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flagbridge · 10 months ago

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Q&A: The Phantom Broadway Proshot

Happy 36th Birthday to Phantom of the Opera's opening night on Broadway! We should be celebrating at the Majestic. The show never should have closed.

In order to create "new" ish POTO Broadway content, @or-what-you-will and I promised to answer your questions about the proshot on POTO Broadway's birthday. Find our summary of the Proshot here.

We got dozens of questions, which we've consolidated into 14 questions. Read them all past the cut!

Wait, what’s the Phantom Proshot?

The Phantom Proshot is an archival copy of the original Broadway cast and production of Phantom of the Opera, filmed at the evening performance with a live audience on May 25, 1988. The New York Public Library, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center has archival copies of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Regional theater going back to 1970. You can’t view currently running shows, so since Phantom ran for so long, it was under lock and key.

2. How do I see the Pro-Shot?

Pretty simple how to guide here on the NYPL website.

We are both NYPL cardholders and made a reservation in advance. You are required to state why you are accessing the recording as they exist for archival and research purpose. Both of us are published authors and researchers under our real names.

Here's a picture of the room we were in from NYPL's website. We had an appointment and were set up in a room with lots of monitors. We were seated at monitors next to each other with two sets of headphones and had one set of controls to pause/rewind etc. There are 20 monitors in the room and it was pretty full that day. This was not my first time at the TOFT and it’s always had a good number of people around.

3. Can someone get a boot of it/send me the link to it? Pleeeeease?

No. Seriously, stop asking about this. Stop joking about this. It’s not online, and never will be. All of the recordings are on digital media (videodiscs or DvDs) in the basement and only library staff get to touch them. Don’t be the person who tried to do this and ruins the archive for everyone else. You can’t even bring electronic devices into the room.

4. Why won’t they release it to the public? And who the heck does it benefit to keep this locked away?

It isn’t. It was locked away when the show was actually running. It is available to the public. We are the public! We have library cards and went to a public library and watched it for $0! It’s owned by the library so the public can see it! At the library!

The availability of us to access it now that the show has closed is what constitutes public release. There were several other phans, members of the public there to see it after us, and the library allowed them to max out the number of monitors the library allows people to view on. They had a later appointment and were watching disc one when we were on disc two. I’m sure there was someone after them too. Were we all wearing Phantom gear? Also yes.

(@or-what-you-will here) The library is not allowed to show recordings of anything currently running on Broadway, presumably because of fears about economic loss from those who own the rights to the musicals. The library does not own the rights to the musicals in the archive, and there are likely a lot of stipulations the library has to follow to be able to have recordings like this.

As someone who works in a library doing digitization work, libraries and the media they contain are very complicated. TOFT likely has the rights to show it under a very limited license, and to make copies for preservation purposes only, but things like this mean they would not be able to do anything like put it online or charge for it or do anything that would be them acting as though they owned the copyright (as opposed to the physical media). This is why when a library or archive has a book or tapes they don’t usually have the right to photocopy the entire book or digitize the entire tape and put it online (unless it is in public domain), however, if you go in person you can see it all you want. Someone else (usually the creator) owns the right to distribute or copy, and libraries and archives can get in a lot of trouble for violating it.

The copyright is still owned by the holders of each respective musical’s copyright. It’s essentially like when you buy a DVD and you are technically not supposed to copy that DVD but you can invite your friends over to watch it at your house. Copying it and distributing it violates copyright. Putting it online violates copyright. If the library violated copyright it would likely lose the ability to archive musicals altogether. If you copied the DVD it would be a lot harder to find out who put it up because the DVD is owned by lots of people, though you could still be prosecuted by the law. If the library did, they would know immediately who did it because they are presumably the only ones with a copy of this recording.

Likewise if someone took a bootleg recording of a show and distributed it, the copyright holders wouldn’t know it existed. If they found out that individual would then be eligible to be prosecuted under the law. Because the library is a public institution, if they were found out to be doing this, it would be the library itself that would get in trouble and it would damage their reputation, their funding, and quite possibly the funding and reputation of libraries around the world. A lot of this is done on trust. The copyright holders trust the library as a public institution and the library has a lot more stakes in the game than a single person recording the show and distributing it.

It’s a very tenuous agreement at times, and likely the library is only allowed to even record because there are so many protections in place and they have a history of enforcing these rules. These agreements also usually cover digitization and preservation, but again, violating them could have those abilities taken away as well. It’s all tied up in copyright law and the library has no control over that. I have talked to archivists where I live who have to record performances with tape over the lens because it’s considered for preservation and they want to make sure it cannot be possible to profit off of it in any way.

When the show goes into public domain they will be able to put it online all they want without fear of repercussions, but until then, unless those agreements change, we are all limited by the whim of the copyright holders.

5. Hello! Is the pro shot you watched what this clip is from https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cp2_80CJqI3/?igsh=MWNja2wwYWw4OHUwbw== ?

I know all of us here on Tumblr were freaking out that they maybe had a copy of the pro shot when this came out. Thank you! (@imstillhere-butallislost)

Not the proshot, it's a press reel. It has its own cool story though! Answered this here.

6. How good of a shot was it? I know you said ProShot but is it a ProShot like Hamilton or just a camera recording the whole stage at once?

I’d definitely say it was Hamilton pro-shot quality as to what was available at the time between image quality and mixing up of close ups and wide shots. I’ve watched other proshots and many just park a camera in the back of the orchestra and call it good. Cats in particular had multiple cameras but just did close-ups when they felt like it, not when it made sense or added anything. As @or-what-you-will explained in their re-blog, Phantom was one of the first proshots where they had a soundboard plug in, and let me tell you, with the exception of a few moments in Act 1 where Sarah Brightman maxes out her mic, the sound was delicious. Have we talked about how Judy Kaye is singing over the overture (yes, that’s Judy Kaye, original Carlotta, warming up!)? Or that you can hear every single word of Notes I and Prima Donna and Notes II, which usually just sounds garbled because everyone is singing over one another? Actually hearing words that I sort of know exist changed my experience of the show for me.

7. How did the tempo seem, compared to the pace of the show at the end of its run? I saw the show a few times in the last few years, and the music seemed significantly faster in person than it sounded on the London cast recording. I’ve always wondered if that was just a difference between the London and NY productions, or if the tempo just sped up over the years.

Uh…normal pace??? I’ve watched a lot of boots and most solidly clock in 2:15 of run time. This was no different. There are definitely some that run a little faster. London during Earl Carpenter’s 2023 run was notorious as he had to catch a train. It does seem to have settled back out. I will say, the music does always feel more intense in person because the whole place just vibrates.

8. I'm curious about the comment about the Ratcatcher? I think I remember that character from a film adaptation, but was he ever in the ALW musical? (@lord-valery-mimes)

Yes, Ratcatcher is still in the musical, even now. It’s a blink or you miss it type of moment. If you hear a thud and a scream right before Madame Giry tells Raoul “He lives across the Lake, Monsieur”, the thud is the ratcatcher running across the travelator.

9. Does Christine really recognize the Phantom in PONR from his boner?

No, but at this point she probably already know it’s him and has been trying to get through the scene, but definitely acts surprised because, well, that’s surprising. But it’s definitely the moment where the Vibes Are Officially Off.

10. Can Sarah Brightman act?

Yes! All three of the trio have far more nuanced performances on stage. Sarah doesn’t act the way that we do see many later Christines (including late 80s and early 90s Christines), but she absolutely created the blueprint for the role. Her “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” is missing some soul, but at the end of the day she was one of a kind, and she made some very strong acting choices.

11. there anything unexpected? Any interpretation that stood out to you and particularly striking but didn’t stick around as others took on the roles and put their own spin on things?

Guys, I want to talk about Steve Barton as Raoul. The man made choice, after choice, after choice. And yet we have had so many Raoul’s that are kind of just strutting about looking pretty. Some seem to even forget they’re onstage during Final Lair. It can be such a juicy role if the actors choose to make it that way but so few do.

Besides some small details I mentioned, the show did maintain its integrity through its 35 year run, which is truly remarkable.

(@or-what-you-will here) Seconding what Flag said, Steve Barton brought so much more to the role than I’m used to seeing, and it really opened my mind to what Raoul could be.

The blocking in PONR did surprise me, I knew they had changed it but I hadn’t realized how much. I always found the kind of pinwheeling arm thing Christine does with the phantom strange, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that they didn’t do that at all, the embrace from behind made more sense to me.

I also found after she took his hood off no one really ran out, the phantom and Christine got to have their moment. The blocking where they (the managers and Raoul) run out and tell Christine to stay makes no sense with their motivations to stop him. The more recent blocking where Christine motions them to stay in place as the phantom sings the All I Ask of You Reprise makes way more sense with the characters’ motives and matches this original blocking much more.

12. Also are you truly working on a research project? If so, how is progress and where might we find your final results when it’s complete?

To quote Dr. Who, “Spoilers.” Yes, always. Both of us have day jobs that have us doing research, but I can’t promise I’ll put it on here when complete since I keep fandom and real life separate. Sorry to dodge this one but getting into specifics about this starts to identify us.

(@or-what-you-will here) Seconding what Flag said.

13. Hi there, I was wondering if I could ask you a general question about the NPL’s archive. Something about the language on their website made it sound like viewers could only watch a recording “once”. I wasn’t sure if that meant “once per visit” (i.e. you can’t sit there for 8 hours restarting the tape every time it ends) or “once” as in forever (like, once you’ve watched a recording you are never allowed to request it again). Did you have any clarification? I wasn't sure if the librarians explain the policies when you arrive at your appointment. Thank you for providing so many details about the Phantom pro-shot and offering to answer our questions! That's really kind of you!

You’re welcome! So if there’s nobody after you, you can hang out with the media as long as you want. However, we did have another group come in about 90 minutes after us. That gave us enough time to watch both acts with all the rewinds we wanted. We watched PONR and parts of Final Lair like five times. On a previous TOFT trip I watched two shows and was there for like six hours. The prohibition is on coming back and watching the recording again. I have no idea how strict they are about this, although I suspect it’s to keep people from monopolizing certain media. Would I want to try to watch the proshot again in the future? Probably! I know there’s stuff I missed, or I’d see something different depending on what I’m working on. The TOFT is also an absolutely incredible resource and I have so many other shows I’d like to check out.

(Will here) They do log on your library account when you visit that you visited and what you saw. However, if you have accessibility needs that would require you to watch in multiple viewings or something along those lines, I would talk to them about it, because I’m sure they’d be able to work with you to figure out something so you wouldn’t have to sit through the whole thing in one shot.

14. > Barton Raoul’s “There is no Phantom of the Opera” comes off more as “Christine this is just some dude” vs “he doesn’t exist at all.”

Could you elaborate on this part? I'm having trouble imagining how that would be conveyed. (also, thanks for sharing your notes on the procast!) @clutzyangel

You're welcome! Yes, he's telling Christine that the Phantom is a human, flesh-and-blood man, not some fantastical creature. I've seen many Raouls who seem to try to convince Christine that the Phantom doesn't exist at all. Barton's Raoul seems to understand that he's a man with ulterior motives possibly duping Christine.

And he's not wrong.

#phantom of the opera #poto #alw phantom #phantom proshot #happy birthday phantom broadway #phantom broadway #michael crawford #sarah brightman #steve barton #judy kaye #andrew lloyd webber #nypl #research #I wish Phantom were still be on broadway #we should all be wilding out at the majestic

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maidflowery · 3 months ago

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Fortified Wager ♧♧♧ 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳 ５

♦︎♦︎ Aventurine x Reader ♦︎♦︎ 𝕀𝕝𝕝𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕

🄱🄰🄲🄺 🅃🄾 【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ４】

𝕋𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕗 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥

𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗽, 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝘆𝗮𝗻-𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂. 𝗔𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲—𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗶𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀. 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

“𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲?”

╔══ ≪ ♤♢♤ ≫ ══╗

The four of you moved to a secluded spot near the entrance, as far from the bar section as possible.

Upon arriving there, none of you said a word. Instead, you were transfixed at the wallet and the phone on the table.

It wasn’t just make-believe—the “Big Baddie” was real, and he was currently playing poker against Aventurine. A brief glance on the ID card inside the thick wallet, bursting with visa cards and stack of bills, pretty much confirmed that.

Children saw things in black and white. Teo, who worked hard for them, was the “Hero”—whereas Billy, who extorted their brother, was the “Big Baddie.” The Hero would be rewarded for doing good things, whereas the Big Baddie would be punished for doing bad things, because such was justice. That concept was probably as natural as the sun rising in the sky to these children.

And yet, none of that happened that night.

It was the twins’ birthday that day, and they hoped to celebrate it with their older brother. So, they went to his workplace in hopes of bringing him home. There, they saw for themselves how their brother had to work endlessly into the night just to pay the loan shark. Meanwhile, the man their brother missed their birthday for wouldn’t stop wasting money on the gambling table.

Ultimately, no justice was served.

How did they feel at that moment?

You couldn’t know for sure, but one thing was certain.

They felt angry, disappointed, betrayed, and sad enough to take matters into their own hands. To them, what they did was the “right” thing, even if it was “wrong” in itself. All for the sake of their brother.

Now, the results were staring at you.

When the twins said they had “taught him a lesson,” they meant they had stolen from him. They had stolen what were arguably the most important things to a person in this day and age. A wallet with personal identification and financial cards, along with a phone containing all kinds of personal data and delicate information.

During your time working at the family restaurant, how many times did a customer come back frantically looking for their phones because of the data stored inside?

‘Can’t you just apologize and return it or something?’

Seeing the look on Teo’s face made you swallow that question.

“...He’s Billy Burnett, an infamous loan shark around here. My family is in debt, so he’d come to pay us a visit from time to time... A loud guy, often woke the kids...”

Perhaps in an attempt to organize his thoughts, Teo blabbered on. He was holding the hands of both twins excruciatingly tightly, making them fidget restlessly.

“—What’s going on here?”

The two of you turned to the direction of the voice, and saw Marius making his way through the crowds with two other female staff members. They moved so subtly and unobtrusively that nobody paid them any heed.

Then, his dark blue eyes found you. Oh, there they were, the scowl™ and the dead fish gaze™. Simply nostalgic.

“...You again? What did you do?”

“Pffft—!”

Before you could get annoyed at his rude accusation, the pink, kitty-themed Band-Aid on his left cheek stole your attention, and you snorted.

“Tsk.”

Marius immediately covered his cheek and looked away. At least he wasn’t concealing a bruise this time.

“Marius... We have a situation...”

Teo’s weak voice brought you back to the situation at hands.

You stood nearby with a female staff as Teo spoke to Marius. The twins were entrusted to the other female staff, but they were adamant on staying. The female staff member stood with them at a distance, preventing them from overhearing the conversation.

In contrast to Teo, who was shaking like a leaf as he recounted what happened, Marius’ expression didn’t change the whole time. His dark blue eyes were trained at the wallet and the phone.

“...Marius, I’m really sorry about this, especially after the recent incident...”

“What’s done is done. We have to think of a way to rectify this situation.”

Not wanting to intrude their conversation, you turned to the curly-haired female staff beside you. On her chest was the nameplate ‘Christy.’

“...Uh, is this ‘Billy Burnett’ a scary fellow?”

Also, what is this recent incident Teo is talking about?

“He is—!” Christy answered in a shrill voice, not trying to hide her panic. “We always dread it whenever he comes! He’s so vulgar, rude, and always nitpicks his order! In fact, just two days ago, a staff quit because of him—”

“—Don’t say anything unnecessary, Christy.”

Before Christy could continue, however, Marius’ stern voice cut her off.

Then, Marius glanced at you. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he found you a bother.

“A third party should stay out of this.”

R-right.

Besides, it was nothing new. Every restaurant and nightclub had that one problematic customer, right? Let the staff members and the manager deal with it. It wasn’t like there was anything you could do, anyway.

You began to turn on your heels.

“I’ll take care of this.”

“Manager, please don’t! He remembers your face! He’ll just take advantage of this situation to do something even worse to you!”

“Marius, no! Besides, this is my fault... it’s my responsibility...”

When Marius declared firmly, both Christy and Teo were appalled. You also halted.

“It’s my responsibility as the manager. Also, why are you still here, Teo? Didn’t I give you a half-day off today?”

“You’re kidding! Who’s going to make all those drinks?!”

“Tsk. None of this would’ve happened if you had just gone home and celebrate your siblings’ birthday.”

“...Anyway, I’ll take care of this, Marius. ...Just, just take Jonah and Ann home, please. I can’t let them see what’s going to happen next.”

“...Alright. I’ll make sure they get home safely.”

You couldn’t bear to listen to that bleak conversation anymore!

“—Listen, can’t you just, like, pretend that you are giving them back after he accidentally dropped them?” You butted in.

“Two days ago, Judith and I were serving his table. He specifically asked for a spoon, so we brought him one. But then, he got mad, saying he wanted chopsticks. He accused us of looking down on him.” Christy, who was deadly pale, told you about the recent incident.

“That’s just unreasonable...”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Judith politely told him that he must’ve forgotten. He flew into rage, saying that she was calling him senile. Then, he threw a punch at her. If Marius hadn’t stepped in at the time—”

“—That’s enough, Christy!”

Marius suddenly interjected and stood between the two of you.

As you glared at the bruise hidden under the kitty-themed Band-Aid with renewed respect, Marius spoke in a cold voice.

“In case I wasn’t clear enough, this doesn’t concern you. Stay out of it.”

He crossed his arms, not even bothering to hide his derision.

“I-I was just trying to help...” You meekly answered.

“How? And why?” Marius asked provokingly.

“H-how about dumping the wallet and phone somewhere far away?”

“And get my entire staff implicated because that guy lost his wallet and phone right after visiting this place. Very good.”

Your alternative solution was shot down mercilessly. On a second thought, it wouldn’t work anyway.

You recalled the phone brand. It was the most expensive brand out there, but most thieves avoided it like a plague. Why? Because of the GPS and the security system. That phone could’ve fallen into hell, and you could still track which circle it landed in.

“Then I guess it leaves me no other choice... Let’s make it so that it never happened!” you said, bouncing back.

Marius didn’t seem the slightest bit impressed.

“Why?”

Without warning, he took a step toward you. The man, who was slightly shorter than you, suddenly looked so daunting.

“W-well, there won’t be any culprit if it never happened to begin with! And nobody will get punched!” you stammered, trying to hold your ground.

“Why would you go this far?”

Deep blue eyes bore into you, seething with distrust and suspicion.

“I consider all of you friends, so I thought—”

At that moment, Marius reached for his left cheek, or more precisely, for the Band-Aid. He ripped it off and tossed it on the ground. Before you could react, he stepped on it, crushing it underfoot.

“We are not, so scram.”

Just as you were about to say something, the twins suddenly peeked out from either side of you.

“—Did we cause Brother a huge problem?” Jonah seemed about to cry.

“Big Bro shouldn’t apologize! It’s none of his fault! We’ll apologize!”

Ann was a sobbing mess. As she spoke, big droplets of tears fell from her eyes.

“NO!!”

Teo panicked and rushed to hug his siblings, preventing them from doing anything rash.

After all, if Billy Burnett could punch an innocent woman, what would he do to two kids who were clearly guilty? The siblings of the person he had been harassing as a loan shark, on top of that.

“Ah, hey!”

You took the chance to grab Marius’ arm and lead him somewhere a bit far away, where the twins couldn’t hear you.

Marius seemed about to protest, but you stared straight into his eyes.

“Those twins look up to Teo and care for him a lot. As if I’ll let them watch their brother—their Hero—get beaten for it!”

“...! Well, they wouldn’t. I’ll be taking them home soon.”

Despite his callous words, you saw how Marius subtly shifted to the side, averting his gaze.

“Do you think that’ll be enough?! They will—no, they already know something’s up! Even if he hides it well, how long will that last?! Once they find out, what will they think?!”

“That’s... either way, it’ll teach them not to steal from someone again.” Marius replied weakly.

He could’ve just dismissed you right off the bat. The fact that he was wavering told you that he disliked this as much as you do. In that case, all you had to do was press on.

“No, it won’t. They’ll only blame themselves for putting their brother in harm, and you know that!”

“Then what do you suggest I do?! Some things just can’t be helped!”

You were taken aback when Marius suddenly raised his voice. He had lost his cool, finally appearing like the youth he was—but only briefly.

“...There’s no use arguing over this,” Marius spoke while tidying his tuxedo. In no time at all, he had reverted to his usual demeanor. His icy cold gaze pierced you.

“Also, let me warn you about something. We've only recently allowed people like you into our prestigious nightclub, letting you mingle with our esteemed regulars as if you were one of them. That might have gone to your head.”

The stoic and levelheaded manager of Primavera was back, exuding ten times more coldness and rejection than before.

“...”

You stayed silent, mulling on your next words.

“Need I remind you what kind of authority they have? A single word from them could ruin the lives of many. I wouldn’t care if you’re the only one affected, but I also have something to protect, so stay in your lane.”

After Marius was seemingly done, you began to speak.

“...I suggest we reverse pickpocket him. Make it so that it never happened.”

“—We’re done here.”

With a look of disappointment, Marius turned on his heels, about to go on his way.

“Then do me one last favor.”

You spoke firmly, making sure it could still reach him amidst the bustling crowd. Marius halted, but you know it wouldn’t be for long, so you kept it brief.

“Check your pants pocket.”

Marius annoyedly slid his hand into his right pocket.

“No, no, the other one.”

“Such a waste of time—huh? This... how?”

After fishing something out of his pocket, he glanced at a certain spot on the floor. The thing he had ripped off his cheek was no longer there. Then, he turned around to meet your gaze.

“Since when did you...?”

In response, you smirked, staring at the crumpled kitty-themed Band-Aid in his hand.

“There, as if it never happened, right?”

🂡 🂠 🂣 🂠

You smugly walked back to the siblings, half-dragging the complaining Marius behind you.

Upon arriving, you saw the twins struggling to break free from Christy and the other female staff, trying to chase after Teo.

“Now, Ann, Jonah... don’t trouble Sister Christy and Sister Tasha like that. Brother will be back home in a flash, okay?”

“No! Brother! We’re going with you!” “Big Bro, you can’t leave!”

...Apparently, you returned at the right time, just as Teo was about to sacrifice himself to the Big Baddie.

“Hey, Teo! You’re going way overboard with this surprise! I feel sorry for your siblings!”

You shouted at then, smiling dashingly like nothing ever happened.

After all, how were you supposed to reassure everyone that everything was okay if you didn’t look fine yourself?

“A-a surprise...?” “Big Bro was...?”

The twins blinked at you in confusion.

“I did...?”

Actually, Teo was just as at a loss as they were, but you winked at him—hard—forcing him to keep his mouth shut.

“I-I guess I did...” Teo meekly affirmed.

“Yes! I’m actually one of the staff here!” You went on.

“Hey! I’ve heard none of this! You still owe me an explanation!”

It was Marius’ turn to be confused.

It seemed that he utterly disliked being blindsided, and had been demanding an answer from you ever since. Briefly, you wondered if something happened in his past—but either way, this worked for you.

You glanced at him from your shoulder.

“I will once you let me finish speaking. ...Also, can you stop looking at me like that?”

Marius was seething with suspicion. His eyes said it all.

‘Who are you? Is this your first time stealing? How many times have you done it? Was it in my nightclub? Should I ask my staff if any of their belongings is missing? I knew it! I shouldn’t have welcomed these beggars in our luxurious nightclub!’

...Seriously, who hurt you, man?

Although, this time, his suspicion was kind of warranted. Anyone would praise a talented singer, but not a skilled thief. But you weren’t a thief, though... and it wasn’t exactly “stealing,” either...

“Haa...” You sighed.

Explaining this was going to be troublesome. Besides, you didn’t have much time. So, you decided to wrap this up in one go. You fished for a coin from your waist bag.

Then, you recited a line that you had memorized a long time ago.

“—Ladies and gentlemen, please focus on the coin in my hand."

“Huh...?” “Eh...?”

The twins were stunned, but it took no time for them to recognize that line.

“Don’t blink, or you might miss the magic!”

Their eyes widened as you tossed the coin into the air, before catching it with your other hand, twirling it between your fingers. The coin fluttered from your hand to another, as if dancing. Until finally, you closed both of your palms with a snap.

By that time, the sheer distress on their faces had been replaced by sheer excitement.

“Now, guess which hand has the coin! The one who gets it right will receive a present”

Like children their age, the notion of “present” got them flocking to your hands.

“I actually know which one it is. But as the older one, I have to concede. I choose this one!” Jonah smirked and picked your left hand.

“This!” Ann eagerly picked your right hand.

“Okay, so you’ve made your choice! No take-backs?”

Both twins shook their heads.

“No take-backs! Here’s the catch, though. The coin can also choose! It will appear in the hand chosen by a good kid!”

“...!” “...!”

The twins gulped at that. They stared meaningfully at each other, looking unsure.

“—Sim Salabim, Abracadabra!”

You pretended not to see that and even chanted because kids liked it. Sure enough, they leaned forward on their tiptoes, full of anticipation.

“Okay, here goes nothing!”

You opened both palms and revealed... nothing.

“Huh?! I was so sure—” “Where did it go??”

The twins were dumbfounded.

“—How?! Just how?!”

The one who yelled that, full of disbelief, was Marius. But let’s just ignore him.

“Oh no... the coin didn’t choose anyone in the end... No way, have the two of you been bad lately? Did you... steal from someone, perhaps?”

In response, they both hung their heads, looking obviously guilty. Even their shoulders were shaking. If anything, they looked like they needed someone to listen to them. Children shouldn’t be carrying so much guilt and stress, anyway.

“That guy...! He always thrashes the whole house! Money is all he ever talks about! It wasn’t our debt to begin with, but our good-for-nothing dad!”

“He even barged in during our mother’s death anniversary!”

“Reporting that guy is of no use! Whenever we mentioned his name, everyone got scared! They won’t do anything about him!”

“Unlike those weak adults, we did something about it! We’re stronger!”

“Yes, we are strong! We’ll protect our brother!”

“—By doing the same thing he did to your brother? How is that strong, exactly?”

Amidst Jonah and Ann’s cries, your firm voice rang clearly.

“T-that’s because...” “H-he...”

Jonah and Ann, who were caught off-guard, tried to defend themselves amidst their sniveling. But you already knew what they were going to say.

“‘Because he deserves it’ or ‘to teach him a lesson’? Did you know? Whenever that Big Baddie does something awful to others, he probably tells himself the same thing.”

“Huh...?”

“Do you know how someone turns evil? It’s when they keep excusing their wrongdoings until they’re convinced they did nothing wrong. Eventually, they’ll start believing they can do no wrong, and that’s when someone turns into a Big Baddie.”

“...”

You knelt to match the eye level of Jonah and Ann. They were still crying, and their noses had turned bright red.

“Do you want to become like him? When you look at what you’ve done, can you honestly say that you did the right thing? Do you think your brother will be happy with this?”

“N-no...”

“There are many definitions of 'strength' out there. But to Big Sis, being strong means staying true to yourself and holding on to your beliefs no matter what, without being afraid of doing the right thing. You know that stealing is wrong, right? You aren’t so weak that you can’t admit your mistakes, are you?”

��...What we did was wrong.” “We were wrong...”

Their voices were muffled because they were wiping their tears with their sleeves, but it made you smile all the same. Behind them, Teo was watching with a look as if he was about to cry.

Alright, let’s figure out how to take care of that Big Baddie later.

“Do you promise to never steal again?”

“W-we promise...” “Promise...”

“Great—oh no! What is this power surging through me?!”

You grasped your trembling right hand, making a display of panicking and not knowing what was happening.

“I-I can feel it! The coin is about to return...!”

Their tears didn’t stop them from staring closely at your hand.

At last...

“Ta-da—! Presents for good children—!”

You opened your palm, showing two colorful gummies.

“WOW!!” “WHOAH!!”

“Happy birthday to you!”

Immediately, the twins burst into a smile. Even though it was actually your snacks, they took them and started jumping around as if they were the world’s most precious treasure. They even showed them off to the two female staff members and Teo, who smiled happily alongside them.

...Aah, this reminds me of why I took that side gig with the troupe to begin with.

Yes, that was right. You were never a thief, just a magician-in-training.

At first, you only applied as a prop maker for extra cash. But then, by chance, you had to assist the magic show. The looks of genuine excitement on the children’s faces made you decide to try it out. After practicing hard for it, you finally made it on stage! You performed with flying colors. Unfortunately, that was also your last performance. The wandering troupe was scheduled to travel somewhere else after that...

It’s definitely worth it, though...

“Big Sis, Big Sis! Show me more magic tricks!” Ann tugged at your sleeve.

“Of course. Marius, bring me some colorful papers.” You ordered the guy looming behind you.

“Why should I—ah, whatever...”

The guy left and returned with some colorful papers. They were high-quality, too. As expected of Primavera!

Okay, this was where your skill as a prop maker came in!

You started making something out of the papers. Then, your magic show started again.

“Wow! Where did that rose come from?! Big Sis is so amazing!” Ann clapped her hands.

“This is nothing.”

“Show me, munch, something cool, munch...” Jonah asked you while chewing on the gummy.

“Sure. But it’s bad manners to talk while eating, Kids.”

“Whoa! The flags! There are so many! They just won’t stop coming out! Awesome!” Jonah started jumping again.

“I know, right?” You grinned.

“...Would you be interested in working with us? I might be able to hire you as our clown.” Marius asked hesitantly in a low voice.

Since you couldn’t possibly say profanities in front of children, you just silently raised your middle finger to him.

“Why?! Your meals will be taken care of! You also don’t need to worry about salary!”

Huh? He’s actually being serious?

“T-this is actually my first time watching a live magic show... Uh, if possible, can you make more of those paper roses appear?”

“Oh, Christy, you’d like some too? Of course!”

“Wow! How wonderful! The folds and cuts are so clean!”

“I practiced hard for that.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Okay, Tasy—WAIT, WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!!!”

🂥 🂠 🂧 🂠

“...Are you sure about this?”

You and Marius stood side by side, gazing at the table where the two gentlemen were seated from afar.

Aventurine was enjoying himself as usual, casually sipping champagne while holding a few cards. Across from him, sat a giant who could only be described as a cross between a bull and a gorilla.

...Try as you might, that was the best and only description you could come up with.

So, that’s Billy Burnett, the loan shark...

His hair was slicked back with so much gel it looked almost plastic, with a bald top. Glossy brown overcoat, with red, tiger-striped shirt underneath. Sparkly gold jewels—so many of them, from his nose, his neck, his arm, his wrist, his fingers... The man screamed “gaudy” from top to bottom, as if he felt the need to constantly remind everyone that he was filthy rich.

You began to worry about Aventurine. To be precise, for his eyesight. After all, every time the flashing lights hit that gorilla, he shone brighter than the sun.

Maybe you should wear your shades again, Aventurine...

—But anyway, Marius was asking if you’d like to back down.

“One hundred percent serious.”

Of course, you had your doubts. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have entertained the thought of leaving everything to the staff back then. The moment you turned back and rejoined them, you decided to see this through.

“Even the slightest mistake may cause your life to be turned upside down. Once he bites, Billy usually won’t let go. You may end up regretting this.”

“I'll regret it even more if I run away when I could have done something about it.”

“...Blind confidence? Savior Complex? Either way, I’ll never get a reckless idiot like you. I also don’t get why I’m trusting said idiot to begin with. More importantly, Billy will just tell you to get lost if you approach him looking like that.”

“Thanks for that. It’s exactly what I didn’t need to hear.”

You subconsciously reached for the black butterfly mask covering half of your face. You crafted it on the last minute. Usually, a magician would wear some kind of a mask, wouldn’t they? Other than looking the part, it’d also help in hiding your identity. See? You weren’t that suicidal.

“—Manager, I brought the uniform.”

All of the sudden, Christy arrived behind you. The curly-haired female staff smiled at you, before handing Marius a set of uniform.

Marius received it and began explaining. “Wear this. For tonight, you’re one of Primavera staff members.”

Wow, an actual help from Marius!?!?

Marius scowled when he saw how flabbergasted you are. “What’s that look for? You think I’ll just sit back and relax and let a random stranger do all the work? Teo is one of my staff members, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.”

...Whoa.

Again, you saw Marius in a new light. You reached for the uniform with a sense of pride, only for him to retract his hand. You stood there grasping at air like an idiot, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

???

“...?”

Marius continued in a lower voice. “And that goes for you, too.” His cool, deep-blue eyes were focused on you.

“Huh?”

“Did you forget what I said already? For tonight, you’re one of my staff. If you sense that things are getting dangerous, just run. It doesn’t matter if you fail. Safety is of utmost priority. I’ll handle the rest.”

“!”

Marius...

“The rest goes as we previously discussed. Any questions?”

“O-out of curiosity, how are you going to ‘handle the rest?’” You asked wistfully.

To be honest, you were really nervous. No mistake was allowed—this operation had to succeed no matter what. Hence, knowing there was a Plan B would help calm your nerves immensely.

Marius flashed you his flawless manager smile.

“I’ll personally tell Billy that ‘we made sure to fire this obnoxious staff on the spot and charge her under the suspicion of theft. She’ll have to pay for it for the rest of her life.’”

“—So, you’re just turning me into a scapegoat!!!”

Yeah, I can’t. I still hate this guy.

Marius tilted his head. “Why does it matter? You aren’t foolish enough to tell him your true name, are you? Or maybe I’m mistaken? In that case, might as well invite him over to hang out.”

“N-no, actually... that does make sense...”

Either way, I’m only a “staff” for a night, so it’s the same as being fired.

Also, did he just praise your intelligence by saying that you “aren’t foolish enough”? You were about to giggle bashfully until you realized that was just a low blow, far from bare minimum. Dammit! Hanging around this sadistic manager caused your standard bar to fall on the floor!

Then, you finally received the uniform. At the same time, something shiny fell.

“Oh, sorry about that...”

Christy crouched to retrieve it. It was a silver hairpin.

“Sorry, Judith must’ve forgotten this...” She smiled awkwardly, before whispering to you. “Manager’s just bluffing! For now, just do your best! If he said he’ll take care of the rest, he’ll definitely do so! ...In fact, that was why Judith quit... Even though he got injured because of her, he still treated her so well. In the end, she couldn’t stand the guilt...”

“I see...”

You stared wordlessly at the premium black uniform in your hands.

“Older Sister!” “Big Sis!”

Jonah, Ann, and Teo appeared in tow.

“Older Sister, are you really going to that Big Baddie’s place?” “Big Sis, are you going to be okay?”

The twins asked you with concern.

“Of course! Big Sis is going to cast the spell of love, peace, and friendship on that guy! Hopefully, he’ll change for the better!” You showed them a huge grin.

Translation: you were going to secretly return his stuffs so he wouldn’t have any reasons to be angry! But still, gotta set a good example for these kids!

Teo smiled timidly at you. “I can’t thank you enough. I won’t forget this. We’ll pray for your safety.”

“S-sure...”

G-guys, can you please stop already? Why do I feel like I’m being given a final send-off?!

...And so, it was the deciding moment.

🂡 🂠 🂣 🂠

You walked toward the now sanctified gambling table in the main dance venue.

In your hands was a wide silver tray. Its glossy surface, polished to perfection, reflected the colorful stream of lights from time to time. Although it was empty, it still felt heavy and solid. It could probably withstand force several times greater than its weight.

Seeing your attire—the authentic uniform of Primavera, and a butterfly mask, everyone naturally scooted away. Honestly, it was probably the mask. Hence, the walk was short—or should’ve been.

The table was right over there, just a short distance away. But to you, it was as if there was a distance of a few miles away separating you. You were dragging your feet, after all.

...N-no! I have to hurry!

Reportedly, the Big Baddie was burning through his suitcases of money. No wonder, his opponent was Aventurine, after all. Once he ran out of money, he’d probably reach for his wallet, or phone, or both.

“Ugh,” You sighed.

The entire walk there was a certified Walk of Shame.

As you brushed past the crowd, all kind of thoughts loomed over you.

Just how did this happen?

Where did you go wrong in life?

Even though you steeled yourself to help Teo, when it came time to do it, all kinds of pessimistic thoughts and doubts hit you full force. You just wanted to get this over with.

You didn’t remember feeling this nervous during your first performance with that wandering troupe. You even looked forward to it. Well, of course. You’d be performing in front of children who were also excited to see you. Right now, you were just going to make a fool of yourself and make enough distraction until you achieved your goal.

Finally, the table was only a few steps away. Two gentlemen sat across each other, surrounded by a crowd of people. The moon and the stars shining outside the tall windows beside them also bore witness to their game.

Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba-dum!

Your heart was kicking in your chest as you gripped the tray tightly. In your moment of distress, your eyes instinctively searched for solace—then, you found him...

Aventurine looked as breathtakingly dashing as ever, even more so from up-close. He sat on the glossy red velvet sofa, gracefully resting his long leg on top of the other. At such a distance, you could see how each and every single jewel that studded his coat glimmered under the light.

Forest-green emerald. Navy-blue sapphire. Coupled with the tosca, cyan, green, and gold accents of his attire, he looked like an embodiment of an elegant and majestic peacock.

But something wasn’t right.

Aventurine was staring listlessly at the cards in his hand. No, it was as if he was looking through them. His cyan-violet eyes were also dull. Rather than smiling, his lips seemed frozen in a shape that resembled a “smile.”

But unlike that night, he didn’t seem sad.

He looked like... how do you say this, like one of your classmates who couldn’t be more done with class. Ah yes, dead bored.

This whole time, when you sat in the farthest corner in that venue, you were always under the impression that he was smiling and rejoicing about his win. Yes, just like the night when he first treated everyone.

You wondered why.

Even though he has won this big...

There was a pile of iron suitcases on each gentleman’s side. Suffice it to say, Aventurine’s side was taller.

With only a meter and a half left, you took a step forward, then another, and another...

“—!”

Suddenly, you halted, hugging the tray close to your chest.

Perhaps sensing your presence, Aventurine lazily lifted his gaze from the cards and threw a brief glance at you, before quickly returning his attention to where it had been.

But just as you were thanking every god in the universe, he hastily turned back at you.

In such a close distance, there was no way you’d miss it—that look of utter disbelief and shock on his face...

...or how that pair of cyan-violet eyes lit up instantly, regaining their luminosity.

Brighter than the moon or the stars. Prettier than any gemstones. Richer in color than the flashing lights that illuminated the entire place.

“—WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!”

A gruff and angry roar snapped you out of your trance.

Gah!!! That surprised me!!!

Thankfully, you were too shocked to scream.

You shot a look at his opponent—the Big Baddie, also known as Billy Burnett, and saw how he had almost completed his transformation into a bull. The guy was snarling, his face bright red, as he glowered at you, totally nailing the part of a ��vulgar” and “rude” customer.

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t scared. In fact, your initial instinct was to run away.

Quick! You needed to think of a way to appease him! Otherwise, you could forget of ever returning the wallet and the phone!

...At the same time, you made a mental note that, due to his humongous build, his pants pocket was practically gaping at you.

Hoh! Nice! That makes it easier—almost like putting a basketball into a waist-high hoop!

But looking at his current state right now, which was mad pissed, an impromptu magic show was probably the last thing he’d want to see. Still, you needed to get this show on the road!

Then, as you desperately racked your brain...

“—Now, that’s no way to treat our new friend?”

Someone could be heard saying in a lighthearted voice. Yet, the words were heavy enough to make both of the Big Baddie’s giant shoulders sink.

“A-ah! I see, so you’re one of Mr. Aventurine’s friends! Sorry if I scared you! It’s just that the nightclub is loud, you know? That’s why I screamed!” Big Baddie forced a smile and made up an excuse on the spot.

The raging bull from earlier now looked like a domesticated gorilla.

The pathetic sight tickled you. Rather than a loan shark, anyone would think that this guy owed Aventurine a massive debt.

Placing his cards face down on the table, Aventurine shifted in his seat to face you, smiling all the while.

“The night is starting to get dull, so I welcome the new face. But...” His multicolored eyes swept across the empty tray you were holding, before narrowing slightly. “...I was certain I didn’t place any order, and I was right. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”

Courteous words, spoken with a hint of amusement, topped off with that charming smile...

Just how did he manage to strike a perfect balance between frivolousness, playfulness, and elegance!?

Had this been your first meeting, he’d have you at hello.

If only you weren’t on a mission right now—ah, right!! You were on a mission!!

Without missing a beat, you curtseyed to him as best as you could.

“Good evening, esteemed guests. We've noticed how long you've been with us, and as you mentioned, the night is getting dull! So, I was sent to hopefully stave off some of your boredom! It’s a pleasure to serve you tonight!”

You just spouted the most plausible-sounding words that came to mind.

At the very least, Aventurine didn’t seem to doubt you.

“Is that so? How nice of you. How about a handshake?”

Deep, mesmerizing cyan-violet eyes bore deeply into you as the owner slowly extended his gloved hand toward you. At that moment, it was as if he had seen through your guise—through everything. Something about those eyes seemed to draw out your base instincts, and before you knew it, your hand was in his.

The coolness of latex wrapped your hand as Aventurine brought it closer to his lips. Locking eyes with you, he asked a question.

“May I have your name?”

A harmless and trivial question. Your real name almost escaped your lips until you realized that was what he wanted you to think.

“I— ...My name is Aschenputtel.”

You answered with a slight stutter, subtly trying to retract your hand, but to no avail. His grip, as gentle as his smile, was equally unwavering.

“What a gorgeous name. The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Aschenputtel.”

Then, while maintaining eye contact, he placed a chaste kiss on the back of your hand. The warmth of his lips contrasted with the coolness of his latex glove.

!#@!#&@!#!#!*!@&#&!@#&!#!#&!(!&!&&

Something inside your head exploded.

“—puttel. Ms. Aschenputtel? Is something the matter?”

A few seconds later, you were brought back to reality by none other than Aventurine. The guy who was responsible for putting you in that kind of state tilted his head innocently.

...Also, your alias smoothly rolled off his tongue, sounding like a unique and beautiful, rarely used word of X language. Even though you picked it because it was tricky to both pronounce and remember...

“N-nothing! Right, so, allow me to present a touch of magic for your enjoyment!”

You forcefully brought back the main subject and pried your hand off his.

“Magic? As in, a magic show?”

Then, after briefly staring at his now empty hand, Aventurine asked you with obvious curiosity. Whether or not he was acting, you really couldn’t tell...

“Yes! That’s right!”

“Go on, then.”

🂡 🂠 🂣 🂠

Thus, despite facing a few small bumps along the way, you managed to carry out the operation.

“This one is dedicated to you, Mr. Big Ba—ahem, Mr. Billy Burnett. We always appreciate how sharply-dressed you are. So fiery, you stand out wherever you are.”

Since your target was and always had been Big Baddie, you naturally started with him. Aventurine watched on the side with interest, while you tried not to mind him as much.

“Hoho! Astute judgment! Did you know? This shirt alone cost more than all the wages of the staff here combined!”

True to your previous assessment, Big Baddie thrived on being complimented on his looks and wealth. At first, he was only half-listening to you, but that changed once you took out a few sheets of red paper.

“—I can only think of one flower to symbolize you. Would you like to guess what is it?”

You made a display of crumpling those papers in your fists.

“Ahaha! I don’t care about some grasses, so you tell me!”

“Of course, Sir! It’s right within my hand!”

However, the next time you opened both of your palms, they were empty.

“Oh, no...”

With your back facing the crowd, you could hear some astonished gasps here and there.

“Huh—?! Where did they go—?! Are you trying to make a fool of me—?!”

Instead of taking it as part of the act, Big Baddie took offense from it. But you had predicted that.

“Of course not, Sir! The flower is just shying away because of the man you are!”

You almost choked saying that.

“Huh...? Is that so...?”

“Yes! How about checking your pocket? It might be hiding there?”

“...Now that you say it, my pocket feel heavier than before.” Big Baddie went to check his pant pocket. “There’s nothing here. Only my phone and wallet.”

With a smirk, you told him, “Then, how about inside of the wallet?”

Big Baddie giddily opened his wallet and saw something red inside.

“Ooh—!”

When he pulled it out, he found out that it was a stalk of paper rose.

“How did it get there?! Especially when you never took out my wallet!”

...Simple, cause’ you put it in before returning that wallet.

Instead of answering, you took that rose from the Big Baddie’s hand.

“Still... one rose is far from enough, isn’t it? To match up with your awesomeness, maybe two—no, five? Ten?”

As you spoke, the paper roses in your hand multiplied with each flick of your wrist, corresponding to your words. The crowd behind you began murmuring in awe.

“Wow!”

“How did she do that?!”

“That’s so amazing!”

In the corner of your eye, Aventurine was silently clapping his hands.

“—The answer is: simply infinite!”

You threw the paper roses into the air, and they scattered into red petals, fluttering gently as they fell down, concluding your performance.

Everyone immediately burst into clapping.

“Hey, how did you do that?!” Even the Big Baddie was still reeling from it. He was grinning from ear to ear, a repulsive light flickering in his eyes. “That was so amazing! I like you! Your name is Ashpuddle, right?! Can we—”

“—What about me?”

The Big Baddie was about to grab a hold of you when Aventurine suddenly interjected.

Resting his chin on top of his hand, Aventurine asked you with the same smile as before. But dare you say... there was a hint of dismay in his gaze?

‘Crap! I was overly focused on the Big Baddie that I completely forgot about Aventurine!’

Just kidding.

Of course you had something prepared for him. You just didn’t expect you’d actually get the chance to perform it.

You smiled back at him.

“—Last but not least!”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing that, all trace of dissatisfaction disappeared from his face. He seemed pleasantly surprised.

A curtain had fallen on your previous performance, but now the curtain had risen for yet another one.

One that was close to your heart, and also contained way less lies.

You took out a few sheets of paper. This time, the color was pristine white.

As a waiter, you had learned body language to an extent.

The entire time you were performing, Big Baddie didn’t even turn to look at you. Perhaps, he was preoccupied with the amount he had lost that night. Either way, it helped you immensely.

However, Aventurine was something else. He shifted his position so that he was sitting directly facing you. Multicolored eyes followed each of your movement with eagerness.

Those eyes stared at you, and only you, as if the cards, the towering iron suitcases, and the crowd had never existed to begin with.

Not to mention, he was also friendly! He always responded to any of your questions! Such a great fanservice this was! You could see why he was popular!

“Mr. Aventurine, what is your favorite color?”

“Aventurine is fine. Hmm... that’s a tough one.”

You couldn’t help but laugh when you saw the look of deep contemplation on his face.

“Ahaha, you don’t know your favorite color?”

“I never really thought about it... until recently, at least. You see, a certain color has caught my eye.”

Aventurine spoke while staring into your eyes.

Unlike a certain Big Baddie, he was also keeping eye contact! He was truly outshining that guy in every aspect! ...Though, in reality, it wasn’t that difficult of a feat.

“What about you?”

“Hm?”

“What color do you like? Is it white?”

“The answer is right here.”

With a smile, you presented your closed palm to him.

“A lead-up question, I see.” Aventurine stared at your hand before placing his open hand directly underneath it.

Then, out fell a paper flower with unique-shaped petals. The color—or colors—were blue, purple, and navy.

Similarly colored eyes gazed at it for a moment before turning back to you.

He studied your face, examining your expression as if searching for something. Then, something stole his attention—

—namely, the bouquet in your hands, consisting of a dozen or so of those flowers, seemingly pulled out of thin air.

“To your beautiful eyes, Aventurine.”

“...!”

You smiled in satisfaction, having achieved your personal goal.

Did Aventurine ever stop smiling? As far as you knew, he was an all-smile type of guy.

...And yet, when it fully dawned on him that you had especially made that bouquet for him, the smile he showed was truly unprecedented. That all of the sudden, you recalled a certain line spoken by your friend, Celine.

"... It was as if there were two starry skies—both in the sky and on the ground."

Except this time, the starry skies were in his eyes.

Once again, you found your cheeks burning up.

“May I have that?”

Suddenly, Aventurine pointed at the bouquet you held close to your chest.

“Huh? Y-you mean these paper flowers?”

“Yes. I’ll be sure to cherish it.” He said, trying to reassure you.

“N-no, I wasn’t afraid that it might be ruined, but...”

You stared at him, and then at the paper bouquet. His beauty certainly couldn’t be compared to it. You began to feel self-conscious again.

Dammit! I should’ve asked Marius to bring me real, freshly cut flowers!

Then, Aventurine had a look as if an idea had just flashed in his mind.

“Ah, of course... How thoughtless of me.”

He started fishing for something out of his jacket for some reason.

“It’s a handcrafted piece. You put effort into making it. And there’s only one of it in this whole world. In that case, you should be paid—”

“—NO, NO, NO! You can have it!”

The moment you saw that black card peeking out of his coat—only owned by a few people in this whole world—you immediately gave that bouquet to him.

Aventurine blinked, perhaps finding your sudden change in behavior odd. Still, he gladly accepted your gift.

“Thank you.” Aventurine thanked you, immersed in the bouquet.

“Y-you’re welcome.” You answered sheepishly.

Phew! What a hard day’s work! In the end, everything went smoothly!

You wiped imaginary sweat off your forehead and began to turn on your heels, about to leave.

“—Leaving so soon?”

Just then, you felt something wrap around your waist, pulling you back.

“Huh...?”

You were about to resist until you heard the next words.

“Stay for a bit more. I haven’t complimented you about your stunning sleight of hand.”

‘Sleight of hand,’ he said...

As your field of vision turned upside down, you couldn’t help but dwell on the latter half of his sentence.

That was right. Sleight of hand, instead of magic trick. As if, as if...

In the next moment, you were staring directly into his cyan-violet eyes. They were so close, you felt as if you might be drawn into them.

As you sunk into his lap, you saw his eyes narrowing into the shape of crescent moons. He confirmed your doubts, whispering softly into your ear.

“It’s amazing, what you did with the phone and the wallet.”

“!!”

Just like that, you found yourself on top of the notoriously undefeated hot gambler, known for his endless stroke of good luck.

╚══════╝

🄾🄽🅆🄰🅁🄳 🅃🄾 【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ６】

#aventurine fanart #honkai star rail #aventurine x reader #hsr aventurine #aventurine #aventurine x you #aventurine x y/n #aventurine honkai star rail #fanfic #fanart #hsr fanart #hsr x reader #star rail aventurine #aventurine hsr #fortifiedwagerfic

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cardboardheartss · 7 months ago

Note

Hi cardboardbox, could you pls do a reading on Newjeans and Min hee Jin controversy with Hype labels and how the future of new jeans will be? I am so so worriedly for the girls. Thanks a lot🥺

Min Hee Jin vs HYBE Labels Situation Reading

⚠️DISCLAIMER! TAROT CARDS ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE! TAKE EVERYTHING WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! IF MY INTERPRETATIONS ARE INCORRECT FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME!⚠️

background information :

Are the allegations true? : Star rx

Yes, but not all of them are true. In this situation it seems as if hybe have been lurking around and watching her every move waiting for this exact moment to expose her.

MHJ should’ve seen the signs from the beginning 🙎🏽‍♀️ smh…

Is this media play? : AoC rx

Not really, HYBE have been keeping quiet about MHJ shady work and finally got the chance to expose it now.

Did MHJ really sell NWJNS members personal information? : Devil, Hanged Man, Emperor, 2oP, The World rx, WoF rx, 5oC

Yes, she did in fact sell the members personal information. She probably sold it to a man of power within the industry and it seems as if MHJ promised him some hush money and MHJ either didn’t pay or she didn’t give enough. So… this man decided to expose her too.

Will MHJ be stepping down as CEO? : 7oS, Empress rx, 10oP, 8oC, 10oC, 10oW rx

Ummm… yes, there is a possibility that MHJ will be stepping down. She will literally sign that letter and take all her creativity and ideas along with her. To be honest, she is quite sad too because she is going to lose A LOT of money and her staff members too.

Will MHJ departure affect HYBE’s income? : 2oS rx

Not really, they will try a way to get right back up on their feet. They just did not really support MHJ actions because of the boundaries she had been causing and how this issue could’ve led to the downfall of HYBE.

MHJ current energy? : QoW

She’s reading to fight, and she probably likes all the attention she’s being given right now.🤦🏽‍♀️

MHJ’s thoughts on situation? : The Tower rx, PoP rx, 5oP, PoC rx

She’s just worried about losing her bag. She’s REALLY tried to keep this info secret but it led to it being exposed. It seems as if she really couldn’t believe that they actually exposed her, she’s in shock and is quite discouraged too because of her hardwork being torn down.

Also she thinks all of this comes from a place of envy because she’s aware that other CEO’s aren’t as creative and smart as her lol.

Why does Bang Si Hyuk want MHJ to step down? : Judgement rx

He just doesn’t agree with MHJ shady work and actions. He doesn’t want the NWJNS members to be used for money, he wants to protect them.

Future of ADOR? The Sun rx & Temperance rx

A mess… the company will not do well and there will be A LOT of imbalance overall. The company will basically experience a MAJOR downfall.

Future of HYBE after MHJ departure? : 2oW, KoS, 9oS, KNoS, Justice, KoC, AoS

They will take time to get back on their feet… possibly a loss of money? They will work hard and find a different ceo to replace MHJ and surprisingly… they’ll actually succeed.

NEWJEANS overall thoughts on this situation? : 8oW, KoS, KNoS, QoS

They just find it odd how all the male ceo’s are beefing with MHJ… they quite mind boggled to be honest?!😅

Hyein : AoS

She’s aware of this situation… but doesn’t wanna share more.

Haerin : The Fool rx, The Magician rx, The High Priestess rx, Empress rx, Emperor rx, KNoP rx, KoP rx

She thinks MHJ was real stupid doing all of this… she knows this will affect nwjns in a way and she’s unhappy about it. Haerin also believes MHJ was once again.. really stupid for trusting a high up man because why would she even trust him,

“You trusted a man?! Out of all people you trusted THAT guy specifically?? Really man?”

lol that’s the message/thought from haerin 🤣

Hanni : KoC rx, AoW rx, 2oW rx

My pookie is stressedtffftf? She is really anxious and worried about everything right now. This has stressed her out to the point where she really doesn’t want to work anymore and hanni is really worried about the group and her career.

She doesn’t want MHJ to leave 🥺💔

Danielle : 3oW, 4oW, 7oW, 6oW, 7oW

Dani really appreciates MHJ, she could view her as her work mom. She feels very safe around her and is overly grateful to have her as a ceo. Dani is aware of this and DOES NOT want MHJ to leave… I mean look at these cards…

Minji : World

She’s like “meh… I guess it’s your time to go” Minji was probably aware of what was going on and she wanted MHJ to be disciplined in a way.

She also thinks MHJ will be fine and probably start a new life overseas and create a new gg/bg.

Future of NWJNS career? : 5oW, 7oC rx, The Magician

Still fights between members and within the industry too ( 🚫in terms of streams and awards🚫). I know bunnies are worried but NEWJEANS will continue succeeding.😚🐰🎊

Thank you for reading 📦

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seat-safety-switch · 1 year ago

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In the ancient past, folks used to think that “progress” meant automating everything. You’d go to an automatic diner – an automat, in their futuristic speak – order some food from a little locker, and eat it without ever having to interact with another human being. And now, their dream has come (almost) true. Due to budget constraints, the cool shiny chrome and Art Deco styling has not happened. Instead, your local grocery store now has an automated checkout system which accuses you of shoplifting if the wind blows over your shopping bag while you’re trying to load it.

I’ve complained previously about the gall of this industrial-grade insult machine, and I won’t belabour the point further. The real point is: why didn’t restaurants turn into this, too? To answer this question, I posed as an independent news reporter by not showering for a week, and headed to the local sushi restaurant. Here, a robot “wait staff member” (no gendered language for robots, please: it produces ambiguity in their parse system) was ready to deliver my food to me, on demand, however much I wanted.

Like all computer-based things, I knew that the robot was designed by humans, and so was the fancy iPad they chained to the table that I could use to order food. And humans never think of things like “ordering a negative amount of food.” All I had to do was sit and drink my complimentary water, and plug in a keyboard to the iPad. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the “order quantity” indicator went up.. and up.. and up.. and up.. and after a couple hours of the robot not kicking me out, it went to 2,147,483,647, and overflowed the counter. Now, the iPad proudly displayed that I was ready to order negative two billion items of tuna sashimi. I decided to add a few other items to the order, and then pressed a button which I assumed to say “wench, fetch me my food.”

Friends, and I use that term loosely because I know at least some of you are undercover law enforcement, I did not expect for the restaurant’s robot to literally catch fire, its lithium-ion batteries rupturing in an unquenchable fire as I waited patiently for my meal. On the plus side, when the bill did come, ushered to me by the replacement wait-staff-bot, I swiped my credit card and made enough money to purchase a small tropical island. Maybe there really is something to this future business.

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dark-side-blog3 · 10 months ago

Text

Ignore that this Home Alone inspired poly adeuce fic is a month late. Or choose to read it for 2024 Christmas, up to you.

I had a lot of fun writing this! Put it into a word counter just for fun, and I'm surprised to see that my first real WIP I finished in 2024 is 3k long! It was just so fun to imagine a twist one of my favourite Christmas movies, and I got so caught up in the fun of it I didn't make my deadline ^^; It was originally meant to be a short little crackfic, but it was just too fun! There are some cracky, campy elements, but that's just in the spirit of the movie I based it off!

Anyways: MDNI, warnings for standard yandere things, and creepy crawlies.

++++++++++++++++++++++

"Shouldn't we be pouring salt on the pathway?"

"Nah," you smile, splashing another bucket of water on the front steps. "This is so we can have a nice slip-and-slide for tobogganing tomorrow, Grim! Same reason I'm filling up a little ice rink in the back-- I wanna do some skating. I can't wait for it to freeze over and teach you how!"

Grims' head shakes fervently as he beams; "Just you wait! I'll show you the grace and speed of a master figure skater! I'm gonna be teaching YOU how to skate by the time we're done!"

"Well if you wanna do that, you're gonna need to be well rested. Can you grab us some cookies for before-bed snacks?" you encourage, the monster agreeing and scampering off inside the dorm house to pilfer the cupboard.

You continue pouring water on the steps and trudge around the house's perimeter to check on the steps leading outside to make sure they're freezing over like you intended. You have several other home security measures to check over...

Most of the staff, and students for that matter, went home for the holidays. Family to see, vacations to take... A life to live outside of the school and other people in it. Should anything happen, Crowley was unfortunately unavailable (what else is new, the old bastard), nor was Vargas, Trein, or Crewl. Normally they'd be spattered throughout the holiday to watch over the students. But there are other teachers on the premises, and hardly any students who can't return home for whatever reason, and they let it slip by... One night during the whole winter break when none of your trusted faculty members nor any of your more powerful friends like Malleus or Idia could help if you got into trouble.

And maybe, maybe your brain has been rotted by movies and defending yourself from overblotted students.

But it's better safe than sorry.

With everything seemingly in order, and the sun setting quickly behind the treeline of school woods, you rush over to the front gate to hang a large sign:

NO SOLICITORS

Hopefully, this will deter anyone planning to intrude on you tonight.

You trudge your way back to the front door, carefully avoiding the steps. You spend the next few hours snacking with Grim while watching movies together, playing card games, and chattering about what ifs and would you rather... Before too long, it's time for bed, and Grim is out like a light, thanks to several pounds of turkey stuffing, potatoes, and cookies you still had after the holiday party days ago.

The party was fun... It did leave you with more leftovers you knew what to do with, which is always great. You got to wish Rook Joyeuses Fête, decorate cookies with Jack and Jade (the merman being much better at decorating, likely due to working in the lounge), and say goodbye to everyone dear to you before they left for their own plans... But it also had Ace and Deuce.

Which, on the one hand, they're harmless. You know they are. They're just jerks sometimes.

They should be focusing on their studies, and you had to devote your time to keeping Ramshakle clean, and Grim on task to graduate... The little monster became somewhat of a family member. Surrogate son or little brother you're not entirely sure, but you want him to succeed.

And even if the pair of heartslabyul boys were gifted students that excelled at every course with time to spare, Grim wasn't-- Grim needed your help to study, to get to class, to handle some of his projects for him when his paws would cause accidents in the potion lab. Grim needs your help to get through college, and it keeps you way too busy for a relationship with either guy.

And even though they soured the mood of the party right after you told them as such, it's the truth, and that's what it is. You're not going to jeopardize Grim's future just to date college students.

They acted like jerks for the rest of the winter break.

When everyone was opening presents, they bitched at everyone for the gifts they exchanged, teased relentlessly, knocked over decor, and told each classmate going through the magic mirror over the week to 'take their time coming back, if at all'. Poor Idia had an anxiety attack when they started teasing him; it took you half an hour to calm him down enough to stop puking and stick to just dry heaving. Grim scampered off after Idia fainted a second time... It took another hour after that to help him through the magic mirror, with his robot escorts. You would have walked through with him, but he insisted holding your hand as he left would be enough, only dragging you somewhat through the portal.

It was rubbing you the wrong way how they were picking fights with everyone, and snubbing Grim anytime they saw you and the monster around campus.

Suddenly, the front gates screech open, drawing you out of your thoughts. You peek out the sliver of the window from behind the thick curtain in the bedroom to see two figures shuffle through the snow.

It can't be them. Even if you were just thinking of them, that would be too... Convenient. Like some movie logic. Thinking of people doesn't summon them.

Whoever it is will be getting a nasty surprise in three, two, one--

A muffled thud and string of curses can be heard from the other side of the glass. You sneak your way down the stairs so you can at least see who's at the door.

"Son of a--! Grim!" Deuce shouts. So much for not summoning them.

"Open the door, little buddy! We know that you're in there and that you're all alone... Your precious prefect is spending the last night of the winter break with someone else, right?" Ace yells, quickly being joined by a snickering and rapping at the door.

A shadow presses itself against the window, trying to peer through sheer curtains. You duck behind one of the striped couches on the outside of the room, close to the walls. Through the reflection of the glass cabinet, you can see the figure stay and linger at the window, tapping against the glass with a small can.

"Come on Grim. We've got tuna for ya if you just open the door and have a chat..." Deuce says, cupping his hands around his mouth as he yells through the glass.

His shadow straightens up, before pounding back on the glass, rattling the old pane against the tight frame, the narrow strips of wood being tight enough together that neither of them could just force their way through the window; Even if they shattered all the glass.

Which Deuce just might, slamming himself into the frame as hard as he could.

"I saw you move in there! Don't ignore us!" He shatters a pane, shoving his hand through to grab at the sheer curtains and tug, ripping them.

You duck back behind the couch, scanning for tools to protect yourself. Shut up. Don't be stupid, just think. Think quick, and smart.

The banging stops for a second. Before becoming far louder-- powerful enough to feel the floor shake. Metal creaks against its hinges, and the lock crashes into the strike plate of the door.

Ignore that, focus. Cleaning supplies. Always nearby, the dorm is filthy. Dish soap and mop bucket.

You dart out from behind the couch to grab the bottle of dish soap, grabbing it and rolling up against the wall just in time as the banging stops, the door knob jiggles and a thin wire pokes itself out from the cracks between the door frame. It makes quick work of the locks on the door, before opening, and Ace proudly struts into the room. The second he does, you pop the cap and squeeze the bottle, squirting bright blue goop into his eyes and smarmy mouth! And you splurt the floor for good measure!

You sprint back to behind the couch he pulls back, sputtering, and wiping it from his eyes in thick globs. You watch through the reflection of the cabinet as Deuce shoves his way past Ace as he splatters fistfuls of goop onto the floor, next to the bottle of leaking dish soap. Ace shoves Deuce for the push, and the resulting shove has both of them slipping on the puddle of dish soap you left in your hurry.

"Ahg-- Ace?! Why are you on the floor?"

A visibly wet smack as dish soap arches off Ace's gloves, slapping damply right into Deuce's face as he grunts from under his classmate: "Get off me, you buffoon! Go find the cat-- Grim, I'm gonna skin you for this, you little creep!"

"Don't make threats until after we have the little rat, runt. If he goes tattling we're screwed--"

"There's no one to tattle to! He's all alone in this big house! Even the ghosts aren't here! If we stick his claws in an electrical socket or force-feed him motor oil, no one would think anything of it! He's just a dumb animal that killed himself without supervision!"

Something glints from under the couch. You grasp at it, finding a spare ornament, and an unused ziptie, threaded through the top. There's got to be something you can use to create a bigger distraction and get you and Grim out of here.

There has to be something in reach-- going back to the bucket in plain sight of them is too risky. Shoving your hand under the couch, your clutch the first thing that your grasp: An aerosol room freshener. Score.

Wrapping the ziptie around the spray trigger, you tighten it and roll it over to the boys, still scrambling about on the floor. You watch from the reflection in the cabinet as Deuce gets a heavy spray right in the eyes, hollering in pain!

"AUGH-- Fucker! You think you're so smart, punk?! Your little bomb just gave away your position!" Deuce shouts, whipping out his magic pen, covering his eyes.

You feel a sense of dread. Primal instinct. You leap out from behind the couch just as he summons a caldron to crash into the couch, narrowly missing you as it smashes the solid oak to splinters. Splinters stick to your socks, embedding in your feet as you scamper off to another room, streams of water and gusts of wind being shot after you.

Just as you turn the corner to climb up the stairs and rush to Grim's room, you hear Ace curse exasperatedly, stumbling his way to the end of the hall to stare at you, still wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Another string of sighed curses leaves his lips as he watches you scramble up the stairs, making accidental eye-contact.

They know their plans are botched now.

Gotta climb faster.

On all fours, you claw up the stairs, just as a tug on your ankle forces your jaw to slam into them. Casting a glance backwards, Ace has gripped your ankle with his sticky gloves, grinning madly as you struggle to tug your ankle away from him, and try to dodge the other one of his hands trying to grasp for your other leg, only to end up sloppily groping your ass before trying again. You try to shake and kick him off, getting a hits to the side of his head, but not as effective as if you had room to wind up. He's gripping so hard it feels like he's going to break something. You scramble, shifting your weight side to side to get him off, prying yourself off the stairs and scratching your nails into the old wood. Your nails cling to the baseboard, prying the edge as much as you can, the wood creaking and snapping off with each desperate tug to pull yourself up.

The baseboard snaps, and you find yourself with a small wooden shiv, thinking to whip around and stab it into Ace's hand, leading him to retract for a second long enough for you to scramble up a step again-- before being slammed back down into the wood as you're grabbed again.

A girthy, irrate red centipede wiggles its way out from the hole in the baseboard, defensive of the now-ruined home.

You snatch it up, close to the head and the snapping mandibles as it wriggled and writhed, as you slowly reached back around to Ace, still clinging to your legs as you tried to shake him off. The teen was so focused on keeping you still as he pulled some ducttape off the roll with his teeth, that he didn't see the massive, snakelike body of the centipede until it was too late; And you stick it right on his face.

He seemed to freeze, giving you enough time to tug your leg again, just as he screamed an ear-piecing shriek!

Ace pawed at his face squirming violently on the stairs, thumping loudly on each step back to the bottom as you sprinted your way upstairs, into Grims room, slamming and locking the door behind you!

"What the hell is wrong--"

"PSYCHO PREFECT IS WHAT! Is it in my hair? Fucking thing was thick as a finger, and they put it right on my face! Is it in my hair?!"

"The prefect is home?! Dude! We're so screwed!"

"So go up there and get them, dipshit! Why are you standing still when they're up there getting a fucking bear trap or something ready?! Are you having an aneurysm or something?! Why are you just staring at me like that?!"

"...Ace... Don't... Move."

"Deuce... What are you talking about? Go get them-"

"Don't. Move."

"Deuce..?"

The telltale crash of a cast iron cauldron smashing through your rotten wood floors makes you nearly shit yourself, glancing back at a sleep-stirring Grim.

"DID I GET IT?"

"YOU ALMOST CRUSHED MY SKULL YOU NUTCASE!"

"DID I GET IT?!"

"You fucking moron!"

You snatch Grim up, using the blanket he was sleeping with like a hobo bag to hold him in, and open the window, edging your way carefully onto the roof. If you can just make safely to the other side of Ramshackle, you can try scaling down the ivy. And it will at least give you a head start-- Maybe hiding out in Sams is the best idea. A store owner must have a CCTV, right? And if Ace and Deuce try and kill either of you, then even if something happens to you, they'll get caught...

You wrap the corners of Grims blanket around your shoulders, like a makeshift baby pouch. You can definitely feel him squirming on your back, starting to wake up. You let go of the window, slipping down the rough roof tile. Laying on your stomach, you side-shuffle over, staying as low to the roof as you can to get the most traction. The edge nearly takes you by surprise when your foot doesn't connect with length that's not there. Slowly, you shuffle even closer to the edge, swaying your arm around the edge to find the vines of Ivy.

"I FOUND 'EM, ACE!"

Your head whips around to see Deuce leaning as far as he can out of the window before he scrambles to get onto the roof.

Whipping your head back to focus, you grab a fistful of vines and pull the rest of your body off the roof! You snatch another fistful with your other hand as you fall.

And fall all the way down, watching in horror as the ivy peels itself from the brick walls.

You feel Grim claw his way out of the pouch and onto your face just in time, as you land on your back with a sickening crunch.

"Oh shit," Ace comments, seemingly having been waiting for you at the bottom of the wall. You see Grim flee across the yard out of the corner of your eye, unable to lift your head.

The sound of snow crunching underfoot, and Deuce panting like crazy soon joins Ace in staring at you as you lay helpless on the ground. As soon as he arrives he gets asked: "Are we gonna get Grim?"

"No point, really..." Comes the huffed response; "We were gonna get him to fuck off, and he's fucked right off. Tonight didn't really go to plan anyway."

A boot gently kicks at your side as Ace turns his attention back to you: "Are you paralyzed or something? That was quite the fall."

You open your mouth to speak, but only a cracked whine makes it out. You cringe and try again, but nothing intelligible comes out.

"Holy shit, they're brain-damaged!" Ace grins, laughing as he backs away from you.

You feel Deuce tugging at your legs in the snow, dragging you from your shallow ditch in the snow. He begins tugging you closer to the dorm, before he drops your legs, moving to grab you under your arms and haul you that way, up against a wall. Breaking a window, he shoves you in, head first. The cold floors of Ramshackle are still warmer than the ice and snow.

"Alright. Hey, real quick, can you feel this?" Deuce begins poking you with a wire from an ornament, starting with your legs, and making his way up on both sides. You nod, wincing at some particularly sharp pricks, to which Deuce responds by rubbing the area to dull the pain.

"Can you say where you are right now? Do you know who I am? Who you are?" You nod again, voice stumbling through a pained response.

"Awesome. You're not brain-damaged! You're probably just winded from the fall. Is anything broken? Can you wiggle your fingers and toes? Try twisting side to side. If you can't it means your spine might be broken, and you need a doctor."

You comply, weirded out by the sudden care, but the doctor comment means they will call someone. And that someone will keep you safe, and them away. The pain's already fading, and likely nothing serious, but you could trick them... Deuce particularly seems like a soft touch. You wince as you try to twist, feigning inability.

Deuce makes a worried expression, like he's about to piss himself from fear.

He backs off slightly, giving you a bit more breathing room: "Try crossing your arms and lifting them as far away from your ribs as you can".

You comply again, feigning difficulty,

And duct tape wraps around your wrists instantly. Deuce presses his knee down into your chest to pin you down as he wraps as tightly as he can, while Ace ties your legs from outside.

"This really, really isn't my style. But we've got to get you somewhere that is not here when the teachers come back tomorrow, and we can't have Grim knowing where to find you." Deuce rambles, soaking his glove in a bottle of something, before pressing it to your face. He continues rambling, leaning in closer to whisper: "And I know how this looks! But I promise we won't do anything to you while you sleep. Or when you wake up! I swear! It's all more normal than it seems tonight-- or it can be anyways. And... And if you give me some time, give me a chance, we can even ditch Ace and forget this night ever happened! You just need some time somewhere else..."

The room spins with dark spots as Deuce presses his soaked glove further into your face. He continues rambling at you, while you feel Ace begin dragging you back out the window again. The snow doesn't feel cold this time as you fall into it. It just feels soft.

#my writing!#yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst #yandere poly #poly yandere #yandere ace trappola #yandere ace #yandere deuce #yandere deuce spade #yandere adeuce #yandere poly adeuce #bug tw #creepy crawlies tw #yandere crackfic #sorta~! It is for sure all over the place. but so is the moive tbh #yandere twst x reader #yandere twisted wonderland x reader #holidays.!

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 9 months ago

Note

Aita for assuming my coworker is a toxic partner?

I, 22M, work in a big chain restaurant with a bunch of people my age. Recently, one of the bussers who’s been at this branch since it opened two years ago (I’m a relatively newer higher but not by much, just not og staff) turned 19 and revealed that he has started dating one of the other servers that he’s been friends with for a while, let’s call the two of them Busboy (19 ftm), and Server (21 MtNB)

I’ve got nothing wrong with Busboy. He’s a hard worker, a little odd sometimes, and he’s been with our location for a long time. He and Server are both original staff members and the two have done a lot together, especially after Busboy turned 18 in December of 2022. Server set up Busboy’s first tattoo appointment, they go to the movies all the time, and at work they keep things friendly but professional. Honestly, we all kinda thought they were already dating before Busboy told everyone

Recently, Server got fired because of a stupid management rule about tables that walk out without paying. It sucked, but Server wasn’t really the best waiter anyways and there wasn’t really any lost love. Another waiter, let’s call him Closer (24M), and his wife (23F) have started hosting game nights at their apartment with Closer’s sister and some of her friends. As far as I know, Busboy and Server have been frequent attendants and tbh it looks like a lot of fun. Closer sent a general invite to the work group chat and me and some other coworkers decided to head over tonight

When we got there, it was fine at first. We were mixing drinks (no drinks for Closer’s wife since she’s pregnant or Busboy since he’s underaged) and playing games when I see Busboy take Server’s drink from them and tell them to stop drinking. Server sort of nodded real small like and I don’t know, it set off an alarm bell in my head. To paint a picture, Busboy is a fit young white guy even if he doesn’t pass that well while Server is a fat Mexican person with a lot of acne and stuff like that. Busboy’s also been known to cite his alleged disabilities to get out of work from time to time and he’s picky when ordering around the other bussers at work. Regardless of him being a Trainer, it’s just off putting yk?

I keep watching them before I asked Server if they wanted to be on my team for a card game we all wanted to play. Server looked to Busboy for permission and Busboy gave me a strange look before slowly agreeing. When Server and I were off by ourselves, I asked them if everything was okay. They didn’t really give me an answer, just sort of shrugged and said that it wasn’t anything I can do. Can you see where I’m going with this?

While we played the game, Busboy got very loud and obnoxious, saying inside jokes that only he, Closer and Server would know from when they opened our restaurant location, frequently interrupted my team and chastised me for offering Server some of my lemondrop drink, saying: “can’t you see that they clearly don’t want any?”

And here’s where I may be the asshole, I said: “How about you shut up and ask him what he wants?”

I know, I misgendered Server on accident, and I corrected myself in the moment, but the room went silent and Busboy got really confused and said: “But i did?”

I asked him: “When? They’ve spent all night stuck to your side, it looks like you’ve got them on a leash.”

Closer made an inappropriate joke to lighten the mood, but Busboy looked really confused and kept asking everyone if that’s what it looked like. I said: “yeah, it does. [Server], what do you want to do?”

Server said; “I don’t know, man, what are we upset about?”

But when I tried to explain that Busboy was acting really suspicious all night, everyone started telling me that I was wrong and that this wasn’t true, that Busboy’s always like this. It didn’t make any sense to me! I asked if Busboy always micromanages how Server drinks and Closer said; “no, but it’s [Server]’s turn to drive the two of them home. Usually [Busboy] drives and it’s a long drive, but today they’re in [Server]’s car.”

I ended up leaving pretty soon after and I feel really silly about the whole thing. So, tumblr, Aita?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

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eventuallyaugust · 2 years ago

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bound by the rules masterlist smau

pairing/s: lesserafim huh yunjin x txt's sixth member! gp! oc x aespa yoo jimin

summary: txt's oldest member, oh hyunseol just want a peaceful life after pandemic with her members, but it seems like fate wants to shake things up.

tags... crack, fluff; angst; hurt(?); suggestive/smut (not all time); kinda slow burn (not the do i like her slow burn, but those longer than a min touches and longing gazes kind of slow burn); no beta we die like men; love at first sight; friends to lovers

warning/s... love triangle; angst; too many things going on; an ungodly amount of time skips; suggestive/smut themes; dark jokes; toxic staffs and management; scandals; dark themes & graphic content: strong language, bullying (affectionately); multiple mentions of alcohol and its consumption; many more to be added

setting... story will start in 2022

featuring... txt, lesserafim, aespa, itzy (mostly ryujin), ive (mostly annyeongz), choi yena, skz bangchan, nct jaehyun, g-idle yuqi, enhypen heeseung, some bts members, and many more that often pops up in just one of the chapters.

status... DISCONTINUED

————

profiles. bighit's baby giants, too pretty to be ais, not-so-fearless with bugs, the seven avengers

chapters (number of chapters & some titles still unidentified)

⭐ - fav chap

01 | happy birthday to you⭐

02 | new bestie unlocked

03 | birth month twinnie (half written)

04 | pretty elevator girl (kinda half written)

05 | tagged along

06 | birthday money

07 | meeting for what?! (mostly written)

08 | MEETING?? HER?? WHAT??

09 | minjeong's research

10 | lee fcking soo-man (written) ⭐

11 | give me your bets

12 | field day (pt.1)⭐

13 | the claw machine⭐

14 | party party yeah

15 | alexa, play drama by txt (written)⭐

16 | she is like dramama ramama

17 | #prayforheeseung

18 | gay panic-ese⭐

19 | txt's first 2022 vlive (written)⭐

20 | lord me when⭐

21 | be careful what you wish for (written) ⭐

22 | something bad just happened ⭐

23 | perfect friends ⭐

24 | matchz? it's a matchz! ⭐

bonus... matchmaker episodes

25 | 0 7 . 3 0

26 | seol & umji?? seolji?

27 | haters gonna hate

28 | wee-woo 🚨🚨

29 | a house of cards (written)

30 | us against the world

31 | through the cracks

32 | without the foundation

extra/s:

bbtr plot timeline

2022

2023

2024

----

taglist: @curly-fr13s , @neuftaeng , @myothegreat , @yoontoonwhs , @nasyu-kookies , @awkwardtoafault , @osakis-gf , @dream-chasers-things , @woonie57 , @juhyunsthirdwife , @sewiouslyz , @yerevies , @kimsgayness , @jeindall777 , @notodayeli , @mah4u

°°°°

a/n: seol can be interpreted as the reader or whole other person. it was supposed to be y/n, not seol but i find it hard to imagine if i pair yunjin and karina to someone i can't imagine, so that's where seol is born.

disclaimer all images and pictures used in this story are not all mine. they belong to their rightful owners and i therefore give credits to their edits. since this is a smau, all of the happenings and events within are made up and the product of my imagination. any similarity to real-life occurrences or individuals, whether alive or deceased, is entirely coincidental. SEPARATE FICTION FROM REALITY.

@ eventuallyaugust 2024 | navi

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sweetheartsaku · 7 months ago

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—love and deepspace rafayel ; like a song ive never listened to but i know every lyric

a/n ; [fem!reader] @oracleofstars DAY 3 PROMPT AND FIRST LND POST WOOHOO doing this one bc im in band huhuhuhu :3c

larkspur !

concerts have always felt like a fever dream.

and the absolute tingle down your spine when you managed to swiftly choose and buy front-row tickets to THE 3VOLS concert?? your heart was basically beating out of your chest. to make your heart even tighter, a little pop-up had appeared on your laptop screen basically screaming at you: "DON'T LEAVE AFTER THE CONCERT ♡" in rafayel's iconic handwriting, with its own messy yet neat flare to it. one of your favourite members.

you wonder what a singer like him could possibly be doing after a concert as big as this. especially for a smaller artist like him, maybe he wanted to get to know what his fans are like? a social experime-

the cold breeze of your open window kisses your cheek causing you to snap out of your daze. your cream curtain had been blowing fresh air, it made you feel more alive, especially having it slightly open in the early mornings. the sunlight would bleed into the curtains onto your sheets and the early bustling of the beautiful city would awaken.

a small blue jay chirps outside, and your phone chimes reminding you to bring your purse.

you slot your gentle lip tint and wallet, your phone's little dangling charms clinking with all the other knick-knacks in your purse. and for the final touch, the little rafayel chibi keychain attached with a beaded charm you had bought by impulse (listener like artist?).

you connect your white headphones sprinkled in stickers, playing his latest track. one of your favourites from their most recent single, Tip Toe.

"even better to be experienced live" you smiled, as you tap on your bus card. you take a seat nearest in-between the back and the middle, claiming your seat closest to the window.

you had always been drawn to the more charismatic, charming and... magnetic members. that one, being rafayel.

before you even knew it, you had already arrived at the bar it was set, a very cozy and warm atmosphere fills the air. there were people on the stage, setting up xavier's iconic deep red bass and zayne's pearly keytar. the stage was littered in little bits of glitter, and warm fairy lights.

a shiver of your heart knew this was going to be a magical experience.

placing your headphones around the strap of our bag, you stand in awe at the centre of the audience area, eyes shimmering. bejewelled.

suddenly a dark, veronica lilac shade came into sight.

rafayel.

"RAFAYEL?????" your mind was running laps, taken aback by the sudden sight of the man of your dreams in front of you, setting up his own mic still looking back backstage presumably talking to staff.

he was dressed in an unbuttoned white polo with a loose black tie on top, paired with worn out denim jorts and a pair of thick socks with leathery brown dress shoes.

ohmygoodness.

they weren't wrong when they said he was prettier in real life. to make it even worse, you were one of the only people in that standing area.

"oh? you must be early. we still have an hour or so till' the show starts." he tilts his head towards you, looking back down at his mic

"e-eh?! you're talking to... me?!" you lock your eyes with his lilac ones, and gain composure.

"i mean... well yeah. i prefer to get to events early!!" you smile.

he looks back up, impressed by her gentle demeanour finding her cute being so shocked he was talking to her.

"well, that's good. and don't worry. i'm not some big celeb, just a guy who loves his band and has the eye for the arts, if i do say so myself. no need to be shy.", he chuckles.

oh wow. he's so much more charismatic in real life too. your ears become warm, thinking this is all a daze.

"well, i hope to see you in the crowd, hm?"

"yep! i'll be in the front row... chookas?"

"thank you. hope to see ya' after the show."

something about her... was different.

she was alluring. her soul... it was... beyond description. would he really believe in love at first sight after every other soul he's fallen for?

stealing glances at you throughout the concert, he notices your passionate aura and your shouts of the lyrics from the latest single, Tip Toe.

xavier finds himself noticing rafayel's eyes on you, he felt captivated, enchanted if you will, as he saw you sing to his music. xavier smiles to himself as he gets fired up for his solo part in the following 3 bars.

he had 3 songs left till he could finally interact with you again.

after the concert, 3VOLS bow and grin, feeling accomplished playing their latest single flawlessly. now, he just had to see if people payed attention to the pop up on the ticket site.

the small maintenance crew had efficiently set up the little tables filled with boxes, revealing little pouches containing little trinkets and freebies organised by the boys to express their gratitude for supporting and attending their concert and simply just enjoying their music. each little bag was organised by member, letting the people who had noticed the little pop up choose their favourite member's freebies.

you managed to get a early spot in the small crowd of people. peering over a shoulder, it seemed like they were having a small meet and greet.

ohmygoodness.

WERE TALKING TO THEM PERSONALLY AGAIN??? this cannot be real. PLEASE LET ME GET A TURN WITH RAFAYEL!!

the little crowd was progressively moving, now the time awaits on you to be able to have the opportunity to greet the first debuted member, xavier. he held hands with you, smiling as he directed his eyes towards rafayel.

DOES HE KNOW MY FAVOURITE IS RAFAYEL??

"oh, i noticed your little raf' keychain. its cute." he gleams. in reality, he knows rafayel has had an eye on you. little did you know, his eyes were still on you as you held hands with xavier.

you giggle, thanking him and interacting with zayne. you reach rafayel at the end of the table, and he automatically hands you the pouch of trinkets filled with little freebies chosen by rafayel himself.

"honestly, my eye for the arts makes my pouch one of the best decorated here." he playfully chuckles.

"hm... maybe. we'll see when i open it!"

"can't wait. did you enjoy the show?"

"oh my gosh of course!! my favourite had to be Tip toe. or Saturn, or WDYS... i can't choose!! oh and Over 85 was also re- oops. i just enjoyed the entire show! you did so well!!"

"i'm happy to hear that. the experience was magical for me too." he says as they exchange closed eye smiles.

you extend your hand and he laces his hands with yours, slightly cold fingertips sending a pang through your heart. you bid your goodbyes and thank you's, heart warm and mind at ease.

you exit the bar, taking in the deep night city air.

oh gosh. well that just happened.

you untie the little purple ribbon that embraced the little pouch. what came to your surprise, a little piece of paper had fallen out.

hm? what's thi-

you're cute. heres my number, ⌝

XXXX-XXX-XXX

i think i wanna get to know ya'.

⌞ xoxo, rafayel. ᡣ𐭩

larkspur, representing first love and sweet disposition.

your voice , ⌝

like a song i've never listened to

⌞ but i know every lyric.

#oracleofstars #mics : dear rafayel #rafayel #rafayel x reader #rafayel x you #rafayel fluff #rafayel prompt #love and deepspace #love and deepspace fanfiction #love and deepspace fluff #rafayel love and deepspace #love and deepspace x reader #l&ds x reader #love and deepspace rafayel

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ohtobeleah · 2 years ago

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Best Worst Christmas // Jake Seresin

Summary: After some life altering news. You confide in Hangman which leads you to ticking off something incredibly important on your bucket list.

Warnings: Terminal illness. Mentions of death. Dark humour. Jake Seresin x Reader. Angst & fluff—Jake being just the best version of himself.

Word Count: 4.8k

Author Note: TRUST ME TO DO THIS. Because we can’t have anything nice here. Even at Christmas time. Got this idea from Bianca’s story line from Shameless. Not your typical happy go lucky Christmas fic.

Slow motion. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. From the way Bob brought the lip of his glass of lemonade up to his mouth to hide his infectious smile to the way Bradley twirled Phoenix under his arm and pulled her into his side. Dancing to whatever song had been blaring from the jukebox.

Slow. Slow and silent. You couldn't hear a single thing beside the high pitched ringing in your ears that sounded like just the right pitch to break the glass of the windows out front. No laughter, no music, no mundane chatter from other patrons littering the Hard Deck on this oh so average Friday afternoon.

Except there was nothing average about being told just forty five minutes ago that you were dying. Merry Fucking Chrismas.

“I'm sorry, Payback.” You shook your head softly as you blinked a few times, the ringing in your ears clearing as everything seemed to come back into real time, sound and all. “What did you say?”

“I said you don't look so good, Jake mentioned you left early for a doctor appointment off base, you good?”

“What is Hangman doing with my name in his mouth?” You spat before you took what was left of your beer into your mouth, skulling the burnt amber liquid like there was no tomorrow. For you there really wasn't all that much time left. Paying attention to how your liver processed alcoholic beverages had become an afterthought. “But yeah, I uh– I did.”

“Something any of us should be worried about?” Payback had always been a kind and gentle soul. You envied his passion for all things Christmas. His ugly Christmas sweater told you everything that you needed to know, his was down bad for the holiday season. “Nut?”

“Everything’s just peachy keen Fitch, you don't gotta worry about me.” You tried your best to hide the ever mounting pressure you felt in your chest through a pained smile and soft gaze. “But–” You held your empty glass up as you twirled around on the barstool you'd been sitting on. “I'm tapped so I'm gonna grab another beer and then you and I are gonna have a game of pool once shit for brains is finished showboating.” Reuben followed where your eyeline had evidently landed and low and behold there stood none other than Jake Seresin, claiming his title as undefeated pool champion with a grin so prominent on his face it made you feel sick to your stomach. “Be right back.”

You slid off the stool and fixed the ‘Christmas’ dress that had been sticking to the back of your thighs. It wasn't anything special, just a red mid length dress that fit the Christmas attire that had been mandated but Reuben Fitch himself. Head and only member of the party planning committee. It wasn't anything special, but at least the dress was red, right?

You'd been excited for the staff Christmas party for months up until the moment your doctor had sat you down and handed you a one way ticket to the afterlife. You thought maybe the reason you'd been feeling so unwell over the last few weeks had been an imbalance in your birth control or a shift in seasons or just something, anything other than what your final prognosis had ended up being.

“What can I get you Nut?” Penny asked when she saw you leaning against the bar, card in hand, swinging on the barstool. “The usual?”

“Uh can I get a double Jamison please Pen, on the rocks if you could.” Penny got to work fixing up your order as Jake slipped in beside you. Not turning his head in your direction as he fished his wallet out from the back of his jeans as he sat. The stupid matching Chrismas shirt he wore with Bradley looked ridiculous on him. Only Bradley Bradshaw could pull off a Christmas themed Hawaiian shirt. It wasn't Hangman's usual attire, it looked idiodic on him in the best way possible.

“Another beer if you can Penny, extra tenner on the bar for you too.” Jake was, if anything, a charmer at heart. But despite his ability to smooth talk his way out of any situation and into anyone that had a hole he could put it in, you couldn't stand him. “You seem even more shrewd than usual this afternoon there Nut, not feeling the Christmas cheer?” and he couldn't stand you either. Or so you both led on.

“Bit me.” Penny slid you the class, brown bourbon had never tasted so good before as you downed the double shot you ordered before slamming the glass back down. It wasn't the best move you could have made because the second you swallowed? Your stomach churned. “I gotta go.” You were quick for a woman who could barely walk in heels, racing towards the nearest exit without so much as causing a scene. Leaving Jake in your dust as he almost gave himself whiplash trying to crain his head fast enough to keep up.

“Wait, hold on the parties just getting started?” Jake took the beer bottle from Penny, being gentleman enough to say a quick thankyou her way before making a dash after you towards the front door. “Nwet hold on!” Your call sign had you as the Goddess of the sky. The name originating from Egyptian Mythology, but for some reason or another that had been shortened even further. Everyone just called you Nut for short.

“Not now Hangman, I’m serious I’m not fee–” You didn't get a chance to finish your sentence before you were throwing up the contents of your stomach in the nearest pot plant on the front deck. Down on your knees as your hands gripped at the ceramic. Coughing and splattering as Jake put his beer down on the railing and balled your hair into his first to keep it from falling into the backsplash.

“Alright, I'm cutting you off killer, how much have you had to drink?” Jake crouched down beside you as you sat back on your heels, whipping your mouth on your forearm. “You good?”

“Get me another drink and I'll be even better.” You had heard loud and clear what Jake had said but just chose to ignore it. You didn't have much choice anymore. Jake just looked at you like you were on another planet. His eyes wide as his mouth fell slightly open in shock. There weren't many people who could render Jake Seresin speechless–but you always seemed to manage.

It was the same look he gave you whenever you'd get into a heated argument over training sessions or whenever you’d go head to head in another one of your PTI’s latest workouts. The same look he gave you when you said you were fine when you had to miss the last few days of flight training, the same look he gave you when he found you making your doctor's appointment in the rec room between his runs. He looked at you like you hung the stars in the night sky just for him and once he’d finished admiring them you'd knock them out of the sky just to watch them shatter before him. Unpredictable and oh so beautiful.

“Uh, no–I'm not gonna get you another drink when you're throwing up in Pennys plants.”

“It's not the alcoholic, Jake.” You sighed out in response as you pressed your palm to your forehead.

“It most definitely is I can smell it on yo–” You didn't know why, out of all the people you could have told first. Your Parents, Your Commanding Officers, any of your colleagues that seemed more and more like family every day, you chose Jake fucking Seresin to drop the biggest life ending bomb on. The worst Christmas Present ever. Deep deep down you knew exactly why. But there was no time left to figure it out now.

“Jake it's not the Alcohol.” You cut him off, shutting your eyes as tight as you could because you couldn't look at him when you told him. “It's cancer.”

“What?” When you opened your eyes again Jake's expression had softened to something you’d never seen before. “What do you mean it's cancer?” This couldn't really be happening could it? You wouldn't be cruel enough to play such a sick joke on him. But with the way you were looking at him right now? Jake felt his heart collapse into his stomach. The love of his life had cancer? “What do you mean by cancer Y/n?” Jake repeated as he brushed your hair away from your shoulder. “You aren’t being serious right now are you?” You didn’t respond right away because you were stunned at the saddened and stunned look Hangman had been stricken by.

“What I mean by cancer is that I have a shelf life.” You tried to make the moment a little more lighthearted. “A cosmic fuck you when you were just getting started huh.” It was the hardest thing you'd ever done, to sit in front of the man you loved to hate and hated to love and tell him you were dying. You hadn’t even had a chance to see what you could have been. You'd both been too caught up playing the long con that you'd wasted whatever time you had.

“What's the uh–?” Jake didn't know how to ask as he stood with you and moved over to the nearest table that was clear and free. “What's the prognosis?”

“Stage three Pancreatic–well basically stage four but—” Silence fell as Jake sat beside you completely stunned. His mind was running a million miles an hour, thinking of all the times you’d smiled at him. Beamed his way whenever he taunted you or teased you for something stupid and meaningless. You took everything like a champ because you could dish it out in return. He’d learnt to expect an elbow to the ribs whenever you had this one particular look in your eye.

“And what's the going rate for stage three?” Jake wanted to hear you say at least something promising, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“Two Percent, Doc said even that was being generous.” His heart stopped for a moment. This wasn’t happening, not to you. Not to the one woman he had ever loved.

“Okay but what about chemo? What about other treatments that could surely raise that number up right?”

“Oh, I ah–I don't wanna do any treatment.” That knocked the wind right out of Jake, he felt like he couldn't breathe. Like the entire world had just been knocked out from under his feet. “I saw what it did to my friend's mother Cathy, she spent whatever time she had left being pumped full of poison, because of it she became so weak she couldn't enjoy the things she could have been while she still had time.”

“You can't not try Y/n.” Jake had moved as close to you as he possibly could. So much so it was easy enough for you to accept your own mortality with your head resting gently on his shoulder. “It's probably really selfish of me to say this but I'm not ready to just let you go.”

“Please, spare me the hallmark card sympathies Seresin.” Scoffing, you took the beer bottle Jake had been sipping infrequently on. Taking a gulp of the yeasty beverage. “I don't need you treating me any differently now that you know I'm practically worm food.” It was the way Jake looked at you like he couldn't believe what you had just said. Did you expect him not to laugh or something? Strifally back a laugh so pure Jake waited for you to crack first, the symphony of highs and lows that sounded like the most prim and proper orchestra surrounded him as you laughed with him.

“When did you find out? You seem to be dealing with the inevitability of it all well.”

“About fifty minutes before I told you.” The smile had been whipped clean from Jake's face once again. The laughter that had just filled the atmosphere around you both now replaced with silence so heavy you were sure you had just been buried alive. “I haven't told anyone, and I wasn't planning to either.”

Although you and Jake pretended most days to loathe each other's existence, there was no real animosity there. It was simply a childish act. Your mother had told you at an early age that boys who pulled your pony tail on the playground at school must have liked you. So you learnt play rough too, showing your affection by taunting and teasing between lingering eyes and daydreams of what it would be like to be with Jake as more than just whatever the fuck you were.

“Why did you tell me? I mean I thought I would have been the last person on earth you would have spilled your darkest secrets to.” Jake felt nothing but content when you let your head fall back to his shoulder. He decided this time though to wrap a comforting arm around you—drawing you further into his side.

“Believe it or not you were the first person who came to mind when I was told.” You'd thought about what Jake would say. If he’d even say anything at all when he found out, if he’d change the way he treated you or if there would be a small part of him that would be relieved that you wouldn't be around to annoy him anymore or challenge him whenever he thought he was better than you. “I thought maybe you’d be a good person to tell because you wouldnt look at me like I was weak.”

“If there’s one thing you are, it's not weak.” Jake shook his head as he finished the remains of his beer. Standing as he offered you a hand. “Come on, we’re getting out of here.”

“What? Where are we going?” You didn’t protest all that much—knowing what Jake had in mind was probably better than wallowing in self pity. You took his hand gracefully as he guided you to stand, meeting his gaze yet again.

“We’re gonna go back to your place—“

“Oh, as if you would.” You cracked a smile as Jake looked at you a little confused. “I’m dying Hangman, don’t get that confused with desperate.” It wasn’t that you wouldn’t, you would in a heartbeat—but the feeling you got from your back and forth taunting just made the prize all the more worth it. Jake just stood in front of you, eyes trailing from your gaze to your lips then back to

Your eyes. Committing every last detail of your face to his long term memory.

“I didn’t mean it like that, but we’re going back to yours.”

“I told Payback I’d play a game of pool with him.” You explained as you tried to push past Jake, all he did was grip your wrist, stopping you from getting any further away from him. “Jesus Christ Jake what has gotten into you?” You stood there questioning his sudden need to be overbearing.

“You just told me you have terminal cancer and you’re asking me what’s gotten into me! Jesus Y/n.” Jake let go of your wrist as he ran his hands through his hair, extinguishing a frustrated sigh as he looked anywhere but directly at you when he let his guard down. Nothing good ever came with Jake Seresin let his guard down, so he didn’t do it all that often. “I was just told the woman I’ve been obsessed with for the last year is dying and there’s literally not a single thing that I can do to stop it!” You let your walls down almost instantly at the confirmation, softening your shoulders and letting yourself just enjoy the satisfaction of the moment you thought would never come. Jake knew you were thinking—he could practically see the cogs turning in your head as you stood before him smirking a bashful smile. Suddenly doe eyed and willing to step a little closer. “What?” Jake scoffed as his lips curled into a smile that matched yours. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“So you’re obsessed with me huh?”

“That’s your take on this whole situation?”

“Oh yeah—“ Wrapping your arms around the back of Jake's neck you drew him all the more closer as his hands instinctively went to your hips. “Because I didn’t have to admit that I’m obsessed with you first.” You really didn’t give him a second to respond with some witty remark on how he was just saying it because he felt sorry for you—instead you let your lips press against Jakes softly. Testing the waters before diving into the deep end. Pulling back as you slowly opened your eyes. “It’s not fair of me to ask you to love me, especially knowing what you know—“ It was Jake's turn to cut you off before you could try and talk him out of spending whatever time you had left right by your side. His lips connected with yours as his hands came up to cup your cheeks as your tongue danced with his. Savoring every second because you’d always wondered what type of kisser Jake Seresin was. The answer? He knew what he was doing.

“Doesn’t mean I won’t.” Pulling away momentarily Jake tan the pads of his thumbs across your flushed cheeks. “How long?” Jake didn’t really want to know the answer but he knew deep down it wouldn’t be long.

“Anywhere between six months to a year.” It broke your heart the way Jake dropped his chin slightly at the realisation. “Depends on my lifestyle.”

“Then I’m gonna be by your side for the next six to twelve months.” Jake promised as he held his hand up to wrap his pinky with yours. “Till the end of the line.”

***~***~***~***~***~

Not a single person had seen you or Jake leave the Hard Deck unannounced. Payback had texted you a few times before you decided enough was enough and sent him a quick message saying you were with Jake before placing your phone on do not disturb.

“Okay so you’re sure this one has the built in lighting?” Jake asked just one more time as you both stood back and looked at the piles of broken down Christmas tree that you’d sectioned into piles on your living room floor.

“For the millionth time, yes—“ You’d leant Jake a pair of your ex’s old sweatpants that you’d forgotten you had until he was long gone. They fit snug, but well. In true Hangman style though? He was parading around your house, shirtless. Sweats hanging low leaving very little to the imagination.

“Okay well, let’s start by fanning these prongs out before we attach anything to the trunk.” You’d changed into your Christmas pajamas—a cartoon version of the grinch saying it’s about to get naughty right across your chest. Jake had thought your house would be full of Christmas decorations by now—always the life of every holiday season. But when he stepped through the threshold and saw you hadn’t been bothered he knew that had to change.

Especially if there was a possibility this could be your last Christmas.

“You got your tree up yet?” You asked as soft melodies of Christmas songs played from your speaker, filling the living room as you and Jake sat on the ground amongst a sea of fake Christmas tree. Jake nodded softly as he worked to fluff out the prongs.

“Yep, had it delivered the first of November—got a real one this year.”

“Yeah you would be the type of person to have a real tree wouldn’t you.” It’s not that you had anything against it, it’s just that a real tree always seemed like so much work. “But if I get the chance to see next Christmas, I’ll get a real one.”

“We can go Christmas tree shopping, new ornaments and all.” Jake offered as his pile grew a little faster then yours. “How come you hadn’t put your tree up yet?” He asked, perplexed. “You’re always drowning on about how the holidays are your favourite time of year.” You didn’t answer right away, you were going to make up some lame excuse but then you remembered Jake Seresin was the o my other person besides you general practitioner that knew you were dying. You could tell him.

“I just haven’t really had the energy to.”

“The cancers the reason you haven’t been flying as much isn’t it?”

“Yep.” You popped your lips at the P. “Probably won’t be too long now before I’m stuck behind some desk in the admin building doing some mundane Johnny pencil pusher projects.” Sighing, you reached for another set of prongs. “Even a swivel chair will eventually make me gag—I don't know how much longer I’ll be able to withstand G’s and barrel roll.”

“Well damn Nut, who’s gonna keep the top of my head from popping off?” Jake teased as he came to sit beside you, leaning back on the couch as he legs fell either side of you. Your back to his chest as he took the prongs you were working on from your hands and finished it himself. “You’ve always kept my ego from inflating.”

“God help the crew when I’m dead and gone.” You chuckled softly as you left your sink into Jake's embrace. “You’ll just have to remember who’s the goddess of the sky, I’ll still be around to kick your ass.”

“Oh yeah? How are you gonna manage that killer?”

“I’ll wiggle your ear whenever you do something stupid.” You grinned, reaching up and around to wiggle Jake's earlobe. “Like that, whoever you get a little too hot headed, you’ll feel me.”

“Deal.” Jake smiled softly as he kissed your shoulder from behind. “Now, while I’ll sit here fanning these things out, why don’t you make a list of all the things you wanna do between the next six to twelve months?”

“Like a bucket list?” You asked softly as you lulled your head back to catch the glint in Jake's eyes.

“Exactly, whatever you wanna do, I’ll help you do it.” You really couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. Settling back against Jake you started listing off things in your notes app.

“I wanna get a tattoo, something stupid but meaningful—maybe even just something funny.” You’d end up getting a matching tattoo with Jake a few weeks later. Both in the same spot, on your tricep just above your elbow. Two hands pinky promising—till the end of the line written in calligraphy.

“Solid plan, I approve, what else Nut?” Jake reached for another pile to fluff up, almost having made his way through all the pieces.

“I wanna skinny dip at the beach, at night, or even when the suns just starting to set.” Jake takes you. You both strip down and race towards the waters edge. You wrestle and fight until you're hooking your legs around his waist and your arms around his shoulders. Kissing him like you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. His hands hold you up by your ass—and you squeal when a rogue wave knocks you both down. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Shameless Y/l/n, but deal—what’s next.” You add about six different things onto your list, telling Jake every single one as you both stand to place all the pieces of your tree together. Deciding that you were both committing to the entire project together. Making a trip into your garage for the ornaments.

“Maybe I should have a threesome?” You held the ladder at the bottom of your manhole Jake had climbed up into to fetch the seasonal box. “Yeah, never had one of those before but maybe it’s worth checking out.”

“Two guys or one guy and one girl?” Jake handed you the box before he jumped down with a soft thud. “Or you and two girls?” You just raised a brow in response. “Hey—“ Jake was quick to hold his hands up in surrender. “I dunno what your sexual preferences are! I’m just being inclusive.” He sent you his signature shit eating grin. “But uh, pencil me down for whatever you decide.”

“You wouldn’t be included in the girl on girl fantasy.” You gained back as Jake took the box back from you, walking side by side down the hall back to your living room.

“But you’re saying there’s a chance I’d be included in the other two choices.” You never do end up having a threesome, it never actually makes the list. “Can’t say I haven’t dreamed of that a few times.”

“Really? Funny that, I had a dream that I dropped you down a well just the other night.” You didn’t even look Jake's way as you fished out a few ornaments and started hanging them on the tree. Jake followed curiously. “And get here you are dreaming of having sex with me?”

“I definitely like my dream a lot better—“ You couldn’t hold back your laugh as you shook your head, turning on your heels to fetch more ornaments.

“I’m not having sex with you Hungman.” Jake raised his eyebrows in response to what you’d called him over your shoulder. “Isn't that what they all call you?”

“Seems a little rude, and also short sighted.” He was quick to wrap his arms around your waist from behind, kissing your neck as you tried to pull away. Secretly enjoying the affection you could have been experiencing for a whole year before now. “Add it to your list.”

“I’ll reluctantly add it to my list.” It didn’t take you and Jake all that much time to finish decorating your Christmas tree. Stepping back to admire your work, you turned on the lights and dimmed down your overheads. Jake held his fist out for your to fist bump before he drew you into his side. You had told Jake you’d add to fuck him onto you bucket list—he even watch your write something down into your notes. But it wasn’t that. No—it was something much better.

“Best worst Christmas ever, don’t you think Nut?”

“Best worst Christmas ever Hangman.” Turning into Jake you kissed him once again, only for a fleeting moment. “Thankyou for this, just being here—I felt like I was drowning at the bar.”

“Like I said, till the end of the line.” Kissing the top of your head, you asked Jake to say the night, it was the first time Jake Seresin had slept in the same bed as a woman and he didn’t fuck her. All he did was hold you till you fell sleep—and that’s when for only a few brief moments he let himself cry. He loved you, truly.

***~***~***~***~***~***

Eighteen Months Later //

“Are you thick or are you fucking stupid Rooster!?” Jake barked as he walked down the tarmac towards his wingman. “I said break right and follow back and under—talley two at five o’clock low means exactly that!” Jake was seeing red. “Do you wanna get yourself killed in a real fight?”

“Ease up, we’re alive and we still have the fastest time on the leaderboard—Coyote, Payback and Fanboy are nowhere near us.”

“That’s not the point, Bradshaw! You just didn’t fucking think!” Jake was seething, his face was red and if Bradley looked close enough? He swore he could see steam coming out of Jake's ears. “Something’s gotta be in there—it can’t just be air in that thick—“ Before Jake could finish, he felt a tugging sensation on his left earlobe. Shutting up instantly as he reached up to tug at the phantom sensation.

“Nut got your ear?” Bradley asked as he tapped Hangman on the shoulder, Bradley had been the one Jake confided in when you finally passed on. He didn’t believe in the afterlife until he couldn’t let you go. “Mum used to say dad would whistle around the house, she’d smell his cologne too.” Bradley caught the sun catching on Jake's wedding band. You’d both decided fuck it one night and high tailed it to a Vagas to get hitched. “She’s probably trying to tell you to stop yelling at me!”

Christmas had long passed and Jake still had his dead tree up. Something about taking it down meant saying goodbye and he wasn’t ready to do that. You’d only just managed to make it to new years before deciding you just couldn’t do it anymore. But you were wrapped to have two best worst Christmas’s under your belt.

Jake held you close till you took your last breath, you weren’t in some hospital somewhere hooked up to all sorts of machines. No. You were down by the ocean, in Jake's arms. Talking about how you were so thankful to have completed everything on your lift. The final one being the most important.

“Here—“ Jake remembers you saying softly as you handed him a letter. “I wrote them down so you’ll never forget everything you did for me.”

Jake scanned the page of about fifteen different things you had done together, the last one though he never knew you wrote. He couldn’t help himself as he held you a little tighter, a little closer. He framed the letter and placed it on his bedside table—The tick next to number fifteen his favourite thing of all.

Number 15: Know what it’s like to fall in love on the worst, best Christmas ever.

#jake seresin x y/n #jake hangman x reader #jake seresin fic #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin angst #jake seresin fan fic #top gun hangman

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