#the gif is supposed to be timed properly but it's glitching....

[cold--carnage]

Um, it's kind of a lot...

[ajortga]

always for you

pairing: jenna ortega x fem reader

thank you for your support! honestly i'm so so grateful you guys like my writing<3 this was from a request that i loved making, (especially the texting part.) requests are packed! theres so many more so i won't be checking inboxes till i'm finished with the majority of them! to whomever requested, i hope you like this!

-

can I request another soft!jenna x r?? I know your requests are closed, and you can do this anytime if your free. I can wait.

Where r's phone is acting up but doesn't want to buy a new phone cause r is broke, jenna sees r struggle with the lag and buys r a new phone

-

(shes so cute)

Jenna always thought you were too thoughtful and selfless, you always thought of others before yourself, you gave love to every person you possibly could before you could even love yourself.

You gifted Jenna the new black noise canceling headphones for Christmas, you loved music as much as she did. But even with your immense love, you still managed to have wired earphones, though they were tangled almost everyday. 

There was a day the brunette noticed the way your phone had been acting up. She won’t mention how you dropped it in the bathtub while trying to give your cat a bath, and she’ll leave out how it somehow didn’t crack the numerous times you dropped it on the table or carpet. But whenever she texted you, you’d take longer to respond, apologizing endlessly.

“goodmorning my love! my phone was glitching again, it keeps bringing me back to this stupid dancing vegetable i put on for nephew cash last week. It took me a while to finally get back to messages! i'm sorry:((.”

“oh my god it did it again, now it’s a piece of radish dancing”

Sometimes you’d respond halfway and then stop there too cause your phone would crash

"y/nnnn, baby, i used the damn salt for our cookies instead of sugar and i put so much and i wanted to make a pickup line for you. i was literally pretending you were there and said "you're as sweet as a cookie" and i bit into it and it tasted so salty and i coughed so much"

“HAHA oh my gosh your like the silliest person i know, you literally remind me of-”"

10 minutes later

“MY PHONE CRASHED AGAIN”

“it did it again, it kept bringing me to different tabs so i had to get back in here. baby i can’t even talk to you properly anymore, i think we should-”

25 minutes later

“THE DANCING VEGETABLE IS ON MY SCREEN AGAIN”

"jenna? are you there?"

"i amm here"

"IT'S FRUIT NOW"

"baby 😭"

-

She did talk to you about getting a phone, she knew that you wanted to spend your money on others until yourself. You saved a little portion for yourself, so your portion made you a little broke. But you insisted that if it still worked and was helping the way it was supposed to, it would be okay.

It was funny to her, she would try charging both your phones before you snuggled to sleep together, but she always struggled on charging your phone because it wouldn’t charge.

You could hear her grunting as she cursed under her breath, “You have to use the first charging port and twist it at an 80 degree angle to the right, the phone has to be facing up.”

As it finally charged, she made a small sigh and smiled as she looked at you, softly saying, “You’re always too thoughtful Y/N, there’ll be one day where life will give it all back to you.”

You nuzzled into her chest, “As long as I can make others happy, that’s all I need to make myself happy,” you said drowsily as you rested on her chest. She kissed your forehead as you dozed off, cradling you to sleep.

-

The next day, Jenna got up so early and unattached herself from your grasp, making you make a small noise as you subconsciously looked for her embrace.

The bed creaked as you made a small murmur, looking up at Jenna barely awake.

You yawned, really sleepy, “Where are you going??” You said sadly, a little tired pout forming.

You sounded so drowsy as Jenna giggled, kissing your temple, “I need to pick up some strawberries, we need some pancakes for our breakfast and some other goodies sunshine. It’ll be packed in the afternoon, it’ll be quick, I promise.”

You made a sad noise, your hands reaching up for her and scrunching her arms as she hugged you, taking her giant stuffed animal and letting you hold it.

Soon enough from her scent on the stuffy, you were asleep, snuggling it.

Jenna changed into a sweater, jeans, and wore her headphones you gave her as she was off.

She was going to buy you that phone, no matter what you said.

Her footsteps crunched against the leaves as she listened to her music, getting a new idea as a proud smile sneaked on her lips.

She entered the electronic store, buying you the latest white phone that she had as well. She also went to the head gear section and bought you Sony headphones, a white one that would look so pretty on you. Her fingers signed the signature as she payed with her card, buying you guys two matching phone cases with two black cats on them.

Two hours later she came home, opening your bedroom door as she walked in.

“Y/N, sunshine, I’m here,” she whispered as you made a small murmur again, opening your eyes.

“Mhh…”

A small grin appears on her face as she shows you the new phone and headphones as you stare.

You were so tired you stared at it in disbelief and confusion.

Then you looked at her, your eyes teary as you pouted, “Baby.. Why? You didn’t have to-”

“You deserve it, you always think about me and all your friends hardly before yourself. And you deserve the world. I want you to be able to use your phone and those headphones. I like seeing you happy.”

Your pout turned into a wide smile as you pulled her collar to your level and hugged her tightly.

“Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that for me," you said, your voice happy as you nuzzle into her, not wanting to let go.

“Always.”

“I love you.”

Jenna smiles, her soft lips pressing to your temple, "I love you too."

--

[touhou-memories]

Some time ago, while recording videos of Yuuka's attacks in Lotus Land Story, I encountered a glitch where the background did not display properly (see /post/727736170476388352/). While the background came to normal after the third attack phase, there was one more detail that was still wrong.

Apparently, during that fight, not only the background was bugged, but also the colour palette was devoid of pink. There was no pink in Yuuka's umbrella or shoes and even the bullets that were supposed to have pink outlines had a grey one instead.

I kept the videos and wanted to use the last one with the umbrella spin attack to make today (06-Jan-2024) some gifs out of it and that's when I noticed that the colour was all wrong.

[an-aura-about-you]

only two more chapters left, guys. only two more. we're on the penultimate chapter now and perhaps one of the most ridiculous red herrings ever attempted in Handbook for Mortals, and that includes the incestuous one.

Chapter 20:

when we last left our hero, Scheherazade is now no longer dying. this is apparently a good thing.

Chapter 20: Judgement

-Oh I Plan To Judge This.

-oh hey, we're back to weeks passing, only this time it's just a couple that Zade spends more time asleep than awake.

-Zade actually asked permission to pull memories from everyone. I actually wasn't expecting that.

-oh. she asked because that's the easy way to do it. so it's still possible to pull memories from people without asking their permission, it's just harder.

-OH. and Mac makes her promise to only pull memories related to the incident but Charles and Dela do not force her to make such a promise so she rifles through their brains a bit more. holy violation of trust Batman!

-AND Zade wants to figure out an easier way to do it WITHOUT asking permission. what the fuck???

-ok, so I'm going to post something from over on Jenny Trout's blog where she also recaps Handbook for Mortals. over there, she got a comment from Lani Sarem using a sockpuppet account. in this comment, she is defending how she wrote the reaction to Sofia's accident:

Actually, I work in a Vegas show on the strip and yes this kind of stuff does happen. Automation is a fairly new thing (last 15 years) and doesn’t work properly all the time. Also, performers in Cirque and Cirque type shows get injured all the time. If you think an investigation of that kind would happen every time there was a serious injury well we would be doing that every day. That is why we get paid well. Most of us are athletes, a lot of us Olympic athletes and we know what we signed up for. Injuries happen during the shows all the time. We are doing crazy stuff and it’s dangerous that’s why people pay a lot of money to see it. People get injured during the show and you don’t even know and we keep going. We don’t stop the show. The one and only time someone fell to their death was actually during KA. DURING A ACTUAL PERFORMANCE IN FRONT OF A AUDIENCE. They witnessed it even…I think the show was back in a day or so. Accidents that happen during rehearsal that only leads to injury an injury like this, wouldn’t even stop the show that night. The show must go one is a real thing in our world.

anyway, here's what happens after Zade's accident:

Charles and Mac stayed with me at my mom's house while I recovered and, back in Las Vegas, the show went on hiatus.

so. a lead performer that has been designated the mean girl falls 50 feet and drowns and this is explicitly caused by a glitch in the system: the show must go on!

our main character has a mishap that no one working on the show would ever think is related to the show: the show goes on hiatus.

everything about the way Sofia is treated in this book is so fucking awful. how is it that Sarem tried to create a hatesink and failed so miserably that the character that we're supposed to dislike is actually a "fan" favorite underdog bordering on woobie?

-and to nobody's surprise Dela and Charles are making goo-goo eyes at each other this whole time. again, poor Sofia.

-well, at least the theater crew is still getting paid while the show is on its unusual-break-from-reality-according-to-the-author hiatus.

-also Jackson's band gets to open for Imagine Dragons. aw, isn't that the feel-good story of the decade?

-wow, the show goes on hiatus for A MONTH waiting for Zade to recover? Charles seriously couldn't go back and get things going again once he knew Zade was ok? what happened to, "The show must go on," again?????

-just to compare that one more time:

Sofia: falls 50 feet, drowns, the show continues that very night

Zade: coughs up blood and collapses, the show goes on hiatus for a full month

-this book makes a reference to, "Come to the Dark Side; we have cookies."

-ok so here we go, the last red herring we're attempting here: Tad asks Zade and Mac if they just got back, but no, they got back the day before. the only thing is they've been running around busy from all the wedding planning.

c'mon, you ain't slick. not once in this entire book so far has Mac been able to bring himself to say he's Zade's boyfriend. it is page 405 out of 413. Zade and Mac are not getting married.

-also, they joke that Zade must have gone to every dress shop between Vegas and Tennessee to find a dress. but remember, she's not good at that girly stuff.

-ohhhh but we have to have a surprise party for Zade returning because she matters unlike Sofia.

reminder that between the two of them Sofia is the one who literally died in this book as her heart stopped. Zade came close to dying but never actually died. where's Sofia's surprise party?

also, Zade mentioned in an earlier paragraph that she didn't want to make a big deal about her illness, as they're referring to it for the crew, but we're having a surprise party? I guess that tracks since it's just like her desire for a normal life.

-"The biggest surprise may have been when Sofia came over, gave me a hug, and told me she was glad I wasn't dead."

for all of Zade's talk of trying to be the bigger person, this clearly illustrates that Sofia is being the bigger person. in spite of the way Zade took her job, in spite of the way Zade lied about what Sofia did after saving her life, in spite of Zade having absolutely no argument to defend herself as to why she deserves her position in the company, AND in spite of the fact that Charles has surely broken up with Sofia by now (because if he hasn't the next chapter is gonna suck so bad for her) with the last interaction between her and Zade being Charles choosing Zade over her, Sofia has enough decency within herself to hug Zade and tell her she's glad she's not dead.

Sofia is the hero in this book. obviously she's had the most growth. we're just stuck in the head of the villain protagonist.

-and then we cut to Zade and Mac lying in bed in his apartment wait what the FUCK?!

I. I Guess They Finally Had Sex?

-Mac says that Jackson is still vying for Zade's affections. somehow, even though they're in bed together and Sarem planted the notion of them getting married, the love triangle still isn't resolved.

and the chapter ends with them kissing and presumably fucking if they didn't fuck before. jesus.

[drewhayes]

andrew was always grateful for the smaller things in life. he had gotten so caught up in his life and the big picture that he often just forgot to take it easy. harper had helped slow him down a lot. it reminded him that there was more to life than work, that there was nice and good people out there. if he was being honest he really was needing to surround himself with people like that more than ever. though today wasn't the day he needed to sit at the counter of a bakery and pour out all of his issues as if he was talking to a therapist.

starting his own stay off so late had thrown him all out of sorts as well. he had felt as if he was just walking and functioning on autopilot- with a little glitch or two. when he had heard the blonde mention him being alive he let out a faint chuckle. "still alive but i'm barely breathing." he teased with lyrics to some song he remembered from the early 2000s. his own comment making him shake his head.

what was he supposed to do? just come right out and tell her that his marriage was over? that a woman he had loved for nearly half his entire life was he had ran off for being a completely shitty husband and person? no, instead he did what he did best. he faked it. a smile grew on his lips as he made his way over to the counter and leaned on it. "i just thought oh what the hell, life is far too short to be so anal all the time." he lied. though his eyes looked down at his own tie when he had seen her notice it. "however it probably would be best if i made sure i was properly dressed before living life on the edge." he teased as he began to fix his tie as he watched her. "i had a long night and my alarm didn't go off in time." he lied once more. "did you miss me?"

With her regulars, Harper had a habit of hyper focusing on the bakery’s door, awaiting the familiar faces to appear right on time in the blink of an eye. The rare few were such creatures of habit, Harper had their orders already to go, their money exchange down to a simple swipe or exact change in hand and raised to-go cup as a gesture of thanks.

Drew was one of them.

Late today, it seemed. Which was a little unsettling as it threw Harper off her own rhythm, in a way, anticipating his arrivals to the exact minute. He wasn’t usually late. Actually—never was. Harper’s thoughts immediately went to worry, distracted, someone saying she’d forgotten cinnamon in their order when she could swear she’d added it.

By the time Drew walked in, Harper felt herself sigh with relief. “You’re alive~” she said dramatically, the morning rush over and her just finishing cleaning up. He looked like he’d been run ragged, completely disheveled but Harper kept that tidbit to herself, awaiting volunteered information rather than prying. “Very unusual for you, Drew. What or who—whom?—did you get yourself into?” Brows raised at his undone tie and suit. Smirking, she removed the solo to-go order, which happened to be Drew’s now an hour old, and properly disposed of it, working on his new order. “With an extra shot coming right up.”

[secretfnaffan]

An Unsolvable Case (Glamrock Freddy x fm!Reader) Chapter Six

Summary: You’re a detective of the city, who was tasked to investigate the brand new Pizzaplex where children went missing and employees were fired due to mysterious reasons. What happens when you get yourself locked inside the place with the animatronics who try to hunt you down?

Word count: 1229

Warnings: none for now

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

“Gregory, I have good news: it looks like you can access the Fazbear online pizza delivery system through that console!” Freddy said as he hurried down the hallway with you. It seemed like none of the other robots were interested in you whether you were around Freddy or not.

“What? How is that supposed to help?” Gregory asked incredulously. You decided not to ask questions after all the ridiculous plans this bear came up with, however, they worked up until now.

“Chica loves pizza!” Freddy answered before he spotted Monty at the end. Grabbing your hand, Freddy slowed down cautiously. He kept shielding you slightly as he walked. It made you feel secure. You haven’t experienced this kind of act ever since your dad died. None of the guys treated you like a woman just because, unless they were hoping for something. It made you feel worthless after a while, resulting in you turning away from others and focusing solely on your work.

Monty approached the two of you, his large frame intimidating, hands balled into fists, eyes scanning the area.

“What are you doing Freddy? Weren’t you notified by Vanessa to look for that kid?” he asked, pulling his glasses lower on his snout. Then his eyes traveled over to you, making you feel uneasy. Monty leaned down to your eye level, too close to your liking, your hand instantly squeezing Freddy’s. “And who might you be?”

“(Name)... I just arrived.” you said shortly, trying to go into too much detail.

“Hm… well, (Name), when you get tired of my friend here, you’re welcome to join me in the golf course.” Monty winked before walking past Freddy. Furrowing your eyebrows, you tightened your hold on Freddy’s paw. Like he felt it, the large animatronic bear leaned down and slid his large hand across your back.

“I’m here, don’t be afraid, (Name).” he rumbled. Somehow, that did reassure you.

“I found the loading dock… but nothing is here.” Gregory announced. “There are some big garage doors, but I don’t see a way to get out.”

“Do you see a set of controls?”

Looking up at Freddy, you were unsure if you should let Gregory do everything on his own. He was still just a kid after all and he could get caught by the others. The end results were something you didn’t want to actually happen.

“I think so… There’s a funny locked box with a badge on it.”

“Those are the loading dock controls.” Freddy suddenly stopped in front of you, making you walk right into his back. “Something’s not right, someone must’ve changed the permissions. You’re going to need a much higher security level to get out that way. Come back to me right away.”

Suddenly, Freddy started glitching in front of you, his head jerking right and left, hands shaking at his sides. Stepping back from him, you tried to look him over, to find if there was something wrong on the outside but come up with nothing. He then turned to you, eyes apologetic.

“(N-N-Name)... so-something is-is wrong with-with me-ee.” he spoke.

“Let’s get you into Parts and Service. That’s where you guys get your daily check-ups right?” you asked.

“O-o-okay-kay.” he nodded, trying to stop his head from shaking. Walking through the main hall, where the food court was, you passed the S.T.A.F.F. bots several times until you reached the stage. The large holograms were spectacular, the detail and the visual was beautiful. You had no idea how the company could afford such things when they were barely able to fix the main stars of the show properly.

The management was probably a group of idiots if they thought that without proper maintenance, this place would be able to function. More and more reports came from the security guards and the complaints from the customers were more and more upset each time. Pushing the button, Freddy and you rode the elevator under the stage. You walked down a corridor until you spotted a recharge station, then another area over the glass walls.

Freddy went ahead to show you the maintenance cylinder. He looked battered and dirty so you decided to maybe try and give him a bath of some kind. Though, you knew you should be careful with it, no need to short circuit him with water.

“There on the-”

“There you are!” hurried over the security guard with her flashlight in hand. Her scowl sat deep on her face. You were lucky to slip behind a shelf before she could spot you, but that left Freddy on his own.

“I finally found you at last. What do you think you’re doing?! Hiding a kid?!” the security guard asked angrily. “I found him earlier and left him in the Lost and Found.”

“That is great news! He can return to his family!” Freddy’s acting was… mediocre at best. You could almost see him sweat as he was restrained by Moondrop. Your eyebrows furrowed. Why did Moondrop not attack the security guard? She was completely human, like you. But then… he didn’t attack you either earlier. You watched helplessly as they separated Freddy’s head from his torso, you had no idea why.

“He can’t. Turns out, there is no record of him.” she replied, crossing her arms.

“How unfortunate. If you re-attach my head I will go look for him.”

“His name is Gregory. Do you know why I know that? His Fazwatch keeps repeating it. In your voice…” she continued on like Freddy said nothing.

“Vanessa, all the Fazwatches sound like me, it’s the default voice option.”

“If you’re part of this, you’re scrap. Monty will run the shows, until Parts and Service can slap your casing on a new Endo. Hang out here for a while, I gotta find that kid.”

“Vanessa! Do not leave me like this!” Freddy cried out angrily after her, but Vanessa was nowhere to be seen as she slid through a door and disappeared. Grabbing your gun, you walked out from behind the shelf and went over to Freddy. “(Name)! Can you please help me out here? I could use some help.”

“Oh, Freddy… I’m sorry that they’re so rude.” you sighed. “Now tell me how to put your head back on your neck.”

Listening to the instructions, you did as he and the strange maintenance voice said. Pushing the right buttons and pulling the right levers was quite easy. Freddy got out of the cylinder quickly and leaned down to your level, pulling you in his arms in a hug.

“What’s up big guy?” you chuckled. “Don’t you want a nice wash and waxing? You look a little worn.”

“Thank you.” he breathed silently, as silently as possible. “No one’s been nice to me… since… Bo- my friend left…”

“You mean Bonnie?” you asked, patting his hand. “Let me get into this computer here, I might find more evidence and… I am sure they all have your A.I.-s and many more in store. It wouldn’t be a stupid thing for them to keep things like these in any case.”

“You… you want to find Bonnie’s A.I.?! Could that be possible?!” His voice sounded so hopeful, filled with emotions which left you doubt the fact they were just machines.

“We’ll see, big guy.” you smiled back at him.

To be continued…

[deelusi]

A timeline where basically Dark trying to out power Actor! and kill us.

Wake the Whitacre Theory.

This is just me, thinking the minutiae of it… (I’m sorry Wilford) cause I can’t sleep so. Probably none of this is right so :v WELCOME TO MY TED TALK!

Theory: There’s a script/sacred/original/correct timeline. Actor re-wrote it so he would be a hero in that story. Hence creating a Paradox known to be “Put out the fire” timelines. What is the paradox, I hear you say? Easy, Mark is alive.

In the supposed to be “correct timeline” we as The Captain manages to get everyone to a new better home planet except for Mark. He died and never to be seen again. However, if we die at any point earlier, we’d save Mark hence creating a timeline with a Paradox. The Warp Core wanted this Paradox to be solve. May be the reason why time and space in this “put out the fire” timeline is glitching.

Also, it’s funny that (what I assume) Dark when calling us, (scene above) sounds offended when we save Mark. Like “really honey? That guy been leaching off you for years, babe. You deserves better” kind of vibe.

Exhibit 1: Paradox, Mark was killed twice.

In the “original timeline” Gunther was supposed to open the door with his gun but in the second timeline, if he did so he would shoot Mark instead. To save himself, Actor! replaced Gunther with someone else. Probably on accident but he didn’t intended it to be Miss Whitacre, that was something else. In this eternity of a second, we could also assume at this time 2 things happened.

The Warp Core attempts to correct itself.

Dark tried to insert themselves.

[Oh, I don’t know if it intentional (maybe not) but when Miss Whitacre said “I’m not married anymore”. Actor looks a little weirded out by it cause he too was once a married man.]

Anyway, Gunther glitched to Miss Whitacre. That was the Warp Core trying to correct itself. Miss Whitacre would die putting Mark at a risk to fix the ship’s problem. Fortunately/Unfortunately, Mark successfully fix the ship. Wounded, Nonetheless.

Exhibit 2: Paradox, this is taking too long.

In the original timeline, without Mark, Celci immediately fix the cryo swiftly and suggested that we Wake up Burt. Like in an instant because she is good at what she does.

However, if Mark was alive, they will continue bickering to each other and perhaps the ship blows up. This also ruins Actor!’s “good” image because he is arguing with another person who reminded him of the end of his marriage. So, he removes that factor. I don’t think Actor deliberately chooses Miss Whitacre. This is the Paradox/Warp Core trying to correct itself by putting Mark’s life in danger.

Exhibit 3: Mistakes were made, plans weren’t…exactly properly executed.

Yup, his plan backfired again. Big time. Our beloved resident actor! Who are prone to self sabotage and this is another one of them. This is another one of his game that he foolishly somehow manages to make everyone lose. In an attempt to make himself be in more scenes, he had to go through a timeline which is trying to kill him. Hence, Mark glitched to fixing dangerous things that he had no qualification to do. It felt to me when Mark said,

“Captain. You know how when you’re in a dream and you’re trying to run and but you can’t get anywhere and you feel like you’re not making any progress?”

It sounds like he is trying to find a happy ending that was not meant for him and got punished by it.

Exhibit 4: Whitacre is Dark

At this point, I think Whitacre agreed to give her body to Dark like we did. If Dark did it to us, why couldn’t they do it to someone else? On the contrary to popular belief, Dark could also act. Perhaps, continuing the Facade of the game because it was established in Heist that “we are the willing victim”. We are playing Actor’s game because we liked em. Even Dark participated by scattering codes at the end of endings. When Miss Whitacre said

“Makes you feel like you’ve been through all of this before. Do you understand, dearie?

There’s a little sympathy with that line almost as if she is asking if we’re ok with this. Yet, also reminded us that this game cost lives.

“But these funny dreams aren’t to be trusted. Oh. No. They may seem nice, but they’re not what they seem, are they? You can’t really have second chances. Seems too good to be true, right? Dearie?”

And proceeded to kill us. Without us in the equation, there would be no choice. No lives to be sacrifice and no game to be played. Trapping us for at least a lifetime alone “persevere in darkness” .

What makes me think that the Warp Core has its own canon timeline was in Wake the Crew 3. Burt was woken up before we pressed the button. That may be a joke of Burt is so effective that he would be there even before we call him. But if that not the case, it makes me think that the script accidentally queue in Burt a tad bit earlier than he was suopposed to be.

BUT THAT IS JUST A THEORY, A MARKIVERSE THEORY. See ya next time!

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Hesitation - Power Rangers RPM - Tenaya 7 x Fem!Reader

Request: Can you do a Tenaya 7 x Police officer! female! reader?

A/n: A bit shabby around the edges but it’s 902 words setting up a concept that could be developed in the last few episodes of RPM

The first time Tenaya 7 saw you, you were fighting against Grinders in civilian.

“Foolish human...” Tenaya said to herself, about to attack you when you dodged her kick, kicking her back into the Power Rangers’ eyeline.

///

The first time you saw Tenaya 7, you were in your uniform alongside Colonel Truman and Corporal Hicks.

She faltered the first time she saw your face.

Venjix had programmed her with human physiology, so she needed to eat and sleep.

She assumed Venjix didn’t mean to programme her with the ability to feel attraction, especially since you were female as well.

She assumed it was a glitch or a joke that Crunch was playing and he’d messed with her programming when she was asleep.

Until she went back to conduct tests and found that there were no glitches and Crunch hadn’t actually messed with anything. She didn’t bring it up to Master Venjix though, she didn’t want to be seen as faulty when she was his most important general.

She’d just have to destroy you.

///

The next time you and Tenaya 7 met, she was determined to destroy you by any means possible.

But she made a mistake.

She hooked her fingers under your chin so you’d look at her, so she could see the life in your eyes die.

But that didn’t happen as her visor went up and she was staring into your eyes as you glared at her before softening as you saw her hesistate.

As soon as the Rangers arrived, her gay panic shifted into actual panic that you’d get hurt if they fired at her, leaving her to push you back almost gently into some boxes before moving over to fight the Black and Red Rangers as they ran over.

You didn’t know that Ziggy had seen Tenaya’s gay panic and how you had stared after Tenaya as Summer helped you up and told you to get away from where the fight was.

///

It was often that you alongside the Colonel’s Troops weren’t required in defending the dome due to the Rangers having that covered.

That left monitoring the dome and shields along with the technology of Cornith instead.

Which was code for you hadn’t seen Tenaya 7 in a while.

That didn’t mean you didn’t hear her whistling when you were on your way back from the grocery store once.

You had paper bags in your arms when you heard the familiar tune of Farmer in the Dell.

You swore under your breath about to drop your groceries when the whistling faded as Tenaya left, heading far away from you for when she would run into the Rangers again.

“What the hell?”

///

“Y’know, if you want to get Tenaya to stop for a moment, just ask the Colonel to borrow that agent she has a crush on.” Ziggy suggested as he ate a mouthful of popcorn, all of the Rangers, Dr K and the Colonel turning to face him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Scott asked as Ziggy just shrugged, staring at them.

“Tenaya has a crush on that agent, uh, y’know the girl one-” Ziggy began leaving Summer to put her hand up to shush his rambles.

“You mean Y/n?”

“Yeah, Tenaya has a thing for Agent Y/n.”

“How did you- when did you figure that out?”

“How did you come to this conclusion, Ranger Green?” Dr K asked, adding to Flynn’s question as Ziggy jumped over the table for his explanation.

“So, Tenaya is supposed to be this big bad Generation 7 Venjix Human Infiltration attack bot, right? She’s not supposed to have feelings or hesistate. She hesistated when she saw Y/n, even removed her visor to look at her properly, she even gently shoved Y/n into some boxes when we arrived on the scene so she could fight us where Y/n was no where near the fight-”

“This could just mean that she got disinterested-” Dr K began to speculate before Ziggy just waved his hand.

“She blushed.”

“What?” Scott asked, raising an eyebrow as he began to brush off what Ziggy said.

“Tenaya blushed, she was blushing when she realised she’d been staring at Y/n.” Ziggy stated, leaving Dillon to frown.

“You’re saying we could use Y/n to draw out Tenaya.” Dillon suggested, leaving Ziggy to nod, pointing at Dillon with enthusiasm.

“That is exactly what I am saying!”

///

The plan was that you’d walk around Corinth on your own during an infiltration, the Rangers dealing with the Grinders and attack bot as Dr K kept a watch on you via security cameras to see if Tenaya would be interested in you.

The audio on the security cameras picked up the whistling before either you or Dr K saw Tenaya nearby.

“Seems like Ranger Green’s plan worked-” Dr K talked to herself as she watched Tenaya approach you.

“You know who I am but you’re not afraid.” Tenaya began, leaving you to raise an eyebrow as you looked up at her.

“Should I be?”

Tenaya glared slightly at that but didn’t move or snap words back at you saying that you should be afraid. She just glanced at something behind you, leaving you to turn your head.

You turned your head back and she was gone.

///

Tenaya let out a breath as she slipped out of Corinth, mumbling something under her breath.

“I can’t let Venjix find out about her...”

[mirrorhunt]

Blindness

helplessness | numbness | blindness

Rios does some repairs when the accident happens.

Cris hits the panel in frustration, and curses. Maybe he needs to call Ian. Maybe he cannot do it by himself. And here he was, thinking he knew his ship perfectly. How can he align this power grid contacts so that the bloody thruster will come back online? And how did it even get offline? 

He should probably land somewhere and take a look. But the planet had strict rules about outer worlds ships and dozens other, no less dumb. It’s a miracle they could sneak Elnor, Soji and Picard there with their ban on Romulans and synths. “Fuck their rules,” said Seven and told them to prepare to beam down. Cris only sent nervous Agnes hopefully an encouraging smile before pushing the button. He didn’t see Raffi and supposed she was in her room. Even if it made him anxious, he got to work, frowning. He had never been anxious around Raffi, not when he learned about her mission back on Ibn Majid, not when she went with him in her tail to those people, who made every hair on his body stand in alert and understood just how dangerous she and her connections were. 

Being scared of someone was strange. He lived so much here, alone, dealing with his clients as quickly as possible, never afraid to die at their mercy. He wasn’t scared of kids, she could kill him with one finger he’s sure, not of Seven, who, he thinks, can kill with a glare, and especially not Picard. He could never be afraid of Raffi. But that night? He felt exactly how much she could hurt him with her words and her hands. And she didn’t say that much, not really. He knows she would have stabbed him where it hurts most, ripped his barely scarred wounds wide open, reminding of his captain and Soji’s sister. She would just have needed to say their names and he would be done. But she wasn’t that cruel. And he was. 

She cares about Agnes. Of course she did, she’s Raffi. He sat at her bedside while she was in a coma and Cris was freaking out. She held her hand and talked to her when he was managing the ship in time of arrival to Nepenthe. She spoke with Emil about Agnes’ medication to calm her down, and after she had woken up, Raffi was nothing but helpful.

Cris remembers how Raffi was holding him when he was falling apart. How she had listened to him speak, watched him cry and let him cling to her. And earlier, much earlier, when she let him be broken and depressed and brooding, just was close and there for him for when he deeds her. She was his best friend, probably the best one he’d ever had. And now he lost her by his own fucking mistake. 

He had no right to talk about her son. She opened up to him in her moment of weakness, and he used that against her. He is absolutely not surprised Raffi does not want to talk to him or see him. It’s a miracle she didn’t kill him yet. Or Seven. Or Elnor. And it felt wrong not to feel any physical pain now when his nose was healed, but knowing that she still hurts. 

Cris sighs and gets up to his feet. He needs to look under another panel, maybe the problem lies somewhere else. Fried contacts? Loose connection? The asteroids rings could’ve shaken up something that powered off that thruster. They don’t really need it for the ship to function properly, but while they have time Cris would prefer to look into the problems. 

The door hisses behind him and Cris yelps when the loose connection he’s found hits him with electricity. He doesn’t look and his numb fingers grab something to hold on to, but it doesn’t hold, and then Cris feels something hot on his face and in his eyes. It burns. Badly. 

Cris screams, trying to rub his eyes but feels something warm wrapping around his arm. A hand. Raffi?

“Yeah, baby, that’s me. What did you do? Damnit! Emil! Emil, where are you?!” 

Cris feels his body shake with shock. 

“The connection. It could have glitch the holos,” is it his voice? Why is it so hoarse? 

“Don’t talk. Or you can swallow that thing on your face.”

Which reminds him of the hellish burning in his eyes. 

“My eyes…”

“Shh. It’s alright, hun’. Let Raffi look at you,” she’s silent for a while, and he feels her fingers on his neck, maneuvering his head to the sides. “It’s not too bad. I need to wash you up though. Come to sickbay, honey. Just don’t open your eyes yet.”

He feels her pulling him, slinging her arm on his shoulder, and he takes a careful step forward, minding the instruments on the floor. 

“You need to call Ian, so he will…”

“I told you to shut up, Cris. Will do, after taking care of you, mm-key? Come on, there’s a door, we’re almost there. Good job.”

He feels the edge of the biobed brushing his hip, so he sits on it, leaning on his hands behind him for support. He never was scared of the dark, but being blind? That terrifies him. His whole ship is made to be operated by someone who can see. He wouldn't be able even to leave the orbit without seeing.

Cris hears Ruffi muttering to herself, clinking of glass and metal, and then the sound of pushed buttons and working replicator. 

“There we go, it can be cold, baby, so hold on.” 

Raffi washes his face with something soft and wet and smelling like medicine and herbs. Then she orders him to lie down with a hand on his shoulder, and he winces when something cold sprays on his eyelids. 

“Sorry. I should’ve warned you. And I need you to open your eyes, baby. Can you do that?” asks Raffi in that gentle voice of hers that can calm down the hurricanes. 

Instead of answering Cris just tries to open his eyes. He is seeing blurry white-blue-gray spots, so he blinks, but Raffi shushes him and keeps his eye open with her fingers. Something cold sprays in his open eye, and Cris twitches.

“I know, I know, baby, I’m sorry. But I need to wash up your eyes from that yucky liquid,” says Raffi, wiping the excess down. 

“Gel. Ionic gel,” Cris winces, when Raffi repeats the procedure with his other eye.

“Whatever,” says Raffi dismissively, wiping down his face the last time. “How are your pain levels?”

“Usually they ask you this before proceeding with anything else, but it’s fine, thank you,” Cris answers raspy, taking a sitting position. He blinks to chase away the blurriness. Without luck. 

“Well, the patient usually doesn’t snap at their doctor,” he hears pain in her voice, which she tries to mask with humor. 

So this is where they will do it? Fine. He would have liked to see her eyes for this, but he'll do without it for now.

“Raffi, I’m so sorry,” he says sincerely, not hoping for forgiveness. He focuses on a shape that had to be Raffi.

“No. No, Cris, I too went too far. I shouldn't have said that to you. If I had problems with your girl, I should’ve told her, not you,” he feels her hand on his, and looks down, again seeing nothing but spots of color. He swallows. 

“No, Raffi. What I did… it was unforgivable. You told me about your son in secret, and I used it to hurt you. It was wrong. I’m sorry,” he says, trying to focus on her face. He can just see the color-blob of her lighter hair, so he looks at it instead. 

“Cris, honey. Where are you looking?” asks Raffi, and he feels wind on his face – she probably turned her head. Then there are hands on his face. “Cris. You can see, right?”

Cris smiles guiltily. 

“Oh dammit, Rios! Why the fuck you didn’t tell me?!” 

He sees her jump to action, running around sickbay, looking for something, 

“I thought it was temporary,” he shrugs. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know! A pad with info about blindness from being stupid?” yells Raffi, ruffling again in some cabinets judging by the sounds. 

“Just reboot the hologram system and call for Ian and Emil,” sighs Cris, rubbing his still stinging eyes.

“Well, look at you, so smart all of a sudden. Oh wait. You can’t,” Raffi snickers, and Cris grabs a wet cloth near him to throw it at Raffi. She giggles and he hears the door hiss. 

It's not a forgiveness. It's not an acknowledgement. But it's a start. He can work with that.

[xelles-archive]

Her Cure

➥ Peter Maximoff x Self-insert

➥ Genre: Fluff with a bit of venting

➥ Summary: Peter comes to his girlfriend's house, but wasn't expecting to see her with a down mood.

➥ Word Count: 3.3k

➥ Warnings: Don't read if you don't like sharing Peter as an f/o. This is super, SUPER self-indulgent, so please don't send any hate.

➥ A/N: I'll be using she/her pronouns in this story because I still haven't gotten used to writing myself as 'they' in stories. Also, Peter's little sister's name isn't confirmed. It's just a headcanon of mine that her name is Lorna.

➥ Tags: @nougatships @just-sinag @selfshipping-port

The ringing from the alarm clock on Peter's desk was the very first thing that welcomed him into this new day, but the repeating, annoying sound was immediately dismissed when he slammed his hand on it. He nearly punched down the whole thing due to his pressure. He groggily sat up on his bed and harshly rubbed his eye. "Agh!" He groaned, getting weird glitches in his vision. That didn't stop Peter from doing his routine though, as it quickly disappeared, too.

He went to his closet and changed from his pajamas to his casual wear. The classic black band t-shirt and silver leather jacket. He dashed upstairs once, then came back to his room and grabbed a comb to brush his hair. "Hell yeah, you're looking great." He clicked his tongue and pointed finger guns at himself in the mirror. He finally went upstairs, for real this time.

He was met with his mother cooking breakfast, and the smell of eggs and bacon rose to Peter's nostrils, making him inhale the precious scent. It was a classic breakfast, and he can't wait to eat it.

Finally, after a minute or so, Magda noticed his presence. "Oh, Peter! I didn't notice you there." She looked behind to give her son a bright smile, which he nicely reflected back. "Oh, well, ya know. Just doin' things as fast as I can." Peter shrugged his shoulders, as the sarcasm in his line of voice made the woman giggle. The wide smile stuck on her face as she went back to cooking. "It's almost finished. Maybe you could wake up your sister for the meantime."

Peter nodded in response, and even though his mom wasn't looking, she knew he already obeyed what she said. It's one of the good sides to his mutation.

Not even a minute has passed, and the young boy was already back to his previous spot. The mother looked at him in confusion and opened her mouth to ask, but Peter already knew – almost like predicting it — what she was supposed to say. "She's dressing up. Don't worry."

She smiled again, and expected nothing more or less of her son. When was there a time without Peter ever lightening up the mood? She doesn't remember at least one moment when it felt boring in the house, well, probably except before Peter came.

But none of that matters, as they're all together now.

Soon enough, the youngest member of the family came down. "Hey there, lil sis." Peter greeted his younger sibling, who seemed to be still sleepy. She yawned quite loudly and nearly fell off when she climbed up on the chair. Even with the lack of response, the cute little scene that occurred in front of him made Peter smile. "Still sleepy, huh?" He mocked.

Lorna merely hummed and nodded her head with her eyes still fluttering open. Their mother turned around with two plates in her hand, scooting them over to where Peter and Lorna were sitting. Both of them childishly eyed the well-done dish, their mouths watering in hunger. "Well then, let's dig in." The woman clasped her hands together, and the small family grabbed their respective utensils to start eating.

In just a blink of an eye, Peter was munching down on the food. Maybe too fast. Not even having a single bite, Magda placed down her spoon on the plate. "Peter, slow down." She remarked, quite calmly in fact. As a mother, she had the right to be concerned of her children's intentions.

"Hm?" Peter looked up from his plate, and when he saw the disapproving look on his mother's face, he gulped down the food as hard as he can. "Sorry." He raised his hand as a sign of apology.

A gentle smile replaced the frown on her face. "What's with the rush? Do you have a date?"

Lorna nearly choked on her food as soon as their mother ended her statement. She placed down her utensils and looked over to his older brother with excited eyes. "You're going out with Xelle again?!"

"Whaaaaat?" Peter scoffed. "Noooo." He waved his hand, rolling his eyes as he did so. "I'm just gonna visit her house, that's all." He was supposedly going to continue eating, but Lorna still had more questions. This little girl was always excited when it comes to Peter's girlfriend.

"But it's still considered a date, right?" She raised her eyebrows, awaiting for her older brother's response. Peter opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again with a cocked brow. "I guess? I mean, we're still going out, so yeah, maybe it's considered a date." He just shrugged it off as he grabbed his glass of water to drink.

Lorna squealed, shaking her arms in excitement, and even rocking her legs back and forth under the table. "Ooooh man! I can't wait to have my sister-in-law!"

Even one single word could cause everything to crumble. Their mother had been listening to their conversations at the start, but she wasn't expecting to hear such words from her daughter. Her eyes widened, while Peter spat out the water he was drinking. Magda quickly scolded him for making a mess in front of them. But then, it's gone in an instant. The table looked clean again.

The mother anxiously looked over to her daughter, giving her an uncertain smile. "Maybe that's too early for your brother, dear."

Tilting her head in confusion, she asked another question. Oh, how different the circumstances will be if Xelle was here right now. She could have hushed the young girl, at least. "Why? Is he not old enough to marry her?"

"Okay, Lorna, I'm only twenty years old." Peter suddenly intruded in the conversation as he wiped the excess liquid on his face. "Plus, I still got college to catch up to. I don't wanna rush things."

Their mother laughed at him. "That's funny coming from you." It took a while for Lorna to register the joke, but even Peter's humor was fast enough for him to understand. He didn't even realize he was making a joke, yet he still laughed along. "Hah, real funny, Mom. Anyway, I gotta go." He took one last bite from his food before dashing off, probably to Xelle's place.

Neither of the two females were able to say something before he left. Magda's eyes brought themselves to check Peter's plate, and she was not happy to see it. She frowned, and even if she knew he wouldn't hear her, she shouted out his name.

He suddenly appeared in the dining room again. "Sorry. Again." He gave his mother an apologetic smile as he grabbed his plate and washed it really quickly. He made sure he got to say goodbye properly this time.

Magda released a sigh. "I sure do hope I'll get a daughter-in-law, too."

The young girl smiled widely at her mother. "So you agree with me!"

Arriving in his girlfriend's place, Peter was refreshed to see the familiar green plants in her tiny little garden. With all the flowers and succulents, her house looked adorable. Thank heavens her father allowed her to live alone. He's been here multiple times already, mainly for checking up on her and taking her out on dates, but when he saw somebody on her doorstep, he stopped in his tracks.

It looked like a woman. Well, at least to Peter. She had long brownish hair and wore fancy clothing, she even had a purse dangling from her arm. There stood Xelle in the doorway, a clear frown on her face. Peter furrowed his eyebrows in worry as he watched this lady talk to his girlfriend. He couldn't hear what they were saying from this distance, so he just stood there. Besides, it was only a few steps away.

A few minutes had passed, and the lady finally turned around and entered her car, which was parked just outside. Peter pretended to walk as a passerby when the car zoomed past him. He looked behind him to check the plate number.

Xelle didn't even bother to look after that lecture from her stepmother. She ran her hand over her hair, tugging on it out of anger, as a long, sad sigh escaped from her lips. She had been fighting off her tears while she listened to those harsh words. She always thought of herself as a crybaby, and now that she finally has some time alone, she closed the door.

"Ow."

Or maybe not.

The female looked at her door, making an assumption that someone was behind it. She looked down at the ground, catching a glimpse of that silver-colored shoe she always recognized, stuck in between the door frame. She immediately opened the door, and to no surprise, she was faced with her boyfriend.

Peter waved his hand as a cute smile was embedded on his face. He didn't even need to say anything and Xelle already found herself smiling again, even the slightest. "Hi, Peter."

That was highly unusual. She'd usually jump at him for a hug or smile widely at him. The young boy noticed her change of behavior, the smile on his face disappearing. "You okay?" He brought his hand down.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She responded, turning around as she allowed Peter to come inside. He was polite enough to remove his shoes and set it aside before actually coming in. He closed the door and followed Xelle into the kitchen, which was just beside the living room.

Washing dishes, once again. Never the same, never different either. Peter watched her fingers gracefully slip past the smooth plates and place them down on a dryer. It was a weird thing for him to observe, but he loved every little thing about her. He can't resist himself.

Xelle was finally done with the dishes, dabbing a towel on her hands to get rid of the wetness, when Peter suddenly appeared beside her. He leaned onto the counter as he smiled at her. "So who was that lady earlier?"

Bringing her gaze to him, she raised an eyebrow at him. "What lady?" She asked as she hung the towel on the fridge's handle. "The lady you were talking to in the doorway." Peter responded, tilting his head while he awaited for her answer.

Xelle narrowed her eyes at him. "You were eavesdropping on us?" She asked in disbelief. The male in front of her widened his eyes and awkwardly laughed. "What? No. I just saw you talking with her." He stood up straight, placing a firm hand on her waist and bringing her over to him. Their bodies ended up colliding each other as their eyes focused on the ones in front of them. "You know I wouldn't lie to you." He pushed back a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She smiled at him, genuinely this time. "I know." As she thought the heavy burden in her chest was finally going to disappear, it just came back again. The corners of her lips deepened themselves into a frown, and to prevent Peter from seeing it, she pushed herself away from him. "But you don't need to worry about her. She's just my stepmother." She walked away into the living room.

Peter was, at first, confused why she suddenly distanced herself like that. The biggest thing that confused him was the stepmother. "Wait, stepmother? You have a stepmom?" He questioned as he followed her path.

"Yeah," she plopped down on the couch, "she and Papa didn't last long, though." Grabbing the remote control, she turned on the television. Her arm was laid out on the couch's backrest while her other one faced the squarish electronic. "But like I said, you don't need to worry about her." A few static sounds were brought to life until she stopped to one channel.

Even if she says that, of course he's still going to worry. Xelle was acting strange and he was not liking it. He pressed his lips into a thin line, shaking his head and stepping towards the couch. "Do you really think," he started as he sat beside Xelle, "I would believe that when you have that look on your face?"

Xelle brought her gaze to him and slightly tilted her head. "What do you mean?" In a flash, the remote control in her hand was gone. She looked at the absence of the object for a quick moment before she looked at Peter, who now had the remote in his hand, with wide eyes. "You know what I mean." He turned off the television and set the remote aside.

The short-haired female merely stayed silent and stared at him with uncertainty, this lack of response made Peter cross his arms. "C'moooon. You can't keep hiding things from me." He cooed a bit teasingly.

She knows she can't. He could always tell when something is bothering her, and that's why she still loves him to this very day. It's one of the biggest reasons why she's so happy every time she's with him. She took one deep breath before crawling over to Peter, to which took him by surprise. "Oop-" He yelped as Xelle pushed him down on the couch. She somehow got in between his legs and made herself comfortable to lay on his chest.

The adorable sight that took appearance in front of Peter's eyes made him chuckle out of amusement. He wrapped his arms around her and smirked down at her. "What, we're just gonna cuddle without even telling me what the problem is?"

Xelle giggled in response. As soon as her light laughter died down, her eyes wandered off to somewhere. "It's just…" She started. "Sometimes it's hard having alexithymia."

"Alexi- wha-" Peter narrowed his eyes, but it didn't take him long to realize what she was talking about. "Ohh, right. Alexithemic."

"Alexithymia." She corrected him.

"Right. Yeah."

She couldn't help but to at least smile at his silliness. "I don't know, it's just, it's hard expressing my emotions." The weight on her body — even though nothing was on her — felt heavy, as she found herself sinking deeper into Peter's embrace. "Especially since I don't have the confidence to speak up." Her hands gently hovered his shoulders. "I mean, it's not very severe, but it's, it's still difficult. It causes misunderstandings."

"Your emotions seep out a lot to me, though."

Xelle brought her eyes to look at him. He had that adorable little smile and raised his eyebrows, as if he was trying to prove what she said was wrong. "I could tell that you're sad, and…happy, oh, and…angry?" His statement sounded so unsure, but that somehow still made her laugh.

That's all he wanted to hear, after all.

A tiny chuckle is enough to relieve him that she's doing fine. He doesn't really consider himself a good person to ask for advice, but if Xelle sees him that way, he'll try the best he can.

Peter caressed the top of her head, despite the shortness of her hair, he wanted to get a better look on her face. "I'm kidding. But what makes you say that?" He tried to continue the conversation.

"Well, you saw my stepmother earlier, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." She fiddled with her fingers and lightly clasped them together as she tried to find the right words to say. Peter could sense a bit of hesitance from her, but nonetheless, he waited for her to speak. "We kinda got into, uh, we got into an argument because I didn't get to say I'm sorry." Fully clasping her fingers together into a tight hold, her breath hitched for a quick second. "It's, it's one of the things I hate about myself."

Xelle was supposed to bury her face on Peter's chest out of the shame, until she felt sudden movement and had no choice but to look up. "Heeey." Peter pushed himself up with his arms and stared down at her. "Just because you didn't get to do something you want doesn't mean you can hate yourself." He said, receiving an astonished look from his girlfriend.

He didn't know what he truly meant, but he was saying it from the heart. He knew how it felt like to hate yourself for the things you do. He just didn't want to see the sweetest girl he had ever met do it to herself, too.

"I mean," his eyes looked everywhere before quickly bringing themselves back to Xelle, "you were considering the fact that you should apologize to her. That already makes you a good person, right?" He attempted to reach out to her face and caress her cheek with his thumb. "Besides, if you hate yourself, I'm hating myself, too."

Eyes burning up in tears, Xelle found herself melting into Peter's touch. A silent weep escaped from her lips, and as she couldn't bring herself to speak up, she just nodded her head in response. It was so easy for her to tear up, and yet Peter doesn't mind any of that. As soon as he saw her crying, he brought her into a hug. At moments like these, it felt like her alexithymia was gone.

Peter was her cure.

What sounded like sniffs turning into sobs eventually took over the conversation as the couple found comfort just by being in each other's arms. Peter gave her the time to let out her tears, giving her occasional back rubs and gripping onto her like he didn't want to ever let her go. It always hurt him to see her like this.

When her tightened posture finally loosened up, and her breath seemed to slow down, Peter also found himself finally calming down. It almost felt like their heartbeats were synchronized, being so physically close to each other gave them more of a chance to be connected.

Just as Peter opened his mouth to speak, his ears was met with something he never expected to hear on a day like this,

"I love you."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"I said I love you, Peter."

Did she really say that? She never voluntarily says 'I love you' to anyone, including Peter himself. Did she just really say 'I love you' to him?

"I- Wow-" He stopped himself mid-sentence as he chortled. Xelle pulled herself away and took a glance at her boyfriend's shocked expression. The corners of her lips brought themselves up to form a smile as she breathed out a laugh. "What, you're not used to it?" She teased.

"Yeah, well," Peter shook his head, "you never say those three words to anyone." He spoke through gritted teeth. Xelle's chest felt lighter as she released another hearty laugh. That laugh of hers that always gets Peter's head in cloud nine. It's something he always treasured, and now that he heard it again, he almost flinched when he felt her hands fondle with his cheeks. "Then consider yourself lucky." She placed a peck on his nose before nuzzling her face in his neck.

Peter was left speechless, his mouth slightly agape, after that unexpected occurrence. That quick nose kiss made his heart skip an extra beat. He was weak for those types of kisses. He doesn't know why, but he always gets flushed and hot when he receives affection from Xelle — let alone her rare, peculiar, wholesome behavior.

He was going to wrap his arms around her, when an idea popped in his head.

"Hey, you know what?"

She hummed in response, staying in position.

Peter grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away, grinning widely at her.

"I love you too." Using his superspeed to his advantage, he showered her with lots of kisses on her face. To Xelle, it felt like she was being tickled. She laughed out loud as she tried to cover her face from any further kisses, but they still kept coming. Overwhelmed with the amount of love she's getting, she just slammed her hands and managed to catch Peter's face, finally closing in their distance and placing a firm kiss on his lips. It wasn't long enough before he gave in and returned the pleasure to her.

At this moment of time and day, Xelle feels content with everything that involves Peter.

[jjmakesgames]

JJ’s Thoughts: August 5th, 2020

TL,DR: We learned about how designing gameplay affects the overall design of the game, as well as the seeds of gameplay. In the workshop, we worked on our prototypes for another hour, evacuated the building, and playtested each other’s games.

the lecture

This week’s focus was on gameplay. From how I understood the lecture, gameplay was all about the player experience. It wasn’t necessarily achieving goals and progression between events, but moreso about the moments in between the game’s key moments. The “stretches of time” between them, to quote the lecture slides.

Essentially, gameplay was about the fun and fluff of the game. Being the filler that the player experiences before the next cutscene or before levelling up. It was what made the game fun at its core.

We were introduced to the “seeds” and “elements” of gameplay, and there was an emphasis on the difference between them. Seeds were usually three things: the game’s emotional palette, the role or fantasy it fulfils, or a core mechanic that it highlights. What would the player feel while playing it, what role would they be playing, how they would implement the game’s mechanics to grant them a unique experience to their own individual gameplay. Things like that.

The elements of gameplay were a broader subject, and it covered the following:

Interlocking and complementary roles in multiplayer games

Tension and release

Risk vs reward

Rewarding what the player enjoys/what they find fun

Emphasis on high moments

A balanced mix of certainty vs surprise

A lot of these were very straight forward and things I had experienced and thought about while playing games (the key tune that plays in Zelda games when you unlock a door, or risking a stealth run during a tale in Ghost of Tsushima). The mix of certainty and surprise was something I hadn’t thought about before but something I realised I was doing subconsciously when playing games and analysing the ones I didn’t enjoy. Knowing what will happen next led to a boring game and outright unpredictability led to a game i wouldn’t pick up again for a while.

the workshop

We were really just vibing in the workshop this week, working on our own individual projects for the first hour and getting a stable enough prototype ready for playtesting later on. There isn’t much to reflect on for this workshop other than the building being evacuated and taking up class time. I don’t think we ever got the full hour to work on our games before the alarm went off in the room.

We waited for a while before we were allowed back inside the building, and by that time we had about 20 minutes or less to playtest each other’s games. I didn’t get to play much of anyone else’s, since most of the class left during the evacuation, but I got some good feedback for Molly Malware.

the playtest

Overall, player feedback was very positive (more than I expected, honestly).

For context, the prototype I presented to them was an update of the last build and a working tutorial level layout. This level was presented through a screenshot of the Notepad app used as the game’s background, with hidden platforms where objects like text, folders and windows would be.

For a first version prototype, I thought this would be enough, I was aiming to playtest initial player responses to the concept and gameplay after all.

I had three playtesters for this session--two in class and one over Discord--and the general consensus was that they enjoyed the game, really liked the concept and looked forward to how other levels would be laid out. From my own playtesting notes, I had noticed that players weren’t entirely sure of where to go at first, until they landed on the Notepad window. For context, Molly begins this level on top of a folder, and players are (or were supposed to be) directed to jump across three folders before landing on the Notepad window. They all figured it out eventually, but I realised I needed to provide a subtle directive.

Other critiques I got from the session was that there should be a way to restart the level. I hadn’t clearly defined the boundaries of the game outside the screenshot (where the camera was bound to), and players would often fall through the screen and not be able to come back. They would’ve had to close the game entirely and reopen it just to restart the level. In addition to this, a death boundary was suggested, where a fall from a certain height would trigger the scene to reset to the beginning, allowing for a second chance. Players also suggested zooming out the camera a little bit, as it felt somewhat claustrophobic.

further development

Following the playtest session in the workshop, I used some extra time to work on updating the level design of the tutorial level, this time implementing Sticky Notes instead of Notepad. I found that Sticky Notes would provide a more spread out and erratic or sort of level structure rather than the very linear platforms and dropping off of text that Notepad had. The game’s story concept had also been given a more subtle feeling, with the Sticky Notes showing the situation rather than explicitly telling the player who Molly is.

I again placed platforms where boundaries would ideally be and hid it in GDevelop.

The events largely remained the same, but I had been playing around with implementing new controls in addition to the general left/right to move and spacebar to jump. I had originally tried to add a run mechanic, but there was a bug where Molly would clip under a platform upon input. After struggling with this for a few minutes, I decided to scrap the run mechanic, since it added no real value to gameplay. Instead, I thought I would use the bug to my advantage and make it a proper mechanic, what I call glitching.

With the glitch mechanic, Molly would be able to phase through platforms with ease, granting the players new ways to approach a level. For now, glitching is can be done with the down button, in which Molly will glitch through the floor and land on a platform below her. Glitching will also be done through her jump mechanic, where she will be able to dash a couple more steps forward than her usual jump. As of now, I’m still working out how to do the aerial jumping properly, but glitching down works just as I expected.

As I said before, the layout for the tutorial level has changed significantly since the first prototype build. Instead of Notepad, Sticky Notes will be populating the desktop for the tutorial level, easing players into the feel of the game and acquainting them with Molly. In addition to this, some background into the life of the computer user is given to the player, giving hints to future levels of the game.

Three weeks in and I’m enjoying this course and developing this game so far.

Thanks again to my playtesters today: Radu, Sienna and Rhys. I’m glad you all enjoyed the game so far.

talk soon

jj

[imaginesmydearfandom]

A/N: It’s been forever since I’ve posted the last part (I low key forgot about this again whoops) but here it is! The final part of Electricity! Sorry that it’s so late. I wasn’t really planning on continuing this since I liked where it left off (plus three is a good number), but if you guys really really want another part I’ll try to write it. Anyway, enjoy! (Also the gif isn’t mine, but if you know whose it is, let me know!) (Also, also, I tagged everyone I tagged in the last one plus people who said they wanted to be tagged). Catch up here: Part 1 --- Part 2 Words: 1024 Warnings: None. Tags: @alurea-actually @sophietandy @olxi22 @namelessmunster @pennydfangirl00 @newts-fan-case @vetskiiiiii @violarobics @yakinabackpack @theatregeek217 @everwhovian @moriartyrawr @alexandraparadis @princessquinn33 @tom-newsie-holland @yandrak95 @darkcastersruletheworld @krazyk99 @the-uncoordinated-house-cat @thee-assbutt @fandomking221b @thewisemaltesers @dark-elven-prince @soufflesandsunflowers @dj-enderz @xahmunnaeatchoox @bats-supergirl @12-irishball @morixrty @waywardfam @candyrlz1 @whatiswrongwithpeople @lisamuffin @prettysureimchristy @elenavaldez02 @deanstolemydragon @mabelgitl @charlotte-of-the-enterprise @brookslynnn @notcoolnerd @13-breadsticks @fralackles @imagine-psycho-imagine @cantwaitforyoutoshutup @darkdorkmorks @silvereyes5 @itssmaugtheterrible @seriouslydepressed @queen–glitch @theweepingangelofthursday @puppy-eyes-winchester @smginger1131

-

We walked in silence - again - with him in a couple of feet ahead of me, that is until a thought popped into my mind. “You never told me your name.” He switched his direction to where he was walking backward. “You never asked.” “Well, what is it?” “I’m the Doctor.” He walked normally now with his back to me. “That’s a strange name. Come up with that yourself?” He was quiet for a moment before replying, “As a matter of fact, I did.” I sped up my pace to catch up with him. “What’s yours?” “(Y/N)” “Well, (Y/N), it’s nice to meet you.” Another pause .“Where are we going?” “Like I said, to the TARDIS.” “Yeah, but where’s it at? What is it? You said it was a ship, right? How do you hide a ship in a place like this?” “So, many questions for a person who doesn’t believe in my story.” He glanced down at me with a slightly raised brow and a small smirk. I rolled my eyes, trying to cover up my curiosity. “Shut up.” Not a few minutes later, the Doctor turned right down a dark alley between two tall, brick buildings. The light from the streetlamp barely reached into the narrow crevice as I followed him down it, my hand gripping my phone. “It’s so dark. How do you fit a ship in here? Do you even have a ship? Oh, no some poor homeless person is going to find my dead body here tomorrow, aren’t they?” “Would you relax? I’m not here to hurt you,” he reassured and I could barely make out his figure through the blackness, “Use your phone light if you really think it’s that dark, but the TARDIS is right down here.” I did as he suggested and turned my device’s flashlight on, which made a huge difference. How did my life come to this? I’m following a total stranger down a dark, creepy alleyway to his supposed time-traveling spaceship. Yeah, good going, (Y/N). Wait till you tell this one to (CW/N) tomorrow - if you’re even alive. “Here we are,” he suddenly said, getting me out of my thoughts. I moved my eyes up in his direction only to discover he was leaning against the side of a big, blue box. My features slackened as I raised a brow. “Really? You expect me to believe this is a ship? I’ve seen a lot of things during my time, mister, but I doubt that would be one of them. How do you fit the controls in there let alone yourself, though you are pretty skinny so…” He rolled his eyes, smirked, then opened the door nearest to him - which happened to be the right - just a crack. “Why don’t you take a look?” I shook my head and adjusted the strap of my bag to where it wasn’t slipping off my shoulder. “No way in hell is this a spaceship,” I muttered as I walked toward the box. I fully opened the door and stopped, my hand slowly falling back to my side as I gazed around in awe. Never in my life had I seen something quite as bizarre and beautiful as the sight that beheld me at that moment. The inside, believe it or not, was bigger than the outside! The broad room was lit up in a deep orange hue (coming from the circular lights that vertically went up the walls), with various pale twisting pillars lining the perimeter going all the way up to the seemingly never-ending ceiling. In front of me - and up a few steps - was a console of sorts, the circular level holding various buttons, knobs, and levers. I stood there in the doorway in shock, trying to take it all in. “You’ve got to be kidding me. How is this even possible?” “Complicated, really,” he replied from behind me. I turned to find him much closer than I expected him to be, but nonetheless responded with, “Try me.” He inhaled deeply. “I doubt you have any experience with transdimensional engineering, do you?” I pretended to think about his question with a small smile. “Hhmm. Can’t say I have.” “Well, then, if you would excuse me.” I stepped over some so he could get through the door, closing it behind him as he entered. He went up the steps then faced me with crossed arms and legs, leaning against the edge of the console. “So, what do you think?” I raised my brows and shook my head, eyes wide as I surveyed my surroundings more. “I’ve been all over, mister, and seen some pretty strange things - like really strange. But this? This is in at least the top three. And not strange in a bad way, but good. This is absolutely amazing, better than anything I was expecting.” “What were you expecting?” “Honestly? I thought you were lying and that you were going to kill me,” I replied with a chuckle. He shook his head. “Should’ve known. You were practically forcing yourself to keep following me. Glad you did, though.” “Yeah, me too. This thing is too amazing. If I would have known this was waiting for me, I would’ve run here.” “I told you I was taking you to the TARDIS.” “I had no idea what that meant, though. Still don’t, actually.” “Right, I haven’t explained that bit have I?” He pushed himself off the edge and stood up properly. “This-” he made a wide gesture with his arms “- is the TARDIS, as you already know. Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.” I nodded my head, impressed. “Nice acronym. Saying that once is a mouthful let alone over and over again.” “Yeah, well, I can’t take credit for the name, but I’ll get to that later. The matter on the table right now is this: Where would you like to go?” “What do you mean?” I asked, furrowing my brows. “Well, we’re in a spaceship, right? Not only that but a time machine as well. So, anywhere in time and space. Where do you want to start?”

[mvssmallow]

Cloudy With A Chance

Part 19: …of storms (part II of II)

Masterlist

Of course he notices.

For weeks on end Hanbin sleeps right up against his left arm, hair tickling his shoulder and toes occasionally wriggling against his ankles. It gets annoying but it was also comforting in a way, just knowing Hanbin was there.

So when he starts waking up without the warm body squashed against his arm, the alarm bells begin ringing quietly in the distance.

But everyone is entitled to a bad day or a bad week. He doesn’t want to make Hanbin feel like some kind of failure for not being happy all the time, that was just unrealistic, and there’s no reason to make a big deal out of it.

He lets it go. For a few days. For a week. For a week and a half. But too many days pass where they sleep with a gulf between them and he starts waking up alone. He wants to fix it, whatever it is, but he knows it’ll only lead to a fight. What choice does he have now anyway? When Hanbin looks like he hasn’t slept properly in weeks and is just pale shell of his former self.

They eat breakfast as the sound system plays Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits. It just makes everything even worse.

“You been okay? Keeping yourself occupied when I’m at work?” He asks casually, trying to ease them into the awkward conversation.

“Sometimes. I guess.”

“Are you sleeping okay?”

“Yeah. Sort of.” There’s a pause and a guilty look in his direction. “Did I wake you up in the middle of the night again? I’ll sleep of the couch or something. I guess I’m moving around too much.”

He knows Hanbin must have bad dreams judging by the way he frowns and grips the sheets in his sleep. By the time he’s jostled awake, Hanbin’s already settled down. Until the next time. And the time after that. He thought his heart could only hurt when it had been rejected in some romantic melodramatic way. He had no idea it could still ache when nobody was fighting or leaving.

“No, no no. Don’t do that. I can’t sleep properly without you next to me anymore. It’s actually annoying.” He says with a chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood.

Hanbin gives him a small smile. Maybe it works for a little while, he’ll take anything at this stage.

“Got anything planned for today?”

“Um, no. Not really. I might try to write some more. Or something…” Hanbin trails off, staring out their window with a faraway look on his face, mind going somewhere that no-one can ever follow.

He knows some things about Hanbin by now. He knows when to leave him alone and when to drag him kicking and screaming out of his misery. But he also knows that this time is different, that Hanbin’s nerves were brittle like glass and that there was something more to it, like an iceberg that stretched on for hundreds of miles underneath the surface. He can’t force this, it’d shatter into pieces and cut everything in sight. It makes him feel helpless. It drives him crazy.

“Well, if you get bored or need anything, you know you can just call me right?” He says, maybe too seriously. “I can just leave work if you want me to.”

Hanbin nods and hides his face behind the bugs bunny mug.

He doesn’t even want to go to work today. He had laid in bed this morning, staring at the ceiling and debating whether or not to call in sick. He doesn’t want to go fix cars, he just wants to stay here and fix this, whatever it is.

But he can’t. Not really. There were too many people relying on him to turn up, help out, supervise the new apprentice, deal with the picky customers. This is real adult life. This is what it feels like to be torn up inside.

The last strains of ‘Landslide’ plays as he’s standing in their doorway. Hanbin hands him the SpaceJam lunchbox and there’s a awkward pause before the hug. It felt all wrong. Since when did they ever pause like that nowadays?

“Call me anyway. Even if you’re not bored. Okay?”

Hanbin nods against his chest. “Okay.”

He wants to say something else but he knows he shouldn’t. Not like this. He doesn’t want it remembered with all this. What he doesn’t say in words he puts into their goodbye kiss. It’s longer, slower, softer than usual. He’s holding Hanbin’s face in his hands and he doesn’t realise he’s frowning until Hanbin pokes at it with a small smile.

“What’s up with you?”

“Nothing. Nothing.” He says. “Just gonna miss you, that’s all.”

“You’re still so dramatic.” Hanbin says with shake of his head. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“You better be.”

He kisses Hanbin again, ignoring the quiet gasp of surprise before sinking into the tight hug with more relief that either of them should need.

He’ll fix this tonight.

****

Sometimes he thinks God abandoned him. Gave him an overly sensitive and defective brain then left him to fend for himself.

He watches Jiwon walk out their door to go to work and all he can think about is the irony of it all; that he should be so scared about the future when they were never even destined to have one. 

By the time he hears the insistent knocks at the door, he knows for sure that all the Gods have definitely deserted him now.  

“Hi mum.”

“Don’t you answer the phone anymore?” She asks accusingly.

He says nothing, just steps aside to let her in.

“Have you thought about what I said?” She asks, sitting at their dining table as he sets down a glass of water.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“I don’t know what you expect me to say. It’s not like you’re giving me any options.” He says bitterly.

She sighs before taking in the mess that litters their table: from the car magazines, to rap flyers, to catalogues for sound systems, to letters with their names on them.

“Jiwon. Is that his name?”

“Yes.”

“He lives here?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of mess did you get yourself into, Hanbin?” She says tiredly. “I thought you outgrew this phase.”

He can’t even think of an answer.

“Your father is back in a week. You’ve got a week to deal with all….this.” She continues calmly, tucking the letters underneath the magazines, as if it’d erase Jiwon’s existence. “And it’s the company fundraiser soon. You’re expected to come. Don’t forget.”

He looks at her bitterly. “I haven’t.”

She looks at him with sympathetic eyes. “We can’t always have what we want. You should know that by now. Do you really think it’ll go anywhere? Be anything? Is that what he promised you?”

He doesn’t have an answer for that either.

“Hanbin…..just…end it now. End it quickly. Before any more damage is done. If you really care for this boy, you’ll spare him of all this. Your world, your future, is not compatible with his. You know this. Boys his age will get over it and move on. They always do. How long as it even been? A month or two?”

“Six.” He says flatly.

She raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Well, I suppose it might take him some time to get over it then.”

He shuts down and can’t look at her anymore.  

When she reaches over to squeeze his shoulder, he barely even feels it. “You think I’m being cruel. That I don’t understand. Well, you know I understand you more than anyone. But people like us…..once someone’s given us a plan, once we’ve done what they expect us to, they’ll never let us do what we want to. It’s just the way it is.”

She stands up then, gathers her coat and bag before kissing him on the cheek. “Answer your phone next time.”

It’s quiet again after she leaves. An eerie calmness washes over him. He knows this feeling-it’s his mind trying to protect him from all the rage and violence that’s buzzing around his body. He can feel both forces at once but he doesn’t really know which one to succumb to.

Rage.

Peace.

Rage.

Peace.

He stares at the glass of water on the table, fingers itching to pick it up, throw it against the wall, watch it shatter.

Rage, it is.

He walks out of the kitchen before he has the chance to destroy anything and goes into their bedroom instead, shutting the door with trembling hands and wishing he could shut out the world too.

And suddenly his entire life seems fake. Like a hologram that was glitching in and out of time. Everything taunts him; all those ideas he scribbles down for his book, all the appointments for Jiwon’s mic nights, all the plans and projects they dreamt of together. It was all a fool’s dream. What was he thinking this whole time? This wild idea to be a writer and run away with Jiwon? It was just a stupid immature dream. It’s time to get real.

His research, his drawings, his diaries, his notes….he tips them all into a box and hides them in the back of their wardrobe. He turns on his laptop and scrolls through all fifteen chapters of his book. He can barely recognise his own writing. What was the point of writing it now anyway? He’ll never get the chance to finish it.

He hits delete.

Like it never even happened.

****

He’s elbow deep in an engine when Hanbin’s name flashes on his phone.

“Hey. You okay?”

“Hi.”

“I can’t hear you properly. Are you outside or something?”

“Yeah.”

He doesn’t know what it is but his heart races with anxiety. “Where are you?”

“Outside.”

“Where?”

“At the beach.”

“The beach? What are you doing down there? It’s freezing.”

“I don’t know. I was just driving and I ended up here.”

Hanbin’s voice sounds thin, hollow, distant. It’s the first time he’s worried to the point he actually feels sick. He never ignores his gut instincts, it’s never been wrong.

“Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?”

There’s nothing but loud static for a few seconds.

“Hanbin?”

“Huh? What?”

“Do you want me to come get you?” He half shouts into his phone, causing the other guys in the garage to look up in awkward sympathy.

“Oh. Okay.”

“Just….wait for me okay? Don’t go anywhere. Just wait for me. Okay?” He says, not realising how desperate he sounds until he sees the looks of pity he gets.

“Okay.”

He hangs up and runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck.”

“Dude, just go. We’ll take it from here.” There’s a pat on his back as his manager pushes him gently outside. “Drive carefully.”

He doesn’t. And just because the universe must want them to suffer, he hits what seems like every single red light.

“FUCK!” He says, for the 5th time.

There’s relief when he finally sees Hanbin’s blue car in the empty parking lot but the driver’s side is empty. He parks haphazardly, stalking the area like a crazy person and only calming down when he can see a small figure in the distance, just standing and looking down at the waves. He grabs the spare blanket from the back seat and walks along the cliff edge, heart hammering in his throat the entire way.

“Hey….” He starts, not knowing what to say at a time like this. Hanbin doesn’t even look up.

“Hi.”

“So, um-”

“Did you know that there is actually more sea than land? And with global warming there’s going to be even more sea and less land? We’re all gonna drown one day unless we move into the mountains.”

It’s the most Hanbin has said all week.

“Oh, ah…no. I didn’t know that.”

The wind whips his hair in his face and he shivers even though he’s wearing a thick parka. Hanbin just stands there, facing the wind, in his thin jacket, looking at the water like it held all the answers to their problems. He barely even registers the blanket draped over his shoulders.

“Do you want to-”

“She knows. About you.”

“Who knows?”

“My mum. She knows.”

“How?”

“Someone saw us. Reported it back to her.”

“Well, did you deny it?”

“No.”

“What? Why?” He panics. “I thought you weren’t ready to tell them yet? What did she say?”

Hanbin laughs bitterly, it sounds awful. “We’ve got one week left. Better make it count.”

“One week? One week of what?”

Hanbin just shakes his head, like he can’t even say it out loud.

He reaches out to touch Hanbin’s fingers but there’s that recoil again. He feels the cold sting of rejection, just like the first time. Everything was so wrong.

“Hanbin? One week of what?”

There’s a long pause before Hanbin finally turns to face him. He wasn’t prepared for the hollow eyes, the miserable defeat, how tired that beautiful face had become. “One week of this.”

“I don’t get it-”

“They want me to break up with you! What is there to get?!” Hanbin snaps at him, eyes flashing angrily with irritation.

“Break up? What?” He asks, mind reeling and body aching, like someone just punched him in the chest. “Why? What happened?”

He watches Hanbin squeeze his eyes shut and pull at his hair in frustration. He hasn’t seen him revert back to his old habits in a long time. “I don’t know! There was some affair last year and my dad almost got fired. But then my mum lied for him. Lied and went on pretending like everything was normal. So he got promoted. And now there’s some promotion again and the annual fundraiser and I have to go to it with the CEO’s daughter. And I’m a total fucking embarrassment to them. And now I have you. And I’m…this. And apparently, it doesn’t go with the image they had. And….”

He listens in disbelief and waits until Hanbin has run out of breath. “Are you….are you serious? They want us to break up because of that?”

He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it left his mouth.

“I don’t expect you to understand any of it.” Hanbin says, face twisting with disappointment.

“No, I do. I do.”

“No you don’t! How can you? Nobody expects you to do anything. You can just do what you want, when you want. Chase whatever dream you feel like. I can’t do that with you. Not now. Not ever!” Hanbin yells at him as the waves crash loudly against the cliff face below them.

“Why the fuck not?!” He shouts back, tired and done with being passive and sympathetic about this.

“Because I can’t! I just can’t!”

“Yes you can! I’m so fucking tired of pretending like it doesn’t bother me. You think I’m gonna just stay silent on this and let you walk away? Do you know how long it took me to find this? Nobody is taking this from me, not even you!”

He’s so caught up in the moment that he only stops when there’s a flash of pain across Hanbin’s face. He follows his hand to where it’s gripping Hanbin’s arm, maybe a bit too tightly. He lets go with a heavy sigh.

“Are you really just going to let them tell you what to do?” He asks in a calmer voice. “Are you serious?”

“It’s not worth it Jiwon. I’m so tired of all this. Maybe leaving-”

He throws his hands up in frustration. “I can’t fucking believe we’re having this conversation. I can’t believe it. It’s like I’m talking and you’re not hearing any of it.”

“I can hear you perfectly fine.” Hanbin says with irritation. “You just think life is simple. That if you’re in love with someone, that’s all there is to it.”

“It is.”

“Maybe for you.”

He kicks at the rock near their feet and has the strong urge to punch something in the face. “So what? We just stop seeing each other? Is that what you want?”

“It doesn’t even matter what I want.”

“Why won’t you fight for it? I’m not worth it to you? All this time and it’s this easy for you to walk away from me?” He knows he’s playing dirty, implying things that he knows aren’t even true but if this is how it’s going to go down, then this is how he’ll play it.

“You don’t get anything!” Hanbin snaps. “You don’t fucking get anything! You live in some fantasy land where there are no responsibilities or consequences. They hate you, do you get that? They hate that I’m with you. They hate me. They hate the way I am. If you stay with me, do you want to know what will happen? Do you?”

“WHAT?!” He replies hotly.

“They’re going to find out everything about you. Everything you’ve worked for, it’ll be gone. Your rap thing? Might as well give up now. And your parents? Your family? Everything is going to be a mess. It’s not a fight you can ever win.”

“You can’t know that. Who even does that? How can anyone do that-”

“They’ve done it before!”

That catches him by surprise and extinguishes the red heat of his rage. All this time, they have always been so caught up in his ex-relationships that not once have they ever talked about Hanbin’s. He realises he doesn’t know anything about anyone before him.

“Where is he now? The one before me.”

“I don’t know.” Hanbin replies quietly.

“I’m…I’m sorry.” He says pathetically, feeling every bit undeserving of everything.

Hanbin just shrugs. “Well, now you know the history. I’m tired. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

He follows Hanbin back to the parking lot in silence and watches as Hanbin walks to his own car and attempts to find the right keys and buttons with shaky fingers.

“Here, I’ll drive it back.” He says gently as he takes he keys into his own hands.

“But you can’t leave your car here. You love that thing.”

He opens his mouth to say it but it doesn’t come out.

Not like this. Not like this.

“It’s only a car.” He says with a shrug, hoping to convince Hanbin that it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t really, not if there’s nobody to drive around in it. “I’ll drive you home.”

****

It’s 8:40pm, The Walking Dead has just started and June has finally found the comfortable spot on their couch when there’s a loud knock on their door.

He groans.

“I’ll get it.” Yo says as he walks past.

But there’s nothing for a few seconds.

“Yo? Who is it? Yo?”

He wanders out into their hallway, Yo looks back at him with a sad frown before stepping aside so he can see the figure standing in the doorway.

Jiwon.

Red eyes, tired, way too quiet.

“Hey, um…sorry for dropping by but ah, I kinda don’t have anywhere to live right now.”