#sure i can immediately put the recs all into the study playlist. but i want to appreciate the songs on their own first

[2030kamenriders]

okay but seriously, what do you think of got7? have you had any of their songs particularly stand out to you? any that are your style? (i'm a stan but i'm not one of those stans, so if they aren't your taste i won't be offended, just curious since it sounds like you've given them a listen!)

Admittedly, it'll take a while for me to know. Sometimes with a band, it takes a while for me to really like them. But other times, I can tell after just a few songs if I like or dislike that kind of sound. Then you also have to factor in how band's change their style over time (there are some groups for which I only like their older songs).

I can say this though: They have some very catchy title tracks, and I'm not complaining. "Lullaby" and "If You Do" both stick in my head pretty well. I also really liked "Out The Door" too (kinda had this nice chill vibe, and I can't pinpoint why), so once the semester is done, I want to particularly look at Mark's solo work and see if those vibes are there too

[forlix]

hiii, it’s me again, 🪷 anonnie

I’m so glad you liked the song! I love giving song recs, and music and lit are so intertwined in my brain so I’m thinking of the two together all the time.

now… onto ‘empty my mind’… spoilers below:

SO GOOD 😭🫠

idek what this trope is called but I love when one characters is soo devoted and desperate to do anything for their lover. like, just give everything up completely and do anything for them. and I love it even more when the target of their affection is immediately aware of this dynamic and feels so protective instead of, like, taking advantage of it? which for sure you can see jisung assumes will eventually happen, and he feels like he deserves to be used and dropped. but reader treats him so well like ‘no, you’re not a bad person you’re literally just a human existing. you’re doing your best baby’ like UGH! SO GOOD!

and then they actually talk at the end and get that closure? like jisung feels safe enough to open up and reader understands him completely. and this silent reassurance that is fully being vocalized really convinces jisung that he does deserve to be loved. and like, he believes he’s being fixed too which is so much development. going from ‘I’ll do whatever you want, I feel like nothing so I’ll be thankful for anything you give me’ to ‘I’ll do whatever you want, because you make me feel like something’. also there is so much care put into the metaphor of the ghosts that manifest in his nightmares representing his mental health that I can’t get into it because I will literally CRY! how reader handles his mental state so tenderly just wrecks me 💗

also, love the scenes with felix and the other members. especially when jisung and reader leave the study group. I imagined felix thinking ‘yes, she can fix him’ the whole time he’s trying to bring them together. and I loved the smut, car sex is always sexy. not to mention how intent jisung is on convincing reader that he’s not gonna leave, and then later during the storm she assures him that she wants him to stay. like YES HE NEEDS TO KNOW THAT YOU WANT HIM FOR MORE THAN JUST SEX

sorry for the short essay but I really wanted to say it all. I think next time I will just dm you but I’m very shy about interacting with people 👉🏻👈🏻 anywayyy, byye, take care 🫶🏻

hello my light, my love, my lotus anon, pls accept my apology for replying to this so late i wanted to store it in my inbox until it finally sank in that it's REAL and you're real bc what the fuck. i can't believe u took the time to analyze "empty my mind" so deeply and so richly i wept reading this the first time and i'm weeping AGAIN typing this out. thank you, thank you, thank you

re: the connections between music and literature, you're SO real for that. for most of my writings (except for the drabbles), i include lil playlists in the description so y'all can listen to the songs i derived inspiration from while writing :') i would be so curious to know your thoughts on the ones i chose for "empty my mind"! or if u made any associations yourself 🎤 lmk my lyrical genius

and i seriously fell over myself reading your interpretation of their relationship because that's EXACTLY what i was going for, like, for real, you hit every single point and articulated it so much better than i could if i tried. i loved all of what you said, but especially the part where the reader embraces rather than takes advantage of him. i like to think he got the sense he could trust her from the moment they met, so he very cautiously continued to give himself to her bit by bit as they grew closer even though he was deathly afraid of doing so. and it was all worth it in the end bc she's wonderful for him and wonderful in general (can u tell i love my mcs)

and it's so interesting that you used the word "fixed." i had to tread carefully around their dynamic, in part because i didn't want it to seem like she was hoping to change anything about him (or yk those memes that are like "i can fix him" and it's about the most toxic person in the world? yeah that was not her thought process). the core of their love, the reason why they work, is because she doesn't see anything that has to be changed in the first place. he is fucking perfect to her as he comes. so i love the way you described it: it's him who wants to change, not for her but because of her, thanks to her, because she reminds him that he can.

taking an intermission to fangirl over you bc

going from ‘I’ll do whatever you want, I feel like nothing so I’ll be thankful for anything you give me’ to ‘I’ll do whatever you want, because you make me feel like something’

the way you PHRASED THIS HOLY FUCK. A BILLION TIMES YES. you picked up on their very essence and i'm pressing consensual kisses to your mind because you read them (and me) like an open book

ALSO!! ABOUT FELIX OMG. you're so right, ofc our wonderful, emotional, observant lix can see the clouds perpetually hanging over ji's head and knows mc will be able to help him scatter them. my fav matchmaker

NEVER, EVER apologize for sending me an essay my star. you genuinely have no idea how happy your ask made me like it's not an exaggeration to say my heart is floating within me rn. that you took apart my fic so tenderly and so perceptively not only enforced my love for writing as a whole but strengthened it manifold. i don't even have the words to thank you as vehemently as i want to but just know i'll be safekeeping your words for a very long time to come 🤍

i treasure you so fucking much. THANK YOU.

[seoulscenarios]

College AU! Ju Haknyeon

-Major: communication and media (radio specialist)

-Minor: mandarin

-Sports: once tried out for football but the coach kicked him out after flirting with sunwoo, their captain, tried to be part of jaehyun’s table tennis club but jaehyun accidentally hit him too hard with the ball and maybe he cried so now he just supports all of his friends and creates cheerleading routines with juyeon at everyone’s events

-Clubs: dance !!! also a radio host on the campus radio

-Haknyeon is probably the bubbliest, happiest kid on campus

-He literally radiates with good vibes all the time, which his friends are grateful for bc u bet if they’re having a bad day Haknyeon just walks over to them and suddenly the grey clouds are gone the birds are chirping again

-Haknyeon is that boy

-He’s just very happy and enthusiastic to be in the moment, loves going to classes and making pretty notes that he can decorate with stickers and doodles

-He even has a customised pencil case with loads of cartoon pigs on it to remind him of home bc he wasn’t allowed to bring Honey into his campus dorms which upset him a lot bc who could he cuddle to sleep now ?? (hint: it’s his roommate Sangyeon and practically every other friend who sleeps over, cuddle bug Haknyeon will cuddle them to sleep)

-Haknyeon’s one of the most dedicated students out of his friends, he’s very passionate about his degree and ever since he was a kid he knew he wanted to be a radio host

-Growing up on an island meant he wasn’t as in touch with what went on the mainland so radio was one of the things growing up he could use to stay in touch, not to mention when he was tending to his pigs or helping round the farm with his mom they used to listen to the radio together singing along to the songs, or laughing at the radio guests

-Haknyeon knew how important the radio was for everyone at home so he decided to become a radio host

-Not to mention as he grew up he put on “broadcasts” for his family about his days at school or what Dongho-hyung had taught him at choir or Seungkwan-hyung’s prank he pulled during a fire alarm

-Haknyeon was a very bright kid, so his broadcasts were well received by his family because he was so enthusiastic about everything he was saying and his little lilt of an accent as he attempted to speak with the Seoul dialect instead of his broad Jeju one

-He even got asked to host awards ceremonies at school bc of how bubbly and enthusiastic he was during his last year of middle school and if anything, that cemented his love and desire to go into communications and as he was applying for colleges he knew he wanted to take the course that specialised in radio communications

-So here he was, thoroughly enjoying learning about the communication world worked and he even landed a spot on the campus radio in his first year which Sangyeon was so proud of him for doing

-Speaking of Sangyeon

-He was practically Haknyeon’s college dad, making sure he was getting enough rest, going to his dance competitions (to see his other boys as well) and tuning into his radio show whenever he could,,, which wasn’t very often during normal semester time as Haknyeon had the dead slot of 2am-4am and Sangyeon had a lot of 8am starts but during finals,,,, well Sangyeon loved tuning in

-Despite having the dead slot, Haknyeon found the experience invaluable

-He could develop his own corners and play his favourite music all the time, occasionally speaking to whatever listeners may be tuned in giving advice or just reading his favourite stories or anecdotes from his classes or his friends or his childhood he just loved talking and hosting his show

-He’s also part of the dance club along with a few of his friends, mainly going for the fun of it and spend more time with his friends bc heck, they hardly spend enough time together as they do completely different majors (though he sees a lot of jaehyun,,,, maybe be too much)

-He loves to dance especially with Changmin choreographing the dances bc he admires Changmin so much and thinks he’s an incredible dancer, if a little odd sometimes

-Changmin lit up during one practice when he walked in late and Haknyeon was spinning to show off to Hwall and Juyeon and he screamed in excitement bc he never knew Haknyeon could b-boy and omg you have to meet Daniel he’s incredible and you could learn so much from him !!! And Haknyeon’s a little overwhelmed bc 1) he’s dizzy from spinning too fast, 2) Changmin screams way too loud and it hurts and, 3) who the hell is Daniel ? Surely Changmin didn’t know the Kang Daniel

-Well turns out he did, the specifics were vague, but Daniel adored Haknyeon and they regularly had b-boy “competitions” on the school grounds and was actually recruited into Daniel’s b-boy club,,, which was just him and Daniel but Daniel occasionally bought him chicken so he wasn’t complaining

-ANYWAY back to communications

-At first, Haknyeon was overwhelmed at the amount of stuff he had to learn bc well,, you don’t exactly study this kind of stuff in high school so it was all new and scary, not to mention he was away from home for the first time and leaving his mom to look after his sisters and he wasn’t allowed to bring his pigs

-But after a few weeks he really settled and made a lot of friends, one of which was his co-host on the radio show, you

-You were a communications major, specialising in radio along with Haknyeon and when you first met him you couldn’t help but want to get close to him so you discreetly moved seats to be by him in your first class together and he shot you a massive grin and introduced himself

-You couldn’t help but laugh as he tried to disguise his thick accent and he laughed along with you, eyes crinkled up and your heart did a little thumpity thump bc he was so cute

-You became each other’s rock in class and when your course leader announced that there was a position open to host the radio Haknyeon shyly asked if you wanted to join him bc there needed to be two people and you immediately agreed

-Sure, the 2am-4am slot was DEAD but the two of you made it work as you just got along so well ???

-The first shift was kind of awkward, as to be expected but you had gone to his dorm the other day to plan out a schedule and a list of songs you could play and the entire time you had been giggling shyly to each other and blushing furiously when Sangyeon came back and you guys were leaning on each other on the sofa sharing headphones to decide whether the song could go on the playlist and he just yelped in surprise and the two of you jumped apart

-(Sangyeon secretly thought it was adorable though, he was so happy that Haknyeon was opening up to a new person so happily ?? bc as much as Haknyeon was a friendly, bubbly person… he didn’t have as many close friends as people thought he did)

-But when you rocked up to the radio studio for your first night, a coffee in your hand and wearing an oversized hoodie and seeing Haknyeon there pushing his glasses back so they didn’t slide off his nose as he was reading through his notes your heart FLIPPED and when he flashed you a nervous but happy grin you knew,,, perhaps you were already whipped for this beautiful boy

-Your first show went by so quickly and you could barely remember what had happened but you remember that adrenaline that coursed through your veins and the warm hug that Haknyeon had wrapped you up in when the show had ended and the way your hands brushed against each others as he walked you back to the dorm

-Little did you know that Haknyeon felt the exact same way as you did, starting at almost the exact same moment when he saw you walk through the door looking adorable in your big grey hoodie with sweater paws

-Since that first show, you guys are way more relaxed and you developed a good format for the show to the point where you had one of the most steady listener rates and regular followers who would respond and request songs and stuff (Haknyeon’s friends were the main ones but you had a lot of final year students who listened as they were preparing for their dissertations and thesis’ and they loved hearing the almost naivety of you and Haknyeon as you discussed funny things that happened that day in class)

-Even though you had the graveyard slot and you often came from a full day of tiring classes and extra curricular activities and sometimes you didn’t even want to go and stay up to present on the show, knowing that Haknyeon was there to lift your mood and sometimes he brought food and coffee especially if he knew you had a rough day

-So,,,, a few months pass by and you and Haknyeon became even closer, becoming closer with Haknyeon’s friends (especially Sunwoo, Kevin and Sangyeon) and the feelings you shared became even stronger

-Though did either of you do anything about it? Absolutely not

-Did you both complain to much to Kevin and Sunwoo about your crushes? Absolutely

-Sunwoo just rolled his eyes every time he spent time with Haknyeon when they were “studying” together and he was doodling your name in the margin of his notebook and was like “Haknyeon if you don’t confess any time soon I will tell them that you have the most embarrassingly huge crush on them”

-Haknyeon just blushes and continues to doodle hearts around your name and sighs, knowing he should probably confess but you know it is, he’s not sure you feel the same way about him

-Sunwoo just SIGHS bc dumb kids in love, especially when you invade his dorm space after a show and you WHINE about how cute Haknyeon looked that day and it’s like 5am and Sunwoo is like “dude, please, can I sleep” and you’re like “sunwoo, you were already awake u dumb fool”

-Kevin though,,, Kevin is the literal DEVIL

-He becomes Haknyeon’s go to man bc he always lets Haknyeon rant and he won’t say anything,,,, but this boy is gathering evidence, everything from song recs that Haknyeon would confess with, date ideas he’d take you on and the fact he wants to introduce you to his pet pig

-And Kevin just waits for the opportune moment, a wicked smile appearing on his face every time Haknyeon leaves to go see you or to class

-Not to mention, whenever Kevin could, he would send in requests with those cheesy love songs that Haknyeon told him about and only him, which leaves him FLUSTERED and you’re all blushy bc you’re listening to these songs with Haknyeon and you can’t say anything bc he’s got his head buried in his hands to hide the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks

-Sometimes Kevin would send little messages with things like “this is the perfect song to confess with” or “im sure your crush would love it if you played this song” and well,,, Haknyeon beat Kevin’s ass later, slightly scared that this would scare you off

-Anyways sure enough, the time arrives

-You see, college ruins your immune system and spring allergies combined with a bunch of students getting colds due to stress and the temperature change well,,, that wipes you out one day and you’re stuck in bed with a hacking cough and sniffly nose

-Your roomie, bless their soul, piles you with blankets and cough medicine and gets chicken soup delivered from your favourite Chinese takeout place and lets all your professor know that you’re too ill to make it to class and to email any missed work to you

-An angel tbh

-And with that, you go back to sleep, head pounding and dizzy from the pain killers you had taken to minimise the pain in your chest,,, completely forgetting that you had a radio show to host with Haknyeon and you hadn’t told him you were ill

-So when Haknyeon arrives and the air time is creeping even closer and you’re not there,,,, he’s panic texting Sangyeon, Sunwoo, Kevin, the gc, and your roommate to find out where you were bc he hadn’t heard from you all day and he was worried okay

-But the show must go on and Haknyeon presents it, letting the listeners that he was flying solo today and in each song break he was constantly checking his phone

-About halfway through, Haknyeon was feeling lonely and a bit courageous that he decided to confess, knowing that hardly anyone was listening so he just,,,,, rambled on about how much he liked you

-“Y/N… I know this isn’t ideal and I’m doing this on OUR radio show but I do like you as more than uh well a friend… just the way you smile when you come into the studio with dark circles but a willing smile on your face, giving advice to the listeners or the way you laugh when Kevin tells a really bad pun and you get all breathless I think it’s breath taking… you’re breath taking and I’m sorry if I scared you off these past few days with those dumb love songs we kept playing blame Kevin-hyung for that one, I just really like you and uh… maybe we could talk tomorrow if you’re listening and if you’re not well… I’m sure all 3 of our listeners right now are laughing at me so now I’m gonna play a song we both love ‘falling slowly’ from the musical Once”

-Shakily, Haknyeon turned the song on and buried his face in his hands

-Little did he know, that you had woken up and turned into the radio show,,, knowing you probably should’ve text Haknyeon about it but you just wanted to listen to his soothing voice and when that confession happened,,, you knew you had to do something

-Swallowing a gulp of water, you grabbed your phone and cleared your throat, praying that your voice wasn’t going to sound too bad and as the song came to an end you punched in the number for the radio show

-“Okay we have a caller, say your name and why you’re calling in at 3am good listener”

-“Uhhh…. Haknyeon?

-“Y/N?! Oh my god are you okay why didn’t you text me why are you calling in I’m happy but I’d be happier if I could see y-“

-“I love you Ju Haknyeon”

-“W—what?”

-“I’m in love with you and have been since we met”

-“I’m… oh my god is this you confessing to me? Because I just confessed to everyone listening that I love you and I want to date you please say this is true or else I’m going to cry”

-“Hey don’t cry baby, I want to date you so after this show please come to my dorm and give me cuddles I’m sick”

-“I-yeah I can do that… did you call me baby?!”

-“Goodnight Haknyeonie see you later and good luck with the rest of the show”

-Safe to say Haknyeon just screams down the radio mic in disbelief, much to the chagrin and happiness of the listeners who had been waiting for this since day 1

-And trust me when I say that Haknyeon RAN out of the station at exactly 4am to your dorm, he practically FLEW there

-DATING HAKNYEON

-Well, you’re pretty much dating as soon as Haknyeon wraps you in a massive hug that night

-He definitely nursed you back to health, feeding you soup and binge watching anime with you

-And as soon as your back to health everyone congratulates you bc your clinging onto Haknyeon’s arm as your walking across campus and Haknyeon has the biggest smile on his face as your leaning into each other

-Sitting next to each other in class but now his free hand is resting on your knee and you lean closer to his touch

-You guys are like skinship central, never a hand off each other whether it be holding hands or full on bear hugs you love it

-Haknyeon is just a giddy boy and loves to hold your hand bc he thinks it’s adorable and he can swing it back and forth between you and it always makes you giggle when he does it and happy you means happy Haknyeon

-Oh, and dates where you can eat as much as you can ?? all the time !!

-Haknyeon loves introducing you to all of his favourite restaurants and eating haunts, from noodle places to burger joints to pho Haknyeon knew where ALL the good foods are and somehow he manages to get discount and is on first name basis with all the owners and knows about their families and is always so friendly ?? he’s a mystery

-But hey, discount is always good and so is the food and being with Haknyeon is always the best thing to you

-Haknyeon 100% tries to feed you but always misses your mouth or eats your food instead and every time you “fall” for it but lbr, you let him do it bc a big smile always appears on his face whenever he does it and you pout at him

-Dates to go and get ice cream at 5am bc you were craving it ? sure thing baby let me grab my coat and wallet and let’s go bc Baskin Robbins has a new flavour I wanna try, most likely Haknyeon whenever you ask to go on dates

-If you ever try to cook for him or him for you, well,,, it never really goes well and if Haknyeon is cooking Sangyeon is hovering over him, worrying if he was going to burn the dorm down so you mainly settled on eating out

-Though,,, “if it’s” were always a mood with you too,,,, an “if it” is well,,,, you find whatever is in your cupboards and kitchen, you make something from it and eat all of it

-Cheese, ramyeon, pickled eggs, pepperamis ?? all of it on the plate and you’re eating it in your pjs, watching food network and giggling when Haknyeon spills the soup on his shirt

-Until he takes it off right there and then and you’re like !!!!!!!! HAK !!!!!!

-And he just smirks before running to his room to find a shirt bc he’s just a big baby

-Though,,,, you were too shocked that he was hiding a good body underneath all those soft sweaters

-When he returned he just shot an abashed smile at you and pulled you into to his side and you melt into his touch

-It’s about a month in to the relationship when you kiss him for the first time

-It’s always a weird thing to other people considering how touchy you guys were each other, but kissing had just never turned up

-Not until Haknyeon invites you to his dance performance and you’re In awe of his dance and he looks all attractive and stuff with sweat beading on his forehead and before you could stop yourself as soon as he walks over you’re running into his arms and he spins you round as he picks you up and you just press a kiss on his mouth and well,,, adrenaline ladies,,, you’re kissing a sweaty, hot Haknyeon in front of all of your friends and other dance crews and you couldn’t care less until Jacob screams about you tainting his baby and you break apart laughing

-Since then,,, well kisses ! kisses ! kisses !

-Cheek kisses, forehead kisses, kisses to the back of your hands when your holding hands, to your knuckles, on his nose as he scrunches up, on his shoulder when you back hug him and you press your face to his shoulder blade

-So many kisses !!! and it’s adorable !! 10/10 !!

-You guys have “study” dates but honestly it’s just you guys giggling in the library with Sunwoo looking on disgustedly before sighing when he realises you’re not going to stop flirting in front of him

-Radio shows were even better now, you guys playing songs and planning dates live on air bc somehow your listeners loved to hear about the little dates you guys go on and it’s just very precious okay

-Just,,, dating Haknyeon is the best experience you’ve ever had and everything he does drives your mind wild bc how can he be so cute and precious can one boy be

-And Haknyeon adored every single aspect of you, every emotion, every feeling you gave him when you smiled or frowned or cried, you were so good for him and he adored you and you adored him

-You’re just a very precious, cute couple who everyone busts an uwu over to be quite honest bc I am as well

-(Oh and you definitely end up become Honey’s second parent and you adore that pig so much,,,, just not as much as Haknyeon)

ahhh okay so i went to the fancon and im here to say that i ADORE THE BOYZ WITH MY ENTIRE HEART AND IM STILL CRYING A WHOLE WEEK AFTERWARDS I MISS THEM

to everyone that celebrates the lunar new year, happy new year ! 새해 복 많이 받으세요 !! 新年快乐 !! i hope the year of the pig brings you happiness, health and prosperity !

love, admin leigh

[ladyfogg]

Sick Like Me - Part 4/20

Sick Like Me - Part 4/20

Fic Summary: With unfinished business hanging over your head, being locked up in Arkham is holding you back. However, you have your eye on a certain red-haired maniac, who may be just the person to help you escape and realize your true potential.  Fic Song. Fic Playlist. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Jerome Valeska/Female Reader

Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Explicit Sexual Content, for a complete list of warnings, visit AO3. *Trigger warning for Part 4*

The next morning, you’re let out of your cell with no further mention of the biting incident.

Aaron is waiting for you at breakfast at your favorite table. He offers you your seat and stands next you like a good bodyguard. There are certainly more eyes on you than usual, but you ignore them for the most part. To your surprise, Greenwood suddenly appears, sitting across from you. Considering he usually runs with Sionis, you're instantly skeptical.

“Can I help you with something?” you ask hotly.

“Heard you bit a guy,” Greenwood says excitedly. “That true?”

Trust the cannibal to be excited about what you did.

“Yeah, it's true. Why? Jealous?” you ask.

Greenwood grins, fidgeting in his seat. “Kinda. It's been a long time for me.” Gross. “You looking for more friends?” he asks.

Ew. Your skin crawls with disgust. You're two seconds away from telling him to fuck off when you decide to fully explore his offer. Taking another man from Sionis is an appealing thought. First it was Aaron, then Jerome. Now Greenwood wants in, and he seems to be willing to switch without a bribe. Good because the thought of doing anything sexual with him is revolting. You do have standards.

You study the scruffy man for a moment before resting your elbows on the table, hands clasped together. “Why should I accept you into my crew?” you ask.

Greenwood sits up excitedly. “I know things. Things about Sionis that could help you,” he says.

“So does Jerome.”

Greenwood rolls his eyes, face twitching with annoyance. Clearly there's friction there. Good to know. “What, that runt? He killed one person. I've killed twelve,” he says.

You shrug. “So? That suppose to impress me?”

“It should,” Greenwood snaps.

“It doesn't,” you tell him, pulling your food tray closer. “First of all, you killed twelve women and ate them. Considering I am  woman, you can why I'd be on edge around you. Second of all, I'm looking for quality, not quantity.”

Richard arrives at his table across the room, immediately looking in your direction. His eyes fall on Greenwood and you can just see the fury. You simply give him a cheeky wave and pull your tray over to yourself. After a night of exchanging favors, you're famished.

Jerome arrives shortly after Richard, whistling as he carries his food towards your table. When he sees Greenwood, he pauses, eyes narrowing dangerously. His anger is different from Sionis's, seemingly routed in suspicion rather than betrayal.

Jerome looks like a man possessed as he moves toward your table.

Aaron steps up to stop him. “She’s in a meeting,” he says dangerously.

With a charming smile, Jerome bows. “Easy, big guy,” he says, putting a hand up in surrender as he balances the tray with the other. “I come in peace. I believe she's expecting me.”

You were, in a sense. Given everything that's transpired, you have a feeling Jerome is going to be at your side from now on. Which suits you just fine.

“He’s allowed, Aaron,” you say to the large man. “Greenwood and I are done here.”

“No we're not,” Greenwood grumbles. “What do I have to do? Come on, there's gotta be something.”

“Impress me, Greenwood. Make yourself useful,” you snap. “Because from where I'm sitting, you have nothing I need.”

Jerome drops his tray in front of Greenwood and waves him off. “You heard the lady,” he says. “Shoo shoo.”

Greenwood glares at you both before getting out of his chair and slinking away.

When he does, Jerome takes his seat. “Morning, gorgeous,” he grins. “What was that about?”

“Oh nothing,” you say. “Sionis's men are getting skittish. At least, Greenwood is. Wants a new leader it seems. I wouldn’t be surprised if more approached me.”

“You thinking of teaming up with Greenwood? He's just a has-been cannibal. He barely does anything for Sionis,” Jerome informs you.

“He approached me, not the other way around,” you tell him. “Let me worry about who qualifies to join, alright?” You dig back into your food, looking around the room.

There are a number of empty seats at Sionis’s table. Aside from Jerome and Greenwood, you notice Arnold is absent as well. You wonder where he is. He’s a skittish one, but he's good at watching and listening.

Jerome isn't eating. He's studying you closely, eyes narrowed. After several seconds of this you sigh and put down your fork. “What?”

“Nothing,” Jerome says, with a nonchalant shrug. “Just wondering why Greenwood is suddenly so quick to switch.”

“You're saying it's a setup?” you ask. “Trust me, the thought crossed my mind. I've got this, Jerome.”

He looks like he wants to argue, but you're staring him down. If he thinks last night meant you're equals in this, he has another thing coming. Until you're out of that asylum, you're the boss. It's your show. After several long tense moments, his smile returns and he reaches across the table to take your hand, placing a kiss on your knuckles.

“Whatever you say, m’lady,” he says smoothly. “You're in charge.” Suck up. He turns your hand over and places a kiss on the purple bruises encircling your wrist, smirking.

You get the humor in his words. Telling you that you're in charge while drawing attention to the reminder of who was in charge last night. He's such an ass. You want to fuck him right on the table.

“And don’t you forget it,” you tell him, patting his cheek, before playfully shoving his face to the side. He laughs and starts to eat.

The rest of the morning passes fairly quietly, which should be your first clue that something is amiss. People seem to be actively avoiding getting anywhere near your little group. After breakfast, you, Jerome, and Aaron head to the rec room to kill a few hours. You’re not there long before the guards come to collect you for shower time.

The Arkham communal bathrooms are old and in serious need of repair. There are a few lockers when you enter, then a hallway at leads to the showers, with toilet stalls around the corner. The showers are along the walls of a small, square area of the room. You’re ushered in with a several other women, who mostly are keeping to themselves, as they normally do.

You strip down to nothing and pick a shower at random, turning on the hot water. Thankfully, there is some today.

As you wash away the sweat and fluids of the previous night, you can’t help but reflect on your encounter with Jerome. You have to be careful. He’s far more dangerous than anyone you’ve been in contact with before. It’s quickly becoming apparent that you can’t use the same tactics on him as you would use on normal people. He’s too smart for that. He may act like he accepts you in charge, but you know that’s just a front. He biding his time until he can take center stage. You actually admire that about him. He’ll have his time to shine. You’ll make sure of it.

If you weren’t so lost in your own thoughts, you would have realized how quiet the showers suddenly were. It’s not until you hear the click of the door that you pause and listen. Nothing. Not a word or another shower besides your own. You glance from side to side, your heart thumping wildly in your chest as your brain registers the fact that you are completely alone.

Slowly you turn the water off and grab a towel from the nearby rack, wrapping it around yourself.

There’s a soft splash as someone’s shoe steps in a puddle, and you spin around just in time to see Richard charge at you. He grabs you by the throat and slams you against the wall, your back missing the shower knob by inches.

“You have caused me nothing but grief since you got here!” he snarls, hand wrapped around your throat.

With a strangled scream you rake your nails across his face, making his briefly let you go as he cries out in shock. You try to get away but he tackles you to the wet ground. Unable to catch yourself, you smash your knee on the tile in the process, the sudden severe pain making your whole body tense. Adrenaline is coursing through your veins, and you throw your elbow back to land right in his eye. Once more he lets you go and you scramble to your feet, towel falling as you try to run for the exit.

But your knee is on fire and the floor is slippery. You skid and lose your balance, crashing into the wall. Richard recovers quicker than you anticipate and throws himself against you.

“We could have done this the easy way. You could have accepted my offer and been done with it. It had to be this way because you thought you were so much smarter than me,” Richard snaps.

He forces you to look at him, and you can see his eye already swelling from your elbow. Your nails left streaks of blood across his face and it’s incredibly satisfying. He overpowers you this time, both hands wrapped so tight around your throat, you can’t breathe. You claw at his hands, but this time he doesn’t let go. Panic starts to set in, and you instinctively struggle harder.

From behind him, a figure comes around the corner, moving silently out of the shadows.

“You’re going to learn once and for all who’s really in charge!” Richard declares. The rustling of his pants falling to the ground is louder than the pounding of blood in your ears. Your vision starts to grow fuzzy, but not before you recognize Jerome as the man behind Richard.

You smile and try to speak. But it only comes out in gurgles.

Richard loosens his grip slightly. “What was that? Ready to finally beg?”

“Do...you...know...what makes the best jokes?” you croak, grinning. “Those with punchlines you don't see coming.”

Richard notices you look past him and turns around in time to receive a pipe to the face. He lets you go instantly and you drop to your knees, coughing and gasping.

Jerome laughs as Richard tries to scramble away. The redhead takes another swing, sending Richard to the floor. “Richard, Richard, Richard,” he sings, pacing in front of him. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about our arrangement.”

Richard struggles to his feet. “You’re dead you little shit—”

Jerome holds the pipe like a baseball bat and swings. It hits Richard in the face with a sickening crack and he goes down. Giggling gleefully, Jerome starts to dance around him. “See, my new partnership with Queenie comes with perks that our arrangement didn’t have,” he says. “More security for one, access to this place at night for another, and a part in the grand scheme she’s got going on. I don’t know what that is just yet, but since you’re not actually planning or scheming anything, I’m already doing better.”

Richard tries to get up again, but Jerome hits him back down, smile transforming into a sinister sneer. “And that means, she needs to be able to trust me.” Another hit with the pipe catches him across the cheek, splitting it open. “Now, I trust her. She hasn’t given me any reason not to. I mean, she’s teased the fuck out of me, given me blue balls for days, but it’s fine. I can handle that. Because I know the payoff is going to be much sweeter.”

Blood is spewing from Richard’s mouth as he tries to talk, but nothing comes out. His face is an absolute mess and you can’t help but smirk with pride as you get to your feet. Jerome stops his pacing long enough for you to come stand beside him, draping your arm over his shoulder.

“Here’s the thing, Richie,” Jerome says, leaning on the pipe like a cane, while one arm slides around your waist. “The reason why Queenie wins out in the end is because she knows she’s so much better than this place.” He points with the pipe. “You on the other hand, will never be better than this. You’re a two bit CEO who decided he’s nice and comfy here because he can be in charge and not have to get his hands dirty. You peaked. Shot your load too soon.” He leans over to add to you in a stage whisper. “Something that apparently happens a lot…”

“You...filthy...fucks are going to die,” Richard pants, spitting blood on the floor.

“Yeah, see, you keep saying that, but we’re not the ones bleeding out in the showers,” you say, stepping away from Jerome to kneel close to Richard. “Honestly, Richard, Jerome is wasted on someone like you. Someone who doesn’t appreciate his raw talent and potential. I noticed it the second he came through those doors. I suspect you did as well. Which is why you swooped him up before I could get to him. Tried to keep him under your thumb. But that was your biggest mistake, Richie. A mistake I almost made. But trust me, I won't.”

You smile up at Jerome, who offers you his hand. Graciously taking it, you allow him to pull you to your feet, crushing you to his side as he steals a harsh kiss.

“You just have to let him be free,” you say.

Jerome gives your bare ass a slap and steps away, doing a small jig as he gives the pipe a few practice swings. Richard is too hurt to get up. He curls on his side, watching you two. But it’s no longer anger you see on his face, it’s fear. Pure, unfiltered, fear. It's thrilling.

“Alright, alright, next up is Jerome Valeska, putting for the first time in a long time,” Jerome calls in a mock announcer voice. He moves to stand by Richard’s head, lining up the shot as if he’s golfing. “Now, this is a surprise, instead of a club he’s using a rusty pipe he pulled off the wall. Really, this place is shitty and needs to be taken better care of. What do you think, Queenie? Think I can make the shot?”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” you say. “Better take a few practice swings to be sure.”

Jerome gives you a nod and a salute, before looking back at Richard. “Sorry, Mr. Sionis,” he mocks. “But you know how business goes.”

Suddenly, there’s banging on the bathroom door and Jerome grunts angrily as the guards’ yells echo through the room. They are trying to break the locked door down. “Guess I don’t have time to practice. Oh well!”

He lifts the pipe, but just before he can swing, the door bursts open.

Thinking fast, you grab a towel to cover yourself and cower behind Jerome, bursting into loud, noisy tears. Jerome pretends to be defending you, shielding your body protectively. “Shh, it’s okay, Queenie, it’s okay,” he says in a dramatically soothing voice. “He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Richard is too wounded to speak, choking on blood as he passes out on the floor just as the guards round the corner.

“Oh thank goodness you guys showed up!” Jerome exclaims to the guards, dropping the pipe. “Poor Queenie here was being attacked by Mr. Sionis! If I hadn’t shown up, god knows what he would have done to her.”

You wail loudly for effect as the guards try to make sense of what’s going on. It really is the perfect story. You’re naked and shaking, Richard is knocked out cold with his pants around his ankles. Why would they suspect otherwise? Given the horrible things that happen there all the time anyways, and the incident from the other day. You suspect the only reason the guards are intervening is because they’re some of the new guards. Seem to be a lot of those lately, actually.

You don’t have time to dwell on it though. You’ve got a story to sell.

“H-H-He tried to t-t-touch me!” you cry, flinging yourself into Jerome’s arms. “Just like my father tried!”

“Shh, it’s okay, Queenie, you’re safe now,” Jerome hugs you close.

Someone who looks a bit more authoritative than the others steps forward. You think his name is Captain Port, or something like that. He’s a hard ass who you haven’t been able to crack yet, but have left alone because he had lost the will to give a shit. He sucks his teeth and spits on the floor.

“Get him emergency care,” he shouts, gesturing to the broken and bleeding Sionis. “And get her to the infirmary in the women's ward so the fucking nurse can check her out. Valeska, you’re on lock-down for the next forty-eight hours!”

“No, don’t take Jerome away!” you scream as they try to separate you. “He’s the only one who kept the bad man away! Please!” You burst into fresh tears as Jerome keeps his arms locked around you.

“Alright ALRIGHT! He can go with you!” Port snaps. “Just stop your fucking crying. Caswell, take them to the infirmary.”

One of the men, who you now recognize as the guard you gave a squeezer to three days ago, steps forward with a nod and gestures for you two to come with him. Jerome grabs a fresh towel and wraps it around you, as you feign weakness and lean into him. It's actually not entirely for effect, given how much your knee hurts.

Still hiccuping, hot tears streaming down your face, you leave the bathroom with the guard ahead of you. Giving you and Jerome the chance to share twin smirks.