#there's only 1 arcade alive I know of but they use cards instead

[skelayton-lord]

Tfw you find some arcade tokens around forgotten spare change, because you used to buy them in bulk to be used along the weeks, and of which arcades have closed down for years now.

[thebibliomancer]

50 More Days of Comics! 43/50: Justice League Europe #19 (1990)

More Justice League Europe!

But, wuh? You may ask, if you’re invested in the minutiae of my mystery box. Didn’t you say the box was roughly sectioned and didn’t you already get through the DC section?

Yes. Yes I did.

But somehow I skipped three comics? I was counting up how many comics I had left and found it didn’t add up to 50 so went through the box and found that I couldn’t find posts for three comics. I know I wrote them up. I found them in my email. But I can’t find the posts. So I’ll have a very easy three days of 50 More Days of Comics by posting them.

So yes. More Justice League Europe!

This time following in the finest of comic book traditions: thinly veiled knockoffs of the competitor’s IP.

Marvel is more known for this because they get a lot of coverage out of their thinly veiled knockoffs. The Squadron Supreme (basically the Justice League) have become an important part of Avengers lore and even have their own well-regarded miniseries that is basically every Batman v Superman ever. And the League of Super-Heroes homage in the Shi’ar Imperial Guard has become a huge part of Cosmic Marvel and X-Men lore.

DC is no stranger to this either. It just doesn’t get folded into the lore quite the same way. A group of very Fantastic Four esque astronauts were mutated by cosmic radiation and then died, except for the faux Reed Richards who later becomes Cyborg Superman.

And as the Avengers fought the Squadron Supreme, so the Justice League fought the Champions of Angor with expies of Scarlet Witch in Silver Sorceress, Yellowjacket in Blue Jay, and Thor in Wandjina.

These Notvengers were from an alien world destroyed in nuclear holocaust by the Extremists, themselves expies of prominent Marvel villains.

Lord Havok for Doctor Doom, Dreamslayer for Dormammu, Gorgon for Doctor Octopus, Tracer for Sabretooth, and Doctor Diehard for Magneto.

You may recognize that these people have never been on a team together because it would be massive overkill and also there’d be so much clash of ego and personality and goals that they wouldn’t get one foot out the door before they all simultaneously backstabbed each other.

I give you all this exposition because this issue of Justice League Europe concerns the Extremists, or robot theme park versions of them, and also the two surviving Champions of Angor who have after a long time in the woods, either literal or metaphorical, found their way back to a Justice League book and have joined the team this time.

Fair is fair though. One of the many Hyperions (basically Superman) flapping around the Marvel U joined the Avengers for a while. And a Nighthawk (basically Batman) was on the Defenders for a whiiiile.

In previous issues, the Extremists have come to the Earth-1 and had Doctor Diehard/Magneto steal all the nuclear warheads in the world and threaten to detonate them. Due to reasons, most of the Justice League Europe end up on Angor where they find a broken down amusement park and a man cryogenically frozen?

To summarize down a bit: this is Uncle Mitch Wacky, a spoof on Disney, who had himself cryogenically frozen when he came down with an incurable disease. INFLUENZA!

This is a bafflement to Crimson Fox because on Earth influenza is well treatable but Uncle Mitch cuts her off before she can explain this.

Oh. So Crimson Fox is a later recruit to the team. She’s secretly two people and has pheromone powers because those are always anything but sketchy. She’s also exceptionally French. And is neither crimson nor wearing a very fox like costume.

Also here is the aforementioned Silver Sorceress who helpfully gives worldbuilding exposition about Angor. Also also, the Champions of Angor are apparently also known as the Assemblers?

Back on Earth, Martian Manhunter and Maxwell Lord discuss the UN unanimously agreeing to turn the world over to the Extremists because the alternative is nuclear annihilation. Its to buy time for the heroes to figure something out and in hopes that the Extremists are playing by their own rules and won’t just keep the missiles hanging overhead.

Back on Angor, they saved Carny’s brain. Or decapitated robo-head. Carny (apparently an expy of Arcade insofar as dangerous theme parks go) explains some more exposition.

After Uncle Mitch put himself on ice, the incredibly advanced robots of the park kept things running in hopes that Mitch would return to them as he promised. Very messianic King Arthur king under the mountain type feel.

So they even kept the park running smoothly during the nuclear annihilation of all life because dangit, that’s what Uncle Mitch would have wanted. Even when it became clear that there would be no more visitors because everybody dead.

They decided that they’d recreate the world inside the park. So they made a ride that would feature the Assemblers and Extremists and made them able to think and act on their own.

But whoopsie the Extremist robots killed the Assemblers robots and took over the park. Carny joined them because “it seemed like the happy, wacky thing to do.”

The robo-Extremists got restless, craving new worlds to conquer and eventually ditched Carny and the park for Earth.

At this point, Captain Atom (thankfully sporting a short haircut instead of a mullet despite it being the 90s now) has an idea.

Elseworld, the UN surrenders the world to the Extremists. So Doctor Diehard puts the nukes down in their silos thankful that he doesn’t have to be constantly focusing on that! But he can still detonate them in their silos so, y’know, don’t mess.

On Angor, Wacky Mitch reveals that he has a universal shutdown switch to his robots keyed to his neurological impulses. So now they have a trump card against the Extremists if they can only get back to Earth.

‘Oh hey I can totally get us back to Earth,’ says Silver Sorceress at this time. And she transports them back to Earth right in front of Blue Jay just when he’s being a pessimistic ass and driving Sue to distraction.

Mitch’s influenza hits him hard and he collapses, Captain Atom calling for super cool doctor Dr Light. No, not that one. The good one.

A quick time skip and Mitch is back on his feet and pumped full of antiobiotics. He’s not cured, obviously. He needs bed rest and an IV but he should be able to participate in a battle for the fate of the Earth as long as it doesn’t take too long.

Later, the Extremists base and they’re sitting around enjoying ruling the world but not really doing any ruling. Just snacking on some donuts, really. Pretty life like these theme park robots. Lord Havok considers that this was all too easy maybe but he doesn’t get much chance to muse on it because the ceiling suddenly explodes.

The Justice League Europe flies in and starts beating them up with specific focus on keeping Doctor Diehard confused and off-balance so he can’t use his powers to destroy the world.

The fighting is just time filler until Mitch Wacky can appear dramatically on a sand dune.

Uncle Mitch Wacky: “Hello, Tracer. Are you having a wacky day?”

The Extremists all instantly fixate on him and kneel in the sand before their creator-god.

Lord Havok: “Speak to us, Uncle Mitch! Are we wacky enough for you? Are we happy enough for you?”

Uncle Mitch: Uncle Mitch knows when you’ve been naughty and nice… and you, my boys… you have been very, very naughty!”

And all the Extremists switch off and collapse to the ground.

Y’know, I know they were going to destroy the world but they were really slaves to their programming. They were created to imitate the Extremists and the Extremists were world destroying monsters. In their robot hearts, they were fulfilling their purpose to make the creator-god-on-ice proud of them. The moral of the story is that the three laws of robotics exist for a damn reason. And maybe program your supervillain robots to be more wacky silver age stealing 40 cakes and less explode every nuke, hm?

Oh and then Uncle Mitch explodes.

Turns out that Dreamslayer (Dormammu) wasn’t a robot like the others. He’s the real deal. And he was trapped for five years in the Dimension of Terrors when the Extremists (the real ones) nuked Angor. By the time he got free he discovered that there was nothing left to terrorize and nothing to amuse him. So he hooked up with the Extremists robots to find a new world to conquer.

But now that the Justice League has ruined the fun game he was having hanging out with robots of his dead friends, now he’s just going to kill them all because this isn’t fun anymore.

Some legit cool visuals here. Bart Sears, Randy Elliott and Gene D’Angelo do stuff with intersecting pink lines here that makes pasting a spellcircle from google image search look like crap.

Crimson Fox intercepts the magical attack and blasts it right back at Dreamslayer. Turns out that Crimson Fox was really Silver Sorceress under an illusion. I don’t mean all the time, just this specific instance. Because Scarlet Witches beat Dormammus, fact.

Oh and Uncle Mitch is alive even though the last we see of him in this issue would seem to indicate otherwise. Dreamslayer has bad aim. Having helped save the day now he’s on bed rest getting over the deadly INFLUENZA. And yes, I do know that influenza really is deadly.

The Extremist robots are repurposed for Madame Clouseau’s Wax Museum and Flash and JLE bureau chief Catherine are visiting the museum wrapping up some final plot exposition as the comic wraps. Donating the deactivated robots to the museum being Catherine’s idea of a PR move.

It would later backfire horribly when Dreamslayer returned possessing Maxwell Lord and reactivated them. They’d be thwarted again but it would lead to the death of Silver Sorceress.

But comics be like that sometimes.

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @NikoleStilinski24!

Dear @nikolestilinski24,

You asked for Online Dating and Misunderstandings or Alive Hale Family Christmas with kids. I chose to do Alive Hale Family Christmas and Kids since I absolutely suck at writing the kind of witty dialogues you need to create a credible online persona lol. I don’t know if this is as fun as you wanted it to be but I hope you like it! Merry Christmas!

*****

5 times Stiles started a Christmas tradition with the Hales + 1 time he didn’t have to

One: Movie and Hot Chocolate

Stiles had known about the Hales. It was impossible not to when you lived in Beacon Hills. Cora had been his classmate, Laura had babysitted him a few times when his mother was ill, Daniel had been a the top scorer at his favourite game at the arcade and 18 year old Derek Hale had been the one that made 12 year old Stiles realise he liked boys too but this was the first time he had seen so many of them together.

A few months back Derek had returned from New York after completing his Masters and opened a bookstore. Stiles had not thought Derek could get any more attractive but the sweater wearing, tea drinking, bespectacled Derek that had greeted him had been way more attractive than the kind but cocky jock young Stiles had had a crush on. A few deliriously happy months and some wonderful dates later and Stiles was attending his first Hale family Christmas.

It was kind of intimidating to see Derek’s immediate family, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and what seemed like dozens of kids under one roof but the house was warm and smelled like gingerbread cookies and he could feel Derek's arms around him as they cuddled on the couch.

Derek kissed him on top of his head and whispered, “You okay?”

“I’m great. So how long have you been doing this for?”

“Oh forever. Granma Hale started it when Mom was born. I think the gingerbread cookies started when Cora was born though.”

“Dad and I watch Die Hard on Christmas.”

Stiles knew Derek’s stance on Die Hard not being a Christmas movie and enjoyed the way his nose scrunched. “We can do that tomorrow if you want.” Derek said finally.

“No need to get so excited about it honey.”

Derek kissed him again, “I don’t care what we watch as long as it’s together”

Cora who had been silent until now despite sitting next to them gave them a dirty look and said, “Not all of us are lucky enough to have someone to cuddle with this Christmas. Maybe you should shut up before I barf all over you.”

Stiles snickered and cuddled closer to Derek. He was feeling pretty lucky tonight. It wasn’t something he had done before but he was sure he’d enjoy watching It’s a wonderful life and drinking hot chocolate every Christmas Eve with the Hales.

Two: Full Moon Run

The Hale house was a flurry of activity when Stiles got there. He waved at Talia who was standing outside directing the people putting decorations all over the lawn.

“Hey Talia” Stiles said and hugged her. She kissed his cheek and smiled at him fondly.

“Hi honey. I’m glad you’re here. Laura and Derek are trying to bake a cake.”

“Together?” Stiles said suddenly feeling a little scared. Laura and Derek while decent bakers on their own, were an absolute disaster when they tried to do it together. Both of them had a pretty mean competitive streak and were never satisfied with each other’s process while baking.

Talia shuddered a little. “Yes. James is keeping a watch but maybe you should be there too.”

“I will. Dad is coming over to help out with the grill after his shift.”

“That’s great. I haven’t seen the Sheriff in so long!”

Stiles walked into the kitchen and could feel how tense the atmosphere was. James, Laura’s husband winked at him and mimed slicing his neck. Stiles stifled a chuckle and went and wrapped his arms around Derek. “Happy Christmas Full Moon” He said and kissed Derek’s cheek.

He could feel the tension drain out of Derek as he laughed and gave himself an imaginary pat on the back. “It’s not called that.”

“Why not? The only reason you have a party along with a run this full moon is because it’s Christmas time. That’s the perfect name” Stiles said exaggeratedly.

“Whatever you say babe. Laura, I’m not baking anymore. I need to show Stiles around.”

“At least come up with a believable lie DerBear. Stiles has been coming to the house for years, I’m pretty sure he knows where everything is.” Laura said as she made a face at Derek.

“Okay then. I missed my fiancé because he’s been working a lot the past few days and I’d like to go and make out with him now.”

“Fiancé” Stiles sighed, “I don’t think I’m getting tired of hearing that anytime soon.”

“Wait till I start calling you husband.” Derek said and kissed him. Stiles kissed him back and moved his fingers to Derek’s hair.

“Hey! Take that out of my kitchen. You’re contaminating the cake.” Laura shouted.

Stiles laughed and followed Derek out into the yard. Hours later they were lying next to the bonfire watching the kids run around. “I could get used to this” Stiles said as he ran his fingers through Derek who was currently a wolf. Derek woofed and licked his cheek.

Three: Our own tree

One of the things Stiles loved most about Derek was how he could always surprise Stiles. If anyone had told him that Derek Hale who hated crowds and preferred staying at home and watching a movie instead of going out for dinner would navigate him expertly through the crowds in Target two weeks before Christmas he never would have believed them.

They’d gotten married this summer and giving presents together or signing Stilinski-Hale on cards was a novelty he didn’t want to get used to anytime soon. Derek was holding his hand and scanning the aisles for items from the gift list they’d made together. Stiles was pretty sure he had a sappy smile on his face as he looked at his husband but he couldn’t help himself.

It took him a moment to realise they weren’t walking anymore and he saw that Derek was standing in front of an aisle full of ornaments.

“Hey” Stiles said as he nudged Derek. “I thought we weren’t getting a tree of our own”

“Maybe we should.” Derek looked a little nervous when he turned towards him. “I know we go to my parents house for the holidays but I want one with you. A tree we can add ornaments to every year. Something to decorate with the kids.”

“Kids? Getting a little too excited aren’t you Mr. Hale?” Stiles said teasingly.

“Mr. Stilinski-Hale” Derek corrected him and pinched his nose. “So? What do you think? Do you want to?”

“I think I hit the lottery when I walked into that book store years ago.” He said smiling softly. “Let’s get the tree and the ornaments but I’d like some more time to keep you to myself. Maybe we’ll have a kid when we come shopping in a few years”

“Maybe we will” Derek said and kissed him.

Four: Matching Pajamas

The past two years had been one of the hardest of Stiles life. He had always known he wanted kids but with the high probability of transferring his mom’s disease genetically he had also been pretty sure he would adopt. With Derek being a werewolf and looking forward to teaching his kids all the wolfy things he knew it was a surprise to everyone but the two of them when it took them no time to decide to go for surrogacy using Derek’s sperm.

Finding a woman in the know who would keep the kid safe was a different game altogether but after months of searching they’d found a werewolf from Satomi’s pack who was willing to be their surrogate. The months that followed that decision had been exhilarating and terrifying and the only reason Stiles hadn’t had a nervous breakdown was because Talia had been with them every step of the way.

As Stiles sat next to the Christmas Tree with six month old Jasper Hale in his arms he knew all of it had been worth it. Jasper had been born with a strong set of lungs and a dense sets of eyebrows that left no doubt as to who his father was.

He felt more than saw Derek sit next to him and leaned into his husband of 5 years. “John came to the store today.”

“Did he need something?”

“No, he left a package. Said he saw in the store last weekend and thought of us.”

Stiles wiggled excitedly, “Open it then!”

Derek laughed and started opening the package carefully. Stiles knew from past experiences that no amount of needling would get him to just tear the wrapper off so he settled for showing his impatience through his body language.

“Matching pajamas?” He said when he saw the opened box.

“There’s one for Jasper too” Derek said and then started laughing, “Here look at this”. There were two pajama sets and a onesie. All three of them had bear motifs over them with a patch saying ‘Bear Bottom’ on the butt.

“This looks nice. I wonder if we can find any wolf themed ones.”

“We’ll look for some next year.” Derek said and hugged him and Jasper tightly.

Five: Missing loved ones

For as long as he could remember Stiles had been reading the Polar Express every Christmas Eve. It happened when his dad was working nights and only his mom was there to read to him, when his mom died and his dad made sure he took some time out every 24th to read it with him, when he started dating Derek and they spent an hour cuddled together before bed as Stiles read to him and it kept happening even when Jasper was born.

Stiles was pretty sure he cried every time he read it ever since his mom had died but neither his Dad or Derek called him out on it and until now Jasper had been too young to notice how bittersweet it was to continue something even when the one who started it was not there.

This was their first Christmas with Sophie, a ten year old werewolf that had come into the Hale territory when on the run from hunters. Her pack was dead and her mother had asked her to hide and run as fought the hunters alone to buy her some time. It had taken months for her to feel safe but Stiles was glad to see her coming out of her shell recently. It was good for Jasper too who had recently turned six.

They’d had dinner and were sitting in the lounge when Jasper came in running with the book and thrust it in Stiles hand. “Read it, Papa.” He demanded with the trademark Hale pout on his face.

Stiles knew his heart had done something weird when his three wolves looked at him with concerned expressions. He opened the book and was about to start reading when Sophie said. “You have to read the message at the beginning too.”

Stiles felt Derek squeeze his hand and gave him a small smile. “Dear Mischief, You’re the most magical thing that happened to me. Remember to keep believing if you want to hear the bells. Love, Mama.”

By the time he finished the book Stiles could feel the tears running down his face. “It’s nice that your mommy left you a story to read every year”, he heard Sophie say and felt like crying all over again. He cleared his throat and put his arms around Sophie, “Why don’t you tell me a story about your mommy?”

“And then you’ll tell me about yours? And Daddy too.”

“You’ve met my mom honey. But I’ll tell you about my Dad.” Derek said as he ran his fingers through Jasper’s hair.

“I don’t have a mommy. But I have two daddies so it’s okay.” Jasper said suddenly. They had talked to him about different types of families before he’d started school, Stiles was glad the lesson was sticking.

“I’ll start. So you know grandma’s name was Claudia. She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen…”

“Better than Lydia Martin?” Derek smiled teasingly and raised his eyebrow.

Stiles gasped and then laughed. “Of course. But don’t tell her that! Now shh, I’m talking.”

And every year since just after Polar Express they talk about the people they wish they were sharing Christmas with.

+ (plus) One time he didn’t have to

Stiles woke up feeling overheated. He was pretty sure the sun hadn’t risen and his face was smushed into Derek’s chest. Opening his eyes he saw Sean lying next to Derek and Jasper and Sophie cuddled next to Stiles. All of them were fast asleep.

He had no idea when it had started but for the past few years he had been waking up with his whole family next to him on the bed. Derek believed it was because they were werewolves but Stiles was pretty sure it started because Sophie was quite attached to them and where she went, her brothers followed.

It felt nice, Stiles decided as he walked to the bathroom. With two of the pups being teenagers now, tempers were high more often than not in the house but it was a comfort knowing the kids would be there on Christmas mornings even if they had been arguing the night before. At least they would be until Sophie went to college in two years, something Stiles didn’t want to think about right now.

He freshened up and stared at his family. They had been pretty content with 2 kids but one day Isaac who worked for child services had found a werepup who had been left outside the fire station and a few weeks and favours later, Sean Stilinski-Hale was the newest member of their family.

Derek who now a bit of grey in his beard and hair still made Stiles just as giddy as he had when he was a young werewolf running around playing basketball. Some days Stiles couldn’t believe what a wonderful life this man had given him. He placed a soft kiss on the pups and Derek and climbed back into bed. Derek pulled him closer and kissed his forehead.

“If I didn’t know you I’d think the way you were staring at us was creepy.” Derek said in a deep sleepy voice that sent tingles down Stiles’ spine.

“I’m feeling very content right now so I won’t react to that comment” Stiles said and heard his voice catch a little.

Derek immediately looked concerned. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m great” Stiles said. “I couldn’t be better. Merry Christmas baby.”

Derek smiled and kissed him deeply. “Merry Christmas. Love you.

[lubdubsworld]

A Velvet Promise ( Kim Taehyung x OC)

Rating : 21+ 

Warnings : Smutty Smut. Angsty angst. 

Summary :

 Kim Namjoon : "What do you mean Taehyung's getting married?" . 

Park Jimin : "Hyung, he's... I mean , you know he's going to hurt her. Like really badly?" .

Jeon Jung Kook : " She seems so innocent. She doesn't deserve that. " .

  Kim Taehyung : " Why would i call off the wedding? I've always wondered what it's like to fuck a virgin." 

Choi Minho : " Kim Taehyung is a psychopath. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional."

 " I'm not a toy you can use and toss. If you touch me again, I'll choke the life out of you.."

 " Is that a challenge babe? Because you're not keeping me away from your bed." 

Prologue

"She looks like a two piece whore, Uncle." Taehyung said casually, fingers curling casually around the flute shaped champagne glass. Manicured fingers tapped on the expensive Oakwood finish of his desk as he stared disdainfully at the small 6 by 10 inch photo on the table. 

The Photo showed a young woman of about twenty one or twenty two with plain mousy brown hair and rather indecently plump lips. She was staring away from the camera, probably unaware that her picture was being taken. Only her upper body showed and she had a slight, unremarkable figure, a little on the thin side . 

There was a rather endearing hello kitty pin on her hair and Taehyung leaned forward eagerly, edge of his nail digging into the Polaroid and scratching out the little pin rather vindictively.

He had just spent an hour listening to his uncle describe Jung Yerin, yet that little hello kitty pin told him more than all that useless information. Jung Yerin had grown up in a simple, conservative family. She looked like she had been sheltered from every evil, likely raised by loving parents who catered to her every need. she probably wore satin ribbons in her hair and peep toe sandals with knee length chiffon dresses, always smelling like sunshine and summer rain. 

Would she scream really  loud when he fucked her for the first time?

He hoped so.

His uncle was staring at the Polaroid and swallowing nervously, his gaze fixed on the little tear that his nephew's nails had made on the print.

Mianhe, Yerina.

"So, you will marry her? You really don't have to. She's already dating someone.  " He tried weakly.

Taehyung sighed and stretched luxuriously.

"Would that even matter, anyway? her father is positively gagging to have me as his son in law.  Besides, do you have any idea who she's dating, uncle?? " He grinned ominously, fingers gripping the edge of the table as he thought of the other man.

 Fuck, he wanted to pump a dozen bullets into his fucking head.

He struggled to get his head on straight. Once he had her , he would win.

" I'm marrying her. Because I need her. She's going to be my winning card ,  samchoon." He drawled.

Marrying Yerin would be the final move in this game.

Finally, Finally Kim Corp., would be his, exclusively and Choi Minho could go  suck his dick. 

Check and Check Mate.

Chapter 1

"He's busy, right now. You should come back later." The lady at the desk said firmly and i shuffled awkwardly on my feet. I re-read the small scrap of note that he had had delivered to my home that morning . 5.30 P. M , it said clearly . i glanced at the clock. I was exactly on time.

"I'm his fiancee. Are you sure he's not waiting for me? " I said desperately, clutching the designer bag that felt awkward on my shoulders. I'd gone to the salon and fixed my hair, bought a dress and this sparkly bag all because I'd wanted to make a good impression. Even the brown heels felt like they were cutting off my circulation as I tried to get some weight off my ankles.

"He's in a conference with  We have strict rules about interrupting practice, Miss. These are planned over a month in advance, just to avoid things like this. You should have made a proper appointment before turning up out of the blue." She said loftily and i sighed.

"Is there, at least a place that i can wait at?" I said finally and she gave me an amused look.

"I'm sure the bus stop outside has a shelter."

Blinking in shock , I bit my lips and slowly walked back out of the building. Bet she wouldn't be laughing once she realized just who I was. Sighing , I made my way to the bus stop and collapsed against one of the hard metal seats. My feet were killing me and the late evening sun fell right on my  face, warming me but making me blink back against the glare. 

The last bus to Daegu would leave in a few hours and if i didn't get  moving i would be stuck here for the night. I stared at the setting sun and felt misery creep up. On the huge billboard, opposite the busstop the placard carried a photo of  Kim Taehyung.

 He looked like something straight out of heaven. I remembered that that was what he was touted as in his band, the fallen angel. He definitely fit the bill, i thought grimacing at how frighteningly beautfiul he was. There was something about his too-perfect looks that really made a shiver run up my spine.

He looked inhuman. Frighteningly so.

Swallowing the dryness in my throat, I glanced at my phone.

 7 missed calls from Choi Min Ho.

i couldn’t deal with that now. 

. Sighing, I flipped the phone open and dialed my father instead feeling relieved as he picked the phone up.

"Yerin-ah!! Why don't you listen to me when i tell you to leave your phone on at all times!! i hate not knowing where you are!" He said desperately and I felt a little smile coming on.

"Appa! I'm fine... I just had the phone in my bag."

"How's my son , doing?" My father said fondly and I glanced back up at the huge billboard. Taehyung was wearing a blinding box-shaped smile that made him look so very innocent.

"He seems happy." I said absently, turning around to glance back at the building I'd just been politely kicked out of.

"I'm glad. He's a very nice young man, Yerin ah. He'll take really good care of you and it's what your mother wanted, remember?" He said gently and I felt sorry for the way my father sounded.

 Like he was trying to convince himself that he was doing the right thing as well. I scratched the edge of my bag, trying to think of something to say.

"I know. I'm sorry if I seem uninterested in him. I really am not. " I said softly.

My father sighed.

"I wish your mother was here. She always knew what to tell you to make you feel better." he said gently. " Appa is bad at this."

Tears stung and I swallowed, choking out a laugh, instead.

"You do too. You’;re enough, Dad. i swear, you’re all I need.  " I said softly.

Silence.

"And you’re the only reason , i’m still alive, Yerin. " He whispered. 

I couldn’t bring myself to reply. 

“Did you speck to minho?” my father said hesitantly and i flinched. 

“Not yet.”

“Be gentle with him, Yerin. He’s not going to take this news well and it’s best if we don’t make him more angry than he already is." he said nervously. 

I swallowed because the fear in my father’s voice was eveident. 

I hung up after that , telling him I would try to talk to min ho and get back as soon as possible. 

I glanced at the phone again. 

A few more calls from Choi Min Ho.

Minho was four years older than me , a confusing combination of older brother and guardian. 

He had a lot of control over me and my father trusted him when he made decisions for me.

Min Ho was one of the scariest people I'd ever met, simply because he didn't take no for an answer.

 I had first met him when i was eight, one of my father's students from high school. The year I turned fourteen he had debuted as an idol to become a trainee with SM entertainment and he had liked, of all things, my voice.

"I'm not allowed to call anyone from there. Just two people. One is my mom. The other is going to be you." He'd said with a very firm look in his eye.

 My father had given me an uncomfortable look but he had agreed that it was good for me to have an ' oppa' . Someone who would take care of me when my father wasn't around. 

Minho had been a constant in my life afterwards. 

Over the years his role had somehow shifted, from overbearing brother to something more like a boyfriend . He had his own band of guys always following me, making sure i didn't speak to any boys or befriend them. 

No concerts, no gaming arcades. No ice cream parlors or karaokes. 

And my father had been too deep in his own sorrow and his work to actively care. I ended up being smothered and suffocated, his relentless control driving me insane and scaring me in its intensity.

It still scared me.

I took a deep breath before dialing the number carefully.

"Oppa." I said softly and I could hear heavy breathing .

"did you tell him you aren't going to marry him?"

I bit my lips.

"It's not... It's not that simple ." I tried to get my thoughts in order but Minho snarled  out loud , the anger palpable through the phone.

"I told you why he's doing this didn't I? He  wants those godawful shares your mother left you, so he can take my company away from me. The company belongs to me, you know that. Don’t think for a second that he wants yo- "

The phone got snatched out of my hand roughly and I jumped, terrified .

It was Taehyung.

He stared at me wordlessly, pressing the phone to his ears and smiling thoughtfully while Minho continued his charade.

"Really hyung? Still misleading young girls, because you’re too much of a pussy to come face me like a man?  " He smirked, eyes pinning me on the spot and I flinched.

I couldn't hear what Minho said but Taehyung laughed.

"Oh, no hyung. That's not happening. I'm not letting her go . Not now, not ever." He reached out and lightly wrapped a lock of my hair around his forefinger before giving it a sharp yank that made my scalp sting.

And then he hung up, before lightly pulling the battery out, dropping the phone to the ground and stepping on it casually, and i stared , stunned as the parts cracked underneath his boots. My throat dry and heart pounding somewhere in the vicinity of my throat , I stared at him.

"Tell me, Yerin ssi... Did Minho Oppa already test and rate the goods that I'm going to be stuck with for the rest of my life?" He gave me a humiliating once over and I tried to process the sheer hurt and embarrassment that filled me up.

" It's not.. we're not..." my voice cracked from how close he was standing, tall, intimidating and terrifyingly handsome.

"Fucking? You expect me to believe that Choi Minho did not take you into his bed? Do I look like a fucking retard?" He said, his voice resonating so deeply that I could feel my fingers start to shake. I stared at him.

"You can believe whatever you want." I said finally.

He stared at me some more and then reached out fingers lightly closing over the chain around my neck. i startled when his fingers traced the heart shaped locket.

"Let me ask you something...Do you believe what Minho says? About me just wanting you because of the company he swindled his way into? " He said casually and I hesitated.

"No. No, I don't." I shook my head and he grinned.

"that just proves you're a fucking idiot. Because he is right. I don't give a flying fuck about you. But I'm going to marry you, you know why? Because every time I touch you, every time i kiss you, Choi Min Ho will likely implode and i'm really  really  looking forward to that." He said softly .

I stared at him trying to dredge up some emotion and finding, that I wasn't even surprised. I had known from the first time he'd agreed to marry me that it couldn't be for a noble reason. I thought of Minho with his controlling suffocating way of keeping me in a stranglehold and I thought of Taehyung with that frighteningly beautiful smile and stone-cold hatred radiating off his gaze and I realized that it wasn't about me at all. 

I was just going to be collateral damage in whatever game these two were playing with each other.

"What do you want?" i said finally.

He gave me a little smirk.

"Come home with me. Now."

I jumped a little.

"Are you crazy.. I .. My father is waiting for me..."

"So? What if you spend a night with me? We're getting married anyway aren't we?" He said causally.

I shook my head quickly.

He fumbled with his pocket and pulled out his phone, turning on the camera and holding it up  till it focused on the pair of us.

"what do you think you're doing?" I said nervously.

His eyes darted to my lips again and I didn't even blink, staring straight ahead as he casually wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close and pressing his lips against mine before lightly clicking on the screen, capturing the kiss on film. I stayed still as he pulled away and casually tapped into the phone. A second later he showed me the phone and my heart skipped a beat.

He had sent the photo to Minho. 

I stood still trying to think straight as dread swept through me.

"imagine what Min Ho will do to you if he gets his hands on you .... " He said casually." Still going to refuse to come home with me? "

i stood there trembling in disbelief.

Min Ho could be aggressively violent when he was angry  I didn't even want to think about what he would do to me. i stared at the shattered phone on the ground .

"You're a psycho."

He smiled then , wide and shameless.

"And you’re my property . I'll go get the car." He said casually, before turning around and heading back in. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I buckled up my seat belt and stared straight ahead, my head spinning with just one thought.

How did I convince this man that I didn't want to fight him?

It was raining now, so damn heavily that I couldn't see a thing in front. Taehyung was driving through deserted streets and I assumed this was where celebrities lived, far from prying eyes. i wasn't particularly scared. Taehyung didn't look like he would physically hurt me . But I could tell that he thought that I was in love with Choi Min Ho.

"Can I just tell you something?" I said finally, deciding on the truth.

"I don't fucking care what-"

I ignored him and jumped headlong into it anyway.

"Min Ho isn't my boyfriend. I just... I've known him for a long time and he cares about me. He's just being a little over protective. He'll get over it soon anyway. It's not like he's in love with me or anything . I just... my father really wants this marriage to work between us and I really don't want to disappoint him. It's okay even if we don't have a real marriage. I just don't want my father to be unhappy.  " I took a deep breath risking a glance at him.

He didn't reply, staring straight ahead as he drove carefully through the late evening traffic.

"Are you listening?" I said impatiently and screamed when his hand shot out suddenly, gripping the top of my thigh so hard that searing sharp pain shot up through my leg. I gripped his wrist, yanking it off my leg and glared at him in stunned surprise. 

He looked like art, his side profile so flawless that I wanted to puke a little.

"Two things. Don't interrupt me when I'm driving.  And Two. Don't go on hour long rants until I ask you to, which will be...let me guess... never. Since it's the first time I'll forgive you. and if you think, for a second that I care about your father or your fucking oppa or your goddamn feelings, now would be a good time to get rid of those delusions. I'm marrying you. It will be a  real  marriage in  every  sense of the word. I want children. I want you to cook dinner for me when I come home every night, send me off with breakfast and let me between your legs when I ask you to. "

I clenched my fist, anger bubbling over and threatening to spill over as a scream. I almost did but then stopped.

My mother's voice came into my conscience soft and soothing,  

raise your words, not your voice. 

"I'm enrolling in University next week so you'll have to hire someone instead. I'm not going to be your maid. ." I said firmly

Taehyung laughed at that.

"Are you honestly that naive? Who's going to pay for your fucking tuition huh? Sure as hell ain't going to be me. And trust me, if your father interferes, I won't think twice about shutting him down. I'm your husband. I get to decide whether or not you go to a damn college and honestly, I really don't see the point. You're going to spend the rest of your life taking care of me anyway? You don't need anything more than what the Good Lord gave you between your legs ...."

I should just stab him with a kitchen knife in his sleep.

" I don't know why you're acting like a bastard but I hope you get over yourself and actually think like a decent human being for once. This isn't really funny anymore. " I whispered.

Taehyung scoffed.

"It's cute that you think I'm joking. I'm not. Choi Min Ho deserves to rot in hell and he's going to pay for what he put me through. And experience tells me that nothing hurts him more than someone coming near his precious Yerinie...." He drawled.

"Look, i get that you and him have some bad blood or something but you're the worst kind of coward if you want to drag me into it." I said frustrated and upset.

"Maybe. I'm not looking for your damn approval, anyway . I can't let you go back to your father's because something tells me that son of a bitch is probably waiting to get his hands on you. " He swore.

What kind of paranoid nonsense was this?

"Minho is not insane like you!!" I snapped.

Taehyung scoffed.

"Yeah, right. He's a fucking murderer is what he is!" He shouted .

I opened my mouth, ready to give him a piece of my mind , when I got flung across the dashboard, the belt digging into me and keeping me from crashing through the windscreen as Taehyung stepped on the brakes, so fast the car skidded, turning 180 degrees before coming to rest on the side.

The Van came out of nowhere

I gripped the dashboard when the car came to a halt, winded and heart pounding. Through the haze of the rain I could see a black van and a figure jump out of the back seat.

Next to me Taehyung groaned and I watched as he gripped the steering wheel tight staring out at the figure. Recognition flooded his face and he snarled.

"Fuck!! Fuck !! Fuck that bastard, I'm going to fucking rip his head off!!" Taehyung was storming out of the car, flinging the door open and climbing out, the rain drenching him within seconds. He leaned back  in, sticking his hand underneath his seat. As I watched, horrified, he pulled out a huge golf club, hitting the tip on his palm before turning back around , murder written large on his face.

I could only watch as he stalked over in the rain, raised the club high over his head before bringing it crashing down on top of the  windshield shattering it before swinging it down again  and putting a dent on the hood. 

I screamed, fumbling with the seat belt.

 I had to get out of here. 

Kim Taehyung was out of his  mind!

But the moment I stepped out of the car, a hand closed over my hair, fingers gripping the strands at the back of my head, yanking me so hard that I lost my footing, knees scrapping against the rough gravel as I got dragged upright.

"Jagi... where do you think you're going?"

Choi Minho.

Stunned, I kicked out, eyes watering from how hard he was gripping me. The pain didn't last long, Taehyung's foot coming out of nowhere and kicking him right in the chest till the older stumbled back , grunting in surprise. I rubbed my scalp and stared as Minho pushed back, landing a few strong punches on Taehyung, who was already bleeding from the corner of his mouth.

"What are you doing?!!" I screamed , sure that this was some god-awful dream. Both of them stopped and stared at each other, sopping wet as the rain poured down on us, glaring daggers.

"If you fucking touch my wife again , I'll rip your heart out with my bare hands!" Taehyung snarled and Minho scoffed, swiping at the blood trickling down his cut lip. Instinctively I felt worry. Choi Minho was a little too much but i didn't want him hurting. I moved, almost reaching for his arm but Taehyung's fingers closed over my wrist, cutting off circulation and pining me to his side.

"Your wife? Delusional much! She fucking belongs to me and you know it!!" He snarled, diving for Taehyung again. I screamed as they went down in a splash of rainwater, landing on the gravel trying to pummel each other to death.

"Stop it ! What are you..." I couldn't finish, blinded by  sudden flashing lights and then there was another car skidding to a halt in front of us. Taehyung and Minho stopped, moving away from each other and jumping to their feet looking like death.

The car door opened and I felt a sigh of relief.

I watched as Minho's older brother stormed out looking furious.

"You little trouble makers , I swear to God I should just call the cops and end your fucking lives once and for all" He shouted and Minho froze, grimacing.

"Try something like this again and I will fucking end you. !" Taehyung snarled, fingers curling around my arm as he yanked me away. Minho fixed his gaze on me and shook his head.

"You think this is over, Kim fucking Taehyung??! I will destroy everything you love!!" He screamed.

Taehyung turned and gave him a cold glare.

"You already did , you fucking piece of shit. I hope you burn in hell for it!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Stop looking like I'm going to eat you up." Taehyung commented mildly, punching in the digits to his security code while I shivered next to him. Every inch of me was sopping wet, dripping rain water into the expensive carpet of the hallway. The condo was clearly worth a few millions at least and  I felt ( and probably looked ) like a sewer rat i. I gave him a tired look.

"You're welcome to try. I'll scratch your eyes out." I muttered and he let out a laugh.

"Fiesty. I can see why that guy pants after you so much."

I sighed, too exhausted to fight back. Once the door opened, I stepped into the condo, feeling even more out of place. Taehyung's apartment was more convenience than style, I thought, staring bleakly at the unfamiliar furnishings and the stark black and white decor.Each perfectly polished surface was adorned with a certain type of artifact or decoration, the overall theme somewhere between modern and youthful. I stared at the paintings on the wall, abstract splashes of color against the snow white walls , offset by the thick black frame each one was imprisoned in.

"The guest bedroom is there and you can go get a good night's rest. It locks on the inside, so don't stay up all night worrying if i might come in. We probably have to meet reporters tomorrow and I'd rather you not look like a raccoon. So get a good night's sleep. " He said casually, slipping out of his jacket and tossing it on the couch.

"Call my father and tell him I'm here." I said softly and he grinned.

"Abeonim  would probably want to move the wedding date up. Is that okay with you?" He sneered.

I stared at him, refusing to rise to the bait.

I didn't spare him a glance, moving quickly to the smaller bedroom and locking myself in. I double checked the lock, making sure it didn't open , before dragging myself to the bathroom.

I peeled off the drenched clothes, suddenly aware that I didn't have anything to change into. It was already nine and I could feel hunger pangs begin to claw at my insides. But starving was a lot better than going out and breathing the same air as Kim Taehyung. Groaning, I turned on the hot water and stood under the spray, letting it warm me a bit. Afterwards, I rinsed my clothes in the small tub, using shampoo for want of anything else. I would have to wear those again tomorrow .

I picked at the gravel that was lodged into my skin, the bruise slowly growing darker and congealed blood sticking to my skin like paint. I grit my teeth and cleaned it up as much as I could, wincing from the dull throb combined with the sting.

There was nothing in the closets or the linen cupboard except for a single towel. Sighing in defeat, I wrapped it around my hair, towel drying it and my body before slipping into the sheets, feeling like a sitting target. Being naked in a bed with Mr. Psycho a door away felt mildly suicidal. I mourned the loss of my phone, thought of my father waiting for me to get home. Hopefully the crazy guy would at least tell him.

Slowly sleep took over and I found myself drifting off to sleep.

I woke up to the sun streaming into the room, lighting the bed. The first thing that stuck me was that I wasn't naked anymore.

I stared down at myself, the white t-shirt and decidedly  male  boxers looking completely out of place on my body and I clutched at the covers, mortified. What on earth?

I opened my mouth, ready to scream bloody murder when a familiar voice came drifting through the door to the bedroom. ( it was ajar and it stuck me that I was a complete idiot. This was his house. Of course he had a key to get into the guest bedroom, what had I been thinking?!)

"She's probably still asleep, sir. " Taehyung was saying and I felt a pang, knowing how much my father liked boys who called him sir. My father loved guys who respected elders. One of the things he had always told me about Taehyung was the latter's love for his family. The way he put family above anything else. And I could tell from the way he talked to my father that he really did consider him family.

Trying to smother the painful tug on my heartstrings , I crawled out of the bed, slowly making my way out.

"Yerinie!!" My father rushed to my side, looking anxious." Are you okay, child?"

I nodded, unable to bring myself to look at Kim Taehyung.  He saw me naked.

"I'm fine daddy. Sorry about last night." I said quietly and my father nodded before pressing a bag into my hands.

"Taehyung asked me to bring you a change of clothes. Go get yourself changed." My father said briskly and I finally risked a glance at the guy. He wasn't even looking at me, carefully setting the table for breakfast and filling a glass with milk.

I sighed in defeat.

Half an hour later, my father had left with promise to meet us at the company where people would be interviewing us about Taehyung's ' accidental posting' of the photo in the fan cafe.

"There are some interview questions here that we should probably go over." Taehyung said casually, before giving me a once over.

If he says anything I swear to God, I'll rip his fucking tongue off.  

I grudgingly moved to the table and sat next to him. I tried to cram all the insipid information he fed me, about where we'd met, what we liked about each other and a couple more cheesy questions. About half way through, his phone began buzzing next to me and I glanced at the phone.

Choi Minho.

Oh, God.

Taehyung gave me a wide smile.

"Pick it up." He said casually. I jumped.

"What?"

"I said pick the phone."

"I'm not-"

"PICK THE DAMN PHONE!!!!" he brought his palm down on the table with such force that the decanter full of water fell over, sloshing liquid all over the table.

I went still, heart pounding inside my rib cage as i fumbled with the phone, sliding the little green icon to attend the call.

"Hello..."

"You filthy fucking whore..."

"Oppa.. what..."

"You fucking had sex with Kim fucking Taehyung after everything I told you!! What kind of a slut are you?!!" He sounded like he was a syllable away from an aneurysm and I bit my lips, too stunned to reply.

"I did not. Why would you think that?!!" I cried out, stunned.

"He sent me the damn pics, you little bitch!! I saw you naked and in his bed with him... But you know what, if you think this is going to keep me away from you. You're dead wrong. Just be sure that when I do get my hands on you, I'll..."

I hung up, stunned and disoriented.

"You sick bastard." I whispered, staring at him as my voice trembled. He grabbed his phone , fumbled with it and then slid it across the table to me.

There on the screen was a photo of me in bed. I was facing away from the camera, nothing except for the soft white sheet over my waist, my back bare and stark against the black sheets. But I wasn't alone. Taehyung lay on his side next to me, shirtless, grinning into the camera  and offering a middle fingered salute.

He'd sent that pic to Minho.

I wanted to puke.

"Why.. Why would you do this...?" I said stunned .

He smiled.

"I told you. He's going to hell. But I'm just gonna repay him for all the shit he put me through before I send him there. And you better listen to me. unless you want that pic to land on the fancafe too."

This time I couldn't stop the bile that rose up.

Running to the bathroom, I lost my breakfast all over the commode, gasping for breath as sick disgust began to spread all over my skin.

Outside the bathroom Taehyung made a noise of impatience.

"Get ready. We have an interview in an hour. "