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tbhimnoteasyonmyself · 9 months ago

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WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH PHEE?

(and other equally puzzling things)

An EXTREMELY EXTENSIVE Post-Episode 10 Analysis/Theory

So, okay. Episode 10 was A LOT. Like... A LOT, A LOT. And a lot of this lot seems... Weird as fuck. So many odd choices were made in the narrative.

Top's drugged manipulation; White pulling info about shrooms out of his ass; Fluke becoming a victim of involuntary drug abuse ghosts of his past and begging for mercy after "all he did to Non"... But nothing beats Phee's OOC moments in ep.10 while he's alone with Jin.

Which is what compels me to make this post. Because this series has been nothing but the richness of detail and now suddenly... It's all over the place? Call it wishful thinking (or Last Twilight trauma) but I don't think so. And it mostly comes down to: Phee. And whatever his "agenda" is.

PS: All screenshots of the show I use (and I will use a lot) will have been brightened because this show is FUCKING DARK, BOYYYYYY and I don't think y'all deserve to force your sight at 3AM to enjoy my posts.

WHAT HAPPENS AND WHY IT'S SUSPICIOUS

So? What does Phee say and do when he's alone with Jin in ep.10 and why am I suspicious of it?

It's hard to say for sure. But we can base ourselves off of 3 things: what we hear him say, what Jin replies to him and the flashbacks (no, they're not just there to fill in time for this very short episode, they serve a narrative purpose).

So let's do this analysis following the order in which things are shown to us, shall we?

First of all, we get a short flashback. The events are as follows:

Phee and New go to see the gang's film

New approaches Phee and they talk

New and Phee decide to try and figure out what happened to Non by infiltrating the group

New and Phee join the gang's school and start asking questions

Jin decides to leave Thailand

New suggests going to Por's mansion for the goodbye party

Phee questions New in the lab about his decisions

New suggests using their homemade drug on the group as a truth serum

Phee asks if the drug is deadly and New denies it

Although we don't hear Phee tell this to Jin, Jin does reply very angrily something along the lines of "and you just let him carry on with it? why didn't you stop him? what the fuck is wrong with y'all???", so we can assume we've been shown what Phee told him.

So far, it's very unsuspicious. We've been shown these events before in the actual flashbacks so we can be fairly sure all of that is true.

It starts to get suspicious, however, when Phee replies to him: "There's so much more that you don't understand. About Non, and Tan".

And I think Jin feels the vibe too because, the man standing on his tall pillar of morality and righteousness /s, says he'll give Phee another chance to cut the bullshit and tell him everything. And so Phee sighs and the dreaded narration of ✨New's Murderous Adventures✨ starts.

So Phee tells Jin (and consequently us) that:

Phee and New set up a bunch of cameras to spy on the gang

New drugged the drinks

It was supposed to end when everyone was high at the party but New didn't follow the plan

New deleted the camera files

Phee kept drugging the group

Por's injury wasn't an accident but a trap that he thinks New set

New's drug enhances people's inner fears

Phee "never thought New would be so cruel with Uncle Dang"

New drugged Top at the temple

New must've left the hard disk for White to find

By the time he figured New's plan, there was nothing he could do about it (and we see him looking distressed at New's arrival at the house)

Now, here we have some interesting things. Let me list them for you.

Why would Phee keep drugging the group after Por got hurt?? If, as he claims, he didn't mean for people to get hurt, why would he keep people on drugs while a man is dying on the couch? Especially when the guy you're on a revenge mission with is ELIMINATING THE CONTENT OF THE CAMERA RECORDINGS!! That sure isn't gonna help anyone survive!

How does Phee know about Top??? He and Jin never saw Top arrive at the house. For all they know, that bro is lost in the woods. Right??

HOW THE FUCK DOES HE KNOW WHITE GOT THE HARD DRIVE??? There's no signal in the woods. We've established that. When White tells Tee and New about his actions they're ALONE. The only other person there is LITERALLY THE MASKY (I'm calling the masked person that for convenience, it's shorter. besides, it seems the fandom has been calling them that anyways, so... yeah). So how does he know? How does he know???

And in that same fucking sequence: THE MASKY TRIES TO HURT NEW!!! But if New told Top to hurt everyone who hurt Non, why would he hurt him??? And why, my friends, WHY would he SAVE TEE, when he's the only witness of those events??? It would be so easy to just say the masky killed Tee and he couldn't save him... Is it 4D chess??? Is it a different masky??? Or, is it simply not true that New did that?

It's very confusing, weird and suspicious. But let's wait it out, guys, because there's more to PheeJin in the temple.

After this odd-ass narration, they're back to having a convo. Which goes as follows:

Jin (very validly) asks Phee what the fuck is wrong with him and New

Phee says he'd never allow them to go if he knew New was going for murder instead of just confessions ("you can hate me if you want but I never wanted anyone to get hurt, I swear" or whatever he said)

Jin asks if Tan is New and Phee is Non's boyfriend

Phee confirms Jin's suspicions and even adds that "p'New came back from England"

Jin asks if they ever saw the group as their friends

Phee says they wanted to infiltrate the group to find the truth because they didn't know shit about what happened to Non and it's haunting them (good choice of words there, very subtle /s)

Phee explains his motivation, stating he told Non to "get lost and die"

Jin confesses to recording the child grooming revenge porn tape and posting it on Twitter (-_-)

Jin explains his motivation, saying he respected Non's relationship (by constantly making moves on him?) but couldn't stand him cheating on Phee (so he one-upped him by committing not one but two actual severe crimes?)

Phee appears to be mad and disgusted so he says "Fuck. So we both were the ones who hurt Non?", gets up and starts pacing (oh no! the big boy is angy~~~ /s)

Jin gets up like a sad wet cat

Phee randomly finds an axe and takes some exposition out of his ass by stating "this must be Tan's axe that he keeps as a spare. But it's good"

Phee breaks the gate

So by this point Phee's whole speech sounds a bit insane, considering the type of person we've seen he is. Not to mention he just INSTANTLY calms down upon finding an axe and just decides to move on. Like ??? Excuse me??? If that ain't weird then idk what is. Like, sure, Phee is a very confusing and confused character (as better explored by @crysta1ized in this post). He seems to have his heart divided between many things and they could all be pulling at his strings there. HOWEVER, we have to remember Phee's also THIS guy:

Does this look like the kind of person who would just move on after a (perceived) treason? Does he??

And, the thing about this is that it gets worse.

After the scene cuts back from the house, Pheejin are lost in the damn woods (parallels to New and Tee? mayhaps, man, mayhaps...) These are the events there:

Phee is back to supporting Jin's weight with his body while they walk (which makes no fucking sense bc Jin hurt his SHOULDER which is a part of his UPPER BODY so there's no reason why he couldn't walk on his own but okay, sure)

They make no progress walking for a while, even despite trying to mark the places they've already been at

Jin is very upset that Phee's not very good at navigating through unknown forests at night

Phee, however, is very understanding and says: "Jin. I told you that I would be the one who would protect you. So I'll get you out of here" then PROCEEDS TO HOLD HANDS with him and continues with: "Right now, our friends are waiting for us to help them. So, you must stay strong. Believe in me"

Jin nods (because, despite trying to play the apathetic bitch, he's a softie and very much has feelings™)

PheeJin finally find the exit of the fucking forest

DO Y'ALL SEE HOW SOMETHING'S VERY WRONG WITH PHEE HERE??? Bro's not just acting weird (that would be fine, we love weirdos. *looks at New and winks* <3), he's abnormal. He's not acting like himself.

So, before I jump into trying to make some sense out of all of this, I'll just add the last scene of PheeJin alone in ep.10, last anyone come tell me I missed it:

They're arriving at the mansion

Jin falls down

Phee abandons the axe to help him

I don't think this one is particularly relevant to analyse Phee's character in this episode (although the axe is certainly relevant for other plots and our dear 9th person) but it's there. After this, they're back in the house with everyone and Por's rotting corpse.

PHEE IS HIDING THINGS

So what the fuck happened, really? Well, a lot. Some are easier, I think, to interpret, some aren't but regardless, there was a lot going on with Phee. To make this very complex thing a bit easier to understand, I'll start from the things I think are a bit easier to explain and/or are more solid and then I'll move from there towards the rest of this mess. Okay? Ok- (gets shot bc I hate John Green).

One thing for me that's nearly set in stone is that Phee, at the very least, isn't telling Jin everything. If he was, then the flashbacks would've started with PheeNon's falling love montage but they don't. They start at the cinema. Plus, Jin has to ask if Phee is Non's boyfriend and Tan is New, like he's piecing things by himself. If Phee had told him that, he wouldn't need to ask. AND Phee would've have referred to New as New during his whole monologue but he did not. He kept saying "Tan". He only started doing so after Jin asked the question and he confirmed Tan was New.

Curiously enough, he also never mentions the antidote he knows exists and KNOWS New brought along. And that neither of them ever used on the others.

The million-dollar question here is then, naturally: why? Various reasons, I believe.

1st of all I think we have to account for the feels. Phee is definitely in a weird ass zone with Jin but it's something. And he feels that something (whatever it is. believe me I could make an entire post about that shit, it's so fucking complex, man, and it only gets worse this episode). He likes Jin, even if he tries not to or if he dislikes that he likes him. It's undeniable. So yes, of course, he doesn't want Jin to hate his guts more than necessary.

But also... We cannot forget why Phee himself is there: to find out what happened to Non. And what does he get out of the conversation he has with Jin? That's right. A confession.

Now, I don't think it's the confession he expected if his reactions are anything to go by:

I mean... If this is not the face of a man thinking "well, shit", then idk what it is. And also because, idk if it's a subtitle error or not, but he seems to ask "what did you three do?" when he's inquiring about the events of the past, so...

Someone is being excluded.

Still, I think it's super possible he was hoping to get something out of it. After all, even if he assumes Jin is innocent in his actions, I don't think he's excluding him from having knowledge of what went down. That would make his positive bias even sillier.

So yeah, sure, I bet Phee feels genuinely guilty and it hurts him to be in the situation he's in and he definitely wants to be in a good place in terms of his relationship with Jin, especially because, as he said, he doesn't know if they can get out of the temple. But also... As Ta (Phee's actor) himself said in an interview: Phee can be really manipulative (I can't find the damn interview rn but, during my search, I found @raelle-writing had also mentioned it in this post, so I think it's enough to say I didn't dream that shit). You know... 2 things can be true at once.

Which brings me to the next part:

PHEE IS LYING

That whole talk of "I never thought he would hurt you", "if I had known I wouldn't have let you come", blah, blah, blah. That's some major BULLSHIT.

Phee knew exactly what New was capable of. At least, on a subconscious level. After all, if my friends started being murdered, my 1st assumption would not be that my best friend did it. Unless, of course, my best friend was spiralling down to madness, constantly using drugs to see his dead brother and answering shit like this:

With a smirk on, when I ask him if the absynthe is gonna kill our friends. Because yeah, sure, I guess the green won't kill them. But you can't tell me this motherfucker wouldn't. He definitely would. And if we can infer that, so does Phee, who has been living with him as his close friend for the last 3 years.

In fact, the very fact that he feels the need to ask whether or not the drugs will kill the gang is proof enough that he, to some extent and, whether or not he's aware of it, KNOWS that's, at least, a possibility. Knows that's something New would do.

So yeah, he's perhaps not just lying to Jin (but also to himself) or not intentionally lying, but he's lying nevertheless. Phee knew this was a possibility. He knew New was capable of stuff like that. And when he pieces the story together, that's him admitting, even if no one realizes, that he knew it. And that he let it happen, in fact, because he never tried to stop the drugging. Or talked to New about what was going on (you'd think if he had that he would've told Jin in that situation). His biggest weapon is his knowledge and he chose not to swing the sword sooner. How very Fluke of him, isn't it? Especially because now 2 people are dead and that's on New, right? Right???

Not necessarily.

NEW IS NOT A MURDERER (initially)

You see, for all we see New is fine with death and murder in episodes 9 and 10, he makes it clear his nº1 goal is to figure out what happened to Non when he gets in front of a fucking firearm to harass Tee into talking.

So why would he talk Top into murder? Why would Top attack him?? Why would he kill Uncle Dang?? And why, on the goddamn Earth, would he eliminate the recordings in the house when his whole motivation is

(Thank you, hallucination Non <3) to expose them??? Especially when the only other person who knew about the hidden cameras was Phee. It makes no sense! Sure, he might've contemplated the murder, but on a later phase of the plan, I think. The priority was, always, to get them to confess on camera so he could later use the recordings to expose them to the country and clear Non's image. 'Cause we cannot forget, while the people close to Non don't buy the bullshit TV news sensationalist story (and, therefore, are searching for the truth), the rest of the country thinks Non is a slut who ran away with mafia money and his teacher (because, like @delululover explains in this post: Asian culture tends to normalize grooming of older teens and even blame them for the situation).

So what are we seeing when Phee narrates the events? Well, probably just Phee's guesses.

He thinks New is deranged and has drugs and that Top is missing and now they're being attacked by this person, who is conveniently wearing a mask. So he guesses that's Top. Plus, he doesn't know New was attacked by Masky in the middle of the forest.

He knows, like everyone else, that New had the hard drive. And, when Top and New go out in the woods with the bike he remains in the house. So, it's possible he saw the hard drive there where New left it before he went out.

And, because the only 2 people remaining in the house, as far as Phee knows, are Fluke and White, and New DEFINITELY wouldn't want the drive to get into Fluke's hands, he must've assumed New wanted White to find it (which may or may not be true but it's irrelevant, I think).

And, yes, calm down, I can hear you scream: "But how did he know White watched the video???" And the answer I bring you is very simple: he didn't. He has no idea. And the best part is: you only think he knows because you know. But Phee never says that. He says New left the hard drive there for White to find. And that's it. He never mentions a video whatsoever.

Now, is it convoluted? Yes. Absolutely. But we have to think this is Phee we're talking about. He's the guy who always thinks he has the upper hand (a.k.a thinking he can save Non or that he's not falling in Love with Jin). It's almost impossible for him to think he's in the dark as to what is happening to them. After all, in his narrative of his life, he is the hero. And, I know, lots of people in the fandom see it that way as well, so... It's not impossible to imagine that's what the story is trying to sell us. It's trying to make us believe Phee knows. When in reality, I think, it's more likely that Phee's the embodiment of this meme:

Okay. But then if New didn't do it, then who did? Because something is obviously going on with Top, right? And Uncle Dang IS very much dead. So what the fuck is that all about?

THE SECRET 9TH PERSON? ENTITY? THING?

As discussed several times by several people in this fandom, there's a very high possibility that there's someone else with them in the woods.

@blmpff points out the existence of various versions of the mask here. @subtextsays points out the crutches in the bathroom scene with Top here. There's this shit:

Whatever it fucking means (besides the fact that it gives me the hibbie jibbies). Someone is also obviously taking care of the Janta cult because there's fresh food in the offerings.

@raelle-writing also points out here that New is also seeing stuff even though our favourite insane motherfucker has got (and has been using!) the antidote.

And, as of episode 10, as @babyangelsky pointed out in this post, when PheeJin are lost in the damn woods, the cuts on the wood Phee supposedly make keep changing.

Which makes both of us question if they're all the same cut or even all done by Phee.

So, I think this is enough to speculate Phee could very much just be misinterpreting the whole thing and attributing guilt to New when, in fact, someone else has been causing the deaths.

Now you may question who and that's all very fair. You should even. But that is not what this post is about and, frankly, thank god, because this is already a monstrous creation.

So let's pick these cuts in the wood and use it as a segway to the last part of this, shall we?

PHEE IS AS BENEVOLENT AS A GREEK GOD

So Phee's mad. Super mad. He's passing around and cursing.

Jin, the only person he probably genuinely thought didn't do anything, is the one who recorded and posted the video.

And then Phee finds an axe. And, suddenly, Phee changes. Why?

Well, we have to look at it with what urges Phee to talk in the first place (besides his feelings and his wants): Phee is losing hope. He states it himself that he doesn't think they're going to be able to get out of the temple. So, he talks. Sure, he doesn't say everything but it's the closest to being honest with Jin we've ever seen him be.

And then their whole reality changes. Because Phee found an axe. And it all comes down on him: they are going to get out of there. And what now?

As @yellingaboutkp states in this post Phee is not only hard to read for us or confusing to the other characters (Jin mainly). He's also hard to read and confusing to himself: "...is Phee still playing Jin? It seems like he's trying to, but the more time he spends with Jin, the harder it's getting to stick to the plan."

Thus, what we see at the end of their time in the temple and alone in the woods is a mix of things, I believe.

Phee needs to feel like he's in control again. And with the original plan being ruined and Jin knowing too much (and there's no way he's not gonna speak, in fact, it's the very first thing he does when they arrive at he house) he's simply not. So when he tells Jin everything is gonna be alright, he's also trying to tell that to himself. He's trying to reassure himself that they're gonna get out of that huge mess. And, perhaps, in saving Jin also finding some redemption because, according to his own narration of the events, he let New go too far (as Jin points out).

Phee also knows more now. And maybe, if he was able to get Jin to speak once, without even having to force anything out of him. who knows if he cannot do it a second time in front of the cameras they've set inside the house? So he's trying to follow the script and manipulate him into trusting him, like he always has been trying to do. Except this time he's more bitter about it. And this, alongside with reason 1, is why these two scenes feel so different:

And lastly: Phee knows the catastrophic effects his words and actions had on Non when they broke up. He knows the consequences of his rage. It's the entire reason why he's there. Because he failed at being a good boyfriend the 1st time. Does he really want that to happen again? Does he want to fail Jin too? There's a reason (besides the story itself and his need to justify himself to Jin) why we see that flashback of his break-up with Non in this episode. And I believe this is it. (so yeah, I understand it might be frustrating to see Phee be more benevolent to Jin who fucked up big time than Non who didn't do anything, it is EXACTLY because he wasn't benevolent to Non that Jin is getting princess treatment)

So, in conclusion: Phee is fucking confused. And it carries on being that way for the rest of the episode. Phee calls New out but he doesn't seem to care too much about Por being dead on the couch. He helps Jin on the ground, but he doesn't say a thing about Fluke pointing a gun at Tee. Sure, he does ask for the gun at a certain point but isn't that just more of Phee's desperate need to get control back?

And we see this all come down to the preview of the next episode and what it's probably going to mean:

Phee finally has got things under his control again. But this means, surprise, surprise, that Phee's gotta make a choice: to shoot (and stand on New's side) or not to shoot (and stand on the gang's side). Which, of course, metaphorically is a choice, in good romance and BL fashion, between 2 lovers: Non and Jin. But also, in good storytelling, as, once again, @raelle-writing (can't help myself, Rae's posts are FIRE 🔥🔥 sksksksksks) explores better in this post: a choice between the past and the present; continuing to drown in grief and a wish for revenge or choosing to move on and heal.

And, as I (YES, if I'm gonna tag a bunch of people and their works, YOU BET, I'm gonna link my own stuff) explore in this post about White's identity and role in the story (and other people in the fandom have commented as well), I'm inclined to believe he's gonna pick the gang, Jin, the present, healing. Because this is a story about the damage caused by cycles of violence and grief. And a story about how, the only way to stop them, is to choose not to participate in them by letting go.

(and also because we already have characters who represent different choices like Non, who was always stuck in the future because he kept getting deeper and deeper into shit, thinking tomorrow would be better; or New, who is very obviously stuck in the past, unable to let go of the things he didn't do, the things he didn't prevent and only ends up losing more and more as a consequence)

CONCLUSION

Thank you for your time and attention. Feel free to comment and discuss this with me. And I'll see you either on my next long-ass monologue or next Saturday as we watch episode 11!

All the love 💜💜💜

PS: Shout-out to the group chat, including, but not limited to: @ayansbff, @cyberstalking and @squishysquadstuff who have listened to me ranting about this post since Saturday and told me to eat when I was too focused on writing it. Your patience was fundamental in carrying me through this monstrous project (it took me 10 hours to write all this) 💜💜💜.

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apomaro-mellow · 1 year ago

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King&Prince 4

"Hey Eddie, what happens if you stick a finger up someone's ass?", Dustin asked.

Eddie choked on nothing and looked up from the map he'd been studying. He cleared his throat and flailed his hands at his young ward.

"The fuck Henderson?"

"I asked Steve about it once but he said he wouldn't tell me yet."

"Steve?!" Eddie got up while slamming his hands down. "As in the prince? As in the one I have locked away in the dungeon as we speak?"

"Yeah", Dustin replied, unbothered by the shadows shifting behind Eddie as his hair began to stand on end.

"I will say this in the simplest terms I can. Stay. Away. From Harrington."

Dustin put down the anatomy book he'd been reading. "But he's not dangerous. At least not while he's caged up. He's got pretty decent knowledge of how to hurt someone though."

"Oh I'm sure. He comes from a long line of people who live to hurt." Eddie moved from behind his desk, leaving the map behind. The fireplace was burning bright, the sun had set long ago and Eddie should have sent Dustin to bed by now, but he liked the company. "You know what his family has done."

"I do, but it's not like he's done it. He doesn't deserve to sleep in a shit hole just because his family is a bunch of assholes", Dustin said.

"And who's to say he isn't just as much of an asshole? Apples don't fall far from trees." Eddie moved to stare into the fire. He had been studying the map of his kingdom to think of ways to move his citizens and creatures. He didn't want to displace people, nor seem like he was conceding the border, but the Harringtons weren't giving him much of a choice.

"Can't you just give him some new clothes? He's literally starting to smell."

"I want you to stay out of the dungeons. You keep it up and I'll tell your mom that you're fraternizing with the enemy."

Dustin let out an offended scoff, upset that Eddie would go as far as tattling on him. Well, he had ways around that. Curious about the royal hostage, Dustin had intercepted the servant going to give him his meal and took over that task. But since Eddie told him he couldn't go anymore, Dustin got someone else instead.

Mike had to be bribed with a book, but he went and asked Steve what was worse, internal bleeding or dying of infection.

"Are you one of Dustin's friends?"

"Just answer the question so I can get outta here", Mike sighed.

"I'm not a doctor. I don't know which is worse. But infection is definitely more gross", Steve said. "Especially if it's on your-"

"On your what?", Mike pressed.

Steve considered how much of a pest Dustin was when he didn't get a straight answer and decided that having a conversation partner so he told Mike what he knew about infections while eating. Mike's jaw never left the floor.

"Eddie was wrong about you. You're so-!" Mike stopped short when Steve looked up at him. "You're uh, you're fine, I guess. Do you know a lot about gross stuff like that?"

"I don't know about a lot. I know a thing or two", Steve shrugged. That name came up again, Eddie. Steve was almost interested enough to ask about him but figured he was probably just someone else in the castle that hung out with these kids. And apparently he was someone they looked up to.

From then on, he had a rotation of visitors to bring him food. Dustin was still around, and he'd met Mike. But now there was also Lucas, who mostly asked about the fighting techniques Steve knew about. He also met Will, who usually came with a list of questions Dustin had but also asked about his kingdom in general. Something about the whole thing caught Steve off guard and he asked Dustin the next time he saw him.

"Does your king only employ children?"

"What? No, we don't get paid, but we should", Dustin rolled his eyes as he slid the food over. "We just live here. Lucas and Mike wanna be squires. And I-"

"Where are all the monsters?", Steve asked.

"You probably mean the demobeasts. They live outside, you know, like most animals." Dustin looked at him like he was stupid. It was a common expression on his face.

"They're not like, crawling around?", Steve hadn't even seen so much as a rat, even here in his cell.

"It's not a wild house", Dustin crossed his arms. "I brought one demodog into the castle and Eddie lost it just because it tore up some scrolls."

"You and this Eddie guy hang out a lot? How come you've never sent him down here?", Steve asked.

"He's pretty busy. Plus, he doesn't like you that much."

Steve didn't need to ask why. He was an enemy prince, after all. So far, only Dustin and his friends had shown him anything resembling kindness. Just a day ago, someone had been sent to 'clean' him. Which was really just tossing a bucket of cold water at him. And even those that knew him beyond his status weren't so loving and warm. It was why Steve wasn't surprised that his family had yet to burst through the doors to save him.

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

Alric had known long before he got a letter that his son had been taken and by whom. Steve's escorting party had returned much sooner than planned. Many of them injured, but none dead. They had reported to their king the events and just who was responsible. Still, Alric waited for the official word, just to see what that devil of a king wanted in exchange for his son.

It turned out to be a call to end his aggression and enter a truce. A call to discuss the details of the truce more in person. To sit at the same table as equals and figure out how to live harmoniously as neighbors.

He threw the letter into the fire.

Such terms were unthinkable, as was sending a reply of any kind. Alric would allow his silence to do the talking.

When it went on week three without any sort of word, Eddie called his council to discuss.

"What does it mean when a king doesn't care about his prince?", Eddie had asked.

"It's got to be a ploy", Nancy said. "He wouldn't abandon his only son."

"Unless he was some sort of disgrace", Jeff said. "But then again, something like that would have hit the rumor mill already."

"How can a prince be disgraced? They get away with everything", Robin commented.

Eddie was pacing around the table in the council room. "The point is, dear old dad doesn't seem to bothered with this. It's almost like he wants to be rid of him."

"So what do we do?", Jeff asked.

"We need a clearer picture", Nancy said.

"Clearer picture...", Eddie mused, pausing in his pacing. Then he let out a very loud, every exaggerated groan while bending so far backwards his head almost touched the floor. "Time to visit my favorite hostage."

Part 6

Tag Team

@thesuninyaface @only-evanescent @snakeorsquid @ignoremyworld @theclichefortunecookie @goodolefashionedloverboi @just-a-tiny-void

#apo writes #stranger things #fanfiction #steddie #the party

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xsweetcatastrophe · 4 months ago

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You Broke Me First

Part 26

18+ minors DNI

Author's note: I'm messing with his filming schedule. I know it's not accurate, I know there's years before these projects, I know there's stuff in between projects... but not in my world. so as john mulaney once said: get outta here with your facts.

Also, i'm aware this is short, this was originally going to be longer but I'm splitting it up.

"I can't believe you don't like the ginger," Cillian said, taking his chopsticks and plucking the ginger off of Zoe's take-out container.

They were back at her apartment, changed into comfy clothes with sushi on the coffee table. The TV was on, serving just as background noise. Cillian and Zoe continued to talk about the new house, new furniture, estimated moving dates for Cillian and how ridiculous the home buying process is. Scout was sitting next to Zoe's legs, staring intently, hoping she would drop some food for him.

"I just can't wait for it to all be done, ya know? I hate living in between places and out of boxes... I just want to feel settled," Cillian said,after taking a sip of his wine.

"Hey! I'm offended," Zoe shot back. "My place isn't that bad."

Cillian put his hand on her knee and squeezed. "That's not what I mean and you know it, I'll live anywhere as long as you're there," He replied, giving her a kiss.

"Yea, yea, yea." Zoe said, taking another bite of her sushi. "What's on the agenda for tomorrow?"

Cillian sighed and sat back against the couch cushions. He took out his phone and pulled up his calendar. "A whole bunch of shit. I have to to finalize when I'm flying out to film season 6 of Peaky, I have some fittings tomorrow for it, but we fly out... I don't know.. I don't want to think about it," Cillian said, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Me neither," Zoe said, quietly.

They both were aware these shoots last anywhere from 2-3 months. They both were also aware he would be filming this in another country, while Zoe would be here. They both wanted to ignore it, maybe in hopes the problem would go away, somehow.

Another thing Zoe was ignoring, was how fast this entire "relationship" was going. She feels like it was just yesterday she was arguing with him in a bar over spiked seltzers, and now they survived a PR relationship and possibly moving in together? He never officially "asked" her to be his girlfriend. God, do people even do that anymore? It's been so long since Zoe was in a real relationship. Maybe because they're older? Is this how fast everyone moves when they're in their 30's?

"Then let's not think about it," Cillian said, leaning forward and putting his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him.He kissed the top of her head as she sighed against him. Zoe leaned awkwardly against him, while her mind continue to race.

Fuck it, she thought. He has to leave, I'm not going to waste the couple days left I have with him dwelling on the days he won't be here.

Zoe spun her head and caught Cillian's lips by surprise. He was even more surprised when she deepened the kiss, taking her leg and swinging it over him, now straddling him.

"Woah," Cillian said, and Zoe cut him off with another kiss before he could say anything else, holding his face in her hands and grinding down her hips into his.

His hands flew to her hips, keeping her pressed tight against him, rocking her back and forth. They pulled away, Cillian panting. "I'm not sure what just happened but.. I like it," He said, hands still guiding her hips.

"Then stop talking," Zoe whispered, going in for another kiss.

Cillian stopped her with his hand on her jaw, staring at her intently. The blues in his eyes were gone, eyes dilated, staring her down intensely.

"What am I gonna do with you?" He said just above a whisper, his thumb trailing over her lips.

"I can think of a couple things," Zoe said, taking it upon herself to take his thumb in her mouth and sucking.

Cillian sucked in his breath, feeling her suck his tongue without breaking eye contact.

Zoe released his thumb with a pop, and raised her arms and hoped Cillian would take the hint. He did; he grabbed the hem of her baggy band t-shirt she wore and lifted it up over her head, throwing it to the side, leaving her in just her panties. Cillian immediately raised his knees so she would slide forward into his lap, grabbing her breasts and starting to kiss them while massaging them. Zoe arched her back into him, leaning her head back and beginning to grind her hips against him again searching for any sort of friction for the aching between her legs.

A moan escaped her mouth as he pinched her one nipple and sucked the other.

"That's it, let me hear you," Cillian mumbled against her, refusing to leave his spot on her chest. He was rock hard, and she was rubbing herself against him with just the right amount of pressure.

Cillian finally kissed up her chest, neck, jaw, finally landing back on her lips, hand flying to her hair to keep her in place while he kissed her.

"Too many clothes," She mumbled against him, shimmying herself out of his grip and off his lap to pull at the waistband of his sweatpants. After bringing them down along with his boxers to his ankles, she kneeled in front of him while remained sat on the couch.

"No," Cillian said, grabbing her elbow and pulling her into his lap. "I want to be inside you now."

Zoe smiled, standing up and resuming her position on the couch hovering on top of him. She stood up on her knees while she lined him up as he pulled her panties to the side. She slowly sunk down on him, sounds of each of them sucking in their breath filled the room along with breathy moans. Once the back of her thighs met his lap, signaling he was fully inside of her, she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Cillian's hands found her hips, squeezing them but not moving them; he was letting her control when she began to move.

she began rocking back and forth slowly, feeling every ridge of his cock inside her. She had her hands braced on his shoulders for support as she moved her hips faster.

"So good," She moaned.

"You feel amazing," Cillian said, hands moving from her hips to her ass, supporting her rocking on his dick.

She began to move up and down, bouncing on him with his hands back on her hips guiding her.

Cillian now began to thrust up into her, meeting her as she came down on him. A loud moan escaped from Zoe, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip.

"That's it baby, take what you need," Cillian growled, squeezing her hips harder and thrusting harder into her. "Fuck, I can feel you squeezing around me, you like it when I talk to you like this?"

"Yes," Zoe moaned back. She was already so close to coming undone. "Please don't stop"

"I'm not gonna stop until I feel you cum around me," Cillian responded.

"You make me cum so fast," Zoe moaned, "I'm already close."

Cillian leaned back onto the couch, watching her. "You look so pretty riding me. I love watching you like this, God you're fucking perfect, you're perfect for me."

Zoe looked down to meet his gaze. Something about him staring up at her in awe, lips swollen from kissing, eyes dilated and mouth slightly parted, only turned on Zoe more.

"Fuck," Zoe moaned, bouncing faster on him. Her legs were on fire, but she didn't care. She was chasing her high, a high that Cillian could only make her see so quickly. No man has ever made her come undone as fast as he did, she was completely at his mercy.

Cillian sat back up again, "I need you to cum, Zoe," He said, kissing her. "I'm close, I need you to cum first"

"I'm so close, Cill, So close," Zoe moaned into his mouth. Cillian took his hand from her hip and trailed it down to her clit, rubbing small circles.

"Fuck!" Zoe yelled, reaching her orgasm and feeling the world crash around her.

"That's it, good girl," Cillian responded. She became limp in his lap, but he was quick to flip her over and lay her on her back on the couch, now on top of her. He continued to fuck her, now chasing his high.

"Fuck... fuck" He said, squeezing his eyes shut and finally stilling in her.

Zoe was still trying to catch her breath when Cillian lifted his head from the crook of her neck. They were covered in sweat, hair plastered to their foreheads, out of breath and tired. He leaned his forehead against hers, and sighed. Zoe took his cheek in his hand and rubbed small circles on his cheek with her thumb.

"I can't get enough of you," Cillian whispered. "You're so beautiful baby."

Zoe smiled. She didn't want this moment to end. She felt wanted, she felt desired. She felt.... loved.

"I....," She began, testing the waters. All or nothing, she thought.

Suddenly, a whine interrupted her and they both looked up to the cause of the noise.

Scout, in the corner of the room, was staring at them, probably wondering if it was now safe to come back to the couch.

"Scout, forget everything you just saw," Cillian said, sitting up and grabbing his sweatpants. Scout jumped up and darted to the front door, looking back at Cillian.

"I should take him out, come on lets go boy," He said, grabbing a hoodie and pending down to plant a kiss on Zoe's lips. "I'll meet you in bed, yeah?" He said, walking towards the door and grabbing Scout's leash. He quickly left, shutting the door behind him.

Zoe was left on the couch, partly naked, exhausted, and sweaty. She should get up and shower, she should get to bed, she should throw out the take-out containers left on the coffee table.

But she didn't.

Instead, she whispered out loud, soft enough so only she could hear:

"I love you."

tags: @lau219 @borntodiemp3 @cillianmurphyvevo @shopgirl6us

#cillian x fem!reader #cillian fic #cillian murphy x oc #cillian murphy x reader #cillian x reader #cillian murphy #cillian murphy fanfiction #cillian murphy smut

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unreliablesnake · 2 years ago

Text

Escort (Simon "Ghost" Riley x reader)

Summary: When Simon sees a picture of you with another man, his thoughts go wild. But he wasn't prepared to find out his girlfriend is a high-class escort. Can your relationship survive this?

Warning: No warning applies.

Simon never asked how you could afford your loft in London, how you could travel around the world, how you had money to buy designer clothes, the newest phones, and other luxury items. He always assumed you came from a wealthy family so he never wanted to ask questions you might find uncomfortable.

"Hey, Ghost, isn't this the girl from your lock screen photo?" Johnny asked one day, showing the lieutenant an article on his phone.

It was about some charity gala in New York with a bunch of famous and disgustingly wealthy people. Johnny was looking at the gallery when he bumped into the photo, and this discovery sent Simon into a spiral. There you were in a breathtaking royal blue dress, standing next to some guy who was at least twenty years older than you.

Maybe he was your father. Or an uncle. Or a stranger the photographer asked you to pose with. There was a chance you had a perfectly good explanation for the photo, all he had to do was ask who it was. He took a quick look at the name of the event then stormed out of the living room of the safehouse to send you a message.

Simon: I saw you were at a fancy party in New York last night.

You didn't read the message right away which was odd because you always had the damn phone in your hand. But as soon as he thought about the time zones, he remembered that if you really were in New York, you were probably sleeping. Damn it, he would have to wait more for your answer. He would go crazy until then.

But then his phone suddenly pinged.

You: How do you know?

Seriously? Simon quickly searched for the article Johnny found, saved the photo, then sent it to you.

Simon: I found this.

You: Didn't know you were reading such articles.

Simon: Who's the guy?

You: A friend.

Simon: Family friend?

You: No.

Simon: He's older than your usual friends.

You read the message but went silent. He waited for a while, hoping you had a reason for your absence, like being away from your phone for a couple of minutes, but you never replied.

Simon: Radio silence? Really? I'm gonna ask again. Who's the guy?

You: We'll talk about it when you're around.

Simon: Are you about to break up with me? Because if so, we can skip the meeting.

You: I don't want to break up, but it's complicated.

Simon: I'll be there on Friday. How about meeting at your place around seven?

You: Sounds good. I'll go back to sleep now.

He used a breathing exercise to calm down after this conversation, but it didn't work. His mind kept returning to the photo, all the little details like the guy having an arm wrapped around your waist, keeping you close. It was too intimate to be a relative's touch, and you surely wouldn't let a stranger touch you like this.

The following days passed painfully slowly, with Johnny once bringing up the photo again to ask if he knew who the man was. When they returned to England, Simon quickly left the group and headed to London to see you. His mind was in overdrive, the only thing he could think about was the possibility of you cheating on him.

He rang the doorbell and you opened within half a minute. You were obviously waiting for him, seemingly nervous as you let him inside. Whatever it was that you wanted to tell him, it clearly affected your mental state as well. Hopefully this would result in you being perfectly honest with him.

"Can I get you anything?" you asked with your hands behind your back as he sat down on the couch. Simon shook his head and motioned you to sit down as well. "All right, I guess you want to skip the small talk. You know, while I was in college, I soon realized that I needed a good job, something that pays well. A friend of mine… So…"

You stopped talking and let out a sigh. Whatever you wanted to say, it made you look away from him.

"She worked as a high-class escort. She told me a lot about it, introduced me to some people, and… Well, I ended up doing the same thing," you admitted, finally looking back at him out of the corner of your eye.

Fucking hell. The idea of you doing something like that crossed his mind but he never assumed you were stupid enough to actually do it. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he stood up and began pacing in front of you. What was he supposed to say? None of the words he could think of seemed right.

You stood up as well and reached out to take his hand that he immediately pulled away. "Simon, please, say something," you begged him.

"Did you ever love me?" he asked, finally looking you in the eye.

"I still love you. Listen, you're the most important person in my life, the only normal thing I have is this relationship. Don't take it away from me, please."

"You're sleeping with other men for money! What the fuck am I supposed to do? Stick around and cheer you on?" he asked with a desperate laugh. "I'm not staying for that. It's over, Y/N."

With that he began to walk towards the door to leave, but you quickly ran after him and stood in his way. "Simon, please. What do you want me to do?"

"Would you quit?" After some consideration, you bit on your lower lip and shook your head. "Thought so," he said with a sigh. "Money is more important, right?"

You opened your mouth to say something in your defense, but no sound left your throat. Simon shook his head and sidestepped you to leave the apartment. He hated you at that moment, feeling disgusted at the thought of having been sharing you with other men when he thought he was the only one.

This breakup took its toll on him, causing several sleepless nights while he was at home between missions. He often found himself looking at the photos of the two of you together, wondering if he should delete them all to get rid of you forever. In the end he copied them to a thumb drive which he hid in the back of a drawer.

Six months. That's how long you had been together. Six months that somehow felt like a year or two. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get you out of his mind. His thoughts kept returning to you, wondering what you were doing, whether or not you were also thinking about him.

After the breakup he had blocked you in the app that you used for communication, but one night, when he was somewhere far from home on a mission, he unblocked you and opened the chat. For a while he just stared at the screen, trying to decide if he should write to you or not.

Johnny had been right, he was grumpier than usual in the past month or so. All because of you. Why would he act like that, why would he still be angry if he didn't have any feelings for you anymore? Maybe he should just swallow his pride and see if it could work out, if he could ignore the fact you were doing what you were doing.

Simon: What's up?

He didn't expect you to reply. It was a desperate shot in the dark, so he turned off the screen and put the phone beside his pillow before lying down and looking at the ceiling. Simon let out a sigh and closed his eyes, wishing not to see your face in his dreams.

"Hey, Ghost, are you awake?"

Opening one eye to glance at the door, Simon saw Gaz standing there. "I am," he replied.

The sergeant flashed a wide smile at him. "Soap got us booze, why don't you join us? A little team building."

"I'm not in the mood. And is it a good idea to drink during the mission?"

"The Captain even joined us since the mission is technically almost over. Come on, don't waste your time here," Gaz tried.

But Simon didn't really hear the last sentence because the phone next to his head beeped, and when he glanced at the screen, he saw it was a message from you. Damn, he didn't expect anything. Clearing his throat, he picked up the device and sat up. "I'll be out soon," he lied to Gaz, hoping this would make him leave.

You: What's up? Really? You unblock me after almost two months and that's what you can come up with?

So you were mad at him. A part of him understood, while another believed it was him who had the right to be angry. With a deep growl he stood up to walk around the room, keeping an eye on the phone the whole time. What should he do? Sure, he was mad too, but he also missed you like crazy.

Oh, fuck it.

Simon: I didn't know what to say. Are you okay?

You: What do you think?

Simon: Can we talk?

You: Not now.

Simon: You're not alone?

You: I'm not.

Simon: Working?

You: No.

The next message was a photo of you and a few of your friends in a bar. Simon smiled when he saw you because he hadn't seen your face in weeks. When you were together, he never followed you on social media, but since the breakup he deliberately avoided your profiles so he knew nothing about what was going on in your life. This was his way of building a healthy distance.

Simon: We just finished a mission so I'll be home soon. Why don't we go out for dinner?

You: You sure it's a good idea?

Simon: I miss you.

Taking a deep breath, he wondered if he should tell you that he wanted a fresh start. Or maybe it was too soon. No, you should know the truth in advance because he didn't want to waste his time if you would say no anyway.

Simon: I want to find out if I could handle your job. Would you be willing to give our relationship another shot?

You: Are you sure about this?

Simon: I am.

You: Well, I'm not. You were right, sleeping with other men while we're together? It's crazy, I shouldn't have put you through this.

Simon: Don't say this, not when I'm finally about to accept it.

You: Bye, Simon.

You blocked him. Simon thought he was imagining it, but you really did block him. He raised his hand with the phone and was ready to throw it against the wall when he realized he shouldn't lose his temper. It wasn't the end, he knew where you lived. All he had to do was visit you when he got back.

And that's what he did. He sneaked into the building and, since you seemingly weren't there, waited for you in the hallway. After a while he lost track of time, and when he finally looked at his watch and realized he'd been waiting for five hours now, he pulled out his phone and decided to call you.

First try. You declined the call.

Second try. You declined the call.

Third try. You declined the call.

But just when he was about to give up, you finally answered. "I'm gonna block your bloody number if you don't stop," you snapped at him.

"Where are you?" asked Simon quickly.

"I know you're waiting for me so I'm not going home."

With a frown he looked over at the door, and there it was, a video doorbell camera. He should have noticed right away. "Look, I just want to talk."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Y/N, please, come here," he tried, his voice suddenly dropping into a tired whisper.

Simon could hear you let out a sigh on the other end of the line. "Fine. I'll be there in twenty," you said before ending the call.

As you promised, you got home soon, and Simon stood there in the hallway with his hands behind his back as he watched you carefully. He was good at interrogation, he knew perfectly well how to read people. But you were an enigma. For some reason he couldn't see through your anger.

Once inside the loft, you stopped in the door while he walked into the living room. Simon looked at you with raised eyebrows, trying to figure out why you weren't coming closer. As he waited, his eyes found a framed photo of the two of you on a shelf near the window. Could it be that despite your anger you still loved him?

"Y/N," he began quietly as he took a few steps towards you. "I might have overreacted when you told me the truth. Look, it took me by surprise, I wasn't prepared to hear you say that. But--"

"It's okay, I get it," you interrupted him after walking a little closer to where he was.

Shaking his head, Simon closed the gap between you and stood in front of you toe to toe. "No, you don't," he said quietly, putting a hand on your cheek. "I had time to think and as long as you come home to me, as long as you introduce me as your boyfriend, I'm okay with it. I think. I don't know for sure, but we should give it a shot."

You gulped loudly as you thought about his words. He was terrified to hear your reaction because something told him you were hell-bent on staying away from him. It wouldn't matter what he said, you were too stubborn to change your mind.

"Why?" you suddenly asked.

"Because I love you. Because I wasn't myself after we broke up which tells me you're the only person who can keep me sane. I'm selfish and I need you," explained Simon as he leaned down to rest his forehead against yours. "Please."

Closing your eyes, you put your hands on his chest and let out a quiet chuckle.

"What is it?"

"My friends said I wasn't myself after you left me," you said, although something told Simon that it wasn't just your friends who said that. No, he couldn't think about that. "I wish I could say we should try again, but I don't think you could handle the thought of me being with others. I can't make you go through that pain."

Simon kissed you, hoping this could convince you that he was serious. Your hands moved from his chest to his neck as you returned the kiss, slowly getting lost in the sensation which gave him hope. And courage. After months he could finally touch you again, so he made you walk backwards until your back hit the wall then grabbed your ass and lifted you up so you could wrap your legs around him.

Despite doing exactly what he wanted you to do, you still pulled your lips away. "Stop this," you whispered with a sad look in your eyes.

"Why?" Simon began to place kisses all over your face, his heart beating fast from the mixture of anxiety and arousal. "Don't do this to us, don't ruin this. Do you love me?" You thought for a moment, but then you nodded. "Then stop overthinking."

It worked because you kissed him again, this time being hungry and passionate, immediately waking old memories in Simon's mind. He began to walk to the bedroom with you, but before you could get there, you pulled away and jumped off of him.

"Shit, it's already this late?" you asked as you looked at your watch again. "I'm so sorry, Simon, I don't have time for that now."

"Meeting a client?" asked Simon sourly.

You shook your head at this. "No, that's tomorrow. Today I'm gonna meet my parents for dinner. They don't come to London often so I wanna take them somewhere nice," you explained with a sweet smile.

With a relieved laugh, Simon kissed you again. "Okay, get ready then. I don't want to keep you up."

Although you began to walk into your bedroom, you suddenly came to an abrupt halt and turned back to him. "Why don't you stay here?"

"You mean…?"

"I'll give you spare keys so you can move around, but at least you would have a place to stay in London. Also it wouldn't be bad if you were here when I get back from the restaurant. We could pick up where we just left off."

As you talked, you slowly began to strip for him, flashing a wicked little smile at Simon when you heard him gulp then clear his throat. You knew perfectly well what you were doing to him, so he walked up to you and ran his hands down your bare sides.

"If you keep doing that, you're gonna be the death of me, sweetheart," he told you as he pulled you closer.

"I'll die first anyway," you noted with a laugh.

"I'm the soldier and you're the one saying that?" he asked with a frown. "Why?"

With a seductive smile on your lips, you put your hands on his shoulders then began to move them down his arms. "Have you ever looked into the mirror? Your broad shoulders alone will kill me one day," you said, completely mesmerized by the sight.

Simon let out a laugh and kissed the top of your head. "Weren't you late a minute ago?" You looked up at him and nodded. "Then go. I'll wait here."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

#call of duty #simon ghost riley #simon riley #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #johnny soap mactavish #kyle garrick #kyle gaz garrick #johnny mactavish #john mactavish #john soap mactavish #modern warfare ii #modern warfare #mw2

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psychangels · 8 months ago

Note

I imagine when Chai gets sick, he gets SICK. Chai can’t get out of bed because he’s hot and cold, body sweating, shaking, sore, and just feeling awful. The gang now has to take care of him: Korsica is researching on how to ease his sickness (maybe working on some emails to cancel some meetings Chai had as the ambassador), Peppermint berating him on taking care of himself while shoving a spoonful of warm soup in his mouth, Macaron desperately trying not to panic at his friend’s state (he probably made the soup), CNMN is…helping in his…usual way.

the universe (fanbase) just loves making this guy suffer

Chai wakes up groggy, sweaty, cold, and with his whole body aching. His nose is stuffed up and his throat is scratchy. The beat is crazy fast. He feels like he just ran a ten mile marathon, but he's still running even though it's over.

Coughing, his body jolts. He hates the fact that each one is in-time.

His first thought is goddammit. His second is I need a nap. Which is followed up by wait, I just woke up.

A beat passes.

Rolling over, he pulls the blanket up over his head and tries to go back to sleep.

Something fuzzy rubbing against his face wakes Chai up. He groans. Someone says something. He can't make out the words. But the voice is familiar. Probably Peppermint. The fuzzy thing disappears after a second.

"Chai? You awake...?" Peppermint asks.

He grumbles in response, too tired to form a coherent sentence.

"...I'll take that as a maybe."

A few beats pass.

Then, she says, "You're gonna have to, y'know, get up soon. Don't you have a meeting today?"

Does he? Chai really can't remember. His brain feels like it's full of bees. Or it's made of soup. Bee soup...

"Hello? Chai?" "Whuh?" "...Are you okay?" "Meh...m'fine...don' worry 'bout it," he mumbles.

About half a beat passes before Peppermint says, "So what you're saying is you're definitely not okay."

He frowns. "No...? S'not what I said...at all."

She sighs.

The fuzzy thing is suddenly back. This time it's rubbing against his arm—and meowing.

Oh. It's just 808.

He slowly opens his eyes and is greeted by the sight of Peppermint looking down at him, her arms crossed. Shifting, he looks down towards 808. Her glowing eyes and LEDs, paired with the light creeping in through the open door, make him squint and grimace. He shuts them again.

808 mewls, nuzzling into the crook of his elbow. With a fond huff, Chai wraps his arm around her and pulls her up toward him, nestling her against his chest. She starts purring a beat later.

Something touches his forehead. It quickly pulls away.

Peppermint mutters something. Then, she says, "You're definitely sick. You really need to take better care of yourself."

Chai has no idea what that's supposed to mean. He takes great care of himself. Eats, drinks, sleeps, showers, vibes...all the things you're supposed to do. Besides, she's one to talk! Need to take better care of myself...psh...

Him being sick doesn't have anything to do with how well he takes care of himself. He probably caught something during one of his concerts. Being around a huge crowd of people does that to you. Plus, there's been, like, a bunch of new human employees that he could've gotten sick from. Hmph. Need to take better care of myself...yeah, right.

"What're you muttering about?"

...Was he saying all that out loud?

...

Doesn't matter. He takes good care of himself, which is what does.

"...Hello? Earth to Chai?" "Nothin'. Don' worry 'bout it." "Bit late for that," she dryly replies.

With a sigh, she says something about 'calling for back-up' and breakfast. Chai hums in response.

He assumes the back-up is just a work-related thing.

As for breakfast...the thought of eating right now isn't super appealing. He'll get himself something later. Right now, he mostly just wants to go back to sleep.

So, rolling over, he cuddles 808 and tries to do just that.

The feeling of something cold and damp being placed on top of his forehead jolts Chai out of his slumber. He grunts, eyes fluttering open.

They widen when he's met with the sight of Macaron. There's a familiar anxious expression on his face. But he perks up a little when he notices Chai looking at him.

"Hey, little guy. How're you feeling?"

Everything aches. His mouth feels like it's full of sand, and his throat is itchier than a flea-covered dog. The entirety of his body feels disgusting. Sweaty and greasy and just overall horrible. He's cold and too hot. His stomach and head are starting to hurt. It's hard to breathe. The beat is so fast. Whatever song is playing is both too loud and too quiet. He's too tired to even guess the genre.

But he does feel slightly better than he did...however many hours ago. Just barely.

"Like dogshit," is what part of him wants to say. The truthful, exhausted, hurting part.

Instead, he croaks out, "Eh. Could be worse."

Macaron smiles weakly. Then, he turns away as he lets out a soft, "Oh!" When he turns back around, he's holding a mug and a glass of water. Steam is rising from the mug.

"Me and CNMN made you some soup," he explains as he gingerly sets them down on Chai's night stand. "It's just chicken noodle. Hope that's alright."

A memory of being sick in bed, eating Gram's homemade chicken noodle soup suddenly hits Chai, and he's left reeling for a few beats.

Shaking himself and sniffling, he slowly sits up. The wash cloth that was on his forehead falls off, onto his lap. It makes him realize that 808 is gone. Must've gotten sick of cuddling with his sorry ass. He frowns. Then, he huffs a laugh. Hah. Sick.

"Chicken noodle's great. Thanks, Mac," he replies, offering the best grin he can muster at the moment. It's ruined by a brief coughing fit.

"Of course! It's no problem."

Picking up the mug, Chai notices some bottles of medicine are also on the nightstand. There's a sticky note attached to one that reads, "Take two of each—WITH WATER!" It's signed by Pep. He smiles.

Turning his attention back to the cup, drinks some of the soup in it. Warmth quickly spreads through him. It doesn't quite taste like home—but it's close enough. Before he knows it, it's all gone.

His stomach stops hurting almost immediately. Now he wishes he had gotten up to eat earlier. Oh well.

Macaron's staring at him with wide eyes. "Good?"

"Amazing!" he replies. After a beat, he adds on, "I feel better already! Tell your co-chef I said thanks!"

He beams. "I'm glad. And you can tell them yourself—if you're feeling up to it. They're just out in the living area."

...It's probably about time he got up. Not only to see his friends, but also because he really needs to piss. Then, he can just take another nap on the couch and sleep the rest of this stupid...whatever he has away. Easy peasy.

"Gimme like...5 minutes." "Alright! See you in a few."

Showered, changed, bladder emptied, and medicine taken, Chai limps over to the couch where Peppermint, 808, Macaron, CNMN, and Korsica are all gathered.

When he'd first left his room and hurried into the bathroom, he hadn't even noticed Korsica. He's surprised to see her here. It's not the weekend, so she should definitely be at work. Actually...Macaron and CNMN should be, too. And probably Peppermint, but she works from home sometimes so her being here isn't that weird.

Wincing from his sore body, Chai plops down next to Peppermint. 808 immediately hops from her lap to his. He pats her on the head.

Then, he looks at Korsica and asks, "Shouldn't you be at work?" "...Hello to you, too, Chai," she says with a frown. "What? It's Tuesday! So it's a valid question!"

"It's actually Wednesday, Mr. Chai," CNMN pipes up. "And hello!" Oh. "Hey, CNMN. Thanks for the soup." "It's no problem, Mr. Chai! I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"As CNMN said, it's Wednesday," Korsica states after a beat, bringing his attention back to her, "but that's besides the point. I'm here because of you."

"...Why?" She blinks. "Because...you're my friend. And you're sick." "...So...?"

"...So I came to check up on you. Oh, and...I handled your meeting today for you. Same with some others you had this week. Just in case."

His eyes widen. "Oh. Thanks. You didn't have to do that." "I know. It's no trouble, really."

He looks toward the others after a beat.

"So, wait—you...all took the day off for me...?" "Sure did, little guy." "Yeah," Peppermint replies.

Chai's not really sure how to feel about that. There's a fuzzy feeling in his chest.

"...Thanks." "Of course!" "Sure."

Another beat passes.

His brow furrows. "Wait. How'd you guys even find out I'm sick?" "I told them," Peppermint states. "...So that's what the 'calling for back-up' thing was about!"

"Huh. I'm surprised you remember that—and that you even heard. I thought you had already passed out."

"Nah. I passed out right after." Peppermint huffs and smiles. "Of course."

#hi fi rush #chai hi fi rush #808 hi fi rush #peppermint hi fi rush #macaron hi fi rush #korsica hi fi rush #cnmn hi fi rush #angelanswers.txt #angelwrites.txt #going back to my roots with this one #shout out to On and On It Goes #but not really because i hate it #can't believe it's my most popular fic #anyways.#this isn't Exactly what you said #partly because i just can't see peppermint literally spoon feeding chai #but i got most of it #also sorry the ending is weirdly abrupt #i wasn't sure how to close it out

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inevitably-johnlocked · 2 months ago

Note

Hello Steph. How are you? First of all, happy birthday again! Hope you had a fantastic day.

I hate to be that person. But can we please talk about loneliness in life and in fandoms?

I've been struggling with loneliness since I was a kid. When I firstly discovered fandom spaces, I was so excited to get new friends. When I was younger I actually formed a bond with some of them but growing up...I don't know. I feel like I'm not made for being anyone's friend. Just saying this makes me feel like the biggest of the losers but it's just how it is. I feel transparent, I feel like I have nothing to give. The few times I've tried to interact with people here I didn't even get an answer. You know, I chose not to have a love life ages ago, and platonic friends were all I was asking for. I am a bit terrified of dying alone to be honest. I got used to doing things by myself and I'm really comfortable with that. But sometimes I wish for something more, someone actually caring about me. Sigh.

Hey Nonny *HUGS*

First off, I want to validate you on your feelings; I too have been and am a very lonely person, but in my case it's more self imposed than lack of trying. My poor self esteem tends to drive people away, and in turn keeps me staying isolated in my own bubble.

That said, it's something I'm working STUPIDLY hard on in therapy, and it SUCKS but is also rewarding. My therapist tells me that my perception of reality is skewed because of past "trauma that I didn't know was trauma" which in turn lead to my poor self esteem.

One thing you need to know, Nonny, is that the loneliness you feel online has NOTHING to do with you as a person. Certainly, some choices in your life may have added to it (like with me, I chose a career over relationships), but, especially in this post-COVID world, loneliness was brought on by a long period of isolation, and social media only exacerbated it. I can tell you this from experience: people were nicer before social media. People wanted to go out and do things. People generally didn't use each other for clout and likes.

Call me a boomer or whatever, but social media and "hustle culture" has only produced a generation of selfish people. So no, it's not you imagining things... It IS generally harder nowadays to make new friends without there being some sort of cost-benefit to the other party.

THAT ALL SAID, I relate to you a lot, I really do. Therapy has helped me immensely with my overwhelming loneliness as well. I think also being an introvert who LOVES being alone on the best of days helps a lot too, but I know that my solitary lifestyle isn't for everyone.

Honestly Nonny, I don't have a good answer for you other than to be an ear for you to talk to. As I said, I generally don't have a lot of really close friends I see regularly, and that's okay by me. Join discords, comment on posts, and keep messaging people, but don't let that discourage you if you don't hear back. A lot of people need to feel a sense of trust before engaging in another conversation, and other times we're all just a bunch of shy, neurodivergent nerds who simultaneously want to talk to everyone and keep to themselves.

And if you're able to, Nonny, please do talk with a counsellor or therapist, your words worry me to my heart 💜

And for what it's worth, if I don't reply right away, it's because I actually need to be in a good headspace to answer asks like this, and not feel REALLY lazy as I have been. And you aren't alone, I promise. Many of the Lovelies and Lurkers feel the same, and we're all here just enjoying fandom.

I'm sorry I'm not much help, Nonny, and I'm sorry I kept going on a lot of tangents. I just want you to know that I am thinking about you 💜

#steph replies #my advice #i am not a professional #cw depression #cw loneliness #chatting with nonnies #life advice

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ryuzakemo128 · 1 month ago

Text

Behold A Pale Horse Part 2

Pairing: Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick x Female Reader/ you

Content Warnings: Kyle Garrick is a rich wealthy man, female reader is poor, Kyle calls female reader: “Love”, “Darling”, “dearest”, and “sweetheart” in a casual and affectionate way, female reader's mental illnesses, mention of past trauma, Kyle's protectiveness, fluffy romance, emotional support, slow burn, angst, drama, action, military themes, emotional turmoil. Mention of blackjack and poker.

Words: 5429

Masterlist

Credit for Dividers: @cafekitsune + @strangergraphics

Credit for Template of Dividers: @cafekitsune

Summary: “I have a fucken feelin she's gonna crawl back like a fucken leech.” you were talking about your mother. “If you think my father was bad. She is just as bad.”

You knew he would die sometime, you just thought he would be alive for a long time and the age of seventy felt too soon. Even though he lived a long time, that he lived for quite a while. Ghost looked at you as you paced around the room as you heard the news.

Your heart felt heavy as you remembered the times you had together, the jokes, the missions, the fear. You had felt safe with him, despite his flaws and his rough edges. He had been a beacon of light in your otherwise chaotic world.

“I have a fucken feelin she's gonna crawl back like a fucken leech.” you were talking about your mother. “If you think my father was bad. She is just as bad.”

Ghost was there when you broke your hand punching a wall when you were on the phone with your mother. He heard the words “Stupid bitch.” followed by a loud smack and your pained scream.

He came running and found you cradling your hand, tears in your eyes. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.” you murmured into the phone before hanging up and collapsing onto the floor.

John Price must have heard you punch the wall, the concrete wall, the same wall he didn't think he needed to tell you not to punch because he thought you being a Colonel would know better. You could almost feel his disappointment in you as he walked into the room.

“Don't say it. I'm a fucken idiot. I know.” you muttered with your eyes firmly shut sitting on the floor.

John Price's footsteps were heavy as he approached you, his expression a mix of concern and frustration. “It's alright, Colonel,” he said in a firm but gentle tone, crouching beside you. “But maybe next time, we can find a better outlet for your anger.”

“Trust me. I don't plan on fightin' more walls.” you snorted.

Ghost remained silent, his eyes full of understanding, and he knew exactly what you needed in moments like this.

He didn't ask questions or try to give you false comforts; instead, he sat beside you, his hand landing gently on your back.

The warmth of his touch radiated through your uniform, offering a small semblance of solace in the coldness of your grief.

“You did a bang-up job on that hand.” Price remarked looking at your hand.

You laughed humourlessly. “Thanks. I'll be sure to bill you for the hospital visit.”

Price sighed, his expression softening. “Look, I know this isn't the time, but we have a mission briefing in an hour. You should get that looked at and try to pull yourself together for it, yeah?”

“I am well aware of that briefing. I'll be fine by then. I have at least five different emails reminding me of it from five different people.”

Price nodded, looking at the both of you before he stood. “Take all the time you need. I'll get the medical team to check it out for you, Colonel.”

“Finger crossed its either sprained or bruised.” you replied.

Ghost nodded, his thumb rubbing circles on your back. You felt his gaze on you, knowing he was assessing how much of this was an act and how much was real.

You took a deep breath and looked up at him, your eyes a little red from unshed tears. “I need to get going. We can deal with this after the briefing, okay?”

The nurses rushed around like a bunch of hens with their heads cut off. Normally you would be one of them. But you punched the wall, cried and now you felt fine somehow?

You let out a sigh and stood up, flexing your hand. It hurt, but you weren't going to let that stop you.

You had a mission to focus on. You looked over at Ghost, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching you with a mix of worry and something else.

You couldn't quite place it, but you knew it was there.

“Thanks, Ghost,” you said, your voice a bit shakier than you would have liked. “I really appreciate it.”

He nodded, his eyes never leaving yours. “Anything for you, darlin,” he said, his British accent wrapping around the words like a warm blanket.

You headed to the medical bay, Ghost following closely behind. The medics took one look at your hand and winced. “Looks like you've had quite the run-in with the wall,” one of them quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

“Yeah. Picked a fight with the wall and lost at the same time.” you snorted.

The medic took your hand gently in his and began examining it, his brow furrowing with concentration. “Well, it's definitely not broken, but it's a bad sprain. We'll need to get you into a cast for a few weeks. It'll heal quicker that way.”

“So, I did good job hittin it?” you guessed.

Ghost chuckled lightly, his eyes still full of concern. “Could say that, Colonel.”

“Well. What I recommend you doing is, plenty of rest, no more punching walls, mirrors, or people for that matter.” the medic said, wrapping your hand in a cast.

“Damn. There goes my bare-knuckle boxing match this afternoon.” you remarked dryly.

Ghost's smile grew a bit wider at that. “Maybe stick to paperwork for a bit, yeah?”

“I don’t think I would be able to fight someone with only one hand just yet. I think it would the safest bet for now.” You forced a chuckle, trying to ease the tension in the room. The medic finished wrapping your hand in the cast, his hands deft and sure.

As he stepped back, you studied the stark white cast with a sigh. It was a stark reminder of your outburst, of your loss, of the tumultuous relationship you had with your mother. But you had a mission to focus on, a team that needed you.

“Alright, Colonel, let's get you to the briefing. We're already pushin' it close to time.” Ghost's voice brought you back to the present, his hand landing on your shoulder in a firm but comforting grip.

“Joys of a tight schedule. It's feckin tighter than a nun's puckered arsehole.” you muttered as you walked to the mission briefing.

Ghost couldn't help but laugh at that. “Never knew nuns had tight arseholes, Colonel.”

“Considering they've given themselves to God. I would like to assume they would. Otherwise, I might be wrong. Though I don't like to think of them in that way either.” you replied.

Ghost chuckled, shaking his head. “You always know how to lighten the mood, don't you?”

“As someone who has parents that were baptized catholic and should have been raised catholic. My sense of humour is still intact.” you answered.

The rest of the mission didn’t have another hitch. The factors of a head start of your leave were dosed in the promise of going to a military function.

You assured them you would attend repeatedly. As they would usually do. As you always manage to sound sarcastic even when you try to be genuine in tone.

You weren’t sure why they always managed to think of that first than to take you seriously. They weren’t used to your kind of humour.

Though you can’t say the same thing when it comes to Ghost. He picked it up fine.

But you never asked why that was. It wasn’t something you didn’t want to intrude on. As you thought, ‘Must be personal. I won’t go there.’

Ghost looked at you when you never asked personal questions, and for a moment, his gaze flickered with something unreadable. Then it was gone, replaced with the usual mischievous twinkle. “You're one of a kind, Colonel,” he said, his voice low and warm.

“Talk when you want to. I won't force something. I know the effects of forcing someone to do something you don't want to do. So, if you need to talk about that let me know and you'll be free to do so.” you added as you both walked into the briefing room, the weight of the cast on your hand a constant reminder of the fragility of your mental state. “Just don't pick fights with walls.”

A mission later, a military function later and now in the front of the mirror inside your mirror in your hotel room. You were now going to attend a funeral for your father.

The cast still on your hand and the bruises slowly fading. The cast now taken off when your doctor took a look at your sprained hand. Muttering a few things under his breath, but mostly about how lucky you were and how much more it could've been.

The bruises had faded into a light purple, but you knew they'd be there still.

You told your doctor that you were on the phone with your mother when it happened during your deployment. Adding in that it was when you found out your father had died on the phone, and she had a few colourful words for you.

He nodded solemnly, understanding your pain. “Take as much time as you need to heal,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of experience with soldiers like you.

As soon as you left the doctor’s appointment, Kyle decided to take you to lunch, “Are you sure you're fine with eating there?”

You nodded, “I've been craving that burger for weeks. Let's go for it.”

The diner was a local favourite, filled with the comforting aroma of grease and the buzz of chatter. You picked at your food, the weight of the impending funeral heavy on your mind.

Kyle noticed your distraction, his gaze lingering on you with concern. He reached across the table, his thumb brushing the back of your hand gently. “You okay, darling?”

“I am dreading it. I don't think I could speak to her without another this incident occurring.” you answered holding up your hand still bruised and lightly wrapped with a bandage.

Kyle nodded solemnly, his eyes never leaving yours, “I'll be there with you every step of the way. If she tries anything, I'll handle it.”

“Fingers crossed she won't. She's already blaming me for his death, never mind the fact that his health was never that great to start with by the time I was in the picture.” you mumble into your food.

“I do have a feeling they'll have it in the early morning starting at an obnoxious starting time too. Think 5am start kind of thing. Horrendous stuff. Early morning birds the lot of them.”

Kyle was an early riser, so the mention of a 5 AM funeral didn't faze him. Though you were not. You preferred a 7am start at the earliest. He found out when he stayed over once, waking up to a grumbling mess because of his 5 AM wake-up call. But, for you, he’d be there at 4 AM if that's what it took. Something you loved more than any expensive meal he ever bought you.

The first time this happened, you were so happy you cried, he reacted so fast you didn't have a chance to even get a word in before he had you in his arms, whispering sweet nothings into your ear to calm you down. But now, it was just routine. You felt the tension in the air thicken as you both got ready for the funeral.

The white button up dress shirt, the black asymmetrical four pocketed vest and black slacks. Combined with the crimson red tie. Your face completely covered with a high-tech space grey coloured shaped skull mask.

Your white shirt rolled up to your elbows and wearing black leather gloves. The gold tree leaf collar pin on the shirt's neckline, which is a symbol of your rank of colonel. Your hair tied into a mermaid's braid.

Your dad's funeral was coming up, you had to be there, much to your own dismay and hope you would skip the funeral to go there after your family left the century.

You took a deep breath as you picked up your lucky belt, the one your dad had beaten you with and somehow kept you alive. Ironic how it was used on your flesh, but it saved your life multiple times.

This was the reality of it now, your father is dead, long dead, this was supposed to be a small funeral. But what quantified as ‘small’ didn’t exactly seem that with how many children your parents brought into the world.

Along with most of your nieces and nephews in tow with your older brothers. One time you were happy with being the only girl in the entirety of eight children they decided to have.

Now you had to become the ‘strong one’ inside of a capitalistic scummy world that valued money over moral ethics.

The lives moving the company engine along over the work life balance you deserved it was non-existent.

You were good at punching your problems away in the past. Yet it never reflected it now.

If your mother decided to show up after abandoning you and your siblings, you would be sure to leave long before she made the age-old excuse of ‘late-night work.’

When her affair took precedence over their livelihoods. You still remember telling her she was disowned and disbarred from everything your life entailed.

The thought of seeing her at the funeral sent a shiver down your spine. The same spine that your father had broken. But that’s the thing about family, they come with baggage.

The amount of baggage often changed with how much money they had. And your family had enough to start their own airline. The only flight they cared about was the one taking them away from their problems.

You felt the weight of the mask on your face, a stark reminder of the double life you led. The one where you were a daughter, sister, and now, a colonel in a world that didn’t care about your past.

It was the same world that had crushed your spirit into dust, only to build you back up into this unshakable force. The mask wasn’t just for the mission; it was for the facade you had to wear at the funeral.

The tense atmosphere inside of the funeral home, let alone the old cottage inside the isles of Yorkshire.

The company skyscraper in London, the cotton and wool farm in Yorkshire, the vacation home inside of Alaska, along with other various things your father never told you about.

Not that it mattered now.

The old man was indeed dead now.

Deceased.

Entering Rigor Mortis.

Sleeping forever.

Dead.

A bonfire, a pyre, a wooden stake, and everything they would burn a witch during the era of the witch trials. What better way to give a funeral for your father?

The flames crackling and popping in the dark of the night. The heat licking at your skin as you stood in front of everyone you had to pretend to care about.

Your heart was racing but not because of fear or nerves, it was because of the rage that burned inside of you like the very fire in front of you.

You took a deep breath and stepped forward, the flames reflecting off your mask, turning your eyes into a fiery amber.

You were getting ready for your solo date with yourself after the funeral. You weren’t going to do much. Honestly. People assumed you were kinkier than you felt like you were.

What do you mean wearing a garter panty makes you kinky? You saw them on sale, and you bought them because you felt pretty.

Why do you think like that? It is just a spiked collar with a bell. I got it years ago.

Why do you like wearing fishnet stockings to the office? Because they're comfortable, that's why.

What do you mean you’re single? Aren’t you like thirty now? Yeah. But no one wants to date me. So? Who cares?

How are you going to find someone if you wear that shit? Well, that sounds like a you problem not a me problem to have. Good luck unpacking that bullshit.

When are you going to give me grandchildren? When you show up for your children and start being an actual mother.

Why do you always have to wear black? It's my favourite colour. Besides, it matches everything.

But it’s for the funeral. You're supposed to wear something more... respectful.

You would be more respectful. My father is better man dead than he was ever alive thank you very much.

Why haven’t you forgiven your mother? Well, she’s to blame for a lot of things happening to me and I will never forgive her for it.

It wasn’t your mother’s fault your father decided to take it out on you for her leaving you and your siblings with him. Why can’t you see how you’re hurting her? She made a choice to make more than one affair with her lovers. She knew what would happen. I don’t care what she wants anymore.

Why do you have so many piercings and tattoos? Because it’s my body, and I can do what I want with it.

Why are you so defensive? Because my entire life I’ve had to fight to be seen and heard. To prove that I’m more than just the daughter of a man who didn’t deserve the title of father.

Why can’t you concentrate? I have a condition that makes focusing on one thing at a time an endless struggle.

But you seem so together. How can you have a mental illness? Because mental illness doesn’t have a face, darling. It’s not something you can spot from a mile away. It’s the hidden battles we fight daily, behind the smiles and the nods.

ADHD is not a thing, my son isn’t like this. Why are you lying? Because it’s a part of who I am, and I’m not going to hide it anymore, Mom. You should have listened when your husband beat me into ‘listening’ to him.

If you didn't say anything about it your father would have loved you more, been around you more and wouldn’t have hurt you. If you behaved like we wanted. None of this would have happened. Are you sure that is the rabbit hole you want to walk down?

You’ve had enough. You turn around and walk out of the room, not bothering to hear the rest of her guilt trips.

You don't need to be around that kind of negativity today, not when you’re trying to breathe without feeling like you’re choking on your own tears.

The door slams shut behind you, echoing through the quiet house. It’s a relief to be alone, even if it’s just for a moment. You lean against the wall, taking deep breaths, trying to calm your racing heart.

You've heard it all before, but somehow, it still stings. You’ve spent years building up a tough exterior, but the words of your mother still manage to find their way in, digging at the tender spots you've tried so hard to protect.

But today is not the day to let her win. You have a date with yourself, and you're going to enjoy it. You straighten up, smoothing down your black dress.

It’s not what everyone else expects you to wear, but it’s what you feel like wearing, and that’s all that matters. You look at the time, realizing you're already running late. The theatre won't wait for you, even if you wish the world would.

“It was stupid to think she would admit it was also partially her fault.” You muttered to your co-worker at the bar.

You had just told him about your mother’s accusations and his eyes widened, his hand froze mid-air with a bottle of whiskey. “Your father’s funeral, right? That’s why you called in sick for work?”

“Yeah. I don’t know whether it was the right thing now. I should have worked today instead of attending.” You answered.

“Your mother is a complete and total bitch. You know that, right?” He said, his voice gruff but concerned. He had seen you at your worst, and he knew the history between you two.

“Yeah. Oddly enough she only got worse after he died.” you were sipping your white Russian cocktail.

He nodded, placing the bottle back on the shelf. “Well, she can't ruin your day anymore. What's your plan now, love?”

“See a movie, have dinner and take frozen yoghurt home to devour completely.” you answered.

“A perfect plan, if I say so myself.” he winked and slid the drink to you.

“Good food is something I will always look forward to.” you chuckle with excitement. Looking forward to having a good meal for dinner tonight.

You didn’t know what it would be from the enormous amount of choices around you. But you knew. You knew there is going to be something you will enjoy.

Kyle walked into the theatre once you were in the seat you paid for. Along with nachos with extra cheese, two large diet cokes, and a box of chocolates.

He looked at the feast you bought for yourself to have with the movie. “It's not a date if you don't eat your weight in junk food.” You said with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled and set the snacks down, sliding into the seat next to you. “How was it?” He asked, his voice gentle, and eyes concerned.

“Worse than a horror movie somehow. My mother is somehow far worse than a dead man now.” you answered.

Kyle’s expression tightened. He had heard enough about your mother to understand her cruel nature, but that didn’t mean he liked hearing you in pain.

He wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer. “You know you don’t have to take that shit, right? You’re more than what she says you are.” His voice was firm and comforting.

“I went to the bar hours before. I told Larry, Lawrence, this, he agrees that she's a stone-cold bitch. This is also the same man who dates older women by the way.” you replied.

Kyle’s smile was small but knowing. “And yet he’s the voice of reason today?”

“Yeah. After a White Russian cocktail and two 'holy water' cocktails. He gave me a shot of cinnamon whiskey which he mixed with vodka and said it’s for the soul. I guess that’s one way to get over the shit of a family I have.” You said, a small laugh escaping your lips. It was a sad laugh, but it was something.

Kyle nodded, his grip around you tightening for a brief moment. “You’ve got me. That’s all that matters right now. Let’s enjoy the movie, okay?”

“The 'hole water' cocktails were quite nice by the way.” you replied.

He kissed the top of your head. “Good to know. I’ll have to try one next time I’m there.”

You were more than a little content with him there. Even if you never did things together, all the time, it was enough to know he was by your side. Your eating habits were weird to be sure, but you warned him many times before hand, and he never made you feel bad for it.

Your mac and cheese was the perfect temperature, just a hint of crunch on the top from the oven, and the nachos were heavenly with the warm, gooey cheese. You didn’t even realize how hungry you were until the food hit the table. You dug in with enthusiasm, the salty, cheesy flavours mingling with the sweetness of your chocolates. The comfort of the familiar tastes washed over you like a warm blanket, a stark contrast to the coldness of your mother’s words earlier.

The movie began, and you tried to lose yourself in the action-packed scenes, but your thoughts kept drifting back to the conversation with your mother. You could feel Kyle’s eyes on you, his concern palpable. He reached over and took your hand, giving it a squeeze. It was a simple gesture, but it meant the world to you. It reminded you that you weren’t alone, that there was someone who cared about you, who saw you for more than the sum of your past.

The film was a blockbuster hit, full of explosions and car chases that had your heart racing. You couldn’t help but think how surreal it was to be here with Kyle, a man who lived a life so different from your own. A man who, despite his wealth and status, saw the real you and didn’t flinch at your imperfections. It was a feeling you hadn’t experienced in a long time, if ever.

As the movie progressed, you found yourself leaning into Kyle’s side, your shoulders brushing against his firm, muscular frame. His thumb traced small circles on the back of your hand, the touch grounding and soothing. You watched the screen, but your mind was elsewhere, lost in the warmth and comfort of his presence.

As you slept in the hotel room with your earbuds in to block out the background noises of the city, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway and the ticking of the analog clock in the hotel room. You were asleep faster than you would have been after drinking a warm glass of milk doused in melatonin.

You would be back inside your cottage inside of Yorkshire soon. It may take a while. It will come to you soon. You think to yourself. A small temporary mantra to ease yourself into a heavy slumber. Easing yourself into a comfortable routine you know more about than London and its streets.

The routine was and remains to be quite boring to those who knew or didn’t know you. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered until you had at least eight to nine hours of sleep inside you. A golden rule you always had to maintain some assemblance of peace inside your soul. Not that you were ever religious about the ‘soul’ or ever argued what made a ‘soul’ a ‘soul.’

The satin eye mask you wore didn't just shield your eyes from light, it served as a symbolic barrier between you and the tumultuous world outside. The silk pillow cover over the body pillow you kept to your chest to help you sleep alone at night. A small comfort among the many you kept to yourself.

The satin pajamas you wore to bed were handmade by your late grandmother, a soft and warm embrace that brought a semblance of comfort to the cold, sterile hotel room. The warmth of the outdoor socks you used a bed socks to keep warm. Your mind began to drift as the darkness of the room wrapped around you like a cocoon.

As you slept deep inside the cocoon of heavy blankets.

Back deep inside the penthouse of London’s most expensive, luxurious buildings owned by Kyle's father. A building so high, it seemed like it could kiss the stars, if only it tried hard enough. Though if his father was in fact allowed to have it kiss the stars. It would be done with no questions asked, and no doubt with the finest gold-plated cranes money could buy.

Soap hadn't been introduced to you just yet, but his reputation preceded him. Kyle had mentioned him in passing, a fellow SAS operative with a sharp wit and a penchant for trouble. You'd seen his face in a few photos around Kyle's flat, a grinning man with piercing blue eyes and a mop of hair styled in a mohawk. Not too outrageous as the ones you had seen growing up.

“My older brother has one still. Though his has width of a small bird. Dyed it pink and it hasn't been any other colour since.” you told him.

Kyle chuckled at your words, his eyes not leaving yours. He leaned closer, his breath brushing your cheek. “I bet he pulls it off better than anyone else.”

“Considering he pulls off a cocktail dress. I doubt there is something he couldn't.” You quipped back with a smirk, feeling his breath on your face. The conversation had been light, a welcome reprieve from the shadowy world Kyle was entangled in.

Now, as you were in the hotel room, Kyle talking to Soap in person, “Soap, I don’t know if Ghost has told you this. But I don’t think she needs a lesson in anything MacTavish.”

Soap’s smirk didn’t waver, didn’t budge, didn’t move from his face. “Oh, I’ve heard plenty about her. But I’d like to see her skills for myself, Gaz. It’s not every day you get to spar with someone who’s seen more action than a Hollywood blockbuster.”

“Or you could settle for Blackjack and watch her take his money instead?” Ghost said his voice over the phone.

“Cheeky bugger,” Soap said, his smile evident in his voice. “But, I’m more interested in the action than the gambling. Besides, I can handle myself around a poker table.”

“Poker and Blackjack are different.” Ghost reminded him. “Blackjack is all about maths, and you know how good she is with numbers.”

The phone line crackled with Soap’s laughter. “Alright, alright, I’ll leave the gambling to her and the brains. But I’m still looking forward to seeing her in action, Gaz. It’ll be like watching a ballet of bullets and brawn.”

Kyle rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to know you’re eager to watch her dance with danger, Soap. Just remember she’s not just any operative.”

“Understood, Gaz. I’ll play nice.” Soap’s tone was teasing, but there was a hint of respect beneath it.

You were known to play like a loan shark when it came to blackjack. Ruthless, precise, and cold. It was your way of coping with the world. The numbers never lied to you, never hurt you, and never disappointed you. It was a game that made sense to you in a world that rarely did. The thought of playing poker with Kyle's friend made your stomach twirl, but in a way that was more excitement than dread.

“You better. Otherwise, any poker game you play with her? You'll end up paying for it.” Ghost quipped, his voice a mix of humour and caution.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, Ghost. Besides, I enjoy a challenge.” Soap's reply was filled with the kind of confidence that could only come from experience.

Kyle chuckled. “Keep that in mind when you finally meet her. She's not just a pretty face, she's got brains and brawn. You might learn a thing or two.”

The line went silent for a beat before Soap spoke up again. “Looking forward to it, Gaz. How's she holding up?”

Kyle’s eyes softened at the question. “As well as can be expected. She’s a tough one, that’s for sure. But she’s got a lot on her plate.”

“Family issues?” Ghost guessed.

Kyle nodded solemnly. “Something like that. She’s got a past she’s trying to outrun, and it’s catching up with her.”

“Yeesh. Price told her it would come knocking when she least expects it to.” Ghost’s voice was filled with a mix of sympathy and the bluntness you were used to. “Just keep her safe, Gaz. That’s all we can do for now.”

“And tell her to come to Glasgow for once. She’ll be more at ‘peace’ here than in London.” Soap remarked with a laugh.

“She’s from Yorkshire, Soap. She’s not exactly keen on Glasgow weather, unless you’ve got a sunbed with her name on it,” Kyle said, his eyes not leaving yours as he spoke into the phone, a gentle teasing glint in his eyes.

“Yorkshire’s weather is nice during summer. Absolutely freezing in Winter.” Ghost reminded Soap. As if he wanted to drill in the fact, you were happy living in Yorkshire and preferred to visit other places.

“Summer in Glasgow isn’t exactly a tropical paradise, but it’s still worth a visit. Besides, I’m sure we can manage to warm things up for her.” Soap’s voice grew slightly darker, a mischievous twinkle in his tone that made Kyle smirk.

“And I am certain you will most likely find yourself broke and upset long before the entire week would end.” Ghost and Kyle told him in unison reminding him you would take what he for what he is worth from his hide during either a match of blackjack or poker.

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virtualcarrot · 9 months ago

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[KKIR] Modern AU - Teaching Pains Pt1

Day 1: Meet Cute Ugly

Few Friday evenings bring Iruka as great a feeling of deliverance as this one does. Sure, he still has schedules to ponder and lesson plans to revise, but at the very least he shouldn’t be getting any more maddening emails from a part-time, freshly arrived colleague clearly set on sharing his opinions about their school.

Iruka usually considers himself a people person. One with a temper, undeniably, but still, he’s level-headed enough to keep it in check most of the time and also, he’s personable. He and his colleagues get along. Hell, he’s on his way to share drinks with them at their customary dive. They’re a tight bunch. They get each other.

All that’s to say, Iruka doesn’t feel particularly responsible for the fury that’s simmering in his veins at the moment. Mister University Professor, on the other hand, he of the self-inflated ego, can shoulder all the blame.

By the time Iruka’s pushing into the crowded bar, his irritation hasn’t simmered low enough that the familiar sight of his colleagues’ shades of purple, gray, black and brown hair all cluttered together on a small table doesn’t set it aflame again. Time to vent, it is. He knows Mizuki will try to say something mild and diffusing, but at least Anko can be counted on to rant along.

“Can you believe the gall of the new guy?” he exclaims on his way over once he’s within shouting distance. Kotetsu looks up, wide-eyed by surprise. “Who does he think he is? Barely arrived, hasn’t even learned how things work, hasn’t bothered meeting anyone, and is already criticizing how we do things! Why bother entering a joint initiative if it’s to dismiss everything about it? Does he think money grows on trees? We don’t have the budget KU has!” He gives Mizuki an absent-minded pat of greeting on the back and rounds the table to take the free seat left on the other side. “Completely disconnected from the reality of teaching, that one. Hope he’s better at passing on knowledge than he is at taking it in.”

There's a gray haired stranger sitting across from him.

Iruka narrows his eyes. ''You're not Mizuki.''

“Nope.”

Iruka takes stock of Kotetsu and Izumo's twin looks of horror on each side of the stranger, and Anko's rictus on his left, and feels the exhaustion of the week catch up with him in a way such that he's too tired to be mortified.

''You're him aren't you?" he asks tonelessly.

''Yep,'' professor Hatake Kakashi, of all people, replies.

Already done with the situation, Iruka grabs the beer sitting somewhere in Kotetsu's vicinity and downs it. He slams it down when he's done and takes a pause to mull things over before meeting Kakashi's eyes.

''This isn't how I'd have liked to phrase it but I stand by my words,'' he says.

Kakashi shrugs and points to the empty pint glass still cool in Iruka's hand. ''That was mine, by the way.''

Of course it was. Some days are just cursed from start to end. Iruka closes his eyes so he can roll them at himself in the privacy of his own eyelids.

“The house pale ale, was it?” he says with a sigh, and sets off to fix that mistake at least.

By the time he’s back, the intruder has left.

Anko gives him a slow clap.

“You really don’t blunder halfway, uh?” Kotetsu chokes out, half genuine awe.

Iruka makes the executive decision that this is a problem best left for Monday-him and settles down for the merciless mocking that is sure to follow.

Part 2

#kakairu valentine’s week 2024 #kakairu.rocks #kakairu #naruto #my scrawl #fic : naruto #hatake kakashi #umino iruka

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silver138 · 2 months ago

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Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 16

word count - 1.5k

warnings - none

Summary: Lina gets grilled by Penelope.

"That was insane, Penny! Just how many of the cases are like this?!" I ask, taking off my headset and setting it down.

Penny just grins and says, "A few too many, I'm afraid. Thankfully, we got it taken care of before a lot of people got hurt..." Taking off her headset, she stands up and collects her purse, saying, "C'mon, I'll drive you home..."

"Shouldn't we get started on the paperwork?" I ask, an unsure look on my face.

"Nah, we can come in tomorrow to get started on that. The agents will be doing most of that, anyway, since they were the ones going out and tracking the unsubs down," she says, digging her keys out as she hands me my purse.

"Oh, ok," I say, taking my purse and standing up.

As Penny and I walk towards the elevators, she says, "Now that the case has been dealt with..." and then smiles devilishly at me.

My head pulling back a little, I apprehensively ask, "What...what's that look for, Pen?"

"Told you I was gonna ask about it later...so how'd your little...coffee meet-up with Reid go?" she asks, ushering me into the elevator when it dings open.

"Oh, uh, ok, I guess? We didn't really get to hang out a whole lot, maybe, like, 5 minutes before we got the calls..." I say, leaning against the elevator walls. Penelope hums, and I ask, "What? What's that 'Hmm' for?"

"Oh, nothing..." she says with a sweet smile.

"Pen, I know I'm still new, and I don't know everyone's 'tells'," I start, walking out of the elevator after the doors open again. "But yours might as well be on a billboard. Now tell me, what are your thoughts?" I ask, trying to catch up to her as she walks to the parking garage.

"Just...what do you think you and Boy Genius will do as a 'make-up hang out'?" she says, still smirking.

Flushing, I say, "I-I don't know, I guess I'm gonna have to ask him when I see him next..."

Unlocking her car doors, Penny asks, "Ah, ok, so, tomorrow, then?" I give her a questioning look, and she continues. "They're on the jet coming home now, they'll be back in for tomorrow morning."

I nod, giving an, "Oh." in understanding. I climb in and secure my seat belt as Penny starts the car, lowering the volume on the radio before it can blast out whatever station she had on this morning.

I lean my head back and sigh as Penny drives, softly saying, "I am exhausted, and I was here in a chair. I can only imagine how tired the rest of them must be..." Penny nods in agreement. I look out the window, watching the city lights flicker on as we pass. We're almost to my apartment when I get a text message.

Probably Val, asking if I'm gonna have another late night at work, better let her know I'm on my way...

As I read the message, I quickly realized it was not my roommate who texted me, but Spencer.

Hey, Lina. Hope I'm not interrupting you, but I wanted to ask if we're good for that raincheck on hanging out? Maybe we can try Saturday again?

I try to hide the goofy grin that crosses my face, but Penny notices. "Must be an awfully funny text there, chica..." she says with a smirk.

Flushing, I squeak out, "It-it isn't funny, Pen. Just...unexpected."

Nodding slightly, she hums out an, "Uh-huh...so what's the Mighty Professor gotta say?"

I whip my head to face her, and say, "How-how do you know it's Spencer, huh? Why couldn't it be, I dunno, someone sending me a cat picture or something?"

She snorts and laughs, saying, "My tells may be as big as a billboard, but yours might as well be in skywriting..." The light turns green, letting us continue on our way.

My lips bunched to one side, I sighed as I said, "Yeah, ok, it's Spencer. I have got to work on keeping my facial expressions to myself..."

At a stoplight, she turns to me and says, "Well? What did he say? Are you gonna answer him?"

"Oh!" I exclaim, typing out on my phone a reply. "Ye-yeah, I'm gonna answer him, gimmie a moment..."

Yeah, that'd be awesome, Doc. Did you want to try to do the same thing, or something else on Saturday? Are you home already?

After sending the text, I feel the car stop. I look up and see I'm home. I look over to Penny, and she says, "Well, hon, you're home. I'll see you tomorrow. Have fun texting tonight..."

I snort, letting myself out and waving to her as I head up the steps to my apartment. As I make my way upstairs and unlock my apartment door, I feel my phone buzz again. Heading inside, I call out, "Val? I'm home, the case was resolved." I pull out my phone again as I close the door and take off my shoes and coat.

"Be right there!" she yells back from her room.

As I put down my purse and hung up my coat, I read the text Spencer sent.

No, I'm just getting off the jet, I should be home in a bit. I mean, we can get coffee again, but I was thinking we could maybe check out a bookstore or two? If that's ok, I know you mentioned that as a suggestion before?

Grinning, I answer him as I sit down on the couch.

That sounds amazing, Spence. Yes, absolutely! I've been meaning to get a few more books, too.

Val pads into the living room, eyebrow raised. "Glad you're home at a more decent hour, there's some leftovers in the fridge." She sits down next to me and asks, "So, who ya texting?"

Clutching the phone to my chest, I look her up and down quickly, then say, "...Spencer."

She looks at me and says, "Mmm-hmm. Isn't he in Jersey right now?"

I smile and slide the phone back into my pocket, getting up to check the fridge. "Yeah, well, he said he just got back in Virginia, so he'll be home pretty soon." I look through the shelves, trying to find something. I pick up something in aluminum foil and turn to look at Val, raising my eyebrows as if to ask 'What even is this?' She just gives me a shrug, and I put it back in, figuring I'll deal with it later.

Val stretches out on the couch as I continue my search. She then asks, "So, uh, what's he asking you?"

"Oh, um, he...wanted to see if we wanted to try to hang out again this Saturday, since the first time we got called into a case," I say, finally deciding on some leftover pasta dish.

She hums in acknowledgment as I dump the food onto a plate and put it in the microwave. After setting the time, I turn to her and ask, "What?"

She shrugs and shakes her head, then says, "Nothing. I'm gonna head to bed early, g'night."

"Night, Vallie," I say, getting my food after the machine beeps. As I sit down on the couch again to eat, my phone chimes again.

Smiling, I check it and read the message.

Oh, really? Any in particular you were looking for?

Thinking for a moment, I quickly type out a reply and send it, a grin on my face as I finish eating dinner.

Kind of, I was hoping maybe you could help me look for some of the ones you suggested? If you don't mind, of course.

I take my empty dishes over to the sink, humming as I wash them. Drying off my hands, my phone goes off once more.

I don't mind at all! I look forward to Saturday.

Heading to my room, I sit on my bed and type out one more message.

It's been a while since I've gone on a good bookstore search, and I don't think I've ever been on one with someone. I can't wait!

I change into some pjs and start getting ready for bed. As I brush my teeth, I get another text.

You know, I don't think I've ever done that either? Definitely something I eagerly await. Well, I better let you get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow, Lina. Goodnight. :-)

I grin and set my toothbrush down, sending one last text.

You should try to sleep, too. Goodnight, Spence. :-)

I finish brushing my teeth and head back into my room, slipping into bed, and drifting off to sleep.

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#spencer reid #dr spencer reid #doctor spencer reid #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #matthew gray gubler #mgg #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x ofc #spencer reid x original female character

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luverofralts · 4 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Focus on your breathing. You're doing fine."

Theo sat across from the deity of life, breathing as instructed. The wedding was over, but Lukas insisted on evaluating him, just in case there was a problem with the procedure they'd performed. Theo wasn't worried, he'd never felt this good in all his life. The all-consuming distraction of his lingering curse was gone whenever he tried to use magic. Lukas had already run through a bunch of spells, and Theo had cast them perfectly. Hell, he was floating in the air, conversing with a deity. If that wasn't proof of his magic being healed, he didn't know what was.

"Is this how it's always going to be?" Theo asked. "My magic? Everyone says that they can help me with it, but it always unravels, and I end up hurting myself and anyone around me."

"I'm not everyone," Lukas snapped. "I do happen to know what I'm doing. I've been around for a lot longer than your little coven or teachers. The matter has been settled."

"Is this what magic is supposed to feel like? I feel like I could do anything. My homework feels like a joke. I could probably break out of here on my own if I wanted."

Lukas shook their head. Teenagers.

"I wouldn't entertain your delusions of grandeur for long. You're powerful, yes, but largely untrained and ignorant of the true workings of the world. However strong you are, the world will not bend to your will anytime soon, to either you or Adam."

"Adam? I thought he was just getting a small power up from anchoring me? Does he feel all of this too?"

"The Ocean never gifts such power to a single person," Lukas replied cryptically. "The universe is binary. Light and dark, death and life, night and day. Power such as yours isn't entrusted to one person. You are programmed by your very nature to seek a partner, someone to share your burden with. It's a shame that you've had to choose so young. People change as they age, you would have been better to wait until you were older. Though I suppose your hand was forced. Even the Great Demons often demonically married their long term partners a long time ago. The Ocean doesn't trust a single one of us, and really, he shouldn't. Even if you are just tied to a coven, that's still preferable to a lone magic user holding onto power."

Theo still looked confused despite nodding his understanding. Lukas sighed. This boy might be strong, but he wasn't a very fast learner.

"No, Adam doesn't have the entirety of your abilities. He doesn't even have half. You are still sharing your power with a second person, even if it's not a 50/50 split. It's still a dangerous amount." They paused, thinking of another complication. "Look, I don't want to have 'The Talk' with you, but it would be better if you kept your hands to yourself for awhile. Your connection with Adam is stable, just like your magic, but you're still learning your true strength and I don't want to be getting a call to come fix something else you've done. What happened last time won't happen again, but again, blood magic goes wild for feasts, rituals, creating new life and sex. Learn your limits before you start adding fuel to blood magic. And for god's sake, you're almost fifteen! You don't need to be having sex."

Theo scowled at the deity, clearly not appreciating their opinion.

"You said that you've been fourteen before. What were your thoughts about sex when you were my age? Probably the same."

Lukas laughed.

"I overthrew the Crystal Cove monarchy when I was thirteen, just because I could. Trust me, you don't want to use me as an example of how to live your life. I've made a fair amount of enemies over the years, and multiple people have tried to kill me. Take my word for it and lay off the sex until you're older."

"You have kids. I've met them at school functions and Remy and Destiny...er, never mind about Remy. She thinks just a normal amount about Destiny."

"Is that so? I'm glad the twins are making connections. I've always encouraged them to trust in themselves and follow their hearts. They seem to have their father's disposition, though. The three of them all take their time and evaluate things carefully before charging into a situation. I suppose I should be grateful that they don't take after me in that regard. I'd never have time to keep an eye on you if I had to chase them around."

"They don't ever talk about you or Death," Theo remarked, trying to judge the deity's response. "Whenever I ask about their parents, they always change the subject."

"As they were told to. What kind of life will they have if they are trapped by people's expectations about their parents? It's better that we don't have to intervene with guests who would use our children to get access to their father and I. The house has been charmed to confuse anyone trying to find it, and reapers periodically stop by to ensure our safety. I take being a parent very seriously and would destroy anyone who even came close to hurting my children."

Theo looked outside, where his fathers were openly making out in one of the gardens, apparently happy with the joining. It would be embarrassing if there was anyone present with an opinion that Theo cared about. After all the drama during the ritual, there was no way that Theo was going to worry about who saw his parents kissing. Still, it was something gross that he didn't care to see when he looked out the window. The only person he wanted to see in that position was Adam.

"My parents are so embarrassing sometimes," he groaned. Outside, his parents were roaming their hands all over each other and tugging at their ceremonial robes. New connections were strong, but surely his parents had more restraint while their son could see them from an open window? "They'd better not be thinking of having even more kids now that they're joined. People already laugh at them for being thirty with so many kids."

"Parents are such tricky things, Theo. Never take yours for granted or their love for you. Not all of us were given that gift."

Lukas' voice was sad and wistful, their eyes focused on something that Theo couldn't see.

"Because you don't have parents, right? That must be lonely."

Lukas closed their eyes in response, fighting back a physical reaction. They hadn't survived all these millenia by sharing too much of their life. Truthfully, the worst times in their existence had all been caused by letting people into their heart, of being honest.

You failed her. You failed your family. She'd be here if it wasn't for you. We all wish you'd died instead.

Lukas shook their head to clear out the accusing voices that silently screamed each time they were reminded of family. The Arkhelian boy was staring at him with what could only be described as pity. Anger blazed across their mind at this probably sincere gesture of concern. They didn't need anyone's pity; they were untouchable. Indestructible. This poor teenager was the one who should be pitied, what with his long exile from home and his troubled family history.

With a practiced flick of their hand, Lukas summoned the picture frame from their desk at home into their hand and slumped into a chair. They had already run through countless scenarios to judge the risk of opening up to the teen and concluded that it wasn't likely that the little demon could hurt them. It seemed like every week, this boy was showing up on their radar, so it was in their best interest to make Theo an ally instead of a complication.

"This was taken at my wedding," they explained, briefly showing the photo to Theo. "My parents nearly ruined it with their drama, as usual. Dad's jealousy and Linus'...entire existence, really. They're like oil and water. Two violent, broken people who somehow created me. Trust me, little demon, I have parents and my life is still lonely. Treasure the ones that love you."

"You do have parents?" Theo replied curiously. "Were they gods too? Do you have any other family? Does Death?"

He stopped himself before he could ramble on further, potentially angering the deity in front of him. Lukas was clearly preoccupied with thoughts about family and Theo knew better than to push his luck.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear you. I was just...nothing. Either way, your parents will be a lot happier going forward. You and Adam, too, now that we've sorted some things out. You absolutely have to make sure that he does not abuse the power you have given him, Theo. It's imperative. Bad things happen when magic as wild as yours can't be reigned in."

"What happened to you to make you so scared about me?" Theo tried again. "I promise that Adam and I will be careful. He's not going to hurt me."

A long silence fell over the room. Finally, Lukas cleared their throat and took a long breath.

"My parents were Linus Reeves and Luke Lane," they began. "They were from the ruins that would one day become Crystal Cove, but their military posting was in Pleasantview during the long decades of war. Linus' mother, Brandi Broke, was supposedly from Pleasantview, so I do have family from there, though my father is such a toxic person, I doubt they'd want to talk to me. If they weren’t all long dead, that is. Sometimes, it's hard to remember where and when I am. Once you see it all unfold before you, the centuries tend to blur together."

Theo nodded to be polite. A fourteen year old was barely able to contemplate twenty years, let alone a century.

"I came from two humans, just like you did. A little more was involved, of course, but the basics are the same. My parents each made up half of the power needed to make me, and I remained tethered to their combined energy in order to protect myself. Much like your connection with Adam, they unconsciously remained as a backup to me if anything went wrong. And something went wrong. "

Lukas paused, trying to say the words out loud that they could never bring themselves to say. Theo didn't notice, as his brain was already daydreaming about Adam.

"So if Adam and I have kids, they could be gods? Since we're connected like your parents?"

"What? No! Of course not! Weren't you listening to anything I just said? You're nothing like my parents. You can make baby demons, but you'll never make a god."

Lukas stared incredulously at the teenager in front of them.

"Sorry," Theo replied, rolling his eyes. "Advanced god genetics wasn't offered at either of my schools. You said I was powerful."

"You've had your magic stabilized for a few hours, and you're already ascending to a deity in your head? You must be fun at parties. There must be people just lining up to hang out with you."

"What went wrong with you?" Theo demanded, scowling at the deity currently mocking him. "Or whatever. I don't care anymore."

"For all your power, no one is invincible," Lukas warned, still smirking at the teen. "You'd do well to remember that for the future. There will be days when your confidence will be tested, and you may not always win. Sometimes, you lose. Other times, you lose everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything. My first loss was my little sister, Riley. I neglected my duties, and she died when I wasn't looking. I don't know if I could have saved her, but I'll always know that i didn't even try. I was only told of her death long after I could have helped."

"Wait, you're married to Death. Just get him to bring her back or visit her in the afterlife or whatever. It can't be that hard."

Lukas grimaced.

"You recall what you did to your precious Adam, right? Toyonaga's Trap? It obliterates the soul it touches until nothings left. Severe cases like that are irreversible and the person is never seen again. You're fortunate that Adam was pulled away from you before he suffered that fate."

Theo's overconfidence vanished in an instant, the pained noises Adam had made haunting his memory. Suddenly, all that power he could feel running through him didn't seem so great. He closed his eyes, but the screaming continued.

"Oh."

"My dad used to be afraid of what I could do, but he's gotten a lot better in the last few years," Theo offered. "Maybe with enough time, he'd-"

"Yeah, oh. The first demon sovereign and his heir? Also gone forever, drowned by the Ocean. There is so much that is dark and terrible in this world that you have no idea about. Something dark and terrible happened to Riley, and maybe it was never in my power to save her, but my brother believes it was. So I believe it was. Linus believes it was. Linus believes a lot of things, but never me."

"It's been millenia. His mind hasn't changed. It never will. Just be thankful for your embarrassing parents and how much they love you."

Theo nodded. When he thought about from an outside perspective, his parents were pretty good. Even just compared with Adam's mom, his parents were great. He would never tell them that, but he'd try to remember it more often.

"Since you seem to think that your power can now rival a gods, it only seems fair to warn you about those who feel your powers should be theirs. You stand out, Theo, and that makes you a target. Take it from me, never let your guard down. They may try to take your abilities for themselves, and if they can't, they may threaten the lives of those you love to make you do something for them. Never let anyone but Adam know your true strength, and make absolute sure that you can trust him before you do. I can't always show up to bail you out of a bad situation, you know."

"Yeah, I will. I get it. Trust no one but Adam."

Lukas rolled their eyes. Teenagers. It was always teenagers who made them want to scream into a pillow.

"Again, not exactly what I said to you. But I'll leave you here to go spend time with your family. I have other commitments for today and you clearly don't need my help anymore. For your sake, I hope to not see you for a very long time."

In an instant, Lukas vanished from sight, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts. Today had been the most eventful day of his young life, and he still didn't fully understand it. His next letter to Adam was going to be an interesting one.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #roman bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #abe chun #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #lukas lane

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eimoonie · 1 year ago

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In this today's chapter... (Drum rolls, please) It's Venti's turn!! (Scaramouche is now called Wanderer in here)

To know more about the story, read chapter 1 and 2 first ^^

Perviously...

Xiao joined the music club that was suggested (encouraged) by Venti! Now, you're the club manager, more like a band manager.

You're currently on your way back to the clubroom after shopping for some clothes with Heizou. Both of you returned to the clubroom to check up on the others. Apparently, you assigned them tasks, such as practicing and honing their skills on their respective instruments or refining their choreography.

Everyone was exhausted from the moderately challenging tasks. As soon as you slid the door open, a chilling gust of wind and an eerie atmosphere engulfed you. The deeper you ventured into the room, the more oppressive the feeling became. You spotted Xiao hunched over the table, his head supported by his hand. Relief washed over you at the sight of someone familiar.

"Goodness, Xiao," you exclaimed. "You really startled me. What happened to the clubroom? How did it end up like this?"

You scanned the gloomy clubroom as you spoke. Xiao replied, "We pushed ourselves too hard." Heizou entered and pulled Venti and Wanderer out, asking, "What's going on?" Venti, lying on the ground, responded with a laid-back tone that contrasted with his somber appearance, "We were just working ourselves to the bone."

"Alright!! From now on, let's work hard to improve our band!" Venti exclaimed. "I think I know a live venue. I can try to get you guys in," you offered, taking out your phone to search for the live venue's location. "Ooh, it's not so far from my house," Heizou mentioned. "Maybe we can drop by Heizou's place! Hehhe..." Venti chuckled. "My mother isn't that strict, so it's fine," Heizou added. After a while, you shared all the information about the live venue and the plan

You sighed and opened the curtains and the window. "Also, where's Kazuha?" Heizou asked. Kazuha entered the clubroom with a bunch of cookies on a tray he was carrying. "Anyone want some cookies?" Kazuha said with a smile on his face and bright eyes. "YES!!" everyone exclaimed and sat down to enjoy the fresh cookies. "Delicious!" You complimented the cookies; they tasted like Subway's cookies. They all ate happily. "Kazuha always makes great cookies, nom nom," Venti praised with his mouth full of red velvet cookies. "You know, maybe you could teach me how to cook sometime!" You suggested. "Last year, I was in the cooking club, so, of course, I know how to make several snacks." Kazuha took one of the cookies and fed himself, a small sparkle lighting up Kazuha's eyes. "hmm... nom nom," Kazuha said with a contented expression.

"right, so all we need to do is to have a song!"

After the club meeting ended, everyone said their goodbyes and headed home. You were walking back when Venti quickly caught up, exclaiming, 'Hey there, Y/N! Wait for meeee!!' Venti grabbed your hand, 'Let's stop at this new maid cafe!' Venti pointed at the cafe, and you were intrigued, chuckling as you entered.

Venti may appear to be very extroverted, but he prefers to converse with those he's already friends with. Since you're childhood friends with Venti, you can probably predict his every move. He and Shenhe were the kind of people you never thought you'd need.

"Hmm!! The chocolate mint cake actually tastes good!" Venti exclaimed. "Say ahh~!!" He carefully placed a small portion on his fork to share with you, knowing you didn't have any money and just wanted to accompany him. "Ahh..! Nom." You eagerly took a bite, savoring the delightful blend of mint and the rich flavors of chocolate and peanuts. "It tastes amazing, actually!" You were pleasantly surprised by the unexpected treat. Initially, both of you had doubts about the cake's taste, but now you both realized it was quite delicious!

Talking about Venti, hes not that very interested in trends or anything, he just like to stick to his own clan instead of trying to fit in.

After paying, Venti walks happily with you all the way home, content after satisfying his appetite. Venti chuckles, then strides forward and glances back at you while still walking, saying, 'Let's dine there again sometime! I'd love to treat you once more...' He mischievously laughs as he playfully runs away from you.

You were confused by Venti's new behaviour.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin imagines #5wirl x reader #genshin venti #xiao genshin impact #genshin impact venti #genshin impact kazuha #genshin impact heizou #venti x reader #venti x gn!reader #4nemo x reader #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact x female reader #genshin impact x male reader

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theserenebean · 24 days ago

Text

2003 Mikey slips inside, looking like he's been running from someone

The door swung shut behind him, the little bell chime announcing his arrival. He had a greeting for April on the tip of his tongue, but it disappeared as he took in his surroundings.

"Hi welcome to The Serene Bean, let me know if you have any questions," a voice rattled off with practiced friendliness.

Mikey stared at the girl at the counter, a human teenager with her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. Definitely not April. And that was not the smell of antiques, it was the smell of coffee.

And this human girl was just kind of watching him neutrally. Was he dreaming?

"Okay," he scratched his head, "This isn't where I expected to end up."

"Most people don't," she replied. "Or, uh, turtles either," she added a bit apologetically.

Mikey's face split with a huge grin. He didn't know how he'd ended up wherever this was instead of Second Time Around, but that was a problem to wrap his head around another time. The important immediate situation was: a stranger was being polite to him and that meant he was making a new friend.

He laughed, glancing surreptitiously at her name-tag. Red. "Yeah, I guess you don't get a lot of turtles around here, huh?"

"Actually--"

A new voice cut in as a worker appeared from around the corner. "It needs to be filled to the line," he called over his shoulder, "And don't leave the--oh."

He had turned to face Mikey fully.

"You'd be surprised," Red finished matter-of-factly.

"I didn't realize we had a customer," the other worker, who was also another mutant turtle, fussed. "You should've called."

"He hasn't ordered anything yet," Red replied. "Besides, I don't really trust Jones by himself back there."

Her words were punctuated with a loud crash.

The turtle sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "I don't really trust Jones period, to be honest."

Mikey's mind was reeling. He was staring at a walking talking in the flesh not one of his brothers for real mutant turtle, and a human who seemed completely chill with his existence--with their existence.

"Did you have any questions about the--"

He lunged forward, practically on the counter before he could think about what he was doing. "What's your name? How did you get a job here? Are there any openings? Not that I'm looking for a job, but like is that a thing that's possible? Can mutant turtles have jobs? Are you a mutant turtle?!"

"Uh, yeah. I'm actually--okay this might be a bit overwhelming--"

"Where do you live? Do you have to stay hidden, because it doesn't seem like you're staying hidden. We have kind of a community who's chill with us, too. Have you ever been to Second Time Around?"

"Whoa, whoa," the other turtle held up his hands, motioning for Mikey to slow down. "Take a deep breath, Mikey. I don't think--"

Mikey screeched, stumbling backwards, then moving to the other side of Red, as if the human he'd known for only one minute longer could or would protect him from this mysteriously familiar stranger.

"He knows my name!"

"This is why I'm up front," Red put her hands on her hips. "You and Jones always try to rush things."

The other turtle looked mildly indignant, then shrugged. "I'm just gonna get started on his drink. Mikeys always order the same thing on their first visit."

He turned around and busied himself with a blender, leaving Mikey to gape at Red, a hundred more questions in his eyes.

"So, do you want the short version, or more details?"

He blinked. Okay, that was actually a really thoughtful question. He kind of wanted all the details, except now that he was pausing to think about it he realized that his brain was buzzing way too much to take in any details at the moment.

But that was, like, a thing about him that his brothers knew. It was kind of weird for Red to know it.

"Short version," he decided, already planning to drag his brothers in here and get the detailed explanation together.

"I'm April, that's Donnie, Casey Jones is in the back. There are a bunch of versions of us, we're at kind of a mobile connecting point. So you could meet a bunch of versions of your brothers here if you come back a lot. Also, we have a loyalty card." She slid one across the counter. He scooped it up.

"Okay, I think I get it," he leaned back, stance slowly relaxing. "Kind of like the Battle Nexus, but for turtles and with coffee."

Red blinked twice, and shrugged. "Sure."

"So," Mikey was trying to process it all, make it fit more neatly in his head. "So, that's your Donnie?"

"Oh, no, that's not my Donnie. That's a different Donnie. Not that I have a Donnie. And my Casey isn't a cop. Not that I have a Casey."

She seemed oddly flustered.

"You don't have a Donnie? Or a Casey?!" He wished he hadn't brought it up. He would hate to learn about a multiverse where a bunch of versions of him had friends he didn't have. He was more determined than ever to be this April's friend.

"No, I do," she clarified hastily.

The other turtle, Donnie apparently, turned back to face him, drink in hand. "Her Donnie and Casey both have a crush on her."

"Ohhh," Mikey nodded as her odd behavior clicked into place. He didn't really know what it was like to have a crush or be crushed on, but he did have a lot of secondhand experience through his comic books, and man, love triangles were the worst.

"I am sorry you have to deal with that," he said sincerely, "But I'm not gonna lie, it's a big relief from what I thought you meant!"

"Yeah," she brushed her bangs out of her face, even though they fell right back in place. "Sorry. That did make it sound pretty bad, huh?"

He chuckled, hoping to lighten her mistake. It was only, like, his second time making friends with an actual human teenager, and she seemed crazy nervous. Not as nervous as his April had been, but she was also frazzled from being chased by Mousers and, well, not a teenager.

Maybe he'd drag Angel by later, too. She knew how to put people at ease.

"Can you imagine a world with all of us, and no Donatello?" he asked. "It would probably turn into, like, the bad ending of a video game."

Donnie's eyes crinkled fondly. "I think you'd be surprised how many people would say the same thing about their Mikeys." He pushed the drink across the counter.

Mikey blinked at it. "What's this?"

"Undue Harm."

He gave him a look. "Dude. I just gave you a compliment and you're giving me Undue Harm?"

He shrugged apologetically. "If you want something else--"

"No, no, wait," he snatched it up. "What's in it? How much does it cost?" He studied the menu.

"Hey, wait a minute. There aren't any prices on this menu!"

Donnie and Red exchanged a look.

"Everything comes with a price," Red explained, "But we can't always predict what it will be."

Mikey squinted at them suspiciously, but nonetheless took a noisy sip of his drink.

It was weird--and it was good! He felt almost indignant that they knew his tastes so well, when they'd only just met.

"I'll be back," he said mysteriously, walking backwards towards the door.

"Watch out for--"

He rolled across the table Red had been about to warn him about, then slipped back into the streets of New York.

#tmnt #2003 mikey #2012 april #tmnt serene bean

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tomboyjessie13 · 2 months ago

Text

Sequel to this: "Now, let the Fun Begin!" — Upscale Mall - Cairo, Egypt Spring 11:45 AM (tumblr.com)

Library, DIO's Mansion Half hour later

Having a desire to buy her very first letterman jacket, she returns to the mansion to persuade DIO to give Medea her very first mission with an active agent. She finds him at the library with her demands, his reply was:

DIO: *Laying on an Egyptian chaise lounge chair*.....No.

Medea: Come on, man! I'm dirt broke over here!

DIO: News flash: I don't care. *Picks up a yellow-colored book with a blond princess on it with his left hand* Maybe you should've done your job instead of gambling at the cafe. *Waves his right hand at her* Now run along and tend to the windows on the first floor like a good girl.

Medea: *Pulls book down* Please, Lord DIO! I've been stuck at this place since December, and I got nothing to show for it other than doing laundry.

DIO: *Slaps her hand out of the way* Hands off the book.

Medea: Sorry, but please understand that I don't want to be a just a housemaid here. I want to spread my Stand's wings and fly like the big dogs, isn't that what you hired me for?

DIO: Something like that, but THEN....You found out about my vampirism and tried to escape.

Medea: Wasn't MY fault that you're an undead creature. *Crossing her arms and pouting*

DIO: *Huffs* And here I'd thought people nowadays are fine with it.

Medea: Bullshit......

DIO: ........*Sighs tiredly*.....Very well, I'll give you full permission to do my work with one of my Agents.

Medea: *Surprised* Really?

DIO: I've been looking for a reason to make good use of you and your Stand for quite a while, so I might as well give you a sporting chance right now than later.

Medea: *Jumps excitedly* YES!

DIO: *Raises right forefinger* BUT!

Medea: Hm?

DIO: Under one condition: You can only carry out my missions with my Agents ONLY within the borders of Egyptian soil.

Medea: ....What are you saying, DIO? Don't mince words.

Kenny G: *Sticks his head out of the wall* It means that you can only work with the guys while you're in Egypt and nowhere else. *Hides in wall*

Medea: *Irritated* What!? But most of your guys aren't even living or stationed here!

DIO: *Sarcastic* Oh dear, what a shame, I guess that's what happens when people refuse to bow and pledge their allegiance to me despite working here. *Smirks* Besides, how would I know if you aren't just using this as an excuse to escape me again? >:-)

Medea: *Frustrated* Oooooooo! You're just making things even MORE hard for me to make a living!

DIO: *Frowns* Look, woman, these are a few simple and easy conditions to follow: Either do the missions with some restrictions unless you pledge loyalty, or you can just fuck off and continue to work and get paid like a housemaid .... *Shrugs* :-\

Medea: .............You're not going to be withholding any cash from me after I do my part, are you?

DIO: Now why would I do that? If I withhold my end of the bargain, I wouldn't have my Agents and associates at my back and call right now, now would I?

Medea: I suppose....*Raises hands* Fine, fine, I'll live with these restrictions, just as long as I can get my well-deserved earnings at the end.

DIO: *Smirks* Then it's a deal? *Offers her a handshake*

Medea: Deal! *Shakes hand with him*

DIO: There's folders of the Agents who are stationed in Egypt in the study room, pick one and go with them. *Picks his book up again* Now if you excuse me, I got a story to catch up on.

Medea: Understood, thank you, Lord DIO.

DIO: *Sighs irritably* Don't mention it.

Study room, DIO's Mansion 15 minutes later

Medea was looking over a bunch of folders of the Agents currently stationed in Egypt getting ready for their assignments, looking to see which one she's going to collab with. Unfortunately, she's been having a hard time looking for someone as most of the people on the list either don't want partners, or are too.... to put it bluntly: "problematic" for her.

Medea: *On the phone with Hol Horse* ....Come on man, there's must be something I could do for you on your mission here.

Hol Horse: *On the phone* Sorry, miss. But I don't need a new partner at the moment, I'm fine with my current one, also....*whispers* I don't want you alone with Mr. Geil.

Medea: Right, I nearly forgot he was with you. Thanks for the heads up.

Hol Horse: No problem. See ya. *Hangs up*

Medea: *Hangs up to* Shit.

T. D'Arby: *Comes in the room wearing a bathrobe and a towel over his head, indicating that he took a shower.* Hello, King.

Medea: Oh hey, D'Arby. *Picks up the phone and calls in another person*

T. D'Arby: What are you doing?

Medea: I saw a letterman jacket I like at the mall, but it was too expensive, I had to convince DIO that I want to collab with an Agent in order to get paid well since your brother stole all my money.

T. D'Arby: Really? So, you're finally putting yourself out there? *Sarcastic clapping* What fantastic news.

Medea: Well, it's not going well so far, DIO only wanted me to work with Agents who are working in Egypt and nowhere else because I refuse to bend over backwards for him.

T. D'Arby: *Pained hiss* Oh yeah, that's not good.

Medea: Not only that, but some of the guys I've just called don't want new partners, and the ones that do are the most despicable people on the planet. The only good one so far is Hol Horse, but he's stuck with Enyaba's son.

T. D'Arby: I collect souls as a hobby and you still work with me.

Medea: That's because I don't have a say in what you lunatics do here, but in this case I actually have a choice, and the choices i'm presented with are shit.

T. D'Arby: Eh, fair enough. *Takes one of the folders* Hm, what about Cameo? He's been looking for some help for a while.

Medea: *Scoffs* I heard his previous hit was a widower who wished to see his wife again...only to be torn to pieces by said "wife". That's kinda scummy, even for me.

T. D'Arby: *Eyebrow twitch* Hm, *picks up another folder* Then what about Devo? That Native American hitman who possesses [Ebony Devil]?

Medea: *Looks at him with wide disgusted eyes* People DIED the second they meet him!

T. D'Arby: *Irritated* Tch, not everyone dies meeting him!

Medea: Then why is he called "Devo the Cursed"!? *Crosses arms*

T. D'Arby: *Sarcastic* Oh no, a hitman with bad mojo! Would anyone EVER live up to your impossible standards? You're going to have to pick someone to work with whether you like them or not. *Picks up Alessi's folder*......

Both: Nooooooooo. *D'Arby tears up the photo*

Medea: Shit man, it's almost as if DIO had set me up for failure because he knew I despise these people *sees Forever's folder*..... and that damn dirty ape. *Tears up the photo*

T. D'Arby: He's kinda petty, i'll admit.

Medea: God had it not been for the restrictions, I would've gone with Rose to Madagascar.

T. D'Arby: Yeah, but then you have to kiss Master DIO's ass and you're too stubborn to do it. *Goes to his room* Now if you excuse me I have to get dress and run some errands, have fun with your job search. *Shuts door*

Medea: *Frustrated* Uuuuuuugh. *Slams head on table, causing a bunch of papers to fly around her, one landed on her head, and she grabs it* Hm? *Looks and sees it's another agent stationed in Egypt waiting for a mission*.......I will not bow down to DIO's whims. *She takes the phone and dials in the Agent's number* .................... Hello? Are you interested in having a partner in crime?

TO BE CONTINUED

*Some of the dialogue between T. D'Arby and Medea are loosely inspired by "Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier"

#jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo oc #oc #dio brando #telence t. d'arby #kenny g #kenny g jojo #hol horse #incorrect quotes #twisted

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ironychan · 2 years ago

Text

Scary Monsters

Because what I need right now is another unfinished fanfic. This is for @sweatersexual and @dysphoria-sweatshirt.

Part 1/? - Rocco’s Closet

Things began, as they often do, innocuously enough.

It was a cool, overcast June day in Portorosso, and Luca and Giulia had gotten home from school only a week earlier. Luca had spent most of his time so far with his family in the water, but was eager to catch up on what had been happening in town as well. He was sitting with his friends on the edge of the sea wall, watching the tide roll in and listening to Alberto tell the definitely true story of how he had saved Massimo from a giant shark, when Signora Marsigliese approached them.

“Ciao!” Giulia greeted her.

“Buongiorno, bambini,” the woman replied. “Ah... may I have a word?”

This was not the way people normally began conversations with adolescents, and Luca's first reaction was to wonder if they were in trouble. It didn't seem likely – he and Giulia hadn't had time yet to get into mischief, and if it were just Alberto she wouldn't have wanted to talk to all three of them. Still, he was cautious as he asked, “is something wrong, Madame?”

“No, not exactly,” she replied. “I wanted to ask you a favour, on behalf of Rocco. He's convinced there's a monster in his closet.”

Giulia scoffed. “There's no such thing as...”

“As what?” Alberto interrupted.

Luca and Giulia both looked at him, and found him grinning.

“No such thing as what?” he repeated. “As monsters?”

Luca snickered.

“Not in little kids' closets, there's not,” Giulia said.

“I've tried to tell him that,” Signora Marsigliese sighed. “He says he knows it's there because he's seen it, and he insists he wasn't dreaming. He wants me to ask if you boys would stay the night and scare it away.” She gave Luca and Alberto an apologetic smile. “He figures since you're monsters too, of a sort, maybe you can at least talk to it. I'm ready to try anything if it'll get him to sleep through the night again.”

“I think we can do that,” said Luca. It was always fun to sleep over in a new place. They'd been in Signora Marsigliese's grocery shop plenty of times, but their only glimpse of her home was through the front door when Alberto delivered fresh fish. “Right, Alberto?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alberto nodded. “We'll yell a bunch in the middle of the night, and tell him we killed it.”

“I'd rather not the yelling,” Signora Marsigliese observed, “but yes, please. Tell him it's gone, and we'll all sleep better. Thank you.”

It was now Giulia's turn to giggle as the woman walked away, and Luca gave her a questioning look.

“What's so funny?” asked Alberto.

“I was just picturing this giant scary monster, like Godzilla, coming out of the closet, and you two trying to look mean and frighten it away,” she snickered.

“We can be scary!” Alberto said indignantly. “The first time I transformed in front of you, you were scared to death.”

“Only because you surprised me,” Giulia scoffed. “If Luca hadn't pretended to freak out, I'd've figured it out in about five seconds. You are the least scary monster I've ever met.”

“Who's the scariest, then?” Alberto wanted to know.

Giulia replied without hesitation: “Luca's mom.”

Alberto turned to Luca to see what he thought of that.

Luca shrugged. “She can be pretty terrifying. Anyway, there's not gonna be any monster, so we don't need to worry about whether we can scare it.” He thought for a moment, then glanced warily at Giulia. “Right?”

“Of course there isn't,” she said. “Why would there be a monster in Rocco's closet? What's it doing in there, besides scaring him?”

The boys had no answer for that, and so it seemed settled. That evening, with the permission of their families, Luca and Alberto knocked on Signora Marsigliese's door. She let them in, and called out to her son.

“Rocco!” she said. “They're here!”

Rocco came hurrying down the narrow steps and into the tiny front hall, most of which was taken up by the large ficus plant under the front window. Signora Marsigliese's son was well-known around Portorosso and everybody agreed he was a very strange child, though not in a bad way. He preferred to watch group activities like football games or the Portorosso Cup race, rather than participating, and even in the winter he liked to have gelato to lick. The oddest thing about him, though, was that despite being around eight years old, he never seemed to speak. He must have done so occasionally, since he'd clearly spoken to his mother about his monster, but Luca couldn't remember ever hearing a word from him.

He did not speak now, either. Instead, he took Luca's hand and led the boys up the stairway to his room.

Like all indoor living spaces in town, this was tiny. The doorway looked in from the foot of the bed towards a window above its head, with just barely enough space for a person to walk around. If they were sleeping in here, Luca and Alberto would have to be on the floor on either side of the bed. Next to the door that led to the hallway was the door to the closet. This was closed, and a chair had been wedged under the handle.

“That's where your monster lives, huh?” Alberto asked.

Rocco offered a piece of paper with a drawing he'd done. It showed a rotund, furry creature with black and yellow stripes like a bumblebee. Its head was decked out with crooked horns, red eyes, and a mouthful of sharp teeth. Two arms each ended in three clawed fingers, and it walked on three legs. It did not resemble Godzilla, or anything else Luca could think of, but it still wasn't anything anyone would want to run into in the dark.

“I think we can take him,” said Alberto confidently.

“Yeah, you'll be safe with us here,” Luca agreed. “We'll just tell it that it'll have to find a different closet to live in.”

“And if it doesn't want to, there'll be trouble!” Alberto said firmly.

Rocco smiled.

Signora Marsigliese served pasta for supper – trofie with tocco de funzi – and then laid out blankets and pillows for the boys on the floor. They settled down with their heads towards the closet so they would see the monster before it woke Rocco. Rocco himself filled a bucket and a pitcher with water and placed them within easy reach so Alberto and Luca could transform quickly.

“Sleep tight, boys,” Signora Marsigliese said as she turned out the light. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Luca wiggled deeper into his sleeping bag and shut his eyes. It was a little strange to think of trying to sleep with a bucket of water right next to his head. He hoped he wouldn't roll into it and knock it over in his sleep – Signora Marsigliese wouldn't appreciate having to clean that up.

“Does this monster usually show up right as you're going to sleep, Rocco?” asked Alberto.

Rocco, peering over the edge of the bed, shook his head.

“When you wake up in the middle of the night, then?” Luca guessed.

Rocco nodded.

“All right. You go to sleep. We'll keep watch.”

The younger boy smiled and lay his head down on his pillow. He looked very happy with the arrangement.

Luca hoped it would be a peaceful night. If Rocco had another nightmare he might be angry that Luca and Alberto hadn't been able to stop the monster coming in. Maybe just having somebody there guarding him would be enough to prevent that.

Signora Marsigliese had a large clock in her upstairs hall, and through the thin walls the ticking seemed very loud. This didn't bother Luca, who was used to hearing clocks in the buildings in Genova. The only clocks in Massimo's house, however, were quiet, and Luca could hear Alberto tossing and turning and pulling the pillow over his head in an attempt to muffle it. Then, just when it seemed like Alberto had finally fallen asleep, the clock began to chime midnight.

“Ugh!” groaned Alberto from under his pillow. “Why does she have that thing?”

Luca held a finger to his lips. “Sssh! You're gonna wake Rocco up.”

“How can he be asleep with all that noise going on?” Alberto whined.

“He grew up in this house,” said Luca. “He probably...”

Luca stopped there as a different sound intruded – a gentle creak of hinges that seemed terribly loud in the quiet house. Alberto heard it, too, and the boys sat there very still for a moment in the dark before turning their heads towards the closet.

It looked the same as it had before.

Luca breathed out. “Probably the house settling,” he decided. That was what Giulia's mother always said when their house in Genova made strange noises in the middle of the night.

“Yeah,” said Alberto, and started to lie down again.

Then they heard it again, longer this time – creeeeeeeeak – and as they watched, the door opened just a centimetre or so, before it gently bumped against the chair that had been set up to keep it shut. There was a pause, and then it opened a hair further, the legs of the chair making a scraping sound as they were pushed across the floor. Luca's eyes were riveted on it as it inched towards his face. He wondered if it would keep going until it hit him, and whether he'd be able to wiggle back out of the way quietly enough for whatever was in the closet not to notice him. What if it stepped on him?

The chair stopped moving. Luca kept his eyes on it, barely daring to blink – and to his utter horror, a clawed hand reached out of the closet and moved the chair to the side.

At last Luca was able to tear his gaze away and look at Alberto. He found his friend looking back at him with huge eyes. For a moment neither had any idea what to do, but then Alberto seemed to make up his mind. He grabbed the bucket Rocco had left him, and poured the water over his head to transform. Luca did the same, and as the creature stepped into the room, both boys jumped up and did their best monster shrieks.

The three-legged, bumblebee-striped beast that had just emerged from the closet screamed right back. Rocco sat up straight in bed and squealed. For a long moment, everybody just stood there yelling, and then silence fell again.

The closet monster's glowing red eyes were huge, and it had its clawed hands on his furry chest as it panted in terror. Then it seemed to get a handle on itself and demanded, in the voice of a middle-aged woman, “what are you doing in here?”

Neither of the boys had expected that, and neither was capable of a response.

“Are you with that school group?” the creature wanted to know. “You're not supposed to be on the scare floor!” It – she – looked at Rocco, sitting bolt-upright in bed with his blanket clutched under his chin, and held up her hands. “I'm sorry. This is very irregular,” she told him. “I'll get these two back where they belong, and hopefully we can resume normal operations tomorrow. Very sorry.” She grabbed Luca and Alberto each by a wrist, and dragged them into the closet.

Except it wasn't a closet anymore. Rocco had showed them the inside earlier – it was not very deep, and contained mostly clothes organized by colour and shoes neatly lined up in the bottom, with a few toys and books on the top shelf. Now the creature escorted the boys through that same door into an enormous, dimly-lit room that seemed to stretch away forever on both sides. The door slammed shut behind them, and the being that had closed it hurried forward to see what was going on.

This second creature seemed to consist mostly of a mass of shaggy grey fur, with knobby-kneed legs sticking out the bottom and two eyes on stalks emerging from the top. It was wearing a hard hat, and had short arms, one of which was holding a clipboard.

“Louise!” it exclaimed. “Louise, what happened?”

“These two were hiding in there waiting for me!” the yellow and black creature replied, holding up her arms and almost lifting the two boys off their feet. “Did you see them get in, Curtis?”

One of the moplike thing's eyes looked Alberto over, while the other inspected Luca, and then the mop below them wagged from side to side as if the creature were shaking its head. “I've never seen these kids before in my life.”

There was the sound of murmuring from all around them. Alberto and Luca peered into the darkness and found it was full of creatures of every possible description. A big hulking apelike one had shaggy green fur like moss growing all over it. A red one had three eyes and crab claws. A third had multiple tentacles that it was using to hold on to half a dozen mugs of coffee. The boys inched closer together. No matter what Giulia had said earlier, there was no word for these things except monsters, and not the kind of monster that people meant when they said 'land monsters' or 'sea monsters'. These were monsters in the sense of something scary and unnatural, and they were all looking at Luca and Alberto with annoyed or disapproving expressions.

“They must be with that class that was touring the place,” sighed the creature called Louise. “I'll find the rest of them while you reset the station – we're gonna have to give that one a few days off, at least.”

“Yes, Ma'am,” said Curtis. He pulled a lever, and pieces of machinery on either side of Rocco's door disengaged. “I'll file the report!”

Louise gave her prisoners a shake. “You boys hear that? Your antics might have cost us a door! What have you got to say for yourselves?”

“Um,” said Alberto. He was rarely speechless, but this situation had done it.

“Sorry, Ma'am,” said Luca meekly.

“You'd better be,” Louise declared. “Now, let's go find your teacher.”

A metal door at the far end of the room rolled open, and Louise half-led, half-dragged the two boys through it and into the hallway beyond. The light was much better here, almost painfully bright in comparison with the bigger room they'd just left, but there was much less to see – just neutral beige walls and a hard, charcoal-grey carpet. More monsters were moving around here, going every which way, carrying objects both recognizable and not. Some of these stopped and stared as Louise and the boys passed by, but most were absorbed in their own tasks.

“I didn't need this today, you know,” Louise said conversationally. “I have a performance review coming up. In this business you have to be twice as good as a man to get half the respect, and there's this jerk in management who...”

“Louise?” asked a voice.

Her furry shoulders slumped. “Yes, Steve?”

Alberto and Luca looked back over their shoulders to see what they had to assume was the creature named Steve, which had just stepped out of a washroom. It was teal blue, and shaped roughly like a human except that it had no head – just a roughly spherical torso with eyes, a mouth, and a moustache in the middle of it. It was wearing a striped tie around what might have been either its neck or its waist depending on how one felt about its unorthodox anatomy, and had a trilby hat sitting on its shoulders.

“Are these two yours?” this creature asked, seemingly startled by the idea.

“No,” said Louise. “They were causing trouble on the scare floor. I'm taking them back to their tour, and then I have to get back to work, so...”

Steve clucked his tongue. “Oh, that's right! Big performance review coming up.”

“Yes, and I want to go into it on a strong week,” Louise said firmly. “I'm all about consistency.”

Luca felt a familiar tingling sensation in his toes. He was drying off, and his feet were starting to transform. He looked over at Alberto, and sucked in a breath through his teeth as he saw the fins on his friend's head vanishing into curls of sandy-brown hair. Luca started trying to pull his hand free, but Louise tightened her grip, all while still glaring at Steve.

“I have things I need to be doing, too,” Steve said, “so why don't we discuss this over dinner? How about Winsor's Chophouse? You look like a girl who enjoys a good steak.”

Louise was not tempted. “Will the rest of the board be there?”

“Nope!” Steve smiled at her. “Just the two of us.”

Luca could see his vision changing and feel his hair growing in. Four green fingers became five pink ones, and he had to stand up straighter to balance against the disappearance of his tail. Alberto was struggling, trying to free himself from Louise's paw before she could realize that the boys were a very different kind of monster than she was.

“I keep telling you,” Steve went on, “if you really want to advance in your career, you need to make connections. You've got to...” he glanced at Luca, probably intending to tell him to stop squirming, but if so the words never came out. His eyes went wide, and he screamed like a frightened child.

This startled Louise so badly she let go of the boys and took a step back, and Luca and Alberto seized the opportunity.

“Bathroom!” Luca grabbed his friend by the shoulders, and they fled into the washrom Steve had come out of.

“She'll follow us!” Alberto protested.

“She can't! It's the men's!” Luca told him.

Safely inside, they leaned on the sinks and panted for air. They hadn't run very far, but both were on the verge of utter panic.

“Where are we?” Luca asked. “How is all this in Rocco's closet?”

“Do I look like I know?” Alberto demanded.

Luca felt sick. If Alberto wasn't even going to pretend he knew the answer, then they were really in trouble.

There was a sound that Luca recognized as the crackle of a public address system, and a woman's voice began making an announcement. “Ladies and gentlemonsters, we need you to evacuate the building in an orderly fashion. Please do not... hey!”

Some scuffling followed, and the next voice they heard was Steve's. “Code black! Code black!” He shouted. “Containment breach! There are human children in the... ow!”

The first voice spoke again. “There is no need to panic,” she declared. “Remain calm, go to your designated emergency gathering points, and let the exterminators do their jobs.”

“Exterminators?” Luca whispered, terrified.

Both of them had the same thought at the same time: Louise had assumed they belonged here as long as they looked like sea monsters. Hopefully everybody else would, too. They needed water.

Luca turned the sink taps on full blast and began splashing himself. Alberto did the same and stuck his head under the flow. Face, hands, feet... Luca scooped water up in handfuls and poured it down his collar, and then he and Alberto did each other's backs to bring out their tails and dorsal fins.

“We got this,” said Alberto. “We got this. We're just two totally normal closet monsters.”

“Right.” Luca checked his feet and grabbed his tail to make sure it was all there.

They heard the door open.

“I think they went in here,” said the voice of Louise. “I heard one of them shout bathroom, and I... oh.” She saw them standing there, huddled nervously close to each other, and blinked in confusion.

Behind her, three more figures entered the room. These were a variety of shapes and sizes, including one that was barely thirty centimetres tall and sitting on a larger colleague's shoulder. All were dressed in yellow plastic suits from head to whatever they had for toes, with reflective visors and a breathing apparatus.

“Didn't you boys hear the order to evacuate?” the tiny one demanded in a squeaky voice.

“We were scared. We hid in here, um...” Luca tried to decide whether the creature who'd spoken was a Sir or a Madame, couldn't, and was forced to leave the end of the sentence hanging there with no vocative at all.

“There's an emergency exit just at the end of the hall,” the tiny creature told them, shaking what must have been its head. “Somebody take them outside and let's finish searching the area. If this is another false alarm, I swear...”

“Come on, boys,” said Louise, gesturing for them to follow her. Her hands were now covered in bandages.

Alberto and Luca didn't like the idea of going with Louise, but staying here was no good, either. They joined her, dripping on the floor as they went.

“Why are you wet?” Louise asked.

“We're sea monsters,” Alberto replied.

“It's not good for us to dry off,” Luca agreed.

Louise looked skeptical, but she said nothing more and led them out into the car park. Dozens of bizarre creatures were milling around there, talking to each other or smoking cigarettes while waiting for the all clear to go back inside. The one called Steve was sitting on the hood of a car, pouring out his heart to a one-eyed, egg-shaped creature in a floral dress.

“... and then I realized the kids weren't monsters at all! They were human!”

“That must have been terrifying,” the egg said.

“It was! They were awful and hairless and pink!” said Steve.

The egg hesitated. She was bubblegum pink in colour herself, with no hair on a head that sloped right into her shoulders without stopping for a neck.

Steve seemed to realize he'd made a mistake. “Horrid things with big goggling eyes and too many fingers,” he added.

The egg narrowed her own gigantic eye, and put her seven-fingered hands on her hips.

Louise, meanwhile, was looking around for something, and seemed to spot it when she found a being with two heads sitting on top of long necks that extended from a very round body. This creature, with a powder-blue cardigan on, was counting a crowd of smaller beasts that Luca wanted to think represented kids a little younger than him and Alberto... but really, who could say?

“Excuse me!” Louise called.

One of the heads turned, while the other continued counting. “Yes?”

“I think these are yours.” Louise pushed the boys forward.

The head examined them. “Marie,” she said.

The other head kept counting.

“Marie!” the first head repeated.

The second one sighed. “Yes, Jeanne?”

“Do we know these boys?”

The Marie head finally turned to look. “Oh... no, I don't think we do.”

Luca was really scared now. What were the monsters going to do when they realized the boys didn't belong here?

“What are you talking about?” asked Alberto. “Of course you do. I'm Alberto and this is Luca.”

Luca nodded eagerly.

Marie and Jeanne looked at each other doubtfully.

“I know them,” said a voice.

This speaker was one of the apparent children. It was a squat little creature with several crab-like legs and a few too many eyes. He was wearing the top half of a sailor suit, with the cap on his head, and holding a large swirling lollipop.

“They're friends of mine,” he announced. “My father said they could come.”

Marie and Jeanne looked taken aback by this pronouncement, but the boy just licked his lollipop and waited, confident that the teachers would have to do what he said. Apparently, he was right.

“Oh,” said Marie. “Well, then.”

“I guess that's all right,” said Jeanne. “Come along, then.”

Louise shooed the boys towards the teacher as if glad to be rid of them – probably an accurate assessment – and Marie-Jeanne herded them into the rest of the group of children. “All right,” Jeanne said, “now that we've got everybody and then some, I suppose we'd better head back. I don't think we're getting the rest of our factory tour.”

“Are your friends coming with us back to school?” Marie asked the grey crab boy.

“Yes,” he replied firmly.

“All right,” Marie said, “everybody onto the bus.”

The kids formed a line to a bright yellow bus, and climbed up the steps into the vehicle one by one. Luca looked back over his shoulder for Louise, and found her watching as the mop-like creature came running up.

“Louise! There you are!” Curtis exclaimed. “Can you believe this?”

“I'm not sure I can,” she replied, and then thought for a moment. “Those two boys I found... do you remember what they looked like?”

“Uh... I couldn't describe them to a sketch artist,” Curtis said, “but there was a purple one and a green one. Lots of fins, long tails, scaly skin. Why do you ask?”

Marie-Jeanne put a hand on Luca's shoulder to urge him along. “If you're coming, you have to keep up,” said Jeanne.

“Sorry, Madame,” Luca replied, and followed Alberto and the crab boy onto the big yellow bus.

The driver was wearing a uniform like a human bus driver might have, but he was green and had a row of spikes down his back like a cartoon dragon. The name Vasquez was embroidered on one of his pockets, and a bottle of water was sitting within reach on the dashboard. As they passed, Alberto snatched the bottle and poured the contents over himself and Luca.

“Hey!” exclaimed Vasquez.

“We're sea monsters,” Alberto told him, handing the empty bottle back. “We're not supposed to dry out.”

“Hey, now, you ought to ask!” said Marie, as she and Jeanne brought up the rear. “Even if you are Harry's guests, you need to remember your manners!”

“Sorry, Madame,” Luca repeated.

“We're Miss Lavigne,” Jeanne told him.

Alberto and Luca followed the crab-like boy named Harry to the very back of the bus, and sat down on either side of him there as the vehicle coughed to life. Vasquez pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. It turned out to be a very rough ride, and Luca quickly began feeling carsick. He tried to look out the window to keep his stomach calm, but Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him and Alberto in for a private conversation.

“Did you see them?” the crab boy whispered excitedly.

“See who?” asked Alberto.

“The humans,” said Harry. “That's what the announcement said: there were humans in the factory!”

Alberto and Luca exchanged a worried glance. “We didn't see any,” said Luca.

“No humans where we were,” Alberto agreed.

“Oh.” Harry let go of them and scowled in disappointment. “Wait, so why did you wanna come with us so bad?”

“We just didn't want anybody to realize we weren't where we're supposed to be,” Luca explained.

“Where are you supposed to be?” Harry wanted to know.

The boys exchanged another glance, and silently agreed to change the subject. Alberto offered a hand.

“Alberto Scorfano,” he said.

“Luca Paguro.” Luca did likewise.

Harry shook each of their hands in turn. “Henry Jeroboam Waternoose the Third. My father owns the factory,” he added proudly. “We supply all the scream power to Monstropolis and the surrounding countryside as far as the River Panic.”

Alberto nodded as if that made sense. “Uh-huh. So... are you scared of humans, Harry?”

“My father says it would be foolish not to be,” Harry replied, “but fear is healthy when tempered with reason.”

“Right,” Alberto said. “Have you ever seen one?”

“I've seen pictures,” Harry replied.

Luca realized he knew where Alberto was going with this, and his stomach sank – he knew in his bones it was a terrible idea.

Sure enough: “you wanna see a real one?” Alberto asked.

“Alberto, no,” said Luca. “We didn't see any humans, remember?”

“Yeah, you said you didn't see them,” Harry agreed.

“We didn't see them today,” Alberto replied, ignoring Luca's wild head-shaking, “but we've seen them before. In fact, we see them all the time! If you can help us stay good and wet and convince the grownups we belong here, we'll show you two humans!”

Harry looked suspicious. “You guys are in trouble, aren't you?”

“Of course not!” scoffed Alberto.

“Maybe a little,” Luca admitted. They were going to have to get out of this place somehow, but they had no idea how to do that. Somehow they would have to stay safe until they could figure it out, and it was going to be a lot harder to stay wet here than it was to stay dry in Portorosso. They were going to need help, but he still felt like this was not the best way to get it.

“But you know where to find two humans?” Harry asked. “Real humans, not just pictures or people in Hallowe'en costumes?”

“Of course we do,” Alberto said. “Cross our hearts. Right, Luca?”

“Yeah,” said Luca, with less enthusiasm. “Promise.”

“Okay,” said Harry, “but if you can't deliver, I'm gonna tell my father you were sneaking around in his factory. Then you'll be in real trouble.”

Luca swallowed hard, but Alberto patted Harry on the back.

“Don't worry,” Alberto said. “You won't be disappointed.”

#fanfic #pixar luca #luca 2021 #monsters inc #monsters university #luca paguro #alberto scorfano #scary monsters

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