the update, either. In a very late-game, very important fight, the game froze on me–twice. I ended up taking a break out of frustration before attempting, and finally succeeding, the third time.

These bugs, more than any game I’ve played in years, took me out of the experience often. Non-interactable items like cardboard boxes will explode when you interact with something next to them; UI elements will stay on-screen long after they’re meant to, which is only solved by reloading a save; characters will interrupt themselves during proper dialogue sequences by repeating a throwaway line they’d say in the overworld, seriously disrupting key moments; I died once and, upon reloading my last save, found my hacking ability no longer worked, forcing me to roll back to an autosave 10 minutes prior. The list is extensive.

Score: 7/10

James Davenport, PC Gamer:

“I found it moving and life-affirming in the final moments, even in the face of near certain death and a relentless onslaught of bugs. I suppose it’s an appropriate thematic throughline though: Cyberpunk 2077 is a game about V coming apart at the seams, in a city coming apart at the seams, in a game coming apart at the seams. Play it in a few months.”

Score: 78/100

Tom Marks, IGN:

“Cyberpunk 2077 kicks you into its beautiful and dazzlingly dense cityscape with few restrictions. It offers a staggering amount of choice in how to build your character, approach quests, and confront enemies, and your decisions can have a tangible and natural-feeling impact on both the world around you and the stories of the people who inhabit it. Those stories can be emotional, funny, dark, exciting, and sometimes all of those things at once. The main quest may be shorter than expected when taken on its own and it’s not always clear what you need to do to make meaningful changes to its finale, but the multitude of side quests available almost from the start can have a surprisingly powerful effect on the options you have when you get there. It’s a shame that frustratingly frequent bugs can occasionally kill an otherwise well-set mood, but Cyberpunk 2077’s impressively flexible design makes it a truly remarkable RPG.”

Score: 9/10

James Billcliffe, VG24/7:

“In the midst of such intense anticipation and scrutiny, it’s easy to get carried away with what Cyberpunk 2077 could have been. The final experience might be more familiar than many predicted, with plenty of elements that aren’t perfect, but it’s dripping with detail and engaging stories. With so much to see and do, Cyberpunk 2077 is the kind of RPG where you blink and hours go by, which is just what we need to finish off 2020.”

Score: 5/5

Carolyn Petit, Polygon:

“One of my fears about Cyberpunk 2077 was that it was going to be so cynical and nihilistic that playing it would be like wallowing in grim hopelessness, that the cheapness of human life in the game’s world would be mirrored by the game itself. But that’s not the case. It’s easy to lose the human thread in the overwhelming glut of stuff Cyberpunk 2077 puts on your plate, with your map plastered with crimes you can violently “neutralize” for a reward from the police, and fixers constantly sending you text messages about underdeveloped one-off jobs you can take on to earn a bit of extra cash. But the humanity is there, if you look for it.

“And that humanity is the saving grace of this alluring yet uneven and deeply flawed game. I can’t deny that Night City wowed me with its scale, its verticality, and its sense of history. But I wish I could see people like me on its streets as something more than objects. I wish that the game’s politics were more radical. Yes, I know I shouldn’t look to a colossal game that was itself produced under exploitative labor conditions to lead the charge of anticapitalist liberation, but I wish the sparks of Johnny Silverhand’s ideological rage got to burn brighter, that Cyberpunk 2077 felt more interested in envisioning new futures than in reminiscing over bygone glories. Neither its gameplay nor its narrative can imagine the bold possibilities that I find so central to the best of cyberpunk. But what it does offer is visions of people trying to make do and get by in a world that’s trying to eat them alive, and sometimes those people get by with a little help from their friends. It’s not the revolution I hoped for, but it’s something.”

Riley MacLeod, Kotaku:

“I haven’t fallen in love with playing Cyberpunk 2077, but I haven’t loathed it either. Some moments have been exciting or moving, while others have just felt like stuff to do. I’m middle-of-the-road on it so far—having fun in spots, left wanting the game to be more like what made The Witcher 3 great in others. The game itself wants so badly for you to think it’s cool, that it’s the cutting edge of graphics and game design, that it talks about edgy topics like body modification, corporate power, and the internet. It tries too hard, stuffing itself with a tangle of complicated roleplaying game systems; with so many cyberpunk tropes, plots, and slang; with neon and holograms and so many in-game ads, most of them for sex; with car chases and hacking and corporate espionage and double-crossing powerful people; with a world where the human body is made obsolete with money and technology, while also chewed up and spat out for the sake of capital. There’s an admirable diversity of races, sexualities, genders, and body types, but they feel like a veneer. It’s not a politically progressive game: these identities are all in service of the game’s vision of the cyberpunk future, one that can feel implausible and alienating but also has hints of the world we live in today.

Chris Tapsell, Eurogamer:

“It’s still early on for me, I should say – after 30 hours I was still, no doubt to the horror of many with vanishing spare time, just finding my feet – but much of that focus is placed on Cyberpunk‘s central story, which has so far been a welcome surprise. Beneath the noise – and Cyberpunk is truly cacophonous – there is a lingering thread of tenderness to it. I’ve opted to play V as a woman, with a ‘Corpo’ background, and she’s been voiced impeccably by Cherami Leigh and written with some skill. There’s real tenderness here, real vulnerability – a lot of “this city’ll chew you up and spit you out” stuff, sure, but there’s a waver to the tough talk, and from more than just V. Cyberpunk‘s story so far is one of fear, the surface of it plated in chrome and angst and body horror gore, but still built on a core of humanity. It’s more than I expected, and more than we’ve been taught to expect, frankly, by the brashness of the marketing, the pitching of Night City as this great, submissive, ultra-hedonist playground. Night City is a vile swamp, in actual fact, and Cyberpunk‘s characters are drowning in it. It is, so far, more than just a synthwave skin on another puerile open world.”

Rob Zacny, VICE:

“Cyberpunk 2077 is a game of the past and its forgotten futures. Its setting is a pastiche that was overtaken by history and technology. It is a piece of software that is a throwback to PC gaming of the 1990s and early 2000s in every possible way, and its aesthetic and narrative sensibilities of a teenage boy’s bedroom in the 1980s. Yet its lavish and utterly sincere devotion to its influences recalls what has made these dated visions so alluring and enduring. Cyberpunk is too tacky and graceless to be cool, but it’s very big, and very loud, and sometimes that’s all it takes to be awesome.”

Brad Chacos, PCWorld:

“Even if the main narrative somehow stumbles at the finish line, it wouldn’t take away from that sublime core gameplay experience. After a dozen hours, I haven’t come close to exhausting the available activities in just the first of Night City’s six districts and surrounding Badlands. No matter what happens with V, I can’t wait to discover all of Night City’s secrets. I’m in love.”

Richard Scott Jones, PCGamesN:

“Retroactive trigger warning about ‘politics in games’ for whoever cares about such things, by the way, but if that’s you, then you’d best steer clear of Cyberpunk 2077 if you stand by your claimed convictions. This is one of the most explicitly politically charged games ever made – Mike Pondsmith designed the tabletop game upon which it’s based as a “cautionary tale,” and after the killing of George Floyd back in June, reiterated that his universe is “a warning, not an aspiration“. Anyone who insists it’s pure, meaningless escapism is hopelessly deluded.

“Even if such sentiments are uttered in sincere good faith, I think it’s a tragic diminishment of our medium to insist that it shouldn’t tackle politics. Cyberpunk 2077 might not push quite as many boundaries in game design as a landmark release could, but if it can convince more people that games can and should take a position on issues of substance rather than peddle mindless thrills, that’ll be a worthy legacy.”

Stay tuned for Den of Geek’s review of Cyberpunk 2077 next week!

The post Cyberpunk 2077 Review Roundup appeared first on Den of Geek.

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