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ontheroadrp · 2 years ago

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GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, SISSY LYNN (nicole kidman fc)

life on the road can be tough, but we’re glad you and yours made it to taos!

i mean… so many lines in here i simply want tattooed in my brain! we’re actually convinced sissy could fix our lives. she’s so real already and we can’t wait to see her in action! suchhhh a treat to read! welcome welcome!

basics

[NICOLE KIDMAN, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER] ever heard about [SISSY LYNN]? Out here on the road, they have a reputation of being [ENIGMATIC & SPIRITUAL] but also [IRRATIONAL & STUBBORN], no wonder they’re called [THE HIGH PRIESTESS]. According to local legend, they’re [55] and when they pull up to camp not a soul can mistake the sound of [Kate Bush’s ‘STRANGE PHENOMENA’] following them. Some say they carry [A TAROT DECK, A LIGHTER WITH A BLEEDING HEART, A POTION BOTTLE AND A THIMBLE] and have been traveling with [THE COVEN]. [juno, 24, she/her, gmt+8]

biography

Elizabeth was born to clandestine parents whose goal in life was to raise a harmonious, docile, All-American nuclear family - Elizabeth was also born to eschew all her parents wishes, to spit in the wind and see spectres of what was meant to be. It was by no means a broken home, as some would like to believe; this would make Sissy’s perceived insanity make sense. But no, Sissy was not raised in a house devoid of comforts or love. It was however, not a home for her; she was regularly expelled from the dinner table for outlandish pronouncements, that the tea leaves told her not to go to school the next day - that Jesus was merely a shaman, and that the real and truly divine, was derived from the gods of old. She cut up her clothes to fashion outlandish and billowy, dreamy clothing; her mother wanted to stuff her into sweet dresses and make her sit with her legs shut in church. At said school, Sissy was an outcast; not that she deigned those around her, worthy of her superior company. Instances of bullying were met with freak accidents for her tormentors - after a girl lost every shred of hair in her body, her classmates learned to merely leave her alone. All scoffing was done in private - and Sissy couldn’t care less. They were merely sheep, cogs in machines - they wanted to get married, buy a house, go to tailgate games. They had no concept of the vastness of the world behind them, and the promise it held. And so at eighteen, with a note left beneath a jar of her very first witches brew, Sissy bid goodbye to her family - leaving any traces of Elizabeth behind. When prompted by the right person, Sissy will speak of her family with a bereaved air; they were not meant to be a unit, but they are her flesh and blood, and so the wound lingers, festering beneath layers of velvet and lace.

The wound festers, but it’s covered in something sweet now, like Sissy’s beloved plant ivy; the Coven has slowly become the planet of which she orbits, fostering a love within her chest she had long believed impossible for a woman as far out, as she. The Prom Queen was her first true companion; when she found them, a child strapped to her hip, an instant tenderness was born. Sissy has had no desire for children of her own, but they instantly stirred maternal desires - she knew without a doubt, as she offered them both herbal tea and whatever food was leftover, that they wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. Sissy sees a similar rejection in the young girl; even if her ejection from norm core was not by choice, the way that Sissy’s was. She sees how the girl pines for normalcy, and constantly seeks to placate her with examples of why their life is better, and will always be better, for the young child; that they are bound to nothing beyond their own desires, the vivacity of their dreams, the freedom of the roads, and whatever the heavens above unleash upon them. It wounds her when they are unhappy, when they occasionally observe her practices with disdain and annoyance; but then they dance under the moon, and Sissy sees all they may become. And here enters Lee - who cuts through her aversion to men, and presents a diamond in the ruff, one she is begging to polish. His conventional, All-American good lucks deterred her at first; but his spirit undercut everything, warm and caring, a tenderness she has so rarely seen. Lee, she muses so often, suffers from a melancholy that only afflicts those possible of caring to a degree, that will ruin them. She affords Lee distance when he requires it, but is also trying to invade his emotional space in her own ways - spells, clothes with her own prayers sewn into them, dried flowers to inspire joy, all thrust upon him with her trademark smile, and gentle hands. Sissy sees what grows between the pair; she’d like to think her vigil to Aphrodite, will be the one to thank when the time comes. But for now, all she fosters is devotion and light, for her beloved coven.

Sissy’s magic, her creed, her religion, is a mixture of old and new - she believes in witches, greek oracles, snippets of any major religion, all tied together with her own brand of spirituality. Ask her what she believes and you’ll be treated to an hour long meditation on anything and everything; Sissy believes she can commune with cats, that the moon relegates her strength, that it is bad luck to drink black coffee on Thursday’s, and watching tv (unless its giallos) with infuse your brain with worms. Sissy knows you think of her as insane, and she pities you for this belief - you’re married to a reality she’s long abandoned, for something better. One may question whether she truly believes all she espouses - the answer would be, if there was ever a time she was full of shit, Sissy is so far removed that it really doesn’t matter anymore. Her magic affords her a confidence rivalled by few, which she uses to spout her opinions (even if entirely wrong or unfounded) on any and all topics - which is infuriating, maddening, and earns her both devotees and raging nemesis’s. She prays for the latter, and sticks a pin in a dandelion whenever she thinks of them; a move Sissy sweetly explains, will shorten their lifetime, just a little bit. It’s not murder you see; they’ll be reincarnated and hopefully come back as something that isn’t so fucking full of shit.

She decided to hone her apothecary skills when she was eight and came down with a terrible case of the flu, paired with a sore throat that no medicine could heal. On a moonlit night, hazy and feverish in her nightgown, Sissy wandered into her backyard - she claims the plants called to her, longing to be picked and brewed on her stove in the dead of night. This first concoction revived the ailing Sissy, and set her upon a healing path; everything she makes, even if christened with a ridiculous name that earns an eye roll, works. If Sissy had any sense for business and money, and didn’t harbour a burning hatred for ‘the man’, she’d have been a millionaire years ago.

The annual rubber tramp meet up means more to Sissy than she’d like to admit - and no, it absolutely, she’ll swear on her favourite pack of tarot cards, has anything to do with ‘them’. She won’t even allot them anything beyond that - a hmph, them. She longs to be surrounded by those like her; those who exist on the fringe of society, for whatever reason that may be. Sissy sees the young, the old, the newly aimless, and feels fondness for the misfits gathered - plus, they flock to her like bees, buzzing for remedies. Sissy’s loved and lost many in her lifetime - the greatest heartbreak, being the loss of her family, whom she sees as a tragically failed relationship. Part of her longs for the drama, the clashes that follow; those who refuse to abide by society’s rules, are bound to mix with fireworks. Each person, imbued with their own brand of chaos. And yes, this includes them - the supertramp, not that Sissy cares, really. They’re grating, they complain about all the flowers she keeps around, and they don’t understand the magic of dancing naked in the rain; but they understand some things, like the best way to earn a smile in the midst of volatile fight, or how to make her come back, year after year, her stomach knotted at the thought she won’t drive them to madness, and affection, once again. But she always does - and she always knows, they’ll inspire the same maddening affections in her own heart. Not that she you know, cares - because she doesn’t? She doesn’t.

stats

Athletics -3

Burglary -2

Contacts 3

Crafts (Sewing, mending, basket making, weaving, etc. etc.) 5

Deceive 2

Drive (like, actual driving ability) -5

Empathy 5

Fight 3

Investigate 2

Lore (Kinda like knowledge) 5

Navigation 3

Notice 2

Physique 3

Provoke 4

Rapport 5

Resourcefulness 4

Stealth -2

Will 5

i am a math flop so ignore the probably eschewed add up lMAO

extras

lil in progress pinterest :

https://www.pinterest.com/lizphairs/strange-phenomena/

#submission #accepted #the high priestess

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pathetic-midgardian · 3 years ago

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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness spoilers ❗🛑

As a Doctor Strange fan it makes me sad that every critic and analysis of the marvel fans is about every easter egg and cameo and references and how it ties into the next projects and yeah sure, that's what we do with every marvel movie/serie but- like still there's always the character fans who flood the internet with pictures and comments, metas, analysis about the character's arc. And even tho I know Doctor Strange has a little fanbase I thought he would become more of a favorite with this movie yet everyone's talking about the director and everything else than Stephen 🙄 so here are my favorite things of the movie about STEPHEN STRANGE because it's his movie!

Doctor Strange (2016) ends with Stephen keeping the broken watch as a reminder of his choice to serve the mystic arts. The Ancient One taught him that "it isn't about him" so he renounced to his old life as a neurosurgeon because there are other ways to safe lifes. He chose to use magic not to fix his hands (his life) but to help protect the world from bigger threats.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) ends with Stephen fixing the watch ⌚ because he's now facing his fears, he used it before broken as a reminder of Christine and his love for her, but he was scared and he knew he wasn't good for her (the new life style is dangerous) so he stood away from her to protect her. Then the 5 years passed and he comes back to find she's engaged. So fixing and stopping using the watch is a way to give closure to that part of his life (he knows now that they don't end up together in any universe).

I am so glad we got Donna Strange crumbs, with all the America and Wanda things going on they had some brain left to remember this was a Stephen movie. I would have preferred a flashback something we could see. But ok 😐

Christine's line "face your fears Doctor Strange" !?!? hello!? *chef's kiss* because you know the fact Stephen's lost almost every person he's cared about in his life and that's why he chooses to put his asshole personality as a protector barrier because he's afraid of loving and be loved because he knows how it always ends 💔 (his parents, Donna, Víctor, Christine, TAO, Mordo, Peter Parker)

Speaking of Peter, he remembers he helped Spiderman to return his variants to their universes but he doesn't remember he is Peter :( so he decides to adopt the next teen he meets lol

We are past typical orange magic shields! I was getting bored and frustrated 🥴 THANKS for the magic 🪄✨ variations in this movie: turns water into red wine, the thing he did to see the monster, then some green magic not time stone related, also Defender Strange using white/blueish magic, Defender Stranger absorbing Américas power, the thing he did with some monster hands to remote control them and kill Gargantos, I love how he and Wong team up so coordinated. Sinister Strange purple's magic, also that Stephen and our Stephen using the darkhold magic (red), dreamwalking on his variant's dead body while also controlling the souls of the dammed to create a cloak and fly but also those looked like vampire wings ?! NEAT.

He's so extra 🤲🏼

Scarf cloakie!

Don't like the CGI of the third eye 👁️

838 Stephen's suit and cloak 🥵

"I love you in every universe" 😭💔

Would have loved to see him not only having dreams of another universes but nightmares about Dormammu/IW/Endgame

You remember the scene where he freaks out he killed a Kaecillius (Dormammu)'s zealot?! he said he was never taking a life again so I wanted to see him haunted by how he had to proceed the only way the could win but by letting Tony die, sure he didn't kill him but I think he feels guilty

Even if you don't ship Ironstrange c'mon he saw 14M possibilities of the IW/EG in his universe and even if every scenario lasted 5 minutes that's more than a lifetime of knowing Peter and Tony, you cannot convince me they didn't get to be at least very good awesome-facial-hair bros 💔 Tony's sacrifice hurt as much as casting the spell to forget Peter, and as much as losing Christine or Donna 😭

So I'm mad none of what he's done for the world is mentioned here :(

I love that he basically didn't care what Wanda did in Westview, he was like "yeah not here about Westview idc, honestly? would've done the same lol you're past that now you did the right thing by freeing those people ... but I do care someone's trying to kill my newly adopted child"

CLEA 💜 please step on me

"Face your fears Doctor Strange" / "Unless you're afraid" ✨ 100/10

#stephen strange #mcu #doctor strange #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #dsitmom #mcu metas

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love-archon · 3 years ago

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A Day With The Genshin Characters: Liyue Edition

Today's going to be a busy day! Check your planner for who you'll be meeting with- as one of the esteemed members of the Liyue Qixing, you cannot afford to be late to any appointment.

• 6:00, Ningguang: Morning Tea

Although you say you love your job, waking up at un-archonly hours has to be the part you like the least. Even getting up at five in the morning, the hour when tigers prowl, is still not enough time to prepare for a meeting with the Tianquan. You rush around frantically choosing the best outfit, fragrance, and hair arrangement to present yourself to Lady Ningguang, and you're halfway out the door when it hits you- you forgot to bring a gift with you!

"Right on time," Ningguang says, pleased. You smile, hoping she won't hear your heart beating from anxiety. "And what a lovely present, too... is there any doubt you were appointed as one of the seven Qixing?" (You can't tell if it's her rare praise, or the sheer altitude you're at within the Jade Chamber, that's making your head spin).

• 7:00, Keqing: Business Meeting

You barely have time to rest before Keqing whisks you away to Yuehai Pavilion. You're very close friends, and you admire the girl for her tenacity and diligence. The conversation flows easily as you walk to your destination under a cloudless sky. It's a wonderfully sunny moment, but the moment the doors lock, you mean business. In the next two hours, you conquer matters that would normally take days to resolve, and the two of you exchange grins.

"There we go!" Keqing breathes a sigh of relief, pushing away the last stack of papers. She holds up her hand, and you high-five. "You know, I like how easily you keep up with me. You even caught mistakes I would have missed... things like this make me even more certain Liyue is better off in human hands."

• 9:00: Check In With Ganyu

With such a hectic schedule, Ganyu is your saving grace. It's always important to check in with her, just to make sure nothing you have planned catches you by surprise, and sometimes you wonder why others rarely do the same. She's quite lonely, and often mentions how nice it is that you speak with her every day and bring her gifts to help with work. It may be part of your job to be courteous, but... it does help her feel less lonely and conflicted with herself.

"Qingxin flowers? Thank you so much." She accepts them gratefully, smiling at you with warm eyes. "I still have that new stationery you gave me, too. You're so kind for remembering the things I like!"

• 9:30: Talk to Beidou

The tea in the Jade Chamber was just a front for Ningguang to spring a request on you- meet with the captain of the Crux Fleet to discuss her... recent smuggling habits. But Beidou merely laughs heartily when you arrive. A crewmate tosses her a sack of Mora, and she slits it open, letting the payment shower over you in a spray of gold. And then, before you know what's happening, you're roped into helping them find a treasure rumored to be lost beneath the waves.

"So, Ningguang though sending her star diplomat would get me to let up, huh!" You blush, wondering how you could be so easy to read under her ruby eye. "I was impressed by your words, and how well you fought by my side. But the annoyance of the Liyue Qixing is of no concern to me."

• 12:00, Tartaglia: TEACH HIM A LESSON!

As the member of the Qixing that oversees diplomacy and foreign relations, it's you that must meet with the Fatui Harbinger. He's quite good at playing pretend- all your underlings believed he was a naive, careless young man, and easily manipulated, too. And all of them ended up suppressing the urge to break something after they were done conversing with him. On your honor as one of Liyue's seven stars, you vow to not make their mistakes.

"You're asking why I don't try to drive you mad?" he said, setting down his fork. You'd caved in and given him one after watching him struggle with chopsticks for far too long. "You're the only one who isn't a bore to talk to, that's all-" so this was on purpose?!- "and besides, I want to challenge you to a fight afterwards! Your vision's getting quite dusty from neglect, comrade. Let's fix that!"

• 2:00, Yanfei: Discussion of Legal Matters

Yanfei's counsel is an invaluable treasure. Especially when dealing with an opponent as vicious as Snezhnaya's Fatui, who deserve to have her wrath unleashed upon them. You walk to her office with a gleam in your eyes, and are delighted to see an equal fire already blazing in hers. For the next few hours, you two take the "suggestions" Tartaglia passed on from the Northland Bank and scheme on how to best tear them to shreds with the law.

"That man-childe's been giving you trouble again, huh," she giggles. "What did he come up with this time~? I've been waiting for an excuse to bring out the latest edition of my lawbook!" And with that, Yanfei slams it down, and the sheer weight of it nearly cracks her desk. "He won't know what hit him!"

• 4:00: Free Time

Of course, "free time" simply means that you have no meetings scheduled for this hour, which lets you adequately prepare for the next day's events. Tomorrow is your appointment with the Feiyun Commerce Guild, which you already know will require great patience and strength of mind. Because the head of the guild, and his eldest son, the future head, are- to put it mildly- not very bright... it's fortunate, then, that the second son Xingqiu has a good head on his shoulders.

"Tomorrow, you should go straight to me instead," Xingqiu informs you cheerily, handing you a popsicle. Apparently, he keeps them around for his friend Chongyun, who's off to complete another exorcism. "I'll be sure to set everything in order." His eyes gleam. "And then, I can tell you the latest developments in 'A Legend of Sword'!"

• 5:00: Catch Xinyan's Concert!

Liyue's one and only rock musician isn't hard to find, thanks to the designated performance spots scattered around the city. You stop by at the raised platform where she's rocking out, where other people are listening as well. Xinyan strikes a peace sign in the air, and her vision glows with energy before the stage erupts with pillars of fire; her audience bursts into cheers and applause, and she's beaming as she leaps down to meet you.

"Wait, seriously? You really changed up the rules a lil' so it'll be easier for me to hold concerts here?" Her eyes shine as they scan the papers- one of the many results of your work today in Yuehai. "Thank you so much! Wait-" she picks up her guitar again, giving it an experimental riff. "Let me think up a quick song for ya as thanks- I insist!"

• 6:00: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor

Lately, you've been sent particularly determined requests from the other nations about allowing tourists to observe the ancient funeral rites. You already know the answer's gonna be a hard no, but the laws written by Rex Lapis state that you must check with the director anyway. She's not there when you arrive, so a consultant, Zhongli, brings you tea while you wait for her. You sit together in the fading sun, waiting for Hu Tao's familiar song to rise above the hill.

Zhongli takes a quiet sip from his cup, closing his luminous eyes. "Although it was Rex Lapis who created the laws, they are not meant to be set in stone. Humans must revise the contract as they see fit, so that it will not erode with the passage of time." Something makes you feel as though it's more significant to him than you know. Then, he smiles slightly. "But, just looking at the people leading the way in his absence, like you... there's no need for me to worry."

• 8:00: Dinner; Request Chef Xiangling

The Wanmin Restaurant, run by Chef Mao and his daughter, is a breath of fresh air. While the rest of Liyue is divided between the "Li" and "Yue" styles of cooking, Xiangling pays the conflict no mind. Instead, she's not afraid to be daring and experiment, blazing ahead without worrying about what others think. You can see some similarities between her and Keqing, but it's best not to mention it after that disastrous banquet they organized together...

"Had a rough day, didn't you?" Xiangling asks, her golden eyes twinkling as she hands you the steaming hot bowl. "Well, for you, I made sure to prepare your favorite dish! I hope you don't mind if I added a lizard or two this time- I'm kidding!" she adds quickly, upon seeing alarm flash across your face.

• 9:00: Return Home

After everything that happened, you're eager to collect the reports from your subordinates and head home to draft new revisions for Tianquan Ningguang to look over (and then, hopefully, get some rest). But as you're walking on the path to your neighborhood, you spot a little girl sitting in the grass, clutching her head. Alarm rises in your chest as you rush over to see what's wrong, and why she's alone- only to realize with a start that she's the child that returned from the dead.

"Thank you for taking Qiqi back to Bubu Pharmacy," she says, reading solemnly from her notebook (where the entire thank-you script is written). Even when you set her down, she's still reading the pieces of paper. "Will you tell Dr. Baizhu where I got lost? Please and thank you, again."

• 10:00: Sleep

In the end, you never did get to those revisions. You can hear your fellow Qixing scolding you in your head, but at least you got plenty of other things done; the well-oiled machine that is Liyue will still keep running on thanks to the tasks you accomplished today. Someday, even the adepti will have to acknowledge the ability of humans... you turn in your bed to feel the coolness of the other side. Speaking of adepti... the night air coming in... reminds you of... "Xiao..."

"I thought you were in danger," the adeptus huffs. The moment you said his name, you'd finally fallen asleep, but it still brought Xiao to you- balanced on the windowsill, hair waving in the breeze. "Still... I'm... glad that you're alright," he admits, glancing at you to make sure you're not awake to hear. "Rest well, bright star of Liyue." And then, with a sound like a sigh- or was it the wind?- he's gone.

#genshin imagines #zhongli x reader #childe x reader #ningguang x reader #beidou x reader #xiao x reader #genshin scenarios

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writeformesinpie · 3 years ago

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Zombies And Ice Cream

Tao x Fem!Reader

Word Count - 7.6k

Genre - Crack/Romance

Summary -

You and Tao are in the middle of an argument when an unexpected guest arrives. Will you both survive the uninvited pest? Is this the end of your relationship? And will Tao ever get his ice cream?

Warnings -

Suggestive / implied sexual content, swearing, violence, death and violence (non-major character)

A/N -

This fanfic is inspired by a similar scene in Shaun Of The Dead.

It is apart of the EXO collab The Undead run by @biaswreckingfics. Please check out the Masterlist and the other writers of this collab!

KPOP Masterlist

There they sit all in a row, polished and protected from the elements inside their glass encasings. A collector's dream. Perfect for daddy. Never aging. Never changing. Their creepy eyes unwavering.

Tao’s beloved BearBrick Babies will live forever if cared for correctly unlike your delicate flowers which last less than a season. Their frailty is the draw for you. Unlike these obnoxious toys that he can’t seem to get enough of them, flowers are alive.

Turning to look back outside the window, rage brews as you stare out the window, the obnoxious teal muscle car blocking the view of the garden you spent weeks planting. Is it too much to ask for this one small thing? It took painstaking effort to arrange the perfect garden. You had even done it with inferior tools. After planting your beautiful flowers, you had thrown the disastrous gardening supplies out in last week's trash. The new ones will be arriving any day now. Tools that are sure to make you feel as pretty as the flowers you plant.

The sun room is a place where you’re meant to be able to escape and you can’t even have that. The anger crescendos into a squeal of frustration as you realise the angle of the car suggests the flowers you placed into the ground just yesterday have been run over and are currently shredded under the flashy tires of the eyesore Tao decided to buy on a whim. He might as well smash all your fine china as well, just destroy everything you love.

The floorboards squeak above as the plant killer himself makes his way from the bedroom down the stairs. Each step creaks from wear and tear, a reminder of another thing that needs to be fixed. Of course, instead of coughing up the money for house maintenance, Tao decided to buy a ferrari.

“Why are you carrying on so early? I was trying to sleep.”

If this were a cartoon, there would be flames rising from your exaggerated, beetroot-stained face as you turn to address the oblivious man. He didn’t even bother to get dressed, adorned in his Dragon Ball Z socks and the boxer briefs he found online with his face (his own face!) on them, a toothy grin spreading across his manhood. And of course he had to ask you to suck him off that one time while he was wearing them. You'll never forget that horrific moment no matter how deep you hide it in the back of your mind. Just one of the many ridiculous experiences Tao decided he couldn’t live without trying.

Looking at him, you're surprised by the tousled hair and dark rings. He had gone to bed early last night after throwing a fit about you eating the last Cornetto. Carmel. It was delicious and you’re glad you ate it.

“The flowers.” The words are soft as you hold back your fury, you don’t want to start another fight. Not on the first work-free day you’ve had together in over three months.

“What flowers? I don’t see any flowers.”

“You don’t see the flowers because your nasty vehicle destroyed them,” you say, your fists tight balls. “I thought we agreed to park in the garage, which is why we bought the damn thing.”

The clench of his jaw signals the beginning of an argument. He’s stubborn and even though he knows what he’s done is wrong, you’re willing to bet he’s about to push back, probably bring up something he feels you’ve done to justify his mistake.

“It’s a bit hard to fit in the garage when you practically double park. You shouldn’t be allowed out on the road with the way you drive.”

Bingo. He knows how much you hate to drive. It’s something you avoid whenever possible. The idea that other people's lives are in your hands every time you get behind the vehicle is enough to keep you from enjoying it. Walking is just easier. If it’s somewhere close, like say your mother's house, it’s easier to just walk.

“Well at least I didn’t buy some ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet.”

“Pussy magnet?”

“Pussy magnet!”

“How is that-”

“We all know the only reason you bought it is so you can soak in all the heart-eyed girls from work. And your incel friends that think of you as their God,” you say, your voice pitching up as he tries to interrupt. “Pride is a sin, baby. It’s such a male ego move and you must know that as they praise you, they’re all thinking about what it is you're overcompensating for.” As you finish you hold up your pinky and wiggle it around.

“Fuck off. I don’t have a small dick.”

“I know that but they don’t,” you say with a shrug. You're sick of his constant need for validation.

“God, you’re a vindictive harpy. Why are you such a bitch in the morning?”

“Why do you care so much? Because you know I’m right.”

“You sound like your mother.”

“Fuck you.”

“Two harpies living in the same city is bad enough as it is and then she just had to go and move in just two blocks from us. She just had to, didn't she? Like a leech she follows you wherever you go and it’s me who’s always stuck dealing with her.”

“Like you can talk! You think your mother is a saint?”

“Don’t bring up my mother!”

“Then don’t bring up mine!”

“I can’t keep living like this. Every day I want to wrap my hands around your pretty little neck and snap it like a twig,” he says, venom dripping from his lips as his eyes bore into yours.

“Go ahead then. Snap my pretty little neck,” you say, jutting out your chin in an act of defiance. He would never touch you, not like that. Tao may be a lot of things but he has never hurt you and you know he never will.

“I’m going for a drive,” he says, turning towards the door but stopping in front of the window.

“Just go then.” What is he waiting for?

“There’s a girl in the garden.”

“Oh? Go on, then. If you think you can do better. Run off with your new girl.”

“No, there’s really a girl out there. Look.”

At first you think he’s talking about his car until you see her too. Her strawberry blonde curls fall across her slack, ashen face as she wobbles back and forth behind the teal car. “What the fuck? Is she drunk?”

Tao taps his knuckles against the window, swearing under his breath when she ignores him before using sweeping gestures with his arms to get her attention. It works. Her eyes roll to the back of her head as her head lolls to the side. She starts to shuffle forward, her white slippers with Sheraton written across the side kicking up dirt as she walks towards the window. She must have walked over from the hotel - it’s only a five minute walk from here. She must have gotten turned around in her intoxicated stupor.

As she gets closer you can see her dirt-crusted elbows and knees and a strange red smudge across her nose and her left cheek. Even with the blemish she is practically perfect. No makeup but under the white robe is a black lace lingerie one piece that pushes her up in all the right places, making her look like a Barbie doll. Frowning, you tug at your shirt, pushing your breasts up and wiggling them back and forth. They don’t compare to her and you look over at Tao with a glare. Of course he’s looking at her. Pig.

“She’s pissed!” Tao laughs before shaking his head, walking in the direction of the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll go and chase her out.”

“I’m not worried but Tao...”

“What now? I thought I was doing you a favour here.”

“You’re in your underwear.”

“Yeah? Well maybe our new friend shouldn’t have gotten shitfaced last night,” he says with a stubborn flick of the brow before opening the front door and walking out of view. You dig into your purse hanging off a hook in the hallway, apply some lipstick then follow.

“Excuse me but I need you to get off my property.”

“Our property.”

“For fucks sake,” Tao says, looking over his shoulder at you from the walkway connecting your door to the driveway before glancing back at the girl standing by the window. She turns back towards him with staggered steps, one of her Sheraton slippers lost in the grass, forgotten behind her as she makes her way over to Tao. “We’re just trying to have a quiet morning and I can’t do that with some rando in the garden.”

“Technically it’s just the lawn.”

“I swear to God, woman.”

“Well it is. The garden is the area your ridiculous little car is currently parked in,” you say with a shrug as the drunk girl gets closer, her eyes locked in on Tao as he turns around to you.

“Is this really the time? Why are you always on my dick? I am-” Right as he steps towards you, the drunk swipes at the air behind him, a soft gurgling sound erupting from her small frame. “Holy shit, lady.”

“She’s smashed!” you laugh, starting to walk down the path to the pair, adjusting your hair as you walk.

“Looks like you had a great night,” Tao says with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Whoa, whoa hands to yourself there.”

“Oh, another one of your fangirls?”

He’s gorgeous. People flock to his sexy aura but this is getting ridiculous. You have to be worried about these desperate freaks coming to your home now? This one is half naked and practically throwing herself at him, her hands grabbing at his naked skin.

“Very funny,” he says while trying to push the lush off, her hands caressing him as she starts to bite the air right by his face. He stumbles and they both fall to the ground.

“Oh wow, looks like she’s got the hots for you.” This wanton slut. “I mean, don’t let me stop you, just pretend I’m not here, I guess.”

“She is attacking me,” Tao says, his voice starting to lose its lighthearted edge as his muscles tense to keep her in place.

“And with our relationship already on the rocks.” You bend down to take a selfie with the pair on your phone. “Proof for the lawyers.”

“She’s bloody strong! Help me get her off,” Tao sputters, avoiding her gnashing teeth.

“I can’t help but think this is exactly what you deserve,” you say but after seeing his wide eyes and pressed lips, you grab her arm, pulling her back. Tao rolls out from under her and you let her fall face first to the ground. No guilt; she shouldn’t have gotten blackout drunk, she shouldn’t be on your property and she shouldn’t be touching your Tao.

She moans in pain on the ground, trying to get back up. Well, maybe a little guilt. She does have such a pretty face.

“Ma’am, we need you to leave now. You’ve had your fun. Now this is getting old,” you say as she gets back up to her feet, no more Sheraton slippers. “Just go home and sleep it off.”

There are grass stains on her white shirt. Her feet are bare as she hoists each leg one after the other in peculiar, jagged movements, each grueling step bringing her staggering towards you.

Stepping back, you look over to Tao who shrugs. “Just call the police.”

You pull out your phone and start to dial as he looks around the yard for supplies. He jogs over to the side of the house. The girl turns to watch him, her whole body jerking in his direction before turning back to you. The sounds of Tao ransacking the shed drift to the background as the polite message from the emergency line tells you ‘all lines are currently busy’. Too bad if this was a real emergency. What is this city coming to?

“Shit,” you say, the phone slipping from your fingers and crashing to the cold concrete below. Shattered. Fuck.

When you stand up, smashed phone in hand, the drunk girl is disturbingly close. Her stale breath is warm against your face and her dirty hands push roughly against your shoulders. Her teeth are tinged pink inside her wide mouth and smelling of rancid meat. You can’t help yourself - you scream out for Tao.

Her fingertips cling for a moment before being ripped from your shoulders. The girl flings back a few feet where she then stumbles and falls. Tao is holding a large rake in front of him, both hands holding the wooden handle, the metal tines edging threateningly towards her. As she starts to get back up, you wonder why she’s doing this, why she won’t just leave.

“Get back woman, I mean it.” Tao jabs the rake a few times towards her but it doesn’t deter her.

“I doubt a rake is going to scare her.”

“It’s the only thing in the damn shed worth anything. There is so much junk in there, do you ever clean it out?”

“I guess I’ll add it to my list of things to do,” you say as you both back up a little towards the wall as she approaches painstakingly slow. “I ordered new tools. I was going to try and tidy it up then.”

“I’m warning you,” he says to the drunk, pushing against her roughly with the rake, his back now up against the red brick of the house. “Did you call the police?”

“They didn’t answer.”

“They didn’t answer?”

“That’s what I said. They were busy.”

“Well, try them again.”

“I can’t.” He glances over at you from the corner of his eyes, exasperated as he continues to hold the girl back. “I dropped my phone. It’s broken.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Tao almost growls, his fingers digging deeper into the handle. Pushing back the woman while spitting out profanities, he digs the prongs of the rake into her ribs. She doesn't stop, instead turning towards you, her hands outstretched. Before she is able to get close, Tao jams the rake into her chest, the tines drawing blood as they gouge deep into her skin. “Get lost!”

“Holy shit, Tao!” She falls on her back flush against the manicured lawn, the erect rake sprouting out of her flesh. “You killed her!”

Tao steps back, his face blank, then turns to you. His eyes flicker across your face and body, his hands joining in their search. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

“No. What do we do?” Your whispered breath is shaky. “We can go buy a shovel and bury her under the garden. This isn’t so bad. In fact she’ll make great fertilizer.”

“What the fuck? It was self defense,” he says, an incredulous look on his face. “I appreciate the ride or die mentality but-”

He stops mid sentence as you gasp, your eyes widening as Sheraton Barbie rises, arms out stiff in alignment with the wooden handle still protruding from her chest.

“There’s no way.”

The wood sticking out of her body flails senseless and free, back and forth as she sways, each staggering step creeping closer. Tao looks over and you both burst out laughing, the image of the rake thrashing about while still embedded within this undead woman is too much to bear. You continue to laugh until she’s too close to ignore, stepping back a few spaces before you both run to the front door. Leaning against the door, you look over at each other and laugh again.

“Let’s call the police,” Tao says, grabbing his phone from the living room table. Pushing a few buttons, he presses it to his ear. After a moment of silence he says, “It’s busy.”

“I told you.”

“Yes, but it’s still busy,” he says, handing you the phone. “Hold that and let me know when they answer.”

“Where are you going?”

“We need to find weapons. Something to use against that- that thing.”

“She’s dead. You killed Sheraton Barbie.”

He looks at you with one eyebrow raised before he nods. “I’m well aware of that.”

“I mean, I think she might be a zombie.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” A loud thump on the door makes you both jump and when you turn to look, the Sheraton Barbie is outside. Her grubby hands press against your window and the wooden rake sticks out lengthwise against the glass as she chews the air looking right at you. Every time she moves the rake moves with her, thudding hard against the window.

“She’s going to break it,” you say, looking up at him. “What do we have down here that we can use? What about your Bearbrick Babies?”

“Don’t even joke.”

“They’re right there. It’s in the name. They are freaking bricks, Tao,” you say, pointing towards the case holding his collection, the pristine gleam of the clear glass calling out to be opened. The banging of wood on glass from outside punctures the silence every three to four seconds. “We don’t have many options.”

“I would rather that trashy, drunk undead ‘Barbie’ break in here and rip out my intestines while I’m still alive. We are not hurting the Bearbrick’s. We have other options.”

The banging increases. It’s every one to two seconds now. The audible sound of glass cracking ringing out throughout the room. “Well you better find something else quick or we won’t have a goddamn window.”

“Fuck.” Tao squeezes his head, the force of his hands against his skull turning his knuckles white.

“Ah!” You dive to the bottom of the display case's shelf, the one covered in a light blue marble. You slide open the door and pull out two large metal boxes and slide them across the floor. “What about this?”

“The Rolexs?” He frowns, hesitant. Another crack echoes off the walls as the zombie outside tries to get in.

“Well I don’t think throwing the table or lounge chair is gonna do it.”

“Why do I have to throw my precious collections? What about your china?”

“The fine china? My fine china? Why would I-”

Another crack, this time right before the window smashes inward. Sheraton Barbie on the other side is already starting to climb in. Behind her you see another zombie at the edge of the lawn, close to the road but making his way toward the house. The sound of this stupid, dead bitch breaking your window must have gotten his attention.

The fuck nut zombie inside knocks over your kaleidoscope-coloured crystal vases and your fine china tea sets with that stupid, stupid wooden stick and you scream out in frustration. First your garden and now your fine china. Is nothing sacred? Your vision starts to blur on the fringes of your eyesight as a wet rage builds.

“Just do something!”

“I don’t think freaking out about your little tea set is going to help the current situation,” he says, lunging over the sofa and jamming his palm onto the wooden stick to hold back the zombie.

“I am calm,” you growl, giving each word emphasis before grabbing one of his silly little watches and throwing it towards Sheraton Barbie. It hits her straight in between the eyes then bounces, ricocheting off the handle and slingshotting back up against her chest. It lodges itself in one of the widening holes created by the rake.

“What the hell? Did you just throw my Rolex? Did you throw my Rolex? Did you just throw my damn Rolex and now it’s got zombie gunk on it?”

“Well, wasn't it last season anyway?”

“Last season? It doesn’t really work that way and if it did, no ‘season’ is any less important than the last when it comes to a Rolex. They’re timeless.”

“There’s a zombie in the living room, Tao.”

“I am well aware of what is in the house, sweetheart,” he says, accentuating the last word as he nods towards the undead woman.

“Well, what about this one? When did you last wear this?” The silver watch dangles from your index finger as you hold it in front of your eyes while you use your other hand to search for the next sturdy Rolex to throw.

“I wouldn’t dare to wear that one.”

‘Oh, great, then this one?” You throw the watch and this one bounces off her temple. Gnashing teeth turn your way. Tao moans, his staggered breath punctuated by moisture building up around his eyes as he holds steadfast. Good. He deserves it. “It’s not working. They’re too soft, Tao.”

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.”

“We need to use the Bearbrick Babies. They are good for nothing. Literally useless,” you say, jumping up and running towards the case.

“Fuck that. Hold this,” he says, leading the zombie over and shoving the handle into your hand. Pain trickles throughout your palm from what you are certain will be splinters. “Hold her and stop throwing my stuff.”

“Wait.”

He doesn’t. He runs past you and around the corner before you hear the familiar sound of his footfalls on the wooden steps as he continues on to your bedroom.

Her stench is unbearable; you can smell death on your lips. Turning to look out the window, you notice the other zombie is halfway across the yard. His lifeless eyes lock on the shattered frame.

This is not how you want to die. Where is Tao? As long as you don’t die before he gets here, it should be okay. He won’t let anything happen to you… right?

Right as a tear rolls down your face, the moisture seeping into your dry skin, you hear the thumping sounds of Tao running back down the stairs. He dashes out from behind the corner now wearing jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. Yesterday's outfit that was carelessly thrown across the room last night. There’s something off about him. Searching him over a few times, you notice it. At first you had mistaken the silver glint as an accessory.

“Is that a gun?”

“If it looks like a gun and acts like a gun then I guess it must be a gun.”

“Where did you get that from?”

“Not in the safe, that's for sure,” he says, bitterness on his lips as he raises the weapon towards the zombie that now has you pinned against the wall, her arms flailing out in every direction, desperate for your flesh. “Nope, couldn’t put it there. Not after you randomly changed the code on me.”

“You kept that gun in the house? After I told you to get rid of it?”

He’s upset because you needed a place to keep your documents and all his friends know his combination, which he in turn said wasn’t a big deal. It’s not that you don’t trust his friends, but why should everyone have the code? If everyone can get into the safe, what’s the point of it? And you bought it after all, it’s only right that you be the one that makes the code.

“Yeah, that's right. It's a good thing too,” he says, waving at Sheraton Barbie with a crooked smile.

“A zombie apocalypse is an outlier, Tao!”

The zombie lurches forward, the rake squelching inside her undead skin until it passes completely through to the other side, leaving you face to face with her bared teeth. Screeching, you push against her chest, leaning away from the overwhelming stench of decay leaking from her mouth as the other one starts to paw at the windowsill. This is it. This is where you die. This is how your pathetic life finally comes to an end. What has it all been for?

Fireworks penetrate your thoughts. Two loud pops. Sheraton Barbie falls to the floor with a thud and your eardrums vibrate.

“Gross! What the fuck, Tao!” A tremble rumbles across your skin and you feel pressure like when high altitudes pop your ears. After a few seconds, your hearing resets to its original level of capacity. Your face scrunches up as you pluck pieces of Sheraton Barbie out of your hair. “My eardrums might never recover.”

“Don’t be dramatic.” He puts the gun into the holster and upon noticing your glare he continues. "You’ll be fine. It will settle in a few minutes. It’s only a 45mm.”

“Only.”

“And what would you suggest instead?”

“I don’t know, a knife?”

“And use the good cutlery? I’d never hear the end of it,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It’s not your fault that whenever he tries to make something in the kitchen something ends up broken. It’s not the cost of replacing the item, it’s the inconvenience.

“That’s it!” You are done. You refuse to be in the same room as this Neanderthal for a moment longer. The way he prances around the house, fists beating against his chest. The way he makes you feel like you can’t do anything right. “I’m going to my mother’s house.”

“In the middle of a zombie apocalypse?!"

“I’d rather die out there than be stuck in here with a plant killer like you.” You grab your envelope clutch from the entryway table, slamming the door on the way out. “I’d rather die out here than live in there with you.”

A pout forms on your chapped lips as you walk down the walkway thinking of all the cutting words you could have said instead, the ways you could have hurt him but didn’t. You restrained yourself yet again for the betterment of the relationship. You always put him first and here he is sending you outside when he knows you left your keys inside and he knows you’re too stubborn to turn around and get them now. How could you when you’ve already gotten this far? Why would he send you out into the cold in the middle of a zombie invasion?

Reaching the footpath in front of the house, you turn in the direction of your mother's house that, as Tao so eloquently put it, is only two streets away. The walk will do you good - the fresh air and the quiet. The deafening silence is just what you need. The empty streets, the absence of children's laughter and blaring horns. The empty red Buick with all four doors open, its front bumper wrapped around the wooden telephone pole while smoke spirals from its engine. It’s all so refreshing. The absence of humanity.

Continuing down the next street, the smell of rot and rust in the air, you turn the corner and run straight into a crowd of the restless undead, their mouths slack and their eyes lifeless. There’s about fifteen of them and they’re blocking the walkway. They haven’t seen you yet, their attention instead on the young couple in front of them. The pair are holding hands up on trash cans that look ready to cave in at any moment.

The issue is how to get over to that side of the street without the horde noticing, because although they seem oblivious to you right now, the couple they currently have their eyes on have taken notice. What a bother.

“Help!” the woman yells out. You point to your ear and shrug, pretending you didn’t hear before trying to creep past them. “Please! We can’t hold them off for much longer!”

And just what the fuck do they expect you to do?

Before you can reply, the man tears his arm from hers and pushes her towards the zombies. Her screams quickly become gurgled gulps of blood as you stare slack-jawed after the prick now shimmying up one of the poles holding the awning above. So much for true love. Must all men be scum?

Turning away, you shake your head and decide to take this moment, the death of another hopeless woman in love, to not let her death be in vain. Right as you step out onto the road, a loud tearing sound echoes out over the groaning of the hoard of zombies.

“No, no, no. No!” It’s the dickless fuck. He’s hanging from the railing. The soft material of the awning now split in two, its nonchalant flapping drawing several of the mob. The ones not eating his girlfriend start to surround him and claw towards him, reaching with hungry sweeps of their arms. He looks to you with pleading eyes and calls out, “Help me. Please!”

You give him a thumbs down and mouth the words, ‘die bitch.’

And he will die. The first zombie that reaches him when his hold on the pole finally weakens digs her teeth into his ankle. It’s his partner. Poetic justice. He squeals and falls to the ground, his high pitched screams soon snuffed out by the crunching of teeth on flesh.

Shuffling as quietly as the tips of your shoes will allow, you dart across the street to the promise of safety and it pays off. They didn’t notice you, instead immersed in the meal already caught. Resisting a triumphant shout of achievement, you continue to walk down the pavement, your eyes glancing back at the group every so often to make sure you haven’t been seen.

Turning back to face the street ahead you’re caught off guard when a lady dressed in classic black skinny jeans, a white tucked in shirt, business black kitten heels and a tan blazer walks out from the boutique and slams right into you. Her face is perfect, eyebrows plucked and lined, not a single lash out of place. If it wasn’t for the small smudge of her red lipstick spread across her slack jaw you might not have noticed anything was wrong.

Fuck. You should have thought of the stores. What an amateur move.

Before you have time to ponder your mistake, hands grab you from behind, a hoarse moan accompanying the stench of wet dirt and old pasta sauce. It’s too much. The thought of it ending this way, sandwiched between this cheap business woman and the man who loves meatballs a little too much, it's depressing and not at all the type of threesome you wanted. You scream. It’s a guttural noise that reverberates from chest to throat in a painful spiral.

It’s a mistake of course. The booming sound echoes out across the street, bringing the unwanted attention of the horde of undead looking for something more exciting to snack on now that the asshole has gone cold. Caught between the two creatures, you kick the woman hard in the chest, causing her to stagger backwards. Ducking from the tall man still leaning over you with his teeth bared, you crouch down while kicking out your leg and slamming it against his knees. He topples over in time for you to turn back to the woman who is now lunging at you on the floor. You roll to the side and let her fall face first into the concrete pavement.

Fuck.

Three more are behind her, exiting the boutique. Tears spring to your eyes out of frustration. Not fear. You refuse to be scared. Scared people act stupid in these situations and get themselves killed. No, you will not be dying here today.

You take a quick look at the three zombies. There’s a queen of hearts sticking out from the breast pocket of one of the old women and when you see it, a glint of metal catches your eye. One of them has a cane. Sorry Grandma but this firecracker refuses to be taken down by an old bridge group.

Spinning on your toes, you dart out of their direct line of contact before kicking the old lady square on the left knee. She buckles and as she goes down you grab the silver cane. Is this considered elderly abuse? You can’t think for long because the other two are coming towards you and the one you took out is already wobbling to her feet.

“Let’s do this, you ugly bastards.”

Holding the cane out in front of you with both hands on the end, you jab at them Three Stooges-style: one in the eyes, one in the gut, one across the ear. In quick succession you jab at them over and over again until your arm aches. Then you dash past them, holding them back by the length of the wood.

“Haha!" Cheerful glee drips from your words as you continue down the street. Looking over your shoulder for the last time, you poke your tongue out and turn down the next street. You ram into another zombie. This one grabs your arm to take a bite. You kick him in the shin and start to beat him over the head with the cane when he folds over in pain. “Just die, you bastard!”

“What the fuck!"

It’s Tao.

“Oh my god! I thought you were one of them!”

“What the fuck!?”

“Oh Tao! Tao!” You squeal, pulling him up to his feet and hugging him. “Thank God you’re here!”

“That hurts like a bitch,” he says, holding you with one arm as he shakes his leg and rubs the top of his head. He’s so strong. You know it doesn’t even hurt him at all. He’s come and saved you. You’re safe!

“Oh, Tao.” Holding him tighter, you let your legs give way underneath you, finally allowing the stress of the day to wash over you. “You came for me. You came to save me. I knew you would. I knew you couldn’t live without me, Tao!”

“Well, I mean, I knew you would get yourself killed out here,” he says, dragging you by one arm into the alleyway right as the limping, caneless grandma from the previous street turns the corner and walks past aimless and hungry, followed closely by her slack-mouthed friends. Tao’s quick thinking saved you again. He’s so brave. He’s so smart. He’s such a man.

“I-” He holds a finger to your lips, stopping you from drawing attention to your hiding spot, and you can’t help but admire his reflexes. Instead of pushing him away like you usually would, you step closer. His base scent of pink pepper, limes and amber wood is provocative and you want the taste of him on your lips.

Grinning up at him, you grab his finger still hovering in front of lips and suck on it, taking it in all the way to the knuckle and making a soft plop sound as you pull back to his fingertip. You kiss each digit, your eyes glued to his. The quirk of his brow is the only response as you kiss up his hand, his arm and his shoulder. A glint of something you haven’t seen in months flickers across his face before he pulls you into his embrace, one arm wrapping around your waist, the other circling your neck.

It’s fire. The look in his eyes. The look he lost. It’s desire in its rawest form. He wants you and you can’t blame him - you’re quite the catch - but after today you can admit that he is too. A hero. The type of man you can depend on no matter the situation.

Biting your lip, you lean into his chest. An animalistic urge to take him where you stand in this dirty back alley, wild and free of worry, builds up inside, right next to the searing heat within your gut. Heat that threatens to spread like wildfire and burn you both down for being so foolish to play with matches in the forest. The type of fire that leaves nothing. Spontaneous and unyielding.

Your thoughts start to muddle as his lips press against yours with the same desperate need that mirrors your own. Your hands grasp with reckless lust, clawing at this shirt, needing skin to skin contact. His chest is tight under your fingertips that mark and claim his body. He belongs to you and to you alone and you wonder why things were even going south lately. He’s fucking sexy. The burning desire and aching love you feel for Tao now might well be the same as the first time you realized he was your one love, your other half.

He places creamy kisses across your neck before biting your bottom lip. He sucks on your tongue as he squeezes your ass. The taste of him is salty and bitter like that of a margarita on a warm summer's night. A small moan exits your lips and his eyes shift to the entryway of the alley before he pulls you closer, your hips flush against his as he lifts you like a doll, defenseless in his arms. Defenseless but safe. His toned arms engulf you as he continues to fuck your mouth with his magic tongue and you can’t help but think of all the things you want him to do with it.

As if the heavens themselves are opening up for you, a light drizzle of rain starts to fall upon you, deepening the romance. The dark cramped alley, Tao covered in blood, and now it's raining; it’s as if you are in a movie. A romantic comedy, Tao and you the stars. The signs out on display, it was fate that you and your soulmate had saved each other from a fate worse than death.

Grinding against him, you nip at his tongue with a muted chuckle, your swollen lips crushing against his. Then his sweet, salty taste starts to change into something less appealing. Something… sour, acidic yet metallic.

“What the hell?” Separating, you both look up, the romantic rain actually rusty, red water coming from the pipe off the gutter above you. It stains your clothes, Tao’s white shirt turning an atrocious shade of pink.

“It suits you,” you say, laughing before slapping a hand over your mouth and looking down the alley. No movement. Yet.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s hilarious,” he whispers with a tilt of irritation on his lips. He grabs your hand, entwining his fingers with yours as he leads you back to the street's entrance. “Let’s go home.”

“Okay.” Although you are closer to your mother's place you don’t argue, knowing he must have one thing in mind for when you return, your hearts and bodies now aligned. He needs you as much as you need him and you’ve proven that today. After all he was your saviour, your knight in shining armour, cutting through the hordes of beasts in the way of his one true love. He’s amazing.

“Jesus Christ,” he says under his breath as he looks down the street. His face is scrunched up in pain as he says, “That guy's dick has been chewed straight off.”

“He really is a dickless fuck.” When Tao quirks his brow, you shake your head. “It’s what he deserved. Believe me.”

Making your way back down the streets that separate you from your home, Tao is ready to jump in front of you whenever danger strikes. Although there are less zombies on the way home, there is a close call with a Chihuahua. Once the crisis is averted, Tao limps down the street in remembrance of his brave act. It takes less time to return. Most of the zombies wandering the streets are in pairs or alone, easy to evade.

As you turn onto your own street, your home in view, you lean into Tao and let him guide you up your driveway with your fingers still entwined with his. Nothing can ruin this moment. Not the broken window or the dead zombie slumped under said window, not even the crushed flowers under Tao’s ridiculously overpriced pussy magnet muscle car. And although yes, a small part of you was hoping that he would carry you inside bridal-style, you don’t let that get to you either, because nothing is perfect and that’s okay. It’s okay because it's almost perfect.

You don’t let the fact that Tao didn’t remove Sheraton Barbie from the living room get to you. It’s not like you’re strong enough to get her out of here, anyway. A delicate flower like you should be taken care of and you know you will be. You know that Tao will get rid of her soon. He was just in too much of a rush to come and find you. If the house looked like he had cleaned up, it would be suspicious. Kind of like the fact that his watches are all put back inside the case inside the glass cabinet. His watches are all safe and packed away. How lovely.

No, you refuse to be brought down in this moment, a moment of pure bliss by anything. Not even by Tao turning on the TV and flipping through the channels.

“What are you doing?”

“I want to see if there’s any news about what’s been happening,” he says with a frown as he stares at the television, each channel providing the same blank static as the next.

“I thought we were gonna, you know,” you mutter, touching the ends of your pointer fingers together. “I mean, that whole rescue thing got me pretty hot.”

“Yeah, it’s hot out there.” He continues to switch through channels as he walks over to the bookcase behind the couch, grabbing the ancient satellite radio.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“What?”

“We had a moment, Tao! What about our moment? It was romantic!”

“Are you crazy?” He is looking at you now, finally paying attention to you. “Are you talking about that psycho move you pulled in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse that ended in us being drowned in rusty pipe water? That romantic moment?”

“Yes, Tao! It was a sign that we are meant to be together. Didn’t you feel it?”

“A sign?” he laughs, shaking his head while fiddling with the radio. “I felt an intense desire to fuck my kinky wife who was obviously going off the rails after dealing with this whole traumatic event and you obviously needed comfort and who was I to deny you that? But a sign? It’s literal Armageddon out there and I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on.”

“It needs batteries and we have none that size in the house.”

“What?”

“The bloody radio, arsehole,” you yell, turning your back to hide your tears. How had he not felt it? It was as if he hadn’t been there with you at all. It was like magic and he was denying everything you felt. “I thought you cared about this marriage. I thought you cared about us.”

“Hey.” He wraps his arms around you, squeezing you tight enough that you can’t breathe for a moment as he lifts you in the air and swings you around. “I do care about this marriage.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“You know, when you left I thought, 'Good riddance, and don’t come back.'” He ignores your huff as he continues, “I did. I thought about how peaceful it would be without you. But then the longer you were gone, the more deafening the silence became. There was a knot forming in my chest and all I could think about was what I was meant to do without you if you didn’t return.”

“Really?”

“Of course, you idiot.” He pushes his pointer finger against your cheekbone before lightly touching his forehead to yours, your breath connected in unison. “I didn’t realize it was that bad out there or I wouldn’t have let you leave at all.”

“As if you could have stopped me,” you say, biting the inside of your lip.

“You think I couldn’t have?”

His eyes sparkle with a mischievous gleam, a smirk spreading across his face as he spins you towards the recliner and pins you underneath him. Leaning close he whispers your name as he brushes his lips against yours. Squeezing your ass, your hips lift up to his as he deepens the kiss, his tongue dancing with yours, singing a song only they know the words to. Your hand digs into his hair and you suck on his tasty lips before he pulls back with a start. He leaps up to his feet and walks towards the door.

“What? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the store - do you want anything?”

“Are you serious right now? I swear to God,” you say the words behind clenched teeth, your hands balled up into little fists. How can this man be so oblivious? “Also I don’t know if you noticed this but there just so happen to be zombies out there!”

“Yeah? So? I want a Cornetto. I think I work hard enough for this household to give myself a treat.”

“Oh and I don’t, I guess. It’s always I work so hard. I do this. Well I work hard, too! I cook, I clean. I do a lot around here and I am sick of your condescending attitude!”

“Listen. I’m going to get some batteries and a Cornetto and at this point I might not get you anything!”

“Get me some chocolate milk. The expensive one. The cheap ones upset my tummy,” you say with a pout.

“Anything for my princess.” He kisses you on the temple with a sly chuckle before saying, “And when I get back we can fuck since I know you want to so bad.”

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this content! If you did, please consider liking, commenting, reblogging and/or following, and check out my masterlist for similar content. Have a great day!

#tao x reader #tao smut #zitao x reader #zitao smut #huang zitao #exo smut #kpop smut #exo x reader #huang zitao x reader #huang zitao smut #exo fluff #exo crack #exo fanfic #exo zombie au #kpop zombie au #kpop crack #kpop collab #exo collab #writeformesinpie

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cosmiclatte28 · 3 years ago

Text

The Undead collab

for @biaswreckingfics the undead collab! such an amazing collab and I am honored to write for Lay.

summary : The world had been destroyed. Zombies. Yes, you heard me right. Zombies took over humanities. They said it was conspiracy, others said it was planned, someone said it’s a bio weapon but you? You said this was fate and this was meant to be. In the middle of the chaos, your last proof as being a human started to disappear. And in times where you wished for safety, you did finally come to find the man who’s been embracing you in your dreams. Your online sugar daddy.

Semi smut (not explained just mentioned), romance, survival story

members : EXO-M

Pairing : lay x reader

WC : 3702

tw : zombies, daddy issues

The world had been destroyed. Zombies. Yes, you heard me right. Zombies took over humanities. They said it was a conspiracy, others said it was planned, someone said it’s a bio weapon but you? You said this was fate and this was meant to be. In the middle of the chaos, your last proof as being a human started to disappear. And in times where you wished for safety, you did finally come to find the man who’s been embracing you in your dreams. Your online sugar daddy.

You’ve lost count of the days. To be honest day and night don’t feel different as you have to stay alert all the time. There’s no time to rest, no time to slack, and no time to worry about what you left behind. It all started as a gas leak in a big biohazardous factory. The company keeps it secret, slowly affecting the workers there who are trying to fix the leak. It’s not a green smoke like what you would see in a Disney villain movie, it’s a nicely colored pink gas that smells sweet but is deadly enough to churn your organs and make you turn into what the society calls “zombie”

The outbreak spreads faster than the plague, with the infected “biting” the human and changin them into zombies. The conspiracy theories maker believe this was planned as how all zombie films look exactly like this. The scientists believed this were an unprepared bioweapon aimed to be released a century from the latest pandemic in 2020. You? You believe this is just fate and that there’s no meaning to hustle about what’s right. You just have three things in your head. Run, Adapt, Survive.

You’re glad you still have your phone, charger, knife, and a radio to contact any bases that have survivors in them. You’ve survived the days by running, hiding, and stealing big cars to help you run over the town. This morning, you got a signal from your radio saying that there’s some group of survivors on a certain latitude and longitude. You quickly take notes of it, and tell them over that you’re going to join them. As you pick your stuffs and put your compass on, you hear your radio static voice.

“How can we ensure you’re human?” one of them with a deep voice asks over the radio and you roll your eyes “Would a zombie be smart enough to find radio signals and communicate?”

You hear a loud laugh on the other end and you note that there’s more than one person there.

“How many of you are there?” you ask suddenly afraid if it’s a too big group and you have to make hard decisions with bigger parties.

There’s a shuffle and a voice comes in “There’s only 6 of us. I am the leader, Kris and you?”

You start your engine, “I’m (y/n). I’ll arrive before the sun sets hopefully.”

“Good luck and stay safe. We hope to see you in one complete piece. Over.”

“Who is it Kris?” The young man with a sweet dimple asks the leader after hearing the short conversation on the radio.

“Oh, from the voice I’m pretty sure she’s a survivor like us.” Kris peeks over the blinds of their hideout and notices how empty the road is.

“Can you reach Suho? I wonder if they survive too.” the same guy asks again.

Kris pats his shoulder “They’ll be okay Lay, don’t worry. I’m sure Suho can take care of the guys. Now, what about we try to find food for tonight?”

Lay sighs “I don’t know. With Luhan being weak today from using too much of his powers, I have to be here to help him heal faster.”

Kris sighs, with the 12 of them divided it was harder to fight the zombies. They are gifted with supernatural powers, but at the moment 6 of them are in another place and its their goal to reunite.

Kris left his radio and went to shower. They call themselves the EXO-M, with 6 members of their own powers.

---

You stop over an abandoned supermarket, after making sure there’s no one around, you quickly hoard all the canned foods and waters. Picked up fires and some warm blanket for you to sleep tonight.

Your journey to their basecamp was not smooth, with you having to walk over some hoard of zombies. With your eyes shut close you hit the gas and just move forward without thinking.

“Hey, hey can you hear me?” your radio suddenly turns on and your ears perk up when you hear the sound.

“Yes?”

There was a sudden pause.

Lay gulps and shakes his head when he hears your voice.

“Sorry, but can you bring us some food supplies?”

You sigh “I already did. You’re lucky but did you know how crazy it would be if I have to go back?”

He groans “You’re a handful aren’t you?”

You were too focused on the road, not filtering your word “I AM. You can say I am a sugar baby at all time, so yeah I am a handful.” you yell that as you strive through some muddy place and you notice there’s a small strong bunker in the middle of the field.

Lay stays silent as he controls his beating heart. Why does something rings a bell in his memory.

He grits his teeth and shake his head “Just come here quick. We have to help our brothers.”

You groan “I am in front of a bunker pretty sure this is where you guys are. How come you can find a place without any infected people?” you ask as you see a man opens the door for you to come in.

“Chen, Tao, Xiumin and Kris go take her foods and keep it safe.”

You yell as the dimpled man grabs your hand into the bunker. You shake it off “Hey, that’s my food supplies!”

“First off my name is Lay.”

“Okay Lay,” you cut him off “Stop robbing my supplies.”

Lay’s eyes turn dark “Hey, you’re the guest here. Don’t you think it’s also dangerous for us to just accept you here?! If it’s not because of Tao’s clumsy hand pressing the radio to give you a signal, Kris won’t bring anyone in.”

You feel offended, “If you don’t want me here you can say that directly. You’re not my master or husband or whatever, i can go if you want that so bad, but let me take all my stuffs with me.”

As Lay was about to spit back words to you, a strong grip separates both of you and you gasp surpsied.

“(y/n) right? Nice to see you come in one piece. I am Kris, sorry if Lay said anything that hurts you. He’s been alert for the last two days trying to heal our exhausted brother. I apologize on his behalf.” Kris, bows at you in a respectable angle and your anger fumes down. He sure is the leader and you’re glad his words didn’t sting.

“Thank you Kris, I like your welcome better. I came here with supplies, I want to share it with all of you but Lay here just robbed my car.” you sneer at the tall man and he just rolls his eyes.

“Lay, would you mind taking (y/n) to the bathroom? She can use some shower and you can check if she needs any medical healing.”

“We’ll take care of dinner. Don’t worry, you’ve had a long day. Good job in arriving here.” Kris sends you off and walks away. You sure like how this Kris manners are

You want to protest for being left with Lay but Lay’s firm grip dragging you into the bathroom left you with no option than to follow him.

“I’m sorry, your voice just reminds me of someone and I was distracted.” he suddenly speak up from the shower stall next to you.

You turn your neck to see him, the shower walls are not that tall for Lay. You can see his head from the side, but it covers your height nicely.

You gulp and continue washing your hair, facing the other way as you always did when you wash your hair. Your back facing the shower so that your eyes are free from the water.

“It’s okay, i am sorry I was just stressed and tired too. I swear I am not a handful.” you blush when you remember the first introduction between both of you.

Lay has a special memory working in his head and he chuckles “You’ll say I am wild but you reminded me of my sugar baby.”

You blushed, feeling a tingle on your naked body “Oh, in what way?”

He turns the shower off and looks at you “I never see my sugar baby, We both don’t know how each other look. We’re just talking and chatting and having fun remaining anonymous.”

Now it’s your turn to gulp and turn the shower off, you grab the towel Lay prepared earlier and wrap yourself in it “Now that’s interesting. Mind to tell me why you suddenly remember her?”

Lay chuckles and looks to the ceiling “We did voice calls sometimes, and when you said “I am a handful” you really sound like her.”

You bashfully stare at your feet. There's a bothersome fact in your head that also says Lay sounds like someone you know.

“Alright, I guess we need to go join the others?” you reappear in front of him with your fresh set of clothes you just took from the supermarket.

Lay nods “Before that, a quick check. We can’t have you bleeding or injured around here.” He twists and turns your body checking and pressing here and there to see if you have any wound or broken bones.

“You’re quiet strong for you to be alone for days. Just wounds but no big injuries! I can heal your internal injuries so the infected at least can’t smell you that strongly.” Lay explains and you just nod.

“How will you do that?” you squeak and he smiles “You’ll discover tonight.” he winks and your heart stops a beat when memories of a voice comes back to your head.

He couldn't be…

Dinner was better than what you have had for the past days. Somehow the EXO-M have their own food supplies here but they are also running out of foods.

"Before we eat, let's thank you our new sister here (y/n)," the man with doe eyes smile at you nicely and make all the rest of the men stare at you.

You shake your head "No problem, I should he the one to thank you for accepting me inside. That's a big trust you have."

The men chuckles and Kris hushes them down "We sure knows because only special people like us can survive this long." He begins to take the foods on the table and the rest of them also joins.

You were sitting next to Xiumin and he helps you to get your foods on your plate.

"We eat from the same pan, so don't worry. We don't plan to kill you or hurt you." He grins "I am the one cooking so please enjoy it."

You chuckle, if this was Lay's cooking maybe you will be careful remembering how your first impression wasn't good. Though something still bothers your mind when you see him take a glance or two at you.

You learn about their abilities, a supernatural power that helps them survive until today. Just like you, the 6 men here have their powers and they have a separated brothers who also own powers. Their goal is to reunite and survive together but as far as you understand their story, they still cannot reach EXO-K and no news know what happened to them.

Kris was able to fly, making him the one to do errands like finding foods and shelters. Xiumin is their frost guardian. Luhan is gifted with telekinesis that's why when there was an attack, he had to work hard blasting the zombies away. You learned that Chen has a beautiful and powerful voice and he is gifted with making thunder. Tao can mess with time but he hasn't master time travel yet and finally lay. Lay has a healing power.

"So the 6 of you are unstoppable." You conclude as you drop your chopstick when you're done with food.

They nod "We're quite powerful now but you see we're getting weaker. And we need to meet the rest of the brothers to become more powerful."

"So what's your power?" Tao, the youngest, blurts out the question and you laugh

"I don't have a power. what are you talking about?"

Tao whines about how you don't need to hide it from them but you really don't know what they're talking about

"I am just a regular human." You snap and that brings an awkward silence to the room. You see kris looking cross at Tao and you can't stand the stares so you excuse yourself to hide in the only place you've been. The bathroom.

You turn the sink on and wash your hands, trying to cool your head down but you cannot focus when you see the small tattoo on your wrist. A tattoo of your family surname. You run your fingers over it. Feeling your tears collect again when you remember how they all died on the first week of the apocalypse. You lost everyone and everything you love. You're forced to run and you're so young to survive because your father reminded you that whatever happen go run for your life and leave your loved ones behind.

You wash your face, trying to hide the tears that fall on your cheeks.

when you hear another footstep coming into the room, you turn the water off. You saw him coming and you expected he'll greet you with a "Stop wasting the water silly" but all you heard was a sweet deep voice you've always heard on your lonely nights. On nights where you feel so lonely and dark thoughts loom around.

"May I little one?" A voice you remember.

You turn your head to face him and shake your head "Are you really who I am thinking?"

Your heart screams "Yes daddy," but that doesn't leave your mouth.

He stops and stares at his feet "Are you someone I am thinking of?"

Both of you don't answer the questions. Instead, Lay sits down on one of the benches there and you lean on the washing table.

"You really remind me of my online sugar baby. I hope she's doing fine. I hope she survived. I cared a lot about her."

You let Lay continue talking.

"She said she likes to shower backway, her face away from the shower head. You did that earlier and I was surprised. But hey coincidence could happen right."

You blush laughing a little "You sound like you really care for her."

He nods "She's my favorite."

You play with your hair "Tell me more. I guess listening to stories like this is better than just getting asked about how my journey here looks like."

Yes you really don't need a reminder on how scary getting chased after a mob of zombies is.

"I don't think I'll ever hear from her again." He suddenly leans back and closes his eyes

"Oh how I wish i ever see her."

You fish your pocket and grab your phone out

"Do you want to borrow my phone and maybe look up her account?" You pass him your phone and he looks interested

"We didn't get the chance to take our phones when we had to evacuate. Silly us right." He brushes his hair back and you caught a glimpse of his abs.

"Will this ring a bell to you?" You clear your throat and calm your heartbeat.

"Sugar sweets here ready for you daddy" you close your eyes ready to feel embarrassed if things didn't go as planned. You can feel your ego crumbling but instead of a laugh or a wtf, you got a reply "Daddy's here sweetie, tell me what you want"

Both of you avoid each other's eyes for a minute. Ears flushing red and stomach filled with butterflies. Both of you suddenly laugh and chuckle

"So, you're my sugar daddy?" You finally ask after realizing how weird this should be but its not that weird.

"And you are my sugar baby!" He smiles "I am glad you are safe and here with me."

You walk to his side and sit next to him "i am sweetcheeks14"

He pinches your cheek "And i am the man behind sinfulwhispers"

The two of you laugh and you exhale a breath to relax

"So. What is it your super power?" You chuckle suddenly feeling stupid for asking that

Lay looks at you seriously "You think we were kidding? I really have a healing power."

Before you can scoff and reply with another power to joke around, he already pulls you to face him and as he concentrates you see his hand sticking out just few centimeters away from the stomach you actually hurt yesterday. Despite your attempt to laugh, you actually feel your stomach ache gone and a warm feeling runs in your body.

"There should be good as new. You're welcome." He clicks his tongue and you still freeze there unable to say anything.

"I- i don't know what to say." You touch your stomach again making sure it is really gone the pain.

He just sits down calmly beside you. Giving you time and space to think what the heck just happened.

“I know it’s confusing, but try to think about this.” he brushes your hair away to see your face. His warm big hand creeps up to reach your chin and holds it there “You’re a wonderful sweetheart and you’ve survived this long by yourself.” he searches your eyes to see if you’re scared of him or not, and when he sees your eyes twinkle, Lay erases the gap between you two.

“You have a super power sweetheart, you just have to embrace it.” he presses his lips on to yours and slowly bites yours.

You give in to his touch, finally tasting the kiss from your sugar daddy and finally just finally you’re not tensed from having to sleep in full alert, not stressed over where to take shelter.

Lay hugs you deep and that’s the time when you realize having someone by your side on hard times like this is the best.

Your tear falls from your eyes and when Lay wants to pull away and wipe it for you, you keep pressing his head to your lips and with one gentle move you flick your tears away only for both of you to jump back in surprise.

“What was that?” he asks suddenly holding your hand that just flick the small tears away and definitely leaves a hole on the toilet door.

You stare at your hands in horror, no way you have a super power.

Lay and you freeze in time, did you have that much power? Is that why you keep on slaying and killin the dead?

“Baby, I have a good feeling.” he picks you up before you can say anything and drags you out into a special room where you see a lot of training equipments.

“Would you mind?” he is already holding a boxing tape and you raise your palm to let him wrap your hands with the tape before he gives you an apple to your hand.

“Okay, now let’s see. We both will throw the apple and see whose will stick to the wall there.” he points to a side and you ask if it’s going to be okay.

Lay chuckles “It’s bulletproof, so let’s see.”

Both of you stand from the same line and throw the apples to the wall, sure enough yours leave a crack mark on the wall but not Lay’s

Suddenly the room echoes with claps and you turn your head to realize that the others are already here.

“We saw you running here with Lay, so we watched the camera.” Kris explained

You blushed, what if both of you were going to fuck, will they still be watching?

“Now, the final check to see if you’re still human is this.” Luhan points to a chair and you look at them confused.

“We’ll take your blood and do a quick lab test, our antibodies will be different if you’re immune to the “zombies” here.” Luhan explained as he already poked a needle into your vein and take a tube to test your blood.

“Go sleep and don’t think or worry about anything. We promise we won’t do anything to you. Take your well needed rest.” Xiumin explains and soon after the brothers discuss, Lay decided to take you into his room.

No one has to know what happens in that four walled space. You’re finally with your virtual sugar daddy and there’s a guarantee that the room is sound proof so both of you didn’t hold anything back.

“I’m glad you found me.” Lay whispers after both of you are done chasing your highs and cuddled nicely under the bed covers.

You yawn “I didn’t expect to finally be in your arms, but I will trade anything in this world to be here. I feel safe. Thank you Lay.”

Lay kisses the top of your head “Love you sweetheart, let’s see the result tomorrow and if you’re totally immune and like us, you’ll stay with us.”

You wonder what if you are not immune, will they throw you out? But before you can ask Lay already hugs you closer and hums a lullaby to your ear.

You settled on not trying to know what will happen if you’re not like them, and choose to sleep trying to think that everything is okay.

After all, you’re glad you find them and that they don’t disown you. Because having one more of the undead in their 12 immortal group is a good thing.

#the undead collab #cosmic collab #lay x reader #yixing x reader #yixing x you #lay fanfic #exo fanfic #lay x you #lay x y/n #yixing scenario #yixing smut #yixing fluff #yixing fanfic #lay scenarios

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fishylife · 3 years ago

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Back to Field, Season 5, Episode 14 + Outtakes with Producer Zhang

- Mao Buyi was quietly telling Zifeng about how he was worried about performing his new song. It was cute, haha.

- Wang Tao and Huang Lei sharing a chuckle over how serious Yixing, sorry, Zhang PD, is about organizing the concert.

- In a previous season Pengpeng and Meimei had tried to do Xiangsheng XD (Which is like ancient standup)

- Mao Buyi had apparently been a guest on that episode, so they were like “hey, you should do xiangsheng too!” and he was like yeah no thanks lol.

- Wang Tao, Lv Siqing, and Chen Sa practising 一步之遙. I had to look up this song because I definitely recognize it. It turns out 一步之遙 is the Chinese name for Por Una Cabeza

- Mao Buyi helping Meimei with the song she’s singing. The thing is, she’s singing a song that’s meant for a male voice, so she’s singing an octave higher, which is higher than is comfortable for her.

- Construction time!!! My favourite.

- Yixing asked Pengpeng to do a solo dance, which he did do for like five seconds

- The cast laughing at the fact that Yixing literally spends his days and nights working on music, even as the others are eating dinner.

- Basically they said that Zhang Jiashuai was so shook by the musicians' practice that day and he would not shut up about it, so he was inspired and motivated to work on his own music.

- He wanted to adapt and tweak Xiangjiang River but I guess it wasn’t up to his standard so here he is being disappointed in himself lol.

- Then basically the show included a bunch of clips where he was showing his music to other people and how he’d work on it again and again and again. Nothing new here, this is the Yixing we know and love.

- It was super rainy, so the concert had to be postponed. Ouyang Nana also arrived, so now they’re practising with her.

- More edits.

- Literally as they were walking to the concert stage for practice, Yixing got ideas for his music lol.

- Liu Xiaoyi was the stage director :P Basically he was assessing the sound and acoustics.

- Lv Siqing and Mao Buyi were just chillin, and Yixing was like “nahh gotta make more edits.” And then the rest of the cast are just walking around them.

- Nana was super hyper lol. Here she is skipping with Zifeng on the way to the concert.

- Yixing had given his final copy of his song to the sound director (I think it was his sixth copy). He was like “this really is the last version!” And the sound director was like “even if it isn’t the last version, there’s nothing we can do about it,” because they have to finalize the tracks before the concert lol.

- The audience has arrived~

- During Mao Buyi’s performance, Yixing was helping this worker who was making some smoke for ambience lol.

- Yixing went so hard XD

- PENGPENG!!!!!!!!

- XD There is no difference between a concert at a stadium with thousands of people and a concert in the middle of a field with less than 50 audience members.

- I just thought it was cute that Wang Tao was leaning on Huang Lei’s shoulder :3

- Other than the people in the audience, there were people by the roadside enjoying the music too :3 He Jiong gave them a shoutout.

- Sentimental baby recording videos and taking photos of Mushroom House.

- Nana is so cuddly lol

- uwu

- What’s really interesting is that Nana calls Yixing “Lay-ge” as opposed to “Yixing-ge.” Anyway, she asked him to take photos for her and Zifeng :3 So cute.

- Huang Lei already went for a run and he has his obnoxious alarm on blast

- The last meal :(

- Yixing thought that Xiao O’s collar seemed tight so he wanted to fix it for her. And we know how much he loves teasing Xiao O for being a glutton so he was like “you gotta eat less homegirl your collar’s choking you.” He said it was bothering him since yesterday lol.

- Yixing’s hair getting messy on the car ride lol. They were going on one last trip around town, including the trees they planted, and the library.

- At the library they played a game, a race to find the five words 向往的生活 in a random book they chose. Yixing was like “I’m gonna win, because I have the dictionary” XD

- Goodbye Yixing :( He actually looked kind of down as he was leaving?

- Meimei leaving :(

- And now Pengpeng :(

- Of course, the dance

- I’m kind of glad that the series didn’t actually end with the goodbyes, because that would’ve made me way too sad lol. Instead we have bits and bytes of shenaniganery.

- Yixing was the overseeing producer while they recorded their 吹牛皮 song. Of course he was very detailed with his direction. And he was so generous with the praise. I guess that’s his way of motivation.

- Pengpeng was embarrassed lol.

- Lots and lots of praise for Mushroom House’s beloved Meimei. He was like omg have you ever thought of being a singer? Are you interested in joining CHROMOSOME??? This boi istg. It’s cute though. His encouragement keeps the people in the booth relaxed.

- Yixing liked Meimei’s voice, so he asked if she could do harmonizing. She said she couldn’t, so Yixing gave her some instructions. This boy is serious.

- Then he was like “next time you release an EP come find me!!!!!”

- Huang Lei was like “lol Yixing just gave up on harmonies for Pengpeng.” And then he was like “Pengpeng’s career success has just been because he’s gotten people to give up on him” lol.

#thinking out loud #cvariety #back to field #screencaps

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ttooccaa · 5 years ago

Text

The impeccable timing of Everything - Chapter 2

2/5

First off, I fixed a small mistake in the first chapter, I had absolutely forgot that Intergang actually makes an appearance in YJ, so yeah, sorry. All I did was change a small portion of dialogue. Re-reading is not needed, again sorry for absolutely forgeting about them...

Now that that's out of the way, this chapter turned out way longer and much more detailed than I excpected.

Rating: Teen

Ao3 link

Chapter 2: Casual Sabotage

Taos

November 23, 12:01 MST

Ed was running only on a few hours of sleep and was currently nursing his second cup of coffee. He didn’t like it at first, but he quickly developed a taste for the bitter drink after the opening of the Meta-Human Youth center. He tucked his white T-shirt into his jeans and tried smoothing down his light yellow flannel.

Ed hadn’t managed to really talk with the three newly arrived metas, as soon as they had answered all the basic questions and had gone through a quick medical check-up all three of them had fallen asleep. Nathaniel had just informed him that all three were awake and wanted to talk. Ed decided that it was best that he teleported in the beginning of the hallway leading to the medical wing. That way his sudden appearance in the room wouldn’t cast the newly arrived teens any unwanted stress.

Ed drank the last of his coffee and threw the disposable cup in the trashcan. He gingerly opened one of the two large, white doors and entered the medical room. It was a large room with a lot of medical equipment in it, all of the beds could be separated with so called privacy curtains. There were separate rooms as well, though only a few. He leaned against the door when he closed it and started thinking of what to say and how to best help Wayne, Kate and Kole, but quickly his thoughts started to go astray. Stray thoughts of Bart began filling up his head. He definitely liked Bart, there wasn’t any question when it came to that, but damn it if feelings weren’t complicated. Voicing them, even more so. The fear of rejection never goes away even when you’re almost sure the other person will reciprocate your feelings.

Closest to the door he noticed Leslie also known as Livewire and Andy or Mist, Leslie was sitting on one of the beds while Andy was putting a bandaid on her finger.

“Don’cha think that’s a little much?” Livewire asked while looking at the neon pink bandaid with a unicorn on it.

“I think it’s quite cute.” Andy chuckled, then placed a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

Leslie blushed, but quickly recovered and noticed their peer counselor’s daydreaming form leaning against the door “You gonna stay there all day, sunshine?”

This quickly snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned towards the couple. Ed walked over to them. “Really? Sunshine?” He asked dryly.

Leslie grinned, then shrugged “Well, “golden boy”‘s a bit too obvious.”

“And as we all know you are a master at subtlety.” The Argentinian said rolling his eyes.

Andy smiled “I’m guessing that what’s bringing you over to the med wing are those three over there behind the curtain.” She pointed at the back of the room, without turning around.

“Yeah. New additions… hopefully.”

“I’m sure they’ll stay.” Andy said, reassuring him.

“I mean, we did and we weren’t exactly easy to deal with.” Leaslie shrugged, then put her arm around her girlfriend’s waist.

Ed smiled “Dully noted, now if you’ll excuse me, duty calls.”

Both Leslie and Andy rolled their eyes.

Ed continued his short walk over to the other side of the room. He slowly pulled the curtain separating the three teens from the other side of the room.

“Hey!” He greeted.

Neut was with them already and Wayne, Kole and Kate were talking. Nathaniel excused himself, than pushed Ed outside the curtain.

“What’s up, man?” Ed asked.

“They’re a bit on edge.” Neut gave Ed a half dissolved piece of plastic.

He looked at it, confused.

“That used to be a fork.”

“Geez. Which one of them…?” He waved the white plastic around trying to illustrate his question.

“Kate.”

“Okay.” He took a big breath “We can do this.”

Neut nodded and they both pushed the curtain open once again.

The teens turned towards them. They were dressed in clothes issued from the Meta-Human center, while their original clothes and belongings were on the cupboards next to the beds.

There was a beat of silence then Kate spoke “Thank you for saving us.” She was playing with the split ends of her long, blonde hair. “I really don’t know what would’ve happened to us if you and rest of the Outsiders hadn’t come.”

Ed nodded, then took a breath “How are you all feeling?”

Wayne shrugged “Peachy.” His midwestern accent clear even from a single word.

Ed looked at Neut, hoping for some help. He gave him a reassuring smile.

The Argentinian sighed “Okay, I’m sure Neut already told you everything you need to know, but let me at least formerly introduce myself, my name is Eduardo Dorado Jr. and I’m a peer counselor at this center, known as the Meta-Human Youth Center.”

He continued “You already know what we do or?”

Kole answered “Yeah, Nati over here told us everything!” She was smiling brightly.

Ed smiled and raised an eyebrows at the nickname, he turned towards Nathaniel who was rubbing the back of his neck.

“I’m happy to hear that, I know I will probably be repeating Nati’s words, but you are free to go whenever you feel like it, though I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Wayne narrowed his eyes at that “And why is that?”

Kate rolled her eyes in restoration “I don’t know Wayne, maybe because we were almost human trafficked.”

“Bitch.”

“Twat.”

Ed took a calming breath. “I know you’re probably all scared-“ Wayne’s narrowed eyes turned towards him. “Even if you don’t feel like admitting it, but right now here is probably the safest place for all of you. I looked through your results and you’re meta-gene has been awakened, which means -.”

“That now I’m even more of a freak than I used to be.” Kate muttered.

“Hey, you’re not a freak, none of you or us for that matter are, okay?” Es put his hand on her shoulder, doing his best to reassure her.

He put his hand back at his side, then leaned against a heavy machine “In the beginning I wanted my powers gone more than anything, but I started to accept them. Yeah, it was hard, but it was worth it. What I’m trying to say is that if you decide to stay you can get help with everything, not only from me or Neut, but also everybody in here and medical professionals such as doctors, psychologists-“

“I don’t need no shrink.” Wayne’s midwestern accent cut through his words.

Ed sighed “Again, it’s completely up to you.”

“I’d like to stay.” Kole said, her expression determined

Kate nodded “Me too.”

All eyes turned towards Wayne.

He sighed “Not like there’s any better options out there.”

Both Ed and Nathaniel smiled wide.

“You won’t regret it.” Neut said.

Now came the hard part, Ed turned his attention once again to the three teens “I’m sorry that I have to ask this, but can you please tell us everything you can about how you ended up being trafficked, anything at all will hopefully save everybody else who were in your situation.”

All three of them tensed.

Ed continued talking, while running a hand through his unruly curls “We will talk one on one if you wish and anything you tell me, stays between us and the Outsiders so that we can stop this organisation. Please think about all the people you can help.”

Kate smiled “That’s some hardcore guilt tripping, Ed.”

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” He was stumbling over his words, blushing hard.

Kate chuckled “Haha, so you are human after all.”

Ed looked puzzled for a second, then Kate continued talking “I’ll do it. Where are we going to talk?”

“It doesn’t have to be right away-“

“I’m a big girl Ed, I can handle it. Better to do it sooner rather than later, that way the info is as fresh as possible.” She got up from the bed and just now did Ed notice that she was half a head taller than him. “Let’s go, yes?” She pushed open the curtains.

Central City

November 23, 13:38 PST

Bart had just finished a quick workout, trying to get his head straight… well that wasn’t exactly possible. Anyways he went into the living room where Jay was sitting on the couch watching Tv. Bart was glad to be back home. He had missed it.

He leaned on the back of the couch next to Jay “What are you watching?”

“Just that prick G. Gordon Godfrey cause panic for no apparent reason.”

Bart turned his attention over to the Tv “The League and the Outsiders were silent during the months when poor meta-human were disappearing, but now! All of a sudden it they are taking down a ring and not only that they have “saved” three meta-humans! Really makes you think what is truly going on.” The tv host gave the camera his signature sleazy grin, then continued to speak, but Bart had already tuned him out.

“He’s insufferable.” The younger speedster muttered under his breath.

Jay grunted in agreement. He turned the volume down and looked at Bart “So how are you doing, kid? Anything new.”

Bart shrugged “Same old, same old.”

“You know, Bart, between you and me, Joan was always the more perceptive of the two of us, but even now I can tell something is bothering you.” The first Flash had a warm smile on his face.

Bart took a big breath, then sat down on the couch next to Jay “It’s just, a lot.”

Jay laughed “Ah, you’re spending too much time with Batman and his wards, you’re becoming vague like them.”

Kid Flash chuckled, then relaxed into the couch. So many conflicting thoughts were going through his head, he loved Jay, he was family, but still this time, it’s way of thinking, people’s mentality, everything was so different, he should be used to it by now, but sometimes he was still amazed at how different everything was.

Jay tapped him on the shoulder “You’re thinking too hard, son. Whatever it is, it doesn’t have to be now or ever for that matter, but if you ever want to share, I’ll be here, ready to listen.” He was smiling, his eyes were gentle and trusting.

Bart slowly placed his hand on top of Jay’s which was resting on his shoulder and smiled “There is this, teeny weeny thing.” He was squinting behind his index finger and his thumb illustrating how small the thing was.

The first Flash brought his hands to rest on his thighs and chuckled “Well if it’s that insignificant you shouldn’t have a problem with getting it out.”

Bart laughed nervously “Yeah...” A thought went through his head ‘Here goes nothing. I guess.’ He then looked at the ground then back at Jay “I kinda have a crush.”

Jay blinked at him “That was it?”

Bart made an unsure expression “Ehhh, not quite.”

The other Flash just continued to look at his ward.

“It’s on a guy.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Jay looked at the ground for a second, then nodded and turned his attention back to Bart, smiling once again “So wanna tell me who it is?”

Bart blinked a couple of times, but then recovered “It’s uh Ed.”

“Never heard of an Uh Ed.”

“Not funny.”

Jay’s smile brightened at Bart’s slight annoyance.

“So Dorado’s kid?”

“The one and only.” His lingering unease was showing.

Jay nodded once again “He is a fine young man.”

Kid Flash chuckled at that “Be careful, your age is showing.”

Jay just smiled and ruffled Bart’s hair “Listen, kid, I’ll love you no matter the gender of your partner. As long as you love them and they love you that’s all that matters.”

Bart smiled, but couldn’t help himself “Even if it’s a villain?”

“Okay, now you’re pushing it a little.”

They both laughed and Jay pulled Bart into a tight hug “I meant what I said, I love you, Bart and I’m glad you told me. Does anybody else know?”

They pulled apart “Well Jaime and Cassie, but I haven’t explicitly told anybody else.”

Jay nodded “That’s fine too, now go take a shower, no matter the gender, nobody wants a boyfriend that stinks of sweat.”

Bart got up from the couch “Geez, thanks, Jay.”

Jay shrugged and turned towards the Tv.

Just as Bart was at the door he turned back to his legal guardian “Thank you.”

“I’m always here for you, son.”

Bart nodded and with a soft smile made his way towards the bathroom.

Taos

November 23, 13:00 MST

“Wait, so this isn’t your office?” Kate was sitting on the leather chair opposite to Ed.

He rested his hands on the desk “Technically, it’s my dad’s but me and Neut use it more than him.”

“Cool.”

“First off, any family that you want to contact or that has been looking for you?” Ed already knew the answer to that one, but he had to ask anyways.

Kate had a humourless smile on her face “They kicked me out on their own, so I would say no.”

“I’m sorry… you were saying before, that you were in Midway City, when you were kidnapped.” Ed marked the city located in Michigan on a card, displayed on a tablet.

Kate nodded “Yeah, I was living on the streets, the prostitutes there were nice enough to help me.”

“Can you tell me exactly what happened when they took you?”

“I remember that a couple of punks stormed under the bridge with guns and took me and a few others. They knocked us out, next time I woke up, I was tied up and in the trunk of a car. I came to a couple of times, but I don’t recall anything specific.” Kate’s expression was pained.

Ed’s eyes softened “I know it’s hard, but this could really save a lot of people. Was there anything weird that happened in the days leading to your kidnapping?”

Kate shrugged “Not really… actually, yeah, there did, there is this truck that comes every other Friday night okay? It brings condoms, HIV tests, all of that. I usually didn’t go, because there wasn’t a reason, but last time it came, they had this new test, if they test you, you get 20 bucks. Sounded like a steal back then.”

“That was a meta-human gene test.” Ed said, his voice hollow.

“Seems like it. They took a little blood, some hair and ran a cotton swap on the inside of my cheek.” Kate looked really deep in thought “I also remember one time I woke up, they injected this thing into my neck, it hurt so much.”

Es nodded “That must have been what awakened your meta-gene.”

“Most likely.” Kate sighed “Is that all you need, I’m tired.”

The Argentinian said “Yes, thank you so much, Kate.” His eyes were sincere and full of gratitude “I promise it’s only going to get better from here on out.”

The blonde smiled “I sure hope so.”

They both got up. As they were heading for the door Ed said “Let’s pray I will manage to convince somebody else to also share their experience.”

Just as Ed opened the door, the figure of Wayne was waiting on the other side. Ed couldn’t help the small sound of surprise that escaped him.

Kate smiled at the shorter boy, then ruffled his mohawk “You’ll do great.”

The pale boy pushed her hand away, embarrassed “Yeah, yeah the greater good and all that.” He turned towards Ed “Let’s get started?”

The superhero nodded and bid Kate goodbye, as he closed the door he motioned for Wayne to sit in the chair that just a moment ago was occupied by Kate.

The black haired boy sprawled himself on top of it and turned his icy blue eyes towards Ed.

Ed smiled warmly and Wayne squinted as if he was being blinded by the sun.

“Just ask me straight away, don’t sugar coat it.”

The Argentinian nodded “Okay then, any family I should be concerned about?”

Wayne shrugged, playing with a loose string on his white meta-human youth center issued T-shirt “I lived with my uncle, he was my legal guardian, but considering he hasn’t looked for me this long, I doubt he cares.”

Ed furrowed his brows “Okay, but we still have to inform him about your current whereabouts?”

The pale teen shrugged, though looking more uncomfortable than before.

Ed decided to let that be at least for now “Where were you when you were kidnapped?”

Wayne cringed “Kansas City Juvenile Detention.”

Ed was quite surprised and looked up from his tablet “You were in juvie?”

“Aye, aye, captain.”

Ed bit his tongue just as he was about to ask why and settled on a different question “How did they get you, I guess?”

Wayne was rotating his lip piercing with his thumb and pointer finger while answering “One of the guards told me that the doctor wanted to see me, so he took me to his room, next thing I know I’m blacking out.” He made a sound with his lips then continued talking ��I wasn’t even that long there, about a month.”

Ed nodded “Did anything weird happen while you were there, like tests?”

Wayne shrugged “I don’t know, man. There were a lot of rumours though, about people disappearing, didn’t think they were true… but yeah. Also they check you up before they throw ya in there. They took blood and all that good stuff.”

“They probably used those tests to test you for the meta-gene.”

“Guess so.”

Ed looked thoughtful ‘Dios mío, just how deep does this whole thing go?’

The other teen tapped his hands on the desk impatiently “We done here?”

Ed snapped out of his spiralling thoughts “Yeah, at least for now, thank you, Wayne.”

Wayne looked a little flustered under Ed’s sincere gaze, but shrugged nonetheless “Yeah, whatever. I’m pretty sure Kole is waiting outside.”

And she really was, when Ed opened the door. He was greeted by Kole and Neut talking, while Kole was trying to braid Kate’s hair.

Kate’s blue eyes shone mischievously “Was it that hard?”

Wayne rolled his eyes at hair “Oh, shut up. C’mon it’s your turn with Dr. Dorado over there.” He sat on one of the white chairs attached to the wall.

Ed looked at him as if he’d heard that joke a million times already “That’s literally my father.”

Wayne shrugged, not an once of regret in his posture.

The young superhero turned his attention towards Kole “Only if you want to, of course.”

The ginger nodded and got up from the chair, carefully manoeuvring around Kate who was sitting on the ground.

She marched past Ed and sat on the chair, Ed looked at Neut who smiled reassuringly. The golden one closed the door and moved to sit opposite to Kole.

He started talking “So, Kole, I’m gonna ask you some questions, but don’t feel pressured to answer them.”

Kole nodded.

He had already learned that Kole was an orphan, so he skipped that question and moved no to the next one “Okay, where were you when you were kidnapped?”

“The Rising Sun Foster home in New York.” Came Kole’s immediate reply.

‘First, the streets, then juvie, now a foster home, things are truly escalating.’ Ed wrote the name down and continued asking “Okay, for how long where you there before you were kidnapped?”

Kole looked thoughtful for a second “Not that long really, perhaps two months or so, I was moved there from another foster home in which I spent three years.”

“Did anything different than usual happen there?”

“Yup, upon arrival they did a couple tests on me and the others.”

“Such as?”

“Hair, spit, blood, the usual. I remember going to bed as usual, then panic and then I was in a truck. I woke up once and saw a couple more of the kids from the foster home with me. I haven’t seen them since, I hope they are well.” She looked extremely sad.

Ed reached out and put his hand on her shoulder “Maybe right now, they aren’t, but thanks to you we can help them.”

She smiled brightly at him.

She left the office and Ed laid his head on top the desk, utterly exhausted. He closed his eyes for a second and thoughts of Bart came flooding through. It seemed that all the time he didn’t spend working, he spend thinking about Bart. He was so conflicted on one hand, he wanted to be with him, on the other his doubts and insecurities couldn’t stop eating away at him.

After a few more seconds spent in self pity, he summarised all the information on his tablet and texted Oracle and Garfield everything, informing them that it would be good if they had a meeting. He got a response soon after, apparently Barbara also had found some very intriguing things regarding Intergang’s weapons. Garfield called everyone to an immediate meeting at the Outsiders’ HQ soon after.

The peer counselor left his father’s office and teleported to the cafeteria, hoping Neut was there. Just his luck, he teleported right next to the table being occupied by the three new meta-humans and Neut, though Wendy was also there talking excitedly with Kate. Ed’s sudden appearance made Wayne, Kate and Kole jump. He smiled sheepishly.

Wendy rolled her eyes then turned her attention back to the trio “You’ll get used to it.”

Wayne looked embarrassed, bordering on angry, while Kate looked amused. Kole was looking at him with wide eyes, as if she hadn’t seen him teleport already.

“Good to see you too, Wendy. Anyways, I’m here to tell you I’ll be leaving, I’m sure it won’t be for long, but-“ Ed started explaining.

Neut cut in “Don’t worry, man, we’ll make sure the place doesn’t burn down while you’re away.” He looked amused.

Ed rolled his eyes “I sure hope so.” A second later bright, golden light engulfed him.

Hollywood

November 23, 12:48 PDT

The Argentinian arrived and noticed that the Outsiders had almost all gathered, he quickly noticed Bart sitting on the couch energetically talking with Jaime and Cassie. He smiled at the sight.

“God, you’re whipped.” Virgil’s amused tone cut through his little daydream.

He blushed brightly and narrowed his eyes at Virgil “I have no idea what you’re on about.”

“Yeaaahh, right. Are you ever going to do anything about it?”

Ed sighed deeply focusing his attention on his forest green converse “It feels like every time something is about to happen, we get interrupted or there’s something more important going on. At this point, I have no idea if everything is all just in my head.”

“Believe me, it’s not.” Static’s voice sounded as if he’d had to say that a million times already.

Ed looked at him pouting. Just as he was about to say something Beast boy caught everybody’s attention and all conversation died down.

He started talking “As I said already in the text I sent you, we have developments regarding Intergang.” As he finished Barbara appeared on the large screen “Hi, guys!”

Beast boy waved at her and continued “Ed will be first, then Barbara, okay?”

All nodded.

“Perfect, okay Ed, the floor is yours.” Garfield bowed theatrically and winked at Ed. The Argentinian scoffed, but took the green skinned teen’s place anyways.

Ed quickly summarised everything Wayne, Kate and Kole have told him and moved to the conclusion “Those are the three places where they were kidnapped.” Pictures of the detention center, the foster home and the bridge under which Kate lived appeared on the screen. He continued “I think it’s pretty obvious that Intergang is targeting people nobody would look for – orphans, hookers, prisoners and so on. Unlike Granny Goodness and her goons who didn’t exactly pick out their victims so carefully, because they knew they could cover their tracks better.”

Cyborg’s expression looked grim “That’s truly low, taking those people, thinking nobody would miss them.” A flicker of anger was seen in his eye.

Ed agreed, sadness washing over him. He moved to a spot near Bart, suddenly he felt a warmth on his lower back and realised it was Bart’s hand. He looked at the shorter teen and smiled, his mood truly improving even if by a little. The speedster always had that effect on him. Bart’s eyes were warm and welcoming as they met his.

Garfield looked thoughtful “Sadly, that just makes our mission even harder, Oracle, what did you find?”

Barbara started typing “First of - their weapons, I am certain that they are alien technology. I think even the same one as the Orphanage.”

“So Granny Goodnes has something to do with all of this?” Garfield asked, memories of the evil lady coming back to haunt him.

Barbara shook her head from side to side “It’s not out of the question, but keep in mind, that Intergang has always worked with alien technology, they could’ve easily gotten it another way…”

“Anything come out of that tracker on Ugly’s car?” Superboy had his arms crossed over his muscular chest.

Oracle sighed her round glasses sliding down her nose “Not really, left in a garage, hasn’t been used since.”

Jaime looked at Barbara “Please, tell me we have some good news.”

“Well, not really, but in the grand scheme of things, it is good news. The information on the computers were catalogues and a few bases.”

Ed blinked “Catalogues?”

Barbara continued “Here’s one an example.” A picture of Kole appeared with information around here. Oracle started explaining “Her age, sex, weight, but most importantly her superpower, it says it all right here.”

“Crystallisation?” Jaime questioned, more to himself rather than anybody else.

As if she hadn’t heard him Oracle continued explaining “Down here it says to whom they were sold, my best guess is that they give such “catalogues” to buyers so that they can better decide what they need.” Her expression was disgusted.

Ed swallowed hard and looked at Bart for comfort, who was also wearing a grim expression on his face.

Bart piped up “That’s quite the interesting name.” He was looking at the buyer.

“Kanjar Ro? It sounds familiar.” Jaime was squinting at it, as if that will help him remember it.

Barbara nodded “As it should, we’ve seen him before marked as one of Intergang’s clients.”

‘Intergang deals with aliens… does that mean?!’ Ed looked up at Barbara with wide eyes “They are selling the metas to aliens.”

Oracle swallowed, but then nodded “It would seem that way.”

The realisation of just how complicated this mission suddenly got dawned on all of them, settling around them in a heavy silence.

“At least we know Granny isn’t involved, she wanted all the metas for a giant army, not to just make a quick buck out of them.” Beast boy concluded.

“Exactly.” The redhead agreed.

Static sighed, then asked “You said there were bases?”

Barbara opened up a map for them then started marking places “First off, we have a base in Star City, then Detroit and last, but not least Blüdhaven. From the info I gathered they are much like the one in Happy Harbour, only operating when they need to make a … uh…for lack of better words “delivery.””

Ed’s accent flowed after Oracle was done talking “But there must be a main one? One in which they keep all the metas?”

Barbara pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose “Yes, it would only be logical after all.”

“And we don’t know where it is?” Bart asked, already predicting the answer.

“Nope.” Barbara was kind enough to affirm.

Jaime leaned against the couch “What’s the plan?”

Barbara smirked and turned towards Garfield, which made everybody else also turn towards him.

The green teen blinked once, then quickly walked over to the big screen and started formulating a plan of attack “Our best chance is to act as soon as possible, they already know we’re after them. We have to check out the three bases, Star City has Green Arrow, while Nightwing’s in Blüdhaven, if they can they will join us. The attacks will be at the same time, that way they won’t be able to warn each other.”

Garfield turned towards Ed “Will you be joining us?”

Ed shook his head from side to side “No, amigo, I have to look after our new trio and help them with their powers.”

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Bart.

Beast boy nodded “So, we’re one man down, we will attack tomorrow, Star City is alpha, Detroit is beta and Blüdhaven’s omega. Alpha will be Terra, Forager and me. Beta will be Kid Flash, Superboy and Cyborg and Alpha will consist of Blue Beetle, Static and Wonder girl. This will be further discussed with the League to see if any of them can join.”

Barbara smiled, proud, then Beast boy continued to talk “That will be all for today, I will go to the Watchtower to inform Black Lightning and the rest of the League of our plan. If any changes are made, I’ll text you.”

After saying goodbye to Barbara, most either went to their rooms or home, Ed turned to Bart whose hand had been unconsciously rubbing soothing circles on his lower back. Bart quickly snapped back to awareness and in a flash moved his hand away, blushing brightly. Ed smiled, colour also blooming on his cheeks. He cleared his throat “Want to join me on the balcony? I need a breather after all of this.”

Bart grinned “Sure thing, amigo.”

Ed caught Virgil winking at him from the corner of his eye and promptly, but so Bart wouldn’t see showed him the finger. Virgil’s muffled laugh was heard even as they stepped outside in the warm November weather.

“My wardrobe just can’t keep up with the weather around me. November in Hollywood has nothing to do with November in Central City.” Bart grumbled, while shrugging of his red bomber jacket, leaving him in only jeans and a french tucked T-shirt whit three white stripes – orange, green and yellow going in the middle.

Ed stole a peak at Bart’s lean, but toned arms, then casually looked the other way.

Bart smirked and looked at Ed “Although, the weather ain’t the only hot thing around here.” He winked and fingerguned at the end.

The Argentinian blushed, before quickly erupting into giggles “Real smooth there, amigo.”

“The language is my canvas and words are my paint.” Bart had that overly dramatic starved artist look in his eyes.

“Make sure nobody else hears that, Shakespeare, or you’ll be drowning in dates.” Ed rolled his eyes leaning on his elbows against the railing.

‘I only want to date one person though.’ Bart thought while looking at Ed’s profile.

He quickly changed the subject “How’s it going with the magnificent trio?”

“Eh, they’re all still pretty shaken up, even if some pretend like they aren’t… I still have to contact their relatives. Tell ‘em where they are.” Ed had a pained expression on his face, looking exhausted all of a sudden “Anyways, what about you? You seem in good spirits, hermano.”

“Well let’s just say that Jay’s pretty incredible.”

“The original Flash? I bet.”

Bart smiled, but then turned towards Ed “You on the other hand – not that you ever could – look terrible.”

Ed tsked “Thanks, man.” Bart opened his mouth to protest, but was cut off “Yeah, yeah, I know, you didn’t mean it that way.” He had a playful smile on his face. “I only talked to Kate, Kole and Wayne, but I feel exhausted, as if I’ve gotten my ass handed to me by Canary one too many times in a row.”

“Sometimes conversations can be more mentally exhausting than actual manual labour.” Bart mused.

Ed rolled his eyes good naturally “You’re so profound. I know I shouldn’t be taking everything to heart, but I just can’t help it.”

Bart placed his hand atop of Ed’s “I don’t think you should stop, your compassion is what makes you so strong.”

The other teen blinked then grinned, turning his hand over so he could hold Bart’s “For a natural airhead, you’re pretty smart.”

Bart grinned “I’ll have you know I come from a family of scientists!”

“Me too, but those genes definitely missed me.”

Bart busted out laughing.

“What?”

“I just imagined you as a smaller version of your dad, running around in your white lab coat, always serious.” Bart was still grinning, his hand feeling hot from where he was holding Ed’s.

Ed had a look of horror on his face “Phew, I’m glad that didn’t happen.” He then smiled, his eyes catching Bart’s.

None of them said anything, they just looked at each other.

Until Ed broke the moment “Hey, Bart, I-“ he was cut short by his own telephone ringing. ‘What? For real?!’ He grabbed the phone and less then gently picked up “Is something wrong, Neut?” Concern already dripping from his voice. “Okay, I got it.” He turned his attention back to Bart “I have to get going, things are getting fun at the center.”

Bart tried to keep his expression cheery as he asked “Is everything on fire?”

“Not yet, but Wayne apparently made Kate trip over herself and melt off part of the floor.” Ed was already thinking about the Center’s budget and how that would affect it.

“Made somebody trip over themselves, eh? I think I already know who he’ll get along with.”

Realisation hit Ed hard, but then he grinned “Those two together would be a complete disaster.”

Bart chuckled.

Just as Ed opening his mouth to once again say something, his phone started ringing “Jesus, okay, I have to go.”

“Yeah, I got that.” He tried not to sound too disappointed.

Just before disappearing in a flash of gold, Ed quickly put his arms around Bart’s neck and hugged him “Thanks for always making me feel better.”

Before Bart could react Ed was gone and the speedster was left standing flushed, but grinning. ‘I think I’ll consider this a win.’ He thought as he sprinted towards Central City, trying to get his beating heart under control.

#bartuardo #zetaflash #eduardo dorado jr #bart allen #el dorado young justice

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exowolf-reactions · 7 years ago

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EXO Reaction when their little daughter makes them wear a dress to have a tea party with her stuffed animals

Xoxo, Admin A~

/I don’t own any of the gifs used, unless stated otherwise/

Chanyeol:

*He’s definitely going along with it as long that there’s food* “This is delicious baby! I’m glad we decided to have real cakes instead of those horrible plastic ones”

Sehun:

“Who wants more cake? Me me! Give me more please!” *Probably would be a very glutton princess*

Tao:

“A girl I said... how bad would it be? I said... I wanted a girl... and now I’m wearing a dress and it ain’t Gucci... we have to fix this”

Kai:

“Can we invite all of your uncles? If they are going to see me in a dress I might as well see them in one”

Xiumin:

*She won’t have to ask him twice, he’s definitely making the coffee or tea or whatever* “Do you think all your little friends will like this?”

Baekhyun:

*This is what he gets for having so many tea party with your stuffed animals without you even knowing it*

Luhan:

“Please don’t tell the boys... no no I told them I was very manly they can’t see me in a dress... yes yes anything you want, I’ll get you a new tea set but please”

Chen:

*Well... he’d be more like the Charming Prince but yes he’s definitely in* “Did you invite my friend the dinosaur? Why not? He’s a nice one.. last time he stole my cookies tho..”

Kyungsoo:

*Honestly, no one would be happier than him with a little girl* “Woah baby! Look at this dress! I love it, who got it for you? Papa? Ahh what a fine man”

Lay:

“Wait wait baby just one second. My hair must look perfect so I can do this dress some justice!” *No one’s a better princess than him*

Suho:

*Well if you want a very sassy princess at your table all you have to do is invite Suho* “Next time I’ll bring your uncles, we can be the Disney Princesses”

[Masterlist] [Guideline]

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yourkeeperoftherunners · 7 years ago

Text

Avec Nocturne Ch. 7

Summary: AU A little thing called the flu forced him to call out sick for days. What he didn’t bargain for was his workplace hiring a girl to spin the tracks while he was out. He’s pissed off but why’s he thinking random thoughts about her?

Rating: PG-13 (Language, Strip Club setting, Flirting)

Characters: DJ!Chanyeol x Kit OC, featuring appearances of OT12 members

Notes: This is a spin-off (no pun intended!) series of Unwind written by @xiubaek13 and @oh-beyond. (Written with their blessing – thank you!) I own nothing except for my own OC and the content written here. (I recommend reading Unwind first to get a better understanding of the story’s universe.) I do not claim to be an expert in DJ-ing. Banner created by me. Absolutely no reposting anywhere else as your own!

Ch. 6 | Epilogue Pt. 1

“Thank God for a normal night,” Kit muttered as she settled into the booth later that evening. She sank into a chair as she watched Kai exit the stage and began plugging in songs to play during her break.

While the VIP experience hadn’t been a complete disaster, she could do without the stares from her co-workers and standing in heels the whole night. Granted, the shoes Livy loaned her weren’t high, but Kit preferred her boots – practical and they fit better.

“You said she’s – OHO! There?!”

Kit frowned as she tore her gaze from her laptop and looked up to see a young man with light colored hair talking excitedly to Sehun. The young man was gesturing in the direction of the booth and Sehun seemed to be listening as he mixed up a tray of drinks for a small girls night group seated in the hall.

She slipped her headphones off and grabbed her phone, sticking it in her pocket as she walked out of the booth and shut the door behind her. No sooner had she released the knob when she turned around to find the young man standing in front of her with wide eyes.

“Hi! Are you the new DJ noona?” he asked, tilting his head.

Kit nodded and a huge gummy smile appeared on the young man’s face. Her gut was saying this had to be Baekhyun. She extended a hand and he clasped her smaller one in both of his.

“Hello I’m Baekhyun – nice to meet the pretty DJ noona at last,” he chirped before bringing her hands to his lips. He studied her outfit and jutted his lower lip out slightly.

“Ah wae, but you’re not wearing a skirt and heels like what Sehun described!”

“Sorry noona, he asked me how you dressed,” Sehun called out from the bar. “I uh, mentioned your recent look from the VIP night but forgot to say that was for a special occasion. In my defense, hyung texted me while I was sleeping and wouldn’t leave me alone!”

Baekhyun let go of her hands and scowled over at Sehun. “I wanted to know more about our new DJ! No one would tell me anything useful except Chensing Machine!” He turned back toward Kit and nodded at the entrance to the hall. “Wanna talk on the patio?”

“Sure, you on break now?” she asked.

He nodded and Kit began walking to the patio, greeting Chen in passing. Baekhyun followed behind her and grabbed the door, holding it open for her. “Ladies first,” he said with a low bow.

“Thanks,” Kit replied as she stepped through the doorway and walked onto the patio. She took a seat in an empty chair and Baekhyun pulled up another to sit next to her.

“So you do the private dances with Suho?” Kit prompted.

Baekhyun nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I don’t make it out to the main area that much if it’s super busy,” he explained. “Sorry if I seem weird for asking about you, but it’s been a while since we’ve had anyone new here – staff or client really.”

“Hey curiosity killed the cat,” she replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “Sorry I failed to meet expectations – that outfit Sehun told you about wasn’t even mine – just something borrowed from a friend. This is my normal look.”

He raised a brow and shook his head at her comment. “Oh no, I don’t care if you wore that or what you’re wearing today! I wanted to know what kind of girl we had working with us. Chen didn’t give you enough credit – he said you were nice and a noona. I say you’re cool and very pretty.”

“You’re too kind.”

“No, it’s the truth!” Baekhyun insisted as he leaned closer. “He said you were from America – do you miss your family?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, forcing herself to smile. “Yeah, mostly my mom because she’s kind of by herself back in my hometown. My brother travels a lot for work but he’s been trying to visit and check up on her.”

The forced smile didn’t go unnoticed by the dancer and he clasped her hands in his. “You must really care about them a lot – it’s okay to miss them. Is your dad gone?”

She nodded and stared at her boots. “Heart failure,” she said after a few minutes. “It happened out of the blue and Mom took it hard. I just finished undergrad and had to turn down an internship to come home. Did a hostess gig at a fancy restaurant by home to pay off the loans and tried to help her heal. Actually, my brother’s friend is the one who arranged my visit out here – he lives in the downtown area and didn’t want to give up his apartment while he’s doing his two years. He talked it out with my brother and they surprised me on my last birthday with the keys to his friend’s place, plane ticket, and work visa.”

Baekhyun listened, watching Kit’s face as she talked about the recent events that transpired leading her back to Korea. He squeezed her hands and tilted his head to look her in the eye.

“Hey, I understand,” he said in a soft voice. “I know it’s not the same, but I know all of us – uh actually, maybe not Tao – but well, most of us will there for you. We’ll be your other family.”

Kit offered him a smile and she stared down at their hands. “Thank you Baek,” she murmured. “I had...some doubts about being here at first, but hearing things like this from you, from Sehunnie, Chen...yeah they help.”

Baekhyun nodded and a sweet, gummy smile stretched across his face. “Did Chanyeol-ah apologize to you yet? I was surprised he got so upset at you and I told him that’s not how to treat a lady!”

“Yes he did – I think we’re okay now,” Kit replied with a shake of her head. Albeit she wouldn’t be surprised if the VIP incident forced them back to square one, in terms of being awkward with each other. Chan kept his shirt off the whole night after they got the fan – partly to avoid overheating again and also to keep the guests entertained. As soon as the managers whisked the respective women off to private rooms, the pair fell silent and exchanged few sentences, occasionally looking up in case the women returned. Chanyeol hadn’t made eye contact with her the rest of the evening and she had kept her focus on her computer.

“Hey Loser!”

“Right back at you,” Kit retorted as she greeted her brother Christophe on the screen.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” he asked. He squinted as he pulled up a webpage and leaned closer to the screen. “Jesus, its 3 AM there – go to bed!”

“I work at night Tophe,” she sighed with a roll of her eyes. “I wanted to say hi really quick. Mom there?”

“Nah her friend – what’s her name? ...Ah well, some close friend took her out to that teahouse on the hill. You know the one I’m talking about, right?”

Kit nodded as she cupped her chin in her hand, propping her elbow on the desk. She was glad their mom was getting out of the house and seeing friends – it was a sign that she was slowly moving on.

“Any luck on your adoption file?” Christophe prompted.

Kit’s eyes wandered to the scrap of paper on the desk, bearing a hastily scribbled name and number on it. She sighed as she picked it up and waved it at the camera.

“I’ve got the nurse who delivered me,” she said. “I might call her later when she’ll be up, but the hospital said my file’s gone – they had an electrical fire in a nearby equipment storage room and a lot of the files were destroyed. I think the nurse retired a few years ago, so we’ll see if she can help. Or not.”

“Breadcrumbs,” Christophe said with a nod. “Work’s work here. Heard from Dae and he’s doing well. Says hi and wishes he could have given you a proper welcome when you arrived but timing was just not right.”

“Nah I get it,” Kit sighed. “Well, nothing else to report – tell Mom I’m doing fine and I’ve got a job to keep me afloat.”

Christophe gave her a thumbs up and promised he would relay the information. “Be safe and good luck with your adventures!”

“I finally met her and she seems really nice,” Baekhyun said.

“Oh? When?” the taller boy asked as he looked up from searching for his keys.

“Yesterday,” Baekhyun replied. He fixed his jacket around his shoulders and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Did you know she has a brother?”

Chan shook his head and admitted that he still didn’t know their newest co-worker very well. This earned a sharp poke in the arm from Baekhyun and Chan yelped as he rubbed the tender spot.

“What was that for?”

“You guys are working together and sharing a booth,” Baekhyun said as he looked his friend in the eye. “You’re not the least bit curious about her? Why she likes to DJ? What was her life back home like? Her family? Her favorite food?”

“We’re not working that closely together,” Chanyeol murmured, trying to look indifferent. “Besides, it was one time and it was for that VIP event. I mean, we’re not going to see each other based on scheduling.”

“YAH! That’s no excuse!” Baekhyun scolded as he smacked his friend again. “We should get to know her better! You know, we treat each other like family around here and she is working with us now. Besides, I think she could use a friend. It’s not easy to be miles away from your family and to not know anyone here.” He bit his lip and tilted his head as a thought crossed his mind. “Are you trying to hide your feelings for her? Is that why you wouldn’t tell me anything about noona? Chanyeol-ah wants her all to himself?”

Chanyeol’s eyes widened and he sputtered at the suggestion, arms flailing in all directions. “Wha? Oh come on Baekhyun-ah, you sound like someone in a cheesy love drama! I mean, she’s good at mixing but I don’t think of her in that way!”

“Oho? Well what about Suho? He told me you seemed pretty eager to rush her out of there when he met her,” Baekhyun shot back with a smirk.

“Hyung flirts with everyone and besides, we had a meeting to get to! I didn’t want to be late and blamed because she was meeting Suho-hyung!”

“Uh-huh, surrrreee,” Baekhyun teased.

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and huffed as he unlocked his car. “Whatever, I’ll try to do something to get to know her! Don’t get involved – I’ll figure it out on my own, okay?”

“Anyoung haseyo?”

“Hello, are you Nurse Chaehyun?” Kit asked in Korean.

“I’m no longer a nurse, but I was one – who is this?” the woman replied.

Kit licked her lips and swallowed hard. “Um, I’m...I’m Kit Adler. Well, that’s my adopted name – I don’t have my birth name, but I was born June 21 in 1990? Cheil General Hospital?”

She heard a pause on the other end and the woman let out a sharp breath. “I remember that date and that hospital,” the woman murmured. “You were the little girl born around lunchtime – the poor girl came in and we were short-staffed. Oh goodness...how are you? I remember someone told me you were adopted a week and half later – America right?”

“Yes,” Kit replied. “I tried asking the hospital about my file but –”

“We lost several decades of files,” Chaehyun finished, switching to English. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to give you. I can’t remember exact details about the woman who gave birth to you, but she was small, looked a little underweight in her face, and crying as she came in – she was in a lot of pain. No husband or boyfriend accompanied her. She didn’t even stay after giving birth – wanted a shower and insisted on leaving. Quite young too.”

Another dead end, Kit thought as she messed up her hair.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t offer more help,” Chaehyun said. “I know it’s not the answer you wanted to hear, but I’m guessing she had her reasons for doing what she had to do. I remember the family who adopted you had a young son – were they good to you?”

“Oh yes, they’re great,” Kit replied. “My brother’s the reason for why I’m back here now. He thought maybe I could find answers and get closure.”

“Perhaps if you have time, I’d love to meet up,” Chaehyun replied with a smile. “You’re the first that’s ever contacted me out of the many children I helped deliver and I’m always curious to know how they’re doing!”

Kit smiled and nodded as she switched the phone to her other ear. “Yes, that would be great.”

“Good afternoon noona,” Chen greeted Kit as she entered through the doors. “I think you’re scheduled for tomorrow, but I can double check.”

Kit smiled politely at him and nodded in the direction of the managers’ office. “Actually coming in to pick up my check – my bank’s giving me a hard time with direct deposit lately, so Luhan’s just going to cut a check until I get it fixed.”

“Gotcha, I’ll let him know you’re here,” Chen replied before radioing the manager. He waited for a few minutes before Luhan responded, prompting the young man to send Kit down.

Kit thanked him before heading toward the office and Chen settled into his seat at the desk. He looked up when he heard the doors open again and he raised a hand when he saw it was Chanyeol.

“Starting early today,” Chen commented as the tall DJ removed his sunglasses.

“Thought I’d beat the traffic,” Chanyeol explained. He stretched his arms out and sighed. “Though I might get coffee before I set up – you don’t know how the line looks, do you?”

“Um, I was only there at lunchtime – sorry,” Chen sighed. “Maybe it died down, but don’t quote me on that.”

Chanyeol nodded and he turned his head when he heard boots approaching the desk, spotting Kit emerging from the office. He licked his lips nervously as he raised a hand, accompanied by a shy smile. She returned the wave before nodding at Chen, tucking the check into her bag.

“Thanks Chen – I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said as she started to pass the desk.

Chanyeol reached out and tapped her on the shoulder before she started to move away. “Um, you wanna get coffee?”

Kit paused and stared back at him. “Oh um, sure, if you have time.”

He nodded before gesturing to the doors, walking ahead of her to open them. He motioned for her to exit first and she bowed her head, mumbling a thank you as she slipped through the doors. He caught up and walked alongside her, turning his head.

“Checking your schedule?” he asked.

She shook her head and patted her bag, “Picking up payment. My bank put a block on my account because they didn’t realize I was in another country now. I’ll call them later to fix it but Luhan wrote a check so I could get paid for the week.”

Chanyeol nodded and he opened the door to the cafe once they arrived, allowing his co-worker to enter first. “Everything else going okay?”

Kit turned and glanced back at him with a curious look. He tilted his head and looked her in the eye.

“Did I do something wrong again?” he asked.

“No, I guess...look, I think the VIP thing put us in an awkward position,” Kit admitted as she moved her bag to her other shoulder. “You did nothing wrong Chan – sorry, I mean–”

“You can call me Chan, noona,” he said.

The barista slid their drinks onto the counter without a second look and Chanyeol retrieved their cups. He placed Kit’s in front of her and she thanked him as she took it in her hands.

“I’m wondering if they’ll come back or not,” Chanyeol said in a soft voice. “They weren’t happy when things started going wrong.”

“Well if they paid all this money for VIP membership and to have our bosses’ undivided attention, then yeah I don’t blame them,” Kit sighed, leaning forward so only Chan could hear her. “But they’re not the only ones I’m guessing, right?”

Chanyeol nodded and he decided to change the subject. “Baekhyun-ah said you have a brother?”

Kit nodded and she played with the wrapper from her straw. “Christophe – he’s three years older than me. Our parents wanted another kid, but kept experiencing miscarriages so they went the adoption route. Tophe, that’s what I call him, was okay with me coming into the picture – we got along fine as kids but weren’t all buddy-buddy. I’d say now we’re closer after losing Dad.”

Chanyeol blinked, lips moving away from his straw at this news. Kit watched his expression and explained that her father suffered heart failure a few years ago, leaving her mom a widow.

“Coming out here was unexpected,” she said in between sips of her coffee. “Tophe and his friend set it all up. I help Dae keep his place while he’s serving and try to find closure with my birth family. But I thought I was going to be doing a normal job, like working in this nearby bakery.”

“So you didn’t plan on becoming a DJ? Ever?” he asked with a confused expression.

Kit shook her head and and crumpled the straw wrapper into a tiny ball. “It was going to be a hobby if anything,” she replied with a laugh.

“But I can’t see you working in that kind of a setting! A bakery I mean!”

“Hey free bread and pastries!” she replied. “Who says no to that? Sure it was only going to be part time, but it was a block from the apartment and I would save money on gas. But my friend took me out clubbing one night, the manager lost his guest DJ, then the rest is history.”

“Ah that’s a good point,” Chanyeol conceded. “I’m not great at cooking or baking, so I couldn’t do that kind of job. But I don’t blame you for wanting free food – I just offer myself as a test subject for D.O.-yah’s cooking experiments and he gives me plenty of food.”

“I had a feeling that he had some kind of outlet that was different from his job,” Kit murmured with a shake of her head. “What’s your favorite that he’s cooked so far?”

Chanyeol leaned back in his seat and thought about it for a few minutes. He tapped his long fingers against his chin and stared off in the distance. After a while, he shook his head and pouted. “It’s too hard to pick just one! He’s made amazing Korean fried chicken, jjajangmyun...You know, if he wanted to, he could open a restaurant – he’s that good.”

“Have the managers ever considered offering his food there?” Kit asked. “I’m not talking a multi-course meal, but maybe some snacks like KFC or spicy rice cakes to go with the drinks?”

“Hum, I don’t know, but it would be dangerous to have,” Chanyeol mused with a teasing smile. “I’d probably be visiting the bar more if we did that – he does make good rice cakes.”

“Guess I’ll have to ask if he’d make me some,” Kit said with a smile. She picked up her cup and took a long sip from it. This little coffee break was good, surprisingly. Sure she had a rocky journey with Chanyeol but now...

Made the right choice after all, she thought.

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kpopmunhaelyeog · 7 years ago

Text

Love in Translation (SuhoxYou) - Part One

Title: Love in Translation Group: EXO Pairing: Suho x You Description: Your first trip to Korea started out as a complete hell until a stranger crossed your path and made it his mission to give you the best experience you’d ever have. Authors note: This is a story that has plagued my mind. It might be a rough start and I hate writing descriptions because I can never get the right summary, kekeke.

Also, yay!! first post!!

The sky had turned dark in a mere blink of an eye as heavy drops poured down. It felt like mere minutes ago that you had been waving a fan around in a desperate attempt to cool down as you had been searching for a bit of shade. But you were glad rain was pouring down on you, it washed away the tears that were streaming from your eyes.

Today had been a hell of a ride - in every negative sense of the word. Since coming to Korea, you had so many things you looked forward to but your expectations and reality couldn’t have been more different. You had always heard that Koreans were polite, helpful, patient and kind especially towards foreigners but so far all the people you had met were rude, impatient and unwilling to help. You had been wandering around Seoul for what felt like hours, lost and without a clue how to get back home. You tried asking people for directions but they were either unable to understand English or unwilling to take their time and explain slowly so you could understand with the minimum knowledge you had of the language. You had been wandering around for so long without a clue that you ended up somewhere near the Han river with both sides looking like a million miles of endless walking without light or guidance, a surefire way to get lost even more.

You glanced down at your throbbing knee, the rain washing away some of the blood that had poured down after taking an unfortunate tumble down some stairs in her lost frenzy back when there were still people remotely around. The pushing as they rushed past you caused you to lose your balance and miss a step, sending you down onto the concrete ground. People stared at you, some slightly shocked while others didn’t even consider hiding their amusement. You could just hear them laughing at you, that stupid foreigner they must have thought. And no one even considered asking if you were alright. The pain of the fall, combined with the embarrassment and the anxiety of being lost and alone in an unfamiliar country that so far failed to live up to your expectations made it hard for you to swallow your tears, you were actually thankful you managed to wander away from the people, though you were still helpless and lost but at least no one was around to laugh at you.

Stumbling to the nearest bench shelter that overlooked the Han river as you plopped down on the bench, you felt the water ooze out of every fiber, your entire body screaming as they started to ache from the cold and the endless moving around. The river reflected the lights of the city in the distance as tiny circles formed whenever the raindrops hit the mirror-like surface. It was so peaceful, so beautiful… The moment of relaxation prompted you to let go of the misery you had been swallowing down and broke down in sad sobs.

Even your phone - normally your trusted sidekick in all of your adventures - had let you down. You had no signal to make calls with to get a taxi, no wifi to use apps or look up directions on how to get to the nearest station. The battery had been running low faster than usual as the attempts you had made to get some information had been eating energy, but halfway down the path near the river, the rain started to pour down and as expected with electric devices the phone decided to shut down. It would be a miracle if it ever turned on again, it probably had a lot of water damage to deal with now.

“God, I am so stupid… ” You muttered to yourself in between cries as you buried your face in your hands. Why did you ever think this was a good idea? Traveling to the other side of the world by yourself without so much as a decent preparation. Your impulsive behavior had often gotten you into to trouble but never into something you couldn’t fix. But this was just a step too far, even for you.

“Gwaenchanh-a?” A somewhat muffled voice spoke up out of nowhere which startled you, your heart making a slight leap as you turned towards the figure that had silently snuck up on you, though probably with the intention of hiding from the rain as well. His hair was hidden beneath a black cap that now had water dripping down from the rim as the lower part of his face was hiding underneath an equally dark and damp face mask. His eyebrows were knitted into a soft frown as he stared down at her.

“A-ah… ” You nodded as a reply, slightly trembling as you wiped away the tears and turned your face away. The last thing you wanted was another stranger laughing at your pitiful appearance right now. You weren’t sure how convincing you sound, at this point you didn’t even care.

“Oh! Dangsin-eun hangug-eoleul hal su issseubnida?” The words sounded like gibberish to you at this point as the stranger was surprised you responded to his question and wondered if you were able to understand and speak Korean.

You turned back to the stranger, opening your mouth to reply but you had no idea what. You barely understood what he said and it only made you feel more helpless. You couldn’t help but shake your head before tears started streaming down your cheeks once more.

“Ah! Aniya!” He seemed to panic at the sight of your tears, shaking his head quickly. “Don’t cry, please!” Taking the hint that you were probably incapable of understanding him, he decided to switch to English in hopes of being able to communicate with you. “What’s wrong?”

Before you could even muster up the energy to stop your crying and answer him, his brown eyes wandered over your appearance, taking in every sight of your softly shaking frame before landing on your knee. Though the rain had washed away some of the blood, it was still clearly a fresh wound.

“You wait here!” He told you with somewhat of a forced tone, taking a few steps back before turning around and disappearing into the rainy darkness.

Suho needed some time to himself. They had been working non-stop since the end of last year and all the stress had started to take his toll on him. Not only did he have his own schedules to worry about, he also worried about his members. Whether they were getting enough rest in between, eating well, not getting hurt. Was the company content with their progress or were they falling behind? Were the fans still proud to be their fans? And then there was the whole ordeal with promoting without one of their members as their only Chinese member had been missing from their latest comeback. Considering their history with losing members due to the company’s treatment towards their former members Kris, Luhan, and Tao which ultimately led to their departure, fans worried that the absence of Lay as he was promoting solo in China would end up the same way. And he felt somewhat responsible for the worry and complaints within their fandom, as the leader he was the voice of the group towards fans and media alike. People looked to him to keep the group together and in line, a heavy burden to carry. So far he had done a good job if he could say so himself. But always being the source of positivity and person to rely on did take its toll and it started to show. Not only did he feel tired mentally, his members had started to notice a change in his behavior. He was more agitated and grumpy than usual which started to worry them - something he hated as well.

Growing up in Seoul, there were many places he used to go to just to find some peace of mind and he had reached a point where he needed to go back and relax for a moment. What better place than the Han river, he thought. The hot sun of the day had long since disappeared and replaced by countless of dark clouds that poured rain everywhere. He loved the sound of rain, it soothed him. Maybe that was part of the reason his image had everything to do with the power of Water, though he felt it was too lame to admit.

He had noticed the frail frame sitting on the bench up ahead, wanting to ignore it and move on to avoid the risk of being recognized, it wasn’t until he heard her soft sobs through the rain that his conscience took over. Suho was a gentle person in general, he had this constant drive to help people and take away their worries which was one of the reasons he was able to lead his members so far. A girl was out in the rain at night, crying softly, he would have never forgiven himself if he ignored it and decided to approach you.

He wasn’t aware you were foreign when he approached you, but your reaction to his innocent question said enough. Lucky for him he had a decent grasp on the English language and hoped it would solve any communication problems you could have. Watching you break down in front of him tugged at his heart, being the gentle spirit that he was. Noticing the wound on your knee, his first thought was the worst scenario. What else would he think of a crying girl with a bleeding limb, after all? He remembered seeing a convenient store a little further back and didn’t hesitate to go out and get something useful.

You stared after him with a look of confusion painting your face. You had no idea who his random stranger was or why he was even trying to communicate with you. He had to be the first person you met so far who was actually patient enough to even pay attention to you, though you had your doubts he was going to be back. Your eyes moved to the dark sky above, it didn’t show signs of clearing up anytime soon either.

But sure enough, minutes later you heard footsteps approaching at rapid speed, the sound of splashing as he moved through some of the puddles that had formed accompanying the pitter patter of the rain. He held a plastic bag in his hand which he placed down on the bench next to you, you followed his actions with curious eyes as he pulled out a package and kneeled down in front of you. Suho had jogged back to the convenience store not too far from here and picked up some band aids, one of which he now carefully placed over the scratch on your knee. You appreciated the gesture though you still didn’t know what you had done to deserve this random act of kindness from a complete stranger. You weren’t even able to take a good look at his face with everything covering his appearance. All you could see were his eyes, but to you, they didn’t seem like the eyes of a bad person. They almost felt familiar.

“Ok!” He nodded to himself, seemingly proud of what he had accomplished. He glanced up at you and caught your eyes which took you by surprise. His eyes closed ever so slightly but you could tell he was offering you a kind smile from underneath his face mask. You quickly glanced away before staring down at your knee, almost feeling touched that he had gone through all that trouble just to get you a band-aid - again you were still strangers to each other.

Suho got up from the ground and ruffled in the plastic bag again, pulling out a foldable umbrella that he opened and raised before holding out his hand. “Come on, we’ll get sick from the rain.”

Your eyes moved away from your knee to his hand before glancing up to meet his eyes again. You hesitated, you knew better than to go along with strangers. Especially at this hour and especially while being somewhere unknown like this. Who was to say this guy didn’t have ulterior motives? He could be an escaped convict for all you know and you were his next prey.

“I won’t bite,” A soft, soothing chuckle escaped his lips as he wiggled his hand slightly in your direction. He was fully aware that the situation might have felt odd, he didn’t blame you for hesitating at all. But he couldn’t help himself wanting to help you out, he had completely forgotten about his own issues for the moment and had instead focused on yours. “Do you like coffee? It will do you some good, I promise.”

You stared at his eyes, searching for some kind of hint of evil intent. But the more you stared at him, the more you started to feel at ease. Like he could be trusted. They say eyes are the window to a person’s soul, don’t they? So that would mean that he was genuinely trying to help you. Biting your lip in slight hesitance, you reached out and placed your hand in his before getting up. He gently pulled you underneath the shelter of the umbrella as he started leading the way.

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