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bambikisss · 2 years ago

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Django :: J.Yunho

-> Cop! Yunho x Criminal! Reader

-> Django: ATEEZ

-> After the bounty on you is raised, Yunho is sent out to go looking for you. What happens when he actually does find you outside of a club?

-> Warnings: Use of nicknames (Slut, princess, baby), degradation, spanking, use of handcuffs, car sex, from the back, ROUGH, oral (both reciving), Outlaw Yunho (deserves his own warnings at this point)

A/N: I have returned! I've been excited for ATEEZ's outlaw release, so I immediately thought of cop Yunho with Django. Plus, I just saw a video of Yunho getting mad and I immediately knew I had to write something about him. You are also nicknamed Django in this as well

Not proofread | Comments and reblogs are appreciated!

"Officer Yunho! Hey!" The busy police office doesn't stop Wooyoung from calling him as he enters the office, sighing as he asks what he wants. He had just came back from booking a criminal who punched him in the jaw, so he wasn't in the mood for whatever Wooyoung wanted to gossip about.

Before Wooyoung could show Yunho the meme he found, the police captain enters the room, passing around a wanted poster that was freshly printed. "Alright everyone, all hands on deck! We finally got a good picture to put on the wanted poster of the robber who has been making rounds around the city. She needs to be captured as soon as possible! The citizens of this city are constantly complaining about us not finding her."

Yunho nods at the captain's words, remembering the old lady earlier who was lecturing him while he was putting someone in his backseat. His eyes look over the wanted poster, noticing the now high bounty on you.

WANTED: Y/N AKA Django.

10 thousand dollar bounty! He can't help but scoff, knowing no one would turn someone else in for such a low bounty. He has often told his captain that they needed to raise the amount to actually make the citizens care, but his words were brushed off. His words were always brushed off, despite being one of the top cops who brought in the criminals. As he was preparing to go out on patrol to avoid doing any office work, the captain stopped him, handing him a stack of the wanted posters, giving him the silent look to go put them up all around the city. Yunho didn't even try to object, sighing as he accepting the papers before leaving the office, not wanting anyone else to add to his work load.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "No, ma'am, I cannot arrest him for parking here. This parking spot is not yours as it's public parking." Yunho couldn't help but sigh as he tried to hold back his anger at the woman's yelling, wanting nothing more than to yell back at her. But, he couldn't do that, not when he had this job to help people, even if they were centimeters from his face yelling about something as small as a parking spot.

Once he was finally back in his car, he drove a good bit away so he could be alone for a bit. Even though it was a good bit past midnight, the calls were still rampant. In moments like theses, it often made him wonder why he chose this job. He tossed his head back to rest against the headrest, taking a deep breath to help calm himself before he his phone began to ring, vibrating the many wanted posters of the criminal he still hadn't posted around the city. He answered the phone, returning to his natural position as he listened to Wooyoung.

"I'm currently working on the program for our bodycams, so I'm just calling to let you know that they'll be done for a while. I suggest you get some sleep while you can." Yunho thanked him before hanging up, smiling at the idea of finally being able to be asleep. He'd have to thank Wooyoung later for giving him a heads up.

As he returned to his upright position, he noticed someone walking out of a club, the woman walking right past the cop car. He couldn't help but admire the woman, his eyes moving over her beautiful short dress and heels.

Maybe he could do something else besides sleeping for the time being.

"Excuse me!" he got out of his car, jogging to catch up with the woman. He hoped he wasn't scaring her as he knew how some people felt about the police suddenly approaching them, but he hoped his charms could keep her from feeling so scared. He jogged in front of the woman, smiling as she met his eyes. "Sorry for bothering you, miss, but I-"

Oh. My. God.

Yunho paused as he made eye contact with the woman, his mind going back to the many wanted pictures that sat in the passenger seat of his car. He watched as a slow smile crept onto your lips, realizing that you're Y/N.

He just caught Django.

"You're under arrest, Y/N. Or, could I say Django." You tilted your head as you watched him roughly grab his handcuffs from his belt, the metal glimmering in the moonlight as he roughly grabbed your arm. You mentally cursed yourself for not realizing the car you walked in front of was a cop car, let alone the man you stopped to talk to was a cop. You tried to move from his strong hands, but he only pulled you closer to him, handcuffing your hands behind your back before he moved closer to you, pressing his chest to your back as he said into your ear "finally caught you, bitch." You would usually beat someone up for calling you a bitch, but to hear Yunho say it with a deep voice, filled with anger made your body warm up and your panties dampen. You wouldn't lie; he was hot and if he wasn't pushing you to get into his car, you would've given yourself to him to have his way with you. You were dying to know what was underneath the tight cop clothes that only showed off his muscles, mentally moaning at his roughness as he shoved you into the backseat before slamming the door shut.

Yunho couldn't believe he had been the one to catch you, smirking as he thought about what he could do with that lousy prize money- while it wasn't a lot, it was could be enough for a trip somewhere, maybe even a cruise.

He quickly got into the front seat before he began driving, thinking about what to do with you now that he had you handcuffed in his backseat. He knew that if he brought you back to the precinct, he wouldn't get the credit he deserved, plus you had escaped before so he couldn't bring you there. He bit his lip before pulling over into a empty alleyway, deciding to call his captain to tell him the great news. He looked back at you in the rearview mirror, gasping lightly as he noticed your legs now spread, giving him a perfect view of your now wet lace panties as your head rested back against the headrest. The image of you like that made his mouth water and pants tighten, cursing softly as he ripped his eyes from you. He waited at the tone for his captain to answer before he cursed as his voicemail began to speak. The one time he actually wanted this man to answer the phone, he wasn't. Yunho sighed before cursing softly, remembering that his body cams were off.

Why would he wait for the other police to punish you when he could? You gasped as the backseat door was ripped open, Yunho's hand moving to roughly pull you from the backseat to your knees in front of him, your knees now resting against the wet alleyway ground as he looked down at you with angry eyes. "What the fuck are you-"

"Shut up, slut. I suggest you do as I say or I'll make sure you'll spend the rest of your life behind bars." You jumped at his rough voice, watching as he began to unbuckle his pants, pushing them down his thick thighs to show you his large cock, hard and standing at attention against his stomach. Your mouth couldn't help but water, leaning forward to get a taste before hissing as his hand moved to grip your hair, roughly pulling your hair back so you could see his face, his tongue poking his cheek as his eyes darkened. "No. Good girls get to taste this cock. I don't think I should even let you look at it, let alone taste it." You were about to speak, your words cut off my his hand moving from your hair to roughly grip your cheeks, growling as he heard you whimper at his rough movements. It only made his cock harder, twitching in front of you, making you moan.

"You want this cock, you're going to earn it. Tonight, you belong to me- you are mine. You will answer to me or I will stop and drop you off in the jail in an instant." You nodded at his rough voice, mentally moaning when you hear him chuckling before moving forward, pushing only the head of his cock into your mouth, tossing his head back as your tongue moved around to gather the precum eagerly. Yunho closed his eyes at the feeling of your warm tongue moving over the slit of his cock before he decided he had enough, tossing his head forward to watch as he pushed the rest of his cock into your mouth, going down your throat in a slow pace. He watched as your eyes watered due to his large size, his hips moving in a slow pace as he clicked his tongue, shaking head in disappointment before removing his cock from your mouth.

"You want me to take care of that wet pussy you were showing me earlier, right slut?" you nodded at his question, gasping as his hands forcefully opened your mouth before he roughly pushed his cock back down your throat. "Then hurry up and pleasure me. Show me what you're good for, slut."

You nodded, your fingers digging into your wrist as you began to move your head along his cock, moaning around his long, thick length. You met his eyes while you did so, making Yunho moan as you moaned around him again, making him toss his head back against the wall. You moved faster as he cursed softly, praising you in between his moans.

"There we go, slut, now you're showing me what you're good for, fuck!" His voice raised as his hips began to move, dragging his length all the way out of your mouth before slamming back down your throat, making you choke around his length at his hard pace. You couldn't help but moan at rough he was being with you, squeezing your own legs to offer yourself some pleasure as he continued to fuck your throat at a fast pace. You soon felt his cock twitch, letting you know that he was going to cum. Yunho showed no sign of slowing down, though, moving even faster before roughly stopping his hips against your face as his cum filled your throat, choking out a moan before he slowly pulling out of your mouth as you cough, a mixture of drool and cum dripping down your mouth as you did so.

Yunho smirked before his thumb moved across your skin, gathering the mixture before shoving it back into your mouth, humming as your tongue moved around it to gather the mixture. He felt his cock harden immediately, hooking his thumb into the side of your mouth before helping you stand, ushering you to get back into the car. You carefully crawled in, gasping as you felt his hand meet your ass roughly, surely going to leave a mark as the car door slammed closed behind him. You rested your head against the seat as you felt his hands move around your body, pushing up your already short dress up your waist before kissing around your ass and lower back, whispering praises as he did so.

"I think you earned a bit of a surprise, don't you, princess?" He asked against your lower back, his hands moving to pull down your panties in a slow pace. You nodded, your brain too fuzzy from him face fucking you to think clearly. Yunho smirked at your state before letting his fingers move along your wetness, chuckling as he listened to you mewl at the teasing feeling. "What if my other officers were on duty tonight and caught you walking in front of their car wearing this slutty little dress instead of me, huh? Would you let them get a taste of this pretty pussy like this, princess?" He chuckled as you let out an almost drunk sounding "no, only you!"

"Fuck, yes that feels so good!" You moaned loudly as his finger suddenly plunged into your wet heat, his tongue soon following while he tasted you, making you moan loudly. It seemed like everything about Yunho was big- his cock, his muscles, even his tongue and fingers were big as he ate you out, his fingers moving in you at a rapid pace. He groaned as he felt his cock twitch underneath himself, letting his fingers move from you to lubricate himself before pumping himself, moaning loudly into your wet cut. The sounds and noises you were making for him made him move his own hand faster along his cock, plunging his tongue deeper into you to capture more of your wetness. You tasted so fucking sweet to him, making him want more of you.

It almost made him mad that his bodycam was off- he wanted to be able to watch the footage back of him having you like this.

"C-cum, I'm going to-" Your whimpers were cut off with a noise of disappointment as Yunho immediately removed his tongue from your wet cunt at your words, making you whine louder before yelping as his hand laid another spank to your ass. Before you could ask what the fuck he was doing edging you like this, you gasped at the feeling of his cock slowly pushing it's way into your cunt. Yunho swore it felt better than heaven; the way it wrapped deliciously around his long, thick cock made him toss his head forward with a loud moan, spanking you again. "That's such a nice pussy, baby. Too bad I'm going to ruin it"

That was the only warning you got before he began to pound into you, rocking your body as his hips roughly met the plush of your ass. He grunted as his hands held onto your handcuffed hands for balance, driving his hard cock into you at a fast pace. He tossed his head back as you moaned loudly, the feeling your orgsam soon washing over you as you toss your own head back, coating his cock in your warm cum. You laid against the seat limp as all of your energy left your body, trying to catch your breath as you felt him slowly pull out of you with a wet pop. You winced at the wet sound, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep against the leather seats.

"Don't think I'm done with you, slut. This is your punishment."

You gasped as you felt Yunho pick you up, sitting himself down before having you hover over his hard cock. You whimpered as he slowly sunk you back down onto it, moaning as you noticed the bulge forming in your stomach from how big he was. Once you were fully seated on his cock, Yunho noticed how tried you were, clicking his tongue before slapping your ass, grunting out "you better get to riding slut or that jail is going to be where you're laying your head for the night" "It's hard to ride you with my hands behind my back" You moaned out harshly, letting your head rest back against the front seat as you tried to catch your breath. Yunho chuckled, before leaning forward to kiss your neck, leaving marks along your neck before pulling back from you, holding up the handcuffs that were around your wrists. "There. Now ride me."

You nodded at his demanding voice, placing your hands on his shoulders before bouncing along his cock at a fast pace, moaning loudly at the feeling of his cock grazing your G-spot. Yunho moaned before smashing his lips against yours, gripping your hips to help you move along his cock at a fast pace as the sound filled the car. He let his tongue move to meet yours as you moved faster, panting into the kiss at the feeling of him going so deep into you.

"Fuck, Y/N baby, if you keep riding me like this I'm gonna fill you up with my cum." he couldn't help but laugh breathlessly as he tossed his head forward to let his lips hover over yours as you bounced his hands gripping your breasts now to for leverage as he fucks up into you, saying "and if you make me cum hard enough, I'll let you fucking go. Yeah baby, ride me hard like that and I'll let you go free"

You let his words provide sudden motivation to you as you begin to ride him again, meeting his rough thrusts as you bounce, gripping his hair as you pressed your foreheads against each other, moaning loudly as the wet sounds become louder int he car, the car moving with the force of you two.

"That's it, Y/N, I'm going to cum! You better cum with me, let me fill you up with my fucking cum!" Yunho tossed his head back as he slammed your down on his cock, an almost animalistic moan leaving his mouth as he cums, roughly kissing you as you squeeze around him, both your cums now coating your thighs and his cock. You both panted into the kiss before he carefully helped you to lay back against the leather seat, slowly pulling out of you as your legs shook.

You let your eyes close as you heard the car door close before the car turn on, being too tired to do anything as you slowly fell asleep. You soon woke up to the sound of Yunho on the phone, fully dressed in his police uniform as he spoke to who you figured to be his captain. You fixed your dress as you felt a surge of nervousness fill your body, reaching for the car door, feeling surprised as the car door opens, showing you it was unlocked. As you slipped out from the backseat, you realized Yunho had brought you back to where he had originally found you. You turned to him as he held out his card, his number written on it before he said to whoever he was on the phone with "Did I find Django? Y/N? No, I didn't."

You caught him smirking at you as you accepted the card, smiling back at him as you exited the car, the last thing you hear him say before you close the door being "yes I will go patrol and look for her." You carefully closed the door as he drove away, looking down at the card he gave you with his number on it.

Call me, Django ;)

#ateez #ateez scenarios #ateez smau #atz #ateez imagines #atz yunho #ateez yunho #yunho smut #jeong yunho #jeong yunho smut #ateez smut #ateez au #ateez smut reactions #ateez yunho smut #ateez yunho x reader

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cinnajun · 2 years ago

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ᵕ̈ ೫˚∗: arguments with zb1

a/n: omg i posted before midnight this is a big win

notes: yujin is not included due to his age!

wc | 1.9k

jiwoong

the best way i can describe an argument with jiwoong is “mature”

you guys don’t argue often at all so when you do there’s usually a good reason for you to be arguing

perhaps it has to do with your living situation, or you’re not taking an issue jiwoong talked to you about as seriously as he wants you to be, or you feel like he’s spending too much time away from you

whatever it is, your argument will last max 3 days

day one is reserved for sulking, and you might end up staying the night at a friend’s house while jiwoong sits with hao and hanbin and tries to work through what he’s feeling

day two is for thinking—both of you think through things rationally and take mental notes on what you did wrong and what you think was on the other person

then, day three is for talking it out. you’ll decide on a place to meet that isn’t home, and you’ll work through everything while not getting upset or saying something unwarranted.

then, afterward, you’ll go home together and do something light and fun to cheer the both of you up

things go back to normal within four days, and you don’t think about the issue ever again

zhang hao

fights with hao are not fun

hot take but i think he’s the type of person to ghost you when you make him too upset

so whatever you’re fighting over, be it the dishes or something he said, once he gets angry enough he will just walk out and not talk to you for a while

depending on how upset he is it can be anywhere from less than a day to three or four days with no contact between the two of you

so yeah this is kind of a red flag but you don’t fight literally ever so it doesn’t happen enough for it to be a big issue

and his reasoning for ghosting you is that he doesn’t want to say something he doesn’t mean and/or can’t come back from

hao knows he’s the type of person to just say something wildly untrue when he’s mad and his worst fear is doing that to you

he returns from his mental retreat so apologetically, even if you end up thinking you were more in the wrong

will bring you an apology gift (usually it’s flowers or some sort of sweet treat) and always has some big long speech prepared

you also apologize if you feel it’s warranted (which is almost every time)

things will go back to normal in max two weeks

hanbin

fights with hanbin are big and emotional

like super emotional

this man is so in love with you that you being the source of any negative emotions is really hard for him to stomach

and it’s likely that, for the course of your entire relationship, you’ll fight maybe once or twice at most

so the fight you have is big and possibly the result of a lot of pent-up emotions that built up over a long period of time

you’re the one to walk out, and he’s full-blown sobbing by the time that happens

he feels miserable for the next couple of days

you two don’t ghost each other but it’s minimal contact and you can barely look at one another without crying lol

hanbin will probably end up staying elsewhere and you’ll stay home, drowning your sorrows in ice cream while you cry on the phone with your friends

when you’re both sound enough to work it out, you two just kinda cry apologies at each other

when the time comes for you to actually talk it out, it’s pretty easy and you’re left wondering what exactly the fight was over in the first place

hanbin will kiss every single part of you after the wound is patched up

and then he’s attached to you for the next couple of days lol

things go back to normal in maybe three-ish weeks? like that’s when he stops being super clingy and you go back to regularly scheduled programming

matthew

fights with matthew are small

he seems like the type of guy to be able to talk out big issues without it blowing out of proportion

so any larger problems the two of you are like … worked out via controlled and calm conversation

then you will have a blowout argument over you losing one of the sweatshirts you took without asking (your mom took it to the dry cleaners and didn’t tell you)

your arguments are petty and it’s a lot of really fake words thrown back and forth

so it’s not like one of you is being unnecessarily mean to the other, it’s from both of you

you don’t talk for a couple of days (also mutual) and then your mom’s dry cleaning shows up with the sweatshirt in tow

you send him a picture of it with some tear stains on it and he’s like … are you crying

then he’ll show up at your house not even thinking about the sweatshirt, just the fact that he doesn’t like it when you cry

will do anything to get you to stop crying

apologizes 18 times and puts on the tear-stained sweatshirt while going “wow, it’s so clean!” in hopes that you’ll at least laugh

after he fixes the crying situation you apologize too and suddenly it’s like it never happened

things go back to normal in a week

taerae

fights with taerae are quiet

tbh i just think his anger/sadness/any negative emotion is quiet

there’s no yelling, no crying, no insults, no nothing

the argument itself will be a bunch of isolated statements paired with scoffs, rubbing your tumbles, and feeling exasperated

neither of you leaves to cool off, and you just sit in different rooms after the fact

the next day might be a bit awkward and taerae will be somewhat cold towards you (and it would be a lie to say you don’t reciprocate the same exact energy)

but at some point during the day, while you’re sulking and laying down in bed, taerae will come in and lay down next to you

starts off by saying sorry and then you talk things out while just … laying there

he’s neither the type of person to take all the blame nor the type of person to shove all the blame onto you

like you could be entirely at fault but he will distribute responsibility equally between the two of you

he’s just the type of guy who really does not like arguing so he will do whatever he can to fix it quickly

after you’re done talking you’ll go on a long drive together

it’s aimless and quiet, but he holds your hand the whole time :)

things go back to normal within 3 days

ricky

i think fights with ricky are turbulent

you never really know the direction they’re going to go in you know

you don’t necessarily fight often but it’s not like you never fight, either

i think it’s a healthy amount of bickering

somewhat like an old couple LOL

if you have a big argument, though, it’s pretty much the least fun you’ve ever had in your whole entire life

ricky isn’t the type of guy to yell and cry but he’s the type of guy to give you a look that makes you feel like crying

i also think he’d struggle to take everything you’re saying seriously so he might laugh in exasperation from time to time

which obviously makes you angrier

i think if you end up crying, though, ricky will have like a crazy moment of clarity where he’s like … oh shit

cue some crazy introspection

you’ll run off somewhere else in the house and he’ll just sit on the couch and think

he’s practically taking notes on the entire thing, and studying what he thinks was the most out-of-pocket for him to say and what he needs to apologize for

after he’s gathered his thoughts he’ll seek you out and ask if you’re okay sitting down and talking with him

and he will wait however long he needs to if you say no

he essentially says everything he feels necessary, ends it off with an apology and kisses your hand

then it’s over

things go back to normal within the day

gyuvin

you bicker with gyuvin a lot and 99.9% of the time it’s silly and super unserious

that’s the type of couple you are yk

so your fights are born out of your little, unserious arguments actually going a little bit too far, and they last soooo long

and most of it happens in front of your friends which isn’t nice either

it starts out very small, with little jabs at one another

keeps amping up for the rest of the night, and once you both leave whatever hangout you were at, all your friends are like … they’re gonna fight guys get ready

they’re right

you argue the entire way home and when he drops you off he doesn’t even give you a good night kiss, which makes things even worse

you continue arguing over text and into the next few days all while acting like everything is fine

meanwhile, you’re texting your friends (separately) like can you believe that he just said that? can you believe he’s pulling this shit?

finally they lock you two in a room and tell you to figure it out because your arguing is annoying

you will painstakingly be like “okay maybe i went too far” and he essentially does the exact same thing

and then he apologizes for not giving you a good night kiss that one time and everything is fine

things go back to normal in like 2 weeks but just keep in mind for the entire 2 weeks you were just being passive-aggressive with each other

gunwook

arguments with gunwook are born out of stress and aren’t really arguments

he’s a busy guy who’s doing a lot of things and sometimes he bites off more than he can chew

which isn’t nice because he refuses to be like “hey i might have to lay off boyfriend duties for a couple of days so i can work through all these commitments i made without thinking” because he thinks he’ll be a bad boyfriend because of it

essentially you’re not even aware he’s getting upset with you until the stress bubbles over one day

he accidentally tells you to leave him alone and let him work which makes you sad :(

but you do because you pretty much understand that he’s overwhelmed

but you’re still upset so you don’t just forgive him and move on because … idk … if he talked to you it wouldn’t have happened in the first place

is this petty … kind of yes but if you want things to change you need to put your foot down!!!

so you spend the next two or three days missing your boyfriend a miserable amount before he texts you saying “can we talk”

of course you can

you practically sprint to his house

and you talk!! and he apologizes for being mean to you while promising it won’t happen again

and gunwook learns from his actions so it really doesn’t happen again

things go back to normal in 3-4 days

thank you for reading !

tags: @happysmileybee @wtfhyuck

#cinna.txt #zb1 x reader #zerobaseone x reader #zb1 scenarios #zb1 reactions #zb1 headcanons #zb1 fluff #zb1 angst #jiwoong x reader #zhang hao x reader #hanbin x reader #sung hanbin x reader #seok matthew x reader #taerae x reader #ricky x reader #gyuvin x reader #gunwook x reader #req

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homestuckreplay · 23 days ago

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Banished! To The Horse Realm

(page 1328-1348)

One thing about whatever far future planet this is taking place on is they have the Kool-Aid Man. Perhaps a true constant of all worlds.

As it hurtles towards the finish line, this intermission hits maybe its three best jokes all in a row. Following all the other time powers we’ve learned about, Cans’ being that he clocks you makes me so mad. Honestly the joke would work even if he just punched really well, but, it gets followed up with Diamonds Droog grocery shopping and the Spirited Horse calendar.

Droog grocery shopping is funny to me because imagining any of these guys going about their day to day lives is funny. The knowledge that their city has cars and grocery stores opens up so many possibilities. Do these guys have families or roommates or perhaps even pets? I can imagine Diamonds Droog with a wife and kids but I can also imagine Droog living in a cool bachelor pad with Slick where they share groceries. Do they have hobbies outside violence, porn and playing cards? There’s also casinos, so do Slick and Deuce meet up for a whiskey on the rocks over the craps table every Thursday? Is this true of the Felt too? Do Eggs and Biscuits have day jobs working in an actual kitchen? Does Stitch freelance as a ballgown designer? This is what the next intermission will be about hopefully.

Anyway the edits of Hearts Boxcars into each month of the Spirited Horse character is an all timer. Imagine you’re trying to take some justified revenge on a rival until they banish you to the farmland to atone for your crimes. Cans’ powers are probably the worst to be on the receiving end of, and might have the longest term impact (besides Snowman’s). Like, what if Boxcars had plans? He probably had a concert lined up for next month, and maybe his daughter has a big birthday coming up?

There’s another Problem Sleuth reference where Boxcars hurls Eggs’ torso towards Cans ‘in an attempt to placate him with the red meat’ (p.1333) under a flashing gif reading ‘BATTLE TECHNIQUE: TORSO FLAIL’, which links to Problem Sleuth page 218, where Ace Dick tries the same move on a nearby beast. While Ace Dick is successful in placating the beast with the red meat, it doesn’t work for Boxcars (leading to horse antics). The Midnight Crew originally came from Problem Sleuth bonus content, and have interacted with them in Homestuck canon (p.833), so it’s fun to think that they’re beholden to the laws of the PS universe as well as the HS universe, or a hybrid between them.

After the good goofs things get very real, very quickly. Slick wrenches open the safe with the crowbar despite Clover’s warnings, proving he was able to risk any amount of bad luck and also the lives of his own gang in order to get to English’s secret treasure. Like either Slick is just this ruthless all the time and willing to throw his friends under the bus at a moment’s notice, or this is the ONE cause he is ride or die for.

I would lean towards the second option because it seems like the vault used to belong to Slick himself, judging by the spade scanner and Slick’s arm holding the code to get inside. And I would guess this is some Skaian technology since Slick and his barcode were likely programmed on the ominous planet. I’ve noted before how a construct who looks like Boxcars is carrying a safe that looks like English’s on page 957 – could this be Jack Noir’s equivalent safe? Back when Spades Slick oversaw the affairs of a dark kingdom, he owned this safe and keeps something important in it; Snowman knows this because she was there too, and while she can’t get inside, she can betray Slick by giving the safe to English? Maybe??

If so, she really doesn’t want him getting back in, or she’s just pissed off with him and taking revenge in general. She looks extremely cool standing framed in the doorway holding a gun – the circle of white behind her looks like a giant cue ball guiding her plans from behind. They have a cool but brief fight and she teleports away, locking him in the vault.

I mean. Clover did warn him about the bad luck.

But now I understand why there was just an extended conversation between Slick and Droog about the right-left eye and the sprites’ abilities to face in different directions.

By brute force destroying the entire mansion (including 1000 clocks) and killing every character except three, this intermission has managed to tie up most of its threads, except for the two biggest open questions: what is in this safe, and who is Lord English?

#homestuck #reaction #beat the boss i was trying 2 beat last post and now i feel like a Real Gamer (insert cool sunglasses emoji)#chrono

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stevishabitat · 11 days ago

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Judge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore webpages and data : Shots - Health News : NPR

A federal judge has ordered federal health agencies to restore websites and datasets that were abruptly pulled down beginning in late January, prompting an outcry from medical and public health communities.

The temporary restraining order was granted in response to a lawsuit filed against the federal government by Doctors for America (DFA), a progressive advocacy group representing physicians, and the nonprofit Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told NPR "changes to the HHS website and HHS division websites are in accordance with President Trump's January 20 Executive Orders, Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government and Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing."

The pages that are now set to be revived include information for patients about HIV testing and HIV prevention medication, guidance on contraceptives, datasets that show vulnerability to natural disasters and emergencies, and an action plan for improving enrollment of underrepresented populations in clinical trials.

Judge John Bates with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2001, said the sudden loss of these resources had jeopardized the work of clinicians and public health. "It bears emphasizing who ultimately bears the harm of defendants' actions: everyday Americans, and most acutely, underprivileged Americans, seeking healthcare," he wrote in his opinion.

The Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have until midnight Tuesday to bring back the specific webpages cited in the lawsuit.

By the end of the week, the order directs the federal government to identify any other resources that physicians rely on to provide medical care and restore those as well.

Questions remain about how much information was changed

"This is a very strong decision," said Dorit Reiss, a law professor at the University of California College of the Law San Francisco. The order explains how the takedown of websites and data was "likely legally flawed" because it "lacked notice" and there was "no explanation for the broad action," she said. "It suggests the government is in a weak place for this case."

HHS didn't reply to NPR's request for comment on the order.

Many webpages that were initially removed have since reappeared on CDC, FDA and HHS websites, although it's still unclear how much remains missing and what information has been modified.

"There's a lot of shifting ground here where they tore down a lot of stuff. They put some of it back up, but not nearly all of it," said Zach Shelley, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group. "Hopefully with this order, we get everything that's important back up."

The sudden loss of websites prompted a mad rush in the scientific community to download and archive data. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein was among those on a CDC advisory committee who wrote the CDC's acting director protesting the purge of data.

He said the advisers have now sent a second letter pointing out that they remain concerned about "how communities will be able to monitor diseases and receive guidance on current disease investigations," the possibility of "broad workforce reductions," and "disruptions in grant funding."

The judge's order underscores any changes to resources and data should be based on "reasoned decision-making," said Sharfstein, a professor of public health practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Some of these websites provided actual recommendations on how to take care of patients," he said. "These are not just like books on the shelf. These are like heavily thumbed through manuals that people really need."

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teddybearsandspaceships · 11 months ago

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Notes for another Cleo stream, this one from April Fools. (Cleo has been uploading VODs again \o/ so it will probably be available on Youtube soon! Still available on Twitch here.) Featuring Real Life talk and permit office shenanigans with Grian, Scar, Etho, and Pearl.

Cleo reads out a message congratulating them on the Real Life win only a minute into the stream [making life hard for the mods, who pin a message not to talk about spoilers, as usual ^^]

Cleo´s opinion on if their win is canon: “Why wouldn´t it be real? Why wouldn´t it be?” The test, going by TV series rules: if the special gets mentioned in a later episode it´s canon.

They discovered the allays having coffee at the kitty café that False put there :D

Apparently the group was initially concerned if people would be mad, but they were still making content. The “April Fools” part was just that it was a one-off.

In-game chat: Grian announces the permit office is open. Special opening hours for April 1st! Pearl and Cleo are immediately suspicious and say it sounds like a trap. Joel says that Grian is actually nice to day (but on midnight he turns back into a nightmare.) Cleo is not at all convinced.

About Real Life: ~"the first thing everybody did was wave to each other, and dance, and give hugs, and I think that says a lot"

Pearl apparently had a 0/10 experience at the permit office. The permit office is closed again. nobody is surprised.

After the recording, Scar mentioned that he was told he should get a lap belt too… Scar is not Scar-safe. Cleo is frequently concerned/worried about Scar, which is only appropriate. "I´m not worried he´s gonna hurt himself, I´m worried he´s gonna, just, tear down the fabric of society.” "He´s a special little sausage, and also needs poking with sticks on a regular basis. Like big sticks – not little sticks, massive, massive sticks."

ooh apparently three glass permits are up for grabs! Grian, Scar, Cleo, Etho, and Pearl have a discussion in front of the permit office. Very soon this involves talking about loopholes to the permit office rules, but Grian tells them to stop it, he will just make up more rules. Pearl says she might be an NPC, Cleo says AI is not that advanced. Scar has skins, hats, and plans for him and Skizz has permit enforcers, but no spoilers

They looked at the permit office and the backrooms, listened to some unsettling music, and then started talking about cooking (more specifically Scar started talking about his meat. That he cooked, as Etho was glad to hear him clarify.) Grian thinks Etho would eat grey sludge nutrition paste.

Etho´s daily sandwich: a foot-long baguette, provelone cheese, hungarian salami, lettuce, tomatoes, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar-based dressing. With dill pickles on the side. Grian calls it the most gourmet sandwich. "The more I learn the more I both admire and get confused.” Etho doesn´t understand the big deal [tbh neither do I? It´s a sandwich.] Scar says it´s because of how mysterious Etho is. Etho considers dramatizing everything part of the job as a youtuber.

"being tortured by Grian is fun, right? Right?" - Cleo

What would be Cleo´s mission if someone had created her? Pearl: to burn things down? Cleo asked if she´s burned down things recently. Etho: "She´s a trap door flipper."

repeated discussions about if Pearl is an AI or not

"you don´t have to be an NPC if you don´t want to, you can break your programming" - killing Cleo, however, would not be unexpected. Pearl has already stabbed her in the heart repeatedly. Not in Real Life! They were together that series. [Is it just me or does Pearl´s “yeeah…” sound a little more hesitant ^^]

Bonus: Cleo contemplates stealing cOW

#zombiecleo #hermitcraft #hermitcraft streams #hc s10 #real life smp #watch Cleo´s streams they´re awesome #and have good mods #in other news I was tired and made a dumb comment that was deleted and I will now never say anything ever again #<- my brain in anxiety mode

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autistichalsin · 9 months ago

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I got upset at my mom and came across really passive aggressive. And I didn't mean to, and I regret it. I just... she does this thing that makes me so mad

She brags all the time about how she was such a great mom. But her examples are, for some MYSTERIOUS REASON, only ever things she did for my older brother and sister. She had his friends over all the time and they called her Mom too! She drove him to football! She drove my sister to over 10 orchestra-related events a week until she got so burned out she banned us all from doing any activities that required a ride the next year!

She mysteriously never has any such stories for me.

This time she was going on and on about how she was such a great mom because when my brother was 17 he got his first job washing dishes at a restaurant and she'd drive across town at midnight every night to pick him up from work.

Meanwhile, when I was 18 and wanted to get a job, she told me I was to go to college (and she wouldn't hear any of that "I don't want student loan debt" nonsense because EVERYONE gets loans and I needed to just suck it up.) Despite her always insisting we were welcome as long as we got a job or went to school, she changed her tune for me and me only. She threatened to kick me out if I got a job. I asked if I could stay long enough to save money for my own place, and she snapped no, I couldn't use her like that. So I went to college, when I didn't want to yet, and predictably am in massive amounts of debt that it will take me most of my life to pay off. She would later go on to say she never actually meant it about kicking me out, she just wanted me to "do what I was meant to do" and needed a push to "get my life together." Because getting a job means your life isn't together, apparently.

But she gave my older brother rides from work. So she's a great mom. The best mom ever.

I got really angry when she did this yet again and kind of laughed but made it sound lighthearted. She said back something like "oh you laugh but you know I was a great mom."

So then I just said, well, when I wanted to get a job, you told me you'd kick me out if I did it.

She went quiet and gave this weird guilt trippy non-apology about how she's soooo sorry about what she did but she still feels she was a great mom, she just had some issues when she was drinking.

I feel bad for being passive aggressive about it, but I can't stand when she does this. She wants me to tell me she was a great mother because she was capable of treating her golden children well. And she wants me to judge her based on that and not how I, the scapegoat, was treated.

Like!!! She got drunk and told me she wished she could kill me. You never get to call yourself a good parent again once you do that. Not even if it was only once and you were drunk and you actually WERE good before that (which she really wasn't). And you especially don't get to claim that TO the child you said it to.

She drove my older two siblings to all these things, and then never showed up to a single track meet of mine. When I complained to her about it at the end of the year, she said, "you know, I've heard of 40 year olds who tell their parents it hurt when they didn't do that, but I've never heard of someone complaining while they're still young." She rarely came to any of my orchestra performances unless my sister was also there.

In fact, she asked the whole family to help out with money to send my sister on a music department trip, and then the next year, when I was old enough to do it, said they couldn't ask the family twice because it would be weird, and then told the rest of the family that I only did music because I wanted to be like my sister, guaranteeing none of them actually would think I WANTED to go on the trip so they wouldn't help me. I asked if I could do a program the school offered where I could help out at concessions at the sports events so I could save money to go, and she snapped "they shouldn't be making you work so you can go." So I didn't get to go.

So yeah, if you judge her by how she treated her golden children, she was pretty fucking stellar, I guess. If you judge her by how she treated the forgotten child (my little brother) she was alright. But if you judge her by how she treated me?

And then she fucking wonders why I'm closer to my dad.

God I'm so fucking mad.

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flanaganfilm · 2 years ago

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Mike, can you tell us your experience premiering Oculus at tiff 2013? I recently saw Perri Nemiroff’s interview with you (looking like a baby btw- so young) and it made me think about what your mindset must have been as in getting yo experience the launch of your career, post Absentia, at one of the most prestigious festivals.

Oh, I remember that very well... a lot changed in a very short amount of time. And I think I know the interview you're talking about, I keep trying to link to it here but it doesn't take...

So there are few things to point out about Oculus and about what was happening in my life at the time. When Oculus got greenlit, I was working full time as a reality television editor. I used to sneak out of my job at lunch to go to "doctor's appointments" whenever I had to come for production meetings or casting sessions (they started to think there was something really, really wrong with my health).

Making the movie was an amazing learning experience - it was my first "real" movie, and full of lessons. It was the first collaboration with people who would become pillars of my career moving forward, like producer Trevor Macy (who is now my partner at Intrepid Pictures and who has produced everything I've ever made since) and my DP Michael Fimognari, who is one of the most important collaborators of my life. It was also the first time I worked with a young actress named Kate Siegel, who played the spooky ghost in the mirror.

We went into TIFF with distribution already in place. FilmDistrict had committed to the project during the Cannes market before we shot the movie, so we thought we were set. It was going to be my big theatrical debut.

Just before we premiered at TIFF, FilmDistrict abruptly and bafflingly dropped the film. I still don't really know why. They had committed to a worldwide theatrical release for the movie, but for reasons that were never made entirely clear to me, they dropped us just before the festival. Suddenly the whole enterprise was in jeopardy, and I didn't know if anyone would pick the movie back up.

I was absolutely terrified.

Being my first "real" movie, I didn't really know how this world worked and couldn't understand why our distributor didn't want to release it. We'd made the movie they had been excited about, they seemed to really like it, and we'd done everything they asked - it was a shock to the system. So when we rolled into tiff, we were homeless and trying not to let FilmDistrict's abrupt change of heart poison our chances of another sale.

I had never been to TIFF before but heard about Midnight Madness, which had seen huge sales from Cabin Fever and Insidious. Bidding wars had broken out while the films were still screening. But being part of the program was absolutely no guarantee of distribution - in fact, this might be the highest this movie would ever rise.

Trevor Macy and I went to the world premiere of The Green Inferno, which was playing the night before we played, and the audience was ROWDY. Like, shouting and hollering throughout the movie. We looked at each other with wide, nervous eyes - if this was the Midnight Madness audience, they were going to hate our movie the next day. We were considerably slower, ponderous, and atmospheric in a room that seemed to demand visceral, overt entertainment. I left the screening feeling dejected and a little doomed. Trevor was more upbeat, citing conversations he'd had with the programmer, Colin Geddes, who assured us he'd put our movie in the best possible spot for its success.

Our screening was September 9th, 2013 at midnight. I was petrified, and we were sold out. I remember walking into the theater feeling like this was the most important screening of my life. I wasn't alone, thank goodness. Trevor Macy, Michael Fimognari, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff, Rory Cochrane, and James Lafferty were on hand. The film seemed to play well. It was the opposite of the screening the night before, which Colin had told us would happen - "watch," he had said. "The Saturday night slot is the big crazy one. You guys are Sunday, and it's going to be completely different. They'll plug right in."

He was right. You could hear a pin drop for most of the first half, and then there were moments of scattered applause that picked up as the film progressed. By the end, people were jumping in their seats and cheering for young Tim and Kaylee. There was an audible gasp when the anchor swung. And the applause at the credits seemed heartfelt and loud.

Most of that is a blur for me. I found this grainy pic from the Q&A after the film. I still had no idea how it had gone, or what was going to come out of it. I remember having hard time putting words together, and I vividly recall feeling like I sounded like an absolute moron whenever I talked, and trying to pass the microphone over to the actors as often as I could.

It's tough to see everyone in the pic, but from left to right it is Colin Geddes, Michael Fimognari, myself, Trevor Macy, Katee Sackhoff, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, and James Lafferty.

When I stepped out of the theater, though, I became aware that everything had changed. I was immediately surrounded by people who had seen the film, suddenly shaking a ton of hands and realizing that it had been a hit. I walked into the theater by myself, utterly anonymous, and feeling every bit like an imposter. But everything was different when I walked out. I remember someone from the press talking about it years later, and saying "I was there that night - you walked into the theater with nothing, and walked out with a career."

People were asking me to sign stuff. That had never happened in my life. People wanted to get pictures. It was SO. FUCKING. WEIRD. Someone snapped a picture during that little whirlwind, and you can see it on my (young, skinny, hopelessly naive) face - an overall bewilderment, a gentle disbelief that this was happening:

I loved my experience at TIFF. And it absolutely started everything. Relativity, Blumhouse, and WWE Films joined forces to make an offer on the movie at the festival, and we left with a theatrical distribution deal. My career had officially begun. Now, I wouldn't feel like it had for several more years - I remained in fight/flight/survival mode well through Gerald's Game - but in retrospect, yes, that's when it happened.

Thank you for asking this question, it's been a while since I've looked back at this period of my life. It kinda makes me want to watch that movie again. It has been a LONG time, and I owe it a lot.

Maybe everything.

#oculus #tiff #toronto film festival #midnight madness #I cannot and will not accept that this was only ten years ago

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an-sceal · 29 days ago

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I don't seem to have any setting between "so angry I have to leave the internet" and "why is my face wet? When did I start crying?" anymore.

I know there's a lot of people who are really fond of shitting on those who are looking for guidance in Times Like These. I get that nobody is coming to save me, or us, or The Republic, or whatever. I also get that I'm one single person with a very limited amount of power and energy, and I would like to direct it toward helping in a way that matters, instead of just screaming in the middle of the street.

Though I admit- screaming in the middle of the street is holding some definite appeal right now.

What the hell are you supposed to do while a nutcase with unlimited resources dismantles all the social programs in your country and makes it quietly illegal to be you? Because I don't fucking know, and it's midnight, and I have to work tomorrow while Elton Mush hands out my SSN and stops paying my mom's social security and sells the national parks and disbands the Department of Education.

I think I broke. I think I really do hate anyone who voted for Trump, and I don't care how many thinkpiece writers want me to understand how they've been duped, or how I should welcome them to my bosom and reach them with the goodness of my person. Because I'm sorry, but...no. I grew up poor, with several generations of poverty before me. I lived through running out of food, and living in a car, or in a tent on the beach. I survived abuse, assaults, mental illness, rape, cancer, and disabling disease. And never, not even once, did I think, "This is because an immigrant is getting my share." I never once believed that I got hurt because a trans person changed their ID, or someone had an abortion, or a Black person asked to not be killed by the police.

Maybe... Maybe the people who want to scapegoat anyone who isn't exactly like them- maybe they're just shitty people, you know? Maybe they just fucking suck, and we don't need to spend a million more words twisting ourselves into pretzels to hold their hands and tell them why caring about other people won't fucking kill them. Maybe they can fucking die mad about it when people stop caring if they feel catered to. Like I said, I've only got so much energy. I'm going to spend it on the people who'll at least offer someone else a hand up when I'm too tired.

#personal #us shitshow #i'm so fucking done #for today anyway

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stayarmytinyzenmoa-l · 2 months ago

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Midnight Coffee [Ch. 1]

Non-Idol AU / Coffee Shop AU TW: None Pairing: Platonic!NCT 127 x Reader YN Pronouns: Not Specified Genre: Slice of Life, Light Comedy Word Count: 6.4K Summary: You run a coffee shop that only opens past midnight and closes just before the sun rises, and the people you meet are never more interesting than the stories they bring with them.

Notes: Don't be mad, this is still a pretty chill story that will come out pretty slowly, but it's nice to go through it again and update it with my more current writing style... you might find that this fic is much longer now jdhfsfj

Inspired by the Indie Game ‘Coffee Talk’

(1/?) [Character Profiles] | [Next] [NCT Masterlist] | [Midnight Coffee Masterlist]

September 22, 20XX

Stormy Season Coming Early This Year, be Sure to Purchase New Umbrellas!

Be sure to dress warm! Meteorologists predict a sudden jump in the stormy season, estimating that the season will start a few months earlier than in previous years. Everyone is advised to be prepared for sudden storms that may be unpredicted in the forecast and to be aware of how you’re driving on the roads. The sudden storms combined with the dropping temperatures are an obvious safety hazard. Please take care!

Managing Stress in a New Age — How Businesses Have to Adapt to New Innovations and How Their Workers are Affected

In the wake of massive layoffs, business leader Zhang Yixing shares many tips for businesses and how to stay afloat despite society’s shift into the technological age. However, he admits that in the realm of workers, this task is much greater and should be handled as carefully as possible as he cites the sudden increase in massive unemployment rates nationwide. Alongside this, the governor has proposed new welfare and unemployment programs for those eligible, which include being unemployed for more than half of the year or making a certain amount per month. Check with your local government office to see if you qualify.

NeoZone Preparations Are Underway in the New Convention Center in Zone One of Neo City

The biggest event of the year is among us! And remarkably around the same time as the famed Resonance Festival. With the sudden influx of tourists coming in, the governor is confident in an increase of job opportunities and economic increases. Onto the topic of NeoZone, the East’s version of the West’s ComicCon, a few panels that are going to be highlighted are NCT U’s new production The 7th Sense and KQ F’s new production Wonderland, both very large games that are already in the contending for Game of the Year.

How the Planning Committee for this year’s Resonance Festival is Preparing for their Tenth Consecutive Year

The Resonance Festival has now been around for a decade and many people are hoping for a big celebration for the milestone! Planning Committee head Jeon Jungkook promises that the festival will be "one to remember" for the entirety of music history, with the released First Day lineup including the hit boy group DNA, the world-wide girl group Boombayah, and the monster rookie group Ice Age. Judging on public opinion, this Resonance Festival will indeed be the "one to remember" and Jeon teased a special appearance from an upcoming artist that no one will want to miss.

The crack of thunder was the first thing to greet you this night. The second was a pile of letters on the floor just under the post flap, thankfully dry, and with an ominous stamp of red across one of the envelopes. Carefully, you pick it up and toss it on the counter, going through every letter except for that one. A postcard from Jaehyun, the latest edition of Favorite magazine, the small pamphlet for The Neo City Whispers with Mark's name written on the 'By' line, and finally your notice of overdue rent.

Because of the rains business hasn't been doing well. You're not so bad off that you can't stay, but you are in enough of the reds to be a little concerned. Perhaps it was time you were a little more thorough in advertisement. But, then again... You looked around your cafe. Serene, for now, and even against the torrential downpour you'd call it perfect. Did you really want to disturb this peace with a line?

Shaking your head and hiding your mail, you then shuffled the newest lo-fi album by [Andrew Jeremy] first thing. The clock chimed midnight and you had a feeling about who exactly would be coming through the door first, but your regulars always surprised you. Something you learned about being the barista to this hidden gem was that you really shouldn’t expect anything and above all, you should appreciate the unknowns and the charms that come in with every night you flip the open sign on the stained glass door.

When the lights flickered above you with the inevitable roll of thunder, the first thing you thought of was your regulars, particularly one absent-minded young man, and hoped that they didn’t get caught in the rain. You pulled the umbrella storage rack out of the closet and placed it next to the door, being sure to switch the welcome mat to a more water-absorbent one.

Midnight Coffee, the café that only opens after midnight and closes anytime before the sun rises has been the true love of yours since almost forever now. Despite the bustling nightlife the city actually had, you only had a handful of customers every night and, truthfully, you preferred it that way. You were fond of the close-knit regulars you had, although you were always excited to see new faces come through the door. You had made the strange but respectable decision to only serve hot drinks, be it because the nice ice machines were expensive or that it messed with the whole vibe of the place, it somehow proved profitable despite the apparent setbacks. The café itself only had a handful of customers per night, and they were often your regulars who you had come to know to the point of friends. Despite its mysteries, one thing remains clear and it’s that you brewed the best coffee in the city and no customer of yours, regular or not, can contest that, and you hold that title given to you by a certain overworked college student dear to your heart.

Midnight Coffee was located in between two rather large buildings, it would take someone who already knew about the café to even know it was there given how far back it was between the two. The building on the right is a law office and the one on the left being an apartment complex, both easily overshadowed the small café. The café itself had a direct staircase to your apartment in particular, a blessing from the landlord especially in a big city.

Midnight Coffee's motto is that the customer always receives what they desire. Your regulars applauded you for this, one remarked that it was almost as if you always knew what drink they needed and when they needed it, and prepared it perfectly. You could say that you had quite some time to practice and perfect these drinks, hence the fixed menu of warm beverages, but you were always one to try new things should your customers request it. Challenges are only apart of this job, after all.

The Neo City Whispers Welcome to the Neo City Whispers! Fr: Byun Baekhyun

This pamphlet serves as your confirmation to our subscription! Thank you for supporting our independent authors and I hope you enjoy their works! Be sure to send in any feedback to their socials, we always appreciate it! And, hey, who knows? Read enough and maybe you'll want to write someday too?

Give it some thought!

“Hey, (Y/N)! Geez, it’s raining like crazy out there,” Mark’s cheerful voice filled the previously calm atmosphere. he wiped his shoes on the mat properly before walking in, not wanting to leave water anywhere on the hardwood flooring. He was holding onto his laptop, two notebooks, and a simple pencil pouch when he sat at the counter, but they were quickly pushed to the side. He wipes the water from his glasses and shakes his hand through his already messy hair.

Mark is, and will probably forever be, your main regular. You’re not sure if it’s habit or intention that he faithfully shows up every night at the same time, and the days he doesn’t he explains what happened the next day. Although the length of time he stays varies, he’s always been one to say a quick goodbye or give a proper explanation prior to departing. Regardless, he always seemed to brighten the area enough to set a good tone for the rest of the evening, the boy has even befriended or at the very least acquainted himself well enough with your other customers.

“Did you get caught up in the rain, Mark?” You asked him while you grabbed a cup from its hanging rack, you already had a feeling as to what he would order, but you’d ask him anyway later.

“Yeah, it’s crazy! Just when I thought the storms were letting up, fwoosh! One minute I’m walking out of the office and the next it’s pouring,” Mark frowns. “Luckily, I was able to save my laptop at the expense of my favorite hoodie,” he holds up the drenched fabric and shakes his head. You pulled out a large paper bag and handed it to him.

“You can borrow these small towels for now, just to keep the bag intact so you don’t have to hold it,” he handed you the hoodie and you folded it so that it could fit into the bag padded with tea towels.

“Thanks, (Y/N), you’re awesome,” Mark places the bag next to his seat.

“Hard day at work?” You asked him.

“You could… say that,” he laughs awkwardly.

“What can I get you?” You decided to ask before you both forgot.

“Do you even have to ask?” He cracks a smile and you shrugged.

“I mean, I’m never the kind to assume, what if one day you really need a pick me up?” You asked him.

“The day I drink coffee is the day that door falls off its hinges,” Mark points to the entrance and laughs tiredly. “Uh… Just the regular, please,” he says. You nodded while opening the mini-refrigerator under the counter to pull out a carton of milk.

“Have any preference for tea today?”

“Nah, just use what you usually use,” Mark hums, he opens his laptop and starts working while you take the tea box from the top shelf and walk up to the machine, placing the correct ingredients inside and watching the latte fill the cup. “Oh, wait, I do have a small request!”

“Mmhmm?”

“Can I get some latte art? I know you hate doing it, but they always look so pretty,” he says, ending with his signature tight-lipped smile.

“Sure,” you nodded your head and took the hot cup from the machine, grabbing the cream off to the side. “Any specific shapes?”

“Whichever’s fine.”

“Alright then,” you made a simple design on top of the cup, you had to admit you despised doing this at first, you were never able to get it right on the first try. But after quite some time of practice, and a regular who happened to enjoy your efforts regardless of the result, you got somewhat proficient at it. But one strange trend you had noticed about this regular is that he only requests it when there’s something bothering him, just a general observation, really, one that tends to be right every time. “Anything you want to talk about, Mark?”

“Uh… yeah,” he nodded his head and looked up from his laptop. He stared at you for a moment before another small laugh came up. “Actually, nah, never mind. It’s fine,” he shakes his head.

“Mark.”

“Okay, okay, fine, I’ll tell you,” he closes his laptop. You stifled back a grin, he was always easy to give in. “So, you know how I work for the Whispers, right?”

“Yeah,” you placed the finished latte in front of him, but he was more interested in finishing his story than acknowledging it.

“Well, today I woke up late.”

“No surprise there.”

“None at all, but because of that I missed my bus to get to the office, so I had to call an Uber.”

“I’m guessing this Uber changed your life?”

“It did,” a wider smile grows on the young author’s face, “But, let me explain. I’m broke.”

“I know.”

“And I didn’t have any time, so I had to call an Uber Pool to get to the office, and guess what? My boss was there too!” Mark exaggerates the story with his hands while you listen closely. “Well, not my boss boss, he is my boss’ boss… if that makes sense.”

“I get it,” you nodded your head.

“Okay, cool, so like we were kind of just sitting there, you know? Like, of course, it would be awkward between employee and CEO, so, like, it made sense. And, I have no idea what came over me and I kind of regret doing it now, but I decided fuck it and I told him that I had an idea for a novel, and he said he was curious about what I had!”

Now this caught your ear, not that you weren’t paying attention before, you were just more intrigued about this story. You had long known that he was looking to do something bigger, but you didn’t think he’d ever get the courage to actually do it and, you had to admit, you were rather impressed.

“So… what did you tell him?”

“I pitched to him an idea about a collection of stories that all fit together into a much larger one,” Mark explains.

“Oh?” He'd told you many times about a project that could kickstart his career. He was tired of just writing short stories, he wanted to do something on a much larger scale, something with more of an impact than a small pamphlet. But you really didn’t think that he’d follow through and actually do it. Mark had a tendency of saying things, but when it came to actually doing those things, that was a whole different story that he probably wouldn’t write. Until now, that is.

“Yes! Keep in mind this is just bare bones stuff, so I didn’t have much to present to him. But he said that he really liked the idea of it. I went on further and told him that I’d start the novel as if they’re separate stories, and then as the novel continues they become more bound together.”

“That sounds like a great idea, Mark,” you offered your support of the idea. Mark was a hard worker, yes, but it was easy for him to get discouraged, something you had found out quite some time ago. “So he green-lighted it then?”

“He did!”

“That’s amazing! So when’s the first draft due?” You asked him. Mark fell silent, a forced smile on his face. “Mark?”

“In… a month from now.”

“A month?!”

“Yeah, I was shocked too.”

“Tell me that you at least have an idea for it.”

“Aside from what I told you? None. Nada. Zilch,” Mark finally grabs the ceramic cup and tries the drink. “This is really good,” he says.

“Thank you, but back to your novel… what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ve got no idea… I’m going to be honest, I didn’t expect him to say that he even liked the idea. So I spent the entire day at the office trying to draft something, but I couldn’t figure out what to do for the life of me.”

“Oh, I know where this is going,” you shook your head. “You’re behind schedule now, aren’t you?”

“Horribly.”

“I’m guessing you’re going to be here for a while then, huh?”

“Yup,” Mark sighs. The doorbell chimes as another walks into the cafe. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, I don’t even have a plot in mind. I shouldn’t have said anything…” Mark mumbles.

“Hello there,” the new customer waves his hand and stands at the door. You greeted him with a smile as he brushed off the droplets from his raincoat and carefully shook off his umbrella before storing it.

“Hi, have a seat anywhere you’d like,” you gestured around the café, and he opted to sit down at the counter with a seat between him and Mark. “What can I get you tonight, sir?”

“Just a hot chocolate, please,” he smiles and pulls his phone out. He places it down and glances over at Mark. “Um, pardon, I couldn’t help but overhear a little bit of your conversation.”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry about that, my friends always tell me that I can get kinda loud,” Mark looks over to him and nods his head quickly.

“No, don’t be sorry at all! Actually, I’m on the storyboarding team for a game I’m working on, and if you need any tips I’d be glad to help.”

“Really? You’re not pulling my leg, right?” Mark was more interested now, even turning the stool over enough to fully look at the stranger. “Where do you work?”

“NCT U,” he answers. You take the cocoa powder off of the shelf and place two tablespoons of it into the machine and added milk. You turned the machine on and it hummed quietly.

“No way,” Mark’s jaw drop, then he goes wide-eyed and turns to him again. “You wouldn’t happen to be working on The 7th Sense, are you?!”

There came another key phrase that caught your attention. You were never a big video game fanatic, but you have heard of the game and you were well aware of the hype building up behind it. NCT U Productions was a big game company, one that was well known for titles such as Dream In A Dream, the strange but ultimately poetic open-world game, and Yestoday, the visual novel-based game with the so-called biggest twist in its genre. There were, of course, many more that you’d love to go on about after your many hours devoted to gameplays, but once you got to talking about it, no doubt you’d never stop. The thought of having an employee here in front of you was amazing enough for you, but you did your best to maintain your professionalism in front of him.

“Yup, I’m the head programmer for it,” he says. He flips his buzzing phone over. “Lee Taeyong,” he holds his hand out for Mark to shake it.

“Hey, I’m Mark,” the latter takes his hand and shakes it. “Lee, Mark Lee, yeah… that’s me,” Mark clears his throat right as you placed the finished cup of cocoa in front of Taeyong.

“I’ve read a few of your stories on the Neo City Whispers, and I have to say I’m quite the fan,” Taeyong says.

“Whoa… I’m glad you like them,” Mark nods. He looked at you with excitement in his eyes before focusing back on Taeyong. "Sorry, I'm a bit starstruck here, I've never met someone who read my stuff before."

"You should get used to it, I'm always recommending your short stories to my friends. I'm quite the fan of Child, actually."

"Whoa, that's one of my earlier stories!" Though you could see the excitement sparkling in his eyes, just as quickly you saw him swallow it down. “I’ve never seen you around here.”

“A friend of mine recommended this place a few weeks earlier but I never got the chance to come over until now,” Taeyong explains. “I've been in the mood for a hot drink so when I agreed to meet another friend to catch up I was on the hunt for coffee spots. No surprise, but I have a pretty hectic schedule so all the other cafés were closed by the time I got out, then I remembered this quaint place. I’m sure we agreed to meet here at twelve-thirty but…” Taeyong looks at his phone.

“No show?” You finished his sentence.

“It would appear so,” Taeyong frowns. He pauses and drinks the cocoa. “Thank you, this is exactly what I needed right now,” he sighs.

"So goes the motto," Mark hums.

"Motto?"

"(Y/N)'s claim to fame is that they can always brew what you need. Haven't heard anyone not liking anything here before," Mark says.

"I see, you may see me around more often then," Taeyong nods. He takes another sip of his cocoa. "This really is delicious, though."

“I’m glad you like it, Mr. Lee.”

“Ah, just Taeyong is fine, please. I feel awkward when people refer to me as that,” Taeyong had a bashful look on his face.

“I heard… I heard you guys are crunching over at NCT U,” Mark speaks up.

“Yeah, we’ve been pulling overtime to get this game out by NeoZone,” Taeyong drinks more of the cocoa. “But the company laid off a lot of their workers, so the ones that are still here are working even more, it’s insane… but on the bright side, more job openings came up.”

“NeoZone? That’s like a month away,” Mark says. “Just like my novel’s draft… what a mess,” Mark shakes his head.

“You know, if worse comes to worst, I can put in a good word for you at NCT U, I do too much work for that company for them to lay me off anyway,” Taeyong finishes the cocoa and slides the cup towards you, which you took and placed in the sink. Just then, the bell chimed again and another person walked in, placing his umbrella in the holder before taking the seat next to Taeyong.

“Johnny, I suppose the regular today, correct?” You asked him.

“Yes, please and thank you,” he smiles. You got to work on his regular order while you continued to listen to the ongoing conversation.

“Hi, Johnny,” Mark waved at him.

“Hey, Mark,” Johnny’s countenance was always bright regardless of the day.

“Well, I’m going to head to my little corner over there if you need me,” Mark says before grabbing his things and moving over to the corner table of the café. He often sat there when he was on a time crunch, claiming that the specific spot always made him focus better.

“Well, I’ll leave then, thank you again for the nice drink, I’ll be sure to come back some time when I’m free,” Taeyong speaks up, he digs through his messenger bag but you hold your hand up.

"First drink is on the house," you insist.

"Really? Thank you," Taeyong grins. "Have a good night, it was nice meeting you."

"Same here, stay dry," you wave as he exits the café.

“Whoa, I bother him or something?” Johnny speaks up as soon as Taeyong was gone.

“I’m pretty sure you’re fine, Johnny,” you laughed. Johnny looked around the café and hummed.

“Slow night?”

“It would appear so, you’re earlier than usual,” you noted. “Off work early?”

“You could say that. Tend to get off early when there's no work to do,” Johnny sighed. “Up for some workplace gossip?”

“Oh, god, how old are you?” You joked with him. “Yes, of course,” you placed the triple-shot espresso in front of him and he drank some before starting his story.

“The company’s hiring this new hotshot photographer,” Johnny starts. “I have no idea where they get the money from, but fuck it, right? They’re taking a huge gamble with this guy, and apparently, he’s really good, but a lot of the other staff don’t know how to feel about it,” Johnny says.

You could only nod your head while you glanced over at the side of the counter, an untouched rack of magazines next to it. No one really reads magazines anymore, the only reason why they hadn’t collected dust is because you dust it periodically, and of course you were a loyal patron of Favorite.

“I suppose having a little bit of faith is good then,” you nodded. The door chimed again and in came another regular of yours, he walked in and held the door open for another person who came in shortly after him, one you didn’t recognize.

“(Y/N)!” He waved his hand lazily and sat next to Johnny, the new customer sitting a seat away from them.

“What’s the occasion? You’re both here rather early,” you grabbed a cup from the shelf and looked over to Yuta.

“Just the regular, please,” he winked at you casually while starting a conversation with Johnny. You were quick to start brewing his regular order, one that he often stuck with during his regular visits.

“Welcome to the Midnight Coffee, can I get you anything, sir?” You asked the man sitting at the end. He hung his backpack off of his chair and looked at the menu.

“Wow, he gets a nice greeting?” Johnny teases. You shot him a playful look and he laughed.

“You’ve been coming here for years. He’s new, so I suggest you finish your coffee before it gets cold, Mr. Suh.”

“Oh, our favorite barista pulled the last name card, Johnny, better listen,” Yuta pipes in.

“That's my menu up there, but if you have a specific request I can try to make it as long as it’s a hot drink,” you said.

“What do you recommend?” The stranger asks.

“Well,” you held the cup in your hand and looked over to him. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Whoa, (Y/N), right in front of my coffee?” Johnny continues to jab at you.

“I’m charging you extra, Johnny,” you retaliated back. “How was your day, Mr…”

“Ah, Kim. Kim Dongyoung. Or, just Doyoung’s fine too,” he says. His phone rings but he silences it and turns it over. “As for my day, it was alright. I just moved to this city, actually.”

“Ah, so you’re new in town then, I know just the drink,” you took out the now finished Black Magic for Yuta and replaced it with the new cup, brewing a rather simple but, in your opinion, delicious tea for the newcomer.

“I got a call from the boss, they really want me to come back to the agency,” Yuta kept his words at a modest volume while speaking to Johnny, a stark contrast to how loud the two would get when it was just them at the counter, he was no doubt trying to be courteous to Doyoung.

“I mean, you’d probably bring in a lot of cash,” Johnny laughs. “But seriously, it’s probably got something to do with the new photographer, the staff wouldn’t stop talking about him, apparently he’s really good. Something about always getting the perfect angle?”

“Interesting,” Yuta watches you place the cup down in front of him. “It’s rather risky though, isn’t it? Hiring a new photographer so late in the game?” Yuta asks.

“Yeah, I’m really hoping that the boss knew what he was doing with this one, the last gamble they took moved to another country,” Johnny ends with a wry laugh, one that Yuta didn’t return, instead he looked to his mug and took a picture of it. You added your finishing touches to the Ginger Mint Tea and placed it in front of Doyoung.

“Thank you,” he placed his phone face down again and brought the cup to his lips, taking a moment to revel in the aroma of the tea, before finally trying some. “Is this ginger?”

“Yes, is it not to your liking?”

“No, actually, it’s really good,” Doyoung takes another sip. “I usually don’t like ginger, but for some reason, it tastes good here. What else is in this?”

“Just some mint, I have a plant growing by the back window so I figured I’d try it out.”

“This is your first time making this?”

“Yeah, I’m glad you like it,” you smiled. “I’ll probably add it to the menu then,” you mumbled.

“It is very good, thank you” Doyoung sighs.

"Got any ideas for a name?" You held the chalk in your hand while setting up the stool with another.

"Pardon?"

"Whenever guests help (Y/N) come up with drinks, they get dibs on the name," Yuta explains. He taps the body of his cup. "I called this one Black Magic, something about how the mint pulls the honey and the coffee together. How about you?" Doyoung takes another sip.

"In that case maybe... Ginger Mint Tea?"

"Keep it simple, huh?" You wrote the name on the board.

"Apologies, I have to admit, my friend's the creative so I never really caught onto it..."

"Hey, now, it's a good name. At least I don't have to explain ten times what goes into it, right?" You chuckled.

"Ah, right, thank you." He gives you another quick smile, then he returns to his phone, undoubtedly ending the conversation there. Finally, Yuta places his phone down and rests his chin on the palm of his hand.

“You know, (Y/N), you should consider advertising this little place a little more,” Yuta says.

“I was thinking about it, but you know I like keeping things low-key.”

“I guess it’s part of the charm, but if you ever want some free advertisement,” Yuta waved his phone around. “I think it would be good for you, (Y/N).”

“Ah, but then we wouldn’t be able to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee,” Johnny jokes. “Your screaming fangirls will flood this place.”

“I’m more concerned about the haters, to be honest.”

“Oh right, they might overrun this small place and give you shitty reviews,” Johnny frowns. “Then none of us would be able to come here,” he says.

“It can’t be that bad,” you shook your head.

“It can,” Yuta says. “Plus, I never see anyone else working here, it’s just you, right? Wouldn’t want you to be working double-time with people who would just complain anyway.”

“Thank you for the sentiment, but between you and my other regulars, I’d might as well have eight hands,” you laughed. “Either way, it’s free PR. But you don’t need to worry yourself about that, as long as I have my regulars I think I can keep this café up for a while,” you reassured him.

“Since it came up… how do you keep this place up?” Johnny asks.

“A great barista never reveals their secrets,” you chuckled quietly while Johnny snickered.

“You know, my followers curious about where I get such a perfectly crafted cup of coffee,” Yuta always had his way with his charm, one that you had fallen for many a time but after years of his repeated visits, you’ve grown somewhat of an immunity to it, something that was greatly to his dismay, but one that allowed you both to become somewhat closer. “But alas, that will forever remain a secret, won’t it?” He quirks an eyebrow while he drinks from the ceramic cup.

“All 250 million of them?”

“Well, a good majority of them,” Yuta laughs. He leaned back and stretched his arms over his head before relaxing them on the counter again. The café suddenly fell silent save for your choice of music in the background playing at just the right level, then Yuta looked up with a more serious look on his face.

“Johnny, have you heard?”

“About the company’s thing or about that thing?”

“The latter.”

“Yeah,” Johnny sighs. “That guy… he’s finally back in town and he doesn’t even think about us.”

“Right, I was going to go visit him myself, but I figured I'd ask you first,” Yuta taps his fingers on the wooden counter.

“Just go,” Johnny scoffed, but quickly cleared his throat as if to cover it up. “You don't need to ask me. You two were the best friends.”

“I mean, we haven't talked since-” Johnny cuts him off with a harsh clatter of cup against saucer. Yuta's lips fall into a tight line. "Forget I asked."

“Do what you want,” Johnny's voice has an uncharacteristic coldness to it. The two fell silent, both finishing their drinks at a modest pace without saying a single word, or making any other movements aside from the quick motion of bringing their cups to their lips and the occasional check of their phone. Despite this, the tension was clear.

“So what then? We just let him do his business and then let him go off on some other part of the world again?”

“Yuta, do whatever you want,” Johnny emphasizes each word. Yuta pushes his phone back in his pocket and slides his card towards you, which you took silently and finished the transaction while keeping a stealthy ear. “Put Johnny’s on my card too.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” Johnny waves his hand, his usual smiling self returning, albeit in a much softer and muted way.

“Are you kidding me? You need it.”

“Fine, there’s no arguing with you anyway,” Johnny shook his head. “I’m paying next time then, alright?”

“Sure. We’re leaving then, (Y/N),” Yuta held his hand up as a brief goodbye.

“Later, (Y/N), thanks for the drink,” Johnny followed Yuta out. As soon as the two long-time friends left, the tension in the café disappeared.

“Are they alright?” Doyoung asks. He placed his cup back down on its saucer and you just nodded.

“They’ve known each other for years now, they have their fights,” you mentioned. Mark moved back up to the counter with an empty cup.

“Hi, I’m Mark,” he waved at Doyoung, who nodded in response.

“Hello, I’m Doyoung,” he introduced himself again while you took Mark’s cup.

“Refill, please,” he says.

“Of course,” you placed the cup in the sink and got a newer one for him. Just then another person entered the café and sat next to Mark.

“Hey, Mark!” He smiled brightly and settled in, his backpack leaning against the counter. “(Y/N), can I just get an espresso today?”

“Of course, Jungwoo, studying late tonight?”

“Yup! I have a biochem test tomorrow and ahhh I’ve never been more stressed,” he sobs.

“You said that last week about your calc midterm,” Mark laughs.

“Did I?” Jungwoo wipes the fake tears away while you placed his and Mark’s cups on the counter. Jungwoo turns his attention towards the new face sitting a couple of seats away from him. “Ooh, hello! I’ve never seen you around here before!”

“He’s new in town,” you mentioned absently.

“I am,” Doyoung waves. “Kim Doyoung, I’m a freelance… artist,” he hesitated for only a second, but you caught it easily; however, you doubted that the two college students behind you did.

“Kim Jungwoo! Third-year biological engineering major,” he says. “Wow, so this is your first time here at the café, right? (Y/N)’s the best barista in the city!” Jungwoo says.

“So I see,” Doyoung nods with a polite smile.

“Yeah, if only we could promote the café a little more,” Jungwoo laughs.

“Ah, and the topic comes again,” you responded while washing the dishes.

“Again?”

“You just missed Johnny and Yuta,” Mark says. “They were talking about it too. Yuta offered to advertise the café on his Instagram, but (Y/N) refused,” Mark fills him in.

“Aww, I always get here right after those two leave. I don’t think I’ve spoken to them in a while,” Jungwoo pouts.

“Do you guys know each other well?” Doyoung asks.

“Uh… I mean not really. But they’re like real regulars, they come here almost every night apparently, so it’s hard not to really, well, not know them, you know?” Jungwoo stumbles over his words only slightly. “But I guess a lot of us who come to this café get to know each other well at some point,” Jungwoo says.

“I see,” Doyoung nods. “I’m sure no one knows them better than the barista here then,” Doyoung continues.

“In that assumption, you are correct,” you finished hanging the cups and turned back around. Doyoung slid his now empty cup towards you.

“Thank you for the drink,” Doyoung cleared his throat and placed a bill on the counter. “I was supposed to meet someone here, but I guess he’s a no show,” Doyoung frowns.

“I’m sorry about that,” you took the bill, slid it back to him, and spoke up before he could protest. “First drink is on the house,” you insisted.

“Ah, thank you,” Doyoung took the money back.

“Thank you for dropping by regardless, I hope you sort things out with that friend of yours.”

“I’m sure I will, we’ve known each other for a while. Either way, I think I might come back here and try more of your menu, actually,” Doyoung smiles. “No, wait, I’ll definitely come back soon.”

“These doors are always open past midnight then, have a nice rest of your night,” you watched him grab his backpack and exit the café.

“Wah… I didn’t get my first drink free,” Jungwoo hums.

“I just started that new policy today.”

“Hey!”

“Here’s your espresso, Jungwoo,” you placed the cup in front of him.

“Thank you,” he sang and held the cup in his hands. “Ah, I’m more awake already. I completely slept through the entirety of yesterday’s lecture and now I’m cramming, I have no idea what’s going on here, (Y/N),” he cried.

“Well, sadly I can’t say I know how to solve derivatives on your level, but I can say that a rested mind certainly helps,” you held onto the saucer and pulled it towards you, the untouched espresso nearly spilling at the sides.

“Wait, (Y/N), please, I need that,” you could see the desperation in Jungwoo’s eyes.

“What time is your test?”

“Seven at night.”

“And you promise to sleep when you get home,” you inched the cup closer to him.

“I do!” He nods. You pushed the saucer towards him again and he drinks a large portion of it in one go. “Ah, that hit the spot…”

“Good luck with your test, I saw you studying for it in Lit today,” Mark says while he adjusts his glasses.

“You both have class together?”

“Western Literature with Professor Earnst,” Mark answers. Jungwoo lays his head on the table.

“I always fall asleep during his lectures…”

“I swear, your two modes are sleep and eat, Jungwoo, how do you even study?”

“By spending his paycheck at my café, obviously,” you laughed and leaned on the counter next to Jungwoo. “Don’t fall asleep now, you still have to get home.”

“I know… I know,” Jungwoo’s voice was muffled under his arm. “I’ll finish up this espresso and go home,” he says, sitting up straight again and taking another swig of the drink.

“I’ll head out with you then,” Mark says. “Our apartments are in the same area anyway, let’s take the bus together,” he says.

“It’s a plan then,” Jungwoo nods. “But, since we’re here, what are you doing here so late? Got an exam to study for too?”

“Backed up on work, actually, my deadline for the next short story is approaching and I haven’t even written a single word of it,” he mutters.

“Nor do you have an idea for your new novel,” you teased him.

“Novel? You’re writing a novel?” Jungwoo’s interest piqued at this.

“Thinking about it, the manuscript is due in a month and I have no clue what to write it on,” Mark groans. “What was I even thinking? With classes and the Whispers job, why did I think that I could juggle a novel on top of that?”

“Why don’t you just ask your boss for an extension?”

“If I extended it then I’d have to wait until next year to pitch another idea. I got lucky being stuck in that Uber with my boss so now I can’t just throw this opportunity away,” Mark says. “Nah, I’ll deal with this tomorrow, I think I have a good enough short story for my boss anyway,” Mark downs the rest of his latte.

“Thanks, (Y/N),” Jungwoo hands you his card and you finished up the transaction. “See you Wednesday!” He says. Mark hands you a bill.

“I’m heading out too, (Y/N), I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says, he picks up his bag and the paper bag with his sweater in it.

“Get home safe, and watch the puddles,” you watched them leave, and as soon as the door shut, Mark took the liberty of flipping the sign for you after looking at his watch. You looked at the analog clock above the door. “5:45 already?” You washed the remaining dishes again and placed them on their drying racks, wiped the counter, and pushed in the chairs that had been left out. Finally, you closed your music app, and all sounds ceased entirety. Once you shut the lights off, you ascended the stairs into your apartment to sleep for about six or so hours until you had to get up and complete your day again.

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horseshoegirl · 2 years ago

Text

Damn Those Dog Tags: Part 7 - Oh, What a Night!

📜 Have fun with this one! We got reunions! We got tension! We got some heat packing 👀

P.S..... Don't kill me for the ending.

❗ 18+, strong language, godmother reader/original female character, original child, sexual themes, mentions of violence/threats

#5.9K words

Part 6 | Masterlist | Part 8

This wasn’t the first time you worked New Year's Eve, but it was the first time you were staying past midnight.

Penny always had a rule. If you didn’t work Christmas Eve, you worked New Year's Eve. You always found it fair, though you never drew the short end of the stick when you worked for her during school.

New Year at the Hard Deck was always fun. The students in the Top Gun program would be the rowdiest, whether it permitted them to let loose or enjoy the holiday. And the locals loved it here.

Penny would decorate the bar, banners strung from the ceiling and balloons on random chairs. She’d leave the Christmas lights up to make it look festive, and she always splurged on confetti canisters for when the clock struck midnight.

And the best thing? The harbour across the water from the Hard Deck would put on a fireworks display, the best view being from the back deck—where Sadie, Will and Alyssa were currently settled in.

When Alyssa learned Sadie would tag along with you tonight, she took pity on her. She decided to forgo her New Year's Eve plans of sitting at home, watching the Ball Drop with Will, to spend it with the pair of you. Penny had graciously set up the Adirondack chairs and a small heater for the three of them as they waited for the display you knew was the only reason Sadie agreed to come.

The bar hadn’t become as busy yet as you expected, but the anxiety for the rush tonight was driving you mad. Penny had run out to do a last-minute errand, leaving you and Jimmy to cover any early customers. You found yourself double-checking and triple-checking the inventory, leaning down occasionally to make sure the bottles of sanitizer were full in the bottom cupboard, despite having just filled them.

And that stupid keg with the loose nozzle was still causing issues.

“Come on, you stupid, goddamn thing!” Huffing in frustration, you kicked it, knowing it wouldn’t solve anything. “Why do you have to do this to me? On today of all days.”

“What did that Keg do to a beautiful woman like you?”

You froze.

Turning around, you couldn't believe your eyes. There was Jake, just like the day you met him, leaning up against the bar with the same cocky Mona Lisa grin, taking in your reaction to his sudden appearance.

“Jake!” you almost squealed, quickly making a run for the opening of the bar. Jake laughed wholeheartedly as you slid coming around the corner, hand whipping out to balance yourself before throwing yourself into him.

Jake bracketed his arms against your back the second you leaped, pulling you further up and into him tightly, your legs swaying as you continued to laugh happily.

“When did you get back?” you managed to ask through your laughter.

“Late this morning,” he chuckled into your shoulder. You didn’t want to let him go. He was here. He was back. And suddenly, the mystery ache in your chest from his absence was disappearing with each second he held you.

“Where are the others? Are they here?”

“Not yet,” he said, putting you down but not letting you go, hands travelling to your waist. “On their way, I might have snuck out early.”

“Jake, please tell me you're not going to get into trouble.”

“Nah, I just got my report done before everyone else.”

You unwound your arms from behind his neck, your hands sliding down, slowly coming to rest on his chest. Peering up at Jake, you couldn't help the gentle smile.

"Hi."

He returned your grin before looking down at your mouth, murmuringly lowly, “Hi, darlin’.”

“You want to see her?” you asked happily. Jake's stare lasted a few seconds before a soft smile stretched across his face, and he nodded. “She’s here?”

You couldn’t help your glee. Sadie was going to be so excited.

“Jimmy!” you shouted, turning in Jake’s arms. “Can you handle the bar for five minutes? Somebody needs to say hi to Sadie!”

The door to the kitchen swung open, and Jimmy walked out to smile at the sight of Jake standing next to you.

"Ah, Hangman! Welcome back!" he exclaimed, reaching out his hand. Jake gripped his forearm, his grin wide as he greeted him back. “Jimmy, it's good to see you.”

“Everyone made it back, okay?”

“Just by the skin of our teeth.” He joked. Something made you uneasy about how nonchalantly Jake spoke, whether he was serious or not. You knew you couldn't really ask what happened while they were deployed, but that didn't mean you weren't concerned for their well-being.

“Go say hi to our girl. I can take care of it,” he winked at the both of you.

Jake held your hand as you led him out to the back deck, coming to stop just before the doors. You turned to him, pressing a finger to your mouth, telling him to be quiet and to remain hidden.

When you stepped outside, Sadie and Will were deep in a conversation, Alyssa with her nose buried in her phone. She looked happy, you thought, a different comparison to Christmas day. While she seemed to have a good time, the traditions that she and Ridley had that you tried to keep up only made her sad. And you couldn’t help but shed a few tears when she admitted she thought she could be making new traditions with everyone else while opening her gifts, staring at the ones she left under the tree for her aunts and uncles.

“Bug!” you called out to her.

She turned her head mid-conversation, and you resisted the urge to laugh, her entire body, minus her head, encased by the big fluffy blanket she had brought with her.

“There’s somebody here to see you!” you called out to her, barely containing your excitement.

Sadie leaned forward in her chair, thinking somebody might be behind you before looking to the door with a curious gaze. You motioned for Jake to leave his hiding spot. He took a gigantic step, placing himself in her line of sight and out of from behind the door frame, his voice loud as he said, “I heard somebody missed me?”

It took Sadie all but three seconds to gasp.

“Uncle Jake!” she shrieked, blanket floating behind her as she practically flew out of her chair. Sadie slammed herself into his legs, gripping him tight as the first bouts of happy tears started to make themselves known. Jake did a double take, registering what Sadie had called him, a new weight settling in his chest.

Sadie wanted him in her life. She wanted to have him as one of her honorary uncles. A slow smile spread across his face at the thought. He leaned down to peel her off his legs, picking her up and spinning her in a circle while laughing with her.

“Wait, does that mean Auntie Nat and Uncle Roo are back? Uncle Bob?” she asked as he came to a stop, putting her down.

“Coyote, Payback and Fanboy, too,” he nodded, kneeling beside her, his hand coming up to wipe at one of the tear tracks on her face. You never saw her smile as big as she did then, dimples on full display as she tilted her head back towards the sky, shooting her arms up in joy, before going to hug Jake once more.

You weren’t surprised Sadie didn’t want to let him go - her hand was small in comparison as it rested against his wide shoulder. But it seemed like he didn’t mind, looking at you with a smirk every so often as Sadie filled him in on what he missed before looking back to her with interest. He latched on to the warplane museum story, asking her about all the different planes she saw; Sadie happily named off the ones she remembered.

Alssya came to stand beside you, bumping your hip with hers as she watched the pair interact with each other.

“Whose this hunk?” she asked, making googly eyes at Jake. “Is there something you're not telling me?”

“What, Jake? He’s just a friend.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, friends.”

“Lyssa, don’t. He doesn’t really have anyone else. And Sadie adores him.”

Alyssa stared at you, really stared at you, before shaking her head. She leaned down next to your ear as she returned to her seat.

“Just friends don’t look at each other like that.”

____

You got another break when Penny returned from her supposed errand, though it was more like a 'supposed reunion' with a certain Captain. Bob, Fanboy and Payback had followed her in not long after. Sadie booked it from sitting on Jake’s knee, crashing into them while crying and hugging them.

Then shortly after, Rooster, Phoenix and Coyote arrived. Rooster hung back as Nat swept Sadie up in a full-bodied hug, Coyote also picking her up, much like Jake did and swung her in a circle. But last to the approach was Rooster, Sadie turning to spy him nervously, smiling at her as he held out his arms. Sadie stood stock still, tears welling in her eyes and her face becoming red as she held out her arms in front of her, racing to Bradley as he knelt down, pulling her into his arms.

Out of all the people she welcomed home tonight, Rooster’s welcome made her cry the hardest.

The night progressed. You noticed Jake and Coyote playing a game of pool from behind the bar. Sadie had spent, and was still spending, a good chunk of time curled up in Nat's lap, retelling her the stories of what she missed while coming down from her crying spree. Bob was with them, sitting next to Sadie while striking up a conversation with Alyssa. Fanboy and Payback had left after saying hi, explaining they already had plans to go back home for the rest of the holidays.

And Rooster found his perch, sitting at the piano taking requests.

Your found family was back. And you couldn’t have been happier.

You were saying goodbye to a customer when Coyote approached the bar, smiling as he ordered more drinks for himself and Jake.

"How was she?" he asked as you reached down to get two beer bottles. "While we were gone?"

“She was miserable. Worrying about you guys every day,” you answered, taking each bottle to the opener fixed to the door. “The video chats really helped. I’m sorry I couldn’t speak with all of you guys. Cyclone made me choose.”

Coyote shook his head, chuckling to himself. “It’s okay, Liz. We knew you were thinking about us.”

"How was everyone else?" you placed the beers down on the counter. Javy turned, looking out at the rest of the squad.

"Missing home,” he said while looking at Jake.

___

Penny finally came to relieve you again a half hour before midnight.

You found a quiet booth no one had touched yet, sliding all the way to the back to put your legs up on the bench, sighing in relief when the pressure came off your ankles. You tilted your head back against the wall and closed your eyes. You finally felt like you could breathe and take a moment for yourself.

Till you felt a hand on your bottom ankle, lifting up your legs so somebody could slide underneath them.

“Whoever that is, you have five seconds before I kick you off this bench.”

“And here I thought you missed me?” Jake replied back amusedly, hand resting on your calf. You kept your eyes closed, though you smiled fondly.

“I’ll still kick you off this bench. This is the first time I’ve sat down in hours.”

"Nope, I don't think so." He said, pulling your legs forward and trapping them in his hold as your butt slid forward on the slippery wood. You let out a startled laugh, your hand whipping out to grasp the table to prevent the back of your head from connecting with the wall.

"Hey, watch it!" You called out, laughing with him as he dramatically held your legs closer. That was until he caught you staring off into the distance, eyes unfocused, once he noticed your laughter dying down.

“What’s wrong?”

You jolted. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Just tried."

He didn't buy it. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

He could read you so well, you thought. You weren’t fine. Ever since finding the letter, you were on edge, looking over your shoulder in parking lots and grocery stores, making sure you were never late to pick up Sadie from something. Or if Penny or Alyssa did, you’d stress making sure they let you know when they had her.

It was only a piece of paper. And yet, it was burning a hole in your pocket.

Sighing, you slid your legs off Jake’s lap, using the momentum to sit next to him and pull Tyler’s letter out of your back pocket. It had been folded over so many times from you looking at it that the page was starting to crease.

“Take a look at this. I found it in Ridley’s stuff.”

You held it out to Jake. You couldn’t help but leer at his hands, prominent veins moving while long fingers worked to unfold the piece of paper. You watched his eyes scan the page, eyes tracking over the words until they paused at the bottom. You knew the exact moment he realized, his body becoming stiff and tense sitting next to you.

“That fucker.”

You gulped. Jake turned to face you, harshly throwing the letter down to the table. “Do you think he’s the one who put the review in?”

You shook your head. “I don’t think he can.”

“Liz, he was threatening her." His words made you drop your head to the table. Your voice was muffled as you replied sadly, “And Sadie.”

The contents of that letter scared you more each and every time you looked at it. Tyler had written inquiring after Sadie, demanding your sister return her to him or else. There was no legality in what he was requesting, Tyler having signed his rights over. And after witnessing what he did to your sister, there was never a hells chance you'd let him get close to her.

You’d sooner die than let her suffer at his hands.

It was a quiet cry on your lips when threading your fingers through the roots of your hair, you admitted, "I'm so scared, Jake."

“Did you take this to the police?”

“What good would that do?” you cried out, pulling your head back up. “They’ll probably tell me there’s nothing they can do without evidence he’s actually been in contact with me. That letter is how many months old, Jake.”

You picked it up, playing with one of the edges, bending it back and forth.

“I keep looking over my shoulder. Worrying about Sadie while she’s at school. That he's going to do something,” you sniffed, pressing the heel of your hand into your eye before letting the letter fall once again to the table.

"Elizabeth."

You turned to face Jake upon hearing your name. He looked furious, his jaw firm and a vein on his forehead protruding angrily. "I'm not going to let that happen. He'd be flat on his ass in two seconds before he got that close to Sadie," he spoke harshly before his face relaxed slightly. "Or you."

"I can't ask you to do that. You're not getting in trouble for us."

"Too fucking bad."

Feeling overwhelmed, you pressed your forehead into the side of Jake’s shoulder, taking the opportunity to try to compose yourself before turning to rest it against his shoulder. Jake turned his head, pressing his lips to the top of yours, murmuring into your hair, “I won’t let anything happen to her.”

You leaned back, looking up at Jake thankfully. However, you were suddenly confused by the look of determination on his face.

Liz," he said softly. "There's something I need to tell you."

You straightened a little, placing your hand on top of his resting on the table. You couldn't hide the concern from your voice when you replied, "Of course, Jake. What's wrong?"

Jake took a deep breath, turning his hand over on the table to grasp yours. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he noticed the worry in your eyes.

Unfortunately, in that hesitation, it took almost two seconds for Bradley to slide into the booth opposite, a permanent scowl on his face as he immediately remarked, “And what do we have going on here?”

“Hi, Rooster,” you said, turning to him while attempting to force a smile on your face, letting Jake's hand go to place it under the table.

“You two seem pretty close. Something you want to share?”

The heat in his voice caused a bundle of nerves to form in your stomach. You knew what it looked like, you and Jake being this close to each other. You hadn’t really told him about Sadie, and you knew any attempt to tell him now would only result in complete denial, to cover up whatever he thought he knew.

You picked up the letter on the table before looking up at Jake.

"It's up to you," he told you, not bothering to once turn towards Bradley. “I’m not saying a word.”

Jake’s choice of words didn’t help either. But you respected that he was letting you choose to tell Bradley about the issue with Sadie for yourself. And something told you he would back you up either way.

“Bradley, whatever your thinking...”

“I don’t know, Liz,” he interrupted you. “I think you didn’t listen to us when we told you to stay away from him. That he's bad news."

"Wow, subtle Bradshaw."

Rooster ignored Jake, still eyeing you harshly.

"Are you fucking him?"

You felt Jake tense beside you, a hand coming out to grip your thigh. Instead, you calmly asked, "How much have you had to drink tonight, Roo?

He didn't answer, too caught up in his words to listen to you. “Are you even thinking about Sadie? What this might do to her? Do you even care to think about her first? You're her aunt, you should be!"

Your heart dropped into your stomach.

“Jake, let me up. I need to get back to Penny.”

He didn’t move. “Your break isn’t over yet.”

“Too fucking bad.”

Noticing your need to escape, Jake stood up to let you out. He reached out when you weren’t mindful of the coat hook above your head in your desperate urge to flee. His hand prevented what would have been a painful moment for you, and despite the pain on your face from Rooster’s words, you managed a small smile in thanks after your head bumped his hand.

You took two steps forward before deciding to stop, turning around in a silent rage, only to throw Tyler’s letter to the table to stare dead into Bradley’s eyes.

“It is about Sadie, you asshole.”

Jake watched as you stomped off back to Penny, helping to relieve her of the sudden line forming around the bar. Penny’s face was one of gratitude as more people eagerly gathered in line to get their next drink before midnight. As he sat back down, Rooster watched you march off with an open mouth.

“And here I thought you liked staying on that perch,” Jake leaned back, staring at Bradley while crossing his arms. “Observing, learning everything before you made your move.”

“Fuck off, Hangman.”

“You might want to take a look at that before you start mouthing off. Least of all to poor Liz.”

Rooster glared at Jake before looking at the piece of paper you threw down to the table, reluctantly picking it up. Jake remained seated as Bradley read, his eyes frantically moving back and forth the longer he read, and not unlike Jake’s reaction, Bradley reeled back, dropping the letter to the table as it burned him.

“Motherfucker.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

Rooster eyed the piece of paper wearily. Then he started to put two and two together. Jake knew something he didn't. And he didn’t like that.

"What's going on, Hangman?"

It took Jake a moment to think about what you’d want him to say. Bradley was always a stubborn person. He didn’t know your reasons for not telling the rest of the Daggers what had happened. But if Tyler really was going to follow through with his threats, Sadie needed to be protected. Bradley needed to know.

“CPS called Liz in a few weeks before we left. Somebody put in a review on the paperwork for Sadie’s guardianship.”

Rooster was stunned. Out of all the things he expected Jake to say, that wasn't certainly one of them. Jake's words sobered his rage, at least for the moment.

“Can they do that?” he asked, throwing himself back into the seat in disbelief.

Jake nodded, replying, "Somebody requested it from the outside. It wasn't internal." Bradley took a moment, staring at the piece of paper now in between them.

“She says the list is non-existent, though my money is on Tyler if his letter isn't a dead giveaway," Jake glanced down, picking up the letter. He was brought back to that day of the hike when you told him of Tyler and your family, how you told him about the promise you ensure Sadie never suffered the same trauma you did growing up. He folded it up as you had done and pocketed it into his pants. “Regardless if she says he can’t.”

Rooster thought about his words before asking, "Why didn't she come to us?"

“If you haven’t noticed, she puts up a mask whenever she’s around you guys.”

Rooster scoffed. "How would you know? You’ve only really known her for less than a month.”

Jake didn’t hesitate when he answered, “She’s the first to ditch on a Saturday night—collecting the dishes and disappearing when nobody else is looking, not bothering to ask someone to help to carry them in. And you should know better than anyone, Liz doesn’t have a tendency to ask for help.”

It was true, Bradley thought. Not once did you ask for help with anything. He practically had to sweet talk you into letting him pick up Sadie from school. But regardless, if it was about Sadie, you still would have let them know.

"She still would have told us."

“Really? Cause I think it’s no wonder she didn’t trust you if you’re resorting to calling her names because you saw something you didn’t like.”

Bradley had enough, sliding out of the booth and starting in the direction of you to set the picture straight.

“Bradshaw,” Jake called out after him. “Have you really asked her how she’s been since bringing Sadie home?”

Bradley stopped but didn’t turn around. “What do you mean?”

“I can’t be the only one that notices she clams up when her sister is mentioned. Whatever you see, It's clear she’s not grieving.”

Bradley turned back around, staring at the floor for a few seconds before looking back up at Jake.

“Whatever resentment you have for me, can you at least can it for now? Until we figure out who's targeting Liz and Sadie.”

Rooster sighed, making his way back over to the booth and popping himself back into the seat.

“Okay, fine,” he relented. “Until Sadie and Liz are okay.”

“For Sadie and Liz," Jake nodded, looking down to straighten his nameplate. “Besides, I’ve officially got Sadie's stamp of approval. What type of Uncle would I be if I didn’t look out for her?”

Looking back up at Bradley, Jake had to give Sadie credit.

Her statement about his ability to turn 'Red as a Rooster' was surprisingly accurate.

___

At five minutes to midnight, you found yourself ringing the bell three times. Jake and Bradley were the closest to you, having stayed in the booth talking. You’d be stupid not to realize Jake would have filled in Bradley regarding the issue with CPS. It was the longest you’ve ever seen them together in each other's company, let alone that close to each other, without deciding to tear one another apart.

The minute the guy realized, somewhat drunkenly, he would be manhandled by two naval officers out of the bar, he quickly got up with both hands raised. Jake led him outside with a hand on his shoulder while Rooster stayed behind, observing you somewhat regretfully.

“I’m sorry, Liz.” As he spoke, you didn’t look him in the eye, deciding to polish a glass instead. This only made Bradley feel worse, hating that you were treating him like he wasn’t in the room.

"I should have..."

"Should have what, Bradley?" you snarked, pulling the rag from your shoulder and throwing it into the small sink under the bar. "Should have asked why I was so upset before jumping to conclusions?"

You glared at him, leaning forward on the edges of the makeshift counter. "For thinking that I don't put Sadie first? For thinking that I was fucking Jake?"

Some of the older patrons sitting at the bar shot you a look. You grimaced at your choice of words, but it didn't stop you from raging. Lowering your voice, you continued, "You know damn well I don't do anything without making sure she'd be okay. That she comes first before all else."

“I just wish you would have told us. We could have helped.”

You sighed, looking down and picking up your rag. “Honestly, Bradley. If I told you why, you’d hate me.”

Rooster paused for a second before replying, “Because of Sadie.”

You looked up at him, instantly regretting it once you saw the look of pity on his face. You couldn’t stand his face, suddenly deciding you needed to collect the empty glasses Penny had left on the side of the bar. Only Rooster followed along the opposite side, coming to stand directly in front of you.

"Bradley, don't."

He didn't listen to you. "She's always with us. Saturday nights, special occasions, simply hanging. If not, your working."

You placed the whiskey glass in your hand down, head hanging low as you fought the pressure behind your eyelids.

"You don't want her to know what is going on. And I don't mean with Tyler or CPS, but with you."

You gripped your forearm, bracing yourself for his next words.

"It's okay to grieve Ridley, Liz."

His words made you crumble.

God Dammit, Rooster.

"I'm sorry I said you don't put Sadie first. I know you do. We all do," he said gently. Then his next set of words surprised you.

"And I'm glad you at least told someone. Even if it was Hangman."

That made you pause, finally deciding to look him in the eye and let your arm go, already knowing you were going to forgive him for his words about Sadie. But while you didn't care for the implications behind his words regarding you, there was something you needed to get off your chest. Your voice was fierce as you gave into that split-second urge to divulge the one thing that had been bothering you since after the Hike.

“Don’t shit on Jake all the time, okay?”

He gave you a look, arching a brow almost playfully, but dropped his face the minute he realized how serious you were being.

"I get it. To you, he's rude, ignorant, and defiantly says the wrong thing at the wrong time. And he might be a womanizer, but he's been nothing but good to Sadie, okay? And me."

Bradley’s face remained blank as you continued. "Sadie's picking up on all the animosity and hates it. So either you get over whatever issues you have with him and be there for Sadie, including letting Jake be involved in her life, with the rest of the Daggers in line, or I don't accept your apology.”

"Okay."

Wait, What?

You looked at him shocked. He nodded to you once, knocking on the top of the bar twice with his knuckle before turning on his heel to leave. There was no way it was that easy, especially with Bradley.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" you called after him.

Bradley whipped around, hands gesturing out as he replied, "Because you asked," before continuing his walk to reclaim his previous spot at the piano bench, calling over his shoulder, "Besides, it's a new year. We need to make resolutions and shit!"

You had no idea what happened after you left Jake and Bradley to their own devices, but you couldn't help but chuckle, even somewhat nervously, at Bradley's sudden carefree attitude.

How long it would last was another thing.

After a quick bathroom break, you caught yourself in the middle of the Hard Deck as the final countdown started. You spied Will and Sadie with the sparklers you had brought, waving them around to match the numbers being said aloud.

Alyssa had joined Rooster momentarily at the piano, and you had a feeling she was purposely putting herself in a place where she’d be easily accessible for a midnight kiss. Something you'd be grilling her about the next time you saw her.

Coyote was standing next to the girl he had been chatting up all night, Bob and Phoneix were shouting the countdown together, and Penny and Mav smiling at each other.

But Jake was nowhere in sight.

You sighed, turning around to go back to the bar, anticipating the rush once Penny popped the bottles of champagne. You were one step in the opposite direction before hitting a solid chest, a cry of surprise escaping your lips as a pair of arms came to stop you from toppling over.

Jake was coming back into the bar when the countdown started. In years previous, when he wasn’t stationed somewhere or found himself out celebrating, he’d generally chat up a girl to seal the deal with a midnight kiss, which would usually end the night in someone’s bed.

He had nothing but you on his mind, searching for you as he walked, finding you staring out the back doors to look at Sadie and her friend before your eyes travelled the rest of the room. You were there, standing in the middle of the floor, and as he told you not once, not twice, but three times now, you were beautiful.

Time has a funny way of changing your priorities. Time spent away from your friends, family and home. Moments when you have nothing but time, waiting around for something to happen. Instances where, in life-or-death situations, you found yourself wondering how much time you had left.

Would he ever own up to the fact that one of the photos Sadie must have accidentally sent him ended up in his cockpit? A photo of you from the picnic when Sadie was messing with the blanks. You weren’t looking at the camera, not even aware she had pointed it at you nor taken it, but rather staring off over the lookout, a soft smile on your face.

And on those runs, the ones where enemy fire was inescapable and on the ones where they’d simply fly over doing recon, he’d look to that picture and think about you.

He thought about how you scared him with your presence, how you cared. You challenged him to think more about life in the sky, the impending moment he would eventually burn in, simply by allowing him to see into your and Sadie’s lives. How much more time would he have left to be a part of your lives?

Women always told him he wasn’t the type you’d settle down with. He was the one-night stand, the fling from the bar the night before deployment because it would be the last time he’d ever feel something. Being involved with him came with consequences, and it was just too high of a price to pay.

And yet, before he left, you told him to come home. On that video call, you told him to come home. Sadie even wrote to him on the back of her plane photo she wanted him to come home. So he secretly found himself looking at your picture, at Sadie’s, wanting to come home to both of you.

You were off limits.

But he was tired of listening to what others were telling him to do.

If the world, fate, or whatever guiding force was telling him all those other times weren’t right to kiss you, a kiss to start a New Year had to be it.

He found himself behind you, about to say your name when you turned, slamming yourself into his chest with a cry, and wobbled, so close to falling over. He reached out to grab you, pulling you upright and into his body.

Ten, Nine, Eight…

"Jake?" you asked concerningly. His eyes were blown wide, just a bare line of green making up his irises. Looking up in worry something might be wrong, you found nothing of the sort.

“What’s..” you started to say, but the words died in your throat. Jake’s hand came up to grip the side of your face, fingers hooking themselves around the edge of your jaw, pausing momentarily before sliding to the back of your neck to find a grip within the roots of your hair.

You drew in a sharp breath, feeling like your body was drowning underwater, ears muting out the shouts of everyone counting down around you. Instead, the voice in the back of your head took over, strangely sounding a lot like your sister's, attempting to encourage you to believe It must be lust.

Seven, Six, Five…

He found himself tilting your head back, pressing forward where your noses nudged together. Your fingers mocked his, slipping delicately up his cheek and settling into his hair. Finding yourself thinking, what harm would it do if you did give in to whatever this thing was if it felt so right?

Four…

As Jake’s grip got tighter on your waist, you started rising on the balls of your feet to meet him, pressing your body into his. Ridley’s voice, a mantra in your head, was screaming fuck it, fuck it, fuck it as you felt the warmth of his breath caress your lips.

And Jake, wondering how you’d feel under him. What would your lips taste like? Would they be as soft as he’d imagined on those sleepless nights on the carrier during his deployment? Or would you kiss him as you did in his dreams, the ones that would make him startle wake?

Three…

But then came the little traitorous thought, ‘Would you care for it if he did?’

Two, One…

At the last second, just before the final shout of Happy New Year, Jake moved, pressing a delicate kiss to the farthest corner of your mouth instead. The sound of popping outside overtook the sound of your heartbeat as you registered the softness of his lips just on the barest part of yours, his hands relaxing their grip on the back of your neck and waist.

His words warmed your cheek as he pulled back an inch; his breath was shallow as he spoke, “Happy New Year, Liz.”

You almost chased his lips, eyes fixed on his mouth, as you managed to choke out a reply.

“Happy New Year, Jake.”

Hehe, I'm sorry for another 'almost' kiss. I promise stuff is happening soon.

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Part 8: Drift Away is coming Soon.

Wickett ;)

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