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ha-hatdog · 4 years ago

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little one / daisuke kambe

i definitely did not swoon while writing this. again, i did not know if you wanted hcs or one shot but i'll go with one shot. this is a good time to post this since the latest episode showed pics of smol daisuke omg. also, the name of your son is kakeru - yes, as in kakeru from run with the wind lmao

and to those who are saying i should add read more to my long fics, i really want to but i don't have a laptop or computer. i write everything on my phone, on the tumblr app. so if you know how to add read more in posts using the app, then please do dm me. thank chu💛

requested by anon: one where daisuke and reader have a two year old son together? lots of fluff

UNEDITED

Your palm concealed your amused lips, a snort emanating from your wrinkled nose as you took in the sight before you.

Kambe Daisuke was a man of little words and little expressions, and even now, after being married to you for four years and having a son who was now at the age of two, that has not changed. He was still the stoic and cool detective millionaire you have met many years ago - which is exactly what makes the unfolding scene before you much more hilarious.

Monotonous Daisuke, the same man you had seen take down criminals twice his size, was haphazardly sprawled on your carpeted ground, arms and legs outstretched, cheek pressed flat against the material of the carpet as a smaller and cuter carbon copy of him perched comfortably on his back, oblivious to the position he had set his father on, doing nothing but lie down on his father's back and sleep soundly, eyes closed, snoring and wearing such an adorable sleeping face that it was difficult not to coo.

The sight alone was already adorably hilarious, but seeing the genuine distress on Daisuke's face had you doubling over, your palm muffling your laughter.

"Look at you," You whispered at him by the doorframe, your knees bent and your other hand sliding along the frame of the door. "You look so dumb, Daisuke."

"I'm happy at least you find this amusing, but I do not." Your husband responded back in an ired puff, azure eyes glaring at you from the floor. It took all of you not to swoon.

"Don't look at me like that, my love. I can't take you seriously when our son is using you as a mattress." Daisuke's glare intensified, but as your previous statement suggested, all purpose of threat was dulled by the position he was in. "How did you even get yourself in this situation?"

"I find it unnecessary to tell you." Answered Daisuke, and from how his cheeks tinged red, you could only assume it was something embarassing. "Will you help me, love? Take Kakeru off of my back."

You shifted your gaze back to your slumbering son, and a fond smile sprouted on your brims.

Sometimes you wonder how you were even able to make this precious, big eyed, nuzzling baby. He was an exact copy of Daisuke, not a single hint of your genes. Blank face, quiet, raven hair, blue eyes, the little shine in his eyes whenever he saw you - it was like seeing Daisuke when he was a child, and it was because of this fact that you were at least feeling a little bit alright with your son having no semblance with you.

"Kakeru," You whispered to your son as you stepped closer to your best boys with quiet footfalls, and he scrunched his face ay the brief interruption of your cooing voice. You stopped yourself from squishing his cute little face, and knelt down beside them. "Kake -"

Your sentence was cut off when you felt a hand under your knee. Immediately, Daisuke retracted his hand away, hurling your way a soft glare. "Watch where your knee is going."

You chuckled at his dilemma and reached down to stroke his head. "Mattresses don't talk, Daisuke."

"Normal people don't talk to mattresses." Countered Daisuke, huffing and averting his gaze away from you. You stifled your laughter as his pout grew more prominent. It might be very obvious already with how Daisuke has everything handed over to him with a single breath, but your husband absolutely hated losing in any forms ; even in your daily banter, he must always have the last word. People often mistakenly thought that you, being his darling wife that he had persistently courted for a whole year, would be exempted to this childish pettiness you consistently deny her allegations, firmly believing you were receiving the worse end of it. This man cannot forget the times you have successfully reigned victory over his own game, months or weeks, it never failed to be permanently ingrained in his mind ; and this resulted to puzzling moments which goes by a chronological sequence - a relatively normal day, an opportunity to divulge the opening you have unknowingly presented before his feet, and then comes his last word, to which he will remind you as your confused face stared back at him when his out of the blue statement has originally birthed from.

However, there was only one person who could defeat him at that, would never let him get the last word and that is your son Kakeru. As you stared at his sleeping face, you cannot help but smile as you reminiscent that particular day.

***

Haru Kato has been invited to your house to meet Kambe Kakeru. Daisuke has been mildly cross with Haru meeting his son because he was petty and said that Kakeru needed no other man than him but seeing that Daisuke has become good friends with Haru in the two years they were partners, you insisted that he meets him. It was already unfair that Haru had to wait until Kakeru was two to meet him, the first and last time he saw him being after you had given birth (Daisuke only let him have a glimpse then pushed him out of the hospital room because he doesn't want Kakeru thinking he was his father).

"Kakeru," You chided as you crouched beside your son who was hiding behind Daisuke's legs and peering at the gray haired male, eyes curious yet cautious. "Don't you want to meet Uncle Haru?"

Haru stepped closer to the three of you, bent down near Kakeru's height, and outstretched his hand for him to shake. "Hey there, Kakeru." Haru greeted with a smile.

Kakeru recoiled and hid himself further behind Daisuke, hands around his pants tightening. "Daddy," He whimpered. "Bad man."

Haru's face fell at the enunciation, and you covered your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. Daisuke stared blankly at Haru as his hand travelled behind his back to stroke Kakeru's head. "You heard my son. Get out of here, bad man." Daisuke uttered his command.

A tick mark appeared on Haru's forehead at Daisuke's vocalization and before things could escalate out of the power of your responsibility, you interjected, regaiming your proper posture and clasping your hands together. "Kakeru is just wary of Haru because this is the first time he's seeing him, no need to fight." You told them off.

"No, Haru is just naturally scary." Daisuke stated with bantering finality.

"This is coming from a man who barely smiles." Argued Haru, scowling.

"And this is coming from someone who seems to be making a living screaming at me." Countered Daisuke.

Kakeru's eyes widened at what his father had said and shot Haru a small glare, yet his stance never wavered from its hiding place. "He screams at daddy . . . " Murmured Kakeru in a thoughtful trance, and pointed at Haru, shocking all three of you. "D-Don't scream at daddy again!"

Alarm made its way to Haru's facr at the accusation. "No, I have not once yelled at your dad - "

Daisuke turned around and knelt in front of Kakeru. Daisuke stared into his son's eyes and Kakeru stared back. "Don't listen to him, Kakeru. You should never listen to him, never ever. He makes daddy get all angry when we're doing police missions together."

"O-Oi," Haru inserted, fuming. "You're the one who always makes me mad! Don't turn the child on me!"

But Kakeru was not listening to Haru, as his beloved father has told him. Kakeru nodded firmly, lips curling. "Yes, daddy." He vouched in determination.

"Daisuke, stop it." You chastised, sighing and turned to the other detective that was not using your son to his advantage. "Sorry about this, Haru. Kakeru really looks up to Daisuke so he does anything he tells him to."

Kakeru, all of a sudden, began trotting away from the three of you, leaving all of you confused. After a few minutes, Kakeru returned, a determined look on his face.

"Kakeru, sweetheart, where did you go?" You asked as you approached him. "It's rude to leave our guest hanging, you know."

"Fight bad man," You and Haru gasped in horror when your son suddenly brandished a gun to Haru, not just a toy, but a real one. His tiny hands trembled as he was not used to the weight of the metal weapon burdening his grasp, and he was still glaring at Haru. "I pew pew bad guy, mommy, like daddy do with bad guys!"

"Kakeru, where did you get that gun?" You questioned, alarmed and and genuinely frightened. You looked to your husband to assess his reaction, but much to your mortification, Daisuke looked calm as he always is, as if your son wasn't capable of hurting a person as of the moment. "Daisuke, what the hell?"

You let out a yelp when Kakeru turned to you, and in the process, turned the gun to you. "Bad word, Mommy." He scolded. "I don't like."

Daisuke drawled. "It's not a big deal."

Haru growled. "Your son has a weapon! How are you not freaking out?" He then turned to Kakeru and extended his hand. "Give me the gun, Kakeru. Give it."

But Kakeru shook his head defiantly. "No!"

Daisuke frowned at his wife and his partner. "Why are you making a big fuss about this?" He questioned. "It's unloaded and the safety is on."

At the mention of those, you and Haru felt a brief sense of relief until Haru spoke out, "Just because it's unloaded doesn't mean it's okay!"

"It's basically a toy." Retorted Daisuke.

You walked towards your husband and pulled at his ear. His face did not at all change, seemingly expecting this reaction from you. "Daisuke, where did he even get the gun? Has one of yours been just lying around his reach?" This concerned you. If your son was able to get a weapon easily, what more is your husband letting him get?

"I gave him one." Answered Daisuke.

"And why would you give our two year old a gun?" You snapped at him.

"Kakeru said he wanted to hold a gun. Just like you, I said no." Daisuke glanced over at Kakery who was watching the three of you curiously. "However - " He turned back to you, and looked away. " - he's too adorable, as you might say."

You and Haru, in unison, slapped your hands to your forehead, exasperated with Daisuke's response.

"Kakeru probably looked sad when Daisuke said no." Haru remarked. "I can't blame him to be honest."

"He's spoiling him in ways too many." You added, and removed your hand from your forehead. "Daisuke, I know you love our son and pampering him but he can't just have a gun."

"Why, mommy?" You all looked at Kakeru, and immediately understood why Daisuke was forced to give him an unloaded gun. "Not love me?"

"A-Ah," You shrieked, horrified. "The secret move!"

Haru gulps. "This boy knows a little too much about his abilities."

"Even if it doesn't have any bullets?" Daisuked asked you.

You hurtled him a glower. "Even if it doesn't have any bullets and yes, even if it has the safety lock on." You immediately added when you saw Daisuke open his mouth.

Said man huffed. "Fine. If I knew you were going to react like this, I wouldn't have done it."

You and Haru watched as Daisuke knelt down in front of your son. Kakeru stared at his father, eyes wide and admiring. Daisuke lets out a sigh and extended his palm, "Give."

Kakeru shook his head vigorously, and his face scrunched as if he was going to cry but was trying to suppress it. "Daddy no love me too?"

You waited for what Daisuke would do, but he did not move. More seconds has passed, and he was yet to move. You and Haru exchanged glances before you moved over to him, checking him out. "Daisuke, love, what - Daisuke?"

A torn man was what Daisuke coukd be called at that moment. His face was deadpanned, but being with him longer than anyone else, you were able to pick up the small difference his expression held right now.

"U-Uh, Daisuke, are you okay?" You questioned in a form of a titter, eyebrows connected. "Daisuke?"

Haru walked over to Daisuke and leaned to look at him. "A-Ah, he looks like he's suffering."

"No, no," Denied Daisuke, frown deepening as he tried not to fall for his son's adorable trap. "Daddy loves you. But mommy and I agreed that you can't have that kind of toy, Kakeru."

"But," You all drew in a breath Kakeru hugged the gun to his chest, tears prodding the corners of his eyes. "My favorite toy is this."

"But why that, baby?" You asked softly. "You have so many other toys. Why that one?" You recalled the heaping amount of toys Daisuke bought for Kakeru.

Kakeru pouted, cheeks puffing. You couldn't help but imagine little Daisuke like that. "Because Daddy gave me this." Said Kakeru. "I want to be police, like daddy."

Daisuke turned to you, the internal struggle in his eyes prominent but you shook your head at him. Your husband sighed and looked at Kakeru again. He put his hand on top his head and ruffled his hair. Kakeru closed his eyes at the affection, welcoming it and his rigid frame loosening. Kakeru opened his eyes and let out a small noise of surprise as Daisuke wiped a stray tear from his cheek.

From what you can deduce, you knew Daisuke was about to say something brilliant to your son, to teach him something valuable. But before Daisuke could even open his mouth, Haru cut him off -

"A gun doesn't make a cop, Kakeru. It's the sense of justice to do the right thing and keeping people safe does." Haru then proceeded to take out his badge and handing it to Kakeru with a large smile on his face. "You can borrow this for a while, while I'm still here. As much as I want to give it to you, I need it to do my job as a cop. But maybe in the future, you can get one of your own. You'll be just like your dad."

You were impressed by what Haru had said, but Kakeru - his eyes were wide and glittering with admiration as he stared at Haru, all fear of the bad man gone. You swear that there was light all around Haru if you're ever seeing through Kakeru's eyes. But one member of the group disliked this mild change, and it was your irritated and pouting husband.

You covered your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. Daisuke was obviously feeling jealous of Haru now that his son was ignoring him - the emotion only worsening when Kakeru took the badge from Haru and dropped the gun on the ground and stared at the shiny object, whispering, "Uwahh,"

A cloud of dread hung over Daisuke and you patted his back in comfort. "There, there, Daisuke, he's just making a friend."

"But why with Haru?" Grumbled Daisuke, sulking. "And why is he looking at him like that? I should be the only one he's looking at like that. You too, I guess."

You let out a sigh. "You're really jealous when it comes to me and Kakeru."

Haru looked proud of the achievement and improvement he had made with Kakeru, his hands over his hips. "Looks pretty cool, right?"

Kakeru nodded enthusiastically, examining the badge thoroughly. "Very cool." He murmured, and then stared at Haru intently, lips pursing. "I wanna be like Mister Haru when I grow up!"

That was the first time you have seen Daisuke speechless and the last time Haru had seen Kakeru for six months. You were certain Daisuke did not speak to Haru for about two weeks, only communicating through nods and grunts, and Haru did not know whether to feel relieved or irritated at that. Maybe a little bit of both.

But, that was the only time Daisuke did not have the last word.

Kakeru certainly has Daisuke around his little finger.

***

You reached forward and shook Kakeru awake softly. "Kakeru," You chimed, and he scrunched his face again, not wanting to be disturbed sleeping on Daisuke's back. "Wake up, baby,"

Kakeru let out a small groan, and slowly opened his eyes. A familiar pair of blue hues greeted you, the same eyes that you wake up to every morning. Kakeru let out a big yawn and rubbed his left eye with his hand, groaning out, "Mommy," He then looked down at Daisuke who was craning his head to watch his son. "And Daddy."

You smiled at him and opened your arms, hands making grabby movements towards your two year old. "Come here, baby," You cooed sweetly.

Kakeru perked up and a glimmer crossed his eyes, the same glimmer when Daisuke had seen you for the first time. You could never forget that time, and you can never find it more beautiful than seeing that in your son's eyes whenever you offer him affection. Immediately, the two year old scrambled out of Daisuke's back - Daisuke grunted as his little feet padded on his back a few times as he struggled to get to your lap and arms - and sunk in your embrace. Your eyes grew gentler as Kakeru snuggled closer to your chest, cheek rubbing on your clothing and his hands clinging to the fabric.

"Are you tired, baby?" You questioned as you stroked the back of his head, finger running over his hair.

Kakeru nodded tiredly. "Daddy played cops and robbers with me."

"Let me guess, you were the cop and he was the robber?" You commented.

"Yes, and I captured Daddy many, many times." Answered Kakeru, proud with himself.

"Oh, is that so? That's amazing, baby. You're going to be a great cop like Daddy." You then turned over to Daisuke who was now recovering from being used as a bed. He dusted himself as he sat properly on the ground in front of you. "Is that why you were under him? Because you were arrested?"

Daisuke looked away. "I think I need to teach him how to properly apprehend a criminal."

You giggled. "When he's older, Daisuke."

He faced you with a sharp twist of his face, expression determined. "He won't grow older."

You frowned. "What?"

You and Daisuke looked down to see Kakeru fighting the need to sleep, his eyes opening and closing.

"I don't . . . " Daisuke trailed off, and a trace of embarassment scrawled on his face. You rarely see your husband embarassed and so you waited for him to continue. " . . . I don't want Kakeru to grow up."

You shook your head lightly, smile broadening. "Daisuke," You whispered, and when he did not look at you, you called him again. "Love, look at me."

He did so, and with one hand, you cradled his face. "I know how you feel. I understand where you're coming from. But - " You mused. " - don't you want to see our son grow up to be a fine man? To be the person he aspires to be? To be like you?"

Daisuke stares back at you, and took a gander at Kakeru who was beginning to fall asleep. He lets out a sigh and nodded in agreement, "I guess that would be pleasant to see."

"And he'll marry a great girl." You added.

"Marry mommy," Kakeru drawled. He was forcing himself to stay awake but his eyes was not cooperating with his spirits.

Daisuke scooted closer to both of you and brushed his knuckles on Kakeru's forehead. "Marry mommy? You're going to take mommy away from me?"

Kakeru shook his head. "Marry someone like mommy," One of his hand extended and took hold of Daisuke's shirt, the other still clinging to you. Kakeru looked up at both of you, still comfortable in your lap and chest. His eyes, again, were bright. "I want family like me, and mommy, and daddy."

Warmth swathed your chest, your heart melting. You took a gander to Daisuke and saw that the expression he wore - love, care, and the promise of sacrifice when it comes to it and when he looked at you, the emotions never faltered, and they only grew stronger. Sometimes you wonder just how much Daisuke loved you and Kakeru.

"A family like the three of us." Kakeru let go of your clothing and showed three fingers of his and quickly pressed the three digits together. "A happy family."

Kakeru fell asleep after his statement. His arm dropped and his head moved to one side, his eyes closed and lips parted.

"We should tuck him in." Daisuke declared.

"Yeah," You agreed and Daisuke helped you stand up, making sure you two aren't waking your sleeping son. You moved him to his bed, setting him down the mattress gently. Daisuke took the liberty of putting the blanket over Kakeru. Your child shifted in his spot, and cuddled to his pillow.

You sat on the bed beside Kakeru, observing your son. "Already tired when the morning has just barely started." You chuckled.

"He said he needed practice to be a cop, and I couldn't say no." Daisuke inserted.

"You can never say no to Kakeru anyways." You jested.

"Same with you." Daisuke knelt down beside the bed, arms resting on the mattress and his head level with his son's. He admired Kakeru, his deadpan expression gone and a small smile on his face. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Kakeru's cheek, lingering for a while before pulling away.

Daisuke faced you and you raised an eyebrow as he took your hand.

"You have given me a beautiful son. Thank you so much, my love."

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ddaenggtan · 5 years ago

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midnight wishes | knj [M]

Granny Park's Gossip:

That boy. Never met anyone as prone to disaster as he is while being so damned smart, except maybe that roommate of his. The two of them could probably cure cancer if they wanted to, but you leave them alone for more than a few seconds and you’re liable to come back to disaster. Jiminie did say they’ve been acting a little different, though, maybe they finally wised up and made things official instead of just humping like bunnies around that apartment of theirs. Oh, am I not supposed to say that?

pairing } namjoon x reader

word count } 10.3k { also on ao3

genre } Fluff, Smut, the smallest possible dash of angst; FWB au, Roommates au, coworkers au, slight idiots to lovers but like. lowkey.

warnings } smut, the most smut, all the smut. Namjoon In Glasses bc that deserves its own tag. there’s multiple smutty parts, several less explicit and then one very very super explicit so for those: oral female, oral male, fingering, deepthroating, protected sex, unprotected sex, mention of semi-public sex, mentions of a sir kink, some very accidental cum eating that is hilarious and disgusting all at once. Namjoon and Slick are both complete and utter idiots, like it’s genuinely a miracle that they’ve lived this long, especially when paired together.

{ The Snowball Effect Collab Masterlist }

a/n } hello it is i with yet another fic. it’s done. i. have a lot of emotions bUT that’s neither here nor there. This is part of The Snowball Effect collab, and while it can be read as a standalone, all the fics end in the same spot and there are so many crossovers that it legitimately hurts to think about for too long, so for the best and funniest and fluffiest experience, we recommend that you read all of them in order!! Special shoutout to ashley, kristi, and ryn (@taehyungforreal, @stutterfly, and @fortunexkookie, respectively) for letting me part of this wonderful adventure. i’m more honored than i could ever say with words, and i’m grateful every day that i got the chance to work with all of you on this absolutely phenomenal collab. for those of you who are just now seeing this, i implore you to read the others, as they are literal light years better than this, and i could not possibly live up to the absolute beauty of the other authors in this collab, but i still hope you enjoy my shiny garbage child aka this fic.

The first time you ever saw Kim Namjoon was on your very first day at the lab where you both work. You won't ever forget it, not because he's the walking embodiment of beauty nor because he's the most intelligent person you've ever met besides yourself. No, that day stays firmly implanted in your memory because that was the day the two of you nearly got fired for setting the building on fire.

In a genetics lab.

You don't even work with chemicals. Maybe if you did, they would have been more understanding, but you don't and instead, everyone was completely flabbergasted that the two of you very nearly destroyed the building because you tried to reheat your leftover Chinese food - and really, how perfect is it that he also prefers the place across town instead of on the corner, and that he eats all the vegetables you pick out of your rice while you eat the eggrolls he isn't a fan of - in the microwave at the same time. Sure, your IQ is close to 300 when combined, but also, how are you supposed to remember that the bottom part of the takeout is made of foil? You were trying to single out a gene sequence that might help cancer research. Microwaves were not important.

Until it exploded a little and set the fire suppression systems off in all the labs and affected several billion dollars worth of research.

Honestly, the two of you are lucky you still have your jobs.

Less lucky that the insurance company wouldn't pay for the entire cost so both you and Namjoon had to take pretty severe pay cuts to help cover the costs.

Even less lucky that it means you could no longer afford your apartment by yourself and subsequently had to try to find a roommate in less than a week, which the internet is not helpful for, it doesn't matter what your coworkers say.

Which really just highlights that it's your own fault that you're in this situation in the first place, you think as you slam back another shot. It's been months, and yes, you found a roommate, and yes , things between the two of you are working better than you could have imagined, but god , at what cost?

You catch a glimpse of dimples heading your way and down the rest of the Kamikaze that you've been nursing all night. You might regret that later, the alcohol might make you do something you'd never do otherwise, but you can always pretend you don't remember. Besides, it's so much harder to handle Namjoon while you're completely sober; you never quite know what to say or what to do.

He doesn't bother to sit in the empty stool beside you, just slides into the space between you and it and lets one arm rest casually on the back of your barstool as he leans in to be heard over the live band that's playing. You don't look at him, you don't trust yourself to look at him, not with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and the top two buttons undone. You know he looks deliciously rumpled. You're entirely too familiar with the sight.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks. You shrug even as you start pulling your coat on, doing your best to ignore the way the heat of his breath brushed over your neck in the way that always gets you hot and bothered. "We don't have to if you don't want to," He says quickly, but you wave him off.

"No, it's fine, I promise. I'm not enjoying the band as much as I thought I would anyway."

When the ride you summoned stops at your apartment building, Namjoon pays and follows you up. The alcohol has started seeping into your bloodstream, and for a moment you regret that last drink. You're not drunk, not really, but you're on the farther side of tipsy and thoughts are swirling in your head that you wish would go somewhere else. Plus you're really fucking hungry now, and also kinda tired, and you're really glad tomorrow's Saturday so you can sleep in.

"What's got you in your head?" Namjoon asks as you fumble to unlock the door. You just shrug noncommittally, unwilling to tell him about it. He doesn't pry either, just sets to work pulling leftover tacos out of the fridge and sticking them in the microwave, remembering at the last second to take the plastic off the top so your food doesn't get coated in melted saran wrap. The two of you eat in relative silence before you manage to make yourself go into your room and strip out of your work clothes and then slide under the covers.

You don't listen as he goes into the room across the hall, you don't listen as the shower starts up, you don't listen at the off-key singing that he does. You don't. You can't let yourself, because then your drunk ass won't be able to keep your mouth shut the next time you see him - as you're both eating breakfast tomorrow, probably - and you'll say some super embarrassing shit like "hey I know it's partially my fault you couldn't afford your rent and you know I'm really grateful that you moved in with me, but you're also like hot as the surface of the sun and your dimples are really cute too, please fuck me stupid, I'm literally begging you."

Because that's the issue with living and working with Namjoon. There is no escape. Before you could come home and masturbate in peace while thinking about how his chest looks so utterly perfect in those button-ups, and how the muscles in his forearm flex when he's got his sleeves rolled up, and how his jaw does that muscle clench thing whenever he's focused on something.

But no. Now he lives with you , and not only are you both on the same schedules and therefore he’s never not home when you are, therefore depriving you of your precious Alone Time, but! You get a front-row view to how he looks in the mornings, with his hair all messy, and how he always forgets that the flavor packet goes in the ramen after you cook it, and how he bundles up every time he goes on walks with Moni, and-

The door to the bathroom creaks open and you force your eyes not to close. You inspect the stuccoed ceiling the entire time it takes his footsteps to make it into his room because otherwise, you're just going to remember that first week after he moved in, when he would have to go to his room with just a towel around his waist because his clothes were in boxes and he hadn't unpacked and he'd forgotten to take anything in the bathroom with him.

The memory of his absolutely fucking ridiculous pectorals dripping with water and his god damn superb biceps flexed and delicious-looking, none of it hidden under the slightly-too-big shirts he wears to work...it haunts you. To this day.

The sound of his door closing echoes through the hall and into your room. It’s through an incredibly impressive force of will that you don’t imagine what he’s doing right now, just across the hall. You resolutely do not imagine him sliding that towel from around his waist and revealing the gorgeous glistening golden thighs that strain against his work khakis so wonderfully. Nor do you think of the way he twists his neck to pop it while he does his after-shower stretches - because that’s a normal thing that normal people totally do - and you absolutely are not thinking of the way the scent of sandalwood and steam trails after him when he’s freshly showered and you are definitively not thinking about-

A loud, high-pitched moan followed by the slapping of skin on skin echoes through the apartment, jolting you upright and out of your thoughts as you stare in shock at the back of your bedroom door.

Something thuds against the carpeted floor of Namjoon’s room and the sound abruptly cuts off. The silence that follows is deafening, and your ears ring with it.

Surely….surely he wasn’t….

A thought, unbidden and cursed, flits through your mind before you can stop it. You can’t even blame the residual alcohol in your body for the way you stand and open your bedroom door, or how you slip your super soft silk robe over your shoulders and tie it loosely around your waist, nor for the way you take the two steps to stand in front of Namjoon’s, but you absolutely blame your quickly-returning sobriety for the way you hesitate in front of it.

He’s going to say no, anyway, so what’s the harm? Things are awkward for a day or two and then we move on, right?

You knock before you can talk yourself out of it. It takes a few minutes, but Namjoon does eventually open the door. His chest is still bare but he’s got on the soft-looking plaid pajama pants that you adore, albeit they are on backwards , and his face is flushed with color.

You're 98% sure that it's because he just had his hand around his cock. You're significantly less sure if you hate or love the fact that you know that.

“Hey,” You say awkwardly.

“Hey,” He responds, just as awkward.

You both stand there for a second while you work up the courage to ask what’s been going around and around in your mind.

“I just heard that thud and got worried,” is what eventually makes it out. Namjoon’s face flushes further, and his nose scrunches in the cutest way. “Just...wanted to make sure you weren’t, y’know. Dead. Haha.”

He smiles at your laugh, even though it’s dead and humorless, and warmth blooms in your chest.

“I’m alright. Sorry for any, uh…” He squints, clearly searching for the word he wants to use that won’t immediately give him away - like the entire apartment building hadn’t heard that noise. “Disturbances.”

“Oh, no, you’re fine!” You tell him, rubbing the back of your neck. “I was just. Uh. Y’know how bonobos will often have recreational sex with non-monogamous partners just because they’re bored or as a way to work out the tension between members of the unit-groups and they enjoy said recreational sex, even though there’s no real emotional attachment to the other parties involved?”

Namjoon stares at you for a long, silent moment.

“Yeah, I know about bonobos,” He eventually says. “I didn’t know that about bonobos, but I guess that’s the fun fact quota for the day.”

Your face heats and you’ve never quite wished the ground would swallow you up until this very moment.

“Oh,” You say, dumbly. “Well. That’s a thing. That bonobos do.”

“I got that,” Namjoon says. He bites down on his lower lip in what’s probably an innocuous way to not smile at how ridiculous you’re being, but when paired with the golden expanse of chest, it’s utterly obscene.

“Would you like to have recreational sex with me?”

“ What? ”

“No strings attached, no feelings, nothing but some nice fun recreational intercourse between two consenting adults of sound mind. Would you be interested?”

“I...why are you asking me? ” He asks incredulously, and you resist the urge to kiss the surprise off his face. How is it surprising at all when he walks around looking like that ?

“Because in the time we’ve known each other as coworkers, roommates, and friends, I think we could be very sexually compatible and even if we aren’t, I’m confident enough in our friendship to believe we could still be friends afterward.” You tell him firmly. “Besides, you’re literally the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, why wouldn’t I want to have sex with you?”

“You’re...serious about this? You’re not playing some kind of joke on me?”

“Why would I play a joke on you, Namjoon? I haven’t been able to get off for literal weeks - ever since you moved in, actually - and I’m at a bit of a breaking point.”

“And you’re not drunk?”

“Completely sober,” You assure him. He curses under his breath and runs a hand over his jaw, not making eye contact as he considers. It’s the same thoughtful expression that he gets when he’s trying to figure out some complex equation at work. With how long it’s been since you last came, however, it’s only making you wetter.

"Fuck it," He mutters, seconds before his hands cup your jaw to pull you into a kiss.

It's awkward at first, the two of you trying to find a rhythm that you both enjoy while still being able to breathe. His lips are slightly chapped and you both stumble as he starts walking backwards towards the bed, but it's so wonderful. His hand against your jaw is warm and comforting, even as his other hand is slipping teasingly under your robe and his teeth suckle a mark into your collarbone.

Movement on the bed catches your attention and you flush when you realize it's Moni, Namjoon's very sweet dog that came with him when he moved in.

"Uh, Namjoon?" You breathe. It's hard to focus on anything that isn't the way he's teasing at the band of your panties, but the way Moni is staring at you is captivating. "Dog."

Namjoon freezes, hands disappearing from your skin, and he either doesn't hear or doesn't acknowledge your needy whine at the loss of contact.

"What, what's wrong? Is that your safeword? What did I do?"

"No, Joon," You can barely hear yourself think over the stream of apologies pouring from his lips, and it isn't until you grip his shoulders and forcibly turn him to look at his dog that he shuts up.

" Oh ," He whispers. "The dog." He clicks his tongue a couple of times and Moni hops down from the bed, though not without giving Namjoon the saddest eyes possible. Moni disappears down the hallway, probably to go lay on the couch, and Namjoon shuts the door behind him. "Sorry," he says bashfully.

"Don't be sorry," You respond with a smile. " Do , however, fuck me until I can't move."

A growl vibrates in his chest, surprising you, and you're bouncing atop his mattress before you can think.

He doesn't say anything else, too focused on the way your folds feel against his tongue as he slides your robe up your thighs. Words are hardly possible for you when he makes you come the first time. Even less so when he turns you onto your hands and knees, presses your face into the mattress, and proceeds to pound into you so hard that the nightstand shakes. Still, your knees are made weak by something else entirely.

It's the tender awareness in his touch; he's firm and unyielding but so, so cautious, consistently testing your reactions before he continues. The way his voice - deepened and husky with desire - sounds in your ear when he asks if what he's doing is okay, if you like it, if you want to keep going. It's how he teases you gently about how wet you are - "God damn, is this all for me? You're so fucking wet, so slick and ready for me, sweetheart," - the way he's so absolutely tuned in to your own needs and desires, the way he coaxes orgasm after orgasm out of you like it's second nature, his own high an afterthought when you've clenched too tight around him.

It's the way he brings you water and some fruit afterward and gently cleans you up while you eat before sliding your robe carefully over the blossoming purple marks he sucked into your shoulders. It's the way he didn't close his bedroom door until yours clicked behind you.

"This was the best idea I've ever had," you sigh happily to yourself as you drift off to sleep.

“So you’ve got a sir kink?” Namjoon asks several days later, face pressed into a microscope more expensive than your entire apartment building. He doesn’t look at you, even as you tear your eyes away from the computer screen in front of you to glance at him curiously.

“I do,” You tell him. He shifts in his chair and you bite back a grin. “Is that a problem? We don’t have to use it.”

“No, it’s fine,” He says quickly. “Just thought it was interesting. I didn’t expect that from you.”

“Namjoon, we’ve only known each other for a couple of months, and in that time, we’ve hardly had a conversation about what kinks we enjoy and what we don’t. How would you expect anything?”

“Just...didn’t expect it, that’s all.” He’s quiet for a minute and a sliver of guilt lodges in your throat. You’re right, the two of you haven’t known each other for very long, especially not in a sexual manner, but you could’ve maybe phrased it better.

“I’m sorry-”

“We should-”

Both of you stop midsentence, turning away from your work to laugh with each other.

“You don’t have to apologize,” Namjoon says with a dimpled smile. “I know what you meant, and you’re right. We don’t know what the other enjoys, so we shouldn’t go into this with any expectations.”

“Maybe we should, though,” You say, marking a sequence that catches your eye so you’ll remember to come back and fully examine it later. “I mean, we can’t exactly fulfill our sexual needs without knowing what said needs are. For instance, how often do you orgasm every week?”

Something tumbles on Namjoon’s desk, and when you look over he’s got the microscope cradled carefully in his hands a few feet above the floor.

“Uh...maybe twice,” He eventually says.

“Hm. Duly noted.” You turn back to the monitor in front of you, marking another sequence for inspection.

“Well...how often do you orgasm each week?” He asks. His voice is hesitant, like he isn’t sure if he’s allowed to ask.

“Depends,” You tell him. “When I’m close to my period or ovulating, it’s usually once a day, if not twice, because my sex drive is higher, but otherwise it’s usually every other day or so.”

“Oh.”

“But don’t worry, I’m more than willing to take care of myself on the nights where you need a break. I don’t expect you to keep up with my sex drive.”

“I mean...I could .”

You turn away from the monitor to look at him, quirking a brow. He quirks his own in return and you can’t help the way your eyes travel down his form. He’s wearing contacts instead of his glasses - always does during the workweek, since it’s easier to use a microscope that way - but the light purple shirt sets off the platinum blonde of his hair and his thighs strain against the material of his khakis. It all adds up to make him look absolutely delectable, especially since you know full well what’s hiding underneath those pants.

“I could,” He repeats. “If you want me to.”

Your eyes meet his and you have no doubt he’s been eyeing you the same way you’ve been eyeing him.

“I think it might be time for our lunch break, Mr. Kim,” You tell him, eyes darting to the clock on your desk. “I was thinking of going out to get something, would you like to join me?”

Namjoon is already standing and grabbing his jacket, and you would laugh at how eager he is if you weren’t the same way. You can already feel heat beginning to pool between your legs and the two of you rush out of the office in such a hurry that you hardly notice when you run straight into the mail cart.

“Nice going, Slick!” Kihyun yells after you, and you wish you were ashamed of the way that your knees tremble at the reminder of how it felt to have Namjoon call you that while buried inside of your warmth.

“They have no idea,” Namjoon mutters, fingers twisting with yours so he can pull you down a hallway and towards an unused office. “If they only knew just how slick you really are.”

You shiver and slam the door closed as Namjoon sinks to his knees.

The amount of times the two of you fuck at work is utterly ridiculous after that. You have an actual conversation with him about kinks and hard limits and soft limits and all that fun grown-up stuff that’s necessary of an adult relationship, of course, and that only adds to the fire between the two of you.

He’s more than willing to let you call him Sir while you’re on your hands and knees in front of him, and you’re absolutely willing to ride him into oblivion in those moments when he doesn’t want to be in charge or when he’s had a hard day at work and just wants to relax. Those are your favorite times, actually; when he just sits on the couch and drives himself up into you while you’re fucking yourself back down onto him, eyes clenched shut as his hands glide up your spine and knead your ass.

The slow, lazy way his hips meet yours is absolutely addictive, you can’t even lie, but you can’t deny that it’s the moment after you’ve both cum that are the real danger. When you’re both panting and spent, laying against the soft sheets on his bed or the cool leather of your couch, and his arm drapes around your torso for those few moments it takes him to regain his breath.

It’s dangerous, so dangerous, because you’ve already agreed not to have feelings involved in this. You’re friends with benefits, nothing more and nothing less, and you cannot let yourself forget that. Not in the mornings when you wander out in his shirt to find that he’s made breakfast - ordered it, actually, but it’s the thought that counts - or when you walk into work together and he doesn’t hesitate to open the doors for you without even breaking stride, as if it’s second nature to do so. As if he’s used to it.

It’s when the two of you are at the mall together that reality hits you in the face.

You’re both on the hunt for different things; he’s got a birthday present he still has to buy and wants to pick up some new treats and sweaters for Moni, while you’re on the hunt for a new toaster to rival that of your old one - which you destroyed on accident by using a metal fork to dig a piece of bread out of. While it was plugged in. And hot.

Your hands still sting a little, but the ER nurse was adamant that you would be alright. So long as you didn’t try to electrocute yourself again.

“Wait, so you’re not going to be here for New Year’s Eve?” You clarify, popping a piece of chocolate into your mouth.

“No, I’m heading up to Taehyung’s cabin with the rest of the guys. It’s an annual thing, I don’t even remember how it got started,” Namjoon tells you as he peers into the window of some box store that you already know isn’t going to have anything Taehyung will like.

“Hm, I guess it’s good I work then, so I can walk Moni.”

Namjoon shoots you an odd look. “You don’t work, and Jackson’s watching Moni.”

“Uh...I’m pretty sure I work on New Year’s Eve, Namjoon. I would’ve made plans otherwise.”

“Slick, I’m exactly one hundred percent sure the office is closed for New Year’s because it is every year.” He sneaks a piece of chocolate and wrinkles his nose when he realizes it’s mint chocolate.

“No, because my schedule says-” You start, pulling your phone out to open said schedule so you can show him just how wrong he is. “That I work the next morning. That’s why I didn’t make plans.”

Namjoon just smiles and taps at the screen. “That’s December, Slick. You’re looking at December first.”

You pull the phone back and stare at it, horror washing over you when you see that he’s right.

You’re going to be spending New Year’s alone, for the first time in years, and loneliness fills you at that thought. Your parents are an entire plane ride away, on vacation for their retirement in some tropical paradise that you can’t remember the name of; your old friends are in an entirely different city, likely already with plans of their own, and you don’t know nearly enough people at work or outside of it to have any idea what people are doing.

“Oh man,” Namjoon breathes, clearly oblivious to the sudden onset of loneliness that’s hit you. “I knew it was going to be hilarious, but I had no idea it was going to be this good .”

You look up to find him focused on his phone, camera pointing at something you can’t quite make out through the small screen. You follow the view, a reluctant smile breaking out when you spot Hope on the Street dancing along to some holiday song while dressed as an elf.

“Isn’t that the news anchor that got in trouble for doing anal?” You ask. Namjoon cackles - there’s no other word for it, it’s a cackle - and nods.

“Yeah, Hoseok’s been forced into doing this as a publicity stunt. We’ve all been looking forward to seeing him do it, too, but god , I had no idea it would be this funny to see. Hobi as a Christmas elf, can you imagine?”

“Hobi?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s a close friend of mine,” Namjoon says, eyes never straying from the video as he plays it back. “He’s gonna be at the cabin too, with his girlfriend Cat. There’s like seven of us who all grew up in the same little neighborhood, and we all kept pretty close as we got older. It’s like a little mini-family.”

“Oh,” You say softly. Namjoon tucks his phone back into his pocket and looks around, lighting up as he spots something else. “I didn’t know you knew Hope on the Street.”

“Yeah, he’s a dork,” Namjoon says as he pulls you towards some children’s store. “Come on, I think Yoongi’s working and I like to watch his little dance when he makes the hearts.”

You barely pay attention as Namjoon hurries into the toy store. You don’t join him inside, too busy lost in your own thoughts.

You should’ve realized, you scold yourself. You should’ve known better. You got comfortable, you got complacent and happy, too enamored with the way Namjoon feels inside of you and the warmth of his hand in yours to realize that you’re still on the outside.

He and his friends are all going up to some cabin, with their girlfriends apparently, to hang out and have fun together for New Year’s. He didn’t invite you. You’ve lost yourself in the fantasy and complacency of how warm he feels, how it feels like coming home whenever you see him, even when you knew better.

You knew better than to get attached. You told yourself, every step of the way, not to get attached, don’t develop feelings, it’s just sex, and yet…

And yet your heart is breaking in your chest that he didn’t invite you along, that he didn’t even think to do so. It’s not even fair to him, it’s not his fault that you got too caught up in the domesticity and familiarity of him to remember that this isn’t serious. Why would he invite you? You’re his roommate, a coworker, the girl he fucks every so often. You aren’t his girlfriend, you aren’t anyone important to his friends.

You’re just the roommate.

“Hey, look at this bear I made, it’s got a little microscope and everything! It’s perfect for-”

“Sorry,” You interrupt, ignoring the way Namjoon’s smile dims ever so slightly. “I just realized that I’ve got to finish up some analyses before the office closes for the holiday, I’ve gotta go do that. But it’s cute, Moni’ll love it.”

“Okay.” Namjoon’s voice is hushed, and his brows are drawn together. He can obviously tell something’s off, but if you’re lucky, maybe he won’t be able to pinpoint exactly what. “I’ll see you at home then.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you back at the apartment,” You say quickly, not even looking at him as you hurry off the other way.

You just need space, you tell yourself. You just need some distance so you can get your emotions under control. You can’t be around him when all you want to do is kiss him senseless and tell him how much you want to wake up in his bed forever, how you never want to miss another walk with Moni. He can’t know.

He won’t know.

"I fucked up."

"You're going to have to be more specific," Jimin’s voice says from the other end of the phone.

Namjoon groans, resisting the urge to slam his head back against the cabinets. He's standing in the kitchen now, staring longingly at the fridge and whatever food it may contain, because you’re out grocery shopping now, and he would love for you to come back to a hot meal, but there’s a reason you’re grocery shopping this late at night.

"You remember how in college everyone teased me because I'm terrible at one-night stands and I bet Hobi a week's groceries that I totally could?"

"Yes," Jimin says slowly. Something clinks on the other end of the line, and Namjoon wonders what Jimin’s having for dinner. His stomach rumbles in response and he heaves himself across the kitchen to dig through the fridge while Jimin continues. "I also remember how you spent weeks pining over said one-night stand while Hoseok filled the cupboards with every single thing he thought he could get away with buying. Why are you bringing that up now?"

Namjoom stays quiet but hums in victory as he unearths a pizza that isn’t too terribly old. “How long can pizza live in the fridge before it would kill me if I ate it?”

“If you have to ask that question, it’s been too long,” Jimin tells him. Namjoon debates, eyeing the pizza before deciding it looks fine and turning the oven on before sliding the pizza in. “Now, why are you bringing up one night stands and then pizza?”

"You remember how that new girl started at work a few months ago and we ate lunch together and then nearly got fired?"

"Yes, I distinctly remember writing you notes on takeout containers for weeks reminding you not to put foil in the microwave. What does-" Jimin stops, and Namjoon gets the distinct impression that if they were having this conversation in person, he’d be getting the Look. "Joon, tell me you didn't."

"I didn't have a one night stand with her," Namjoon assures him.

"Good," Jimin says, heaving a sigh of relief. "God only knows what would happen with a one night stand with your roommate-"

"We're friends with benefits."

Jimin chokes on whatever he’s eating and Namjoon winces sympathetically.

"It's not that bad," The elder says before Jimin can scold him. "We're very sexually compatible. And she's amazing, Jimin, you don't even know-"

"Joon, isn't this the same girl you spent an entire four hours talking about the day she started working with you?"

"Yeah, so?"

The blonde gives a heavy sigh. Namjoon knows the younger well enough to know he’s shaking his head right now.

"Please be careful, Namjoon," Jimin eventually says.

"Oh, don't worry, we've both been tested, and we use condoms every time, there's nothing to worry about."

"That's not the kind of careful I mean," Jimin sighs. He's quiet for a minute as he eats and Namjoon waits for his pizza to be heated enough to eat. "Why do you say you fucked up if you’ve been careful?”

“I…” He hesitates. “I don’t know. I think she’s upset with me. We were at the mall the other day and it was fine, we were laughing at how Hobi looks dressed as an elf-”

“God that video was hilarious -”

“Right?!” They both laugh a little, fondly remembering the sight, before Namjoon sobers. “And then she just...changed. She got all quiet and skittish and ran off before I could give her the bear I made. She didn’t even look at it.”

“And it just happened out of nowhere? What were you talking about?”

“How she’s off work for New Year’s and I’m heading up to the cabin so she doesn’t have to watch Moni or anything, and then I saw Yoongi doing that dance at the store so I wanted to go watch him, and-” He stops, eyes focused on the air in front of him.

“Joon? You good?”

“Hypothetically speaking,” He begins, a realization hitting him all at once, “What would happen if I put a pizza in the oven to reheat without taking it out of the box?”

“Oh my fucking god, Namjoon, get it out!”

There’s a flurry of smoke while Namjoon does just that and rushes to open the window so he can let some of the smoke out before you get back home. Jimin’s still berating him - albeit fondly - when he picks the phone back up.

“It’s fine,” Namjoon says quickly, “It’s cool, nothing’s actually on fire anymore. And the pizza’s warm!”

“Oh my god, how have you survived this long.” Namjoon smiles at Jimin’s words; he gets a lot of shit for being wildly unobservant, but he knows that the others love him dearly. Why else would they still talk to him? Really, after the incident with the tub at Jungkook’s apartment, it’s truly a miracle he still has friends, and love is the only explanation.

“But seriously, I don’t know what I did with Slick. Do you think I was too...obvious?”

“Namjoon,” Jimin says seriously. “If this girl is anything like you, and based on that time she tried to screenshot a crack in phone screen I’m inclined to believe she is, then I think the issue is that you aren’t being obvious enough . You said she got all weird after you mentioned the cabin, right?”

“Yeah. I thought she’d be happy that she wouldn’t be stuck with Moni, but-”

“Did you consider that since she thought she was working, she doesn’t have any other plans and is now stuck in the apartment by herself since she just moved here recently?”

“Oh.” Guilt surges through him as the door opens and your voice echoes that you picked up some takeout while you were gone. “I gotta go.”

“Ah-ah,” Jimin says quickly. “My payment?”

“Yes, Jimin, I love you dearly, you are the light of my life, I would never have survived this long were it not for your sage wisdom, I owe you my firstborn.”

“Much better! Some of the others could learn from you.” Jimin’s laugh continues long after he’s hung up, Namjoon is sure of it.

You aren’t sure why the apartment smells like smoke when you get back, but you decide not to question it and just be grateful you had the foresight to pick up some takeout on your way back from the store.

When you get into the kitchen, Namjoon is there, with a smoking pizza box on the stove beside him. He’s not in his work clothes; instead, he looks comfortable and cozy in some sweats and a faded tee with his glasses halfway down his nose. Your heart lurches painfully in your chest at the sight and you force yourself to remember that he isn’t yours .

“Hey! Did you hear me? I got takeout, since I figured neither of us wanted to cook. And I’m glad I did, what’s with the smoke?” A thought strikes you as you set the bags on the table. “Oh no, did you try to use the toaster? I told you not to, it got weird after that night with the fork, we need to replace it.”

“Do you wanna go to the cabin?”

You freeze, halfway to the fridge to put away the ice cream that he likes. “What?” You ask.

“The cabin. Do you want to go with me for New Year’s Eve, with everyone?” Namjoon takes the ice cream and finishes your journey for you, sticking it in the freezer without a second thought. “If you don’t want to take advantage of a quiet apartment, that is. You’re welcome to join, and I figured that was obvious, but then I realized that it may not be, so I wanted to offer.”

“With you and all of your friends? I don’t really... know any of them.”

“That’s fine, they’re not that bad. They’re all pretty friendly, once you get to know them at least.” Namjoon says as he takes some vegetables out of your hands to put them in the fridge as well. “And I have no doubt that the others are going to bring some of their friends. Yoongi’s girlfriend will be there, she seems sweet. And Cat and Star are always nice, you’d love them.”

You hesitate, though you aren’t sure why. This is what you wanted, so why doesn’t it make you happy?

“Besides, they’ll all be happy to have another friend around to bother. Jin loves to feed people.” Namjoon flashes his dimples at you and your heart does something complex that you can’t explain. There’s the rush of excitement and the skipped beat that always comes with his dimples, but it twists and clenches as well. Because of course, he’s just taking you as a friend.

You’re friends. And that’s fine. If you repeat yourself enough times then you’ll believe it. You have to.

“Yeah, sure!” You say with a grin. “I’d like that. They always sound so fun, it’ll be nice to meet them for real.”

Namjoon beams and helps you put the rest of the groceries away before you both settle in to eat. It’s not anything fancy, simple and quick and just enough to get the two of you through the night so that you didn’t have to cook. You chat about work as you do, a few sequences that might prove promising if you can work them the right way.

It’s afterward, as you’re both curled up on opposite sides of the couch while some nature documentary plays in the background, that you notice it.

He’s been fidgety all night, even before you left to get the food, and you didn’t think anything of it before. But now he’s even worse, hands rubbing along his thighs nervously while he shoots you look after look, which you have no doubt he thinks you don’t notice.

“What is up with you?” You ask him eventually, ignoring the way some bug is eating another bug’s head onscreen.

“Nothing,” he says in a rush. “Just...ready for bed.”

“Then go to bed.” You say it like it’s obvious, because it is. If he’s so ready to sleep, then he should go; neither of you has ever expected the other to stay up and watch TV together. You’re individuals.

“Okay,” he says softly, adjusting his glasses as he stands. He gets all the way to his bedroom door before he comes back, hovering awkwardly in the hall entrance for several seconds before he finally sits back down on the couch. Now, however, he’s sitting with his thigh pressed against yours, the heat radiating through the shorts you’re wearing and searing into your skin.

He’s still fidgety, still uneasy for some reason, and it’s as you turn to ask him what the hell’s going on that he pulls you into a kiss. It’s soft and lingering and it makes your stomach flip in all the ways it isn’t supposed to.

“If you wanted to have sex, you should have just said so,” You whisper against his lips. You can feel it more than hear it as he starts to say something and then cuts himself off with a sigh.

“I wanna be inside you,” he says instead. “Please.”

Heat pools between your legs, even at such simple words, and you find yourself nodding. He kisses you again, frantic and much more heated than before, and you can already tell what it’ll be like tonight.

You’re right, too; it’s quick and dirty. You don’t even make it to the bed, not at first. He cages you against the wall in the hallway and slides a hand between your bodies to start to draw your first orgasm out. It’s the whine from the dog that makes you realize where you are, pulling apart long enough to stare at where Moni sits at the hallway entrance, head cocked to the side and watching you with a confused stare.

That gets you into the bedroom, the door shut behind you as you fall together onto the bed. The two of you barely get your clothes off before Namjoon’s sliding inside of you and groaning at the feeling.

“Fuck, Slick, you’re so wet,” he whispers against your skin as he thrusts. You can hardly make words, too focused on the way he fits inside of you and the absolute certainty that you cannot say a single word running through your head.

Not that you’re in love with the way he holds your hips so gently as he thrusts, not how he whispers praise and adoration against you with every press of his lips to your skin, and certainly not how you want to stay like this forever. That you’re absolutely positive you’ve broken the cardinal rules of being fuckbuddies.

Don’t get feelings.

But you were a fool, anyway. Because it’s easy to break rules, especially when you go into it with feelings.

The first orgasm hits you with a shockwave, and with the way Namjoon hits your g-spot, it’s followed by a second shortly after. Your hands claw into the sheets as he fills the condom, and it only takes a minute for him to clean himself up enough to relax in the bed beside you, but you hardly notice; you’re too busy adjusting to the emptiness that you’re left with now that he isn’t inside you, the yearning that fills you down to your bones with the need to be wrapped up in his arms and cradled to his chest as you both drift to sleep.

You force yourself up before you can get comfortable, fatigue sweeping through your bones.

“I’m, uh, I’m gonna go shower,” You tell him. It’s a feat to keep your voice neutral, but you think you manage. “And then head to bed, I think. Uh, thanks. For the orgasms.”

The door to the bathroom closes behind you before he can even get a word out, and you force the image of his confused face out of your mind as you turn the water on. It takes every part of you to resist the urge to linger in the hot spray for longer than you need to be there, but you manage.

By the time you’re slipping into bed, the light in Namjoon’s room is off and you can hear Moni settling into bed beside Namjoon. You can practically see them, curled up together all warm and settled in together. Content.

You slip between your own sheets and wrap the fluffy blanket around you. Emotions are swirling in your gut and you do your best to ignore them all. You don’t need to focus on the way you want to be there with them, the way you want to curl your body into his with Moni between you, just the way he likes on the couch.

“This is the worst idea I’ve ever had,” You tell yourself with a sigh as you try to fall asleep in your lonely bed.

You don’t know that across the hall, Namjoon lays awake with Moni beside him, wondering how he fucked up so badly that you’re not in his arms anymore. He’d have every intention to tell you about his feelings. He wanted to end this friends-with-benefits thing, put it to rest so that he could take you out for real. So you could be together , for real.

But you’d just bolted the second he was collapsing onto the bed, like you were running from something, and he wasn’t about to keep you here when you don’t want to be here.

Still, he thinks as Moni burrows under the blankets to get closer to him, he can’t help but wish you were up against him as well, with your breathing steady and quiet as you sleep and he can feel your chest move with it.

He just really wishes that you wanted that too.

The drive to the cabin is uneventful. You and Namjoon talk about work most of the way, chatting amicably about a few things that got corrupted in the data that have been frustrating to rebuild and how excited Moni was to see Jackson when he picked the pup up that day.

You’re only a little nervous when you spot the wooden sign specifying that it belongs to the Kims. You’ve heard a lot of stories about Namjoon’s friends, seen one or two in passing when they come by the apartment to see Namjoon, though you tend to give them space when that happens.

Still, nothing could ever compare to the welcome that greets you. There’s some kind of karaoke going on, with Taehyung and Star watching from the couch. There are crutches propped up nearby and you wonder what the story is there for the few seconds before your attention is drawn to the kitchen, where who you assume is Seokjin is scolding someone for shoving entirely too many cookies into their mouth. You catch sight of someone - blonde, giggling, followed by a sweet-looking girl - run out of the kitchen with his cheeks puffed out and crumbs on his lips, and you shoot Namjoon a look.

“Jimin,” He explains with a grin. “C’mon, let’s go claim the den before someone else can get to it.”

That night is hectic, to say the least. Namjoon was right when he said his friends are welcoming, though; everyone is friendly and talkative - except for Pumpkin, Seokjin’s best friend who genuinely looks like she’s about to murder someone for the few moments that you see her during dinner but Namjoon assures you “That’s just her face, I promise.” Even when the boys get to reminiscing about the days they spent in that cul-de-sac, they include everyone else in their stories.

Especially fun is when they all come up with theories about why Cat and Hobi are late, and while from what you’ve heard so far tonight, you agree with the proposal that they’re probably fucking, you still feel a sliver of worry for them.

It’s the mention of sex that gets your stomach churning, though. Because Namjoon shoots you a knowing look, the same one he gets when you wear those ultra-short shorts around the house that he adores, and you already know what he wants. You can’t even say you don’t want it, too, because you don’t think you could ever turn down the opportunity to have him like that. It’s just so bittersweet when it ends-

“I’m going to start on dessert,” Seokjin states as he gathers plates. Yoongi and Peaches are gone in record time, and Taehyung and Star follow not long after, though it takes considerably longer with the way Taehyung helps her. Seokjin calls after them all that he’ll have dessert ready in a little while, and Namjoon shoots you another look when Jimin and Pumpkin don’t move from the table.

“C’mon,” Namjoon whispers, grabbing your hand and urging you down the hallway. “Get our bags, we’re gonna steal Jin’s room.”

“That doesn’t seem like the best idea,” You whisper in return, though you do in fact grab the bags as he directs. “Isn’t that also Pumpkin’s room? Are we sure she won’t murder us?”

“No, it’ll be fine, Jin would never let her.” The thought isn’t as comforting as Namjoon means it to be, but you manage to get your bags in the room and their bags out without anyone the wiser.

You realize your mistake too late. This room only has one bed. A singular sleeping area. The den has couches, you would have been fine, but you can’t sleep here. You can’t share the bed with Namjoon; it’s entirely too dangerous. Getting to see him still completely sleep soft, warm against you as the two of you doze in the early morning light?

There would be no coming back from that.

The thought leaves nearly as quick as it enters, driven away by the slide of Namjoon’s arms as he wraps them around you.

"Do you want it, Slick?" His voice is deep and rumbling, almost a purr in your ear, and it makes your knees weak. It's truly ridiculous how easy it is for him to rile you up, but fuck , can you really complain?

Except you can, because it's not what you want. It's not everything you want. You can't ask for more, though, not when he doesn't want to give it.

His hands snake towards the waistband of your pants - fancy grey pinstriped pants that you bought specifically because Namjoon told you that Seokjin has a fancy dress code for New Year's Eve - and your heart jumps up into your throat. You spin in his arms, doing your best to look enthusiastic.

"I want to blow you," You tell him as you sink to your knees. He leans back against the wall and quirks a brow, but he nods his agreement.

You set to work almost immediately; you're determined to make this the best blowjob of his life. It's the least you can do. You don't tell him that, though; you can't tell him. Not this. Not that you're so deeply entrenched in your feelings for him that you're afraid if you don't get out now you won't be able to. Not that you can't bear to have him touch you because you're afraid of what will come out of your mouth, what you might say or reveal that he doesn't want to know.

Not when you're going to have to end this, as you decided while laying in bed two nights ago, cold and exhausted and utterly alone.

You focus again on Namjoon, reminding yourself to pay attention. His dick is big - big enough that your fingers can only barely meet when you wrap them around it, but it means your jaw aches deliciously when you go down on him, and you adore the feeling of it in your throat.

So you swallow him down completely, burying him to the hilt with one swift movement. You've been practicing, and it has clearly paid off if the choked moan that escapes him is any indication. His hands tangle in your hair, not pulling or pushing but instead just sitting there and moving with you as you pull off just to bury him again.

You look up and are pleased to find that his eyes are screwed shut, jaw clenched tight against the moans building inside of his chest. But that won't do at all. The best blowjob of his life can't possibly be one where he doesn't even look at you.

To rectify the situation, you bring one hand up to tease at his balls, squeezing ever so slightly in the way you know he likes as you swallow around his cock. He does moan then, fingers clenching in your hair as he opens his eyes to look down at you.

"Fuck, just like that, Slick," He pleads. "Again, please again, it's perfect." You comply, humming an affirmative around his dick that makes him shudder before you swallow around him again. "God, fuck , you're so fucking perfect. Fucking amazing, the best, I can't believe I get to have this-"

Namjoon continues, mumbling in and out of coherency as you bop your head up and down on his cock. He's thick and heavy in your mouth and it feels like heaven on your tongue - it always does - and just when you think you can never get enough-

"Fuck, I love you so much, Slick, you're a god damn angel."

You pull off his dick, staring wide-eyed at him. Namjoon whines and looks down at you, clearly not comprehending what's just come out of his mouth.

"Fuck," He mutters. "Fuck, shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...I don't...I'm so sorry I didn't want you to know, especially not like this. Shit. "

"Are you serious?" You ask as you stand back up. Namjoon makes a belated movement to help steady you, blood flowing back into your calves from where you were kneeled down for a while, but he stops himself. He doesn't even look at you, really, instead staring out the window nearby. "Namjoon, seriously. Did you mean that?"

"I mean…" He hesitates, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "Yeah. I did. I do. It's still new so I can't be entirely sure, but I think that's what this is."

He heaves a sigh and tucks himself back into his slacks before moving to sit on the bed, one hand running through his platinum hair.

"You weren't supposed to know," He mutters. "I thought I could keep it a secret. I didn't want to make it weird between us since you don't…"

"Since I don't...feel the same?" You ask as you sit beside him. "You really...care about me like that?"

"Yeah," Namjoon whispers with a grin. It's fond and sweet and everything you've ever wanted and it's so unbearably familiar because it's how he's always looked at you. "Ever since we almost burned the lab down, I think."

"Same," You breathe, and you can't deny the way that you love the light that sparks in his eyes at that. "Ever since you ate the vegetables out of my rice and gave me your eggrolls."

"Are you-"

"Yeah," You say with a laugh. "I guess we're kind of both at fault for this, then."

"Can I…" Namjoon trails off, searching for the words he wants. His hands move to wrap around yours, lacing your fingers together as he gives you a smitten smile. "We've been fucking for a while. As you know. But would you do me the honor of letting me make love to you?"

You gulp, an audible and atrocious thing, because his words send a surge of desire straight to your core. He's right, you have been fucking, because that's the only thing the two of you can call it. You don't make eye contact, you don't sleep over, there are rules , but god, the two of you break everything else, so why not this?

"Please," You whisper.

His lips are on yours in an instant, his hands following quickly after to strip your clothes off. You can't be sure when his clothes join the pile on the floor, just that one moment your fists are clenched in his shirt and the next, you're raking your nails down his bare back as he sucks purple marks into your neck.

"God, you're beautiful," He mutters. "Fucking divine."

"Then I match you, don't I?" You whisper. Two of his fingers slide into you, and both of you moan at the feeling. He glides them against your walls, teasing that one spot inside of you that he knows you adore, and you whine a little.

"Patience, my dear," He chuckles. When you whine again he grins, dimples making your stomach flip. "Alright then, Slick. Let me get a condom."

"No," You say quickly. "We've been exclusive, right? No risk or anything like that. I've got the implant. 98% effective. I want…"

"Say it, love," Namjoon breathes, eyes never leaving yours.

"I want to feel you. Please." He nods at your words and settles between your thighs once more. Your breath hitches in your throat at the thought of what's to come.

"Tell me if you want to stop," he says as he presses kisses to your neck, up your throat, and across your cheeks. He does it all to distract you as he slides inside, but he doesn't need to. You've been fucking him for months now, you know exactly how big he is, and you're more than ready for it.

What you aren't ready for is the way his skin feels against your walls, how you can feel every pulse and throb of his cock inside you. It's better than anything you've ever felt, beyond any descriptors you could find, and it only gets better as he slides out and then back in.

His pace is slow but steady, a rhythmic glide to it that's making you obscenely wet. It's a stark contrast to the gentle way he kisses you, the softness of his lips against yours. The sound of his skin hitting yours fills the room as he breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against yours.

"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me," You tell him, sliding your hands along every inch of skin you can get.

Nothing is loud enough to mask the sound of the door opening, however, and when you glance over you can see that Hoseok and Cat have apparently finished whatever the fuck it was they were doing.

You shy back, doing your best to cover yourself from their eyes, but Namjoon's pace doesn't falter.

" Taken ," He growls. He doesn't even break eye contact as he does so, and the way his hand tightens on your hip makes you think he isn't just talking about the bedroom.

Thankfully the couple disappears after that, closing the door behind them as they go, and it flips a switch inside Namjoon somehow.

His pace speeds up, pistoning in and out of you mercilessly. He starts to angle his hips, searching until you finally cry out with your back arching up off the bed itself. He just smiles and continues to hit that spot, one hand moving to support your back while the other rubs teasing circles into your clit.

"That's it, love," he purrs. "Wanna watch you come for me like this. Let yourself fall apart on my cock, Slick, I'll be right here. I've got you."

You really wish you could figure out what exactly it is he does then; some kind of swivel of his hips while his fingers do some complicated twist or something, you have no doubt, but nevertheless, it's got you unraveling underneath him. You clench around him, harder than you ever have, and you can feel the sheets soaking underneath you from the strength of your orgasm.

It takes barely two more thrusts for Namjoon to come as well, stilling slightly as his cum hits your walls for the first time. It's warm and you can feel it settling inside of you, but you can't say you don't enjoy it.

You're both panting, out of breath and exhausted and having worked all the food Seokjin made out of your system. Namjoon disappears for a few seconds before returning with a warm cloth to clean you up; his hands are tender as he does so, and you find yourself falling even deeper.

After a quick power nap and an even quicker quickie - because Namjoon insisted that it wasn't fair that you got to go down on him but he didn't get to go down on you - the two of you mingle with the others. Hoseok and Cat fit seamlessly into the group, filling a space you hadn't realized was missing during dinner. It's obvious to you, as you lean against the kitchen island and watch them all, just how much this group loves each other. Even the newcomers, like the new girlfriends, are absorbed so perfectly into the existing group that it's as if they never left.

Hell, even Pumpkin is smiling a little, although you can't be sure it's not just because Seokjin looks Like That.

"Ooh, icing," Namjoon says as he comes to join you in the kitchen. Seokjin barely gets a chance to say anything as Namjoon drags his thumb across the white droplet and sucks it into his mouth.

The baker looks horrified, and you wish you knew why. Namjoon agrees, based on the look on his face.

"What?" Namjoon asks. "It was good." Seokjin's face is as pale as it can possibly get when he waves Namjoon away, and you have a sneaking suspicion of just what your boyfriend put in his mouth.

You don't bother to hide your smile as said boyfriend comes over to you and hands you a glass of champagne.

"What are you so happy about?" He asks teasingly.

"You," You tell him honestly. It's worth it when he ducks his head, shy smile making his dimples stand out even as he tries to hide it. "I adore you."

Namjoon doesn't respond, just kisses you. He breaks away for a few minutes, saying something to someone else, and when the clock strikes midnight, he presses another gentle kiss to your lips.

"What are you wishing for?" He asks.

"Midnight wishes? Really?" You tease. He cocks a brow and you smile. "I don't need to wish for anything. I got everything I wanted this year."

"Really? Everything?"

You nod, straightening his tie ever so slightly. "And what about you? What are you wishing for?"

"Oh, that's easy." He wraps an arm around you and grins. "For you to finally accept the bear I made you that day in the mall."

"Moni loves that thing, I couldn't possibly take it from him."

"But it's got a microscope! And a lab coat!"

Well then," You tell him, dropping your voice so the others won't hear. "I suppose you'll have to make me another."

He glances over to where Yoongi and Peaches stand and then back to you.

"Covert mission to also get another for Jisoo?"

"Glad we're on the same page here," You tell him with a smile.

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mst3kproject · 4 years ago

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Mars Needs Women

This is one of the B-movies that a lot of people have heard of, although I’m not sure how many have actually seen it. It was written, produced, and directed by Larry “They Just Didn’t Care” Buchanan and stars Tommy Kirk from Catalina Caper and Village of the Giants. Happy belated birthday to Mr. Kirk, who just turned seventy-nine in December of 2020. That’s not a bad score for a guy who’s done as many drugs as he has.

The planet Mars is suffering from a genetic problem – their chromosomes are so degraded that one hundred males are born for every one female! Clearly this is not conducive to the survival of the species, so a group of Martians have come to Earth seeking another solution: they want five female volunteers to return to Mars with them and find out if our genes are compatible! The army brass (all male, obviously) dismiss the idea out of hand, but the Martians cannot afford to fail. They will have their way with the Earth Women, with or without the Earth Men’s permission.

We all know that Larry Buchanan couldn’t come up with an idea of his own, so naturally this is a remake of sorts. Mars Needs Women was inspired by Tommy Kirk’s previous movie Pajama Party, which doesn’t sound like an alien invasion flick, but is. In it, Kirk plays a Martian named Gogo (yes, really), who comes to Earth as an invasion scout but decides not to take over the planet because he falls in love with Annette Funicello. Mars Needs Women dispenses with the teen hijinks angle in an attempt to be a straight-up sci-fi thriller, and fails miserably.

We get the normal Larry Buchanan types of suck, such as crummy lighting, appallingly awful day-for-night, a washed-out, colourless print, and copious stock footage. There’s a long bit where the air force tries to attack the Martian ship and fails, which is entirely stock footage intercut with men in uniforms staring at something next to the camera. We don’t see the flying saucer itself even once during this sequence, although they do have a model of it that shows up elsewhere and is almost definitely the best effect in the whole movie. Not a high bar, of course, but seeing as they actually appear to have spent money on this miniature, you’d think it’d get more screen time.

The Martians themselves dress like a sort of noir version of the Chicken Men of Krankor. Their costumes are black wetsuits decorated with duct tape and silver paint, with stupid antennae on the sides of their heads. It amuses me that the first thing they do after acquiring some ‘Earth apparel’ is complain about how dumb neckties are. There’s a mention about how they’ve been trained in ‘Earth slang’, which seems to have happened just so the movie would have no possible sources of humour. When I think about Attack of the The Eye Creatures, I’m kind of grateful that Mars Needs Women never tries to be funny, but it leaves the whole film relentlessly monotone.

The acting is pretty crummy, even from the main characters. Yvonne Craig (Batgirl – no, not one of them, the actual Batgirl) does her best with the material but the lines she’s given are such technobabble bullshit there are very few people who could deliver them with any conviction. Almost everybody else is bland at best. The women scream and faint, and the military guys tense their jaws and glare. The only decent acting moment actually goes to Tommy Kirk as he describes the conditions on Mars, the dying planet. His tone barely changes, and yet you can sense his nostalgia and regret.

Do I even need to ask if this movie objectifies women? Well, yes, actually, I do, and you’ll see why in a minute. The answer is a resounding yes and a good bit of run time is spent doing exactly that. Before the opening credits we see three blondes abducted in broad daylight, dematerialized by the simple means of stopping the camera, removing the actress, and starting it up again. One of these hapless victims is taken from the shower. We later learn that the beam-ups failed somehow, which I assume means the women died, but that’s apparently not worth more than a throwaway line.

Once the five Martians arrive on Earth, they disperse to go hunting for suitable subjects. The first one goes directly to a strip bar, perhaps on the assumption that the employees will not be married (he’d be amazed). We then watch the stripper dance at great length, cutting back to it repeatedly in between other threads of the storyline, which suggests that the Martian sat there for hours staring at her before making his move. He seems to have been the least choosy of the five, simply taking the first woman he gets a boner for. The others are a bit more discerning.

None more so than the leader, Fellow One (the Martians are Fellows One through Five, which did save the writers from having to come up with ‘alien names’ that sound like synthetic fabrics). He decides on Craig’s character, Dr. Marjorie Bolen, an expert in ‘space medicine’ and ‘space genetics’ (this may be 60’s for astrobiology). Her skills seem to be just what the Martians need. This character is treated terribly by the movie and almost everybody in it. A news reporter commenting on Dr. Bolen’s arrival describes her as a stunning brunette who found it hard to hide her charm behind her horn-rimmed spectacles, and only then moves on to her qualifications. She gives a news conference titled Sex and Outer Space, and the reporters who are supposed to be interviewing her have a laugh about the good time the kidnapped women will supposedly be having on Mars. The prop department can’t even bother to spell her name right – it’s written as ‘Majorie’ on a sign even though the r is clearly audible when people say it out loud.

In contrast to this, Fellow One treats her with some degree of respect. Their conversations about science are mostly nonsense, but you can tell what the script is going for. They go on a couple of quick dates, one to a planetarium and one to a museum exhibit on human reproduction (yes, this is weird and icky), and while it is rushed, their little love story is actually important to the plot in ways besides Fellow One deciding to abandon the mission so he can bone her. The movie considers Dr. Bolen a sex object, but from the beginning Fellow One sees her as more than that.

This brings us, in a sideways kind of way, to the thing I find weirdly fascinating about Mars Needs Women: the alien invaders are curiously considerate. They steal a car, but they take one from airport parking on the assumption that the owner won’t need it for a while. They request unattached women, not wanting to break up any happy partnerships. And most of all, they ask for volunteers for abduction! This makes me wonder what would have happened if they’d broadcast their message to the entire world instead of one group of soldiers. Humans being the way we are, I’m sure there’re lots of people out there who’d fuck a couple of aliens if it meant a free trip to Mars (or move to Mars if it meant they got to fuck some aliens).

The female characters even seem designed to want a trip to space. Dr. Bolen might well have helped them willingly in exchange for this unparalleled chance to expand her research, and she does find it very sexy that Fellow One speaks to her as an equal. Yet somehow, the idea never even comes up. At the last minute, she becomes the helpless princess who must be saved from peril, and Fellow One simply tells her he loves her and asks her to flee. Why not invite her along as a guest instead of a captive? It’s got to be worth a try.

The others can be made to fit this pattern, too. The stripper? Maybe she’s sick of being gawked at like meat and would welcome the chance to be among people who will treat her like a queen. The flight attendant? She might feel like she’s been everywhere and seen everything – on Earth, at least. The artist? A whole new planet to inspire her! The homecoming queen? She’s a journalism major. What a scoop if she can report back to Earth about the culture and history of Mars! I want to see a remake of this movie in which the ladies really are volunteers, who must help the Martians outwit the military so they can start their new lives on another planet.

Sadly, this is not that movie, and its exploitative aspects stand rather awkwardly alongside the embryonic feminism embodied in Dr. Bolen, overwhelming it more often than not. I do want to give it maybe half a kudo, though, for at least acknowledging that women can have interests and ambitions. I guess the point of the ending is that Fellow One has realized they need to be allowed to pursue those instead of being forced to breed.

Mars Needs Women is probably Larry Buchanan’s best movie, which is a statement on the same level as saying that The Beast of Yucca Flats is Coleman Francis’ – by any reasonable standard it still really sucks. While it has many problems, I would say that the one that kills any entertainment value is how the narrative totally lacks the urgency the title implies. The ending should be a race to stop the Martians taking off with their prisoners, but no, it saunters instead. If there were only some tension in the film, it could have been the guilty pleasure you’d want from a movie called Mars Needs Women.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #mars needs women #larry buchanan just doesn’t care #60s

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 5 years ago

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Humans are Space Orcs, “An Invitation.”

So this story totally went right off left field from what I was expecting. I honestly surprised myself like I am sure I will surprise some of you. Don’t worry I feel the same way. I am thinking about making this the end of this arc, though I know some of you were hoping for it to go in a different direction. I still think the ending is super surprising and very interesting, so I hope you like it anyway.

He stood by the shuttle ramp back straight hands clasped behind his back. His knuckles were bandaged to the point where he could barely bend his fingers, but the dull throbbing in his hands was easy to ignore.

A cold wind whipped past him tugging at the stiff fabric of his uniform and threatening to rip the cap right off his head. Since leaving the hybrid facility, he had changed clothes, gotten some rest, received medical attention, and cut his hair into a very short buzz-cut. The hair was still blue, but he could hide that under a cap if he needed too, and the earrings had been easy to remove. Sunny had likely had less fun than him considering she needed about a gallon of nail polish remover to clean herself off.

All around him, the ground was swarming with military and GA personnel. The facility was massive, and no one was entirely sure how extensive the operation went on. He glanced over his shoulder, and into the shuttle where Glados Hal Cortana and Vicky were curled up around each other and fast asleep.

They had refused to leave him since the incident which was only mildly inconvenient, and he didn’t really have time to do anything other than let them have their way.

Engines rumbled off in the distance, and he turned his head to watch as the next shuttle descended from the sky not a few hundred feet away from him. A sharp wind whipped up around him, and he had to hold his bap in place as the shuttle settled against the landing strip.

The doors hissed open and two figures stepped out in accompaniment of at least a dozen other assistants and clerks.

He walked in that direction, meeting the GA chairwoman and the Admiral with a salute.

“You’ve been busy, commander.” The admiral pointed out, turning his head towards the swarming building before looking back “I don’t suppose it would do any good to remind you that it’s usually the job of lower ranking individuals to do undercover work, and that you are generally in a purely command capacity?”

He didn’t allow his expression to change remaining just as serious as the admiral, “Ma’am, Find I prefer to lead from the front, however in the case of this particular mission it was only logical for e to take lead. I am friends with a Drev aboard the ship to a point where we could reasonably fool almost everyone on a short term basis.” he motioned towards the building, “It worked a little better than expected since I was simply attempting to gather information.”

“I see… and what exactly did you find.”

He motioned the two to walk with him noting how uncomfortable the chairwoman looked now that she was exposed to the near freezing air around them. He led them into the building, “My crew has been working for the past day or so to try and figure out just exactly what was going on here. From what I immediately gathered while inside the facility myself, and from what some of the hybrids told me-”

“Wait, you have spoken to the hybrids?”

“Forgive me, I misspoke. I have spoken with one of the hybrids.”

“How are any of them capable of speaking. Considering the facility can’t have been more than a year or two old.”

The door hissed shut behind them, “Genetic tampering, or so she says. Anyway upon entering the facility Sunny and I discovered that they were, in fact, doing what we assumed, and that is offering the hybridization of different species to couples who cannot have their own naturally. If you go through those doors there you will find the nursery where y crew is attempting to take care of the remaining hybrids, though it remains to be seen what can be done with them once this is all over.” He continued on down the hall, “We discussed the genetic sequencing process, and some other details, but when we were brought down onto the floor, I had an opportunity to explore some of the more restricted areas of the facility, and when I did, found the reason for their success where the prodigum had failed.”

He walked down the stairs.

“Adaptids. Apparently, somewhere, and somehow one of these scientists determined the action of the hybrid splicing gene, though they were not able to recreate it naturally. In order to mix two species it is imperative that you have adaptid DNA to preform the action, otherwise the integration of the different genetic material is not seamless. From what we have gathered, they were harvesting Adaptid genetic material as part of their growing process.”

Stepping out onto the floor he motioned around with a wide sweep of his hand. The chairwoman and the admiral stopped dead in their tracks staring in wide-eyed bewilderment at the lines of test tubes being watched over by scientists on his crew. The room was dark, but you could still see the strange redish glow emanating from the partially grown fetuses suspended inside the tubes .

“These hybrids must be fed constantly with adaptid DNA in order tow work, not only that but the hybridization process requires command computer input in order to give the correct amount of genetic material when ordered. As I am told, a fifty/fifty split hybrid is not viable, so the creature must lean towards one or the other.”

The admiral was shaking her head as the rundi chairwoman turned in circles, “Whan is even the point of all this, surely the money they were making couldn't be equal to all the research and time that was put into this.”

He nodded, “Yes that is also rue, however, I think they were only responding to a niche market while they did their real work on the side.”

“And what is that?”

“The creation of super soldiers, or at least superior genetic creations designed to have special abilities or durability.”

The group went silent staring at him like he was insane as he spoke, “And you are sure about this?” The admiral said in incredulity.

“Yes I am positive, their greatest creation is the reason that we are here right now. She has taken control of the facility, and seems interested in facilitating the relocation of the hybrids to better homes and locations, but after that she says that the knowledge must be destroyed at all costs.”

“You do understand what this might do for edical science?”

“I do, but I also understand that we have not proven ourselves capable of possessing hat knowledge without corrupting it. Furthermore, I am not keen on getting in the way of Eris. I have a feeling that she is a force I am not interested in reckoning with.”

“Who is-”

Just then the hybrid starborn floated from the nearby room. At some point during the investigation she had taken a leaf from Conn’s book and acquired a gravity belt. In this way she made an ethereal otherworldly figure as she floated onto the floor. Her long dark hair billowed an undulated about her head, while the hundreds of flowing white ribbons swirled at her back.

The admiral stepped back and the commander averted his gaze.

“Good evening Chairwoman, Admiral Kelly.”

The two of them stepped back again. The admiral held a hand to her head looking around as if trying to find the source of the voice.

“Do not be alarmed, unfortunately my physical body is mute, so I will be forced to communicate in this manner.”

“What are you?”

“I am the first successful human starborn hybrid, and the oldest hybrid of this facility though my genetics were tampered with to make me age at an accelerated rate.”

“And you speak for the hybrids?”

“I do.”

“And what is it that you want.”

The admiral looked very, very nervous. She seemed to understand the power of this person? Creature? She was a human alien hybrid that could read minds. No secrets were unavailable to her.. All the secrets in this room were hers if she really wanted them, all she had to do was ask a question and wait for the answer to pop unbidden into the minds of her speaking companions.

She was the most powerful thing in this room, and everyone knew it.

“I want one thing above all else, and that is for the hybrids to be taken care of. The ones that are already in the nursery should find good loving homes, the ones being grown in these tubes should be treated likewise, those of us who do not possess sentience should be released into an environment that suits, or at least kept somewhere that they might remain happy for the time being. Those of us who do possess sentience, but are not conventionally adoptable might request a place to live out our lives freely with the same rights as the rest of you, and then when this is all over, I wish that this entire facility and every ounce of hybrid knowledge inside it be destroyed.”

“Destroyed.” The two protested, “But You don’t understand, the application to medical science is to great to simply destroy it.”

Eris’s mouth twisted downwards into a frown, and the commander shivered under her scathing black gaze, “You are not ready for that knowledge, since you have been proven to be incapable of treating it correctly. If you do not destroy the knowledge, I vow to destroy you….. Is that understood.”

“Are you threatening us?”

“You are threatening yourselves. I simply want to live my life in peace and tranquility, but if my hand is forced, than I will be in my rights to act accordingly. You have no idea what kind of pain and misery this knowledge has caused us and you will never find out ever again if I have anything to do with it. I do not care how any medical applications that you might find for it. Your medicine is far along enough, that you can find other ways of meeting your ends rather than using he DNA of some poor creatures to chase power and immortality.”

They were just about to continue protesting when the sound of footsteps interrupted.

The three of them turned to watch as a grim faced scientist made his way up the isle.

“I am sorry to interrupt, but we have some news you aren’t going to like.”

The commander sighed, “What now?”

Eris tilted her head, “Very interesting.”

“Ell sir, we were combing through the databases tying to determine where the original hybrid DNA was sourced from. And as far as we can tell some of the originals were taken simply from random individuals off the streets.”

“Like we expected.”

“Yes sir, but… it seems that they too a shortcut when it came to gathering the human DNA….”

The admiral tapped her foot on the floor, “Well go on, spit it out.

The man grimaced and turned towards the commander, “Sir, the original human DNA… well.”

Eris was staring at him.

Everyone was staring at him

“They sequenced it form…. From the adaptid.”

It didn’t click at first because he was originally struck by just how long Vicky had been imprisoned here if she was the original sequence. Almost one and a half years…. It was terrible to think about, also terrible to consider Eris had never had any sort of childhood.

The room was silent.

Everyone was staring at him.

He didn’t entirely understand, “I’m sorry, and how does this affect-” He paused the realization coming slowly.

He turned in place to look at Eris who stared back at him with her wide black eyes, and her flowing dark hair. His sister had hair like that…

“Mother Fuck.” He muttered

Was he just imagining things, or did he sense a bit of a resemblance in her face, the lines of the nose, or the height of the cheekbones.

He turned away from the group staring at the ceiling, “Mother fuck.” He repeated

“Commander, are you alright.”

A hand dropped to rest on his shoulder.

He was feeling just a little dizzy.

“Commander do you need to sit down?”

He tried to shake himself taking a deep breath as he raised his head and waved them off, “No, no I’m alright.”

He turned around to look at Eris who was staring at him with a rather bemused expression, “how very interesting.” She said

He took a deep breath and straightened up, “Well if this is the case, than I take responsibility for what happens to the original hybrids, and I demand that any and all information gained using my DNA be destroyed immediately, I don’t care what kind of applications it may or may not have, my ruling on the issue is final.”

His hands had gone cold under the bandages as blood began pulsing through the rest of his body.

He was more than angry at the Tesraki. He almost wished he had killed them, snapped their necks with his bare hands like he should have done originally, and now because of all of this, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do. He was lost and confused and, didn’t know if he should feel responsibility for them.

It was his DNA, but he had no choice in the matter.

It was quiet for a very long few minutes until the chairwoman and the admiral stepped away to give him some time to think. He was grateful for that at least though he couldn't imagining it being of so much help.

“You are very confused.”

He turned to look at the Dark haired starborn her head tilted just slightly to the right, “You do not have to feel responsible for us.”

“I don’t have to, but I do.”

“It is in your nature.” She mused hair billowing about her head.

He looked down at the floor and sighed before looking up again straightening his back, “I…. I wish there was more I could do for you, but-”

She smiled and held up a hand, “I can hardly blame you. You were an unwilling DNA donor, and have opted to adopt the entire universe, which must be a strenuous and taxing burden sometimes.”

He opened his mouth then closed it, “if i was a better man, I would still try.”

“I will be fine, Commander. I think with some freedom, I will do just well for myself.”

They stood there awkwardly in silence for a while. He shuffled his feet trying to figure out what to say. “You look a lot like my sister when she was younger.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he said that but Eris smiled, so he supposed it had been the right thing.

“May I visit you, commander, on occasion?”

“Yes , of course, I would…. Be honored by your company.”

She smiled outwardly, but inwardly he could hear her laugh. IT was a nice sound, he hoped she could find it in her to do it a little more. She turned to float away.

He held out a hand, “Eris I-”

She turned to look at him, a smile still playing over her face, “I know, call you Adam.”

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purplerose244 · 4 years ago

Text

Thoughts journal Ninjago season 13!! 🖤🖤 (4/4)

Here we are, at the end of just another season of Ninjago! And I've gotta say, until now it has been very good, I think I'm liking this season better than Prime Empire and Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu. I liked them too, but this one feels more complete and deep, also LILLY GOT A BACKSTORY HECK YEAH 😍😍

Prime Empire had one really great ending, so I'm very curious how this season will conclude! Spinjitzu burst? Some last minute plot twist? Cole and Vania confirmed...? 🙄

Here we go!!

THE DARKEST HOUR

So I'm guessing the guys aren't doing too good at the moment 😅

I know this is kind of a tense situation, but honestly Kai looking so confused at having to lead cracks me up 😂 "Do I have to say it? Is that what being in charge means?"

Lloyd: YOU

Jay: SHALL

Kai: NOT

Zane: BE GRANTED THE PERMISSION TO TRAVERSE BEYOND THIS POINT

I have no words, that was such an obvious reference in full Zane style so in character, I have tears. Beautiful 🤣🤣

Also they all look SO COOL 💚💙❤🤍

My ninja babies fighting together screaming NINJA-GOO!! Really this season feels like we're back in the old days, so cool! And they are so in sync, Kai lifting Lloyd up and Zane pushing others away and I LOVE THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS 🤩

Poor Skull dude, he's trying to do his big bad guy monologue and he keeps getting interrupted 😂

It was cute that both tribes immediately refused to surrender, not sure if it was for pride or they actually care about their new ninja friends, but it was nice

Aahh, near death life experiences, the best way to elicit teamwork 👍 Nice scene, nice cute scene

Nnnnnyyyggg, Lloyd, that's the sacrifice look right there 😱 At least they just turned themselves in peacefully after reuniting the tribes... aaand of course he was lying, I hate that Skull dude 👿👿

THE ASCENT

Back to team Cole! Back to the Upply! 🖤 Quick guys, we're only three episodes left!! NEED TO GO BIG!!

Heeeeeyy, Wu back in business! I kinda missed him a bit taking control of the situation, it used to be him because he was the master. It really is a jump into the past this season! 🤩🤩

Sure let's go with the explosive cart, not like Cole and the other ninja haven't been piloting a falling apart rocket back to Earth before 🤷‍♀️

A Mech on rolleskates, why not? Does Cole even know how to go on those though? He was already out of the Tournament of Elements during Chen's Thunder Blade so I don't really know...

Lolz the monster was actually waiting staring at the wall, guess you don't get much fun in this mine 😅

COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE COOL FIGHTING SEQUENCE 🖤🖤🖤

And a poor old couple of civilians traumatized. They need to be trained by the people of Ninjago City on how to deal with weird appearances 💪

I guess we're doing this 😅 Gonna be honest, this is the first very evident sweet look I see from these two. I like Vania, a lot, but another classic love interest? Uuuuhhh, Idk, Imma see the rest of the season and see what happens 🤷‍♀️

A baby dragon on a giant spider, one of my favorite things ever on one thing I fear... I'll let it pass just because Adam is a good boy 🕷🕷🕷

GO VANIA GO GIRL LET HIM KNOW WHO IS THE BOSS HERE!!! 💛💛💛

THE UPPLY STRIKES BACK!

I really like these DnD guys, they've grown on me, let's see what they have in store! 😁

Munce and Geckles under chains, ninja in a cage, the Skull dude has the control, we're back when we started... sucks to be a ninja sometimes 😅

Omg I'm loving that this dude is trying so hard to be menacing and he keeps getting ignored 😂😂 Aww cute, you think you're the first that wants to destroy the ninja? Such a special little snowflake 😘 Evil monologue, we've been going for 13 seasons now with various specials and a movie, we heard it already 🤷‍♀️

Also the reveal, and he's all "Your friend Cole is dead" and Lloyd "That's what they all say, buddy" 👌👌

Poor Cole just wants justice for his mom HELP EMOTIONAL AGAIN

I'm all for Cole's personal team, they should do missions together, like Jay's team in Skybound!... that technically never happened, BUT STILL COOL 🖤💙🖤💙

Oh boy oh boy oh boy got the swords, confrontation ready, BRING IT!! Ninja team is all in for this!! ❤💚💙🤍🌊

REVOLUTION!!!! 💪💪💪💪

Swords aren't usually Cole's weapon of choice... BUT DANG IT HE CAN SWING THEM, HOLY GARMADON!!! THIS IS THE FIGHTING SCENES I WANT!!! 😍😍

How is this the episode prior the finale? It already feels like the finale! What else is going to happen?

SON'S OF LILY

Oh with a title like this, it's a given that I will not survive. Oh boy, here goes, the FINALE!

Chaos, chaos, beautiful dragon of death and distraction, also gently reminder that Mino is also a very good boy 💕 Are the skeletons connected to the skull? Are they gonna stop reform when Cole defeats the Skull Sorcerer?

The swords are not actually magical? Huh, first weapon in this show that turns out to be a fluke, apart maybe the Dragon Armor of the Firstborne... that one stayed intact at least 😅

HERE COMES THE VALKIRIES!!! *classic related music plays*

THIS. FIGHTING. SCENES. ARE. SO. FREAKING. GOOD 😍 Also wow sensei, full kamikaze with a dragon? I guess the sacrifice gene really runs into that family 😅

COLE NO DON'T HURT ROCK BABY 😭

"Always." KIRBY STOP MAKING ME CRY WITH YOUR AMAZING VOICE ACTING SKILLS ALSO HOLY HOOLA GANG

THAT'S LIKE A SPINJITZU WITH THE TRUE POTENTIAL OMG HECK YEAH SHINE COLE SHINE!!! 🖤🖤🖤

A bit red, could mistake it for Kai's, but it's an orange earth lava burst so I understand

Cole: okay guys, done my part

Cole: wake me up when next season is out

LOOK AT VANIA BECOMING THE QUEEN WITH THAT BEAUTIFUL ATTIRE AND USING COLE'S MOTHER QUOTE BECAUSE SHE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM COLE AWWW 💛

Okay, since there weren't evident references to Nexo Knights this season, can I pretend Fungus shooting fireworks is one? Merlok used to do that almost at every season finale... IMMA PRETEND 🙃

She is so adorable, I really love her. Wished we've seen more of her bond with her father, it felt a little easy her giving up on him. Idk, Sky and Chen didn't have that much of a bond but she struggled a lot! But she is super cool and cute, I ADORE her 💕

This sounds like a pretty good experience for Lloyd who FINALLY spent a season without being scarred for life!!! He even met a princess who didn't plan his death!!! Montgomery things are getting better 💚

Well, that surprised me, I guess Cole and Vania like each other but not heavily? Just a very light mood, like they care a lot but no other step further. I'm very happy about this choice, you can see it as a couple if you want, but you can also say they are just good friends. Nice 👍

Oh no, Wu got his midlife crisis, SOMEBODY STOPS HIM 😱

Wherever the wind will take them okay, wherever the producers will decide to torture them 😗

Overall, great finale! 😁

FINAL THOUGHTS

I think I enjoyed Prime Empire's finale more than this one, but this season with all of its episodes was absolutely AMAZING 🖤

The Skull Sorcerer wasn't necessarily a bad villain, but the story kinda went into another direction in my opinion so his part wasn't fundamental. Which isn't a bad thing for me, it's actually new and exciting see the attention to the story instead of the villain, and I did enjoy how they made fun of how cliche he was being 😂

Vania was GREAT. Wished we had more time with her father to really establish what kind of bond they had, but overall I loved her, new best girl acquired 💛💛💛

FREAKING ROCK MOM!! FREAKING LILLY!! I'm so emotional just thinking about this family, omg, THIS is the content I want for Ninjago! Impactful, that makes sense, connected to the heart that makes you so much closer to a character! Finally the Rock family is getting more complex 🖤

I think this season really gave Cole justice, we got her mom's story, we've got him leading a team again, we've got him with a cool new power! 😍😍

For the other ninja it was okay, I really liked the shenanigans with the tribes and the cultures were really fun to explore. Was kinda like a side quest and for me didn't bring that much to the main story, but it was fun and it's fair, Cole had all the attention he deserved 👌

FIGHTING ANIMATION OMG HECK FREAKING YEAH 10/NINJA-GOOOO ❤💚💙🖤🤍🌊

Beautiful designs for the characters, in particular the Shintaro citizens, and also wonderful backgrounds and sceneries, that I thought were starting to lack but here seems much nicer to look at 🤩

What can I say? Ninjago still knows how to mess with my heart, and I'm so very happy about it. I think the so wanted Cole season was definitely worth it 🖤🖤🖤

Now, I heard voices about a possible Nya season... ABSOLUTELY YES, YES TO EVERYTHING, QUEEN GETTING HER OWN SEASON YES YES YES!!! 😍😍😍🌊🌊🌊 Besides that apparently Maya will come back, which is a dream coming true, if they give Nya the same attention they gave to Cole this season, I will be happy 😊

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solediem · 4 years ago

Text

reality re-written; a collection of thoughts and happenings ( @solivaganted )

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 20 years in the future, reaper estate

“holly, he’s like forty years old. stan someone your own age. “

holly sighs heavily as she clips a photocard of the ‘like forty-year old’ to her display board. her friend’s opinion was not asked for, and yet any mention or visual reminder of holly’s affinity for d:fi acts as some sort of invitation for ridicule.

“ yeah, but i’ve been looking for this photocard for months. it’s rare and i’m a collector. so fuck off.”

holly is very organized with her collection of photocards and albums. albums are displayed on shelves in chronological order, with the packaged photocards pinned nearby to indicate the era. she does her best to get two copies of each album – one to keep intact an one to display for her own pleasure. sadly, each album only has so many photocards. much of her collecting is online interactions with sellers willing to part with pieces of their own collection so that holly may complete her’s.

the friend sucks her teeth in annoyance, mumbling something about knocking her collection over if she keeps up such a rude demeanor. holly ignores her friend and stares at the photocard that’s completed her most recent collection venture – clé: levanter.

“ there you go, oppa … home with the rest of your members…”

hanuel lee is making a peace sign at her from his new place among the other cards. her heart swells a little with pride.

don’t be so difficult to find next time, okay??

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 20 years in the future, reaper estate

“hey, you finished levanter!”

holly looks up from her book with a smile and beams over at her collection. her father is standing in front of it, arms crossed over his chest as his gaze is caught on the latest addition,

“ yup! it came today.”

“this is really incredible, bean. your dedication is amazing.”

“call it what it is, dad, obsession.”

jayce turns on his heel to look at his daughter. the bright, beaming smile she had faltering to one a bit more sad. shame. there’s nothing to feel shame over. but one can only handle so much mocking before the words start to hit. she can say ‘fuck off’ to her friends a dozen times, put on a mask of how proud and happy she is when they’re around. but the moment she’s behind her doors, the pain each comment made opens new wounds in her that have turned this collecting hobby of hers from the joyful affair it was to something much more bittersweet.

“ bean…”

holly’s smile is gone, “ it’s like … “ she’s quiet a moment, “ jia collects cards and albums too. but everyone she likes is her age and having comebacks every month. but because i…because i like the groups and the singers that i associate with you and mom and uncle i…somehow i’m the strange one. i’m wrong— i have reaper cards too. and x-gene. you guys did so much for music, but i’m not allowed to look at that and admire that …?? why am i the strange one ?? is it because we’re related ?? do i have to be some obsessive fifteen year old in her bedroom two cities away writing fanfiction for this to be acceptable ??"

jayce finds a spot on holly’s bed, and within seconds, she’s up from her armchair and crawling into her father’s lap like she’s a child again. he wraps his arms around her all the same.

“ reese was here the other day while you were out with your friends. “ as if holly needed to be reminded of who reese kim was, her father pointed to the picture of d:fi’s maknae hanging a couple spaces to the left of hanuel, “ i was showing him the studio, and when we passed your room, he asked if he could see how your collection was coming. he stood there staring at it, and he was so quiet. i thought something was wrong, but then i saw his eyes. i think if he’d been in there by himself he might’ve cried a little bit, because he looked the way i did on reaper’s final tour – touched, honored, amazed. like he couldn’t fathom so much love. he pulled himself together and smiled at me. and he asked me to thank you for remembering him and d:fi like this.

holly presses her lips together tightly and sniffs loudly, desperately trying to not cry. to know he understood her and her intentions brought a sense of relief. she’s not obsessing. she’s not going overboard. she’s immortalizing. remembering. letting the people she grew up with that influenced her so much know that if no one else in the world loves them, she will. if the world decides they aren’t worth remembering, she will remember in spite of it.

they deserve as much. her family deserves to be loved beyond their music and influence.

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 20 years in the future, reaper estate

“happy birthday!!”

holly’s not to fond of surprise parties. especially not when they consist of some thirty people all gathered in the main house with party poppers and horns. she’s practically on the floor cowering when her brain registers that a mix of friends and family had gathered to celebrate her 20th birthday.

“ oh my god … “ she can’t even register happiness. her heart is to busy trying escape her chest.

“ sorry, sweetheart. “ her mother puts an arm around her and guides her into the crowd, “ are you okay ??”

holly nods, “ you guys scared me, my gosh … there’s to many of us for it to be a surprise. this is a heart attack party, fucking hell…”

jaehwa sighs a bit, “ do me the favor of keeping your mouth clean at least when you’re around me, hm?”

“ sorry. “

their conversation ends at the kitchen island where the family has gathered to watch her blow out the candles of a very tall cake. holly tucks a few strands of hair behind her ears and, with a deep breath, manages most of the candles on her first go. when she’s taking her second attempt, the estate’s intercom system sounds to let the house know someone’s waiting to be let in. jaehwa takes it upon herself to let them and waits a little bit by the door until the guests arrive.

holly’s made it through the candles and the cake is being cut when she glances up to see who her mom is greeting at the door. two towering figures stand over her with gift bags in hand and toothy grins on their face. they’re bowing politely and holding out the bags to holly’s beaming mother.

“ oh she’ll be so excited!! these are from all of d:fi? that’s so thoughtful. “ holly just barely hears.

she’s straining a bit to identify the individuals, but when they turn to look at the commotion that is her party, her heart drops into her stomach, and she’s caught between a happy smile and an embarrassed one. reese gives her a small wave and a heart with two fingers while mouthing what she assumes is ‘happy birthday’. from where she stands, she gives a small bow.

jaehwa is motioning for them to come in, but the other visitor is shaking his head. holly’s half tempted to break away from the party to go speak to them directly, but cake is being shoved in front of her, and friends are pulling at her for pictures. before she gives in to their pestering, she catches sight of the other visitor peering around reese to catch his own glimpse of the party.

gaze meets, and holly feels her heart (that finally made it’s way back to her chest) thud against her ribcage. hanuel smiles and holds up a peace sign to her before giving jaehwa another small bow and directing reese out the door. the next few minutes are a bit of a blur, as all her brain can really focus on is hanuel greeting her.

it shouldn’t be so odd to her. this isn’t the first time she’s met him, and it surely won’t be the last. but something about that moment felt so off. like she was seeing a hanuel she’d never met before. a hanuel that’s tugged at her heartstrings with just a smile and she can’t seem to gather her senses back up. the world had shifted beneath her and she might’ve fallen if she wasn’t being gripped onto by her friends still pestering her for pictures.

get it together, holls

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 2 years ago, ‘my pace’ video set

music video sets aren’t a new thing for holly, but that doesn’t squash the rush of excitement that comes from being on one. especially considering the set she’s found herself on. the man that would be her father is near the tech set up behind the camera, talking to staff about this and that, and holly doesn’t care. she’s scanning the tunnel and her mind is filling in the blanks. in her mind’s eyes she sees d:fi running forward followed by a crowd of extras on skates and scooters. tickets are on the ground and cameras are panning around to catch different angles.

it goes dark suddenly, then a single very bright spotlight is turned on and nearly blinds her. scaffolding are being moved into place and holly realizes that the next part of filming is a dance sequence. and judging by the pink and purple lights that have joined the spotlight – she knows exactly which. and she’s a little more giddy than she’d like to be showing, but how else is she expected to react to seeing the foundation of d:fi’s career coming to life in front of her?

“ hey – “

holly whips around to see her father in front of her, looking a bit uneased by the affair that is a breach of time and space. understandable.

“hi. hey. sorry. i’m…” she stops, realizing she has nothing to apologize for. jayce just smiles a bit, his expression reading something she doesn’t quite understand.

“you’re in the middle of the shot. come over here.”

he leads her away from the spotlight and back to where he’d just been sitting. from this perspective, holly can see the set coming together to shape the image she has in her mind of this music video. the only thing missing are the boys – and as she waits with jayce behind the camera, they eventually find their way to the center of the spotlight, stretching and chatting.

they look so young.

even knowing that age never really catches up with these boys, they look and feel much younger than the polished and perfected senior group she knows them to be from home. they haven’t moved to their starting positions yet, and so the members that would start in the back of the formation are standing upfront and center.

gazes meet. for him, it’s the first time. for her, it’s one of many. but just as on her birthday, the small smile and wave that hanuel gives her sets her entire world off kilter and she stumbles a bit. her father’s behind her and catches her.

“i’m fine.” she says. just confused. very confused.

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 2 years ago, ‘my pace’ video set

“ … hello, there. i was told to bring you this…”

the fact that holly hasn’t fallen over with the way everything around her seems to be shifting is a miracle. hanuel is settled in a seat near the back when she approaches him with a small tub of water bottles on ice. the dancer beams and takes one, thanking her profusely and starting up a conversation.

it literally feels as though the ground is shifting underneath her, and to avoid looking like she’s going to collapse, she sets the water bottles down and takes her own seat while they talk. she’s a theatre major, and he thinks that’s incredible. and ‘jayce-hyung’ is really nice to have let his ‘niece’ stop by the set.

he’s talking so casually. so sweetly. he seems fully invested, and every attempt she makes to break eye contact with him fails. the longer the conversation goes on, the more holly leans in, not even realizing that she’s inching closer and closer to him. he doesn’t seem to mind it. in fact, he’s smiling so much it seems his face might get stuck that way. his eyes are lit up and he’s reaching for conversation topics. he wishes he could see her perform, because he bets she’s really good. because someone related to jayce must be talented, right?

“ hyung !!”

reality crashes back down on them. the set comes back into view and they acknowledge that there’s more to existence than just each other. reese kim – a lankier, more akward looking version of him – is bounding over and motioning for hanuel to return to set.

he asks her to wait around so they can talk. she agrees. the world is still shifting.

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ one and a half years ago, practice room

she can’t stop laughing. and maybe it’s because she’s prone to giggle fits, but every word out of hanuel’s mouth makes her laugh harder. she’s convinced he’s doing it on purpose now because he’s got a mischievous grin on his lips.

“ stop it!! “

he’s not doing anything. it’s not his fault she can’t stop laughing. holly grabs at his arm and takes a series of deep breaths, trying to calm herself out of her own hysterics. when she meets his gaze again, the wicked smile is gone, replaced with gentle eyes. eyes of admiration.

holly wants to smack him.

don’t look at me like that. don’t give me those eyes.

because he doesn’t know who he’s looking at. he doesn’t know that their time is limited. he doesn’t know the truth. but he’s still leaning into her, and she’s leaning in as well. he doesn’t know that the next time he sees her like this, it will be awkward at best, mortifying at worst. but their foreheads are together, and he’s holding her like she’s suddenly the most precious thing in the world. she feels tears in her eyes, but keeps them back.

she wants to not kiss him. she wants his lips to not feel as soft as they do. she doesn’t want her heart to be soaring, and she doesn’t want to be pulling him closer. the world is shifting beneath her again, but she feels less shaky in his arms.

i want to stay…

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 22 years in the future, backstage

you’re impossible. my impossible girl. but you have to live your dreams, yeah? don’t…get caught here by some stupid boy. you’ve got important things to do.

“positions !!”

the audience is filing in and holly’s mind is everywhere other than it needs to be.

you’re to talented to stay here. i love you. i’ll always love you.

“holls? why are you crying?”

two years! one would think that after two years she’d be alright again, but she’s not. the anguish has eaten at her since the day she left him behind and not a damn thing she does can assuage it.

all her photocards and albums are gone. her entire collection boxed and shoved into the corner of the garage, never to be seen again. every indication of her admiration wiped away as though it never happened. and she hasn’t seen d:fi either. not a single member, since the day she came home. it’s like they don’t exist. and she supposed rightfully so. she’d stay away too if she realized. the awful position she forced hanuel into, she can’t forgive herself. she had so much time while she was there to dissuade him, to not lead him on and yet

and yet

in her selfishness she let it happen. and now that time has put itself right again, surely he’s stuck with the realization of who he’d fallen for. surely he’s avoided every event and party she’d be at for that reason.

“ i’m okay. are we ready?”

she remembers the moments fondly. when she lets herself sink into them, it’s the most right she’s ever felt. but reality always brings her back and every part of her aches. she feels weak. heavy. like she’s wrong.

but the show must go on, as they say. holly’s dedication to her ‘dream’ is the only thing that’s kept her going. without something to focus on, the sadness is too much. the stage is waiting for her. she’s come this far. she has to do it. she has to keep going now.

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 22 years in the future, holly song’s memorial service

there are some horrors you can’t unsee.

there are some tragedies that can’t be reframed.

there is nothing that sits worse on the hearts of parents than to put their child into the ground.

jayce and jaehwa don’t see anything but her that day. as many people surround them, they perceive no one. kind words mean nothing. holly song is in a casket at the front of the room and the building is packed to capacity with those come to mourn her.

she was to young. and this is all wrong.

her parents are doing everything in their power to hold themselves together as person after person comes into the room to pay respects. but after nearly an hour of this, jaehwa is on the floor letting out cries of anguish that only a mother could make.

hanuel is in the next room. arms over his stomach and head bowed. the sound of jaehwa’s wails, however, bring him to the ground. he sits on his knees, doing everything in his power to not be loud as his own sobs take over his body. he doesn’t have the right to grieve in such a way. not when he could’ve prevented this entirely. but that truth makes the pain worse. better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. such a sham of a statement. he’s loved and lost. twice.

I should’ve stopped her.

[ 🙤 · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ] ⠀━━ 2 month ago, two star lobby

as wobbly as she feels, it’s the most stable she’s felt in her life. her mind is a mess. A mix of memories and shifting realities that come together to form a jumbled mess of a new existence. council this, fate that, reality this, aries that.

she needs hanuel.

the only thing in her jumbled mind that’s certain is the necessity that is hanuel lee in her life again. he’s moved on, she knows that. she can’t expect him to be what he was before, but for the love of everything, he’s the only thing that makes sense and the only one that can hold her up while she gets used to this new reality. holly leans against a column in the two star lobby and slides to the ground, finally giving in to the fact that her body is not yet ready for movement.

he says her name. he can’t believe what he’s seeing, and he’s in tears as he falls next to her and wraps her in his arms. he’s sorry, he’s so so sorry. he should’ve never told her to leave. he should’ve held onto her and made her stay and saved her. he’d been broken since she left, the wolf in him was dying. everything in him was dying.

holly lets herself fall into him.

“ nothing was right…”

he agrees. he’s never letting her go again. he’s her’s forever. there’s much to talk about and understand. but hanuel can see the state she’s in. he doesn’t say anything but kind and loving words to her. a hand gently strokes her head. everything is right. he knows exactly who he’s looking at, and he knows that time isn’t limited for them.

the world isn’t shifting anymore.

#* ▷ ╰ 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 ━━ 「 holly && hanuel 」

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ceciliavonwrites · 4 years ago

Text

Batman Adventure 2: Ivy

Shadow walked into the greenhouse, his steel shoes clattering against the concrete floor. It was dark and stormy outside. Inside, too. He was staring ahead with his hands tensed into fists, not seeing the greenery around him.

His search for the chaos drives was not going well. Two weeks spent with Poison Ivy, and he was still coming up empty. This world was so large. Whoever did have them was hiding them well. He was spending half his time doing work for Doctor Ivy, too.

None of those facts were good excuses. He was the Ultimate Life Form. He was made to be perfect, powerful, capable of anything. The chaos energy of the drives sung out to their sister energies in his blood. They could not hide from him forever.

Still, he needed to find something soon. Every day he spent without his mission complete made unnecessary thoughts sneak up on him. Unnecessary questions. More and more, weighing him down and distracting him when he needed to be thinking clearly.

Doubt was...unpleasant.

He headed up the stairs. Shadow had to really stretch his short legs to reach each step. He knew on some level that his efforts to use anything human-scale made him seem child-like; he just didn't care. It was irksome, but everything being too tall wasn't about to stop him.

Shadow happened to look up at the top of the stairs, and paused.

A man in grey and black was dangling upside down from the greenhouse ceiling. He struggled in the grip of an enormous vine-like plant growing down from the ceiling, entrapping the man's legs.

Shadow berated himself; he had been so lost in thought, he had completely missed seeing any of this from the ground. Focus! Stay alert. No distractions. If this had been an attacker, he might be bleeding now.

The trapped man caught sight of Shadow. He locked eyes with him, expression imperceptible under his black horned mask.

He had a gruff voice when he spoke. "Who are you?"

"I should be asking you that question," Shadow answered. Clearly Doctor Ivy had caught him, but why keep him here? What the hell did she want with this strangely dressed human man? And where was she, anyways?

The man's voice now had a strange, earnest curiosity to it now. "You aren't anything like her. Why are you working for Poison Ivy?"

Shadow's brows furrowed. "...Not like her."

That was an understatement. No, he was not like Doctor Ivy. He was a unique creation, unlike anything or anyone on this planet...

Shadow's eyes slid from the man to the plant holding him still. Briefly he studied the large nameless vine, grown quickly just to subdue this human. If it had a species, he did not know it. He then glanced down to all the plants on the greenhouse floor, all of them lovingly cared for and labeled.

Shadow turned away without answering him.

"Shadow! Dammit, get away from him!"

It was Ivy, coming up the stairs.

"Oh, of all the--" She pointed accusingly at the grey man. "What has he been telling you?! I won't have him poisoning your perfectly good worldview!"

"He asked who I was." Shadow answered. "Nothing else."

"Ivy," interrupted the man, "where did you find him?"

She briefly put on that false, sultry voice she used when she lied. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The man struggled again in his bonds. "What are you doing this time, Ivy?"

She was about to answer, them glanced down from him to Shadow.

"Shadow," Ivy said, "pick up where I left off with watering the roses downstairs. By the guytraps. I need to talk to our...guest."

That was just fine with him. Let her handle the nosy man. He looked around for the watering can. "Yes, doctor."

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

Ivy stared. The torn and tattered remains of the vine swung in front of her. The gene sequence she had been working on was gone from her desk.

She groaned. She'd turned her back for just a moment. "Of course he escaped. Damn it."

She could admire that Batman stood for something, unlike the rest of this city. As much as she could respect a human--which was not much at all--she respected him. But it was infuriating how often he swooped in and ruined her plans, no matter what she was doing. She half-suspected that if Batman had gotten to her little helper first, he would have somehow ruined him and made Shadow into another Robin or something.

Speaking of which, she could hear Shadow's footsteps, coming upstairs again.

His eyes briefly widened in surprise as he glanced from her to the ripped-up vine. His eyes lingered on it as he spoke. "He's gone, then."

"Yes," Ivy said, making no attempt to hide her irritation and frustration. "He got away, AND with what I was working on. Please tell me you got your job done."

He held up the empty-sounding watering can. "I did."

"Good," Ivy sighed. At least, with the one exception, her plants were all alright. She'd had workers before, but this one in particular was too effective to lose to Batman's misguided crusade. Where else would she find a nonhuman to work with who agreed with her on so much?

Without really thinking, she reached and pat Shadow on the head. He held perfectly still when she touched him, acting neither for or against it.

Shadow breathed in to speak. "...Doctor, I need to know something."

What did he want? She was finally starting to get used to how he had to look up at her. With his big wide adorable eyes. Dammit.

"You grew that vine to trap this man," he said.

"Yes." That was accurate. "And?"

"You created it for a purpose. It's not like the rest of your plants. It never had its own place in the greenhouse." Shadow said. He glanced over at its remains again. "That man ripped it to shreds... You say you love your plants. What about that one?"

Ivy turned around. He was looking up at her, waiting for an answer. His expression was less stony than usual, though what his slightly furrowed brows meant she couldn't tell. It was odd to see.

She opted this time for the truth. "I intended for it to do its job of capturing Batman. I didn't want it to die." Ivy said. "Unfortunately, the poor thing didn't succeed."

Shadow nodded, and lowered his head. "Right." He said this more quietly. "It is a tool. I understand."

Oh, god dammit. She knows too much about this tiny bastard and his tiny personality now. He was asking about something else too.

Shadow had better not mean him in relation to her. Surely he didn't think that she was his mother or something now. Of course not. Why would he? She only took care of him because he was helpful. Useful to have around. It wasn't out of affection.

"Why," Ivy said, aggravated, "are you asking?"

Shadow shook his head. "No reason." He turned away. "It doesn't change anything."

Sure it doesn't, that's why you bothered saying something. Sheesh.

She mulled this over. Well. If he didn't mean her, he was probably referring to his creator. It made sense for her to supplant that man as the one Shadow ought to be listening to. And, honestly, it was pathetic how blind this child was to his "Professor" jerking him around.

It was obvious to her, and she was only going off of what little Shadow had said and done so far. He and his creator both wanted revenge, he told her. Well, of course he did. Why wouldn't he share the same values as the man who had very literally shaped his mind? If she created a little being, she'd put something in its little brain to make it do exactly what she wanted it to do. No doubt this man had done the same.

Somehow too he had kept his creation isolated from humanity, a true masterstroke. The Professor was human; murdering humanity was an informed decision for him (and for her). By contrast, Shadow had once asked Ivy if she WAS human, because he wasn't sure. He was learning that Gothamites were greedy and stupid, but anyone with half a brain could figure that one out.

He knew so little about the humans he wanted dead. All he had started with was what the Professor told him. Like sculpting unformed clay.

Shadow was walking away, heading for the stairwell.

"You know, Shadow," Ivy said, slightly raising her voice, "if your creator tells you they love you, but all they do is order you around and use you? They don't actually love you."

That made him freeze. He stood stiff and still at the top of the stairs.

"I'm not being used," Shadow said sharply. She couldn't see his face, but the spikes on his head bristled. "I was made for a reason, and I'm not going to forget that. That's all."

"I'd feel better having you help me end humanity if I knew it was you making that decision."

"It is my decision."

If she pushes any more, she's going to lose him. She needs him to listen to her. "Alright. Fine." Ivy said, struggling a little to make her voice sound pacifying rather than condescending. "You would know."

It was a moment before he answered. "...Yes."

His steps echoed down the metal stairs, the only sounds in the silence.

#batman villain moms au #canon #shadow #poison ivy

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islanublar · 4 years ago

Text

MASRANI BACKDOOR

AVAILABLE PROGRAMS:

ASSETS ..... USE TO ACCESS A PARK ASSET

QUERY ...... USE TO QUERY AN OBJECT

INBOX ...... READ RECEIVED MESSAGES

ARCHIVE .... READ ARCHIVED LOGS

TIMELINE ... USE TO SHOW COMPANY HISTORY

USEFUL COMMANDS:

HELP ....... DISPLAYS ASSISTANCE

LS ......... LIST DIRECTORY FILES

CLEAR ...... CLEARS THE SCREEN

EXIT ....... EXITS THE PROGRAM

ARCHIVE

KARYOLYSIS

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 09/20/1991 2205 CST SUBJECT: KARYOLYSIS NOTES: DESPITE INITIAL TESTS SHOWING PROMISING RESULTS, SUBJECTS 4X, 6X AND 7X (VELOCIRAPTOR) ALL FAILED WITHIN 6 DAYS DUE TO KARYOLYSIS: COMPLEX CHROMATIN MOLECULES COLLAPSING DURING INTERPHASE. WE BELIEVE THIS WAS DUE TO INCOMPATIBLE GENETIC STRUCTURES IN DENDROBATES LEUCOMELAS; AN INTERESTING THOUGHT AS DILOPHOSAURUS HAS SHOWN GOOD RESULTS WITH XL-22(728)[REGION 1]. A POSSIBLE SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND IN HYPEROLIUS VIRIDIFLAVUS.

---END LOG---

COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 02/13/1992 1410 CST SUBJECT: COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE NOTES: VELOCIRAPTOR SUBJECTS HAVE BEEN DISPLAYING HIGH LEVELS OF SHARED INTELLIGENCE AS A RESULT OF A THREE STEP PROCESS INVOLVING COGNITION, COOPERATION, AND COORDINATION. THE COLLECTIVE IQ IS STAGGERING. PERHAPS MORE ALARMING ARE SCANS OF THEIR TEMPORAL LOBE DISPLAYING HIGH LEVELS OF ACTIVITY RESPONSIBLE FOR MEMORY, ORGANIZATION AND SEQUENCING, AND RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE.

---END LOG---

LYSINE

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 05/12/1994 1215 CST SUBJECT: LYSINE NOTES: THERE MUST BE A HICCUP IN THE LYSINE CONTINGENCY SOMEWHERE. THE ANIMALS HAVE NOT PERISHED. WHAT'S MORE ASTONISHING IS THAT THEY'RE BREEDING. I'VE SEEN THE NESTS MYSELF. ONE CAN ONLY ASSUME INCLUSIONS FROM HYPEROLIUS VIRIDIFLAVUS WERE TO BLAME. COMPLETELY UNPRECEDENTED IN MY FIELD OF RESEARCH. LIFE FOUND A WAY?

---END LOG---

KARACOSIS WUTANSIS

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 05/21/1997 0745 CST SUBJECT: KARACOSIS WUTANSIS NOTES: SUCCESS! SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS DECADES AWAY WAS ACHIEVED IN A MERE FOUR YEARS: THE ABILITY TO COMBINE MULTIPLE SPECIES OF GENETIC LIFE INTO A SINGLE ENVIRONMENT. A BRAND NEW SPECIES OF LIFE. THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF GENETICISTS ARE ALREADY NAMING IT IN MY HONOR: KARACOSIS WUTANSIS. IF ONLY HAMMOND WAS WELL ENOUGH TO HAVE COME AND SEEN THIS. LOOKS LIKE I'LL HAVE TO UPDATE MY BOOK.

---END LOG---

IRON STORES

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 08/25/2000 1355 CST SUBJECT: IRON STORES NOTES: TECHNOLOGY NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME. JUST A DECADE AGO NO ONE HAD BELIEVED WE'D HOLD THE TECHNOLOGY WE USE TODAY. MOORE'S LAW IS THRIVING. OUR RESEARCHERS IN SAN DIEGO (BRIDGES & CURTIS, ET AL.) HAVE GIVEN ME THE NEWS THAT OUR PROTOTYPE IRON ANALYZER READ INTO OUR RECENTLY UNCOVERED FOSSILIZED MOSASAUR SKELETON AND HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF TRACEABLE DNA FRAGMENTS. WHILST IT IS STILL MUCH TOO EARLY TO TELL, I BELIEVE THIS MAY BE OUR ONLY MEANS TO RECREATING AQUATIC LIFE IN THE ABSENCE OF CULICIDAE.

---END LOG---

WEEK 3

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: HOSKINS, VIC DATE: 04/19/2002 1910 CST SUBJECT: WEEK 3 NOTES: I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE TEAM TODAY. HELL, STARING A SEVEN TON PREDATOR IN THE EYES IS NO EASY JOB. THESE THINGS ARE BIGGER THAN YOU'D EXPECT! LET'S JUST HOPE TIMACK KNOWS HOW TO BUILD STRONG PADDOCKS.

---END LOG---

RUFFLED FEATHERS

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: WU, HENRY DATE: 02/20/2003 1410 CST SUBJECT: RUFFLED FEATHERS NOTES: I'M CALLING THIS THE 'COMMON COLD OF GENETICS'. WE CAN'T CURE THIS ONE SOON I'M SURE. BECAUSE WE'RE ACTIVELY MANIPULATING AND MUTATING THE ANIMALS' GENES, ADDING FROG, BIRD AND REPTILE DNA, WE CREATE WHAT IS KNOWN AS 'NULL ALLELE'. THE DINOSAURS CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT SOMETHING ADDED TO THEIR CODE SO FOR NOW WE'RE STUCK WITH SCALES. MAYBE MY RESEARCH INTO GENE SPLICING WILL UNEARTH THIS PROBLEM, IT CERTAINLY PROVED ITS LIMITLESS CAPABILITIES WITH THAT ACCIDENT WE LEFT ON SORNA.

---END LOG---

NAMUMKIN KUCH BHI NAHI

---BEGIN LOG---

OWNER: MASRANI, SIMON DATE: 06/06/2009 0800 CST SUBJECT: NAMUMKIN KUCH BHI NAHI NOTES: I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME I HELD A BABY DINOSAUR, AN INFANT PARASAUROLOPHUS IN 1999 DURING MY VISIT TO OVERSEE OUR RECENTLY PURCHASED INGEN. I REMEMBER THINKING THIS WAS THE RESULT OF PURE IMAGINATION REINFORCED BY THE UNDERSTANDING THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. PEOPLE OFTEN TALK ABOUT HOW MAN CANNOT FLY WITHOUT AN AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER IF YOU REMOVE GRAVITY MAN CAN FLY WITHOUT AID OF ANYTHING. IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSPECTIVE. I KNOW NOW, MORE THAN EVER, THAT OUR SPECIES HAS UNLIMITED CAPABILITIES. HOLDING THAT YOUNG ANIMAL WAS A WAKE UP CALL. IF WE DREAM OF IT, WE CAN ACHIEVE IT. NOW ONLY ONE QUESTION REMAINS: WHAT IS NEXT FOR INGEN? I BELIEVE HENRY WU HAS AN ANSWER.

---END LOG---

INBOX

THE NEXT TEN YEARS

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MASRANI, SIMON TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 01/10/1998 1215 CST SUBJECT: THE NEXT TEN YEARS MESSAGE: FANCY MEETING ME FOR LUNCH THIS THURSDAY? STRICTLY BUSINESS. SIMON.

---END MESSAGE---

JURASSIC PLOP

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MASRANI, SIMON TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 10/23/1999 0005 CST SUBJECT: JURASSIC PLOP MESSAGE: I'M DISSATISFIED WITH THE NAME. 'PARK' FEELS SMALL, TOO 1980'S, NOT TO MENTION IT HAS A LOT OF WEIGHT AND BAD PRESS AROUND IT. I'VE BEEN SCRIBBLING NOTES ON MY FLIGHTS COMING UP WITH POSSIBLE TITLES, AND I'M THINKING 'WORLD'. WELCOME TO 'JURASSIC WORLD'! THOUGHTS? OTHERS IDEAS INCLUDED ... JURASSIC ISLAND, THE LOST WORLD, PREHISTORIC WORLD, JURASSIC LAND, DINO ISLAND, CRETASIA ISLAND, ROAMING REPTILES, DINOSPHERE, ... GIANT CHICKEN ISLAND?

---END MESSAGE---

RE: JW SYSTEMS CHECK

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MCCLURE, JAMES TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 06/08/2004 2050 CST SUBJECT: RE: JW SYSTEMS CHECK MESSAGE: I'VE MANAGED TO ISOLATE THE ANOMALY. I WOULD SAY THE SYSTEM IS NOW WATERTIGHT. I'LL GIVE HOSKINS A CALL AND SEE IF HE CAN SPOT ANYTHING THAT NEEDS UPDATING. YOU KNOW HOW HE HAS AN EYE FOR DETAIL. MIGHT HELP.

---END MESSAGE---

GRAND OPENING

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MASRANI, SIMON TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENTS] DATE: 05/30/2005 1530 CST SUBJECT: GRAND OPENING MESSAGE: I JUST WANTED TO SEND A QUICK MESSAGE TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR ALL THE EFFORT YOU'VE PUT INTO MAKING JURASSIC WORLD COME TO LIFE. WE HAVE A SAYING BACK HOME IN INDIA, 'DER AAYE DURUST AAYE' OR 'BETTER LATE THAN NEVER'. IT'S TIME WE MAKE HISTORY. HAMMOND WOULD BE PROUD. NAMASTE. SIMON.

---END MESSAGE---

NEW OPPORTUNITY

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MASRANI, SIMON TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 04/04/2012 1720 CST SUBJECT: NEW OPPORTUNITY MESSAGE: HENRY. I'VE JUST COME OUT OF A MEETING AND THE BOARD ARE UNANIMOUS IN THEIR DESIRE FOR A NEW PARK ATTRACTION TO SATISFY OUR INVESTORS. SOMETHING BIGGER, SCARIER, COOLER. ANY NEW SPECIES COME TO MIND? YOU HAVE MY FULL AUTHORIZATION. SIMON.

---END MESSAGE---

HELP

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: GRADY, OWEN TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 05/17/2013 0955 CST SUBJECT: HELP MESSAGE: THEIR PACK DYNAMIC IS MUCH MORE COMPLICATED THAN WE FIRST THOUGHT AND I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU'RE NOT WEIGHING UP THE GRAVITY OF THAT. WE CANNOT BURY OUR HEADS IN THE SAND AND HOPE FOR THE BEST WITH THIS, SO I' M GOING TO NEED SOME HELP. I HAVE AN OLD FRIEND IN FRANCE, BARRY, WHO CAN ASSIST. I'LL SEND HIM YOUR NUMBER TO INTRODUCE YOU. IF WE'RE TO STUDY THESE ANIMALS AND LEARN HOW THEY WORK THEN WE SHOULDN'T ASSUME TO GAIN THEIR CO-OPERATION WITH JUST A FEW SNACKS. REMEMBER, THEY CAN TALK TO EACH OTHER. JUST A TIP, VIC.

---END MESSAGE---

MARTEL

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: WU, HENRY TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENTS] DATE: 11/15/2014 1105 CST SUBJECT: MARTEL MESSAGE: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MARTEL TEAM ON THEIR OPENING! THIS IS OUR FIRST STEP INTO CREATING THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE BIOLOGICAL LIBRARY THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN. OBVIOUS RUMORS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN CIRCULATING ABOUT OUR INTENTIONS BUT I WANT THE CORE TEAM TO KNOW THAT WE'RE JUST COLLECTING AND ARCHIVING FOR NOW. I'VE SPOKEN WITH SIMON AND HE HAS EXPRESSED HIS UTMOST DELIGHT THAT WE'LL BEGIN WORK ON THIS.

---END MESSAGE---

RE: INDOMINUS REX

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: MASRANI, SIMON TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENT] DATE: 12/24/2014 0940 CST SUBJECT: RE: INDOMINUS REX MESSAGE: UNFORTUNATELY MY FACE IS NEEDED AT SEVERAL OTHER MEETINGS AND EVENTS OVER THE COMING SIX MONTHS. I WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR UNTIL THE END OF MAY OR EARLY JUNE. SINCERE APOLOGIES. SIMON.

---END MESSAGE---

INSTALLATION

---NEW MESSAGE---

FROM: HOSKINS, VIC TO: [UNDISCLOSED RECIPIENTS] DATE: 01/10/2015 1215 CST SUBJECT: INSTALLATION MESSAGE: MASCOM NETWORK ENGINEERS WILL BE ON SITE INSTALLING NEW SCANNING HARDWARE IN THE NORTH OF THE ISLAND PAST THE RESTRICTED ZONE ON JANUARY 30 0800 CST. ALL INGEN SECURITY STAFF PLEASE BE ON STANDBY TO ASSIST.

---END MESSAGE---

QUERY TERMS:

Amber - DESCRIPTION: Fossilized tree resin (not sap).

Barbasol - [Used to open a page on jurrasicworld.com]

Colin - Name: Trevorrow, Colin Position: Director, Safety (Not Guaranteed)

Derek - Name: Connoly, Derek Position: Employee of the Month

Diabolus rex - ERROR: Did you mean 'Axis Boulder'?

Fetahers - ERROR: Null Allele.

IBRIS - Name: Integrated Behavioral Raptor Intelligence Study. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS

Isla Nublar - Location: 120 miles off the coast of Costa Rica. Description: Home of Jurassic World.

Isla Sorna/Isla Matanceros/Isla Pena/Isla Tacaño/Isla Muerta - Location: Las Cinco Muertos. Description: U.N. heritage preservation.

Masrani - Name: Masrani, Simon Position: Cheif Executive Officer, Masrani Global Corporation

Timack - DESCRIPTION: Building the foundations for state of the art entertainment.

Visitors Centre - [Opens jurrasicworld.com] It also says "FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS".

Wu - Name: Wu, Henry Position: Lead Genetic Biologist, International Genetic Technologies, Inc.

TIMELINE

1525 - Isla Nublar discovered by Diego Fernadez. 1526 - Muertes Archipelago discovered (disputed). 1928 - John Parker Hammond born in Edinburgh, Scotland. 1930 - Sanjay Masrani is born in Bombay (Mumbai), India. 1967 - Simon Masrani is born in Bombay (Mumbai), India. 1969 - John Hammond's 'Animal Kingdom' opens in Nirobi, Kenya. 1973 - Mascom Network established in Bombay (Mumbai), India. 1975 - International Genetics Technologies, Inc. established in San Deigo, USA. 1979 - Mascom unveils concept for fiber-optic communications. 1982 - Isla Sorna leased from the Costa Rican Government. 1983 - Construction of Jurassic Park: San Deigo. 1984 - First test fertilizations of artificial ovum. Tatsuo Technology established in Tokyo, Japan. 1985 - 'Jurassic Park: San Deigo' decommissioned. Isla Nublar leased from the Costa Rican Government. 1986 - First dinosaur (Velociraptor) successfully cloned at 'Site B'. 1987 - Last remaining Bribri Tribe descendant resettled off Isla Nublar. 1988 - Construction of 'Jurassic Park' begins. 1990 - First mature animals moved from 'Site B' to Isla Nublar. 1992 - Sanjay Masrani passes away. Simon Masrani made chef executive officer, Mascom Network. 1993 - FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 1994 - FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 1995 - Dr. Henry Wu publishes 'The Next Step: The Evolution of God's Concepts'. 1996 - Masrani Oil Industries established in Abu Dubai, UAE. Data Analysis established in Johannesburg, South Africa. 1997 - John Hammond passes away. Dr. Henry Wu creates Karacosis wutansis. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 1998 - International Genetics Technologies, Inc. acquired by Masrani Global. 1999 - Masrani Global acquires limited access to Isla Nubalr and Isla Sorna. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 2000 - Dr. Henry Wu begins work on 'Jurassic World' project. Axis Boulder established in Dubai, UAE. 2001 - 'Flying Reptile Cleanup' headed by Vic Hoskins. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 2002 - Timack Construction established in San Jose, Costa Rica. Construction begins on 'Jurassic World'. 2003 - Midixal Health established in New York, USA. 2004 - 'Jurassic World' construction completed. Assets moved from Isla Sorna to Isla Nublar. 2005 - Opening of 'Jurassic World' on Isla Nublar. 2007 - Aerospace Dynamics established in Toulouse, France. 2009 - Hybrid hatched April 05. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 2011 - Tatsuo Technology acquired by Masrani Global Corporation. 2012 - IBRIS Project begins development. FURTHER INFORMATION: RESTRICTED ACCESS 2014 - 'Martel' facility established in Siberia, Russia. International Genetics Technologies, Inc houses world's most complete genomic library. 2015 - UPDATE PENDING

ASSETS

Upon entering any asset, it will pull up the asset page on the jurrasicworld.com website

LIST DIRECTORY FILES

IBRIS.JPG

MEME.JPG

TIMACK.JPG

#source: masrani backdoor

3 notes · View notes

justanalto · 6 years ago

Note

49. "I didn't know you could do that" - Mackelena or FitzSimmons?

sfhdsjkalhfsa this ask isn’t timestamped so i forgot when you asked me this but I finally got it!! thanks so much for asking! Mackelena or FitzSimmons

As far as skills went, Elena Rodriguez-Mackenzie (yes, exactly in that order) thought she’d seen the gamut of them in the first few years she’d been married to her husband. After all, you didn’t become a SHIELD agents (or marry on, for that matter) without acquiring a considerable set of skills. Mack had more than proven himself in all areas of their relationship – he’d presented to her a buttery filet mignon their first date, kept her in stitches throughout, and had even offered to clean up following dessert. (Not that Elena saw that as a deciding factor. It’d just made her feel a little more appreciated.) He could hold more than his own in a political debate, and when he couldn’t took it upon himself to learn about the subject until he could.

(“It’s important to be informed,” he’d shrugged when she asked him about it one night. “A lot of things we have to deal with today? Ignorance is usually at the heart of it.”)

When they’d stopped in Greece for their anniversary, he’d taken her to dinner at the fanciest restaurant Athens had to offer, but instead of staring at each other the entire night, they’d watched as the coastline burned some distance away, the result of corporate greed and (apparently) some accidental arson. She’d woken up the next day to find their bags packed and Mack with his phone pressed to his ear.

“Yessir. I’ll get her the coordinates as soon as possible. Tell them to prep for disaster relief.”

“Where are we going?” SHIELD didn’t need them already, did they? She and Mack had fought long and hard for this vacation – they weren’t going to go back a damn day earlier than they’d asked for. “Was that Coulson?”

“Yeah, and he’s sending backup. We’re going down the coast.”

“I thought we were going to the beach.” The causes of the fire had resonated something deep within Elena, having been at the receiving end of her own share of government gone wrong. But Mack had been so excited to go to the beach and eat out, she figured she’d just sneak out at night to help. The people had deserved at least that much. “You’ve been talking about it for weeks.”

“And I can see it in your eyes.” When Elena opened her mouth to protest, Mack raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile. “Don’t tell me you weren’t going to find a way to go help those people when I wasn’t looking, Yo-Yo.”

“You would’ve been too slow to notice, anyways” was her answering remark, but she took her bags with a renewed rush of affection for her husband. It was exactly like him to give up something as rare as their vacation (on their anniversary, no less) to go help people that were more in need. It was one of the reasons she’d seen him in the first place.

Besides, she was sure he got enough of a treat when Coulson let her loose on the politicians, watching amusedly with the rest of the team as Grecian man in double-breasted suits were thoroughly dressed down in fluent Greek by a short Colombian woman wearing a t-shirt patterned with bright pink flamingos.

The picture still hung on their mantle.

Needless to say, Elena was plenty confident she knew the extent of her husband’s skills. The last surprise had been when was carrying Natalia, Mack’s surprising ability to read IKEA instructions coming in handy when their daughter announced her presence a month early. Since then, they’d picked up parenting skills up together as a duo, days spent learning to prep bottles and swaddle tiny humans tinged with warm bouts of laughter.

(She wasn’t allowed to speak about his skills in bed. Daisy had expressly forbidden it after she’d caught them in a supply closet one day. “I don’t wanna hear about it!”)

Those days were now behind them, however, and their bottle-prepping days were now replaced with chauffeuring ones. Depending on Natalia’s preference that month, it was dance lessons, soccer practice, or track and field. Mack had been happy his daughter was taking an interest in everything under the sun, but even had to admit it was taking a bit of a toll on their wallets. They were going to have to have a talk soon – one that Elena was not looking forward to.

“Daddy, we’re home!” Natalia announced as soon as she and her mother stepped through the door. The activity of the month was dance lessons once more, and Mack had warned his daughter that she had to stick with them for at least six months – so far, she was holding true to her promise, even looking to perform that winter in the concert. “Wanna see what I learned for Swan Lake today?” Without even waiting for an answer, she ran through the house looking for Mack. “Daaaaadddy!”

Elena laughed, setting her keys down. “Turtleman,” she called, “your pequeña bailarina is home,” She could still hear Natalia bouncing around the house looking for her father, so she joined in. “She learned how to do a – damn word’s in French to begin with, how am I supposed to remember it in English, a uh. It’s a twirl.” Mack would know what she was talking about, anyways. “One of the hard twirls. You’d be proud. I think she got my footwork genes.” That and Elena’s spunky attitude seemed to be the two main things Natalia had inherited from her mother. They weren’t too sure about the Inhuman genes yet, but Simmons had assured them that they’d be well prepared when or if they showed.

“Daddy, I talked to Auntie Mel today!” Had her daughter really not found him yet? Hm. Normally, Mack would’ve scooped her up already. “She said I can come visit her next week! And have tea with her! Have you ever had tea with Auntie Mel, Daddy?”

“Mack?” Elena peeked into the different rooms of their house a little faster than she normally allowed herself, but the fact that Mack hadn’t responded yet to either of them was somewhat concerning. “Turtleman, where are you?” When each room turned up more empty than the last, she had to work a little harder to push down the panic threatening to work its way through her system. “Mack!”

She finally found him in the deserted study at the end of the hallway, headphones in and bent over a sewing machine. “There you are, both of us have been looking all over for you. May called and said Talia could visit next week, and the dance teacher wants to know if she’ll be signing up for lessons in the spring –”

Mack took off his headphones. “What?”

Elena stood there for a minute. “I – never mind.” She looked down at the sewing machine to see a large mass of pink velour being run through the stitcher. “Are you…are you sewing?”

“Talia’s costume for the jazz portion was too long,” Mack answered, and it was only then that she registered the small click-clicks the sewing machine was making. “Took it to May in the hopes that she could help, but I’m guessing she hasn’t seen Talia long enough to see that she’s grown. A lot.” He dryly held up stretch of cloth Elena vaguely identified as a pant leg. “She cut the pant leg to her knee.”

Well, it certainly had been…an attempt. “I didn’t know you could do that,” she hummed. Better he tried than she did – she’d never had an eye for delicate crafts and suspected she never would. “When did you learn how to sew, Turtleman? And when did you learn to use a sewing machine?”

“Back in the days of home ec,” Mack chuckled. “None of the other kids thought I’d be able to make a stitch because my hands were so big. Scored the highest on the final because of my stitches.” Elena watched as he switched pant legs, running the cloth through the small threader. “What were you saying about Talia?”

“Daddy!” Natalia burst through the door as if they’d choreographed the entire sequence. “I learned how to do a pirouette today. We had a diff’rent teacher in and her name was Miss Bobbi, her hair was really gold and shiny –” both parents exchanged a slightly confused and alarmed look, Elena having learned enough about the disavowed agents to know Bobbi and kids didn’t mix – “and when she called my name, she had to cough a lot.”

“Did she now?” Mack asked, amusement coloring his tone. “It was probably just a really long name, bailarina. After all, I thought my name was long enough until your mother’s came along.”

“She said to say hi to you. Do you know her, Daddy?”

Mack really jolted then, the sewing machine coming to a quick halt. “Why would I know your dance teacher, silly? You just met her, too.” The machine started up again, and Elena sighed in relief. “She’s just being funny.”

Natalia seemed to take the answer at its surface. “Yeah. She was funny. She yelled at the other guy in the office a lot.” Mack finished up the pants, shutting off the machine and beckoning his daughter close so he could see if the legs matched up.

“Good as new,” he announced. “You ready to go back to the fifties, Miss Talia?” The younger girl stared down at the pink pants and psychedelic swirl top before striking a dramatic pose. “That a girl! Perfect, kiddo.” He held his hand out for a high-five, which Natalia met with a cheer. “Your winter concert is gonna be so great. I can’t wait.”

“Auntie Mel said I could come visit next week, too! I talked to her today.” Natalia beamed at the thought of getting to spend time with her aunt and turned to her mother. “Mamá?”

“What is it, mi hija?”

“D’you think Auntie Mel was alive during the fifties? Can I ask her?”

Both of them could already see the fallout that would occur from anyone inferring May was old – and it wasn’t pretty. The scenarios already had them shuddering in fear. “Mamá? Daddy?”

“Maybe it’ll be best not to ask her that, honey.”

#ask things!#theclaravoyant #mackelena #agents of shield #alphonso mackenzie #elena rodriguez #family #quick fic

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eugene-my-love · 6 years ago

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@mostlydaydreaming. we were limited to the number of pages we could write. i could have gone on for so much longer

This is my argument paper from writing 2 I took in the spring. Enjoy!!

Singin’ in the Rain:

Putting Smiles on Faces for More than 60 Years

Kandace Feorene

“I like old movies too! My favorite oldie is Pulp Fiction/Forrest Gump.” These are the words every classic film lover despises. My blood boils every time I hear similar phrases. The bubbling is new, yes, I will admit that, but it is genuine. I got into classic movies in July of last year, and I hope I never see the light at the end of this sometimes black and white, sometimes silent tunnel. Movies have been around for over 100 years, and the golden age of them is just that, golden! It started when the talkies were introduced in 1927, and there was no stopping them from there. That is of course until television came along and put an end to it slowly but surely (but let’s not open up that wound). Yes, films still have a significant role in today’s world, but the 30s, 40s, and early 50s were special to the industry. The studio system was roaring as though it would never end. Great characters who deliver beautiful words were the focus in the movies. Good stories were prominent because they couldn’t blow up buildings. The movie musical was big and beautiful being filmed on huge studio lots. There were many made in the golden era of Hollywood, but the best musical and movie ever made is Singin’ in the Rain.

If you’ve never seen it, get a hold of it as soon as possible and watch it. Make sure there are no distractions around. Tell people around you to be quiet. This masterpiece demands your undivided attention. Also, if you haven’t seen it, the title is referencing the title number. I would agree that not all old movies are accessible to most audiences. Some are slow and boring, as are some today. But Singin’ in the Rain is the best example of how people can enjoy movies that are over 60 years old. It is a classic in the true sense of the word.

Singin’ in the Rain was released in 1952 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and is number one on the American Film Institute’s (AFI’s) list of Greatest Movie Musicals of all Time (American Film Institute, 2006) and number five on their list of 100 Greatest American Films of All Time (American Film Institute, 2007). It was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1989 (its first year) for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” (Library of Congress). Starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds, with supporting cast members Jean Hagen, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the screeching star, and Millard Mitchell, the plot is simple: “talkies” are introduced into Hollywood, and a fictional silent film production company (Monumental Pictures) must convert. Their problem is Lina Lamont, a gorgeous star whose voice rivals nails on a chalkboard. Laughs ensue as producer R. F. Simpson tries to hold on to Lina’s star status through filming her first talking picture, The Dueling Cavalier. Monumental Pictures replaces Lina’s voice with Kathy’s. Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds was 19 while filming Kathy Selden’s journey from, in the words of Don Lockwood, “humble player” to star. Life imitated art after the picture was released, because Singin’ was Reynold’s breakout role.

Classics are hard to define, but easy to recognize. Singin’ in the Rain is, obviously, also the best classic movie ever made. The title number is often regarded as the most recognized dance sequence in all of film. Audiences appreciate it even more when they learn that Kelly had a fever of 103 while filming it (Ward Kelly, 2016). The script is unlike most musicals. The lines are witty and smart. One of my favorites is when a member of the publicity department says “Lina, you’re a beautiful woman—audiences think you’ve got the voice to match. The studio’s got to keep their stars from looking ridiculous at any cost.” O’Connor’s character responds with “No one’s got that much money” (Comden and Green). There is a story, and it interests the audience. Most musicals just have some scenes in between numbers that distract from the singing and dancing, but the scenes and numbers combine beautifully to create the perfect film that never skips a beat. The story is also educational. Writers Betty “Comden and her long-time writing partner, Adolf Green, interviewed washed-up silent film actors, read old magazines and viewed archival films during their writing process” (Laffel, 1992). So, the comical situations throughout the movie are true on top of hilarious. Jean Hagen’s comedic timing is gold. Similarly, Donald O’Connor’s, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, humor is never distracting from the story. His iconic Make ‘Em laugh number makes audiences of all ages light up. The 17-minute Broadway Melody number is a sight to behold. The colors are bright and exciting. The sets provide for lavish sequences. Each dance number, choreographed and staged by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, is special in its own right and doesn’t let you take your eyes off the screen. “Each draws from a different technical and aesthetic base: the traditions of lyrical ballet, modern dance, theatrical dancing, exaggeratedly hackneyed tap, familiar social dances, Euro-western folk steps, and a light feathery tap style form an elaborate grammar, the breadth and mastery of which was unique to dance” (La Pointe-Crump, 2004, 66). Kelly and O’Connor’s tap sequence Moses Supposes is very often regarded as the best tap number on film. Singin’ created a star out of Reynolds. She had no previous dancing experience, so Kelly had to teach her from scratch. She was a gymnast, so she knew a little bit about physically working hard, but dance is a whole other ballgame when it comes to technique. Future EGOT recipient Rita Moreno was also a player in the film’s success playing the “Zip Girl of the screen” Zelda Zanders (Comden & Green). Its influence is startling. Let’s take me, a pessimist. I want to sing in the rain now. A self-proclaimed pessimist is happy when it rains because I can play the song and sing along to the greatest classic film ever made.

I am not the only one in the world who has been impacted significantly by this glorious movie. I have met others online who share my thoughts. We talk occasionally, and they were nice enough to give me quotes on their thoughts on the film. Sherrie (2018) perfectly summarizes why people should watch it:

“I think it is the perfect introduction to movie musicals. It’s the first time I really appreciated all the time and skill that went into them. Most modern type musicals are mostly sung (and many auto-tuned) with maybe a few simple dance steps put in. Singin’ in the Rain is just a showcase of “triple threat” performers tied together by a brilliantly written script managing to combine heart and humor without being dated. The supporting characters are solid and memorable. The musical numbers are so well put together sometimes I’ll just watch them back to back and marvel at how all these came from the same movie. This coming from someone who, with a few exceptions, didn’t even like most old movie musicals.”

Sherrie mentions the most amazing feat of this film: the fact that there are so many iconic numbers. Almost all of them are extremely recognizable to people. The title number is the obvious one. It is the most recognizable dance number in all of film, and for good reason. Kelly exudes joy and love, and even though the steps are some of the easiest for a skilled dancer, he makes each special with a different splash in a puddle or shrug of his shoulders. My other friend Lena (2018) explains a concept that is talked about a lot with Singin’:

“It’s special to me because it was my first introduction to Old Hollywood movies. My family is full of movie buffs, and Old Hollywood movies are a staple for references we all make. When I was ten, my mom told me she thought I was old enough to appreciate it. I don’t think I’d ever laughed so hard at a movie up until that point! The colors, the music, the humor, the romance, it all got to me! Its quality and story still hold up to this day! And it stuck because Old Hollywood is a huge part of my life now, and it’s all because of Singin’ in the Rain!”

If you were to ask people what their first Old Hollywood movie was, a good amount would say Singin’ in the Rain. I showed the film to my best friend a couple of months ago (it was her first Old Hollywood film too) even though she insisted on not watching it. When it was over, she just stared at the screen and apologized to me for saying she did not want to try it. It really is the perfect combination of most genres. There is humor, romance, drama, singing, dancing, and even a little bit of action! If you want to start watching classic films, there is no better movie to introduce you to them while meeting your needs of different movie genres.

The film earns the title of best picture ever made for not just what you see on film, but for the dedication that went on behind the camera as well. The film was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, and the witty screenplay was written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, who were legends in their field. Singin’ was Kelly’s second directing venture. He and Donen directed On the Town in 1949, which was a huge success. MGM was happy to see the two team up again since On the Town resulted in a healthy profit. Kelly was involved in practically every aspect of filming. Rita Moreno (2013) remembers filming, "I visited the set every single day. I did maybe, oh, a week and a half's worth of work on that show. But I visited all the sets every single day.” She only had a few scenes, so she could spend her time observing a legend creating his masterpiece. Kelly even had input in the wardrobe. For the iconic Broadway Melody sequence, he cheated the despised Hays Code, which was the code movies had to follow so films were family friendly. He told the wardrobe department to put slits in Cyd Charisse’s bright green flapper dress because a dancer’s lines should be seen (Ward Kelly, 2016). The slits disobeyed the Hayes Code’s rules on how short a dress can be, but since the material met the requirements, the censors couldn’t touch it. It is worth noting that Charisse had given birth just a few months before shooting her scenes. Kelly’s directing style was unique. He wanted the camera to dance along with the dancers, so the audience didn’t miss a single move. This is evident in Kelly’s part in Broadway Melody before he dances with Charisse. As an audience member, you feel as though you are dancing with him. Kelly’s service in the photographic unit in the Navy gave him the opportunity to explore the filmmaking process. Before the Navy, he was mostly interested in choreography, but after leaving the service, his interests in the movie making process as a whole grew. The Broadway Melody sequence is 14 minutes long. The studio had no problem with the number, since Kelly’s An American in Paris won best picture the year before. An American in Paris had a 17-minute-long ballet sequence, also directed by Kelly, that is also spectacular and should be watched by everyone. Kelly wanted Donald O’Connor for the part of Cosmo Brown. Rita Moreno (2014) said she once told Kelly, “I hope finally people will recognize what a great talent this man is, and he said that’s precisely why I had him in the film.” For his solo number, the film was lost so he had to do the whole energetic sequence again. Since he smoked many packs a day, he had to rest for a few days because the tricks took so much out of him.

This film has brought so much happiness into my life, and I know it will do so for others. If you are sad, the song, dances, and jokes will bring out of your slump. If you are happy, it will enhance your mood. Adolph Green once said, "You know what's wonderful. To be somewhere strange in a foreign country where no one knows you and to be introduced as the people who wrote Singin' in the Rain and to watch the people smile. It's a favorite film the world over. There and here people are always telling us that the family sits together to watch it” (as cited in Laffel, 1992). This quote was from the 90s, but it is due to this day. The dialogue, performances, music, and moves make Singin’ in the Rain the greatest motion picture of all time.

#mine

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pendragonfics · 7 years ago

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Pretty

Paring: Bruce Banner/Reader

Tags: female reader, friends to lovers, hulk needs a hug, hulk feels, science experiments, science bros, fluff, self-esteem issues, Superfamily.

Summary: Dr _________ works in the labs at the Avengers Compound, usually in the presence of Dr Bruce Banner, working on their project. She isn't often around Hulk, but still, she knows a thing or two about her lab partner, and his alter ego.

Alternatively titled, Tony Stark has too much time on his hands and too much interest in Bruce Banner's love-life.

Word Count: 3,055

Current Date: 2017-11-13

Some days he has no idea how he’ll do it, but every single day it still gets done. That’s the great Bruce Banner for you – he seems to be a mix of healthy scepticism, dad jokes and scientific formulae, but when really, he’s just a guy. Someone who made mistakes, like any other human…but instead of them being just a scar of the past, they are his present. His future. Dr Banner scouted you when you completed university with a fresh degree on biochemistry and evolutionary development, and while it was quite exciting to be an official scientist working with the Avengers, it was even more exciting that you were his lab partner to work on more humanitarian projects…and make sure there were less of those projects like the Ultron disaster.

You think highly of your lab partner, just like you do of all the people you are surrounded by in the facility; it was an honour that you were to work alongside world renowned scientists like Dr Helen Cho, Dr Jane Foster…the list goes on. Apart from how amazing the job was, though, you did love working with Dr Banner.

Which meant, for his former lab partner…

“Dr _________, be honest,” Tony Stark waltzed into the lab, like he owned the place. Well, he did own the facility, but still. Being humble never killed anyone. “What’s messier, my life, or my hair?”

You glance up from the computer monitor where you’re sequencing a genome, and frown. Like always, his hair is flawless, gelled the right way that makes all the women who read the weekly tabloids’ panties get wet. “No comment.” You reply, focusing back on the genetic code, where you’re trying to figure out how to replicate the same arrangement of genes that was required for the experiment. When you glance up once more from your screen to see that Mr Stark is still standing there, expecting an answer, you sigh. “Okay, uh, your life?”

He makes a noise like a groan. “Uh, wrong. Neither. I’m great.”

Bruce harrumphs from the Bunsen burner and beaker of the genetic solution before him. “Don’t let Pepper hear you say that, Shell Head.”

Tony smacks his lips together, and in retaliation, says, “C’mon, Bruce, what’s messier, your life or your hair?”

It’s only now you notice there’s a small tinge of green above his collar, and pausing your sequencing program, you place a hand on your lab partner’s shoulder. His dark brown eyes meet yours, and without words shared, you see the edge being taken from his stare, the pigment leaving his skin. He takes a deep breath – in through his nose, out through his mouth – and gives you a kind smile.

“Thanks, _________,” he nods.

Tony doesn’t get an answer to his question.

---

You’re in the library, making some serious headway through the latest book in the series you love. It’s your day off, after all, and when you’re not being a total nerd in the Avengers’ laboratory, you’re being a total dork in the library, in a world of the author’s, surrounded by the fictional life you would all but die to be a part of.

Except –

“_________, what’s this one about?” Pietro Maximoff was all over the place, as always. He was a good guy, yes, but he had a way of being completely mature when it came to serious matters surrounding life, death, and his sister…and a way of being puerile everywhere else. “None of these books are interesting…”

You slide your bookmark into the pages, and look across to the elder Maximoff. He’s laying upside down from the couch, his legs up, head hanging like a bobble-head doll. In his hands is a copy of The Time Traveller’s Wife.

“It’s my day off, Maximoff.” You say, not budging from your seat. You’re quite comfortable, and there’s no force on Earth that could get you to get out from your favourite seat in all of the library. No, scratch that, all the Avengers Compound. “If you want to mess with someone, I suggest that new guy, Ant Man.”

Pietro shakes his head. “I pranked him just this morning,” he confesses, still upside down, “I put mice in his bed.” You don’t question it. He nearly pranked you a few times, and you don’t try to get in on it, or know a detail. You’re a good lab assistant. Not an accessory to a crime. “How can you just read and read and read…?” he asks.

You don’t have to think. “Books are always there for me.” you tell him, “I grew up in a rough neighbourhood, and even though he was a soldier, my Dad read to me. Got me and my sister interested in science, using my brain. My stepdad wasn’t a fan of it, but jokes on him. I’m not working nights at a cannery.”

Pietro’s silent. Then, “Your Dad’s dead?”

You nod, “Gulf War.” Suddenly, you’re not in the mood for the fantasy fictional adventures in your book, and you stand up. “I’ll see you around, Pietro.” Even though you’re not a super-fast speedster, you don’t waste time leaving the library. But, in doing that, you don’t look where you’re going, and really, through the tears, you hardly see who you knock into, and land onto the floor of the library with.

“_________,” Bruce Banner manages to say. “What’s wrong?”

Your tears increase. You’re sobbing now, having relived something you’d rather not touch with a very long stick, because you’ve just knocked down your lab partner like a footballer, and that even through the tears, you can see a green tinge upon his forearm. “I – I’m – sorry,” you manage to say, wiping your eyes on the back of your shirtsleeve. “I didn’t see you –,”

You’re too busy babbling to see the tinge disappearing, but Bruce isn’t overcome with a crop of sadness, and picks up your book, and straightening the bent cover, brushes off the dirt from it. “Is this the latest book in the series?” He asks you, handing it to you, “I used to read these when I was about your age, wow, I didn’t know the author was still writing them!”

You nod. “It’s really, really good.”

“What happened to that character, the asshole?” he asks, pushing his glasses up his nose.

You shake your head, and laugh softly. “Spoilers, Dr Banner.”

Watching from the other end of the Avengers facility the security surveillance footage from his Stark phone, the Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist raised a brow at what he was seeing, causing the pancakes he was cooking for young Mr Parker, Steve, and himself to burn.

---

It’s a gala, dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Battle of New York, or, commonly known to the public as The Incident. It’s just an excuse for the team to be seen in public together, as the press love to have it, and for everyone to get all dressed up for the night in very expensive clothing. Since you weren’t there for the original assembling of the Avengers, you don’t suppose they need you down in Manhattan for the event, and in yoga pants and a terribly old band tee, you’re taking the afternoon that you usually have off to enjoy the unseasonably quiet common area to yourself.

But that’s not what’s on the agenda, apparently, as Helen Cho rushes past wearing a white knee-length dress that covers her shoulder in a cape-like fashion. “_________!” She cries out, aghast, “I have been bribed, poked, prodded and humiliated from my lab coat into this thing! You cannot stay here when I have to look like this!” She all but lifts you from the couch, and shoves you in the direction of your bedroom. “Please, please, get ready, we’re leaving soon!”

You’re standing there, half-naked and afraid, and suddenly, you feel like the only thing you have that will pass as fancy is the lingerie that you bought for an ex-boyfriend who had broken it off with you the day after you purchased the silk and lace thing. But luckily for you, your twin sister (a researcher in Antarctica) gave you her nice non-winter clothes before departing to penguin land, and there’s a slip dress with a thin mesh layer embroidered with flowers. Luckily, you’re the same size, because in just ten minutes, you’re made up and hair acceptable, and being dragged off with Helen into the Quinjet that’s flying directly to the tower.

Clint Barton flies, as always, wearing a sort of bowtie and button-down, and Wanda has a dress that’s the colour of dark red wine, and with her eye makeup, looks like a force to be reckoned with.

So much your quiet introvert’s-night-in plans.

When you get there, the party is already kicked off, with the DJ playing popping hits after one another. You can see Thor dancing beside Steve, who both seem to have a flask in hand of something you won’t touch. There’s Vision, standing beside Dr Richards, and his wife, Susan, and they’re listening to Hank Pym intently. Your eyes find Bruce Banner’s, where he sits at the fringe, nursing a drink, keeping an eye on young Peter Parker who seems to be curled up in Bruce’s jacket.

You place a hand on Helen’s, and motion to the dance floor. “Enjoy yourself,” you tell her, and as she goes off to boogie, you gravitate to where your lab partner is, stopping only to grab a glass of champagne at the bar.

“Don’t we look out of place,” you say, taking a seat beside Bruce. “Enjoying yourself?”

He shrugs. “Trying to.” Frowning, he adds, “I didn’t know you were coming tonight, thought you wanted to binge Netflix.”

You laugh at that, and taking a sip of your drink, you say, “I was, until Dr Cho intercepted my plans. I’m not complaining, at least I don’t have to pay for my drinks,” you raise a brow, “So, about the project, the altering of genes? I never got a brief as why you wanted to work on it. I thought you were more of a biophysicist, rather than a genetic pioneer,” you comment. “In case you didn’t know, cloning is illegal.”

It’s Bruce’s turn to laugh. “I’m not planning on making any copies of any of the Avengers, if that’s what you’re asking,” he jokes, and glancing beside him, he watches as Peter nestles into his side. “I’m trying to find a way to separate me.”

You’re silent for a second. While you’re close with Bruce Banner, you don’t quite know the same man that his close friends do, his ex-lover Betty Ross did. But you do know of the stories, that the man who had been hit with gamma radiation hated the creature he became afterward.

“Okay.”

He’s silent, then, “Okay?” he repeats. “You’re not going to fight me on this?”

“I don’t want my personal opinions to cloud my scientific judgement, Dr Banner,” you clear your throat. “I – I’m still just a scientist, one year out from my PhD in the job that’s the opportunity of a lifetime.” You tell him honestly.

“Bruce! Bruce!” Thor calls out, beckoning him from the dancefloor. “Join us!”

You take this opportunity to excuse yourself, going to find the bathroom to cool off. Thank goodness that you’d only had one drink, because if it were a few more, you might have accidently confessed that you had some feelings for your co-worker. But when you’re gone from the seat beside him, the only thing left behind is the flute of champagne, you’re not there to see Bruce’s smile falter, and to see him decline to invitation to dance. Instead, he stays beside the sleeping Spider Man, and thinks about what he just said to you.

From the bar, Tony Stark might have beer-goggles on, but he can still see what’s going on between his friend and Dr _________ as clear as day.

---

It’s a very sunny day, and while you really should be working on the research to see how to separate Bruce Banner from The Hulk, you’re enjoying the warmth. It is supposed to be autumn, after all, and you’re not one for sitting around idly when there could be a day in the sun at stake. Well, not usually. But today, all the Avengers are out on the lawn, practicing their battle skills. Steve is battling it out with Bucky, Sam is flying around, as is Vision, and Tony. Clint and Nat are sparring, Wanda waiting on the side. Pietro is lifting weights. Bruce is doing push ups.

You’re eating a bagel all the while, sitting on a makeshift picnic blanket of your over shirt, your eyes following the team from a nearby hillock where you sit away, not distracting them. Because you’re not a hero, or even, a combatant, you don’t have to work on your fitness, at least, to this sort of extreme. You like to use the team’s swimming pool, and the yoga room when you have time. But now, you’re watching them show off their sheens of sweat, and gratefully, aren’t in that melee.

But it isn’t in any sort of order when Sam is knocked out from the sky somewhere near where Bruce is, and apart from the cursing you can hear the ex-military man doing, you can see the shaking of Bruce’s shoulders. Visually see the green spreading over his shoulders.

“Code green!” Tony calls out. “Bruce – hey –,” but he doesn’t finish, because before him, is not Bruce. It’s Hulk. And being shocked by the Falcon falling from the sky, he’s stressed. He’s mad.

You shove the rest of your bagel into your mouth, and against of running the opposite way, like someone else might, you don’t do that. You run toward where the Avengers are retreating, stopping only when Pietro catches your wrist, holding you back.

“You cannot, you need to go,” he tells you.

You shake your head. “I’ve studied his cells, he’s as human as he is Bruce Banner when he is Hulk,” you tell the speedster. “He’s just green, and frightened.” You shake your hand from his grip, and slowly this time, walk toward where the Hulk is.

“_________,” Tony warns.

You shake your head, and in a firm tone with a hard edge, you say, “Let me.”

Hearing your voice, the Hulk turns to you. He’s taller than you remember seeing last time you had observed him for your scientific analysis, but that’s probably because you’re about one hundred times closer than the minimum safe distance from him. Teeth gritted, he huffs, fist formed, arm raised.

“Hey, Hulk,” you smile, sitting down on the grass. “It’s _________. You know me, I’m a scientist. I work with your friend, Bruce.” You’re slow in every movement, treating the green beast before you like you would a deer or any other wild animal. “I just want to talk with you.”

Tony’s silent. Dumbfounded. From what you can see, he’s got a weird look on his face, like talking to the Hulk won’t fix a thing about the current situation. But against his judgement, your request is heard by the green big guy, and he seats himself down, opposite you.

“You want to talk?” he says, voice deep and rumbling, much like thunder.

You nod. “Yeah, about, uh, our friend Bruce. He’s very smart.” You say.

Hulk agrees, “Yes. You are…smart too.”

You smile, “Thank you, Hulk,” you push your hands into the grass, and noticing a stray purple flower growing in the grass, you pluck it from the earth. Even if it is a weed, you don’t care. You hold it out to Hulk, and say, “I heard you like purple.”

His hands are big, but still, he manages to take the flower from you, and holding it, he inspects the gift. “Pretty.”

You nod. “Yeah, pretty,” you echo, “When I was a little girl, I noticed that people aren’t very nice to things that aren’t pretty.” You tell the Hulk, and taking a deep breath, you add, “I wasn’t very pretty when I was younger. But I knew that I was worth something even though not everyone valued me.”

“_________ is pretty,” Hulk tells you, tucking the flower behind his ear.

You laugh at that. “Thanks, Hulk. No, I know that now. It’s just…I wanted you to know that you’re not just what the Avengers have you on the team for, to me.” You’re quiet, and add, “Hulk, our friend Bruce…he’s still learning that all of him is pretty. Like I learned when I was younger.”

Tony blinks, unsure of what’s going on.

Hulk is silent for a moment, considering what you’re saying. “What…”

Slowly, you pick yourself from the ground, and walking toward the Hulk, climb upon his leg, walking toward where his bare chest is. “Inside here, and outside too, you’re pretty. All of you, and all of Bruce Banner.” You place your hand upon where his heart is, and under his thick skin, you feel where his heartbeat is, fast, strong, but when you look to him, it slows, calming. “It’s okay.”

He nods.

Hours later, after more talking, you’re left with Bruce Banner in half-shredded shorts, and the team wondering what exactly happened. You help him inside, and going the extra mile, make sure that after he eats the nightly meal, he does all the regular things before going to sleep. But when you’re in your grass-stained jeans and plaid shirt, Bruce is in his pinstripe pyjamas, toothbrush in mouth, he spits the toothpaste, and asks a question.

“Did you really mean what you said back there?” He asks.

You nod, holding your arms close to your chest, “Yeah. All of it.”

A pink tinge covers his cheeks. “I’m pretty.”

---

Tony puts Peter to bed, and turns to Steve in the loungeroom of their suit, absolutely exhausted after the day, and the occurrence that happened during training earlier. Steve is wearing his Iron Man boxers, and a holey old Dodgers shirt that belongs in a museum, and is flicking through different TV stations that have equally boring shows on. As Tony sits, he turns the screen off, and faces the other man.

“How much meddling did you do to get those two together?” Steve asks.

Tony grins.

#bruce banner #bruce x reader #bruce banner x reader #bruce banner/reader #hulk #hulk x reader #marvel fanfic #marvel x reader #avengers x reader #thor fanfic #superfamily #super family #chaotic--lovely #pendragonfics #Female reader

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tcohs-messenger · 7 years ago

Text

An Adventure in Itself - JulianXApprentice

@vampiredevorak‘s prize for the 500 follower giveaway~ We have a Jurassic Park!Au with their OC Flame! I hope you don’t mind a little collection of similar instances from the movie- a few of the less popular ones that the fandom tends to refer to. I loved writing Flame she’s a treasure~!

Have you ever found strange comfort in the most inconvenient of spaces? Flame could remember falling asleep within seconds upon sitting in a broken recliner or finding comfort on the rug with only a blanket and a few pillows at a friend's house. And now, of course, she found comfort in this tree. It helped that she could lean against the researcher she had began falling for only weeks ago. They both shared an intense passion, and that certainly helped, but there was more that she was searching for, something to fall more in love with.

Aside from that though, she found peace here. She found comfort in the scratch of bark along her arms and the one notch that pressed into her leg. She loved leaning into Dr. Devorak's shoulder like a pillow, raising and lowering along with his breathing. The icing on the cake was the distant rumbles of those ancient reptiles, brought back into a living state and roaming, roaring, surviving. It played on like an orchestral piece, lulling her deeper and deeper into her dreams, making them that much more real.

Julian slowly stirred, although being a light sleeper didn't help, it was the sounds of something close by having woke him. A low groan comes from past the branches, from where he can't see, and a part of him trembles in fear at first. They're so high up though- what could reach them? He ponders the question, and then realizes it just as the branches part. A snout presses forward, gathering a bundle of leaves from a separate branch and ripping them free in gentle chews. His eyes gleam, a grin spreading across his face as he nudges closer- just for a closer look. Once it finishes its first bite, it comes back, the rest of the head coming through the canopy.

"Ahh... a brachiosaurus-" He can't help himself. Julian wiggles away from the woman snoozing at his side to take tentative steps closer. The creature was distracted, more intent on its search for food rather than paying attention to the much smaller being close by. He'd never imagine himself seeing a creature like this ever in his life let alone so closely. He came even closer, until he could just barely see the textures of its scales and the widening of its eyes.

His marveling ended when a surprised gasp cut through his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder at Flame, at first worried that she had been scared, but of course she wasn't. Instead of screaming in surprise or fear, her eyes had been just as wide as his were, her movements slow and deliberately tamed as she came closer. Perhaps that was why he had succumbed to these deep feelings for her in the first place- always the one to give interest instead of fear, she always gave the new a chance to gain her attention. In this day and age, he had hardly met any person even close to resembling that. His interest was now caught by her as she slowly crawled closer and to his side, her own interest stuck on this creature that had blessed them with an appearance.

They watched it like watching a television show, staring awe-struck as it merely continued eating. After grazing on the first outer branches, it sunk in deeper , parting through the heavier branches to snack on the thicker, darker leaves. The two of them sucked in equally deep breaths as it came within reaching distance, although it didn't seem to pay them much heed. They were silent for another moment, just watching, before glancing at each other with the same question in mind.

Apparently, the answer was 'hell yes', because they both put their hands out, palms up and flat, and slowly eased closer until they touched just along the creature's nose. Flame gasped quietly whilst Julian sighed in contentment, the feel of the scales almost worn, hard but uniquely textured. Flame imagined it was similar to the texture of crocodile skin- but she'd never touched a crocodile either. Julian had expected it to be smoother for some reason, taken aback at the wear and tear this creature had. Flame's hand stroked the dinosaur's muzzle, almost like petting it, before it began to slowly back away. Slowly, the creature eased further and further back until it disappeared from the thicket once more, perhaps off to find its herd once more.

"Looks like she was done with the petting..." Julian observed out loud, looking back at Flame warmly. How had they gotten this close? He can feel his cheeks warming and deeply hoped that she couldn't quite see it.

Flame didn't seem to be interested in it though, thankfully. "How could you tell it was a girl?"

Julian blinks a few times, scratching his chin and thinking back to what brought him to that conclusion. "If we went along with how crocodiles are differentiated- then it's because it had a more narrow head, but honestly-" he can't help himself from grinning as he finishes his thought, "I just refer to most animals as girls either way. Kinda like how you refer to boats as feminine you know?"

Flame raised a brow, giving a playful slap to his shoulder. "God, you are weird."

One thing they had the tendency to agree on was that there was always an extreme to whatever stand point someone had. At they said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Flame and Julian gave bewildered stares at the scientists that was writing and scribbling in his book. Before Julian could say anything, Flame had taken the wheel. "So you're tampering with genetics- that's the start of some monstrous horror don't you think? I mean-" she leans away from the incubator she once took immense curiosity over to further scold the other man. "You can't tame life, you know that right? Hell- life began out of the smallest chances, by mutations by luck by natural selection- all of those worked together to bring us here. Being genetically altered isn't going to stop them from being wild- you can't tame them..."

Strangely enough, the scientist did not respond. Either from being too flustered to think of anything or believing that saying anything just wasn't worth his time- it was unclear. Either way, he wandered off, not paying her any more heed.

She backed down, grumbling under her breath as she hung over Julian once more. He gave her a sympathetic glance. "I can't believe this- it should have been a discussion, he should have said something back-"

"He's afraid that you're right, even if it doesn't look like it," Julian offered softly, extending a hand to set on her shoulder. She sighed with him, shoulders sagging and an air of sadness overwhelming her.

But just then, when they were about to stand and get back to their dinner, a sound had stopped them. At first a small crack, but then a sequence of louder, aching noises. They both turned back to the incubator, stalled breath and locked shoulders as one of the eggs shifted. Just like that, they rushed forward, both of them scrabbling to grab clean gloves and tear them on before anything else extraordinary occurred. Only one egg was shifting, the first of this batch, halfway cracked down the middle before one sharp jab had made a hole in the top. From that hole, the small nose of its denizen had begun emerging. More jabs came from within it, slowly punching out more and more shards of the shell that held it back before chirping loudly as entrance.

"Ohh~" Flame's soft gasp of surprised acted as a reaction from both of them. Her hands moved first, very delicate fingers helping pry off the mostly broken shards of eggshell. In turn, Julian inspected some of the shards, taken aback by how different yet the same they were to other eggs in this time. The baby continued in its chirping, blinking owlishly and wonderment as Flame seemed to observe it in an almost motherly manner. "I can't believe it- it's a... velociraptor, a real- baby- velociraptor."

Julian grinned, finally looking over the small reptile that had just been borne to the world. How peculiar- like they had been watching over the revelation of their own child. He tried not to think of it that way and quickly ignored that thought that had nibbled away at him. "I trust in your judgment, you know," he speaks above her excitement, softly, but enough to make her gaze pry away and back towards him. "During the tour- they off-handedly mentioned that gaps in the DNA were filled by amphibian genes- that's already a chance in the sequence. One can only imagine what a change so great can do to the ecosystem..."

The more he spoke, the more Flame's gaze softened. Her hand settled on his arm, calmly responding, "Exactly, it adds even more complexities to their DNA, it might prompt more mutations that aren't accounted for. Julian," she squeezed his arm, fondly and honestly admitting, "Thank you for being in my corner..."

Out of all these instances, he knew of one that had convinced him whole-heartedly how much he adored her- how much he truly must have loved her.

They rode mostly in silence, only somewhat interested in the drone of the intercom in the car spoke of the plant life within the park. Although Flame did take minor interest, the loud and pained groan out in the fields was what captured her most. She peered at Julian firmly, looking almost scared. "Did you hear that too?" He couldn't even answer her question before she was clambering over him and staring out the window for any sign of what had happened. A blush crawled up his throat and to the tips of his ears as he realized how close the two of them were. but Flame didn't seem to notice, still too preoccupied with staring out where the sound had come from.

After another pained groan she jumped, literally propping the car door open and crawling over Julian's lap to shoot out, running out over the plains and towards the source of the sounds. Julian gave no hesitation, unbuckling his seatbelt and running after her. It didn't take long to find the source of such pained groans. A few meters away, they stalled upon seeing a massive creature of three pointed horns collapsed on its side. A few park rangers were close by, giving observatory glances but otherwise not getting too close.

Flame, however, changed that.

She approached slowly, holding out a tentative hand to the triceratop's jaw as it continued to whine in agony. Although she could not say in certainty that it was suffering from an ailment, it did look sick with dilated eyes and bloodied spit. She glanced at the rangers, asking raggedly, "What happened to it- do any of you know?"

The rangers all shook their heads, bringing her to sigh and Julian to kneel beside her as well. He looked over the creature, over trunk-like limbs and the grooves of scales, soon noticing a dip in it's stomach region. Upon looking closer, it showed that it's mass had most likely shrunken- perhaps from not eating? "Flame- I am rather sure that this poor thing might be sick from something. I mean- you can just barely see the ribs here..."

He was right, the stomach sharply descending right after the sternum, too concave for a healthy creature of this size. "Perhaps she is sick- maybe not eating-"

One of the rangers nodded. "Ahh yes- that is one minor thing we had noticed. She hadn't eaten for a good couple days at the least." When he spoke he seemed almost aloof, even emotionless at the reveal. Julian prepared himself for the onslaught.

"MINOR THING? Are you absolutely joking?! You better be hoping to yourself that you're joking-" She pats the poor creature's head while glaring daggers at the rangers. "Weight loss is serious, especially with how great of a change her mass is, look at the poor thing! She might be too far gone dammit you are the worst of caretakers!" She finally stood, approaching the men firmly. "You'll just make it worse- you all go back to the facility and get some actual doctors out here to help her right this instant!"

A different one shifted, holding a hand up. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we can't just leave her unattended in this state, especially not with visitors in the area-"

"It's not a question! And we're not just any visitors, we're researchers and we actually give a damn about what happens to these creatures. They're not some prize for you all to flaunt about on a string for the public to go nuts over- these are one of a kind, living, beautiful creatures that need support to live in a world like this! Now go get the god damn owner of this park and bring him back here to make her better, you hear me!?" Apparently, Flame's poisonous words had done something to the men, as they had jumped and scrambled back, presumably to do as she requested. Of course- that didn't completely ease her.

Julian had stayed in its place, knelt behind the triceratops' head and trying to ease it with a gentle hand along its back, and Flame returned to perch close to it. It seemed to almost wheeze, making a pained noise with every exhale it gave, and it made both of them cringe in worry. She patted it to, just on the top of its muzzle, and whispered soothing words to her. Both of them grew in unsureness, not knowing what could be wrong or even what could be done. Was this even similar to a sickened crocodile or even frog? Where did the genetics and illnesses overlap and where did they stop? They seemed to both bask in those questions, with Flame gently patting the pained creature while Julian did the same along its back.

They never found out what happened to the triceratops. Perhaps that was for the best, as it left them with no obligation. That being said, they both found immense peace as they began flying back home. Again, Flame had found herself peacefully dozing despite the thrum of the helicopter wings and the not too comfortable chairs, but it was very likely that a good reason for this was leaning against Julian's shoulder. He relished in it, engorged in an exhaustion that only adventuring for days on end could really give you.

In this new calm they were just about cuddling, hands tightly wound and leaning into each other. Eventually, Flame found herself slowly rousing, humming and burying her face into his shoulder for more comfort. Julian gave a quiet laugh, squeezing her hand. "Exhausted ain't ya?" She grumbled in response, nudging even more into his shoulder. "Yeah, I can't wait to get home either..."

Home, huh? He remembered months ago upon his first excavation sight, pairing up with Flame in order to carefully reveal the sternum and following ribs of a utahraptor. She was stunning then and stunning now, but it was more than her appearance that had entranced him of course. It was the passion, the drive, the greatest desire he'd ever seen in someone to learn and explore and adventure. He thought he'd been all alone in that but... not anymore.

After a bated breath, he nudged her gently. "Hey, Flame- wake up for a second-"

She sighed, slowly sitting upright with heavy-lidded gaze. "I wasn't really asleep at all, but alright. What's up?"

The way she peered at him, imbued in exhaustion but very pleased, was a very welcome and rather adorable sight. Upon remembering what he wanted to suggest, he could feel his own cheeks fluster. What if she said no...? Julian swallowed and shook his head. "Actually- maybe you should get a little bit more sleep, you look exhausted."

Flame frowned and raised a brow at him. "Well yeah I'm exhausted, but it looked like you wanted to tell me something..." Her suggestion got her no where as Julian seemed to instantly clam up. She continued in her determined stare, slowly saying out loud what he had already been wondering. "You know... I liked traveling with you like this."

"I did too-" Julian too quickly agreed, gulping down the nervous lump in his throat.

Flame's smile grew back, although a bit more cheeky than he'd wanted. "I... wouldn't mind doing that again sometime. Of course- maybe with a little less fear of dinosaurs coming after us- and maybe like, one less person dying."

Julian chuckles suddenly. "Only one?"

"Gotta have a little excitement right?" Flame's response immediately makes him laugh, a very joyful and tuckered out sound that was way too pleasing to her. She would be honest- she loved being next to this man. She loved grasping his hand and running, either in excitement or fear, and sharing those moments of pure intrigue for the same thing. She wondered in the depths of her heart if he might have felt the same way- although the blush he had before could certainly be a good answer. Flame sighed, nudging a little closer to him. "So- what do ya say? Want to stick with me for more dangerous and life-changing adventures into the unknown?"

Julian raised a brow, giving another wide grin as he squeezed her hand in his own. "Hell yes I do."

She felt her heart jump a little, more than excited to hear his own very eager agreement. But she didn't show it, sighing with a small smile as she closed her eyes again. "Good- I was gonna drag you with me anyway even if you said no~"

"Were you now?" Flame could feel his cheeky grin right in those words, and she pridefully nodded before settling deeper into him. She didn't know how he felt- and he didn't know how she felt- and that was an adventure all its own.

#the arcana #julian devorak #fan apprentice #tcohwrites #yayyyy i got the prizes done~#it was so fun!!#def gonna do it again for 1000 if we get there lolol

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